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Daniel Bryan Health Update, Still Not Medically Cleared

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WWE provided a health update on Daniel Bryan during Monday’s RAW. Michael Cole acknowledged Bryan being pulled from Extreme Rules announced on RAW that Bryan still has not been medically cleared to return.

They cut to Renee Young interviewing Brie Bella backstage. Brie said its been a heart wrenching time for Daniel. After his cinderella story last year at WrestleMania, his injuries weigh on both of them. Brie got emotional and said Daniel Bryan wants to be there, but his health comes first.

While Brie was cutting the promo, Naomi grabbed her face, shoved her to the ground and said nobody cares about her or her husband. Brie speaking emotionally about her husband’s health being interrupted by an attack from Naomi seems to indicate it’s not a dire situation. It’s rumored Bryan will be out for one to two months.

WWE RAW Results – April 27, 2015

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WWE RAW Opener:

This week’s show opens with a look at some of the past King Of The Ring tournament before making the official announcement that it is going to return this week. From there, the opening video plays.

Michael Cole welcomes us inside the arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin, then breaks down the King Of The Ring brackets. After that, Seth Rollins is introduced. Out comes the WWE Champion with J&J Security and Kane.

Rollins talks about still being champ after last night’s cage match with Randy Orton. He talks about some of his recent history. Rollins says he’s a fighting champion. Rollins says he beat Orton by himself. Kane looks puzzled in the background.

Rollins turns to Kane and starts to talk trash. Rollins talks about Kane being a hasbeen. Kane tells Rollins he cheated by using the banned RKO last night. He calls him a whiney brat.

As Rollins and Kane continue, out comes Randy Orton. Orton talks to the four from the top of the stage. He says Rollins using the RKO sounds like grounds for a rematch. Rollins says no. Orton says he wasn’t talking to him, he was talking to Kane.

Kane says Randy does have a point and then is interrupted by Roman Reigns, who makes his way out through the crowd. Reigns stands on the announce table and addresses Rollins. He says he deserves a title shot, telling Orton he had his chance.

Rollins tells Reigns and Orton that neither of them deserve a shot at his title. Kane tells Rollins that both guys make compelling arguments. He says they need to set aside their differences and show Orton and Reigns the real power of The Authority. He says there will be a tag-team match tonight. He also says by the end of the night, by way of fan vote, we will find out who Rollins will be defending the title against at Payback.

King Of The Ring
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett

When we return from the break, we go to the ring for our first King of the Ring match of the evening. Dolph Ziggler comes out and then Bad News Barrett makes his way out.

The bell sounds and here we go. Barrett controls the action early on as the fans cheer Ziggler on. We head to a mid-match commercial.

When we return from the break we see Barrett is still in complete control. Ziggler hits a tornado DDT to turn the momentum, but it doesn’t last long as Barrett hits Ziggler with a Wasteland.

As the action continues, we hear Sheamus. Sheamus comes out and reminds Ziggler that he kissed his arse last night. When Ziggler turns around, boom, Barrett blasts him with a Bull Hammer Elbow. 1-2-3 Barrett wins and advances into the semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament.

Winner: Bad News Barrett

Tyson Kidd vs. Big E.

The New Day make their way out and brag about winning the WWE tag-team titles last night. Out comes Tyson Kidd and Cesaro with Natalya. They enter the ring, the bell sounds and here we go.

Kidd and Big E. is the singles match that is taking place right now.

That one didn’t last long. Big E. blasts into Kidd and pins him. 1-2-3. That simple.

Winner: Big E.

Sheamus Comments On King Of The Ring Brackets, Pat Patterson Appreciation Night

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– WWE will be holding a Pat Patterson Appreciation Night at the May 4th edition of RAW in Montreal. WWE had a Patterson night planned a few years ago for the same venue on the same night, but it was the same night that Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack so it was cancelled. The ceremony on 5/4 will take place after RAW ends.

– Sheamus tweeted out the following today after the King of the Ring brackets were announced:

https://twitter.com/WWESheamus/status/592791645764120579e

WWE King Of The Ring Brackets Revealed

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WWE has revealed the full brackets for the 2015 King of the Ring tournament. Participants include Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Bad News Barrett, Neville, Stardust, Luke Harper, R-Truth and 2010 King of the Ring, Sheamus.

