Another WWE Superstar has gone down with an injury. That star is Sin Cara.
On Monday, August 14, it was revealed by Mike Johnson of Pwinsider.com who reported that the SmackDown star mentioned on his Instagram Story that he has traveled to Birmingham, Alabama in order to see a doctor that indicates that he could be going under the knife in order to get surgery.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on what the injury issue may be but he will be on the sidelines for a bit as a result.
Most recently, the company booked Cara to work with former NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas in a feud on the blue brand that kicked off on the May 30th episode of SmackDown Live only to be blown off once the stars took to the ring to compete in a match that went down on the Extreme Rules Kickoff show on July 15 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He has not competed since that match and hasn’t been seen on WWE television. Once we have more information on his injury, we will pass that along. We hope Sin Cara has a speedy recovery as he battles his way back from this injury.
WWE Smackdown and 205 Live tonight will be the go-home show before this Sunday’s Summerslam. Both shows will emanate from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Smackdown Preview 8/14
AJ Styles Promo Towards Samoa Joe
Tonight on Smackdown, AJ Styles will have more to say to his Summerslam opponent, Samoa Joe. Styles already responded to Joe’s comments about how the champion has sacrificed his family life for his WWE career last week. Evidently, Styles has more he wishes to say to the challenger tonight.
Carmella, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair Come Face-to-Face-to-Face
At Summerslam, Carmella will have to face two challengers at the same time. Lynch and Charlotte are longtime friends but will each want to win the title on Sunday. Their friendship could reach a boiling point tonight as we are just 5 days away from the biggest event of the summer.
Aiden English vs Andrade “Cien” Almas
I know it’s been a hard few weeks for #RusevDay but I swore to make it up to @RusevBUL & @LanaWWE – so ahead of their #SummerSlam match, I’m demanding here and now to face @AndradeCienWWE 1 on 1 this Tuesday on #SDLive – I’ll do whatever it takes. https://t.co/P881KA0koN
Aiden English has already cost both Rusev and Lana matches against Almas and Zelina Vega recently. Now, he’ll have a chance at redemption as he goes one-on-one with the tranquilo, Andrade Almas.
The founding member of Los InGobernables will team with Vega to take on Rusev and Lana on the Summerslam kickoff show on Sunday.
The New Day vs Sanity
New Day and Sanity are 1-1 against each other on WWE programming but tonight they will face each other in 6-man action.
Watching this match closely will be the New Day’s opponents at Summerslam, the Bludgeon Brothers.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville Receive An Opportunity
I find it pretty ridiculous that @RealPaigeWWE gives her former PCB teammates preferential treatment, but doesn’t extend the same courtesy to her former #Absolution teammates?! Hmm… ?? Come on GM you should know what’s best for business!?????????
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville aren’t happy with how they’ve been treated as of late by Smackdown GM, Paige. The former members of Paige’s Absolution stable have asked their former leader for an opportunity. They will get just that tonight on Smackdown.
205 Live Preview
Akira Tozawa vs Lio Rush
Lio Rush is one of the fastest rising stars in the cruiserweight division. So far, Rush is undefeated on the purple brand. One of his previous opponents, Akira Tozawa, gets a chance to even the series at 1 win a piece tonight, however.
Cedric Alexander vs Jack Gallagher
Alexander’s Summerslam opponent, Drew Gualk, has been aligned with Jack Gallagher recently. Just 5 days ahead of the cruiserweight championship tilt, Alexander will face Gulak’s ally in single’s action.
Will Gulak and his crew look to soften up Alexander before Sunday?
If you’ve ever wanted to know what kind of direct private messages female wrestlers receive, you’ll have your chance on September 1st.
Before she competes in the “Over Budget Battle Royal” at All In, fast-rising indy star Jordynne Grace will release “DMs of a Female Wrestler”. The book features DMs Grace has received through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram over the years.
“Preorder your very own copy of “DM’s of a Female Indy Wrestler”, featuring never before seen DM’s from a female indy wrestler that she’s received over eight years,” a description of the book reads.
“28 pages of funny, gross, and absurd DM’s that Jordynne Grace has received over the course of her career via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.”
Jordynn Grace “DMs of a Female Wrestler”
Grace made her pro debut 4 years ago and is quickly becoming a talked about star on the indy scene. Her feats of strength in the ring have earned her the nickname “Thick Mama Pump”.
Grace is a regular with Progress and the current Women Superstars Uncensored Champion. She is a talented inter-gender wrestler as well.
Grace recently competed in “the Northern”, a BOLA style tournament hosted by Smash Wrestling in Toronto. She was defeated by Joey Janela in the first round of the tournament. The match was heavily praised live by those who saw it.
Late last year Grace sat down with Impact Wrestling’s Alicia Atout:
Brian Cage recently sent out a challenge to anyone from Bullet Club to meet him on Chris Jericho’s Rock N Rager at Sea. Several inter-promotional matches between ROH and Impact Wrestling are expected to take place throughout the cruise.
The current X-Division Champion recently appeared on “Killin the Town” with Don Callis and spoke about facing members from the faction.
“All those guys are great at what they do but they’re not Brian Cage,” Cage said on the podcast. “They are half my size and I can do, like you said, just about everything they can do.”
Cage would then continue to be complimentary of the Young Bucks and other BC members, however.
Jericho’s cruise runs from October 27th to 31st and will sail from Miami to the Bahamas. Already booked for the tour is an ROH single-elimination tournament with the winner receiving a shot at the world title.
Jericho will team with the Young Bucks to take on Marty Scurll, Cody, and Hangman Page on the cruise as well. Additionally, the Young Bucks will face LAX in an inter-promotional match scheduled after Konnan sent out a challenge on his podcast.
It didn’t take long for Seth Rollins to react to his former tag team partner and member of The Shield, Dean Ambrose, making his long-awaited return to WWE television on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum on the USA Network.
In case you missed it, it was revealed on this show that Ambrose would be in the corner of Seth Rollins for his Intercontinental Title match against champion Dolph Ziggler, who will have Drew McIntyre in his corner, at SummerSlam this Sunday.
Before this return, Ambrose had been on the sidelines due to an injury since last December. Rollins wrote the following on his official Twitter account:
The fourth season of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s HBO series “Ballers” premiered on Sunday night and now it’s time to find out how the show did. The premiere pulled in an average of 1,054,000 viewers. This number doesn’t include DVR viewers.
For a comparison, the premiere of the third season that did 2,476,000. The second season 1,585,000 viewers while the premiere of the first season did 2,162,000.
Where do you see this storyline involving Ambrose and Rollins going? Does one star turn on the other? Sound off in the comment section.
This Sunday when WWE presents Summerslam, there’s a chance Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey will close the show. Rousey is arguably the company’s biggest star at the moment and an all-female Summerslam main event would be another “first” the company would be able to showcase.
Current Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss, recently spoke to the Mirror UK about the possibility of closing the show on Sunday.
“You have the five-time WWE Champion going up against a UFC Hall of Famer. Why not let it be the main event?” Bliss asked. “I do I believe that with the women’s evolution going the way it is, then why not? But if not, then it is still great that I get to have a match with Ronda, who is making her SummerSlam debut.”
Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey – Summerslam 2018
Bliss has been complimentary of Rousey since her debut earlier this year.
“I watched her UFC career and I do think she is what she is called, ‘The Baddest Woman on the Planet’,” Bliss continued. “She is at the forefront of women’s sports in general, she is tough and awesome and I am looking forward to our match at SummerSlam.”
Main eventing Summerslam isn’t enough for Bliss, however. The Raw Women’s Champion said her ultimate goal is to headline the biggest event of the year.
