Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the UFC lawsuit and what the judge has ruled, Shane McMahon and AEW, Giulia’s last match in Japan before heading to NXT, Anna Jay and Stardom, the G1, Bryan Danielson putting his career on the line, Dynamite and NXT, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps: Start: Cung Le vs. UFC lawsuit moving forward 16:00: Shane McMahon has meeting with AEW’s Tony Khan 21:51: Giulia’s farewell in Japan, Anna Jay in Stardom 5-Star Grand Prix, G1 Climax updates 21:58: Bryan Danielson Sports Illustrated interview 34:35: Ratings 39:10: CMLL this Friday, UFC at the Sphere ticket sales 47:25: AEW Dynamite recap 1:08:52: WWE NXT recap 1:17:30: AEW Rampage spoilers, WWE SummerSlam lineup
While it remains to be seen if Shane McMahon to AEW will become a reality, it looks like his meeting with Tony Khan was a positive one.
WrestleTalk and Fightful reported on Wednesday that Khan and McMahon met earlier this week to “discuss possibilities moving forward.” Along with the report, WrestleTalk obtained a photo of Khan and McMahon that was taken during the meeting. The meeting was held in a private office at the airport in Arlington, Texas.
In a statement issued to Bully Ray that was read on Busted Open After Dark, McMahon confirmed that he had a “great meeting” with Khan. McMahon said they talked about many things, but it was mostly about their love of pro wrestling and the “rewards and challenges” of working with family. The full statement can be read below:
Tony and I were connected through a mutual friend and we had a great meeting. We talked about many things, but mostly about our shared love for the business and the rewards and challenges of working with family. I congratulated him on the five-year anniversary of AEW and look forward to see how he evolves the business moving forward.
Rumors that McMahon could appear for AEW became a talking point online after Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson discussed the idea on their Grilling JR podcast. Khan said this June that, while he had never met McMahon at the time, he had a lot of respect for him as an executive and wrestler. Khan said Shane would always be welcome in AEW.
McMahon has no current role with WWE and has not appeared for the company since tearing his quad at WrestleMania 39 in 2023.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including, yes, TONY KHAN AND SHANE MCMAHON, the one way Bryan can conceivably see it working, taking ROH off Tony’s plate, the NXT Great American Bash show which was all about the women having great showings, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
An interesting private meeting reportedly took place this week.
Shane McMahon is said to have met with Tony Khan on Monday to “discuss possibilities moving forward,” WrestleTalk and Fightful are reporting. The meeting was held in Arlington, Texas, where AEW is running a residency at the Esports Stadium until mid-August.
WrestleTalk obtained the below image of the meeting:
Rumors regarding Shane McMahon to AEW began last month when Conrad Thompson mentioned on a podcast that he had heard McMahon sent feelers out to the company. However, Tony Khan told Dave Meltzer that he had never met or spoken to McMahon. Meltzer also later wrote that McMahon had never seriously pushed to get into the company.
“One person noted to us that there was a conversation between McMahon and an ex-WWE talent in AEW and it was described as not a pitch to get in or anything, just two people chatting when McMahon said something to the effect of can you imagine if I walked out there on Dynamite?” Meltzer wrote.
Khan then told Sports Illustrated that while he’d never met McMahon, he was welcome in AEW.
“I heard the rumor he might be interested,” said Khan. “I’ve never met Shane, but we have a lot of mutual friends. I have a lot of respect for him as an executive and a professional wrestler. Shane is always welcome in AEW.”
Earlier this month, McMahon and AEW’s Mercedes Mone had a chance encounter at an airport as well. Mone would later write in her fan newsletter about running into him.
Mone wrote:
“After it all, by only the fates aligned – I walked into the airport, was in line by the bagel shop when I suddenly looked up, and there he was, just as surprised as I was. My first day being a double title holder and the first wrestler and former WWE Superstar I see is [Shane] McMahon….come on, if that isn’t the universe working in divine timing, I don’t know what else it could be,” Mone wrote. “I’ve always loved Shane. When we locked eyes, we both kind of looked at each other like IS THAT YOU? Our faces lit up as we got to talking a bit and before he boarded his flight, he gave me his number… the rest as they say [is] history or maybe a mystery!”
