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Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Battleground Analysis, Corbin’s Sloppiness, WWE Dropping the Ball with Rusev, More!
Russo is joined on today’s show by Skull Von Crush (Big Vito), his old co-host from Vicious Vincent’s World of Wrestling in the early 90’s. They will discuss Sunday’s Battleground PPV.
Russo says that without entertaining characters and in depth storylines, these shows are just full ok fake fights. That’s not what made him a fan of wrestling many years ago, and he believes that’s a big reason why so many mainstream fans have left the product over the last several years.
He thought the opening match of the show between The Usos and The New Day was a very exciting match and all the guys worked hard, but they started the show at such a high octane pace, that it almost made it impossible to follow. He also says the one superkick that was delivered to Xavier Woods from across the ring looked incredible and it looked like it should have legitimately killed him. Having him kick out of a spot like that doesn’t do anything good for the business.
Vito says that he agrees entirely and he felt that this match negatively affected the matches that followed. He thought the match between A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens was the worst match he’s ever seen Styles work, and that should never be the case because Owens is a good worker as well. The finish of this match was so anti-climatic after all the false finishes we saw in the opening match of the show.
Charlotte Claims She Would Beat Ronda Rousey In A Wrestling Match
Charlotte recently spoke to Noelle Foley for Ringside Collectibles. Here are some highlights from the interview:
Possibility of holding the NXT, RAW and Smackdown Women’s titles in her career: “Honestly, I wouldn’t have the opportunity or the ability if it wasn’t for all the amazing women that I work with. I mean, it means a lot to me, it’s crazy, I don’t know. It’s my passion, it’s what I love doing and I literally dedicate almost every second of the day thinking about work.”
Wrestlemania match with Ronda Rousey: “Well, I would say that I would still have the undefeated PPV streak, but Bayley crushed that. I would win, and I would show her who the real Four Horsewoman is.”
Mae Young Classic: “I sat in the audience – both days – and watched every single match. It made me want to work that much harder, I was so inspired. Especially [because] I had a different background and to watch these women who have traveled all over the world, living their dream and then seeing them in the NXT ring, knowing that their dream is being fulfilled. It’s one more step in the women’s revolution, but it’s also showing the world that we could have a full show of just women. The stories and the impact, aggression, athleticism, and Superstar power is just as evident in women, as it is in men.”
You can check out the interview embedded below:
WWE SmackDown Live Results – July 4 2017
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!
Main Event of Tonight’s Slammiversary Spoiled
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.
Two Possible Matches for WWE Battleground
Dave Meltzer discussed the upcoming WWE Backlash event on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio. As of this writing there are only two matches confirmed for the show. Those matches are Jinder Mahal defending his WWE World Title against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match and The Usos defending their tag team championships against The New Day.
Meltzer revealed that two other matches that will take place on the card. Those matches are:
Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis
Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
WWE Battleground takes place on July 23rd from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. As always, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of the event.
Bellator Fighter Appearing at Sunday’s Slammiversary Event
It was revealed in a 30-minute preview video for Sunday’s Slammiversary event that Bellator’s Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will be in Lashley’s corner at the event. As noted, Lashley will take on Alberto El Patron for the unified World Championship on the show.
Multiple Wrestling Personalities React to Cody Rhodes’s ROH World Title Win
As we reported earlier, Cody Rhodes was successful in procuring the ROH Championship by defeating Christopher Daniels at Ring of Honour’s Best in The World Pay-per-view.
Here’s what Cody had to say after his surprising victory last night:
Here are some reactions from Cody’s friends, family and other wrestling and non-wrestling personalities on his huge victory:
Bully Ray Talks About the Scope of the BROKEN Universe in the WWE
Bully Ray was recently interviewed by USA Today’s “For The Win”. The former 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion talked about a number of topics in the session. Bully Ray had some really interesting comments about the scope of the infamous BROKEN Gimmick in the WWE.
Here’s what he said: (quote credits: USA Today)
“I think that they will get the best of both worlds. They can milk this Hardy run for every dime it’s worth and then they can evolve into a version of the Broken Universe that the WWE sees fits. WWE is not going to allow creations that got over someplace else to come in and rule their world. It’s not going to happen. It didn’t happen with the Bullet Club and it’s not going to happen with Matt Hardy’s Broken Universe. They are going to have to put their stamp of approval on it and have their creative input.”
Bully Ray is set to appear at Ring of Honour’s Best In The World Pay-per-view in the 6-Man Tag Team Championship match alongside the Briscoes against Dalton Castle and the Boys.
Daniel Bryan Claims that Luke Harper’s Capabilities are Being Wasted on SmackDown Live
Daniel Bryan spoke to Fox Sports very recently. There he gave his two cents on the state of Luke Harper on SmackDown Live right now. Bryan admitted that the former Wyatt Family member is indeed being “wasted” on the blue brand.
Here are Bryan’s thoughts on Harper:
“I think that he is somebody that we can utilize better. When he left the Wyatt Family, I thought the fans were really starting to get behind him. And his match with Randy Orton, gosh, I loved his match with Randy Orton.”
The former 3-time World Champion didn’t stop singing Harper’s praise here, as he continued:
“Every time you see him, he’s dynamic. The crowd gets behind him, and then you just kind of lose him on TV, where we don’t really see him much. I think we’re really losing out on that.”
How Each Money in the Bank Contestant Should Cash In
There are different types of cash-ins when it comes to the Money in the Bank briefcase. Some people do it like Edge and pick up the pieces after a grueling match. There’s also the RVD method, where you announce when and where you will be cashing in. If you’re truly a mad lad, you can do what Seth Rollins did and insert yourself into a match that’s already happening. There’s a decent amount of variety.
Each contestant in the match is different. They have different agendas, different ways of doing their thing. Not everyone will do it the same way. I hope to show the potentially best way for each man to cash in their contract.
6. Dolph Ziggler
I have a higher chance of meeting pretty much anyone on the WWE roster than Dolph Ziggler does of winning Money in the Bank again. Bear in mind, I live on a completely different side of the globe from pretty much everyone in the WWE. What I’m trying to say is this: Dolph Ziggler is not winning.
However, for the purpose of this article, let’s assume he does. It would be hard to top his original cash-in in 2013. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. For the newer fans who wonder why so many people still love him, check out when he won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Right now, Dolph is lacking in the heat department. Lots of people simply don’t care. So if he should win (he won’t, though), he needs to cash in on a beloved babyface. Cashing in on a wounded AJ Styles or Sami Zayn could be the spark to rejuvenate Ziggler’s heel turn.
5. AJ Styles
Honestly, AJ Styles doesn’t need Money in the Bank. He’s done so much for Smackdown that he could just say “Hey Shane, could I have a title match?” and we’d all buy it. We’d eat it up. So in my honest opinion, I do not want AJ Styles to win. And I say this as a fan of the guy.
If Styles does win, I wouldn’t be mad. Not at all. However with Styles now acting as a face, that does limit his options somewhat. However, he is still an arrogant guy, so it makes total sense for him to announce when and where he is going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.
There are so many great opponents for Styles, because he’s had great matches with almost everyone. Styles v. Orton would be must-see. So would Styles v. Zayn. Hell, imagine the anticipation for Styles v. Nakamura. Even something a bit more out-there like Styles v. Rusev or Styles v. Corbin would be a treat to watch.
If Styles wins, expect him to announce when he’ll have his match, and expect a lot of hype and anticipation.
4. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is one of the most fleshed-out characters on the roster today. He’s a heartless psychopath who only wants to do what is best for his family. He will destroy anyone and everyone who gets in the way of that. There are a lot of ways that his cash-in could go down, but there’s one idea in particular that I really love, and I found it on Reddit.
Imagine this. Kevin Owens wins Money in the Bank. A few months later, Sami Zayn becomes the number one contender. Come the pay-per-view, Zayn has the champion pinned. 1, 2, 3! Before Sami Zayn’s music can play, Kevin Owens’ music hits, and he strolls to the ring, laughing like a maniac because he once again gets to dick Sami Zayn over.
Of course, this idea isn’t perfect, as it would require Owens to drop the title back to Zayn in a few months, or Zayn losing to Owens again. Still, the heat from that would be like a thousand suns. It’s such an evil thing to do, which is why Kevin Owens would do it.