– Rob Van Dam vs. Seth Rollins was announced for this week’s headline match on WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night.
– Below is the “Dean Ambrose Eulogy” segment from Monday’s RAW, which features Seth Rollins, Kane and a run-in from Roman Reigns.
– WWE has added wrestling legend Ivan Koloff to the Alumni section of their official website. You can check out his page at WWE.com.
– Last Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown on SyFy averaged 2.641 million viewers, down from the average of 2.564 million viewers who tuned into the show the week before. SmackDown was the highest rated original program on cable for Friday night.
– It looks like Goldust and Stardust may have turned heel on this week’s edition of RAW. After winning a WWE Tag-Team title match via count out, Goldust got on the microphone and accused The Usos of getting counted out on purpose. After demanding a rematch right then and there, Goldust and Stardust instead attacked The Usos in heel fashion, focusing on the injured knee of Uso and attacking it violently.
– As noted last week, WWE filmed some footage and interviews with Brock Lesnar backstage at last Monday night’s RAW. The footage is scheduled to air on some of the week’s that Lesnar isn’t scheduled for television. On this week’s edition of RAW, the first of those segments aired, which featured Lesnar talking about his destruction of John Cena at SummerSlam while clips were shown of their match. They also touched on the scheduled immediate rematch between the two at the upcoming WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
– WWE stock was up by 1.71 percent today, closing at $14.89 per share. The high today was $14.99 per share while the low was $14.66.
– In addition to the matches that we reported about last week, John Cena vs.Triple H from WrestleMania 22 and Cena vs. Shawn Michaels from the April 23, 2007 edition of RAW is also going to be included in the new “John Cena: Greatest Rivalries” DVD.
– Below is a new Sam Roberts interview with Stardust.
The following matches were taped in Anaheim, California prior to this week’s RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Adam Rose def. Curtis Axel in the opening bout of the evening. This was your basic Adam Rose match, with some comedy spots and whatnot throughout.
– Fandango def. R-Truth in the main event of the show. This was said to be kept pretty short, with Fandango winning by a quick roll-up out of nowhere.
– Cesaro became the new number one contender to the WWE United States Championship by winning a number one contender’s match against Rob Van Dam at this week’s RAW. Because of that, it is expected that Cesaro vs. Sheamus for the U.S. title will take place at the upcoming WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
– Throughout Monday’s RAW, WWE advertised that the first 100 hours of WCW Nitro will be added to the WWE Network starting next week. There will also be new episodes of the new Monday Night War series.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross tweeted the following about Vince McMahon earlier today:
I exchanged text messages with Vince McMahon Sunday on his 69th B-Day. He told me he did a 500 pound squat on birthday #69! #Amazing
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) August 25, 2014
– Speaking of “Good Ole’ JR,” his good friend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin noted on Twitter that he’s taping an interview with him for a future edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast.
I'm talking to good ole @JRsBBQ today for #steveaustinshow. Got a question? [email protected]
#sauceit
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) August 25, 2014
As we reported earlier today, WWE is advertising Daniel Bryan’s return for the upcoming European tour in November. Apparently, Bryan will be returning during the tour, but will not be wrestling any matches.
The feeling within WWE is that the European tour needs all the star power it can get, so Bryan was booked for that reason.
Most expect that Bryan will appear on the shows in Europe doing in-ring promos or some kind of other non-physical segment.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
“Saved By The Bell” star “Mr. Belding” (aka Dennis Haskins) is backstage at WWE RAW in Anaheim, California tonight. He tweeted the following during RAW, teasing a surprise:
Somehow @WWE has kindly let me see #SummerSlam and now #RAW Watch for a surprise soon! @JCLayfield
— Dennis Haskins (@mrbelding) August 26, 2014
WWE Hall Of Fame Forum And The Return Of John Cena
As advertised, this week’s edition of WWE RAW opens up with the WWE Hall Of Fame Forum, which features Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Jerry Lawler is the announcer on commentary welcoming us to the show and reminding us of the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar rematch at WWE Night Of Champions.
From there, we go to Michael Cole in the ring, who introduces the WWE Hall Of Famers. First out is “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. Next out is the 16-time World Champion, Ric Flair. Finally, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels makes his way to the ring.