On her way home after competing at Forbidden Door, AEW star Mercedes Mone had a chance airport meeting with Shane McMahon.
PWInsider first reported that Mone and Shane were spotted speaking with each other at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Monday morning. In her fan newsletter this week, Mone confirmed the encounter, writing that she was in line by the bagel shop when she looked up and saw Shane.
“After it all, by only the fates aligned – I walked into the airport, was in line by the bagel shop when I suddenly looked up, and there he was, just as surprised as I was. My first day being a double title holder and the first wrestler and former WWE Superstar I see is [Shane] McMahon….come on, if that isn’t the universe working in divine timing, I don’t know what else it could be,” Mone wrote. “I’ve always loved Shane. When we locked eyes, we both kind of looked at each other like IS THAT YOU? Our faces lit up as we got to talking a bit and before he boarded his flight, he gave me his number… the rest as they say [is] history or maybe a mystery!”
Rumors that the 54-year-old Shane could be interested in appearing for AEW became a discussion point on social media after Jim Ross brought up the idea on his podcast last month, saying it’s so crazy that it might work. Ross’ co-host Conrad Thompson later said the idea wasn’t as crazy as some might think and that Shane had reached out to AEW wrestlers to hypothetically discuss the possibility.
“One person noted to us that there was a conversation between [Shane] McMahon and an ex-WWE talent in AEW and it was described as not a pitch to get in or anything, just two people chatting when McMahon said something to the effect of can you imagine if I walked out there on Dynamite?, not as if he was pitching anything,” Meltzer wrote. “They said it wasn’t serious and that would explain why no key people in AEW had even heard of it before Thompson talked about it. Thompson didn’t talk about it seriously as if it would happen either, just that he had knowledge of the conversation.”
While Tony Khan has never met or talked to Shane, Khan told Sports Illustrated he would always be welcome in AEW.
“I heard the rumor he might be interested,” Khan said. “I’ve never met Shane, but we have a lot of mutual friends. I have a lot of respect for him as an executive and a professional wrestler. Shane is always welcome in AEW.”
Mone now holds both the AEW TBS Championship and NJPW Strong Women’s Championship. After defeating Stephanie Vaquer at Forbidden Door, Mone was confronted by the returning Britt Baker. The two went face-to-face on Dynamite last night.
John LaRocca and I are back to talk about the major topics in the world of professional wrestling on this week’s Fight Game Podcast.
We kicked off the show with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week. Then, we went through our Top Five topics of the week which included discussions on the following:
Tony Khan says AEW’s door is open for Shane McMahon.
On a recent episode of Grilling JR, host Conrad Thompson said a friend of his told him McMahon had sent feelers out to AEW wrestlers regarding him coming into the company. The AEW President would later tell Dave Meltzer that he’d never met or spoken to McMahon.
However, Khan recently told Sports Illustrated that McMahon is “always welcome in AEW.”
“I heard the rumor he might be interested,” said Khan. “I’ve never met Shane, but we have a lot of mutual friends. I have a lot of respect for him as an executive and a professional wrestler. Shane is always welcome in AEW.”
Meltzer addressed McMahon having potentially sent out feelers to AEW wrestlers in last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer wrote:
“One person noted to us that there was a conversation between McMahon and an ex-WWE talent in AEW and it was described as not a pitch to get in or anything, just two people chatting when McMahon said something to the effect of can you imagine if I walked out there on Dynamite?, not as if he was pitching anything. They said it wasn’t serious and that would explain why no key people in AEW had even heard of it before Thompson talked about it.”
Khan also addressed his company’s ongoing TV rights negotiations with Warner Bros Discovery, noting that he has a great relationship with CEO David Zaslav.
“We’re having great discussions with Warner Bros. Discovery,” said Khan. “I have a great relationship with Mr. David Zaslav. We’re fortunate to work with him and his team. It’s a really strong relationship, and I had just a great discussion with their leadership team this week.”
Khan also promoted tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Buffalo, New York.
