Tag: headlines

  • WWE Cruiserweight Classic round one spoilers: Sabre Jr, Swann, Gargano, Ibushi, more!

    I’m live at Full Sail University in Florida for the opening round of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. All matches are single elimination.

    – Gran Metalik (the former Mascara Dorada) beat Alejandro Saez via Falcon Arrow. Metalik looked like a star in this one.

    – Ho Ho Lun beat Daivari via bridging suplex

    – Cedric Alexander beat Clement Petiot via sideways lungblower

    – The Brian Kendrick beat Raul Mendoza via crossface submission. Great showing by Mendoza who hit a coast to coast dropkick to the tree of woe for a great nearfall

    – Tajiri beat Damian Slater via buzzsaw kick

    – TJP beat Da Mack via wheelbarrow roll through grapevine ankle lock. Good match by both guys.

    – Lince Dorado beat Mustafa Ali via shooting star press. Great match that got the “This is awesome” chants.

    – Akira Tozawa beat Kenneth Johnson via delayed bridging german suplex

    – Zack Sabre Jr beat Tyson Dux via submission with a series of arm bending submissions

    – Drew Gulak beat Harv Sihra via dragon sleeper

    – Tony Nese beat Anthony Bennett via 450 splash

    – Kota Ibushi beat Sean Manuda via sit out powerbomb. Amazing performance by Ibushi

    – Rich Swann beat Jason Lee with a hopping 450. The most over guy of the night has been Swann, and the crowd even sang his brand new theme song lyrics “Can You Handle This” during the match. Star making crowd reaction.

    – Noam Dar beat Gurv Sihra via leglock submission

    – Jack Gallagher beat Fabian Aichner via running corner dropkick. Both men looked great here.

    – Johnny Gargano beat Tommaso Ciampa via roll through crucifix pin after an incredible match. Violent chops and huge moves by Ciampa including a lungblower powerbomb and white noise on the apron. Match of the night.

  • UFC’s Paige VanZant passing on WWE SummerSlam?

    During an appearance with Hannah Storm on ESPN SportsCenter Thursday, UFC strawweight and Dancing With The Stars runner-up Paige VanZant alluded to the fact she’s not going to be appearing at WWE SummerSlam this year.

    She said that she loves WWE and would love to work with them, but that she’s focused on her training for a fight that she announced during the interview. The 22-year-old also said that she declined to be in the Kickboxer reboot because filming would have got in the way of training.

    VanZant said she’ll be fighting on August 27th against Bec Rawlings in Vancouver, Canada. There was a lot of speculation that Hollywood would come calling for PVZ and that perhaps her fighting career would be behind her, especially considering the beating she had laid on her last year by Rose Namajunas.

    Given that SummerSlam is on August 21st, it’s highly doubtful she’ll do an appearance just six days before her return to action.

    When asked about what she missed about fighting, she said “the violence” and how it was tough to sit cageside watching other people fight over the past few months. She also talked about the much-publicized incident about Ronda Rousey and that there’s really no relationship there. She wants to move forward from it, and speculated she may have just caught her on a bad day.

  • It’s damn true: Kurt Angle not coming back to WWE

    Amid speculation that many former WWE stars have been approached with returning to the company due to the upcoming brand split, the possibility that free agent Kurt Angle could be one of those talents got some fans excited.

    Unfortunately for those fans, that will be an unrealized dream as WWE officials confirmed Thursday that Angle is not returning to the company.

    The story started when Angle was on Mark Madden’s Pittsburgh radio show on Monday and said that Paul Levesque had called him, but that no deal was in place. Although nobody officially said it, the story grew to a point where people said that a deal was done with a start date even listed.

    The 47-year-old wrestler had his final TNA TV match in March, and has been working select indy dates with recent matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Zack Sabre Jr.

    Angle’s WWE contract ended in August 2006.

