Three members of Hit Row returned tonight during WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
It was reported that Top Dolla and Ashante “Thee” Adonis were on their way back as they were scheduled to be backstage at the show. Also joining them is B-Fab.
At the end of the first hour of the broadcast, there were 2 enhancement wrestlers standing in the ring. SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee noted that they didn’t know who they would be facing until Hit Row’s music played. They quickly beat enhancement wrestlers in a quick squash match.
There is one person missing this time: Swerve Strickland, who is currently under an AEW contract. Following the squash match, all three members of Hit Row cut promos to remind fans who they are.
Hit Row quickly became a favorite group after they debuted in NXT, and they would quickly make their way to the main roster in the WWE Draft. Soon after B-Fab was released then the rest of the group was let go.
This marked their first appearance on WWE television since they were released last November. This wouldn’t have happened if Vince McMahon was still in charge, but with Triple H in charge, he has brought back several former stars.
WWE SmackDown aired live this week from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event.
SmackDown Results (8/12)
Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah advanced to the 2nd round of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament
Hit Row def. enhancement talent
Drew McIntyre & Madcap Moss def. The Usos
Gunther def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah Advanced In The Women’s Tag Tournament
Shotzi & Xia Li battled Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah in the first round of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament. Raquel dominated the action early and sent Shotzi flying across the ring. Natalya and Sonya Deville were shown watching from ringside as Aliyah tagged in. Aliyah hit a Dropkick and went for the cover on Xia Li but Shotzi broke it up. The action spilled out of the ring and Aliyah hit a Crossbody onto Xia off the ring apron. Raquel and Shotzi then traded punches outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Shotzi and Xia Li were in control and had Aliyah isolated in the corner of the ring. Aliyah battled back and booted Xia in the face. Rodriguez tagged in and got in some offense. Aliyah leveled Shotzi with a Blockbuster as Raquel connected with the Texana Bomb on Xia Li for the pinfall victory. Raquel and Aliyah advanced to the 2nd round of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament.
Karrion Kross Promo, The Usos Attack Drew McIntyre
Karrion Kross cut a backstage promo with Scarlett by his side. Kross said that they were cast out of paradise, but they wanted for the perfect time to strike with vengeance. Karrion added that everybody knows about The Bloodline, but in the end, everybody pays the toll. Kross then looked around the corner and stared at Drew McIntyre. Drew then made his entrance as SmackDown went to a break.
Drew McIntyre cut a promo and brought up Kross jumping him from behind last week on SmackDown. McIntyre noted that he plans to do horrible things to Kross, but noted that he made an impact by attacking the #1 contender and staring down the champion. He told Karrion that he will three options when they have a match, a knockout, a hospital, or the graveyard.
McIntyre announced that Roman Reigns is not here tonight and the crowd booed. Drew noted that it took the entire Bloodline and Paul Heyman to get the job done against Brock Lesnar. McIntyre boasted about his WrestleMania victory over Lesnar before Kross’ theme hit. Scarlett made her way to the ring as Drew smirked. The Usos then attacked Drew from behind as Scarlett watched on the ring apron. Jimmy and Jey hit McIntyre with the 1D and trash-talked with Scarlett to end the segment.
Kofi Kingston tried to attack the Viking Raiders with a kendo stick once again this week but it backfired. Erik and Ivar used their shields to block the kendo stick strikes and beat down the former WWE Champion. Ivar launched Kofi in the air into Erik’s shield. Ivar climbed on top of the barricade and hit Kofi with a Splash.
Sami Zayn knocked on Roman Reigns’ door once again and The Usos answered. Drew beat Jimmy and Jey down as Sami retreated. McIntyre vowed to beat The Usos’ asses every week if they keep getting involved.
B-Fab accompanied Ashante The Adonis and AJ ‘Top Dolla’ Francis to the ring for a tag team match against two jobbers. Top Dolla hit a running knee strike in the corner as Ashante hit a slam. Hit Row hit a Dropkick/Suplex combo for the pinfall victory. Hit Row cut a brief promo following their win.
Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler were set to have a contract signing for their SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Clash at the Castle. Suspended WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey showed up with a bag of money and said it was double the amount of her fine.
Ronda was about to attack security again but walked away. Shayna Baszler then confronted Ronda on the entrance ramp and told her that this isn’t how you get what you want. Rousey told Shayna that she used to be a killer and stormed off.
Baszler made her way to the ring and noted that she won the Gauntlet match last week and vowed to win the title at Clash at the Castle. Shayna signed the contract to make the match official on her end and asked Liv Morgan to come to the ring.
Liv came tot he ring and claimed that Shayna is a discount Ronda Rousey and signed the contract. Baszler took Liv down and stomped on her elbow. She went for another stomp but Liv dodged it. Liv then put Shayna through the table with a bulldog.
Drew McIntyre and Madcap Moss battled the Undisputed Tag Team Champions tonight in a non-title match. Sami Zayn was ringside in his “The Bloodline” shirt for support. The match started off with The Usos versus McIntyre but Madcap rushed the ring to even the odds. Sami provided a distraction and The Usos looked for the 1D.
