Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival will defend their titles against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable at Sunday’s pay-per-view. Ricochet & Black challenged for The Revival’s titles on Raw last night, with Roode & Gable attacking The Revival and causing the match to end in a disqualification.
Ricochet & Black and Roode & Gable went face-to-face and argued after the DQ, and Ricochet & Black stood tall after a brief brawl.
Ricochet & Black vs. Cesaro & Sheamus has also been announced for tonight’s SmackDown.
Fastlane is taking place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (if Lynch wins, she’ll be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Nia Jax & Tamina
SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mandy Rose
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a triple threat match
This week’s NXT road house show loop began at Express Live in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday night. Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black were in action after making their Raw and SmackDown debuts last week.
– Ricochet & Aleister Black defeated The Forgotten Sons (Jaxson Ryker & Steve Cutler)
– Punishment Martinez defeated Kassius Ohno
As part of his storyline in NXT, Ohno said he was only in Columbus because he still has contractually obligated appearances left.
Two matches and a contract signing segment have been announced for Tuesday’s SmackDown.
Johnny Gargano vs. Cesaro is set for the episode, along with Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev. There will also be a contract signing with WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston on Tuesday’s SmackDown to build up their title match at Fastlane on March 10.
Gargano tweeted about facing Cesaro: “Let’s start checking off all of those ‘dream matches you never knew you needed until right now’.. This Tuesday on #SDLive.. Johnny Wrestling vs Swiss Cyborg”
Tommaso Ciampa will be in Gargano’s corner for the match, while Sheamus will be in Cesaro’s corner.
Gargano, Ciampa, Ricochet, and Black debuted on Raw last week and then wrestled on SmackDown the next night. Gargano & Ciampa defeated Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match on Monday and Cesaro & Sheamus on Tuesday.
Ricochet & Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush on Raw, with Ricochet then defeating Eric Young on SmackDown. Black got wins against Elias and Andrade.
Kingston vs. Bryan was confirmed for Fastlane after Kingston pinned Bryan in a six-man tag main event on last week’s SmackDown.
Tuesday’s SmackDown is taking place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Four top stars from NXT all debuted on the post-Elimination Chamber edition of Raw.
Triple H started the show and confirmed that Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, and Aleister Black would be debuting last night. Ricochet teamed with Finn Balor against Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush, Gargano & Ciampa renewed their rivalry with Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match, and Black took on Elias.
Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defended her title in the main event, facing Ruby Riott in a rematch from Elimination Chamber.
Four NXT stars made their presence felt on tonight’s episode of Raw.
Triple H made the announcement at that start of the show that Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Aleister Black and Ricochet would be making their WWE debuts on tonight’s show. It wasn’t made clear what brand they would be on as they used NXT graphics to introduce the wrestlers.
Ricochet made his debut first, saving Finn Balor from a Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush attack. The four ended up competing in a tag team match, with Ricochet pinning Rush with the 630.
Ciampa & Gargano followed, facing the Revival in a throwback to their feud back on NXT television. The former DIY picked up the win with their old finish, a superkick/knee combo. Chad Gable and Bobby Roode, who watched the match backstage, confronted Gargano and Ciampa before their match and said they deserved the opportunity Gargano and Ciampa got.
Aleister Black was the last to make his debut, interrupting Elias who was about to perform. He picked up the win with the Black Mass.
UPDATE: WWE tweeted pictures of Ciampa, Gargano, Ricochet, and Black backstage at Raw.
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PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported Monday that several top NXT wrestlers are backstage at Raw and are currently scheduled to appear on tonight’s broadcast.
Those four men are NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, former North American Champion Ricochet, and former NXT Champion Aleister Black.
Dave Meltzer has been told that the four wrestlers are at Raw and are most likely working the show.
All four wrestlers were involved in this month’s Halftime Heat match, with Ricochet & Black teaming with Velveteen Dream to defeat Ciampa, Gargano & Adam Cole.
Gargano defeated Ricochet to win the NXT North American title at TakeOver: Phoenix over Royal Rumble weekend, while Ciampa retained his NXT Championship against Black in the main event.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. It will feature the fallout from Elimination Chamber, with Sasha Banks & Bayley making their first appearance as Women’s Tag Team Champions and WWE following up on Finn Balor’s Intercontinental title win.
Good match here. Martinez has been consistent since arriving and Williams has all the tools. Martinez hit a spinning kick followed by a layout slam to win.
– Deonna Purrazzo defeated Chelsea Green
Purrazzo has a new look with silver hair. A pendulum snap suplex got her the win.
– Adrian Jaoude (w/ Cezar Bononi) defeated Eric Bugenhagen
A distraction by Bononi allowed Jaoude to roll Bugenhagen up.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Denzel Dejournette
Decisive victory with the elbow. After the match, Bugenhagen made the save to protect Dejournette from any further damage.
