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Final Card For Tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable

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WWE NXT presents TakeOver: Unstoppable tonight live on the WWE Network. Previous TakeOver events have set the bar incredibly high and there’s no doubt we’re in for another can’t miss show.

The action kicks off at 7:30pm EST with the TakeOver: Unstoppable Pre-Show, hosted by Corey Graves, Renee Young and Byron Saxton.

Following Triple H’s announcement that Hideo Itami has been pulled from the #1 Contender’ match due to his shoulder injury, here is the updated lineup:

NXT Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Sami Zayn

NXT Women’s Championship Match
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Becky Lynch

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Blake & Murphy (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady

NXT Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match
Finn Bálor vs. Tyler Breeze

Baron Corbin vs. Rhyno

Bayley & Charlotte vs. Emma & Dana Brooke

The Rock Talks About Getting Back In The Ring At WrestleMania 32

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog this week to promote the release of his new disaster-adventure film, San Andreas.

The Rock spoke about a number of topics, including his days as a college football player, his iconic Attitude Era rivalry with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and his cousin Roman Reigns’ climb to the top of WWE. He also commented on whether he’ll be getting back in the ring at next year’s WrestleMania 32, as WWE looks to draw over 100,000 fans to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Myself, Vince, Triple H have talked about creating something that is amazing,” said Johnson. “Any time for me, going back into the WWE, especially if it’s a match – and these guys know this because of the open dialogue between me and Triple H – the question is, can we create, in terms of a promotional scale for the fans, something better than what we did in Miami and back-to-back in New York with John Cena? Can we put together something that’s different but equally, if not more, exciting?

So there’s a lot of elements involved that we continue to talk about and chop up. That’s the coolest part about the relationship I have with the McMahons, including Triple H.”

He added that he’s not ruling out the possibility of wrestling Triple H at next year’s Mania. “We continue to talk about it, and we’re still shooting each other text messages. He sent me a message from Dallas that said, ‘This could be us. The record is ours.’ So we’ll see.”

NXT Names New Head Coach & Assistant Head Coach

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WWE announced earlier today that Matt Bloom (Jason Albert) has been promoted to Head Coach of NXT and Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) has been promoted to NXT’s Assistant Head Coach. Bloom was previously the Interim Head Coach (taking over for Bill DeMott) and Amato was previously an Assistant Coach.

They both to spoke to WWE.com about their new roles at WWE’s developmental system.

“It is truly an honor to be named the Head Coach of NXT and play a key role in creating and developing the WWE Superstars and Divas of the future,” said Bloom. “I look forward to continuing my role in training and coaching the incredibly talented roster we have at the WWE Performance Center.”

Amato called the opportunity a dream come true, while Triple H said he has the utmost confidence in their ability to train and lead the next generation of Superstars and Divas at the WWE Performance Center.

Triple H Conference Call Notes: Sami Zayn Injury Update, NXT Coaching Staff

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Triple H noted during today’s conference call that Sami Zayn has been cleared and will face Kevin Owens on Wednesday night at the NXT Takeover: “Unstoppable” live special on the WWE Network.

“The Game” also noted during the call that Matt Bloom has officially been promoted to head coach, which we had already pretty much known, and that Sara Amato will be the number two trainer as assistant coach, as well as working as an agent and producer.

Kevin Owens’ Son Reacts To His RAW Debut, Finn Balor On Jericho’s Podcast

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– Chris Jericho announced that NXT star Finn Balor will be appearing on his Talk Is Jericho podcast at PodcastOne.com this week.

Jericho will be working with Balor in July for WWE’s live events tour of Japan.

– NXT Champion Kevin Owens’ wife Karina posted the following video of their son Owen reacting to his father’s WWE TV debut last night on RAW.

For everyone wondering how Owen reacted to his dad and John Cena being in the same ring together #mindblown

https://instagram.com/p/22PFlyvYx8/

Lana Now With Dolph Ziggler, What Happened After RAW

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– Roman Reigns, who did not appear on RAW, teamed with John Cena after RAW went off the air to defeat Seth Rollins and Rusev in the dark match main event.

Reigns returns to TV this Thursday on SmackDown to address coming up short at WWE Payback.

– Last night on RAW, Rusev and Lana finally parted ways, with Rusev firing his former spokeswoman after she quit on his behalf at Payback. After screaming at Lana for several minutes, she eventually slapped Rusev in the face.

Later in the show, Lana came out while Dolph Ziggler was cutting a promo and the two kissed in the ring – twice.

Lana tweeted that it’s now time to make her own decision and build her legacy.

