Wednesday, August 24, 2011
DARM MAIN EVENT FOR TONIGHTS SMACKDOWN
The dark main event after tonight’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Calgary saw Randy Orton beat Christian in a Street Fight with Bret Hart as the special referee.
Triple H came out before the match, put over Calgary and brought out Bret Hart. Christian refused to wrestle until Triple H tossed him into the ring. Orton won with the RKO and after the match, Bret put Christian in the Sharpshooter
TODD GRISHAM LEFT WWE
Todd Grisham has left WWE to work at ESPN. There had been talk of Grisham leaving the company for a few months now as his duties with WWE were cut back over the past year.
SMACKDOWN SPOILERS 8/26
* Bret Hart opens the show and will be tonight’s guest General Manager. Bret said he made the decision to take SmackDown live next Tuesday night and announces Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Title. Christian comes out and blames Edge for his loss at SummerSlam. Christian wants a rematch against Orton next Tuesday. Bret called Christian an embarrassment to Canada. Christian had a court order that says he gets his title shot before anyone else. Bret makes Christian vs. Orton in a Steel Cage for Tuesday. Mark Henry comes out and he’s upset. Henry wants the winner of Orton vs. Christian and wants his title shot. Sheamus appears and says he’s going to do something his uncle did once – castrate a black bull. Sheamus cleared Henry from the ring and then they re-filmed the whole Sheamus/Henry deal.
* Christian defeated Daniel Bryan with the Killswitch.
* Wade Barrett came out to face a local wrestler. Barrett talks about what he’s done in WWE and says he won’t face a local wrestler like this guy. Barrett said this is an embarrassment and left.
* Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater after a bad match. They had to re-film the ending because it was botched too bad.
* Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase came out. Cody talked about how he is going to resurrect the Intercontinental Title.
* Randy Orton beat Ted DiBiase with the RKO in a good match. After the match Cody hit DiBiase with CrossRhodes and put a brown paper bag over his head.
* Kelly Kelly defeated Tamina.
* Segment with Jinder Mahal and The Great Khali.
* Ezekiel Jackson defeated The Great Khali with the torture rack.
* Randy Orton appeared on the big screen and wondered how many times he has to face Christian after the cage match was advertised for Tuesday night.
* Sin Cara beat Heath Slater again. They re-did the whole match and it was significantly better than the first.
* Sheamus beat Mark Henry by count out after putting Henry into the announcer’s table. After the match, Henry hit a World’s Strongest Slam on Sheamus and the steel steps.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
RAW RESULT 8/22
Tonight's WWE RAW kicks off with Justin Roberts introducing Ricardo Rodriguez in the ring from the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ricardo introduces WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio, who comes in driving a Lamborghini. The WWE Champion makes his way to the ring.
We see a clip on the big screen of Del Rio injuring Rey Mysterio last week. Del Rio takes the mic and begins to introduce himself but John Cena's music interrupts and out comes Cena to a pop from the crowd. Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are on commentary tonight as Cena runs down to the ring.
Cena takes the mic and gets a mixed reaction from the Canadian fans. Cena and Del Rio come face to face in the ring. Cena says everyone already knows who Del Rio is. Cena says he's here to re-introduce himself to Del Rio. Cena puts out his hand but Del Rio won't shake it. Cena introduces himself and the crowd boo's. Cena says he's the one who's going to take the WWE Title off Del Rio's waist. And he's going to hurt Del Rio, he says. Cena goes on at Del Rio and says there's only one man in WWE who can go toe-to-toe with him. Cena says Del Rio isn't CM Punk, which means he's going to whip his ass when he faces him. Cult of Personality hits and out comes CM Punk to a big pop.
