A Fight Pit match has been added to Extreme Rules on October 8.
Seth Rollins will face Matt Riddle in the third-ever Fight Pit match. After both got involved in each other’s matches on Monday’s Raw, the two were seen brawling backstage. As the two were seperated, Riddle issued the challenge for Extreme Rules, with Rollins immediately accepting.
The Fight Pit match is set inside a steel cage with no ring ropes. It has previously been seen in NXT, when Timothy Thatcher defeated Tomasso Ciampa in January of 2020. Thatcher later went on to defeat Riddle in the another Fight Pit match that was held on the May 20, 2020 edition of NXT.
On Raw, Riddle interfered in the finish of the Seth Rollins/Bobby Lashley match for the United States title, distracting Rollins long enough to be speared by Lashley. Later, Rollins came out during a Riddle & Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor match, attacking Riddle.
Here is the current card for Extreme Rules:
Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s title: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
During an interview with Ariel Helwani to promote Clash at the Castle, Seth Rollins explained his real-life issues with Matt Riddle.
The issues between Rollins and Riddle date back to a 2019 Instagram post where Riddle’s ex-wife body-shamed Becky Lynch and other women on the WWE roster. Riddle told TalkSport last year that he apologized to Rollins at Survivor Series 2020 for his ex-wife’s Instagram post.
Rollins said in his interview with Helwani that he’s never really liked Riddle’s attitude, and Riddle gets himself in hot water by saying things he shouldn’t.
“As long as I’ve known the guy, I’ve never really liked his attitude. I never really kind of liked the way he goes about his business. A lot of the ways that he sort of disrespected guys that were way above his pay grade when he was down at NXT — the Booker Ts, the Goldbergs, the Brock Lesnars — I’m just like, ‘Dude, pay your dues, work your way up, you’re so good.’ He’s so ultra-talented in the ring, just like he was in the Octagon. But that’s never been his issue, his issue is his head, just getting himself mentally where he needs to be able to consistently perform. He’s trying to talk his way to the top, which I respect in some ways. But at the same time, you’re going to get there, just work your way up the right way. So, I never really liked that,” Rollins said.
“It really kind of kicked off, there was an incident with his now ex-wife where he was kind of taking her side as she was — for better or worse — body-shaming, that’s the only way I can put it, my wife and some of the other girls in the locker room, completely unprovoked. I understand, as a husband, you’ve gotta take your wife’s side, but you also can zip your trap sometimes. I felt like him taking her side, I just was like, ‘You gotta shut up.’ Essentially, the cat opens his mouth when he shouldn’t. Says things that he shouldn’t, when he shouldn’t, and it gets him in some hot water. I don’t like the way he conducts himself.”
Rollins said the Instagram post from Riddle’s ex-wife wasn’t part of a storyline and he doesn’t understand why she thought her opinion was necessary.
Rollins told Helwani that he didn’t want to work with Riddle when Riddle was called up to the main roster. When asked if he has an issue with working with Riddle now, Rollins called himself a professional and said he handles things accordingly on both sides of the camera.
“I’m a professional, and so I get the job done,” Rollins said. “I think anybody that I’ve ever worked with, you could ask, no matter what has gone on backstage, when the red light is on and we’re out there in front of the crowd, it’s a different person. Backstage is a different situation as well. There’s Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle backstage, like we’re never going out, hanging out, going to bars, partying, doing anything like that — probably not even sharing a slice of pizza. And there’s Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle in the ring. Like I said, I’m a professional, so I handle things accordingly on both sides of the camera.”
The history between Rollins and Riddle has been worked into the storyline for their match at Clash at the Castle. On Raw earlier this week, a heated war of words between the two ended with Rollins mentioning Riddle’s ex-wife. After Riddle brought up Lynch’s name, Rollins responded by saying Riddle doesn’t have a family because his wife left him, took their kids, and they don’t want to see him anymore.
Clash at the Castle takes place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales this afternoon. The pay-per-view streams live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Part one of Helwani’s interview with Rollins was released this morning and can be seen below:
After being known simply as “Riddle” for nearly two years in WWE, Matt Riddle was referred to as “Matt Riddle” during Monday’s Raw episode.
During an interview segment with Riddle and Seth Rollins to hype their Clash at the Castle match this coming Saturday, Raw commentator Corey Graves introduced Riddle with the full Matt Riddle moniker.
WWE.com has yet to adjust Riddle’s profile page, which still lists him as Riddle.
Riddle made his WWE debut as a member of the NXT roster in August 2018, and was known as “Matt Riddle” for the entirety of his run on that brand. He was called up to WWE’s main roster in June 2020, again known as Matt Riddle. His name was adjusted to “Riddle” in October 2020.
Under former WWE chairman Vince McMahon’s regime, wrestlers frequently had their names adjusted to remove their first or last names for various reasons, with Tommaso Ciampa, Mustafa Ali, Apollo Crews, Elias Samson, and Austin Theory a few prominent examples.
Happy Friday! Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo on her show Speak Now Pro Wrestling as she reviews both WWE Smackdown and AEW Rampage! We had two really good back-to-back shows and plenty to talk about from both shows!
