The matches have produced plenty of high drama and death-defying high spots, and the subsequent cash-ins by the MITB contract winners have made for some memorable moments. As a member of the WWE creative team from 2011-14, I was involved in the booking of several MITB pay-per-views and cash-ins. Here are some of the stories behind the stories that played out on the screen during that time. MORE: 10 greatest WWE champs of all time...
In case you didn’t know… This feud started at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III this past August. SAnitY defeated The Authors Of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championships, and after the match Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly delivered a surprise attack. Later on in the night, Fish and O’Reilly would return, this time with the debuting Adam Cole to attack the new NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. The heart of the matter Ever since NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III, these two factions have been at each other’s throats....
AEW went head-to-head with NXT on USA this week which was filled with spectacular action in its own right. With the return of Tomasso Ciampa and Finn Balor to NXT, along with a MOTY candidate from Matt Riddle and Adam Cole, this week’s edition of NXT was amazing. However, while the official ratings for the show are not yet out, there is an indication that tilts the balance in the favor of AEW....
In case you didn’t know… Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey have been going at it each other with one verbal exchange after the other on Twitter. Becky Lynch is fresh off her latest feud with Charlotte Flair, winning against Flair at WWE Evolution in the first ever “Last Woman Standing” match. Ronda Rousey defeated Nikki Bella in the main event to retain her Women’s Championship at Evolution. As the show came to a close, all the women celebrated on the stage....
In just over a month, she’s gone face-to-face with John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H, the latest addition to the list. She had a tense confrontation with The Game. After their interesting segment on SmackDown Live, The Man has fired back on Twitter. In case you didn’t know… The latest episode of SmackDown Live saw Charlotte Flair open the show, seemingly turning heel again. Becky Lynch, who was suspended one night earlier by Stephanie McMahon, made a hero’s entrance through the audience....
In case you didn’t know… Bray Wyatt returned to WWE television in April 2019 following an eight-month absence. However, instead of portraying his usual “Eater of Worlds” character, the former WWE champion underwent a drastic transformation and reintroduced himself as a children’s entertainer who hosted a weekly show called ‘Firefly Fun House’. Alongside puppets Mercy the Buzzard, Abby the Witch and Ramblin Rabbit, Wyatt initially promised that he is no longer a “bad man” and he has seen the error of his villainous ways....
The Monster Among Men, unsurprisingly came out victorious, but not before nearly killing The World’s Largest Athlete. In a match that saw Big Show successfully execute an elbow drop from the top rope, and perfectly so, Strowman gave the officials another reason to put the Universal title around his waist. It wasn’t just the match itself that got the fans on their feet but what happened after the final bell had rung that really made Strowman look like a legit monster if he hasn’t already....
In case you didn’t know… Ronda Rousey turned heel earlier this year and as part of her turn, spoke out about WWE being scripted and wrestling not being real. Here’s exactly what Rousey said: The heart of the matter Ronda Rousey, Charlotte and Becky Lynch teamed up on RAW to face The Riott Squad. As soon as the match ended, Rousey attacked Flair. Cops eventually had to come out and tear the three women apart and eventually led them away in handcuffs....
In case you didn’t know… Jericho’s latest run with the WWE began back in 2016 when he announced his entry for the 2016 Royal Rumble match. He stayed with the company until May 2, 2017, where he lost the United States Championship to Kevin Owens. The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla is currently living up to his nickname as he tours with his band Fozzy. Their song, Judas, was the theme for NXT Takeover: Chicago and currently has 3....
In case you didn’t know… Chris Jericho’s last run with WWE was incredible. He reinvented himself with the “List of Jericho” and his run with ‘best friend’ Kevin Owens was one of the best things on RAW. Their friendship ended on the Vegas episode of RAW during the “Festival of Friendship”. Jericho later cost Owens the Universal Championship during the latter’s match against Goldberg. Jericho later defended the WWE US Championship against Owens at WrestleMania 33 which was won by Owens,...
Epico won the WWC Universal Championship (that’s World Wrestling Council, just for clarification) in Puerto Rico, over the weekend after defeating “The Precious One” Gilbert - and he’s now set to defend it against Primo. The WWC was founded by four men - one of which being Carlos Colon, Sr., the father of Primo and uncle of Epico, and another being the legendary Gorilla Monsoon. The promotion was originally known as Capitol Sports Promotions (coincidentally, the company that founded what is now known as WWE was Capitol Wrestling Corporation), when it was founded in 1973....
The Olympic gold medalist spoke about the changes during this week’s episode of his podcast on AdFreeShows.com. Kurt Angle attended the Royal Rumble show with his wife, and the legend was originally also scheduled to return to the company’s programming soon. While Angle did not reveal any creative-related details, the Hall of Famer confirmed that he was set to return for a three-week storyline. Kurt Angle clarified that he’d not signed a full-time contract with WWE and would never have penned a deal even if he had eventually reappeared on the company’s shows....
However, everything has a flip-side and while we will get to watch extraordinary talents perform at the grand stage, there are also a lot of established Superstars who will not be a part of the event. Before we start the list, I would like to give a special mention to Ali, Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Natalya and Sami Zayn who will not be seen competing at Clash of Champions: #8 Drew McIntyre The Scottish Psychopath is not having a dream run like many had initially imagined for him....
The spotlight match announced for tonight’s show is the Intercontinental Championshipbout between Roman Reigns and current champ, Shinsuke Nakamura. Reigns hasn’t sniffed a championship opportunity in quite some time, but after Nakamura’s manager/mouthpiece Sami Zayn talked trash about “The Big Dog” a challenge was issued, which the King of Strong Style accepted. Can Reigns overcome the numbers game as Sami Zayn lurks on the side waiting to help Nakamura retain his title?...
Bayley claimed her defeat at WrestleMania Backlash was a fluke and has since been able to earn herself another shot at the title. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion has seemingly had Bianca Belair’s number in recent weeks. She also has the claim that she is still the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion in history. As part of last year’s Hell in a Cell, Bayley stepped inside the steel structure for the first time and lost her championship to Sasha Banks....
Seth Rollins defends his Universal Championship inside Hell in a Cell against The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Becky Lynch defends her RAW Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks inside the structure, whilst Charlotte will be looking to become a 10-time Women’s Champion when she takes on Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The only other match that has been announced will see Erick Rowan and Luke Harper team up to take on Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns after the feud between the four men became one of the headline rivalries on SmackDown Live....
Fast forward to 2003, and both men were signed to WWE. Jericho was no longer just a cruiserweight and was a former WWE Undisputed Champion. Matters came to a head backstage at a RAW taping on April 7, 2003. Goldberg saw fit to criticize Jericho’s performance during the main event where he teamed up with Triple H to face Booker T and Shawn Michaels. The Ayatollah of RocknRolla didn’t take kindly to criticism from the man who had refused to work with him a few years ago....
The match ended up being a draw with zero pinfalls being scored during the hour, leading to Gorilla Monsoon ordering to continue the match till sudden death, much to the annoyance of Bret Hart. The entrance Michaels won the match with a Sweet Chin Music, and as Vince McMahon aptly put it, “the boyhood dream had come true”. This wasn’t the only thing that the WWE Universe remembers from the legendary night....
During the 1980’s, Sharpe was one of the top stars in WWE and was billed as “Canada’s Greatest Athlete” in WWE. Later, he moved to the New Japan Pro Wrestling. WWE issued an official statement regarding his death on their official website. Long before “Iron” Mike Tyson entered a boxing ring, self-proclaimed “Canada’s Greatest Athlete” “Iron” Mike Sharpe was battering opponents in a wrestling ring. A second-generation Superstar whose father and uncle both competed in sports-entertainment, Hamilton, Ontario’s Sharpe was a champion in his native country as well as several regional American territories in the United States....
Adam Cole wins PWI Wrestler of the Year In 2019, Adam Cole competed in some of WWE’s best matches and having secured the Male Competitor of the Year for NXT in 2019, Cole has now also been named PWI’s top wrestler for the last year. The PWI Wrestler of the Year award has been won by some of the greatest names in the business including the likes of Ric Flair, The Rock, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, and AJ Styles, who prior to 2019 secured the #1 position three years in a row....
