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6 Takeaways From WWE RAW (2/12)

Robert Lentini
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The February 12th episode of WWE RAW aired live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:

The Miz Will Be The First Entrant In The Elimination Chamber Match

The Miz Cena

John Cena kicked off this week’s episode of WWE RAW. Cena pumped up the crowd by bringing up that they are now on the road to WrestleMania. Cena noted that WrestleMania can make a Superstar’s career, bring a legend back from the dead and be the most important moment in the life of a WWE Superstar.

Cena added that the truth is that he has two win the Elimination Chamber match. Cena stated that if he doesn’t win the match, for the first time in 15 years he would not be sure if he has a road to WrestleMania. Cena vowed to win the Elimination Chamber match and go on to make history against Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.

Intercontinental Champion The Miz interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp alongside Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The Miz mocked Cena for thinking that he is going to main event WrestleMania. Miz stated that it is not 2013, this is 2018 and it is the year of The Miz.

The Miz called Cena the “founding father of Suplex City” and then vowed to go on and main event WrestleMania. The Miz held up the IC Title and stated that he will become the first person to hold the IC Title and the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Cena claimed The Miz wouldn’t have a chance against Brock Lesnar.

The Miz stated that he matches up much better against Brock Lesnar than Cena ever did. Miz said that he wins in WWE because he does whatever it takes. The Miz brought up outsmarting Cena in the main event of WrestleMania in the past. John Cena responded to that by challenging The Miz to a match tonight.

Cena added the stipulation that the loser of the match has to enter the Elimination Chamber match first. The crowd chanted “yes!” as Miz chuckled into the microphone. The Miztourage attacked Cena and slammed him to the canvas. The Miz removed his ridiculous robe and accepted the challenge. The Miz demanded that a referee come down to the ring to start the match. RAW GM Kurt Angle then came down to the entrance ramp and made the official after telling Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel to leave ringside.

The match started with The Miz trying to go for a cover right away but Cena kicked out at two. Miz bashed Cena in the face a few times and went for another cover but Cena kicked out once again as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, The Miz was still in control. The Miz knocked Cena out of the ring and followed him out to the entrance ramp. Miz launched Cena into the barricade and brought Cena back to the ring.

The Miz controlled the next few minutes of the match but Cena finally battled back by connecting with a Tornado DDT for a two count. The Miz quickly responded with a Sleeper Hold and brought Cena back to the canvas. John showed off his incredible strength by powering to his feet but Miz was resilient and didn’t let go of the hold. Cena fell back to the mat as Miz had the Sleeper Hold locked back in as RAW went to another commercial break.

When RAW returned, Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale but Cena countered with an Arm Drag. The Miz quickly locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Cena countered into the STF in the middle of the ring. The Miz was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold.

The Miz climbed up to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Cena caught him and rolled through. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but The Miz broke free and connected with a DDT for another two count. The Miz charged at Cena but John was ready and connected with an Attitude Adjustment for a two count.

Miz once again applied the Figure Four in the center of the ring. Cena once again reversed it into the STF but Miz was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. The Miz then connected with a Skull Crushing Finale and went for the cover but Big Match John kicked out at two. Cena and The Miz battled on the turnbuckle. The Miz went for a Skull Crushing Finale but Cena countered it into an Attitude Adjustment off the second rope for the pinfall victory. The Miz is now the first entrant in the Elimination Chamber match.

Cena and The Miz put on a very good match to kick off this week’s episode of RAW. The Miz will now enter the Elimination Chamber match first and Elias will be the last entrant. Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman are also in the match. The final entrant will be determined later tonight when Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy and Apollo Crews face off in a Fatal 4-Way match.

Seth Rollins Was Given A Shot To Make It To Elimination Chamber

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RAW GM Kurt Angle announced that Ronda Rousey will be signing her RAW contract at Elimination Chamber.

Angle announced that Jason Jordan will miss WrestleMania due to a neck injury. The crowd chanted “yes!” and Angle got pissed off. Angle scolded the fans for being amused that Jordan is going to miss WrestleMania. Angle added that as a father he hopes that the fans can give Jordan his best wishes for his return.

Seth Rollins came down to the ring and brought up missing WrestleMania due to injury. Rollins stated that right now he doesn’t have a match at Elimination Chamber. Seth added that he wanted to be the man one more time and that he wanted Brock Lesnar and wanted to become Universal Champion at WrestleMania.

Kurt Angle said that he can’t just give Rollins an opportunity because there was already a Fatal 4-Way tonight to determine the final entrant. Angle contemplated for a moment and then asked the crowd if they wanted Seth to have an opportunity to make it to the Elimination Chamber match. The crowd chanted “yes!” and Angle announced that Rollins will be joining the match.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Rollins back in the main event scene on RAW every week. It was great to see Ambrose and Rollins team up again, but the nostalgia wore off quickly. With Ambrose and Jordan now out due to injury, there isn’t much for Rollins to do on RAW now. I’m assuming that someone is going to attack Ronda Rousey at Elimination Chamber. I can’t imagine we are just going to see her sign a piece of paper on a PPV.

Bayley Picked Up A Big Win Over Sasha Banks

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Bayley faced Sasha Banks tonight on RAW. Bayley got a great reaction from her hometown crowd. Sasha controlled the match early and thew Sasha to the corner. Bayley battled back and connected with a Dropkick.

Bayley locked in a Chin Lock, Sasha broke free but Bayley hit a shoulder tackle. Sasha threw Bayley to the canvas and hit a knee to her face for a two count. Banks threw Bayley out of the ring and then Dropkicked her off the ring apron.

The action returned to the ring with Banks in control as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Banks was still in control and took a break to taunt Bayley. It instantly backfired as Bayley connected with a Clothesline. Bayley unloaded with a flurry of right hands and then drove Sasha to the corner.

Bayley beatdown Sasha in the corner and followed it up with a Side Suplex. Bayley kneed Sasha in the face and then climbed to the top rope. Bayley climbed to the top rope and went for the Elbow Drop but Banks got out of the way. Sasha quickly locked in the Bank Statement but Bayley made it to the bottom rope to break the hold.

Bayley tripped Banks up and Sasha fell face-first into the second turnbuckle. Bayley and Sasha battled on the turnbuckle. Sasha pushed Bayley off to the mat but Bayley got right back up and connected with a Bayley to Belly off the top rope for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Bayley and Sasha had a stare down in the ring. It looked like they were about to shake hands but Nia Jax attacked them from behind. Jax planted both Bayley and Banks with a Samoan Drop and posed in the ring. Nia Jax was interviewed on the entrance ramp after the attack. Jax vowed to end Asuka’s streak at Elimination Chamber.

Both Bayley and Nia Jax are Superstars that I think should key figures in the RAW women’s division. WWE completely messed up with Bayley and it looked like they had given up on her just as recently as a few weeks ago. Bayley has had a good few weeks on RAW. She stood up to Sasha Banks backstage and then backed it up tonight in the ring. It is going to take some time to undo the damage done by WWE making her look like a buffoon in 2017. Nia Jax should be dominant every week in my opinion. Instead of flirting with the now unemployed Enzo Amore, she should be dominating on RAW every week. I’m looking forward to her match with Asuka at Elimination Chamber.

