Sunday, January 31, 2010

Update on FCW/ WWE's new Contract, The Game Controversy

- Ted sent word that rapper The Game was asked by TMZ about rumors of him being the father of Tila Tequila’s baby when he said the following joke on WWE Superstar Triple H, “Maybe she was referring to Triple H is is also known as The Game.”
- As noted before, WWE has partnered with AmeriCares to help with the relief effort in Haiti. WWE reports on its website that AmeriCares delivered their second emergency airlift of supplies on January 28th, delivering $500,000 worth of medical assistance. The first airlift on January 17th delivered over $6 million in supplies and medicine.
- WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling will get a four-week run with their TV program on WBFS-My 33 in South Florida beginning on March 13th. If they get good ratings, they may get a permanent spot on the network.

Final Card for Tonight's ROYAL RUMBLE

Here’s what looks to be the final card for tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. As you can see, 5 spots remain open in the Rumble match.
WWE Title Match
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
World Heavyweight Title Match
Rey Mysterio vs. The Undertaker
ECW Title Match
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Christian
WWE Women’s Title Match
Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, The Great Khali, Yoshi Tatsu, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, MVP, Kane, Chris Masters, William Regal, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Big Show, Evan Bourne and Carlito.

Morrison on Royal Rumble match

Brock Lesnar will be appearing in a new movie called Blood Out, which begins filming in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from February 22nd to March 12th.
- In a brief interview with John Morrison this week and he said he was going to be in the Rumble. When asked who he would cash in his title shot against he said “Shawn Michaels or the Undertaker”.
Morrison isn’t currently advertised for the Royal Rumble match but it looks like he will be wrestling in the match.

Final Spoilers for tonights Royal Rumble

Advertisements for WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view have been airing on ESPN the past few days and the ads indicate that the WWE Title will be on the line in the RAW Elimination Chamber match and that the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match will decide who faces the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania.
This may mean that the plan has been for the winner of tonight’s 30-man Royal Rumble match will choose to compete for the WWE Title at WrestleMania.

JR blog update on Tonights Royal Rumble

Jim Ross is back with another blog on jrsbarbq.com this weekend. Here are a few highlights:
- Yes, this year’s Royal Rumble, this Sunday night on PPV, is the most hard to call, unpredictable WWE PPV in a good while. I wish I could be there to call it if for nothing else the Rumble match. This isn’t a company line hyperbole but how I honestly feel. Several men could win the Rumble match and it would make sense. I look for some significant surprises in Atlanta.
- If Davyboy Smith and Tommy Billington ever go in th WWE HOF will it be as singles or as the British Bulldogs? I don’t know but my guess would be as a team.
- Yes..I enjoyed Friday Night Smackdown this week. Hairy chested CM Punk vs HHH was old school good while HBK vs Mysterio was PPV quality.
- Is it really automatic that Undertaker beats Rey in dominating fashion? Nothing is guaranteed.
- Got several text messages Saturday night from many WWE tars who definitely have their game faces on as it relates to Sunday’s Royal Rumble. I expect a strong work ethic to be put forth in Atlanta. Call it Wrestlemania adrenaline.

News on Jericho, update on Wrestlemania 27

WWE had made the decision to hold next year's WrestleMania at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

A noon press conference is planned at the Georgia Dome Monday.

"Atlanta has a long-standing reputation of hosting the highest level of sporting events," said Atlanta Sports Council president Gary Stokan. "Adding Wrestlemania 27 to our list of wins would further showcase Atlanta as the sports capital of the world."

-- Chris Jericho appeared on FOX News' Strategy Room yesterday promoting Fozzy's new album, Chasing the Grail. He could be seen sporting a black eye, presumably from the incident earlier in the week where he was arrested.

-- The password for the 3/14 Raw show in Bakersfield, California is CENA. Tickets went on sale today at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Possible reason of no-santino Royal Rumble, update on Jericho

This past Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 1.0 rating with 962,000 viewers. The replay later on did an 0.2 rating with 209,000 viewers.
- Michael provided the following explanation on possibly why Santino Marella has been removed from the Royal Rumble match: I was at the 1/25 Monday Night Raw and after the Santino assault by Swagger and during commercial, Santino was still lying on the ground, and a couple crew members were checking in on him. After about 3 minutes, Santino finally got up was taken to the back. I don’t know if it was a legit Injury or not, but it could be, and since he was taken out of the RR, that could mean why. Obviously, he could have been selling too.
- Chris Jericho appeared on FOX News yesterday and was sporting a black eye, presumably from the incident earlier in the week where he was arrested.
Jericho also noted on his Twitter last night that he had TMZ cameras kicked out of an in-store album signing with his band Fozzy.

Jeff on NEW??

The Northeast Wrestling promotion is touting that the “hottest free agent in wrestling” is coming in for an appearance and they will make the announcement during a Mickie James appearance they’re promoting today at the Newburgh Mall in Newburgh, New York. Word going around is that it will be Jeff Hardy coming in.

Update on Wrestlemania/Raw

Access Atlanta is reporting that WWE has decided to hold WrestleMania in 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. A press conference is scheduled for noon on Monday to make the official announcement.
- As noted before, WWE star Curt Hawkins worked as a color commentator at the recent WWE developmental TV tapings. Hawkins said on Twitter that it wasn’t a tryout but just a one time deal.
- Dave Meltzer reports that there is talk within WWE of making RAW three-hours each week if TNA moves to Monday nights for good. There has also been talk of keeping the guest host storyline booked if TNA goes to Mondays.
Apparently the USA Network is high on RAW going to three-hours but Vince and Stephanie McMahon are both said to be against it. Word is that this is something being talked about a lot among some in the company.

Elimination Chamber Card!

Date :    February 21, 2010
Venue :    Scottrade Center
City :    St. Louis, Missouri
 Poster:

Hurricane and Santino removed from Royal Rumble

Both The Hurricane and Santino Marella have been removed from Sunday's Royal Rumble match, while Matt Hardy and Chris Masters have been added. Thus far, 24 participants have been announced.

Here is the updated card:

Raw: Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters, Cody Rhodes, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, MVP, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase, The Miz and Triple H

SmackDown: Batista, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Kane, Matt Hardy and The Great Khali

ECW: Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder

It was also announced on Friday that Michelle McCool would defending her WWE Women's Championship against Mickie James at the event.

Matches announced thus far include:

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Undertaker (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

WWE Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton

ECW Championship Match
Christian (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson

WWE Women's Championship Match
Michelle McCool (c) vs. Mickie James

Updates on WWE Divas and Hardcore Holly

Former WWE Divas Candice Michelle, Lisa Marie Varon, Lilian Garcia and Amy "Lita" Dumas are available for personal appearances and autograph sessions via The I.P.A. Network, which represents a number of celebrities and wrestling stars. Those interested in booking them can contact Steve Woolf at celebritysignings@sbcglobal.net or visit www.ipanetwork.com.
 
Lilian Garcia is auctioning off a sexy red outfit featured in the 2005 book "WWE DIVAS UNCOVERED."  Also, Lilian announced this past week on Twitter that she will be releasing a new music album later this year — which will be in English.
 
Former WWE Women's Champion Candice Michelle spoke to www.Candi-Shop.org on a slew of topics including her favorite wrestling matches, whether she will ever return to the industry, what made her decide to enter the Diva Search contest in 2004, her greatest accomplishment, and much more.

The former WWE Diva also made note of her multiple injuries, saying her biggest regret was returning to the ring too quickly from them. However, she wants people to know that she's not injury prone.

"The biggest frustration of my career has been my lack of responsibility to myself thus resulting in my injuries," Michelle said.

"Some things are unpredictable in the ring but after one broken collarbone and not a release note from the doctor to get back in the ring, but I did anyways because I was so excited to get back resulting in shattering it and surgery. Then I tried overdoing it on my return and not listening to my body resulting in the two torn ligaments. So to everyone who thinks I'm injury prone, that's such phony baloney! It would be easy to say that but I'm a big girl and learned to take responsibility for my mistakes. "There's no mistakes as long as you learn from them!" Needless to say I learned the hard way!" 

In today's wrestling birthday, Bob "Hardcore" Holly turns 47 years old

Friday, January 29, 2010

Rey Mysterio speaks on his Retirement

It appears Jim Ross is staying busy while he’s away from WWE TV. Ross wrote the following on his Twitter yesterday: ” Working on some very exciting projects. Stay tuned.”
- WWE Diva Maria will be taken off SmackDown TV for a while because apparently there is a clause in her contract for Celebrity Apprentice that says she can’t appear on any other TV show while Apprentice is on the air. The season is set to begin on NBC on March 14th.
- Rey Mysterio said in a recent interview from Mexico that he was 2 to 3 years away from retiring and said it all depends on how his reconstructive knee surgery goes. Rey is scheduled to get the surgery in April after WrestleMania, if it can go that long.
Rey was asked in the interview who will be the replacement as top Mexican star in WWE when he leaves, noting that Dos Caras Jr., Super Nova and Incognito are all in WWE developmental. Rey said he doesn’t see any of them as replacements because WWE doesn’t work that way.

