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Cover Art For Big Show DVD, Steel Cage Match Pops Large Rating

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— WWEDVDNews.com has released the cover art for World Wrestling Entertainment’s upcoming DVD set on Big Show, Big Show: A Giant’s World. The cover features the WWE Superstar grasping a miniature wrestling ring.

To view the cover art, click here. The three-disc set is scheduled for release on Feb. 22.

— In the segment-by-segment numbers for Monday’s Raw, the WWE Title Match between The Miz and John Morrison drew a 3.1 for the first quarter and a 3.2 for the second quarter; Maryse, Melina and Alicia Fox vs. Brie Bella, Eve Torres and Natalya tumbled to 2.9; the in-ring segment with CM Punk, Wade Barrett and The Nexus setting up main event stipulations grew the rating to a 3.2; Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth fell to 3.0; backstage interviews with Randy Orton and The Nexus fell to 2.7; beginning of the Steel Cage Match between Orton, Barrett and Sheamus grew to 3.2 and then increased to 3.8 for the overrun. From start to finish, the Steel Cage Match gained 1,611,000 viewers.

Overall, the show drew a 3.08 cable rating, with 4.51 million viewers.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Paul Orndorff Talks About His Cancer, Never Being WWE Champ

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Busted Open with ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff
Hosts: Dave LaGreca & Doug Mortman
Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4 PM ET

Here are some highlights of what Paul Orndorff said about:

Never having held the WWF Championship: “I was a rebel. I’m proud and I’m not proud of that. I let my work do my talking. I wasn’t a very good politician. I said what I thought. I did what I thought was right for me and my family. Were they the right thing? I don’t know. Were they the wrong thing? I don’t know. Am I rich? Hell no. I have cancer right now. I wished I had saved some of my money…but that’s just the way it is.”

Where he is with his Cancer: “I don’t know, I’m going to the doctors and they’re doing things and I brought that up not for sympathy but because I don’t want it. I just found out. And I’m sitting here telling you all this stuff because I wonder if maybe I should have just played the game.”

The difference between the WWE and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame (he is in both): “Well one is chosen by your peers, and one is chosen by Vince McMahon. I would pick the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (as the most prestigious) because it’s chosen by the people you worked with. I think it holds more ground. Why would the NFL or baseball do it (that way) if it wasn’t the way to go?”

Randy Savage and Bruno Sammartino not being in the WWE Hall of Fame: “Well they didn’t kiss (McMahon’s) ass. Of course a lot of guys didn’t kiss his ass believe it or not. I damn sure didn’t…That’s just life. It’s nice that I’m in (the WWE Hall of Fame), but if I had to choose between the two, (I would choose) the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.”

Fan Sues The Rock, Triple H & WWE Over 2000 PPV Incident

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A wrestling fan from Indiana is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestlers Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Levesque (Triple) H for an incident that happened at WWE Judgement Day 2000 from Louisville, Kentucky.

During the main event of Judgement Day between The Rock and Triple H, the two wrestlers brawled into the crowd and the fan alleges that he was injured during the scuffle.

The lawsuit accuses the WWE of failing to properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque are accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” The fan is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.

Harris Berman, the fan’s attorney, said that because the fan was only 7 years old (a minor) at the time of the incident, the lawsuit is not prohibited by the statute of limitations. According to Mr. Berman, the fan has been to various doctors over the years concerning his leg and recently had surgery, spurring him to file the lawsuit.

For more on this story, visit Courrier-Journal.com.

Unaired Diva Footage From Raw, Value Of McMahon’s Trust Fund

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— Footage has surfaced from the live feed of Monday’s Raw of Melina, Maryse and Alicia Fox apparently ad-libbing a promo prior to their Divas Tag Match against Natalya, Eve Torres and Brie Bella.

Melina gives a half-hearted explanation for her recent actions against Natalya by simply saying, “I guess I don’t really have anything to say other than, I guess I just get a little emotional.” She then laughs and passes the microphone to Maryse, who proceeds to speak in French. Alicia Fox then says, “This is true class right here so just get used to it.”

