Tag: WrestleMania 34

WrestleMania 34 4/8/18

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WWE Championship: (C) AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

SmackDown Women’s Championship: (C) Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka

RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H

Intercontinental Championship: (C) The Miz vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

United States Championship: (C) Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev

Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn  (If Owens/Zayn win they return to SmackDown, if they lose they remain fired)

RAW Tag Team Championship: (C) The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) vs. Braun Strowman & TBD

SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers

Will The Undertaker answer John Cena’s challenge?

(Kickoff) The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: featuring special guest commentators WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler

(Kickoff) Women’s Battle Royal: featuring WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix as a special guest commentator

(Kickoff) WWE Cruiserweight Championship Finals: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

Backstage News On The Expected Undertaker Vs. John Cena Match At WrestleMania

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As seen on RAW this past Monday night, The Undertaker did not respond to John Cena’s challenge for a match at WrestleMania. The bout had been expected for months, with Taker’s wife, Michelle McCool, even posting videos of The Undertaker training.

If the match ends up taking place as expected, it would be the first time that a major WrestleMania match would take place that had been built up without ever being announced on television. Either way, Taker will clearly be at WrestleMania in some form, whether it’s for a match with Cena, or a segment which leads to a physical altercation between the two.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer that Vince McMahon believes that the audience knows that Taker will be showing up this Sunday, so this is the story to bring him back to get his revenge on Cena. A source told the Observer that there is the belief that announcing the match in advance won’t lead to additional network subscriptions, since the fans who would want to see it will be watching the event on the network anyway. The source said that the storyline is McMahon’s and he’s happy with it, and that, “I think part of it is that Vince McMahon can say, ‘people are invested in the mere chance Undertaker will show up!”‘

While it’s not known if the Cena – Undertaker segment at WrestleMania will be an actual match or a confrontation to build to a bout next year, Meltzer noted that it was scheduled to be a match several months ago.

As noted, WWE posted the following blurb regarding the Cena – Undertaker storyline after RAW this past Monday night:

So, what now for Cena? With The Undertaker offering no answer to his challenge, perhaps the showdown between the two iconic Superstars is simply not meant to be. Is Cena destined to experience this year’s Showcase of The Immortals as a spectator? Will he aid another Superstar to victory or perhaps offer his expert knowledge of The Grandest Stage of Them All as a guest commentator? Or, is there still a chance that a match between John Cena and The Undertaker may take place? Find out this Sunday at WrestleMania, streaming live on WWE Network at a special start time of 7 ET/4 PT!

Source: WrestlingINC

Is Rusev Bringing His Tank To WrestleMania 34?

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In the video below, Rusev is talking to Dasha Fuentes after this week’s WWE SmackDown Live win over Jinder Mahal. Regarding Sunday’s WWE United States Title Fatal 4 Way at WrestleMania 34 with champion Randy Orton, Jinder and Bobby Roode, Rusev says it’s now time to take back what is his. He also teases that he may dust off the old tank he used for his entrance at WrestleMania 31.

“Augmented Reality Experiences” Planned For WrestleMania Weekend

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WWE is planning to create “augmented reality experiences” and virtual reality content for those who are unable to attend WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans.

WWE Exec VP/Digital and Social Content Jayar Donlan told Sports Business Daily:

We are going to have some augmented reality experiences with WWE superstars. We are going to be having a lot of live look-ins with one of our popular shows, “WWE Now.” We’ll have original content like video diaries. We’ve even had an alligator predict WrestleMania matches. One of the bigger things we’re doing is our new partnership with NextVR — we are going to be creating WrestleMania virtual reality content, which will be sponsored by Snickers, at the WrestleMania Axxess fan festival.

No further details were given on their VR plans this weekend, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be rolling out all the information ASAP.

Read the full interview for more on WWE’s social media philosophy, working on social media presence with Superstars and the experience of making Mixed Match Challenge for Facebook.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE On The Undertaker – John Cena And WrestleMania 34

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Last night on WWE RAW The Undertaker did not appear and give John Cena an answer to his challenge for WrestleMamia 34.

WWE did post the following match preview for the unconfirmed match after RAW ended:

Will The Undertaker return to battle John Cena at WrestleMania?After coming up short in several attempts to secure a WrestleMania bout, including the Royal Rumble Match, a career-altering contest inside Elimination Chamber and a WWE Championship Six-Pack Challenge Match at WWE Fastlane, John Cena has seen his Road to WrestleMania hit a dead end.

