Trish Stratus is set to star in a Christmas movie.
The WWE Hall of Famer announced on her website today that she has landed the lead role in a holiday film, set to begin production in Canada next month. The movie is scheduled for a late 2022 release, in time for the Christmas season.
“I’m so excited to take on this role,” Stratus said in a statement posted to her site. “I love the character – there are many parallels to my own life. I can’t wait to create more Christmas magic.”
Stratus posted on social media about the role:
“Excited to kick off 2022 with this news… I’m doing a new movie!!”
Stratus had a cameo role in the 2021 holiday film “Christmas in the Rockies,” which was released on DVD and aired on UP tv in the United States.
A member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2013, Stratus’s next announced WWE appearance is Sunday, March 27 in Toronto, where she will serve as the host for a house show. That show was originally scheduled for December 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WWE’s Holiday Tour live event in Toronto will have a Hall of Fame guest host next month.
Trish Stratus has announced that she will be hosting WWE’s Wednesday, December 29 house show at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In a post on her website, Stratus stated: “Excited to step through that curtain and feel the energy of the WWE Universe one more time. Let’s do this Toronto!”
The Toronto event will be a Raw brand house show, with Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Riddle, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Omos and Damian Priest advertised. The SmackDown crew will have a house show in Baltimore that same night, with Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks, plus Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso advertised.
Stratus was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Her most recent WWE appearance came at SummerSlam in Toronto in August 2019 in a loss to Charlotte Flair.
Additionally, Stratus will be serving as a judge for the upcoming Canada’s Got Talent revival. She is also set to be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa in July 2022.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is set to serve as a judge for the Canada’s Got Talent series revival on Citytv in Spring 2022.
After a hiatus of more than nine years, the Simon Cowell-created and produced show is returning to Canadian television, though no official premiere date has been announced.
Stratus joins a lineup of judges that include America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel, YouTube personality and former NBC talk show host Lilly Singh, plus musician Kardinal Offishall.
“I’m so excited to be joining this iconic brand and seeing the incredible talent Canada has to offer,” said Stratus. “And of course, when I spot it, dropping that elbow on The Golden Buzzer!”
Canada’s Got Talent originally aired for one season on Citytv in 2012. Since America’s Got Talent debuted in 2006, the Got Talent television franchise has been sold in 75 territories around the world, according to Deadline.
Stratus is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2013. She will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa in July 2022 after travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponed her scheduled induction in both 2020 and 2021.
ROH IN TORONTO TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. EASTERN AT THE MATTAMY ATHLETIC CENTER ON HONOR CLUB
Silas Young vs. P.J. Black
Caristico & Soberano Jr. & Stuka Jr. vs. Cavernario & Hechicero & Templario
PCO & Body King vs. TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia
Bandido & Mark Haskins vs. Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal
Kelly Klein vs. Tasha Steelz for WOH title
Rush vs. Dalton Castle in a no DQ match
Shane Taylor vs. Tracy Williams for TV title
Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley for ROH title
Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa in a ladder match for ROH tag titles
CMLL TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN ON THE CMLL YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK PAGES FROM ARENA MEXICO IN MEXICO CITY
Magnus & Oro Jr. vs. Nitro & Sangre Azteca
Atlantis Jr. & Dulce Gardenia & Titan vs. Ephesto& Mephisto & Okumura
Women’s elimination match: Dalys vs.. Lluvia vs. Sanely vs. Comandante vs. Mystique vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jarochita vs. Skadi vs,.Reyna Isis vs. Magnifica
Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Valiente vs. Negro Casas & Sanada & Sanson
Ultimo Guerrero vs. Ciber the Main Man for CMLL heavyweight title
Volador Jr. & Dragon Lee & Diamante Azul vs. Euforia & Forastero & Gran Guerrero
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX A BLOCK FINALS FROM BUDOKAN HALL IN TOKYO AT 5 A.M. SATURDAY MORNING ON NEW JAPAN WORLD AND 9 P.M. ON AXS TV
Juice Robinson & Ren Narita vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma vs,. Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare
Evil & Sanada & Bushi vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. KENTA & Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. & Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb
Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi
Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley
Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito
WWE SUMMERSLAM ON SUNDAY AT 6 P.M. EASTERN ON WWE NETWORK
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for Universal title
Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton for WWE title
Bill Goldberg vs, Dolph Ziggler
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon – If Owens loses he must quit WWE
A.J. Styles vs. Ricochet for U.S. title
Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya submission match for Raw women’s title
Bayley vs. Ember Moon for Smackdown women’s title
Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan for cruiserweight title
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX FINALS AT BUDOKAN HALL ON SUNDAY NIGHT AT 2 A.M. EASTERN AND 11 P.M. PACIFIC ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Raw will be live on Monday from Toronto with Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss defending the women’s tag titles against Asuka & Kairi Sane and The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler.
