Tag: jelly roll

Daily Update: Jim Ross, Finn Balor, Jelly Roll

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Ted Turner’s legacy in sports
  • The history of pro wrestling on the Turner Networks
  • The skyrocketing success and rapid decline of WCW
  • The television heyday of Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • How Ted Turner first got involved in pro wrestling
  • Why Vince McMahon hated Ted Turner and how irrational it was at times
  • The local TV business in the early 70s
  • The 1972-74 Atlanta wrestling war, how it started and ended
  • The start of Gordon Solie and Tony Schiavone on TBS
  • The growth of TBS
  • The launching of CNN
  • How Vince McMahon got on TBS
  • Why McMahon and Turner had issues during their year working together
  • The role Jim Barnett played
  • The death of Mid South Wrestling
  • The death of Jim Crockett Promotions
  • The death of WCW
  • How Barnett manipulated the Crocketts getting on TBS
  • Vince McMahon’s cable power plays and Turner’s reactions
  • The signing of Hulk Hogan and rise of Eric Bischoff
  • Hall, Nash and Bret Hart come to WCW
  • How Bischoff nearly purchased WCW and how it fell through
  • A reprint of a 2001 article on the closing of WCW that Ted Turner himself read and praised
  • Reaction to the death of WCW
  • Numerous people react to the death
  • The tribute on AEW television
  • His exploits in other sports
  • Rupert Murdoch, Ric Flair, Jane Fonda, Tony Khan and others in sports comment on Turner’s death
  • Turner’s life after he lost control of the networks
  • His charitable work
  • Update on Tanea “Rebel” Brooks
  • A first look at how UFC is performing and its revenue driven vs. expense for Paramount
  • WWE cuts continue and are looked at
  • A crazy note about the income of just four of TKO’s top executives and how it compares to the pay for UFC and WWE athletes. This is absolutely shocking
  • Nick Khan’s new contract with TKO
  • Why so many cuts were made this year and more notes on the pay cuts
  • New Day bid farewell
  • WWE & UFC first quarter financials looked at
  • More talk regarding Middle East shows, Zuffa Boxing, and complaints regarding WWE and UFC
  • Backlash preview, business notes and odds
  • Notes on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Dontaku coverage
  • Nico Ali Walsh on Nick Khan’s testimony before Congress
  • NOAH big show notes
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico notes
  • Grande Americano vs. Grande Americano
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Who in AEW was set for a major push that is now on hold
  • Champion Carnival down to final four
  • Cuatrero convicted in domestic violence case involving Stephanie Vaquer
  • Raja Jackson case coming to a close
  • Former WWE wrestler murder case makes pub again
  • Worldwide YouTuber numbers
  • Dana White talks McGregor’s return
  • Notes on Roman Reigns and his schedule
  • When did Nick Khan learn Vince McMahon was being investigate for sex trafficking
  • Janel Grant gets more public
  • Notes from WWE’s television contracts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

Finn Balor WWE Demon
Finn Balor competes at WWE WrestleMania 42. (Image credit: WWE)

