Zack Ryder made his return to TV last night on SmackDown Live after going down with a knee injury last December. Ryder reunited with “Hype Bros.” partner Mojo Rawley in a backstage segment. Below is video from that segment and tweets from the two:
Braun Strowman Cleared For WWE Return
Braun Strowman has been cleared to return to action, according to PWInsider. Word going around at last night’s WWE RAW was that Strowman was cleared a week ago. He will be back on RAW as soon as creative comes up with a plan for his return.
Strowman underwent elbow surgery in mid-May to fix some issues he’d been dealing with. WWE reported then that Braun would be out of action for up to 6 months but it was speculated that the lengthy absence was announced just to set up a super-human comeback ahead of schedule.
It will be interesting to see how WWE brings Strowman back as he’s still in a feud with Roman Reigns. Braun has stated that he’s not done with Reigns yet. As noted, Reigns will be on next week’s RAW to announce his SummerSlam plans.
Source: WrestlingINC
SmackDown Live Preview 6/13/17
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans with the final hype for Sunday’s Money In the Bank pay-per-view.
* Money in the Bank competitors team up for Six-Man Tag Team battle
* Mahal and Orton come face to face before WWE Title rematch
* New Day & Breezango join forces for Eight-Man Tag Team Match against The Usos & The Colons
* Can Tamina pin Naomi again?
* Charlotte Flair and Natalya square off before historic Women’s Money in the Bank
NJPW Reveals US ‘G1 Special’ Cards: Tournament Format Changes, 5 Title Matches
On July 1 and 2, NJPW will be holding a G1 Special event in Long Beach, California as a prelude to their biggest tournament of the year, G1 Climax. As they expand into the US market, NJPW debuted the IWGP United State Heavyweight Championship and the first champion will be crowned at the G1 Special. Initially, the tournament was said to be round-robin, but it now looks like they are going with a single-elimination, 8-man tournament. The eight participants are: Michael Elgin, Kenny Omega, Jay Lethal, Hangman Page, Juice Robinson, Zack Sabre Jr., Tomohiro Ishii, and Tetsuya Naito.
Here is the full lineup for July 1 and a preliminary lineup for July 2:
July 1
* Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Marty Scurll, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Chaos (Beretta, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Rocky Romero and Will Ospreay)
* Dragon Lee, Jushin Thunder Liger, Titán & Volador Jr. vs. Bushi, Evil, Hiromu Takahashi & Sanada
* Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jay White and Kushida vs. Billy Gunn, Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu and Yos–tatsu
* Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. War Machine (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
* Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Cody (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
July 2
* The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship)
* Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn (IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
* Winner of Kenny Omega/Michael Elgin vs. winner of Jay Lethal/Hangman Page (Semifinals – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Winner of Juice Robinson/Zack Sabre Jr. vs. winner of Tetsuya Naito/Tomohiro Ishii (Semifinals – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Winner of Semis #1 vs. Winner of Semis #2 (Finals for the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship)
July 1 will air live on AXS TV at 8pm, while the July 2 show will air on AXS TV on Friday, July 7 at 8pm ET, both will have commentary by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett. Both shows will air live on NJPW World, but the July 1 show will be unavailable in the United States until the VOD comes out (exact time is not yet know). It’s about $9 to sign up for NJPW World.
Source: WrestlingINC
Nick Jackson Had His Backpack Stolen In Japan Which Contained His Passport & $2,000 In Merch Money
The Young Bucks got $2,000 in merch money stolen this weekend in Japan after someone took Nick Jackson‘s backpack and everything in it, including his passports.
He and his brother Matt were traveling from Tokyo to Osaka when they stopped for a bite to eat a restaurant. Shortly after leaving, he realized the bag was still there. Nick says he rushed back, but it was already gone. The thief made off with a bunch of his belongings, including prescription eye glasses, electronics, his two passports and $2,ooo.
Luckily he was issued a temporary passport by the American embassy that allowed him to fly home.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Dash Wilder Cleared For In-Ring Action
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Dash Wilder (one half of the tag team The Revival) was cleared by doctors to return to the ring. Wilder met with WWE docs yesterday and got the green light to wrestle again.
Dash fractured his jaw in April at an NXT event and had to get it wired shut.
Bray Wyatt’s Wife Files For Divorce, Lawyer Claims He’s Been Cheating With WWE Ring Announcer JoJo
Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed Bray Wyatt‘s wife recently filed for divorce … and even though her lawyer claims he was cheating with JoJo, the wrestler says his ex just wants to defame him.
According to court documents obtained by The Sheet, Samantha Rotunda filed for dissolution of marriage back in April and said their relationship was irretrievably broken.
The Daily Mail first reported that she wants their marital home, child support and alimony.
Bray Wyatt then filed legal docs claiming his ex-wife had been making defamatory statements about him to people in the community “in an effort to ruin his reputation.” He also claimed that she had been posting lies on social media to damage his business ventures in the entertainment industry.
Because of this, he’s asking the court for an injunction to keep her quiet.
Samantha is fighting that though. Her response states: “Ms. Rotunda will not only prove Husband’s misrepresentations and lies, but prove that Husband’s allegation and claims are nothing more than a media ploy and endeavor to create an offense to defend his adultery and misdeeds.”
“Husband is responsible for his own poor choices; Husband is responsible for their consequences.”
Rotunda’s lawyer Ray Rafool — who also represented the ex-wives of Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Alberto Del Rio — told the Daily Mail that WWE ring announcer JoJo is the woman Wyatt has allegedly been cheating with. Her name isn’t mentioned in the documents though.
Sources tell Pro Wrestling Sheet that Samantha didn’t initially plan to mention the adultery in court documents to keep the split as positive as possible for their kids, but that all changed once Bray attempted to tarnish her name in his response — causing his college sweetheart to enter her misdeed claims into court.
RAW Preview 6/12/17
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA.
* Will Brock Lesnar bring the pain to Samoa Joe?
* The Hardy Boyz challenge Cesaro & Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Titles in anticipated rematch
* Who is Enzo Amore & Big Cass’ attacker?
* Can Alexa Bliss evade Nia Jax’s fury?
* Is Bray Wyatt coming for The Kingslayer?
* Will Dean Ambrose strike again?
Emma Returns From Injury At Live Event (Video)
Emma made her in-ring return from an injury Friday night at a WWE Live Event in Mississippi.
Emma tagged with Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax against Sasha Banks, Mickie James and her former partner Dana Brooke.
Two Raw Superstars Set To Join Cast Of ‘Total Divas’, Renee Young Not Returning
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that RAW Superstars Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax were recently added to the cast of Total Divas for season 7.
It was previously reported that Eva Marie will no longer be apart of the Total Divas cast, and now Renee Young revealed that she’s no longer part of the cast.
Young replied to a fan Saturday night on Twitter who asked if she’d still be on the show next season and Renee answered, “Nope I am not, but the new cast will crush it!!”
So it appears that Bliss and Jax will be replacing Eva Marie and Renee Young on the show.
