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WWE SmackDown Live Results & Discussion (7/24)

Eric Lynch
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193

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.

WoS (World of Sport) Returning to Mainstream Television Is a Really Big Deal

Jake Skudder
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8

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

Bruce Prichard Reveals Two Huge WWE-WCW Matches That Nearly Happened

Jon Fuentes
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13

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:

H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

Stephanie McMahon On Women’s Tag Team Titles, Women Main Eventing WrestleMania

Staff
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11

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.

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.

Update On Matt Riddle To WWE, Details On NJPW Negotiations

Chris Stephens
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6

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,
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.

Mickie James Issues Challenge To Trish Stratus For Evolution

Chris Stephens
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16

It didn’t take long for Mickie James to figure out who she wants to face at October’s all-female pay-per-view. Not long after Raw went off the air last night, Mickie James took to Twitter to challenge Trish Stratus.

The two historic rivals also shared a one-on-one moment during the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble in January.

Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus

The Mickie James vs Trish Stratus rivalry/storyline building toward WrestleMania 22 is one of the most talked about in the history of WWE’s women’s divisions. James earned some controversy during the angle as her obsession with Stratus often had sexual undertones.

At WrestleMania 22, the live crowd cheered for James in the way WrestleMania crowds sometimes cheer a heel who is good in their role, even if they are still the heel.

James defeated Trish Stratus that night to win the WWE Women’s Championship. She would defend the title successfully against Stratus throughout the spring and summer of 06 before Trish retired from in-ring competition later that year.

James met another Canadian in the ring last night. She defeated Natalya in single’s competition. It was her first win on Raw since February when she defeated Sonya Deville.

Maria Kanellis Is Ready For WWE Return

Jon Fuentes
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3

Its been quite some time since Mike and Maria Kanellis have been on WWE TV together as a duo.

Last September Kanellis was taken off the road when she became pregnant with she and Mike’s first child. Their daughter, Fredrica “Freddie” Moon Bennett, was born on April 3rd, 2018. Maria will report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando next week.

Mike Kanellis has still been working sporadically since Maria was sent home, but mostly on Main Event tapings and hasn’t been prominently featured on WWE TV. Maria recently took to Twitter to update fans on her status, and said right now she’s focused on getting back into shape after her pregnancy.

She also offered her thoughts on the WWE’s recent announcement of their first ever all-female PPV event, Evolution. Maria noted it’s what her generation of female talent was fighting for from 2004 – 2010.

A fan asked Maria if she’d be able to return in time for the Evolution PPV, and she said she’s ready to return right now:

https://twitter.com/FutureInTheWWE/status/1021562747073585152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

David Arquette Wrestled Return Match With Two Fractured Ribs

Jon Fuentes
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3

As we’ve previously noted, former WCW World Heavyweight Champion David Arquette made his return to professional wrestling earlier this month.

Arquette wrestled as “King” David Arquette for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood in California. He took on RJ City in a losing effort but was able to get in some decent offense which included a Diamond Cutter. It turns out Arquette wasn’t fully healthy for the match either.

He recently took to Twitter and revealed he was wrestling with two fractured ribs, taking a selfie in a hospital bed:

https://twitter.com/DavidArquette/status/1021474109316841474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021474109316841474&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F979009-david-arquette-suffered-two-fractured-ribs-in-return-match

Arquette started his wrestling career back in 2000 after he co-starred in the film “Ready To Rumble.” The film was based on a fictional wrestler, Jimmy King, who feuded with Diamond Dallas Page over the WCW World Title. Shortly after the film’s release, Arquette was brought on to WCW TV and eventually won the World Title.

His run only lasted a few months as WCW went out of business in 2001 and was bought out by WWE. Arquette has been announced as an official Guest Superstar for the upcoming Starrcast convention outside Chicago during All In weekend:

The Reason Nikki Cross Was On RAW

Jon Fuentes
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5

Last night (Mon. July 23, 2018) on Monday Night RAW the show opened up with a historic announcement by Stephanie McMahon as both the RAW and SmackDown Live women’s rosters were on stage. The WWE will hold its first all female pay-per-view (PPV) on October 28th in Long Island, New York entitled “Evolution”.

Many professional wrestling fans noticed on social media that Nikki Cross was one of the women on stage for last night’s announcement. This has raised a lot of speculation as to if Cross will make her main roster TV debut soon.

Part of the reason that Cross was on stage is because she was working with Asuka and Naomi this past weekend as WWE held live events in Springfield, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri.

There’s currently no word yet on if Cross is officially a member of the SmackDown Live roster yet, but we’ll keep you updated.

You can check out some footage of Cross from over the weekend in the WWE’s Tweet below:

Sasha Banks Sporting A New Tattoo On Raw

Staff
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6

Sasha Banks was sporting a new tattoo on her left forearm for her appearance on Monday’s WWE Raw.

