Tag: Riddle

Opening Bell: Stretch run toward Clash at the Castle, All Out

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

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 we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Aug. 29, PPG Paints Arena

The final live WWE show before Clash at the Castle (because SmackDown was taped last week, since everyone is traveling to Wales) is unsurprisingly loaded. The card starts with the crowning of new Women’s Tag Team Champions, as Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah collide with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.

Bobby Lashley and The Miz will also do battle on Monday night, but there’s a story to tell first since Miz was dragged into … um, wherever by Dexter Lumis last week. Is he any the worse for wear? And how exactly did he escape? Hopefully there’s a fun story in there somewhere.

Also on the slate for this week’s Raw:

  • Hall of Famer Kurt Angle makes an appearance in his hometown
  • The Usos and Sami Zayn visit from SmackDown to represent the Bloodline (yes, Sami too)
  • Riddle and Seth Rollins have one final face-to-face before Clash at the Castle and it’s likely to result in fisticuffs

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Aug. 31, NOW Arena, Chicago

Hey, what do you know, AEW has a big event this weekend as well, so Dynamite is also a pretty stacked show as a result. The World Trios Championship tournament will have its Dynamite final (or as it’s better known more generally, the tourney semifinal) when Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks take on Will Ospreay and Aussie Open of the United Empire. Get your popcorn ready, as the great American philosopher Terrell Owens once said.

Also of interest is a tag team match pitting Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida against Dr. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. You may recognize those women as the four who will compete at All Out for the interim AEW Women’s Championship.

Plus there’s more already announced for Dynamite:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Sept. 2, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (taped on Aug. 26)

As mentioned above, this episode is already in the can, as it was recorded after the live SmackDown last week in Motown. You can get full spoilers online should you be so inclined.

If you’d rather just have teasers of what’s to come and enjoy SmackDown as it happens on Friday, here’s what to expect:

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AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Sept. 2, NOW Arena, Chicago

In a bit of role reversal, Rampage is live this week while SmackDown is recorded. That means it should be a sweet hour of TV even though AEW has so far not said much about what to expect yet.

One match we feel confident will take place is the other semifinal of the World Trios Tournament. The two teams left on the Rampage side of the bracket are Dark Order, after they upset House of Black, and Best Friends. Expect to see them compete this Friday for the right to challenge for the inaugural championship on Sunday.

WWE Money in the Bank live results: Who will claim the briefcases in Vegas?

Check out the latest WWE Money in the Bank live results from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

There aren’t too many sure wagers in Las Vegas, but some of the best bets for WWE gold await the competitors in the namesake matches at Money in the Bank tonight. As WWE itself has repeatedly pointed out, the contracts in the briefcases have nearly guaranteed the winners they will be champions sometime in the next year: Men’s winners have an 85% cash-in success rate, while the women’s winners have been perfect so far.

That could be bad news for Roman Reigns, who has looked untouchable while holding the WWE Championship and Universal Championship. With a Last Man Standing Match against Brock Lesnar later this month at SummerSlam, the men’s briefcase winner will be licking their chops for a chance to catch him (or Brock) after a grueling affair. Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Omos, Riddle, Sami Zayn and Madcap Moss will all like their chances much better if they can climb the ladder and grab the case to make that a reality.

In the women’s division, the Ladder Match winner may have a different choice of cash-in options by the end of the night, with both Ronda Rousey and Bianca Belair putting their titles on the line. Becky Lynch will attempt to keep writing her own big comeback story, but Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Lacey Evans, Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi will all have their say in how this chapter plays out.

With just four championship matches and the two Ladder Matches, Money in the Bank should be a tightly paced affair. If you’re not in attendance at MGM Grand Garden Arena or watching live on Peacock or WWE Network (maybe because you’re watching UFC 276, also taking place in Sin City tonight), bookmark this page and return throughout the night for the latest WWE Money in the Bank live results as they go down.

WWE Money in the Bank: Everything you need to know

Get ready for WWE Money in the Bank with our preview, including predictions for each match, start time, how to watch and more.

