At Tuesday’s WWE Smackdown tapings (Results), Christian challenged Randy Orton for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at Capitol Punishment Pay Per View, and Orton accepted.
With that match set, here’s the updated card for the upcoming show:
WWE Championship Match:
John Cena (c) vs. R Truth
World Heavyweight Title Match:
Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
* The Miz vs. Alex Riley
WWE Capitol Punishment takes place on on Sunday, June 19th from Washington, D.C.
Lanny Poffo, the brother of the late Randy Savage, has announced in an interview with Florida’s Bright House Sports Networkthat the official cause of the legendary Macho Man has been revealed.
Savage died from a heart attack caused by a condition called ventricular fibrillation, which is an abnormal heart arrhythmia that twitches the heart and prevents it from pumping blood to the body.
Poffo also revealed that Savage’s wife Lynn, who was in the car with Randy at the time of his fatal crash, acted heroically and saved the lives other people while their car was veering out of control into oncoming traffic:
“Randy’s foot was still on the accelerator. She reached over and steered the Jeep Wrangler into a tree, saving the live of a motorcyclist and possibly a bus. You know, there’s no telling what can happen when you’re going the wrong way.”
— This week’s edition of WWE RAW drew a 3.2 cable rating, with 4.95 million viewers. The show did hours of 3.27 (3.3) and 3.15 (3.2). That means they lost viewers in hour two.
— This week’s edition of WWE Tough Enough (season finale) drew a 1.95 (2.0) cable rating, with 2,860,000 viewers.
— The replay of WWE Tough Enough following RAW at 11:07 did a 1.08 (1.1) cable rating, with 1,541,000 viewers.
— The RAW replay following the WWE Tough Enough replay did a 0.81 (0.8) cable rating, with 1.1 million viewers.
Former WWE developmental wrestler Byron Wilcott is claiming to be the father of Kharma’s child. Wilcott wrote on Facebook:
“As some of you know my girlfriend is pregnant. Some of you know her as Awesome Kong. Most know her as Kharma. I know her as the love of my life, Kia Stevens.”
“Due to this being a high-risk pregnacy I’m going to take this time and step away from the ring to concentrate on making sure her and our baby’s needs are met. I will fulfill the remainder of my dates till June 12. It’s not an end, just a new beginning.”
Wilcott trained at Florida Championship Wrestling in late 2009 and was released from the company in January 2010.
Wilcott trained at Florida Championship Wrestling in late 2009 and was released from the company in January 2010.
Check out this new video posted on Youtube of Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Matt’s girlfriend Reby Sky playing with a tazer .. Jeff shocks Matt and then convinces Reby to see how it feels.
Former WWE star Sean “X-Pac” Waltman posted a candid blog earlier this week, which you can read in its entirety over at RealXPac.com. In talking about the incredible work that Mick Foley has done for the RAINN (Rape,Abuse & Incest National Network) charity, Waltman made a startling personal admission – that he was repeatedly sexually abused as a child. Major props to Sean Waltman for having the courage to speak about such a personal subject in order to help others ..
“I’ve always really liked, admired, respected, and been a fan of Mick’s. Mick and I have always gotten a long well whenever we were around each other, but due to differences in our lifestyle during those years (Mick not being caught up in the whole party scene, while I was) we never really had the opportunity to become close, but I did think of him as a friend. When I recently learned Mick had joined forces with RAINN (Rape,Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, I reached out to him to express my sincere gratitude for his work in fighting & helping bring awareness to this epidemic. Recently Mick joined me on Cowheadtv.com for an in depth discussion about the state of wrestling & more importantly, his work with RAINN. Many of you may be asking yourselves, “Why is X Pac so concerned with Mick Foley’s cause?” Good question; here’s the answer: I am a survivor of repeated sexual abuse/molestation, from about age 5 to around the age of 12, at the hands of both female & male perpetrators. The most psychologically damaging incidents came at the hands of an adult male who actually brought me to my first pro wrestling match.
