Don’t hold your breath given changes are made weekly, but I-C champion Kevin Owens vs. A.J. Styles’ first singles match in WWE (at least the first one being advertised) is on the docket for the March 25th MSG house show in NYC, also billed as Daniel Bryan Appreciation Night.
We incorrectly noted Thursday that the Styles/Owens match would be their first ever. They actually wrestled a singles match in upstate New York a few years ago for the 2CW promotion as well as for the House of Hardcore promotion.
A new lineup was released Thursday for the show with a number of changes from the original lineup. The new main event has Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. WWE Champion HHH & Sheamus. Originally, HHH was going to be in Sheamus’ corner for a singles match with Reigns.
Additionally, two other announced matches are U.S. Champion Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio, and Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt. Additionally, Bryan will be there to address the crowd for his Appreciation Night.
– Air Date: February 25, 2016 (Feb 24 in Canada) – Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
– The Big News:
Unless Chris Jericho is swerving us, he and AJ Styles appear to be headed for a tag title match at WrestleMania. Also, Triple H had some words for Roman Reigns.
– Show Recap:
Triple H came out wearing a suit, holding the WWE Title, to plenty of fake booing. The ring was covered in black carpet and there was a podium for WWE Title so the champion doesn’t have to hold the belt for too long. He quoted the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil,” saying he stole many a man’s soul. (Don’t give me any credit for picking up on the song – he proudly told us the reference.)
Triple H called his beat down of Roman Reigns retribution for Reigns’ attack months ago, and they replayed the video from Raw. He mentioned Reigns’ surgery and showed the “post-surgery” photo on the screen. Triple H called himself the law and rambled on about bowing to authority.
He said he had to step over a lot of people to get where he is, spilling a lot of blood, sweat and tears. He said Reigns has the sweat part of that down, because he does work hard. Triple H then pulled out his wrist tape which was covered in Roman’s blood, so he’s got the blood part down too. Finally, he said he would get Reigns’ tears at WrestleMania, because he’s the king of kings, game of games, etc.
This was pretty boring and the crowd didn’t seem to care. He’s also forgetting that we’ve seen Roman’s tears before. More than once. Mauro Ranallo said there was no timetable for Reigns’ recovery. For a busted nose?
8-Man Tag Match: League of Nations beat Lucha Dragons, Neville & Dolph Ziggler via pinfall
This was only about 8 minutes and was almost all action. Neville really shined here, but Sheamus hit him with a Brogue kick for the win. Wade Barrett finally worked and looked fine.
Renee Young had Kevin Owens backstage because he asked for the time to speak. Owens told her to stop rambling so he could talk. Owens was inspired by Dean Ambrose on Raw and wanted to give Ambrose his rematch for the Intercontinental title. Renee told Owens that Ambrose wasn’t there.
Owens acted surprised, but figured he has the night off since Ambrose is the only one who deserves a title shot since he’s defeated everyone else. Big Show appeared and said Owens hasn’t beaten him. Owens said he’s on the road to KO-Mania, but Show was on the road to retirement. Show grabbed Owens and said maybe he would “K.O. K.O.” (knockout Kevin Owens). This was good.
D-Von Dudley (w/Bubba Ray Dudley) beat Jimmy Uso (w/Jey Uso) via pinfall
Bubba repeated, again, that the Dudleys are not a nostalgia act. D-Von said they’re the best tag-team ever, and Bubba told the fans to shove it. Jimmy Uso hit a superkick almost immediately and went to the top rope. Bubba grabbed a table so Jey chased after him. As the referee stopped Jey, Bubba tripped Jimmy off the top rope. D-Von clumsily picked Jimmy up to his feet just so he could pull him back down with a school boy for the very quick win. This was lame.
They aired a video package for the Shane McMahon angle, and announced the return of Undertaker to Raw in Nashville.
Backstage, Chris Jericho (wearing an Usos t-shirt) told AJ Styles, again, that he didn’t like him at first, but he does now, and they even became a team on Raw. Jericho said he’s been WWE Tag-Team champion five times with five different guys. He called the New Day clowns and said beating them tonight could get them a title shot and lead to a WrestleMania moment for Styles.
Styles said that’s why he came here, to be in a meaningless match the best. Styles said they needed a partner tonight for the six-man. Jericho asked if he got Funaki’s number while he was in Japan. Mark Henry showed up and thought WSM should join Y2AJ. That’s what he said.
Henry doesn’t like New Day either and firmly shook Jericho’s hand. Jericho was in pain and comically asked him to lighten up on the handshake. Henry didn’t like Jericho joking around like New Day. Jericho got in his face and said it would be an honour to have a former world champion on their team. Henry agreed, let go of Jericho’s hand, smacked Styles on the chest, and left. The stuff with Jericho and Henry was good, but Styles felt a little out of place.
Non-title: I.C. Champion Kevin Owens beat Big Show via countout
Owens looked small next to Big Show, which was quite a visual. Owens got some offense but it didn’t have much of an effect on Show, who followed with a chokeslam. Show tried to do a chokeslam off the top, but Owens slipped out and crotched him on the rope. Show fell to the outside and referee Mike Chioda did the fastest 10-count ever for the countout. The match was only 4 minutes long. Regardless of how Owens won, this should eliminate Show from title contention. (It won’t.)
Becky Lynch NC Natalya
Ranallo and Byron Saxton talked about Natalya and Lynch, but Jerry Lawler wanted to talk about Charlotte, to which Ranallo responded, “She’s not involved in the match, King. I like to focus on the action in the ring.” After about 2 minutes, Natalya hit a German suplex, sending Lynch to the outside. At this point, Naomi and Tamina ran out and attacked Natalya for the DQ/no contest.
Sasha Banks made the save, and she cleared the ring with help from Lynch. Charlotte came out and announced that the Lynch vs. Banks match for the number one contendership will be this Monday, and she will be at ringside. Natalya disappeared and was totally forgotten about. This sucked.
