Opening Bell: John Cena returns on Raw, Blood and Guts on Dynamite

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage for the week of June 27.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week ahead.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, June 27, Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas

Hit the trumpets! After being gone for some time thanks to a busy schedule of Hollywood roles, John Cena returns to Raw to celebrate 20 years in WWE. It seems like only yesterday when he was the Doctor of Thuganomics, but it was, in fact, more than a decade ago. Along with celebrating his many contributions to the company, expect a party crasher by the name of Theory to set up a match for SummerSlam.

Also, Kevin Owens‘ quest to prove Ezekiel and Elias are the same person hit a major bump in the road last week, when Elias performed his first concert in month, then broke a guitar over K.O.’s back. Enraged, Owens challenged Ezekiel or Elias or “their even younger brother” Elrod to a match for Laredo, so the fun will be seeing which one of them walks down the ramp.

AEW Dynamite Blood and Guts preview – Wednesday, June 29, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

It’s time for Blood and Guts, the match that threw Chris Jericho off a steel cage last year. Times have changed, however, with Jericho now leading the Jericho Appreciation Society, definitely not the fan favorite faction (alliteration is great) this time around. They’ll go up against the Blackpool Combat Club, newly bolstered by the arrival of Claudio Castagnoli during Forbidden Door.

But there is tension on the BCC side as well, with the combustible Eddie Kingston not always getting along with the Club members proper. That could be an issue in a match this intense.

Also, expect to see fallout from Forbidden Door, because it was a great show bound to reverberate through AEW programming in various ways.

WWE SmackDown – Friday, July 1, Footprint Center, Phoenix

Pat McAfee isn’t just a podcaster and announcer with the strongest leg in the universe. He’s acquitted himself well in a WWE ring so far, even if his 1-3 record doesn’t quite show it. Now he’s engaged in a war of words with Happy Corbin, and feeling good enough about himself to call Corbin out for a match at SummerSlam. Happy is expected to give his answer to the ex-NFL punter on Friday, and we’d be surprised if he doesn’t accept.

AEW Rampage – Friday, July 1, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (taped on June 29)

AEW hasn’t released any info yet for this show, mostly thanks to it having two big events in less than a week. One thing to watch for is Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee, who were victorious on the Buy-In at Forbidden Door but then immediately under verbal assault from Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Another showdown between the two teams would make a lot of sense as the featured match on Rampage this week, but we’ll have to wait until Wednesday, most likely, to see.

WWE Raw live results: Walk with Elias one more time

Check out live WWE Raw results from Lincoln, Nebraska, as Becky Lynch and Asuka face off and Elias has a concert. No, really.

Surely, the WWE Universe hasn’t forgotten how to walk with Elias, right? We’ll find out tonight on Raw from

That hasn’t been relevant for a while now, as the guitar-playing Superstar has been absent from WWE programming for some time while his, ahem, younger brother Ezekiel has been making name for himself … and an enemy out of Kevin Owens.

But Zeke has promised that Elias is showing up tonight to deliver a concert as he has so many times before. So either K.O. will be proven right, or the much more likely outcome will be he gets driven madder than ever before. Considering how amazing Owens has already been during this program, that’s a very entertaining thought indeed.

In the women’s division, there are still several spots to fill in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and one will be settled during a qualifying match on Raw between eternal rivals Becky Lynch and Asuka. It’s been several weeks since Big Time Becks announced that she was determined to make a big time comeback, but things haven’t quite gone as she’d like to far.

A victory over Asuka could help make her feel better, plus it would give her a shot at the contract that could finally put a championship back in her sights. Expect her to pull out all the stops to make that happen.

Finally, Riddle got his shot at Roman Reigns last week on SmackDown, and while he was more than game, he couldn’t unseat the Head of the Table. It would be weird if we didn’t hear from the King of Bros tonight to see how he’s feeling physically and mentally.

Can’t watch Raw tonight? No worries, just bookmark this page and we’ll keep you up to speed with live results as they take place from Lincoln, Nebraksa.

Opening Bell: Forbidden Door sneak peeks on Dynamite, Asuka vs. Becky on Raw

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage for the week of June 20.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week ahead.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, June 20, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska

Money in the Bank qualifiers are always important, but one this Monday will be particularly personal. Asuka and Becky Lynch will clash again, with only the winner going on to vie for the briefcase on July 2. Will this finally be the start of Becky’s big comeback, or will the Empress of Tomorrow prove to be a thorn in her side again?

Also, Elias is back! Still tormenting Kevin Owens, Ezekiel has promised that his older brother would return to Raw in full concert mode. Not sure how this is going down for … reasons, but should be a lot of fun, as this whole angle has been highly entertaining.

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, June 22 – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee

Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will go head to head this coming Sunday at Forbidden Door to find out who will be Interim AEW World Champion. But first, they’ll join forces on Wednesday to battle Chris Jericho and Lance Archer, two men who know NJPW and its Ace. It’s “can they coexist?” in the finest pro wrestling tradition.

Another important piece of Forbidden Door will be settled when the final AEW spot in the All-Atlantic Championship Match is decided. Penta Oscuro and Malakai Black have had plenty of clashes to date, but this one has arguably the highest stakes yet.

Also scheduled for Dynamite:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, June 24 – Moody Center, Austin, Texas

Ricochet was having a solid run as Intercontinental Champion until he ran smack into Gunther, who thrashed him but good while taking his gold. He’ll get a rematch against the Ring General this week, but it remains to be seen if he’ll fare any better.

We’ll also see a Money in the Bank Ladder Match qualifier between Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn, which has some fun subtext since Zayn’s recent failure made Roman Reigns have to defend his championships against Riddle … though since that turned out fine in the end, maybe the Tribal Chief isn’t mad at Sami. Maybe.

Also announced for this week:

  • Shotzi vs. Aliyah in a Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match qualifier

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, June 24 – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee

Somewhat surprisingly, AEW hasn’t announced anything yet for its final show before Forbidden Door, one that will air on TNT just two nights before the joint card with NJPW in Chicago. That said, because this is being taped on Wednesday after Dynamite, we’ll know by the end of that show most of what to expect on Friday.

There’s still time for more matches to be added to Forbidden Door, for sure, so expect that to be the case right up through Friday night.

Opening Bell: WrestleMania Backlash … er, backlash, Owen Hart tourneys kick off

Check out previews for Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage, including the fallout from WrestleMania Backlash and the kickoff of the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week ahead.

WWE Raw – XL Center, Hartford, CT (live)

WWE hasn’t released its official Raw preview yet, perhaps allowing WrestleMania Backlash to soak in just a bit more. But the fallout from the event should be front and center, particularly what’s next for the Raw Tag Team Champions, RK-Bro. Is a tag team unification bout still on the horizon?

Seth Rollins won’t be happy following his second straight loss to Cody Rhodes, particularly the way it came about. The Visionary should have something to say about that Monday night, and could give us a hint as to whether he’s seeking a third match with Rhodes or moving on to something else.

And plenty of recent Raw storylines didn’t play a part in Backlash, so those are worth watching for as well. Particularly intriguing is the Kevin Owens situation, as he continues to turn what would otherwise be just another midcard subplot into gold with his quest to prove Ezekiel isn’t who he claims to be.

AEW Dynamite – UBS Arena, Long Island (live)

The Owen Hart Foundation tournaments get underway this Wednesday on TBS. The men’s tourney will see Darby Allin take on Jeff Hardy, as well as Dax Harwood vs. Adam Cole, while the women’s tourney features Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm. And since the “Most Magical Place in the World” is his hometown, MJF is sure to have something special cooked up for his contract signing with Wardlow.

Also announced for Dynamite this week:

WWE SmackDown – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes Barre, PA (live)

The big match announced for SmackDown this week is one that fans may have rightfully expected to see at WrestleMania Backlash: the Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Sasha Banks and Naomi will look to retain their titles as they face Shayna Baszler and Natalya.

AEW Rampage – UBS Arena, Long Island (taped)

There’s a title on the line this week on Rampage, as Scorpio Sky lived up to his promise to give former SCU teammate Frankie Kazarian the first crack at his TNT Championship.

Also revealed for this Friday:

  • Ruby Soho battles Riho in another Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament quarterfinal bout