The scheduled main event for this year’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event has been revealed.
Dave Meltzer noted in the Daily Update on F4Wonline.com that the scheduled headliner for this show is Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE Title.
This will be the first time in a few months that Randy Orton won’t be featured in the main title picture on the RAW brand.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on which stipulation this match will have. Historically, WWE likes to add stipulations that are associated with the TLC theme whether that’s Chair, Tables, Ladder, and TLC matches.
WWE is expected to confirm this match booking soon. Also, it’s been reported over the last few weeks that WWE is planning a Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan feud.
Meltzer wrote the following about this program and its status at TLC:
“Right now regarding Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal title, that match is scheduled to take place at some point, it could be TLC, but it’s leaning toward a later date.”
WWE presents the TLC pay-per-view event on December 20, 2020 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida that will air on the WWE Network. This will be the final pay-per-view show of 2020 for the company.
One of the biggest news stories to come out over the last month or so has been regarding WWE’s decision to ban their talent from using third-party platforms, most notably Cameo and Twitch.
As a result, various stars such as AJ Styles and Cesaro have suspended their accounts until further notice. Vince McMahon even alerted talent that if they did not comply with the edict then penalties would be enforced. Zelina Vega was released from her deal due to this.
Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio this new policy currently has zero effect on talent in NXT.
Instead, the larger focus has been on the WWE main roster. A reader asked about Adam Cole continuing to stream on his Twitch channel, which led to the news being revealed.
Meltzer noted that rules can change at any moment and he wouldn’t be surprised if NXT stars become included in the edict.
I spoke about this on last week's @theLTGpodcast and have on Patreon as well, but from speaking with multiple sources, contract structure is the reason most of the NXT people have had no issue with Twitch streaming while #WWE main roster folks have. Base pay is a big part of it.
WWE told Sports Illustrated that Vega breached her contract by starting a Cameo account.
Since her departure, she has met with the President of SAG-AFTRA because she tweeted out that she supports unionization. During this meeting, the two sides talked about the representation of wrestlers.
Former Democratic Presidential Nominee Andrew Yang has also publicly called out WWE and its Chairman for outdated labor practices.
GLOW star Alison Brie opened up on the possibility of the television series having a proper ending in the way of a film.
Although Netflix had previously announced that GLOW had been renewed for its fourth and final season, the show was canceled last month.
The reason for the show coming to an end was due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The streaming service had committed to the fourth season of the show in August 2019.
Brie expressed doubt that a movie will be made to wrap up the canceled series.
“I certainly think a movie could tie everything up,” Brie told The Playlist. “Our creators, Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, are incredible writers. And they’re so devoted to these characters that they created. I think a movie would be a great way to wrap it up.
“I’m a little pessimistic about it actually happening just in light of everything that’s gone on this year and how difficult it is to get anything back into production with COVID, and I’m also part of the “Community” cast, who’s been trying to get a movie going for six years, so what I’m saying is don’t hold your breath because if it does happen, it might take a minute.”
It should be noted that Netflix had been trying to find ways to get the show back into production since the pandemic started. If Netflix had attempted to do so then that the season wouldn’t have premiered until early 2022.
The series was inspired by the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion that was started in 1986. It premiered in 2017.
Top Flight is All Elite. Darius and Dante Martin made their AEW Dynamite debuts last week against the Young Bucks. The high-flying brothers from Minnesota came up short, put on a strong showing against the champions.
Top Flight joins a stacked AEW tag team division that includes FTR, The Lucha Bros., Best Friends, Natural Nightmares, Dark Order, Private Party, The Hybrid2, Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr. and The Acclaimed, among others.
Miro teased their signing a few weeks ago, but AEW made the official announcement Monday afternoon. Congratulations to Darius & Dante Martin.
Survivor Series 2020 may have been the Undertaker’s final farewell but a few big-spending fans are still receiving messages from the Deadman’s character. The Undertaker recently began taking a limited number of requests for videos through Cameo. The price tag was $1000.
Some of the videos have been made available online by Cameo.
Don’t tell Sebastian because I think he’s being gifted this for the holidays:
If you join the Undertaker’s “Fan Club” through Cameo you can view even more of the Cameos he has recorded. In all, Taker put 30 of the cameos up for sale and they have all sold out. You can click to be notified by Cameo of the next time he is available.
