For the first time since having to miss SummerSlam, Sasha Banks is back on WWE programming.
Banks made her return by getting involved in Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match at tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. As Belair was going to hit the KOD on Lynch, Banks interfered and attacked Belair to cause the match to end in a disqualification.
Banks continued to attack Belair after causing the DQ. When Banks and Lynch then went face-to-face, Banks started to beat her down too. Belair recovered and went after Banks, but Banks slapped her and hit a backstabber. Banks then laid out Lynch with a backstabber as well.
As she was heading up the ramp, Banks said she’ll see Lynch and Belair on SmackDown this Friday night.
Banks was scheduled to challenge for Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam last month, but it was announced just before the match was supposed to start that Banks wouldn’t be able to compete at the show. Lynch made her surprise return and defeated Belair in 26 seconds to win the SmackDown Women’s title.
Banks and Belair both missed two house shows the weekend before SummerSlam due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Belair returned on the pre-SummerSlam episode of SmackDown.
Roman Reigns faces off with “The Demon” Finn Balor in the main event of tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The Universal Championship will be on the line in Reigns and Balor’s Extreme Rules match. If Reigns wins, he’ll defend the title against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia next month. Reigns vs. Lesnar at Crown Jewel will be a non-title match if Balor wins the Universal Championship tonight.
Becky Lynch made her surprise return at SummerSlam last month, defeating Bianca Belair in 26 seconds to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The two will have a rematch for the title tonight.
Three other title matches are also set for Extreme Rules. Charlotte Flair will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss, Damian Priest will face Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat match for the United States title, and The Street Profits will challenge for The Usos’ SmackDown Tag Team titles.
Plus, Liv Morgan goes one-on-one with Carmella.
Tonight’s pre-show begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The main card will then start at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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Pre-Show
Kayla Braxton started the kick-off show by introducing her panel members JBL, Pete Rosenberg, Kevin Patrick, and Booker T. They ran down the lineup for tonight’s card and announced Liv Morgan vs. Carmella for the pre-show.
They recapped the Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair feud. Sonya Deville joined the panel to discuss the matches tonight. Braxton pointed out that Deville seems to have a problem with Naomi. Deville said she’s an authority figure, and Naomi needs to respect her.
The panel discussed the SmackDown Women’s title match. Rosenberg wondered if Belair could gain an advantage after losing in 26 seconds, and Booker bluntly said no. JBL agreed and felt Belair should have turned Lynch down at SummerSlam.
They recapped Big E defeating Bobby Lashley to win the WWE Championship two weeks ago. The recap included Bloodline against New Day and Roman Reigns winning the triple threat match.
In the back, Sarah Schreiber was waiting for the New Day when AJ Styles and Omos approached. Styles began talking when The New Day showed up. They pointed out that Styles and Omos don’t have a match tonight. Suddenly, Bobby Lashley jumped Big E, and a brawl broke out.
The panel turned their attention to the triple threat match between Sheamus, Damian Priest, and Jeff Hardy. They announced New Day vs. Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles & Omos in a six-man tag team match for the pay-per-view.
Booker thinks Big E needs to stop helping out his friends and should focus on his career. During the segment, the fans broke into a brief “JBL” chant.
They recapped Roman Reigns defeating Montez Ford and the post-match beat down from SmackDown. Earlier today, Street Profits arrived at the building. Angelo Dawkins didn’t like that Reigns, and The Usos jumped Ford. They promised to win the titles tonight.
They recapped the Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair feud. They then showed Flair arriving at the building in a limo. Deville joined the panel again to discuss the Raw Women’s title match.
Liv Morgan defeated Carmella (7:51)
Morgan and Carmella had a fine pre-show match. This was better than their recent encounters on SmackDown partly because of the crowd.
They recapped Carmella claiming Morgan broke her nose two weeks ago. Morgan got a good reaction from the crowd.
Before the match, Carmella grabbed the mic, and the fans erupted in boos. Carmella bragged that her pretty face is her greatest asset, which separates her from people like Morgan. Carmella added that she’s hot and Morgan’s not.
Morgan jumped Carmella and had the early advantage. She tried to send Carmella face-first into the turnbuckle, but she avoided it. Morgan then sent Carmella to the floor with a dropkick.
Carmella dropped Morgan on the apron and hit a superkick to take over. She followed up with a suplex for a near fall. Carmella slowed the pace down with a chin lock, but Morgan broke free to loud cheers. Carmella then dropped Morgan on her head for another near fall. Morgan fought back with a Thez Press to more loud cheers. She followed up with an enziguri and a stomp for a two-count. The fans broke into a loud “Let’s go, Liv” chant.
