TNA Wrestling World champion A.J. Styles was interviewed by Perth, Australia’s 91.3 SportFM and spoke TNA’s desire to compete with WWE.
Radio host Jason Dattilo asked Styles about the rumor that TNA Wrestling could be moving their programming to Monday nights to compete with WWE Raw and start a new Monday Night War. When asked whether TNA on Monday nights will ever happen, Styles responded confidently by saying, “Absolutely. One day it will happen, there’s no doubt about it. I know we can run with them.”
This brought the conversation to whether TNA is ready to start a war and what is holding them back from being ready to take WWE down. Styles implied that money was a big reason WWE is able to produce a top notch product and get their brand name out there. “A lot of things (wrong) are our production issues. The reason why WWE is out there and so big and been there so long and their production is very expensive. We’re working our way up there to get to that point. We just don’t have the money they do.” Styles also pointed to TNA not having the brand awareness that WWE has in the marketplace. Styles said if the production value picks up and TNA can “get their name out there,”, he sees TNA being able to compete with WWE.
Styles also named Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Christian and Evan Bourne as WWE superstars who would be a good fit in TNA.
Two new Lucha Libre-themed restaurants located in New York City have been reviewed by New York Magazine – Cascabel and La Lucha. Both establishments are being praised for their The review focused mix of authentic Mexican food and a “near-obsessive” collection of Mexican wrestling memorabilia.
Cascabel is described as having, “floor-to-ceiling lucha-libre posters, luchador toys and figurines galore, and affiliated knickknacks of every sort. Vintage lucha-libre films are projected against a wall. Even the friendly waitress pops up at your table from time to time wearing a luchador mask. The whole trippy affair brings to mind a goofy teenage fan’s bedroom, crossed with the type of apartment TV cops burst into only to discover a photo montage of the serial killer’s latest victim.”
To read a detailed review of both restaurants, visit New York Magazine’s Undergroud Gourmet Review at NYMag.com.
WWE taped this week’s editions of ECW on Syfy and WWE Superstars on WGN on Sunday night in Virginia.
Thanks to reader Nicolas Moore for sending in this live report:
Dark Match:
Kaval (Low Ki) beat Paul Burchill w/ Katie Lee via pin after a ghetto stomp from the top rope.
ECW:
Show starts off with The Abraham Washington Show with Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendez. Now I was right beside the titantron however there was a curtain blocking my path so I couldn’t see but I could hear. They read poems to each other and apparently started making out on the couch. End of segment.
Backstage, Regal is talking to Ezekiel about his actions last week and how he needs to get his head in the game because tonight he’s tagging with Kozlov against Christian and Shelton Benjamin.
Goldust beats William Regal after a rollup after Ezekiel and Kozlov getting a scruff outside of the ring costing Regal the match.
Backstage, ECW GM Tiffany (sp?) is talking to Paul Burchill about how he can’t get back on ECW because of the loss against Hurricane a couple weeks back. Burchill storms out and gets passed by Trent Boretta and C. Croft and they talk to Tiffany about their coming up match.
Trent Boretta and C. Croft beat Bobby Shields and ???? (Couldn’t make out his name) in a pretty boring match. Seems as though Boretta and Croft are heels.
Christian and Shelton Benjamin beat Ezekiel and Vlad Kozlov after Benjamin hits a t-bone suplex on Kozlov. More arguing between the roundtable (Ezekiel, Kozlov, and Regal)
Superstars:
Hurricane beats Zack Ryder via DQ after a masked man runs out into the ring and hits a suplex on Hurricane. Before this happens, Ryder rolls out of the ring and lays there until after the match is over.
Dolph Ziggler beats Matt Hardy which I thought was the match of the night. Ziggler won by a rollup with constant false counts.
WWE taped this week’s editions of ECW on Syfy and WWE Superstars on WGN on Sunday night in Virginia.