“It’s a stacked card tonight for Dynamitein Buffalo,” he continued. “We’ll have Jon Moxley, the most decorated man ever in wrestling–he was AEW world champion, WWE world champion, and he’s now IWGP world heavyweight champion in New Japan Pro-Wrestling–and he’ll be teaming with Claudio Castagnoli against Hiromu Takahashi, Titan, and Shingo Takagi. Shingo is wrestling Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door, and Bryan will be on commentary for the match.”
With Bryan Alvarez looking for the right time to pop out & show people, Filthy Tom Lawlor joins Mike Sempervive to talk about all of the day’s news. WWE reportedly closing in on a multi-year deal with the state of Indiana, Dynamite rating collapses, the passing of UFC 1’s Teila Tuli, fun with Shane-O-Mac in AE-Dub & more. A fun show as always, so check it out~!
Amid rumors that surfaced this week that former WWE employee and occasional wrestler Shane McMahon had thrown out feelers about coming to AEW, that apparently is news to the owner of the company.
In a quote given to Dave Meltzer for this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW head Tony Khan said, “I’ve never met him or talked to (McMahon) in my life.”
On an episode of Grilling JR this week, host Conrad Thompson and Jim Ross followed up on a conversation they had the previous week about the possibility of McMahon, son of Vince McMahon, coming to AEW.
Thompson said a mutual friend of he and Ross texted him out of the blue to say the idea wasn’t as crazy as some might think and that McMahon had reached out to AEW wrestlers to hypothetically discuss the idea.
Meltzer reported that that some higher-ups on both sides of the food chain (assumed to mean both WWE and AEW) said they heard nothing close to the rumors while others he spoke with said they heard nothing other than what Thompson said.
Meltzer said another person mentioned to him that in a conversation about McMahon and an ex-WWE wrestler currently in AEW, McMahon and the wrestler were chatting about the attention it would get if he came out on Dynamite. However, the conversation wasn’t a pitch for that to happen.
Shane McMahon is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn quad.
Shane suffered the torn quad when facing The Miz in an impromptu match at WrestleMania 39 this April. It was Shane’s return to WWE after having been “out of the company” since the 2022 Royal Rumble.
In an interview with the Developmentally Speaking podcast, Shane’s son Declan McMahon said his father is making “phenomenal progress” in rehabbing the injury. Declan hopes Shane is able to return to the ring soon and come back better than ever.
Declan said:
His rehab’s going very, very well. He’s gotten back to like jogging. He’s squatting. He’s starting to work out again. It’s getting kind of difficult for him to [unable to make out word] side to side, but his rehab is going really, really well. He’s making phenomenal progress. The doctor said all the time that he’s healing quicker than they thought and, you know, when he tore it, he completely tore his quad tendon. So that’s a very long, hard recovery, but he’s been crushing rehab. He’s been doing his thing. He’ll hopefully get back soon.
Obviously you want to see your dad be able to do what they love, right? My dad loves wrestling second to none. He truly cares for the business. But not only for the business, he truly wants to just put on a show for the fans. Because the fans show him so much love and it’s so rewarding for a lot of those guys to just give to those fans who came to see them. So hopefully he comes back better than ever. And I think, you know, his rehab is going great.
Shane’s injury happened shortly after the WrestleMania 39 match started. He did a leapfrog and then went to drop down, but his leg gave out during the spot and he was unable to continue the match. Snoop Dogg, who was part of the segment, improvised quickly and stepped in for Shane, defeating Miz to win the match.
Declan McMahon attends Indiana University and is part of their football team as a walk-on. When Fastlane took place in Indianapolis earlier this month, Declan and other members of the football team were shown in the crowd.
*Updates on CM Punk, AEW’s new television deal, issues a Saturday show has to deal with and plusses of a Saturday show
*Lots of news on WWE & AEW major shows the next few months, including All In, SummerSlam, Double or Nothing and Backlash.