WWE

  • Finn Balor told Stephanie McMahon that, while he loves Japan, he doesn’t think he wants to wrestle there full-time again before the end of his career:
    • I always kind of imagined myself going back to Japan to finish my career in Japan. I didn’t want to leave Japan, but I kind of wanted to roll the dice with WWE and give it a try. And like, if I had a year at NXT and then it didn’t work out, I would have happily went back to Japan.
    • I like how everything [in Japan] is just exactly as you see it. There’s no bullsh*t. Like, people are straight with you. It’s ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Everything’s clean, organized. Maybe I was immune to the politics because I didn’t speak the language so good. So I was kind of ignorant to that stuff, you know? And obviously, when you look back on any time, romantically, you always kind of hold that up.
    • I fell in love with Japan, but I don’t want to go back to wrestling in Japan, I don’t think. I’d love to go back to Japan and spend time there. When we go back with WWE, it’s absolutely incredible. To perform for WWE in Japan, that’s the dream.
    • Maybe we can set up an NXT Japan. [Triple H] might need a right-hand man to run it. Me and Shinsuke [Nakamura] I think would do a good job over there, right? God, that would be incredible. Go back to my dojo training days.
  • DJ Bootleg Kev shared that his friend Jelly Roll was “very self aware” that fans would not like him getting involved in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 42 story:
    • I’m pretty comfortable in saying this. I’m really close to Jelly Roll — he was very self aware that he was being pushed into a storyline that he probably didn’t need to be pushed into. And he was pushing, he was being very vocal about wanting to be involved in a storyline that is still playing out currently that was more comedic.
    • And he was like, ‘Guys, if you put me into this thing, I promise you it’s going to cook. It’s going to f**k.’ I was there at SmackDown in Phoenix and I heard him having these convos with certain people at WWE. And they still decided to – and, look, if you’re him, you’re like, ‘Hey man, if you’re going to push me into the main event of WrestleMania, I’m not going to say no. But I don’t think people are going to [like it].’ And then to me it wasn’t even him so much, the McAfee thing was like – it was just weird. It just made no sense.
  • US Weekly asked Cody Rhodes how he would feel about his daughters Liberty and Leilani becoming wrestlers:
    • I would say the same thing my dad said, which was cool. ‘You can go into it, but you have to be the best.’ And that’s easier said than done, but I think they could certainly do it, those two.
  • Jimmy Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, and Fallon Henley have recorded interviews for future episodes of Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast.
  • DDP posted some photos from WWE Headquarters after spending the day there yesterday for the podcast.
  • Jake Paul claimed that TKO has “major beef” with him over the back and forth he’s gotten into with UFC boss Dana White:
    • From my side, I’m just having fun. And the fact that one of the biggest organizations in the world, the TKO Group, has this major beef with me – they won’t even let me be in my brother’s WWE matches because they hate me so much. And so it’s pretty wild how much under their skin we are. And to me, yeah, it’s just been a fun journey. I enjoy sh*t talk. I like when people make fun of me. I’m easy to make fun of. You know, I’m able to make fun of myself, so the beef to me is just fun and entertaining for everybody.
  • Gunther shared a video working out in the gym with Ilja Dragunov.
  • Italian YouTuber Enry Lazza has an interview with Gunther.
  • Sami Zayn appeared on Huge Pop! with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas.
  • Ethan Page was the guest on Complex’s Graps podcast this week.

Other Wrestling

  • On his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said he plans on being in New York for AEW Double or Nothing on May 24:
    • I tell ya, AEW’s TV shows, and I know people expect us to ballyhoo it, to put it over – it’s easy to put it over when it’s good. And their TVs lately have been very good. And what they’re doing with Darby, they’re not doing anything more important on their television than featuring Darby Allin and letting us support him and get behind him and all that stuff. So he’s very resilient, and I like his approach a lot. So we’ll see how that materializes over the next few weeks. I plan on being in New York in a couple of weeks. And I’m excited about this card. It’s loaded, man. It’s got some good sh*t on it.
  • During an interview with Bootleg Kev, Swerve Strickland recalled seeing WWE star Oba Femi at the gym and telling Femi that, if it were up to him, Femi’s debut would have been winning the WWE Championship:
    • I met Oba at the gym and I said, ‘If I had the pen, your debut would be winning that belt.’ I was close because his debut was against Cody. And [Femi] was like, ‘How did you do this, man?’ I was like, ‘I just call it how I see it, it’s you, bro.’
  • Strickland gave his thoughts on influencers/celebrities crossing over into pro wrestling:
    • There’s a time and a place for it, for sure. Once again, it always comes back to the connection to the fan base. Like, how much have you connected with the fan base to warrant your level of involvement in said space in wrestling? You always got to listen to the fan base. They’re going to tell you what they’re receiving well. 
    • They’re like children, they cry when they’re getting something they don’t want. Or they’re going to cry when they want something. And then you feed it to them and they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, that satisfied me. You answered what I was [looking for].’ It’s the same way. They’re going to tell you when they don’t like it or they’re not digesting it well.
  • While looking ahead to his Best of the Super Juniors matchups, Jun Kasai gave his thoughts on Nick Wayne:
    • Yeah, we’ve been in GCW together and we’ve talked a bit. He’s younger than my son! If I lose to him, how can I look my own boy in the eye? [laughs]. But he really is a prodigy. You have this young protege and an average old vet. But even though I’m average, what I have in spades is passion. That’s what I’ve had for 28 years. That’s hard to beat.
  • Kasai, who is known for being a death match wrestler, described his BOSJ inclusion as a win-win:
    • I mean, if you eat your favorite food every day of the week and eventually you get sick of it. So for a misfit toy like myself to be in a top flight tournament for BOSJ it’s different for the tournament, and it’s different for me. So it’s win win.
  • After suffering a knee injury last September, CMLL wrestler Zandokan Jr. is set to return in La Copa Junior 2026. 
  • The Battleground Podcast interviewed AJ Francis.
  • ESPN published a feature story on Ronda Rousey ahead of her MMA return.

