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Tag: Alberto Del Rio

  • 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 Las Cruces, NM, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Rusev

    JoJo is the ring announcer.

    – Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks defeat Emma and Lana

    Fun match. Sasha is over. Lana is the last one announced and gets a big pop. Ends when the babyfaces do their submissions at the same time. Emma taps to Sasha.

    – Sin Cara def. Fernando

    Fernando is doing great heel work throughout the match. Sin Cara wins via pinfall.

    – Goldust vs. Viktor

    R Truth is special guest ref for Goldust vs. Viktor. Goldust wins via pinfall. He and R-Truth are friendly afterwards. Comedy match.

    – WWE Tag Team Champions New Day (Big E and Xavier w/trombone) vs. Wyatts (Strowman and Rowan) vs. Big Show / Kane

    Big Show gets the biggest pop of the night. New Day gets a big reaction as well. Only two guys in the ring at once, and anyone can tag anyone. Kane pins Rowan and then Big E rolls up Kane. New Day is exiting when the Wyatts start beating up Kane/Show. New Day comes to the rescue. The New Day and Big Show / Kane all chokeslam the Wyatts at the same time. Then , New Day teach Big Show and Kane how to dance. Really fun match. Every time Kane or Big Show teased a chokeslam it got a huge reaction. Xavier was taking a beating for most of it.

    – Hype Bros. defeat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas

    Along with the Goldust thing, this definitely got the least reaction. Still, surprisingly hot crowd.

    – U.S. Champion Kalisto defeats Alberto Del Rio via pinfall

    This was easily the hottest match of the night. Both guys are super over here. Crowd was reacting to everything. Del Rio got a huge babyface pop during his entrance, so the rest of the match, he worked devilish heel (tears up a kid’s sign, etc). Outstanding work from Del Rio. I had no idea how good this guy is. Del Rio removes turnbuckle when ref’s back is turned. Then Kalisto runs Del Rio into turnbuckle and hits the Salida del Sol for the pin.

    – Dean Ambrose def. Rusev (w/Lana)

    Lana gets heat by talking about how Las Cruces isn’t a real city, but just a small village in the middle of nowhere. Really funny. Ambrose gets huge pop. Lana gets ejected by ref. after continuing to distract him. Ambrose gets the crap beaten out of him for most of it, then wins with a dirty deeds. Fun match.

  • WWE Smackdown results: Title Change, Dean Ambrose & Neville vs. Sheamus & Kevin Owens

    – Air Date: January 14, 2016 (Jan 13 in Canada) 
    – Location: Canjundome in Lafayette, LA 

    The Big News: 

    Alberto Del Rio regained the U.S. Championship after defeating Kalisto in a really good match. Also, Dean Ambrose will defend his Intercontinental Championship in a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble against Kevin Owens. 

    Show Recap: 

    The announcers plugged all three “main events” to start the show. Renee Young was standing outside the arena awaiting Dean Ambrose, who showed up in the passenger seat of a pickup truck. Ambrose had a statement for Kevin Owens but wanted to announce it to his face in the ring. 

    Ambrose came to the ring, asked for a drumroll and was surprised when he actually got one. Ambrose wanted Owens out there before making the announcement, but he didn’t show up. He asked for the drumroll again and said he was challenging Owens to a Last Man Standing match at the Rumble. (There was a funny flub when Ambrose talked into the IC Title on his shoulder instead of the mic and we couldn’t hear what he was saying for a moment.) 

    Sheamus came out and said Ambrose was acting like a child (he was) but the adults were tired of him. Sheamus said Roman Reigns stole the title from him and now he has to win it back in the Rumble match. He wanted to finish the brawl they didn’t finish on Raw and was pissed about the forehead scar Ambrose gave him. Ambrose was ready for a fight but Kevin Owens interrupted. 

    Owens accepted the challenge and said Ambrose wouldn’t be able to walk out of the Rumble. Sheamus and Owens attacked him but Neville ran out to make the save and the heels bailed. This was not a good segment and crowd was quiet. They made Ambrose do comedy to announce a Last Man Standing match and it died. Also, there was no explanation for why Ambrose didn’t come out to save Reigns on Raw. 

    Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz beat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan (w/Braun Strowman) 

    The lights went out after the Dudleys made their entrance and the Wyatts magically appeared to attack them from behind. I guess the referee thought this was fair so he started the match. The Dudleys set up a table but Harper hit D-Von with a superkick. There was a mixup between Bubba and Harper/Rowan where they just awkwardly stood around until Rowan kicked Bubba and they went to commercial. 

