LOOKING AT THE REASONS FOR AND AGAINST RAW’S BIG EXPANSION
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)

On January 26, 1998, WCW Monday Nitro expanded to three hours. Little more than three years later, the company was dead.

Let’s be clear though – adding an extra hour to their flagship program did not, in and of itself, kill WCW. There were many reasons for the company’s demise, two of the biggest factors being its inability to create new stars as more and more talent bailed for WWE, and the horrendous booking decisions made by the never-ending carousel of people in power. No doubt, their need to fill that extra hour was a big blow to a company that had been hot for so long. People grew tired of too much of the same thing and many of them began to turn their attention elsewhere (namely USA Network). So, does this mean that history is about to repeat itself as WWE prepares to permanently expand Monday Night Raw to three hours beginning July 23rd? Not necessarily. I would argue that if handled properly, it could actually be a great benefit to the show. But then I consider WWE’s track record of “doing the right thing” and I begin to worry. Here’s why.

Vince McMahon is taking perhaps his greatest gamble since the first WrestleMania later this year by launching a new 24-hour cable network. That is, if it ever launches. It has already been delayed once and with few, if any, clearances announced, it’s questionable if it will even roll out this fall as is currently scheduled. WWE is pumping many millions of dollars into this network and if it fails, it could be catastrophic for the company. At the same time, WWE and USA are taking a big gamble by expanding Raw to three hours this summer. Sure, if ratings ultimately suffer as a result, they can always go back to the way things were and USA can go back to airing reruns of NCIS in the 8pm hour (which have, at times, actually garnered more viewers than first-run episodes of Raw), but at what cost? Once you start driving viewers away from your product, it is very hard to get those people back. It took TNA some time to get their numbers back to the levels they were at after Impact’s failed move to Monday nights in 2010.

Two big gambles in the course of a year. What if they both fail? Yikes.

There are other things to consider. First, three hours is simply too long for a weekly wrestling show. You want three or four hours for a pay-per-view? No problem, people have been conditioned to expect that and PPV’s only come but once a month (well, most of the time). But three hours of Big Johnny promos, bad comedy and Popeye’s commercials? I shudder to even think about it. Of course, there will be people who read this and complain that if I hate the product so much, why watch? It’s a valid question. I sometimes ask myself that same thing. But then I realize, the only reason I care enough to complain is BECAUSE I am a fan. I want to see the product improve. Adding more television is not the answer. Oversaturation is a big problem when it comes to pro wrestling. Hell, it’s become a huge problem for UFC as well, a product that has arguably been hotter than wrestling for the last several years. Ratings and overall interest in UFC programming has been on the wane, though they still do pop big buyrates for PPV shows that offer compelling fights. If you give people something they want to see, they will tune in. What do you think WWE is going to give its fans with that extra hour of television? According to a press release put out this past week, it will incorporate interactive elements into the show, allowing fans to vote on matches and stipulations they would like to see throughout the broadcast. It is an interesting way to get people invested in the show, but they’ve tried this before with “Taboo Tuesday” and “Cyber Sunday”, both of which failed. It’s probably a better gimmick for free TV anyway, and I don’t have a problem with them trying something new, just like I don’t have a problem with TNA trying new ideas like “Open Fight Night” and the “Gut Check” challenges. But unless WWE changes its booking philosophy, nothing will change and interest in the product is going to continue to dwindle. We’re already starting to see signs of it.

One of the earliest three hour Raw shows I remember was the night they revived the “King of the Ring” tournament concept. William Regal was crowned king that night, but after mowing down Hornswoggle in the opening round and defeating CM Punk in a relatively brief, uneventful match in the finals, I was left disappointed. They had three hours to get those tournament matches over with the audience and failed to do so. It was the same rushed, bland matches they treat us to every week. It didn’t matter that they had all of that extra time. Why use that on in-ring action when we can just script MORE talking! MORE comedy! MORE dance contests! Dolph Ziggler issued a challenge on Twitter this week for an Iron Man match on the 1,000th episode of Raw, which kicks off the new three-hour era. I would love to see him in the ring with a John Cena or CM Punk for 30 minutes in a competitive match, and who knows, maybe we’ll get it. But anyone who doesn’t think things won’t go right back to the way they are now by week four hasn’t been paying attention. It’s going to be more of the same and that is my biggest beef with this move to three hours. It’s to the point now where even bringing back some of the biggest names from the past, men like Brock Lesnar and The Rock, have meant little to ratings. WWE cannot afford more of the same. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

At the risk of sounding all doom and gloom here, there ARE ways to make this work and improve the show overall by adding a third hour. One way of doing this would be to use it as a pre-show to the traditional two hours of Raw. When I say pre-show, I don’t mean Todd Pettengill or Dok Hendrix standing among a mob of fans waving foam fingers counting down until the top of the hour as we anxiously wait to find out if David Otunga’s bowtie will be red or purple this week, I mean a real pre-show. Steal a page from the NFL or NBA and give us studio analysis with the announcers on what we can expect from that evening’s show, an overview of the key storylines, and interviews with the superstars. You can also throw in a few matches, of course, but everything is designed to build to the main two hours and make the show feel special. Of course, WWE hates modeling itself after “real” sports and likely won’t do this. Okay, fine.

I mentioned WCW earlier. Another idea would be to borrow a page from the Nitro playbook and feature cruiserweight talent during the first hour. Again, I know Vince McMahon is not high on the cruiserweights and treated them like a joke for many years, but you cannot argue with the success Eric Bischoff had with them when he put men like Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Juventud Guerrera on TV (one of the few innovative Bischoff ideas) in feature roles. Even better, it would give WWE an opportunity to expose its audience to the smaller talent ahead of their planned cruiserweight show for the new network. That’s right, WWE is planning some sort of program for the channel built around cruiserweights and has already started reaching out to talent for it. It actually makes a lot of sense to try this. What do you have to lose?