  • Lucha Underground results: Rey Mysterio and Prince Puma confrontation

    The episode begins with a recap of the importance of the Gift of the Gods Title, Cage’s win and then cash-in against Matanza that led to Matanza retaining. We see the history of Famous B and Mascarita Sagrada and the Black Lotus-Dragon Azteca Jr. feud. Dario meets with a new luchador – Night Claw, who will compete in a medallion match to determine who gets a Gift of the Gods match at Ultima Lucha Dos.

    Dario gives Night Claw a history lesson about his jaguar tribe being destroyed, and Night Claw cuts a promo with a wacky voice filter about being on top of LU and Dario tells him to not be overconfident.

    The Voodoo Glow Skulls sing ‘Revenge of the Nerds” while fans dance back and forth. Striker says that the “new luchador” debuts at Ultima Lucha Dos, and will compete for one medallion while the others will be on the line tonight. Daga is mid-ring and gets a “Daga” chant while Famous B interrupts Melissa and gets a “423-GET-FAME!” chant. Brenda brings Sagrada down while his epic theme plays.

    Daga vs. Mascarita Sagrada – Medallion Match

    Daga tosses him across the ring while Vamp talks about how Kobra Moon is stalking Daga from atop Dario’s office. DON’T STAND THERE – BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN. Brenda cheers on Mascerita while Vamp buries her for having an annoying voice. A one-footed dropkick gets 2 for Daga. Sagrada gets a rana cradle for 2. We get a shot of Kobra and Daga tosses Sagrada high in the air. A Russian Legsweep into a crossface gets a tap – but Daga keeps moving and the ref can’t see it.

    Finally, the ref sees it and stops things long after they should’ve been stopped. Maybe it was just an homage to PRIDE. Brenda gives Sagrada a big kiss resulting in comedic lips appearing on his mask, and Famous B kicks his ass with his shoe before telling Brenda to go get it. It’s amazing how he went from the biggest babyface to a huge heel in no time. Striker says that the next match will be for three medallions. 

    Dario talks to Dragon Azteca Jr. about how his brother didn’t kill El Dragon Azteca. Azteca calls him a liar, and Dario says that Black Lotus will destroy the Azteca mask by beating him. “When you look into her eyes, you will see the eyes of your mentor’s killer”. The Crew and Joey Ryan walk down the aisle and Striker talks about how he shoves himself down everyone’s chest and Vamp says he doesn’t want to wrestle someone with a very oily chest. Marty tells Killshot to hang on and not kill him and offers him his dogtags back as a show of unity for tonight.

    The Crew & Joey Ryan vs. Killshot, Sinestro & Marty the Moth

    Marty kicks Castro and Striker rattles off movie characters that Marty reminds him of. Flying neckbreaker gets 2 for Castro. Marty and Joey go at it and Marty steals the lollipop and puts it in his mouth, before Joey recovers his stolen property and chomps on it. God, just imagine how great a Kings of Sleaze team would be with Joey and Marty.

    Sinestro goes at it against Mr. Cisco and Cisco chops away and lands a fancy armdrag to a huge pop. Sinestro goes for a blindside lariat, but eats a snap powerslam for 2. Striker calls Cisco a hispanic Buzz Sawyer, which Vamp doesn’t sell. Striker talks about the Canadian trip and then calls it a Mexican trip before talking about how it originated from Lance Storm and Vamp says he’s not Canadian – he’s from Alberta.

    Marty and Castro go at it and a DDT gives Castro a chance to recover and he tags in Cisco who lands a series of lariats. Cisco hits a sloppy and kinda scary rana off the second rope for 2. 

    Sinestro comes in for a low blow on Joey, but it has no effect. Marty teases a dive, but flaps instead and gets sent to the floor so folks can do dives. Killshot hops off the top onto Castro’s chest and onto the pile! Marty tags in Killshot and they double team Cisco before a Marty spinebuster leads to a Killshot dropkick for 2. Cisco comes in and hits a rewind rana before The Crew goes for the 3D Codebreaker, but Joey superkicks Sinestro and nixes that.