Thanks to reader Nicolas Moore for sending in this live report:
Dark Match:
Kaval (Low Ki) beat Paul Burchill w/ Katie Lee via pin after a ghetto stomp from the top rope.
ECW:
Show starts off with The Abraham Washington Show with Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendez. Now I was right beside the titantron however there was a curtain blocking my path so I couldn’t see but I could hear. They read poems to each other and apparently started making out on the couch. End of segment.
Backstage, Regal is talking to Ezekiel about his actions last week and how he needs to get his head in the game because tonight he’s tagging with Kozlov against Christian and Shelton Benjamin.
Goldust beats William Regal after a rollup after Ezekiel and Kozlov getting a scruff outside of the ring costing Regal the match.
Backstage, ECW GM Tiffany (sp?) is talking to Paul Burchill about how he can’t get back on ECW because of the loss against Hurricane a couple weeks back. Burchill storms out and gets passed by Trent Boretta and C. Croft and they talk to Tiffany about their coming up match.
Trent Boretta and C. Croft beat Bobby Shields and ???? (Couldn’t make out his name) in a pretty boring match. Seems as though Boretta and Croft are heels.
Christian and Shelton Benjamin beat Ezekiel and Vlad Kozlov after Benjamin hits a t-bone suplex on Kozlov. More arguing between the roundtable (Ezekiel, Kozlov, and Regal)
Superstars:
Hurricane beats Zack Ryder via DQ after a masked man runs out into the ring and hits a suplex on Hurricane. Before this happens, Ryder rolls out of the ring and lays there until after the match is over.
Dolph Ziggler beats Matt Hardy which I thought was the match of the night. Ziggler won by a rollup with constant false counts.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR wrote about:
His future in WWE: “Some think that it is automatic that when/if I return to WWE that I am automatically going back on the Smackdown announce team. I wouldn’t say it’s automatic at all. Let’s allow all the issues to play out and then see where I land. It might be Smackdown and then again it might not. I don’t have a crystal ball to gaze into but within the next few months things will shake out.”
Steve Austin & Ric Flair In TNA: “Will Steve Austin ever go to TNA? That’s a question for Steve but my educated guess would be no. I don’t think Steve has any intention of ever wrestling again as he focuses on his movie career which is both time consuming and challenging for the ‘new guy.’ Steve is and always will, be a fan of the wrestling business but he’s building a body of work in the movie business and has been involved in, I think, 3 or 4 productions this year alone which is a helluva, challenging schedule “Will Ric Flair ever go to TNA? Again, that’s a “Naitch” question but the chances of Flair doing some work with TNA especially now that Hulk (Hogan) is headed there is much more likely than had Hulk not joined TNA in my opinion. Bottom line is that the above questions re: Austin and Flair can only be definitively answered by those two men but at least I addressed the questions of which we have been inundated.”
Why WWE PPV Buyrates Are Down: “Read something about “why PPV buys are down in wrestling.” That’s an easy one. If the product/attraction is what the fans want to see they will find a way to buy it. PPV’s are attraction driven. Give me what I want and I will pay you for it. Obviously, some folks can’t afford the volume of PPV’s that come their way plus seemingly having a PPV every three weeks or so is not advantageous. One’s disposable income is an issue with buying any non essential products but wrestling fans will usually pony up the cash if the attractions are in place. Plus, it makes sense that more folks are chipping in and watching the PPV’s together.”
As always, you can read the rest of JR’s informative blog at JRsBarBQ.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR wrote about:
His future in WWE: “Some think that it is automatic that when/if I return to WWE that I am automatically going back on the Smackdown announce team. I wouldn’t say it’s automatic at all. Let’s allow all the issues to play out and then see where I land. It might be Smackdown and then again it might not. I don’t have a crystal ball to gaze into but within the next few months things will shake out.”