Lastly, having an extra 60 minutes (or 40+ not counting commercials) to devote to your program gives you the opportunity to feature longer matches. WWE now has absolutely no excuse to tap into the talent they have on their roster and let them showcase it. Forget those meaningless, three-minute matches that don’t get anyone over. Now, you can let these guys go out there and show what they’re capable of. And while I’m on that subject, it’s a chance for them to show some respect to the Divas division, which is completely useless these days. Have you ever grabbed a stopwatch and timed a typical Divas match on Raw? Well I have and it’s a complete joke. Either do something with the women or scrap the entire division. With an extra hour, there are no more excuses.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Jim Ross and William Regal are the new announce team for NXT. Last time I checked, in this country at least, NXT aired on WWE’s website. Meanwhile, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are responsible for calling the action on Raw. Why not allow JR and Regal to call the 8pm hour of Raw? Both WCW and WWE at various times in their existence have had different announce teams for different hours of a particular show, so why not shake things up a bit and give Ross and Regal a seat (literally) at the table? It might also be a good way of getting people to tune in to NXT, but I don’t get the impression that is a priority of theirs right now. That’s too bad.

Will Raw’s move to three hours on Monday nights spell disaster for wrestling? Sure, long term it could. But as I’ve outlined here, if WWE plays its cards right, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s going to require them to change the way they do things.

Will they? If the past is any indication, I don’t have a great deal of hope.

thesolomonster@gmail.com
@solomonster

Stephanie McMahon was interviewed by Eric Goldman of IGN at last week’s USA Upfronts event and spoke about Monday Night RAW expanding to 3-hours permanently starting July 23rd. Here are some highlights of what Stephanie said about:

The Challenges Of Producing An Extra Hour Of TV Every Week:

“It’s going to be the first-ever regularly scheduled three-hour program on television and I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on it thus far! You know, we do a three hour show called a Pay-Per-View almost every month and Monday Night RAW, we’ve done three hours before, so we feel great about it.”

The New Interactive Aspects Of The Show:

Fans at home will be able to pick “matches, stipulations, anything and everything. Different things every week.”

“This is going to be the most interactive show in television history,” she said. “Our audience is going to have the chance to effect something in the show every week.”

Whether She Will Ever Return To WWE Television:

“Who knows? Maybe you’ve got to tune into the 1000th RAW on July 23rd! It’s so much fun when we have an event episode, because you really get to plan around it and the creative flows and its just a lot of fresh faces and old faces. It’s great.”

Check out these recent pictures of the McMahon family together:

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– After Sunday’s Over the Limit PPV went off the air, John Cena continued to sell the effects of Big Show’s WMD knockout punch.

Cena eventually came to and made it to his feet before staggering out of the ring and walking back to the state to end the show.

– The WWE website has a storyline article up looking at the ‘injuries’ John Laurinaitis sustained at the hands of John Cena. The following is an excerpt:

“Mr. Laurinaitis was rushed to the emergency room from Raleigh, N.C.’s PNC Arena, showing signs of a possible concussion, possible ACL damage to his knee and a possible spinal injury. To add to this litany of serious injuries, the executive also suffered contusions over his entire body and was said to have difficulty raising his left arm and left leg, which can indicate possible nerve damage. The General Manager may have also suffered a broken clavicle.

The article states that none of the injuries are fully confirmed and John Laurinaitis’ status for tonight’s RAW is still up in the air.

The following are tweets from wrestlers, divas, legends and more regarding WWE Over The Limit:

CM Punk: “A winner is me! Everything hurts. Headed to the pay window!”

Jim Ross: “Give em more time! Most decisions in 30 or 60 minutes! @CMPunk retains by eyelash. @wwedanielbryan freakish..Punk best in the world.”

“Helluva Fatal 4 Way at OTL. Great effort…aggression..execution. I loved the pace. Congrats to all. THAT’s maximizing one’s minutes.”

“What do I want from Swagger & Ziggler? Badass aggression! Physicality! Excellent tag title bout. Maximizing minutes.”

Christian: “Felt great to get back.. I dedicate my win tonight to my all time favorite IC champ #MachoMan #OohYeah #OverTheLimit”

Chris Jericho: “Amazing Fatal FourWay match and crowd tonight in Raleigh! That’s what this biz is all about kids… #overthelimit”

Layla: “Yaaayy!! Still Divas Champ!! #overthelimit Muaaahhzzzzz”

Joey Styles: “OH MY GOD! @CMPunk & @WWEDanielBryan had one of the greatest WRESTLING matches I have ever had the pleasure of watching. #WeGotWrestling”

Kofi Kingston: “They might be crappy people but Swagger and ziggler are damn good competitors. Hats off. @RonKillings and @TrueKofi still tag champs! #BOOM!”

Roddy Piper: “@CMPunk..Hey kid! Heard you stoled the show tonight. I expect nothing less. Good job. Next time, do better! Coach Hot Rod”

David Otunga: “I couldn’t be more proud of John Laurinaitis defeating @JohnCena at @WWE #OverTheLimit People Power is real and I never doubted it.”

Goldust: “My lil brother will be world heavyweight champion one day soon….proud of @CodyRhodesWWE”

Seth Rollins: “Not an hour, but still an awesome title match. And now Hunico. Cool. #OverTheLimit”

Curt Hawkins: “So proud of my boss @GMSmackDown …What an inspirational, hard fought victory tonight. #PeoplePower”

– Christian returned to action at Sunday’s WWE Over The Limit pay-per-view, winning the People Power Battle Royal to earn a shot at either Santino’s United States title or Cody Rhodes’ Intercontinental title.

After first picking Santino’s belt, he later changed his mind and challenged Cody title and defeating him to capture the Intercontinental championship. This is Christian’s fourth reign as IC champion.

– WWE had approximately 50,000 people watching the Over the Limit pre-show on simultaneously YouTube.com, which saw Kane defeat Zack Ryder.

– The WWE website had a storyline article up during Over The Limit where the Board of Directors denied a last minute appeal from John Laurinaitis to lift the stipulation that any Superstar who interfered in his match against John Cena would be fired.

