Many fans were worried that Ronda Rousey will have a similar schedule to Brock Lesnar and she will wrestle only on selective PPVs during the year, but it appears that she will at least be wrestling more than the current Universal Champion.
In the past few weeks, Ronda has been announced for several live events and it appears that she will also be wrestling at atleast one Raw episode in upcoming time.
According to WKBW in Buffalo, New York, the former UFC Star will be making her Buffalo in-ring debut during an upcoming episode of Monday Night Raw on July 16th.
At this point, it’s not known if this will also be the in-ring Raw debut of the female star or if the company has plans for her to be part of more Raw episodes between now and the July 16th event. Her opponent for the show is not announced either.
Ronda Rousey made an impactful wrestling debut when she teamed up with Kurt Angle and defeated the pair of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H during WrestleMania 34.
However she didn’t wrestle in any match in the following weeks and after she missed the Backlash PPV as well, many started wondering if Rousey will be having a similar schedule to Lesnar.
Though since then WWE has cleared the air by announcing that Ronda will be wrestling at several Live Events this month. It’s worth mentioning here that she has also been announced for a Live Event in UK in August.
Ronda Rousey is currently scheduled to challenge Nia Jax for Raw Women’s Championship at Money In The Bank on June 17th.
The announcement of Paige being the new SmackDown Live General Manager was a closely guarded secret and a proof of it is that the female star herself found out about it on the day of the show.
Paige was recently a guest on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast where she talked about her retirement speech on Raw, loving her new position and more.
While talking about being announced as the new SmackDown Live General Manager, Paige claimed that the officials had only told her to be present on Tuesday night without revealing anything about her role on the show.
Continuing on the topic, the former Champion revealed that she got surrounded by the SmackDown writers when she arrived in the arena and that’s when she found out about her new position:
“I got to SmackDown the next day, Road Dogg, along with my writing team surround me and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, am I about to be beat up. Do I owe you money?’ It was then they told me I was going to be the SmackDown general manager, but don’t tell anyone”
Paige suffered a neck injury back in December last year and she officially announced her retirement from in-ring competition at Raw after WrestleMania on April 9th.
The following night on SmackDown Live, Shane McMahon revealed that the former Raw Star would be replacing Daniel Bryan and introduced her as the new General Manager of the Blue Branded Show.
It appears that SmackDown Star and current United States Champion Jeff Hardy might have suffered some sort of leg injury while wrestling in a dark match during this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Hardy was not a part of SmackDown tapings this week, though he wrestled in a dark match after the show went off air and defeated the former Intercontinental Champion the Miz.
According to people in attendance, their match went on for about 8 minutes and the Champion scored a pinfall victory after hitting a Twist of Fate and the Swanton Bomb.
However, it was noted by several fans that Jeff was noticeably limping during and after the bout and it appears that he suffered some sort of injury during his entrance.
Below are some photos and videos of the dark match:
Jeff Hardy started limping during his entrance. Might be a knee injury. Match was short, but Hardy finishes it with a Swanton Bomb. That's it from the #SDLive tapings in London.
— Mathias (The FPLScope) (@TheFPLScope) May 15, 2018
Jeff Hardy along with his brother Matt made his surprise WWE return during WrestleMania 33 and won the Raw Tag Team Championship. The duo lost the tag titles at Extreme Rules in June that year and Jeff then suffered a shoulder injury in September.
After returning from the injury earlier this year, Hardy won the United States Championship last month during the April 16th episode of Raw and he was moved to SmackDown Live the following night.
The May 15th, 2018 episode of WWE SmackDown was taped in London, England. It was announced that Lana will face Billie Kay next week in a qualifying match for the women’s MITB Ladder Match. Samoa Joe will battle Big Cass next week in a qualifying match for the men’s MITB Ladder Match.
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown:
Daniel Bryan Beatdown Big Cass
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
SmackDown started off this week with Renee Young in the ring. Daniel Bryan came down for an interview and the entire crowd chanted his name. Renee chuckled as she tried to speak but the crowd completely drowned her out. Renee asked Bryan about his loss to Rusev last week on SmackDown and how he is taking it.
Bryan asked Renee to feel the crowd’s energy and they all chanted “yes!”. Bryan admitted he was disappointed because nobody likes to lose. He stated that when he came back, he was just happy to be doing what he loves. Bryan said that he doesn’t want to just be back, he wants to get back to the top. Bryan noted that it is going to a climb and he is going to have to scratch and fight to get there. Daniel added that he will do that and and when it is all said and done, he will become WWE Champion once again.
Big Cass interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Cass said that he was sick of listening to Bryan run his mouth and feed the audience nothing but “crap and heartwarming stuff”. Cass said that he disagreed with Renee Young claiming that Rusev was Bryan’s first major setback upon his return. Cass took credit for Bryan losing to Rusev and vowed to never let him achieve his dreams in WWE again.
Cass admitted that he lost at Backlash, but said that he tapped out because he wanted to get out of the Yes Lock quick so he could get back up and beat Bryan down again. Big Cass stated that Bryan is not going to be able to go anywhere in WWE without a 7-foot shadow following him around. Cass boasted about eliminating Bryan in the Greatest Royal Rumble and proved to the world once again that Daniel Bryan is a loser. Cass claimed that the little person he beat up in Montreal at least took the beating he gave him with dignity.
Cass asked if Bryan is a loser and shouted “yes!”. He then asked if Bryan should have remained retired and shouted “yes!” once again. Big Cass then asked if Bryan should become a stay-at-home dad and let Brie wear the pants in their family and goofily shouted “yes!” once again. Cass then got in the ring with Bryan and mocked the “yes!” chant once again.
