– If you were watching SmackDown Live last night you probably noticed that three of the company’s biggest stars were missing – The New Day! Stephanie McMahon Tweeted out the following pictures; revealing that she, Triple H, The New Day, Mark Henry, The Miz, Maryse, and WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels were in California for the Television Critics Association Winter Tour event:
– WWE posted a video of former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre campaigning for why he deserves to win the NXT Male Competitor Of The Year award. The 2017 NXT Year-End Awards are set to be announced the same day of NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia on Royal Rumble weekend. The former Intercontinental Champion is currently sidelined with a bicep injury:
– Following Bayley and Sasha Banks’ tag team win over Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville on this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Bayley and Rose got into the following exchange on Twitter:
One win doesn’t make you something special and one loss won’t stop me. I’m not going anywhere, so consider yourself really, really lucky ?@SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE#RAW#Absolution
– As we’ve noted, The Miz will rematch Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship at RAW’s 25th Anniversary Show on January 22nd. The Miz closed out this past Monday’s episode of RAW by attacking Roman Reigns with The Miztourage. The assault didn’t stop there, however, as The Miz took to Twitter today to taunt “The Big Dog” even further:
– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live Ruby Riott suffered a loss to Becky Lynch in singles competition. WWE posted the following video in which Riott challenges Lynch, Naomi, and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair to a Six-Woman Tag match against The Riott Squad:
A date has been set for “All In” – the independent wrestling show being co-promoted by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. Former ROH World Champion Cody Rhodes announced on Wednesday morning that All In is scheduled for Saturday, September 1st.
The location has yet to be announced, but Cody has previously stated his intention for the show to be hosted in a venue that has the capacity for 10,000 fans.
@ALL_IN_2018 has been set up as the official Twitter page of the event.
During an appearance on the Busted Open radio show back in late November, Cody spoke about early planning for All In, revealing that he’d love to headline the show against none other than SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan.
Bryan (Bryan Danielson) is under WWE contract until next summer, at which point he’d be free to wrestle anywhere. It’s no secret that Bryan is determined to wrestle again – and will take matters into his own hands if WWE won’t clear him.
WWE COO Triple H was spotted having dinner with none other than Ronda Rousey in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
TMZ reports that Triple H and Rousey dined at popular LA restaurant Republique. Rousey was accompanied by her agent, a sign that business talks were on the menu.
Triple H rarely misses a WWE television taping, yet SmackDown Live was taking place across the country in Alabama.
Rousey nor Triple H would comment on the nature of the meeting when approached by a TMZ reporter, but it’s no secret that Rousey has been training for a possible in-debut.
The January 9th, 2018 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s episode of SmackDown:
Shane McMahon Announced A Handicap Match Of His Own
Photo Credit: WWE.com
WWE Champion AJ Styles was interviewed by Renee Young in the ring to kickoff this week’s episode of SmackDown. Styles was asked if he thought defending his title in a Handicap match against Owens and Zayn at the Royal Rumble was fair or not. Styles stated that he was being sarcastic last week and wouldn’t have said it if he thought Daniel Bryan was going to take him seriously.
AJ added that there is a chance he will lose his title at the Royal Rumble and there is also a chance he can beat both Owens and Zayn ass at the PPV. Renee Young once again asked AJ if he thought the match was fair and finally Styles said that he didn’t think it was fair.
Renee followed up and asked if AJ thought if Daniel Bryan was playing favorites and the crowd chanted “yes!”. AJ refused to answer the question and then refused when asked if he thought Shane was playing favorites. Styles said that he cannot allow those two idiots to take the WWE Championship from him at the Royal Rumble.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp to a chorus of boos. Owens sarcastically asked the crowd to give it up for the Phenomenal AJ Styles. Owens claimed that AJ was doing everything he could to backtrack and take his words back last week. Owens told Styles that he had no chance of walking out of Royal Rumble with the WWE Championship and Sami added “yep!”. Owens stated that he and Zayn will become the first ever co-WWE Champions.
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon joined the party and agreed with Styles that it wasn’t fair that he has to defend the WWE Championship in a Handicap match. Shane stated that he was baffled at SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan’s decision to give Owens and Zayn another chance. Shane McMahon announced a Handicap match for the main event tonight. Orton, Nakamura and Styles will face Zayn and Owens in the main event.
Shane and Daniel Bryan had a brief conversation backstage. Bryan said that Shane made a hell of a main event tonight and extended his hand. Shane and Bryan shook hands and before the SmackDown commissioner walked away.
Shane McMahon is clearly still not on the same page with Daniel Bryan, but claimed to support the GM’s decision to make the Handicap WWE Championship match for the Royal Rumble. He then called Bryan unstable later in the evening, so I’m guessing Shane has something planned to even the odds for AJ Styles at the PPV on January 28th.
Becky Lynch Will Be In The Women’s Royal Rumble
Ruby Riott faced Becky Lynch tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Becky announced that she will be in the first ever women’s Royal Rumble later this month at the PPV. Charlotte and Naomi came down to the ring to be in Lynch’s corner. Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan were in Riott’s corner. Becky controlled the match early and threw Riott out of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Riott had taken control of the match. Riott charged at Becky in the corner but Lynch got out of the way. Ruby grabbed Becky by the hair and slammed her to the canvas for a two count. Riott kneed Becky in the midsection a couple of times while taunting Charlotte and Naomi outside the ring.
