[WR] REVIEW: King Of The Ring 1994: Someone Call For A Revolution

[WrestlingRumors.net]

WrestlingRumors.net

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REVIEW: King Of The Ring 1994: Someone Call For A Revolution

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 11:47 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/review-king-ring-1994-someone-call-revolution/


Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing
wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on
Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. It could be anything from modern WWE
to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using
letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as
really, how good or bad can something that short be?
King of the Ring 1994

Date: June 19, 1994

Location: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland

Attendance: 12,000

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage, Art Donovan
Its tournament time and that means its not likely to be the most
interesting show in the world. On top of that, this is one of the weaker
fields theyve ever had, which makes for a rather dull few hours. Finally,
this show is infamous for the commentary, which really was a disaster and a
horrible idea. Lets get to it.
Earlier today, Jeff Jarrett came up to the official bracket board and tried
to advance himself. This brought in Bam Bam Bigelow, Owen Hart and IRS to
start a big argument.
Opening sequence which explains the tournament (including running down the
card) and the rest of the card. Theyre REALLY stretching to fill in time
here.
National Anthem.
The announcers welcome us to the show with Monsoon referring to Donovan as
“Art ODonnell”. Donovan, a former NFL player in his 70s who has NO IDEA
what is going on, picks Razor Ramon to win the tournament, which seems to
be the only wrestler hes been told about.
Before we get started, here are the brackets:
Razor Ramon
Bam Bam Bigelow
IRS
Mabel
Owen Hart
Tatanka
1-2-3 Kid
Jeff Jarrett
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Razor Ramon
Ramon throws the toothpick at Luna Vachon and gets beaten down for his
efforts. So Bigelow is just being chivalrous? Bigelow hammers him down and
drops a headbutt as Art says he cant stand to watch it. Thats one of the
only things hes said all match because, in theory, he has no idea what hes
watching here (not his fault).
Razor gets a running start and slides underneath the ropes to crotch
Bigelow against the post. The middle rope bulldog gets two and its off to a
leglock. Art realizes that Bigelow has Luna in his corner and asks about
her as Bigelow misses an enziguri. A missed charge sends Razor flying over
the top for a crash as the announcers talk about how tough you have to be
to win one of these things. For some reason Savage doesnt bring up the
whole winning a one night tournament to win the WWF World Title at
Wrestlemania IV, which they would never let him get away with today.
Bigelow kicks him in the face for two and Donovan is impressed. Well
Bigelow has certainly made it then. Some headbutts to the back have Ramon
in trouble and its off to a torture rack of all things. The hold stays on
for a good while and Art thinks Razor is dead. Bigelow finally flips him
down and gets caught in a belly to back suplex to put both guys down. Art:
“What happens now?” Bigelow is too big for the Razors Edge so he slams
Razor and loads up the moonsault. Razor is right back up though and kind of
powerbombs Bigelow off the top into a rollup to advance.
Rating: C-. Pretty slow and plodding here but theres only so much Razor can
do with someone Bigelows size. It helps that Bigelow is able to move around
far better than most giants and it made for a watchable power match.
Putting Razor, probably the most popular guy in the tournament, through to
the second round, was pretty much mandatory here.
We go to Todd Pettengill at the big board where IRS gives one of the most
awkward interviews ever about beating Mabel and then wanting to face
Tatanka in the finals. Mabel says hell never have his shoulders pinned to
the mat. Mo agrees and is lucky that no one punches him out.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: IRS vs. Mabel
Art as IRS comes out: “Randy, is this one of the wrestlers?” Then he doesnt
know Mabels name, which thankfully is ignored by the other announcers. I
get that the guy doesnt know any better but hes already getting annoying.
IRS tries to jump him from behind and gets sent into the corner over and
over for his efforts.
Art wants to leave because of the danger of IRS having to fight someone
twice his size and you can tell Gorilla and Randy are already sick of him.
A Samoan drop sets up a big elbow as Art wants to know who the guy in the
white suit (Mabels manager Oscar) is. Mabel misses a charge and gets kneed
out to the floor. Back in and IRS hits a good looking jumping clothesline,
which Savage says might be the best one in the history of the company.
Thats a Michael Cole style line as commentary is just all over the place
tonight.
In the HUH spot of the match, IRS tries a slam and gets small packaged for
what looked like three, though the referee stops counting at two because I
dont think IRS could kick out. We hit the chinlock with Art thinking Mabel
is wealthy because he has gold in his mouth. Mabel fights up and hits a
backdrop followed by a bad looking Boss Man Slam. What looks like a middle
rope splash is broken up though and IRS grabs a rollup (and a rope, which
makes Mabel look like hes on fire) for the pin.
Rating: D. Ive actually seen worse as they just let IRS do his basic yet
well done stuff while Mabel just looked imposing. The ending was the only
real way to have Mabel get pinned and it didnt even feel forced. Well call
this a pleasant surprise, despite it still being a pretty weak match.
Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji are ready to have Crush and Yokozuna win the Tag
Team Titles.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Tatanka vs. Owen Hart
Oh you can imagine how Art is going to handle someone like Tatanka. With
Art annoyingly asking how much Owen weighs (WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT
MAKE???), Tatanka jumps him to start in a rather heelish move. The
announcers basically make it clear that Owen is the favorite, more or less
guaranteeing an Owen vs. Razor final (not that thats a bad thing). Tatanka
gets two off a suplex and Art asks how much he weighs.
Monsoon just starts talking over Donovan as Owen works on a headlock.
Tatanka gets sent over the top but lands on his feet to drag Owen outside
for a chop off. Owen posts him and we cut to the back where Razor and IRS
are in a fight. That goes nowhere so Owen hits the running crotch attack to
the back of the head that needs a better name than the running crotch
attack to the back of the head.
A missile dropkick gives Owen two and we hit the chinlock. Monsoon is now
flat out ignoring Arts questions, which is probably the best possible
option. Back up and Tatanka hits the war path, including a DDT for a close
two. Another near fall off a powerslam annoys Tatanka and Owen sits down on
a sunset flip for the pin to advance.
Rating: C. The match was perfectly fine but sweet goodness Art is getting
old. Theres just nothing there from him and it takes a lot to really get on
Monsoons nerves. As mentioned though, Owen winning is the most obvious
result in the world for this show and theres nothing wrong with that,
especially when the first match was certainly watchable.
Shawn and Diesel liked hurting Bret and promise another Jackknife tonight.
Theyre not worried about any family member being in Brets corner either.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: 1-2-3 Kid vs. Jeff Jarrett
Donovan thinks the Kid looks like a boxer. I dont know many boxers with
1-2-3 on their singlet, or one with a singlet on in general for that
matter. Jarrett starts fast and whips Kid hard into the corner and lets
keep hitting that NEW GENERATION catchphrase, which actually officially