Bryan attacked Cass and went after his knee in the corner. Daniel unloaded a bunch of kicks to Cass’ knee as he was hung up in the ropes. WWE officials sprinted to the ring to break it up. Bryan escaped out of the ring and then wrapped Big Cass’ knee around the steel ring post. Cass crawled across the ring and Bryan chopped him down with a strike to the knee. Bryan applied a Heel Hook in the middle of the ring and Cass tapped out. Several more officials entered the ring and separated them as the crowd chanted “Daniel Bryan!”.
New Day battled The Bar tonight on SmackDown. A member of the winning team will qualify for the men’s MITB Ladder Match. The Miz had already qualified for the match and joined commentary for this bout.
Woods and Big E competed for New Day in the match as Kofi Kingston was ringside. Woods started off the match on a roll and flipped onto Sheamus outside the ring. Back in the ring, Woods connected with a Clothesline for a two count. The Bar battled back and knocked Woods down with a Clothesline as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Sheamus and Cesaro were still in control and Xavier isolated in the corner. Cesaro leveled Woods with a Clothesline and went for the cover but Woods kicked out at two. Woods battled back and sent Cesaro flying out of the ring with a Back Body Drop.
Big E and Sheamus tagged in and Big E connected with three Belly to Belly Suplexes in a row. Big E danced over Sheamus and then went for a Splash but Sheamus got his knees up. Cesaro tagged in and applied the Sharpshooter to Big E. Woods broke it up and tagged himself in. Woods connected with an awesome Tornado DDT for a two count.
Big E and Sheamus got into the ring and started trading shots. Big E threw Sheamus to the apron and connected with a Spear. Back in the ring, Woods hit Cesaro with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for the pinfall victory. New Day now has to decide who will enter the men’s MITB Ladder Match at the PPV next month.
Becky Lynch Qualified For The Women’s MITB Ladder Match
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
SmackDown GM Paige was confronted backstage by Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Rose boasted about defeating Becky Lynch last week even though Paige barred Sonya from ringside. Paige announced that Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and Becky Lynch will battle in a Triple Threat Match to qualify for the women’s MITB Ladder Match.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville teamed up to start off the Triple Threat Match later on SmackDown and targeted Becky Lynch. The crowd chanted “lets go Becky!” as Deville and Rose beat her down. Rose tried to roll-up Deville and Sonya kicked out. SmackDown went to a commercial break as Sonya and Mandy argued in the ring.
When SmackDown returned, Sonya Deville was in control of the match and both Rose and Lynch were on the canvas. Becky battled back and planted Deville with an Exploder Suplex. Deville knocked Becky to the canvas and then Rose threw Sonya out of the ring.
Sonya got back into the ring and Rose lifted her up onto her shoulders. Becky then leaped off the second rope and took them both out with a Dropkick. Deville hit Becky with a knee to the face for a two count. Rose accidentally hit a running knee to Deville’s face. Becky then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her on Mandy Rose for the submission victory. Becky Lynch now joins Alexa Bliss, Ember Moon and Charlotte Flair in the women’s MITB Ladder Match.
Andrade “Cien” Almas Dominated In His SmackDown Debut
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega made their WWE SmackDown debut tonight. Almas faced a local competitor (Jake Constantino). Jake connected with a Dropkick and then immediately got knocked on his ass by a chop from Almas. Andrade beatdown Constantino in the corner as Vega shouted instructions. Almas connected with Double Knees and followed it up with the Hammerlock DDT for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Vega called it pathetic that this was the match they were given on their SmackDown debut. Vega stated that they didn’t come to SmackDown to play nice, they came to take over.
Carmella moonwalked onto the entrance ramp and made her way down to the ring. She gave the crowd the opportunity to show her just how much they love her. Carmella said that they have the next 10 seconds or so to shower her with the praise that she deserves. The crowd booed and then Carmella went on a rant about how they were not showing her the respect that she has earned.
Carmella then demanded that everyone bow down before her and the crowd once again booed. She said that the crowd reminds her of all the women on the SmackDown roster because none of them think that she deserves to be champion. Carmella claimed that she is better than everyone in the crowd because she is champion. Carmella added that she was better than Trish Stratus and Lita combined.
SmackDown GM Paige interrupted and got a great reaction from the crowd. Paige came down to the ring and said that it was great to be home. The crowd chanted “welcome home!” as Carmella covered her ears. Paige stated that she was here to announce Carmella’s opponent at Money in the Bank.
Asuka came down to the ring as Paige announced her as Carmella’s opponent at the PPV. The crowd chanted “Asuka is going to kill you!” as Carmella grabbed the title and retreated out of the ring.
Shinsuke Nakamura Will Choose The Stipulation For The WWE Championship Match At Money In The Bank
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
Shinsuke Nakamura faced AJ Styles in the main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown. The winner of the match will get to pick the stipulation for the WWE Championship match at WWE Money in the Bank on June 17th.
The match started out back and forth as dueling chants of “Nakamura!” and “AJ Styles!” broke out in the crowd. Styles connected with a Dropkick and then a right hand in the corner. Shinsuke rolled out of the ring to regroup as the chants started again. AJ leaped out of the ring and hit a Phenomenal Forearm to the face and both Superstars crashed to the floor outside the ring.
Nakamura connected with a knee to the midsection while AJ Styles was on the ring apron. Shinsuke brought AJ back into the ring for a cover but Styles kicked out at one as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
SmackDown returned as Nakamura connected with a knee to the ribs in the corner of the ring. Shinsuke shoved his boot in AJ’s face for Bad Vibrations and then elbowed him in the back of the head. Nakamura followed it up with an awesome running kick to AJ’s face for a two count. Nakamura locked in a Dragon Sleeper Hold as the crowd got behind Styles.
AJ connected with a knee to the head to break the hold. Nakamura responded with a quick jab to the throat and AJ tumbled back to the canvas. Shinsuke perched Styles up on the top turnbuckle and joined him up there. AJ escaped to the mat and delivered a Pele Kick that knocked Nakamura down to the mat.
AJ decked Nakamura with a Clothesline and followed it up with a running forearm to the face. Styles slammed Nakamura face-first to the mat for a two count. Shinsuke battled back and drove AJ to the corner. Nakamura planted AJ with a slam as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Shinsuke draped Nakamura up across the top rope and went for a knee to the midsection. AJ escaped to the apron and Nakamura drove his knee into the top turnbuckle. Nakamura was able to get AJ back up there and this time connected with the running knee to the midsection.
Nakamura connected with a knee on the ring apron and brought AJ back to the middle of the ring for a cover. Styles kicked out at two and Shinsuke then geared up in the corner. AJ was ready and went for the Styles Clash, but Nakamura was able to escape. Styles connected with a Neckbreaker for a two count.
AJ went for another forearm but Nakamura countered with a boot to the face. Shinsuke followed it up with a Kinshasa, but AJ Styles kicked out at two. Nakamura geared up in the corner and went for another one, but Styles countered with a boot to the face. AJ went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Nakamura ducked and Styles bumped into the referee. Nakamura pretended that Styles hit him with a low blow and then planted Styles with a reverse Exploder Suplex. Nakamura followed it up with another Kinshasa for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Nakamura and Styles put on a solid match to close the show. I’m still waiting for the excellent match everyone knows that they are capable of and hopefully that happens at WWE Money in the Bank. I am not a fan of seeing AJ Styles and Nakamura wrestle a match to determine the stipulation for another match they are going to have next month. It is overkill and this feud has become watered down.
The rest of the show was pretty boring. The crowd already has gotten bored with Big Cass and didn’t seem to care about anything he had to say. It was great to see Almas make his debut and I’m hoping that WWE actually has a plan for him, instead of what he have seen with other recent NXT call-ups recently.
On Tuesday, we had a chance to speak with “The Podfather” himself, Conrad Thompson, about the upcoming STARRCAST convention during “All In” weekend (8/30-9/2).
For ticket information and full details on all the festivities taking place at event, visit Starrcast.com.
Topics discussed include how Starrcast came to be, what it’s been like planning a wrestling convention, WWE’s reaction to Starrcast & All In, if there are any surprise announcements still to come and more.
Here are the highlights from our conversation:
How Did Starrcast Come Together?
Conrad: “I reached out to them. I had this idea of a wrestling podcast convention in late 2016 / early 2017 when it became apparent that Greg Price was not going to run the NWA Legends Fan Fest in Charlotte in August 2017. I thought, ‘This would be a cool time to do a wrestling podcast convention.’ At the time, I was just starting Tony Schiavone’s podcast, where I first met him, and of course JR had been at that event, so it just felt like, this could be a thing – one stage event after another, sort of bringing the podcasts to life. Well, the hotel was booked, it wound up not shaking out, and as a result, I sort of had this idea in the back of my mind.
I saw the success off All In, it was gaining some traction, so I reached out to Cody and said, ‘Hey, what if … you know, WrestleMania has WrestleCon, you guys need an official convention. Rather than it be someone who is going to run matches and sort of take away from your in-ring product, what about a wrestling podcast convention?’ Cody was intrigued. I started putting together an itinerary, I put together my ideas and he loved it. The rest of The Elite loved it, so here we are. Now it’s a thing and we’ve managed to make Chicago a destination city over Labor Day weekend for wrestling fans.”
The Planning Process
Conrad: “It’s a lot more involved that I had imagined. With what I do now [podcasting], I do have to handle some logistics, but its the logistics for two guys. Then all of a sudden, you’re trying to manage the logistics for 50? That’s pretty challenging. I’ve never had to deal with event space, I’ve never had to coordinate hotel rooms, so it’s been a lot of new territory, but I’ve learned a lot and I think we’ve got our finger on the pulse of some pretty fun ideas – and that’s really what I was after most of all. I said ‘Lets put together the best content that we can’ and I’m pretty proud of how it shook out.
Plans to stream from STARRCAST or do a DVD release?
Conrad: “That sounds like a fun idea, but for right now, no. The answer is for us to just push forward as much as we can with promoting the actual live event. That’s not to say that won’t change down the road. I don’t think anybody expected All In to sell out in 30 minutes and we’ve got a similar situation. Of course we’re not going to sell out in 30 minutes, but if we were to sell out faster than we imagined, then yeah, I might consider that. But that’s not something I’ve even given serious thought to, because I’m (pardon the pun) trying to go All In on ticket sales.”
The Evolution of Starrcast
In addition to traditional live podcast and meet & greet sessions with wrestlers and industry figures, Starrcast will feature The Roast of Bruce Prichard, a DDP Yoga session, live music, comedy and karaoke, a video game tournament, the chance to cut a promo with Tony Schiavone & Sean Mooney and more.
We asked Conrad if he planned all these unique ideas from the beginning or if he started getting creative once he saw the momentum Starrcast was getting.
Conrad: “I’ve had all of these ideas for a while. This was sort of the fun, interactive things I wanted to do. I’ve got two or three more ideas up my sleeve. The plan was always to create sort of interactive events. I think a lot of people assume, ‘Oh, a wrestling podcast convention. What is that, a bunch of guys in black t-shirts sitting behind folding tables with microphones? That’s not interesting.’
I wanted to come up with something that was a little more than that. I put a lot of time, effort and energy into creating an experience. Hopefully it comes to fruition and everybody has a great time and considers it a great value.”
WWE’s Reaction To Starrcast
Conrad: “They’re aware of Starrcast because I put it in our contract with WWE when we signed up for Something Else To Wrestle With. I had to list inclusions of things we planned to do, so we put down the next year’s worth of fun, big ideas that we’re going to be allowed to do – and this was one of them. They knew it was coming, it wasn’t a surprise. On Something Else To Wrestle With, I’ve got Starrcast all behind me, i’m drinking out of a Starrcast cup, so we’re trying to promote without being super-obvious.”
What’s Next After All In & Starrcast?
Conrad: “Right now, [All In] is the destination. What I could imagine being the case is we get through that weekend and we reassess what’s next. At that point, hopefully All In has made an impression in the hearts and minds of fans who were a part of it and they want more of it. If they do, I’m sure the folks who put it together will try to find a way to recreate that magic somewhere else.
I’d imagine that Starrcast, even if that doesn’t happen, where there’s an ‘All In 2’, and I hope there is, maybe there’s an opportunity for us to do this again. With Starrcast, maybe with New Japan, maybe with Ring of Honor, maybe we’re able to do a piggyback event that’s separate from WWE. But then again, maybe it’s SummerSlam. Nobody is really doing a WrestleCon-style thing for SummerSlam. Maybe that’s the answer. We’ll see.”
Any Big Announcements Coming for All In or Starrcast?
Conrad: “Yeah, I think so. We’re still rolling out some guest announcements. We haven’t announced everybody. We’ve still got some in our back pocket, and that’s not to say we’re intentionally withholding it. It’s just a matter of logistically, it’s challenging. We’re waiting for confirmation, we’re essentially planning travel four months ahead of time, especially when you’re dealing with wrestlers, a lot of these guys are touring not just the country but the globe. So it’s a matter of, ‘when will I be then for sure.’ We’ve got a handful of those situations, but we do some pretty fun interactive things that we’re working with the guys over at All In and I think if some of that comes to fruition, it will be one heck of a surprise.”
Starrcast: Fun, Interactive & Something For Everybody
Conrad: “We’ve got tons of guests, tons of fun interactive things. But the big thing is, it’s a 4-day event. There’s something for everybody. If you’re not really a fan of the current product, I get it. You’ve got something for everybody with the old school podcasts. Guys like Terry Funk, guys like Jerry Lawler. They’re going to sit down and watch their empty arena match and do alternate commentary. For the first time ever, it’s just a good look at their decades and decades-long feud. But also too, we’ve got the same thing for WarGames with JJ Dillon, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, Road Warrior Animal, all your favorites, plus an nWo reunion, a Death of WCW panel, WrestleCrap, there’s literally something for everybody.
But – if you’re a fan of The Elite, this is your chance to meet the guys and interact with them and we’ve got some really fun stuff that we’re going to roll out over the next few days. It’s interactive and it’s for all ages and you can get in for General Admission for just $20. But if you want the whole kit and caboodle, 4 days, Thursday-Sunday, it’s only $179. You can’t beat that.”
Again – for ticket information and full details on all the festivities taking place at event, visit Starrcast.com.
– Daniel Bryan comes out to open up the show with an in-ring interview. Bryan gets a big ovation from the London fans, and he talks about wanting to win the WWE Title. Bryan is interrupted by Big Cass. Cass hits the ring and all Hell breaks loose. They brawl until Bryan successfully takes out Cass’ knee. Bryan locks Cass in a leg submission until referees haul him off. Bryan heads backstage, and Cass has to be helped to his feet as the fans chant “Yes!”
– The New Day defeated The Bar in a tag match. The New Day will now have one member enter the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match.
– We see a pre-taped backstage promo by SmackDown Tag Team Champions the Bludgeon Brothers. They invite the other teams of SmackDown to come and play with them.
– Backstage, Paige books a women’s Money In The Bank qualifying match between Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match.
– Renee Young is joined by AJ Styles in the back for an interview. AJ hypes up his match against Shinsuke Nakamura later on.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega come out next to make their SmackDown debuts. Almas defeats a local enhancement talent in a squash match, and Vega cuts a promo after the match warning the locker room.
– The red carpet is rolled out, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella comes down to the ring for her big “royal” celebration. She gets interrupted by Paige, who books a title match between Carmella and Asuka at Money In the Bank.
– Becky Lynch defeats Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in a triple threat match. Becky now qualifies for the Money In The Bank ladder match.
– Two Money In The Bank qualifying matches are booked for next week: Samoa Joe vs. Big Cass; and Lana vs. Billie Kay
– Shinsuke Nakamura defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles in a non-Title match. Nakamura now gets to pick the stipulation for their Title match at Money In The Bank. Fans in attendance called this the best of the AJ vs. Nakamura matches in WWE so far.
As we’ve previously reported, RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax will defend her title against Ronda Rousey at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV) next month in Chicago.
Charlotte Flair Tweeted out the following in reaction to the announcement, warning both women to be prepared for when she wins the Women’s MITB Ladder match:
Witnessing history. Glad to say I got to see this up close! But both of you ladies need to be prepared for when I win that #MITB contract. ? #RondavsNiahttps://t.co/945j9t7VEf
AJ Styles & Shinsuke Nakamura Hype Stipulation Match (Video)
Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live will feature a non-WWE Title match between champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. The winner will select the stipulation for their WWE Title match at the MITB PPV.
Both Styles and Nakamura posted videos on WWE’s Twitter account hyping the match-up tonight. Check them out here:
Styles and Nakamura first fought it out at WrestleMania 34 this past April. Styles won that match-up but was assaulted by Nakamura afterwards. At the Greatest Royal Rumble they rematched, but that ended in a double count-out and resulted in Styles assaulting Nakamura after the match in return.
At Backlash last week, Styles and Nakamura put on what was probably their best match against each other in WWE. That ended in another double count-out, as neither men could get to their feet and answer the referee’s 10 count after exchanging low blows. It should be interesting to see how things shake out at MITB next month.
WWE personality Renee Young was recently a guest on former Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Young discussed being a pro wrestling fan as a child but losing interest as she got older:
“So I was [a pro wrestling fan growing up]. I was when I was younger, when I was a kid, but I had fallen out from watching it. I mean, I was always playing a bunch of sports growing up. I was always a busy kid doing stuff, so I did fall out from watching it. But yeah, once I kind of resubmerged myself in it, I got back in it seeing who was still around, what was going on, what the storylines were, and everything.” Young added.
“I knew enough about it, but I didn’t know everything about it. I wasn’t like the voice of wrestling by any stretch at that point, so yeah, I had to figure some stuff out.”
Young also admitted that she had some initial reservations about leaving her Canadian TV gig with The Score Television Network in Canada, however, she knew she wanted her next step to be in the U.S. She had several offers from other outlets, including a great audition with ESPN:
“Yeah, I definitely did – I certainly had some reservations in the sense that I was winding down at The Score no matter what, so I was looking for my next step. And I knew that I wanted my next step to be in the U.S.
“And I did, at the time, have a couple of different offers on the table or a lot of different career path opportunities.” Young recalled, “but the week of my audition at WWE, I think it was later in the week or maybe it was a Monday to a Monday kind of situation, but the week prior, I had gone to ESPN because they were really heavily considering bringing me in to take over SportsNation when Michelle Beadle first left.
“Yeah, so I was down there, went in, had a great audition, like, you know when you have a s–t audition, but this was like a good audition, everyone was giving me high-fives.”
She then got an audition with WWE, which she believes didn’t go great, but ended up being offered the job:
“The next week, my agent was like, ‘hey, WWE wants to bring you in.’ I was like, ‘okay, cool,’ went down, had, like, not a great audition with WWE by any stretch,” Young acknowledged. “I went for my audition, went and did commentary with [an unnamed former WWE commentator], which was brutal, brutalious, it was quite heinous.
“And I was like, ‘wait, what am I doing? What?’ And it was just a feeling of a lot of pressure figuring out what doing commentary does, which I still haven’t figured out, and they gave me a battery and they were like, ‘sell this to me.’ They put me through the gauntlet, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Lo and behold, here I am and I got the job, you guys.”
When she joined WWE initially, the company pitched Renee (real name Renee Paquette) the name “Renee Sterling” for her WWE name. This caused some tension for Young, as she had already established herself with the Paquette name on TV and didn’t realize a name change was required:
“When I got the job, it was still a weeks weeks after that and I was going back and forth from like Stamford [Connecticut] to Toronto, and figuring out my visa, blah, blah, blah, whatever.” Young remembered, “and I got an email with my new name change, which was Renee Sterling and I was so stressed out about this.
“Yeah, it was Renee Sterling. I didn’t know that my name was going to change and that kind of threw me for a loop because, as [Edge and Christian] said, I was working in Canada before and had been on TV before, so I felt very odd about changing my name. And then, they let me give a few other name options and I ended up with Young.”
Young said that nowadays ring names likely aren’t required for WWE commentators anymore:
“Yeah, it’s super odd and, like, I do get it in the way of like, it’s different now. A lot of people got to keep their name.” Young explained, “we’ve hired a few other people that are down in NXT now and they’ve all got to keep their name, so it seems like that may be dying off, but I felt like that kind of put me into the machine of WWE for all rights and whatnot for them to just own the name.
“But yeah, that was the biggest thing I had reservations about. I just felt like I didn’t know that was going to be part of the deal and it threw me for a loop. And it was not met with good reception when I didn’t want to change my name, but that was somebody else who also doesn’t work here.”
You can listen to Young on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.
On a recent edition of the Table For 3 show on the WWE Network, Road Dogg, WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett, and RAW Superstar Elias sat down for a chat.
During the episode, Road Dogg made a very interesting revelation. It turns out that the current theme song for WWE Champion AJ Styles wasn’t originally written for him. Instead, it was written for IMPACT Wrestling’s James Storm.
Storm had a brief run in WWE with the NXT brand back in 2015. Instead of signing a deal with WWE, however, he instead decided to return to IMPACT Wrestling. AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble shortly after, and decided to use the song.
Here’s what Road Dogg had to say:
“That was originally written and developed for James Storm,” said Road Dogg. “And James passed [on the theme song] and he went a different direction, and AJ stepped in and it just worked out perfectly.”
Tonight (Tues. May 15, 2018) former NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas will make his main roster debut on SmackDown Live. Almas’ manager, Zelina Vega, took to Twitter and noted she has Almas “focused and ready” for his debut tonight:
Former RAW Tag Team Champion, and son of WWE referee John Cone, Nicholas has been uploading WWE-related videos on YouTube.
He first created the channel a few years ago for video gaming, but now he has been posting WWE-related content including showing off his WWE t-shirt and looking at some wrestling figures he has. Check it out here:
Nicholas was selected as Braun Strowman’s WrestleMania 34 tag team partner out of the audience. They took on The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) for the RAW Tag Team Championships and wound up winning the titles.
The following night on RAW, Nicholas and Strowman relinquished the titles due to a scheduling conflict with Nicholas (he’s still in school).
Hulk Hogan continues to talk about a potential return to the WWE.
Hogan has been a household name in the world of professional wrestling for decades now. He has wrestled some of the biggest names in the history of pro wrestling, and although he has a long-lasting relationship with the company, there have been some hiccups between the two sides throughout the years.
Currently, he’s outside of the bubble of the sports entertainment company but it appears that it’s just a matter of time before they bring him back.
Hogan was fired from WWE in the summer of 2015 after racially charged comments from a sex tape came to light. Gawker alleged that Hogan only filed a lawsuit against them to prevent the racial statements from being released. Hogan’s WWE return has depended on the company being reasonably sure that bringing him back won’t cause a big backlash due to his racist comments.
Hogan was interviewed by The Buffalo News to promote an upcoming autograph signing in the area. During this interview, he talked about the fans who are still upset about the racially insensitive comments he made.
“People know me. I’m human being like anybody else, and sometimes, people make mistakes. When they do, you watch that person a little bit more closely than you did before to see what kind of person they really are. I just want people to judge me by my actions, not a few misspoken words. To those few fans who feel (hurt), I’m forever sorry, and I’ll do whatever I can to make them feel comfortable with me.”
Earlier this month, TMZ Sports reported that Hogan and WWE have been in contact and the talks have been “positive.” According to the report, for the Greatest Royal Rumble event, WWE was requested to bring Hogan in and appear at the event. WWE officials were also keeping an eye on Hogan’s speech from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame induction.
“Until you hit a home run, it’s not a home run. All these things say it’s imminent or rumors, that’s like saying ‘maybe, possibly, could be.’ Until I’m back home with the WWE, I’m not home. Hopefully some day I can go back home and be with my family, the wrestlers and all the people I love. I just really, really hope it happens.”
What are your thoughts on him making a potential return to the WWE? Sound off in the comment section below.
One former WWE superstar is headed to Impact Wrestling.
On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, the promotion announced that Rich Swann will be appearing at their TV tapings on June 1st and 2nd at St Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. The promotion sent out the following announcement:
Despite the fact that Swann has gone on record in the past by stating that he plans to retire from wrestling after finishing his indie bookings, he decided to return to the ring and continue to take indy bookings.
Back in December, Rich Swann was arrested in Gainesville, FL and was charged with Kidnapping and False Imprisonment, which is a third-degree felony in Florida that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
The charges were later dropped. However, it was announced in February that Swann and WWE parted ways. What are your thoughts on him working for Impact? Sound off in the comment section below.
Last night’s RAW dark match featured a Six-Man Tag Team match between the teams of Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Elias.
After the match was over, Elias came out to the ring and got the opportunity to sing to the crowd. You can check out the video here below:
Michael Cole has been teasing Matt Hardy and his “Woken” persona for quite some time on WWE TV. Hardy has been also been teasing taking action against the RAW commentator for his comments recently. It seems that there are already “plans in motion” for that to happen very soon.
Reby Hardy recently took to Twitter to respond to a fan’s question on Twitter, asking when the “OBSOLETE MULE” Cole would finally be silenced. Here’s what she had to say:
As we’ve noted, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks’ self-funded “All In” event sold out in less than 30 minutes. The event goes down on September 1st from the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
According to a report from Bodyslam.net, WWE’s reaction to the “All In” event selling out is – nothing. Apparently the WWE is not at all concerned or conversing about “All In.” The biggest topics of conversation backstage in WWE right now includes the Greatest Royal Rumble event, WWE’s stock price, and the current European tour.
The report also suggest that some people actually laugh at The Bullet Club because they sell a lot of t-shirts, but they wrestle in front of small crowds. Of course, “All In” will seat 10,000 fans – and the event sold out.
Discussion: What do you make of WWE not reacting to “All In” backstage? Do you think they’re simply no-selling the news? And how do you feel about those backstage mocking The Bullet Club?
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have the kind of on-screen relationship that will have them involved in each other’s careers for the foreseeable future.
The pair were good friends on WWE NXT, until Zayn won the Championship and was betrayed by Owens. Once both men found themselves on the main roster they had some classic battles inside the ring and continued their rivalry.
Now, Zayn and Owens are friends again and are currently on Monday Night RAW together. There have been hints recently that the duo could turn on each other again very soon. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, that will indeed happen.
WWE seems to be taking a slow-burn approach with these two, but they will inevitably feud with one another down the road again. If it’s dragged out long enough, perhaps this could lead to a singles match between Owens and Zayn at WrestleMania 35 next year in New Jersey.
Discussion: How do you feel about WWE having Owens and Zayn feud over a long period of time? Would you like to see them have a singles match at WrestleMania?
The independent All-In event being promoted by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks is getting the attention of some of the biggest names in wrestling. The show has sold 10,000 tickets, making it the first non-WWE wrestling event to reach the 10,000 ticket mark in some time.
Former ECW owner and current WWE on-air manager Paul Heyman commented on the success on Tuesday, writing on Twitter that the “truly epic” ticket sales news would make the late Dusty Rhodes proud.
What @CodyRhodes and #TheYoungBucks@MattJackson13 / @NickJacksonYB have accomplished is truly epic. They have built a brand, self-marketed yourselves, negotiated your destinies on multiple continents AND sold over 10,000 tickets to your own event … on your own terms.
It goes without saying that #Dusty would be so very very proud of @CodyRhodes and @MattJackson13 and @NickJacksonYB, and I hope everyone involved is proud of themselves, because this particulatr accomplishment cannot and should not be understated.
Heyman previously credited Cody Rhodes in an interview with NBC Sports, where Heyman compared him to one of the biggest stars in wrestling history – Stone Cold Steve Austin.
“Cody reminds me a lot of when Steve Austin got out of WCW,” Heyman told NBC Sports in April. “In that Steve needed to find himself and when I put him on camera in Philadelphia at 5 o’clock in the morning, after a show, is when a truly pissed off, tired, aggravated Steve Austin found his inner persona that morphed into Stone Cold Steve Austin.
“Cody has found himself in that very same way in that his angst over not being able to bring forward what he envisioned for himself in WWE has propelled him to new heights outside of WWE. He would have never found that within the company. Kudos to Cody for leaving and for sticking to his vision and to finding that box office appeal that has always lived inside of him.”
All-In takes place on September 1st at the Sears Center in Illinois. The show is scheduled to be headlined by Cody Rhodes challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. If Cody wins, it will mark the first time a father and son have both held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
EVOLVE returns this weekend with two new shows. EVOLVE 104 is scheduled to take place on Friday in Summit, IL at the Summit Park District and EVOLVE 105 on Saturday in Livonia, MI at the Monaghan Knights Of Columbus Hall. The promotion has stacked the lineups for these upcoming events. The main event for EVOLVE 104 will see Austin Theory defend the WWN Title against DJ Z while EVOLVE 105 will see Matt Riddle defend the EVOLVE Title against Keith Lee. Here are the cards: EVOLVE 104
Main Event #1 – WWN Championshp Match Austin Theory with Priscilla Kelly defends vs. DJZ Main Event #2 – Non-Title EVOLVE Champion Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland EVOLVE Tag Team Championship Match – Anything Goes Chris Dickinson & Jaka with Stokely Hathaway vs. The End Heavyweight Challenge Match Keith Lee vs. James Drake Grudge Match Tracy Williams vs. Dominic Garrini with Stokely Hathaway Special Challenge Match AR Fox with The Skulk vs. Zachary Wentz Freelance Rivalry Comes To EVOLVE Anthony Henry vs. Stevie Fierce Freelance vs. WildKat Matt Knicks, Chris Castro & Isaias Velazquez vs. J.Spade, Amarok & Jonny Flex Four Way Freestyle Darby Allin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed vs. Snoop Strikes
EVOLVE 105 EVOLVE Championship Match – No Rope Break Match – The Final War Matt Riddle defends vs. Keith Lee EVOLVE Tag Team Championship Match (if Catch Point retain at EVOLVE 104) Chris Dickinson & Jaka with Stokely Hathaway & Dominic Garrini defend vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry Grudge Match Tracy Williams vs. Odinson of The End Special Attraction Match Darby Allin vs. Shane Strickland The Present vs. The Future Match #1 – Non-Title WWN Champion Austin Theory with Priscilla Kelly vs. Trey Miguel The Present vs. The Future Match #2 DJZ vs. Zachary Wentz The Present vs. The Future Match #3 AR Fox vs. Myron Reed Tag Team Attraction The End vs. N8 Mattson & Orlando Christopher
What are your thoughts on this lineup? Do you plan on watching? Sound off in the comment section below.
Braun Strowman was involved in an incident that was accidentally botched.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in London, England at the O2 Arena on the USA Network, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor and Braun Strowman in a tag team match.
During the match, Strowman broke the Greatest Royal Rumble trophy that he received along with a title belt for winning the 50-Man Royal Rumble Match last month at the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on the WWE Network in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah International Stadium.
The spot happened when he tackled Drew McIntyre in the match, which you can see here.
Ronda Rousey is featured in the first trailer for the upcoming “Mile 22” film.
If you recall, she was filming this movie around the time that she made her surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in January.
The movie is expected to be released on August 3rd, 2018 and stars Rousey, Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, and John Malkovich. The description of the film reads like this, “In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA’s most highly-prized and least understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.”
Although Rousey has only competed in one match in her pro wrestling career, the WWE has already announced that Rousey would challenge Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Title at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
Do you plan on seeing this movie? Sound off in the comment section below.
– The big news thus far this week involves Ronda Rousey.
The sports entertainment company has announced that the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion would challenge Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Title at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
After the news was made official, fellow Horsewoman, Shayna Baszler took to her official Twitter account to comment on the news by writing the following:
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross had some high praise for WWE NXT star Lacey Evans in a recent post on his Twitter account. He sent out the following message:
“This lady is on the road to becoming very special in @WWE. #BlueChipper.”
Tonight’s SmackDown will feature WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura squaring off once again, with the winner earning the right to choose the stipulation of their match at Money in the Bank.
Here is the updated card for WWE’ next pay-per-view event:
WWE Championship Match (Stipulation TBA) AJ Styles defends against Shinsuke Naamura
RAW Women’s Championship Match
Nia Jax defends against Ronda Rousey
Men’s Money in the Bank Laddeer Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Two Smackdown Wrestlers TBD
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
Ember Moon vs. Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Two Raw Wrestlers TBD vs. Three Smackdown Wrestlers TBD
WWE Money in the Bank 2018 takes place on Sunday, June 17th from Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
Roman Reigns’ win against Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 probably meant more than the passing of the torch to the people backstage as it also sealed Roman’s position as the new locker room leader – a spot that was held by the Dead Man for a long time.
During a recent interview with The Sun, The Big Dog was asked if the Last Outlaw thinks that he is doing a good job as the top guy of the company.
Replying to it, Reigns said that he doesn’t want to reveal much about his discussions with Taker but claimed that the former World Champion has seen his body of work:
“I don’t like to talk too much about what me and the Deadman talk about. He’s still one of those characters – one of those guys in the locker room who has a lot of mystique. But he’s seen my body of work and I think I’ve done a good job of using everything I was able to take from him within that main event at WrestleMania.”
Apart from this, Roman Reigns talked about how the Undertaker understands the shifts in the business, how he combats with the negative fan reaction and more. You can check out his full interview here.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Kevin Owens pulling double duty. He first wrestled in an Intercontinental Championship match against Seth Rollins in a losing effort.
The former Universal Champion then went on to replace Jinder Mahal in the announced Triple Threat main event of the show which saw Kevin winning the bout and qualifying for the Money In The Bank.
However, Owens’ night didn’t end there as he wrestled one more match after this. He teamed up with Sami Zayn & Elias to face the team of Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins in a dark main event.
The tag match was won by the faces to send the crowd home happy. It’s worth mentioning here that Rollins, Lashley, and Elias also pulled double duty during the night as they had wrestled matches earlier in the show.
Bobby Roode On Qualifying For Money In The Bank
This week’s episode of Raw saw Bobby Roode, Alexa Bliss and Kevin Owens qualifying for their respective Money In The Bank matches after winning separate bouts during the event.
After the show, WWE posted a Raw fallout video featuring Bobby Roode where the former NXT Champion talked about his victory and the upcoming Ladder match.
Roode said that being the WWE Champion has been his dream since he was 8 years old and the title is the reason why he is here. The video can be seen below:
WWE is back in London’s O2 arena for Smackdown and 205 Live tonight. Only two matches have been announced thus far for Smackdown. There is a lot at stake in both matches, however.
Smackdown Live Preview (5/15/2018)
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Commissioner Shane McMahon has announced that the winner of this match will earn the right to choose the stipulation for their upcoming title match at the Money in the Bank PPV.
Styles and Nakamura have now wrestled each other on the last 3 PPVs. Styles won the first match but the following two would both end in draws.
Andrade “Cien” Almas Makes His Smackdown Debut
The former NXT champion will finally make his debut on the main roster tonight.
His journey to Smackdown was not without its obstacles but Almas was able to turn his time in NXT around thanks in part to the ringside assistance of Zelina Vega.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match the New Day vs the Bar
Even though this will be a tag team match, the winning team is only allotted one entrant into the Money In The Bank match.
This dynamic could get interesting for the winning team if there is dissension regarding which member is picked to enter the Money In The Bank match.
Carmella’s Royal “Mellbration”
Carmella plans to throw a big celebration in honor of her first defense of the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair.
The champion contends that her celebration will upstage even the royal wedding.
205 Live Preview
205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, has not revealed too many details about tonight’s episode. What he has revealed, however, is that much like the last time the brand was in London, stars of the UK division will compete against members of the 205 Live roster tonight.
While no matches have been officially announced, UK wrestlers Mark Andrews and Tyler Bate could likely find themselves competing tonight.
Last night Monday Night Raw took place from the 02 Arena in London. Former WWE tag-team champions, the Hart Dynasty, reunited backstage during the event.
The moments were captured on Natalya’s social media accounts.
A little #HartDynasty reunion backstage at #Raw with two people who helped me get to where I am today! From training with me relentlessly in The Dungeon to having my back traveling across entire world doing what we love… thank-you @DBSmithjr and @TJWilson for everything! ? pic.twitter.com/vgzmmXBExU
While the Hart Dynasty officially began their professional wrestling careers in Florida Championship Wrestling in 2007, its members have been wrestling together long before then. Harry Smith, who now wrestles under the name Davey Boy Smith Jr and Natalya Neidhart are cousins. The British Bulldog and Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart were often opponents in the British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation rivalry of the 1980s. In the 1990s, they became teammates in the Hart Foundation stable and eventually were put together as a tag team in WCW as well.
Tyson Kidd was a family friend of the Hart’s growing up in Calgary. As a kid, he would often practice in the family wrestling ring along with Harry, Natalya, and Teddy Hart.
Speaking of Teddy Hart, he has reinvigorated his own wrestling career as of late. In addition to making several appearances on the independent scene, he has also made appearances along with Impact Wrestling stars through Destiny Wrestling. He had been a member of the Hart Dynasty while in WWE developmental, although he never cracked the main roster as the other members did.
Davey Boy Smith Jr.
It has been an interesting last month and a half for Davey Boy Smith Jr. He was wanted for questioning by police after an incident over WrestleMania weekend. Smith is accused of (and would later admit to) throwing coffee at Jake “the Snake” Roberts. The incident goes back to comments Jake had made about Smith’s father on a podcast episode.
The beef between the two was reportedly squashed on a recent phone call. Bret Hart is said to have moderated a call between Jake and Smith.