    Marty curbstomps Cisco and a Killshot double stomp ends it! This was a blast! Marty steals Killshot’s dogtags again – absolutely perfect. Sexy Star teams with Mariposa against Ivelisse and Taya next.

    The Voodoo Glow Skulls play more music so the fans can dance more. Sexy Star comes down and they talk about her character’s backstory being a victim of domestic abuse. Vamp calls her “the face of Lucha Underground”, which is some grade A BS even by pro wrestling standards.

    Taya and Ivelisse vs. Sexy Star and Mariposa

    Taya starts off against Sexy after arguing with Ivie. Taya armdrags her down and wants more. A wacky cradle leads to a wacky submission by Sexy. They go back and forth on the mat in an expressive exchange before they tag their partners in. They exchange a variety of headlocks and Ivie gets 2 off a sunset flip before eating a lariat. Mariposa locks on a modified Sharpshooter, but gets pushed into the buckle and schoolgirled for 2. Taya and Mariposa tag in, argue and Sexy tags in.

    Sexy eats a superkick to the gut, but lands a flying armdrag off the top. Running rana sends Taya to the floor and they talk about how we could see a female Gift of the Gods or LU Champion. Mariposa tosses Taya into a set of wooden steps on the floor. Sexy lets about another F bomb and Mariposa dives onto Taya on the chairs, before Ivie dives onto Mariposa on the floor.

    Taya hits a corner choke with he foot and hits a back elbow. Double knees hit Sexy and only get 2. Sexy hits a yakuza kick and a lariat before a spinkick and DDT give her a brief edge.

    A victory roll gets 2 for Sexy. Taya tags in Ivie before a chop exchange breaks out between Ivie and Sexy. A series of cradles get 2 for each. A standing backslide gets 2 for Sexy before a jackknife cradle gets 2 for Ivie. Taya runs in for a spear, but “misses” Sexy and hits Ivie before Mariposa hits the Celtic Cross and tosses Sexy on top to score the win.

    This was far better than it seemed like it could be going in. Prince Puma talks to the crowd next.

    Prince Puma comes down and Striker talks about him being the face of the company – like Tanahashi, Cena, and Bockwinkel. Puma debuts a new mask and says that he wants only one match at Ultima Lucha Dos. When Konnan was training him, he was told he could be the best – he could be the next Rey Mysterio.

    He says Rey is the best and he wonders what he has to offer, and is he really the next Rey or is he even better? Rey comes down and Vamp says this is a meeting of a legend and icon against a future legend. Rey says he was one of the people who paved the road for a talent like Prince Puma, and he has a lot of respect for him.

    Rey says that Puma is still a prince, while he is El Rey. Rey says that Puma needs to know if he’s better, while Rey needs to know if he’s still the best. This was built up very little in-storyline, but done so in a way that makes perfect sense now and it should lead to a classic.

    To see every screenshot for the show, just click here.

  • Conor McGregor, Robbie Lawler, and Holly Holm up for 2016 ESPYs

    On Wednesday night, ESPN announced its nominees for this year’s ESPY awards, the winners of which will be announced on the live  July 13 show from Los Angeles where John Cena will be the host.

    UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is nominated along with Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns in the category of Best Breakthrough Athlete.

    Holly Holm’s win over Ronda Rousey was nominated for Biggest Upset, along with Middle Tennessee over Michigan State in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and Roberta Vinci over Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. Because fans vote for the awards, Holm could have a good shot at winning. 

    Holm was also nominated for Best Play Of The Year for her November 2015 knockout of Rousey in Australia.

    McGregor and Robbie Lawler were nominated for Fighter of the Year which is weird since McGregor last lost in a fight against Nate Diaz, while many thought Lawler lost in his last outing against Carlos Condit, a fight he won via a razor-thin split decision.

