Zelina Vega is set to make her WWE main roster in-ring debut this week.
After Vega and Lana went back and forth on Twitter and Lana challenged Vega to a match, WWE had Paige make it official for tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown: “Well. @Zelina_VegaWWE and @LanaWWE have certainly been … ahem… vocal about their feelings this weekend. SO let’s take this off the internet and bring it into the ring. I am making it official. Zelina vs. Lana TOMORROW NIGHT on #SDLive”
Vega slapped Lana and fought with her during Andrade “Cien” Almas and Rusev’s match on last week’s SmackDown, with the storyline being that their fight and Aiden English trying to break it up caused Rusev to lose.
Vega was called up with Almas as part of April’s roster shakeup. She wrestled once on NXT television before coming to the main roster, losing to Candice LeRae. She also teamed with Almas against LeRae & Johnny Gargano in several house show matches in NXT.
Vega wrestled under her real name (Thea Trinidad) and as Rosita, including for TNA/Impact Wrestling, before signing with WWE.
Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Usos in a tag team tournament match is also scheduled for tomorrow’s SmackDown, with the winners advancing to face The New Day in the finals next week. The team that wins the tournament will challenge for The Bludgeon Brothers’ SmackDown Tag Team titles at SummerSlam.
Two more women have qualified for the upcoming women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Lana was the first to qualify tonight on SmackDown. She beat Billie Kaye in a pretty short match to qualify. There were some shenanigans as Peyton Royce got involved on the outside. Kaye jumped her from behind and threw her in the ring, but Lana cut her off with a kick then planted her with a facebuster for the win.
Naomi followed suit later on the evening. She defeated Sonya Deville in a relatively short match with a roll-up. She joins Lana, Ember Moon, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Natalya.
Raw on Monday will determine the final entrant in the ladder match, which will take place at the Allstate Arena in Illinois on June 17. Bayley, Dana Brooke, Liv Morgan, Mickie James, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Sasha Banks will compete in a battle royal to determine the last participant.
The final spot in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, along with another women’s spot, will be decided on next week’s SmackDown.
Samoa Joe will compete for the first time on SmackDown since the Superstar Shakeup as he will battle Big Cass in a qualifying match to fill the last spot in the men’s match. Joe hasn’t been seen since Backlash when he lost to Roman Reigns. Cass was attacked tonight by Daniel Bryan after harassing him repeatedly. Since Bryan targeted Cass’ leg, that may be a factor heading into the match.
Meanwhile, Lana is set to face Billie Kay in another qualifying match. Kay’s IIconics partner Peyton Royce had an opportunity to compete in a qualifying match last week, but was defeated by Charlotte Flair. This would also mark Lana’s first match on SmackDown since October, when she teamed up with Tamina and Natalya in a losing effort against Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Naomi.
SmackDown next week will be at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts
Happy Rusev Day on the fifth week of Mixed Match Challenge as the team of Lana & Rusev advanced in the tournament.
Rusev & Lana will wrestle again on week nine against either Bobby Roode & Charlotte Flair or Apollo Crews & Nia Jax. Next week is the last first round match before the quarterfinals in two weeks time.
Rusev & Lana became the second married couple to move on into the next round of the tournament. Jimmy Uso & Naomi were the first husband-and-wife duo to advance when they won their match last week.
On commentary, Michael Cole claimed the win by Lana was her first in-ring victory in WWE. She certainly celebrated like it was a monumental win. The post-match celebration looked as if someone medaled in an Olympic event. Much like the Olympics, there was also an opening ceremony with music and ballyhoo.
The show opened with a concert by Bayley & Elias. They strummed their guitars as the announcers ran through their opening notes.
Screenshots showed highlights of the angle from Raw last night where Braun Strowman attacked Elias with what Michael Cole called a bass guitar. Others have called it a cello. Regardless, it is now in pieces. Selling the attack, Elias had his ribs bandaged.
After an instrumental intro, Elias & Bayley paused their strumming as they introduced themselves to the audience. They each were only able to say hello before the entrance of Rusev interrupted them.
Rusev waited so his wife Lana could join him on the stage. They wore matching gear and looked cute as a basket full of puppies. Video clips showed Rusev helping to train Lana for the tournament by having her break wooden boards and shout “Lana is number one!”
Lana & Rusev defeated Bayley & Elias
Lana pinned Bayley for the married couple to advance in the tournament. Much like other matches in the tournament, there was plenty of gaga. The story of the match revolved around Lana’s quest for victory.