The crowd chants for Punk as he takes the mic. Punk says he's feeling a little de-ja-vu and feels like this is a re-run because Cena wants another title shot. Punk says he beat Cena twice in high pressure situations. Punk talks about how Del Rio cashed in on him and says if anyone is getting a title shot, it's going to be him. Del Rio chimes in and Punk tells him to never interrupt while he's speaking again. Punk says he has a problem with Del Rio, Triple H and Kevin Nash trying to screw him. Punk points out that he and Cena both have had problems with Triple H. Punk brings up the text message that Nash got and says someone wants Del Rio to be champion real bad. Del Rio says it's destiny. Punk says destiny is him cashing in his rematch for a WWE Title shot. Cena says they mean him cashing in his title shot, tonight. Punk says he's putting is name out there officially for a title shot. So does Cena. Del Rio says he is officially ignoring both of then. He defended his title last week so now it's time for him to celebrate, he says. But it won't happen here in front of these Canadians, he says. Del Rio tells Punk to stop crying. Triple H's music hits and out comes the COO.
Triple H tells Del Rio to take the smug look off his face because he's not here to protect him. Triple H says Del Rio has a match up next. He tells Cena and Punk that you can't just cash in a rematch clause when you want to. He says that's his job because he's the COO. He calls the shots. Triple H says it doesn't matter what they think because he runs the show. Triple H says Del Rio will defend the WWE Title at Night of Champions against the man who wins tonight's main event - CM Punk vs. John Cena. Punk, Del Rio and Cena all stare each other down as we go to commercial.
Alberto Del Rio vs. John Morrison
Back from commercial and WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio waits as John Morrison comes out for a non-title match. The bell rings and Del Rio taunts Morrison from the corner. They go to lock up and Del Rio stalls some more. Morrison decks him with a right hand and beats him down. Morrison continues the attack with kicks and a 2 count. Del Rio starts a comeback but Morrison tackles him for another 2 count. Del Rio comes back with kicks and takes control.
Del Rio continues the assault on Morrison and begins working on the arm. Morrison fights back but Del Rio stops him. Morrison finally gets a dropkick in for a 2 count. Morrison takes Del Rio to the mat now. Del Rio fights out of a headlock and kicks Morrison. Del Rio goes behind Morrison for a takedown but it's blocked. Morrison sends Del Rio out to the floor and moonsaults from the apron. Del Rio ducks and Morrison lands on his feet. Del Rio sends Morrison into the fan barrier as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Del Rio has Morrison down on the mat. 2 count for Del Rio and he goes back to a chinlock. Morrison fights out but Del Rio hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for another 2 count. Del Rio runs his mouth now as Ricardo cheers him on from ringside. Del Rio slams Morrison to the mat for another 2 count. Del Rio puts a knee in Morrison's back and goes back to working on the neck. Morrison fights out again but Del Rio rams him back into the corner. Del Rio charges but Morrison dumps him out to the floor. Del Rio comes back in the ring and Morrison unloads with offense for a 2 count. Del Rio ends up hitting a nice back suplex with a bridge for a 2 count.
Morrison counters the armbreaker from Del Rio and rolls him up for a close 2 count. Another counter by Morrison and a nice DDT for a 2 count. Morrison goes for a kick to the head but Del Rio blocks it. Morrison blocks that with a hurricanrana for another close 2 count. More back and forth action. Morrison connects with the flash kick. Del Rio moves and Morrison lands on his feet from Starship Pain. Del Rio throws Morrison into the ring post and then applies the cross armbreaker as Morrison taps out for the win.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
- After the match, Del Rio goes out to the floor where Morrison is and applies the armbreaker again. Ricardo Rodriguez waves the wWE Title over Morrison and taunts him as Del Rio tightens the hold before breaking it.
- The announcers hype tonight's Punk vs. Cena main event as we go back to commercial. We see Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres backstage as we go to commercial.
Nikki Bella vs. Eve Torres
Back from the break and The Bella Twins are in the ring. Out next comes WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly with Eve Torres at her side. We see a video from earlier today where Beth Phoenix and Natalya where they say they don't want to be like Kelly and the other Divas but they want something and won't tell us what it is. Nikki and Eve lock up to start the match and Nikki beats Eve down. Eve takes her to the corner but gets dumped to the apron. Eve gets knocked to the floor after some distraction and Brie stomps on her. Nikki brings Eve back in the ring and stomps on her.
Nikki applies a headlock but Eve fights out and sideslams her. Eve fights back with kicks and a clothesline. Eve does the booty pop over Nikki and hits a moonsault for 2. More back and forth action, another 2 count for Nikki in the corner after she knocks Eve off the top. Eve with a nice neckbreaker out of nowhere for the win.