Rampage topics include: Jake Hager vs. Eddie Kingston, Kris Statlander vs. Red Velvet, Will Ospreay and more!
Smackdown topics include: Cody Rhodes injury update, Ronda Rousey promos, Gunther as IC champ, Matt riddle vs Sami Zayn and more!
Riddle will face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on next week’s SmackDown.
Riddle defeated Sami Zayn in the main event of this week’s SmackDown episode, with the stipulation that he would earn the shot at Reigns with a win, but would be banned from SmackDown with a loss. Riddle pinned Zayn with an RKO, then fought off an attack from The Usos after the match.
Next week’s title defense will be the first for Reigns on television since he unified the WWE and Universal Championships at WrestleMania 38.
Also announced for next week, Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss in a “Last Laugh” match, plus Max Dupri will unveil his first Maximum Male Models client. Dupri’s reveal was originally announced for this week, but a storyline reason of “travel difficulties in Europe” was given for the postponement.
Here is next week’s lineup:
WWE SmackDown, Friday, June 17 —
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Riddle
Last Laugh match: Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss
Max Dupri debuts his first Maximum Male Models client
Riddle has issued a challenge to Roman Reigns for an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match.
Appearing on Miz TV on this week’s Raw episode, Riddle vowed to take the Universal title from Reigns at an unspecified future date.
It was reported last month that Reigns vs. Riddle for the Universal title was planned for Money in the Bank on July 2, but WWE has yet to officially announce the bout.
Dave Meltzer mentioned Riddle, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre as potential planned challengers for Reigns this summer, with Riddle tentatively scheduled for Money in the Bank, Orton possibly slated for SummerSlam on July 30, and McIntyre the potential challenger for Clash at the Castle on September 3.
McIntyre issued a challenge to Reigns for Clash at the Castle on last week’s SmackDown, but that match has yet to be confirmed.
Clash at the Castle and SummerSlam are stadium shows, while Money in the Bank was originally slated as a stadium event before it was moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Three title matches are set for tonight’s “Championship Tuesday” edition of NXT.
New NXT Tag Team Champions will be crowned in a five-team gauntlet match tonight. Grayson Waller & Sanga, Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde, The Creed Brothers, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, and Pretty Deadly will be the gauntlet match participants.
The NXT Tag Team titles were declared vacant following Nash Carter’s release from WWE last week. MSK had just won the titles by defeating Imperium and The Creed Brothers in a triple threat match at NXT Stand & Deliver.
Former NXT UK Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly made their NXT 2.0 debut last week and were revealed as The Creed Brothers’ mystery attackers.
The NXT Women’s Championship and NXT North American Championship will also be on the line tonight. Mandy Rose defends her title against Dakota Kai, while Solo Sikoa challenges Cameron Grimes for the North American Championship.
Plus, we’ll see the fallout from last week’s show-closing angle where it was revealed that Joe Gacy and Harland had kidnapped Rick Steiner.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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A show billed as “Championship Tuesday” is kicking off with a title match. No entrances for this one. Just right into the ring introductions, with both the champion and the challenger facing off in the squared circle.
NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes defeats Solo Sikoa to retain his title
Grimes pins Sikoa after outside interference. Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes get involved during the finish, and they jump Grimes after the match.
They were going along just fine when Grimes out of nowhere stopped to talk trash. Grimes tells Sikoa he respects him. Sikoa’s “bloodline can kiss my grits,” Grimes says as he points to his rear end.
In a stereotypical spot, Grimes twice tries to ram Sikoa’s head into a turnbuckle. Sikoa no sells it, and he in turns rams Grimes’ head into the buckles.
Sikoa is soon cut off when the fight spills outside. That leads into Grimes doing a somersault senton off the apron. The show then transitions into a split screen commercial break.
After the show returns from the break, the champ is in control. He signals for his finisher, but Sikoa counters Grimes. Sikoa then hulks up. Umaga splash by Sikoa into a corner nets Sikoa a near fall.
Grimes misses on an attempted missile dropkick, but he lands on his feet. Grimes then executes a running Spanish Fly for a two count. The trading of near falls continues as Sikoa explodes with a Samoan Drop.
Trick Williams runs down to ringside and interferes. He trips up Sikoa, but Sikoa boots Williams. Sikoa follows up with a Superfly splash off the apron on Williams.
The interference distracts Sikoa. Grimes is able to capitalize on the distraction, and he hits Sikoa with a Cave In. Grimes then covers Sikoa for a three count.
Carmelo Hayes runs in after the match to ambush Grimes. Sikoa makes a save, but Williams takes out Sikoa with a chop block. The two heels jump Grimes, and they beat him down. Williams hold Grimes so Hayes can execute a springboard crossbody. Hayes grabs the title belt, and he poses with it while standing over a prone Grimes.
The focus of the show shifts immediately to the tag team title picture. Commentators Vic Jospeh and Wade Barrett begin to break down the gauntlet match taking place to determine the new tag champs.
The NXT Tag Team Championship was recently vacated after the firing of Nash Carter. That was never explained on this show, nor was MSK ever mentioned in any way. The announcers begin to explain the gauntlet tag match that takes place later tonight.