The match began with Rusev leading a chant proclaiming Lana is the best and she is number one. Overconfident, Lana proceeded to beg off when Bayley started out-wrestling her on the mat. Rusev gave Lana some advice, and she hulked up. Moments later, she found herself backpedling again.
Taking a powder on the outside, Lana grabbed Elias’ guitar. She threatened to use it as a weapon, but Rusev stopped her. Rusev then dropped the guitar on the floor, and it landed with a thud. Elias was not happy. He retrieved the guitar, and anxiously strummed a chord. Relieved it still sounded good, he gently sit the guitar back down.
Back in the ring, Rusev wanted a test of strength. Elias did a classic heel cheapshot — acting as if he as going for the knuckle lock only to kick Rusev in the gut. Elias began to work over Rusev. Bayley taunted from the apron as she mocked the “number one” chants from earlier. Rusev made a comeback — and Rusev crush. Despite the crushing, Elias esacped the Accolade to tag out.
Lana ran wild, leading to an X-factor for a near fall. Bayley soon fired up. Perched on the turnbuckles, Bayley went to set up a high risk move only for Lana to trip her. Bayley smacked into the top turnbuckle, and Lana covered for the pinfall. Happy Rusev Day.
Lana celebrated like she won gold at the Olympics. She gave an impassioned victory speech in a foreign language during a post-match interview. Rusev closed the promo by declaring that today was offically “Ravishing Rusev Day” in honor of his wife. And they all lived happily ever after.
Next week on Mixed Match Challenge, Nia Jax & Apollo Crews meet Charlotte & Bobby Roode in the last first round match.
WWE has confirmed two more teams for the Mixed Match Challenge tournament.
It was first announced today that Sasha Banks would be teaming with Finn Balor, with Kurt Angle referring to them as a “dream team.” It was then revealed that Lana and Rusev, who have been kept apart on SmackDown despite being a real-life married couple, would be paired together.
Naomi and Jimmy Uso, who are also married, will be in the tournament but it hasn’t been confirmed if they’ll be a team.
Banks & Balor and Lana & Rusev join Alexa Bliss & Braun Strowman and Charlotte Flair & Bobby Roode as the first four teams to be announced for Mixed Match Challenge, which is a 12-episode series that will debut on Facebook Watch at 10 p.m. Eastern time after SmackDown on January 16th. It will feature wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown in a single-elimination mixed tag team tournament, with each episode scheduled to be 20 minutes long.
Here’s the remaining list of wrestlers who still need a partner for the tournament:
Raw —
Alicia Fox
Asuka
Bayley
A male wrestler to be announced (replacement for Enzo Amore)
Goldust
Nia Jax
The Miz
A male wrestler who will be selected by fan vote
SmackDown —
Becky Lynch
Carmella
Jimmy Uso
Naomi
Natalya
Sami Zayn
Shinsuke Nakamura
A member of The New Day (to be determined by fan vote)
WWE continued adding to the Battleground card on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown.
It was announced that there would be a fatal five-way elimination match at the pay-per-view to determine who would challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Tamina, and Lana will be the wrestlers involved in that match.
Whether Naomi will be defending her title at the show hasn’t been announced yet. Carmella still doesn’t have a match for the PPV either.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin is also set for Battleground, which will be Nakamura’s third PPV since moving up to the main roster. Their feud was advertised to lead to a match on SmackDown this week, but Nakamura started a brawl with Corbin before it could get underway.
Battleground is WWE’s last PPV before SummerSlam and will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 23rd. The updated lineup is:
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match
John Cena vs. Rusev in a flag match
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Kevin Owens
Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Lana in a number one contender’s fatal five-way elimination match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against The New Day
Lana is back on WWE television, and she’s already getting a title shot.
It was announced on tonight’s SmackDown that Naomi would defend her Women’s Championship against Lana at Money in the Bank. The announcement came after Lana had made her first appearance on TV since switching brands in April’s roster shakeup.
It’s the second women’s match scheduled for the pay-per-view, with the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match having been announced last week.
Lana first tried to insert herself in the ladder match before being mocked by Naomi, which led to her interference costing Naomi a six-woman tag. Naomi appealed to Shane McMahon for a match against Lana at Money in the Bank, with Shane making it official when the champion said that she would put her title on the line.
Dave Meltzer reported last month that there were two women’s matches planned for Money in the Bank. The PPV will take place on June 18th at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The updated lineup is:
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Randy Orton
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Money in the Bank ladder match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi defending against Lana
Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Tamina in a Money in the Bank ladder match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against The New Day
– New NXT host and commentator Vic Joseph made his NXT debut in the ring before the show started.
