Note: The following contains spoilers for SmackDown and WrestleMania.
Because of Roman Reigns deciding to not wrestle during the WrestleMania tapings due to health concerns surrounding the coronavirus, WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg was left without an opponent for the company’s biggest show of the year.
WrestleMania was taped on Wednesday and Thursday at the Orlando, Florida, based Performance Center, due to the uncertainty regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, several future editions of both Raw and SmackDown were also recorded this week.
Meltzer said that Reigns was at the PC for the match but ultimately chose to withdraw due to a compromised immune system, a result of his past battles with leukemia. Meltzer said he was told that Reigns’ cousins, The Usos, weren’t happy that The Miz was sick which helped influence Reigns’ decision.
Zayn pinned Braun Strowman tonight at Elimination Chamber in a 3 on 1 handicap match for the Intercontinental title that also included Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. After being posted, Strowman was held up by Nakamura and Cesaro in the suplex position. Zayn then finished off Strowman with the helluva kick.
Strowman only held the championship for 37 days, defeating Nakamura on the January 31 edition of SmackDown. This is Zayn’s first championship win on the main roster.
Originally scheduled to be a rematch between Nakamura and Strowman, it was changed to a handicap match during a contract signing on SmackDown last week. After saying he might as well face all three men in the same match, Zayn challenged him to a handicap match. Strowman ended up agreeing.
Zayn has only wrestled sporadically in recent months, positioning himself more as a manager for Cesaro and Nakamura. He last wrestled on television back in December, teaming with Cesaro and Nakamura in a losing effort to The New Day and Strowman.
More than a month after he won his first WWE Intercontinental title, Braun Strowman will defend his title against the man he won it from as well as his two stablemates.
On Friday’s SmackDown during a contract signing segment for a one-on-one Elimination Chamber match between Strowman and former champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Strowman said in passing that he would be fighting all three men anyway. Zayn picked up on that line and forced Strowman’s hand into a three-on-one match.
Strowman agreed and went on the attack, only to be beat down by the trio and eventually suplexed through a table.
Strowman defeated Nakamura for the I-C belt on the Friday, January 31st edition of SmackDown, ending a 201-day run as champion for the Japanese star.
Elimination Chamber will be on Sunday, March 8th from Philadelphia, PA, with the card still taking shape. Thus far, a women’s Chamber match featuring Natalya, Liv Morgan, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Ruby Riott, and Sarah Logan will be for a show at Becky Lynch’s Raw title is official with the I-C title match as the only other official match as of now.
The Wells Fargo Center is advertising participants for next month’s Elimination Chamber event.
Earlier this afternoon, a tweet posted by the Wells Fargo Center Twitter account said that the headline match would be Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, King Corbin, and Robert Roode in an Elimination Chamber match. The winner of the match would go on to face the Universal Champion at WrestleMania. WWE has yet to officially confirm the match.
The current Universal Champion is The Fiend Bray Wyatt. However, he has a title match against Goldberg at Crown Jewel later this month in Saudi Arabia. It is likely that the winner of this match would face the winner of the Elimination Chamber match.
The match would tie a number of feuds together. Braun Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura last week to win the Intercontinental championship on SmackDown. Roman Reigns has been primarily feuding with Baron Corbin over the last several months, though Robert Roode and his tag team partner Dolph Ziggler have also been involved, associating themselves with Corbin.
Elimination Chamber will take place on March 8th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Braun Strowman’s first singles title reign began on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on the show to win the Intercontinental Championship. Sami Zayn and Cesaro got involved in the match, with Zayn exposing one of the top turnbuckles. But Strowman sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle instead and pinned him after hitting a powerslam.
Nakamura and Strowman have been feuding with each other since before the Royal Rumble. Strowman issued a challenge to Nakamura after defeating him in a non-title match earlier this month, but Zayn said Nakamura was focused on the Rumble.
After Nakamura lost the Intercontinental title tonight, there was a segment where Elias playing his guitar in the ring kept interrupting Zayn, Nakamura, and Cesaro’s backstage interview. It led to Elias getting the better of a brawl with Cesaro after Cesaro came down to the ring.
Nakamura had been Intercontinental Champion since winning the title from Finn Balor on the Extreme Rules pre-show in July 2019.
