Today WWE announced qualifying matches for their Global Cruiserweight series.
Announced for the Evolve show on 5/7 in Queens, NY, with Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams and Fred Yehi vs. TJ Perkins. Gulak and Williams are the current Evolve tag team champions. The show takes place at La Boom in Queens, NY and will air on iPPV at www.WWNlive.com
Also, announced for the PROGRESS on Sunday April 24th in Camden Town, London, Zach Sabre Jr. will face Flash Morgan Webster. Jack Gallagher will go up against “Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne.
The names WWE has announced thus far for the tournament are Rich Swann, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Noam Dar, Akira Tozawa, Ho Ho Lun and Lince Dorado. Swann, Ciampa and Gargano are already under contract to WWE. Dar is an independent wrestler from the U.K., Tozawa is a star with Dragon Gate, Lun is from Hong Kong and Dorado is a Florida-based Lucha style independent wrestler.
The debut of “American Grit,” the reality show hosted by John Cena, did not make a ratings splash last night.
The show was the least watched show of the four major networks last night, doing 2.43 million viewers and an 0.8 rating in the key 18-49 demo. Of the major broadcast networks, it only beat out the CW programming for the night. Of the four broadcast network shows going head-to-head, the lowest rated in the time slot was NBC, which ran The Blacklist doing 6.56 million viewers and a 1.3 in the demo. The highest rated was Grey’s Anatomy on ABC which did 7.97 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in the demo.
The other bad news for the show is that it barely did half the audience of its lead in, Bones, which did 4.36 million viewer and a 0.9 in the demo.
WWE began its Wrestlemania Revenge Tour in Milan earlier tonight in front of a nearly sold out at the Mediolanum Forum. Here are the results:
-Cesaro b. Stardust with the Swing/Sharpshooter combo in about 11 minutes
Big pop for Cesaro who is kind of a homegrown talent here since he spent a lot of time early in his career wrestling here. Usual house show opener, good match.
-Erick Rowan b. Jack Swagger
Needless to say, not as good as the previous match. For whatever reason the “Real American” Swagger entered baring an Italian flag. Finish came when Swagger applied the ankle lock, Rowan reached the ropes with the referee calling for a break. Swagger then tried to bring Rowan back to the middle of the ring. Rowan held the apron and the referee went to put it back into place. With the ref distracted, Rowan poked Swagger in the eyes and pinned him with a full Nelson slam.
-Sin Cara b. Tyler Breeze in 7 minutes via Swanton Bomb
Short match, which is a shame. A bit of.comedy at the start but good action.
-Kane b. Braun Strowman by DQ in 6 minutes
Loud reaction for Kane, stili very beloved. Horrendous match, Strowman hit Kane with a chair for the disqualification and was then finished with a chokeslam.
-WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day b. Sheamus and Rusev to retain in 13 minutes
Not much different from the matches we saw on Raw and Wrestlemania with these teams. The New Day, needless to say, is OVER. Finish came after Woods, who was knocked earlier from the apron by Rusev, hit Rusev back with the referee distracted, allowing Kingston and Big E. to hit the Big Ending/Splash combo for the pin.
-WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte b. Becky Lynch and Sasha Hanks in a triple threat match to retain
As easily predictable this was by leaps and bounds the best match.of the show.
-The Usos b. The Dudley Boyz in 11 minutes
Dudleyz very over, almost 50/50 crowd reaction to the point that Bubba, the true highlight of the match, at a certain point started loudly complaining in Italian and running down local teams. Usos won with a double superkick.
-WWE Champion Roman Reigns fought Bray Wyatt to a no contest in 2 minutes
The match was immediately halted due to what looked like an ankle injury. It was bad enough that they immediately called for the best after the doc took a look at it. To cover for it they went to a LONG post match beatdown which involved Rowan, Strowman, the Usos and the Dudleyz.
When the dust settled, Sheamus came out trying to get a title match. He tried to Brogue Kick Reigns who avoided it and speared him. Reigns took the mic and said that while he had his issues with Wyatt, he never wishes an injury to anybody (which helped turn the crowd in his favour, it was 50/50 at best earlier) and then ended the show thanking the fans.
Notes: since this is the first show of the tour the merchandising stands had a pretty decent variety of items: shirts for Roman Reigns, John Cena, The Usos, Dean Ambrose, and AJ Styles.
Lilian Garcia was introduced as the announcer for the show.
Cesaro beat Stardust
People loved Cesaro and they went nuts for his comeback, especially for the uppercuts. He won with a sharpshooter follwing the giant swing. Good contest.
Sin Cara beat Tyler Breeze
Quick match with a couple of high flying spots by Sin Cara. He won with his senton from the top rope. After the match, Breeze took a mic and said that he didn’t come to Italy to lose and he asked for an other opponent. Out came Swagger with an Italian flag on his shoulders.
Jack Swagger beat Tyler Breeze
Nothing to say here. They went for the ankle lock as soon as the bell rang and Breeze tapped out.
WWE Tag Team Champions New Day beat Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan
People LOVED the New Day. The match was very good. I’ll go as far as saying that this was the biggest surprise of the night. Xavier and Big E worked the match for the New Day. The heat was on Xavier at the beginning. Great hot tag for Big E who began to throw Rowan around. Then Strowman came in and he got a big “holy s**t, he’s big!” reaction. Couple of near falls. New Day won after a little help from Kofi.
WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte beat Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch
Ric Flair was ringside. This was the match of the night. Sasha and Becky put out Charlotte and went at it at the beginning. Then the champ came back and they did a good amount of “3 way” spots. People chanted “NXT” and “Women’s Wrestling” and booed the hell out of Charlotte. At the end, Sasha went for the Bank Statement on Becky, but Ric pulled her out of the ring and Charlotte pinned Becky using the ropes. Very good match.
Usos beat the Dudleys
Man, is Bubba great. People cheered the Dudleys at the beginning, but Bubba turned that around in a second. He had the crowd going from cheering them to HATE them. He even went as far as swearing at people in italian. As far as the match goes, a solid contest but nothing great. Usos won with a splash.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat Sheamus
Very good match, the second best after the women’s. Roman Reigns was over HUGE. Biggest reaction of the night by far. He won with a spear after a couple of near finishes.
Overall, a good show. Crowd was into everything and they cheered the faces and booed the heels. Again, women stole the show.
I’m here at NXT Citrus Springs and we are expecting approximately 300 people for Shinsuke Nakamura’s NXT Florida debut.
No Way Jose beat Noah
Fun opener with Noah wanting to shake hands and be friends with Jose, which, of course, led to chants of “No Way Jose” for the handshake offer. Solid action before Jose hit the wind0up punch and his new finish — a full nelson slam — for the win.
Liv Morgan beat Peyton Royce
Peyton tried to offer her flower to Liv, who tossed it away. Royce was going for her Venus Fly Trap submission, BUT Morgan was able to roll through and win the match.
Manny Andrade beat Elias Samson
Major heat for The Drifter and his attempted pre match song. Manny entered to a good reaction and we’re off. Great work by Andrade, countering moves, flipping over Samson and keeping the tempo up. Drifter works the headlock of doom before Manny fired up, ran wild and hit the running knees for the win.
Riddick Moss beat Alex Riley
Moss has fresh new gear and a fancy gold vest. He ordered the ref to take his vest off for him, BUT ARy snuck behind and did so himself, only to put the vest on and upset Moss. Physical match with Moss scoring the win over a distraught ARy.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha beat Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton
Big reaction for Alpha showing off the titles for the first time in FL. A lot of impressive matwork by both Gable and Jordan early on before the pace was picked up. Jordan ran wild with big dropkicks before the heels took advantage of a distraction and stun-gunned Gable on the top rope. Wolfe and Fulton took turns working over Gable’s arm before he was able to escape and make the big hot tag to Jordan, ran wild again and this time, Alpha finished them off with the Assisted German Suplex.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Adrien Reese
A good, yet clearly toned down, reaction for Asuka, the usual crowd favorite had more of a guilty reaction here after beating Bayley for the title. Good early exchanges with Reese even putting Asuka in holds. The champion took advantage of a counter and rolled through for the Asuka Lock victory.
Shinsuke Nakamura beat Tye Dillinger
Huge superstar reaction for Nakamura. This match was everything you could ask for at a live event. They taunted each other, played one upsmanship, and finally, it broke down in to a fight. Dillinger did Nakamura’s taunts himself, Nakamura did Dillinger’s cartwheel; it was exactly what you could ever want in a WWE Shinsuke Nakamura match. Dillinger and Nakamura even exchanged strong style strikes before Shinsuke hit the knee to the midsection and the Kinshasa for the win.
Bayley and Mojo Rawley beat Nia Jax and Samoa Joe
Joe got the heat on Mojo for a long time while Bayley lead cheers. She finally caught the hot tag and fought off Nia, even ending up on her shoulders punching down at Nia. Joe even tried to break up a pin but the ref dove at him to prevent the boot to Bayley. Nia tried to gain control but Bayley To Belly for the win.
Post-match, they celebrated and Bayley snatched Joe’s towel, Joe was kicking the stairs on the outside as Bayley waved the towel and danced with Mojo.