Grayson Waller interrupts the announcers from backstage. Waller is flanked by Sanga. Waller claims the titles should have been handed to them. Waller says Sanga is angry, and he will easily win the titles. Waller still has his arm in sling for what that is worth.
Malcolm Bivens and The Creed Brothers cut a promo on Pretty Deadly and the rest of the tag team field. The Creeds are also shown drawing a number out of a tumbler for the order in the gauntlet, very similarly to skits WWE used in the early ’90s for the Royal Rumble. Turns out they drew number one.
Joe Gacy plays with fire
NXT Champion Bron Breakker marches to the ring for a monologue. Joe Gacy wanted his attention. Well, Breakker says he sure has it now. Breakker says his father, Rick Steiner, is back at home safe and sound.
We are apparently just moving on from the kidnapping last week with little explanation, but Breakker does say Gacy has “some nerve pulling that crap last week.” Breakker cautions that no one messes with his family. Breakker then calls out Gacy, daring him to come get in the ring.
Gacy appears on the Titantron. He is outdoors near a fire. Gacy says he set Rick Steiner free, but Rick left behind his WWE Hall of Fame ring. Gacy then tosses the ring into the fire. That is dumb. No way that fire is hot enough to melt a ring. It itself is not flammable. Why would you do that?
McKenzie Mitchell is backstage interviewing the trio known as Toxic Attraction. NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose and the NXT Tag Team Champions, Gigi Diolan & Jacy Jayne, cut promos. Rose vows to retain tonight.
Jaket Time is backstage getting ready for a match. Kushida is set to face Von Wagner, who attacks Kushida as he is warming up. Wagner pummels Kushida and Ikemen Jiro. Wagner then powerbombs Kushida out of sight. Robert Stone walks up, and he remarks there will be no match tonight.
After a commercial break, Stone and Wagner are in the ring. Stone has a mic, and he is cutting a promo. Jiro stumbles out, selling his ribs from the earlier attack. Jiro is still ready to fight.
Jiro is taking Kushida’s place in the match. He grabs the mic and publicly threatens Wagner. I don’t like Jiro’s chances.
Von Wagner (with Robert Stone) defeats Ikemen Jiro
Jiro shows a ton a fire, Wagner quickly cuts him off. David against Goliath, and David (or Jiro in this case) makes a valiant comeback. Jiro with superkicks knocks Wagner off his feet. However, David does not win this time. Goliath soon rises.
Jiro is still on a roll, and he nails a Swanton bomb for a near fall. Wagner cuts him off again, booting him in the face. Wagner then uses his DVD finisher, and Wagner covers Jiro for a three count.
Stone after the match is trying to order Wagner around. Wagner instead takes cues from a women in the crowd. She orders him to further punish Jiro. Looks like Wagner is getting a new manager. Move over Robert Stone.
Wagner presses Jiro his head. Like the spots with Bam Bam Bigelow and Spike Dudley in ECW from the late ’90s, Wagner tosses Jiro into the crowd. Unlike in ECW, the crowd that caught Jiro were plants. Presumably they were trainees.
Lash Legend attacks Nikkita Lyons in a backstage skit. Lyons was doing a sit-down interview when Legend rushes onto the set, and Legend ambushes Lyons. Legends gets her heat back after losing to Lyons in a match last week. Looks like they might run it back. Big pop from me for a Norman Smiley cameo during this skit.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose (with Toxic Attraction) defeats Dakota Kai to retain her title
Rose pins Kai after a distraction by Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolan. Wendy Choo in an angle after the match sprays Toxic Attraction with water guns.
Opening a bout with an extended collar and elbow spot has definitely made a comeback in wrestling matches, as they also did it here at the start.
Kai does a dive off the top on Jayne & Dolan at ringside. The show then cuts to a commercial break with the challenger in control.
Kai was on a roll as the show returns from the break, but Kai is soon cut off. The pace snarls, and the match begins to drag with Rose working over Kai.
Comeback by Kai. Awkward leg sweep spot, and Kai gets a two count. They go on to trade more near falls. Another awkward spot with one of Kai’s signature moves, where she does a modified Code Red.
The tag champs at ringside cause a distraction. Dolan distracts the referee, and Jayne jumps on the apron. Kai boots Jayne off the apron, but Kai loses her focus. Rose rushes in to hit Kai with a running knee. Rose then covers Kai for a pinfall.
Wendy Choo appears after the match. She is armed with two Super Soaker water guns. She sprays water on Toxic Attraction, and they sell it big like they were being hosed down by water cannons. They flop around like fish. Silly fun.
Joe Gacy is in another vignette, and his focus is on becoming the NXT Champion. Please no. Heaven help us. Gacy goes on to babble for a bit, until he uses tongs to pull the HOF ring out of the fire. He then puts the hot ring on his finger, burning himself in the process. That was even more dumb than putting the ring in a fire.
Tony D’Angelo meets with Santos Escobar and Legado del Fantasma. D’Angelo is trying to smooth things other between them. D’Angelo gives Escobar an overstuffed envelope, presumably containing a load of cash. Escobar gives back the envelope, telling D’Angelo that respect for the family means more. Escobar leaves while shaking his head.