Carmella hit a superkick for another two-count. Morgan fought back and hit the double knees for a close near fall. Carmella then trash-talked Morgan and dragged her to the floor. The fans broke into a loud “Let’s go, Morgan” chant. Morgan fought back and dropped Carmella face-first on the announce table. Morgan then hit the oblivion for the win. The fans popped for the finish.
They recapped the Roman Reigns and Demon Finn Balor feud. Sarah Schreiber interviewed Paul Heyman in the back.
She wondered if they overlooked the Demon Finn Balor. Heyman mocked her and said, that’s the stupidest question. He believes Braxton probably requested not to interview him tonight. Heyman promised that Reigns would retain the title and said that’s not a prediction but a spoiler.
Main Show
The New Day defeated Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles & Omos (18:10)
This was a good six-man tag opener.
They recapped Big E winning the WWE Championship two weeks ago.
Fans broke into a loud “New Day Rocks” chant at the ring of the bell. Woods had the early advantage, but Styles fought back with the calf crusher. Woods made it to the ropes and tagged in Kofi Kingston. The fans erupted in a loud “Kofi” chant.
Kingston missed the trouble in paradise, and Styles went for a back suplex. Kingston landed on his feet and went for a back suplex, but Styles slipped out and went for a chop block.
Big E tagged in and got a big pop. Big E threw Styles into his corner and demanded Lashley tag in the match. Big E backed Lashley into his corner, and New Day stomped down Lashley.
Kingston attempted a dive on the floor, but Lashley caught him. Woods then hit a dropkick, knocking them both down. Lashley took over after tossing Kingston across the ring. The heels isolated Kingston on their side of the ring. The fans reacted big when Omos entered the match and rocked Kingston with forearms and an uppercut.
Omos lifted Kingston with a vertical suplex but dropped him face-first. Styles tagged in and slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Styles went after the New Day, but that gave Kingston the chance to fight back. Lashley tagged in, but Kingston sent him to the floor. Lashley then pulled Big E off the apron and dropped Kingston face-first for a near fall.
Kingston regained control but had nobody to tag. Lashley took back over and went for a power slam, but Kingston slipped out the back. Woods got the hot tag and ran wild on Lashley. He caught Lashley with a shotgun dropkick and DDT for a near fall. Lashley fought back and hit a power slam on Woods.
Woods hit a missile dropkick and tagged in Big E. Big E caught Styles with a belly-to-belly suplex and knocked Omos off the apron. Big E followed up with a big splash. He went for the Big Ending, but Styles avoided the move. Styles charged at Big E, but he caught him with a uranage. They almost messed up the move, but Big E recovered and planted Styles for a two-count.
Big E went for the spear off the apron, but Styles counted with a leg drop. Big E and Kingston hit a powerbomb/double foot stomp for a near fall, but Lashley broke up the pin.
Kingston avoided a spear with a leapfrog and sent Styles to the floor. Big E sent Kingston over the top rope, but Omos rocked him with a big chop.
In the ring, Lashley dropped Big E face-first for a two count. Lashley set up for the hurt lock, but Styles tagged himself in and went for the Phenomenal Forearm. Lashley tagged himself back in and accidentally hit the spear on Styles. Big E then hit the big ending on Lashley for the win.
They showed Becky Lynch in the back getting ready for her match. The fans popped for Lynch.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated The Street Profits to retain the titles (13:43)
The Street Profits and Usos had a really good match and had the fans going crazy by the end.
They recapped Roman Reigns and The Usos attacking Montez Ford last Friday.
Ford heavily taped up his ribs because of the attack. The Street Profits had the early advantage after a pair of dropkicks.
The fans broke into a loud “We want the smoke” chant. The Usos took over after Jimmy targeted Ford’s ribs. Jimmy and Jey then dropped Ford on the top rope. Jey then gave Ford a back suplex on the floor and pulled off the tape.
Jey slowed the pace down by working over the ribs. Ford tried to make the tag, but Jey pulled him back and hit a forearm. Jey then missed a splash, and Dawkins got the hot tag.
Dawkins ran wild and hit a flying elbow on Jey. He followed up with twisting splashes on Jey and then Jimmy. Jimmy recovered and sent Dawkins to the floor.
Jimmy attempted a suicide dive, but Dawkins caught him and hit a suplex. Jey attempted a suicide dive, but Dawkins cut him off. Dawkins hit a superplex into a twisting neck breaker on Jey for a close near fall. The fans broke into a loud “We want tables” chant.
The Street Profits hit a doomsday blockbuster for a close two-count. Jey hit a splash on Dawkins, but Ford made a blind tag. Dawkins then hit a spine buster, and Ford went for the frog splash, but Jey got his knees up. Jey rolled up Ford for a near fall.