The former Raw women’s champion appeared on the stage with the WWE Roster for Stephanie McMahon’s historic announcement of the upcoming WWE Evolution all-women’s pay-per-view. Later in the show she teamed up with Bayley against ‘local competitors’ Samantha Simon & Karen Lundy.

Sasha Banks’ New Tattoo

It’s unclear exactly what Sasha Banks had tattooed on her forearm, but we had a few readers link us to these photos, which is our clearest look yet at the new ink.

Sasha Banks is not the only WWE Superstar to get a new tattoo lately. WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Paige was recently photographed sporting a huge new tattoo on her torso, which conveniently covers up her previous ‘Alberto’ piece.

We’ll post a clearer shot of Sasha Banks’ new tattoo when we see something.

Austin Aries Calls His WWE Run “Perfect”, Talks Slammiversary Reaction

Chris Stephens
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4

Austin Aries successfully defended his Impact World Championship against Moose at Slammiversary. Not long after, Aries sat down for an interview with Impact Vice President, Don Callis.

Callis hosts “Killin the Town” on the Podcast One Network and had the Impact Champion on as his guest this week. They discussed the reaction to Slammiversary, scripted promos, and Aries made some surprising comments about his time in WWE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQf5F-wHdV8&t=15s&frags=pl%2Cwn

Austin Aries On His “Perfect” WWE Run

Aries mentioned that he hears from many fans who feel he was used poorly in WWE. He stated he doesn’t have the same opinion of his time in the company, however. According to him, it would have been unrealistic to expect his WWE run to have gone any different.

“Honestly, that was like the perfect run for me,” Aries said. “I don’t think anybody had any real plans for me, I came in on double-secret probation because of my attitude problems so everything was a test from day one, I don’t think they really saw me as anything much.”

While his time in the company was short, Aries did wrestle Neville for the Cruiserweight title at WrestleMania.

“I talked myself into WrestleMania on commentary because I got over with Vince doing that,” Aries continued. “He put me in WrestleMania. Then, you know, as things happen, sometimes you fall out of favor for different reasons…”

At this point, Callis chimed in to remind Aries he is aware of how these things sometimes work in WWE.

“I got in and got out and got exactly what I needed from it,” Aries said on his time in WWE. “It was a great experience, a great learning experience, I got those three letters on my resume which to some people means everything. I got my WrestleMania moment which cemented my legacy so to speak.”

Austin Aries and Don Callis on Slammiversary Reaction and Booking

Callis and Aries addressed comments by some who suggested the 3 hardcore matches on Slammiversary created a difficult scenario for the two men working the main event. Aries, however, feels that creative wrestling can always win over a crowd, even when that crowd has seen several high-spot or hardcore moves earlier in the show.

“Part of why it worked last night was creatively you guys allowed us to go out there and build this match using our own voice and our own story,” Aries said to Callis.

Aries and Callis also debated the decision to give Aries the clean victory on Sunday over Moose.

“When Scott and I came in here in January,” Callis said. “One of the things that we both felt very strongly about was clean finishes.”

“He’s the best wrestler in the world, he beat the guy with his finish,” Callis continued. “It’s an athletic contest, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

New episodes of Killin the Town are released every Tuesday through PodcastOne.

Rousey & Lashley Scanned For Mattel (Video), Mojo Rawley Shows Off Nasty Bruise

Jon Fuentes
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1

Ronda Rousey & Bobby Lashley Get Scanned For Mattel

WWE posted the following video on their YouTube channel showcasing a few WWE Superstars, including Ronda Rousey and Bobby Lashley, getting 3D scans done for their Mattel action figures. Check out the video here:

Mojo Rawley Shows Off Nasty Bruise

Last night (Mon. July 23, 2018) on Monday Night RAW, Mojo Rawley defeated Tyler Breeze in singles competition. Rawley shared a nasty bruise on his leg after the match on Twitter, but said he isn’t worried about it because he’s “undeterred”:

“Undeterred. Gonna take more than just a little bruise to hold me down. I’m undefeated with this little bruise. 4 wins in a row with this little bruise. On to bigger & better things with this little bruise. I’m too focused to take a knee.”

Triple H On If Greatest Royal Rumble Influenced WWE Evolution

Jon Fuentes
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1

WWE’s Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about the company’s announcement of their first ever all-female pay-per-view (PPV), Evolution. The PPV will go down on October 28th in Long Island, New York.

Some have speculated that the decision to do the Evolution PPV was in response to what happened at the Greatest Royal Rumble this past April. No women were on the card due to the culture difference in Saudi Arabia.

