World Wrestling Entertainment has confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that they will not be holding their annual Tribute to the Troops event this year.
While there are no plans to hold the special event this year from an overseas base, company officials have discussed the possibility of visiting a base in the United States and doing a similar-style event.
— Based on the initial advertisement that was cut for Bragging Rights, the original plan was for John Cena and Big Show to be the respective captains of Raw and Smackdown.
Read More: Team SmackDown Members & Buried Alive Match Confirmed
— It is said that creative writer Michael Hayes brainstormed the finish to The Undertaker vs. Kane match at Hell in a Cell, which saw Paul Bearer turn on “The Deadman” by using the mystical urn’s “mysterious incandescence” to weaken him. The portly manager then handed the one-time dentist the object, which he then used as a weapon against Booger Red.
— In attendance notes, Saturday’s Raw live event in Stockton, California did 4,500, while Monday’s Raw television taping in Seattle, Washington drew 8,500. Last Wednesday’s SmackDown live event in Hidalgo, Texas drew a sellout crowd of 7,000 fans.
(sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Pro Wrestling Torch)
The toxicology results are in for former WWE performer Luna Vachon.
The District Six Medical Examiner’s office in Florida found that Luna died from an accidental overdose of painkillers and anti-anxiety medication.
TMZ.com reports that the 48-year-old wrestler had oxycodone and benzodiazepine in her system when she died in her Florida home back in August.
Shortly after her death, it was reported that investigators found crushed pill residue and snorting straws at multiple locations inside Luna’s house.
Luna’s ashes were scattered last month at the late Andre The Giant’s ranch in North Carolina.
Hollywood actor and former WWE creative team member Freddy Prinze Jr. made his return to World Wrestling Entertainment at Monday’s RAW, according to pwinsider.com.
Prinze worked as a WWE writer last year for several months and left to take an acting gig on FOX show “24.” He will be working as a producer and director of WWE television shows.
Prinze is a lifelong wrestling fan and has appeared on camera at several WWE events – in the crowd and as the Guest Host of RAW last August, when he got beat up by Randy Orton.
Warning: The Following contains *Spoilers* for Friday’s WWE SmackDown
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Edge, Kofi Kingston and Tyler Reks were confirmed for Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights.
Also, it was announced that Kane will defend the World Heavyweight title against The Underataker in a Buried Alive match.
Here is the updated card for WWE’s Bragging Rights pay-per-view:
WWE Title Match
Randy Orton (c) vs. Wade Barrett with John Cena
Buried Alive Match For The World Heavyweight Title
Kane (c) vs. The Undertaker
RAW vs. SmackDown Match
The Miz, R-Truth, John Morrison, Santino Marella, Sheamus, CM Punk and 1 More RAW Star vs. Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Edge, Kofi Kingston and Tyler Reks.
WWE Unified Divas Title Match
Natalya vs. Layla or Michelle McCool
Make sure to BE HERE on Sunday, October 24th for our LIVE COVERAGE of WWE Bragging Rights!
After being eliminated from NXT last week, Jamie Keyes was released from her developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment,.
The company signed her to the contract earlier this year after reportedly viewing her promotional pictures for the all-women’s wrestling promotion Wrestlicious.
Keyes served as the ring announcer for the second season of NXT before taking part in the third season as a competitor.
— Evan Bourne is expected to be sidelined for four months once he undergoes shoulder surgery, reports www.f4wonline.com.
— Edge is being advertised again to appear at WWE’s Fan Appreciation Day event at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 30.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Fighting Spirit, with the headline reading “Have We Cena ‘Nuff?” To view the cover, click here.
The synopsis reads: “Between his superhero act getting incredibly old and him almost ruining the careers of people like The Miz and Nexus by squashing them completely, FSM has had it up to here with John Cena. But is it really all his fault? FSM examines WWE’s top man and wonders if he’s to blame for ruining WWE for everyone.”
Monday’s episode of WWE RAW drew a 2.9 cable rating with 4,285,000 viewers. The show did hours of 2.87 and 2.92.
This is down from last week’s 3.3 and below 3.0 for the 3rd time in the past 4 weeks.
RAW faced stiff competition from the ESPN Monday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets NFL game on ESPN did a 12.46 rating with 17,313,000 viewers. ESPN drew a 12.2 overnight rating for the Jets’ win over the Vikings, up 22% from Week 5 last year. This game was the highest rated Monday Night football game of the season.
The Atlanta Braves-San Francisco Giants MLB playoff game on TBS did a 3.4 rating with 4,667,000 viewers.
