A documentary on the intertwined career of the Undertaker and Kane will debut at the Austin (TX) Film Festival & Conference in October before debuting on WWE Network the following month.
“Brothers of Destruction” will close out the week-long conference on the night of Thursday, October 29th while the Network debut is set for Sunday, November 15th, part of a month-long celebration of Undertaker’s 30 years in pro wrestling (“30 Days of the Deadman”).
The documentary description from WWE: “The film breaks new ground as cameras capture a candid discussion between The Undertaker and Kane about their storied careers for the first time. Intertwined since Kane was introduced as The Undertaker’s long-lost brother in 1997, The Big Red Machine and The Deadman have been both bitter enemies and fierce allies, but their relationship never failed to captivate the WWE Universe, resulting in one of sports-entertainment’s most incredible legacies.”
WWE debuted the well-recieved Undertaker documentary series earlier this year on the Network with Undertaker (Mark Calaway) doing a slew of mainstream interviews to help promote it, something he had been reluctant to do for decades due to the character.
PW Insider’s Mike Johnson reported Monday that former WWE Champion Kane is scheduled to appear at Sunday’s Royal Rumble at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX.
He made an appearance on last Friday’s SmackDown, cutting a promo about how the Rumble is his favorite pay-per-view and referencing all the eliminations he has had in the past. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt then got into it with him before Daniel Bryan attacked Wyatt and ran him off.
Johnson did not specify whether Kane is scheduled to be in the Rumble match or a possible involvement in the Wyatt-Bryan strap match. Kane hasn’t been in a Rumble match since 2016 when he entered seventh and was eliminated by Braun Strowman.
As of this writing, 19 of the 30 participants have been announced with several more expected on this week’s WWE TV shows.
The 52-year-old (real name Glenn Jacobs) is the current mayor of Knox County, TN, and has only done sporadic appearances for WWE in recent years.
Kane will be making a special appearance on SmackDown this Friday, while a match that was originally set for last week has been announced once again for this week.
WWE Backstage tonight announced that Kane will be making a special appearance on the program. He hasn’t been seen on WWE television since September 16, when he made a surprise appearance on Raw both as Knox County, Tennessee mayor Glenn Jacobs and as Kane. During the closing moments of the program, The Fiend Bray Wyatt attacked Kane to close out the show.
A match between Sasha Banks and Lacey Evans has also been announced for this Friday’s show. The two were originally scheduled to wrestle last week, but the match never happened as Bayley explained on the titantron that Banks wouldn’t be there as she was working on her upcoming album.
Evans stormed backstage looking for Bayley but Bayley jumped her from behind. Evans came back and went for the woman’s right, but Bayley was able to escape.
SmackDown this week will be at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Kane will be Steve Austin’s guest on the next episode of the Broken Skull Sessions.
The WWE Network’s Twitter account announced today that Kane will be the guest on the third episode of Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview series. The episode is airing on the Network after NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II on Sunday, January 12.
Broken Skull Sessions premiered after Survivor Series in November. The Undertaker was the guest on the debut episode, with Goldberg appearing on the second episode after TLC in December.
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II will begin at noon Eastern time on January 12. Five matches have been confirmed for the show:
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defending against Joe Coffey
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray defending against Toni Storm and Piper Niven in a triple threat match
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defending against The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake), Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner), and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a four-way ladder match
Kane made an appearance as Raw’s fallout from Clash of Champions took place in Knoxville, Tennessee last night.
After the main event between Seth Rollins and Robert Roode ended in a disqualification, Kane saved Rollins from Roode, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson. But Kane was then attacked by The Fiend. The Fiend put Kane in the Mandible Claw and taunted Rollins.
Kane also appeared in multiple pre-taped videos as Mayor Glenn Jacobs. He won the 24/7 title from R-Truth before dropping it back to him.
Rollins will defend his Universal Championship against The Fiend inside of Hell in a Cell at next month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks will also face off in a Hell in a Cell match next month. Lynch saved Nikki Cross from Banks and Bayley last night, with Charlotte Flair helping Lynch even the odds against them.
The King of the Ring finals took place on Raw and saw Baron Corbin defeat Chad Gable to win the tournament. A coronation segment for Corbin is set for tonight’s SmackDown.
