Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as The Road to WrestleMania 33 continues.
WWE announced the following:
JBL & Ron Simmons to induct Teddy Long into the WWE Hall of FameJBL and Ron Simmons will have the privilege of inducting their longtime friend and frequent travel companion, Teddy Long, into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“It’s an incredible honor,” JBL told WWE.com. “I’ve always thought that inducting someone into the WWE Hall of Fame is one of the greatest privileges you can get because it’s the honor of a lifetime for the person going in.”
JBL and Simmons’ close relationship with Long makes it all the more special. The brawlers known as The APA traveled the roads with Long and 2016 inductee, The Godfather.
“We rode thousands and thousands of miles together for years – me, Ron, Teddy and Godfather in one car,” JBL explained. “It’s real special. Ron’s in the Hall of Fame, Godfather’s in the Hall of Fame, and now Teddy is, too.
“I’m the only one left,” he joked.
Their friendship aside, JBL believes Long is one of the worthiest recipients of sports-entertainment’s ultimate honor.
“Teddy Long is a groundbreaker,” the former World Champion said. “He worked his way up from the ring crew to become the manager of one of the greatest tag teams of all time in Doom. He was a referee and became one of the most colorful general managers ever. Teddy Long has done it all. If there’s anybody deserving of going into the WWE Hall of Fame, it’s him.”
How do JBL & Ron Simmons plan to honor their friend as he takes his rightful place in sports-entertainment history? Find out during the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, airing live on WWE Network Friday, March 31, 2017 at 8 ET/5 PT!
SportsKeeda is reporting that WWE officials are not happy with SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss’ in-ring work, despite her promo ability. It was noted that she is believed to have very little chemistry with anyone on the roster other than Becky Lynch, and Lynch is credited for the “passable matches” that they do have. Road agents were also apparently not happy that Bliss did not a good match with Mickie James on SmackDown this past Tuesday.
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE has announced that John Cena will induct former rival Kurt Angle into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 33 weekend.
WWE announced the following:
John Cena to induct Kurt Angle into the WWE Hall of Fame
John Cena will have the honor of inducting Kurt Angle – his very first opponent in WWE – into the WWE Hall of Fame during the 2017 Induction Ceremony on Friday, March 31, airing live on WWE Network.
Cena was a long way from becoming a 16-time World Champion on June 27, 2002 when he accepted the Olympic Gold Medalist’s open challenge, believing he had the “ruthless aggression” to defeat Angle before striking him. Though he did not earn the victory, Cena established himself as a force to be reckoned with in WWE.
Angle and Cena would remain rivals throughout the latter’s rise to Superstardom, even battling over the WWE Championship in 2005. Now, Cena will present Angle to the WWE Universe for the first time in more than a decade – and officially as a WWE Hall of Famer.
What will Cena have to say when he inducts one of his greatest rivals into sports-entertainment history? Find out during the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Friday, March 31 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, live on the award-winning WWE Network!
Rusev underwent shoulder surgery on March 9th. Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he is scheduled to be out of action for around two months, which means he will miss WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
It appears Rusev was injured before his March 5th WWE Fastlane loss to Big Show as he’s needed the surgery for some time. The surgery is why he lost to Big Show and why the team with Jinder Mahal was quickly ended. Rusev’s absence may lead to more ring time for Lana as his injury is why she was sent back to WWE NXT and the WWE Performance Center last week.
Source: WrestlingINC
The “Loser Leaves WWE NXT” match between Elias Samson and Kassius Ohno appears to be on for next Wednesday’s episode. Below is video of Dasha Fuentes interviewing Ohno after his loss to NXT Champion Bobby Roode tonight. Ohno is talking about how he didn’t anticipate starting out his return with a disappointing loss when Samson appears singing a song to taunt Ohno. Ohno says Samson needs an ass kicking but Samson doesn’t believe Ohno belongs in NXT. This leads to Ohno challenging Samson to the match for next week.
Source: WrestlingINC
Erick Rowan has been cleared to return to the ring from his torn rotator cuff. PWInsider notes that Rowan was backstage for last night’s WWE SmackDown but obviously was not used.
Source: WrestlingINC
NXT Championship: (C) Bobby Roode vs. Kassius Ohno
Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose and Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY
The Authors of Pain vs. The Ealy Twins
Jeff Hardy spoke with SE Scoops for a new interview. Some highlights are below:
On reports that he and Matt have signed short-term deals with Ring of Honor: “We do, it’s a short term deal and it’s cool because we can still work the indies like we’ve been doing. We’ve really had a good time on the independent circuit. We sell a lot of merchandise and take a lot of pictures with fans. It’s great to be your own boss and being able to do TV with Ring of Honor as well.”
On a possible WWE return: “I would love to introduce the Broken Universe to WWE eventually. I think it would be huge. As far as character driven or just a fresh vibe in in the pro wrestling world, yeah I think eventually I’m sure I’m going to jump back into the solo dimension and I’d love to be the world champion again. In my career in WWE, if it works out, the whole Hall of Fame and all that stuff. It started there and I’d like to end there. For now, I’m just having a blast doing the indies and I love the Broken Universe stuff with Matt, I think it’s the best thing he’s ever done. It’s just hard to keep a straight face around him at times, but he can be serious and make sense in a weird way, it’s just so fun. I hope it lasts as long as it can.”
Source: 411Mania
Tonight’s 205 Live will take place from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA as the Road to WrestleMania 33 continues.