Smackdown and 205 Live will be Tuesday night from Toronto.
Joseph Currier looks at Rey Mysterio’s current WWE run and the value he could still have to the company. Plus, Vinny’s TV reviews.
After three years away from the company, Mysterio made his full-time return to WWE last fall. His current run hasn’t been a failure, but this is the time when he’s freshest to WWE and the fans. That hasn’t really been capitalized on.
Mysterio won the US title from Samoa Joe at Money in the Bank, but his reign never got a chance to begin. He had to vacate the title after separating his shoulder. Wherever WWE was going with Mysterio’s son Dominick being by his side against Joe, that’s seemingly been dropped. When Mysterio returned, he was demolished by Bobby Lashley in his first match back.
Mysterio also participated in a number one contender’s battle royal last month, with Rollins winning and advancing to challenge Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Mysterio defeated Zayn at Raw Reunion, though the segment was mostly about returning legends getting to appear. RVD, Sgt. Slaughter, The Hurricane, and Kurt Angle stopped Zayn from walking out. Mysterio then hit the 619 and a frog splash to get the win.
Raw Reunion capitalized on the nostalgia of returning wrestlers from previous eras. Mysterio appearing on the same episode as them showed how much of an opportunity WWE is missing with him. Even at 44 years old, Mysterio is such an incredible in-ring performer. He can still be one of the most marketable people on the roster and one of the wrestlers with the most mainstream appeal. He can still connect as a top babyface. He’s a Hall of Fame wrestler that still has a ton of value to the company. WWE moved on from John Cena too quickly when he should have had time left as a top star, and they shouldn’t make the same mistake with Mysterio.
The early career of Harley Race, his road to the world title and his battles with Hulk Hogan is the lead story of a special double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We examine why Race made such a convincing champion, the story behind his seventh world title win over Ric Flair and how Vince McMahon attempted to sabotage what at the time was the biggest pro wrestling event in history. We look at how the Flair vs. Race storyline at the first Starrcade went down, how Flair first became NWA champion, McMahon’s big move right before Starrcade, how many modern wrestlers copied him, what he was known for in Japan, the incident with Hogan and the story behind why there was so much of a delay in the Hogan vs. Race program in WWF and why it didn’t draw well.
We look at how Race first got involved in pro wrestling, the auto accident that killed his wife and nearly ended his career, his early career, how he got his first major career break at the age of 21, the legend of Bruiser & Crusher vs. The Dolly Sisters tag team, Race the street fighter, the creation of the world tag team championships in Australia, and his rise in the NWA. We look at the unique situation that led to his first world title reign, why it was never planned and how his work in seven weeks as champion changed his entire career. We also look at the road to his second world title.
We also update the G-1 Climax tournament with coverage of all the shows this past week with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.
We cover the biggest event of the year in Mexico, TripleMania, with business notes, lots on the debut of Cain Velasquez, the story behind his moves, the return of L.A. Park, The Elite, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results on the show.
We also explore how the creative changes impacted the SummerSlam show, with notes on the different changes, the Takeover card, and the ticket demand going into the big weekend.
We look at yet another new WWE television show being proposed, Dwayne Johnson retiring as a wrestler, notes on Hobbs & Shaw, NXT business, WWE rules regarding U.K. talent, Goldberg pay, WWE looking at a major acquisition, WWE thinking about house show changes and why, WrestleMania 2021 news, an update on WWE show in Saudi Arabia, and an update on WWE touring schedule.
We have notes on how TV will be routed come October, Fox talks abut Smackdown, lots of WWE injury updates, intergender matches, WWE ticket sales, Mae Young Classic 2019, a new WWE producer, Reigns talks Dean Ambrose, Lio Rush update, a surprise return to WWE in two weeks, complaints at NXT live events about fans, Evolve news, WWE market value, most-watched shows on WWE Network, as well as a rundown on all WWE live events held over the past week with results, highlights and business notes.