Madcap dragged Jey out of the ring and sent him over the barricade. Drew leveled Jimmy with the Claymore for the pinfall victory. After the match, Drew hit Jey with the Future Shock DDT and leveled Sami with another Claymore.
Backstage, Los Lotharios tried to join Maximum Male Models but Max Dupri said that they were not worthy. Los Lotharios decided to contract Maxxine Dupri.
Gunther Retained The Intercontinental Championship
Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event of tonight’s SmackDown. Ludwig Kaiser was in Gunther’s corner for the match. Nakamura targeted Gunther’s legs early with a flurry of kicks that hobbled the champion.
Shinsuke kept control and caught Gunther with an Enziguri to the side of the head for a near fall. When SmackDown returned from a break, Gunther caught Shinsuke with a big boot. The Intercontinental Champion climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for a Splash but the challenger got his knees up.
Gunther planted Shinsuke with a Suplex before unloading some knee strikes to his midsection. Shinsuke responded with a knee to the face and went for the cover but Gunther kicked out at two and the match continued.
Nakamura got distracted outside the ring by Ludwig and Gunther capitalized with a Dropkick. Gunther went for a Powerbomb but Shinsuke escaped and set up in the corner. Nakamura went for the Kinshasa but Gunther was ready for it. Gunther absolutely leveled the challenger with a Clothesline and went for the cover but somehow Shinsuke kicked out at two. Gunther caught Nakamura with another Dropkick and then a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Gunther remains the Intercontinental Champion.
The next WWE Draft is expected to take place in the near future. As Vince McMahon used to say, it’s [almost] “time to shake things up!”
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen Triple H (WWE’s new head of talent relations and creative) make several changes to the rosters of Raw and SmackDown. We’ve already seen the returns of Bayley, Dakota Kai, Io Sky and Hit Row.
WWE’s internal scheduling for upcoming live events has Superstars feeling that the next Draft is happening sooner than later, according to Fightful Select.
WWE Roster Shakeup
Several Raw wrestlers are scheduled for the first Smackdown following Clash at the Castle on September 9, while SmackDown talent is internally scheduled for Raw episodes on September 4 and 11. This has led to wrestlers speculating that the WWE Draft will be shortly following the Clash at the Castle PPV, scheduled for September 3rd.
According to the Fightful, talent has indicated “there have been other things” that have tipped of the locker room that more changes are coming.
WWE is planning to ‘repackage’ a few wrestlers and the belief is that the character changes will take place once the Draft takes place.
The talent has yet to be “informed explicitly about a draft, much less what brand they’ll end up on if and when it happens.”
Last year’s WWE Draft took place in October. Since bringing it back a few years ago, the Draft has been held on two nights so that way both Raw on the USA Network and SmackDown on FOX get a bump in the ratings.
Konosuke Takeshita is leaving America to return to Japan after working in the United States for the last four months.
He announced the news on Twitter: “Today I am leaving America. I have so many great memories of the last 4 months. Thank you all for being so nice to me. @AEW.”
Today I am leaving America. I have so many great memories of the last 4 months. Thank you all for being so nice to me. @AEWpic.twitter.com/XQwkNlI6oo
Takeshita made his pro wrestling debut in August 2012 for DDT and, since then, has found a lot of success, including being a four-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion and five-time KO-D Openweight Champion five times.
The 27-year-old has also been crowned the winner of the King of DDT Tournament on two different occasions and won the D’Oh Grand Prix twice. He’s also held the KO-D Six-Man Tag Team Championship five times and the KO-D Tag Team Championship.
He has impressed American fans since working in the country in April with notable performances, including when he challenged ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli at AEW’s Battle of the Belts III.
Dave Meltzer previously reported that it would be a seamless process to bring him back over to the United States due to AEW’s “good relationship” with DDT Pro-Wrestling. Meltzer noted that Takeshita doesn’t have a full-time deal with any promotion and may be on Triple H’s radar to sign him to a WWE contract.
AEW is starting to have some wrestlers return from injury, which has impacted the promotion over the last few months.
Adam Cole, CM Punk, and Bryan Danielson were all on the shelf with injuries throughout the summer, while Kenny Omega has been gone since last November. Cole is expected to return to in-ring action soon. AEW made an Interim Championship while the actual champion (Punk) recovered from foot surgery.
Danielson and Punk have since returned as Danielson came back a few weeks ago and lost to Daniel Garcia, while Punk was back this week when he confronted Jon Moxley to seemingly set up their match at All Out on September 4th.
PWinsider.com reports that while Punk appeared to be ready to fight on Wednesday night, he is still rehabbing his repaired foot and was reportedly still in pain as of a few weeks ago. Punk will likely not wrestle before All Out.
Regarding Omega, he is still likely the mystery partner of The Young Bucks in the upcoming AEW Trios Titles tournament to crown the inaugural champions.
The Young Bucks and their mystery partner are set to face Dragon Lee, Andrade El Idolo & Rush on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
WWE has canceled two of the next set of NXT UK television tapings, which has led to “a lot of uneasiness” among the crew.