Natalya returns to NXT and attacks Cora Jade
Cora Jade in an in-ring promo talks about WrestleMania weekend being the most important week of her life. Jade says her parents watched her match from ringside. Jade admits she came up short in the match. Memories and such were still made.
Jade thought she wanted to become champion, but now she knows she needs to win the championship. Jade says this is not just another promo. She means what she says.
Jade keeps talking about her desire to hold the title when Natalya’s theme song suddenly blares over the speakers. Natalya interrupts the monologue, and Natalya gets into the ring with Jade.
Usually an interruption during a promo means beef, but this was apparently somehow different. Jade was happy for the interruption. Nattie is one of her heroes and idols in WWE.
The live audience pops huge for Nattie. They chant “holy shit” for the moment, and they chant Nattie’s name. Nattie fights back tears.
Love fest at first. Jade acts like a fangirl. She marks out for Nattie. Jade begins to tell Nattie about a message sent years ago. Nattie says she finally saw the message, and Nattie puts her over.
Nattie begins to cry when telling Jade she is the future of the women’s division. Nattie’s face turns, as she snarls at Jade.
“But the future is bleak,” Natalya says, before slapping Jade hard in the face. Jade is dumbstruck at the betrayal. Nattie is not done yet.
Nattie puts Jade in a sharpshooter. Jade frantically slaps the mat in pain as Nattie cinches down on the hold.
A vignette hypes the arrival to NXT 2.0 of Nathan Frazer from NXT UK.
Xyon Quinn defeats Draco Anthony
Quin pins Anthony to handily win this grudge match. Anthony mocks Quinn during the match, and Quinn hulks up in anger. That leads right into the finish, where Quinn clobbers Anthony with a Tito Santana flying forearm.
Backstage, Tatum Paxley challenges Natalya to a match. Natalya addresses the NXT women’s roster with many of them gathered around her. Nattie puts them all “on notice” that she is now in NXT. Paxley against Natalya was later made official for next week.
Also announced for next week is Sarray vs. Tiffany Stratton.
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) win the NXT Tag Team Championship in a gauntlet match
Pretty Deadly in their in-ring debut on NXT 2.0 win the vacate tag titles.
Four separate bouts within this gauntlet. The Creeds almost run the gauntlet, wrestling in all four stages. Yet they run out of gas, and Pretty Deadly capture the tag titles.
The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed with Malcolm Bivens) eliminate Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde with Elektra Lopez)
Great stuff in this first match-up of the gauntlet. They kept a relative quick pace. Brutus pins Wilde for the elimination, ending what was arguably the best bout within the gauntlet.
Fallon Henley gets into a skirmish with Elektra Lopez, as Henley seconds the next team in the gauntlet.
This second bout within the gauntlet begins with a wild brawl. The show cuts to commercial during the bedlam. The match is joined in progress when the show returns from commercial.
Briggs & Jensen with a double team powerbomb put Brutus Creed through the announce desk. Briggs & Jensen then gang up on Julius Creed.
They work over Julius, yet Brutus is able to make a save when breaking up a pinning attempt.
Briggs & Jensen worked well together doing tandem moves, but that also cost them in the end. Julius trips them up, allowing Brutus to counter a lariat with a clothesline of his own. Brutus then scores the pinfall for an elimination.
The Creed Brothers eliminate Grayson Waller & Sanga
Waller still has his arm in a sling, but it is a ruse like Cowboy Bob Orton. Waller ditches the sling whenever Sanga is clearly dominating the Creeds. Sanga took the fall in the match, despite being portrayed as a monster.
When the Creeds finally took Sanga off his feet, it at least is a tipping point in the match. Julius with a sliding lariat on Sanga, just before pinning Sanga for the elimination.
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) run in to jump the Creeds right after the bell rings.
Pretty Deadly eliminate The Creed Brothers to win the championship gauntlet match
The exhausted Creeds fight valiantly, but they are out of gas. Double team by Pretty Deadly as they execute their Spilt Milk finisher. Prince then covers Brutus, and Pretty Deadly win the titles.
The look on Malcolm Bivens face says it all. Utter disbelief. Did that just happen? You have got to be kidding me.
Former pro wrestler Candy Cartwright has dropped her lawsuit against WWE star Matt Riddle.
TMZ first reported the news that Cartwright (real name Samantha Tavel) filed for a dismissal on Monday. It’s unknown what precipitated the decision or whether there was a financial settlement.
Cartwright’s attorney told TMZ, “The parties have put this in their past and are focused on the future.”
The suit was filed last October and included Riddle, WWE, EVOLVE, and Gabe Sapolsky. The other defendants were dropped from the suit since then.
She alleged that she and Riddle were in a van in 2018 with three other wrestlers. After the others had fallen asleep while traveling, Riddle overtly propositioned her for sex. She refused, but said Riddle grabbed her throat and threatened her with “What if I just made you?” She said she eventually gave him oral sex to get out of the situation.
Cartwright’s attorney said at the time that the incident was one of “a multitude of sexual assaults” committed against Cartwright by Riddle from 2017 through January 2020.