started tonight. So this is where the blame got started.
They trade clotheslines as Donovan thinks Kid has no chance here. Kid
misses a Swanton but Jeff crotches himself (Donovan finds it HILARIOUS),
setting up a high crossbody for two. The Bronco Buster misses and Jeff, who
Art calls “a cutie” tries the Figure Four but gets small packaged for the
pin.
Rating: B-. This is the kind of match where Jarrett excelled: fast paced,
doing his basics and letting someone else do the hard work. Jarrett gets a
bad reputation for not being the best character (he wasnt) or not having
the best matches (he didnt), but he was going to give you a perfectly
acceptable match, which is more important than a lot of things.
Post match Jeff snaps and piledrives Kid three times in a row.
The final four:
IRS
Razor Ramon
Owen Hart
1-2-3 Kid
New Generation ad, focusing on old vs. new, including Hogan listed as old
of course.
Bret is ready for Diesel, no matter how devastating the Jackknife is. He
wont stand for injustice though and has a surprise to deal with Shawn.
WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Diesel
Diesel is challenging but his Intercontinental Title isnt on the line. For
the sake of clarity, Ill only refer to Bret as champ. Diesels pyro from the
ceiling only goes down a few feet instead of nearly halfway down to the
ring as usual. Maybe they just didnt have the formula down yet. Brets
surprise is..Jim Neidhart, who hasnt been around in a few years. Savage
makes the mistake of mentioning that Neidhart played football, prompting
Art to NEED to know if Diesel was a football player too.
Diesel elbows him in the face to start and easily wins a slugout. Thats
pretty out of character as Bret isnt going to start slugging away until
things are a lot more even. Hes smart enough to avoid a charge though and
its time for the headbutt to the abdomen. A thumb to the eye cuts Bret off,
which Art says isnt kosher. Diesel misses another charge though and thats
your story for the match: Bret cant match him for size and power but hes
smart enough to avoid Diesels reckless offense.
Its already time to go after the knee, including the Figure Four. Diesel
kicks him away so we hit the spinning toehold as the match flashes back to
days when Donovan was just ancient and not.well Art Donovan. Bret wraps the
leg around the post (Savage: “Go ahead and do it. I wont look!”) but Shawn
clotheslines him down, sending Neidhart into the chase.
Back in and Diesel grabs a bearhug but Bret bites his way to freedom, only
to miss a dive to the floor. Donovan wants to know how these guys get out
of bed in the morning (Id assume they stand up) and Monsoon cuts him off
with a level of rudeness youll never hear from him again. We hit the
backbreaker with Bret being bent over the knee for a bit before hitting the
running crotch attack to the back.
Another backbreaker gets another two as Diesel doesnt exactly have his full
offensive skill set yet. I mean, he only had about six or seven moves at
his peak so you can imagine how bad things are here. Diesel grabs an over
the shoulder backbreaker as Shawn tries to take off a turnbuckle pad. Bret
slips out and starts trying a sleeper, only to be shoved into the referee.
NOW the buckle pad comes off but, of course, Diesel eats the steel instead.
Bret slugs away (makes sense now, which is often the case with him) and
gets two off a clothesline. That means the Five Moves of Doom but Shawns
distraction breaks up the Sharpshooter. Bret tries to slug away a bit more
and walks right into the big boot.
Diesel stands over him and gives the Jackknife sign but Bret rolls into a
Boston crab (with the legs crossed but Brets legs are spread instead of
intertwined). Of course it doesnt last long as Diesel goes outside,
allowing Shawn to hit Bret with the belt. Theres the Jackknife but Neidhart
comes in for the DQ.
Rating: B. I actually like that finish as it keeps Diesel looking strong,
meaning he wasnt taking a pin while still Intercontinental Champion. Bret
was carrying Diesel here and thats exactly why they were put together.
Diesel was VERY weak in the ring at this point but he could do a few things
well, which Bret was more than capable of working with to make a good
match. These two always had great chemistry together and thats all you need
a lot of the time.
It was all Diesel needed too, as this was the match that made Vince decide
to push him to the moon, including making him champion in about five
months. The problem was he didnt have much beyond looking cool, a good
finisher and a strong Royal Rumble performance. DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND
FAMILIAR TO ANYONE TODAY???
Neidhart leaves for some reason (Dun dun dun?), allowing Diesel and Shawn
to lay Bret out.
Lawler insults Donovan a bit and says hes the true king and thats the
bottom line. He loves the idea of beating Piper so the kids in Toronto (who
Piper had promised some of his winnings to) get NOTHING. Now thats as
heelish as you can get: “I want to beat you so poor sick kids are left out
in the cold!” And people wonder why Lawler is considered one of the best of
all time.
King of the Ring Tournament Semifinals: Razor Ramon vs. IRS
Razor jumps him in the aisle as Monsoon thankfully reminds us that these
two fought at the Royal Rumble. IRS gets in a few shots but Razor takes him
outside and sends him into the steps to really stagger him. A kick to the
knee slows Razor down though and we hit the chinlock. Razor fights up
without too much effort (because it was a kick to the knee and a chinlock),
only to get caught with the running clothesline. Not that it matters as
Razor hits a quick Razors Edge for the pin.
Rating: D. I wonder if Razor was injured here. There was barely any offense
from Ramon until the very end and he spent a good chunk of a five minute
match in a chinlock. Injury or not though, you have to put Ramon against
Owen in the final, just for the sake of ANY star power/a threat to Owen in
the last match.
Bret is looking for Neidhart.
Theres no update on the 1-2-3 Kids status after the attack.
King of the Ring Semifinals: Owen Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid
This one is kind of famous. Kid is fine enough to get in the ring, making
the previous backstage segment rather worthless. Owen baseball slides him
through the ropes and hits an even harder suicide dive to start things off.
A top rope splash is good for two on the Kid but he sends Owen chest first
into the corner, setting up a twisting high crossbody for two of his own.
Kid gets the same off a crucifix as were not even a minute into this yet.
Some spinning kicks drop Owen again but the enziguri gets him out of
trouble. Kid gets two more off a northern lights suplex with Owen going to
the ropes for the break. Owen bails so its a BIG flip dive over the top and
Savage announces his retirement from this level of action. Back in and a
German suplex gives Owen two, followed by a snap overhead belly to belly
for the same. A victory roll gives Kid another near fall but his
hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb, setting up the Sharpshooter to
send Owen to the finals.
Rating: A-. Thats the best under five (four actually) minute match Ive ever
seen as they beat the heck out of each other and packed in about fifteen
minutes of stuff into just over three and a half. Kid saves face because he
came in injured so its even well booked on top of being entertaining. Check
this out and see what these two could do when they were trying to show off.
Roddy Piper cuts a promo about taking his pants off, not remembering what
town hes in, loving Hershey bars, spaghetti with mosquito bites, various
movies hes been in, eating flies, not trusting people with no necks, “King
Toady”, Don King, King the Dog and there being no such thing as a king.
Piper is known for his crazy interviews and this was one of the weirdest
Ive ever seen from him. That includes the time he took over Alcatraz or the
time he rambled about Hulk Hogan and hopped away for no apparent reason.