Click here to see the video.

— Several top World Wrestling Entertainment executives received major stock options at the end of 2010. For instance, Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn sold 18,000 shares for $258,300 on Dec 29. Shares of WWE stock owned by Dunn are currently worth $1.77 million. A trust fund Vince McMahon earmarked in 2008, which is separate from his own stock portfolio, sold 2,866,944 shares on Dec. 29—equal to $41,140,646. The current value of his trust fund following the sale is approximately $146 millio

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Former WWE Star Paul Orndorff Says He Has Cancer

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Former WWE and WCW star Paul Orndorff, 61, revealed this afternoon on the SIRIUS pro wrestling talk show Busted Open that he was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Program host Reby Sky disclosed the news on her Twitter account, writing:

“Orndorff: “I wasn’t a very good politican. I wonder if I should have played the game” in reference to money & Vince McMahon.”

“.. after revealing he just found out he has cancer. This is almost too intense; studio on the verge of tears here.”

Orndorff was forced to retire from active wrestling in 1995 due to previous injuries suffered while working for WWE in the 1980s, with the entire right side of his body beginning to atrophy (eventually causing his arm and leg muscles to shrink).

Tiffany Pulled From Indy Show After Making Additional Demands

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Taryn Terrell (a/k/a Tiffany) was pulled from a scheduled match against Cheerleader Melissa at a Pro Wrestling Revolution event next month in San Francisco after the former WWE Diva made additional demands to organization officials they feel should have been brought up prior to the booking being accepted and promotion of the match taking place.

Diva-Dirt.com added, “While these requests were simply not feasible for the independent wrestling scene, we’d like to stress that ChickFight and Pro Wrestling Revolution did attempt to cater to Ms Terrel’s requests, despite already having an agreement with her.”

Terrell took to Twitter last night to comment on her side of the story.

“I was taken off a show without my knowledge. I was very much looking forward to this match and am saddened that they were in talks with my team and decided against working with me. Nothing I was asking was out of the ordinary, and it is standard in every entertainment contract. In fact, I was taking far less than my booking fee to have the amazing opportunity to face Alissa Flash. I apologize to my fans as I did not see this coming. No one communicated that they didn’t want to review the contract and I was unaware they were pulling me. And I hope to see you guys, my wonderful fans, soon. I do thank Diva-Dirt, ChickFight, and Pro Wrestling Revolution for considering me and hope to have the opportunity to work with you all at some point. I do have a few appearances coming up which will be posted online soon! Love you all!”

Del Rio Feud vs. Mysterio To End, Christian Appearing At FCW

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— This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.

— Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.

— The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.

NJPW Announces Northeast US Tour & New Title Belt

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New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced it will be touring the United States in May and will be holding a tournament to crown its first ever IWGP Intercontinental champion.

Here are the official details of the “NJPW INVASION TOUR 2011: ATTACK ON EAST COAST:”

~ Press Conference introducing the “Invasion: Attack on East Coast” tour and Fan Meet & Greet – May 12 – in NEW YORK.

~ INVASION TOUR DAY 1 – May 13 – New Jersey
Rahway Recreation Center in RAHWAY NEW JERSEY

~ INVASION TOUR DAY 2 – May 14 – New York
at the 36 Pier in NEW YORK, NY

~ INVASION TOUR DAY 3- May 15 – Pennsylvania Convention
location: Asylum Arena (formerly ECW Arena), Philadelphia Pennsylvania

~ On 5/16 There will be a final fan event scheduled.

300×600 Fight Day Test

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Matt Hardy Talks About Jeff’s Legal Issues & Tag Team Wrestling

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The Poughkeepsie Journal has published a new interview with former WWE superstar Matt Hardy, which you can read here in its entirety. Here are some highlights of what Matt said about:

WWE’s Main Goal, His Favorite Performer & The Sad State Of Tag Team Wrestling:

“It saddens me and it bothers me. Looking at WWE, their main goal right now is to search for the next big thing that can draw. John Cena is the guy that is the centerpiece.

