As noted earlier, Bobby Roode defeated James Storm at tonight’s TNA Impact Wrestling tapings in Macon, Georgia to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Another title change happened as Madison Rayne and Gail Kim defeated Miss Tessmacher and Tara to become the new TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions.
Stay tuned for full spoilers as our correspondent Brent is at the tapings.
WWE Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes spoke to SkySports.com this week to promote WWE’s upcoming return to the UK. Here are some highlights of what Cody said about:
His feelings for the Intercontinental Championship: “I’ve had the opportunity to have a very open platform on how I feel about the Intercontinental title. I feel about it in the same way that a lot of fans have felt about it and I was glad that I could be honest about it. At one point it was probably the most revered title in the WWE and it was in the hands of some of the most revered Superstars and talents.
“Without getting too specific, somewhere in the last five or seven years it kind of got lost. That was why I decided to bring back the classic look of the title because there is also a classic feel that comes with it. That’s the type of Intercontinental Champion I wanted to be…It should say a lot to be Intercontinental Champion. Today it seems like the Money in the Bank Briefcase means something, but I kinda wanted to trump that with something that used to be that way. That’s how I feel and it’s on a definite upswing.”
His Protective Face Mask: “It’s funny because things in sports entertainment get misconstrued. What we do is entertainment, but what happened with me was a little bit more than that. My nose was legitimately broken, my septum was horribly deviated, but it was the most lucky break I guess I ever had. I’m definitely not afraid to take it off and I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve gotten away with taking it off and I can see it being around for a while, but not so much a major fixture of myself. I’m trying to make it like Triple H; he’s got his sledgehammer and I’ve got my mask.”
The Best Looking & Ugliest WWE Crowds: “The best-looking crowds is a tough one, but consistently the worst looking crowd that I ever see – and if I tell them that I’m not lying and trying to get under their skin, I’m just telling the truth – is Vienna, Austria. I got up close and personal at a signing with them and my God…”
UFC welterweight fighter Nick Diaz appeared on Inside MMA this week to discuss his fight this weekend against BJ Penn at UFC 137. Diaz, who was originally scheduled to fight Georges St. Pierre, says one of his biggest obstacles in this fight will be overcoming the respect he has for his opponent.
“My biggest obstacle is overcoming my own personal faith in B.J. Penn. I don’t look up to a lot of guys, but I looked up to B.J. Penn for a long time. He came from my school, he came from my academy, whether he says he does or doesn’t. I actually had his first mixed martial arts fight on video — I don’t even know if he’s ever seen it. I had it on a cassette tape and I used to watch it before anyone ever saw him fight in the UFC. We’ve trained together, too. So that’s the difficult part about this fight.”
He added, “It’s probably going to be a lot harder for me to fight this guy because, a guy like Georges St. Pierre is going to go out their and hold him, stall to win rounds, but I go out there and fight. I wouldn’t have picked this fight if I had my choice, that’s for sure.”
Here’s the video:
As WrestleMania has become the global phenomenon we know it as today, state government officials around the United States have been going all-out trying to entice WWE to bring the annual event to their city.
The Miami Herald has published a new article looking at what the city of Miami did to land WrestleMania 28.
City officials promised WWE a $250,000 subsidy, along with other perks, and access to Miami-Dade county’s three largest venues – Sun Life Stadium, the Miami Beach Convention Center and the American Airlines Arena – for WrestleMania weekend activities.
To gear up the locals for next April’s blockbuster event, city officials will be hanging WrestleMania banners from light posts along the highways. A “street team” of approximately 200 volunteers has been assembled to help increase awareness about WWE events taking place next April.
Mike Sophia of Miami-Dade’s Sports Commission told the Miami Herlad, “This event is as big as it gets. WrestleMania is up there in the league with Super Bowls and Final Fours. To be honest with you, when I got the [WrestleMania] bid book, I looked at it and I put it on the corner of my desk and I said, ‘Nah, this isn’t us.’”
Comparing WrestleMania to the biggest annual sporting event in the world, Sophia said, “[WrestleMania] looks exactly like a Super Bowl. It’s exactly something we could and should do. If you want to sit down and split hairs as to whether it strictly fits the definition of a sporting event, I’m not going to have a great argument.”
– TNA executive Eric Bischoff had some great things to say about Bully Ray on Facebook this week after watching Bully Ray’s work on this week’s Impact (airing tonight).