Nikki and Nattie are going to the doctors to look at Nikki’s back x-rays. Her back doesn’t look good. Nikki does cryotherapy and Nattie watches her, then Nattie does it. There’s a whole in Nattie’s towel that’s right near her nipple. Everyone laughs.
Nashville, TN
At Raw, the Bellas and Fox look on the Internet. They are learning about Paris. Fox tells the Bellas that she is fighting with Rosa. Nikki bails because she sees Cena and Brie is forced to hear about Rosa all by herself.
Paris, FR
The Divas land in Paris, and Eva is excited for the opportunity to get closer to the other Divas. Everyone is going to the Eiffel Tower except the Bellas, because they are coming back to France in a couple of weeks with their grandma and they are going to go then. Fox decides she’s not going to go because Rosa is going.
They arrive at a bomb ass suite where they will all be staying while in France. The girls start drinking that French wine, and eating hors d’oeuvres. Mandy distributes goody bags. Rosa doesn’t want to stay with Fox. Fox tells everyone that she’s scheduled a high class couture photo shoot for them all on Thursday. Paige feels alienated that no one is sleeping in their suite. Eva and Mandy decide to stay in Paige and Fox’s suite. The other Divas are so happy to not be staying with Paige, Fox, Mandy, and Eva. Fox decides to repair her relationship with Eva. They make up and Fox is happy. Fox tells everyone about Rosa. She is so pissed at Rosa.
Nikki and Brie go shopping. They buy a bunch of macaroons. Everyone else goes to the Eiffel Tower, except for Fox. She is too busy being mad at Rosa to enjoy the world. The divas talk about how romantic Paris is. Rosa wishes that Bobby was the only man that she ever slept with. Mandy asks Nattie how many penises she’s seen. Everyone is really impressed by the Eiffel Tower, especially Nattie. Paige knows that Fox is going to regret not going to the Eiffel Tower. I once went up the Eifel tower. It was cool.
At the top they had display of a mannequin Mark Twain talking with a mannequin Alec Eiffel. But if I was on a show and I was visiting Paris, the last place I’d go would be the Eiffel Tower. That’s pleb stuff and it would make me look like a total pleb dweeb. If I went to Paris on a show, I’d be more like Anthony Bourdain; I’m gonna show you the gritty, real Paris. The kind of Paris they don’t show you on TV. This is garbage.
At the top, Bobby is waiting for Rosa. He proposes to her while all the Divas watch and cheer. It’s supposed to be romantic and awesome, but it’s totally cliché and boring. How impressive, Bobby. I can’t believe no one has ever thought of proposing marriage anywhere within the vicinity of the Eiffel tower, let alone on top of it. This. Has. Never. Been. Done. Before. I feel lucky and #blessed that TV cameras were there to capture what is sure to be remembered as our generation’s moon landing.
Now everyone is at a press event, and Rosa shows off her ring. Fox is sulking in the corner, but she feels a little bad that she missed the Eiffel Tower proposal. Everyone gets their picture taken on the roof and some reporters ask them some real softball questions, like “who is the trouble maker?” I guess that’s what passes for real journalism nowadays. Shame on you, French media. They go back to their hotel, and Rosa and Bobby have sex.
Cena has arranged a wine and cheese tasting for the Bellas, but he’s not there. They love all the cheese. Nikki makes a funny joke about Brie eating brie, and then Brie tries to make a joke but she does a horrible job.
Finally, the other Divas go to a fancy restaurant overlooking the city. Paige arranged the whole thing. They are very impressed. They are amazed again when they see the Eiffel Tower. Rosa gives a speech. She does a horrible job. Fox is sulking the whole time. Can’t she just be happy for Rosa?
In the morning, Brie is wearing an incredible kimono, and she wakes up Nikki. Nikki is pissed because she is so tired from eating so much cheese. Nikki complements Brie’s robe. Fox goes into Eva’s room and laughs at her for making her bed. She starts complaining about Fox. Fox is upset that Rosa is only focused on her baby and her fiancé and hasn’t been meeting Fox’s needs as a friend.
All the girls talk about going to Jim Morrison’s grave, and Eva tells everyone she isn’t going. Eva and the Bellas are going bike riding together. Mandy is so pissed. She feels like Eva is ditching her.
Eva and the Bellas go to a bakery. Eva feels fortunate to be with such well-traveled friends. Eva tells them that some people are mad that Eva came with them today, but Eva says that Eva needs to do what Eva needs to do.
The other divas go shopping, and Fox pulls Rosa aside. They talk out their issues. They cry. They hug.
Eva and the Bellas get on bikes. Nikki and Eva are wearing heels. They are very impressed by Paris. Brie is excited that she is exercising, and Nikki is pissed that Brie is so focused on exercising. Nikki starts yelling at Brie. Brie feels bad, and decides to eat a macaroon.