R-Truth beat Heath Slater (w/Social Outcasts) via pinfall
Truth came out alone, but Goldust came out as soon as the bell rang. He told Truth he just wanted to watch from ringside, and fans chanted “Golden Truth.” The Social Outcasts tried to interfere, but the distraction allowed Goldust to smack Slater, allowing Truth to use a backslide for the win. Truth was pleased and was smiling until Goldust winked at him. This was… fine, but it was another crap finish and another short match.
They aired a long video package for the Brock Lesnar/Dean Ambrose stuff from Raw, and officially announced their No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania.
New Day came out. Big E questioned Mark Henry’s claim as world’s strongest man, and Kofi Kingston wondered how he can still call himself that. They cackled like hyenas. And then they kept cackling. Kingston said there was someone in the ring who was stronger than Henry – Xavier Woods.
Woods said Jericho and Styles aren’t a real team. New Day travel together, they eat together, they take baths together. Big E and Kingston acted alarmed, and then they quickly chanted New Day rocks. Like most New Day segments, there was some funny stuff in here, but a lot of unfunny stuff too.
6-Man Tag Match: AJ Styles, Chris Jericho & Mark Henry beat The New Day via submission
Mark Henry came out last, if that sort of thing matters to you. The good guys sent New Day to the outside, so Mark Henry did Big E’s hip swivel dance. Jericho decided to join him and did a dance of his own… and so did AJ Styles. Yes, Styles danced. It was something else.
After a break, New Day gained the heat on Jericho. There was a nice spot where Kingston hit a seated Jericho with a kick, Woods followed with a low dropkick, then he and Big E hit a combination leg drop and splash. Jericho came back with an enziguri and made the hot tag to Styles, who hit Woods with a clothesline, forearm and springboard moonsault inverted DDT.
Kingston took out Mark Henry with a Trouble in Paradise. He almost got Styles with one too, but Jericho pushed Styles out of the way and ate Kingston’s kick instead. Styles clotheslined Kingston and applied the Calf Crusher on Woods, who tapped out immediately. Good match. The announcers played up Jericho saving Styles from Kingston’s kick.
– Final Thoughts:
Despite a fun opener and main event, this was probably the worst Smackdown since they switched networks. The Triple H promo was terribly uninteresting, and the middle of the show was pretty dreadful, full of short matches and bad finishes. Sometimes when they shoot a big angle on Raw, they seem to have no immediate plan beyond that show, and Smackdown tends to suffer as a result.
For this week’s show from Indianapolis, airing in Canada on Wednesday and in the U.S. on Thursday:
– WWE Champion HHH came out to significant cheers. There was a podium with the title belt. They played the Reigns injury angle from RAW, and said he’d beat Reigns at WrestleMania.
Sheamus & Wade Barrett & Rusev & Alberto Del Rio beat Kalisto & Sin Cara & Neville & Dolph Ziggler
Barrett wrestled for the first time in months. Sheamus pinned Neville with the Brogue kick.
– Kevin Owens was being interviewed by Renee Young. He offered Dean Ambrose an I-C title rematch tonight. The idea was it was a grandstand challenge since Ambrose was “injured” from the Lesnar angle. Owens said that he wanted to wrestle Ambrose, but if he’s not there, he’s taking the night off. Big Show came out. This set up a title match for later in the show.
– Devon Dudley beat Jimmy Uso quickly with a roll-up.
– They did a video where they announced that Undertaker would be at Raw on Monday night in Nashville.
– They aired a Godfather Hall of Fame video.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens beat Big Show via countout
The finish came when Show was crotched on the top rope, fell to the floor, and couldn’t get back in the ring. Owens grabbed his belt and left as quick as he could before Show recovered.
Becky Lynch NC Natalya when Naomi and Tamina attacked both of them
Sasha Banks made the save. Charlotte came out and said the Lynch vs. Banks match for the title shot at WrestleMania will be on Raw on Monday night.
R-Truth beat Heath Slater
The finish saw Goldust punch Slater behind the ref’s back. R-Truth didn’t see it either, but when he saw it on the replay, he got mad at Goldust.
– New Day did an interview prior to the main event.
A.J. Styles & Chris Jericho & Mark Henry beat WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E/Kofi/Xavier Woods)
Styles made Woods tap to the calf crusher. There was a spot where Jericho jumped in the way of a kick by Kingston aimed at Styles and Jericho sold it big.
– Notes from tonight’s tapings:
They announced that Night of Champions would be taking place at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on 9/25 with the code WWEPRE for pre-sale tickets.
– Air Date: February 11, 2016 (Feb 10 in Canada) – Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR
– The Big News:
Chris Jericho beat AJ Styles in a great match.
– Show Recap:
No fireworks to start Smackdown this week, unless you count Chris Jericho’s entrance. Jericho said he respects AJ Styles but doesn’t like him after Styles punched him in the face on Raw. Jericho wondered who would call themselves phenomenal on their very first night, which has to be a reference to his own WWE debut. Jericho recalled having one his best matches in this building in Portland – the World Title ladder match with Shawn Michaels. Finally, he called out Styles for their match. The crowd liked Jericho but booed when he put down Styles.
Chris Jericho NC AJ Styles
The bell rang but the Social Outcasts, minus Bo Dallas, came out immediately. Heath Slater said Dallas was still making his rap album. Adam Rose did some bad comedy, called the team the “Social Housecats” and made cat noises. Axel wanted the two of them to be called “Axel Rose.” They all bickered until Jericho called them idiots and told them to shut up. He punched Slater with the mic and the Outcasts bailed. Jericho said he and Styles would still wrestle later, but right now they’re teaming up.
Chris Jericho & AJ Styles beat Curtis Axel & Adam Rose (w/Heath Slater) via pinfall
The story early on was Jericho and Styles took turns doing moves on Axel. Jericho hit a delayed vertical suplex, so Styles hit a snap suplex. Styles hit a chop, so Jericho hit a chop. They got into an argument in the ring however, allowing Rose to knock down Styles for the heat.
