Here’s your news for October 1st 2019
We've got some huge news from WWE to start off today, as the company finally
had their 2019 season premiere of Monday Night RAW.
Last night was just the first of several premieres for WWE this week, and the company kicked off
the next seven days in style with a new commentary team and brand new stage.
Though the show was supposed to be main evented by Universal Champion Seth Rollins taking on
Rey Mysterio with the gold on the line, the company took a hard left with this,
as Mysterio was attacked by Brock Lesnar in the show's opening segment.
Before the beatdown, Mysterio dedicated the match to his 22 year old son Dominick,
who was by his side, though the third generation star wasn't able to
stop Lesnar from beating down his dad.
After the beatdown, the Beast Incarnate locked eyes on Dominick, who made
the wise decision of backing down immediately.
Lesnar is just days away from a WWE Championship match against Kofi Kingston on the debut episode
of SmackDown on FOX, and it seems his appearance on RAW was a very clear message
to the high flying champion.
Lesnar's appearance and beat down wasn't the only highlight of RAW though, as the show also
saw a huge edition of MIZ TV, with special guests Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
During the talk show, the two Hall of Famers teased squaring off in the ring one last time
but instead of leg drops and figure fours, the two were announced as the coaches
for a huge five on five bout for Crown Jewel at the end of this month.
The Hulkster and the Nature Boy wasted no time in announcing their teams, as Hogan revealed
his captain would be none other than Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
In response, Flair chose a man both he and Rollins no plenty about
his old Evolution team mate Randy Orton.
This all nearly led to a Captains Match on RAW, but Rollins was instead attacked by Baron Corbin
before the match got underway, but was saved by Rusev, implying that
the Bulgarian would be joining team Hogan, whilst Corbin would be on team Flair.
Rusev's motive for saving the Architect was quickly revealed though, as the former US
Champion would go to cut a somewhat heelish promo mere minutes after saving Rollins
challenging him to a title match before posing with Hogan.
With Mysterio out of the picture, Rollins accepted Rusev's challenge, though their match
got started before Bobby Lashley made his return to RAW at the top of the entrance ramp.
The destroyer didn't come alone though, as he brought out Lana, who wasn't with Rusev when
he returned to be revealed as Maria Kanellis' baby daddy not too long ago.
On the ramp, Lashley and Lana locked lips for an uncomfortable amount of time,
whilst Rusev couldn't do anything but watch.
Though Lana's actions have come as a shock to many, one person who saw it coming
was Aiden English, who asked on Twitter whether saying I told you so was too cruel.
The 205 Live commentator is of course referring to his one night in Milwaukee storyline
where he accused Lana of cheating, and it seems the Vaudevillain was right all along.
Not even a post-show appearance by the Fiend, who faced Rollins just days ahead
of their Hell in a Cell match this Sunday could save this horrific angle.
After the show, Wyatt would look to hit Rollins with a Sister Abigail, only to get
curbstomped for his troubles, though this didn't seem to roattle the Fiend.
Three superkicks and two more Curb stomps later though, and the Fiend was down, but as
Rollins went for another super kick, Wyatt stared Rollins down as the lights went out
with Rollins ready to attack the ref when the lights went up.
It's clear that the Fiend is in the head of the Architect, but Rollins isn't going to give up
his Universal title without a fight so expect big things this Sunday inside Hell in a Cell.
There was plenty of action in the ring for the main event, and on the stage,
and two Superstars who saw it all was Randy Orton and King Baron Corbin.
The two confirmed members of Team Flair for Crown Jewel, Orton sat and watched the match
intensely, whilst Corbin stood, and there's a reason why the King didn't take a seat.
Corbin did have a nice seat on his throne, but when he sat down, it caved in and crumbled
but WWE wisely didn't show this on camera.
Although fans at home didn't get to see the seat collapse, The Viper certainly did
and Orton had a huge laugh at his partner's expense.
Though Corbin and Orton should properly be talking strategy ahead of Crown Jewel
on October 31st, we can't exactly blame the Viper for finding this so funny.
From RAW to SmackDown now as the show's premiere on FOX
just got took to a new, more electrifying level.
Yesterday, WWE announced that The Rock will make an appearance on the show Friday
and this news was confirmed by Johnson himself.
Older fans will remember that it was The Great One who gave SmackDown it's name with his
infamous catchphrase "Layeth the SmackDown" and he won't be the only guest in attendance.
Plenty of legends have been announced for the show, including The Brahma Bull's old foe
Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Goldberg, The Undertaker and more.
Asides from the legendary guests, there will be plenty of action in the ring as well, as Kofi Kingston
will put his WWE title on the line against Brock Lesnar.
Though the stakes are clearly high for Kingston, there's no stakes higher, literally, than in the ladder
match between Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon, as the loser will be forced to leave WWE for good.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will once again try to put their differences aside when they take
on the Boss 'n Hug Connection, whilst Roman Reigns will battle Erick Rowan
a rematch of their bout at Clash of Champions.
The show will take place this Friday in the Staples Center in LA, a building Rock knows all
about, as fans may recall his post-RAW appearance in February 2017
to film and promote Fighting with my Family.