Eva and the Bellas are at a cute little outdoor café, and they comment on how much they love outdoor cafes. Brie breaks down and orders French fries.
Back in the hotel, the other Divas talk about how they don’t wear underwear. Paige has another surprise for everyone. A beautiful man comes into the hotel, and Paige tells everyone that they are going to paint him. Somehow Paige managed to set up easels for everyone. She set this all up so that Nattie can see another man’s penis. This is not a normal thing. Nattie reacts with mock outrage. Nattie loves the naked man. They all take a picture with the naked man.
In the other suite, Nikki surprises everyone with a beautiful private chef, and he is going to teach them all how to make macaroons. The chef shames them all for not offering him some wine. Nattie stumbles into the room, followed by Rosa.
In the other room, a private chef is cooking everyone dinner. John has arranged another special trip for the Bellas. This time to the restaurant featured in the film Something’s Gotta Give. That movie is ok. I actually love it because Keanu plays a really cool doctor. They invite Nattie to the restaurant. Mandy is pissed that Nattie and Eva are going out to dinner and she wasn’t invited. She storms off into her bedroom and cries into her pillow. Paige follows Mandy and asks her what’s wrong. Fox and Rosa come into the room, and everyone hugs and holds Mandy.
It was a skeleton crew because much of the crew flew out last night to Italy.
– Maryse opened the show and introduced Miz for a Miz TV segment. Miz said that his guest was his wife, Maryse. He asked her, “What is it like being married to The Miz?” Zack Ryder came out and said he wanted his title rematch tonight. Miz first said yes, but then said, he forgot, because Ryder already had a match booked tonight against Baron Corbin.
– Baron Corbin beat Zack Ryder
– Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady beat The Ascension in the #1 contenders tag team tournament
– A.J. Styles did an interview. Alberto Del Rio came out. This led to a match which Styles won with a roll-up.
– There was a backstage segment with Goldust, R-Truth and Fandango.
– The Vaudevillains beat Goldust & Fandango in the #1 contenders tag team tournament. The crowd in San Diego didn’t know The Vaudevillans or how to take them. It was a quick match.
– Chris Jericho did an interview and got heat by insulting San Diego.
– Sami Zayn beat Chris Jericho via DQ. Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose both came out. Jericho was yelling at Ambrose, and Zayn threw Jericho into Owens. Owens attacked Zayn for the DQ. Owens & Jericho were beating on Zayn until Ambrose jumped in for the save and Zayn & Ambrose cleaned house to end the show.
There were early reports that Kalisto’s injury was real but the incident on last night’s WWE RAW involving Kalisto and the Dudleys was storyline.
During Raw, Kalisto took a bump on his face outside the ring and was clotheslined by Devon and was acting as though he was injured, to leave Sin Cara on his own, to end up with the Lucha Dragons losing to the Dudleys in the tag team tournament.
That was a scripted part of the show and Kalisto is not going to be missing any action.
While Kalisto stayed down, they used a local extra and not a regular trainer as the person who attended to him, and never did an “X” symbol, although they did play it up as if he was hurt.
Nobody backstage was talking about it if as anything had gone wrong the rest of the night.
WWE officials have informed us that Undertaker will be doing two shows next week on the European tour.
Undertaker is scheduled to appear on 4/19 in London, which are the Smackdown tapings, and will be doing a 4/20 house show in Newcastle.
Yesterday we had been told that he would be off the tour, but it was explained that there was a misunderstanding and he is off most of the tour, with Kane replacing him in all the other cities that he was originally advertised.
Undertaker was originally going to work the entire tour doing tag team matches in most cities. Last week he was pulled from advertising on most of the shows, but not all of them. As of yesterday, he was being advertised for three dates on the tour.
Originally, the European Tour was scheduled to be headlined by Undertaker on one side and Daniel Bryan appearances on the other, so had Undertaker pulled out of the entire tour they would have lost both of its headline acts.
WWE Raw last night fell back to the expected normal numbers the week after WrestleMania with 3.52 million viewers.
Last week’s show did 4.08 million viewers, but the day after WrestleMania is usually very strong. The drop would be expected.
The number is along the lines of what the show has been doing since football season ended. Of the 12 previous shows this year that didn’t go against football, last night’s show beat out five of them and was below seven of them.
There was a different ratings pattern as the show started with a low first hour, but had a good second hour before dropping somewhat in the third hour.
Raw was the highest rated show on cable last night, with The O’Reilly Factor on FOX News in second place at 3.04 million viewers.
Dancing With The Stars, which featured UFC’s Paige VanZant, was the most-watched show on television last night with 12.51 million viewers.