Update on Randy Orton and Straight Edge Society

WWE’s live event on Valentine’s Day in Guadalajara, Mexico is sold out.
- Former WCW star and FCW trainer Norman Smiley now has a TV role in WWE developmental as the Lieutenant General Manager.
- Randy Orton reportedly just signed a long-term contract with WWE for the next ten years. Orton also received $600,000 bonus pay for main eventing WrestleMania in 2009.
- The newest member of CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society, Serena Deeb, has changed her name in WWE developmental from Mia Mancini to Serena Mancini so that may be the name she uses on WWE TV. WWE has been continuing with shaving crowd members heads at live events with finding local independent wrestlers or actual fans who want to do the angle in the ring.

Update on WWE's Raw Guest Host, Undertaker and more

The Undertaker had his knee scoped after the January 19th SmackDown tapings in Greenville, which is why he wasn’t working the live events last week. Taker is going into the Royal Rumble less than 100%. The original plan had him having more of an involvement at the RAW in Knoxville last week but he was in so much pain when he arrived that all he ended up doing was the promo at the start of RAW. He did work the SmackDown tapings this past week but didn’t do much.
- WWE’s creative team has been told that there is no chance of The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania and right now are back to working on Cena vs. Batista for the big event.
- While there has been talk of stopping the RAW guest host angle after WrestleMania, there is now talk of continuing it indefinitely if TNA goes to Monday nights permanently.

ECW Rating, WWE Developmental Feud, WWE Back in the UK, More

Tommy Dreamer will be wrestling former WWE and ECW star Tajiri at the SMASH 1 event on March 26th in Japan.
- WWE will be returning to the UK on September 9th and 10th in Aberdeen, Scotland, September 11th in Minehead, England and September 12th in Skegness, England. Tickets go on sale this coming Friday. The company will be returning to the UK again in November.
- This week’s episode of ECW on SyFy scored an 0.9 cable rating.
- WWE developmental has been building to a second generation tag team feud with FCW Tag Team Champions Brett DiBiase & Joe Hennig vs. Bo & Duke Rotundo.

Psych Star talks about WWE/Cena

Wednesday night’s episode of Psych on the USA Network starring John Cena drew 4.4 million viewers.
- Psych’s Dule Hill, who hosted RAW this past week, told The Futon Critic in a new interview that he’s more of a fan of WWE legends like Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Tony Atlas and Jimmy Snuka but is becoming a fan of the current WWE product after working with John Cena.
- Matt Hardy noted on his Twitter that he’s been working on an autobiography. He wrote: “I’ve been working on my future autobiography here & there-it’ll be an amazing look into my career & the business.. It’ll totally be REAL.. And for the record, the book would be something that would happen WAAAY down the road.. So don’t get overly excited, HaHa!”
– Torrie Wilson posted a story on her Twitter this week about how she was alone at home and felt scared, so she got out a loaded pistol, took the safety off and fired a shot into her bathroom that went right through the ceiling. Mike Aldren of the Wrestling Globe reports that some of Torrie’s friends have been worried about her as of late. Torrie was hospitalized last October after having a bad reaction to prescription medications she was taking.

News on Jericho and Hurricane Incident


TMZ.com has a new article up with comments from Ashley Storer, the woman who was involved in the incident with Chris Jericho, Hurricane Helms and Matt Hardy earlier this week that led to Helms and Jericho being arrested for public intoxication.
Storer, who allegedly took an elbow to the face from Helms, says she has no ill feelings towards him and that it was a “play fight” she was involved in. She claims that they were all crammed into the back of the taxi and she got stuck between Helms and Jericho, who began play fighting. Storer says the “play fight” escalated because everyone was drunk.
Storer now says she took an elbow tot he cheek, causing the cab driver to pull over at a gas station where Helms and Jericho were arrested. Storer also claims that Matt Hardy was completely sober.
She also says that the cops blew the whole thing out of proportion but admits she may have made the situation worse because, “I was crying and drunk and tired from being out all night and I just wanted to leave."
TMZ cameras caught up with Randy Orton at an airport yesterday and asked him about the arrests of Chris Jericho and Hurricane Helms. Orton seemed legitimately surprised at the news and claimed he didn’t know anything about either of them being arrested. The TMZ reporter talked about how WWE stars are always getting in trouble and Orton said, “We represent the WWE in a very positive manner. Getting in trouble isn’t positive now, is it?”

Cincinnati.com had an article up yesterday evening about the arrests of Hurricane Helms and Chris Jericho. They noted that around 4AM on Wednesday, an Erlanger police officer patrolling Crescent Springs saw a group of five people being rowdy in a shopping center parking lot. The officer told the group they needed to leave and some of them got a taxi. This was shortly before the taxi driver pulled over and called 911 after the incident in the backseat.
While other reports have came out since then, Cincinnati.com noted that Helms ran and was later found by police but Matt Hardy couldn’t be found by them. It’s been mentioned now that Hardy was not sober and as you read before, the woman involved is now claiming that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
Cincinnati.com noted that a conviction on the misdemeanor charge of public intoxication carries a fine of $25 and court costs of $134. Helms and Jericho can appear in court on February 16th to challenge the charges or they can have the charges dismissed by paying $159 total before court date.
WWE released a statement to the paper saying that they assume the authorities will take proper action if necessary but declined further comment.
- Jeff Hardy commented on the situation with these messages on his Twitter: “Sure tmz picked up their mug shot..big deal..their awesome &why should that be second guessed over an extremely simple situation?Love Je …” and “They got arrested…it’s a shame they care or think it makes them look bad..their amazing employees…..&”
Jeff’s girlfriend Beth, who is good friends with Helms and Matt, wrote this on her Twitter: “WOW! MMH made the TMZ headlines! He’s on the scoreboard now! So hilarious that the story is about nothing…TMZ is in the entertainment business also, keep that in mind. Funny thing is, Matt wasn’t even drinking & didn’t have any involvement. Classic TMZ sensationalism. Actually, I was asked to post that. And, to clarify, he wasn’t DRUNK. Better?”
 

Mugshot of Hurricane/Jericho, News on Honky Tonky Man












Dave Meltzer reports that Matt Hardy was running after Hurricane Helms, telling him to go back to the scene of the incident or he would get in even more trouble. Word is that Helms and Jericho were bailed out by fellow WWE Superstars CM Punk and Christian.
Sources within WWE are saying that Helms never hit the woman in the taxi as TMZ reported.
Several sources within WWE also said that this incident came as no surprise to them. Some feel that Helms, more than anyone else involved, is in jeopardy of losing his job over the incident.
It was interesting that Helms was featured this morning on WWE’s website as the Superstar of the Day. Helms was later pulled from the website and replaced with Cody Rhodes.
Jim Ross wrote about it on his website with the following comments: “TMZ making a semi big deal about a situation that Chris Jericho and Gregory Helms found themselves in this week. Both these guys are great people and are credits to the biz and I suggest that this well could be much to do about not much. No one should rush to judgment about this issue especially since neither individual has addressed there side of this overblown story. This matter definitely deserves a “Lighten Up Francis.” Wrestling needs more hard working, students of the game who are still fans of the biz like Jericho and Helms.”

Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Sheamus for the WWE Title is being advertised as the RAW dark main events for shows leading up to WrestleMania in March.

WWE Legend The Honky Tonk Man has apparently declined WWE’s offer to join the 2010 Hall of Fame. Below is the story from Honky’s website:
“HTM declined the WWE offer to be inducted into the HOF class of 2010. There were multiple reasons why HTM decided against this induction. Negotiations started Friday Jan. 22 and carried over till Wed. Jan. 27 at which time HTM informed WWE that he would not be interested in this years induction into their HOF.
One of the main reasons was a conflict in the schedule. HTM is booked for the Wizard World Comic Con in Toronto for the same date WWE wanted. HTM felt he should stand by his Wizard booking since they had put out publicity on his appearance to be there. Also the Wizard booking has been on his books since early December. WWE had more than enough time to get their date locked in with HTM.
Wizard has HTM booked for 7 events this year and WWE had only 1 event for HTM. HTM would have suffered a serious negative cash flow by taking the WWE booking since they want a “no compete” clause over several months after the HOF. HTM would have been handcuffed with no way to provide income for his family during the “no compete’ months. The dollar figure from WWE for the one event was less than HTM could make in one weekend at Wizard World. Therefore HTM decided 7 dates with Wizard would mean 10 times the money WWE was offering and Wizard does not have a “no compete” clause.
This is just one of several reasons HTM decided to waive the WWE offer and commit to Wizard. There will be more reasons revealed why HTM made this decision in the coming weeks. There are several, but the TNA deal was not one of them.”

WWE Superstars Arrested

WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Gregory Helms were arrested on Wednesday morning at 5am in Kenton County, Kentucky. The two were charged with public alcohol intoxication and spent over an hour at the Erlanger Police Department.
Jericho and Helms had been in nearby Cincinnati, Ohio the previous night for this week’s SmackDown taping. Jericho has been posting messages on Twitter all day with no mention of the incident.
Both were bonded out of jail.