    Strowman got his team a kendo stick but Bubba grabbed it and used it to knock Rowan out of the ring. Strowman went after him but Bubba moved and Strowman went shoulder-first into the post. Eventually, Bubba and Harper had a struggle on the steps, ending with Bubba pushing Harper through a table on the floor for the surprising Dudleys win. 

    Afterwards, Strowman knocked down both Dudleys from behind. Strowman tossed D-Von into two different tables positioned in the corners. Then, standing on the announce table, Harper and Rowan gave Bubba a double chokeslam through two tables on the floor. Strowman was directing them a la Bray Wyatt, who was not there. The post-match was a good heat angle for the Wyatts, but I’m not sure why they didn’t just win. 

    Backstage, Kalisto told Jo-Jo he didn’t have much hope to get to WWE, but guys like Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio gave him hope. All he needed was one opportunity and now he’s U.S. Champion and plans for it to stay that way. 

    8-Man Tag: Social Outcasts beat Damien Sandow, Goldust, Jack Swagger & Zack Ryder via pinfall 

    Nobody got an introduction. Bo Dallas won with a Bo-dog on Ryder. As Dallas did the Bo-dog, he accidentally kicked Slater off the ring apron for comedy. The action here was totally fine, but this felt like a waste of time, and in particular, a waste of Goldust and Jack Swagger. Also, this was Sandow’s first match on Raw or Smackdown since May of 2015 when, funny enough, he teamed with Axel to beat Slater and Rose. Welcome back. 

    They aired a video package from Raw. Jerry Lawler again sided with the McMahons and said Reigns deserved what he got. 

    Backstage, Alberto Del Rio told Renee he doesn’t care what the fans think and would bring them back to reality when he regains the U.S. Championship. 

    U.S. Championship: Alberto Del Rio beat Kalisto via submission

    Lawler started by saying there’s no way Del Rio could take Kalisto seriously. Mauro Ranallo mentioned that Del Rio main evented an MMA show he called 12 years ago. Del Rio hit a great-looking armbreaker off the ropes. Kalisto rolled to the outside trying to regroup, but Del Rio went after him, slamming his arm against the steel steps. The crowd started to get behind Kalisto after that. 

    After a break, Wade Barrett was at ringside. This felt like a video game where your ally just randomly shows up at ringside. Del Rio set up for the double foot stomp but Kalisto countered into a headscissors. He followed with a springboard seated senton but Del Rio sidestepped another springboard move and hit a side kick for a near fall. Kalisto made his comeback and got a couple of near falls. 

    Barrett distracted Kalisto allowing Del Rio to apply the armbar. Kalisto managed to make it to the ropes after a long struggle. Del Rio fell to the outside and Kalisto went for a dive, but Barrett pulled Del Rio out of the way and Kalisto crashed on to the mats. Del Rio reapplied the armbar back in the ring and Kalisto tapped out immediately. 

    This match was really good and Kalisto came off as well as he could here in the loss. Slight nitpick is that they moved on from this segment too quickly after Del Rio won. Also, Barrett’s involvement was pretty lame. 

    They played the Sting Hall of Fame video. 

    Backstage, Becky Lynch told Renee that Charlotte attacking her really got her down. Renee said Lynch doesn’t stay down, and they showed a replay of Lynch attacking Charlotte on Raw. Lynch said she would stay fired up until she beats Charlotte for the title and challenged her to a match at the Rumble. Lynch said Charlotte could bring the whole Flair clan and she would be ready. 

    Becky Lynch beat Brie Bella (w/Alicia Fox) via submission 

    Lynch won relatively quickly with the Disarmer. (I wrote that before the match started.) 

    Neville & IC Champion Dean Ambrose beat Sheamus & Kevin Owens via DQ 

    They went to commercial a minute into the match. After the break, they had the heat on Ambrose. Neville tagged in and ran wild but was attacked from behind by Owens and they got the heat on him. Owens called Ranallo “Four eyes” and told him to pay attention because he might learn something. 

    Owens went for a cannonball but Neville moved and hit a German suplex and made the hot tag to Ambrose. Ambrose ran wild on Sheamus, hitting a tornado DDT and flying elbow drop. Owens broke up the cover so Ambrose knocked him out of the ring. Ambrose went for the rebound clothesline on Sheamus, but Owens kicked him right in the head and Sheamus hit White Noise for a near fall. 

