WWE Wrap-Up
This week in WWE: Owens and Zayn “welcome” Bryan back to the ring
Mar 21, 2018, 1:29 pm
The two thorns in the lives of McMahon and Bryan did not take getting fired very well. Photo by WWE.com
This is a weekly look at the action in the WWE:
Raw
Kurt Angle gave fans an update on the Universal Championship Match. Roman Reigns, then appeared from the crowd, despite being suspended, demanding to face off against Brock Lesnar. Reigns was then handcuffed by “US Marshals” in attempts to be removed from the arena. Of Course, Lesnar finally made his arrival on Raw and attacked a defenseless Reigns. The first match of the night, Asuka vs Alexa Bliss, ended in a count-out when Bliss “hurt her ankle.” She seemed fine, though, when she ran away from Nia Jax after she rushed to the ring to surprise the champion. Backstage, Angle ran into Bliss and informed her that she will, in fact, be defending her championship against Jax at ‘Mania.
Braun Strowman explained how management informed him that he needs a partner in order to challenge The Bar in New Orleans. The Bar antagonized Strowman and his mystery partner. Strowman, then, defeated Cesaro with a Power Slam as his ‘Mania partner continues to be a mystery. The Revival defeated Titus Worldwide. After the match, they announced they will be the first Tag Team to win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal. Mark Henry was announced as the final inductee into the WWE HOF class of 2018. Sasha and Bayley aired out their dirty laundry before their match against Absolution. The misunderstandings between the two friends ended up costing them the match after Deville pinned Bayley, who was busy arguing with Sasha.
John Cena explained how insulted he felt to not get a response from Undertaker. “You are not a God, you’re a Coward,” vented Cena. This prompted Kane, Undertaker’s Brother, to come to the ring and hit Cena with a Chokeslam. The Miz went on a long rant about being left off of the cover of the official WrestleMania Magazine. Balor Club defeated Miz and the Mizterouge in a Six Man Tag match. They did not take kindly to their loss and began a three on one attack on Balor causing Seth Rollins to save one of his ‘Mania opponents. Raw closed with its theatrical “The Ultimate Deletion” match between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. Hardy won the match thanks to some assistance from his brother and his father-in-law.
SmackDown Live
Daniel Bryan opened the show discussing the story that broke earlier that day, he has been cleared to wrestle again. “Fight for your dreams, and your dreams will fight for you,” explained Bryan. Nakamura defeated Rusev in the first match of the night. Aiden English ambushed Nakamura and the two began to attack him. Styles, who was ring-side to watch the match, got up to help Nakamura, but the Artist was able to handle his attackers himself. Baron Corbin defeated Tye Dillinger with an End of Days. Natalya instigated a fight with Charlotte, and she got it. Their match was a rough one, which motivated Carmella to try to cash in her briefcase. Charlotte took care of her, but Natalya used the distraction to roll her up and win the match.
Jimmy Uso took on Luke Harper after explaining that no matter how many times they try to bring down The Usos they will not stop. Luke Harper defeated Jimmy despite Jai’s best efforts to help his brother. A Triple Threat match for the United States Championship was announced for WrestleMania, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal will clash in New Orleans. Becky Lynch and Naomi defeated Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Daniel Bryan finally got a chance to grill Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn after their attack on Shane McMahon. Bryan, eventually, fired the pair, and opened the door to a vicious attack from them. As much as Bryan tried to fight back, it was simply not enough to contain Owens and Zayn from destroying him.
We took a big step towards WrestleMania this week
As far as Raw is concerned, we finally got to see the maineventers clash. Lesnar’s assault on Reigns was a brutal one, and it should hopefully do some favors for Reigns. In a huge announcement, it was revealed that Jax will be the one to challenge Bliss for her championship. Without a doubt, this will be the biggest match of Jax’s career.
SmackDown was where it was at this week, though. As something that everyone thought would never happen, happened. Daniel Bryan took some brutal bumps after announcing his return to the WWE ring. I am not going to lie, seeing him dish out those kicks to Owens was so gratifying. Bryan will definitely be stuck in a tag match with McMahon against Owens and Zayn, but just having him back is what we need right now. After all, the WrestleMania card looks that much more impressive with him on the card as a competitor.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”