WOL: Filthy & Lance Storm review AEW Dynamite, hotel security, Bunnie Roll

Posted on by Tom Lawlor

Wrestling Observer Live is back in the house with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Lance Storm with TONS to talk about including a full AEW Dynamite report, parting gifts from Pat McAfee & Jelly Roll, and a discussion about fans.

A fun show as always so check it out~!

Right Click Save As (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

Jelly Roll suggests he & Pat McAfee ‘get back to what we’re good at’ following WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Josh Nason

The inclusion of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 42 program was met with mixed reaction, to say the least.

In his new vlog featuring some of the action from this past weekend, the hit musician suggested both he and the sports talk star get out of the WWE spotlight for a while and back to their respective industries.

While being driving in a golf cart backstage at Allegiant Stadium, Jelly Roll said, “I had one goal tonight and I kind of succeeded. Pat, I love you man. Neither one of us had any business here. I say we get back to what we’re good at. man, even though I’m not actually really good at anything. But you’re great at something, so go do it. I’ll keep searching for what I’m going to do when I grow up.”

The video showed him the night before backstage at SmackDown, saying hi to Damian Priest and Trick Williams before watching the show with his son and friends in a luxury box. It then moved to night one of WrestleMania with him saying hi to music producer and wrestling fan Rick Rubin and John Cena while also watching the show from a box.

The clip of him elbowing McAfee through the announcers’ table was shown followed by him joking he needed to frame the picture of him “levitating” above McAfee.

At one point, it was believed WWE was building to a Jelly Roll/Rhodes vs. McAfee/Orton match but that appears to be a no go after McAfee held to his pre-Mania word that if Orton lost, he would be gone from WWE forever.

Cody Rhodes retains WWE title at WrestleMania 42 in bloody match

Posted on by Josh Nason

Cody Rhodes remained undisputed WWE Champion after night one of WWE WrestleMania 42, defeating Randy Orton in a bloody match that also featured the end of Orton’s tenure with Pat McAfee.

The ending sequence saw Orton accidentally take out referee Charles Robinson with an RKO followed by an attempted low blow on Rhodes. Rhodes then hit his own low blow, but Orton countered a Cody Cutter with an RKO.

McAfee, Orton’s mystery man revealed on the phone several weeks ago, ran out with a referee shirt and a neck brace, but Rhodes still kicked out. It was intimated McAfee was friendly with TKO and perhaps authorized to make the count, but that was never followed up on.

Orton then hit McAfee with an RKO followed by Rhodes hitting Orton with a Cross Rhodes for pin and win. Orton hit him with the title belt afterward and hit his old school punt, standing over him with the title belt to end the show.

By his own words, this means McAfee will no longer appear on WWE TV.

The reason McAfee was in an neck brace was that he attacked Rhodes before the bell with a microphone. However, Rhodes rallied, took out Orton, and then took out McAfee with a Cross Rhodes. He put McAfee on the Spanish announce table when Jelly Roll appeared. The musician got up on the other announce table, flipped McAfee off, and hit him with an elbow drop through the table. McAfee was then stretchered out with Jelly Roll never to be seen again.

Both Orton and Rhodes were bloodied up at different points in the match. An Orton back injury was played up on commentary during the match and after the show, which played into the match at several points.

The match was just under 23 minutes and was the first defense in Rhodes’ second run with the title he regained last month. Orton remains without a World title run for nearly six years.

WOL: Corporate wrestling & the backward psychology of SmackDown

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

As backward as WWE SmackDown was last week, this week’s psychology was just as puzzling if not worse. The heel gets discount tickets for fans, tells fans not to buy WrestleMania Sunday and rips the main event wrestlers without saying anything positive about them.

This build is breaking virtually every rule when it comes to promos.

Plus, Danhausen, WCW 1998, AEW Collision, Dynasty, TNA Rebellion, AAA, and more.

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After Jelly Roll, another musician wants to train for WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Following Jelly Roll’s success in WWE as a celebrity wrestler, rapper Lil Yachty now allegedly wants to train and wrestle.

