Monty “Kip” Sopp, better known as Billy Gunn, was fired today as a trainer by WWE due to testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone in a powerlifting meet from July 25.
Gunn’s drug test at the meet came up with a 37-1 testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, well over the 4-1 limit, and he was suspended from powerlifting for four years.
Billy Gunn, 52, had returned to WWE as a trainer in 2012 after several years away from the organization. He worked as an agent and a trainer, and had a New Age Outlaws nostalgia run in recent years, winning the tag team titles with Road Dogg in early 2014.
He had done occasional run-ins at the end of some NXT shows with he and the babyface wrestlers ending shows doing DX crotch chops. Most recently, he had appeared on television as one of the trainers on Tough Enough and Breaking Ground.
WWE officials were not aware of him competing as a powerlifter until a few weeks ago or his suspension from that sport.
The WWE has confirmed that all tickets are gone for the 2016 Royal Rumble, set for Sunday, January 24th at the Amway Arena in Orlando, FL.
After an Internet pre-sale in August and another pre-sale this past week, most of the arena was sold out for a configuration of 13,000. The on-sale to the public, which started this morning, sold out in less than 30 minutes.
The Rumble is traditionally the company’s second biggest event of the year. The winner of the Royal Rumble by stipulation is supposed to challenge for the WWE title at WrestleMania.
Some other fun facts:
– This is the second Rumble event in Orlando, and the first there since January 21, 1990 — the 3rd Rumble in company history. Hulk Hogan won the event that night, his first of back-to-back Rumble wins.
– This will be the fifth Rumble held in Florida, and the 29th overall.
– Roman Reigns will look to become the first back-to-back winner of the Rumble since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin did it in 1997-98. If he does it, he joins Hogan, Austin, and Shawn Michaels as the only men to do it.
The future of a WWE Superstar, or any pro wrestler for that matter, is no certain thing. So many factors, some controllable, some not, can determine the fate of a wrestler’s career. Only the smallest percent of WWE talents make it to the absolute top: the Shawn Michaels, The Rocks, the Austins, The Undertakers, the John Cenas. In the current era, the majority float around the middle. Some get close to breaking through the glass ceiling and separating themselves from the mid-card pack, while others spiral down into obscurity.
What is it that creates the divide and that differentiates a major star from an enhancement talent? Is it one’s work rate? Look? Mic skills? Charisma? Who one is or is not in a relationship with behind the scenes? That elusive and abstract “it” factor? Plain old dumb luck? Some wrestlers come along who seem to be the complete package, but wind up floundering, while another guy who throws the worst punches known to man and can’t take a bump to save his life gets pushed to the moon and becomes the face of the company for an entire generation. Sometimes, it almost feels like the decision to push or not push a performer is made completely at random.
This unpredictability is especially relevant for the “rookies” of WWE’s NXT for whom the future holds many different paths. Some will never make it past the developmental phase. Some will be promoted to the main roster only to be sent back after failing to get over like they had in NXT. The fortunate will go on to have a successful WWE career. One NXT wrestler who looks destined for big things in the WWE is Chad Gable.
Gable is at an exciting point in his pro wrestling career. He’s currently one of NXT’s most over talents, and has (almost) all the tools needed to become major star. While getting over with the fastidious NXT audience is a worthy accomplishment, they are a comparatively small sample size compared with the larger WWE fanbase. We’ve already seen acts that have gone over like gangbusters in NXT, but fall flat with the larger audience when brought up to the main roster.
To Gable’s credit, he has got over in NXT with his charisma and ability alone, as opposed to some outlandish gimmick, that, while initially entertaining, comes with a limited shelf life. This is a positive sign that Gable will be (G)able to connect with the wider WWE fanbase when he’s brought up to the main roster.
With that said, getting over with the audience is only part of the battle. Fortunately, Gable is a natural when it comes to actual wrestling. Before his arrival at NXT, Gable had trained and competed in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling. He particularly excelled in the latter, winning a number of national championships, and placing ninth at the 2012 London Olympics. Gable has impressively transitioned from amateur to professional wrestling, creating a beautiful blend of sports entertainment and amateur wrestling styles in the process.
