Tag: Emma

Report: Former WWE star expected to return on SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It appears that Tenille Dashwood will be returning to WWE imminently.

PWInsider reports that Dashwood, who was formerly known as Emma in WWE, is backstage at tonight’s SmackDown and is slated to return on the episode. She’s expected to answer Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship open challenge.

Dashwood confirmed this August that she was now a free agent after finishing up her run with Impact Wrestling. Dashwood had been with Impact since 2019. She was a one-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion, holding the titles with Madison Rayne.

In October 2017, it was announced that Dashwood had been released from her WWE contract. She had stints on the WWE main roster and in NXT, including facing Paige at NXT’s first streaming special in 2014.

Tonight’s SmackDown is being held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The episode is airing on FS1 due to game one of the MLB World Series being on Fox.

Here’s what’s been announced for SmackDown:

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns appears
  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will issue an open challenge
  • Ridge Holland & Butch vs. Sami Zayn & Solo Sikoa
  • Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis) and a mystery partner vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro)

ROH adds Tenille Dashwood to Women of Honor title tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ring of Honor’s Women’s title tournament got a boost on Friday night as its final participant was announced.

Tenille Dashwood, who was formerly known as Emma in WWE, was revealed as the 16th entrant in the Women of Honor Championship tournament. Ian Riccaboni introduced Dashwood at tonight’s Honor Reigns Supreme show, with Dashwood thanking the crowd for the reception she got and saying she’ll become the first-ever WOH Champion.

Dashwood later made her ROH in-ring debut as she teamed with Mandy Leon to defeat Kelly Klein & Stacy Shadows. Dashwood got the pin on Shadows after a kick to the head.

Shadows will be Dashwood’s opponent in the first round.

The tournament began at ROH’s television tapings in Nashville last month. Klein vs. Jessie Brooks, Leon vs. Madison Rayne, Mayu Iwatani vs. HZK, Deonna Purrazzo vs. Holidead, Jenny Rose vs. Kagetsu, Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura, and Brandi Rhodes vs. Karen Q are the other first round matches.

After being released by the company in October, Dashwood wrestled in her first post-WWE match last weekend. She faced Angelina Love at WrestlePro’s Brace for Impact show.

Figure Four Weekly 10/30/2017: Looking at WWE’s recent releases

Posted on by F4W Staff

At a time when WWE releases aren’t as common as they used to be, it was surprising to see three wrestlers let go this week. That WWE broke the news on a Sunday morning only made things more odd.

The names who were released weren’t exactly shocking, with Emma, Darren Young, and Summer Rae no longer with the company. Of those, Emma was the only one currently on television. Young had been out for the majority of the year after suffering an elbow injury in January, only returning on house shows over the last couple of months after being cleared to come back. Summer Rae, whose career was also hampered by injury issues, hasn’t wrestled in over a year and has been waiting to return to TV in recent months.

While it’s always disappointing to see people lose their dream jobs, past releases have shown that it’s entirely possible to make a career for yourself outside of WWE or eventually find your way back to the company if you’re motivated enough to do so.

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Emma comments on her WWE release: ‘The best is yet to come’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In her first public comments since being released by WWE, Emma took a positive approach to her future in a tweet last night.

Emma wrote, “I feel very fortunate to have the most amazing family, friends and fans in the world! I am excited for the future. The best is yet to come!”

Along with Darren Young and Summer Rae, Emma was part of a round of WWE roster cuts that were announced on Sunday morning. Emma was the only one of the three currently being featured on television and her release came less than a week after she had competitive matches with Asuka at TLC and on last week’s episode of Raw.

Young, who was one of the WWE wrestlers who attended a Los Angeles Clippers game this past Saturday night to promote that Raw is coming to the Staples Center in December, has yet to comment on no longer being with the company. In her first post on Instagram since being released, Summer Rae wrote that she’s not giving up on Summer just yet.

Lio Rush apologizes for tweet about WWE releasing Emma

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After receiving significant blowback on Twitter for a joke he made about Emma being released by WWE this morning, Lio Rush tried to clarify his comments and apologized to fans who thought they were inappropriate.