“Watched this weeks version of IMPACT for edit notes at 3 am this morning. IMO Bully Ray is emerging as one or the top talents in the business today. Flawless.”
Bully Ray faces Jeff Hardy on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, airing tonight on Spike.
– TNA will tape Impact Wrestling tonight in Macon, Georgia – including the November 3rd episode that will see the debut of MTV Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.
Following tonight’s tapings in Georgia, the rest of the 2011 Impact Wrestling shows will be taped at the Impact Zone in Orlando.
In late December, TNA will tape five weeks of Impact over four days and then will take the holiday vacation. Over the holidays, officials are planning to re-evaluate the future of taping Impact outside of Orlando.
Most within TNA aren’t expecting a lot of Impact tapings on the road in 2012.
(Source: f4wonline.com)
Former WWE tag team The Headbangers have resurfaced on the independent scene and are calling out the top tag teams in the industry today.
Mosh and Thrasher are now working with the Wrestle Axxess independent promotion and have posted a series of videos calling out the tag team champions of WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor. Check ’em out:
Headbangers call out WWE tag champions Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne)
Headbangers call out TNA tag champions Mexican America
Headbangers call out ROH tag champions Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin
Fans who attend WWE television tapings usually get to see a bonus dark match main event. Fans who attended Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Houston, TX were treated to three.
After the conclusion of the SmackDown taping, Sheamus won a 41-man Battle Royal featuring superstars from RAW and SmackDown. The Celtic Warrior eliminated more superstars than anybody else en route to his victory. It came down to Sheamus and The Miz, who was eliminated. Christian re-entered the match but caught a Brogue Kick to be eliminated again.
Next up was a WWE Championship match between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena. This one ended in a disqualification after World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry got involved and help Del Rio beat down Cena. Out came Big Show to make the save – and Teddy Long booked a tag match right then and there.
In the final match of the evening, John Cena and BIg Show defeated the championship team of Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio while Show chokeslammed Henry for the double pin and the win.
– The ratings are in for Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow – and the post-Vengeance show did a strong 3.31 rating – up a bit from last week.
This week’s show averaged 4.71 million viewers with 4.93 million viewers for Hour 1 and 4.64 million viewers for Hour 2.
RAW was #2 on cable for the night in the coveted male demograhpic (behind ESPN’s Monday Night Football). RAW was #1 this week in the Males 12-17 demographic.
– The @WWEInsider Twitter account is reporting the following regarding Triple H’s condition following Kevin Nash’s attacks on RAW:
“Triple H has spinal damage following Kevin Nash’s attack on Monday Night Raw.”
The WWE website has an article up saying Triple H has a fractured vertebrae and doctors say he will miss up to 6 weeks.
That said, it is expected that a Triple H vs. Kevin Nash match will take place at Survivor Series with some sort of stipulation to compensate for Nash’s in-ring limitations.
– If you thought WWE was going overboard with the amount of Twitter references on WWE television – you ain’t seen nothing yet. WWE has reportedly inked some sort of business relationship with Twitter and will be going into overdrive with the Twitter integration as we head into the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season.
(Source: f4wonline.com)
THQ has unveiled the first downloadable content pack for the upcoming WWE ’12 video game.
The playable Superstars that have been announced for Downloadable Content Pack 1 include:
* Shawn Michaels
* Jerry Lawler
* Jim Ross
* Michael Cole.
It’s worth noting that Shawn Michaels will have his Survivor Series 1997 attire, the night of the infamous Montreal Screwjob.
Jim Ross and Michael Cole will have their attire from WrestleMania 27.
DLC 1 will also include alternate ring gear for:
* The Road Warriors (NWA black and white spikes)
* Edge & Christian (“5-Second Pose” era attire)
Check out these screenshots of the WWE ’12 DLC Pack #1:
Check out these pictures and video of CM Punk getting slimed last week at the Nickelodeon awards in Australia:
Video:
Check out these videos from Monday’s RAW Supershow, courtesy of WWE’s Youtube channel:
Kevin Nash attacks WWE COO Triple H:
Kevin Nash intercepts Triple H’s ambulance:
Orton & Sheamus vs. Rhodes & Christian
John Cena chooses The Rock as his tag team partner at Survivor Series
– After Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow from Austin, TX went off the air, WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio defeated John Cena in a steel cage match. The Miz and R-Truth interfered in the match and allowed Del Rio to get the win.