(Partial credit to PWInsider.com for some of this ratings data)
— Michael Cole noted on commentary during last night’s Raw that Mark Henry could not be on hand for the event because he was tending to personal matters. According to www.kbtx.com, the Raw Superstar’s older brother, Patrick “Shorty” Henry, is fighting for his life after suffering a stroke on Oct. 3. He has been in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit at the College Station Medical Center in College Station, Texas since. Henry also had two brain surgeries to stop bleeding.
Friends and family are taking turns talking to “Shorty,” waiting for him to wake up.
“Keep your prayers coming. God works miracles,” says Jennifer McGrath, Patrick’s wife. “We have faith and we need him back. His babies need him.”
— The Great Khali will begin appearing on the ongoing fourth season of the Indian reality television program Bigg Boss this Friday as a wild card entry, reports www.techtipspro.com. It is the Indian version of the Big Brother format.
The WWE Superstar is replacing a contestant named Bunty, who was expelled from the program for bad behavior and breaching of house rules. The website notes that with Khali’s entry into the reality television show, lives will be difficult for those who manage the kitchen as they’ll have to spend hours cooking meals for him.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Nexus: “The Nexus storyline has been one of the better ones in the WWE in a long while. Now as it maturates and moves forward guys like Justin Gabriel, who had a nice bout with Orton Monday Night, needs to become known for more than his dynamic 450 Splash. Same for Otunga and Slater. What are their lasting claims to fame going to be? Now is a pivotal time for these members of NXT to begin to erase the prominent ‘sidekick’ logo that’s figuratively stamped on their foreheads and either take a more impactful role with NXT leader Wade Barrett or begin to subtly move away from Barrett’s reign.”
WWE Bragging Rights: “Why is it exactly that MNR and SDown have such a fierce rivalry? What’s at stake other than ‘Bragging Rights?’ Has SD been bragging about their tag team victory since last year’s PPV? Would it be more viable if something tangible was at stake to the winning team in the Raw vs. Smackdown Tag Bout on the October 24 PPV that emanates from Minneapolis?”
Batista Doing MMA: “As I have written before, Dave Bautista is serious about his MMA career and is realistic in that Dave knows that by getting such a late start in the game that he will have to accelerate his training and then maximize the time that he has to be physically productive in a MMA environment. UFC would not be a good place to seek employment for Dave but his negotiations with Strikeforce do make sense. If the two sides can strike a win/win financial deal and Showtime finally figures out how to promote a fight and make it be perceived as special while at the same time build a star on all the platforms that are available to them, then a Bautista-Strikeforce arrangement could help all involved.”
Related Link: Video Of Batista’s MMA Training
World Wrestling Entertainment’s SmackDown live tour of Mexico this past week was a disappointment at the box office.
Friday’s show in Mexico City at Palacio de los Deportes drew 9,000 fans, less than half the arena’s seating capacity, for an event featuring Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio, with Del Rio’s father, the legendary Dos Caras, as the special guest referee. Mysterio simultaneously hit father and son with the 619 and subsequently pinned Del Rio with ring announcer Tony Chimmel counting the pin. The show also saw The Undertaker defeat Kane via disqualification when Del Rio interfered. Del Rio interfered in Mysterio’s World Championship match with Kane in Monterrey the night before, costing him the bout. The event drew 15,000, filling 95 percent of Arena Monterrey, but was the least attended WWE event in Monterrey in six years.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s event in Guadalajara drew 10,000, filling 70 percent of the seating capacity of Arena VFG.
The tour’s substandard attendance is being attributed to WWE holding events in the country much too frequently and Rey Mysterio losing far too many times.
source: www.f4wonline.com
— According to www.f4wonline.com, the NXT Rookie Diva favorites amongst WWE management are Kaitlyn and Naomi.
Company officials are said to be “super high” on Kaitlyn following her match with Vickie Guerrero last week, while Naomi is considered by far the best athlete of the season three cast.
WWE has tentative plans for both contestants following the season’s conclusion.
— Ticketmaster.com will be holding a pre-sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for a Raw live event taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, December 26. The password is CENANEXUS.
— Today is WWE Hall of Famer and head FCW writer Dusty Rhodes’ birthday. He turns 65 years old.
NOW ON SALE: WWE Presents “Wrestling’s Highest Flyers”
Some of the most exciting moments in sports entertainment history have come through the air. High-flying Superstars have always brought fans to their feet, from Superfly Jimmy Snuka, the Killer B s, the Rockers, Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and more.