“Randy Orton is probably my favorite performer right now. But they still can’t find that one person like a Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock that can spark the business to burn through the economy. That’s what they’re looking for and Vince, or WWE, isn’t going to focus on tag team wrestling or a cruiserweight division.”

What’s Changed The Most Since He First Joined WWE:

“What’s changed the most, by far, is true creative freedom. When we started with WWE, there was one writer, Vince Russo, and there was Ed Ferrara and those guys really dealt with the top five to eight guys in the company … Now, they try to take so much control over what everybody does. You have to be able to walk a tight line without a net. Sometimes, you’ll fail miserably and sometimes, you’ll look great. Everything is so choreographed now, especially with promos.”

His Brother Jeff’s Legal Issues:

“There’s definitely a lot more to everything than meets the eye. I hate it for Jeff. So many people jump to conclusions and that’s where information and the Internet can be somewhat of a negative. With the Internet having such a strength, a snowball effect becomes a full-fledged storm.”

Brock Lesnar Announces New Book, Jim Ross Comments

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog with his thoughts about former WWE superstar turned UFC fighter Brock Lesnar’s new book. Ross wrote:

“[Lesnar’s] new book about his life and times that’s co-written with Paul Heyman is due out April 19. It will be interesting to see how many book signings the intensely private Lesnar does but as the old saying goes, “A signed book is a sold book.” Most MMA insiders think that Lesnar will next fight in July for UFC. With Lesnar off the radar and with nothing currently, publically established for his return, many die hard MMA fanatics seemingly have used that opportunity and Lesnar losing the UFC Heavyweight Title to start ‘hating on’ Brock again. Amazing. Lesnar will never fully live down his time in WWE to many MMA purists. “

Speaking of Brock Lesnar’s book, he posted a video on YouTube this week explaining that the book will be about his life story and his fight to the top of WWE and UFC, despite all the doubters. Here’s the announcement:

*Spoiler* New #1 Contender & Title Change At SD Tapings

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Warning: The following contains a Spoiler for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:

At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from the Tucson Convention Center in Arizona, Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler to capture the Intercontinental Championship. Kofi pinned Dolph to capture the belt when Vickie Guerrero came out and demanded that the match be restarted. It was restarted and Kofi won again, walking away champion.

Later in the tapings, there was a #1 Contender’s match for the World Heavyweight championship with Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show. Vickie Guerrero came out and added Dolph Ziggler to the match. Ziggler pinned Cody Rhodes to become the number one contender. Former Nexus member Wade Barrett came out during the match and attacked the Big Show.

As the new #1 contender, Ziggler likely challenge for Edge’s title at the Royal Rumble.

*Spoiler* Wade Barrett & Nexus’ Future Revealed

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Warning: The following contains a Spoiler for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:

At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, former Nexus member Wade Barrett made a surprise appearance and attacked the Big Show during a #1 contender’s match that was won by Dolph Ziggler.

After Barrett was kicked out of Nexus on Monday’s RAW, his is now reportedly being moved to the SmackDown brand, reports PWInsider.com.

Barrett will not be turning face as part of his exit from Nexus and will not be putting much more of a fight to get back with his former group. Nexus will move on without Barrett, with CM Punk as its new leader as we begin the new year.

First NXT Elimination Announced, Superstars Matches Taped

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— The results of the first poll of the fourth season of NXT were revealed on tonight’s episode and it was announced that Jacob Novak has been eliminated from the competition.

Novak said it is ‘a crushing blow’ and that he always wanted to stand in front of the WWE Universe because they share the same passion as him. He added that NXT was the experience of his life.

Matt Striker then announced that the next elimination will take place in two weeks.

— Matches taped tonight in Tucson, Arizona for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were JTG vs. Tyler Reks and Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins.

— Percy Watson pinned Chavo Guerrero in a dark match prior to tonight’s television tapings.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE Shows No Interest In Joe, Bryan Working Independent Show

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– World Wrestling Entertainment officials reportedly did not reach out to Samoa Joe during a few day period last month he was a free agent. There were people in the organization pushing Joe to be signed, but results were not had before he reached a new agreement with TNA Wrestling. (source: PWInsider.com)

– WWE United States Champion Daniel Bryan is advertised to face Tommaso Ciampa in a Submissions Match at this Saturday’s Millennium Wrestling Federation event at Memorial Hall on 590 Main St. – Melrose, MA.

