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Tag: WWE

  • WWE Money In The Bank live results: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins; AJ Styles vs. John Cena

    WWE’s Money In The Bank is set for Sunday night in the brand-new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, featuring the resuming of a heated rivalry in the main event, a strong MITB match, and two true wrestling superstars hooking it up for the very first time.

    After the event, send your thoughts on both this show and on New Japan Dominion, with a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    This is the seventh MITB show in company history, and the first in Vegas. Last year saw Rollins as WWE Champion in the main event, successfully defending his belt against Dean Ambrose in a ladder match.

    **********

    GOLDUST & R-TRUTH VS. TYLER BREEZE & FANDANGO

    So the deal was Breeze & Fandango were in the tanning bed, but R-Truth and Goldust messed with them so they were all blistered and peeling from a horrible sunburn. Every time any part of their body was touched, they yelled and screamed in pain. This made for a nothing match as that kind of comedy either works or doesn’t. In this case, there was no crowd reaction. Goldust pinned Fandango with the final cut. This was short with nothing to it.

    DUDLEYS VS. LUCHA DRAGONS

    A lot better than their first match. Dragons won when Kalisto used the Salida del Sol on Bubba, and Sin Cara came off the top rope with a senton onto Bubba. The match was fine and just a normal match. The highlight saw the Lucha Dragons do a double running flip dive.

    WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE NEW DAY VS. ENZO & CASS VS. VAUDEVILLAINS VS. LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON — FATAL FOUR WAY

    There were lots of near falls that got the crowd into it, but at times, the execution was rough. Final sequence was Gallows/Anderson hitting the Magic Killer on English, but Big E picked up Anderson during the pinfall attempt into a powerslam position. Gallows stared at this for what felt like 5 minutes waiting for Big Cass to get in the ring to clothesline him out. Kingston came off the top on a double team and New Day got the pin and win on Gallows.

    – Kevin Owens did an interview and said his mom told him he is special. Chris Jericho came out and made fun of Owens having a chipped tooth. Jericho, sporting a black left eye, talked about creating the Money in the Bank match. Owens and Jericho argued back-and-forth until Alberto Del Rio came out. Owens made fun of him speaking Spanish. Owens said how Jericho and Del Rio say the same thing in every interview. Owens made fun of Del Rio calling everyone Perros every week. This segment was hilarious.

    DOLPH ZIGGLER VS. BARON CORBIN

    Match went too long and the crowd kind of lost interest. There were boring chants at one point. Corbin just doesn’t show much of anything and people aren’t that into him. The feud has done Ziggler no favors. The finish saw Ziggler on the top rope, but Corbin tripped him and he fell on the top turnbuckle. Corbin won clean with the End of Days, and the announcers indicated the feud was over.

    WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPION CHARLOTTE & DANA BROOKE VS. NATALYA & BECKY LYNCH

    The early matches went long as they were light of time. Most of the match was working over Natalya. Natlaya had Charlotte in the Sharpshooter, Brooke made the save, and threw Lynch into Natalya.  Charlotte used Natural Selection on Natalya for the pin. Natalya went heel post-match, turning on Lynch for costing her the match and beating her down.

    Dean Ambrose did an interview, and was asked about Rollins vs. Reigns. He said Roman is going to have a good time beating up Seth because beating up Seth is fun.

    SHEAMUS VS. APOLLO CREWS

    Crews won, but the story was it was a fluke. Sheamus had him pinned with the White Noise off the middle rope, but Crews kicked out. Sheamus started yelling at the ref, and Crews pinned him with a crucifix. This was the kind of a finish that made you think it’s just the beginning between these two. The match was solid, Crews got the crowd behind him by the end, and looked good. One notable spot was Crews doing a moonsault off the apron with a splash onto the floor.

    JOHN CENA VS. A.J. STYLES

    Excellent match. The story was that Styles was the better wrestler than Cena, beating him at every turn but that he couldn’t finish him. Cena kicked out of the Styles Clash, and Styles kicked out of the Attitude Adjustment. They also both made the ropes on the STF by Cena and Calf Crusher by Styles. Styles never used the forearm and Cena got his knees up on a springboard 450. The finish saw Cena have Styles up for the Attitude Adjustment, but the ref went down and out of the ring. Cena hit the move but there was no ref to count. Anderson and Gallows came out and used the Magic Killer on Cena, and Styles got the pin. The story is that Gallows & Anderson interfered on their own and that Styles didn’t know they were doing it.  JBL was going crazy saying how they ruined his dream match.

    MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH: DEAN AMBROSE, CHRIS JERICHO, ALBERTO DEL RIO, SAMI ZAYN, CESARO, KEVIN OWENS

    Another excellent match with tons of spots involving ladder bumps. Cesaro, in particular, took all kinds of crazy bumps. Everyone did their finishes and took big ladder bumps, but there was nothing really insane like used to be the case in these matches. Everyone took big moves, and Owens took out Zayn with a power bomb on the ladder. Ambrose took out Jericho and climbed up to win.