In the ring, on top of a red carpet coverinng the mat is a RAW announcers table, which is where Hogan, Flair and HBK are seated. Cole brings up the Cena-Lesnar match at SummerSlam and the announced rematch at the upcoming Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Cole asks HBK what Cena’s chances are of beating Lesnar in the rematch. Michaels says they aren’t good because it’s not happening. HBK talks about how himself and the two legends seated next to him eventually had to admit it was there time and they retired. He says it might be that time for Cena. Hogan disagrees, claiming that Cena can still go. Flair agrees with Michaels, saying he doesn’t “feel it” for Cena.
Michael Cole then asks for predictions. Hogan says he’s routing for Cena all the way on this one. Flair chimes in and says he likes John Cena too. HBK agrees with Flair, saying he too likes Cena but that’s not what they’re talking about. He says Cena doesn’t have a chance. Hogan goes to talk and Michaels interupts him. HBK talks about the beating Cena took and says he’ll never be the same man. Hogan says before HBK interupted him, he says Cena’s beaten Lesnar before and he will again.
As Flair and HBK sort of team up in disagreeing with Hogan and Hogan goes to defend Cena further, they are all interupted by Cena’s theme song. John Cena comes out and makes his way to the ring.
Cena talks about how everyone is talking about what happened to him at SummerSlam. As Cena pauses, the fans break out in “CM Punk” chants, which Cena actually stopped and allowed. Cena says he has the utmost respect for all three of the Hall Of Famers in the ring. Cena says he’s sick of all this talk about what he should do.
From there, Cena goes to reference the beating he took at SummerSlam. He says there’s no way to dance around this. He says SummerSlam was an ass-whooping. A 100-percent beat down. He agrees with HBK, who mentioned that you’re never the same after a beating like the one he took at SummerSlam.
Cena goes on to discuss why he wants to do it again. He says he doesn’t plan on doing it again. He says he’s going to bring the fight to Brock Lesnar at Night Of Champions. He says he’s not going to Night Of Champions to beat Brock Lesnar, he’s going there to beat Brock Lesnar’s ass. He drops the mic and walks off as his theme plays again. That ends the segment and we head to commercial.
Rusev (with Lana) vs. Jack Swagger
When we return from commercial, Rusev and Lana are standing in the middle of the ring. Rusev is waving the Russian flag back-and-forth. Next out is Rusev’s opponent from SummerSlam, “The Real American” Jack Swagger. Swagger comes out alone with the American flag and waves it as he makes his way to the ring. Highlights are shown from there Flag Match at SummerSlam. On commentary, Lawler addresses the fact that Zeb Colter hasn’t been seen since SummerSlam, leading JBL and Cole to talk about it as well.
Meanwhile, the bell has already rung and Swagger and Rusev are already trading punches. Swagger gets the better of the exchange, knocking Rusev out of the ring. Back inside the ring, Swagger goes back to work on Rusev. He goes for the Patriot Lock and gets it but Rusev quickly gets to the ropes, forcing a break of the hold.
Rusev rolls out of the ring twice to avoid punishment from Swagger, who has been dominating Rusev this entire match thus far. The second time Rusev ducks out to the floor, Swagger follows him out and throws him against the ring steps. The two go back in the ring, where Swagger continues to control the action.
Rusev finally gets the better of Swagger, going to work on the injured rib cage of Swagger. Rusev knocks Swagger out of the ring with a big clothesline. On that note, we head to a mid-match commercial.
When we return from commercial, Swagger is stuck in a bear hug from Rusev. Rusev is squeezing away, trying to deliver additional punishment to the already “injured” ribs of Swagger. The fans, meanwhile, are rallying behind Swagger with “We The People” chants.
Rusev taunts the crowd, but as soon as he turns around, Swagger grabs him and hits him with a german suplex. Swagger is making his comeback now, dropping Rusev with a big boot. Swagger goes for the Swagger Bomb but Rusev gets his foot up. Swagger, however, grabs Rusev’s foot and gets him in the Patriot Lock. Rusev remains in the hold for a while, but eventually makes it to the ropes to break the hold. He then goes out to the floor to recover, but Swagger follows him out.
Once on the floor, Rusev shoves Swagger rib-first into the ring apron. And again. Now Rusev throws Swagger back into the ring and follows him in. Lana tells Rusev to “crush.” Rusev goes for The Accolade, but Swagger reverses it into another Patriot Lock attempt. Swagger lets it go in favor of a pin attempt, but Rusev kicks out at two.