The crowd was all over Barthel and Aichner, chanting “chicken” at them. The fans were thoroughly behind Lorcan and Burch. Lorcan and Burch hit atomic and inverted atomic drops on both men at one point.
A double-team team spike DDT got Lorcan and Burch the win.
Hot tag to Yim who cleaned up and won with the Protect Ya Neck
– Matt Riddle defeated Babatunde
The giant had his way with Riddle early on, but Riddle was able to counter the side slam into a pair of flying knees and use the Bromission to make Babatunde tap out.
– NXT Tag Team Champions War Raiders & Aleister Black defeated The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler & Jaxson Ryker)
Great finish to this one as Black hit a doomsday meteora.
Below, you can watch what went down during Halftime Heat, which took place during the Super Bowl Halftime show.
The match had Ricochet, Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream team up to take on Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano in a six man tag team match. It aired live at the WWE Performance Center, with Vic Joseph and Shawn Michaels calling the action.
The video in its entirety lasts four hours and features a number of big NXT matches in the past featuring the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, Bayley, Sasha Banks and more. It streamed across multiple platforms including WWE.com, WWE Network, Twitter and Facebook.
The name Halftime Heat was first used back in 1999 for a special edition of Sunday Night Heat where Mankind defeated the Rock to win the WWE title for a second time in an empty arena match. It was used again the following year for an exclusive interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was recovering from neck surgery at the time.
This year’s Halftime Heat starts at the 3:33:20 mark.
Twenty years after Mankind defeated The Rock to win the WWF Championship, Halftime Heat makes its return tonight.
Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black & Ricochet will team up to face Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano & Adam Cole in an NXT six-man tag match. It will take place at the Performance Center and air live on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WWE.com, and the WWE app during halftime of tonight’s Super Bowl.
The tag match was set up by a brawl that took place after NXT TakeOver: Phoenix went off the air. Velveteen Dream confronted Ciampa and Gargano as they were on the stage, Cole, Black, and Ricochet joined them, and it led to the sides needing to be kept apart.
Vic Joseph and Shawn Michaels will be on commentary for Halftime Heat.
The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams are facing off in tonight’s Super Bowl, with Maroon 5 headlining the halftime show.
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While a maraton of NXT matches air on the Halftime Heat live stream, the Super Bowl itself had one pro wrestling reference during the game. Deatrich Wise Jr. of the New England Patriots clotheslined Los Angeles Rams running back CJ Anderson during the first play of the second quarter.
Retired pro football player and color commentator Tony Romo said “Hulk Hogan would be proud” of what Romo called a “fantastic clothesline.”
“About 300-400 people inside the Performance Center for Halftime Heat, seems like largely a friends and family Super Bowl party with wrestling,” Bryan Alvarez noted in a tweet.
An introductory video explained what is NXT as the live feed opened from the Performance Center. The set had a vibe similar to studio wrestling TV shows back in the day — but retrofitted with LED screens and HD cameras.
Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream defeated Adam Cole, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano & NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa
Dream pinned Cole in a great PWG-style match. It was mostly all action. Gargano started the match with Ricochet, and Ricochet soon thereafter launched into a flurry of flight. Gargano used a heelish tactic to cut him off with an eye poke. Vic Joseph on commentary played up Gargano being reluctant to tag Ciampa. He instead tagged Cole.
Cole traded strikes with Black until Black mowed him down with kicks. Dream made a bling tag before springboarding into the ring to clothesline Ciampa. Dream was on fire when he crouched down into a football stance, but Ciampa punched him in the face. Dream answered back with a springboard ax handle off the middle rope.
The babyface team cleared the ring and then one by one they flipped into a pose. Moments later the match turned into a Gordon Solie Pier-Sixer — which the heels capitalized on as they posted Dream. They began working him over. Gargano snuffed out a hope spot with a slingshot spear on Dream.
Cole jumped off the middle rope only to meet a superkick from Dream. A hot tag led to Ricochet running wild. After a springboard elbow by Ricochet, a standing moonsault press got him a two count. Black was in next to ran wild on Gargano — leading to another near fall.
Black did a springboard moonsault to the floor that began a chain reaction of highspots. Gargano dived through the ropes. Dream flew off the top rope. Ricochet dived over the ropes. Back in the ring, Black with a meteora for a close two and half count.
A series of exchanges too rapid to recall led into another close near fall where Gargano kicked out of cover by Dream. In a callback or sorts to an infamous spot on a TakeOver show, Ricochet moonsaulted off the top rope to meet a superkick in mid-air from Cole. Somehow, Ricochet kicked out. He also avoided the Last Shot and schoolboyed Cole.
All six squared off as brawl erupted inside the ring. Gargano gave Ricochet a reverse rana to send him rolling outside. Black then dispatched Gargano with a knee strike. Dream and Ciampa spilled over the top rope doing a suplex spot. Cole leaped off the ropes into a Canadian Destroyer on Ricochet. Again, Ricochet somehow kicked out.