Riddle denied any wrongdoing while admitting he had an affair with Cartwright. At one point, he said they were going to sue her for cyberstalking.
New WWE Champion The Miz will kick off tonight’s Raw with an episode of Miz TV.
WWE made the announcement this evening.
Miz won the WWE title after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on former champ Drew McIntyre at last night’s Elimination Chamber PPV.
New United States Champion Riddle has also been announced for tonight’s show, taking on John Morrison in singles competition.
At last night’s PPV, Morrison won a four-way on the kickoff show to gain a spot in the triple threat United States title match on the main card, beating Ricochet, Elias and Mustafa Ali. Riddle then pinned Morrison to win the title, as former champ Lashley was not involved in the decision.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will also be in action tonight, taking on Charlotte Flair and Raw Women’s Champion Asuka.
Jax and Baszler defeated Flair and Asuka for the Women’s Tag titles on the Royal Rumble kickoff show on January 31.
After winning a gauntlet match against the Hurt Business, Riddle is now in line for a shot at the United States Championship.
To become the number one contender to United States Champion Bobby Lashley’s United States, Riddle defeated Lashley’s Hurt Business stablemates Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and Cedric Alexander in a gauntlet match on tonight’s Raw. WWE hasn’t announced when Riddle will be getting his title shot.
Riddle celebrated as he was walking up the ramp after the gauntlet match, but he was soon attacked by Lashley, who laid Riddle out with the Hurt Lock submission. The rest of the Hurt Business celebrated with Lashley as they exited.
During the gauntlet match, Riddle defeated Shelton Benjamin in under five minutes after Alexander distracted the referee, causing tension between Benjamin and Alexander. As the Hurt Business argued, Riddle submitted MVP quickly with a heel hook. After a back-and-forth match, Riddle then defeated Alexander with a roll-up.
Riddle has spent the last several weeks feuding with the Hurt Business. He most recently faced Lashley for the United States championship on the January 11 edition of Raw, but lost in under two minutes after Lashley attacked him before the bell rang.
According to Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE and Matt Riddle are close on a new three year, $1.2 million deal.
Meltzer said Riddle’s deal is up in August. The new contract would be guaranteed at $400,000 per year in addition to $50,000 for every event he works in Saudi Arabia.
Meltzer added that “the story is that Vince (McMahon) doesn’t understand his Bro gimmick but loves the vignettes he’s doing as he finds them hilarious.”
Riddle signed with WWE in the summer of 2018 and was in NXT until the early summer of 2020, winning their tag team titles with Pete Dunne. He was called up in June and made his in-ring SmackDown debut on the same day he was accused of sexual assault by wrestler Candy Cartwright (Samantha Tavel) which he has repeatedly denied. She sued him, WWE, and EVOLVE’s Gabe Sapolsky in October and WWE sought to move the case to federal court instead of municipal court earlier this month.
The soon to be 35-year-old was moved to Raw in October and had his first name dropped by WWE shortly thereafter.
A triple threat match that will determine the next challenger for the WWE championship has been set for next week’s Raw.
AJ Styles, Riddle, and Keith Lee will meet on Raw next week. The winner will face Drew McIntyre for the championship.
Tonight’s show had Styles, Riddle, Lee, Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Bobby Lashley all make their claims to facing McIntyre next. WWE official Adam Pearce later announced three singles matches, with the winners of those matches advancing to next week’s triple threat match.
Braun Strowman also said that he wanted the next title match. However, he was escorted from the building after he attacked Pearce in the opening segment. Dave Meltzer reported this afternoon that Strowman is scheduled to be McIntyre’s opponent at TLC.
Riddle was able to beat Sheamus by cradling him as Sheamus applied a cloverleaf. Lee won his match against Lashley by DQ after MVP ran in and attacked Lee, with the idea that he was protecting Lashley from being pinned.
In the main event, Randy Orton faced AJ Styles. The Fiend Bray Wyatt made an appearance, distracting Orton in the process. This allowed Styles to pin Orton following the Phenomenal forearm.
One of our two biggest issues of the year, the 2020 Hall of Fame issue is out this week. It’s got complete results of the balloting among historians, active and retired performers, reporters and historians by category as well as final voting totals, plus who will and won’t be back on next year’s ballot.
The issue runs down the new members with extensive biographies on all of them. It explains the voting process and criteria, as well as runs down who came close. We also look at voting combinations that were popular, and notes on some of the key candidates. We list all of the first ballot Hall of Famers in history as well as the four highest vote getters in history. We look at people new to the ballot next year, who picked up Hall of Fame numbers in different categories along with bios of four of the five inductees.
Also in this issue:
AEW Full Gear show, including future AEW direction, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results on the show.
Changes in the fundamental manner WWE has run its business since the beginning of time and why health conditions and economics have completely changed the industry.
New Japan’s upcoming tournaments, the Tokyo Dome show plans, the story behind it, business notes, plus a complete rundown of Power Struggle with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Survivor Series and this week’s WWE television that leads to it.