Alexa Bliss Is Trying To Get Mickie James Back On Her Side

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Photo Credit: WWE.com

Mickie James and Bliss had a conversation backstage. Mickie didn’t understand why Alexa helped her out last week when Absolution attacked her. Bliss stated that she said some things to Mickie a couple of months ago that she didn’t mean. Bliss noted that she said those things because she was jealous of her. Alexa complimented Mickie on looking great and balancing being a mother and a WWE Superstar. Mickie thanked Bliss but said she is coming after Bliss’ RAW Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber.

Bliss and Deville started off the match. Alexa beatdown Sonya and then tagged in Mickie James. Deville and Rose took turns beating the hell out of Mickie in the corner. Mandy tagged in and Mickie connected with a Neckbreaker. Paige and Alexa Bliss started arguing and Deville tripped up Bliss on the apron. Mandy Rose planted Mickie back in the ring for the pinfall victory. After the match, Mandy Rose and Deville attacked Mickie in the ring. Bliss hopped into the ring and fought them off.

Bliss seems to be trying to get Mickie on her side in an effort to gain an advantage in the women’s Elimination Chamber match. Both Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose of Absolution are in the match, so Bliss is trying to repair an old friendship to even the odds.

Braun Strowman Played A Tune For Elias

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Elias got a great reaction from the crowd as he strummed his guitar int he middle of the ring. Elias asked the crowd “who wants to walk with Elias?” and the entire crowd cheered. Elias called the crowd pathetic and said that the best thing about San Jose is that it is an hour away from a real city. Elias then corrected himself and said that every city in California is a toxic dump.

Elias asked the crowd what WWE stands for and they all chanted “walk with Elias!”. Elias stated that he liked the sound of that and added that he also liked the sound of his own voice. He asked the crowd to shut their mouths and performed a song. The crowd started to boo once Elias began singing. Elias said he won’t sing anymore if they keep booing and the crowd broke out in a “yes!” chant.

Elias performed a song bashing all the other Superstars in the Elimination Chamber match. Braun Strowman was then announced and he appeared on a stool with a microphone on the entrance ramp. Strowman brought out a gigantic bass guitar and broke one of the stings while playing it. Strowman sang a tune and then marched down to the ring with the bass guitar on his shoulder.

Strowman clubbed Elias across the chest and knocked him to the mat. Braun then planted Elias with a Powerslam and posed for the crowd. The crowd chanted “one more time!” as Elias crawled up the entrance ramp. Strowman grabbed the gigantic bass and started marching towards him. Braun broke it over the back of Elias on the entrance ramp and posed for the crowd one more time.

Both Braun Strowman and Elias are very entertaining and have incredibly bright futures in WWE. I never thought that Elias had this much potential in NXT. His weekly musical performances have become a highlight of RAW and the crowd is clearly behind him. They boo at the appropriate time, but Elias has just gotten himself over organically. It is fun to watch because he is a legitimate heel. He comes down to the ring and mocks the crowd every week. He is entertaining while doing so and the crowd loves it.

As for Braun Strowman, the guy is just money at this point. Braun Strowman playing a cello or bass guaitar (whatever the hell it was)? Sure! He pulled it off, as ridiculous as it was. I’m sure some curmudgeons that write about wrestling will complain about him not being a “monster” while playing the cello and singing. He is capable of more that shouting “YEAH!!!!!” and walking away. He has also been entertaining with Alexa Bliss on the Mixed Match Challenge. Strowman has a giant personality too and I’m glad he is showing it.

The Final Spot In The Elimination Chamber Match Is Still Up For Grabs

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Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy and Apollo Crews faced off in a Fatal 5-Way to determine the final participant in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Crews got in some offense early but Balor booted him in the face and he fell to the floor outside the ring.

Rollins cleared the ring of everyone beside Bray Wyatt and made his way up the turnbuckle. Crews got back in the ring and attacked Rollins. Hardy and Balor joined them in the corner. Bray threw Balor out out of the ring and then Clotheslined Matt Hardy. Bray grabbed Rollins and delivered a Neckbreaker. Wyatt then hit Crews with a Senton as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Bray Wyatt was still in control of the match. Matt Hardy got into the ring and started clapping for Wyatt and the crowd joined in on the fun. Hardy bashed Wyatt’s head off the turnbuckle as the crowd chanted “delete!”. Hardy followed it up with a Side Effect to Wyatt and then to Balor. Matt climbed to the second rope and dropped an elbow across his back. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate but Rollins leaped into frame with a Clothesline to Hardy.

Seth Rollins connected with a double Blockbuster to Crews and Wyatt. Rollins hit three Suicide Dives and then shifted his focus to Crews in the ring. Rollins hit a Suplex, rolled through and connected with a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Bray Wyatt got back into the ring and hit a ridiculous Clothesline to Rollins that turned him inside out for a two count.

Balor charged back into the ring and hit a Slingblade and then Dropkicked Wyatt to the corner. Balor climbed to the top but Rollins met him up there. Rollins went for the Phoenix Splash but Wyatt got out of the way. Matt Hardy hit Twist of Fate on Wyatt but Balor broke up the cover with a Coupe de Grace. Rollins hit a Curb Stomp onto Balor and went for the cover but Crews broke it up.

The crowd chanted “this is awesome!” as every Superstar was on the canvas or on the floor outside the ring. Crews and Rollins battled in the ring. Crews hit a Fallaway Slam and followed it up with a standing Moonsault for a two count. Crews hit another one but Rollins once again was able to kick out at two.

Hardy and Crews battled on the turnbuckle. Bray dragged Wyatt to the floor and connected with a Sister Abigail outside the ring. Wyatt and Crews then battled on the turnbuckle. Rollins and Balor came up from behind and Powerbombed Bray Wyatt as he Superplexed Crews at the same time. Rollins and Balor then pinned Bray Wyatt at the same time and the referee counted to three. RAW went off the air with Balor and Rollins arguing and the ring and the final participant in the Elimination Chamber match is still undetermined.

RAW had some awesome matches tonight on the show. The Fatal 5-Way main event was very entertaining. The ending was a bit lame but I’m assuming it will be announced that Balor will face Rollins next week to determine who will go on to the Elimination Chamber match.

WWE RAW Results & Live Discussion (2/12)

Eric Lynch
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The February 12th edition of WWE RAW aired live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA.

– Michael Cole welcomes us to the arena, and he’s joined by Corey Graves and Jonathan Coachman.