Known for his long history with WWE, Lil Yachty was recently spotted on last week’s Friday Night SmackDown, when he formed a partnership with Trick Williams and is set to be there in his corner at WrestleMania 42.

Speaking to Rory & Mal, Williams revealed that Yachty is getting ready and training to wrestle, to grow beyond just being a manager.

“He understands the business. Talking about the similarities between hip-hop and WWE. How to promote, how to market yourself, how to make people feel something. I’m excited to see what Yachty can do in the business, so I think that’s gonna be pretty cool,” Williams said.

“He said he wants to feel the cables. He said he’s gonna get in tip top shape. We got him a trainer. We finna get Yachty right. Let’s talk about it.”

Trick Williams is set to challenge Sami Zayn at WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas for his United States Championship.

WOL: Did Danhausen put a curse on SmackDown?

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

It’s WrestleMania season, the build to the biggest show of the year. So why isn’t WWE acting like it? Lackluster promos, subpar wrestling and mediocre comedy. It’s like Danhausen put a curse on SmackDown, too.

Plus, there’s good news for Steve Maclin, TNA Sacrifice, MLP & ROH Global Wars, a new TV show and, in kayfabe, why is Jelly Roll just hanging around Smackdown offering words of inspiration? Is he lonely? A WWE life coach? Going to leave music and write Hallmark cards? Hoping The Vision will notice?

A fun show. Check it out.

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Randy Orton RKOs Jelly Roll on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes’ story towards WrestleMania continued on Friday, with Jelly Roll caught in the line of fire.

Orton defeated Matt Cardona on SmackDown after Cardona challenged him to a match earlier in the night. Right after Orton won, however, Rhodes pulled up to the arena on his tour bus and started to make his way to the ring as the two quickly got into a brawl. Security and other WWE officials came to the ring to try and maintain order but repeatedly failed as both Rhodes and Orton frequently broke free attacking one another.

The two eventually were separated on opposite corners of the ring as Jelly Roll, who defeated Kit Wilson earlier in the night, came out in an attempt to bring the temperature down. Orton broke free yet again and this time set his ire towards Jelly Roll, laying him out with an RKO. Orton then exited the ring smiling as the show closed.

Orton took out Rhodes two weeks ago, turning against his former friend and left him a bloody mess. He later explained that when Rhodes told him to be the best version of himself for WrestleMania, that allowed Orton to let the voices in his head guide him. Despite pleas from Jelly Roll to try and make things right, Orton continued his rampage on last week’s show by taking out Cardona.

However, another person seems to be guiding Orton in recent weeks as the multi-time WWE Champion has been seen talking on the phone with someone. Prior to the main event segment on Friday, Orton told the person on the other line that he’d see them soon.

Kit Wilson praises Jelly Roll: ‘This is a man who has heart and who has passion’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Kit Wilson has heaped praise on country music artist Jelly Roll ahead of their WWE SmackDown match.

On the road to WrestleMania, Wilson is scheduled to face Jelly Roll on the upcoming March 27 episode of WWE SmackDown. However, hours before their match, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Wilson opened up and called out Roll’s passion for professional wrestling.

“A lot of the time in wrestling it’s who has the biggest heart, who has the [most] passion. And… that is one thing Jelly has in spades. This is a man who cares. This is a man who has heart and who has passion. That’s what’s gotten him to be as successful as he is right now in the entertainment industry,” he said.

While the expectations for the Wilson vs. Roll match are low from the fans, the former NXT tag-team champion promised it would be an “entertaining” affair.

“No matter how good it goes, no matter how crazy it gets, it’s always gonna be entertaining. I can promise you that the match [Friday] is gonna be one of the most entertaining things on the show, as last week’s slam poetry was.”

Still weeks left for WrestleMania 42, speculation and rumors suggest Wilson to team up with The Miz to face the duo of Roll and Royce Keys.

Kit Wilson wants to make the most out of his singles match against Jelly Roll

In the same interview with Sports Illustrated, Wilson shared his thoughts on making the most out of his upcoming singles match on SmackDown.

“I don’t take this lightly. This is a big deal. I’m gonna make the most of it in every single category. In the ring, I’m gonna show my dominance. On the way to the ring, I’m gonna show how good I look. Afterwards, I’m gonna continue to run my mouth like I did before. And I’ll do it the same the week after, and after, and after. This is just a launching pad to bigger and better things.”