*Nick Khan talks the WWE/UFC merer and what it means, upcoming negotiations, how Endeavor can help WWE grow, WWE budget cuts and more
*Full coverage of AAA TripleMania, the good, the bad, the angles and more
*Full coverage of New Japan’s U.S. tour in Washington, DC and Philadelphia
*Ted DiBiase Jr. indicted on 13 counts in welfare fraud cause, and updates on it
*Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
*The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week, including where wrestling ranks with sports an with entertainment programing, competition, segment by segment, comparisons with last year and more
*Continuation of the CMLL champion of champions tournament
*Mercedes Mone in Japan, negotiation updates, her comments on Japan and more
*Details of the biggest women’s show in Japan in decades this weekend at the Yokohama Arena
*Ticket sale update on the show
*Cinderella tournament finals
*Champion Carnival update
*Notes on major NOAH show
*Will Ospreay talks future
*John Morrison’s boxing debut and comments form that
*Lots of notes on he death of Butch Miller
*Bill Goldberg and a retirement tour
*Abdullah the Butcher and financial issues
*NCAA looking at changes to wrestling rules and scoring and why
*Concert/wrestling joint promotions
*Major European show this weekend loaded with top international stars
*Impact major show rundown
*Lots of fallout to C.M. Punk returning to AEW
*Great lesson for AEW wen getting a big sports lead-in going forward
*Lots of injury updates
*Advanced ticket sales for WWE & AEW upcoming show
*Streaming numbers for WWE & AEW
*International TV ratings
*What milestone did Raw achieve this past week
*What milestone did AEW achieve this past week
*Lots of new UFC major fights
*What were the most in-demand sports tickets so far in 2023
*Former UFC fighter arrested in a $200,000 burglary
*More details on the new WWE Twitch deal
*WWE performer goes into another major sports competition next week and attempts to make the 2024 Olympic team
*Notes on two WWE signees that a betting site already has odds that one of them will be world champion by 2027
*Notes on all the WWE live events on the road over the past week
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].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Tuesday Update
WWE
NXT Anonymous posted a video on Twitter Wednesday morning showing Sol Ruca being attacked by a mystery assailant at the WWE Performance Center.
Shane McMahon is back in the gym after tearing his quad at WrestleMania 39.
Joe Gacy and Cora Jade worked Monday’s WWE Main Event tapings prior to Raw.
Vikingo vs. Komander vs. Gringo Loco has been added to GCW’s Lifestyle event on May 26 in Las Vegas.
Lince Dorado shared pictures of the Black Tiger inspired mask he made for Mercedes Mone that she wore to the ring at this past weekend’s Stardom pay-per-view.
At the WrestleMania 39 night two post-show press conference, Paul “Triple H” Levesque confirmed that Shane suffered a torn quad at the event. The injury happened right after the start of an impromptu match between Shane and The Miz.
One night after Miz lost an impromptu match to Pat McAfee, Snoop Dogg introduced Shane as Miz’s opponent for night two. Shane briefly spoke on the microphone, getting emotional while thanking the fans for the reception he received. Shane gave Miz punches in the corner after the match started, but his leg gave out on the next spot.
Snoop Dogg improvised after Shane’s injury, giving Miz a People’s Elbow and then pinning him. The referee counted to three to give Snoop Dogg the victory.
“My hats off to Snoop,” Levesque said at the press conference. “He’s a natural born entertainer. I’ve known Snoop for years in this environment and what kind of a fan he is. But, man, tonight from a respect factor for me he put himself on a different playing field for me. Because I know a lot of guys that have been in the business a long time and if that happened they’d be like, ‘What do we do?’ Didn’t miss a beat. It was amazing.”
For the second straight night, The Miz got his comeuppance in a strange WWE WrestleMania 39 segment that saw the brief return of Shane McMahon before he tore his quad less than a minute after their impromptu match began.
The surprise savior? Snoop Dogg.
The rapper and The Miz repeated their night one act where they revealed the evening’s attendance and Miz took umbrage with how Snoop Dogg sanctioned the surprise match he had with the returning Pat McAfee the night before.
Snoop Dogg then threatened to do it again and out came the 53-year-old McMahon to his traditional music and in his traditional garb.
After McMahon got emotional and told the fans how much their cheers meant to him, the match began and ended just as quickly.
After taking a few punches, Miz went off the ropes and McMahon did a leapfrog, coming down awkwardly on his leg. He tried to stand up, but immediately collapsed, grabbing his left knee. As the referee checked on him, he said something to Miz who then jumped around the ring to stall.
The camera focused on Miz as he bounced around the ring while McMahon was pulled out, not to be mentioned again.
