The Jinder Mahal Era has begun!! Yes you read that correctly, because this past Sunday at WWE Backlash, Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It's the first Smackdown Live edition after the huge upset victory. What will Jinder Mahal have planned now that he is the face of Smackdown Live? Smackdown Live was live this week in Toledo, Ohio.
** Smackdown Live Card **
- Carmella and Nattie Neidhart battled Becky Lynch and Charlotte. - Sami Zayn battled Baron Corbin. - Tyler Breeze battled Jey Uso. - Fandango battled Jimmy Uso. - WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Champions The Usos defended their titles against Breezango. - WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler battled AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.
- New WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jinder Mahal gets a Punjabi Celebration.
- Shane McMahon announces plans for WWE Money In The Bank.
** Smackdown Live **
- Outside the arena, a police escort leads a car into the parking area. The Singh Brothers pop out of the car, put down a carpet and out steps the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jinder Mahal.
- Shane McMahon Promo: Shane announces that Randy Orton will get his rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Money In The Bank. Shane also announces the Money In The Bank Ladder Match and introduces the competitors. Out comes AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens. Shane stops Owens and says Owens is not in the match, the last spot goes to Shinsuke Nakamura. Owens throws a fit that he's not included and blames Shane for showing favoritism. Shane finally let's Owens have his way and adds him to the match. Corbin mocks Owens for crying and tells Shane to just hand him the briefcase because it'll be a cake walk for him. Styles calls Owens Eric Cartman, reminds us Smackdown Live is his show and plans on getting his WWE World Title back. Zayn and Corbin start arguing until Owens tells them to shut up. Ziggler says he's the only one to win Money In The Bank and successfully cash it in out of all of them. Nakamura grabs the microphone and introduces himself as Mr. Money In The Bank. Shane finally settles things by announcing Corbin vs. Zayn and Ziggler/Owens vs. Styles/Nakamura for tonight.
- Carmella and Nattie Neidhart vs. Charlotte and Becky Lynch: The match closes out with Tamina and James Ellsworth trying to run distraction, but it doesn't stop Charlotte and Becky. Becky ends up trapping Carmella in the DisArmHer submission and makes her tap out. Winners: Charlotte and Becky Lynch, by submission.
- Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin: The match closes out with Zayn getting a quick rollup on Corbin for the pinfall. After the match, Corbin jumps Zayn and beats him down. Zayn gets tossed into the timekeepers table and then Corbin unloads on Zayn with a steel chair. Corbin drops Zayn neck first on the barricade and then unloads more punches before walking off. Zayn gets stretchered out after the attack. Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall.
- Backstage, AJ Styles says he learned a few things from Shinsuke Nakamura in Japan. Styles tells Nakamura everything will work out as long as he follows Styles' lead. Nakamura says he's winning Money In The Bank and turning the House That Styles Built into Nakamura's Playground.
- We get another edition of the Fashion Files. Breeze and Fandango go to turn in their badges to Shane McMahon, but Shane gives them matches against The Usos tonight.
- Jinder Mahal's Punjabi Celebration: Mahal has Indian dancers dancing and The Singh Brothers roll out the red carpet for him as he heads to the ring. Mahal says people in America boo him because of how he looks and talks, but he is cheered in India. Mahal says he's on the rise and no one can ruin this moment. Mahal says that this isn't about the fans, it's about him celebrating his accomplishments, celebrating his people, celebrating the Punjab and celebrating India. Pyro goes off as his music plays and Mahal poses with his title.
- Jey Uso vs. Tyler Breeze: The match closes out with Jey refusing to fight because they beat Breezango at WWE Backlash. Fandango shoots Jey in the face with a water gun allowing Breeze to get the quick rollup pinfall. After the match, Jimmy Uso demands a match with Fandango. Winner: Tyler Breeze, by pinfall.
- Jimmy Uso vs. Fandango: The match closes out with Tyler Breeze running around the ring distracting The Usos. Breeze punches Jey as Fandango rolls up Jimmy for the pinfall. After the match Breezango taunt The Usos and get them to defend their tag team titles right now. Winner: Fandango, by pinfall.
- "WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship Match": The Usos (c) vs. Breezango: The match closes out with Jey blind tagging in on Fandango. Fandango hits the Last Dance on Jimmy, but gets nailed with the Uso Splash by Jey. Jey covers Fandango and scores the pinfall to retain the titles. Winners: The Usos, by pinfall, to retain the WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship.
- Backstage, Nattie asks Shane McMahon for a WWE Smackdown Live Women's Championship Match. James Ellsworth and Carmella interrupt and state that Carmella wants one. Tamina interrupts next and wants a title shot too. Charlotte interrupts next and Shane McMahon announces a Fatal Five Way Match next week with the winner getting a title shot against Naomi at WWE Money In The Bank.
- Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles: The match closes out with Nakamura countering Ziggler's Zig Zag and hitting the Exploder suplex. Owens stops Nakamura from delivering Kinshasa and Styles hits Owens with a Pele Kick. Ziggler stops the Styles Clash on Owens by super kicking Styles. Nakamura dropkicks Ziggler and then hits the Kinshasa on Owens for the pinfall. Winners: AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall.
Monday Night RAW kicks off the week live in Grand Rapids, Michigan! We are just two weeks away from RAW's WWE Extreme Rules pay per view. Last week, we found out that a Fatal Five Way Match will take place at the event to crown a new #1 Contender to Brock Lesnar and the WWE Universal Championship. What will go down tonight between the five competitors battling in that main event as we move closer to WWE Extreme Rules?
** This Weeks Card **
- Bray Wyatt battled Roman Reigns. - Akira Tozawa battled Ariya Daivari. - WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose battled Elias Samson in Samson's RAW debut, in a non title match. - Finn Balor battled Karl Anderson. - Sasha Banks battled Alicia Fox. - Apollo Crews battled Kalisto. - WWE World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy battled Sheamus. - Austin Aries battled Tony Nese. - WWE RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss battled Mickie James in a non title match. - Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins battled Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe.
- Promos By: Bray Wyatt
- A special appearance by Paul Heyman.
- Goldust explains why he turned on R-Truth on a special Shattered Dreams Video.
** RAW **
- Bray Wyatt Promo: Bray cuts a promo on Brock Lesnar stating he'll rip open the beasts chest, feast on his heart and he'll die at the hands of our one true savior, Bray Wyatt. Roman Reigns interrupts and says he's the only one winning at WWE Extreme Rules and going on to beat Lesnar. Reigns says that right now though his only concern is getting Bray out of his yard. Bray and Reigns go face to face and out comes Kurt Angle. Angle says the Fatal Five Way Match at WWE Extreme Rules will be the biggest match ever since the brand split and then announces Bray vs. Reigns right now.
- Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns: The match closes out with Samoa Joe hitting the ring and trapping Reigns in the Coquina Clutch submission. After the match, Bray attacks Reigns, but then gets grabbed by Joe and locked in the Coquina Clutch submission. Seth Rollins hits the ring and unloads on Joe. Bray goes after Rollins, but eats a Superman Punch from Reigns. Reigns and Rollins clear the ring, but exchange a small stare down. Winner: Roman Reigns, by DQ.
- Backstage, Roman Reigns tells Seth Rollins he doesn't need his help. Rollins says he came out to get Samoa Joe not help Reigns. Kurt Angle interrupts and announces Reigns and Rollins vs. Joe and Bray Wyatt tonight. Elias Samson interrupts playing his guitar. Angle announces that Samson will fight Dean Ambrose tonight in Samson's RAW debut.
- Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari: The match closes out with Tozawa unloading major offense. Tozawa hits a german suplex and then hits a senton off the top rope on Daivari to score the pinfall. Winner: Akira Tozawa, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Sasha Banks says she's ready to defeat Alicia Fox tonight and move on from the feud. Alicia Fox and Noam Dar interrupt and laugh at Sasha for being alone.
- Dean Ambrose vs. Elias Samson: The Miz and Maryse are on commentary for this match. The match closes out with Ambrose hitting a clothesline on Samson and both men go down. The Miz hits the ring and purposely hits Samson getting Ambrose DQ'ed. After the match, Ambrose grabs The Miz, but Samson makes the save and lays Ambrose out with the swinging neck breaker. Winner: Elias Samson, by DQ.
- Backstage, a referee rushes Big Cass to the back as Enzo was attacked and left laid out. Medics help Enzo and his says he wasn't sure who jumped him. Kurt Angle says he's going to get to the bottom of who did it. Cass says he better find them before he does.
- Paul Heyman Interrupts Finn Balor: Finn Balor comes to the ring for his match and talks about the Fatal Five Way Match at WWE Extreme Rules. Paul Heyman interrupts and says he's intrigued to see Finn Balor face Brock Lesnar out of all the five possibilities. Balor tells Heyman to deliver a message to Lesnar. He will win the Fatal Five Way Match, face Brock Lesnar and win the WWE Universal Championship.
- Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson: The match closes out with Balor suicide diving onto Anderson and Luke Gallows. Back in the ring, Balor hits Slingblade and the corner drop kick on Anderson. Balor hits Coup de Grace and scores the pinfall. Winner: Finn Balor, by pinfall.
- Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks: The match closes out with Alicia missing the scissors kick and allowing Sasha to hit the double knees in the corner to score the pinfall. After the match, Noam Dar talks trash to Sasha and gets knocked out. Alicia jumps Sasha from behind and hits the scissors kick. Alicia and Noam make out while Sasha is knocked out. Winner: Sasha Banks, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Kalisto asks Apollo Crews why he's fighting Titus O'Neil's battles. Titus appears and says there's an international spot open in the Titus Brand. Kalisto turns down the offer. Titus says Kalisto made a mistake and now has to fight Crews tonight.
- Goldust's Shattered Dreams Video: Goldust says gold is the purest of all the brightest lights and has infinite luster, but Truth's light is flickering. Goldust says he controls how his next film will end as he's back in the director's chair.
- Backstage, Alexa Bliss says she doesn't feel bad about the kendo stick beating she gave Bayley last week. Alexa says Bayley can't get extreme and will get kendo stick welts tattooed on her at WWE Extreme Rules.
- Kalisto vs. Apollo Crews: The match closes out with Titus O'Neil trying to distract Kalisto. Crews tries to attack Kalisto from behind, but Kalisto counters and hits Salida Del Sol for the pinfall. Winner: Kalisto, by pinfall.
- Matt Hardy vs. Sheamus: The match closes out with Sheamus missing the Brogue Kick. Cesaro tries to get involved, but Jeff Hardy attacks him. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Sheamus and scores the pinfall. After the match, we find out it'll be The Hardy Boys vs. Sheamus and Cesaro at WWE Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage Match. Winner: Matt Hardy, by pinfall.
- Tony Nese vs. Austin Aries: The match closes out with Aries countering a suplex and applies a guillotine. Nese tries to power out, but Aries counters it and traps Nese in the Last Chancery submission for the tap out win. After the match, Neville attacks Nese from behind on the stage and traps him in the Rings of Saturn submission. Aries dares Neville to try that to him. Winner: Austin Aries, by submission.
- Mickie James vs. Alexa Bliss: The match closes out with Alexa dropping Mickie with a punch, talks trash to the referee and then hits a DDT on Mickie for the pinfall. After the match, Alexa grabs a kendo stick and smacks Mickie with it. Bayley hits the ring, grabs the kendo stick and chases Alexa out of the ring. Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall.
- Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe: The match closes out with Reigns stopping Bray from hitting Sister Abigail on Rollins. Reigns goes for a Superman Punch on Joe, but Joe moves and Reigns bumps into Rollins. Rollins and Reigns begin arguing with each other until Bray pulls Reigns outside and hits Sister Abigail. Joe traps Rollins in the Coquina Clutch submission and puts Rollins to sleep for the win. After the match, Bray and Joe have a few words. Winners: Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe, by submission.
- Backstage, Kurt Angle was watching the match as Finn Balor walks in. Balor wants a match next week. Angle makes Balor vs. Bray vs. Joe in a Triple Threat Match and also makes Reigns vs. Rollins.
We have returned to the Windy City for night number two of the WWE's two night extravaganza in Chicago, Illinois. WWE Backlash, was live at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network. NXT set things up with yet another incredible show on Saturday night. Can WWE deliver on their half with Smackdown Live's roster looking to grab the spotlight.
** WWE Backlash Card **
- WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton defended his title against Jinder Mahal. - WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens defended his title against AJ Styles. - WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Champions The Usos defended their titles against Breezango. - Shinsuke Nakamura made his Smackdown Live wrestling debut battling Dolph Ziggler. - Charlotte, Becky Lynch and WWE Smackdown Live Women's Champion Naomi battled Carmella, Nattie Neidhart and Tamina in a Six Woman Tag Team Match. - Baron Corbin battled Sami Zayn. - Luke Harper battled Erick Rowan. - Tye Dillinger battled Aiden English.
** WWE Backlash Pre-Show **
- Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English: The match closes out with Dillinger hitting ten corner punches on English. English escapes to the floor and gets Dillinger to follow him, allowing English to toss Dillinger outside. English goes to the top rope, but gets tossed off by Dillinger. Dillinger misses a top rope splash then gets sent into the mat by English for a near fall. English gets frustrated and starts talking trash to Dillinger. English slams Dillinger then goes to the top rope. English misses the aerial move and then misses again charging at Dillinger. Dillinger hits the Tye Breaker on English and scores the pinfall. Winner: Tye Dillinger, by pinfall.
** WWE Backlash **
- Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: The match closes out with Ziggler getting a near fall Zig Zag. Ziggler and Nakamura trade counters until Nakamura hits a knee and a kick to the head on Ziggler. Ziggler counters an Exploder suplex and plants a super kick on Nakamura, getting a near fall. Ziggler and Nakamura trade offensive moves until Nakamura plants a knee to the face of Ziggler. Nakamura attempts a Kinshasa off the ropes, but Ziggler moves. Nakamura dodges a Ziggler super kick and hits an inverted Exploder suplex. Nakamura delivers the Kinshasa on Ziggler and scores the pinfall. Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall.
- "WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs. Breezango: The match closes out with Fandango landing a kick on Key for a near fall. Jey misses a corner splash allowing Fandango to get a near fall DDT. Breeze and Fandango double team Jey until he fights back and tags in Jimmy. The Usos double team Breeze and catch a near fall. Breeze and Jey trade offense until Breeze hits an Unprettier for a near fall. Breeze leaps off the apron onto The Usos, but gets dumped over the barricade. Fandango flies off the apron and takes out The Usos next. Back in the ring, Fandango gets shoved off the top rope by Jey, allowing Jimmy to hit the Uso Kick for the pinfall. Winners: The Usos, by pinfall, to retain the WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship.
- Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn: The match closes out with Zayn blocking a superplex off the ropes and hits Corbin with a sunset flip power bomb for a near fall. Corbin blocks a corner DDT by Zayn. Corbin then blocks an Exploder suplex attempt by Zayn next. Zayn rolls up Corbin and gets a near fall. Corbin catches Zayn and drills him with Deep Six for a near fall. Corbin unloads stomps on Zayn and then unloads forearms. The referee warns Corbin as he begins to land more stomps on Zayn. Corbin charges, but Zayn tosses Corbin out to the floor. Corbin gets back into the ring and eats a kick by Zayn. Zayn hits the Helluva Kick on Corbin and scores the pinfall. Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers arrive. Mahal mocks Chicago, says he'll take the fans hatred for him and make it a positive and he's going to make everyone across the world understand what the 1.3 billion people of India already know, that Mahal is the modern day Maharaja.
- "Six Woman Tag Team Match": Naomi, Charlotte and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Tamina and Nattie Neidhart: The match closes out with Naomi hot tagging Becky. Becky unloads on all three members of the Welcoming Committee. Becky hits uppercuts and the Bexploder suplex on Nattie for a near fall. Tamina tries to knock Becky off the top rope, but gets sent flying off the apron. Nattie takes control of Becky and attempts the Sharpshooter submission. Becky counters and locks Nattie in the DisArmHer submission. Carmella breaks up the submission, but gets tossed outside by Charlotte. Tamina plants a super kick on Charlotte then hits a head butt on Naomi. Becky and Nattie trade offense until Becky drops Tamima, as she tries to interfere again. Nattie drops Becky, locks in the Sharpshooter submission and makes Becky tap out. Winners: Carmella, Nattie Neidhart and Tamina, by submission.
- "WWE United States Championship Match": Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles: The match closes out with Styles failing on a Phenomenal Forearm attempt as his leg that Owens worked on in the match goes out. Owens gets a near fall, kicks Styles around and talks trash. Styles catches Owens right in the face with a Pele Kick as Owens talked trash. Styles goes to the corner, but Owens attacks and takes Styles down with a suplex for a near fall. Owens climbs the ropes, but Styles rolls onto the apron. Styles counters Owens and suplexes him on the apron, sending himself and Owens to the floor. Owens tosses Styles into the timekeepers area, but Styles flies back and nails a forearm. Styles grabs Owens and attempts the Styles Clash right on the announcers table. Owens counters by grabbing Styles' leg and trapping it in between a gap in the table. Styles is trapped as Owens rolls back into the ring and wins by countout. After the match, Owens drills Styles with a super kick to the head while he's still trapped in the table, as he leaves ringside. Winner: Kevin Owens, by countout.
- Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper: The match closes out with Harper hitting a tilt a whirl slam for a near fall. Rowan hits a spin kick and then a power bomb on Harper for a near fall. Rowan unloads on Harper, but Harper comes back and gets another near fall. Rowan and Harper trade shots back and forth, Harper unloads chops and then Rowan lands a gut shot on Rowan. Harper counters a power bomb and tosses Rowan across the ring. Harper hits a super kick on Rowan. Rowan looks to his sheep mask for motivation. Harper hits the Harper Lariat and scores the pinfall. Winner: Luke Harper, by pinfall.
- "WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match": Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal: The match closes out with Orton hitting the hanging DDT and measures up for the RKO. Mahal rolls outside where the Singh Brothers are. Orton heads outside and goes after Mahal from behind. Orton lands a slap and a kick on both Singh Brothers. Orton tosses one Singh Brother into the barricade and the other into the apron. Mahal attacks Orton from behind and tosses Orton back into the ring. Orton pops up and hits the RKO outta nowhere on Mahal. The Singh Brothers grab Mahal and pull him out of the ring before Orton can make the cover. Orton attacks the Singh Brothers again, tosses one over the announcers table and the other on top of the announcers table. Orton drags both Singh Brothers into the ring and drills them both with draping DDT's. Mahal grabs Orton from behind, hits the Cobra Clutch Slam and scores the upset pinfall to win the title. Winner: Jinder Mahal, by pinfall, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
SOCCER
MLS: LA Galaxy @ Minnesota United FC (ESPN, 5pm)
MLS: New York City FC @ Orlando City SC (FOX Sports 1, 7pm)
--- 2017 Billboard Music Awards (ABC, 8pm)
Food Paradise, PREMIERE (Travel, 8pm)
The Simpsons, FINALE (FOX, 8pm)
Making History, FINALE (FOX, 8:30pm)
Twin Peaks: The Return, PREMIERE (Showtime, 9pm)
Family Guy, FINALE (FOX, 9pm)
Madam Secretary, FINALE (CBS, 9pm)
Iron Chef Gauntlet, FINALE (Food, 9pm)
Elementary, FINALE (CBS, 10pm)
Into The Badlands, FINALE (AMC 10pm)
12 Monkeys, FINALE (Syfy, 10pm)
NFL
The Top 100 Players of 2017, 60-51 (NFL, 9pm)
---
The Voice, Live Finale Part 1 (NBC, 8pm)
Princess Diana: Her Life -- Her Death -- The Truth (CBS, 8pm)
Supergirl, FINALE (The CW, 8pm)
Jane The Virgin, FINALE (The CW, 9pm)
The Bachelorette, PREMIERE (ABC, 9pm)
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2017 (CBS, 10pm)
WNBA
Connecticut Sun @ Minnesota Lynx (ESPN 2, 8pm)
---
The Flash, FINALE (The CW, 8pm)
Downward Dog, PREMIERE (ABC, 8pm)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, FINALE (FOX, 8pm)
Great News, FINALE (NBC, 8pm & 8:30pm) Dancing With The Stars, FINALE (ABC, 8:30pm)
The Voice, Live Finale Part 2 (NBC, 9pm)
Bull, FINALE (CBS, 9pm)
WEDNESDAY 5/24
MLB Reds @ Indians (STO, 6pm)
Royals @ Yankees OR Rangers @ Red Sox (MLB, 7pm)
---
Dirty Dancing (ABC, 8pm)
Survivor, FINALE (CBS, 8pm)
Shots Fired, FINALE (FOX, 8pm)
Arrow, FINALE (The CW, 8pm)
Empire, FINALE (FOX, 9pm)
The 100, FINALE (The CW, 9pm)
Bakers vs. Fakers, PREMIERE (Food, 9pm)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, FINALE (NBC, 10pm)
Survivor, LIVE Reunion Show (CBS, 10pm)
Archer, FINALE (FXX, 10pm)
THURSDAY 5/25
NBA Cavaliers @ Celtics, Game 5 (TNT, 8:30pm)
MLB Reds @ Indians (STO, 6pm)
Rangers @ Red Sox OR Padres @ Mets (MLB, 7pm)
Cardinals @ Dodgers OR Diamondbacks @ Brewers (MLB, 10pm)
NHL
Senators @ Penguins, Game 7 (NBC Sports, 8pm)
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Alabama vs. Florida (ESPN, 7pm)
Mississippi vs. UCLA (ESPN, 9pm)
---
American Ninja Warrior (NBC, 8pm)
Beat Shazam, PREMIERE (FOX, 8pm)
Running Wild With Bear Grylls (NBC, 9pm)
Love Connection, PREMIERE (FOX, 9pm)
Million Dollar Listing New York (Bravo, 9pm)
Red Nose Day (NBC, 10pm)
Dark Net, FINALE (Showtime, 10pm)
Lip Sync Battle; The Cast Of Stranger Things (Spike, 10pm)
FRIDAY 5/26
MLB Royals @ Indians (STO, 7pm)
Mariners @ Red Sox OR Royals @ Indians (MLB, 7pm)
Cubs @ Dodgers OR Braves @ Giants (MLB, 10pm)