  • WWE NXT results: Nakamura; Bayley returns; Austin Aries & No Way Jose dance

    • The Big News: Finn Balor will wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura on July 13!
    • The Medium News: Bayley returned to the ring after 5 weeks, picking up a big win
    • The Little Beaver Sized News: Chris Girard changed his name but shockingly won a match

    Oney Lorcan pinned Tye Dillinger

    We start things off with the Perfect 10. Dillinger had won a match 3 weeks ago, but since that, he has straight losses to Andrade Cien Almas. Lorcan is the new dumb name for Chris Girard. This is the first time Dillinger has wrestled where his opponent was already in the ring, which gave him a really good chance of winning as per the rules of wrestling.

    Lorcan got more offense than you would think, including nearly taking Dillinger’s head off with an uppercut. Lorcan hit a series of elbows in the corner until he got smacked right in the jaw with a superkick, which popped the crowd. Dillinger went for the 10 Punches of Doom, but Lorcan pushed him off…and pinned him with a neck breaker?

    So much for the rules of wrestling.

    *******

    Austin Aries cut a promo backstage with Cathy. He said he will prove his greatness and one day become NXT Champion. You don’t become the greatest in one match and you don’t lose it in one match. He is now more focused and has a bigger chip on his shoulder.

    Up walked No Way Jose, who told him to stay positive.

    *******

    Bayley was standing outside in her wrestling gear and announced that she just found out she has been cleared to return to action.

    *******

    No Way Jose pinned Josh Woods

    Woods looks like an indy MMA fighter, but we proved that the real tough men are in WWE. This match was 95% Jose and he won with the Full Nelson Slam.

    Jose danced after the match when he was interrupted by Aries. I guess that’s only apropos since Jose interrupted his promo time. Aries told him that in this industry, you are not defined by your victories, but by your victories. He was not 100% at Takeover, but will not make excuses.

    Aries then realized what Jose taught him. Aries forgot that NXT is about having fun and thanked Jose for reminding him of that and reminding him what he needs to be. Aries shook his hand and went to leave, but Jose dragged him back into the the ring to dance.

    This actually happened.

    Jose and Aries danced all the way up the ramp and over to the announce position…and then Aries finally turned on Jose. Aries beat Jose back to ringside and eventually slapped the Last Chancery on on the ramp.

    *******

    William Regal met with Shinsuke Nakamura and informed him that in 3 weeks it will be Balor vs Nakamura.

    In walked Buddy Murphy who was mad that Mr. Regal wasn’t treating him like a top star. Nakamura basically informed her that they would be wrestling.

    *******

    Bayley defeated Deonna Purrazzo

    This is Bayley’s first tv match in 5 weeks since a worked injury angle in a match with Nia Jax. The fans exploded for her. This match was all about Bayley, which is exactly what the fans wanted. Bayley won with the Bayley to Belly Suplex.

    *******

    Carmella wants to be the face of the women’s division and wants to be the next champion. Up walked Alexa Bliss who said no one knows who she is. They argued over who was more important to their respective team.

    They challenged each other and will wrestle next week.

    *******

    We got a video package for Samoa Joe and then a video package of the Asuka-Nia Jax match from Takeover. If that wasn’t enough for you, we also got a video package for The Authors Of Pain.

    *******

    Nia Jax destroyed Liv Morgan

    Morgan went for a headlock in the first ten seconds, which caused Nia to squash her like a bug. Morgan did her best to run from Nia, but Nia ran at her, smashing Liv with her entire body and winning with a power bomb.

    *******

    Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Buddy Murphy

    Blake and Murphy seem to have finally thrown the towel in on the team. However, I do remember saying that about Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger, but they kept breaking up for months until they finally did.

    The match didn’t even start until 8:55 and the first thing that happened was Nakamura kicking poor Murphy. Murphy got to use both an armbar and a headlock before resuming his position as Nakamura’s kicking bag. Nakamura eventually got tired of kicking Murphy and won with the Kinshasa.