– Jack Gallagher defeated Kona Reeves
Running corner dropkick by Gallagher for the victory.
– Tian Bing defeated Wesley Blake
Bing won with a thrust kick.
– Daria Berenato defeated Liv Morgan
Berenato got the win with a spinebuster.
– Steve Cutler defeated Adrian Jaoude
Cutler won with a stomp off the middle rope. He talked about being a hero after the match, which led to Kassius Ohno coming out and laying out Cutler with an elbow.
– Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins defeated Mustafa Ali & Ariya Daivari
Good match that had a lot of action. Ford has been one of the most spectacular athletes down here lately.
– Lana defeated Macey Estrella
The crowd absolutely loved Lana, who was dancing and having fun herself. She won with her fisherwoman spinebuster.
– Tozawa (billed as just that) defeated Tony Nese
Very good match here. Tozawa did multiple dives to the outside and finally hit a slow bridging German suplex for the win.
– The Revival defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
More live event excellence by the Top Guys here. Revival stole the pin and celebrated their win before getting in a scuffle with Sabbatelli and Moss, who hit their double team Gory Bomb Hart Attack on Dash Wilder to send everyone home happy.
NXT was in Winter Haven, FL tonight in front of approximately 250 people.
– Angelo Dawkins & Kenneth Crawford defeated The Bollywood Boyz
Dawkins punched one of the Sihra brothers as a cheap shot to allow Crawford to steal a pin.
– Daria Berenato defeated Mandy Rose
A spinebuster got the win for Berenato.
– Steve Cutler defeated Adrian Jaoude
Cutler won with a new front slam finish.
– TJ Perkins defeated Gran Metalik
Perkins won with the kneebar in a good match.
– Lana defeated Sarah Bridges
This was a shorter match than last night. Lana won with her fisherwoman sit-out spinebuster.
– Cedric Alexander defeated Dan Matha
This was a big vs. small match as Matha is a large man. Alexander kept fighting off all of Matha’s power moves and was finally able to hit his lumbar check for the impressive victory. He was interviewed after the match and proclaimed he’s coming for Rich Swann’s cruiserweight title.
– SAnitY (Eric Young & Big Damo) w/ Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross defeated Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight)
Cross and Wolfe ran distractions when possible. Dozovic was going for a Vader bomb when Cross distracted him allowing Young to get his feet on the ropes to steal the win in a physical match. Heavy Machinery cleared house after to send everyone home happy.
NXT ran a new venue in St. Petersburg, FL tonight in front of a crowd of 250.
– Jack Gallagher defeated Steve Cutler
A corner dropkick by Gallagher for the win.
– Lana defeated Sarah Bridges
Lana hit a fisherwoman spinebuster for the win. She was a face here and even did a breakdance in the ring. She looked much improved from her last NXT run.
– Tian Bing defeated Kona Reeves
This was a physical match between two of the bigger men down here these days.
– An in-ring promo by Rich Swann was interrupted by Dan Matha who seemingly challenged him.
– Gran Metalik defeated Noam Dar
Dar was the heel here. A Metalik Driver got the win.
– Roderick Strong defeated Tommy End
This was one of the better matches I’ve seen in NXT this year, they were excellent together. Strong won with a Sick Kick.
– Mandy Rose defeated Daria Berenato
Rose hit the Angel’s Wings for the finish.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann defeated Dan Matha
There was a huge mismatch in size here. Matha was manhandling Swann throughout by throwing him around, slamming him, and stretching him in holds until Swann fired up. Swann hit some kicks, used his speed, and finally rolled Matha up to get the flash pin.
– SAnitY (Big Damo, Alexander Wolfe & Eric Young) w/ Nikki Cross defeated Otis Dozovic, Tucker Knight & HoHo Lun
A well-paced, good match with everyone getting a chance to shine. Damo was just too much for Lun in all their exchanges but he wouldn’t quit. Wolfe and Damo hit the double team slam to finally pin Lun. Heavy Machinery cleared house after the match and hoisted Lun to their shoulders to send everyone home happy.
Raw once again featured Enzo Amore in the opening segment after last week saw Amore and WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks take on Chris Jericho and Charlotte. This time, Amore had Big Cass along with him. Amore wasn’t happy that Jericho got in the way of his romantic advances towards Banks last week.
