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Rusev & Lana Say Rusev Will End Undertaker’s Career At Greatest Royal Rumble

Chris Stephens
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Rusev has the fight of his life coming up on April 27th when he faces The Undertaker in a Casket Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

TMZ Sports caught up with Rusev and Lana in Los Angeles, CA this week and asked the WWE power couple about the upcoming match. Rusev said The Undertaker is a legend, but so is he. They said The Undertaker is past his prime, while Rusev is the stronger, faster and overall better athlete.

When asked about the fact that WWE won’t be bringing any of the female performers to Saudi Arabia later this month, Rusev said Lana “has more important things to do” at home.

You can check out the ful linterview here:

The Greatest Royal Rumble

The event will air live from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, beginning at 12 noon EST on April 27th. 7 championship matches will be apart of the show as well as a special Triple H vs John Cena single’s match and the Rumble. With the addition of the Casket Match, the event now has 10 scheduled matches.

  1. 50-person Royal Rumble
  2. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns – steel cage – Universal Championship
  3. Seth Rollins vs the Miz vs Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe – ladder match – Intercontinental Championship
  4. WWE Championship Match TBA
  5. United States Championship Match TBA
  6. the Bar vs TBA – Raw Tag Team Championship Match
  7. the Bludgeon Brothers vs the Usos – Smackdown Tag Team Championship
  8. Cruiserweight Championship Match TBA
  9. John Cena vs Triple H
  10. the Undertaker vs Rusev – Casket Match

Jerry Lawler Suffered Serious Stroke Weeks Before WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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10

Just 3 weeks out from WrestleMania 34, Jerry Lawler apparently suffered a stroke. Lawler was in ICU for 3 days and was unable to speak before making a full recovery in time to appear at WrestleMania this weekend.

Lawler was engaging in sexual intercourse at the time of his stroke. He detailed the incident on an episode of his “Dinner with the King” podcast.

Jerry Lawler Stroke Recovery

Lawler, who also suffered an on-air heart attack in 2012, made a full recovery following the stroke. Not only did Lawler appear at WrestleMania 34 but he participated in some pre-Mania festivities as well. During an independent show over the weekend, Lawler even shot a fireball at Joey Ryan’s genitals. At the time, Ryan was dressed up as Andy Kauffman, Lawler’s historic rival.

At WrestleMania 34, Lawler called the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal along with his broadcast partner, Jim Ross.

According to the King, only Kevin Dunn and Triple H knew about his medical scare before Mania.

Samoa Joe On Missing WrestleMania Two Years In A Row

Anutosh Bajpai
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1

Samoa Joe was unfortunate enough to miss WrestleMania last year and his bad luck forced the former TNA World Champion to miss the Show of Shows this year again.

During a recent interview with Busted Open Radio before WrestleMania 34, Joe talked about not being able to attend the PPV second year in a row among other things.

He said that anybody would be upset at this proposition because Mania is like the Super Bowl of Wrestling Industry so sitting on the bench is a tough go:

“I think anybody is always upset at that proposition. WrestleMania was a big day for us, and for our industry, and anytime the Super Bowl is on you want to be playing, so sitting on the bench, especially when you are ready to run, it is a tough go, but you deal with it the best way that I can.”

For those who don’t know, Samoa Joe made his main roster debut back in January 2017 and while his arrival was impressive he wasn’t booked for the card of WrestleMania 33.

He spent the next year building his name on the main roster while going against opponents like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns but a foot injury suffered in January this year forced him to miss the Show of Shows again.

Quotes via WrestlingInc. You can watch his full interview below:

Triple H On New NXT Debuts And Bobby Lashley’s Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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3

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw not one but 3 debuts with 4 new NXT Stars being called up to the main roster according to the Raw after WrestleMania tradition.

The Stars who were called up include former NXT Women’s Champion Ember moon, Former NXT Tag Champs Authors of Pain and the former NXT Star No Way Jose.

They all made a pretty impressive debut on the Red Branded Show. After the event, Triple H commented on their arrival via the following tweet, saying that their spot is earned:

The Game also shared his thoughts on the return of the former World Champion Bobby Lashley, welcoming the former Impact Wrestling Star back to ‘home’:

For those who don’t know, Bobby Lashley made his WWE return during this week’s episode of Raw. He interrupted Elias in a segment and then defeated the Drifter in a quick match.

On the other hand, Ember Moon came out as a surprise partner for the new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax and the two then beat the team of Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.