Rush first referenced Emma losing to Asuka in Asuka’s first two main roster matches at TLC and Raw last week. In a tweet that has since been deleted, he wrote: “I guess these are the things that happen when you’re not TRULY ready for @WWEAsuka.”

The joke received criticism pretty quickly, including Peyton Royce pointing out that Rush just got to NXT and telling him that professionalism goes a long way. Bray Wyatt was one of the wrestlers from the main roster to respond, saying that Rush “ain’t gonna make it here with the wolves.”

In response to the blowback, Rush issued a statement on Twitter (with paragraph breaks added by us) just a few hours after the original post:

“At the end of the day, there’s a certain level of respect within professional wrestlers in the sports & ENTERTAINMENT industry that is noted within peers. With that being said, Emma I respect you and everything you’ve done for our business. It saddens me that the ‘controversial tweet’ got completely blown out of proportion and looked at in a very insensitive way.

As a family man with a 4 year [old] son and expecting another, I would never laugh or mock the fact of someone loosing there job because of how it can affect self person and there families. Whatever the situation may be regarding the release, You’re an amazing performer and respected athlete by yours truly and I’m sure you will excel beyond [expectations].

To my fans who may have seen this as inappropriate as well as Emma’s fans, I apologize and I love you ALL regardless of the responses. On Behalf of myself and the WWE Goodluck!”

While Jack Gallagher, Dash Wilder, and others weren’t as accepting of Rush’s apology, Scott Armstrong (who works as a producer for WWE) called Rush a class act and wrote that rookie mistakes are made to be learned from.

WWE announces that Emma has been released

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Additional notes added by Dave Meltzer

UPDATE: WWE confirmed this morning that Darren Young and Summer Rae had also been released.

**********

WWE announced this morning that Emma has been released and is officially no longer with the company.

Their statement read: “WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Emma. WWE wishes Emma the best in all of her future endeavors.”

Emma’s release comes less than a week after she had two fairly competitive matches with Asuka. Asuka made her main roster debut at TLC, with Emma getting a decent amount of offense in before losing. The next night on Raw, they had a similarly structured rematch.

If the decision was made by the company, that makes the booking in both matches even more confusing, not the result, but the makeup of the matches since Asuka didn’t come across as special in
either one, and Asuka’s history in NXT is that she gets over best when positioned as dominant.

Emma, a protege of Lance Storm, signed with WWE in March of 2011 and started the next year on NXT television. She debuted on the main roster in 2014 for an angle where she did a backstage romance with Santino Marella.

She was sent back down to NXT in January 2015, and did an a mean girls gimmick, the type that has been done multiple times in NXT, with Dana Brooke. The two were brought up in March of 2016. There was a long attempt to repackage her in the role of a glamorous woman that, after months, the company abandoned.

This is actually the second time in the last few years that WWE has announced Emma’s release. The company briefly parted ways with her in 2014 after she had been arrested for shoplifting an iPad case (which Emma claimed was due to an error while using self-checkout) before reversing course and revealing that she had been reinstated that same day.

Asuka to debut against Emma at WWE TLC

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Asuka officially has an opponent for her main roster debut.

Emma won a fatal five-way elimination match on Raw tonight and will be facing Asuka at TLC on October 22nd. Dana Brooke, Bayley, Alicia Fox, and Sasha Banks were also in the fatal five-way match, with Emma sneaking up on Banks for the last elimination after Banks had submitted Fox with the Banks Statement.

Though TLC is where Asuka will be making her main roster debut, it won’t be the first time that she’s faced Emma on a WWE Network special. Asuka previously defeated her at NXT TakeOver: London in December of 2015.

TLC is Raw’s last pay-per-view before November’s dual-branded Survivor Series show. Here’s what the card for the PPV looks like so far:

  • The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus & Braun Strowman in a TLC match
  • Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Mickie James
  • Asuka vs. Emma

More matches set for WWE No Mercy

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With two big matches at the top of the card already set, WWE continued to add to the No Mercy lineup on tonight’s episode of Raw.