Becky connected with a flurry of right hands and then delivered a massive uppercut that knocked Riott to the mat. Becky connected with two Exploder Suplexes but Riott responded with a boot to the ribs. Becky quickly applied the Dis-Arm-Her in the middle of the ring and Riott had no choice but to submit. Charlotte and Naomi joined Becky in the ring as the Riott Squad retreated.
Becky Lynch got some revenge on the Riott Squad tonight by defeating their leader. If Becky Lynch were to win the women’s Royal Rumble match, that would set up a bout between her and Charlotte at WrestleMania 34. That is a match that would be awesome to see go down at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
The Bludgeon Brothers Took A Step Forward As Rusev Day Suffered A Setback
Bludgeon Brothers. Photo Credit: WWE.com
The Bludgeon Brothers faced The Ascension tonight on SmackDown Live. The Ascension were under the impression that Breezango would have their backs tonight but Breezango informed them that they had a match against Rusev Day.
Harper and Rowan immediately knocked Konnor off the ring apron and teamed up on Viktor in the ring. The Bludgeon Brothers won the match in under a minute. Konnor got back into the ring to check on his tag partner but Harper and Rowan attacked him from behind.
Aiden English and Rusev faced Breezango later on SmackDown. English and Rusev announced that they will be in the Royal Rumble before the match. English referred to the Royal Rumble match as the “Rusev Rumble match”.
Breezango controlled the match for the first 10 seconds as SmackDown quickly went to a break. When SmackDown returned, English had Tyler Breeze in a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Breeze broke free and tagged in Fandango. Fandango planted English with a Back Body Drop. Rusev tagged himself in and leveled Fandango with a couple of kicks to the face. Rusev booted Breeze in the face and then Fandango rolled up Rusev for the pinfall victory.
Rusev Day lost to Breezango tonight, despite the crowd being behind them. I have no faith that WWE is going to build Breezango up as a viable team, so this loss for Rusev Day seemed pointless. The crowd is responding to Rusev and English, I don’t get why WWE would want to portray them as weak right now. On the other hand, WWE is clearly building up the Bludgeon Brothers and they should be in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture in the near future.
Mojo Rawley Advanced In The US Title Tournament
Mojo Rawley faced Zack Ryder in the first round of the United States Championship tournament. Bobby Roode took a seat next to the announce table for the match to see who his second round opponent will be. Mojo Rawley came down to the ring with entrance music that reminded me of a soundtrack for a game on Sega Genesis.
Ryder connected with a Dropkick to start off the match for a one count. Mojo got pissed off and drove Ryder into the corner. Mojo started taunting Ryder and slammed him into the turnbuckle again. Mojo shouted that Ryder didn’t have the killer instinct and drove his knee into Zack’s chest.
Mojo went for a Suplex but Ryder countered into a Neckbreaker. Ryder knocked Mojo into the corner and went for the Broski Boot but Mojo got out of the ring. Ryder brought Mojo back into the ring after kicking him in the face. Mojo delivered an inverted Atomic Drop and then drove Ryder shoulder-first into the ring post. Mojo then sprinted to the corner and blasted Ryder in the face (running elbow smash) for the pinfall victory. Mojo Rawley will now face Bobby Roode in the second round of the United States Championship tournament.
After the match, Roode and Rawley had a stare down in the ring. Mojo pointed at Roode with a grin on his face and then backed away as Roode’s theme hit. Jinder Mahal then cut a promo backstage. Mahal bragged about his WWE Championship reign and said that he now has his eyes on a new prize, the United States Championship. Mahal will face Xavier Woods next week in the second round of the United States Championship tournament.
I’m not really sure what exactly Mojo Rawley’s character is supposed to be now. His theme is a generic techno mix, is he an angry frat boy? It is difficult to take him seriously and that makes it impossible to generate any hatred towards him as a heel. Zack Ryder doesn’t have anything to do on SmackDown right now. There was a time where the crowd was behind him but those days are long gone. I’m expecting the finals of the United States Championship tournament to be Jinder Mahal versus Bobby Roode. That is the only match that makes any sense to me at this point.
Gable & Benjamin Will Get Another Shot At The Titles At Royal Rumble
Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable came down to the ring to complain about their loss against The Usos last week on SmackDown. They won the match, but the decision was reversed because they pinned the wrong Uso brother.
Gable asked the crowd if they knew the sacrifices it took to be a winner. Shelton said that just because Alabama won the National Championship that doesn’t make any of the people in the crowd winners. Benjamin claimed that Georgia was robbed due to a bad referee call, just like they were robbed of the SmackDown Tag Team Championships due to a bad call from the referee.
Gable then shushed the crowd, which prompted them to chant “Roll Tide!”. Benjamin and Gable complained about another referee showing up last week to reverse the decision. They accused the referee of being jealous of them because he doesn’t know what it takes to be a winner. Gable called the referee a rat and demanded justice for the crime that was committed last week. Gable stated that they didn’t lose to The Usos last week, they lost to instant replay. Gable demanded that the referee come out from the back and Daniel Bryan came down to the ring instead.
Bryan stated that he understood the pain of working hard for something and then it gets taken away from them. Daniel said that the referee’s decision is final and Shelton Benjamin interrupted and said that the referee counted to three last week. Bryan said that the referee did the right thing by reversing the decision and Gable continued to complain. Gable asked if he wanted them to beat The Usos twice in one night and Bryan shouted “that’s it!”. Bryan announced that The Usos will defend their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Gable & Benjamin in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Gable and Benjamin didn’t seem pleased with the SmackDown GM’s decision.