“But for me, the ultimate goal is to main event WrestleMania. That is the big one and is on all of the women’s bucket lists. It really is and would be the epitome of what this evolution is. I am also just happy to help continuing to elevate the women’s evolution.”
Two matches have been revealed for the next pay-per-view event that Impact Wrestling will present, which is Bound for Glory. The promotion held TV tapings that took place on Monday, August 13th, 2018 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
At these tapings, it was revealed that OVE will take on the Lucha Brothers and Brian Cage in a six-man ‘oVe Rules’ match at this show. The challenge came after Lucha Brothers defeated Cult Of Lee. Later in the tapings, Cage confirmed that they accepted the challenge brought against them.
The main event for this event has also been revealed as in an opening segment, Impact Wrestling World Champion Austin Aries confirmed that he would defend the title against Johnny Impact.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if this match will have a stipulation due to an angle where Aries and Impact brawled until Aries, Killer Kross, and Moose attacked Impact with a chair.
Impact Wrestling will hold their Bound for Glory pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 14, 2018, at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City, New York. This is considered the biggest event of the year for the promotion.
The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming months.
There is more evidence building that Chris Jericho plans to wrestle for a promotion other than WWE in the United States. Jericho has famously stated in the past that he would not wrestle for a promotion in the country other than WWE out of loyalty to Vince McMahon.
Despite this, rumors are circulating that Jericho could end up in Impact Wrestling or wrestling on the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden next year.
Jericho recently corrected a fan on Twitter who said he would only work for a company in the United States if he has Vince McMahon’s blessing.
“While nobody will say anything,” wrote Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “There is a lot of belief within the business than Jericho is destined to be here (Impact Wrestling) and the not wanting to do anything that would get Vince mad doctrine isn’t nearly as strong as it was months ago.”
Impact Wrestling’s Petey Williams, also commented on the possibility of Jericho coming to the promotion recently. He said he wouldn’t be shocked if Jericho shows up in Impact. Williams also said he has no direct knowledge on if he’ll be coming in, however.
Earlier this year, we spoke with Don Callis during an Impact Wrestling press conference to promote Slammiversary. I asked him about talent he’d like to bring in to the promotion. His answer suggested he’s looking to bring in the biggest names he can.
“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.”
Tessa Blanchard is only 4 years into her professional career but has already won several championships.
Blanchard currently holds title belts for 6 independent promotions. She’s the current champion for Zelo Pro, Women Superstars Uncensored, the Crash, RISE, PWX, and PCW Ultra.
Impact Wrestling has recently revealed that Tessa has added arguably her most prestigious title to her resume recently.
Blanchard defeated Su Yung and Allie in a triple threat match Sunday at Rebel Nightclub in Toronto.
She phoned her parents, including step-father Magnum TA, after her victory.
If you’re unable to view the player above, you can view the clip here.
Tessa Blanchard Knockouts Champion
Just 3 days before she would win the title, we asked Blanchard what winning the championship would mean for her career.
“My main goal in Impact Wrestling is the Knockouts Championship,” Blanchard said with confidence. “I’m going to have my opportunity to claim that on Sunday against Allie and Su Yung.”
“That is the goal,” Blanchard said in reference to the Knockouts Championship. “Because having that championship means you are the best.”
“I’m confident I am the uncrowned champion because I am the best women’s wrestler in Impact Wrestling,” she continued.
Blanchard successfully defended the title against Yung last night in Toronto as well. She defeated the former champion with a hammerlock DDT.
Tom Lawlor returns to the cage this Friday night on MLW Fusion.
In recent weeks, a feud has been escalating between Lawlor’s Team Filthy faction and Col. Robert Parker’s Stud Stable. Lawlor issued a challenge for a member of the Stud Stable to step into his world for an MMA Dojo Challenge. Col. Parker accepted the challenge. He’ll be sending the biggest athlete he manages: super-heavyweight Mike Parrow.
The Dojo Challenge will be held from Jungle MMA & Fitness in Orlando, which is owned and operated by Team Filthy member Seth Petruzelli.
Tune in to MLW FUSION this Friday night on beIN SPORTS to witness this unique contest.
Tom Lawlor In MLW
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been one of the standout performers in MLW since the promotion re-launched last year. He is the leader of Team Filthy, which consists of Simon Gotch and Seth Petruzelli.
The MMA & pro wrestling hybrid fighter was released from UFC earlier this week. “Today I was informed that I will be released by the UFC despite my USADA suspension being nearly over and my previous requests for a release being denied,” said Lawlor. While the timing is unexpected, hopefully, this opens the doors for me to continue with my mixed martial arts career as well as in the squared circle.”
The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Monday, August 13th, 2018 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada has surfaced online.
The promotion held another set of tapings on Sunday night and you can see those spoilers at this link. These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on POP TV.
IMPACT WRESTLING TAPING SPOILERS
– Austin Aries, Killer Kross, and Moose walk out to the ring to cut a promo on Eddie Edwards for being a fraud and that he had Eddie’s back when he was injured, but Killer Kross was the only guy checking on him when he was injured. Aries noted that he told Moose he’d never be number one if he pandered to the fans. This led to Johnny Impact walking out and said that ross was more ambitious than being a bodyguard. It was revealed that Aries vs. Impact is set for Bound For Glory. They then brawl until Moose and Kross take Impact out.
– Petey Williams defeated Rich Swann
– Desi Hit Squad defeated Joe Hendry & Grado – Eli Drake defeated Stone Rockwell – Knockouts Championship: Tessa Blanchard (c) defeated Su Yung to retain. After the match, the undead brides brought a casket out. This led to Su Yung attacking her. Tessa was put in the casket, but Allie and Kiera Hogan ran out for the save. – oVe defeated Zachary Wentz, Ace Austin and Trey Miguel
– Austin Aries, Moose and Killer Kross out again for an interview where Aries said that Johnny Impact and Eddie Edwards won’t be back for a long time. KM and Fallah Bahh come out and Aries offers Fallah a banana but KM called him out for being a liar, terrible world champion. Aries challenged him to a match.
– Lucha Brothers defeated Cult Of Lee. After the match, OVE cut a post-match promo challenging the Lucha Brothers and Brian Cage to a 6-man ‘oVe Rules’ match at Bound For Glory. – Alisha Edwards defeated Katarina – LAX defeated The Fraternity. After the match, King and The OGz cut a post-match promo on LAX by stating that they regret that Richie is still breathing after they hit him with a car. – Brian Cage defeated Kongo Kong. He accepted OVE’s challenge after the match – Impact World Championship: Austin Aries (c) defeated Fallah Bahh to retain
What are your thoughts on these results? Sound off in the comment section.
Ronda Rousey was understandably freaked out when she spotted a bat flying around ringside during Monday’s RAW from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Rousey kicked off the show to pay tribute to Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who had passed away earlier in the day. After introducing Ember Moon, she was interrupted by RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox. The heels came to ringside with a crew of four security guards. A scuffle ensued and Rousey made short work of the security guards.
While Rousey was standing at ringside during the Bliss vs. Moon match, a spotted a bat flying around the ringside area. Rousey was understandably freaked out and could be seen mouthing, “Oh my god” at the sight of the flying chiroptera. The match ended in a disqualification victory for Ember Moon after Alicia Fox interfered on behalf of Alexa Bliss. Rousey gave Fox a judo throw and cleared the ring to end the segment.
Ronda Rousey challenge Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship this Sunday at WWE SummerSlam.
Twitter user Malcolm Van Dalsem uploaded this video of Ronda Rousey reacting to the bat:
WWE 2K19 will hit stores this October and when it does fans will have the ability to relive Daniel Bryan’s career. Showcase mode will return to the video game series after being left out of last year’s version.