Plus, Rusev returned to WWE TV last night and got involved in the Maria & Mike Kanellis storyline.
Amid controversy, the second show in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority takes place at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh today.
Shawn Michaels will make his return to the ring as he teams with Triple H against The Undertaker & Kane. A new Universal Champion will also be crowned, with Braun Strowman facing Brock Lesnar for the vacant title.
With Daniel Bryan not wrestling in Saudi Arabia, AJ Styles will instead defend his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. John Cena also pulled out of WWE’s World Cup tournament and was replaced by Bobby Lashley. Lashley vs. Seth Rollins and Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler are set for Raw’s side of the bracket, and Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz and Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton are SmackDown’s first round matches.
A stipulation for the World Cup was set up this week as Shane McMahon said he would fire the SmackDown wrestler who makes it to the finals if they lose to Raw.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defend their titles against The New Day. And on the pre-show, Rusev challenges for Shinsuke Nakamura’s United States title.
Hulk Hogan will also make his return to WWE as the host of Crown Jewel. The pre-show begins on the WWE Network at 11 a.m. Eastern time, with the main card starting at noon Eastern.
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Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Rusev to retain the WWE United States title
The crowd was still filing in as this match was going on, but they were hot for this match. Rusev fired back with some lariats after Nakamura had control for part of the match. Nakamura cuts him off and lands a running knee. Rusev connected with a machka kick and went for the accolade but Nakamura went to the apron and connected with a knee to the head.
Nakamura went for the kinshasa but Rusev tripped him and applied the accolade. Nakamura went for the ropes, Rusev dragged him back in the middle but in the process Nakamura managed to headbutt Rusev right in the netheregions. That allowed Nakamura to recover and pin Rusev after the kinshasa. Not much of a match, but a clever finish at least.
Hulk Hogan came out to start the show, got a pyrotechnic show and everything. Said it was awesome to be back in the WWE and to be hosting Crown Jewel. And that was it, another pyrotechnic show followed. Judging by Hogan’s promo and the graphics showing they’re in “Riyadh”, WWE is going out of their way not to mention the words “Saudi Arabia” on their broadcast.
World Cup: Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton
Mysterio went for a springboard early but Orton cut him off with a big dropkick. He took Mysterio to the top rope and tried to rip off his mask. Mysterio followed with a senton and a springboard crossbody.
Mysterio went for the 619 but Orton grabbed Mysterio and planted him with the draping DDT. He motioned for the RKO but Mysterio countered with a roll up and got the win. This was short and not much of anything.
Orton planted Mysterio with an RKO after the match. He motioned like he was going to leave, but instead slid him out of the ring and planted him face first on the Arabic announcer’s table, apparently landing on a monitor.
Miz was asked about potentially facing an injured Rey Mysterio. He said with the way this tournament is lining up, he feels awesome.
World Cup: The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy
Miz was asked about potentially facing an injured Rey Mysterio. He said with the way this tournament is lining up, he feels awesome.
Miz gained control early, grinding down Hardy. Miz hit a couple of dropkicks in the corner, but Hardy responded with a clothesline and made his comeback. Hary went for a twist of fate but Miz escaped.
Hardy hit whisper in the wind, but got cut off by Miz on the apron. Miz went for the figure four but Hardy cradled him for a near fall.Hardy sends Miz out of the ring, runs on the barricade and jumps off, hitting Miz with a clothesline. Hardy goes for a swanton bomb, but Miz rolls out of the way.
Miz posts Hardy and uses the ropes, but the referee sees it. Hardy goes for a twist of fate, but Miz countered with the skull crushing finale for the win. Kind of clunky overall and the finish was anti-climatic.
World Cup: Seth Rollins defeated Bobby Lashley
Lashley dominated the match early until Rollins escaped from a vertical suplex. Rollins hit two suicide dives to the floor. Lashley cut him off and went for a superplex. Rollins went for a sunset flip, but couldn’t get it. Lashley escaped from a powerbomb attempt, but then Rollins landed the stomp out of nowhere for the win. Another nothing match.
Kurt Angle backstage said most people doubt he can win. But people also doubted him when he won the Olympic gold medal with a broken friggin’ neck. He’ll prove tonight that he’s still the best in the world.