He has also shown himself to be very competent on the microphone. Mic work is often the downfall of even the most skilled wrestlers, and the saving grace of some of the less naturally gifted athletes. Do you think the Miz would have ever won the WWE Championship if he wasn’t such a good talker? Gable’s charisma and comedic timing come through not only in his wrestling, but more importantly (in sports entertainment) on the microphone. He’s a naturally gifted wrestler, he can talk, he’s charismatic, and he connects with audience. Gable has just about everything one needs to be top star in the WWE. Well, almost everything.
The only thing, at this point, that might stop Gable from making it to the tippy top is the dreaded size aspect. Gable is billed at 5’8” (173cm). In most professions, that would be irrelevant, but in WWE, admitted or not, size matters. The number of WWE champions under six feet tall can be counted on one hand (with a few extra fingers left over). Guys like Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio have proven that smaller wrestlers can reach the top, but in both cases, they were never really considered the top guys of the company like Cena has been.
With any luck, and if there’s any justice in the world, Chad Gable’s aforementioned attributes will be enough to overcome his sole drawback.
Only the most pessimistic of pessimists would doubt that Gable will make something of himself in the WWE. The real argument is to what extent will he make it. Will he become a top guy, a mid carder, a comedy act, a tag team lifer? Gable draws comparisons to a range of WWE wrestlers, past and present, who fill(ed) those various roles. Gable’s destiny might be to emerge as the second coming, but of who?
The Next Kurt Angle?
Like Angle, Gable is a champion amateur wrestler. Like Angle, Gable represented his country in the Olympic Games, admittedly not faring quite as well despite not even having a broken frickin’ neck. Still, he wrestled in the Olympics. That’s probably, like, super hard to do. Like Angle, Gable transitioned into professional wrestling seemingly effortlessly. Like Angle, Gable’s a good talker with a knack for humour. It’s hard not to argue that Gable is Kurt Angle 2.0. The only real difference is height, and even there, the disparity is minor with Angle billed at 6-0”, four inches taller than Gable. Besides, don’t even try to tell me Gable couldn’t pull off an adorable little cowboy hat. Don’t. Even. Try.
The Next Daniel Bryan?
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Gable is a fan favourite at Full Sail Arena. Gable and tag partner Jason Jordan were the highlight of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, getting some of the best reactions at NXT TakeOver: Respect despite failing to make the finals. Someone else who is (was?) good at getting the crowd behind him is Daniel Bryan. An argument could also be made for Gable becoming Bryan’s successor. They both have the distinction of being ”smaller guys” in the pro wrestling sense. Yet, it’s that smaller stature among the sea of ex-football playing, bodybuilding gladiators that helps make them such endearing underdogs. It might be the rabid support of the fans that ends up pushing Gable to that next level.
The Next Cesaro?
Of all Cesaro’s skills and attributes one could wish to share, like his amazing work in the ring and charming Swissness, Gable could end up sharing Cesaro’s one main undesirable attribute: being a super talented wrestler whom the fans clearly want to see succeed, but is never given any serious push because of the decision of one man based on vague, shaky reasons. Lamentably, that man is the one who decides who gets pushed and who gets to join the mid-card club. (Side note: nobody steal my Bullet Club Parody shirt #436: Mid Card Club.) Of course, if Chad Gable does become the next Cesaro, his first name will have to join Antonio, Adrian, and Wade up in first name heaven. First name heaven is, by the way, is conveniently located next to last name heaven, where Langston is currently residing.
The Next Santino Marella?
Here’s where that gift for great comedic timing and mic work might come back to bite Chad Gable in the behind. There’s nothing wrong with being the comedy guy. I love the comedy guy. Some of my best friends are comedy guys (I mean, they would be if I had friends). Sometimes you just want more for some wrestlers, especially one this early into his career. Having said that, WWE is missing that reliable comedy guy right now, and nobody, besides perhaps Damien Sandow, has really embraced that role since Santino’s departure from our TV screens. Gable does have a bit of a Les Kellett vibe about him in the ring. There are worse things than being the comedy guy; just ask Curtis Axel. Wait, on second thought…
If anything has been made clear from this exercise in comparisons, it’s that Chad Gable is a talented, well-rounded professional wrestler with the tools to make a name for himself in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. But wrestling is wrestling and nothing is guaranteed.
Gable could blow out his knee like Seth Rollins before getting called up to the main roster. He could get a concussion that puts him on the shelf indefinitely like Daniel Bryan. Or, he could go on to become the next Kurt Angle and have a HOF worthy career. As flattering as it may be to be compared to such talented peers like Bryan and Cesaro, I don’t really want Gable to become the somebody.
