In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Brock Lesnar’s current contract is similar to his previous two in that he will likely be booked for either three or four pay-per-view appearances per year (with “year” being defined as WrestleMania-to-WrestleMania).
Lesnar was storyline suspended after destroying the announce team and delivering an F-5 to Michael Cole on this week’s episode of Raw. This was done as a way to write off Lesnar from the storyline until he makes his return later this year.
The current plan seems to involve keeping Lesnar off of television until about a month before SummerSlam, meaning he would likely make his return to television at the beginning of August.
As we all know, things can change in the blink of an eye, but for the time being, it appears the Beast could be taking a vacation over the summer before returning to build up his next feud at SummerSlam.
– WWE is teasing that Stephanie McMahon will be announcing the length of Brock Lesnar’s “suspension,” as well as the amount that he was “fined” on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which emanates from Austin, Texas.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross narrates highlights from WaleMania in a new video posted online by the hip-hop star. You can check it out below.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show to talk about a number of topics. Below are some highlights.
On Global Force Wrestling/New Japan Pro Wrestling: “If they do another one I’m very interested in being involved. I don’t know what New Japan or Jeff’s plans are going forward but if they do another one I’d like to be considered. I’m interested in getting back into the game with them because they’re not every week. They’re special occasions, they’re special events, and that’s kind of an environment that’s good for me. So I’m very much emotionally invested in doing more if the opportunity comes about.”
On Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania: “I’ve been saying on my podcast for the last several months that Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Cowboys, if WWE is truly serious about selling a 100,000 seats or more, then attractions like Ronda Rousey versus Stephanie McMahon will help do that. People say she shouldn’t wrestle, or she should wrestle Ric Flair’s daughter, you want her to wrestle the woman who has the most heat, the most angst, and is the greatest villain, and Stephanie McMahon is an incredible villain. People will pay money to see the babyface, i.e. Ronda Rousey, go against a stacked deck, which you know the McMahons can do. What if Stephanie goes, ‘Oh by the way, my husband is going to be the special referee,’ that type of thing. So you can put the heroine in great jeopardy, you’ll get great outside the box publicity, she has a great fan base that will follow her in any of her endeavors, why do you think movie people are using her so frequently? Fast & Furious, Entourage movie, all that stuff. She has a following and they will follow her to WrestleMania.”
On WWE’s use of Brock Lesnar as Champion: “It harkened back to the days of the traveling NWA Champion, it harkened back to the days of the traveling Andre the Giant. You only saw those guys on special occasions, therefore, they always made an impact when you did see them, they were always special. I think Lesnar is exactly that way by not being overexposed. One of the kisses of death in doing a flagship, three-hour show each Monday is overexposure of talent. I like steak, but I don’t wanna eat it every day. My point is a little bit of Brock goes a long way, like you pointed out so astutely, when he did a appear he made an impact. So I like the way that it’s booked and now he’s the big hero, he’s a big babyface, he’s gonna come for retribution. He’s suspended right now on the storyline, I love that, he has a logical reason storyline wise to not be present. I think WWE has done a magnificent job of setting up what I would book as SummerSlam is Lesnar vs. Rollins, and then I would not have Lesnar and Rollins cross paths through hook or crook until Lesnar wins the Royal Rumble and then he goes to WrestleMania 32 to challenge Rollins for the WWE Title.”
The following matches were taped for tonight’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE SmackDown this past Tuesday in Fresno, California.
– Randy Orton vs. Big Show
– Natalya vs. Naomi
– Roman Reigns interview with Byron Saxton
– The Miz vs. R-Truth
– Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
– Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
For complete spoilers for tonight’s WWE SmackDown, click here.
AXS TV has announced that their New Japan Pro Wrestling series has been renewed for a second 12-episode season premiering May 22nd. The current season wraps up next Friday (4/10) and will feature A.J. Styles vs. Okada for the IWGP World championship from May 2014.
Season 2 kicks off May 22nd with matches from last year’s “Best of the Super Juniors” tournament. The additional episodes feature “a combined eight hours of comprehensive coverage of the 24th annual G1 Climax Tournament, including full matches and highlights,” as well as three hours of coverage from the 2014 Dominion PPV.