Styles came back quickly with a Pele kick and strikes. He made the hot tag to Jericho, who hit a double axe handle and Lionsault. Styles tagged himself in and hit a springboard forearm for the pinfall win on Rose. Jericho smirked as he stared down Styles. The referee raised their hands, but Jericho nailed Styles with a Codebreaker. The crowd booed.
I initially didn’t like the opening segment because you could smell angle as soon as Jericho came out for what advertised as the main event. However, the match told a story and it was good by the end. This was probably done to stretch things out thanks to a light crew at Smackdown, but they made the most of it.
The announcers talked about Daniel Bryan. Jerry Lawler said it felt like Bryan was only around a short time but it was unforgettable. Mauro Ranallo said there wasn’t a dry eye in the building on Raw. They showed tweets from Brie Bella, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. They also announced Bryan would be thanking the fans tonight. Anyone who watches Smackdown regularly would realize this meant they’d be showing a replay from Raw, but I could see more casual viewers thinking this meant Bryan would be there live.
They announced Brock Lesnar would be on Smackdown next week.
The Dudley Boyz came out in street clothes with tables surrounding the ring. Bubba said they made a statement on Raw, but it seemed like people only want to hear about Daniel Bryan. The crowd cheered and chanted Yes. Bubba said they’re sick of hearing about Bryan and sick about a lot of things around here. D-Von said they’re not nostalgia act, they’re the baddest team around.
Bubba told the crowd to take a good look at the tables because it’s the last time we’re going to see them. He called for some stagehands to take the tables away. Bubba wanted the fans to chant for them, not the tables. “What about us? What about the Dudley Boyz?” There was one table left, so Bubba and D-Von folded it up nicely and took it away. This was good.
Sasha Banks beat Naomi (w/Tamina) via submission
Becky Lynch did commentary. The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Sasha” and they went to commercial two minutes into the match. Naomi got the heat after yanking Banks off the apron and she landed back-first against the edge of the ring. Yikes. Banks made her comeback but was tripped by Tamina with the referee distracted. Naomi followed with a leg scissors driver for a near fall.
Tamina and Lynch brawled on the outside. Naomi missed a split-legged moonsault, allowing Banks to go out and knock down Tamina with a big boot. Naomi tried a roll up as Banks reentered the ring, but Banks reversed into a crossface for the win. This was good, and Banks in particular came off really well. Not only did the interference not work, but she took out Tamina and still won the match.
Backstage, Styles told Jo-Jo he might be a redneck, but he’s no rookie. He called Jericho one of the best in the world, and knows what he’s trying to do, but Styles would show Jericho tonight why he’s the Phenomenal One.
Bray Wyatt and his friends came out for a promo. Bray said men got sent into battle but never returned. He’s the king of gods. Each Wyatt member was given a line, including Braun Strowman saying the earth will shake and the oceans will boil. That’s bad. Bray said the apocalypse is all around us and the war against our gods has just begun.
6-Man Tag Match: Neville & Lucha Dragons beat Stardust & The Ascension via pinfall
This match was like 3 minutes, and consisted mostly of the babyfaces doing their high spots. The bad guys attacked the good guys before the match started, allowing them to get the heat on Neville immediately. Neville quickly made a hot tag to Kalisto who ran wild on the Ascension. Ranallo confused Konnor and Viktor so Saxton had to correct him. Kalisto hit Konnor with Salida Del Sol, Sin Cara followed with a senton, and Neville finished it off with Red Arrow for the win. It was a fun 3 minutes.
They showed more tweets about Daniel Bryan, this time from Becky Lynch, Christian, Jerry Lawler and Stephanie McMahon. They aired a video package of his speech from Raw and spliced it together with his career highlights, as well as the roster doing the Yes chant. They came back to the Smackdown audience doing the Yes chant. Lawler said Bryan’s announcement was the most emotional moment he’s ever seen in wrestling.
Chris Jericho beat AJ Styles via pinfall
Ranallo put this over as a classic battle and the match started with loud dueling chants. Ranallo put over Styles’ past accomplishments, calling him a former IWGP Champion and NWA Heavyweight Champion. They went back and forth early, but Jericho cut off Styles with his springboard dropkick and they went to commercial. During the break, Jericho launched Styles shoulder-first into the barricade.
Jericho very briefly had the heat after the break, but this was mostly a back and forth match. Jericho used a backbreaker and tried the Walls, but Styles countered with strikes. Jericho hit an enziguri and went to the top, but Styles caught him with a dropkick. They traded strikes and Jericho hit a Lionsault for a near fall.
Styles hit a neckbreaker and went for the Styles Clash but Jericho reversed it into a Walls. Styles crawled towards the ropes but Jericho pulled him to the middle of the ring. Styles countered into the Calf Crusher. Jericho was about to tap out but was able to grab the bottom rope. “This is awesome” chants broke out.
Styles dropkicked Jericho to the outside and followed with a flying forearm. There were more dueling chants, but the Styles chants seemed louder. Styles tried for another springboard move, but Jericho tripped him off the rope. Jericho then whipped Styles into the corner and nailed a Codebreaker for the clean win. Great match, which went about 17-18 minutes.
They plugged Lesnar on Smackdown next week one more time to end the show.
– Final Thoughts:
I cringed when I heard Smackdown would have a skeleton crew, but they still pulled off a good show considering. The main event was excellent. I don’t agree with the finish, but we know how this goes.
Also, for whatever reason, this was a much hotter Smackdown crowd than usual.
– AJ Styles b The Miz by submission with the calf crusher. AJ was super over.
– Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady (w/ Carmella) b The Ascension. Seemed like most of the crowd knew Enzo and Cass.
– Jack Swagger b Curtis Axel by submission with the Patriot Lock.
– The Lucha Dragons b Los Matadores. I guess Sin Cara is healthy again.
– Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) b Rusev (w/ Lana) in a short match.
