Solomonster Sounds Off

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 119)
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Est. Runtime: 53 minutes

Solomonster talks Impact, Hardcore Justice, Summerslam buildup, Manami Toyota coming to the US, and the first ever FACEBOOK MAILBAG!

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 118)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 39 minutes

Solomonster is back with thoughts on Money in the Bank and Kane’s title win, Bret Hart’s big return to Raw, a rare thumbs up for Michael Cole, Tommy Dreamer’s big speech on Impact, Randy Savage resurfaces and some personal words to conclude.

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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-The following was posted on the official Facebook page for Shawn Michaels and his wife, Rebecca:

The staff and crew of the national TV hunting show “The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark” (formerly Higher Grounds Outdoors) has finished filming the 3 episodes with Shawn and Rebecca on “The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark”.

The episodes were shot in Venado Creek Ranch in Texas last Febuary of this year and airs this end of July or August. The episodes will feature Shawn and Rebecca talks about hunting, hunts pheasant, shooting rifles and bows on their “dream hunts”.

“The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark” is featured on both the Pursuit Channel every (Wednesdays 12:30 AM EST / Wednesdays 7:30 PM EST / Sundays 4:30 PM EST) and on Sportsman Channel every (Tuesdays 8:00 PM EST / Thursday 12:00 AM EST / Sunday 4:00 PM EST).

To see images from their Facebook page of both Shawn and Rebecca in hunting action, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

-Jay Lethal, Mick Foley and Kurt Angle are currently on a six-day promotional tour in India designed to help promote TNA.  There has been talk of running the country sometime in early 2011.  In an article written for Yahoo News India, Angle commented, “It’s simply amazing.  I had never seen such a warm reception as the one we got at the Mumbai airport.”  You can read the full story HERE.

The last time WWE ran a tour of India, numerous wrestlers fell ill (and William Regal nearly died) and many have said that if forced to go back, they would quit the company instead.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

-WWE’s marketing deparment was told a few weeks ago that Vince McMahon does not want any usage of things related to the image of Shawn Michaels. Those close to Michaels say he is mentally done with wrestling and, in his mind right now, he will never come back in ANY form. Not sure what happened, but Michaels was quite vocal many weeks back about his displeasure with his former student, Daniel Bryan, being released by the company.

-Bret Hart will be married to girlfriend Stephanie Washington this Saturday in Calgary. He was scheduled to go to Hawaii on his honeymoon, so unless plans have changed, he will likely not be on Raw this Monday.

Today at the Comic Con event in San Diego, Mattel announced that both Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage have been signed by the company to be part of their WWE line of action figures.

When the announcement was made about Savage being part of the series, it stirred up a huge reaction at the event. This would be the first Macho Man action WWE figure since the early 1990’s when the company was then working with the Hasbro toy company. WWE did produce a “Macho Madness” 3-disc DVD set last year that was mostly well-received by fans, though it lacked a documentary portion.

Savage was last seen on WWE television in 1994 as an announcer alongside Vince McMahon on Monday Night Raw. Later that year, he jumped ship to WCW and has had little or no contact with McMahon since that time, and no one seems to have a definitive reason as to why.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Sources indicate that in a recent meeting with TNA President Dixie Carter, Paul Heyman emphasized he didn’t believe in drastic changes, bur rather the way to go is with new talent as the key stars while using a few veterans to give them credibility, not unlike how he used Terry Funk in the original ECW. Ironically, Heyman did not support the idea of an ECW invasion when it was brought up, yet Carter went ahead and did it anyway, plugging Tommy Dreamer into the role that essentially would have belonged to Heyman (both on-screen and behind the scenes).

Heyman is also said to have told Carter to her face that of the older legends they have under contract, she could keep one and get rid of the others, and she didn’t seem to understand why. Carter has been loyal to the stars of the past and has been resistant to giving anyone the authority to hire or fire people. This includes Vince Russo and even Jim Ross, back when they were making a serious play for him.