It took me until I was in my late 20?s to finally come out and tell my family and the authorities what happened. I had pretty much blocked the experiences from my memory until I moved my family to Florida, where I grew up & this all happened, and this guy tried coming around. I freaked out as I remembered everything that happened & that this guy would be around my own children. By this time, who knows how many other children were exposed to him? That thought alone filled me with guilt. It’s so difficult for victims of sexual abuse to come forward. The shame & fear involved in coming forward is overwhelming. Feeling like it’s our fault or fearing what people will think of you prevent many from ever coming forward. Some people take it to the grave with them. The harm done by these perpetrators is in a lot of ways permanent. I choose to talk openly about it, hoping it may inspire others to come forward and expose these people. This is a huge step in dealing with the psychological damage done to the victim & can also save others from having to suffer the same fate. So I can’t thank Mick enough for his work with RAINN.”
Actress and former WWE diva Stacy Keibler has still got it.
Keibler attended Spike TV’s 5th annual 2011 “Guys Choice” Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on Saturday from Culver City, California – and is looking as gorgeous as ever:
(Photos by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
– If you are a fan of Scott Hall and always wanted to own a piece of Hall merchandise, now is your chance. The Bad Guy is auctioning off the NWO vest he wore to the ring at WrestleMania 18 for his match against Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hall insists that he doesn’t need the money – but the vest is just “collecting dust” at his Florida home and he wants to sell it to somebody who will really appreciate the memorabilia. For more on Scott Hall’s auction, visit lighteningentertainment.com.
– No word yet on why Miss USA Rima Fakih wasn’t on RAW last night with the rest of the Tough Enough cast. We do know that she was in Las Vegas over the weekend finishing out her duties as the reigning Miss USA.
– A few weeks after the news that his professional mixed martial arts debut was being put on hold indefinitely, former WWE superstar Dave Batista is teaming up with Cesar Gracie (of the legendary Gracie family) and will be running a public MMA training facility in Tampa, Florida. The Gracie Fighter Jiu Jitsu school, which currently only open to professional fighters, is expanding its operations and will be open to the public next week.
(Partial Source: TMZ.com)
– Five young talents have been added to the official roster page of Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of WWE:
Three superstars: Alexander Rusev, Dean Ambrose, and Ethan Levin.
Two divas: Audrey Marie and Eden Stiles.
– Following an unsuccessful bid for United States Senate last November, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is still strongly considering another run next year. McMahon’s publicists issued a brief statement to Connecticut’s Hearst Newspaper this week, saying: “It is still a very strong consideration.”
– WWE has announced details for the upcoming SummerSlam Axxess convention. The 2-day event will take place on August 13th and 14th from the Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles. Tickets will go on sale July 9 at 10 AM PST. For more information on the event, click here.
Kurt Angle was recently interviewed by the UK’s Bamber Media to promote next January’s Maximum Impact tour. Here are some highlights of what Angle said about:
Competing In the 2012 Summer Olympics:
“After Atlanta (1996), I wanted to take a break. Then I got caught up in pro-wrestling. I was going to try-out in 2004 but I broke my neck. Before 2008 I went a divorce and was at a really difficult time in my life. I’m a very competitive person. With the UFC I needed three to six months to get ready. They wanted me ready in four and a half weeks. I wanted to do it under my terms. A lot of people were saying ‘Kurt said he was going to fight but he didn’t. He backed out six different times and he’s going to back out of the Olympics’. No I’m not – because this is under my terms.”
His New TNA Contract:
“I’m going to start going part time. I’m at a point in my career where TNA can’t afford me to be travelling around and getting injured at house shows when they need me on TV. If I want to perform the way I do and steal the show every time I wrestle I have to be 100% healthy and we are both in agreement on that.”
Helping TNA’s younger stars:
“When you’re on your way out you want to make the younger guys more popular. You want to put these guys over and that’s where I am with my career. Look at James Storm, Robert Roode, Crimson, Amazing Red, Kazarian, Mr Anderson, The Pope. We’re starting to get the Brits where they need to be. Desmond Wolfe, Magnus or Doug Williams – one of those three are going to end up being World Champion. They’re great technicians, they’re great in the ring, and they’ve got a lot of charisma. Those are the kind of guys I want to help.”