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Texas A&M vs. Tennessee (ESPN, 6pm)
Kentucky vs. Oregon (ESPNU, 7pm)
Florida vs. Alabama (ESPN, 8pm)
UCLA vs. Mississippi (ESPNU, 9pm)
Baylor vs. Arizona (ESPN, 10pm)
---
First Dates, FINALE (NBC, 8pm)
ELeague: Street Fighter V, FINALE (TBS, 10pm)
RACING
XFINITY Series: Hisense 4K TV 300 (FOX Sports 1, 1pm)
GOLF
2017 Senior PGA Championship, Third Round (NBC, 1pm)
DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, Third Round (CBS, 3pm)
SOCCER
FA Cup Soccer, Final: Chelsea FC vs. Arsenal FC (FOX, 12:30pm)
MLS: Portland Timbers @ Seattle Sounders FC (FOX, 3pm)
Friendly: Mexico vs. Croatia (FOX Sports 1, 8pm)
MMA & BOXING
Premier Boxing Champions (ESPN, 11pm)
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Auburn vs. Oklahoma (ESPN, 1pm)
Florida State vs. LSU (ESPN, 3pm)
Alabama vs. Florida (ESPN, 5pm)
Tennessee vs. Texas A&M (ESPN 2, 5pm)
Mississippi vs. UCLA (ESPN, 7pm)
Oregon vs. Kentucky (ESPN 2, 7pm)
Arizona vs. Baylor (ESPN, 9pm)
Washington vs. Utah (ESPN 2, 9pm)
OTHER SPORTS
Track and Field: Prefontaine Classic (NBC, 4pm)
Arena Football: Cleveland Gladiators @ Baltimore Brigade (CBS SportsNet, 7pm)
---
MOVIE: Storks (HBO, 8pm)
MOVIE: The Shallows (Starz, 8pm)
NXT Takeover: Chicago was live in the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois, at the Allstate Arena. Home of some of the greatest sports franchises in history. Also home of some of the best damn pizza ever created, sorry New York, I'd take a Chicago deep dish pizza at Giordano's in downtown Chicago any day of the week.
WWE brings us day one of their two day pay per view event, with Smackdown Live taking place Sunday night. All the major NXT titles were on the line tonight and a lot more.
** NXT Takeover: Chicago Card **
- NXT World Champion Bobby Roode defended his title against Hideo Itami. - NXT World Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defended their titles against #DIY in a Ladder Match. - NXT Women's Champion Asuka defended her title against Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot in a Triple Threat Match. - WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate defended his title against Pete Dunne. - Roderick Strong battled SAnitY leader Eric Young.
** Tommaso Ciampa Update **
Tommaso Ciampa suffered an ankle injury during an NXT house show on Thursday night. Many have been speculating on whether or not Ciampa would be able to compete with Johnny Gargano against The Authors of Pain in their Ladder Match tonight. Early Saturday afternoon, Ciampa was shown getting his ankle heavily taped up so it appears Ciampa will be good to go for NXT Takeover: Chicago.
** NXT Takeover: Chicago **
- Eric Young vs. Roderick Strong: Young consistently uses Dain and Wolfe to get in cheap shots and distractions on Strong and the referee throughout the match. The match closes out with both men trading shots until Young drops Strong. Young goes to the top rope, Strong cuts Young off, goes for a superplex, but takes a Young head butt sending Strong to the mat. Young hits the flying elbow drop on Strong and gets a near fall. Young attempts to hit Youngblood, but Strong counters with a near fall rollup. Strong lands two kicks on Young, kicks Dain off the apron and then tosses Young into Wolfe, who also jumped on the apron. Young rakes Strong in the eyes and goes to the top rope. Strong cuts Young off and both men battle on the ropes back and forth. Strong hits a jumping knee on Young that sends Young flying off the top rope and on top of Dain and Wolfe outside. Young gets back inside the ring and ends up taking the backbreaker from Strong. Strong covers and scores the pinfall. Winner: Roderick Strong, by pinfall.
- "WWE United Kingdom Championship Match": Tyler Bate (c) vs. Pete Dunne: The match closes out with Bate airplane spinning Dunne and getting a near fall. Dunne hits a forearm and a sit down power bomb for a near fall. Both men are up and trade shots back and forth until Bate drops Dunne. Dunne hits an enziguri, but gets taken out and nearly pinned by Bate. More back and forth action until Bate attempts Tyler Driver 97. Dunne counters it and attempts the Bitter End. Bate counters that and lays Dunne out with a DDT. Fans erupt with "Holy S***" and "Fight Forever" chants. Dunne rolls outside where Bate flies off the top rope and takes Dunne out with a moonsault. Back in the ring, Bate hits a corkscrew 450 on Dunne and gets a near fall. Fans erupt with "UK" chants as Bate runs the ropes. Dunne dodges a charging Bate and Bate gets laid out on the floor. Dunne pulls Bate back into the ring, hits the Bitter End and scores the pinfall to win the title. Winner: Pete Dunne, by pinfall, to win the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
- "NXT Women's Championship, Triple Threat Match": Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot: The match closes out with Asuka hitting a german suplex on Ruby for a near fall. Nikki counters a german suplex from Asuka, plants Asuka and gets a near fall. Asuka and Ruby trade offense and pinfall attempts until Asuka traps Ruby in the Asuka Lock submission. Nikki hits a splash to break the submission and then sends Ruby outside. Nikki has Asuka on the apron and unloads strikes on her. Nikki drags Asuka into the corner and then hits a hanging neck breaker for a near fall, as Ruby breaks it up. Nikki and Ruby charge each other and connect on each other with cross body block attempts. Asuka is back in, but gets tossed right back out to the floor. Ruby hits a Pele Kick on Nikki and gets a near fall, after Asuka breaks up the pinfall, hitting a running knee. Both Ruby and Nikki are knocked out as Asuka falls on top of both ladies and scores the pinfall to retain her title. Winner: Asuka, by pinfall, to retain the NXT Women's Championship.
- We get a highlight video of "The Velveteen Dream" Patrick Clark making his NXT debut this Wednesday night.
- "NXT World Championship Match": Bobby Roode (c) vs. Hideo Itami: The match closes out with both men brawling on the floor. Roode gets sent into the steel steps shoulder first and Itami misses a drop kick hitting the steel steps. Both men barely make it back into the ring before the countout and the match continues. Roode and Itami trade shots until Itami takes control and sends Roode into the corner. Itami hits the hesitation drop kick, goes for Go To Sleep, but his leg gives out from crashing into the steel steps. Roode hits the Glorious DDT, but gets a near fall. Itami catches Roode and nails Go To Sleep, but Roode falls outside to the floor. Itami rolls Roode back into the ring and covers, but Roode kicks out at two and a half. Roode counters another Go To Sleep with a rollup, but Itami counters with his own rollup and gets a near fall. Itami counters the Glorious DDT and unloads on Roode. Itami pulls down the knee pad and goes for Go To Sleep on Roode. Roode counters and hits the Glorious DDT. Roode pulls Itami back up, hits another Glorious DDT and scores the pinfall to retain his title. Winner: Bobby Roode, by pinfall, to retain the NXT World Championship.
