It was revealed on Tuesday night that Samoa Joe would be the next title contender for the WWE Title as he will challenge WWE Champion AJ Styles for the strap at the SummerSlam PPV on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center that will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets.
This comes off Styles’ recent feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev. Following the announcement of the upcoming match, the former NXT Champion sent out the following warning to the champ by writing, “@AJStylesOrg Fetch your shine box and get my championship ready. #SummerSlam #andNEW,” on his official Twitter account:
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network, R-Truth was back to wrestling on network television for the company as he lost a quick squash match to Joe, which marked his first singles match in nine months as that previous contest went down in October.
The reason for his absence was due to him needing to undergo shoulder surgery back in December. It should be noted that since that surgery, he did work the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 back in April in New Orleans.
What are your thoughts on WWE booking Joe vs. Styles at SummerSlam? Sound off in the comment section.
Cody Rhodes doesn’t have a bad thing to say about Randy Orton.
Rhodes worked with Orton as a member of the Legacy stable in WWE from 2008 to 2010. Soon after he went on a nice singles run that included a pair of Intercontinental Title wins. In 2016, however, the son of WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes decided to venture out into the independent circuit and left the company.
Orton remains in WWE today, and cut an interesting promo on SmackDown Live last night (Tues. July 24, 2108) about “indy darlings.” He poked fun at The Bullet Club stealing the old Kliq “Too Sweet” hand gesture as well. One fan on Twitter seemed to take issue with this and asked Rhodes to “go off” on Orton.
Rhodes responded by saying “The Viper” could call him “a rat piece of sh!&” and he wouldn’t care. He credits Orton for his early success in the business and says he learned a lot from the former multiple time World Champ:
Earlier this week (Mon. July 23, 2018) on Monday Night RAW, the trio of Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon and Triple H opened up the show.
After some comments from Vince and “The Game,” Stephanie McMahon announced the first ever all female WWE pay-per-view (PPV) entitled “Evolution” which will take place in October. The entire RAW roster and the women from SmackDown Live were on the stage for the announcement.
When the segment wrapped up, the cameras cut back to the RAW commentary team of Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole and Corey Graves. In the background, however, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon could all be seen making their way out of the ring.
Stephanie McMahon exited the ring first as Triple H held the bottom rope open for her. “The Game” continued to hold the rope open and jokingly signaled for Vince McMahon to go next. Vince McMahon grinned and pretended to kick Triple H. He then exited the ring soon after Triple H did. Check out the video here:
Vince McMahon has created an empire of professional wrestling that will likely never be rivaled in years to come.
From purchasing the WWE from his late father back in 1982, to helping create household names such as The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena. He was also the mastermind behind professional wrestling’s biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.
Vince McMahon works tirelessly to ensure that the WWE remains at the forefront of the professional wrestling world, and it looks like his efforts have recently been recognized by Adweek.
“The Chairman Of The Board” was named 70th on Adweek’s List Of 100 Most Cutting-Edge CEOs. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, recently took to Twitter to congratulate her father on the honor and credited him for making WWE’s WrestleMania the #6 most valuable sports event brands in the world:
“From creating @WrestleMania, @Forbes‘ #6 most valuable sports event brands in the world, to driving record revenues year-over-year, @VinceMcMahon has made @WWE a global media powerhouse.”
Last night’s (Tues. July 24, 2018) episode of SmackDown Live featured some great moments. Andrade “Cien” Almas was in action against Rusev, The New Day collided with Sanity once again and Samoa Joe emerged as the next opponent for AJ Styles’ WWE Title.
After SmackDown Live went off-air WWE held its tapings of 205 Live as well. When the Cruiserweights wrapped up their show, WWE put on a big Six-Man Tag Team dark match featuring some of SmackDown Live’s biggest stars.
WWE Champion AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Jeff Hardy took on the team of United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro). “The Phenomenal One,” Bryan and Hardy picked up the victory and sent the crowd come happy:
The SmackDown Live roster has been snubbed from the latest poster for next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) – including WWE Champion AJ Styles.
Instead, the poster only features four Superstars, all from Monday Night RAW, those being: Ronda Rousey, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss.
Some notable snubs from the blue brand include the aforementioned WWE Champion AJ Styles and SmackDown Live Women’s title holder Carmella.
Updated SummerSlam Card
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman – if Owens wins then he gets the MITB contract
SummerSlam goes down live on PPV from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19, 2018.
WWE has confirmed four more participants for the upcoming Mae Young Classic women’s tournament: Zeuxis, Isla Dawn, Lacey Lane and Karen Q.
The following names are now confirmed for the 32-woman single-elimination tournament:
Deonna Purrazzo
Io Shirai
Isla Dawn
Jessie Elaban
Jinny
Kacy Catanzaro
Kaitlyn
Karen Q
Kavita Devi
Killer Kelly
Lacey Lane
Mercedes Martinez
Mia Yim
Nicole Matthews
Reina González
Rhea Ripley
Taynara Conti
Tegan Nox
Zeuxis
The 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament will tape on August 8th and 9th. The finals will take place at the WWE Evolution pay-per-view on Sunday, October 28th.
1. Zeuxis (CMLL)
29-year-old Puerto Rican Luchadora, Zeuxis, has been officially entered into the tournament. She wrestles primarily in CMLL (where she has been for the last 10 years) but also wrestles for AAA and the Crash.
24-year-old Isla Dawn is from Scotland. She most recently competed for WWE during the United Kingdom shows last month. She lost a triple threat match to Toni Storm (Killer Kelly was the 3rd competitor) which would have put her in a position to wrestle for the NXT UK Women’s title.
Last November, Dawn lost a squash match to Asuka on Raw under the name Stacy Coates.
Trained by the Dudley Boyz, this former NCAA Basketball standout is already training at the WWE Performance Center.
She reported to the Performance Center in February of 2017 but has yet to crack the NXT roster or house show circuit.
Before being signed to WWE, Lane competed across the US and Mexico. She is the former Women’s Champion for the Crash promotion.
Check her out in this inter-gender match she had last year with Lio Rush.
4. Karen Q
If you are wondering if this is the same woman who just lost to Sumie Sakai at ROH’s Honor For All show on Friday, you are correct.
She also teamed with Ray Lyn in a losing effort to the Twisted Sisters (Holidead & Thunder Rosa, aka Kobra Moon) at RISE 9: RISE Of The Knockouts.