To help commemorate the return of Showcase Mode to the WWE2K series, Bryan made a surprise appearance at his old high school today.
Bryan’s story is one of the most unique in wrestling history. WWE 2K19 released the following trailer for Daniel Bryan’s Showcase mode earlier today:
The mode features 11 historic matches from Bryan’s career. Already confirmed for the mode is his 2003 match on Velocity against John Cena. This likely means a 2003 version of Daniel Bryan will be created for the game (and likely Cena as well). This would resemble the Bryan Danielson of Ring of Honor more than his modern look today would.
WWE 2K19 Ric Flair Collector’s Edition
WWE 2K19 has also added a new Towers mode and are offering a deluxe version of the game celebrating the career of Ric Flair. Customers who purchase this edition of the game will receive a plaque with a piece of one of Flair’s robes and bonus in-game content.
Bonus in-game content for Flair’s version of the game include:
“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:
Renee Young made history on Monday night by becoming the first woman to do commentary for a full episode of RAW.
WWE cameras caught up with Renee backstage after the show to discuss her big night. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is known for being a very hands-on producer of his commentators. Former announcers such as Mick Foley, JBL and Taz have spoken about Vince being “in their ear” throughout broadcasts. Renee revealed that Vince actually gave her a lot of freedom, but did provide one piece of advice in her headset.
“Yeah, [Vince] told me to slow down on a couple spots but that was it,” she said. “And, geez, if that’s the only note that I get from him tonight, hallelujah, I’ll take it.”
Renee joked that Vince was ‘kind of letting her get away with’ a few things on the mic.
In addition to her Raw commentary debut, it was also a big night for Renee due to her husband Dean Ambrose’s return to WWE. Renee said she had goosebumps for Ambrose’s return, because she knows first-hand what he went through during his recovery.
“Seeing his recovery and all of the obstacles he had to go through to get back in the ring, I had goosebumps the entire time,” she said. “It was so exciting.”
Watch Renee Young talk about her WWE RAW commentary debut:
Randy Orton is said to have a unique way of introducing himself to new members of WWE’s creative team. Former WWE writer and current MLW Owner, Court Bauer, detailed Orton’s unique introduction practice on an episode of his podcast.
“For every new writer that would show up, he comes in the room puts his hand down his pants, pulls out his d*ck, touches himself, then says ‘I’m Randy Orton, shake my hand…oh you don’t want to shake my hand? Are you big leaguing me? That’s f**ked up man. Should I tell Vince and Steph you won’t shake Randy Orton’s hand?”
Former WWE writer Kevin Eck shared his thoughts on Orton in an article for the Sporting News.
“I don’t have any comment on the recent stories about Orton’s backstage behavior,” Eck wrote before then offering a comment. “Other than to say that I always avoided shaking hands with him during my time on the WWE creative team.”
Former WWE Superstar, Ken Kennedy (Anderson), also commented on Orton’s during a previous shoot interview.
“I remember my boots were sitting there and he kept dipping his c*ck into my boot,” Anderson said. “I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ ”
“He used to do stuff like this and we’d be riding in the car and I’d be like, ‘Randy, there’s no one else around to find that funny.’”
Wrestling legend Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away on Monday morning. He was 63 years old and he leaves behind an incredible legacy as part of the Hart Foundation.
To honor the talented and charismatic powerhouse, we’ve put together a list of his best matches. SEScoops writers Brad Davis, Damon Martin, Ian Carey and Jeff Moss have each picked a match that you can watch on the WWE Network. Here they are in chronological order:
Hart Foundation and Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana (WrestleMania 3)
Damon Martin: The Hart Foundation’s feud with the British Bulldogs was one of the greatest tag team rivalries in WWE history when they started having a series of matches around 1986 and 1987. The two teams ended up in a six-man tag match at WrestleMania III with the Hart Foundation as one of the biggest heel factions to ever compete in WWE. Teaming up with ‘evil’ referee Danny Davis was just a stroke of genius and putting them over that night only made the fans hate them that much more. The heat from the crowd in Detroit that night was legendary and the Hart Foundation revelled in every second of it.
The Hart Foundation vs The Brainbusters (SummerSlam 1989)
Jeff Moss: In 1989 the Hart Foundation was on the rise and at the second Summerslam, the pair faced off against Tag Team Champs Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, aka The Brain Busters. In the storyline, the match was signed before the Brain Busters became champs, so the titles weren’t on the line. That said, to be able to watch a young, all-pink Hart Foundation face off against two of the Four Horsemen is an absolute treat. The workrate and finesse in this match is amazing and the pure strength and toughness that Neidhart and Anderson bring to the table completed the perfect ying to the yang. An underrated classic in this reporter’s opinion, and not just because it features some of my favourite wrestlers of all time. And Tully.
The Hart Foundation vs. WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition – Best of 3 Falls (SummerSlam 1990)
Brad Davis: The things you loved as a child will always have special meaning to you. The late 80’s and early 90’s are considered by many to be a golden era of WWF. The British Bulldogs were a little before my time, so Bret and Anvil were to me the pinnacle of a complimentary tag team. Technical excellence matched with brute force. Calculated execution and unhinged madness. The odds were stacked against the Foundation in this match, which made the dramatic victory that much sweeter. Demolition had recently introduced Crush as a third member, leading fans (and the Hart Foundation) to wonder if the babyfaces would get a fair shake. They didn’t – but it didn’t matter. The Legion of Doom, new to the World Wrestling Federation at the time, stormed to ringside late in the third fall to even the odds. The finish, with Jim Neidhart delivering a shoulder block to Crush and Bret Hart getting the roll-up pin, is pure magic. Neidhart laying over Bret after their win, unleashing his signature laugh, is a moment I’ll never forget. RIP, Anvil.
The Hart Foundation vs. Team USA (In Your House Canadian Stampede, 1997)
Ian Carey: Canadian Stampede in 1997 was the ultimate event if you were a Canadian wrestling fan at the time. It was the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith and Brian Pillman) vs Team USA (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom) with the WWE fanbase being divided against each other based on geography. It was the Olympics meets wrestling and it was awesome. Jim Neidhart was not Canadian, but that didn’t matter. His association with the Hart family was all that mattered. Following the match that night, Nattie Neidhart, TJ Wilson, Harry Smith, and Teddy Hart all celebrated in the ring with the elder generation. More than any Hall of Fame induction could do, this match and PPV celebrated all that the Harts have brought to wrestling.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor was only two months away from his two-year suspension from the UFC being lifted. However, instead of preparing for a grand comeback to the light heavyweight division, the company released him instead.
Lawlor was suspended from the UFC on October 10th, 2016, after failing a USADA drug test for Ostarine, a banned substance and member of the SARM group. The UFC, however, did not release him, so Lawlor segued to pro wrestling, intending to return to MMA once the suspension had been served.
Lawlor has been wrestling on the independent circuit, including Major League Wrestling (MLW). As the leader of the Team Filthy stable, Lawlor recently won MLW Battle Riot and earned a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship anytime, anywhere.
Coffee Culprit
Though the Ostarine amount found in his system was low, Lawlor couldn’t find an explanation as to what caused the test to turn out positive, going so far as to test his coffee in an attempt to understand how it could have happened.
Lawlor, 35, had an MMA record of 10-6 with one no contest, and a 6-5 UFC record. His last fight to take place for the company was on March 6th, 2016, where he lost to UFC ranked No. 6 Corey Anderson via decision.
Interestingly, Lawlor puts forth in an official statement that he had previously asked for his release during the suspension period, but that these requests were “denied.”