A former tag-team wrestler, Elton Prince’s injury, and hiatus, saw Wilson under a subtle gimmick change and begin a singles career journey.

Jacob Fatu praises Jelly Roll’s WWE work ethic

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Jacob Fatu had high praise for Jelly Roll’s backstage enthusiasm and work ethic when training for his WWE in-ring debut.

Speaking in an interview with Bootleg Kev, Fatu reflected on the musician’s eagerness and passion for the industry while training. He detailed an instance when Jelly Roll cleaned the ring after practice wrapped up.

“You see cats come in all the time and just get it in. You seen the transformation in him. But it was more than that,” Fatu said.

“When I got out the ring with this guy from training, and it wasn’t just me, shout out to [NXT wrestler] Stacks and the other homie. But it was what he did after. It’s what he did afterward. I already knew, bro. I knew the background. It’s the sh*t that he did afterwards. When you get done training, you gotta clean the ring, sweep it, spray it down. We all sweaty up in there.

“And I seen this man, he went up to the homie and said, ‘Nah, nah, nah, nah, let me clean it. Tell me what I gotta do.’ And he’s not making a scene about it. I’m tucked off with the other homies. But I’m watching. Bro just cleaned up the whole ring. Did what he had to do, wiped his feet, but also seen the love and the passion.”

Fatu added that his own fondness for the industry doesn’t stem from his family’s legacy but because it unites people from different backgrounds and walks of life. 

“Professional wrestling, that’s what I love about this, not only ‘cause my family’s in it. Not only ‘cause we are one of the dopest families up in it,” Fatu said. “But what I’ve seen, what I love about it is professional wrestling brings different colors, different cultures, different background. Professional wrestling brings us all together.”

Last year, Jelly Roll teamed up with Randy Orton against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul at SummerSlam, taking part in his first-ever pro wrestling match. The musician was trained by The Undertaker, Kevin Owens, Michelle McCool, and Fatu. 

On the March 13 edition of SmackDown this year, Jelly Roll returned to feature as a special guest on Miz TV. Kit Wilson interrupted the segment to mock the musician. A week later, Wilson had another showdown with Jelly Roll in slam poetry which backfired. A match between Jelly Roll and Wilson is now set to take place on SmackDown this Friday.

Meanwhile, Fatu has been locked into his own rivalry with Drew McIntyre that looks set to culminate at WrestleMania 42.

Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson, Women’s US title match set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jelly Roll will be in action next week.

The music star demanded and got a match for next week’s SmackDown in Pittsburgh against Kit Wilson after Wilson laid out Jelly Roll following during a slam poetry read-off. The Bella Twins will also be in action, and the Women’s United States title will be on the line.

Jelly Roll answered Kit Wilson’s callout and immediately demanded a fight. Wilson rejected the offer and instead proposed a slam poetry read-off, which was designed to insult Jelly Roll’s weight loss among other issues. After Jelly Roll fired off with some comebacks involving Wilson’s mother, Wilson retaliated by laying out Jelly Roll and striking him with a diving elbow. Later in the show, Jelly Roll recovered enough to walk up to Nick Aldis demand a match, which he got for next week.

The Bella Twins and Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will meet after the latter team interfered in the twin’s WWE Tag Team title match against champions Lash Legend & Nia Jax, causing a DQ. The three teams brawled after the match but much like last week, the segment ended with Jax and Legend standing tall.

Giulia will defend the United States title against Tiffany Stratton, indicating on this week’s show that she was upset that Stratton had embarrassed her the previous week. The segment also hinted at dissension between Kiana James and Giulia.

WWE SmackDown (March 27)

  • Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
  • Women’s US title match: Giulia defends against Tiffany Stratton
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins

Update on potential Jelly Roll WWE WrestleMania 42 match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

If Jelly Roll competes at WrestleMania 42, it doesn’t sound like it will be in a tag team match with Royce Keys.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that, after asking about rumors of Jelly Roll and Keys teaming together at Mania, he was told that it will not be happening. It’s not officially confirmed that Jelly Roll will be wrestling at the event, but Meltzer expects him to given what went down on SmackDown last week.