    US CHAMPION RUSEV VS. TITUS O’NEIL

    This was in the death spot and they really had no chance with the crowd. They worked hard in a physical match. O’Neil got some offense and near falls before Rusev used a high kick, a superkick and the Accolade for the submission.

    Rusev then went up to O’Neil’s kids at ringside, told them that their father was a loser and said “Happy Father’s Day.”

    WWE CHAMPION ROMAN REIGNS VS. SETH ROLLINS

    The match was flat at times because it went so long. People just weren’t into Reigns at all and Rollins was more popular but not that over as a face either. The match itself was very good in the sense they went 26 minutes and it well. By the end, the crowd was into it. Reigns missed a spear and crashed into the barricade and was injured.  He tried a pedigree but Reigns drove him into the ref who went down. Reigns hit the spear but Mike Chioda was down and hesitated which enabled Rolins to kick out. He went for a second spear but Rollins turned it into a pedigree and Reigns kicked out. Rollins got the pin after a second pedigree to regain the WWE title.

    Then, Ambrose’s music hit and out he came with the MITB briefcase. He cashed it in, the match started, Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds, and eight seconds later, Ambrose was your new WWE Champion.

    Hear Bryan Alvarez and I recap the show and more on the newest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

  • WWE Los Angeles, CA, live results: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

    Submitted by Rob Block from the Staples Center

    Pretty good crowd. The very top sections weren’t used, but overall, it seemed fairly full.  Byron Saxton was the host and ring announcer for the evening.

    – Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio using the Neutralizer

    Del Rio always gets a good pop in L.A., but fans still sided more with Cesaro.  Good match.

    – Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson beat Lucha Dragons with the Magic Killer on Kalisto

    Fun match. Anderson was mocking the Lucha chant with the arm movements.

    – Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler with the End of Days

    Pretty good match, but it didn’t make me want to see it again Sunday. These guys need new opponents.

    – Sasha Banks, Natalya, Becky Lynch, and Paige beat WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte, Dana Brooke, Summer Rae, and Eva Marie

    Banks made Dana tap out to the Bank Statement.  Eva got a big negative reaction as she always does. 

    – Dean Ambrose defeated Chris Jericho in an L.A. Street Fight

    Jericho did some mic work telling everyone to be quiet and take in the gift of Jericho.  Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds. They used a kendo stick, chair, and Jericho went through a table.

    – US Champion Rusev (w/Lana) beat Titus O’Neil

    Lana came out first to a good reaction.  O’Neil didn’t get much offense in and Rusev beat him pretty fast with a kick to the face.  Doesn’t bode well for MITB.

    – Sami Zayn beat Kevin Owens with the Heluva Kick

    Good match. These two always work well together. Owens had some fun insulting fans and playing with the crowd.  Everyone was singing Sami’s song. 

    – WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat AJ Styles and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match

    Styles and Rollins worked over Reigns a lot together before they finally turned on each other. Styles was late on one save when Rollins has Reigns down and the ref had to really stop from counting to three which caused a “Ref sucks” chant. The match was good and we even got a “This is awesome” chant.  Reigns won with the spear on Styles, and got his usual mixed reaction.

    – No return date was announced. Overall, a fun show that went three hours including a short intermission.

  • WWE Money in the Bank: Picks & predictions for Reigns vs. Rollins, Cena vs. AJ

    It’s time once again for a briefcase to be put on a run as WWE’s Money in the Bank event is upon us!

    The big story over the last month? Well, six guys are having a ladder match, and the winner gets the briefcase. That’s essentially the story. Meanwhile, Stephanie and Shane McMahon are bickering over the upcoming brand split and have no real idea what they’re doing or what they are going to do when the time comes. But hey, John Cena and AJ Styles have had a hot start to their feud! After turning on Cena in a swerve, Styles looks to bring his A-game against Cena, who considers himself the measuring stick of WWE. Will Styles prevail in this first-ever encounter, or will Cena overcome the odds as usual?

    We also have a big main event as a returning Seth Rollins looks to take the title he never lost when he faces champion Roman Reigns. Rollins won’t go down without a fight, and neither will Regins. Will we see a decisive conclusion, or is this just the begining of a long program?

    Current Scoreboard

    • Kyle S. Johnson (Wrestling columnist) (27 points)
    • Steve Khan (WWE Smackdown reporter) (26 points)
    • Alan O’Brien (WWE RAW Hits & Misses columnist) (26 points)
    • Bryan Rose (New Japan Pro Wrestling reporter) (23 points)
    • James Cox (WWE Superstars reporter & WWE DVD reviewer) (22 points)
    • Gary Mehaffy (Interviewer/Columnist) (16 points)
    • Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show) (13 points)
    • Dan “Peach Machine” Velten (Astronaut Florist) (10 points)
    • Brian Hoops (Daily Pro Wrestling History) (9 points)
    • Jeremy Peeples (Lucha Underground reporter) (7 points)
    • Ryan Frederick (UFC reporter) (new to contest)

    Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

    Bryan Rose: Is there even one person out there who remotely cares about this match? The blow off should have been two months ago but we’re still getting matches. Why? What did we do to deserve this?