Mauro Ranallo and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will return as commentators.
AXS TV CEO Andrew Simon was quoted in the press release, “In the second cycle of New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV, we will focus a majority of the episodes on G1 Climax 24, which was hailed by many as one of the best pro wrestling tournaments in history. We are thankful to New Japan Pro Wrestling and our programming partner TV Asahi in Japan for allowing us to acquire this unique series and share it with our audience.”
Ring of Honor’s annual “War of the Worlds” event will be held in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena (ECW Arena) on May 12-13, and the company will also be holding a “Global Wars” pay-per-view event in Toronto on May 15-16 at the Ted Reeve Arena.
In order to build excitement for the event, the company is announcing the New Japan superstars one-by-one on their official Twitter account. The first name is one that will be familiar to anyone who watched “Wrestle Kingdom 9” in January, as he walked out as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. That man is of course Hiroshi Tanahashi.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 1, 2015
Often compared to John Cena, Tanahashi is one of the most popular superstars in the world and considered by many to be one of the finest wrestlers one will find anywhere. Tanahashi is a seven time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, although his most recent reign was a short one after dropping the title to AJ Styles at February’s “The New Beginning” pay-per-view.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 2, 2015
In addition, Ring of Honor announced just moments ago that Tanahashi’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” opponent, Kazuchika Okada, will also be performing at the events. The “Rainmaker” is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Japanese wrestling today, having won the G1 Climax Tournament, the New Japan Cup, and the IWPG Heavyweight Championship.
Ring of Honor will continue to announce superstars in the coming days and is encouraging fans to tweet them potential match-ups @ringofhonor.
Tickets for the May 13th show in Philadelphia have already sold out, but are still available for the other three nights and can be purchased online through this link.
WWE made the call to have Seth Rollins cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship late in the show at WrestleMania 31 this past Sunday.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rollins found out about the new plans as The Rock and Ronda Rousey segment was going on. He was then taken into a room with producer Michael Hayes, as well as Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns, to go over the new plans for the finish of the main event.
Originally, the plan was for Reigns to win the title from Lesnar, however WWE reportedly changed those plans sometime in advance. The belief is that Lesnar was fully aware of the new plans before he signed his new deal with WWE last Tuesday.
It’s unknown when Reigns found out that he wasn’t going to become the new champion, however as noted earlier today, his family, particularly his father Sika, was furious when they realized Reigns wasn’t winning as planned, and reportedly wanted to “go to war” with WWE as a result.
WWE was said to be shocked when Steve Austin didn’t show up for WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California this past weekend, as he was scheduled to arrive from Texas on the same flight as The Undertaker, and they even had someone waiting at the airport to pick him up.
WWE was apparently still under the impression that Austin would show up at some point, as they had a room with his name on it backstage at Levi’s Stadium until mid-week.
The issue appears to be between Austin and Vince McMahon, and is a big enough issue that one source said they’ve never seen McMahon so angry before, which is saying a lot.
There was a lot of criticism of WWE at Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW regarding the storyline injury to Michael Cole following the Brock Lesnar attack angle.
While the WWE writer who initially wrote the angle may not have been aware of Aguayo Jr.’s cause of death, considering how many channels a WWE script goes through, the belief is that at least someone who read the script knew about Perro.
The website SheKnows.com posted a scathing critique of the fans in attendance on Monday. During the Raw broadcast, the audience directed a number of chants at the Divas during their tag match, including, “You suck Cena” to Nikki Bella and “You suck Tyson” to Natalya, among others. The website also criticized Stephanie McMahon for not responding to the situation, writing:
The silence from the WWE is especially disconcerting considering that the organization is now “run” by Stephanie McMahon. Way to stick up for your girls, Steph.
Nikki Bella is the only WWE employee to comment on the situation thus far, writing on Twitter after Monday’s episode of Raw:
Amazing #RAW & crowd last night! Always the best! But not 2 clever..Was waiting 4..You suck Cena..Nikki sucks?? but WE LOVE DIVAS..Thank u!?
Although Nikki is the only Diva to directly respond to the chants, Paige retweeted the following post from Tommy Dreamer on Monday, in which he described the match as having a “good crowd reaction.”