No Way Jose defeated a local competitor upon his debut and the Authors of Pain answered the open challenge issued by Heath Slater and Rhyno.

WWE Worked With Impact Wrestling For Upcoming Project

Anutosh Bajpai
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12

While the Hardy Boyz gained the majority of their fame while working for WWE, their stint with Impact Wrestling cannot be forgotten especially the work they did as ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy and Brother Nero.

Their bizarre gimmicks garnered a lot of attention when they were first introduced in 2016 and the interest of fans is one of the main reasons why WWE introduced their own version of the Broken Universe on their programming a few months ago.

Although while the company spent time in developing the character on their TV, the saga of the Broken Gimmick is incomplete without telling the story of its origin in Impact Wrestling and it appears that the WWE Officials also believe the same.

WWE Home Video UK recently announced that they have worked with Impact Wrestling for an upcoming Hardy Boyz DVD and for the first time ever a WWE release will feature footage from Impact:

“We can exclusively reveal that WWE has worked with Impact Wrestling on Twist of Fate: Best of the Hardy Boyz. For the first time ever, a WWE DVD release will feature footage from Impact, as part of a candid look at the “Broken Universe”! Out on DVD 30th April!”

As mentioned above, the DVD is set to release on 30th April and it’d be interesting to see what Impact Footage the company has used in it.

WWE NXT Recap & Results (4/11)

Robert Lentini
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8

The first episode of WWE NXT following NXT TakeOver: New Orleans aired tonight on the WWE Network. Ember Moon, The Authors of Pain, Billy Kay, Peyton Royce and No Way Jose were all called up to the main roster this week. There still may be more NXT talent making their way up to RAW or SmackDown during next week’s Superstar Shake-Up. Lars Sullivan versus Killian Dain was announced for next week’s episode of NXT. Johnny Gargano will also appear on next week’s show.

Tonight’s episode of NXT featured two matches and several recaps from the matches that took place at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.

Kairi Sane Defeated Lacey Evans

sane nxt win 4 11

Kairi Sane battled Lacey Evans to start off this week’s episode of NXT. Lacey Evans trashed the entire NXT women’s division last week and called them social outcasts. Evans started off the match in control and drove Sane to the corner. The NXT crowd in New Orleans chanted “lets go Kairi” as Evans threw Sane towards the ropes.

Sane leaped onto the second rope and then casually hopped down and folded her arms as she looked at Evans. Kairi connected with a Dropkick to Evans and sent her to the ring apron. Evans grabbed Kairi and slammed her into the turnbuckle. Lacey followed it up with a slingshot Elbow Drop for a two count.

Evans connected with a roundhouse kick and then a Clothesline for another two count. Lacey applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Sane. Evans broke the hold and thew Sane to the corner. Lacey blasted Sane in the face with a forearm and then jokingly asked if Kairi was okay. Evans delivered a chop across the chest and then stomped on Sane’s back. Evans went back to the Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Lacey went for the cover, but Sane was able to kick out at two as NXT went to a commercial break.

When NXT returned, Evans had Sane trapped in the corner and connected with a Bronco Buster for a two count. Sane connected with a couple of chops, but Evans hit a Shoulder Breaker for another two count. Evans hit a chop of her own and went for another one but it was blocked by Sane. Kairi connected with the Interceptor Spear and both Superstars fell to the mat.

Sane booted Evans in the back and followed it up with a running Blockbuster. Sane marched her way to the corner and geared herself up. Sane hit a sliding forearm and climbed to the top rope. Kairi connected with a flying elbow for a two count. Sane delivered a spinning back-fist and followed it up with the Insane Elbow Drop for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/984224115090436097

War Raiders Beatdown Heavy Machinery and Sabbatelli & Moss

war raiders nxt 4 11

Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss faced Heavy Machinery tonight in the main event of NXT. Tucker Knight and Sabbatelli started off the match. The crowd chanted “Tino sucks!” as Knight dropped Tino to the canvas. Moss tagged in and got into the ring. Otis Dozovic joined the party and a brawl broke out between the two teams as NXT went to a commercial break.

When NXT returned, Moss connected with a Fallaway Slam to Tucker Knight for a two count. Sabbatelli tagged in and continued to beatdown Knight. The crowd once again chanted “Tino sucks!” as Sabbatelli launched Knight into the turnbuckle. Tino shouted “who sucks now?!” as he tagged Moss back in.