– John Cena comes down to the ring to kick off tonight’s show. Cena gets on the mic and talks about how in two weeks he has to win the Elimination Chamber match, or else he might not have a road to WrestleMania. Cena starts to discuss his plans for the road to WrestleMania, but The Miz comes out to interrupt. The Miz walks down to the ring with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Miz gets on the mic and says this isn’t 2013 anymore, this is 2018 and it’s the year of The Miz. The Miz says he’s the one who will go on to WrestleMania to beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Cena says no one believes Miz would have a chance against Lesnar, unless Lesnar missed his flight or got food poisoning. Miz says he’s a better contender for Lesnar than Cena is, because he’ll cross the lines that Cena won’t cross. Cena says one way to decide who is better, is for tonight here on RAW, to have The Miz vs. John Cena. Cena says the loser of their match tonight, should have to enter the Elimination Chamber first. The crowd seems to like the idea, but The Miz doesn’t. Dallas and Axel attack Cena out of nowhere. They blindside him and start stomping on him while he’s down. They continue to beat on Cena, and only then does The Miz agree to Cena’s challenge — once Cena is already down. The Miz demands a ref, but gets Kurt Angle instead. Angle comes out and says he likes the idea, and calls for a ref, but Bo and Curtis are eliminated from ringside. Angle tells Axel and Dallas to get the hell out of here, and tells the ref to get things started.

– The Miz vs. John Cena: The ref calls for the opening bell while Cena is still down, and Miz immediately pins him. Cena gets out at two, and The Miz yells at the ref. Miz goes for another pin, and gets another two count. The Miz knocks Cena outside briefly, then takes him back in the ring for another two count. Cena finally starts to fight back, and he hits a fisherman’s suplex for a two count of his own. Miz fires back with some knees to Cena, then stomps on his head. Cena tries to hulk up, but Miz takes him back down with a sleeper. Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Cena reverses it. Miz grabs on to Cena and locks in the Figure Four. Cena escapes and locks Miz in the STF. Miz escapes and drops Cena’s neck over the top rope. Miz goes up top, but Cena takes him down and goes for the AA. Cena escapes and hits a DDT on Cena for a two count. Miz follows up with a running clothesline on Cena in the corner. Miz goes for another one, but Cena catches him this time and hits the AA. Cena pins, and Miz kicks out at two. Cena goes up top, but Miz knocks him down and puts him back in the Figure Four. Cena gets out and puts Miz in the STF, but Miz escapes again. Cena misses a shot in the corner, and Miz comes back with a Skull Crushing Finale for a two count. They fight up to the top rope, and Miz looks for a Skull Crushing Finale from the turnbuckle, but Cena blocks it. Cena hits an AA off the second rope for the three count. This means Miz will enter the cell first at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Winner: John Cena

– After the match, Cena hops in the crowd and meets with a fan in the front row and his family.

– We see a pre-taped promo from Matt Hardy where he says tonight he will fulfill his destiny, and will go on to turn the Elimination Chamber into the Deletion Chamber. “Delete! Delete! Delete!”

– Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are backstage where they cut a promo saying that The Revival is setting off their Nerd-o-meter. Gallows and Anderson start heading down to the ring for a match, but The Revival attacks them on the way down. They fight into the ring where Gallows and Anderson fend them off, and we’ve got a match.

– Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival: The ref calls for the bell, and Gallows and Anderson immediately start firing up on The Revival, as they are not happy about the attack from behind. Dash comes back with a shot to Gallows’ knee — the same knee The Revival targeted in their pre-match beat down. Dash and Dawson now take turns working over Gallows and attacking the knee. Anderson finally gets the tag and cleans house. Anderson hits a dropkick on Dash, then a blockbuster off the middle rope. Dawson takes Gallows outside and slams him into the ring steps. Dawson tags in now, and they double team Anderson. They hit the Shatter Machine on Anderson for the three count.

Winners: The Revival

– Kurt Angle is shown walking towards the gorilla position. He’s got news about his son Jason Jordan and WrestleMania.

– WWE RAW GM Kurt Angle is out to the ring next. He talks about Ronda Rousey being scheduled to sign her contract at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Angle says that he has an update on Jason Jordan’s health — and it’s not good. Angle says that Jordan’s injury will keep him off WrestleMania this year. Kurt says he now wants to talk as a father and not the RAW GM, and he thinks the fans should be ashamed if they are glad that any WWE Superstar is forced off WrestleMania due to injury, whether they like the wrestler or not. Seth Rollins is out to interrupt. Rollins gets in the ring and expresses his concern to Angle about not even having a match at Elimination Chamber, letalone WrestleMania. Rollins says he wants to be the franchise player of RAW, and he won’t leave the ring until Angle puts him in tonight’s main event so he can earn a shot at Elimination Chamber. Angle eventually agrees, and Rollins will now be fighting for a shot to enter the Elimination Chamber.

– We see a pre-taped promo from Bray Wyatt, who discusses his plans to win the Elimination Chamber, and then slay “The Beast” at WrestleMania.

– Sasha Banks vs. Bayley: They opening bell sounds, and they immediately start going back and forth with holds and pin attempts. Bayley hits a dropkick, and then blocks a Banks Statement attempt. Sasha finally comes back and drops Bayley, then hits a double knee strike for a two count. Sasha knocks Bayley outside, then takes her back in the ring and starts working over Bayley’s bad shoulder. Bayley fights her way up, and they go back and forth until Sasha locks in the Banks Statement. Bayley finally reahes the ropes to break the hold, then launches Asha into the turnbuckle. They fight up to the top turnbuckle, then Sasha knocks Bayley down to the mat. Bayley gets back up, and runs up the turnbuckle and grabs Sasha. Bayley hits the belly to belly off the turnbuckle for the win.

Winner: Bayley

– After the match, Bayley and Sasha go to hug, but Nia Jax comes out of nowhere and flattens them both. Nia hits some Samoan Drops on them, then heads up the ramp. Nia is stopped by an interviewer and asked why she did that. Nia says Bayley and Sasha had been taking Asuka to her limits, and Nia just crushed Bayley and Sasha in seconds, so imagine what she’ll do to Asuka.

– We go backstage, where Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns exchange words about each of them wanting to win the Elimination Chamber. Sheamus and Cesaro walk in, and they start trashing Rollins and Reigns. Reigns gets in their faces, and The Bar backs down and walks off.

– We see a video package looking at Asuka’s undefeated streak in WWE.

– Titus Worldwide is backstage for an interview with Renee Young. Titus tells Renee to talk a walk, and he interviews Apollo instead. Crews says he’s not worried about any of his opponents tonight, and then he, Titus and Dana chant his new “Crews Can’t Lose” catch phrase.

– Mickie James confronts Alexa Bliss backstage about saving her last week. Bliss says she’s sick of all the new girls on RAW, and said she wants to make up with Mickie. Mickie seems to accept her apology, and says tonight they can team up, but at Elimination Chamber it’s everyone for themselves.

– Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James & Alexa Bliss: Mickie and Mandy start things off after the opening bell. Sonya tags in early, but Mickie drops her. Bliss tags in and they double team Sonjya. Bliss follows up with a series of knee strikes for a two count on Sonya. Bliss continues beating on Sonya, then Mickie comes back in for another double team. Mandy runs in, and the distraction leads to Sonya hitting a cheap shot on Mickie. Mandy tags in now and they double team Mickie. Rose starts beating down Mickie until James comes back with a neckbreaker. Paige distracts Bliss, then Sonya attacks Bliss from behind. Mikie is unable to tag in the downed Bliss, and Mandy drops Mickie for the three count.

Winners: Absolution

– After the match, Paige hits the apron and directs traffic as Sonya and Mandy beat down Mickie and Alexa.