Steve Austin & Ric Flair In TNA: “Will Steve Austin ever go to TNA? That’s a question for Steve but my educated guess would be no. I don’t think Steve has any intention of ever wrestling again as he focuses on his movie career which is both time consuming and challenging for the ‘new guy.’ Steve is and always will, be a fan of the wrestling business but he’s building a body of work in the movie business and has been involved in, I think, 3 or 4 productions this year alone which is a helluva, challenging schedule “Will Ric Flair ever go to TNA? Again, that’s a “Naitch” question but the chances of Flair doing some work with TNA especially now that Hulk (Hogan) is headed there is much more likely than had Hulk not joined TNA in my opinion. Bottom line is that the above questions re: Austin and Flair can only be definitively answered by those two men but at least I addressed the questions of which we have been inundated.”
Why WWE PPV Buyrates Are Down: “Read something about “why PPV buys are down in wrestling.” That’s an easy one. If the product/attraction is what the fans want to see they will find a way to buy it. PPV’s are attraction driven. Give me what I want and I will pay you for it. Obviously, some folks can’t afford the volume of PPV’s that come their way plus seemingly having a PPV every three weeks or so is not advantageous. One’s disposable income is an issue with buying any non essential products but wrestling fans will usually pony up the cash if the attractions are in place. Plus, it makes sense that more folks are chipping in and watching the PPV’s together.”
As always, you can read the rest of JR’s informative blog at JRsBarBQ.com.
Hulk Hogan’s son Nick Bollea was involved in a “minor” car accident last night in downtown Los Angeles. Nobody was seriously injured.
Ironically, Bollea had just left a charity event to raise money for the “Keep It On The Track” organization, which teaches people to drive safely.
Police did appear at the scene, but nobody was arrested and no report was made. Bollea served over 4 months in jail for August 2007 car wreck that left his passenger John Graziano brain damaged.
WWE Raw Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin was pulled over by a police officer while driving on Saturday night and wrote about the situation on Twitter as it unfolded.
“Just got pulled over. This always happens to me. Let’s see if I can get just a warning. Prob not though never that lucky,” said Miz regarding the encounter, presumably related to a minor traffic offense (such as speeding).
He later added, “And the verdict is in….not guilty. Well actually I was guilty but was let go with a warning. See there r nice cops out there.”
While getting pulled over for a minor traffic is not a huge deal (especially when he didn’t even receive a ticket), Miz’s Twitter postings seem to represent the kind of publicity WWE wanted to avoid when it supposedly told their superstars to limit their Twitter use and not post anything controversial.
Visit our new affiliate site PWTweets.com to read the Twitter posts of pro wrestlers and divas!
A few WWE superstars and Divas returned to the ring this weekend at their brands’ respective live events:
– Rey Mysterio returned to action at the SmackDown live event in Maryland, defeating Chris Jericho in the main event. A fan report from the show says Rey wasn’t selling the injury from Batista at all. Mysterio suffered a brutal attack at the hands of Batista after their match at Survivor Series. Read More: Rey Mysterio Surgery Update
– WWE Diva Maryse returned to the ring at Friday night’s RAW live event in Johnson City, Tennessee.
– Carlito made his return to action at that same show defeating WWE developmental talent Alex Riley. There have been reports that Carlito is currently in the “dog house” and not on good terms with WWE management. Read More: Carlito In The WWE Dog House?
A few WWE superstars and Divas returned to the ring this weekend at their brands’ respective live events:
– Rey Mysterio returned to action at the SmackDown live event in Maryland, defeating Chris Jericho in the main event. A fan report from the show says Rey wasn’t selling the injury from Batista at all. Mysterio suffered a brutal attack at the hands of Batista after their match at Survivor Series. Read More: Rey Mysterio Surgery Update
– WWE Diva Maryse returned to the ring at Friday night’s RAW live event in Johnson City, Tennessee.
– Carlito made his return to action at that same show defeating WWE developmental talent Alex Riley. There have been reports that Carlito is currently in the “dog house” and not on good terms with WWE management. Read More: Carlito In The WWE Dog House?