“I can to a certain degree. But a lot of times I catch myself talking to the TV like they can hear me. It’s hard to be just a straight fan, because I want everybody to succeed and to develop into their potential. So I’m kind of like, ‘Oh man, don’t do it. It didn’t make sense.”
“Don’t do that. Why would you do that?’ You would actually laugh if there was a camera watching me watch wrestling. I have these conversations and it’s pretty amusing, I’m sure.”
WWE Commentator Corey Graves recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former Sterling James Keenan discussed a number of topics during his time on the show. These would include Roman Reigns’ run at the top of SmackDown, working commentary during the pandemic and Drew McIntyre’s rise to the main event of RAW.
“Drew entered in an unwinnable situation here” Graves began on the show, saying how McIntyre’s WrestleMania win and subsequent Championship run has panned out due to the pandemic ‘era.’ “Think of the year that guy’s had. Winning the Royal Rumble with 40,000 people in attendance? Then here comes the pinnacle moment of his career, if not his life? You’re going to headline WrestleMania for the WWE Championship, it literally does not get any bigger than that.”
Corey Graves on Drew McIntyre
“And to have that taken away? And just kind of stay the course?” Corey Graves continued. “Drew to his credit realized these are unusual circumstances, these are strange times. But we needed somebody that you can hitch the wagon to. Drew McIntyre has worked his a** off.”
Corey Graves would also give credit to Randy Orton for the feud over the summer between he and the Scottish warrior. “Also hats off to Randy, who for whatever reason, all these years later? Just decided to have maybe the best year of his career in the ring. The two of those guys man have been absolute magic all summer long.”
Graves would finish by saying that he believes McIntyre will get his opportunity to have another major moment in front of a live crowd. “I truly believe that when the world returns to normal? Whenever that may be, that MacIntyre will have his chance.”
“I can’t wait to hear the fans show their appreciation, because I think this is one of those rare instances where, whether you like it or you don’t? Everyone kind of looked at this and goes ‘well, this is 2020, the world is upside down.’ And I think people will actually very much appreciate what Drew was able to do during his tenure as Champion.”
Have you enjoyed Drew McIntyre’s runs as WWE Champion this year? Let us know in the comments
The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The AEW Tag Team Champions discussed a number of topics during their time on the show; these included their time in IMPACT, changing their working style and writing their new autobiography.
The Bucks would also talk about their chaotic and ‘spot fest’ style of tag team wrestling. It’s clear that there have been detractors of this type of in-ring style; particularly among those with an ‘old-school’ mentality, such as Jim Cornette. The Young Bucks would express exactly why they feel they’re so polarizing as a duo during Busted Open.
Young Bucks on Wrestling ‘Rules’
“We broke the unwritten rules of wrestling” Matt Jackson would begin. “Like you’re only supposed to do a couple of high spots in the match. Well what do we do? We start off with 20 high spots.”
“And ‘hey, the Superkick is a finisher!’ Not for us” Jackson would continue. “For us it’s just a fun move we do 12 times a match. These are the rules of wrestling that…the unspoken rules you do not break. So, when you do those things? People say ‘you’re going to kill the business.'”
Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues is the duo’s newly released book. Matt Jackson would also discuss how the name came about based on the aforementioned in-ring style. “I think that’s kind of where the phrase was kind of coined. It was the critics who said that we were spamming Superkicks. That we were doing too many high spots. We were doing all of the things that you’re not supposed to do. But for whatever reason? It worked for us when it was never supposed to work.”
Do you enjoy the AEW Tag Team Champion’s style of wrestling? Are you going to check out the new book? Let us know in the comments
WWE Commentator Corey Graves recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former Sterling James Keenan discussed a number of topics during his time on the show. These would include Roman Reigns’ run at the top of SmackDown, working commentary during the pandemic and Drew McIntyre’s rise to the main event of RAW.
Discussing working commentary during the COVID-19 pandemic, Graves would say “at first it was jarring. It was really bad. We were in the Performance Center for the first few months of the pandemic. Just like the talent? We feed off of the crowd in a different way, more so for our tone and when we need to push the excitement and accentuate certain moments. We as commentators feed off the crowd as well.”
“So to have that completely gone? We become just narrators” Corey Graves would continue. “We’re just telling the story that’s supposed to be told. [That’s] without the variable that is the WWE Universe, or a live crowd, that can sway things and change things and even turn things completely around. So to have that sterile environment? It was very jarring at first.”
