The ‘Modern Day Maharaja’ Jinder Mahal on his Instagram, posted the following on his 50th day as the WWE Champion:
“Showing my dominance on the 50th day of being the 50th WWE Champion … Long Reign The Maharaja. #WWE #wwechampionship #ModernDayMaharaja”
A post shared by The Maharaja (@jindermahal) on Jul 11, 2017 at 9:02pm PDT
Jinder Mahal pinned Randy Orton to become the 50th WWE Champion at Backlash on May 21.
Taz says he really enjoyed one segment from last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW in particular, and that was the segment featuring Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe. He says that this felt very real, and there was some extreme intensity between Joe and Lesnar in particular. Taz could tell that these guys were simply working from bullet points, and that made their promos feel more believable.
Taz thinks that this segment had Paul Heyman’s fingerprints all over it, and he thought all parties involved did a very good job. In addition, after almost getting the best of Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, Taz is glad that WWE didn’t just take Joe out of the main event picture right away without any explanation. Taz doesn’t think that Joe will defeat Reigns next week, but it’s good that he’s still involved in the Title picture.
Taz liked the majority of Big Cass’ promo which opened RAW last night. He says that at certain points in the promo Cass looked lost, but that’s going to happen when a lot of these younger talents are learning on the fly. We’ll probably see more and more of this as performers are basically starting their careers in WWE now, instead of honing their craft in the territories like they did years ago.
Overall, he thought that Cass spoke a lot of truth in his promo. Cass said that he’s going to be a star in WWE and will eventually be WWE Champion. Taz says he believes every word of that, and it’s only a matter of time before Cass skyrockets up the card, because it’s evident that WWE is firmly behind pushing him right now.
Here are the early betting odds for the upcoming WWE Battleground event:
Flag match between John Cena and Rusev. Cena is favored at -400, meaning it would take a successful $400 bet to win +100. Rusev is a +280 underdog in this match.
The WWE Championship match, a Punjabi Prisonmatch, sees the champion Jinder Mahal as a projected -200 favorite. The underdog, Randy Orton, is a +250 underdog.
WWE Battleground takes place on July 23rd from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. As always, we will have live play-by-play coverage.
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Welcome to the 4th of July edition of SmackDown Live, in which an American hero returns to WWE: John Cena!
The 16-time WWE World Champion makes his grand return to WWE for the first time since WrestleMania, the big difference now is that Cena is a free agent. Which is essentially an excuse for him to work both Raw and SmackDown, which I would have been mad about a few years ago, but now Cena’s career is winding down I have no complaints with him working programs with as many people as possible! Who does Cena jump into a feud with in the near future? It seems inevitable that he will work with Jinder Mahal but he’s tied-up with Orton until after Battleground, so that leaves the window open for big match John to have a quick win to give him some momentum and an excuse to challenge for the title. So maybe the likes of Dolph Ziggler will step-up for a month. We should know by the end of tonight!
Elsewhere on tonight’s show, we will get a huge 4th of July Battle Royale to determine the number one contender to Kevin Owens’ US Championship. It’s unclear who will partake in the match but we do know AJ Styles is a participant and the most likely to win since he’s been gunning for a rematch with Owens after losing at WWE Backlash. I would also expect Sami Zayn, Luke Harper and Baron Corbin to take part in the multi-man match, with Owens watching from ringside. Heck, maybe even Cena will throw his hat in the ring!
Naomi and Lana seem set to lock horns again, probably at Battleground, as Lana made the legitimate claim that her shoulder wasn’t on the mat. So I would expect Lana to come out tonight and make that claim to the entire WWE Universe, as well as her request for a third shot at the title. Meanwhile The New Day and The Uso’s will partake in a rap battle tonight, with famous rapper Wale set to host the contest. The Uso’s have been fantastic since turning heel and winning the titles, particularly in all of their Talking Smack promo’s, so tonight’s segment should be entertaining if nothing else!
All that and more to come on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live! Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on our awesome Ringside Talk app, as well as the Ringside News app, where you can find all this wrasslin’ goodness on the go! Enjoy the show!
