Latest News For WWE 2017: April 2017

Wednesday 26 April 2017

WWE News: Becky Lynch wants a match with James Ellsworth

WWE superstar Becky Lynch

What’s the story?
Becky Lynch, better known as the Irish Lasskicker, has defeated many foes on Smackdown LIVE in her short tenure there. On social media, she asked Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan if she could fight James Ellsworth.
The Context

Since his emergence in the WWE, Ellsworth has made an impact on WWE television. In what began as a squash match with Braun Strowman, the West Virginia native caught the eye of WWE officials who paired him up with AJ Styles. Ellsworth defeated the former WWE champion on two different occasions, thus giving him slight legitimacy in the world of WWE.

Also read: Becky Lynch comments on the state of the Women’s division

Fast-forward several months, Ellsworth is now the valet for Carmella. While remaining a comedy act, his words started to get him in trouble on-screen. He continued to call out wrestlers on both brands during his WWE TV career, but now a female WWE star is calling out Ellsworth.
The heart of the matter
Recently on Twitter, Lynch was asked if she would fight Ellsworth and the Lasskicker replied with great excitement.

What’s next?
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Lynch and Ellsworth actually compete in a sanctioned match. The only realistic way would be for Carmella and Lynch to enter into a long rivalry. Ellsworth would have to insert himself into the program and engage in physical contact with the Irish Lasskicker. Other than that, the possibility of it happening isn’t high.
Author’s take
I don’t want to see this happen because Lynch belongs in the championship picture on Smackdown LIVE. Anything else feels like a demotion to me. She deserves better because her talent dictates that. A feud with Carmella won’t drag her down a path of obscurity, but a match with Ellsworth would.

SK Exclusive: How John Cena's marriage proposal changed the face of WrestleMania 33

What's the story?

An inside source has revealed fresh information about WrestleMania 33. We can now report that John Cena's marriage proposal actually altered the entire face of WrestleMania and resulted in the WWE changing several matches, including scrapping The Undertaker vs John Cena.
This story was broken on the “Dirty Sheets’ Podcast, via our “DS Breaking News” show. You can listen to the Podcast, below (4 minutes and 32 seconds).

In case you didn't know...

John Cena and Nikki Bella faced Miz and Mayse in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 33. After Cena and Nikki won the match, John Cena proposed to Nikki in the ring.

The Heart of the matter

The idea for John Cena to propose was pitched to Vince McMahon by Kevin Dunn. McMahon then spent several weeks pitching the idea to Cena, who was initially not in favour of the idea. Cena eventually gave in, and he was rewarded with a short WWE Championship run. Cena was NOT initially set to win the title. The Royal Rumble match was originally slated to be The Undertaker vs AJ Styles, with The Deadman winning the championship.

Also read: SK Exclusive: Plans were scrapped for Shinsuke Nakamura to debut at WrestleMania 33

The Undertaker was then set to drop the title back to AJ Styles at the Elimination Chamber, after being eliminated from the match by John Cena. AJ Styles was slated to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, who was always set to win the Rumble. Original plans called for Orton to turn on Wyatt in the Rumble and then defeat him at the Elimination Chamber in a singles match.
The WWE also scrapped plans to have Shinsuke Nakamura debut as Daniel Bryan's surprise challenger for the Intercontinental Championship, against the Miz.

What's next?

The Undertaker has now retired after losing to Roman Reigns, who was chosen as Cena's replacement at WrestleMania. John and Nikki Bella are likely to wed sometime next year, and it will be featured on the second season of Total Bellas.

Author's take

WrestleMania isn't aimed at hardcore fans anymore. It is aimed at the masses, and it's a variety show where the WWE showcases every aspect of what they are about.
Instead of doing the dream match between John Cena and The Undertaker, WWE decided to go with the marriage proposal in order to please the E! network and create publicity. This decision is symbolic of the modern nature of WrestleMania.
Be sure to check out my Podcast, “The Dirty Sheets” for the latest breaking news, along with rumours and in-depth analysis. It is available via iTunes.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our SK WWE Exclusive section for more news, scoops and interesting stories.