Corey Graves would then discuss how much of a change the ThunderDome setting has made to WWE programming. WWE will be leaving Amway Center for Tampa’s Tropicana Field in December, it is not yet known how the ThunderDome will change in its presentation. “Now that we have the ThunderDome? We actually have some crowd noise piped into our headsets for Cole and I. So we kind of know when we need to exaggerate or speak up or slow down. It’s not perfect.”
Graves would finish by saying how WWE’s ThunderDome concept has been groundbreaking and on par with anything else in entertainment. “I think with the ThunderDome? We’ve taken some amazing steps and it is truly state of the art. As far as live entertainment goes around the globe? I challenge you to find anybody doing better than what WWE is doing right now. But, there is no valid replacement for live fans.”
Do you agree with Corey Graves? Do you think that the ThunderDome is at the pinnacle of television production right now? Let us know in the comments
WWE Survivor Series 2020 took place last night from Orlando’s Amway Center in Florida. Several backstage updates from the event have recently become available.
According to a report from PW Insider, it was a busy day backstage at Survivor Series. WWE was filming interviews all day long with the many legends who were on-hand for The Undertaker’s farewell. These interviews will be used for future WWE Network documentaries.
Among the legends who were backstage at the event was Edge. The 47-year-old has been out of action since Backlash but was backstage at Survivor Series, though he did not appear on-screen.
In addition to legends that were on-hand, The Undertaker’s family, including wife Michelle McCool, were backstage as well.
While the Undertaker’s career was the one being celebrated, Survivor Series 2020 was also the 30-year anniversary of the Gobbledy Gooker character. The gimmick returned this year as well, winning the 24/7 title on the preshow and then losing it on the main PPV. Hector Guerrero played the original character but Drew Gulak portrayed it at Survivor Series 2020.
It was also revealed that Michael Hayes was the producer for the Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns match last night.
Nikki Bella’s fiancé Artem Chigvintsev had said during an interview with US Magazine that The Bella Twins are having talks about coming back and he wouldn’t be surprised if they returned.
Since the WrestleMania season is approaching, a lot of people wondered if this could mean that we will see the Bellas returning to WWE TV anytime soon, with a Royal Rumble return being the most talked-about scenario.
However, in a new video on their YouTube channel, the Bella Twins talked about these rumors and Brie first explained the hardships she had to face the last time she made a return after giving birth to Birdie:
“A couple of mistakes I did with Birdie on a couple of my comebacks is Birdie was so little — you’re sleep deprived, you’re trying to train, you’re trying to be a mom, so it can be really hard,
I’d like to wait until the boys are like two years old, or something like that. I see us making a comeback in a couple of years, or maybe it’s next year, I don’t know, but it’s not next month!”
Brie continued by saying that they do want to make a return to in ring competition but they aren’t sure about the timeline of their comeback.
Nikki Bella then explained that they aren’t ‘in talks’ right now and what Artem meant was that the sisters have discussed it among themselves. She confirmed that they haven’t spoken to WWE about a return to the ring.
This clarification confirms that the Bella Twins aren’t planning to return to the ring anytime soon and if they do make a comeback it will be somewhere down the line.
The card for the Survivor Series PPV wasn’t finalized until the last minute and WWE confirmed the final members of the SmackDown Survivor Series team during the go home episode of the show.
The episode saw producer Adam Pearce naming Otis as the final member of the men’s team. He also gave Bayley a spot in the women’s team to complete the numbers.
Regarding these additions, Dave Meltzer noted on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio that both these stars were simply placed on these teams because the company ran out of time.
The officials apparently felt that they didn’t have enough time on the show to add two more qualifying matches so they just decided to make the announcement in a promo.
Meltzer noted how it contradicts their own booking from earlier on when Pearce had told Braun Strowman that he couldn’t just be added to the Raw’s Survivor Series team and he had to qualify first.
The former Universal Champion then had to compete in a triple threat match against Keith Lee and Sheamus. Strowman won this match to qualify for the PPV and join the team.
The Survivor Series PPV saw team Raw taking on Team SmackDown in both men’s and women’s elimination matches and the champions of both brands colliding with each other. Check out the complete Survivor Series results here.
There are many wrestlers who have had the reputation of being tough with the management and refusing to put over other stars, with Triple H being one of the most talked examples of it.