    Owens tagged in but Ambrose countered a powerbomb and hit a rebound clothesline followed by a suicide dive. Sheamus drove him repeatedly into the ring steps, returning the favour from Raw. Owens hit Ambrose with the light piece of cardboard that covers the announce table and that was a DQ. 

    The heels cleared the table but Neville took them out with a dive. Ambrose gave Owens Dirty Deeds and Neville finished him off with Red Arrow. The babyfaces posed and Sheamus seethed at them. 

    Final Thoughts: 

    This would’ve been every Smackdown show ever if not for the Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio title match, which I really liked. Maybe I wouldn’t have put the title back on Del Rio right away, but Kalisto looked strong so I’ll let this one play out. 

    They really need to stop booking “big” matches that they don’t know how to get out of. Tonight’s main event with Dean Ambrose ended in a DQ, after his match with Sheamus on Raw ended in a double count out. Last week’s Smackdown main event with Ambrose also ended in a double count out, and his tag match that main evented Smackdown the week before that ended in a DQ. 

    Also, this was their second week on a new network, and the second week with no Roman Reigns (among others). I know he was overseas or whatever, but it’s not like they inform the viewers of this. 

  • WWC Lockout results: Alberto Del Rio vs. Ray Gonzalez Sr. grudge match

    Submitted by Leonardo Mendez Toledo from the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon

    The show opened with local singer Barreto introducing Willy Urbina and El Wizard, who was escorted by a model. She was wearing a very revealing skirt and Wizard used that for comedy like pretending to tied up his shoes when his shoes didn’t have any shoelaces or dropping the mic to peek at her. She had a Christmas themed hat and Urbina joked that at least someone in the pair “had balls”. Fans were really into it. They then announced the card and it was clear that the fans were there for the two top matches. 

    Jr Title 4-Way Match: Peter The Bad Romance (w/ Angel Cotto) def. Rikochet, Morgan and Tommy Diablo in around 7 minutes to retain the title when he pinned Rikochet after a belt shot

    This was a good opener with some cool looking spots. At one point, all three challengers chopped Peter and he complained to the referee who then also chopped him for a big pop. Late in the match Diablo took a Spanish fly and landed high on his neck, it looked real nasty; he went to the apron and barely moved afterwards. Peter then called from someone in the back and it was Cotto’s former tag partner OT Fernandez, who nobody knew; but OT attacked Peter and brawled with Cotto to the back. Morgan then did a Pescado on Diablo, who was selling on the outside, and they both remained outside; as the referee checked on them, Peter used the belt to get the pin on Rikochet. The referee did a slow count and Rikochet still didn’t kick out, which is a terrible spot for a face. 

    After the match, everybody left but Diablo was still on the floor. Some crew members checked him and he didn’t move. Other people came by, I guess from the commission, but he still didn’t move. They called someone from the back and instead of a doctor or paramedic it was Fernandez, who didn’t know what to do. He finally got to his feet and they helped him to the back. He got a minor response. Either this was legit or it was a way to write him off. He’s like the local Chris Jericho in the sense that he works part time.

    PR Title #1 Contender’s Match: Joe Bravo def. Mike Mendoza (w/ Vanela Vargas) in around 10 minutes with help from Vargas

    When Joe arrived, Diablo was still on the floor so he had to stale around while they worked on them. Vargas is Angel Fashion’s valet but is with Mendoza due to a 30 days stipulation; so this would lead to another match between the two. Below average match.

    El Hijo de Dos Caras def. El Cuervo in 9 minutes

    The intros were the highlight. Caras came first and cut a promo praising the Latin community just to then turn by saying that the only real Latin there was him; he stumble in the way but did get the message across and people reacted to it. A few years ago his brother did the exact same promo in a WWE show in San Juan prior to a match with CM Punk, so he took the idea from there. Cuervo then arrived with two guys dressed as druids and two women with face paint, one took his cape and the other his mask, fans reacted big to him. So-so match but it was the right result as it saved the heat for the other “PR vs Mexico” match. Caras won by hitting Cuervo with the PR flag.

    PR Title: Miguel Perez Jr def. Angel Fashion to retain in 7 minutes

    Fashion is usually good but Perez can’t do much these days. For some reason Perez wore a singlet, which at his age it’s a stretch.

