#WWE Fight scene during Royal

[nanohuge]

WWE BEST MOMENTS & MOVES 2022|| WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2022|| WWE SMACKDOWN MOMENTS 2022

#wwe #royalrumble2022 #wwemoments2022 #wwemoves2022 #wwebestfightscene2022 #nanohuge #wwefight #wwescene #wwemoves

[maggiemacabre]

SiIvaGunner SmashUp! Behind the scenes and post-mortem

Hello folks and welcome to my new Tumblr blog. I don't know how much I'm going to actually use this thing in the future but I figure if I need it, it's here. As you can probably tell by the title, today's subject will be none other than my most recent "work", the SiIvaGunner SmashUp!

The idea of a SiIvaGunner take on the concept of "Royal Rumble but full of stupid contestants" was in my head for a while, but the motivation to do it wasn't in place until I found Dead Meat's Horror Royal Rumble in August or September of 2023. The Jerma Rumbles and Vinewrestle were definitely also influences on the idea, but the Horror Royal Rumble was the impetus, and played a part in influencing some creative choices featured in the SmashUp (more on that later).

After running the idea by the team and the rest of backroom, I picked up WWE 2K23 (which fortuitously was on sale that weekend) and got to work. Going in, I had next to no idea of the ins and outs of pro wrestling, which meant that I had to do a lot of research into things like the wrestlers themselves, moves, terminology, different match types, general historical stuff, how shows are actually presented, etc. This put me in a very, very deep rabbit hole which I have still not crawled out of. I even went to two house shows!

Making the wrestlers was the first step and by far took the longest amount of time out of anything, since this was the first show of its kind on the channel and required the creation of 34 unique wrestlers. Some of them were easier than others (lookin' at you AMUNO), but others such as Ninomae Ina'nis took days to complete due to the amount of detail they required. This also isn't including wrestlers who were made that got cut; some of these exclusions include Bottom G, who was left out because Andrew Tate sucks, Elly from Touhou Project, who was replaced by Sumireko, and Wood Man, who was left out for lore reasons and replaced with 8-Bit Beast in a somewhat 11th hour decision. Maybe next year?

The decision to make Hot Cross Buns and Raft Ride into women also spawned from this period. Hot Cross Buns was made first and was originally meant to show up in the Grand Rumble, but after some time I ended up deciding to move her to her own match, which became a Women's World Champion match because lol. I had to use mods to make the men and women able to fight each other, so theoretically Raft Ride could have been a man, but women are awesome.

Being an egotistical maniac, I also included some references to things I'd worked on in the past. Totino's Stadium, the arena where the match takes place, was first mentioned in the FUMO JAM ad from the DJ Professor K Day stream, and Nu Grandiose City is the city where Woodyana is from in Woodyana Stones: Raider Made of Lost Bark. Also I guess this is why Elvira was included? LOL. Fun fact: The footage of "Totino's Stadium" is actually of Gazprom Arena in Russia.

Since I was involved with the channel's MAGFest panel in 2024, I was able to announce the show months in advance, although I'm not sure how many people actually paid attention at the time. Getting a logo ready between finishing CCC and MAG was a bit tight, but thankfully it was able to be done on time, and on top of that I was able to make the big card poster thing on my own. I actually designed it to be printed, and I proposed making it a sold item, although that idea was rejected. I also came up with the date during this period, choosing the day right before the WWE Hall of Fame show, and while things got a bit close to the wire, it was luckily able to make the date and time without a hitch in the end.

After all the wrestlers were made, it was time to record and edit. I was a bit worried about my laptop overheating while doing so, but I was able to get good quality 60 FPS 1080p footage recorded without any hitches other than some human error on my end. While the controversial ending of the Grand Rumble wasn't what I had in mind, I ended up leaving it as-is for time reasons and also because it felt like a funny troll ending. Which it was! Editing was not quite as smooth since I had to go through all the footage and edit it together into a cohesive product. WWE games don't allow you to cut to entrances during a Royal Rumble, which meant that I had to record and edit those in myself. The method I ended up using resembled the one from the Dead Meat rumble mentioned earlier with cuts to the audience as the buzzer rings, although I'd like to believe I did a better job than they did with their 2024 entrances where they awkwardly cut around shots of the ring. This is also where the fun facts come from, as they are actually covering up the nameplates that show up as an alternative to cutting to the entrances.

After editing was done I got some other team members to do commentary. Thankfully I was able to get someone with wrestling knowledge, which definitely added a dimension of realism and legitimacy to the project. I don't know if I can say who the announcers are because of leaks, but if you haven't figured it out, Randall Shields is a Smash Bros. reference. Also it was the first contribution to SiIvaGunner that had "Randall" made in about half a decade. What a return!

The premiere of the project was electric. Seeing over 1.3K people tune in and get hype over something I made was incredible and made my week, if not month. I did feel a little bad about the reaction when Dream came in (💀), but other than that it was awesome. And don't worry, he won't return.

In the end, I had a lot of fun with the project and it was awesome seeing everything pay off. I want to thank everyone who helped, including the artists who designed the logos and the people who did commentary. It couldn't have come together without help and assistance from everyone, and I hope that this becomes the first in a series of similar videos.

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Remembering A Hardcore Legend: Celebrating The Life And Career of Terry Funk

Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of the legendary Terry Funk. I hope this article helps you all understand who he was and why he is important to wrestling.

Terrance ‘ Terry’ Dee Funk was born to Dorothy and Dory Funk Sr. on June 30, 1944 in Hammond, Indiana . He had an older brother , Dory Funk Jr. the Funk family soon moved to Texas during the end of World War II. Terry and Dory spent their childhood in the wrestling business as their father was a wrestling promoter. After high school, Terry attended college at West Texas A & M University, where he was also an athlete. He was on the football team and on the amateur wrestling team.

Terry Funk had a career which took place for half of a century ( 50 years ) . He was also known for the hardcore style of wrestling , which he is considered one of the pioneers for . His career began in 1965 at his father ‘s wrestling promotion , Western States Sports out of Amarillo , Texas. He became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1975 after replacing his brother , Dory, who was set to face Jack Brisco for the championship. Dory never showed up to the promotion for the match. He also had a rivalry with ‘ The American Dream ’ Dusty Rhodes , with Funk coining the catchphrase, ‘ Dusty Sucks Eggs ’ . He also spent part of his career in Japan in the promotion, All Japan Pro Wrestling ( AJPW ). This was from 1972 to 1991.

Funk soon found his way to World Wrestling Federation from 1985 to 1986. He also had a stint in World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) from 1989 to 1990 and again in 1994 . He returned to Japan in 1994 as a part of the International Wrestling Association of Japan ( IWA). He participated in the King of The Death Match Tournament in 1995. He would also have a stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) from 1993 to 1997. He would have rivalries with stars such as Cactus Jack ( Mick Foley ) , Raven, Stevie Richards, Sabu, and his protege , Tommy Dreamer. He was even ECW World Heavyweight Champion before losing the championship to Sabu during a Barbed Wire Match at Born To Be Wired in 1997. Funk would soon find his way back to the WWF in 1997.

Terry Funk would be a surprise entrant in the 1997 WWF Royal Rumble at number 24. He was in the match for 15 minutes and 18 seconds until being eliminated by Mankind ( Mick Foley ). He had a short retirement before returning to the company in December of the same year to become tag team partners with Mick Foley. He adopted the gimmick , ‘ Chainsaw Charlie ’. He would also form a tag time with 2 Cold Scorpio during his time in WWF as well. He would return to ECW in 1998 and had a rivalry with Tommy Dreamer before a second retirement in 1999. Funk would return to WCW in 2000. He make appearances in Ring Of Honor , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Major League Wrestling. He would also spend time on the Independent Wrestling circuit before making a few more appearances in the WWE. Terry alongside his brother , Dory , would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by Dusty Rhodes. However , Terry would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a solo wrestler by Mick Foley . In 2016, Funk was seen at Wrestlemania 32 giving advice to Dean Ambrose ( Jon Moxley ) , before his match against Brock Lesnar, which was a No Holds Barred Street Fight. Funk gifted Ambrose a chainsaw as a nod to his Chainsaw Charlie gimmick . He would return to the Indie scene the same year .

Terry Funk passed away at the age of 79 in Phoenix , Arizona. On the August 25 edition of Friday Night Smackdown , the WWE paid tribute Funk and Bray Wyatt , who passed away the next day. Thus , in honor of Funk , ‘ The American Nightmare ’ Cody Rhodes , came down to the ring and announced a Terry Funk Memorial Hardcore Tag Team match with the participants being The Street Profits and The Brawling Brutes.

Wrestlers such as Mick Foley , Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Kingston , and Jon Moxley have all credited Funk for influencing their careers. Bret Hart has also praised him for being one of the greatest in ring performers.

My Final Thoughts:

There will never be another Terry Funk. If it was wasn’t for him being so influential in hardcore wrestling , I think that we wouldn’t have promotions such as Game Changer Wrestling ( GCW ) , which is known for deathmatch wrestling and I don’t think hardcore wrestling would be popular . Terry Funk was one of those wrestlers who influenced almost everyone . Watching his matches on the internet and on Peacock, makes me wish I could go back in time and watch live . He is a reason why I love Deathmatch and Hardcore Wrestling. Long Live The Funker! Go watch a Terry Funk match if you haven’t ! You’ll be amazed!

1944-2023

Love You All,

- Kay

[armchairlegdrop]

How AEW Fight Forever Could Revolutionize Wrestling Video Games

by Carl Charlbury March 19, 2023

The wrestling video game scene has been thirsting for a significant change, and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) might be the catalyst for such a shift. AEW Fight Forever, the promotion's debut wrestling video game, is setting out to break barriers and revolutionize the industry. Developed by Yuke's and published by THQ Nordic, the game is a much-anticipated alternative to WWE's yearly offerings. What sets this game apart from its competition, and how might it change the wrestling video game landscape?

AEW Fight Forever Is A Throwback To The Golden Age Of Wrestling

AEW Fight Forever emulates the classic wrestling gameplay of games like WWF No Mercy, drawing upon the nostalgia and beloved elements of these hit titles. This clever strategy stands to reinvigorate a devoted fan base, offering a compelling foundation for further development.

The game boasts an impressive array of match types, including singles, tag-team, 3-way, 4-way, ladder matches, Casino Battle Royale, Falls Count Anywhere, Unsanctioned Lights-Out (with weapons), and even Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches. This extensive selection caters to different tastes, ensuring that fans of all kinds will find something to enjoy.

AEW Will Offer Robust Career And Customization Modes

AEW Fight Forever also offers a career mode, enabling players to immerse themselves in the wrestling world like never before. Through this mode, gamers can chart their wrestler's journey from obscurity to superstardom. The focus on storytelling and character development is crucial in delivering an authentic and engaging experience, which could be a game-changer for the genre.

Customization is another area where AEW Fight Forever shines. The game offers options for players to create their own custom wrestlers, complete with unique attire and appearance. This feature is further enhanced by the inclusion of custom move-sets, allowing players to craft a truly one-of-a-kind wrestling superstar. The attention to detail and depth of customization options gives gamers a sense of ownership over their creations, strengthening the connection between players and the game.

AEW Fight Forever Will Be Available On A Wide Range Of Platforms

AEW Fight Forever's accessibility is another key factor in its potential to revolutionize the wrestling video game industry. The game is set to be available on multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This broad reach ensures that a diverse range of gamers will have the opportunity to experience AEW Fight Forever. Additionally, the game will support cross-play between these platforms, further fostering a sense of community among players.

Fight Forever Will Be Updated Over Time With Updates Like GTAV

The team at AEW Games has set out to break the mold for wrestling and sports games alike by releasing the base game and adding more content over time via DLC and/or updates. This is a huge step in the right direction, which is similar to the roadmap of games like Grand Theft Auto V and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and avoids problems with production like 2K dealt with the past few years. Players won't have to shell out money for a new game every single year with minimal updates. If the game is successful, it could help influence other sports/wrestling studios to follow suit.

AEW Fight Forever Has Had Quite A Few Setbacks During Its Development

Despite the game's incredible potential, there have been some setbacks. As of March 2023, fans are still waiting for a concrete release date, with various factors contributing to the delay. However, Kenny Omega, AEW Executive Vice President and an avid gamer, remains optimistic about the game's potential to disrupt the wrestling video game industry. He has promised fans that new information and videos will be released soon, keeping anticipation alive and ensuring that interest in the game remains high. The game also went back and forth with the ESRB to nail down a Teen rating.

AEW Could Cultivate A Unique Section Of Gamers With Nostalgia And Features

AEW Fight Forever could carve out a unique space in the wrestling video game market, thanks to its blend of nostalgia, innovation, and player-focused features. By tapping into the magic of classic wrestling games while also offering new experiences and customization options, AEW Fight Forever has the potential to attract a diverse player base and redefine the genre.

The game's wide range of match types, expansive career mode, and deep customization options provide a level of immersion and engagement that has been lacking in wrestling video games for some time. As the first major rival to WWE 2K22, AEW Fight Forever is well-positioned to challenge the status quo and push the genre forward.

AEW Fight Forever Will Be The Only Crossplay Enabled Wrestling Game From A Major Wrestling Company

The game's availability on multiple platforms and the inclusion of crossplay further solidify its revolutionary potential. By removing barriers to entry and fostering a sense of community, AEW Fight Forever could create a new generation of wrestling video game fans, reinvigorating the industry and setting a new standard for future titles.

As fans eagerly await more information and a release date, the excitement surrounding AEW Fight Forever continues to build. If the game can deliver on its promises and tap into the vast potential it holds, there is little doubt that AEW Fight Forever will revolutionize the wrestling video game industry and leave a lasting impact on the genre for years to come.

[wrestlingisfake]

Wrestle Grand Slam preview

Originally New Japan Pro Wrestling was going to do two big stadium shows in May. I'm guessing the strategy was to keep fans socially distanced, but book bigger buildings so they could sell more tickets. Unfortunately Japan had another surge in COVID-19 cases, and another state of emergency was declared. New Japan ultimately canceled the Yokohama show and postponed this one, in the Tokyo Dome, to July 25. Unfortunately, with the pandemic going the way it is in Japan, the government has probably limited the number of people who can attend, and New Japan is probably taking a bath on this show no matter what.

But that's not our problem. All you need to know is that you can stream the show live at 3am EDT, Sunday morning, July 25. You can stream it on NJPW World (about $9.05 US per month). Or if you don't want the hassle of subscribing to a Japanese service, you can get the show for $19.99 on Fite.tv. Both services will provide English commentary, and both of them let you watch it later on-demand (in case you don't want to be up all night).

Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi (maybe) - Shingo is the 3rd IWGP world heavyweight champion, and he's making his first defense of the title. As of this writing Ibushi is still the advertised challenger, despite missing several recent shows due to a case of aspirational pneumonia. Hopefully the time off has allowed him to recover. If he's forced to pull out, I'm beginning to think New Japan will not announce that until the start of the show.

The main event of this show has been cursed for months. Originally, Will Ospreay beat Ibushi for the title and Takagi in his first defense, to set up Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada on May 29 in the Tokyo Dome. Then Ospreay went home with a neck injury, and Okada caught COVID-19, and the show was postponed. So Okada faced Takagi for the vacant title on June 7, and after Takagi won he challenged Ibushi to face him on the "biggest stage" possible. Then the Tokyo Dome show was rescheduled, with the unfortunate main event of "two guys Ospreay just beat." Now Ibushi has pneumonia, and if there's going to be replacement there will be zero time to set it up.

Under normal circumstances, this match headlining a big show would be a real treat. It won't be as fun if I'm worried about Ibushi's cardio. I know the running gag is that everybody thinks Ibushi is superhuman, because he looks ten years younger than he is and he falls on his neck and acts like it's no big deal. But dude. I mean, if he shows up at this show ripped to shreds and ready to go, it'll be great and play into the myth. But I can't imagine he'll be 100%.

At last night's New Japan show, Hiroshi Tanahashi said he's ready to take Ibushi's place if needed. That's as close as anyone has come to being positioned as a replacement. Honestly, that's not a bad consolation prize, and Shingo-Tana even has a ready-made instant storyline. (Tanahashi beat Shingo for the NEVER title a few months ago, so he's a logical challenger for Shingo's world title now.)

A title change would be pretty wild right about now, but I think this new world title has bounced around too much as it is. We need stability, and we need a champion who can weather these difficult times. My man Shingo can do it.

Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi - Naito and Sabre won the IWGP heavyweight tag team title from Dangerous Tekkers on July 11, so this is the rematch.

I really don't understand why you'd book the Tekkers to chase Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa for six months just to immediately pull the belts back off of them, especially if you're just going to do an immediate rematch. Makes no sense. Whichever team loses here is going to look kind of pathetic, to the point that I'm wondering if you have to start teasing a breakup angle. But it's New Japan, so I don't think they'd jump right into that sort of thing.

My preference is to see one of these two teams defend the title more than once against various teams. I don't care which of them does it, but the other needs to go to the back of the line. That would be pretty disastrous for Dangerous Tekkers, so I guess I'm rooting for them to regain the belts and get back on track.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb - With Will Ospreay out of action, Okada is stuck feuding with one of Ospreay's henchmen in the United Empire. That's not a knock on Cobb, who's strong as hell and super cool. But it's like one of those He-Man episodes where he just fights Mer-Man, because Skeletor is out of town or something. Mer-Man is dope as hell, but nobody thinks he's gonna beat He-Man on Skeletor's day off. With that said, it'd be mighty cool if Cobb scored a huge upset to set him up as a key player in the main event scene.