WWE got some heat for this after all of their effort that has been put into the Women’s Revolution over the years. Triple H was asked if the events in Saudi Arabia had anything to do with the decision to put on the Evolution PPV. Here’s what he had to say:

“Let’s take the Saudi Arabia show off the table, and let’s just say it never happened — would anybody question that they deserve this opportunity? To me, it’s a ridiculous statement, the timing of it… You cannot affect change in a region that, culturally, is trying to change, you cannot help them affect that change without being there.”

You can check out Triple H’s interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.

WWE Execs Netted Millions Selling Stock This Week

Jon Fuentes
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WWE stock is currently trading above $80, close to its all-time high of $83 per share. With the market cap over $6.2 billion, it’s a great time to cash in and unload some of those shares.

Several top WWE executives did just that this week.Those executives included Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Kevin Dunn and more.

Per WWE’s latest SEC filings, you can check out how many shares each sold below:

  • Kevin Dunn – 122,926 shares
  • Michelle Wilson – 121,181 shares
  • George Barrios – 120,546 shares
  • Stephanie McMahon-Levesque – 17,373 shares
  • Paul Levesque – 17,272 shares
  • Michael Luisi- 16,579 shares
  • Mark Kowal – 4,913 shares

At a sale price of just under $83, these executives are walking away with a very sweet payday. Both Kevin Dunn and Michelle Wilson netted over $10 million each for their shares. George Barrios wasn’t far behind at $9.996 million.

Stephanie McMahon pulled in $1,440,569.16 while Paul “Triple H” Levesque  made $1,432194.24 respectively.

Anybody else regret not buying WWE stock when it was under $20 per share just last year?

Brian Christopher “Grandmaster Sexay” Arrested Again

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Former WWE Superstar Brian Christopher Lawler (“Grandmaster Sexay”) has run into some legal trouble again.

According to TMZ, the Attitude Era Superstar was taken into custody by Tennessee police earlier this month on suspicion of DUI and attempting to evade authorities. The 46-year-old was reportedly speeding and swerving around at 1 A.M. on July 7th.

Cops attempted to pull Lawler over, but he wouldn’t comply. Police say Lawler told them he initially refused to pull over was because he was trying to get home. Once they finally got him to pull over, they say his car smelled of alcohol and he had an open beer in his center console. He was immediately arrested.

Christopher was taken to a nearby station and booked on DUI and evading police charges. His bail was set at $40,000.

Last month, Christopher was arrested for [allegedly] attempting to run out on a hotel bill in Memphis.

Brian Christopher is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler and is a former WWE Tag Team Champion along with Scotty 2 Hotty.

Smackdown & 205 Live Preview 7/24: 3 Confirmed Matches

Chris Stephens
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Smackdown and 205 Live this week will emanate from Evansville, IN.

3 matches have been confirmed for tonight’s shows thus far.

On 205 Live, a fatal 4-way match will take place to determine a new #1 contender to Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship. Meanwhile, on Smackdown, Paige will announce who AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against at SummerSlam.

Smackdown 7/24

Paige Reveals AJ Styles’ SummerSlam Opponent

Smackdown General Manager, Paige, has announced she will reveal who Styles’ new challenger is tonight. Whether she announces a match to determine AJ’s next challenger or just announces a name outright isn’t yet known, however.

Styles’ last title defense came against Rusev at Extreme Rules. Rusev had won a gauntlet match on Smackdown to earn the title shot.

Non-Title Match
Becky Lynch vs Carmella

SummerSlam title match implications will be on the line tonight in a match between Becky Lynch and Carmella. This match was made last week with the stipulation that if Lynch is victorious she will earn a title match against Carmella at SummerSlam.

Lynch has gone 4-0 since Money in the Bank on Smackdown. She’s won single’s matches on 4 of the last 5 episodes of Smackdown. In that time she has defeated Billie Kay, Sonya Deville, Peyton Royce, and Mandy Rose.

Smackdown Tag-Team Tournament
The New Day vs Sanity

In a rematch from Extreme Rules, New Day take on Sanity tonight. The winner moves on to the finals of the 4-team tournament and will meet the winner of the Bar vs the Usos.

Sanity defeated New Day on the Extreme Rules Kickoff show but tonight is the match which has title implications on the line.

Why Did Randy Orton Almost Rip Jeff Hardy’s Ear Off?

Twice now we have seen Randy Orton target Jeff Hardy during a match against Shinsuke Nakamura. Why is Orton targetting Jeff Hardy? What is the status of Jeff Hardy’s earlobe following last Tuesday’s encounter with the Viper?

We will hopefully have answers to these questions after tonight.

Is WWE Building Towards The Miz vs Daniel Bryan At SummerSlam?

All signs point to the long-awaited Miz vs Daniel Bryan one-on-one match to take place at SummerSlam. Last week, Bryan crashed a mock-funeral Miz held for Team Hell No. This week should only further the tension between the two vastly different Superstars.