“All things come to an end and it was inevitable that so would my time in UFC,” said Lawlor. “Today I was informed that I will be released by the UFC despite my USADA suspension being nearly over and my previous requests for a release being denied. While the timing is unexpected, hopefully, this opens the doors for me to continue with my mixed martial arts career as well as in the squared circle (pro wrestling). Combat sports is one of my life’s great loves and I look forward to showing and sharing that with the fans as soon as possible.”
Tom Lawlor found popularity in the UFC, in particular during weigh-ins, where he would come out in different costumes that paid homage to a range of different people and characters, including Hulk Hogan, Dan Severn, and The Shockmaster.
He had experience within the squared circle prior to UFC, garnering a WWE tryout before being selected for the cast of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8. Before that, he had won three NCWA small college national championships in wrestling whilst at the University of Central Florida.
Dean Ambrose returned to WWE television at the conclusion of Monday’s RAW after nearly 9 months on the shelf due to injury.
He came out during the final segment of the show and then Ambrose helped his Shield Brother Seth Rollins in taking out the duo of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.
However, this wasn’t the last of Dean people saw on the night as he made his in-ring return in a big 8 men tag match after the show went off air.
The former WWE Champion teamed up with Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, and Finn Balor to face the team of the Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Kevin Owens The finish of the match saw Rollins, Strowman, and Balor all hitting their finishing maneuvers to their respective SummerSlam opponents. Ambrose then hit Baron with dirty deeds and pinned him.
Dean Ambrose will be in Seth Rollins’ corner this weekend at SummerSlam. Rollins challenges Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship.
Watch Dean Ambrose’s first WWE match of 2018 after the August 13th edition of RAW:
We reported the unfortunate news of the passing of Wrestling Legend Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart yesterday. The former WWE Star was 63 years old.
After the news broke out, his daughter Natalya send out a heartfelt tribute to the WWE Legend from her Twitter account. In the tribute as seen below, she promised to keep his memory alive:
According to a report from ESPN, Jim fell and hit his head at his home in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The Pasco Sheriff Office also provided some details on the condition of his passing, revealing that no foul play was suspected.
Meanwhile, TMZ released the audio from the dispatch call and the site noted that the authorities were called at around 6:30 am on Monday, informing them about a man having seizures & convulsions.
It’s worth mentioning here that Nayalya who was originally scheduled to compete at this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was pulled from the show after the news broke out.
Ember Moon stepped in to fill the position Nattie was expected in. She went on to face the Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss in a one on one match. The bout ended in a disqualification after Alicia Fox interfered.
You can check out the Jim Neidhart tribute video WWE aired on this week’s Raw below:
The August 13th, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE SummerSlam this weekend.
Her passion and dedication have gotten her to this historic moment …. tonight @ReneeYoungWWE becomes the first woman to ever call an entire episode of Monday Night #Raw. Congratulations! #WellDeservedpic.twitter.com/LiseXAf0D5
Here are 8 takeaways from this week’s episode of RAW:
Alexa Bliss Hired A Security Team & They Failed Miserably
Ronda Rousey kicked off this week’s episode of RAW and made her way down to the ring. Rousey spoke about Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart’s passing away. She stated that our fathers have been raising us to be the pillars of strength when they are gone. She told Natalya to stay strong and that everyone loves her. The crowd chanted “Nattie!” as Rousey said that Natalya was the first person to welcome her into WWE and she will be the first person to defend her while she is gone.
Rousey noted that Bliss cheated time and time again to defeat Natalya and vowed to take the RAW Women’s Championship away from her at WWE SummerSlam. Rousey then welcomed Ember Moon down to the ring. Alexa Bliss’ music hit and said that she is sick of Ronda kissing up to all these people. Bliss then called Rousey a spoiled brat and an overrated rookie. Alexa claimed that SummerSlam is going to be humiliating for Rousey and then poked fun at the angry face she makes every week on RAW.
Alexa blasted RAW GM Kurt Angle for protecting everyone besides her. Alexa added that she spoke to Constable Corbin and he suggested that she hire her own personal security to protect her from Rousey. A security team then surrounded Bliss as she warned Rousey to not even think about trying anything tonight.
Bliss shoved Ember Moon into the turnbuckle and then Rousey hopped into the ring but the security team got in her way. Ronda started taking out the security team with Arm Drags and then the remaining member of the team took off running. Ronda then launched Alicia Fox out of the ring as Bliss retreated up the entrance ramp.
Ronda Rousey Picked Up Some Momentum Before SummerSlam
Alexa Bliss then battled Ember Moon as Alicia Fox and Ronda Rousey were ringside for the match. Ember started off in control of the match but Alexa quickly battled back and applied a Headlock as a promo for WWE SummerSlam aired. Moon broke free and slammed Alexa face-first into the canvas for a two count.
Bliss rolled out of the ring to try and regroup but Ember connected with a Dropkick through the ropes and brought her back into the ring. Ember applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Bliss escaped and connected with a Dropkick to Moon’s midsection. Moon battled back with an Enziguri that sent Alexa Bliss out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Bliss was back in control and connected with Double Knees to Ember’s midsection for a two count. Bliss went back to the Headlock and wrestled Moon down to the canvas. Ember battled to her feet and broke the hold with a Jawbreaker. Alexa shrugged it off and hit Moon with a Clothesline for a near fall.
Alexa went right back to the Headlock and brought Ember back to the canvas. Alexa started cackling and taunting Rousey who was pacing around ringside. Moon got fired up and broke the hold. Moon rolled Bliss up but Alexa kicked out at two and then hit a Dropkick of her own for another two count.
Bliss bashed Moon in the face with a right hand and then started to taunt her. Moon shrieked and leveled Bliss with an Enziguri. Moon followed it up with a Splash in the corner and then made her way to the top rope. Ember grabbed Bliss and planted her with a Suplex. Alicia Fox hopped on the ring apron but Rousey grabbed her and launched Alicia into the barricade. Bliss capitalized on the distraction and snuck up behind Rousey and threw her into the barricade.
Bliss got into the ring and Moon greeted her with a Backbreaker. Moon then climbed to the top rope and hit the Eclipse on Bliss. Ember went for the cover but Alicia Fox got back into the ring to break it up. Fox then attacked Moon and the match ended in a DQ. Rousey got back into the ring and launched Bliss & Fox out of the ring to end the segment. Alexa Bliss will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey this Sunday at WWE SummerSlam.
Constable Corbin arranged for both himself and Finn Balor to be in matches tonight on RAW. Corbin picked Tyler Breeze as his opponent and beat the hell out of him to start off the match.
Breeze battled back with a Dropkick that sent Corbin out of the ring. Breeze went for a Splash off the ring apron but Corbin caught him and threw Breeze into the barricade. Baron then brought Breeze back into the ring and continued the beatdown.
Corbin took a break to shout at the crowd for chanting that he sucks and then returned to stomping on Breeze in the middle of the ring. Corbin applied a Headlock and shouted at Breeze to just give up.
Breeze battled to his feet but Corbin threw him back to the canvas. Tyler connected with a Clothesline that sent Corbin out of the ring. Breeze followed it up with an Enziguri and Corbin retreated back into the ring. Breeze charged at Corbin but Baron was ready and connected with the Deep Six for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Constable Corbin boasted about his victory and that was just a small taste of what he is going to do to Finn Balor at SummerSlam. Corbin then announced that Finn Balor will face Jinder Mahal next on RAW. Mahal came down to the ring and Corbin said that he is not finished, he was just catching his breath. Baron suggested that Balor will actually be in a Handicap Match and announced Kevin Owens as Mahal’s tag partner.
RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the entrance ramp before the match started and announced that the match will now be a Tag Team Match. Angle then announced that Braun Strowman was Finn Balor’s partner. The crowd erupted as Strowman made his way down to the ring.
Balor and Mahal started off the match and Jinder threw Finn to the corner of the ring. Mahal followed it up with a shoulder tackle but Balor quickly battled back with a Dropkick. Mahal drove Balor back to the corner of the ring and Kevin Owens tagged into the match.
Owens beatdown Balor in the corner of the ring and then applied an Arm Bar. Owens threw Finn back into the corner and Mahal tagged in. Owens and Mahal spent the next couple of minutes taking turns beating the hell out of Balor as Braun pleaded for a tag from the apron.
Strowman finally was able to tag in and Owens immediately tagged out of the match. Owens hopped over the barricade and hid in the crowd as Braun leveled Mahal with a palm strike to the chest.
The crowd chanted “get these hands!” as Braun bounced off the ropes and delivered a Splash onto Jinder in the corner. Braun then planted Mahal with a shoulder tackle as Owens slowly made his way back to the ring apron.
Finn tagged in and Braun slammed him onto Mahal for a two count. Balor then hit Mahal with a Dropkick that sent him out of the ring. Balor was going to try and flip onto Mahal but Owens tripped him up. Strowman started walking towards Owens and KO retreated towards the entrance ramp. Balor then flipped onto Mahal and Owens as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Jinder Mahal and Finn Balor were in the ring. Jinder had Balor in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Finn battled to his feet but Mahal booted him in the chest and tagged Owens back into the match. Kevin Owens taunted Strowman as he dropped an elbow on Balor’s chest.
Jinder tagged back in and applied a Headlock once again. Finn broke free and threw Jinder out of the ring. Finn slowly made his way across the ring but Owens tagged in and prevented the tag to Strowman. Balor planted Owens with a Slingblade and then dove across the ring to tag in Braun Strowman.
Braun knocked Owens out of the ring and then decked Mahal with a Clothesline. Strowman got out of the ring and threw Sunil Singh into Kevin Owens. Braun got back into the ring and hit Mahal with the Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory. Braun then chased Owens backstage after the match.
Constable Corbin then snuck up behind Balor after the match and hit him with End of Days. Corbin taunted Balor as the crowd chanted “you still suck!”. Corbin will battle Finn Balor this Sunday night. Braun Strowman will also face Kevin Owens with the MITB contract on the line at WWE SummerSlam.
“Ricky Roberts” came down to the ring with a guitar and said that Elias was his favorite musician in the entire world. Ricky claimed that one day he will find himself in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Elias interrupted by strumming his guitar.
Elias told Ricky that there is only one Elias in this world and he is looking at him. Elias promoted his merch on WWE Shop and told Ricky that he could impress him tonight if he somehow defeated Bobby Lashley.
Lashley interrupted Elias once again and made his way down to the ring to face Ricky Roberts. Bobby grabbed the microphone that WWE already has a “no talent clown that plays the guitar in Elias”.
Ricky Roberts bashed Lashley with a guitar and Bobby responded by planting Ricky with a Spinebuster. Lashley then posed in the ring as Elias made his way backstage.
The Revival started out the match in control and isolated Bo Dallas in their corner of the ring. Dawson connected with a Suplex for a two count and then tagged Wilder in. Dash threw Bo into the ropes but Matt Hardy tagged himself in. Matt beatdown Dash Wilder in the corner of the ring and then planted him with a Side Effect for a two count. The Revival took back control of the match as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Matt Hardy made his way up to the top rope but Dawson greeted him with a right hand. Matt Hardy then Superplexed Dawson onto everyone outside the ring in an awesome spot. Back in the ring, Axel tagged in as Bray tried to deliver a Sister Abigail to Dash and Dawson. The Revival countered into a Shatter Machine and then Curtis Axel threw them both out of the ring. Axel then pinned Bray Wyatt and the B-Team retained the RAW Tag Team Championships.
It was announced later on RAW that The B-Team will defend the titles against The Revival during SummerSlam’s Kickoff Show.
Heyman & Lesnar Tricked Roman Reigns
WWE showed a clip that wasn’t aired last week on RAW. Last week, Renee Young interviewed Paul Heyman. In the new clip from the interview, Heyman hinted that there was a way for Reigns to defeat Brock Lesnar but declined to elaborate.
Roman Reigns came down to the ring to cut a promo before his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar this Sunday at WWE SummerSlam. Reigns said “leave this place better than I found it” and stated that is something that he says to himself every day.
Reigns noted that he will never be able to accomplish that goal with Brock Lesnar here and said that it was time for him to go. Roman added that he is tired of it and will put an end to Lesnar this Sunday night at WWE SummerSlam.
Roman then vowed to take back his Universal Championship Sunday night and send Lesnar so far back into UFC he is going to find his head stuck up Dana White’s ass.
Paul Heyman interrupted and said, “it is a New Day, yes it is!”. Heyman then brought up The Usos and stated that they are the future of SmackDown’s tag division. Heyman added that Reigns is the future of RAW and joined Reigns in the ring.
Heyman claimed that Roman Reigns can start making history tonight on RAW and referenced his comments during the Renee Young interview that was aired earlier tonight. Paul Heyman said that he would be willing to tell Reigns of Brock Lesnar’s secrets and added that Roman will beat Lesnar if Heyman was in his corner.
Reigns claimed that he beat Lesnar at Greatest Royal Rumble and it would have ended quicker than that but Heyman got involved. Paul stated that he was not out here to talk about the past, he was here to talk about the future. Heyman then went through his advocate speech and pointed to Roman Reigns as the reigning, defending Universal Champion.
Heyman extended his hand as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Reigns said that wasn’t good enough and that he was groomed at a very young age for this position. Roman noted that his father taught him to recognize the sharks that were drowning and to stay away from them. Roman added that Heyman was not worth saving and wished him luck in his future endeavors.
Paul said that he learned a lot while traveling with Roman’s uncle and father. Heyman said that Roman’s father taught him something and spoke Samoan to Reigns and Roman looked confused. Heyman handed Roman an agreement in principle and told Roman to look it over. Heyman told Reigns to give him his answer at SummerSlam and Roman started reading the paper.
Heyman then sprayed something in Reigns face and left the ring. Brock Lesnar’s music then hit and the Universal Champion made his way down to the ring. Lesnar handed Heyman the title and entered the ring with a giant smile on his face. Brock attacked Reigns in the corner of the ring and knocked him to the canvas. Lesnar then choked out Reigns in the middle of the ring as Heyman looked on in the background. Brock then exited the ring and left with Paul Heyman.
Lesnar decided that he wasn’t done and made his way back to the ring as Roman Reigns slowly tried to get up. Brock then delivered an F5 to Reigns and flexed over him as the crowd chanted “one more time!”. Heyman and Lesnar then left the ring and went backstage as RAW went to a break.
Riott started off the match by punching Banks in the face and knocking her to the mat. Banks battled back with an Arm Drag and then tried to roll her up but Ruby kicked out at two.
Ruby went for roll-up but Sasha countered and attempted to apply the Bank Statement. Ruby quickly grabbed the ropes and then rolled out of the ring. Sasha followed her out there but became distracted by the Riott Squad. Ruby threw Sasha into the steel steps and then the action returned the ring. Sasha’s hand got caught in the steps and Riott stomped on it a couple of times as RAW went to a commercial break.
Ruby was still targetting Sasha’s hand when RAW returned from the commercial break. Sasha battled back with an Arm Drag and then an elbow to the face. Sasha sprinted across the ring and took out Sarah Logan with a Suicide Dive. Liv Morgan tripped up Banks on the apron while the referee wasn’t looking. Bayley then took out Liv Morgan with a Clothesline outside the ring. Ruby Riott capitalized on the distraction and rolled up Banks for the pinfall victory.
