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  • WWE RAW live results: USA vs. The World; Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz

    The Big Takeaway: Two more matches announced for Battleground. They aren’t rushing the John Cena-A.J. Styles singles rematch. Instead, it will be a trios match with Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Cena vs. The Club. Also announced for the show was Natalya vs. Becky Lynch.

    It was a holiday-themed Raw where the company knew beforehand it would get a low rating, perhaps the lowest in show history. So they handled it like a throwaway show. No Shane or Stephanie McMahon. Names like Mark Henry, Jack Swagger and Zack Ryder were in the main event. And the zany opening would have fit right in during a 1985 Saturday Night’s Main Event episode. 

    Show Recap: 

    They signed on with a scene straight from Tuesday Night Titans. Almost the entire roster was sitting around eating a Fourth of July meal together. R-Truth led the group in singing Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.” Then the Vaudevillains asked them to leave the stage and Aiden English started singing the Declaration of Independence. Bubba Ray Dudley threw guacamole on him, but before a food fight could start, The Miz and Maryse got up to plug the July 19th draft live on SmackDown. 

    Miz said that tonight was not about food fights, which led to Dolph Ziggler spraying chocolate syrup on him. Someone threw macaroni onto Maryse, and the food started flying everywhere while the “War of 1812” played. While everyone was pelting each other with anything you can think of, Apollo Crews and Cesaro were oblivious to it all, focusing solely on their arm wrestling match. Bo Dallas was about to dump the punch bowl over Enzo Amore, but Big Cass stopped him and Dallas got the punch dumped on his head instead. Kevin Owens hid under a table in an attempt to escape the madness.

    The Big Show was enjoying chicken wings when Kalisto doused him with cake. Show threw a chicken wing at Kalisto, but he ducked and it hit Kane instead. Kane and Show teased choke slamming each other when they saw Heath Slater laughing at them. So Kane and Show gave Slater a double chokeslam through a table. Everyone laughed as Slater was down and out, and then the room cleared. Owens got up from under the table unscathed and said, “This would never happen on Canada Day.” Then a cake wound up in his face. Owens screamed, stopped to lick the icing, then screamed some more. 

    Lillian Garcia performed the National Anthem. 

    United States Champion Rusev defeated Titus O’Neal via submission to retain the U.S. Championship (5:42) 

    Rusev got the clean submission with the Accolade after two roundhouse kicks. Titus O’Neal stayed in it for about 35 seconds before he tapped. O’Neal hit Clash of the Titus but Rusev kicked out. It appeared Rusev was supposed to get his hands on the ropes to force a break, but he was too far away. After he won, Rusev denounced America as Lana smiled. Lana was an afterthought here, she didn’t come out with Rusev during his ring entrance and only stood in front of the hard camera when the match went to the floor. 

    The Bella Twins were pictured on the cover of the new Latina Magazine. 

    Dallas, Curtis Axel and Slater came out dressed as minutemen. Slater had the complete Spirit of ’76 gear on, and was selling the chokeslam from earlier with his arm in a sling and his head bandaged. Enzo and Cass interrupted Dallas for their routine. Amore said it was the Fourth of July so it was only right to give the fans some Star Spangled Banter. Amore actually reeled off all the presidents of the United States in order, which had to take his entire Independence Day to memorize, and said they would all be insulted if they saw the Social Outcasts dressed like they were. 

    Enzo & Cass defeated Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (2:04) 

    Enzo pinned Dallas after the Bada Boom Shaka Laka. Axel and Dallas wrestled with blue robes and British court dress wigs on. Enzo posed in the wig after the win. 

    Charlotte and Dana Brooke came out. Charlotte said Sasha Banks gets a lot of people to chant “We Want Sasha,” but chants don’t pay the bills. Charlotte said Banks was all hype. Banks came out to interrupt the two and said Charlotte would never be her. Charlotte said she didn’t want to be Banks, but Banks said that Charlotte has done almost everything she can do over the past year except beat her. Banks said Charlotte would have never won at WrestleMania if it wasn’t for her father and said she would dominate Charlotte when they meet. 

    Charlotte said next week would be the one year anniversary of their debut on the Raw roster and she’s held the WWE Women’s Championship almost that entire time, so that makes her the boss. Banks started saying all the things that make her a true boss. Brooke tried to give Banks a forearm, but Banks easily ducked that and sent Brooke out of the ring. Charlotte kicked Banks in the head and said her reign had only begun. Charlotte tried to lift Banks up, but Banks escaped and hit the Back Stabber, followed by the Bank Statement. Brooke pulled Charlotte out of the ring for the save. 

    WWE Champion Dean Ambrose defeated I-C Champion The Miz in a nontitle match (9:35)

    Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds after a series of near falls following a small package, a victory roll and a schoolboy cradle. Miz clamped on the Figure Four, which they’re still trying to get over as a submission finisher. Ambrose sold the leg effectively for the rest of the match as Miz attempted the Skull Crushing Finale but failed, leading to the finish. Miz was down for a long time after the match and the referee checked on him outside the ring. 

    Post-match, Seth Rollins came out for his match with Ziggler. Rollins and Ambrose had a face off as Rollins passed by him on the ramp. Ambrose ran back to the ring like he was going to attack Rollins, but instead went to the commentator’s table, where he started doing analysis at the Spanish table. 

    Brock Lesnar’s opponent for SummerSlam will be announced on this week’s SmackDown. If you’re wondering how much Saturday’s UFC fight was mentioned, the answer is zero.

    Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler (11:15)  

    Rollins won with the Pedigree. Ziggler hit his jumping DDT, but Rollins was up within five seconds of taking it. Immediately, Ziggler tried for the Zig Zag, but Rollins blocked it and hit the finish. Solid match. 

    Post-match, Rollins stood on the announcer’s table and cut a promo on Roman Reigns, saying that Reigns needs to take shortcuts in order to achieve anything in life, just like all of the fans. Rollins said Reigns should be ineligible for the main event of Battleground, which got cheered.

    Rollins walked past Ambrose at the commentator’s table dismissively, then started talking about how he was going to take his championship back from Ambrose at Battleground. Ambrose stood on the Spanish announce table and said that Rollins could have it, he threw the belt at Rollins, then jumped him. It ended with Ambrose giving Rollins Dirty Deeds onto the Spanish announce table. 