World Cup: Dolph Ziggler defeated Kurt Angle
They start off with some mat wrestling. Angle landed a belly to belly and a couple of German suplexes. They meet on the apron where Angle tried to German Ziggler to the floor, but Ziggler laid him out and threw him into the stairs.
Angle drives Ziggler into the turnbuckle and started a comeback until Ziggler laid him out with a DDT. Angle hit the Angle Slam for a near fall. He went for the Angle lock, but Ziggler escaped and hit a famouser.
Angle rolled through Ziggler and applied the Angle lock. Ziggler tried to escape, eventually doing do. He then posted Angle and planted him with the zig zag for the win. This was pretty decent.
The Bar defeated The New Day to retain the SmackDown tag team titles
The New Day came out on what I guess would be a magic carpet, throwing out pancakes.
Things started off with some good back and forth until Cesaro managed to cut off Kofi Kingston. They worked on him forever until Kofi escaped and tagged in Big E, who made a big comeback. Big E planted Sheamus with a uranage and went for the spear to the floor but Sheamus cut him off. Big E tagged in Kofi, who hit a double foot stomp as Big E planted Sheamus with a powerbomb for a near fall.
Kofi took out Cesaro on the outside as Big Show on the apron. Big E avoided the brogue kick but was shoved into the referee. Big Show punched Big E, allowing Sheamus to connect with the brogue kick for the win. A total paint by numbers match.
The Miz was interviewed. Tonight isn’t about happy endings, it’s about beating Rey Mysterio and proving he’s the best in the world. His voice seemed off and mentioned that he injured his throat during the first match. Rey Mysterio said he’s been underestimated by bigger and better.
World Cup semi finals: The Miz defeated Rey Mysterio
Rey controlled early, sliding himself to the floor with a splash. Mysterio started to sell his ribs after the splash. Mysterio went to leap on Miz’s shoulders but Miz instead fell, causing Mysterio to land face first on the mat.
Miz started to work him over, but Mysterio fought back, only to be laid out. In a callback from earlier, Miz slid Rey out of the ring, landing on his ribs.
Mysterio started to mount a comeback, landing a crossbody. Miz is sent into the second turnbuckle as Mysterio goes for the 619. Miz grabs him, smashes his head on the nearby top turnbuckle and lands the skull crushing finale…but Mysterio kicks out.
Miz pelts him with kicks, but Mysterio fights back, hitting the 619. Mysterio takes his time getting to the top rope, and when he goes for the frog splash Miz gets the knees up and cradles him for the win. This was okay overall, nothing special but the finish was pretty good.
World Cup semi finals: Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins
Dolph got the heat on Rollins after Rollins got distracted by McIntyre on the outside, working on his neck. Rollins came back and they exchanged a number of near falls before Rollins hit the ripchord knee for another near fall.
Rollins hit a suicide dive on the outside, taking out both Ziggler and McIntyre. Back in the ring, Ziggler hit the famouser. Rollins met Ziggler on the top rope and hit the superplex. Rollins tried for the Falcon Arrow, but Ziggler countered with the zig zag.
Rollins goes to the top rope, but McIntyre grabbed his leg. Ziggler connects with a superkick and picks up the win. So it’s heel Dolph vs. heel Miz in the finals. Match was pretty good.
Saxton interviewed Ziggler, saying it wasn’t fair how he got the win and it was an upset. Ziggler dismissed that and said the next time you see him, he’ll be holding his trophy because he’s the best in the world.
AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe to retain the WWE title
Styles was in control early, taking him to the outside and posting him. Joe lifted him up, however, and drove him head first into the barricade, getting the heat. Joe blasted AJ with a suicide dive, sending ribs first into the announcer’s table.
AJ connects with a kick and hits the reverse DDT. He looks for the phenomenal forearm, but Joe escapes and hits a big powerslam and lariat. Styles goes for an O’Connor roll but Joe catches him in the coquina clutch. Styles grabs him and goes for the calf crusher but Joe quickly gets to the ropes. AJ connects with a pele kick then scores the phenomenal forearm for the win. This was good while it lasted, but they’ve had better matches.
Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win the WWE Universal title
Baron Corbin, who came out with the Universal title, hit Strowman in the back with the title before the match started. Lesnar then destroyed Braun Strowman, hitting him with four F5’s, one to the floor. Strowman mounted a brief comeback, but Lesnar laid him out with a fifth for the win. No, it makes no sense to bury someone like this, nor does it make sense for Lesnar to win the title. But this is what they do.