– Divas Champion Charlotte b Becky Lynch to retain in the only title match on the card. Solid work from these two. With the referee distracted, Charlotte poked Becky in the eye and pinned her with a handful of tights. Daddy would be proud.
– Ryback & The Usos b WWE Tag Champions The New Day (w/ Francesca II) in a six-man.
– Roman Reigns b Alberto del Rio. Pretty good, easily the longest match of the night. Del Rio pulled out a table during the match but they never used it.
– Air Date: February 4, 2016 (Feb 3 in Canada) – Location: FedExForum in Memphis, TN
– The Big News:
Chris Jericho and A.J. Styles will have a rematch next week on Smackdown. Also, the main event actually had a real finish, but not before some tension between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.
– Show Recap:
Roman Reigns beat Rusev (w/Alberto Del Rio & King Barrett) via DQ
Less than 3 minutes into the match, Del Rio and Barrett pulled Reigns out of the ring and tossed him into the barricade for a DQ. Ambrose immediately ran out and attacked Rusev. He tried a diving elbow on Barrett and Del Rio but they moved and he nailed Reigns instead.
Ambrose was stunned, so Barrett grabbed him and Del Rio hit a superkick. They dragged him in the ring and Rusev applied the Accolade, but Reigns jumped in the ring with a chair and the League of Nations bailed. Lawler accused Ambrose of intentionally attacking Reigns, but Reigns very obviously did not see it that way. After a break, they announced a tag match with these men for the main event.
Backstage, Renee Young asked Ambrose if his attack on Reigns was a preview of Fastlane. Ambrose said it was an accident, because sometimes he gets wild. He added, “Trust me, when I come after Roman, he’ll know it.” Ambrose finished by saying they’d be on the same page tonight.
U.S. Champion Kalisto beat Kevin Owens via pinfall in a non-title match
In an inset promo, Kalisto said he’s fighting for himself, the legacy of the title and the honour of the fight. Dolph Ziggler did commentary. This was a good match. Owens took Kalisto to the outside and bounced him off the barricade. He cleared the table and set up for a powerbomb, but actually powerbombed Kalisto into Ziggler.
Owens then superkicked Ziggler, and took Kalisto back in the ring. Ziggler miraculously popped up to distract Owens, so Kalisto applied a school boy for the pinfall win. Owens knocked Kalisto down from behind but bailed as soon as Ziggler jumped in the ring.
Owens powerbombing Kalisto into Ziggler was the funniest thing on Smackdown in a while, but it was sort of meaningless considering he lost anyway and Ziggler was totally fine afterwards. Still, Owens was great here and he acted distraught afterwards because of the loss.
Backstage, Jo-Jo interviewed The Miz, who said everything he always says. I was distracted by the “Smackdown” sign behind Miz, because it had a sizable rip along the bottom. Do they only have one “Smackdown” sign?
Ryback beat Erick Rowan (w/Braun Strowman) via pinfall
Ryback has new gear, and yes, he’s basically dressed like Goldberg – plain black trunks, gloves, kneepads and boots. Strowman tried a distraction, but Ryback tossed Rowan into him to knock him off the apron. Ryback followed with a meat hook clothesline on Rowan for the win. Strowman clumsily pushed Ryback out of the ring and he slowly backed down the aisle as they all stared at each other.
They showed some members of the Memphis Grizzlies in attendance, including Vince Carter.
Backstage, Renee asked Becky Lynch why she would help Sasha Banks who is after the same title as her. Before Lynch could explain, Banks jumped in and said if she saw Lynch on fire, she wouldn’t help. They bickered back and forth until they sort of begrudgingly agreed to help each other to take out Team B.A.D. before moving on to Charlotte. Renee was confused.
They announced Brock Lesnar for Raw in Seattle this Monday.
A.J. Styles beat The Miz via submission
Chris Jericho joined commentary and was very good. Byron Saxton wasted no time in reminding Jericho that he lost to Styles on Raw, and Jericho and threatened to slap him. Jericho said Styles came into WWE the same way as him, completely on his own with no friends. Lawler repeated Miz’s “redneck rookie” line, and Jericho said he’s not a rookie and accused Miz and Lawler of having ego problems.
Styles won with a Calf crusher (that’s what they called it) in a good match. I’d complain about Miz getting too much offense, but Styles kicked out of most of his pinfall attempts at a one count.
After the match, Jericho went in the ring and said everybody knows Styles is good, otherwise he never would’ve gotten to WWE or beaten him. Jericho said Styles was good, but wondered if he was great. Jericho has been lying awake at night thinking about it, wondering if Styles could beat him again, so Jericho challenged him to a rematch on Smackdown next week. Styles shook Jericho’s hand and brought him in close, telling him “I’m better than great. I’m phenomenal, Chris, and you’re going to find out – again.” This was good, and the crowd was into A.J.
Backstage, Reigns told Jo-Jo that he and Ambrose are never really on the same page, because Ambrose is crazy, but that’s what he likes about him – they’re different. He said what happens in Fastlane will be no accident, but tonight they’ll fight together.
WWE Tag Team Champion The New Day beat Social Outcasts via pinfall in a six-man tag
New Day did a promo about how great it is having gold. The Social Outcasts interrupted and Adam Rose informed New Day that the tag titles were bronze, not gold. Rose said they would take the bronze off their wastes. New Day told him not to touch their wastes. They did some more “comedy” and then the match started.
The end of the match was a bit of a mess, but I did like the finish. Axel tried to win with his feet on the middle rope, but Woods knocked him off. Kingston then rolled up Axel and put his feet on the middle rope for the pinfall win.
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) beat Alicia Fox (w/Brie Bella) via submission in a non-title match
As soon as the match started, I wondered if they would do the double big boot spot, and they did. That led to a comeback by Fox, which the crowd didn’t care about. Charlotte hit a “chop block” and applied the Figure Eight for the submission win. Match was about 4 minutes.