However, before accepting his fate and preparing to go to The Showcase of the Immortals as a member of the WWE Universe, The Leader of the Cenation decided to exhaust one more option and challenged The Undertaker to a one-on-one match on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Unfortunately for the 16-time World Champion, no response came one way or the other, prompting the frustrated Superstar to employ drastic measures and actually call The Deadman a coward! Though this resulted in Cena being assaulted by Kane before defeating him in a No Disqualification Match the following week, there was still no word from The Demon of Death Valley.

Finally, on the final Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania, Cena seemingly lost hope that the epic contest would take place, delivering a somber and, at times acidic, final message to The Deadman before walking up the ramp.

So, what now for Cena? With The Undertaker offering no answer to his challenge, perhaps the showdown between the two iconic Superstars is simply not meant to be. Is Cena destined to experience this year’s Showcase of The Immortals as a spectator? Will he aid another Superstar to victory or perhaps offer his expert knowledge of The Grandest Stage of Them All as a guest commentator? Or, is there still a chance that a match between John Cena and The Undertaker may take place? Find out this Sunday at WrestleMania, streaming live on WWE Network at a special start time of 7 ET/4 PT!

Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Announced For WrestleMania 34

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Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn is now official for WrestleMania 34.

Bryan announced the match on tonight’s SmackDown. If Shane and Bryan win, Sami and Owens will remain fired from SmackDown. Sami and Owens will be reinstated to the blue brand if they can get the win.

WrestleMania 34 is on April 8th in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

WWE Pulls Dean Ambrose From WrestleMania 34 Week

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WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Sting will be replacing the injured Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 34 Axxess in New Orleans next month.

It looks like Ambrose was pulled due to his injury and not some filming or other appearance as WrestleMania Week is all hands on deck. He was also pulled from several World of Wheels convention appearances this month, including this past weekend in Salt Lake City.

The RAW Superstar has been out of action since December after suffering a high-grade triceps tendon injury. Ambrose was expected to be out of action for 9 months, forcing him to miss WrestleMania. He reportedly met with doctors in Birmingham, Alabama a couple of weeks ago to get checked out.

Below is WWE’s announcement on Ambrose being pulled from Axxess:

Sting and Ric Flair to stand in for Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania Axxess Premium VIP Autograph SessionUnfortunately, Dean Ambrose will not be able to appear at the WrestleMania Axxess Premium VIP Autograph Session on Sunday, April 8, at 10 a.m. However, we are pleased to inform the WWE Universe that WWE Hall of Famers Sting and Ric Flair will appear at this Premium VIP Autograph Session. Your existing Dean Ambrose Premium VIP ticket will still grant you access to the Premium VIP Autograph Session on Sunday, April 8, at 10 a.m. with Sting and Flair.

We hope you enjoy WrestleMania Axxess. See you there!

WWE Announced Lilian Garcia As WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal Ring Announcer

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WWE has announced that Lilian Garcia will be the ring announcer for the first-ever WrestleManiaWomen’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.

Veteran ring announcer Lilian Garcia will return as the guest ring announcer for the first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, WWE.com can confirm.

A longtime member of the broadcast team throughout WWE’s Attitude Era, Lilian is also known for her stirring renditions of “America the Beautiful.” Her return to The Showcase of the Immortals comes in tandem with the establishment of the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, a counterpart to the male-centric Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that will feature Superstars from Raw, SmackDown LIVE and NXT. Raw’s Sasha Banks became the first woman to declare for the contest on Monday; she was followed on Tuesday by SmackDown LIVE’s Natalya, Becky Lynch and Naomi as well as The Riott Squad — Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan.

Tune in to WrestleMania 34 on Sunday, April 8, to see the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal begin another chapter in the Women’s Evolution, helped along in no small part by the forbear who will announce it to the world.

Triple H Provides Medical Update On AJ Styles, “We’re Hoping For The Best”

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AJ Styles is still waiting to be cleared by doctors before his anticipated WrestleMania 34 match against Shinsuke Nakamura … this according to Triple H.

While speaking with a french publication called Catch Newz, Triple H was asked about WWE Champion AJ Styles’ recent undisclosed injury and if the company had a Plan B in case he can’t defend his title against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania. Triple H said:

“You always have to have a Plan B, [and] just in case you have a Plan C,” Triple H said. “AJ is an incredible performer. Replacing AJ Styles would be very difficult. [He’s] not necessarily a replaceable talent, but we would do our best.”