As reported earlier this week, NXT star CJ Parker parted ways with WWE after being granted his release. The split was amicable as Parker was allowed to work matches at WrestleMania AXXESS on the way out.
Parker was reportedly frustrated as he had spent four years in the company and came to the realization that he was not going to be brought up to the main WWE roster.
WWE told Parker that he would be welcomed back in the company in the future. Parker was said to be well-liked by many within the company and was saying his “goodbyes” at the post-WrestleMania 31 party on Sunday night.
As far as his future is concerned, Parker is going to continue his career as a wrestler, and is looking to get a job working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
– Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW in San Jose, California drew a legitimate sell out of 11,000 fans. Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Fresno, California drew 11,000 fans as well.
– The new Minnesota Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota is said to be the front-runner to get WrestleMania 33 in 2017. The stadium, which is scheduled to open next year, is expected to hold around 63,000 fans for a WrestleMania event and has a retractable roof so the weather will not be an issue. While they are the favorite, they are not considered to be a “lock” at this point, as other cities are still in the running, such as Orlando and Philadelphia.
WWE banned Scott Steiner from the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony this past Saturday night after Steiner was involved in some type of incident with Hulk Hogan’s wife Jennifer.
The story going around is that Steiner was involved in an “ugly incident” with Hogan’s wife on an airplane. No specific details are known past the point that it became a big issue and resulted in WWE keeping Steiner from their venues this weekend.
At the WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, security were told to be on high alert for Steiner, with different guards at every entrance being told if Steiner shows up, not to allow him in the building under any circumstances.
Below is the photo that was posted on the wall at the Hall Of Fame to inform security of who Steiner is.
Several members of the legendary Anoa’i family were very angry at the finish of this past Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 main event after seeing that plans had changed and Roman Reigns was not going to end up winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns’ father, Sika, was so upset that he was apparently “looking to start a war.” One WWE source commented to Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“Sika forgot this business is not real life, and was legit pissed at the finish and looking to start a war. A lot of the younger (family members) were rallying around Sika, but the other 45 or 50 of them talked some reason.”
A different source who was around the Anoa’i family during WrestleMania said they were furious and disappointed, but not “out of control.”
While the family came out of respect to watch Rikishi get inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, they were primarily there to see Reigns have his big “WrestleMania moment” and win the title.
UFC is looking to squash rumors that UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is under contract to WWE after participating in an angle at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday.
The official Twitter account of UFC Tonight, the weekly news and information show of the UFC, issued this statement Wednesday night via Twitter:
Ronda Rousey does NOT have a deal with the WWE, her WrestleMania appearance was a “one-off”.
On Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, Rousey sat ringside for WrestleMania 31, and midway through the show made a surprise appearance in the ring with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson where she dispatched Triple H with a hiptoss and Stephanie McMahon with an armbar. Following the event, Rousey teased additional involvement with WWE.
The night: Historic.
The moment: Electric.
The Rock, Ronda &the WWE Universe: Magic.
We’re just gettin’ started… pic.twitter.com/mUOoBIFsaQ
TNA Knockout Brooke Tessmacher (a/k/a Brooke Adams) appeared on the In The Room podcast this past Tuesday with wrestling journalist Brady Hicks and former WCW wrestler The Stro, where she discussed the perception of being “hot,” her first impressions of wrestling for TNA, winning the Knockouts Championship, and more. Highlights from the audio interview, which can be downloaded at VOCNation.com and TheBradyHicks.com, are as follows:
On fighting the perception of just being “hot”:
“I had to give them that, because I [didn’t] know how to wrestle. So I have to at least be the sexy person with the big [butt] that bounces around with a pretty face. And now I have to go in and do double work to prove that I’m not only that. That’s what people want to see, because I’ve given them that, but it also tarnishes who I am as a wrestler.”
On her first impressions wrestling in TNA:
“In the beginning … I had no idea what I was doing … I was so scared. I didn’t do this in WWE. I’m afraid I’m messing up and then getting fired. I was just so nervous. Even coming from such a big company and already going through it once, it helped me a little bit, but I didn’t have the wrestling down behind me to back it up so it just made me very insecure as a wrestler.”