Hulk Hogan's "Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin" Australian Tour
Australian film maker Keith Loutit used special photo lenses and time lapse animation to create a unique short film of last Saturday’s Hulkamania show in Melbourne.
Loutit explained to Australia’s 9 News how he made the film and why he selected the Hulkamania tour as his latest project.
“Tilt-shift photography creates a narrow depth of field, It creates the illusion of something that is really small and close to the eye. Time lapse creates the very jerky feel which makes it feel like claymation. Most of the work I do is documentary work around Sydney but I wanted an opportunity to shoot something that I felt would suit the style”
Loutit thinks that the claymation effect would translate well to pro wrestling, which has immortalized its superstars in toy form for decades. “Hulk Hogan was such a pop culture icon in the ’80s and ’90s and people of my generation had Hulk Hogan action figures, so it seemed like a good choice.”
– Linda McMahon is getting some criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike for her wishy-washy response to a question about whether the 9/11 trials should be held in New York. “I’ll probably have more firm policy statements after the first of the year,” she said. Her detractors say that her refusal to pick a side shows her inexperience. A spokesman for one of Linda’s Republican opponents in the Senate race said, “It is deeply disappointing that when given the opportunity to stand firm against Sen. Dodd’s dangerous and misguided approach, Mrs. McMahon took a pass. It goes to show that slick campaign ads and an army of high-priced consultants can’t buy the experience and judgment necessary to keep our nation safe.”
UPDATE: The McMahon campaign now tells Courant.com: “Linda is opposed to trying Khalid Sheik Mohammad in civilian court. Her position on terrorist trials is crystal clear and unwavering, just as it is with cap-and-trade, card check legislation, government-run healthcare and runaway spending.”
Warning: The following contains a minor spoiler for Friday’s SmackDown:
– The WWE superstar formerly known as Festus has been repackaged and is now aligned with C.M. Punk. During Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping, Festus joined Punk in the ring and announced himself as Luke Gallos. Gallos acted like a normal guy and blamed his previous mental condition on years of drug abuse. Punk took credit for helping Gallos get off drugs and has taken him under his wing. As we reported several weeks ago, Festus will serve as Punk’s enforcer.
With WWE Survivor Series already in the rear-view mirror, we’ve turned corner on WWE’s calendar year and the road to WrestleMania 26 has begun. Here’s the latest on what WWE is currently planning for the big event:
– There is a feeling in WWE that something special’ needs to be done with The Undertaker for WrestleMania 26. WWE knows that more and more fans are tired of the same old matches and want to deliver a match that fans have not seen before. The Dead Man’s health continues to deteriorate and he’s less mobile now than he’s ever been, so his years as a Wrestlemania draw are certainly winding down. Right now, a match with John Cena is being strongly considered as the main event for WrestleMania.
– There is also talk of a Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 26. The two have wrestled each other many times before, but not in several years and never on the grand stage of WrestleMania. While DX is still one of the top babyface acts in WWE, this one makes sense and WWE may have planted the seed for the match at Survivor Series with HBK superkicking the Game in the opening moments of their triple threat match with John Cena.
– At one point, there had been a plan for a CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Hair vs. Mask match at WrestleMania 26, but this is unlikely to happen now considering Mysterio’s injury problems.
(Credit to PWInsider for some of the information used in this report)
With WWE Survivor Series already in the rear-view mirror, we’ve turned corner on WWE’s calendar year and the road to WrestleMania 26 has begun. Here’s the latest on what WWE is currently planning for the big event:
– There is a feeling in WWE that something special’ needs to be done with The Undertaker for WrestleMania 26. WWE knows that more and more fans are tired of the same old matches and want to deliver a match that fans have not seen before. The Dead Man’s health continues to deteriorate and he’s less mobile now than he’s ever been, so his years as a Wrestlemania draw are certainly winding down. Right now, a match with John Cena is being strongly considered as the main event for WrestleMania.