“I kind of wonder where they’re going with Jelly Roll,” Meltzer said. “It just feels to me they’re going to build to some gimmick match with Kit Wilson, maybe a tag with The Miz because The Miz has been involved in the storyline. They could do that. I had asked about the story because there was a story about Royce Keys, and I was told that it’s not Royce Keys, for whatever that’s worth. I wasn’t actually told that there is a match [for Jelly Roll], but when you look at it, it certainly seems like they’re building it.”

Last Friday’s SmackDown saw Jelly Roll return to WWE programming and interact with Miz and Wilson. The Miz TV segment ended with Jelly Roll inadvertently dropping Miz with a punch after Wilson moved out of the way.

A music superstar with an inspirational life story, Jelly Roll is a big WWE fan and has wrestled one match for the company so far, teaming with Randy Orton in a loss to Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam 2025. He received significant internal praise within WWE for how hard he worked to prepare for that match but still came out of it thinking of all the things he could have done better.

The Jelly Roll-Wilson storyline will continue on SmackDown this week with Wilson calling Jelly Roll out.

WOL: Why was Cody Rhodes so annoying on WWE SmackDown?

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

OVW referee Dallas Edwards released a positive message from the hospital regarding his unfortunate, dangerous and scary incident at OVW in Kentucky on Thursday.

On Friday’s WWE SmackDown, was Cody Rhodes being annoying on purpose during the contract signing with Randy Orton? He was so syrupy sweet and nice to Orton, so it was no wonder part of the crowd booed him. Is this the direction to WrestleMania or just for the angle?

Also, Jim talks about Rey de Reyes night one on Saturday and who is leaving AAA: Dom or Vikingo?

Plus, CMLL, New Japan Cup, AEW Collision, Jelly Roll, Danhausen, Kit Wilson and lots more. Another packed Saturday so here we go.

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Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu, Jelly Roll call-out set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre will meet while Jelly Roll will be called out on next week’s SmackDown.

McIntyre, upset about his loss and being confronted by Jacob Fatu once again, declared he had quit in the opening segment of Friday’s SmackDown. But later in the show as Fatu wrestled Trick Williams, McIntyre revealed it was yet another ruse by jumping Fatu and throwing him into the turnbuckle, which eventually led to his defeat. In the next segment, Aldis responded to McIntyre’s latest attack by booking a match between the two for next week in Raleigh, North Carolina.

It also seems that Jelly Roll will be in attendance once again when Kit Wilson calls out the famed music star after a confrontation on Miz TV. Jelly Roll rejected an offer by The Miz to mentor him and Wilson responded by coming out and calling him toxic, leading to a shove. Jelly went to punch Wilson but wound up striking The Miz as Wilson fled.

The Women’s Tag Team titles will also be on the line when Nia Jax and Lash Legend defend against The Bella Twins who made their return to SmackDown on Friday to challenge whoever emerged as the winners between the champions and Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss. After Nia Jax laid out the twins, Brie retaliated by attacking Jax, costing Flair & Bliss the titles. The segment ended with Lash & Jax laying out both teams.

Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley will be in action next week against Fraxiom. Dissension has been teased between the group with Sabin resenting the idea of Shelley helping a depressed Johnny Gargano.

WWE SmackDown (March 20)

  • Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Kit Wilson calls out Jelly Roll
  • Women’s Tag Team titles: Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against The Bella Twins
  • Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom

Jelly Roll appearance, WrestleMania 42 contract signing set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jelly Roll and a contract signing are among the things set for the next episode of SmackDown.

During Friday’s show, Jelly Roll appeared via video and congratulated his former tag team partner Randy Orton on winning the Elimination Chamber. He also had praise for Cody Rhodes, wishing him luck ahead of his WWE Championship match later in the night. It was later confirmed that the popular rapper and singer would be in Phoenix for next week’s show.

In his first-ever wrestling match, Jelly Roll teamed up with Orton at last year’s SummerSlam in a losing effort against McIntyre and Logan Paul. In his brief comments on Friday, Roll mentioned how much he didn’t like McIntyre.

Also set for next week’s SmackDown is a match between Jade Cargill and Michin. The two were originally set to face off last year, but the match was cancelled after Michin suffered an injury, which she recently returned from. A contract signing will also be held next week for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 42. Randy Orton and whoever wins Friday’s main event between McIntyre and Rhodes will make their match official.

WWE SmackDown (March 13):

  • WWE Championship match contract signing for WrestleMania 42
  • Jelly Roll will appear
  • Jade Cargill vs. Michin