Dean Ambrose Returned & Will Be In Rollins’ Corner At SummerSlam
Throughout the entire episode of RAW, IC Champion Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre were having conversations with RAW GM Kurt Angle in regards to Seth Rollins. Seth was running late due to “travel issues” and Angle kept pushing back the Intercontinental Championship contract signing until he had no choice but to head to the ring at the end of the show.
Angle addressed the attack by Heyman and Lesnar on Roman Reigns earlier tonight. Angle said that Reigns will still be able to compete at SummerSlam and added that he wants Roman to kick Brock’s ass at SummerSlam. Kurt said that he wants Roman to bring the Universal Championship back to RAW every week where it belongs and called Brock Lesnar the worst Universal Champion of all time.
Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre interrupted and joined Angle in the ring. Angle asked Rollins to come down to the ring but nobody showed up. Angle introduced Seth again and Rollins didn’t come down to the ring. Ziggler claimed that he wasn’t surprised because Seth cannot beat them and he quit. McIntyre added that he respects Rollins because he fought to prove that he is the best, which made them prove that they are even better.
Ziggler said that Rollins busted his ass for the WWE Universe and that is a one-way street. Dolph brought up the audience forgetting about him in the past and how they used to love when he stole the show. He claimed that means nothing because the audience turned their back on him and they will do the same to everyone else.
Dolph noted that for the first time in his life, someone truly has his back. Ziggler claimed that McIntyre pushes him to be better every single night and that he doesn’t care about the crowd or any of the Superstars in the back. Dolph added that they do whatever they want and they took the whole damn show over. Ziggler asked Angle to give him the contract so they can officially make it a “Seth Rollins forfeit”.
Ziggler signed the contract and Rollins finally showed up. Seth apologized for being late and that he is usually right on time. Rollins admitted that he hasn’t been completely honest with everyone because he had been here for a while. Seth claimed that he was dealing with some travel but they weren’t exactly his. Rollins stated that he ought to have a lunatic in his corner at SummerSlam and Dean Ambrose came down to the entrance ramp.
Dean and Rollins made their way down to the ring and brawled with Ziggler and McIntyre. Ambrose knocked Ziggler out of the ring as Rollins delivered a Superkick to McIntyre. Dean then planted McIntyre with Dirty Deeds and celebrated with Rollins as RAW went off the air.
Opinion: I really enjoyed this week’s episode of RAW and thought it did a solid job of hyping up SummerSlam this weekend. The segment with Reigns, Heyman, and Lesnar was completely predictable but I still thought the promo was well done. I also enjoyed Renee Young on commentary. It was refreshing to not have to listen to Corey Graves and Jonathan Coachman argue about nothing for three hours.
Former WWE Champion Dean Ambrose made his return to WWE television on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum on the USA Network.
It was announced on this show that Ambrose would be in the corner of Seth Rollins for his Intercontinental Title match against champion Dolph Ziggler, who will have Drew McIntyre in his corner, at SummerSlam this Sunday.
After RAW went off the air, Dean Ambrose returned to action in an 8-man tag team match. Ambrose and Seth Rollins teamed with Braun Strowman and Balor against the team of Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin. You can see video of the match here.
Dean Ambrose Returns From Injury
Ambrose has been out of action since late 2017 when he underwent surgery to repair a high-grade triceps tendon. The surgery took place in December, but the arm injury reportedly took place at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view event back on October 22nd. At TLC, Ambrose took a bump on a table that didn’t break. Following the match, his right arm immediately swelled up. While Ambrose didn’t take any time off and continued to work through the pain, things got worse over time.
WWE originally stated Ambrose would be out nine months at the time of his surgery been announced. Since then, Ambrose had been spotted regularly in Birmingham, Alabama rehabbing the injury and later at the WWE Performance Center in June in advance of his return.
What are your thoughts on Dean Ambrose returning in time for SummerSlam? Where does he fit in the mix on RAW?
A new match has been announced for the upcoming SummerSlam Kickoff Show.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum on the USA Network, The B-Team successfully defended the RAW Tag Team Titles against Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy and The Revival in a triple threat match.
WWE has since announced that the B-Team will defend the RAW Tag Team Titles against The Revival at SummerSlam.
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.
The Card
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Becky Lynch Charlotte Flair – Triple Threat Match
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman – if Owens wins then he gets the MITB contract
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak – Kickoff Show
Lana & Rusev vs. Zelina Vega & Andrade Almas – Kickoff Show Match
WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The B-Team vs. The Revival – Kickoff Show
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Roman Reigns is gearing up for another battle with Brock Lesnar at a big WWE event.
Roman Reigns spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News to promote Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view. In this interview, he spoke about the importance of having the WWE Universal Championship on Monday Night RAW every week.
“It’s killing us,” Reigns said. “It’s killing us. It makes for better storytelling. It would be a better product. It would be a better show. When you have the diamond that everybody’s chasing, it gives everybody a GPS of where they are and where they’re trying to be.”
Reigns continued by stating the importance of having a champion who is on the road with the roster. The champion is supposed to be a locker room leader and younger talent are missing a role model when the champion isn’t around. Brock Lesnar does not show up for months at a time, so Reigns wants to be that workhorse.
“I’m to the point where I’ve won a bunch of different championships and the only reason I want that championship is because I haven’t won it and I want it on this roster. I want it at our shows. I want it in every town because it’s going to make everybody better.”
Reigns, who is slated to challenge Lesnar for the Universal Title at SummerSlam, was asked if he would prefer to see Lesnar fight in UFC or stay in WWE after SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns Wants To Send Brock Lesnar Back To UFC
“To be honest, at this point I’d love to see him just go fight in UFC because that’s where it seems his passion and where his focus is right now,” Reigns said. “We have a protocol here. We have a certain schedule and there’s a certain rhythm that makes this whole business work and, right now, I think he’s throwing us out of whack a little bit.”
He noted that it’s great exposure to crossover and that they love to have big stars like Lesnar. However, WWE has to look out for itself and they have to continue their business and focus on their shows.
Reigns added, “I just feel like it would be a lot better served with that Universal Championship in someone’s hands like myself.”
Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com. Also, remember to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday evening for live results coverage of this year’s WWESummerSlam pay-per-view.
What are your thoughts on Reigns’ comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be missing this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum on the USA Network, which will serve as the go-home episode of the red brand for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.
The reason that the WWE power couple won’t be backstage at RAW is due to them attending the O.A.R. concert to benefit Connor’s Cure in Central Park.
Triple H is slated to make his in-ring return at the WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event that takes place on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia and will air on the WWE Network. “The Game” is set to wrestle The Undertaker at this show.
WWE released a preview for the latest episode of Table for 3 on the WWE Network that features Xavier Woods, Zack Ryder, and Matt Hardy. In this clip that you can watch below, the WWE stars talked about social media.
What are your thoughts on WWE not booking Triple H in a match at SummerSlam? Is there a certain match you would like see “The Game” take part in? Sound off in the comment section.
The August 13th, 2018 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Greensboro Colliseum in Greensboro, NC.
– This week’s show opens up with Ronda Rousey in the ring, and she has a microphone. Ronda starts talking about Natalya’s father, Jim Neidhart, passing away today. Ronda sends a message to Natalya to stay strong and says they all love her. Ronda says Alexa Bliss cheated to beat Natalya time and time again, but this Sunday she is going to beat Alexa Bliss and take the Women’s Title once and for all. Ronda then introduces Ember Moon, who is in action next.
