Thursday, October 29, 2026
NEWS

REVIEW: SmackDown – April 14, 2005: Here He Comes

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Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Smackdown Date: April 14, 2005 Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz We’re in the process of finding a new #1 contender, which is likely to be JBL. Thankfully we get some big matches on the way there, including one tonight with Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero. That is one of those matches that can’t be screwed up so we should be in for a good evening. Let’s get to it. We open with a recap of the #1 contender series, with Eddie Guerrero costing Rey Mysterio his match against JB..

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Huge Match Takes Place After Monday Night Raw, Roman Reigns In Action

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They aren’t done yet. Last week’s Monday Night Raw marked the end of WrestleMania Weekend, which featured some of the most important WWE events of the year. The shows included all kinds of special matches and moments, but eventually things had to come to an end. WWE was back to normal this week but three hours of Monday Night Raw just wasn’t enough. There was another match after the show went off the air and it was a big one. According to PWInsider.com, there was a dark match after this week’s Monday Night Raw went off the air. Following the show, Drew McIntyre and the New Day defeated the Bloodline in a six man tag when McIntyre pinned one of the Usos after a Claymore. Only the Usos appeared on the show itself, defeating the Street Profits in the main event. This is Reigns’ first match since WrestleMania 38. Opinion: This is the kind of a fun way that WWE can send the fans home happy, which is one of the places that they shine. It can be fun to see WWE come up with something like th..

NEWS

WWE Star Held Off TV Due To Coronavirus Protocols, Title Match Postponed

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There’s your absence. The Coronavirus pandemic changed the way the wrestling world works and while things are mostly back to normal, there are still a few issues that are still hanging around. This includes wrestlers occasionally being held off of shows due to health worries, and that seems to be the case again, though this time it shook up some special plans for a show. A WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match did not take place as scheduled this week on Monday Night Raw as Rhea Ripley was placed in Coronavirus protocols. The scheduled match would have seen Ripley and Liv Morgan challenging Sasha Banks and Naomi for the titles, though the match will now take place next week. There is nothing to suggest that Ripley has contracted the virus. Opinion: This almost feels like a complete blast from the past and that is a great thing to see. The Coronavirus took over the world for a very long time but now things have taken several steps forward. It’s very nice to see that this is something that ..

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMORS: The Undertaker May Be Getting His Own Podcast

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I’ll believe it when I hear it. Wrestlers have a tricky set of rules to follow in their profession. While their job is to have a safe yet also entertaining match, they are also tasked with keeping fans believing that what they are seeing is real. That is a lot harder than it sounds and some wrestlers are better at it than others. Now one of the best ever might be dropping every bit of kayfabe altogether. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, the Undertaker will be debuting his own podcast. WWE and Peacock have talked Undertaker into airing his own podcast in the vein of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions with the show debuting in the next few months. Undertaker officially retired from the ring at Survivor Series 2020 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. In a show similar to that of Broken Skull Sessions, Peacock & WWE have convinced The Undertaker to enter the podcasting world. Source states his new show should begin airing within the next few months. A fa..

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Run It Back: New Grudge Match Set For WrestleMania Backlash

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There’s your sequel. There are all kinds of matches in WWE and you never know what you might be seeing. The company knows how to mix things up a bit, but sometimes you need to see a match take place again. It can be needed for a variety of reasons and that will be the case again next month, as we are going to be seeing a rematch from this year’s WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes made his surprise return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 and defeated Seth Rollins. The following night, the took shook hands without coming to blows. This week on Monday Night Raw, Rollins issued a challenge to Rhodes for a rematch, with the match being set for WrestleMania Backlash on May 8. This will be the second singles match ever between the two. Opinion: This isn’t exactly a surprise as last week made it pretty clear that we would be seeing this match at some point in the near future. Rhodes seems to be on his way to the top of the WWE and having him beat Rollins twice in a row is a good idea for him. Hopefully the ..

NEWS

Monday Night Raw Star Undergoes An Odd Name Change

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I’m not sure if that’s a name. Having the right ring name is one of the most important things about a wrestler’s entire career. If someone isn’t called the right thing, or even something good, you can leave the wrestler in a pretty bad place. WWE has a tendency to make some interesting choices when it comes to name changes and that seems to be the case all over again. This week on Monday Night Raw, Austin Theory appeared in a backstage segment where he was granted a United States Title shot next week. At the end of his portion of the segment, Theory said that he and Vince McMahon agreed that the “Austin” part of his name wasn’t working, meaning that his name is now just “Theory”. This comes after Theory was Stunned by Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38. Opinion: Theory? That’s really the best they could come up with him? Fans are going to know him as Austin Theory but now his name is just Theory? This is up there with Riddle for weird names and I still do not understand WWE’s obsession ..

NEWS

NXT Legend Makes Official Monday Night Raw Debut

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Welcome to the team. There are a lot of people on the WWE roster, to the point where WWE can break them up into multiple groups. That includes individual rosters for Monday Night Raw, SmackDown and NXT. It can mean a lot when someone moves from one roster to the other, especially after it is a long time in the making. We got to see it again this week with a major name. This week on Monday Night Raw, Tommaso Ciampa was officially announced as the newest member of the roster. Ciampa appeared in a backstage segment where Ezekiel welcomed him to the show before Kevin Owens came in to yell at Ezekiel. This comes after Ciampa wrestled his last match in NXT at Stand & Deliver. He has wrestled on Monday Night Raw on occasion in the past, but always as part of the NXT roster. Opinion: This is the kind of move that you knew was coming but it is still a bit weird to see. Ciampa has been such a mainstay of NXT that it is hard to imagine him wrestling anywhere else, though I’m glad to see him get..

NEWS

Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results – April 11, 2022

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Monday Night Raw Date: April 11, 2022 Location: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton We’re back to normal this week as the Wrestlemania Weekend glow is gone. Now we get to see what the regular crowds are like and how they respond to what WWE is offering. At the same time, we get to see how things go when WWE doesn’t have to try as hard. Let’s get to it. We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes’ return at Wrestlemania and wanting to become the WWE Champion to honor his father. Here is the Miz for MizTV. Miz wastes no time in introducing Cody Rhodes, though he does make sure to insult the fans a few times. Miz accuses Cody of taking too long to come out but Cody says it has been awhile since he was in front of a crowd like this one. Hang on as Cody gets to pose a bit more and the fans certainly like him. We hear about Cody being the grandson of a plumber but without the Rhodes name, he would just be a plumber. Cody says it would be ..

NEWS

Acknowledged: Positive Update On Roman Reigns’ Future

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That could have been worse. An injury is the kind of thing that can take apart any storyline in the blink of an eye. You never know when you are going to see someone get injured and taken out, which can make for some rather frightening moments. There is little scarier in wrestling than wondering when someone might be out of action for a long time. This time though, it seems that things are not as bad as they seem. According to Dave Meltzer on the Saturday Night’s Main Event podcast, Roman Reigns is healthy after his match at WrestleMania 38. There had been rumors that Reigns had suffered some sort of an injury during the match but it is said to have been part of the storyline. Reigns appeared on the following Monday Night Raw and SmackDown but did not take part in anything physical. Opinion: That is quite the relief as you never want to see someone get injured. WWE would have been absolutely crushed by having Reigns go onto the shelf for a long time but now it seems like everything i..

NEWS

Update On Brandi Rhodes’ Future In Wrestling

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Her too? It can be very interesting to see a wrestler pop up in another company. They might be someone you haven’t seen in a long time or someone brand new, but either way, you know you are in for something different. This could be even more interesting if it is someone who has changed a lot while they are gone, and that might be the case again in the near future. Cody Rhodes made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38, defeating Seth Rollins at the show and then opening the following night’s Monday Night Raw. According to Fightful Select, there have been discussions on bringing Cody’s wife Brandi Rhodes in to WWE. It is not clear how far these discussions have gone or whether Rhodes will have an in-ring role or not. Rhodes previously worked for WWE as a non-wrestling ring announcer named Eden Stiles. Opinion: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brandi pop up somewhere in the future, though I don’t know if she is needed. If WWE wants Cody to be a top star, he really doesn’t need a valet or ..

NEWS

WATCH: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka From SummerSlam 2020

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Sometimes friends aren’t that helpful. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel in which they show the full match between Sasha Banks and Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship from SummerSlam 2020. You can see the video in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] From WWE.com: The Legit Boss had a leg up from the opening bell, targeting Asuka’s knee that Bayley focused on in their earlier matchup. Banks looked set to cruise to an easy victory after hitting an incredible flipping powerbomb to the outside from the apron, dropping The Empress of Tomorrow with a sickening thud. But Asuka turned the tables, demonstrating her resolve with a top-rope missile dropkick despite her injured knee. Suddenly desperate and defensive, Banks pleaded with Bayley at ringside for reassurance. But Bayley was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she moved out of the way to avoid the same hip attack that Asuka hit Banks within Bayley’s title defense earlier in the e..

NEWS

NXT UK Results – April 7, 2022

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NXT UK Date: April 7, 2022 Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness It’s time for the big title fight as United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov is defending the championship against Roderick Strong. It says a bit that NXT UK has to import challengers for Dragunov, but it isn’t like there is anyone around to give Dragunov a run for his money at the moment. Let’s get to it. The opening video looks at the title match. Opening sequence. Primate vs. Wild Boar The rest of Symbiosis is here and if Boar wins, he gets to face Eddie Dennis. They go straight to the slugout with Primate getting the better of things for all of a few seconds. Boar takes him down and stomps away before going after Dennis. T-Bone gets in the way and the distraction lets Primate take Boar down. That doesn’t last long either though as Boar knocks him into the corner and hits the big reverse Cannonball. T-Bone offers another distraction though and Dennis gets in a chai..

NEWS

AEW Accused Of Editing Fan Reactions During Rampage Segment

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That’s not what I heard. Most of the time, a wrestler is going to be treated as a hero or a villain. While there are occasional middle grounds, most of the time it is one end of the spectrum or the other. That is on paper at least, as there are occasions where the fans will not react as the promotion intends. It seems that is the case again, as two AEW heroes might not be as well received as it seems. Last week’s edition of AEW Rampage featured a segment between the Men of the Year and Tay Conti/Sammy Guevara. The segment saw Conti and Guevara yelling back and forth with the team, including Scorpio Sky. After the show, Sky posted a tweet, showing Conti holding an edited sign saying “we paid to have our boos overdubbed.” This would suggest that the fans at the show booed Conti and Guevara, though this did not appear to be the case on the broadcast. ? #AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/a6mDjXwUQF — Scorpio Sky (@ScorpioSky) April 9, 2022 If I didn’t hear it, it didn’t happened brother ? — ..

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WRESTLING RUMORS: Update On Missing WWE SmackDown Star’s Status

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So that’s where she went? There are a lot of people on the WWE roster and it can be difficult to keep track of some of them. With so many people around, there is a real chance that WWE might not have something for everyone. It can be frustrating for both the wrestlers and the fans alike, and that seems to be the case again with a WWE star who hasn’t been around much in the first place. According to Ringsidenews.com, SmackDown’s Shotzi is perfectly healthy and ready to go whenever WWE has a new story for her. She was not factored into the WrestleMania mix in any way and therefore was not around for any of the shows over WrestleMania weekend. Shotzi has not wrestled on television since the February 25 edition of SmackDown, when she lost to Sasha Banks. Opinion: This is about as WWE as you can get: they bring up someone from NXT, take away part of what makes them work in the first place, and then leave them on the sidelines. Shotzi has been on the main roster for about ten months now an..

NEWS

AEW Star Shares Look At His New Horror Movie

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It’s another thing to do. Wrestlers are incredible athletes, but they are capable of doing other things outside of the ring as well. This could be a variety of things, some of which have nothing to do with their in-ring abilities. It can be fascinating to see how a wrestler can do outside of the ring and now an already well rounded performer is trying his hand at something else. AEW’s Swerve Strickland has announced that he is taking part in a horror movie in Los Angeles. There are no details on the film, other than that it may be titled You Promised, based on Strickland’s Instagram post. The post also includes some clips of Strickland on the set, where he is dragged across the floor. Strickland is scheduled for a tag match this week, which will see him team with Keith Lee against Team Taz. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) Opinion: Strickland is working hard and it is impressive to see him trying his hand at so many things. There is s..

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Bandido No Shows Prominent Independent Show, Not Answering Calls

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Hopefully he’s ok. There are a lot of wrestling shows in the world on any given day and some of them have quite the lineup. You might not see the top WWE or AEW stars on any given card, but some of the talent from other promotions will blow your mind. That seemed to be the case at a card this weekend, but now something seems to have happened to prevent a match from taking place. Game Changer Wrestling has announced that Bandido has no shown their Devil In A New Dress event in San Francisco, California. Bandido did not board his flight and has not responded to any of the company’s messages and according to 411mania.com, Effy will take Bandido’s place against Nick Wayne. Bandido last wrestled at the WrestleCon USA vs. The World event on April 2. It appears as though @bandidowrestler did not get on his flight to San Francisco today for tonight's GCW event. We haven't heard from him and he hasn't replied to any of our messages. We apologize and will do our best to come u..

NEWS

Wrestling Legend Suffers Serious Injury, Stretchered Away From Ring

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That doesn’t sound good. Injuries are the kind of thing that can take place at any given time to any given wrestler. Some of them can sneak up on you, but there are some that happen out of nowhere in the middle of a match. Oftentimes the latter are the worst, if nothing else for the shock value. That was the case again this week and it is not exactly looking good. According to 411mania.com, wrestling legend Shinjiro Otani suffered an injury at a Pro Wrestling ZERO1 event. Otani was challenging ZERO1 World Heavyweight Champion Takashi Sugiura in the show’s main event when he was German suplexed into the corner. The landing left Otani unable to move, meaning the match was immediately stopped. According to Tokyo Sports, the match’s referee said that Otani was conscious and able to speak, but said he was unable to move his hands. There is no word on Otani’s status or if he is able to move his limbs. Opinion: First and foremost, what matters is Otani’s health. This is a serious kind of in..

NEWS

VIDEO: World Champion Releases Album, Jams To His Own Music

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It’s a different kind of career. Wrestlers are very talented people and get to showcase themselves every time they get inside a ring. There are things that most of us could never approach and it can be very entertaining to watch them do their work. However, sometimes you get to see them showcase a different kind of talent, and that is the case again with a fairly high profile name. Major League Wrestling World Champion Alex Hammerstone has released a five song extended play called Blow Away Luna. The album is available on Spotify and iTunes and Hammerstone has released a video of him playing guitar alongside the song Fantasy. Hammerstone also asked for an interest in an Arizona musician or band interested in helping take the project forward. Jamming along to the song, Fantasy, off my album I’ve released 5 tracks on Apple Music, Spotify, sound cloud. Available now under Blown Away Luna. Az musician or singer interested in taking this project live? Message me pic.twitter.com/owFxVzvC..

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Alexa Bliss Gets Married Over The Weekend

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Wedding Bells are ringing! According to People magazine, Alexa Bliss married her long-time sweetheart, musician Ryan Cabrera, over the weekend. Their wedding was “very non-traditional,” “rockstar” and self-described as “the s–tshow.” The couple was interviewed two weeks prior to their wedding; below are some highlights: On their wedding venue: “We were like, ‘Oh my God,’ it’s absolutely perfect,” Cabrera said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous and nestled within the mountains. At the bottom, there are vineyards, and behind the house there’s a beautiful lake. It’s just far enough outside of Los Angeles, too.” On coming down the aisle to Cabrera’s song “Worth It:” “I’m just trying to figure out how I’m going to get through this because it’s such an emotional song,” Cabrera said. “I don’t think she understands, because we were talking about doing our vows, and I was like, ‘Maybe we should do it in private.’ I cry a lot! I can’t help it. I’m that guy. It is what it is. I’m emotional, so it’s ..

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Former WWE World Champion Trashes AEW Dynamite

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It’s not for him? The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works. For the first time in over two decades, another promotion is getting national air time on a large television network. This is the kind of thing that can open up a lot more spots for several other wrestlers and a lot of them have already come to AEW. However, that does not seem likely for one of them. Earlier this week, former WWE Universal Champion Adam Scherr (formerly known as Braun Strowman) replied to a fan tweeting that watching Monday Night Raw would be a punishment. Scherr said that “Dynamite would be far worse punishment”, suggesting that he will not be signing with AEW anytime soon. Scherr held discussions about coming in to AEW back in October 2021 but no deal was ever reached. He has since been appearing with Control Your Narrative. If my kid does that i'll punish him by watching 3 hours of Raw — TheWrestler (@TheWrestler77) April 8, 2022 Hahahah dynamite would be far worse punishment ..