Snoop Dogg then re-entered and said it wasn’t going down like that, punching Miz not once, but twice. He then hit a People’s Elbow, complete with tossing his sunglasses out to the crowd, to get the pin and end an incredibly memorable moment in WrestleMania history.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque said at the post-event press conference that McMahon tore his quad.
This was McMahon’s first on-screen appearance since the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble that he participated in. Afterward, news broke of some discontent regarding how he had helped book the widely-panned Rumble match and how he positioned himself in doing so, resulting in him being pulled from appearances for Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38 and eventually pulled from the company altogether.
The final SmackDown before Hell in a Cell takes place at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio tonight.
For the first time since they became the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, The Usos will defend their titles tonight. Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura will be The Usos’ challengers.
The Usos defeated Riddle & Randy Orton two weeks ago to unify the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team titles. After that match, Roman Reigns and The Usos attacked Riddle and Orton.
With Orton out of action, Riddle teamed with Nakamura on Raw this Monday and defeated The Usos by disqualification in a championship contender’s match. The DQ came when The Usos attacked Riddle with his own scooter.
The next challenger for Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship will also be decided tonight. Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Xia Li, Aliyah, and Shotzi will take part in a number one contender’s six-pack challenge.
Plus, Madcap Moss returns to SmackDown looking for payback on Happy Corbin.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee ran down the card for tonight. McAfee noted tonight’s a celebration of Cole’s career since it’s his 25th anniversary. He added that Cole only missed two shows in his career.
New Day and Drew McIntyre Segment
This was a good opening segment. The fans were into it and reacted big for New Day and McIntyre. McIntyre promised to win the Universal title at Clash at the Castle.
They recapped Drew McIntyre and New Day defeating The Brawling Brutes last week.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their way to the ring to start SmackDown. They got a massive reaction after referencing Columbus, Ohio. They mentioned defeating the Brawling Brutes last week with their mystery partner. Kingston and Woods then introduced Drew McIntyre to another big reaction.
McIntyre started by giving a shout-out to Big E at home. The fans popped for Big E. McIntyre started a loud “Big E” chant. He knows what it’s like to be out with an injury. McIntyre promised to win the WWE Undisputed Univeral title at Clash at the Castle.
McIntyre quickly changed the topic and called himself Big D. They teased McIntrye would make a dirty joke, but New Day cut him off. They gave him an early birthday present, a pair of shorts with the words Big D.
The Brawling Brutes interrupted and walked out onto the stage. Sheamus noted they were at a disadvantage because McIntyre was a surprise. They didn’t get a chance to prepare for him. Butch heard enough and ran to the ring, but McIntyre knocked him out. Sheamus and Holland tried to hold Butch back as they went to a commercial break.
The Brawling Brutes defeated Drew McIntyre & The New Day (10:54)
This was a fun match and a good opener. The Brutes got their win back from last week.
The match started during the commercial break.
The faces had the early advantage as they isolated Butch on their side of the ring. Woods hit a senton for a near fall. Holland made a blind tag and rocked Woods with a tackle. The Brutes took over and cut Woods off from his corner.
Butch slowed the pace down and stomped on Woods’s hand. Kingston tagged in, and he ran wild. He caught Sheamus with a flying crossbody for a near fall. He followed up with the Boom Drop and set up for Trouble in Paradise, but Butch broke it up. New Day sent the heels to ringside and hit a double dive. They celebrated on the announce table, with Woods taking McAfee’s headset.
Back from the break, the heels were firmly in control, beating down Kingston in the corner. Holland hit a power slam, and Sheamus followed up with a diving knee for a two-count. Kingston fought back, and McIntyre got the hot tag. McIntrye ran wild and rocked Sheamus with a clothesline and gave McAfee a stiff high five.
McIntrye caught Butch and gave him a belly-to-belly suplex. In a brutal-looking spot, Kingston attempted a plancha on Holland. Holland tried to catch him in a power slam, but he fell backward with Kingston on his shoulder. Holland fell on top of Kingston hard. Kingston appeared to be hurt. The finish came when Butch hit the bitter end on Woods for the win.
*************
They recapped Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura forming a team last week.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Riddle and Nakamura. Riddle noted they’re still in the honeymoon phase. They recapped The Bloodline attacking Riddle and Randy Orton two weeks ago. Cole claimed Orton might never wrestle again.