The former gymnast has competed for Women’s Wrestling Revolution, Game Changer Wrestling, Victory Pro Wrestling, and as a member of the Women of Honor roster.
She will now be looking to add to her resume by competing for WWE for the first time in the Mae Young Classic.
There is only one match scheduled for tonight’s edition of NXT but it’s arguably one of the biggest ever to air on a regular episode for the brand. Only one other segment has been confirmed for tonight’s show.
Just 13 wrestlers have won the NXT Championship belt. Only two men, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, have ever held the title more than once. Tommaso Ciampa looks to become NXT Champion #14 tonight.
NXT Preview 7/25
NXT Championship
Aleister Black vs Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa is arguably the most talked about heel in the business right now. He’ll have a chance to become the 14th champion in NXT history tonight.
As for the NXT Champion, Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas for the title in April. Since that time he has defeated Eric Young and Lars Sullivan in title matches.
Adam Cole Responds to Ricochet’s Call-Out
The inaugural NXT North American Champion, Adam Cole, was called out last week by Ricochet. The high-flyer has said Cole is not a fighting champion.
Since winning the championship over WrestleMania weekend in April, Cole has defended the title twice on WWE programming. He defeated Oney Lorcan in a title match just one week after winning it. He then defeated Wolfgang on night 2 of the recent United Kingdom Championship tournament shows.
As for Ricochet, he’s yet to lose a single’s match in NXT yet. After 8 matches he is 4-3-1. His losses were in a multi-person ladder match he did not win, a 2-on-1 handicap match loss to Lars Sullivan (Velveteen Dream was his partner) and a 6-person tag to Undisputed Era while teaming with Moustache Mountain. His single’s wins have been over Fabian Aichner, Donovan Dijak, and the Velveteen Dream. He teamed with Aleister Black once to defeat EC3 and the Velveteen Dream as well. He also went to a no-contest with Velveteen Dream once.
Former WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy believes there is a good possibility that The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) could end up in the WWE before they retire from pro wrestling.
The younger Hardy brother recently spoke with Riju Dasgupta ofsportskeeda.com. In this interview, he was asked about the Young Bucks coming to WWE one day.
“I feel like it’s a possibility. They’re so talented. I mean it’ll be great to mix it up with those guys in the WWE. They’re doing their own thing and in a way, that’s what’s so cool about it.”
He would continue by stating that they’re their own boss and that they can do what they want and nobody tells them what they can’t do.
Switching gears, Hardy was also asked if he originally thought that Bray Wyatt would be the right fit for the Final Deletion match against his brother Matt, which Jeff responded by saying yes as he thinks Bray’s perfect for that because he’s very open-minded and when you’re watching a lot of his promos you’re not sure what he’s talking about and what he means
“I was on the scene when they filmed that (The Ultimate Deletion). And I hope to be a part of the next one if there is one. And I think there will be.”
What are your thoughts on Hardy’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
PWG has announced the full cards for the upcoming Battle of Los Angeles tournament.
The first-round matches will occur over the first two nights before the winner is crowned on the third day in the tournament finals. The winner of this tournament will receive a future shot at the PWG World Championship at a later date.
All first-round tournament matches, as well as three non-tournament matches, have been revealed.
Those matches not included in the tournament are Ilja Dragunov & Shingo Takagi taking on Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER) on night 1, Bandido, Flamita, and Rey Horus battling CIMA, Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier on night 2 and The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) defending the PWG Tag Team Titles against Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero M).
These events are slated to take place over the course of three days on September 14, 15, and 16 at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Tickets for Battle of Los Angeles go on sale Tuesday, July 31st at 8PM PDT.
Night 1
Adam Brooks faces Rey Horus
Flamita faces Puma King
David Starr faces Joey Janela
Bandido faces T-Hawk
CIMA faces Jody Fleisch
Brody King faces PCO
Tag Team Match: Ilja Dragunov & Shingo Takagi take on Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER)
Night 2
Chris Brookes faces Trevor Lee
Robbie Eagles faces DJ Z
Darby Allin faces Jeff Cobb
Ilja Dragunov faces Jonah Rock
Travis Banks faces Shingo Takagi
WALTER faces Timothy Thatcher
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Bandido, Flamita, and Rey Horus take on CIMA, Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier
Night 3
PWG World Tag Team Title Match: Lucha Brothers (REY FENIX & PENTA EL ZERO M) take on The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier)
Tournament Finals Match
Tickets for the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles will go on sale Tuesday, July 31st at 8PM PDT! Pricing information will be revealed soon!
Renee Young has worked commentary before. She was a color commentator on NXT from 2013-14 and also worked on Superstars alongside Tom Phillips.
There was some talk of Young returning to the commentary booth after JBL’s departure from the company. Young, however, was quick to point out she might not be the best replacement.
While I truly appreciate all of the support on this,I would just like to remind everyone that I was never very good at commentary for NXT ?? https://t.co/aQpysHDx6o
The 32-year-old started her entertainment career by studying at Toronto’s Second City Training Center. From there she joined theScore.com which formerly aired WWE Raw and Smackdown in Canada before being purchased by Sportsnet.
Young hosted the show “Right After Wrestling” which would later be named “Aftermath”. Other WWE personalities who have been associated with the post-wrestling show include Santino Marella, Mauro Ranallo, and former referee, Jimmy Korderas.
She was signed to WWE in 2012 after working at theScore for 3 years.
Young married Dean Ambrose in a private ceremony on April 9th, 2017. Fans only realized the two had officially tied the knot when Ambrose was seen wearing a wedding ring on television that week.
Video game publisher 2K has announced WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be the centerpiece for the upcoming “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition of the WWE 2K19 video game.
Customers who purchase the Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will receive a plaque with a piece of one of Ric Flair’s robes, a Ric Flair Funko Pop vinyl figurine, a replica Flair’s Hall of Fame ring and bonus in-game content.
WWE 2K19 “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition
The Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will feature several bonus characters that the Nature Boy feuded with during his illustrious in-ring career (plus Charlotte):
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper character (1980s)
Dusty Rhodes (1980s)
Rick “the Dragon” Steamboat (1980s)
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (WM8)
The Undertaker (2002)
Ric Flair (WM24 attire)
Charlotte Flair (WM32 attire)
NWA Starrcade 1983 Arena
The following pre-order bonus content is also included in the collector’s edition:
Rey Mysterio (Royal Rumble 2018 Attire)
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (WrestleMania 34 attire)
2K sent out a press release that included this quote from Ric Flair himself: “For all of my fans around the world, it’s exciting and humbling to see my career immortalized through the power of video games. This is going to be one stylin,’ profilin,’ limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ ‘n’ dealin’ son of a Collector’s Edition, and you don’t want to miss out. Wooooo!”
