Keith Lee is off tonight’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.
WWE confirmed this afternoon on social media that Keith Lee would be unable to compete tonight, citing injuries sustained by Bobby Lashley’s attack two weeks ago on Raw. A fatal four way match will take place tonight on the pre-show prior to Elimination Chamber, with the winner facing Riddle and Lashley in a triple threat match for Lashley’s United States title. PWInsider originally reported this afternoon that Lee was off the event.
The participants for the fatal four way match include Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, Elias, and John Morrison.
The United States title match was set up two weeks ago on Raw when Keith Lee defeated Riddle. Lashley then came out and attacked both men, laying out Lee with steel stairs and putting Riddle in The Hurt Lock submission. It was later announced that both men would face Lashley in a triple threat match. On this past Monday’s Raw, it was mentioned on commentary that Lee may have been injured as a result of Lashley’s attack.
In the main event of last week’s Raw, McIntyre, Lee & Sheamus defeated AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison in a holiday street fight. While McIntyre was in the ring, Sheamus tagged himself in near the end of the match. Lee then tagged himself in, hit a Spirit Bomb on Miz, and pinned him to get the win.
There was dissension between Lee and Sheamus throughout last week’s Raw. Sheamus laid out Lee with a Brogue Kick following the main event. After vouching for him to Lee earlier in the night, McIntyre wasn’t happy with Sheamus and yelled at him as the show ended.
Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax and Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali have also been announced for tonight’s Raw.
Charlotte returned to WWE programming at TLC and teamed with Asuka to win the Women’s Tag Team titles from Jax & Shayna Baszler.
Ricochet’s feud with RETRIBUTION continued as he lost to T-Bar on Raw last week. During an appearance on Raw Talk after the show, Ricochet was asked if he should change his mind and join RETRIBUTION. Ricochet got emotional and said something needs to change, but he doesn’t know what that is.
WWE is also questioning what Alexa Bliss will have in store for Randy Orton on tonight’s Raw. Orton defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in their Firefly Inferno match at TLC. Bliss then returned to Raw last week and issued a warning to Orton.
Tonight’s Raw is the final episode of 2020. Next week, Legends Night will be the theme of the first Raw of the new year. That show will feature appearances by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and more.
A few announcements have been made for Monday’s WWE Draft night two edition of Raw:
– Seth Rollins will bid farewell to Raw.
Rollins was drafted to SmackDown on Friday, making this the first time he hasn’t been on Raw since being drafted by the brand in 2016. Murphy and Rey & Dominik Mysterio were also drafted to SmackDown and will continue their storyline with Rollins on Friday nights.
– Mustafa Ali will speak for the first time since being revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION.
Ali was revealed as RETRIBUTION’s leader following a match against MVP last week. When Ali was cornered by MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin during the match, the lights started to flicker and RETRIBUTION surrounded the ring. Ali acted like he was going to fight alongside The Hurt Business but instead ordered RETRIBUTION to attack them. The segment ended with Ali posing as RETRIBUTION stood behind him.
The Hurt Business stayed on Raw in night one of the draft. RETRIBUTION are eligible to be drafted by Raw or SmackDown on Monday night.
– A dual-brand battle royal will determine Asuka’s next challenger.
Asuka stayed on Raw in night one of the draft. WWE hasn’t announced when the winner of the battle royal will challenge for Asuka’s title. The next pay-per-view is Hell in a Cell on Sunday, October 25.
– Kevin Owens and Aleister Black will face off in a no disqualification match.
In a post-Raw video last week, Black said he wants to do barbaric things to Owens and challenged Owens to face him one more time. Black ambushed Owens after a KO Show segment last week and laid him out with Black Mass.
Owens lost to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in the main event of Friday’s SmackDown.
Owens and Black are both eligible to be drafted by Raw or SmackDown on Monday. Updated rosters for both brands and the list of wrestlers in the night two draft pool can be found here.
Mustafa Ali looks to have been revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION on last night’s episode of Raw.
After pinning MVP in a six-man tag last week, Ali faced MVP in a singles match last night. Ali came out for the match alone but told MVP to bring Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin with him. As the three Hurt Business members cornered Ali during the match, the lights started to flicker and the RETRIBUTION logos appeared on the video screens at the ThunderDome.