Update on JR's Blog

The following are highlights from Jim Ross’s latest blog:
– Speaking of Cena, his interaction with Mr. McMahon on Raw was spot on and some of the best verbal interaction that I’ve heard in a good while. The dialog between Cena and the Chairman of WWE was organic, emotional, and really has me anxious to see Raw next week when Bret “Hitman” Hart returns to confront McMahon. Fine TV in my humble opinion.
– The serious nature of winning the Royal Rumble match and what it means individually to every competitor was underscored with Monday Night’s DX in ring promo. This was another verbal exchange that captured my interest. DX in a serious tone really captivated my attention.
– I had a great conversation Sunday with JBL who, as my Grandpa used to say is as busy as a fruit merchant, and doing great while living in New York City. John is on Fox News every Saturday morning of which I enjoy plus he is still developing his distribution business for ‘Layfield Energy Plus’.

Smackdown Spoiler of 1/29

* Degeneration X come out to open the show. Triple H starts to talk when Rey Mysterio comes out and says Shawn Michaels doesn’t think he can beat The Undertaker for the belt at Royal Rumble. The Straight Edge Society come out. Triple H says he’s surprised CM Punk is straight and makes fun of him. Teddy Long comes out and says there will not be a Unified WWE Tag Team Championship match tonight. Instead, Mysterio will fight Michaels right now and Triple H will fight CM Punk.

* Triple H b. CM Punk via disqualification when both members of the Straight Edge Society interfere. They jump Hunter and try to shave his head but Michaels comes out for the save. DX tries to attack Punk but he puts Serena Deeb in front of him, kisses her and sneaks out of the ring. HBK fakes Sweet Chin Music on Serena and exits.

* Chris Jericho is shown backstage on his way to the ring.

* R-Truth b. Chris Jericho after a failed Codebreaker on the ropes as Truth rolled over top of Jericho for the pin.

* Backstage Batista interview. He talks about the Royal Rumble match. John Morrison is shown on his way to the ring.

* John Morrison vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre. Drew McIntyre gets the pin to retain after Morrison went for Starship Pain and McIntyre got his knees up. McIntyre hit a double arm DDT onto the IC belt and gets the pin.

* Michelle McCool interview. She says she is going to send Piggy James back to the barnyard for good, etc. Then ends by say Mickie went wee, wee, wee all the way home. Michelle issues an ope challenge to the locker room. Mickie James’ music hits and Layla comes out in a fat suit with a pig nose dressed like Mickie James.

* Michelle McCool vs. Layla (dressed as Piggy James). Layla slowly chases McCool around the outside of the ring, back in and goes for a splash. McCool pins her for the win. The crowd lets them hear it with “boring” chants.

* In a backstage segment Shawn Michaels is shown on his way to the ring. Batista gets in his face and tells him to stay out of his way on Sunday. Triple H gets in Batista’s face and Batista back downs.

* Shawn Michaels vs. Rey Mysterio. Rey goes for 619 early, Shawn moves. The match goes back and forth when Rey hits head scissors on Michaels, taking him to the outside. Mysterio hits 619, goes for the springboard, but Michaels counters and hits Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere. Both men are down. Batista comes out and spears HBK then hits a spinebuster on Mysterio. Triple H hits the ring and clotheslines Batista over the top and goes out after him. The lights go out and The Undertaker’s music hits. The lights come up and Undertaker is in the ring. He double chokeslams Mysterio and Michaels to end the show.

Dark Match Main Event:

* DeGeneration X & The Undertaker vs. CM Punk, Luke Gallows & Chris Jericho. Undertaker hits Jericho with a chokeslam for the win. Undertaker was not heavily involved in the match.

Backstage news on Royal Rumble

WWE creative team members had been tossing around an idea that would see Triple H and Shawn Michaels “tie” in the Royal Rumble match which would see Shawn choose to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania and see Triple H face Sheamus at WrestleMania. The idea was dropped however.
- The latest idea over this past weekend was that Triple H is the favorite to win the Rumble match this year and earn the shot against Sheamus. Rumor has it that Shawn Michaels will face Batista at Elimination Chamber to determine The Undertaker’s opponent for WrestleMania.
John Cena vs. Batista is expected to take place at the big show in Arizona this year.

Location for Wrestlemania, News on Mickie James

There was no dark match before last night’s RAW.
- WWE Diva Mickie James is featured in the new issue of Country Weekly magazine.
- Gary Stokan, President of the Atlanta Sports Council, said this week on The Sports Buffet show that Atlanta and Miami are the two choices for WWE’s WrestleMania in 2011. The announcement will be officially made on February 1st, the day after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Atlanta.
If Miami is chosen, Sun Life Stadium, which holds approximately 76,500 fans, would host the event. If Atlanta is chosen, the Georgia Dome which holds 71,000 would host the event. It’s worth noting that the 2010 Survivor Series is already set for MiamI

WWE superstars 1/28

Thanks to Rick and KAVAN for these WWE Superstars spoilers that were taped before last night’s RAW in Columbus, Ohio:
* The Bella Twins b. Katie Lea and Jillian Hall
* Chris Masters b. Primo and Chavo in a three-way match to earn a spot in the Royal Rumble match
* Chris Jericho came out to talk about the Royal Rumble match but was interrupted by R-Truth. They ended up brawling after Truth attacked Jericho.

Bret Hart on Raw, News on ECW

WWE has confirmed that Bret Hart will be on next week’s RAW live from Nashville, Tennessee.
- The main event of tomorrow night’s ECW on SyFy will see Kane and Christian take on Ezekiel Jackson and William Regal.

Raw as on Jan 25

The pyro explodes and music plays as Michael Cole welcomes us to Columbus, Ohio for tonight’s RAW from the Nationwide Arena. They say that both of the stars from Psych will be here tonight on the graphic but even their website said it would only be Dule Hill tonight. We’ll see.

DX vs. Legacy

The DX music plays as WWE’s Unified Tag Team Champions make their way out to the ring for tonight’s first match. We go to replays of last week’s show where Triple H threw Shawn out of the ring. All appears to be fine between them tonight. DX gets a big pop here from the crowd as they take the mic. Triple H asks where Hornswoggle is and Shawn says he sent him home. Shawn asks Triple H why he can’t understand that if he wins the Royal Rumble, he has a guaranteed shot at Undertaker. Shawn asks Triple H to look at it from his position. Shawn says he needs and wants the shot at ending the streak. Triple H says yes, that is too much to ask from him. Triple H says for the past six months they’ve been running around telling jokes and now it’s Rumble time, time to get serious. Triple H says he wants the title shot and wants to main event WrestleMania. Triple H says they can work together at the Royal Rumble and eliminate everyone else but it’s going to come down to them two. HBK says he understands and puts the mic down. Out come their opponents, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.

Triple H and Cody start the match out. They go to the corner and brawl. Triple H goes for a Pedigree early but Ted pulls Cody out of the ring and breaks the hold. Michael Cole says we have some breaking news on tonight’s RAW hosts as we go to commercial break.

Back from the break and Shawn Michaels comes in to go at it with Cody. HBK takes control as Lawler announces that James Rodey from Psych won’t be here to host tonight. Legacy ends up on the outside. Shawn leaps off the top onto them both and brings Cody back in. Ted distracts HBK on the apron which allows Cody to nail a big neckbreaker. Ted comes in and works over HBK in the corner.

Cody comes back in and they double team Shawn for a 2 count. Cody stomps and drops knees on Shawn for another 2 count. Ted comes in off the tag again and dropkicks Shawn off the ropes. Ted covers Shawn for a 2 count. Ted kicks Shawn in the face while he’s down and gets another 2 count. Cody is back in now and he keeps control of Shawn. Another 2 count. HBK finally counters a move and goes to tag but Triple H isn’t on the apron. DiBiase comes in and tries for Dream Street but gets superkicked to the mat. Triple H finally gets tagged in and goes at it with DiBiase. Triple H takes control. Cody comes in and catches a spinebuster. Ted gets laid out again also. Triple H goes for the Pedigree on Cody when Shawn tags himself in. This pisses Triple H off. Cody knocks them into each other and they have a staredown. Shawn superkicks DiBiase again. Triple H decks Cody and stops him from hitting Shawn. Shawn covers DiBiase for the pinfall and the win.

Winners: DX

- After the match, Shawn and Triple H tease some tension but end up shaking hands.

- We get a video previewing the Psych premiere this Wednesday night on USA with John Cena’s appearance. Lawler hypes Big Show vs. MVP for tonight’s show as we go to commercial.

MVP vs. Big Show

Back from the break and out comes MVP. MVP takes the mic and says he needs to say something to The Miz. MVP says he’s the #1 contender to Miz’s belt and Miz can’t keep running away from him. MVP says he is going to take the belt from Miz and become a 3-time US Champion. Out comes The Miz to the stage. Miz picks on MVP for being in prison. They go back and forth until Miz brings out his friend Big Show for the match.

The match starts and Show takes down MVP first. Show with a headbutt knocking MVP back into the corner. Show hits a big chop but misses a splash in the corner as Miz looks on from the ramp. MVP hits a knee to the face and then the running kick in the corner. He goes for another kick but Show grabs him by the throat and choke slams him for the pinfall and the win.