This 3-DVD set, Best of the High Flyers, collects some of the greatest aerial displays in sports entertainment history. The dozens of matches in this collection represent the Crème de la Crème of WWE, WCW, ECW, WCCW, and more.
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Here’s a preview of what’s on the 3-Disc set:
DISC ONE:
A Different Stratosphere
Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat vs. Brian Pillman
WCW Halloween Havoc October 25, 1992
Evan Bourne
Evan Bourne vs. Zack Ryder
WWE Superstars June 11, 2009
Sky-View with Evan Bourne
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Samu
WWF at Madison Square Garden February 20, 1984
New Style
WCW Cruiserweights
Juventud Guerrera, Hector Garza, Lizmark Jr. vs. La Parka, Psychosis, Villano IV
WCW Bash at the Beach July 13, 1997
Shelton Benjamin
Gold Rush Tournament Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin
WWE RAW May 2, 2005
Ultimo Dragon
J-Crown Cruiserweight Championship Match
Ultimo Dragon vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
WCW World War 3 November 24, 1996
Eddie Guerrero
ECW World Television Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
ECW Hardcore TV July 21, 1995
Special Features:
Ultimo Dragon vs. Psychosis
WCW Uncensored March 16. 1997
Chavo Guerrero vs. Jamie Noble
WWE SmackDown April 18, 2008
Sky-Cam with Jamie Noble
Flight Turbulence
DISC TWO:
Degree of Difficulty
Chris Jericho
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Ultimo Dragon
WCW Bash at the Beach July 13, 1997
1-2-3 Kid
1-2-3 Kid vs. Hakushi
WWF SummerSlam August 27, 1995
Sky-View with John Morrison
John Morrison
John Morrison vs. Tyson Kidd
WWE Superstars July 30, 2009
High Flying Duos
Tag Teams
WWF Tag Team Championship – Triangle Ladder Match
Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge / Christian
WWF WrestleMania 2000 April 2, 2000
Super Crazy
3-Way Dance
Tajiri vs. Super Crazy vs. Little Guido
ECW One Night Stand June 12, 2005
Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman vs. Alex Wright
WCW Great American Bash June 18, 1995
Great Muta
Great Muta vs. Sting
WCW Japan Supershow March 21, 1991
Rob Van Dam
WWF Hardcore Championship Match
Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam
WWF Sunday Night Heat August 5, 2001
Special Feature:
The Hardy Boyz vs. Kai En Tai
WWF Sunday Night Heat September 27, 1998
DISC THREE:
Shawn Michaels
WWF Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Vader
WWF SummerSlam August 18, 1996
Flash Funk
ECW World Television Championship Match
2 Cold Scorpio vs. Sabu
ECW CyberSlam February 17, 1996
Sky-View with Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals
Kofi Kingston vs. Christian
WWE SmackDown May 14, 2010
Aerodynamics
WWE Light Heavyweights
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Match
Taka Michinoku vs. Pantera
WWF In Your House: No Way Out February 15, 1998
Lita
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Lita vs. Trish Stratus
RAW December 6, 2004
Sabu
ECW World Television Championship Match
Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam
ECW Guilty as Charged January 9, 2000
Jeff Hardy
Steel Cage Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
WWE RAW January 7, 2008
Rey Mysterio
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero
WCW Halloween Havoc October 26, 1997
Special Feature:
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Juventud Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman
World War 3 November 22, 1998
– In a dark match that took place after Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated Sheamus and Wade Barrett in a three-way match after Orton hit the RKO on Sheamus for the win.
– Joey Styles took a shot at TNA on his Twitter last night:
“Zack Ryder reminds me of MTV’s Jersey Shore. By the way, who do you think is dumber, Jersey Shore’s Ronnie or whomever writes TNA?”
– Speaking of Jersey Shore and TNA, the buzz within WWE about TNA landing Jersey Shore star Jenni “Jwoww” Farley for a television appearance has been minimal. Many within WWE feel that the J-Woww appearance won’t help TNA much, because the media views WWE as the only real wrestling promotion.
– The main event of next week’s Monday Night RAW will be WWE Champion Randy Orton teaming with John Cena to take on Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty. This will be the official RAW debuts for the NXT Season 2 rookies.
NXT leader Wade Barrett announced on RAW that if Harris and McGillicutty can defeat Orton and Cena, they’ll be invited to join Nexus.
Next week’s RAW takes place from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and will be the go-home show for Bragging Rights.