Where WWE may be taping from after it leaves Orlando and the pros and cons of the place, Tribute to the Troops and why the rating number may surprise people, WrestleMania note, Paige talks Alberto Del Rio’s case, Stalker tries to invader Paige’s home, Bellas talk a return to the ring, WWE new trademarks, Dwayne Johnson after a movie franchise adn plan for new show, John Cena’s next big role, UK TV ratings, how Smackdown and AEW rank among sports shows, plus the market value of WWE and the most-watched shows from the past week from the WWE Network.
Saturday’s UFC show with match coverage and business notes.
Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
HeelByNature obtained court documents showing WWE is seeking to move the Samantha Tavel/Matt Riddle lawsuit to federal court.
The Undertaker was the guest on this week’s The Bump. Sasha Banks, Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae also appeared. Street Profits, Bruce Prichard, and Lana will be the guests on a special Sunday edition of The Bump prior to Survivor Series.
Murphy will be the guest on this week’s After the Bell with Corey Graves.
People Magazine has a profile on The Undertaker, including exclusive photos of himself and his family.
Undertaker spoke to Ariel Helwani about officially retiring. He considers himself done, but there’s one caveat: “In my mind, I am 100% done. But there’s this guy that lives up in Stamford, Connecticut, who lives by the motto, ‘never say never.'”
Undertaker also spoke to USA Today about his career and his farewell taking place at Survivor Series on Sunday.
Shawn Michaels spoke to both CBS Sports and Metro about The Undertaker’s upcoming farewell.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated announced today that FTR ranked #1 in their inaugural Tag Team 50 rankings. Kenny Omega & Adam Page, Sasha Banks & Bayley, The North, and The Street Profits round out the top 5.
Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone spoke to The Young Bucks on their new book, ‘Killing the Business’, which is out now.
Chris Van Vilet spoke to JTG about his friendship with Shad Gaspard, saying that Gaspard should win the Warrior Award in next year’s WWE Hall of Fame.
Lisa Marie Varon spoke to Wrestling Inc. on her GAW podcast and the possibility of a run in AEW.
Darby Allin spoke to TVInsider on becoming TNT Champion, his feud with Cody Rhodes, and working with the likes of Tony Hawk.
On tonight’s episode of Raw, Riddle was confirmed as the final member of Raw’s Survivor Series men’s team. He defeated Elias and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat second chance qualifying match. Riddle pinned Elias after hitting Bro Derek.
This was Matt Riddle’s first appearance on WWE television since having his name adjusted. He’s no longer using his first name on TV.
Riddle will be on Team Raw with AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, and Braun Strowman. They’re facing Team SmackDown in a five-on-five traditional Survivor Series elimination match. Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Baron Corbin, and Seth Rollins have qualified for Team SmackDown thus far.
Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, and Lana are on Raw’s Survivor Series women’s team. Bianca Belair and Ruby Riott have qualified for Team SmackDown.
Survivor Series is taking place on Sunday, November 22. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
The Undertaker will appear for his “Final Farewell”
Non-title champion vs. champion match: WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Non-title champion vs. champion match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
Non-title champion vs. champion match: Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Non-title champion vs. champion match: United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
Men’s five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match: Team Raw (AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Riddle) vs. Team SmackDown (Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Baron Corbin, Seth Rollins, and one wrestler to be announced)
Women’s five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match: Team Raw (Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke & Lana) vs. Team SmackDown (Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, and three wrestlers to be announced)
Date: November 9, 2020 Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Next week’s Raw will feature a WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre, plus New Day defend the tag titles against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.
McIntyre won a six-man tag match with New Day over Orton, Miz and Morrison. Orton didn’t get involved in the match.
Matt Riddle qualified for Team Raw after defeating Elias and Jeff Hardy. He also went on to get the pin in a tag match with Keith Lee over Sheamus and Braun Strowman.
Bray Wyatt was not on the show. Alexa Bliss appeared briefly in a backstage segment with Nikki Cross.
Raw was quite bad, at least until the last 40 minutes or so (which featured Ali vs. Ricochet and the six-man main event).
Show Recap —
They announced that Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will face Randy Orton, Miz and John Morrison tonight. Also, Asuka faces Nia Jax, which they said could be one of the main events of WrestleMania if it were for the championship.
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
They let Morrison come out to his own music but he still acted like Miz’s parrot. Miz hyped tonight’s main event and plugged his show. He was going to introduce New Day but Randy Orton interrupted.
Orton didn’t appreciate that Miz thought his show was more important than any match he is in. Orton accused Miz of calling Stamford to put him in this situation because the briefcase was the only way he could win the title.
Orton said they kicked Miz out of the locker room years ago and wished they never let him back in. He also told Morrison that he took his ball and went home years ago just to wrestle in the minor leagues.
Orton turned his back and offered Miz a shot. Miz and Morisson decided to play nice instead. Miz said they just wanted to get closer to the tag team championships.
New Day interrupted. They thought it was funny that the men in the ring were going off with verbal strong style so they wanted to go in the ring to laugh at them for it. As soon as New Day hit the ring, Orton gave Kingston an RKO. Miz and Morrison tossed Woods from the ring.
McIntyre sprinted out to go after Orton but Miz hit him from behind with the briefcase. Miz and Morrison held up McIntyre so Orton could give him an RKO. Orton left on his own.