– Elias is backstage heading towards the ring. He has a new song about the Elimination Chamber to sing tonight.

– Elias is in the ring now for a song. As he’s singing about the Elimination Chamber, Jojo interrupts and introduces Braun Strowman. Strowman is on the stage on a stool with a spotlight, and he sings a song of his own with a cello. Braun then declares he’s done singing, and starts marching towards the ring. Elias pleads with Strowman to leave him alone, and then tries to get a cheap shot on Strowman. Strowman fights back and yells as he drops Elias down to the mat. Braun picks him up and hits the running powerslam. Elias tries to crawl up the ramp, but Strowman catches up with him and smashes the Cello over him. Strowman stands tall as officials come to check on Elias.

– Finn Balor is backstage cutting a promo for tonight’s main event. He says he’s focused on getting his U.S. Title back.

– Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns: This one is evenly matched in the opening moments until Reigns fires up and unloads with clotheslines. Reigns sends Sheamus outside, and Cesaro gives his partner a pep talk. Reigns follows him outside, but Sheamus decks him. They brwl around ringside and Reigns repeatedly whips Sheamus into the fan barrier. Reigns gets distracted by Cesaro, and he turns around into a cheap shot from Sheamus. Sheamus follows up with a rolling senton on the floor, and takes control of the match. Back in the ring, Reigns tries to fight back, but Sheamus keeps him grounded. Sheamus drops him with a boot and hits an Irish Curse backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus locks in a Texas Cloverleaf submission until Reigns breaks out and then hits a Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Reigns misses a Superman punch, and Sheamus answers with the White Noise for a two count. Sheamus misses a kick and Reigns answers with a Superman punch. Reigns hits a sitdown powerbomb for a two count. Cesaro tries to distract Reigns, but Reigns drops him. Sheamus and Reigns breifly brawl around the ring until fighting back onto the mat. Sheamus goes up to the top rope, but Reigns spears him out of mid-air for the three count.

Winner: Roman Reigns

– We see a WWE Hall of Fame video package for upcoming inductee Ivory.

– Fatal 5 Way: Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Hardy vs. Apollo Crews vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor: The winner of this one gets the final spot in the Elimination Chamber match. The opening bell sounds and Crews sends Wyatt to the floor early on, then follows up with a moonault off the apron. Crews slides back in the ring and takes down Balor and Rollins. Balor then fires back and knocks Crews off the apron to the outside. Balor and Rollins go at it now until Wyatt comes in, and Balor drops Wyatt next. Matt gets in the mic now and goes at it with Balor and Rollins. Balor hits a slingblade, but then Rollins comes back with a boot to Blor’s face. Rollins then blocks a Sister Abigail from Wyatt, and rolls up Wyatt for a two count. Rollins beats on Wyatt, then throws Balor outside. Balor takes Hardy outside with him and they fight on the floor. Rollins goes up top, but Crews crotches him on the turnbuckle. Crews climbs up, then Hardy and Balor run over to block Crews’ superplex. Balor and Hardy try to double team, but Wyatt runs in and hits a splash on them all in the corner. Wyatt drops Matt with a clothesline, then hits a neckbreaker on Rollins. Wyatt hits a kick and a rolling senton on Crews for a two count. Matt now fires up and start dropping people. Matt hits a Side Effect on Balor, then attempts a Twist of Fate on Wyatt but Wyatt blocks it. Rollins fires up and starts dropping people now, then he hits two big suicide dives onto everyone at ringside. Rollins and Crews go at it in the ring now, and Rollins hits a suplex and a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count. They continue to fight and they brawl out to ringside. Rollins and Crews trade knees and kicks, then fight back into the ring. Balor runs in and hits a Slingbladed on Wyatt, and Balor starts cleaning house. All five men are now back in the ring brawling. Crews goes for a Gorilla Press Slam, but it’s blocked, and Rollins fires back with kicks. Crews hits a kick of his own, then a standing shooting star press for another two count. Matt stunts Crews with a shot, then takes Crews up top. Crews fights back, and then Wyatt pulls Matt down to the floor and hits the Sister Abigail. Back in the ring, Wyatt and Crews start going at it on the turnbuckle. Balor and Rollins run up to the turnbuckle for a big four-man powerbomb. Balor and Rollins both cover Wyatt at the same time, and the ref counts three. Rollins and Balor both start celebrating, and the referee looks confused. The ref keeps arguing that there is no winner.

Winner: No contest

Balor and Rollins argue wihth the ref as RAW goes off the air, and it appears the final Elimination Chamber contestant has not been determined yet.

Heyman Touts Lesnar’s Dominance, Bayley & Sasha Banks On Tonight’s ‘Friendly Competition’

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– In case you haven’t seen them yet, Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has a must-see photo gallery from the Universal Championship match at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Heyman wrote on Twitter, “I have advocated for more #WWE champions than anyone in history. Spent the majority of my time in #WWE screaming “reigning defending …

No one in history matches Brock Lesnar’s level of dominance. No one. #WrestleMania #April8 #NewOrleans #BrockLesnar”

– Both Sasha Banks and Bayley took to Twitter ahead of their “friendly competition” match tonight on Monday Night RAW. Here’s what the two women had to say:

Ken Anderson Discusses His Relationship With Paul Heyman In OVW

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Former WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Ken Anderson (also known as Mr. Kennedy) recently made an appearance on Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac12360. During their conversation Anderson discussed what it was like working with Paul Heyman when he was in OVW:

“First, when I was doing tryouts, I remember one day we were in the ring working just all the indie guys and the only two people sitting in the front row were Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. Guys were getting in [the ring] doing chain wrestling which was fine, but they just weren’t showing character. I got in there and I started putting heat on somebody, talking smack. Fast forward, Jim Cornette got released from the company and they said Paul Heyman was coming in and he’s gonna run OVW and he’s gonna run all the TV and everything. I remember he came in and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’

“[He] pulled me into a room and said, ‘You’re the next guy up… I have been a fan of yours,I’ve had my eye on you.’ At that point I been there for 6 months and he said, ‘We’re gonna do so much stuff with you on TV here that they’re gonna have to take you onto the main roster.’ Five weeks later Tommy Dreamer called me and said, ‘Hey they want to take a look at you on Smackdown. In that case Paul was correct, and I just continued to be friends with Paul.”

He also revealed that he would occasionally call Heyman for advice during his run in TNA Wrestling:

“After I got released [from WWE] and went to TNA, a lot of people don’t know this, but they would a lot of times hand me a script and I would call Paul and say, ‘Hey here’s what they gave me, I am not digging it, what can we do?’ Almost every week and he would say, ‘Give me a couple minutes and I’ll write something up for you.’ A couple minutes later he would have an email to my inbox. We just kinda collaborated, it was really cool. He’s a great guy.”

Now Anderson runs a wrestling school and enjoys passing on his knowledge of the business to the next generation:

“To me it’s not work, it is fun. I enjoy it especially when the students are really into it and it’s a really good atmosphere and everyone is having fun. It’s not work and I put a lot of time in it. We wanted to have a place that… we sorta designed it on a way lighter budget obviously, we looked at what the performance center is doing and how do we take that to an independent level.”

