According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE has recently let go of two writers on their creative teams – Steve Guerreri, who was one of the lead writers on SmackDown and Steve Oppenheim, who was the in-office or “home team” leader writer on Raw.
Both were released from the company last week but it was neither of WWE’s new Executive Directors, Paul Heyman or Eric Bischoff, who made those decisions.
* John Cena opened the show and traded a few rap lyrics with The Usos, who brought out their dad, Rikishi. This led to The Usos, with Rikishi at ringside, winning a non-title match over RAW Tag Team Champions The Revival, who had D-Von Dudley at ringside. Cena’s rap mentioned The Usos’ arrests and mugshot photos
* Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart were shown in a brief backstage buffer segment
* Alicia Fox, Kaitlyn, Torrie Wilson, Santino Marella appeared in a brief backstage segment with Drew McIntyre and Dana Brooke. Drew insulted them for being so-called “Legends” and walked off.
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1153461216066408448
* The Godfather appeared backstage with Charly Caruso and asked her what time it was, then told everyone it’s time to get on the Ho Train. He appeared right after Drake Maverick first won the WWE 24/7 Title from R-Truth.
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1153463176375107584
* Christian did commentary for The Viking Raiders vs. Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. Lilian Garcia was the ring announcer for that match. Booker T did commentary for The Revival vs. The Usos. Jonathan Coachman did commentary for Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn. Jerry Lawler did commentary for Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles.
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1153465786473885703
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1153479801677553666
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1153484753518993413
* Kurt Angle, Jillian Hall, Jimmy Hart and others were shown at a backstage RAW Reunion party at various times.
* New WWE SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff appeared in a backstage segment with Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Eve Torres and WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons. It appeared Bischoff mentioned to Kanellis that they may be able to come over to the blue brand if it doesn’t work out for them on the red brand. The segment ended with Simmons throwing a “Damn!” to Mike after Maria ran him down and insulted him in front of everyone.
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1153467098867228673
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* Rob Van Dam (who is under contract with Impact Wrestling), Sgt. Slaughter, “The Hurricane” Shane Helms, and Kurt Angle appeared during Sami Zayn vs. Rey Mysterio to prevent Sami from walking out on the match. Sami had insulted the Legends during a backstage RAW Reunion party segment.
* DX’s Triple H and Shawn Michaels appeared during the non-title Seth Rollins vs. WWE United States Champion AJ Styles. They entered the ring to stand with Rollins after Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson forced the DQ, then threw crotch chops to start a six-an brawl. The OC then brought steel chairs to the apron but this brought out “Road Dogg” BG James, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. DX and The Kliq stood tall together to intimidate The OC into leaving. The OC is the new name for The Club. The OC (The official, original only club that matters.)
* Mick Foley and Mark Henry were shown in a brief backstage segment. Foley then came out to talk about RAW but he was attacked and destroyed by “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
* The show-closing segment was a “Toast to Monday Night RAW” that started with Ric Flair coming out as the group of Legends and former Superstars gathered behind him on the stage. Hulk Hogan then came out for a few quick words, and then Steve Austin made his entrance to the biggest pop of the night. Austin talked about WWE and the fans being family, and then raised toasts to RAW, the wrestlers, the fans, and just about everyone else. RAW Reunion went off the air with the Legends, Hall of Famers and former Superstars sharing beers in the ring.
The 24/7 Title changed hands several times last night, with some of the returning legends winning the title.
Below is a recap of what happened with the 24/7 Title.
* WWE RAW Reunion special ended the same way it began – with R-Truth holding the WWE 24/7 Title.
The first half of the show saw several title changes – Drake Maverick captured the title from Truth, WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson won the title from Drake, after he was scarred by The Boogeyman. WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco won the title from Patterson, Kelly Kelly then became the first woman to win the title.
The title changes continued as Candice Michelle then won the title from Kelly Kelly, with help from referee Melina. WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze then choked out Candice to win the title. Blayze then tried to recreate her infamous WCW Nitro moment by junking the title in a trash can at the announce table, but WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase came out and bought the title from her.
DiBiase would later drop the title to Maverick, in the back of a limousine to where we couldn’t see it. Drake held the title through a few more segments but lost it back to Truth as he was about to escape in the limousine with wife Renee Michelle, to finally consummate their marriage. Carmella helped Truth win, but Truth jumped into the back of the limousine with Renee as it drove off. The WWE 24/7 Title chase on this week’s RAW ended with champion Truth driving off with Michelle, in what looks to be another bonehead Truth move, while Carmella was left at the arena with a bummed-out Drake.
Truth is now a ten-time WWE 24/7 Champion. Drake’s last reign on tonight’s show was his fourth.
Tonight’s big WWE RAW Reunion special will take place from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with appearances by several former Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers.
* WWE Hall of Famers and Legends to descend on Raw Reunion
* How will Seth Rollins gear up for The Beast?
* “A Moment of Bliss” will welcome Becky Lynch on Raw Reunion tonight
* Will Ricochet get retribution after vicious assault at the hands of Styles, Anderson & Gallows?
Stick with us throughout the day for updates on tonight’s show and be sure to join us for live coverage at 8pm ET.
