From the University Area CDC Gymnasium in Tampa, FL
The Hype Bros beat Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa with the Hype Ryder
A lot of silly dancing by Mojo and the crowd was in fact hype.
Tino Sabatelli beat Alexander Wolfe
This was was a much longer match than the two of them are used to.
Peyton Royce beat Aliyah
Royce won via submission with her new hold. She has been working singles matches lately and has done a good job.
Alex Riley beat Patrick Clark
This was a good match where Patrick even countered Riley’s finish in to what looked like an RKO. The place bit on the near fall and was really pulling for Patrick before Riley got the win.
Enzo, Cass, and Carmella beat Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss
It was billed as an intergender match, but that’s just NXT speak for a mixed tag match. Crowd was in to this, getting fired up for every tag and when Enzo hit the big splash for the win.
Sami Zayn beat Manny Andrade
Zayn won with the Helluva Kick in an excellent match. One of the best 1-1 live event matches I’ve ever seen. They did mat work early, both teased dives to each other to the outside, Sami with his flip back in to the ring, Manny with his Tranquilo Lounge on the middle rope. A huge Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall followed by some strong chops took us to the finish where Sami hit the Exploder in to the corner and ran in for the kick to win it. Post match Sami raised Manny’s hand and the two embraced.
– Dallas Harper did a promo about being 6’9″ and “Ohhhh so fine”. He was heckled by the crowd with a “Where’s Your Shirt” chant.
Nia Jax beat Adrien Reese
This was a short, painful match. Nia destroyed her.
America Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) beat NXT Tag Champions Dash and Dawson in a non title match
This was a very good match that got a lot of time. The action was well paced and the heels kept just enough heat on the faces to keep everyone rooting for them to wage their comeback. Gable scored the pin on Dash with the assisted suplex for the win.
Submitted by Max Schwager of WrestlingInfos.de from the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany (2/12)
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Rusev (w/ Lana) via Dirty Deeds in 15:00.
– Cesaro and german musician Eko Fresh were in the ring. Cesaro announced tonight’s main event: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio in a street fight.
– Jack Swagger defeated Tyler Breeze via Patriot Lock in 10:00.
– Goldust defeated Bo Dallas in 01:00. Dallas protests after the match, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers.
– R-Truth defeated Bo Dallas via Lie Detector in 00:10. After the match, Truth and Goldust had an dance battle. No winner was announced.
– The Big Show & The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) defeated WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) via chokeslam from Big Show to Big E in 10:00. Usos facepaint was in black-red-gold.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (c) (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Paige via roll-up in 10:00 in a non-title match with Summer Rae as special ref.
– Dolph Ziggler defeated Kevin Owens via superkick into the ZigZag in 12:00.
– Roman Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio via spear through a table in a street fight.
Bret Hart posted on Instagram on Friday a positive message after his surgery for prostate cancer on Wednesday in Calgary.
“Surgery’s over and on the long road to recovery. I want to thank Dr. Hyndman and the nursing staff at Rocky View Hospital for an outstanding job. I also want to thank my family, friends and fans for all your love and support. Things are looking up and I should be home in the next couple of days. In the words of Vince McMahon: “It’s onwards and upwards.”
Hart was recovering from four-corner right wrist surgery which makes writing and typing very difficult.
Hart announced publicly on 2/1 that he had prostate cancer and that surgery was imminent. He briefly attended the WWE house show in Calgary on Friday night where his niece, Natalya, performed.
– Hype Bros beat Blake & Murphy. During the Hype Bros celebration, Mojo Rawley picked up an adorable child and flew him like an air plane.
– Elias Samson beat Patrick Clark. Samson taunted the crowd with a song before the match.
– Liv Morgan beat Adrien Reese with a moonsault splash similar to Alexa Bliss’ finish but facing away on the top turnbuckle.
– Levis Valenzuela beat Steve Cutler. A lot of comedy and the fiesta rolls on.