McIntyre was sent to the back before the World Cup finals started. They fought before the bell rang, with Miz sending Ziggler into the steps. Miz favored his knee heavily. They sold like this was about to be called a forfeit in favor of Ziggler because Miz couldn’t continue. Shane McMahon said no, he would take his place. So after hyping this tournament for weeks, Shane just inserts himself in, everyone seems fine with it and the match starts. Even the announcers couldn’t sell this as making a lick of sense.
Shane McMahon defeated Dolph Ziggler to win the World Cup
Well, duh.
So Ziggler cut Shane and hit the zig zag. Shane fired back with a DDT and slingshotted Ziggler into the turnbuckle. Shane hit the coast to coast. And yes, in case you were wondering who the best in the world is, it is Shane McMahon, who wrestles maybe twice a year and just beat Dolph Ziggler clean in minutes. Raw announcers sold this like it was a heel move. Whatever. These last two matches couldn’t be more destructive towards people that need a boost the most.
Shane celebrated with the trophy as a huge pyrotechnic show followed. A McMahon winning this tournament, which was to crown the best in the world, feels like an allegory for something.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker and Kane
Triple H and Kane start things off. Shawn was tagged in and looked fine. He hit a neckbreaker but Kane came up. After teasing a superkick, Undertaker was tagged in. All four got in the ring as HBK was put in the tree of woe position. Kane threw Triple H into Shawn as both DX members tumbled to the floor.
Back in the ring, Undertaker hit old school on Shawn. He avoided a boot in the corner and tagged in Triple H. Kane was tagged in and they exchanged chops. Shawn came in and took down Kane, then did the kip up. Double suplex spot by DX. Shawn connected with the elbow.
Shawn motions for the sweet chin music but Kane grabs him and lands the chokeslam instead. Undertaker comes back in and gets the heat, looking for his own chokeslam. He takes out Triple H, which allows Shawn to strike with the sweet chin music. Undertaker gets back to his feet and clears out the Arabic announcer’s table.
Triple H grabs Shawn from his doom as he takes out Kane and Undertaker by throwing them into the steps and guardrail, respectively. Well, I think he threw himself and Undertaker into the barricade, but whatever. Kane grabs Hunter by the throat, however, and sends him through the announce table. Undertaker takes out Shawn with a legdrop on the apron.
Undertaker taunts Triple H as he takes Shawn and puts him back in the ring. They work him over some more. Undertaker went for a tombstone on the floor, but Shawn escaped and threw him into the post. Kane’s mask came off at some point as Shawn went to the top rope and hit a moonsault.
Triple H is tagged in as he makes a comeback. He may have hurt his arm at some point during this match. Undertaker reversed a pedigree with the back body drop. Triple H reversed a tombstone and hit a pedigree. Hunter dispatched Kane as Undertaker locked in the hell’s gate. Kane grabbed Shawn but he escaped and hit a superkick, landing on Undertaker and breaking that submission.
Brothers of Destruction go for stereo tombstones but both DX members escape. Shawn superkicks Undertaker, then superkicks Kane, who walks into a pedigree. Triple H pins Kane for the win. This was better than last month’s match. Shawn looked great but honestly this was still a very plodding, long match.
Pyrotechnics display to close out the show. To quote Jim Ross after that Jackie Gayda match, mercifully, Crown Jewel is over.
Raw’s final build to Crown Jewel took place in Charlotte, North Carolina last night.
The Undertaker & Kane and Triple H & Shawn Michaels appeared in the main event segment, with Triple H and Michaels setting a trap and Michaels hitting Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music. The show ended with Undertaker sitting up and the teams having a staredown.
Brock Lesnar was also on the go-home show for Crown Jewel. He gave Braun Strowman an F5 and stood tall heading into their Universal Championship match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday.
John Cena was officially replaced by Bobby Lashley in Friday’s World Cup tournament. The storyline explanation was Baron Corbin saying that Cena didn’t qualify for the tournament and giving Lashley his spot after Lashley beat down Finn Balor.
