Author: Staff

  • WWE Live Event Canceled, Former Diva’s Hose Burns Down

    – WWE has cancelled the December 11 house show event that was scheduled for St. Joseph, Mo. They have cited a “scheduling conflict” as the reason for the cancellation. [Thanks to Devin Cutting]

    – Mick Foley noted on his Twitter page that former WWE performer Luna Vachon lost everything relating to her wrestling career due to a recent house fire. He asks people send action figures, magazines, photos, videos, DVDs, etc. to Vachon to the following address: Luna Vachon, PO Box 5813, Spring Hill, Florida 34611.

    – Jim Ross noted on Twitter this week that he and others would be filming new segments of WWE’s Legends Roundtable soon. Ross said that two hot topics are being considered for discussion.

    – Former WWE Diva Chyna recently joined Twitter. Her account is located at twitter.com/9thwonderchyna.

    – MSN.com has a “Where Are They Now?” feature on pop culture icons from the 1980s with professional wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Ultimate Warrior among those profiled. A photo of Randy Savage is featured on the front page of the website, not to mention that he is first 1980s-era wrestler highlighted in the feature.

    To view the front page feature, click here.

  • Lashley Talks About Fighting Batista, His Next Fight & More

    Former two-time ECW Champion, former WWE United States Champion, former TNA superstar, & current Strikeforce fighter, Bobby Lashley, was the special guest on this week’s live edition (08/09/10) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. Bobby joined The Big Mosh, Jimmy Noonan, & “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent for his debut on “Your Home of Wrestling Radio” (to preview next Saturday night’s “Strikeforce: Houston” event on Showtime).

    Click Here to listen to an MP3 of Bobby Lashley’s appearance on Monday Night Mayhem.

    Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

    Why we may see Lashley vs. Dave Bautista in Strikeforce sooner vs. later (potentially as early as this fall): “I have a lot of respect for Dave, I like Dave. For me, what I’m trying to do in my career is trying to build and build up into bigger & better competition. As far as fighting Dave after this fight, I’ll do the fight right away. If he’s serious about doing this, then let’s do it. I think they might have a show in October or November sometime around there; if he wants to do it, let’s do it then. I’m not really willing to wait ’till next year or anytime after that; I’m moving forward in my career. After this fight, I’m looking at the Arlovski’s, the Fedor’s, the Brett Rogers’. That’s who I set my targets on, so when you talk about that Dave, that fight needs to be done right away, so I could keep moving forward.”

    How he was “torn” between leaving TNA Wrestling & transitioning into a full-time MMA career with Strikeforce: “At first when I wanted to do it, I talked to all the higher-ups in TNA, and we tried to put together a plan where I could still wrestle, because when you’re a wrestler, it’s in your blood. So I wanted to wrestle, but I also wanted to fight, and I was torn between the two, and with the TNA schedule, I could do both. We had a couple of things that weren’t going together right, and like I said before, I’m trying to build up my competition, and I’m trying to get tougher & tougher opponents as I go, so at one point in time I had to make a decision on which one I was gonna do. I was either gonna be a full-time wrestler, or I was going to fight full-time. That window of fighting is only open for a short amount of time, because it requires so much dedication, training, sparring, & everything else, so I had to step away from TNA and just focus on training.”

    Why it wouldn’t make sense for Bautista to fight anyone else but him for his first MMA fight & who he thinks has the potential to put together a “dream fight” between himself and Brock Lesnar: “I’m gonna say the fight that you want me to say first. I wanna have that fight with Batitsta. Nothing against him or anything, but I think for him to take any other fight would be a waste of his time. If he really wants to get into fighting, I think it wouldn’t make any sense for him to get in there and fight anyone else. I don’t think it would make any sense. As far as other fights, I would love to fight Fedor before he retires. I think he is pound for pound the best fighter in the world. I think another fight would be Brock. I’ve been asked that every single day by someone. ‘When are you gonna fight Brock? When you gonna take down Brock?’ I would love to see that fight with Brock happen. If Dana White won’t let it happen, or Scott Coker won’t let it happen, maybe Vince would let it happen…”

    What professional wrestling & MMA fans can expect in his August 21st fight against Chad Griggs at “Strikeforce: Houston” on Showtime: “There are a lot of good fights on that card, and unless you’re real hardcore MMA fans, you may not know some of the guys, but if you go check them out, there are some great fighters. My fight: You’re gonna see a side of me that you saw in wrestler, but now you’re going to see it in the cage, and I’m going after this guy, and I’m going to suck the life out of this guy and pound him.”

    More is contained in this exclusive interview with Lashley, including his candid thoughts/comments on which promotion he feels has grown the most since his respective departures from WWE & TNA, which of his former colleagues in professional wrestling he pays the most attention to/follows today, along with a sneak preview of the forthcoming “EA Sports MMA” video game (being released this fall). While gearing up for “Strikeforce: Houston” & Bobby’s return into the octagon, be sure to check Lashley’s network online: his official website (located at www.FightBobby.com), his official Facebook page (located at www.Facebook.com/FightBobby), his official Twitter page (located at www.Twitter.com/FightBobby), plus the official website of Bobby’s gym: the American Team Altitude (located at: www.ATTAltitude.com).

    * Video Of Batista’s MMA Training: The Next Brock Lesnar?

  • *Spoilers* For Tonight’s TNA “Whole F’N Show” Special

    TONIGHT on Spike TV: TNA presents the Whole F’N Show

    Credit to prowrestling.net for these spoiler results ..

    Dark Match

    1. Jesse Neal defeated Sam Shaw in 4:49. Shaw played the role of Lupus at the TNA Hardcore Justice pay-per-view. Neal won with a spear in a dark match.

    TNA Impact Taping

    Jeremy Borash came out to open the Impact taping.

    1. Kurt Angle defeated A.J. Styles in 8:20. A.J. tapped out. Surprisingly, Angle does not retire this week (sarcasm).

    2. Angelina Love defeated Madison Rayne to win the TNA Knockouts Title in 3:45. Velvet Sky removed the biker chick’s helmet, but she had a mask on.

    Pepa of Salt-n-Pepa is in the front row.

    3. Matt Morgan defeated D’Angelo Dinero and Mr. Anderson in a three-way match in 3:48. Anderson had Pope covered, but Morgan broke it up and pinned Pope himself.

    Jeff Hardy’s open challenge was accepted by (drumroll)… Shannon Moore. I hope someone else comes out. Really?

    4. Jeff Hardy pinned Shannon Moore in 6:45. Hardy pinned Moore after hitting the Swanton. They hugged after the match and there was a nice OMEGA chant from the crowd.

    Powell’s POV: I wonder if the open challenge will lead to Shane “Hurricane” Helms challenging him on a future show?

    5. The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money in a best of three falls match to retain the TNA Tag Titles. Great first fall. Robert Roode pinned Alex Shelley following the DWI at 8:03.

    The second fall saw Shelley pin Roode in 1:25 after the MCMG combo neckbreaker and splash combo off the top rope.

    Chris Sabin pinned James Storm in 6:52 to win the third fall. Pyro after the win. A super hot match that earned “Match of the Year” chants.

    6. Rob Van Dam defeated Abyss in a Stairway to Janice match to retain the TNA Title in 17:12. Eric Bischoff was special referee. After the match, Hogan came out to congratulate RVD, and then he invited EV2 out. Hogan left.