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Alan O’Brien: As Bryan says above, there is no rationale whatsoever for this match’s existence. None. One meaningless pre-show match is enough, thanks. Corbin to win by non-Roshambo means.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    James Cox: There is very little to be excited about here. Ziggler won last month at Extreme Rules, so 50/50 booking says Corbin goes over.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Jeremy Peeples: This is a feud over basically nothing and it refuses to end. Dolph got the better of Baron via a low-blow on Raw, so I’ll give Baron the win here since he should get revenge and he’s taller.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Peach Machine: Corbin by second round submission. Head and arm choke.

    Winner Corbin

    Steve Khan: I could see Ziggler winning since both Rusev and Miz could need opponents soon, but the last thing that happened with these two was Ziggler kicking Corbin in the nuts, so…

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Kyle S. Johnson: Hey, this match is happening! It really, really should not be happening, but it is. Corbin would probably have been better off to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, disappear back to NXT for a few months with the trophy, and then reemerge during the draft with some actual purpose. Instead, he’ll get another somehow-even-more meaningless win over Ziggler, and hopefully (HOPEFULLY) get shuffled off into another feud.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Ryan Frederick: I’m probably in the minority in liking Baron Corbin but this feud has done nothing for him. He should get the win in a blow off to the feud as Dolph’s role should be to put him over.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Brian Hoops: If they ever plan on doing anything with Corbin, he absolutely has to win and move on to another feud. He needs a clean and decisive win.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus

    Bryan Rose: Crews is another example of being called up because you have a good look, but beyond that creative has nothing for you. I think this should be fine, as Sheamus is a good worker and Crews has tons of potential as a worker, but who knows if they will even be given enough time to showcase that. Let’s give Crews the first win just because.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Alan O’Brien: Crews has schlepped around on the C-shows since Wrestlemania, spinning his smiley wheels against the flotsam and jetsam of the WWE roster. I seriously doubt that Vince will allow this guy, looking the way he does, to lose his first serious (-ish) match. Especially on the pre-show, where babyfaces usually go over.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    James Cox: Although Crews ought to win here and Sheamus in mid-card hell, I think they’ll go with Crews. But Crew needs to extend his move-set and they need to do something with him fast.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Jeremy Peeples: It’s another feud that hasn’t really been built up well. They’ve done a bit on Raw with Sheamus as a bully who is afraid of Crews, but haven’t made anything personal. Sheamus began the year as WWE Champion and now he’s in what feels like a pre-show feud – so he should win this to regain something resembling momentum, but Crews also shouldn’t be losing programs right now.

    Winner: Sheamus

    Peach Machine: I just recently watched the first four Rocky movies, and as I recall, Apollo Creed never lost a match and nothing bad ever happened to him, which makes this a no brainer.

    WInner: Apollo Crews

    Steve Khan: This could go the way of Ziggler/Corbin, with Sheamus getting the first win for no reason. Crews humiliated Sheamus last time they were on TV, but I’ll still go with Crews.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Kyle S. Johnson: The only reason for this feud seems to be realizing the idea that throwing these two together for a bit showcases Apollo on a PPV (or before it, anyway) with a guy who is pretty well established and gives him a win over a former world champion. I don’t really have much of an expectation for the quality of this match, but I expect Apollo to win clean and hope that this feud is more of a launching pad for Apollo and less the seemingly endless mid-card nothing crawl that Ziggler vs. Corbin has become.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Ryan Frederick: They’re finally doing something with Apollo Crews and Sheamus is a good place to start. Sheamus is in a place of going nowhere and Crews should be built up for something bigger. Here’s hoping they can have a solid match, and Crews shouldn’t be losing right now.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Brian Hoops: Sheamus’ best days are past and Crews is getting his first major feud on the main roster. It would be complete insanity to beat him now, which may happen, but shouldn’t.

    Winner Apollo Crews

    United States Championship: Rusev (c) vs. Titus O’Neil

    Bryan Rose: I like O’Neal as a talker, and he’s always doing good things in public which is nice. I’m really sure he is father of the year, for all I know. But in the ring, he’s not much, and that is putting it lightly. There might be some chemistry here I’m unaware of, but beyond that I’m not expecting much, and since Rusev has more upside as a wrestling talent, he should probably get the win here.  

    Winner: Rusev

    Alan O’Brien: This is just a title defence for Rusev. The build up has been so paint-by-numbers that it’s plainly obvious how little they care about Titus. That makes two of us.

    Winner: Rusev

    James Cox: Rusev to win in what is a very weak match for a ppv. If they really wanted to pull the trigger on Titus O’Neil they would have done it by now – he’s 39.

    Winner: Rusev

    Jeremy Peeples: It’s good to see Titus involved in a title program right after his suspension. However, he doesn’t have any momentum as a singles act and his limitations stand out more in one on one matches. This should be a short powerhouse vs. powerhouse match, and Rusev should go over clearly.

    Winner: Rusev

    Peach Machine: You don’t take the steam off of Rusev right now, and certainly not with the Real Deal Dad of the Year.

    Winner: Rusev

    Steve Khan: I really doubt O’Neil wins the title. I could see Rusev getting himself DQ’d and they do this again later.