The fans chant “U.S.A.” as Rusev regains control of the offense, kicking away at the injured ribs of Swagger. Rusev, meanwhile is selling his ankle from the many Patriot Lock attempts from Swagger. Rusev kicks Swagger in the ribs over and over as the ref yells at him to stop. And again. And again. Now he’s stomping away at Swagger as the ref yells at him to stop because Swagger is on the ropes. This goes on for a while. Too long, actually. Back in the middle of the ring, Rusev stomps away more and more and finally the referee stops the match due to Swagger’s inability to fight back. Cole on commentary puts over that much like SummerSlam, Swagger refused to quit.
Winner via Ref Stoppage: Rusev
After The Match
When the match is over, trainers and officials run to the ring to check on the condition of Swagger. Highlights are shown of Rusev’s vicious attack on Swagger at the end of the match. Back live, the giant Russian flag is dropped from the ceiling as Rusev and Lana celebrate.
WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper held a one-man show in Ireland last month in front of 200 fans, leading the host of the show to comment about how Piper drew more fans than a TNA live event by himself.
During the show, Piper reportedly called Ric Flair an “asshole,” noting that while he loves Flair, he prefers not to be around him. Additionally, he joked about how Flair can’t keep his clothes on and “can’t keep his d-ck in his pants.”
Piper also spoke about a backstage heated argument he once had with Vince McMahon. Piper said that McMahon has held a grudge against him for an incident that took place several years ago. Piper claimed that McMahon insulted him once, leading to Piper telling McMahon that he failed at promoting concerts, bodybuilding and football, claiming that the only business McMahon has succeeded in is the one that “his daddy handed to him.”
WWE has confirmed a match for tonight’s RAW. The returning John Cena will square off against Bray Wyatt, according to the official WWE Twitter page.
WWE tweeted the following on Monday afternoon:
Don't miss @JohnCena going HEAD TO HEAD with @WWEBrayWyatt on #Raw! Tune in tonight at 8/7c on @USA_Network to catch all the action.
— WWE (@WWE) August 25, 2014
– Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon brought up the upcoming WWE Studios film “Celebrity Death Pool” on “The Tonight Show” recently. Fallon joked about the film, which features Hulk Hogan and David Hasselhoff, noting that it’s “expected to be released in June of 1985.”
– New WWE star Kevin Steen wrote on Twitter that today is his first official day at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Steen tweeted the follownig:
Today is my first day at the @WWEPerformCtr and also, my wedding anniversary. Coincidence? Totally. I love you, baby! pic.twitter.com/DhcQBTAcFK
— Kevin Steen (@FightSteenFight) August 25, 2014
WWE Hall Of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham recently took some vicious shots at fellow Hall Of Famer Abdullah The Butcher in a recent post on Facebook.
Graham wrote the following, noting that doctors recently informed him that he only had two years left to live due to complications from Hepatitis C.
“The fucking worthless sub-human piece of shit Abdullah. He never bladed me but as you know gave Hannibal Hep C which almost killed him and is going to kill me. The liver docs have recently told me I have about 2 years left then my liver fails and I take my final bump. So fuck Abdullah and I hope he dies a miserable death.”
– The official WWE website has a new feature called “The Esteemed History of WWE Champions,” which looks at the incredible lineage of the WWE Championship. You can check that out at WWE.com.
– WWE.com also has a new feature looking at the longest reigning WWE Tag-Team Champions in history. The article looks at the top ten longest reigns and you can check it out at this link.
– The latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which features WWE Hall Of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep21 – Hoooooo! The Return of Hacksaw
“Hoooooo! Hacksaw Jim Duggan returns to Piper’s Pit where,for the first time ever, he reveals just what really went down that dark and stormy night back in 1987 when he and the Iron Sheik were busted for possession of Cocaine and Marijuana. Plus, Hot Rod is here to kick ass and drink bubble gum with his very own Rocket Fizz soda pop.”
You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the focus of the latest edition of WWE’s “Canvas 2 Canvas” video, which you can check out below.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Antonio Inoki is looking to promote peace through sports by going back to North Korea for the first time since 1995 for a big event. Thus far, Bob Sapp is the biggest named book for the show. You can read more about this at JapanTimes.co.jp.
– The Kickstarter campaign for former WWE Superstar Kamala’s book has reached $8,000 of their $12,000 goal. There are 23 days remaining to reach the additional $4,000 and you can donate now by going to Kickstarter.com.
– Speaking of Kamala, he was a guest on last week’s edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show.” You can check out that interview at PodcastOne.com.
The following are highlights from a recent online Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On a potential Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar match: “Lesnar vs. Bryan would be a heck of a match…different in most every way and compelling w/o question. Biblical as in David vs. Goliath.”