It had been announced earlier in the day that Alexa Bliss would be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks at the pay-per-view, but that was changed to a fatal four-way when Nia Jax and Emma won their way into it by defeating Bliss & Banks in a tag match.

The tag title match was revealed for No Mercy as well, with it officially being announced that Cesaro & Sheamus would be getting their rematch against Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose. Both teams got wins on Raw tonight as Cesaro & Sheamus beat Heath Slater & Rhyno and Rollins & Ambrose defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in a non-title match.

Bray Wyatt will also face Finn Balor at the PPV, which was set up tonight when Wyatt challenged Balor to face him without relying on his “Demon” persona.

No Mercy will take place on September 24th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here’s what the card looks like so far:

  • WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman
  • John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
  • Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, and Emma in a fatal four-way match
  • Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defending against Cesaro & Sheamus
  • Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

WWE Main Event results: Mickie James vs. Emma

Posted on by James Cox

The Big Takeaway: Mickie James beating Emma was the most noteworthy aspect of a fairly run-of-the-mill show that featured TJP and Lince Dorado in the main event.

**********

Mickie James defeated Emma (5:50)

Mickie James comes out to mark her debut appearance on Main Event, while it also marks over a year for her opponent, Emma. Emma’s last outing on this show was way back in April of 2016 in a loss against Paige.

James takes the early going, showing her veteran experience and outwitting Emma at every turn. A neat dropkick from James gets an early near fall. Emma then ducks under the rope to get a breather. She uses it to her advantage and goes on the offensive. When she connects with a powerbomb, we cut to Dana Brooke, who is backstage watching the action on a television in her dressing room.

After Emma applies a full nelson, James gets out but is planted with a clothesline for two. Emma hangs her in the tree of woe and slides outside and pulls her hair around the ring post. Emma goes back to the full nelson, but James works her way out and gets the heat.

James uses clotheslines and a flapjack and then comes off the top rope with a Thesz press for two. She finally beats Emma with the Mickie DT. As James celebrates, we cut backstage and see Brooke, but it comes to nothing and we go to a break.

TJP defeated Lince Dorado (4:31)

Both these men are so proficient in all aspects of what’s needed in the ring, particularly TJP. His unique offense starts early here as he uses a headstand headscissors takedown into a near fall. After exchanging intricate interchanges, Dorado chops TJP and dropkicks him, forcing him to take a walk to regroup.

Dorado teases the suicide dive, then when TJP runs away, Dorado stops, looks at the crowd, and mimics his dab. The crowd loves this and Dorado, who is now oozing confidence, clearly loves the reaction. Dorado invites him back in, drop toeholds him, and slaps on a rest hold as we head to commercials.

Dorado is in control when we return; he hits a top rope moonsault, a belly-to-belly, and a springboard stunner on TJP, who just manages to kick out of the cover. TJP crotches Dorado but is thrown off onto the mat. Dorado goes for the shooting star press, but TJP rolls out of the way and is able to use the Detonation Kick for the win.

Emma returns to the ring at WWE house show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Following an injury scare on the WWE’s tour of Europe last month, Emma is back in action.

She returned to the ring at Raw’s house show in Jackson, Mississippi last night. She teamed with Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Nia Jax in a loss against Sasha Banks, Mickie James & Dana Brooke.

Emma last wrestled at a house show in Liverpool, England on May 7th, with that match ending awkwardly after she suffered a shoulder injury. She was taken off of the tour and returned to the United States, but the injury ended up not being as bad as was originally feared.

Dave Meltzer reported in the May 29th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Emma was expected to be cleared to return in mid-June.

Emma had returned to WWE television on the Raw after WrestleMania prior to her shoulder injury. That return came after a back injury that she had suffered and the company not following through with plans to debut her “Emmalina” character.