    EV2 celebrated and then the lights when out. When the lights came on, Beer Money, A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Douglas Williams, and Matt Morgan beat and bloodied EV2. Ric Flair came out and chased Dixie Carter to the back. EV2 was destroyed. Flair said it’s Fortune’s house and they set the bar, not EV2.

    EV2 was Dreamer, Team 3D, Mick Foley, Rhino, Stevie Richards, Little Guido, Rob Van Dam, Bill Alfonso, and Sabu. Sandman and Raven made separate attempts to save EV2, but he was beat up. The angle was long as hell. Knowing TNA production, it will be three minutes long on Thursday. So it’s now a faction war with EV2 vs. Fortune. The golden rule was followed, as every EV2 wrestler wore white to show the crimson. Pepa actually left due to the violence.

    They are changing the mat for the Xplosion tapings, so this concludes the taping for Thursday’s show. The crowd chanted for Taz, but he never left the booth. I love Flair, but he was rambling on and slipped out an “ECW” mention. Morgan choked Stevie with what looked like a tie (how original). Most of Fortune had Singapore canes.

  • Preview For Tonight’s TNA “Whole F’N Show” Special

    The following matches are advertised for tonight’s special 2-hour “WHOLE F’N SHOW” episode of TNA iMPACT!

    Without spoiling anything, we’ll say the show got tremendous reviews from fans in attendance – so be sure to tune in tonight!

    * TNA champion Rob Van Dam vs. Abyss

    * AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle.

    * TNA Tag Team champions The Motor City Machineguns vs. Beer Money – Best of Three Falls.

    * TNA Knockouts champion Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love.

    * Jeff Hardy’s Open Challenge

    * D’Angelo Dinero vs. Matt Morgan vs. Mr. Anderson.

  • Rumor Killer: Hogan & Bischoff Not Leaving TNA

    Earlier today, reports surfaced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were leaving TNA Wrestling.

    A Twitter account that claimed to be Hulk Hogan (and was verified & linked to on Eric Bischoff’s Twitter page) announced that he and Eric Bischoff were parting ways with TNA Wrestling. The person claiming to be Hulk Hogan eventually admitted that he was a fake – but had ‘worked’ Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter, Bubba The Love Sponge.

    The fake Hogan wrote:

    “I know you’ve heard the rumors brothers and they are true. Eric and I are leaving TNA on a mutual basis. I just got out of meetings now.” TNA has a new leadership coming in. Make sure you Hulkamaniacs still support them. TNA needs the power of Hulkamania to live on brothers.”

    “Thank you Dixie and Bob Carter for the wonderful and positive experiences in TNA. Nothing but the best to you guys. Brothers, this isn’t the last of me though. You’ll be able to see me at “Hulk Hogan & Friends” events on tour soon.”

    Eric Bischoff has posted on his Twitter page that the Hulk Hogan Twitter page saying that he and Bischoff were leaving TNA is a fake.He wrote:  “The Hogan twitter site that I posted is a fake one. Hulk IS getting a Twitter page up, but the most recent post is a fake. I will post the REAL page info as soon as we get it. Sorry for the confusion. The Hulk Hogan twitter posts are fake. Hulk IS in the process of setting up a page, but has not as yet. The rumors of us leaving TNA are bogus. ”

    The funny thing is – Bischoff himself is the one who announced “Hulk Hogan joins Twitter” on his own Twitter page, with a link to the fake Hogan’s page.

    Dixie Carter wrote: “Recent twitter of Hulk Hogan leaving TNA is bogus. To what extreme people will go.”

    The guy who is running the fake Hulk Hogan Twitter is now claiming to be a disgruntled TNA employee upset with the Hogan-Bischoff regime, writing:

    “I am not Hulk Hogan, but I am a TNA wrestler who got Eric, BTLS, Jarrett, and Dixie to think I was Hogan.. I rallied everyone in to get my true message out in anonymous fashion, b/c any other way on any media platform there would be consequences. ”

    “@EBischoff GOT WORKED BROTHERS! He publishes information before even verifying its accuracy. How can someone like this even try to run TNA?!” and “That piece of s*** @BTLSRadio GOT WORKED TOO!”

    On the basis of Eric Bischoff’s original announcement that Hulk Hogan’s Twitter account was “realhulkhogan” – SEScoops ran with the story that Hogan & Bischoff were leaving TNA. We apologize for the confusion – this has been a wild story to watch develop to say the least!

  • Batista Talks About His MMA Debut (VIDEO)

    Former WWE superstar Dave Batista was interviewed this week by Fight Magazine and spoke about his transition from pro wrestling to Mixed Martial Arts. Batista discusses:

    – What led him to pursue an MMA career

    – What he wants to accomplish in MMA

    – Not liking the direction of the pro wrestling industry

    – What his biggest asset will be in the cage

    – Whether he’s spoken to Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley about the transition to MMA

    Here’s the video:

  • Linda Comments On Her Wrestling Past After Big Win

    Linda McMahon is the Republican nominee for the vacant United States Senate seat in Connecticut. Following her big win on Tuesday night to secure that nomination, Linda McMahon spoke to CNN.com about whether her Democratic opponent will use her wrestling past against her.

    “As my opponents talked more and more about the WWE and issues that may have been relative to programming content …instead of focusing on the issues, I talked about tissues and continued to gain momentum,” McMahon told CNN Wednesday morning.

    “If my opponents want to talk about soap opera content instead of focusing on issues, I will win again in November,” she added.

    Democrats have already drawn attention to WWE’s controversial programming and the countless wrestler deaths in recent years. Linda says it’s more important to focus on what WWE is doing today to protect its workers.

    “The men and women that perform at WWE really are the primary assets of the WWE. And we want to protect them at all costs,” she said. “Doctors that travel with them…trainers that travel with them. We have a very comprehensive drug testing program. Let’s look at where WWE is today.”

  • Jim Ross Blogs About SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar, WWE All Stars

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog once again at JRsBarBQ.com.

    Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

    Missing SummerSlam: “Because of the short work day re: West Coast time this Sunday and with Summer Slam starting in LA at 5 Pacific, I won’t be traveling to the event. I will watch it on PPV from the old, La-Z-Boy and, like any die hard fan, expect plenty of bang for my PPV dollar in the form of surprises, shockers, and stout bouts. “

    Brock Lesnar’s Next Fight: “Brock’s next fight vs. Cain Velásquez is going to be massive and likely will garner over 1M PPV buys. Velásquez, the Hispanic superstar, has a spotless record and according to Herschel Walker is one of the best conditioned athletes on the planet. At 240, Cain is built to go 25 minutes if necessary. I’m still a solid, Lesnar guy but even those close to Brock know that this fight will be a huge challenge for the UFC Heavyweight Champion. The good news for Lesnar fans, based on my past relationship with the former Golden Gopher, is that Brock loves a challenge. He actually thrives on them. “

    SummerSlam Main Event: “It will be interesting to see what bout closes the show Sunday. my money is on the Team WWE vs. Nexus tag. That bout has gotten by far the most significant, TV time.”

    WWE’s New “All Stars” Video Game: “We recorded over 400 lines of copy in a little over two hours today for the WWE All Stars video game. I really feel that THQ and WWE will field a hit with this concept. It’s a fantasy bookers dream and will be out prior to WM27 in Atlanta sometime in early 2011.”

    * VIDEO: Gameplay Footage of “WWE All Stars” (Cena vs. The Rock)

  • NXT Star Eliminated, Recap of Orton On George Lopez

    – WWE brought its NXT contestant total to five this week, officially eliminating Lucky Cannon from the show.

