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Dolph Ziggler Returning To The Road, Chris Jericho Getting Serious For Punk

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– Chris Jericho was caught up with WWE.com after RAW and spoke about his upcoming match against CM Punk at next month’s Payback pay-per-view. Jericho said he saw CM Punk’s tweet about hating wrestling – and that his fun, dancing & games are over.

– World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler appears to be returning to the road this week, since he’s now being advertised for this week’s SmackDown live events. Ziggler is also being advertised for next week’s Monday NIght RAW and SmackDown tapings.

The World Heavyweight champion has been out for about 2 weeks following a concussion. It’s unknown at this point whether Ziggler will be back in the ring any time soon, but he’s returning to WWE shows.

* VIDEO of the WYATT FAMILY Promo Video That Aired On RAW

Sin Cara Out Of IC Title Picture, Shield Member Celebrating Birthday

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– WWE tag team champion Seth Rollins of The Shield turns 26 years old today. He was born on this date back in 1986.

– It appears that Sin Cara’s Intercontinental championship match against Wade Barrett will not be happening, as advertised. After returning to action from his latest hiatus, Sin Cara was scheduled to wrestle Wade Barrett for the gold on last week’s episode of WWE Main Event. The match never happened – and after Monday’s RAW, it looks like Sin Cara is already out of the title picture in favor of The Miz and Fandango.

* VIDEO of the WYATT FAMILY Promo Video That Aired On RAW

Video: Bray Wyatt & Family Vignette That Aired On Raw

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On Monday’s RAW, we saw the debut promo for the Wyatt Family – Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. The talented trio of NXT stars are widely regarded as 3 of the top talents at developmental, with Rowan and Harper currently holding the NXT tag team titles.

Wyatt, the group’s leader, was last seen on WWE television as the Nexus member Husky Harris. The character is loosely based on Robert De Niro’s portrayal of Max Cady in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear and has similarities to former WWE superstar Waylon Mercy, portrayed by Dan Spivey back in 1995.

Rowan worked as Thorus in Pro Wrestling NOAH before signing with WWE and Harper worked for Dragon Gate (and other promotions) as Brodie Lee.

Following their debut promo, Wyatt tweeted:

“It has begun………. #EaterOfWorlds #RAW”

Harper wrote:

“NOW you know what that means. We’re Coming……”

CM Punk Returning To Face Chris Jericho At WWE Payback

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After a brief hiatus away from WWE television, it was announced on Monday’s RAW that CM Punk will be returning to action next month – sooner than expected.

During his Highlight Reel segment on Monday’s RAW where he was interviewing Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho challenged Heyman’s client CM Punk to a match at next month’s WWE Payback pay-per-view. Heyman accepted on Punk’s behalf.

WWE Payback takes place on Sunday, June 16th from the Allstate Arena near Punk’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois.

Recap & Photos From Bret Hart Appreciation Night

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WWE held their Bret Hart Appreciation Night festivities after last night’s RAW in Calgary. Here is a report courtesy of WrestlingNewsWorld:

* Jerry Lawler welcomes everyone watching. Lawler says today was declared “Bret Hart Day” here in Calgary. Lawler says if you’ve ever wondered how to have an entire day named in your honor, this is how it’s done.

* Bret Hart career highlight video is shown.

* Lawler introduces WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart to the ring. Hart comes out to his theme music to a tremendous pop. He’s wearing the same teal shirt that he had on during the broadcast. Michael Cole and JBL stand at announce to honor him.

* Lawler reads from a card and runs through Hart’s massive career accomplishments. He says Bret Hart is the best technical wrestler in the history of WWE. Lawler says Hart has held 32 titles in his career and 17 between WWE and WCW. He puts over Hart being voted one of CBC’s “Greatest Canadians” and of course his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Lawler announces that May 27, 2013 is Bret “The Hitman” Hart day in Calgary and hands him the plaque.

* Bret gets on the mic and says he hasn’t done one of these in a long time. He says it’s a huge honor and he can feel his father, his brotherOwenandThe Bulldogwatching. The crowd breaks out in an “Owen” chant. Hart says this is as proud of a day as he could have and he’ll remember every Calgarian that came there today. He says this goes beyond wrestling titles, this came from the people of Calgary and that means a lot to him. He reiterates he can feel the presence of his family there. Hart thanks his kids for putting up with him being gone for 23 years. He starts to choke up and says his kids are out there somewhere in the crowd. The camera shows them, who are also tearing up.

* Hart puts over people from his past including The Dynamite Kid. He said when he first started in WWE most Americans didn’t know where Calgary was. Ten years later they knew exactly where Calgary was and what kind of men came from there. He namesMr. Perfectand British Bulldog as people that helped him. Hart thanked every single wrestler that stepped in the ring with him one time. He thanked his wife Stephanie and “The King” Jerry Lawler. He said he always remembers Lawler as one of his biggest adversaries. Hart tells a story about Owen telling him they needed to go to Jerry and tell him to lighten up on their family. Bret said when they got home his mother was enjoying Jerry’s work so much, she actually became a wrestling fan. He says if you knew his mom, you would know how much that took. Hart called Lawler one of the greatest villans he’s ever worked with

* Hart regrets he didn’t have more matches in Calgary and just wants everyone to know that Calgary guys can wrestle. Lawler says there are more people here that want to show their love for you tonight. Pat Pattersonis the first to come out and honor Hart.

* Hart puts over people from his past including The Dynamite Kid. He said when he first started in WWE most Americans didn’t know where Calgary was. Ten years later they knew exactly where Calgary was and what kind of men came from there. He namesMr. Perfectand British Bulldog as people that helped him. Hart thanked every single wrestler that stepped in the ring with him one time. He thanked his wife Stephanie and “The King” Jerry Lawler. He said he always remembers Lawler as one of his biggest adversaries. Hart tells a story about Owen telling him they needed to go to Jerry and tell him to lighten up on their family. Bret said when they got home his mother was enjoying Jerry’s work so much, she actually became a wrestling fan. He says if you knew his mom, you would know how much that took. Hart called Lawler one of the greatest villans he’s ever worked with

* Hart regrets he didn’t have more matches in Calgary and just wants everyone to know that Calgary guys can wrestle. Lawler says there are more people here that want to show their love for you tonight. Pat Pattersonis the first to come out and honor Hart. Patterson says he’s going to make this short. He’s been in the business for 55 years, he’s a Canadian and he’s going to say it. Bret, you will always be the best wrestling Canadian of all time. Hart says when Pat starts getting on his knees, he starts getting scared. Lawler makes a joke about Patterson getting on his knees for his matches (although Hart may have beenreferringto something else).

* Chris Jerichois out next. He says it’s really cool to come out and stand one-on-one with Bret Hart in the ring for the first time ever. He says while he never got the chance to wrestle Bret, he wrestled him thousands of times in his head. Jericho said his two heros growing up in Winnipeg were Owen and Bret Hart. He wanted so bad to say one day that he got to wrestle with one of them. Jericho said in 1995 there was a Stu Hart birthday show and he wasn’t booked because he wasn’t good enough or something like that. He said Bret was asking for a finisher for an upcoming pay-per-view and Jericho recalled how he told Bret that he had something.

* Jericho saysSean Waltman(X-Pac) was there [and helpeddemonstrate and Hart said it was interesting. Jericho said two days later that Hart used his move on pay-per-view. He said it was one of the coolest and classiest things that the world champion would take advice from a nobody. He thanked Bret and said he’s one of his top two favorite wrestlers of all time and he deserves this night.

* Shawn Michaelscomes out next to the introduction of Jerry Lawler explaining the Montreal Screwjob of 1997. Shawn grabs the mic and pauses before speaking. He thanks the fans, saying it wasn’t too bad and he was expecting a lot worse tonight. Michaels says everyone great hero needed an arch enemy. HBK ran through super hero villans and told Hart he was honored to be his Lex Luthor (Superman’s villan). Michaels said it was an honor my friend and shook his hand.

* Lawler introduces Vince McMahon. McMahon struts to the ring, completely in his Mr. McMahon character. Vince says how fitting that you started your career here in Calgary and here you are being honored tonight. He called Stampede one of the greatest promotions ever. McMahon says Hart established his own era to WWE and that he brought a certain level of legitimacy and in-ring skill to the promotion that it never had before. He said Hart brought an in-ring skill the promotion often overlooked and he became champion the old fashion way, by earning it. McMahon says Hart was the excellence of execution. He says Hart should rightfully behonoredtonight as the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.

