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Team TNA Defeats Team GFW, New Knockouts Champion, Title Match Next Week

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– Next week’s TNA Impact Wrestling will features TNA World Heavyweight champion Ethan Carter III (with Jeff Hardy in his corner) defending against Rockstar Spud.

– Gail Kim became the new TNA Knockouts Champion on last night’s Impact Wrestling as she defeated Brooke Tessmacher, Awesome Kong and Lei’D Tapa. This kicks off her 5th reign with the Knockouts title.

– Team TNA defeated Team GFW in the “Winner Takes All” Lethal Lockdown match this week on Impact, effectively ending the Global Force Wrestling invasion and marking Jeff Jarrett’s latest departure from the company. TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted:

Apollo Crews Talks About His Goal To Be NXT’s Most Well-Rounded Talent

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Apollo Crews (formerly Uhaa Nation) recently spoke with WWE.com about his time in NXT thus far. After impressing fans since making his in-ring debut at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Crews says his goal is to become NXT’s most well-rounded talent.

“I often get told by many they’ve never seen a guy who can do what I do in the ring. I want to be to the complete package by having all angles and aspects covered. I don’t want to do all things well — I want everything I do to be great. Some people like to settle for less, I always have to strive and keep pushing for more.”

Crews also commented on using people’s high expectations of him as motivation.

“All I can do is go out there and give everything I have. My mom watched me at Takeover: Brooklyn and said she was amazed, and it was only the second time she’s seen me wrestle. My dad very frequently lets me know how proud he is, and extended family in Nigeria, that I don’t even know or have met, have also reached out and expressed how proud they are. My kid sister, who isn’t even a fan of wrestling, watched me. The NXT fans have shown me nothing but love, too. I appreciate all the support, and it makes me push that much harder.”

Update On WWE’s Adult Cartoon, Daughter Of WWE HOF’er Training, WWE Attendance

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– Regarding the Camp WWE adult cartoon, the episodes that were shot had to be redone because Hulk Hogan had to be taken out. In the past, CM Punk had to be removed as well.

– Rachel Ellering, daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Paul Ellering, is currently training at the Lance Storm Wrestling Academy. Ellering is a bronze modelist in powerlifting and is a big pro wrestling fan. Below is a recent photo:

– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:

* September 11th in Edmonton drew 4,000 fans (Roman Reigns tour)
* September 12th in Gainesville for NXT was sold out
* September 12th in Huntsville, AL drew 3,000 fans (Randy Orton tour)
* September 12th in Calgary drew 3,000 fans (Reigns tour)
* September 13th in Tupelo, MS drew 3,500 fans (Orton tour)
* September 13th in Jonesboro, AR drew 1,200 fans (Reigns tour)
* September 14th in Memphis for RAW drew 7,500 fans

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA’s First Live Events Tour Of 2015 Kicks Off Tonight

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TNA’s first live events tour of the year kicks off tonight in York, Pennsylvania wit the Road to Bound For Glory Tour. Here’s the card:

– TNA World Champion ECIII vs. Matt Hardy

– TNA Tag Champions The Wolves vs. Abyss & Manik

– KOTM Champion Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Drew Galloway

– Knockouts Champion Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong

– Tommy Dreamer vs. Eli Drake in a York Fairgrounds Brawl

– D.J. Zema vs. Tyrus

Plus, there will be a special appearance by Jeff Hardy.

The tour continues on Friday night in Morgantown, WV and concludes on Saturday in Pittsburgh, PA.

WWE’s Former Head Of Security Says Someone Should Be Fired Over Recent Fan Incidents

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WWE’s former head of security Jimmy Noonan recently appeared on the Wrestling Mayhem podcast and said somebody needs to be fired after the recent slew of incidents with fans getting involved at live events.

Over the past several weeks, all 3 former members of The Shield have had brushes with rowdy fans getting out of line:

  • Roman Reigns was hit in the head by Money In The Bank briefcase thrown by a fan at a live event (Video).
  • Dean Ambrose was nearly attacked by a fan who jumped the ringside barrier at the 8/5 Smackdown tapings before getting taken down by security (Video).
  • On the 9/7 edition of WWE RAW, a fan crashed the show and walked to the ring with WWE Champion Seth Rollins during his entrance (Video).