– There is also talk of a Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 26. The two have wrestled each other many times before, but not in several years and never on the grand stage of WrestleMania. While DX is still one of the top babyface acts in WWE, this one makes sense and WWE may have planted the seed for the match at Survivor Series with HBK superkicking the Game in the opening moments of their triple threat match with John Cena.
– At one point, there had been a plan for a CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Hair vs. Mask match at WrestleMania 26, but this is unlikely to happen now considering Mysterio’s injury problems.
(Credit to PWInsider for some of the information used in this report)
WWE taped this week’s edition of Smackdown tonight from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Below are full results:
* The show opens with Chris Jericho talking about defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at WWE’s TLC PPV. He says tonight’s Batista vs. Kane match will determine the new number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jericho says he should be in the match. Teddy Long comes out
and sets up Jericho vs. The Undertaker in a non-title match for later in the night.
* The Hart Dynasty b. Cryme Tyme
* Vickie Guerrero and Eric Escobar demand to Teddy Long that he get a shot at the Intercontinental Championship in a backstage segment. Long makes the match against John Morrison, but says it will be his only shot.
* CM Punk brings Festus out with a brown paper bag. Punk introduces Festus under a new gimmick and says his friends gave him pills in the past, which caused him to act like they did. Punk says what is inside the bag comes out December 1st and he’s scared it will be available to the public. The pulls out the new Jeff Hardy DVD which brings out Matt Hardy.
* Matt Hardy b. CM Punk via disqualification after interference from Festus. After the match, Punk and Festus beat down Hardy.
* Mickie James is asked what she thinks of Michelle McCool’s video last week. James says she doesn’t care how juvenile Layla and McCool get and she’s not leaving Smackdown.
* Batista b. Kane via count count out to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship
* WWE Intercontinental Champion John Morrison b. Eric Escobar to retain. After the match, Vickie was furious as Escobar and spit on him. The fight spews to the back with Escobar telling Vickie she makes him sick when she kisses him. He “breaks up” with her.
* World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker b. Chris Jericho by disqualification. Batista was on commentary for the match. Batista interfered when Undertaker was going for the Tombstone. The show ended with Batista beating down Undertaker.
* After the match, CM Punk came out and started beating up Undertaker with Jericho and Batista. Kane came out and made the save.
Hulk Hogan's "Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin" Australian Tour
Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania Tour
Perth, Australia – November 24th, 2009
Report by Jaredin Mayfair, F4Wonline.com
I attended the second leg of the Hulkamania tour tonight in Perth, Australia.
The setup was decent, with a big screen periodically playing backstage vignettes throughout the night and a ring adorned with red and yellow Hulkamania ropes. Music and titantrons were all generic. Crowd was shy to start off with, but got into the show as it went along and were really hot for the main event.
Here are the results:
Match 1 – Rikishi & Brian Christopher def. Rock Of Love
Basic match built around Rikishi setting up and eventually performing the stinkface. It got a decent pop from the crowd. Rikishi sat on a guy for the win. Rikishi, Christopher and the referee danced after the match,
Match 2 Shannon Moore def. Spartan 3000 Matt Cross
It was announced this was the 2nd match in a best of 3 series to win $25,000. Matt Cross has a Spartan warrior gimmick. Moore won with a corkscrew moonsault, tieing the series at 1-1. Moore looked good, I could see him fitting in OK in TNA.
Match 3 Rosey def. Godfather (w/Ho s) and Val Venis in a Three Way Dance
Rosey came out in his old superhero gear. According to his titantron, his ring name was Big Daddy Row Row. Val Venis heeled on the crowd before the match. Godfather s Ho s got the second biggest pop of the night. Basically Rosey and Godfather teaming up on Val. Funny moment where Rosey was hitting jabs on Val and the crowd chanted S.H.I.T. with each punch. Rosey pinned Val with a samoan drop. Rosey and Godfather left together with the Ho s after the match.