However, Jim Ross, who was an important backstage figure in the company as well as an on-screen commentator when Triple H was starting his career does not believe these rumors and he says that they are ‘overstated.’
Ross talked about Triple H on the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast where the WWE legend claimed that he has never heard of The Game refusing to do a job for anybody:
“I’ve never heard Triple H refusing to do a job for anybody, he certainly would not tolerate that today if he had talents in NXT or whatever that didn’t want to put somebody over. He wouldn’t go along with it.
“Sometimes those things are overstated. I signed him to his biggest contract. I believed in Triple H from early on. I just don’t know, man, I don’t think that was ever a huge issue. If you didn’t like Triple H or his relationship with Vince and Stephanie, now you’re getting into a whole different area. You’re overanalyzing the personal side of this sh** and it’s unnecessary.”
Jim Ross also talked about the infamous feud involving Rikishi and Stone Cold Steve Austin and how the former DX member was revealed as the mastermind behind the situation.
The former WWE star revealed that Triple H’s involvement in the storyline was not originally planned but he claimed that the booking idea was a good audible called by the management.
Chris Jericho has been a part of the wrestling world for over 30 years and during this time, the former world champion has seen the good, the bad and the worst the industry has to offer.
One of the things Y2J has seen the wrestling world evolving through is the extensive use of drug back in the day to the current era where it’s considered prohibited.
Jericho talked about a number of things during his recent appearance on Keeping it 100 with Konnan podcast, such as the backstage environment at AEW:
“It’s been a really cool environment with AEW because Tony is, you never want to say this, but he’s one of the boys to an extent, he’s one of the boys in that he hangs out after the show. He’s very generous.”
Discussing the difference in the drug use in today’s wrestling compared to the past, Jericho said “Now, it’s you know, weed and alcohol, there’s really no pills, there’s really no drugs.”
Chris Jericho also talked about the backstage environment at AEW after the shows saying that there is food for everyone after the show and often there is alcohol as well. He explained that it’s because Tony Khan has a sports background and he knows how to take care of his athletes.
WWE Survivor Series aired live from the ThunderDome. Team RAW battled Team SmackDown and The Undertaker said his final farewell during tonight’s PPV.
Survivor Series Results
The Miz won the Dual-Brand Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
Team RAW def. Team SmackDown (Men’s Team)
Street Profits def. New Day
Lashley def. Sami Zayn via submission
Sasha Banks def. Asuka
Team RAW def. Team SmackDown (Women’s Team)
Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre
Here are the takeaways from the PPV:
Team RAW Dominated
Team RAW (AJ Styles, Riddle, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Sheamus) battled Team SmackDown (Jey Uso, Otis, Kevin Owens, King Corbin, Seth Rollins) in a Survivor Series elimination match.
AJ Styles came to the ring first and said that is the captain and will not apologize for the team victory they are about to have. Riddle interrupted his promo and made his way to the ring.
Match Recap: Jey Uso and AJ Styles started off the action by locking up in the middle of the ring. AJ connected with a Dropkick but Jey battled back with a right hand to the face as Paul Heyman was shown watching backstage. Styles went for the Pele Kick but Jey dodged it and rolled up AJ for a near fall.
Uso planted AJ with a Samoan Drop for a one count. Corbin tagged in and leveled Styles with a punch. Otis tagged in and went for a Splash but AJ got out of the way. Riddle tagged in and walked into a shoulder tackle from Otis. Owens tagged in and targeted Riddle’s bare feet with his attack.
Sheamus tagged in and Seth Rollins asked Owens to tag him in. Owens obliged and the Messiah entered the ring. Rollins said “for the greater good” and dropped to his knees. Seth asked Sheamus to do his part and Sheamus leveled him with a Brogue Kick to eliminate Seth Rollins.
Riddle unloaded multiple kicks to Corbin and tagged in Keith Lee. Otis tagged in and the two big men circle each other. Lee dropped Otis with a punch and tagged in Strowman. Braun hit Otis with a Dropkick and tagged in AJ. Owens tagged in and hit AJ with a Back Body Drop.
Owens dropped Keith Lee and Sheamus with a couple Stunners. Owens delivered another one to Riddle but turned around into the Phenomenal Forearm from AJ for the elimination. Corbin hit Styles with the End of Days but Team RAW broke it up. Corbin hit Sheamus with Deep Six and went for the End of Days again but AJ escaped.