This promo dragged on a bit but the end result was a good one. Gable & Benjamin are capable of putting on an awesome match and hopefully we get to see that at the Royal Rumble PPV later this month. There is also a possibly that this match winds up being relegated to the Kickoff Show even though the Royal Rumble PPV is four hours long.
Shane McMahon Once Again Got Involved In SmackDown’s Main Event
Orton and AJ Styles had a discussion backstage. Orton said that after he wins the Royal Rumble match, he is coming after the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted and said “not so fast” and pointed at the WWE Championship. Nakamura then touched the WWE Championship and said “good talk” as the segment concluded.
Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan had another conversation backstage. Shane said Bryan’s decision making has been irrational in regards to the two matches he has made for the Royal Rumble. Shane added that Gable and Benjamin shouldn’t have another oppurtunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships after losing last week. Shane stated that Bryan is coming off as a little unstable. Bryan said that he could say the same about Shane McMahon, especially given his gene pool. Bryan added that Shane is likely to make more irrational decisions in the future because that is just who he is. Shane stated that they will just have to agree to disagree and walked away.
Nakamura, Randy Orton and AJ Styles faced Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens in a Handicap match in the main event of SmackDown. Orton beat the hell out of Sami Zayn to start out the match and then tagged in Nakamura. Shinsuke continued the beatdown of Zayn and connected with a kick to Sami’s face.
Owens and Zayn tried to get themselves counted out and Shane McMahon came down to the entrance ramp. Shane announced that the match was to be restarted with no count-outs allowed. Styles and Nakamura attacked Owens and Zayn on the entrance ramp as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Owens and Zayn were in control of the match and had Styles trapped in their corner. Graves and Saxton argued about Shane McMahon having a personal vendetta against Owens and Zayn as Owens had AJ in a Chin Lock. AJ broke free and planted Owens with a Neckbreaker.
AJ tagged in Orton and Owens tagged in Zayn. Orton connected with a Powerslam to Zayn and followed it up with a DDT as Sami was caught up in the ropes. Orton went for an RKO but Owens attacked Orton with a chair. Owens stuck Styles with the chair and then taunted him as they retreated up the entrance ramp.
Shane McMahon came down to the entrance ramp and announced that the match will restart as a No DQ match. The bell rang and Styles bashed Owens in the back with the steel chair. AJ chased Owens backstage with the chair. Orton and Nakamura surrounded Zayn and caught him by the barricade. Nakamura and Orton slammed Zayn into the ring post.
Orton grabbed the steel steps and slammed it into Sami’s face. Orton dropped Sami on the announce table as Shinsuke got back into the ring. Nakamura connected with the Kinshasa and Orton followed it up with an RKO to Zayn for the pinfall victory.
I enjoyed this storyline much more when the WWE Championship wasn’t involved. The power struggle between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon was an entertaining way to kill time during the build to Clash of Champions. At this point, it has completely taken over the entire show every week and there is no end in sight. Next week, Daniel Bryan will make another “puzzling” decision and Shane McMahon will once again respond to it.
SmackDown has now become RAW when The Authority controlled everything. I want to see a WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble. I don’t have any interest in a match where Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan are bickering and taking attention away from the action in the ring. We already saw that at Clash of Champions and it was ridiculous. I’d like to think that all of this somehow gets resolved at Royal Rumble. It seems far more likely that there will be another controversial finish and SmackDown will continue to be dominated by authority figures following the PPV.
On Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live, WWE confirmed several more legends that will be appearing at the upcoming RAW 25th Anniversary special on January 22nd:
The Godfather
Brother Love
Teddy Long
The Boogeyman
Ted DiBiase Sr.
Sgt. Slaughter
John Laurinaitis
These names are in addition to the previously announced:
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
The Undertaker
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash
DX: Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The New Age Outlaws
Ric Flair
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Free agent John Cena
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
The Bella Twins
JBL and Ron Simmons
The Dudley Boyz
SEScoops can also confirm that former RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff will be on hand for the RAW 25th Anniversary special.
The January 9th, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL.
– This week’s broadcast opens up with a replay of last week’s main event, where Sami Zayn beat AJ Styles in a non-title match.
– Tom Phillips welcomes us to Birmingham, Alabama. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Bryon Saxton at the broadcast table.
– WWE Champion AJ Styles comes out to the ring to kick off the show with an interview with Renee Young. Styles joins Renee in the ring and they talk about the Handicap Match at Royal Rumble. Styles says he was being sarcastic when he proposed it, but he can’t take it back and he has a strategy. AJ says the decision to book the match was not fair, but life isn’t fair. AJ mentions his displeasure with both Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, and then he gets interrupted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Owens and Zyn come down the ramp and mock AJ, and tell him he has no chance of leaving the PPV with the WWE Title. Owens says he and Zayn will be the first ever co-WWE Champions. Shane McMahon’s music hits and he comes out next. Shane says he agrees with AJ, and doesn’t think it’s fair he has to defend his title in a Handicap Match. Shane questions Bryan’s decision, but does support his call for now. Shane wants to talk about having a different Handicap Match here tonight: Owens & Zayn vs. Nakamura, Orton, & Styles. It sounds like that’s the main event tonight, and Shane heads backstage.
– We see Shane arrive backstage and he approaches Daniel Bryan, who was watching on a monitor. Bryan says Shane made a great main event for tonight, and they shake hands. Bryan walks off and Shane seems confused by him.