Another “comedy” segment with Goldust and R-Truth. Truth was at the hotel and Goldust showed up dressed as a barhop. Some stuff happened and then it was over. Goldust should seek out El Dandy. He’s a great wrestler.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns beat Rusev & Alberto Del Rio via pinfall
Lawler mentioned all night that we would see Ambrose and Reigns implode tonight. That led to the key spot in this match. Reigns made a hot tag and ran wild, but was taken outside the ring by Del Rio. Ambrose went for a suicide dive, but Del Rio moved, and Ambrose went right into Reigns. However, they didn’t collide because Reigns caught him.
Reigns looked annoyed and asked Ambrose what he was doing. Rusev tried to jump Ambrose, so Reigns hit him with a superman punch, shoved him back in the ring and hit a spear for the win. Afterwards, Reigns and Ambrose got along just fine and chuckled about what happened.
As the show ended, they plugged A.J. Styles vs. Chris Jericho for next week.
– Final Thoughts:
This show was a mixed bag. The main stuff was good, but it really dragged after the Styles match. I am glad they pushed a big match for next week and we finally had a main event end with a real finish.
We’re looking for reports from tonight’s NXT show in Memphis at Dave Meltzer
For anyone thinking of going to WrestleMania in Dallas, there are still a few spots open for the web site’s Friday night dinner before the NXT and ROH shows at Texas de Brazil in Dallas, and for the bus to WrestleMania on Sunday. Anyone interested, please contact Ed Loredo at f4wfan@hotmai.com
Smackdown at 8 p.m. tonight is from Memphis
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev
Kalisto vs. Kevin Owens non-title
Ryback vs. Erick Rowan
A.J. Styles vs. The Miz
The Social Outcasts vs. The New Day
Charlotte vs Alicia Fox non-title
Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Rusev & Alberto Del Rio
WWE has a full schedule for events this weekend. We’ll be looking for reports on Friday from the WWE house show in Calgary (Kane vs. Bray Wyatt plus Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Dudleys, Paige and Natalya) and NXT shows in Nashville and Lakeland, FL.
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING AT 9 P.M. FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV
CMLL LIVE FROM ARENA MEXICO ON FRIDAY NIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN AT www.ClaroSports.com
LEGACY FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS ON FRIDAY NIGHT IN HINCKLEY, MINN. ON AXS TV AT 10 P.M. EASTERN
R’Mandell Cameron vs. Derek Getzel
Kuchlong Kuchlong vs Nate Richardson
Chase Waldon vs. Justin Winkels-Comparetto
Antonio Trocoli vs. Jacob Volkmann
Brock Larson vs. Travis Coyle
Ricardo Lucas Ramos vs. Manuel Vazquez for the vacant bantamweight title
Saturday has WWE shows in San Jose (Roman Reigns vs. Rusev, Brock Lesnar vs. Alberto Del Rio plus A.J. Styles, New Day, Usos and Big Show), Penticiton, BC (Kane vs. Bray Wyatt plus Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Dudleys, Paige and Natalya) and NXT shows in Indianapolis and Bartow, FL. ROH will be doing a major TV taping in Nashville at the Municipal Auditorium on Saturday night featuring the semifinals and finals of the Top Prospect tournament, a seven team gauntlet for a future tag team title shot with Young Bucks, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly, Trent Baretta & Rocky Romero and four other teams, Briscoes vs. ACH & Alex Shelley, Dalton Castle vs Christopher Daniels, Adam Cole vs. Matt Sydal plus Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong, War Machine, Frankie Kazarian, Cedric Alexander, Moose, B.J. Whitmer, Adam Page, Caprice Coleman, Will Ferrera, Cheeseburger, ODB Amber Gallows, Mandy Leon, Veda Scott, Taeler Hendrix, Kelly Klein, Hania the Huntress and Sumie Sakai.
UFC ON SATURDAY NIGHT ON FS 1 FROM THE MGM GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern
Arten Lobov vs. Alex White
Mike Jackson vs. Mickey Gall – winner to face C.M. Punk in June
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Noad Lahat vs. Diego Rivas
Ray Borg vs. Justin Scoggins
Damian Grabowski vs. Derrick Lewis
K.J. Noons vs. Josh Burkman
Mike Pyle vs. Sean Spencer
Misha Cirkunov vs. Alex Nicholson
Joseph Benavidez vs. Zach Makovsky
Rafael Feijao Cavalcante vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Jared Rosholt vs. Roy Nelson
Johny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson
WWE has only one show on Sunday, from Abbotsford, BC (Roman Reigns vs. Rusev).
Raw will be Monday in Seattle. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are scheduled on the show.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Portland, OR. Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles is on the show.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
The new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter looks at Bret Hart’s battle with cancer, his discussions about it, and updates on the situation. The most detailed coverage of the last month of Lucha Underground’s second season, backstage news, season three, lots of business notes. Full coverage of all the Ultima Lucha 2 matches and direction. Nakamura’s final day with NJPW, where Nakamura and New Japan go now, his background and building the IC title, the next two New Japan PPV shows to this weekend’s biggest event.
Fast Lane and WrestleMania, what’s up with Undertaker, WWE injury updates, the next WWE Network special, Licensing issue with new WWE signees, notes on the next NXT Takeover show, a look at all the TV building the next Takeover show, who led to a huge increase in demand for WWE tickets, next WWE show in Madison Square Garden update, Nakamura updates, WWE performer wants to compete in the Olympics and what former pro wrestler went back to the Olympics to medal, Lesnar’s schedule, Tough Enough winner starts out, Other Tough Enough competitors start out, change in Rumble plans, New WWE Network series based on wrestling matches, new WWE movie, WWE’s tour of Germany this coming week, more on The Rock’s segment on Raw.
A detailed look at the Awesome Kong-Reby Hardy situation in Manchester, England. Benson Henderson’s decision to leave UFC for Bellator and take a championship fight, why he made the decision, what both Dana White and Henderson said. We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s last major event and where it’s storylines are going.