El Desperado vs. Robbie Eagles - Despy had just finished a grueling defense of the IWGP junior heavyweight title against Taiji Ishimori when Eagles announced he was next in line for a title shot.

Eagles, an Australian, has been pretty scarce since the pandemic began. He did compete in December's Best of the Super Jr. tournament, but even so it's a special event to get to see him. Even so, Eagles is not exactly a dominant force in New Japan's junior division, and I'm not expecting him to be a major threat to Desperado here. With Hiromu Takahashi cleared to compete, the money is in setting up Hiromu-Despy for the title. I don't see Eagles figuring into that picture, so he should take the L.

El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero - ELP and Ishimori are defending the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team title. Taguchi is the coach of his not-quite-a-real-thing group, Taguchi Japan, and Romero coaches Roppongi 3K, so together they are the Mega Coaches. I like the Mega Coaches but they're going to lose hard here.

New Japan Ranbo - This is a gauntlet battle royale for possession of Toru Yano's KOPW 2021 trophy. Two wrestlers will start the match and each additional participant will enter at regularly-scheduled intervals. Participants can be eliminated at any time. Once everyone has entered the match, and all but one has been eliminated, the remaining entrant is declared the winner and win the trophy.

Normally in a New Japan Ranbo match, eliminations occur via pinfall, submission, or exiting the ring over the top rope. But since this is a KOPW match, added stipulations were proposed for the fans to vote on. The winning stipulation is that handcuffs will be placed around the ring, and you can eliminate an opponent by handcuffing him to something. I suspect this rule has not been thought through, and some weird edge cases will come up during the action. In layman's terms, this will be a wacky shit show with crazy shenanigans. I'm looking forward to it.

No participants have been announced except for Yano. I would expect a bunch of the older guys and prelim guys will show up, and maybe some wrestlers we haven't been seeing lately. But this isn't a Royal Rumble, or even a Battle Riot or a Casino Battle Royale, so I wouldn't hold my breath for any earth-shattering surprises. Anyone could win, but at this point Yano is to the KOPW trophy what R-Truth is to the WWE 24/7 title. The winner of this match is either going to be Yano or be losing to Yano very soon.

[gamergirl929]

You’re Not Going To Talk About Her That Way (Sasha Banks x Reader)

@wildest-dream89 Request: The reader is Sasha's girlfriend and ends up taking care of her when Lacey attacks her behind the scenes, so in this scenario Lacey is the new SmackDown Champion, the reader challenges Lacey to a fight and during the victory takes over the relationship with Sasha

Just as you push the trainer’s room door open, Bayley is pushing passed you head down as she stomps towards the ring for her match with Lacey Evans.  

You frown as you move towards the bed where your girlfriend is sitting, her leg propped up with a bag of ice resting on her ankle.  

“Hey...” You whisper, the blue haired woman’s eyes softening when she turns to you.  

“Hey.” She whispers in return, frowning.  

You glance down at her ankle and take a seat beside her on the bed, ever so gently cupping the side of her head before pushing her head to rest on your chest.  

“It’s okay.” You whisper, ducking down to kiss the top of her head.  

“It isn’t.” Sasha whispers. “Lacey is going to face Bayley, and that’s my fault... If she wins, she has a shot at the title.”  

You swallow, shaking your head.  

“That’s not your fault.”  

Sasha looks up at you, frowning.  

“It feels like it is.”  

You shake your head, leaning down to place a kiss to her lips.  

“It isn’t.”  

                                                            ***

Sadly, Sasha’s prediction becomes reality, Lacey Evans did in fact defeat Bayley that night and she did become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion at the Royal Rumble.  

Needless to say, Sasha was heartbroken.  

Yes, her persona on TV was anger and sass, but behind the scenes she was upset and felt as if she cost her friend the championship.  

Bayley knew that wasn’t the case, but Sasha couldn’t help but feel guilty.  

You felt the anger in your rising, the more Lacey gloats, the more she talks about how great of a person she is when on Raw, she treated everyone like dirt, including the WWE Universe.  

Sasha and Bayley did the same, but at least they don’t pretend like it never happened.  

Lacey kept telling the fans over and over again how horrible Bayley and Sasha were, and soon you had enough.  

Sasha’s brown orbs widen when you start marching through the backstage area, heading towards the ring.  

“Whoa, whoa.” Sasha grabs your arm and you turn to her jaw set.  

“I’m shutting her up.” You growl and Sasha shakes her head.  

“You don’t have to...” She frowns and you shake your head again.  

“I want to, she keeps acting like she’s some great person, and she isn’t.” You snarl.  

“We aren’t the best either.” Sasha shrugs sadly and you shake your head.  

“You don’t act like you’re something you aren’t.” You whisper and Sasha sighs.  

You glare angrily at a nearby TV as Lacey Evans holds up her newly won title, and continuing to run her mouth.  

“I’m not going to be able to stop you, am I?” Sasha asks and you turn to her, glancing at Bayley over her shoulder before shaking your head.  

“Not this time.”  

You turn away from the pair before you turn on your heels and move towards the curtain that will lead you to the ring.  

Your music hits and the fans cheer, cheering much louder than they were for Lacey Evans.  

You were pushed hard and fast when you left NXT and you quickly were put over well with the fans, who all loved you.  

Though, the fans knew nothing about your relationship with The Boss, Sasha Banks.  

You march down to the ring where a surprised, Lacey Evans is waiting her brows furrowed.  

You stride past her and hold your hand out towards the time keepers area, waiting for a microphone.  

The microphone hits your hand and you let out a lengthy sigh.  

“You know...” You clear your throat, the fans cheering.  

“If I remember, just a few months ago you were calling everyone in the WWE Universe, nasties, and telling everyone how you were better than them.” You scoff, the fans booing, not at you, but at the mention of Lacey Evans’s past persona on Raw.  

“That’s all behind me.” She says in her southern drawl and you snort.  

“You know, I don’t think it is, you’ve just directed your attention to Bayley and Sasha Banks.” You shrug and the fans boo.  

“I know, I know.” You hold a hand up. “You guys don’t like them, but it’s true. Lacey Evans came to Smackdown and weaseled her way into the title picture by acting like she’s a hero to the people.” You shrug and Lacey scoffs.  

“I am a hero to the people; I am a veteran of the-

“Yeah, we all know you are, but even veterans can be bitches.”  

The crowd exclaims loudly, most cheering as Lacey stares at you, wide eyed.  

“The point is, you came to Smackdown with this ‘persona change’ but it doesn’t sit well with me. You haven’t changed at all, you showboat to these people to get them on your side, but you’re still the same, Lacey Evans.” You shrug and the fans seem to agree.  

“So...” You take a step towards her, standing tall as you tap your finger against her newly acquired Smackdown Women’s Championship.  

“You’re a hero of the people Evans, give the people what they want.” You smirk, the fans throwing their hands up in the air over and over again as they chant their usual mantra.  

“You, me, that title. Tonight.” You smirk and everyone screams their assent, nearly everyone on their feet screaming YES YES YES!

Lacey looks around the arena nodding before she turns to you with a smirk.  

“You’re on.”  

                                                           ***

“You’re going for the title?” Sasha asks and you shrug.  

“I added that in last minute, she doesn’t deserve it.” You grumble.  

Sasha glances at Bayley who shrugs.  

“I mean, you having it is better than Lacey having it, but just because you’re Sasha’s girlfriend doesn’t mean you’re off limits.” Bayley smirks and you turn to her, brow arched.  

“I’ll take you on anytime for the title, but first, I have to win it.” You grin and Bayley smiles.  

“Y/N?” Your brows furrow as you glance over your shoulder, Smackdown’s newest commentator Alyse Ashton walks up to you with a smile.  

You turn to her with a nod.  

“I’ve just been informed of a stipulation for your and Lacey Evan’s title match tonight.” She says and your brow furrows.  

“I’m being told Sasha and Bayley have been banned from ringside.” Her eyes dart around your face as you turn to Sasha and Bayley who are quick to voice their complaints.  

“It’s alright.” You put your hand up and Sasha and Bayley go silent, the two sharing a glance, though both are still scowling.  

“At least if the match is between only Lacey and I, she can’t come up with an excuse as to why she lost. I’m going to beat Lacey Evans and I am GOING to be the new Smackdown Women’s Champion.” You say firmly and Sasha and Bayley share a glance, both smiling cockily.  

Alyse nods with a smile as the three of you walk off, your and Sasha’s hands brushing yours as the two of you move down the hall, Bayley at your side.  

                                                           ***

You lean your head back, taking a deep breath.  

“It’s almost time.” You whisper, Sasha nodding.  

Suddenly, she grabs your arm and drags you into a nearby room, out of sight of the cameras.  

Bayley watches you go with a snort and a small smile, her head shaking back and forth.  

Meanwhile, in the room Sasha has shoved you back into a nearby wall, her lips pressing firmly against your own.  

“Jesus.” You breathe out when the two of you separate and Sasha grins.  

“After your match tonight there will be that and more.” Sasha purrs as she kisses you again, her tongue slipping passed your lips and flicking against your own.  

You groan, smirking when the two of you part.  

“And what if I lose?” You grin and Sasha hums.  

“No sex.” She shrugs and you snicker.  

“Well, now I have to win then.” You shrug, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Sasha’s lips.  

“Now let’s go.” You bump your nose against Sasha’s the woman giggling as you pull the door open, peeking out before you slip outside, Sasha right behind you, your absences going unnoticed.  

You stretch, your back cracking as you let out a groan.  

Sasha, glances your way, shaking her head with a small smile.  

“Y/N?” A nearby technician rushes towards you and you nod.  

Bayley gives your pat a back, before Sasha wraps her arms around you, lips near your ear.  

“Good luck. I love you.” She whispers and you grin, sneakily pressing a kiss to her cheek.  

“I love you too.”  

The two of you reluctantly part and you grin.  

“Stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” You wink and the two women roll their eyes. 

“Whatever.” Bayley gripes, but she can’t hold back a smile.  

You give Sasha a wink before you turn and move towards the curtain, Lacey had already made her way to the ring and now, it was your turn.  

You bounce on your feet, taking a deep breath.  

Your music hits, cutting off Lacey’s and the fans cheer, their cheering much louder for you than it was for Lacey’s.

The second you step out into the arena the people cheer, you grin as you glance around the arena nodding at the cheering crowd.  

You swagger down to the ring and slip inside, sending a smirk to the confident Lacey whose eyes rake down your front slowly, as if judging you.  

“Am I a nasty?” You smirk, brow arched and Lacey rolls her eyes.  

You rub your hands together as the ref takes the Smackdown Women’s Championship belt from Lacey and holds it in the air.  

You zone out as the announcer screams into the microphone, introducing the two of you and even after he announces your name, your face remains impassive, your jaw set as you rub your hands together.  

The bell rings and you bounce on your feet, you and Lacey circling one another. 

In a split second, the two of you meet head on and the fight is on.

                                                           ***

You and Lacey are both down in the ring, the ref counting loudly considering the two of you have yet to move.  

THIS IS AWESOME!  

THIS IS AWESOME!  

THIS IS AWESOME!

The fans scream as you start to get to your feet, staggering as you finally stand tall, but Lacey is also doing the same.  

You trade punches, barley anything behind your and Lacey’s punches, though suddenly, Lacey rockets a fist towards you and you duck out of the way, avoiding the Woman’s Right.  

Instead you jump in the air, delivering a Pele kick to Lacey who falls flat on her back, though your back meets the back seconds later.  

You use all your strength and do a kip up, landing on your feet with a battle cry.  

The fans cheer as you back up into a corner of the ring leaning down as you attempt to catch your breath.  

Lacey struggles to get to her feet, but when she does, her first move is to run right towards you.  

You move out of the way, the woman running right into the turnbuckle at full force.  

You slip your arm between her legs and roll her up, the ref counting 1,2...  

Before his hand can hit the mat a third time Lacey gets out of your hold, but the second she gets to your feet you’re waiting for her.  

You cock your fist back and with a thud, it connects with Lacey’s cheek, the woman’s head jerking back as she hits the mat, hard.  

The fans scream as you scramble for the cover.  

1

2

3!

The fans, scream, jumping to their feet as you glance around in disbelief.  

“HERE’S YOUR WINNER AND THE NEWWWWWWWWWWW SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPION Y/N Y/L/N!”  

The ref hands you the title and you shake your head, leaning your forehead against it.  

The fans are too busy cheering for you that when Sasha and Bayley make their way down to the ring, they don’t even boo.  

Sasha runs up behind you, wrapping her arms around you with an uncharacteristic grin that has the fans confused.  

You turn around, throwing your arms around Sasha with a massive grin as you nuzzle into her neck. Bayley smiles as she hugs you from behind, the three of you embracing before your part, holding your newly acquired title in the air.  

You see Sasha staring at you out of the corner of your eye and turn to her, smiling. Her brown orbs glaze over as she stares into your Y/E/C orbs and you do the thing you’d been wanting to do for so long, reveal your and her relationship to the entire world.  

Sasha has the same idea, because she meets you halfway, cupping your cheeks before her lips gently press against your own.  

You can’t see it, but you can hear the fans chanting.  

YES!

YES!

YES!

The two of you eventually part, Sasha grabbing your hand and holding it in the air while Bayley grabs your free hand and holds it into the air as well.  

You were on top of the world, you hadn’t only won the Smackdown Women’s Championship, but you’d revealed your relationship with Sasha Banks to the entire world and you couldn’t be any happier.  

[gmobiletech]

Download best 100 PPSSPP games (PSP games) for your Android PSP emulator, its good to have Android emulator on your device for this games to work on your smartphone.

PPSSPP games files or ROMs comes in Zip, RAR, 7z format, this PPSSPP games can only be extracted using either RAR or 7z Application.

 If you already have the PSP ROM files on Android PPSSPP emulator, then you can try searching YouTube for best PPSSPP Emulator settings on Android.

In this article I will teach you easy steps on how to extract your files so easily without experiencing difficulties during the process, however, you must have enough storage space in your device for this trick to work for you.

 Its good to note that, the real iso and cso file format don’t require further extraction unlike when you download the iso file in RAR format, just load it from your PPSSPP – PSP emulator app or PSP Handheld console and start playing your favourite games without hesitation.

Before you can run or play any of the PSP games below on Android – Download and Install PPSSPP – PSP Emulator Gold Apk. 

PSP Rom Files

 You will also need Zarchiver Zip or rar file extractor app to unzip the PSP ROM files below after you download your preferred PPSSPP game to your device, to do so simply >> Download Zarchiver Pro Apk

We have listed below the top best PPSSPP -PSP Emulator games to download and enjoy to your device:

God Of War: Chains of Olympus

God of war - chains of Olympus psp

This is one of the most popular games on ppsspp-psp till date with more than 5 million downloads yearly, this is a story of Greek mythology, as a player you take the role of kratos and start playing through the story lines that roles on your screen.

In the chains of Olympus franchise, you will need to defeat your enemies with a double edge chain sword, pass through the dark ancient buildings full of horror scenes, swim in different river to cross to other lands of enemies, the game also provides on screen instruction to guide you in different stages.

 Download: God Of War Chains Of Olympus Iso

Optimized Version: GOW Chains Of Olympus CSO Optimized

Size: 1.2 GB

God Of War: Ghost of Sparta

This is another second version of God of war for the PSP console titled ghost of Sparta, which comes with a different story lines from number one above, it is still kratos that plains the main character in this plot of the game, as you play, you can upgrade your sword to kill enemies faster.

God Of War Ghost Of Sparta PPSSPP - PSP

Download: God of War: Ghost Of Sparta Iso

Size: 1.1GB

Assassin Creed: Bloodlines

Altair assassinated templar leaders of the holy land since one month ago, another templar leader is around who he will be facing as his new enemy, his name is Armand Bouchart.

Assassin's Creed Bloodlines PPSSPP - PSP

He has to travel through Cyprus to hunt down the templar leader in other to stop there bad schemes. Blood lines is the first PSP game which tells the story of Altair tracking down the last templars who fled the holy land.

Download: Assassin Creed – Blood Lines

Size: 540 MB

WWE Smack Down VS Raw 2006

It was considered to be the last release for the PSP console, as time goes on many mod versions have been released. The game has it own one on one matches to emulated ppv matches on WWE such as wrestlemania, Royal Rumble, Hell in a cell, Elimination chambers, table ladder chairs, money in the bank etc.

WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2006 PPSSPP - PSP

There are a lot of wwe legend athletes to unlocked as you play the game, with some story lines on road to wrestle mania, the game support Android and PSP devices with minimal graphics quality.

Download: WWE Smack Down VS Raw 2006

Size: 958 MB

X-Men Origin

X Men Origins Wolverine PPSSPP - PSP

This is a game based of on the wolverine movie, it has the same title, which tells how the wolverine’s behave. it is a action packed game filled with various fighting moves, players will get addicted to it as they play the game on there device.

Download: X-Men Origin Wolverine Iso

Size: 404 MB

Beowulf – The Game

Beowulf The Game PPSSPP-PSP

You as a gamer has to Emulate the life of Beowulf, who is a nightmare and a legendary warrior with a strength of more than 29 men combined with his brutal behavior.

He is always in the quest to look for Gold and glory because of his lustful and self serving behavior. Beowulf has to embark on a journey to destroy a blood thirsty beasts who have wre ck havoc and destroy many things.

Download: Beowulf – the game

Size: 982 MB

[blackkudos]

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American-Canadian actor, producer, businessman, retired professional wrestler, and former professional football player. He was a professional wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time.

Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami, with whom he won a national championship in 1991. He initially aspired for a professional career in football and entered the 1995 NFL Draft, but he went undrafted. As a result, Johnson signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but was cut from the team in the middle of his first season. Shortly after, he began training as a professional wrestler.

In 1996, Johnson secured a contract with the WWF and was promoted as the first third-generation wrestler in the company's history, as he is the son of Rocky Johnson and grandson of Peter Maivia. He rose to prominence after developing a charismatic persona of a boastful trash-talking wrestler named The Rock. He subsequently won his first WWF Championship in 1998 and helped usher the WWF into the "Attitude Era", a boom period in the company's business in the latter 1990s and early 2000s which still hold professional wrestling records for television ratings. In 2004, he left the WWE to pursue an acting career and went on a seven-year hiatus before returning in 2011 as a part-time performer until 2013, before wholly retiring in 2019.

Considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers and biggest draws of all-time, The Rock headlined the most-bought professional wrestling pay-per-view event ever, WrestleMania XXVIII, and was featured in among the most watched episodes of WWE's television shows, WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown. He has won several championships, being a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time tag team champion, and a ten-time world champion. He was also a Royal Rumble match winner and WWE's sixth Triple Crown champion.

Johnson had his first acting role in The Mummy Returns (2001), and played his first lead role in The Scorpion King (2002). He has since starred in numerous successful films, including The Game Plan (2007), Get Smart (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Tooth Fairy (2010), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Hercules (2014), San Andreas (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), Moana (2016), Rampage (2018), and Skyscraper (2018). Johnson's most successful box office role has been Luke Hobbs in The Fast Saga films. He first appeared as the character in Fast Five (2011) and helped catapult the film series into one of the top-grossing movie franchises in history. He starred in the sequels, Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Fate of the Furious (2017), as well as the spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Another notable franchise starring Johnson is Jumanji, and he has appeared in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and its sequel Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

Johnson starred in the HBO series Ballers, on which he was also a producer, starting in 2015. The show ran for five seasons and was ranked as HBO's most watched comedy in six years. He has also attained success as a television host, author, and producer. In 2000, he released an autobiography titled The Rock Says... which debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. In 2012, he founded the entertainment production company Seven Bucks Productions, which has since produced several films. Consistently ranked among the world's highest paid actors, Johnson made the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World list in both 2016 and 2019.

Early life

Dwayne Douglas Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, to Ata Johnson (née Maivia; born 1948) and former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; 1944–2020). Growing up, Johnson briefly lived in New Zealand with his mother's family, where he attended Richmond Road Primary School in Grey Lynn before returning to the United States. He then attended Montclaire Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina before moving to Hamden, Connecticut, where he spent a couple of years at Shepherd Glen Elementary School and Hamden Middle School. Johnson spent his high school years at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Glencliff High School and McGavock High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was arrested multiple times for fighting, theft, and check fraud before the age of 17. Johnson also began playing sports, joining his high schools' gridiron football, track and field and wrestling teams.

Johnson is half-Black (African) and half-Samoan. His father was a Black Canadian, from Nova Scotia, and part of the first Black tag team champions in WWE history along with Tony Atlas. His mother is Samoan and the daughter of Peter Maivia, who was also a pro wrestler. Maivia's wife, Lia, was the first female pro wrestling promoter, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982, until 1988. Through his grandfather Maivia, Johnson is considered a non-blood relative to the Anoa'i wrestling family. In 2008, Johnson inducted his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Football career

Johnson was a promising football prospect and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs. He decided on a full scholarship from the University of Miami where he mostly played defensive tackle. In 1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team. After suffering a number of injuries, he was later replaced in the starting lineup by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

After Johnson graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies in criminology and physiology, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as a linebacker. He was assigned to the practice roster but was cut two months into the season.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1996)

After his football career, Johnson decided to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson got Johnson several tryout matches with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996. Under his real name, he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show on March 10. and lost matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart. After wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association as Flex Kavana and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson signed a WWF contract. He received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry.

World Wrestling Federation/EntertainmentDebut and Intercontinental Champion (1996–1997)

Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names, although his real name was acknowledged by the announcers. He was initially reluctant to take this ring name but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. He was given the nickname "The Blue Chipper" and his lineage was played to on TV, where he was hyped as the WWF's first third-generation wrestler. Maivia, a clean-cut face character, was pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He debuted on Monday Night Raw as a member of Marc Mero's entourage on November 4, 1996. His first match came at Survivor Series, on November 17, in an eight-man elimination tag match; he was the sole survivor and eliminated the final two members of the opposing team, Crush and Goldust. On February 13, 1997, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Monday Night Raw. Maivia then successfully defended the title against Helmsley at In Your House 13: Final Four. He had his first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania 13 where he was victorious in his Intercontinental Championship defense against The Sultan. WWF fans started to reject his character and push from the company. He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of Raw is War. Behind the scenes, Hart mentored Johnson for his first year in WWF and refused to be booked to take the title from him. On April 20, at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he lost to Savio Vega by countout but retained the title. Audiences became increasingly hostile toward Maivia, with chants of "die, Rocky, die" and "Rocky sucks" being heard during his matches.

The Nation of Domination (1997–1998)

After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 episode of Raw Is War and suffering a legitimate knee injury in a match against Mankind, Maivia returned in August 1997 and turned heel for the first time in his career by lashing out at fans who had been booing him and joining Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Kama in the stable called the Nation of Domination. He then refused to acknowledge the Rocky Maivia name, instead referring to himself in the third person as The Rock, though he would still be billed as "The Rock" Rocky Maivia until 1998. The Rock would then regularly insult the audience, WWF performers, and interviewers in his promos.

At D-Generation X: In Your House, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The next night on Raw Is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to The Rock instead, handing him the title belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner. The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998. On January 19, 1998, at Royal Rumble, The Rock defeated Shamrock by disqualification to retain the Intercontinental title. Later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match and lasted until the final two before he was eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. On March 29, at WrestleMania XIV, he defeated Shamrock by disqualification once again to retain the title. The next night, on Raw is War, The Rock debuted a new Intercontinental Championship design and would later overthrow Faarooq as leader of the Nation of Domination to spark a feud between the two. He then successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at Over the Edge: In Your House on May 31. The stable would then refer to themselves as simply "The Nation".

The Rock and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D-Generation X, with the two stable leaders first meeting in the quarter-final of the 1998 King of the Ring tournament, which The Rock won. At King of the Ring, The Rock defeated Dan Severn in the semi-final match and lost to rival Ken Shamrock in the final. The Rock then resumed his feud with Triple H, as the two had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded: In Your House for the Intercontinental title, which The Rock retained in controversial fashion. This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam, where The Rock lost the title.

The Rock saw a big uptick in fan support during this time, causing him to be booked in a feud with fellow Nation members Mark Henry and D'Lo Brown, turning babyface in the process. Henry defeated him at Judgment Day: In Your House, after interference from Brown, effectively breaking up the stable.

WWF Champion and rise to superstardom (1998–2000)

The Rock was then entered into the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. The finals occurred at Survivor Series, where The Rock defeated Vince McMahon's associate, Mankind, to win his first WWF Championship. A "double turn" then occurred as The Rock turned heel again after allying with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation, after the McMahons betrayed Mankind. On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named after him, Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out to the Mandible Claw submission move, but Vince McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title.

The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 episode of Raw Is War, Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin. Then at the Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title in a brutal “I Quit” match, a type of match that only ends if one of the combatants says “I quit” on a microphone. Intended to show a vicious mean streak in The Rock's character, this match went horribly wrong as at the end of the match The Rock hit Mankind in the head with a steel chair eleven times instead of the scripted five- five shots already being a risky amount (most wrestling matches in the Attitude Era involving steel chairs had at most 2 or 3 shots to the head). After the 5th shot, Mankind was still at ringside instead of being two-thirds up the entrance ramp where he was supposed to be, and after the eleventh shot which knocked a bloodied Mankind out, a recording of Mankind saying "I Quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system. On January 31, during an episode of Sunday Night Heat, The Rock and Mankind participated in an Empty Arena match, a match that took place in an arena with 22,000 empty seats where any part of the facility could be used to contest the match. After 20 minutes of chaotic brawling in the ring, the stands, a kitchen, the catering area, an office, the arena corridors and finally a basement loading area, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck to win the WWF title. This match was referred to as "Halftime Heat" as it was televised during halftime of that year's Super Bowl. The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, in a Last Man Standing match which ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 Raw Is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a Ladder Match after Big Show interfered on his behalf. The Rock then lost the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV.

The Rock's popularity continued to grow and audiences still cheered for him even though he was a heel. He then lost the title rematch against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash: In Your House after he was betrayed by Shane McMahon, turning him face again and starting a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker and The Corporate Ministry. On April 29, 1999, WWF aired the pilot episode of SmackDown!, a term derived from one of The Rock's catchphrases. In the episode, The Rock continued his feud with The Corporate Ministry. This led to a match with Triple H, at Over the Edge, which The Rock won, and a match for the WWF Championship against The Undertaker, at King of the Ring, which The Rock lost. The Rock then lost a number one contender's match to Triple H, at Fully Loaded, after interference from "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn. The Rock then defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass match at SummerSlam.

Shortly after SummerSlam, The Rock began teaming with former opponent Mankind and the two became known as The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. They became WWF Tag Team Champions for the first time after defeating The Undertaker and Big Show for the titles on the August 30, 1999 episode of Raw is War. The two performed a number of critically acclaimed comedic skits together, including one called "This Is Your Life", which saw Mankind bring parody versions of people from The Rock's past on television, such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach, only to have The Rock insult them. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating, one of the highest ratings ever for a Raw segment. The two lost the titles back to Undertaker and Big Show on the September 7, 1999 episode of SmackDown! and won them back from them on the September 20, 1999 episode of Raw is War. Rock and Mankind then lost the titles to The New Age Outlaws on the very next episode SmackDown!. Rock and Mankind would win the tag titles for the third and final time after beating the New Age Outlaws on the October 12, 1999 episode of SmackDown! before losing the titles to The Holly Cousins on the October 18, 1999 episode of Raw is War.

At Royal Rumble, on January 23, 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining, along with Big Show; In an attempt at a "false finish", Big Show intended to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, before The Rock countered the move on the ring apron, sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner. However, The Rock's feet accidentally hit the floor during the reversal attempt although those watching the event on TV did not see that. This was played up in the storyline as Big Show provided additional video footage showing this fact, and claimed to be the rightful winner. The Rock's number one contendership for the WWF Championship was then put on the line against Big Show at No Way Out, which Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered. The Rock then defeated Big Show, on the March 13 episode of Raw Is War, to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a Fatal Four-way elimination match, also including Big Show and Mick Foley. Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner: Triple H had his wife, Stephanie, Foley had Linda, The Rock had Vince and Big Show had Shane. The Rock lasted until the final two but was eliminated by then-reigning champion Triple H after Vince betrayed him by hitting him with a chair.

Record-breaking world champion (2000–2002)

In the following weeks, The Rock continued his feud with Triple H and eventually won his fourth WWF Championship, which he won on April 30, at Backlash, after Stone Cold Steve Austin intervened on his behalf. The following night on Raw, he successfully defended his title against Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage match. On May 21, at Judgment Day, The Rock faced Triple H in an Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. With the score tied at five falls each, and with seconds left on the time limit, The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H, thus giving Triple H the 6–5 win and the title. The Rock won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25 by scoring the winning pin in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Kane and The Undertaker against Shane McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon, whom he pinned. The Rock successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit, on July 23, at Fully Loaded. The next month, he successfully defended his title against Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam. The Rock had another successful title defense against Benoit, Kane and The Undertaker, on September 24, at Unforgiven.

The Rock then lost the WWF Championship to Kurt Angle, at No Mercy, in October. The next month, The Rock feuded with Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series. The Rock wrestled a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship, at Armageddon, which Angle won to retain the title. On the December 18 episode of Raw, The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, before losing it back to them the next night at a SmackDown! taping. In 2001, The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, culminating at No Way Out in February, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time. The Rock then feuded with the Royal Rumble winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin, whom he lost the title to at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Vince McMahon, who interfered on his behalf. On the next night's Raw Is War, during a steel cage title rematch, Triple H attacked The Rock, allying with McMahon and Austin and helping Austin retain the championship. Austin and Triple H then formed a tag team called The Power Trip, while The Rock was indefinitely suspended in storyline. Johnson used this time off to act in The Scorpion King.

The Rock returned in late July 2001, when the WWF was feuding with rival promotions, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), during what's known as The Invasion storyline. In reality, WCW and ECW were purchased by Vince McMahon and the WWF. Many former WCW and ECW wrestlers were then brought onto WWF television and formed The Alliance to compete with WWF in storyline. The Alliance and Vince McMahon then both attempted to persuade The Rock to join their team. The Rock then aligned with McMahon and the WWF. The next month, The Rock defeated Booker T, at SummerSlam, to win the WCW Championship for the first time. He later lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy. The next night on Raw, he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Dudley Boyz. The two then lost the tag titles to Booker T and Test on the November 1, 2001 episode of SmackDown!. The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 episode of Raw for his second WCW Championship.

As part of the WWF's battle against The Alliance, The Rock wrestled in a "winner takes all" five-on-five elimination tag team match at Survivor Series where the losing team's company would be dissolved in storyline. He was a member of Team WWF along with Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show. The Alliance's team consisted of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon. In the end, it came down to a one-on-one between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock seemed to have the upper hand, until his teammate Jericho entered the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning The Rock, but Kurt Angle revealed his true allegiance by attacking Austin. The Rock then pinned Austin, giving Team WWF the victory and forcing The Alliance to disband. The Rock's WCW Championship was renamed the unbranded "World Championship" following the Alliance's loss. At the next pay-per-view, Vengeance, The Rock lost the World Championship to Jericho, who would then unify the WWF and World titles later that night. The Rock then unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for the now Undisputed WWF Championship at Royal Rumble.

At the next pay-per-view, No Way Out, The Rock defeated The Undertaker in a singles match. The event also saw the WWF debut of the famed WCW faction New World Order, which at the time consisted of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. This later led to a match between The Rock and Hogan at WrestleMania X8. The match was billed as "icon versus icon", with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling; ultimately The Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8. Despite The Rock portraying a heroic character and Hogan a villain, a portion of the crowd attending the SkyDome was rooting heavily for Hogan. In an interview in 2013, Hogan said he and The Rock changed the style of the match on the fly based on the crowd's response. After the introduction of the first-ever brand extension, the WWF held a "draft lottery" on the March 25, 2002, episode of Raw. The Rock was the number one overall pick, going to the SmackDown brand before taking a sabbatical from wrestling.

The Rock made a surprise return on a June episode of Raw before going to his assigned brand of SmackDown. There, he was named the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship, which he won for a record-setting seventh time at Vengeance, on July 21, by defeating Kurt Angle and then-champion The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match. The Rock successfully defended the title at the Global Warning event in Melbourne, Australia, against Triple H and Brock Lesnar after pinning Triple H. On August 25, at SummerSlam, after interference from Lesnar's manager Paul Heyman, The Rock lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar along with the record for the youngest WWE Champion, which he had set in 1998. In 2018, writing for ESPN.com, Sean Coyle noted in a retrospective review of the event, that following his victory over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, The Rock "started to see a dip in fan support" and "that dip turned into a plunge" by the time Rock had his match with Lesnar at SummerSlam because fans knew he was leaving WWE to pursue an acting career. This was evident by the fact that he was met with a negative crowd response during his match against Lesnar. After the event ended, The Rock was visibly angry at the crowd reaction. When he tried to do a post-show speech for the crowd, the fans attending the Nassau Coliseum would still boo him. The Rock then took time off to kickstart his acting career.

Final feuds and first retirement (2003–2004)

The Rock returned on the January 30, 2003 episode of SmackDown! to set up another match with Hulk Hogan at No Way Out. Because of negative fan reaction during his previous couple of matches as a result of his budding acting career, The Rock turned heel again. The Rock then defeated Hogan at No Way Out before assigning himself to the Raw brand. There, he had various small feuds, including one with The Hurricane. He also began performing "Rock Concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked WWE performers and fans in song.

After failing to win a number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock went into another program with Stone Cold Steve Austin. This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX, which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three consecutive Rock Bottoms, ending their long-running rivalry in what turned out to be Austin's final match. The next night, Raw was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honor of his victory over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Goldberg. At Backlash, Goldberg defeated The Rock, who then briefly left WWE to film Walking Tall.

Throughout the rest of the year, The Rock made occasional appearances, reverting to a face character. In 2004, The Rock aided Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution, leading to a reunion of The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. They lost against Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista in a handicap match at WrestleMania XX, when Orton pinned Foley after an RKO. This would be Johnson's final wrestling match until November 2011. The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following WrestleMania XX. He made returns to provide support for Eugene against Jonathan Coachman, made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley against La Résistance. Later in 2004, he hosted a pie-eating contest, as part of the WWE Diva Search, and ended the segment by giving Coachman a People's Elbow. The Rock's contract with WWE then ended and he started his full-time acting career.

Return to WWENon-wrestling appearances (2007–2009)

On March 12, 2007, The Rock appeared on a WWE show after nearly three years, via a pre-taped promo shown during Raw. He correctly predicted that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" Hair vs Hair match. On March 29, 2008, Johnson appeared to induct his father and grandfather Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson into the WWE Hall of Fame. Johnson's next appearance was via a pre-taped promo on October 2, 2009, during the Decade of SmackDown.