- "NXT World Tag Team Championship, Ladder Match": Authors of Pain (c) vs. #DIY: The match closes out with the AOP climbing for the titles. Ciampa runs up the ladder and cuts off Rezar. Ciampa sends Rezar flying off the ladder and right through another ladder lying down below. Akam climbs for the titles, but Gargano follows. Akam shoves Gargano to the side and then kicks Gargano as he hangs on. #DIY unload kicks on Akam and then wrap a Ladder around Akam's head. #DIY hit Akam with Meet In The Middle and Ciampa clutches his injured leg. #DIY set up a ladder and begin to climb to the titles.
#DIY are about to unhook the titles when suddenly AOP kick out the ladder from under them. #DIY are hanging on for dear life, grasping onto the hook that the titles are hooked to. AOP grab #DIY from off the hook and hit a double power bomb and then the Super Collider. AOP climb the ladder and grab the titles for the victory. Winners: Authors of Pain, by title retrieval, to retain the NXT World Tag Team Championship.
- #DIY Disbands: After the match, the fans give Ciampa and Gargano a standing ovation. Ciampa and Gargano share a bro hug and head up to the NXT stage as fans continue to applaud their effort. Ciampa bro hugs Gargano again when suddenly........Ciampa turns on Gargano and launches him head first into the LED board on the stage. Ciampa mounts Gargano and unloads punches as the fans reign the boos. Ciampa measures Gargano and knees Gargano's head off. Ciampa pulls down his knee pad and knees Gargano's head off again. The fans chant "F*** You Ciampa" as Ciampa tosses Gargano onto the announcers table. Ciampa scoops up Gargano and falls backwards off the stage, putting himself and Gargano through tables below. Ciampa climbs back on top of the announcers table and takes in the "A**hole" chants to end the show.
Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE brings you the Weekend 3 Count. W3C brings you wrestling news, rumors and recaps from around the wrestling world. You'll find news rumors and recaps involving WWE, NXT, Impact Wrestling, ROH, Lucha Underground, NJPW, House of Hardcore, NWA, ICW, CZW, FIP, AAW, EVOLVE, SHINE, SHIMMER and any Indy promotion that I find an interesting story or a cool discovery in. Be sure to check out the W3C every Sunday afternoon at @TripleThreatCLE
** Theme Song Of The Week **
This week's theme song of the week will also be a tribute. This past Wednesday, Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave sadly ended his own life. Chris played a huge part in the music I loved in high school and I still listen to today. Be Yourself, by Audioslave was used in the WWE's 2005 Diva Search Contest. RIP Chris and Say Hello To Heaven.....
*** WWE ***
- Brock Lesnar Universal Championship Defenses: Due to Braun Strowman being out for the next possible 6 months with his elbow injury, WWE had to switch things up storyline wise. Originally Braun Strowman was set to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Great Balls of Fire, however, that has all changed now. The winner of the Fatal Five Way Match at WWE Extreme Rules will now get the title shot against Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire. Rumors are stating that if Strowman is able to return by August for WWE Summerslam than that will probably be the time Strowman gets his WWE Universal Championship Match.
- Original Plans For Chris Jericho: Chris Jericho was interviewed this week on Busted Open Radio and revealed the original plans that almost happened. Jericho stated that he originally was to defeat Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 33 for the WWE Universal Championship and then go on to WWE Payback and lose it to Brock Lesnar. With all the Goldberg hype started up, the WWE decided to go with Goldberg dropping it to Lesnar instead.
- WWE Women's Tournament News: WWE announced this week that they are heavily preparing for their Women's 32 Superstar Tournament that will take place on the WWE Network this summer. WWE is expecting women from at least 17 different countries to compete in the tournament. Some of the promotions that WWE is looking at talent in are the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion in Japan, SHINE and SHIMMER. WWE is set to begin taping the tournament on Thursday, July 13th and Friday, July 14th at Full Sail University. The current plan is to release 3 or 4 episodes of the series at a time on the WWE Network, with the Finals being shown live on Tuesday, August 29th.
- Braun Strowman Injury Update: Last week it was announced that Braun Strowman would miss 4 to 6 weeks due to issues with his elbow. This week things took a turn for the worse as now WWE is stating that Strowman will be out for 6 months, after receiving elbow surgery. Strowman had been dealing with elbow issues the past month and needed to get the problem addressed before it was too late.
- Emma Injury: WWE announced that Emma was recently sent home from the WWE European tour this past week after suffering an apparent shoulder injury at a live event in Liverpool, England. Emma tweeted out on Twitter that she has started rehab on her shoulder. WWE has yet to announce how serious the injury is or how long Emma will be out for.
- John Cena Update: WWE announced that John Cena will return for a special RAW and Smackdown Live edition on July 3rd and July 4th. Those are the only dates Cena is scheduled for with nothing permanent in the future at this time. Cena is currently following the Hollywood path and making movies. Cena is currently promoting his war movie called The Wall and is currently filming the comedy Daddy's Home 2 with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
- New Signee:F4WOnline.com is reporting that Io Shirai has accepted an offer with WWE and is expected to start at the WWE Performance Center soon. Shirai, who is said to be one of the top women's wrestling stars in Japan, was at the WWE tryouts in March. It's rumored that Shirai will join NXT to strengthen the Women's roster, but no official announcement has been made yet.
** Io Shirai Career Highlights:
- Was born and raised in Kamakura, Kanagawa.
- Was trained by Takashi Sasaki and Tomohiko Hashimoto.
- Made wrestling debut in 2007.
- Has wrestled for Japan's World Wonder Ring Stardom, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Zero1, Ice Ribbon Wrestling, NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling, SMASH, IWRG, AAA and Pro Wrestling Wave.
- 1 Time TLW World Young Women's Tag Team Champion, with Mio Shirai.
- 4 Time Artist of Stardom Champion, with Mayu Iwatani and Takumi Iroha (1), Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani (1), HZK and Momo Watanabe (1) and AZM and HZK (1).
- 1 Time Goddess of Stardom Champion, with Mayu Iwatani.
- 1 Time High Speed Champion.
- 1 Time SWA World Champion.
- 1 Time Wonder of Stardom Champion.
- 2 Time World of Stardom Champion.
- 1 Time Americas World Mixed Tag Team Champion, with Nosawa.
- WWE Signs Female Referee: This past week the WWE completed a first in wrestling history as they signed Indie wrestler Kennadi Brink, which WWE plans to use as a first ever full time female referee. Kennadi is a graduate of The Dudley Boys' Team 3D Academy in Florida. Bully Ray recently sent out a tweet congratulating his graduate.
- Summer Rae Update: WWE announced this week that Summer Rae has been finally cleared to return to the ring. Summer has been out of action since last August due to neck and back injuries. She was training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in March to get back into wrestling and working off ring rust.
- Work For Good Ol' J.R.: Jim Ross announced on the WWE UK Special this past Friday afternoon and he also announced the WWE United Kingdom Championship Match at NXT Takeover: Chicago. WWE has announced that Jim Ross will also do the announcing during this summer's Women's Tournament on WWE Network. Jim Ross recently signed a new WWE contract, but it was unknown at the time what kind of work JR would be doing.
- Final Card For Tonight's WWE Backlash Pay Per View: Tonight is WWE Backlash and as usual I will provide you with the shows recap on Monday afternoon if you miss the show.