Tag Team Titles: Yokozuna/Crush vs. Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers are defending of course. For once, Art asks the right
question when he wants to know Yokozunas weight. He also brings up a good
point: why are there eight people out here (Mr. Fuji/Jim Cornette/Lou
Albano/Afa are all out as well) for a two on two match? The staredown (kind
of a family reunion save for Crush) leads to a big brawl until the
Headshrinkers start fighting each other for no apparent reason.
Yokozuna gets headbutted to the floor and we settle down to Yokozuna vs.
Samu to start. A spinning kick to the face and a dropkick stagger Yokozuna
and knock him outside again. Its off to Crush vs. Fatu, who will have none
of this faceplant nonsense. A piledriver plants Crush and a middle rope
headbutt gets two. Fuji gets in a cheap shot from the floor and Crush grabs
a piledriver of his own to really take over. Its off to Yokozuna for the
big fat leg but he misses a charge in the corner.
Samu comes in for a powerslam (Ill let you guess to whom) and everything
breaks down. A double superkick knocks Yokozuna outside for the third time
(not a good sign less than eight minutes in) but hes still able to crotch
Samu on top. More managerial interference brings out Lex Luger (oh yeah hes
still around) to stare at Crush, allowing Samu to get in a superkick to
retain.
Rating: D+. This was a decent power brawl but it was clearly just there to
offer some extra flavor to go with the tournament. The Headshrinkers are
one of my favorite teams from this era (or the 90s in general actually) and
they were beating the heck out of Yokozuna here. That would be part of the
huge downfall for Yokozuna, who went from beating Hogan the previous year
to this in twelve months. Its the problem with being a monster and someone
whose gut probably has its own zip code.
Crush beats on Luger until the Headshrinkers make the save.
Owen promises to win and wishes his dad a Happy Fathers Day.
King of the Ring: Razor Ramon vs. Owen Hart
Razor punches him down and stares at him because theyre filling time
despite the match not likely having much of it to work with in the first
place. They do an awkward slam spot and Owen slaps him in the face to earn
himself a catapult into the corner. A slow motion bridge into a backslide
gives Razor two and Art changes his pick to Owen. The spinwheel kick drops
Razor, who Art cheers for three seconds after changing his pick.
We hit an abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs but Razor hiptosses out and
grabs a chokeslam for two. The belly to back superplex looks to set up the
Edge but Razor gets backdropped to the floor. Heres Neidhart to check on
Razor and then deck him, setting up Owens top rope elbow for the pin and
the crown.
Rating: C-. Obvious ending and unnecessary interference aside, this was the
only way they could have done. Owen was still hot from beating Bret at
Wrestlemania and needed a major win without changing the Intercontinental
Title from one heel to another. Giving him the crown was as good of an
option as they had and it made him look like a real threat in his big title
shot against Bret.
Owen and Neidhart beat Razor down with a Hart Attack and CANADIAN (and
American) stomping. Bret doesnt save for no apparent reason.
We go to Bret in the back and he has no comment. Is there ANY reason why he
didnt come out here? I guess hes supposed to be shocked but that doesnt
quite endear him to Razor. Not that he needed to do so but it would have
made sense given how much he wanted to go after Neidhart.
Donovan asks Monsoon and Savage if they acted like that when they wrestled.
Monsoon COMPLETELY ignores him and asks Randy about Neidharts sanity.
Its already coronation time with Neidhart standing at Owens side. Owen
brags and dubs himself the King of Harts, an awesome nickname.
Long recap of Piper vs. Lawler, which is mostly just them doing the exact
insults you would expect from both of them. Like I mentioned, theres also a
childrens hospital shoehorned in here for the sake of some emotion.
Roddy Piper vs. Jerry Lawler
Lawler being a king confuses Donovan even more. Before Piper comes out,
Lawler does his usual crowd insults and again promises to keep all the
winnings. As is his custom for a big match, Piper is played to the ring by
a pipe and drum corps. In the first pay per view main event ever between
two wrestles over forty years old, Monsoon has the gorilla testicles to
call this a NEW GENERATION match.
Piper even comes out with the imitator from Raw, who was rather insulting
to him during the Kings Court. Apparently Piper has forgiven him.and I
guess were supposed to be impressed. Uh, right. The kid (who is about
seventeen at the youngest) does some Piper jokes (to be fair he does a
great impression) and were FINALLY ready to go. Piper hammers away to start
and Monsoon dubs it vintage. In the NEW Generation.
The kilt is thrown over Lawlers head and Piper bites in the corner as I
dont expect much in the way of wrestling here. A big right hand sends
Lawler bailing to the floor and the kid gets in a poke to the eye. Back in
and Piper slugs away before telling Lawler to bring it. Piper starts going
to the hamstring (psychology you see) and an atomic drop sends Lawler
outside again.
Lawlers hand is sent into the post as theres nothing resembling wrestling
anywhere in this match. The kid gets dragged inside and instead of BEATING
LAWLER UP, Piper shoves the kid back to the floor. A bunch of punches set
up.even more punches and we hit the sleeper on Piper. Monsoon says thats a
patented hold, even though I dont think I ever remember seeing Lawler using
one.
The piledriver (to NO reaction, just like most of this match) gets two (no
reaction again) as Savage is trying everything he can to make this
interesting. Piper spits at him and slugs back, followed by a pair of
bulldogs. The ref gets bumped (you knew this wasnt ending clean) and its a
foreign object to knock Piper out. Lawler gets two with the kid making the
save, allowing Piper to grab a belly to back suplex for the pin.
Rating: OG. For Old Generation. This was straight out of the nightmares of
Memphis in front of a bored crowd who wanted to go home after a not great
night. I get the idea here but this needed to go on about second, as there
was no way these dinosaurs were going to be able to produce anything
worthwhile. It just wasnt a story that people were going to care about and
there was no way around that. Terrible main event, and perhaps the worst in
company history.
Piper celebrates with the kid..and we go to Shawn telling Diesel that hell
get the title soon enough to end the show. I guess the main event was so
bad that it screwed up the show format. You know, even worse than it
already did.
Overall Rating: D+. Art Donovan issues and main event aside, theres enough
good stuff going on here to help carry it over the line. The problem here
is the lack of interest from the backstage forces, mainly due to trying to
keep Vince out of jail and all that good stuff. Theres enough good
wrestling to keep the show from flatlining but youre much better off
watching those individual matches rather than the full two hour and forty
five minutes, which crawl by on more than one occasion.
The interesting thing here is how fast the show got through its ten matches
though. Outside of Bret vs. Diesel, nothing breaks thirteen minutes with
none of the tournament matches even getting nine minutes. To be fair
though, its not like there was a reason to stretch out a predictable
tournament and the World Title match more than makes up for it. Not as bad
as remembered, but still not great or even good for the most part.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post REVIEW: King Of The Ring 1994: Someone Call For A Revolution
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Its Very Old School Of Them. The Revival And Randy Orton Are Recruiting
The Madusa To Their Dangerous Alliance.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 11:34 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/old-school-revival-randy-orton-recruiting-madusa-dangerous-alliance/