    The Wyatt Family have a new vignette look. Bray Wyatt said New Day comes from a world that doesn’t exist because the power of positivity doesn’t actually exist. In the world he comes from, the pains of the real world are apparent. Wyatt invited them into their world where he would deliver them the truth, because the power of positivity is nothing but a fairy tale. 

    They aired another Baron Corbin video where JBL called him a future world champion. 

    Vickie Guerrero came out for the first time in two years as the latest authority figure. She was a total heel, still using her “Excuse Me” catchphrase. She reminded the fans she was the former general manager of SmackDown and Raw. She said that while Shane and Stephanie McMahon are handling Raw, SmackDown can’t be left in the hands of Teddy Long or Kane, but it should be left for her to run. She submitted her name for the job of SmackDown COO and dropped in her famous cackle. Security had to force her out. 

    Big Show lined up members of his American team for the 16-man elimination tag like he was General Patton addressing his troops. His team consists of the Dudley Boyz, Kane, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Crews and Mark Henry. He gave them a rah-rah speech about how this would not be a walk in the park, but they wouldn’t be afraid, they would never back down, this was the Fourth of July and they were Americans. They were going to show the same fight against the International Alliance that soldiers showed 240 years ago to win America’s freedom. 

    Vickie was being hauled out when she ran into Ziggler. She claimed that she was invited by Shane and Stephanie. Ziggler said he had never seen that woman before in his life, then hopped back on the phone with someone to say, “Yeah, I lost but I tried really hard.” 

    The Golden Truth defeated The Vaudevillains (1:25)

    R-Truth pinned English with Solid Gold, which is a Powerbomb/Final Cut combination. R-Truth now has the lyrics to his rap song on the screen so fans can try to follow along. Fandango and Tyler Breeze watched from ringside. 

    Life Lessons with Bob Backlund is next. Backlund wanted to know what Darren Young’s finisher was. He said the Gut Check. Backlund wanted to know what his submission finisher was, but Young said he didn’t have one. Backlund gave him permission to use the crossface chicken wing, which was the last move Randy Savage sold before he left the WWE. Young was thrilled that Backlund would give him his finisher.

    John Cena came out and actually chided the fans for lack of crowd heat. Fans started the usual dueling chants, and Cena started in on A.J. Styles. Cena said he knew Styles would bring out the best in him. But he was disappointed when Styles couldn’t stand on his own two feet and leaned on the shoulders of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to defeat Cena at Money in the Bank. Now he has to worry about The Club every time he steps into the ring. Cena said he was sick of looking over his shoulder and challenged them to come out. 

    Styles, Anderson and Gallows came out. Styles said Cena was pathetic for crying about a personal setback. If he wanted to talk about something being unfair, Styles said they arrived in Japan this past weekend for a heroic return. Instead, all they saw was Cena’s face all over posters and walls. But The Club proved they ran Tokyo this weekend and soon they would run the WWE.

    Styles said the reason why The Club always stays by his side is because Cena could bury him at any point, just as he’s done many times before. Styles also mentioned how no WWE superstar is coming out to help Cena because Cena has put himself on an island. No other WWE superstar can relate to Cena, but they can relate to The Club. He said most superstars would love to beat up Cena, but they were the only ones who had the balls to get it done.

    Styles said they would continue to beat up Cena because there was nothing more fun to do. They vowed to do it week after week after week for the rest of the year. When Labor Day rolls around, Styles asked Anderson what he was going to do? He said beat up Cena. Styles asked Gallows what he was going to do for Halloween. Gallows said he was going to dress up as Bushwhacker Luke and beat up John Cena. Styles said he was thinking about dressing up as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, do some strutting and cutting, and beat up John Cena. Anderson said for Christmas, he would hang out with his hot Asian wife and beat up John Cena. Then they said for the Fourth of July, they were going to beat up John Cena. 

    The Club surrounded the ring and immediately put the boots to Cena. Styles laid in the punches, as did Gallows. Enzo and Cass came out for the save. Cass gave Gallows a big boot while Cena threw Styles out of the ring and Enzo disposed of Anderson. 

    The Shining Stars said Puerto Rico wasn’t over-commercialized like the United States. 

    Becky Lynch defeated Summer Rae via submission (2:58) 

    Becky Lynch won with Dis-arm-her. They botched a vertical suplex spot where Lynch fell right on top of her head. She looked shaken up but finished the match. Natalya watched the match from backstage. 

    The multinational team of Chris Jericho, Sin Cara, Sami Zayn, Kalisto, Cesaro, Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus were backstage. Jericho was the captain. Del Rio wanted to know who made him the captain of the team. Jericho started speaking Spanish to Del Rio. Everyone started talking until Owens, deadly serious, said he was ready to beat some American ass after what happened to him earlier tonight in the food fight. Jericho told the rest of the team to “watch out for it.” Zayn asked, “What is it?” Jericho said “It” and walked off. Zayn, Cara, Cesaro and Kalisto vowed to stay together in unison because the rest of the team made them look bad. 

    Enzo and Cass did a product placement for Sonic restaurants. There’s now a “How You Doin?” lunchbox. They’re naturals as product guys. 

    New Day came out. Kofi Kingston said a lot of people think the Wyatt Family are weird looking hillbillies. Big E said rumor has it the Wyatt’s don’t stray far from the family tree, they keep it Archie Bunker, as in “All in the Family.” Kingston said they like the Wyatts and the Wyatts like them because why else would they invite them to their world. 

    Erick Rowan popped up on the TitanTron. He said the sound of laughter is a precious thing. Braun Strowman said the sound of a scream is music to his ears. Wyatt said the New Day should come to his world and seek the truth like men. Wyatt said it’s a challenge to see if they’re men or cowards. He wanted to know how far they would go to fight for what they believe in. Wyatt said the New Day started this, and he must end it. 

    Kingston said they accept and they would spray positivity all over the place. Big E started to quote Lil’ John and said they would spray positivity “to the windows to the wall,” but Xavier Woods screamed at his cohorts and said Wyatt is a true threat. He couldn’t understand why Kingston would fight them on their grounds. Woods said everything up to now has been fun and games, but if they don’t see the threat that Wyatt poses to them, he doesn’t think the New Day will survive. Woods walked off while Big E and Kofi watched on.  