The “Wooooo! edition of WWE 2K19 will available on October 5th, 2018, four days before the game is on sale the general public. WWE 2K19 will be released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Earlier this month, 2K confirmed the game will not be released for Nintendo Switch. Visit WWE.2K.com for more information.
Of all the things that happen on Twitter, the social media platform has decided Tama Tonga’s Tweets needed to be locked away for a little while. The founding member of Bullet Club has been temporarily suspended from the service.
Tama Tonga took to his Instagram account to reflect on the news.
It is not clear exactly what led to Tama Tonga getting suspended from Twitter. He had been handling internet trolls with some rather hilarious comebacks, however. It’s possible one of Tama Tonga’s Twitter troll victims filed a complaint.
Is Twitter Reacting To Tama Tonga’s Actions In the G1?
Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale have both been using interference and under-handed tactics in the G1 tournament this year. As a result of their tactics, neither has done well in the tournament thus far from a standings perspective.
Fale’s record is 1-3 and Tama Tonga is only 1-2 at this point. Tonga also dropped a match to Kenny Omega via disqualification. Had Tonga won the match with Omega he possibly could have qualified for a future IWGP Heavyweight title shot.
It appears title shots and points aren’t what the Bullet Club OGs are going for this tournament, however.
Alex Shelley appears to have retired from in-ring competition. For the time being, at least.
Last month, it was reported that Shelley’s Ring of Honor contract had expired and he was going to spend time focussing on pursuing a career as a physical therapist.
He suffered an injury in June and has been out ever since. Recent Twitter activity from Shelley seems to suggest he’s moved on from his wrestling career, however.
Is Alex Shelley Saying Goodbye?
Shelley posted the following in regards to Motor City Machine Guns’ “final match”:
In the end, MCMG's final match was against @NickJacksonYB, @MattJackson13, @njpwShowT, and @njpwyohei_k. I really don't think I could've asked for a better ending. Four guys I love very much who I hope I helped some over the years. Thank you, gentlemen.
Shelley took to Twitter to describe his latest injury.
“Long story short: my teeth got knocked out alongside a concussion that made me time travel. And it all goes to hell from here,” Shelley Tweeted on June 4th, 2018.
“That said, Ring of Honor takes care of their athletes when injured and practices the most ethical business practices possible. Not all major companies I have wrestled for could say that. NJPW could though.”
“Ironic considering this happened 3 years ago in NYC as well,” Shelley continued. “And that was the turning point for me to pursue physical therapy. Ain’t no PT for teeth and traumatic brain injuries.”
Alex Shelley’s Career
The 35-year-old has had a decorated 14-year career in the business. He started his pro-career in Ring of Honor in 2004 and would end it in the same promotion in 2018. He spent another 8 years in Impact Wrestling (then known as TNA).
He’s also done a few stints in New Japan Pro Wrestling as well, including from 2012-2015 when he teamed with KUSHIDA as the Time-Splitters.
Shelley is a former 5x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion (3x with Chris Sabin and 2x with KUSHIDA). The Time Splitters also won the Super Jr Tag Tournament in 2012. The Motor City Machine Guns won gold in both Impact and ROH. Shelley is a 1x former X-Division Champion as well.
Chris Jericho has said that he’ll never wrestle for a company other than WWE in the United States. There are signs Jericho has re-considered his position on this topic.
Jericho held a Q&A on Twitter this week and was asked if he’d consider going to Impact Wrestling, which is currently being co-run by his longtime friend Don Callis.
As has been revealed on both Jericho and Don Callis’ podcasts, Jericho served as a reference for Callis when he was interviewing for his position with Impact. The two Winnipeg natives also arranged for Jericho to take on Kenny Omega in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where Callis serves as color commentator.
While he was promoting Slammiversary in Toronto, I asked Callis about talent he was looking at signing. Callis rather nonchalantly listed both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him,” Callis said. “His name is Kenny Omega. Another is Chris Jericho.”
Jericho was also live-Tweeting Slammiversary on Sunday.
Another fan asked Jericho if he would be interested in working with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. Okada is arguably one of the top professional wrestlers in the world. The prospect of a Jericho vs. Okada match is enticing. Jericho makes it sound like we might actually see this showdown.
Chris Jericho has been busy promoting his Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which sets sail out of Miami in late October. The ‘main event’ of that cruise experience will be Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club: Jericho and the Young Bucks taking on Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll and “Hangman” Adam Page. Sail away, man!
The July 24th, 2018 episode of WWE SmackDown Live aired live from the Ford Center in Evansville, IN. In addition to the takeaways below, Samoa Joe defeated R-Truth in a very quick match. Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
Randy Orton Wants To End Jeff Hardy’s Career
Randy Orton made his way down to the ring to kick off this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown. Orton told everyone to look in the mirror because he attacked Jeff Hardy last week because of them. Randy added that he has busted his ass for 16 years for the fans and is the one constant in WWE.
Orton claimed that he doesn’t get the respect that he deserves and asked if it because he doesn’t pain his face or change the color of his merch to steal more money from the fans. He stated that he is not some indy darling and didn’t steal some “sweet” hand gesture and wondered if that is why the crowd doesn’t respect.
He boasted about accomplishing everything there was to accomplish in WWE. Orton said he started himself as the Legend Killer and has now realized that the fans are the true legend killers in WWE. Orton said he will not let the fans win because now he is the legend. Orton vowed to destroy every Superstar that the fans put up on a pedestal, starting with Jeff Hardy.
Randy claimed that he was going to end Jeff Hardy’s career and write Hardy’s final chapter. Orton added that the fans only ever need to refer to him as the three most devastating letters in sports entertainment. Randy spelled out R-K… and then dropped the microphone and left the ring before finishing RKO.