Strowman has previously been a Raw Tag Team Champion twice, briefly holding the titles with Nicholas and Seth Rollins.
SmackDown takes place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, tonight, and features the fallout from the Royal Rumble. The Super Bowl airs this Sunday on FOX, so tonight’s episode is dubbed “Super SmackDown.”
Roman Reigns & The Usos take on King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode in a rematch from last week. Reigns & The Usos were victorious in their first match. Reigns then defeated Corbin in a falls count anywhere match at the Royal Rumble, with The Usos, Ziggler, and Roode all getting involved.
The Miz & John Morrison, The Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery, and The Revival will face off in a fatal four-way tag team match. The winning team challenges The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team titles at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura puts his title on the line against Braun Strowman tonight. Strowman demanded a title shot after defeating Nakamura in a non-title match. Sami Zayn and Nakamura turned down the challenge because they wanted to focus on the Royal Rumble.
Plus, Sheamus goes one-on-one with Shorty G in a Royal Rumble rematch. Sheamus defeated Gable on Sunday’s pre-show.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Roman Reigns and The Usos made their way down to the ring to start SmackDown. Reigns pointed out he defeated King Corbin in the falls count anywhere match at the Royal Rumble. He had a tough time admitting that he lost the Rumble match. Reigns promised to move forward with The Usos’ help.
King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode interrupted. Corbin noted that Reigns needed The Usos help to get the win. He believes he would have won the Rumble match if they didn’t attack him.
Jimmy Uso mocked Corbin and discussed the beating they gave Corbin.
Corbin noted they were all laughing when The Usos embarrassed their family. Corbin then showed footage of Corbin and Ziggler covering Reigns in dog food a few weeks ago.
Reigns pointed out that Corbin has a dog food fetish.
Reigns then added a stipulation to the six-man tag team match later. The loser eats dog food. Corbin agreed to the stipulations.
Reigns and The Usos were happy to hear that. They then brought out a table of dog food, which remained on the stage for the rest of the night.
The Miz & John Morrison defeated Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery and The Revival
Gran Meatlik and Morrison had an excellent exchange. Metalik caught Morrison with a hurricanrana and sent him to the floor. Lince Dorado took out The Revival with a flying crossbody. Dorado attempted a dive, but The Revival caught him and tossed him into the ring post.
Morrison hit a twisting cross body onto Heavy Machinery. Miz teased a dive, but Scott Dawson cut him off.
Metalik jumped over the top rope and caught Morrison on the apron with a hurricanrana, which sent Morrison into Heavy Machinery and The Revival on the floor.
Back from the break, Morrison knocked Metalik off the apron. Dorado fought back and hit double stunners on Morrison and Miz.
Otis got the hot tag and ran wild.
Otis gave Miz and Morrison a double splash in the corner. He followed up with a double caterpillar and scored a near fall on Miz.
Metalik hit a crossbody on Dawson, and Dorado hit a splash for a near fall. Dawson hit DDT on Otis. Dorado and Dawson had a great exchange. Dorado hit two moonsaults, but Dash Wilder prevented the third.
The Revival hit the superplex/splash combo on Metalik.
The finish came when Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Dawson, and Morrison hit Starship Pain for the win.
Miz and Morrison challenge The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team titles at Super Showdown.
In the back, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville approached Heavy Machinery. Rose thanked Otis for helping her out at the Royal Rumble.
Otis asked Rose out on a date for next Friday.
The fans cheered when he asked her out. Rose noted she’s busy next Friday, which the fans booed. She then said she’s free the following Friday, and the fans popped big.
Tucker did the math and informed Otis that his first date with Rose in on Valentine’s Day.
They recapped “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan in a strap match at the Royal Rumble. They showed Bryan taking a shower after the match. His back was bruised and battered from the strap.
On This Week In WWE History, they aired footage from The Rock vs. Mankind Halftime Heat match from January 31, 1999.
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated Fire & Desire
They recapped Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville’s eliminations from the Royal Rumble match.
Fire and Desire jumped the faces to start the match. The heels isolated Bliss in their corner and cut her off from Cross.
Deville slowed the pace down and applied a chin lock. Rose made the blind tag and rocked Bliss with a knee for a near fall.
Cross got the hot tag and ran wild. She hit a running bulldog on Rose and followed up with a cross body, but Deville broke up the pin attempt.