205 Live 7/24 Preview

#1 Contenders Match
Mustafa Ali vs Hideo Itami vs TJP vs Drew Gulak

Just one match has been announced for 205 Live tonight. Mustafa Ali, Hideo Itami, TJP, and Drew Gulak will battle for the right to face Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship.

TJP is the only former Champion in the match. Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali for the vacant title on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show. He also defeated Hideo Itami on the July 10th episode of 205 Live. He’s faced Drew Gulak 5x in the history of 205 Live. Alexander has won 3 of those matches to Gulak and lost the other two. Gulak’s only victories over Alexander were both in early 2017.

Spoilers: Impact TV Tapings Results (7/23/18)

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Impact Wrestling held its latest round of television tapings on Monday night from Toronto at the Rebel Complex, site of the previous night’s Slammiversary XVI pay-per-view.  Matches from these tapings will air over the next several weeks.

Thanks to reader Mr. Eddy G for this report:

– The blue ring ropes are back.

– The OGz (w/Eddie Kingston) defeated an ‘enhancement’ team in a squash match. Kingston says LAX is done, but they came out and the two teams brawled.

– ‘Bone Soldier’ Taiji Ishimori defeated Petey Williams. They shook hands after the match, but were attacked and laid out by the Desi Squad.

– Impact World Champion Austin Aries came out for a promo and thanked everyone in the back for making Slammiversary a huge success. He issued an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot at his title, which brought out Eddie Edwards. Edwards came through the crowd with a kendo stick and attacked Aries.

– Scarlett Bourdeaux made her debut and was interviewed on the ramp. She is calling herself “The Smokeshow” and is doing a gimmick where she won’t be made to feel bad because she’s so attractive.

– Johnny Impact defeated Trevor Lee (w/Caleb Konley) after hitting Starship Pain. Konley interfered a lot during the match. Johnny cut a promo after the match saying he wants to be Impact World Champion, but first he has unfinished business with Kongo Kong and won’t rest until he takes Kong to Slam Town.

– Tessa Blanchard defeated Rebel.

– The Desi Hit Squad (w/Gamma Singh) beat Fallah Bahh and KM. Bahh and KM  teased tension between them, but eventually hugged it out.

– Brian Cage defeated Matt Sydal to retain the X Division Championship in a SSlammiversary rematch.

– Allie and Kiera Hogan beat Su Yung and an unnamed bridesmaid. Tessa Blanchard attacked Allie after the match.

– Impact Champion Austin Aries beat Dustin Quicksilver (w/Anthony Carelli) after Carelli threw in the towl. Quicksilver is a student from Carelli’s Battle Arts Academy. As Aries was making his way to the back, Eddie Edwards appeared and hit Aries with a kendo stick.

– Eli Drake and Trevor Lee (w/Caleb Konley) beat Grado and Joe Hendry (w/Katarina).

– Pentagon Jr. and Fenix defeated Dave and Jake Crist (w/Sami Callihan). Sami wore a sling and a cast after his arm was broken at the pay-per-view. This was said to be a great main event with Pentagon and Fenix hitting their signature spots.

Impact will host another round of TV tapings tonight from the same venue.

Details On WWE SmackDown 1,000

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Back in January, WWE celebrated 25 years of its weekly flagship television series, Monday Night Raw. This fall, the company’s SmackDown Live has a big milestone of its own.

The 1,000th episode of WWE SmackDown Live will air on Tuesday, October 16th from Washington, DC. This will air 10 days after WWE’s big Super ShowDown stadium show from Australia.

It should come as no surprise that plans are already underway to make SmackDown Live 1,000 a major event. Details are scarce at this time, but a report at PWInsider notes that company officials are working on ideas to ensure this SmackDown 1,000 is as significant a show as RAW 25 was. Expect to see a celebration of SmackDown’s rich history, dating back to the height of the Attitude Era.

WWE SmackDown premiered on broadcast television almost 20 year ago on April 29, 1999. The show has switched days and networks several times since.

SmackDown Live airs each Tuesday night on the USA Network and will remain there until next October, when it moves to Friday nights on the FOX broadcast channel. Any talk of SmackDown being WWE’s “B show” will be put to rest by then, if it hasn’t already. FOX is reportedly shelling out $1 billion over 5 years for the television rights to SmackDown.

Moose Injured At Slammiversary? Gives Update On Future

Chris Stephens
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Moose unsuccessfully challenged Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship Sunday night at Slammiversary. The Champion had said he was going to force Moose into his 3rd career during the match, football and pro-wrestling having been his first two.

According to recent comments made by Moose, Aries may actually have knocked Moose out of wrestling.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1021489029391503360

“Gave it my All and came up Short,” Moose Tweeted. “Probably time to reconsider if I still want to do this for a living. Time to make some career and Life Decisions. Thank you All”

Moose Injured At Slammiversary

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Moose is suffering from vertigo today. He previously sent out a now-deleted Tweet which simply read “CTE”, leading many to believe he had suffered a concussion in the match.