Winning the TNA Knockouts Championship:
“I think at the time they were like “Wow. She cares. She’s got some heart” … [Apart from] the few matches I had in the beginning, I came back and I was learning how to wrestle on my own and I was paying this guy to help me … I think they saw that and they wanted to give me a chance to flourish. And it happened to be a perfect time when we were going to be in Texas, my home state, so it all just worked out perfectly … They just saw that I wanted it. I was so hungry. I wasn’t tarnished at all from the business and being like “I’m old and grizzled. I don’t want to put [in] the workout.” I was like “You want me to jump off what?! What do you want me to do?! I’ll do it!”
All that, plus Brooke talks her disappointment from being taken off of TNA’s TV briefly; getting heat in WWE for her dog making too much noise backstage; learning from TNA’s women’s roster; being in Extreme Expose; and presenting more of a fun-loving character rather than being so serious.
The son of Eric Bischoff has not appeared for TNA since November 2013. His character was written off television after Mr. Anderson attacked Bischoff with a pile-driver in a measure of revenge on the Aces & Eights.
The latest episode of I’m With Spud is now online, titled “The Trial of Rockstar Spud vs. Robbie E Begins.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVc75I3rWYY
Gunner appears for Fusion Wrestling on Saturday, May 2 at Rappahannock High School 6914 Richmond Rd. Warsaw, Virginia. Click here for event details.
The Miz and Paige are set to star in Santa’s Little Helper, a WWE Studios film that will be released on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD this holiday season.
News of the film was announced today on WWE.com. Both The Miz and Paige tout the motion picture in these videos released on the official YouTube account of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, WWE Studios’ partner in the production of the film.
The official synopsis of the film is as follows:
After getting fired from his job, a slick, fast-talking businessman (Dax) is given an opportunity of a lifetime – become Santa Claus’s second-in-command. However, getting the job won’t be that easy – Dax must go head-to-head against an elf that feels she’s more deserving of the title. As the competition heats up, Dax learns the true meaning of Christmas…but ultimately who will become Santa’s Little Helper?
E! announced on Wednesday that WWE’s “Total Divas” reality show has been renewed for a fourth season. The show is scheduled to return this summer with the same cast.
The announcement reads as follows:
“Returning in its fourth season, E!, WWE®and Bunim-Murray Productions continue their look inside the lives of the women of the sports entertainment giant,” reads the press release. “Cameras once again showcase the professional and personal lives of the WWE Divas: The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella), Natalya (Nattie), Naomi, Alicia Fox, Paige, and Eva Marie.”
“Between balancing family, maintaining romantic relationships and constantly fighting for the spotlight, the Divas are up against the odds. However, their unique lifestyles bring them together in a bond of sisterhood like no other. Total Divas is produced by WWE and Bunim/Murray Productions. Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein, Jeff Jenkins and Russell Jay are Executive Producers for Bunim/Murray Productions. Kevin Dunn is Executive Producer for WWE.”
With Michael Cole “injured,” Byron Saxton handled the sit-down video interview for WWE.com this week. The full interview, which features Roman Reigns, is scheduled to air during this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
“It was terrible. It was right there, I was right there. I climbed the mountain, I felt the top, I was looking down and I got pulled right off of it in a matter of moments” said Reigns during the interview about coming up short at WrestleMania 31 this past Sunday.
“That Seth Rollins, that was his job and that’s what he did,” Reigns added. “He had the Money In the Bank briefcase with a contract he could cash in at any time and what a perfect time – let the animals take each other out and pick the bones. That’s what he did. But I did something too…”
The USA Network issued a press release touting the ratings success of Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW.
USA NETWORK’S WWE ‘MONDAY NIGHT RAW’ ATTRACTS LARGEST AUDIENCE IN NEARLY THREE YEARS
5.4 Million Total Viewers Tuned-In to See Their Favorite WWE Superstars Live, Following a Record-Breaking WrestleMania
NEW YORK, NY – April 1, 2015 – Following WRESTLEMANIA 31, where Seth Rollins won his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship, this week’s WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW delivered 2.4 million adults 18-49, 2.4 million adults 25-54 and 5.4 million total viewers from 8-11 p.m. (live +same). This is the highest total viewership for RAW in nearly three years, since July 23, 2012, the night of the RAW 1000 special.