    While Cannon’s elimination was reasonably expected, the NXT Poll was not entirely in line with predictions–Alex Riley, considered a frontrunner to at least make it to the final elimination, dropped to number five in the poll, falling behind even Husky Harris.

    The poll results were as follows:

    1) Kaval
    2) Michael McGillicutty
    3) Percy Watson
    4) Husky Harris
    5) Alex Riley
    6) Lucky Cannon

    Two wrestlers will be eliminated next week.

    – Randy Orton appeared on TBS’ Lopez Tonight on Tuesday and gave a very candid interview. Orton showed photos of him as a baby being held by Andre The Giant. Orton also talked about how his daughter is a fan of Big Show, Sheamus and John Cena before him and how she calls Cena “The Naked Baby.”

    R-Truth also appeared on Lopez Tonight last night and took part in WWE Karaoke Week. Truth performed the song Kryptonite by the band Three Doors Down. David Otunga will be appearing tomorrow night and The Miz will be on Thursday night.

  • Linda McMahon Wins Senate Primary Election In Connecticut

    Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon won the Republican US Senate Primary in Connecticut on Tuesday night, taking almost 50% of the vote. She will now have to face Democrat Richard Blumenthal in November with the winner getting a US Senate seat for that state.

    Linda released the following statement after her victory last night:

    “Tonight, I am honored to have earned the support of Republicans around Connecticut. Since I entered this race eleven months ago, we have crisscrossed this great state and attended over 660 meetings and events, where I have had the opportunity to hear from voters and better understand their issues and concerns. And unlike someone else in this race, I didn’t need to fly to Vancouver to do it. I understand that people are hurting because I see it all around this state. And I know what that feels like because I’ve been there before.

    “This election is about jobs. The American Dream is threatened, but Washington continues its reckless spending, massive debt, and tax increases. Washington is suffocating small businesses and killing jobs. This is not only threatening our well-being, but also the well-being of our children and grandchildren. It’s time for something different.

    “I’m honored to have earned my Party’s nomination, and I am determined to lead our Party to victory in November.”

    Congratulations to Linda and good luck to her in November!

  • RAW Rating, Orton’s Popularity, WWE Stars On Lopez Tonight

    Source: PWInsider.com

    – This week’s episode of WWE RAW, the “go home” show before Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, did a 3.3 cable rating and averaged 4.6 million viewers.  The show did hours of 3.23 and 3.45.

    – Randy Orton has been one of the top three trending topics on Twitter for the last four weeks. Orton is the only wrestling-related term that’s been trending.

    – Dolph Ziggler kicked off “WWE Superstar Karaoke Week” last night on George Lopez’s TBS show as a promotion for SummerSlam. Zigler sand Right Said Fred’s song “I’m Too Sexy.” Randy Orton and R-Truth appear on the show tonight.

  • Steve Austin Talks WWE PG, MMA vs. Wrestling & More

    WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was interviewed this week by the The UK Sun.

    Here are some highlights of what Austin said about:

    WWE’s PG Product: “You will hear wrestling fans all over the world groan when they hear me say this but I think WWE is doing the right thing. Cena is leading the way now. It is a PG flavored WWE theme and I think it’s great for the longevity and the growth of their product in today’s world.”

    Why MMA Is Taking Older Viewers From the WWE: “UFC interviews are based on a shoot and they are non-scripted. Those guys out there are trying to sell tickets for a fight and they talk accordingly. It’s a serious product that’s in the ring. Wrestling is supposed to be that serious product in the ring as well. That’s not to say that you can’t laugh, smile, and have some humor in there, but you don’t want to do slapstick Three Stooges comedy while you’re trying to draw main event money at a big PPV.”

    Whether They Pushed Things Too Far in the Attitude Era: “I remember one time Vince came up to me, I was flipping the middle fingers and all that. Vince said ‘Steve, we were wondering if you could come up with a different hand signal than the middle fingers. Something that everyone watching could do.’ I guess it’s not so politically correct for a six-year-old kid to throw up the middle finger. I said, ‘No. I’m going to be who and what I am.’ And Vince kind of said, ‘Okay’ – or at least the ratings and the merch sales said ‘okay.’ So that’s the direction we went with the WWE, and everybody else followed suit.”

  • *Spoiler* Major Angle Involving RVD’s TNA World Title

    * Warning: The following contains big *SPOILERS* for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:

    Following news that TNA Champion Rob Van Dam is expected to take time off in the near future,  we can confirm that RVD has been written out of television and TNA is vacating the World Championship

    TNA did a big injury angle with Van Dam at Monday’s iMPACT! tapings (airing this Thursday night) that concluded with him being taken out of the building via ambulance, which will set up the need for a new champion being crowned.

    Related News: *Spoilers* For TNA’s “Whole F’N Show” Special On Thursday

    At the start of Tuesday’s tapings, Eric Bischoff came out and announced that RVD has been hospitalized with likely head and spinal trauma, 115 stitches and possibly punctured organs. After meeting with Van Dam’s doctors and Dixie Carter, the championship committee has decided to vacate the championship.

    A tournament will be held – starting at tonight’s iMPACT! tapings (airing next week) – with a new TNA Champion being crowned at Bound For Glory.

  • Khali Off SummerSlam, Big Day For Linda, Tonight’s Tapings

    – Linda McMahon is set for a big win today at the Connecticut Republican primary. Polls show Linda with a huge lead at 50%. Rob Simmons is at 28% while Peter Schiff is at 15%.

    – Another NXT Rookie will be eliminated on tonight’s SyFy show from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. WWE will tape the go-home episode of Friday Night SmackDown as well. No matches have been announced but Kane vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger is being advertised locally.

    – As seen on last night’s RAW, Nexus attacked The Great Khali. It appears Khali is now off the SummerSlam card. WWE did an angle last night on RAW that may lead to The Miz taking Khali’s place. WWE then wrote the following on Twitter a few hours ago:

    “WWE Doctors have determined that Great Khali suffered patella and ligament damage. He is unlikely to compete at SummerSlam.”

  • RAW Guest Hosts Announced For Next Week & More

    WWE has announced that the stars of the new movie “Going the Distance: – Justin Long, Charlie Day & Jason Sudeikis – will be hosting next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.

    In Going the Distance, which hits theaters Aug. 27, Long plays Garrett, a newly-single New Yorker who hits it off with Erin (Drew Barrymore), a young woman from San Francisco. Neither thinks this apparent summer fling will last, but when Erin heads home to California and Garrett is forced to stay in Manhattan for his job, they soon learn that their feelings for one another are deeper than they imagined. Although his best friends Box (Sudeikis) and Dan (Day) give him grief for investing in a long-distance romance, Garrett is determined to make it work – even if it requires a full-time relationship with his cell phone. Can Long, Day & Sudeikis maintain some semblance of order on Raw 24 hours after SummerSlam? Tune in to find out.

    WWE has also removed celebrities Penn and Teller from the upcoming RAW host listing. The duo was scheduled to host the September 20th episode of RAW but apparently that’s changes.

    The only hosts listed after the cast of Going The Distance is Bobb’e J. Thompson on October 18th and Toby Keith on October 25th.

  • What You Didn’t See On Monday’s RAW

    Here’s a recap of what you didn’t see at Monday’s WWE RAW:

    Dark Match:

    Vladimir Kozlov beat Primo

    Superstars Matches:

    Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust wrestled The Uso Twins

    After RAW Went Off The Air:

    Nexus ran back to the ring to brawl with Team RAW. The RAW stars cleared the ring except for Justin Gabriel. They all took turns beating Gabriel up before Edge speared him, John Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment and Bret Hart applied the Sharpshooter. The RAW stars then posed for the fans and went around ringside.