Orton was good on the mic here. Kingston came across like a geek after getting RKO’d.
Triple threat qualifying match: Matt Riddle defeated Elias and Jeff Hardy (8:55)
Elias was in the ring for a promo. He began playing guitar but stopped early on purpose in anticipation of someone interrupting. He started playing for real but was interrupted by Hardy.
Matt Riddle is, in fact, “Riddle” now. His tron only shows his last name and that’s how he was introduced.
They went to break less than 2 minutes into the match. Elias was in control before and after the break. Hardy made a comeback which led to everyone trading moves. Hardy set up Riddle for the Twist of Fate but Elias caught him with a knee strike. Riddle then gave Elias a Bro Derek for the pinfall win. Riddle qualifies for Team Raw. Not much of a match.
Styles (with Jordan Omogbehin) spoke to Adam Pearce in the back. They shook hands. After Pearce left, Charly Caruso asked Styles what the conversation was about. Styles said it wasn’t about anything, they were talking as friends. She asked if he was happy about Riddle qualifying and he said yes. He thought Riddle was what they were missing. Sheamus interrupted.
Sheamus wasn’t happy because he didn’t like Riddle and threatened to kick his head off if he stepped out of line. Styles thought they should have a team meeting tonight. Caruso asked Sheamus how he thought Styles was doing as team captain. Sheamus said Styles wasn’t his captain. Braun Strowman showed up too just to say that Styles wasn’t his captain either.
Elsewhere, Mustafa Ali said Ricochet was a good guy and courageous for standing on his own. However, you can’t change anything on your own. Mia Yim said it was easy to feel alone when you were misguided. Ali said, “we will not rest until we shut you down.” (Yim made mention of being laughed at by a green and pink-haired person, which is likely a reference to Asuka.)
Drew Gulak, wearing a suit, approached the Hurt Business. Basically, he wanted to join but they turned him down. Bobby Lashley was going to grab him by the tie but it was a clip-on tie so it came right off. MVP couldn’t believe he approached them wearing a cheap tie so they beat him up. R-Truth showed up and pinned Gulak to win the 24/7 title.
There was a Veterans Day video.
Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) defeated Lana (1:53)
Lana had second thoughts before coming to the ring. They aired a replay of every time Jax put her through a table along with a counter on the screen.
Baszler won quickly with the Kirifuda Clutch. (She could have won moments earlier by pinfall but pulled Lana up at two.)
Baszler and Jax were going to put Lana through the table again but Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke (who were on commentary) stopped them.
[Second hour]
There was an awkward meeting backstage with Lana, Rose and Brooke. Lana thanked them for helping her but they were annoyed and told her to stay out of their way. Either somebody flubbed a line or they wrote dialogue that didn’t make any sense.
Team Raw team meeting
Styles introduced each member of Team Raw. Riddle had on different gear than what he wore earlier. They all stood facing the hard camera which looked completely unnatural.
Styles reiterated that Riddle was their missing piece. This led to an argument. Riddle thought all they needed were code names. (He also wished Keith Lee a happy birthday.) Riddle said Styles was “Skipper” and Sheamus was “Fireface.” Sheamus didn’t like this. Sheamus thought Riddle’s name should be “Dopey.” Riddle laughed and said he was right.
Styles stopped him from continuing. Styles mentioned the roll that Jey Uso was on and also put over Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin.
Styles called himself the captain again which almost led to another argument. Styles cut them off and said he spoke to Pearce and had a match made: Sheamus and Strowman against Riddle and Lee. Styles would be the special referee. They argued.
This really sucked.
Keith Lee & Matt Riddle defeated Braun Strowman & Sheamus – with referee AJ Styles (12:25)
Strowman and Sheamus had the heat on Riddle. Riddle kicked Styles by accident so Styles couldn’t count when Sheamus put Riddle in a schoolboy. Sheamus got in Styes’ face so Riddle tried another kick but Sheamus ducked and Styles got kicked again.
Strowman and Lee ran at each other but Styles somehow got between them and got crushed. This led to Big Jordan getting in the ring which… led to a break. After the break, Jordan was back outside the ring and Styles was fine.
Lee made a big comeback which included him chucking Sheamus’ body into Strowman. Lee also powerbombed Riddle on top of Sheamus. Lee followed with a big clothesline on Strowman for a nearfall. Sheamus tagged himself in and nailed Lee with a knee strike and Brogue Kick.
Riddle tagged in and gave Sheamus a German suplex for two. Riddle followed with strikes but Strowman got in his way which allowed Sheamus to knock him down. Sheamus set up for the Brogue Kick but Strowman tagged himself in. Strowman set up for the powerslam but Sheamus tagged himself in. Sheamus also knocked Strowman off the apron with a Brogue Kick.
Riddle then caught Sheamus in a schoolboy for the pinfall win. Two wins tonight for Riddle. The action following the break was good.
Alexa Bliss plucked petals off flowers in the back when she was approached by Nikki Cross. Bliss was happy to see her for the first time in he a while. Cross reminded her that she saw her last week. Bliss hoped that Cross has been enjoying the funhouse and thought about inviting her on.