Riddle added that tonight’s not about winning the titles. It’s about getting revenge for Orton.
***********
Max Dupri entered Adam Pearce’s office. Pearce was on the phone and stated the six-pack challenge tonight was Ronda Rousey’s idea. Dupri noted he’s been looking for his first client to headline fashion shows and WrestleMania. Durpi finally found his first client. He promised to reveal his new client next week.
***********
They showed a Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins Hell in a Cell video package.
This was pretty bad. It’s unclear who was the face aside from Shanky, who wasn’t in the match. The focus was on Shanky wanting to dance.
They recapped the angle with Mahal and Shanky from last week. Los Lotharios did the kiss cam as they walked to the ring.
Before the match, Shanky was dancing when Mahal approached. He warned Shanky to take the match seriously and forbid him from dancing. Cole pointed out that Shanky had new ring gear.
Shanky joked around and danced behind Mahal’s back. Humberto backed Mahal in the corner for the advantage. He followed up with hard chops. Mahal fought back and gave Humberto a huge back body drop. Cole claimed the fans want to see the “Skyscraping” Shanky dance.
Mahal took over and rocked Humberto with a vicious kick. He set up for the Khallas, but Shanky started dancing. Mahal yelled at him to stop. Humberto rolled up Mahal, but Shanky distracted the referee. Humberto then yelled at the referee, which allowed Mahal to roll up Humberto for the win.
After the match, Shanky tried dancing with Mahal. Mahal stormed off, so Shanky danced in front of ring announcer Samantha Irvin. Eventually, she stood up and danced. The fans popped and cheered for Irvin dancing.
************
Ronda Rousey made her way to ringside to watch the six-pack challenge.
They recapped Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez and the angle involving Aliyah locking Shotzi in the dressing room.
Shotzi came out first for the match. Irvin introduced Aliyah, but she didn’t come to the ring. They cut backstage, and Aliyah was locked in the dressing room. In the ring. Shotzi laughed at Aliyah.
McAfee had the line of the night when he pointed out that Shotzi locked Aliyah, the cameraman, and the boom operator in the dressing room.
Six-Pack Challenge: Natalya defeated Raquel Rodriguez, Shotzi, Aliyah, Shayna Baszler, and Xia Li (4:03)
This was an okay match. They only got four minutes, and it felt rushed. A lot happened in the short amount of time they had.
Back from the break, the competitors stood in the ring when Aliyah ran out and attacked Shotzi. They never explained how Aliyah escaped the dressing room. All six started brawling around ringside. Back in the ring, Li avoided the sharpshooter and caught Natalya with a suplex. Li then rocked Natalya with a kick for a near fall, but Aliyah broke up the pin.
Natalya rocked Li with a discus clothesline, but Rodriguez jumped in the ring. Rodriguez went for the corkscrew elbow, but Shotzi cut her off. Rodriguez then dropped Shotzi onto Natalya.
Rodriguez recovered and hit the corkscrew elbow. She then hit the powerbomb on Shotzi and had the match won. Baszler jumped in and caught Rodriguez in the Kififuda Clutch. Natalya took advantage and covered Shotzi for the win.
After the match, Rousey got in the ring and faced off with Natalya. Cole noted Natalya receives a title shot against Rousey in the future.
*********
They recapped Happy Corbin injuring Madcap Moss. In a digital exclusive, Corbin promised to hurt Moss again, or he could beg for his job.
In the back, Moss emerged from the back of an ambulance. He dropped the suspenders and has a new look with simple black tights.
They showed a Lacey Evans video package and announced Evans returns to SmackDown next week.
Madcap Moss Segment
This was a fine segment. Moss was good in his role and got a good reaction from the fans.
Moss made his way to the ring to address Corbin’s attack. The fans broke into a brief “welcome back” chant. He discussed Corbin injuring his neck a few weeks ago. He noted Corbin thought that was the end of Moss. Moss said that Corbin’s right. It was the end of the old Madcap Moss.
Moss can still hear Corbin making him tell jokes over and over. He then called Corbin out to the ring. Corbin walked onto the stage and thought Moss just wanted his old job back.