    Mighty Ursus (w/ JM Ortega) def. Black Pain (w/ Chicky Star)

    They immediately went to the outside and fans went crazy for it, but then got back to the ring and lost the crowd. The biggest pop was when Chicky punched Ortega in the outside but it was just two times and they went to the back; Ursus used the distraction to hit Pain with a chain and got the pin in less than 5 minutes. During the decisive count the referee asked the fans about how Ursus got Pain to the mat but still made the count. Again, the face didn’t kick out after a long count. After the match, Pain teased a Chockeslam on the referee but he escaped, fans didn’t like that. This was a perfect scenario for a wild brawl with a double dq or count out, but by doing something else it felt more like an angle than a match.

    Tag Titles: La Revolucion 2&3 (w/ Orlando Toledo & Revolucion #1) def. Thunder & Lightning to retain in 17 minutes

    Pelayo Vazquez was the referee and got a nice reaction. Pelayo ordered #1 to the back. They started very slow with long rest holds. They then did some comedy which is weird given who they are. Finally they pick things up and got the crowd going. Finish saw T&L hitting their finish (3D) on the legal Revolucion member (it’s impossible to tell them apart) but the other Revolucion broke the count, Toledo then distracted them and #1 sneaked from the back, switched places with his downed fellow and used a brassknuckle on Lightning when he went for the cover. 

    Intermission

    Chicano & Doris Cotto (his daughter) def. Apolo & Havana when Doris pinned Havana in less than 10 minutes

    The guys started and did nothing but stalling, Apolo then tagged Havana and went outside, she slapped Chicano but he didn’t reacted because she is a woman; he went to the outside after Apolo instead and left the ring to Doris but the referee stopped her because she wasn’t tagged in (so the rules here were different than in WWE because there is no automatic gender tag). Apolo then put the heat on Chicano and they worked forever for a hot tag; it was mostly long rest holds but Apolo hit a prefect Enzuigiri, which is impressive for his size, and followed by lifting Chicano in a Electric chair and dropping him with a Michinoku driver II type slam for a near fall.

    Chicano finally got the hot tag on Doris and the place exploded; they teased it for so long that it worked. She just throw a few punches and then won with a Samoan drop but the fans reacted big to her and the pin got a giant pop. After the match, the heels attacked and Apolo hit Doris with his Fondo del Abismo (Rock bottom) to a great reaction as the heel didn’t respect that she was a woman. Chicano try a comeback but Havana stopped him with a low blow. The heels then took a photo of Doris knocked out in the mat with their smart phone, which I guess is some form of modern times humiliation. Finally Chicano got to his feet and helped his daughter and she got a standing ovation. So she got a way better reaction than Tommy Diablo even though he is a veteran and got what it looked like a legit injury. Match wasn’t much but fans reacted to the story they wanted to tell.

    Axel Cruz did a backstage interview with Alberto Del Rio who cut a great promo saying that Mexico was better than Puerto Rico not because he said it but because God himself said it. He noted that Mexico had recently beaten PR in the Caribbean Series of Baseball (which is suppose to be PR’s strength); in the Olympics Basketball Qualifiers (which is the number one sport in PR and the National Basketball Team is the main local sports team and PR had historical dominated Mexico and the region), and in boxing when Canelo destroyed Cotto (well Canelo clearly won but it wasn’t a beatdown). He called Cotto overrated and washout and told him to retire.

    He then said that Puertorricans didn’t have any dignity as we lost it the moment we sold out to the USA. That line got a giant reaction and I joked with my friends that the local pro-independence party should hired him as a spoke person. The promo was so good that he even got some cheers; there was some Mexican fans there but it was mostly the pro-heel fans. 

    After ADR’s promo, Urbina came to the ring to introduce the singers for the National Anthems. The Mexican singer got massive heat during his performance. The local guy did a good job and some people signed along with him but not everyone.

    Ray Gonzalez Sr def. Alberto Del Rio by DQ in around 15 minutes when Hijo de Dos Caras interfered

    Alberto came in with a Mexican flag and climbed to all four corners with it for the easy heat. Ray music began to play but he didn’t appear; they teased it for a while until ADR went to the outside and argued with the referee and in doing so put his back to the entrance so Ray arrived with a 2×4 and hit ADR with it. He beat him all around ringside and the fans were going crazy for every hit. They got to the ring and the referee tried to get the 2×4 but Ray pushed him; another referee came in and Ray also bumped him; Pelayo arrived but he couldn’t do much either. The heat for this was unreal, the likes of which one can only see in old school videos. Alberto finally got a break and went to the top rope but when he jumped Ray nailed him again with the wood. ADR then took the mic, said that it was enough of fighting and asked for a “technical match” saying that that was what the fans wanted to major boos; he went to his knees and extended his hand to Ray; Ray teased a hand shake but then took the mic and said in Spanish the equivalent of “this is Puertorrican wrestling, dumbass” and slapped Alberto in the face for a major pop.