Feud with John Cena (2011–2013)

On February 14, 2011, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans and started a feud with John Cena. After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena. After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an Attitude Adjustment.

On April 3, at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for the Attitude Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with the People's Elbow. The following night on Raw, The Rock and Cena agreed to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year. They then worked together to fend off an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson.

The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami to celebrate his 39th birthday. On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November. However, on the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead suggested The Rock be his partner in a standard tag team match against The Miz and R-Truth, a team called Awesome Truth, which Rock agreed to the following week. On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth. The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.

Leading up to WrestleMania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw. On the March 12, 2012 episode of Raw, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. On April 1, at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock beat Cena in the main event after countering Cena's attempt at a People's Elbow into a Rock Bottom. This event broke the record for biggest professional wrestling pay-per-view buyrate. The following night on Raw, The Rock praised Cena, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.

On July 23, at Raw 1000, The Rock announced he would wrestle for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. During the show, he encountered then-reigning WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. The Rock later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk. On the January 7, 2013 episode of Raw, The Rock returned to confront his Rumble opponent CM Punk. On January 11, he made his first SmackDown appearance in ten years, getting into an altercation with Team Rhodes Scholars, resulting in him delivering a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes. The Rock closed out the 20th-anniversary episode of Raw, on January 14, with one of his "Rock Concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk. The following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship.

On January 27, at Royal Rumble, CM Punk would seemingly defeat The Rock after the arena lights went out and someone attacked The Rock. Vince McMahon then came out and was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request, he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship. Punk received a title rematch with The Rock, at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would still lose the WWE Championship. The Rock would pin Punk to retain the championship. The following night on Raw, The Rock unveiled a new WWE Championship design, with a different center plate and removable customizable side-plates which had his "Brahma Bull" logo. The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, who won that year's Royal Rumble to set up a rematch of the previous WrestleMania match between the two at WrestleMania 29, only this time with the WWE Championship on the line.

On April 7, at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days. Despite being advertised for the Raw after WrestleMania, where it was stated that The Rock was still entitled a rematch for the WWE Championship, The Rock did not appear because of a legitimate injury sustained during his match with Cena, in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore from his pelvis. Johnson underwent surgery on April 23 to reattach the torn tendons.

Sporadic appearances (2014–present)

In April 2014, The Rock appeared in the opening segment of WrestleMania XXX along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. On the October 6 episode of Raw, The Rock made a surprise appearance to confront Rusev and Lana; this resulted in the Rock clearing Rusev from the ring.

The Rock appeared at the 2015 Royal Rumble event during the main event match, where he helped his relative Roman Reigns fend off Big Show and Kane after Reigns eliminated them from the match. Reigns then won the match and The Rock endorsed him in the ring. The Rock appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside Ronda Rousey, getting into an in-ring altercation with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rock and Rousey prevailed after he attacked Triple H and she overpowered McMahon. On June 27, The Rock appeared at a live event in Boston where he confronted Bo Dallas and gave him a Rock Bottom.

On the January 25, 2016, episode of Raw, The Rock was in a segment that saw him converse with The Miz, Big Show, Lana and Rusev before he and his relatives, The Usos, got into an altercation with then-WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day. The Rock appeared at WrestleMania 32 where he announced that WWE had broken the all-time WrestleMania attendance record before being interrupted by The Wyatt Family. The Rock got into a verbal back-and-forth with Bray Wyatt before having an impromptu match with Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan. The Rock won after giving Rowan a Rock Bottom and pinning him in six seconds, which set the record for the fastest win in WrestleMania history. The Rock was then aided by a returning John Cena to fend off Wyatt, Rowan and Braun Strowman. On the February 20, 2017 episode of Raw, The Rock made an untelevised appearance after the broadcast had gone off the air, where he promoted and filmed a scene for his then-upcoming film Fighting with My Family.

On August 3, 2019, The Rock officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling. On September 30, 2019, after weeks of speculation, The Rock announced that he would be making an appearance on SmackDown's 20th Anniversary on October 4, marking his first appearance on SmackDown since October 2014 and his first televised appearance since April 2016. At the event, he would cut a promo with Becky Lynch before they were interrupted by King Corbin. After attacking Corbin, The Rock and Lynch celebrated in the ring.

Independent circuit (2009)

On September 30, 2009, The Rock appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) show to support the pro wrestling debut of Sarona Snuka, the daughter of his long-time friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka.

Mainstream crossover

The Rock appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video. He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. 5.

In 1999, Johnson appeared on That '70s Show as his father, Rocky Johnson. The next year, he was on Star Trek: Voyager as an alien wrestler that used The Rock's famous moves.

In 2000, he hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the first time. Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show. Johnson has stated the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios. He has since hosted SNL another four times.

In 1999, The Rock was listed No. 5 on Entertainment Weekly's Top 12 Entertainers of the Year. In 2000, Access Hollywood ranked him number six in their list of the Top 10 Celebrities of 2000. That year, Rock was also listed in the Forbes Celebrity 100 and People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People.

The Rock was listed Entertainment Weekly's 101 Most Influential People in both 2000 and 2001. In 2001, he was also listed on E!'s 20 Top Entertainers. In 2002, The Rock was listed on E!'s 25 Toughest Stars. In 2003, he was listed in VH1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons and was No. 13 in People Magazine's 50 Favorite TV Stars.

The Rock made a surprise appearance at the official Xbox unveiling during Bill Gates's keynote speech at the ongoing Computer Electronics Show in 2001.

Johnson's motion picture debut was as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001). The movie broke a two-year record for the highest-grossing single day in film history by earning US$28,594,667. The movie's financial success led to Johnson's first leading role, in the spin-off The Scorpion King (2002). He received US$5.5 million for the role and Guinness World Records named him the record-holder for highest-paid actor in their first leading role.

The Rock has appeared on the covers of many magazines, including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, and TV Guide. He has also appeared in, and been the cover athlete for, several video games.

As of September 2019, his Instagram account is the fourth most-followed in the world.

Legacy in pro wrestling

The Rock has been listed as one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers as well as one of the top draws in wrestling history. Many have placed The Rock on their "Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling", including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and John Cena. In "Cable Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting", The Rock was described as "for a long time, the WWE's biggest star and probably held the greatest international appeal". R. D. Reynolds stated in his book "The WrestleCrap Book of Lists" that The Rock was "the biggest star for WWE from 1999 until 2004".

The Rock main-evented the most bought pay-per-view worldwide in WWE history (WrestleMania XXVIII), the most bought pay-per-view domestically in WWE history (WrestleMania X-Seven), the highest rated Raw in history, the highest rated SmackDown in history, and was part of the highest rated segment in WWE history. His return in 2001 did a 7.1 rating which was the highest rated segment of the entire year. The Rock was also part of the highest rated match of the 21st century. His WWF Championship defense, on May 1, 2000, against Shane McMahon did an 8.3 rating on the regular time and a 9.1 on the overrun making this match the second most watched professional wrestling match in the United States of this millennium, only behind a 12 minute long match between The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin which drew a rating of 9.5 which is the highest rated segment in Raw history.

In 2011, The Rock's return to an episode of Raw generated an average of 4.7 million viewers in the United States, with 7.4 million tuning in during his promo. Raw 1000 was the highest rated Raw episode of 2012 and his segment with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan was the highest rated segment of the show. In 2013, the night after The Rock won the WWE Championship for the first time in over a decade, at Royal Rumble, Raw got its highest rating of that year.

Derived from one of his catchphrases "lay the smackdown", WWE introduced its second flagship program WWE SmackDown in 1999 which later became television's second longest-running weekly episodic program in history. The term "smackdown" was instituted in Merriam-Webster dictionaries since 2007.

The Rock holds the record for most Raw shows main-evented in one year (38 in 2000), most SmackDown shows main-evented in one year (36 in 2000) and tied with Stone Cold Steve Austin (in 2001) for most PPV shows main evented in one year (12 in 2000).

Film career

Johnson entered Hollywood and the film industry, becoming a star initially through his wrestling popularity and noted work ethic. Over his acting career, he has become one of the highest paid and most successful actors in Hollywood. He began his acting career on television while wrestling. In his first television acting job, in 1999, he played his own father in an episode of That '70s Show called "That Wrestling Show". Nearly a year later, he appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tsunkatse" as an alien wrestler who fought popular character Seven of Nine. While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.

Johnson began his theatrical career in The Mummy Returns (2001), The Scorpion King (2002) the action-comedy The Rundown (2003) and the Walking Tall (2004). He played a supporting role in Be Cool (2005) and was the primary antagonist in Doom (2005). Roles in Gridiron Gang (2006) Reno 911!: Miami (2007) Southland Tales (2007). He played a cocky famous American football player in The Game Plan (2007) and Agent 23 in Get Smart (2008). He presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards.

Johnson became known for reinvigorating film franchises after portraying Marvin F. Hinton / Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6; while also starring in true-story films Pain & Gain and Empire State (all released in 2013). That same year, he hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero, and won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. In May 2013, it was announced that he would executiveproduce and star in Ballers, an HBO comedy-drama series about NFL players living in Miami, Florida. By December of that year, Forbes named Johnson the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year. Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and Johnson's frequent acting work as primary reasons for topping the list.

Johnson starred as the title character in Hercules (2014) and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in Furious 7 (2015). He hosted another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call, which saw him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who were facing enormous challenges in their lives" alongside guest experts such as Rocco DiSpirito, Jillian Michaels, and Josh Shipp. It was announced that he would executive produce and star in the horror film Seal Team 666, and is set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope. In 2016, Johnson co-starred with Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Central Intelligence and had a lead voice role in the Disney animated film Moana, in which he voiced the Polynesian demigod Maui. He reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious, which was released in 2017. Johnson starred in two other blockbuster movies that year, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as Mitchell "Mitch" Buchannon and Dr. Smolder Bravestone, respectively. In 2018, he starred in two action films, Rampage and Skyscraper.

In 2019, he produced and appeared as himself in Fighting with My Family, a comedy drama about WWE superstar Paige and her family, who are also professional wrestlers. Johnson's role within The Fast and the Furious franchise continued with Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, co-starring Johnson and Jason Statham. David Leitch directed the project from a script co-written by franchise-writer Chris Morgan, and Drew Pearce. The film began principal photography in September 2018, and was released on July 26, 2019. Though initially believed to be a part of Fast & Furious 9, Johnson has since stated that he will not appear in the film; instead, opting to begin developmen on a sequel to Hobbs & Shaw. Johnson reprised his role as Bravestone, in Jumanji: The Next Level. With the critical and financial success of Welcome to the Jungle, production on the movie began in early-2019, with a scheduled release on December 25, 2019.

Johnson will star in Netflix's upcoming Red Notice, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It will be the third time the two collaborate, following Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. The film co-starring Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, will begin production in fall of 2019. Production on Black Adam is slated to follow thereafter, in mid-to-late 2020. A film centered around Teth-Adam / Black Adam, a part of the DC Extended Universe, was announced to be in development January 2017. Originally cast in the role as early as September 2014 as the antagonist, in a film centered around the superhero Billy Batson / Shazam, his villainous role for Shazam! was re-worked into two separate films. Though Johnson would not appear in Shazam!, he served as a producer and his likeness was used through special effects in flashback scenes. Johnson will co-star with Emily Blunt in The Walt Disney Company's Jungle Cruise, as Frank and Lily Houghton, respectively. Cast in the role in August 2015, the film was announced to be based on the themepark ride of the same name. Jaume Collet-Serra serves as director, with a script by Michael Green from a previous co-written by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. In addition to his work on the film, Johnson assisted with re-designing the titular ride for all Disney theme parks. Jungle Cruise is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2020.

Noted for his busy schedule and for developing multiple projects at once, a sequel to the box-office hit San Andreas was announced to be in the pre-production stage with director of the first film, Brad Peyton returning as director along with the main cast (marking the fourth collaboration between the actor and filmmaker following Journey 2, San Andreas, and Rampage respectively). Though originally attached as producer and star, Johnson will now serve solely as the former on a film adaptation of The Janson Directive. John Cena will fill the leading role, with Akiva Goldsman attached as screenwriter. Additionally, he will produce and star in a Netflix exclusive film titled John Henry & The Statesmen, as the titular folklore hero. The film will be directed by Jake Kasdan, from a script co-written by Kasdan and Tom Wheeler. With the first official teaser trailer released in October 2018, the project marks Kasdan and Johnson's third collaboration, following Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level.

Johnson will co-produce and star in The King, a film about king Kamehameha Kūnuiākea, founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. The project will be directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script written by Randall Wallace. The movie will be comparable to Braveheart in tone, given Wallace's work on both films, and will depict the king's role in resolving the wars among the islands of Hawai'i. The King will begin production in 2020. Johnson is also attached to produce/star in a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China, as well as project under development with Shane Black focusing on a new interpretation of Doc Savage. In April 2018, he announced that he is working on a film that will include Chris Pratt as his co-star. On November 14, 2019, Johnson announced a December 22, 2021 release date for the standalone Black Adam film.

Other work

In 2000, Johnson published his autobiography, titled The Rock Says..., which he co-wrote with Joe Layden. It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks. In 2012, Johnson founded his production company, Seven Bucks Productions.

In 2013, Johnson hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero. In 2014, he hosted another TNT reality series entitled Wake Up Call. In 2019, Johnson started hosting an NBC competition series called The Titan Games.

In March 2016, Johnson partnered with the American fitness apparel manufacturer Under Armour to release "Project Rock". The first item in his partnership with Under Armour, a gym bag, sold out in a couple of days. His second item, a black T-shirt sporting his signature "Brahma bull" sold out after being worn at WrestleMania 32. Johnson also released an alarm clock app as part of "Project Rock" that received more than one million downloads in its first week of release. Since then, they have released sneakers, headphones, and other apparel.

In 2016, Johnson started a YouTube channel titled "The Rock" with the help of online personality Lilly Singh. His first video was called "The YouTube Factory" and featured several internet stars.

In 2019, Johnson announced he would be launching his own competitive bodybuilding show, alongside business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia, called "Athleticon" set to rival other long-standing bodybuilding shows such as The Arnold Classic and Joe Weider's Mr. Olympia. The show is set to debut October 9–11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Personal life

Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997. Their daughter Simone was born on August 14, 2001. On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably. Johnson then began dating Lauren Hashian, daughter of Boston drummer Sib Hashian. They first met in 2006 while Johnson was filming The Game Plan. Hashian and Johnson were married on August 18, 2019, in Hawaii. They have two children.

As of 2014, Johnson has a home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, as well as Los Angeles, California. He also owns a farm in Virginia. In 2009, he gained Canadian citizenship through his father. Though he was previously registered as a Republican, he voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 United States presidential elections. He did not vote in the 2016 U.S. election, and is an independent voter as of 2017.

In recognition of his service to the Samoan people, and because he is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, Johnson had the noble title of Seiuli bestowed upon him by Malietoa Tanumafili II during his visit there in July 2004. He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo on his left side in 2003, and, in 2017, had the small "Brahma bull" tattoo on his right arm covered with a larger half-sleeve tattoo of a bull's skull.

In February 2020, the WWE announced that Johnson's daughter Simone had begun training at the WWE Performance Center, making her the first-ever fourth-generation WWE Superstar.

Activism and philanthropy

Johnson attended the 2000 Democratic National Convention as part of WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote. He also had a speaking role at the 2000 Republican National Convention that same year.

In 2006, Johnson founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children. On October 2, 2007, he and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor. In 2015, Johnson donated $1,500 to a GoFundMe to pay for an abandoned dog's surgery. In 2017, he donated $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. In 2018, Johnson donated a gym to a military base in Oahu, Hawaii. After the 2018 Hawaii floods, he worked with Malama Kauai, a nonprofit organization, to help repair damages caused by the floods. Johnson has also worked with Make-A-Wish Foundation on a number of occasions.

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

United States Wrestling Association

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

WWE/World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation

Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble

Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8

Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)

Wrestler of the Year (2000)

Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000

USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer

Best Box Office Draw (2000, 2011, 2012)

Best Gimmick (1999)

Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)

Most Charismatic (1999–2002, 2011, 2012)

Most Improved (1998)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

WCW Championship (2 times)

WWE Championship (8 times)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho (1)

Royal Rumble (2000)

Sixth Triple Crown Champion

Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament (1998)

Slammy Award (9 times)

Best Actor (2014)

Game Changer of the Year (2011) – with John Cena

Guess Who's Back or: Return of the Year (2011)

LOL! Moment of the Year (2012, 2013) – insulting John Cena using the history of Boston, Massachusetts, Rock Concert on the 20th anniversary episode of Raw

Match of the Year (2013) – vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29

New Sensation (1997)

"Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Insult of the Year (2014) – insulting Rusev and Lana

"This is Awesome" Moment of the Year (2015) – with Ronda Rousey

[reneg661]

Candice LeRae is as tough as they come. A longtime revolutionary of the independent women’s wrestling scene, LeRae made a name for herself with an uncanny ability to endure punishment and never stop fighting. Standing at 5-foot-2, the scrappy underdog has no problem stepping toe-to-toe with any opponent thrown her way, having even held her own against the likes of Kevin Owens and Cesaro in the past. The tough Superstar got her first taste of WWE when she competed as one of the top fan-favorites in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament, battling her way to the Quarterfinal Round. Signing with the WWE Performance Center in January 2018, she soon made her presence felt in NXT when she jumped the barricade during her husband Johnny Gargano’s NXT Title Match, taking out Andrade “Cien” Almas’ business manager Zelina Vega with a flurry of punches. LeRae also displayed her fighting spirit in the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble Match.  With a never-say-die attitude, an explosive and high-risk offensive arsenal and unrivaled grit, LeRae is primed to raise the level of competition within NXT’s Women’s division.