Winner: Eve Torres
- After the match, Brie Bella and Kelly Kelly come in the ring. Kelly lays out Brie with her leg drop. Kelly celebrates with Eve as Natalya and Beth Phoenix appear on the stage. Beth claps as Natalya stares at the ring.
- We see Kevin Nash walking around backstage as we go to commercial.
Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley
Back from the break and Vickie Guerrero makes her way out to the stage to introduce her potential new client, Jack Swagger. Swagger comes out and walks to the ring with Vickie on his arm. The announcers note that Alex Riley, who is waiting in the ring, has requested this rematch.
They lock up and go to the mat. Swagger brings Riley back up and slams him down. Swagger controls until Riley hits a big spinebuster. The WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler walks out and argues with Vickie, saying she doesn't need any other clients. Swagger goes for the gutwrench but Riley counters it. Vickie ends up getting pushed down on the floor. Swagger sees this and thinks Ziggler did it. Swaggee goes to the floor and has words with Ziggler. Swagger comes back in and gets pinned by Riley for the win.
Winner: Alex Riley
- After the match, Ziggler and Vickie argue the whole way up the ramp as Swagger yells from the ring.
- We see Triple H backstage talking on the phone before walking off to the ring. Nash and Triple H will meet in the ring up next.
- Back from the break and out comes Triple H to the ring. Triple H says there is a lot of controversy over how Kevin Nash returned at SummerSlam. He says he spoke with Nash this week and thinks they have it behind them but in order to be transparent to the fans, he wants to do it out here now. Triple H calls out Nash and here he comes, again with no music.
Nash enters the ring and embraces Triple H. Triple H recalls how Nash got a text to his phone, that didn't come from him. Triple H says what happened wasn't supposed to happen and he wants everyone to see they are on the same page. Nash says he believes Triple H when he says he didn't lie. Nash thought the text came from Triple H and he was doing him a favor. Nash says he was going to apologize to CM Punk but after all the crap he talked last week, not so much. Triple H has a few words with him. Nash asks Triple H to please don't ask him not to be a man. Triple H understands Punk crossed the line with him last week but he doesn't work here. Nash says that's right, he doesn't work here so he doesn't have to get Punk over or take his crap.
Triple H says Nash doesn't work for WWE so he can't be calling guys out here. Triple H tells Nash to call Punk out across the street at Tim Horton's or something. Triple H doesn't want to do this but he asks Nash to please leave. Cult of Personality hits and out comes CM Punk to the stage. Punk asks Nash to please not leave. Punk wants to know who sent the text message and wants to play a game of Clue. Was it Big Lazy with a giant tube of Just For Men? Or was it Triple H with his trusty sledgehammer? Maybe it was Stephanie McMahon with a candlestick in the library, or something, he says. Punk doesn't believe a word either man is saying. Punk says so he stepped over a few lines, Nash should know about that because he's a line stepper too. The crowd chants for Punk.
Punk says he's done talking and enters the ring. He says he's kicking Nash's ass this week. Triple H gets in between and backs Punk up. Punk tells Triple H to get his hands off. Punk accuses Triple H of being out to get him from the beginning. Punk calls Stephanie bean-headed. Triple H says he knows Punk is a line crosser and he's promised the world, including the Board, he won't get involved physically but Punk doesn't need to make the mistake that Triple H isn't the same damn guy he's always been. Triple H says if Punk crosses that line with him, he will leave him lay. Punk jokes that Triple H keeps his cell phone and his balls in Stephanie's purse. Out of nowhere Nash decks Punk with a right hand. This pisses Triple H off and he takes Nash out of the ring, up the ramp and to the back. Punk sits up in the ring and smiles as the crowd chants his name.
- We get more hype for Punk vs. Cena tonight as we go to commercial. Up next is Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne vs. David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty for the WWE Tag Team Titles.
- Back from the break and we see Kevin Nash and Triple H. Triple H asks him to just go. Nash says he never thought he'd say this but Triple H has changed and walks off.
WWE Tag Team Title Match: Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty
We go to the ring and out first comes Kofi Kingston followed by his partner Evan Bourne. The WWE Tag Team Champions are out next.