    ADR went to the outside and grabbed a PR flag from a fan in the first row but the fan retaliated and pulled Del Rio by the hair, security broke them apart and Ray put Alberto in a rest hold until the fan was removed; they were lucky that the other fans controlled the guy instead of joining him.

    After the long chinlock, Dos Caras came with a chair and nailed Ray in the outside, Ray bleed; Caras went to the back. ADR with a DDT; he went to the top rope for a Senton but Ray moved. Ray pulled a fork from his boots and nailed Alberto in the forehead with it several times, the fans went crazy for it which is odd given that’s a traditional heel spot; also of note is that Alberto didn’t bleed form it, maybe they respected the WWE rule. ADR came back with his Superkick and locked the Cross Armbreaker in the middle of the ring but Ray Gonzalez Jr, who got a big reaction, came to ringside and Alberto broke the hold; ADR talked trash to Jr but he throw dust to Alberto’s face and left; Ray Sr used the distraction to setup the Figure-4 with a series of leg kicks, Alberto bumped great for this; Ray finally locked his finisher and Del Rio was about to tap out when Dos Caras returned for the DQ. After such an intense match it was a lame finish.

    The heels double teamed Ray until his son made the save. ADR hit Jr with a Mexican flag but then Sr did the same to ADR; they brawled in pairs outside the ring until Sr got a chair and the heels literally run to the back. Ray and Jr came to the ring and Sr cut a great promo. He invited the heels to came back so they could kick their asses one more time; and told them that they run like the chicken they are. He said that Alberto was a bully that took advantage of his son but he was there to protect him and told Jr that he would always had his back. He said that WWC has been running for a long time but if it was up to him it would last another 40 years more.

    He then told Del Rio to ask Vince McMahon for another date so they can have a another match maybe inside a cage; the fans went crazy for that. He said that since Dos Caras doesn’t need anyone’s permission he can comeback whenever he wants because Ray Jr is ready for him for another big pop. He thanked the fans for their support during his career and asked for them to do the same for his son. He then put over the upcoming title match and asked fans to stay put to see it. The whole promo came across as a combination of a thank you message, a farewell speech and an I’m taking over note. Even with the weak finish this match needed to be on last just because of the heat and post-match promo. 

    Some fans started leaving here since it was post midnight by this point. 

    Universal Title: Mr 450 Hammett def. Sensacional Carlitos to retain in well over 20 minutes

    These two are really over with the fan base, and each one got his own “section”. Nonetheless, another group of people walked away during the early stages and it didn’t have much heat early on even tough what they did was good. It was clear that fans were spent after the previous match and just needed a break. After ten minutes or so they got the crowd back and it was spectacular from that point on. The turning point was Carlitos with a Canadian Destroyer followed by a Flat liner and finished with a Koji clutch all in one smooth-fluid motion. The sequence was so good that fans thought it was the finish but 450 made the ropes.

    With Carlitos outside, 450 did a bottom rope Suicide Dive and follow with a Asai moonsault. Back in the ring they traded until Carlitos sent 450 to the outside and did his own series of dives. From the apron, 450 did a springboard spear through the second and top rope. Hammett with a Tornado DDT followed by a vertical suplex and finished with his 450 splash from the top rope but Carlitos kicked out for a giant pop. Carlitos with a comeback and a senton bomb for a great near fall. They traded headbutts from their knees; then got up and traded hard chops. Carltios went for a springboard Stunner but hit the referee instead; with the referee down Hammett hit a series of German suplex like Chris Benoit or Brock Lesnar and the fans chanted “Suplex city”; Hammett then went outside took a chair, smashed Carlitos in the face with it and finally got the pin with his 450 splash finish. They did even more but I just can’t remember it all.

    After the match, they congratulated each other but Carlitos hit 450 in the back of the head with the chair and cut a promo saying that he wanted a rematch in a TLC match at Euphoria on 1/9. This was the best match of the show but it could have been even better if placed in the semifinal spot. I understand that they feared that nobody could follow them, which is true most of the time, but on this occasion most of the fans were there for the Ray Gonzalez match. 