– Jason Jordan & Chad Gable beat The Vaudevillains. Match of the night in the ring, these two teams work well together so that’s no suprise.
– Apollo Crews beat Tino Sabbatelli. These two have been having good matches lately.
– Interview segment w/ Mandy Rose. She was heckled, and “What?”‘d down while promoting Total Divas.
– Asuka beat Alexa Bliss via submission with the Asuka Lock.
– Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore, & Big Cass vs. Riddick Moss, and NXT Tag Team Champions Dash, & Dawson went to a no contest when Moss was apparently injured during a triple suplex spot.
The referee put up an X and the medical team assisted Moss. Sami let the people know Riddick said he’d be okay, and the good guys hit finishers on the tag champions to send everyone home happy.
Submitted by Max Schwager from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany (2/11)
– Dolph Ziggler defeated Kevin Owens via Superkick (10:00).
– Cesaro was in the ring. He announced tonight’s main event: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Cologne Street Fight.
– Jack Swagger defeated Bo Dallas via Patriot Lock (10:00). Neither guy got a reaction.
– Goldust defeated Tyler Breeze via powerslam (2:00). Again, neither guy got a reaction. Breeze protests after the match, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers.
– R-Truth defeated Tyler Breeze via Lie Detector in five seconds.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Rusev (w/ Lana) via roll-up (15:00). The crowd chanted “We want Lana”. She answered with “That’s nice, but I don’t like you”.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) def. Paige via Natural Selection (10:00) in a non-title match. Summer Rae was special ref and was very slanted toward Charlotte. At one point, he pulled the “I can’t count because my hand hurts.” After the match, Paige put Summer Rae in the PTO.
– Big Show & The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) defeated WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) after Show hit the chokeslam on Big E. (10:00). Big Show was super over.
– Roman Reigns def. Alberto del Rio in a Cologne street fight after hitting the spear.
Submitted by Max Schwager from the ÖVB Arena in Bremen, Germany (2/10)
– The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) & The Big Show defeated The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods).
– Cesaro was in the ring. He announced tonight’s main event: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio in a street fight.
– Jack Swagger defeated Tyler Breeze
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Paige. Summer Rae was the special refereee and was very one-sided. Once Paige tried to cover Charlotte, Summer didn’t count because her hand was “hurting”.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens
– Goldust defeated Bo Dallas in 10 seconds. Dallas protests after the match, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers. (By the way, this is exactly what happened last November during the European Tour).
– R-Truth defeated Bo Dallas in five seconds
– Dolph Ziggler def. Rusev (w/ Lana). During the match, Rusev started a “Scheiß HSV”-chant which means “sh*tty HSV”. HSV is a German soccer club from Hamburg.
– Roman Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio in a street fight.
– Air Date: February 11, 2016 (Feb 10 in Canada) – Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR
– The Big News:
Chris Jericho beat AJ Styles in a great match.
– Show Recap:
No fireworks to start Smackdown this week, unless you count Chris Jericho’s entrance. Jericho said he respects AJ Styles but doesn’t like him after Styles punched him in the face on Raw. Jericho wondered who would call themselves phenomenal on their very first night, which has to be a reference to his own WWE debut. Jericho recalled having one his best matches in this building in Portland – the World Title ladder match with Shawn Michaels. Finally, he called out Styles for their match. The crowd liked Jericho but booed when he put down Styles.
Chris Jericho NC AJ Styles
The bell rang but the Social Outcasts, minus Bo Dallas, came out immediately. Heath Slater said Dallas was still making his rap album. Adam Rose did some bad comedy, called the team the “Social Housecats” and made cat noises. Axel wanted the two of them to be called “Axel Rose.” They all bickered until Jericho called them idiots and told them to shut up. He punched Slater with the mic and the Outcasts bailed. Jericho said he and Styles would still wrestle later, but right now they’re teaming up.