Bourne and McGillicutty start things off and go at it. Bourne comes back with stiff kicks and tags in Kofi for some double teaming. 2 count by Kofi. McGillicutty turns it around and beats Kofi down in the corner. Kofi hits a big crossbody from the top for a 2 count. Kofi calls for the Boom Drop but Otunga pulls McGillicutty out. Kofi goes to the floor but gets clotheslined. McGillicutty works Kofi over on the floor now before getting another 2 count. Otunga is tagged in for more double teaming and another 2 count. Otunga with another pin attempt and a chinlock on Kofi.
McGillicutty comes back in with a double team dropkick and another 2 count. Kofi fights out of a headlock but McGillicutty slams him. Kofi with a scissors takedown and tag to Bourne. Otunga comes in also but Bourne unloads on him and gets a 2 count. Kofi dumps MCGillicutty to the floor and kicks Otunga down. Bourne hits Air Bourne and covers Otunga for the win and the titles.
Winners and New WWE Tag Team Champions: Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston
- Back from the break and Josh Matthews is backstage with Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. Kofi speaks but soon gets splashed with ice by the RAW locker room and the celebration begins.
- Triple H is backstage when John Laurinaitis runs up. He says the Canadian authorities have just told him Kevin Nash was in a car wreck and hands him the hospital information on a piece of paper. Triple H runs off as Laurinaitis watches and we go back to commercial.
- Back from commercial and Santino Marella makes his way out. He's attacked from behind on the ramp by The Miz and R-Truth. They take him to the ring and continue the assault. Miz lays out Santino with a Skull Crushing Finale and asks for a mic. Truth says that's going to happen to Little Jimmy everytime. He's been saying there's a conspiracy in the WWE all along. Truth goes back and forth with the crowd as they "what?" him. Truth says Triple H, Nash, Punk, Cena and everyone else is all in on the conspiracy. Truth says now that Triple H is in charge, it's on longer about the truth. He tells Miz it's no longer about him either.
Miz says Truth is right, there is a conspiracy. Miz gets into it with the crowd also. He talks about main eventing WrestleMania. Miz says now that Triple H is in charge, he has to pick a fight with Jared from Subway just to do something. A "you suck" chant breaks out. Truth insults the crowd for being Canadian. Lots of heat here from the crowd. Miz says he's sick of seeing people like Santino Marella get a match on RAW. Miz says he and Truth are sick of it all. They're going to start taking opportunities. Truth says any and all opportunities that come their way, they're taking them. Truth says they're going to push back at any conspiracies that try to push them around and sooner later, everyone's going to get got. And that's the truth, the whole truth. Miz says that's awesome and Truth's new remix hits as they insult the crowd some more to the beat. Instead of "what's up?" they rap "you suck" to the fans.
- We see CM Punk and John Cena headed to the ring as we go back to commercial.
#1 Contender's Match: CM Punk vs. John Cena
Back from the break and we see WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio sitting at ringside as is John Laurinaitis. We go to the ring and out first comes CM Punk. Out next comes John Cena. The winner of this one will face Del Rio at Night of Champions for the WWE Title.
Lots of playing to the crowd to start. The crowd throws Cena's t-shirt back to him. The bell rings and here we go. They finally lock up and Punk takes Cena to the mat first. They trade holds going back and forth on the mat before going back to their feet. They lock up again and Punk goes back to a headlock. Punk drops Cena with a shoulder. Cena leap frogs and takes Punk down with two shoulders and then the big back drop. Cena calls for Five Knuckle Shuffle but Punk rolls him up for a 2 count. Punk with a clothesline and a dropkick. Punk with a high knee in the corner and the bulldog. Punk stops on the apron and stares Del Rio down. Punk goes to the top but Cena knocks him off and down to the floor in front of Del Rio as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Punk back drops his way out of a headlock. Punk goes for the GTS but Cena blocks it and goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Punk counters that and comes back with a kick. Punk ends up on Cena's shoulders again but the AA is blocked. Punk with a clothesline from the top rope for a 2 count. Punk hits Cena with knees now and goes for the GTS. Cena blocks it and goes for the STF. Punk fights him off. Cena ducks a roundhouse kick and applies a crossface submission. Punk makes his way to the ropes and breaks the hold.