- "WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match": Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal.
- "WWE United States Championship Match": Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles.
- "WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship Match": The Usos (c) vs. Breezango.
- Dolph Ziggler vs Shinsuke Nakamura.
- "Six Woman Tag Team Match": Naomi, Charlotte and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Nattie Neidhart and Tamina.
- Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper.
- Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn.
- Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English.
** 205 Live Recap ** This week's main event saw Austin Aries battle TJ Perkins.
- Backstage, Austin Aries knows that Neville is using TJ Perkins and he plans to beat Perkins tonight even with his current knee injury.
- Noam Dar vs. Gran Metalik: The match closes out with Dar hitting the Supernova Kick to score the pinfall.
Winner: Noam Dar, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Brian Kendrick is disappointed with Akira Tozawa because he's still catering to the fans instead of listening to Kendrick's life lessons. Kendrick will face Tozawa in a Street Fight Match next week.
- Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese: Before the match can even start, Drew Gulak attacks Ali from behind and tosses him into the ring post. Gulak holds Ali allowing Nese to hit the Running Knees. Gulak says he's making an example out of Ali.
Winner: No Contest.
- Backstage, Rich Swann says he's not worried about Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. A package arrives for Swann, he sends it to Ariya Daivari, Daivari denies it, so Jack Gallagher takes it. Daivari takes it back, opens it and gets powder shot into his face from inside.
- Austin Aries vs. TJ Perkins: The match closes out with Aries making Perkins tap out to the Last Chancery submission. After the match, Neville attacks Aries from behind and works over his knee injury. Neville wraps Aries' injured leg around the ring post and then applies the Rings of Saturn submission. Jack Gallagher hits the ring, makes the save and chases off Neville.
Winner: Austin Aries, by submission.
** WWE UK Special Recap ** This past Friday afternoon WWE held a special United Kingdom show which showcased some of the best talent in the United Kingdom and the Cruiserweights of the WWE. The main event of the show saw WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate defend his title against Mark Andrews.
- Wolfgang vs. Joseph Conners: The match closes out with Conners unloading kicks on Wolfgang and a near fall lung blower. Conners with a slingshot flatliner on Wolfgang for another near fall. Conners works on the ribs and hits a spinebuster for a near fall. Wolfgang catches Conners coming off the ropes and nails a spear. Wolfgang goes to the top rope and hits the Senton Splash for the pinfall.
Winner: Wolfgang, by pinfall.
- TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick vs. Rich Swann and Dan Moloney: The match closes out with Swann hot tagging and unloading. Swann gets a near fall front flip leg drop on Kendrick. Swann and Kendrick battle to the top rope where Swann hits an atomic drop on Kendrick. Moloney gets sent outside, but makes it back in to break up Kendrick's Captain's Hook submission on Swann. Perkins gets in a cheap shot and Kendrick gets a rollup pinfall to win the match.
Winners: TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick, by pinfall.
- #1 Contenders Match For The WWE United Kingdom Championship": Pete Dunne vs. Trent Seven: The match closes out with Dunne countering a Dragon Suplex, but gets destroyed by Seven with a lariat for a very close near fall. Seven is holding his arm in pain that he hit the lariat with, as Dunne was working on it the whole match. Dunne goes for a hanging Kimura Lock submission, but Seven powers out and hits a Dragon Suplex. Dunne rakes Seven in the eyes, hits the Bitter End and scores the pinfall, earning Dunne a WWE United Kingdom Championship Match at NXT Takeover: Chicago.
Winner: Pete Dunne, by pinfall, to become the new #1 Contender to the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
- "WWE United Kingdom Championship Match": Tyler Bate (c) vs. Mark Andrews: The match closes out with Andrews going to the top rope, but Bate lands an enziguri. Bate goes up top and places Andrews on his shoulders. Andrews counters by hitting a hurricanrana on Bate. Andrews hits a running shooting star press on Bate and gets a near fall. Bate plants a super kick and then drills Andrews with a lariat. Bate counters a suplex by Andrews and hits Stundog Millionaire. Bate attempts a Shooting Star Press off the top rope, but Andrews blocks with the knees up. Bate comes back and plants a rolling front kick, stunning Andrews. Bate with the Tyler Driver 97 and the pinfall follows to retain the title. After the match, Pete Dunne hits the ring and beats down Andrews. William Regal arrives and forces Dunne to back off. Dunne and Bate stare each other down to end the show.
Winner: Tyler Bate, by pinfall, to retain the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
*** NXT ***
- The Original Idea For SAnitY: Former NXT superstar Marcus Louis was interviewed this week and he revealed the original plan for the SAnitY stable that is currently led by Eric Young.
“Initially, SAnitY was supposed to be Sami Callahan, myself, and Sawyer Fulton. We were the the three people who were supposed to be SAnitY at first. I was told about this idea in late 2015. It was September 2015, I think, I was told by Triple H himself. He came and said, "I have this great idea for you guys. We’re gonna bring you in as a trio of sort of like punk-looking people, sort of like Mad Max." And then it was supposed to be Crowe, myself, and Fulton. But he was like long-term, and it was a long shot already. So Callahan left NXT, and then there was a different talk. They were talking about bringing in somebody new to be the leader of this faction.”
Obviously the original idea never worked out as former Impact World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young was signed to NXT and was made as the leader of SAnitY. SAnitY debuted as Eric Young, Sawyer Fulton, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross. Fulton suffered an injury and was soon replaced by Damian Killian.
- Tommaso Ciampa Injured: This past week Tommaso Ciampa of #DIY was reportedly injured at Thursday night's NXT live event in Highland Heights, KY. Ciampa and his partner, Johnny Gargano, were facing Sanity at the show when a few minutes into the match, Ciampa dove off the ring apron onto Sanity and hurt his left leg. The match was quickly stopped and ruled a no contest. An upset Ciampa hopped to the back yelling, "get me the f**k out of here". It's unknown at this time on how severe the leg injury is.
- NXT Takeover: Chicago: If you missed last night's show, make sure to check out my full recap on Triple Threat CLE.
*** Impact/Global Force Wrestling ***
** Impact TV Recap ** This week the GFW World Tag Team Championship Tournament kicked off. The main event of the show saw Low Ki defend his Impact X Division Championship in an Ultimate X Match against Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett.
- "GFW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Match": LAX vs. The Lorado Kid and Garza Jr.: The match closes out with Santana hitting the Code Red on Garza Jr. LAX then hit their double team finisher to score the pinfall and advance in the tournament.
Winners: LAX, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Magnus blames Bruce Prichard and says it's Prichard's fault that he lost the GFW Global Championship last week. Prichard says it's his own fault. Magnus says he's going to prove what he can do.
- Kongo Kong vs. Braxton Sutter: The match closes out with Sutter going for a pump kick, but gets splashed in the corner by Kong. Kong hits an Island Driver on Sutter and scores the pinfall. After the match, KM and Sienna attack and beat down Sutter. Mahabali Shera hits the ring and makes the save. Sutter challenges Kong and KM to a tag match next week.
Winner: Kongo Kong, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Karen Jarrett announces Eddie and Alisha Edwards vs. Davey Richards and Angelina Love for next week. Magnus suddenly pushes past Karen, upsetting her.