Sheamus hit Jey with a knee to the face and went for the cover but Uso was able to kick out at two. Sheamus clubbed Jey across the chest but Jey battled back with an Enziguri. Otis tagged in and hit Sheamus with a Clothesline. Styles tagged in and Otis hit him with a Belly to Belly Throw.
Braun tagged in and booted Otis to the mat. Otis responded with a massive slam and followed it up with the Caterpillar Elbow. Strowman shrugged it off and hit the Running Powerslam to eliminate Otis. Jey Uso was the final member left for Team SmackDown.
Jey hit Team RAW with a Splash outside the ring. Jey sent Riddle into the steel steps and hit Keith Lee with a Superkick. Back in the ring, Uso sent Braun into the ring post. AJ tagged in and Jey hit him with a Superkick. Jey climbed to the top rope but AJ’s associate dragged him out of the ring.
Keith Lee tagged in but Jey didn’t see it. Jey climbed to the top rope but Lee caught him. Lee then planted Jey with the Spirit Bomb for the pinfall victory. Team RAW defeated Team SmackDown 5-0.
Later on the show, Roman Reigns told Jey that they lost because his team didn’t respect him. Reigns added that Jey doesn’t have a place at the table if he cannot get people to respect him and told him to get out of the arena.
RAW Tag Team Champions New Day faced SmackDown Tag Team Champions Street Profits. New Day came down to the ring dressed as characters from Gears of War.
Match Recap: Dawkins shoved Woods to the corner and Kingston tagged in. Ford tagged in and locked up with Kofi in the middle of the ring. Montez kicked Kofi in the midsection and tagged in Angelo Dawkins. Angelo connected with a Splash for a two count.
Montez tagged back in and went for a Moonsault but Kingston got his knees up. New Day leaped on Street Profits outside the ring and took control of the match by isolating Ford in the corner. Woods hit Ford with a Gutbuster as Kofi booted a red solo cup to taunt Street Profits.
Ford escaped but Xavier dropped him with a punch to the ribs. Kingston tagged in and Montez planted him with a DDT. Dawkins and Woods tagged in and Angelo hit Xavier with an elbow to the face. Dawkins hit Woods with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Xavier kicked out at two.
Montez and Kofi tagged back in. New Day connected with Midnight Hour but somehow Montez kicked out at two. Dawkins hit Kingston with the Anointment and Ford followed it up with the From the Heavens Frog Splash. Ford couldn’t go for the cover right away because of his ribs and it allowed Kingston to kick out at two.
Kingston hit Ford with the SOS and Woods leveled Dawkins with a Dropkick. Woods tagged in as Montez hit Kingston with Trouble in Paradise. Woods hit Ford with a Gutbuster but once again Montez was able to kick out at the last moment. Dawkins tagged in and lifted up Woods in the Electric Chair. Street Profits hit Woods with a Blockbuster for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Street Profits and New Day put on an excellent match tonight. A loss doesn’t hurt New Day at all but this is a huge win for the Street Profits.
Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn faced United States Champion Bobby Lashley tonight. Hurt Business was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Sami Zayn got out of the ring and got distracted by Shelton Benjamin. Lashley capitalized and hit Sami from behind. Zayn attacked Lashley as he got back into the ring and stomped him to the canvas. Lashley quickly regrouped and launched Sami into the turnbuckle.
Zayn once again rolled out of the ring but Lashley brought him back to the apron by his hair. Sami slammed Lashley’s neck into the ropes and followed it up with an elbow to the head for a one count. Lashley sent Sami flying across the ring and then planted Zayn with a Neckbreaker.
Sami connected with a boot to the face and went for a Suplex but Lashley countered into a Suplex of his own. Zayn pretended to have Vertigo and rolled up Lashley from behind for a near fall. Zayn rolled out of the ring and MVP started taunting him. Lashley once again capitalized on the distraction and sent Zayn into the barricade.
Zayn sent Lashley into the ring post and rolled back into the ring. Lashley made it into the ring at the last second but Sami sent him right back to the outside. Sami tried to take the pad off the turnbuckle but Alexander & Benjamin stopped him. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick but Lashley countered into a slam.
Sami rolled out of the ring again and started retreating up the entrance ramp. MVP stood in his way and Sami tried to get the referee to disqualify Lashley by tripping over MVP. MVP rolled Zayn back into the ring and Lashley applied the Hurt Lock for the submission victory.