Jey rocked Dawkins with a superkick, and Jimmy hit a splash for a near fall. The fans broke into a “This is awesome” chant. The Usos dragged Dawkins to the floor and threw him into the barricade. Ford then hit a huge flip dive over the ring post onto the Usos to a huge pop. Ford followed up with a frog splash for a close near fall, but Jimmy broke up the pin. The fans broke into another loud “This is awesome” chant.
Jimmy went for a superkick, but Dawkins took the bullet for Ford. The Usos took back over and hit a double superkick on Ford and followed up with a double splash for the win.
In the back, Bobby Lashley called Big E a coward and chicken and demanded a title match to win his title back.
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defeated Alexa Bliss to retain the title (11:25)
Flair and Bliss had a fine match, but the finish was a bit sudden. The finish felt flat, and the post-match angle went on too long.
They did the special ring introduction, and Bliss got a huge pop from the hometown crowd.
The fans immediately broke into a loud “Let’s go Bliss” chant. Bliss caught Flair with a dropkick for the early advantage. Flair avoided a DDT, but Bliss sent her to the floor and hit a cannonball off the apron.
Flair caught Bliss and slammed her down. Bliss tried to fight back, but Flair hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall. Flair slowed the pace down with a submission, but Bliss broke free with a hurricanrana into the bottom turnbuckle.
Flair quickly regained control after dropping Bliss on the middle turnbuckle.
Bliss sent Flair to the floor with a dropkick and went for a sliding dropkick. Flair caught her and swung Bliss into the barricade.
Flair went for a moonsault, but Bliss rolled out of the way. Flair landed on her feet and hit a standing moonsault for a close near fall. Bliss avoided natural selection and rocked Flair with a right hand. Flair recovered and went for another moonsault but Bliss got her feet up. She followed up with a sunset bomb for a close near fall.
Flair avoided twisted Bliss. Bliss then hit a DDT for a near fall, but Flair got her foot on the bottom rope. The finish came when Flair threw Lilly at Bliss and hit a big boot. She followed up with natural selection for the win.
After the match, Flair threw Bliss out of the ring and ripped up Lilly to pieces. The fans booed the finish, and Flair tearing up Lilly. Bliss jumped back in the ring and beat down Flair. They fought around ringside, and the fans broke into a loud “table” chant. Flair gained control and tossed Bliss over the announce table. Flair possed with the title and walked off.
The fans applauded Bliss as she got back to her feet. Bliss started screaming and held the pieces of Lilly in her hands. The fans broke into a loud “Thank you Lilly” chant. Bliss screamed some more as she held Lilly.
In the back, Kayla Braxton snuck up on Paul Heyman on the phone. He was talking about the draft when Braxton approached. Heyman mocked Braxton and wondered if she was jealous that he was on the phone with another journalist. He said it didn’t matter if he’s on the phone with Brock Lesnar. He walked off when the Usos came by.
Triple Threat Match: United States Champion Damian Priest defeated Jeff Hardy and Sheamus to retain the title (13:18)
They had a good match that picked up towards the end. The fans were firmly behind Hardy and wanted him to win the title.
Sheamus jumped Hardy at the ring of the bell. Priest and Sheamus then brawled around ringside. Priest was firmly in control when Hardy hit a dive off the steps. Hardy took over and hit a dive off the apron on Sheamus.
Priest regained control and hit a series of splashes on Hardy and Sheamus. He followed up with the falcon arrow on Hardy for a near fall, but Sheamus made the save. The fans broke into a “Hardy” and then a “table” chant.
Sheamus took over and isolated Hardy. Sheamus tried to hit the forearms to the chest, but Priest fought back. Priest seemed to slip off the apron, but he recovered. Sheamus knocked him back down, but Hardy hit a crossbody on Sheamus to gain control.
Hardy rolled up Sheamus, but Priest broke up the pin attempt. Hardy then hit whisper in the wind on both Sheamus and Priest for a near fall. Sheamus hit the Alabama Slam on Hardy for a near fall, but his mask fell off. Sheamus locked on the cloverleaf, but Priest attacked Sheamus.
Priest kicked Sheamus in the face. Sheamus recovered and hit White Noise for a close near fall.
Hardy caught Sheamus with a twist of fate. Priest went for his finisher, but Hardy tried countering with a twist of fate. They messed up the move and ended up in a dragon sleeper accidentally.
Hardy hit the twist of fate and climbed to the top. Sheamus knocked off Hardy and mocked him.