- Ethan Carter vs. James Storm: The match closes out with EC3 hitting the TK3 and then grabs a belt. EC3 hits a second TK3 on Storm and then knocks out the referee, catching the DQ. After the match, EC3 whips the referee with the belt. Storm hits a Backstabber on EC3 as Magnus suddenly hits the ring. Magnus and EC3 start arguing with each other as Bruce Prichard hits the ring. Prichard restores order and announces a triple threat match for next week between EC3, Storm and Magnus with the winner getting a title shot against Bobby Lashley at Slammiversary.
Winner: James Storm, by DQ.
- "GFW Women's Championship Match": Sienna (c) vs. ODB: The match closes out with ODB unloading chops and then corner splashes Sienna. ODB sends Sienna head first into the turnbuckle. Sienna suddenly hits The Silencer out of nowhere on ODB and scores the pinfall to retain her title.
Winner: Sienna, by pinfall, to retain the GFW Women's Championship.
- Jeremy Borash Promo: JB announces that he has an attorney and he's been reinstated to Impact. JB introduces Joseph Park as his attorney. Park challenges Josh Mathews to find a tag team partner and face him and JB at Slammiversary.
- "Impact X Division Championship, Ultimate X, Triple Threat Match: Low Ki (c) vs. Andrew Everett vs. Trevor Lee: The match closes out with Shane Helms trying to help Lee grab the title. Low Ki hits a springboard kick, taking out Lee and Helms. Low Ki climbs on top of the Ultimate X metal structure. Everett and Lee, meanwhile, both shimmy across the Ultimate X wire towards the title. Low Ki jumps off the metal structure and lands on the wire where the X connects and the title hangs. Low Ki kicks Everett off the wire and then stomps on Lee sending him off the wire. Low Ki reaches down and grabs the title for the victory.
Winner: Low Ki, by title retrieval, to retain the Impact X Division Championship.
*** Ring Of Honor ***
** ROH TV Recap ** The main event of the show saw Bully Ray and The Briscoes defend their Six Man Tag Team Championship against The Rebellion.
- Search and Destroy (Chris Sabin and Jonathan Gresham) vs. Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara: The match closes out with Cheeseburger accidentally taking out Ferrara with the Shotei Strike. Gresham applies the Octopus submission on Cheeseburger and forces the tap out. After the match, Ferrara walks out on Cheeseburger.
Winners: Chris Sabin and Jonathan Gresham, by submission.
- Backstage, Silas Young talks trash to Jay Lethal, calling him the ROH golden boy. Young attacks, hits Lethal with a forearm and tosses him head first into the lockers.
- Bobby Fish vs. Silas Young: The match closes out with Beer City Bruiser trying to interfere, forcing the referee and Fish to go after him. Young uses his knee brace to hit Fish with while the referee is distracted and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Silas Young, by pinfall.
- Backstage, Dalton Castle says alot of people think he hit rock bottom when he lost to Christopher Daniels, but he promises to keep fighting for the ROH World Championship.
- "Six Man Tag Team Championship Match": Bully Ray and The Briscoes (c) vs. The Rebellion: The match closes out with The Briscoes suicide diving The Rebellion. Rhett Titus blocks Froggie Bow by getting his knees up. Titus hits a drop kick but misses a frog splash. Bully and The Briscoes hit 3D and score the pinfall to retain the titles. After the match, Bully and The Briscoes set up a table and Bully hits the Bully Bomb on Caprice Coleman through the table.
Winners: Bully Ray and The Briscoes, by pinfall, to retain the ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship.
** ROH War of the Worlds Recap ** ROH War of the Worlds was live at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City last weekend. Both ROH and NJPW were present for the show. The main event of the show saw ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels defend his title in a Triple Threat Match against Cody Rhodes and Jay Lethal.
** Dark Matches **
- The Kingdom defeated The Tempura Boyz, by pinfall, after TK O'Ryan hit Yohei with a crutch, allowing Matt Taven to score the pinfall.
- The Rebellion defeated Cheeseburger, Will Ferrara and Gedo, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match. Shane Taylor hits a top rope splash on Cheeseburger for the pinfall.
** ROH War of the Worlds **
- NJPW Officials Announcement: New Japan Pro Wrestling officials kicked off the show by announcing their newly created title called the IWGP United States Championship. A tournament will take place on July 1st and 2nd to crown the first ever champion. NJPW announced Jay Lethal as the first official wrestler in the tournament. Hangman Adam Page interrupted and disagreed with their decision on choosing Lethal. Page was held back by ROH officials and forced to leave.
- "Four Corner Survival Match": KUSHIDA vs. Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle vs. "The Last Real Man" Silas Young: The match closes out with Fish unloading with kicks and then sends Silas into KUSHIDA with an Exploder. Fish counters Castle's Bang A Rang and locks in a submission, but KUSHIDA breaks it up. KUSHIDA goes for the Hoverboard Lock on Fish, but Silas breaks it up. KUSHIDA counters Silas' Misery finisher and drives Silas into the mat. Castle ends up catching Fish, hits the Bang A Rang and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Dalton Castle, by pinfall.
- "The Heavy Metal Rebel" Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Adam Page: The match closes out with both men seriously spitting in each others faces and then trade strikes. Kazarian gets a near fall slingshot cutter. Page blocks the referees view and lands a cheap shot low blow on Kazarian. Kazarian comes back and goes for a sunset flip on Page. Page counters it, wraps up Kazarian in a rollup, grabs the ropes for leverage and steals the pinfall.
Winner: Hangman Adam Page, by pinfall.
- "Triple Threat Match": War Machine vs. EVIL and SANADA vs. Chris Sabin and Jonathan Gresham: The match closes out with Sabin hitting a double DDT on EVIL and SANADA. Sabin teases the New York crowd as they hit him with boos being a Detroit guy. Hanson tags in and unloads on everyone in his path. War Machine take control and go for Fallout. Sabin and Gresham counter and lay out Hanson and Rowe. Rowe gets double suplexed and then EVIL and SANADA take over the match, hitting a lariat on Hanson. SANADA distracts the referee allowing EVIL to drive a steel chair into Hanson's throat. All six men start brawling with War Machine hitting a Pop Up Power Slam on Sabin. Rowe scores the pinfall on Sabin as Hanson hits a suicide dive on EVIL and SANADA.
Winners: War Machine, by pinfall.
- Jay White vs. "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay: The match closes out with Ospreay landing a double underhook front face suplex for a near fall. Both men go up top where Ospreay kicks White and then springboard moonsaults White outside. Back in the ring, Ospreay hits the springboard cutter off the ropes on White and scores the pinfall. After the match, Punishment Martinez comes out of nowhere and lays out both Ospreay and White with a choke slam.
Winner: Will Ospreay, by pinfall.
- "ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship, No DQ Match": The Briscoes and Bully Ray (c) vs. Hirooki Goto and Roppongi Vice: The match closes out with Jay unloading on Goto, but RPG make the save, delivering knees on Jay. Mark is in and lands a Pele Kick, a rolling DVD and goes for the Froggie Bow. Beretta stops it from happening and a corner pyramid is formed. Mark and Bully counter the pyramid and deliver double doomsday devices. Bully and The Briscoes hit Whazzz Up on Goto and then a table is set up in the ring. Bully grabs Beretta and power bombs him through the table. Romero gets laid out with the 3D and Bully and The Briscoes score the pinfall to retain their titles.
Winners: The Briscoes and Bully Ray, by pinfall, to retain the ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship.