First round matches begin tonight on RAW, with the tournament concluding tomorrow night during a live WWE Network special that kicks off at 8pm EST.

Here are the brackets – comment below and give us your pick for who will be crowned King of the Ring!

Hornswoggle Returning On RAW Tonight?, WWE Hosts Special Olympics Event (Photo)

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Hornswoggle alluded to possibly returning on tonight’s post-Extreme Rules edition of RAW in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He tweeted the following earlier today:

Speaking of Hornswoggle, he, along with Damien Sandow, Cameron and Natalya hosted a Special Olympics event at the Bay View Middle School in Green Bay.

  • More On The WWE “Behind The Curtain” ESPN Documentary

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    WWE has released additional details on their upcoming “Behind The Curtain documentary, which is scheduled to air on Tuesday, May 5th at 8pm EST. The following synopsis was released this week. The trailer for the documentary can be seen above.

    E:60 Pictures presents WWE: Behind-The-Curtain, a new one-hour documentary film featuring unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Vince McMahon’s billion-dollar global empire. The show will follow three amateur wrestlers on their grueling, high-stakes climb with dreams of making it to the big show, complemented by candid interviews with WWE President Vince McMahon, his Executive Vice President of Talent Development, Paul Levesque (or ‘Triple H’) as well as former WWE talents Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock – Dwayne Johnson, and Hulk Hogan. The result is an inside look into what is perhaps the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment – with its extravagant productions, flagrant drama, and sold-out arenas.

    With flagship show Monday Night RAW drawing four million viewers per week, storied WWE owner and CEO Vince McMahon reveals the reason behind the brand’s success: “Talent is the only natural resource we have, without it we have nothing. There’s no product. There’s no shows. There’s no anything.”

    For decades, McMahon and WWE have created some of the most iconic characters in pop culture — Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena.

    But before they become household names, WWE characters are carefully developed in a minor league system, NXT – led by WWE icon and current Executive Vice President of Talent Development, Paul Levesque, aka, “Triple H”. It is a backstage world no one has ever had access to – until now.

    Update On Bray Wyatt & Ryback Feud, Paul Heyman’s TV Return & More

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    – Last night at Extreme Rules, we saw a segment with Ryback interrupting a promo by Bo Dallas and taking him out with Shell Shocked. It’s being speculated that this might come in to play as Ryback gears up for a feud with Bo Dallas’ brother, Bray Wyatt.

    – Paul Heyman is scheduled to be kept off WWE television until July, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Lesnar is scheduled to return from his “indefinite suspension” this summer and will likely be working a top match at SummerSlam.

    – Director Derek J Sulek noted on Twitter that his movie “The Confession” with Rob Van Dam is now complete. Here’s the DVD artwork featuring RVD:

    Extreme Rules Reactions From Kidd & Cesaro, Sheamus, Dean Ambrose & More

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    – Former WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd tweeted the following after dropping the gold to The New Day at Extreme Rules:

    https://twitter.com/WWECesaro/status/592519288197492736

    – Sheamus tweeted the following after refusing to kiss Dolph Ziggler’s arse after losing to him on the show:

    – Here are several backstage reactions from Extreme Rules:

    Ambrose Finally Gets A PPV Win, JoJo’s PPV Announcing Debut & More

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    – Dean Ambrose’s win over Luke Harper in the Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules was Ambrose’s first PPV win since The Shield broke up last year. This was Ambrose’s first singles victory on PPV since defending the United States Title against Dolph Ziggler at Night of Champions 2013.

    – Last night’s ring announcing duties at Extreme Rules were handled by Eden and JoJo, since Lilian Garcia is still out recovering form surgery. This was JoJo’s pay-per-view debut. Lilian spent the night live-tweeting the show from home.

    – The Rock was in attendance for last night’s Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA playoff game from Boston’s TD Garden. Here he is with a Bronze Star Marine who the Celtics honored as their “Hero Among Us” for the night:

    Billy Corgan Talks About Joining TNA As Senior Producer Of Creative & Talent Development

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    Grammy award winning artist Billy Corgan spoke to Josh Matthews this week about the news of him joining TNA Wrestling as the new senior producer of creative and talent development.