Most of the build-up towards Moose vs Austin Aries was done through sit-down interviews. Aries would claim Moose is a failed football player whereas Moose would say he gave up football to chase his wrestling dream.

Moose on Austin Aries

“Aries is known for his trash talk and I’m not gonna go there with him,” Moose said in the weeks leading up to the match. “I mean he can believe whatever he believes, I know what’s true and there’s that.”

“He’s been a good champion,” Moose admitted. “I mean guess so, he’s been a decent champion. I have a lot of respect for Aries. He is the Belt Collector, he does carry all the titles from a lot of independent promotions around. I mean, he’s a veteran of the game.”

“I could sit here and list a bunch of things, accomplishments Aries has had. Or you could Wikipedia it. I know what my game plan is for Sunday and what I need to do to fulfill my game plan to come home with the Impact World Championship.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlOzzfQHSAg/?taken-by=moosenation69

8 Takeaways From WWE RAW (7/23)

Robert Lentini
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The July 23rd, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. In addition to the takeaways below, Mickie James defeated Natalya tonight and Mojo Rawley demolished Tyler Breeze once again.  Here are 8 takeaways from this week’s show:

The First Women’s WWE PPV Will Air On October 28th

This week’s episode of RAW kicked off with Vince McMahon in the middle of the ring as the locker room was on the entrance ramp. Vince introduced Triple H and Stephanie McMahon down to the ring for a historic announcement.

Stephanie and Triple H had a brief exchange with RAW GM Kurt Angle on the entrance ramp before getting into the ring with Vince. Triple H thanked the Superstars and said that nights like tonight happen because of all of them. Triple H stated that a bond is formed when you get in a WWE right and put your trust in someone else’s hands and that bond has never been stronger than it is today.

Triple H asked all the female Superstars to step forward on the stage. He added that the men behind them and the WWE Universe supports them and the crowd cheered. Triple H got choked up a bit and congratulated them for stealing the show again and again. Stephanie said these moments don’t just happen because of opportunity, they happened because all of the crowd deem it important.

Stephanie brought up the #GiveDivasAChance hashtag and how it led to all of this. Stephanie then announced that on October 28th, over 50 women will participate in an event called Evolution and it will be the first-ever women’s PPV. The RAW Women’s Championship, SmackDown Women’s Championship and NXT Women’s Championship will be defended at the event. The finals of the Mae Young Classic will also air during the show.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021548851596091401

The B-Team Retained The Titles

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The B-Team defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy tonight on RAW. Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas started off the match. Wyatt threw Bo into the corner and then leveled him with a Clothesline as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Bo Dallas was in control and had Bray in a Chin Lock. Bray broke the hold and once again leveled Bo Dallas with a Clothesline. Matt Hardy leaned over the ropes and tagged in as Axel tagged in at the same time.

Hardy went right after Axel and connected with a shoulder tackle. Matt bounced Axel’s face off of every turnbuckle and then hit a Clothesline in the corner. Hardy followed it up with the Side Effect for a two count.

Matt connected with Twist of Fate and went for the cover but Bo Dallas broke it up. Bray then shoved Bray into Matt Hardy and Axel rolled Hardy up for the pinfall victory. After the match, Matt and Bray applauded Axel and Dallas. Hardy and Wyatt then attacked The B-Team and posed in the ring.

Opinion: RAW’s tag division is a total bore and needs something drastic to happen to make it interesting once again.

Bayley & Sasha Banks Are Friends Again

Bayley Banks WWE RAW 7 23

Bayley and Sasha Banks were interviewed backstage. Bayley and Banks claimed that they were on the same page and were teaming up again tonight.

Banks and Bayley faced a couple of local competitors tonight on RAW. Bayley and Banks took turns beating one of them down in the corner. Sasha quickly locked in the Bank Statement for the submission victory.

Banks and Bayley raised each other’s hand in the middle of the ring after the match and shared a hug.

Braun Strowman’s MITB Contract Will Be On The Line At SummerSlam

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Elias came down to the entrance ramp to talk about his debut album that was released earlier today. He was immediately interrupted by Strowman and Braun marched his way to the ring holding the MITB briefcase.

Strowman brought up Roman Reigns and Lashley facing each other tonight in a #1 contender’s match. Braun said that it doesn’t matter if it is Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley or Brock Lesnar because sooner or later a monster is going to come calling.

Braun raised the MITB briefcase and asked the WWE Universe if they wanted him to be the new Universal Champion. The crowd cheered but then Kevin Owens interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp.

Owens said that his son suggested that he befriend Strowman and that Braun crushed his dream the same time he crushed his spine at Extreme Rules. Owens stated that his kids are now scared because they see the pain on his face with every step he takes.