As gimmick matches go, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has reached the point where it has stood the test of time. It’s long since graduated from a bout at other events to headlining status in its own right, and the latest Money in the Bank premium live event is set for Fourth of July weekend in Las Vegas.

WWE initially had thoughts of holding the show in Allegiant Stadium, the football venue where the Las Vegas Raiders play, hoping it would prove attractive enough to sell 30,000+ tickets. But several factors, including UFC holding a pay-per-view card on the same night in Vegas, caused the company to reconsider, moving it to the smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Does that mean the event itself is less significant? That depends on one’s point of view. On one hand, Roman Reigns, the man with the two most important men’s titles, is not on the card. Nor is Cody Rhodes, probably the hottest performer in WWE the last few months, as he is out long term recovering from surgery.

The counter-argument is that Money in the Bank has no filler; its six matches include four title bouts and the namesake ladder matches for the men and women. The undisputed tag team titles are on the line, as are both women’s singles titles, and the United States Championship. Most other significant, healthy superstars are vying for one of the briefcases.

So while WWE might be saving some of its best stuff this summer for SummerSlam, Money in the Bank is shaping up to be a night that could definitely be a pleasant upside surprise. Scroll down to get details on everything you need to know before watching this holiday weekend.

WWE Money in the Bank 2022

  • When: Saturday, July 2
  • Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., or on WWE Network internationally
  • Matches announced: 6

Watch: Riddle tries (and fails) to play hockey goalie against onion ring shot by NBA prospect

Watch as Riddle makes an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, trying and failing in an unusual twist on playing hockey goalie.

An unbelievable athlete, Riddle could likely have been a star in numerous sports. Alas, ice hockey, and playing goalie in particular, probably isn’t one of them.

The King of Bros found that out the hard way as part of a segment on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” As the name suggests, Audience Suggestion Box has the host address requests from the show’s audience, usually the more ridiculous, the better.

In this case, someone pointed out to Fallon that this week features the NHL Final and the NBA Draft, and WWE is gearing up for Money in the Bank on July 2. On top of that, June 22 was National Onion Ring Day.

What do all those things have in common? For most people, not much. For Fallon, that meant he wanted to see if an NBA draft pick could shoot an onion ring like a hockey puck and get it past a WWE Superstar.

Enter Riddle, playing goalie, and NBA prospect Jalen Williams, a likely first-round pick on Thursday evening. Hilarity ensues, mostly because Williams only needed one shot of a possible three.

Props to Riddle for coming out in what is more or less his ring gear and doing his bit where he flips his slides into the crowd. Someone needs to work on having him cover his five-hole, though in fairness, no one even gave him leg pads.

No word on whether anyone ate the other two onion rings or if Riddle invited Williams to try his hand at pro wrestling, but we can always dream.

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.

WWE SmackDown live results: Vince McMahon to speak, Riddle gets title shot against Roman Reigns

Get WWE SmackDown live results from the Target Center in Minneapolis, with Riddle challenging Roman Reigns and an appearance by Vince McMahon.

WWE would undoubtedly prefer that all of its fans felt like they couldn’t miss any episode of SmackDown, but tonight’s broadcast from the Target Center in Minneapolis figures to have the whole wrestling world tuning in.

Vince McMahon has been at the center of a firestorm this week after the Wall Street Journal reported that he was the subject of a board investigation into alleged payments made to cover up an affair with an ex-employee and misconduct by him and John Laurinaitis. WWE announced earlier today that he would appear on tonight’s show, though in what form is unclear. Reports suggest it could be a pre-taped segment, but if he actually walks into the ring live, it promises to be surreal viewing.

The show should be big in less controversial ways as well. Riddle has been on a quest to get a title match against Roman Reigns to get some payback for Randy Orton, and it’s reached its ultimate goal. Can the King of Bros do the unthinkable and take the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship away from the man who’s had an iron grip on the gold for so long?

Madcap Moss has an even more personal score to settle with Happy Corbin, and he’ll look to do that tonight in a Last Laugh Match. And Max Dupri will reveal his first recruit for Maximum Male Models, probably to the chagrin of Adam Pearce in some way.

Add it all up and it sounds like a SmackDown that’s going to be quite the topic of conversation all weekend. If you can’t watch live on FOX tonight, simply bookmark this page and check back as we update it with the latest WWE SmackDown live results as they happen.

Randy Orton might miss SummerSlam. Who should Roman Reigns face instead?

With Randy Orton potentially missing SummerSlam due to his back troubles, Roman Reigns may need a new opponent. Here are 7 possibilities.

It’s not always simple to tell which WWE injuries are legitimately bad (except for Cody Rhodes‘ torn pec, which was pretty obvious) and which are being played up for the sake of storylines. But when Riddle has been mentioning how bad Randy Orton‘s back has been bothering him, he hasn’t been exaggerating.

Fightful Select reported today that Orton’s back issues “have gotten progressively worse,” which may mean surgery that puts him on the shelf for the remainder of 2022. That’s a potentially big problem because as the article also notes, “Orton had been pitched and heavily figured in to SummerSlam plans, which are now in question.”

For all the flak WWE receives when its narratives are illogical or appear hastily thrown together, it doesn’t get enough credit when the opposite is true. According to several top wrestling news outlets, the tentative plan for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns this summer was to face Riddle, then Orton at SummerSlam, and finally Drew McIntyre at Clash in the Castle.

If Orton is a no go for SummerSlam, that leaves a big hole in the middle of this otherwise nicely conceived roadmap. It’s one that needs to be filled, too; Reigns is pretty much mandatory for the show, party because he won’t be at Hell in a Cell, and also because it’s the second-biggest event on WWE’s calendar. Leaving both of the company’s primary men’s titles off SummerSlam would be unthinkable.

Working off the assumption that Reigns has to face someone on July 30 in Nashville, and Fightful Select noting that WWE has “already put alternative creative plans in place,” let’s take a look at some ideas on who could step in for Orton, along with some pros and cons for each option.

Opening Bell: Tribal Chief defends his gold, Jericho has his hair at stake

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 13.

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 13, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

The Judgment Day received a big shakeup last week, with Finn Balor joining and then immediately assisting with the ouster of Edge from the group. Now Edge is out with a (storyline) injury, so there’s no fear of immediate reprisals. That leaves the stable free to plot a new course, which WWE says it will do Monday night.

Speaking of injuries, Cody Rhodes suffered one of the more notable ones in recent memory, and he’s now out recuperating from successful surgery to repair his torn pec. But while the American Nightmare said he was ready to move on from Seth Rollins, the Visionary had different ideas, attacking Rhodes one last time for now. WWE says Rollins will “answer” for his attack, so look for him to possibly be booked against some tough competition.

AEW Dynamite Road Rager preview – Wednesday, June 15, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis

Once upon a time it felt like AEW was getting a little carried away with themed episodes of Dynamite, but it’s cut back on them to the point where Road Rager is a bit of a breath of fresh air. The card is suitably loaded, headlined by a three-way Ladder Match for the tag team titles, with Jurassic Express defending against both The Hardys and Young Bucks.

Chris Jericho is also putting something on the line against Ortiz … but it’s his hair, not a championship. The former Inner Circle teammates turned bitter rivals will do battle, and someone will be bald when it’s over.

Also advertised for Wednesday night:

  • An All-Atlantic Championship qualifier sees Miro go head to head with Ethan Page.
  • Wardlow battles 20 of the plaintiffs in the security guard class action lawsuit. No, really.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, June 17, Target Center, Minneapolis

This is a big one. After jumping through several hoops to get the attention of Roman Reigns, Riddle finally got what he wanted by defeating Sami Zayn last week in a match that stipulated he’d get a Undisputed WWE Universal Championship shot if he won. Can Riddle get some payback for his buddy Randy and win some serious gold? Probably not, but you won’t want to miss it just in case he pulls it off.

Also expected for this week’s show:

  • Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin will meet in a Last Laugh Match, which we assume will end the feud between them, one way or another.
  • After running into travel issues last Friday, Max Dupri will reveal his first recruit for Maximum Male Models.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, June 17, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis (taped)

Rampage has been live more often than not the past few weeks, but this week’s episode reverts to its more typical pattern of being taped at the Dynamite show for the week, which in this case is in St. Louis.

AEW hasn’t officially announced anything yet for this episode, but we’ll update this post as soon as there’s something set.

It looks like Roman Reigns won’t be on the Money in the Bank card

A report from SI claims that Roman Reigns won’t be working Money in the Bank, making it two straight premium live events without the WWE champion.

WWE Money in the Bank has already undergone a change in venue. Now it appears it will be without its Tribal Chief as well.

Reports earlier this spring suggested WWE was considering Riddle, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre as the next three challengers for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, with the idea that he’d face them at Money in the Bank, SummerSlam and Clash at the Castle, respectively.

Riddle’s comments about going to SmackDown and demanding a match with Reigns pointed toward the first part of that plan coming true. But Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso poured some cold water on that today, saying that Reigns “currently is no longer scheduled to work Money in the Bank.”

That could come as a bummer for WWE fans attending the event live, after already enduring a switch from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (a football stadium, and home to the NFL’s Raiders) to what WWE is calling the “intimate confines” of MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Money in the Bank ladder matches are attractions in their own right, so the show will likely be just fine.

Still, if Reigns is indeed sitting this one out, it will be the second straight premium live event without WWE’s biggest draw. Hell in a Cell managed to get the wrestling world buzzing without him, but that was due in large part to a once in a lifetime act of playing through pain by Cody Rhodes.

Barrasso seems to think all three of the proposed challengers may still get their shots at Reigns, but the timetable is definitely now in question. Orton makes the most sense at SummerSlam, and McIntyre still figures to be a shoe-in for Clash at the Castle considering it’s being held in Wales.

That means Riddle could be the odd man out, which would be a shame as he feels as popular with the fans as he has ever been in his WWE career. It’s not inconceivable that he gets a shot somewhere before the end of the summer on Raw or SmackDown — Reigns is still expected to do some weekly TV over the next few months — but it’s clearer than ever that Reigns’ reduced schedule is for real, and even the big monthly shows aren’t guaranteed to have him there.

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CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are injured. Which AEW and WWE stars can step up to fill the void?

With CM Punk and Cody Rhodes injured, we run down the WWE and AEW performers best positioned to step up while they are out.

Fans of traditional sports know how one unexpected injury can torpedo a promising year. It’s no different in pro wrestling, where both AEW and WWE have had the injury bug strike top performers at the worst possible time.

CM Punk had literally just won the AEW World Championship when he hurt his foot during Dynamite last week. That led to an appearance on Rampage on June 3, when he revealed he would be out of the picture for a while while he has surgery.

Cody Rhodes hadn’t won a title yet since returning to WWE at WrestleMania, but he was repaying the company’s faith in him as a top star and looked like he was on the path to contending for championships sooner rather than later. Then he tore his pec, which led to a legendary Hell in a Cell performance before he, too, announced that surgery was in his immediate future.

The situations aren’t exactly the same, but they’re eerily parallel in some respects and the injuries struck just days apart. In AEW’s case, we already know how it plans to pivot — the promotion is holding a mini tournament to crown an interim champion — but the absence of both Punk and Rhodes will be acutely felt.

The silver lining in both cases is that there are opportunities for other talent to step up and claim more of the spotlight while they are away. Who’s in the best possible position to take a step forward over the next few months? Let’s take a look at a few possibilities.

Who could fill in as Raw’s top babyface with Cody Rhodes out?

Riddle

The King of Bros has been rumored to be the next championship contender for Roman Reigns, but his alliance with Shinsuke Nakamura and ongoing issues with The Usos put at least a little doubt on that plan. The most recent episode of Raw made it appear Riddle has his sights set on Reigns again, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Riddle is arguably as popular as he’s ever been in WWE right now, and has shown he has the knack for balancing an edgier side to his persona with his unmatched comic stylings. Pursuing Reigns means he’ll likely appear on both shows over the next month, but he has the potential to stay Raw’s top face even after Money in the Bank.

Bobby Lashley

Speaking of performers who are as over as they’ve ever been, we’re living in the time of Peak Good Guy Bobby Lashley if recent crowd reactions are any indication. Putting him up against the larger Omos helped him as he wasn’t able to win just by being bigger and stronger, but still looked impressive in overcoming the odds.

The only hiccup here is that Lashley just started a program with Theory, so his ascension to top dog on Raw could be more of a medium-term play if Rhodes ends up out until almost the end of 2022.

Edge

Yes, Edge has just spent the last little bit recruiting other wrestlers to be part of The Judgment Day, definitely not a face faction. But then Finn Balor joined and the group turned on him, so he’s going to be a good guy by default.

The 48-year-old WWE Hall of Famer is playing with house money at this point in his illustrious career, but if the company wanted to give him one final babyface run, this is now the ideal chance to do it.

AJ Styles

Not to quite the same degree as Edge, but Styles is headed toward the end of his time as a main event caliber attraction too. It’ll be interesting to see if he joins forces with Edge in an “enemy of my enemy” sense, but why couldn’t WWE push him to the very top of the card right after they deal with The Judgment Day?

Styles has faced Reigns in championship matches before, but not for years, so a program between the two of them could still feel fresh. With Money in the Bank on the horizon, it’s easy to imagine him winning the briefcase and then turning his attention to the Tribal Chief.

John Cena or Brock Lesnar

These are names mentioned somewhat in jest, but if WWE feels this is a “break glass in case of emergency” situation, it’s already announced that John Cena is returning to Raw in a few weeks. And Brock Lesnar is presumably just a phone call away.

Who will emerge as AEW Interim World Champion while CM Punk is on the shelf?

Jon Moxley

He’s got a leg up already in narrative terms since he is guaranteed a spot in the main event on Dynamite to determine who will go on to fight for the interim title at Forbidden Door. And since he’s held the real title before, people know what they’re getting from a Jon Moxley reign.

That’s the downside though, too. The AEW World Championship hasn’t been around all that long, as Mox already held it for some time. Pushing him more right now might feel like something fans have already seen, and not as effective as elevating someone new. The Punk-Moxley unification bout at the end of the rainbow would be sweet, however.

Wardlow

Now that Wardlow has freed himself from the machinations of MJF and become a legitimate star, why not just strap a rocket to him? It’s almost certainly not what the promotion was planning, but injuries have a way of changing plans, and this could be a change that pans out.

His path to the interim championship would also afford AEW a chance to put him over even more, as it would mean winning a battle royale, then defeating Moxley and someone at Forbidden Door, likely Hiroshi Tanahashi. That’s earning it, for sure. Plus it would be easy to turn Punk heel to play off him for their showdown when the current champ returns.

Eddie Kingston

Anyone who has followed Eddie Kingston during his career in the indies is probably already in favor of this idea, and people who only discovered him through AEW TV have to be impressed with him by now. In terms of building a story and selling it with promo work, Kingston could have one hell of a feud with Punk when he returns.

Does AEW view him as a top guy? It would be interesting to know, but if Eddie gets a chance to run with the ball right now, that would go a long way to answering that question in the affirmative.

Bryan Danielson

Just a quick note that while Bryan Danielson had a shot at the AEW World Championship while Hangman Adam Page held it, he wasn’t successful in winning it. The American Dragon has an unlimited amount of goodwill with the fans and would be easy to accept as the interim champ.

He and Punk wouldn’t be a brand new program, of course, but it’s been a decade since they faced each other with gold on the line. Both men shift effortlessly between face and heel roles, so it would be a showdown that can go any direction the creative team envisions once Punk is healthy again.

Hiroshi Tanahashi (or Kazuchika Okada, or anyone from NJPW)

Even in the Forbidden Door era, it seems unlikely that AEW would let someone from another promotion hold its main championship for any length of time. An interim title, though? That’s another story altogether.

Tanahashi was getting ready to face Punk later this month before the injury, and has already invited Punk to face him at Wrestle Kingdom next January. That could be to unify the regular and interim championships if so desired. Or Tanahashi could defend the interim strap in NJPW for the rest of 2022, opening up the possibility of dropping it to Kazuchika Okada or another top NJPW talent. The sky is really the limit should AEW choose to go in this direction.