Noonan, who worked for WWE from 1999 to 2007, says he’s actually offended by the way WWE has handled the situation, “It’s getting embarrassing. I’m getting offended by it.” Noonan said. “You don’t get caught three times in one month. If you do, you’re fucking up. Somebody is messing up. Not shitting on WWE security, but somebody is making a mistake.”

Despite the incidents, Noonan doesn’t think WWE will take action against their security team.

“I think somebody should be fired. I think if you’re security and you mess up, you should be fired. Will they? Probably not.” He also said that there’s always a concern that someone who is armed with a knife or other weapon, or a legit fighter, would get in the ring and hurt one of the wrestlers. He said that the biggest fear was during the Austin era since it would do damage to his character if someone jumped in the ring and got the best of Austin.

Semifinal Matches Revealed For The Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic

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It was announced on this week’s edition of NXT TV that the final four teams in the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic will advance to NXT Takeover: Respect on October 7th to compete in the semi-finals and finals in the same evening.

NXT Tag-Team Champions The Vaudevillians will take on The Mechanics at this week’s NXT live event in Texas, while The Hype Bros vs. Jason Jordan & Chad Gable is also expected to happen this week. With Rhyno and Baron Corbin advancing this week, below are the updated brackets.

Bracket A – First Round Matches
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady defeated Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated The Lucha Dragons

Bracket B – First Round Matches
The Vaudevillians defeated Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeated Tucker Knight and Elias Samson

Bracket C – First Round Matches
Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder defeated Noah Kekoa and Alexander Wolfe
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable defeated Neville and Solomon Crowe

Bracket D – First Round Matches
Rhyno and Baron Corbin defeated The Ascension
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa defeated Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey

Bracket A – Second Round Matches
Balor and Joe defeated Enzo and Cass

Bracket B – Second Round Matches
The Vaudevillians vs. The Mechanics

Bracket C – Second Round Matches
The Hype Bros vs. Gable and Jordan

Bracket D – Second Round Matches
Rhyno and Corbin defeated Gargano and Ciampa

Semi-Finals
– Balor and Joe vs. The Vaudevillians or The Mechanics

– Rhyno and Corbin vs. The Hype Bros or Gable and Jordan

Asuka Debuts In NXT Next Week, Two Matches For Next Week’s Show

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– As noted earlier, NXT Diva Asuka (formerly known as Kana) will be making her TV debut next week for her official contract signing. It’s rumored that she’ll be making her in-ring debut at NXT Takeover: Respect.

– WWE confirmed that next week’s NXT will feature Tyler Breeze vs. Bull Depsey and The Vaudevillains defending the NXT tag team titles against Blake & Murphy.

Dixie Carter On TNA/Destination America Situation, WWE & Competition, More

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TNA President Dixie Carter recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard bllog about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On TNA’s status with Destination America: “The biggest challenge for us is building a brand in the U.S. That’s where we need to grow. We’re contracted to Destination America through the end of the year, and we are in discussions going on for 2016.”

On TNA’s future: “TNA will continue exist, and on a level that far exceeds what we’re currently doing. I’m looking ahead five years down the road, not a year down the road.”

On TNA creating competition and WWE: “Besides WWE, we’re the only global promotion in the world. We’re in over 120 countries worldwide and in 19 languages. We made a conscious decision about three years ago to take a step back and focus on young talent. We’ve had some of the biggest names ever on our show. People have given us a hard time about using WWE talent, but after a hot run with us, almost every one of them has worked with WWE again. That is a huge compliment for us.

“I do feel we’ve taken some unfair blows. Competition, no matter who it is, is healthy. It’s absolutely imperative for the industry to grow. There’s a reason that there is a Lowe’s on the corner of every Home Depot, and a Walgreens across from every CVS. It’s important for the industry.”

Check out the complete interview at SI.com.

NXT Takeover: London Sold Out, New Logo

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WWE COO Triple H announced on Thursday that NXT Takeover: London is officially sold out. The show takes place on Wednesday, December 16th from the SSE Arena Wembley and will air live on the WWE Network.

The Rock Expecting Child With Longtime Girlfriend Lauren Hashian

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is expecting his first child with longtime girlfriend Lauren Hashian, according to Us Weekly.

A source close to the couple confirmed the news to the publication Wednesday, saying, “They are so excited!”

Johnson is already a father to a 14-year-old daughter Simone, with ex-wife Dany Garcia.

Johnson, who has been dating Hashian for approximately nine years — they reportedly met in 2006 while he was filming The Game Plan — mentioned her and Simone in an interview with Esquire in June, which is rare.

“I’ve lived with my longtime girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, going on, like, eight, nine years now,” Johnson remarked when asked if there was something he wanted to get off his chest. “She’s a singer-songwriter. We spend a lot of time with my daughter in Florida, Simone, who’s 13. We do these stories and we talk so much about the business end, the success end, but then Lauren isn’t mentioned and my daughter isn’t mentioned. I always like making sure we find the balance and my home life is in there and Lauren Hashian is in there and my daughter is in there.”

He continued, “You gotta get the better half in there. With all the cool shit and success that I’ve been lucky enough to get? That doesn’t happen unless the home life is solid.”

Plans For Rusev & Lana To Reunite On WWE TV

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WWE’s ongoing storyline involving Rusev, Summer Rae, Lana and Dolph Ziggler will most likely conclude with Rusev and Lana being reunited, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The feeling behind the scenes is that both Rusev and Lana are worse off now than when they were together, which is hard to deny. Rusev remains a dominant physical force and has been pretty funny on Twitter when taunting Lana, but this angle has not done his character any favors. Lana was red hot earlier this year and really on the cusp of becoming a breakout performer before WWE stripped her of the evil Russian spokesperson gimmick that got her over.

No word on whether Ziggler and Summer Rae will wind up on television, but hopefully Rusev and Lana can rekindle the heat they had just a few months ago.

Tanner From Tough Enough Balancing MMA/Wrestling, Possible Night Of Champions Spoiler

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– For WWE’s European tour in November, one tour, which includes shows in Leipzig, Germany on 11/13 and in Stuttgart, Germany on 11/14, is advertising John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro as the top two bouts.

– Tanner Saraceno of WWE Tough Enough fought at a Gladiator Challenge MMA show in Kuwait back on 9/11, however there hasn’t been any word on results from the show. He says he still wants to do pro wrestling and his plan now is to get fights to help him save money so he can attend wrestling school, as WWE hasn’t apparently offered him a developmental deal as they have with several other contestants from this past season.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Detailed Notes From Recent Backstage Meeting Regarding NXT Talent Pay

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There was an NXT talent meeting held on September 3rd having to do with what we reported previously about talent not getting paid on the house for the successful NXT live events, including a $200,000 plus gate in San Jose, California.

The question was whether or not the talent would get paid for the huge gate in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center the night before WWE SummerSlam, as they sold out the venue as well, producing what had to be in the high six-figure range in terms of the gate.

Canyon Ceman told talent that they would not be paid for the Brooklyn show, or paid extra for the upcoming U.K. tour, noting that the overall NXT business model is losing money and they are all still getting paid their guarantees.

It was also noted that unlike the main roster talent, who have to pay for their road expenses, WWE does cover travel expenses for NXT talents when they work WWE live events, where they also get paid extra, and they also get road expenses covered for the first 90 days once they are on the main roster.

Several NXT talents took the idea of NXT being positioned as an alternate touring brand, which it basically is, seriously, and figured that they would be paid like an alternative brand, at least on the bigger events. Essentially, it is a third touring brand for the public, but to the talent, it’s still a developmental system.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The Rock Hires Former Lead WWE Writer Brian Gewirtz

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Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz was named Senior Vice President of Development for Seven Bucks Productions, the production company owned by Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife Dany Garcia, who recently appeared on an episode of Total Divas as the new business manager of Eva Marie.

When Gewirtz left WWE back in July, it was reported that he would be taking on an executive role in Johnson’s company.

Gewirtz was the lead WWE writer for several years, but was taken off of the writing team back in 2013, although he would continue to remain with the company through a consultant role. He would be brought back to the writing team whenever Dwayne Johnson would return as The Rock for WWE appearances, because Johnson would often use him to help write his material.

Gewirtz’s new role in Johnson’s company will be to oversee television content development.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Talent Told To Have No Contact With Hulk Hogan, Flair Interviews Bischoff

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– WWE talent, including those who are from previous eras and are no longer wrestling but are still affiliated with company through Legends deals or other ways, were told to not have any contact with Hulk Hogan.

There are those who have talked about the situation as a double standard, as WWE has immortalized Ultimate Warrior now, cleaned up his past, given him a statue, all the while the feeling is he said things as bad, if not worse and was public with his comments as opposed to private.

– Former WCW president Eric Bischoff is the guest on the latest edition of Ric Flair’s “Woo Nation” podcast. As Bischoff and Flair have been involved in lawsuits and heated battles over the years, part one of Flair’s two-part conversation with Bischoff should be a fun episode for fans. You can download the show at Play.it.

(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA Loses Destination America TV Deal Effective January

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After months of denials, it’s official, albeit with a twist: TNA Impact Wrestling has been cancelled by Destination America effective the end of the year. While the original report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that Destination America’s opt-out clause allowed them to cancel Impact after the end of this month, TNA President Dixie Carter told Sports Illustrated that they’re done at the end of the year.

In the Sports Illustrated article, Justin Barrasso wrote that “[Spike TV] cut ties with TNA last December, leaving TNA without a television network in the United States. History repeated itself a year later, as TNA’s current home for TV–Destination America–will no longer air Impact in 2016.”  Dixie Carter added that “The biggest challenge for us is building a brand in the U.S. That’s where we need to grow. We’re contracted to Destination America through the end of the year, and we are in discussions going on for 2016.”

Per Meltzer, the original memo issued within Discovery (Destination America’s parent company) read as follows:

Destination America is not renewing TNA Wrestling next year. While the ratings were strong, the audience was not large enough to justify the program investment. We plan to honor the current contract and continue to air original episodes of TNA Wrestling on Friday nights through the end of the third quarter 2015. When the up-front rate card is released, the Friday night anthology title will now be called ‘American Tales,’ which will be a combination of Paranormal and Americana programming. I hope this is good news given all of the advertisers that included TNA on their DNA list.

The DNA in “DNA list” means “do not advertise.” It refers to shows that a sponsor opts out of buying time on when they buy ads across a whole network. In this case, due to pro wrestling being perceived as downmarket or having low income viewers, advertisers who bought ads to air on most or all Destination America shows didn’t want to put their ads on Impact.

Triple H Talks NXT In This Week’s WWE Sit-Down Interview

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Triple H returned to his old home, the WWE.com sit-down interview, in the 100th episode of Michael Cole’s weekly segment on WWE.com and WWE’s official YouTube Channel. This time out, Triple H (mostly out of character as Paul Levesque but still called Triple H)shared some of his thoughts on his baby, NXT.

When asked if he thought it was possible in advance that NXT could sell out the Barclay’s Center, he said:

I think you want to shoot for the stars with that stuff. And, yeah, I wanted to create sort of a counter brand, another brand for the WWE that we could build the future in and try to make it as big as possible. A lot of people even asked me just going into Brooklyn when Brooklyn was suggested, I originally balked at the idea. I felt like we could sell it out, I felt like the interest in the brand was there, and I felt like the desire to see it would be there, especially in the New York area being Brooklyn, but I was hesitant to do it. What I didn’t want to do is disappoint people and have them think it would sell out and then sell 10,000 tickets and have that be seen as a disappointment. So I played up [that] I didn’t believe in it a little bit but was excited that it did as well as it did.

In the interview, Triple H also talks about the presence of NXT alumni on the main roster, Sting’s impact on WWE, and more. There’s also a reference having lost 65 pounds in the last 11 months, which is pretty impressive of his part.

 

Sting Talks About Finally Joining WWE After Avoiding Them For So Many Years

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Sting recently spoke with The Houston Chronicle to promote his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins at this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.

During the interview, Sting spoke about finally joining WWE after avoiding the promotion for so many years.

“Quite honestly, I never thought it would happen, that I’d be in the WWE, but here I am,” said Sting. “Whether I was right or wrong, I made a decision to stay with another group that came to the table with everything I was asking for.”

Sting continued, “I stayed apart from WWE, and I was fine. This year, I figured it was time.”

Check out the complete interview at HoustonChronicle.com.

Update On Night Of Champions Main Event, Michael Cole Loses Weight, Kingston

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– Although WWE had been indicating that John Cena vs. Seth Rollins would headline this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view, they are now talking like Cena vs. Rollins will take place prior to Sting vs. Rollins.

– Michael Cole recently noted that he has lost 65 pounds in 11 months.

– The next edition of “Superstar Ink” with Corey Graves will feature Kofi Kingston. You can check out a preview below.