- "ROH Television Championship Match": "The Villain" Marty Scurll (c) vs. "Reborn" Matt Sydal: The match closes out with Scurll hitting a brain buster on Sydal, goes for the Chicken Wing submission, but Sydal escapes. Sydal attempts a standing moonsault, but Scurll breaks Sydal's fingers. Sydal counters the Chicken Wing submission again and gets a near fall hurricanrana. Scurll tries a third attempt at the Chicken Wing submission, but Sydal again counters and gets a near fall underhook driver. Scurll blocks the 450 Splash from Sydal with his knees up and is able to finally lock in the Chicken Wing submission for the tap out win to retain his title.
Winner: Marty Scurll, by submission, to retain the ROH Television Championship.
- "ROH World Tag Team Championship Match": The Young Bucks (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito and Bushi: The match closes out with Matt countering Destino and Bushi countering the Meltzer Driver. Bushi spits green mist in Matt's eyes blinding him. Matt starts blindly super kicking everyone, even hitting his brother Nick and the referee. Matt clears his vision with water as Naito goes for Destino again. Nick makes the save and hits a Swanton Bomb on Naito. Both teams trade more offense and near falls until The Bucks finally hit the Meltzer Driver to score the pinfall and retain their titles.
Winners: The Young Bucks, by pinfall, to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
- Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: The match closes out with Cole countering the High Fly Flow and hits The Last Shot for a near fall. Cole hits Tanahashi with his own version of High Fly Flow and gets another near fall. Tanahashi counters The Last Shot and drills a super kick on Cole. Tanahashi goes to the top rope and leaps off, but eats a mid air super kick from Cole on the way down. Cole hits a running knee and gets another near fall. Tanahashi counters The Last Shot and hits a suplex on Cole. Tanahashi finally hits the High Fly Flow on Cole and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi, by pinfall.
- Adam Cole's Farewell: After the match, Cole receives the traditional streamer toss and gets the "Thank You Adam" chants from the crowd. Cole has been rumored to be leaving ROH for NXT and this was Cole's last ROH pay per view appearance. The Young Bucks hit the ring and tease a super kick attack on Cole, but laugh and hug Cole instead. The lights suddenly go out in the building and Kenny Omega appears on the big screen. Omega mocks Cole's farewell and is highly disappointed in The Bucks for going along with this considering Cole tried to fire The Bucks from The Bullet Club last month. Omega fires Cole from The Bullet Club, calls Cole's tenure in ROH and in The Bullet Club storied and in every story the story has a hero and.........a villain. The camera pans out and reveals "The Villain" Marty Scurll sitting beside Omega. The lights pop back on in the arena and Marty Scurll is inside the ring. Scurll opens his umbrella and reveals The Bullet Club logo on it as The Bucks turn and drill Cole with double superkicks. Scurll reveals that he's wearing a Bullet Club t-shirt as he hits Cole in the head with his umbrella. The Bucks then plant the kiss of death on Cole's cheeks, tell him goodbye and leave Cole laying.
- "ROH World Championship, Triple Threat Match": Christopher Daniels (c) vs. "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes vs. Jay Lethal: The match closes out with Lethal and Cody trading strikes. Cody gets tossed into Daniels, who flies off the apron and through a table outside. Cody low blows Lethal, but misses the Beautiful Disaster Kick after Lethal hits a cutter on Cody in mid air and gets a near fall. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection, but Cody counters with Cross Rhodes and gets a near fall. Cody traps Lethal in a figure four leg lock and it looks like Lethal is about to tap out. Daniels returns and nails the Best Moonsault Ever on Cody and scores the pinfall to retain his title, while Lethal was still trapped in the figure four leg lock.
Winner: Christopher Daniels, by pinfall, to retain the ROH World Championship.
- New Signee: ROH announced the signing of Travis “Flip” Gordon to an ROH contract. Gordon made his mark at a ROH tryout camp before getting an opportunity on Ring of Honor television. From there, the high-flying Gordon impressed the ROH Board of Directors and earned a contract.
** Travis "Flip" Gordon Career Highlights:
- Born and raised in Kalispell, Montana.
- Was trained at New England Pro Wrestling Academy.
- Made his wrestling debut in 2015.
- Has competed in NEPWA and Chaotic Wrestling.
- Has yet to win any titles in his career.
*** SHINE ***
** SHINE 42 Recap ** SHINE 42 was live in Ybor City, Florida. The main event of the show saw LaFisto defend her SHINE World Championship against Leva Bates.
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- Dementia D'Rose defeated Aja Perera, by pinfall, in a Sparkle Showcase Match.
- Maria Maria defeated Dynamite DiDi by pinfall, with a Gory Bomb.
- Kiera Hogan defeated Priscilla Kelly, by pinfall, with a lateral press, after Aria Blake and Candy Cartwright interfered and hit DDT's.
- ACR defeated Lindsay Snow, by pinfall, with a roundhouse kick.
- Aerial Monroe defeated Aria Blake, by pinfall, with Dirty Dancing.
- "SHINE Tag Team Championship Match": Las Sicarias (Ivelisse and Mercedes Martinez) defeated Gabi Castrovinci and Santana Garrett, by pinfall, with a high kick and a victory roll, to win the SHINE Tag Team Championship.
- Allysin Kay defeated Chelsea Green, by pinfall, with a counter Stunner on a dive.
- Renee Michelle defeated Candy Cartwright, by DQ, when Aria Blake and Kiera Hogan attack Renee. Aerial Monroe and Priscilla Kelly make the save. An impromptu tag match is made after a challenge is thrown out by Aerial.
- "Six Woman Tag Team Match": Aerial Monroe, Priscilla Kelly and Renee Michelle defeated Aria Blake, Candy Cartwright and Kiera Hogan, by pinfall, with a lateral press from Kelly onto Hogan.
- It's announced that a new title is being created for SHINE and it will be called the Nova Championship. The first champion will be crowned in Ybor City over two days on July 13th and July 14th.
- "SHINE World Championship Match": LuFisto (c) defeated Leva Bates, by pinfall, with the Burning Hammer to retain her Shine World Championship.
*** CZW ***
- Sami Callihan Takes Over Creative Team: Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned Sami Callihan recently took over CZW's creative team to help lead them into the future. Sources stated that Callihan and his team will be handling creative/promotional decisions from now on, while CZW Prez DJ Hyde will focus on managing all the back-end business aspects of the company.
*** 5 Star Wrestling ***
- 5 Star Wants CM Punk: The Sun reported this past week that 5 Star Wrestling promoter Daniel Hinkles is offering $1 million to former WWE Champion CM Punk to make a return to the ring for 5 Star Wrestling's 128-man tournament that begins on June 10th in Liverpool, England. Hinkles stated the following.
“We’ve been trying to contact CM Punk on and off for well over a year. We wanted him on the first show we did in Edinburgh in 2015. I’ve tried going through friends in the industry, I’ve gone through his website and sent dozens of emails but the opportunity has never been this big. We want to offer CM Punk $1 million dollars (£770,000) to come and join the 5 Star Wrestling tour starting June 10th. It’s a genuine offer. We’d love to hear back from the man himself. We want to do this with him.”
Punk who hasn't been apart of the wrestling world since 2014 is currently signed under UFC and is actually training for his second fight, but nothing has been announced.
*** Other ***
- Shelly Martinez Retires: Former WWE and ECW diva Shelly Martinez announced this week that she is officially retiring from all of professional wrestling
And that's this week's W3C! Join me every Sunday afternoon as I bring you news, recaps and rumors all around the wrestling world!
