MATT TALKS ON JEFF RETURNING IN WWE

In a chat on Fancast.com yesterday, Matt Hardy said he believes his brother Jeff will be back in WWE. Matt said: “It’s one of those things. Jeff can’t handle the schedule right now. I think it’s not going to be a long-term thing. I think as soon as his body heals up and he gets it together, he’ll be back in the WWE again.”
Matt then said he would like to see TNA’s Sting and AJ Styles in WWE. As far as Sunday’s epic match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker goes, Matt predicts The Undertaker to win. Matt also said he would debut a bit of a new look with new pants and arm covers at Sunday’s big show.

WWE HALL OF FAME 2010 REPORT

* WWE had the same signs as last year telling fans to behave and not video record the ceremonies.
* Me and the family came in and were welcomed by Todd Grisham. The WWE Superstars have began sitting down.
* We’ve spotted several WWE legends including Mean Gene and former WCW star Billy Kidman. Batista stared down John Cena before he took his seat. Gotta keep up with the storylines. A group of it looks like three Divas are sitting together. Jillian and Melina maybe it looks like.
* It looks like Gorgeous George, Bob Uecker and Million Dollar Man will be shown on USA Network. No Stu Hart??
* Jerry Lawler is the host. He introduces more current WWE Superstars.
* Mad Dog Vachon is the first induction for tonight and he gets his own video package first. Lawler talked a bit and introduced Pat Patterson. Patterson talked about working with Vachon years ago and cracked some jokes. Patterson finally introduced Vachon, who came out in a wheelchair. Vachon cut one of his promos from back in the day and talked about his name, his career and more. WWE finally cut his speech short as he wouldn’t stop talking.
* Lawler came back on and cut a joke which led into Jim Ross being introduced to a big pop.
* WWE is giving 5 minutes to each speech.
* Wendi Richter is the second inductee. After a video, Jerry Lawler introduced Roddy Piper. Piper was great as he talked about the Rock ‘n Wrestling era, WrestleMania and other stories. Piper put over Richter and introduced her. Wendi said this is her dream and it’s about damn time it happened. She talked about her early days in wrestling, other women’s wrestlers, Cyndi Lauper and other stuff. Richter said tonight she feels like she’s got what she’s always wanted – respect.
* Stu Hart is inducted next. They showed a great package on Stu’s career before Lawler introduced Bret Hart. Bret came out with all Stu’s kids and talked about his father and growing up with him. Bret talked about Stu and Owen Hart’s sense of humor which caused a large “Owen” chant to break out. Bret went on about his father in a great speech and thanked everyone for letting him live on forever by being in the WWE Hall of Fame.
* Antonio Inoki was a next. After his video package, Lawler introduced Stan Hansen to do the induction. Hansen talked about Japan and put over Inoki being a household name in Japan. He talked about different things Inoki did in his career, his own career and experiences with Inoki. Hansen came off better than I expected and told some good stories about Inoki. Inoki came out next, spoke thanking everyone for coming and then spoke in Japanese with a translator. Inoki said he would like to promote a show in Antarctica with WWE to raise awareness for global warming. He got the crowd to do his chant from Japan after a great speech.
* The next inductee is Bob Uecker. Lawler talked about celebrities in wrestling and introduced NBC’s Dick Ebersol. Ebersol talked about what led to the beginning of WWE’s SNME and talked about Bob Uecker’s sports career before a video. Ebersol talks about Uecker being involved with WrestleMania 3 before introducing him. Uecker came out next and was great with the comedy. He talked about his sports career, showed his MLB Hall of Fame ring. He talked about meeting Dick Ebersol and getting involved with WrestleMania. Uecker said some of his best times in life were with WWE and put over the wrestlers. Uecker thanked everyone to end an entertaining speech.
* Lawler introduced Gorgeous George next via video package on his career. Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer was introduced next. He came out wearing his mask and talked about George’s career and what he did for the sport. Beyer told some stories and said he had a mask for George’s wife Betty Wagner. Lawler introduced her to accept the induction. Wagner was great also as she talked about her late husband.
* Lawler introduced a video package on Ted DiBiase’s career. Out next came Ted Jr. and Brett DiBiase to do the induction for dad. Brett talked first about his father being inducted and his brother’s first WrestleMania. Ted and his brother Brett talked about their father’s career and how proud they were of him. Lawler next introduced Ted DiBiase. He came out with the Million Dollar Belt and called this an amazing, priceless night. DiBiase talks about his career and tells a story about the Million Dollar Man character. DiBiase thanked some of the wrestlers he had faced in his career and pointed out his wife, thanking her, God and Jesus Christ. DiBiase told a story about Virgil and talked to the younger WWE stars. DiBiase thanked everyone, cut a promo and dropped money on the crowd. The best induction tonight easily.
* All of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees were brought out to the stage to end the show.