Dave Meltzer reported the news in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. BT Sport Studios is said to have been unavailable for the tapings due to football/soccer coverage.
“There is a lot of uneasiness within the NXT U.K. crew. The next two sets of television tapings were canceled on 8/9,” Meltzer wrote.
“The reason given was that BT Sports Studios, where they tape, had to be used for football/soccer coverage. But as you can imagine with the talent how the reaction is, given you could tape somewhere else and shutting down tapings is never a good sign. Nobody really has been told anything”
NXT UK Future Uncertain
Since the NXT UK relaunch after being on a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand has held tapings at the BT Sports Studios.
WWE will keep some NXT UK wrestlers busy as there are talents slated to travel to Florida to participate in NXT programming shortly. Joe & Mark Coffey and Charlie Dempsey (son of William Regal) are expected to make the trip.
WWE has been using regular NXT stars for the NXT UK brand in recent months, including Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, who are the current NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
You can check out the complete NXT UK roster on our WWE Roster page.
When WWE relaunched NXT 2.0 last September, it was reported that Bruce Prichard worked with the NXT creative team while Vince McMahon had the final say on the product and Shawn Michaels was in charge of the day-to-day operations.
Although it may have seemed like McMahon had his fingerprints over the reimagining of NXT, Michaels suggested that McMahon didn’t play much of a role.
While speaking with Graham “GSM” Matthews of Bleacher Report, Michaels discussed the development of NXT 2.0.
“When Hunter first left, it became all me, and certainly from a television standpoint. Matt Bloom is the head coach and takes care of everything from the PC training standpoint, but when it came to NXT 2.0 television, that’s something myself and my team took over creatively. I know a lot of people thought Vince and Bruce were doing that. I can promise you, they did not have the time to do NXT television. If it’s good or if it’s bad, that’s on me.”
Michaels continued by stating it’s been a huge joy to run the show and work with the young wrestlers. He said the show always goes on, and it’s trial by fire for many of them. Michaels added that “it’s been an absolutely fantastic experience.”
Sasha Banks and Naomi have yet to make their return to WWE television. As previously reported, the two sides reached an agreement to return two weeks ago, but nothing has yet to be signed. However, with it being an agreement in principle, it’s believed to be as good as done.
WWE recently started the tournament to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions. Many fans expect to see Banks and Naomi involved with the tournament in some way.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer also speculated that they’re likely to return in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament as well.
Returning after the Women’s Tag Title Tournament?
Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah will battle Shotzi and Xia Li on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Io Shirai and Dakota Kai are the favorites to win the tournament.
Meltzer wrote, “If they make the finals, it presumably won’t be on PPV since they already announced Sky & Kai for a trios match on 9/3. This being announced right as Naomi & Banks are expected back is probably not a coincidence and I guess the idea is for them not to be in the tournament and have them surprise appear later.”
When Banks and Naomi return, they will be the latest and biggest stars to be brought back by Triple H since he took over as the head of creative and talent relations.
The pro-wrestling industry is still reeling from the news of Vince McMahon’s WWE retirement, a decision that many have yet to fully buy-into as 100% truth.
One of those deniers is WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, who told Renee Dupree on his Cafe de Rene podcast that he still believes the 76-year old McMahon is pulling the strings behind-the scenes.
“I personally don’t think he’s fully retired. You know Vince, he’s gonna be behind-the-scenes [laughs]. Vince is not letting go of that company, he will not let it go until his hands are dead cold and they pry it out of his cold, dead hands. He’s not letting go of that company until he dies. And that’s just it.”
The Olympic Hero has a right to believe that as McMahon’s grip on the industry has been felt since the 1980s and will continue to be felt long after he is gone. Angle adds that the placement of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in key positions is further proof that he is continuing to run the show.
“I’m not trying to cause any problems for WWE or for Vince McMahon, because I love Vince to death. But there is no way he is going to let it go. He already set up, you know, Stephanie [McMahon] being in charge and Triple H being in charge of talent relations. He’s got everybody in the right positions so that he could continue to run the show.”
Angle has bee one of the many former WWE superstars who have defended McMahon as allegations and hush money evidence continues to surface against the former chairman.
Since debuting on WWE’s main roster, Roman Reigns has faced, and defeated some of the company’s biggest stars.
Triple H, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles are just some of the names to fall to Reigns, and that’s before his heel turn in August 2020.
Since adopting the moniker as the ‘Tribal Chief,’ Reigns has kept an iron grip on the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship which he holds to this day.
For the First Time Ever
Reigns has defeated some of WWE’s biggest names, but there are a select few that the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is yet to take on one-on-one.
During last Friday’s SmackDown, Karrion Kross returned to WWE attacking Drew McIntyre, and made it clear that he has Roman Reigns in his sights.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that a plan between Kross and Reigns is in the works, and could be at this November’s Survivor Series Premium Live Event (via Sportskeeda.)
