Former Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey took to social media Monday night to announce the birth of her and husband Travis Browne’s baby girl, La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne.
Category: WWE
Fans Criticize Bizarre Finish To WWE Extreme Rules Main Event, Roman Reigns & Others React
The unusual ending to last night’s WWE Extreme Rules main event has been met with a lot of criticism from fans.
Towards the closing stages of the match, “The Demon” Finn Balor dispatched of both of The Usos only to be speared through the ringside barricade by WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Suddenly, the lights went red and an unconscious Balor miraculously got back to his feet while reacting to the heartbeats from his entrance music.
With the red lights turned on, Balor blasted Reigns with a chair and sent The Tribal Chief through a table with a dropkick. Moments later, Balor prepared to launch for the Coup de Grace, but fell to the mat after the top turnbuckle of the entire ring collapsed abruptly. Balor then sold a knee injury and struggled to get back to his feet, giving Reigns enough time to hit a Spear and retain his Universal Championship.
Although fans have been flooding Twitter with negative messages about the finish, RAW Superstar Drew Gulak made light of the situation by reminding everyone of his PowerPoint presentation. Gulak tweeted:
And the moral of that story was: If you are about to win your match DO NOT CLIMB TO THE TOP ROPE! Thank you for coming to my PowerPoint presentation! #ExtremeRules
Meanwhile, Reigns tweeted his post-match reaction: “Above all else. #ExtremeRules.”
“The Demon” has now suffered his first-ever loss on the main roster. Balor’s alter ego previously lost to Samoa Joe during their time in NXT in 2016.
You can click here for full results from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Extreme Rules Results 9/26/2021
KICKOFF
Liv Morgan defeated Carmella
The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston) defeated Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles and Omos
WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Usos (c) defeated The Street Profits
WWE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Charlotte (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Post-match: Flair ripped Lilly into pieces. An enraged Bliss attacked Flair but Flair was able to defend her off and toss her over the announce table. Bliss picked up pieces of Lilly and weeped over the destruction of Lilly.
WWE US CHAMPIONSHIP
Damian Priest (c) defeated Sheamus and Jeff Hardy
WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch (c) via Disqualification
Interference for Sasha Banks caused the DQ.
Post-match, Banks beats up Belair, kick to the face in the corner. Lynch thinks Banks helped her out. She goes for a handshake and gets dropped. Belair back in and takes a big slap to the face and a backstabber. Banks drops Lynch with a knee to the face and another backstabber. She stands tall in the ring. Banks heads to the stage and looks at the two still in the ring. Banks says she’ll see them this Friday on SmackDown.
WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP (EXTREME RULES MATCH)
Roman Reigns (c) defeated “The Demon” Finn Balor
Balor up to the top, coup de grace hits, cover, and The Usos pull him off. Usos attack him on the floor, double superkick and they bring out another table.
Table set up on the floor. They look to put him through it, but he fights back. Sends one into the barricade and slingblade on the other. Balor powerbombs Jey through the announce table. Balor turns around and Reigns sends him crashing through the barricade near the timekeeper’s table. That whole thing came down in awesome fashion. Suddenly, we hear a hearbeat. Red lights are flashing as Balor flops around. He finally gets up and screams as we hear a part of his music. The red lights stay on as he blasts Reigns with a chair.
He then hits a running dropkick that sends Reigns through that table on the floor. Balor’s music is just playing on. Smoke coming up from around the ring. Balor climbs up to the top rope and the top rope just collapses out of nowhere?! The red lights go off. Balor holding his knee and trying to get up. Reigns with a spear, cover, 1-2-3.
Post-match, Reigns and Heyman seem a bit confused with what happened with the ropes, but celebrates nonetheless. Reigns makes his way to the back saying he’s still the head of the table.
WWE Extreme Rules 9/26/2021
DATE: September 26, 2021 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
AVAILABLE ON:Peacock, WWE Network (outside of the U.S.)
CARD
WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP (EXTREME RULES MATCH)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor
WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
WWE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Charlotte (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
WWE US CHAMPIONSHIP
Damian Priest (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy
WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits
Liv Morgan vs. Carmella
Gran Metalik Has Reportedly Requested His Release From WWE
Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik has reportedly asked to be released by WWE.
Gran Metalik has reportedly asked for his release from his current WWE contract following five years with the company.
WWE has always had something of a revolving door when it comes to wrestlers coming and going. However, the going part has been taken to the extreme in 2021. More than 50 people have been let go, whether that was through former Superstars asking to leave or WWE cutting their contracts due to budget cuts. Now it seems another name might soon be added to that list.