The Undertaker made an appearance at Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event in which was promoted by WWE as his “Final Farewell.”
WWE had also hyped this show as being a tribute to the former WWE Champion and touted it as “capping off The Phonem’s legendary 30-year career.”
In the final segment of the show, WWE brought out various people ahead of Taker’s entrance. Those brought in for it included Shane McMahon, The Big Show, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Mick Foley, The Godfather, The Godwins, Savio Vega, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Kane (in his full gear).
A special video package aired. Vince McMahon gave a speech in the ring about Taker being in WWE for three decades despite injuries. He even name-dropped WWF. McMahon said tonight we say goodbye and the legacy of The Undertaker lives on for eternity. He brought out Taker.
It was his iconic entrance as The Deadman. Taker started out by saying for 30 years he has walked to the ring to lay people to rest. He said that now his time has come to let The Undertaker rest in peace. He tossed the microphone out of the ring and did his famous pose with the ‘Oh yes!’ soundbite from Paul Bearer with a hologram of Bearer appearing on the big screen.
The reason for this show being a tribute was due to him making his promotional debut at the 1990 version of Survivor Series.
The Undertaker beat AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match, which served as the headliner of WrestleMania 36 – Night 1, in what was Taker’s most recent match.
Chapter 5 of The Last Ride on the WWE Network ended with Taker stating that he had no desire to wrestle again, which many took as a hint at the possibility of retirement. He has since confirmed in various interviews that he’s retired.
As expected, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns ended up in the main event of this year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event.
In what will be the final WWE PPV event held from Amway Center for the foreseeable future, WWE booked a champion vs. champion match with the top stars on RAW and SmackDown.
McIntyre represented Monday Night RAW while Reigns defended the pride of the blue brand. Neither title was on the line.
The match saw Reigns dominate the early portion of this match until McIntyre rallied back. It was a back and forth lengthy match. They trade their signature moves such as McIntyre’s DDT and Reigns Superman Punch yet reversing finishing moves.
Reigns speared McIntyre through the barricade. They did a referee bump spot with McIntyre hitting Reigns with a Claymore Kick that sent Reigns into the referee. Reigns connected with a low blow to McIntyre only to have Jey Uso superkick McIntyre before Reigns hit a spear and locked in a guillotine choke for the win.
McIntyre has been feuding with Randy Orton for months while Bray Wyatt has recently entered the title picture after “The Fiend” was sent over from SmackDown to RAW in this year’s Draft. Orton won the WWE Title by beating McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell Match at the themed pay-per-view event last month, but McIntyre beat Orton last Monday night.
On the flip side, Reigns had been feuding with his cousin Jey where they worked a handful of PPV matches. In recent weeks, Jey has joined “The Tribal Chief” and turned heel by attacking Daniel Bryan, who is expected to be in the title hunt coming out of Survivor Series.
This year’s Traditional 5-on-5-on-5 Elimination Match for the female roster at the Survivor Series event is in the books.
This was the fourth straight year that Vince McMahon had decided to do the brand vs. brand theme with the women for one of the big four events of the year for the company.
Team RAW featured Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Peyton Royce, Lacey Evans, and Lana) while SmackDown had Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Bayley, and Natalya.
At Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event, Team RAW won the contest.
Royce hit her finisher to Bayley for the first elimination. Bayley was the Team SmackDown captain. Natalya locked in the sharpshooter to Royce for the elimination to tie it up 4-4. Team RAW went up 4-3 when Evans eliminated Natalya with a big right hand. Baszler eliminated Ruby that led to RAW going up 4-2. Morgan eliminated Evans that made it 3-2 with Team RAW still in the lead. Jax with a samoan drop to Morgan for the elimination to give Team RAW the lead again with 3-1. Belair was the last to rep SmackDown. Belair passed out while in a rear-naked choke by Baszler and fell onto the bottom rope, but Baszler wouldn’t let go so she was eliminated via DQ. Belair and Jax were eliminated when they were both counted out. As a result, Lana was the last person standing and won the match.
Last year, WWE decided to change things up by adding NXT talent and making it a three-way contest. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae and Io Shirai) ended up winning by beating Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Sarah Logan, Natalya, Asuka and Kairi Sane) and Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, Carmella, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross).
Another high profile champion vs. champion match saw RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.
They battled it out in a non-title match at Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida.
Asuka represented the red brand while Banks defended the pride of the blue brand. Neither title was on the line.