  • Tyler Black To WWE Update, NXT Season 3 Details & More

    – As we reported here over the weekend, reigning Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black has reportedly agreed to a developmental deal with WWE. There is talk that Black will go to Florida Championship Wrestling and then be one of the featured talents on NXT Season 3.

    – Speaking of NXT Season 3, WWE is already looking for contestants. One plan is for the show to feature four male wrestlers and four women wrestlers from developmental. There’s still no word yet on where NXT Season 3 will air once SmackDown comes to SyFy in the fall. (Source: f4wonline)

    – WWE Monday Night Raw on November 1st, 2010 will be held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, New York. Tickets go on sale August 21st, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

  • Bobby Lashley Comments On MMA Fight With Batista

    Batista vs. Lashley in a cage?

    When news broke that former WWE superstar Batista was entering the world of Mixed Martial Arts and will be fighting for the Strikeforce MMA promotion later this year, speculation began immediately that we could see him fight against fellow WWE alum Bobby Lashley (5-0).

    Lashley was a part of Strikeforce’s media conference call this afternoon and commented on a possible showdown in the cage with Batista. Lashley said he’s open to fighting Batista if Strikeforce pushes the fight, but he’d rather focus on more experienced fighters in his quest for Heavyweight gold:

    “It’s not really the direction I want to move (in), but if it’s worth it and they really think he’s ready and Strikeforce wants me to fight him, I’ll take the fight. I’ve had a good game plan up to this point and I really want to move in the right direction. Dave’s just starting out. I’m looking to better myself and get better opponents each time. I’m not disrespecting Dave at all, but he’s new to the game. That’s definitely a fight for the fans, but not so much for my career.”

    Lashley’s next fight takes place later this month on August 21st against Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houstson on Showtime.

    * VIDEO of BATISTA Training MMA

  • WM26 NBC Rating Bombs, Cena Meets The Kardashians & More

    – According to Mediaweek, Saturday’s WrestleMania 26 special on NBC posted a terrible 0.65 broadcast rating and 1.78 million viewers. The WrestleMania special had NBC draw the lowest ratings on Saturday night among the 4 big television networks (ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC).  Ouch!

    – John Cena appeared at Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards show and posted a message on Twitter about his encounter with reality TV stars The Kardashians.

    “CeNation. Just leaving teen choice headed for sac town. Cannot believe how downright beautiful the kardashians are. Wow.”

    Chris Jericho re-tweeted Cena’s message, adding, “maybe they can join ur [Summerslam] team.”

    – The Miz appeared on Sacramento, California’s KCRA morning show to promote tonight’s RAW. Miz, who brought his belt and his briefcase to the interview, was in character during the appearance. He did his “I’m Awesome” line and acting like a cocky heel. The host asked Miz to rap or sing his theme song, but the Miz refused. Miz said that he’s on the road to winning the WWE Championship. Overall it was a short but entertaining appearance.

  • RAW Preview, The Rock’s New Movie Opens At #1 & More

    – Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The “go-home” show heading into Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view will feature an explosive main event of John Cena and Bret Hart vs. Edge and Chris Jericho with Nexus at ringside as Lumberjacks.

    – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new movie “The Other Guys” (starring Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg) opened at #1 this weekend and took in $35.6 million. The Rock is currently in Puerto Rico filming “The Fast and The Furious 5” with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

    Read More: Pictures Of The Rock On The Set Of “Fast & Furious 5?

    – Eleven years ago today, Chris Jericho made his WWE debut on Monday Night RAW after months of buildup.

    – In case you missed it, Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston on this past Friday’s SmackDown to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion.

  • Pictures Of The Rock On The Set Of “Fast & Furious 5”

    Former WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is currently filming “The Fast and the Furious 5” in Puerto Rico. Check out the following pictures of The Rock on set with co-star Elsa Pataky, taken last week.

    The Rock and Pataky play cops that are trying to crack down on the antics of the movie’s main characters, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

  • Lots of Backstage News From TNA’s Hardcore Justice PPV

    – TNA management, including Dixie Carter, were said to be thrilled with how the pay-per-view went. The ECW originals earned a lot of respect for their passion and work rate.

    – The show was booked almost entirely by Tommy Dreamer, except for the main event. Rob Van Dam really did pick Sabu as his main event opponent after Jerry Lynn had to pull out due to injury.

    – Before the show began, Dixie Carter addressed the crowd and thanked Tommy Dreamer and everyone else. After the show went off the air, everyone partied in the ring with beer as Enter Sandman played. Everyone left but Team 3D and Tommy Dreamer. They led the crowd in an ECW chant before Dreamer raised a beer to the sky for those who have passed on.

    – Some of the names backstage visiting at Hardcore Justice were Matt Morgan, The Motor City Machineguns, Abyss, Jimmy Hart, Dory Funk Jr., Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff. Mick Foley, Brother Ray and Tommy Dreamer all had their families there.

    – Tommy Dreamer received stitches to his head after the match with Raven at last night’s pay-per-view. There are reports online that CW Anderson suffered a torn hamstring during his match with 2 Cold Scorpio, but we haven’t been able to confirm that with our sources.

    – The fake Blue Meanie at last night’s Hardcore Justice pay-per-view, called Blue Tilly, was none other than Big Tilly from the old Phi Delta Slam tag team.

    – The nose-picking mystery guy in the segment with Al Snow, Stevie Richards and Nova was supposed to be Lupus, who was one of Raven’s lackeys for a few months in ECW.

  • Tommy Dreamer & RVD Comment On Hardcore Justice

    Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho have posted messages on Twitter about last night’s TNA Hardcore Justice pay-per-view. Here’s what each of them said:

    Tommy Dreamer: “Thank you to everyone for making tonight one of the greatest nights of my life. I didn’t see much of the show. I heard & felt it. Luv ya all”

    Rob Van Dam: “IN THE WORDS OF FRANKIE VALLI- OH WHAT A NIGHT!!! THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE THIS PAY PER VIEW A HUGE SUCCESS EVERYBODY!!! OUR LAST STAND.”

    Chris Jericho: “Congrats to ECW for riding again one last time! Working there was always about family and defiance. Tonights show was no different.”

  • TNA HardCORE Justice PPV Results (8/8)

    TNA HardCORE Justice 2010 Live Coverage
    Sunday, August 8th, 2010 from Orlando, Florida

    We open the show with a video package highlighting some of the former stars of ECW, current members of EV2.0. They talk about how they revolutionized the wrestling business, and it was where they learned some of the most important lessons in their careers. They also talk about paying tribute, and coming home tonight.

    No pyro, but we do get crowd shots, and lots of ‘E-C-Dub’ Chants. There’s a different ring announcer, though I’m not sure who he is, and he introduces Taz. Taz makes his way out to the entrance ramp with a mic in hand. He welcomes the fans to Hardcore Justice. Lots of ‘Taz’ chants. He says he’s been backstage since 11 a.m. and he’s looked into the eyes of the athletes that will perform tonight, and it’s going to get extreme, because the desire is in their eyes again, and their passion will bleed out tonight in more ways than one. The Impact Zone is absolutely packed. Taz says as of recent, there’s been some haters and doubters on what they did back in the day. He hears stuff like ‘they were a bush league promotion’. Taz says they weren’t all about violence. All they did was revolutionize the business. He says they were the true renegades of the industry, and that’s the real deal. Taz says they were the little engine that could, and they did. He says he’s got a message to the folks who doubt what they did, they don’t get it, and they never will, so they might as well just kiss his ass.