Winner: Big Show

- After the match, The Miz runs down to the ring and yells in MVP’s face. Miz raises his US Title over MVP. Lawler says tonight we will get Vince McMahon’s decision on Bret Hart as we go back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Cody Rhodes is backstage pacing. He tells Ted DiBiase he didn’t know where his head was last week and thank you for helping tonight. Orton walks in and says there’s been tension between them for the past few months. Orton says they lost to DX tonight and failed to help him with Sheamus last week. Orton says at the Rumble only one man wins that match and when it comes to him and Sheamus, he will win that one. He says he’s becoming WWE Champion again either with or without Legacy. Orton walks off.

- We go to John Cena and tonight’s host Dule Hill who are backstage. They talk about the season premiere of Psych this Wednesday night on USA. Cena asks where Rodey is and Dule tells about him having surgery this weekend. Cena tells Dule he needs to make tonight on RAW his night. Dule says this is his playground as Cena walks off. The Miz enters and says Psych should have had him on instead of Cena. Dule says he has a match for Miz tonight but doesn’t say what it is. They cut promos on each other before Dule walks off. Back to commercial.

WWE Divas Title Tournament Semi-Final: Maryse vs. Eve Torres

Back from the break and out comes Maryse in a semi-final match for the Divas Title tournament. Maryse takes the mic before the match and says the other Divas are wasting their time. She’s talking in French when a pyro explosion goes off. We cut to host Dule Hill who is in the pyro box. She starts going off on him, calling him a loser. He says he accidentally pressed a button. Out comes Maryse’s opponent Eve. The winner of this match will face the winner of Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox for the Divas Title. They lock up and go to the corner with Eve in control.

Eve gets an early 2 count and slams Maryse by her hair. Eve flips onto Maryse for another 2 count. Eve with a splash in the corner and a body slam. Eve goes to the top for a moonsault but Maryse moves out of the way. Maryse goes for her DDT but Eve counters with a suplex and a 2 count. Maryse finally hits the French Kiss for the win and the spot in the finals.

Winner: Maryse

- We see Vince McMahon backstage heading to the ring as we go to commercial.

- Back from commercial and Vince McMahon makes his way out to the ring. We cut back to last week where The Undertaker told Vince McMahon that he screwed Bret and called him a coward. Vince takes the mic and says if Taker were here tonight, he would dare him in his face to call him a coward again. Vince talks about selling Bret to WCW and said he was never heard from or seen again. Vince says the people have forgotten about Bret Hart. Vince asks if there’s a reason to bring Bret back and the crowd pops. They start chanting “we want Bret.” Vince tells them to be careful what they ask for. Vince says that Bret Hart will never appear in WWE, and that’s his announcement. Vince says he’s a business man and he does what’s right for business. Vince goes to the ringside area and asks a fan to give him a good reason why Bret should be brought back. The fan says because he will take Vince down. Vince hops the barrier and goes into the stands asking fans about Bret. One kid says he’s awesome. Vince eventually comes back to the ring and says he didn’t hear one good reason why he should bring Bret back. Vince says Bret is a part of the past and they start chanting again.

Vince says he’s concerned with the present and the future and calls Bret a footnote in WWE’s past. He says Bret’s not returning and thanks the fans, getting ready to leave. Out comes John Cena to the ring. Cena says he’s never had a problem with Vince until recently when Vince compared Bret to a old piece of gum. Cena talks about how Vince treated Roddy Piper at MSG a few months back. Cena cuts on Vince’s purple jacket and Vince cuts on his orange crap he wears, as Vince calls it. Cena congratulates Vince on building an empire but says Vince had help from people like Hart and Piper. They go back and forth. Cena calls Vince pathetic and this pisses Vince off. Cena tells Vince to invite Bret Hart to next week’s RAW. Cena says Bret deserves a chance to confront Vince face to face. Cena tells Vince to picture his 90th birthday in 2035. Cena says he’s going to find Vince on that day, lift him out of his wheelchair and knock his false teeth down his throat. Cena says he’s not here to change Vince’s mind but this is one of those situations where he needs to do the right thing. Cena walks off up the ramp. Vince yells at him to stop. Vince tells everyone to listen to him. Vince says he will invite Bret back for next week and have him step right in the ring if he has the guts. Vince says he won’t even flinch. Vince announces Sheamus vs. John Cena for tonight’s RAW. We go to commercial.

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

WWE’s United States Champion The Miz comes out next for this non-title match. This match was made by Dule Hill. Out next is his opponent Kofi Kingston. The bell rings and they lock up. Kofi takes Miz down first but they go back and forth. Kofi with a crossbody from the floor for a 2 count. Kofi comes off the ropes but Miz kicks him out of the air and to the mat for a 2 count. Miz puts knees to the back and hits Kofi with forearm shots. Miz with a headlock now.

Miz with a kick to the face and another 2 count on Kofi. Miz with more kicks and a leg drop followed by another headlock. Kofi with a kick to the head in the corner. Kofi goes to the top and comes down on Miz for a 2 count. Miz counters a move and hits a backbreaker and a neckbreaker. 2 count by Miz. MVP’s music hits and distracts The Miz. Kofi takes advantage and hits Trouble in Paradise for the win.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

- After the match, MVP comes out to the stage to taunt Miz.

- We go backstage with Dule Hill and Carlito. They walk into the WWE production truck. They have the production guy add Carlito’s face on the screen. Dule says he’s going to type in a random code and which ever Superstar appears on the graphic, that’s Carlito’s opponent. It comes up as Kelly Kelly. Carlito vs. Kelly? Carlito says he’s ready for the match now and walks off joking with Dule. Dule tells the production guy to carry on… and we go back to commercial.

Carlito vs. Kelly Kelly

Carlito is in the ring waiting on Kelly Kelly to come out. She comes out but is interrupted by Santino Marella. He plugs the Best of RAW 2009 DVD which comes out tomorrow. Santino says it’s a new year for him and he’s going to replace Kelly tonight, defeat Carlito and go on to win the Royal Rumble and main event WrestleMania. Jack Swagger attacks Santino from behind and lays him out. Swagger brings Santino in the ring just to toss him back over the top rope. Swagger goes to the floor and slams Santino face first into the ringpost. Swagger taunts Santino before walking off and stepping on him. We go to commercial.

- Back from the break and we go to a video running down various stats for the Royal Rumble match.

- We go backstage to John Cena and Dule Hill. Cena has the other host Rodey on speaker phone. He says he’s bummed he can’t be there tonight. Alicia Fox walks in. She’s looking for the one that’s a psychic. Dule hangs up the phone on Rodey, the psychic on the show. Cena walks off. Dule says he’s going to be ringside with Alicia Fox in her match as her good luck charm. We get ready to take another break.

Semi-Final for the Divas Title Tournament: Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox

Back from the break and Dule Hill is with Cole and Lawler on commentary. Gail Kim is in the ring as Alicia Fox makes her way out. The winner will face Maryse for the title. They lock up and go back and forth. Alicia eventually hits a backbreaker for a 2 count. Gail gets thrown into the corner but counters a move. Gail with a powerslam and a 2 count. Small package by Gail and another 2 count. Gail gets the win after a boot to the face and the spot in the finals.

Winner: Gail Kim

- After the match, Alicia Fox goes on a rampage outside the ring. She goes over to Dule and asks what happened to her winning. He tells her he’s an actor and he was doing what he’s does. She drops him with a right h and. Lawler helps Dule up as we go to replays.

- Backstage we see WWE Champion Sheamus headed to the ring. Back to commercial we go.

Sheamus vs. John Cena

Back from commercial and out comes the WWE Champion Sheamus for this non-title match. Out next comes John Cena to a big pop. The match starts and they lock up and go to the corner after testing each other for a minute. Sheamus breaks the hold and shows off some. Cena takes Sheamus back to the corner and the ref breaks it up. Cena shows off now. Sheamus charges but Cena fights back with right hands and hits the bulldog for a 2 count.

Sheamus takes control and backs Cena in the corner. Sheamus beats Cena down with a bunch of kicks. Cena catches Sheamus with a suplex for 2. They come off the ropes and Sheamus drops Cena with a clothesline. Sheamus with another pin attempt. Sheamus controls the match now, dropping Cena with rights. Sheamus launches Cena into the opposite corner and covers for another 2 count.

Sheamus gets Cena on the apron and hits a running knee to the face, knocking Cena out to the floor. Sheamus goes for another but Cena counters and goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Sheamus counters that with a DDT for a 2 count. Sheamus hits a big powerslam for another 2 count. Cena goes for the STF but Sheamus counters and kicks Cena out of the ring. Sheamus comes to the floor and throws Cena into the steel steps. The referee begins his count and Cena comes back in at the 9 count. Cena counters a move and hits the shoulder blocks off the ropes and back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Sheamus counters the Attitude Adjustment with a knee to the back and a 2 count. Sheamus goes for the big axe kick but Cena counters it with the STF. Sheamus reaches the rope and breaks the hold. Cena comes out to the floor after Sheamus but gets kicked in the face with Sheamus’ big kick. Cena is laid out again as the referee counts.