A huge look at the life and career of Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie, one of the most memorable wrestling characters of his generation, stories about him, his gimmick, how big a star he was in his heyday, his incredibly long career title history, how he was two very different successful characters, and his most famous angles and biggest bouts. We also have a lot of comments from people who knew him, including how he changed the life and career of J.J. Dillon. The life and career of the original Espectrito, the best heel mini of his generation including when he main evented the Los Angeles Sports Arena, a rarity for a mini.
We also look at Saturday’s UFC , what’s next for the winners, thoughts on Sage Northcutt, as well as business notes on the show and match-by-match coverage.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
We just got the word that Brian Knighton, who wrestled as Axl Rotten, best known as one of the major stars of ECW, passed away today at the age of 44.
Kenath Deawyne Peal, better known as Ken Wayne of The Galaxians and Nightmares tag team in the 80s, pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation charges yesterday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He will serve five years behind bars with the remaining 15 years on post-release supervision. He will also be forced to pay $1,000 to the Mississippi Children’s Trust fund, $1,000 to the Mississippi Crime Victim’s Compensation fund and register as a sex offender. Investigators found numerous photos and video of child pornography in his possession.
A.J. Styles will make his WWE house show debut on Saturday night in San Jose, on the same show as a rare Brock Lesnar house show appearance. He starts full-time on the road next weekend. Bill Behrens, Styles’ agent, officially sent out word that Styles is taking no more independent bookings after having signed with WWE and thanked all the promoters who used him over the past two years.
Davey Richards had his knee examined, he suffured an injury on Sunday in Birmingham, England. There are no details other than the injury was worse than was hoped and he will be out of action for a while. With Davey Richards injured, NSPW champion Marko Estrada will face Chris Hero on Saturday in Quebec City at the Horizon Centre. Franky the Mobster and Dru Onyx are also on the show.
Will Ospreay debuts for Evolve on 4/1 and 4/2 in Dallas over WrestleMania weekend.
WWE
Pat Patterson’s autobiography, called “Pat Patterson: Accepted, How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE will be released in August by ECW Press. Bertand Hebert, who did the great Montreal history book, will be the ghost-writer.
There is a Smackdown ticket pre-sale going on right now for the 4/5 show in Houston, which is the Smackdown right after WrestleMania at the Toyota Center in Houston. It ends at 10 p.m. tonight.
Cesaro is advertised for appearances at next week’s shows in Germany.
WWE announced the payment of its next 12 cent per share dividend will be on 3/25. WWE’s next earnings call will be on Thursday.
WWE stock was up 38 cents per share today to close at $17.01.
Alex Oliveira (14-2-1) was announced as the replacement for Tim Means in the main event of the 2/21 show in Pittsburgh in the battle of the Cowboys against Donald Cerrone. Oliveira replaces Tim Means, who was pulled off the show yesterday due to a potential drug test violation.
Means in a tweet, stated “Never even heard of Ostarine. Look at my physic (sic). Do I look like a steroid user. LOL.” Ostarine is a SARM, not a steroid, but a banned PED.
Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres has been added to the 4/16 FOX UFC event.
UFC also announced these new fights for 4/10 in Zagreb, Croatia
Timothy Johnson vs. Marcin Tybura – heavyweights
Mairbek Taisumov vs. Damir Hadzovic – lightweights
Bojan Velickovic vs. Alessio DiChirico – welterweights
Tybura, Hadzovic, Vlickovic and DiChirico are all making their UFC debuts.
Dana White said that he blew it by allowing Sage Northcutt to fight on Saturday night. “The kid really wanted to fight and I let him fight and he was sick as hell. I blew it.” said White. “I blew that one so bad.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Fubo TV, a sports subscription service which concentrates on soccer coverage, an MVPD which provides a premium bundle of sports and entertainment channels is offering 15 new networks including El Rey, meaning Lucha Underground is available for those who don’t have it available at this point. It streams at www.fubo.tv
Lex Luger has been announced as the recipient of the 2016 Frank Gotch Award at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum inductions on 7/21 to 7/23 in Waterloo, IA. Luger joins myself, Chael Sonnen, J.J. Dillon and Joe Blanchard in being honored that weekend.
Tammy Stych has released an autobiography that came out today called “A Star Shattered: The Rise and Fall of Wrestling Diva Tammy Sunny Sytch” through Riverdale Avenue Books.
Chris Bell, whose brothers were pro wrestlers and is best known for the movie “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” has a movie out now called “Prescription Thugs,” about how pharmaceutical companies and those show have economic ties to the industry are not looking at anyone’s long-term health, but looking at getting us hooked on their products.
Bill Behrens announced bookings for Nick Aldis (TNA Magnus) at SHOWBIS@aol.com, based in Richmond, VA. He also noted that Christopher Daniels, Jay Lethal, and The Young Bucks are no longer available for U.S. or Toronto area bookings but are available in Europe, Mexico and Japan. Others available are Frankie Kazarian, (Los Angeles), Moose (Atlanta), Matt Sydal (Tampa), DDP (Atlanta), Al Snow (Louisville), Scott Hall (Atlanta), Kevin Nash (Daytona Beach), Sean Waltman (Philadelphia) and Tommy Dreamer (New York)
Jamie Yager vs. Greg Parker and Ozzie Alvarez vs. Andrew Ramm have been added to the TV portion of the 2/20 World Series of Fighting show in Garden Grove, CA. The show is headlined by Marlon Moraes (15-4-1) putting his bantamweight title up against Joseph Barajas (12-1) and Timur Valiev (10-1) vs. Chris Gutierrez (8-1-1).
WWN will be doing a seminar and tryout on 3/21 on Long Island and 3/31 in Dallas. This will give wrestlers tools needed to promote themselves, including professionally shot HD footage.
FIP tomorrow night in Ybor City, FL at the Orpheum has a live iPPV at www.wwnlive.com headlined by a death match with Devin & Mason Cutter vs. Reed Bentley & John Wayne Murodch.