    Team USA (The Big Show, Zack Ryder, The Dudley Boyz, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Kane and Apollo Crews) defeated the International Alliance (Chris Jericho, Lucha Dragons, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio) in a 16-man elimination tag team match in 22:14. 

    Bubba Ray eliminated Cara after a 3-D in 1:05. In an instant, Sheamus gave Bubba Ray a Brogue Kick, and Kalisto pinned Bubba at 1:16. Cesaro eliminated Devon Dudley via submission with a Sharpshooter after a 10-rep Giant Swing at 5:34. Jericho (who was born in New York while his father played for the Rangers) pinned Jack Swagger with a Codebreaker after he broke up a Swagger Bomb at 7:44, which made it 7-on-5 in favor of the Internationals.

    The 12 remaining men filled the ring for a brawl to go into a commercial. Mark Henry eliminated Kalisto after the World’s Strongest Slam at 13:18. There was another instant elimination when Owens got Henry up for the Pop-Up Power Bomb at 13:34. Owens threw Ryder into Zayn, and then Zayn ran in to start brawling with Owens. Kane was about to give Zayn a choke slam, but Owens ran in with a chair and popped Zayn in the back. That got Owens disqualified at 14:46, even though he did it to his own partner. Then Kane grabbed the chair and hit Owens with it. That got Kane disqualified at 15:13. Kane choke slammed Zayn anyway. Crews ran in and gave Zayn a splash for the pin at 15:45. Then Sheamus gave Owens a Brogue kick and pinned him at 15:56.

    At this point, the Internationals began arguing with each other and Cesaro started throwing forearms against his heel partners. Cesaro went for the Neutralizer on Ryder, but Ryder turned it into a jackknife cradle for the surprise pin at 18:31. So it was 3-on-2 for the Internationals, with Jericho, Del Rio and Sheamus vs. Show and Ryder. Show eliminated Jericho with the Knockout punch at 20:05. Show pinned Del Rio with a choke slam at 20:26. Suddenly it was 2-on-1 for the Americans. Sheamus gave Ryder a powerslam, but Ryder kicked out. Show grabbed Sheamus by the throat and threw him into the Rough Ryder, and Ryder got the pin on Sheamus for the American victory. Show and Ryder did the woo-woo-woo chant as a giant American flag came down above the ring. 

  • WWE Tokyo, Japan, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins; Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens

    Submitted by Robin Clarke from Sumo Hall

    – Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler with the End of Days.

    – Titus O’Neil beat Curtis Axel after three backbreakers and the Clash of The Titus.

    – WWE Tag Team Champons The New Day beat The Vaudevillians to retain the tag titles after a foot stomp from the top rope.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Asuka submitted Becky Lynch with the Asuka lock to retain.

    – John Cena & Usos beat The Club (AJ Styles/Gallows/Anderson). Cena got the pin. Post match, Cena cut a promo and allowed the Club to stay in the ring so they could get some recognition for their time in Japan.

    – WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte submitted Natalya with the Figure 8 to retain.

    – Shinsuka Nakamura pinned Kevin Owens after hitting the Kinshasa

    – WWE Champion Dean Ambrose won a three way over Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins, pinning Jericho after hitting Dirty Deeds.

  • WWE Tokyo, Japan, live results: Nakamura vs. Chris Jericho, AJ Styles vs. John Cena

    Submitted anonymously from Tokyo’s Sumo Hall

    – WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) beat The Vaudevillains, Usos, and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to retain

    This was an elimination match.  Jimmy Uso pinned Gotch with a superkick in the first elimination, Anderson pinned Jimmy after the Magic Killer in the
    second elimination, and Kingston pinned Anderson to win the match.

    – Dolph Ziggler pinned Curtis Axel after a superkick

    – Baron Corbin pinned Titus O’Neil with the End of Days

    – A.J. Styles did an interview and vowed to destroy John Cena in their match.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Natalya to retain after submitting her with the Asuka lock.

    – A.J. Styles pinned John Cena in 17:47

    Styles went for a Pele kick but hit the refeee. Cena put Styles in the STF and he tapped out. Anderson & Gallows ran in and Cena beat them both down.  Styles then hit Cena with the Styles clash. Anderson & Gallows & Styles were beating on Cena when the Usos came in for the save.

    – WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte submitted Becky Lynch with the Figure Eight to retain

    – Shinsuke Nakamura beat Chris Jericho with the Kinshasa

    – WWE Champion Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins when he pinned Owens after hitting Dirty Deeds in a three-way to retain

  • WWE Smackdown results: Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz; U.S. title match

    – Air Date: June 30, 2016
    – Location: AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL

    – The Big News:

    Cesaro won an opportunity at the U.S. Championship but promptly lost that title match to Rusev. They announced Rusev would defend his title again on Raw against Titus O’Neil.  Also, Dean Ambrose beat The Miz in a non-title champion vs. champion match.

    – Show Recap:

    They started with a cold open and promo for a Fatal 4-Way match to determine a number one contender for the US Title (with the title match also taking place tonight). This was followed by a segment where each guy cut a promo “earlier tonight” about the match.

    It started with Cesaro driving up to the the building. He began cutting a promo immediately upon leaving his SUV, saying he was inviting his opponents to the uppercut party. Next was Apollo Crews, who was working out. Crews said he was the underdog, but sometimes the impossible becomes possible.

    Next was Sheamus and his wacky moustache (and beard). Sheamus didn’t know why Crews was in the match but would have fun kicking his head off. Finally, Alberto Del Rio said he didn’t know who Crews was before Monday, and was going after his old comrade Rusev. This was pretty goofy, but at least it was different.

    Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton and David Otunga were the commentators again. Because of the skeleton crew, I guess, a generic man was the ring announcer. They never mentioned his name.

    U.S. Title #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way: Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio, Apollo Crews and Sheamus via submission

    There was a cool spot where Del Rio had the armbar on Sheamus but Crews nailed him with a standing moonsault. Crews took out himself and Sheamus from the ring with a running crossbody. Cesaro gave Del Rio the big swing and applied the sharpshooter for the tapout win.

    The match went about 11 minutes and it was fine. It was somewhat surprising to see Del Rio tap. It felt like Crews or Sheamus would get back in, but they didn’t.