Sheamus hit a knee drop on Preist for a near fall. Priest fought back and went for the pin, but Hardy hit a Swanton bomb to a huge pop to break it up. The fans broke into a loud “Hardy” chant. Hardy and Preist traded shots in the middle of the ring.
The fans booed Priest and cheered Hardy. Preist went for a springboard off the middle rope, but Sheamus caught him with a knee. Hardy knocked Sheamus out and scored a very close near fall on Preist.
The finish came when Sheamus hit the brogue kick on Hardy, but Priest rolled up Sheamus to retain the title. Priest celebrated his win and showed Hardy respect after the match.
In the back, Big E accepted Bobby Lashley’s challenge and said he’ll be in the ring at 8 p.m. Monday for his title defense.
Lynch and Belair had a good match until the disqualification finish. Sasha Banks made her surprise return and attacked Belair and then Lynch.
They did the special ring introduction. The fans broke into a loud “Becky” chant and an “EST” chant.
Lynch went for the manhandle slam early, but Belair countered with a KOD. Lynch avoided the KOD and rolled to the floor. Michael Cole pushed that Belair almost beat Lynch in 26 seconds. The fans broke into dueling “Let’s go Becky” and “EST” chants.
Belair used a slam and hit a splash for a near fall. Lynch was briefly in control, but Belair avoided her with a moonsault and hit a dropkick. Lynch hung Belair on the top rope using Belair’s ponytail.
Lynch took over and slowed the pace down. The fans continued with the dueling chants of “Let’s go Becky” and “EST.” Lynch followed up with a sliding leg drop and an elbow drop.
Belair avoided the dis-arm-her, but Lynch hit a suplex. Lynch slowed the pace down again with a chin lock. The fans broke into another “Let’s go Becky” and “EST” chant.
Belair powered out of the chin lock and hit a suplex. She followed up with forearms and dropkicks. Belair then hit a suplex, rolled through, and hit a delayed vertical suplex. Lynch and Belair had a tug-o-war over Belair’s hair. Belair pulled Lynch in and hit a spine buster for a close two-count.
Lynch hit a crossbody, but Belair caught her and hit a fallaway slam for a near fall. Lynch recovered and climbed to the top rope, but Belair cut her off.
Belair picked up Lynch in a press slam, but Lynch escaped. Lynch went for the dis-arm-her, but Belair made it to the ropes.
Belair sent Lynch to the floor and went for the double arm chicken wing. Lynch countered and sent Belair into the steps. She followed up with a leg drop off the middle turnbuckle for a near fall. Lynch hit a second leg drop on Belair hanging over the middle rope for a two-count.
Lynch went for the manhandle slam, but Belair countered with a suplex. Lynch rolled through and went for an armbar. Belair countered with a powerbomb for another near fall. They traded shots and pinfall attempts. Lynch rolled through and went for the dis-arm-her, but Belair powered out. Belair went for the KOD when Sasha Banks ran out for disqualification.
After the match, Banks attacked Belair and brawled with Lynch. Banks gained the upper hand and beat down both Lynch and Belair. She promised to be on SmackDown for the Draft.
Extreme Rules: Universal Champion Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) defeated The Demon Finn Balor to retain the title (19:38)
Reigns and Balor had a really good match, although the finish had a ton of smoke and mirrors. They told a good story and had the fans going crazy by the end.
They recapped Brock Lesnar returning at SummerSlam and Reigns’ feud with The Demon. Michael Cole pointed out that Reigns has been Universal Champion for 391 days and wondered if he’d be champion at Crown Jewel. Cole also pointed out that Balor is undefeated as The Demon.
Balor and Reigns traded shots to start the match. Reigns went for a slam, but Balor attacked the eyes. Reigns fought back and hit a Samoan Drop for a near fall. He rolled out of the ring and grabbed a kendo stick. The fans booed that it wasn’t a table.
Reigns looked around, and Balor appeared on the other side of the ring with a bundle of kendo sticks. Balor used the kendo sticks to beat down Reigns but Reigns fought back.
The fans broke into a “We want tables” chant. Balor trapped Reigns in the ring curtain and beat him down. He started to pull out a table from under the ring to a massive pop. Reigns cut Balor off and put the table back to thunderous boos. The fans erupted in a loud “We want tables” chant.
Reigns grabbed a chair and beat down Balor. Balor fought back and hit a double foot stomp with the chair. The fans broke into a loud “table” chant.
Balor brought in the table to a huge pop. Reigns suddenly hit the drive-by out of nowhere. He then threw Balor over the barricade into the crowd. Reigns put on a mask and brawled with Balor through the crowd.
They fought near the kick-off panel’s table. Balor hit a crossbody off the panel’s table onto Reigns through a second table.