In a correction from the Monday update, we listed that on a show in Dyresburg, TN, that Greg Anthony retained the NWA National title over John Saxon, Actually Anthony won the title from Saxon in that match.
Gold Rush Wrestling from Saturday night in Pacifica, CA: Sir Samurai & Corey Kreese b Manny Mars & Ethan White, Will Roberts b Matt Carlos, Synn & Kikyo Nakamura b Dalton Frost & Cowboy Charlie, Virgil Flynn III & Mike Matthews won four-way over Levi Shapiro & Buddy Royal, Johnny Dynamo & Ski Sol and Skye Brothers, Sparky Ballard b Rik Luxury, JR Kratos & Mr. Prime Time b Boyce LeGrande & Marquise Jackson, Boyce LeGrande won Band Slam Cup Battle Royal
Scott Teal announced a new autobiography of former Mid Atlantic wrestler Mark Fleming, a protege of Lou Thesz
National Pro Wrestling Day takes place on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Reading, PA for a free show headlined by Mickie James vs. Kimber Lee.
Cam Newton had a Panthers-style silver Santo mask on Monday night doing media in the Bay Area.
Pro Wrestling Tees now has Pro Wrestling NOAH shirts for sale.
Al Snow headlines for River City Wrestling tomorrow night at Sideliners Grill in San Antonio, facing Paul Titan in the main event.
2/26 in Tijuana at the Auditorio has Alebrije (Kraneo in CMLL) & Charly Manson (Sharlie Rockstar in LLE) & Rey Misterio III vs. Psicosis (the original) & Pakal & Rey Escorpion. The original Octagoncito and Piratita Morgan are in a minis match.
Atlantis, Ultimo Guerrero, Virus and Cavernario headline a 2/20 show in Dallas.
Fenix, Drago and Pentagon Jr are working a Mucha Lucha show on 3/13 in Atlanta.
CMLL on Monday night in Puebla: Asturiano & Black Tiger b Ares & Espiritu Maligno, Rey Apocalipsis & Toro Bill Jr. b Magnus & Metatron, Blue Panther Jr. & Delta & Stigma b Pierroth & Sagrado & Bobby Z, Ephesto & Luciferno & Mephisto b Angel de Oro & Titan & Triton, Rush b Thunder-DQ, Negro Casas & Rey Bucanero & Ultimo Guerrero b Dragon Lee & Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. (thanks to Kris Zellner)
Chaotic Wrestling tomorrow night in Lawrence, MA at the Elks Lodge #65. Tommy Dreamer & Team Friendship face Chase Del Monte & The Logan Brothers in the main event. Hanson from ROH faces Jesse Sorensen on the show.
I was told there is an excellent Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi match at the women’s SeaadLinning show on 1/11.
We’ll start the show this week discussing two men Les has great history with and fond memories of: The Mongolian Stomper Archie Gouldie, and the great Gordon Solie (18:41), whose 87th birthday would’ve been this week. Then we’ll turn our attention to the AJ Styles/Chris Jericho match (36:17) and talk about why Les thinks it was a terrific match that may not be getting the credit he thinks it deserves. We’ll segue into thoughts on the Royal Rumble and Raw (42:01), shed some light on how one of Jim Cornette’s favorite phrases came to be (51:04) and close things out by going into the mailbag (55:06). Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!
– Air Date: January 28, 2016 (Jan 27 in Canada) – Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
The Big News:
A.J. Styles made his Smackdown debut and yet another main event had a crap finish. Oh, and Big Show is a babyface again.
Show Recap:
They aired a video package recapping the finish to the Royal Rumble match and Stephanie McMahon’s announcement of the Fastlane main event. The final shot was of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns staring at each other. They announced a Highlight Reel for tonight with those two men, as well as Kalisto defending his U.S. title against Neville. (I checked WWE.com earlier today and this match was listed as an I.C. title match. It has since been corrected.)
The New Day came out and Mauro Ranallo pretended to forget Byron Saxton’s name. This was a segue to show The Rock’s interaction with New Day and the Usos on Raw. After all the replays and plugs, Smackdown was about 8 minutes old by the time New Day spoke.
They said Rock should feel shame, and despite all of his accomplishments, he doesn’t have gold like they do. Big E could smell what the Rock was cooking – doodoo. That’s what he said. They were interrupted by the Miz, who could feel their pain. Miz said he never gets upstaged, which brought out the Usos. They laughed at Miz for wearing a dress.
Xavier Woods told them not to disrespect Miz because he main evented WrestleMania and has the best mouth in the business. New Day pointed out their numbers advantage, but the Usos were somehow ready for this and brought out Titus O’Neil and Dolph Ziggler to even up the odds. This wasn’t good, and because of the guys involved, just wasn’t that interesting.
The Usos, Titus O’Neil & Dolph Ziggler beat New Day & The Miz via pinfall
They showed a video of O’Neil giving 150 tickets to young students and their families for tonight’s show. Jerry Lawler said Rock embarrassed a lot of people on Raw, including the terrible things he said to Lana.
O’Neil had the match won after a powerslam to Miz, but Kingston and Big E broke up the cover. Usos took them out with superkicks and dives to the outside. Ziggler gave Woods a Zig Zag, superkicked Miz, and O’Neil finished Miz off with Clash of the Titus for the win. The match was about 11 minutes and it was fine. O’Neil went into the crowd and danced with all the families he gave tickets to, which was nice.
They showed a graphic claiming that Raw was the number one show “socially” on Monday. Ok.
U.S. Championship: Kalisto beat Neville via pinfall
They explained on commentary that Alberto Del Rio is owed a title rematch, but Kalisto wants to be a fighting champion and will give Del Rio his rematch whenever he’s ready. Lawler said a luchador being U.S. champion doesn’t sit well with him. Ranallo called him on that statement and Lawler didn’t really have an explanation. Ranallo compared Neville and Kalisto to Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask.