Welcome to our Live Coverage of WWE Over The Limit 2012 from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Over The Limit YouTube pre-show is first, featuring Kane vs. Zack Ryder.

Zack Ryder vs. Kane

The pre-show kicks off with Ryder vs. Kane. Solid back and forth match action from both men, with Zack Ryder getting a surprising amount of offense. In the end, Ryder went for the Ruff Ryder, but walked into a chokeslam for the pinfall.

Winner: Kane

Josh Matthews and Matt Striker are ringside and run down the card for tonight. Video package looking at John Laurinaitis’ rise to power and feud with John Cena.

Eve is backstage when Cody Rhodes and Santino walk in with their title belts. The champions argue over which title has a more prestigious legacy. The winner of the People Power Battle Royal tonight will get to challenge for either the Intercontinental or the United States championships tonight. Reks and Hawkins eliminate Zeke together. Jey Uso is eliminated. Drew McIntyre eliminated. Hawkins and Reks eliminated at the same time. Great Khali eliminates Jinder Mahal. Young and Titus throw out Great Khali.

The Over The Limit commentary team of Michael Cole, Booker T and Jerry “The King” Lawler are introduced and come to the ring.

The Battle Royal will be the first match when the pay-per-view goes live at the top of the hour. Cody Rhodes’ music hits and he comes down to the ring to watch the battle royal. Santino is out next to watch as well.

The participants of the Battle Royal come down to the ring: The Great Khali, The Miz, JTG, Ezekiel Jackson, Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks, Michael McGillicutty, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyson Kidd, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, Heath Slater, Titus O’Neal & Darren Young, Alex Riley, David Otunga, William Regal and Christian!  The pre-show is over and we’re live on pay-per-view.

People Power Battle Royal: Winner Choses To Challenge Either Santino Or Cody Rhodes For Their Title Tonight:

Heath Slater is eliminated first, followed by Michael McGuillicutty. The Usos give JTG a double superkick and he’s eliminated. Drew McIntyre tosses Yoshi Tatsu out. Jimmy Uso throws out Titus O’Neal. Darren Young eliminates Jimmy Uso. Christian throws out William Regal to a huge round of boo’s. The Miz eliminates Darren Young. We’ve got Miz, A-Ry, Otunga, Kidd and Christian left. The Miz eliminates his former protege, Alex Riley. Tyson Kidd tries to skin the cat but The Miz eliminates him. Otunga and Miz agree to work together and eliminate Christian. The heels work him over but Christian gets the upper hand. Christian throws out Otunga and Miz tries to eliminate Christian. Each man tries to hit their finisher but neither can pull it off. Miz on the apron and Miz is trying for the win. Christian gets the upper hand, throws Miz onto the apron as well and eliminates him.

Winner: Christian

Christian looks at Santino and decides he will challenge him for the United States championship later tonight.

The commentators run down what’s at stake between John Cena and John Laurinaitis later tonight. A promo airs for People Power and John Laurinaitis.

The opening video then aired welcoming us to Over The Limit.

Vickie Guerrero comes out and introduces her boys, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.

WWE Tag Title Match: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler & Swagger

The champions come out and we’re ready to kick this one off. Kofi a nd Swagger start off, with Swagger getting the upper hand using mat wrestling. Kofi tags in R-Truth, who unloads on Swagger and hits some high impact offense on Swgger. Ziggler and Kofi Kingston now in. Ziggler gets the upper hand and Swagger tags in. They challengers have Kingston isolated and are doing a number on him. Swagger wearing Kofi’s arm down with mat holds. Kofi tries to get the upper hand but Swagger takes him out with a belly to belly suplex and showboats for the crowd. Swagger misses a legdrop and Kofi tags in R-Truth. R-Truth unloads again on Swagger with his signature flashy offense. Ziggler interferes and allows Swagger to get control. 2nd rope springboard splash on Truth and Ziggler is tagged in. Big elbow drop on R-Truth and a 2-count. Vickie is screaming at ringside. The heels continue to make quick tags. The crowd is chanting “Truth” while Ziggler gets several 2-counts on Truth. Swagger tagged in and the champions look to be in trouble. Kofi goes for Trouble in Paridise but no go. He goes for SOS and nails it, gets a 2-count until Swagger breaks it up. Ziggler nails Kofi with a Zig Zag and gets a 2-count before R-Truth breaks up the pin. R-Truth dives to the outside onto Swagger and Kingston nails Ziggler in the face with Thunder in Paradise for the win.

Winners and Still Champions: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth

Backstage, Eve is with Reks and Hawkins, who are wearing People Power t-shirts. Eve tells them their job is to go into the audience and confiscate any signs that are perceived as offensive to John Laurinaitis. Eve checks with Otunga to make sure that’s legal – and he assures her it is.

Divas Championship Match: Layla vs. Beth Phoenix

Phoenix is out first, followed by Layla. Back and forth action for the first few minutes with Phoenix in control most of the time. Phoenix works on the injured knee that kept Layla out for a year. Beth wraps Layla’s knee around the ring post and slams the knee into the post. Layla on the outside grabbing her knee in pain. Layla back int he ring and Beth continues to work on the knee. Cole and Booker T talk about the seriousness of knee injuries, with Jerry Lawler talking about how Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin battled knee injuries for years. Half crab on Layla and Beth Phoenix is firmly in control so far. Beth presses Layla over her head, but Layla reverses it and nails her with a DDT. Layla gets a 2-count. Several quick back and forth 2-counts. Vicious neck breaker out of nowhere by Layla and she gets the pin.