“Reigns is not booked on Extreme Rules in Philadelphia at this point. If they go with Reigns vs. Kross, as things stand right now, it would either be TV or the earliest would be Survivor Series barring the weekly circumstances involved in wrestling.”
Survivor Series will mark a decade of Reigns on the main roster, as he debuted at the event in 2012 as part of The Shield.
Before Survivor Series, Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at next month’s Clash at the Castle event.
WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg will forever be remembered for his devastating one-two punch move-set that secured him 173 straight victories in WCW and won him numerous matchups and titles during his run in WWE. The moves: the spear and the jackhammer.
The spear in particular has grown in popularity since Goldberg’s rise to superstardom back in the 90s, and is also used by the likes of Edge, Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Ricky Starks, and many more throughout the industry.
However, fans and analysts have always labeled Goldberg’s version one of the best in the business due to the high-impact nature of how he delivers it.
Goldberg’s Spear
The former two-time Universal champion spoke about the origin of the spear during his appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, recalling that he came up with the move in a matchup against Manny Fernandez.
“Walking out against Manny Fernandez, Jamie says ‘What’s your finish?’ I said ‘Finish? What is that, I don’t have a finish.’ He goes whatever you do, do something impactful that people are gonna remember. “
Once the move was actually executed it became clear to everyone backstage that they had just witnessed something special.
Goldberg continued, “So I get to the ring. Manny and I are circling. I say, ‘Manny, do you trust me?’ He goes, ‘Yeah’, I said ‘Then at the finish, tuck your head, spread your legs and kiss your ass goodbye.’ I did it, to me it was a natural move. I went in the back, and everybody’s mouths were open, hitting the floor, [they were] going, ‘Whatever you do, do that every single time.'”
Goldberg’s influence on the wrestling business is still felt to this day. He last competed against Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber special in Saudi Arabia back in February.
(Please credit Talk Is Jericho for the quote and SEScoops for the transcription)
Tonight, WWE SmackDown on FOX will descend on the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina for the latest installment of the show.
After some monumental changes to WWE’s management and several returns, fans are interested in what will happen on the show in this post-Vince McMahon era of the company.
WWE’s Head of Creative Triple H will be running things behind the scenes, and thanks to a report, we have an idea of what will be taking place during tonight’s two hours of the blue brand.
Karrion Kross’ Return
On last week’s SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE, with the former NXT Champion attacking Drew McIntyre.
Kross’ abrupt appearance at the end of last week’s show also saw him stare down with Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns, making it clear he wants to be champion.
According to Fightful, Kross will be on tonight’s show, “with full presentation” including his hourglass entrance.
The Contract Signing
Tonight’s SmackDown will continue the build to WWE Clash at the Castle, which will see SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan defend against Shayna Baszler.
The pair will have a contract signing tonight, where Morgan will still wear a sling, selling her kayfabe injury from Baszler earlier this month.
Ronda Rousey has been scheduled to get involved with the contract signing in some way.
And More
Fightful also reports that there is a table spot planned for tonight’s SmackDown on FOX.
Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, the Street Profits, and Roman Reigns are all tentatively scheduled for the show, though the card as always is subject to change.
WWE’s creative reshuffling continues, as a pair of former tag team champions are going their separate ways.
This week’s edition of WWE Main Event, taped Monday before Monday Night Raw, featured former tag team champions squaring off against one another.
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander competed against one another on the show. This is the latest sign that their team, and the Hurt Business faction, are dead and buried.
Alexander got the victory in this battle of former partners. After the match, they embraced one another in a mutual sign of respect.
Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander
Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander were formerly part of the Hurt Business faction, along with Bobby Lahley and MVP.
The faction achieved a great deal of success during its limited run. Benjamin and Alexander were a big part of that success, capturing the Raw tag team championships from the New Day back in 2020 at the Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) premium live event.
The Hurt Business has dissolved, with each member going its separate way. MVP turned on Bobby Lashley and sided with Omos, while Benjamin and Alexander are no longer teaming up together. Omos and MVP have since broken up, as well.
The Hurt Business
Despite the group breaking up, Bobby Lashley recently expressed interest in a Hurt Business reunion. During a recent appearance on WWE’s Out of Character podcast, Lashley said he might call on Alexander, Benjamin or MVP to help take down Omos.
When asked about a potential Hurt Business reunion, Lashley said, “You know what, I was thinking about what could happen to actually bring us together, and I thought about this the other day. I was like, if [MVP] made Omos too dangerous where he couldn’t contain him anymore, and Omos turned on him, he would need somebody to help him. There’s only one person that can beat Omos. I may need some help. You’ve got Cedric, you’ve got Shelton, you have MVP. We could take him down and we’re babyfaces again. [Fans] would love us.”
Lashley is the reigning WWE United States Champion. As part of his quest to find worthy challengers, he recently named Benjamin and Alexander as men he’d like to see step up and take a shot at him.
Watch the Top 10 Beset Moments of the Hurt Business:
WWE fans are no strangers to seeing romance on their screen, with huge stars like Triple H and Edge being involved in romantic angles throughout their careers.