There may be a future for her yet. There are a lot of people in WWE and
that means that there might not be time for all of them to regularly
appear. With so many people on the roster and on television, it makes
sense to have some of them bundled together for the sake of finding a way
to get more of them some screen time. That has been the case lately but
one group wants to be even bigger.

Over the weekend, the Revival’s Scott Dawson sent out a Tweet asking if
backstage interviewer Cathy Kelly could act as the Revival and Randy
Orton’s Madusa. This is in reference to Madusa serving as part of the
Dangerous Alliance in WCW in the early 90s. Kelly responded, asking where
she could find matching gear to look like the rest of the team. There is
no word on Kelly being paired with the two of them.

Someone let Queen Cath know she should be our Madusa.
https://t.co/IhZeW3J0yd

- Dash (@DashWilderWWE) August 26, 2019



*googles where to find matching zebra print track suits*
https://t.co/GWItRCzgtZ

- Queen Cathy (@catherinekelley) August 26, 2019



https://t.co/ESbdGXczC0 pic.twitter.com/Bc2CIO3BFE

- Dash (@DashWilderWWE) August 26, 2019



For those of you who haven’t seen much from Madusa. Check out one of her
matches from WCW:


Opinion: This is one of those things that could work well enough, though I
can’t imagine it actually happening. Kelly is a perfectly fine backstage
interviewer and has some talents that could be used for something like
this. That being said, Revival and Orton aren’t a team who needs a manager
to get by as all three of them can talk well enough. It’s a fun thought to
have though.

Do you think Kelly will be put with anyone? Who is the best interviewer in
WWE? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post Its Very Old School Of Them. The Revival And Randy Orton Are
Recruiting The Madusa To Their Dangerous Alliance. appeared first on
WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
RUMOR: It Took Them That Long? WWE Was Very Surprised By One Thing About
This Superstar.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 11:31 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/rumor-took-long-wwe-surprised-one-thing-superstar/


They look bigger off television. WWE has been undergoing a lot of changes
to its roster over the last few months as the company tries to figure out a
way to help fight off their ratings woes. That isn’t the easiest thing to
do, but bringing in some fresh faces can help with a lot of the problem.
WWE has been doing that, and one such name seems to have surprised them.

According to Fightful Select by way of Wrestletalk.com, WWE officials were
surprised by how physically big Buddy Murphy looked in the ring. Murphy
has been pushed harder on SmackDown Live in recent weeks, with back to back
matches against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, including a win over the
latter. Murphy was called up from 205 Live earlier this year as part of
the Superstar Shakeup.

Murphy is doing well as of late. Check out his match with Bryan:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: That statement should tell you two things: WWE officials don’t
watch 205 Live and Murphy has been sitting around for a long time now. It
doesn’t come off as the best sign when WWE called him up about four and a
half months ago and doesn’t seem to know how big he looks. Murphy isn’t
exactly a giant but he’s bigger than most cruiserweights and that is very
clear as soon as you see him wrestle. Now why did it take so long to see
that?

Has Murphy impressed you? What do you want to see him do next? Let us
know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post RUMOR: It Took Them That Long? WWE Was Very Surprised By One
Thing About This Superstar. appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Shes Back. Ronda Rousey To Join The Cast Of Total Divas

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:23 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/derekstoughton/shes-back-ronda-rousey-join-cast-total-divas/


We may get to see another side of her. Although Ronda Rousey has not been
featured on WWE programming since WrestleMania 35, her presence is still
felt in the world of professional wrestling. However, we may see a
different side to her in the coming weeks.

According to WWE, The Baddest Woman on the Planet will be joining the cast
of Total Divas for their 9th season which premiers on October 2. While
Natalya, Naomi and Nia Jax and Carmella will be returning to the show, both
Rousey and Sonya Deville will be added to the lineup.

You can see a clip of the announcement below:
[This post contains video, click to play]


From WWE.com:
Total Divas kicks off showcasing another side of Rousey, as she gushes
about her MMA fighter husband Travis Browne while enjoying her time in WWE
and working on her ranch, Browsey Acres.
Natalya, mourning the death of her beloved father Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart,
is taking things one day at a time and throwing herself into work. Her
sights are set on winning the Women’s Royal Rumble Match and a chance to
become the Raw Women’s Champion. Nia is feeling confident after her
victorious showing in the Battle Royal at WWE’s first-ever all women’s
pay-per-view event, WWE Evolution. However, there is trouble in paradise
when she learns who her next opponent will be.
Sonya is happy to be living out and proud and is ready for a serious
relationship and respect in the ring. While settling into her new home in
Ft. Lauderdale, an opportunity to move to Tampa presents itself and shakes
up her entire world.
After her recent breakup, Carmella is focused on what’s important for her
and her career. She is faced with backlash while trying to balance
friendships and a new romantic relationship, putting both to the ultimate
test. Naomi is excited to get down to business during the Women’s Royal
Rumble Match in an effort to be the last woman standing. Having her close
friends Sonya and Carmella on the road with her makes for many fun
adventures along the way.
Nikki and Brie connect with the ladies, whether it’s at their Birdiebee
fashion show or on the road. Although the entrepreneurial sisters are busy
with their businesses and filming Total Bellas, the passion they share for
WWE hasn’t waned.

Editors Opinion:

Although I dont watch the show, I am very intrigued by this. It will be
interesting to see a different side of Rousey, who always portrays a
bad-ass, who is as tough as they come. Im curious to see how much of her
softer side the cameras will allow us to see.

What do you think of Ronda Rousey joining the cast of Total Divas?  Leave
us a comment below, or post a comment on our Facebook page! Also, be sure
to sign up for our newsletter and download our App from your favorite App
Store!

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The post Shes Back. Ronda Rousey To Join The Cast Of Total Divas appeared
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///////////////////////////////////////////
The Card Keeps Filling Up. Another Title Match Set For Clash Of Champions
With First Time Challengers.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 07:34 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/card-keeps-filling-another-title-match-set-clash-champions/


The card is growing. With less than three weeks to go before Clash of
Champions, there isn’t much on the card so far. The show needs some
matches added as there are a lot of titles that need to be defended.
Thankfully it seems that WWE knows that for a change and started beefing up
the card this week, starting with the Universal Title match being added and
then setting up a second title match.