    So, that does it for this week. It’s almost a skippable episode, but we are just three weeks away from Nakamura-Balor! Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • EVOLVE’s 2016 summer schedule: Lots of Timothy Thatcher, Cody Rhodes & Summer of Scurll

    On Wednesday, EVOLVE announced their talent lineups for their summer shows. While all of the matches aren’t officially set, there are a few put in place.

    EVOLVE 64
    Saturday, July 16th | Queens, NY | 4 PM EST (show will be over by time WWE at MSG begins)

    – EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Marty Scurll

    – EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams

    – Johnny Gargano

    – Drew Galloway

    – Zack Sabre Jr.

    – TJP with Stokely Hathaway

    – Matt Riddle

    – Ethan Page

    – Fred Yehi

    – Cedric Alexander

    – Tony Nese…and more.

    EVOLVE 65
    Sunday, July 17th | Melrose, MA | 7 PM EST

    – EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. TJP with Stokely Hathaway

    – EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams

    – Johnny Gargano

    – Drew Galloway

    – Zack Sabre Jr.

    – Marty Scurll

    – Matt Riddle

    – Ethan Page

    – Fred Yehi

    – Cedric Alexander

    – Tony Nese…and more.

    EVOLVE 66
    Saturday, August 19th | Joppa, MD | 8 PM EST

    – EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle — no holds barred

    – Cody Rhodes vs. Johnny Gargano

    – EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams

    – Zack Sabre Jr.

    – Marty Scurll

    – TJP with Stokely Hathaway

    – Tony Nese

    – Cedric Alexander

    – Ethan Page

    – Fred Yehi

    – Peter Kaasa…and more.

    EVOLVE 67
    Saturday, August 20th | Brooklyn, NY | 3pm EDT
     (show will be over by the time NXT starts)

    – EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak

    – Tommy End vs. Matt Riddle

    – Cody Rhodes

    – Drew Galloway

    – Chris Hero

    – Tracy Williams

    – Zack Sabre Jr.

    – Marty Scurll

    – TJP with Stokely Hathaway

    – Cedric Alexander

    – Ethan Page

    – Fred Yehi

    – Peter Kaasa…and more.

    Here’s a video recap of their last two events if you’re not familiar with the product:

  • TNA Impact Wrestling results: Hardy vs. Hardy in a Six Sides of Steel cage match

    Previously on Impact:

    Last week on Impact, TNA President Dixie Carter and Maria Kanellis & Mike Bennett had a face-to-face confrontation, which resulted in Dixie slapping Maria across the face. Also, Bobby Lashley retained the World title by defeating Drew Galloway after Ethan Carter III accidentally hit Galloway with a chair. The other big news was the announcement that Gail Kim is the newest inductee into the TNA Hall Of Fame.

    Tonight on Impact:

    On tonight’s show, broken Matt Hardy goes one-on-one with Jeff Hardy in a six side of steel cage match in “Hardy’s Revenge”. Additionally, the show will likely address the fallout from Dixie’s confrontation with Maria & The Miracle.

    Show Recap:

    -We kick the night off with former TNA World Champ Drew Galloway. Drew says that EC3 is the reason he’s not world champion and calls him out. EC3 apologizes for costing Drew the title and says he accepts the blame. Drew doesn’t blame him, he wants to fight him. They argue about everything they’ve both done for TNA. EC3 rescinds his apology and Drew tells him he’s not an ass-kicker but an ass-kisser. They are about the fight each other when TNA champion Lashley comes out.

    Both EC3 and Drew want to fight each other with the winner facing Lashley but he refuses it. Lashley informs them that he spoke with TNA management and Drew and EC3 will face Lashley and a partner. If Drew and EC3 win they get a title shot but if they lose, his partner will get the title shot. They agree and Lashley brings out his partner…King of the Mountain Champion Eli Drake.

    TNA World Champion “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley and King of The Mountain Champion Eli Drake vs. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III

    Pretty good tag match. Josh and The Pope tried to explain how the stipulations for the match benefit Lashley. They said that it would be easier to face one guy instead of two on possibly consecutive nights.