The heel team had a three-on-one advantage with Ricochet surrounded in the ring. They measured him for a triple superkick, and Cole covered him. Black jumped into the ring at the last moment to make a save.
Dream faced off against all three. He was cleaning house until eating a double superkick. Meanwhile, Black Mass wiped out Gargano. A Dream Driver on Ciampa sent him rolling outside. Cole was hit with Black Mass before taking a Dream Driver.
Ricochet re-joined the party with a springboard 450 on Cole. To finish the match, Dream leapt off the top rope with a flying elbow drop — and he then covered Cole for the pinfall.
The babyface team celebrated their victory as the show closed. While a world title change twenty years ago was more newsworthy at the time, this six-man tag match was arguably much better than the empty arena match during the first Halftime Heat. Overall, the special was great showcase for NXT.
Twenty years after Mankind won the WWF title from The Rock, Halftime Heat is making a return.
WWE has announced that a six-man tag match with wrestlers from NXT will air live on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WWE.com, and the WWE app during halftime of next Sunday’s (February 3) Super Bowl. It will be Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano & Adam Cole.
The six-man tag was set up with a brawl that took place after NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. As Ciampa and Gargano were on the stage, Velveteen Dream interrupted them. It led to Cole, Black, and Ricochet getting involved and officials trying to break it up. The brawl spilled to the back and into Gorilla position, with Triple H making an appearance and attempting to settle things down.
It was noted that Shawn Michaels will be doing guest commentary for the match.
The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams are facing off in this year’s Super Bowl. Maroon 5 are headlining the halftime show, with Travis Scott and Big Boi joining them.
The first Halftime Heat aired in 1999 and featured Mankind defeating The Rock in an empty arena match to win the WWF title.
Borne and Aliyah had mirrors and kept checking themselves out throughout the match. Borne hit a side slam that she set up with a cartwheel to win.
– Riddick Moss did an in-ring promo where he thanked “The Riddick Regiment” for his speedy recovery and kept repeating it over and over until Jeet Rama’s music played.
– Jeet Rama defeated Riddick Moss
Rama won with a roll-up, but he was destroyed by Moss after the match.
– Jaxson Ryker (w/ Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake) defeated Stacey Ervin Jr.
Ryker hit a sit-out chokeslam to get the victory.
– Raul Mendoza & Humberto Carrillo defeated Cezar Bononi & Adrian Jaoude
They had a good back-and-forth match, with Mendoza hitting a 450 to win.
– Punishment Martinez defeated Kona Reeves
Martinez connected with a big lariat and then used the Hell’s Gate submission for the win. After the match, Martinez hit his chokeslam on Reeves for the crowd.
– Candice LeRae defeated Deonna Purrazzo
Very good action here — would love to see this on a bigger stage someday. LeRae hit the Unprettier to end it.
– NXT North American Champion Ricochet, Keith Lee & Matt Riddle defeated Shane Thorne, Johnny Gargano & Kassius Ohno
Lee has new self-sung theme music that debuted here — and he followed it up with an encore of the loudest chop of the night to Thorne.
The crowd was in awe of this match throughout since every combination was interesting. Ohno and Gargano tried to keep Riddle grounded by taking out his leg. Ricochet ran wild to clear the ring towards the end and put Thorne down with the Cradle Shock.
WWE is advertising an NXT Championship rematch for TakeOver: Phoenix.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa defending his title against Aleister Black has been announced for TakeOver: Phoenix. This will be Black’s rematch for the title after dropping it to Ciampa in July. Ciampa vs. Black vs. Johnny Gargano had originally been scheduled for TakeOver: Brooklyn in August, but Black was forced out of the match due to injury.
An in-ring promo segment continuing that three-way feud aired on tonight’s episode of NXT. Black confronted Ciampa and said he was invoking his rematch clause for a title match at TakeOver: Phoenix. Gargano then came out and told Black that he was getting ahead of himself and things between Black and Gargano aren’t over yet.
The segment led to Ciampa goading Black and Gargano into agreeing to face each other in a steel cage match. Black also laid out Ciampa with Black Mass.
WWE then had William Regal send out a tweet announcing the Ciampa vs. Black title match for TakeOver: Phoenix and Black and Gargano’s steel cage match for the December 19 episode of NXT: “@WWEAleister will face @ProjectCiampa at #NXTTakeOver Phoenix for the #NXTChampionship! And to square things away, @JohnnyGargano and @WWEAleister will get their matters settled in a #SteelCage Match in two weeks!”
Whether or not the storyline will result in Gargano being added to the TakeOver title match remains to be seen.
Ciampa vs. Black is the first match to be publicly announced for TakeOver: Phoenix, though a fatal four-way match to determine the challenger for Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship took place at the last set of NXT television tapings. That four-way match will air on December 26.
TakeOver: Phoenix is taking place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 26, 2019, which is the Saturday of Royal Rumble weekend.