Match 4 Heidenreich & Gangrel & Black Pearl def. Nasty Boys & Eugene (w/Jimmy Hart)
Heidenreich was doing the Heidenwalk. Gangrel did the blood spit. Lots of stalling in this match, the heels got the heat on Eugene as the Nasty Boys pumped up the crowd. Sags looks in really good shape, Knobs not so much. At one point as the heels worked on Eugene, Gangrel screamed Kill that retard! . Probably the worst match of the night. Jimmy Hart doesn t seem to age. Heidenreich ended up pinning Eugene with a sidewalk slam. Nastys teased using some plunder, but didn t deliver.
Intermission
Bikini Contest
3 unknowns came out and Godfather hosted. It ended up breaking down into a pillow fight.
Match 5 Orlando Jordan def. Ken Kennedy
Kennedy did his pre-match mic routine but said Mr Anderson instead. Orlando s theme music has a line saying All the girls love me, and all the guys want to get with me . Probably the best match of the night, they worked well together. Orlando got the pin using the ropes.
Match 6 Umaga def. Brutus Beefcake (w/Jimmy Hart)
Strange matchup. Very short, with Umaga getting the pin after the Samoan Spike. Brutus sold it big time and was helped to the back afterwards.
Match 6 Hulk Hogan def. Ric Flair (w/Lacey Von Erich)
Before the match, the ring announcer said this is now No DQ. Deafening reactions for both Hogan and Flair. Hogan came out to the WCW American Made theme music. Both bled heavily very early in the match. Lots of chops to Hogan, he took his only back bump in the match from one of them. Hogan threw Flair off the top rope. Flair did the full moon spot. Orlando Jordan and Heidenreich came out and started beating down Hogan, but the Nasty Boys made the save and also gave Flair Pitty City. Hogan and Flair crowd brawled for a while. At one point Jimmy Hart came out and pulled Lacey Von Erich off the apron, accidentally exposing her ass for a moment. Hogan also gave her an atomic drop. Umaga then came out and beat up on Hogan and gave him the corner splash. Hogan then Hulked up, gave Flair a terrible big boot then clocked him with Jimmy Hart s megaphone for the pin.
Hogan did his posing routine for a few minutes after the match to end the show.
In retrospect, the show was nothing special. The action was basic, and the spectacle of the main event got really cheapened by all the run-ins. However, it was worth it for the chance to see both Hogan and Flair live, especially here in isolated Western Australia.
Monday’s special 3-hour Thanksgiving edition of WWE Raw hosted by Jesse Ventura did a 3.23 overall rating. The final 2 hours of the show, Raw’s typical timeslot, did a strong 3.55 rating – up from last week’s 3.47.
The hourly ratings were 2.60, 3.60 and 3.50 rating. When WWE runs 3-hour Raws, the first hour typically draws considerably fewer viewers than the second and third hours.
Comparing the final two hours of this week to last week’s show from Madision Square Garden, viewership was up 2.5 percent
(Credit to the Pro Wrestling Torch for the ratings data used in this report)
As previously reported, Rey Mysterio’s knee is in bad shape and the former World Heavyweight champion will need surgery to repair the situation. The beatdown he suffered at the hands of Batista following their match at Survivor Series was done to set up his time away from the ring.
While there was talk that he’d undergo an extensive surgery to fully repair the ACL, Mysterio is now is said to be considering a less invasive procedure on his ACL that would allow him to return sooner than later.
The more invasive procedure would have kept him out of action for upto 9 months and he would have missed WrestleMania 26. While this other surgery he’s considering will allow him to return at the Royal Rumble, he will still need major surgery down the road, likely after he retires.
(Credit to PWInsider.com for some of the information used in this report)
We’ve been covering the story that Shane McMahon recently met with UFC officials. At the UFC 106 posts-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White confirmed that he met with McMahon, but would not give further details regarding the nature of the meeting.
We’ve now learned that Shane McMahon is interested in purchasing a financial interest in UFC.