These two could very obviously have a great match, but they weren’t given the time as this match was only about 8 minutes long. They did do some impressive stuff, including Kalisto doing a super hurricanrana. Kalisto won after reversing a German suplex into a Salida Del Sol. I was disappointed this didn’t get more time, and there’s no reason why it didn’t, especially since it was a title match.
That stupid graphic they showed earlier about being the number one show “socially” on Monday? They showed it again. Two segments later.
Chris Jericho came out for the Highlight Reel. He called the Rumble one of the greatest of all time, and even though he lasted 52 minutes, Triple H still came out on top. He also put over his match with A.J. Styles on Raw. He plugged the main event of Fastlane and brought out Ambrose and Reigns (separately). Ambrose brought flowers. Lawler killed Reigns for not being able to win the big one.
Ambrose said Jericho’s set could use some jazzing up which is why he brought flowers. Reigns found a stool to put them on. Jericho was excited for the flowers and said he used to have a much nicer set. This was amusing.
Jericho asked if Fastlane would create any animosity between the two of them. They basically said no. Jericho asked what would happen when the bell rings, and Ambrose said he’ll punch Reigns in the face. They made some light-hearted cracks about what they would do to each other. Jericho moved on and asked about Brock Lesnar.
Ambrose called Lesnar the most destructible force in WWE, but Ambrose called himself indestructible and has no reason to be scared of him. Reigns warned Ambrose about Lesnar, recalling how he got thrown around at Mania. He called Lesnar a beast. Ambrose said he doesn’t have to beat Lesnar, he can just beat Reigns. The crowd gasped. Reigns said it would be the first time, because he’s never done it before. More gasps.
The Wyatts interrupted and talked about putting down Lesnar. Bray ranted and Reigns said they don’t know what he’s talking about. Reigns challenged him to a fight but Bray laughed. Bray instead challenged the three good guys to a 6-man match. He had some reasoning but, you know, it doesn’t matter.
This segment was what it needed to be. Ambrose and Reigns very slightly teased dissension, but with a smirk. The Wyatts interrupting means we’ll have to wait to see more, and that’s fine.
They plugged that A.J. Styles would make his debut next. Perhaps they should’ve mentioned this earlier. After a break, the Social Outcasts said they should’ve been trending after Raw but everyone is talking about Styles. Curtis Axel is mad that Styles finally eliminated him from the Rumble by tossing him out from behind. Axel called him down so the Ax-man can rip him apart. That seems unlikely.
A.J. Styles beat Curtis Axel (w/Social Outcasts) via pinfall
Ranallo put over Styles’ accomplishments but Lawler said what he did before WWE doesn’t matter. The Social Outcasts tried to interfere so Styles knocked Adam Rose off the apron and took out the other two with a dive. Styles sold his back after the dive. Axel went for a Perfect Plex, but Styles countered with a Pele kick and Styles Clash for the pinfall win. Crowd wasn’t exactly hot for this but they did chant for A.J.
Non-title: Divas Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) beat Natalya via submission
Charlotte won in barely 2 minutes. Natalya did an inset promo saying there’s nothing worse than being injured, but you can’t keep down a Hart, and the Queen of Harts was back. Charlotte used a big boot and chops, but Natalya countered with a discus clothesline and German suplex. Natalya had to toss Charlotte back in the ring, so Flair wooed in her face. This gave Charlotte enough time to recover, hit a chop block and apply Figure Eight for the tapout win. Charlotte put the hold on again but Becky Lynch ran out to make the save.
They showed R-Truth in a park, stretching to get ready for a run. Just when you thought they were about to treat Truth like a serious athlete, Goldust showed up in his wrestling gear, with neon green women’s running attire over top. They weren’t even trying to be subtle with Goldust’s comedy. For example, he strained his groin while stretching and told Truth, “I think my groin needs a massage.” Truth left.
Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan & Luke Harper (w/Braun Strowman) via DQ
Jericho and Ambrose did not get entrances. Wyatts worked over Jericho, including Harper using a Michinoku Driver. He booted Reigns off the apron, but Jericho hit a Codebreaker and made the hot tag to Ambrose. (You knew this meant Reigns was getting a second hot tag later.)
Ambrose used two separate dives on Bray and Rowan, but Rowan was able to knock him down with a heel kick. Ambrose came back with a rebound clothesline and made a second hot tag to Reigns.
Reigns hit clotheslines on Harper, and a big boot of his own. Rowan broke up the cover so Ambrose knocked him to the outside, and Jericho dropkicked Bray to the floor. Ambrose and Jericho followed with springboard dives. Reigns hit a superman punch on Harper but Strowman pulled him out of the ring and the referee called for a DQ.
Strowman tossed around all three babyfaces, and the Wyatts ganged up on Reigns in the ring. They were about to do bad things but Big Show ran out. He slammed Rowan and clotheslined Harper. He faced off with Strowman in the ring but was mauled by Harper and Rowan.
Reigns tried to make the save but was caught by Strowman, so again Show had to save Reigns by tossing Strowman to the outside. Reigns gave Bray a superman punch, Jericho and Ambrose tossed out Rowan, and Reigns speared Harper. They played Reigns’ music as he posed with his old friend the Big Show (and Ambrose and Jericho).
Final Thoughts:
Like last week, I mostly enjoyed this show until the finish. This main event was obviously much better than last week, but yet another crap DQ basically neutered the whole thing. I will say, additions like A.J. Styles, Chris Jericho and Mauro Ranallo make the show feel more important.
Here’s how Smackdown main events have ended the last five weeks:
Jan 28: DQ (Wrestler gets pulled out of the ring by a non-participant) Jan 21: DQ (Wrestler attacked by opponent who was not the legal man) Jan 14: DQ (Wrestler attacked by opponent with light piece of cardboard) Jan 7: Double Count Out (Opponents fight outside and don’t bother returning to the ring) Dec 31: DQ (Wrestler slams opponent into ring post)