– Melina vs. Alicia Fox and Darren Young vs. Primo were taped before tonight’s RAW for this Thursday night’s WWE Superstars on WGN America.
– CM Punk’s attack on Evan Bourne on Monday’s RAW was done to write Bourne off television. As we reported on Monday, Bourne will be taking some time off for shoulder surgery. Michael Cole mentioned on RAW that Punk has been officially acquired from SmackDown.
Chris Jericho told The Sun that he will never result outside the auspices of World Wrestling Entertainment as he remains completely loyal to the organization. Jericho said:
“I have a certain understanding with Vince (McMahon). Sometimes he gets mad at me, sometimes I get mad at him. But the bottom line is I love wrestling and I love the WWE. I will never wrestle anywhere other than the WWE. That’s a given and everyone knows it.”
Jericho also offered comment on his current status in the wrestling industry.
“I could tell you everything that is going on in black and white, but that wouldn’t be as fun. You’ll have to wait and see how things play out. I got kicked in the head in WWE and now I’m coming to the UK to rock my socks off.”
Jericho also addressed the possibility of commentating, why he didn’t remain as “Y2J” when he returned to WWE in 2007, and included some comments on the differences between the way Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan approach change.
To read the full interview, visit TheSun.co.uk.
— An injury angle may take place tonight on Raw as Evan Bourne is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery soon.
— World Wrestling Entertainment has three three-hour episodes of Monday Night Raw scheduled for the remainder of 2010; November 15 in Hershey, November 29 in Philadelphia, and December 13 in New Orleans.
— Sheamus is featured on the cover of the latest edition of The Wrestler. To view the cover, visit www.pwi-online.com. The issue also features a lengthy interview with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.
– RAW superstar Sheamus is well-liked by many backstage in WWE, including influential power players Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton. Each of them had feuded with Sheamus and gave his his in-ring work and overall attitude high praise. The belief is that he’s one of the true success stories of WWE’s recent youth movement and he’ll be a main eventer in WWE for a long time.
– WWE officials are already discussing who will wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII. As of last week, the top pick to face the “Dead Man” next April is Sheamus. John Cena has also been discussed as a possible opponent.
– One of the biggest stories of the year has been the steady decline of WWE PPV buyrates. Many say there are too many PPV events, they’re too expensive and the gimmick-based shows just don’t work. WWE is working on ideas to help buyrates, but none of them address these issues. One idea being tossed around within WWE recently is to go back to holding a live pre-game show to push late buys for the event. The company used to do this for years (Sunday Night Heat0 and later dropped it when it wasn’t considered to be cost effective.
– The Journal Inquirer has an article about WWE hiring APCO World Wide to come up with ways to make their promotion more acceptable to the mainstream media and politicians. You can check that out at https://www.journalinquirer.com/
(Credit to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)
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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 129)
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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 23 minutes
Solomonster liked Raw but SNAPS on one particular segment that almost ruined it, plus thoughts on Hell in a Cell, the wretched live Impact special, a Bound for Glory preview, TNA drug testing and Steve Austin teasing one more match. Then, we have a special treat (or trick?) for you just in time for HALLOWEEN!!!
Can a Solomonster and a Zombie co-exist? We’ll find out as “The Arsonist” Tim Arson, perhaps best known as the ECW ZOMBIE, sounds off with The Solomonster in an exclusive interview. We’ll talk about the best way to kill a Zombie, a passion of his not many people may know about, WWF’s old LJN figures (oh yes), Primetime Wrestling, training with Johnny Rodz, his pact with Matt Striker, why Puerto Rico is called the last great territory, how Tommy Dreamer gave life to the Zombie, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon’s PRICELESS reactions to the character, whether he might return to WWE, and brutally honest thoughts on the current product–including a debate regarding the new diva season of NXT! BRRRRAAAIIINNSSSS!!!!
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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Undertaker Retiring: “Where are all the rumors coming from regarding the retirement plans of the Undertaker? Some emailers are contacting us as if these rumors are fact and are etched in stone. These are the same, unfounded rumors that begin making their rounds after each Wrestlemania. My take on this matter is that Undertaker isn’t retiring after WM27 in Atlanta. I can easily see the Deadman competing for another three years or so if his schedule is well managed. If forced to speculate, and that’s all I’m doing, wouldn’t calling it a day after, say, Wrestlemania 30 make more sense? Bottom line is that Taker will retire when he’s damn well ready to retire plus I still stand by what I have always said that he will never lose a match at Wrestlemania.”