Candice LeRae (c) WWE Art (c) reneg661

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Rebooking WrestleMania 35

What stays the same:

Kofi beats Bryan

Whatever else I didn’t care enough about to mention.

Brock Lesnar retains vs Seth Rollins

Why: Is Brock a good champion? No. He works very few dates and his best in-ring days are long gone. But give me him over Rollins as a Babyface. Rollins is a fine wrestler, one of the best in the WWE. However, his microphone skills are nonexistent and his feuds subsequent winning the strap from Lesnar have either been uninspiring or downright pathetic.

Still, there was a groundswell of support from fans eager to see the Universal Championship around the waist of a full timer once more. The secondary WWE title has had many misadventures. It’s inaugural champion Finn Balor suffered a legitimate shoulder injury and relinquished the belt the day after winning it at SummerSlam. WWE held a fatal-4-way match on Raw a week later between Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Big Cass, and Seth Rollins - the winner being Owens. He went on to hold the belt for nearly 200 days, but his reign came to a screeching halt when Goldberg returned and steamrolled him.

Since Owens ate a Goldberg spear, the belt spent nearly two-years around the waists PF part-timers. Frankly, I’ve forgotten it’s existed at points. To be honest, I was glad to see Rollins win initially for these reasons alone. Then came the night after ‘Mania, Rollins is in the middle of the ring out comes Triple H, his former rival who tried to derail his career... and they hug. THEY HUG. Instantly I get this feeling Rollins is a corporate backed champion packaged as a Babyface. While every WWE champion is a corporate champion at the very least give me the veneer Rollins isn’t a suck up behind the scenes by making him one during the show.

But the WWE is infatuated with themselves. They were so satisfied to have pulled off the angle and believed to have gotten Rollins over as a Babyface they couldn’t help but rub it in for all of us to see.

Lesnar, in hindsight, needed to remain champion. Rollins simply wasn’t the guy. But Vince McMahon isn’t going to put over someone like Samoa Joe- and let’s be honest, neither is Triple H or Stephenie. Whoever beats Lesnar has to be a creation of the WWE laboratory. If not Rollins, then there’s nobody on the Raw roster worth giving a look at.

If I was booking the WWE, I’d have Kurt Angle’s last match be against Lesnar and call it a night.

Sasha Banks and Bayley retain vs The IIconics, Nia Jax & Tamina, Beth Phoenix and Natalya

Why: The Women’s Tag Titles are the offspring of Bayley and Sasha’s constant lobbying. It is odd the women’s division does not have a tag championship in the first place. For all this talk of a “Women’s Revolution” and the idiotic elevation of “The Four Horsewomen” as if on par with “The Four Horseman,” the whole thing proves to be a farce despite the wrestlers being insanely talented and effective.

Heading into the eight women tag match the “Boss ‘n Hug Connection,” the inaugural champs had held the belts for 49 days. While their defense wasn’t something to write home about the whole point of their run was supposed to add legitimacy and mystic to the strap. Yeah, the IIconics are solid heels, but after winning the titles their reign didn’t last long either ending in 120 days before dropping them to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, who later lost it to the current champions Asuka and Kairi Sane after their heel turn. (Why are the tag titles primarily held by heels?)

Just let Bayley and Sasha keep the belts. Since ‘Mania, Bayley’s won Money in the Bank, cashing in on Charlotte Flair and is still the champion today. Holding the belt for 197 of the last 202 days. The interim period occurred when Flair beat Bayley at Hell in a Cell. On the following Smackdown, Bayley returned for her rematch with a new look and a new attitude. The lovable hugger with a back bone became a chicken shit heel over night. Instantly undercutting months of booking. While she did get a main event slot at pay-per-view at Survivor Series, she was treated as an afterthought by many inside and out of the company. The morning after Shayna Baszler made Bayley submit, the WWE twitter account reminded fans that Baszler didn’t beat “The Man” a.k.a the champion they actually care about. (https://twitter.com/wwe/status/1198805122681147392?s=21)

It’s a damn shame how Bayley’s been booked. A complete waste of her character and even from the standpoint of solely caring about making money, WWE circumvented an avenue of revenue by turning her heel. Bayley’s whole character is designed to appeal to young kids, girls in particular. Changing her to someone who makes them cry is a fun thing to do on paper, but in actual practice is awful.

Batista def. Triple H

Why: Triple H is 46. He sucks as a Babyface and is a fraud. He should retire. He does the same goddamn thing every year where he wears a suit, acts as an authority figure and then takes the suit off because things have gotten serious. This happens every year. It’s beyond annoying.

Bobby Lashley retains vs “The Demon” Finn Balor

Why: Poor Finn. Never able to find his footing on the main roster. Such a big star at NXT putting on clinics against Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens. Ironically, neither of them have been properly booked since their NXT days came to a close. WWE has a habit of restraining their talent. Balor fell prey to this and his run as Intercontinental Champion wasn’t relevant and later would lose it to fellow roamer of purgatory Shinsuke Nakamura.

I don’t see a reality where Balor as I.C champion works out. He was a lukewarm, forgetful player on the main roster. It’s good he’s back at NXT. They let their talent express themselves a little more than WWE. Best thing for him.

The Main Event:

The main event between Ronda, Becky and Flair was.. okay. Nothing special. I was happy for Becky. Initially booked to turn heel after SummerSlam in 2018, her promo the night after Flair stole her title made her a star overnight and plans changed to have her turn Babyface and keep Flair heel. Despite numerous attempts by WWE to make Lynch a heel fans simply weren’t allowing it just so Flair could win another title. That didn’t stop them from giving Flair titles, but at least it won’t be at Becky’s expense anymore.

Why did this culmination of months long storytelling feel so underwhelming in its conclusion? Simply put, it wasn’t a good story. Every participant was an absolute fool and the WWE doesn't remember how to book Babyfaces anymore. Becky failed at the Royal Rumble losing to Asuka clean. Then hijacks the No. 30 spot in the rumble when there were more deserving candidates available. What makes matters worse is Asuka would have the rug pulled out from under her a week before WrestleMania losing the belt to Flair. So why bother having her retain against Lynch and making things more complicated?

Following the rumble, Flair and Lynch battled for the right to go to WrestleMania. Despite being cleared to compete weeks before the PPV she still entered the ring on crutches and got the crap beaten out of her before Rousey inexplicably crashed the party, got Flair DQ'd and doubled the chances of her losing her title making the match a triple-threat.

The main event of WrestleMania didn’t need to be a triple-threat. It didn’t need Charlotte. And most certainly didn’t need to have both belts on the line. You had an actual fighter in Ronda Rousey and someone from the wrestling world who took an actual punch to the face, broke her nose and suffered a concussion so both participants had credibility entering.

In my eyes, the WWE could’ve done the following, dominate the headlines for their inclusivity, make everyone who needed to look good look good, and not marginalize Asuka in the process:

Becky Lynch def. Asuka for Smackdown Women’s Title at the Royal Rumble, Flair wins the rumble:

Asuka submits to the “Dis-Arm-Her” and Lynch is once again on top of the world after being unceremoniously knocked off by Nia Jax. Flair wins the rumble, and demands both belts are on the line to prove she’s the “Queen.” Both parties oblige and volià! There’s your WrestleMania main event done without unnecessary detours.

Or

Asuka retains vs Becky Lynch, faces Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in a triple-threat for the title; Banks wins vs Rousey, Ronda is the one to enter No. 30 into the rumble and turning heel in the process.

Pushing Flair to the side here. She’s had enough moments in the spotlight and she’ll have tons more. Being omitted from me, WrestleMania isn’t the end or the world. This year belonged to Becky and Ronda. Let them have the spotlight.

I kind of think a Ronda heel turn would have worked if they paired her up with Paul Heyman. Would’ve made sense since she isn’t much of a talker and is from the ultimate fighting background as Lesnar. But that’s far too simple! And we can’t forget about The Queen. Heavens, no!

Sasha Banks wins vs Rousey; Flair wins the rumble. Lynch vs Rousey has no belt on the line. Banks vs Flair for ‘Mania:

Oooh, this is probably my worst take, but c’mon the Becky Two Belts story didn’t really lead to anything besides Bayley’s revival when a simple win over whoever was champion at the time would’ve done the trick.

Sasha Banks and Ronda had a very nice battle for the Raw Women’s Title. Perhaps the best match of Ronda’s one year stint in the WWE. If anyone doubts Banks’ in-ring capabilities, tell them to look at how she guides the green Rousey through the match. Booking Banks to win the title is a risky proposition. Ronda built a mystic of being unbeatable. A real fighter. Not a fake entertainer pumping ‘roids. Beating her essentially undos all of that. I guess Banks’ could have turned heel here and used a chair when the referee is unconscious and smashed it over Ronda’s head knocking her out of commission for a couple of weeks.

Anyways, Banks defends the title versus Flair. Asuka defends vs Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose; Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey have an old fashioned grudge match settled at ‘Mania. How’s that for inclusivity? Why aren’t I working for the WWE? Is it because my ideas suck and have no basis in reality? Probably.

[hazyheel]

WWE Monday Night Raw 7/15/19 Review

We opened things up with Brock Lesnar coming out, with his newly won Universal Championship and Paul Heyman in tow. Heyman cut the same promo that he has been cutting for a couple years now. He said that he told everyone what would happen, but they refused to believe him. Heyman then announced a Battle Royal, with the top ten wrestlers on both brands, with the winner getting a shot at Brock’s belt. The men were Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Big E, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Bobby Lashley, and Roman Reigns. He said that although any of them could be champion one day, none of them will beat Brock.

Grade: B. Decent promo, we hear it all the time. I was interested in that match a bit though. A smaller battle royal would be very fun, especially with the talent that was involved. 

Next up was Ricochet and the Usos vs. Robert Roode and The Revival in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Right when they started, on of the Usos nailed Dawson with a superkick, and then tagged in Ricochet who immediately followed up with the codebreaker, which has been renamed recoil, for the first fall. The heels then got the advantage, working over Jey for just a bit before getting the hot tag to Jimmy. Dawson then got the win back with a flapjack of all things, bringing the score to one apiece. When we came back from commercial, the match was not gonna last much longer, with the Usos taking out the Revival with suicide dives, and then Ricochet hitting Roode with recoil and the 630 Senton for the win. 

After the match, The Club all came out to mock him, and Ricochet was having none of it. He just suicide dove onto Styles and layed into him. The heels fought off the babyfaces, beat them down a bit. The Usos gave all of the tag teams superkicks, only for Robert Roode to throw Jimmy out of the ring, and then feed Jay to a shatter machine. They were going to continue the attack, but Ricochet nailed all three with a flying crossbody, but then was taken out with a phenomenal forearm, and then a magic killer from the Good Brothers. 

Grade: B-. A high energy match to open the show. Lots of action, with Ricochet continuing to look strong. The post match stuff set up a rematch for Ricochet with Styles, which I definitely want, and it also set up Usos vs. The Revival, which I do not need to see again. Hopefully these feuds develop more soon, especially the Raw Tag team championship feud, because that is so goddamn dull. 

Then we had a Viking Raiders match, after so long. They fought some local talent, and utterly murdered them. They did the classic “pulling the shoulders up” move. They won with “the viking experience.”

Grade: B-. Inoffensive squash. 

After they recapped the Taker and Roman vs. Shane and McIntyre match, we saw McIntyre challenge Cedric Alexander to a match, and as threatening as he was, Alexander was not having it. He wasn’t scared, and that is a match I need to see. 

That match was next, and McIntyre started by lighting his chest up with chops, only for Alexander to quickly heighten the pace. That back and fourth did not last long though, as he started just chucking Alexander around. Alexander was only really getting flurries of offense here and there. However, as McIntyre was about to hit a reverse alabama slam, Cedric locked him in a pinning combination for the shock win. 

Grade: C+. Huh, okay then. I’m glad Cedric is getting something here, he is an awesome wrestler, and hopefully they get to actually have a match, but this is probably a placeholder while they decide what to do with McIntyre for Summeslam. But if we get a great match out of it, then I will be happy. 

Backstage, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe cut individual promos about their match for later in the night. They mostly said that they would win to get back in the winning conversation. 

Roman Reigns had an interview backstage, talking about how he needs to get this win to complete on of the best weeks of his life. I’d actually be fine with this.

And then we had the aforementioned match, Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. This match had next to no time to get going before Joe won with a crucifix, and then attacked after the match. He tried to get the Coquina clutch, but Balor fought back, hitting the Coup de Gras.

After the match, Balor’s music was hit, but it suddenly cut out. And the lights started to dim, until they went out. When strobe lights came back on, Bray Wyatt had Balor in a sister Abigail, and drilled him with it. Bray was wearing the fiend mask, and looked great. 

Grade: C. This was going to be a D until that post match stuff happened. Joe looked kinda weak but got a win, while Balor was strong but lost. Neither was particularly benefitted. But none of that mattered, because the debut was really cool. I loved the lighting, I loved the mask, I loved all of it. Bray Wyatt is back. Hopefully his match with Balor will be better than their matches a few years ago, because if they are good, then this should be an awesome feud. 

Then we had Drake Maverick and his wife, checking into a hotel under the name “Mr. and Mrs. 24/7 champion.” They went off to their room after a brief argument about registering their name as that. R-Truth then showed up to ask the front desk if someone named Hornswoggle came in, with a lower case H. But the guy didn’t know who that was.

Then the street profits yelled about how Maverick is a virgin. Then they talked about the women’s elimination match, and Dawkins mentioned how he is in love with Nikki Cross, which was funny. They then made predictions for the battle royal. Okay then, high energy and kinda funny, but ultimately not really worth anything. 

Then we had Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis. Before the match, Maria made fun of Mike for being a loser, and she said that she would beat Ryder. He was able to talk her down, and then entered the match himself. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder right away. The announcer even said that he won in under a minute. Maria then insulted Mike for losing, saying that her, not theirs, her unborn child had a better chance than Mike did. 

Grade: F. Is it really worth Punishing mike and maria like this? They didn’t know they were pregnant when they signed the contracts, so they are burying them on raw, while they are doing fine on 205 Live.  This is just awful.

Next up was another 6-man tag. The Lucha House Party vs. The Club. Styles and Gran Metalik started the match, and the heels just destroyed him to start things off. Metalik and Luke Gallows squared off for a little while, just exchanging huge blows. After a nice little tag combination, they Club all too sweeted, only for Ricochet to run out and attack AJ. There was a wild brawl, and they went to commercial, saying that they would restart the match. When we came back, Lince Durado was in the ring, but he was still on the defensive. He was able to hit a springboard stunner, and get the hot tag to Kalisto. He had a great hot tag, flying around at a million miles an hour. Eventually, all three members of the Lucha House Party hit suicide dives. Kalisto was about to springboard in on Anderson, but Styles distracted him, allowing Gallows and Anderson to hit the boot of doom. They then tagged in Styles for the calf crusher.

He kept the submission on after the match for a little bit, and the heels stood tall.

Grade: B. This was the best thing on the show up until this point. It was a good match with some really fun action. The winners made sense and they showed that the Club are still a very effective team. I have no doubt that Ricochet will fight Styles at Summerslam, but I am uncertain what the Good Brothers will do. Going into the Raw Tag Team title scene would probably be the best use of them going forward. Match of the night

Backstage, Seth Rollins was interviewed about losing the title last night. He said that he has to keep focusing on the future, and it kills him that he isn’t able to hold his belt right now. He briefly mentioned that Becky was not in the building, he said that she would be okay. He said that he would absolutely destroy anyone who is in his way. It was a good promo, he sounded desperate yet badass. Still though, Becky shouldn’t be that injured from the end of days, it is one finishing move. She is a tough girl, she should be fine. Other than that I really liked this. 

Then we had a fatal 4-way elimination match for #1 contendership to the Raw Women’s Championship. It was Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss. Nikki Cross was at ringside, as was Becky Lynch. She came out limping, so I guess that finisher is much stronger than we realize. Early on in the actual match, Carmella continuously tried to eliminate Natalya and Naomi. She just kept trying to pin each of them a couple times in a row, to no avail. Bliss hid on the outside for the first few minutes of this match, running in to roll up Carmella for the first elimination. There was an actual commercial break during this match, so I assume everyone just lied around for a few minutes while they were showing commercials. Even after we came back, most of the match was Naomi vs. Natalya, as Bliss was still hiding. Naomi and Natalya had a really good little contest, that was constantly being interrupted by Bliss trying to score a pin. At one point, Naomi went for a split leg moonsault, but Bliss grabbed her leg, allowing Natalya to hit a huge powerbomb, but only a near fall. Nikki was also being funny on the outside, like when Bliss would yell “I know!” at the ref, Nikki would scream at the ref too, in support of her friend. However, despite having some nice action, the crowd chanted “this is awful,” and randomly booed. Natalya then rolled up Naomi for the elimination, leaving just Bliss and Natalya. Just then, Cross grabbed a mic and yelled at the crowd. She told them to cheer for Bliss, which prompted a lot of boos. In the finish, Natalya actually took out Nikki at ringside, and then ran into the ring to lock the sharpshooter in on Alexa for the win.