    Notes:

    On Sunday TV they announced that the next big event would be Euphoria on 1/9 at this same venue which seems like a little early for a return date. So far announced is: Hammett vs. Carlitos for the Universal Title in a TLC Match; Ray Gonzalez & Ray Gonzalez Jr vs. El Hijo de Dos Caras & Scottie Santiago (the guy who called ADR in Texas Wrestling Academy); Ursus vs. Pain in a Chain Match; Revolucion vs. Thunder & Lightning vs. Sons of Samoa in a 3-way match for the tag titles; and Miguel Perez vs. Angel Fashion for the PR title. They also announced an event for 1/6 in Cidra with the gimmick that kids enter free if accompanied by an adult as a Three Kings Day special. No match has been announced so far.

    They got a very good crowd, probably more than 4,000. The ringside and lower levels were all full and they had one of the upper deck open and it was half full. The number is even more impressive as it went head to head with a massive Daddy Yankee vs Don Omar “Reggeaton” (Rap) concert in near by San Juan that sold out four straight nights the Coliseum of Puerto Rico (the one WWE runs) and that would the cultural equivalent of a Tupac vs Notorious BIG concert at MSG if they both were still alive. As usual, they started late; it was schedule for 8:00 pm but the show began past 8:30. It was probably due the fact that PR, like Mexico, is a late arriving crowd, so people kept coming in late.

  • Wrestling Observer Radio 11/1: Alberto del Rio contract story update, tons of weekend news, mailbag!

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk tons of weekend news including an update on the Alberto del Rio contract story, whether he will drop the AAA Mega Title, NXT TV notes, Sombra vs. Volador on Friday night, Sting and Night of Champions, judging in a soundproof chamber and tons of questions. A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • Wrestling Observer Live 10/30: The Alberto Del Rio contract show with Steve Sims!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with tons of news including an appearance by the Doctor of Lucha himself, Steve Sims, LD, to talk everything that is going on with Alberto Del Rio, WWE, AAA and more! Plus, phone calls and texts! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • Alberto Del Rio unlikely to fulfill AAA dates due to WWE conflicts

    The situation with Alberto Del Rio and AAA is no longer looking good as WWE has confirmed that Del Rio will be working Monday’s Raw in Denver, as well as Smackdown on  Tuesday in Colorado Springs, before going on the entire European tour, working on the Roman Reigns half of the tour.

    AAA was under the impression that Del Rio would be fulfilling most of his advertised dates with the promotion, starting with a TV taping on Monday in Nuevo Laredo, and would be missing Raw.  The other taping date he was advertised was November 15 in Ciudad Juarez, and he is booked the day before in Minehead, England, and traveling to Greenville, SC, from there, so it would appear very difficult to reroute him to Mexico.

    At this point it appears AAA will be lucky to even get one date with him to drop their Mega heavyweight title.

  • WWE Halloween Smackdown results (10/29): Wyatt Family vs. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro & Ryback

    – Air Date: October 29, 2015 (Oct 28 in Canada)
    – Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ

    The Big News:

    Cesaro got pinned again as the Wyatts defeated him, Dean Ambrose and Ryback in the main event. Also, Natalya returned unceremoniously, and the U.S. Title might have a new name.

    Show Recap:

    “Halloween Smackdown” means pumpkins on the stage and orange graphics and lighting instead of blue.

    The show started with a ridiculous recap of the Wyatts taking out Undertaker and Kane. Rich Brennan did the voiceover, claiming that the Wyatts escaped with the souls of Taker and Kane. I know it’s Halloween, but this is still a real storyline that will continue beyond October 31st.

    Bray Wyatt did a promo backstage, claiming to own the souls of Taker and Kane. He had what looked like Taker’s hat. Bray challenged any three brave souls to go against his three monsters. Rowan said he couldn’t dress up for Halloween as a kid because he was told it was too sinful. Ok. Harper said they weren’t costumes, evil is very real. Bray gave his condolences to whoever takes the challenge, and pulled out Kane’s mask. Strowman told them to run.

    Roman Reigns came out and they recapped his win over Bray at Hell in a Cell, as well as the fourway win on Raw. Reigns said he’s had one goal since day one, to win the WWE Title. He’s been knocked down along the way but he’s back in the fight and now he’s the number one contender. He said Rollins is the only man in his way, and there’s no one who wants him to fail more.