Below is the line-up of stars advertised for tonight:
* Alicia Fox
* Alundra Blayze
* Booker T
* Candice Michelle
* Christian
* D-Von Dudley
* DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Road Dogg” BG James)
* Eric Bischoff
* Eve Torres
* Gerald Brisco
* Hulk Hogan
* Hurricane Helms
* Jillian Hall
* Jonathan Coachman
* Jerry Lawler
* Jimmy Hart
* Kaitlyn
* Kelly Kelly
* Kevin Nash
* Kurt Angle
* Lilian Garcia
* Mark Henry
* Melina
* Mick Foley
* Pat Patterson
* Ric Flair
* Rikishi
* Ron Simmons
* Santino Marella
* Scott Hall
* Sgt. Slaughter
* Shawn Michaels
* Sid Vicious
* Steve Austin
* Ted DiBiase Sr.
* The Boogeyman
* The Godfather
Plus there are reports that John Cena could be appearing tonight at RAW Reunion.
TNT has launched a new Twitter page for All Elite Wrestling at @AEWonTNT. They are also on Instagram.
The account is teasing a big announcement to come soon, perhaps details on the weekly AEW TNT TV show, which is expected to air on Wednesdays starting on October 2nd.
The Young Bucks appear in a new promotional video, also seen below, and they tell fans to watch out for a big announcement.
Stay tuned for more information on what’s to come.
WWE Commentator Byron Saxton shared some devastating news on Twitter yesterday. Saxton posted that his father, Walter Kelly Jr passed away.
In his post, Saxton wrote Marine Corps Master Sergeant, Loving Husband, and My Dad & Hero. Walter Kelly Jr 1937-2019. He also shared two photos.
Former WWE Star AJ Lee shared a story on social media about having to deal with racism. She wrote that a woman driving by in her car shouted at her to go back to where she came from.
The former Divas Champion responded that instead of being angry she was going to keep writing about strong, brilliant, Latina superheroes.
This week on Fusion, experience TWO big main events in 60 minutes of fighting.
One of Mexico’s greatest rivalries continues as LA Park and Dr. Wagner Jr. clash in tag team competition. In a multi-generational melee, both legendary luchadores will team with their respective son with national pride on the line. In a match Promociones Dorado’s Salina de la Renta brokered, this spectacular bout has international implications.
In the other main event, the bitter feud between the Hart Foundation and the Dynasty continues as Davey Boy Smith Jr. challenges Alex Hammerstone for the National Openweight Championship. Just 7 days after the Dynasty’s shocking World Tag Team Championship win, Davey Boy Smith looks to wrestle gold away from the emerging franchise player within Dynasty.
Following the turbulent events last week involving the “Southern Psychopath,” Salina de la Renta summons a Tijuana gremlin to do her bidding. Can the desperate de la Renta somehow find a way to get the 2019 Battle Riot golden ticket?
Plus, the Von Erich boys have some fighting words for CONTRA Unit.
Georgia Smith has an exclusive interview with The Dynasty as the trio celebrate their shocking World Tag Team Championship win
Konnan has a surprise of his own for Salina de la Renta… what is it? One thing is for sure, the guiding light of lucha libre knows how to keep it 100 and play dirty.
CONTRA has sent in a video and is insisting on MLW playing it. What does the video contain? Tune in to find out!
Tonight on Impact:
* MashUp Tournament
* Rich Swann & Madman Fulton vs. Wentz & Jake Crist
* Sami Callihan & Tessa Blanchard vs. Dave Crist & Trey Miguel
* Eddie Edwards & Moose vs. Rohit Raju & Cody Deaner
* Michael Elgin & Willie Mack vs. ??
Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) took to Instagram last night to reveal photos from his recent return to the ring. Santino worked a “Pancrase-style match” with Randy Bynoe and picked up the win at the recent Battle Arts Pro Wrestling show in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. This was the official start for the promotion, which is affiliated with Santino’s Battle Arts Academy and Battle Arts MMA promotion.
Santino dedicated the match to his brother, who passed away last year. He wrote, “I dedicated this match to my brother Pasquale that passed away 10 months ago, he never missed a show.”
It looks like they may be building to a Santino vs. Bynoe rematch, but there’s no word yet on if Santino will continue wrestling for his promotion because he has been retired. He is set to return to WWE TV for Monday’s RAW Reunion special.
The first Battle Arts wrestling show also saw the ring return of former WWE Superstar Damien Sandow, who is now going by “The Dao” Aron Stevens. Stevens had also been retired until Saturday, and had been focusing on his acting career. He recently announced on social media that he was working a “Millennial Slayer” gimmick for his return to the indies.
Stevens defeated Timothy O’Connor in his return match at Battle Arts. He took to Instagram and commented on his return, writing, “Oh pro wrestling, how I missed you ! I was victorious in my first contest after 2 1/2 years. Very talented young man @irish_oconnor . However, when I was 19 or 20 , And I saw an advantage I capitalized . This is what I want to fix. No weakness, no entitlement, no mercy.”
Santino and Sandow appear to be good friends these days. As seen below, Sandow was busted open during his match and Santino was the one who fixed him up backstage after the match.
Below are several social media posts related to the recent ring returns, including Santino’s entrance video that he released before the match. You can use the arrows to scroll through the Instagram photos:
https://twitter.com/jjq84/status/1150246213696065536
https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1150971479909109760
https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1150075150928437251
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz4fgzBARkR/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1152176858538151937
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0BtMQeAp7w/?utm_source=ig_embed
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Earlier this week it was reported NJPW Announcer Chris Charlton’s role would be minimized as he would be only providing translations for English fans, and no other commentary. While NJPW was fine with Charlton’s role, apparently TV Asahi (a partner of NJPW World) and other “outside forces” felt he didn’t have the proper voice to help call the action. In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter it was reported that both New Japan and TV Asahi were flooded by fans who were against this change. There was enough support that Charlton will now resume his normal role at the booth going forward.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