– Ruby Riott vs. Becky Lynch: Women’s Champion Charlotte and Naomi are at ringside watching this one. Ruby Riott is accompanied by Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Becky starts off strong from the opening bell. Logan tries to grab at Becky’s leg under the ropes, and Ruby tries to capitalize on the distraction, but it backfires and Becky drops her. Becky throws Ruby out to ringside ontop of Liv and Sarah. Back in the ring, Ruby drops Becky and works on keeping her grounded. Becky breaks free, but Ruby slams her down again. Ruby hits some knee strikes and applies an abdominal stretch. Becky breaks free and rolls up Ruby for a two count. Becky fires up and lays into Ruby with strikes, and drops her with an uppercut. Becky follows up with some suplexes. She goes for a running kick, but Ruby dodges it and connects with a kick of her own. Ruby goes for another kick, but Becky blocks this one and latches on to her with the Disarm Her for the win via submission.
Winner: Becky Lynch
– The Riott Squad retreats to the stage after the match as Ruby, Charlotte and Naomi stand their ground in the ring.
– We see footage from earlier today of Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch talking about being Mixed Match Challenge partners.
– We see a Fashion Files video from earlier tonight that ends with Breezango backing out of being in The Ascension’s corner tonight.
– The Ascension vs. The Bludgeon Brothers: The Ascension double teams Harper off the opening bell. Harper fires up and drops both Konnor and Viktor, and Konnor gets thrown outside. Rowan tags in and they double team Viktor for the win after a quick squash match.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers
– Rowan and Harper invite Konnor to come back in the ring after the match, but he holds off. After Rowan and Harper leave, Konnor finally gets back in the ring to check on Viktor. Rowan and Harper turn around and hit the ring again. They double team Konnor and leave him laying. The Bludgeon Brothers head backstage as their music plays.
– Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable are still to come later tonight.
– Bobby Roode comes out to the ring next.
– WWE United States Title Tournament Match: Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley: Roode is watching from ringside. Ryder and Rawley both come out to new entrance songs. Ryder connects with a dropkick early on, and Mojo rolls outside to stall. Back in the ring, Mojo takes Ryder into the corner. Mojo backs up and charges, but Ryder stops him with knees. Ryder goes up top but Mojo knocks him down. Mojo continues the beat down on Ryder until Ryder catches him with a neckbreaker. Mojo charges and Ryder drops him then goes for the Broski Boot, but Mojo rolls outside to avoid it. Ryder kicks him through the ropes anyways, then throws Mojo back in the ring for a two count. Mojo ducks a shot and comes back with a big running lariat in the corner. Mojo pins and advances in the tournament to a match with Roode.
Winner: Mojo Rawley
– Mojo celebrates his win and Roode steps in the ring. They come face to face, then Mojo backs off and points at Roode.
– Jinder Mahal is backstage with the Singh Brothers and he cuts a promo about 2017 being his year because of his WWE Title reign. Now he has his eyes on the WWE U.S. Title, and he will beat Xavier Woods in a tournament match next week. Jinder says Woods and The New Day are a fad, and the Modern Day Maharaja is forever.
– Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable are backstage warming up.
– The broadcast team promotes the upcoming RAW 25th Anniversary Show.
– We see footage from earlier of Natalya and Nakamura learning that they’ll be in the Mixed Match Challenge.
– Benjamin and Gable come out to the ring and get on the mic. They want justice from last week’s controversial loss to The Usos. They talk about what it takes to be successful in WWE. Benjamin cuts a promo about fans sitting on their couches stuffing their faces and gets booed. Gable talks about how they should be the Tag Champs right now, and along with Benjamin keeps knocking the fans too. They say the referee was a snitch, and snitches get stitches. They call out The Usos, but Daniel Bryan comes out instead. Bryan says they need to understand that the referee’s decisions are final, and they need to respect that. Bryan says they didn’t win because they pinned the wrong Uso, and he stands behind the decision. Bryan sets up a 2-of-3 falls match between The Usos and Benjamin/Gable, and it sounds like that’ll take place at the Royal Rumble.
– Randy Orton is backstage warming up when AJ Styles walks in and they talk about tonight’s main event. Orton says AJ needs to trust him tonight, and he can also trust that he’s going to win the Royal Rumble and then tag the WWE Title from him. Nakamura walks in and says not so fast, because he’s also going for the Title.
– Rusev Day vs. Breezango: English sings and announces that he and Rusev will be in the Royal Rumble match. English and Fandango start off and Fandango takes control early on. Breeze tags in and they double team English. English takes a breather at ringside and gets some words of encouragement from Rusev. Back in the ring, English takes control of Breeze. English goes for a senton but misses, and Fandango gets the tag. Fandango beats on English until English stuns him with a kick and tags in Rusev. Rusev flattens Fandango and then hits a spinning heel kick. Rusev goes for the Accolade, but Breeze runs in. Rusev throws Breeze outside, then drops him again when he tries to come back in. Fandango takes advantage of the distraction and rolls up Rusev for the three count out of nowhere.
Winners: Breezango
– After the match, Breezango retreats up the ramp to celebrate. Rusev Day is in the ring shocked at the loss.
– Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon chat backstage about the tag decision. Shane says he and Bryan are not on the same page, and he knocks Bryan’s decision making. Shane says Bryan is coming off as unstable, and asks if he’s okay. Bryan says he could say the same thing about Shane, especially given Shane’s gene pool. Shane says they’ll agree to disagree, and he’ll leave Bryan alone.
– We go to the broadcast able where the announcers promote the Royal Rumble PPV.