WWE SmackDown LIVE Preview: 25th April, 2017

Will Charlotte become the first woman to be both Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion?

Raw failed to whet our appetite for Payback, this Sunday. Considering that a few SmackDown LIVE superstars will also be a part of the pay-per-view, we hope they do a better job of creating excitement for the show.
SmackDown comes to us from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, and from what we know about the show, it already seems packed with interesting segments. On paper, it does look like a better show than Raw. However, without jumping the gun, we present some possibilities, ask some questions and explore the landscape of SmackDown LIVE.

#5 Will Naomi feel the blow?

Will it be the last night of Naomi’s reign?

With all due respect to Naomi, who’s a fantastic athlete and an absolutely stellar character, she is still not Charlotte Flair. With Alexa Bliss moving to Raw, we’re confident that Charlotte Flair will be the nucleus around whom the Women’s Division on SmackDown will revolve. Does her reign begin already, immediately after the Superstar Shake-Up? Or will there be interference during the Championship match, thanks to the three woman (and one man alliance) of Carmella, Natalya and Tamina Snuka (with James Ellsworth)?

What’s certain for now is that whatever the outcome, Charlotte Flair really needs to look strong. Naomi definitely won’t be pinning her clean this week. What will be really interesting are the dynamics in the women’s division if the title were to change hands. Will Charlotte continue feuding with Naomi or start a new program with Becky Lynch, considering these are the only two babyfaces in the division?! Since the heel stable led by Nattie has targeted Charlotte, is she playing a babyface now?

WWE News: Vickie Guerrero says she was backstabbed in WWE

Guerrero has had a fairly successful career in the WWE as a manager.

What’s the story?

On a recent episode of Madusa’s Full Throttle Podcast, Vickie Guerrero talked about a number of things and delivered a harsh message for the women that worked with her. She said:

”I guess in general, thanks for the backstabbing. That probably pertains to like, five people.”

In case you didn’t know...

Vickie Guerrero (real name Vickie Lynn Benson) performed as a former on-air authority figure in the WWE. Vickie is also the widow of the late WWE Hall of Famer, Eddie Guerrero. She has managed a number of wrestlers including Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Edge, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and many others. She is notorious for her catch-phrase “Excuse Me!” that generated incredible heel heat.

The Heart of the matter

Vickie Guerrero recently appeared on WWE Hall of Famer Madusa/Alundra Blayze’s podcast, where she talked about her time in WWE and many other things. When the former General Manager of Monday Night Raw was asked to give a message to the women who worked with her during her time in the WWE, she sarcastically thanked them for the backstabbing and said that it only pertained to five people.

Also read: 5 times WWE Superstars were caught cheating on their on-screen partners

What’s next?

Vickie Guerrero is currently studying medical administration and won’t be seen on WWE TV anytime soon.

Author’s take

Vickie Guerrero was someone that the fans loved to hate. There was a certain quality to her character that put her over the top. However, this also means that she was a great heel. Her statement could certainly set the rumour mill in motion, but backstage politics in WWE isn’t anything new, so things like this shouldn’t come off as a huge surprise to anyone.

5 WWE couples with the biggest age difference

The WWE’s power couple

Meeting someone to spend the rest of your life with is a tricky task at the best of times, but when you’re an employee of World Wrestling Entertainment, it becomes that much more difficult. The reason for this is that given the hectic schedule you have to endure, it quickly becomes impossible to meet anyone outside of the industry and form a relationship with them.
This is one of the main reasons why so many wrestlers decide to date other wrestlers; it is also why an article like this has come into existence. For years and years now, Superstars in promotions all over the world have looked towards the comforts of someone in the same profession as themselves, and it’s not all too surprising when you think about it.
However, every so often you get a couple within this business that don’t seem to match up in terms of age gaps necessarily. Obviously, age shouldn’t be too much of a factor when it comes to love, but these guys and girls take things to a whole new level. But hey, they all seem to be pretty happy together, so that’s the most important thing – right?

With all that being said, here are five WWE couples with the biggest age difference.

#5 Nikki Bella & John Cena – 7 years

John Cena and Nikki Bella are two of WWE’s biggest Superstars

Nikki Bella and John Cena pretty much represent everything that the WWE Universe hates, which makes their supposed status as babyfaces on SmackDown Live all the more confusing. The two Superstars have been together for a few years now, but it was only when Total Divas came along that people really got an insight into what their relationship was like.
Many fans believe that their love is manufactured, but whatever the case may be, nobody can deny how successful they’ve been since partnering up together. They’ve hit the mainstream in a way that nobody could’ve anticipated, and their stint on Total Divas eventually led to the spin-off Total Bellas being created. Not bad at all.
It turns out he is a bona fide stud after all.

WWE SmackDown Live Results 25th April 2017, Latest SmackDown Live winners and video highlights

New heel faction?

SmackDown Live comes to us from Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines and we can look forward to kicking off the show with Renee Young’s interview of ‘The Artist’ known as Shinsuke Nakamura. AJ Styles takes on Baron Corbin and SmackDown’s newest recruit, Charlotte, takes on the Women’s Champion Naomi in a Title match. We also look forward to the SmackDown Live Tag Team division’s Beat The Clock challenge, to determine the number one contenders to challenge the Usos.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the complete results from the go-home show before Payback!

Renee Young interviews Shinsuke Nakamura (Dolph Ziggler interference)

No sooner has Nakamura made his entrance, and Renee prepared to ask the first question, Ziggler’s music hits and he spoils the party. Renee Young exits the ring and Ziggler goes on a weird rant, referencing an old Simpson’s episode and Michael Jackson in an attempt to troll Nakamura.
Nakamura replies in kind, forcing Ziggler to kick him in the stomach. But Nakamura ends the segment standing tall as retaliates and sends Ziggler packing.

5 WWE Superstars who held positions of authority that you probably don't remember

We all remember these people, but not all authority figures have such an impact.

Authority figures have been a staple of WWE programming for two decades. Ever since WWE struck gold with the ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Mr McMahon mega-feud, they’ve been trying to replicate that success with numerous different authorities, often to no avail.
It’s not hard to see why they keep going to this story idea: not only do they have tangible proof of the formula working vis-à-vis Austin-McMahon, but it’s something that resonates with many people. The concept of the evil, overbearing boss is something that many people can relate to, so whenever they see a babyface being abused by a power-hungry person of authority, they want to see that babyface succeed because it’s something they can relate to.
It has reached a point where WWE has developed an obsession with authority figures on their regular programming. Nowadays, the authority figures are not just matchmakers that act as secondary characters in feuds involving various wrestlers. They’re key figures themselves, and in some cases, they also wrestle (see: Shane McMahon).

Of course, not every WWE personality that became an authority figure was a big success. For each one that succeeded, there was at least one that failed to set the world on fire. Some people have the charisma and speaking abilities to make an authority character work, while others do not. Here are five WWE Superstars that held positions of power that were so forgettable that they only ever get mentioned in retrospectives like this one.

#1 Ric Flair

Flair had a brief run as a man in power in WWE.

‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair has done it all in pro wrestling, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Flair actually had a brief tenure as owner of Raw.
After Survivor Series 2001 ended and team WWF defeated the Alliance, the WWE roster ended up doubling in size. The idea at the time was that the newly-combined roster would be split in two, with each show being owned by a different person. It was revealed that Shane and Stephanie had sold their stock to Flair, who then became the co-owner of WWE and the man in charge of Raw.

Also read: Ric Flair wants Jay Lethal in WWE

Flair’s time as owner of Raw was somewhat limited, as his only major feuds in this capacity were against the Undertaker (who had been furious over being ‘selected’ to Raw and later challenged and defeated Flair at WrestleMania X8), and Mr. McMahon (with whom Flair feuded over total control over WWE).
It was rumoured that the feud between Flair and McMahon was meant to go longer into 2002, but due to Steve Austin leaving WWE abruptly, things were changed, and the dispute ended much sooner.