– The dark match prior to RAW saw Sin Cara defeat Michael McGillicutty.
– The following matches were also taped before RAW for this week’s WWE Superstars show:
– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown on SyFy did a 2.18 cable rating, down from the previous week’s 2.23 rating. The “go home” show prior to Sunday’s Vengeance averaged over 3 million viewers, which is still a strong audience.
– On Monday’s RAW, Triple H talked about being betrayed by his longtime friend Kevin Nash – and name-dropped Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman as their longtime friends in the business.
It was noted by some backstage that Triple H did not mention Scott Hall or Ric Flair because of their situations.
Regarding Waltman working with WWE again, most believe that he will be hired as some kind of agent for FCW once Triple H’s developmental changes are figured out and begin.
– WWE has confirmed on their website that Mick Foley will be appearing at the 3-hour edition of RAW (11/14) from Boston’s TD Garden. Up until this week, only the TD Garden in Boston had announced Foley.
– The WWE Insider Twitter account noted last night that Zack Ryder tried to recover and help John Cena in the main event on RAW but WWE trainers wouldn’t clear him to compete.
In related Zack Ryder news, WWE has filed to trademark the term “Broski.” In the event that Zack Ryder leaves WWE at any point, he won’t be able to use the phrase elsewhere.
(Partial source: F4Wonline.com)
– WWE announcer Booker T is expected to return to the ring very soon. The latest word is that Booker T will soon begin a feud with Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes that will lead to a match between the two men.
Aside from Booker’s desire to wrestle again, WWE sees Booker’s return to the ring as a chance to promote their upcoming King of the Ring DVD set, which Booker is hosting.
– In an update from last night, the CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio WWE Title Match at Survivor Series is not official yet. The storyline is that John Laurinaitis will either make the match official or scrap it before next week’s RAW.
– WWE has been teasing the follow-up to Mark Henry and Big Show collapsing the ring at Vengeance for this week’s SmackDown, where the entire RAW roster is booked.
WWE’s website noted that Henry and Show suffered muscle and ligament strains when the ring broke on Sunday. A WWE doctor was quoted in the article, saying they should be back soon.
Next week’s Halloween edition of WWE RAW will feature a special appearance from …. The Muppets! Check out this promo for Monday’s RAW Supershow featuring Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy and the whole gang:
– After conducting an online poll asking fans to name the new WWE Network reality show where wrestling legends live together in a house, the name that will be used is “WWE House of Fame.”
WWE recently trademarked that name and “WWE WrestleMania Rewind” for the WrestleMania recap show on the network.
As noted before, the name of the Divas road trip show will be called “WWE Divas: Heels on Wheels!”
The other show that’s being discussed features a look at the Monday Night War between WWE RAW and WCW Nitro.
– Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter after watching
the new Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels DVD: “Watched the @ShawnMichaels_ @BretHart rivalry DVD and it was incredible. True emotion and feeling…gave me closure as a fan. A must see!”
– As seen on RAW, The Rock and John Cena will be teaming up together against The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series on 11/20.
As recent as last week – WWE was planning on featuring The Rock and Cena in a traditional 5-on-5 match.
As previously reported, WWE is billing John Cena and The Rock’s tag team at Survivor Series as “The Most Charismatic Tag Team of All Time.”
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
Check out these recent pictures of Kane (with a new look – he’s got hair!) and his wife –
The Rock & John Cena will team up at Survivor Series to face The Miz & R-Truth.
This will be The Rock’s first WWE match since he retired at WrestleMania 20 back in 2004.
Also expected the show is a WWE title match between Alberto Del Rio & CM Punk. We’ll find out next week if that match is official.
WWE Survivor Series 2011 takes place on Sunday, November 20, 2011 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
– Jim Ross wrote on Twitter today he will not be at tonight’s Raw Supershow from Austin, Texas – but he will take part in a WWE.com live chat at 8:30 PM EDT.
Ross also noted he has finalized a deal to work on a WWE/Mattel project that collectors are going to love.
– Batista’s MMA manager Cesar Gracie appeared on the MMA HOUR radio show on Monday afternoon and spoke about Batista’s hopes of becoming a professional MMA fighter. Gracie said the ProElite promotion is interested in using Batista, but for now – the former WWE superstar’s movie career is keeping him busy.
– Roddy Piper and Bob Orton will reunite at the 12/2 K&S Wrestlefest, taking photos on a Piper’s Pit set and more. For details, visit Kandswrestlefest.com.