– Handicap Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles, Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura: Orton and Owens start this one off. Orton takes control early on, but Owens stuns him with a boot to the face. Orton goes for the RKO early, but Owens evades it and rolls outside for a breather. They brawl outside before taking the fight back in the ring where Sami tags in. Sami works over Orton until Orton decks him and tags in Nakamra. Nakamura takes over the match with knee strikes to Sami. Nakamura hits a big kick, then followers up with a few more to Sami. Styles tags in now and continues the offense on Zayn. Sami fends off AJ and tags in Owens. Sami pulls Owens to safety to avoid a shot from AJ, and they roll outside. The ref starts counting them out, but Shane McMahon comes out to interrupt. Shane says this isn’t happening on his watch, and this match is now a No Count Out match. Shane calls for the match to be re-started, and AJ and Orton immediately leave the ring to brawl with Owens and Sami on the ramp. Back in the ring, Sami and AJ are going at it until Owens tags in. Owens puts the boots to AJ in the corner, then hits a lariat for a two count. AJ finally hits a neckbreaker on Owens to stop his momentum. Orton gets the tag and cleans house. Orton DDTs Sami and looks for the RKO, but Sami avoids it. Owens runs in with a steel chair and nails Orton, and the ref calls for the bell.
Winners via DQ: AJ Styles, Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura
– Owens delivers more chair shots after the bell. Owens and Zayn start heading up the ramp, but Shane McMahon comes out again. Shane says he’s making this a No DQ match now too, and re-starts the match again.
– No DQ Handicap Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles, Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura: AJ runs up the ramp with a steel chair and delivers some chair shots of his own. Owens and AJ brawl backstage, while Sami brawls with Nakamura at ringside. Sami tries to escape through the crowd, but Nakamura and Orton stop him and beat him down around ringside. Back in the ring, Nakamura hits the Kinshasa on Sami, and then Orton hits the RKO on him for the three ccount.
Winners: AJ Styles, Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura
– Orton and Nakamura celebrate in the ring as SmackDown goes off the air.
WWE announced on Tuesday that Samoa Joe injured his foot during his submission win over Rhyno on this week’s episode of RAW.
WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Aman told WWE.com that Joe felt a pop at the bottom of his right foot during the match. Joe was checked out and they believe Joe has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot.
Joe is scheduled to undergo an MRI to confirm the initial diagnosis. Treatment for a plantar fascia rupture would involve Joe wearing a boot on his foot and platelet-rich plasma injections.
WWE released this RAW Fallout video of Joe getting checked out backstage on Monday night:
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger/Jake Hager has been unveiled as the latest signee to UK promotion 5 Star Wrestling. The company held a press conference recently in Sheffield, England and Swagger was involved in a brawl with one of the UK’s top rising stars Eddie Ryan, you can see the footage below.
5 Star Wrestling will be available to watch in the UK as of February 1st via the following channels:
New Japan’s biggest event of the year Wrestle Kingdom has now come and gone…however that is not the only show that you can expect from the company in January.
If you subscribed to NJPWWorld.com for the January 4th spectacular then you can catch the whole of FantasicaMania as well as some of the upcoming ‘New Beginning’ tour.
Some of the biggest matches on offer from January 27th to February 10th include IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay taking on the hugely popular Hiromu Takahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Hirooki Goto challenging SANADA and EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships and Okada defending his IWGP Heavyweight Title against SANADA on February 10th live on NJPWWorld.com.
Here is the breakdown of the biggest matches on offer over the tour:
The New Beginning in Sapporo 2018 (Day 1)
January 27 (English Commentary Available) @ Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Sapporo
Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 2): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Michael Elgin
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match: Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. Togi Makabe, Toa Henare & Ryusuke Taguchi
Jay White & Roppongi 3K vs. The Elite (Omega & Young Bucks)
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki
The New Beginning in Sapporo 2018 (Day 2)
January 28 (English Commentary Available) @ Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Sapporo
Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 3): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi 3K
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jay White
Road to The New Beginning 2018
February 5 @ Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 4): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
David Finlay vs. Jay White
Ten Man Elimination Tag: CHAOS (Okada/Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Ospreay/Gedo) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Naito/EVIL/SANADA/BUSHI/Hiromu)
Road to The New Beginning 2018
February 6 @ Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 5): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Satoshi Kojima
IWGP Tag Team Championship: SANADA & EVIL (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto
The New Beginning in Osaka 2018
February 10 (English Commentary Available) @ EDION Arena, Osaka
Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 6): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Yuji Nagata
Gedo vs. BUSHI
Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. EVIL
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. SANADA
UK promotion Fight Club: Pro will be holding their annual Dream Tag Team Invitational event in March/April from Wolverhampton, Manchester and an as yet unnamed city in the United Kingdom.
Already announced for the illustrious events is the team of Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb (the ‘Chosen Bros’) and now Fight Club has unveiled the next two teams to be making their way across the pond from the United States to participate.
PWG’s Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta, also known as ‘Best Friends’ and Lucha Underground’s Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M will be joining the ranks alongside some of the UK and Europe’s best in just a few short months.
PROGRESS will be making their return to the United States on April 7th/8th and will be hosting shows in New Orleans to coincide with Wrestlemania weekend. This will be the second time that the UK company has ventured over to the states following last year’s extremely successful Wrestlemania weekend shows.
The company has officially announced the first two names for their NOLA weekend, they are IWGP Junior Heavyweight and former PROGRESS World Champion Will Ospreay and current reigning ATLAS Heavyweight and wXw star WALTER.
Tickets for the two shows from the Pontchartrain Center can be purchased via Ticketfly now.
– Just days after attacking Jessie Elaban at the WWE Performance Center, Shayna Baszler is causing more havoc in Orlando. WWE NXT posted a video of Dakota Kai getting interviewed in which she’s discussing Baszler’s NXT debut tomorrow, before the camera catches Baszler interrupting yet another training session. She then has a brief confrontation with NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon. Check it out:
SmackDown Live Superstar Naomi recently did an interview with TV Insider to discuss several professional wrestling topics. Naomi has really flourished as a singles competitor since establishing her ‘Glow’ character, which is one of the best entrances in the WWE today. Naomi discussed how she was able to develop her character:
“I think that is why I struggled in the beginning, because I feel like I was put in storylines that weren’t me. I did the heel stuff. When I first came to NXT, I was wearing the neon stuff. Then I got away from it and ended up being a Funkadactyl dancer, which was awesome. Then I ended up being with Tamina and Team B.A.D. Then I was with the Usos for a little while. I just felt like I needed an opportunity to be on my own.
“I knew that once I got that moment the ‘Glow’ was what I wanted to do. That’s who I was. I really believe in the ‘Glow’ and live my life that way. It’s about being positive inside and out, and being the best version of yourself possible. I really wanted to incorporate that into wrestling. That was my way of doing it.”
After she split up from Team B.A.D. in May of 2016 Naomi revealed she had several talks with Vince McMahon about trying to get her new character off the ground as WWE wasn’t doing much with her at the time:
“I went and had one of the many talks with Vince [McMahon]. I went to him with the idea and he was like, ‘Well, we will give it a try.’ It was an at a point where they weren’t doing anything with me. Thanks to Vince and Triple H and Road Dogg, they really helped me get everything off the ground. It was rough trying to get the gear, trying to get the lighting. I just had to stay on them on that, because this is a machine. There is so much going on each day.”
The former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion also explained the difficulties of getting the character right for television, as it wasn’t working out too well during its initial test runs:
“We couldn’t get it to translate right on TV. It looked cool. It glowed in person, but for some reason on TV, the glow in the dark fabric wouldn’t translate on TV. I literally had to charge it backstage with the bright lights. Let it charge and go out. It was just too much. It wasn’t going to work. Then we ended up doing the UV reactive stuff, which is where we are now. All of my gear has to be certain fabric that glows. Not all neon things glow. That was tricky, too.
“I would find all this stuff off of rave sites and trying everything. I would get to TV and the stuff wouldn’t glow. I got it down now. I have a closet, a whole room of glow stuff that never made it on TV yet or didn’t work. Money I’ve spent on all this stuff.”
The first-ever all-female Royal Rumble match is just on the horizon and will take place at the end of this month. Naomi said that she expected it to happen all along and is excited to be a part of the opportunity:
“I knew a women’s Royal Rumble would happen eventually, but nobody was sure. We speculated about it in the locker room, we were all so excited. I was watching Raw, and we were all so ecstatic when it was announced. We all go on the phone texting each other and calling each other. It’s very fulfilling.
“I feel like all the hard work for decades the women have been putting in is why we are here in this moment and getting that opportunity. Just us delivering on the prior opportunities that have been given rewarded us with this first Royal Rumble match. Everyone is so happy and proud about it.
“I’m excited about what women who are coming in there. The surprises. That’s going to be so awesome. I’d like Kharma to come back. I would love to see Beth Phoenix, Melina. I am a huge fan of Melina. Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, Molly Holly. The list goes on and one. If we get any of those, I’ll be happy.”
You can read Naomi’s full interview with TV Insider by clicking this link here.
– On last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore retained his title against Cedric Alexander despite losing the match via count-out. Amore suffered an injury during the match above his eye that made him bleed profusely throughout the bout. WWE posted the following video of Amore receiving stitches after the show:
– In one of the best spots on Monday Night RAW in recent memory, last night Braun Strowman brought down a huge metal structure on top of Kane and Braun Strowman backstage after laying waste to the pair in a brawl. The trio are set to meet in a Triple Threat match for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) later this month.
After the segment Brock Lesnar was taken to the hospital on a stretcher while Kane limped away from the carnage on his own power. WWE posted the following update on Lesnar and Kane:
Medical update on Brock Lesnar and Kane following Braun Strowman’s attack
After Braun Strowman used a grappling hook to tear down a lighting truss and send it crashing down on Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Kane, WWE.com can confirm that Lesnar is undergoing examination by WWE medical personnel.
Kane, meanwhile, refused medical attention.
It is unknown how this incident will affect the Universal Championship Triple Threat Match at Royal Rumble involving all three Superstars.
Stay with WWE.com as more information becomes available.
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens recently did an interview with AL.com to discuss several professional wrestling topics. “KO” discussed his activity on Twitter, as he’s famous for delivering some of the best smack talk on social media out of anyone on the WWE’s roster. He also was asked about possibly being a Grand Slam Champion, which he would be if he were to win the WWE Championship.
Owens has held the Universal Title after winning the vacated belt back in August of 2016. Finn Balor was the first-ever Universal Champion after defeating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for the inaugural strap but was forced to vacate it after suffering a shoulder injury during the bout. The former NXT Champion also discussed what winning the WWE Title would mean as opposed to having held the Universal crown.
And finally Owens revealed what was going through his mind when he headbutted Vince McMahon on an episode of SmackDown Live to hype his Hell In A Cell match with Shane McMahon last year. Here are the highlights:
You have a really great voice on Twitter, but you’ve also expressed concerns about the nastier aspects of social media. Where do you stand right now in terms of how you manage your social media presence and how you engage with fans both positive and negative?
“I really don’t go on Twitter as much as I used to. I feel like as you become more well-known, more and more people have access to you and know who you are. There’s a lot of people out there who are just miserable in their own lives I guess and just trying to make other people miserable as well to bring themselves up. There’s no shortage of that, that’s for sure. It’s taken a toll on my in terms of how much I love social media. I don’t enjoy it as much. But whenever I do, I get messages from people telling me how my work helps them in their life in the struggles they’re going through.
“That always means the world to me. It will never stop. There’s something very special about meeting fans you know you reach with your work. We do this every week, we get into a routine, and as passionate as we may be, it’s like any other job in a way. Once you do something long enough, you kind of get used to it. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to meet somebody that’s really touched by your work, and that always puts things in perspective and is really cool.”
How important is winning the WWE championship to you? Obviously you’d be a grand slam champion, but now that you’ve been Universal champion, which is a top title in the company, why would it still mean a lot to win the WWE title?
“Honestly, to me, the WWE championship and the Universal championship are the same thing. They’re the top championships on the respective brands. If the brand extension were to end or whatever may happen, those titles would just be fused into the WWE championship again. The point is, they mean the same thing. So of course I want to be WWE champion because of what it means, and that means you’re the top superstar. I don’t think that you necessarily have to be the champion to be the top superstar, but it certainly helps.
“It’s an accolade that everybody wants. Who doesn’t want to be WWE champion? I was Universal champion, and I’m very proud of that, and that’s always going to be a highlight of my career. But of course I want to be WWE champion, just like I want to be tag team champion eventually. All the titles just mean your work is being recognized, and you’re seen as someone who can represent the company. That’s always very gratifying.”
Can you paint a picture of what goes through your head when you find out that you’re going to headbutt Vince McMahon?
“No I really can’t, honestly. It’s pretty indescribable. But it’s something I’ll remember forever, I’ll guarantee you that. [laughs]”
You can read Owens’ full interview with AL.com by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Champion and current IMPACT Wrestling star Alberto El Patron (a.k.a. Alberto Del Rio) recently did an interview with The Miami Herald to talk about his run with IMPACT as well as his past experiences with WWE. El Patron made his IMPACT Wrestling debut back in March of 2017 after being released from WWE in September of the previous year. El Patron explained how much more creative freedom he has with IMPACT as opposed to his previous employer:
“They let you be yourself and just do it on the fly, it feels better. People appreciate that even more, it’s natural. When I went back to Impact Wrestling for Bound for Glory, I was just telling the truth and speaking from the heart and making people open their eyes to the situation.
“And it’s going to continue, as long as I’m at Impact, I have the freedom to say what I think. … I keep hearing people say ‘Every time you’re on the mic in Impact, it’s amazing. What happened? Why wasn’t it like that in the other company?’ Well, the reason was I never had that freedom.”
The former GFW Global Champion also offered his thoughts on former IMPACT Wrestling frontman Jeff Jarrett and the current management within the promotion:
“I was having a lot of fun with Jeff Jarrett, he’s a personal friend. He was the one giving me the opportunity to have my Dad and my Brother in that storyline with LAX. I was always grateful for that and wanted to say ‘thank you’ to Jeff for giving me the opportunity to have them in the ring with me, but it was also a fantastic storyline.
“It was not something they just did to please me. … I know Jeff is no longer with the company, but we have another group of people with the same idea, with the same goal, which is to take Impact Wrestling to the place where it belongs.”
During his early professional wrestling days in the 2000s El Patron used to wear a mask, a normalcy in the Mexican professional wrestling world. El Patron was then asked about the possibility of competing with a mask once again as the 40-year-old begins to wind down in his career:
“That would be amazing! That would be fantastic, but it’s a little bit difficult when it’s done in Mexico. Once you lose it, you lose it. They don’t want to see you wearing it, they would feel like you’re disrespecting the lucha libre tradition, but I never lost the mask, it was a personal decision.
“I never lost the mask in the ring. I decided to remove that mask and give light to Alberto Del Rio. … Maybe for my last match, maybe for the day when I say ‘adios’ to the pro wrestling business.”
The WWE’s 25th Anniversary episode of Monday Night RAW is set to go down on January 22nd in a special simulcast event from both the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the Manhattan Center. Some big names have been advertised for the event; including Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, DX (Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The New Age Outlaws), Ric Flair, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and much more.
You can check out the full list of confirmed names here. PWInsider is reporting that two more former WWE stars are now scheduled to appear on the show, in WWE Hall Of Famer Ted DiBiase and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. Waltman ended his full-time run with WWE back in 2002 and has since been working the independent scene with sporadic appearances on WWE TV over the years.
DiBiase retired from in-ring competition back in 2004 and has since become a Christian minister. He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2010.
WWE will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the launch of Monday Night RAW on January 22nd, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY.
WWE has announced the first match for next week’s episode of RAW in San Antonio, TX at the AT&T Center on the USA Network. Nia Jax will take on Asuka in a singles match.
There is speculation online that Asuka will beat Jax then challenge Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Title on the 25th Anniversary show. It should be noted that Asuka is already confirmed to participate in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. As noted, The Miz, who returned on this week’s show after being off television for several weeks to film the Marine 6, will challenge Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Title on the special edition of RAW.
EVOLVE returns this weekend with their first two shows of the new year. EVOLVE 98 is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Queens, NY at the La Boom and EVOLVE 99 on Sunday in Brooklyn, NY at the Saint Finbar Catholic Church Gym.