It was reported here that The Miz was injured after RAW during a dark match against WWE Champion John Cena. A fewl live reports came in from fans who were at RAW saying that The Miz suffered a leg injury, so we ran the story.
After some further investigating, it turns out there was no dark match that took place after RAW – and the reports were false.
The Miz wrote the following on Twitter regarding the reports:
“Tsk tsk kiddies did we learn something tonight? Don’t believe everything u read on the sheets.”
We apologize for the confusion. Unfortunately, due to the nature of live fan reports, sometimes errors occur.
Furthermore, several readers sent the following video in, showing the end of last night’s RAW where John Cena left after the beer bash with Steve Austin:
On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that next week’s special 3-hour episode will be “WWE All Star Night” – featuring appearances from WWE legends.
The show, which will will take place from Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum , will feature talent from both RAW and SmackDown, as well as a special appearance from WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
WWE’s “All Star Night” is designed to promote the WWE All Stars videogame, which was released back in March prior to WrestleMania XXVII.
Mick Foley was recently interviewed by notinhalloffame.com and discussed a wide variety of topics, from wrestling to being an author to his charity work. Here are some highlights of what Foley said about:
Whether He’d Accept An Invitation To WWE’s Hall Of Fame:
“It’s funny. I used to go back and forth because deep down everyone needs that healing moment with Vince whether they realize it or not. Everybody wants to have closure with Vince. I would say to people when I asked “I don’t know, maybe for my kids, maybe if I got to go first or last” but the game changer for me was when they mentioned my book (Countdown to Lockdown) on the air in October. I thought that showed a great deal of respect. It was a nice gesture and much appreciated. At that point I made the mental decision that if I was ever asked I would go in.”
WWE’s Current “PG” Product:
“You know a lot of what I did was just high impact, not high risk. A lot of things I did have caught up with me over time, headshots notwithstanding. There is no way that people should take an unprotected chair shot. Honestly there is room in a match for a guy to get a hit and get his hands up and he should be fine. It’s just not good, and I think that the WWE has shown that you don’t need those chair shots. It was overused, it was an easy pop, guaranteed reaction and they have showed that when you use it sparingly as in The Undertaker-Triple H match at WrestleMania that a chair really means something. I don’t think you will see guys do stuff that is quite as wild, but I always felt that with head injuries, repetitive trauma of moves in the ring, and not necessarily moves outside the ring were more to blame.
– The ongoing war of words between the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan continues. Warrior, who has promised a 1-hour video in the next few days where he’ll “expose Hulk Hogan for the man he truly is,” tweeted on Monday:
“Hogan takes high road-where?when? Never has. In WM6 best sports entertainer in the world prevailed. Today, best man will. No punches pulled.”
Interesting to see Warrior using WWE’s “sports entertainment” lingo ..
– Eric Bischoff posted the following on Facebook, once again taking aim at the “irrelevant” Internet “dirtsites” for not giving TNA the pat on the back it so rightfully deserves for Impact Wrestling’s stellar 1.1 rating last week:
“What the 10%’ers and the dirtsites that feed them don’t want to report: Per Spike TV, Impact Wrestling was the #1 cable show in its time period among M18-49 despite under-delivering its STD average among key demos and TNA increased from its Jail (rpt) lead-in by +129% in M18-49 (.78), with an additional +6% gain in the following quarter hour. TNA peaked in the 10:15p quarter with a .99 in M18-49.”
LIVE ONLINE DRAFTS BEGIN TODAY!
The Official IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game has arrived. If you think you know everything about IMPACT WRESTLING – better yet, if you think you can predict everything that’s going to happen on IMPACT WRESTLING – now there’s finally place to truly test that knowledge. Featuring a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind scoring system that tracks and awards points for happenings in each episode of IMPACT WRESTLING as well as Pay-Per-View events, the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game takes the extremely popular world of Fantasy Sports inside the ring…where “Wrestling Matters.”
