{"id":71520,"date":"2018-12-13T12:27:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T18:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=71520"},"modified":"2018-12-13T12:27:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T18:27:16","slug":"weekly-overview-wwe-thru-12-12-top-stories-of-week-major-show-lineups-live-event-results-schedule-of-live-events-noteworthy-social-media-posts-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/13\/weekly-overview-wwe-thru-12-12-top-stories-of-week-major-show-lineups-live-event-results-schedule-of-live-events-noteworthy-social-media-posts-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WEEKLY OVERVIEW \u2013 WWE (thru 12\/12): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1793978555\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><i>The following is the latest in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/category\/prowrestlingnews\/weekly-overviews\/\">a new series of\u00a0weekly in-depth articles<\/a>\u00a0exclusive 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.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022Top Stories of the Week<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Bobby Roode &amp; Chad Gable won the Raw Tag Team Championships from AOP on Monday night<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Monday Night Raw this week draws lowest rating of all-time on USA Network drawing a 1.58 rating. The rating is counts live and same-night-DVR viewers of USA Network. This rating is based off a percentage of homes with access to USA Network. For comparison the December 4, 2017 show had a 1.96 rating. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/12\/raw-ratings-another-record-low-as-ex-creative-team-members-vent-about-working-conditions-seth-says-miracle-shows-are-as-good-as-they-are\/\">SOURCE<\/a>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Smackdown Live also drew an incredibly low rating this week, although it did go up from last week\u2019s record low. Last week Smackdown drew a 1.39 and this week\u2019s episode grew slightly to a 1.43 rating. Smackdown this week did not finish in the top five shows on cable television in total viewers, but did finish third among the key 18-49 demographic that advertisers covet. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/12\/smackdown-ratings-another-show-drawing-fewer-than-2-million-viewers-smackdown-drops-out-of-top-five-tuesday-cable-shows-in-viewership\/\">SOURCE<\/a>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022WWE Weekly Event Results<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster (Santiago, Chile) 12\/5\/18<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor &amp; Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat match<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Bayley, Natalya, &amp; Ember Moon vs. The Riott Squad ended in a No Contest after a brawl broke out between the six . Natalya eventually put Ruby Riott through a table.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Elias beat Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, &amp; Bobby Lashley in a Handicap match after Apollo Crews came down to help Elias<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Buddy Murphy (c) defeated Gran Metalik to retain the Cruiserweight Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Rey Mysterio beat Andrade Cien Almas (w\/ Zelina Vega)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Titus O\u2019Neil, Apollo Crews, No Way Jose, &amp; Heath Slater defeated The Revival, Rhyno, &amp; Jinder Mahal<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3709571506\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(7) Ronda Rousey (c) beat Nia Jax (w\/ Tamina) via Disqualification to retain the Raw Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(8) Seth Rollins (c) beat Dean Ambrose via Disqualification to retain the Intercontinental Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">Source:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/wwe-live-event-results-santiago-chile-5-december-2018-ss\">Sportskeeda.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 12\/6\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Drew McIntyre beat Dolph Ziggler<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Buddy Murphy (c) defeated Gran Metalik to retain the Cruiserweight Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Rey Mysterio beat Andrade Cien Almas<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Elias beat Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, &amp; Bobby Lashley in a Handicap match after Apollo Crews &amp; Dolph Ziggler interfered to help Elias<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2206490904\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Titus O\u2019Neil, Apollo Crews, No Way Jose, &amp; Heath Slater defeated The Revival, Rhyno, &amp; Jinder Mahal<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Ronda Rousey (c) beat Nia Jax (w\/ Tamina) via Disqualification to retain the Raw Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(7) Ronda Rousey defeated Nia Jax &amp; Tamina in a Handicap match<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(8) Seth Rollins (c) beat Dean Ambrose via Disqualification to retain the Intercontinental Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">Source:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/wwe-live-event-results-buenos-aires-12-06-18-ss\">Sportskeeda.