Almas started off the match in control and applied a Chin Lock. Rusev broke free and decked Almas with a shoulder tackle. Rusev sent Almas to the ropes but Andrade caught himself and posed in the ropes. Rusev chased Almas around and caught him with a Clothesline as the crowd chanted “Rusev Day”. Rusev connected with a Suplex and went for the cover but Almas quickly kicked out. Rusev posed with Lana in the corner as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Almas was back in control and had Rusev locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Rusev broke free with an Arm Drag and followed it up with a punch to Andrade’s face. Rusev unloaded a few more jabs but and then booted Almas in the face.
Rusev connected with a splash in the corner and followed it up with a spin kick to Almas’ face. Rusev hit another kick to Almas’ head for a two count. Andrade punched Rusev in the face but it just fired Rusev up. Andrade faked a kick and bashed Rusev in the head with an elbow. Rusev then exploded out of the corner with the Machka Kick and both Superstars collapsed to the canvas.
The crowd chanted “Rusev Day!” as Lana and Vega started arguing outside the ring. Vega slapped Lana in the face and Lana responded by tackling her. Aiden English came down and pulled Lana off of Zelina Vega. Zelina then leaped onto Aiden’s back and English accidentally bumped into Lana.
Rusev became distracted as he saw his wife fall to the floor. Andrade “Cien” Almas capitalized and snuck up behind Rusev. Almas grabbed Rusev and planted him with the Hammerlock DDT for the pinfall victory. After the match, Rusev and Lana were pissed off in the ring as Aiden English tried to apologize from the ringside area.
Billie Kay faced Asuka tonight on SmackDown. Peyton Royce was ringside for the match. Kay started off the match in control and started taunting Asuka by slapping her in the face. Asuka got back up with a pissed off look on her face and chased after Kay.
Asuka connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a sliding knee to Kay’s face for a two count. Royce grabbed onto Kay’s hands as Asuka dragged her back into the ring. Asuka connected with a spin kick that knocked Kay to the canvas.
Asuka then hit another kick to Kay’s face for the quick pinfall victory.
SmackDown GM Paige came down to the ring and hyped up the first ever all women’s PPV WWE Evolution on October 28th. Paige then turned her attention to WWE SummerSlam and said she was going to announce the challenger to the WWE Championship. First, Paige brought WWE Champion AJ Styles down to the ring and the champ got a great reaction from the crowd.
The crowd chanted “AJ Styles!” and AJ said that he could listen to that all day to the camera. AJ grabbed a microphone and told the crowd that they were awesome. Styles stated that he is a husband and a father and that he thought of his little girl when Stephanie McMahon announced the first ever women’s PPV. Styles said it was just another reason to be proud of the company that he works for.
AJ added that he was proud to defend the most prestigious title in the world at the biggest event of the summer, WWE SummerSlam. Styles signed the contract and asked Paige who his opponent will be at SummerSlam. Paige called for a drumroll and was about to announce Styles’ opponent but James Ellsworth interrupted.
James Ellsworth claimed that the real reason he came back to WWE was that title and boasted about defeating AJ Styles three times in the past. James vowed to beat AJ a fourth time and could tell that AJ was scared of him. James then said “wham bam, Ellsworth the new champ at SummerSlam, hot damn!”.
Paige got out of the ring and called Ellsworth a joke. James responded by calling Paige a joke because nobody can understand what she says all the time. Ellsworth poked fun at how Paige dresses and said that she was as pale as a ghost. Paige walked towards Ellsworth and said that she has two words for him. Paige then shouted “you’re fired!” and called for security. Ellsworth was then carried out of the arena and Paige went backstage with them to make sure that James was gone.
Paige shoved Ellsworth out of the arena as Samoa Joe attacked AJ Styles from behind. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch for a moment and then signed the contract in the ring. Samoa Joe then threw the table onto Styles and exited the ring.
Paige confronted Samoa Joe backstage and said that she picked Joe as AJ’s opponent because he was unpredictable but his actions weren’t the right way to things. Joe said that what he just did was phenomenal. Carmella then showed up and claimed that the power has gone to Paige’s head. Carmella complained about Paige firing Ellsworth and Paige responded by saying that if Mella is money, she should just go out and buy herself a new boyfriend. Carmella boasted about being the SmackDown Women’s Champion and vowed to defeat Becky Lynch tonight.
Becky Lynch battled Carmella tonight on SmackDown. If Becky Lynch won the match, she would earn a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.
Becky went for the Dis-Arm-Her right away but Carmella countered into a roll-up for a two count. Becky connected with a forearm to the face that sent Carmella out of the ring. Lynch followed it up with another forearm off the ring apron and then went for a Dropkick but Carmella dodged it. Carmella then launched Lynch into the barricade as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Carmella was still in control and was shouting “I’m the champion!” while slapping Becky in the face. Lynch battled back with a Clothesline and both Superstars fell to the canvas.
Lynch hit a flurry of punches to Carmella’s face and dropped her with another Clothesline. Carmella hit a Flatliner out of nowhere and went for the cover but Becky was able to kick out at two.
Carmella went for a Tornado DDT but Becky countered into an Exploder Suplex. Lynch made her way up to the top rope but Carmella leaned on the ropes to trip her up. Carmella then hit Lynch with a Hurricanrana for a near fall.
Carmella rolled Becky up and used the ropes for leverage but Becky was somehow still able to kick out. Carmella shouted at the referee and sat in the corner in disbelief that Lynch was able to kick out.
Becky connected with an Enziguri and both Superstars fell back down to the mat. Lynch rolled to the apron and was the first one to her feet. Lynch made her way to the top rope and went for a Leg Drop but Carmella got out of the way.
Carmella connected with a Superkick and went for the cover but Lynch once again kicked out. Becky then applied the Dis-Arm-Her and Carmella quickly tapped out in the middle of the ring. Carmella will now defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch at SummerSlam.
New Day faced SAnitY tonight in the first round of the SmackDown Tag Team Tournament. The winner of the four-team tournament will face the Bludgeon Brothers for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WWE SummerSlam. The Usos joined commentary for the match and will face The Bar next week in the tournament.
Xavier Woods and Alexander Wolfe started off the match. Wolfe connected with a shoulder tackle but Xavier battled back with a forearm to the face. Wolfe planted Woods with a Belly to Back Suplex and then tagged Killian Dain into the match.
Dain slammed Woods to the canvas and followed it up with a Senton as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Woods was still trapped in the ring with Dain. Killian went for a Superplex off the top rope but Woods broke free with a flurry of punches. Woods then hit Dain with a Dropkick off the top rope and both Superstars fell to the mat.