Free Trial Period To Kick-off With Slammiversary on June 12 – Sign Up Now At ImpactWrestlingFantasy.com
How To Play: http://www.impactwrestlingfantasy.com/pages/howitworks.aspx
Click to read coverage of the new game by RotoExperts.com: http://tiny.cc/1gvr8
“Our fans can now visit ImpactWrestlingFantasy.com to compete against one another the same way that tens of millions of Americans play fantasy football, baseball, basketball, golf and other fantasy sports each year,” said Al Ovadia, Chief Marketing Officer of TNA Entertainment, LLC.
“Our fantasy engine takes fantasy sports and entertainment to the next level, and may even change the way our fans tune-in. We have created a unique scoring system, a schedule that requires line-ups to be locked prior to IMPACT WRESTLING tapings, and ‘fantasy seasons’ that will last three months , in which fans can build teams that accumulate points based on IMPACT WRESTLING stars that they select to be on their fantasy rosters, ” added Ovadia.
Fans can create a fantasy roster to compete in the main public league free of charge, or upgrade to the premium Commissioner Package for less than $2 a month, which allows the user to create and customize an unlimited amount of their own private leagues to compete against friends and family, and hold live online drafts with league mates. The game includes customizable scoring, a live trash talk/trade talk feature, and real-time live scoring functionality, which enhances the fan experience, allowing access to a real time play-by-play of events and tally of fantasy points during each episode of IMPACT WRESTLING and Pay-Per-View broadcast.
“This isn’t your average fantasy sports and entertainment game,” said Paul Hickey, President/CEO of Fantasy Brand Marketing, LLC, the official fantasy partner of TNA Entertainment, LLC .. “A word to IMPACT WRESTLING fans and fantasy sports players alike – it’s not what you think. Wait until you see what we’re awarding points for and how we’re awarding them. Wrestling Matters…and everything that happens throughout every show matters when it comes to trying to win your fantasy league.”
– Prior to Season One of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game, a one month free trial period will begin with the summer’s hottest Pay-Per-View, “TNA Slammiversary” on June 12, allowing fans to build their leagues, hold their live drafts and set their rosters.
– Rosters will lock prior to each IMPACT WRESTLING taping, assuring no unfair advantage for anyone who attends a live taping, or reads about the results. All of the game’s features will be offered free of charge, until the free trial period culminates with the airing of IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday, July 7.
– The Official Season One of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game will kick off on July 10 with Destination X. At that point, the three-month fantasy season format will take shape, and a free version of the game will remain, along with the ability to upgrade to premium features. Season One will culminate on Thursday, October 13 with the airing of IMPACT WRESTLING.
– Season Two of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game will kick-off at TNA’s biggest PPV of the year, Bound for Glory, on October 16, and the quarterly fantasy season cycle will repeat itself.
– Fans will have multiple opportunities each season to manage their rosters by making waiver moves and trades, and they’ll be able to either redraft their teams prior to each season, or carry over rosters from season to season.
For more information and to get started, visit ImpactWrestlingFantasy.com
World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton spoke with Roanoke Virgin’as The Roanoke Times over the weekend to hype Tuesday’s SmackDown taping. Here are some highlights of what Orton said about:
The best and worst part of being a WWE superstar: “I’d say the best part of being a WWE superstar is traveling the world, meeting new and different people of all walks of life. I love what I do for a living. One of the things people don’t think about — the travel is good, but at the same time it’s very tiring, and you don’t have an off season like your regular professional football team. I got buddies of mine out swimming with their families in the pool right now. Yesterday they were barbecuing. I was in La Crosse, Wis., you know? I have a wife and a daughter, and I don’t get to see them much.”