Molly Holly is a trainer at Anderson’s school and reacted to Holly’s appearance in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match:

“What a huge reaction from the people in the room, when they saw one of their coaches [Molly] come out as one of the entrances of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble. Which I must say, in my humble opinion, that was the match of the night, those women crushed it.”

You can listen to Anderson’s appearance on X-Pac12360 here by clicking this link.

Madison Rayne On Who Really Started Professional Wrestling’s Women’s Revolution

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Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Madison Rayne recently did an interview with Channel Guide Magazine Channel Guide Magazine to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Currently Rayne is a ‘free agent’ and she discussed what that means for herself and her family moving forward:

“I think in 2018 it’s fun and exciting to be able to control your own narrative and go where you want and do what you want. It’s also very gratifying to have a company who wants to invest in you and wants to put their branding on you and bring you on board. I don’t really know what I would prefer at this point. I want to have a contract and have that be home. Then I start doing all these things that make it exciting for me to be a ‘free agent.’ I don’t know what the right thing is.

“I’m just going to do what works best for me and my family and for my life. Right now, getting to go everywhere and do everything and wrestle so many different women. I was with Impact for so long and have this group of women who are now lifelong friends and I’ve traveled the world with, but now I’m getting to branch out more and wrestle different people and different crowds.”

With the current vamp WWE has taken in women’s professional wrestling, a debate has sparked over which promotion really started the Women’s Revolution – IMPACT or WWE? Rayne offered her thoughts on the matter:

“I know right now there is a lot of contention of, ‘Well, the Knockouts started the Women’s Revolution.’ At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The Knockouts in 2007 did their thing and probably inspired many who are doing it now in WWE and Ring of Honor and Impact. I hate getting caught up into who did it and who did it better. I think for many years it has been growing and getting bigger and better.

“It makes me feel good that I was part of this first generation and did it at such a young age. I think I was 21 when I had my first tryout match at TNA. I’ve done it for so long. I’m in that really good spot involved heavily back then and involved into it now. It’s fun.”

Rayne also discussed ROH starting to expand their own women’s division, and it being the perfect time to do so:

“Deonna Purrazzo, Kelly Klein, Mandy Leon and Sumi Sakai, those women laid the foundation for what Women of Honor is right now. I have the opportunity to come in now to put my name and brand on the division. Brandi Rhodes is doing the same thing. … Back when I was wrestling infrequently with them, they had some incredible names and could have easily formed a championship and division. But I don’t think women’s wrestling was where it is right now.

“There was a lull in the amount of activity women had at Ring of Honor for a few years. I would say this is the perfect time for them. Women’s wrestling is probably at its highest point right now. So, for Ring of Honor to capitalize on it, I think it’s brilliant because I think Ring of Honor is growing just as quickly as women’s wrestling is going. I feel like it only makes sense right now.”

You can read Rayne’s full interview with Channel Guide Magazine Channel Guide Magazine by clicking this link here.

Ex-WCW Producer On Steve Austin’s Issues With Promos In WCW

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Ex-WCW feature producer Neal Pruitt has released another episode of his podcast, Neal Pruitt’s Secrets of WCW Nitro, and talked about several WCW related topics. One such topic covered WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s time with the company. Pruitt talked about Austin’s issues with bing nervous during interviews:

“I don’t think anybody ever wants to really expose their weaknesses, but when you do expose your weaknesses to someone that’s willing to help you, you can really excel. Not that I had anything to do with it…but [Austin] did tell us he had an issue with speaking [upon his arrival to WCW]. [He said] it was something he really needed to work on.

“Having been in the interview room for so long, [I know] that what really freaks people out is… it’s just not natural to look in the camera lens instead of somebody’s face. So it’s already a weird thing to do, and the intimidation factor creeps in for whatever reason. [Often] when the light goes on the camera, the personality goes off.

“I knew Stone Cold was uncomfortable with that – looking right in the camera. So I told him, ‘if you’re nervous about looking in the camera, don’t even look in the camera. These people don’t deserve your gaze’. So if you watch some of his earlier stuff when he had hair and he was on WCW Saturday Night, you’ll see that he’s not looking at the camera at all.

“He worked at his talent at talking, [and] so did Cactus Jack. When they would ride down the road together, they would never turn the radio on. They would just [practice their promos]. That’s how dedicated these people were at becoming professionals at what they did. And I really admire that, because I know that’s what it takes. It doesn’t come naturally to most people, but if you work at it, you can get it.”

Pruitt also tackled the rumors that WCW fed in “Goldberg” chants to their programming when he made his entrance:

“Sometimes some of it would be recorded, and we would mix that in to get the people excited. It didn’t happen all that much as far as the live shows went, but I know I would enhance some of the pay-per-view events.

“When I did the show for Deep South Wrestling – that’s where people like Luke Gallows, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Jack Swagger, The Miz and lots of [other] guys at WWE [came from] – I would always super-enhance the audio, as far as when the show aired on TV. I had a ‘roar’ track that I used underneath [the crowd noise], that I think really enhanced the show.”

You can listen to Neal Pruitt’s Secrets of WCW Nitro by clicking this link here.

Paul Heyman Praises Braun Strowman, Nia Jax Warns Women’s Chamber Competitors, Backlash News

Jon Fuentes
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– Paul Heyman had some high praise for Braun Strowman over the weekend. After witnessing first-hand what Strowman was capable of at the Royal Rumble last month, Heyman wrote on Facebook,

“Just for the record, this is one seriously talented and credible contender. Braun Strowman’s upside is … dare I say … MONSTROUS!”

Heyman’s official Heyman Hustle website just posted a new batch of photos (courtesy fo photographer Bruno Miguel Silveira) from the Royal Rumble that are really worth checking out.

– WWE posted a video of Nia Jax cutting a promo on the competitors involved in the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match. Jax is currently set to face first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV), and if she wins she’ll be added to the RAW Women’s Title match at WrestleMana – making it a Triple Threat match:

– RAW exclusive PPV Backlash will go down on May 6th in Newark, New Jersey from the Prudential Center. WWE has announced tickets will go on sale for the event on February 24th.

John Morrison On Who He’d Like To Work With In WWE Today

Jon Fuentes
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Former WWE Superstar John Morrison (also known as Johnny Mundo) recently did an interview with WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet in his backyard where he has his own wrestling ring. During the interview Morrison talked about what it was like to work with Ricochet and seeing him go to WWE:

“It’s bittersweet to see him go. I wrestled Puma/Ricochet/Trevor all over the world by all these different names. He’s one of the best in the business right now and I’m really excited to see what happens for him at WWE and see him on NXT. It’s sad to see him go but when he was a kid he grew up watching WWF and I think it’s something he had to do for himself.

“He had to get there and see what it was like for himself. I think he’s going to kick ass there… Everyone’s going to miss Puma. I actually teared up on that last episode when he walked away. It was emotional man.”

If Morrison were to return to WWE, there are a ton of talents on the roster that he’d be excited about working with:

“There’s a lot of cool matchups that are waiting for me in the WWE. I’d love to teach Roman Reigns how to work. Just kidding. Seth Rollins. Unfinished business with The Miz. It’d be fun to get back in there and maybe do some Dirt Sheet episodes with him. Me, Miz, Ziggler and Zack Ryder would have a hell of a faction I think. I’ve never really had a long program with Cena. That’d be a fun one. I have a feeling that Daniel Bryan will be back when he gets cleared.”

