News Ticker

WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 2/27): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By Zach Graham, PWTorch Contributor

February 28, 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

  • WWE Announced Friday afternoon that they have come to terms on the release of Ron Arneill (Tye Dillinger), Kenta Kobayashi (Hideo Itami), and Theodore Perkins (TJP). In the articles posted on WWE.com all three simply stated the wrestler had been released and nothing more.
  • Arn Anderson was also released from WWE, while Bruce Pritchard was rehired by WWE to join the creative team.
  • Roman Reigns opened Monday Night Raw this week and announced his Leukemia is in remission and he is coming back. No timetable was set for his return, but later in the night, he and Seth Rollins helped Dean Ambrose in a four-on-one attack. Roman hit a few Superman Punches and a spear in that segment.
  • Kevin Owens returned to television this week on Smackdown. Vince McMahon also announced him as a replacement for Kofi Kingston in the WWE Championship match at WWE Fastlane.
  • Matt Hardy also returned to television this week teaming with his brother Jeff against The Bar on Smackdown.
  • Honky Tonk Man was announced as the second member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2019.

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Jonesboro, Ark.) 2/22/19

(1) Titus O’Neil, Heath Slater, & Rhyno beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(2) The Revival (c) defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(3) Mojo Rawley beat Tyler Breeze
(4) Finn Balor (c) defeated Bobby Lashley to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(5) Drew McIntyre beat Elias
(6) Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss
(7) Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) beat The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(8) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Columbia, S.C.) 2/23/19

(1) The Usos (c) beat The new Day & Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Lana) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
(2) R-Truth (c) defeated Rey Mysterio & Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega) to retain the United States Championship
(3) Nikki Cross & Lacey Evans beat The IIconics
(4) The Miz & A.J. Styles defeated The Bar
(5) Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows beat Sanity
(6) Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe
(7) Asuka (c) beat Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Tupelo, Miss.) 2/23/19

(1) The Revival (c) defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(2) Mojo Rawley beat Tyler Breeze
(3) Finn Balor (c) defeated Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(4) Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss
(5) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose
(6) Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) beat The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(7) Titus O’Neil, Heath Slater, & Rhyno beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(8) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a Street Fight

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Greenville, S.C.) 2/24/19

(1) The Usos (c) beat The new Day & Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Lana) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
(2) R-Truth (c) defeated Rey Mysterio & Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega) to retain the United States Championship
(3) Nikki Cross & Lacey Evans beat The IIconics
(4) The Miz & A.J. Styles defeated The Bar
(5) Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows beat Sanity
(6) Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe
(7) Asuka (c) beat Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Source

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Montgomery, Al.) 2/24/19

(1) The Revival (c) defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(2) Mojo Rawley beat Tyler Breeze
(3) Finn Balor (c) defeated Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(4) Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss
(5) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose
(6) Titus O’Neil, Heath Slater, & Rhyno beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(7) Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) beat The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(8) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a Street Fight

Source

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Savannah, Ga.) 2/25/19

(1) The Usos (c) defeated Rusev & Shinsuke & The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
(2) R-Truth (c) beat Andrade to retain the United States Championship
(3) Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows beat Sanity
(4) A.J. Styles & The Miz beat The Bar
(5) Rowan defeated Shelton Benjamin
(6) Asuka (c) beat Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(7) Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton & Samoa Joe

Source

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

•WWE TV Match Results

Monday Night Raw TV Results 2/26/19

(1) Aleister Black & Ricochet defeated The Revival
(2) The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan w/ Liv Morgan) vs. Ronda Rousey & Natalya ended in a No Contest after Becky Lynch came through the crowd and attacked Natalya when she tried to stop her from entering the ring, Becky and Ronda then exchanged a few punches before being separated while fighting for control of Becky’s crutch
(3) Kurt Angle beat Jinder Mahal (w/ The Singh Brothers)
(4) Finn Balor (c) defeated Lio Rush to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(5) Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) vs. Braun Strowman was scheduled to take place, but after Lashley attacked Strowman before the bell, the match never officially started. Braun quickly gained the upper-hand over Lashley and left the ring after thwarting Lashley’s attack
(6) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose in a No Disqualification match after Elias attacked Dean from behind as payback for Dean interrupting him earlier in the night.
– After the match, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley joined McIntyre & Elias in beating up Ambrose. Seth Rollins walked onto the stage carrying a chair, and Roman would join him. The two would clear the ring helping Ambrose before leaving
(7) Bayley (w/ Sasha Banks) beat Nia Jax (w/ Tamina)