Tino leveled Knight with a Crossbody and Moss went for the cover, but Knight was able to kick out at the last second. Tino tagged in and Knight booted him in the face. Knight rolled across the ring and Dozovic finally was able to tag in. Otis hit Moss and Sabbatelli with a series of Splashes in opposite corners.

Otis hit a Back Body Drop to Moss that sent him out of the ring. Otis connected with a Stinger Splash on Sabbatelli and followed it up with an Elbow Drop. Tucker Knight and Moss got back into the ring and both connected with a Clothesline at the same time. War Raiders then showed up and started attacking everyone and the referee called for the bell. Hanson and Rowe, formerly known as War Machine, continued their beatdown as the crowd cheered them on to end the show.

Ronda Rousey Opens Up On Her Father Committing Suicide

Jon Fuentes
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6

It has been a great past weekend for former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. She made her professional wrestling debut at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, teaming with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match.

This comes after a dark period in Rousey’s life, in which she suffered the first back-to-back losses in her mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Rousey told The Ellen Degeneres Show that after her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 she struggled with depression and even contemplated suicide (via ESPN):

“Honestly, my thought in the medical room, I was sitting in the corner and was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this?'” said Rousey. “Literally sitting there thinking about killing myself. In that exact second, I’m like, ‘I’m nothing. What do I do anymore? No one gives a s— about me anymore without this.'”

Rousey was recently on E!’s Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, which airs tonight at 9 P.M. EDT on E!. During that appearance Rousey opened up about her own father’s suicide when she was young:

“My dad, he had broke his back, and he happened to have a really rare blood disorder that kept him from healing, similar to hemophilia and it doesn’t allow you to clot your blood,” said Rousey.

“And so, for years, he was getting platelet transfusions and trying to put rods in his back, everything. Eventually [the doctors] said you’re gonna be a paraplegic and then a quadriplegic and then you’re gonna die and there’s nothing we can do about it.

“And so, my dad decided to take matters into his own hands because he was in a huge amount of pain every day. He couldn’t work anymore, he felt like he was just a drag on the family and he was very much like a person who takes care of everyone. And he drove his car out and he put a hose in the exhaust. I was eight years old.

“I remember that what he passed, I would just try to tell myself that he was on a business trip and he’d be back. And that was my way to cope with it,” Rousey said. “But, I wouldn’t be crying unless he was awesome. He was the best.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

CM Punk Rips Ex-Tough Enough Competitor For WM Comments, “Andre The Giant” Director On First Seeing Him

Jon Fuentes
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– Former WWE Champion-turned-UFC welterweight CM Punk took to Twitter and defended the WrestleMania 34 crowd for chanting his name during the show, and playing with beach balls as well. Former 2011 Tough Enough competitor AJ Kirsch ripped fans for their antics during the show.

Punk responded with the following in defense of the crowd:

https://twitter.com/AJKirsch/status/983837659809267712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2F1292273-cm-punk-blasts-former-tough-enough-contestant-on-twitter&tfw_creator=GiveMeSport&tfw_site=GiveMeSport

– HBO posted the following clip on their YouTube channel of an interview with “Andre The Giant” documentary director Jason Hehir. Hehir described what it was like seeing Andre in the ring for the first time:

“When I was seven or eight years old, WWF – at the time – was on at eleven A.M. every morning in Boston. My brothers were huge fans, my older brothers, I wasn’t quite old enough to be that into it. But I vividly remember them coming and finding me and saying, “After the commercial break, this guy Andre The Giant is gonna be on, you have to see him!”

“I said, “Is he an actual giant? What’s the deal?” And I’ll never forget, watching him walk through the crowd and up into the ring in this moment of – you know I’m seven years old and I’m just coming off of reading fairy tales and these fictional, larger than life stories.

“And this guy is the physical embodiment of some of the characters who are in those fairytales, so I was immediately hooked seeing him as to who the guy was – I wanna know more about him: where he’s from, how big is his bed, what does he eat. Is this a real person? How is a giant walking around amidst these other larger-than-life wrestling characters.”

Rusev Teases “Change” In Latest Tweet, Shane Congratulates Paige On New GM Role

Jon Fuentes
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17

– Rusev is probably one of the most over talents on the WWE’s roster right now thanks to his “Rusev Day” gimmick. He was added to the Fatal-Four Way United States Championship match at WrestleMania this past weekend, but was the one who got pinned in the match to Jinder Mahal.

He got his shot at redemption last night on SmackDown Live, as he was part of a Triple Threat match against Randy Orton and Bobby Roode to determine the No. 1-contender for Mahal’s title. Unfortunately Rusev was neither able to win that match.