Meanwhile, Ziggler channeled Sterling Archer:

Owens Comments On PPV Match With Cena, Ziggler On Kissing Lana, Neville Talks Bo Dallas

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– Following his attack of WWE U.S. Champion John Cena on RAW last night, NXT Champion Kevin Owens wrote the following on Twitter about their upcoming Elimination Chamber match.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/600511311404003328

– In this week’s RAW Fallout videos, which you can see below, Dolph Ziggler reacts to kissing Lana and Neville comments on being attacked by Bo Dallas, as well as the Kevin Owens-John Cena situation.

Paige Returns On RAW, Lilian Garcia Knee Surgery Update

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– Paige made her WWE TV return last night on RAW after being out of action for several weeks filming a WWE Studios movie with The Miz. She attacked Nikki Bella after her match with Naomi.

Paige could end up facing Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship at Elimination Chamber, as she is technically still the number one contender.

– Injured WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia provided the following social media update on her knee:

English Translation Of What Rusev Was Saying In Bulgarian During WWE Payback PPV

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Reddit user “addictedsc2” has provided a translation of what Rusev was yelling in Bulgarian during his “I Quit” match with John Cena at Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view.

When Rusev ordered Lana to sit in a chair near the announcers after the fans started cheering for her, Rusev said the following:

“This way! Get up from there! Get over here, this is where you will sit. Just don’t let me hear you!”

When Rusev was stuck in the STF with Cena at the end of the match, this is what Rusev was saying up until Lana grabbed the microphone and quit on his behalf.

“Ahhh no…ahhh I give up! Next time we will crush you! I give up! Stop! I told you! I’ll crush you Cena! Damn your old mother, Cena! I will crush you! That’s enough, I told you!”

Updated Card For WWE Elimination Chamber (5/31)

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On Monday’s RAW, WWE added two big matches to the May 31st Elimination Chamber PPV on the WWE Network and announced the participants for the two Elimination Chamber matches.

Here’s the updated card for Elimination Chamber:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose

Elimination Chamber for the Vacant Intercontinental Championship
King Barrett vs. R-Truth vs. Ryback vs. Sheamus vs. Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler

Elimination Chamber for the Tag Team Championships
The New Day (c) Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. Los Matadores vs. The Prime Time Players vs. The Ascension vs. The Lucha Dragons

Kevin Owens vs. John Cena

Kevin Owens vs. John Cena Announced for WWE Elimination Chamber

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After he defends the NXT Championship against Sami Zayn this Wednesday at Takeover: Unstoppable, Kevin Owens will make his WWE in-ring debut against John Cena later this month at Elimination Chamber.

Owens made his WWE TV debut on RAW, interrupting John Cena’s US Open Challenge and leaving the United States beat down after a brutal attack.

WWE Elimination Chamber takes place on Sunday, May 31st live on the WWE Network.

Video: Kevin Owens Debuts On WWE RAW, Destroys John Cena

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NXT Champion Kevin Owens made a surprise debut on Monday’s WWE RAW.

Owens came out as John Cena was offering up his US Championship Open Challenge. Owens congratulated Cena for his victory at Payback. Owens said people that don’t know who he is already aren’t worth his time in the first place. John Cena officially announced NXT Champion Kevin Owens.

Owens said Cena shouldn’t feel bad about injuring Sami Zayn because Zayn was injured by him prior to the Cena match. Owens said he’s going to finish Zayn off Wednesday at Takeover.

Cena tried offering Owens advice, but Owens told Cena he’s been wrestling 15 years, longer than him, so he doesn’t want Cena’s advice. Cena offered Owens a chance to answer the Open Challenge. Owens rejected the offer, saying they will fight one day, but on his terms. Owens then brutally attacked Cena with a kick to the gut and a massive powerbomb. He picked up the NXT title and the US title, dropped the US title down and stomped on it. The crowd chanted Fight Owens Fight in what is one of the strongest WWE TV debuts in a long time.

Owens defends against Sami Zayn this Wednesday at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable live on the WWE Network.

Chris Jericho’s Nothing To Report Reaches 1 Million Views

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Paul Heyman’s HeymanHustle.com site has a special feature on Chris Jericho and Nick Mundy’s hit Comedy Central web series, Nothing to Report.

The buddy cop show is hilarious and you are encouraged to tweet @ComedyCentral feedback.

Chris Jericho announced earlier today that Nothing to Report surpassed 1 million views.

WWE RAW Results – May 18, 2015

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The Authority, Sheamus & Ryback Kick Off RAW

The post-Payback edition of WWE RAW opens up with the usual video package. We then shoot inside the arena in Richmond, Virginia and Eden introduces The Authority — Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Michael Cole informs us that for the first time since WrestleMania 31, here is Triple H and Stephanie McMahon coming out to the ring together on Monday Night Raw.

