Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including what’s up with Odyssey Jones, reviews of NXT No Mercy and WWE Raw from Monday, Villano V history after Dave’s bio, plus tons of news and more.
A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps: Start: What is going on with Odyssey Jones? 1:44: NXT No Mercy recap 22:21: CMLL Copa Independencia, more on Villano V 40:10: Ratings 42:32: WWE Raw recap 1:01:50: Lineups for the week, Dave’s back issue thoughts
The dates and locations have been set for WWE NXT’s next two PLEs.
WWE announced the details for the events today with No Mercy set to take place on Sunday, September 1 and Halloween Havoc being held on Sunday, October 27. Both shows will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network.
Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado is the venue for No Mercy. Halloween Havoc will take place from the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Those arenas will also host WWE Raw the night after their respective NXT events.
NXT/Raw combo tickets are going on sale on Friday, July 26 at 10 a.m. local time.
“We look forward to returning NXT to the road and delivering an unforgettable night of action to the amazing fan bases of Denver and Hershey, and for those watching at home,” Shawn Michaels said in a press release.
NXT Champion Ethan Page, NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, NXT North American Champion Oba Femi, NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan, Trick Williams, and Sol Ruca are among the talent advertised for the NXT events.
This is the second straight year that No Mercy has been an NXT PLE. It was previously used as a WWE pay-per-view name and was the name of WWE’s critically acclaimed video game for Nintendo 64 that was released in 2000.
Halloween Havoc was one of WCW’s most iconic PPVs before being brought back as an annual NXT event in 2020. It’s been a television special every year except for being a PLE in 2022 and 2024.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with a fun show because we get to talk about two really good programs, AEW Dynamite and NXT, both of which just happen to be go-home shows headlined by contract signings. Tons of inside details and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
NXT is heading to California for an upcoming streaming special.
During a media call on Thursday, Shawn Michaels announced that NXT No Mercy will take place from Bakersfield, California on Saturday, September 30. The show is being held at Mechanics Bank Arena and will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network.
Tickets for NXT No Mercy are going on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Friday, August 4. A ticket pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, August 2.
This is the first time WWE has used the No Mercy name for an event since 2017. No Mercy originated in 1999 and ran through 2008 before later returning as a pay-per-view name in 2016 and 2017.
No Mercy was also the name of WWE’s critically acclaimed video game for Nintendo 64 that was released in 2000.
Starting at the beginning of this year, all of NXT’s streaming specials have returned to taking place on the road instead of being held at the WWE Performance Center. NXT will be in Cedar Park, Texas for the Great American Bash this Sunday (July 30).
There has been a saying in WWE seemingly for generations, that goes something like this–how goes the Garden, goes business. Of course, times are very different from when Vince Sr. used to say that because the Garden was the key profit center for the company. Now, because of its history, the company still considers it as its most important arena stop, but arena shows are far down on the list of where company profits come from.
Still, as much as this shouldn’t be a surprise, the idea that the Meadowlands (Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ) drew 10,000 paid for a PPV show and MSG drew an estimated 7,500 for a live Raw the next night is just the latest point hammered home about the loss of popularity. What is worse, our poll indications, which are usually fairly accurate, seem to show No Mercy on 10/3 from East Rutherford, and will likely fall well below the recent “bottom level” of PPV shows of 220-235,000 buys. Our response level was down 21% from Judgment Day, which was the low point for this year.
In a blatant attempt to create controversy and further enhance the character of Raw’s chief antagonist, Triple H, last night’s Monday Night Raw on TNN (rated TV-14 LVD) presented an alleged act of necrophilia.
Triple H, poorly disguised as his chief adversary Kane, presented a skit in a funeral home using a mannequin that simulated the body of Kane’s former girlfriend, Katie Vick.
WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn, stated that numerous warnings to WWE viewers about sensitive subject matter did air prior to the segment. “While the subject matter is sensitive, on balance this was an attempt at dark humor capitalizing on the popularity of programs such as CSI, Six Feet Under and X-Files,” said Dunn.
That’s this week’s lesson in carny for:
Because we are so out of touch with our audience, we actually thought because we laughed like crazy at portraying an act of necrophilia, that our audience would also.
In one of the strangest moments ever on wrestling television, almost like the moment you’re watching something crumble right before your eyes, just as Vince and Linda McMahon teased making out inside the ring in front of nearly 10,000 fans in Kansas City and were interrupted, a challenge was made and accepted.