Welcome to the final edition of Monday Night Raw before Sunday’s Great Balls of Fire PPV!
Tonight’s show is anchored by the return of Brock Lesnar, who will defend his Universal Championship for the first time since WrestleMania on Sunday. Lesnar has had to sit back and watch as Samoa Joe took centre stage for this feud and even attacked his advocate Paul Heyman. So Lesnar decided to pay Joe a visit and was promptly choked down by the Samoan Bulldozer! One week from the huge showdown, Lesnar will definitely want to regain some momentum, meanwhile Samoa Joe is on the roll of a lifetime and fans are hungry for more!
Speaking of being hungry and never satisfied, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns will also have a gargantuan showdown at Great Balls of Fire – which ironically might be the best card for a terribly named PPV ever. The two big canines will fight for ownership of the back yard in an Ambulance Match and I would be shocked if we didn’t see said ambulance come into play one more time this week, seeing as Braun threw Roman into it last week and sent him packing. Fans will hope to see more of the same this week.
Last week’s main event saw Sasha Banks defeat the seemingly unstoppable Nia Jax, who had already bested Emma, Mickie James, Dana Brooke, and Bayley, in a Gauntlet Match to become number one contender. Banks’ win was pretty surprising but sets-up an exciting showdown at Great Balls of Fire. The Champion Alexa Bliss came to the ring after the match and shoved her title in Banks’ face but was promptly met with a dropkick to her own dentures! Expect more fireworks tonight ahead of the 4th of July!
Elsewhere on tonight’s show, Enzo Amore was ceremoniously dumped by Big Cass for the second week in a row and it seems inevitable that these two will have a showdown on Sunday night. The match hasn’t yet been announced but surely tonight is the night. And then there’s Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt who’ve done more talking in the past three weeks than Undertaker did in over 30 years, so hopefully we get something more substantial tonight.
All that and more to look forward to on tonight’s show. Don’t forget to check out the Ringside News app, as well as our new Ringside Talk app, which allows you to converse with all your fellow marks! Let us know your thoughts and feelings and enjoy the show!
As reported earlier, WWE Superstar Paige was spotted backstage at GFW’s Slammiversery pay-per-view. The former 2-Time Diva’s Champion was there to support her fiance, Alberto El Patron who ended up defeating Bobby Lashley to unify the Impact Heavyweight Championship and GFW Championship.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported that the duo had indeed broken up last weekend but got back together earlier this week. Theirs has been an on and off relationship as they went on a break at some point in the last year.
The main event of tonight’s Slammiversary event has been spoiled by the cable guide listing for Thursday’s episode of Impact. The listing reveals the following:
“It’s all about the fallout from Slammiversary. Alberto El Patron will hold a celebration in the ring with a guest of honor, but an unwelcomed visitor makes their way to the IMPACT Zone. LAX announces their newest member, and things go south for Sonjay Dutt. Also: the Super X Cup ’17 will make a return.”
The listing above indicates that Alberto El Patron will leave the event as both Impact and GFW World Champion.
A video package opens the show focusing on James Ellsworth helping Carmella at the Money in the Bank PPV to obtain the briefcase. We then see Daniel Bryan stripping Carmella of the briefcase last week and booking a rematch.
We go live to San Diego where Tom Phillips welcomes us to the show.
Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan is out first to kick off the show. Big reaction for Bryan tonight in San Diego. A loud “DANIEL BRYAN” chant starts up. Bryan asks if they are ready for a great night tonight? He is proud of the women’s evolution on Smackdown Live and tonight we have two huge women’s matches. Bryan plugs Noami defending the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Lana and the “Money in the Bank” ladder rematch featuring Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Carmella and Tamina.
Carmella is out to interrupt along with James Ellsworth. Carmella says Smackdown is the land of injustice. She brings up Bryan stripping her of the briefcase last week. Carmella says she won the ladder match fair and square. She says the rule book states a ladder match is no DQ and has no rules. Carmella says the first woman to gain possession of the contract wins the match. She again repeats the stipulation and says Bryan has no right to take the briefcase away from her. Carmella yells she did nothing wrong.
Bryan says Carmella made some valid points including that ladder matches are no DQ and that other people have interfered in Money in the Bank matches before. He points out that never has someone walked up a ladder and handed it to another competitor. Bryan says he made his decision, but he wants to see what the WWE Universe thinks. He asks if he should cancel the match and hand the briefcase back to Carmella? A loud “NO” chant breaks out in San Diego. Bryan poses having the second ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match here tonight. San Diego erupts with “YES” chants.
Ellsworth tells everyone to shut up. He says the people make him sick and the fans are the real villains. Ellsworth says they control “this stupid puppet.” He says Bryan takes pleasure in upsetting his “home girl.” A loud “ELLSWORTH SUCKS” chant breaks out. Ellsworth says he used to look up to Bryan. He doesn’t see a man anymore. Ellsworth only sees a “gutless, spineless, coward” that has no grapefruits to cut it in the ring and that he made up some “hokey injury.” Bryan gets in the face of Ellsworth and then starts smiling. He says he could just fire Ellsworth, but it isn’t about James tonight.
Bryan says it is about the “real” superstars of Smackdown Live. He says he knows he banned Ellsworth from ringside last week. Bryan says not to worry and he takes that back. “I am going to ban you from the entire arena,” says Bryan. Bryan calls for security. Carmella yells that Ellsworth didn’t mean it. Security walks down the ramp and gets in the ring going after Ellsworth. Ellsworth tries to leave and they grab him immediately. Ellsworth is grabbing onto the ropes as security drags him out of the ring. He then tells them he is fine and tries to take off again at ringside. Ellsworth tries to break free again jumping on the ring barricade. Security grabs him again and drags him to the back.
-Commercial Break-
If The Hype Bros win, they earn a tag title shot
The Usos vs. The Hype Bros
We start with Jimmy Uso and Zack Ryder. Ryder with a quick flapjack for a two count. Tag to Mojo Rawley who chop blocks the knee of Jimmy. Tag to Jey Uso who chops Mojo. Mojo with a big tackle off the ropes and then clotheslines Jey over the top rope. Tag to Ryder who is launched over the top rope and takes out both Usos at ringside. Jey with a big kick to the face of Ryder on the ring apron as we head to a break.
-Commercial Break-
Back live, Ryder misses his Broski Boot in the corner. Jimmy comes off the top with a splash on Ryder after Jey connects with a superkick. Jimmy gets the pinfall.
Winners: The Usos
After the match, The New Day walk out and get in the ring. Xavier Woods congratulates The Usos for actually winning a match and not walking out. Big E says they want the gold and at Battleground they are coming for them. Woods tries to avoid a Booker T moment with Big E. The Usos questions having to face them again, but ultimately agree to the “little change” from New Day. Kofi insults The Usos with a booty line.
-Commercial Break-
A new “Fashion Vice” segment airs with Breezango. Fandango is confronting The Ascension about attacking them. Konnor and Viktor said it wasn’t them. They leave the room and see their office has been trashed again.
Smackdown Women’s Champion Naomi heads to the ring. She defends her title next.
-Commercial Break-
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship
Naomi (c) vs. Lana
We get ring introductions for the challenger Lana and champion Naomi.
Before the bell officially rings, Lana attacks Naomi as she raises up her title. Lana with a few more kicks on Naomi until the referee breaks it up. The referee checks on Naomi in the corner and she gives him the okay to ring the bell.
The referee officially starts the match. Lana with a few more shots in the corner. Lana with her sitdown spinebuster on Naomi and gets a very close two count. Naomi with a big kick to the head of Lana. Naomi connects with her split legged moonsault and gets the win!
Winner and still Smackdown Women’s Champion: Naomi
After the match, we see a very upset Lana inside the ring.
Backstage, Becky Lynch is asked about tonight’s Money in the Bank ladder rematch. She’s ready to make history and be the first legitimate woman to win a briefcase.