Also on Raw, Dean Ambrose refused to give Seth Rollins an explanation for why he attaced him last week, WWE announced Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch for Survivor Series, and Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya, Trish Stratus & Lita teamed against The Riott Squad, Mickie James & Alicia Fox.
A spokesman for Glenn Jacobs (WWE’s Kane and the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee) has noted that Jacobs still plans to wrestle at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
In an article that was published earlier this afternoon, Jacobs’ spokesman Rob Link told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Jacobs’ plans to wrestle at the event have not changed. “Mayor Jacobs won’t speculate on Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi’s disappearance,” Link said. “However, he and his family are in the mayor’s thoughts and prayers.”
WWE issued a statement on Thursday noting that they are “currently monitoring the situation” following Khashoggi’s disappearance and suspected murder. Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post who has been a frequent critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2.
Saudi officials have denied the allegations that are being made against them and have said that Khashoggi left the consulate shortly after he arrived.
Kane & The Undertaker are scheduled to face Triple H & Shawn Michaels at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2. The Independent Journal Review ran an article today that quoted senators urging WWE to rethink the event, and Dave Meltzer reported that “there have been backup plans that are being talked about internally if the show doesn’t take place.”
The Undertaker, Kane, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels all appeared on last night’s go-home show for Super Show-Down.
Kane interrupted a promo from Michaels during the main event segment of Raw, The Undertaker appeared in the ring, and Triple H came down to make the save. But it was Undertaker and Kane who stood tall heading into Super Show-Down after giving Triple H and Michaels double chokeslams and tombstones.
Undertaker will face Triple H in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday. Kane will be in Undertaker’s corner, and Michaels will be accompanying Triple H.
Also on Raw, the storyline teasing Dean Ambrose leaving The Shield continued, Ronda Rousey took on Ruby Riott, and Elias and Kevin Owens got huge heat from the Seattle crowd for joking about the SuperSonics leaving the city.
WWE has revealed Shawn Michaels’ role for Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia.
As was advertised in advance, The Undertaker made an appearance on Raw tonight to continue promoting his match against Triple H at Super Show-Down. During his promo, it was announced that Michaels will be in Triple H’s corner for the match and that Kane will be in Undertaker’s corner.
Michaels was on Raw two weeks ago as part of the build to Triple H vs. Undertaker, and WWE teased Michaels potentially coming out of retirement for his first match in over eight years. Dave Meltzer then reported that Michaels wrestling was “targeted, if not scheduled” for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia on November 2. Meltzer wrote that it wasn’t planned to be a singles match.
Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) hasn’t appeared on WWE television since winning his election to become mayor of Knox County, Tennessee last month. He’s noted that he wouldn’t rule out still making special appearances for WWE after becoming mayor.
Undertaker vs. Triple H at Super Show-Down is being billed as the final time they’ll ever face each other. The event will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 6 and will air live on the WWE Network.
UPDATE: Jacobs has officially defeated Haney, winning with 66.39 percent of the vote.
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Several local media outlets have projected Jacobs to defeat Democrat Linda Haney after taking a 66.56 percent to 33.44 percent lead in early and absentee voting. After barely coming out ahead in May’s Republican primary, Jacobs was expected to easily win tonight’s election.As expected, Glenn Jacobs (WWE’s Kane) is going to be the next mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.
Jacobs has declared victory tonight, while Haney is waiting for the full results to come in to comment. Jacobs will begin his term as mayor on September 1.
Jacobs returned to WWE television during the general election campaign, teaming with Daniel Bryan in a program against The Bludgeon Brothers. Their feud lasted a few weeks and culminated with Harper & Rowan retaining the SmackDown Tag Team titles at Extreme Rules on July 15. Jacobs was limited at the pay-per-view due to suffering an Achilles tendon injury on TV.
Haney criticized Jacobs for still wrestling while the campaign was going on, with Jacobs replying that his schedule was sporadic, that it wasn’t different than if he had any other job, and that it didn’t have an impact on his preparation. Jacobs told the Knoxville News Sentinel last month that he “may still do a few special things” with WWE after becoming mayor.
Ahead of challenging for The Bludgeon Brothers’ Tag Team titles on Sunday, Daniel Bryan & Kane will appear on Miz TV to open tonight’s episode. Andrade “Cien” Almas will also face Sin Cara, and Samoa Joe will wrestle Tye Dillinger.
