Here is your news for February 14, 2020.
We’re starting off today with news from Goldberg, as the former Universal
Champion is still a drae, at least according to the viewing figures.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer commented on the quarter hour
ratings from last week’s episode of SmackDown. He said:
“The quarter with Bill Goldberg was through the roof...It was by far the biggest
quarter that they’ve had in a long long time.”
According to Meltzer, that quarter hour drew 3 million viewers across their ten
biggest markets, with the second hour of SmackDown averaging close to 2.5
million viewers, so that’s why the numbers for Goldberg stand out.
It should be noted that the Hall of Famer’s segment with Bray Wyatt was only five
minutes long, and the rest of the quarter hour featured the brawl between Roman
Reigns and King Corbin.
Given how many viewers Goldberg brought in, there has been speculation that the
Hall of Famer could be booked to main event WrestleMania 36, and the most
obvious way to get there would be for Goldberg to defeat The Fiend for the
Universal title at Super Show down on February 27th.
If the WWE went down this route, then they should prepare for backlash, as this
would make little sense from a long-term perspective, though WWE doesn’t really
do long-term booking.
If Vince McMahon has the mind set of putting the title on the biggest star right
now, then there’s no reason why he wouldn’t choose Goldberg to main event,
possibly against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
The two stars have already taken shots at each other in interviews just one month
ago, and with Reigns being the odds on favourite to win the Elimination Chamber
match, this decision ultimately comes down to what match has more fan interest
and star power: Reigns Vs. Wyatt or Reigns Vs. Goldberg?
According to WrestleVotes, the WWE is considering some match possibilities for
Wyatt, Reigns, Goldberg, and John Cena at WrestleMania, and there’s a couple of
combinations that could play out.
The current match card is believed to be Wyatt Vs. Reigns for the title at
WrestleMania, though with Goldberg and Cena in the mix, that could change.
The Wrestling Observer News letter also commented that Cena will definitely be at
the show in Tampa. They said:
“Cena returns on the 2/28 Smackdown show and has already said he’s free to
wrestle at WrestleMania. Cena’s role is said to be locked in for the show”
If WWE are willing, Cena could make history at WrestleMania by winning his 17th
WWE World Championship, though that would mean him finding a way into the
Elimination Chamber match where the winner will get a title shot at the showcase
of the Immortals.
Another possibility for WWE is to go the dream match route, and pitting Cena
against Goldberg would certainly be a match for the ages.
Whilst it’s unlikely that two guys rarely on TV would be chosen to close out the
biggest show of the year, the WWE has been consistently extending the length of
WrestleMania, and it’s perhaps more practical to end the night with a five minute
Goldberg match than a more typical 25 minute main event match.
One name that fans haven’t heard much from recently is Triple H, as there’s no
obvious candidate for The Game to face at WrestleMania.
If Cena doesn’t face Goldberg at the show of shows, pitting the former WCW
World Champion against Triple H could be an option, as the past pad blood
between the two could lead to a worked shoot style angle for a future match.
The bottom line is that Wrestle Mania has always been about big stars, and
given the figures from Smack Down, Goldberg remains a big star.
Given that there are no plans for Ronda Rousey to compete this year, then Vince
McMahon could very well fall back on Goldberg as his WrestleMania headliner.
But what match do you feel should headline WrestleMania 36? Leave your
answers in the comments below.
Whilst John Cena may be preparing to make history at WrestleMania, the 16-time
World Champion has a long road to the show including being nominated for the
Nickolodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
The ceremony will happen on March 22nd, and Cena got the nod in the category
for Favourite TV host, due to his role on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, the
Nickolodeon show which he also serves as a producer on.
Cena wasn’t the only WWE name nominated however, as The Rock received the
nod for Favourite Movie Actor, and his film Jumanji: The Next Level, was also
nominated for Favourite Movie.
We’ll have to see who wins big at the awards when the show airs in March, and
whilst Rock and Cena aren’t competing against each other in any category this
year, that certainly could be a possibility as time goes on.
We’re looking ahead to WWE Super Showdown now, as this week, the company
announced a Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet match, which will pit 6 RAW Superstars
competing for a trophy.