Winner & Still Champion: Layla

Randy Orton is backstage with Matt Striker. They show footage from SmackDown with Sheamus defeating Orton, them shaking hands and Orton giving Sheamus an RKO. Orton hypes their match and in walks Chris Jericho. Jericho’s hair is brown and the darkest we’ve ever seen it in WWE. Jericho says he’s beaten Sheamus and Orton in the past month and he’s going to become the World Heavyweight champion once again. Orton says if he gets in his way tonight – he’s going to be the Best in the World – at getting RKO’d.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho vs. Alberto Del Rio

Del Rio is out first followed by Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and finally the World Heavyweight champion, Sheamus. Lilian Garcia does the introductions for the participants of this fatal fourway match. The bell rings and the faces attack the heels and send them outside. Randy Orton and Sheamus are in the ring. All four men battle on the outside and once again, it’s Orton and Sheamus in the ring. Sheamus in control of Orton when he runs against the ropes but Chris Jericho pulls the rope down and sends him to the outside. Del Rio stomps down Orton as the crowd chants “Si!”. Jericho joins in and the heels take turns attacking Orton. The heels work together to suplex Orton.

The heels then go to the outside and double team Sheamus, who tries fighting back but is overwhelmed by their attack. Sheamus thrown head first into the announcer’s table as the heels dominate. Back in the ring, Randy Orton gets the upper hand on Jericho and Del Rio. Orton mounts an attack against Jericho, but Del Rio gets involved. Del Rio now attacks Orton, gets a 2-count but is interrupted by Chris Jericho. Del Rio and Chris Jericho are now going at it, with Del Rio winning the exchange with a suplex. Orton and Jericho now going at it, with Sheamus still on the outside for most of the match so far. Sheamus finally gets back into the match and delivers some brutal offense to Del Rio.  Ricardo Rodriguez distracts Sheamus and Del Rio hits a brutal inseguri on Sheamus. Del Rio in control of Sheamus with Jericho and Orton outside of the ring. Sheamus goes for the Celtic Cross but Del Rio gets free and chops him down with kicks. Randy Orton and Christian now in the ring with Orton hitting his signature moves. Powerslam on Sheamus and the Viper is in that “special place.” Orton goes for the 2nd rope DDT on Sheamus and Orton is gearing up for an RKO. Del Rio comes from out of nowhere and gives Orton his cross arm breaking. Orton tries to make it to the ropes until Chris Jericho breaks it up with an elbow smash on Del Rio. Jericho now working on Del Rio. Lots of fast paced action with all 4 men hitting big moves. When the dust settles, Orton is the only man standing. Orton gives a double 2nd rope DDT to Del Rio and Ricardo 2-count on Del Rio. Orton tries going for an RKO on Jericho but gets hit with a Codebreaker. Del Rio does the cross armbreaker to Jericho and we could have a new champion. Jericho breaks free and goes for the Walls of Jericho! Del Rio is about to tape when Sheamus goes for the Brogue kick. Jericho moves out of the way and nails Sheamus with a codebreaker! 1-2-no! Jericho screaming at Sheamus and kicking him while he’s down. Jericho goes for the Walls on Sheamus and locks it in. Sheamus refuses to tap, but Jericho moves in to the center of the ring and it’s not looking good. Rnady Orton nails Jericho with an RKO but only gets a 2-count. Sheamus nails Orton with a nasty Brogue kick, but only gets a 2-count. Sheamus hits Jericho with White Noise and gets the pinfall to win the match.

Winner & Still World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus

Backstage, Cody Rhodes is shown with Eve and they talk about Christian and says he made the right decision by picking Santino as his opponent tonight. He turns around and Christian is right behind him. Christian says Cody Rhodes is completely full of crap – and he changed his mind – he wants to challenge Cody tonight for the Intercontinental title. Cody looks pissed as Christian walks off.

Back at ringside, the announcers talk about Christian’s decision to switch his opponent for tonight. The Miz’s music hits and out he comes.

The Miz vs. Bodus Clay

The Miz says he’s pinpointed what’s wrong with WWE – it’s Brodus Clay. He says he’s a better dancer than Brodus Clay and busts out his best Michael Jackson Thriller dance moves. Out comes Brodus Clay and his dancers. Brodus Clay is in control of this one, using his size advantage to throw Miz around the ring. Miz gets in some offense but it doesn’t last long. Clay hits a knee lift, then holds The Miz’s arms behind his back and delivers a series of headbutts to his back. Another minute or two of offense from Brodus Clay before he hits The Miz with a big splash and gets the pinfall.

The Winner: Brodus Clay

After that match, they take several kids into the ring to dance with Brodus Clay. At ringside, Hawkins and Reks are confiscating and tearing up signs from fans that are anti-People Power.

Intercontinental Title Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Christian:

Cody cuts a heel promo as he walks to the ring, running down North Carolina. Out next is Christian to a big pop. Decent 10 minute match with an even split of back and forth action. With Christian down, Cody Rhodes began screaming at him and the crowd. While Cody  is freaking out, Christian nails him with the kill switch for the 3-count.

Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Christian

Promo airs for WWE No Way Out on June 17th.

Josh Matthews interviews WWE Champion CM Punk backstage. Footage is shown from SmackDown when Punk wrestled Kane. Daniel Bryan was on commentary and tried hitting Punk with a chair. Bryan hit Kane with the chair, got Punk disqualified and caused Kane to destroy Punk, thinking it was him who hit him with the chair. Punk says he’s feeling like crap – but he has reason to smile – because John Laurinaitis is getting fired tonight. But first – he has to deal with Daniel Bryan. Punk says it’s a triumph that he and Daniel Bryan have known each other for 10 years and have a ton of history. AJ walks in and says she can’t wait to watch the match tonight and gives Punk sexy/creepy eyes.

WWE Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan is out first followed by CM Punk. Justin Roberts handles the formal ring introductions. The bell rings and the crowd is firmly behind CM Punk. Yes! chants have broken out.  Great technical wrestling and the crowd is split between both men. Bryan nails Punk with some brutal elbows to the head Brock Lesnar style. Several European uppercuts and CM Punk gets the upperhand. Punk goes for a surfboard submission. Missile dropkick from the top rope by Daniel Bryan and the challenger is in control so far. Daniel Bryan locks in a surfboard submission again and turns it into a modified dragon sleeper hold. CM Punk hits a fisherman’s suplex for a 2 count.