    Corgan said Dixie Carter reached out to him while he was on tour about joining their team. As a wrestling fan for nearly 3 decades, Corgan said it’s literally a dream come true to be working in the ‘major leagues’ of professional wrestling and to have an influence on the direction of the company.

    When asked if there’s anybody in particular he looks forward to working with, Corgan said his previous experience as a wrestling booker taught him the importance of having something for everybody on the roster. He said there’s a ton of talented people in TNA and he’s looking forward to working with the entire roster. The product is at its best when everybody has a defined character and direction.

    Corgan was asked about his involvement in the wrestling business, for fans who are unfamiliar with his work. He worked with Chicago-based indy promotion Resistance Pro Wrestling for four years up until 6 months ago, when their reality TV deal with AMC was canceled mid-season. He said he was heavily involved in the branding of the company, promoting indy wrestling and knows the business intimately.

    Corgan said he’s really been impressed by TNA since their move to Destination America. He’s seen a renewed focus on wrestling, the storylines have improved and the best performers are getting a chance to shine. TNA is proving stars can rise to the top and it’s crazy to him that he’s going to have a hand in where the company goes from here on out.

    As a performer himself, Corgan says he knows exactly what it’s like for the talent to go on tour and practice their craft in front of different audiences. During the late 80’s, his band would drive 8 hours in a van to perform a 40-minute opening set for another band in front of 20 people and drive back home. He knows what the wrestlers go through on their journey to the big time. When he was a booker, he’d have talent that would drive 14 hours to wrestle a 5 minute match. He’s very conscious of what the talent demands of themselves and that will help him craft stories for them.

    “I Quit” Match Announced For WWE Payback, Extreme Rules Attendance, New Day

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    – WWE announced during the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on Sunday that at the upcoming Payback pay-per-view on May 17th there will be an “I Quit” match between WWE United States Champion John Cena and Rusev. Lana noted that this will be the final chapter in the Cena-Rusev feud.

    – WWE announced an attendance of 14,197 for last night’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which took place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

    – Kofi Kingston posted the following photo of The New Day celebrating with their new WWE Tag-Team Championships backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view last night.

    Smashing Pumpkins Front Man Billy Corgan Joins TNA Creative Team

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    Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has officially joined the TNA Wrestling as the new senior producer of creative and talent development. This is a developing story and we’ll have more information posted on the main page shortly.

    Here is TNA’s official press release, featuring quotes from Corgan and Dixie Carter:

    TNA Entertainment today announced Billy Corgan, founder of the Smashing Pumpkins and creative icon, is joining TNA Wrestling as Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development, effective immediately. In this position, Corgan will develop characters and create story lines for TNA’s flagship program IMPACT WRESTLING, broadcast Friday nights at 9/8c on Destination America, as well as other TNA programming.

    “I’ve known Billy for years and have always been blown away by his musical artistry, as well as his knowledge and understanding of professional wrestling,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “He has always impressed me with his creativity and passion for our business. Billy is truly gifted and understands the emotion tied to the psychology of connecting with an audience. The more we talked, the more I realized his perspective has the potential to make a huge impact on our brand.”

    “Saying I’m humbled and honored by this opportunity to be part of TNA, a world-class wrestling organization, is an understatement and a dream come true,” said Corgan. “What’s great is the entire TNA organization stands in full support of my music life with the Smashing Pumpkins. In return, I’m fully committed to using my 30 years of entertainment experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for pro wrestling, to take on the thrilling challenge of creatively contributing to IMPACT WRESTLING, finding and developing new talent, and working eye-to-eye with the best-of-the-best. For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.”

    Corgan joins a gifted group of creative writers led by TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick. In addition to partnering with his creative colleagues in writing compelling and emotionally engaging story lines for TNA programming, Corgan will attend TNA television tapings where he will serve as a senior producer, working with TNA’s roster of world-class athletes including veterans such as TNA World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Gail Kim, as well as a fresh crop of Superstars led by Ethan Carter III, Bram, Rockstar Spud and more.