For 11/18 at Survivor Series, what should be the biggest money match with the highest stipulations in the history of wrestling, but will come nowhere close to that level. A match with WWF vs. The Alliance, with the losing promotion having to disband. On Smackdown the next night, those draconian stipulations seemed to be amended more along the lines that the losing McMahons and their company would be under the control of the winning McMahons. If the feud was done correctly, the idea that a company would fold as a stipulation, if people still believed in stipulations, would do numbers that would make Rock vs. Austin green with envy.
While WWE likes to keep things unpredictable, it was not a secret from even before this year’s WrestleMania that the main event for the 2018 Mania was supposed to be what was planned for 2015–Roman Reigns being crowned as the top star in the promotion by pinning Brock Lesnar.
The crowd turning on Reigns made Vince McMahon rethink the idea and plan it for 2016. And then he figured it wasn’t right for that year, as he instead had Reigns run through the hated authority by beating HHH and spearing Stephanie McMahon, or the next year, when he beat The Undertaker.
If anyone thought the rise of Braun Strowman changed those plans, No Mercy told the story.
In the two key “WrestleMania caliber matches,” Lesnar beat Braun Strowman in a lackluster match after kicking out of his finisher twice and beating him with one F-5. Reigns kicked out of three John Cena Attitude Adjustments and beat him with one spear.
While No Mercy may have been the biggest brand-exclusive pay-per-view that WWE has put on since the roster split, it was clear coming out of the show that the company’s focus is on building to one future match.
Whether it’s at WrestleMania in New Orleans next year or at some point before then, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are on a collision course towards an inevitable meeting. Both continued to rack up big wins on Sunday night, with Lesnar successfully defending the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Reigns decisively beating John Cena in what was portrayed as a passing-of-the-torch feud.
Lesnar vs. Strowman was a massive disappointment. Their interactions were the highlight of the fatal four-way main event at SummerSlam, but they just didn’t work together in a singles match. The pattern of Lesnar’s matches has become tired, and he didn’t have a good showing at No Mercy.
According to those close to the situation, Cesaro did not get his teeth cracked or knocked out when he went mouth first into the post last night after taking a catapult into the corner spot by Dean Ambrose.
What actually happened is that the blow caused Cesaro’s front teeth to be jammed into his gums.
According to someone familiar with this type of situation, the teeth possibly could be saved by having oral surgery to pull the teeth down and stabilize them, although that would require a root canal. But it was noted in a WWE.com post that Cesaro will see “a maxillofacial surgeon today, most likely removing the teeth and then having some implants made” and that they hope to have him back in action by mid-week.
The injury took place at last night’s No Mercy pay-per-view in Los Angeles where Cesaro & Sheamus were challenging Ambrose & Seth Rollins in a match for the Raw Tag Team titles. Cesaro wrestled much of the match badly bleeding from the mouth, and it appeared that his teeth had been knocked out. He later posted photos of his injury after the match was over.
What looks to be WWE’s biggest brand-exclusive pay-per-view since the roster split takes place tonight as the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California hosts No Mercy. The show will be headlined by two huge matches, with Brock Lesnar defending the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and John Cena facing Roman Reigns.
We’re looking for your thoughts on this show, New Japan Destruction in Kobe earlier today, and ROH’s Death Before Dishonor, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]
Strowman has more often gotten the better of Lesnar in the lead-up to their title match, while the feud between Cena and Reigns has been built around their verbal jabs.
Alexa Bliss will also defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Emma, and Bayley in a fatal five-way match, Cesaro & Sheamus will get a rematch for the Raw tag titles, The Miz takes on Jason Jordan with the Intercontinental title on the line, and Enzo Amore gets his shot at Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship.
In addition to that, Finn Balor will face off against Bray Wyatt on the main card and Apollo Crews vs. Elias takes place on the pre-show. Our coverage begins with that match before the main card starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
ELIAS VS. APOLLO CREWS
An average match wth Crews doing some nice athletic stuff and Elias just being there. Elias won with the Drift Away after a series of near falls.