    Taz says he’s done, he’s the human suplex machine, beat him if you can. Back to Stephen DeAngeles, the ring announcer, and it’s time for the first match. The FBI of Tony Mamaluke, Little Guido, and Tracy Smothers make their way out first.

    Kid Kash is the first man announced for the opposing team, and he makes his way out to a big pop from the crowd. Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger are announced as Kash’s partner, and this one is on.

    The FBI vs. Kid Kash, Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger

    We get formal ring introductions for all six men, as well as Big Sal E. who accompanied the FBI, and there’s huge pops for everyone.

    Kid Kash and Guido start things out for their respective teams. For some reason the house lighting is kind of a blue hue. Guido takes Kash right down to the mat where he and Kash roll around for a bit before getting right back up. Kash and Guido chain wrestle for a bit, trading roll ups and starting to argue. Kash shoves Guido and then Guido extends his hand. Kash shakes hands with Guido, but brings him in nose to nose. Tony Luke tags in, and so does Swinger. Luke hits a drop toe hold and tries for a roll up but Swinger kicks out. Luke locks in an arm bar, but Swinger picks him up off the mat and slams him down to break the hold. Smother and Diamond are the next men to tag in.

    Diamond and Smothers come to blows, with Smothers looking like a million bucks, taking it right to Diamond, taking him down to the mat, hitting a big knee drop, and taking Diamond to the outside. Diamond grabs a mic while on the outside, and he comes back into the ring, telling the Impact Zone that he has a problem. This crowd is pretty awesome, very reminiscent of an old ECW machine. Diamond says they’re not a fine oiled machine because of Kash. So while the FBI can probably out-wrestle them, their team can out-dance them. Diamond asks for the DJ to hit the music and initiates a dance contest. Swinger and Diamond dance, horribly, while Kash looks on ashamedly. Smothers grabs the mic and says Michael Jackson rolled over in his grave. He asks the DJ to hit the music again because if they can’t do better everyone dies. The FBI then begins to dance.

    This is pretty goofy as Guido does the can opener, Smothers tries to do the worm. Sal E. dances a bit, but the distraction allows Swinger and Diamond to attack from behind. They try to tag Sal E., but they’re taken down by a double clothesline instead. Everyone brawls to the outside except Kash. The referee gets down on his hands and knees, and Kash takes off, jumping off the ref’s back and diving to the outside on top of everyone. Things move quickly back into the ring where Kash and Luke are legal. Kash takes Luke over his knee with a backbreaker that’s good for a near fall.

    Kash and Luke trade huge chops with Luke gaining the advantage with a clothesline. When Luke charges Kash though, Kash responds with a powerslam into the corner. Luke tags out to Guido who takes out Diamond and Swinger before hitting a cross body and Russian leg sweep to Kash before a low drop kick that’s good for a near fall. Things before to break down and there’s a crazy tower of doom spot with everyone in the match except Diamond. Diamond comes in and hits a series of suplexes on Guido, but then Smothers is right there with an eye poke and clothesline. Smothers is takes out by Swinger, who’s taken out by Luke. Kash hits a double underhook suplex on Luke. Guido hits a leg drop on Kash. Guido hits the unprettier on Simon Diamond and goes for the pin, scoring the three count.

    Winners: The FBI

    Taz and Tenay talk a bit about how Tenay has never called an ECW match before. They then turn to the injury situation, talking about how Jerry Lynn had to drop out of tonight’s event due to a back injury, and he’ll be replaced in the main event by Sabu.

    We get updates on Todd Gordon, Pitbull #1, and The Blue Meanie who all get one more chance to be on PPV and thank the fans for supporting them throughout their careers.

    AJ Styles remembers the Singapore Cane match between Sandman and Tommy Dreamer where Dreamer continued to ask for lashes from the Sandman. Styles says Dreamer may be one of the toughest wrestlers in the world. Angelina Love is next and she talks about how the crowd reactions made everything even better.

    Al Snow is backstage talking to Head, yelling at it for chanting those three little letters. Stevie Richards asks is Al is OK, and Al says no. He runs down everything that could go wrong, and then asks if Stevie knows a good therapist. Nova comes in from out of nowhere, but he’s got a different shirt on, and Al yells that he can’t even use the shirt of he’ll get sued. I can’t tell who it is, but someone comes in dressed up as the Blue Meanie, and Nova says he’s just as good as the real thing. Al says he’s not the guy and storms off with Head. This is pretty ridiculous. Stevie Richards says tonight is about proving to everyone what Stevie is about. He doesn’t seem too pleased about the fake Blue Meanie. Someone else omes in picking his nose and I have absolutely no idea who it is, or is meant to be. The segment ends with weird guy and fake Blue Meanie picking each others noses. Dumb.

    CW Anderson vs. 2 Cold Scorpio

    The Enforcer CW Anderson is the first man out to the ring. Tenay is quick to point out that he’s not related to Arn or Ole Anderson. His opponent is 2 Cold Scorpio, who’s name is of course, spelled differently.

    Both men got very nice reactions, and both look to be in very good shape. Again we get formal ring introductions for both.

    Both men lock up and Scorpio is quick to go behind. Anderson turns things into a wrist lock, but Scorpio is able to use the ropes to flip and turn the wrist lock around. A leg sweep and attempted pin from Anderson yields a two count. Anderson tags Scorpio with a couple of forearms, and Scorpio returns a couple of his own. Anderson locks in a side head lock, and Scorpio sends him into the ropes, hitting a beautiful dropkick that sends Anderson to the outside. A dropkick through the ropes and corkscrew plancha from Scorpio are beautiful.

    Back in the ring, Scorpio hits a top rope cross body to Anderson for a two count. Anderson and Scorpio trade blows with Anderson scoring a superkick, good for a near fall. Anderson stomps at Scorpio’s arms and legs before picking him up and tossing him shoulder first into the ring post. This blue light thing is really annoying. Anderson wrenches Scorpio’s arm, but Scorpio responds with a back kick out of nowhere. A series of jabs startles Anderson, but Anderson ducks a kick and knocks Scorpio down with a big blow of his own. Anderson gets a two count when he goes for the pin.

    Anderson and Scorpio trade roll ups. Anderson avoids a kick and hits Scorpio with a big forearm shiver. Scorpio sends Anderson into the corner and hits a cannonball like maneuver before going up top to hit the front flip leg drop. Scorpio pins Anderson but still only gets two. Scorpio goes back up top and goes for a moonsault but Anderson gets his knees up. Anderson hits a big spinebuster and goes for the pin but Scorpio kicks out at two.

    Anderson hits Scorpio with a couple of forearms, but when he charges in from the ropes Scorpio connects with a big kick. Scorpio goes up top and hits a moonsault leg drop. Scorpio pins Anderson and gets the three count.

    Winner: Too Cold Scorpio

    After the match Scorpio pulls Anderson back into the ring. He says something to Anderson before offering his hand. Anderson and Scorpio shake hands, and Scorpio raises Anderson’s hand to the cheers of the fans.

    Madison Rayne gets a chance to talk about ECW, but I zoned out after she started talking about how TNA was like ECW. Matt Morgan talks about how when he went on vacation he used to be able to watch EVW and he loved it. He talks about when he was a bouncer once for an ECW show and how much he loved it. Mr. Anderson talks about how ECW brought something different to the table in the 90’s.