    Winner: Titus O’Neil (Rusev retains)

    Kyle S. Johnson: Rusev is probably one of the three or four best things going on the main roster right now, and taking the belt off of him a month after winning it to put it on dead-in-the-water Titus O’Neil makes no sense — even if they think they’ll get some kind of pub for putting it on the Mega Dad of the Year. Of course, they could do it, if only because it’s been shown for the past several months that WWE really has no idea what to do with the U.S. Championship when it is around the waist of anyone not named John Cena. I’m just really going to hope that they do not, because with the brand split imminent, building Rusev up as a monster and having him rejuvenate that title sure sounds like a ball to run with.

    Winner: Rusev

    Ryan Frederick: Rusev is entertaining and should be hot for the brand split as he can be an effective top heel if creative plays their cards right. Nice to see Titus getting some TV and PPV time but he really shouldn’t have a title around his waist. Keep this short and put Rusev over strong.

    Winner: Rusev

    Brian Hoops: How cool of a story would it be to have the “father of the year” win the title on Father’s Day? For that reason, Rusev retains the title. WWE would never do that simple and awesome storyline, they have to be cute and creative.

    Winner: Rusev

    WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Bryan Rose: I dunno. They’re already teasing dissention between Brooke and Charlotte about a month into their partnership. I mean, yeah, this might be a case of bait and switch, but can you save that angle a few months down the road? I think this is all placeholder until they start the Banks stuff, but in the meantime I guess Natty and Lynch should get the win, and maybe build to a Lynch/Charlotte match at the July PPV? I dunno, wishful thinking.

    Winner: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Alan O’Brien: Very difficult to call. I think the likeliest outcome is a heel victory with Charlotte nipping in to take the pinfall from Dana. Hard to see the babyfaces go over, as neither is being heated up for a Summerslam tilt at the belt.

    Winner: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    James Cox: Honestly, I haven’t been following this one. They can beat Charlotte and it won’t matter because she’s in a tag match, but I think She and Dana aren’t breaking up, despite the tease on Monday.

    Winner: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    Jeremy Peeples: Three weeks into the partnership, they’re teasing issues between Dana and Charlotte – so I think the faces win here when Charlotte is either distracted or has plausible deniability for an injury and Dana drops the fall.

    Winners: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Peach Machine: Charlotte has won a match in the last 11 PPV’s and they pointed that out last time. I think they want that to be Charlotte’s “16 time…”.

    Winner Char-dawg & Dana

    Steve Khan: I’m guessing this is leading to a 3-way at the next PPV, whatever that is, so the babyface team should win.

    Winner: Natalya & Becky Lynch

    Kyle S. Johnson: Why they are angling to build tension between Dana and Charlotte just a month into their alliance, one can only guess. (I would blame ineptitude, first and foremost.) If the plan is to slot in Becky as a holdover challenger until Summerslam (where one can only presume Sasha will be rolled out as the top contender), it would make sense for her to get the pin here over Charlotte after Dana makes some match-ending mistake. Still,

    Ryan Frederick: Unfortunately it seems like this match is to build up a split between Charlotte and Dana, and that is a wrong move to make if there ever was one. Dana doesn’t deserve the spot opposite Charlotte but it seems we are going that direction. I sense issues will be teased but they will end up getting the win.

    Winners: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    Brian Hoops: Way too early to break up Charlotte and Dana Brooke and they just teased this same storyline with Styles and the Club. It would be perfect since to have the champion pinned in a tag match to build up a singles challenger. Probably why it won’t happen.

    Winners: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillans

    Bryan Rose: I think New Day retains and breaks the tag team title record. They’ve been the most popular tag team in years here in the WWE so it only makes since. I don’t see Vaudevillans winning and while eventually Amore and Cass should get the titles, I don’t see it happening. They could put them on Anderson and Gallows, but I think that’s the next tag team title program for New Day anyway so it should last another month at least.

    Winner: New Day

    Alan O’Brien: Vaudevillains are not going over, and they’ll want to save Enzo and Cass’ big title win for a singles feud. I can easily see New Day retaining, but I think it’s more likely that The Club will succeed with their first shot at the gold.

    Winner: Anderson and Gallows

    James Cox: Feels like we should have a shake up here, but I still The New Day win here. A babyface win is important looking at this card.

    Winner: The New Day

    Jeremy Peeples: They’ve been pushing the near record-setting reign of the New Day on commentary, which is usually a bad sign. They have three teams in this that probably shouldn’t lose, and the Vaudevillains. The New Day should win just to keep things stable until the draft, but I could see The Club winning just to go them some momentum. If they make a second set of tag titles, they can just give The Club one of them – so I’ll go with New Day retaining here.

    Winners: The New Day

    Peach Machine: I think the New Day has long since jumped the shark. Get the belts off those clowns.

    Winner: The New Day, because that’s how they book.

    Steve Khan: New Day have had the titles so long, losing in a 4-way would be lame. Gallows & Anderson can certainly win to build momentum for the Club, but I see New Day getting the fall over the Vaudevillains.