    The heels isolated EC3 in their corner and worked him over. Drew gets the hot tag and runs wild. Drew set up for the Claymore but Lashley cut him off. All four guys brawl in the ring. EC3 hits the One Percenter on Eli. Drew pushed EC3 out of the way and Lashley speared him. Drew took out Lashley and covered Eli to win the match. Both EC3 and Drew will receive title matches.

    -In the back, Abyss and Crazy Steve ask Rosemary who she has been talking to. Apparently, she went to a mysterious person to help Decay. We’ll find out who it is next.

    -Back from commercial, Lashley and Drew talk in the back. Lashley points out that he in control of Drew’s destiny because he can give the title shot to EC3 first.

    -In the arena, Decay makes their way to the ring. Rosemary asks Crazy Steve and Abyss what they were before Decay. Crazy Steve used to be a voiceless clown and Abyss is now beautiful. Rosemary calls out Bram to the ring. Abyss and Steve don’t like that its Bram. Apparently, Decay wants Bram to join them. Bram says that Rosemary is kind of sexy but he’s no freak. He doesn’t do face paint. Steve spit the mist into Bram’s eyes and Decay jumps him. Rosemary told Bram that they’re not done with him.

    -It’s now time for EC3 and Lashley to have their backstage confrontation. It’s similar to the one with Drew earlier. Lashley will let them know by the end of the night who he’ll defend the title against next week.

    Jade vs. Marti Bell

    Marti brings the weapon she used at Slammiversary to cost Jade the title. Jade teased using the same weapon but Earl stopped her. Jade had the advantage for the majority of the match until Marti blocked a package pile driver attempt. Jade went for a dive but Marti nailed her with the weapon to win the match.

    -In the back, Maria and The Miracle are irate over what happen last week with Dixie. They’re going to deal with this in the ring.

    -Back from commercial, Dixie approaches Lashley. Lashley flinched and mockingly asked Dixie if she was going to slap him. Dixie said, “don’t go there.” Dixie announced that Lashley will defend the title against both EC3 and Drew in next weeks main event.

    -The Miracle and Maria are in the ring. The Miracle is upset because Dixie slapped Maria last week. Maria says she hasn’t slept and that it was an unprovoked attack. She called out Dixie to explain herself.

    Dixie comes out with Billy Corgan. Dixie apologizes for letting Maria get to her and slapping Maria. Maria demands that Dixie step down as TNA President. The Miracle says his dad is a lawyer and he’s going to sue Dixie. Billy Corgan played a subtle heel and took Maria and The Miracles side although he denied that. Billy thinks that the heels are making good points and that Dixie has put the company in a tough position. Billy tells Dixie that she should take a leave of absence. Dixie walked away incredibly upset. Maria thanked Billy.

    After Dixie leaves, The Miracle demands a world title shot from Billy. Bennett wants a title shot at Destination X. Billy noted that he and Miracle text each other sometimes. Billy tells Miracle he can have his title shot but he needs to be X Division champ. Billy makes Miracle challenging for the X Division title against Eddie Edwards next.

    X Division Champion Eddie Edwards vs. “The Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis

    As the match starts, Josh and The Pope remind us about Option C and that whomever is X Division champion by Destination X can trade the title in for a world title shot. Really good, fast paced match. The story of the match is that Miracle is trying to prove he can work the X Division style. Bennett attempted a springboard high-risk move but slipped and fell. Josh said he didn’t execute the move because he’s not a regular X Division guy. Miracle went for the M.I.P but Eddie slipped out. Miracle held onto the ropes and pinned Eddie. Miracle is the new X Division champion.

    -In the back, The Miracle and Maria are in the middle of a photo shoot. Miracle promises to cash the title in and win the world title.

    -In the locker room, Robbie E. is in the back waiting for Jesse Godderz. Robbie goes on Jesse’s Ipad. Robbie E. sees Jesse and Raquel having a secret meeting and Raquel tells Jesse not to tell Robbie.