Cena charges but runs into the ringpost. Punk nails the GTS but Cena kicks out at 2. Punk goes to the top rope and goes for the big elbow drop but Cena moves out of the way. Cena goes to the top now for the big leg drop and nails it for a 2 count. Cena goes for the AA again but Punk fights out. Punk unloads on Cena with elbows to the head. Punk with a big kick for another close 2 count. Cena goes for the AA again and nails it this time but Punk kicks out before 2.
Cena rams Punk back into the corner and takes him up to the top. Punk knocks Cena back to the mat with headbutts. Punk with a crossbody off the top but Cena rolls through and stands up with Punk in his arms. Punk slides out and rolls Cena up for a 2 count. Punk connects with a big kick to the head and Cena goes down. Punk calls for GTS as Del Rio looks on from ringside. Punk goes for the GTS when Kevin Nash appears on the stage. Nash tells Punk this isn't over yet and Punk puts Cena down. Nash walks to the ring as Punk waits for him. Punk turns around to an AA from Cena for the win and the match at Night of Champions.
Winner and New #1 Contender: John Cena
- As soon as the match is over, Del Rio rushes the ring and attacks Cena. The WWE Champion beats Cena down and hits a big kick to the head in the corner. Del Rio mounts Cena with right hands when John Laurinaitis comes in the ring and pulls him off. Laurinaitis and a referee back Del Rio up in the corner. Del Rio rushes out and attacks Cena again. They push him back into the corner again as Cena lays on the mat. Del Rio attacks Cena again, hits him with the WWE Title and stomps away. Del Rio takes Cena to the floor and throws him into the fan barrier. Laurinaitis and the referee once again push Del Rio back as RAW goes off the air.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
WHY KEVIN NASH PULLED OUT OF EVENTS
Kevin Nash was pulled from weekend independent wrestling dates in Canada because WWE needs him to go to Pittsburgh to take all the necessary medical exams so he can be cleared to wrestle
NATALYA TALKS ABOUT TEAMING UP WITH BETH PHEONIX
WWE Diva Natalya spoke with The London Free Press about her new team with Beth Phoenix:
“I’ve been in WWE three years and I’ve evolved … I’ve grown a lot. There’s been an evolution and that evolution turned into the Divas of Doom, with Beth Phoenix. We stand up for what we believe in. It’s our point of view that we’re role models and we’re revolutionizing what Divas should be, much the same way as Trish Stratus did. We’re not Barbie dolls. But we are still strong, bold and beautiful. It’s like Beth said, ‘We’re here to stop the stinkfaces and booty popping.’”
NEWS UPDATE ON WWE '12 GAMEPLAY
A new IGN article on the WWE ’12 video game lists the following features that will be included. It was noted that many, many more features have yet to be revealed.
* Over 80 match configurations including four-way Extreme Rules brawls, Elimination Chamber and more.
* A 12-hour Road to WrestleMania story mode.
* 10 creation modes including Create-An-Arena.
* Online gameplay and content sharing where you can download another player’s creations.
* Over 70 characters and more than 60 unlockables. There will be an unlock key you can purchase that gives access to all bonus content.
RAW RATINGS FOR 8-15-11
As noted before, the August 15th WWE RAW did a 3.27 cable rating and 5.04 million viewers. In comparison, the New York Jets vs. Houston Texans NFL preseason game did a 3.71 rating with 4.97 million viewers. RAW this week was the sixth highest rated show on cable for the night.
What’s not good about this week’s ratings are that the second hour plus the overrun averaged 380,000 less viewers than the first hour. RAW’s second hour normally does better since viewers know to tune in at 10pm and 11pm for the main event. Here is the segment breakdown.
The opener with Triple H and then Alberto Del Rio did a 3.73 rating, the high point of this week’s show. R-Truth vs. John Morrison in the Falls Count Anywhere match lost 817,000 viewers – one of the worst declines of any match all year.