Sting On Controversial Promo: “Triple H Is Triple H, And He’s Worth The Put-Over”

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Sting, who’s doing his late media for this Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view event, granted an interview to Rolling Stone’s Kenny Herzog that went up today. Among other topics, he talks about the promo he cut on Seth Rollins a week or two back where it seemed to some fans like he was randomly putting over Triple H at Seth Rollins’ expense. “I don’t pay attention a lot of times to what’s out there, so this is the first time I’m hearing any news of that. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s going to carry all that to Night of Champions and think about that, because the bottom line is, my focus is Seth Rollins. Triple H is Triple H, and he’s worth the put-over.”

When it comes to Sting’s promos right now, he said that “I’m working collaboratively, but there’s no one looking over my shoulder making sure this or that is being said. I am definitely allowed to ad-lib and be Sting.” Later, when asked about how he’s shown different sides of his character on his promos as of late (like tha “Joker Sting” from TNA), he answered by saying that “This is one of the things I always try to tell the younger guys when they ask for advice. I try to tell them to step outside of their comfort zones, try something different.”

Noting that some fans are always asking him to go back to the blonde spiked hair, different fans ask for the stoic, non-verbal “Crow” Sting, others ask for “Joker Sting,” and so on, he told Herzog that “You can’t please everybody all the time, that’s for sure, and I can’t say that I have blown it or failed over the years by trying different things and trying to evolve and show different sides of my character. Hopefully, it’s working.”

In the full interview, Sting discusses other topics like wrestling at 56 years old, whether he’ll ever engage fans on social media, and more.

Video: Roman Reigns Stands Up For Fans At WWE SummerSlam Signing

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Featured below is a video from a WWE SummerSlam signing in New York City where it appears that a handler at the event tries to rush a group of fans through before they get their autographs and photo-opportunity with Roman Reigns.

It was at this point that Reigns spoke up and stood up for the fans. Also featured below is a fan commenting on what happened, as well as Reigns’ response.

https://twitter.com/realTonyFalcone/status/643945802612744192

Jimmy Snuka Court Appearance Scheduled For Monday

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WWE Hall of Famer “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka is scheduled to appear in court this Monday at 9:30 AM in Allentown, PA for a preliminary hearing.

Snuka was arrested on September 1st for the 1983 death of his then-girlfriend Nancy Argentino.

He’s facing charges of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Jeff Jarrett Sells His Minority Stake In TNA Wrestling

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TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett is no longer a minority share holder in TNA Wrestling, according to a report at PWInsider.com.

Jarrett shocked the wrestling world this past summer when he made a surprise return to Impact Wrestling. TNA’s pitch to Jarrett included a buyout of his remaining TNA ownership, an induction into the TNA Hall of Fame, promotion for Global Force Wrestling and GFW acquiring the rights to book TNA talent for their live events.

The real-life situation will play out on tonight’s Impact Wrestling, with TNA and GFW stars squaring off in a Lethal Lockdown match. Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett will be represented by their respective teams, with the winner receiving full control of TNA.

TNA issued the following statement regarding tonight’s big match:

“The real-life drama between Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett, that for weeks has played out on IMPACT WRESTLING, will all come to a head tonight in a shares vs shares, Winner Take All match. It is true that if Dixie’s Team TNA defeats Team GFW, Dixie will acquire Jeff’s shares in TNA and he will no longer be a stakeholder.”

U.K. Band At NXT Takeover: Respect, Emma Launches YouTube Channel, Dudleyz

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– The Dudley Boyz worked a dark match at the television taping on Tuesday night. Bubba Ray and Devon defeated the team of Heath Slater and Brad Maddox prior to the start of the Main Event and SmackDown tapings.

– The band “Bring Me The Horizon” from the United Kingdom will be at the NXT Takeover: Respect event on October 7th. Below they are with Corey Graves making the announcement.

– WWE Diva Emma has launched a new “Taste of Tenille” YouTube channel where she will discuss food. Below is a new teaser video she posted.

Damien Sandow Returns As The Voice Of Common Sense

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The intellectual savior of the masses is back. After shedding his most recent Macho Mandow gimmick, Damien Sandow dusted off his blue robe and made a triumphant return at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Little Rock, Arkansas.

In a dark match that took place prior to SmackDown, Sandow defeated “party pooper” Adam Rose.

Sandow cut a promo before the match telling the crowd that he’s back as the Voice of Common Sense, no longer a stunt double. He worked as a babyface.

https://twitter.com/TedGilliam/status/643955694123618305

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