We’ve got full coverage of the UFC event in Newark headlined by Colby Covington’s win over Robbie Lawler.
We also look back at the PWG 16th anniversary show, the rise of PWG, and the Battle of Los Angeles participants.
We also have full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.
As always, we have in-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows,the key demos for the WWE shows and what can be learned from them.
We also have the 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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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.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
While this has not been announced officially, ITV Box Office will be carrying All Out as a PPV event in the U.K.
Trish Stratus has been saying that Sunday’s match with Charlotte Flair will be her final match.
Ariel Helwani puts together his first E:60 at ESPN with a feature on Daniel Cormier which will air Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Eastern and 6 a.m. Pacific. I have a very small role it in. I’ve seen the finished product and you will really like it. Here are someclips. Here is a story on Helwani putting the show together.
Impact announced Bound for Glory on 10/20 in Chicago at the Odeum Expo Center with tickets now on sale at www.impactwrestling.com Titanium tickets at $300 get front row for Bound for Glory, admission to the 10/18 show in South Bend, admission to the fan interaction 10/19 at 115 Bourbon Street and early admission to Bound for Glory
Lance Storm announced today that he will be closing down his Storm Wrestling Academy after his next session in September. Storm noted that in the last 14 years he has trained wrestlers from approximately 30 countries. He already notified those who had signed up for 2020 sessions that he was finishing up at the end of the year. Storm said, “My body is getting tired and my kids are adults now, so a moderate road schedule is acceptable. I reached out to see what my options were and got an offer I liked.”
WWE
Tegan Nox returned to action last month after major knee surgery.
Stephanie McMahon talks to Fortune magazine about SummerSlam, as well as makes a comment on AEW. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
DK Publishing announced a new book: WWE: 35 Years of WrestleMania. The book will be released on 9/3 and will cover every WrestleMania.
Jimmy Uso, who is not on the SummerSlam card, was pulled from autograph signings because he was unable to get across the border due to his recent DUI arrest,.
ESPN has a story on WWE recruiting former football players. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
The Edmonton Sun has a story on Roman Reigns,who played for the Edmonton Eskimos after his first bout with leukemia.
UFC
The 10/12 show that was expected to be at the Chase Center in San Francisco will instead be taking place in Tampa.
Alex Oliveira vs. Nicolas Darby has been added to the 9/28 show in Copenhagen, Denmark.
MISCELLANEOUS
OWE from Wednesday in Toronto: Sunny Zhai b Buck Gunderson, Dark Order b Lindaman & T-Hawk, Sammy Guevara b Alexander James, Cima & Christopher Daniels b Private Party, Gao Jinglia b Mike Bailey (thanks to Dave Musgrave)
Smash vs. Progress from Wednesday in Toronto: Mike Rollins b Trent Seven, Brent Banks & Tyson Dux b Aussie Open, Jordynne Grace b Alexia Nicole to keep Progress women’s title, Walter b Kevin Bennett, Tarik b Jordan Devlin, Toni Storm b Jody Threat, Team Smash of John Greed & Daniel Garcia & Idris Abraham & Joe Coleman b Team Progress of David Starr & Chris Brookes & Travis Banks & Paul Robinson (thanks to Dave Musgrave)
wXw Ambition from yesterday in Toronto: This was a one-night UWFI style tournament: Timothy Thatcher b Alexander James, Daniel Makabe b Bobby Gunns, Daniel Garcia b Buck Gunderson, Walter b Mike Bailey, Timothy Thatcher b Daniel Makabe, Walter b Daniel Garcia, Yuki Ishikawa b Tyson Dux, Walter b Timothy Thatcher to win tournament. (thanks to Dave Musgrave)
Progress from yesterday in Toronto: Jordan Banks b Travis Banks, Toni Storm b Holidead, Aussie Open won three-way over Dark Order and Andy Williams & Pepper Parks, Trent Seven b Eddie Kingston, Chris Brookes & Jordynne Grace b David Starr & Jody Threat, Walter b Paul Robinson to keep Progress title. Dave Musgrave called it the best live show he’d ever seen.