Instead, what I truly hope is Chad Gable becomes the first Chad Gable, and that he makes his own mark on the wrestling world. And there’s no better time than now. He’s ready, willing, and Gable, after all.
WWE officially announced that the next live NXT Network special will air on Wednesday, December 16th from London’s SSE Wembley Arena at 3 p.m. Eastern time and 12 PM Pacific, featuring a 30-minute pre-game show.
While the lineup has not been announced, it appears the key matches will be NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews, and Asuka vs. Emma. Joe turned heel on Balor on NXT TV two weeks ago after Corbin cost Crews the NXT title in his match with Balor. Asuka vs. Emma is a continuation of a storyline that began at the last TakeOver event where Asuka destroyed Emma’s partner Dana Brooke.
The December 16th Wembley show will likely also include both tag team title matches (champs are Dash & Dawson) and a women’s title match (Bayley is the champ). That should become clear on November 19th when the final TVs leading to the show are taped at Orlando’s Full Sail University.
The most recent NXT TakeOver show, titled Respect, took place on October 7th at Full Sail and featured Finn Balor & Samoa Joe beating Rhino & Baron Corbin to win the Dusty Rhodes Invitational Tag Team Tournament, as well as an outstanding main event Bayley beating Sasha Banks to win the NXT women’s title in a 30-minute Iron Man Match.
Wrestling Observer Live is back today with special guest Dave Meltzer to talk some of the main stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter! WrestleMania plans, why it appears both Rock and Ronda Rousey won’t wrestle on the show, Mirko Crocop’s drug test failure and tons more! Plus, your phone calls, text messages and more!
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– Air Date: November 12, 2015 (Nov 11 in Canada) – Location: Manchester Arena in Manchester, England
The Big News:
Undertaker did not actually appear on Smackdown, but did accept Bray Wyatt’s challenge for a tag team match at Survivor Series. Also, Kalisto beat Ryback clean.
Show Recap:
The show started with a recap of Seth Rollins’ injury and they plugged tonight’s tournament matches.
The Wyatts interrupted and a video recap was shown of the angle with Undertaker and Kane from Raw. They piped in some crowd booing as the Wyatts stood in the ring. Luke Harper said they would sacrifice “dem Uso boys” to honour Bray Wyatt. Erick Rowan said Bray brings sorrow to those who oppose him and they would do the same tonight. Braun Strowman said “Look at my face… and see your annihilation.” Strowman added that he would pile bodies to the sky for Bray.
Bray said Kane and Undertaker may have escaped the pits of hell but they’ll never be the same again. He’s taken pieces of them and now they are apart of him. Bray challenged the Brothers of Destruction to a tag match at Survivor Series against two of his men, and gave them until the end of tonight to accept.
Bray said we would remember Survivor Series as the night Kane and Undertaker were buried forever. Usual lame Wyatt segment. The crowd chanted for Undertaker a few times through the segment. The highlight was the unintentional comedy of Strowman yelling, “Look at my face.”
Braun Strowman (w/Wyatt Family) beat Fandango via submission
Some of the crowd did the Fandango dance and he danced too until he got into the ring, saw the Wyatts and resigned himself to his fate. He started with a dropkick but Strowman tossed him around and won with the head-and-arm choke in less than 2 minutes. Fandango actually tapped instead of merely passing out.
WWE Title Tournament First Round Match: Neville beat King Barrett via pinfall
They showed a clip of Neville from earlier tonight saying Barrett was embarrassed on Raw and he would finish what Wayne Rooney started with a Red Arrow. This was not an inset promo, but rather a clip from what looked like a sit-down interview. This is a much better idea than the usual inset promos.
They did a dangerous spot early in the match where Barrett hung Neville’s feet over the top rope and then just slammed him head first into the mat. Neville rolled to the outside selling his head and Barrett followed him out, slammed his head into the announce table and launched him into the barricade.
After a break, Barrett used a pump handle slam and continued working over Neville. Barrett slid Neville to the outside and he crashed into the barricade. Barrett took some time to tell the announcers that he would be the next champion. Neville ran along the top of the barricade (a la Jeff Hardy) and hit a flip dive on Barrett. He used kicks and a standing shooting star press in the ring for a two count.
Barrett hit a back kick for a two count and argued with the referee that it was a three, accusing him of taking a pay off from Neville. Neville came back with a German suplex but Barrett followed with a swinging side slam. Neville countered Wasteland into a DDT and landed Red Arrow for the win. This was good. It went about 14 minutes and Neville took a beating. They announced Neville vs. Kevin Owens for Raw.
