Month: March 2019

And off to New York we go. We’re coming up on NXT Takeover: New York but there’s still a little bit of work left to do. You can probably guess what most of the card is going to look like, but with NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa injured, we need a new NXT Champion. That would be taken care of on Wednesday night as things had to be wrapped up for next month’s big show.
NXT was back at Full Sail University on Wednesday night to tape the final episodes of television before Takeover: New York. These three shows will air over the next three weeks, though there is a chance that these shows will air out of order. The tapings include the announcement of what will be happening with the NXT Title, which had to be vacated due to Ciampa’s injury. Here are the results, courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com:
Episode 1: * Triple H opened tonight’s WWE NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University and came out to a huge pop. He announced that he was originally going to announce Johnny Gargano vs. NXT Champion Tommaso..

So maybe? Right now, it’s not entirely clear what is going on with WWE contracts. Several wrestlers seem to be trying to get in or out of the company with AEW or elsewhere seeming to be a possibility. It’s hard to tell who might be sticking around and you never can quite tell who might be leaving as the contract statues seem to be up in the air. One of these situations is now even more confusing.
Dolph Ziggler was interviewed on 98.5 Wrestling Inside The Ropes radio show and discussed his current contract status with WWE. Ziggler said that he was technically still under contract with the company but it was more of a handshake agreement that allows him to do other things outside of the company. This has been the case for about two years now. Ziggler’s last appearance with the company was the Royal Rumble back in January.
Some things have gone better for Ziggler than others. Check out this rather painful moment from last year:
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Opinion: The n..

The WWE Hall of Fame is one of the most memorable moments of the year. Every year sees the company induct several pivotal figures in the company’s history into the prestigious hall.
During the latest episode of Jerry “The King” Lawler’s Dinner With The King podcast, he noted that he would no longer be hosting the WWE Hall of Fame as he has done over the past few years.
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With Lawler no longer hosting the WWE Hall of Fame, it begs the question of who will take his place. Lawler has held the position for a long time, and there are no clear candidates to replace him. WIth Jim Ross leaving WWE, it doesn’t look like he could host. He is supposedly AEW bound, anyway.
According to a new report by Rajah, a source has told them that RAW commentators Renee Young and Corey Graves are being considered as the replacements. This would mean the two would co-host the WWE Hall of Fame together, or both take sections of the show each.
With one of the two RAW..

When then-WWE Universal Champion Reigns announced he would be stepping away from the ring as his leukemia had returned, it shocked wrestling fans around the world. Later that same night, things took a turn.
During the same night, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to capture the RAW Tag Team Championship. Given the news of Reigns’ departure was heavy in the hearts of the audience, and those watching around the world, it was very much a feelgood moment.
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With the whole world watching, Ambrose turned his back on Rollins, Reigns- and the WWE Universe as he viciously attacked his long-time friend and left him and the WWE Universe in a mess, as both he and WWE themselves were booed heavily.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Reigns gave an insight into how he reacted to WWE’s decision to have Ambrose turn heel on the night of a very real and serious announcement.
Reigns noted that he has conflicting emotions ..

Bully Ray is currently employed by ROH. Despite this, the wrestler is in the WWE Hall of Fame alongside D-Von Dudley. For this reason, it came as a surprise to many when he joined in on the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship conversation on social media.
The feud on social media initially kicked off with a video-tweet by Matt Hardy. He tweeted that he and brother Jeff were watching McMiz and The Usos as they were ringside for SmackDown Live last week.
Hey @WWEUsos, @mikethemiz & @shanemcmahon.. WE’RE WATCHING. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/JcPPXyqwo8
— The MULTIFARIOUS Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 6, 2019
Ray wouldn’t enter yet. However, Hardy’s tweet would prompt The Usos to respond. The Champions would welcome the two Hardy Boyz and note that they haven’t been “locked down” into the Uso Penitentiary yet.
THE ONE TEAM WHO HAS NOT BEEN LOCKEDDOWN……”WELCOME” https://t.co/zuUzcbU66s
— The Usos (@WWEUsos) March 7, 2019
Hardy would, of course, not back down. Mentioning Ray among se..

The commentary provides an interesting perspective on the action as fans watch wrestling. It is through this commentary that many fans gain an understanding of certain feuds and storylines.
Over the past few decades, a number of men and women across the world have made a name for themselves. Working commentary isn’t easy- but it is something many have done well.
According to a new report by Rajah, WWE is considering an alteration to their commentary team on RAW. From what we now understand, it appears that, according to the report, Renee Young may be removed from the team.
WWE officials have had discussions on Young and her position alongside Michael Cole and Corey Graves on the team. There is certainly no confirmation, as it stands, for Young to be removed, replaced, or change roles- but that isn’t possible for WWE to change it up at any point.
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Young famously broke boundaries with her role as a commentator on RAW. Not only was Young the ..

Welcome home. There’s something very cool when a wrestler returns from an injury. You get to see them for the first time after what could be a long or short layoff and the question becomes how fast they can get back to where they were before. Or perhaps they’re even better this time around. Either way, it’s a fun thing to see and it was on display Saturday night.
According to PWInsider.com by way of 411mania.com, Luke Harper returned to the ring from an injury in his hometown of Rochester, New York on Saturday night, defeating Mojo Rawley. This is Harper’s first match since October 1 due to wrist surgery that has caused him to miss several months. There is no word on when Harper may return to television or which show it may be on.
Maybe a reunion is in order. Check out Harper’s time as a Bludgeon Brother:
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Opinion: It’s nice to have Harper back, though with Rowan working with Daniel Bryan, I’m not sure what it’s going to mean. Maybe he can ..

So here we are, with the show that has been treated as an afterthought to an afterthought and is now just being treated like a nothing show. There are a few things on the show that could be interesting, but WWE has been acting like Fastlane, as in the show they’re putting on, is just a nuisance that they’re required to cover. Just watch Raw and see how much effort they’ve put into it as compared to promoting Wrestlemania. Hopefully things pick up a little bit and the show winds up being fun. Let’s get to it.
Kickoff Show: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade Well if you insists. This has been a great feud so far and one of the best things on SmackDown this year. These guys mesh very well together and this one can serve as the rubber match after their previous big blowoff officially went to a no contest because WWE doesn’t know the definition of a no contest.
I’ll take Andrade to win here as he needs to be elevated a little bit more. Mysterio is already a legend and has been for about ten years n..