    RVD is backstage with Bill ‘Fonzie’ Alfonso. He talks about how much he loved his matches against Jerry Lynn and he can’t wait to do it again in 2010. He says though, that Lynn trained too hard and hurt his back, so he’s not going to be able to make it. RVD says Dreamer called him and asked him who he wanted to wrestle, and RVD had to really think about it. RVD says there’s a lot left unfinished from his TV Title run. He says it’s also important to please the fans. He tried to think who he could wrestle that would capture the time frame, and it’s got to be Sabu. Fonzie says you couldn’t have picked a more hardcore wrestler than Sabu. RVD says he knows Fonzie managed both men, and he wants to know he can count on Fonzie. Fonzie says he’ll call it right down the middle. He knows both men have a lot of history and it’ll be one of the greatest matches of all time. Fonzie reassures RVD he’ll call it down the middle before blowing his whistle.

    Polaco, AKA Justin Credible, is the first man out to the ring, and he has a kendo stick in hand. Credible does not look great with huge dark circles under his eyes. Stevie Richards is out next with Nova and fake blue Meanie in tow.

    PJ Polaco vs. Stevie Richards

    The bell rings and both men lock up, Polaco locks in a head lock, but Richards is quick to fight it off, only to eat a big shoulder block. Another lock up and a head lock from Richards. Polaco fights it off, and Richards comes back with a shoulder block. Yet another lock up, and Polaco grabs Richards’ hair and pulls him back to the corner where he hits a couple of knees to the stomach. Stevie turns it around and sends Polaco into one corner, and then the other. Polaco rolls to the outisde, and Richards follows, but Polaco pushes him back first into the ring apron. Polaco hits a suplex on the floor before rolling back inside and hitting a slingshot splash right back to the outside on top of Richards.

    Back in the ring Polaco stomps on Richards in the corner before yanking him out by the legs and bringing him down in a powerbomb. Polaco sends Richards into the ropes and catches him with a boot to the stomach before following it up with a big DDT and a jawbreaker. Stevie responds with a kick to the face, but it’s short lives as Polaco continues the assault in the corner with kicks and chops. Polaco catches Stevie around the neck with his feet, and Richards throws Polaco to the outside where fake Meanie and Nova taunt him. Polaco rolls back into the ring where he eats a series of right hands and forearms from Richards before Richards hits a nice delayed side slam. Stevie picks up Polaco and drills him with a powerbomb, but it’s only good for two.

    Stevie dives from the second rope, but he’s met with a big kick from Polaco. Polaco hits a big piledriver and goes for the pin, but pulls Richards up at the count of two. Polaco taunt Stevie, beginning his Justin Credible phrase, but catching a big Stevie kick instead. Richards pins Polaco and gets the two count.

    Winner: Stevie Richards

    After the match Stevie celebrates, but he eats a bunch of cane shots from Polaco.

    The lights go out in the Impact Zone, and when they come back on, Sandman is in the ring with a Singapore Cane of his own. Polaco tries to hit Sandman, but Sandman avoids it and hits the Singapore Cane assisted Russian leg sweep before cracking Polaco over the head. Sandman picks up Polaco’s cane and drapes it over his throat before posing over his prone body.

    Francine gets a little bit of screen time and we see her 1 year old daughter. She thanks the fans, and the boys in the back. She says she loved performing for everyone, and event though she’s done in wrestling the fans will always be in her heart.

    Before the match Taz and Tenay make it seem like there’s going to be a video package highlighting wrestler’s who are no longer around, but there’s just a title card.

    Brother Runt is out first, followed by Al Snow (of course with Head), and then Rhino. All three men get nice pops from the crowd.

    This match will apparently be elimination rules. The circling begins and Brother Runt puts Snow in a head lock, only to be put in a head lock by Rhino. Snow is sent to the outside and Runt tries for a pin on Rhino only to eat a shoulder block. Rhino teases the Gore, but Snow grabs his feet out from under him. Snow hits a backbreaker on Runt, but Rhino is there, sending him to the outside. Rhino charges Runt, and he’s tossed over the ropes by Runt. Runt dives to the outside, but he’s caught by Snow and Rhino, and they simply toss him over their heads to the entrance ramp. Snow rolls Rhino into the ring and tries for a slingshot leg drop but he misses. Snow catches Rhino with a double underhook and a series of head butts. Snow hits a big moonsault that’s good for two.

    Snow tries to use head, but Rhino prevents it, putting him down with a dvd. Runt hits Snow with a double stomp from the top. He tries for the Dudley Dawg, but Rhino simply tosses him off. Runt responds with a hurricarana to take Rhino off his feet and everyone is down. Snow and Runt are up first, and Rhino soon after. Runt hits both men with left and rights but when he tries for a double Dudley Dawg, he’s tossed to the outside. Snow and Rhino fight and the ref goes down. Snow grabs head and smashes it into Rhino’s face. Runt throws a chair at Snow and takes a dive, Snow slams the chair down and falls down himself and everyone is down.

    Everyone makes it up and Runt connects with the Dudley Dog on Snow. Runt gets the three count, eliminating Snow. Runt turns right around into a gore, and a three count eliminates him as well.

    Winner: Rhino

    Mick Foley gets a bit of interview time to talk about his role in Raven vs. Dreamer later tonight. Foley says he knows their history better than almost anyone. He says he’s been friends and enemies of both men. He knows there’s serious potential for the match to get out of hand, and he knows it’s being billed as a final showdown, and if that’s how it’s being billed, you need someone who’ll be able to be there when the smoke clears, to make the three count, and Foley can do that.

    Brutus Magnus talks about how impressive it is that ECW was able to sustain itself for so long on passion alone. Chris Sabin talks about how his first taste of hardcore wrestling was Terry Funk vs. Sabu and it was simply captivating. Sabin says people like that, like RVD, inspired him to become who he is today.

    Alright, it’s Balls Mahoney, and he’ll be Balls in this review. Balls grabs the mic, he says what you’re looking at in the ring, is the most hardcore tag team in wrestling. The most extreme tag team in the history of the business, and they don’t have a match, so this is an open challenge to anyone in the back. Joel Gertner makes his way out with a tye-dye clad 3D and there’s a huge pop from the crowd.

    Gertner does his old schtick on the mic, and even Balls on the outside is loving it. Gertner is freaking ridiculous, saying things I guarantee you’ll never hear on TNA PPV ever again before giving Team 3D a proper introduction.

    Ray tells Balls and Axl to come into the ring for a second. He tells the crowd they’re looking at four of the most hardcore men to ever step into a wrestling ring, and the last thing the people want to see is a ‘wrestling match’ so they should do what they do best, and give the people exactly what they came to see, Old School South Philly Street Fight. Fisticuffs ensue and this one is on.

    Team 3D vs. Balls Mahoney & Axl Rotten (Street Fight)

    This is basically just a brawl with Axy and D-Von and Ray and Balls squaring off. Things quickly spill to the outside, and TNA employs their dumb split screen that makes everything so much harder to follow. Balls tags Ray with a couple of big right hands, but he eats a big boot and a second rope shoulder block for his troubles. D-Von begins looking under the ring apron but he gives up pretty easily. Ray grabs a styrofoam head from the audience and whacks Balls over the top of the head. Balls replies in kind. Things spill to the crowd, where the fans are absolutely loving it. Everyone is basically just beating on everyone else up the staircase.