Backstage, the Usos told Renee Young that they have a rivalry with the Wyatts and weren’t about to be sacrificed. Jimmy was taken out by Strowman two months ago and they weren’t going to forgive and forget.
WWE Title Tournament First Round Match: Kalisto beat Ryback via pinfall
Kalisto said he respects Ryback but he shouldn’t be underestimated. He then spouted some cliches about being an underdog. This was another sit-down interview, but the material sucked. Ryback did an inset promo. I’m not really sure what Ryback said, because he spoke quietly as his music played in the background and his fireworks went off. He thinks he’ll be champion, probably.
They shook hands to start but Kalisto quickly began kicking away. He hit Salida Del Sol a minute into the match but Ryback kicked out aggressively at two, sending Kalisto to the outside. After a break, Kalisto used more kicks, but Ryback just picked him up and hit a spinebuster followed by two hard powerbombs. This presumably could have been a finish but Kalisto rolled to the outside. Ryback took control until Kalisto dropkicked him to the outside. Kalisto tried an Asai moonsault but Ryback slammed him into the mat (they messed this up).
Kalisto countered a shell shocked into a rollup for a near fall. Ryback hit a meat hook clothesline but Kalisto got his foot on the rope. Ryback tried a backdrop off the top rope, but Kalisto countered into Salida Del Sol for the pinfall win. Ryback kicked out just after the three count.
The match was good, not great, but Kalisto really got over well here and this might’ve been the highlight of the show. The crowd popped and the commentators put this over as a big upset win. Ryback shook Kalisto’s hand afterwards.
WWE Title Tournament First Round Match: Alberto Del Rio (w/Zeb Colter) beat Stardust via pinfall
Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter did a promo on the stage. Colter said the United Kingdom was really the Divided Kingdom because all the countries hate each other. He called the people haters, but him and Del Rio have eradicated hate in MexAmerica. Del Rio said the fans of the two “soccer” teams hate each other but they should be united. Colter said they would unite the MexAmerica Title (U.S. Title) with the World Title. This really sucked. The crowd chanted “What” at Colter and Del Rio was greeted by silence.
Stardust did an inset promo calling himself the dark horse in the tournament and would become champion. Del Rio worked him over a while but he came back with a Side Effect and reverse DDT. Del Rio went for an armbar but Stardust countered with a disaster kick for two. Stardust went to the top, so of course Del Rio knocked his legs out and used a tree of woe double foot stomp for the win. This was uninspiring to say the least.
They showed a replay of the Paige/Charlotte/Becky Lynch angle from Raw.
Backstage, Roman Reigns told Renee that his journey to become WWE Champion has been like climbing Mount Everest. The closer he gets to the top, the harder it gets. On Monday, he meets an avalanche in the form of Cesaro, but Cesaro can’t stop him because “Nothing at this point can stop me now.” They replayed a clip of Triple H’s offer, but Reigns said he wasn’t a sell out and would be standing on top of the mountain as the sole survivor of this tournament. Reigns delivered his lines well but it was heavily scripted and it was hard not to notice.
The Usos beat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan (w/Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman) via DQ
This was the main event. Harper and Rowan attacked the Usos before the match started. The Usos fought back and one Uso took down the two Wyatts with a dive outside the ring. The Usos jumped back in the ring and challenged Harper and Rowan to get in. Rowan jumped in and the match officially started.
Harper and Rowan worked over Jey until he made a hot tag to Jimmy. He hit an enzuigiri and a crossbody for nearfalls. Rowan took out Jey outside the ring as Jimmy used a Samoan drop and running hip attack on Harper. He tried a dive to the outside but was caught by Rowan, and Harper followed with a superkick.
Back in the ring, Harper hit a sitdown powerbomb but Jey broke up the cover with a splash. Jimmy hit Harper with two superkicks, and both Usos hit Rowan with superkicks, sending both bad guys to the outside. Usos took them out with dives, and Bray had seen enough. All four Wyatts attacked the Usos for the DQ.
Bray mocked Taker’s throat slash as Harper and Rowan gave Jey a double chokeslam. Strowman followed by doing his stupid slam on Jimmy and Bray finished him off with Sister Abigail. Bray was about to do it again but the Undertaker’s dong sounded and the lights went out. Undertaker’s voice played over the speakers. He said the Wyatts would be dragged through the gates of hell and they would rest in peace. So I guess he accepts.