Smackdown Live TV Results 2/27/19

(1) The Hardy Boyz defeated The Bar
(2) R-Truth (w/ Carmella) beat Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega) & Rey Mysterio to retain the United States Championship
(3) Ricochet & Aliester Black beat Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Lana)
(4) Kevin Owens & Kofi Kingston beat Daniel Bryan & Rowan

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 2/27/19

(1) Tony Nese defeated Kalisto to advance in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
(2) Drew Gulak beat Brian Kendrick to advance in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
– Humberto Carrillo vs. Oney Lorcan and Cedric Alexander vs. Akira Tozawa next week in two more tournament matches

WWE Main Event (Aired on Hulu and WWE Network) 2/28/19

(1) Rezar (w/ Drake Maverick) beat No Way Jose
(2) Apollo Crews defeated EC3

Source

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

WWE Fastlane on March 10 from Cleveland, Ohio

  • Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship
  • The Usos (c) vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
  • Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
  • Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

WWE WrestleMania on April 7 from New York City, N.Y.

  • Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship
  • Buddy Murphy (c) vs. TBD for the Cruiserweight Championship

•Upcoming Events

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.
Sat. 3/9/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Little Cesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
Sat. 3/9/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, N.Y.
Sun. 3/10/19 WWE Fastlane, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Mon. 3/11/19 WWE Raw, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Penn.
Mon. 3/11/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Covelli Centre, Youngstown, Ohio
Tue. 3/12/19 WWE Smackdown, Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Fri. 3/15/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sat. 3/16/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Five Flags Center, Dubuque, Iowa
Sat. 3/16/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wis.
Sun. 3/17/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Ill.
Sun. 3/17/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.
Mon. 3/18/19 WWE Raw, Allstate Arena, Chicago, Ill.
Mon. 3/18/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, BMO Harris Bank Center, Rockford, Ill.
Tue. 3/19/19 WWE Smackdown, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Fri. 3/22/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Cure Insurance Arena, Trenton, N.J.
Sat. 3/23/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, First Arena, Elimra, N.Y.
Sat. 3/23/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, N.Y.
Sun. 3/24/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Keybank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
Sun. 3/24/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Mullins Center, Amherst, Mass.
Mon. 3/25/19 WWE Raw, TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Mon. 3/25/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, PPL Center, Allentown, Pa.
Tue. 3/26/19 WWE Smackdown, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
Fri. 3/29/19 WWE Live Event – Supershow, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, Ky.
Sat 3/30/19 WWE Live Event – Supershow, Wesbanco Arena, Wheeling, W.Va.
Sun. 3/31/19 WWE Live Event – Supershow, Giant Center, Hershey, Pa.
Mon. 4/1/19 WWE Raw, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Mon. 4/1/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Berglund Center, Roanoke, Va.
Tue. 4/2/19 WWE Smackdown, Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Md.
Sun. 4/7/19 WWE WrestleMania, Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Mon. 4/8/19 WWE Raw, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tue. 4/9/19 WWE Smackdown, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mon. 4/15/19 WWE Raw, Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Tue. 4/16/19 WWE Smackdown, Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Fri. 4/19/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Sat. 4/20/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis.
Sat. 4/20/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield, Ill.
Sun. 4/21/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minn.
Sun. 4/21/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Tax Slayer Center, Moline, Ill.
Mon. 4/22/19 WWE Raw, Wells Fargo Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Mon. 4/22/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Sioux City, Iowa
Tue. 4/23/19 WWE Smackdown, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Roman Reigns announced that he is in remission and he will be returning to WWE soon. He did not specify when he would be back, but later in the night he joined Seth Rollins in saving Dean Ambrose from a four-on-one attack by Elias, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre. After Seth and Roman cleared the ring, the two walked up the ramp together, leaving Dean alone in the ring. As Seth and Roman got to the top of the ramp, they turned to look back at Dean together, but they went to commercial before the three could reunite or interact.
  • Ric Flair’s Birthday celebration was crashed by Batista who attacked Flair backstage. The Raw locker room was on stage and Triple H and Stephanie were in the ring to introduce some “special guests” which included Sean Michaels, Ricky Steamboat, Kurt Angle, and Sting. After these four got in the ring with the Triple H and Stephanie, they introduced Flair who didn’t come out to his music. They cut backstage to Batista dragging a camera man by his shirt to Ric Flair’s dressing room and demanding the cameraman wait outside so he could show everyone what he’s done. Batista then dragged Ric Flair out of his dressing room by his shirt and left him lying in the back. Batista then looked up at the camera and asked Triple H if he had his attention. Raw went off the air as Triple H tended to the injured Flair.
  • Becky Lynch was back on television this week and, as threatened by Triple H, was arrested for making an appearance. During Ronda’s tag match with Natalya, Becky limped through the crowd with one crutch and came to ringside. Natalya tried to stop Becky Lynch by talking to her and trying to calm her down, for her troubles Natalya was punched and hit her over the back with Becky’s crutch. Ronda and Becky then started fighting for control of Becky’s crutch and were stopped when WWE security and Atlanta Police came down to arrest Becky. Ronda then stayed in the ring through a commercial break and demanded to talk to Vince. Stephanie came out instead and Ronda tried everything she could to just get Becky reinstated and make the WrestleMania match a triple threat. Ronda tried being nice, then got angry after Stephanie tried to humiliate her. Ronda ended up laying the belt at Stephanie’s feet and walking off when Stephanie refused to reinstate Becky.

Smackdown Live

  • The Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan contract signing was scheduled to start the show, but Vince McMahon had other plans. Smackdown started with Bryan already in the ring with Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Shane and Stephanie then talked about Kofi Kingston’s career and how they may have overlooked him, but they aren’t any longer. Kofi came to the ring with Big E and Xavier Woods and sat down opposite of Bryan and Rowan. Daniel Bryan signed the contract and as Kofi went to sign it, Vince McMahon’s music played. Vince stood on the stage and thanked Kofi for his contributions throughout his career with WWE, but he has an obligation to the fans and to deliver the biggest box office possible. Because of these obligations, Kofi was not getting his match at Fastlane, instead he introduced Kevin Owens in his place. Owens walked to the ring, signed the contract, and stared at Daniel Bryan who was smirking back at him while Xavier Woods and Big E were furious and Kofi looked dejected. Owens would ask Shane and Stephanie in a backstage segment if he could team with Kofi against Rowan and Bryan because of how they were looking at him, noting he thinks Kofi deserves a title shot as much as he does, and Stephanie said they’d take it under advisement. That match was later booked for the main event of the show. Kofi came out for the match still looking extremely disappointed, but he and Owens worked well together. Owens would eventually pin Daniel Bryan to win the match. After the referee raised Owens’ and Kingston’s hands it appeared that Owens may have been offering Kofi a championship match once he beat Bryan, but it wasn’t mentioned by the announcers.
  • Charlotte addressed the Becky/Ronda situation from Monday, but didn’t mention Batista beating up her father. Charlotte came to the ring to address Ronda laying the championship down infront of Stephanie on Monday and started by talking about Vince’s decision to have Kevin Owens replace Kofi in the main event of Fastlane and applauding that decision. She talked about how she stays in her lane, unlike Ronda and Becky, saying that she is the gold standard and does everything she is asked to do. Charlotte then said the difference between her and Ronda is that she would never lay down the championship because she is a true champion. She then said she would be on Raw next week so Mr. McMahon can crown her the new Raw Women’s Champion.

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

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch Newsletter columnist and PWTorch Dailycast host Greg Parks as they discuss WWE Smackdown with live callers first, then an on-site correspondent from Charlotte, N.C. followed by a mailbag segment. They talk about Kevin Owens returning, Vince McMahon screwing Kofi Kingston, The Hardys reunite, Charlotte’s heel promo, and much more.

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

•WWE Social Media Highlights

Roman was shown lots of love by fellow wrestlers following his announcement Monday night that he is in remission. Instead of sharing a bunch of those tweets, I thought sharing videos of his appearances this week would be better for anyone who may have missed it.

https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1100776073606905856

WWE.com posted a video of Kevin Owens talking about getting the opportunity over Kofi Kingston that really seemed to portray him as a baby face still, saying Kofi deserves it, but Vince gave him the opportunity and he’d be a fool to turn it down. But he also posted a tweet to Vince McMahon that didn’t seem to coincide with the WWE.com video.

The Revival continues to make light of their tag team title run.

Becky shared her mugshots after “being arrested” on Monday night and continued to go after Charlotte and Ronda Rousey.