The Miz’s Subway segment gained 225,000 viewers while Kelly Kelly & Eve Torres vs. The Bella Twins lost 52,000 viewers. Kevin Nash’s interview and segment with CM Punk gained 556,000 viewers in the 10pm slot, which is about average.
Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger lost 619,000 viewers, which is worse than usual. Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty lost another 412,000 viewers. The main event for the WWE Title with Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio gained 763,000 viewers, bringing the overrun to a 3.41 rating.
CM PUNK TALKS ABOUT FEUDING WITH TRIPLE H
As noted before, former WWE Champion CM Punk recently appeared on Mark Madden’s radio show in Pittsburgh. Madden asked Punk if he was headed for a feud with Triple H and if he was, could he escape that feud “undamaged.”
“That’s a fantastic question,” Punk said. “And I’m not so sure that’s where we’re headed. I guess that’s the $64,000 question. Everybody immediately assumes based on past experiences and past TV shows that this is what’s going to happen. ‘Punk’s going to get buried.’ That’s one of those things, Mark, I hate to give you this answer but you have to wait and see. Is there a way I can escape that undamaged? Absolutely. Unless we’re doing things we were doing 10 years ago and we don’t really care about the future of the business. Because let’s be honest, the future of the business is in jeopardy right now. If we want to make the same mistakes, then I’m obviously speaking out against it. But if we do make those same mistakes, I don’t know if there’s going to be a business in 30 years.”
ROCK CONGRATULATES ALBERTO DEL RIO
The Rock threw out a congratulations to Alberto Del Rio today on Twitter. He wrote:
“Congrats Alberto Del Rio – New WWE Champion. Pero sabes que te puedo partir la madre, pinche guey!”
WWE RELEASING JOHN CENA CLOTHING?
WWE sent out a survey to fans today to see if they were interested in a John Cena branded clothing line and other merchandise that would be available through retailers. Apparently WWE has been interested in releasing a Cena clothing line for a few years.
MAXINE MAKES HER RETURN
As seen on Tuesday’s WWE NXT, Maxine made her return to the storylines. She ended up with a much smaller role than originally planned as she was set to debut on SmackDown in the role that Aksana currently has. As mentioned before, Maxine lost the SmackDown spot due to what was described as a “breach of etiquette.”
Thursday, August 18, 2011
CHRIS JERICHO TALKS ABOUT CM PUNK, PG-13 ERA
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho spoke with Betweentheropes.com this week. Below are highlights :
On whether or not if feels like 12 years since he made his WWE debut on Raw:
“It doesn’t really seem like it was 12 years unless I think really hard about all the stuff that’s taken place since then. But I can remember writing that promo that I did like it was yesterday in the apartment I was in on the floor, just kind of writing down ideas and writing out the whole promo because back in that time there was no writers or creative as they call it. It was basically you were just on your own. You might have a couple of ideas to throw around but most of it was just coming from your own brain and just saying it the way you wanted to say it. There was no rehearsals or anything like that. You would just go out there and do it. So that’s the biggest change between the WWE in 2011 and the WWE of 1999.”
On the current PG-13 programming in WWE:
“I don’t care about PG-13 or Attitude Era. If you’re a great performer, you can make it work no matter what it is. And I never really cared because I might have gone 5% into the Attitude Era or 5% into the overly PG era but I pretty much just did my thing and made it work with whatever was given to me by the boss of the company. That’s a copout if people say ‘well, I don’t like it because it’s PG-13 or I can’t work within the PG-13 system’. That’s BS. It doesn’t matter. If you’re a good guitar player, you can play Van Halen or Georg Jensen jazz. It’s just an excuse.”
On simplistic storylines and playing into the current one with CM Punk:
“That’s what it’s always been about man. It’s always been about that and the best guys can do that no matter what rules or guidelines are given to them. That’s why the Punk thing worked so good because it was something different. It was Punk vs. the status quo of the WWE. It wasn’t so much the insider topics. I’m sure guys like you and me thought that was funny but your average person doesn’t have a clue about stuff like that. They just know that Punk is doing something he’s not supposed to be doing and saying something he’s never said before. That’s also why I don’t think the thing (Kevin) Nash worked out so well this week because they went too inside.”
GOLDBERG TO RETURN AT RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE II?