In the ring, Balor set up the first table but Reigns recovered. He slammed Balor through the table for a close near fall. The fans broke into a “This is awesome” chant. Reigns missed the superman punch, and Balor hit a Pele kick. Reigns recovered and hit a superman punch for a two-count.
Reigns went for a spear, but Balor countered with a kick to the face. He followed up with the sling blade. Balor went for the shotgun dropkick, but Reigns hit a spear for a near fall. When Balor kicked out, he gave Reigns a low blow, which Reigns did a few weeks ago to Balor.
Balor took over and hit a dive to the floor. He followed up with the coup de grace, but The Usos ran out and broke up the pin. The Usos beat him down and hit a double superkick. They set up a table at ringside.
Balor fought back and took out Jimmy. Balor then gave Jey a powerbomb through the announce table to a huge pop. The fans were going crazy when Reigns speared Balor through the barricade to a massive pop. The fans went crazy and broke into a loud “Holy s***” chant.
Suddenly, the lights turned red, and a heartbeat played in the arena. Balor suddenly jumped to his feet, and his music started playing. He ran wild and beat down Reigns with a chair around ringside. Balor then put Reigns through a table.
Balor sent Reigns back in the ring and climbed to the top rope. Suddenly, the top rope broke, and Balor fell in the ring. The lights turned back on, and Reigns hit the spear for the win. There was no explanation why the top rope suddenly broke and the red light made it difficult to watch the last few minutes.
Reigns and The Usos celebrated his win to end a fun pay-per-view. WWE Champion Big E vs. Bobby Lashley is official for tomorrow night on Raw.
Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson went to a 30:00 draw in what was among the best television matches in U.S. history and arguably the best bout ever on Dynamite in their dream match at the company’s debut in New York City on 9/22 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The non-title match presumably sets up a longer time limit championship match down the road. For Full Gear, the decision would seem to be Omega defending against either Danielson or Adam Page.
The show was a landmark event for the promotion, breaking both attendance and gate records and ended up as the second largest non-WWE gate for pro wrestling in U.S. history and the largest attended non-WWE pro wrestling event in the country in 22 years.
The most talked about aspect of the week was the ratings, and whether the show would beat Raw. Dynamite in its history had two episodes that beat Raw’s 0.49 (642,000) in 18-49, the very first episode and the show two weeks earlier coming off All Out and the debuts of Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Extreme Rules more UFC coverage, and the fallout of a major week with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight. You can send questions to tonight’s show to [email protected]
WWE Extreme Rules is today from Columbus, OH (odds from BetOnline.ag):
Roman Reigns vs. Demon Finn Balor. It’s really up to these two to have a great match, and I expect they will due to the nature of this being such a shallow card. It’s Extreme Rules so probably lots of street fight stuff and maybe outside interference. Reigns is a -1000 favorite so nobody believes he’s losing here, which means they have to give you a great match to overcome that.
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown women’s title. Lynch is a -400 favorite to retain in what looks to be the second biggest match of the show. Their house show matches have gotten strong reviews so this is likely to be a great match as well.
Charlotte Flair vs . Alexa Bliss for the Raw women’s title. Flair is a -200 favorite to retain. I could see this one going either way. The house show matches between the two have been reported as better than you would think.
Damien Priest vs. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy for the U.S. title. Priest is -275 to retain while Sheamus is +230 and Hardy is +500. This seems like the wrong time to beat Priest and maybe Hardy is there to lose the fall for Sheamus (or protect Sheamus). Hardy does add a dimension and this should be a good match.
Usos vs. Street Profits for the Smackdown tag titles. The storyline should be Montez Ford coming in injured from the post-match attack on Smackdown. The Usos are -250 to retain. Match should be good. Usos matches are always good.
Liv Morgan vs. Carmella. Morgan is a -400 favorite to beat Carmella one more time.
Looking at the lineup, most looks good but the last two matches seemingly have to deliver in a big way since really they are the only ones that feel like major PPV matches and the rest just seem like good, or perhaps average matches rounding out the show. With only six bouts announced the top two matches should get a lot of time as well.
UFC 266 was the single most searched for topic on the Internet last night with 2.1 million searches. That would, based on usual search trends, indicate a PPV of more than 500,000 buys, which is greatly above what was expected by most. The big increase is likely the Nick Diaz factor, very much like how C.M. Punk with a similar amount of time off drew so big when he returned. Other stuff for this weekend saw Anthony Joshua No. 4 yesterday with 500,000 and Robbie Lawler and No. 11 with 100,000. For Friday, Jon Jones was No. 6 with 200,000 from his arrest. From Wednesday, Conor McGregor was No 19 with 50,000 for him throwing out the first pitch at the baseball game. For Monday, Dancing with the Stars was No. 2 with 500,000, and while Miz was not the reason, he was part of the show.mNotable that AEW didn’t break through on Wednesday, but episodes of Dynamite never do. AEW and WWE almost never do for a weekly television show. WWE always does for PPV shows and AEW does for some of ts PPV shows.