Chris Jericho & AJ Styles beat Curtis Axel & Adam Rose (w/Heath Slater) via pinfall
The story early on was Jericho and Styles took turns doing moves on Axel. Jericho hit a delayed vertical suplex, so Styles hit a snap suplex. Styles hit a chop, so Jericho hit a chop. They got into an argument in the ring however, allowing Rose to knock down Styles for the heat.
Styles came back quickly with a Pele kick and strikes. He made the hot tag to Jericho, who hit a double axe handle and Lionsault. Styles tagged himself in and hit a springboard forearm for the pinfall win on Rose. Jericho smirked as he stared down Styles. The referee raised their hands, but Jericho nailed Styles with a Codebreaker. The crowd booed.
I initially didn’t like the opening segment because you could smell angle as soon as Jericho came out for what advertised as the main event. However, the match told a story and it was good by the end. This was probably done to stretch things out thanks to a light crew at Smackdown, but they made the most of it.
The announcers talked about Daniel Bryan. Jerry Lawler said it felt like Bryan was only around a short time but it was unforgettable. Mauro Ranallo said there wasn’t a dry eye in the building on Raw. They showed tweets from Brie Bella, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. They also announced Bryan would be thanking the fans tonight. Anyone who watches Smackdown regularly would realize this meant they’d be showing a replay from Raw, but I could see more casual viewers thinking this meant Bryan would be there live.
They announced Brock Lesnar would be on Smackdown next week.
The Dudley Boyz came out in street clothes with tables surrounding the ring. Bubba said they made a statement on Raw, but it seemed like people only want to hear about Daniel Bryan. The crowd cheered and chanted Yes. Bubba said they’re sick of hearing about Bryan and sick about a lot of things around here. D-Von said they’re not nostalgia act, they’re the baddest team around.
Bubba told the crowd to take a good look at the tables because it’s the last time we’re going to see them. He called for some stagehands to take the tables away. Bubba wanted the fans to chant for them, not the tables. “What about us? What about the Dudley Boyz?” There was one table left, so Bubba and D-Von folded it up nicely and took it away. This was good.
Sasha Banks beat Naomi (w/Tamina) via submission
Becky Lynch did commentary. The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Sasha” and they went to commercial two minutes into the match. Naomi got the heat after yanking Banks off the apron and she landed back-first against the edge of the ring. Yikes. Banks made her comeback but was tripped by Tamina with the referee distracted. Naomi followed with a leg scissors driver for a near fall.
Tamina and Lynch brawled on the outside. Naomi missed a split-legged moonsault, allowing Banks to go out and knock down Tamina with a big boot. Naomi tried a roll up as Banks reentered the ring, but Banks reversed into a crossface for the win. This was good, and Banks in particular came off really well. Not only did the interference not work, but she took out Tamina and still won the match.
Backstage, Styles told Jo-Jo he might be a redneck, but he’s no rookie. He called Jericho one of the best in the world, and knows what he’s trying to do, but Styles would show Jericho tonight why he’s the Phenomenal One.
Bray Wyatt and his friends came out for a promo. Bray said men got sent into battle but never returned. He’s the king of gods. Each Wyatt member was given a line, including Braun Strowman saying the earth will shake and the oceans will boil. That’s bad. Bray said the apocalypse is all around us and the war against our gods has just begun.
6-Man Tag Match: Neville & Lucha Dragons beat Stardust & The Ascension via pinfall
This match was like 3 minutes, and consisted mostly of the babyfaces doing their high spots. The bad guys attacked the good guys before the match started, allowing them to get the heat on Neville immediately. Neville quickly made a hot tag to Kalisto who ran wild on the Ascension. Ranallo confused Konnor and Viktor so Saxton had to correct him. Kalisto hit Konnor with Salida Del Sol, Sin Cara followed with a senton, and Neville finished it off with Red Arrow for the win. It was a fun 3 minutes.