This isn’t the first time a trophy has been up for grabs in a big multi-man match in
Saudi Arabia, but given how the past few matches have gone, fans have been
wondering whether this trophy will actually mean something.
Regardless, the show will see AJ Styles, Andrade, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Erick
Rowan and R-Truth compete for the trophy at the show, but if the tag team
turmoil match from the last Saudi Arabia show is any indication, this match could
easily end up being a bunch of nothing.
Even with that being the case, these 6 Superstars could still put together one
incredible match, and time will tell whether this match will overshadow the 6-Man
Chamber match on March 8th in Philadelphia.
We’re once again looking at WrestleMania 36 now, as with the biggest show of
the year approaching, interested has turned to who will face The Undertaker.
Even after his streak was conquered by Brock Lesnar in 2014, the Deadman’s
matches are always a big deal, even though he didn’t compete last year, but did
make an appearance two months later in Saudi Arabia.
A recent report by WrestleZone however, says that the WWE has picked an
opponent for the Deadman at WrestleMania 36, and if true, The Undertaker will
face AJ Styles on April 5th in Tampa, Florida.
Since his debut in 2016, Styles has always had high-profile matches at Mania,
facing Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon, Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton, and it
doesn’t get much bigger than facing the Deadman at WrestleMania.
This match makes a lot of sense for many reasons, as not only will it be a huge
marquee match, but The Undertaker typically works better against smaller
competitors.
Over to AEW now, and this week saw Dynamite trending worldwide whist NXT
was prepping for this weekend’s NXT TakeOver Porland show.
In the ratings, Dynamite once again won the Wednesday Night Wars, bringing in
817,000 viewers with a .41 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
For comparison, NXT earned a respectable 757,000 viewers with a .28 in the same
coveted demographic, though both shows suffered losses from the week prior.
For the February 5th edition of the shows, Dynamite pulled in 928,000 viewers,
whilst NXT brought in an audience of 770,000.
The week prior to this also saw Dynamite win with an audience of 828,000 compared
to NXT’s 712,000, as WWE’s gold brand remains to get a win so far this year.
From NXT to SmackDown now, as tonight’s show will feature a huge tag team
match, that is yet to be revealed.
On the show, The Miz and John Morrison will team against Roman Reigns and a
mystery partner, and this match was set up, the A-List tag team going back and
forth with the Big Dog on Twitter, challenging Reigns to find a partner.
Given that tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the Rogers Arena, in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada, the back and forth on social media also included the Miz
and Morrison mocking the Usos for not being able to come to Canada.
In a tweet, Morrison said that The Usos won’t be able to back up anything they say
online and said that this is what it means to be locked down, or rather locked out.
As for Miz and Morrison, the Dirt Sheet pair will challenge The New Day for the
SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Super Showdown on February 27th, whilst Reigns
will face Baron Corbin in a Steel Cage match at the same show.
Tonight’s SmackDown will also see Bayley defend her Smack Down Women’s
Championship against Carmella, as well as Otis finally getting his Valentine’s Day
date with Mandy Rose.
One Superstar fans won’t be seeing tonight however, is Ronda Rousey, who hasn’t
competed since her WrestleMania 35 main event loss last year.
During the filming of the show 9-1-1, Rousey injured her hand which required
surgery, and whilst we’re not certain what is taking the former RAW Women’s
Champion so long to return, she is apparently pitching ideas.
During an interview with ESPN, Stephanie McMahon commented on Rousey,
saying that the Baddest Woman on the Planet is excited to return, but didn’t say
when. She said:
“I know that she’s very excited about coming back. I think she has some things in
her personal life that she wants to do. When the time is right, she’ll be back. I have
no doubt about that.”
Commenting on any plans for the Hot Rod, Stephanie said the she’d love to see
Rousey back for WrestleMania 37, which will take place at the SoFi Stadium in
California. She said:
““I sincerely hope we have Ronda Rousey back for WrestleMania here at SoFi, only
I don’t want to be the one facing her in the ring,” Stephanie said. “I don’t know. It
didn’t work out so well for me last time. I think I’ll let her do her own thing.”
