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WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 1/10): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By Zach Graham, PWTorch Contributor

January 10, 2019

Former champion reportedly returning to WWE
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly.

•Top Stories of the Week

  • The Royal Rumble card is mostly set. This week we were given more names of people who will be in the Royal Rumble matches and three more championship matches. Sasha Banks will face Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s Championship, Becky Lynch will face Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, and The Bar will defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championships against The Miz and Shane McMahon.
  • WWE moved Chris Jericho into their Alumni section after he appeared at the All Elite Wrestling rally in Jacksonville on Tuesday. Jericho had been listed as an active member of the roster and a member of Raw before Tuesday when he announced he was joining AEW. Jericho’s most recent appearance for WWE came at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in April 2018.

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Columbus, Ga.) 1/4/19

(1) Finn Balor beat Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler

(2) Titus O’Neil, Rhyno, & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley, Curt Hawkins, & Viktor

(3) Bobby Lashley beat Elias

(4) Apollo Crews beat Jinder Mahal

(5) Baron Corbin defeated Braun Strowman via countout (Strowman did not appear at all)

(6) John Cena beat Baron Corbin

(7) Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) defeated AOP to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships

(8) Lucha House Party beat The Revival

(9) Sasha Banks defeated Mickie James

(10) Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Ember Moon beat Mickie James, Dana Brooke, & Alicia Fox

(11) Dean Ambrose (c) beat Seth Rollins to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Greensboro, N.C.) 1/5/19

(1) The Bar (c) beat The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(2) Lana & Nikki Cross beat Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville

(3) The Miz defeated Mustafa Ali

(4) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe

(5) Rusev (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the United States Championship

(6) R-Truth & Carmella beat Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega

(7) Asuka (c) beat Becky Lynch & Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

(8) Daniel Bryan (c) defeated A.J. Styles to retain the WWE Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1/5/19

(1) Finn Balor beat Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler

(2) Titus O’Neil, Rhyno, & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley, Curt Hawkins, & Viktor

(3) Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) beat Elias

(4) Apollo Crews beat Jinder Mahal

(5) John Cena beat Baron Corbin

(6) Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) defeated AOP to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships

(7) Lucha House Party beat The Revival

(8) Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Ember Moon beat Mickie James, Dana Brooke, & Alicia Fox

(9) Dean Ambrose (c) beat Seth Rollins to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Fayetteville, N.C.) 1/6/19

(1) The Bar (c) beat The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(2) Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville defeated Lana & Nikki Cross

(3) The Miz defeated Mustafa Ali

(4) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe

(5) Daniel Bryan (c) defeated A.J. Styles to retain the WWE Championship

(6) R-Truth & Carmella beat Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega

(7) Rusev (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the United States Championship

(8) Asuka (c) beat Becky Lynch & Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Fort Meyers, Fla.) 1/6/19

(1) Finn Balor beat Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler

(2) Titus O’Neil, Rhyno, & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley, Curt Hawkins, & Viktor

(3) Bobby Lashley beat Elias

(4) Baron Corbin defeated Braun Strowman via countout

(5) John Cena beat Baron Corbin

(6) Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) defeated AOP to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships

(7) Lucha House Party beat The Revival

(8) Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Ember Moon beat Mickie James, Dana Brooke, & Alicia Fox

(9) Dean Ambrose (c) beat Seth Rollins to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (North Charleston, S.C.) 1/7/19

(1) The Bar (c) beat The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(2) Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville defeated Lana & Nikki Cross

(3) The Miz defeated Mustafa Ali

(4) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe

(5) Daniel Bryan (c) defeated A.J. Styles to retain the WWE Championship

(6) R-Truth & Carmella beat Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega

(7) Rusev (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the United States Championship

(8) Asuka (c) beat Becky Lynch & Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Source

If you attend a live event, please send results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

•WWE TV Match Results

Monday Night Raw TV Results 1/7/19

(1) John Cena, Seth Rollins & Finn Balor defeated Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre, & Bobby Lashley

(2) Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) beat The Revival in a Lumberjack Match to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships. Chad Gable pinned Scott Dawson, but Dawson’s foot was clearly under the rope, but missed by the official.

(3) Baron Corbin beat Elias

(4) Apollo Crews & Ember Moon defeated Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox

(5) Sasha Banks beat Nia Jax to earn a championship match at the Royal Rumble

(6) Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Seth Rollins in a Falls Count Anywhere match to retain the Intercontinental Championship after Bobby Lashley attacked Seth

Smackdown Live TV Results 1/8/19

(1) Daniel Bryan beat R-Truth

(2) Samoa Joe & Andrade Cien Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) beat Mustafa Ali & Rey Mysterio when Almas pinned Mysterio

(3) The Bar defeated The Usos

(4) Becky Lynch beat Charlotte & Carmella to become the number one contender. Becky will face Asuka at the Royal Rumble

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 1/9/19

(1) Noam Dar beat Tony Nese

(2) Hideo Itami beat Cedric Alexander to qualify for the Fatal Four-way Cruiserweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble

WWE Main Event (Aired on Hulu and WWE Network) 1/10/19

(1) Natalya beat Lacey Evans

(2) EC3 beat Curt Hawkins

Source: WKPWP Raw On-site Correspondent

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

WWE Royal Rumble on Jan. 27 from Phoenix, Ariz.

  • Men’s Royal Rumble Match – winner receives a championship match at Wrestlemania
    • Known Entrants (17): John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Elias, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Andrade Cien Almas, R-Truth (will enter last)
  • Women’s Royal Rumble Match – winner receives a championship match at Wrestlemania
    • Known Entrants (12): Natalya, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Alicia Fox, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Zelina Vega, Carmella (will enter last)
  • Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship
  • Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami in a Fatal Four-way Match for the Cruiserweight Championship
  • Daniel Bryan (c) vs. A.J. Styles for the WWE Championship
  • Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
  • The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

•Upcoming Events

  • Fri. 1/11/19 WWE Live Event – Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, W.Va.
  • Sat. 1/12/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tenn.
  • Sat. 1/12/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, Tenn.
  • Sun. 1/13/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
  • Sun. 1/13/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, Ala.
  • Mon. 1/14/19 WWE Raw, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Mon. 1/14/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.
  • Tue. 1/15/19 WWE Smackdown, Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.
  • Fri. 1/18/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
  • Sat. 1/19/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Taylor County Coliseum, Abilene, Texas
  • Sat. 1/19/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.
  • Sun. 1/20/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Chi Health Center, Omaha, Neb.
  • Sun. 1/20/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas
  • Mon. 1/21/19 WWE Raw, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.
  • Mon. 1/21/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Landon Arena, Topeka, Kan.
  • Tue. 1/22/19 WWE Smackdown – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan.
  • Sun. 1/27/19 WWE Royal Rumble, Chase Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Mon. 1/28/19 WWE Raw, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Mon. 1/28/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Tucson Convention Center, Tuscon, Ariz.
  • Tue.1/29/19 WWE Smackdown, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Fri. 2/1/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Sasktel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Sat. 2/2/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Brandt Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Sat. 2/2/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Sun. 2/3/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Canalta Centre, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
  • Mon. 2/4/19 WWE Raw, Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
  • Mon. 2/4/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Yakima Sundome, Yakima, Wash.
  • Tue. 2/5/19 WWE Smackdown, Angel of the Winds Arena, Everrett, Wash.
  • Fri. 2/8/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • Sat. 2/9/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Tribute Communities Centre, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
  • Sat. 2/9/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, NIU Convocation Center, Dekalb, Ill.
  • Sun. 2/10/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, The DOW Event Center, Saginaw, Mich.
  • Sun. 2/10/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind.
  • Mon. 2/11/19 WWE Raw, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Mon. 2/11/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Canton Civic Center, Canton, Ohio
  • Tue. 2/12/19 WWE Smackdown, Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
  • Fri. 2/15/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Tex.
  • Sat. 2/16/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Tex.
  • Sat. 2/16/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Rapides Coliseum, Alexandria, La.
  • Mon. 2/18/19 WWE Raw, Cajundome, Lafayette, La.
  • Mon. 2/18/19 WWE Live Event, Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles, La.
  • Tue. 2/19/19 WWE Smackdown, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, La.
  • Fri. 2/22/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, Ark.
  • Sat. 2/23/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C.
  • Sat. 2/23/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bancorpsouth Arena, Tupelo, Miss.
  • Sun. 2/24/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, Ala.
  • Sun. 2/24/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
  • Mon. 2/25/19 WWE Raw, State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.
  • Mon. 2/25/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, Ga.
  • Tue. 2/26/19 WWE Smackdown, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.
  • Fri. 3/1/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, WYCC, Salisbury. Md.
  • Sat. 3/2/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Mark Etess Arena, Atlantic City, N.J.
  • Sat. 3/2/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Sun. 3/3/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Eaglebank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
  • Sun. 3/3/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.
  • Mon. 3/4/19 WWE Raw, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Mon. 3/4/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Westchester County Center, White Plains, N.Y.
  • Tue. 3/5/19 WWE Smackdown, Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Hulk Hogan returned to television this week to celebrate the life of Mean Gene Okerlund. He said he came to the ring “in character” because that’s what Mean Gene would’ve wanted. He introduced a video package full of highlights from Mean Gene’s career. Back in the ring Hogan said that while Mean Gene may not be in the ring, he was in his heart. Hulk then talked about a tag team match Mean Gene was booking in heaven featuring a long list of deceased wrestlers.
  • Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins were focal points on Raw this week. The show started with the two of them brawling backstage and out onto the stage while multiple referees and lower-card wrestlers attempted to pull them apart. The two of them were then put in a six-man tag match where Seth would pin Dean Ambrose. Seth left the ring and marched back to Triple H where he demanded an Intercontinental Championship match. Triple H agreed and said it would be a Falls Count Anywhere match. When it came time for that match, Dean came to the ring first and Seth attacked him from behind. The match was mostly backstage, but they fought their way back to ringside and when Seth was in position to win, Bobby Lashley interfered to beat down Seth. Bobby then stood there as Dean slowly crawled over to cover Seth for the win. After the match was over, Bobby beat down Seth some more including putting him through a table to end the show.

Smackdown Live

  • Becky Lynch won the triple threat match after pinning Carmella to become number one contender for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. After Becky won the main event, Asuka came down to the ring and she and Becky stood face to face to end the show.
  • Daniel Bryan opened the night standing by a concession stand and ranting against fans. He grabbed a hotdog out of the hand of one fan’s hand and threw a large soda on another fan while criticizing them for eating that junk food to fill a void in their lives. He then walked over to a nearby WWE merchandise stand where he asked for a “Yes Movement” shirt then reminded everyone he killed the yes movement. He then saw some A.J. Styles merchandise and criticized the wastefulness and consumerism of fans. Bryan then walked back into the main arena and walked down the stairs towards the ring while justifying he actions by saying he is trying to make the world a better place while yelling at fans saying they were weak and impotent over and over. Bryan was attacked by R-Truth when he reached ringside which lead to their match. Bryan would beat R-Truth and while on the stage walking to the back, he was attacked by A.J. Styles.
  • The Miz and Shane McMahon are now the challengers for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. The Usos fought The Bar in a non-title match to try and become number one contenders. Thanks to Mandy Rose, The Usos would lose and after The Bar beat The Usos, The Miz came down and challenged The Bar for the titles. Cesaro and Sheamus pretended to discuss it before Sheamus hit The Miz with a Brogue Kick and Cesaro announced they accept The Miz’s challenge.

•Listen to the latest Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show – Smackdown Post-Show

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch Livecast host and PWTorch Newsletter columnist Greg Parks as they discuss the AEW Rally and WWE Smackdown with live callers first, an on-site correspondents both from Smackdown and the AEW Rally, and then later answering email questions. This show features topics such as the Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Carmella main event, the Shane McMahon-Miz storyline, and more.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “Wade Keller” on your podcast app of choice

•WWE Social Media Highlights

Becky goes after Charlotte again for posting a picture that’s clearly Charlotte’s head edited onto Brittney Spear’s body. Charlotte later acknowledged that it was a fan edited photo that she shared.

https://twitter.com/MsCharlotteWWE/status/1082331570952982534

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1082337479905157126

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1083096582705295360

Ronda Rousey posted this on Instagram hyping her match with Sasha at the Royal Rumble. She mentions the Four Horsewomen again and I find it interesting that all eight women involved in the two groups keep making subtle comments about each other.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYXa2dn-RQ/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=zz5aw65n1xtw

Mandy Rose continues to mess with Naomi and The Usos both on Smackdown and Twitter.

https://twitter.com/WWE_MandyRose/status/1082849618067668993

Sami Zayn supports Daniel Bryan’s message about consumerism.

•Closing Commentary

– Monday was not a good night for top stars delivering promos. We had two of the worst promos in a while, in my opinion, from Braun Strowman and Ronda Rousey on Raw.

Braun’s promo was awful. He isn’t exactly a good promo to begin with, in my opinion, but wow, this has to be his worst. There were so many awkward silences during the split screen between Braun and Brock & Paul Heyman, I was convinced in the moment that the Brock and Heyman half of the promo was pre-taped and that they may not even be at the show at all. Obviously, they would come out to walk around the ring once and leave, but this was very hard to watch. WWE must have felt the same way because in the video they posted to Youtube, which is posted at the end of this commentary, they edited out the very long and awkward silences.

Ronda’s promo was just weird to me. It continues a pattern of strange Ronda promos that started with multiple promos regarding what a champion is. This promo on Monday about Sasha just felt forced and completely out of the blue. She said that Sasha is the one woman who has pushed everyone to their limits in the ring, has more athleticism in her pinky finger than Charlotte Flair, has a more harrowing story than Becky Lynch, puts Ronda’s love of the business to shame because “she is this business,” and that she is the real Cinderella story and the real Rocky Balboa of the women’s division. I do not want to dispute any of the things she said – some people truly believe Sasha is all of those things – but it was so out of the blue and delivered so strangely, it was hard for me to watch. I don’t mind her propping up an opponent, but this felt very heavy-handed. I did appreciate the jabs at Charlotte and Becky because it keeps that feud alive, but in the background, but this was such a strange way to try to have Ronda put Sasha over – and herself in a way by being so complimentary.

The only way to fix any wrestler’s speaking issues is to force them to do it. Practice makes perfect, in my opinion, but there are things they can do to help them. Why is WWE sending Braun Strowman out to the ring to cut a three minute promo back and forth with Paul Heyman? I mean, that’s just not fair! Ronda delivering a long promo on her own also hasn’t yielded positive results, yet they continue to do it. To help them, give them backstage promos, some pre-taped interview segments, or short promos for the time being because, in my opinion, they’re treading water and just trying to make it through the segment most of the time. I think having Ronda and Braun go out and deliver these long promo segments is doing more harm than good. They are two of the biggest stars on Raw currently, and they should do a little more to protect their weak spots.

Braun’s Segment with Brock:

Ronda’s Promo about Sasha:

Complete side-note here: I can’t begin to explain how jealous I am of Brock Lesnar. The guy got paid to fly to Orlando for Raw this week just to stand next to Paul Heyman, hold the Universal Championship, and walk around the ring once while his music plays. He’s practically stealing WWE’s money at this point!

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 1/2): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

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