– CM Punk did an interview today with myFOXaustin to promote tonight’s Raw Supershow in Austin, Texas. Punk briefly discusses the Be A Star campaign and the current world of wrestling with an interviewer that clearly has no interest in today’s product. The interview can be viewed at MyFoxAustin.com.
With WWE Vengeance in the history books – tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow begins the march towards the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series on 11/20.
Tonight’s RAW Supershow takes place from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
A steel cage match between WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and John Cena is being advertised for RAW. No word yet on whether this will take place on the show or as the evening’s dark match main event.
SmackDown stars scheduled for tonight’s show include World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Big Show, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, Christian, both Sin Caras and Daniel Bryan.
We’ll update this article later today as more matches are announced for RAW.
CM Punk visited Florida Championship Wrestling over the weekend (10/21) for an autograph session with the fans – and got called out by FCW star Dean Ambrose (formerly Jon Moxley).
Not only did Ambrose call out Punk – he challenged him to a match, which turned out to be the main event of the show.
Check out these videos of Moxley calling out Punk and their match at Friday’s FCW show from Kissimmee.
At Sunday’s WWE Vengeance pay-per-view, the ring collapsed after Mark Henry superplexed the Big Show during their World Heavyweight title match.
Check out this fan-shot video of the spectacle:
Former WWE announcer Todd Grisham, who recently debuted as a commentator for ESPN, made some racially-insensitive comments over the weekend on Twitter and followed up with an apology.
While talking about college football game over the weekend between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Tech, Grisham referred to the “trail of tears” while talking about the Sooners’ loss.
The “trail of tears” historically refers to the American Cherokee Indian tribe being forcibly removed from their land back in 1830, where thousands died.
Grisham received a lot of negative feedback from other Twitter followers – and responded by saying, “The historical reference didn’t even cross my mind.”
He added that his great grandmother was a “full-blooded Cherokiee” and said he’s proud of his Native American heritage.
WWE sent out the following press release on Monday, touting the tremendous economic effect WrestleMania has for its host city:
WrestleMania(R) Makes Record $62 Million for Atlanta
STAMFORD, Conn., Oct 24, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — WWE(R) announced today that WrestleMania XXVII generated $62.1 million in economic impact for the city of Atlanta, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation.
This is a new record for WrestleMania’s economic impact, and a $17 million increase over WrestleMania XXVI. WrestleMania XXVII also generated approximately $7.8 million in local, state and county taxes.
“We are proud to have partnered with an organization that not only helped significantly contribute to the economy of Atlanta, but also gave back to the community in a multitude of ways,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “WrestleMania Week brought tens of thousands of fans from across the world to our great city and furthered Atlanta’s reputation as one of the sports and entertainment capitals of the world. We look forward to the possibility of hosting a future WrestleMania.”
“WWE is thrilled that the city of Atlanta and the great state of Georgia were the recipients of the largest economic windfall to date for WrestleMania,” said John P. Saboor, Senior Vice President of Special Events for WWE. “We would like to thank Mayor Reed and all of the public and private sector partners in Atlanta for embracing WWE and our worldwide fans, and for helping create an exceptional outcome for WrestleMania XXVII.”
A capacity crowd of 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries attended WWE’s pop culture extravaganza this past April. Key highlights from the study included:
— $62.1 million of direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by non-locals visiting specifically for WrestleMania XXVII.
— 75% of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the Atlanta area, with 61% staying three nights or more.
— The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week equated to the creation of 621 full-time jobs for the area.
— 52% of fans that attended WrestleMania were between the ages of 20 and 34, 21% were under the age of 20 and 20% were between the ages of 35 and 49.
“WrestleMania XXVII was a tremendous success and provided a positive financial impact on metro Atlanta,” said Dan Corso, Atlanta Sports Council Executive Director. “This is a noteworthy example of our city’s collaborative ability to recruit and successfully host major sporting events, and it hopefully bodes well for securing a future WrestleMania.”
Next year, WrestleMania XXVIII will take place Sunday, April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. The main event will feature John Cena(R) taking on The Rock(R) in an epic encounter. The event will be broadcast on pay-per-view, and viewed in more than 100 countries. Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 5 at 10 AM EST through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Enigma Research Corporation is an international consulting firm which specializes in measuring the economic impact of special events. Enigma’s economists developed a customized model which converted expenditures into economic impact, employment created and taxes generated as a result of the event.