Toni Storm was pulled from today’s wXw who in Toronto. We don’t have any more details on it past that she’s already been in town and has wrestled on other shows.
Some shows in Toronto the next two days:
Smash Wrestling at 8 p.m. tonight has Kevin Bennett vs. Mike Bailey, plus Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, LuFisto, Tyson Dux, Veda Scott, Daisuke Sekimoto and Walter.
A combination women’s show at the Summit tomorrow at 11 a.m. has Nicole Savoy vs. Nicole Matthews for the Shimmer title, Mercedes Martinez vs. Jordynne Grace for the Femmes Fatales title, Rosemary vs. KC Spinelli for the Smash title, Zoe Lucas vs. Aerial Monroe for the Phoenix of Rise title, Priscilla Kelly vs. Cheerleader Melissa vs. LuFisto vs. Allysin Kay, Delilah Doom vs. Shotzi Blackheart and more. Bull Nakano will headline a meet and greet at 9 a.m.
OWE tomorrow at 3 p.m. has Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Rekka & Gaia Hox, Sebastian Suave vs. Cima, Gao Jinglia vs. Sammy Guevara, Psycho Mike vs. Sky, T-Hawk vs. Daniel Garcia and Lindaman vs. Brandon Cutler.
Wrestling Revolver on 8/23 in Dayton at The Brightside with a one night tournament. Some first round matches are Daga vs. Tessa Blanchard, Jimmy Havoc vs. Jessicka Havok and Jake Crist vs. Nevaeh. They also run 10/4 in West Des Moines, IA at the Val Air Ballroom with Larry D vs. Killer Kross vs. Mad Man Fulton, plus Tessa Blanchard, Rich Swann, Daga, Jessicka Havok, JT Dunn, Mance Warner and more
MCW Tribute to the Legends on 10/5 with a Convention at Noon at a show at 7 p.m. The meet and greet will include Kane and the Briscoe Brothers.
Innovate Wrestling tomorrow in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.
Shine on 8/24 in Livonia, MI at 4 p.m. with Allysin Kay defending the Shine title against Mercedes Martinez and Ivelisse, Luscious Latasha & Gabby Gilbert vs. Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo for the tag titles and Shotzi Blackheart defending the Nova title against Natalia Markova.
Right after will be an Evolve show in the same building at 8 p.m. with Matt Riddle vs. Josh Briggs, Austin Theory vs. Anthony Henry, JD Drake vs. Arturo Ruas, AR Fox vs. Joe Gacy anything goes, Curt Stallion vs. Anthony Greene, Babatunde vs. Sean Maluta, Leon Ruff vs. Brandon Taggart and Stephen Wolf vs. Anthony Gutierrez
Evolve on 8/25 in Chicago has Austin Theory vs. JD Drake vs Josh Briggs for the Evolve title, AR Fox & Leon Ruff defend the tag titles against Matt Riddle & Curt Stallion, Arturo Ruas vs. Anthony Henry no holds barred, Shotzi Blackheart vs. Brandi Lauren Kendo stick match, Babatunde vs. Joe Gacy, Adrian Alanis & Liam Grey vs. Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett, Stephen Wolf vs. Sean Maluta and Anthony Greene vs. Paco.
AXS tonight at 9 p.m. will be airing the 2009 Affliction show headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel.
Ken Shamrock’s first Valor Bare Knuckle show is 9/21 from New Town, ND at the 4 Bears Casino and Lodge with a one-night heavyweight tournament that will include former UFC fighters Jack May, Remeau Thierry Sokoudjou and Mark Godbeer, plus former K-1 star Mighty Mo. This will air live on PPV for $29.95.
Pro Wrestling EVE tomorrow at the Resistance Gallery in London has Millie McKenzie vs. Roxxy, tag champs Jetta & Erin Angel vs. Debbie Keitel &U Valkyrie, Nina Samuels vs. Laura Di Matteo, Sammi Jayne vs Charlie Evans and more.
Impact announced tickets are now on sale for Bound for Glory on 10/20 in Chicago.
Emily Anzulis from Titan Games is now training for pro wrestling under Tom Prichard in Knoxville.
Former WWE star Jillian Hall Fletcher said that she was expecting her first child in March.
Warrior Wrestlnig is hopeful of finalizing a deal to bring in former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir for the 9/1 show in Chicago.