    That brought out Kevin Owens. (There was a sloppy edit here. Owens’ music hit and the crowd reacted audibly as they usually do for him, but the camera was still on Reigns who didn’t react and the crowd didn’t budge. Most likely, they cut out some of Reigns’ promo and just didn’t put this together properly.)

    Owens said Reigns stole one from him on Raw and sarcastically encouraged the fans to cheer for him. Owens said Reigns didn’t overcome any odds, it was a fluke, because Owens was a split second away from hitting a pop-up powerbomb and winning the match, “and you can believe that.”

    Reigns, who just talked about getting screwed earlier this year by Rollins and Bray, said Owens was just making excuses. He said his win on Raw was all skill and challenged “Talk Owens Talk” to a fight. Owens got in the ring and went face-to-face with Reigns. He hesitated but accepted the match.

    Non-Title: Roman Reigns beat IC Champion Kevin Owens via countout

    There were dueling chants of “Let’s Go Roman” and “Fight Owens Fight.” After a break, Owens gained control after hit a fallaway slam into the barricade. Damn. Reigns came back with clotheslines in the corner and a big boot. Lawler pointed out that the boot was something new from Reigns. Owens hit a back drop and superkick for a two count, but Reigns popped back with a leaping clothesline.

    Owens bailed so Reigns went after him and tossed him back in the ring. Owens was able to hit a German for a two. Reigns then knocked Owens to the outside of the ring with a superman punch. Owens was able to get up well ahead of the 10 count, but grabbed his title and walked out through the crowd for the countout. The match was fine but the walkout finish was telegraphed from the beginning. The crowd was into Reigns.

    Backstage, Renee Young, dressed as Tinker Bell I think, got ready to interview Dean Ambrose. Ambrose introduced himself as “ruggedly handsome Dean Ambrose” before Renee could say anything. Renee froze, so Ambrose asked himself a question, “Are you going to accept Bray Wyatt’s challenge?” Ambrose answered yes. He said he exorcises demons and smashes zombies, and was going to take down the Wyatt family.

    Bo Dallas, dressed as a ghost, tried to scare Renee Young but it didn’t work. He said someone would be scared by the end of the night. He said “boo-lieve” instead of “bo-lieve.” Because it’s Halloween.

    Fatal Four Way Tag-Team Match: Lucha Dragons beat Ascension, Dudley Boyz and Sheamus & King Barrett via pinfall

    Big E and Kofi Kingston came out before the match wearing unicorn horns on their foreheads and shamed the competitors in the ring because they weren’t wearing costumes and don’t believe in magic. They joined commentary and Kingston told Booker he could be old school Kofi Kingston. Booker did a bad Jamaican accent, so Kingston told him to go back to being Booker T.

    The faces sent the heels to the outside and, in his generic play-by-play voice, Big E said, “The good guys are rallying!” After a break, New Day begged Brennan to take off his headset, and he did. Sin Cara came in on a hot tag and made a nice comeback but Barrett and Sheamus broke up a pin attempt. Bubba and D-Von held down the heels for the “whassup” headbutt spot, with the Lucha Dragons hitting the diving headbutts.

    The Dudleys then launched the Lucha Dragons over the top onto the Ascension. Sheamus and Barrett ran away, so the Dudleys dumbly ran after them, allowing the Kalisto to get the pin on [Ascension member] for the win. It wasn’t a number one contender’s match, but they made it seem like the Lucha Dragons would be next in line. New Day danced to the Lucha Dragons’ theme.

    Backstage, Dean Ambrose ran into somebody who was off-camera. He asked if they were dressed as Lex Luthor, the Transporter or James Bond. It was Cesaro, who said that’s just how he dresses. He compared Ambrose to Mad Max and Ambrose responded “This is a nice jacket, alright?” Ambrose wanted him to swing the Wyatts, unless he’s afraid. Cesaro said he’ll be the scariest guy out there. They made some Halloween movie references before Ambrose left. Bo Dallas tried to scare Cesaro, but Cesaro put on his shades and walked away.

    Trick Or Treat Street Fight: Dolph Ziggler beat The Miz via pinfall

    Jack-o’-lanterns surrounded the ring apron and they had some other decorations around the ring. Miz grabbed a toy lightsaber so Ziggler grabbed a kendo stick and got in a couple of shots. Ziggler also made Miz bob for apples and put a pumpkin over his head. Ziggler then superkicked the pumpkin which shattered.