We have new #1 contenders to the Raw Tag Team Titles as Robert Roode and
Dolph Ziggler earned the Clash of Champions title shot. Ziggler and Roode
won an eight team Tag Team Turmoil match to earn the shot, last eliminating
Heavy Machinery. This was the first time Roode and Ziggler had teamed
together and they will face Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman, who are facing
off for the Universal Title at Clash of Champions.

There isn’t much footage of them teaming together so we’ll try this
instead. Check out Roode vs. Ziggler in a 2/3 falls match:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: I guess that’s as good as they could get as the Raw tag division
isn’t exactly in great shape. That being said, they couldn’t put the OC in
there or something instead? They just lost the Tag Team Titles and would
seem to be a bit more interesting than Roode and Ziggler. I don’t think I
ever need to see Rollins vs. Ziggler again but that is just how things go
in WWE.

Who leaves Clash of Champions with the titles? Who would be the most
interesting challengers? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post The Card Keeps Filling Up. Another Title Match Set For Clash Of
Champions With First Time Challengers. appeared first on
WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Impact Wrestling Results - August 23, 2019

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 07:04 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/impact-wrestling-results-august-23-2019/


Impact Wrestling

Date: August 23, 2019

Location: Oceanview Pavilion, Port Hueneme, California

Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re out of the northeast for a change and in this case it’s for a special
show called Cali Combat. Impact has a tendency to make their bigger shows
pretty good as they know how to do the all action events, but I’m not sure
how well that is going to work this time around. Let’s get to it.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.
Michael Elgin vs. Rhino

The ring is especially small here. Rhino goes with the power game to start
and shoulders him to the floor as the fans start a WAR MACHINE chant. Back
in and a running shoulder in the corner has Elgin in more trouble but he’s
on the floor again before the Gore can launch. Elgin nails an enziguri for
his first shot and it’s time to unload in the corner. A collision gives us
a quick double knockdown but Elgin is back up with a release Rock Bottom
out of the corner.

The twisting Swanton misses though and the comeback is on, including a
spinebuster to give Rhino two. Elgin’s bridging German suplex gets the same
as the power brawling continues. A piledriver plants Elgin for two more and
a superplex makes it even better. Elgin kicks the Gore away and they fight
to the floor for the double countout at 11:37.

Result: Michael Elgin vs. Rhino went to a double countout (11:37)

Post match the fight continues until referees break it up.

Post break Elgin says this isn’t over. Rhino comes in to brawl some more.

The announcers preview the show.
Tag Team Titles: Reno Scum vs. The North

The North is defending. Luster the Legend headlocks Ethan to start and then
runs him down with a shoulder. The bigger Luster cranks on the arm and it’s
Thornstowe coming in with an ax handle. Alexander comes in for a swinging
Texas Cloverleaf of all things and it’s the chinlock to take us to a break.

Back with Alexander stomping Thornstowe down in the corner and handing it
off to Page for a spinning backbreaker. A shot to the face allows the tag
off to Luster for the big power comeback, including a spinebuster for two
on Alexander. Everything breaks down with Page’s suicide dive taking out
Luster. That leaves Thornstowe to get crotched on top, setting up the toss
Alabama Slam for the pin to retain at 11:25.

Result: The North b. Reno Scum Assisted Alabama Slam to Thornstowe (11:25)

Ace Austin is banged up so Alisha Edwards helps him get his shirt off. Ace
confirms that the bandages are from Eddie Edwards but Alisha leaves for her
match. The chicanery continues.

Madison Rayne tries to smooth things over with Jordynne Grace, who
shouldn’t be associating with some newcomer. Grace doesn’t need her help,
just like she didn’t need Rosemary’s help last week either.
Havok vs. Alisha Edwards

Alisha hammers away at Havok but her crossbody is shrugged off. Havok
tosses her around and chokes on the ropes as we talk about Moose insulting
Ken Shamrock’s bare knuckle boxing company. Alisha gets in a bulldog, only
to get Tombstoned for the pin at 3:33.

Result: Havok b. Alisha Edwards Tombstone (3:33)

Post match Ace comes out to check on Alisha so here’s Eddie for the
chase….right into a chokeslam from Havok as Ace leaves with Alisha.

Su Yung appears on screen, speaks gibberish, and is gone.

Sami Callihan blames Dave Crist for the loss last week so tonight he’ll
handle Tommy Dreamer himself. Sami is coming for the World Title when he’s
done with Dreamer.

Moose tells Ken Shamrock to meet him in Las Vegas because while Ken is a
fighting legend, Moose is a five star athlete.
X-Division Title: Rich Swann vs. Jake Crist

Crist is defending and kicks Swann in the face at the bell. Swann is fine
enough to block a suicide tornado DDT on the floor and a 619 from the apron
connects. Back in and Swann gets superkicked out of the air, setting up the
early chinlock. Swann gets sent outside and dropped onto the apron for two
and the chinlock goes on again. That’s switched into the reverse Rings of
Saturn but Swann is back up with a rolling clothesline.

Some rapid fire strikes send Crist outside, where Swann flips off the stage
to kick him in the face again. Back in and Crist plants him with a Death
Valley Driver so Swann comes back with a swinging neckbreaker. The middle
rope 450 gets two on Crist so Swann loads up the Lethal Injection, which
nearly takes out the referee. That’s enough of a distraction for Crist to
grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 8:43.

Result: Jake Crist b. Rich Swann Rollup with a handful of trunks (8:43)

Tenille Dashwood is coming.

The Desi Hit Squad go to the Deaners’ farm. The Deaners put them in
overalls, which Raju seems to like. Gama slaps him in the face and more on
this later.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ken Shamrock wins the NWA World Title on the
first show.

Taya Valkyrie promises a big title defense next week as she comes up on the
longest title reign in Knockouts Title history.
Trey Miguel vs. Willie Mack

Trey starts with the Running Man and dances up off a hard shoulder. A
Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gives Mack two as the fans aren’t
sure who they like more. Trey’s double springboard wristdrag is blocked
with raw power and some running forearms in the corner put Trey down.

The running Cannonball connects but the Stunner is countered into a rollup
to give Trey two. Trey wins a slugout and goes up top, where he slides
between Mack’s legs to set up a Cheeky Nandos kick. The 619 around the
corner connects, only to have Mack come back with the Stunner for the pin
at 5:26.

Result: Willie Mack b. Trey Miguel Stunner (5:26)

Tommy Dreamer says Sami Callihan is one of the bad people in wrestling and
he can’t wait to beat Sami up tonight.

Next week: Rhino vs. Elgin, falls count anywhere.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan

No DQ. Sami charges at him to start and gets punched in the face as they
quickly head to the floor for the brawling. A ring bell shot to the ribs
each take us to a break and we’re back with the two of them on opposite
aprons for a staredown. Dreamer uses a kendo stick for Sandman’s White
Russian legsweep but Callihan gets in a chair shot.