Cain Velasquez will be doing a meet and greet and taking part in the Pro Wrestling Revolution show on 10/5 in San Jose at Mt. Pleasant High School where he’ll meet childhood idol El Hijo del Santo
Ahead of SummerSlam, Trish Stratus is returning to the ring on tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Stratus & Natalya will team against Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch on tonight’s episode. This will be Stratus’ first match since the night after Evolution last October.
Stratus vs. Charlotte is set for SummerSlam, while Natalya will challenge for Lynch’s Raw Women’s Championship in a submission match at Sunday’s pay-per-view.
WWE has also announced that Shawn Michaels and Dolph Ziggler will appear on Miz TV tonight. The segment is supposed to be a contract signing for The Miz vs. Ziggler at SummerSlam, but Dave Meltzer reported last week that Goldberg is actually Ziggler’s opponent for the PPV.
Tonight’s Raw is the go-home show for SummerSlam. The episode is taking place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. WWE has confirmed that Brock Lesnar will appear tonight, which comes after the angle where he attacked Seth Rollins last week. Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Rollins on Sunday.
fAs expected, Charlotte Flair and Trish Stratus will be facing off at SummerSlam.
Charlotte vs. Stratus was officially confirmed for SummerSlam during Stratus’ appearance on this week’s SmackDown. Charlotte interrupted Jerry Lawler’s King’s Court segment with Stratus. Charlotte insulted Stratus and issued a challenge for the pay-per-view, which Stratus accepted.
During a backstage interview on SmackDown last week, Charlotte called herself the “Queen of All Eras,” demanded a match at SummerSlam, and said she’s going to prove why she’s the greatest women’s wrestler of all time. It was then confirmed that Charlotte vs. Stratus was planned for the pay-per-view.
This will be Stratus’ first match since the night after Evolution last October.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Stratus’ hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 11. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Seth Rollins
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Natalya
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Randy Orton
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Ember Moon
Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon (Owens will “quit WWE” if he loses)
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Ricochet
The build to SummerSlam continues as SmackDown takes place from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee tonight.
Jerry Lawler hosts the King’s Court with special guest Trish Stratus. Charlotte Flair cut a promo last week saying that she’s out to prove she’s the “Queen of all Eras.” Charlotte demanded to have a worthy opponent for SummerSlam, and Flair vs. Stratus is planned to take place at the pay-per-view.
Tonight’s show has undergone some changes after Vince McMahon ordered a rewrite earlier in the day. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston (w/ Big E and Xavier Woods) will face United States Champion AJ Styles (w/ Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) in a non-title match.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley & Ember Moon will team against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross. Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler is also still listed on the preview for tonight’s show.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Shane McMahon sent in a video from earlier today. He claimed he’s going to ruin some fans night. McMahon announced he’s not going to be on tonight’s show. The fans cheered his announcement.
McMahon’s not appearing because Kevin Owens attacked in him the last few weeks. McMahon talked to his life coach and is now feeling centered. He promised to defeat Owens at SummerSlam and end his career.
Daniel Bryan appears later to make his career-changing announcement finally.
Roman Reigns issues his SummerSlam challenge later tonight.
Kevin Owens made his way down to the ring. He mocked McMahon for not appearing tonight. He noted McMahon not being there is good news. Tonight the show can be about the talent instead of McMahon’s stupid face.
Owens promised to defeat McMahon and prove that he doesn’t belong in the ring with people like him. Owens pointed out this isn’t McMahon’s show. It’s the Kevin Owens show.
Drew McIntyre interrupted and made his way to the ring. McIntyre told Owens he talks too much. He revealed that McMahon forgot to announce McIntyre vs. Owens. McIntyre attacked Owens and threw him over the announce table.
Kevin Owens defeated Drew McIntyre
Owens had a brief flurry of offense early on. McIntyre gained control and scored a near fall. He slowed the pace down and worked over Owens’ arm. McIntyre was firmly in control until going shoulder-first into the ring post. Owens hit the cannonball for a near fall.
They fought on the top turnbuckle, but Owens shoved McIntyre off. He followed up with a frog splash for a two count. Back from the break, Owens hit a senton for a close near fall. Owens went for the Stunner, but McIntyre countered with the Glasgow Kiss.