Ali acted like he was going to join The Hurt Business in fighting off RETRIBUTION, but he instead ordered RETRIBUTION to attack them. After The Hurt Business were laid out, Ali posed in the ring with RETRIBUTION behind him. The commentary team questioned how long Ali has been part of this and said it looks like Ali is running RETRIBUTION.
The build to Hell in a Cell also continued with the announcement that Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match at the pay-per-view. Orton pinned McIntyre in a six-man tag match in last night’s main event.
The leader of RETRIBUTION appears to have been revealed on tonight’s episode of Raw.
Mustafa Ali aligned with RETRIBUTION on Raw tonight, with it being indicated that he’s the leader of the group. Ali faced MVP on Raw tonight and MVP’s Hurt Business stablemates Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin entered the ring during the match. As they cornered Ali, the lights started to flicker.
RETRIBUTION then appeared and surrounded the ring. Ali acted like he was going to fight alongside The Hurt Business. He left the ring and went face-to-face with T-Bar (Dominik Dijakovic) and Mace (Dio Maddin), but Ali then turned around, smiled at MVP, Lashley, and Benjamin, and ordered RETRIBUTION to attack.
After The Hurt Business were laid out, Ali stood in the ring and nodded at RETRIBUTION. They joined him in the ring and Ali then posed with RETRIBUTION standing behind him.
Samoa Joe wondered on commentary how long Ali has been part of this. Byron Saxton said it looks like Ali is running RETRIBUTION.
Ali, Apollo Crews & Ricochet defeated MVP, Lashley & Benjamin in a six-man tag match on Raw last week. Tonight, Lashley & Benjamin defeated Crews & Ricochet in a tag match. Ali confronted MVP, Lashley, and Benjamin backstage after. The Hurt Business thought Ali was crazy for confronting them alone. Ali said he’d be alone out there for his match against MVP too, but he didn’t want MVP to be alone. He told MVP to bring Lashley and Benjamin with him and said he’d take care of them when he’s done with MVP.
In a fine opening match, Bianca Belair extended her win streak to 16-0 since her main roster call-up while Ricochet and Mustafa Ali went at it again, this time with a different outcome in a slightly less satisfying match.
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After the rather unexpected appearance of Michael Cole at the announce booth last week, we returned to relative normality with Tom Phillips alongside Byron Saxton.
Bianca Belair defeated Liv Morgan (5:28)
Belair’s main roster run has been built around matches with the Iiconics and the former Riott Squad. Morgan came out with Ruby Riott, but after they posed, Riott went to the back.
Belair’s stock has certainly risen over these last few months and while she waits for some creative to sink her teeth into, they are protecting her. She has yet to lose since her call up, short of a battle royal loss on SmackDown.
This was another impressive performance from Belair who works well with Morgan. The feeling you get from watching Belair is that her smoothness and precision would make her an ideal opponent for just about anyone.
In the end, Morgan got the heat with clotheslines, a facebuster, and a dropkick. She went up top to try to finish her with a curb stomp but Belair had it scouted and dodged, wasting no time in launching Morgan up on to her shoulders for the KOD.
Ricochet defeated Mustafa Ali (7:17)
Ali has been quietly going about his business over the last few months, but has started to make some noise on Twitter to promote the very fine matches that he’s been having on Main Event of late.
As good as this was, it could have gone longer and, in fairness, it wasn’t quite as good as their match on Main Event three weeks ago. But, this is a program worthy of culminating on a PPV for a title, not being demoted to a secondary show.
The last few minutes were all action with Ali locking in a Koji clutch and looking like he would be victorious. Ricochet managed to get a foot to the rope to force a break and it was clear at that point which way this one was going to go. The pair reversed pin attempts back and forth, but it was Ricochet who got it done with a jackknife cover for the win.
Final Thoughts:
It may be a waiting game and a case of making the best of what you’re given for the likes of Belair, Ricochet, and Ali, but they have contributed to some very fine performances banked on Main Event each week. There will no doubt be more where this came from over the coming weeks and if so, you won’t hear any complaints from me.
Bianca Belair had yet another bout with Billie Kay in a fairly standard opening Main Event match while Humberto Carrillo and Mustafa Ali had a solid contest at the top of the show.
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The ebb and flow of the Main Event announce team continued this week with Michael Cole, of all people, leading commentary alongside Byron Saxton. As Saxton pointed out, Cole was the lead announcer on this show when it debuted eight years ago, but, as memory serves, that was when it was on Ion TV and it was Cole and The Miz who were doing their best to put the show over as a big deal.