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) 12\/8\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) The Bar (c) defeated The New Day (Big E &amp; Kofi Kingston) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8211; Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy was scheduled, but Joe attacked Hardy on the ramp during his entrance<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Charlotte defeated Asuka<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Karl Anderson &amp; Luke Gallows beat The Col\u00f3ns<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Lana pinned Peyton Royce (w\/ Billie Kay)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Lana beat Billie Kay (w\/ Peyton Royce)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(7) Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) via Disqualification. Nakamura retained the United States Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(8) A.J. Styles beat The Miz<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">Source:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vip.pwtorch.com\/2018\/12\/09\/12-8-wwe-in-winnipeg-manitoba-styles-vs-miz-for-wwe-title-nakamura-vs-rusev-for-u-s-title-plus-charlotte-vs-asuka-hardy-vs-joe-bar-vs-new-day\/\">VIP.PWTorch.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) 12\/9\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, &amp; Shelton Benjamin defeated The Col\u00f3ns &amp; Andrade Cien Almas (w\/ Zelina Vega)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Charlotte defeated Asuka<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) The Bar (c) defeated The New Day (Big E &amp; Kofi Kingston) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Lana beat Peyton Royce (w\/ Billie Kaye)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Lana beat Billie Kay (w\/ Peyton Royce)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(7) Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) via Disqualificaiton. Nakamura retains the United States Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(8) Daniel Bryan (c) defeated The Miz<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/11\/12-10-wwe-in-ontario-calif-charlotte-vs-asuka-with-standout-match-of-the-night-hardy-vs-joe-the-bar-vs-new-day-bryan-vs-miz-for-wwe-title\/\">PWTorch.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster (Ontario, California) 12\/10\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) The Bar (c) defeated The New Day (Big E &amp; Kofi Kingston) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Charlotte defeated Asuka<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Lana beat Peyton Royce (w\/ Billie Kaye)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Lana beat Billie Kay (w\/ Peyton Royce)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, &amp; Shelton Benjamin defeated The Col\u00f3ns &amp; Andrade Cien Almas (w\/ Zelina Vega)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) via Disqualificaiton. Nakamura retains the United States Championship<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(7) Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(8) Daniel Bryan (c) defeated The Miz<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">Source:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fightful.com\/wrestling\/results\/wwe-live-event-results-ontario-canada-121018-jeff-hardy-takes-samoa-joe\">Fightful.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>If you attend a live event, please send results to <\/i><a href=\"mailto:pwtorch@pwtorch.com\"><span class=\"s3\"><i>pwtorch@pwtorch.com<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>. Thanks!<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022WWE TV Match Results<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Monday Night Raw TV Results 12\/10\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Bobby Roode &amp; Chad Gable defeated AOP &amp; Drake Maverick in a two-on-three handicap match to win the Raw Tag Team Championships. Bobby Roode pinned Drake Maverick<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Drew McIntyre beat Dolph Ziggler<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Bayley (w\/ Sasha Banks) beat Alicia Fox (w\/ Jinder Mahal &amp; The Singh Brothers)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Lio Rush (w\/ Bobby Lashley) defeated Elias. Heath Slater was the official and Bobby Lashley interfered to help Lio win. Lashley seemed to intimidate Slater into allowing the interference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(5) Ember Moon (w\/ Ronda Rousey) beat Tamina (w\/ Nia Jax)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(6) Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin in a T.L.C. match to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Heath Slater was also the official for this match and (reluctantly) attempted to interfere on Corbin\u2019s behalf. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Smackdown Live TV Results 12\/11\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Daniel Bryan beat Mustafa Ali<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Shane McMahon &amp; The Miz beat The Vegas Boys (Chip &amp; Chad) two local wrestlers. The Miz never entered the match<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(3) Jeff Hardy &amp; Rusev (w\/ Lana) beat Samoa Joe &amp; Shinsuke Nakamura when Rusev pinned Nakamura<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(4) Asuka defeated Charlotte via Disqualification after Charlotte hit Asuka with a kendo stick<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Mixed Match Challenge Results (Aired on Facebook Watch) 12\/11\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Jinder Mahal &amp; Alicia Fox (w\/ Singh Brothers) beat Apollo Crews &amp; Bayley when Alicia Fox pinned Bayley<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) R-Truth &amp; Carmella beat The Miz &amp; Asuka when R-Truth pinned The Miz. Asuka attacked The Miz and walked off when R-Truth pinned The Miz for the win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Apollo Crews replaced Finn Balor, who is out with an injury.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>The winners will compete at WWE T.L.C. to win the Mixed Match Challenge.