However, Moss only wants Corbin to come to the ring for a fight. Corbin turned down Moss’s challenge, but Adam Pearce interrupted. Pearce made the match official, and it’s next.
Happy Corbin defeated Madcap Moss via DQ (1:19)
There wasn’t much of a match, and it had a weak finish. It was more of an angle to get over Moss’s new character and the feud with Corbin. The fans were into the post-match angle and popped big when Moss attacked Corbin with the chair.
Before the bell, Corbin refused to get in the ring. He finally got in but jumped out at the bell. Corbin took over after using the referee to distract Moss. Moss fought back and sent Corbin to the floor with a clothesline.
They brawled around ringside, but Corbin grabbed a chair. Moss kicked the chair out of his hands. He then hit Corbin with the chair for a disqualification.
After the match, Moss beat down Corbin with the chair. The fans broke into a loud “One more time” chant. Moss put Corbin’s head in the chair and tried to drop the stairs on him. Referees and officials ran out to stop Moss. The fans booed. They announced Corbin as the winner, and the fans erupted in louder boos.
Later, Happy Corbin was leaving the arena when Adam Pearce walked up to him. Corbin assumed Pearce would suspend Moss. Instead, Pearce announced Corbin vs. Moss in a No Holds Barred match at Hell in a Cell.
*********
Kayla Braxton interviewed The Usos backstage. They promised to retain the titles and dedicated the match to Roman Reigns.
Cole announced Intercontinental Champion Ricochet vs. Gunther for next week. In the back, Ricochet promised to retain the title. Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther guaranteed victory. The fans broke into a loud “U.S.A.” chant.
WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura (13:19)
Riddle and Nakamura and The Usos had a good match with a distraction finish. They told a good story with the finish working into the Sami Zayn/Bloodline storyline. However, it did nothing to build to Hell in a Cell this Sunday night.
The fans were great all night and reacted big to almost everything. The medical team took Nakamura to the back midway with an injury, leaving Riddle on his own. The fans desperately wanted Riddle to pull it off and win the titles.
The Usos took over after slamming down Riddle with a double-spine buster. Jimmy slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Riddle broke free and rocked Jimmy with a kick to the head. Nakamura then tagged in and ran wild on The Usos. He placed Jey on the corner and hit a running knee for a near fall.
Nakamura hit a sliding German suplex in the ropes. Riddle followed up with a penalty kick for a two-count. He went for the floating bro, but Jimmy knocked him off the top. The Usos then hit the double superkick on Riddle for a close near fall. Nakamura broke up the pin attempt and brawled with Jey at ringside.
At ringside, Nakamura went for a running knee, but Jey moved, and he hit the stairs hard. Jey then stomped on Nakamura’s knee and he went down in pain. The referee immediately threw up the “X” sign. The trainers and referees ran out to check on Nakamura. They took him to the back, leaving Riddle on his own.
Riddle ran wild and sent The Usos to the floor as they cut to commercial.
Back from the break, The Usos were firmly in control, but Riddle briefly recovered. The Usos took over and mocked Orton. Riddle got back to his feet and caught Jey with a running knee.
Riddle rocked Jimmy with a series of strikes. He threw The Usos around the ring with suplexes and hit two bro-tons. Riddle hit Jimmy with a kick to the face and followed with a floating bro to the floor. He went for the draping DDT on Jey, but Jimmy made the save.
Riddle then hit the draping DDT on Jimmy and set up for the RKO. Jimmy avoided and sent Riddle into Jey. Riddle recovered and rolled up Jimmy for another two-count. The fans thought it was over and popped for the near fall.
The finish came when Riddle and Jimmy were fighting on the top rope. Suddenly, Roman Reigns’ music started playing. Riddle was briefly distracted. He hit the super RKO on Jimmy anyway, but Jey made a blind tag. Jey then hit the flying splash for the win.
In the production truck, they revealed that Sami Zayn was the one that played Reigns’ music. Zayn was overjoyed and ran out to celebrate with The Usos. Riddle recovered and attacked The Usos and Zayn to end SmackDown.
***********
Next Week: Intercontinental Champion Ricochet defends against Gunther. Plus, Lacey Evans returns to SmackDown.