THE MIZ VS. JASON JORDAN FOR THE IC TITLE
The early part of the match had some wrestling that was off. Miz was just off on his timing. Once Jordan went to throw him in the ring and Miz actually looked like he ran in rather than was thrown. It got better with Jordan’s comeback. The crowd didn’t care for Jordan The announcing was really bad, so forced and fake sounding. The crowd did a “This is awesome” chant when both were down. The finish was the same old stuff. Jordan was on a run, hitting an overhead suplex. Bo Dallas went to the top rope and Jordan threw him off. The ref went with Dallas and Axel interfered and hit Jordan, and then Miz hit the Skull crushing finale for the pin.
They did an interview with Jordan after the match. The fans booed him. Said he was disappointed he couldn’t overcome the odds. He said he didn’t respect The Miz, fans booed. He asked for a rematch and was booed. He said fans say Kurt Angle sucks lovingly but Miz really does suck.
FINN BALOR VS. BRAY WYATT
Balor won with the coup de grace after a Woo dropkick. Good match. The story was that Wyatt destroyed his ribs with a uranage on the table and they were helping Balor away and teased the idea the match wouldn’t happen. I don’t think were buying it because they’ve seen so much worse stuff and people recover. Wyatt called him a coward so he came back. During the match, at one point Wyatt did he crab walk and Balor froze. At another point Balor did the coup de grace to Wyatt’s back and he kicked out. Both guys bled, Balor from the head and Wyatt from the mouth.
Charly Caruso interviewed Cesaro & Sheamus. We don’t just set the bar, we are the bar. They said when the going gets tough, Rollins & Ambrose will turn on each other.nt.
SETH ROLLINS & DEAN AMBROSE VS. SHEAMUS & CESARO FOR THE TAG TITLES.
Really good match. Cesaro looked like his front teeth were cracked or knocked out. Ambrose catapulted him and he went mouth first into the post. Ther was also an awesome spot where Sheamus gave Ambrose white noise and Cesaro power bombed Rollins off the top onto Ambrose but Ambrose kicked out. Booker said it was one of the best tag matches he’s ever seen. I wouldn’t go near that, but it was a story where Cesaro worked most of the match with his mouth bleeding badly. The finish saw Sheamus give Cesaro the Brogue kick when Ambrose moved. Rollins then used the knee on Sheamus and Ambrose folowed with Dirty Deeds on Sheamus for the pin.
ALEXA BLISS VS. NIA JAX VS. EMMA VS. BAYLEY VS. SASHA BANKS FOR THE WOMEN’S TITLE
Bliss won with a DDT on Bayley after Jax missed a shoudler and went to the post. Bayley and Banks both did their finishes on Bliss but the other one would save. Jax took a crazy power bomb spot off the apron by Bayley and Emma while Banks and Bliss dropkicked her. Another big spot was Jax with a Samoan drop on both Bliss and Banks. This was a better match that it sounded on paper. Very crisp wrestling and the crowd was into it.
JOHN CENA VS. ROMAN REIGNS
Another great match. Reigns dominated the match, but Reigns kicked out out of the Attitude Adjustment once, then another Attitude Adjustment off the middle ropes, and then near the finish, Cena used two Attitude Adjustments and Reigns kicked out of it again. Then Reigns hit a Superman punch and a spear and Cena didn’t kick out. There was also a spot where Reigns speared Cena through one of the tables and Reigns nearly spied himself on the table. Cena raised Reigns’ hand and the fans booed. We knew the program would end with that spot, but it seemed like this should have been a multi-match program before they got to that point. Michael Cole called Cena the greatest of all-time over-and-over. It’s his new tag line that they are shoving down everyone’s throat. The forced announcing having to push lines out of context is really bad tonight.
Cena stayed in the ring to get the standing ovation, hugged a kid and people did a “Thank you Cena” chant. It looks like Cena should do the guy at the crossroads program baesd on the faces he made as he took a long time staring at the crowd and saluting. This was sort of like a far less emotional version of Yuji Nagata at G-1.
Miz was with Kurt Angle. He wanted to do a Miz TV with Roman Reigns. Miz compared his beating Cena to his beating Undertaker at WrestleMania. Angle said it was a great idea and it’s going to kick off the show.
NEVILLE VS. ENZO AMORE FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
The match was booked like Enzo wasn’t in his league asNeville dominated. Enzo’s only real offense was a great looking DDT off the top rope. Enzo was about to lose via count out but he grabbed the belt. Neville broke up the count. Enzo got into the ring and teased a belt shot. The ref demanded that Enzo give him the belt. He did and as the ref took the belt away, Enzo kicked Neville low and pinned him to win the title. Enzo is definitley booked as a joke as a champion.
