Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston appeared on the ESPN show Get Up! to discuss their wins at WrestleMania 35 with Kingston winning his 1st WWE championship and Lynch claiming the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Author: John Bass
WWE RAW Preview 4/8/19 – RAW After Mania
Tonight’s WWE RAW will be the biggest show of the year – the annual post-WrestleMania episode. RAW will take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with the fallout from WrestleMania 35.
* The Man brings the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Titles to RAW
* Seth Rollins slays The Beast
* The Big Dog reclaims his yard from Drew McIntyre
* Second Intercontinental Title is “too sweet” for Finn Bálor
* The (Defeated) Streak ends for new RAW Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins
Ronda Rousey Reportedly Injured At WrestleMania 35, Was Main Event Finish Botched?, Rousey’s Future
Ronda Rousey reportedly suffered a broken hand in the WrestleMania 35 “Winner Takes All” main event with Charlotte Flair and new SmackDown Women’s Champion and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.
There’s no word yet on details of the injury but Meltzer noted that this was scheduled to be Rousey’s last match with WWE for the time being as she’s been expected to take time off.
There are a lot of rumors going around on the finish of the match but Meltzer noted that at one point Rousey was going to lose to Lynch by submission. A lot of people was for the submission but a lot of people were also for Rousey losing by pinfall. In the end, it was decided that a pinfall would be he best direction, not the submission.
The idea behind the pinfall was that Rousey has never submitted in a WWE match. She also never submitted in MMA or judo. There’s no word yet on why the finish was switched to a pin, but lots of people internally fought against Rousey losing by submission. It was said to be a split, but people were fighting against the loss by submission. It was speculated that the idea of a wrestler submitting Rousey is a negative compared to a wrestler pinning her. It was also speculated that Vince McMahon could be protecting Rousey for a potential return because then she would have an issue with a fluke pin.
Regarding the rumors on Rousey being upset at the referee botching the finish, Meltzer noted that those are not true. Meltzer added that Rousey was not supposed to get her shoulders up, but for whatever reason they came up at the finish. It was also noted that it was strange that WWE called attention to the shoulder coming up, which could have been a Vince call or something Corey Graves did on his own. The replay showing this could be an indication that it was a call from the production truck. Meltzer also said the only screw-up was that Rousey was supposed to be “really pinned” as opposed to getting defeated with the fluke pin. He added that the finish could cause fans to think Rousey is staying for a rematch, but that’s not the current plan as of this week.
Lynch has been announced for tonight’s post-WrestleMania RAW and the Barclays Center has Rousey advertised, along with the WWE Events page, but there’s no word yet on if Flair will be appearing on the show.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Batista Announces His Retirement From Pro Wrestling
Last night’s WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view from MetLife Stadium saw Triple H defeat Batista in a No Holds Barred match. Triple H’s career was on the line.
While not announced as a career match, this looks to be Batista’s final match for WWE. He previously spoke in media interviews of wanting to return to WWE for one more run and a match with Triple H at WrestleMania.
Batista took to Twitter after WrestleMania to thank WWE fans and officially announce his retirement from the ring.
He wrote, “@WWEUniverse Thank you for letting me entertain you. I love this business and whether you cheered me or jeered me, I’m grateful for being a small part of your life. I am officially retired from sports entertainment and I am grateful for every second of my amazing journey”
You can see his full tweet below:
https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/1115144897357602816
Batista took to Instagram later in the morning and posted a lengthier message on the retirement. He called WrestleMania 35 his story book ending.
He wrote, “To all the @wwe fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you. Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I’ll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey”
You can see the full post below:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Some WrestleMania 35 Off Camera Notes
Wrestling Inc. staff that was at WrestleMania 35 and provided some off camera notes about last night’s event.
After the nasty Ali / Luke Harper elimination spot in the Andre the Giant battle royal, trainers were checking out Ali for a long while.
Earlier in the night, there was a bright yellow light that was hitting fans in the face. There were chants of “Please turn the light off” during the AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton match:
https://twitter.com/Jcooper770/status/1115037648329105408
Below is the reaction when the yellow lights were turned off:
https://twitter.com/MrJaredMoore/status/1115138222907064320
https://twitter.com/andrew_thom1122/status/1115008377216806912
https://twitter.com/deanreno/status/1115000145882636294
WWE used their XFL “sky cam” tonight at WrestleMania. This may the first time they’ve used it for a WWE event.
Below is an overhead view from the press booth of the big suplex Miz gave Shane McMahon off of the top of the camera scaffolding.
Kofi Kingston defeating Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship got the biggest reaction on the show.
The press booth exploded when Kofi Kingston won the title, which hadn’t happened all night. There were a lot of WWE Hall of Famers and NXT talent in the press booth as well.
People seemed drained later in the show, and the reaction for the main event wasn’t what you’d expect. Some fans were even leaving during the main event because they were so tired.
The transportation was a real issue as people left the stadium. People were waiting in the rain with insanely long lines.