Whether He Wants to Work As A Babyface: I don’t think I’m a true babyface. I’ve made some slight changes, and the more time that goes by the more changes I’ll make. But technically, I guess, you can call me a babyface because I’m facing other heels most of the time, of course, except for Christian right now. As a heel, I acted a certain way. I did certain things and I wasn’t afraid of getting dirty. But as a babyface, I don’t really want to change too much. Last time I turned in ’04, I tried to change 180 degrees and it failed miserably. So this time, I’m trying to take what I thought people were into about my character as a heel and really just slowly fine tune things instead of making any drastic changes.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage’s Recent Death: “It was awful. I would hope everyone’s reaction would be somewhere along those lines. Awful, in disbelief, saddened, mortified.”
The Legacy He Hopes To Leave In WWE: “I’ve won every title there is to win, just about, and I think right now my main goal is in the longevity of my career. I’ve been around 10 years, but that’s not really nothing compared to some guys in our business who have been able to stay on top for a long amount of time — like Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair. I want to be one of those handful of guys who are household names, that when people think WWE, or sports entertainment — whatever the hell they’re calling it now — I want to be at the top of that list. I want to be known worldwide for how good I’m able to perform in that ring.”
It’s also worth pointing out that the person who conducted the interview noted that before the session, WWE’s handler stressed repeatedly that Orton is a “sports entertainer” – NOT a wrestler.
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman has posted a new video Q&A on his RealXPac.com website. In this edition, Waltman answers questions about Scott Hall, how he got linked up with the Kliq in the first place, WWE removing the word “wrestling” from the company name and much more.
Regarding Scott Hall’s recent tough times, Waltman said:
“Scott seems to be doing really well at the moment, and I’m very grateful for that .. Yeah, at that time that his ex-wife was going on her Twitter rant and Facebook rant and all over the internet, Scott wasn’t doing the best to put it mildly, but he sounds really good right now.”
Check out the full Q&A here:
— The debut season of WWE Tough Enough concludes tonight with Luke or Andy being named winner by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and awarded a WWE contract.
The format for tonight’s show will include a pre-taped portion from FCW in Florida, and a live portion prior to Raw tonight. The taped portion at FCW will have Luke & Andy in separate matches wrestling in front of a crowd.
WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat will be the guest star of tonight’s finale.
— WWE RAW takes place from Richmond, Virginia and will feature R-Truth apologizing to John Cena in order to receive a WWE title shot at Capitol Punishment. As of now there are no confirmed matches for the upcoming PPV, which takes place in less than 2 weeks.
Also on RAW, expect the latest in the The Miz/Alex Riley storyline, plus the follow up to Kharma’s TV write off from last week.
Hulk Hogan is featured in IMPACT WRESTLING’s latest “Why Wrestling Matters” video. The legendary grappler discusses what drives his passion and dedication for professional wrestling.
“When I step in that squared circle, I’m in the moment,” Hogan said. “That’s all I care about, that’s all I focus on. It’s so simple to understand, it’s so simple for people to dive in and just forgot all their cures and everything that’s going in the world and live through IMPACT WRESTLING.
“We bring wrestling back the way it should be.”
Here’s the video:
WWE diva Melina tweeted the following on Saturday regarding her boyfriend John Morrison’s condition after recent neck surgery
“John is doing great. It’s going to be awhile ’till he can wrestle again. Strength in his arm is the same since the day of surgery. He went back to the doctor this week. He’s on his way to recovering. We just (h)ave to (b)e patient. I’m just happy he’s not in pain and that He Is getting better.”
Morrison had surgery in early May day to alleviate pain caused by a pinched nerve in his neck. His recovery time was slated to 4-6 weeks at that time, so hopefully he’ll be back in action within the next month or two.
Related Articles:
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently spoke with Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated to hype UFC’s Ultimate Fighter show as well as the release of his new biography, Death Clutch.
Here are some of the wrestling-related highlights from the interview. Lesnar talks about the differences between working for Vince McMahon and UFC president Dana White, as well as which company he prefers working for.
SI.com: In moving from the WWE to the UFC, you went from having Vince McMahon as your boss to working for Dana White. How are things different?
Lesnar: One thing about working for Vince: I never was able to get a really good read from him. He’s dealt with a lot of entertainers in his day. But when I sit down and talk to somebody, I just want to shoot straight and have the same thing done to me. You can’t take this away from Vince, though: He has taken his product and made it very successful.