McIntyre went for the Claymore Kick, but Owens countered with a superkick. Owens hit the pop-up powerbomb for a close near fall. Owens climbed to the top, but McIntyre cut him off. McIntyre hit the Celtic Cross off the top for a very close near fall.
McIntyre sent Owens to the floor and cleared the announce table. Owens fought back and hit the Stunner on the announce table. In the ring, Owens hit a superkick and Stunner for the win.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Dolph Ziggler. She noted several wrestlers were disgusted with Ziggler for his actions last week. They showed footage of Ziggler hitting the superkick on Shawn Michaels.
Ziggler doesn’t care what the wrestlers are saying. He said he has two words for ya “Too Bad.” He mentioned Mick Foley, Goldberg and Shawn Michaels. He’s not afraid of Miz because he’s not even the best wrestler in his house. He’s more afraid of Maryse. He promised to defeat Finn Bálor later.
Bayley approached Ember Moon in the locker room. They might be partners tonight, but she didn’t forget that Moon gave her the Eclipse last week. She warned Moon not to make the same mistake again.
In the back, Aleister Black talked about a man picking a fight with him. He said a true warrior in Cesaro stepped up. Black wondered what’s his next step. He’s sitting in his purgatory with a little less patient this time.
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated Bayley & Ember Moon
The faces had the early advantage when Bayley hit the dropkick through the ring post on the floor. Cross got in Bayley’s face, but Moon hit a suicide dive. Back from the break, the heels were firmly in control. Cross trapped Bayley in the ring apron skirt. Bliss followed up with a sliding dropkick.
The heels isolated Bayley on their side of the ring. Moon got the hot tag and ran wild on the heels. She hit a fallaway slam on Cross and hit a splash in the corner.
Moon hit the Eclipse on Cross, but Bliss sent her into the ring post. Bliss then hit Twisted Bliss for the win.
After the match, Bayley checked on Moon and then hit the Bayley-to-Belly on Moon.
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Sami Zayn in the back. He talked about Aleister Black trying to pick a fight.
He said Black doesn’t need a fight but needs a beating. Zayn promised to expose Black and beat him at SummerSlam.
The King’s Court with Trish Stratus
Jerry “The King” Lawler said it’s good to be king especially in Memphis, Tennessee. He then introduced his special guest Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Stratus noted she came straight from the cottage to be on the show.
They talked about the Raw Reunion. Lawler noted a lot of the wrestlers spoke about having one final match. He asked Stratus if she ever thinks about one more match. The fans broke into a “One More Match” chant. Stratus said it’s in her blood, but she’s a mom now.
Charlotte Flair interrupted and made her way to the ring. She said it’s a disgrace to host King’s Court without a Queen. Flair demanded Lawler open the ropes for her and the fans broke into a “Jerry” chant. Flair noted Stratus is just making excuses. Flair then challenged Stratus to a match for SummerSlam.
Stratus didn’t say anything and Flair mocked her. Flair noted Stratus knows she can’t beat her. Flair told Stratus to get back in the mini-van and change her kid’s diapers.
Stratus pointed out there wouldn’t’ be a trail to blaze if it wasn’t for her. Stratus said Flair should know that to be the woman; you have to beat the woman. Stratus agreed to the match. Flair vs. Stratus is official for SummerSlam
The O.C. met in the back. AJ Styles pointed out that all three of them have titles. Styles promised to defeat Kofi Kingston and prove that SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built.
Ramblin Rabbit hosted another edition of The Firefly Funhouse. Finn Bálor is Ramblin Rabbit’s favorite wrestler, but he made a mistake messing with The Fiend. He noted Bálor doesn’t know what the Funhouse is. Rabbit left when Bray Wyatt showed up. Wyatt laughed and said, let me in.
They recapped Brock Lesnar viciously attacking Seth Rollins last night on Raw. They released a statement from Rollins. He requested that WWE not release his medical condition.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Finn Bálor
Bálor had the early advantage but ran into an elbow. Ziggler fought back and scored a near fall. He set up for the superkick, but Bálor countered with the sling blade.
Suddenly, the lights slowly went off. The Fiend Bray Wyatt appeared in the arena briefly, but the lights went off again. The lights came back on, and Wyatt was gone. Ziggler then hit the superkick on Bálor for the win.