* Vince says you’ve done so much for the city of Calgary, when are you going to leave this cow dung pile city. He says he’s just ribbing but he’ll be leaving on his private plane in about thirty minutes. Vince says there are millions of fans watching on the WWE App and they want to say something that he wants to say two words right now – thank you.

* Bret says they got off to a shaky ending, it was a little fuzzy but he had so many great memories in WWE. He says if it wasn’t for what WWE did for him for all those years that no one would ever know who Bret Hart was. Hart says he really enjoys being a Calgarian hero and recognized around the world. He says he can honestly say he owes it all to Vince. Hart puts over Shawn and says he really appreciates him coming out. He puts over everyone in the ring, as guys that spent a lot of time with him in a lot of dressing rooms across the world.

* Hart thanked everyone and said he will continue to try and be one of the best old heros in Calgary. Hart jokes with the crowd that now would be a good time to “get ‘em both” if they really wanted too. He thanked everyone and Lawler wrapped it up. Bret hugged everyone in the ring as his theme music played.

* The locker room cleared and came out on the stage to honor him. John Cena visibly leading the pack. Natalya and Tyson Kidd came down and got in the ring with him.R

WWE Raw Results (05/27/13) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Date: May 27th, 2013
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, JBL
_____________________________________________

Raw starts with a Memorial Day tribute.

Afterwards, WWE Champion John Cena makes his way to the ring to address the fans.

Cena: Seems like there’s a lot of unrest in here tonight. A lot of unrest, anxiety, maybe a little anger. I understand why. Because over a week and a half ago at Extreme Rules there was a Last Man Standing match for this championship that was most remembered for its controversy. Neither man was able to stand for the count of ten so both men think they rightfully deserve the WWE Championship. First off there is me who is holding the WWE Championship. Then of course there is Ryback who rightfully feels that he deserves the WWE Championship. And how did Ryback want to solve this? He came out last week in an ambulance and demanded a rematch.

“We want Bret” chant.

Cena: For those of you at home who can’t understand we’re live tonight in Calgary, home of Bret “The Hitman” Hart. And rightfully so his people want to pay homage to their hero. That time will come, but there is a problem to solve first. Ryback never thinks things through first. “I just finished Extreme Rules. I was robbed. Ambulance match. Oooh, pretty lights!” I have thought about this. Payback should be deliberate. Payback should be definitive. Payback should be Hell. At WWE Payback this championship will be defended in a three stages of Hell match! A match so violent that there’s only been three in WWE history. It’s a two out of three falls match where each match is a different stipulation. Because you like to run, stage one will be a lumberjack. Stage two, I have to thank the fans for this one. A lot of you like to chant. One of those chants is “we want tables.”

They chant.

Cena: Well in stage two you get what you want because stage two is a tables match! And I don’t want you to think you wasted your time Ryback because the third fall will be an ambulance match! I know what some of you are thinking, it’s two out of three falls so what’ll happen if I win the first two? Well don’t think the ambulance driver won’t get paid because after I put you through the lumberjacks and then through a table i’ll throw your ass in the ambulance and have you taken to a medical facility!

Ryback comes out and stands on stage.

Ryback: I actually agree with you, John. Payback should be deliberate. Payback should be definitive. Payback should be Hell. Which is exactly what I tried to do you at Extreme Rules. I drove you through the LED boards not caring what was on the other side. Cena, I tried taking you to Hell. Say hello to Beelzebub. Say hello to Lucifer. Say hello to Satan. John…say hello to Ryback!

Paul Heyman comes out.

Heyman: Ahem…ahem….John Cena, current WWE Champion, while you’re saying hello to everyone i’d like you all to say hello to a future WWE Hall of Famer. A future WWE Champion. A man who last week right here during his debut on Raw defeated Triple H so decisively you won’t be seeing him around anymore. The newest Paul Heyman guy…CURTIS AXEL!

Axel comes out and joins Heyman on stage.

Heyman: Mr. Cena, my client Curtis Axel and I were watching you and marveling at the fact that it’s one thing to accept a match from Ryback. But it’s a whole other to challenge Ryback to a three stages of Hell match. You, John Cena, are a fighting champion. Which is why I know you won’t back down from a little challenge of my own. Tonight, we should give the fans WWE Champion John Cena versus future WWE Champion Curtis Axel!

Cena: Curtis Axel. I saw you last week. You got guts. I’m gonna give you important advice. You stay as far away from Paul Heyman as you can. He’s full of crap.

Axel: Woah woah woah woah, Johnny boy. We didn’t ask for your opinion. We asked are you looking for a fight.

Cena: I said last week you showed guts. But you got lucky and you’re talking like you’re the big dog of the yard. But that’s fine. Let’s see what you got. Right here tonight, John Cena versus Curtis Axel!

Curtis laughs and Heyman grins as they stare at Cena.

Still to come, Paul Heyman will be a special guest on Chris Jericho’s highlight reel.

Up next, Alberto Del Rio heads to the ring to face Big E. Langston in a rematch.

[Commercial]

Ricardo Rodriguez announces Alberto Del Rio to the ring.

His opponent, Big E. Langston, comes out with AJ Lee.

[Match 1]
[Singles Match]
[Alberto Del Rio w/Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Big E. Langston w/AJ Lee]

Bell sounds. They grapple. Langston with punches to the gut and shoulder tackles into the turnbuckle. Whip, Langston with a clothesline but Del Rio ducks and hits a dropkick. Langston gets up and runs, but Del Rio pulls the ropes and sends him out of the ring. Del Rio runs the ropes and suicide dives onto Langston. Del Rio picks Langston up, but Langston smacks Del Rio against the apron. He lifts Del Rio over his shoulders and drops him head first on the apron. He rolls him into the ring and gets a two count. Langston with a headlock. Del Rio gets back up and Langston with a bear rug. Del Rio counters with a headbutt. Langston climbs the turnbuckle and leaps, but Langston catches him and hits four backbreakers in a row before covering for two. Langston picks Del Rio up and Del Rio shoves Langston shoulder first into the turnbuckle post. Off the ropes and Del Rio with a clothesline. Off the ropes again. Del Rio ducks a clothesline from Langston and hits a backstabber. He waits for Langston to get to his knees before hitting a superkick to the head. Del Rio signals for the Cross Arm Breaker, but Langston shoves Del Rio into the ropes and catches him with a belly to belly suplex. Langston picks Del Rio and Del Rio with a shoulder breaker.

AJ gets on the apron and pulls a turnbuckle pad off. Langston grabs Del Rio and Del Rio counters with the Cross Arm Breaker! Langston gets up, lifts Del Rio up. Del Rio manages to land on his feet and shove Langston into the exposed turnbuckle! Del Rio rolls Langston up form behind for the three count.

[Winner via Pinfall: Alberto Del Rio]
[Time: 4:17]

AJ goes in the ring. Langston looks mad at her, and AJ yells that she was only trying to help. She keeps defending herself as the two head up the ramp.

Tonight, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of The Shield defend their tag titles against Kane and Daniel Bryan. Also, Dean Ambrose of The Shield defends his United States championship against Kofi Kingston.

[Commercial]

Kane and Bryan are in their locker room. Bryan is pacing and muttering to himself.

Kane: Will you PLEASE stop with the weak link obsession? The only one who is calling Daniel Bryan a weak link is you. Being tough has nothing to do with your size.

Bryan: Easy for you to say. You’re seven feet tall!

Kane: If we’re gonna work as a team you have to put yourself together!

Bryan: AHA! You think i’m going to screw it up. You think i’m thew weak link

Kane: No I don’t!

Bryan: Yes you do!

Kane: NO!

Bryan: YES!

NO

YES

Bret Hart walks over to them.

Bret: You two are one of the best tag team partnerships i’ve ever seen. You two are the best in the business

Bryan: Wow. Thanks Bret. Question. You were the smaller guy in the Hart Foundation. Did anyone think you were the weak link?

Bret: Size has nothing to do with being tough. You’re one of the toughest guys i’ve ever seen. Nothing stops you. Got it?

Bret leaves.

Kane: So how is it that HE can say that and you believe him, but I say the very same thing and you ignore me?

Bryan: Maybe cause that’s Bret Hart, the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. And you? You’re just…Kane.

Bryan walks off. Kane grunts.

At ringside, United States Champion Dean Ambrose comes down to the ring from in the crowd. He defends his title against Kingston next.