Almas vs. Sin Cara was originally scheduled to take place on the June 12 edition of SmackDown, but it was canceled when WWE explained that, due to Sin Cara suffering a storyline shoulder injury when Almas attacked him the previous week, Sin Cara wasn’t able to compete. Neither has wrestled on SmackDown since, and Almas has only wrestled twice on the show since being called up from NXT. Both of those matches were against enhancement wrestlers.
Sin Cara has been Almas’ regular opponent on house shows, and Almas defeated him in a dark match prior to last week’s episode.
Joe vs. Dillinger was set up in a post-show video last week. R-Truth told Joe that he didn’t stand a chance against Dillinger, Joe asked Dillinger if that was true, and Dillinger challenged him to the match.
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match is also advertised for tonight’s SmackDown, along with Asuka vs. James Ellsworth in a lumberjack match. The show is being held at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.
With him returning to WWE television in the lead-up to next month’s mayoral election, Glenn Jacobs (Kane) has received some criticism from his Democratic opponent.
The Knoxville News Sentinel ran a story this morning where they spoke to Jacobs and Democrat Linda Haney about Jacobs continuing to wrestle during their race to decide the next mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. “I was really stunned to find out he was still pursuing it. I thought it was in the past,” Haney said. “I thought in this crucial time he’d want to be here and be with the people.
“Being an entertainer doesn’t make you a political figure. It may get you some votes, but I believe people want someone with common sense and who is (ready to lead).”
Jacobs responded by saying that his schedule with WWE is “sporadic,” that it isn’t different than if he had any other job, and that it doesn’t have an impact on his preparation. He also left the door open to still make special appearances for WWE if he wins the election.
“After I am elected mayor, I’ll be mayor. (Though) I may still do a few special things,” Jacobs said. “I’ve done it for 23 years now and have quite a history, it’ll always be part of my life. I think the question is, if I am taking it seriously, and of course I am. I wouldn’t (be running) if not.
“I’m sure some people will say that (I’m not focused) and some others will say that’s the coolest thing ever,” Jacobs said. “Again, you can’t make everyone happy. You just do what you can and that’s it….you’re always going to catch criticism no matter what you do.”
The past two mayors of Knox County, who are both Republicans, spoke supportively of Jacobs in the News Sentinel’s article.
Jacobs won May’s Republican primary by just 23 votes but is expected to easily defeat Haney in the August 2 election. Before it takes place, Kane & Daniel Bryan will be challenging for The Bludgeon Brothers’ SmackDown Tag Team titles at Extreme Rules in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 15.
Ahead of challenging The Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules on July 15, Daniel Bryan & Kane teamed together on SmackDown last night.
They defeated The Usos in the show’s main event, which had a stipulation where The Usos would have been added to the SmackDown Tag Team title match at Extreme Rules if they won. The Bludgeon Brothers then came out to the stage and had a staredown with Bryan and Kane to close the show.
James Ellsworth bailed on his match with Asuka after being slapped and hit with a spinning back fist, but Carmella got the better of Asuka by pushing her into the barricade. Asuka will face Ellsworth in a lumberjack match next week.
Also on SmackDown, AJ Styles was put in the Accolade by Rusev after defeating Aiden English, Jeff Hardy retained against The Miz in an open challenge and will defend his United States title against Shinsuke Nakamura at Extreme Rules, Becky Lynch took on Peyton Royce, and SAnitY ruined The New Day’s “First Annual Third of July Pancake Eating contest.”
Kane made a surprise return to WWE television last night, reuniting his Team Hell No duo with Daniel Bryan.
After The Bludgeon Brothers attacked him during last week’s gauntlet match, Bryan interrupted their appearance on Miz TV and then faced Harper in last night’s main event. Rowan interfered for the disqualification when Bryan had the Yes Lock on Harper, Kane returned to even the odds, and Paige announced that Team Hell No will challenge for The Bludgeon Brothers’ SmackDown Tag Team titles at Extreme Rules.
Paige also made Asuka vs. James Ellsworth for next week and SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella defending against Asuka for Extreme Rules. Plus, Eric Young answered Jeff Hardy’s United States Championship open challenge before it turned into a six-man tag, Rusev took on Xavier Woods, and Becky Lynch got another win.