On John Cena coming close to breaking Ric Flair’s 16-time world title record: “I don’t consider being a 16X champion a major distinction. It also means one is a 15X loser of the title. It’s not a big deal to me one way or the other but thanks for your question. Longer title reigns are more significant to me than are the number of titles won.”
On the origin of some of his famous catchphrases: “Some where things that I came up with via my life’s experiences and some from hearing old timers when I was a kid using them. Most just popped into my head for some crazy reason.”
Check out more of JR’s online Q&A at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley was in attendance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.
– One-half of the TNA World Tag-Team Champions, Davey Richards, underwent an MRI last week that revealed a minor break in his leg. Despite the injury, Richards will reportedly work at the next set of TNA television tapings in September.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
– As of today, Bully Ray’s contract with TNA has officially expired. There has been no new details regarding his status with the company since our previous reports.
– Speaking of rumored TNA departures, despite previous reports to the contrary, TNA Knockout Velvet Sky is reportedly booked to appear on some upcoming TNA events. Whether or not that means she is going to remain with the company in a long-term fashion remains to be seen.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
In a video filled with tips of the hat to WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, as well as a few for Mick Foley, TNA talents Velvet Sky and Bully Ray took part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge.”
Sky, answering the challenge from Rosita, extended the challenge to Austin, Foley and Bully Ray.
Seconds after getting a bucket of ice water dumped on herself, Sky did the same to Ray. The two then celebrated, in “Stone Cold” fashion, with some beers.
Check out the Velvet Sky and Bully Ray ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” video above.
During a recent interview with PWTorch, WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin spoke about the possibility of returning to the ring for one more match at either WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California, or WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas.
“I’ll reserve my right to if I want to have another match down the road – say, like, Dallas, Texas is going to be (WrestleMania) 32,” said Austin. “Now, 31 is right down the road from me. That could be doable, but I don’t see it happening. Now, Dallas, that could be very special going back to Texas for 32.”
Austin concluded, “They’re going to need a loaded card to fill that house. So, I’ll reserve my right. But, am I pushing, pandering, selling, promoting? Nothing.”
Check out the complete interview at BlogTalkRadio.com.
The Conqueror brought John Cena’s title reign to a grinding halt at SummerSlam. Since then, he’s ditched the Big Gold Belt and disappeared from television. (He’s next scheduled to appear at the last Raw before Night of Champions.)
As most fans probably know by now, it has been announced that John Cena will invoke his rematch clause and once again try to slay the Beast Incarnate at Night of Champions.
At first thought, one might wonder if it’s really worth having these two compete again. After all, Cena was completely destroyed and the company seems to selectively choose which superstars receive a rematch anyway. (Where’s Randy Orton’s rematch from WrestleMania?)
The match is already set, however, so there is no use in arguing if the match should be booked, but instead how it should be booked. In my opinion, there are three ways to book the rematch between John Cena and Brock Lesnar.
The first option, which is the most likely, will see Cena once again be destroyed by Lesnar. He will walk away solidly defeated. He likely won’t give up, but he will lose the contest and that will be the end of Cena challenging for the title for a while. It will then be a depressing winter for the WWE Universe, as Lesnar will control the title and likely only appear once or twice a month.
In order to destroy the evil that is Brock Lesnar, the company will need a new hero to come save the children and their boxes of Fruity Pebbles. That man will be Roman Reigns and it will happen at WrestleMania. Lesnar will undoubtedly drop the title at WrestleMania, and it will likely be to Reigns, but the most interesting swerve would be to have Reigns win the title and Rollins cash in his briefcase to immediately steal it.
It would be the ultimate roller coaster of emotions for fans. Their hero finally defeats the evil villain, only to have the title stolen from him by the Authority. It would be the perfect way to end the pay-per-view and also a great way to build a main event feud for Reigns.
– Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which drops at PodcastOne.com late Tuesday night, will be former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone.
– Below is the latest edition of WWE Top 10, which looks at the ten most historical WWE Intercontinental Championship victories.
– Originally, WWE wasn’t planning on announcing the SmackDown move to Thursday nights until September. The belief now, however, since the news got out and SyFy announced the time slot change in their updated calendar, is that WWE may go ahead and promote the move sooner.
– In addition to the return of John Cena and the segment featuring the WWE Hall Of Famers on tonight’s RAW, another thing WWE is advertising is what the new direction for Seth Rollins will be now that Dean Ambrose is out of the picture.