TNA

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – RAW Analysis, Jobbers in Bear Suits, Cass & Enzo Split, More!

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Rue from ‘Rue TV’.

Russo opens today’s show by informing that Bruce Prichard has denied his invitation to appear on this show. He now lumps Prichard in the same category as Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff, of people who love to talk crap behind his back but refuse to discuss it with him in person.

Rue asks Russo about his connection to Bruce Prichard’s arrival in TNA years ago. Russo says he doesn’t like to talk about this much, but he played an instrumental part in bringing Prichard into TNA. Prichard was released from WWE because he and Stephanie McMahon didn’t see eye to eye, but Prichard had two small children and his wife was sick at the time, so Russo went to work and found a position for him in TNA.

Russo informs that Wade Keller appears to be getting his own podcast on PodcastOne in the near future, and someone has already reached out to him about being a guest on that show. Russo said he’d absolutely appear on that show as a guest because he has no issue debating their opposing wrestling philosophies, even though they’ve had their differences in the past. Russo is interested to see whether Keller actually agrees to have him on as a guest.

The Ross Report Recap w/ Jason Powell – MITB & RAW Analysis, A.J. Styles vs. Nakamura, Lesnar’s Expiring Contract, More!

Ross congratulates Seth Rollins on being named as the cover Superstar for WWE 2K17. He says that’s a big deal for Rollins personally and professionally, and it’s a big deal in the WWE locker room as well. Ross has heard that the two finalists for the cover were Seth Rollins and A.J. Styles, and he thinks Styles would have been very deserving of the cover as well.

Speaking about Sunday night’s Money in the Bank PPV, Ross thought the St. Louis crowd loved the legends sitting at ringside. He also thinks that Naomi is a very talented performer, and her athleticism allows her to continue to grow as a performer in the ring. It was nice to see her continue her Women’s Championship run at Money in the Bank with a win over Lana.

Ross liked that Mahal got some heat by defeating Randy Orton in his hometown on Sunday. The distraction finish protected Orton and allowed Mahal to continue his momentum. Ross does feel that Mahal needs to pick up a few convincing wins as some point where he can show off his aggressiveness, and he needs to vary his style from time to time.

However, Ross does like where Mahal is headed, and he credits WWE for putting their Championship on him to help build his credibility as rises to prominence within the company.

#1 Contender Match Announced for Next Week’s SmackDown Live

Daniel Bryan announced that The Hype Bros will face The Usos on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live. If they defeat the Usos, they will get a shot at the SmackDown Live championship titles.

The following matches are confirmed for next week’s show:

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos

Stipulation Added to Next Week’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Daniel Bryan announced on tonight’s Talking Smack that James Ellsworth will be banned from ringside from the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

As noted, the following is confirmed for next week’s show:

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – James Ellsworth Banned from ringside
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos

New Stable Forms on Tonight’s Episode of RAW

The Miz recruited both Curtis Axel and Bo Dalls to join him as part of a new stable on RAW. They will be going by the name The Entourage. For those who didn’t witness tonight’s show, Axel and Dallas dressed up in bear costumes and attacked Dean Ambrose in a segment where The Miz failed to get on Maryse’s good side again.