McMahon, who currently servces as WWE’s Vice President of Global Media, will officially leave that post on January 1, 2010 and be free to work elsewhere.
With his extensive knowledge of marketing and expanding a sports brand into new markets, McMahon could be a big asset to the UFC as they continue their international expansion.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what Ross said about:
Jesse Ventura Hosting Raw: “Jesse Ventura did an excellent job as guest general manager … Jesse looked good, had his usual distinctive, great delivery and, for me, created an interest in checking out his new “Conspiracy Theory” program that debuts soon on truTV. Ventura and McMahon was a fun trip down memory lane and they were, perhaps, the 2nd best broadcast team to appear on Monday Night Raw in a good while as in the summer of ’08. Just one man’s totally biased opinion. I would have been happy to have flown in and produced the two wrestling legends.”
Sheamus’ Push: “Sheamus has found himself in a great spot to help begin building his long term foundation in WWE. I read where some pundits felt the incident between the young Irishman and John Cena was “flat.” I disagree. Obviously, the crowd sitting in their seats over three hours is challenging, has an influence but isn’t the real reason. However, let’s all remember that Sheamus hasn’t been on Raw in any significant role for, what, a month, 5 weeks? Sheamus has not even been in a long term personal issue with a main event, Raw wrestler yet…until now. Bottom line is that Sheamus’ persona is still evolving and the next two weeks and then TLC is highly important to Sheamus’ development. At worst, the WWE has made a new, fresh main event for a PPV and from where I sit that is a good thing.”
The Rock Saying He’d Work With WWE Again: “I would bet a 6 Pak Challenge and throw in a case of BBQ Sauce that those remarks don’t mean that Dwayne is thinking about wrestling again. I do not see that occurring but his appearances could mean an unlimited number of other things that don’t include putting on the tights. Time will tell.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what Ross said about:
Jesse Ventura Hosting Raw: “Jesse Ventura did an excellent job as guest general manager … Jesse looked good, had his usual distinctive, great delivery and, for me, created an interest in checking out his new “Conspiracy Theory” program that debuts soon on truTV. Ventura and McMahon was a fun trip down memory lane and they were, perhaps, the 2nd best broadcast team to appear on Monday Night Raw in a good while as in the summer of ’08. Just one man’s totally biased opinion. I would have been happy to have flown in and produced the two wrestling legends.”
Sheamus’ Push: “Sheamus has found himself in a great spot to help begin building his long term foundation in WWE. I read where some pundits felt the incident between the young Irishman and John Cena was “flat.” I disagree. Obviously, the crowd sitting in their seats over three hours is challenging, has an influence but isn’t the real reason. However, let’s all remember that Sheamus hasn’t been on Raw in any significant role for, what, a month, 5 weeks? Sheamus has not even been in a long term personal issue with a main event, Raw wrestler yet…until now. Bottom line is that Sheamus’ persona is still evolving and the next two weeks and then TLC is highly important to Sheamus’ development. At worst, the WWE has made a new, fresh main event for a PPV and from where I sit that is a good thing.”
The Rock Saying He’d Work With WWE Again: “I would bet a 6 Pak Challenge and throw in a case of BBQ Sauce that those remarks don’t mean that Dwayne is thinking about wrestling again. I do not see that occurring but his appearances could mean an unlimited number of other things that don’t include putting on the tights. Time will tell.”
As seen last week on SmackDown, Mickie James was introduced to Michelle McCool’s personalized version of “Old McDonald,” a video designed to degrade the curvaceous SmackDown Diva with its starring character “Piggy James.” For those wondering, the segment was indeed designed to send a message to the multi-time women’s champion.
WWE brass aren’t happy with James venturing outside of the company for her country music aspirations as they believe she’s heading down the same path as the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” and Stacy Keibler, who let their outside endeavours overtake their commitments to the company.
Additionally, company officials have not been pleased with James’ weight in recent months, which was another reason for the degrading segment.
(Credit to PWInsider.com for some of the information used in this report)