    After all the comedy, we had to get serious for a minute, because Miz pushed Ziggler into the steel steps and used the kendo stick and a chair on his leg. Miz tried a figure four but Ziggler countered into a small package for the win. Nothing match. (Ok, Ziggler superkicking the pumpkin off Miz’s head was funny.)

    As Ziggler sold his leg, Tyler Breeze came out with Summer Rae. Ziggler attacked him, but Breeze used the kendo stick and stomped away until referees broke it up. Breeze broke through and attacked him again until the refs broke it up one more time. No heat for this.

    Paige beat Natalya via pinfall

    Uh, so I guess Natalya’s fine. She did an inset promo saying she doesn’t know who attacked her, but Paige can’t treat people the way she has and Natalya would make her pay. The bell rang and Paige immediately hit a superkick. Natalya came back with a clothesline and German, sending Paige to the outside.

    Team B.A.D. came out to Sasha Banks’ music. Banks did all the talking, mocking Nattie for getting attacked and said she has their attention. The distraction allowed Paige to hit RamPaige for the win. Team B.A.D. attacked Natalya after the match, concluding with a Bank Statement. Natalya tapped. Booker T, who has two working legs, said someone should go in there and do something about this.

    Backstage, Ryback told Ambrose he’d join their team.

    Non-Title: U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/Zeb Colter) beat R-Truth via pinfall

    Before the match, Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter basically said the U.S. Title is now the MexAmerica Title. Colter called it official. This didn’t get much of a reaction. Del Rio won quickly with a double foot stomp off the top. Meh.

    Backstage, Bo Dallas (still in ghost costume) hid in a box. Mark Henry walked by and Bo popped out of the box to scare him. It worked, so Henry knocked him out. The box closed on Bo, who is presumably (hopefully) dead. Henry picked up his phone and walked away. This was amusing.

    The Wyatt Family (w/Bray Wyatt) beat Dean Ambrose, Cesaro & Ryback via pinfall

    Ryback ripped Luke Harper’s shirt, which seemed to annoy Harper, so he tagged in Strowman. Ryback attacked him but Strowman managed to hit a vertical suplex. After a break, Wyatts had the heat on Ryback. Ryback hit a spinebuster and made the hot tag to Ambrose. Ambrose went wild, sending both Harper and Rowan to the outside, followed by a top rope elbow drop.

    Rowan cut off Ambrose with a spinning kick, but he made the hot tag to Cesaro who hit uppercuts and a dropkick to Harper. Cesaro then did uppercuts outside the ring to Rowan and Harper as the crowd cheered. Cesaro applied a crossface on Harper, but Strowman pulled him out of the ring. Ambrose caught Strowman with a suicide dive but he remained on his feet. Ryback then flew in and took Strowman out over the announce table.

    Ambrose hit Rowan with a rebound clothesline and Harper took out Ambrose with a superkick. Cesaro nailed a spinning springboard uppercut on Harper and went for the swing, but Strowan rose from the dead and tossed the table on its side. This distracted the referee, so Bray punched Cesaro and Harper finished him off with a discus clothesline for the win.

    Final Thoughts:

    A pretty normal Smackdown show that also had pumpkins.

    The main event was good but they should probably find something more productive for Dean Ambrose.

  • WWE: Alberto Del Rio’s status with AAA, what we learned

    If you heard Sunday’s post-WWE Hell In A Cell edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, you understand the machinations that brought former WWE World Champion Alberto Del Rio back to WWE Sunday night.

    Here’s some additional notes and thoughts on Del Rio’s relationship with AAA where he’s currently thee Mega World Champion:

    • The new U.S. Champion is expected on tonight’s Monday Night RAW.
    • Del Rio did contact AAA in advance, even if it was this past weekend, so they weren’t blindsided like with Myzteziz who surprisingly showed up at a Lucha Libre Elite show just a few weeks ago.
    • Both sides are on good terms, but losing both ADR and Myzteziz is a huge blow to AAA.   
    • The right thing to do would be for ADR to come back to, at least, drop the AAA world title.
    • They really should have brought back Ricardo Rodriguez with him.
    • We learned that a superstar can say things negative about the company and come back with a great financial deal, while a lower level guy will have a harder time coming back when they say negative things about the boss.

    Del Rio was gone from WWE for 14 months, fired due to an altercation with a then-WWE social media employee about a racist joke. We’ll have more on any Del Rio news on tonight’s post-RAW Wrestling Observer Radio.