In every sense, how things have changed.
Bianca Belair defeated Billie Kay (5:42)
Although still undefeated as a singles wrestler since her NXT call-up, Belair has yet to be given a permanent home. With sporadic Raw appearances only really punctuating her work on Main Event, it seems to be taking her longer than any logic says it should to become a mainstay on the big show.
Since arriving on the main roster in March, she has worked with Kay more than any other performer. They clearly get along because there’s always an undercurrent of fun in their matches. Kay is a good worker, but Belair has been the next big thing for some time now.
They worked a good back and forth with Kay thwarting any attempts by Belair to be the dominant babyface. It was only really in the last minute or so that Belair was able to get things going with any consistency. The finish saw Belair get posted and it looked like Kay might get the victory until Belair slammed her head into the corner and wasted no time in hoisting her up for the KOD to get the win.
Mustafa Ali defeated Humberto Carrillo (8:07)
Another week, another Main Event, and another match for Mustafa Ali and Humberto Carrillo.
Carrillo still has time on his side, but Ali is 34 years old and way too good to be used on a show that has such limited reach. The reason may be that they’re going in a different direction with Ali as he was definitely heelish here against Carrillo who is a natural babyface.
This was a good, solid match between two talents who can really go. In the end, it went through a commercial and Ali dominated things with some nicely placed aggression.
Ali went up to the top rope for the 450 splash, but Carrillo had it scouted and moved out of the way. Ali landed on his feet, rolled to the corner, and turned to launch himself at Carrillo who caught him for a near fall. Ali then transitioned into Koji Clutch for the submission win.
Final Thoughts:
Main Event was a fine show this week with good performances all around. The usual unsettling feeling remained, however, as Ali and Belair continue to be underused on a show like Raw that is bloated at best. Watching Ali and Carrillo having decent outings each week is certainly not all bad, but there’s undeniably room for both on any one of WWE’s weekly network television shows.
Humberto Carrillo picked up a rare win against Akira Tozawa in a decent opening bout and Ricochet eventually bested Mustafa Ali in an excellent match to close out the show.
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Humberto Carrillo defeated Akira Tozawa (5:40)
Carrillo’s career seems to have stalled again for the time being. After having flirted with regular Raw TV time that culminated in a gauntlet match in April, he now finds himself firmly back on Main Event as a regular.
So a win here against Tozawa, which would only be his second since April, was much needed. Tozawa, though, is another performer who find himself in a stop in place situation, stuttering with occasional Raw spots that have lately leaned towards comedy and 24/7 title action.
After lots of back and forth, Tozawa took a springboard back elbow and then Carrillo got him up on to his shoulders in a torture rack position, launching him to the mat face-first in what looked like a new finisher.
This could have gone longer but was fine while it lasted. Carrillo still oversells, but Tozawa sells really well and made his opponent look good here.
Ricochet defeated Mustafa Ali (7:50)
If things were different, or if this was any other promotion, Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali is a PPV-caliber match. The pair’s fist bump on the bell explained partly why it isn’t one in WWE, but that it found itself tucked away on a show like Main Event with a very limited viewership is a waste.
Regardless, it’s time they did something with Ricochet that doesn’t involve him jobbing on Raw or working every other week on Main Event.
As you would expect, these two were great together and worked a really good match with loads of flair and pace that came in just shy of the eight minute mark. Had they double that time to work, it still wouldn’t have been too long.
The last minute was especially fantastic with the two exchanging big moves and near falls. Ricochet nailed Ali with a brainbuster and Ali came off the rope to roll through and hit Ricochet with a powerbomb. Ricochet got the win in the end with a spike rana and Recoil combination to end a very fine match. They gave respect to each other on the apron as Ricochet’s music played. Catch this one if you can.
Final Thoughts:
Main Event seems to have reverted back to being a show where the same small pool of wrestlers trade wins and losses each week, when it had been quite a fresh looking product during the spring and summer months. Of all of these men, though, Ricochet has to be used for something worthwhile and hopefully soon.
Tonight’s post-Extreme Rules episode of Raw featured Mustafa Ali’s first televised match of 2020.