While the Heyman deal is cold, it is nowhere close to being dead. TNA sees Heyman’s asking for points in the company as merely a negotiating tactic and is still hopeful a deal can be reached.

-The injury for which Triple H underwent surgery was a torn biceps. The current belief is that it could be as late as December before he is healthy enough to return, with late October being optimistic. He is still being considered for a heel turn and alignment with Nexus, although if it were to happen, they would need to drag the angle out for at least a few more months.

-Ricky Steamboat remains in the hospital and continues to experience a great deal of head pain. This, coupled with the fact that he has been there for so many weeks now, has people very concerned.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

(partial credit: pwtorch.com)

New offerings this week on WWE’s Classics on Demand channel include:

Big Ones Section
WCW Superbrawl 2 (2/29/92)
Old School – Philadelphia, PA 9/1/84

TV Classics Section
ECW TV 4/22/97
WWF Primetime Wrestling 10/4/88
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 4/7/82

Legends Section
Best of WWE Volume 7

Shorties Section
Dangerous Alliance
DOA vs. Truth Commission
Gary Hart Inc.
Dungeon of Doom
Spirit Squad vs. Kane/Undertaker

Editorial Note: The opening bout at Superbrawl between Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger is awesome stuff that you should go out of your way to see if you never have before. Some might say this was the bout that ushered in the type of acrobatic wrestling that is more commonplace today.

For those of you with access to the service but who do not subscribe, it really is worth every penny. In some places, it’s as low as $6/month, which is a steal. You won’t see product shilling here very often, so just consider this a hearty endorsement of classic wrestling.

-If you thought the guest host concept was dead, think again. WWE has announced two new hosts, both appearing on Raw this October. Actor Bobb’e J. Thompson will host Monday Night Raw on October 18th in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thompson stars in the upcoming WWE Film’s release Knucklehead with Big Show, set for release October 22nd.

In addition, WWE also announced that country singer Toby Keith will guest host on October 25th, the night after the Bragging Rights pay-per-view, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Keith is a huge wrestling fan who has appeared on TNA television in the past.

-Tommy Dreamer, presently entrenched in the ECW invasion storyline with TNA, posted a message of congratulations on his Twitter page yesterday to the new World Heavyweight champion, Kane: “Congrats to Kane. If anyone ever deserved being a world champion it is him. Even without knees. He is 1 of the best.”

-WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, who will NOT be present backstage at tonight’s taping in Tulsa, just tweeted the following on his Twitter page:

“I’ll not be in Tulsa 2nite but will be watching. Surprise awaits”

For what it’s worth, Nexus member Wade Barrett also alluded to some sort of surprise on Raw tonight during his post-show promo last night when the Money in the Bank PPV went off the air.

Here are quick results from tonight’s frst ever WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri:

Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Kane def. Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Drew McIntyre after chokeslamming McIntyre off the ladder to grab the briefcase.

Divas Championship Match

Alicia Fox def. Eve Torres to retain the Divas Title after using her Axe Kick.

Unified Tag Team Championship Match

The Hart Dynasty def. Jimmy & Jay Uso to retain their Unified Tag Team Titles via submission after David Hart Smith used a Sharpshooter on Jimmy.

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Rey Mysterio def. Jack Swagger to retain the World Heavyweight Title with a huracanrana into a pin.

After the match, Swagger worked over Mysterio’s ankle before Kane came out and chased Swagger to the back.  He then returned with the briefcase he won earlier and cashed in his MITB shot.

Kane def. Rey Mysterio in under a minute with a Tombstone to become the NEW World Heavyweight champion!  This is Kane’s first World championship (excluding his ECW Title run in 2008) since his 24 hour reign as WWE champion in 1998.

Women’s Championship Match

Layla def. Kelly Kelly to retain her Women’s Title after reversing a sunset flip attempt into a pin.

Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The Miz def. Evan Bourne, Edge, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, John Morrison, Ted DiBiase and Randy Orton after knocking Orton off the ladder to grab the briefcase.

WWE Championship Steel Cage Match

Sheamus def. John Cena to retain the WWE Title after interference by The Nexus resulted in Sheamus climbing out to the floor.