As a result of his recent slump, Rusev took to Twitter to tease some “change” that could be coming for himself. Perhaps this means the end of Rusev Day? Or he could simply be referring to the upcoming Superstar Shake-up, teasing a move to RAW:

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan has returned to being a full-time WWE talent, and resigned from his role as General Manager.

With that being said, McMahon announced Paige – who recently announced her retirement as a WWE in-ring competitor due to injury – as the new General Manager of Tuesday nights. McMahon took to Twitter to congratulate Paige on her new role:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/983867100602257408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

WWE Superstar Shake-Up: Our Picks To Improve Both Brands

Staff
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8

Next week’s RAW and SmackDown broadcasts will feature the annual Superstar Shake-Up. It’s a chance for WWE to reshuffle the rosters and create all new match-ups for the coming year. Ahead of the Superatar Shake-Up, we’ve put together a list of ‘trades’ that we think would benefit both the Superstars and the brands they’d be moving to.

To keep the logistics as simple as possible, we’ve avoided listing any champions being traded, although it’s entirely possible we could see such a move next week. We also limited our list to the top acts from each division – and there will likely be many more trades than we’ve listed here.

To SmackDown from RAW:

  • Roman Reigns
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • The Revival
  • The Bar
  • Elias

To RAW from SmackDown:

  • Daniel Bryan
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Becky Lynch
  • Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
  • The Usos
  • Baron Corbin

These trades create a slew of new opportunities for the top stars on both shows. We’ll break down the reasoning behind the more significant developments below. Should these trades occur, here is a look at how each brand would look after the Superstar Shake-Up:

SmackDown:

  • AJ Styles (c)
  • Jinder Mahal (c)
  • Carmella (c)
  • Bludgeon Brothers (c)
  • Roman Reigns
  • Randy Orton
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Bobby Roode
  • Elias
  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • The Revival
  • The Bar
  • The New Day

 

RAW:

  • Brock Lesnar (c)
  • Seth Rollins (c)
  • Nia Jax (c)
  • Ronda Rousey
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Braun Strowman
  • Finn Balor
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Samoa Joe
  • Baron Corbin
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Becky Lynch
  • Sasha Banks
  • Owens & Zayn
  • The Usos

Key Takeaways:

Roman Reigns:

Roman Reigns is the wrestler who is in most need of new surroundings. Reigns could very well capture the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar at the Greatest Royal Rumble, but we’re going under the assumption that Lesnar retains. WrestleMania 34 was the strongest indication yet that WWE has come to terms with the fact that Reigns hasn’t gotten over as they hoped. Reigns defeating Lesnar just weeks later would allow him to win the belt in front of a more forgiving live audience, but it doesn’t address the underlying damaged foundation. On SmackDown, the pressure of being ‘the chosen one’ to slay Brock Lesnar is alleviated and Reigns will have a chance to find himself, tweak his character and get over more organically.

Daniel Bryan:

Daniel Bryan is WWE’s top babyface (sorry, Roman). If he can stay healthy, Bryan could move the needle for Monday Night RAW’s viewership in a time when WWE is in the midst of TV rights fees negotiations. Wherever Bryan wrestles, there will be a long list of prospective dream matches. We got a taste of Bryan vs. Styles this week on SmackDown Live, but on RAW – he’s got feuds waiting for him with the likes of Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and even monsters like Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar.

Jeff Hardy:

With Bray Wyatt now aligned with Broken Matt, it makes sense to move Jeff Hardy to SmackDown where he can pursue a singles career separate from the Broken Universe. Jeff looked good in his (surprise) return match on RAW and his popularity would allow him to be a featured act on SmackDown.

Charlotte:

After dropping the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Carmella this week, Charlotte moving to RAW seems like an obvious one. Over the past week, there has been a lot of speculation that next year’s WrestleMania will feature a showdown between Charlotte and Ronda Rousey. Done right, this could be the first women’s match in history to headline a WrestleMania. We will see if WWE can resist pulling the trigger on this match before then.

Braun Strowman:

Braun is my MVP in the entire company. With Brock Lesnar rumored to be gearing up for a UFC return, this leaves an opening for Braun to assume that role of unbeatable dominant heel champion. I would have Braun Strowman be the man to dethrone Brock Lesnar in the coming weeks. Put the title on him and let Daniel Bryan chase him until WrestleMania.