Back and forth “Daniel Bryan – CM Punk” crowd with the crowd very split. Daniel Bryan off the top rope with a diving head butt. Daniel Bryan nails his Yes! kicks on Punk, before Punk catches a kick and goes for a figure 4 leglock. The crowd chants Wooooo  as Punk and Bryan go back and forth slapping each other in the face while the leglock is still on. Bryan makes it to the ropes. Fast paced action – with Daniel Bryan delivering a swift kick to the back of Punk’s head. 2-count on Punk. The crowd is chanting “This is awesome.” Daniel Bryan pulls down his knee brace to expose his knee. He delivers a few knees to Punk’s gut in the corner as the crowd chants “Yes!”. Punk sets up Daniel Bryan on the rope and delivers a clothes line from the top rope.

Punk goes for the Go To Sleep but gets a 2-count. The action is very fast paced. Bryan thrown over the top rope but holds on and skins the cat. He gets back into the ring and gets kicked in the face by Punk. 2-count and both men are down and hurting. Punk goes to the top rope and nails the Savage elbow drop. Punk is hurting and selling injured ribs from Daniel Bryan’s offense earlier in the match. Daniel Bryan is delivering knees to Punk’s ribs as the crowd chants Yes! CM Punk goes for a bulldog but Bryan avoids it and locks in the Yes! Lock. Bryan is screaming YES! as they roll back together and the referee counts the 3. Punk taps as soon as the ref counts 3. Bryan’s shoulders were down and the referee counted the 3 before Punk tapped – so Punk is our winner. Very good match.

Winner & STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

Backstage, Eve and David Otunga are walking around and bump into Teddy Long. They ask Teddy why he looks so happy – and they know what he’s thinking. If John Laurinaitis loses tonight and gets fired – he thinks he’ll be re-hired as General Manager. Teddy says if Laurinaitis gets fired, the Board of Directors might actually put Eve and Otunga in charge. However, the Board of Directors might also fire them too.

Camacho vs. Ryback

The crowd chants Goldberg as Camacho gets ready to be destroyed. Camacho goes for a suplex but it’s blocked. Ryback suplexes him and demands he get up for more. Ryback takes him down with a sloppy kick. More Goldberg chants. Ryback dominates him with power moves and even lands a few shots on Hunico whenever he gets on the apron. Spinebuster on Camacho and Ryback lifts him up for a powerbomb. Ryback hits his finisher for the win.

Winner: Ryback

WCW Clash of the Champions DVD promo. At ringside, the announcers hype the main event up next.

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis (No DQ, No Countouts)

John Laurinaitis is out first in a red People Power track suit followed by John Cena. Laurinaitis takes off his track jacket to reveal his ring gear – black People Power body armor. As soon as the bell rings, Laurinaitis runs away. Cena chases him down outside the ring and brings him back into the ring. Cena throws him into the corner, pulls his shirt over his head and delivers several slaps to Laurinaitis’ bare chest and back. Cena gets Laurinaitis on his back and does an airplan spin. Total joke match so far with Michael Cole and the announcers laughing hysterically. It’s really not that funny. John Cena grabs the ring bell and rings it right next to Laurinaitis’ ear several times. Laurinaitis is selling that it really hurt his ears. Cena slams Laurinaitis into the announcers table several times. Cole asks if he’s ok as Cena does it again. Cena is destroying Laurinaitis. Cena puts a headset on Laurinaitis and puts one on himself and starts doing commentary. Cena pretends to be Booker T and then Michael Cole.

Laurinaitis is hurt bad an extends a handshake to Cena, hoping to declare a truce. Cena asks the crowd if he should do it and slaps Laurinaitis in he face instead. Body slam. Elbow off the ropes. Cena grabs a microphone and says he’s about to lock in the STF. He reminds him that if he taps out, he’s fired. Cena says he’ll let go if he can last 10 seconds. Cena asks the crowd to count along. He lasts 10 seconds and lets go of the hold. Cena says the good news is that he made it. The bad news is that he’s going to do it again. Laurinaitis holds on for 10 seconds once again – and Cena says this is pretty exhausting. Cena says he needs a drink – and Michael Cole says he could use one too after watching this match. Amen. Cena says Lauriniatis looks parched and brings several bottles of water into the ring. He dumps them over Laurinaitis’ head and then dumps one down the front of his pants.

Cena grabs a fire extinguisher and teases that he’s going to spray it into Laurinaitis’ face. Cena then sprays him down. Cena grabs a garbage pail from ringside and dumps it over Laurinaitis’ head. Laurinaitis escapes through the crowd but Cena catches him. Laurinaitis hurts Cena by attacking the arm that Brock Lesnar injured at Extreme Rules last month. Laurinaitis getting in some offense as they return to the ring. Laurinaitis gets a steel chair and nails Cena with it in the gut and then over the back several times. Laurinaitis gets a 2-count and grabs the chair again. Cena blocks a chairshot and hits Laurinaitis with it. Cena does You Can’t See me then hits Laurianitis with the chair again. Laurinaitis hits Cena with a low blow and rolls outside of the ring. Laurinaitis leaves through the crowd and exits the arena. Cena looks confused – when the Big Show comes out with Laurinaitis by the throat.

Big Show brings John Laurinaitis to the ring and throws him into the ring by his neck. John Laurinaitis is on the mat in between John Cena and the Big Show. Laurinaitis tried crawling away but Big Show steps on his hand to stop him.  Big Show grabs Laurinaitis by the throat and Laurinaitis pleads with him. Big Show throws Laurinaitis into Cena, who hoists him up for the Attitude Adjustment. Big Show then lands a knockout punch on John Cena and knocks him out cold. Laurinaitis wakes up and pins John Cena 1-2-3.

Winner: John Laurinaitis

After the match, Big Show holds up John Laurinaitis’ hand as the announcers speculate why the Big Show had a change of heart and sided with John Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis walks to the back as the PPV goes off the air.

COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you thought of WWE Over The Limit.

As seen on Monday’s RAW, Big Show has been ‘fired’ by John Laurinaitis for making fun of his voice last week. During commercial break that aired right after Big Show was fired, he stopped on the ramp on his way backstage, bowed to the fans and waved goodbye.