Cena left three members of The Nexus laying (Darren Young, Michael Tarver and Justin Gabriel) to end the show.

Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 117)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Solomonster talks Solomonster has the mother of all rants on TNA’s supposed “epic” invasion angle, thoughts on ECW’s one last stand, Money in the Bank predictions, Jim Ross removed from WWE’s opening montage, Cena or Triple H going heel to lead Nexus, Jericho possbly leaving WWE, the new Florida promotion and Ric Flair vs. Vader from Starrcade 1993!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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-John Morrison graces the cover of the latest Muscle & Fitness magazine, which has a feature on his daily training routine. Right now on WWE.com, there is a video from the magazine shoot where former WWE champion The Rock makes a brief cameo. To watch the video, click here.

-NXT Season 2 rookies Kaval and Michael McGillicutty captured the FCW Tag Team Titles at the group’s show last night. They defeated Los Aviadores, the team of Tito Colon and Hunico. This is Kaval’s first title run since signing his WWE developmental deal and the former Joe Hennig’s fourth run with the tag belts.

-Regarding rumors of TNA having an interest in JBL, he is definitely not going there.  He and Dixie Carter are friendly, and they had previously courted the former WWE champion prior to their Monday night debut earlier this year, but Layfield has been happily retired since losing to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 25 in 2009.

There is a great deal of speculation about Chris Jericho possibly departing WWE, or at the very least taking a leave of absence, when his contract expires this September. His game show “Downfall” on ABC, according to Jericho’s twitter, will resume filming episodes this fall, and now he has also released a list of UK tour dates for his band Fozzy. As you can see, two of the shows fall on a Monday night and Jericho is (for now) a member of the Raw roster. Moreover, the schedule is extensive and would require him to be out of the country for an extended period in the month of October:

10th – Cardiff, Millenium Hall
11th – Sheffield, Corporation, a Monday night
13th – Edinburgh, Studio 24
14th – Belfast, Spring & Airbreak
15th – Dublin, Button Factory
16th – Manchester, Club Academy 3
17th – Leicster, Leicster Academy
18th – Norwich, Waterfront, a Monday night
19th – Southampton, Taylors
20th – Yeovil, The Orange

The last time Jericho left WWE in August 2005, he did not return to television until November 2007, having arguably the best run of his entire career.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Talk is spreading fast in many circles about a new promotion based in Florida that has already signed close to 40 wrestlers, all of whom have been forced to sign confidentiality agreements to prevent them from speaking about it. The group is said to be run by Pete Karoftis, a former independent promoter in Florida, and Sean Davis, a Florida independent wrestler. The interesting part to all this is that the financing for the operation is said to be coming from Milton Wilpon, a member of the Wilpon family that owns the New York Mets baseball franchise.

The wrestlers’ contracts offer benefits packages that neither WWE or TNA currently offer. The company is trying to keep the names close to the vest as there are names being talked with whose WWE contracts are expiring or who are under contract to TNA, including one major TNA name whose deal is set to expire shortly. They are also going after several top ROH names.

Names that can be confirmed so far include Too Cold Scorpio, Sean Waltman and Vader. Shane Douglas, Justin Credible and Sabu are among the other names being talked with. The group is said to be in favor of unscripted interviews, little in the way of writing out the shows and trying to give it a more legit sports feel.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

-The current plan is for a major name to be revealed as the person behind Nexus. The two names being pitched for heel turns are Triple H and John Cena. Hunter has long wanted to turn back heel, and if you go with Cena, how you then explain all of the beatdowns becomes a logic issue, but that’s never stopped them before.

-Triple H’s tendon tear, for which he underwent surgery last week, is said to have been a minor tear that will keep him out of action anywhere from 2-4 months. With him likely out of the Summerslam picture, other ideas being talked about include John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase, with Melina returning in Morrison’s corner to oppose Maryse, Big Show vs. Jack Swagger, and continuing the Harts-Usos feud for the Unified tag team titles.