    Winner: The New Day

    Kyle S. Johnson: A four-team match that includes an obvious fall team seems like a great opportunity to make a title switch. The New Day do not need the belts to stay over, and I can’t help but shake the feeling that Cass is going to wind up going to singles well before he and Enzo reach their shelf life as a tag team. Anderson and Gallows, on the other hand, could probably really use a dominant championship run to prove the mettle of The Club as a force to be reckoned with. I’ll go with Guns and Gallows getting the belts after stealing a pin away from one of the babyface teams.

    Winner: Anderson and Gallows

    Ryan Frederick: I would like to see them switch the belts and have New Day chase to freshen up the act just a little, give them something to fight for. The fact they’ve been pushing the length of the reign isn’t a good sign. The question is who to give it to if they are switching. Enzo & Cass is a great act and the titles could benefit them, but I think putting them around Anderson and Gallows would be the right move in getting them over with AJ as the top heel act. I expect a fun match.

    Winners: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows

    Brian Hoops: The New Day act has run its course. Lots of ways they could go here with a 4 way, but I look for Anderson & Gallows to win the belts with Vaudevillians getting pinned. Would freshen things up if Anderson and Gallows take the titles with programs with New Day and Usos, who can claim previous victories over the new champions.

    Winners: Anderson & Gallows

    AJ Styles vs. John Cena

    Bryan Rose: Hmm, very interesting. Cena shouldn’t win the first bout. I mean if we’re going to have the usual Cena feud, he should at least lose the first match and win the other two. As far as the match goes, Styles is one of the best in the planet and Cena works his butt off. Should be great.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Alan O’Brien: AJ’s self-inflicted banning of his buddies from ringside is a red herring. He needs a big win, and getting it on his own will make it all the more significant. Sure, Cena will win the next two, a la the Owens feud, but hey, I’ll take it.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    James Cox: This will be match of the night. Despite all the rhetoric about AJ Styles being a big deal in the company, he’s clearly only a big deal when it suits them, otherwise they wouldn’t have had him lose so much. Cena to win; they’re not in the habit of beating him on ppv.

    Winner: John Cena

    Jeremy Peeples: This has been the best-built program of the entire PPV. AJ has been cutting the best promos of his career and is seemingly getting out any bitterness he might have had over the years at the same time. Cena has been putting AJ over huge as well, and I can see AJ winning this one to set up a bigger match at Summerslam that Cena wins.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Peach Machine: Gotta be Cena. Vince isn’t gonna put his top guy under while his supposed top guy is floundering at best.

    Winner: Cena

    Steve Khan: The Club might not be there, but Styles can still cheat to win. I can see John Cena winning because he’s John Cena, but Styles badly needs a big win.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Kyle S. Johnson: AJ has lost three straight PPV matches, and with so much of the (excellent, excellent) build for this match being about him needing to get it done here, I cannot fathom an outcome that does not see him beating John Cena. Cena can get his win back down the line (probably even as soon as next month, given the way things tend to go), but AJ needs to win here to make him a credible main-event-caliber guy for one of the two shows moving forward. This should be a superb match, and I expect that AJ gets it done — whether it is cleanly, by nefarious means, or with the help of a former ally not named Doc or Karl.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Ryan Frederick: Anything other than a win by Styles here is the wrong move. Cena doesn’t need it and Styles is arguably the biggest star in the company at this moment. He is also arguably the best wrestler in the world. I am looking forward to this one as Styles always shows up and Cena is great with top workers. This could be a classic if given time and the crowd should be hot.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Brian Hoops: For the sake of AJ Styles career, he has to win over Cena here. He lost in the Rumble (Cena promo), got beat by Kevin Owens and lost last PPV matches to Jericho and Reigns twice. Another loss here makes him just like everyone else in the WWE. A loss for Cena wont hurt him and they can build the feud to culminate later this summer.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto del Rio vs. Kevin Owens

    Bryan Rose: This could go to anyone. If I had to pick who would benefit more with the briefcase, probably Owens as he’s the guy with the most potential as a future WWE champion. Ambrose is also another possibility, anyone else I just don’t see it happening (Cesaro, Zayn) or sounds lame (Jericho, del Rio). Should be a great match regardless of who wins.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Alan O’Brien: Owens is the guy. The briefcase is a heel gimmick, and who better to attach it to than the best on the roster.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    James Cox: Everything says it ought to be Owens, but it really is a match anyone could win. I’m sticking my neck out, but ultimately it should go to heel and I think we might be about to see them re-launch Alberto Del Rio. Orton could return, take a seventh spot and win, but I don’t know if he’s ready.

    Winner: Alberto Del Rio

    Jeremy Peeples: Owens has been dropping a lot of falls, but would make a fantastic challenger for Roman Reigns – so I’ll go with him winning here.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Peach Machine: Owens. No doubt.