John Laurinaitis tweeted the following after RAW:

“Tonight, @WWETheBigShow forced me to make an example out of him. Let that be a lesson to the entire locker room. #Raw”

To sell the storyline, Big Show’s profile to their Alumni roster and the WWE website has posted an article speculating who else might get fired for disobeying the General Manager of RAW and SmackDown:

“Under Laurinaitis’ tumultuous reign, Big Show and The Bella Twins have both been handed their walking papers. If Laurinaitis defeats John Cena at WWE Over the Limit and continues to serve as the GM of Raw and SmackDown, one can only wonder who might be next to face his wrath.”

We can confirm that one scenario that’s been discussed for Sunday’s Over The Limit pay-per-view is for Big Show to interfere in John Laurinaitis’ match with John Cena – and cost Cena the match. A stipulation was set on RAW that John Laurinaitis will lose his job if he loses to John Cena – and any WWE superstars who interfere will be fired. Since Big Show is already ‘fired’ – he can interfere, help John Laurinaitis win & keep his job – and then Laurinaitis would re-hire Big Show.

Former WWE creative team writer Dan Madigan appeared on the Review-a-Wai podcast with John Pollock and Wai Ting to commemorate the anniversary of MAY 19TH when WWE released See No Evil. The full review of the film and interview with Madigan is up on The LAW website and here is an excerpt from the chat regarding an idea Vince McMahon had for Kane’s character, Jacob Goodnight:

“I get a call from Gregory Dark, the director. He says, “We’ve got a little problem here.” This call is from Australia. I said, “What’s the problem?” He goes, “Vince has a suggestion about the movie.” I said, “Well, it’s his movie.” He goes, “Vince wants this scene in the movie where Kane’s character pulls out his penis, and he wants it to be three feet long.” I thought there was a connection problem, I said “Greg, can you just back up and repeat that last line for me?” He goes, “Yes, Vince wants Kane’s penis to be three feet long, and none of the producers are saying anything about it.” So I sat there, I go, “Oh, this is not good. This is not good. This is really not good.” In the right movie, that’s genius, that’s absolutely brilliant, but not for this movie.

“When the script was finally okayed, they brought someone else in to rewrite me. As a writer, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up; it’s an ego thing to be honest. So, they brought in someone to touch up my stuff. I read their version of my script, and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t good. Every cliche that I purposely wanted to take out, they had put back in.”

– John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis is scheduled to close tonight’s WWE Over the Limit pay-per-view from Raleigh, North Carolina.

– Former AWA Tag Team Champions and WWE stars The Rockers reunited on Saturday at a Frank & Sons Collectibles autograph event in California.

Picture: The Rockers Together Again – Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty

– Mick Foley recently told fans on Twitter that doctors advised him to drastically reduce the time he spends in front of his computer due to his history of concussions. Foley tweeted the following update over the weekend:

“trying to avoid going on the computer very much. Computer screens and camera flahes have been bothering my eyes lately.”

Chris Jericho and William Regal had a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter over the weekend. Jericho, who has accused CM Punk of ripping off his moves, is now being accused of the same offense by Regal.

Jericho tweeted on Saturday:

“Good news! Just signed a deal with Methuselah…I’m gonna wrestle until I’m 946 years old! Hurrah! Congrats fans, you got what u wanted!”

Regal replied:

“Perhaps I should invent some new stuff you can steal from me!”

Jericho responded:

“That would be great since you’ve done nothing new for years”

Regal got in the last word:

“While the likes of Chris Jerico and some of his worthless friends make a big production of passing the torch,I just do as I always do without fanfare and truly encourage,train and mentor the younger talent.How dare I call help without getting credit heaped on me.Shame,regal,Shame.”

WWE COO Triple H appeared on Saturday’s edition of magician Criss Angel’s online video show, CA Uncensored Triple H stayed in-character for most of the interview and was wearing his arm brace to sell the recent attack he suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar.

Among the topics discussed – His ongoing feud with the former UFC Heavyweight champion,  whether he’d ever consider a career in MMA himself, who would win between Hulk Hogan vs. The Incredible Hulk, McMahon family cookouts, his training, WrestleMania 28, Jerry “The King” Lawler having an ‘accident’ in the ring and more.

Daniel Bryan will challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship tonight at Over The Limit and spoke to IGN.com this week about that match, feuding with huge guys like Big Show and Mark Henry, his storyline with AJ and more. Here are some highlights:

IGN: Those of us who anticipated you becoming a World Champion in the WWE expected you to be having matches with guys like CM Punk. Guys similar to your stature. Did you ever think that your very first championship feuds would be against guys like Big Show and Mark Henry?

Bryan: No, I never thought that if I was going to be the champion in the WWE that those would be my first opponents. My first feuds. Especially because I also felt like I didn’t match up very well with those guys. But then it seems to me that both of those feuds went very well. And I was thrilled to wrestle those guys because it forces me to go outside my usual box. You know, I could go out there and wrestle CM Punk and have a fantastic match, but that’s along my normal line of thinking. Wrestling someone like Big Show requires a totally different style. And for me that was fun.

IGN: Are you yourself surprised, given your indie history and legacy, that you’re now a part of a major high-profile relationship storyline with AJ?

Bryan: [laughs] Definitely. And you know what’s funny is that I feel like – not since I started with WWE, but since I got fired and then brought back – they had this storyline with me and the Bellas. Then it was me and Gail Kim. And now it’s me and AJ. It seems like I’m always in these stories with these Divas. And I don’t know what the deal is. Maybe they just see me as someone who’d be funny to pair up with them. Like “Yeah, it would be funny to put him with the Divas.” But I really have no idea.

IGN: This Sunday, in your match with CM Punk, and given your history with him, will the WWE audience get to see some moves they might not have seen before?