While WWE Superstars often have on-screen relationships, many on the roster enjoy happy relationships with other wrestlers when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Budding Romance
With Superstars spending so much time together, it’s natural that some wrestlers will fall for each other while at work.
On Instagram, Cora Jade took to her Stories to reveal that she is seeing reigning NXT Champion Bron Breakker.
Jade shared a picture of the second-generation Superstar over a pastel background and included a heart, showing her emotions for the NXT Champion.
Jade also tagged Breakker in the post.
Bron Breakker
Cora Jade is certainly smitten with Bron Breakker, and WWE higher-ups are also fond of the second-generation Superstar.
Since NXT’s relaunch as NXT 2.0, Breakker has been the brand’s biggest star, defeating some of NXT’s veteran performers.
It took Breakker 112 days from debuting to becoming NXT Champion, dethroning Ciampa at the NXT: New Year’s Evil event in January 2022.
Breakker’s second title win came over another WWE veteran, Dolph Ziggler on the Raw after WrestleMania 38.
It has been reported that WWE wishes to fast-track Breakker to the main roster, but it is unclear if that is still the plan following the recent management changes.
Cora Jade
Joining WWE in early 2021, Jade had previously appeared for both AEW and Impact Wrestling before reaching the McMahon/Khan promotion.
At last month’s Great American Bash special, Jade and Roxanne Perez captured the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, marking both women’s first titles in WWE.
The following week, Jade turned heel and attacked Perez, costing her the NXT Women’s Championship match against Mandy Rose, and would later throw her own title in the trash.
Ever since the unfortunate kick that ended Hart’s career in 1999, the wrestling veteran has blamed the heavyweight star for costing him millions. While Goldberg has apologized to Hart many times since then, Bret has chosen not to forgive the former world champion even two decades after the incident.
On Talk Is Jericho, the former Universal champion was asked if Hart’s continued animosity toward him has hurt his feelings. He claimed that he understands Bret’s sentiment to a point. However, after so many years of trying to make peace, he is done apologizing now:
‘I Am Done’: Goldberg
“Yeah, but I get it. I mean, I understand to a point. But I’m like yeah, 100%. Bret Hart is still up here, man. He’s an idol to anybody and everybody who would have ever been in this business. I’m a human being like everybody else. There was absolutely no malicious intent whatsoever. None. Zero. So does it bother me? Yeah. I’ll take it to my grave.
But also, I gotta say, man. I am kinda at a turning point. I am done saying I’m sorry. I have said it a million times. I am not gonna continue to tear myself down. I’m done. I said I’m sorry. If he can’t accept my apology, it is what it is. You gotta move on. And I’ve moved on. So I won’t be breaching this subject too much more.”
This week, WWE hosted its WrestleMania 39 tickets launch event, with a star-studded show in Los Angeles, California.
Snoop Dogg was at the event, and presented Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair with some Death Row chains as a gift, but the pair also had something special for him.
Snoop’s Title
A WWE Hall of Famer, rap legend Snoop Dogg already has plenty of accolades to his name, but now has his own custom championship title.
During the event, Lynch and Belair were on hand to present Snoop with the title, with the help from some of the LA Lakers Cheerleaders team.
Belair said it was a one-of-a-kind custom WWE Championship, which is white and gold with green accents.
Snoop was clearly thrilled by the gift, which he proudly held over his head.
The self-professed ‘Dogg-father of WrestleMania’ has made multiple appearances for WWE over the years.
At WrestleMania 24 in 2008, Snoop was the master of ceremonies for the Lumberjill tag-team match between Maria & Ashley and Melina & Beth Phoenix.
After being confronted by Santino Marella, Snoop leveled the former Intercontinental Champion before sharing a kiss with Maria.
In 2009, Snoop was the guest host of Monday Night Raw and again got physical, tackling Chavo Guerrero with a spear during a segment including Hornswoggle.
In 2016, Snoop performed at WrestleMania, providing a track for his cousin Sasha Banks, who challenged for the WWE Women’s Championship.
That same year, he would enter the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the celebrity wing.
Since Triple H took over as WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, the company has seen several returns.
At Summerslam 2022, Dakota Kai returned to WWE to align with Bayley and IYO SKY, the latter of whom had been expected to leave WWE this year when her contract expired.
On the post-Summerslam SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned, with the former NXT Champion attacking Drew McIntyre.
During this week’s Raw, Dexter Lumis made his presence felt in the crowd and teased a program with AJ Styles.
Two More Returns
Plenty of Superstars have returned to WWE in the post-Vince McMahon era, and two more could be appearing on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis and AJ ‘Top Dolla’ Francis are scheduled to be at tonight’s SmackDown in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to pwinsider. It was not confirmed that the pair will be appearing on-screen though it seems likely given the recent returns.
The Hit Row members were released by WWE in November 2021 alongside the rest of the group.
Hit Row
Hit Row was a popular quartet of Superstars, comprising of Adonis, Francis, B-Fab, and their leader Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott.
In October 2021, the group was called up to the main roster, but it was reported that Francis would serve as the group’s leader.
