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

  • A.J. Styles announced on Twitter that he has signed a new contract with WWE.
  • Kurt Angle announced his retirement match at WrestleMania will be against Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman became the first person to declare entry in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and Rey Mysterio announced that he is taking on Samoa Joe at WrestleMania for the United States Championship
  • WWE announced that Sue Aitchison, a 30+ year WWE employee, is this year’s recipient of the Warrior Award and the latest member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) 3/15/19

(1) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose
(2) Natalya beat Tamina
(3) The Ascension defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
(4) Lucha House Party beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(5) The Revival (c) defeated Chad Gable & Bobby Roode to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(6) Bobby Lashley (c) beat Apollo Crews & EC3 in a Triple Threat match to retain the Intercontinental Championship when he pinned EC3
(7) Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(8) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a No Disqualification match

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Dubuque, Iowa) 3/16/19

(1) Samoa Joe (c) beat R-Truth (w/ Carmella) to retain the United States Championship
(2) Jeff Hardy beat Andrade
(3) Nikki Cross defeated Sonya Deville
(4) Carmella & Nikki Cross beat Sonya Deville & Lacey Evans
(5) Rowan defeated Mustafa Ali
(6) Becky Lynch beat Charlotte
(7) The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) beat Sanity (Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe w/ Killian Dane)
Click Here:
(8) Asuka (c) beat Mandy Rose to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(9) Randy Orton defeated A.J. Styles

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Milwaukee, Wis.) 3/16/19

(1) Ronda Rousey (c) beat Dana Brooke to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(2) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose
(3) Natalya beat Tamina
(4) The Ascension defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
(5) Bobby Lashley (c) beat Apollo Crews & EC3 in a Triple Threat match to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(6) The Revival (c) defeated Chad Gable & Bobby Roode to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(7) Lucha House Party beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(8) Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(9) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a No Disqualification match

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Peoria, Ill.) 3/17/19

(1) Samoa Joe (c) beat R-Truth to retain the United States Championship
(2) The Hardy Boys defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev
(3) Nikki Cross beat Sonya Deville
(4) Nikki Cross & Carmella beat Sonya Deville & Lacey Evans
(5) Rowan defeated Mustafa Ali
(6) Becky Lynch beat Charlotte
(7) The New Day beat Sanity
(8) Asuka (c) defeated Mandy Rose to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(9) A.J. Styles beat Randy Orton

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Green Bay, Wisc.) 3/17/19

(1) Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose
(2) Lucha House Party defeated Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
(3) The Ascension beat Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
(4) Bobby Lashley (c) (w/ Lio Rush) beat Apollo Crews & EC3 to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(5) The Revival (c) defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(6) Ronda Rousey (c) beat Dana Brooke to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(7) Natalya beat Tamina
(8) Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) defeated The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(9) Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a No Disqualification match

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Rockford, Ill.) 3/18/19

(1) Samoa Joe (c) beat Andrade & R-Truth in a Triple Threat match to retain the United States Championship
(2) Nikki Cross beat Sonya Deville
(3) Nikki Cross & Carmella defeated Sonya Deville & Lacey Evans
(4) The Hardy Boys beat The Bar and Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev in a Triple Threat match
(5) Rowan defeated Mustafa Ali. Kevin Owens ran out after the match and hit Rowan with a Stunner
(6) Becky Lynch beat Charlotte
(7) The New Day defeated Sanity
(8) Asuka (c) beat Mandy Rose to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(9) A.J. Styles defeated Randy Orton

SOURCE

If you attend a live event, please send results to [email protected]. Thanks!

•WWE TV Match Results

Monday Night Raw TV Results 3/18/19

(1) Finn Balor & Braun Strowman beat Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush when Strowman pinned Rush
(2) Elias defeated No Way Jose
(3) Kurt Angle beat Chad Gable
(4) Natalya (w/ Beth Phoenix) vs. Sasha Banks (w/ Bayley) ended in a no contest when Tamina attacked all four while Nia Jax had them distracted while talking on the stage
(5) Ricochet defeated Jinder Mahal (w/ Singh Brothers)
(6) Ronda Rousey (c) beat Dana Brooke in less than a minute to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(7) Apollo Crews defeated Baron Corbin
(8) Drew McIntyre beat Seth Rollins after Brock Lesnar distracted Seth leading to a Claymore Kick by McIntyre