The finish came when Cross hit the neck breaker on Rose, and Bliss hit Twisted Bliss for the win.
They showed an employee stirring up the dog food and getting it ready for the main event later.
Braun Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Sami Zayn & Cesaro) to win the Intercontinental Championship
On commentary, Michael Cole pointed out that Strowman has yet to win a singles championship.
Strowman had the early advantage but missed a splash in the corner. Zayn interfered in the match three times to help Nakamura take over.
Nakamura slowed the pace down with a front face lock. Strowman powered out, but Nakamura rocked him with a kick.
Strowman regained control and nailed Nakamura with a clothesline. Strowman rocked Nakamura with a shoulder tackle on the floor.
Strowman attempted the power slam, but Nakamura slipped out the back. Nakamura hit a knee for a near fall.
Cesaro distracted the referee, and Zayn exposed the turnbuckle.
Nakamura attempted to send Storwman into the turnbuckle, but Strowman sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle instead.
Strowman then hit the power slam to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Strowman celebrated his win after the match. They tried to treat this like a big deal.
In the back, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura were furious about losing the title. Zayn went on a rant when Elias playing interrupted.
In the ring, Elias noted he has to perform, and nobody wants to hear Zayn talk. He’s just trying to move on.
Zayn tells Elias that nobody cares and to put his guitar down.
Zayn tried talking, but Elias interrupted him again. Zayn yelled at Elias and told him to shut up. Elias apologized but interrupted Zayn again.
Zayn turned to Cesaro and asked him to take care of this situation.
Elias tried to perform, but Cesaro interrupted and made his way down to the ring.
Cesaro and Elias started brawling. Cesaro had a brief advantage until Elias took over, and Cesaro ran off.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves discussed Graves’s podcast and his interview with Ronda Rousey. Graves pointed out that Rousey misses the WWE and plans to return at some point.
They recapped Sheamus and Shorty G’s feud.
Sheamus defeated Shorty G
As Sheamus entered, Shorty G ran out and jumped Sheamus from behind.
Back from the break, Sheamus had Shorty G in a chin lock. He tried to push Shorty G to the floor, but Shorty countered and pulled Sheamus out.
Sheamus regained control and dominated Shorty G. He placed Shorty G in the Torture Rack but than just dropped him face first.
Shorty G fought back and rocked Sheamus with a head butt. He followed up with a missile dropkick and cannonball in the corner.
Shorty G then hit a moonsault for very close two count. He rolled up Sheamus for a near fall.
Sheamus caught Shorty G and hit the Irish Curse backbreaker. He then hit the Brogue Kick for the win.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley made her way down to the ring. She bragged about retaining the title this past Sunday over Lacey Evans. The fans gave her the What treatment. Bayley noted she got revenge for Sasha Banks after Evans injured her.
Bayley pointed out the best part was beating down Evans in front of her daughter. She bragged about beating everyone. Bayley said she knows Charlotte Flair is going to choose her to face at WrestleMania. She demanded Flair to come out and issue the challenge.
Naomi’s music hit and she made her way to the ring instead. She pointed out that Bayley never beat her. Naomi wants the title back and wants a match with Bayley.
Bayley jumped Naomi and attempted to hit her with the belt. Naomi ducked and caught Bayley with a springboard kick.
Loser Eats Dog Food: Roman Reigns & The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
They brought the dog food down to ringside next to the announcers.
The heels took over when Roode pulled down the top rope and gave Jey a spine buster on the floor.
Back from the break, Roode was firmly in control of Jey. Ziggler tagged in but missed a splash in the corner.
Corbin knocked Reigns off the apron.
Jey fought out of the corner. Reigns got the hot tag and ran wild.
Reigns rocked Corbin with clotheslines in the corner and followed up with a big boot.
Reigns attempted the superman punch, but Ziggler made the save.
Corbin caught Reigns with a chokeslam for a near fall. He followed up with Deep Six for a very close two count.
Jimmy took out Roode with a suicide dive. Jey followed up with a suicide dive on Ziggler. Roode and Ziggler ended up trapped under the announce table.
The finish came when Reigns rolled up Corbin for the win.
Corbin tried to run off, but The Usos caught him and handcuffed him.
