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The WWE Raw Report from Cleveland 6/16/14

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Raw Pre-Show 6/16/14 from Cleveland

– Our panel this week is Josh Matthews, Booker T, Alex Riley, and Paul Heyman… I hope this doesn’t mean we don’t get Paul on Raw tonight. 🙁

– We learn that The Authority will be addressing the entire WWE locker room at the start of Raw…

– We see a video from last week of the Authority vacating the WWE Title and announcing the MITB title match. The panel discusses the stripping of the title, and the future of Bryan… Ladder match discussion follows, along with the 5 names already qualified…

– Superstars action in the ring sees Nikki Bella go over Alicia Fox.

– Renee Young interviews Vickie Guerrero about last week’s issue with the Authority and what’s to come tonight…

– No shame in the super hard attempt to sell their WWE merchandise… WWEshop.com is 20% off the entire order for the pre-show only. If they sold their PPV like this, or the Network for that matter, they might do well…

– With Jack Swagger on his way to the ring for Superstars vs. RVD, the panel talks about Seth Rollins evolving. Heyman compares Booker T evolving from Harlem Heat to Rollins evolving from the Shield… Alex Riley does more of the same… Booker has done this in the past himself, but in this instance he acts uncomfortable dissing Stevie Ray…

– We’ve got Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler on Raw tonight… We go back to SD, where Seth Rollins cost Dean Ambrose a qualifying spot in the MITB match.

– Bray Wyatt vs. Sheamus on Raw tonight as well… At least they’re changing up the matches for once, I’ll giv’em that…

– RVD goes over Swagger, big surprise… Lots of random thoughts from the panel on a variety of things… The announcers are on their way out as Raw gets ready to roll….

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WWE Raw 6/16/14 from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH

– As promised, Raw kicks off with the Authority heading to the ring while the locker room stands on the ramp stage. HHH has a brief stare down with John Cena as he passes him by… We get a video reminder of the Daniel Bryan stripping from last week… The Authority has decided that the WWE superstars deserve more than not having a WWE Champion right now… They announce a giant Battle Royal for tonight to decide the 6th member of the MITB match… HHH announces everyone will be in the Battle Royal except Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena… Cena steps up looking pissed…

HHH talks about Cena wanting to help others out these past several weeks… Well now he can help out by doing what’s bet for business… Cena will wrestle Kane tonight in a Stretcher Match to determine the other spot in MITB….

Didn’t we just do the Battle Royal thing a few weeks back? Running short on ideas I suppose… Well no complaints here, it beats “comedy”…

Kane’s music and pyro hits, he comes and stands on the stage by himself… He’s all menacing and shit…

-Commercial Break-

1. Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins. A lot of the basics in the ring early on, looking good as it’s back and forth… Ziggler looks to take over, but Rollins drives Dolph chest first into the corner with an Irish whip and we head to commercial a couple of minutes into the action…

Back from break, Rollins has Ziggler down on the mat… Dolph breaks a chinlock with a jawbreaker… Ziggler charges Rollins but gets sent to the floor… Seth tries a suicide dive but he’s nails by Ziggler before he can dive out… Dolph now “Ziggler’s Up” and hits some of his usual signature moves, the punches in the corner, etc… Rollins cuts him off and hits an enzuigiri… Rollins misses the Curb Stomp and Ziggler counters with the jumping DDT for a damn near fall… Crowd really behind the local boy Ziggler…

Ziggler tries the Famouser, Seth turns it into a powerbomb into the corner, but Dolph counters it into a sunset flip bomb for a near fall…. Ziggler then with a sleeper, Seth breaks free, Dolph hits the FAMOUSER…. Great stuff from both guys, especially Zigs, crowds super hot for Dolph… Ziggler tries the ZigZag but Rollins holds onto the ropes… Rollins tries another Curb Stomp, Dolph moves and rolls him up for a near fall again!!! Dolph tries another Famouser, it’s turned into the POWERBOMB IN THE CORNER but Rollins… Both men are down… Seth back up hits a Second Powerbomb in the corner, and the CURB STOMP!!! 1………..2………..DEAN AMBROSE ATTACKS ROLLINS!!!!!

Seth gets the DQ win in 11:00. Ambrose pounds on Rollins, until Seth takes off…

HHH appears on the Titan Tron and announces he has some BAD NEWS for Dean Ambrose… Bad News Barrett on his way out for action with Dean Ambrose…

-Commercial Break-

2. Dean Ambrose vs. IC Champion Bad News Barrett. Can it be true? Two good matches in a row? With a nice segue between then? We’re 35 minutes into this show and it’s already better than most others in recent weeks/months. Of course, we have a long way to go and that could easily be ruined… Match started during the break. Ambrose in charge, sporting a pair of jeans and a black wife beater… Barrett briefly takes over before he ends up on the floor and Dean dives out on top… Barrett ends up taking control on the floor and we go to break…

Back from break, Barrett has Ambrose outside the ring but they’re quickly back inside… Dean fights back with a unique neckbreaker for 2… Lawler is crapping on the Authority on commentary, since we’re in Cleveland I’m wondering if this will lead to something… Dean doesn’t stay on top long, Wade goes for Wasteland, but Dean counters with a crucifix for 2… Ambrose takes a shot but bounces off the middle rope and hits a clothesline… Ambrose looks to finish off Wade, but Seth Rollins appears on the announce table!!!