    Rey hits Balls with yet another Head, and Axl and D-Von fight up and down another staircase. This is just an absolute mess. It’s fun, but there’s nothing going on but guys punching each other. They fight back to the ringside area where Ray sends Balls into the ring and begins throwing weapons into the ring left and right.

    In the ring Ray eats a trash can lid shot from Balls. Balls tries for a second rope leg drop, but Ray moves, and whack Balls over the head with a frying pan that sends him to the outside. Axl comes in the ring and hits Ray with a series of punches and an elbow of his own before whacking him with a cookie sheet. D-Von tries to hit Axl with the clothesline, but Axl ducks it and hits him with a couple of right hands for good measure. Axl comes up with a plastic lightsaber from out of nowhere, and D-Von tosses in another for Ray. Axl and Ray have a lightsaber duel in the middle of the ring, with Balls coming out on top. Balls hits Ray with a couple of right hands, but Ray comes back with a lightsaber low blow. Ray hits a couple of right hands of his own, dances and hits a bionic elbow.

    Axl hits Ray with an inverted DDT that’s good for a near fall. D-Von comes in an hits a neckbreaker on Rotten. Balls hits a big sit out powerbomb, that’s good for a two count. Everyone gets to their feet and everyone has a chair. Balls and Axl are the ones who comes out on top, hitting 3D with chairs and going for a simultaneous near fall. Axl and Balls try to clothesline the ref, but the ref ducks. 3D hit Rotten and Balls with chair shots of their own, but it’s not enough to keep either man down. 3D hit the What’s up head butt on Balls and Ray tells D-Von to get the tables.

    3D bring a table into the ring and set it up and Gertner hands Ray a bottle of lighter fluid. This is not a good idea. Ray absolutely douses the table with lighter fluid. D-Von sets the table on fire and Ray powerbombs Balls through it. D-Von pins Balls and 3D gets the win.

    Winners Team 3D

    Following the match, Ray says that 3D is the greatest, but music hits, and the Gangstas make their way out to the ramp with a ton of weapons in hand.

    New Jack and Mustafa come in and lay waste to 3D. New Jack staples D-Von’s testicles before laying a trash can over him and whacking it with a hockey stick. He then hits Ray with a crutch, breaking it over his back. The Gangsta’s music is still playing and this is just an exended beat down. New Jack grabs a guitar and smashes it over Gertner’s head. 3D make it back up to their feet, and Ray hugs Mustafa and New Jack hugs D-Von. Balls and Axl get back into the ring and all six men celebrate.

    Backstage, Raven talks about his history with Tommy Dreamer, especially their history as kids, when both were very different. Raven talks about how he got tougher and tougher, and how his career took off and Tommy’s wallowed in obscurity, and then the friendship changed. Raven says Tommy couldn’t handle not being the top guy. He says Tommy knows if you hurt someone emotionally it can hurt them for years, so Dreamer stole his girl. Raven says he’s smarter though, because he waited for the right moment, and it took ten years, and this is Tommy’s moment for glory, and Raven is going to hurt him, cripple him, and shatter his soul.

    Jesse Neal talks about being able to see ECW live in Florida. He says it was insane and it just wasn’t the same as other companies. Kaz says that he was lucky enough to be in the ring with some of the old school originals when he was training, and it was like living a dream.

    Former ECW wrestlers get some time to pay homage to Joey Styles, complimenting him and telling him that he’s the best at what he does. Jerry Lynn even gets a little bit of promo time, which is nice, especially considering he’s not able to perform tonight.

    Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer

    Mick Foley, the special guest referee, is the first man out to the ring, to a huge pop from the crowd.

    Raven is the first of the two competitors to make his way to the ring, and he gets a decent reaction from the crowd. Raven makes sure to stop by Dreamer’s wife, who’s sitting next to Dixie Carter at ringside. Dreamer is out next, to a really nice pop from the Impact Zone.

    Foley tells both men that anything goes, but this is the final showdown and someone will win and someone will lose. Raven starts things off by kicking Dreamer below the belt. Raven tosses Dreamer to the outside. He follows and buries his boot in Tommy’s midsection before slamming him into the guardrail back first with a Russian leg sweep. Raven tosses a chair into the ring before stomping at Dreamer and sending him back into the ring. Back in the ring Raven wedges the chair in between the second and third rope, but when he tries to whip Dreamer into it, it backfires and Dreamer counters, sending Raven into his own trap. Raven rolls to the outside, and Dreamer follows, hitting him with left and rights. Raven smiles, so Dreamer grabs a fans beer, spits some in Raven’s eyes, and slams the can into his head repeatedly.

    Dreamer sends Raven back into the ring where he sets two chairs up side by side. Dreamer tries to suplex Raven into the chairs, but Raven turns it around, hitting a drop toe hold to send Dreamer head first into both chairs. Dreamer rolls to the outside and Raven follows with a chair. Raven uses the chair to slam into Dreamer’s head and Tommy is split open. Raven stares at Dreamer’s wife and kids and Tommy’s family is leaving the ringside area. Raven is pounding away on Dreamer and he’s a bloody mess. Raven tries to hit Dreamer with a chair but Dreamer ducks and Raven connects with the ring post. Raven sends Dreamer into the rings steps instead, slamming him headfirst into the top step. Raven brings things back into the ring.

    Raven stomps away at Dreamer, before setting up a chair in the middle of the ring. Raven tries to whip Tommy into the ropes, but Dreamer turns it around and hits a drop toe hold, sending Raven face first into the seat of the chair. Dreamer goes to the outside and grabs a ‘fans’ sign, that has a street sign concealed in it, and he whacks Raven with it, sending Raven to the outside. When Raven comes back into the ring he’s split open and Dreamer suplexes his on top of the sign. Dreamer goes to the outside where he grabs a ladder. Dreamer brings it in and puts it in the corner in between the bottom and middle rope. Dreamer turns his attention back to Raven and he bites away at Raven’s forehead. Dreamer drags Raven by his legs and places his head under the ladder, slingshotting him up, face first into the ladder.

    Dreamer sets Raven on the top turnbuckle, and puts the ladder in between the second and third ropes. Dreamer stands on the ladder, but Raven fights back and Dreamer falls through in a nasty spot. Raven hits I believe a clothesline and Tommy crashes to the mat. Dreamer kicks out of a pin attempt, and when Raven brings him up to his feet, Dreamer is able to connect with the Dreamer driver out of nowhere, but Dreamer doesn’t even try for a pin. Dreamer sets Raven up in the tree of woe and stomps down on Raven’s groin before setting the street sign in front of Raven’s face and hitting him with a giant dropkick.

    Dreamer goes to the outside where he grabs a tiny bit of barbed wire. Dreamer uses the wire to scrape across Ravens forehead. The barbed wire is in Raven’s mouth and Dreamer is yanking back. Nova and fake Meanie run in and take out Foley while Raven taps. They then attack Dreamer. Fake Meanie goes to the top rope where he tries for a frog splash, but he misses. Dreamer connects with a DDT on fake Meanie, and a neckbreaker on Nova, but Raven is there to catch Dreamer with a DDT. Dreamer kicks out of a cover and Raven argues with Foley, shoving him. Foley responds with a series of right hands before reaching in his trunks and grabbing the sock, using it to apply the mandible claw. Someone, who’s apparently Raven’s lackey comes in with a top rope leg drop, but he’s quickly taken out by Foley who hits him with a barbed wire mandible claw.