Corbin tried to escape, but Reigns hit the spear. They tied up Corbin to the ring post and poured dog food all over him.
Reigns and The Usos then posed for a picture with Corbin covered in dog food.
Next Week: Daniel Bryan Returns to SmackDown. The Miz and John Morrison host The Dirt Sheet. Plus, Universal Champion Bray Wyatt and The Firefly Funhouse return as well.
Team SmackDown is the second group to be revealed for this year’s traditional Survivor Series men’s elimination match.
Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Braun Strowman, Mustafa Ali & Shorty G (Chad Gable) will represent SmackDown in their triple threat elimination tag match against Team Raw and Team NXT. The announcement of the team was made on last night’s episode of WWE Backstage.
On Monday, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Ricochet & Drew McIntyre were announced as Raw’s team for the match. NXT’s team has yet to be revealed.
There will also be a women’s division elimination tag match between the brands at Survivor Series. Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke & Carmella are the first three wrestlers confirmed for Team SmackDown.
Survivor Series is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Sunday, November 24. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Rey Mysterio
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler in a non-title match
United States Champion AJ Styles vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong in a non-title match
Raw Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders (Ivar & Erik) vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) in a non-title match
Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT five-on-five-on-five men’s elimination tag match
Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT five-on-five-on-five women’s elimination tag match
The build to Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel continued with an angle shot at the WWE Performance Center.
WWE posted a video tonight of Fury training inside of a ring at the Performance Center. The boxing star was practicing shoulder tackles. When he went for a second one, Strowman appeared out of nowhere and blindsided Fury with a shoulder tackle of his own.
In storyline, Fury was favoring his ankle after the tackle. NXT coach Robbie Brookside yelled at Strowman as he left the Performance Center, and Strowman and Fury both said they’d see each other at Crown Jewel.
Video of the angle is available to watch below:
Crown Jewel is taking place at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 31. It will air live on the WWE Network, with the main card starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
This year’s Crown Jewel is the fourth event in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It began with the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.
Boxing star Tyson Fury is set to appear on Raw for the second straight week.
WWE has announced that a contract signing for Fury vs. Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel will take place on tonight’s Raw. The segment will be moderated by Jerry Lawler.
After their storyline kicked off with a confrontation on SmackDown’s FOX premiere, Fury and Strowman got into a pull-apart brawl at the end of Raw last week. Their match was then made official for Crown Jewel at a press event in Las Vegas last Friday.
Crown Jewel is taking place at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 31. It will air live on the WWE Network.
The WWE Draft will wrap up on tonight’s Raw. Becky Lynch will face Charlotte Flair in the opening match of the episode. The stipulation is that — if Lynch wins — Raw will get the first draft pick tonight. SmackDown will get the first pick if Charlotte wins.
Strowman was drafted to SmackDown last Friday.
The Viking Raiders will also challenge for Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode’s Raw Tag Team titles tonight.
Two expected matches for Crown Jewel were made official at WWE’s media event in Las Vegas this afternoon.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez has been confirmed for Crown Jewel, along with Braun Strowman vs. boxing star Tyson Fury. The show is taking place at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 31 and will air live on the WWE Network.
WWE hasn’t said that Lesnar’s title will be on the line against Velasquez.
Lesnar became WWE Champion by defeating Kofi Kingston on last week’s SmackDown on FOX premiere. Velasquez then made his WWE debut and attacked Lesnar in a post-match angle.
In storyline, Velasquez was getting revenge after Lesnar attacked Rey Mysterio and Dominik on Raw. The story for Lesnar vs. Velasquez is also playing off of Velasquez’s win over Lesnar from the UFC. At UFC 121 in October 2010, Velasquez defeated Lesnar via first-round TKO to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported today that Velasquez “has signed a lucrative, multi-year contract with WWE and has also notified the UFC of his retirement.”
Velasquez had his first professional wrestling match for Lucha Libre AAA at Triplemania XXVII this August. He then wrestled at AAA’s Invading New York show in September.
The build to Strowman vs. Fury also began on last Friday’s SmackDown on FOX premiere. They got into a confrontation on that show and then had a pull-apart brawl on this week’s Raw.
Top Rank boxing founder Bob Arum appeared at today’s press conference and introduced Fury.
Crown Jewel is the fourth event in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It began with the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.