WrestleMania 35 Results
(Kickoff) WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese – Winner and new WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Tony Nese
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115004637755527168
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115004987900219393
(Kickoff) Women’s Battle Royal: Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Zelina Vega, Maria Kanellis, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, Candice LeRae – Winner: Carmella
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115010032976842753
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115010582925570048
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115010822227369984
(Kickoff) RAW Tag Team Championship: (C) The Revival vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins – Winners and new RAW Tag Team Champions: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115016529827905536
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115019152693981185
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115019588373073920
(Kickoff) Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: Braun Strowman, SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O’Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3, Harper – Winner: Braun Strowman
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115023144203382784
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115023581212078080
Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins – Winner and new Universal Champion: Seth Rollins
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton – Winner: AJ Styles
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Usos vs. The Bar vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura – Winners: The Usos
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Shane McMahon vs. The Miz –
WWE Women’s Championship: (C) Sasha & Bayley vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. The IIconics – Winners and new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: The IIconics
WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston –
United States Championship: (C) Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio – Winner: Samoa Joe
Joe with a quick win, probably due to Rey’s recent ankle injury.
Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns – Winner: Roman Reigns
Elias performs – band all by himself.
“The Doctor of Thuganomics” John Cena interrupts Elias
No Holds Barred Match (Triple H’s career is on the line): Triple H vs. Batista – Winner: Triple H
Triple H “Mad Max” entrance
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115085594294489088
Kurt Angle’s Farewell Match: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin – Winner: Baron Corbin
Intercontinental Championship: (C) Bobby Lashley vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor – Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: “The Demon” Finn Balor
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115098277286895616
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115099752507437056
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115100337667317760
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115100576306483200
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115101137424670720
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115101617878065153
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115101783238406145
Winner Takes All: RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – Winner and new RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion: Becky Lynch
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115102781495332864
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115103350591082497
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115103961818652672
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115105495386214400
https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115106022744412162
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115106970648731648
https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115107532765192192
Eli Drake Exits Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling announced former Impact World Champion Eli Drake is done with the company. Impact announced Drake’s exit on its website earlier today.
Impact Wrestling announced today that it has terminated its relationship with Shaun Ricker, known as ‘Eli Drake.’
Drake first began with the promotion back in 2015, during his time there he was a one-time Impact World Champion and one-time Impact World Tag Team Champion with Scott Steiner.
In regards to his contract, Drake said in an interview with The Wrestling Pespective Podcast his was ending with Impact on May 31.
“I know AEW is out there, all of that stuff, so, the fact is, there’s a lot of options at this point,” Drake explained. “This is a time where, truth be told, I run up on May 31 at Impact, so, if that’s the case, it’s time to start thinking about what options I have, things like that.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Enzo Amore And Big Cass Brawl With ROH Wrestlers At G1 Supercard (VIDEO)
Former WWE stars Enzo Amore and Big Cass got into a brawl with ROH wrestlers in Madison Square Garden at G1 Supercard.
It all went down after the four-way tag team match when Enzo and Cass hopped the barricade and began fighting talent. Bully Ray then ran over to get some shots in.
Things began to escalate, but security didn’t jump in. This would seem to signal that this was planned beforehand and not like Enzo’s stunt at Staples, but the fight wasn’t show on the broadcast. We’ve been unable to verify with 100% certainty at this time if this was a work, but all signs point in that direction.
Once the wrestlers were all split apart, Enzo and Cass were escorted through the crowd.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Watch a brief portion of the brawl at the link below.
Velvet Sky & Angelina Love Debut In ROH At G1 Supercard
Kelly Klein might be the new Women Of Honor champ, but she has some new enemies — former Impact Wrestling tag team The Beautiful People.
Following Kelly’s victory at G1 Supercard in which she became a two-time Women of Honor champion, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky made their surprise debut at G1 Supercard.
As they stared down Kelly Klein in the ring, Mandy Leon turned on Kelly to team with Angelina and Velvet. After a vicious beatdown on Kelly, they made their way up the ramp and a graphic came up for their new ROH faction called “The Allure.”
https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1114685533601652737
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Triple H Fires Shots At AEW During WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony (Video)
Triple H used the DX WWE Hall of Fame speech to fire shots at All Elite Wrestling.
While joking around about being corporate these days, Triple H said apparently these days if you put the “EVP” title in front of someone, it makes them feel important. AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents include Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.
Triple H then called AEW a “piss-ant” company after DX joked around about not being able to name Vince McMahon during their speech. Billy Gunn said Vince couldn’t fire him anymore, a reference to Gunn working for AEW.
The Gunn joke led to fans in the audience doing an “AEW” chant. Triple H responded, “Billy, let’s be honest. He would buy that piss-ant company just to fire you again.”
Everyone laughed at that reference and another line from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. When joking about always counting on Gunn to under-deliver, Michaels said, “You can always count on ‘ol Billy Gunn to over-promise and under-deliver. We thank you for being out here and being ‘All In’.”
You can hear Triple H’s “piss-ant” line below:
https://twitter.com/coupdebanks/status/1114715221111631872
Source: Wrestling Inc.