Final Thoughts:
This show felt more important than the usual Smackdown thanks to the title tournament. The first two tournament matches were good and it was refreshing to see Kalisto beat Ryback, even if he is just being set up for Del Rio. The rest of the show was lackluster, as it was laid out very much like Raw. The tournament took up most of the time and the show concluded with an angle for the Undertaker. Except, unlike Raw, he didn’t show up, so it felt pretty flat.
It should also be noted that there was no women’s segment on this show outside of the one Raw replay (unless they add something for the Thursday airing in the U.S.). No match or interview. So there’s that.
The Big News: Samoa Joe not only explained why he laid out Finn Balor last week, but he did it again this week.
The Medium Sized News: Dash & Dawson became either the 8th or 9th NXT Tag Team Champions (more on the number confusion below)
The Little Beaver Sized News: Eva Marie and Nia Jax may be forming the oddest pairing in wrestling history.
— The match between Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin never got started.
It is time for NXT and it is time for the Perfect 10! Tye Dillinger to kick things off this week in singles competition. I hope Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins are sitting somewhere, realize that Tye Dillinger is not better off once he broke up with Jason Jordan and find a way to keep the team together. Baron Corbin was introduced as from Kansas City. I don’t know if he has always been announced from Kansas City, but it doesn’t sound appropriate.
Before the match could even start Apollo Crews ran in and attacked Baron! Crews is quite upset that Corbin cost him the championship last week and tore apart Baron! Corbin tried to make a comeback, but Apollo tore him apart and Corbin fled.
It’s time for a nice, random, 6-person tag team match. Bayley got a healthy reaction coming out, but not quite the same level she had a month ago. It didn’t help that the Hype Bros got some pity applause, which is at least better than silence. It’s hard to believe that it was almost a year ago when Blake and Murphy were the designated jobber tag team on NXT.
Just as the match began a fire got lit under the butts of the audience as they got very loud in their chants for the babyfaces. The babyfaces ran wild for quite a while until the heels cut off Zack Ryder and got the heat. Mojo got the hot tag and went crazy on both Blake and Murphy. He had the match won, but Alexa broke up the pin, so Bayley attacked her. Alexa then stole the NXT Women’s Championship and ran off with it. Blake and Murphy tried cheating and using the ropes for leverage, but Bayley kicked their hands apart. Murphy had a problem with this, so Bayley gave him the Bayley to Belly and the faces won with the Assisted Rough Ryder.
-The Ascension were backstage and accepted Jason Jordan & Chad Gable’s challenge to a tag team match.
-Nia Jax was walking backstage when Eva Marie walked up and pulled her aside for a meeting.
-They showed the cover of Weekly Pro Wrestling in Japan, which had Asuka on the cover.
-Apollo Crews cut a promo and was quite irate about what happened. He wants to get his hands on Baron Corbin and vows to break him.
— Nia Jax destroyed Deonna
Deonna is one of those girls that looks exactly the same, so they are completely interchangeable. You could tell me it’s the same girl every single week doing jobs with different names and I would believe you. Nia Jax got to NXT for the third time in six weeks after being unable to find the arena for 2 months.
Nia destroyed Deonna with a bodyslam into a Samoan Drop, which would make a much better finisher than her actual finisher. Deonna then got destroyed with a corner splash and a running hip attack before being beaten with the standing spinebuster and legdrop. Seriously why does Nia Jax use set up moves that are much cooler than her actual finish?
During the commercial break, I assume someone came out with a shovel to get Deonna off the mat.
-Next week: Nia Jax vs Carmella. Poor Carmella.
-They made note of the neck surgery of Mr. Regal. I hope he gets better.
-Bayley caught up with Alexa Bliss, who was taking photos with her championship. Alexa ran away, so Bayley got her belt back. However when Bayley left the area she walked into Nia Jax. Nia just stared at her, which gave Alexa the chance to attack Bayley from behind and lay her out!
Alexa bent over to take the championship, but instead Nia picked it up. Alexa ran away and Nia…dropped the belt on Bayley and walked away smiling.
— Dash & Dawson became the 8th NXT Tag Team Champions by defeating The Vaudevillians.