After Ember Moon steps in the ring, Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox come out to the stage. Alicia cuts a scathing promo on Ronda, saying she’s a spoiled brat, and she’s sick of her and Kurt Angle defending her. Alexa says she spoke to the only fair authority figure around here – Constable Baron Corbin, who encouraged her to hire her own personal security, which consists of four guys. Alexa, Alicia and her security step in the ring, and Alexa bumps Ronda off the apron from behind. Ronda gets in the ring and Alexa’s security gets in her face, so Ronda starts beating them all up. Alexa and Alicia retreat to ringside as Ronda stands tall in the ring and we go to commercial.
– Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon: Alicia and Ronda are both at ringside for this one. Alexa and Ember trade headlocks and hammer locks in the opening moments. Ember takes control after a leg sweep and Alexa rolls outside for a breather. Ember hits a baseball slide kick on Bliss at ringside, then takes her back in the ring. Bliss starts to fire up until Ember stuns her with a jawbreaker. Alexa recovers and continues bringing the fight to Ember. Ember fires back with a series of kicks, and then hits a vertical suplex for a two count. Alicia gets on the apron for the distraction, but Ronda takes her out. Bliss rolls outside to attack Ronda. Back in the ring, Ember drops Alexa and hits the Eclipse. Alicia runs in to break up the pin, and then Ronda hits the ring and beats down Alicia.
Winner via DQ: Ember Moon
– Ronda hits a few judo throws on Alicia before Alicia retreats to ringside with Alexa. Alexa and Alicia head up the ramp as Ronda and Ember stand tall in the ring.
– We go to the broadcast team, which consists on Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Renee Young this week. They introduce a video package looking back at the history between Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Kurt Angle leading up to SummerSlam. We see footage from Paul Heyman’s interview last week, where he trails off saying “Roman Reign’s can’t beat Lesnar unless…” and leaves.
– Kurt Angle confronts Baron Corbin backstage for going over his head to Stephanie to book matches tonight. Corbin says he doesn’t need Angle’s permission, he just needs to go to the ring. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre walk in to Kurt’s office next, and they question where Seth Rollins is. Kurt says Rollins had travel issues and he’ll be here tonight, and he tells Drew and Dolph to get out of his office and wait somewhere else.
– Baron Corbin vs. Tyler Breeze: Cole explains on commentary that Corbin booked himself in this match, and he booked Finn Balor in a singles match later tonight too. Corbin starts off strong, but Breeze fights back with kicks and knocks Corbin outside. Breeze goes to fly off the apron towards Corbin, but Corbin catches him and slams him into the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Corbin continues to beat Breeze down and stomp on him. They fight out to ringside again where Breeze connects with a kick to the head that stuns Corbin. Back on the ring apron, Breeze hits Corbin in the midsection and then springboards back in the ring. Breeze runs the ropes but Corbin catches him and hits the Deep Six for the win.
Winner: Baron Corbin
– After the match, Corbin gets on the mic and talks about how great he is. He then reveals Finn Balor’s opponent for tonight: Jinder Mahal. Corbin says since Balor thinks he’s such a big man, he shouldn’t mind facing two opponents in a handicap match. Corbin introduces Balor’s second opponent, a close personal friend of his: Kevin Owens.
– Balor comes out to the ring for his match, but before it starts, Kurt Angle comes out to the stage to interrupt. Kurt says Corbin may have been given authority to do this, but Kurt still makes the matches, and he’s adding someone to this match to make it a tag team match. Balor’s tag partner will be Braun Strowman.
– Kevin Owens & Jinder Mahal vs. Finn Balor & Braun Strowman: Finn and Jinder will start this one off. Jinder overpowers Finn early on to start the match off strong. Balor comes back with a dropkick on Mahal, but Jinder shuts him down with a spear. Owens tags in and continues the offense on Balor, stomping him down to the mat. Owens drops a knee on Balor while he’s down, then applies a shoulder lock. Jinder tags back in and drops some knees on Balor, then tags Owens back in to keep the momentum going. Owens misses a shot in the corner and Balor tags in Strowman. Owens runs away and tags in Jinder. Strowman chases Owens outside and then turns his attention to Jinder. Jinder hits some shots on Strowman and stuns him, but Braun shuts him down with a shot to the chest. Braun boots Jinder back down to the mat, then pummels on him in the corner. Jinder starts to get up but Strowman drops him with a running shoulder tackle. Strowman clumbs Jinder back down to the mat, then tags in Finn. Strowman picks up Finn and slams him on to Jinder, although Finn didn’t seem to know it was coming. Finn continues the offense on Jinder and dumps him outside. Balor looks for a suicide dive, but Owens trips him from the apron. Braun chases Owens around the ring now, and Balor goes flying out of the ring with a suicide dive on both Owens and Jinder on the floor. Back in the ring, Jinder turns it around against Finn with the help of Owens. Owens tags in and drops an elbow on Balor, then Jinder tags back in and puts Finn in a chin lock. Balor starts fighting back with elbows to the face and he looks for a tag, but Jinder stops him and rams Finn into the corner. Finn fights back and dumps Jinder out to the ringside floor. Balor looks to tag in Braun, but Owens tags in and runs over and stops Finn. Owens runs Balor off the ropes and Balor answers with a sling blade. Braun gets the hot tag and cleans house. Jinder is the legal man now and Braun lays into him with shoulder tackles. Braun runs around ringside, picks up Sunil Singh, and then rams him into Owens on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Jinder starts fighting back, but Braun catches him and it doesn’t look good for the Modern Day Maharaja. Braun hits the running powerslam for the three count.
Winners: Braun Strowman & Finn Balor
– Braun picks up his Money In The Bank briefcase and celebrates the win with Balor in the ring. Braun spots Kevin at ringside and chases him all the way back through the curtain. Balor is left alone in the ring, and then Baron Corbin runs in out of nowhere. Corbin hits the End of Days on Balor.
– Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre approach Kurt Angle backstage again. They say Seth Rollins is scared of them and he won’t be showing up tonight. They talk trash about Seth, but Kurt assures them that Rollins will be here tonight. Ziggler says since he showed up on time, he wants to look at their contract for SummerSlam to see if there are any mistakes. Dolph jokes that they spelled his name wrong and walks off.
– Bobby Lashley is shown backstage warming up.
– We are introduced to a country singer in the ring named Ricky, supposedly from Greensboro. He says his favorite artist is Elias, and Ricky hopes that when he becomes a real music star like Elias, Elias will come to him and say those three magic words. Elias then walks on the stage and says “I am Elias.” Elias sits down with his guitar and says he doesn’t know if Kurt put him up to this, but there is only one Elias. Elias asks Ricky if he’s big enough of a fan to go on WWEShop.com and buy his new bracelet merchandise, and Ricky nods his head yes. Elias says if Ricky wants to prove himself tonight, he has to beat Bobby Lashley. Elias starts promoting an upcoming concert before SummerSlam, but his greatest performance yet will be at SummerSlam. Elias trashes Greensboro a little bit before Bobby Lashley comes out to interrupt. Lashley walks past Elias on the stage and steps into the ring with Ricky. He tells Ricky to find a new schtick because we already have a no-talent hack with a guitar. Elias tells Ricky to get ready, and when Lashley turns around to take his shirt off, Ricky smashes the guitar over his back. Lashley turns around and drops Ricky with a spinebuster. Elias walks off and Lashley heads up the ramp as Ricky recovers in the ring.
– The B Team is backstage talking about how their odds of losing are better than usual, because they have to face two teams at once, and they don’t have to get pinned to lose.Axel gives Dallas a pep talk saying this has been the best run of their lives, “so lets go out there and run for our lives.”