    Afterwards, Del Rio attacked Cesaro, sending him into the steel steps followed by the double footstomp. As some referees checked on Cesaro, Rusev marched to the ring. He congratulated Cesaro for achieving the greatest honour a man can receive – a match with him. Rusev didn’t want to wait and challenged Cesaro to the title match right now.

    After a break, the referees continued to check on Cesaro. They began taking him to the back, but Rusev called him a coward, so Cesaro stopped, turned back toward the ring, and accepted the match.

    U.S. Title Match: Rusev (w/Lana) beat Cesaro via submission

    With Rusev sitting on the top rope, Cesaro hit an uppercut and dropkick to send him out of the ring, followed by a cannonball. He tried a crossbody in the ring, but Rusev caught him, hit a swinging side slam and somersault senton for a near fall. Cesaro came back with uppercuts and a clothesline for two.

    Cesaro tried countering an Accolade into the sharpshooter, but he was in too much pain, so Rusev was able apply the hold. Rusev tried pulling back on the Accolade the way he did to Kalisto, but Cesaro rolled through into a pin attempt for a close near fall. However, Rusev caught him with a side kick and applied the Accolade for the submission win.

    It was only about 7 minutes but good while it lasted. The announcers put over how much pain Cesaro must’ve been in throughout. The crowd got into Cesaro as the match went on and there was also “Rusev sucks” chants.

    Renee Young caught up with Rusev and Lana backstage. Rusev said Independance Day should be Rusev Day. He said while Americans would be stuffing their faces with processed meats and shooting off fireworks in the name of Rusev, he would be with Lana on an island away from this country. Renee informed him that he has to defend the title against Titus O’Neil on Raw. Lana said, “Rusev crush” and they left.

    The first 37 minutes of this show was devoted to all of the above mentioned U.S. Title stuff. They aired a video package of the special olympics deal from Raw and showed Dana Brooke walking backstage.

    Dana Brooke beat Billie Kay via pinfall

    No entrance for Billie Kay. Ranallo mentioned that Kay was from Australia and this was her debut. Sasha Banks watched backstage. Kay made a brief comeback, but this was basically a squash. Brooke won in 3-4 minutes with a Samoan Driver. They used as many camera cuts as possible to save this one.

    Renee found Banks backstage. Banks reminded us that she made Brooke tap out. She cut a pretty good promo, saying she has a long history with Charlotte and Charlotte knows she’s breathing down her neck. Banks was interrupted by Summer Rae, who said everyone was sick of her and she hopes they get drafted to different brands. Banks challenged her to a match tonight.

    MizTV with Dean Ambrose

    Maryse introduced Miz, who said this could be the last MizTV on Smackdown because of the draft. People cheered. He then said that MizTV could be exclusive to Smackdown. People booed. He was about to introduce his guest Dean Ambrose, but before he could, Ambrose came out anyway.

    Ambrose brought a Cuban sandwich to the ring. He blamed his busy schedule for not having time to eat because they’ve been running him around like crazy. Miz was mad he had a sandwich. Ambrose said he needed to keep his strength up because he just won the title and has a triple threat match coming up.

    Ambrose said he was a fan of MizTV and mocked his fancy set. Miz said the only thing the Ambrose Asylum had was the plant and Ambrose told him not to talk about Mitch that way. They asked the crowd if they’d rather see the Asylum and they cheered. Miz put himself over for remaining IC champion despite his schedule. Ambrose responded by calling himself the champion.

    Miz called him a joke because while Miz looks like a champion, Ambrose doesn’t, and called him a black mark on anyone who holds a championship in WWE. As Miz ranted, Ambrose continued eating and had mustard stains on his mouth. Ambrose got in his face and said he could see where this was going, and they both put down their titles like they were about to fight.

    Miz took off his white suit jacket, so Ambrose used it to wipe his mouth. Maryse grabbed the jacket it, tossed it over Ambrose’s face to blind him, and Miz knocked him down with a boot. Miz and Maryse left, while Ambrose sat up and continued eating his sandwich.

    The people seemed to like Ambrose, but he didn’t come off great here. He obviously got his revenge later in the show, but he was punked here by Miz and Maryse, and then he kept eating his sandwich on the ground like a bum.

    Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman (w/Bray Wyatt) beat two jobbers via pinfall

    Strowman got the pin after about a minute. The Wyatt Family posed but they were interrupted by New Day on the screen. Kingston cut a promo in the vein of Bray Wyatt, and asked Bray what he fears. Big E wondered if he feared soap or women with big ol’ booties.

    Big E told Bray to expose himself, but Kingston didn’t want to see Bray exposed. Big E agreed and told Bray to keep his sheep in its barn. Bray laughed and said he loved how everything was a joke to them. He pointed out Xavier Woods’ apparent concern and said the devil calls out for him. “Run.”

    Sasha Banks beat Summer Rae via submission

    Summer knocked Banks off the apron with a big boot and they went to commercial less than two minutes into the match, even though nothing else happened since the previous commercial break. Summer had the heat after the break and the crowd chanted “Let’s go Sasha.” Banks came back with running clotheslines and a kick to the crotch (I think).

    Banks missed a running double knee attack, and Summer hit a wheel kick for a two count. Banks missed the double knees again and Summer hit a DDT for two. Banks finally did hit the double knee strike, followed by a crossface for the tapout win after about 8 minutes.

    They aired a video package from Raw highlighting the stuff with Rollins, Ambrose, Styles, Cena, etc, including Rollins promo on Reigns.

    Non-Title: WWE Champion Dean Ambrose beat IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) via pinfall

    Ambrose was all over Miz early and was about to go for a suicide dive, but Maryse pulled Miz out of the way. Ambrose went right back after him and tried Dirty Deeds, but Miz sent him to the outside. Ambrose promptly followed with a clothesline. Maryse tried to distract Ambrose, but that didn’t work either.

    Miz was eventually able to toss him into the barricade and then went to commercial (3 minutes into the match). After the break, Miz worked over Ambrose’s leg as fans chanted “Let’s go Ambrose.” Miz went for the skull crushing finale but Ambrose countered into a rollup for two, followed by a neckbreaker.

    Ambrose came back with fists, chops, a clothesline, running forearm, bulldog and la magistral cradle for two. Ambrose tried a diving dropkick but Miz caught him (sort of) and applied the Figure Four. Ambrose got to the ropes and followed with a suicide dive.