According to Mas Lucha, Gran Metalik has asked to be let go from his current deal which runs until the end of 2022. The site claims sources close to the former 24/7 Champion have cited a lack of opportunities in WWE as the reason for requesting his release. Metalik has been with WWE since he debuted in the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016.
It was evident during the tournament that WWE saw something special in Metalik. The luchador made it all the way to the final, losing that match to TJP but beating Tajiri, Akira Tozawa, and Zack Sabre Jr. on the way there. Metalik has performed on pretty much all of WWE’s shows since then, apart from NXT UK, and has been a part of Lucha House Party for most of that run.
LHP’s numbers were reduced from three to two earlier this year when Kalisto was wished well in his future endeavors. Metalik has continued to team with Lince Dorado on Raw since then, wrestling on a pretty regular basis. However, the team has rarely felt like its matches are actually leading anywhere and hasn’t won a match since the beginning of July.
WWE went through a period of denying wrestlers their release when requested, around the same time that AEW officially formed and was building its roster. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore as Andrade and Ric Flair were both allowed to leave when they asked to be let go. It may well depend on what WWE has planned for Metalik and LHP, but judging by what it has used the star for so far, it probably doesn’t have much for him on the horizon.
Source: The Sportster
Triple H Issues First Statement Since Heart Surgery
WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul “Triple H” Levesque took to Twitter this evening with his first public comments since his recent heart surgery.
As we’ve noted, WWE announced back on September 8 that Triple H underwent successful heart surgery the week before at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. It was stated that the operation was needed after Triple H suffered a cardiac event, caused by a genetic heart issue. WWE’s statement noted how Triple H is expected to make a full recovery.
In an update, Triple H tweeted this evening and said he’s doing well in his recovery. He also commented on being grateful for the support from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, and everyone else at NXT.
“I’ve been blown away by the outreach and support from so many people. I’m recovering, doing well, & deeply grateful for all the love in my life. Especially grateful for @ShawnMichaels & all the Superstars & crew @WWENXT! (Steph and the girls loved the snacks!) See you soon [folded hands emoji] [red heart emoji],” he wrote.
There is no word on when Triple H will return to work, but we will keep you updated. It was reported on September 17 that Triple H was in good enough shape that he’d been taking phone calls. WWE talents were told that they can call and wish him well, but that they were not to talk about any WWE business with him. Triple H did miss last week’s NXT 2.0 revamp episode.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE NXT Preview 9/21/21
Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network will feature fallout from last week’s revamp episode.
The only match announced for tonight’s show is NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida defending against Roderick Strong.
It’s expected that new NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will appear tonight, possibly for a follow-up to the face-off with Bron Breakker. There should also be a follow-up to the wedding of Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis.
It will be interesting to see if last week’s pulled NXT Women’s Title match Raquel Gonzalez vs. Franky Monet will take place tonight.
Kurt Angle On Memphis Wrestling HOF Induction, News From Jerry Lawler’s Wrestling Reunion
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was inducted into the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame this past weekend at Fitzgerald’s Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi.
The ceremony was held along with the “Jerry Lawler’s Wrestling Reunion” meet & greet and wrestling event put on by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler.
Other names inducted into the Hall of Fame were Scott Steiner, Downtown Bruno Lauer (aka Harvey Wippleman), Tommy Rich, Reggie B. Fine, and Tony Falk. For those who missed it, you can click here for video of Steiner’s match with Lawler at the event. Some of the other legends and Hall of Famers appearing for fans throughout the day were Ricky Steamboat, Bill Dundee, Randy Hales, Doug Gilbert, Koko B. Ware, Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Calhoun, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and others.
Angle took to Twitter today and commented on being inducted.
“I was inducted in into the Memphis Wrestling HOF this past weekend. My 16th Hall of Fame that I’ve been inducted into. #MemphisWrestling has an amazing tradition with so many great names that went through their promotion.Thank you for this great honor. #memphiswrestlinghof,” Angle wrote.
The events drew a sellout of 800 fans plus some standing room crowd, according to PWInsider. Kevin Lawler, Jerry’s son who was previously known as Freddy Gilbert in ECW, ran the backstage portion of the show. Casino officials were said to be thrilled with the event, and with how many hotel rooms they booked, and are already talking about a return event in 2022.
You can see Angle’s full tweet below, along with some photos from the events:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Ric Flair Issues Statement In Wake Of Resurfaced Sexual Assault Allegations
Ric Flair has released a statement of denial days after sexual assault allegations against him resurfaced.