    The blood is gushing out of this kids mouth as Foley takes him to the back. In the ring, Raven has handcuffs which he uses to trap Dreamer’s arms behind his back. Raven grabs a chair and uses it to hit Dreamer across the back. Foley screams at Raven that Dreamer is helpless. Dreamer’s wife runs out to the ring, and she begs Raven to stop. Raven looks conflicted, and Dreamer’s wife gives him a hug. Raven pushes her off and hits Dreamer in the head with the chair. He goes for Dreamer’s wife and Foley tries to stop him, so he eats a couple of chair shots for his trouble. Dreamer’s wife hits a low blow, and Dreamer is kind of able to connect with a DDT, but it’s still only good for a two count.

    Raven has the chair and he uses it to hit Dreamer over the head before dropping him on top of it with a DDT. Raven pins Dreamer and he gets the three count.

    Winner: Raven

    After the match, Dreamer makes his way up the ramp with his wife to a ton of applause from the crowd. Dreamer thanks the fans while they chant ‘E-C-Dub’.

    Jeremy Borash is backstage with So Cal Val, and it’s not long before they’re interrupted by New Jack and Mustafa. New Jack asks Val if she knows what you say about black guys, once you go black, you get bad credit. Mustafa chases Val away, and New Jack says that makes JB his bitch. JB makes sure to plug TNA’s website before he goes offscreen with New Jack.

    The originals get a chance to talk about Paul E. Heymen, and there is nothing negative said, which is a little bit surprising when you really think about how ECW ended. I guess time really does heal all wounds.

    Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu

    Rob Van Dam is the first man out to the ring with Alfonso in tow. He gets a nice pop from the crowd, and Fonzie won’t stop tooting on the damn whistle.

    Alfonso runs back up the entrance ramp and takes off his ‘RVD’ jacket. He makes his way back to the ring with Sabu, unsurprisingly, still tooting that damn whistle.

    Van Dam doesn’t even get a mentioned as the TNA World Champion. The bell rings, and Sabu tries right off the bat to dive into Van Dam’s legs. Another attempt and RVD avoids it again. Both men have a bit of a pose off before locking up. Sabu goes behind and locks up RVD until Van Dam is able to get into the ropes. RVD bails to the outside and poses for the crowd. Fonzie advises Sabu to pose for the fans. Another leg dive and Sabu gets it this time, but he’s kicked right off by RVD.

    Another lock up and RVD gets a side head lock. Things change quickly as we get some nice chain wrestling from both men. It’s pretty obvious that both of these guys know each other well. Fonzie throws a chair in the middle of the ring and Sabu comes up with it, throwing it with force into RVD’s head before setting it up, and jumping off of it, splashing RVD in the corner. Sabu gets a near fall and RVD rolls to the outside. Sabu hits a baseball slide that sends RVD into the crowd. Sabu sets up a chair in the ring and uses it to jump to the top rope, and then the outside on top of RVD.

    Sabu makes it back into the ring and RVD is there shortly after. Sabu goes right for the cover but RVD kicks out. Sabu locks in the reverse chin lock and stomps on RVD before picking up the chair and slamming it down into RVD’s back. Sabu applies a modified camel clutch with a chair across Van Dam’s back for a bit before setting up another chair and trying for another splash in the corner. This time though, RVD dropkicks the chair into Sabu’s legs. RVD sets up the chair and tries to monkey flip Sabu on top of it, but it looks like Sabu pretty much misses it. RVD throws the chair into Sabu’s head and tries for a pin but he only gets two. Sabu sends Van Dam into the corner and follows it up with a big clothesline that’s good for a two count.

    Sabu and RVD both go for springboard moves in the corner and collide, crashing down to the mat. Fonzie comes into the ring and backs the referee off. He tosses both RVD and Sabu water, telling them both to drink up. They then both go to the outside where they both grab tables. They then run around to the hard camera side of the ring where RVD jumps up to the apron and right off with a single leg drop kick to Sabu’s face. RVD picks Sabu up and hits a front suplex, placing him on the barricade. RVD goes to the apron and hits the corkscrew leg drop on Sabu, who’s still hung up on the barricade.

    Van Dam rolls Sabu into the ring on top of an unfolded table, and places a chair on Sabu’s chest, slingshotting himself out to the apron with a big leg drop across Sabu’s chest. Van Dam tries for a quick cover, but he only gets two. Sabu charges RVD in the corner, but he eats a shoulder. Van Dam climbs the ropes, and Fonzie throws a chair to Sabu who throws it at RVD’s face. Sabu puts the chair in the middle of the ring and hits a top rope hurricarana that sends RVD back first on top of the chair. Sabu then hits a chair assisted Arabian facebuster, but it’s not enough to keep RVD down. RVD hits a drop toe hold and Sabu’s face is smashed into a chair. RVD crotches Sabu on the top rope and he calls Fonzie into the ring and asks him to hold the chair in front of Sabu, Fonzie obliges and RVD connects with the Van Daminator.

    RVD rolls Sabu back in the ring and hits a split legged moonsault that’s good for a two, and Sabu keeps grabbing his nost. RVD goes for a table and begins setting it up, and Sabu has a chair that he uses to toss at Van Dam’s back, then his face. Sabu hits a leg drop, but RVD is in the ropes and the ref doesn’t count it. Sabu is whipped into the corner and RVD connects with a big kick to the face. Van Dam sets a chair on Sabu’s chest and connects with rolling thunder.

    RVD grabs a chair, and uses it to assist a corner dropkick, slamming the chair into Sabu’s head. Sabu starts to fight back, hitting a big boot and a springboard twisting DDT that sends Van Dam head first into one of the chairs in the ring. Sabu goes for the cover but Van Dam kicks out at two. Sabu drills Van Dam with a chair assisted leg drop but it’s still only good enough for a near fall. Sabu brings RVD to his feet and drapes him across the table, but when he dives off the top with a chair assisted leg drop, Van Dam is able to avoid it and Sabu crashes through the table. RVD goes up top to hit the five star frog splash and he connects. RVD pins Sabu, and this one is over.

    Winner: Rob Van Dan

    Fonzie helps Sabu to his feet while RVD celebrates, but Sabu drops right back down to his knees. Sabu talks to the ref and points to his ribs. RVD hands the belt to Fonzie and backs him off. He goes to help Sabu, but Sabu pushes him away. Sabu stops though, and hugs Van Dam before raising his hand.

    The Originals make their way down to the ring with beers in hand, and everyone gets a brew. Lots of ‘thank you’ chants. Everyone toasts with everyone else, and even Dixie Carter gets a beer. ‘F you Vince’ chants. Dreamer grabs the mic, he thanks Taz and Tenay and says they’ve got beers for them. Dreamer thanks everyone watching at home, saying this couldn’t have happened without Dixie Carter. Brother Ray grabs Dixie and brings her up to the ring. Dreamer says to everyone in TNA, they set the bar, and hopes that they can raise it. Dreamer says that was one hell of an F’n Pay Per View, and he thanks the fans once more.

  • Jerry Lynn Comments On His Back Injury

    SEScoops confirmed over the weekend that former ECW Champion Jerry Lynn has been forced to pull out of his main event match with Rob Van Dam scheduled for tonight’s TNA Hardcore Justice pay-per-view.

    Fanhouse.com reached Lynn, who commented on the disappointment of having to miss tonight’s match.

    “I’ve been looking forward to this match for years and finally thought it was going to happen” Lynn said.

    Lynn and Rob Van Dam had several classic matches on ECW pay-per-views in the late 90s that included several “Match of the Year” candidates and set the standard for PPV main events at the time.

    “Unfortunately, I got hurt. I’m really disappointed and hopefully it will happen in the future.”