MICKIE JAMES INJURY UPDATE

For what it’s worth, WWE Diva Mickie James noted on Twitter that she was unable to participate in the WrestleMania golf tournament the other day because of her knee injury. Mickie is scheduled for tonight’s Divas tag match at WrestleMania and her role may be limited because of the injury.

BATTLE ROYAL HAPPENING BEFORE TONIGHTS WRESTLEMANIA???

During an interview yesterday with KTAR radio in Phoenix, Arizona, WWE Superstar Jimmy Wang Yang asked if he would be wrestling at tonight’s WrestleMania 26. Wang said he would participating in a pre-show battle royal with “like 30 competitors.”
WWe has not officially announced the battle royal and it’s unknown which Superstars will participate, if the match even happens.

GOLDBERG TALKS MORE

Goldberg clarified his talks with WWE on Twitter with the following message: “Let’s get it straight. I’ve spoken to WWE about a merch deal, no more, no less. Will it lead to something else? Nobody knows the answer…”

LOCKDOWN AT WWE HOTEL

It’s said that the hotel that WWE stars are staying at in Phoenix this year is experiencing a “lockdown” that’s stricter than other years. It’s being speculated that WWE may have some surprises at the hotel that they want to keep a secret.

VINCE AND BRET TRAINING HARD FOR TONIGHT?

WWE’s website has had photos and videos of Vince McMahon training hard for his match with Bret Hart tonight. Speaking of that match, Bret has also been training hard the past few weeks and says he’s in great shape and that we might see a glimpse of the old Hitman tonight.

FINAL UPDATE OF TONIGHTS HALL OF FAME

The 2010 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place tonight from the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona and will air later on the USA Network at 11pm EST. We will have live coverage of the full ceremony, including parts that won’t air on TV, here on the website at around 7:30pm EST. Below is the full list of 2010 inductees and their inductors:
* Ted DiBiase Sr. – Inducted by his sons Ted Jr. and Brett
* Stu Hart – Inducted by the Hart family, acceptance speech by Bret Hart
* Antonio Inoki – Reportedly inducted by Stan Hansen
* Gorgeous George – Inducted by Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, acceptance speech by Betty Wagner
* Mad Dog Vachon – Inducted by Pat Patterson
* Wendi Richter – Inducted by Roddy Piper
* Bob Uecker – Inducted by NBC’s Dick Ebersol
- Former WWE star Shawn Spears is also in Phoenix this weekend for the WrestleMania festivities.

CM PUNK SPEAKS ON WRESTLEMANIA, FACING REY, EDDIE GUERRERO

Phoenixnewtimes.com has a new interview up with CM Punk, who is facing Rey Mysterio at tomorrow’s WrestleMania 26 pay-per-view. Here are a few highlights:
Are you looking forward to WrestleMania?
Oh yeah, very much so. I’m looking forward to stealing the show. And letting everybody know that that’s exactly what I plan to do.
Rey Mysterio is an extremely talented cat. Is he a good partner to work with in the ring?
Yeah, I think me and Rey have chemistry. I’ve known Rey for…geez, I’m an old man, almost 10 years now. We’ve wrestled a couple times, and we haven’t really been able to showcase exactly what it is we can do. We’ve barely scratched the surface.
Will it be better than the match you had against Rey and Eddie Guerrero on the indie circuit in 2002?
I don’t know if it will be better. That one def has a place in my heart, obviously because Eddie was involved. I think it’s a great match that still holds up today.