[Commercial]

His opponent, Kofi Kingston, comes down to the ring.

[Match 2]
[United States Championship Match]
[Dean Ambrose(c) vs. Kofi Kingston]

Bell sounds. They grapple. Ambrose shoves Kingston into the corner. Kingston fights out of it and sunset flips Ambrose for a two count. Another sunset flip for another two. Kingston with an arm lock. Ambrose gets to his feet, but Kingston int the corner and delivers solid right hands to the head and gut. Kingston with kicks to the side followed by a spin kick. Ambrose trips Kingston up and runs the ropes. Kingston leap frogs over Ambrose a couple times. He spin kicks and Ambrose moves out of the way. Kingston goes for trouble in paradise, but Ambrose ducks and rolls out of the ring. Kingston runs the ropes and looks to do a dive, but Ambrose moves out of the way. Kingston catches the ropes and stays in the ring as the two stare each other down.

[Commercial]

Ambrose has Kingston in a chin lock. Kingston gets to his feet and Ambrose with a short arm clothesline. Ambrose off the ropes before hitting an elbow for two. Ambrose picks Kingston up and goes for a slam, but Kingston counters, grabs Ambrose’s legs and slingshots him into the turnbuckle. He rolls him up for two. Kingston at the corner and he boots Ambrose in the face. He runs at Ambrose, lands knife edge clotheslines and a dropkick. Kingston runs to the turnbuckle, leaps off and hits a cross body. Kingston goes for the boom drop, but Ambrose rolls out of the way. Kingston catches Ambrose in a sunset flip for two. Ambrose and Kingston counter into multiple sunset flip variations until Kingston catches the champ with S.O.S for two and a half. Ambrose rolls to the apron and Kingston dropkicks him out of the ring. Kingston grabs him, throws him back in and springboards back into a clothesline for two. Ambrose rolls out of the ring again. Kingston tries to grab him and Ambrose pulls Kingston’s leg dropping his head against the ring steps. He rolls Kingston back into the ring, picks him up and hits the headlock driver for the three count.

[Winner via Pinfall: Dean Ambrose]
[Time: 08:46]

Rollins and Reigns enter the ring and join Ambrose in celebration.

Suddenly, fire shoot out from the stage and Team Hell No rush down to the ring. They run in and clean out the ring of The Shield. Up next, the Tag Titles are on the line!

[Commercial]

[Match 3]
[Tag Team Championship Match]
[The Shield(c) vs. Team Hell No]

The match is already underway. Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins are in the ring. Rollins with a side headlock on Bryan. Bryan shoves him into the ropes. Rollins with a shoulder tackle. Off the ropes and Bryan with a knee to the gut. Bryan with kicks to the chest. He puts him in his corner and keeps kicking until Kane tags himself in. Kane grabs Rollins and slams his head into the turnbuckle. He whips Rollins. Rollins tries to leap frog over, but Kane puts Rollins on his shoulder and powerslams him for two. Tag to Bryan, and Kane and Bryan deliver the heart attack for another two. Bryan with numerous elbows to the chest. He covers and gets a one count. Bryan grabs Rollins and Kane tags in. Kane with a free shot to the gut. Kane whips Rollins and Rollins with an elbow to the face. Rollins jumps off the turnbuckle and Kane grabs him by the neck. He goes for the chokeslam, but Rollins counters with a kick to the back of the head. Tag to Reigns. Reigns with right hands to the head. Reigns distracts the ref while Rollins gets a running kick to the head. Tag to Rollins. Rollins lands body blows, then climbs up and delivers right hands on top of Kane. Rollins goes for a suplex, but Kane counters it into a suplex of his own. Rollins rolls over to Reigns and tags him in. Reigns with an elbow drop for two. Reigns with a headlock. Kane gets to his feet, runs the ropes and Reigns grabs him with a body slam for two. Tag to Rollins.

Rollins with a kick to the head. He then applies a chinlock. Kane gets up and goes for a back suplex, but Rollins lands on his feet and runs the ropes. Kane catches him with a clothesline and both men are down. Tag to Bryan! Bryan runs and knocks Reigns out of the ring. He grabs Rollins and hits a german suplex. Reigns at the turnbuckle. Bryan runs at him and hits a running dropkick for two. Bryan with numerous kicks to the chest followed by a spin kick to the back of the head for two and a half. Bryan climbs to the top and Rollins gets up and knocks Bryan onto the post. He climbs up and goes for a superplex, but Bryan slips out of it and drops Rollins into the tree of woe. He lands some kicks, backs up and hits a running dropkick into Rollins. He grabs Rollins, climbs up the turnbuckle and delivers a back superplex off the top! Bryan looks to have hurt his head on the fall and can’t make a pin.

[Commercial]

Bryan with an uppercut to Reigns. Bryan delivers kicks to Reigns in the corner. He whips, Reigns counters. Bryan back flips off the turnbuckle, runs the ropes and Reigns with a clothesline out of nowhere. Tag to Rollins. Rollins stomps on Bryan, picks him up and delivers a back suplex for two. Rollins grabs Bryan’s legs and mocks Bryan before applying the surfboard submission. Bryan sits up, slips off the hold and starts kicking at the leg. Rollins gets to his feet and knocks Bryan down in the back of the neck. Tag to Reigns. Reigns stomps on Bryan and delivers a kick to the head. Reigns slams Bryan on the mat, runs the ropes and hits a big shoulder tackle for two. Tag to Rollins. Rollins and Reigns work on Bryan for a little bit. Rollins with a headbutt to Bryan. Rollins puts Bryan in the corner and lands more right hands. Bryan rights back with right hands of his own. He whips, Rollins counters and drops Bryan with a STO into the turnbuckle pad. He rolls up Bryan from behind and gets a two count. Tag to Reigns. Reigns lifts Bryan up to his feet and applies a reverse bear hug. Reigns releases Bryan and runs at him. Bryan with a kick to the head followed by a running dropkick. Bryan crawls to his corner and tags Kane. Reigns tags Rollins. Kane with right hands to Rollins followed by two clotheslines into the turnbuckles. He grabs Rollins and hits a side slam. He covers and Reigns breaks the count. Bryan climbs up and dropkicks Reigns. Reigns goes outside and Bryan suicide dives onto him. Kane with a big boot to Rollins. Bryan has Reigns with kicks to the chest. Kane climbs the turnbuckle and hits Rollins with a clothesline. Kane tells Bryan to go to his corner, Bryan ignores him and tries to hit Reigns with a running knee off the apron, but Reigns manages to counter with a spear. Rollins springboards off the ropes and catches an unsuspecting Kane with a knee to the head for the three count.

[Winner via Pinfall: The Shield]
[Time: 18:33]

Ambrose comes down to the ring. The Shield celebrates once again.

[Commercial]

We have an update on Triple H. He was advised not to travel to Raw tonight, but there were no additional injuries and he should be cleared to be back by next week.

The Miz comes down to the ring. Go on the WWE App to choose whether Miz shoulder be the guest announcer, guest commentator, or guest referee for the upcoming match between Fandango and Wade Barrett.

[Commercial]

Lawler: Okay. I have voted, we hope you have voted, so let’s see if Miz will be guest announcer, guest commentator, or guest referee.

The votes are in, and Miz will be guest referee.

Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett comes down to the ring for his match.

His opponent, Fandango, dances on stage with Summer Raye and the two head to the ring.

[Match 4]
[Singles Match (special referee: The Miz)]
[Wade Barrett vs. Fandango]

Bell sounds. They grapple. Fandango slips behind Barrett with a hammerlock. Barrett gets to the ropes and yells at the ref to get him off. They break, and Fandango with a chop to the chest. He whips Barrett and catches him with an elbow to the face for a one count. Barrett gets up and lands some blows to the chest and gut followed by a short arm clothesline for one. Barrett with knees to the face. Barrett goes for a running boot, but Miz gets in the way to check on Fandango. Barrett shoves him to the ground and Barrett boots him in the face. Miz gets up, grabs Barrett from behind and hits Skull Crushing Finale! Fandango gets back in the ring and covers Barrett for the three count.

[Winner via Pinfall: Fandango]
[Time: 01:43]

As Fandango and Summer Raye celebrate in the ring Miz boots Fandango in the head knocking him out. Summer lands on top of him and Miz makes a three count. Miz leaves the ring satisfied.

Cena is backstage preparing for his match against Curtis Axel. A familiar voice greets him from behind.