The two talk about how good of a champion Seth Rollins is before introducing the Intercontinental title under a red carpet on a podium in the ring. They talk about Daniel Bryan vacating the title last night and the fans break out into a loud “Yes!” chant.

Triple H ensures us that the new I-C champ will be crowned in two weeks inside an Elimination Chamber match. A video package airs to talk about the history of the violence inside the Elimination Chamber.

Before HHH and Stephanie can continue, they are interrupted by Sheamus’ theme song and out he comes. The WWE fans immediately get on his case with “You Look Stupid” chants. Sheamus sucks up to The Authority and then tries to convince them to just hand over the I-C title to him. He says he’s responsible for putting an end to the “Yes!” movement and Daniel Bryan’s career. They show a video package of Sheamus attacking D-Bry on TV since making his heel return.

As Sheamus continues to suck up to The Authority, Ryback’s music hits to cut him off and out he comes. Ryback trashes Sheamus and puts over Daniel Bryan. Steph says they’re both in the I-C Chamber match in two weeks. HHH then says tonight, actually right now, Ryback and Sheamus can go at it in a match. “King of Kings” plays again as The Authority heads to the back. We head to commercial. Ryback vs. Sheamus is up next.

Ryback vs. Sheamus

When we return from the commercial break, the bell immediately sounds and this match is official. Ryback instantly takes control of the offense in the match, with Sheamus quickly on the retreat. Ryback follows after him and continues to deliver punishment here in the early goings.

Sheamus finally starts taking over control of the offense as we head to a mid-match commercial. When we return, Sheamus is still in control, but Ryback quickly takes back over. Ryback hits a number of high-offensive moves on “The Celtic Warrior” inside the ring before taking him out to the floor.

Ryback continues the assault on the floor, slamming Sheamus in the announce table and smashing him into the ring post before getting him back in the ring.

The finish saw Ryback have some issues with his eye. The ref was stopping the action to check on Ryback’s eye, but Sheamus took advantage and blastes him with a Brogue Kick for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Sheamus

Neville vs. Bad News Barrett

Renee Young briefly interviews Neville in the ring until he is interupted by Bo Dallas. Neville and Dallas go back-and-forth verbally until finally “King” Bad News Barrett makes his way down to the ring.

It turns out, Neville vs. Barrett is scheduled for now. So, the bell rings and Dallas joins the gang on commentary for this one. Barrett dominates the action early on, as we head to a mid-match commercial.

When we return from commercial, Neville is fighting back, but his knee buckles. He continues to sell his knee so Barrett goes after it. Barrett then hits him with the “King Bull Hammer Elbow” for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Bad News Barrett

After The Match: Bo Dallas Attacks

After the match, Bo Dallas leaves the announce table, hits the ring and attacks Neville. Dallas attacks the injured knee of Neville, wrapping it around the ring post several times.

Video: Scott Hall Escorted Out Of Wrestling Show For Allegedly Being Intoxicated

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WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall was physically escorted out of an indy wrestling event in Asbury Park, New Jersey over the weekend after promoters claimed he was too intoxicated to be there, according to TMZ.com.

Hall appeared to be drunk hours before his scheduled meet & greet at the Skate & Surf Music Festival and was given multiple chances to sober up before interacting with the fans. Promoters told him to leave, but he refused and demanded to be paid. Security eventually removed him from the venue.

Promoter Ricky Otazu told TMZ Sports,

“The event was too well run for us to make a fool of ourselves by allowing him to appear. We will no longer be associated with him until he gets his life in order.”

Hall is scheduled to appear for Global Force Wrestling for two dates in late June.

WWE 2K16 Announced For October Release

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Take-Two sports held their annual earnings call on Monday and revealed that WWE 2K16 will be released in North America on Tuesday, October 27th.

Last year’s WWE 2K15 was the first WWE video game released for Playstation 4 and XBox One, receiving mixed reviews from critics and gamers alike. It earned a score of 62/100 by Metacritic.com, based on an aggregate of 44 reviews from critics.

Comment below and tell us what changes & new features you’d like to see from this year’s game.

Updated RAW Preview: Three Title Matches Announced

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WWE has posted an updated preview for tonight’s episode of RAW, confirming multiple title matches for the show.

– As noted earlier, John Cena will defend the United States Championship in another open challenge match.

– The New Day will put the tag team tiles on the line once again against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, with Xavier Woods banned from ringside.

– Nikki Bella will defend the Divas championship against Naomi.

Plus, Bray Wyatt will be in action after defeating Ryback last night at Payback.

Join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW!