BROCK LESNAR VS. BRAUN STROWMAN FOR THE UNIVERSAL TITLE
Disappointing after the hype. It was the usual Lesnar match of nothing but big moves but they didn’t get over like with Goldberg. Strowman dominated early but Lesnar kicked out of he powerslam. Lesnar did a five German suplex sequence aftrer Strowman had no sold one after. Strowman was cut under the left eye. Lesnar weakened Strowman with a Kimura. Strowman went for a powerslam but was too weak to cover. He did another powerslam and Lesnar kicked out. Lesnar then hit an F-5 and got the pin. I don’t think anyone expected that to be the finish.
Jason Jordan will be challenging for the Intercontinental title on Sunday.
Jordan won a six-pack challenge on Raw tonight to become number one contender and get the title shot at No Mercy. He pinned Curtis Axel to win the match, which also included Bo Dallas, Elias, and Matt & Jeff Hardy.
The storyline with Jordan on Raw focused on him trying to prove that Kurt Angle wasn’t favoring him. Angle first made it a fatal four-way match between Jordan, both Hardys, and Elias, with Jordan then telling Angle to add Axel and Dallas to it when Miz said that Angle was giving undeserved opportunities to his on-screen son.
Jordan and Miz went face-to-face after the main event, then Jordan laid out Miz with suplexes when he went to punch him. But Miz was able to stand tall after Axel and Dallas attacked Jordan. Miz said that he’ll still be champion after Sunday, Angle will still be a terrible father, and Jordan will still be a bastard.
No Mercy takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Sunday night. Here’s what the card looks like after tonight’s go-home show:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Emma, and Bayley in a fatal five-way match
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defending against Cesaro & Sheamus
Intercontinental Champion The Miz defending against Jason Jordan
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Enzo Amore
Bayley is back in action, and she’s already getting her shot at the Raw Women’s Championship.
She returned after Nia Jax defeated Alexa Bliss in a non-title match on tonight’s episode of Raw. Sasha Banks had previously made her way out to stop Bliss from retreating, then went to attack Jax after the match. Jax threw Banks down before Bayley’s music hit, with Bayley, Banks, and Bliss briefly teaming up to take Jax down.
Bliss tried to make friends with them, but Banks and Bayley laid her out to close the segment. WWE then confirmed that Bayley had been added to what now is a fatal five-way match (which also includes Emma) for the Women’s title at No Mercy.
Bayley had been scheduled to challenge Bliss for the title at SummerSlam before suffering a shoulder injury in a match against Jax on the July 31st episode of Raw.
The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California will host No Mercy on Sunday. The updated lineup is:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Emma, and Bayley in a fatal five-way match
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defending against Cesaro & Sheamus
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Enzo Amore
Impact Wrestling announced on 9/5 that Jeff Jarrett, who was running the wrestling end of GFW and is part-owner of the company, was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the company to deal with personal issues.
According to those close to the situation, the personal issues aspect of the story is legitimate and public story is accurate. The public statement made by the company is that Jarrett would be available as a consultant as needed.
It was clear that the decision was not something he knew about in advance because he sent out a Tweet that morning talking about going back into the office to start a day of work, and that day was scheduled to host a party for the company staff at his home, which ended up being canceled.
However, others in the company were aware of this for at least a week.
With two big matches at the top of the card already set, WWE continued to add to the No Mercy lineup on tonight’s episode of Raw.
It had been announced earlier in the day that Alexa Bliss would be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks at the pay-per-view, but that was changed to a fatal four-way when Nia Jax and Emma won their way into it by defeating Bliss & Banks in a tag match.
The tag title match was revealed for No Mercy as well, with it officially being announced that Cesaro & Sheamus would be getting their rematch against Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose. Both teams got wins on Raw tonight as Cesaro & Sheamus beat Heath Slater & Rhyno and Rollins & Ambrose defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in a non-title match.
Bray Wyatt will also face Finn Balor at the PPV, which was set up tonight when Wyatt challenged Balor to face him without relying on his “Demon” persona.
No Mercy will take place on September 24th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here’s what the card looks like so far:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, and Emma in a fatal four-way match
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defending against Cesaro & Sheamus