Seth gets on the apron to taunt Dean, but Ambrose takes him down, then Barrett gets sent outside as well… Ambrose DIVES ONTO BOTH MEN!!! Dean fights Rollins into the fans and gets counted out… Bad News Barrett gets the win in 12:00…

Rollins goes running off, but Dean goes after Barrett in the ring and hits “Dirty Deeds” to leave Barrett laying… Dean exits the ring to new music…

Fun finish and post match stuff, but the match really felt like a placeholder… Nothing all that great to talk about, though the Wasteland/Crucifix angle was nice… Match was just “there”, expected more… Still better than the same old matches every week…

– Backstage, Roman Reigns tells Vickie Guerrero to put in a good word for him to get him in bthe Battle Royal. Vickie doesn’t want fired… Roman tells Vickie to speak up for herself… Vickie is carrying coffee for the Authority… That’s coffee? With straws??? ANyway, Reigns thinks the Authority will want sweetener for their coffees. Vickie sits the drinks down and runs off to get sweetener. Roman turns his back to the camera and does something naughty to the drinks… Vickie returns, unsuspecting, picks up the coffees and heads to the Authority’s office… Vicke sneezes to end the segment… Not really sure what’s up with these sneezes, if they’re leading to anything, or if it’s just something like when Natalya had the farting gimmick…

– Cleveland… The Wyatts are here… And they’re Next!!!

-Commercial Break-

– It’s Wyatt Family Promo time. We’ve got a ladder set up in the middle of the ring… Crowd pops for the Family… I hate to sound redundant, but good stuff from Bray… He says when he wins the title at MITB he truly will have the whole world in his hands… Bray sings the song, then Sheamus’ music hits immediately after…

They let Sheamus talk… God no… Sheamus tells Bray it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder (which Wyatt had just done)… Sheamus wants to shove his “Whole Boot down his throat”…. Sheamus wants to fight… Fella…. What a ….. promo?

-Commercial Break-

3. Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt (w/Harper & Rowan). Bray has control early on, but Sheamus is able to take control and try for the 10 forearms in the ropes, but Bray breaks free and tumbles to the floor… Sheamus comes out to go after Wyatt, but he’s cut off by Harper and Rowan… As Sheamus looks at a 3 on 1 situation, The Usos make their way out to even the odds… Looks like the Usos will be in the corner from Sheamus, when Raw continues…

After the break, Bray in control, but Sheamus gets his knees up on a senton… Sheamus makes a short comeback, but Bray ducks a knee and hits a flying body attack for a near fall.. Sheamues battles back with his usual signature stuff, the 10 beats and whatnot… Sheamus backs into the corner for the Brogue Kick but gets pulled to the floor by Rowan and Harper… Some good the Usos were… Bray Wyatt gets DQ’d for the family interference… Sheamus wins via DQ in 11:30….

After the match we’ve got a 6-way brawl… Sheamus hits a rolling Samoan drop outside the ring on Bray… The Usos take Harper and Rowan out with the ladder… Sheamus props the ladder onto the top rope, the Usos run up the ladder and hit a double dive outside onto Harper and Rowan!!! Sheamus then picks the ladder up and throws it out onto Harper and Rowan, and it hits them similar to the way Cena threw the steps at Wyatt on the PPV… Some good stuff here… Again, watch was so-so, but the finish and the stuff after really stuck out… Good stuff for TV…

– Backstage, Vickie FINALLY delivers the coffee from 45 minutes ago… She sneezes and spills HHH’s, but Stephanie drinks hers and says it’s great… What did Roman do to the coffee damn it???!!!

-Commercial Break-

– Back on Raw, Renee Young is with Stephanie McMahon… Stephanie is still holding the ice coffee, and something happens to her during the interview and she has to run off… That’s how you get a hard ass like Roman Reigns over, have him spike a coffee to make a funny… Everybody has to be funny… Sure Vince…

– Paul Heyman steps in to take over the interview…. Paul talks up Cesaro as the winner at MITB…

4. Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Heath Slater. We’re 45 seconds into this segment before JBL mentions the demise of 3MB… No talking from Lana tonight, it’s straight to the ring to fit in their allotted time slot… Even the announcers seem confused by no Lana, or Putin on a pony…

Never mind, now we get Lana, talking from the ring… We get a look at the new Mount Rushmore with Rusev and Putin on it…

Now Heath Slater has something to say… He’s an American Rock Star… USA baby!!!!!

Slater unloads with a solid punch, but runs into a nasty jumping side kick from Rusev right in the jaw… I’m telling you that kick is going to really f*ck someone up one of these days… Accolade gets the win in 30 seconds…

Rusev puts the medal on post match, and the Russian Flag drops from the ceiling…

– Backstage, Stephanie is getting sick in the bathroom… Which means whatever Roman did was ILLEGAL and caught on camera… Sort of… Vickie opens the bathroom door to check on her and Vickie gets puke thrown all over her….. twice…… Vickie is literally covered in the “puke”…

HHH leaves the arena with a sick Stephanie, leaving Vickie, covered in puke, in charge for the rest of the night… The last thing he tells her is to make sure the Battle Royal doesn’t get screwed up… Hmmm….

Vickie screams as the segment ends… That puking nonsense was absolutely ridiculous and added NOTHING to the product, the show, or the stock market…. Seriously, sometimes they do stupid shit, and I can explain my take on it, why I like it/dislike it… But then there are just things that don’t need words…. THIS is one of those things…

-Commercial Break-

– Roman Reigns comes up to Vickie Guerrero… She’s still covered in “puke”… Roman says Vickie already knows she’s going to be fired next week, so do something good for a change and put him in the Battle Royal… Vickie agrees… At this point, I’m wondering why Roman Reigns isn’t being arrested for attempted murder… Anything that makes you that violently sick… I mean… Cummon…. And THIS is the best way they could figure out how to get Roman into the MITB match???

– Renee Young with Kevin Hart… Adam Rose and his “rosebuds” interrupt… Rose is now sporting those new oversized sunglasses he’s been wrestling in on the house shows… Rose wants Kevin to be a rosebud… Hart declines, but walks off singing the catchy tune… Apparently Hart’s big guest spot tonight is working commentary during an Adam Rose match…

-Commercial Break-

– Kevin Hart comes to ringside for commentary on the next match. Wow, Hart’s a small man…

5. Adam Rose & Summer Rae vs. Fandango & Layla. Fandango is on the floor at the entrance… Not sure if it was part of the dance, or if he fell… Apparently, Layla dumped Kitty Litter on Summer Rae at last week’s Main Event… Glad I missed that… A lot of these girls are into getting boob jobs, Summer needs a nose job… Fans are chanting the Adam Rose theme… The men start off, but Layla tags in and gets speared by Summer… Summer chases Layla backstage while the men take back over… The fans just keep chanting Adam Rose’s theme as he hits the Party Foul and pins Fandango in less than a minute…

Kevin Hart joins Adam Rose in the ring for a little dancing… Hart and Rose then take the plunge into the Rosebuds as they get carried away. Short and simple spot for Hart….