SI.com: Are you happier in the UFC? Is it a better fit for you?
Lesnar: I finally found my calling, and it’s to be an ultimate fighter. But don’t get me wrong: The WWE did a lot for me. They made me a household name throughout the world. It’s just that in the WWE, the pen and paper are pushing you, along with the man behind the company. In the UFC, I kind of had to make my own name. Dana wants to see you do well, but at the end of the day you’ve got to get in there and execute the job.
Following NBA star Shaquille O’Neal announcing his retirement earlier this week, WWE is teasing that Shaq could be returning to the company to rekindle his feud with the Big Show. Shaq was the celebrity guest host of an episode of RAW back in July 2009 and had a memorable confrontation with Show.
The following was posted on the WWE website on Friday:
“WWE Universe member Shaquille O’Neal has had the world abuzz since announcing his retirement from the NBA. After his tussle with Big Show as Raw guest star, WWE fans might wonder if the 15-time All-Star will now look to settle his one-night rivalry.”
Earlier this week, Dragon Gate USA booker Gabe Sapolsky wrote a blog in which he suggested that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reach out to Shaq. Sabpolsky wrote over at HeymanHustle.com:
“It’s no secret that wrestling .. errrr … sports entertainment needs something to shake it up,” Sapolsky wrote. “WWE gained a great boost recently with the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Now they need that one hook for the mainstream public like Mike Tyson was in 1996.
“‘The Answer’ just quit his job and became a free agent. His name is Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is on the market. It’s well documented he loves wrestling. He understands how to entertain and perform. He has size and athletic ability. The best part is he could now make a long term commitment and he’s looking for something new to do.”
COMMENT BELOW: Would YOU want to see a Shaq vs. Big Show special attraction match in WWE – possibly at WrestleMania next April?
Check out this video of Shaq & Big Show’s confrontation from the night Shaq hosted RAW:
– Jeff Hardy’s never-ending drug case was delayed once again this week, with the next court date set for June 27th. Back at the April 21st hearing, Moore County Sentencing Services program administrator Becky Carlson told the court she needed until June 1st to finish Hardy’s evaluation, but missed that deadline.
– TNA is now branding its live events as the “Impact Wrestling World Tour.”
– With the recent news of cellphones being banned from TNA television tapings due to spoilers being sent out while the events were taking place, the ban was put in place by Universal Studios, not TNA. According Universal’s policy, fans will get a warning the first time they are caught. A repeat violation will result in the fan being thrown out of the building and possibly banned from the Impact Zone.
A fan was ejected from Monday’s tapings for using their phone to send out spoiler results.
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
– Kurt Angle appeared on the Talksport radio show in London this week and talked about his quest to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games next summer. Angle said that he really misses the competitive edge that olypmpic-level wrestling offers. Angle talked about his disappointments of not negotiating a deal to pursue a career in MMA. He mentioned that he will make the odd TV and pay-per-view appearances for TNA, but as of now he is training for the olympics.
– With the recent TNA return of Chris Harris, company officials had discussed reuniting Harris with James Storm to reform America’s Most Wanted – with Robert Roode moving on as a singles wrestler. After Harris wasn’t getting over as well as TNA hoped and is not in great shape, the idea was scrapped. There are still plans for Beer Money to split up in the near future.
– Jeff Jarrett has the person handling most of TNA’s affairs with Mexico’s AAA promotion. Jarrett is booking the current TNA vs. AAA storyline that’s currently taking place on AAA television and Jarrett is said to have some big ideas for AAA’s upcoming TripleMania show.
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
New York City radio DJ Peter Rosenberg (Hot 97) interviewed former WWE personality / Governor / best selling author / actor / TV host Jesse Ventura this week. Ventura speaks about Randy Savage for the first time since his recent death and the epic encounter Savage had at WrestleMania III against Ricky “The Dragon Steamboat. Ventura also talks about working with Vince McMahon back in the heyday of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gorilla Monsoon and more: