WWE teased a big rivalry between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe during the latest episode of SmackDown Live and it appears that we will get to see these two clashing inside a WWE ring, not in too distant future.
According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, WWE is planning a WWE title feud between these two in the upcoming time after Styles culminates his rivalry with Shinsuke Nakamura.
This report also reveals a possible spoiler for Backlash as a championship feud between Joe and AJ would mean that the current Champion will retain his title at the upcoming PPV.
Though it’s not specified when this rivalry will actually start so it’s possible that the encounter between Nakamura and Styles at the upcoming show may not be the final bout of their current rivalry.
It this report is true, then it would be interesting to see what the company has in store for the Japanese Star after his feud with the current WWE Champion ends.
An exciting possibility is that Shinsuke could start a feud with none other than the former SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan, who he faced in a dark match after this week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show.
Though whether or not these reports are true and whether the company is actually planning a feud between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe should be revealed in the upcoming week or so.
Styles is set to defend the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash this Sunday.
Injured Raw superstar Jason Jordan is set to make his in-ring return sometimes later this month and he could be back on the road as soon as next week, according to PWInsider.
Jordan suffered a neck injury sometime in January earlier this year and he underwent a surgery to repair the damage back in early February.
His surgery was described as ‘a minimally invasive operation to decompress the nerve,’ by WWE Medical Director Dr. Joseph Maroon and at the time, it was said that he will be back after WrestleMania.
Prior to his injury, Jordan was involved in a storyline with Seth Rollins. The duo had also won the Raw Tag Team Championships during their time together on the December 25th episode of the show.
Though the two didn’t hold the titles for very long and dropped them back to ‘The Bar’ Sheamus and Cesaro at the Royal Rumble PPV earlier this year.
After this, Jordan cost Rollins and Roman Reigns a match for the tag titles which appeared to be the start of a physical feud between him and Seth. However, Kurt Angle sent his son back home instead and it was revealed the next day that he underwent a surgery.
Now it’d be interesting to see if Jason Jordan continues his storyline with Seth Rollins in some capacity when he returns or if the company drops this angle completely, giving Jordan another fresh start.
NXT kicked off this week with Undisputed Era cutting a backstage promo. Cole boasted about defeating Oney Lorcan last week to retain his NXT North American Championship. Kyle O’Reilly added that Danny Burch got what he deserved for getting involved last week. Roderick Strong vowed to beatdown Pete Dunne tonight in their match. Strong betrayed Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans and joined Undisputed Era.
Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane battled Shazza McKenzie tonight on NXT. The two Superstars shook hands before they locked up. Sane went for a roll-up but Shazza kicked out at two. Kairi connected with a Hurricanrana and followed it up with a couple of chops. Sane connected with a Spear and then a sliding forearm in the corner. Sane followed it up with a flying elbow off the top and then a Tokyo Slam. Kairi climbed up to the top and hit the Insane Elbow for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Lacey Evans marched down to the ring with a microphone in her hand. Evans said that a true lady with class always has the courage to admit that they were wrong. Lacey apologized to Sane and stated that she does belong here in NXT. Lacey extended her hand and asked Kairi to accept her apology. The crowd chanted “no!” as Lacey Evans struck Sane in the face with the microphone.
Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) battled TM61 (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller) tonight on NXT. Ford and Nick Miller started off the match in the ring. Ford kicked Miller in the face and tagged in Angelo Dawkins. Angelo knocked Miller to the canvas with a shoulder tackle. Ford followed it up with a double Dropkick that knocked TM61 out of the ring.
Miller got back into the ring and was greeted with a Bulldog from Dawkins. Shane Thorne tagged in and connected with a Senton before tagging Miller back in. Thorne hit a standing Moonsault and Miller went for the cover, but Dawkins was able to kick out at the last second. Miller applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring as dueling chants of “lets go Dawkins!” and “TM61” broke out. Dawkins broke out of the hold and both Superstars connected with a Clothesline at the same time.
Thorne and Ford tagged in and Montez knocked Miller of the ring apron. Ford dropped Thorne with an elbow to the face and then booted Nick Miller in the face. Thorne rolled up Ford and put his feet on the ropes for leverage. Nick Miller also grabbed Thorne’s feet and the referee didn’t catch it and TM61 stole the victory.
Patrick Scott battled the returning Kona Reeves tonight on NXT. Reeves connected with a knee to the ribs and then beatdown Scott in the corner. Kona decked Scott with an elbow to the face and then beatdown Scott once again in the corner. Reeves hit a Gutwrench Suplex and then shouted that he was the finest while hitting an Elbow Drop off the second rope. Kona then hit a Hawaiian Drop for the pinfall victory.
Bianca Belair Picked Up An Impressive Victory Over Candice LeRae
Photo Credit: @WWENXT on Twitter
Candice LeRae was interviewed backstage during tonight’s episode of NXT in regards to Tommaso Ciampa attacking her husband, Jonny Gargano last week. Gargano was sent to the hospital after the attack and LeRae got emotional during the interview.
LeRae and Bianca Belair had a match later on NXT. Belair threw LeRae to the canvas to start off the match and then applied a Headlock. Biance let go and decked Candice with a shoulder tackle. Candice battled back with a Hurranrana for a one count. LeRae went for a Crossbody off the second rope, but Belair caught her and planted her with a Body Slam for a two count.
Bianca showed off her strength and deadlifted Candice from the ground to above her head. Belair threw Candice into the turnbuckle and then lifted her up in the Torture Rack. LeRae battled back once again and connected with a Dropkick off the top rope. LeRae went for the Tornado DDT, but Belair blocked it and launched LeRae across the ring. Biance hit the Alley Oop for the pinfall victory.
Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch Got The Better Of The Undisputed Era
Pete Dunne battled Roderick Strong in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly of Undisputed Era accompanied Strong down to the ring. Pete Dunne attacked Strong right when the bell rang and beat him down in the corner. Dunne booted Strong in the arm and Roderick rolled out of the ring. Dunne connected with an elbow to the face off the ring apron and brought Strong back into the ring.
Strong planted Dunne with a Backbreaker, but Dunne battled back and connected with a forearm to the back of Roderick’s head. Strong rolled out of the ring once again and Dunne tried to leap onto him. Roderick was ready and connected with a Dropkick while Dunne was in midair. Strong lifted Dunne up and dropped him back-first on the ring apron. Strong hit Dunne with a chop that echoed throughout the arena.
Back in the ring, Strong punched Dunne in the face a couple of times and followed it up with a kick to the midsection for a two count. Strong stood over Dunne and taunted him for stomping on his knees a couple times. Strong hit another Backbreaker for a two count. Dunne planted Strong with a Suplex in the middle of the ring.
Strong and Dunne exchanged strikes, Dunne got the upper-hand and hit an Enziguri in the corner. Dunne dropped a boot on Strong’s arm off the second rope. Strong threw Dunne out of the ring and then kneed him in the face as he tried to get back into the ring. Strong connected with a third Backbreaker for another two count.
Dunne hit another Enziguri, but Strong battled back with a chop to the chest. Dunne dragged Roderick to the canvas and locked in a Sleeper Hold. Dunne transitioned into an Arm Bar, but Strong was able to get his boot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Dunne scaled the turnbuckle, but Strong got back up and booted Dunne in the face. Roderick connected with an Olympic Slam off the second rope for a two count. Strong shouted at Dunne to stay down as he made his way back to his feet.
Strong elbowed Dunne in the face a couple of times and went for another one, but Dunne caught him and bent his fingers back. Dunne planted Strong with a German Suplex and then kicked him in the face. Dunne followed it up with a Bitter End and went for the cover. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly got into the ring and attacked Pete Dunne before the the referee counted to three. Pete Dunne won the match via DQ.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan sprinted down to the ring and fought Undisputed Era off. Dunne launched Strong out of the ring and stood tall with Burch and Lorcan. Undisupted Era retreated up the entrance ramp while Strong raised his NXT Tag Team Championship belt as NXT went off the air.
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho is not done with NJPW after all.
Jericho made several surprise appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling including his match against Kenny Omega at the Wrestle Kingdom event at the Tokyo Dome in January.
NJPW held their New Year Dash 2018 event the following night in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall that aired live on their streaming service, NJPWWorld.com.
Jericho made a surprise appearance at the show when starting a new feud by attacking Tetsuya Naito at the event.
According to a report by PWinsider.com, despite the fact that Jericho stated in previous interviews that he was done working for the promotion, he is expected to appear at this week’s Wrestling Dontaku event in Fukuoka, Japan to shoot an angle that will lead to his in-ring return at the Dominion event in Osaka next month where he’ll likely be working against Naito.
What are your thoughts on Jericho returning to NJPW? Sound off in the comment section below.
The card for the upcoming WWE Backlash event looks close to being finalized.
Jeff Hardy will be defending the WWE United States Title against Randy Orton at the show. As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Montreal, QC at the Bell Centre on the USA Network, the sports entertainment company made the match official.
Also, WWE added a stipulation to the WWE Title Match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura as it is now No DQ Match.
The Backlash pay-per-view event takes place on May 6, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
Tag Team Match: Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
As a reminder, this Friday, we will post our WWE Backlash Staff Predictions. Also, make sure to join us for our WWE Backlash Live Results & Discussion on Sunday night.
Do you plan on watching this event? Sound off in the comment section below.
The last year has been an eventful one for Mike Bennett, aka Mike Kanellis. He recently celebrated the birth of his first child along with his wife, Maria. The 32-year-old has also been open about his recent battles with pain medication, however.
The former IWGP heavyweight tag-team champion recently posted the following message to his social media channels:
Mike and Maria Kanellis signed with WWE in 2017 and debuted at the Money in the Bank PPV that summer. Previously, Bennett and Kanellis had a brief stint in Impact Wrestling. Bennett won the X-Division championship during this time.
Bennett wrestled for several years in Ring of Honor, even winning the top prospects tournament in 2011. He would form a successful team with Matt Taven and win titles in both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bennett and Taven were involved in a memorable feud over the tag titles with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows when Anderson seemed to fall hopelessly in love with Maria. Anderson’s infatuation with Maria allowed Taven and Bennett to defeat them for the belts.
Since debuting in WWE, Bennett has taken Maria’s last name.
At last week’s Greatest Royal Rumble, Bennett was eliminated in near-record setting fashion. While he didn’t last long in the actual match, he did get a few laughs for his entrance. Bennett opted to mime his normal entrance with Maria even though Maria was not there.
Earlier this year, Impact Wrestling announced the signing of the Great Gama Singh. The 63-year-old Indo-Canadian was arguably the most hated heel in the history of Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling territory.The plan is for Gama to lead a faction of Indian wrestlers in Impact named the Desi Hit Squad.
Desi Hit Squad member, Rohit Raju, revealed on a recent Impact Wrestling media call that the Great Gama will be present at the upcoming TV tapings in June.
“I can’t wait for the June tapings because that’s when myself, Gursinder (Singh), and Gama were going to be together,” Raju said. “I don’t know if everyone else will be there but at least us 3.”
Impact Wrestling’s next set of TV tapings will be held on June 1st and 2nd in Windsor, Ontario. The company is building towards their July 22nd PPV in Toronto.
“I’m headed up to Canada soon to learn from the Great Gama,” Raju stated.
The Great Gama and the Desi Hit Squad
“When Gama gets there, and Gursinder gets there, we plan on shaking things up a little bit” – Rahit Raju
The Great Gama Singh was arguably the most hated heel in the history of Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling territory.
In the 1980s, Gama formed “Karachi Vice”, a heel stable which feuded with the likes of the Dynamite Kid, Owen Hart, and other top babyfaces. Gama, who is Jinder Mahal’s Uncle, was so hated at times that he reported receiving death threats.
“Yeah man, I honestly hope we raise hell in Impact. I hope we are vile, villainous, disgusting, ugly individuals,” Raju exclaimed. “I know Gama has that in him and I know he can pull it out of us. So yes, I want to replicate Karachi Vice and I want to do all that stuff. I want to get down and dirty and put Impact upside down.”
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) has announced the latest bouts for their upcoming Fight Club taping on May 20th from the Garage in Glasgow, Scotland.
In somewhat of a battle of the ‘belt collectors’ ICW Women’s Champion and inaugural Mae Young Classic competitor Viper/Piper Niven will be defending her title against Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion Sammii Jayne. These are two of the most decorated Champions on the UK scene and could steal the show on an impressive card.
ICW’s Zero-G Championship will also be on the line when new Champion Mark Coffey defends against an independent wrestling legend in M-Dogg Matt Cross. Coffey defeated longtime Champion BT Gunn at the recent Barramania show and he will not want to relinquish the strap anytime in the near future.
“The Girl on Fire” Kiera Hogan is just 3 years into her wrestling career but is already being called the future of Impact’s Knockouts division by some of her fellow wrestlers.
The 23-year-old was featured on a recent Impact Wrestling media conference call. She spoke on several topics including her last name and Tessa Blanchard’s appearance at the Redemption PPV during her match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-85RlBhltk
Impact Wrestling’s Kiera Hogan
Hogan, who uses her real name as a performer, seems comfortable addressing her famous last name. She was asked if she had any reservations about entering the pro-wrestling world with the last name “Hogan”.
“I knew this question was coming,” Hogan joked. “My real name is Kiera Hogan, it’s on my license, it’s on my birth certificate, I’m a real Hogan.”
She continued to say that when she first started in the business she was a ring announcer and simply decided to go by her real name. When she began her in-ring career, Hogan decided she didn’t want to separate her announcer character and in-ring character so that she could show her evolution.
In an interview she gave to Interactive Wrestling Radio last month, Hogan was asked if she’d ever considered doing an angle where she portrayed Hulk Hogan’s daughter.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I’ve actually had a conversation with Brooke Hogan about it. She got a hold of me and was like, ‘We should be sisters or something!’ I was like, ‘That would be so cool!’ My real name is Kiera Hogan. That is my real real name. When I got into wrestling, I was like, ‘That works. I already am a Hogan!”
“I want to be the ‘Girl on Fire’ and set myself apart from Hulkamania and all that other jazz.” – Kiera Hogan
Kiera Hogan and Tessa Blanchard Rivalry Building?
As the conversation turned to other Knockouts in the division, a twinge of jealousy could be detected from Hogan. In particular, Hogan seems to feel disrespected that Tessa Blanchard stole the spotlight away from her at Redemption. Blanchard came in to do guest commentary during Hogan’s match with Taya Valkyrie.
“I was just so overwhelmed and then here comes 3rd generation Tessa Blanchard walking in,” Hogan said. “It did overshadow what I was doing, which she has accomplished way more than I have, I’ll definitely give it to her there, but it was my moment. I felt like this was my moment why did she have to come in and overshadow me?”
Blanchard recently gave an interview to ImpactWrestling.com, insinuating she plans to skip to the front of the line in the Knockouts division. Perhaps, we could see Hogan and Blanchard meet in an Impact ring sometime in the future.
“I have a few choice words for Ms. Tessa Blanchard,” Kiera hogan.
Kiera Hogan takes on Taya Valkyrie in a rematch from Redemption tomorrow night on Impact.
PROGRESS Wrestling co-owner Jim Smallman has announced that his new book on the history of Pro Wrestling ‘I’m Sorry, I Love You’ is available to pre-order now.
Smallman has promised that the book will be a comprehensive look at Professional Wrestling from right back at the turn of the twentieth century all the way up to the modern day scene, this may well include some extra insights into PROGRESS itself but this has not yet been confirmed.
A short blurb has been released on the Amazon pre-order page:
“March 30th, 2008. The Citrus Bowl, Orlando. Wrestlemania XXIV. Ric Flair, the bleached blonde veteran, gets groggily to his feet. His opponent, Shawn ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Michaels, knows what has to be done. Time stands still. Seventy-five thousand spectators lower their voices as a tearful Michaels locks eyes with his childhood hero, now fictional foe. ‘I’m sorry, I love you,’ he says, before delivering his signature ‘sweet chin music’ superkick, pinning Flair in the ring and ending his career on the grandest possible stage.
That moment is now part of wrestling folklore. To comedian and PROGRESS wrestling founder, Jim Smallman, Michaels’ words embody something else. For too long, fans like Jim have had to be apologetic about their love of professional wrestling. But all that’s about to change. Prepare for a wild ride through the history of pro-wrestling, from its beginnings at the turn of the twentieth century to the pop-culture, pay-per-view juggernaut that it is today. Part history, part love letter to a much-misunderstood form of entertainment, join Jim as he brings you tales of early pioneers like ‘Farmer’ Burns and Frank Gotch, bizarre gimmicks, phenomenal finishing moves, Mexican and Japanese innovators, the McMahon dynasty, Big Daddy, André the Giant, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, The Undertaker and The Rock, as he attempts to nail down just why this ludicrous, over the top, compelling quasi-sport means so much to so many.”
You can pre-order the book now via Amazon or the tweet below.
MY BIG NEWS
On August 23rd my book “I’m Sorry, I Love You: A History Of Professional Wrestling” is published by @headlinepg.
WWE Champion AJ Styles has taken the WWE by storm since signing a few years ago.
Styles made his name known while in TNA Wrestling, now known as Impact Wrestling, from 2002–2013 well before he signed with the sports entertainment company.
Styles first appeared on WWE television in 2002 but turned down a developmental contract he was offered by the company. He signed a multi-year contract with WWE fourteen years later in January 2016 and made his re-debut at that month’s Royal Rumble. After appearing at his first WrestleMania 32 that April against Chris Jericho, Styles headlined multiple pay-per-view events and won the WWE Championship twice.
Styles was recently a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast where he spoke about various topics including Daniel Bryan.
Ever since the former SmackDown General manager was recently cleared by WWE doctors, Styles, as well as other WWE Superstars, have gone on record by stating that they would like to wrestle the former WWE Champion.
“Selfishly, I was hoping he [Bryan] would have gotten cleared before. Did I expect him to be cleared? No, but the fact that he did is awesome. Reminded me of when Shawn Michaels came back. I remember just praying for him to not get hurt because you just never know, and then he goes out and becomes Shawn Michaels. I feel like I am in the best run of my career as well.” What are your thoughts on Styles’ comments about Bryan? Sound off in the comment section below.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America will induct nine new Club alumni into their Alumni Hall of Fame during a ceremony this week including Hulk Hogan.
The ceremony, which will honor alumni who have gone on from their Boys & Girls Club to make contributions in their professions, is slated to be hosted by Courtney B. Vance.
During the interview, he gave some high praise to WWE Champion AJ Styles, who is slated to defend his title against Shinsuke Nakamura in a No DQ Match at this Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view event that takes place in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center.
“AJ has turned out to be one heck of a performer, one of the best in the world,” said Hogan. “Beyond that, he’s just such a good person.”
“What AJ does in the ring is phenomenal, and that’s why we call him the ‘Phenomenal One’, but when he’s outside the ring, he’s even more phenomenal,” said Hogan. “It’s so cool to see how he takes care of his family and loves his kids. If people saw him outside of when he wrestles, they’d have even more admiration for him.”
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. “So many people are so loyal,” said Hogan. “That support has given me my pulse. I’ve wrestled for four generations of people, but after all these years, I never thought the popularity would still be this big. I’ll be 65 in a couple months, and I had no idea there would still be this groundswell of interest. “People have stood by me through the good stuff, but also through the controversy. People were loyal and stood behind me even when big corporations made decisions based on their corporate policies. The fans stuck with me. It’s been amazing how loyal they have been to me.”
What are your thoughts on Hogan’s praise of Styles? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE will be releasing a 3-disc DVD set entitled “Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division” on June 25 and 26 in Europe and the U.S.
If you recall, back in 2016 at WrestleMania 32, WWE unveiled a new Women’s Championship title belt and re-branded the Divas Division to become the Women’s Division. Since then, WWE has placed a greater emphasis on its female performers, including recruiting female talent from around the world, as well as the recent signings of the first female recruits from the Middle East and India. Another milestone in WWE’s women’s evolution came as recently as January with the women’s Royal Rumble. This evolution has placed a spotlight on its female performers, involving them in more prominent storylines, with deeper character development and longer matches.
The set features a documentary about the evolution of the division, full-length matches, and some special features and interviews. Here is the full content listing for the set, courtesy of WrestlingDVDNetwork:
Disc 1
The Women’s Evolution Spotlight on: Wendi Richter WWE Women’s Championship Match: Wendi Richter vs. The Fabulous Moolah – “The Brawl to End It All” [Madison Square Garden] • July 23, 1984 Spotlight on: Sensational Sherri Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Fabulous Moolah, Rockin’ Robin, Velvet McIntyre & The Jumping Bomb Angels vs. Sensational Sherri, Dawn Marie, Donna Christanello & The Glamour Girls – Survivor Series • November 26, 1987 Spotlight on: Alundra Blayze WWE Women’s Championship Match: Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano – RAW • April 3, 1995 Spotlight on: Ivory WWE Women’s Championship Match: Ivory vs. Chyna – WrestleMania X-Seven • April 1, 2001 Spotlight on: Victoria WWE Women’s Championship Match: Trish Stratus vs. Victoria – RAW • November 25, 2002 Spotlight on: Lita Steel Cage Match: Lita vs. Victoria – RAW • November 24, 2003 Spotlight on: Molly Holly Title vs. Hair Match for the WWE Women’s Championship: Molly Holly vs. Victoria – WrestleMania XX • March 14, 2004 Spotlight on: Trish Stratus WWE Women’s Championship Match: Trish Stratus vs. Lita – RAW • December 6, 2004 Spotlight on: Mickie James WWE Women’s Championship Match: Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James – WrestleMania 22 • April 2, 2006 Spotlight on: AJ Lee WWE Divas Championship Match: Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee – Payback • June 16, 2013 Spotlight on: Paige NXT Women’s Championship Match: Paige vs. Emma – NXT ArRIVAL • February 27, 2014
Disc 2
Spotlight on: Natalya NXT Women’s Championship Match: Natalya vs. Charlotte – NXT TakeOver • May 29, 2014 Spotlight on: The Bella Twins Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon – SummerSlam • August 17, 2014 Spotlight on: Bayley Iron Man Match for the NXT Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Respect • October 7, 2015 Spotlight on: Charlotte Triple Threat Match for the WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – WrestleMania 32 • April 2, 2016 Spotlight on: Becky Lynch 6-Pack Challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella – Backlash • September 11, 2016 Spotlight on: Sasha Banks Hell in a Cell Match for the RAW Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte – Hell in a Cell • October 30, 2016
Disc 3
Spotlight on: Carmella Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Carmella vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Tamina – SmackDown • June 27, 2017 Spotlight on: Mae Young Mae Young Classic Tournament Final: Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler – Mae Young Classic • November 12, 2017 Spotlight on: Royal Rumble Participants Women’s Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble • January 28, 2018 Spotlight on: Alexa Bliss Elimination Chamber Match for RAW Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Mickie James vs. Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville – Elimination Chamber • February 25, 2018 Spotlight on: Ronda Rousey Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon – WrestleMania 34 • April 8, 2018 It’s Only The Beginning
Do you plan on buying this DVD? Sound off in the comment section below.
UK based promotion RIPTIDE has announced the main event for their upcoming ‘International Waters’ event on July 6th from Brighton, England.
Leader of CCK (#CCK) Chris Brookes will be taking on Naoki Tanizaki, this will be Tanizaki’s debut match for the upstart UK company who continue to make waves on the hotly contested British scene.
Tanizaki is most known for this time as part of the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion, he has held the Open The Brave Gate Championship on one occasion (other notable Champions of the title include Matt Sydal, CIMA, WWE’s Neville, Ricochet, Akira Tozawa, Flamita and Dragon Kid) and the Open the Triangle Gate Championship (Trios Championship) Six times.
Chris Brookes is one of the most in demand stars on the UK circuit right now, his hugely successful run alongside Kid Lykos in #CCK has seen him catapulted into the ranks of PROGRESS wrestling’s main event scene and he is tipped as one of the favourites to win the Super Strong Style 16 tournament this weekend. Since Lyko’s most recent injury Brookes has once again been establishing himself as a legitimate singles star and this main event will only help build his profile as one of the nation’s best.
PROGRESS has announced the full card for this weekend’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament. The three day event will be taking place at London’s Alexandra Palace and will feature some of the biggest names from the independent scene, both in the UK and abroad.
The matches are as follows:
Chris Brookes vs Kassius Ohno
Tyler Bate vs Jordan Devlin
Pete Dunne vs Doug Williams
Joey Janela vs One of the Grizzled Young Veterans
Angelico vs Mark Andrews
Keith Lee vs ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
Chuck Mambo vs Zack Sabre Jr
TK Cooper vs David Starr
Opinion: As a fan of the UK scene this has to be one of the single greatest tournament line ups I have ever seen. I would quite happily put this up against any PWG BOLA show or even the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship field. There are some absolute barn burners in this first round, with some unexpected gems such as Pete Dunne vs Doug Williams pitting the present/future of wrestling against one of the country’s most beloved icons.
My guess is that Chris Brookes, ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster or Chuck Mambo will walk away on Monday night as the next Number 1 contender, but in all honesty almost anyone could win the tournament. Rumored WWE signee Keith Lee could easily be in the final against Kassius Ohno and take the shock win before he departs for the United States…so we will just have to wait and see.
And here's the full bracket for anyone that can't get away with watching two drunk fools play vodka pong on their work computer :-). We also have a fillable online version thanks to @VilinskiKonjic: https://t.co/Vjz657obqA#ThisIsProgresspic.twitter.com/54rp45F73c
— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) May 1, 2018
Current reigning New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada has been announced for the upcoming ‘Strong Style Evolved’ NJPW/Rev Pro co-promoted shows.
Okada is the first officially confirmed name for the first Strong Style Evolved shows outside of the United States, the original event took place on March 25th from the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. That show saw Will Ospreay defeat Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger as well as the hotly contested main event between the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) and The Young Bucks.
The two-date UK event takes place on June 30th/July 1st from Milton Keynes and Manchester respectively. Tickets are available to purchase via the tweet below or Revolution Pro Wrestling’s official website.
Tonight’s episode of NXT will be a taped show from Winter Park, Florida. 4 matches have been announced for the episode.
NXT May 2nd, 2018
Pete Dunne vs Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. In the process, Strong aligned with the Undisputed Era to turn the trio into a stable of 4.
Tonight, Dunne has a chance to get even with his former partner as the two collide inside the ring. It’s likely Strong will have his Undisputed Era teammates nearby, however.
Kona Reeves Returns to the Ring
Vignettes featuring a new and improved version of Kona Reeves have taken place over the last few weeks. Tonight he makes his return to the ring.
The 25-year-old Hawaiian was trained by Afa at the Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center. He was signed to WWE in 2014.
The last time Reeves wrestled on NXT was over a year ago in a loss to Hideo Itami. He’s had 7 matches on NXT television, lost 6 of them and went to a no-contest.
The Street Profits vs TM61
The last time we saw the Street Profits in action they lost a 2nd round match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic to the Authors of Pain.
The team had qualified for the 2nd round of the tournament by defeating Heavy Machinery.
TM-61 were also eliminated by the Authors of Pain in the Dusty Rhodes Classic but they went out in the 1st round.
Both teams will be looking to get into the thick of the title chase in NXT’s tag-team division with a win here.
Bianca Belair vs Candice LeRae
Both of these two are undefeated in single’s matches on NXT television. Candice LeRae is 1-0, and Bianca Belair is 4-0.
Yet another wrestler from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Candice LeRae is looking to win her 2nd straight NXT single’s match. She defeated Zelina Vega on the April 11th edition of NXT.
As for Belair, she is a resident of Knox County, Tennessee and may have voted for Kane recently.
205 Live last night emanated from the Bell Center in Montreal following Smackdown. The show saw the return of a top cruiserweight to the division as well as a match in the burgeoning cruiserweight tag-team scene. The show’s main event featured Drew Gulak taking on Kalisto.
205 Live
Jack Gallagher & the Brian Kendrick defeated Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami
A GTS from Itami was responsible for Kendrick being out of action for several months in storyline but he was able to get a measure of revenge here.
Gallagher pinned Toazawa after a vicious headbutt to the chin.
After the match, Itami expressed frustration with his partner and shoved him to the ground before walking out of the ring alone. Tozawa looked despondent after.
Later in the show, it was announced that Kendrick and Gallagher will take on the Lucha House Party in tag action.
2. Buddy Murphy defeated Liam Louie
It was announced before the match that Murphy successfully made weight. 3 weeks ago he’d had a title match rescinded as a result of failing to make the 205lbs weight limit.
205 Live GM, Drake Maverick, still has not announced if Murphy will receive a title shot against Cedric Alexander or not.
Murphy had this match won at several points but opted not to finish his opponent. The referee finally stepped in and called the match.
The commentators mentioned this was a new and more vicious Buddy Murphy.
Cedric Alexander came out to confront Murphy after the match.
The two ended up brawling on the entrance ramp before officials broke it up.
3. Drew Gulak defeated Kalisto
Earlier on the show, Gulak cut a promo on Kalisto about how the luchador couldn’t get it done in Saudi Arabia.
Kalisto earned his GRR title shot by winning a gauntlet match on 205 Live. The last competitor he eliminated was Gulak, who had eliminated 2 other competitors by that time.
Gulak was able to lock in the Gu-Lock and get the tap for the victory.
New Japan Pro Wrestling will present two big shows over the course of the next two days. The promotion will be inside the Fukuoka Convention Center May 3rd and 4th this week.
The Bullet Club civil war will take place on both shows as the Japanese version of the faction (Bullet Club OGs) square off against the ROH version in several matches. Additionally, Kazuchika Okada has a chance to set the record for most title defenses in a single reign on Friday.
Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 (May 3rd) Lineup
Yota Tsuji & Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, Yuji Nagata vs Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, and Jushin Liger
Sho, Yoh, and Rocky Romero vs. Takashi Iizuka, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Lance Archer
Toa Henare, Michael Elgin, Togi Makabe, David Finlay and Juice Robinson vs Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships
Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale (c) vs Marty Scurll, and the Young Bucks
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, EVIL, Tetsuya Naito vs El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, and Minoru Suzuki
KUSHIDA and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada
Kota Ibushi vs Cody
Kenny Omega vs Hangman Page
Wrestling Dontaku Night 2 (May 4th) Lineup
Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Jushin Liger vs Yuya Uemura, Ren Narita, and Shota Umino
Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nata vs Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Sho, Yoh, Rocky Romero vs Taka Michinoku, Taichi, Takahashi Iizuka
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii
Michael Elgin, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs Yoshi-Hashi, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, Evil, Tetsuya Naito vs El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, and Minoru Suzuki
Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa vs Marty Scurll, the Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Cody
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay (c) vs Kushida
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tessa Blanchard made a surprise appearance at the Impact Wrestling “Redemption” PPV on April 22nd, 2018. She did guest commentary alongside Josh Matthews and Don Callis for the Taya Valkyrie vs Kiera Hogan match.
Recently, ImpactWrestling.com conducted an interview with Blanchard, who believes she is the hottest free agent available right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mh7wy_ITbw
Tessa Blanchard in Impact Wrestling
“I came to the Knockouts Division because it’s no secret that the past six months or so IMPACT’s been making strides. The hottest free agents out there – Pentagon, Fenix, Brian Cage – IMPACT has locked them down,” Blanchard explained. “When it comes to the Knockouts Division, I’m the hottest free agent out there right now!”
The Knockouts division in Impact is pretty crowded at the moment but Blanchard believes she’s earned the right to skip the line.
“I’m not looking to work my way up. I feel like I deserve a shot at the Knockouts Championship. On the independent circuit, I’ve traveled the world, I’ve won championships, I’ve won tournaments – I’ve defeated some of the best out there so I feel like I am one of the best.”
It seems as though Blanchard is gunning straight for the Knockouts champion, Allie.
“I’m coming here and I want to be the top dog, I’m going to go after whoever has the Knockouts Championship – and right now that’s Allie. I’ve got my sights set on Allie and if any of the Knockouts get in my way I’ll run right through them.”
Blanchard also spoke on what it is like to carry on the Blanchard name.
“Carrying on the Blanchard name is a huge honor for me because my grandfather, my father and my step-father – they’ve all put a lot into their legacy and for me to carry that on, it’s a lot of weight on my shoulders. I put pressure on myself to be the best and to carry on the Blanchard name with dignity and with pride.”
Glenn “Kane” Jacobs is declaring victory in the Knox County Republican Mayoral Primary, although his victory is still not assured. In a neck and neck race, Jacobs received 14, 633 votes, good for 36% of the vote.
His two opponents were both favored over him in the race. Brad Anders received 14, 616 also good for 36% and trailed Kane by 17 votes. Bob Thomas trailed both with 11, 296 votes for 28%.
Kane’s victory isn’t official yet, however. There are 43 provisional ballots which have to be reviewed before they can count. These are cases where a person may have forgotten their ID or there was no record of voter registration. Once it is determined how many, if any, of the 43 provisional ballots will count then a winner can be officially declared. So long as Anders does not receive 17 more votes than Kane out of the provisional ballots, Kane will be declared the victor. It is expected an official announcement will be made next week.
Kane and his team Tweeted out several messages late last night:
Thanks to everyone who helped win this historic victory!! The people who cast a ballot for me, my great team, my wonderful volunteers. Looking forward to VICTORY in the general election!
Glenn, along with his family, volunteers and supporters declare victory in a hard-fought Knox County Mayoral race this evening. Together we won! Tomorrow, we move forward.
Kane has long been active in politics. He publicly supported Ron Paul in his 2008 run for the Presidency. Kane also used to keep a blog on his libertarian political views.
In addition to wrestling, Kane and his wife, Crystal Maurisa Goins, own an Allstate insurance branch in Knoxville. He officially announced his decision to run for the Knox County Mayoral seat in March of 2017. He set Jim Ross on fire in 2003.
Provided the election results hold up through the counting of the provisional ballots, it could mean the end of Kane’s in-ring career as he prepares for the General Election. The 51-year-old has wrestled less frequently in recent years. He did not participate in last week’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but has been involved in storylines involving Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman in recent months.
People were excited about a new Championship when WWE presented Braun Strowman with a brand new title belt after winning the Greatest Royal Rumble.
However, it appears that there was a strong reason why the company didn’t introduce the new belt before the show as they never intended to use it on the main WWE Programming.
As seen on this week’s episode of Raw, Braun came out two times during the show but he wasn’t holding the title during either of his appearances.
The company had also announced that the Monster Among Men will be bringing the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship belt and trophy to Raw in Montreal.
However, while the giant trophy was displayed in the arena, it was noted that the green coloured belt introduced just a few nights ago was nowhere to be found.
If that wasn’t enough, they have now also deleted an earlier tweet about Braun Strowman’s match at Backlash which featured a graphic of him holding the title belt. The deleted tweet can be seen in the screenshot below:
Seeing all this, the logical conclusion is that the company either never intended to use the new green belt on their programming as a regular title or they had plans which have since been nixed.
Either way, it’s safe to say that the absence of the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship will definitely hurt the relevance of the match and the event as a whole.
WWE announced that Daniel Bryan is not medically cleared to compete at tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live by doctors in fear of a potential chest infection.
While in any other case, an announcement such as this would simply be seen as a part of the storyline, things are different for the former SmackDown Live General Manager.
It was revealed before that Bryan was cleared on the condition that he will have to go through medical examination after every bout.
So after wrestling for well over an hour at Greatest Rumble, many wondered if the company kept him away from the ring due to any medical complications.
Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and the whole thing turned out to be a storyline as Bryan ended up wrestling a big dark match after the show went off air.
Daniel faced Shinsuke Nakamura in a dark main event after the show went off air. Though their match ended in a disqualification after Nakamura delivered a low blow to the former World Champion. Below are some photos of their bout:
Daniel Bryan was part of the 50 Men Battle Royal at Greatest Royal Rumble. He lasted in the match for about 76 minutes and broke Rey Mysterio’s record for spending the longest time in a Rumble match.
One of the highlights of his performance during the bout was the stiff chops delivered to Bryan by Roderick Strong which have left Daniel with several nasty looking chest welts.
The May 1st episode of WWE SmackDown Live aired live from the Bell Center in Montreal. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Backlash this Sunday.
In addition to the takeaways below, Paige informed Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville that Absolution was dead. Paige also announced that Mandy Rose will face Becky Lynch next week on SmackDown.
In a brief backstage segment, Lana approached Rusev while he was with Aiden English backstage. Lana was wearing a “Rusev Day” shirt and insinuated that Aiden English was holding Rusev back.
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s episode of SmackDown:
Randy Orton Vowed To Take Back The US Title At Backlash
Photo Credit: @WWEUniverse on Twitter
WWE SmackDown kicked off with SmackDown GM Paige stating that Shane McMahon will not be here tonight after being thrown through the announce table at Greatest Royal Rumble. Paige added that the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura will be No Disqualifications this Sunday at WWE Backlash.
The Miz kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown and announced that Daniel Bryan was banned from Miz TV for not showing up for his appearance last week. Bryan didn’t show up because he was attacked backstage by Big Cass. The Miz then vowed to win back the IC Title from Seth Rollins at WWE Backlash.
Miz welcomed United States Champion Jeff Hardy down to the ring for an edition of Miz TV. The Miz asked Hardy if he thought he was a better Intercontinental Champion that Seth Rollins. Jeff called The Miz an obnoxious, wannabe movie star. Hardy added that if Miz were better than Rollins, he would have won at Greatest Royal Rumble like he did.
The Miz rolled footage of Jeff “disrespecting” Randy Orton by facing Shelton Benjamin when Randy Orton was supposed to be his opponent. Miz announced that there was another guest tonight and Orton came down to the ring. The crowd chanted “RKO” as Randy got into the ring.
Miz complained about Orton interrupting his introduction of him. Orton stated that he isn’t that mad at Hardy and that they are cool with each other. The Miz told the crowd to shut up and once again brought up Orton being ranked on the SmackDown Top 10 list. Randy noted that nobody cared about the SmackDown Top 10 list and the crowd cheered.
The Miz said that Hardy cost Orton his match against Benjamin last week. Hardy claimed that it was Sunil Singh that cost Orton the match. The Miz tried to get Orton to give Jeff an RKO. Orton responded by saying that he strikes whenever he wants to. Randy stated that he is taking his United States Championship back Sunday at Backlash. Hardy said that Orton can try and The Miz got frustrated that the two Superstars were getting along.
Shelton Benjamin interrupted and shouted “no!” several times. Benjamin claimed that Orton doesn’t deserve a damn thing and boasted about defeating Orton last week on SmackDown. Benjamin claimed that he deserves a championship opportunity. Orton attacked Benjamin as he got in the ring, which prompted The Miz to attack Orton from behind. Jeff Hardy connected with Whisper in the Wind on The Miz to end the segment.
Randy Orton & Jeff Hardy teamed up to face The Miz & Shelton Benjamin tonight on SmackDown. Orton and Benjamin started off the match in the ring. Orton beatdown Benjamin in the corner and then tagged in Jeff Hardy.
Jeff connected with a Dropkick to Shelton’s back for a two count. Orton tagged back in and elbowed Benjamin in the face as the crowd chanted “Brother Nero!”. Benjamin battled back and hit a flurry of jabs in the corner. Orton went for the RKO, but Benjamin blocked it and connected with a spin kick to the face for a two count.
The Miz entered the match as Benjamin connected with a cheap knee to the face while the referee wasn’t looking. Miz applied a Chin Lock, but Orton quickly escaped and planted Miz with a Back Body Drop in the middle of the ring.
Hardy tagged in and unloaded a few punches to Miz’s face. Jeff followed it up with a Swanton Bomb and a Dropkick for a two count. The Miz dodged the Twist of Fate and then kicked out of a roll-up at two. Benjamin tagged in and walked into a Twist of Fate from Hardy. Jeff climbed up the ropes, but Miz distracted him from the apron and Benjamin hit a knee to the face to send Hardy to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
Benjamin continued to beatdown Hardy during the break. When SmackDown returned, The Miz tagged in and had Hardy in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Hardy battled to his feet as the crowd cheered him on. The Miz booted him in the midsection and followed it up with a DDT for a two count.
Shelton got back in and stomped on Jeff in the corner. Hardy connected with a Jawbreaker and both Superstars fell to the canvas. The Miz tagged in and prevented Hardy from crawling over to Orton. Miz stomped on Jeff against the turnbuckle and followed it up with two Dropkicks. The Miz went for a third Dropkick, but Hardy was ready and planted him with a Slingblade.
Hardy finally tagged in Orton as Benjamin tagged in at the same time. Randy planted Benjamin with a Powerslam and then tossed Miz out of the ring. Orton dropped Miz on the announce table and then got back in the ring for a Dropkick to Benjamin. Randy hit a DDT on both Miz and Benjamin while they were hung up on the second rope.
Orton planted Benjamin with an RKO and then tagged in Jeff. Hardy connected with a Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Orton hit an RKO on Jeff Hardy out of nowhere. Jeff Hardy will defend the United States Championship against Randy Orton this Sunday at WWE Backlash.
Sheamus and Cesaro bumped into New Day backstage at SmackDown. New Day poked fun at The Bar for failing to win back their RAW Tag Team Championship at Greatest Royal Rumble. The Bar stated that they could flatten the New Day like a few pancakes. “Mr. Bootyworth” showed up with a plate of pancakes.
New Day offered them up to The Bar to eat. Cesaro threw the plate of pancakes in the air and they fell all over the place. Sheamus wanted a fight tonight and Big E got in his face. Big E shouted that he was going to take him down. Sheamus said that he wasn’t talking to Big E and challenged Woods. Xavier said that “tonight your soul is mine” and accepted the match.
Sheamus battled Xavier Woods later on SmackDown. Woods started off the match in control and flipped onto Sheamus outside the ring. Cesaro had pancakes in his jacket and distracted Woods. Sheamus took advantage and kneed Woods in the face. SmackDown went to a break with Sheamus in control of the match.
When SmackDown returned, Sheamus planted Woods with an Irish Curse Backbreaker and then posed in the ring. Woods battled back with a couple of chops and followed it up with a knee to the side of the face. Sheamus charged at Xavier in the corner, but Woods got out of the way and Sheamus crashed into the ring post. Woods hit a Leg Drop for a two count and then made his way back up the turnbuckle. Sheamus knocked him down, but Woods connected with a Shining Wizard.
Woods went back to the top rope but Cesaro distracted him. Cesaro shoved Big E into the ring post but got dropped by Woods. Sheamus threw Woods into the barricade and brought him back into the ring. Woods rolled Sheamus up for the pinfall victory.
Big Cass Beatdown “Daniel Bryan”
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
Big Cass walked down to the ring with a ridiculous smile on his face.
The crowd booed as Big Cass said that he was from New York City. Cass noted that New Yorkers are not friendly to people from other cities and that people from New York are better than everyone. Cass shouted that he knows that he knows that he is better than everyone in the crowd and Daniel Bryan.
Big Cass poked fun of Daniel Bryan’s size and stated that a real WWE Superstar is 7 ft. tall and has super-strength. Big Cass said that it will not be a 5-star match at Backlash, he is going to defeat Bryan in 5 seconds. Cass noted that he doesn’t need time to prepare and then challenged Bryan to come down to the ring. It was announced earlier in the show that Bryan had not been medically cleared tonight because his chest was beat up at Greatest Royal Rumble and WWE feared that he might get an infection.
Daniel’s music hit and a little person wearing a wig and a beard came down to the ring as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Big Cass joked that Bryan looked taller tonight and bragged about eliminating Daniel during the Greatest Royal Rumble match. Mini-Bryan kicked Cass in the shin a couple of times as Cass continued to make fun of Bryan’s size.
Cass instructed Mini-Bryan to take a bow for all of his fans and then Cass booted him in the face. Big Cass unloaded a bunch of punches and then raised his fist in the air while walking around the ring. WWE officials came down to the ring as Cass smacked Mini-Bryan in the face. Big Cass then exited the ring with his fist in the air.
Opinion: It doesn’t get much lamer than this promo. The only thing that would have made this even dumber is if a tiny goat came down to the ring instead of a little person. I can’t blame Cass for this crappy promo. He did the best he could, but there really was nothing he could do to make this garbage writing work. The match between Bryan and Cass is still interesting, but I don’t think there was a worse way to promote the match leading into Backlash than what WWE did tonight.