    Miz then countered a rebound clothesline and hit skull crushing finale for a near fall. Miz went for a double axe handle off the top but Ambrose countered into Dirty Deeds for the win. Pretty good match that went about 15 minutes.

    – Final Thoughts:

    This was a skeleton crew show and it sure felt like it. Still, the US title stuff and the main event were both good.

  • WWE Honolulu, HI: Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens; Ambrose vs. Styles vs. Jericho vs. Rollins

    Submitted from Derek

    – Show opens with KA and Gallows video, bashing the Usos. 

    Curtis Axel vs Titus O Neil

    Axel bails from ring twice. Axel runs wild for a bit, Titus counters does his power spot. Titus wins via pop up power bomb. 

    Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler

    Crowd really into Ziggler. Corbin rolls out. After about 3 minutes of this, Ziggler attacks Corbin on the outside and rolls him in to get the match going. Corbin knees Ziggler for him to get the advantage for now. Ziggler counters Corbin does his comeback and neckbrealer into a 2 count. Ziggler tries for a clothesline and gets countered, Corbin for a 2 count. Ziggler hits famouser for a near fall. Corbin tries for End of Days, Ziggler hits super kick, crowd popped for that.  Ziggler goes to the top, Corbin hits the ropes and End of Days for the win. 

    Gallows & Karl Anderson vs The Usos 

    As expected heavy Polynesian crowd, so the Usos got a very big pop. Usos get on offense, clothesline both KA and Gallows outside. Gallows hits one of the Usos against the ring post, almost gets counted out. The other Uso gets the hot tag, runs wild on KA. Usos win via a splash on Anderson.

    NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Natalya

    Starting off with Nattie and Asuka doing Mat wrestling. Very shoots style match so far, crowd seems confused. Asuka does the hip thingy twice, Nattie gets on the outside does a Suplex on the floor. Nattie with the surfboard. Asuka hits a dropkick and they are both down. Nattie went for the sharpshooter, Asuka counters into Anklelock. Asuka hits her Asuka combination then gets Nattie into the Asuka lock for the win. After working a MMA hybrid match for the first few minutes, crowd got back into it when they went back into the wrestling,

    WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs The Vaudevillians

    Aiden English playing heel to start off. Woods cuts him off, hurricanrana for a near fall. English gets the tag in, Big E gets in as well. Big E does some dancing, crowd is into that. English gets a tag in beats down on woods. Big E gets the hit tag and starts belly to belly suplexing both guys. Vaudevillains hit the whirling dervish for a 2 count. Big E gets in and him and Xavier hit an assisted Big Ending for the win.

    WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs Charlotte

    Crowd kinda split to start off, or that they like to woo… Starting off slow. Charlotte does the flair bump over the ropes and takes a powder to the outside. Charlotte kicks on the inside to take control. Charlotte in control for a while, Becky nits a electric chair counter into the turnbuckle. Becky firing back up, T bone Suplex for a near fall. Becky tries the Disarmer, Charlotte counters with the armbar power bomb spot. Charlotte misses a moonsault, Becky gets the Disarmer Charlotte has the rope break. Charlotte gets the figure 8 for the win.

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kevin Owens

    Owens beats down Nakamura right from the beginning. About half the crowd knows who Nakamura is. Owens mocks Nakamura’s corner stomp thingy. Crowd starts doing dueling Nakamura/Kevin Owens chants. Owens going to chinlock city. Owens taking the majority of the match until Shinsuke hits a counter wheel kick. Nakamura gets his corner kick in followed by the top of the rope knees. Owens hits a super kick for the near fall. Owens does a superplex from the top rope and crowd finally wakes up. Owens tries for a Senton, Shinsuke gets his knees up and hits a counter Knee for a near fall. Owens tries for the powerbomb, Shinsuke hits the Tiger Suplex and Kinshasa for the win. 

    WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho vs Seth Rollins

    Jericho cuts promo on the crowd. Crowd calls Jericho a mahu, he thinks it’s great. Rollins gets a nice pop, Ambrose got a great pop. Crowd wants Jericho to take scarf off, but he refuses. Crowd chants Mahu at him. AJ and Ambrose start off the match, AJ takes a powder, Jericho comes in. Kinda standard 4 way layout. Everyone starts ganging up on Ambrose.  Jericho tried to steal pin, Ambrose goes out. Other 3 are fighting, then Rollins and Styles take out Jericho. AJ takes out Rollins and Jericho gets back in, tries for the walls of Jericho and missed. AJ cuts him off, AJ hits forearm to Jericho, Rollins hits suicide dive, Ambrose gets a top rope Elbow to all of them.

    They all go for the super-duper plex. Crowd starts chanting “this is awesome” Jericho misses codebreaker, Ambrose tries for the Nigel clothesline, Jericho connects with the Codebreaker for a nearfall. Rollins comes back in hits AJ for falcon arrow for a two count. AJ gets the calf crusher on Seth and Jericho gets walls onto Dean for a double submission spot. Rollins hits Pedigree on Jericho, Ambrose hits the Nigel clothesline on Seth and Ambrose does dirty deeds on AJ for the clean pin. 

  • WWE Jacksonville, FL, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

    From Jacksonville, FL, Sunday night c/o @MikaylaMortimer 

    – WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose beat Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens in a triple threat championship match

    – Enzo and Cass beat The Dudleys

    – Goldust beat Fandango. Tyler Breeze ran down to the ring but was quickly stopped by R-Truth

    – Big Show and Kane beat Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan

    – Becky Lynch and Paige beat WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Lana

    – WWE United States Champion Rusev beat Apollo Crews to retain

    – WWE World Tag Team Champions The New Day beat The Lucha Dragons and The Vaudevillains in a triple threat to retain. Simon Gotch was said to be shaken up post match as he possibly caught a kick to the head.

  • WWE Orlando, FL, live results: Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor & Bayley hit the big time

    I’m here at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, for a WWE house show featuring some of NXT’s top talents.

    – The Usos beat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

    Superfly splash on Karl Anderson for the win.

    – Pre taped promo by Samoa Joe and Austin Aries to hype the tag match vs Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura later in the night.

    – Baron Corbin beat Zack Ryder

    End of Days by Corbin for the win.

    – Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe

    Very good action as one would expect. Also, great reactions for Shinsuke and Finn.The finish saw everything break down and Finn hit the coup de grace on Aries for the win. Post match Too Sweets and stereo “YeaOh!”s to celebrate.

    – Jack Swagger beat Viktor

    Crowd was very into Swagger tonight with USA chants. They got excited for the Patriot Lock when he picked up the win.

    – Pre-taped promo with Seth Rollins hyping his title match for later tonight.

    – Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio

    Physical match that went outside of the ring to brawl. Plenty of uppercuts by Cesaro and even a short swing. Del Rio tried to set up for his corner stomp but missed, and Cesaro was able to hit The Neutralizer for the win.

    – Sasha Banks, Summer Rae & Bayley beat Eva Marie, Dana Brooke & Natalya

    Huge ovation for Bayley as the surprise third woman. Plenty of “We Want Sasha” chants, “Hey, We Want Some Bayley”, and big heat on Eva Marie as well. Bank Statement on Eva for the submission win.

    – The Shining Stars beat The Prime Time Players

    The PTP are reunited! Long match but both teams were over with the live crowd and did some cool spots which included Titus throwing the stars around. Primo rolled up Darren Young and had the tights to steal the win.

    – WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins

    Great match as they delivered in the main event. Two attempted Pedigrees, trash talk, and heel stalling tactics from Rollins who took the title and proclaimed himself the rightful world heavyweight champion. This match got great reactions and the crowd was into every nearfall and double down. Towards the finish, Seth missed a frog splash and both slowly made their way to their feet, trading punches for the boo / yay reaction.

    Seth went for the Pedigree, yet Dean countered and hit the Dirty Deeds to get the win. Place erupted and Ambrose celebrated his hard fought victory. Match of the night.

  • FREE Wrestling Weekly: BJ Whitmer interview, Dean Ambrose, WWE CWC talk

    Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa return to talk Dean Ambrose, the Cruiserweight Classic & ROH’s Best in the World PPV w/special guest BJ Whitmer!

    We’ll start with Ohio becoming the state of champions between LeBron & and Cavs along with Dean Ambrose.  Les shares some of his history with Dean (5:45), which dates back to the beginning of Dean’s career.  

    We talk about the WWE CWC Opening Ceremonies (10:32) and segue into talking about some guys Les has worked with who are in the tournament.  Note, there are tournament spoilers from the 13:46 mark to the 19:12 mark, so if you don’t want to know who won their 1st round matches, you’ve been warned!

    After that, there’s a run-in from ROH’s BJ Whitmer (23:52) at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to talk about his Fight Without Honor with Steve Corino taking place tonight at ROH’s Best in the World PPV.  We’ll also discuss Roderick Strong finishing up with ROH (41:12), memories of the soon to be torn down Cincinnati Gardens (46:38) and Roman Reigns suspension (54:29); specifically, whether or not he should return in the exact same spot on the card from which he left.  

    Thanks for listening to this FREE SHOW, please feel free to share it and spread the word about this site and consider subscribing!  Thousands of hours of archived audio content, 12-15 new shows weekly and both the Figure Four and Wrestling Observer newsletters are part of the very affordable price. 

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  • WWE Smackdown results: Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn; Cesaro vs. Alberto Del Rio

    – Air Date: June 23, 2016
    – Location: Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ

    – The Big News:

    There was no acknowledgement of the Roman Reigns wellness policy violation or suspension. There was also no mention of what happened with Jerry Lawler this week. Smackdown did feature Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins for the first time ever, and it delivered.

    Show Recap:

    They started with a video package recapping Dean Ambrose’s night at Money in the Bank and Raw. They officially announced Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. Reigns at Battleground. The commentary team was Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton and David Otunga. The Raw/Smackdown podiums were on the stage too, even though they were never used.

    Seth Rollins Promo

    Rollins said all of our parents told us that we can accomplish our goals if we work hard, but MITB was proof that they’re all liars. Nobody works harder than him and he proved it when he came back early from his injury and pinned the paper champion Roman Reigns. Rollins said Ambrose snuck up behind him and stole his title.

    Rollins said he would prove again that he was, and always will be, the best member of the Shield. Tonight, he wanted to prove he was the man and issued an open challenge, which brought out Sami Zayn. Rollins asked him of his master Kevin Owens let him off his leash. Rollins was taking Zayn lightly and called him the perfect opponent.

    Before Zayn could say anything, Dean Ambrose interrupted. Ambrose called for the production guys to bring his Ambrose Asylum set into the ring, which they did. Ambrose has a cactus now. He also (poorly) drew the WWE title belt on the bristol board sign. Rollins thought this was crap and didn’t want to be a guest on his show, but Zayn played along, acting overly excited and honoured to be on.

    Ambrose’s first question was for Rollins, asking him why he’s such a jackass. Rollins didn’t want to be there, so Zayn challenged him to a match right now. Rollins was pissed about this whole thing and stormed off. Ambrose announced the match for the main event, and Ranallo called it a first-time ever match. Perfectly fine opening segment.

    Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio via pinfall

    They went to commercial one minute into the match. The story behind this was that Del Rio blames Cesaro for costing him the ladder match. Cesaro won an 8-9 minute match after reversing the armbar into a Neutralizer. Really good match and the crowd got into it the more it went.

    Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout

    Otunga said he understood Sheamus’ position because when Otunga himself was out, he was afraid somebody else would take his spot, and Sheamus must be worried about the same thing.

    Crews had control until Sheamus gave him a rolling senton on the outside. Sheamus grabbed the steel steps, stood them up, and eventually hit Crews with a Brogue kick, sending him into the steps. This was somehow not a DQ, and Sheamus got in the ring as the referee counted out Crews.

    The announcers discussed the Draft and the AJ Styles/John Cena program.

    Backstage with The Club

    Gallows said there’s no better feeling than beating Cena, which Styles did. Anderson said there was no better feeling than beating up Cena, which they all did on Raw. The Usos interrupted and told Styles he can’t win without his boys “Head and Shoulders.” Styles couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Jimmy said they’ve fought Gallows and Anderson before, but not Styles one-on-one, and challenged him.

    Styles agreed to a match and would take him on without the Club at ringside. Jimmy wanted to shake on it, but when Styles went to shake his hand, Jimmy pulled his hand back and dabbed. The crowd laughed. They cut to Ranallo who said the match was made official, even though the segment literally just ended a second earlier. Whoever runs Smackdown works quickly, I guess.