Michaels: You sure you wanna do this?

Shawn Michaels is here. Cena turns to him.

Cena: I don’t back down from challenges.

Michaels: That’s awesome. That makes you great. Not smart, but great. I tried to tell Hunter the same thing. You guys brush back, try to get back out there quickly. You guys never listen. I’m the voice of reason but you never ever listen.

Cena: I learned that from watching someone else…you.

Cena leaves. Michaels looks annoyed.

[Commercial]

Brodus Clay and Tensai are in the ring along with Great Kahli, Natalya and Hornswoggle. They’re dancing with the Funkadactyls.

3MB are outside the ring waiting to face them.

Before the match, the gang was celebrating Natalya’s birthday until 3MB came over and threw the birthday cake in Hornswoggle’s face.

[Match 4]
[Six Man Tag Match]
[Tons of Funk & The Great Kahli w/Natalya & Hornswoggle vs. 3MB]

Bell sounds. Slater runs the ropes and Kahli with a chop to the head. Kahli puts Slater in the corner and delivers a chop to the chest. Kahli puts Slater in the opposite corner and lands another chop. Tag to Tensai. Tensai runs at Slater and delivers a senton splash into the corner. Drew and Jinder distract Tensai long enough for Slater to attack him from behind knocking him down. Tag to Jinder. Slater and Jinder with a double russian leg sweep for two. Jinder puts Tensai in the corner. Tag to Slater. Tensai fights back and Slater with a jawbreaker. He covers and gets a two count. Slater with right hands, but Tensai with a jab to the throat. Tag to Brodus. Brodus with short clothesline and a t-bone suplex to Slater. Clay runs at him and hits a body splash at the turnbuckle. Clay with a powerslam to Slater. He covers and Drew breaks the count. Everyone gets in the ring and starts fighting each other. Slater attacks Kahli from behind and Kahli with an overhead chop to the head. Brodus goes off the ropes and hits a splash on Slater for the three count.

[Winners via Pinfall: Tons of Funk & The Great Kahli]
[Time: 03:16]

Brodus asks for a mic.

Brodus: Bring the music down just for a second. Tonight is a special night. Tonight is Natalya’s birthday! And to lead up in singing happy birthday is the one and only, The Great Kahli!

Kahli starts singing happy birthday to her. Or at least his version of happy birthday. They celebrate afterwards.

The Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho is next, and Paul Heyman is making his way to the ring.

[Commercial]

Jericho makes his way to the ring.

Welcome to Raw is Jericho! And this is the highlight reel. My guest is one of the most controversial, annoying, and bulbous superstars. Ladies and gentlemen, PAUL HEYMAN!

Heyman walks down to the ring to meet Jericho.

Jericho: Now Paul you have been called many things, from a genius to a walrus. Many of the terms unflattering. Unfortunately most of them true, but i’ll give you credit for ushering yourself with talent.

Heyman: It’s not that I align myself with great talent. It’s that I develop great talent as well. Like you, sir. Mr. Jericho your show The Highlight Reel, it was Paul Heyman who discovered and developed Chris Jericho. It was Paul Heyman who gave Jericho his first break.

Jericho: That’s right you did Paul, and you still owe me money.

Heyman: that’s why i’ve waived my fee for being here. When Paul Heyman takes a raw piece of talent and develops it, like I did with Curtis Axel when he faced Triple H and when he faces John Cena tonight.

Jericho: I’ve been a fan of Curtis Axel for a long time. But I don’t wanna talk about Curtis Axel. I wanna walk about your other client-

Heyman: BROCK LESNAR! Yes, the only man to hold the NCAA, WWE, and-

Jericho: Will you please shut the hell up! I don’t wanna talk about Curtis Axel or Brock Lesnar. I wanna talk about your OTHER client. The man who has been off of Raw the past six weeks. CM Punk. Like I said, Punk has been absent. The last time he was on Raw this is what he said.

A clip is shown from last month when CM Punk walked out of the ring during a promo and left the show.

Jericho: the thing I noticed about that clip besides the fact you’re wearing the exact same suit…I hope you had it washed or something, is that you have the same look on your face as you do now, that not only did he shock the WWE Universe, but he shocked you as well.

Heyman: Mr. Jericho i’m glad you brought it up because…this is my favorite suit and I wore it for you and I would appreciate it if you would bestow the same respect for me as I have for you by wearing this suit this evening.

Jericho: AND…

Heyman: What do you want me to tell you? CM Punk said it himself. The man was the longest reigning champion of the past 25 years. He held it for 434 consecutive days. He didn’t have to say stupid catchphrases. He WAS the best. And he-

Jericho: Blah! BLAH! blahblahblahblah blah blah blah blahblahblahblah Where is CM Punk?!

Heyman: My client and I will have an announcement in the weeks to come talking about the return of the best in the world CM Punk!

Jericho: Punk is not allowed to sit at home for six weeks and be called the best in the world.

Heyman: Well I have a client who would vehemently disagree with you right now.

Jericho: He’s watching right now? HEY PUNK! Hey! How’s the family?! How’s Chicago? You know what else is at his hometown? The next pay per view! And if he think he can take his ball, go home and be called the best in the world he’s out of his bald headed mind. Besides, I think there are just as many jerichoholics watching at home that would say Chris Jericho is the best-

Heyman: NO! I’m sorry, I get emotional. Don’t say it.

Jericho: Don’t say what? Don’t say that Jericho is the be-

Heyman: NO! It’s not yours to say. You don’t have that title.

Jericho: Well it’s not Punk’s either. Unless he wants to come to Payback and face me one on one on pay-per-view once again.

Heyman: Let me get this straight. You’re going to negotiate with ME now? I know you could mop the floor with me, but you don’t get to dictate terms with me and CM Punk.

Jericho: Fine. Then let me say that Chris Jericho is the best in the world at what I do!

“Y2J” chants.

Heyman: I guess that’s called pulling my Punk card, huh? Alright. You want a match with CM Punk in Chicago, CM Punk’s hometown. You want a match with him in his hometown at Payback. Well on behalf of my client…I ACCEPT!

Heyman offers a handshake. Jericho shakes.

Jericho: Well thank you. I guess i’ll see you in Chicago.

Jericho pulls Heyman in.

Jericho: And tell Punk, after Payback he will never…ever…be the same again.

Jericho leaves.

Still to come, Cena faces Curtis Axel.

[Commercial]

Natalya and Diva’s Champ Kaitlyn are in the ring.

Their opponents, The Bella Twins, head down to the ring.

[Match 5]
[Tag Match]
[Natalya & Kaitlyn vs. The Bella Twins]

Bell sounds. Kaitlyn and Nicki start off. Nick grabs Kaitlyn from behind. Kaitlyn powers out of it and hits an uppercut. Off the ropes and Kaitlyn with a shoulder tackle. Nicki rolls out of the ring. Kaitlyn grabs her and Nicki pulls her out of the ring. Nicki tolls her back in and covers for two. Nicki presses Kaitlyn against the ropes. Brie tags in. Kaitlyn whips and Brie with a clothesline. Brie with a chin lock. Kaitlyn gets up and Brie throws her headfirst back on the mat for a two count. Brie with a headlock. Kaitlyn gets back up. Brie whips her into the turnbuckle, runs, and Kaitlyn moves out of the way. Natalya tags in! Natalya with a suplex and a running clothesline. Natalya grabs Brie and applies the sharpshooter! Brie reaches for the tag, but Natalya pulls her back. Nicki gets in the ring and slaps Natalya. Kaitlyn spears Nicki. Brie throws Kaitlyn out of the ring. Brie grabs Kaitlyn and goes for a bulldog, but her leg buckles. Kaitlyn tries to tackle Brie, but Brie moves out of the way and spears Natalya. Nicki throws Kaitlyn out of the ring and covers Natalya for the three count.

[Winners via Pinfall: The Bella Twins]
[Time: 03:36]

The Bellas sing Happy Birthday mockingly before leaving.

Backstage, Curtis Axel is preparing for his match. Bret Hart walks over to him.

Bret: Hey, kid. You look just like your father.

Curtis: You and dad faced each other a lot, huh?

Bret: Your dad put me through the toughest matches I ever had.

Curtis: You see what I did to Triple H?

Bret: Yeah, I saw what you did. Best thing you can do is get rid of that bum Paul Heyman

Curtis: Just because you knew my dad doesn’t mean you know me. Nobody would give me the time of day except Paul Heyman. He believed in me. You go ahead an have your appreciation night. I’m going to beat the WWE Champion.