The match had a slow build that was given plenty of time. They presented a technical style of bout in the early going. Things started to pick up after they brawled to the floor and Banks hit a backstabber for a near fall. The finish saw Banks hit a frontflip roll up for the win.
Banks had been feuding with Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Title after the two best friends split up once Bayley turned on Banks on an episode of SmackDown. At last month’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event, Banks beat Bayley to win the SmackDown Women’s Title.
During an episode of SmackDown earlier this month, Banks successfully retained the title over the former champion.
This year’s Survivor Series event featured a Traditional Elimination Match for the male roster as usual with some notable star power.
Unlike last year, WWE went back to its normal formula of having stars from Monday Night RAW and SmackDown featured instead of also having NXT.
Team RAW featured Keith Lee, AJ Styles, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Matt Riddle while SmackDown had Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Baron Corbin, and Otis.
The first elimination saw Rollins offer himself as a sacrifice and Sheamus hit a brogue kick. Styles eliminated Owens with the Phoenmal Forehearm, which gave TeamRAW a 5-3 lead. Riddle hit a dive off the top rope to Corbin for the elimination to post Team RAW a 5-2 lead.
Strowman eliminated Otis, which caused Jey to be the final Team SmackDown member standing. Lee hit the Spirit Bomb to Jey for the elimination. It was a clean sweep for Team RAW.
This was the fifth straight year that Vince McMahon had decided to do the brand vs. brand theme for one of the big four events of the year for the company.
WWE celebrates The Undertaker’s 30th anniversary at Survivor Series, billed as his Final Farewell. The tributes have been pouring in and we’ve compiled some of them here. Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H and many others pay homage to the Phenom:
We’ve faced each other in every type of match and created some of the most special moments in my career. Standing across the ring from @undertaker was always a daunting experience but I’m excited to hear the gong toll one last time. #FarewellTaker#SurvivorSeries
30yrs ago today, he made his iconic #SurvivorSeries debut. Like EVERYONE – I was in awe as a rookie in the @WWE when his first words pierced my soul as he walked in the dressing room and said, “Muthafucka” True story ? Honored to share the ring w you, my brother. #ThankYouTakerpic.twitter.com/ULlppOQlCa
Tonight I am very proud to be celebrating one of the greatest careers in @WWE history. A singular talent, a true leader, and a great friend. #ThankYouTaker#SurvivorSeries@undertaker
The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The AEW Tag Team Champions discussed a number of topics during their time on the show; these included their time in IMPACT, changing their working style and writing their new autobiography.
During the show co-host Tommy Dreamer asked the Bucks why they decided to adopt a more ‘unapologetic’ in-ring and promo style. “At first we weren’t that way” Matt Jackson would respond. “At first we were just like everybody else. We’re the young guys and we’re gonna do whatever you tell us to do. It didn’t seem to work for us, like yeah sure we had good matches, but that was only taking us so far and I think it got to the point where people were kind of walking all over us a little bit.”
The Young Bucks on IMPACT
Matt would then describe how this initial approach affected The Young Bucks when they joined IMPACT (then TNA) as Generation Me. “We went to IMPACT Wrestling and sort of failed there” Matt stated. “Because we were too afraid to address issues that we might have seen. They [management] wanted us to turn on each other and wrestle each other. We thought that was a terrible idea, but you know what? We were nice guys so we went and we did it.”
“They started kind of tarnishing our brand a little bit” Matt continued. “It got to the point where Nick and I were just like, ‘listen, we have to make a change here because we can see what route this is going. [We can see] what route our career is headed. And we made the decision like ‘if we’re gonna do this? Let’s go do it like we did in the backyard. Let’s go have fun and let’s wrestle with our hair down, and let’s act like there are no rules and let’s be boundless out there.”
Matt would finish by saying how this approach would boost The Young Bucks as a brand and gain them a far bigger following. “As soon as we were unafraid and unapologetic? We decided ‘hey if we’re gonna get heat doing this? Let’s just do it, because what’s the worst that can happen? We’re already broke right now and we’re not making any headway in our caree,r let’s just try this thing. As soon as we kind of dove into that? Those weird, unapologetic characters? People started gravitating towards us.”
Who would you like to see The Young Bucks feud with for the AEW tag titles? Let us know in the comments
Kenny Omega is getting ready for what’s arguably one of the biggest matches in the history of AEW against the World Champion Jon Moxley for his title at the upcoming December 2 episode of Dynamite.