To be fair, Dash & Dawson is either the 8th or 9th Tag Team Champions depending on if you consider Adrian Neville & Bo Dallas a different title reign than Neville & Oliver Grey. What happened was Grey got injured (credited to the Wyatt Family) and Bo took over as champion for about 2 weeks, before they lost the belts. This was also only the second title change on a “normal” NXT show since the Network started.
So about two weeks ago I was reading the results of an NXT house show and it not only listed Samoa Joe as a heel, but Dash & Dawson as champions. Since this was before this match was even booked I was all “What the what is this person talking about?”
The challengers scored an upset win in the 2nd round of the Dusty Rhodes Classic back in September and they were poised to win 2 in a row. They got the heat on Aiden English by working on the knee, including slamming the knee into the ring post.
English went to the Ricky Steamboat School where he kept doing something to show he was still in it, but he just couldn’t drag himself to the corner for the tag. Dawson hit a really nice Slingshot Suplex, but it was just for a 2 count. Somewhere Tully Blanchard is smiling.
Gotch got the hot tag and went all gentlemanly on his foes. He made the foolish move of tagging English in too quickly, but Aiden got chop blocked and sending Gotch out of the ring and into the steps. Dash & Dawson Pillmanized Aiden’s knee just without a chair. Finally Gotch slapped on a kneebar. Aiden scratched and clawed to get to the ropes….but he just couldn’t get there and he had to tap out!
The kings are dead! Long live the new kings of NXT!
-After a commercial break. Dash & Dawson cut a promo saying they have been fighting for this for 12 years. Interesting since they have been teammates for barely a year.
-Next week is the Jordan & Gable vs The Ascension match, as is Bayley vs Alexa for the Women’s Championship.
-The actual main event of the show was a Samoa Joe promo!
Last week, Joe appeared to make the save for Finn Balor, but instead he stabbed the NXT Champion in the back! Joe said that he did things like a man. He had earned a title match for being undefeated for 3 months, but instead of going for the belt, he agreed to be Finn Balor’s partner in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Joe proved he was a man of action by destroying the competition by winning the tournament.
Joe then asked for a title match and he was insulted by being put in a battle royal. Finn had agreed to the match, but allowed Mr. Regal to make a battle royal and, thus, put no action behind his words. Samoa Joe stated that when he entered NXT he was such a star that he should have been automatically given a title shot.
This brought out Finn Balor and a bunch of referees. The refs kept them apart until Joe literally threw one of the referees into Finn and in the confusion Joe got through and choked Finn out with the Koquina Clutch. Joe dropped the NXT Championship belt on his foe before walking out.
That does it from NXT — another good show on the way to London. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
There’s never a good time for a champion to go down, but the knee injury to WWE champion Seth Rollins (Colby Lopez, 29) on the first night of the company’s European tour exposed just how little depth the company has on top.
With Daniel Bryan out due to concussion issues, Randy Orton out due to shoulder surgery and John Cena on sabbatical, believed to be hosting a network reality television show, the company, on one of its biggest house show tours of the year, was left with one star babyface–Roman Reigns, and with Kevin Owens as the closest thing to a main star heel.
Rollins was wrestling Kane for the WWE title in the main event on 11/4 in Dublin. Rollins did a spot where he came off the top rope with a sunset flip that was to continue into power bombing Kane off the top rope through a table. However, on landing, Rollins’s right knee gave out and he collapsed. He did get up and followed by power bombing Kane through the table, and finished the match, winning with a pedigree.
He was diagnosed with a torn ACL, a torn MCL and a torn medial meniscus. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery on 11/10, performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas of the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, in Birmingham, AL. He’s expected out of action for six to nine months, putting him out of WrestleMania and making SummerSlam 2016 as a likely return period.
– Night begins with guest General Manager Ric Flair. Crowd predictably went nuts for Flair.
– WWE Tag Team Titles Elimination Match: New Day def Dudleys, New Day, and Prime Time Players
Prime Time eliminated first. New Day win with a pin on Devon. Very little actual wrestling. Poor match. Woods put through a table with a power bomb after the win.
– Zack Ryder def. The Miz
Ryder gets the pin in uneventful match.
– Sheamus def. Cesaro
Good reactions for both. Sheamus wins with brogue kick in an entertaining match.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Paige vs. Alicia Fox
Charlotte made Fox tap out to retain title. Paige was noteworthy for generating good heat with crowd.
– Kane def. Big Show in a no-DQ match
Kane wins by chokeslam through a table after Show tried coming off the turnbuckle.