Big E and Wolfe tagged in and Big E immediately hit Wolfe with three Belly to Belly Suplexes in a row. Eric Young hopped up on the ring apron and distracted Big E. Woods flipped onto Dain outside the ring as Young climbed up to the top rope. Kofi shoved Young from behind and crotched him on the ropes.
Woods and Big E then teamed up on Wolfe for the pinfall victory. After the match, The Bar came down to the entrance ramp and vowed to defeat The Usos next week and capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WWE SummerSlam.
The Miz said that Maryse is the most radiant woman in the world and asked the crowd to give it up for Maryse. Maryse claimed that the women’s evolution started with her and that her evolution keeps growing. Maryse promoted their reality show airing right after SmackDown on USA Network.
The Miz claimed that Monroe Sky as an infant has accomplished more than Daniel Bryan since his return. Miz said that simply mentioning Daniel Bryan has put Monroe to sleep and then rolled a preview of Miz and Mrs.
The promo featured embarrassing moments from The Miz’s career and it was called “Miz and Misses”. Daniel Bryan appeared on the screen and said that wasn’t what he wanted to air. Bryan stated that he should join the party and apologize to The Miz in person.
Bryan got by The Miz’s security team by punching them in the face and entered the ring with The Miz, Maryse and Monroe Sky. Maryse told Bryan to get out of the ring and Miz threw a fake baby at Bryan. Miz then booted Bryan in the face and planted Daniel with the Skull Crushing Finale.
The Miz boasted about fooling everyone and said that he would never bring his precious baby to a city like this. The Miz then promoted “Miz and Mrs” on the USA Network.
Opinion: SmackDown is a much better show than RAW on a weekly basis right now. Randy Orton’s promo to start tonight’s show was very good and pretty much the entire show was entertaining. The only thing that I hated was that SAnitY lost again on the main roster. I really don’t have any interest in seeing The Bludgeon Brothers versus The Bar, The Usos or New Day at SummerSlam. SAnitY versus The Bludgeon Brothers at the very least is something new and I would have looked forward to that match.
Two more championship matches were confirmed for SummerSlam on Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live from Evansville, IN.
Last week, we reported that WWE had inadvertently ran a promo video for the event that hyped AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe as one of the show’s top matches. On SmackDown, General Manager Paige confirmed that Styles will in deed be defending the gold against former rival Samoa Joe.
Also on the show, Becky Lynch defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella in a non-title match to earn a title shot at SummerSlam. This feud was started on last week’s episode after Lynch cut a promo about her desire to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion once again.
Some fans may remember that Lynch was the inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion following the brand split in 2016. She defeated Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya, and Nikki Bella in a six-pack elimination challenge to become the inaugural champion at the Backlash pay-per-view event. WWE recognizes Lynch’s reign as lasting 85 days.
WWE SummerSlam 2018 Card
The card for WWE SummerSlam now features six confirmed matches:
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Becky Lynch
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman (Strowman’s MITB contract on the line)
SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. The show will stream live the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on the current SummerSlam card? Sound off in the comment section.
We now know who AJ Styles will be facing at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network, SmackDown General Manager Paige revealed the challenger for the WWE Champion at this event, which was Samoa Joe.
As early as last week, there was a lot of speculation online that Joe would be in fact the opponent for Styles at this show due to a few reasons including a cryptic message on his official Twitter account that had fans talking about this potential match and Joe vs. Styles is being advertised for upcoming live events including the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event that is slated to take place on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.
The SummerSlam pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.
Updated SummerSlam Card
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman – if Owens wins then he gets the MITB contract
What are your thoughts on WWE announcing this match for this upcoming pay-per-view event? Is this the match you wanted to see? Sound off in the comment section.
Elias recently gave his thoughts on various topics during a recent interview with Olga and Mack at the Complex offices to promote his new “Walk With Elias” album that was released on Monday.
In the interview, he was asked about his run-in with Chris Jericho back in January at the RAW 25th Anniversary special as well as his thoughts on part-timers in the WWE. “To be honest with you, I’m sick of Chris Jericho,” Elias said. “I’ve had enough of Chris Jericho. I’ve seen him on my TV far too often. I’m the guy that plays guitar and sings on Monday Night RAW, and he shows up, tries to steal my act? It was OK for a quick laugh or something like that but on a personal level, the guy’s personality just rubs me the wrong way.”
He noted that Jericho’s ego is out of control and can’t stand people whose egos are just not deserving. He would continue to say that regarding part-timers, they can do whatever they want as he believes that any WWE events are his show and that as long as they can accept that then they can do what they want. He noted that if they don’t accept that then they will have a problem with him.
Finally, Elias noted that fans should keep an eye on Lars Sullivan and Riddick Moss from WWE NXT as they could become big stars once being called up to the main roster. Keep in mind that his comments were likely in character.
Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke are slated to make their in-ring debut for WWE’s NXT brand this Thursday at NXT’s live event in Largo, FL at the Minnreg Hall.
Shafir and Duke are part of the ‘Four Horsewomen of MMA.’ The other two members have already made an impact in WWE. With just a handful of television matches under her belt, Ronda Rousey is already one of the company’s top stars. Shayna Baszler is a force to be reckoned with and is the reigning NXT Women’s Champion.
Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke announced their upcoming NXT debuts on Twitter:
Ooooooooh weeeeeeeeee Guess who has an in-ring debut in #NXTLargo???? ME!!!! Come out and support this memorable moment and the start of something exciting! Tickets on sale now at https://t.co/GcJETt9Rk5! #SuperNovaTakeOva
No word yet if they’ll be competing at Friday’s show from Jacksonville, FL at the Maxwell Snyder Armory or on Saturday in Tallahassee, FL at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
With all four of MMA’s Four Horsewomen now active on the WWE and NXT rosters, the prospect of a showdown with WWE’s Four Horsewomen (Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayely) is realer than ever.
The July 24th, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN.
– This week’s broadcast starts off with a limo pulling up to the back of the Ford Center. The Miz gets out, and Marye and their new baby follow. The Miz family makes their way into the building, and then the broadcast team talks about Miz’s new reality show on the USA Network.