Thanks to Dominic Kenny, Steve Wright and Steve Amodio for weekend house show reports from New Japan and WWE. We’re looking for reports from tonight’s NJPW show in Garland,TX as well as tonight’s PWG show in Los Angeles with Bandido vs. Davey Richards for the PWG title and a show that on paper looks fantastic, with Black Taurus & Demonic Flamita vs. Malakai Black & Brody King, Jonathan Gresham vs. Alex Shelley, Jack Cartwheel & Dante Martin & Alex Zayne vs. Lee Moriarty & Trey Miguel & Myron Reed, JD Drake vs. AJ Gray, Aramis & Rey Horus vs. Dragon Lee & Laredo Kid and Tony Deppen vs. Evil Uno. Plus we’re got polls for this weekend’s WWE Extreme Rules and UFC 266 show, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, plus a best and worst match from each show to [email protected]
The planned Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan bantamweight title match scheduled for the 10/30 show in Abu Dhabi is off due to Sterling not being recovered from neck surgery. It looks like Yan will face someone, with Cory Sandhagen being the leading candidate, to create an interim title.
Stardom sold out Ota Ward Gym yesterday, which New Japan didn’t do for either G-1 show, for the Five Star Grand Prix finals where Syuri beat Momo Watanabe. This leads to a major show on 12/29 at Tokyo Sumo Hall with Utami Hayashishita vs Syuri in a rematch of their two big matches this year for Stardom Dream Queendom. It’s too bad going to Japan is so difficult because with this and Rizin New Year’s Eve and three nights of Wrestle Kingdom plus all the regular shows, it would be a great period to go.
Results from yesterday’s Stardom PPV show show: Hana won three-way over Rina and Momo Watanabe, Mai Sakura b Waka Tsukiyama, Mina Shirakawa b Natsupoi-COR, Fugiken Death b Saki Kashima, Koguma b Himeka, Mayu Iwatani b Starlight Kid, AZM b Ruaka, Unagi Sayaka b Saya Kamitani, Maika b Konami, Syuri d Takumi Iroha 20:00, Tam Nakano b Utami Hayashishita in the battle of champions. This left Syuri as blue block winner and Watanabe as red block winner and Syuri won and challenged Hayashishita for 12/29. However, Takumi Iroha will first face Hayashishita for the World of Stardom title on 10/9 in Osaka Jo Hall and the winner faces Syuri at Sumo Hall. Tam Nakano then challenged Mayu Iwatani to face her for her Wonder of Stardom in Osaka while Syuri said she would face Konami in Osaka. People have raved about the last three bouts and the show as a whole.
NOAH’s N-1 tournament will finish on 10/3 at Korakuen Hall with semifinals of Kenou vs. Kaito Kiyomiya and Masakatsu Funaki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima.
WWE
Miz is on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern with Cheryl Burke and Jason Alexander.
In Hershey at the house show last night, Big E pinned Bobby Lashley in a singles match for the title. Lynch vs. Belair ended up with Flair interfering and turning into a tag match with the challengers team of Bliss & Belair beating champions of Flair & Lynch when Bliss pinned Flair.
Was told the new Broken Skull Sessions with Seth Rollins is very good, notably talking about what got him almost fired in NXT and choosing WWE over TNA.
UFC
The feud between Dana White and Oscar de la Hoya continues. De La Hoya congratulated Alexander Volkanovski saying you won a brutal battle for UFC and made 1/20 of what you’re worth and called on White to pay fighters what they deserve. White then called De La Hoya a crackhead who faked COVID to avoid getting knocked out by Vitor Belfort and that De La Hoya should win an Academy Award for his hospital performance.
St. Louis Anarchy from last night in Granite City, IL: 12 Gaige & Damien Deschain b Connor Hopkins & Brooks Berna, Nick King won four-way over Jay Manston, Victor Analog and Sean Orleans, Kenny Alfonso b Craig Mitchell, Camaro Jackson & Campbell Myers b Evan Gelistico & Billie Starkz, Derek Neal b Thomas Shire, Aaron Williams b Davey Vega, Gary Jay b Rickey Shane Page, Jake Dirden & Moonshine Mantell & Angelus Layne b Christian Rose & Gnaris Garvin & BSTRO Cassidy, Mat Fitchett b Warhorse, Calvin Tankman b Kevin Lee Davidson, Davey Richards b Everett Connors, Jeremy Wyatt b Daniel Makabe in a pure rules match (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Free the Narrative promoted by EC 3, who headlines against Adam Scherr (formerly Braun Strowman) will be on FITE TV on 10/2. Also on the show are Matt Taven, Westin Blake (Wesley Blake in WWE), William (Dutch in ROH), Parrow, John Skyler, and Tanga Loa.