Cross was worried about Bliss and “him.” Cross said she was there for her. She warned Bliss about the Fiend before saying Bliss needed to choose between her and him. Bliss blew petals in her face and said she chose “him.” Bliss laughed and walked off.
Caruso said Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander would face New Day for the tag titles next week.
MVP and Lashley came to the ring. MVP said Benjamin and Alexander would win the tag titles and Lashley would make short work of Sami Zayn.
Titus O’Neil interrupted. He said they disrespected him a few weeks ago. MVP had respect for him and offered him an opportunity to walk away or else. O’Neil refused and questioned Lashley’s pride considering he never defends the title. Lashley offered him a title match right now.
Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) defeated Titus O’Neil to retain the US Championship (1:05)
Lashley won quickly with a spear and Hurt Lock.
This was bad. Lashley couldn’t quite get the Hurt Lock applied because O’Neil was too big and immobile. Lashley seemed to know that it didn’t look good so he went into the ropes to buy time (knowing the ref wouldn’t call for the bell if they were in the ropes) but O’Neil was tapping anyway. Lashley eventually locked in the hold and stepped away from the ropes. The ref finally called for the bell even though O’Neil was tapping the entire time.
In the back, Sheamus was pissed and complained about his match to McIntyre. McIntyre said he should perhaps avoid Brogue kicking his teammates. Sheamus said he hated his teammates as much as McIntyre hated his. McIntyre started doing the “New Day rocks” clap. Sheamus called him a lunatic.
They reminisced about teaming together and drinking kegs years ago. This caused Sheamus to calm down. Sheamus wished him luck and said they could go for beers later. McIntyre said they could have more than a few pints when he wins the title back.
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Nia Jax (w/Shayna Baszler) via disqualification (7:50)
[Third hour]
I erased my recap of this match because it doesn’t matter. Asuka had Jax in the Asuka Lock but Baszler broke it up for the DQ.
Jax and Baszler beat up Rose and Brooke and Lana (who had been watching at ringside) after they got involved. Jax put Lana through the table again. Jax told Lana she was dragging them down.
Sarah Schrieber interviewed Truth about having to defend his title in a seven-way match. Truth didn’t seem to understand that he had to be in the match until she made it clear. He did some “comedy” until his music began playing and he went to the ring.
Angel Garza promo. I think he said he’s vying for every woman in the world. I wish him luck.
Akira Tozawa defeated R-Truth, Drew Gulak, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Erik and Tucker to win the 24/7 Championship (0:24)
Tozawa pinned Truth quickly as everyone else brawled to win the belt.
This led to everyone pinning each other to win the belt in the following order: Erik beat Tozawa, Gulak beat Erik, Tucker beat Gulak, Gulak beat Tucker, Tucker beat Gulak, Gran Metalik beat Tucker, Lince Dorado beat Gran Metalik, Truth beat Lince Dorado. They all ran after Truth. This was embarrassing.
Mustafa Ali (w/Retribution) defeated Ricochet (13:58)
Ricochet sent Ali off the apron with a hurricanrana. Retribution surrounded him to cause a distraction. They cut to break just as Ali was about to give him a swinging neckbreaker.
Ali used another neckbreaker after the break for two. Ricochet came back with a dragon suplex. They traded counters until Ricochet hit a northern lights suplex and floated over into a brainbuster for a nearfall. Ali followed with a great-looking backstabber off the top for a nearfall.
Ali taunted and slapped Ricochet who fired back with a forearm and reverse rana. Ricochet did a springboard corkscrew dive onto Retribution on the outside (minus Yim). Ricochet tried a Pheonix splash but Ali moved and applied a Koji Clutch. Ricochet passed out and the ref called for the bell. Ali wins. Fun match.
Pearce told Orton that he will defend the title against McIntyre on Raw next week. Orton shoved him against the wall. Pearce said he was just the messenger. Orton told him to tell the “staff” that they can go to hell.
Six-man tag match: Drew McIntyre and Raw Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated WWE Champion Randy Orton, The Miz & John Morrison (13:11)
New Day took out Miz and Morrison with dives. McIntyre taunted Orton who watched from ringside as they went to break less than 3 minutes into the match.
A distraction allowed the heels to take control of Woods after the break. Miz wanted to tag Orton but he didn’t want to get involved (in case he had to face McIntyre). Miz used It Kicks in the corner but Woods came back with a clothesline and tagged in McIntyre.
McIntyre handed out suplexes before suplexing both Miz and Morrison at the same time, which looked great. McIntyre gave Morrison a neckbreaker and Future Shock DDT as he stared at Orton.
McIntyre set up for the Claymore kick but decided to slide Morrison over to the corner so Orton could tag in. Orton teased tagging in but didn’t.
Morrison tried a schoolboy with his feet on the rope but Woods pushed him off. Miz took out Woods while Morrison wiped out Kingston with a dive.
Miz tried a sneak attack but McIntyre gave him a spinebuster and hit Morrison with a headbutt. McIntyre followed with a Claymore kick for the pinfall win. McIntyre taunted Orton as they went off the air.