Owens stated that Strowman tried to take everything away from him and vowed to take everything away from Braun. Owens shouted that he won the Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules and said that Strowman’s problems have only just begun.

Constable Corbin joined the party and called Strowman’s actions “morally reprehensible” at Extreme Rules. Corbin added that he found someone that can teach Strowman how to control his temper and Jinder Mahal came out from backstage.

Mahal and Sunil Singh got in the ring with Strowman as the crowd booed. Jinder wanted to help Braun find his calm and nirvana. Mahal announced that Stephanie McMahon and Constable Corbin have personally appointed Jinder in assisting in Braun’s journey to find inner peace.

Strowman stated that he has a mantra of his own and instructed Sunil to come towards him. Braun handed Sunil the microphone and asked everyone to close their eyes. Strowman asked everyone to repeat “get these hands!” and the crowd chanted along.

Strowman then booted Mahal in the face and grabbed Sunil as he tried to escape. Strowman then planted Sunil with a Running Powerslam as Jinder retreated up the entrance ramp.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021561606633914369

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021562545830875141

Later on RAW, Kevin Owens and Corbin caught up with Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle backstage. Owens said that he wanted to face Strowman at SummerSlam under one condition. If Owens wins, he gets Braun’s MITB contract. Angle said that was absurd but Stephanie liked the idea and made the match official for SummerSlam.

Titus Worldwide Confronted The Authors of Pain

titus worldwide

AOP came down to the ring and said they wanted to face anyone but Titus Worldwide. Titus Worldwide interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp.

Titus said that Akam and Rezar are young and have a lot to learn. Crews said that Titus has taught him a lot and that AOP needs to show him some respect.

AOP said that Titus should just retire and a brawl broke out. Titus and Crews got the upper hand and Clotheslined AOP out of the ring to end the segment.

Seth Rollins Will Get Another Shot At The IC Title At SummerSlam

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Finn Balor battled Drew McIntyre tonight on RAW. Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler was ringside for the match. Balor started off the match in control and Dropkicked McIntyre out of the ring. Balor then flipped onto him and flexed on the entrance ramp as RAW went to a commercial break.

Balor connected with a DDT for a two count when RAW returned. Finn followed it up with a couple of chops in the corner and then a boot to the side of Drew’s head. Balor hit McIntyre with the Slingblade and then Dropkicked him into the turnbuckle. Finn made his way to the top rope for the Coup de Grace but Ziggler interfered and shoved Balor the canvas.

The referee called for the bell as Ziggler continued the attack. Seth Rollins sprinted down to the ring for the save and Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre retreated. RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the entrance ramp and announced that the match will be restarted as a tag match.

Rollins and Balor sprinted up the entrance ramp to attack Ziggler and McIntyre. The action returned to the ring and Balor Clotheslined Ziggler to the outside. Finn and Seth teamed up on McIntyre and Clotheslined McIntyre out of the ring. Ziggler and Rollins then started off the match in the middle of the ring.

Rollins dropped Dolph with an Arm Drag for a two count. Rollins hit Ziggler with a couple of chops and then threw him out of the ring. Seth connected with a Crossbody off the ring apron as RAW went to another commercial break.

Balor and Ziggler were in the right when RAW returned from the break. McIntyre quickly tagged in and isolated Balor int he corner of the ring. McIntyre brought Finn to the outside and dropped him throat-first across the barricade.

Ziggler tagged in and walked right into an overhead kick from Balor. Seth pleaded for the tag in the corner as Balor slowly made his way back up. McIntyre tagged in and prevented Balor from tagging in Rollins for a moment.

Balor escaped and tagged in Seth Rollins. Seth knocked McIntyre out of the ring and followed it up with a Suicide Dive. Rollins then launched Ziggler into the barricade and then hit McIntyre with a Clothesline in the ring. Rollins climbed up to the second rope and connected with a Blockbuster on McIntyre for a near fall.

Seth knocked Ziggler off the apron and then hit McIntyre with a Superkick. Rollins went for the cover but Dolph broke it up at the last second. Balor hit Ziggler with a Slingblade but Dolph shrugged it off and hit Finn with a Superkick to the face. McIntyre showed off his strength and slammed Rollins face-first to the canvas for a two count.

Ziggler tagged in and Rollins immediately knocked Drew McIntyre out of the ring. Seth then quickly hit the Stomp on Ziggler for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021580126763593731

Later on RAW, Seth Rollins was interviewed backstage and announced that RAW GM Kurt Angle gave him a match against Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental Championship.

Ember Moon Got Back On Track With A Victory Over Liv Morgan

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Ember Moon faced Liv Morgan tonight on RAW. Moon controlled the match early and Morgan escaped out of the ring to regroup. Moon ran after her but Morgan once again escaped back into the ring.