Ali defeated Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match
Ali hit a dropkick and dive to the floor right at the bell. He followed up with a cross body for a near fall. Ali missed a charge in the corner and went face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Nakamura went for the reverse exploder, but Ali landed on his feet.
Ali climbed to the top, but Nakamura pulled him off. Nakamura set up for the Kinshasa, but Ali countered with a superkick. Ali missed the 450 splash, but Nakamura missed another Kinshasa. Nakamura attempted the Kinshasa a third time, but Ali rolled him up for the win.
They aired an excellent video package covering WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton.
It covered their history and feud. Orton spoke about his career and success. He noted Kingston had a fake Jamaican accent and had to be a nice guy. They showed footage of Orton calling Kingston stupid during a match years ago.
Orton pointed out that he injured Ali that resulted in Kingston eventually winning the WWE Championship. Orton called Kingston stupid for challenging him to a match at SummerSlam.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed The New Day. Woods and Big E took over the interview. Kofi Kingston pointed out that Woods and Big E are the tag team champions and he’s the WWE Champion. He promised to defeat AJ Styles. He noted this isn’t the house that AJ Styles built. It’s now the Palace of Positivity.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston (w/The New Day) defeated United States Champion AJ Styles (w/The O.C.)
Kingston had the early advantage. He attempted Trouble in Paradise, but Styles avoided. Kingston sent Styles to the floor but The O.C. and New Day got involved. Styles rocked Kingston with a knee and gained control.
Back from the break, Styles was firmly in control and hit a backbreaker for a two count. He slowed the pace down and applied a chin lock on Kingston.
During the match, they cut to a split-screen to show Kayla Braxton preparing to interview Roman Reigns regarding his SummerSlam challenge.
Kingston fought back and hit a tornado DDT. He followed up with the Boom Drop and set up for Trouble in Paradise. Styles avoided the move and Kingston crashed in the corner. Kingston fought back again and hit the SOS for a close near fall.
Kingston hit a splash on Styles, but Anderson & Gallows pulled him out of the ring. New Day and The O.C. brawled on the floor. Kingston hit a huge dive to the floor. Kingston attempted a springboard in the ring, but Styles caught him. In an awesome finish, Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise in mid-air for the win.
In the back, Roman Reigns approached Kayla Braxton for his announcement. Suddenly, Braxton freaked out, and a huge scaffold and boxes fell on Reigns. Braxton and medical personal scrambled to help him.
Reigns stood up and walked away. The medical staff wanted to check on Reigns, but he refused their help. Reigns walked off, but he was shaken up.
It appears that the build to Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus will officially kick off on Tuesday’s SmackDown.
Jerry Lawler sent out a tweet today announcing that he’ll be hosting a “King’s Court” segment with Stratus on the episode: “This Tuesday night on @WWE Smackdown Live from Memphis, I will be hosting a King’s Court featuring my all time favorite female Superstar, @trishstratuscom!”
An interview with Charlotte aired on this week’s SmackDown, with Charlotte demanding a match at SummerSlam and saying she’s going to prove she’s the greatest female wrestler of all time. It was then confirmed that Charlotte vs. Stratus is planned for the pay-per-view.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 11.
Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville in a non-title match has also been set up for Tuesday’s SmackDown. There was a segment this week where Rose said she and Deville would deserve a title shot if they win.
The match was first hinted about on last night’s SmackDown when Flair said she was the queen of all eras and that she would face someone far better than Ember Moon with the win establishing her as the greatest of all-time.
The 43-year-old wrestled for WWE regularly from 2000 to 2006, winning the title seven times, and has made occasional appearances since she left. She wrestled at last year’s Evolution show, teaming with Lita in a win over Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.
SummerSlam will featuring Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins, WWE Champion Kofi Kington vs. Randy Orton, Raw women’s champion Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, SmackDown women’s champion Bayley vs. Ember Moon, and more.
Alexa Bliss is out of WWE Evolution, at least in an in-ring capacity.
WWE has updated their preview on their website listing the new match of Trish Stratus and Lita vs. Mickie James and Alicia Fox. They also confirmed the news on Twitter after they updated their website. The preview goes on to say that Alexa Bliss will not compete in the match due to injury, which Dave Meltzer mentioned in Monday’s daily update. She will instead be replaced by Alicia Fox and will be in her and James’ corner. An angle was shot this past week on Raw where Fox and James attacked Lita and Stratus backstage.