Out of nowhere, Randy Orton rushes the ring and lays Sheamus out with the RKO. Orton gets down and taunts Sheamus as the referee calls for the bell. Cena comes up to the ropes and Orton grabs him. Orton goes for the DDT off the ropes but Cena counters with the Attitude Adjustment, laying Orton out.

Winner: Sheamus by DQ

- Cena celebrates in the ring with Orton and Sheamus still laid out. RAW goes off the air.

HHH replaces the Undertaker, news on Rey Mysterio

World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker missed last night’s WWE live event in Cleveland, Ohio due to a death in his family. Triple H appeared instead and wrestled Chris Jericho in the main event in place of Taker.

There were apparently problems at a Rey Mysterio autograph signing yesterday at a Chicago K-mart where if you purchased $35 worth of WWE merchandise, you got an autograph with Rey. Mysterio arrived late and then had to leave for a WWE live event while lots of people were still in line. Things got out of hand as he was leaving with fans rushing at him. A lot of people who didn’t get autographs asked for refunds on their merchandise they had purchased.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Styles : WWE's Backstabbing Enviroment

In an interview with The Sun, TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles blasts the backstabbing nature of rival promotion World Wrestling Entertainment.

The TNA star said he has no interest in going to WWE based on second-hand stories he's heard from wrestlers' experiences in the politically-motivated backstage environment.

"From all the horror stories I've heard in WWE, there's no reason why I would want to go anywhere else. Desmond (Wolfe) and I are going to work together to make this company the best for everybody. Where, in the other company, they will stab each other in the back to get to the next level," Styles said. "It's not about me. It's about us in TNA."

Styles said one year from now, TNA needs to be live and touring "week-to-week" outside the Impact Zone in Orlando. His main reason for wanting to venture outside of Orlando is so he can better gauge the effectiveness of his persona.

"Definitely live. Live every Monday night or Thursday night. I don't care. Just as long as the fans know when it's coming on. And that they don't know what to expect," Styles told The Sun. "That's the biggest thing because with the spoilers, they go on (the Internet) and figure out whatever, but I want to be live going from state-to-state and not just in the Impact Zone."

Styles added: "It's hard to gauge who you are as a character in the Impact Zone because you have the same fans coming in who don't necessarily want to enjoy the show, but be part of the show, and it's hard to gauge how you're doing as an entertainer."

Styles also reassured fans upset about TNA parting ways with its trademark six-sided ring.

"Ring change is kind of upsetting at first, but then once you get in that ring, it brings the memories back - 'Oh, there's so much more you can do.' But, for us, it absolutely does not make a difference to me. That's why it was so bizarre to me at first why they would change it," Styles said. "I heard that maybe the reason was to be taken more seriously as a company. I can understand that. I don't care what it is that gets us to the next level as long as we get there."

Styles and Desmond Wolfe also discuss Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff joining TNA, as well as what fans can expect on the company's current tour of the UK.

Update on Divas and Cryme Tyme

Mickie James has launched an official website promoting her musical endeavors at MickieJames.com.

-- Today is WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool's birthday, who turns 30 years old.

-- WWE has released the Cryme Tyme Runnin' the Block T-Shirt at the following link.

-- WWE returns to the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts on August 28th, 2010 and the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Massachusetts on August 29th, 2010.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Update on Eric EsCober, Katie Lee

Eric Escobar’s WWE release didn’t come as a surprise to most within the company last week. Escobar had a reputation for being a “major headcase” during his time with WWE developmental in Florida. A lot of people were even surprised he got called up to the main roster.

Katie Lea Burchill is now an official member of the RAW roster after competing in a Divas Title tournament match last week. While her profile has been added to the RAW roster, Paul Burchill’s still hasn’t. Paul has been working RAW live events over the past few weeks

Big show's film pushed back due to Cena

Big Show's Knucklehead was tentatively scheduled for the theatrical release date of Friday, April 23, 2010, but is now been pushed back to the fall in favor of the John Cena drama film Brother's Keeper.

Filming for Brother's Keeper wrapped us just last week in New Orleans while Knucklehead finished in November. Current plans call for Brother's Keeper to be released theatrically this summer, thus pushing Big Show's comedy movie to the fall.

WWE Studios recently reached an agreement with Samuel Goldwyn Films to oversee it's theatrical releases, and Vivendi Entertainment to handle the home video releases. As part of the agreement, World Wrestling Entertainment has agreed to produce nine movies through 2012.

Future releases include Big Red starring Randy Orton, a thriller written for Batista, and the comedy Midnight Run with John Cena.

News on tonights Raw

 Tonight’s RAW will take place from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. No matches have been announced for tonight’s Royal Rumble go-home show but the special guests will be Dule Hill & James Roday from USA Network’s Psych. Sheamus vs. John Cena is being advertised locally.

Kelly Kelly talks about her ex-boyfriend

WWE Diva Kelly Kelly spoke to the UK's Daily Star this week about the untimely death of her ex-boyfriend, former WWE & TNA star Andrew "Test" Martin.

"Not a day goes by when I don’t think about Andrew. ... He was a big part of my life, we were together for two-and-a-half years. When I first started, Andrew looked after me. We were there together, we had some good times and some hard times – he wanted more than anything to be healthy,"

Andrew Martin, who Kelly calls the "love of her life," died back in March 2009 prescription pill overdose after a long battle with addiction.

Kelly is dedicating the remainder of her wrestling career to Andrew MArtin and vows to become a respected in-ring worker. She explains that even though women wrestlers aren't having "25 minute matches" like the men, the Divas are still on the road upto 300 days a year and live the same hectic lifestyle.

“We’re on the road for the same amount of time as the guys, I know we don’t have to wrestle 25-minute matches like the guys but we travel 200 to 300 miles a night exactly the same as them. But this is my life – I've been doing it since I was 18 so by now I’m used to it! I’m young and I have no plans to settle down!"

HBK talks on his DVD , Retirement and Probable Disbandation of DX

It would appear that the latest D-Generation X run is coming to an end as Shawn Michaels said during an interview with the KISS-FM radio station out of San Antonio this past week that DX will "probably disband" following the Royal Rumble so they can focus on their respective matches at WrestleMania.

When asked if he had any plans on retiring, Michaels said: "Well, that's always the million dollar question. I'd like to go on record as saying I have been trying to retire for the last three years... [WWE] makes it very difficult, you know, Vince McMahon is nuts. I try to walk away then WrestleMania comes up, they put me in a match, I do well, and [Vince] doesn't make it very easy."

Also it would appear that he had zero input in selecting matches for WWE's upcoming DVD release on him, Shawn Michaels: My Journey. He responded with the following: "They found my 25 greatest matches?"

It had been rumored that Michaels would handpick his favorite twenty-five matches of his career for the DVD release

Rock's Tooth Fairy crashes on the 1st week

Tooth Fairy starring former WWE performer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson earned an estimated $14.5 million for fourth place at the box office this weekend.

By comparison, The Game Plan opened with $22.9 million in its opening weekend while Race to Witch Mountain started with $24.4 million. Hence, Tooth Fairy marks as the worst opening weekend performance of Johnson's career in the family genre.

The film opened in 3,344 theaters and was the second highest-grossing new release of the weekend, behind Legion, which opened with $18.2 million.

Tooth Fairy reportedly cost $48 million to make.

Hart returning to Raw this monday?

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Hart is likely to return to the show this coming Monday. To add to this report, when I spoke to a source close to the situation last week, I was told that Bret WILL be returning to Raw this Monday night.

Miz says he sets a new major goal

The Southeast Missourian has a new article online featuring quotes from The Miz. Below are the highlights:

"I've always loved the talkers, ever since I was a kid. Guys like the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin; if you remember anything about them, it's not their matches... You remember, 'Can you smell what the Rock is cookin'?' and catch phrases like that, and I always enjoyed the storied characters in WWE."

"I've brought that into what I want to do. I want to parlay my character to the world, so when they see me, they think, 'I know a guy exactly like that, and I love/hate him.' I feel like a lot of wrestlers do the same stuff, so the better the people know me, the better I am set apart," he told the publication. "As far as the wrestling is concerned, I think now I'm at a point where people are really getting to know me, and I need to prove myself in the ring. I like having longer matches now to show that I am an athlete and not just a big mouth."

"I set a new major goal every new year," Miz said. "So far, I've been able to reach those goals, even if they seem a little lofty, and my goal for 2010 is to be a main event, so that's what I am striving for now

McIntyre injured and update on Tyler Recks & more

Drew McIntyre appeared fine at last night's SmackDown/ECW live event in Hammond, Indiana after reportedly suffering a dislocated patella during his match at last Tuesday's SmackDown taping.
It was announced this past Friday on SmackDown that McIntyre will be defending his Intercontinental Championship against John Morrison in a No Disqualification Match on this week's show. 
It would appear that Tyler Reks' embarrassing plane incident two weeks ago in Green Bay is now water under the bridge considering that he garnered a victory over Goldust at last night's SmackDown/ECW live event. The sparingly seen ECW star has been trying out his new found heel persona at non-televised events in recent weeks and is simply waiting to be reintroduced to the masses. 
Developmental wrestler Johnny Curtis is once again on the road this week with WWE. He came up short last night in a match against Chris Masters
Before James Roday and Dulé Hill guest host Raw, ask them and John Cena (who guest stars on Wednesday's season premiere of Psych) questions for an online chat tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. EST on WWE.com

Jack "The Snake" Roberts retired

The following is a new blog from the official MySpace page of WWE legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts:

2010 Tour Blog
First of all, I want to say, thanks for all the support and love that have been given to me over the years. I appreciate every fan, well I said that, but I lied...:) there are some that I don't call fans. Having said that I want you all to know I have come to a decision that I will hold to regardless of other opinions. Bottom line, it's time. There comes a moment and I regret that it has happened, but I simply am unable physically to perform at the level that I find acceptable. I cannot do what I did 30 years ago, and my God, am I glad that I can't. But my love for what I've done in the last 35 years deserves more than I am capable of doing. I cherish every moment that I've had, good or bad, bottom line is I never had a bad moment in the ring. Any moment was something to treasure, and I can only do so by stepping away. Although the cheers and support are still there from you, the fans, I would be a liar to say that it is not only painful physically, mentally, but worst of all, deep in my heart.

It would be unfair to me not to have one more go around the horn. I will do a retirement tour that will last no more than to the end of next year. I honestly feel that it won't last that long, and I hope I am wrong. Regardless of the offers to continue I respect that lady in the ring enough to say "goodbye". I would really love to continue to contribute as a adviser, booker, teacher, etc., and perhaps that opportunity may present itself to me somewhere in the future. For those of you in our business, feel free to contact me for appearances for 2010. The open dates are limited.

Thanks to all, here's to a safe and happy 2010.
Jake

possible return of EDGE at Royal Rumble

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Edge's Achilles heel injury is healing ahead of schedule, and there is a possibility that he might be ready to return to the ring in time for The Royal Rumble. If he does not return then, the feeling is that he will most likely return shortly after the PPV. Either way, it seems that he will be returning prior to WrestleMania which would allow him to wrestle at the big PPV. We exclusively reported last week that WWE definitely wants to book Edge vs Chris Jericho for Mania, playing off the angle set up between the two of them when Jericho replaced Edge with Big Show as his tag team partner

Sunday, January 24, 2010

News on Money In the Bank match and Update on Kofi Kingston

WrestleMania 26 will once again feature a Money in the Bank ladder match for a shot at the WWE or Heavyweight Title. As of now, RAW superstar Kofi Kingston is the favorite to win the match, but those plans are always subject to change.
WWE has been very high on Kofi at times, but ever since the Randy Orton incident on RAW recently, the WWE has cooled off on Kofi’s push. However, WWE still see Kofi as a very promising WWE superstar, so they may want to propel him to the next level just like they did with CM Punk last year at WrestleMania.

JR talks about the Rock

Jim Ross has updated his blog over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here is what Ross had to say about The Rock:
“Loved it on Letterman when Dwayne said that he would always be ‘The Rock’ which was not only true but had to make wrestling fans around the Globe feel good. I don’t ever see the Rock wrestling again but I know that he will host Raw sometime in the future to reconnect with his fans and to promote his latest project. I also know from the communication that Rock and I have that he still loves the business and most importantly the fans of the business who always support his film projects. There is no more positive person that I communicate with than is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson which is extremely refreshing.

Eye Witness on Orton's case

According to an eye witness, Randy Orton did not assault a 15-year-old fan as both the fan and his mother have claimed.
Stephen Addonizio, who saw the incident from his care, claims that Orton was approached by about a dozen fans for autographs following a Live WWE event, but Orton refused the fans by simply walking past them.
The 15-year-old and his mother are claiming that Orton spat gum in the kid’s face. However, according to eye witness, Orton just kept walking past them to get into his car.”

The Rock shows interest on facing Cena at WM 26

WWE is still attempting to bring The Rock back to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania. The Rock is definitely going to guest host an upcoming RAW, but a WrestleMania match cannot be confirmed just yet. However, a match at WrestleMania 26 is still a possibility as The Rock has indicated some interest in a return. This is quite surprising considering The Rock’s stance on the WWE just a few years ago.

Cena talks about his new movie

NEW ORLEANS – Wrestling star John Cena said he’s enjoying the challenge of acting in his very first dramatic film.
The “WWE Monday Night RAW” star’s only two previous movies — 2006’s “The Marine” and last year’s “12 Rounds” — were action films that involved “blowing things up” and “dodging bullets,” Cena said Wednesday.
While in New Orleans for the filming of “Brother’s Keeper,” a World Wrestling Entertainment movie that also stars Danny Glover, Patricia Clarkson and Devon Graye, Cena called the project “a great change of pace.”
“This one is a lot less physically demanding,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been able to get involved in the story, and it’s an easy story to embrace. I think everybody will be able to pull something from it.”
The plot centers on a socially awkward teenage boy, played by Graye, who tries to reconnect his family after the death of his collegiate wrestling star father by following in his father’s footsteps. In a scene being filmed Wednesday, Cena, who plays Graye’s estranged older brother, shows up at the younger boy’s high school to watch him compete in a wrestling match.
Clarkson plays their mother and Glover plays the role of a charming and mysterious man who shows up at pivotal times in the life of Graye’s character.
“It’ll be a good watch,” Cena said. “People will walk away from this movie feeling good about themselves.”
Filming is scheduled to run through the end of January, said David Calloway, the movie’s producer who is also vice president of WWE Studios.

Chris Jericho on Men's Fitness Cover


WWE SUPERSTAR CHRIS JERICHO REFLECTS ON HIS PAST AND HOW THE RING PREPARED HIM FOR HOLLYWOOD
IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF MEN’S FITNESS
On Newsstands January 25th Nationwide
NEW YORK, NY—He’s a television personality, actor, best selling author and one of WWE’s biggest stars. Now Chris Jericho reflects on his humble beginnings as a struggling wrestler and the path that led him to success in the new March issue of Men’s Fitness. “In those days, there was no Internet, no cell phone. I was a smaller guy coming from a small town. How does anyone become a wrestler? I just figured that God had this plan for me,” he says in the issue. “When I didn’t have enough money for gas to drive the 25 minutes to Calgary, I worked out in a barn. Pull-ups on the wooden struts and hay bale curls. Chugging raw eggs and devouring liver for extra protein. You do what you have to do to keep in shape.”
Following are highlights from his interview in the March issue of Men’s Fitness, on newsstands January 25th nationwide.
On What Influence Him To Be A Wrestler
“I loved the pomp and circumstance. It was like a play between good and bad guys.”
On How Life In The Ring Prepared Him To Tackle A Career In Hollywood
“ We still gotta take the bumps and bruises,’ he says. ‘It’s show-business boot camp. You learn how to behave in front of a live crowd. In this day and age, it’s not how big your biceps are, it’s about connecting with fans. It’s like being an actor onstage.‘ ”
On His Challenges To Eat Right During Hard Times
“You’d go into convenience stores and buy hard-boiled eggs, bottled water and some apples and that’s yourhealthy dinner. If you’re lucky.”
Trainer Chris Gonzalez On Jericho’s Strong Return to the Ring
“When he returned to the WWE, the other guys thought he looked bigger and leaner than when he left.”

Two championship matches set for next week's Smackdown

It was announced during last night’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown that CM Punk and Luke Gallows will face D-Generation X for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships at next week’s Smackdown.
Drew McIntyre will also be defending his Intercontinental Championship against John Morrison in a No DQ Match.

Raw hosts announced for feb 8 and march 1

Feb. 8, 2010: Carl Edwards
Raw races its way into the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., on Feb. 8 with one of WWE’s biggest fan/athletes, Carl Edwards. The Roush Fenway Racing driver will rev up Raw as a special guest host just six days before the NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins with the sport’s most-highly anticipated race, the Daytona 500.
It’s also no secret Edwards and John Cena are close buddies. Their friendship first blossomed in 2007 when the racecar driver taught Cena how to drive a NASCAR stock car on the reality show, Fast Cars and Superstars – The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. (MORE) Less than one year later, Cena starred in a Gillette Young Guns commercial with Edwards and several other NASCAR drivers. (MORE) And Edwards has also mentioned Cena by name while celebrating in Victory Lane. (MORE)
Will Edwards bring his prized No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion to Louisiana? And how will his turn as guest host affect Raw? Tune in Feb. 8 to find out.
March 1, 2010: Cheech & Chong
Psst – over here. So, check it out, man: The iconic comedy duo of Cheech & Chong are gonna like, take a break from their 2010 U.S. Tour just long enough to score a couple of primo gigs on Raw. The stars of several films and Grammy winners for Best Comedy Album will float into Oklahoma City to take over the show. Trippy.
Duuuuuude, you are so not gonna want to miss this one. To check it out, tune in March 1.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Royal Rumble Card Till now








WWE-Universe proudly Presents WWE The Music: A New Day (Pre-Release)

Myself Ratz with support from our Universe and especially Urvish Desai, proudly presents  WWE The Music: A New Day  exclusively for our community members.


Enjoy \m/

Dolph Ziggler match cut, rey featuring in Magazine

A match taped this past Tuesday in Greenville, South Carolina pitting Dolph Ziggler against Jimmy Wang Yang was cut from tonight's Friday Night SmackDown broadcast due to time constraints.
 

 Rey Mysterio is featured on the cover of the February 2010 issue of WWE Magazine — which hits newsstands next Tuesday — wearing wings.

DX and Drew McIntyre defending thier titles

It was announced during tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown that CM Punk and Luke Gallows will challenge D-Generation X for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships at next week's show in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It was also announced that Drew McIntyre will be defending his Intercontinental Championship against John Morrison in a No Disqualification Match.

Friday, January 22, 2010

THE ROCK hypes his come back

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson spoke to Sports Illustrated this week to promote his new "Tooth Fairy" movie. To read the full interview, visit SI.com.

During the interview, the former WWE superstar stated once again that he wants to return to WWE to host WWE RAW and was actually supposed to host the show earlier this month:

"I do plan on going back and hosting. I was actually gonna go back this month, but the day I was going to host, I had to go to Mexico for promotion of the movie, so we had to cancel that," Johnson said.

Johnson says his return to WWE, rumored to take place this summer, will be more than just a typical one-night guest hosting gig:

"I've remained close with Vince McMahon over the years, but here's the key. It's not just to go back and host. I don't want to do that. I want to go back and host and do something special. I want to entertain the fans in ways they haven't been entertained in years."

News on Mickie James and Shad

A press release was sent out yesterday announcing that WWE Diva Mickie James is now an official member of The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). The organization tracks and protects artists’ royalties and compensation. The press release noted that Mickie’s first album is almost complete and that she co-wrote several of the songs on the album. The album is expected to be completed this week with the first single hitting the radio in February.
- WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard of Cryme Tyme recently wrote the following on his Twitter about trying out for a movie role: “Today I auditioned for the new “Conan The Barbarian” movie for the part of Ukafa. If I get it, it will be a dream come true.”

Boogeyman update, Ecw score, Jamie Noble news and Booker T update

The Boogeyman is now accepting bookings through Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com.
- This week’s episode of ECW on SyFy scored an 0.9 rating.
- WWE Superstar Jamie Noble, who storyline retired last year after an attack from Sheamus, will be wrestling FCW Champion Justin Angel at the WWE developmental show on January 29th in Melbourne, Florida. Noble has remained employed with WWE as an agent.
- Booker T said in a recent interview with Between The Ropes radio that he is going to California to try his hand at acting and won’t be working for WWE or TNA for a while.

Full Superstar Report

We begin tonight’s show with a Raw match and your announcers are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. Since it is a Divas match, you know one of the announcers will be excited.
Before the match starts, Jillian gets on the mic and she says that she is a bit nervous tonight but she turned on the radio and heard a Miley Cyrus song and Jillian starts to sing (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).
Match Number One: Jillian Hall versus Kelly Kelly
They lock up and Jillian works on the arm and wrist. Kelly goes to the turnbuckles and she hits a springboard move into an arm drag. Kelly with a rana for a near fall. Kelly with forearms and then Jillian flips Kelly and hits a clothesline for a near fall. Jillian pulls Kelly by the hair and then tosses her across the ring. Jillian stretches Kelly as Kelly tries to fight out of the hold. Jillian gets a near fall and then slams Kelly’s head into the mat before going back to working on Kelly’s back. Kelly escapes the hold and kicks Jillian. Kelly with a few clotheslines followed by a vintage tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Kelly tries for a victory roll but Jillian drops down and gets a near fall. Jillian with a kick followed by a forearm. Jillian with an Irish whip and then she tries for the handspring back elbow but Kelly with boots to block it. Kelly with the leg drop off Jillian’s back for the three count.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
We go to commercial.
It is time for some ECW action and your announcers are Josh Mathews and Byron Saxton.
We see footage of the issues between Vance Archer and Shelton Benjamin leading to tonight’s match.
Match Number Two: Shelton Benjamin versus Vance Archer
They lock up and the referee has to separate them against the ropes and they break. They lock up again and they go into the corner and the referee separates them again. Archer with a punch but Benjamin punches back. They exchange punches with Benjamin getting the advantage and then he connects with an elbow and more punches. Archer with a forearm to Benjamin’s head. Benjamin with a knee to Archer but Archer with a kick. Benjamin with a double leg take down and he punches Archer. Archer backs into the corner and then he pulls Benjamin into the turnbuckles. Archer with a clothesline and then he tries for the inverted DDT but Archer takes too long and Benjamin gets a near fall with an inside cradle. Archer tries to throw Benjamin out of the ring and Benjamin skins the cat and takes Archer to the floor with a head scissors.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Benjamin is sent into the turnbuckles and he floats over but Archer with a big boot for a near fall. Archer with a reverse chin lock. Archer punches Benjamin while the referee warns him. Archer chokes Benjamin in the ropes and then he connects with a splash to the back. Archer gets a near fall and then he returns to the neck. Archer with a reverse chin lock and body scissors as he tries to wear down Benjamin. Benjamin gets back to his feet and he connects with some elbows but Archer with a forearm to the back and then he tries to slam Benjamin but Benjamin gets to his feet and he hits a dragon screw leg whip. Benjamin punches Archer but Archer with a forearm. Benjamin with a flying forearm off the turnbuckles and then he hits a running double sledge. Benjamin with a dragon whip for a near fall. Archer kicks Benjamin away but Benjamin with a German suplex and bridge for a near fall. Benjamin with a punch but he misses a drop kick when Archer holds on to the ropes. Archer with a hard Irish whip and then he puts Benjamin on the top turnbuckles and then the Tree of Woe before he chokes Benjamin with his boot. Benjamin with a kick while Archer charges into the corner and Benjamin gets the three count with an Oklahoma Roll.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
It is time to Ask the Divas.
We go to commercial.
We are back and did you know that this week’s Did you know has relevance because it mentioned that Kane and Shawn Michaels have been in the most Royal Rumbles.
We have a Miz video package.
Since the main event comes from Smackdown, Todd Grisham and Matt Striker have the honor of doing the rest of the broadcast. They run through the card for the Royal Rumble.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Chris Jericho versus Kane
Jericho takes his time getting into the ring as the match starts. He finally gets into the ring but he goes to the floor as soon as Kane gets close to him. They lock up and Kane pushes Jericho away and Jericho goes back to the floor. Jericho with a slap to Kane and Kane punches Jericho and kicks him. Kane picks Jericho up and hits an elbow to the head followed by more punches. Jericho with a kick and punch followed by a forearm. Jericho continues the attack on Kane until he comes off the ropes and Kane with an uppercut. Kane with a snap mare and drop kick to Jericho for a near fall. Kane works on the arm and then he punches Jericho in the corner. Kane with an arm bar as he takes Jericho to the mat. Jericho rolls through but he cannot escape Kane. Kane turns it into a key lock but Jericho gets to the ropes. Jericho with a kick to Kane’s midsection followed by a forearm and drop kick that sends Kane to the mat. Jericho with crossfaces to Kane and then he kicks him in the ribs. Kane with a punch to Jericho followed by a kick and another punch. Kane with an elbow but he charges at Jericho and Jericho ducks down and Kane goes over the top rope to the floor. Jericho with the springboard drop kick that knocks Kane off the apron and we go to commercial.
We are back and Jericho kicks Kane in the head. Jericho with a knee and then he punches Kane on the turnbuckles. Since Kane is not his brother, he only pushes Jericho off. Jericho with another knee to the midsection. Jericho tries to send Kane into the turnbuckles but Kane blocks it and sends Jericho into the turnbuckles. Kane with an Irish whip but Jericho gets the boots up. Kane catches Jericho off the turnbuckles and then Kane charges at Jericho in the corner but Jericho moves and Kane goes into the ring post. Jericho chokes Kane in the ropes. Jericho with an arm bar and chin lock and then he turns it into a modified choke but Kane with a hip toss. Jericho with an enzuigiri for a near fall. Jericho argues with the referee about the speed of the count. Jericho with a sleeper on Kane and Kane tries to get to his feet but Jericho takes him back down to the mat. Kane backs Jericho into the turnbuckles to get out of the hold. Kane runs into an elbow from Jericho and hits the bulldog but Jericho takes more of the impact than usual. Kane with punches and uppercuts followed by an Irish whip and running clothesline into the corner and the side slam for a near fall. Kane gets up and he goes to the turnbuckles for the flying clothesline but Jericho hits a drop kick as Kane comes off and Jericho gets a two count. Jericho with a bulldog and then he tries for the Lionsault but Kane moves and Jericho lands on his feet. Jericho runs into a big boot from Kane but Jericho kicks out at two. Jericho clips Kane and then he tries to put him in the Walls of Jericho but Kane powers out of the hold. Kane misses a charge into the corner but Jericho is pushed off when he tries for the Codebreaker. Kane sets for the choke slam and Jericho escapes the hold and leaves the ring and the referee counts him out.
Winner: Kane by count out
We go to credits.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

WWE Draft update

While it’s still months away, there have been some discussion within WWE recently about the 2010 Draft after WrestleMania. Early talk is that creative is planning on breaking up some of the longstanding partnerships, whoever that may be. When you think about it, there aren’t too many duos in WWE that have been together for a while with the exception of DX, Cryme Tyme and maybe a few others.

Undertaker health update, Royal Rumble sold out

World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker was hurting very badly at the WWE live events over the weekend. As noted before, after he takes time off WrestleMania this year it’s expected that his appearances will be even more limited than they are now.
The Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view is sold out.

Jeff hardy on TNA or...??

There are conflicting reports coming in on Jeff Hardy’s status with TNA. Sources in the company are saying that Hardy has signed a contract with the company while friends of Hardy have said that he told them he has absolutely not signed a deal. The fact Hardy hasn’t appeared with TNA since January 4th would indicate that he hasn’t signed or committed to any dates.
It’s said that WWE still wants Hardy back eventually. Hardy was apparently upset at the recent segments on WWE’s SmackDown with CM Punk where Punk poked fun at him. One person close to Hardy said that one of the reasons he decided to appear on January 4th was just to prove a point to WWE. Word is that friends of Hardy are telling him that at the end of the day, Jeff in TNA is a bad move because he comes across as a much bigger star with WWE

Orton Speaks on the Boston incident

Randy Orton wrote a message on his website regarding the alleged incident after the recent WWE show in Boston at Kowloon’s restaurant. Here’s Orton’s side of the story:
“Here’s what happened: I walked out of Kowloon’s Friday night around 12:30-1 a.m. with Santino and a police officer escort. As I was being rudely hounded for pictures and autos (I had a 6:40 a.m. flight through Minni to Lincoln, then a drive to Omaha, a match, a drive back to Omaha, then a charter to Minni, and a driver to Rochester for the next show the next day, btw), I was confronted by an older women who said: ‘Hey Randy, you spit on my handicapped son a few years ago at a show, what do you have to say about that?’ My replay…`So Sue me.’ Then I proceeded to my car, with Santino and the cop and drove back to our hotel by the Boston airport. I know I have been a bit of a hothead in the past, but I DID NOT spit gum and call names to any child. The women is claiming I called her son a `retard’ 3 times, and spit gum in his face. Come on people, even at my worst temperament, I would never call a handicapped child something awful like that. I’ll actually sign anything for any child with any disability. I heard just today from WWE attorneys that this women filed assault charges against me 4 days later? Hmmm, oh, and what about the dozens of cops at the restaurant that were there for crowd control since there were over 100 wrestling fans there? Not to mention the cop that escorted me to my freaking car. I’ll be happy when this is over. I guess if I’ve learned anything from this, it is not to ever challenge anyone to sue me.”

Shawn Michaels speaks on his DVD

It was reported a few months back that Shawn Michaels handpicked the matches for his new My Journey DVD set. However, Shawn did an interview in San Antonio recently and said that he had no input at all in picking any of the matches.

News on Edge

It’s been noted a few times about a RAW live event advertisement for a show in Lubbock, Texas this coming May promoting Triple H vs. John Cena vs. Edge for the WWE Title. Nothing should be taken from this as the ads were supposed to be for a February RAW live event in Lubbock but the commercials that ended up airing were for an old WWE show in Lubbock from May of 2006. No clue how that mix-up happened.

RVD talks on Raw vs TNA, and his returning

Former WWE and ECW champion Rob Van Dam appeared on the "Busted Open" Sirius satellite radio show this week and spoke about whether he'd be willing to return to World Wrestling Entertainment.

"If the conditions were right, then the conditions would be right. I can tell you for sure that I have no interest in returning to a full-time schedule like I did before. That's not going to happen."

RVD told the hosts that the WWE vs. TNA battle on January 4th was the first time in while that he had watched wrestling. He says Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart felt special, but the feeling didn't last long.

"That was the first wrestling that I watched in the longest time, and it's also the last wrestling I watched. I flipped back and forth with skepticism," RVD said. "There was optimism. There was hope. The whole thing with Hogan and the change. It was a nice moment. I liked seeing Bret. I was comparing and about 45 minutes into it I felt like I was just watching wrestling and I lost interest."

JR speaks on THE ROCK

Jim Ross has updated his blog over at JRsBarBQ.com. Below is an excerpt:

"Loved it on Letterman when Dwayne said that he would always be "The Rock" which was not only true but had to make wrestling fans around the Globe feel good. I don't ever see the Rock wrestling again but I know that he will host Raw sometime in the future to reconnect with his fans and to promote his latest project. I also know from the communication that Rock and I have that he still loves the business and most importantly the fans of the business who always support his film projects. There is no more positive person that I communicate with than is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson which is extremely refreshing."

Guest host of Raw revealed

WWE has announced that NASCAR driver Carl Edwards will be the guest host of WWE Raw on February 8th. Edwards will be the third NASCAR driver to host Raw as the show has been hosted by both Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in the past.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Vince Changing WWE Films

Variety reports today that Vince McMahon has taken full control over how WWE Films distributes their future movies. Samuel Goldwyn Films will now handle WWE’s theatrical releases while Vivendi Entertainment will distribute the direct-to-DVD movies.
According to Variety, WWE Studios will finance and produce nine movies through 2010. They’re hoping to retain the rights to movies in case WWE starts its on TV channel, they can air them there.
Budgets for the movies will be in the $5 million range so that’s at least $45 million that WWE will be spending on their film division over the next few years.

Orton in a New Movie

As mentioned before, WWE will be releasing a new movie called Big Red soon about a boy growing up in the 1960’s. Word is that Randy Orton will be starring in the movie but it’s not clear yet who he will be playing. The plot for the movie reads like this:
“In 1965, as the world changes all around him, 12-year-old Andy Nichol comes of age when he’s asked by his favorite teacher, Mr. Simon, to partner with school outcast Big Red for an English assignment.”

WWE superstars 1/21

Kelly Kelly vs. Jillian Hall, Kane vs. Chris Jericho and Shelton Benjamin vs. Vance Archer was taped for this Thursday’s WWE Superstars on WGN America

New Diva Called Up

The woman who appears with CM Punk on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown as a fan is actually WWE developmental Diva Serena Deeb, who had a brief appearance on ECW last year. There’s talk that this could be her call-up to the main roster

Smackdown Spoiler of 1/22

Dark Match:
* Kung Fu Naki beat Johnny Curtis.
WWE SmackDown, Airing Friday:
* Finlay d. Batista by DQ when Batista refused to break the referee’s 5-count I guess. Then he cut a promo saying Finlay represented the other Royal Rumble competitors and that he would win the Rumble and end Taker’s undefeated streak at Mania.
* Match 2: Dolph Ziggler beat Jimmy Wang Yang with a rear naked choke hold.
* CM Punk and Luke Gallows come out saved another fan. This time it is a hyper fan named Serena (Mia from FCW) and Punk shaves her long hair off till she is completely bald!!!
* Handicap match: Chris Jericho & Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison. Teddy Long comes out and makes it a tag team match. Morrison’s tag partner is R-Truth.
* John Morrison & R-Truth win when Truth pins Jericho after a scissor kick. Great match!
* They show highlights of Rey winning the world title at Mania 22 while the ring crew sets up food and balloons for the next segment… Involving McCool & James.
* Michelle McCool and Layla make fun of Mickie James with a buffet of food. Maria interferes and calls them morons. Mickie comes out and says Michelle and Layla think they are great but really they are nothing. She points at the audience and says this is what real women look like. She says Michelle will never run her off Smackdown. Michelle says the WWE fans get to watch Animal Planet and WWE at the same time when Mickie is on TV. Catfight ensues. Beth Phoenix runs in and helps Michelle and Layla. They shove a ‘Piggie’ cake into Mickie’s face and dump punch on her. Actually a great segment, believe it or not!
* Mike Knox & Charlie Haas (he still works here too!) vs. Cryme Tyme gets interrupted by Kane, who lays everyone out. I guess he wants to win the Rumble too…
* Matt Hardy & Great Khali (there’s an odd team for you) d. The Hart Dynasty when Hardy rolled up DH Smith.
* Rey calls out Taker. He says he is not afraid of him. Taker says he admires Rey’s bravery but at the Royal Rumble he will defeat Rey and Rey will rest in peace. As Taker walks out, Batista lays out Rey and runs away through the crowd.
* Vickie Guerrero comes out and makes Rey vs. Batista for tonight. I’m guessing this is a dark match.
* It’s a no DQ match. They brawl with weapons for a bit. Jericho interferes and hits the codebreaker on Rey. Matt Hardy runs in with a twist of fate to Jericho. CM Punk runs in and hits GTS on Hardy. Kane runs in and chokeslams Punk. Batista spears Kane. Rey jumps back in and attacks Batista. Kane chokeslams Batista and Rey splashes off Kane’s shoulders and pins Batista. Crowd goes home happy.
* Overall an average episode of Smackdown, meaning it was great!