We return live inside the ring where Aiden English begins singing. Randy Orton’s music hits to interrupt English. Orton heads to the ring as we go to a break.
-Commercial Break-
Ross congratulates new ROH Champion Cody Rhodes on capturing the Title by defeating Christopher Daniels last weekend. He says that he’s sure his old friend Dusty Rhodes would be so proud of Cody if he was still alive, and Ross couldn’t be prouder of Cody as well for everything that he has accomplished since leaving WWE.
Ross welcomes Jim Cornette to the show.
Ross asks Cornette if he still enjoys doing his podcast and Cornette says that for the most part he does. Some days he has to really grind in order to get through a two hour show if there isn’t a lot to talk about or if he’s just sick of his own voice, but for the most part it’s still very fun for him.
Cornette and Ross talk about the changing landscape of the professional wrestling business. Ross thinks that modern fans simply know too much about the business, and Cornette agrees. Cornette says that fans can’t just sit back and enjoy the product anymore, they need to overanalyze and criticize everything. He says that just because he watches Family Guy doesn’t mean he thinks he can write that show.
It looks like Alexa Bliss could be defending her RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax at this year’s SummerSlam event.
Bryan Alvarez discussed plans for the RAW Women’s Championship on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Live. Alvarez speculates that WWE appears to be moving towards a showdown between Bliss and Nia at this year’s SummerSlam event and that’s why they are doing the angles backstage between the two.
Originally the plan was for Sasha Banks to feud with Bayley over the Championship title on the show, but those plans have obviously changed as neither of one of them them are the champion.
We will keep you updated if we receive any other details…
WWE heads to the Valley View Casion Center in San Diego, CA for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. The following is confirmed for the show:
Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn
The Usos vs. The Hype Bros (If The Hype Bros Win They Get a Tag Title Shot)
Smackdown Women’s Title Match: Champion Naomi vs. Lana
Smackdown Women’s MITB Match: Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Tamina vs. Natalya
Check back here at 8PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage of the event.
Welcome to Monday Night Raw for June 26 2017!
Last week’s Raw was a pretty stacked episode and ended with a shocking reveal: Big Cass was the one who attacked Enzo Amore! Weirdly enough, it was Corey Graves who revealed the information – because he has access to security footage where no one else did – and Cass admitted to it before explaining exactly why he did it. It was hard to disagree with anything Cass said before he planted his big boot in Enzo’s face and walked off to the boo’s of the WWE Universe. The break-up received mixed reactions as some thought the duo had run their course, where others wanted them to get at least one tag title run. Regardless, tonight’s Raw will be interesting to see how Enzo responds to his former brother.
A huge return also bolstered last week’s Raw, as Braun Strowman came back from injury to cost Roman Reigns the match against Samoa Joe. Strowman then walked down to the ring and reverse chokeslammed Roman. The two are set to meet again, at Great Balls of Fire, in an Ambulance Match! The winner of this bout will go on to face Broc….I mean, the winner of the Universal Championship match at Great Balls. Strowman’s return was awesome and the fans exploded for him. Expect more brawling tonight between the two giants.
Speaking of Brock Lesnar, the Champion is scheduled to appear on tonight’s Raw and once again cross paths with Samoa Joe. Maybe they will be kept apart, rather than trying to kill each other again, but one thing is for sure, when Brock is in town, everyone watches. Joe has been fantastic since becoming number one contender and, even if he doesn’t win the strap, at least we get a few more weeks of him being the destroyer that he is billed as!
Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins have given a lot of lengthy promo’s against one and other recently, which often go around in circles and do little to help either man. Which is why tonight I’d like to see them actually put some actions behind their words and go toe-to-toe! Elsewhere, Finn Balor will be looking for revenge on Elias Samson, and The Miz will put his new entourage to good use against Dean Ambrose, but is Maryse gone for good?
All that and loads more to look forward to on tonight’s show! Let us know what you’re excited to see in the comments and be sure to check out the Ringside News app, and enjoy the show!