Monday’s RAW was televised live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA, and was highlighted by Brock Lesnar challenging Rollins, the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, to a rematch; United States Champion John Cena defending his title against Dean Ambrose; and Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan defeating Dolph Ziggler.
Monday’s RAW was up vs. last week’s telecast by 27% in adults 18-49, 24% in adults 25-54 and 28% in total viewers 2+. USA was the #1 network Monday night in primetime in adults 18-34 as well as men 18-34 and 18-49 for all of television — including the broadcast networks.
RAW was also the #2 most social show of the day with 400,000 tweets, reaching a unique audience of 3.6 million people and generating 27 million impressions.
WWE has an article on their official website updating fans on the physical condition of the WWE RAW announce team.
The article states that Michael Cole, JBL and Booker T will all be back at next Monday’s RAW following their “injuries” sustained in the attack by Brock Lesnar at this past Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of the show.
According to the story, Cole was diagnosed with a bulging disc and is battling severe neck, back and shoulder pain. JBL was diagnosed with an abdominal wall tear, and Booker T suffered contusions and soreness.
Jeff Hardy recently spoke with the folks at Ring Rust Radio for an interview.
On whether he has any thoughts of toning down his in-ring style: “It’s always how I’m gonna be till I can’t do it anymore. It’s kinda of a day by day, match by match process with me. I’m pretty sure I know what my body is capable of doing and getting away with without getting seriously injured. That’s the main thing is to avoid that big, serious injury. I feel confident in whatever I come up with in my mind that I can pull it off. I always go for it unless someone shuts me down. As long as I am able to wrestle I will always be that Jeff Hardy style people know and love until I can’t.”
On how important it was to him to know that his cage match spot garnered mainstream attention: “It doesn’t even really matter to me. Matt is more the social media guy. He is the one that wants to get it everywhere. I’m kinda stand behind the evolution of it all. I don’t even tweet that much but I will tweet a picture after a match with my face paint and say thank you Orlando or wherever I am. That’s really all I do, I’m pretty much an anti-social when it comes to that. That stuff is more along Matt’s territory where he cares about all that stuff and I really don’t care about the impact it makes on others. I just care if it was a great match and if the story is good. This Friday on Impact at 9 p.m. on Destination America it is Hardy’s revenge. You gotta tune in to check it out, I get so much revenge on him you just won’t know what to do. It’s a great match, great show, and a flawless story. TNA is doing great right now and we’re just gonna keep climbing.”
On what winning the TNA Tag Titles would mean to him: “It’s all about the collection you know? It’s something to add to the collection and naturally as a pro-wrestler you want to every title you possibly can. From the lightweight championship, tag team championship, U.S. title, Intercontinental title, world heavyweight championship which is the metaphorical brass ring to grab they say. Naturally you want to win them all to add to your collection. To look back on your career and say that you did that, that is something Matt and I haven’t done yet. We have had some killer matches in TNA with the Wolves, Team 3D, and we are going to continue to have those matches until we win those World titles. It’s inevitable that we are and I am looking forward to it.”
On whether he and Matt view their reunion as an opportunity to help restore the importance tag team wrestling: “Kind of, yeah, I would think so. I was always a believer of tag team ranks could be just as important as the world championship and singles matches. I think we could see that down the road in some company where the world tag team titles are more important than the world heavyweight title. Back in the day when we were just the Hardy Boyz before we went our solo ways, we just went out there and had the greatest matches ever. We wanted to steal the show every night and I feel that way now with Matt every time we get together and have a match. I always want to mention the Young Bucks, cause we have wrestled them several times and it is a blast getting together with those guys. We always put together killer matches and tear it up…”
On whether younger wrestlers approach him for advice: “I never view myself as a leader. I compliment people when I see something I really like and tell them that was good, keep doing what you’re doing. That’s as much as advice as you will get out of me. Matt is more that trainer to help a young star be better. If he ever opens a school I might pop in and my big claim to fame is selling and how to take a good butt whooping. I never saw myself as a leader but Matt definitely is that guy.”