    AJ Styles beat Jimmy Uso (w/Jey Uso) via pinfall

    Otunga picked Jimmy Uso to win this match. He also mentioned listening to the Stone Cold podcast and thought Styles was insecure about his size, which is why he hangs out with such big guys. Amazing. As Styles held a headlock, the younger portion of the audience chanted “AJ sucks.” Jimmy made his comeback and hit a superkick.

    At this point, Gallows and Anderson ran down through the crowd  to attack Jey. Jimmy nailed them both with a dive, and Styles followed with slingshot forearm on Jimmy. Styles pushed him back in the ring and hit a Phenomenal forearm for the win. The action was good but this was too short. The story, of course, was that Styles won thanks to the Club.

    Non-title: WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Big E (w/Xavier Woods) beat The Vaudevillains via pinfall

    New Day won very quickly after hitting Gotch with Midnight Hour.

    After the match, the Wyatts appeared on the screen. Bray said the measure of a man is what he does with power, but New Day used their power of positivity to interrupt the eater of worlds and that would be a grave mistake. New Day falls… Run.

    There was a new segment with Bob Backlund and Darren Young. Young said his goals were to win a singles title and main event WrestleMania. Backlund said his era was called the “Bob Backlund era” and this will be the “Darren Young era.”

    Backstage Interviews

    Sami Zayn told a new interview man that it was time to move on from Kevin Owens, which is why he accepted Rollins’ challenge. He said the earlier segment may have been fun and games, but it was time to get serious. Zayn said he wouldn’t be worried about Owens tonight, and he hoped Rollins wouldn’t be worried about Ambrose, because Zayn would kick his face off. This was great.

    Elsewhere, Renee Young asked Charlotte and Dana Brooke about Sasha Banks, which led to “We want Sasha” chants in the background. I missed Charlotte’s response. I’m sure it doesn’t matter. Brooke said she would beat Carrot Top Becky and playtime was over. One of the announcers (or someone) coughed into their mic during this segment and they didn’t bother editing it out.

    Dana Brooke (w/Charlotte) beat Becky Lynch via pinfall

    After Lynch hit a reverse DDT, Charlotte jumped on the apron, so Lynch knocked her off. The distraction allowed Brooke to apply a small package for the win in less than 2 minutes. Stupid. Another short women’s match and it was the only one on the show.

    Afterwards, the heels doubled teamed Lynch. Lynch gave Brooke an Exploder, but Charlotte nailed her with a big boot. Sasha Banks came down for the save. Charlotte bailed and Brooke attacked Banks from behind, but she gave Brooke the Bank Statement as she stared at Charlotte.

    Backstage, Rollins walked toward Gorilla when Ambrose showed up behind him. Ambrose said he wasn’t about to miss this match and casually walked along behind Rollins. Rollins was annoyed and responded by just walking really fast to get away. Funny.

    Seth Rollins beat Sami Zayn via pinfall

    Dean Ambrose joined commentary. Ranallo called him the new kingpin of WWE, and Ambrose really liked that. There were dueling chants of “Let’s go Rollins” and “Sami Zayn.” After a break, Rollins stomped a mudhole into Zayn. They each tried to hit a vertical suplex, but Rollins got the better of it and hit a Falcon Arrow.

    Ranallo asked Ambrose what it was like to get “You deserve it” chants. Ambrose said you can’t outsmart the people and, “to quote John Cena, even though I don’t want to, real recognizes real.”

    Zayn began making a comeback but Rollins escaped to the outside. Zayn went right after him with a clothesline, followed by a crossbody back in the ring for two. Zayn then hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.

    Zayn went for the Helluva kick but Rollins countered with a jumping kick and turnbuckle bomb. Zayn countered into a school boy for two, then reversed a Pedigree into a tornado DDT. Zayn went for Helluva kick again, but again Rollins escaped the ring. Zayn hit a flip dive, but as they re-entered the ring, Rollins immediately hit the Pedigree for the win. Very good match, although it was only about 12 minutes.

    After the match, Rollins confronted Ambrose, but when Ambrose got in his face, Rollins backed off. Ambrose went to sit back down so Rollins gave him a cheap shot. With Ambrose down, Rollins celebrated, but Ambrose wildly attacked him. Ambrose went for a Dirty Deeds in the ring but Rollins bailed.

    – Final Thoughts:

    Based on normal Smackdown standards, this show was pretty good, especially with what felt like a light crew. Del Rio vs. Cesaro and Zayn vs. Rollins were both really good and the talking segments were entertaining too. I love that Seth Rollins seems like he’ll be perpetually annoyed as long as Dean Ambrose is WWE champion. 

  • Examining Dean Ambrose’s roller coaster ride to the top of WWE

    Editor’s Note: Most of this was written before the news of Roman Reigns’ wellness policy violation and suspension.

    Since WrestleMania, I’ve been thinking about Dean Ambrose’s WWE career, about how the company missed their chance with him, about how he could’ve been a big star, and about how he may never reach his potential. Then, Ambrose won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Sunday night at Money In The Bank.

    Here’s a look at his wild ride to the top.

    Leader of The Shield

    During The Shield’s run, Ambrose was the de facto leader of the group, mostly because he could cut a promo significantly better than the other two. He was frequently positioned front and centre, and held a singles title (the U.S. Championship) while Rollins and Reigns were tag team champs. (Trivia note: the Undertaker’s last ever TV match not on PPV was against Ambrose.)

    It seemed like when The Shield would finally break up, Ambrose would be a top heel coming out of it because he was a natural. Reigns would be a babyface and pushed as a top star and Rollins, a fantastic wrestler but mediocre on the mic at the time, would end up a babyface as well, but one who would probably get lost in the shuffle. Of course, that’s not what happened.

    WWE teased the breakup of The Shield several months before it happened, and it looked like Ambrose would be the catalyst. They decided not to pull the trigger, because The Shield still had life. After feuds with the Wyatt Family and Evolution, Rollins surprised everyone when he pulled the trigger that ended the partnership. Rollins–not Ambrose–was the heel.

    Missed Opportunities

    As it turned out, Ambrose made for a great babyface. Ambrose, not Reigns, started a summer-long blood feud with Rollins that resulted in plenty of highlights, including Ambrose busting out of a giant birthday gift to wildly attack his foe. He desperately wanted Rollins to pay for what he did, and the fans were into it. Ambrose was red hot, and the fans wanted to see him get revenge.

    Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The Ambrose-Rollins feud culminated in a Hell in a Cell match (which notably headlined that show over a John Cena vs. Randy Orton HIAC match). On Chris Jericho’s podcast, Ambrose once said he likes doing things differently, things that may not make sense to everyone. Hell in a Cell was evidence of that. Ambrose started the match not in the ring, but on top of the cell.

    Ambrose should have won this match and his feud with Rollins. Rollins was being protected anyway as Mr. Money in the Bank, a member of the Authority, and destined to win the WWE Title regardless of what happened in this feud. But a win for Ambrose would have put him on another level. The fans deserved to have their faith rewarded.

    Instead, he lost after some bizarre interference by Bray Wyatt. Not only did Ambrose lose the feud to Rollins, he lost the following feud with Bray. This was the first big example of the company dropping the ball with him.

    Up and Down the Card

    After losing feuds to Rollins and Wyatt, Ambrose found himself fighting for the Intercontinental title. In the 2015 Royal Rumble, after Daniel Bryan was unceremoniously eliminated, Ambrose was someone the fans fell back on, hoping he would win instead of Reigns. Of course, he was dumped out of the ring like nothing by Big Show and Kane.

    Ambrose continued on in the mid-card, fighting for the IC title in a ladder match at WrestleMania won by Daniel Bryan. Then, somewhat out of nowhere, Ambrose finally beat Rollins in a match on Raw. The win earned himself a title shot in a Fatal 4-Way that included Reigns and Randy Orton, but, of course, Ambrose didn’t win.

    He did find himself in another singles feud with Rollins with the title on the line. After getting screwed at Elimination Chamber, Rollins barely defeated Ambrose at MITB to retain his title. Ambrose came close, but again, came up short. After this, he found himself feuding with the Wyatts again, and again, came up on the losing end.

    Anyone But Roman

    After Rollins got hurt and had to surrender the WWE title, Ambrose was put in a tournament to crown a new champion. This led to a match they’ve never done, a match they perhaps should have never done — Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns won the title by defeating Ambrose, but it was somewhat forgettable considering what happened next — Sheamus cashing in his MITB briefcase to win the title.

    While Reigns feuded with Sheamus over the strap, Ambrose returned to the IC title mix. It was around this time Ambrose started to gain momentum again. When his popularity was rising, he was getting comparisons to Steve Austin. Maybe that’s absurd, but fans were desperate for a new star.

    With Reigns still not clicking with the audience, there was the thought, or hope, that maybe Ambrose should take his spot at WrestleMania. When Reigns lost the WWE title in the Royal Rumble, it was Ambrose–not Reigns–who was last eliminated by Triple H.

    At the next PPV, Ambrose was again pinned by Reigns, this time for the number one contender spot. A few weeks later, Ambrose fought Triple H for the title at Roadblock in Toronto and came up short…again. To be fair, he got screwed, but there was basically no follow up, and in the end, the story was that Ambrose failed to win the big one.

    Losing Steam

    I was at that Roadblock show and there really was a feeling among fans that Ambrose could win and change the WrestleMania plans the way Daniel Bryan did two years earlier. Instead, Ambrose was roundly beaten by Brock Lesnar, both throughout the feud and in the actual Mania match.

    To this point, Ambrose had lost almost every big match he has been in with Rollins, Wyatt, Reigns, Triple H and Lesnar all getting their hands raised at the end. Yes, he’s been U.S. and IC champion, and yes, he beat Jericho, but a lot of guys can say both of those things.

    After WrestleMania season, Ambrose lost a lot of steam. Instead of being the unhinged lunatic who would wildly attack Rollins at any opportunity, he became a caricature. He was acting crazy, but it was just that: an act.

    There were complaints about Ambrose feuding with Jericho over a fake talk show and plant, but this is the same guy who once used ketchup and mustard as weapons, and at the time, that worked. But Ambrose was losing the authenticity and credibility he once held with the audience, and feuding over plants and jackets was sad more than it was fun.

    A Second (or Third) Chance

    I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that WWE put the title on Ambrose when he is at his least interesting point. He’s not red hot anymore. The comparisons to Austin have stopped. But, the opportunity still exists to make Ambrose a top guy. All of the losses and times he got screwed over can add to his story, and WWE would be smart to take advantage and tell that story. Cashing in on Rollins was the perfect start.

    Ambrose went from being the de facto leader of The Shield to the odd man out. But now, it seems as though all three Shield members are back on the same level. I certainly don’t think Money in the Bank was a sign that they’ve given up on Reigns. If anything, Ambrose winning was just a way to set up an angle through SummerSlam and nothing more.

    It’s possible Ambrose will go back to where he was before this all happened, but that would be a mistake. This company seems filled with top heels who get cheered and top faces who get booed, but Ambrose is a face who gets cheered and seems genuinely well-liked. Hopefully he’s trending upward again.

    Learning from The Shield

    You could argue that all three members of The Shield should be bigger stars than they are — If only they had turned Reigns heel, if only they brought back Rollins as a babyface, if only they didn’t do all that stuff I just mentioned with Ambrose. Still, all three guys have done pretty well for themselves.

    It’s important to note how protecting The Shield for as long as they did really make all three guys. Smackdown is frequently advertised and centred around these three men, while guys like John Cena are given the night off. Headlining shows with any combination of The Shield members would have been impossible if they hadn’t been booked so strongly (or if they had debuted on their own as individuals).

    That’s why it’s totally fine getting upset when AJ Styles or Kevin Owens or Bray Wyatt or whoever loses a big match. Ambrose’s struggle to make it through poor booking isn’t a new story. WWE has a long history of ignoring a guy when their popularity peaks. Whether it’s because that guy wasn’t in the plans or because they like to prove the fans wrong, it’s self-destructive.

    But as we’ve seen, plans can change. If the plan is to keep the title on Ambrose for any length of time, which I know is unlikely, I hope the shows feel different with him on top. During his initial rise, Ambrose’s segments were often a breath of fresh air on dreary Raw shows that are always too long.

    We already knew that Dean Ambrose had the ability to be a biggest star of The Shield. Maybe now, especially in light of recent news, he will be.