As mentioned above, Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship at WrestleMania was a major break in WWE’s longterm planning. Lesnar could be on his way out and they decided against pulling the trigger on Reigns at Mania. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to pull that trigger just weeks later on a smaller stage. Strowman has more than proven himself as a polished performer in and out of the ring. The Reigns experiment flopped – it’s time for something new.

What do you think about our ideas for the Superstar Shake-Up? Comment and let us know who you want to see change brands. 

Steve Austin Offers His Thoughts On Undertaker Squashing John Cena At WM 34

Jon Fuentes
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8

WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has released a new episode of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, in which he breaks down this past weekend’s WrestleMania 34 event. One match in particular Austin discussed was Undertaker’s squash match over John Cena.

Austin explained that WWE didn’t advertise the match so that it could be viewed as a bonus for fans at the event:

“It was a little shocking to me with Cena calling him out for so long.” Austin explained, “basically, it was an unadvertised match. I mean, Cena’s trying to call out [Undertaker] and I kept thinking, ‘there’s no way, no way that he’s going to get an acceptance on the day-of,’ so, yeah, it was teased and they paid off the tease, but it wasn’t really advertised. So nonetheless, the crowd felt like they got a bonus, but in that bonus was a very short match and Cena got squashed.”

The former WWE Champion believes that the match would’ve been a lot more effective had The Leader Of The Cenation gotten in a bit more offense against Taker:

“I’ve got nothing but respect for both guys,” Austin prefaced. “Undertaker has been around forever. He has had one of the best runs in the history of the [pro wrestling] business, so has John Cena.

“And, man, had it been a 15-minute bing, bang, boom kind of thing, I don’t know that that’s what they needed, but it just seems like maybe if Cena got in just a little bit more offense into that Tombstone, then, do the favors, maybe it would have been a little bit more effective.”

With all that being said, Austin said he respects Cena, arguably the greatest WWE Superstar of all time, for accepting the match and his willingness to lose the way he did at WrestleMania:

“It was what it was and I don’t know how Undertaker’s feeling on a physical level.” Austin continued, “he looked phenomenal and he’s one of the toughest guys, I think, in the business.

“But Cena’s probably moving on to do other things with movies, and series, and endorsements, and stuff like that. But he continues to be an ambassador for the company, and [has] a great attitude, and it not afraid to put somebody over. I respect him for that.”

You can listen to The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Frontline Wrestling (UK) Announce Main Event for Debut Show

Jake Skudder
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0

New UK based promotion Frontline Wrestling has announced the main event for their debut show ‘Build Me an Empire’ which takes place on June 28th at Stratford Circus in London.

Pro Wrestling NOAH and Japanese legend Kenoh will be facing one of the UK’s standout talents; Chris Ridgeway. Ridgeway is one of the most hard hitting and impactful performers on the scene today and his style meshes perfectly with the ‘British Puro’ aesthetic that Frontine are looking to bring on their cards. Company owner Will Ospreay mentioned in an exclusive interview with SEScoops that he wanted to bring Strong Style to Great Britain in a way that was authentic to the Japanese wrestling culture but still highlighted some of the stellar talent that is being produced on UK shores.

Kenoh has been a part of Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion since 2014, following an extremely successful stint in the Michinoku Pro promotion from 2007 when he was scouted by Jinsei Shinzaki. As well as being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, GHC Tag Team Championship and Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Check out Frontline’s Twitter account below for more updates as they become available:

Brandi Rhodes Wants To Join Bullet Club, NJPW Stable Joining ROH Tour

Jon Fuentes
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5

– Earlier this month, Bullet Club leader Cody noted that he’d love to recruit a female member to the group. Cody’s wife, Brandi Rhodes, responded to him on Twitter and said she deserves to join the club since she took a V-Trigger for him from Kenny Omega at Supercard of Honor XII.

Cody responded by saying he’s against nepotism but will consider her in his search:

– Ring Of Honor (ROH) has announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) stable Los Ingobernables de Japon are set to join their War of the Worlds tour. The tour will hit Lowell, Massachusetts on May 9th, Toronto, Ontario May 11th, Royal Oak, Michigan on May 12th, and Chicago, Illinois on May 13th. Matches have yet to be announced.

Carmella’s Morning Message To Haters, Billie Kay Reacts To Iconic Duo’s SDL Debut

Jon Fuentes
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11

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, the first since WrestleMania 34, Charlotte Flair came out to the ring to celebrate her victory over Asuka in New Orleans – ending the Japanese star’s undefeated streak of over 900 days.

Just as Flair was cutting her promo, NXT call-ups Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, The Iconic Duo, made their main roster debuts to confront The Queen. They proceeded to make a statement by attacking the then-SmackDown Live Women’s Champion.

Kay took to Twitter to react to she and Royce’s debut, and said she couldn’t be more proud of it:

– Speaking of Kay and Royce’s debut, their beatdown on Flair led to Mrs. Money In The Bank Carmella cashing in her briefcase and winning the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship. This morning Carmella took to Twitter to issue a message to her “haters.”

She seemingly took a shot at those who bought reports that said she was going to have an unsuccessful cash-in at WrestleMania this past Sunday:

Ronda Rousey Set For TV Appearance Tonight, Paige Reacts To Iconic Duo Debut & Carmella Cash-In

Jon Fuentes
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4

– WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey had a great weekend in New Orleans. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion made her professional wrestling debut in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34, teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

The Rowdy One completely blew fans’ expectations for her wrestling ability out of the water. With all that now behind her, Rousey is now set to make an appearance on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry” tonight at 9pm EST. Here’s the official statement:

Ronda Rousey to appear on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry”

Following her memorable in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34, The Baddest Woman on the Planet, Ronda Rousey, will appear on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry.”

Rousey’s enlightening experience with the renowned Tyler Henry airs Wednesday, April 11, at 9/8 C.

– New SmackDown Live General Manager Paige took to Twitter to react to a big first day on the job. NXT call-ups The Iconic Duo, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, made their main roster debut by attacking Charlotte Flair.

Soon after, Ms. Money In The Bank Carmella cashed in her briefcase and became the new SmackDown Live Women’s Champion by pinning The Queen. Here’s what Paige had to say about the two events:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/983881191282626560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/983878508186361856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Lance Storm Has An Interesting Idea For SDL With Paige As GM, Fan Falls Asleep During 205 Live (Video)

Jon Fuentes
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27

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced a new General Manager for Tuesday nights. Daniel Bryan is now back to being a full-time in-ring competitor, leaving the General Manager position open.

McMahon announced that former WWE Divas Champion Paige, who recently announced her retirement from in-ring competition, will now be the new General Manager for SmackDown Live.

Former WWE Superstar Lance Storm recently took to Twitter shortly after the announcement, and presented an interesting idea for SmackDown Live now that Paige is at the helm. Storm suggested SmackDown become an all-female show run by Paige, with the addition of a tag team division as well:

https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/983864684158713856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Flance-storm-has-an-interesting-idea-for-smackdown-live-now-that-paige-is-general-manager%2F&tfw_creator=innern3rd&tfw_site=innern3rd

Storm did note that WWE probably shouldn’t do this, but it’s still a fun idea to ponder regardless. What are your thoughts?

– 205 Live might not be the most exciting professional wrestling show available to fans, but one guy in the audience took things to a whole different level. After a long WrestleMania week, a photo surfaced of a fan falling asleep during 205 Live in the crowd.

Of course, he later woke up and resumed enjoying the show. Check it out:

https://twitter.com/Redman8619/status/983898645601947648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fwatch-fan-falls-asleep-during-205-live-video-photo%2F&tfw_creator=innern3rd&tfw_site=innern3rd

Corey Graves Admits He Weighed His Options After Daniel Bryan Was Medically Cleared

Andrew Ravens
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18

WWE color commentator Corey Graves had some interesting feelings about the news of former WWE SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan being medically cleared to return to in-ring action after a history of suffering concussions.

The reason for such feelings is due to his career as an active wrestler being cut short because of the same reason. In August of 2011, Graves signed a developmental contract with WWE and he was sent to WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).

In the Spring of 2014, he was pulled from action in NXT after suffering a concussion, which caused him to be absent from television for several months. He announced his official in-ring retirement due to his concussion issues in December of that year. It was a bittersweet moment as the door on his wrestling career shut while his career as a commentator began.

Following the 2016 WWE draft, it was announced that Graves would be joining the RAW commentary team. Since then, Graves has brought his entertaining analysis to the main roster by breaking down the matches and storylines on both RAW and SmackDown Live. 

Graves was interviewed by Justin LaBar of Triblive to talk about various topics. During the interview, he revealed that he considered trying to get medically cleared to in-ring action after Bryan’s return was announced.

“That day was tough for me. I didn’t know about it. Nobody gave me a heads up. For Bryan, I was stoked. He’s a friend. He’s incredible in the ring. That’s where he belongs. It caught me off guard. I started asking questions to myself, Should I? What if? I had a few conversations with few people [in WWE] who put it out there. If you want to pursue this maybe we can look into it. So I spent about a week and a half weighing the options. It was, do I become a wrestler again and what happens?”

“Exactly. Again, this is all potential of would this work out, do I end up on the sidelines. I talked to my wife, talked to some friends. I think as much as I don’t believe in fate, this all kind of worked itself out so I think this is where I belong so why step out of it?”

Grave also talked about his first night as a color commentator on WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, and more. You can read the entire interview here.

What are your thoughts on Graves’ comments about a potential return? Sound off in the comment section below.

Video: Mojo Rawley Slaps A Crazy Fan’s Chest At A Bar

Jon Fuentes
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7

WWE fans are absolutely crazy.

TMZ Sports has published a video of WWE Superstar Mojo Rawley hanging out in a bar, when a fan (wearing a duck hat) approaches the former Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner and asks him to slap his chest.

Rawley laughs at him a bit before the fan, who is most likely intoxicated, shoves Rawley playfully. This seems to pump Rawley up a bit, who then overhand slaps the fan right on the chest.

The fan didn’t seem to be in too much pain, instead flexing and screaming after the slap. Another fan approached Rawley asking for the same. This fan, however, only got Rawley to play with his chest before laughing and waving for the cameras.

Check out the video here:

If you’re drunk and approach a WWE wrestler to slap your chest, Rawley probably shouldn’t be at the top of your list. Before joining WWE’s developmental program in NXT back in 2012, Rawley played professional football as a defensive lineman in the NFL for both the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals.

Six years into his training as a professional wrestler; Rawley is on the main roster as a member of SmackDown Live, a former Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, and is currently chasing his first singles title of his career.

Discussion: What are your thoughts on Rawley’s professional wrestling career? How long until he finally gets his hands on a singles title?

Jim Ross Launches New Podcast (Listen Here)

Staff
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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has launched a new podcast: The Jim Ross Report, powered by Westwood One. JR previously hosted the Ross Report at PodcastOne.

The show is new and better than ever as JR debuts new features including the ‘Slobberknocker of the Week’ award, the ‘Pet Coon Goofy’ award, his ‘This Week In Wrestling History’ segment, and the brand new ‘Mailbag’ feature where fans can submit ideas/questions for JR to answer in the show! ([email protected])

The show also features a guest appearance from Bruce Prichard.

Subscribe now at iTunes and listen below:

Updated Card For Impact Wrestling: Redemption (4/22)

Staff
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Impact Wrestling returns to pay-per-view for Redemption on Sunday, April 22nd from Orlando, FL. This will be the first PPV under the new creative regime of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore. For all the ‘new eras’ and reboots we’ve seen from Impact over the years, the weekly TV show has been noticeably better in recent months and the company is finally getting traction with viewership and positive reviews from wrestling fans and media.

The following is the updated card for Redemption:

Impact Wrestling World Championship Match:
Austin Aries (c) vs Pentagón Jr. vs. Rey Fenix

X Division Championship Match
Matt Sydal (c) vs. Petey Williams

Impact Tag Team Championship Match:
The Latin American Xchange (Santana and Ortiz) (c) vs. Eli Drake and Scott Steiner

Knockouts Championship Match:
Allie (c) vs. “The Undead Bride” Su Yung

House of Hardcore Match:
4 Ohio Versus Everything (Dave Crist, Jake Crist and Sami Callihan) vs. Tommy Dreamer, Moose and Eddie Edwards

Join us here Sunday, April 22nd for our Live Coverage of Impact Wrestling: Redemption.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVRbbh3FKes

NXT Confirmed Matches and Preview (Non-Spoiler)

Chris Stephens
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1

NXT tonight will feature matches taped on Saturday from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Only two matches have been officially confirmed thus far.

NXT April 11th, 2018 Preview

  • Kairi Sane vs Lacey Evans
    • With the departures of Ember Moon, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay, the NXT Women’s division is wide open.
    • With a win here, either of these two could bump themselves up into title contention.
    • Sane is 1-1 against current champion, Shayna Baszler, having defeated her in the Mae Young Classic finals but losing to her on NXT television.
  • Heavy Machinery vs Tino Sabbatelli and Riddock Moss
    • The NXT tag-team division is also wide open at the moment with the departures of the Authors of Pain, who had been perennial top contenders.
    • Whoever wins here could graduate from low-level tag-team to championship contenders.
  • Who Will Step up with Recent NXT Departures?
    • No Way Jose, the Authors of Pain, the Iconic Duo, and Ember Moon are all gone. Who is going to step up to take their place in NXT? Perhaps we will find out more tonight.

James Ellsworth Comments on Carmella’s Championship Victory

Chris Stephens
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Last night on Smackdown, Carmella finally cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. She pinned Charlotte Flair after a beatdown from the Iconic Duo and won her first ever Smackdown Women’s Championship.

James Ellsworth, who played a key role in Carmella winning the MITB briefcase, had this to say about her victory last night:

James Ellsworth Comments on Carmella’s Championship Victory

Later that night, Carmella was interviewed backstage and said she won Money in the Bank all by herself and she beat Flair all by herself too.

Carmella held on to the MITB briefcase longer than any Superstar has done in the past. She sent out the following Tweet yesterday morning:

ROH Apologizes for Supercard of Honor Streaming Issues, Offers Merch Discounts

Chris Stephens
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Many Ring of Honor fans attempted to log in to their Honor Club accounts to watch Supercard of Honor XII this weekend. Unfortunately, the demand was so great that some fans were unable to login to their accounts during the live show.

ROH has sent out an apology to fans who experienced these issues and are offering discounts at their pro shop as a result.

Ring of Honor Streaming Issues

The company’s streaming service only launched earlier this year. While there were some launch day problems, the service has been generally well-reviewed. Not only are ROH PPVs available on Honor Club but all of the company’s non-televised shows as well.

“It is with regret that we continued to face issues with our stream at Supercard of Honor,” the company wrote on their website.

ROH also went into great detail regarding the cause of their streaming problems:

“The current belief is that a bug in the app caused certain IPs to infinitely and rapidly ping the servers with requests, leading to failure even as resources were added. This doesn’t change that it is ultimately our responsibility to deliver what you deserve and we will not stop improving until you get that and more.”

The full statement can be read here.

Undertaker To Wrestle Casket Match At Greatest Royal Rumble

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE announced on Wednesday morning that The Undertaker will battle Rusev in a Casket Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event from Saudi Arabia later this month.

For newer fans, the casket match is one of the Undertaker’s signature events and has been used as the culmination of a feud. To win the match, you must wear down your opponent, place them in the casket at ringside and close the casket door. Some of Undertaker’s memorable casket match opponents include Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels and Mark Henry.

Undertaker returned to action this past weekend at WrestleMania 34. After weeks of unanswered challenges by John Cena, he emerged inside the Superdome and made short work of the 16-time world champion. While his bout with Cena was relatively short, there was no question that Undertaker appeared to be in much better physical shape than we’ve seen in recent years.

The addition of the Undertaker is another indication that WWE is going all out for this Greatest Royal Rumble event. In addition to names like Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho competing in the historic 50-man Rumble battle royal, other top matches announced include Brock Lesnar defending the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, John Cena vs. Triple H and an IC title ladder match.

The Greatest Royal Rumble takes place on Friday, April 27th from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium. A sell-out crowd would see over 60,000 fans in attendance. The event air live on the WWE Network at Noon ET / 9AM PT.

As of this writing, the following matches are confirmed for WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble special:

  • 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match
  • Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns inside a steel cage
  • John Cena vs. Triple H
  • The Undertaker vs. Rusev in a casket match
  • Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins defending against The Miz, Finn Balor, and Samoa Joe in a ladder match
  • Cesaro & Sheamus vs. either Woken Matt & Bray Wyatt or The Revival for the vacant RAW tag team titles
  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers defending against The Usos

WWE is advertising 7 title matches for the show, so expect announcements soon for the WWE, Untied States and Cruiserweight championships.

Shinsuke Nakamura Wrestles After SmackDown, The Iconic Duo On Their Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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– Tonight’s SmackDown Live episode saw a bizarre dark main event as Shinsuke Nakamura who turned heel at WrestleMania this past Sunday Night went against another heel Dolph Ziggler.

He ended up winning the bout after hitting a Kinshasa and it’s being reported that Nakamura was cheered by the fans despite his actions at Mania and the fact that he attacked AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan on SmackDown this week.

– As seen on SmackDown Live “The Iconic Duo” Peyton Royce and Billie Kay made their main roster debut by attacking the former SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte.

After the show, WWE posted the following video where the two commented on their arrival on The Blue Branded Show and said that they are happy to accomplish what they had planned for their debut- making a statement:

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