On becoming the first OMEGA Champion since 2000: “It’s extremely cool. To capitalize on that like Shane Helms the Hurricane has, all the power and weight behind those shows and everything it takes to pull those off. He was hanging at my house one weekend and we watched a show where the Hardy Boyz wrestled the Briscoe Brothers. Just from beginning to end it was such a good show and all I could say was wow. It was pay-per-view worthy and it was just a match at a high school. All the way through it was built and built until the main event perfectly. Now the possibilities are endless especially now that I have this alter ego Willow. Now when I have these crazy ideas I run them by Shane and he says, “Oh wow, yeah that is cool.” It’s a new day in pro-wrestling and with Omega we can and we will pull of anything. Down the road with Jeff Hardy and Willow you are going to see some really cool, I almost want to say magic-like and special setups for some alter ego Willow stuff going on with Omega.”
On whether there a different variation or completely new type of stipulation that you think fans would want to see in TNA: “Stipulation as in match wise? There’s always room for that. I have an idea but I haven’t pushed it yet. I asked the guy in TNA that does the ring work if there was a way to spin the ring like WCW did back in the Universal days. It would spin around so I got to thinking, and I asked if he could put a ring on a thing that would spin to make it go around and around, make it go faster and slow it down. A rotating match to pull off in the future, where you start the match and at a certain time it’s going to start to rotate and go faster and faster. If you could pull off spots while the ring is rotating would be awesome in itself. Anything is possible if people are willing to attempt to pull it off and get over the fear of trying. I’m willing to try anything.”
Expectations are high for the 31st edition of Wrestlemania, as we get ready to witness history this Sunday on the Grandest Stage of Them All. There is some serious drawing power on this year’s card, with the likes of Lesnar, Sting, Cena, HHH and the Undertaker scheduled to get it on. Many fans feel disappointed by the lackluster build to the event but fortunately the spectacle of WrestleMania is its lure, and there is nothing that can diminish the magnitude of the event.
Executive producers at Lucha Underground know this is the most important week in the world of professional wrestling and responded accordingly with a double main event for both the AAA and LU World Heavyweight Championship titles.
The promotion is looking to heat things up this summer as they are working on a major show that will be booked as “their version of WrestleMania”. The event is scheduled to take place in August and will be called Ultimo Lucha. While pay-per-view is not an option at this juncture, it may end up being a two-hour or even three-hour show on El Rey. Preparations for the event are ongoing as of this writing (spoiler ahead, you’ve been warned) with drastic changes scheduled to take place (still giving you a chance to focus your eyes on the subsequent paragraph) such as Johnny Mundo turning heel in most volatile fashion. He will enter a program with AAA World Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron that will begin airing sometime in May and in all probability will spill over as part of the main event at this summer’s Ultimo Lucha event. By the way, Lucha Underground officials are starting to crack down on fans bringing mobile devices into their tapings because of the feeling that they are sending out news and spoilers. They might not be allowing any mobile devices in the building going forward. Not sure how to feel about this as cell phones are an imperative necessity in today’s society. I remember when WWE had this problem during the Monday Night Wars. The only viable solution is going live. You can’t tell fans not to carry their phones or take pictures, might as well tell them not to chant or have fun either.
Last week we were treated to a very well produced casket match that fans and journalists alike are calling one of the best matches of the year so far. This week we see a major shift in storyline as tonight’s episode is centered around the AAA world title and the new and improved Lucha Underground world title. The new belt is an absolute beauty, one of the best designed titles out there.
We get a video package recapping Alberto’s debut against Texano, Konnan teaching Puma the art of war, Cage’s path of destruction and a bit on the drama involving Ivelisse, Angelico and Son of Havov. Matt Striker and Vampiro welcome us to the show, its time for Lucha.