Smackdown Live TV Results 3/19/19

(1) The IIconics beat Sasha Banks & Bayley
(2) Kofi Kingston’s Gauntlet Match:
– Kofi Kingston beat Sheamus with a quick roll-up
– Kofi Kingston pinned Cesaro after the S.O.S.
– Kofi Kingston beat Rowan via Disqualification after Rowan attacked Kofi with a chair. Rowan would continue the attack until he claw slammed Kofi through the announce table
– Kofi Kingston pinned Samoa Joe after countering Joe’s Muscle Buster into a leverage pin. Joe put Kofi into a sleeper hold in the ropes after the match.
– Kofi Kingston beat Randy Orton after countering an RKO attempt into a roll-up pinfall
– Vince McMahon came out to congratulate Kofi, but also let him know he had one more opponent to beat in this Gauntlet Match. Daniel Bryan then came out as the final opponent
– Daniel Bryan pinned Kofi Kingston after a running knee

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 3/19/19

(1) Mike Kanellis (w/ Maria Kanellis) beat Akira Tozawa
(2) Tony Nese defeated Cedric Alexander to win the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. Nese will face Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania.

WWE Main Event (Aired on Hulu and WWE Network) 3/21/19

(1) Rezar beat Curt Hawkins
(2) Titus O’Neil & Lucha House party defeated The Revival & The Ascension

Source: WKPWP Post-Raw On-Site Correspondent

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

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

– Alexa Bliss announced as the host of WrestleMania

  • Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship
  • Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese for the Cruiserweight Championship
  • Triple H vs. Batista in a No Holds Barred match
  • Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin in Kurt Angle’s final match
  • Shane McMahon vs. The Miz
  • A.J. Styles vs. Randy Orton
  • Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship
  • Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
    • Known Entrants (1): Braun Strowman

•Upcoming Events

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.
Mon. 4/29/19 WWE Raw, Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
Mon. 3/29/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Huntington, W.Va.
Tue. 4/30/19 WWE Smackdown, Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Sun. 5/5/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Ford Center Evansville, Evansville, Ind.
Mon. 5/6/19 WWE Raw, U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Mon. 5/6/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, The Corbin Arena, Corbin, Ky.
Tue. 5/7/19 WWE Smackdown – KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.
Wed. 5/8/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Thur. 5/9/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
Thur. 5/9/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
Fri. 5/10/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland
Fri. 5/10/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Arena Du Pays D’Aix, Aix-en-Province, France
Sat. 5/11/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
Sat. 5/11/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Utilita Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Sun. 5/12/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
Sun. 5/12/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England
Mon. 5/13/19 WWE Raw, The O2, London, England
Mon. 5/13/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
Tue. 5/14/19 WWE Smackdown, The O2, London, England
Tue. 5/14/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Accorhotels Arena, Paris, France
Wed. 5/15/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, England
Wed. 5/15/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Getec Arena, Magdeburg, Germany

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Brock Lesnar was back on television this week with Paul Heyman. The two opened Raw this week and Heyman began by saying Seth Rollins necessitated this appearance by Brock. Heyman then began talking about Brock’s alleged issues with smaller wrestlers that Seth had brought up previously. Heyman then moved on to talk about Seth and why in the world he’d want to fight Drew McIntyre tonight. Drew’s music hit and he walked out on the stage. He said it’s about time he gets the respect he deserves. Drew then told Brock to have his advocate find him a new opponent for WrestleMania because he was going to brutalize Seth and he won’t make it to WM. Seth ran out with a chair and hit Drew with it a number of times, maybe a dozen or more. Seth then turned his attention towards the ring where Brock stood unimpressed. As Seth climbed into the ring, Brock climbed out and Heyman kept talking with Brock to ensure he didn’t enter the ring to face off with Seth. In the Main event, Seth and Drew had a very physical match, as Rollins went for The Stomp, Brock’s music hit distracting Seth. As Seth stared at Lesnar, McIntyre hit him with a Claymore Kick for the win.
  • Kurt Angle named his WrestleMania opponent tonight. He thanked the McMahon’s for allowing him to pick his opponent for his retirement match, then said he had so many people he’d like to face, but only one he wanted to beat. He then said nothing would make him happier than making Baron Corbin tap out at WrestleMania so he can retire as the happiest man in the world. Kurt then took on Chad Gable in his “retirement tour” of matches on the way to WrestleMania. The fans were not thrilled with Corbin being the announcement, there was no reaction when Kurt said it, and later in the night when Corbin wrestled Apollo Crews, the fans could be heard chanting “We want Cena.”

Smackdown Live

  • Kofi Kingston gets tricked by Vince McMahon again. Before the Gauntlet match, Daniel Bryan addressed the crowd to talk about Kofi. He started by questioning the fact that he’s being held back by the McMahons. He said Kofi was chosen for an unearned title shot out of the tag division and he’s a B+ player, which is why the fans like him because B+ is good enough for them. In the Gauntlet match itself, Kofi pinned four of his five known opponents, Rowan actually got himself disqualified very early into his match with Kofi when he grabbed a chair and hit Kofi with it. After Kofi rolled up Randy for the fifth and final win, The New Day came out to celebrate with him. Big E and Xavier Woods, along with a large group of other baby faces on the roster, were shown multiple times throughout the Gauntlet match cheering Kofi on, showing that the locker room is behind him. Vince McMahon interrupted the celebration by The New Day to congratulate Kofi, but also let him know he had one more opponent in the Gauntlet match. Big E and Woods were irate and Daniel Bryan would come out and eventually get the pin after a running knee to defeat Kofi.
  • Becky and Charlotte face off again, this time on the “Kevin Owens Show.” Owens read off multiple examples off the trash talk between Becky, Charlotte, and Ronda from social media, but finished by saying the fans don’t want to hear them talk anymore. As Owens left the ring he said fans want to see them fight. Charlotte made a comment, Owens asked Becky for her response, and Becky punched Charlotte prompting the brawl. Referees and other backstage people struggled to keep them apart, but the brawl continued. As they continued the brawl, the show moved on to the next segment.

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

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by Ring Rust Radio’s Mike Chiari as they discuss WWE Smackdown with live callers first, then an on-site correspondent from Indianapolis, Ind. followed by a mailbag segment. They talk about Kofi Kingston running the gauntlet and then No Chance In Hell kicks in with Vince McMahon pulling the rug out of New Day’s and the fans’ celebration, Becky Lynch and Charlotte on The KO Show, Sasha & Bayley pay a visit, and Miz reacts to Shane McMahon’s turn, and more.

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

•WWE Social Media Highlights

Big E with a strong and thoughtful message here posted on Wednesday afternoon following the events on Smackdown. It will be very interesting to see what The New Day do in response to McMahon’s latest swerve on Smackdown this week.

Becky Lynch update:

Kurt Angle’s decision was a bit underwhelming, so much so that even he made a comment about it.

View this post on Instagram

My farewell match will be against Baron Corbin at Wrestlemania. I realize it’s not the most popular decision from a fan’s perspective… BUT I will make Corbin tap out on the biggest stage of them all…. and I Hope you can share this moment/accomplishment with me on April 7th. Baron is a legit tough guy. It won’t be easy but it never is. #itstrue #wrestlemania35 #wwe #wrestling

A post shared by Kurt Angle (@therealkurtangle) on

Chad Gable took a minute to celebrate Kurt’s career this week.

•Closing Commentary

– I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I was absolutely shocked with Kurt Angle’s WrestleMania opponent, but not the good kind of shocked. I didn’t see my face, but I felt like the guy WWE caught on camera after Brock broke the streak vs. Undertaker. I couldn’t (and still can’t) believe that WWE is going to make Kurt Angle’s retirement match be against Baron Corbin. No offense to Corbin, but he is not worthy of that spot at all. Sure, he gets booed, but come on, this is just hilarious. On a positive note, I’m glad WWE built in a bathroom break for me; I’m going to need it with this 7+ hour adventure.

Just looking back at some other legends and their last matches, usually they get a premier opponent they finish their careers against – until now! Shawn Michaels’ last match (before last year) was against Undertaker. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s final match was with The Rock. Ric Flair’s final match was with Shawn Michaels. Kurt Angle’s final match as of now is against Baron Corbin. One clearly does not fit in here.

The disappointment is partially the fans’ fault, but it’s also WWE’s fault for teasing Kurt’s announcement for a week, allowing the fans a chance to let their imaginations run wild. The most popular option I heard was John Cena, and I think that would’ve been great. I guess it’s still possible to do, and I’m as sick of the recent swerves as everyone else, but I’d love Vince to come out and say Corbin isn’t box office enough and announce Cena as Angle’s actual opponent.

I’m not the most rabid Kurt Angle fan in the world, but he was fantastic throughout his career, and I just feel like his final match being against Baron Corbin isn’t the respect he deserves. Is WWE going to allow John Cena’s final match to be against No Way Jose? Absolutely not, and while I know Corbin is a few rungs on the ladder above No Way Jose, I still don’t think he’s at a level to justify him being Angle’s final match in WWE.

– I know that the stories have been told for a few weeks – even months – now, but the idea that Vince is just taking away the things people rightfully earn continues to eat away at me. First, he takes away Becky’s (Royal Rumble earned) WrestleMania match because he thinks she has a bad attitude. Then, he takes away Kofi’s match at Fastlane because “it’s his obligation to the fans and stakeholders to provide the biggest box office attraction possible.” He’s completely undermining the idea of this being a sport where people compete and earn title shots. I know he doesn’t like the word wrestling, but “sports entertainment” still contains the word “sports!” Imagine if Roger Goodell were to take away a Super Bowl appearance because a smaller market team like Kansas City or Indianapolis won their Conference Championship game simply because they weren’t the most profitable matchup. Or what if he took away a team’s Super Bowl appearance because the coach or fans have a bad attitude? It’s just moronic. WWE is showing fans once again that wins and losses don’t matter at all, until the one time a year when they do. Remember, Becky Lynch’s run to the top started with her quietly going on a long winning streak, and before WWE knew it, she’d been undefeated for six months and had more fan support than ever.

What’s worse than the ridiculousness of him arbitrarily taking away these matches that they both earned is the way that they “triumphantly” earn back what is rightfully theirs to begin with! Becky Lynch “earned back” her WrestleMania match by having Ronda Rousey interfere and get Charlotte disqualified to give Becky back her already earned opportunity. That’s the triumphant moment for the underdog baby face? Now, we haven’t seen the resolution to Kofi’s quest to WrestleMania, but it’s not going to be a triumphant moment either. How can it be? He earned the opportunity by pinning Daniel Bryan previously and in the past. That’s been enough, but now it isn’t. Kofi may earn back his opportunity, but again, that was already his, so getting back what you’re owed isn’t triumph; that’s justice.

The other issue I have is in both situations Vince doesn’t get his comeuppance. Just another way the baby face wrestler didn’t triumphantly win. Sure, Becky got her match back, but nothing happened to Vince. Not even a “take that” type of moment. It’s still possible with Kofi, but highly unlikely. It’s as though Vince just says,“oh, okay, fine,” and that’s the glorious triumph. We the fans who “are the authority” can actually get what we’ve been rooting for. Take that, Vince!

WWE is trying so hard to keep these stories interesting that they’re falling apart at the last possible moment. The finish is in sight, and it just seems like WWE can’t get out of their own way to cross the finish line. There was no need to have Becky Lynch have her match taken away so arbitrarily, and if you wanted to go that route of her getting her match back, I guess that’s understandable because there’s a ton of time between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, but why did Vince have to take her match away from her for “having a bad attitude” when they had the built-in story that she wasn’t a scheduled competitor in the Royal Rumble match? The obvious story that most people thought would be told was completely ignored. Then, if you still want Vince to do that angle with Becky, don’t go do a similar story on the men’s side with him taking away Kofi’s opportunity because he isn’t the biggest star! They’re just overthinking everything. Get back to basics! Tell simple stories, have wins matter, have people go one winning streaks that get them title matches, have someone at the top of the card go through a serious losing streak and have to refocus themselves. Instead, we have stories about people not being big enough stars to main event, tag teams forming because their fathers didn’t tell them they were proud of them as kids, and having someone destroy a sports car that was being held together with a hot glue gun just to sell a toy and to have a few backstage segments at WrestleMania. I hope they can reset after WrestleMania and get back to basics – because right now they’ve really lost their way and I’m finding it hard to justify watching 5 hours of television every week.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 3/13): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By