Jericho then came out, and he had found a partner in fellow Canadian Kevin Owens. After saying that he liked Cass in NXT, Owens said that is no longer the case after Cass brought his deadweight partner with him to Raw.
Jericho appeared to challenge Cass to a match, but then clarified it was only Amore that he was after.
Enzo vs. Jericho
After interference from both Owens and Cass, Jericho won by disqualification after eating a big boot from Cass. The seven-footer then challenged the Canadian duo to a tag team match at SummerSlam, and the challenge was accepted.
Braun Strowman vs. Jorel Nelson
Jorel Nelson was the latest enhancement talent to challenge Braun Strowman, but Nelson met the same fate as his jobber brethren had in previous weeks.
The former Primetime Players collide
After last week saw Titus O’Neil get a win over his former Primetime Players partner, Darren Young returned the favor this week. Young picked up a win by holding onto O’Neil’s tights, just as O’Neil did to him last week, but Young’s life coach Bob Backlund didn’t notice the underhanded tactics.
Puff Daddy meets The New Day
An appearance by Puff Daddy was announced in advance of last night’s show, and it was revealed earlier on Monday that Diddy would be putting together the WWE 2K17 soundtrack. Diddy met Mick Foley and The New Day backstage, and Diddy enquired about Big E’s condition after last week’s injury angle.
Seth Rollins mocks Finn Balor
Seth Rollins mocked Finn Balor and his Demon King character ahead of their match for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Rollins said that Finn Balor wasn’t even his opponen’ts real name and the character was just something Balor made up to convey an image.
Rollins said Balor was one of the most disrespectful human beings he’s ever encountered, and said Raw was his show and this was his ring. Rollins was offended that Balor claimed that the opportunity was handed to him, and said that he’s worked for everything he’s ever gotten.
He said he doesn’t have to surround himself with myths and legends, he knows who he is. He is the myth, he is the legend, he is the man.
Cesaro and Sheamus go at it again
Cesaro and Sheamus had a rematch of last week’s Raw encounter, and it was Cesaro who came out on top again. Sheamus got a shot in against Cesaro, but knocked down the referee in the process. The ref bump kept Sheamus from getting the win, and Cesaro capitalized with an advantageous pin.
Brock Lesnar & Randy Orton sound off
Though Monday’s edition of Raw didn’t feature appearances by Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, or Randy Orton after all three appeared on both Raw and SmackDown last week, a video package was aired that hyped their SummerSlam match.
Their history in Ohio Valley Wrestling was mentioned. Orton said he became close with Lesnar when they got called up around the same time, but it pissed him off that Lesnar decided to leave because he didn’t like people.
Brock said he knows who Orton is, but doesn’t have a relationship with Orton and doesn’t care about him. Lesnar said everything he has accomplished exceeds anything Orton could ever dream of. He became a mega-superstar and Orton became a star.
Orton called their match the biggest in SummerSlam history.
Neville finds a partner to take on The Dudley Boyz
A confrontation on the Raw pre-show between Neville and The Dudley Boyz had The Man That Gravity Forgot searching for a partner to take on the veteran team. He found a fellow high flyer in Sin Cara, who has seemed to find a replacement for Kalisto just weeks after the Lucha Dragons broke up.
Roman Reigns: Wedding Crasher
Following their actual wedding filmed for Total Divas, Rusev and Lana had their wedding celebration on Raw last night. But the party was short-lived as Roman Reigns played the role of wedding crasher. The Big Dog struck Rusev, which knocked him into his bride, and she fell face-first into a looming wedding cake.
Rusev later demanded that Foley do something about the situation, and Foley officially booked Rusev vs. Reigns for the United States Championship at SummerSlam.
Sasha Banks takes on Dana Brooke with major SummerSlam implications
Earlier in the night, Banks suggested that her match with Charlotte should be a handicap match with how much Dana Brooke interferes in Charlotte’s matches. Mick Foley then set the stage for Banks vs. Brooke later on Raw. If Brooke won, it would become a handicap match at SummerSlam. But if The Boss won, Brooke would be banned from ringside.
Banks was able to earn the victory, and her rematch with Charlotte at SummerSlam remained a one-on-one encounter.
The mythology of Finn Balor
A pre-taped video saw Finn Balor answer Seth Rollins’ promo from earlier. Balor explained the mythology behind the Demon King character. He said they weren’t just myths, but were something he could use for strength. It was later announced that Rollins would call out Balor next week.