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 12\/12\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Buddy Murphy beat Gran Metalik<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Cedric Alexander defeated Tony Nese <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Main Event Results (Aired on WWE Network and Hulu) 12\/12\/18<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(1) Tyler Breeze defeated Mojo Rawley<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">(2) Lucha House Party defeated Curt Hawkins and The Ascension<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s6\">Source: WKPWP Smackdown On-Site Correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022Upcoming Lineups for Stadium\/PPV Events<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE T.L.C. on Dec. 16 from San Jose, Calif.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin in a T.L.C. Match<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>If Braun wins, he will earn another Universal Championship match vs. Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Baron Corbin will be out of power entirely<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>If Baron Corbin wins, he will become permanent General Manager of Raw<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nia Jax for the Raw Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Daniel Bryan (c) vs. A.J. Styles for the WWE Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka in a Triple Threat T.L.C. Match for the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Jinder Mahal &amp; Alicia Fox vs. R-Truth &amp; Carmella in the Mixed Match Challenge Finals<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"s1\"><i>Winners receive 30<\/i><\/span><span class=\"s7\"><i><sup>th<\/sup><\/i><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><i> (last) entry into their respective Royal Rumble matches.<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">The Bar (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Usos in a Triple Threat Tag Team match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Elias vs. Bobby Lashley in a Ladder Match.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>A guitar will be hanging above the ring and the first person to grab the guitar can use it as a weapon.<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Natalya vs. Ruby Riott in a Tables Match<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>WWE Royal Rumble on Jan. 27 from Phoenix, Ariz.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship <i>(Pending Braun beating Baron Corbin at T.L.C.)<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Men\u2019s Royal Rumble Match<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Women\u2019s Royal Rumble Match<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022Upcoming Events<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 12\/14\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 12\/15\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, Calif.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 12\/15\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Sun. 12\/16\/18 WWE T.L.C. SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 12\/17\/18 WWE Raw, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 12\/17\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Stockton Arena, Stockton Calif.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue. 12\/18\/18 WWE Smackdown \u2013 Save Smart Center, Fresno, Calif.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Mon. 12\/24\/18 WWE Raw \u2013 No listing on WWE.com<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Tue. 12\/25\/18 WWE Smackdown \u2013 No listing on WWE.com<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Wed. 12\/26\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Chamionship in a Steel Cage Match<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax for the Raw Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Velveteen Dream, Pete Dunne, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, &amp; Aleister Black vs. Tomasso Ciampa &amp; Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O\u2019Reilly, Roderick Strong, &amp; Bobby Fish.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Dolph Ziggler, Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Sasha Banks, and Bayley are also scheduled to appear<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Wed. 12\/26\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Allstate Arena, Chicago, Ill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Thur. 12\/27\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Thur. 12\/27\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Ronda Rousey vs. Mickie James (w\/ Alexa Bliss) for the Raw Women\u2019s Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Braun Strowman vs. Dolph Ziggler &amp; Drew McIntyre in a two-on-one handicap match<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Fri. 12\/28\/18 WWE Raw (WWE.com has Raw scheduled for Friday 12\/28 in Detroit, Mich. Tickets being sold through the site also have it listed as a Raw television show for Friday 12\/28)<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 12\/28\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Md.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Sat. 12\/29\/18 WWE Smackdown(WWE.com has Smackdown scheduled for Saturday, 12\/29 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Tickets being sold through the site also have it listed as a Smackdown television show for Saturday 12\/29)<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 12\/29\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, United Center, Chicago, Ill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 12\/30\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 12\/30\/18 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Keybank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Mon. 12\/31\/18 WWE Raw \u2013 No listing currently on WWE.com, WWE could be playing tape delayed version of Raw from 12\/28 scheduled Raw event<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Tue. 1\/1\/19 WWE Smackdown \u2013 No listing currently on WWE.com, WWE could be playing tape delayed version of Smackdown from 12\/29 scheduled Smackdown event<\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 1\/4\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Ga.