He leaves.

At ringside, Randy Orton comes down to the ring for his match.

Up next, Sheamus and Randy Orton takes on Rhodes Scholars.

[Commercial]

A hype trailer for Bray Wyatt plays.

Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes are at ringside.

Orton’s partner, Sheamus, comes out and heads to the ring.

[Match 6]
[Tag Match]
[Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. Rhodes Scholars]

Bell sounds. Orton and Cody start off. They grapple. Orton side a side headlock. Off the ropes, Orton with a shoulder tackle. Off the ropes again and Orton with another shoulder tackle. They grapple. Cody with an arm lock. He puts Orton at the corner and lands a knee to the gut. Whip, counter, and Cody leaps over Orton. Off the ropes and Orton with a clothesline. Orton with a knee to the head. Tag to Sheamus. Sheamus with a battering ram to Cody for one. Sheamus with an arm lock and Cody knocks him into the turnbuckle. Tag to Sandow. Sandow whips Sheamus and goes for a tip toss, but Sheamus powers off of it, lifts Sandow out and powerslams him for two. Tag to Orton. Orton with a kick to the gut. He puts Sandow at the corner, climbs and lands a ten count of punches. Orton with a dropkick to the jaw for two. Sandow with right hands. Tag to Cody. Cody with a shot to the back. He puts him in the corner and whips. Orton powers off with a clothesline for two. Orton grabs Cody and hits a suplex. Tag to Sheamus. Sheamus goes off the ropes and hits a knee drop. Sheamus with clubbing blows to the chest. Cody with right hands. He kicks Sheamus down at the corner until the ref stops him. Cody whips, Sheamus counters and smacks Cody into the turnbuckle before hitting a neckbreaker for two. Cody with right hands. Tag to Sandow. Sandow with right hands, a snapmare and knees to the chest. Off the ropes, Sheamus counters and Sandow with a knee to the face. Off the ropes and Sheamus grabs him before hitting a rolling fireman’s carry. Sheamus climbs the turnbuckle, Cody distracts him and Sandow pulls Sheamus off the top causing him to fall to the mat.

[Commercial]

Sandow has Sheamus in a headlock. Sandow with a knee to the back. Tag to Cody. Sheamus tries to tag, but Cody pulls him off and rolls him into a waist lock. Cody with a chin lock applied. Sheamus gets up and lands a right. Cody runs at him and Sheamus with the Irish Curse backbreaker. Both men are down. Cody and Sheamus crawl and tag their partners in! Orton with two clotheslines and a powerslam to Sandow. Orton sees Cody coming and powerslams him. Sandow gets on the apron. Orton grabs Sandow and hits a DDT off the middle rope. Orton signals for the RKO. Sandow gets up and Cody pulls Sandow out of the ring so he can avoid it. Orton gets out of the ring and attacks Cody. Sandow grabs Orton and whips him head first into the turnbuckle post. Sandow rolls Orton into the ring and gets a two count. Tag to Cody. Cody stomps on Orton, then picks him up and delivers a forward suplex for two. Cody with a chin lock on Orton. Cody tags in Sandow. Sandow with a kick to head followed by knees to the face. Sandow then connects with a side russian leg sweep followed by the Elbow of Disdain for two. Sandow with knees to the arm. Tag to Cody. Cody shoves Orton into the corner and kicks him. Orton with a rake to the eyes and an uppercut. Cody runs at him and Orton with a t-bone suplex. Both men are down. They crawl to their corners. Orton tags in! Sheamus with forearm clotheslines to Cody. He tackles him in the corner and lands a knee to the face. Cody tags in Sandow. Sheamus grabs Sandow and delivers a two count of clubbing blows. Sheamus grabs Sandow and goes for White Noise, but Cody springboards and hits Sheamus with the Disaster kick. Orton sends Cody out of the ring. Sandow covers and gets a two count. Orton throws Cody over the barricade. Sandow goes for El Terminus, but Sheamus counters it into White Noise. Sheamus signals for the Brogue Kick. Sandow gets up and Sheamus connects! He covers and gets the three count.

[Winners via Pinfall: Sheamus & Randy Orton]
[Time: 15:42]

Up next, John Cena faces Curtis Axel.

[Commercial]

John Cena comes out and heads to the ring for his match.

His opponent, Curtis Axel, comes down with Paul Heyman.

[Match 7]
[Singles Match]
[John Cena vs. Curtis Axel w/Paul Heyman]

Bell sounds. They grapple. Curtis gets behind Cena and takes him down with a snapmare. Curtis maintains the headlock. Cena gets to his feet. He puts Curtis into the ropes, leap frogs over him twice and hip tosses Curtis. Curtis rolls out of the ring. Heyman reassures him that he’ll be fine.

[Commercial]

Curtis and Cena are fighting outside. Curtis with a knee to Cena. He then shoves Cena shoulder first into the ring steps. The ref counts and Cena barely beats the count of ten. Curtis kicks Cena, picks him up and punches him in the corner. He whips Cena into the turnbuckle and Cena crashes into it. Curtis grabs Cena and hits a suplex for two. Curtis with an arm lock followed by elbows to the chest and neck region. Curtis twists the arm and shoulder back. Curtis presses his knee on Cena’s head. Cena soon musters enough strength to get back to his feet. Curtis with a kick. He ducks a clothesline from Cena and decks Cena in the back of the head. Curtis with right hands to Cena. He stomps Cena down and chokes the champ with his boot. He picks Cena up. Cena goes off the ropes, hits two shoulder tackles followed by a spinning powerbomb. Off the ropes and Cena with Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but Curtis slips out of it and catches Cena with a dropkick for two. Curtis climbs the turnbuckle and lands a diving knee to the head. He climbs up again and misses the second time. Cena grabs Curtis and hits a body slam for two. Cena whips Curtis and Curtis with a kick to the head followed by a snapmare and a flipping headsnap for two. Curtis goes for the fisherman suplex, but Cena slips out of it and tries to lock in the STF. Curtis gets to his feet. Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment and Curtis counters it into the perfectplex for two and a half! Cena gets up. Curtis runs at him and Cena moves causing Curtis to knock himself into the turnbuckle.

An ambulance suddenly pulls into the arena. Cena gets out of the ring and walks over to the ambulance expecting Ryback. He stands outside too long and gets counted out.

[Winner via Count out: Curtis Axel]
[Time: 12:05]

Cena opens the back of the ambulance, but nobody’s inside. Ryback comes out of nowhere and attacks Cena from behind. He throws Cena onto the stage and waits for him to get up. He tries to spear Cena through the wall again, but Cena avoids it. Cena grabs Ryback and goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but Ryback shoves Cena off and retreats. Curtis Axel celebrates his win in the ring as the show comes to an end.

Huge Brawl In The Crowd At Raw, Bray Wyatt Trending

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— Following the vignette on RAW, Bray Wyatt was the #1 Twitter trend in the United States.

— Benson Simbirski was at RAW and sent in this tidbit. This explains why the crowd was cheering and turning around during the RAW main event. “Basically there were these 3 Guido dudes and one big girl, it seemed like they were drinking quite a bit throughout the night because I kept seeing them go to get beers. Whenever they’d get up they’d always yell at people as they were leaving, didn’t matter who, saw them making fun of a little kid wearing a John Cena shirt at one point. During the main event security went up to talk to them and next thing I saw was one of them punch the security guard in the face. Within seconds there was about 15 security guards and a few cops there. The kids kept up with trying to fight the security guards and got taken down pretty quick and dragged out. One of the kids had a broken arm and got choked out after he took a swing at security. Two of the guys got thrown into some seats. After they got removed I saw security talk to a mother and two little kids and take a report from them, one of the kids was crying so I think it involved them some how. The cheering for the fight was way louder than anyone cheering for the match. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any more info. Just out grabbing some wings right now and my phones at 10% but ill be home in 45 minutes.”

— Kultar Kooldip Mann also sent in this report: All I ended up seeing was a tidal wave of security rush over to the area, then I saw them get about 4 people out of there. There was one little guy who absoultely decked a security guard in the face, it was nuts.

Because Wrestling – Episode 100

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This week on Because Wrestling, we’re back for our 100th episode

Sound Off 275: Making The Case For Brock vs. Taker at Summerslam, Is TNA Leaving Zema Ion Out To Dry?