UPDATE ON GOLDBERG

Bill Goldberg commented more on a return to wrestling with the following on his Twitter yesterday: “BTW..my desire to return to the wrestling world in any capacity is based on the fact that if I continue to let my issues with the business stand in the way, I’d be very selfish. Times have changed and I don’t work for people anymore…..I work with them. I control my destiny. Depriving the fans and my family would be a shame.”

CHRIS JERICHO SPEAKS ON NXT, DANYAL BRYAN AND RETIRING

World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho was interviewed by ESPN.com to promote this weekend’s WrestleMania 26. Here are some of the highlights:
Besides being the champ on “Smackdown,” you’re also featured heavily on WWE’s new development show “NXT.” What made you want to participate in that show and help out some of these younger wresters? Who do you see as the breakout performers?
Chris Jericho: I wasn’t really given a choice in performing. I was basically just told I was going to be on the show and that was it. But I think it’s a good concept. There are still some bugs that need to be worked out in the system, but I like my protégé, Wade Barrett. I think he’s got great presence and a great character. I also think Daniel Bryan, obviously, is an extraordinary performer as well. Those two guys stand out to me right off the bat.
I think your match with Daniel Bryan went a long way in helping make him a star with the WWE crowd. There was a spot in that match, though, where he flew toward you, but you threw him into the announcers’ table and you could see his rib area instantly bruise. What was supposed to happen on that move?
Chris Jericho: Things happen, man. [laughs] You can’t really say what was supposed to happen, but things happen and that’s just the way it is. Going back to your previous question about what sports fans don’t realize about the business, but you never know what is going to happen, you just have a certain plan that you try to go for. It’s like if I’m playing hockey and I take a slap shot, but it ends up bouncing off of somebody’s head and then goes into the net. You never know what could happen. In that situation with Bryan, that’s not exactly what we had planned, but it ended up better than what we planned because it became such a memorable moment.
A few years ago you took a long hiatus from wrestling. How much longer do you see yourself keeping up your current pace and continuing to wrestle?
Chris Jericho: At this stage of the game, I’m doing the best work of my career and I feel physically great and mentally great, so there’s no reason to think about stopping now. We’ll see what happens, but for right now, I see no end in sight. But who knows, tomorrow I can wake up and give you a whole different story. But when I left, I said I wasn’t going to come back until I felt like I could be better than ever, and I think the work I’m doing is the best of my career and I want to continue to do just that for as long as I can.

WWE CONTACTING EARL HEBNER

Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com reports that WWE did contact Earl Hebner about being involved in the WrestleMania match between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon this weekend. Obviously Hebner is working for TNA and more than likely will not be working for WWE this weekend.

ERIC BISCHOFF SPEAKS ON VINCE MCMAHON

 Eric Bischoff has lashed out against Vince McMahon for Vince’s recent comments on TNA. Here’s what Bischoff wrote on Facebook:
“In response to a well articualted point by member Ben Salmon, I think the real reason VKM reacted publically to TNA is the fact that in the “go home” week of his show, he LOST 1 MILLION VIEWERS going into his make or break PPV of the year. WWE’s PPV business is getting slaughtered by UFC and ANY competition on Monday n…ights is only going to hurt. Thats why he’s gone from “no sell VKM” to selling like an Avon Lady.
So according to reports, Vince McMahon, the guy who wanted to watch his son-in-law perform a sex act on a dead body, asked me to make out with his wife AND daughter, owns a boat called “Sexy Bitch” and wanted to me to promote “Hot Lesbian Action” on his show considers TNA “tawdry”..come on Vince, you are a lot of thing…s (and many that I admire) but don’t be a hypocrite.”

WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT AS ON MARCH 26

We are live on tape from San Jose, California and your announcers are Todd ‘I feel like we have been here all week’ Grisham and Matt ‘I know the way here’ Striker.
As the wrestlers come to the ring for the opening match, we go to footage from the Wrestlemania Axxess in Arizona.
As Drew tries to enter the ring, the two men who beat him to qualify for Money in the Bank approach him and Drew delays his entry into the ring.
Match Number One: Kane, Drew McIntyre, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, and Shelton Benjamin versus Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Christian in a Raw versus Smackdown these guys are in the Money in the Bank Ten Man Tag Match
Ziggler and Kofi start things off and they lock up with Kofi getting a waist lock but Ziggler with a standing switch. Kofi with a side head lock but Ziggler with a forearm and punch to Kofi. Ziggler with a side head lock but Kofi with a forearm. Ziggler with a shoulder tackle but Kofi with a flying back elbow for a near fall and then everyone gets into the ring as we have a standoff and a commercial.
We are back and Hardy and Swagger are in the ring and Hardy with an Irish whip and running clothesline followed by a bulldog for a near fall. Benjamin tags in and he sends Swagger’s arm into the turnbuckles. Benjamin with an arm bar but Swagger backs Benjamin into the corner and the referee pulls Swagger away. Benjamin with kicks to Swagger but Swagger with a belly-to-belly suplex. Swagger tells off his partners and then he points to the briefcase. Benjamin with elbows while Swagger has Benjamin in a waist lock. Benjamin with a dragon whip. Bourne tags in and he hits a head scissors and drop kick. Benjamin with a kick but Bourne with a double knee take down for a near fall. Christian tags in and he works on Benjamin’s arm. Christian sends Benjamin to the mat but Benjamin kips up. Christian gets a near fall and then connects with knees before tagging in Porter. Porter with punches to Benjamin. Porter with a float over on an Irish whip and then he hits a flying forearm for a near fall. Bourne tags back in and Bourne sets for the Shooting Star but McIntyre distracts Bourne and Bourne with a kick to McIntyre. Benjamin leaps to the top turnbuckle and hits an overhead belly-to-belly throw on Bourne and both men are down as we go to commercial.
We are back and Benjamin with a chin lock on Bourne. Bourne tries to escape while Benjamin maintains his weight on Bourne. Bourne with a kick but Benjamin with a gutbuster. Kane tags in and he kicks Bourne followed by a punch. Kane with shoulders to Bourne followed by a punch and kicks. Kane with a slam and elbow drop for a near fall but Christian breaks it up and the referee keeps everyone else out of the ring. Hardy tags in and he punches Bourne in the back. Hardy slams Bourne and hits a fist drop for a near fall. Hardy with a front face lock and he applies extra pressure on Bourne’s neck. Bourne with punches but Hardy tags in Ziggler and Dolph with a kick to the midsection for a near fall. Ziggler taunts Christian and then he punches Bourne followed by a leaping elbow drop. Ziggler tags in Hardy and Matt with a leg drop. Hardy sends Bourne into the turnbuckles and tags in Ziggler who hits a snap mare and kick. Bourne with a kick to the head as Ziggler charges at him. Christian tags in and he punches Ziggler followed by a running forearm. Christian goes to the turnbuckles and hits a missile drop kick for a near fall. Christian with an uppercut and then he tries to slam Ziggler but Ziggler escapes and he kicks Christian in the leg. Ziggler with a sleeper but Christian with the pendulum kick and a corkscrew back elbow from the turnbuckles.
McIntyre comes in and hits Christian in the head. Porter goes after Ziggler and then he punches McIntyre. Porter with an Irish whip and running boot. Hardy with a Side Effect to Porter. Swagger with a clothesline to Hardy. Benjamin with a Samoan Drop to Swagger. Kofi with a flying forearm to Benjamin. Kane with a big boot to Kofi. Bourne comes off the top turnbuckle an Kane catches him. He also grabs Kofi and hits a double choke slam. Kane grabs Christian but Christian escapes the choke slam attempt and Kane charges at Christian but Christian ducks down and Kane goes over the top rope to the floor. Ziggler tries for the Zig Zag but Christian blocks it and he catapults Ziggler into the turnbuckles. Christian punches Ziggler and then they collide. McIntyre tags in and Christian does not realize it as he hits the Killswitch on Ziggler. McIntyre with the double underhook DDT for the three count.
Winners: Drew McIntyre, Matt Hardy, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, and Shelton Benjamin
After the match, McIntyre grabs a ladder and brings it into the ring while everyone else goes to the back. Everyone sees what Drew is doing and then everyone gets into the ring and they stare at McIntyre on the ladder. They push the ladder down and McIntyre hits the mat. The ladder falls on Drew’s back.
They decide to leave the ring since Drew is not going to climb again.
We go to Wrestlemania Axxess in Arizona and see more of the exhibits.
We go to commercial.
We are back with footage from Hornswoggle’s house at Wrestlemania Axxess. We also see the Superstar Entrance exhibit.
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are at Axxess and they talk about Drew McIntyre. Lawler says that Vince McMahon might want to see him win, but the other nine in the Money in the Bank match do not want to see him win. Cole and Lawler talk about Chris Jericho and he has a match with Edge. If you don’t believe me, watch the video package.
We are back at Axxess and Lawler mentions that 70% of the Royal Rumble winners have won at Wrestlemania.
We go to commercial.
We are back at Axxess and we see all of the title belts. Cole and Lawler talk about the Wrestlemania Art Auction that raised money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Jerry mentions that his artwork was auctioned off for $6,000.
Rey Mysterio and CM Punk also have a match on Sunday. In the words of Warner Wolf, let’s go to the video tape.
Josh Mathews is in the interview area with Big Show and the Miz. Josh asks them about their confidence going into Wrestlemania. The Miz says that they are like peanut butter and jelly. Like Mac and Cheese. They are like Batman and Robin, but then he looks at Show and says that he might have gone too far. Miz compares Morrison and Truth to salt and pepper, oil and water, Seacrest and Simon, and Team Jacob and Team Edward. Miz says that the Big Show is going to show R Truth what a knock out punch is and that will be awesome.
Vickie Guerrero is walking in the back as we go to commercial.
We are back with the Smack of the Night: Tiffany’s match with Michelle McCool from two weeks ago and Beth Phoenix going after Vickie Guerrero after her interference. Then we see the announcement of the match between Vickie and Beth. That match is coming up next.
Before the match starts, Vickie has a few Excuse Mes for the people of San Jose. Vickie says that if Beth ever laid her hands on Vickie, she would regret it. Vickie has decided to make the match a five-on-one handicap match.
Match Number Two: Beth Phoenix versus Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Maryse in a Overloaded Epsenhart Special
Layla starts things off and Beth is ready for action. Beth with a forearm to Layla and then she takes Layla across the ring. Layla with kicks but Beth keeps Layla from tagging and Beth runs Layla into the corner. The referee pulls Beth out of the corner. Layla with a kick but Beth presses Layla over her head and Michelle hits Beth in the head. Beth with an airplane spin that takes Michelle down. Beth brings Michelle and Alicia in before hitting an elbow on Maryse. Beth with a double clothesline to Michelle and Layla and then she sends Maryse into Alicia. Beth with a double clothesline to Alicia and Maryse. Layla holds Beth’s feet and Michelle with a running boot to the head. Vickie gets tagged in and she gets the three count.
Winners: Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Alicia Fox, Layla, and Maryse
After the match, Vickie goes to the turnbuckles for a frog splash but Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres come to the ring and Vickie is the only one who realizes it. They throw Michelle and Layla out of the ring. Everyone except Beth and Vickie leave the ring and Vickie is frozen on the turnbuckles. Vickie tries to leave the ring and Beth pulls Vickie away from the ropes and then she removes Vickie’s pants. Vickie channels Melina and screams very loudly as she leave the ring and runs to the back.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for Chris Jericho to come to the ring to address the people of San Jose. Chris says that on Sunday, at the biggest show of the year, when dreams come true, legends are made, and careers are made or ended, he will beat Edge to retain the World Title. Jericho says that Edge is a tremendous performer whose tenacity is second to none. Nobody has come back from more injuries than Edge and he comes back again and again. Jericho says that it was an incredible story to come back three months early to win the Royal Rumble. Jericho says that Edge has every tool to defeat Chris Jericho . . . except for one thing. That would be DNA. Jericho explains DNA to the crowd in San Jose. Jericho says that his DNA is superior to everyone and it is superior to Edge. He says that is why he is the current World Champion, the first Unified World Champion, the greatest performer in the world, and the best at what he does. Jericho says that Edge is dysfunctional and a reject. He says that Edge is defective because his DNA keeps getting him injured. Jericho suggests that you can blame his relatives. Jericho says that he will use Edge’s inferior genetics against him. He says that Edge is not 100% and he will end Edge’s career. Jericho says that he will take advantage of Edge’s ankle and he will continue until the ankle ruptures into thousands of pieces. Jericho says that when the match is done and Edge is writhing in pain, there will be silence as he wonders what happened to his career. Jericho tells Edge not to blame himself or Chris Jericho. He tells Edge to blame it on his defective DNA.
Edge’s music plays and he runs to the ring and he punches Jericho. Edge with a kick to the head and then he sets for the spear as the crowd chants for it. Jericho dives to the floor to avoid the spear. Edge stands over the title belt and picks it up while Jericho is on the ramp.
We go to commercial.
We are back with a video package from the Wrestlemania Reading Challenge.
We are back at Axxess and we see footage from the McMahon limo explosion as well as Hart family memorabilia.
Jerry and Michael talk about Bret Hart and his match with Vince McMahon. You didn’t think we would forget about the video package.
We go to commercial.
We are back at Axxess and we see kids getting temporary tattoos. We also see some vintage outfits worn by wrestlers.
John Cena and Batista meet on Sunday. I bet you want to see a video package.
We go to commercial.
We are back with the Wrestlemania Recall. We look back at the first Money in the Bank Match at Wrestlemania 21.
We are back at Axxess and we see a display of Shawn Michaels’ Wrestlemania gear. Then we see Undertaker’s graveyard. We see the grave waiting for Sunday’s match.
Speaking of Shawn Michaels and Undertaker, they have a match on Sunday. Did you think they would forget the video package?
Cole and Lawler talk about Shawn Michaels being Mr. Wrestlemania while Taker wants to end Shawn’s career. Cole says that he thinks that Shawn Michaels will get the win because Taker has never faced the same opponent in consecutive years. Lawler is going with Undertaker because of the amount of weapons that Taker has.
It is time to return to San Jose for the main event.
John Morrison introduces the man who will face Big Show, R Truth. Truth tells Morrison that was one of the best introductions he ever had. Truth wants to return the favor. Morrison and Truth start telling jokes wondering why Show and Miz are a tag team.
Match Number Three: R Truth with John Morrison versus Big Show with The Miz
Truth tries to avoid Show but Show backs him into the corner and he biels Truth across the ring. Show chokes Truth in the ropes and then he punches Truth in the midsection. Show with a slam to Truth and then he chops Truth against the ropes. Show with a knee to Truth and then he sends Truth into the ring post. Show compresses Truth in the corner as Show grabs the ring post. Truth with punches to Show but Show with a head butt and Truth goes down. Show with an Irish whip but he runs into a boot. Truth with punches and then he tries for a cross body but Show catches him and hits a fallaway slam. Show goes to the turnbuckles but misses an elbow drop when Truth moves out of the way. Miz gets on the apron and Truth knocks him to the floor. Morrison sends Miz into the ring steps.
Back in the ring Truth and Morrison hit a double DDT and the referee calls for the bell.
No Contest
After the match, Truth with a scissors kick and Morrison with the springboard spin kick. Truth with the flying corkscrew forearm to Miz and then Morrison hits the corkscrew split legged moonsault.
We go to credits.