WWE Liverpool, ENG, live results: Emma injures her arm/shoulder

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Stephen Lyon

– Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardys defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Sheamus & Cesaro, and Enzo Amore & Big Cass to retain their titles

The Hardys got one of the best reactions of the show. Jeff pinned Anderson after hitting a Swanton. This was a standard opener, but the crowd was into it.

– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Austin Aries to retain his title

This wasn’t anything special. Tony Bellew, who is a local boxer, was the guest timekeeper but didn’t get involved.

– Golden Truth, Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Titus O’Neil, Bo Dallas, Curt Hawkins & Curtis Axel

Rhyno got the win for his team with a spinebuster. The match was mostly just comedy.

– Braun Strowman came out and had his upper body taped up. He said that Roman Reigns wasn’t there and wanted another opponent. That brought Reigns out to the ring as two refs tried to hold him back. Reigns and Strowman brawled, with Reigns eventually coming out on top after spearing Strowman through a table. Reigns received a mixed reaction.

– Sasha Banks, Bayley & Mickie James defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Emma & Nia Jax

Bliss and Bayley both got good reactions from the crowd. Banks pinned Emma to get the win. The finish was botched, though it appeared that it was due to Emma suffering an injury.

Banks kicked Emma in the corner and she went down. Banks covered her and Emma was supposed to kick out, but she didn’t. The ref counted to three, then waved off the call. The other four women brawled. Banks immediately pinned Emma again, and this time got the three count. Emma stayed down the whole time and a trainer came out. After a brief spell in the ring, Emma was helped to the back. She was gingerly holding her arm/shoulder.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz (w/ Maryse) to retain his title

Miz did a lot of mic work before the match. He was hilarious and effective at getting heat from the crowd. Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds right after Maryse had been ejected from ringside.

– Seth Rollins & Finn Balor defeated Bray Wyatt & Samoa Joe

This went about 20 minutes and was a good match. Balor noticeably had a lot of female fans in the crowd.

WWE Phoenix, AZ, live results: Emma returns to the ring

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Owen Reynoldson from the Talking Stick Resort Arena

– Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler defeated Tyler Breeze

Breeze was pretty over as a heel. Big back and forth roll-up sequence before a double crossbody that took them both out. Breeze did the Ospreay corner superkick, then went for a big superkick after a ZigZag near fall. Ziggler reversed that into his own superkick for the win. Second best match of the night.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champion Heath Slater & The Hype Bros defeated Aiden English & The Ascension

Slater won the match with his DDT.

– Apollo Crews defeated Curt Hawkins

Crews won a short match with little resistance. Hawkins spent most of the time yelling at the ref. Afterwards, Hawkins asked for another match.

– Kane defeated Curt Hawkins

Kane came out and won in 10 seconds with a chokeslam.

– Baron Corbin defeated Jack Swagger

Corbin undid the bottom turnbuckle to distract the ref, then low blowed Swagger into a roll-up to win

– Randy Orton defeated Bray Wyatt

Orton was the most over of the night so far. Pretty slow match. Orton won after reversing a Sister Abigail into an RKO. He high fived everyone at ringside and played to the crowd after the match.

– Emma, Naomi & Nikki Bella defeated Natalya, Alexa Bliss & Carmella

Bella was so much more over than everyone it was crazy. She pinned Carmella to get the win. Interesting to note Emma was still in her normal evil Emma gimmick, and that she appeared at a SmackDown house show.

– American Alpha defeated The Usos

Alpha wasn’t super over but a vocal minority was chanting hard for them. They won after a decently short match. The whole thing was basically a build to a Jordan hot tag and then the match was over. Not a lot to it.

– WWE World Champion AJ Styles defeated John Cena and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match to retain his title

This was the best match of the night. They had a lot of good reversal spots. Match ended when Styles brought in a chair that he used, then he low blowed Cena for a pin. Styles cut a promo after the match about how he’s not done with Cena and was about to attack, but Ambrose stepped in to stop it and hit him with Dirty Deeds. Styles and Cena played tug of war with the title, Cena hit an AA, then he celebrated with the fans to end the show.