Ali returned to WWE television as Ricochet & Cedric Alexander’s partner for a six-man tag team match against MVP, Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin on Raw tonight. MVP said they were going to have a two-on-two match because Apollo Crews wasn’t there and Ricochet & Alexander didn’t have anyone else to team with, but Ricochet & Alexander then revealed Ali as their partner.
Ali, Ricochet & Alexander got the win when Ali pinned MVP after hitting a 450 splash from the top rope. Ali had taken Lashley out with a suicide dive to the outside, sending him over the announce table. Ricochet also took out Benjamin with a moonsault.
MVP is calling himself United States Champion after Apollo Crews was unable to compete in their scheduled match at Extreme Rules last night, though Crews is still officially champion.
Benjamin won the 24/7 title from R-Truth on Raw tonight.
While not yet officially announced, WWE has moved a wrestler from SmackDown over to the Raw roster.
PWInsider reported today that Mustafa Ali “has been quietly shifted to the Raw brand.” That has also been confirmed by our Dave Meltzer.
Ali has been kept off WWE television so far in 2020, and it’s been speculated that he would be revealed as the hacker who has been appearing on SmackDown. When he was last on TV, Ali was teaming with Shorty G (Chad Gable).
Ali had been on SmackDown since being called up from 205 Live in December 2018. He made his WWE debut as an entrant in the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016.
WWE’s most recent roster move prior to this was AJ Styles being traded to SmackDown for “future considerations” last month. Styles became Intercontinental Champion by defeating Daniel Bryan in the finals of WWE’s Intercontinental title tournament on SmackDown last Friday.
We’ve got yet another double issue of the Observer out this week covering both the creative changes in WWE and a long bio on Johnny “Mr. Wrestling II” Walker, as well as a number of other features.
The move to Bruce Prichard as creative head of Raw and Smackdown and the steps leading to this process change. We look at who appears to be safe and who isn’t. We look at what was tried on Raw and what wasn’t working, and notable key recent moves. We also look at the problems of comparing Raw with Smackdown.
We have a long look at the life and career of Mr. Wrestling II, Johnny Walker. We look at his heyday, his connection with President Jimmy Carter, the birth of cable and his role in popularizing pro wrestling on cable, how babyfaces changed in the 70s, his 1980 feud with Harley Race, his checkered past, his wrestling debut, his coming mainland, interactions with the toughest guys of his era, his first good run in Tennessee, how his life was notable in both pro wrestling and country music, his first masked gimmick and his planned retirement. Having the right gimmick in the right place at the right time made him one of the biggest stars in the country. We look at the Georgia wrestling war and the creation of Mr. Wrestling II. We look at the Mr. Wrestling vs. Mr. Wrestling II feud and all of II’s biggest feuds over the next decade. We look at II’s meetings with the president’s mother, his biggest matches at the Omni, his runs in Mid South, feud with Magnum T.A., his WWF tenure, and his life after wrestling in Hawaii.
We also cover:
New Japan Pro Wrestling returning to business this week, scouting out the New Japan Cup, directions for fans attending the Osaka shows and why the matches won’t have traditional heat, and the complete schedule.
Economics of Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, Jon Jones and Henry Cejudo and how the ESPN deal has removed fighter leverage. We look at comments by the fighters, response from Dana white and realities of he situation.
An enormous donation made by John Cena, Paul Levesque talks a signature match, WWE canceling over shows due to the pandemic, weekly sports ratings, Edge movie, DVR viewership, Canadian ratings, twitter feuds, Arn Anderson on Sami Zayn, funny story on the first time Adam Cole heard from WWE, what happened to Chris DeJoseph, plus upcoming TV bouts.
Fight Island and the next UFC PPV show
UFC 250, with business notes, popularity notes, poll results and match-by-match coverage.
NXT Takeover In Your House with a rundown, booking notes, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Backlash and story behind Edge vs; Randy Orton.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Garrett Gonzalez and I will be doing a show tonight covering the creative changes with WWE and also talk with Andreas Hale.
Thanks to everyone for their comments regarding the last three issues and the Mr. Wrestling II feature this week. We will have more on that next week, hopefully. The new issue also runs down a lot on the WWE creative changes.
New Japan starts up with its first show in months on Monday, which starts at 6 a.m. Monday morning Eastern time on New Japan World.
Weigh-ins for tomorrow’s UFC show that will be airing on ESPN starting at 6 p.m. Eastern:
Christian Aguilera (170.5) vs. Anthony Ivy (171)
Tyson Nam (135.5) vs,. Zarrukh Adashev (138.5)
Julia Avila (135) vs. Gina Mazany (136)
Charles Rosa (155) vs. Kevin Aguilar (155.5)
Mariya Agapova (125.5) vs. Hannah Cifers (125)
Jordan Espinosa (135.5) vs. Mark De La Rosa (136)
Andre Fili (145.5) vs. Charles Joudain (145.5)
Merab Dvalishvili (139) vs. Gustavo Lopez (140)
Karl Roberson (190.5) vs. Marvin Vettori (186)
Jessica Eye (126.25) vs. Cynthia Calvillo (126)
A few notes. Eye missed weight by 0.25 pounds and she was very shaky leaving the scale, not looking at all healthy. Roberson missed weight by 4.5 pounds which is kind of ridiculous. Because Lopez took the fight yesterday, both men agreed to fight at 140 so neither missed weight. Adashev also missed eight. Both Mazany and Eye have dabbled in some pro wrestling. Derrick Minner, who was to face Jordan Griffin, pulled out today. He said he woke up and started violently throwing up. The doctors pretty much advised him not to fight.
Bryan Alvarez turned 45 today. Somehow he has remained younger than the median age of a viewer of every pro wrestling show during the pandemic.
Starting in July, Australia, which has barely been hit by COVID-19, really be easing restrictions on live shows. The limit of 100 people for indoor gatherings will change but there is a one person every four square meters rule in place on indoor shows and stadiums will be open to 25 percent of capacity (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
WWE
These are the odds from www.BetOnline.ag for Backlash:
Drew McIntyre -950 vs. Bobby Lashley +500
Asuka -600 vs. Nia Jax +350
Randy Orton -160 vs. Edge +120
Braun Strowman -1250 vs. Miz & John Morrison +550
Bayley & Sasha Banks -175 vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross +200 vs. The Iiconics +250
Apollo Crews -550 vs. Andrade +325
Jeff Hardy -140 vs. Sheamus +100
Smackdown tonight has the A.J. Styles vs. Daniel Bryan IC title match, Heavy Machinery & Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler plus a Sheamus and Jeff Hardy contract signing for Sunday. It’s the go-home show for Backlash.
Sports Illustrated talked to Mustafa Ali on his experiences as a police officer and racism.
Shawn Michaels was part of a conference call to promote WWE Backlash and he was asked by Inside The Ropes about The Last Ride documentary and the Crown Jewel tag match. Here’s what he had to say: ‘The year after we had my last match (in 2010), we were sitting at baggage claim and we’re waiting on our bags where I’m gonna get inducted into the Hall of Fame and he looked at me and said “you made the right choice. Perfect time to go out” Fast forward to the tag match, I had no idea that in his mind, had it gone well that he would have possibly been able to retire on that. I assumed that he was more looking towards that WrestleMania moment. I just looked at that match as another tag match. I looked at that just as a chance to go out there with my buddies and have some fun and not take anything too seriously. I didn’t know that was a situation that had it gone better, it would’ve made it easier for him to walk away. I assumed in his mind it needed to be the same as me where it needed to be a WrestleMania moment.”
UFC
A fight between Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba has been added to an 8/15 PPV show.
A fight with Karol Rosa vs. Vanessa Melo has been added to the 7/11 PPV show.
MISCELLANEOUS
Not so good news for Matt Striker who was eliminated from FOX’s “Labor of Love,” a reality show that is tanking badly.
MLW announced that Salina de la Renta has returned to the organization with a new deal.
CWE runs tonight in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar. The event is limited to just 100 tickets sold and wearing a mask is recommended.
Michael Facciani at [email protected] is selling his collection of wrestling magazines that dates back to the 80s.
There will be a two-day seminar with Les Thatcher, Tom Prichard and Rudy Boy Gonzalez on 8/8 and 8/9 at the All-American Wrestling Academy in Knoxville, TN. There are limited spaces available and you can email [email protected] for more info.
We are sad to report the death of Jon Southerland, a longtime correspondent to the Observer who passed away on 6/10 from cancer. He was still watching wrestling in the ICU unit this past week. Southerland used to regularly drive to this area from Fresno for shows.
Esther Leon de Moreno, the mother of Esther, Alda, Cinthia and Rossy Moreno, passed away during surgery. Esther and her husband built the Arena Azteca Budokan in Neza nearly 60 years ago. Esther Moreno was one of the stars during the early 90s glory days of All Japan Women’s Wrestling.
Televisa will be airing the 2014 Juicio Final show tomorrow. The show features a Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra (Andrade) match.
Rick Bassman is teaming with Cameo and charities National Cares Mentoring Movement and Live FreeUSA to host an event called BeGood which will include Sting, Lou Ferrigno, Butterbean, Benny “The Jet Urquidez, Mike O’Hearn and Bas Rutten for a Facebook event on 6/20 at 5 p.m. to talk tolerance, unity and reconciliation.
On The Turnbuckle has a Indigenous Australian roundtable podcast for how the Black Lives Matter movement has resonated in Australia, as well as covering the wrestling side (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
A six-man tag match has been announced for SmackDown’s Survivor Series go-home show.
Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali & Shorty G will face King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode on SmackDown next Friday. The episode is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It will be the first of four straight nights at the venue for WWE.
In a match where their Survivor Series spots were on the line, Ali & Shorty G defeated Ziggler & Roode last night. After being mocked by Corbin in the opening segment, Reigns came out to ringside during the match after Corbin distracted Ali. Reigns ended up laying out Corbin with a spear.
The six-man tag was announced for next week after Ziggler & Roode complained to Corbin and blamed Reigns for costing them the match and spots at Survivor Series.
Reigns, Corbin, Ali, Shorty G & Braun Strowman will be on Team SmackDown for their triple threat elimination tag match against Team Raw and Team NXT at Survivor Series.
Team SmackDown is the second group to be revealed for this year’s traditional Survivor Series men’s elimination match.
Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Braun Strowman, Mustafa Ali & Shorty G (Chad Gable) will represent SmackDown in their triple threat elimination tag match against Team Raw and Team NXT. The announcement of the team was made on last night’s episode of WWE Backstage.
On Monday, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Ricochet & Drew McIntyre were announced as Raw’s team for the match. NXT’s team has yet to be revealed.
There will also be a women’s division elimination tag match between the brands at Survivor Series. Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke & Carmella are the first three wrestlers confirmed for Team SmackDown.
Survivor Series is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Sunday, November 24. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Rey Mysterio
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler in a non-title match
United States Champion AJ Styles vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong in a non-title match
Raw Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders (Ivar & Erik) vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) in a non-title match
Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT five-on-five-on-five men’s elimination tag match
Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT five-on-five-on-five women’s elimination tag match
Drew Gulak’s challenger for SummerSlam will be made official tonight.
WWE has announced a six-pack challenge for tonight’s 205 Live. Oney Lorcan, Jack Gallagher, Kalisto, Akira Tozawa, Tony Nese, and Ariya Daivari will take part in the match. The winner will get a Cruiserweight title shot against Gulak at SummerSlam.
Gulak retained against Nese on the Extreme Rules pre-show last month. On the Stomping Grounds pre-show in June, Gulak defeated Nese and Tozawa in a triple threat match to win the title.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sunday.
The Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan is hosting the final episodes of SmackDown and 205 Live before SummerSlam tonight. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado is also set for 205 Live.
Kevin Owens inviting Shane McMahon to appear on the KO Show has been announced for SmackDown, and there will be an “exclusive interview” where WWE Champion Kofi Kingston responds to Randy Orton ahead of their title match at SummerSlam.
New episodes of WWE Chronicle and WWE 24 are set to premiere on the Network next weekend.
The updated WWE Network schedule for next week lists that a new Chronicle episode focused on Mustafa Ali will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time next Saturday (May 18), while a new edition of WWE 24 focused on Becky Lynch will then premiere after Money in the Bank on Sunday, May 19.
Both documentary-style specials are listed in hour-long time slots.
Here’s the brief description for Ali’s Chronicle episode: “Get an inside look into Ali’s Muslim faith, his climb back to the World title picture and his career aspirations as a WWE Superstar.”
The description for Lynch’s WWE 24 episode is: “Witness the rise of ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch from her Irish wrestling days to competing in WrestleMania’s first all-women’s main event!”
Lynch will have two matches at Money in the Bank, defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans and defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair. Ali will be one of the participants in this year’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