-Commercial Break-

– The Usos & Sheamus vs. The Wyatt Family tomorrow on Main Event

6. MITB Qualifying Battle Royal w/Roman Reigns, Sin Cara, Damien Sandow (dressed as Lebron, lol), Ruback, Bo Dallas, Rusev, Jack Swagger, Los Matadores, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Curtis Axel, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Xavier Woods… 18 men… A few of these guys already got one chance, RVD, Dolph, Barrett, now they get to fail again… I guess they feel that John Cena’s obvious win over Kane is more interesting than this match… Lebron Sandow gets dumped by everyone immediately to a big cheap pop… Santino is gone second, I think by Titus…

Rusev eliminates both Matadores back to back, and then Rusev tosses Xavier Woods… Roman Reigns tosses Titus O’Neil… Swagger tosses Sin Cara with a crappy catapult spot… Kofi tries to head scissors Swagger out, but I think they lose their leverage and have to recreate a similar spot… Swagger is eliminated, and that’s eight men out of the match, 10 remain, as we head to commercial….

Back from break, nobody was eliminated during the break, but Ryback dumps Ziggler and the crowd isn’t happy… Nine guys left, Reigns goes wild, Superman punch on Rusev and takes out everyone else… Finally, Ryback takes Reigns down, but Reigns hits a DOUBLE SPEAR on Rybaxel… Reigns tosses Fandango… Reigns tosses Ryback… Reigns dumps Axel….

Down to 6… Reigns, Rusev, Barrett, RVD, Big E and Dallas…

Rusev cracks Reigns with the jumping side kick to take him down…. Barrett and RVD go at it… RVD tries a monkey flip, but Bo Dallas comes up from behind and dumps RVD… Dallas wants to be friends with Barrett but gets nailed and tosses Bo, but Dallas hangs on…

Roman tosses Barrett… Rusev dumps Big E… Bo Dallas dumps both Roman and Rusev from behind, but they both land on the apron… Rusev nails Bo, and Reigns hits a spear before dumping Dallas from the match…

It’s down to Rusev and Reigns as the crowd gets pumped for the showdown… Some back and forth pounding… Reigns gets Rusev out onto the apron… The two men fight back and forth, but Reigns hits the SUPERMAN PUNCH and Rusev takes a slow fall off the apron… Roman Reigns advances to MITB!!!

Match goes exactly 17:00… Fun stuff for a Battle Royal…

– Backstage it’s John Cena with Renee Young… He tries to be funny, didn’t work… He’s going to win tonight, don’t ya know…

-Commercial Break-

– As I look at the clock and realize it’s 10:23 PM eastern time, I can honestly say this is the FIRST time in 6 months of reviews I can say that the show hasn’t started to drag as of yet… That could change, and likely will, once the Divas or Kane come out, but they must be doing something right tonight… That is, if you ignore the vomit silliness, and even that has it’s plus as it takes Stephanie off TV for the night…

Aaaaaand it’s Divas time… Funk is on a roll…

7. Divas Champion Paige vs. Cameron (w/Naomi). Looks like the Funkadactyls are getting ready for a dance routine when their music is abruptly cut… Paige gets no response, and has no gimmick in WWE, crowd is dead for her… she needs to be heel. Paige is all over Cameron, extremely aggressive… Cameron starts to run away and begs off… Cameron wants a hand shake but goes heel and takes down Paige… Naomi doesn’t look happy with Cameron’s recent heel behavior… Paige takes back over, but Cameron begs off again… Paige isn’t fooled this time and locks Cameron in the Scorpion crosslock thingy in 3:00…

Crowd has been hot all night, haven’t died down yet, but this segment put an end to that…

– Well, last week Cody Rhodes promised Goldust a new partner, a partner he had never seen before… Byron Saxton is with Goldust, Goldy says he has met this partner, and he is super galactic….

We’ll find out who or what that is, next… I have my ideas… Should be pretty interesting if I’m right…

-Commercial Break-

Let’s see if I’m right and we get Cody Rhodes in a silly gimmick…

Oh my… It’s Stardust!!!!!!

STARRRRDUST…. and just WOW…. Words can’t describe this entrance…

8. Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel. We’ve got “Stardust” chants as Cody is wearing a Goldust type suit and paint… Goldust takes out Ryback on the floor, and Stardust hits DIAMOND DUST out of the corner on Axel for the win in less than a minute… Wow really? They had all those issues with Rybaxel, and then beat them in like 30 seconds? The announcers blame shock and awe for the quick loss…

-Commercial Break-

– Roman Reigns vs. Del Rio is announced for Smackdown…

– Stardust is trending #1 world wide…

9. John Cena vs. Kane in a “Stretcher Match”… A short brawl in the ring quickly leads to the floor… It’s back and forth with ring posts and steel steps being used… Kane gets Cena on the stretcher twice, but he can’t keep him on there… We go to break as Cena escapes the stretcher for a second time…

Back from break, they fight back into the ring, Cena tries a flying clothesline off the top, but gets caught with a CHOKESLAM… Kane brings the steps into the ring, but Cena makes Kane fall head first into the steps… Cena tries an AA on the steps, but Kane counters with a really crappy DDT on the steps, that he almost misses… Kane drags Cena onto the stretcher and begins to push him towards the finish line… Oh come on, Super Cena has gotten up from crap ten times worse than this… Cena gets off the stretcher and throws Kane into the steel post… Kane powers Cena into the barricade and clears off the announce table…

But Kane turns into an AA through the announce table!!!! Crowd is chanting “YES!”… Cena then picks Kane up in the AA position to carry him to the stretcher in the aisle… Cena tries to dump Kane on the stretcher, but it tips over and everyone falls… lol. Way to go John boy…

Cena places Kane on a second stretcher, but Seth Rollins and Randy Orton attack Cena!!! There’s NO DQ…. Rollins drops Cena in the ring, and Orton lands an RKO… Rollins grabs a chair, but Dean Ambrose attacks Rollins!! Dean tosses Orton out, and then Rollins, but Dean is met by a Kane Chokeslam!!!

