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WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 6/13): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By Zach Graham, PWTorch Contributor

June 15, 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 Revival won the Raw Tag Team Championships this week on Monday Night Raw
  • WWE reportedly attempted to book Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya in a match at Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia last Friday, but were told no. Bliss and Natalya were in Saudi Arabia and accompanied other WWE wrestlers in visits to local hospitals.

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Fresno, Calif.) 6/9/19

(1) Samoa Joe (c) beat Cesaro & Ricochet to retain the United States Championship
(2) Alexa Bliss defeated Natalya
(3) No Way Jose beat EC3
(4) The Viking Raiders defeated Lucha House Party
(5) Braun Strowman beat Bobby Lashley
(6) Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins (c) beat The Usos and Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(7) Becky Lynch (c) defeated Lacey Evans to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(8) Seth Rollins (c) beat Baron Corbin to retain the Universal Championship

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Stockton, Calif.) 6/9/19

(1) Finn Balor beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Ali
(2) The Kabuki Warriors beat Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
(3) Daniel Bryan & Rowan defeated Chad Gable & Apollo Crews
(4) Roman Reigns beat Drew McIntyre
(5) Bayley defeated Ember Moon & Liv Morgan
(6) Lar Sullivan beat Matt Hardy
(7) Aleister Black defeated Randy Orton
(8) Kofi Kingston beat Dolph Ziggler

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Reno, Nev.) 6/10/19

(1) Finn Balor (c) beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Ali to retain the Intercontinental Championhip
(2) The Kabuki Warriors beat Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
(3) Matt Hardy defeated Buddy Murphy
(4) Daniel Bryan & Rowan (c) beat Chad Gable & Apollo Crews to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
(5) Roman Reign beat Elias
(6) Ember Moon defeated Liv Morgan
(7) Randy Orton beat Aleister Black
(8) Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship

SOURCE

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

•WWE TV Match Results

WWE Super Showdown Results (aired on WWE Network) 6/7/19

(1) Seth Rollins (c) beat Baron Corbin to retain the Universal Championship
– Brock Lesnar attempted to cash in his MITB contract after this match, but Paul Heyman “tripped” through the ropes and dropped the briefcase, distracting Lesnar, which gave Seth Rollins an opening for (ANOTHER) low blow. Seth then hit Brock with a chair multiple times before Brock retreated.
(2) “Demon” Finn Balor (c) defeated Andrade to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(3) Shane McMahon (w/ Drew McIntyre) beat Roman Reigns after a Claymore Kick by Drew while the referee was distracted
(4) Lars Sullivan beat Lucha House Party via Disqualification after all three members of LHP attacked him
(5) Randy Orton defeated Triple H
(6) Braun Strowman beat Bobby Lashley
(7) Kofi Kingston (c) (w/ Xavier Woods) beat Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship after Xavier Woods kicked Dolph from the ring apron (in an act of revenge for an earlier Ziggler kick to Woods) leading to the Trouble in Paradise
(8) Manoor won the 50 Man Battle Royal
(9) Undertaker defeated Goldberg

Monday Night Raw TV Results 6/10/19

(1) Lars Sullivan beat Lucha House Party in a 3-On-1 Handicap Elimination match
(2) Braun Strowman, The Miz, & Ricochet defeated Samoa Joe, Bobby Lashley, & Cesaro
(3) Lacey Evans & Alexa Bliss beat Becky Lynch & Bayley
(4) The IIconics beat Lisa Lace & Aliyah Nia
(5) The Revival defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins (c) and The Usos to win the Raw Tag Team Championships
(6) Kevin Owens beat Seth Rollins with Sami Zayn as Special Ringside Referee/Enforcer when Seth was disqualified for putting his hands on Zayn as the referee

24/7 Championship Update

    • R-Truth retained the Championship

Smackdown Live TV Results 6/11/19

(1) The Miz beat Elias
(2) Drew McIntyre defeated The Miz
(3) Shane McMahon beat The Miz
(4) Heavy Machinery beat a Local Tag Team
(5) Sonya Deville (w/ Mandy Rose) defeated Carmella
(6) Bayley defeated Nikki Cross (w/ Alexa Bliss)

24/7 Championship Update

    • R-Truth retained the Championship

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 6/11/19

(1) Chad Gable beat Jack Gallagher via Count-out
(2) The Singh Brothers defeated Dos Locales
(3) Akira Tozawa and Drew Gulak were both declared winners by separate officials in a Fatal Four-Way match which also featured Humberto Carillo and Oney Lorcan. The winner was to be declared number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship.

WWE Main Event (Aired on Hulu and WWE Network) 6/13/19

(1) The Viking Raiders beat Titus O’Neil & No Way Jose
(2) Natalya defeated Sarah Logan

SOURCE

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

WWE Stomping Grounds on June 23 from Tacoma, Wash.

  • Bayley (c) vs. Alexa Bliss for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship in a Steel Cage Match
  • Seth Rollins (c) vs. Baron Corbin with a Special Guest Referee of Corbin’s choosing
  • Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

•Upcoming Events

Fri. 6/14/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Sat. 6/15/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.
Sat. 6/15/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
Sun. 6/16/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sun. 6/16/19 WWE Live Event, Raw Roster, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, Calif.
Mon. 6/17/19 WWE Raw, Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Mon. 6/17/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, Calif.
Tue. 6/18/19 WWE Smackdown, Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, Calif.
Fri. 6/21/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Adams Center, Missoula, Mont.
Sat. 6/22/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.
Sun. 6/23/19 WWE Stomping Grounds, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Wash.
Mon. 6/24/19 WWE Raw, Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, Wash.
Mon. 6/24/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Toyota Center, Kennewick, Wash.
Tue. 6/25/19 WWE Smackdown, Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
Thur. 6/27/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore
Fri. 6/28/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Ryogoku Arena, Tokyo, Japan
Sat. 6/29/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Mississippi St. Fair Coliseum, Jackson, Miss
Sat. 6/29/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Ryogoku Arena, Tokyo, Japan
Sun. 6/30/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Monroe Civic Center, Monroe, La.
Mon. 7/1/19 WWE Raw, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Tue. 7/2/19 WWE Smackdown, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Sat. 7/6/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Sat. 7/6/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, N.Y.
Sun. 7/7/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Sun. 7/7/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, N.Y.
Mon. 7/8/19 WWE Raw, Prudential Center, Newark , N.J.
Mon. 7/8/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Cool Insuring Arena, Glens Falls, N.Y.
Tue. 7/9/19 WWE Smackdown, SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.
Fri. 7/12/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
Sat. 7/13/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, VSU Multipurpose Center, Petersburg, Va.
Sat. 7/13/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Massmutual Center, Springfield, Mass.
Sun. 7/14/19 WWE Extreme Rules, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mon. 7/15/19 WWE Raw, NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y.
Mon. 7/15/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, The Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Tue. 7/16/19 WWE Smackdown, DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.
Fri. 7/19/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Santander Arena, Reading, Pa.
Sat. 7/20/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Ga.
Sat. 7/20/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood, N.J.
Sun. 7/21/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola, Fla.
Sun. 7/21/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.
Mon. 7/22/19 WWE Raw, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.
Mon. 7/22/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Hertz Arena, Fort Meyers, Fla.
Tue. 7/23/19 WWE Smackdown, American Airlines Arena, Miami, Fla.
Fri. 7/26/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Four States Entertainment Center, Texarkana, Ark.
Sat. 7/27/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
Sat. 7/27/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Sun. 7/28/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Show Me Center, Cape Gigagdeua, Mo.
Sun. 7/28/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, JQH Arena, Springfield, Mo.
Mon. 7/29/19 WWE Raw, North Little Rock, Ark.
Mon. 7/29/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Memphis Navy Exchange, Memphis, Tenn.
Tue. 7/28/19 WWE Smackdown, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Seth Rollins opened Raw carrying a chair. He came into the ring talking about what happened in Saudi Arabia, then said the locker room can try and take the title from him and they have three choices. First, they can try to out wrestle him, he laughed and said there’s not a person on the planet who can lace his boots. They can try to fight him for it, or they can try it the hard way as he looked down at his chair, and said they should ask Brock how that works out. Baron Corbin came out smiling, he complained that the referee cost him the match in Saudi Arabia, but thanks to his negotiation skills, he’s now able to pick the referee for their rematch at Stomping Grounds. Seth questioned what friends he has and Sami Zayn’s music played. Zayn told Seth the championship is bad for him and if Corbin were champion we’d at least have a champion that isn’t obsessed with Lesnar. Seth asked Sami what’s in it for him for helping Corbin and Zayn admitted that he and Corbin had an agreement to help each other out. Seth congratulated Corbin for finding the “one idiot in the room who has your back” and Kevin Owens’ music played. He told Seth he didn’t like how he was talking to his friend and Seth challenged him to a match. Zayn would end up being enlisted as the special referee/ringside enforcer and would disqualify Seth after he got frustrated and put his hands on Zayn. After Corbin tried to sneak attack Seth with a chair, Seth grabbed the chair, Corbin retreated and Zayn took the beating from Seth with chair in hand.
  • Becky and Lacey gave a split screen interview with Michael Cole ahead of their tag team match on Raw. Cole went to ask Lynch the first question and Lacey took exception saying that where she comes from a lady goes first and said chivalry must be dead in WWE. Becky reminded her she’s tapped her out already and for all of her talking, she never seems to mention that. Lacey said she’s done whatever it took to get where she is, just like Becky and Becky responded by saying that dirt and gold are found in the same place, but that doesn’t make them equal. The two went back and forth for another minute or two before the segment ended. In the tag match, Nikki Cross interfered to stop Becky from going after Lacey following outside interference by Evans. This allowed Evans to hit Becky with the Women’s Right. Lacey would hit Bayley with the Women’s Right for the win moments later.

Smackdown Live

  • The Miz opened Smackdown with another edition of Miz TV. He came out looking rather annoyed, he pulled out a script and said he was told he had to follow the script exactly. He then read the script to introduce his guests Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon, which was overly positive. Miz did intentionally misread the “Best in the World” line before introducing Shane, first calling him the Breast in the World, then changing it to the Pest of the World. Shane, McIntyre, and Elias all came to the ring for Miz TV. Shane bragged about beating Roman and Miz took exception to that as well as Shane bragging about beating him twice. After trading threats and insults, Shane told Miz if he was able to beat Elias and McIntyre, he could get “his dream match” with Shane again. Miz would beat Elias rather quickly. When he took on McIntyre, Shane eventually distracted The Miz which lead to Drew hitting the Glasgow Kiss followed by a Claymore Kick to beat The Miz. Shane entered the ring and decided that they would go ahead and have their match since Miz had so much animosity towards him. Shane punched Miz before Miz attempted a quick comeback before the attack was stopped by Shane who would lock on a Triangle Choke and force Miz to tap out.
  • Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were on Smackdown tonight. Alexa asked Nikki if she was okay and Cross looked confused. Bliss explained that after Nikki interfered in her match on Raw, which caused Bayley to lose in her hometown, people said a lot of nasty things about her including Bayley. She said Bayley pretends to be a friendly hugger, but in reality she’s the same as everyone else who called Cross weird and a misfit and an outcast and friendless. Bliss said she secured Cross a match with Bayley and tried to get Nikki fired up by telling her to imagine Bayley as all the bullies on social media. Later in the match, Nikki controlled early before Bayley took back control. Alexa distracted Bayley late which lead to a near fall for Cross, but Bayley would knock down Cross before going to the top rope, eyeing Alexa, and hitting Cross with a flying elbow for the win. Bliss and Cross retreated up the ramp together.

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

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by Jake Barnett from ProWrestling.net to review Smackdown with live callers, talk to on-site correspondents from Sacramento, Calif., and answer mailbag questions on the return of New Day, Miz TV with Shane McMahon & Co., R-Truth locked in a crate on its way to L.A., 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

24/7 Championship Update

– Jinder Mahal pinned R-Truth to win the title at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany while WWE was on a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia last week.

– R-Truth won back the 24/7 Championship on the flight to Saudi Arabia when he pinned a sleeping Jinder Mahal.

Goldberg admitted that he knocked himself out during his match with the Undertaker at Super Showdown. There was a point where he hit his head off of the hardware holding the ropes tight around the ring and he cut his head open.

Becky Lynch got into a Twitter “argument” with Edge and Beth Phoenix. In an interview on Busted Open Radio, Ric Flair admitted that he thought it was a real argument and called Edge who told him it was all a work.

https://twitter.com/TheBethPhoenix/status/1136792338590777344

Edge also changed his Twitter bio at one point. Here is a tweet Edge retweeted of what he changed it to.

https://twitter.com/Hodgamania/status/1137492405085753345

In response, Becky did the same thing. Here is a tweet she retweeted including a screenshot of what she changed her bio to.

Drake Maverick channeled his inner Liam Neeson with another 24/7 Twitter video.

Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy briefly exchanged tweets to remind you that they still exist even if their immense talents aren’t being utilized AT ALL.

https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1138640337533095936

Over the weekend it was announced that Triple H will be joining A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows for WWE’s Japanese tour. The fact Tama Tonga welcomed him to Bullet Club is just hilarious to me.

https://twitter.com/KarlAndersonWWE/status/1138607189516595200

https://twitter.com/Tama_Tonga/status/1138611633716994049

Karl Anderson wants to remind us all that he and Gallows are still employed.

•Closing Commentary

– The idea that the Saudi Super Showdown was a “WrestleMania equivalent” show is so beyond laughable, I almost can’t stand it. Most people knew that line was complete garbage before the show because the last two Saudi shows have been lackluster, to say the least, but this one seemed especially bad in my opinion. The biggest issue is that it all felt like set-up for the next PPV, Stomping Grounds. Because of that, the show was largely skippable, but the Universal and WWE Championship matches are both being repeated at Stomping Grounds, which meant sloppy finishes to extend the feuds. We also had another Brock Lesnar MITB cash-in attempt, and that was a whole lot of nothing. Combining all of these finishes to the matches featuring current stars and storylines with largely insignificant matches like the Battle Royal as well as the matches featuring the likes of Triple H, Goldberg, and Undertaker, the whole event could be skipped and you really didn’t miss anything. Also, it was so hot in Jeddah that the wrestlers were seemingly exhausted from walking down the mile long entrance ramp, which only made it worse. The wrestlers clearly treat these events like house shows (not that I blame them) and the extreme heat only amplified the rather lackluster performances. Even a match like Finn Balor and Andrade, that had the opportunity to steal the show and be an instant classic if they gave it their all, felt rather plain and simple.

Speaking of lackluster matches, that main event of Goldberg vs. Undertaker may be one of the worst and saddest matches I’ve ever seen. The match went about 9 minutes, which was the first mistake. Goldberg bashed his head against his locker room door (because Goldberg) and then he took another hard headshot to the turnbuckle that probably concussed him. Goldberg admitted on Twitter that he “knocked himself out” but tried to continue the match. Goldberg and Undertaker both botched multiple spots in the match including a failed Jackhammer, a Tombstone Piledriver that dropped Goldberg right on his head, and a failed chokeslam that ended up being the finish to the match. Undertaker pinned Goldberg and sat up with a look of absolute disgust on his face. It’s just sad to see two guys hurt their legacies like that, because a match that ugly absolutely did just that. It’s their right to take the payday, and I’m not going to get into the “was it right for them to do that” argument because smarter people than I have had those discussions already, but man, did it come at a price.

– So, another gripe about Super Showdown is how the top two baby faces were booked. Seth Rollins beats Baron Corbin, but then hits Lesnar with another damn low blow! What in the world!? Shinsuke Nakamura was a heel for doing the same thing to A.J. Styles, but now Seth remains a face for doing it to Lesnar twice now? I don’t get it. Then, Kofi beat Ziggler after Xavier Woods kicked him in retaliation for Ziggler Super Kicking Woods for no real reason. That’s not the worst part; WWE then had Dolph Ziggler, THE HEEL, declare he wanted a cage match because he was screwed. There are two big issues with that logic (or lack thereof.) First, having the heel request a cage match because he’s tired of being outnumbered is the exact opposite of how that’s always been done. The baby face wants the cage match because he’s outnumbered and he wants to “keep everyone out” or “keep them in,” which never happens, but still. The other issue is that they’re jumping straight to cage match, and it feels like we’ve skipped a few chapters, doesn’t it? I think Todd Martin mentioned this same thing on The Fix last week, but I couldn’t agree more; the next logical step is Dolph requesting a match with Xavier Woods banned from ringside. Why are we jumping straight to the cage? What a mess. I also think Kofi’s response on Smackdown was weak. He basically said “you deserved it for hitting Xavier first,” and while that may be true, that’s not what a baby face should say, in my opinion. I’d have preferred Kofi acknowledge it, but try to explain that it didn’t ultimately matter; he would’ve beaten him anyway, and he’ll be happy to prove that at Stomping Grounds. Given that the kick came seconds before the ending, this is hard to do, but saying he deserved it just isn’t what I’d have my lead baby face say in that spot.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 6/6): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

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