There were a few wrestling references on football games we’ve heard. During the Oklahoma vs. West Virginia game, the announcer used the Roddy Piper quote about “Just when you think you have all the answers, they change the questions” followed by the other announcer saying there are no Junkyard Dogs on the field. There was a reference to wrestling and Edouard Carpentier, the Flying Frenchman, and Blackjack Lanza, so that sounds like a 1969ish AWA fan. (thanks to Barry Werner)
A stipulation is set for Roman Reigns and “The Demon” Finn Balor’s Universal Championship match at Extreme Rules.
On tonight’s Raw, it was revealed that Reigns vs. Balor at Sunday’s pay-per-view will be an extreme rules match. The PPV is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
SmackDown’s Reigns was in action twice on Raw tonight. Reigns & SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) in the opening match of the show. Bobby Lashley’s involvement in the six-man tag set up a triple threat match where Reigns defeated Lashley and Big E in the main event.
After Lashley attacked Big E with a steel chair during the triple threat match, Reigns hit a spear on Lashley and pinned him to get the win.
Reigns defeated Balor to retain the Universal Championship on SmackDown earlier this month. But a pre-match attack by The Usos, along with Reigns using a low blow to get the win, led to a rematch being announced for Extreme Rules. Balor’s Demon character made its return as he confronted Reigns on SmackDown two weeks ago.
Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar will take place at WWE’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21. If Reigns is still champion, the Universal title will be on the line in that match.
Here’s the updated card for Extreme Rules:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor in an extreme rules match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat match
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
The United States Championship match at Extreme Rules is now a triple threat.
United States Champion Damian Priest will defend his title against Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat match at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Hardy got added to the match by defeating Sheamus on Raw tonight.
Hardy hit the Twist of Fate and went for a Swanton Bomb during tonight’s match, but Sheamus got his knees up. But when Sheamus went for White Noise, Hardy slipped out and pinned Sheamus to get the win.
Priest was on commentary for Sheamus vs. Hardy. Following the match, a brawl between Priest and Sheamus was broken up by officials. The brawl began when Sheamus got in Priest’s face and shoved him.
Priest won the United States title from Sheamus at SummerSlam last month. On Raw last week, Priest retained the title against Hardy after Hardy answered his open challenge.
Sheamus became the number one contender to Priest’s title by defeating Drew McIntyre on Raw two weeks ago.
Extreme Rules is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor in an extreme rules match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat match
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
A match between Liv Morgan and Carmella has been made for Extreme Rules.
On tonight’s episode of SmackDown, Morgan teamed with Toni Storm to take on Carmella and Zelina Vega. The match lasted under two minutes before Carmella went face first into the turnbuckle, complained that her nose was broken, and walked away for the count out loss. Morgan told Carmella that she was tired of her running away and wanted a match at Extreme Rules. Later, after it was shown that her face was fine, Carmella accepted the match.
The two have been feuding on and off since June, when the two wrestled a series of matches that eventually led to Morgan being a part of the Money in the Bank ladder match in July. Nikki ASH ended up winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing in the following night on Raw and winning the Raw Women’s Championship.
Extreme Rules will take place Sunday, September 26 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
Finn Balor is getting another shot at Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship.
Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Balor at WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view on Sunday, September 26. The announcement comes after Reigns retained the title against Balor on SmackDown last week.
Before that Reigns vs. Balor title match on SmackDown, there was an angle where The Usos attacked Balor with the steel steps. Balor chose to continue with the match despite the attack. Balor looked to be on the verge of winning after hitting the Coup de Grace, but Reigns hit a low blow to kick out. The finish of the match was Balor passing out in a guillotine.
WWE appeared to tease the return of Balor’s Demon character when the lights briefly turned red and a heartbeat played after the Reigns vs. Balor match.
WWE is also building to an eventual Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar match. After confronting Reigns at SummerSlam last month, Lesnar will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown at Madison Square Garden.
Reigns has been Universal Champion for more than a year. He defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a triple threat match to win the title at Payback in August 2020.
Extreme Rules is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Finn Balor
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Randy Orton
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
A Raw Women’s Championship match has been added to the card for Extreme Rules.
WWE has announced that Charlotte Flair will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26. Bliss set her sights on the title following Charlotte’s match against Nia Jax on Raw tonight.