What He Thinks of TNA: “People ask me all the time to critique TNA which is a no win situation for me. First of all I don’t watch TNA regularly so for me to act as if I do and make across the board judgments of the brand would not be fair nor accurate. Secondly, I work for WWE so any thing I say good, bad or indifferent about TNA will be looked at as a biased opinion. Let it be known that I hope TNA becomes very profitable some day and wish them well. They have a nice, talent roster that needs to wrestle more and talk less but that could be said about the majority of pro wrestling entities over the past decade or so. Bad acting is simply bad acting no matter what show it appears on.”
Batista Getting Into MMA: “Batista fighting for Strikeforce is a big deal if made such by the promotion and the network. Parlaying Dave’s global name identity and overall look can pay dividends if done throughly and with a big picture game plan. It seems that the former WWE Champion and the promotion are not exceptionally close on money as of yet based on how I interpreted a recent Batista interview. I actually don’t know if a Batista vs. Bobby Lashley bout is the best for both fighters as each man seems to have viable marketability and one beating the other only forward one man as a rule. MMA insiders say that Lashley is at a career crossroads and if that is true then that theory will be validated if Strikeforce signs Batista vs. Lashley for Batista’s first fight. If CBS/Strikeforce promotes a MMA contest between Batista and Lashley like another day at the office then my theory that the network doesn’t know how to properly promote a major fight is accurate. That’s akin to NFL legend Herschel Walker not fighting on Showtime or CBS during the NFL season so that Strikeforce can be promoted on CBS’s NFL games. Perhaps the pending December, Walker fight will make CBS air on their coverage of the National Football League.”
— MVP has been very worried about his position in World Wrestling Entertainment as of late. It’s been noted that he feels younger wrestlers are being pushed ahead of him while the company largely ignores him.
— Michael Tarver was removed from The Nexus during Monday’s Raw due to a groin injury that will keep him sidelined indefinitely.
— Christian’s surgical procedure two weeks ago to repair a torn pectoral muscle was the first operation he had ever endured. Like most WWE performers, he had the surgery performed in Birmingham, Alabama by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
— John Cena made a cameo appearance in a video short produced for MTV news, MTV After Hours With Josh Horowitz. He appears alongside Malin Åkerman and Elijah Wood in the segment.
— The cover art for WWE’s Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 DVD has been released and it features John Cena in the center. To view it, click here.
Th three-disc set is scheduled for release on October 26, 2010.
— WWE Studios’ Legendary starring John Cena will be released to retailers on December 28, 2010.
— The official website of the Target Center is advertising a Buried Alive Match between The Undertaker and World Heavyweight Champion Kane at Bragging Rights.
— FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Mason Ryan made his WWE in-ring debut at last night’s Raw live event in Anaheim, California. He beat Zack Ryder in the second match on the card.
— The Miz celebrated his birthday yesterday as he turned 30 years old.
– Celebrity news site HollywoodLife.com is reporting that WWE is negotiating with with teen pop star Justin Bieber to sing America the Beautiful at Wrestlemania 27.
“It is so perfect! To have Justin perform in front of 70,000 plus people would just be amazing! It is so perfect”, their source said. “It’s still a work in progress but it would be a lot of fun.”
Opening WrestleMania would put Beiber in an elite club of music icons that includes Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.
– SmackDown newcomer Alberto Del Rio, who has already been thrown into a top program with Rey Mysterio, nearly quit World Wrestling Entertainment before getting called up to the main roster. Apparently Del Rio wasn’t making much money and was considering a reutrn Mexico, where he’s already a top st. Del Rio actually received bad reviews from his time spent in the WWE developmental system. (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter).
– The WWE Smackdown taping on December 14th, 2010 will be held at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. Tickets go on sale October 16th, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer for the Del Rio & Syfy news)
– Shawn Michaels said on Twitter that he will be letting fans in on some news next week. For what it’s worth, Shawn said he is “getting back into work some.”
– Matt Hardy noted on Twitter last night that he was watching TNA iMPACT. Hardy wrote:
“I also really dig seeing my buds like Tommy Dreamer & Mickie James on Impact-they seem happy, less stressed.”
– NXT Diva Maxine noted on Twitter that her neck is “messed up” after being dropped on her head in the match with Aksana on this week’s NXT.
– Former WWE superstar Batista is be attending the “Strikeforce: Noons vs. Diaz” event this weekend.
– A new WWE’s Legends Roundtable episode featuring “Wrestling Families” will debut this Friday on WWE On Demand.