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/5\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Greensboro Colliseum, Greensboro, N.C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/5\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/6\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/6\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Hertz Arena, Fort Myers, Fla.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/7\/19 WWE Raw, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/7\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, S.C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue. 1\/8\/19 WWE Smackdown, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 1\/11\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, W.Va.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/12\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tenn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/12\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, Tenn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/13\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/13\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, Ala.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/14\/19 WWE Raw, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/14\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue. 1\/15\/19 WWE Smackdown, Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 1\/18\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, AT&amp;T Center, San Antonio, Texas<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/19\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Taylor County Coliseum, Abilene, Texas<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 1\/19\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/20\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Chi Health Center, Omaha, Neb.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 1\/20\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/21\/19 WWE Raw, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/21\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Landon Arena, Topeka, Kan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue. 1\/22\/19 WWE Smackdown \u2013 Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Sun. 1\/27\/19 WWE Royal Rumble, Chase Field, Phoenix, Ariz.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/28\/19 WWE Raw, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 1\/28\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Tucson Convention Center, Tuscon, Ariz.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue.1\/29\/19 WWE Smackdown, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Fri. 2\/1\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Sasktel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 2\/2\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Brandt Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sat. 2\/2\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Sun. 2\/3\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Raw Roster, Canalta Centre, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 2\/4\/19 WWE Raw, Moda Center, Portland, Ore.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mon. 2\/4\/19 WWE Live Event \u2013 Smackdown Roster, Yakima Sundome, Yakima, Wash.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Tue. 2\/5\/19 WWE Smackdown, Angel of the Winds Arena, Everrett, Wash.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022Latest TV Highlights<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Monday Night Raw<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Seth Rollins speaks the frustration of the fans in a promo to open the show. Seth called out Corbin to start the show and Rollins criticized Corbin for putting The Revival in \u201cLucha House Party\u201d rules matches against the Lucha House Party and even brought up the recent low ratings. Seth said Corbin\u2019s decisions are masking his own insecurities, Seth then turned his focus to Brock Lesnar. Seth said Brock hasn\u2019t had a match on Raw since 2002. Corbin finally retorted saying he didn\u2019t care about Seth or the fans and he promised to make things worse for Seth after he beat Braun Strowman at T.L.C. Seth then challenged Corbin to a T.L.C. match tonight and after Seth repeatedly called him a coward Corbin accepted. The match later in the night was for the Intercontinental Championship and Heath Slater was forced to officiate. Slater at one point knocked Seth off a ladder when he went to grab the championship (presumably to save his job) and Seth gave Slater a superkick, then a Stomp to Baron Corbin before grabbing the championship for the win.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Bobby Roode &amp; Chad Gable win the Raw Tag Team Championships from AOP &amp; Drake Maverick in a three-on-two handicap match. After AOP largely controlled the match, Drake Maverick begged to be tagged in to score the pin. Maverick celebrated and mocked Roode a little too long and when Maverick finally went to cover Roode, Roode rolled up Maverick for the win.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Dean Ambrose was interviewed backstage by Charly Caruso. She introduced him as the \u201cLunatic Fringe\u201d and Dean told her never to use that nickname again. When she asked him how Roman would feel about him turning on Seth and he responded \u201cRoman? Who cares?\u201d After a video recap of the night Roman announced his leukemia had returned and Dean turned on Seth, Dean walked away without saying another word. Dean would reappear on the ramp for a stare down with Seth after Seth beat Corbin to end the show.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Smackdown Live<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Daniel Bryan lectured the fans about their destruction of the environment before his match with Mustafa Ali. He apologized for calling the fans sheep last week because that\u2019s offensive to the sheep. He said the people are more like parasites and now that the Yes Movement is dead, they\u2019ve moved on to a new host, A.J. Styles. Mustafa Ali came down trying to talk some sense into Daniel Bryan. He said that the 205 Live locker room all used to look up to Daniel Bryan as the undersized underdog. Bryan tried convincing Ali that they didn\u2019t need to have their scheduled match because the people don\u2019t deserve to see it. Ali said he wanted a fight and Bryan responded by asking Ali what type of vehicle he drove. Ali said he drives an SUV because he has a wife and two kids and Bryan began slapping him. Ali gained the upper hand on Bryan before the match officially started.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Miz came to the ring with the World Cup trophy in his latest attempt to recruit Shane McMahon to be in a tag team with him. The Miz stood in the ring and begged Shane to come down and talk to him. After Shane came down, he asked Miz if he was okay and also said his actions with the trophy are starting to get weird. Miz was upset that Shane had been ignoring him, but he knows they were destined to be a tag team together. The Miz called down a referee and two local wrestlers for them to fight. Shane was reluctant, but after the two wrestlers attacked him from behind he fought back and eventually forced one to submit without ever tagging in The Miz. Later backstage, Paige was very upset with the official who claimed The Miz told him that Paige had sanctioned the match. In a second backstage segment Shane yelled at The Miz for hiring the two local wrestlers and lying to the official. The Miz admitted he crossed the line, but it\u2019s all in an attempt to work with Shane. The Miz put out his hand to shake Shane\u2019s and Shane walked away.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Charlotte and Asuka had a Wrestlemania rematch tonight. This match was promoted multiple times throughout the night, which helped emphasize the importance. Becky Lynch sat ringside for the match, but did not join the commentary team.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>After a long match, Charlotte would eventually grab a kendo stick and hit Asuka with it, just like she did against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. After hitting Asuka, Charlotte turned her attention to Becky, who would throw Charlotte into the ringside steps. Asuka would then throw Becky over the announce desk before grabbing the kendo stick and hitting both Becky and Charlotte multiple times and standing tall to end the show.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022WWE in the Media<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Finn Balor was on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast with Sam Roberts last week.<\/strong> Sam and Finn Balor talked about the NXT show in San Jose ahead of WrestleMania 31. Balor talked about how special that night was and knowing that the crowd would be wild and getting to work against Neville that night. He also said he believes Neville is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Balor talked about how special it was to be a part of the group that Sam deemed the class that got NXT to being the touring brand it is today. Sam also mentioned that Balor and the group that joined NXT around the same time he did (Sam mentioned Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Hideo Itami specifically) changed the stigma that there are some good independent wrestlers that just couldn\u2019t make it to WWE. Balor didn\u2019t come out and agree with this, but did say there\u2019s something to be said for doing things the hard way and that\u2019s how he views his career. It\u2019s been the long road, no shortcuts taken, but it\u2019s been fun every step of the way and helped make him the performer he is today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">Finn said he found out about the T.L.C. match with Drew McIntyre when the rest of us did, when WWE announced it on Twitter. They\u2019ve never had a singles match together and he\u2019s excited to face him. He also said his goal is never to steal the show, but just to put on the best match possible. Finn gave credit to McIntyre for going through WWE at such a young age, then leaving to grow as a wrestler, and now making a comeback in WWE is worth recognizing. Finn also mentioned Jinder Mahal for doing the same thing and said he has the ultimate respect for those guys who have had such a successful comeback. Balor then talked about training in a New Japan dojo and said that he did have offers to leave New Japan in his late 20s but he didn\u2019t think he was ready. He also mentioned when he finally did come he still wasn\u2019t sure he was ready to come to WWE. He said he came to WWE because he felt like he had done everything he could in New Japan and both professionally and personally he felt he needed a change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">Finn and Sam then turned their focus to Becky Lynch. Finn says he isn\u2019t surprised at all that Becky has been on this run lately and feels that most people around Becky thought she could do this, but she may have been the only person who didn\u2019t until recently. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">Balor then talked about the differences between him and The Demon and said that he does The Demon so infrequently he kind of forgets the movements and subtle differences between that character and the Finn Balor character. He said right now he feels extremely comfortable being Finn in front of the audience, but with The Demon he has to reeducate himself every time he becomes that alternate character.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">You can listen to the interview <a href=\"http:\/\/notsam.com\/wrestlingpodcast\/2018\/12\/6\/notsam-wrestling-215-finn-balor\">HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\u2022Listen to the latest Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show \u2013 Smackdown Post-Show<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by East Coast Cast co-host Cameron Hawkins as they discuss WWE Smackdown with live callers first, an on-site correspondent, and then later answering email questions. This show features topics such as Daniel Bryan&#8217;s latest heel promo, Asuka-Charlotte-Becky Lynch hype, Shane McMahon-Miz dynamic, Battle Rap, and more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px;\" src=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/embed\/player\/t128003064\/\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">-On Tune In Radio\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/tun.in\/tiToxC\">HERE<\/a><br \/>\n-On Apple Podcasts <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-podcast\/id1253158731?mt=2\">HERE<\/a><br \/>\n-Or <strong>search \u201cWade Keller\u201d<\/strong> on your podcast app of choice<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022WWE Social Media Highlights<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Wednesday afternoon Seth Rollins sent this tweet out. Seth was responding to Ex-WWE Creative Team member Jimmy Jacobs who was responding to a tweet about the record low rating on Raw this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That\u2019s the one thing I don\u2019t think people understand. 5 hours of live TV every week. EVERY WEEK. Add in all the extraneous variables that affect the final outcome&#8230;.and it\u2019s a modern miracle that the shows come together as well as they do.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWERollins\/status\/1072898803445964801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">WWE tweeted out this video from Rhyno clearing up the air about whether he is retiring. Rhyno was \u201cfired\u201d in storyline last week after losing to Heath Slater. It\u2019s worth noting that Rhyno is worked the South America Raw live events this week, but was working with heels.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">EXCLUSIVE: After being fired last week on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Raw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Raw<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rhyno313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Rhyno313<\/a> sent in a video clearing the air about his in-ring future. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/U1HArv9eYS\">pic.twitter.com\/U1HArv9eYS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1072321582264070144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 11, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Two twitter \u201cfights\u201d this week. The first one here is Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville vs. Naomi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Mandy and Naomi kept going after Smackdown. They were supposed to have a match on Tuesday night, but that match didn\u2019t happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u2019m not sure if my match got cut or if @WWE_MandyRose just didn\u2019t show regardless I\u2019m over it I\u2019ll let the fans handle this 1 for me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/sdlive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#sdlive<\/a> \u270c\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheTrinity_Fatu\/status\/1072686077314355200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE_MandyRose\/status\/1072699423610662913<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/NaomiWWE\/status\/1072948743853432832<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE_MandyRose\/status\/1072959293463384065<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Now you\u2019ve gone to far! Don\u2019t let twitter get you messed up in real life <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t42i3TkiHH\">https:\/\/t.co\/t42i3TkiHH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheTrinity_Fatu\/status\/1072963738561474560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE_MandyRose\/status\/1072994847332712449<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUsos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WWEUsos<\/a> block this alley cat NOW! Before I lose my job and religion <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ogc3I5ieOT\">https:\/\/t.co\/ogc3I5ieOT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheTrinity_Fatu\/status\/1072997282012745728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">The second twitter fight is your weekly Becky Lynch Twitter update. This week she\u2019s focused on Charlotte.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1071041615110651904<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1071138710006185984<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Walking out in a T-shirt doesn\u2019t qualify as \u201cnot missing a smackdown\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve never missed a day as champ. You want to make fun? Go ahead. You have plenty of time to tweet from the sidelines. When you pull out of TLC, I\u2019ll be there to save the day. Again. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e93Wyh7cJF\">https:\/\/t.co\/e93Wyh7cJF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MsCharlotteWWE\/status\/1071144767000465409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 7, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1072547407534194689<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Becky also called out Corey Graves on Wednesday:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1072979658113802242<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEGraves\/status\/1072995176828817408<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Lastly, Bray Wyatt tweeted this out. All previous tweets of his have now been deleted and he still hasn\u2019t been seen on television in months. Is this a hint at a character change?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEBrayWyatt\/status\/1071302200046088193<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"s1\">\u2022Closing Commentary<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>\u2022I (like the rest of the wrestling world) found Seth Rollins\u2019 comment defending how hard it is to write five hours of television a week very interesting.<\/strong> It\u2019s interesting that he was scripted on Monday to be the voice of the fans and talk about how bad the show has been lately, then followed that up with this comment. On television he blamed Baron Corbin for the issues on Raw in order to stick to storylines, but it seemed indirectly critical of the writing when he talked about the ridiculousness of Lucha House Rules matches and things like that. I will say that Seth is probably right; I\u2019m sure writing five hours of live television a week is hard, but that\u2019s absolutely no excuse for how bad Monday Night Raw has been lately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Raw has almost been the exact same show for weeks now. I could probably copy and paste the results from week to week and 90% of the results would be done and all I would need to do is reshuffle them into the order they were put on television this particular week. I don\u2019t really think scripting the same matches week to week takes much effort. Having the same things happen week after week is insulting to the fans that make time to watch it live. After two weeks of The Revival vs. Lucha House Party in a Lucha House Rules match, the seventeenth match between Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley, or another combination of Bayley\/Sasha\/Natalya vs. The Riott Squad, what\u2019s the incentive to bother watching anymore? Doing the same things over and over don\u2019t advance storylines and if you aren\u2019t advancing storyline there\u2019s no point of watching the show. Imagine watching a television drama where the same thing happens week after week with slight differences each week and you keep expecting things to finally come to a head, but it just keeps staying the same. The story doesn\u2019t even advance it just stays right where it is week after week. Would you keep watching?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">If writing a three hour show and two hour show every week all 52 weeks of the year is so hard, maybe people should take more vacations. I sincerely can\u2019t imagine the mental drain of writing such long shows every week, so take time away from it (including you, Vince). People can lose their creativity when they are so focused on something, or just in the same monotonous routine and trying to get it done on time. If people take vacations, use that opportunity to possibly have someone else come in and help every now and then, or just hear from new voices that may not usually be heard in the room. If this burnout is a problem, you could also have a larger writing team that would allow people to skip a few weeks of television occasionally and it not be so detrimental to the operation. You know what else may help with this? Allowing the wrestlers to have more input in what they are doing. So many people just feel so scripted every time they talk, allow them some creative freedom and the job of the writing team gets a little easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Here\u2019s another solution: Plan ahead! Why does the show for Monday night have to be written Monday morning\/afternoon? If you planned ahead, the job of the writers gets easier when you sit down to put together the final product. People say the advantage NXT has over the main roster is taping weeks and weeks of television at one time, but that\u2019s not a valid argument to me. There is no reason the main roster writing team can\u2019t plan weeks in advance. Even if it\u2019s as simple as plotting out what they want wrestlers to do for the next few weeks of television, at least it\u2019s something to help guide their thinking. By doing this you can start planning weeks in advance allowing more time for brainstorming and idea sharing because you\u2019ll have the time to do so. So many things just randomly happen now, like Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler breaking up. They were together, then they just stopped appearing together, and after a few weeks of it going unannounced, they decided to have McIntyre officially turn on Ziggler. It was so random! If you have a plan in place of what wrestlers you want doing what, these things won\u2019t seem so out of the blue. I know that this is done for the top stars, especially building up to WrestleMania, but it needs to be done for everyone on the roster. If you don\u2019t do this, then you end up in a situation where the top people are gone for various reasons (Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, etc.) and you have nobody to replace them because you\u2019ve been ignoring the mid-card and haven\u2019t bothered building up anyone to seem even remotely credible. If you\u2019re constantly building up new contenders, you won\u2019t have to have the same match for weeks on end because there will be other people that are believable against the top stars.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">The last idea I have is stop turning teams and friends against each other after three months. You want to make heel and face turns matter again? Stop having teams form and split as often as I have to change the oil in my car. Every single team that gets together splits up before a calendar year goes by, unless they look identical (Authors of Pain and Bludgeon Brothers just to name a couple). Bobby Roode and Chad Gable won the Raw Tag Team Championships on Monday and people are already discussing when they will split up. Are you serious? That shouldn\u2019t even be a thought! They haven\u2019t been together more than a few months, but we\u2019ve all been conditioned to think that their time together will come to an end very, very soon. With these teams constantly forming and splitting so quickly, it\u2019s hard to get invested in them at all because why bother? The best example of this has to be Bayley and Sasha. They\u2019ve been a team for most of the year and they\u2019ve had two half-hearted attempts to turn them against each other. At this point, I don\u2019t think them turning would matter much to anyone if it were to happen in the next few weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">For the sake of this argument I didn\u2019t bother focusing on show length changes because that\u2019s not an actual answer at this point, unfortunately. I will point out that there is a large segment of the audience that like NXT due to them only having one hour of television a week. People also say they like Smackdown because it\u2019s only two hours instead of three like Raw, but the time they have is a part of their contract with USA Network and unlikely to be changed. I\u2019d like to think a two hour Raw would help things drastically, but at this time that\u2019s not an option. Another thing people focusing on is getting rid of Vince McMahon and at this time that\u2019s also not really an answer. I understand that a large portion of these issues may stem from Vince himself, but he needs to adapt. WWE is Vince\u2019s business and it seems very unlikely he will walk away any time soon. The XFL may change that in 2020, but only time will tell. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">If WWE wants television ratings to go back up, they have to start making things matter again! Most of this year has felt like a long infomercial trying to sell the audience to come spend $9.99 a month for the WWE Network where they can see feuds and stories be paid off, but then feuds don\u2019t get settled there because the PPVs become teasers for the next \u201cbig\u201d PPV or stadium show. WWE is going to have to start building up fans again. I\u2019m betting they will try something like bringing back The Rock or someone else to try and boost ratings, but that\u2019s the equivalent of a Band-Aid on a cut that needs stitches in my opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Start writing quality television and whatever audience is left will start to praise the shows rather than complain. A large group of people that have stopped watching still seek out reviews of the shows. These people want to watch, but don\u2019t find it rewarding or worth the time investment currently. Jason Solomon, host of the Solomonster Sounds Off Podcast and occasional co-host of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show, puts up these very unscientific polls after each show. With this we can see that people are fans of podcasts like his that review the shows, but they don\u2019t watch the shows themselves because it isn\u2019t worth their time right now. Below are Jason\u2019s two polls this week that show 64% of his 3,866 voters (2,475 people) didn\u2019t bother watching Raw, and 49% of the 2,491 voters (1,221) didn\u2019t watch Smackdown.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RAW<\/a> INSTAPOLL: What did you think of Monday Night Raw tonight?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Solomon \u26a1\ufe0f (@solomonster) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/solomonster\/status\/1072340479994421248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 11, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">INSTAPOLL: What did you think of tonight&#39;s episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDLive<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Solomon \u26a1\ufe0f (@solomonster) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/solomonster\/status\/1072687948129288193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">I know that\u2019s a pretty small sample size, but it\u2019s a good indicator in my opinion. If WWE wants to fix their ratings issues, it starts with better writing. If they allow themselves more time to actually think through the script and talk it out, it will help them tremendously. There are so many plot holes that would be filled if they just bothered reading through the script before the show. If the heel General Manager didn\u2019t book the Lucha House rules match that gives the babyfaces the unfair advantage, then who did? Having time to stop and think about these types of things would (hopefully) fix these types of silly mistakes that some fans feel insult their intelligence. While WWE may look for an easy answer to this problem, there isn\u2019t one, so they need to start looking for the right answers and not the easy answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT OTHER\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/category\/prowrestlingnews\/weekly-overviews\/\">WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK\u2019S WWE OVERVIEW:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/07\/weekly-overview-wwe-thru-12-5-top-stories-of-week-major-show-lineups-live-event-results-schedule-of-live-events-noteworthy-social-media-posts-more\/\">WEEKLY OVERVIEW \u2013 WWE (thru 12\/5): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>The following is the latest in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/category\/prowrestlingnews\/weekly-overviews\/\">a new series of\u00a0weekly in-depth articles<\/a>\u00a0exclusive 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<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1207179311\"><div id=\"pwtor-474637009\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The following is the latest in\u00a0a new series of\u00a0weekly in-depth articles\u00a0exclusive 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, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/13\/weekly-overview-wwe-thru-12-12-top-stories-of-week-major-show-lineups-live-event-results-schedule-of-live-events-noteworthy-social-media-posts-more\/\" title=\"WEEKLY OVERVIEW \u2013 WWE (thru 12\/12): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6075,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-weekly-overviews","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2018\/03\/WWE-logo-3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71544,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71520\/revisions\/71544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}