For more information on Tommaso Ciampa, click here. A video promo of Ciampa commenting on his upcoming match with Bryan is available here.

Other matches scheduled to take place include “Slyck” Wagner Brown vs. former TNA star Homicide in a MWF Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match, TNA star Abyss vs. “Executioner” Brian Milonas in a Steel Cage Grudge Match, and Awesome Kong vs. MWF Tag Team Champion J-Busta in a Steel Cage Inter-gender Match. Paul Bearer, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, “Doink the Clown” Matt Borne, “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards and John Cena, Sr., among others, are also advertised to appear.

Cena Dealing With Additional Injuries, Post-Mania Raw News

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— John Cena was reportedly “banged up” before he suffered an injury to his hip during a match with Wade Barrett at last Tuesday’s Raw live event in Philadelphia. It is the latest in a series of minor injuries the WWE Superstar is suffering from. Nonetheless, he is expected back any week now.

— With Tough Enough beginning the day after WrestleMania XXIV, there won’t be a three-hour episode of Raw during the ten-week run of the reality program. There has been a three-hour WWE Draft show following WrestleMania for the past four years.

— Jim Ross noted today on Twitter that he is meeting with retired NFL player and University of Oklahoma alumnus Marcus Dupree to discuss potential non-wrestling opportunities for himself. Ross added that a movie could be in the works.

(source: f4wonline.com))

Monday’s Raw Rating, Kane Participating In High School Seminar

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— The January 3, 2010 edition of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.06 cable rating. The rating is slightly down from last week’s show, which scored a 3.06.

— WWE talent Glenn Jacobs (a/k/a Kane) and Mises Institute faculty will be participating in an “Economics in One Lesson: High School Seminar” in Knoxville, Tennessee on February 11. The seminar is being sponsored by the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. Click here for more information.

— WWE’s forthcoming three-disc DVD set on Big Show, Big Show: A Giant’s World, is set for release on February 22, 2011.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

DGUSA Announces 3-Night Kamizake USA Gauntlet Challenge

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Dragon Gate USA has announced that Open The Freedom Gate champion BxB Hulk will defend his title three nights in a row (January 28-30) against the members of the Kamizake USA stable. BxB Hulk will “run the guantlet” against the members of Kamizake USA on the following shows:

  • Friday January 28th from Manhattan, NY (BB Kings):
    OTFG Champion BxB Hulk vs. YAMATO
  • Saturday January 29th from Philadelphia, PA (ECW Arena):
    OTFG Champion BxB Hulk vs. Jon Moxley
  • Sunday January 30th – Union City, NJ (ACE Arena):
    OTFG Champion BxB Hulk vs. Akira Tozawa

Check out this promo from Kamizake USA member Jon Moxley issuing the challenge to BxB Hulk:

Strikeforce Announces Heavyweight Tournament, Fedor Re-Signs

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The Strikeforce MMA promotion has announced that Fedor Emelianenko has signed a new multi-fight contract with the promotion and will compete in Strikeforce’s upcoming World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament, starting on February 12th.

The following first-round matches will be part of the tournament:

  • Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva.
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov.
  • Brett Rogers vs. Josh Barnett.
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum.

Here’s the official press release from Strikeforce:

WORLD GRAND PRIX HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
Quarterfinals Begin Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011
Live on SHOWTIME® From IZOD Center, E. Rutherford, N.J.

NEW YORK (Jan. 4, 2011) – World championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotions STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL, in association with premium television network SHOWTIME have signed a new, multi-year agreement to co-promote events headlined by the MMA legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC).