– Randy Orton’s music hits and the former U.S. Champion makes his way down to the ring. We go to replays of Orton assaulting Hardy as he steps into the ring. Orton says his issue with Jeff isn’t unfinished business from the past, or Jeff’s popularity, it’s because of the fans. Orton says he busted his ass for the fans for 16 years, and he is the only one still around from back when he started with WWE. Orton says all of the new WWE stars eat at the table that Orton set for them, yet he gets no respect. Orton asks if it’s because he doesn’t paint his face, flail his arms, change his merch colors every month, or steal the ‘too sweet’ gesture. He says he used to be the Legend Killer, but the fans are the true legend killers. Orton says he didn’t pay his dues in bingo halls, he paid his dues in WWE, and now he is going to destroy all of the fans’ favorite WWE stars. Orton assures that he is going to end Hardy’s career, and he is going to write Hardy’s final chapter for him.
– We see a replay of Stephanie McMahon last night announcing the upcoming all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view.
– Rusev and Lana come out to the ring as we go to some footage from earlier tonight of them arguing with Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega backstage.
– Rusev vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas: Lana and Zelina are both at ringside for this one. Rusev drops Almas erly on and goes to throw him outside, but Almas latches on to the ropes and hangs out. Almas looks for a kick but Rusev clotheslines him down. The crowd chants “Rusev Day” as the Bulgarian Brute hits a vertical suplex. Almas rolls outside as Rusev briefly celebrates with Lana. Back in the ring, Almas turns things around and works over Rusev’s left shoulder. Rusev fights back with right hands to the face and he follows up with some kicks to the face. Rusev hits a splash in the corner and then a spinning heel kick. Rusev charges in the corner for another splash but Almas blocks it with a big boot. Rusev answers with a kick of his own for a two count. Rusev misses a big boot and Almas chops him across the chest. Almas hits Rusev in the head and Rusev no-sells it. Rusev fires back with elbows to the face, and Almas hits a kick to the face. Almas looks for the DDT but can’t get it, so he hits a spinning back elbow to Rusev’s face. Almas wastes some time and runs the ropes, and he runs into a big boot from Rusev, and both men are down. Lots of “Rusev Day” chants from the crowd. Lana and Zelina get into it at ringside now until Aiden English runs down the ramp and pulls them apart. Zelina jumps on English from behind and causes him to bump into Lana. The distraction leads to Almas hitting the hammerlock DDT for the three count.
Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas
– Almas and Vega celebrate on the ramp as Lana gets in the ring with Rusev. Lana doesn’t look happy with Aiden.
– R-Truth approaches Tye Dillinger backstage to consult about Samoa Joe. Tye gives Truth a pep talk about this being his first match back in a while, and it’s his chance to show that he’s the truth against Joe. Truth vs. Joe is up next.
– Aiden English is shown backstage arguing with Lana. Aiden complains that Rusev isnt returning his calls or texts. Rusev tells them to stop and says maybe neither of them are good for Rusev Day.
– R-Truth vs. Samoa Joe: R-Truth raps on his way down to the ring first, for his first match since the WrestleMania Kickoff Show. The opening bell sound and Joe starts off strong, but R-Truth stuns him with a heel kick to the face. Truth hits a big splash in the corner and then a spinning forearm shot to the face. Truth wastes some time asking the crowd “What’s up,” and Joe comes back with a headbutt. They scuffle into the corner and Joe side-slams Truth onto the mat. Joe follows up with the Coquina Clutch and Truth taps out.
Winner: Samoa Joe
– Joe looks happy after the match as he stares into the camera. The broadcast team talks about a tag team tournament between the SmackDown teams to determine who will face the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam.
– We go backstage to Asuka who does an interview about the women’s Evolition pay-per-view. She says she’s excited and ready, but tonight, Billie Kay isn’t ready for Asuka.
– Asuka vs. Billie Kay: Peyton Royce is at ringside in Billie’s corner. We see a brief pre-taped promo from Billie and Peyton. The opening bell sounds and Asuka immediately goes for the arm. Billie fights back with a knee to the body an then she tries to keep Asuka grounded. Asuka fights back with some knee strikes of her own and then a Shining Wizard for a two count. Peyton tries to get involved but she gets bumped off the apron. Asuka delivers a couple kicks to the head of Billie for the finish.
Winner: Asuka
– We go to a pre-taped promo from Shinsuke Nakamura taunting Jeff Hardy about having the U.S. Title, and Orton attacking him.
– Still to come: Paige will introduce AJ Styles’ opponent for SummerSlam.
– We see The Miz, Maryse and their baby backstage taking some photos to promote their new USA Network reality show.
– The ring is set up with carpet and a table, and SmackDown GM Paige is on the mic. Paige talks about the announcement of the women’s Evolution pay-per-view, and then she gets into the subject of SummerSlam. First she introduces WWE Champion AJ Styles, who comes down to the ring to find out who his SummerSlam opponent will be. The crowd chants AJ’s name as he gets on the mic and thanks the fans. AJ also talks about the all-womens pay-per-view and how it made him think of his daughters. AJ talks about his previous SummerSlam matches with John Cena and Kevin Owens, and he compares SummerSlam to WrestleMania. AJ signs the contract on the table and then asks to find out who his opponent is. Paige asks for a drum roll, but then James Ellsworth comes out to interrupt. Ellsworth comes out to the stage and gets on the mic. Ellsworth introduces himself and says the real reason he came back to WWE is the WWE Title. He says he’s beaten AJ three times, so no one is more worthy than him. Ellsworth says AJ is scared of him, and he’ll be the new Champion at SummerSlam. Paige tells James to stop and calls him a joke. Ellsworth says Paige is the joke and she makes fun of her for being pale. Paige walks up to Ellsworth on the ramp and says she’s had enough to him. Paige says she has two words for Ellsworth – you’re fired. Security comes and hauls off Ellsworth, and Paige follows them backstage. AJ looks confused in the ring. We cut to the back where Paige instructs the security to put Ellsworth in front of the door, and Paige kicks him through the door. Meanwhile in the ring, Samoa Joe attacks AJ Styles from behind. Joe puts AJ in the Coquina Clutch and he puts AJ to sleep. Joe signs his name to the contract and then throws the table at AJ while he’s down. Joe heads up the ramp as AJ recovers in the ring.
– Back from the break, we see a replay of Joe beating down AJ and signing the contract.