18

Download Solomonster Sounds Off Episode 275 Here

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 21 minutes

Solomonster noticed something odd about the way Lesnar pinned Triple H at Extreme Rules and pitches an idea for how it could lead to a match with The Undertaker at Summerslam, why it would make sense, a bothersome trend in wrestling, why Daniel Bryan is poised to be WWE’s next big breakout star, the introduction of CURTIS AXEL on Raw and his curious interaction with Triple H, a full review of this week’s NXT with the debut of Sami Zayn, the Zema Ion situation and why TNA should do the right thing, the anniversary of Scott Hall’s Nitro invasion, what ever happened to Jamie Kellner (the man who canceled wrestling on the Turner networks) and did CM Punk’s push come at the expense of men like MVP and Shelton Benjamin? To view the Daniel Bryan column referenced on this week’s show, click here!

Follow The Solomonster on Twitter and on Facebook and subscribe to the Sound Off in iTunes!

Are you an Android user? Get the free Sound Off app on your device by visiting the Google Play Store today!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to [email protected].

Creative Commons License
Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

MAILBAG: Did Triple H Help or Hurt Curtis Axel On Monday Night?

15

SEScoops Mailbag for May 24th

Got a Question? Submit it with your name to: [email protected]

Q: I know WWE is trying to find themselves a new Hispanic star now that Rey Mysterio is heading closer towards retirement. [They] slapped Del Rio with the label, but he doesn’t really do anything for me. What about Ricardo Rodriguez? He is far more over than Del Rio and I genuinely want to cheer for him, much like Joe Park [in TNA]. You once said yourself the quickest way to get over a babyface is to wear a mask because they are over with the kids. You could stick Ricardo with his old Chimaera gimmick where he wrestled as a masked luchador and turn Del Rio. – [email protected]

A: While it’s true that Ricardo appears to be more popular with the audience most weeks than Del Rio, and I do think he is being underutilized, I can’t see him as WWE’s next big Latin star. So who could fill that role? As I said on the Sound Off weeks ago, he’s still rough around the edges, but I think if “Super Mex” Hernandez were to make the jump from TNA to WWE, and spent some time working in NXT, he could be that guy. He’s got the size they like, moves around real good and does all the power moves that get over with the fans.

Q: I was watching an episode of Vintage Collection in which they showed Ric Flair’s WCW title match with Vader at Starrcade ’93. Flair bled in the match, but the blood was edited out for Vintage. They have done this numerous times. They also edited out Flair’s blood in his match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania 8. I know WWE has banned blading and [have to] answer to every sponsor under the sun, but if it was okay to show it on a PG show back then, why wouldn’t it be now since WWE is a PG show? – Anthony

A: Back then, shows didn’t have ratings like they do now. Was the product more PG than not? Yes, but it was never really classified as such. Flair actually got a ton of heat from Vince McMahon for blading because it was banned back then as well. Bret Hart bled on the same show, but claimed it was legit and got away with it. It’s a PG product today and they don’t want to air footage with that stuff on it.

Q: I was going through some YouTube videos and noticed a lot of comments about Nexus reforming. No doubt these comments were likely posted right after Nexus broke up, but I would personally love to see a reunion as there wasn’t really a breakout star (Ryback doesn’t count, he has a new gimmick). Then it hit me… [they could unite] with The Shield in a WWE takeover angle. I know there are many flaws in this idea, but do you think it would provide for good TV? – Zack H.

A: If done correctly, anything could make for good TV, but this idea is not practical. It’s barely been three years since the Nexus angle was done, so it’s way too soon to do a reboot. And frankly, having three members of the Shield works just fine, we don’t need to add another 6-8 members to water the whole thing down. All of the key guys from that original Nexus group (Michael Tarver aside, who got released) have found a role for themselves on the roster, anyway. No need to disrupt that.

Q: Did Undertaker and Nailz ever [have a match] against each other? I was watching something on YouTube where both did a face off, but what was the aftermath of that? – Anonymous

A: Not on television, thank god. But there is footage out there from at least one house show match they did have. That face off was to have led to a feud between the two once Taker’s program with Kamala finished up at Survivor Series, but then Nailz, upset by his payoff for that year’s Summerslam, went and attacked Vince McMahon in his office and got fired.

Q: For as great as they’ve handled The Shield, why does it seem like WWE is clueless with how to put other young talent in best positions to succeed? Introducing Joe Henning by having Triple H slap him in the face, with him just sitting there is a horrible way to bring in a young guy. What’s the point of that? Why should anyone care about this guy now? To make it worse, they can’t even say the guy’s name later in the show. They just call him Paul Heyman’s new guy. Whoever’s idea this was probably shouldn’t be making decisions anymore. – Damien V.

A: It was a curious move to see such a build up to the announcement of Heyman’s new guy, have it be Joe Hennig (who is going to need all the help he can get to overcome the stigma of being a prelim guy) and then treat him that way. That being said, I’m taking a wait and see approach on this one. The fact they even chose a young guy and not a major name for that spot is a positive, and Triple H has supposedly been a big advocate of his, so let’s give it some time. They say it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Q: Was there legit heat between Curt Hennig and Brock Lesnar? The reason I ask is because I was reading some stuff saying they had a real fight on the plane ride from hell back in 2002. If this is true, did that get Mr. Perfect released? – Ravonn Adamson

A: Not really, both were good friends. There may have been alcohol involved, but Hennig was needling Lesnar about who the better amateur wrestler was, which resulted in a wrestling match in the aisle of the plane. They also apparently smashed into the exit door, which could have been disastrous. The best visual depiction I’ve ever seen of what happened on that flight comes in the form of the following illustration, which I first saw on the WrestleCrap forum years ago.

Got a Question? Submit it with your name to: [email protected]

Ric Flair Squashes Claim That He Is Wrestling In Georgia, Raven Launches Podcast, Elijah Burke

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– An independent organization in Georgia, AWF, is falsely advertising Ric Flair as competing at their “Wrestle Jam” event in Ringgold next Thursday.

In a press release the organization sent out, Flair is advertised to step into the AWF ring for the second time in a month against “Nature Boy” Paul Lee to “settle their ongoing feud.” The company claims that Flair and Lee have been rivals dating back to the early 1990s in World Championship Wrestling, which is false since Lee never appeared for the promotion.

The WWE Hall of Famer squashed the claim, writing on Twitter on Friday, “I am planning to go to the show in Ringgold May 30th, but I’m just signing autographs, NOT wrestling. Not sure how that rumor got started.”

– Raven has launched a podcast on YouTube, The Raven Effect, where he talks about wrestling and any other subject that pops into his head. In this edition, he talks about hats, head size and BBC America TV shows, in addition to wrestling.

– Former WWE and TNA Wrestling talent Elijah Burke turns 35-years-old today.

Eight-Person Mixed Tag Team Match On Superstars, WWE Looks Back At The WCW Hall of Fame

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– This week on WWE Superstars, Jey and Jimmy Uso join The Bella Twins for an Eight-Person Mixed Tag Team Match against Brodus Clay, Tensai and The Funkadactyls.

Alex Riley and Damien Sandow also square off on the show.

– The official WWE website has published an article remembering the WCW Hall of Fame, It was established in 1993 to honor alumni of the National Wrestling Alliance and Jim Crockett Promotions, the predecessors of World Championship Wrestling. Seventeen wrestlers were honored over the course of three years, including Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and The Crusher

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Jacqueline is currently featured in the “Diva Spotlight” on WWE.com.

The Breakdown – Episode 8: The Diva Disaster

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This week on The Breakdown, Steve takes a look at WWE’s Divas division

WWE Releasing More Talent Very Soon & Backstage News On Recent Releases

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fter releasing 7 people from NXT last week, word out of WWE is that the company will be letting go more talent soon.

With the company’s new Performance Center opening on July 1st and WWE actively recruiting new talent, there are plans to let go a lot of people who have been floundering in developmental without showing steady improvement.

Derek Bateman’s release last week is an example of this policy – having been in developmental for years and not showing that he was ready for the main roster.

Out of the releases from last week, Briley Pierce and Audrey Marie’s caught a lot of people off guard.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

*Spoilers* New NXT Champion Crowned Thursday Night (Photo)

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Bo Dallas defeated Big E Langston at tonight’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University.