Kofi Kingston takes on Luke Gallows
It was announced earlier in the day that the Big E-less New Day would defend their tag titles against The Club at SummerSlam. Big E was still out of action and nowhere to be found on Raw after suffering a storyline groin injury after The Club’s attacks last week.
Kofi Kingston faced off against Luke Gallows ahead of the SummerSlam match, and with the help of Karl Anderson, Gallows was able to walk out the victor.
Anderson & Gallows MD
“Doctors” Anderson and Gallows mocked The New Day after last week’s attack, talking about the dangers of “ringpostitis.” They were amused at Big E’s groin injury and made several not particularly subtle references to the area.
The Golden Truth meets Scooby Doo
In advance of the upcoming Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon DVD release, Goldust and R-Truth met Scooby before Raw began.
Daniel Bryan comes to Raw
The most talked about thing in advance of Monday’s Raw was the invitation that Raw General Manager Mick Foley sent to his SmackDown counterpart Daniel Bryan. Foley wanted Bryan to come on the show to discuss the unscheduled cross-brand appearances made by Lesnar and Orton last week.
The general managers got into it over comments Bryan had made about the WWE Universal Championship on last week’s SmackDown post-show, and the segment led to Rusev coming out and saying that Raw doesn’t need another champion.
Rusev tried to get out of his SummerSlam match against Reigns by defending Foley. Cesaro then came out and said he deserved a championship opportunity. Bryan tried to fan the flames between Cesaro and Foley, and Foley made a United States title match between Cesaro and Rusev in the main event.
Cesaro challenges Rusev for the United States title
Cesaro got his championship opportunity, but it wasn’t time for the Swiss Superman capture WWE gold quite yet. Sheamus interfered and cost Cesaro the match, likely setting up another match between the two at a later date.
The SummerSlam match between Rusev and Reigns was also preserved with Rusev retaining his title, and Reigns ended the show by taking out his SummerSlam opponent with a spear.
Raw Fallout: Lana is out for revenge
Still covered in cake, Lana vowed to get revenge on Reigns for interrupting her and Rusev’s special moment.
Raw Fallout: Roman Reigns boards a private chopper
After the show, Reigns gets set to board a private chopper to LAX as the WWE roster readies for their tour of New Zealand and Australia this week.
First reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Rusev and Lana have set a date! The couple known in their real lives as Catherine Jo Perry and Miroslav Barnyashev have announced that they will be married on September 2nd. With Perry joining the cast of Total Divas for the next season, it would have to be assumed that the wedding will be a big part of that show, as weddings generally are good for ratings to that audience.
Lana will be known as CJ on that show and will not use the accent that she floats in and out of on RAW and Smackdown. The couple announced their engagement earlier this year at the time that Rusev was injured and Lana was linked in storyline to Dolph Ziggler. The announcement forced plans to change and it was acknowledged on RAW that the two were engaged. The push of Lana seemed to stall after that point and it’s only been recently when she’s appeared with Rusev onscreen.
From this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“The Rusev and Lana wedding, actually Miroslav and Catherine, will be on 9/2. It would be almost a lock that their wedding would air on Total Divas since that show, aimed at the women’s audience, is all about engagements and marriages.”
I’m here in Largo FL for NXT Live in front of approximately 250 people.
– Mikey Nicholls and Shane Veryzer beat The Authors Of Pain
Early power work by Dhinsa and Selmani with bearhugs, stomps, and overall destroying Mikey. The finish was a flash pin as Shane dropkicked one of the big men which allowed Mikey to get a roll up for the win.
– Adrienne Reese beat Peyton Royce
Early lock-up and mat work before Reese took to the ropes for a big cross body. She hit lots of speed moves and finished Royce off with the top rope jumping stunner.
– Alexander Wolfe beat Josh Woods
Wolfe and tag partner Fulton are out together. Wolfe puts a beating on Woods before the hope spot of Woods catching an ankle lock on Wolfe. Wolfe then hit a big boot for the win. Post match, Fulton and Wolfe cut a promo but were completely drowned out. The gist: Fulton challenged anyone in the back which leads to…
– Angelo Dawkins beat Sawyer Fulton
Hoss match; two large men just throwing each other around. The finish came out of nowhere when Dawkins rocked Fulton with a big punch.
– Chris Girard beat Patrick Clark
Hard-hitting action with Chris taking the attack to Patrick. The finish was a vicious running uppercut by Girard to lay Patrick out.
– Daria and Carmella beat Mandy Rose and Lana
Pre-match promo by Lana saying she is excited to be back in this poor village. This was a safe and basic match. Lana did headlocks when she was in, and Mandy did most of the selling for her team. Carmella ran wild on Mandy and then tagged out to allow Daria the win via submission.