After the match, Natalya was interviewed in the ring. She tried to give an inspirational speech, but the crowd just wasn’t having it. Becky then got on the mic. Becky told her that there is no way that Natalya could beat her. She said that she has no problem wiping the floor with her. Becky had a weird line saying that she was better in war than love. Natalya then said that she must be a bad lover then, bitch. Natalya then kept up the tough talk, and they had to be separated.

Grade: B. This was a C+ without that promo, but I really liked the promo. Natalya is a new and interesting choice for the spot, its a fresh match that should be good. And Nattie’s mic work here was great. She really held her own against one of the best talkers in the company, which was exciting to see. 

Then we had Dolph Ziggler as a guest on Miz TV. Ziggler implied that there were rumors about Miz right away, saying that he is a corporate puppet. Miz took offense to it, but Ziggler continued to push. He said that Miz is no longer trying to be the best, and he also said that Miz became everything he hates. He then said that all he cared about was fortune and fame, just like his wife. So Miz then attacked him.

Grade: D+. If they are setting up a feud between these two, it was a clumsy way to do it. Ziggler basically said that the only reason he came to be on the show was to cause a problem, which is just dumb. Could be a good feud though, their last one was great. Also, Ziggler said that his match with Kevin Owens was “Goldberg Bad” which was funny but also insulting. I guess we have a new feud then. 

Then we saw Drake Maverick throwing rose pedals on the bed, while Graves said that he normally needed to pay for stuff like this. Drake said that he was ready for love, stripping off his bathrobe with his 24/7 championship around his waist to block is dick. Suddenly, room service came by, and dropped off champaign while Drake desperately tried to maintain an erection. He then realized that the man dropping off the champaign was the ref, and began looking around for Truth. Truth jumped out from underneath the cart, and try to roll up Maverick, but only for a two count. Then Truth gave him a splash onto the bed and won the belt back. Maverick then chased him away, leaving his wife in bed alone. The segment ended with Graves saying that he would have used the small package.

Grade: B+. This was the highlight of an otherwise boring and monotonous show. This was funny, Maverick was funny, Graves was funny, this belt is really fun. Bummed to see Maverick lose it though. It’s also tougher and tougher to separate him from his 205 Live character. 

And in the main event, we had the 10 man battle royal. Big E vs. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro vs. Randy Orton vs. Braun Strowman vs. Rey Mysterio. Brock Lesnar came out to watch from the stage. Strowman and Lashley started to fight right at the bell, and Corbin nearly eliminated Rollins right away as well. Cesaro ran around the ring for a while and gave just just about everyone a european uppercut. As Cesaro was about to give Big E the big swing, Lashley tackled him and gorilla pressed him out of the ring. Soon after, Strowman eliminated Lashley, and then faced off with Big E. Big E was able to hit Strowman with the big ending, only for Orton to give him an RKO, and then get eliminated by Zayn. Zayn celebrated a little too hard, and ate an RKO then a 619 and an elimination. Reigns then tried to take on Orton, only to eat an RKO and a 619 of his own. Soon after, Corbin elminated Mysterio. At one point, Orton was lying on the outside, leaving Rollins, Strowman and Reigns in the ring with Corbin. So naturally, he got some comeuppance. He ate a huge right from Strowman, a drive by and a superkick before being elminated. Strowman then took on both Reigns and Rollins, and dodged a spear from Reigns, sending him into Rollins. Reigns then desperately tried to pull Strowman out of the ring, so Rollins bodyslammed both of them, leaving just Rollins and Orton. Orton had control here, giving Rollins a rope hung DDT when Rollins refused to be eliminated. However, when we went for the RKO, Rollins was able to hit the curb stomp, and then won the battle royal by eliminating him. 

After the match, Paul Heyman mockingly introduced Rollins as the #1 contender. Rollins grabbed a mic of his own, and said that he was only talking to Brock here. He said that he is a man possessed, and he promised that he would beat Brock by stomping his head into the mat. Rollins even challenged Lesnar to a fight right now, which only amounted to Lesnar throwing a chair in the ring.

Grade: B. A fun main event, but not the greatest match. Everyone did their greatest hits and then Rollins won. He was really the best choice, other than maybe Reigns. But at least they didn’t just give Rollins the rematch, he had to earn it. This story is very similar to Rollin’s title chase earlier in the year, so I think they are just trying to recreate that magic. Hopefully we actually get a match out of this though, instead of a low blow at the beginning of Wrestlemania. If it is a match, then I will look forward to it. I’m sure they can put on something good. 

Overall Grade: C+

Pros: Heyman Promo; Lucha House Party vs. Club; women’s 4-way; wyatt debut; 24/7 stuff; main event

Cons: Mike Kanellis stuff; miz tv; just generally boring episode. 

[shitloadsofwrestling]

10 Women Who Should Be In The 1st Ever 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match [January 28th, 2018]

When Stephanie McMahon announced that the Royal Rumble pay per view would not only include the traditional 30-man Royal Rumble but also the first ever 30-woman Royal Rumble, my brain started to work in overdrive. The WWE has plenty of women on the roster between Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, but how many of them would be featured in the Rumble match? 

As of right now, 18 women have declared that they’ll be part of the Rumble match, which leaves 12 spots unaccounted for. Of course, there will be members of the Raw and SmackDown roster who are part of the Rumble, as well as potential members of the NXT roster, but the potential for surprises is incredible, especially following the reaction of some previously featured Raw Divas from the past. In this article, I’m gonna take a look at 10 women from the WWE’s history who I’d like to see in the first ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match.

1. Trish Stratus

She’s a former 7-time WWE Women’s Champion. Someone that I would assume most of the current crop of WWE female talents watched as teenagers, and a Hall Of Famer. Trish Stratus burst onto the WWE scene in 2000 as a manager but quickly won the fans over as one of the most hearty wrestlers in the company, holding her own in matches against the likes of Chyna, Molly Holly, Jacqueline, and her longtime rival Lita. At 41 years of age, Stratus in only a few years older than some current WWE girl wrestlers. I’d love to see Trish Stratus hit the Rumble to give Philadelphia some Stratusfaction!

2. Beth Phoenix

Affectionately known as “The Glamazon”, Beth Phoenix was relevant during a time when being a strong wrestler wasn’t the norm. While there were wrestlers such as Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Melina, Natalya, and others, having a strong focus on in-ring ability and physical dominance made her a standout wrestler. Phoenix is also one of only three women to compete in the 30-man Royal Rumble match, and holds the distinction of eliminating The Great Khali. As a former 3-time Women’s Champion and a former Divas Champion, the Hall Of Famer Phoenix would definitely be a welcome addition to something she certainly helped set the standard for. Plus, I’m pretty sure the world would go bananas to see Phoenix and Natalya in the ring one more time!

3. Bull Nakano

If you watched the WWF in the 1990s, there were two women you were terrified of: Luna Vachon and Bull Nakano. Although the former is sadly deceased, Nakano has continued to stay in great shape and has recently been a trainer, offering seminars in such companies as Rise. Nakano also competed in the Manami Toyota farewell gauntlet last November. Nakano is also a former WWF Women’s Champion, defeating Alundra Blayze and stopping what was nearly a year-long reign as champion. Once touted as the “Most Devastating” woman on the roster, it’d be interesting to see Nakano square up with some of the current crop. Imagine Nakano being face to face with Nia Jax, or even better… Asuka!

4. AJ Lee

There were Total Divas, and then there was AJ Lee. When the WWE put a focus on the E! Network reality show, Lee’s focus never drifted from being one of the most dominant wrestlers in the company, holding the WWE Divas Championship for over 400 days. Lee, in her short time with the WWE, made it a point to set records, as she’s tied with Aksana for the longest reign as the Queen Of FCW at 287 days and held the FCW Divas Championship for over 100 days. Lee sadly retired in 2015 due to an injury to her spinal cord, but could potentially make an appearance to get herself an elimination and to potentially share the ring with a future Women’s Champion.

5. Melina

I can’t say that I miss the era of women’s wrestling that Melina debuted in. At the time, the WWE Divas Search was how the company found talent, but Melina got some face time by taking a different route: competing in the Tough Enough competition. It didn’t take long for her to get addicted to the industry as she began clawing her way through the ranks at OVW until she debuted on SmackDown in April of 2005. The perfect blend of ability and beauty, Melina gained adulation by dedicating herself to her craft and becoming a two-time Divas Champion and a 3-time Women’s Champion. At the 2009 Night Of Champions event, Melina and Michelle McCool were scolded for being “too good”, to which Chris Jericho came to their defense. With that kind of endorsement, it seems that Melina is a shoo-in for the Rumble!

6. Lita

I was definitely surprised to not see the Hall Of Famer Lita on Raw during the segment when they featured former talents from the Divas division. After all, it was Lita who was in the first ever Raw main event to strictly feature women. Actually, the first two Raw main events to feature women, once against Trish Stratus and once against Stephanie McMahon. Lita was one of the first girls to hit the scene and perform hurricanranas off of the top rope and the apron, and would hit a moonsault at the drop of the hat, whether she was aiding wrestlers whose corner she was in or winning the WWE Women’s Championship, which she did four times. Lita should be a no-brainer for this match, and if AJ Lee were involved, the two having a face off would be a moment that the fans would never forget.

7. Victoria

While Trish Stratus was definitely a strong Women’s Champion, her limits had yet to be tested by someone who was willing to test her will in the ring. Enter Victoria, who in 2002, attacked Stratus and made a name for herself by making Trish fight, not just wrestle, but fight to keep the title. Their match at the 2002 Survivor Series is still one of my favorites of all-time and showed how tough Trish was by withstanding the brawling ability of Victoria. Over the next several years, Victoria proved that her place in the WWE was that of a gatekeeper, as anyone who would become anything in the WWE Divas division would have to hold their own against the “Widows Peak Freak”.

8. Molly Holly

The focus on the WWE women’s division became prominent in 2000, when it was no longer acceptable to be “just a pretty face”. Molly Holly was part of that movement, and along with Ivory, Tori, Jacqueline, and Trish Stratus, began to cultivate what would lead to the “women’s revolution” in the WWE. As a trainee of Dean Malenko and Fit Finlay, Molly’s focus was prominently on being a great wrestler and having a good match. Molly would defeat both Trish Stratus and Gail Kim to win the WWE Women’s Championship on two occasions. Holly is also one of only four women to have held the Hardcore Championship.

9. Jacqueline

If you told anyone that you were tough, Jacqueline would make you prove it. The tough Texan wrestled from 1988 until 2013, being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2016. In 1998, when the WWF brought the Women’s Championship back, Jacqueline was the first champion to hold the new title, making Federation favorite Sable fight to gain the gold. Jacqueline would hold the title on two occasions, but would also become a Cruiserweight Champion in 2004 when she defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. Jacqueline has proven for nearly three decades that she’s the bench mark for excellence when it comes to being a persistent fighter in the ring, and it would be great to see her celebrate 30 years in the business as part of the first ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match.

10. Alundra Blayze / Madusa

The return of the WWF Women’s Championship in 1993 was the rise of Alundra Blayze. A former AWA Women’s Champion, Blayze’s career began when she would feud with the likes of Sherri Martel and Luna Vachon before she even stepped foot in the WWF. Once she did, she became the cornerstone of the women’s division, becoming a 3-time WWF Women’s Champion. Her switch to WCW was also successful, as she became the Cruiserweight Champion when she defeated ex-boyfriend Evan Karagias as Madusa (which she’s more commonly known as). To take a look at the career of Blayze and her resurgence in the WWE where she was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2015, I would love to see someone who was a trailblazer for the company compete in the Rumble match.

There are several wrestlers who I wish I could have included on this list, such as Chyna, Luna Vachon, Sherri Martel, The Fabulous Moolah, and Mae Young. There are also some who I believe could be part of the Rumble who aren’t included, like Ivory, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Michelle McCool, Kaitlyn, and others, but there are definitely some who I don’t want to see, and I’m pretty sure I agree with everyone on the one person none of us want to see involved. Nevertheless, there are so many women in the company’s history, including wrestlers of today, who have fought for this type of equality in the WWE and have proven that the appeal is certainly there. The 30-woman Royal Rumble match is a historic one, and with so much history behind it, there’s no doubt that there are several talents from wrestling’s past who deserve their tribute for the years of hard work.

[placetobenation]

Friends. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again.

It seems like this could be the new theme song of the WWE these days. Sasha and Bayley. Alexa and Nikki. Peyton and Billie. Roman and Jey. Drake and Killian, Drew and Keith and I’m sure more to come.

Whether it be besties turned bad or friends of convenience or even family members not exactly on the same page, it seems like the WWE has super-sized the idea of friends becoming foes. It’s a time-honored tradition played out time and time again over wrestling history. Remember Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zybysko?

Let’s see how the WWE puts a new spin on things. What they do in the next few months, if done right, could be the stories we talk about in 30 years from now.

Clash of Champions – UPDATED CARD

WWE Championship Ambulance Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

WWE Women’s Championship Match: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. The Riott Squad

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lucha House Party

WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

Star of the Week:

Roman Reigns, Jey USO & Paul Heyman – This feud has put Roman Reigns in a place that even Vince McMahon couldn’t have dreamed of when he was trying to shove a fan favorite Roman Reigns down the WWE Universe’s collective throats as champion. Roman is taking no prisoners, including his own flesh and blood, to claim what he thinks is his rightful spot atop the WWE, this time as Universal Champion. Taking down cousin Jey Uso should put the rest of the WWE on notice that no one is safe when they try to take what Reigns thinks is his and only his! And when you put the voice of Paul Heyman together with the forthright, directness and physicality of Reigns to back it up, it’s truly the cherry on top of the sundae.  Watch the Samoan history video from SmackDown.

RAW

RESULTS

Champion vs. Champion Match: The Street Profits defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Cedric Alexander defeated Ricochet

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka defeated Mickie James (match stopped due to Mickie James injury)

Non-title United States Championship Match: Bobby Lashley defeated Erik

Steel Cage Match: Seth Rollins defeated Dominik Mysterio

Kevin Owens defeated Aleister Black

The Riott Squad defeated Natalya & Lana

Non-Title WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee went to a no-contest when RETRIBUTION interfered

Loved it:

What a scene! A BRAWL has broken out on #WWERaw between the #HurtBusiness, RETRIBUTION, @DMcIntyreWWE & @RealKeithLee! pic.twitter.com/ApQc19ZFH8

— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2020

RETRIBUTION – Now, we have a purpose and some depth. Not only did RETRIBUTION have some promo time, but they also left their mark all over the top of the WWE Universe. First, they take out WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee in the main event. Then, they get into with The Hurt Business to close the show. Let’s hope they keep it interesting with some creative plans. Honestly, I really thought Randy Orton was going to be in the middle of the ring when they attacked McIntyre & Lee in the main event, but I like the way they went with it instead. A good night for RETRIBUTION and a few weeks of aimless wandering. It also looks like RAW will be there home.

Zelina steps up – Well, well now! Not only did Zelina Vega tell Andrade & Angel Garza she’s had enough of them, but then she walks right into RAW Women’s Champion Asuka’s grill to challenge for her title. It’s something no one saw coming, so a cool swerve. Do I expect her to beat Asuka, no. But, wouldn’t it be fitting if Andrade and/or Garza try to get back in her good graces by trying to help her win the title? Or maybe, that will dig a deeper hole for one or both of them. Either way, it’s entertaining and a good hook.

Witness the aftermath from the #SteelCage encounter between @WWERollins & @35_Dominik on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/UPOh70KYua

— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2020

Steel Cage Match – Lots of good physicality between Seth Rollins and Dominik Mysterio. The right guy won to hopefully end their feud. Now, it looks like we are on to Rollins vs. Murphy as they traded shots hitting each other with the cage door during and after the match. You have to wonder where Mysterio’s sister Aaliyah plays in all this as she went to check in on Murphy. Is it getting Murphy over to the good side or can Murphy stay true to Rollins and try to get sis over to the Monday Night Messiah? Hmmmm….

THAT'S GOTTA BE @BraunStrowman! Looks like #RawUnderground has a new addition tonight on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/9mEC7un4vm

— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2020

Braun destroys RAW Underground – Sure, it makes no sense that now we’re getting SmackDown stars each week on RAW when the rules only say once a quarter, but the WWE has never been about following their own rules. Make it up as they go, right? Either way, having Braun Strowman destroy everyone in the Underground and promise to come back next week is good for the show. It’s better than the middle-ground we were seeing on SmackDown lately with The Fiend, who now has Roman Reigns to play with.

Solid:

Cedric Alexander – There’s no getting out of the athleticism of Alexander. Plus, putting him in the ring with Ricochet is always a good match. Now, he’s good some personality to go with it as a member of The Hurt Business.

The Riott Squad – Makes sense to give them a win heading into their Clash of Champions Title match with Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler. Poor Natalya & Lana, maybe her going through a table is retribution for the third-party social media chaos.

Owens vs. Black – This feud would be greatly enhanced with a crowd I think. Right now, it just seems like filler, but it’s action packed in the ring, so no harm, no foul in this crazy pandemic World. Plus, a little social media rib from Black saying Owens might be part of RETRIBUTION. Interesting.

 Odd:

It is absolute CHAOS on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/BM9hOhXxwm

— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2020

Lee vs. McIntyre – Maybe it’s me, but the Keith Lee I found as likeable in NXT is coming off a bit gruff on RAW. McIntyre and Lee seemed awkward at times in their back-and-forth going into the main event and of course, immediately went to blows. I did like them teaming up to fly over the top rope to fight off RETRIBUTION though. That was some good stuff right there! I’m just not sure where Lee is headed though.