    “As an iconic songwriter and performance artist, Billy stands as a true powerhouse,” said Gaburick. “I also find him to be an ardent historian of professional wrestling and a true visionary. We knew Billy would bring a great viewpoint when we offered, and he graciously accepted, to attend a recent creative summit. During those meetings, Billy’s pioneering perspectives and collaborative approach made it quickly evident we needed to bring him on as a permanent member of our team.”

    TNA programming, which features unparalleled professional wrestling entertainment through its innovative high-flying X-Division, the best women’s division on the planet in the TNA Knockouts, and incomparable Tag Team action, is seen by millions of viewers each week in more than 120 countries around the world.

    # # #

    About Billy Corgan

    Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum artist Billy Corgan is a celebrated creator, illustrious lyricist, distinguished musician and founder of the revered Smashing Pumpkins, who has written and released more than 300 songs, sold more than 31 million albums and later this year will co-headline ‘The End Times’ tour alongside Marilyn Manson, as recently announced on The Howard Stern Show. ‘Monument to An Elegy,’ the Smashing Pumpkins current studio album features ‘Drum + Fife,’ a stirring single calling attention to the issues of war trauma facing America’s servicemen and women, performances of which were featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Good Morning America. Corgan has also been featured on VH1’s Rock Icon, a music biography series profiling the most legendary artists in the history of rock music. A wrestling aficionado, in April 2015, Corgan announced a partnership with TNA Wrestling where he serves as a Senior Producer for creative and talent development. For more information, follow Billy on twitter @Billy and visit www.smashingpumpkinsnexus.com

    Eric Bischoff To Be Involved With Global Force Wrestling

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    Eric Bischoff took part in a Q&A session with Jeff Jarrett over the weekend for Preston City Wrestling and revealed that he will be working with Global Force Wrestling.

    Karen Jarrett asked Bischoff if he’ll be working with Global Force. Both Jarrett and Bischoff said yes, but noted that they are still in the early stages of launching the promotion.

    Global Force will hold their first round of TV tapings on July 24th from Las Vegas, Nevada.

    WWE RAW Preview: Extreme Rules Fallout

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    Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from Green Bay, Wisconsin at the the Resch Center an will feature fallout from Extreme Rules. No matches have been announced for the show as of Monday morning, but it’s expected that we’ll see several first round King of the Ring matches.

    Top stars advertised include WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, United States Champion John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Big Show and Sheamus. Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan is no longer being advertised by WWE.

    The dark main event will see Randy Orton and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Big Show.

    WWE.com’s 5-point preview focuses on the following items:

    * Will The Viper get retribution against Seth Rollins?

    * A new hope for The New Day?

    * Will Rusev make Cena say “I quit”?

    * Who or what will Dean Ambrose destroy tonight?

    * Will Sheamus’ Extreme Rules actions bite him in the “arse”?

    Schedule Of WWE Network Specials For This Week

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    Here’s the complete schedule for WWE Network original programming premieres for this week:

    Monday:: Jerry Springer’s “WWE: Too Hot For TV” will be released on-demand after RAW.

    Tuesday: King of the Ring live special at 8pm EST

    Wednesday: Mick Foley Night kicks off at 9pm EST with a 1-hour career highlights. At 10pm is a special edition of Foley’s “Cheap Pops” comedy show, taped last week from Full Sail University.

    Thursday: Chris Jericho’s podcast with Stephanie McMahon following Smackdown at 10pm EST.

    Friday: A special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show from WrestleMania 24 at 9pm EST, obviously playing off the Mayweather-Pacquaio fight this Saturday.

    Next week, a new edition of WWE 24 focusing on Roman Reigns will premiere after RAW.

    WWE Extreme Rules 2015 Pros And Cons: Rollins Snakes His Way To Victory

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    Extreme Rules has come and gone, and fans were treated to a cage match, a sprawling Chicago street fight, and even some good old fashioned arse kissing. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from Extreme Rules 2015.