– Tye Dillinger beat Manny Andrade
Great match and they added even more from last night. Early grappling followed by flashy rope running and one upsmanship. Tye had Manny up for an apparent GTS yet it was countered in to a front roll pin attempt and near fall. Big slingshot dive over the top by Manny onto Tye. Action really picked up towards the finish when Tye had Manny up for a powerbomb yet again it was reversed into a forward roll. Yet, Tye countered and kept rolling through and scored the pin. Post-match, the two shook hands and their live event series is 1-1.
Paige, Natalya and Brie Bella def. Summer Rae and Team B.A.D. by submission
Some rare six-diva tag action to kick off this week’s Main Event. Jerry Lawler, the star of the show most weeks, responds to a Rich Brennan call by asking “Basement dropkick!? Who do you think you are, Mauro Ranallo?!”
The entrance music of Lana interrupts this match early on, as her new-found foe Brie goes at it with Summer Rae. Lana sits on the announce desk to take in proceedings; Lawler accuses Brennan of being “sweaty” in response.
The heel divas get the heat on Nattie (who else?), before she makes a quick, and therefore underwhelming, lukewarm tag to Brie. Brie delivers her husband’s kicks to Naomi to piped in “Yes!” chants, before Tamina interferes and the match breaks down. All the girls hit various moves on each other, before the fog clears and Brie reverses a Naomi high cross into the Yes Lock for the submission victory. Is there anything else of Daniel’s she can co-opt to compensate for being the worst babyface ever?
After the match, the victors stare at Lana, who just stands there and applauds. Well, at least we didn’t get any shitty, Oscars reference-laden dialogue. Small mercies.
Ryback def. Heath Slater w/ Social Outcasts by pinfall
The Outcasts get in-ring promo time before the match, in which they acknowledge Adam Rose’s mauling at the hands of Big Guy (thanks, Granny!) on RAW. Rose says that tonight it’s going to be Legends with The Crimson Werewolf, instead of JBL. Hilarious. Axel cuts in, admonishing Rose for his nicknaming. He says he knows Ryback and that it’s time to get serious. He then goes insane, chopping the air and screaming. The other three join in. Jerry Lawler: “Well, I’m glad we were all part of that little experience!”. Quite.
The actual match is wrapped inside three minutes. Ryback repeated the spot from RAW where he grounds and pounds his opponent; although this time the ref’s credibility was spared as Slater made the ropes. Slater ate the Shellshock moments later.
Lucha Dragons def. The Ascension by pinfall
At this point, I noticed that NXT’s Greg Hamilton was announcing in Eden Stiles’ stead. I also noticed that Kalisto was STILL the US Champion, despite being slotted back into tags and completely de-emphasised on television since Fastlane.
This was another three minute match. The heels got the heat on Sin Cara, leading into the usual Kalisto hot tag stuff. Finish was cool however, with Sin Cara doing a suicide dive through Kalisto’s legs. Kalisto then reversed Viktor’s electric chair into a ‘rana, before hitting the SDS. Sin Cara followed up with the Swanton Bomb for the pin.
– Stardust is backstage in the Star Room, rambling about dealing with Zack Ryder on the road to Wrestlemania. I think. Presumably he’s comfortable cutting promos in the ol’ Star Room again now that Vince’s roughhouser has been suspended.
Stardust def. Zack Ryder by pinfall
These guys have been feuding on Superstars of late, with Cody up 2-1 thus far. This win-loss record was not mentioned on commentary, of course. Perish the thought.
Good match here, eight minutes of which was televised either side of the commercial break. The nearfall segment of it was particularly good, with some nice reversals; including Ryder smoothly countering a suplex into a neckbreaker for two. Ryder also hit a nice looking top rope elbow for two after foiling a Stardust superplex attempt.
The finish saw Ryder attempt the go-behind off a whip to the corner, only for Stardust to scout him, take a step back, and grab him for the Queen’s Crossbow. 3-1 to Stardust!
After the match, Stardust stood on the desk and stared at the crowd to celebrate, prompting Lawler to quip “Can we get Lana back out here!?” as the show went off the air. Heh.
Final Thoughts
Featured contest between Stardust and Ryder was worth watching; some nice chemistry has developed between the two after their recent series. Other than that, there’s not much to see here. The confirmation that we are in fact getting a Lana/Brie feud is probably the biggest news to come out of this week’s edition.