The group’s tenure on the blue brand was short-lived, as B-Fab was released on November 4, with the rest of the stable cut two weeks later.
There is no report that B-Fab will appear on tonight’s SmackDown.
Scott will not be appearing as he is with AEW, competing as one-half of the World Tag Team Champions as Swerve Strickland.
Next year, WWE WrestleMania 39 will return to California, in what is expected to be one of the biggest events WWE has put on in some time.
Like the past three WrestleManias, the 39th iteration of WWE’s flagship show will be a two-night event and will take place on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
It wasn’t just WWE Superstars who appeared at the WrestleMania 39 ticket launch event, as dancer/singer/YouTuber Jojo Siwa also made an appearance.
The 19-year-old performer was the guest on an edition of Miz TV, but introduced SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan.
Siwa, who wore a Liv hoodie, alongside Morgan poked fun at the alleged size of Miz’s ‘balls’ which the two-time former WWE Champion insisted are “wonderful.”
Snoop Dogg makes it rain during his appearance at the WrestleMania 39 Tickets launch party.
WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg also attended the WrestleMania 39 Tickets launch event and hyped up WWE’s two-night Premium Live Event.
The rap legend was presented with his own custom WWE Championship title and proceeded to ‘make it rain’ with Lynch and Belair on stage.
Snoop’s involvement is interesting, as he is the cousin of WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, who many believe will return to WWE TV soon in this post-Vince McMahon era of the company.
Tickets for WrestleMania 39 can be purchased here.
Since the mid-1980s, it has been regular practice for major pro wrestling title changes to happen at pay per view events. Prior to that point, title changes and blow off matches for top rivalries tended to occur on the house show circuit, with TV as a marketing tool to get fans into the local arenas.
Once pay per view became the standard, promotions like WWE and WCW understandably wanted to compel their viewers to shell out for super cards and buy the right to watch historic moments. Just the same, cable television has seen its share of title changes, up to and including world championships changing hands.
25 years ago this week, one of the biggest free TV title changes of all time occurred when Lex Luger made Hollywood Hogan submit to the Human Torture Rack on Nitro to bring the World Championship back to WCW from the nWo. As such, it’s a fitting time to look back at the best cable TV title changes of all time.
Roman Reigns Defeats Sheamus For The WWE Championship (WWE Raw, December 14, 2015)
Nowadays, it’s hard to remember a time when Roman Reigns wasn’t a world champion or in the clear-cut top tier of stars in the business. The now-Head of the Table won his first WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2015, but the reign ended mere moments later when Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
Reigns was unsuccessful at recapturing the title at the TLC PPV on December 13, but one night later challenged The Celtic Warrior again and picked up the duke in a solid match. While any world title change on cable TV is a big deal, but this one was more significant for affirming Reigns’ spot as the new face of WWE.
This time, he’d reign for over a month, and when he lost the title to Triple H in the Royal Rumble, it was clearly set up for him to take the title back in the main event of WrestleMania 32 as his foundation of being WWE’s top star only grew more and more stable.
Lex Luger Defeats Hollywood Hogan For The WCW Championship (WCW Nitro, August 4, 1997)
Bash at the Beach 1996 saw the nWo begin to dominate WCW. Hulk Hogan turned heel to lead the faction and won the WCW Championship a month later at Hog Wild. From there, his stable ran roughshod over the company’s babyfaces and Hogan enjoyed almost a full year as a heel world champion before Lex Luger stopped him in his tracks on the August 4, 1997 episode of Nitro.
It was a dramatic scene when The Total Package trapped the nWo leader in a Human Torture Rack to secure the submission. Despite Luger not reigning for long, the title change represented one of the biggest feel-good moments in company history.
Booker T Defeats Scott Steiner For The WCW Championship (WCW Nitro, March 26, 2001)
Booker T defeated Scott Steiner for the WCW Championship on the last ever episode of WCW Nitro. The title was far from its peak, after some inauspicious names like David Arquette and Vince Russo had gotten their hands on it. Nonetheless, it still meant something to be the final world champion the company had on its own terms (in other words, not when the WCW Championship was defended under WWE booking, on WWE television).
In winning, Booker established himself as a torch bearer for the once-proud company as its roster and intellectual property merged with WWE. It was a huge step toward Booker becoming one of the most successful WCW stars to cross over to their former competitor.
Goldberg Defeats Hollywood Hogan For The WCW Championship (WCW Nitro, July 6, 1998)
One of the biggest flaws with WCW booking was a tendency to overcomplicate matters—often failing to give fans what they really wanted in favor of swerves as characters turned heel or messy scenarios led to indecisive finishes. The company got things right, however, on the July 6, 1998 edition of Nitro.
WCW paid off over a year of Goldberg going undefeated with a clean win over Hollywood Hogan to win his first world championship. The title win itself was a remarkable moment, but all the more so shored up Goldberg’ status as a top guy who could remain a draw into his WWE career over two decades later.