The Undertaker To Appear On Steve Austin’s WWE Network Podcast

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Last night, WWE announced that Paul Heyman will be Steve Austin’s guest on the next installment of the Stone Cold Podcast, which airs live on the WWE Network on June 1st immediately following RAW.

WWE sent out a press release today touting the Stone Cold Podcast, revealing that The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and Sting will also be sitting in the hot seat in the coming months.

WWE’s upcoming book about The Undertaker is scheduled for a November 3rd release, so Monday, November 2nd could very well be the day the Texas Rattlesnake and The Dead Man go face to face one more time.

Here’s the official word:

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host Stone Cold Podcast, Live!, a no-holds-barred, in-your-face monthly interview series beginning Monday, June 1 at 11 p.m. ET on the award-winning WWE Network, with special guest Paul Heyman.

Each month immediately following Monday Night Raw, which airs on USA Network, the WWE Hall of Famer will sit down with the biggest names in WWE including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Sting and other celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment for an exclusive interview on WWE Network.

“If you’re ready for the Stone Cold Podcast, give me a ‘Hell Yeah!’,” said “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Adam Rose Says The Rosebuds Are Done, “Party Over!”

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WWE Superstar Adam Rose has been getting a lot of attention since the ESPN ‘Behind the Curtain’ special that looked at his evolution from Leo Kruger to Russell Brand-style party boy, as well as his family life outside the ring.

Rose has been asking fans on Twitter if they prefer his Leo Kruger character over Adam Rose, with a large portion of the feedback supporting Kruger.

He tweeted the following on Monday afternoon in what seems to be another pivotal moment for his career:

Chris Jericho On TNA Signing Billy Corgan, Daniel Bryan Vacating I-C Title, More

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Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho recently appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio to talk about a couple of subjects. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On TNA signing Billy Corgan: “I respect Billy immensely because for me he is the only guy besides me that made it in wrestling and in music beyond what we expected. We are the only two guys that can honestly say we are in a rock band and in the wrestling business at a high level, obviously in reverse roles. Billy is coming into this for the right reasons. A lot of people might think “well Billy is not from the wrestling business, how can he be a booker? How can he be a writer?” Let me give you one name if you’re a hockey fan…Scotty Bowman. Scotty Bowman is the greatest coach in NHL history and he never played an NHL game in his life. So if Scotty comes to coach you team you’re going to go “he never played a game, what does he know?” It’s stupid. Billy knows wrestling. He understands wrestling. He is a student of the game and not just figuratively and literally. He has that ability to see things. I learned a lot from talking to Billy Corgan about how to build homegrown talent, about how to restructure the roster and repair some the damage that was done. I was just really enthralled by him. Being in the business for 25 years and listening to how he spoke and I’m sure he might feel the same way if I told him my theories on rock and roll. I’ve used a lot of the things I learned from wrestling in rock and roll and he is using a lot of the things he learned from building The Smashing Pumpkins into TNA. I will also say this. I think TNA got him just in the nick of time. I know for me, I wouldn’t say I gave up on TNA, I never really watched it. I was never interested. It was there, I wished it well, but I didn’t participate. Now I am interested. I want to see what Billy does. I am curious to see what kind of changes he can make. I hope they give him the opportunity to do that. There is nobody there to kind of pee in his oatmeal. There is no Eric Bischoff or Hulk Hogan, or those type of really dominant personalities. They don’t have that there. They have a lot of young people. They have an office that is pretty green. I mean Dixie knows a little. She has been running the company for ten years, but it’s not like Vince McMahon. John Gaburick , not like a Pat Patterson. They have got a lot of newer type of people there. I give them credit for bringing Billy in and I’m really excited to see what he can do. I believe in him as a creative element to that company that they never had before. Just because he hasn’t been an actual wrestler, I don’t care. I think he is the right guy at the right time for them.”

On Daniel Bryan vacating the Intercontinental Title: “I feel bad for Daniel because I am a huge Daniel Bryan fan in the ring and out. I’m not just talking personally, but I’m talking about his love for wrestling. He loves wrestling. He is a guy that fans can look up to as far as someone who made it even when the powers that be thought he had nothing. I knew he would make it from the moment he walked in because he made it in other places before. When you get over, it doesn’t matter that you get over in John Schwartz’s Sunday Night wrestling at the Vermont Auditorium on a Sunday afternoon or if it’s the WWE. If you get over, you know how to do that, and he has done it. He got over huge, huge, huge. More than anyone thought. He is a great performer and he has a great mind for the business. Now it seems like his body is breaking down. When you have to give up two major titles basically within a year of each other, especially with the way we think as wrestlers. If you’re hurt, you go out there and the show goes on, no matter what. Daniel is like that, I mean he worked with a detached retina. If he is being told to stay home, it’s worse than you think in my opinion. Because I know me, if someone told me to stay home, I would be like “F that, I’m coming back.” I don’t know what he does. Does he go away like Shawn Michaels did for a couple of years? Now with the Network, there is a lot of ways to still be involved. He can still do a show, or still be involved with Tough Enough, or do commentary, because it seems like he is not ready to come back. If he is vacating the title, this is not a month injury. This is something deeper and more serious than that. I have heard nothing or know nothing. I just know how we think as performers in the business, and the last thing we want to do is vacate a title again. Something is wrong and I hope that he can go away for maybe a year or two like Shawn Michaels did and maybe that will heal him.”

Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

Finn Balor Talks About Getting Called Up To The Main Roster

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NXT star Finn Balor recently spoke with MTV UK to promote Wednesday’s Takeover: Unstoppable event on the WWE Network.

Balor, 33, is clearly one of the top prospects in NXT who can make a significant impact on the main roster. With a bright future ahead and numerous potential dream feuds awaiting him on WWE TV, the Irish native isn’t in a rush to move on from developmental. When asked about getting called up to the main roster, Balor said,

“A lot of people keep talking about this call up to the main roster but for most of us at NXT we all believe what we’re doing at the moment is equally as important and we’re all fully committed to that. I’m not in any rush to make a move to Raw or SmackDown.

I’m very content at NXT and there’s a lot of challenges and a lot of milestones still to be achieved in NXT before I make any move. We all believe that we’re creating an alternative and we believe this is something we can sustain, grow and develop.”

He added that he wants to be part of NXT’s continued growth and feels that wrestling is on the verge of another boom period.

Entourage Cast To Guest Host RAW Next Week

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WWE announced the cast of Entourage as the guest hosts for next week’s edition of RAW.

Vinnie Chase and the boys are coming to Monday Night Raw.

Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara, better known as the stars of the upcoming “Entourage” film, will join the May 25 edition of Monday Night Raw as the show’s guest stars. Visitors to the WWE Universe always make for memorable evenings, but it’s been some time since Raw welcomed four celebrities under its roof, so shenanigans are sure to unfold when the Hollywood foursome mixes it up with WWE’s most outlandish personalities.

Tune into Raw May 25 at 8/7 C on USA Network to see what goes down when the would-be “superheroes” join the WWE Universe!

The Rock Confirms Furious 8 Role, Hobbs Spinoff Movie In The Works

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Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson will be reprising his role as Hobbs once again in the next installment of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, according to a report at Collider. At a press event for his new disaster movie San Andreas, Johnson was asked if he’ll be returning to the franchise when Furious 8 hits theaters on April 14, 2017. He replied,

“Of course. It can’t go on without Hobbs.”

Studio heads have been so impressed with his performances in the Furious series (and the box office smackdown he delivers) that talks are already underway for a spinoff movie based on the Hobbs character. The Rock said:

“We all are interested in it. I just had a big conversation with the studio. So we’ll see. I still think for me personally we’ve created a little bit of space for him in 7 and the gauge is set for what the audience will want. That’s my take on it, you know, but a lot of other people have to have input.”

WWE RAW Preview: Payback Fallout, Elimination Chamber Hype

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Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum. The show will feature fallout from last night’s Payback PPV and hype for the upcoming Elimination Chamber show on 5/31, airing exclusively on the WWE Network.

As of this writing, the only match advertised for the show is a John Cena United States Championship open challenge. Big Show is rumored to be making his TV return tonight and Naomi is teasing a Divas Title defense against Nikki Bella.

Here’s WWE’s 5-point preview:

  • Is Rollins really as good as he says he is?
  • What ‘I Quit’ Match aftermath lies ahead for John Cena, Rusev and Lana?
  • Who’s going into the Elimination Chamber?
  • Will Barrett settle the score with Neville in kingly fashion?
  • Will Naomi become the next Divas Champion?

The dark match main event will see John Cena, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show and Rusev.

Join us here tonight for our Live Coverage of WWE RAW.

WWE Advertising Top Heel As Intercontinental Champion For Upcoming Shows

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Later this month, Daniel Bryan’s vacated Intercontinental Championship will be up for grabs inside the Elimination Chamber.

In what seems to be a spoiler regarding for the next champion, WWE is now advertising “Intercontinental Champion Sheamus” for several upcoming live events. While the “card subject to change” could apply here, Sheamus has been rumored to be the next IC champion weeks before these ads were spotted.

WWE is expected to announce the first Chamber participants tonight on RAW.