They showed more tweets about Daniel Bryan, this time from Becky Lynch, Christian, Jerry Lawler and Stephanie McMahon. They aired a video package of his speech from Raw and spliced it together with his career highlights, as well as the roster doing the Yes chant. They came back to the Smackdown audience doing the Yes chant. Lawler said Bryan’s announcement was the most emotional moment he’s ever seen in wrestling.
Chris Jericho beat AJ Styles via pinfall
Ranallo put this over as a classic battle and the match started with loud dueling chants. Ranallo put over Styles’ past accomplishments, calling him a former IWGP Champion and NWA Heavyweight Champion. They went back and forth early, but Jericho cut off Styles with his springboard dropkick and they went to commercial. During the break, Jericho launched Styles shoulder-first into the barricade.
Jericho very briefly had the heat after the break, but this was mostly a back and forth match. Jericho used a backbreaker and tried the Walls, but Styles countered with strikes. Jericho hit an enziguri and went to the top, but Styles caught him with a dropkick. They traded strikes and Jericho hit a Lionsault for a near fall.
Styles hit a neckbreaker and went for the Styles Clash but Jericho reversed it into a Walls. Styles crawled towards the ropes but Jericho pulled him to the middle of the ring. Styles countered into the Calf Crusher. Jericho was about to tap out but was able to grab the bottom rope. “This is awesome” chants broke out.
Styles dropkicked Jericho to the outside and followed with a flying forearm. There were more dueling chants, but the Styles chants seemed louder. Styles tried for another springboard move, but Jericho tripped him off the rope. Jericho then whipped Styles into the corner and nailed a Codebreaker for the clean win. Great match, which went about 17-18 minutes.
They plugged Lesnar on Smackdown next week one more time to end the show.
– Final Thoughts:
I cringed when I heard Smackdown would have a skeleton crew, but they still pulled off a good show considering. The main event was excellent. I don’t agree with the finish, but we know how this goes.
Also, for whatever reason, this was a much hotter Smackdown crowd than usual.
Titus O’Neil got some bittersweet news Wednesday as he learned that his absence from WWE has gone from 90 days to 60 days.
The 38-year-old O’Neil was originally suspended for 90 days following “unprofessional conduct” stemming from his grabbing Vince McMahon in what appeared to be a playful manner on Monday night. The grab happened just as the wrestlers were dispersing at the end of the Daniel Bryan retirement segment. The 70-year-old McMahon, unaware, reacted by shoving O’Neil.
Upon arriving in Portland, Oregon, Tuesday for the Smackdown tapings, O’Neil was told that he was being sent home for 90 days. Sources within WWE have said that at some point Wednesday, the duration was cut. However, the 60 day suspension would still mean he would miss WrestleMania in Dallas, TX.
O’Neil was just named “Celebrity Dad of the Year” in the Mega Dad Awards which was promoted on WWE TV frequently.
In a surprising move, WWE’s Titus O’Neil was immediately sent home upon arriving to last night’s Smackdown tapings in Portland, Oregon, suspended for “unprofessional conduct” according to PWInsider.com. WWE has confirmed that the suspension is 90 days.
For those who watched the Daniel Bryan retirement segment as it transitioned to the WWE Network, you saw the incident occuring just before the screen went to black as Bryan and his wife went backstage. O’Neil grabbed CEO Vince McMahon as he was heading backstage. The grabbing is not being reported as malicious. but rather “playful”. Nonetheless, McMahon didn’t appreciate the gesture, and over the years, we have learned what that means.
The 38-year-old O’Neil has been with WWE since 2009. After a two-year-stint in Florida Championship Wrestling, he was featured on the second season of NXT and had Zack Ryder as a mentor. It didn’t help as he was eliminated first, but returned for the show’s fifth season.
He moved up to the main roster in 2012, teaming with fellow NXT talent Darren Young to form the Prime Time Players. He and Young won the WWE tag team titles once — his only title in WWE.