    Winner: Vin Owens

    Steve Khan: They could throw us a curveball like they have in ths most, but this match is far too important. It comes down to Ambrose and Owens, and given the way they’ve booked the past few weeks, Owens looks like the leading candidate. I’ll play it safe and go with Owens, who’s perfect for this gimmick.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Kyle S. Johnson: This is Owens’ match to win. Cesaro, Sami, or Dean would be reasonable dark horse picks, and putting the briefcase with Del Rio or Jericho would be a mistake. Owens will win and, one can only hope, be treated as one of the company’s top heels thereafter.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Ryan Frederick: Kevin Owens is ready to be the top heel in the company, and he should get the briefcase. I can only really see Jericho as the only other option as they’ve pushed him as the creator of the match but him having never won it. Owens has been losing too much lately and logic says that means he’s winning.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Brian Hoops: Owens is the one that benefits the most from winning the briefcase and eventually cashing it in to win the world title. No one else makes sense, which makes the Owens pick shaky.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    WWE Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins

    Bryan Rose: Reigns isn’t losing the title anytime soon, and I already feel a rematch is set for Battleground regardless of who wins. I think it’ll be a great match as Regions has improved tremendously, and Rollins should be aching to have a killer match. Fun stuff ahead!

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Alan O’Brien: What a disaster this has been. It’s unlikely that they will switch the title at this juncture, with Roman likely to be the figurehead of RAW. Rollins could win by DQ, but I imagine Reigns will pin him after some kind of schmoz finish.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    James Cox: I can’t see them about to play hot potato with the title this close to the brand split. The story ought to be Seth taking back what he never lost, but they chose Roman Reigns and they’re sticking with him.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Jeremy Peeples: This feud has been built up very strangely. In theory, Seth should be coming in as a really hot act. Instead, he had one great night and has been pretty cold since then. They’ve teased Dean winning in cashing in – so he’s probably doomed. Seth has no momentum and shouldn’t be winning with this character as it is now.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Peach Machine: Some schmoz. Disputed finish. Reigns retains.

    Winner: Reigns

    Steve Khan: I’m not sure what to expect. Reigns won’t lose the title yet, and Rollins can’t lose clean in his return. I also don’t see a cash-in, and they’ve built this too big for a screwy finish. So, I’ll go with Reigns barely squeaking out a win.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Kyle S. Johnson: This angle has been outclassed by the build for AJ and Cena at every turn, and while the match itself is probably going to be great, it feels very much like an afterthought on this show. I imagine that this is going to have some kind of inconclusive finish since I cannot see either guy taking a pinfall at this stage — perhaps even something as far-fetched as Lesnar showing up and wrecking both guys to stake his claim as the true champion. Either way, the title won’t change hands, and this feud will continue in some form or fashion.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Ryan Frederick: This feels like the first match of a program, and probably one with Dean Ambrose getting involved, possibly leading to the long-anticipated Shield three-way at Summerslam. That means a likely BS finish. I think Rollins gets the win but Reigns retains due to a DQ. The crowd reactions for this will be fun.

    Winner: Seth Rollins but Roman Reigns retains the championship

    Brian Hoops: Another feud they have totally botched. Rollins should be the returning babyface to challenge and reclaim the title he never lost. It was a perfect storyline they have completely pissed down their leg. Now, they have their hottest potential babyface turned back heel and no one wants to boo him and their champion babyface, no one cares about and wants to cheer. Beating Rollins clean would make any remaining fans disgruntled so that makes no sense. Taking the title off Reigns and putting it on the heel also makes no sense after shoving Reigns down everyone’s throats.

    Winner: Rollins by DQ

    Live coverage from Dave Meltzer begins later tonight with the pre-show!

  • WWE Salt Lake City, UT, live results: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

    Submitted by Tammy Adams & Matthew Cobley

    – Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio

    Cesaro and Del Rio had fun by seeing who the crowd would cheer for more. Even the ref got in on the fun.

    – Gallows and Anderson beat the Lucha Dragons

    – Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler

    – Dean Ambrose beat Chris Jericho in a Salt Lake City Street Fight

    Jericho cut a promo about how Salt Lake sucks because you can’t swim in the lake, because it has so much salt.

    – Becky Lynch, Natalya, Paige, and Sasha Banks beat Summer Rae, Eva Marie, Dana Brooke, and WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte

    Crowd was super loud for Paige and Becky’s entrances, actually up there with the noise they made for Ambrose.

    – US Champion Rusev (w/Lana) beat Titus O’Neil

    They attempted a spot where Titus stood up out of the Accolade. It looked like Titus slipped, or wasn’t positioned right, so they gave up on it and Rusev kicked him in the face for the pin.

    – WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat A.J. Styles and Seth Rollins in a three way

    Fun match. It seemed like they did all the spots they had done on previous house shows. Crowd booed AJ, mostly boos for Rollins, and wild screaming for Reigns. 

  • WWE News: Jerry Lawler & fiancee released from jail; changes to Money In The Bank show

    Both Jerry Lawler and fiancee Lauryn McBride were released from Shelby County jail in Memphis at around 11:30 AM local time and are due for a hearing on Monday. Each was charged with domestic violence from an incident that took place early Friday morning. With media surrounding him upon leaving jail, Lawler said he will make a statement after he talks with his attorney.

    For the details on what happened, here’s our early morning story on the matter.

