Latest news with #RonKillings
National Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
WWE's R-Truth opens up on fan support following his release and return
Article content WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of No Holds Barred, Postmedia wrestling writer Jan Murphy and Postmedia's Rob Wong speak with WWE Superstar Ron 'R-Truth' Killings about the fan support he received when he announced he was being released by WWE, what John Cena means to him, how he keeps himself in shape and his new country music album. Article content
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
WWE SmackDown (07/11/25) preview and streaming details: Full match card, confirmed segments, how to watch, start timings, and more
(Image via WWE) As WWE is heading towards the much-anticipated Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME), the Stamford-based promotion is back with another episode of SmackDown this Friday, featuring some top-tier talents and major storyline developments for the forthcoming Saturday event in Atlanta. WWE Friday Night SmackDown will emanate live tonight from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Excitement is running high with Saturday Night's Main Event and Evolution happening this weekend, several WWE stars, such as Cody Rhodes, Alexa Bliss, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Solo Sikoa, Chelsea Green, and WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton, are being advertised for the show, already creating a hype for some thrilling high-octane performances. WWE SmackDown : Confirmed match card for 07/11/2025 The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) (c) vs The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy & Erick Rowan) – WWE Tag Team Championship match Ron Killings vs Aleister Black Special Guest Jelly Roll to appear WWE Tag Team Championship match The Street Profits vs. The Wyatt Sicks are all set to lock horns in a high-octane WWE Tag Team Championship match tonight on SmackDown. According to WWE, after a sneaky retreat by #DIY's Johnny Gargano allowed The Wyatt Sicks to conquer Johnny Wrestling, WWE Tag Team Champion Montez Ford, Los Garza's Berto, and Motor City Machine Guns' Chris Sabin on SmackDown will now get another opportunity to challenge The Street Profits for the title. The Street Profits vs. The Wyatt Sicks ends in chaos: SmackDown highlights, June 27, 2025 Ron Killings vs Aleister Black R-Truth has let Ron Killings take the lead since his comeback at Money in the Bank . This choice has given Truth a fresh spark in his career, but it seems he's unintentionally stirred up some trouble with Aleister Black. In an attempt to grab John Cena's attention, Truth went after Kit Wilson, who was supposed to face Black, and that didn't sit well with Aleister. Ron 'The Truth' Killings jumps John Cena TWICE!: SmackDown highlights, June 13, 2025 Apart from this, four-time Grammy-nominated artist and passionate WWE fan Jelly Roll is set to appear on SmackDown in Nashville. Streaming details: How to watch WWE SmackDown? (July 11, 2025) In the United States, Alaska, Hawaii & Puerto Rico, the show can be watched live at 08 PM ET, 07 PM CT & 05 PM ET every Monday on Netflix. Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch it at 01 AM on Netflix. In Canada, the show will be broadcast live at 08 PM ET. In India, the SmackDown match will be broadcast at 05:30 AM IST ( July 11, 2025) on Netflix. Also Read : Roman Reigns spotted off-duty after vanishing from WWE post-WrestleMania | WWE News - Times of India Viewers in Saudi Arabia can watch the show at 03 AM AST. In Australia, the show will be broadcast at 11:00 AM AEST. In France, the show will be live at 2 AM CET on AB1. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Scotsman
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
WWE Friday Night Smackdown: UK start time and matches announced
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Something wicked this way comes at The Wyatt Sicks challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championship this evening Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... WWE Friday Night Smackdown kicks off a cornucopia of wrestling taking place this weekend. Alongside AEW All In, the WWE are set to run three events this weekend - NXT Great American Bash, Saturday Night's Main Event and WWE Evolution II. But before then - what's in store on the blue brand and what time will it start in the UK this evening? Will the spirit of Bray Wyatt permeate the blue brand's tag team division by the end of this evening's WWE Friday Night Smackdown? Ahead of a hectic weekend of events across the board, the stable gets their chance to challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championship when they take on current holders The Street Profits this evening. We don't expect it to be a clean fight – owing to the other members of the tag division taking umbrage with Uncle Howdy et al. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's also set to be a match between two WWE superstars that have seen tensions between themselves – and a third party – elevated over recent weeks, and a Grammy-Award winner is to make an appearance this evening; watch out, Austin Theory. Here's your preview for WWE Friday Night Smackdown on July 11, 2025, the UK start time, and what events are also taking place throughout this weekend. What's been confirmed for WWE Friday Night Smackdown so far? WWE Tag Team Championship: The Street Profits (c) v The Wyatt Sicks The Wyatt Sicks finally get their chance to challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championships after weeks of terrorizing the tag vision on tonight's WWE Smackdown. | WWE After weeks of animosity within the tag team division, your current champions The Street Profits are set to defend the titles against the supernatural, unnerving Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy and his crew have been terrifying the Smackdown tag division for weeks now, leading to an uneasy truce between some of the other teams (DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom and The Street Profits) in order to 'eliminate' that threat. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But is it all a plan to see the current champions softened up for 'easy pickings' by one of the other contenders and what happens if The Wyatt Sicks pick up the title and reign over the division Ron Killings v Aleister Black After jumping John Cena and eschewing being 'R-Truth' in favour of being true to himself, Ron Killings is set to take on Aleister Black - who hasn't taken too kindly to Killings. In recent weeks, Black has turned his attention to Killings finding him, for lack of a better phrase, somewhat of an annoyance. But that tension has also led to something brewing between himself and Damien Priest - who after supporting Killings during his time in The Judgement Day, once again finds himself defending the erratic superstar. Will Priest make his presence known tonight if things go too far? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Music star Jelly Roll to appear on Smackdown Grammy-Award winner Jelly Roll is also advertised to be appearing on WWE Smackdown this evening; the last time we saw the superstar in the ring was at SummerSlam 2024, when (unfortunately) Austin Theory received a chokeslam for… well… Grayson Waller's troubles. There is a rumour that Jelly Roll could be involved in this year's two-night SummerSlam PLE, so perhaps the ball starts rolling after his appearance this evening? What time is WWE Smackdown screening in the UK this evening? We're back to being night owls once again, as the latest episode of WWE Friday Night Smackdown is set to air on Netflix from 1am BST on July 13 2025, with repeat screening on-demand shortly after broadcast. Remember also that WWE Smackdown is only two hours from here on in - so it's not too late to stay up to watch on a Friday night. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I heard it's a busy weekend for wrestling - what's coming up over the next few days? Former WCW champion Bill Goldberg will be wrestling what is anticipated to be his retirement match at the weekend's WWE Saturday Night Main Event. | WWE Yes it is - if you're a fan of the WWE or AEW, this weekend is going to be a huge one for both companies. AEW is presenting its annual PPV, All In, with the big match this year set to be a AEW Heavyweight Championship match between current champion/belt hostage taker Jon Moxley against 'Hangman' Adam Page in a Texas Death Match. That show will start at 8pm BST and will be available to purchase through Amazon Prime Video. At the same time, the WWE's third brand, NXT, presents their latest PLE, Great American Bash, with the show set to be headlined by Oba Femi v Yoshiki Inamura for the NXT Championship - which will air on Netflix in the United Kingdom. Bill Goldberg will challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in what is being billed as his 'last' match when he faces Gunther at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, which will screen live through the WWE's YouTube channel from 1am BST on July 13 2025. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Finally, the all-female WWE PLE, Evolution, will be taking place on Sunday - once again, the PLE will air exclusively on Netflix in the United Kingdom from 12am BST on July 14 2025.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'WWE SmackDown' Preview: John Cena vs. Ron Killings, King and Queen of the Ring 2025 Semifinals
'WWE SmackDown' Preview: John Cena vs. Ron Killings, King and Queen of the Ring 2025 Semifinals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The penultimate episode of "WWE SmackDown" before "Night of Champions" takes place on Friday, and there will be high stakes. Advertisement Stars from both the blue brand and "Raw" have been competing in King and Queen of the Ring tournament matches. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn have advanced to the semifinals of the King of the Ring. Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Jade Cargill, and Roxanne Perez have all earned spots in the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring. On "SmackDown," Orton goes one-on-one with Zayn for a spot in the King of the Ring finals. It'll be another fan-favorite affair in the Queen of the Ring semifinals, as Bliss meets Asuka. That's not all on the docket for "Friday Night SmackDown." Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena will take on Ron "R-Truth" Killings in a rematch from their "Saturday Night's Main Event" encounter. Things are different this time, as Killings has taken a more serious approach in the ring. Can "R-Truth" stun WWE fans with an upset win? The "SmackDown" women's locker room must proceed with caution, and that is especially true for WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton. The problem for "Tiffy Time" is that she has found herself in a renewed feud with Nia Jax. Can Naomi find an opening to cash in on Friday? Advertisement Also, Solo Sikoa is set to demand an apology from Jacob Fatu following the events of "Money in the Bank 2025." During the men's ladder match, Fatu turned babyface by slamming Sikoa through a ladder. Sikoa said he will forgive Fatu if he tells him that he loves him. What will be the consequences if Fatu doesn't oblige? Related: 'WWE SmackDown' Star Shares Devastating Personal News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The D'Amore Drop: Why wrestling fans get what they need, rather than what they think they want
The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D'Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D'Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. I'm really enjoying what WWE's doing right now with Ron Killings — and not just because I've known Ronnie for well over two decades. Advertisement The dramatic, fourth-wall-breaking storyline that is unfolding right now wasn't even thought of two weeks ago. As you know, WWE decided not to renew Ronnie's contract, and the fans basically said, 'You made a mistake.' Loud and clear. To their credit, WWE listened, and now we are getting this gripping narrative that weaves reality into story. THIS is why I love professional wrestling! This business is a living, breathing beast. It's not a movie that gets written, rewritten, shot, edited, maybe reshot, maybe reedited and then released a year later. Wrestling happens in real time, every time. That instant feedback — cheers, boos, ticket sales, pay-per-view sales, merch, reactions online — you get it all as you are telling your story. You can't fall into fan-service — you have to give fans what they 'need' rather than what they think they 'want.' Otherwise, the most popular babyfaces would all be champions, fan-favorite tag teams would never break up, there'd be no real changes and the whole thing would die. Advertisement You have to trust the process and believe in your story enough to not panic and abandon it (which was the knock on Vince McMahon, especially later on), but also be humble enough to pivot. One example that comes to mind is when Eric Young went out and had an amazing performance to show the TNA powers that be that he shouldn't be let go from TNA's roster 20 years ago. To be clear — I wasn't in charge at this time, but what was supposed to be his final match was a tag match with "EY" and Bobby Roode vs. America's Most Wanted. But Eric went out there and stole the damn show. (And truthfully, the other three guys knew what was at stake and worked their asses off to put "EY" in a position to shine.) Advertisement After that performance — one of the best in company history — there was no way TNA could let him go. Eric didn't just save his job, he showed TNA that he should never have been in a position where we were even considering not having him part of our show. That's why I've always loved this business. Because it's unpredictable. Because it's alive. Because Ron Killings, at age 53, can go from being cut to being the most entertaining guy on the show — just like that. Seth Rollins is so awesome that the fans don't want to boo him. And that would be a big problem, considering he is clearly being positioned as WWE's top villain, but … Seth Rollins is *so* awesome he can make the fans boo him anyway. The whole main event on this past Monday's "WWE Raw," where Jey Uso won a Fatal 4-Way to set up a King of the Ring match vs. Cody Rhodes next week, clicked so well. Everyone in the match — Jey, Sheamus, Rusev and Bronson Reed — were given big moments, but so were LA Knight, Penta and Bron Breakker, who interfered throughout. Advertisement Then Seth Rollins came out — and everyone cheered and sang his song. He was about to attack Uso, who'd wrecked his plan for teammate Reed to be in the King of the Ring, when Cody Rhodes stepped between them. Seth sold it like he was enraged. He hyperventilated. Spittle flew out both corners of his mouth. The hatred he had his eyes for Cody … and then with just one look he told us that he'd decided: 'No, not here. Not one-on-one.' And he backed down from a fight with Cody — and the fans rained down boos. A masterclass! Seth's timing — knowing exactly the right moment to back down from a fight to lose the respect of the audience — reminded me of Bret Hart's heel turn at WrestleMania 13 all those years ago. Advertisement For younger fans, Bret had just beat Steve Austin in a match that set 'Stone Cold' up as the WWF's top babyface and, at the same time, was supposed to turn Bret up as the company's top villain. Only, the fans weren't booing Bret as he continued to attack Austin even after he'd won the match. Special referee Ken Shamrock pushed Bret off of Austin … and Bret made as if he was going to fight 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' … the fans thought they were going to see it … and then Bret ducked out of the ring, prompting the fans to boo him all the way back to the locker room. I'd already filed last week's column before I saw "AEW Dynamite," but what happened on June 11 — with Don Callis setting up Okada to attack Kenny Omega — was absolutely astonishing television. It was shocking on so many levels. Casual fans know Don was Kenny's manager, then turned on him and has been a thorn in his side since. Hardcores know that Don and Kenny are basically family in real life; Don's first manager when he wrestled was Kenny's uncle, the Golden Sheik, and Don has known Kenny since he was a boy. Don Callis (left) with Kenny Omega's uncle, The Golden Sheik. Don skipped chest day even in the '70s. (Photo via Scott D'Amore) Don sticking his nose in Kenny's business — the Okada match — made perfect sense, but it was the execution of it that was next level. Omega initially being all, 'You again? I am wise to your tricks,' and Don, the mastermind, smirking back, 'Well, you didn't see this coming,' with Okada attacking him from behind — it was gripping stuff. Advertisement You don't see blood much in modern wrestling, and you sure as hell don't see someone choking on it like they're suffering horrific internal injuries. But that's what AEW showed us: Kenny Omega coughing and gasping, looking seriously, dangerously hurt. The visual alone was enough to jolt fans into silence. Don Callis is the most effective heel manager of this era. As multi-talented as Paul Heyman is, when it comes to lighting a fire of hatred in fans' guts, no one stokes that inferno quite like Don. (Of course, he has a great head start, being very, very, very unlikable in real life.) Fans were already excited for another Omega vs. Okada match. Now? There's a whole new emotional charge baked into it. It's personal, it's venomous, it's heart-wrenching — and that's exactly what wrestling should be at its best. I can't wait for their match at AEW All In next month. No one gets the reaction that Bill Goldberg got on "WWE Raw" this week without being a very special performer. I am not here to put over his work rate, but anyone who denies the man's 'it' factor doesn't understand charisma. Advertisement It's been 28 years (!) since Goldberg's legendary 'streak' in WCW … and the fans still believe in him. I worked with Bill back in 1997 at WCW's Power Plant in Atlanta. The Power Plant was a training facility decades ahead of its time and I got a nice check for going down there and basically taking bumps for Bill in the practice ring. In typical WCW fashion, though, I only worked out with Bill a few times and I got paid for two weeks of sitting around drinking coffee. Bill's athleticism — especially his raw power — was incredible. And he had that focus of a real athlete who knew he had a great opportunity in front of him. I'll echo Bret Hart, though, in saying I'm not sure Bill knew how to control his raw power. Advertisement I was supposed to be an early number opponent for Bill, maybe No. 15, I can't remember, and be part of his legendary streak. But I had to go back to Canada for business and the match didn't happen, which was too bad. As WCW began to inflate the streak, claiming it grew to 170-0 when the real number was closer to 120-0, I joked with Mike Tenay that I was one of the phantom 50 matches Goldberg was supposed to have had. Bill turns 59 later this year and all signs are his match in Atlanta against Gunther will be his last. Gunther will shoulder much of the load, but whatever they do, I know Bill will go out with a bang. Inflating the streak was a real WCW misstep. Even casual fans realized they were cooking the books. A genuine 80-0 works far better than a fake 100-0. Advertisement In TNA, Mike Tenay had the idea to replicate Goldberg's streak for Samoa Joe … and he made sure it was 100% accurate. Staying with WCW, I've heard great things about Marc Raimondi's book on the nWo. Entitled 'Say Hello To The Bad Guys,' it covers the legendary WCW faction and their massive impact on pop culture. There have been many attempts to replicate the magic of the nWo, but it is impossible. The shockwave of Hulk Hogan's 1996 heel turn is something that is never going to be replicated — just look at how much bigger it was than even John Cena's heel turn. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were so effortlessly, uniquely cool … the nWo formula will never be replicated. And then Eric Bischoff and team were innovating at a crazy place — backstage segments, fights in the parking lot, breaking the fourth wall. Wrestling had never seen anything like it and no one will ever forget it. Advertisement As Marc mentions at the start of the book, if you wear a nWo hoodie or t-shirt, you're likely to get a complete stranger throwing up the 'Wolfpac' hand sign at you. The nWo captured the imagination of a generation — and never let go. For those fans, nWo is truly FOR LIFE! Congrats to my friends Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson — the iconic tag-team known as the Good Brothers — who signed a deal with Hulu (!) to stream their Lariato pro-wrestling promotion. Check out the Good Brothers taking on the Bullet Club War Dogs above.