Ember caught her once again and booted her in the midsection. Moon went for a Springboard Crossbody but Morgan was able to get out of the way. Morgan then connected with a kick to Ember’s face for a two count.

Morgan stayed on the attack and bounced Moon’s head off the canvas a couple of times before slamming her down by her hair for another two count. Liv locked in a Headlock in the middle of the ring and taunted Ember while doing so.

Moon battled to her feet and broke the hold with a Jawbreaker. Ember then rolled up Liv but Morgan was able to kick out at one. Ember slammed Morgan face-first to the mat and went for the cover but Morgan once again was able to kick out.

Ember made her way to the top rope but Morgan caught her up there. Liv joined Ember on the top rope and set up for a Superplex. Moon blocked it and dropped Morgan face-first for the canvas. Moon then hit Morgan with the Eclipse off the top rope for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021584139194122240

Roman Reigns Will Face Brock Lesnar At WWE SummerSlam

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After being interrupted all night during RAW, Elias finally got a chance to perform a song from his debut album. Elias gave a shoutout to the band O.A.R. that was sitting in the front row and then referred to himself as the biggest musical act on the planet. Elias strummed his guitar and started to perform a song from his album. He stopped and said that he wasn’t feeling the vibe from Cincinnati tonight.

Elias then said that the crowd was the grossest collection of humans that he has ever seen in his life. Lashley interrupted and made his way down to the ring. Reigns and Lashley battled in the main event of RAW. The winner of the match would face Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam for the Universal Championship.

Reigns started off the match in control and Clotheslined Lashley out of the ring. Roman followed him out there and bounced Bobby’s head off the barricade. The action returned to the ring and Lashley connected with a Clothesline that knocked Roman out of the ring this time.

Roman punched Lashley in the face on the apron and then went for a Drive-By. Lashley caught Reigns in midair and planted him with a Belly to Belly Suplex on the floor outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Reigns and Lashley connected with a Clothesline at the same time and both Superstars fell to the canvas. Both Superstars got up and traded shots. Lashley got the upper-hand with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Belly to Belly Throw that sent Reigns flying across the ring.

Lashley drove his shoulder into Roman’s midsection in the corner of the ring. Reigns lifted Lashley onto his shoulders but Lashley was able to escape to the ring apron. Reigns ran towards him but Bobby ready and hit Roman with a Clothesline.

Roman battled back and hit a Leg Drop for a two count. Roman geared up in the corner and went for the Superman Punch but Lashley caught him in a Full Nelson. Roman backed Lashley to the corner and broke free with a few elbows to Bobby’s face.

Lashley charged at Reigns but Roman got out of the way and Lashley slammed into the ring post. Lashley connected with a Powerslam out of nowhere and went for the cover but Roman kicked out at two.

Lashley set up for the Spear in the corner of the ring and waited for Roman to get to his feet. Lashley went for a Spear but Reigns countered into a knee to Bobby’s face for a two count. Reigns followed it up with a Superman Punch for another near fall.

Lashley connected with a Spear and went for the cover but Reigns somehow was able to kick out at the last second. Lashley set up for a Spear once again but Reigns hit a Superman Punch out of nowhere. Reigns went for the Spear but Lashley blocked it with a knee to the face. Roman bounced off the ropes and connected with the Spear for the pinfall victory. Roman Reigns will now battle Brock Lesnar once again at SummerSlam for the Universal Championship. Reigns and Lashley shook hands after the match.

Opinion: Lashley and Reigns had a much better match at Extreme Rules. Everyone expected Reigns to win tonight and challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. I find it impossible to get excited about another Reigns and Lesnar match. The only positive is that if Reigns wins, the Universal Championship will be on RAW every week.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1021594477738250240

What did you think of this week’s episode of RAW? Let us know in the comments below.

SummerSlam: Lesnar vs. Reigns Confirmed

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The long, winding road to determining Brock Lesnar’s SummerSlam has arrived at a familiar destination. Roman Reigns defeated Bobby Lashley in the main event of Monday’s WWE Raw from Cincinnati, Ohio to become #1 contender to WWE’s illusive Universal Champion. 

Brock Lesnar will make a rare WWE television appearance next Monday night to confront his SummerSlam challenger. It will be interesting to see how fans react to Lesnar and Reigns this time around. It’s been a favorite past time of WWE fans to boo Roman Reigns at every turn, but WWE has been playing up that Lesnar is an absentee Champion – and that’s turned ugly in the past (see: WrestleMania XX).

With Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract nearing its conclusion, the 41-year-old is already back in the USADA drug testing pool ahead of his expected return to UFC in 2019.

In addition to next week’s Raw and his upcoming match against Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar is advertised for the August 20th episode of Raw from Brooklyn, the night after SummerSlam. This could be Lesnar’s final WWE appearance. 