In addition, STRIKEFORCE has assembled eight of the world’s top ranked heavyweights to compete in the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament, a three-stage, single-elimination tournament that will take place over several events in 2011.  The first two quarterfinal fights begin on Saturday, Feb. 12, live on SHOWTIME from the IZOD Center in E. Rutherford, N.J. In the main event, the 34-year-old Emelianenko will face the towering Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event.  Co-featured on Feb. 12, former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) will face Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last man to defeat current STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

The other two quarterfinal matchups are as follows: Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) will face the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), while the heavy-handed Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) will meet a hungry Josh Barnett (29-5). The location and date for these quarterfinal tournament fights are to be announced.

“We are thrilled to have come to a long-term agreement with Fedor and M-1 GLOBAL,” said STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker. “To have the greatest MMA fighter of all-time put his legacy on the line in a single-elimination tournament will truly captivate MMA fans worldwide. STRIKEFORCE is home to the best heavyweight division in the world; the athlete who runs the gauntlet in a tournament such as this would have to be considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world.”

“I’m very pleased to be working with SHOWTIME and STRIKEFORCE and Mr. Coker and Mr. Hershman personally. Thanks to their interest and efforts, we’ve created what will go down in history as MMA’s greatest heavyweight tournament of all time,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. “M-1, STRIKEFORCE and SHOWTIME have built a partnership committed to the future growth of MMA—a sport where organizations represent a working collaborative that enable the best fighters in the world to fight each other. This agreement benefits everyone, especially the fans who’ll see Fedor in action more often.

“With SHOWTIME’s significance in the U.S. and M-1’s development of the European and Asian MMA markets, the cooperation will also deliver a global roster of talented fighters to viewers,” Finkelchtein continued. “During the coming year, we’ll be showcasing spectacular Grand Prix events using the same M-1 Selection tournament format, a series of events generating enthusiastic spectator interest keeping fans glued to their screens.”

“I can’t think of a better way to start 2011 than with this major announcement,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “Fedor is universally known to sports fans throughout the world and it is an honor to continue our work with M-1 GLOBAL and STRIKEFORCE in presenting this legendary fighter to SHOWTIME subscribers.

“SHOWTIME has enjoyed great success with its two most recent boxing tournaments—the Super Six World Boxing Classic and The Bantamweight Tournament,” Hershman continued. “And now, with the breadth of talent in the STRIKEFORCE heavyweight division, we have the privilege of staging one of the biggest tournaments in the history of this growing sport.  With the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix’s single-elimination format and the biggest names in the sport today, this tournament is something that no sports fan will want to miss.”

“I have been training very hard since my last fight and can’t wait to get back in the cage,” said the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko, who hails from Stary Oskol, Russia and is promoted by M-1 GLOBAL.  “STRIKEFORCE has assembled a roster filled with the best heavyweights in the world and, together with M-1 GLOBAL, we have the opportunity to fight the best in a great tournament format.”

Fedor’s unprecedented, record-setting run of 28 professional MMA bouts without a defeat has prompted many MMA enthusiasts to label Fedor as the greatest of all time. Since his career began 10 years ago, Fedor has faced and defeated many rival superstars and champions of this era including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Andrei Arlovski and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

In what ranks among the most watched MMA fights in the United States, Fedor made his live primetime network television debut on Nov. 7, 2009 on CBS, when he defeated unbeaten rising star Brett Rogers in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event.  Despite a difficult first round in which he sustained a deep cut above his eye, Fedor turned the tide early in the second round with one vicious right-hand punch and finished Rogers shortly after.

Then, on June 26, 2010, Fedor suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Werdum, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., in one of the most watched MMA bouts on SHOWTIME.  Werdum, who has defeated a host of top rivals including Overeem, Silva and Brandon “The Truth” Vera, trapped Fedor’s arm in a triangle armbar that forced Fedor to tap out at the 1:09 mark of the opening round.

Fedor has only one other official loss on his record, the result of a doctor stoppage due to a cut he sustained seconds into a matchup with Japan’s Tsuyoshi Kosaka on Dec. 22, 2000.  Fedor avenged the TKO loss with his own first-round TKO of Kosaka at a PRIDE Fighting Championships event in Japan on April 3, 2005.