The promotion announced the full lineups for both events on Tuesday morning, which you can see here:
EVOLVE 98
EVOLVE Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. defends vs. Darby Allin Non-Title Grudge Match: WWN Champion Keith Lee vs. EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Jaka FIP World Heavyweight Championship Match – FIP Rules: Austin Theory with Priscilla Kelly defends vs. Fred Yehi Catch Point vs. RingKampf
Tracy Williams & Dom Garrini with Stokely Hathaway vs. Timothy Thatcher & WALTER Special Attraction Match: Matt Riddle vs. AR Fox EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson Has Challenge The End To A Fight! Prelim Match – Four Way Freestyle: Jason Kincaid vs. Jarek 1:20 with his lovely assistant Candy Cartwright vs. TBA vs. TBA EVOLVE 99 Main Event #1 – WWN Championship Match: Keith Lee defends vs. EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson Main Event #2 – Battle Of The Best – Non-Title: EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. WALTER Special Challenge Match #1: EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Jaka vs. Matt Riddle Special Challenge Match #2: Fred Yehi vs. Timothy Thatcher Four Way Freestyle: Darby Allin vs. Austin Theory with Priscilla Kelly vs. Tracy Williams vs. Jason Kincaid Plus three prelim matches featuring Shane Mercer, KTB, Jarek 1:20 with Candy Cartwright, Wheeler Yuta and others!
Dave Meltzer mentioned on Monday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio could finally be making his Impact Wrestling debut. According to Meltzer, a deal between the sides are still ongoing and have yet to agree to terms.
Rumors about Mysterio talking with the promotion dates back to the summer of 2017. The company is trying to get Mysterio signed for the tapings this week in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios Mysterio made it clear in an interview with ESPN in December that he’s not currently signed to any deal with any promotion. “I’m not locked up to any company,” Mysterio said. “I’m an independent contractor, as we say. I could go work wherever I want. That’s the beautiful thing about being on this side of the fence. You don’t have a commitment with only one company. You can go around and pretty much wrestle wherever you want. You can choose when you want your off-days to be. That was one of my main priorities when I left WWE.”
WWE has announced that Samoa Joe suffered an injury during his match against Rhyno on this week’s episode of RAW.
A report at WWE.com features comments from WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Amann:
“During his match, [Samoa Joe] felt a pop at the bottom of his [right] foot. We took a look and believe he has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot. We will get an MRI to confirm. Treatment includes a period of immobilization in a boot with crutches and platelet rich plasma injections.”
RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announced that due to Joe’s injury, he has been pulled from the fan poll to determine Bayley’s partner in the Mixed Match Challenge tournament. Joe had been the front-runner in the poll by a longshot. As a result of Joe’s injury, Elias (the runner-up) will team with Bayley.
As of this writing, Joe is still advertised to participate in the Royal Rumble match on January 28th.
On the bright side, Samoa Joe wil be joining the cast of the new Transformers animated series, Power of the Primes. Joe be the voice of the character Predaking. The show premieres in mid-2018 and also features Mark Hamill and Ron Perlman as cast members.
NextVR and WWE® Bring Fans Closer to the Action with Virtual Reality
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., AND Stamford, Conn. – NextVR, the leader in broadcasting live events in virtual reality, and WWE have announced a new partnership to bring fans unique WWE experiences in virtual reality, featuring highlights from select 2018 WWE special events.
The virtual reality experiences will be approximately 10 minutes and available for free to the WWE Universe globally on a new WWE channel within the NextVR app following each event. The content will provide fans with a completely new experience, featuring highlights from WWE’s biggest events, including the excitement of the fans, athleticism of WWE’s larger-than-life Superstars, pivotal moments, epic showdowns and surprise appearances, giving them the opportunity to see the action as if they were there live.
“WWE is amazing in VR, and we know fans are going to love it,” said David Cole, NextVR CEO. “Our patented VR broadcasting pipeline will bring fans ringside with WWE Superstars to experience the electrifying energy and spectacle firsthand.”
“We are always looking to create compelling content across platforms, and we are excited to partner with NextVR to bring our fans closer to the action than ever before,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “As the technology behind virtual reality continues to evolve, this is a unique opportunity for us to partner with NextVR, a leader in this space, to provide new experiences to our passionate fans around the world.”
For each production, NextVR will work alongside WWE’s award-winning TV and production team to position NextVR’s custom virtual reality cameras throughout each event to capture the most immersive views of WWE action.
Fans with a Samsung GearVR headset or Google Daydream View, along with a compatible smartphone, PlayStation VR, or Windows Mixed Reality can downloadthe free NextVR app from the corresponding platform store to access the free highlights.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the cards for several upcoming shows on the upcoming FantasticaMania tour featuring talents from Mexico’s CMLL promotion.
Tour dates and locations include:
1/12: Nagoya, Japan
1/14: Kyoto, Japan
1/15: Kagawa, Japan
1/16: Osaka, Japan
1/17: Toyama, Japan
1/19: Tokyo, Japan
1/21: Tokyo, Japan
1/22: Tokyo, Japan
Announced cards thus far for the tour:
1/19 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall:
Fuego vs. Okumura
Satoshi Kojima, Dragon Lee, Star Jr. & Hirai Kawato vs. Rush & LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Atlantis, Mistico, Volador Jr. & Drone vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Barbaro Cavernario, Puma & Disturbio
CMLL World Middleweight champion Angel de Oro vs. Cuatrero
CMLL National Welterweight champion Soberano Jr. vs. Sanson
CMLL World Light Heavyweight champion Niebla Roja vs. Gran Guerrero