(credit f4wonline.com)

-Scott Hall remains in the hospital battling a double pneumonia infextion. Hall recently had a falling out with some close friends as a result of his stubbornness in not entering a hospital earlier than he did. In a recent radio interview Hall did with Sean Waltman, he began sobbing on the air when discussing his health, claiming he also suffers from a psychological disorder. His friends are more concerned for his well being now than at any point in the past.

-Gene Snitsky has a starring role in an upcoming film called “Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge”, the sequel to what was once deemed ‘the worst movie ever made.’ Snitsky said it films in early 2011 and will be released in 2013.

-Booker T is currently writing a book that chronicles his life before wrestling, including growing up on the streets of Houston, going to jail for armed robbery of a Wendy’s and eventually turning his life around.

(credit f4wonline.com)

At the end of tonight’s Impact taping for the 7/22 show, TNA announced the 8/8 Hard Justice PPV will be essentially a remake of the ECW One Night Stand shows from several years ago. Tommy Dreamer even referenced how the 2005 show was supposed to be the end, but Vince McMahon brought it back and ruined it. He got emotional, asking Dixie Carter to give them one last night and she consented, saying the former ECW guys will have full control of the PPV. Dreamer then promised people would see ECW as it should be seen and not what Vince McMahon turned it into.

Thanks to SEScoops reader and Sound Off listener Jeronimo Cárdenas for the results and photo:

-Dark match was Alberto Del Rio over some local wrestler before NXT.  Guy was good… not great, but looked good.

— The NXT battle royal was really confusing live, but the 450 at the end did the trick.   It’s amazing to witness live.

–Smackdown opened with Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston going to a draw after Kane came out and destroyed both men.  He then cut a promo vowing to kill Jack Swagger later.

-Drew McIntyre def. Christian.

-CM Punk and the SES in the ring for a promo before Big Show interrupts.  Show brought out various ladders that didn’t accomodate his size, but then brought out a custom ladder specially made for his size.  SES attacked Show, but he eventually got rid of them and went after Punk.  It culminated with Big Show taking Punk to the top of the ladder and removing his mask!  See the photo below.

-Kelly Kelly and Chris Masters def. Layla and Trent Barretta.  Rosa Mendez came out and distracted Layla by jumping rope.

-Dolph Ziggler def. Matt Hardy.

-Jack Swagger brought out his “father” (SITE NOTE: played by former WCW star Bunkhouse Buck) with “evidence” that would clear him from Kane’s accusations.  It was just a bunch of silly photos with Swagger and his dad doing athletic contests during the  Memorial Day holida.  Kane came out and called BS, then attempted to chokeslam both men.  Swagger fought back and Rey Mysterio came out and attacked Swagger, leading to Kane chokeslamming Swagger’s dad while poor Jack watched from outside the ring.

-Best moments were the Christian-McIntyre match and the Big Show segment with CM Punk (Paul Wight was really over with the crowd.

(credit: prowrestling.net)

-Once Raw went off the air last night, John Cena and Randy Orton defeated Edge and Sheamus in the dark match.  Following the match, with the two babyfaces celebrating, a female fan hopped the barricade and got into the ring at John Cena.  Security quickly grabbed her, though she grabbed hold of the ropes, held on tight and it took several bodies to get her out.

-(SPOILER ALERT) TNA stars Tommy Dreamer and Brother Ray of Team 3D were responsible for leading all the wrestlers involved through a walkthrough of the “invasion” angle that closes out this Thursday’s Impact show.  There was a belief that Dreamer may have suffered some sort of knee injury during the angle, but we have not gotten confirmation of this as of yet.

(credit f4wonline.com)

-TNA President Dixie Carter held a company meeting this afternoon prior to tonight’s Impact taping, but said nothing about any of the rumors swirling around Paul Heyman, Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff.  Rather, she told the wrestlers that they need to tighten up their ring work.  Lots of workers were said to be infuriated by this.

-Speaking of Hogan and Bischoff, neither are at the building tonight, nor are they expected to be there tomorrow.  Bischoff is said to be off at a biker rally while Hogan laying low may actually have more to do with the possibility of Paul Heyman coming in rather than his recent back surgery.  While there is still no deal between the two sides, negotiations are still very much active with the former head of ECW.

-Mick Foley is scheduled to return to TV at the Impact tapings this week.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted his latest BBQ blog HERE. Here are some excerpts:

“My long time friend and former business associate Paul Heyman has been Googled to oblivion the past few days as he has been the source of endless, sensationalistic, some planted, rumors regarding his alleged, pending return to pro wrestling. Does Paul really want a ‘future’ in wrestling? I will believe it when I see it but if Paul Heyman is back in the game and is in a role where he likes, the game will get more interesting.“

Solomonster Says: In other news, grass is green and Matt Hardy still has a gut.  Of course any significant change made by TNA will make things more interesting.  Word is that negotiations are still ongoing between Heyman and Dixie Carter.

“What’s WWE’s top priority as it relates to Raw or Smackdown? Not to be Mel Gibson crazy here but you’ve got to be kidding. RAW was, is and always will be the WWE’s premier show. Smackdown will never outperform RAW and it will never be positioned over RAW. Even when Friday Night Smackdown went to MyNetworkTV it ended up being much to do about nothing. Trust me…I was a part of that ‘upgrade.'”

Solomonster Says: Ouch!  Bitter much?  But really, we’ve known for over a decade that Raw is Vince’s baby and Smackdown is the black sheep of the family.

“How do I think that the Rock and Stone Cold would have fared in the WWE’s PG environment? Both were talented enough to pull it off, without question, but it likely wouldn’t have been as much fun for either talent considering how their TV persona’s were crafted. “For all that want to see Stone Cold drink a ‘Near Beer’ give me a ‘heck, yeah!'”

Solomonster Says: Don’t forget all those Steveweisers Austin would also have to forgo in favor of Vitamin Water.

JR also gives his thoughts on the ROH talent roster, wrestler tattoos and whether he has one himself, Brock Lesnar’s next fight, and more.

(credit to PWInsider.com)

-Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were both absent from last night’s Victory Road PPV and were not in attendance in Orlando.  Bischoff did publicly say he would not be present at the event, nor will he be there this week at the Impact tapings.  He is reportedly spending time with his family.   As for the Hulkster, he recently underwent yet another back surgery, but no word on whether that was the sole reason for his absence.   He was mentioned on the air during the show.

-TNA turned away close to 100 fans from last night’s show at the Impact Zone.  Their normal capacity for the venue is right around 900.

-The company will be taping its next four weeks of TV tonight and tomorrow at Universal Studios.

Here is a rundown of results for tonight’s TNA “Victory Road” PPV from the Impact Zone in Orlando:

-Douglas Williams def. Brian Kendrick in an Ultimate X/Submission match for the X title

-Brother Ray def. Brother Devon and Jesse Neal in a 3-Way Match

-Angelina Love def. Madison Rayne via DQ due to interference by a mystery biker lady (Tara), per the rules for this match, the Knockouts title is now back with Love

-A.J. Style and Kazarian def. Samoa Joe and Rob Terry after Styles pinned Terry.  After the match, Joe laid out Desmond Wolfe (who had interfered earlier) with a muscle buster

-Hernandez def. Matt Morgan in a cage match

-Jay Lethal def. Ric Flair via submission with the Figure Four leglock

-Motor City Machine Guns def. Beer Money to capture the vacant TNA Tag Team titles after Chris Sabin pinned Robert Roode

-Kurt Angle def. Pope D’Angelo Dinero via submission with the ankle lock

-Rob Van Dam def. Jeff Hardy, Abyss and Mr. Anderson after RVD pinned Anderson to retain the TNA World Title

No real surprises (i.e. Paul Heyman).  Best match honors to Angle/Pope and the tag title contest.

Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 116)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 60 minutes

Solomonster talks about LeBron James as a great heel, Triple H’s secret surgery, John Cena shows attitude and more on Dixie Carter’s tweets and the desperate state of TNA. Listen now!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

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