After defeating Charlotte in a non-title match last week, Jax got a shot at the Raw Women’s Championship on tonight’s show. While Jax was distracted by Shayna Baszler, Charlotte hit Natural Selection from the top rope to get the win.
Bliss and her doll Lilly appeared on the video screen after the match. Bliss invited Charlotte to join them on her playground, but Charlotte said she wasn’t interested in Bliss’ mind games. Bliss then said she would bring the playground to Charlotte instead.
The lights went out, and Bliss and Lilly were behind Charlotte when they went back on. When Charlotte asked what Bliss wanted, Bliss pointed at the Raw Women’s Championship. Charlotte agreed to give Bliss a title match, but she said this isn’t Bliss’ playground — it’s hers.
Charlotte won the Raw Women’s Championship in a triple threat match against Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam last month.
Extreme Rules is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated lineup for the pay-per-view.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Randy Orton
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
Former United States Champion Sheamus is getting a shot to reclaim the title.
Sheamus will challenge for Damian Priest’s United States Championship at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26. Sheamus became the number one contender to Priest’s title by defeating Drew McIntyre on Raw tonight.
McIntyre went to hit a Claymore on Sheamus near the conclusion of the number one contender’s match, but Sheamus reversed it into a roll-up. Sheamus held on to McIntyre’s tights for extra leverage as he pinned him to get the win.
During the number one contender’s match, McIntyre took off the protective mask that Sheamus has been wearing since breaking his nose this May. McIntyre hit Sheamus with the mask after the match and then laid him out with a Claymore.
Priest defeated Sheamus at SummerSlam last month to win the United States title. On Raw last week, Priest retained the title against McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match.
Extreme Rules is being held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Randy Orton
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Randy Orton will be the next challenger for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship.
On tonight’s episode of Raw, it was announced that Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Orton at Extreme Rules. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, September 26.
RK-Bro (Orton & Riddle) retained their Raw Tag Team titles against Lashley & MVP last Monday. Lashley laid out Riddle with a spear after the match and then went to put him in the Hurt Lock, but Orton dropped Lashley with an RKO.
Lashley and MVP interrupted a promo by Orton and Riddle on Raw tonight. After Lashley challenged him to a match, Orton accepted — if Lashley would put the WWE Championship on the line. MVP said the match will be happening at Extreme Rules.
Lashley also said that he was going to go to Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and get them to add Lashley & MVP to tonight’s number one contender’s Tag Team Turmoil match. Lashley said he’ll become a double champion when he and MVP take Orton & Riddle’s Raw Tag Team titles.
Lashley has been WWE Champion since winning the title from The Miz this March. Lashley retained the title against Goldberg at SummerSlam last month.
This is the second match that’s been made official for Extreme Rules. Becky Lynch will also defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair at the PPV.
WWE has set a date for Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship rematch.
Lynch will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Belair at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Lynch made her return at SummerSlam, defeating Belair in under 30 seconds to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Belair defending the title against Sasha Banks was originally scheduled for SummerSlam, but it was announced at the PPV that Banks wouldn’t be able to compete.
Belair became the number one contender to Lynch’s title by defeating Liv Morgan, Carmella, and Zelina Vega in a four-way elimination match on SmackDown last week.
Lynch refused to give Belair a title shot on SmackDown last Friday. After Lynch again declined to give Belair a title match on tonight’s show, WWE authority figures Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce informed Lynch that she’ll be defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Belair at Extreme Rules.
There will be a contract signing for Lynch and Belair’s title match at Extreme Rules on next Friday’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden.
Lynch vs. Belair is the first match that’s been announced for Extreme Rules.
On Friday, WWE announced eleven new touring dates for September that includes this year’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
The weapons and speciality match-filled event will take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, September 26th.
The primarily East Coast-focused schedule includes three Raws, two SmackDowns, three Supershows that combine talents from both brands, and two house shows.
Saturday, September 11: Supershow – Capital One Arena in Washington DC
Sunday, September 12: Supershow – Times Union Center in Albany, NY
Monday, September 13: Raw – TD Garden in Boston, MA
Friday, September 17: SmackDown – State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA
Saturday, September 18: WWE Live – North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC
Sunday, September 19: WWE Live – James Brown Arena in Augusta, GA
Monday, September 20: Raw – PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
Friday, September 24: SmackDown – Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, September 25: Supershow – Giant Center in Hershey, PA
Sunday, September 26: Extreme Rules – Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
Monday, September 27: Raw – Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH
WWE also announced that the Friday, September 10th SmackDown will also feature Raw wrestlers. Presumably, that show will be part of the yet-to-be announced WWE Draft.