NXT

RESULTS

Non-title NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai defeated Shotzi Blackheart

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Desmond Troy (the former Denzel Dejournette)

Kushida defeated Austin Theory

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Breezango defeated Imperium to retain titles

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter defeated Xia Lia & Jessi Kamea

LOVED IT:

Gauntlet Eliminator Match – Thank you William Regal! Instead of defaulting to another multi-man #1 Contender Match for Finn Balor’s NXT Championship, we get an exciting, unique new concept. Next week, we get the first ever Gauntlet Eliminator Match to see who will face Balor at the next NXT TakeOver in October. It’s kind of like the Royal Rumble where two men start the match. Every four minutes, we get a new entrant until all five men are in the ring. Last one left faces Balor. Love the idea and can’t wait to see how it plays out. Now we just need to know who’s in it.

Respect was indeed 𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑫. #WWENXT @ShotziWWE @shirai_io pic.twitter.com/hXUk1gVQ3l

— WWE (@WWE) September 17, 2020

Io vs. Shotzi – I make no bones about it that I’m a Shotzi Blackheart admirer. Good showing against the champ here in the opening match. But too much Io Shirai here who finishes off Blackheart with a missile dropkick and top rope moonsault. Wouldn’t be shocked if we see this again down the road for the Championship. Maybe Shotzi takes home the #1 Contenders Battle Royale next week?

Kushida – I’m diggin’ the new attitude. He’s a badass and looking to take over. A tremendous upgrade.

Still the Champs:

Breezango – There definitely more than just the Fashion Police. There the cream of the crop in the tag team division. They keep us entertained outside the ring and more than satisfied in the ring. Tyler Breeze and Fandango get a shout out and it’s more than just a pelvic thrust from Wade Barrett.

@ArcherOfInfamy #AndStill #LiveForever #WWENXT #NXTNATitle pic.twitter.com/GjTUewPJ2O

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 17, 2020

Damian Priest – Honestly, I was expecting much from the main event with Priest defending his NXT North American Championship against Timothy Thatcher, but I was impressed. It overdelivered and both men won me over with a very good match. Props to Priest for his first successful title defense!

Not so friendly:

Soooooo… this pin just blew our minds.

#TeamNinja @KacyCatanzaro & @wwekayden defeat @JessiKameaWWE & @XiaWWE in UNIQUE fashion on #WWENXT on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/xVHf4Wggl7

— WWE (@WWE) September 17, 2020

The ladies – Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter showed a good sign of friendly respect to Jessi Kamea & Xia Li after beating them in their tag match. Yet, Li wasn’t so willing to bump fists. Looks like we got ourselves something to look out for in next week’s Battle Royale.

You're just gonna sit there, @KillianDain?!?! #WWENXT @WWEMaverick pic.twitter.com/eI8sLEBj0v

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 17, 2020

Drake & Dain – They’ve never been friends, yet found themselves fighting The Undisputed Era Wednesday night. Well, that was until Dain said he wasn’t showing up. When Dain did show up, TUE insulted him and actually got his team a win via DQ when TUE brought in a chair. And to celebrate, Dain drops Drake with a solid punch to the face. Great line by Barrett: “Friends don’t punch each other in the face every time you see them.” Classic!

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Cesaro defeated Gran Metalik

Nikki Cross defeated Lacey Evans

AJ Styles defeated Sami Zayn

Samoan Street Fight: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso defeated Sheamus & King Corbin

LOVED IT:

.@AlexaBliss_WWE just got that 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 in her eyes again! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/q3sbzUVhWL

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2020

Alexa Bliss – Yes, I’ve been a Miss Bliss fan for years now. But I love the straddling of the good vs. evil line of being Nikki Cross’ best friend and everyone’s darling put up against being possessed by The Fiend. She’s playing it well. Plus, how could you not like a Miss Bliss kiss and Sister Abigail.

"You are NOTHING without me." #SmackDown @SashaBanksWWE @itsBayleyWWE pic.twitter.com/z6xlR0rWOg

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2020

What did @itsBayleyWWE just do?!?!#SmackDown @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/CnIMEdwhBP

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2020

Sasha Banks & Bayley – It’s what we’ve come to expect from Sasha Banks. Everything is gold. In her first interview since being attacked by BFF Bayley, Banks put down the gauntlet that she’ll take the SmackDown title from Bayley and that her bestie was NOTHING without her. So how does Bayley react? By hunting her down at the WWE Performance Center. Touché!

Can you say ladder? – Even though we all knew it would come to this, it’s still going to be amazing. Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn for the IC Title in a ladder match at Clash of Champions! Pretty good heel vs. heel match too with Styles going over Zayn.

"YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?!?!" #SmackDown @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/hW8ZhCBF9n

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2020

Big E’s not playing – Revenge is mine says Big E as he attacks the security member who set him up for the Sheamus attack a few weeks ago. Damn, all this superstar on car violence is sure to be costly. Vince sure does love to destroy his cars! I’d love to see the line item in the WWE budget for replacing all the busted vehicles over the years.

With another tag team victory under their belt, will it continue to be all smiles between @WWERomanReigns and Jey @WWEUsos heading into #WWEClash? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/5FKk3eSTAE

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2020

Yo’ cuz – As you’ve seen from our star of the week, it’s another banner week of storytelling from your main event on SmackDown. Sure, the Samoan Street Fight wasn’t anything earth shattering in terms of a match, but the story of Roman vs. Jey, cousin vs. cousin remains the best thing going. Reality is king and the WWE is using it to its fullest. The little nuances make all the difference. From the smiles to the daggers that Reigns sent Uso’s way at the end of the show, you could feel the temperature in the room drop 50 degrees.

No sense:

Lucha House Party – Why exactly are we pushing the trio only to try to rip them apart? Having Kalisto and El Dorado criticizing Gran Metalik during his match with Cesaro is ridiculous. No one, and I repeat, no one wants to see that feud, especially when you’re trying to push them with a title shot at Clash of Champions. 

Lacey Evans – Why do they continue to waste her talents with the same ol’ catchphrases and losing matches? Evans could be a dominating force in the WWE if they just gave her a chance. BTW, in this pandemic World, I’m shocked the sanitizer hasn’t become a finishing move.

Wasted:

The Dirt Sheet – Did we really need to waste 10 minutes of talk just to see Otis rip off The Miz’ clothes? I did not. You know what else we don’t need? A lawsuit.

Parting shots:

RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Legend. Icon. Inspiration. And yes, all around badass. Regardless of your political bias, you have to admire her spirit, her fight and her life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.

Coming Up This Week:

RAW: RAW Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Match: Dominik Mysterio & Humberto Carrillo vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy vs. Andrade & Angel Garza. RAW Underground: Braun Strowman vs. Dabba Kato Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee – if Lee wins, he could replace Randy Orton at Clash of Champions

NEXT WEDNESDAY at 8/7c on @USA_Network: There will be a No. 1 Contender #BattleRoyal to determine who will challenge @shirai_io for the #WWENXT #WomensTitle! pic.twitter.com/2ElVrzJynU

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 17, 2020

NXT: Gauntlet Eliminator NXT #1 Contender Match – Kushida vs. Cameron Grimes vs. ? vs. ? vs. ? NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender Battle Royale Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jake Atlas

#WWENXT's roster is too stacked to do a regular No. 1 Contender's match for @FinnBalor's #NXTTitle. Let @RealKingRegal present to you the FIRST-EVER #GauntletEliminator Match: pic.twitter.com/1YSXMxS6I5

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 17, 2020

SMACKDOWN: TBD

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[wrestlingisfake]

Double or Nothing preview

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho - The winner of this match will face the winner of the Casino Battle Royale at a later date to determine the first AEW world champion.  Interestingly, Jericho is scheduled to challenge for the IWGP heavyweight championship on June 9, and this match may indirectly affect that one.

This is a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 12, where Jericho began his sudden shift from “I’ll never wrestle anywhere besides WWE” to “I can be the Brock Lesnar of New Japan.”  Neither man has had a match since Wrestle Kingdom 13 earlier this year, where Omega lost the IWGP heavyweight title in the main event, and Jericho lost the IWGP intercontinental title in the semi-main. 

Jericho’s character outside of WWE has been a leathery weirdo brawler, whose services are highly valued by promoters even though he’s totally uncontrollable.  He’s randomly ambushed several top names in New Japan, and he seems to be gunning for Cody Rhodes down the line, but his recurring nemesis is Omega.  The general idea is that Omega entered the “greatest of all time” conversation with his six-star performances in 2017, and that puts a target on him for legends like Jericho that want to make a statement.  Omega defeated Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12, then Jericho shockingly attacked him at All In, then Omega’s team defeated Jericho’s team during Jericho’s wrestling cruise, and then Jericho attacked Omega again at AEW’s February 7 media event.

This is basically the biggest match AEW can present at this point.  It’s a rematch from the Tokyo Dome, featuring the biggest current star who’s never been to WWE and the biggest ex-WWE star they could sign.  In some ways it’s a coup they could put this together in a US show, but in other ways I’m disappointed that AEW couldn’t come up with something hotter.  18 months after his first NJPW vignette, the challenge for AEW is to prove Jericho still has mileage as a 48-year-old resident legend, and not just as an occasional special attraction.  Luckily, Jericho is keenly aware of this stuff and pretty good at finding ways to keep himself over, so hopefully this match will set up a good direction for him.

I tend to think Omega should win here, but Jericho is coming in with a pretty shitty win-loss record, considering he’s been set up as the top heel in the company.  A win for Jericho would add momentum to the angle that he thinks he’s singlehandedly put AEW on the map, and set up more matches down the line.  Then again, Omega is the actual ace of the promotion, and needs to be protected as such.  So I’m expecting a creative finish, but I don’t know which guy will win.

Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson vs. Penta El 0M & Rey Fenix - The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt) are defending the AAA tag team championship.  This feud started with the Lucha Bros. showing up at an AEW press conference, taking exception to the Bucks calling themselves the greatest tag team.  This led to the Bucks flying all over the place to ambush the Lucha Bros. at various indie shows.  Finally, when the Lucha Bros. won the AAA tag title at Rey de Reyes, the Bucks suddenly showed up for an impromptu title match and won the belts.

It’s worth noting that a rematch for the title has already been booked for AAA’s Verano de Escándalo on June 16.  So the outcome of this match won’t have much impact on which team ends up with the belts in the long run.  With that in mind, the logical outcome is for the Bucks to win to establish them as the benchmark for the strong tag team division they’ve been promising.  Penta and Fenix aren’t enhancement talent by any means, though, so I could see them scoring a win on the Bucks’ turf.  But until the Lucha Bros. put a ring on it and sign with AEW, it would be risky to put them over.  I’m leaning towards the Bucks retaining.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes - Dustin, 50, is the son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes and his first wife, Sandra; Cody, 33, is Dusty’s son by his second wife, Michelle.  This is virtually a direct follow-up to their match at WWE Fast Lane 2015 (as Stardust and Goldust), which had been the closest they’d come to their dream of doing the match at a Wrestlemania.  A year later, Cody left WWE to begin a meteoric rise in the non-WWE scene, leading to his leadership role in AEW.  Once it became clear Dustin was leaving WWE, it was obvious he would end up here.

Dustin delivered a strong video package about needing to prove he’s still got it, and wanting to settle old scores with Cody.  Cody cut an intense promo likening Dustin and his era with Old Yeller, suggesting he has to put Dustin down because he loves him.  You can debate the wisdom of indulging in this storyline at a pivotal point in AEW’s beginnings, but you cannot argue that both men as fully committed to proving it can work.  Hopefully that results in some killer storytelling and a good match.  I have to think Cody wins here, and the brothers hug and Dustin ends up with a backstage job or something.

PAC vs. Hangman Page - ...already happened, so I guess you can watch that here.  The match on this card had to be cancelled.  The angle is that Page was so hype to fight Pac that he went to an indie show in England to do the match a week early.  Pac intentionally got disqualified and then pillmanized Page’s knee; he claimed he only wanted the Double or Nothing match to injure Page, but since he’d already succeeded with that he wouldn’t be coming to this show.  I suspect this match was intended to determine a participant in the match to crown the first AEW world champion, since Page has been talking about wanting that spot for months. 

As of this writing, AEW hasn’t announced what Page will be doing on this show, or even if he’s kayfabe recovered enough from the knee attack to have a match  This could be trouble, because it leaves fans to imagine all sorts of crazy surprise opponents that the company may not be able to deliver.  Already people have been actively speculating about CM Punk (the Dave Chappelle of wrestling), Jon Moxley (formerly WWE’s Dean Ambrose), and Joey Ryan (who had a farcical feud with Page last year).  How AEW handles this mess will leave a lasting first impression with fans, particularly fans like me who’ve seen all the stupid things WWE would do in this situation.

Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae - This is a three-way match, so the first woman to score a fall over either opponent will be declared the winner.  Baker is probably best known as the wrestling dentist from the four-way match at All In last year.  Rose made headlines as the first trans woman signed to a major wrestling company, and I’ve just learned she starred in a Canadian sitcom a few years ago, playing a computer programmer, which is an interesting contrast from her “Native Beast” wrestling persona.  Rae is relatively less known, but she’s a smiley happy character in the vein of Bayley, and she’s from Chicago so I know who I’m rooting for.

Unfortunately I think the big story in this match is whether the live audience will accept Nyla, or if a bunch of jerks try to start transphobic chants or something.  I think the hardcore AEW audience is cool about it, but there’s just no way to know until she goes through the curtain.

Of these three, Baker seems to be the one they’re pushing as the face of the division, which may make her the favorite.  But the fact it’s a three-way with nothing tangible at stake makes this one hard to call.

Christopher Daniels & Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian vs. CIMA & T-Hawk & El Lindaman - Daniels’s team is SoCal Uncensored, which has become something of an underground sensation via their sing-along catchphrases and Being the Elite skits.  Cima’s team represents a faction called Strong Hearts, consisting of the wrestlers who joined him in leaving Dragon Gate to found Oriental Wrestling Entertainment in Shanghai. 

OWE is one of several attempts to expand the wrestling industry into the lucrative Chinese market--AEW is clearly partnering with them to cultivate Chinese talent and a Chinese audience.  Note, however, that Cima, T-Hawk, and Lindaman are Japanese, not Chinese; the Chinese wrestlers they’ve been training will presumably appear in the future.  This match seems to be less about China than about getting OWE over with the AEW audience, and acknowledging the influence Cima has had in the careers of wrestlers like Daniels and the Young Bucks.

If you weren’t paying attention to ROH last year, you might be surprised how hot SCU has become with the kind of fans that’ll be at this show.  When I went to All In I was prepared for the sea of Bullet Club shirts and constant Elite chants, but the response to anything SCU did was far more intense.  They really should win here, although there may be a plan to use them to establish the Strong Hearts as a force to be reckoned with.  It’ll really depend on how often Cima and the OWE guys are planning on flying out to do these shows.

Aja Kong & Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida & Riho & Ryo Mizunami - Kong is legendary monster heel, whose career goes back over 30 years.  As for the others, I don’t have much info on them.  My impression is that this match is designed to help introduce joshi (Japanese women’s wrestling) to the west, which would suggest the younger participants in this match (Sakazaki, Shida, Riho, and Mizunami) will be groomed for long-term roles in the company.  From what I’ve heard, Kenny Omega wants AEW to spotlight Japanese women as a unique attraction, similar to how WCW used cruiserweights and luchadors back in the day.  It’s a clever move, since the other US promotions have male Japanese stars, but joshi is still rather obscure in the west.  On Being the Elite they’ve played up Kenny Omega’s history with Riho, so I guess I have to pick her team to win.

Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta vs. Jack Evans & Angelico - Chuck and Trent are the Best Friends, who were on the verge of breaking up when we last saw them in New Japan.  Evans is one of the original big names from the super-indy days in the early 2000s.  Angelico has been teaming with Evans in AAA, Lucha Underground, PWG, and elsewhere.  The Young Bucks have talked a big game about making the tag team division more important in AEW than in other promotions, but matches like this one will determine if they’re really serious about any tag teams but themselves.  I can’t decide which team should win, but I’ve got a soft spot for the Best Friends so I’m rooting for ‘em.

Casino Battle Royale - This is a 21-person gauntlet battle royal match, scheduled for the pre-show, where the winner will qualify to for a future match to determine the first AEW world champion.  Typically this kind of match starts with two participants in the ring, and each additional participant enters every 90 seconds or so.  The twist here is that five participants will start, and every three minutes another five enter the match.  The final entrant, being “lucky 21,” gets to enter alone, meaning only one person will have that “freshest person in the match” advantage.

The rules for elimination have not been specified, so I assume it’ll be the standard rules for most battle royales.  After entering the match, a participant will be eliminated if they exit the ring over the top rope and both of their feet touch the floor.  Participants can avoid elimination by stalling their entry into the ring, or by exiting the ring under the top rope, or by going over the top and keeping one foot off the floor until they can re-enter.  Eliminations can occur at any point in the match, before and after the last participant has entered.  The last person left in the match after everyone else has been eliminated is declared the winner.