    The WWE has also made changes to Sunday’s Money In The Bank event, adding two matches to the main show: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin and Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews. This changes the PPV from six matches to eight, meaning when timing out the show, they needed more time filled than they allotted for the six.

    With the change comes two additional pre-show matches: Goldust & R-Truth vs. Tyler Breeze & Fandango, plus The Dudleys vs. Lucha Dragons.

    With the new formatting of the show, it’s possible some finishes were discussed because there were heavy betting switches, most notably strong odds movements for Dean Ambrose and against Kevin Owens in the Money in the Bank mach, as well as for Roman Reigns, The New Day and A.J. Styles.

  • WWE inks deal with China’s PPTV, signs Bin Wang to developmental

    Through the Hollywood Reporter, WWE announced a streaming deal with the Chinese service PPTV to air Raw, Smackdown, and PPV events in the country via Internet streaming starting on 6/28 with the shows airing a few hours after they air in North America.

    Additionally, WWE announced the signing of their first Chinese-born talent, as well as a September 10th live event — their first event there in more than three years.

    The WWE held a press event in Shanghai earlier today with Michelle Wilson, John Cena, Jay Li (Vice President and General Manager of WWE’s Shanghai office), Paul Levesque, as well as PPTV’s Stephen Zhang and Shanghai Expo’s Ding Hao present.

    Up to this point, WWE had just a one hour edited version of Raw as its only television available in much of the country. The shows will air in Mandarin, and WWE will also debut a Mandarin language website.

    PPTV and PPTV Sports will stream the shows on Smart TVs, set-top boxes, mobile devices, and tablets, as well as their websites.  There will also be specialized Chinese programming on those services.

    On the in-ring side, Bin Wang is now under a developmental deal, the first wrestler of Chinese ancestry to be with the promotion. Often known as Wang Bin, he has been a regular undercard wrestler for Antonio Inoki’s IGF promotion in Japan. The Inoki group first reported on his signing with WWE Wednesday night and wished him well.  He starts this weekend with the promotion.

    In conjunction with the news, WWE has reached a deal with Expo Group as live promoters, and announced a 9/10 live event at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai. 

    The WWE and UFC have both been attempting to open up shop in China. For both groups, it has been a slow-moving and often frustrating endeavor.

    “Today’s historic announcements further demonstrate WWE’s long-term commitment to China,” said Vince McMahon. “Partnerships with PPTV and Expo Group, as well as the signing of Bin Wang, will enable us to engage our fans in China like never before.”

  • June 20, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: UFC 199/NXT Takeover reviews, UFC ownership bidding ending soon, more

    The bidding period is expected to end this week, on or around 6/16, regarding a sale that is expected to be in the $4 billion price range for 100 percent ownership of the UFC.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • WWE Smackdown spoilers: MITB go-home features 6-man tag, AJ Styles vs. Xavier Woods

    From Biloxi, MS:

    – The show opened with Chris Jericho doing the Highlight Reel with Dean Ambrose as his guest.  Before long, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Alberto Del Rio, and Kevin Owens were all out. This set up a six-man tag team match as the main event.

    – Kofi Kingston won a four-way over Big Cass, Luke Gallows and Aiden English when Kingston pinned English.

    – Baron Corbin pinned Zack Ryder. After the match, Dolph Ziggler, who was on commentary, had a staredown with Corbin to set up their match on Sunday.

    – US Champion Rusev beat Kalisto. After the match, Rusev kept beating on Kalisto. Sin Cara ran in and Rusev put him in the Accolade.  Titus O’Neil then made the save. 

    There was an interview segment where The Club and New Day went at it. This set up A.J. Styles vs. Xavier Woods next.

    – AJ Styles beat Xavier Woods with the calf crusher.

    – WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte beat Natalya. Dana Brooke and Becky Lynch were fighting outside the ring and Natalya was distracted and lost to the figure eight.

    – Dean Ambrose & Cesaro & Sami Zayn beat Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio. Ambrose pinned Owens after Dirty Deeds. Owens had turned on Jericho and Del Rio before the finish.

  • WWE RAW ratings dip below 3 million viewers

    Photo: WWE.com

    It finally happened. Thanks, in part, to going head-to-head with Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the June 13th edition of WWE Raw fell below the 3 million viewer mark for the first time outside of football season.

    The show did 2.96 million viewers — the second lowest for a non-holiday episode of the show since 1997, as there was a show in November that did 2.95 million viewers. The prior seasonal record low was 3.12 million viewers, and while the rating isn’t out as of this writing, it should equate to a 2.1 or 2.2 rating.

    The Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game on ABC did 20.53 million viewers.

    Raw was fourth for the night on cable, trailing Rizzoli & Isles on TNT, Major Crimes on TNT, and The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News.

    The show opened weak, even though it started before the NBA game, and had a fairly significant third hour drop.  