Whilst the People's Champion will have a huge night this Friday, he won't have much time to rest,
as UFC owner Dana White has said that Johnson will also present the BMF title
to the winner of Nate Diaz Vs. Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 on
November 2nd at Madison Square Garden.
Between his work with WWE, UFC and his huge career in Hollywood, The Great One is
proving himself to be the hardest working man in Entertainment today.
Over to AEW now, and starting Wednesday, AEW Dynamite with air live on TSN.
There is a lot of history between the Canadian network and wrestling, as everyone from WWE,
WCW, AWA and Stampede Wrestling have appeared on their airwaves over the years.
This news comes just one week after AEW and ITV announced that Dynamite will appear on ITV4 on
Sunday Mornings, a four-day delay followed by a one-hour highlights show the next night.
While getting AEW in the UK is a huge deal, fans weren't exactly thrilled about having
to wait four days, or get up at 8am on Sunday for the show, and AEW president Tony Khan
has now said he is trying to work out a live showing deal with ITV.
Until then, fans in the UK will just have to deal with what they've been given, or subscribe to AEW
Plus on Fite TV, which will let international viewers watch the
show live for less than 5 bucks a month.
With AEW Dynamite set to air this Wednesday on TNT, at the same time as the first full-length NXT on
the USA Network, expect the wrestling world to be changed forever, very very soon.
AEW has a huge roster already, though one star both they and WWE may want to
consider signing is UFC legend Cain Velasquez.
The former Heavyweight Champion has been dipping his toe more and more into wrestling in 2019
and recently had a meeting with WWE to talk about signing.
Though this has led to speculation, we should remind fans that there's no guarentee that
Cain will ever move to wrestling full-time, given his contract with UFC.
And if he did, this still wouldn't mean he'd sign with WWE, as Velasquez has also been in talks
with New Japan and AEW, both of whom could offer him the chance to compete
in multiple promotions, unlike WWE who could offer more money, but exclusivity.
If he does sign with WWE after all that, it'd be likely Cain would feud with Brock Lesnar, who
he would be presented as an equal too, and the feud would reference their history in UFC
when Velasquez toppled the Beast to win his first UFC heavyweight title.
Before all else though, Velasquez needs knee surgery before any commitments,
which will keep him off WWE TV for a while if he does sign.
No matter what happens, things are serious enough that Cain and WWE are ready to
negotiate a deal, and with Lesnar expected to lead SmackDown on FOX as WWE Champion
the time couldn't be better to bring him in.
The blue brand's move to FOX may be the biggest change in WWE this week, but the company is
producing a ton of new programming, including the season 9 premiere of Total Divas.
One new face on the cast will be Sonya Deville, the company's first openly-lesbian Superstar
who takes her place as an LGBTQ+ role model very seriously.
During a promo for the show, Deville and Mandy Rode are shown being led backstage
with the former MMA fighter saying she and Mandy
were pitching the first LGBTQ+ storyline in WWE.
Obviously, WWE haven't run with the angle just yet, and if we're being honest,
the company doesn't have the best track record
with portraying LGBTQ+ characters in storylines.
That being said, the company has definitely moved to be a more progressive place
so never say never in WWE.
Back to SmackDown now, and with the show moving to Friday Nights on FOX
this has meant a lot of change for 205 Live as well.
There has been alot of speculation on the fate of the purple brand, with reports of the show being
cancelled altogether, but now WWE have confirmed the show will move to
Friday Nights alongside SmackDown.
With news of 205 Live now being a part of NXT, this is certainly an interesting change, and only time
will tell what crossovers fans can expect from the purple and yellow brands.
We're looking at WWE Superstar Naomi now, as the former Smack Down Women's Champion
hasn't been seen on WWE TV since July, and according to the woman herself,
fans may have to wait quite a while yet.
On Twitter, Naomi said she had been through a lot in the last few months, including health issues
and losing a loved one, but she also claimed she will return, though when the time is right.
Conversely, The Usos are expected to be back as soon as this week, and though
we don't know when Naomi will be back, it's good to know she's doing okay.
And finally we're looking at AEW and though the company aims to be an alternative to WWE,
Cody Rhodes has a certain Superstar to thank for introducing him to his fellow EVPs.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Rhodes said that it was Kevin Owens who introduced him
to the Young Bucks after Rhodes asked him about being marketable outside WWE.
"Kevin was the one who said, ‘I’ll introduce you to The Young Bucks.
They’re the masters of having marketed themselves outside of the company.
Me and Brandi were totally fearless in that moment. It was crazy.”"
Rhodes left WWE in 2016 and hasn't looked back since, thanks in part to the Prizefighter.
We're sure that Cody would have meat the Bucks eventually, but having Owens there certainly
sped up the process, and who knows? Perhaps without Owens, there would be no AEW today.
The former Universal Champion is in for the fight of his life this Friday when he
and Shane McMahon put their WWE careers on the line in a Ladder match on SmackDown,
and even if Owens loses, he can rest easy knowing there's
probably a spot waiting for him in AEW.