A five-on-five tag match is set for Crown Jewel, with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair coaching the teams against each other. It will be Seth Rollins, Rusev, and three partners vs. Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, and three partners.
A “major announcement” will be made at a WWE media event in Las Vegas, Nevada this afternoon:
It appears that Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez and Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury will be announced for Crown Jewel. Lesnar, Velasquez, Strowman, Fury, Paul Heyman, Rey Mysterio, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque are schedule to be at the press conference, which is taking place at the T-Mobile Arena.
Lesnar won the WWE Championship on last week’s SmackDown on FOX premiere. After the match, Velasquez made his WWE debut and attacked Lesnar. In storyline, the attack was revenge for Lesnar laying out Mysterio and Dominik on Raw.
Fury appeared at SmackDown’s FOX premiere and got into a confrontation with Strowman. On this week’s Raw, a pull-apart brawl between the two closed the episode.
Crown Jewel is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 31. It will be the fourth event in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority, which began with the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.
Today’s press conference will stream live on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and WWE.com. It will be available to watch below starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time/noon Pacific:
It appears that two expected WWE matches will be made official this Friday.
WWE has announced a press conference for noon Pacific time at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. It will be with Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Cain Velasquez, Rey Mysterio, Braun Strowman, Tyson Fury, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
As of last week, Lesnar vs. Velasquez and Strowman vs. Fury were planned to take place at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31.
Lesnar won the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston on last week’s SmackDown on FOX premiere and was attacked by Velasquez in a post-match angle. There was also a confrontation with Strowman and Fury on that show, which led to a pull-apart brawl between Strowman and Fury headlining Raw this week.
This Friday’s SmackDown is taking place at the T-Mobile Arena hours after the press conference. The episode will be the start of the WWE Draft.
A brawl between boxing star Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman headlined the post-Hell in a Cell edition of Raw.
Following their confrontation on Friday Night SmackDown, it was announced that Fury would have “an open mic” last night. He demanded an apology from Strowman but didn’t get it. They brawled in the main event segment, taking out security team members until members of the roster attempted to break it up.
There wasn’t much focus on the main event of Hell in a Cell. Seth Rollins and The Fiend didn’t appear on the episode, though a recap of their match did air late in the show.
After winning the Women’s Tag Team titles on Sunday, Asuka & Kairi Sane got a win against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair in a non-title match last night. Sane pinned Lynch after Asuka spit green mist into Lynch’s eyes. After the match, Charlotte unsuccessfully tried to take out Asuka & Sane — who were then attacked by former tag champs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.
Last night’s Raw was the final episode before the WWE Draft begins on SmackDown this Friday. It will continue on Raw next Monday, and that episode will also feature Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode defending their Raw Tag Team titles against The Viking Raiders.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Hell in a Cell fallout, injuries to Sasha and Bray, RAW from Monday night with the Tyson Fury angle headlining, AEW vs. NXT on Wednesday, mailbag and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start – 7:54: Injury updates, Tyson Fury
7:54 – 31:35: Raw
31:35 – 35:35: Wednesday Night Wars preview
35:35 – 36:58: Okada/SANADA contract signing
36:58 – 39:03: Alberto El Patron vs. Tito Ortiz set
After he was involved in an angle on SmackDown’s FOX premiere, it looks like boxing star Tyson Fury has his next WWE appearance lined up.
WWE has announced that they’re “offering Fury an open microphone” on this coming Monday’s episode of Raw:
WWE is offering Tyson Fury an open microphone… so, what could possibly go wrong?
After hopping the guardrail this past Friday Night on SmackDown in an attempt to confront Braun Strowman, the always controversial Fury will now be offered an open forum this Monday night on Raw to speak his mind following the explosive incident that saw a small army of security struggle to keep him from getting into the ring to mix it up with The Monster Among Men.
Tune in this Monday night at 8/7 C on USA Network to see if Fury accepts!
Strowman, The Miz & Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker) defeated AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode on Friday’s SmackDown. Fury was sitting in the front row and had a staredown with Strowman during the match. Strowman threw Ziggler into Fury, which led to the British boxer coming over the guardrail after the match. The angle ended with security keeping Fury from getting to Strowman.
The Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California is hosting Monday’s Raw. It’s taking place the day after Hell in a Cell.