    -Braxton Sutter comes out for his match when Rockstar Spud interrupts.

    Rockstar Spud vs. Braxton Sutter

    Spud and Sutter have an impromptu match. Sutter misses a charge in the corner and Spud gets the brief advantage. Sutter makes his comeback and hits the flat liner to win the match.

    Post match, Spud teases a babyface turn but low blows Sutter instead. Spud whips Sutter with his belt and leaves.

    -Next we get a video package on the new TNA Knockout Champion Sienna. Her next goal is to eliminate future hall of famer Gail Kim

    Six Sides Of Steel Cage – Broken Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

    Jeff came out first but before getting in the cage he went under the ring and filled the cage with a ladder, tables and chairs. The match can only end by pin or submission. Reby came out with Maxell on her back and introduced Broken Matt. She said not to call him crazy. Matt has new entrance music, which is a simple piano theme. Jeff jumps Matt to start the match. Matt gets the advantage with a running power bomb into the cage.

    After commercial, Matt is still in control of the match. Matt used a ladder on Jeff and set up a table. Matt bit Jeff’s knee and hit the side effect on a chair. Jeff hit a twist of fate but Matt got right back to his feet. Jeff hit a second Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb for a near fall. Jeff beat Matt with a chair but he kept getting back to his feet.

    Jeff placed Matt on a table with chairs on top of Matt. Then he placed another table on top of Matt. Jeff climbed up the top tope and placed a ladder at the top. The ladder is wedged between the ring post and cage. Jeff climbed up the ladder and hit a Swanton on to the tables below. Jeff pinned Matt to win the match.

    Next Time on Impact:

    In Next week’s main event, Bobby Lashley will defend the World title against Drew Galloway and EC3 in a triple threat. Also, Sienna will defend the Knockout title against future Hall of Famer Gail Kim.

  • WWE Cruiserweight Classic gets debut date, announcing team

    The Wednesday night wrestling block will get a bit more crowded this summer as WWE announced that the much-anticipated WWE Cruiserweight Classic will debut on the Network starting Wednesday, July 13th at 9 PM EST, airing for 10 weeks through a live two-hour finale on Wednesday, September 15th.

    Current Smackdown lead man Mauro Ranallo and former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan were announced as “hosts” for the Classic, but we confirmed they are indeed calling the action.

    Also announced was a preview special — CWC Bracketology — for Wednesday, July 6th at 9 PM EST where we should get the actual tournament brackets and all 16 first round match matchups.

    The Classic will feature 32 talents (some under WWE contract & some not) from around the world in a single-elimination tournament including Zack Sabre Jr., Gran Metalik, Noam Dar, Kota Ibushi, Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander, Tommaso Ciampa, and more. Here’s the full list of participants.

  • WWE suspends Roman Reigns for wellness policy violation

    In a shocking story, WWE announced they have suspended Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) for 30 days effective immediately due to a violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.

    WWE.com wrote: “WWE has suspended Joe Anoa`i (Roman Reigns) for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.”

    On Twitter, Reigns simply said, “I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.”

    The 31-year-old Reigns dropped the WWE championship Sunday at Money In The Bank. On RAW Monday night, a match was made between he, Rollins, and new WWE Champion Dean Ambrose for Battleground, the next WWE PPV event on July 24th.

    That fact raises an interesting quandry. The 30 day window would expire before Battleground, so does WWE leave an off-TV Reigns in the match and just roll with it? If they did, what type of backlash could they expect?

    To that end, WWE gave the following quote:

    “The suspension runs through July 20. He is eligible to return on July 21. Battleground is on July 24. We are considering all of our creative options.”

    Whatever decision is made regarding the main event will likely be announced tonight in Tucson

    Positioned as the new face of the company, Reigns has had many stops and starts in the past few years in an attempt to have the fans win him over. A former college football player, Reigns has been in the business for nearly six years.