    Pros

    Screen shot 2015-04-26 at 11.43.13 PM

    If we are being completely honest, there wasn’t a lot to choose from tonight in terms of positives. If forced to choose a Match of the Night, it would have to be Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper in a Chicago Street Fight. The action was stiff and sprawling, with Ambrose beating Harper senseless with a kendo stick to start the match before Harper turned the tables and suplexed the Lunatic Fringe through a chair. After receiving a snake eyes into a chair propped up in the corner, Ambrose regained momentum after hitting an awesome clothesline from the apron. The backstage segments were refreshing, and it was nice to see this one continue later in the night. After two matches, the competitors returned in their car and interrupted the New Day’s victory celebration, with the action once again returning to the ring. From there, Harper buried Ambrose under a pile of chairs, but it would ultimately backfire, as Ambrose would suplex Harper onto the chairs and hit Dirty Deeds for the win. Overall, these two had great chemistry, Ambrose provided some humor, and it was a creative way to start the show.

    Screen shot 2015-04-26 at 11.43.38 PM

    The tag team match was definitely a treat tonight. As always, Kidd and Cesaro went together like peanut butter and jelly, teaming up for multiple combination moves throughout the match. Cesaro was the clear star of this one, displaying his strength by catching Big E in midcard and slamming him to the canvas. Just as it looked as if the champs would retain their titles, Xavier Woods distracted the referee and allowed for Kofi Kingston to grab the roll-up victory. Putting the titles on the New Day isn’t going to have anyone jumping for joy, but it will be nice to see Kidd and Cesaro chase the titles as babyfaces. Fans should be looking forward to these two competing again in the future, as they told a great story, pulled off a number of impressive spots, and the end sequence was believable.

    king-of-the-ring

    It was announced that the King of the Ring would return on Tuesday night as a WWE Network exclusive. That’s sounds like something that is best for business.

    Screen shot 2015-04-26 at 11.40.54 PM

    Finally, the main event was sort of barely snuck its way into the pros column. These two ring technicians displayed solid fundamentals to start the match while Seth tried to sneak his way out of the cage. Rollins eventually took control after hitting the sling blade as both guys attempted to utilize the cage as a weapon early on. One positive in this match was that they were given sufficient time before the inevitable outside interference occurred, and seeing Orton hit a Pedigree was a nice change of pace. In the end, Kane of course interfered and helped Rollins retain the title after Seth hit Orton with an RKO. The commentators stupidly discussed whether Rollins was permitted to use the banned move after the match, as if it even mattered because the only two options were a win for Rollins or a disqualification victory for Orton – either instance resulting in Rollins keeping his title. Overall, this was your typical BS cage match, but it was one of the few highlights during an otherwise uneventful night, so here we are.

    WWE King Of The Ring Returning This Week

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    WWE’s King of The Ring tournament is back. It was announced during Extreme Rules that a KOTR live special will air this Tuesday night on the WWE Network at 8pm EST.

    The tournament will kick off on Monday’s RAW with the finals airing live on Tuesday night.

    The KOTR special will be take place prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Moline, IL.

    WWE Extreme Rules Results – April 26, 2015

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    WWE Extreme Rules 2015

    The 2015 WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view opens up with Lilian Garcia informing us that the Chicago Street Fight will open the show. We shoot to the announcers, who welcome us to the show.

    Chicago Street Fight
    – Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper

    Dean Ambrose makes his way out. Luke Harper comes out next and within seconds, Ambrose attacks him. The referee tries to restore order enough, and does, long enough to ring the bell.

    Within a minute, we’ve got chairs, chair shots, kendo sticks, kendo stick shots and plenty of hardcore action going on in the early goings.

    Ambrose goes for a tornado DDT, but Harper pushes him off and shoves him face-first into a steel chair wedged between the bottom and middle ropes. The Chicago fans break out into a loud “let’s go Ambrose” chant.

    The brawl continues, spilling all of the way back into the backstage area, with each guy using every weapon in sight — too many to even list. Finally, the guys fight and brawl their way off the screen as the two get into a car and leave, and it looks like this match is going to continue later on tonight.