Triple H noted that they are working with AJ to get him medically cleared for WrestleMania “if that’s possible.”

“AJ is working diligently on rehabbing his injuries and getting himself in tip-top shape for WrestleMania. We are trying to help him with that process of getting the best care and the best rehab and everything else possible. And, you know, we’re hoping for the best.”

Triple H added, “Right now he says he’s feeling a lot better and that we’ll be ready to go, and obviously we’ll get him doctors to make sure that he is ready to go and get him medical clearance if that’s possible. But he’s working very hard at it, so we’re hoping for the best.”

For those who missed it, AJ is apparently suffering from a leg injury and only made one house show appearance over the weekend.

Styles hasn’t wrestled since working a match against Rusev on last week’s episode of SmackDown Live. He appeared at last Friday’s live event at Madison Square Garden where he was scheduled to team with Nakamura, but an injury angle was done at the beginning of the show to take him out of the match. He missed the remaining SmackDown live events over the weekend, where he was announced as injured. Styles told Catch-Newz earlier this week during a media call that he still planned on defending his title against Nakamura at WrestleMania.

“If my leg got cut off I’d find a way to make it to Wrestlemania,” Styles said. “I will be wrestling Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestlemania, don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine.”

Sources: Catch-Newz, WrestlingINC and Pro Wrestling Sheet

Listen to the quick interview clip with Triple H below:

Backstage News On What Daniel Bryan Agreed To In Order To Get Cleared By WWE – WrestleMania Match Speculation

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Daniel Bryan revealed in an interview with WWE this week that he was cleared to return to in-ring competition by WWE on Monday. While he was cleared on Monday, the decision wasn’t finalized until very shortly before WWE made the public announcement of his return on Tuesday, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Bryan hasn’t wrestled since April of 2015, shortly after he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31. He retired the following February after an EEG test revealed slowing of brain activity and a small lesion in an area of his brain that causes seizures. Bryan had reportedly suffered two seizures and over 20 concussions in his career. Bryan was later told by his doctors that retiring was premature, and that the lesion is a vague thing. He had gotten cleared by several doctors since then, and has said that he would wrestle elsewhere when his WWE contract expires in September if he were healthy and WWE would not clear him.

WWE sent Bryan to get tested by several neurologists chosen by WWE Medical Director Dr. Joseph Maroon over the past two months. After they cleared him, Meltzer noted that Maroon was scheduled to test Bryan next week to clear him, however it was changed to this past Monday so that WWE could start building the WrestleMania angle this week. The script for SmackDown this past Tuesday was re-written after he was cleared. Bryan is expected to team with Shane McMahon to face Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania. There were backup plans of having McMahon get a different partner if Bryan wasn’t cleared, or to have the WrestleManiamatch be a three-way with McMahon, Owens and Zayn with Bryan as special referee.

Bryan got physical for the first time since 2015 on SmackDown this past Tuesday. Bryan fired Zayn and Owens for attacking Shane McMahon last week, which caused Zayn and Owens to attack him. Bryan fought back and looked like he hadn’t lost a step, hitting both men with Yes Kicks and running dropkicks into the corner, while also hitting a German suplex on Zayn. Eventually Owens and Zayn were able to take control, which ended with Zayn hitting Bryan with a Helluva Kick, followed by Owens hitting him with a powerbomb onto the apron on the outside of the ring. The show ended with Bryan being stretchered to the back by paramedics.

It was noted in the Observer that as part of his agreement with WWE to get cleared, he will go to WWE doctors backstage after every match and get Impact testing and a neuropsychological evaluation done until WWE is comfortable that he’s okay.

Not much else has been decided upon other than his WrestleMania match. His schedule will be determined, although Bryan indicated during an appearance on the Edge & Christian podcast last August that he might not be interested in wrestling full-time.

“There’s no reason why I can’t return to doing what I love [wrestling],” Bryan said. “It may never be full-time and it may never be this idea of ‘I’m going to go in and be the guy who main events every live event and stuff. I’m not even sure I want that. Now that I have a child, I don’t want to be away from her that much. But to say that I can’t wrestle say 50 to 100 matches a year or to say that I can’t do Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk are still doing in their 60s. I also want to give the caveat of this: if at any point along with all of this if somebody said there’s a real indication that I should not be wrestling, I don’t want to wrestle. My health is 100% more important than coming back to wrestling. Being a good father is more important than going out there and expounding on my belief that doing more hammerlocks in wrestling is good for the business!”

Source: WrestlingINC