Bliss had largely been inactive since Hell in a Cell back on September 16 due to a previous injury. She returned back on the road for last weekend’s house show loop and worked a few matches but didn’t appear as advertised in Boston on 10/21. She also didn’t appear on this week’s edition of Raw.
What were originally two singles matches have been turned into one big tag team match for WWE Evolution.
WWE had previously announced that single matches between Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James vs. Lita would take place at WWE Evolution. That has now been changed to a tag team match, with Bliss and James teaming to square off against Lita and Stratus. The build toward the match started tonight on Raw when Alexa Bliss and Mickie James interrupted Trish Stratus, who was in the ring. After some back and forth, Stratus challenged Bliss to come to the ring.
Both Bliss and James made it to the ring, but James told Bliss not to fight her. James proposed that both she and Bliss face Stratus at Evolution. She seemed fine with the idea, but also had a tag team partner in mind. Lita’s music then hit as she and Stratus cleared the ring.
WWE Evolution will take place at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on October 28.
With Michaels and Kane getting involved throughout the match, Triple H defeated The Undertaker in the main event of Super Show-Down. There was then a post-match angle where Undertaker and Kane attacked Triple H and Michaels as all four wrestlers were showing each other respect. Undertaker gave Triple H a Tombstone piledriver and Michaels was chokeslammed through a table.
Triple H and Michaels appearing on tonight’s Raw should further the build to their tag match against Undertaker & Kane that’s expected to take place at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2.
The build to Evolution will also pick up with Stratus appearing tonight. She’ll likely respond to the “Moment of Bliss” segment from last week where Alexa Bliss accused Stratus of being rude to her when she met Stratus and asked for an autograph when she was a child. Stratus vs. Bliss is set for Evolution in Long Island, New York on October 28.
With Raw taking place in her hometown of Toronto, Trish Stratus made a surprise appearance on tonight’s show.
Stratus first interrupted Elias, with the story for the segment being that she was taking exception to him running down Toronto. Elias then insulted Stratus, leading to her slapping him.
Stratus also mentioned Evolution and her match against Alexa Bliss at the pay-per-view during the segment. She stayed in the ring ahead of the next match, with Ronda Rousey accompanying Natalya and Bliss coming out with Alicia Fox. Bliss cut a promo on Stratus, calling her irrelevant and saying that she replaced Stratus. She said nothing can save Stratus from the beatdown she’s going to give her at Evolution.
Bliss brought out Stratus’ old rival Mickie James, but Bliss and James backed away from Rousey and Stratus at ringside during the match. Natalya, Rousey, and Stratus celebrated after Natalya submitted Fox with the Sharpshooter.
Evolution is taking place at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on October 28. Stratus’ match will be the first time she’s wrestled since the women’s Royal Rumble in January. Before that, she hadn’t wrestled since 2011.
After being advertised to the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV tonight, one of the matches for WWE’s Evolution pay-per-view is now official.
WWE showed a graphic tonight that said Alexa Bliss will be facing Trish Stratus at Evolution, and the company has since confirmed the match. The PPV is taking place at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on October 28.
Bliss is set to defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam tomorrow.
Stratus returned to the ring for the first time in nearly seven years during the women’s Royal Rumble match this January. Along with Lita, she was confirmed for Evolution when WWE announced the PPV last month. WWE has hyped that over 50 wrestlers from the past and present will participate in the event.
WWE has also noted that Evolution will feature Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and NXT United Kingdom Women’s Championship matches, and the Mae Young Classic finals will be held at the PPV after they were set during two nights of tapings earlier this month.
WWE officially announced tonight that their first-ever pay-per-view event to only feature female talent, Evolution, is set to take place this fall.
Stephanie McMahon, along with Triple H and Vince McMahon, made the announcement tonight at the start of Monday Night Raw in front of both rosters. After giving a speech that praised the progress made by female wrestlers over the last several years, McMahon made the announcement. Women from all of WWE’s brands, including Raw, SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK will be part of the show. There will be title matches from each of those brands.
An ESPN article that came out shortly after the announcement said that women from the past, specifically Trish Stratus and Lita, would be part of the event. The finals of the second Mae Young Classic, which is set to tape next month, will also be held at Evolution.
The show will take place at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on October 28.