Angelico vs Son of Havoc
Havoc starts off hot with a spear on Angelico, sending him rolling to the outside, then goes for an outside dive through the ropes and either gets tangled up or stops midway to change position. I rewinded several times and couldn’t tell. Striker said he was “changing position to adjust to Angelico getting up the floor” but I think it was a botch. Either way good job on the commentating. Back in the ring, Havoc curbstomps Angelico for a two count. Angelico hits a mix of his cool strike/kick combos. Havoc gets up to the top rope but gets a Pele style soccer kick to the head. Angelico is one heck of athlete. He does an awesome running flipping senton over the corner turnbuckle to the outside that looked amazing. Hits his target right on the money. Had he not, he would probably be in the hospital right now. The crowd is chanting holy s***. Havoc hits a bicycle kick then a standing shooting star press for 2, then a handspring elbow to the corner followed by a backbreaker. Ivelisse literally does not shut up throughout the match. She reminds me of why I’m single. She grabs Havoc’s beard while on the apron but he pushes her away so he could kick an approaching Angelico. Havoc then hits a sick springboard doublestomp onto Angelico’s back and into a standing moonsault. Angelico then lands a running knee on Havoc while he’s in the corner. These guys are tearing it up. He goes for the Fall of the Angels crucifix powerbomb but Havoc counters it into a hurricanrana. That was awesome, hard to pull off and he did it with flair. I love it when wrestlers make difficult moves look easy. Shows their aptitude and poise. They battle it out on the top rope and Havoc lifts Angelico like he’s going for a superplex but crotches him on the top rope instead. He then grabs a mic and says IVELISSE, YOU ARE HOLDING ME BACK, YOU ARE WHY I’VE BEEN LOSING, YOU ARE DUMPED! Finally some balls man! He lands a Shooting Star Press on Angelico and finally gets the win. Havoc wins, Havoc wins! And in the process regains his manhood. Great contest that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Ivelisse can’t believe she got dumped. She kicks Angelico right in the face. That’s what he gets for acting like the lame guys out there who hit girls up fresh out of a long term relationship.
We go straight to Dario Cueto’s office where he is signing an official contract. It’s Hernandez and according to Cueto, Konnan has high praise for him. He says here in Lucha Underground he will not be held back by being in some *smug face* tag team. Cueto gives him a front row seat to the main event.
Bull Rope Match- Alberto El Patron vs Texano
AAA World Heavyweight Championship
This blood feud started in AAA and has crossed over, no pun intended, into Lucha Underground. Both men are tied to the rope as they trade strikes to start off. Alberto dropkicks Texano outside and hits a hurricanrana from the top apron. He climbs up again but Texano smashes him with the cowbell and chokes him with the rope. Texano then grabs a chair and hits Alberto in the back. Goes for another chair shot but Alberto hits a sweet looking DDT that flips him inside out. Texano shakes it off and hits a dropkick but then gets cracked over the head with the bell as he climbs the top rope. Alberto takes advantage and hits a superplex. Digging the offense. He hits his signature backstabber, vintage Del Rio. He grabs the rope Texano brought to the ring and whips him with it but Texano fights back and hits a sick codebreaker for a near fall. A very near fall. Alberto eventually positions Texano on the top rope in a reverse suplex position and hits a brainbuster for two. I’ve always loved that move and Alberto executes it to prefection every time. He calls for the armbreaker but Texano launches him into the wedged chair on the turnbuckle. That was nice. Near fall again. Texano grabs a table but Alberto hits a double knee crusher on the arm and then hits a superkick. He goes for a super hurricanrana but Texano counters and powerbombs him through the table! This one is over, he goes for the cover- 1, 2, kick out! The crowd is going nuts for this. All they’re missing is a ladder for this to be the first ever bull rope TLC match. Texano smashes Alberto with the cowbell while on the top rope and goes for a superplex but El Patron grabs his arm while hanging outside the ring Minoru Suzuki style and taps out Texano to retain. This was solid. Texano is a heck of a rudo (heel) and this match showed why he was AAA heavyweight champion for 2 straight years.
Konnan is seen training Puma in the gym with intermittent flashes of Cage flashing through his mind. In walks Hernandez and Konnan tells Puma they are great friends that go way back, even drops the LAX reference. Hernandex tells Puma “what’s up big time, I’m a big fan”. It looked as if Puma felt he was about to get jumped. They keep teasing betrayal. Konnan is one sketchy guy who is not to be trusted.