Confirmed entrants for the match include:

Ace Romero (the big fat dude from MLW)

Billy Gunn (he’s an ass man, womp womp)

Brandon Cutler (the Young Bucks’ old buddy from PWG)

Brian Pillman, Jr. (the son of the “loose cannon” from WCW/WWF)

Dustin Thomas (a guy with no legs who impressed everyone at Joey Janela’s Spring Break recently)

Glacier (the Mortal Kombat guy from WCW...yes, that Glacier)

Isiah Kassidy (one half of the tag team Private Party)

Jimmy Havoc (an edgelord from the British indie scene)

Joey Janela (sleazy guy from GCW that does the Spring Break shows)

Jungle Boy (Luke Perry’s son doing a Tarzan gimmick) 

Luchasaurus (a guy who seems to be neither a luchador nor a dinosaur)

Marq Quen (the other half of Private Party)

Michael Nakazawa (Kenny Omega’s old buddy from DDT)

MJF (obnoxious preppie douchebag from MLW)

Shawn Spears (WWE’s Tye Dillinger/Cody’s old buddy from OVW)

Sonny Kiss (formerly XO Lishus in Lucha Underground)

Sunny Daze (scary weird guy that makes Bray Wyatt look like Mr. Rogers...okay, I’ll admit that’s not a very helpful comparison right now, but you get the drift)

???

???

???

???

That leaves four spots remaining as of this writing.  Knowing AEW, those spots could go to some of the guys who are signed but not booked (like Darby Allin or Peter Avalon) or to total unknowns, or to giant surprise stars.  It is entirely possible some women could be added to the match.

Obviously that “lucky 21” spot is perfectly suited for a big surprise entrant to shockingly debut, run wild, and win the whole thing.  However, since this match is for the pre-show, I don’t see them blowing their wad on a really big surprise.  On the other hand, the winner of this match has to be a credible contender for their world championship, so they can’t just give it to Joey Ryan or whoever.  This is where you really start wondering if Jon Moxley is available.

Sammy Guevera vs. Kip Sabian - The opening match, to air on the pre-show.  Guevera is a former AAA crusierweight champion.  Sabian has held the IPW:UK championship, and based on the limited data I can find for that title, he may well still be the champion.  Considering how much of this card consists of wrestlers I literally never heard of until they were booked for this show, it says something that these two are so obscure they’re in the opener.  But that’s to be expected when starting a promotion from scratch.  Hopefully they both give us a reason to care who they are.

[faceturn90-blog]

Wrestlemania 17 - Austin vs The Rock

Wrestlemania 17 is known throughout the online wrestling community as one of the most iconic, with some fantastic match ups having taken place. For me though, there is one match I automatically think of from that show and it is The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin,fighting for, then, the WWF Championship. The year was 2001. I was a fresh faced ten-year-old, living with my mum and my sisters, ignoring school and real life; firmly committed to sitting in front of the box with some good old fashioned wrestling. My Grandad taped it for me on a blank VHS (just to give you all some historical perspective) and I watched it buzzing with youthful anticipation, with a pile of penny sweets in my lap. And also, the phenomenal video package shown before it. To look at this match we need to go back weeks before this extraordinary showcase of immortals and start at the Royal Rumble. During this match there was such an iconic moment between Rock and Austin;even the thought of it still gives me goosebumps to this day. The tease of all teases, Rock down in one corner during the match and Austin down in the other, Austin bust open and bloody but still intensely staring his opponent down as only he could. The two finally collectively and in unison rise up from the mat and the higher they rise, the more you can hear the fans roars amplify to a deafening crescendo as those lucky enough to be there in the room; home at their tv’s, and ten year old me in my bedroom in the FK postcode; realised and collectively thought as one: “THIS IS HAPPENING”. Remember; Austin and Rock are the two biggest names in WWE history in this 2001 time capsule of which we reside; and whenever they faced off, the feeling was electric. Who could forget the end of the show when Austin stood tall,resplendent,triumphant; the first 3 time winner of the Royal Rumble match, and his ticket booked for Wrestlemania. In stark contrast to such startling achievement,The Rock would have to bide his time before his chance would come again. Do you all remember? I do. Four weeks would go by and finally The Rock would have his chance to book his own ticket to Houston. Rock would defeat Kurt Angle in the main event of No Way Out, overcoming the Olympic gold medalist and also the interfering giant Big Show, and regain the WWF title for his 6th reign. Now the match was set, Wrestlemania 17’s main event would be one of the biggest in wrestling history as two of its most revered stars would clash once more. The tag line for this Wrestlemania was ‘Houston… We have a problem’ but I don’t think any of us had a problem whatsoever with this icon vs icon match up. WWE have a tremendous record of creating fantastic video packages to show before matches, to rile the fans and amplify their excitement for the upcoming bout, and this particular one in my opinion is the best ever. Limp Bizkit supplied the soundtrack for this video with their track ’ My Way’ and the lyrics were so fitting, so perfect, for this particular rivalry. Those teasing, whispery opening lyrics: “You think you’re special, you do; I can see it in your eyes”; ripple over the image of Stone Cold and Rock face to face in an intense stare down…and there’s those goosebumps, and I’m ten again. By the time the chorus kicks in, I already feel buzzing about the match and seeing images of the two battling back and forth is so exciting to watch. Throw in some ‘good ole JR’ Jim Ross and Michael Cole, (before he sucked) and it was like a recipe for magic, pure electricity, exhilarating entertainment. Images of The Rock hitting Austin with his own finishing move, which we had never seen before this point,added another dimension of sheer urgency and deep-seated resentment to the rivalry and illuminated the sense of one ups man-ship. When we come to the conclusion of the video, the commentary and sound bites fade and die; while lyrics from My Way echo over the images; flashes of scenes between the two shows with them toasting one another violently, blows my ten year old mind, in the ultimate display of manhood and testosterone, while the tension builds and builds to a crescendo of an all out brawl before they hit the main event. By far my favourite wrestling video package and it stands the test of time even when I watch it now in 2017. Now if you watched WWF back in 2001, you will know that it was never a surprise the pop that Austin would get from the crowd, especially with his universally known glass crash at the start of his theme, but Mania 17 was on another level. The decibel level must have been through the roof as when the glass crashes the crowd go insane and lose their minds, for me it’s the biggest pop ever in wrestling history. The start of the match was exactly what all the fans wanted, the two went straight at it throwing hands from the get go and got the crowd on their feet early. The crowd are so emotionally invested in this rivalry and show their appreciation through sheer lung power and make this match even more of a classic with their committed participation. The match itself is so physical from start to finish with both men ending the match bust wide open and both inflicting so much pain on one another; and we wait, bleeding with them; feeling their pain, frustration and physical exhaustion in the way only the most committed wrestling fans know how. No need for me to scribe a play by play detailed analysis of the match because if you haven’t seen it then I implore you to do so, if you have then you know why I don’t need to explain it all. The final result of the match though. I feel like it left a lot of us feeling robbed of a classic finish. The finish showed exactly what Austin meant when he uttered the lines to his nemesis: “I need to beat you Rock. I need it more than anything you can imagine”. This hinted at desperation from Austin but we didn’t know how far that would take him. It is something Austin has since said was probably his only regret from his career, but hey; it’s not bad at all when you can say that this is your only regret. I just feel the need to emphasise how high I regard this whole segment, from video package to end of the match. Two of my, and many others, favourite wrestlers of all time, at the height of their popularity;in front of sixty thousand wild wrestling fans and raising hell. For my money, it’s one of the best main events Wrestlemania has ever had and will hold a place in my memory for a long time to come. For me and the fans alongside me that watch it with a heightened sense of nostalgia; for those minutes, we are all eleven-year-olds.

[geektified]

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The Raw Exposé: Welcome to Monster Mash Monday Starring Braun Strowman & The Big Show (4-17-2017)

By: Keila Cash

  Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Raw and SmackDown Live rosters were infused with fresh blood after the Superstar Shakeup last week. With the tables reset heading into the spring and summer months, did Raw’s first full week with a revamped roster pay dividends or did they experience a case of buyer’s remorse?

  Elsewhere, Braun Strowman destroyed Roman Reigns in epic fashion last week. Did Reigns channel his inner John Cena by making a miraculous recovery or did the new Big Dog lick his wounds as Strowman continues his path of destruction? The answer to these questions can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

    Braun Strowman kicked off Raw by gloating about how he put Roman Reigns out of commission after his classic backstage beatdown last week.

  Kurt Angle burst Strowman’s bubble when he announced that Reigns would be well enough to face Strowman at Payback in two weeks. Strowman vowed that it would be Reigns’ funeral and demanded that Angle give him competition or else. Angle didn’t give him a clear answer which caused Strowman to storm backstage as the opening segment came to an end.

  This was a good way to start the show. Strowman was smug and gleeful during his promo, but the crowd reaction was mixed. Logically, he should be booed out of the building but Reigns is a lightning rod when it comes to getting de facto heel heat. It’s refreshing that an actual heel gets booed for being an evil and irredeemable human being for a change.

    I love Chris Jericho’ Lite Brite scarf. It’s so fetching.

  Samoa Joe defeated Chris Jericho when he made Jericho tap out to the Coquina Clutch in a solid match. Jericho had a few hope spots, but the outcome was never in doubt because Joe wasn’t going to lose his first match on a random episode of Raw.

  It won’t be business as usual when Samoa Joe faces Seth Rollins at Payback in two weeks. Joe reminded Rollins of his debut the night after the Royal Rumble. He wanted Rollins to remember his ligaments tearing apart in his knee. That was business, but things would get very personal at the PPV because Rollins defeated Triple H at WrestleMania and put Stephanie McMahon through a table as an added bonus.

  Rollins told Joe that payback’s a bitch as the segment came to a short and sweet end.

  I guess Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs. The Golden Truth is canceled as Strowman attacked Goldust and R-Truth backstage. Braun Smash! Braun Crush!

  Big Cass’ Ohio State Buckeyes shout out didn’t go over too well with the Columbus crowd. Tough room. In all honesty, the joke was pretty lame.

  Anderson and Gallows defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass when Anderson pinned Enzo after dropping him knee first into the top turnbuckle. The finish was a little ugly as it appeared that the referee didn’t complete the three count. Enzo’s shoulders came up, but I never heard the ref’s hand hit the mat. Perhaps there was some kind of miscommunication, but the fans were not ready for the finish based on the tepid reaction after the match was over.

  The match was fine, but Enzo playing the babyface in peril was tiresome in spots. Big Cass took control down the stretch and had the match won until the fluky finish. This was a case where both teams gained nothing by facing each other which is a shame considering the talent involved.

  The Miz and Dean Ambrose’s feud from earlier this year has been re-ignited thanks to an explosive episode of Miz TV.  Miz talked about how he looked and acted like a WWE Superstar while Ambrose wore cheap clothes which afforded him multiple opportunities on SmackDown Live last year.

  However, Ambrose was a blimp on this year’s WrestleMania card while Miz and Maryse were front and center. Miz called Ambrose lazy and complacent which has prevented him from breaking the glass ceiling in WWE.

  Ambrose had a great rebuttal as he explained that his outward appearance didn’t matter because his heart said it all. His love for professional wrestling had no limits. He was willing to shed his blood, sweat, and tears in front of 20 or 100,000 people. After all, Ambrose defeated The Miz to win the Intercontinental Championship to kick off the year in style.

  Maryse got in Ambrose’s face and called him a street rat. Aladdin reference for the win! She talked about how the man makes the championship and called Ambrose a boy which added insult to injury.

  Ambrose told Maryse to hold his mic as he removed several items from his leather jacket before folding it up neatly. Miz went on a tirade about how Ambrose made the IC Title a joke while Ambrose chucked the jacket at Maryse before attacking Miz.

  Maryse hit Ambrose from behind with the microphone which allowed Miz to set up the Skull Crushing Finale. Ambrose wiggled out of the move and was about to drop Miz with Dirty Deeds, but The Hollywood A-Lister made a quick escape as he and Maryse scurried up the ramp.

  I am not a big fan of WWE revisiting this feud, but the mid-card scene is pretty light on star power. Until that situation is sorted out, Ambrose vs. Miz for the IC title is a fine placeholder. For now…

  Kalisto first week on Raw resulted in him being tossed in a dumpster by Strowman. Sad times…

  The Big Show body checked Strowman as he shoved him into the garage door backstage. Big Show vs. Strowman II is set for later tonight. Their first match was a pleasant surprise. Let’s hope lightning strikes twice.

  TJ Perkins defeated Jack Gallagher with the Detonation Kick thanks to an assist from Neville. The first half of the match was good as it featured fluid action throughout. However, the heat cooled off considerably after the commercial break as the crowd reaction was lukewarm at best.

  Jack Gallagher pulling a Mary Poppins liven things up as he laid out Perkins with a Thesz Press while falling gracefully to the floor with his umbrella.

  However, things took quite the turn when TJP tossed Gallagher into Austin Aries while he was watching the match from ringside. Aries got up to confront TJP, but Neville yanked Aries off the ring apron which led to the aforementioned finish.

  This was a nice way to forward the Neville-Aries feud while also giving TJP a chance to shine as a heel who is not above taking a short cut in order to pick up wins.

  Alexa Bliss became the number one contender for the Raw Women’s Championship when she capitalized on Nia Jax’s handiwork by pinning Sasha Banks after Jax laid her out with a Samoan Drop. Bliss kicked Jax out of the ring and picked up the tainted, but completely legal win.

  The Fatal Four Way match featuring Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Nia Jax was good. It featured solid action throughout and I loved the interaction between James and Banks. Bliss was the ultimate opportunist as she knew what battles to fight and which ones to run away from.

  Jax’s power offense was impressive and relatively safe for a change. Jax needs more seasoning in the ring and WWE’s unique approach of having her learn on the job is exposing her weaknesses instead of accentuating her strengths as a badass who needs to do very little in order to get over. It worked for Strowman. Let’s hope the Powers That Be realizes that when it comes to the presentation of Jax in the future.

  In any event, Bliss will be a nice foil for Bayley heading into Payback while the slow burn heel turn of Sasha Banks continues.

  Finn Bálor made quick work of Curt Hawkins when he pinned Hawkins with the Coup De Grace. I’m glad that Bálor’s concussion scare wasn’t serious as he was back in the ring this week. If Bálor defeated Jinder Mahal in 30 seconds or less last week, that whole forearm to the head thing could’ve been avoided.

  On a lighter note, Hawkins is aware that his sole purpose on Raw is to elevate people to the main event. Smart man.

  Quick Synopsis of Bray Wyatt’s sermon to Randy Orton: There will be hell, fire, and brimstone. Here endeth the recap.

  Chris Jericho putting The Drifter on The LIST made my night.

  Jeff Hardy and Cesaro survived the 10:30 Lull Period of Death by having a competitive one-on-one match which saw Cesaro put on an uppercut party of the highest order.

  The match was solid, but it was a bit one-note due to all the uppercuts. Hardy eventually got back on offense when he grazed Cesaro with Whisper in the Wind followed by a dropkick that sent the Swiss Superman tumbling out of the ring.

  The ending came when both men countered out of their finishes with Hardy coming out on top with the Side Effect followed by the Swanton Bomb for the win.

  The Hardy Boyz and Cesaro & Sheamus shook hands as a sign of mutual respect heading into their Raw Tag Team Championship match at Payback in two weeks. We shall see if the face vs. face dynamic holds up heading into the go-home show next week.

  The Big Show vs. Braun Strowman had another classic battle that featured baseball slides, dropkicks, arm drags, powerslams, kip-ups, chokeslams, and knockout punches. However, the biggest spot of the match took place when Strowman delivered a superplex to Big Show that sent both men crashing down the canvas which caused the ring to implode. The referee flew out of the ring as the crowd popped with shock and elation.

  The ring crew checked on all three men as various camera angles surveyed the damage. Amazingly, Strowman got up and declared himself the winner as Raw went off the air with the Monster among Men celebrating on the main stage.

  The match was a total spectacle and I loved every minute of it. Big Show and Strowman worked well together and told a great story in the ring. Whoever laid out the match did a tremendous job teasing the superplex spot. The fans were on their feet, but their instant gratification was denied which made the actual moment even sweeter when it finally happened.

  This was a great way to end the show and I must give kudos to WWE for spacing out the epic ring implosion moment over the years. Big Show has been a part of all of them and each time it feels special and out of the blue. It’s a trick that will never get old as long as it’s used sporadically. Tonight was no different.

  Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw was solid. The show was verging on being so-so until the main event salvaged things. Plus, WWE showed restraint by keeping Roman Reigns off television this week. It would’ve been dumb for Reigns to show up fresh as a daisy after Strowman kicked his ass to the nth degree. Building anticipation for their rematch was the way to go and I fully expect the new Big Dog to show up on the go-home show next week. Perhaps he should bring a bulldozer for added protection against Strowman. Safety first!

  Up until the main event, the Fatal Four Way Match featuring Sasha Banks. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Nia Jax were in the running for match of the night honors. The ladies had a solid outing that might have been the best in-ring work I’ve seen in the Women’s Division since Bayley defeated Charlotte for the championship a little over two months ago. Bliss has one week to promote her match against the Hugger Extraordinaire. With her razor sharp mic work, I am confident in her capabilities to get the job done.

  The rest of the show felt stagnant in spots. Due to Dash Wilder recovering from a broken jaw, The Revival’s push is on hold which causes a bit of stagnation in the Tag Team Division. The Hardy Boyz have to be the standard bearer until Top Guys make their triumphant return. Let’s hope the nostalgia doesn’t wear off between now and then.

  After last week’s Superstar Shakeup, nothing really changed with the exception of Dean Ambrose and The Miz rekindling their feud from SmackDown Live and Bray Wyatt spewing nonsense on the TitanTron. Everything else is pretty much the same. Let’s hope the creative team shakes things up over the next couple of months because the broadcast seems a little wishy-washy outside of Strowman being an indestructible badass. Fingers crossed!

  On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!