Mankind Defeats The Rock For The WWE Championship (WWE Raw, January 4, 1999)
Wrestling fans by and large enjoy a good underdog story. January 4, 1999 marked the culmination of two great underdog stories. Yes, Mick Foley beat the odds when he defeated The Rock—both in kayfabe and reality, becoming an unlikely world champion for the first time, and beating a bona fide megastar in the process. In addition WWE got the better of WCW.
The chaotically brilliant and great moment of Mick Foley capturing world title gold, and WCW spoiling the result, facilitated a huge victory for WWE against WCW. Fans changed the station to give Raw a Monday Night War ratings victory, at the expense of WCW’s infamous Fingerpoke of Doom Nitro.
Wrestling promoters will, understandably, continue to prioritize pay per view or “Premium Live Events” for a lot of their biggest title changes. Nonetheless, free TV title changes have their place for shock value, and at times reaching a larger audience. There’s a rich history of major title changes on TV, and twenty-five years after the biggest win of Lex Luger’s career, it will be interesting to see what modern stars might follow in his footsteps.
Bret Hart has weighed in on Vince McMahon resigning from WWE amid the hush money scandals.
It was first reported in June that the WWE board was investigating McMahon for a secret $3 million settlement he allegedly agreed to pay a former WWE employee with whom he allegedly had an affair. A second report came out last month noting agreed to pay more than $12 million to four women to “suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity” over a 16-year period.
Later that month, McMahon announced he was retiring, later clarified in an SEC filing that he resigned after already stepping back from his duties as WWE Chairman and CEO for the duration of the investigation.
While speaking with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Hart was asked about McMahon’s retirement.
“Like everybody else, I’m mostly just kinda surprised. I don’t think anybody’s ever made as big a footprint as Vince McMahon. I feel kinda sad about it, actually. I know people probably think I would be gloating or happy to see him go through what he’s going, but I don’t. I feel bad that it happened, or whatever’s happened. I think his loss or his absence from the business will be sorely missed,” he said.
Although Hart and McMahon were once bitter enemies after the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997, they later buried the hatchet.
Since coming to WWE, Bianca Belair has become one of the biggest stars of the promotion’s women’s division.
In her first WrestleMania match, Belair headlined Night One of WrestleMania 37, defeating Sasha Banks to capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Just one year later, Belair would repeat her success, dethroning Becky Lynch to win the Raw Women’s Championship, becoming the first person to beat ‘The Man’ for a title in nearly three years.
Her Inner Struggle
Belair isn’t just a fighter in the ring, but has been fighting a much different battle within herself.
Sitting down with Ariel Helwani, the reigning Raw Women’s Champion spoke about her struggles with mental health, which dated back to her freshman year at the University of South Carolina.
“My freshman year, I just struggled so much mentally. I was struggling with an eating disorder secretly in high school, so when I got to college I told myself ‘okay I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m gonna be healthy.”
“I had a very unhealthy relationship with food… Mentally or physically, I just wasn’t able to get back to where I was.”
Bianca Belair on the eating disorder she struggled during high scholl and college.
Belair said that after her freshman year, she transferred to Texas A&M, where she continued to struggle with her mental health.
The Raw Women’s Champion mentioned her coach at the time Vince Anderson for being an enormous help when she was struggling.
“I was put into a psychiatric hospital. It got that low… That’s when everyone found out. He [Anderson] was the one, once I got out, who said ‘you can’t come back.’ He made me go see a psychiatrist. He was like ‘you have to get yourself together mentally because that’s what is more important.’
“I was put into a psychiatric hospital. It got that low.”
Bianca Belair on her struggles with mental health during her athletics career.
After Texas A&M, Belair transferred again to the University of Tennessee, where she was not allowed to compete.
“I wasn’t allowed to compete for the team. But she [UofT coach Heather Van Norman] told me ‘I’ll train you for a whole year, even if you can’t contribute to the team.’ And she’s the person who really got me back on my feet.”
Over the past month, the wrestling world has been rocked as two of the most influential men in WWE have left the company.
In July, Vince McMahon announced his retirement from the promotion, a month after stepping down as CEO and Chairman.
McMahon stepped down from the roles due to the ongoing investigation into him over allegations of misconduct with female employees.
More recently, it was reported that John Laurinaitis, who is alleged to have participated in the McMahon scandal, had been terminated from WWE, ending his 21-year tenure with the promotion.
RVD & Laurinaitis’ Relationship
The same year that Laurinaitis joined WWE (2001), Rob Van Dam signed with the promotion following the collapse of ECW.
A former WWE and ECW Champion, Van Dam worked closely with both McMahon and Laurinaitis.
During an interview with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall, RVD addressed the departure of Laurinaitis, calling the former WWE Head of Talent Relations his ‘guy.’
“he was my guy. I know a lot of people didn’t get along with him. I was wrestling him in Japan in ‘93… I could relate to him in a lot of ways.”
Rob Van Dam on the release of John Laurinaitis.
Addressing McMahon’s departure from WWE, Van Dam wasn’t pleased with the former Chairman’s retirement, but tried to see the positive side.
“I don’t like Vince being gone, but if it’s better for business, then that’s awesome.”