Time will tell whether the Baddest Woman on the Planet is back for WrestleMania
37, but she is not currently booked for this year’s show.
After WrestleMania 36 on April 5th, SummerSlam will be the next big event for her,
though Rousey has already stated that if she returns it won’t be full-time.
Fans will just have to wait and see what happens with her, but given her star
power and impressive rookie year, there will likely always be a place for Rousey in WWE.
We reported that this week’s episode of NXT was the go- home show for TakeOver
Portland, and it seems some Superstars went a bit too far in building up the show.
During his match against Johnny Gargano, Cameron Grimes suffered what is
believed to be bruised ribs, and his condition is being listed as day to day.
Whilst this is bad news for Grimes, there is good news for fellow NXT Superstar
Tino Sabbatelli, who has been cleared to return to the ring, after suffering a torn
pectoral in 2018.
At the time, Sabbatelli was teaming with Riddick Moss, but that tag team is
seemingly finished, now that Moss is on the main roster, and is the reigning 24/7 Champion.
Sabbatelli will be returning to the ring tonight at an NXT Live event in Tampa, so
hopefully he doesn’t experience any more setbacks as he’s also been at the WWE
PC for a very long time as well.
From a Superstar returning to one debuting now, as it has been revealed that
Jorge Bolly will be making his debut at the NXT Live event this Saturday in Fort
Pierce, Florida.
Fans may know Bolly for his time in Triple-A, where he competed as El Hijo del
Fantasma, or for his time in Lucha Underground as King Cuerno.
In a tweet, Bolly said it was finally time for him to make his NXT debut, and that it
will soon be Oh La La Time for the self-described ‘Mexico’s Greatest Export’.
This debut could have been a lot sooner, but Bolly blew out his knee that set him
back, and now he’s good to go.
A highly talented star with experience in Lucha Libre, Bolly lost his mask in an
emotional contest at TripleMania, and soon found his way out of his Lucha
Underground contract where he was finally free to sign with WWE.
Speaking of NXT, this weekend will see the gold brand host their TakeOver
Portland show, but matches have already been announced for next Wednesday’s episode.
After Lio Rush defeated Angel Garza in Full Sail Arena this week, the Man of the
Hour earned himself a future NXT Cruiserweight title match against Jordan Devlin,
which will take place next week.
Also, on the card, Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong will face off, and Chelsea
Green will hope to get some revenge on Kayden Carter, after losing to her on NXT
two weeks ago.
Speaking of Green, her fiancé Zack Ryder has had an interesting WWE career to
say the least, but there’s some moments the Broski doesn’t want to remember.
8 years ago, this week, Ryder took a ride off the RAW stage in a wheelchair thanks
to Kane, and this moment was remembered in a tweet by the WWE Network,
much to the chagrin of the former United States Champion.
In a tweet of his own, Ryder asked if it was really necessary for the Network to
remember this tragic moment in his career, and whilst Ryder remains in WWE,
fans don’t see much of him unless he’s figure hunting with Curt Hawkins on YouTube.
At least WWE is keeping his name out there by sharing this tweet, but the Long
Island Iced Z would probably argue that there are better ways to remember his
contributions to WWE history.
And finally, today we’re ending with huge news from the Hall of Fame, as this year
may finally see the induction of one of WWE’s most over- looked stars.
According to reports, one name being considered for this year is the British
Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, who both fans and Superstars have campaigned for
years to receive the nod.
It’s certainly interesting that the Bulldog’s son, Davey Boy Smith Jr, was on WWE’s
The Bump this week, as he reunited the Hart Dynasty with Tyson Kidd and Natalya.
So far, the NWO and Batista have been confirmed as inductees for the Hall of
Fame, but a report by Wrestle Votes this week said the Bella Twins and Jushin
‘Thunder’ Liger will also be getting the nod.
If the Bulldog does get inducted, it will be posthumously, as he sadly passed in
2002, but after an incredible in- ring career, complete with reigns as
Intercontinental, European, Hardcore and Tag Team Champion, it’s no secret that
the Bulldog deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.