*Spoilers* WWE NXT Tapings Results From Full Sail University

Here is a photo of Bo Dallas holding the NXT Title belt:

dallas-nxt-champ

*Spoilers* Impact Wrestling Tapings Results For 5/30

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TNA taped next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Thursday night from Tampa, Florida. Thanks to live correspondent Scott Brooks, who was in attendance for the following taping results:

Dark Match

* The Amish Bishop Evangelist Cain defeated Jason Static. The former was from Lancaster, PA. The latter was from Portland, OR. Static is a Florida independent wrestler while I have never seen the Bishop before.

Xplosion:

* Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated DOC & Knox via DQ when Knoc used a tag title in Chavo.

* Robbie E defeated Shark Boy.

Impact Wrestling (Airing Thursday, May 30, 2013 on Spike TV):

* In an 8-man tag, Gunner, James Storm, Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels & Kazarian when Gunner made Aries tap to the Torture Rack.

* Bully Ray and Devon come out for a promo. He says Devon will retain and he will also retain. He says for Sting to be an icon he may have accomplished something and runs down who Sting has beaten in the past including the likes of Flair and Hogan. He said he took out Hardy and is looking forward to making sure he will take out Sting and he will never get a shot again. He calls out Sting and Joseph Park to face him and Devon.

* Sting and Joseph Park defeated Aces & 8?s Team 3D when Sting pinned Devon with the Scorpion Death Drop. Abyss’s music player and Ray went to the ramp. Sting hit his move and Park prevented Ray from getting back in.

* Dixie Carter comes out. She says Sunday is a very special night for their 11th anniversary. He commends the men and women that have have put everything on the line the past 11 years. She promotes the Hall of Fame and its second inductee. She wishes Sting good luck. Aces &8?s music hits and Garett Bischoff, Wes Brisco & DOC. They all surround her in the ring until Samoa Joe’s music hits and he and Magnus run out as Aces bail. Joe says for one month he took bandages off of his face and he was wanting to get his hands on all of them. He says Garett gets really scummy when he gets in the ring with women and he challenges Garett one on one to beat him into the man that he will never be.

* Garett Bischoff w/DOC & Wes Brisco vs Samoa Joe w/Magnus or thrown out when all 3 Aces tried to gang up on Magnus. Joe hit a dive on all 3 of them. He takes a mic and calls them cowards. Sunday in Boston it will DOC, Wes, Garett vs Samoa Joe, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy.

* Mickie James came to the ring to celebrate her title win from last week. She said it has been almost two years since she was the title. She thanks for the fans and says she loves them. She said there has been a minute handful who have doubted how she won the title. She said it is not fair and she deserves the belt and would like to address it right now and calls out her dear friend Velvet Sky. Velvet comes out, noticeably with her knee tapes up. Mickie says she said she was willing to wait until Velvet was 100% ready and calls her a fighting champion. She asks the fans to give it up for Velvet. Velvet takes the mic and says the support from the fans has been great. At the end of the day though she wants her rematch. Mickie says the rematch can be whenever and Velvet requests for Slammiversary. Mickie says she already spoke with Brooke who already signed Gail and Taryn for Slammiversary. Gail’s music hits. Gail claims Mickie won the title with her help after she destroyed Mickie’s leg and says that she has been frustrated for a long time. Gail and Velvet bicker over who is next Iine. Gail kicks Velvet in her bad knee and goes to do her let submission in the turnbuckle. Taryn chases Gail off. Mickie slowly backs up the ramp and leaves. Velvet is helped to the back. Up next we have an intergender tag.

* Chris Sabin and Taryn Tarrell defeated Kenny King & Gail Kim when Sabin hit his cross legged sit out piledriver. Sabin took a mic and said after two torn ACLs and two years of physical surgery he becomes a 5-time X-Division Champion. Kenny hits him with the belt. He goes to hit the Royal Flush on Sabin but Suicide runs out and hits his move on Kenny. He picks up the belt and looks at it as he and Sabin have a staredown.

* AJ Styles defeated Mr. Anderson via DQ when Angle runs out and hits AJ. Aces run out as does Joe, Magnus, Park & Sting. AJ and Angle brawl to the back. It comes down to Sting and Ray in the ring. Sting has the advantage but Devon hit Sting. They hit 3D on him. Aces all posed to end the show.

Read more: https://www.pwmania.com/spoilers-impact-wrestling-taping-results-for-may-30-2013#ixzz2UDtCAOD3

CM Punk & Curtis Axel Exchange Words, Zack Ryder Teasing A New YouTube Show

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– CM Punk corrected the grammar of a recent tweet by Curtis Axel:

Curtis Axel responded:

– Zack Ryder posted the following video to his YouTube channel, teasing a new show. The video is titled, “New Zack Ryder Show? Teaser Trailer?”

*Spoilers* WWE NXT Tapings Results From Full Sail University

4

WWE NXT Taping – Full Sail, Orlando Florida – May 23, 2013
Report by Andres Santiago

Dark Match:
– Knuckles Madsen vs Mojo Rawley
Mojo won with a running splash.

Episode 1 airing June 5, 2013:
– JR facilitated a contract signing for the next episode’s Big E Langston vs Bo Dallas NXT Championship match.
Bo whined about all the things Langston has achieved in WWE, due to being NXT champion. He claimed that he needs to win next week in order to get the same opportunities. Langston made fun of how all Dallas does is smile and said he will crush all of Dallas’s dreams. Dallas signed the contract then blew off a handshake.

– Corey Graves was interviewed in the back about his feud with the Wyatt family. Graves spoke about them and the fact that he doesn’t necessarily like his partner. He said that he doesn’t need Ohno’s help tonight and will make sure the Wyatt Family stay down.

Round 1 of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament
– Tamina Snuka vs Paige
Paige put the knees up to counter the Superfly Splash and got the win off of a roll up.

– Mason Ryan vs Colin Cassady
Ryan won with a Torture Rack Neckbreaker.

– Alex Riley vs “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian
O’Brian won with an octopus hold.
After the match, Rick Victor joined O’Brian on stage and they posed together.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Family w/ Bray Wyatt vs Kassius Ohno and Corey Graves
The Wyatt Family won when Harper hit a Spinning Clothesline on Ohno after Wyatt interfered, elbowing Ohno in the back of the head.
Before the match Wyatt cut a promo about how he isn’t afraid of anything and is the eater of worlds.

Episode 2 airing June 12, 2013:

– Sami Zayn vs Antonio Cesaro
Cesaro won with the Neutralizer.

– Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan w/ Sylvester LeFort vs Travis Tyler and Baron Corbin
Dawson and Dylan won when they hit their double team finisher on Corbin.

Round 1 of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament
– Bailey vs Alicia Fox
Fox won with an Axe Kick.

NXT Championship Match
– NXT Champion Big E Langston vs Bo Dallas
Dallas won the championship with a belly to belly suplex. This came after countering the Big Ending by ramming Langston’s head into an exposed turnbuckle, twice.
Following the match, Dallas was interviewed on stage and cut a babyface celebration promo, despite being booed vocally by the crowd.

Episode 3 airing June 19, 2013:

– Adrian Neville vs Bray Wyatt
Neville won by DQ when Harper shoved him off the ropes as he attempted the Corkscrew SSP.
Ohno and Graves saved him from a 3 on 1 beat down, so Dusty Rhodes came out to pull a Teddy Long. He made a six man tag match for the main event, playa.

– Sami Zayn vs Angelo Dawkins
Zayn won with a tornado DDT out of the corner.

Round 1 of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament
– Sasha Banks vs Summer Rae
Rae won with Melina’s old Sunset Split finisher.

– They played an Xaiver Woods pretaped promo with him cracking a few jokes about his previous appearances and the multiple times he beat El Local.

– Jake Carter vs Xaiver Woods
Woods won with a combination of his “It’s Morphin’ Time!” Clothesline and Gail Kim’s Eat Defeat.
Before the match Woods got an addition of a spotlight to his entrance while he danced in the ring.

– Adrian Neville, Corey Graves and Kassius Ohno vs The Wyatt Family
Wyatt pinned Neville when Harper pulled him out of the ring as Neville was attempting the Corkscrew SSP. Wyatt rushed back in to pin him.

Episode 4 airing June 26, 2013:

– Big E Langston vs Aiden English
Langston destroyed English and beat him with the Big Ending. Typical post match antics afterward.

– Leo Kruger vs Dante Dash
Kruger quickly won with his submission hold.

– Bo Dallas vs Mickie Keegan
Dallas via Belly to Belly Suplex.
After the match, Kruger attacked Keegan and had an awkward stand off with Dallas.