Bryan: Oh yeah. I would expect that there will be moves that the WWE audience hasn’t seen before. And I hope that there is. I want it to be more than standard-fare. I think it’s going to be something that people aren’t used to seeing. And something that people will get excited about. Something that’s really fun to watch and engaging and hard-hitting. The kind of match that, when you buy a Pay-Per-View, that’s the kind of match you want to see.

— With the recent announcement that WWE RAW Supershow will be expanding to 3-hours starting July 23rd, there are a lot of people within WWE who are dreading the change. Aside from the logistical issues that come into play when taping RAW on the West coast (ie. RAW would begin taping at 4:30pm local time on a work day) – there is the looming risk of burning everybody out – writers, wrestlers and fans.

Some people in WWE think RAW will be back to 2-hours before the end of the year, with the possibility of the first hour eventually being moved to the WWE Network as a 1-hour pre-show.

— Matt Striker acted as the ring announcer at last night’s RAW live event in South Carolina. Announcer Justin Roberts was at home in Arizona and is headed to Raleigh, North Carolina for Over the Limit and this week’s RAW and SmackDown tapings.

— Albero Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez is featured in the latest episode of Santino Marella’s Foreign Exchange, which you can check out below:

(Partial source: Figure 4 Weekly)

— Sin Cara competed in his first match of 2012 at Saturday’s WWE Supershow in Florence, South Carolina, defeating Hunico in the opening match. He had been sidelined since Survivor Series due to a patellar tendon rupture.

— The following matches are advertised for WWE’s post-SummerSlam tour of Australia taking place August 30 through September 1: John Cena vs. Lord Tensai and John Laurinaitis, WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan and United States Champion Santino Marella vs. David Otunga.

— Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Randy Savage. The legendary wrestler died after suffering a sudden, massive heart attack while driving with his wife in Seminole, Florida. He became unresponsive and lost control of his Jeep Wrangler, crashing into a tree.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

WWE Over The Limit 2012 takes place tonight night from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

SEScoops.com will have Live Coverage of the event. If you’re not ordering the show on pay-per-view, be here for our real-time live blogging and discussion.

Here’s the final card for WWE Over The Limit:

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis
* Laurinaitis’ Job On The Line – Anybody Who Interferes Will Be Fired

WWE Championship Match:
CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

Tag Team Championship Match:
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger

WWE Divas Championship Match:
Layla (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

Youtube Pre-Show Match
Kane vs. Zack Ryder

Following a multi-car accident in Las Vegas, Nevada Friday evening, Rosa Mendes has been released from the hospital. In an exclusive interview with WWE.com, the SmackDown Diva describes the incident and provides an update on her medical condition.

The accident involving five cars occurred at approximately 6:45 p.m. after a Mercedes in a turning lane switched lanes, causing a truck to jackknife and a series of successive collisions. Riding her friend’s black Hummer as a passenger, Mendes and the driver were stopped at a light when they were struck from behind by an automobile that was also hit and moving at high speed.

“We were talking when all of a sudden, I saw in my rear view mirror a truck coming really fast. It jackknifed,” Mendes stated Saturday morning. “We were the last car hit, so we had the most impact. We slid two car lengths. I didn’t know when it was going to stop. If we weren’t in the Hummer, we would’ve been seriously injured.”

Mendes was wearing her seatbelt but the impact of the collision knocked her to the automobile’s floor as she blocked her head from hitting the dashboard.

“My neck and back were really hurting,” Mendes said. “My body is my job. I was so scared that I was not going to be able to wrestle. I was in a lot of pain.”

Mendes was taken to the hospital for evaluation and released a few hours after the accident. She suffered serious whiplash but no other major injuries were reported. She was instructed to rest and recover.

“Nothing’s broken,” she said. “I feel like I can wrestle but the whole right side of my neck and back have a burning sensation.”

– Triple H will be appearing on Criss Angel’s CA Uncensored show at CrissAngel.com today at 3:30pm (EST) / 12:30pm (PST). He’ll be there to discuss Brock Lesnar, among other topics.

Picture: Triple H, Stephanie & Criss Angel Together (This Month)

– WWE wants fans who attend live events to send in their photos from the shows to RawFanPhotos@gmail.com.

– WWE camera crews were filming at last night’s Rancid concert in Albany, New York. WWE Champion CM Punk was in attendance and Lars Frederiksen dedicated a song to him before Punk joined the band on stage to sing. The footage will be used on Punk’s upcoming DVD.

– Below is the latest episode of WWE’s Backstage Fallout from SmackDown featuring interviews with John Laurinaitis, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth:

Linda McMahon officially received the Connecticut Republican party nomination for the United States Senate at Friday’s convention in Hartford, CT. McMahon received 57% of the vote while Chris Shays received 31%.

Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon and Triple H were all there to support Linda as you can see in the photos below:

[nggallery id=13]

WWE diva Rosa Mendes was involved in a car accident on Friday in Las Vegas, where she lives.

The WWE website reports that a car traveling at almost 50 MPH struck Rosa’s car while she was stopped at a red light. As many as 6 cars were involved in the collision.

Police declared Rosa Mendes was not at fault in the accident.

Update: Rosa Mendes Comments On Her Car Accident

Rosa was taken immediately to the hospital for further evaluation after complaining of pain in her neck and back. She was found to not have any broken bones and was later released.

WWE provided the following photo from the scene:

Dolph Ziggler spoke to Marvel.com’s “Fightin’ Fanboys” to promote this weekend’s WWE Over The Limit pay-per-view and spoke about his #HEEL catchphrase, plans for the 1,000th episode of WWE RAW and more. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Marvel.com: Your hash tag #HEEL is pretty popular here at the Marvel offices—a lot of us like to use it in our e-mails. Not only do you use it online, but so do your fans and WWE has produced “Heel” t-shirts. Where did the idea for this come from?

Dolph Ziggler: Honestly before I was in the business, I was huge Chevy Chase fan because I am a comedy fan no matter what. One of my favorite movies of all time is “Fletch” and in the movie, during one of those times you can tell he was ad-libbing, he’s saying things under his breath like “I’m such a heel” to this lady. I always thought that was a great line and that I’m going to use that. It turns out in the lingo of professional wrestling and sports entertainment that “heel” also equates to being a bad guy, which I think do better than anyone else, so I thought it fit perfectly.

Marvel.com: Speaking of your job, the Over the Limit pay-per-view is this Sunday and you’re challenging Kofi Kingston & R-Truth for the WWE Tag Team titles. What should fans expect from you and tag team partner Jack Swagger?

Dolph Ziggler: The match is going to be great and the reason why, without even going into Over Limit or us being in their heads for being so great at what we do, is the fact that Kofi and I have been in that ring one-on-one several hundred times. Every single time, whether I win or lose, we’ve torn it down in there. Then the fact that Truth and Swagger have done the same thing [as] counterparts with each other, it’s going to be a hell of a match. We’ve had similar matches with different opponents before but in this case, we all know each other really well. When Swagger and I get going and we have time to show our abilities, we love talking about the old college wrestling times and getting in the ring to try and outdo each other just like we did in high school and in college. It’s going to be explosive; it’s going to be awesome. Kofi and Truth are high-flying guys and I love being out there in the ring with them. I love keeping them grounded and really ticking off the fans and not letting them see what they can do. That’s going to be the key for us to win that championship.

Marvel.com: So for the 1000th episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, do you have a game plan?

Dolph Ziggler: In WWE and on Monday Night RAW you never know what happens next. That’s what’s really cool and keeps people tuning in every Monday; it’s why I tuned in as a fan all the time not knowing what was going to happen. No matter what, and I’m not making this up, every single time I’ve had a five second window or a 20 minute window I find a way to steal the show and don’t think I’m not thinking about it right now. I will be thinking about it, I will find a way. I may have 30 seconds on RAW, I may have 30 minutes. I will find a way to do it because that’s what I do better than anyone else.

You can read the full interview at Marvel.com.

– Dolph Ziggler has issued a challenge to any WWE Superstar to an Iron Man Match at the 1,000th episode of Monday Night RAW on July 23rd:

“i challenge ANY @WWE #wwe SUPERSTAR to an #IronManMatch July 23rd! #3hourRaw #ShowStolen #AnyTAKERs?”

What a showoff…

– Former ROH World champion and WWE developmental star Seth Rollins (formerly Tyler Black) made his NXT debut at Thursday night’s first-ever tapings from Full Sail University. Rollins tweeted the following about his debut:

“New era of NXT kicked off with a bang tonight. Thanks to Full Sail and everyone in attendance for making it a special night.”

– Zack Ryder is back with Episode 67 of the Z! True Long Island Story. This week’s show features footage of Dolph Ziggler attacking him at a recent live event, Ryder complaining about not being featured on RAW for the 3rd week in a row, the debut of his show’s new mascot and more. and more:

WWE held its first set of NXT tapings on Thursday night from its new home – Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

*SPOILER* Results For The First 4 Episodes of NXT From Full Sail University

Check out this first batch of images of the new NXT arena:

[nggallery id=12]

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has put his Hidden Hills, California mansion on the market for just under $5 million. The Trulia luxury blog speculates that the 7-bedroom 9,120 square-foot estate is being lived in by The Rock’s ex-wife and manager, Dany Garcia. Here are pictures of the estate, followed by the official property description from Trulia.com:

[nggallery id=11]

“Guard Gated, Secure & Private, Hidden Hills Estates. Tour De Force! Exciting Ultra-Private Custom Contemporary Mediterranean View Estate At The End of Cul-De-Sac & Nestled Behind 2 Sets of Private Gates. Stainless Steel Privacy Gate Opens To Reveal An Open Motor Court W/ Stacked Stone Waterfall Entry & Abundant Parking, Including 4 Car Garage. Two-Story Gallery Entry Through Walls of Glass Leads To Radius Walled Living Room W/Mesmerizing Views of Resort-Like Lushly Landscaped Yard. Verdant Lawns, Infinity Edge Pool/Spa, Outdoor Patios, Bbq Center, Stacked Stone Waterfall & Endless Vistas of Mountains & Valley Lights Are Seen From Most Rooms.“

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown broadcast, taped Tuesday night from Hershey, PA.

*SPOILERS* For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

This is the go-home show before Sunday’s WWE Over The Limit pay-per-view:

– World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

– WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Kane

– United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes

– Daniel Bryan vs. Zack Ryder

– Tag Team Champions R Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young

– Damien Sandow vs. Yoshi Tatsu.

Following the announcement of RAW moving to 3-hours every week starting July 23rd, various WWE superstars and divas wrote tweeted about the news:

John Laurinaitis: “After I defeat @JohnCena at #OverTheLimit, I can look forward to another hour of #PeoplePower beginning on July 23. #3HourRaw”

“As many of you have noted, the odds of me actually making it to #3HourRaw are slimmer than ever after the Board’s decision Monday.”

“Although I’m a fighter, I’ll need the support of the entire WWE Universe to overcome such unfair circumstances at #OverTheLimit.”

“As always, I’m trying to stand tall in the face of adversity. The prospect of #3HourRaw is helping me persevere in these dark times.”

David Otunga: “RAW is 3 hours! An additional 3,600 secs @WWEUniverse gets to enjoy looking at the greatest physique in @WWE #3HourRAW”

Dolph Ziggler: “i challenge ANY @WWE #wwe SUPERSTAR to an #IronManMatch July 23rd! #3hourRaw #ShowStolen #AnyTAKERs?”

Justin Gabriel: “#3HourRaw yes! Stoked. I hope that my people in Africa will get more than the Hour of RAW and SD now!”

BG James: “Well the cats out of the bag! Soon we go 3 hours on Mondays! More entertainment for your viewing pleasure! #3hourRaw #OUDK”

Titus O’Neil: “Well @WWE #RAW goes to 3hrs in July!! Looks like Me& @DarrenYoungWWE will have 2take Over Raw too!! #TagChampsSoon #MillionsofDollars”

Tyson Kidd: “Raw moving to 3 hours? I see nothing but great stuff coming from this”