Renee Young stirring up controversy on Twitter this week, for the record she’s absolutely right.

https://twitter.com/ShinsukeN/status/1099892151750676481

Dolph Ziggler took exception to a fan talking about the lack of opportunity that he and The Miz have gotten. Actually he only disagreed with the part about The Miz…

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/1100082730417569792

•Closing Commentary

– What a week for WWE! There were still some annoying things on both shows, but I personally felt that this week was a good week compared to recent shows. We had Batista, Matt Hardy, and Kevin Owens all make surprising returns, Roman Reigns announced he is in remission, Becky got arrested, and we even got to see a few legends on Monday. From all of these moments, I wanted to look at the Roman Reigns announcement and Kevin Owens returning this week.

First, Roman’s announcement was awesome. It’s great to hear he’s in remission and he looked great on Monday. WWE gave him the time to go out there and make his announcement, he was personable, and the crowd welcomed him back with what seemed like universal cheers which was great to see and hear.

Now for the part that’s still bothering me. Other people have touched on this, but I wanted to as well. I didn’t like how WWE promoted this at all, it made me feel gross as a fan. When they announced he’d be on Raw last week, they teased it as “find out how Roman Reigns is doing on Raw” which is simply awful. Imagine if professional sports teams teased injury updates like that. Imagine if the Kansas City Chiefs had said “make sure to tune in to our special press conference next week to update the fans on the health of Eric Berry” while he was going through his fight with cancer. They would never do that! They would have said “he’s doing great, treatment has worked, he’s in remission and we’re going to host a press conference with him so he can talk our the fans.” That’s exactly what WWE should have done here with Roman. There is no justification in my mind to teasing what the news is like that, it’s awful. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty confident in saying there wouldn’t be any difference in the number of people who tuned in if WWE would’ve said “Roman is in remission, he’s going to be on Raw to celebrate and update the fans” instead. When they teased it as “find out how he’s doing” it felt like “will he survive or is he close to death?” Yes that’s a bit extreme, I know, but it’s along the same lines as what they did by not telling people that he is in fact okay and making people wait days to find out. It may be a minor thing, but this isn’t how any professional organization should ever handle something like this.

– Kevin Owens returning made me extremely happy. I’ll admit I’m a huge K.O. fan so having him back at all makes me happy, but him replacing Kofi at Fastlane is even better because I assume this means Kofi is getting the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. If Kofi does get that WrestleMania match this is a win-win. What’s strange about Owens returning like this is that it doesn’t seem to match his character in the video updates. In his video updates that have been shown on television the last few weeks, he seems like a real family man who’s enjoyed his time off, but is excited to get back to wrestling. Being Vince’s chosen pick to replace Kofi for no real reason is not something a face would do and we have the same type of story going on with Charlotte, Becky, and Ronda Rousey right now. Charlotte replaced Becky and Charlotte is clearly a heel. So, is Kevin Owens supposed to be a heel? That doesn’t seem to match the character he’s been portraying, but he didn’t really do much talking on television, so maybe he’s a face, but again he’s in the same spot as Charlotte. It’s all very confusing when trying to figure out his character at the moment.

After he teamed with Kofi, he seemed to tell Kofi that he’d be first to get a title shot after he beats Bryan, but it wasn’t acknowledged at all by the announcers and Kofi didn’t seem to trust Owens at all, which is understandable. In the WWE.com exclusive video I shared in the Social Media Highlights section above, Owens seems to be a baby face as well. Owens says that Kofi has more than earned his spot in that match and he’s seen “Kofimania” become a thing. He also says that Kofi more than deserves the title match at Fastlane, but he negotiated this title match with Mr. McMahon after McMahon came to him, which was surprising to him. Owens then says he would be crazy to turn down a title match, no matter how much Kofi deserves it, because he has a family at home. Owens then starts talking about spending the last five months at home with them and gets a little emotional as he talks about not wanting to leave them unless it was something that was worth it. Based on this video, he’s for sure a baby face, but again he’s positioned in the same spot as Charlotte is in being gifted a title match over someone else who’s earned it. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes, it’s very confusing right now and they only have one more week to clarify this before Fastlane. In the end I think this is a very good thing, I’m always happy to see Kevin Owens back, and I truly think Kofi will get the match at WrestleMania which will be great to see.

Here is the link to that video again: LINK

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 2/20): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

Related Articles

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

ALL CONTENT © TDH COMMUNICATIONS INC. 2024