Round 1 of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament
– Emma vs Aksana
Emma via Muta Lock

Tag Team Championship Number One Contendership match
– Kassius Ohno and Corey Graves vs Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan w/ Sylvester LeFort
Graves won the match for his team by making Dylan submit to the 13th Step.
Afterwards, the Wyatt Family attacked Ohno and Graves. Neville ran out to help but he was jumped by Dylan and Dawson. The five of them worked over everyone until William Regal made the save. However, Regal couldn’t overcome their numbers either and was beaten down to end the episode.

Post-Taping Segment

– Ryback cut a promo initially putting over NXT. He got the crowd to chant Feed Me More, then said how easy it was to manipulate everyone. He talked about how he should be WWE Champion right now and will be after Payback. He then repeated half of his promo from Raw. Afterward, he put out an open challenge to anyone in the back. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady came out to answer the challenge. They played off the crowd for a long time while making fun of Ryback. Ryback responded saying “You’re mom and dad, who are clearly brother and sister, must clearly be proud of you two.” Ryback laid Cassady out, leading Amore to try and fast talk his way out of a beating. It failed.

Notes:

– Zayn-Cesaro 2 and the six man tag match are well worth going out of your way to see. Really good stuff. Zayn-Cesaro 2 in particular was especially intense.
– Tom Phillips and Brad Maddox did commentary for episode 1 and 3 while Regal and Tony Dawson handled 2 and 4.
– The next taping is June 20 with Sheamus as the special guest.
– It appears they may have turned Kruger face.
– Axl Keegan was renamed to Mickie Keegan. Likely due to the Curtis Axel rename.
– Dawson and Dylan remind me of an old 80s NWA tag team with their look and the way they work.

Who Portrayed Suicide On Impact Wrestling?, Shark Boy Returns To Action, Dark Match Result

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– Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling featured the return of Suicide to TNA as he defeated Joey Ryan and Petey Williams to earn a spot in Ultimate X Match at Slammiversary for the X Division Championship against titleholder Kenny King and Chris Sabin. The character was portrayed by TJ Perkins, who participated in tryout match for the organization last September shortly after requesting a contract release from Ring of Honor.

In the past, Suicide has been portrayed by Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and Kiyoshi. The character was initially introduced in 2008 to promote the TNA iMPACT! video game.

– Shark Boy returned to action Thursday after resurfacing on Impact Wrestling to convince “Cowboy” James Storm to select him as his tag team partner for the World Tag Team Championship Match against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez at Slammiversary—the spot went to Gunner. Following the broadcast, he faced Robbie E in a match taped for an upcoming episode of TNA Xplosion.

Another Xplosion match was taped as TNA World Tag Team Champions Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez faced Aces and Eights members D.O.C. and Knux.

In a dark match result, a wrestler announced as Amish Abe defeated veteran independent wrestler Jason Static.

– Alex Shelley, who parted ways with TNA Wrestling one year ago this week, turned 30-years-old on Thursday. He is currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.

(source: PWInsider.com)

Updated Slammiversary Line-up – New Match, HOF Inductee TBA, James Storm’s Tag Partner

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One new match has been announced for Slammiversary as Sam Shaw will face Jay Bradley in the Gut Check Tournament Final where the winner will earn a spot in the Bound For Glory Series.

On Impact Wrestling, Shaw was supposed to face Alex Silva in a match to advance to the Final, but advanced after Aces and Eights member Wes Brisco came out to congratulate Shaw because the group laid out his opponent in the parking lot. Shaw was subsequently beaten by the Aces and Eights until being saved by Magnus.

It was also revealed that Gunner will team up with James Storm when they take on Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez in a match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Plus, Suicide defeated Joey Ryan and Petey Williams to land a spot in Ultimate X Match at for the X Division Championship against titleholder Kenny King and Chris Sabin.

It was announced during Thursday’s show that the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame will be revealed at the pay-per-view event. Sting was revealed as the inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame at last year’s event before being formally inducted by Lex Luger at Bound for Glory in October.

The updated card, which takes place at the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University on Sunday, June 2, is as follows:

* Bully Ray defends the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting – billed as “Sting’s Last Shot.”

* AJ Styles will face Kurt Angle.

* In a Four Team Elimination Tag Team Championship Match, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez defend the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, and “Cowboy” James Storm and Gunner.

* Devon defends the TNA Television Championship against Joseph Park.

* Kenny King defends the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X Match against Chris Sabin and Suicide.

* Taryn Terrell will square off against Gail Kim.

* Jay Bradley takes on Sam Shaw in the Gut Check Tournament Final.

Main Event Announced For Next Week’s Impact Wrestling, Multiple Wrestlers Return Tonight

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It was announced on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling that Sting will team up with Joseph Park to face Team 3D—TNA World Champion Bully Ray and TNA Television Champion Devon—on next week’s show. Days later at Slammiversary, Sting will challenge Ray for his title while Park will challenge Devon for his.

The program also saw the returns of three familiar wrestlers in Gunner, Shark Boy and Suicide.

Shark Boy resurfaced in an attempt to convince “Cowboy” James Storm to select him as his tag team partner for the World Tag Team Championship Match against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez at Slammiversary (Robbie E also appeared to try to convince Storm). This was followed by the return of Gunner, who took out Shark Boy as well Robbie E. Storm then confronted Gunner and said he would “See him at Slammiversary.” He then shook his hand.

Earlier in the show, Suicide defeated Joey Ryan and Petey Williams to land a spot in Ultimate X Match at Slammiversary for the X Division Championship against titleholder Kenny King and Chris Sabin.

Following the event, Gunner remarked on his return to Impact Wrestling—he had not appeared since October. The North Carolina native wrote on Twitter, “Great to finally return home to Impact tonite! @Cowboy_J_Storm and I see eye to eye! We want tag gold! See ya in Boston folks.”

Mickie James Regains Knockouts Championship On Impact Wrestling, Furthers Title Record

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Mickie James has captured title gold once again as she defeated Velvet Sky on tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling to regain the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship for a third time.

As the match concluded, Velvet went for a flying headscissors, but hurt her ailing knee further while attempting the maneuver. James subsequently clipped Velvet’s knee and hit her with a DDT to score the pinfall victory and the title.

Villainous and absent-due-to-pregnancy Knockout Madison Rayne praised James for her move. She wrote on Twitter, “FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!!!! @MickieJames showed her pissed off side! Even saw a momentary look of craziness on her face!!!”

Between WWE and TNA Wrestling, James is now a record-setting nine-time female champion in national wrestling (she is trailed by Trish Stratus, who held the WWE Women’s Championship seven times, and fellow Knockout Tara, a two-time WWE Women’s Champion and five-time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion). She is also the only person to hold the WWE Women’s, WWE Divas and TNA Knockout Championships in wrestling history.

Dixie Carter Hypes Tonight’s Impact, Kurt Angle Attends Amateur Wrestling Event, More

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– Tonight on Impact Wrestling, it will be revealed whether TNA Wrestling cornerstone AJ Styles has turned his back on the company and the fans. The Aces and Eights have announced that on the show, they will hold a “Patching In” ceremony to officially welcome Styles intoto the gang.

TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter posted a message on Twitter hyping the show, and hopes Styles will come to his senses. She wrote, “In Tampa for our 1st TNA Show EVER in that great city. #ImpactLIVE! going to be big tonight. @AJStylesOrg needs to make the right choice.”

– Last week at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, Kurt Angle attended “The Rumble On The Rails,” an amateur wrestling event where three of the world’s top powers joined forces in solidarity to promote the sport. The event was broadcast on the NBC Sports Network, with the multi-time wrestling champion and Olympic gold medalist being shown in attendance during ESPN coverage. Here is video footage of Angle attending the event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpdmQsQf_4

– This week’s featured match on TNA Xplosion on Challenge UK features Mickie James squaring off against Tara.

Austin References WM30 & The Shield, JR Visits WWE Performance Center

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– “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is recording his latest podcast today and will be taking live calls from fans during the show. Austin tweeted the following, telling fans he won’t be commenting on WrestleMania 30, a return to the ring or The Shield:

WWE.com has published a new feature looking at the”Ace of Belts” Dave Millican’s 10 favorite pro wrestling title belts. Among the belts profiled include the classic Winged Eagle WWF Championship, the NWA World Heavyweight title, the classic Intercontinental Championship, AWA World Heavyweight Championship and more.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted today: