We noted before that the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee had been advertising Seth Rollins and Big Show vs. John Cena and Roman Reigns for the February 22nd WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view but that match was just a placeholder for the local market.
New advertising in the Memphis area lists a Last Man Standing Match with Big Show vs. Roman Reigns for the Fast Lane pay-per-view.
Source: PWInsider Elite
According to PWInsider, one of the most talked about stories within WWE this past week was how Goldust is wrapping up his in-ring career.
The talk is that Goldust will begin transitioning from a wrestler back to a full-time agent & producer soon. The change won’t happen until after WrestleMania 31, so Goldust still has a few more months left as a full-time wrestler.
It’s believed the tag team of Goldust and Stardust will start to slowly fade out over the next few months. The idea is that Stardust will be a singles wrestler. There’s no word yet if they plan on finally doing the Goldust vs. Stardust match but it’s always possible.
Thanks to Andrew Carroll, Azim Suleman and David (@sportbayou) for the following WWE SmackDown spoilers from tonight’s tapings in Austin, Texas:
* Michael Cole and Byron Saxton came out to a decent pop. Jerry Lawler got a huge pop.
* Daniel Bryan kicks off the show and introduces Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan. The “fired” WWE Superstars return to a big pop. Rowan spoke and got the “what?” treatment. They’re interrupted by The Authority, minus Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. It’s announced that the three Superstars can get into the Royal Rumble main event if they win their matches tonight – Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett, Ryback vs. Rusev and Rowan vs. Luke Harper.
* Ziggler vs. Barrett in a non-title match is up first. Ziggler gets the win with a Zig Zag and earns his spot in the Royal Rumble match.
* Renee Young interviewed Roman Reigns about the Royal Rumble match. One correspondent said it actually wasn’t awful and another said Reigns is looking more confident on the mic.
* Ryback defeated Rusev by count out after what was said to be a good match. Ryback earns his spot in the Rumble main event. After the match, Rusev attacked and beat on Ryback but Ryback turned it around. Rusev avoided a Shellshocked attempt and retreated to the back.
* Brie Bella defeated Naomi in a short match. Nikki Bella was at ringside while Paige and Natalya were on commentary.
* Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan after a missed top rope splash. Rowan does not qualify for the Royal Rumble.
* Backstage segment with The Miz and Damien Sandow, who are announced for the Rumble. There’s dissension between the two. Miz talks down at Sandow for the X-Pac segment on RAW.
* Kane vs. Daniel Bryan in a No DQ match is up next. Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble come out with Kane. Kane ended up tapping out but the referee didn’t call it for some reason. Mercury and Noble interfere. Bryan cleans house but kicks out of a chokeslam. Bryan comes back and gets the win, keeping his spot in the Royal Rumble. Big Show comes out and attacks Bryan. This leads to a huge brawl with the entire locker room coming out. The Superstars left standing after that brawl were Ziggler, Reigns, Bryan, Ryback, Big Show, Kane and Dean Ambrose. SmackDown ends with just the babyfaces standing tall.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
– TNA posted the video above with last week’s Impact Wrestling in 60 seconds.
– We noted before that TNA taped some fight scenes in the streets of New York City earlier this month at the Impact Wrestling tapings. A segment will air on tomorrow night’s episode that was taped outside with the idea of presenting a street fight between MVP and Bobby Lashley.
– TNA flew several stars to company headquarters in Nashville to film the Feast or Fired briefcase reveals on January 13th. This was done to prevent the reveals from leaking online. That didn’t work out too well.
Austin Aries, Magnus, Robbie E, Velvet Sky and Rockstar Spud were the wrestlers flown out.
The “Feast of Fired” match will air on this Friday’s episode of Impact Wrestling
Source: PWInsider
Former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout Lisa Marie Varon (Tara, Victoria) recently appeared on Jim Ross’ Ross Report podcast and talked about her time with TNA. She said the company was so disorganized that she once learned about being booked for a pay-per-view by reading the announcement on Twitter but still had no travel information and hadn’t even been told about the booking.
Varon, who owns The Squared Circle pizza restaurant in Chicago, talked about how she once spent $6,000 of her own money to promote a TNA event in Chicago. She did a lot of promotion for the show, without being asked to, and wasn’t happy when TNA sent her posters for the show that featured another Knockout instead of Varon, a local celebrity. Varon says she talked with Dixie Carter about all she did to help the company and all Dixie had to say was, “Yeah, I heard.”
Varon also talked about how two people in the TNA office sent an e-mail to the roster telling them to promote another pizza shop in Chicago as the best pizza they have ever had. Varon found out about this and blew up at TNA’s Bruce Prichard. She told Prichard, “The day I quit my job, I am going to punch that c**t in the face.”
This threat was referring to Dixie and Varon said Prichard responded, “You’ll be doing all of us a favor.”
– Mick Foley has interrupted his hiatus from Facebook to blog on Daniel Bryan and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Foley wrote the following yesterday:
MY RUMBLE WISH
It was two weeks i’ll go that I said I was going to be taking a break from Facebook until after the ?#?RoyalRumble?. After all, it was my comments surrounding the Rumble last year that altered my relationship with WWE in a not so positive way.. But it’s the Rumble man – in my opinion, the second biggest event of the year, and in some ways the most fun and most meaningful. Of course, Wrestlemania is bigger – but if Mania is Christmas Day, the Rumble is like the beginning to that countdown to the most awesome day of the year, and depending on how well this event goes, many of us start thinking that ?#?Mania?/Christmas is either going to rule… or suck, depending on the outcome of the Rumble.
This, then, is my Rumble wish for you. Quite simply, I want to see Daniel Bryan win the Rumble, so that Paul Heyman can take the reigns and dazzle us with promos which will make Bryan vs Lesnar the greatest David vs Goliath story in recent memory. The Authority can put their stamp on some other match on the card but I would love to see the WWE World Heavyweight championship be about the GUYS IN THE MATCH- and not about who is in power in the company. Besides, despite my sincere wish not to burn my bridge with WWE, making control of the company a central theme in this Mania is kind of like the boy crying wolf – given the magnitude of the stipulation at Survivor Series and the whopping five weeks for which it meant something.
During Daniel’s nine month in ring absence, I think many of us have forgotten just how good he is from what we in wrestling refer to as “fighting from underneath”. For all the knocks on Brock’s infrequent television appearances, WWE, Brock and Heyman have done an amazing job turning Lesnar into the most imposing unbreakable wall that WWE has ever constructed. At wrestlemania, I would like to see Daniel Bryan systematically chip away at that wall, knock it down, and give the WWE universe a victory they can savor…and more importantly, look forward to. The best present is the one that sits under the tree, neatly wrapped, ready to be torn into on Christmas Day. There’s no need to overthink it. Tie it up in a bow with a Bryan victory at the Rumble, and let us all start counting down the days until we get to open it.
Credit: Mike Bessler
After the introductory fanfare and recaps subside, we head down to ringside.
Well, not so fast… William Regal announces the next NXT special will air live on February 11. Heading into that, they’ll be holding a tournament for the top contendership to the NXT title. Also, Sasha and Charlotte will lock up tonight. Let’s get it on.
Sami Zayn goes at Tye Dillinger before the bell even rings. He pummels Tye and tosses him out of the ring. Then Sami grabs a mic and calls out Owens. Regal comes out instead and tells Zayn to get a hold of himself but Sami says he’s not wrestling another match until he gets a shot at Owens. After some discussion, Regal books Sami to face Kevin Owens on February 11th. Write that down on your calendars, true believers!
During the break, Regal tells us that next week there will be a contract signing between Owens and Zayn. We all know how that will end up.
Curtis Axel vs. Finn Balor
Finn takes an Orton-sized stroll to the ring and eventually things get underway. Axel tries to get the early advantage but Balor tosses him out and then hits him with a dive out on the floor. Finn goes back at Axel again in the ring and Curtis gets some distance between them. He gets on top with a clothesline to the back and Balor ends up on the canvas. Axel stays in control for a lengthy stretch, keeping Balor in check with a good deal of mat work. Finn tries to turn it around and Axel smacks him down with a big kick off the ropes. Curtis misses with a double ax-handle off the top and Finn nails him with a Pele kick, followed by the sling blade. A huge dropkick lays out Axel in the corner, hits the coup de grace and covers for the win.
Result: Finn Balor defeats Curtis Axel via pinfall. With that, Balor advances in the Number One Contender’s Tournament.
Backstage, Sasha says she’ll beat Charlotte for the strap tonight. We’ll see soon enough. After a break, Bull Dempsey say’s he’ll beat Boron Corbin next week. Their rematch will also be part of the tournament.
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks – NXT Women’s Championship
The ladies get in each other’s faces before they lock up. Sasha gets tossed but roars back and the ladies grapple around the ring and on the mat. They end up rolling outside and Becky tries to get involved but Charlotte clotheslines her out of commission. Back in the ring, the competitors battle more until Becky comes in to prompt the DQ.
Result: Charlotte defeats Sasha via DQ.
Post-match, Becky and Sasha whoop up on Charlotte and Bayley comes in for the safe. With the bad girls on the run, Bayley picks up Charlotte’s title and stares lovingly at it. Charlotte jerks it away and Bayley scoops her up for a big slam. Looks like she wants that title. William Regal emerges and says that at NXT Takeover, Charlotte will defend the title in a fatal four-way against Bayley, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks.
Vaudevillains vs. Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake
Aiden starts out against Murphy and gets control quickly. He tags in and out with Gotch a number of times, retaining the advantage. English works Murphy on the mat as Blake looks on. Blake eventually gets to tag in and cleans house. He puts English down with a powerslam but English stays in the match. Aiden gets cracked in the head from the outside by Murphy during a scrum at the ropes and Blake covers for the upset win.
Result: Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake defeat the vaudevillians via pinfall.
Backstage, Murphy and Blake cut a promo saying their win wasn’t an upset and it wasn’t a fluke. Apparently, it’s their year. They call out the Lucha Dragons for a shot at the title.
Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze
Itami gets a warm welcome as Breeze sprawls out on the ropes. Tyler gets Hideo in a headlock to get things moving but Itami shakes him off and almost KO’s him with a roundhouse kick. Breeze comes back with some footwork of his own but he can’t control Itami. Hideo levels him with a big ol’ kick to the chest and works him into the corner for a big chop. Breeze gets free and dumps Itami outside, following him out to administer some punishment and roll Hideo back inside. Breeze stomps on Hideo to soften him up and then gets him in a submission hold on the mat. He delivers a neckbreaker but that doesn’t put Itami out of action just yet. Breeze administers a deep-rear chin lock but can’t hold on to it as Hideo powers up and out. After an offensive flurry, tries to punctuate his comeback with a flying clothesline but he only gets a near-fall for his trouble. The same result follows a fisherman’s suplex by Itami. Breeze lands the supermodel kick out of nowhere and covers, but he only gets a near-fall as well. He puts Itami on the top rope and Hideo struggles free but Breeze puts him back down with a modified crucifix into a slam. Somehow, Itami kicks out again. Tyler comes unglued and taunts Itami, who comes back with a storm of strikes and kicks, finally putting away Breeze for the pinfall.
Result: Hideo Itami defeats Tyler Breeze via pinfall.
The announce team reviews the #1 Contender’s Tournament brackets, noting that Balor and Itami have now advanced. Next week, Adrian Neville faces Tyson Kidd and Baron Corbin takes on Bull Dempsey.
Credit: Sean Ross Sapp
– The show starts with a band playing and Vampiro and Matt Striker welcoming us to the show.
Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco (w/ Bael) vs. Pimpinela Escarlata & Mascarita Sagrada
Pimpinela starts out by hitting a rope walk armdrag on both opponents and trying to kiss Cisco and the ref. Cisco misses a charge to the corner, as does Pimpinela. Cisco makes him pay by repeatedly dropkicking him. Cortez and Cisco double team Pimpinela in the corner, and get a two off the beatdown. Sagrada gets the tag and hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT, but eats a big boot to the face. Sagrada recovers and hits a flip to the outside on Bael as Pimpinela scores a slingshot armdrag and a dive to the outside. Back inside, the heels hit a flapjack/Codebreaker combo for a nice finish.
Winners: Cortez & Castro via pinfall (flapjack/Codebreaker)
Big Ryck was watching on and comes to the ring. He says he’s going to become champion. Cortez, Castro & Bael turn on him and beat him down. They hit Ryck with a singapore cane and burn his face with a cigar and go into Dario Cueto’s office.
– Cueto is in the back talking to Cortez, Cisco and Bael while handing them money. He says they need to watch his back and Ryck didn’t understand what they could do together. The announcers say that Ryck has been taken to a medical facility.
– Cage is being interviewed by Vampiro. Cage says he’s not here to make friends and doesn’t care about getting heat from people. Vampiro and Cage tough talk each other.
Pentagon vs. Super Fly
Pentagon starts out with an impressive lungblower, and kicks the leg of Super Fly. After two stiff chops, they go outside where Pentagon hits a fireman’s carry slam on the floor. Back inside, a double clothesline puts both men out. Back on the feet Pentagon drops Super Fly with a big kick, but Super Fly scores with a springboard armdrag and an insane moonsault from inside the ring to outside! Pentagon counters a handspring attempt with a dropkick but only gets two. Pentagon manages to land a Slingblade lariat, but can’t get three. A package piledriver does the trick, though.
Winner: Pentagon Jr via pinfall (package piledriver)
Pentagon gets on the mic and calls Chavo Guerrero a fraud. He teases having another person that can lead him.
Sexy Star vs. El Mariachi Loco
Both play to the crowd and lock up, with Loco having a clear strength advantage. Both grab waistlocks, but Star hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors and an arm drag. Star with a bicycle kick, but eats a drop toe hold from Loco who also slams her face into the mat. Loco gets a big reaction after a stiff chop in the corner, but Star sends him sailing over the top rope. Star follows up with big flying body press off the top to the outside. Back inside she succeeds with a flying armdrag but gets hotshotted across the top rope. Loco misses a Swanton from the top, and Star capitalizes with a small package to win.
Winner: Sexy Star via pinfall (small package)
– The announcers hype the main event, Drago vs. Cuerno.
Last Luchador Standing
King Cuerno vs. Drago
Drago immediately sends Cuerno outside with a dropkick and a huge flip over the top rope gets the first count of the match, but Cuerno gets up at 8. Drago follows up with a draping DDT, but Cuerno rolls to the outside and lands on his feet at five. Drago follows outside, but Cuerno flattens him with a running sitdown powerbomb. The two get back in the ring, and Cuerno punishes Drago with two German suplexes and a brainbuster, but he gets back up. Drago fights back with a standing blockbuster neckbreaker, and hits a series of kicks before running off the referee and hitting a head scissors. He uses the ropes like a vine and does another head scissors that sends both outside but Cuerno gets up at 8. Back in the ring Cuerno gains the advantage and hits a dangerous looking suicide dive. He goes under the ring and gets a table, apparently not learning from the last time he did it. Drago plays possum and knocks Cuerno off the ropes. Both men are on the apron trading shots, but Cuerno hits Thrill of the Hunt through the table! Somehow Drago gets back up and Cuerno is livid. Cuerno ties Drago to the turnbuckle and kicks him. He’s tied down until the ten count.
Winner: King Cuerno via ten-count