Ric Flair has responded to the resurfaced allegations of sexual assault made against him during the most recent episode of Vice’s Dark Side Of The Ring series
The latest Dark Side Of The Ring installment covered the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” incident which occurred over the Atlantic Ocean in 2002 while a number of WWE personnel were returning to the United States from the United Kingdom. During the episode, flight attendant Heidi Doyle alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Flair, who was exposing himself while walking up and down the aisle wearing a robe and nothing else.
Doyle says her shift went from bad to worse when Flair showed up in the galley, robe still open, and pushed her up against a door. “He had me up against the back door, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get away from him,” the flight attendant said. Doyle and another attendant who worked on the flight took legal action against WWE in the aftermath of the incidents, but the lawsuits were settled out of court.
Flair took to social media to refute the allegations.
Every person that I’ve worked with, from my lawyer to my publicist to my wife has said not to post a response; but I’ve never run from past behaviors before and I’m not going to start now.
I want to clarify a few things:
About four years ago, I gave ESPN full access to my life for a “30 for 30″ special. They covered taxes, financial issues, adultery, divorces, the passing of my child and drinking/partying AT LENGTH.”
Rory Kampf, desperate to matter for another 15 minutes, did an interview about it this morning. When Rory’s lips are moving, he’s typically lying, but one part of what he said was the God’s honest truth:
“I’d never heard that he had forced someone to touch his genitals,” Karpf admitted. “Everything with Ric that was construed as negative I tried to address in the 30 for 30. His drinking, his philandering, his adultery, his money problems, there’s quite a bit, but never, at least in the people that I spoke to, no one ever brought up that he would force himself on somebody.”
I allowed my personal life and the lives of my wife and children to be turned upside down for one reason: Whether it’s good or bad, even the really bad, the truth has to matter. Even in wrestling.
My issues have been well documented over my 40+ year career. The impact of drinking too much (which nearly killed me 5 years ago) has been told time and time and time again. The reason Rory (or anyone else for that matter) never heard stories of me forcing myself on ANYONE is simple: it never happened
Flair issued a follow up statement:
To clarify, the “helicopter” as it was called, is accurate. I wish I could blame it on youth, but it was a case of drinking too much and being inappropriate and I apologize for that (and have countless times over the years).
I made some bad decisions during dark periods in my life, and it is something I’ve spent a significant part of years I was given by the doctors in 2017 trying to make right.
I condemn sexual assault in any way, shape or form. I could (and have) written books (as have others) that have covered my transgressions. I’ve made some terrible decisions, but I’ve never forced myself on anyone in any way. Period.
In the aftermath of the episode’s airing, Flair’s Car Shield advertisement campaign was paused, and WWE removed from its streaming platforms an episode of its Story Time show in which Flair flashing flight attends is made light of.
Source: TheSportster
WWE Could Make Major Change To Brand Split Rules Following Raw
According to a report, strong ratings for this week’s episode of WWE Raw could lead to a brand split rule change.
SmackDown superstars The Usos and Universal Champion Roman Reigns appeared on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw as WWE looks to fix the ratings problem for its flagship program.
AEW Dynamite defeated Monday Night Raw in the key 18-49 demographic for the second straight week. AEW’s first victory two weeks ago over Raw reportedly prompted WWE to move the planned Randy Orton-Bobby Lashley WWE Championship match at Extreme Rules to last week’s show.
Lashley retained the title, but Big E successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new champion. With the victory, Big E moved from the SmackDown roster over to Raw, which reunited him with longtime New Day allies Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
WrestleVotes reported Monday that if this week’s episode of Raw garners higher ratings than usual, it “would open the box to showcasing main superstars on both brands”
WWE ran a concept like this two years ago. For the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, Vince McMahon included a “Wild Card Rule” which allowed four wrestlers from either brand to appear on the other show each week. The rule only lasted a short time as WWE ran a draft in October following SmackDown‘s move over to FOX on Friday nights.
The 2021 WWE Draft is scheduled to run on Oct. 1 and Oct. 4. This marks a prime opportunity for WWE to shake up the roster and rebuild Raw, which has seen a noticeable and concerning decline in viewership. And it’s not about to get any easier now that Raw has to compete with ESPN’s NFL Monday Night Football program until Jan. 3.
WWE is at a point where they have to be open to just about anything. AEW has gained significant momentum in the competition, and Raw is in massive need of more changes. If Reigns’ appearance delivers strong numbers for WWE’s flagship program, why not try out the idea of showcasing main event stars on both brands again? WWE would have nothing to lose here, especially if top stars like Reigns, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins and Edge remain on the SmackDown brand following the Draft.
Source: TheSportster