– Samoa Joe is walking backstage when Paige approaches him and asks what he’s doing. Paige says she did pick Joe to be AJ’s opponent, but she didn’t want that. Joe says that’s his killer instinct at work, and what he just did was phenomenal. Joe walks off, and Carmella walks in, and Carmella questions Paige about kicking Ellsworth out of the building. Carmella talks about beating Charlotte and Asuka, and now she’s going to go out and beat Becky Lynch.
– Carmella vs. Becky Lynch: Becky starts off with a take-down on Carmella, and she looks for the Disarm-her early on but can’t lock it in. Carmella fights back with some elbows to the face and she drops Becky. They run the ropes and Becky hits a flying forearm shot, then the fight spills out to ringside. Becky misses a kick and Carmella throws her into the fan barricade to take control of the pace. Carmella control the next few moments until Becky fires back with a kick and then a series of strikes. Becky looks for a t-bone suplex, but Carmella escapes and hits a facebuster for a two count. Carmella looks for a tornado DDT, but Becky reverses it into a t-bone suplex. Becky goes up top, but Carmella stops her and hits a frankensteiner down for a two count. Carmella covers again with her feet on the ropes for leverage, but Becky still kicks out. Becky fights back and looks for a flying leg drop off the top, but Carmella rolls out of the way. Carmella follows up with a kick to the face for a two count. Carmella gets frustrated and goes to pick up Becky, but Becky catches her in the Disarm-her for the win.
Winner: Becky Lynch
– Becky celebrates her win, and she’ll now have a shot at Carmella at SummerSlam.
– We go to a pre-taped promo from The Bludgeon Brothers, who say no matter who wins the shot at their Tag Team Titles, they’re in for a bludgeoning.
– The New Day vs. Sanity: This is the first match in a four-team tournament to decide who earns a shot at the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. The Usos are on commentary, and they face The Bar next week in the tournament. Woods and Big E will represent The New Day in this one, and Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain will represent Sanity. Wolfe starts off strong, but Woods dodges a shot and drops him with an elbow to the face. Eric Young causes a distraction, which leads to Wolfe hitting a suplex on Woods. Dain tags in and continues the offense on Woode with a slam and then a senton bomb. Woods starts fighting back against Dain and the fight spills out to ringside. This one falls apart as Young and Kofi get involved, which leads to The New Day hitting the Midnight Hour on Wolfe for the three count.
Winners: The New Day
– The New Day will now face the winners of The Usos vs. The Bar next week. The New Day celebrates their win, and as The Usos hit the ring, The Bar’s music hits, and Sheamus and Cesaro make their return. Sheamus and Cesaro are on the stage with mics, and they say while they didn’t miss any of us, they miss being Tag Team Champs. They announce their intentions to become Tag Champs at SummerSlam, and then do their “we are the bar” catch phrase.
– The Miz and Maryse are backstage with their baby, talking to Paige. The Miz says it’s time to introduce their baby to the WWE Universe, and he gets ready to strap the baby to his chest.
– The Miz comes out to ther ing with Maryse and their child strapped to Miz’s chest. The Miz talks about last week being the farewell to Team Hell No, and tonight is the premiere party for their new reality TV show. Maryse also mentions the all-womens pay-per-view news, and she says the evolution really started with her. Maryse promotes their new show, and then Miz talks about it some more. The Miz introduces his baby, who in her short life has accomplished more than Daniel Bryan, and her name is Monroe Sky. The Miz says the mention of Daniel Bryan has put Monroe to sleep. The Miz says it’s time to skip to a special preview of their show, and they roll the footage. The footage ends up being clips of The Miz getting beat up by other wrestlers and botching spots. The screen cuts to Daniel Bryan who apologizes for the footage mix-up. Bryan then says he wants to go to the ring and join the party, and apologize to Miz in-person for that. Bryan makes his way down to the ring next. Two people who appear to be The Miz’s security guards stop Daniel. Daniel lays the two security guards out and he hits the ring. Bryan steps in the ring and The Miz throws the baby at it — which is a doll and not his real baby. Bryan is confused for a moment as he catches the doll, and Miz drops Bryan with a big boot to the face out of nowhere. Miz follows up with a Skull Crushing Finale on Bryan. The Miz gets on the mic and says he knew Bryan would try to ruin his night, so he planned this all along. Miz says he baby we saw earlier was an actor. The Miz says if you want to see his real kid, you can tune into his show on the USA Network right now, and it will be awesome. We go to a replay of Miz throwing the baby doll and beating down Bryan. The Miz and Maryse embrace on the ramp as Bryan recovers in the ring and SmackDown goes off the air.
This Saturday night will see the return of professional wrestling to mainstream UK television.
This is yet another fantastic development in a 5 year span that has seen grappling in the United Kingdom erupt on the global scene. It cannot be understated how the likes of PROGRESS, Rev Pro, ICW, Attack! Pro, Fight Club: Pro, IPW:UK and Pro Wrestling: EVE have shaped the incredible talent pool that we have in the British Isles and a ‘bubble’ which many predicted would burst years ago has turned into a seismic shift.
Just a decade ago wrestling in the United Kingdom was essentially built on the use of ex-WWE/TNA talent, this is not a knock on those performers however it was evident that the cost of bringing over stars from the United States was not cost effective and extremely limiting when attempting to build domestic names and have enduring storylines that fans could cling to. Fast forward to 2018 and we have an abundance of UK bred stars that are breaking boundaries on home soil as well as Japan, Europe and the States.
The announcement of WoS’ return in a 10-part series did initially spark some controversy from fans of the UK scene, the original New Year’s Eve special and subsequent collaboration with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force promotion killed off any initial buzz that the brand had generated and it appeared as though the story had ended…yet here we are with a 10 part series set to run as of this Saturday with a brand new roster of extremely talented UK stars.
The return of WoS to mainstream UK television really is a big, big deal. Viewing habits in the UK have tended to label Saturday night as a family orientated block with the likes of X Factor, Ninja Warrior UK and (in times past) Gladiators being featured programming, all on the ITV channel. With young wrestling fans expecting a presentation quality akin to WWE and an older demographic just wanting to relive the years of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks it cannot be understated that WoS has a challenge to be ‘all things to all people.’
When you consider the potential outreach of WoS compared to say NXT UK it isn’t even in the same ballpark. World of Sport will be broadcast on ITV/STV which is available in every single television set in the United Kingdom, with the ITV family of channels reaching 38.4 million viewers a week…WWE Network isn’t close to that, but you wouldn’t expect them to be.
You do have to remember that the NXT UK brand will be geared towards an already established professional wrestling fanbase whereas the aformentioned family audience for WoS will be more casual, so again WoS will have the challenge of branching out and essentially creating it’s own audience to attract the sort of viewership that ITV will be expecting when their ratings figures appear later in the week.
In terms of pro wrestling being on one of the ‘big four’ British channels (BBC 1 & 2, ITV and Channel 4) you have to go back to the Attitude Era when Channel 4 would air WWE PPVs such as the Royal Rumble 2000, this created a huge buzz for the product in the UK and defined a generation of wrestling fans…in more recent times TNA/IMPACT has been extremely successful with a respectable following in the UK through their ties to The Wrestling Channel, Challenge and 5Spike.
With WoS being broadcast for 10 episodes with the potential of a touring brand and mainstream publicity many more younger fans would be exposed to the likes of Grado, Viper, Rampage and Will Ospreay, this will be huge for the ongoing British wrestling revolution and could help the grassroots of the scene.
This Saturday night will see the return of professional wrestling to mainstream UK television, this a really big deal.
Will you be watching WoS on Saturday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments
On the latest episode of Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson’s Something To Wrestle podcast, the guys dug deep into WWE’s 2001 Invasion pay-per-view. It was the culmination of WWE purchasing WCW & ECW and injecting what was left of both brands into television storylines.
WWE had a ton of dream matches that they wanted to make, but a certain contractual issue prevented that form happening. After the WCW sale stars were still being paid by Turner Broadcasting from guaranteed contracts. Some of them decided to continue collecting guaranteed money instead of signing a deal with WWE.
Two big matches that were impacted by this were Goldberg vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Sting vs. The Undertaker:
“I think again without all the particulars, the first match that comes to mind was Austin vs. Goldberg. To have that matchup at some point. To be able to build to it. Same thing with Undertaker and Sting. There was thinking, ‘okay do you bring back Hall and Nash and put them back into the fold?’ There were a lot of what if’s.
“It all becomes mental masturbation at that point. Because with the exception of JR, I don’t think there was anyone who had really dealt with Goldberg and Goldberg showed zero desire, nil, zilch to come in. He had his deal [with Turner] and was going to be paid out. He didn’t want to come in so the fact that he didn’t want to come in — we sure as hell wasn’t gonna go after him. We didn’t want anybody that didn’t want to be here.”
Listen to the Invasion episode of Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard & Conrad Thompson:
WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon spoke exclusively to SkySports about WWE’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event, WWE Evolution (10/28).
During the discussion, Stephanie spoke at length about the path to women being the sole focus of a WWE show, from the #GiveDivasaChance movement to the signing of Ronda Rousey. She spoke about trailblazers in women’s wrestling, from the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young to Wendi Richter, Alundra Blaze, Chyna and Trish Stratus.
She also touched upon a few newsworthy topics, including the possibility of women main eventing WrestleMania one day and the rumor that WWE will soon introduce Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Stephanie on Women Main Eventing WrestleMania
As soon as Ronda Rousey wrestled her first WWE match earlier this year (teaming with Kurt Angle against Stephanie and Triple H), fans were buzzing that it was only a matter of time before Rousey was main eventing WrestleMania against someone like Charlotte Flair.
Stephanie sounds optimistic that we’re not far off from such a scenario.
“God I hope not far! We’re certainly making strides and changes are happening every single day. They can’t happen fast enough for me – but we’ve definitely seen positive momentum and moves towards that.”
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
It’s been rumored for months that WWE will soon be introducing Women’s Tag Team Championships. Self proclaimed “Human Belt Encyclopedia” @BeltFanDan has tweeted that the belts are already created – and have white straps, similar to the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Women's Tag Belts: White leather. Similar to the men's tags but with some slight female themed changes. Not confirmed but rumored to be defended among all 4 brands (Raw, SD, NXT and eventually NXT:UK). The new NXT UK belts are not done yet.
Stephanie acknowledged the rumor of Women’s Tag Team Championships and said WWE would like to jumpstart a women’s tag team division ‘as soon as they are able to.’
“Not quite yet but that’s absolutely something we’ve heard loud and clear from our fan base and it’s something we’re keen on implementing as soon as we are able to.”
Stephanie also commented on whether she will be getting in the ring at WWE Evolution, joking, “that has yet to be determined.”
There’s much more to the interview, which you can read in its entirety at SkySports.com.
Matt Riddle is likely WWE-bound as speculation regarding the former UFC fighter’s future continues. Riddle has been canceling upcoming bookings as of late and the belief is he could be shown on-camera during Takeover: Brooklyn this year.
New details were revealed today regarding Riddle’s negotiations with NJPW before signing with WWE.
PWG recently announced that he will no longer be a participant in this year’s Battle of Los Angeles as well.
Matthew Riddle will no longer be a participant in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles. Trevor Lee has now entered the tournament in his place!
“Matthew Riddle will no longer be a participant in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles,
PWG Tweeted. “Trevor Lee has now entered the tournament in his place!”
“On a plane to Detroit so stoked to see my sexy lady after weeks of travel and work #stallion#kingofbros#splx#love#sexylady#wife”
Matt Riddle Negotiations with WWE and NJPW/ Marijuana Stigma
WWE and NJPW are both believed to have sent offers to Riddle. NJPW is also believed to have made Riddle an offer last November only to have rescinded it shortly after.
“New Japan did go back to (Riddle) which surprised me a lot,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio. “He was going to be on the November New Japan tournament with Jeff Cobb and then Bushi Road found out about his marijuana past.”
NJPW has stricter policies towards marijuana-related offenses due to the increased stigma of marijuana in the country. Riddle has been an out-spoken marijuana proponent and has previously failed multiple drug-tests for it while fighting in the UFC. NJPW is believed to rescinded their offer as a result of Riddle’s association with marijuana.
WWE had previously shied away from Riddle as well, possibly for similar reasons.
NJPW and WWE are both believed to have reversed their stance recently, however. Both promotions reportedly sent offers to Riddle despite his association with marijuana. Riddle evidently opted for WWE’s offer.
Matt Riddle Pro-Wrestling Career
Riddle had a decorated career on the independent scene. He is a former WWN Live Champion, PWG Tag Team Champion, Progress Atlas Champion, and Evolve Champion.
In 2016, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted him both the Most Improved and Rookie of the Year.