– Curtis Axel def. Bo Dallas
Axel pins Dallas in less than a minute. Dallas protests he wasn’t ready, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers. After some stalling and a pointless dance-off, Truth pins Dallas in the less than a minute. Crowd less than impressed.
– Dolph Ziggler def. Tyler Breeze with Summer Rae
Decent match with quite a few back and forth pin attempts. Summer Rae banished from ringside by referee. Ziggler gets pin with a superkick.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
Decent enough match. Owens gets himself disqualified with a chair shot. Attacks Ambrose with chair after the bell. Ziggler runs in and makes the save, Sheamus comes in attacks Ziggler. Cesaro runs in and gets Sheamus with Cesaro Swing, New Day run in to attack Cesaro, closely followed by Dudleys who join the melee. Dudleys, Ambrose and Cesaro corner Owens and Ambrose exacts revenge.
Finn Balor beat Viktor of the Ascension. Good match. Balor also cleaned house on Conor at ringside. Fans knew who Balor was and popped big for him. They also loudly chanted NXT.
WWE Main Event —
– Jack Swagger beat Adam Rose with the ankle lock. Before the match, Rose cut a promo blaming all the fans for nearly killing his career, by making him believe the Exotic Express gimmick was a good idea.
– Damian Sandow beat Heath Slater
– Sasha Banks beat Becky Lynch with the Banks Statement. Okay match.
WWE Smackdown —
— It opened with a Wyatt Family promo. Bray challenged the Undertaker & Kane to a 2-on-2 match at the Survivor Series, with Bray’s two being any of his choosing. He demanded an answer by the end of the night.
— Braun Strowman squashed Fandango, defeating him with his sleeper finisher in 90 seconds.
— Neville beat King Barrett in a WWE title tournament match. Good match. Neville had some great spots, including walking the ringside barricade and doing a somersault senton on to Barrett. Neville win with the Red Arrow.
— Next came a dark segment, just for the fans in arena. This was the highlight of the show. Barrett remained in the ring and said the last 48 hours had not gone to plan. He said he normally would’ve beat Neville without breaking a sweat but had Wayne Rooney on his mind. He said he will go to Stamford to see Vince at the end of the week and implore him never to return to Manchester ever again. Undertaker came out to a huge reaction. He did his big entrance and entered the ring. Barrett was hilarious here. He said, to much crowd laughter, “Can I help you mate? Are you lost? You’re not in Death Valley now you know, you’re in the mean streets of north west England. You’re on the wrong side of the tracks mate. They don’t call me the Preston Panther for nothing! I’m sick of outsiders coming into my yard. You’re not even worth my time!” Barrett went up walk out, then attacked Taker. Taker then laid him out with a choke slam & two Tombstones. This was all great.
— Kalisto beat Ryback in an upset in the WWE title tournament. Surprisingly decent match. Kalisto used Ryback as a base to do all his flying around. Crowd popped big for the upset.
— Alberto Del Rio & Zeb Colter did a promo. Usual stuff about the English being hated and how Manchester had two soccer teams that divided the city, and it would be better if we were all ‘united in humanity’.
– WWE U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio beat Stardust in the WWE title tournament. Not much heat, given it was heel vs heel. Del Rio won after a double foot stomp on Stardust in the corner.
— Roman Reigns did a backstage promo, vowing to beat Cesaro in the quarter finals next week on Raw and then win the title at Survivor Series. He once again said he wasn’t interested in shortcuts or selling out.
— In the main event, the Usos beat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan via DQ, when Bray Wyatt & Strowman interfered.
— The Undertaker’s music played, and then audio of Taker’s voice played over the PA system, accepting Wyatt’s challenge for the Survivor Series.
Post-Show —
– After the show, in a dark main event, Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt in a short match. This was an abridged version of their Liverpool house show match a few days ago. They exchanged Kendo stick shots and Reigns won with a spear.
– Overall, a fun show. Nothing outstanding or spectacular but everyone went home happy. The Barrett/Undertaker exchange was the highlight of the show. I think with Reigns continually vowing not to sellout or take a shortcut, I really think a swerve, with him winning the title with the Authority’s help and turning heel (on Ambrose) would be for the best. That would set up a years worth of programmes – first with Ambrose, then maybe Lesnar at WM32, and perhaps Rollins as a babyface next summer. Throw in a programme with Cena too at some point. Seems the best direction to me.