Then it’s time to go hybrid with a stick shot to the chair to keep Dreamer
in trouble, followed by pulling the stick across Dreamer’s mouth. Neither
can hit a DDT so Callihan shoves him onto the chair for two instead.
Something close to a Conchairto has Dreamer in agony so Sami takes a bow.
Dreamer comes back with the Dusty Rhodes punches and Bionic Elbow for two
and it’s trashcan time. And for a bonus, ladder time.

Sami hits him with both of them but Dreamer catapults him into the trashcan
in the corner. The DDT gets two on Sami, who grabs Tommy by the crotch. The
drop toehold sends Dreamer into the open chair and it’s time to put a piece
of wood between two chairs. Dreamer gets in a piledriver for two but a
middle rope elbow only hits ladder. Some kendo stick shots set up the
piledriver through the wood to finish Dreamer at 15:28.

Result: Sami Callihan b. Tommy Dreamer Piledriver through a board (15:28)

Post match the beatdown stays on until Tessa Blanchard runs in for the save
with a baseball bat. Jake Crist runs in to take Tessa out to end the show.



Results

Michael Elgin vs. Rhino went to a double countout

The North b. Reno Scum – Assisted Alabama Slam

Havok b. Alisha Edwards – Tombstone

Jake Crist b. Rich Swann – Rollup with a handful of trunks

Willie Mack b. Trey Miguel – Stunner

Sami Callihan b. Tommy Dreamer – Piledriver through a board

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post Impact Wrestling Results August 23, 2019 appeared first on
WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
We Have A Main Event. Top Title Match Set For Clash Of Champions.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:55 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/main-event-top-title-match-set-clash-champions/


I hate it when partners fight. Last week on Monday Night Raw, Universal
Champion Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman won the Raw Tag Team Titles,
making Rollins a double champion. This presented a problem for Rollins as
he would have to defend both titles at Clash of Champions. As it turns out
though, it might be a little more complicated than it seemed.

This week on Monday Night Raw, Strowman challenged Rollins for a Universal
Title shot at Clash of Champions, with Rollins accepting. Last week
Rollins said that Strowman deserved the next shot and Strowman called him
out on it, leaving Rollins with little choice. Barring a title change
before the pay per view, this means that both of them will be wrestling
twice at Clash of Champions.

They only have themselves to blame. Check out Rollins and Strowman winning
the Tag Team Titles:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: I’m not sure I get the point of this. WWE currently has a huge
roster with all kinds of talent around but we’re getting the same wrestlers
in two matches. It doesn’t say much about the Raw Tag Team Title situation
but really, it’s not like they have anyone of note to put in the title
picture at the moment anyway. I’m sure we’ll get some interesting
challengers for the titles, which is what the division needs at the moment.

Who do you see walking out of Clash of Champions with the Universal Title?
And the Tag Team Titles? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post We Have A Main Event. Top Title Match Set For Clash Of Champions.
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results - August 26, 2019

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:55 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/monday-night-raw-live-coverage-results-august-26-2019/


Monday Night Raw

Date: August 26, 2019

Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

The King of the Ring continues tonight but we also need to start the build
towards Clash of Champions. The show is in less than three weeks and there
is barely anything set up so far. That needs to start changing tonight and
odds are it will, including a likely Universal Title match between Seth
Rollins and Braun Strowman. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Sasha Banks for a chat, but first we see a recap of Banks attacking
Natalya (twice) and Becky Lynch. To be fair Natalya kind of earned it. So
why did Banks do it? She worked so hard to get where she is over the years
and then took her Wrestlemania paycheck to take a much needed vacation.
That was the same Wrestlemania where Becky main evented the show for so
much more money without putting in the work. Sasha is back because she runs
the division because she is the talk of the division. Now she’s back to
deserve all the glory but here’s Natalya for the brawl. Officials and
agents need some time to break it up.

The Street Profits hype up the show, including listing off everyone in the
Tag Team Turmoil #1 contenders match. Dawkins: “What is a Tag Team Turmoil
match????” Ford: “Graphic please.” The winning team gets a title shot and
ALL OF THE SMOKE.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre

The winner gets Samoa Joe in the quarterfinals next week. Ricochet wants to
wear the crown like his heroes and Drew has a seat on the throne. Drew
doesn’t care about former winners because they were all disappointments.
He’ll change that though. Ricochet gets thrown around to start but Drew
gets tossed to the floor for the middle rope moonsault.

Drew is out of the way so it’s a standoff, only to have Drew side slam him
onto the barricade. Without putting Ricochet down, it’s a side slam onto
the steps as we take a break. Back with Drew working on the back some more
but a missed charge in the corner sets up a kick to Drew’s head. A
springboard missile dropkick puts Drew on the floor and it’s the big
twisting dive over the top to wipe him out.

Back in and the reverse hurricanrana is countered into the reverse Alabama
Slam to give Drew two, with the fans reacting to the kickout. Ricochet gets
in a rare power display by catching a corner splash, only to have Drew hit
the suplex toss. Ricochet’s springboard clothesline sets up the running
shooting star for two but Drew punches him in the face.

They head outside with Ricochet diving off the steps and getting headbutted
out of the air for his efforts. Back in and the Claymore is countered with
a superkick but Drew clotheslines the heck out of him. A sitout powerbomb
gets two so Drew tries to take him up top, only to get shoved down. The
Recoil off the middle rope knocks Drew silly though and the 630 sends
Ricochet to the next round at 12:51.

Result: Ricochet b. Drew McIntyre 630 (12:51)

We look back at Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman winning the Raw Tag Team
Titles.

Rollins says he’s ready to defend two titles at Clash of Champions but
Strowman is looking at the Universal Title. Strowman wants to know who is
getting the title shot and Seth gets the idea in a hurry. Rollins accepts
the challenge for Clash of Champions. Note: the graphic says this took
place last week but Strowman says they won the titles last week.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: The Miz vs. Baron Corbin

The winner gets Cedric Alexander next week. During the entrances, Miz talks
about all the things he’s won in the ring and says this is the first step
to becoming King AWESOME. Corbin slugs away at him but gets knocked to the
floor, only to have him drive Miz into the barricade. Back in and we get
the slide under the bottom rope into the clothesline as Graves and Renee
argue over Corbin’s merits.

We come back from a break with Miz knocking Corbin down and hitting running
knees in the corner. The chokeslam is countered into a DDT for two so
Corbin tries the slide underneath the ropes. That lands Corbin in the Skull
Crushing Finale for two (dang it he’s winning, mainly because his head
didn’t seem to hit the mat), followed by the End of Days to give Corbin the
pin at 10:00.