    Backstage: Triple H, Kane & Seth Rollins

    As the un-seen Ambrose-Harper action continues off-screen, the fans chant “CM Punk” loud as hell as we shoot to a backstage segment with Kane and Seth Rollins. Someone told Kane he did good on Monday, because he’s now doing his best “Days Of Our Lives” impression in this short, two-minute backstage pro wrestling segment. HHH tells both guys that Rollins is making his first defense tonight, he wants to make sure Kane doesn’t screw that up. He asks both guys to put aside their differences. The fans start chanting “Boring! Boring!” louder than you can imagine. Kane assures both HHH and Rollins that tonight, he will do what’s best for business. I’m pretty sure you can predict where that’s going (he’s going to come out and “shock” everyone by helping Rollins).

    Kiss My Arse Match
    – Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus

    After the backstage segment, Dolph Ziggler makes his way out to the ring. It’s time for the “Kiss My Arse” match. The announcers acknowledge all of Ziggler’s controversial tweets about this match. So, you can pretty much forget about any “Montreal Screwjob” stuff happening in this one.

    Sheamus comes out next to a chorus of boos. The bell rings and here we go. It doesn’t take long before Sheamus starts dominating the action. Sheamus gets outside of the ring and with Ziggler dominated, tells him he’s gonna kiss his “arse” tonight. Back in the ring, “The Celtic Warrior” continues the punishment.

    Sheamus has literally dominated this entire match. We’re several minutes into this match and Ziggler has been either selling or on the defensive the entire time.

    Ziggler gets a hope series of offense, teasing a comeback, but after a few seconds, Sheamus takes right back over of the offense. He plays to the Chicago fans, who are boo’ing the hell out of him as he does it.

    Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick, however Ziggler avoids it. He tries to roll Sheamus up for a pin, but Sheamus kicks out at two and goes back to kicking his ass. Literally seconds later — literally — he rolls him up again, and without any offense, somehow scores the three count. Sheamus looks shocked.

    Winner: Dolph Ziggler

    After The Match

    To keep it simple, Sheamus tries to run away, plays around almost forever looking like he’s dreading what he’s about to do, only to never do it. He takes Ziggler out with a low blow and then Brogue Kicks him. While Ziggler is unconscious, Sheamus grabs him and puts his face in his “arse” — trunks up — no lips — but it happened. Nice double-swerve, which JBL — Vince’s mouth piece — is strongly selling as we go to a commercial.

    Daniel Bryan Out, Neville In At Tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules PPV

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    WWE has confirmed that Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan is off of tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois.

    WWE announced via their official website today that Bryan is out and Neville is in against Bad News Barrett on tonight’s show.

    WWE.com wrote the following:

    “WWE.com has learned that Daniel Bryan is medically unable to compete tonight at WWE Extreme Rules. Therefore, there will be no Intercontinental Championship defense.

    How will this breaking news affect the Intercontinental Championship picture? Stay with WWE.com all night long for updates as this story develops.

    Meanwhile, WWE.com has also learned that Bad News Barrett, Daniel Bryan’s original opponent, will now face Neville in the WWE Extreme Rules Kickoff at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, available for free on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Pheed and the award-winning WWE Network.”

    Jim Ross Blog: Extreme Rules Predictions, Cheap Pops Taping, Daniel Bryan’s Health

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    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the blog section of his official website, sharing his predictions for tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view and talking about some other subjects. Below are some highlights:

    On Friday’s “Cheap Pops” taping: “Had a great week down in Orlando observing the NXT TV tapings and doing some RINGSIDE w/ Jim Ross Show business before Mick Foley’s ‘Cheap Pops’ WWE Network TV special was taped that will air this Wednesday night. My 30 minute set will not be a part of Mick’s special which will be a great, one hour TV special that I encourage everyone to check out.”

    On the WWE Extreme Rules main event: “WWE Title Bout to be held inside a Steel Cage with Randy Orton’s RKO ‘Banned’…Rollins has to retain and one can expect a “cast of thousands” so to speak to be involved but hopefully the integrity of the cage will not be overly compromised in the process. Seth Rollins is still evolving as the WWE Champion and he’s a great choice for that role as, like many of his successful predecessors, Seth is a “beatable” champion but not tonight. Rollins and Orton should have a great match before all the shenanigans commence one would hope.”

    On the Russian chain match: “US Title Bout is a ‘Russian Chain Match’ which will, I think, be the first for both men which is always an iffy proposition. Having a run through in a live event would’ve been ideal but be that as it may I am not a fan of beating the villain in allegedly his type of match but I also find it challenging to see WWE beat John Cena who is doing a grat job of making the US Title mean something since he won it. Unique booking to say the least which isn’t a bad thing but I’d have Cena lose the Title, chase Rusev and thus continue to add equity and attention to the championship. That’s what I’d do but that’s not likely to happen as I could see a Cena-Rusev blowoff match for the Title at Summer Slam if Rusev wins tonight.”

    On Daniel Bryan’s status for tonight: “IC Title bout between Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett isn’t likely to happen due to DB’s health status that well could be related to concussion type symptoms but that’s merely my speculation. Nothing is more important than a wrestler’s health so this bout not occurring doesn’t bother me.”

    Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

    Goldust Wants Stardust To Get Title Shot, WWE Shares Tough Enough Audition Videos

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    – Goldust is campaigning on social media for his brother Stardust to get a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship if Daniel Bryan is unable to compete at WWE Extreme Rules tonight. Goldust tweeted the following on Saturday:

    https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/592084508360441857

    – WWE re-tweeted the following Tough Enough audition videos:

    Renee Young Debuting New WWE Network Show Next Week, Special Program Planned

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    – Renee Young’s new ten-minute WWE Network talk show, “Unfiltered” is scheduled to debut this Tuesday at 4pm EST. Her first guest will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. The official description for the show reads as follows: “In the premier of Unfiltered, Renee Young hangs out with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins for a fun and revealing conversation!”

    – Speaking of the WWE Network, some sort of special programming is scheduled to air at 8pm EST., on Tuesday night. The WWE Network currently has a one-hour program scheduled with the title being, “Network Exclusive.” The description for that one reads as follows: “To be announced, live WWE action and entertainment featuring top WWE stars.”

    Jim Ross To Be Included On Mick Foley’s Special?, Connor Michalek Anniversary, Lawler Sketch

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    – As noted, Jim Ross did a 30-minute opening act for Mick Foley’s “Cheap Pops” special, which was taped on Friday. The former WWE announcer confirmed on social media that his portion of the show will not air on the WWE Network this Wednesday night.

    – WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler posted the following photo on Twitter of a sketch he did of “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

    – Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Connor “The Crusher” Michalek. The official Connor’s Cure Twitter feed posted the following:

    Final Lineup For Tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View

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    WWE Extreme Rules takes place tonight from Chicago, Illinois. Below is the final lineup for tonight’s show.

    WWE World Heavyweight Title
    Steel Cage Match
    Guardian of the Gate: Kane / The RKO is banned.
    – Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

    WWE United States Title
    Russian Chain Match
    – Rusev vs. John Cena

    WWE Intercontinental Title Match
    – Bad News Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan

    WWE Divas Title Match
    – Naomi vs. Nikki Bella

    Kiss Me Arse Match
    – Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

    Last Man Standing Match
    – Big Show vs. Roman Reigns

    Chicago Street Fight
    – Luke Harper vs. Dean Ambrose

    Kickoff Pre-show:

    WWE Tag Team Title Match
    – The New Day vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd

    WWE Extreme Rules 2015 Betting Odds

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    Here are the updated betting odds for Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which are usually a good indicator of who will be walking out victorious. It’s interesting to note that all champions are expected to retain.

    – WWE World Heavyweight Campion Seth Rollins is a -900 favorite over Randy Orton.

    – United States Champion John Cena is also -900 against Rusev.

    – Roman Reigns is -420 against Big Show.

    – Sheamus is -225 against Dolph Ziggler.

    – Dean Ambrose is -215 against Luke Harper.

    – Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan is a slight -195 favorite against Bad News Barrett.

    – WWE Tag-Team Champions Tyson Kidd & Cesaro are also -195 against New Day on the pre-show.

    – Divas Champion Nikki Bella is -150 over Naomi.

    Join us here this Sunday night for Live Coverage of WWE Extreme Rules.