As noted before, Bill Goldberg recently shot a promotional video for an October show in the African Congo, billed as the “Rumble in the Jungle II” after the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle 1″ between boxers George Foreman and Muhammad Ali decades ago.
Goldberg said he would come out of retirement to wrestle on the show. In the promo, Goldberg talks about the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo backing the wrestling show. Rick Bassman is reportedly booking talents for the show and he went to Africa last month with Luke Gallows and Nathan Jones to promote it.
Several other big names are being promoted for the show including Kurt Angle, MVP, Matt Hardy, Batista, Shawn Daivari, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and Shelton Benjamin. At least one of those names knew nothing about the show when contacted and another said his manager was contacted but turned it down.
STORY ON TRIPLE H AND JODY KRISTOFFERSON
As noted before, wrestler Jody Kristofferson received a WWE tryout at the August 9th show in Sacramento, California. After Brodus Clay pinned Kristofferson, Triple H walked past him and said, “Nice bump, kid.” Kristofferson replied with a thanks and that was it.
Another wrestler working for an extra, as one of Cody Rhodes’ bag guys, approached Triple H and said, “You worked with that kid’s dad in a movie.” A puzzled Triple H was then informed that Jody was the son of actor and musician Kris Kristofferson.
Triple H then went up to Kristofferson and asked him why he didn’t tell him who his father was, and invited him to the SummerSlam pay-per-view.
INJURY UPDATE FOR REY MYSTERIO
During a commercial break during the Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio WWE Title match on Monday’s RAW, Rey was limping around the ring while Del Rio worked the crowd. Fans in attendance note that Rey’s knee was clearly hurting. Rey was trying to move his knee around and talked with a WWE crew member at ringside. To fans in attendance, it looked as if Rey was seeing if he could continue. They came back from commercial and WWE ended up doing the injury angle with Rey after Del Rio won the match.
After RAW, while John Cena and CM Punk were ending the show with Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez, Mysterio was getting looked at by WWE trainers at ringside. Trainers looked at Rey for over 5 minutes as Cena and Punk closed the show, according to a fan in attendance. Rey was finally helped to the back by a WWE trainer and a referee.
BACKSTAGE NEWS ON JIM ROSS
It was pointed out after Monday’s RAW that Jim Ross seemed like a “third-wheel” on commentary during the show. Ross being kept off SummerSlam, not speaking much on RAW and having his hat stomped by Dolph Ziggler was noted by a few people backstage.
JBL SAYS WRESTLING IS NOT DEAD
Former WWE Champion JBL did an interesting new blog on his Facebook page where he looks at UFC and WWE wanting their own cable TV network. Here is an excerpt from his blog:
“PPV will change also dramatically over the next decade. PPV sold over the Internet is in its infancy, but with Internet enabled TVs growing-that will change.
Now imagine this. WWE or UFC does a PPV and they really now do sell it worldwide. Every Internet receiver in the world can buy it-no longer do they have to rely on a local Internet company in China or India-they own their own channel and sell it direct. This involves an education process, but one I think is taking place and will happen over the next 7-10 years.
PPV numbers will go up by a multiple of what they are now and all revenue is kept by the content owner. WWE could sell the PPV for $4.99 in Africa or China where they don’t have a cable partner and you can’t charge as much-but open it up to millions that way. Or, if you sell it for the current amount-you keep all the money.
Costs are a onetime issue. They remain the same-so all the extra income is pure bottom line profit.
See a change coming? I do.
A smaller group like TNA that has still marketable recognizable worldwide stars can do this as well and wouldn’t need cable deals all over the world to make it work. The Internet gives them a worldwide cable deal that they own. To me, this should be their model now.
I believe UFC will be the biggest sport in the world due to the fact that they can draw stars from virtually every continent and use them in front of their worldwide audience. When it comes time for a company with a billion people worldwide watching weekly to sell PPVs-what is five million buys. Futuristic? Yes. Will it happen? I believe it will.
So is wrestling dead? Not by a long shot, in fact it’s best days could easily be ahead-it’s just the way it is distributed will change…for the better.
Makes a Wrestling god want to come back….OK, maybe not, but will be fun to watch. “
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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