Tag: Raquel Rodriguez

Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah advance in WWE Women’s Tag Team title tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah have made it to the next round of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament.

Rodriguez and Aliyah defeated Shotzi and Xia Li to open Friday’s SmackDown. Rodriguez scored the win for her team after hitting the Tejana bomb on Li after Shotzi was speared by Aliyah.

During the match, Natalya and Sonya Deville came out to watch the goings-on in the ring. They were eventually driven out after being attacked by both teams. They will face the NXT team of Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark on next week’s SmackDown.

Raw on Monday saw the start of the tournament, which had IYO SKY and Dakota Kai defeat Tamina and Dana Brooke to advance. Next week’s Raw will see Asuka and Alexa Bliss take on Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop.

The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles were declared vacant back in May after Sasha Banks and Naomi were stripped of the titles for walking out prior to an episode of Raw. On last week’s Raw, it was announced the tournament would begin the following Monday.

Women’s Tag Team title tournament match set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A Women’s Tag Team title tournament match is set for this week’s episode of SmackDown.

WWE has announced that Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah will take on Shotzi & Xia Li in a Women’s Tag Team title tournament first-round match on SmackDown this Friday night. The winning team will advance to face either Natalya & Sonya Deville or Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark in the semifinals.

The Women’s Tag Team title tournament began with Dakota Kai & IYO SKY defeating Dana Brooke & Tamina on Raw this Monday. Kai & SKY’s semifinal opponents will be either Asuka & Alexa Bliss or Doudrop & Nikki A.S.H.

The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles were declared vacant after Sasha Banks & Naomi walked out of Raw this May.

It’s also been announced that a contract signing for Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Clash at the Castle will take place on SmackDown this Friday. Baszler won a gauntlet match last week to become the number one contender to Morgan’s title.

The updated lineup for this week’s SmackDown is listed below:

  • Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Shinsuke Nakamura
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team title first-round match: Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah vs. Shotzi & Xia Li
  • Liv Morgan-Shayna Baszler contract signing

Three wrestlers qualify for WWE Money in the Bank ladder match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Three more wrestlers have qualified for the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match next month.

Drew McIntyre and Sheamus were added to the match by WWE official Adam Pearce in a segment on tonight’s SmackDown. Immediately after, Raquel Rodriguez defeated Shayna Baszler to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

On last week’s SmackDown, Sheamus and McIntyre wrestled in a qualifying match that ended in a double count out as both men fought outside of the ring. Later, both went to Pearce and insisted they be put into the match. After Pearce announced tonight that Sheamus was added to the match, Sheamus mocked McIntyre. This led to a brawl, which was stopped when Pearce told McIntyre he was in the match as well. The segment ended with Sheamus laying out McIntyre with a claymore kick.

Lacey Evans, who has also qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, was at ringside when Gonzalez defeated Baszler. The two had a staredown after the match.

Here’s the updated card for Money in the Bank, which takes place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada:

  • Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus have qualified thus far)
  • Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss, Raquel Rodriguez, and Liv Morgan have qualified thus far)
  • The Usos vs. The Street Profits for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya for the SmackDown Women’s Championship

Tag Team title match, women’s six-pack challenge set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two matches have been announced for tonight’s Hell in a Cell go-home edition of SmackDown.

The Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles will be on the line as The Usos defend against Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura tonight. Riddle & Nakamura earned the title shot by defeating The Usos by disqualification on Raw this Monday.

The Usos got themselves disqualified in Monday’s non-title match when they attacked Riddle with his own scooter.

The Usos became the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions when they defeated Riddle & Randy Orton in a title unification match on SmackDown two weeks ago. Following that match, there was an angle where Roman Reigns and The Usos attacked Riddle and Orton. Orton hasn’t appeared on WWE television since then.

It’s also been announced that there will be a six-pack challenge on SmackDown tonight. The winner will become the number one contender to Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Xia Li, Shotzi, and Aliyah will be the participants in the six-pack challenge.

WWE’s announcement didn’t confirm when the winner will be getting their title shot against Rousey.

The Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio is hosting tonight’s SmackDown. Here’s the updated lineup for the episode:

  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Number one contender’s six-pack challenge: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Xia Li vs. Shotzi vs. Aliyah
  • Madcap Moss returns

Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez, KO Show segment set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has made a pair of new announcements for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will face Raquel Rodriguez in a non-title match on SmackDown tonight. Also set for the episode is a KO Show segment with Raw star Kevin Owens.

This will be the second match between Rousey and Rodriguez within a two-week period. Earlier this month, Rodriguez answered a SmackDown Women’s Championship open challenge that was issued by Rousey. Rousey won the match when she reversed Rodriguez’s Chingona Bomb into a pin.

Rousey and Rodriguez shook hands after their match.

On last week’s SmackDown, Rodriguez defeated Shotzi.

Owens is currently involved in a storyline with Ezekiel on Raw and is attempting to prove that Ezekiel is actually Elias. Owens vs. Ezekiel is set for WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Sunday, June 5.

“Kevin Owens has been on a crusade to uncover the truth about Ezekiel with his frustrations boiling over to the point of locking horns with Elias’ younger brother at Hell in a Cell,” WWE wrote.

“Tonight, ‘The KO Show’ rolls into SmackDown as the outspoken Superstar looks to air his grievances and convince a new audience to join his personal vendetta. Who will be the special guest on tonight’s edition of ‘The KO Show,’ and what fireworks are set to erupt on the always explosive talk show?”

Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas is hosting SmackDown tonight. Here’s the updated lineup:

  • Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch vs. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & a mystery partner
  • Non-title match: SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez
  • The KO Show with Kevin Owens

Raquel Rodriguez says she was ‘fine’ with WWE changing her name

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During an interview on the Bleav in Pro Wrestling Podcast, Raquel Rodriguez described what her reaction was to having her in-ring name changed by WWE.

The former Raquel Gonzalez was called up to the WWE main roster two weeks ago, debuting on SmackDown with the new name “Raquel Rodriguez.” Rodriguez told the Bleav in Pro Wrestling Podcast that she was fine with the name change and had no big arguments about it at all.

“They just basically said, ‘Hey, you’re getting a name change and this is it.’ And I was like, ‘Cool, that’s fine.’ I really had no big arguments with it at all. It was just a simple little switch,” Rodriguez said.

“It’s funny, I was just joking with Rhea [Ripley] last Friday because she was actually at SmackDown, and her initials are R-R. Rhea Ripley. And we’ve always joked about being a tag team, and we had our feud in NXT. Well, now my initials are R-R, Raquel Rodriguez. So it kind of just feels like it was meant to be, so I’m okay with it. We’re starting to think of new tag names.”

In NXT, Rodriguez was a one-time NXT Women’s Champion and a two-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion.

Rodriguez’s real name is Victoria Gonzalez. Dave Meltzer reported last week that Vince McMahon decreed in a memo that he doesn’t want anyone new using their real names anymore, nor using names that they already had on the indies.

On last Friday’s SmackDown, Rodriguez appeared in a backstage segment with Natalya and Shayna Baszler:

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Three NXT call-ups, Lacey Evans returns

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Three wrestlers were called up from NXT on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 38.

Gunther, Marcel Barthel, and Raquel Gonzalez made their SmackDown debuts on last night’s show. Barthel and Gonzalez both received new WWE names. Barthel is now Ludwig Kaiser, while Gonzalez is Raquel Rodriguez.

Gunther, who was accompanied by Kaiser, made quick work of an enhancement wrestler named Joe Alonzo.

Rodriguez was interviewed backstage before being interrupted by Los Lotharios. Rodriguez shut them down when they wanted to welcome her with a kiss.

Lacey Evans also made her return to WWE television last night, appearing for the first time since giving birth to her second child. Evans cut a babyface promo about the real-life adversity she’s overcome to get to where she is today.

Ronda Rousey challenged SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair to an I Quit match at WrestleMania Backlash next month, but Charlotte didn’t accept the challenge.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns’ next challenger may have been revealed as The Bloodline were confronted by Shinsuke Nakamura in last night’s main event segment. Reigns also ordered SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos to unify their titles with the Raw Tag Team titles.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

Charlotte Flair declines Ronda Rousey’s I Quit match challenge

Xavier Woods vs. Butch

Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser make their SmackDown debuts

Raquel Rodriguez debuts

Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss brawl after their friendship comes to an end

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

A video package recaps Pat McAfee’s night at WrestleMania 38

The Story of Lacey Evans: Chapter One

Sasha Banks vs. Liv Morgan

Roman Reigns orders The Usos to unify tag titles, Shinsuke Nakamura confronts The Bloodline

SmackDown fallout: Natalya & Shayna Baszler interrupt Liv Morgan’s interview

Wrestling Observer Radio: Tony Khan’s tweets, NXT call-ups, UFC 273

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio talking all the latest news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter as well as today’s news.

We talk about Tony Khan’s series of tweets and what may have been behind them. We go over the NXT call-ups to SmackDown today.

We look at Dave’s story on Cody Rhodes, if the real reason why he left will ever come out, and how WWE can further utilize him. We also look at AEW Dynamite ratings, New Japan’s upcoming show, and UFC 273.

There’s still time to join us for the F4W/Wrestling Observer Convention on Double or Nothing weekend. You can still buy tickets to all of the events. You can also join the Facebook group and follow the Twitter account @f4wconvention.

Click to listen below.

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Speak Now: Lots to talk about on AEW Rampage & WWE SmackDown, show recap

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she breaks down two very newsworthy episodes of WWE Smackdown and AEW Rampage. On the WWE side of things, we have some call-ups and name changes, and on the AEW side of things, we had a major main event between Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta. This is a very fun episode of Speak Now Pro Wrestling.

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Gunther, Marcel Barthel, Raquel Gonzalez debut on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Gunther and Marcel Barthel, along with Raquel Gonzalez, made their debut on tonight’s SmackDown.

Barthel, now going under the name Ludwig Kaiser, introduced Gunther, now wearing red attire. After showing a video of Gunther attacking people on NXT, he quickly defeated local talent Joe Alonso. After their debut, Raquel Gonzalez was interviewed, now going under the name Raquel Rodriguez.

It had been reported that Gunther and Barthel, along with Gonzalez, were among the names being considered to be called up to the main roster. On this past Tuesday’s NXT, Fabian Aichner, also of Imperium, abandoned Barthel during a match against The Creed Brothers, allowing the brothers to score the win. Aichner is not expected to be called up to the main roster with Gunther and Barthel.

Gonzalez was being interviewed when Los Lotharios walked up to her and said they wanted to give her a kiss. Gonzalez rejected them, saying there was no chance. Gonzalez, along with Dakota Kai, dropped the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles on Tuesday back to Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacey Jayne) after winning them this past Saturday at NXT Stand & Deliver.