Result: Baron Corbin b. The Miz End of Days (10:00)

Post match Corbin puts on the crown and sits on the throne, saying that
there was a poll of WWE fans, saying ANYONE but Corbin for the winner.
Corbin laughs it off by saying that he’s accomplished everything on his own
and soon we will be hearing ALL HAIL KING CORBIN.

The OC isn’t happy with having to be in an eight team Tag Team Turmoil
match tonight. They run this turf.

NXT to USA announcement, a mere six days after it was first announced
because they waited until Tuesday morning for whatever reason.

We look back at Rey Mysterio teasing retirement but being stopped by
Dominick. Mysterio is back with an update next week.
Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Non-title. Renee and Graves start fast here as Bayley sends Nikki to the
floor, only to get sent into the apron a few times. The bodyscissors has
Bayley in trouble so Cross can yell at her about being mean to Bliss.
Bayley gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs but she is
right back with a suplex. The ribs get banged up again but Bayley is fine
enough to hit a running knee to the face. The top rope elbow finishes Cross
at 4:01.

Result: Bayley b. Nikki Cross Top rope elbow (4:01)

Strowman is ready to win the US Title to go with his Raw Tag Team Title and
then the Universal Title.
Tag Team Turmoil

Winners get a title shot at Clash of Champions. War Raiders are in first
and B Team is in second (out of eight total teams) with Erik getting beaten
down in the corner early on. That doesn’t last long though as he powers
Dallas into the corner for the tag to Ivar. House is cleaned and the Viking
Experience gets rid of the B Team at 1:20.

The OC is in third and some double teaming puts Ivar down early. They head
outside with Ivar hitting a suicide dive, only to take out Erik and
Anderson at the same time. The brawling continues and the referee
disqualifies both of them 3:25. They stay in the ring to stare at each
other as Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode are in fourth and Lucha House Party in
fifth.

We’re back from a break with Dorado enziguring Ziggler and making the hot
tag to Metalik. The handspring elbow connects with Ziggler and it’s the
rope walk dropkick for two. A sunset flip gets the same on Ziggler but he
superkicks a handspring out of the air to get rid of the House Party at
10:05. Revival is in sixth with Ziggler headscissoring Dawson down in a
hurry. That should be a near fall but the referee is COMPLETELY out of
position, with Graves and Young yelling at him over it.

Dawson fights up and a top rope knee/backbreaker combination gets two on
Ziggler. A waistlock keeps Ziggler down and Dawson ties him in the ropes
for some kicks to the face. An elbow to the face gets Ziggler out of
trouble and everything breaks down with what looked to be a tornado DDT not
quite working. They keep going though with Dawson hitting a brainbuster on
Ziggler but Dolph isn’t legal. That lets Dawson hit the Glorious DDT to
eliminate Revival at 15:58.

Back from another break with Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins in seventhand Ryder
gets superkicked for the elimination at 20:10. We saw less than a minute of
Hawkins and Ryder and here are Heavy Machinery in eighth to complete the
field. Ziggler and Roode want a breather on the floor so Tucker waits a few
seconds before picking Ziggler up for a suplex. Before dropping back he
hands it off to Otis, who does the actual suplexing. Roode low bridges
Tucker to the floor though and a whip into the steps gets two.

Ziggler’s neckbreaker is good for the same and it’s off to the chinlock.
Tucker fights up and gets the tag to Otis so house can be cleaned. The
Caterpillar is broken up so Otis splashes both of them in the corner,
meaning NOW the Caterpillar can connect (Renee: “MAKE MAMA’S DREAMS COME
TRUE!”) for two with Roode making the save. Ziggler breaks up the Compactor
with a superkick though and the Zig Zag sends Otis and Roode onto Tucker.
The Glorious DDT sends Roode and Ziggler to Clash of Champions at 26:56.

Result: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating
Heavy Machinery (26:56)

Long video on Roman Reigns’ attacks, which seems to be the same video with
new footage added at the end.

Total Divas is back in October, featuring Ronda Rousey.
Sasha Banks vs. Natalya

Natalya, with a bad arm, comes straight at her to start and they brawl to
the floor early on. Back in and Natalya keeps hammering away, setting up a
heck of a release German suplex (Sasha landed hard) for two. Banks tries to
get to the floor and manages to wrap the bad arm around the post. A whip
into the timekeeper’s area and then the post has Natalya in trouble. The
arm gets pulled around the middle rope but Banks misses the running knees
in the corner. The Sharpshooter doesn’t work and Banks gets in the Bank
Statement, complete with pulling the bad arm around Natalya’s throat for
the tap at 4:00.

Result: Sasha Banks b. Natalya Bank Statement (4:00)

Post match Banks comes back and hooks the Bank Statement again.

AJ Styles isn’t worried about facing Strowman tonight, even if the OC is
barred from ringside. Tonight, he’s giving Strowman what he deserves:
nothing.
Cedric Alexander vs. Cesaro

Cesaro wastes no time in knocking Alexander into the corner so Cedric
starts the flips into the anklescissors. The suicide dive is blocked with
an uppercut though and a gutwrench suplex gets two. Cedric gets in a big
boot and the springboard Downward Spiral puts Cesaro on the floor, setting
up the big flip dive. Back from a break with Cesaro working on the knee but
Alexander is fine enough to hit a Michinoku Driver for two.

The knee is too banged up for a springboard though and Cesaro kicks the
knee out again. The apron superplex sets up a half crab on Alexander, who
gets over to the rope without much trouble. Cedric’s standing Spanish Fly
gives him two more but it’s back to the half crab to stay on the leg. With
that broken up, Cesaro tries an ankle lock but gets rolled out, setting up
the Lumbar Check to finish Cesaro at 10:55.

Result: Cedric Alexander b. Cesaro Lumbar Check (10:55)

Video on the 24/7 Title changes over the weekend.

Ziggler and Roode say they’re drawn to each other because of shared
greatness. They belong together and they’ll become Raw Tag Team Champions,
which will be glorious.

The Street Profits talk about the Rollins/Strowman situation but Dawkins is
too worried about the after party on Bourbon Street. He has a Mardi Gras
mask and beads ready too. Strowman appears and scares them before they can
make their pick for the main event.

Video on the Firefly Fun House and the debut of the Fiend.
US Title: AJ Styles vs. Braun Strowman

Styles is defending and the OC is barred from ringside. Strowman throws him
over the top almost immediately and it’s time for the running shoulders
around the ring. Back in and the Phenomenal Forearm is countered into a
chokeslam for two with AJ having to put his foot on the rope. A big boot
puts AJ on the floor and we take a break. Back with AJ grabbing a sleeper
to take Strowman down to a knee. That’s broken up with a ram into the
corner but AJ chop blocks the leg in a smart move. A Lionsault gives AJ two
and it’s off to the Calf Crusher in a logical move.