WWE SummerSlam 2018 Card

Here is the updated card for WWE SummerSlam 2018, which take place on Sunday, August 19th from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center:

– Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns

– RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey

– Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman with Strowman’s MITB contract on the line

Discussion: What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns being Brock Lesnar’s final WWE opponent?

Ronda Rousey & Charlotte Flair Among Others To React To WWE Evolution Event

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Ronda Rousey and former WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair were among several superstars to react to the big news that was made official on Monday night.

That announcement was WWE Evolution, which is an all-women’s exclusive pay-per-view event that will take place on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. ET from NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York.

The event will stream live on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view featuring Women’s Championship Matches from Monday Night RAW, SmackDown Live, NXT and NXT UK, as well as the finals of the all-women’s tournament, Mae Young Classic 2018.

Rousey, Flair, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella, Nia Jax, and Asuka, as well as WWE Hall of Famers and Legends Trish Stratus and Lita, are advertised to appear at this show.

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and others have sounded off on the announcement, which you can see here:

“Because of all of you, men and women using your voices for change, we are able to provide the platform to show the world that women can do anything and be anything they want to be,” McMahon said on Raw. “Because of all of you, we are able to stand here and make another first-ever announcement. On October 28, over 50 women, then, now and forever, will participate in an event called Evolution, and that event — I am privileged to announce — will be the first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view.”

“Three years ago, our fans demanded a change with the hashtag, #GiveDivasAChance, and an evolution started,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “Since that time, our female Superstars have overdelivered in every opportunity presented to them, and I expect nothing different during our first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event.”

https://twitter.com/NiaJaxWWE/status/1021553281875759105

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1021567662210646017

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1021579433126363136

Updated Card For WWE SummerSlam 2018

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Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW from Cincinnati, Ohio, the card for next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view is starting to take shape.

As seen on RAW, there was a backstage segment with Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon where Owens begged for another match with Strowman. This led to the announcement with a stipulation being made as it will be Owens taking on Braun Strowman and if Owens wins this match then he gets Strowman’s Money in the Bank contract that guarantees him a world title match anytime within the next year.

This marked Owens’ first appearance on the flagship show of the company since the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena on the WWE Network earlier this month that saw Owens beat Strowman in a steel cage match once Strowman tossed him off the top of the cage.

WWE SummerSlam 2018 Card

Here is the updated card for WWE SummerSlam 2018, which take place on Sunday, August 19th from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center:

– Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns

– RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey

– Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman with Strowman’s MITB contract on the line

WWE Evolution All-Women’s PPV Event Announced

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WWE was teasing a historic announcement for Monday’s RAW from Cincinnati, Ohio and they delivered. Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie were on hand to announce WWE’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event titled, WWE Evolution.

WWE Evolution will take place on Sunday, October 28th from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, New York. This event will see 50 women from WWE’s past, present and future (WWE, NXT and legends).

Michael Cole noted after the announcement that the RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Titles will be on the line as well as the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic Tournament at this show.

Last week when this idea was rumored, it was reported that this show is apparently being planned due to the lack of female stars at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in April and that it could be a Network Special similar to the show at Saudi Arabia.

Stephanie had not been seen on RAW since the night after WrestleMania 34 in April where she was attacked by Ronda Rousey following their mixed tag team match at the biggest event of the year for the WWE.

What are your thoughts on this PPV event? Sound off in the comment section.

Braun Strowman On Feuding With Roman Reigns, Potential In Lars Sullivan, More

Andrew Ravens
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Despite the fact that Braun Strowman is Mr. Money in the Bank, that doesn’t mean that he’s done with Roman Reigns.

Strowman recently spoke with Riju Dasgupta for Sportskeeda to talk about various topics including working and feuding with Reigns on WWE television. This is where Strowman stated that he’ll never be finished with Reigns but rather giving him a break for now.

“He had a pretty rough 2017 when I started the ‘Get These Hands’ movement. He was a very literal punching bag for me. I’m giving him a little break right now.”

Strowman also commented on the comparisons he gets to Lars Sullivan, who is currently working in the NXT brand. The RAW star noted that he’s heard of the NXT star but doesn’t know a whole lot about him and that he sees potential in him.

“He’s got a little mean streak and I like that. And I’m always looking for somebody to get in there with and ‘get these hands’. So, if he wants me, come and get ’em!”

Finally, Strowman commented on how he could cash in his Money in the Bank contract as it will be difficult to do so with WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar not on television each week.

“You know, I get asked that a lot. I might just have to jump on a horse or whatever and find him in the woods of Canada or wherever he’s living. So, yeah. So, fingers crossed, we cross paths in the airport or something. I’ll fight him in the middle of Minneapolis or something.”

What are your thoughts on Strowman’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.

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