Boyle Heights Street Fight – Cage vs. Prince Puma
Lucha Underground World Heavyweight Championship
Striker and Vampiro hype the fact that anything can happen in a Boyle Heights street fight. Having grown up in the hardest projects in town I can tell you from experience that it’s true. Hernandez is watching front row. Dario Cueto comes out with the new title belt and says “this is what you’ll be fighting for!” It’s so well crafted and the gold makes it shine even in darkness. It is truly an awesome looking belt. Cueto is one heck of a compelling authority figure. Puma lands a nice dropkick but Cage brings the power game to Puma and clotheslines him of the apron. Flips him inside out.Puma goes for a hurricanrana on the outside but gets powerbombed into the post. They’re outside battling it out, Cage is beating the tar out of Puma. He throws him back into the ring and gets a chair. Cage goes for a chairshot but gets kicked in the stomach prompting Puma to nail a Vandaminator on Cage. Puma grabs a garbage can lid and hits Cage repeatedly with it. He then does a standing shooting star press onto Cage with the lid on top of him. Puma sets a table up outside but Cage nails Puma with the lid. Back in the ring Puma springboards but Cage catches him in a torture rack position and hits a backbreaker. Cage is everything you need in a champion. He’s fast, athletic and very powerful. He tries to deadlift suplex Puma out of the ring but to no avail. Puma then hits a shooting star press from the top apron onto Cage who is outside. Wow, that was extreme and a thing of beauty; spectacular. If you want to know why he’s champ, that’s why. Cage is placed on the table outside, Puma then springboard 450 splashes Cage through it. Puma is a highlight reel. Camera keeps cutting to Hernandez and Konnan during all of this. Back in the ring, Puma goes for a top rope maneuver but Cage pushes him and sends him flying to the floor. He places Puma’s head in the chair and then slams him into the post. Konann tries to intervene only to be tossed onto the metal fence. Cage takes the garbage can and tosses it in ring. Puma nails Cage with a suplex on the chair and then signals for a 630. Cage moves out of the way as Puma lands on his butt. Too many of those can be lethal to the spinal cord. Cage hits a clothesline from hell for a near fall. Cage hits his Weapon X special, a move which I love by the way, but does not go for the pin. For a moment I thought we had a new world champion. He proceeds to ground and pound Puma with his fists. He hits Puma with repeated powerbombs, the last one onto the garbage can. Cage now calls out Hernandez. Hernandez distracts Cage long enough for Konnan to hit Cage with his “loaded cane”. Another garbage can is tossed in by Hernandez and Puma hits the 630 for the win. Wasn’t thrilled about the finish but the match itself was great. Hernandez didn’t really do much for me or the match but it’ll make for a nice feud between Cage and Hernandez in the near future. Puma is a gifted athlete. He’s unafraid, impressive and full of life. He deserves to be champion even if he doesn’t have the look that Cage has. Cage’s time will come. For now, all hail Prince Puma.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Son of Havoc defeated Angelico @ 6:50 via pin
AAA Mega Championship Bullrope Match: Champion Alberto El Patron vs. Texano @ 8:26 via submission
Lucha Underground Street Fight: Champion Prince Puma defeated Cage @ 12:18 via pin
Final thoughts
Great show but for some reason I feel last week’s was better. That casket match was sick. What was great about tonight’s show is that it felt important and that’s always vital. It was great to see Son of Havoc break away from Ivelisse and finally become a babyface. The Alberto El Patron vs.Texano match was another good chapter for them, even with the anticlimactic ending. The main event was good, though a bit overbooked toward the end. It should have been more about Puma/Cage and not Konnan/Hernandez, but I understand it helps further the story. We have seemingly closed the book on the Patron vs. Texano and Cage vs. Puma feuds for now and will probably start fresh next week with new storylines. Lucha Underground has learned the art of not only writing but booking episodic TV. They have taken us on a rollercoaster of a ride building to peak before taking us to the valley low and peaking again. We’ve had some great cliffhangers throughout the show and it continues to be easy to follow and very fun to watch.
From Boyle Heights, I’m Rudy Cabrera, see you next week.
– WWE staff members left from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this week to head to AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area to begin early work for next year’s WrestleMania 32 event.
– The reason there wasn’t as much pyro at this year’s WrestleMania is due to WWE being forced to deal with strict FAA rules as Levi’s Stadium is directly under flight paths to the San Jose International Airport.
– WWE officials reportedly enjoyed working with Dana Warrior during WrestleMania Week this year. As a result, it’s believed we will see her involved with WWE more in the future.