Strowman powers out of it and knocks AJ down again but a missed charge
sends Strowman shoulder first into the post. AJ hits Strowman in the back
to send the referee outside, allowing a low blow to take Strowman down. A
chair is brought in but Strowman hits the powerslam, only to have the OC
come in for the beatdown. Strowman fights back with the chair but AJ does
the old Eddie Guerrero drop down. The referee says he HEARD the chair shots
and that’s a DQ at 9:56.

Result: AJ Styles b. Braun Strowman via DQ when the referee heard chair
shots (9:56)

Strowman cleans house and holds up the US Title to end the show.



Results

Ricochet b. Drew McIntyre – 630

Baron Corbin b. The Miz – End of Days

Bayley b. Nikki Cross – Top rope elbow

Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating Heavy
Machinery

Sasha Banks b. Natalya – Bank Statement

Cedric Alexander b. Cesaro – Lumbar Check

AJ Styles b. Braun Strowman via DQ when the referee heard chair shots

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results August 26, 2019
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


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The Reunion Continues. AEW Signs A Legendary Name For TNT Series.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:55 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/reunion-continues-aew-signs-legendary-name-tnt-series/


We’re getting the band back together. AEW is launching on TNT in just over
a month and that means there are some final ends to be tied up. Most of
the show is already set up but AEW has figured out how to stretch things
out and bring out as many surprises as they can. They had another one to
start the week and this one was much more of a blast from the past than
anything else.

AEW has confirmed the signing of Tony Schiavone as a commentator on their
weekly TNT show, where he will work alongside Jim Ross and Excalibur.
Schiavone is currently doing commentary for Major League Wrestling and it
is not clear how his role there will continue going forward. Schiavone was
lead commentators for WCW Monday Nitro from 1995-2001 and Ross teamed with
Schiavone on commentary for WCW in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In case you’re not familiar with Schiavone. Check out his work with WWE
back in the day:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: I can see both sides of this one as you have a classic wrestling
voice which could bring back some older fans, but at the same time, do you
really want to tie things back to Monday Nitro, which didn’t have the best
ending? Ross and Schiavone certainly have a history together and are both
great at what they do, but this is something that could go in a few
different ways.

What are you expecting from AEW’s commentary? Is Schiavone a good choice?
Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post The Reunion Continues. AEW Signs A Legendary Name For TNT Series.
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


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Hey There Again. Steve Austin Announced For Major WWE Show.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hey-steve-austin-announced-major-wwe-show/


Nice to see you again. Steve Austin is a different kind of wrestling
legend. There is almost no one at his level in the history of the business
and odds are no one will ever reach his status again. Austin took the
wrestling world to new heights but his appearances have been few and far
between in the last few years. Now though, Austin is scheduled for another
appearance on Monday Night Raw.

As announced on WWE.com, Austin will be appearing on the September 9 Monday
Night Raw, which is airing from Madison Square Garden. This will mark
Austin’s third appearance on the show this year, after he appeared live at
Raw Reunion and then three weeks later in a Skype interview. Austin is
currently hosting an interview show called Straight Up Steve Austin, which
airs after Monday Night Raw. The Madison Square Garden shows have been
dealing with low ticket sales, so Austin may have been brought in to move
some tickets.

Austin has a history in MSG. Check out his main event from perhaps the
biggest Summerslam ever:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: Austin is an interesting case as he can show up at any time and
make an impact, just due to star power at this point. He is as big of a
legend not named Hogan or Rock as there is and that means he can do
whatever he wants. If that can help promote his television show and give
WWE some extra ticket sales, I can’t imagine it is going to be that much of
a problem. It certainly will get some attention and that’s not a bad
thing, especially against the season premiere of Monday Night Football.

What do you expect Austin to do? Is he appearing too frequently? Let us
know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post Hey There Again. Steve Austin Announced For Major WWE Show.
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


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What Does It Hold? AJ Styles Makes His Retirement Plans Clear.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:39 AM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hold-aj-styles-makes-retirement-plans-clear/


Enjoy him while you can. Wrestlers have a different kind of career than
most athletes. While other athletes will walk away when their physical
skills begin to go, wrestlers are capable of holding out a lot longer as
there are other ways to be valuable in the ring than just their ability to
work in the ring. Their careers have to end at some point though and now
we know when one is wrapping up.

AJ Styles, and the rest of the OC, recently appeared on Lilian Garcia’s
Chasing Glory podcast and talked about his impending retirement. Styles
made it clear that his current WWE contract will be the last of his in-ring
career no matter what as he wants to spend more time with his family.
There is no word on if Styles would consider working for the WWE in another
role, such as training at the Performance Center. It is not clear when his
current contract expires.

Styles has been busy as of late. Check out his US Title defense from last
week’s Monday Night Raw:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: Styles has said something like this for years now and it makes
sense to see him wanting to get out while he can. There is a chance that
he is going to be doing something else in WWE but it is kind of nice to see
someone walking away while they can still perform at a high enough level,
which Styles certainly can do. Enjoy him while you can as he certainly has
the skills to make it work in the ring.

What do you want to see Styles do while he is still in the ring? Will he
keep working for WWE after he retires? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post What Does It Hold? AJ Styles Makes His Retirement Plans Clear.
appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.


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Crossing The Aisle. AEW And WWE Wrestlers Get Married Over The Weekend.

Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:01 AM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/crossing-aisle-aew-wwe-wrestlers-get-married-weekend/


They went across enemy lines. We are just over a month away from the
biggest wrestling war in about twenty years and that could make things a
lot more interesting. NXT and AEW will be running on the same night of the
week every Wednesday, with both sides seemingly ready to fight the other to
the bitter end. Two people on the rosters aren’t so much into fighting
though and it went rather well for them this weekend.

According to WWE.com, AEW’s Shawn Spears married longtime his longtime
girlfriend, WWE’s Peyton Royce, over the weekend. Spears wrestled in WWE
and its developmental systems for several years before being released in
February 2019 and is currently scheduled to face Cody at AEW’s All Out
event on Saturday. Royce is part of the IIconics and recently lost their
Women’s Tag Team Titles. WWE.com referred to Spears by his WWE name of Tye
Dillinger.

Royce has been having some fun lately. Check out her climbing the CN Tower
in Toronto:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Spears on the other hand has a new manager. Check out an interview and the
big reveal:
[This post contains video, click to play]


Opinion: Good for them. There is something about seeing a wrestling couple
get together as their careers don’t offer them many chances to find someone
else. Wrestlers are going to understand what they have to do more than
anyone else and are used to being apart from each other due to the nature
of the business. Hopefully the two of them are happy together as they both
deserve the chance.

Which of these two has the brighter future? Which show will you be
watching on Wednesdays? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at
kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 30
wrestling books. His latest book is KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw
Reviews.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and
encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

The post Crossing The Aisle. AEW And WWE Wrestlers Get Married Over The
Weekend. appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.