    The three hours were:

    • 8 p.m. 3.04 million viewers
    • 9 p.m. 3.11 million viewers
    • 10 p.m. 2.76 million viewers

  • WWE RAW Hits & Misses: Strong top-of-the-hour segments highlight a dull go-home show

    Three entertaining top-of-the-hour promo exchanges just about managed to save Monday night’s Money in the Bank go-home edition of RAW from being a total dud. Here, as always, are the show’s highlights and lowlights:

    — The Hits —

    Cena and Styles sign on the dotted line

    Although I could have done without John Cena’s laboured Bullet Club references, the promo exchange between he and AJ Styles at the top of the third hour was very impressive. Cena delivered the goods as usual, namedropping PWG and ROH in an effective monologue, designed to get Styles over.

    Styles’ bitter rejoindre, delivered forcefully with convincing fire, was even more impactful as it further banished the notion that the former IWGP champion can’t hang with the best on the stick. Cena goading AJ into banning The Club from ringside was another big positive as it tied into the insecurity of AJ’s character, and ensured that we should get a wonderful, shenanigan-free, match between the two this Sunday.

    The Ambrose Asylum

    I certainly never anticipated that this segment would ever appear in the Hits column, and yet here we are. Ambrose’s jarring wackiness aside, this was another example of two talents delivering on the microphone when it mattered.

    Admittedly, the primary goal of the segment, and the first-hour ‘Shield Revisited’ clips, failed. Despite the constant reminders of Rollins’ responsibility for the breakup of that popular faction, the crowd still cheered Seth and booed Roman Reigns throughout the Ambrose Asylum.

    Having said that, we must still credit both performers’ delivery. Rollins’ superiority complex-driven promo was excellent, as was Roman’s confident reply. And, although the Dirty Deeds from Ambrose to Reigns to close the segment was a bit off-kilter, I thought the Money in the Bank tease worked well too, building some much-needed anticipation for that match.

    The New Day meets The New Era

    This segment really belongs in both halves of the column, as the solo contributions from the New Day, The Club and the Vaudevillains all fell flat.

    It was only when Enzo and Cass arrived in the ring to confront the New Day that this tag team championship build clicked in a big way. The Jersey boys taunting Xavier Woods about a promiscuous “Frannie”, culminating in the Woods line “I’m the only one who blows my girl!”, was fantastic. As was Cass comparing Kofi Kingston’s shoes to those of Jerry Seinfeld, the only one of many footwear-based insults that even raised a smile from this columnist.

    Life Lessons

    Look, the Darren Young and Bob Backlund vignettes have been awful from day one, but who among us did not laugh at Bob’s “This is my only pair of clothes!” line? Great delivery.

    — The Misses —

    The 50/50 booking-laced MITB ladder match build

    Thank God that the Money in the Bank ladder match is this Sunday, lest we have to sit through another weekly five-hour serving of pointless matches involving the six participants.

    Backstage bickering segments with Sami Zayn/Cesaro and Kevin Owens/Alberto del Rio at least showed that the company is aware of the problem. But it was still impossible to care about either of the two matches involving the four — Zayn’s spectacular Code Red victory aside.

    The stipulation that Owens and Del Rio were putting their spots in Sunday’s match on the line against the Lucha Dragons certainly didn’t help as it was completely unbelievable. Plus, Kalisto and Sin Cara looked like even bigger geeks for losing to two guys who couldn’t get along at all.

    Speaking of geeks, the 50/50 booking that has permeated throughout all in-ring interactions between the six is pretty much the professional wrestling equivalent of socialism. (Some level of inequality is necessary to get people over, you know!) Nowhere was that more obvious than in the main event, where Ambrose avenged his pointless loss to Jericho on last week’s Smackdown. Meanwhile, Owens saved the segment with his sarky commentary, while Zayn, Del Rio and Cesaro all looked like jabronis. Terrible.

    Paint-by-numbers lower card booking

    The build-up to Rusev’s US Championship defence against Titus O’Neil has been incredibly basic and incredibly dull. After weeks of Titus run-ins, the Bulgarian Brute attacked O’Neil from behind on Monday before he could compete in what I was assume was supposed to be a match.

    This ambush got little reaction from the live audience, and I’m sure the audience at home didn’t appreciate the immediate post-commercials replay either. All I could do was sympathise with Titus, as Jack Swagger clearly wasn’t interested in returning last week’s favour and saving his ass. Harsh.

    Elsewhere, in a reprise of that Swagger segment from last week, Apollo Crews ran in to save Zack Ryder from a post-match beatdown at the hands of Sheamus. Yawn. Sure can’t wait to watch that pre-show.

    Bickering McMahons

    I just don’t care! Every time Stephanie and Shane are onscreen with their weird incestuous sexual tension, I just want to shut off my television. It is literally impossible to care about who runs what show; the outcome will be the same regardless. Even Corporate Kane with his arson and testicle electrocution callbacks couldn’t save the segments involving these two from getting my dander up.

    The Divas Devolution

    Far from the lofty heights of top-of-the-hour segments and long matches upon its glorious inception, the so-called Divas Revolution is now reduced to a tag team program that no-one cares about on one of the biggest PPVs of the year.

    ​

    Attempts to build tension between Charlotte and Dana Brooke are also doomed to fail, as the latter is far from ready for a program of that magnitude. Although, given that the Women’s champion got just three minutes to lose to Paige on Monday night, that magnitude may not be so great.