RVD on Vince McMahon’s retirement.
Neither Laurinaitis or McMahon have appeared publicly since their departures from WWE.
Conrad Thompson tried to talk his father-in-law Ric Flair out of the fake heart attack spot in his Last Match.
Flair recently took part in what was said the be the final professional wrestling match of his career. He teamed up with his son-in-law and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Andrade El Idolo against the team of Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
During the match, Flair actually had a spot where he faked he was having a heart attack, and when Lethal looked concerned, he poked him in the eye.
In a recent episode of Jeff Jarrett’s podcast, “My World,” which Conrad co-hosts, Conrad revealed he tried to talk Flair out of the spot.
“The only thing you and I pushed back on, and we pushed back the first time we heard it and the second time, and the third time. ‘Do not fake the heart deal,” Conrad Thompson said. “Do not. Please.’ The afternoon of, he goes, ‘Guys, guys, it’s my last match.
“I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but if they are with it and I feel I have the crowd, I’m going to do it. Jay is going to have a little sympathy and I’ll poke him in the eyes.’ When it didn’t happen in the ring, at first I thought, ‘We made it, he’s not going to do it.’
“He did it on the floor. I didn’t look at you, but I know somewhere, you were looking at me like, ‘Why is he doing this?’ I saw great feedback from that, people dug it. Who are we, especially me, it’s his last match. He gets to pick.“
There was a lot of concern about the 73-year-old Flair competing in the matchup in the first place. Flair admittedly was dealing with injuries heading into the bout, but wanted to put on one final show in front of the Nashville crowd.
The two-time WWE Hall Of Famer and Andrade emerged from the bout victorious when it was all said and done. He even made an appearance at The World Wrestling Council’s 49th Anniversary Show in Puerto Rico shortly thereafter, serving as a manager for Andrade.
Flair also got physical during the appearance, taking a few punches and a headbutt from Carlos Colon. He revealed he was offered to wrestle for the promotion, but declined.
Vincent recently spoke with SEScoops Correspondent Steve Fall about the plans that The Righteous had before Ring Of Honor went on hiatus.
At Impact Hard To Kill, Vincent made his Impact Wrestling debut after a 10-man Hardcore War tag team match attacking Rich Swann, Eddie Edwards, Heath, and Rhino alongside former Kingdom stablemate Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, and PCO.
However, before this, Vincent was a member of the Ring of Honor roster. At the time of his debut, Vincent was one-third of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions after he, Bateman, and Dutch won the titles from Shane Taylor Promotions at ROH Final Battle last year. This was Vincent’s fourth time holding the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships.
Jay Lethal Was Supposed To Join The Righteous?
Vincent revealed The Righteous’ plans before the ROH hiatus when speaking with SEScoops Correspondent Steve Fall, after being asked if he wanted to bring The Righteous stable to Impact.
“I mean, I did to be honest, but I’m being completely honest with you. Like, I like loved The Righteous, like, you know, thing that we’re doing. Myself, Bateman and Dutch, I wish that could have continued longer because it was going to be pretty awesome. Like we were going to do a whole thing with Jay Lethal where Jay Lethal joins the group and this this whole, like, kind of wild thing moving forward. And we just started getting into it.
And I don’t know if you even watch the tail end of the Ring of Honor, but like, we had just started to get into that, like final battle, the last final battle was supposed to be myself versus Jay Lethal, which starts the story. But obviously, we got the news before that. So everything kind of changed. There’s no point doing it at that point.
I mean, like, at the end of the day, like it would be cool to to have went in there as The Righteous and into Impact because I do think that like that specific vision hasn’t even, you know, scratched the surface of what it could be. So, I think it would be very interesting there. But, you know, I, the end of the day is like, you know that I went there and they allowed me to so I’m very grateful. So it’s not that you know what I mean? It all worked out regardless, at the end of the day, you know what I mean? So it’s still cool.
Yeah, well, locker rooms really great. You know, locker rooms great there, you know, everybody was very, you know, kind of like welcoming. Nobody was not welcoming. There was kind of cool.”
Injured WWE star Cody Rhodes is being advertised for an upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW.
Rhodes injured his pectoral muscle back in June, which sidelined him for several months after requiring surgery. Initial expectations had Rhodes out for nine months, meaning he wouldn’t be expected back until March of 2023.
Rhodes tore his pectoral muscle in the midst of his feud with Rollins on RAW. Despite having already torn his pectoral, he still competed against Rollins inside Hell In A Cell back in June, winning the match and seemingly closing the chapter on his rivalry with Rollins.
However, the following night on Monday Night RAW, Rollins attacked Rhodes after faking a compromise, attacking Rhodes’ injured area to seemingly help write him off TV. Rhodes was being positioned as the top babyface over on Monday Night RAW.
The timing of his injury couldn’t have been worst. However, many expect Rhodes to return at the Royal Rumble in January, potentially winning the match and going on to WrestleMania 39 to challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Championship.
With Rhodes now being advertised for a match on August 22, it certainly makes things interesting.