After Morrison and The Miz split up as a tag team in WWE during their early days, Miz has gone on to enjoy a tremendous amount of success with the company. He is a former WWE Champion, main evented a WrestleMania with John Cena and defeated him, and has won the Intercontinental Championship several times. None of this comes as a surprise to Morrison:

“I’m not surprised. The Miz is someone who people are usually like ‘I can’t believe how well he’s doing. I can’t believe this, I can’t believe that.’ But to me he’s someone who really always defined what it takes to becomes a successful public persona and in-ring entertainer and to me that’s being authentic. The Miz is always emphatically himself. He’s always The Miz. He’s in my wedding party.”

Over the years in his professional wrestling career Morrison has wrestled under several names. He regrets doing this simply because he doesn’t own any of them:

“I don’t own any of these names. I don’t own Johnny World, Johnny Mundo, John Morrison, Johnny Nitro, Johnny Blaze or Johnny Impact. None of it. If I had my career to do over again, I think I would wrestle under my real name John Hennigan because if there was some sort of brand test associated with professional wrestling I would hardcore fail that test because I have so many names it’s confusing to me even. I don’t know how to introduce myself to people on the phone depending on who I’m talking to.”

Morrison also discussed the heat that has has with Vampiro:

“He’s always going to be a turd cutter. Are you kidding me? I believe he’s going to be back for Season 4. Him and I and Kevin Cross, Fantasma, Tejano and Dr. Wagner have some unfinished shenanigans in AAA. Pretty much if you ask the entire wrestling world they will agree with the turd cutter assessment as far as Vampiro goes.”

Its been a hectic schedule for Lucha Underground in preparation for the promotion’s fourth season. Morrision discussed what to expect from the organization when it finally drops:

“This is going to be an insane schedule. They’re going to try to get Season 4 done in 5 weeks. The entire season. I’m not even sure how it’s going to be scheduled, that has yet to be completely announced but I think we are going to be taping 3 days a week and so we’re probably going to be knocking out 6 episodes a week.”

Shawn Michaels Explains Why He Took Creative Control Of His WrestleMania 24 Match Against Ric Flair

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels recently joined the “In This Corner” podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was his WrestleMania 24 match against two-time WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. The pair put on one of the best matches in WrestleMania history. It was the last match Flair would work inside of a WWE ring.

During his interview on the show, Michaels divulged that he took creative control over the match and choreographed it himself. He described himself as a “control freak”:

“Truth be told, when it came to that kind of stuff, I am a bit of a control freak. Emotionally, I just knew where I wanted–especially with that match, that might quite honestly it was my ‘love letter’ to Ric Flair. My way of trying to show him, not only the friendship that we have, but also the impact that he had on a 15-year-old me, and trying to convey that to him through a wrestling match, and knowing that I couldn’t be the only guy that he had that effect on. You hope that the other 80,000 fans out there get that; clearly everyone did, and the millions at home did.

“It’s sort of making that decision as a performer to say, look, this is something I want to do, please let me do it. It’s not because you don’t want them to do anything to mess it up, it’s your feelings and emotion, so you have to be the one that is driving that match if it makes any sense. That is why I was so adamant about that match. Honestly, that is how most of my matches were. I probably wrestled only one way too much from my heart than to my head, but honestly for me that is what made the difference in those matches, which was for me to do it in more from a 15-year-old fan in me.”

You can listen to Michaels’ interview on the “In This Corner” podcast by clicking here.

H/T Wrestling Inc for the transcriptions

ESPN Makes An Awkward Mistake In Announcing Ivory’s HOF Induction

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Earlier this morning ESPN broke the news that former WWE Women’s Champion Ivory would be inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame class prior to WrestleMania 34. If you saw the announcement initially from ESPN on Twitter, you may have noticed an awkward error the company made. ESPN accidentally tagged former WWE Superstar Victoria in the post instead of Ivory.

The Tweet was deleted, but not before WrestleVotes could nab a screenshot of it:

Although Victoria, a former two-time Women’s Champion, is not part of the Hall Of Fame yet, she certainly deserves to be inducted one day. There are now rumors as of this writing of that happening this year.

More Information On WWE’s Possible Plans For Jeff Hardy’s Return

Jon Fuentes
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Back in October former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. A timeframe of six months was initially given for his return to the ring, meaning he would likely miss WrestleMania 34. With Matt Hardy now playing the “Woken” character on WWE TV since Jeff’s injury, many have been wondering how WWE will use the former WWE Champion once he returns.

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live recently speculated that Jeff could possibly return using the “Brother NERO” character. With both Matt and Jeff using characters from their “Woken Universe” it’s hard not to see another run at the RAW Tag Team Titles in their futures. Jeff’s last appearance on WWE TV came on RAW 25 when he appeared in a backstage segment with WWE Superstars of the past.

Back in October Hardy posted this photo after undergoing surgery for his injured shoulder:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZz563fAc83/?utm_source=ig_embed

Chris Jericho On How Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg Affected His WrestleMania 33 Plans

Jon Fuentes
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Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently took to his podcast, Talk Is Jericho, and discussed how Brock Lesnar and Goldberg’s feud with one another last year affected WWE’s plans for him at WrestleMania 33. Originally Jericho was supposed to feud with Kevin Owens for the Universal Title, and he would eventually win the strap from “KO” at WrestleMania:

“[I]t was in November [2016] maybe, Vince [McMahon] said, ‘Okay, at WrestleMania it’s you and Kevin Owens for the world title [Universal Title]. You’re gonna win the world title at WrestleMania,'” Jericho recalled. “‘Wow, winning the world title at WrestleMania?'”

Jericho would then immediately drop the title to Brock Lesnar at the next pay-per-view (PPV) which was Payback:

“[Vince] goes, ‘Yeah. You’ll lose it the next pay-per-view to Brock [Lesnar].’ I’m like, ‘That’s cool!’ And for me I’d never won the title as a babyface either, ever. It’s been six times but always as a heel,” said Jericho. “So this was kind of like, ya know, we’re not marks here, but it’s a pretty cool thing. Let’s be honest.”

After Goldberg defeated Lesnar at Survivor Series and WWE planned out a feud between the pair extending into WrestleMania 33, those plans of course changed:

“One week later Survivor Series happens, Brock versus Goldberg,” said Jericho. “Goldberg beats Brock in a minute. And that’s when Brock went, ‘I can work with this guy [Goldberg]. I want to work with him.

“I’ll lose in a minute, but only if I can beat him for the title at WrestleMania.’ And Vince had to make a decision: what’s the bigger box office? Ya know and obviously it was Brock and Goldberg, and Chris and Kevin take back seat.”

You can listen to Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.

Chris Jericho Tells The Story Of How He First Met Stone Cold Steve Austin

Jon Fuentes
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Chris Jericho recently took to his podcast, Talk Is Jericho, and discussed several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was the hilarious story of how “Y2J” first met Stone Cold Steve Austin. This came during a time where Jericho worked in WCW and found himself sharing a plane with several WWE guys:

“I met [Austin] on a plane one time and [Austin] gave me the greatest line of all time. No, [Austin was not rude]. It was a great line! I was walking on the plane. It was one of those rare moments when you would see WWE and WCW on the same plane.

“And [Austin] walked by me and [Austin] said, ‘hey’. I only knew Steve Austin. I was like, ‘hey,’ he was like, ‘hey, there’s a gay guy on the plane.’ I said, ‘really?’ He goes, ‘yeah, give me a kiss and I’ll tell you who it is.'”

Later on Jericho would make the switch over to WWE and would join the ranks of Austin, The Rock, and Triple H. He found out right away that new heels weren’t allowed to call out guys such as Undertaker, Rock, or Austin in promos:

“I came in as a heel, so I had no problem. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to talk s–t about The Undertaker in a promo or talk bad about Steve Austin in a promo! That’s what heels do to babyfaces! Right? But I learned very quickly that that’s not what heels do when they first come in.

“I had no idea! Nobody ever taught me that in WCW. They didn’t even tell me how to bump and feed a comeback. I had been in WCW for three years and I had no idea what that even meant as crazy as it sounds right now.”

Jericho also discussed changing the way people saw him, coming from WCW as one of the main guys in the Cruiserweight Division:

“I knew I can’t win with [Triple H] and DX, and Rocky was always cool and [Austin] was in and out. [Austin was] always on your own, but [he was] always cool to me. But what I did was I worked really hard always, but I knew if I could get over with the bullpen, with the mid level guys, that would bleed up to the top.

“Bob Holly, those type of guys, JBL, Bradshaw at the time, working with those types, Rikishi, having great matches night after night, after night, with those guys, where I was programmed, word gets around, ‘hey, that guy’s not an asshole. You guys are talking s–t about him, but he’s really good and he’s a really good guy.’ That really helped to alleviate some of the tension that was there.”

“Y2J” also revealed that the original inspiration for “The Highlight Reel” came from Gene Okerlund:

“My initial idea was learning from one of the greatest, I don’t know what you would call him, backstage interviewers, was Gene Okerlund who could lead you through a backstage promo even if you didn’t know what you were doing. Right?

“My idea when I started the Highlight Reel was I wanted to be the Gene Okerlund, have guys that didn’t get promo time, and let me do an improv promo. Let’s see what they’ve got. Of course, that did not fly with Vince. He wanted an actual promo segment with top level guys.”

You can listen to Jericho’s full episode of Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.

Tyler Breeze Reveals How WWE Superstars Feel About Overseas Tours

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SmackDown Live Superstar Tyler Breeze recently did an interview with Sky Sports to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Breeze discussed overseas tours with WWE and how much he and his fellow Superstars enjoy visiting places such as Britain and Ireland:

“We don’t get to go there too often so when we do show up, the crowds are a little bigger and they’re very, very excited to see everything that they watch every week on TV in front of their faces, live. When we go over there we’re so excited because the crowds are so excited and you can’t help but feed off that energy and give it back.

“As soon as we finish those tours, we can’t wait to go back. We’re literally sitting here waiting to see what the schedule is going to be and what cities we’re going to be going to. It’s something that we get to look forward to. Some of those shows are so much fun.”

The English crowds in particular always come up with some interesting chants at WWE events. Oftentimes Breeze finds himself in the ring wondering what exactly they’re saying:

“They all have a little trait that stays with you. You almost have to get people to explain sometimes when the chants break out. You’ll be in the ring wondering what they’re saying. It’s a big thing over there and it’s great that people get into it that much. It’s all part of the atmosphere and the culture and it’s really cool to see people that into what we do.”

You can ready Tyler Breeze’s full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.

Top British Boxer Appears for WWE Superstar Paige’s Family Owned Promotion (Video)

Jake Skudder
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This past Sunday saw World Association of Wrestling (WAW) hold an event at Norwich’s Epic Studios, the site of WWE’s United Kingdom network show tapings back in 2017. WAW is the promotion owned and run by British wrestling legends the Knight family, whose most recognisable name is WWE’s Paige.

During the main event of the show British Boxing superstar Anthony Ogogo ran down to the ring and cleared house, helping the British Hooligans by hitting a pretty impressive Rock Bottom and Five Star Frog Splash.

Self confessed wrestling superfan Ogogo is one of the stars of British Boxing, he holds a professional record of 11 wins and 1 loss. Ogogo also saw mainstream success as a cast member of the BBC’s answer to Dancing With The Stars: Strictly Come Dancing, so this is potentially a major mainstream story for WAW in the United Kingdom.

Check out the full video below:

NXT Star Chad Lail Shows Off Nasty Injury (Photo), Carmella Gets Stuck In Hotel Room (Video)

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– WWE NXT Superstar Chad Lail recently took to Instagram to show off a nasty injury he suffered while training. His pinky finer seems to have bent the wrong way. Lail said in the caption of the photo:

“This ain’t a business for the weak. Tape me up and send me back to war @wwenxt #WWE #AWESOME #realMan“:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfAGcViAmz-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi_test

– WWE recently posted another video on their YouTube channel as part of their “WWE Now” series in which they feature Carmella’s recent documentation on Instagram of getting stuck in her hotel room. Check it out:

205 Live Match Hits High YouTube View Count

Jake Skudder
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This past week’s 205 Live bout between Kalisto and Lince Dorardo has (at the time of writing) hit 537,000 views on WWE’s official YouTube channel. When considering the fact that most 205 Live match replays average around 100-200k this can be considered somewhat of a win for the purple brand.

There has been a notable uptrend in match quality for the Tuesday night show over the past several weeks with fans describing the feel of the show as more akin to the Cruiserweight Classic. Recent rumors around Triple H’s involvement in 205 Live have added to the consensus that the show is in fact getting some much needed traction heading into Wrestlemania season.

This week’s episode also featured the 205 Live debut of Roderick Strong against Hideo Itami, last week’s episode also featured two great bouts in the form of Cedric Alexander vs Gran Metalik and TJP facing WWE UK competitor Tyler Bate.

ICW Square Go PPV Title Changes and Main Event Winner

Jake Skudder
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This past Sunday saw ICW present their 7th annual Square Go from the The O2 ABC in Glasgow, Scotland.

The event saw Irish star ‘Session Moth’ Martina defeat Kasey to become the brand new ICW Women’s Champion, she will now defend against Mae Young Classic competitor Viper at tonight’s #ICWFightClub taping. ICW Undisputed Champion BT Gunn successfully defended his belt against former TNA star Bram, he will now face new Number 1 contender James Storm also as part of tonight’s Fight Club taping.

Stevie Boy became the seventh winner of the Square Go match, outlasting 29 other men. The Square Go is almost identical to a Royal Rumble match, 2 men start in the ring and a new competitor appears every 2 minutes, eliminations only occurring once a competitor has been thrown over the top rope and both feet have hit the ground. The only discernible difference is that 5 random competitors are given the opportunity to use a weapon of their choosing during the match.

Check out the rather strange rules video for the Square Go below, if you’re a fan of the film Battle Royale then you may get a kick out of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMZvJUH4_rk

PROGRESS Chapter 63 ‘Take Me Underground’ Results

Jake Skudder
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PROGRESS’ 63rd Chapter event ‘Take Me Underground’ took place this past Sunday from the O2 Ritz in Manchester, England. The event featured some of the best matches on a UK card in quite some time, including a dream NJPW vs WWE bout between Zack Sabre Jr and Tyler Bate and a scintillating Tag Team title match between Havoc/Haskins and the Grizzled Young Veterans. Here are the full results:
Natural Progression Series V First Round Match – Drew Parker b. Spike Trivet
Charlie Morgan & Toni Storm b. Chakara & Nina Samuels
Mark Andrews b. Morgan Webster
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Tyler Bate
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) b. David Starr & Matt Riddle
PROGRESS Tag Team Title Match –  Jimmy Havoc & Mark Haskins (w/Vicky Haskins) b. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) (c)
PROGRESS Atlas Title Match – WALTER (c) b. Mark Davis
PROGRESS World Title Three Way Match –Travis Banks (c) b. Chris Brookes and TK Cooper

DEFIANT Wrestling vs IPW:UK Taking Place at Chain Reaction 2/18

Jake Skudder
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DEFIANT Wrestling will be facing IPW:UK in a 5 on 5 match as part of the Chain Reaction PPV on Sunday February 18th, the event takes place from Manchester’s BEC Arena.

IPW:UK invaded DEFIANT during the fourth episode of Loaded, DEFIANT’s weekly YouTube show. Austin Aries and Mark Haskins made their way to the ring to declare that IPW:UK would be taking over the Loaded programme, leading to this eventual 5 on 5 bout with a Loser Leaves Town Stipulation; if DEFIANT win then IPW:UK owner Billy Wood is banished from Loaded, however if IPW:UK win then former WWE Intercontinental champion and DEFIANT GM Stu Bennett will find himself out of a job.

Check out DEFIANT’s show for free each and every Friday on their YouTube channel, it features some of the best performers from the UK independent scene taking on international stars such as Mike Bailey, Austin Aries and David Starr.

New Japan Legends Announced for OTT Scrappermania IV, Possible Implications for New Japan’s G1

Jake Skudder
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Irish promotion Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) has announced the first two matches for their upcoming Scrappermania IV show. Scrappermania is OTT’s Wrestlemania, it is the biggest wrestling show in Ireland and will again be held in Dublin’s National Stadium. These two matches are more than worth of the honor, as Keith Lee will be taking on Minoru Suzuki and Jeff Cobb will be facing Tomohiro Ishii.

The speculation following these two match announcements is that both Keith Lee and Jeff Cobb are being looked at as possible entrants in this year’s G1 Climax tournament. Jeff Cobb has already made his debut for New Japan as part of 2017’s World Tag League tournament where he teamed with Michael Elgin (he was originally scheduled to team with Matt Riddle). Keith Lee has yet to make his way over to NJPW but he does have the pedigree for a run over in Japan, having faced Tomohiro Ishii in an absolute barnburner back at Rev Pro’s Global Wars 2017 as well as his incredible runs in PROGRESS, EVOLVE and PWG.

Tickets for OTT’s Scrappermania will be available to purchase as of March 2nd.

 

PROGRESS Confirm Dahlia Black as Their First Ever Full Time Female Commentator

Jake Skudder
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PROGRESS Wrestling has announced that longtime Women’s roster member Dahlia Black will become a full time member of the promotion’s commentary team.

Dahlia is a member of the popular South Pacific Power Trip stable alongside Travis Banks and partner TK Cooper. The SPPT have seen themselves rise from the tag team mid card of the PROGRESS roster to fully fledged main event stars, this past weekend saw Banks and Cooper compete for the PROGRESS World Title. Both TK Cooper and Dahlia also appeared on WWE’s Axxess shows last year as part of Wrestlemania weekend.

The company has touted Dahlia as the “1st full time female commentator in wrestling” and whilst this may not be strictly accurate (Alison Danger worked as a commentator for Ring of Honor) it is certainly a huge achievement for Dahlia and offers an extra dynamic to their on demand content.

ICW Legends Congratulate Drew McIntyre on Hall of Fame Induction

Jake Skudder
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Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre will be inducted into the ICW Hall Of Fame later this evening. The icon of Scottish wrestling helped grow and define Insane Championship Wrestling into the phenomenon they are today.

McIntyre (known as Galloway on the independent scene) had two stints for the company, his first back in 2006 when he appeared at the company’s inaugural event and became their first ever Heavyweight Champion and his second followed his 2014 release from WWE. Drew’s run from 2014-2017 completely reignited his career and fundamentally changed the course of ICW’s already incredible success story.

Two of ICW’s biggest stars Lionheart and Wolfgang took to Twitter to congratulate the ‘Chosen One’ for his many accomplishments. Wolfgang, who is currently a member of the WWE United Kingdom roster paid special tribute to the legend, stating that “He was there my first day of training in 03 Without him laying the ground work before leaving in 07 returning in 14 to put Scotland on the world map we may never have got this far.”

https://twitter.com/LionheartUK/status/961266981797289984

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/961299107288674304

 

Sasha Banks vs Bayley Confirmed for Raw Tonight

Chris Stephens
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Mondy Night Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, has signed a match between Bayley and Sasha Banks for tonight.

While Angle claims the match will be “friendly competition”, there are signs Bayley and Banks’ friendship is breaking down. After all, Banks eliminated Bayley from the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble last month.

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

Sasha Banks and Bayley have wrestled each other in single’s action on 12 prior occassions. 10 of those matches took place in NXT, while the other 2 took place last year on Raw.

In NXT, Bayley won 7 of 10 matches against Banks including their 2 matches for the NXT Women’s Championship. On the main roster, Banks defeated Bayley on the March 3rd, 2017 Raw from Chicago but Bayley beat Banks in a #1 contenders match for the Raw women’s championship on July 24th, 2017 Raw from Washington.

Ivory Announced for WWE Hall of Fame

Chris Stephens
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Ivory has been announced as the latest member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.

Ivory’s Career in Wrestling

Lisa Mary Moretti (aka Ivory) got her start in pro-wrestling in 1986 when she auditioned for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling television show. Despite having no prior wrestling experience, Moretti was one of the women chosen. The Netflix series “GLOW” is based on the experiences of women who were on the show.

After training for six weeks, Moretti adopted the ring name Tina Ferrari and performed on the show. GLOW ended in 1992 and she would wrestle sparingly with other promotions after. In 1999, however, she returned to pro-wrestling in a big way when she signed with WWE. The promotion would rename her “Ivory”.

Ivory was the perfect heel woman in WWE’s Attitude Era. She would win the WWE (then WWF) women’s championship on 3 occasions before opting not to renew her contract with the company in 2005.

The 56-year old now runs a pet-sitting and grooming business in Washington State.

Ivory joins Bill Goldberg and the Dudley Boyz in the Class of 2018.

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place on Friday night, April 6th from New Orleans during WrestleMania 34 weekend.

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