However, it appears that the preparation for this bout is extra hard for the cleaner as he is not only trying to deliver a great performance but he is doing so while dealing with an injury to avoid surgery.
Omega revealed on his recent appearance on Wrestling Observer Radio that he has a torn labrum and he has been working through it to try and avoid having to miss time due to a surgery:
“So, you know, a torn labrum, as you know, is no laughing matter. That’s a surgery, but I have a very talented and unbelievable trainer, and you know our doctors, of course, are always monitoring and making sure we’re doing okay, but our trainer Bryce Ready is just next level kind of guy. He has kept me together and in a condition where I’m able to perform.
As long as I make that that I see him two or three times a week. I can lift; I have full range of motion. I just need to make sure that I can look after it, and I can avoid having that surgery.” said Kenny Omega, “I can’t afford having that time off. If things get worse that’s an option I’ll have to consider.”
Kenny Omega has wrestled Jon Moxley once before in the main event of the Full Gear PPV in November 2019 in an unsanctioned match but this will be the first time the two men will be wrestling in a standard match in the company.
While the former NJPW star seems to be doing fine despite the injury at the moment, it’s still an added concern for the AEW management and it would be interesting to see if Omega is able to deliver a performance living up to the hype of his upcoming match with the AEW Champion.
The old ‘Broken Dreams’ theme song of Drew McIntyre is considered to be one of the best themes in the history of the company and many believe that the current WWE Champion should bring it back.
The Scottish superstar recently had an interview with Battleground podcast where he talked about a number of things and also commented on the possibility of bringing back his old theme.
McIntyre explained that the theme is slower-paced compared to his current character but the former NXT champion said that he would like to bring it back for special occasions:
“Personally, I have visions of it coming back for a special occasion and then hopefully releasing it for download because it is talked about all the time. It was such a popular song. I personally think it’s great.
If you look up the ‘Broken Dreams’ lyrics and check the story, it kind of matches my career story, which is interesting. It’s just a little slow for me, right now. I love the bagpipes and war music. It doesn’t quite match the current Drew McIntyre, but I do want to bring it back for special occasions.”
Paul Heyman’s time as the Executive Director of Raw will be remembered for the rise of a younger generation of talent and the wrestling veteran is said to be responsible for bringing talents such as Murphy into the spotlight.
The former ECW owner had an interview with TalkSport.com recently where he talked about a number of things and also opened up about his time as the head of the Red Brand.
Heyman first said that he is one of those people who enjoys the behind the scene aspect of wrestling as he does the on camera aspects. He went on to claim that working as the Executive Director of Raw was a career highlight for him:
“Working as the executive director of RAW was a career highlight for me. I enjoyed every single solitary minute of the job and the biggest reason I enjoyed it so much was because I got to work with so many insanely talented people, such as the names you mentioned.
I’m very proud of your accomplishments and very proud of the individuals themselves for the success that they have all achieved” said Paul Heyman, “through the greatness of the performances that they overdelivered.”
Apart from this, the associate of the current Universal Champion Roman Reigns also talked about the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, calling him ‘a god sent to WWE’ who will always be holding the secondary championship in the company.
Paul Heyman was appointed the Executive Director of Raw in June 2019. He stayed in the role for almost a year before being relieved from the position in June earlier this year.
TJP has been wrestling since he was 13 and his career of over two decades the high flying star has wrestled for many big promotions including Impact Wrestling, NJPW, ROH and more.
Though the run that got him the most recognization is his time with WWE which started with winning the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016 and lasted until February 2019.
During his recent interview with ALL Real Wrestling Podcast, the former cruiserweight champion talked about his time in WWE and revealed what he told Vince McMahon before leaving the promotion:
“I was wanting to leave WWE. I had told them a year before that that it was my primary note. Well my primary note was that I felt like I was unhappy, but like, I wasn’t contributing anymore.
I didn’t want to waste resources to Vince and to the company, and I told him, I said, ‘Look, I’m wasting your money. I don’t want to waste your time, and I’m not happy.’ I’m not the type of person that is complacent that way,”
During the interview, the cruiserweight star also revealed that he originally didn’t plan to stay with WWE after the CWC tournament and he wanted to tour the world instead.
Since leaving the promotion, TJP has made his return to Impact Wrestling and started wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling again as well.