Nakamura Delivered Another Low-Blow To Styles
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
WWE Champion AJ Styles joined Renee Young in the ring. Renee brought up Paige making the title match at Backlash a No DQ match and asked if that will help AJ retain his title. Styles said that he was out here trying to defend the gold, while it seems like Nakamura is more interested in the wrong jewels because of his obsession with giving him low-blows.
AJ said that he would not apologize to Nakamura for what he did to him at Greatest Royal Rumble. Styles claimed that Nakamura ruined WrestleMania for him and called Shinsuke a coward. AJ said that once he gets his hands on him, people are going to find pieces of Nakamura across New England.
Samoa Joe interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone in his hand. Joe claimed Styles had lost focus on what is really dangerous around him. Joe said that the match Styles should be focused on is the one where he proves that Roman Reigns is a failure.
Joe told Styles that after he is finished with Reigns at Backlash, he is coming after the WWE Championship. Joe shouted “believe that!” to end the promo as the crowd chanted “Joe!”. Nakamura’s music hit and Joe was ready from him to come out from backstage. Nakamura crept up behind Styles in the ring and delivered another low-blow. Shinsuke started taunting Styles in the ring and then patted him on the head a couple of times.
Nakamura geared up in the corner and decked AJ with a Kinshasa. Nakamura laid down beside Styles and continued to mock him. Nakamura lifted AJ’s head up and taunted him some more before posing over him in the ring. Shinsuke lifted up the WWE Championship and then draped across Styles as he was still on the canvas.
Opinion: I really hope that the match between Nakamura and Styles delivers at Backlash this Sunday. Shinsuke is doing an excellent job as a heel and the crowd should be electric for Sunday’s match. Samoa Joe’s promo tonight was also very good. Every Joe promo is solid. I’m already looking forward to seeing Joe vs. Styles or Nakamura for the WWE Championship.
Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Asuka Closed The Show With A Victory
Photo Credit: @totaldivaseps on Twitter
Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Asuka faced The IIconics & Carmella in a 6-woman tag match in the main event of this week’s SmackDown.
Charlotte wanted to start off the match with Carmella, but the SmackDown Women’s Champion tagged in Peyton Royce instead.
Becky then tagged in and connected with a Dropkick to Royce. Becky missed with a Leg Drop and Billie Kay tagged in. Lynch delivered a Clothesline for a two count. Asuka tagged in to a great reaction from the crowd. Asuka prevented Kay from reaching the corner and decked her with a Hip Attack.
Charlotte tagged in and the crowd shouted “woo!”. Billie Kay beatdown Charlotte a bit and then Carmella demanded to be tagged in. Charlotte knocked Carmella down and then connected with a Crossbody on the IIconics outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned. Peyton Royce had Becky Lynch in a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Carmella tagged in and Becky booted her in the face. Lynch threw Royce out of the ring as Carmella knocked Charlotte of the ring apron. Becky booted Carmella in the face and crawled towards Asuka in the corner. The IIconics dragged Asuka off the apron and slammed her into the steel steps.
Charlotte hopped up on the apron and tagged in as Carmella screamed out of fear. Charlotte connected with a bunch of chops and followed it up with a Belly to Back Suplex. Billie Kay distracted Charlotte on the top turnbuckle and Carmella capitalized by shoving her into the ring post.
Billie Kay tagged in as Royce decked Charlotte with a boot to the face. Billie threw Becky out of the ring as Royce tagged back into the match. Carmella tagged in and got pissed off that Charlotte kept kicking out. Carmella grabbed Flair by the hair and slammed her face off the mat. Peyton tagged back in and slapped Charlotte in the face. Royce applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring as a promo for WWE Backlash aired.
Asuka tagged in and hit Royce with a Dropkick. Asuka knocked Carmella off the apron and connected with another kick to Peyton’s face. Asuka hit Carmella and Billie Kay with a Hip Attack that sent them flying off the ring apron. Royce connected with a knee to the face for a two count. Billie Kay jumped into the ring and kicked Asuka in the face. Becky leaped off the top rope and booted Billie in the face.
Carmella Superkicked Becky Lynch and then Charlotte Speared Carmella out of the ring. Charlotte followed it up with a Moonsault off the top rope onto Carmella outside the ring. Back in the ring, Asuka applied the Asuka Lock to Peyton Royce for the submission victory. SmackDown went off the air as Carmella clutched the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the entrance ramp as Charlotte stared at her from ringside.
Opinion: WWE Backlash has the potential to be a very good show on Sunday. The main event of tonight’s SmackDown was solid and the AJ Styles, Samoa Joe & Shinsuke Nakamura segment was the highlight of the show. The rest of tonight’s show was pretty forgettable.
What did you think of this week’s episode of SmackDown? Let us know in the comments below.
The May 1st edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, and was the go-home show for Sunday’s Backlash PPV.
– This week’s SmackDown broadcast opens up with a look at Braun Strowman tossing Shane McMahon through a table at the Greatest Royal Rumble. We see Paige watching on a monitor backstage, and she says that Shane won’t be here tonight. Paige announces that AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash will be a No DQ match, so we will have a clear winner.
– Tom Phillips welcomes us to the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and he’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton at the broadcast table.
– The Miz comes out first to kick off SmackDown with Miz TV. The Miz starts off by announcing that Daniel Bryan is banned from Miz TV due to last week’s no-show. Miz also sends a warning to Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins ahead of their match this Sunday, and he rants about how he elevated the IC Title. The Miz gets back to the subject at hand tonight, and introduces his Miz TV guest, U.S. Champion Jeff Hardy.
Jeff comes down to the ring and briefly exchanges words with the Miz. The Miz shows footage of Jeff Hardy coming to SmackDown and interacting with Randy Orton, and then Miz reveals he has another guest tonight. Randy Orton comes down, and The Miz complains that Orton interrupted his introduction. Orton says he and Jeff are cool, but The Miz keeps trying to stir up trouble between the two. Orton warns Miz that no one tells him when to strike, but adds that he will take his U.S. Title back at Backlash. Hardy says Orton can try. Shelton Benjamin comes out to interrupt and he starts talking trash to Orton. Shelton says he is the one who deserves the U.S. Title shot. As Shelton gets in the ring, Orton strikes and goes for the DDT. The Miz interrupts, and Jeff takes Miz into the corner for the Whisper In The Wind. The Miz and Shelton retreat to the floor as Orton and Hardy stand tall in the ring.
– The Miz and Shelton Benjamin vs. Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy: This match was made official during the commercial break. Orton and Shelton start off. Orton and Jeff trade tags now to keep control of Shelton, but Orton misses an RKO and Shelton capitalizes. The Miz tags in now and continues the offense on Orton. Jeff gets the hot tag and unloads on Miz with strikes for a two count. The Miz blocks a Twist of Fate, and Jeff knocks Shelton off the apron in the process. Jeff blocks a Skull Crushing Finale, and then Shelton tags back in. Jeff catches Shelton in the Twist of Fate, and then he goes up top for the Swanton, but Miz grabs his leg. Jeff kicks Miz away, and then Shelton runs up the turnbuckle and knees Jeff in the head, then Jeff gets knocked down.
The Miz takes control of Hardy on the mat now and then plants him with a DDT for a two count. Shelton comes in and Jeff stuns him with a jawbreaker, then Miz quickly tags back in and stops Jeff from tagging in Orton. Miz works over Jeff in the corner and then taunts the crowd. Miz charges at Jeff, but Jeff gets up and clotheslines him down. Orton and Shelton get the tags, and Orton cleans house. Orton slams Shelton down, then throws Miz outside and slams him on the announce table. Orton goes back in and dropkicks Shelton down, then hits a double draping DDT on Shelton and Miz. Orton hits the RKO on Shelton, then tags in Jeff who hits the Swanton on Benjamin for the three count.
Winners: Jeff Hardy & Randy Orton
– After the match, Orton immediately hits the RKO on Hardy. Orton heads to the back as Jeff recovers.
– Renee Young is backstage for an interview with Carmella and The Iconics. Carmella is supposed to be there, but she isn’t. Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye make fun of Renee and Canadians, and then they cut a promo on Asuka and Becky Lynch. They introduce Carmella, and Carmella finally walks in to the interview. She thanks them for the introduction, an dsays she’s excited to team with them tonight, and then to beat Charlotte again on Sunday. Charlotte says that The Iconics and her are an invincible team.
– Still to come: Shinsuke Nakamura demands an apology from WWE Champion AJ Styles.
– Tom Phillips informs us that Daniel Bryan is unable to perform due to not being cleared by doctors out of fear of a chest infection. We see video of Bryan at the Greatest Royal Rumble and his cut open chest from strikes by Roderick Strong.
– The Bar is backstage and they run into The New Day. The New day taunts them about losing the RAW Tag Titles at Greatest Royal Rumble, and The Bar talks some trash to the New Day. Sheamus challenges them to a match, and it looks like we’ll have a singles match between Sheamus and Xavier Woods tonight.
– Rusev and Aiden English are talking backstage about new lyrics for their song, when Lana walks in. The crowd pops big for Lana, who is wearing a Rusev Day t-shirt. Lana says Rusev day is bigger than ever, but something is still holding Rusev back. Rusev wonders what could be holding him back, since he has a holiday in his name every day.
– Big Cass comes out next, and Corey Graves says Cass wasn’t scheduled to come out right now. Cass steps in the ring and gets on the mic. Cass talks about being from New York, and that makes him better than people from other cities. Cass trashes Daniel Bryan, and says he’s too small to be a WWE Superstar, just like all the fans. Cass says his match with Bryan at Backlash won’t be a five-star match, it’ll be a five-second match. Cass says he’ll face Bryan tonight if he’ll come out. This queues the music, and out comes a dwarf dressed as Daniel Bryan, doing the “yes” chant. Cass says Bryan looks taller tonight, and continues cracking jokes. Cass goes to leave, but then he turns around and boots little Daniel Bryan down. Some referees come in the ring and tell Cass to leave, and fans boo as Cass heads to the back.
– Back from commercial break, Renee Young is in the ring for an interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles. AJ comes down to the ring as the Montreal crowd chants his name. She asks AJ about the No DQ stipulation being added to his match with Nakamura on Sunday, and says this is a benefit to Nakamura because he’s a con artist and a cheat. AJ brushes off Nakamura’s demand for an apology, and says he should have left Nakamura in the desert eating sand. AJ calls Nakamura a coward who attacks from behind and below the belt. AJ says he knows how to break rules too, and says we’ll be finding pieces of Nakamura all over the place on Sunday night. Renee asks about Nakamura’s demand for an apology again, and AJ says if he wants one he should come out and get one. Samoa Joe’s music hits and Joe comes out to interrupt.
Samoa Joe comes down and gets the pop from the crowd. Joe talks trash to AJ about losing his focus, and says he needs to focus on Joe coming for him. Joe says after he beats Reigns at Backlash, his sights are set on the WWE Championship. Joe’s music hits, but then Nakamura’s music hits to interrupt. Joe looks behind him on the stage, but no one is there. Nakamura comes out of nowhere into the ring from behind and hits another low-blow on AJ.
Nakamura waits for AJ to get up, then starts taunting AJ. Nakamura hits the Kinshasa on the Champion, and then grabs AJ’s WWE Title and holds it up. Nakamura drops the belt on AJ and walks off.
– Becky Lynch is backstage talking to Asuka about last week’s loss. Asuka tells her to forget it, because tonight they’ll hit back three times harder. Charlotte walks in and says Carmella and The Iconics think they’re invincible, but they’re just annoying and have lost their minds. Flair says she’ll get her Women’s Title back on Sunday, but tonight is all about their six-woman tag match.
– Still to come: Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods
– Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods: Cesaro, Big E and Kofi are all at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Sheamus takes control early on. He drops Woods and beats on him in the corner. Woods ducks a clothesline and kicks out Sheamus’ knee. Woods hits a rolling elbow and a dropkick, and Sheamus falls to the outside. Woods hits a suicide dive on Sheamus, then takes him back in the ring. Cesaro distracts Woods by taunting him with some pancakes, and Sheamus takes advantage with a big knee to Woods. Sheamus pummels on Woods as the fants chant “you look stupid” at him.
Sheamus follows up with an Irish Curse backbreaker, and continues to control the pace of the match. Woods starts firing back with strikes and a leg drop for a two count. They go back and forth until Woods hits a Shining Wizard for another two count. Woods goes up top, but Cesaro distracts him. Big E comes over and brawls with Cesaro on the floor, and the distraction leads to Woods rolling up Sheamus for the three count.
Winner: Xavier Woods
– After the match, The New Day celebrates as Sheamus and Cesaro recover.
– Paige is backstage watching footage of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville dissing Becky Lynch. The Absolution members walk in and they all hug. They congratulate Paige on being SmackDown GM, and Paige books Mandy vs. Becky for next week. Mandy and Sonya ask Paige for special treatment, but Paige says Absolution is dead. Things get awkward between them and we go to commercial.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas. Vega says SmackDown will be changing very soon when Almas arrives.
– The broadcast team hypes up this Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view.
– Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce: The opening bell sounds and Charlotte and Carmella start off. Carmella quickly tags in Royce before things get physical, and Flair tags in Becky. Becky takes Royce down and they go back and forth. Billie hits a cheap shot on Becky from the apron, which Peyton capitalizes on with more strikes. Asuka tags in and taunts Billie before beating on her. Billie slaps Asuka across the face, and Asuka smiles and unloads with a series of strikes. Asuka hits the hip attack, then tags in Flair for the double team. Flair continues the offense until Billie slams her down by the hair, then tags in Carmella. Charlotte blocks a superkick, and takes Carmella down for the Figure Four. Carmella escapes and rolls outside with the Iconics, and Charlotte launches herself outside with a suicide dive on them.
All hell breaks loose now between the competitors as the referee tries to restore order. It comes down to Becky and Carmella in the ring, and Becky drops her. Becky looks for the tag, but Billie and Peyon pull Asuka off the apron, and Carmella stops Becky from tagging in Charlotte. Becky fights off Carmella and tags in Charlotte, who cleans house. Billie distracts Charlotte and Carmella slams Charlotte face-first into the turnbuckle as a result. The Iconics double team Flair now, then Carmella tags in and continues the beat-down on Charlotte.
Charlotte starts fighting back and looks for a Figure Four on Peyton, but Peyton escapes. Asuka tags in and unloads with strikes, then hits a flying kick to the face. Billie and Carmella get involved now, and Asuka knocks them both off the apron with a hip attack. Peyton rolls Asuka up from behind for a two count, then argues with the ref. Charlotte and Billie fight on the floor, while Peyton and Asuka continue to go at it in the ring. Asuka counters a move and locks in the Asuka Lock. Peyton taps out for the finish.
Winners: Asuka, Charlotte & Becky Lynch
– After the match, Carmella sits on the ramp clutching her Women’s champion as the babyfaces stand tall in the ring. Charlotte leaves first and stares down Flair, who says she’s taking the Title on Sunday.