Cena is back up and dumps Kane… Cena grabs the steel steps, and gives them a running toss out of the ring at Kane… RIGHT IN THE HEAD!!! Da-yum… Kane tossed on the stretcher and rolled all the way up the ramp, right to the line… When KANE SITS UP!!! Kane grabs Cena by the throat and comes off the stretcher… But Cena with the AA to Kane right back onto the stretcher, and he rolls Kane across the line for the win in 17:00…

Cena becomes the last to advance into MITB…

I’ve gotta say… That was a damn good night of actual wrestling… You’re talking over an hour and ten minutes of actual IN RING WRESTLING… That might not sound like much on a three hour program, but if you’re keeping score… It’s HUGE… I love that they kept all the comedy crap segments out of the ring, if only that remained a trend going forward…

Very good show, even the Kane match didn’t completely suck… I got the feeling the fans were expecting a Daniel Bryan run in, but it wasn’t a disappointment…

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WWE Raw “Backstage Pass” Post Show

– The panel talks MITB, we go back and see the Roman Reigns win… Renee Young interviews Reigns in the back, he feels beaten up but he plans to be the next WWE Champion… Were you expecting him to say something else?

– Paul Heyman talks about Cesaro’s strategy in the match. Alex Riley brings up a great point that Seth Rollins turned on the Shield, but didn’t even get a shot at being in MITB… Just as soon as Riley makes that comment, he gets cut off… for……

– Renee Young interviews John Cena… Cena knows his odds are slim at MITB, but he’s grateful that he even gets the opportunity to try and win the title…

– Paul Heyman with some more fun banter… At least he doesn’t make this show feel monotonous…

– The panel talks the Rollins/Ambrose feud, and we take a look at the issues between the two from tonight…

– Heyman asks Josh Matthews what kind of a host asks him a question with 20 seconds left in the show… Fun stuff from Paul… And we’re out…

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Wade Barrett On Who Came Up With His Name, Vince’s Reaction, More

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CBS-19 entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet interviewed Bad News Barrett this morning in Cleveland. During the interview, Barrett talked about his thoughts on fellow Englishman Adrian Neville, the other stars from Season 1 of NXT having success in the WWE, being a soccer fan and much more.

You can watch the full interview above, here are some highlights:

Where his gimmick came from:

“It actually came from a joke. Cody Rhodes likes to tell a story that when he was a little kid he used to watch me wrestle. I’m slightly older than Cody, we’re talking three years or something like that, but in his head I’m a really old man. I once walked into the locker room and he was telling the entire locker room that when he was a kid he was watching me wrestling as this character he made up named ‘Bad News Barrett’ who goes around giving out bad news to people. So we all laughed about it and forgot about it. Then I was invited on the JBL and Cole show and they said they wanted to use me on the show and asked if I had any ideas of what to do. So I said you know what, let’s just do Bad News Barrett. I’ll just turn up and give people bad news and then disappear. I got a really good response online and fans were loving the catch phrase ‘I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news’ and Vince McMahon saw it and thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Next thing you know I’m on TV doing it.”

His catch phrase working against him:

“It’s kind of a blessing and a curse that I have this catch phrase because people like to use it against me. England just lost in the World Cup the other night and believe me my Twitter exploded with people giving me the bad news of England losing to Italy.”

If he thinks he can win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with the Bad News Barrett gimmick:

“I’ve always said that I want to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The Intercontinental Championship is nice and this is my fourth time having it but as far as I’m concerned, I’m ready to take a step up and become the man in the WWE. That’s where I want to get to and if Bad News Barrett is the vehicle that gets me there then great, but if not I’ll keep plugging away and one day I’ll be Britain’s first WWE World Heavyweight Champion… a certain part of it isn’t up to me and I’ve got to rely on certain people making certain decisions so hopefully that works out in my favor.”

His ever changing theme songs:

“Honestly I’m settled on one now. This is finally the one I really, really like. I loved the original Nexus one but as soon as we split up that went away and I had a succession of pretty average theme songs for a little while until I got the current one. And the current one actually has the bonus of a little bit of vocal work from myself which is really just me shouting “boom” over and over again. But as far as I’m concerned I’m a vocalist as well as a wrestler now (laughs).”

New Video From Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling

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Above is Jeff Jarrett’s latest #TheJourney video from Global Force Wrestling. Jarrett filmed the video at a talent seminar in Canada and notes that he’s scouting locations for the next event, likely to take place in August. Jarrett says he came up with the GFW name because he wanted to work with international promotions.

Jarrett says he left TNA because he was unhappy and gets choked up when talking about how much he loves pro wrestling.

At one point in the video, Karen Jarrett says, “The GFW fans can expect amazing things. I think that’s something that’s also special about Global Force Wrestling, we’re listening to the fans. We want to give them what they want. We have other companies that don’t really care what the fans want.”

WWE News on Daniel Bryan Toning Down His Ring Style, More

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Source: PWInsider Elite

– With the recent updates on Daniel Bryan’s neck following surgery, there continues to be more talk within WWE that Bryan will have to change his style, slow it down some and not perform as man risky moves.

– One top independent wrestling company is reportedly working on their own version of the WWE Network as an alternative to internet pay-per-view events. Many promotions are realizing that WWE has changed the landscape of wrestling programming.

Reason Why WWE Refuses to Push Dolph Ziggler

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Source: PWInsider Elite

It’s said that a big part of why Dolph Ziggler isn’t getting pushed is one of the same reasons that Christian isn’t being used – his history of injuries and concussions.

It was said that WWE can’t push Ziggler and trust him a top guy because he’s injury prone and had a history of taking time off. This applies to a few other talents as well. There’s a feeling that some talents are just “snakebit” in that regard.

WWE News: Swagger’s New Feud?, Ricardo Rodriguez future, More

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– Zeb Colter and Lana have been going back and forth on Twitter. Lana threatened Zeb with consequences, which could indicate a possible Rusev vs. Jack Swagger match coming up.

– It appears WWE has dropped the team of Kalisto and El Local (Ricardo Rodriguez) after their loss to The Ascension at NXT Takeover. They did not work together at the tapings after Takeover and didn’t work together at this past week week’s tapings. Kalisto debuted a new team with Sin Cara at Thursday night’s tapings. Ricardo continues to work out at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and has reportedly been helping to train some of the NXT Divas. He’s also been backstage at recent main roster events.

– Adam Rose may be wrestling in over-sized glasses from now on. Rose defeated Titus O’Neil at last night’s WWE live event in Erie, PA and wore glasses the entire time.

– Big Show, David Otunga and Stephanie McMahon were representing WWE at the opening of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey tonight. Both Show and Otunga spoke to the crowd.

– Jim Ross noted on Twitter that he’s hoping to bring his “Ringside” one-man show to Australia some time in 2015.

– Mick Foley shared a meme poking fun at Bo Dallas’ streak on Facebook and wrote the following:
“As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m STARTING to become a #BoLiever – but I still have some questions about the Bo Dallas character. For example, how does it get REAL heat.”

– There’s a feeling within WWE among some that a heel will walk out of Money In the Bank as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Out of the 5 names that have been announced as of this writing, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt and Cesaro could be considered heels.

– As noted, the final two Money In the Bank spots were expected to be filled on RAW tonight. PWInsider reports that WWE creative talked this past weekend about filling one spot on RAW tonight and the final spot on SmackDown but that’s not confirmed.

– Mike Mooneyham of The Post & Courier has a new article up with singer Darius Rucker, talking about being a Ric Flair fan and watching wrestling growing up. Rucker said he bought one of Ric Flair’s robes at a charity auction years ago and has one of his title belts on display in his home. Rucker talked about who is the greatest:

“For me, the Mount Rushmore of greats would be Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino or Lou Thesz. You can do either one of them in that fourth spot. But I think Ric Flair is the greatest of all time. He’s the greatest I’ve ever seen … on the mic and in the ring. Hogan gets all the accolades because he was up in New York with (WWE owner Vince) McMahon. But when you talk about on the microphone or in the ring, he doesn’t hold a candle to Ric Flair. When you watch Ric on TV, that’s who he is. He’s the Nature Boy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I just love him. He’s the most personable guy. That argument over who is the greatest of all time is such a big thing. All those New York guys say Hogan. I’ve watched a lot of wrestling, and even now I’ll YouTube a lot of stuff that I haven’t seen, like old Bruno matches or Lou Thesz matches that you can get on there. You can watch all the greats. But Ric Flair is the greatest of all time.”

TNA Slammiversary XII Results

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Credit: Marc Middleton

– Tonight’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view opens up with MVP, Kenny King and Bobby Lashley backstage. MVP says he isn’t supposed to be here but he’s here to make sure everything gets done right because Dixie Carter is on his back. King ends up storming off and says he’s going to win the title tonight. MVP tells Lashley to “put some ice in the kids drink” and that’s it. We go to an opening video.

TNA X Division Title Ladder Match: Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Tigre Uno vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Manik vs. Sanada

We’re live from Dallas, Texas as Mike Tenay and Taz welcome us to Slammiversary. We go to the ring for tonight’s opener and out comes TNA Tag Team Champions The Wolves. Tigre Uno is out next. The Menagerie is out next with all of their shenanigans. Manik is out next. TNA X Division Champion Sanada is out next. As Sanada approaches the ring, Manik leaps out and takes him out. Here we go.

Fans actually chant for Crazzy Steve. He pulls a ladder out from under the ring but gets taken out. Tigre corkscrews from the top and takes everyone out on the floor. Manik brings a ladder in the ring but Sanada works him over. Sanada springboards in with a big chop. Wolves come in and Tigre gets suplexed into a ladder. Steve comes back in and gets another chant. Steve spins the ladder around and takes out everyone with it. Steve climbs up for the belt but Manik meets him. Manik goes down. Steve gets close to the belt but Sanada makes the save and tips the ladder over. Sanada slams Steve on top of the ladder. Sanada moonsaults on to Steve and the ladder. Tigre and Sanada go at it now.

Edwards come in and takes Tigre off the ladder. Richards leaps off into Edwards powerbombing Tigre for a nice double team move. Richards lands bad on his knee. The Wolves come face to face now. They climb up for the belt and trade shots at the top of the ladder. They trade headbutts up high now. Edwards reaches for the belt but Sanada pulls him down and suplexes him, making them both tumble to the floor. Manik springboards in onto the ladder. He goes at it with Richards up high. Manik sunset flip powerbombs Richards from the top of the ladder onto another ladder that is going from the main ladder to the middle rope like a bridge. Sanada climbs up for the title and grabs it out of nowhere.

Winner: Sanada

– Tenay and Taz hype tonight’s show. MVP comes out with Kenny King and Bobby Lashley. Fans boo and MVP asks how they treat him when he’s supposed to be in the hospital. MVP says he came here for the fans but they continue to boo him. MVP talks about the change to tonight’s main event. MVP says he won’t be getting involved in any of the matches. King cuts a promo and rips on the Dallas Cowboys for some heel heat. King says he’s going to be serving up ass whippings all night long and there’s no vegan recipe for that, Austin Aries. MVP speaks for Lashley about Joe and that match is next.

Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley heads to the ring. The winner of this match will get a spot in tonight’s main event. Samoa Joe is out next to a pop.

The bell rings and they go at it, taking it to the corner. Lashley with a big thrust in the corner. Lashley runs into a big boot. Joe turns it around and drops Lashley with a big kick to the head. Joe drops Lashley again. Joe runs the ropes but Lashley clotheslines him. Joe comes back with right hands and beats Lashley down. Lashley rolls to the floor for a breather as fans boo. Joe runs the ropes and leaps out, knocking Lashley to the floor.

Joe beats Lashley around the ring now. Lashley gets a shot in and sends Joe into the steps. Lashley slams Joe face first into the steps now. Lashley sends Joe into the apron and brings him back in for a quick pin attempt. Lashley works Joe over in the corner now. Fans chant for Joe. Joe catches Lashley but Lashley counters with a spinning neckbreaker. 2 count for Lashley and another. Lashley works Joe over on the middle rope now. Lashley goes back with more strikes and the referee warns him.

Lashley drops an elbow for another 2 count. More offense from Lashley in the corner. Lashley nails a snap suplex for another 2 count. Joe starts to make his comeback. Lashley strikes but Joe blocks and fires back. Joe with an inverted atomic drop, a running big boot and a senton for a 2 count. Joe nails the urinagi. Lashley blocks the rear naked choke in the corner. Joe ends up with Lashley on the top. Lashley blocks a Muscle Buster. More back and forth. Joe almost runs into Earl Hebner and stops to check on him. Joe turns around to a spear from Lashley for the win.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

– Jeremy Borash is up in the Carter Family suite. He says Janice and Bob are here. JB talks to Dixie Carter about Ethan Carter III’s match tonight. She says she’s in her hometown where everyone loves her. She says nobody has seen Ethan’s hardcore side but Bully Ray will tonight. JB asks her about high-level meetings she had this past week and she teases making another announcement when she’s in the ring in front of the world.

Magnus vs. Willow

We go to the ring and out comes Magnus with Bram watching his back. Willow is out next.

Before the bell rings, Abyss’ music hits and out he comes. He’s going to be at ringside to watch Willow’s back. Willow goes to strike Bram first but gets distracted and Magnus attacks to start the match. Magnus unloads and works Willow over. Magnus with more offense and some pin attempts. Willow kicks him in the face but Magnus nails a big clothesline off the ropes. Magnus covers for a 2 count.

Hardy tries to turn it around again but Magnus powerbombs him for a 2 count. Magnus with forearms to the face now. Magnus works Willow over in the corner again. Magnus lands a suplex and covers for another 2 count. More control by Magnus. Willow makes a comeback and hits some signature Jeff Hardy moves. Willow drops Magnus in the corner and nails boots to the chest. Magnus blocks a Twist of Fate but Willow splashes him from the second rope for a 2 count. Willow goes back to the top but misses the Swanton. Abyss and Bram start brawling at ringside. Magnus holds Abyss while Bram beats on him. Willow leaps backwards off the top rope and takes out Bram and Willow. Abyss brings Bram in the ring but Bram beats on him. They runt he ropes and Abyss nails clotheslines. Abyss with a big splash in the corner. Abyss tosses Bram back to the floor.

They come back in and Willow nails two Twist of Fates for a 2 count. Bram has a piece of the steel turnbuckle but Abyss pulls Janice out from under the ring. Abyss backs Bram up the ramp with Janice. Magnus runs into an elbow in the ring but knocks Willow off balance on the top. Magnus nails his finisher for the win out of nowhere.

Winner: Magnus

– After the match, Bram comes back to celebrate with Magnus. Abyss runs to the ring with Janice but everyone leaves. Abyss stares down Magnus and Bram while Willow recovers.

– We go to the announcers for more talk about tonight’s show.

– JB is in the ring. He brings out TNA Hall of Famer Kurt Angle to make the announcement on the next Hall of Famer. Angle comes out to a big pop.

Angle comes to the ring and a big USA chant breaks out. He thanks the fans and thanks the Board of Directors for allowing him to make this announcement. Angle says reaching the TNA Hall of Fame means you’ve reached a level of greatness that’s respected by everyone in the back and all of the fans. Angle says he’s grateful. A big “thank you Kurt” chant starts and Angle says he’s not retired yet, don’t thank him now. Angle introduces the next TNA Hall of Famers and out comes Team 3D. They will be inducted at Bound For Glory.

3D hits the ring to a big pop. There’s a very very long “we want tables” chant. Ray says that’s the best tables chant they’ve ever heard. A big “3D” chant starts next. Ray tells Devon it’s great to be standing in the ring with him again and they have a long embrace. Fans chant “one more match” now. Ray says they accept the induction and they accept it for one reason – because of every single fan. Devon says when he left TNA, he vowed to never come back because he thought he was done. Fans chant “you still got it” at Devon. Devon says they’re going out together and if that means they’re going out at the Hall of Fame, it’s going to be in a blaze of glory. Devon does the “testify!” gimmick and Team 3D hits the corners to pose as their music hits.

– EC3 is backstage with JB. Ethan isn’t impressed by the Team 3D announcement and points out that he’s beaten Sting and Angle already. Ethan says we’re not in Von Erich country tonight, we’re in Carter country. Ethan says he’s doing this for his grandma, EC2 and the rest of the family but most importantly, Aunt D.

Kenny King vs. Austin Aries

We go to the ring and out comes Kenny King. Austin Aries is out next to a pop.

Aries gets things going early on. He drops a running elbow for a 2 count. Aries goes to the top but King crotches him. King with a kick to the head that sends Aries out to the floor. King works over Aries on the barrier at ringside. King runs his mouth to the announcers and Aries fights back. King slams Aries face first into the apron now. King slams him into the steel steps before bringing it back in the ring for a 2 count.

King keeps control in the ring now. Aries make a comeback and leaps out with a suicide dive. Aries brings it back in and takes King head first from turnbuckle to turnbuckle. Aries with a neckbreaker over top of the top rope. Aries goes to the top and nails a missile dropkick for a 2 count. King come back with an overhead throw. Aries ducks the knees in the corner. Aries with chops in the corner now. Aries runs and gets dropped by a big boot. King with a kick to the head and a spinebuster for a 1 count as he cheated with his feet on the ropes and the referee saw it. Aries with a discus forearm for a close 2 count. Aries with the Last Chancery but the hold is broken.

More offense from King now. King goes for a big top rope move but Aries counters and turns it into a super Brainbuster for the win. Aries is going to the main event.

Winner: Austin Aries

– We see some of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys at ringside.

– We go to the ring and Jeremy Borash is there. He talks about the Von Erich family before bringing out Ross, Marshall and wrestling legend Kevin. The Von Erichs come out to a pop.

JB wishes Kevin a Happy Father’s Day and he talks about how good it is to be here with so many memories and how good it is to introduce his sons.

Ross and Marshall Von Erich vs. Jessie Godderz and DJ Zema Ion

Ross and Marshall wait in the ring as Bro-Mans make their way out. Jessie cuts a promo on the way to the ring and rips on the Mavericks, the Cowboys and the Von Erichs. They hit the ring and Zema continues getting heel heat. The Von Erichs take off their jackets and get attacked from behind.

Marshall wrestles barefoot like his father. He works on Jessie and then Zema. Marshall calls for The Claw but Bro-Mans turn it around with some double teaming in the corner. Zema with a 2 count on Marshall. Zema knocks Ross off the apron. Marshall fights back but Zema cuts him off. Marshall with a big powerslam. Ross tags in and hits a pair of dropkicks. Ross goes to the top but Jessie pushes him to the floor. Zema runs the ropes and leaks out onto Ross.

Zema brings it back in for a 2 count. Fans chant for the Von Erichs but Jessie comes in and dropkicks Ross. Jessie misses a leg drop. Jessie blocks a sunset flip but misses a punch. Zema tags in but Ross manages to tag in Marshall. Marshall unloads and dropkicks Zema back into the corner. Marshall gets fired up and nails clotheslines no both opponents. More offense from the Von Erichs. Jessie brings a chair in but Ross dropkicks him out of the ring. Zema with a jawbreaker on Ross. Marshall takes out Zema with a clothesline. They double team Zema. Ross with a kick to the face. Marshall with a moonsault for a pin but Jessie hits him with a chair for the disqualification.

Winners by DQ: The Von Erichs

– After the bell, Kevin Von Erich comes in and takes out Jessie. He then applies The Claw on Zema as the crowd pops. Fans chant “you still got it” as Kevin poses in the ring with his sons.

JB is backstage with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky to discuss the next match.

TNA Knockouts Title Match: Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love

We go to the ring and out comes Gail Kim to a decent reaction. TNA Knockouts Champion Angelina Love is out next with Velvet Sky by her side.

Gail strikes first to start the match and nails a running forearm for a 1 count. Back and forth as they trade holds now. Gail comes off the top for a hurricanrana but Angelina turns it into a powerbomb for a 2 count. More back and forth. Angelina with a sideslam for a 2 count. Gail goes to the floor and gets into it with Velvet, knocking her back on the floor. Angelina comes out and takes advantage, attacking from behind. Gail counters and whips Angelina into the steel steps. Gail brings it back in the ring and keeps control. Gail goes to the top but Angelina knocks her off balance. Angelina with an inverted bulldog from the corner for a 2 count.

Velvet gets on the apron and sprays Gail with hairspray but the referee ignores it. Gail turns around to a Botox Injection from Angelina. Gail kicks out at 2. Earl Hebner comes down and sends Velvet to the back. He argues with the other referee and sends him to the back also. Hebner tags himself in as the new referee. Gail nails a clothesline and a dropkick. Another clothesline by Gail. Gail with a neckbreaker for 2. Gail with a crossbody from the top for another 2 count. Gail with right hands in the corner. Angelina drops her with a powerbomb but uses the ropes for leverage and Hebner sees it. Gail goes for a dropkick and accidentally knocks Hebner down. She checks on him, allowing Angelina to roll up from behind but there is no referee. We see the original referee Stiffler still at ringside. Gail nails Eat Defeat and covers for the win but Hebner is still down and Stiffler can’t get him up. Angelina rolls Gail up and Stiffler comes in to make the count.

Winner: Angelina Love

– We see Team 3D backstage talking about their segment earlier. Devon is going to celebrate Father’s Day with his kids and Ray is going to destroy EC3. Ray tells the cameraman, “over my dead body” and says it several times until the fans say it along with him. Ray says EC3 said those words on Impact. Ray says ECW signed his death warrant. Ray brings up the Von Erichs, The Freebirds, Stan Hansen and Terry Funk, all getting pops from the Texas crowd. Ray says Ethan is in for a match that he never expected. Ray tells Ethan to start praying to God. Ray says he’s going to crucify Ethan for the sins of his Aunt Dixie and then baptize him in blood.

Texas Death Match: Ethan Carter III vs. Bully Ray

We go to the ring and out comes Ethan Carter III. Bully Ray is out next and he’s got a bull rope. The winner is determined when the other man can’t answer a 10 count. The bell rings and they go at it. Ray unloads and tosses Ethan out of the corner. Ray uses the bull rope and keeps control. Ray tosses Ethan over the top and out to the floor.

Fans chant for tables and Ray brings one under the ring. He slides the announcers table back and tells Tenay and Taz that he needs some room. Fans chant “ECW” as Ray pulls the mats back, exposing the concrete. Ray stands up two tables on the concrete. They come back in the ring and a table is propped up in the corner. Ethan takes control as fans chant “we want cow bells” for the bull rope. Ethan brings a chair in the ring and smacks Ray in the back with it several times. Ethan charges with a chair but Ray boots it into his face. Ray takes Ethan to the corner and works him over with chops.

Ray grabs a cheese grater and runs it over Ethan’s chest. Ray ends up going down again and Ray brings him back in with a steel chair. Ethan slams Ray’s face into the chair a few times. Ethan kicks Ray in the head and positions his head on the chair. Ethan climbs up to the top but Ray meets him. Ray climbs up and superplexes Ethan onto the chair.

Ray grabs a box cutter and cuts the apron off. He pulls the padding back and exposes the wooden boards of the ring. Bully goes for a powerbomb onto the wood but Rockstar Spud runs in and hits Bully with a kendo stick. Ray isn’t phased. He grabs it and crotches Spud with the kendo stick and yanks him around. Ray slams Spud. Ethan counters a move and slams Ethan face first into the boards. Ray barely makes it up before the 10 count. Ethan grabs a Dallas Cowboys trash can and pours out a bunch of shards of glass. Ethan stomps them and breaks the shards up into pieces. Ethan comes off the top rope but Ray catches him in mid-air with a Bubba Cutter into the pile of glass. Fans chant “holy s–t” now.

Ethan rolls to the floor and barely makes it up before the count. Ray goes to the floor and drops Ethan with a kendo stick. Ray rolls Ethan onto the tables that he positioned over the exposed concrete earlier. Ray goes to the apron to crash through but out comes Dixie Carter. Dixie tells Ray not to. Ray tells her he’s going to kill her, b—h. Ray chases Dixie around the ring. Dixie runs into Ethan and they collide. Dixie goes down and she’s out. Ray drops Ethan with a right hand. Fans chant for tables now. Ray grabs Dixie and lays her on top of the tables that’s over the exposed concrete. Ray goes back to the apron to splash her but Ethan nails him with a kendo stick. Spud runs over and pulls Dixie to safety as Ray falls forward and crashes through the tables, hitting the concrete. The referee starts counting as fans chant “bulls–t” at what happened. Ray doesn’t make it back up and Ethan wins the match.

Winner: Ethan Carter III

– After the match, Dixie gets in Bully’s face and yells at him. She also yells at the announcers. Dixie and Spud raise Ethan’s arms in victory. Dixie yells about how her blood is Ethan’s blood and how we shouldn’t mess with the Carters. Dixie, Spud and Ethan leave together as we go to replays.

– We get hype for the next match.

James Storm vs. Mr. Anderson

James Storm comes to the ring and talks about being a real cowboy in Texas. He knocks the Dallas Cowboys that are at ringside. Storm pours beer on a Cowboys helmet and says he’s a Tennessee Titans fan. Storm says if they’re anything like their quarterback, he could stand in the ring all night and they wouldn’t hit him. Storm says he’s sorry about their damn luck and out comes Mr. Anderson to the stage. Anderson hits the ring and they start brawling outside. Anderson takes a drink from someone at ringside and spits it at Storm. They enter the ring and we get the bell. Storm fires back and drops Anderson.

Storm gets the Figure Four in but Anderson turns it over. Storm misses in the corner. Anderson with right hands now. Anderson with more strikes and a swinging neckbreaker. Storm goes to the second rope but Anderson slams him to the mat and covers for 2. More back and forth. Storm kicks Anderson out to the floor and follows. Storm has words with the Cowboys at ringside. Storm spits beer at one of them and they come over the guardrail. Security has a tough time stopping a brawl from happening. Storm finally makes it back in and shoves the referee down. The Cowboys are still fuming and George Selvie comes over. He distracts Storm, allowing Anderson to nail a Mic Check for the win.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

– After the match, the Cowboys come in the ring to celebrate with Anderson.

– JB is backstage with Eric Young. Austin Aries walks up and says he’s getting a taste of the World Heavyweight Title again tonight. Aries leaves and EY cuts a promo about the main event. We go to a video package and a recap of how the main event came to be.

Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title: Austin Aries vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Eric Young

We go to the ring and the cage has been set up. Bobby Lashley and Austin Aries make their way our followed by TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young. The title can only change hands by pinfall or submission. The bell rings and they all go at it.

Lashley beats up on Aries and Young, taking them both down in the corners. Aries blocks a slam and they both turn it around on Lashley now. Lashley blocks a double suplex and nails one of his own. They double team Lashley again and this time send him into the cage. EY and Aries go at it now. Lashley gets back in it and gets a 2 count on Young. Aries takes down Lashley with kicks. EY nails a missile dropkick on Lashley for a 2 count. Lashley shoves EY into the corner with thrusts. EY comes back and takes out Aries and Lashley. EY with a back suplex on Aries for 2. Aries powerbombs EY for a 2 count. Aries decks Lashley in the corner. Lashley counters and suplexes Aries into the steel for a 2 count.

EY nails a DDT on Lashley. All three trade shots now. EY gets Lashley and Aries on his shoulders at the same time and drops them for a 2 count. EY climbs up the cage but Lashley stops him. Lashley climbs up and goes for a superplex on the top rope. Lashley drapes EY’s body over the top of the cage. Aries climbs up and fights with Lashley on the top. Aries takes Lashley to the mat with a jumping super hurricanrana. EY climbs to the top of the cage and nails a huge elbow drop on Lashley.

Lashley kicks out. Aries nails a Brainbuster on EY for a 2 count. Lashley spears Aries but EY breaks the pin at 2. EY goes down again. Lashley charges for a spear but EY moves and Lashley goes through the cage door, landing out on the floor. EY climbs to the top rope and nails the top rope elbow on Aries for a 2 count. Aries blocks a piledriver and dropkicks EY in the face. They get up and trade shots in the middle of the ring. Aries misses the discus. EY misses the flying forearm. Aries nails the discus forearm in the corner. Aries hits another and the running dropkick in the corner. EY blocks a Brainbuster and hits a piledriver out of nowhere for the win.

Winner: Eric Young

– After the match, we go to replays. Young helps Aries up but Aries is hesitant. Fans chant TNA. Aries grabs EY and they shake hands as fans pop. Slammiversary goes off the air with EY and his title.

Ric Flair Reportedly Turning His Life Around, More On WWE Return

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Source: PWInsider Elite

People close to Ric Flair have noted to PWInsider that in the last few months, The Nature Boy has made a real effort to take care of his health, work on his personal problems and get some of his other issues taken care of.

We’ve noted how Flair is expected to return to WWE TV any week now, likely working with The Miz, and even pitched the idea of working with Dolph Ziggler. Apparently when WWE turned down the idea, they told Flair that they weren’t doing anything with Ziggler.

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