– The B Team (c) vs. Dash & Dawson vs. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt: Dash starts off strong against Dallas, then Matt tags himself in and beats down Wilder. Matt hits a flying elbow, but then he wastes some time and Dawson tags himself in. Dash and Dawson hit the Hart Attack on Hardy before Dawson continues the offense with strikes. Wilder tags back in and keeps the pressure on Hardy. Dawson and Wyatt come in now and Wyatt drops him with a shoulder block. Bra follows up with a splash in the corner and a side suplex, then Wilder comes in and walks into a side suplex too. Dallas comes in next and Wyatt drops him, then Dallas comes in and is able to stun Wyatt. The Revival gets back in the mix and everyone spills out to ringside. Wyatt slams Wilder into the ring apron, then Axel hits a flying clothesline off the ring steps onto Wyatt on the floor. Matt Hardy climbs up to the top rope, and Dawson follows him. Matt ends up superplexing Dawson off onto everyone else standing at ringside. Everyone is down at ringside now, and there’s no count-out as it’s a triple threat match. Back in the ring, The Revival hits the Shatter Machine on Bray, but Dallas is still the legal man and he runs in and dumps The Revival out to ringside. Dallas steals the pin on Wyatt for the three count.
Winners: The B Team
– After the match, the B Team takes their Tag Title belts and heads up the ramp as we o to replays.
– Roman Reigns is shown walking backstage. The B Team runs past him celebrating their win.
– Drew and Dolph approach Kurt Angle in the back again. They point out that Rollins still doesn’t appear to be here. Ziggler thn takes issue with a part of the contract that says Seth is allowed to have someone in his corner. Kurt says if Dolph is going to have Drew in his corner, Seth must have someone too, unless Dolph doesn’t want Drew there. Kurt says he can remove that clause from the contract if he wants, and Drew won’t be able to come out. Dolph says to leave it in, and they walk off again.
– Roman Reigns comes out to the ring and gets on the mic. He talks about wanting to leave WWE better than he found it, and he is sick of talking about and hearing about Brock Lesnar. Reigns says he’s going to beat Lesnar so bad back to the UFC, that his head will be stuck up Dana White’s ass. Paul Heyman then comes out to interrupt. Heyman says it’s a new day, and then he mentions The Usos saying they are the future of the tag division, and then he kisses up to Reigns too. Paul steps in the ring an says this is Reigns’ week, but why wait until Sunday to make history, when he can start making history tonight. Heyman says if he was in Reigns’ corner, he could tell him all of Lesnar’s secrets and weaknesses, and it would guarantee his victory at SummerSlam. Reigns says he already knows Lesnar’s weaknesses, and he doesn’t need Heyman. Heyman continues to try to sell Reigns on the idea and extends his hand. Reigns says his offer isn’t good enough, and he was groomed from a young age to succeed n this business. Reigns says he sees Paul is in trouble and he isn’t worth helping, and he wishes Paul good luck on his future endeavors. Paul talks about being young in the business and riding in cars with Afa and Sika, and he talks about Reigns’ dad teaching him something, then he says something in Samoan. Heyman says he wrote up a brief contract and hands it to Reigns. He tells Reigns not to answer him tonight, answer him on Sunday at SummerSlam. Reigns is looking down at the contract, and then Paul Heyman pulls out a can of what appears to be pepper spray, and he blasts Reigns in the face with it. Reigns is selling that he’s blinded as Paul continues spraying him. Paul steps out of the ring and stands on the ramp as a camera man helps wipe off Reigns’ face. Brock Lesnar’s music hits and the Universal Champion comes down the ramp. Brock hands his Title belt to Paul and then he hits the ring. Brock charges Reigns in the corner and attacks him with knees to the body, then he slams him down. Brock grabs Reigns again and puts him in a guillotine choke. Reigns goes limp and Brock lets go. Brock stares at the crowd and then leaves the ring to grab his Universal Title from Paul on the ramp. Lesnar and Heyman head to the back as Reigns sells the beating in the ring. Brock turns around and heads back down the ramp and hits the ring. Lesnar hits the F-5 on Reigns, then leaves again.
– Bobby Roode, Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews vs. The Authors Of Pain & Mojo Rawley: The Authors start off i ncontrol of this one, taking turns beating on Crews. Crews starts fighting back with kicks, but then Mojo tags in and drops Crews. Roode tags in now and goes at it with Mojo. Roode boots Mojo and then hits the Blockbuster off the middle rope, but Rezar breaks up the pin. Everyone comes in off the aprons, an when the dust settles Roode hits the Glorious DDT on Mojo for the three count.
Winners: Bobby Roode, Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews
– Michael Cole introduces a video package paying tribute to the late Jim Neidhart. The broadcast team then runs down the card for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
– We see a brief pre-taped promo by the Riott Squad asking if Bayley and Sasha Banks’ friendship can withstand a riot.
– Sasha Banks vs. Ruby Riott: Bayley and The Riott Squad are all at ringside. Sasha looks for the Banks Statement early on, but Ruby breaks free and rolls outside for a breather. Sasha follows her outside and kicks Ruby down. Sasha gets distracted by Liv and Sarah, which leads to Ruby throwing Sasha into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Ruby controls the match and boots Sasha in the face. Ruby keeps Sasha grounded with a shoulder lock until Sasha fights back with an arm drag and gets back in the game. Sasha gets involved with Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan at ringside, which leads to Ruby hitting Sasha on the apron and then rolls her up for the three count.
Winner: Ruby Riott
– Baron Corbin confronts Kurt Angle backstage as a staffer walks in to say Seth Rollins hasn’t arrived yet. Corbin tells Kurt he’s out of time, and Kurt walks off. If Rollins doesn’t show up to sign his SummerSlam contract tonight, he won’t have his match against Ziggler on Sunday.
– Kurt Angle comes out to the ring, which is set up with a table in it for a contract signing. Kurt gets on the mic and says before we get to this contract signing, he wants to say that he’s not suspending Brock Lesnar for his heinous attack tonight, as he wants Reigns to kick his ass on Sunday. Kurt starts saying Brock is the worst Champion of all time, and then Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre come out to interrupt. They get on the mic and say Seth isn’t coming, so lets get this over with. Dolph asks if he’s going to have to defend his Title on Sunday, or can he take the night off and do a stand-up comedy set. Kurt introduces Seth Rollins, but Rollins doesn’t come out, so Ziggler and McIntyre start trashing Rollins again. Drew says they do respect Seth every week because he keeps working, but he was only the Architect of his own downfall, because he pushed himself too hard for the fans. Ziggler continues to rant about the fans turning their backs on wrestlers like himself. Ziggler says McIntyre pushes him to be better every week, and he doesn’t care about the fans. Dolph tells Kurt to hand over the contract so they can officially make this a Seth Rollins forfeiture. Ziggler signs, and then Seth Rollins’ music hits and Rollins walks down the ramp. Rollins gets on the mic and apologizes for being late, but says he wanted to wait to come out until Ziggler signed the contract, because he didn’t want Ziggler to back out. Rollins says Ziggler won’t like what he’s about to say, because he’s sick and tired of Drew and Dolph double-teaming him. Rollins says to even the odds, he’s going to have Dean Ambrose in his corner on Sunday. Ambrose’s music hits and he comes out to the stage with short hair. Ambrose and Rollins head to the ring and start brawling with Dolph and Drew. Ambrose dumps Dolph outside as Rollins superkicks Drew. Ambrose follows up with the Dirty Deeds on McIntyre. McIntyre and Ziggler recover at ringside as Rollins and Ambrose stand tall in the ring. Rollins signs the SummerSlam contract as RAW goes off the air.