Snoop Dogg Endorsing NXT Rookie, Watch Past Royal Rumbles

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— Snoop Dogg is pushing his Twitter followers to vote for Brodus Clay in the ongoing NXT competition. Voting is taking place at WWE.com as the first elimination will be made on tonight’s show. He wrote:

“Brodus clay get ur vote on WWENXT.com represent tha homey @brodusclay. nudoknowthat.”

Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, he worked as a bodyguard for Snoop Dogg. The Brodus Clay ring name is a play on Snoop Dogg’s real name, Cordozar Calvin Broadus.

— Comcast’s On Demand service is offering the following Royal Rumble matches for $1.99 apiece: 1988, 1989. 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2008.

— New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the following dates for their upcoming tour of the United States: Friday, May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey at the Rahway Rec Center; Saturday, May 14 in Brooklyn, New York at a yet to be announced venue; Sunday, May 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the “ECW Arena.”

Show Lands Role In Nickelodeon Series, SmackDown Sets Low

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— Big Show has landed a role in the upcoming Nickelodeon series “Supah Ninjas, which is centered around a group of high school kids who are ninjas.

A casting call was issued today for a stand-in for the WWE Superstar with the casting director asking for a Caucasian male “6’9′ or taller who is 400 to 475lbs.”

— The New Year’s Eve edition of SmackDown drew a 1.43 cable rating, with 2,205,000 viewers. It is a record low rating for a first-run episode of SmackDown on Syfy.

— WWEShop.com is offering 20% off orders of $75 or more with the code “2011”.

(source: PWInsider.com)

Snow To Return For Tough Enough?, Mysterio Pulled From Show

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— A number of mainstream news outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Variety are covering the revival of WWE’s Tough Enough reality series on the USA Network. A blogger for Entertainment Weekly queried if Al Snow would be returning as a trainer, but a USA representative stated that decisions about judges and mentors have yet to be made.

Snow currently works for TNA Wrestling as a producer.

— The Rupp Arena is no longer advertising Rey Mysterio for this Saturday’s Smackdown live event in Lexington, Kentucky. Alberto Del Rio will instead face Big Show.

— Former WWE star Jim Powers celebrates his 52nd birthday today. He announced his retirement from professional wrestling last month.

Shad Gaspard Talked Top MMA Star Out Of Joining WWE

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Former WWE star Shad Gaspard appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas last night. You can hear the full interview at TheScore.com. Here are some highlights of what Gaspard said about:

Telling Strikeforce MMA Fighter “King Mo” Not To Join WWE:

“(Former Strikeforce MMA Light Heavyweight Champion King Mo Lawal) actually tried out (for the WWE). Gerald Brisco got him a tryout with WWE. They were ready to sign him and he was ready to sign. He decided not to come with WWE because, we were out drinking one night. I told him that he’s young, he can still do it.. he should fight right now, do what he has to do now and then later on become a pro wrestler. I know he will be a superstar when it’s his time. He’s in in no rush. I’m super proud of him.”

Not Watching Wrestling Anymore & Being A Fan Of John Morrison:

“I haven’t watched wrestling in months. Tonight was the first night I watched because I knew Morrison was wrestling, and I was hoping he’d win the title. You know it’s one of those things where the really good athlete doesn’t necessarily make the really good wrestler in some people’s opinions. And it’s not the people who are watching the product, it’s the people who are in the back. I think Morrison is a phenomenal athlete. But when you put him in a wrestling ring and that talent sometimes get unshowcased and sometimes I feel people like him get the short end of the stick.”

Tonight’s SmackDown & NXT Tapings, Why Alberto Was On RAW

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– WWE will tape tonight’s episode of NXT and Friday’s SmackDown show from the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona.

NXT will feature the first elimination of Season 4. SmackDown will see Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio in a 2 of 3 Falls Match and Kane vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight championship.

– A few readers have asked why SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio wrestled on Monday’s WWE RAW from Phoenix. Aside from the fact that Alberto is in the midst of a major push and WWE wants him to get as much exposure as possibe, the main reason is that WWE wants to give RAW fans a look at a top SmackDown star in hopes that they’ll watch SmackDown on SyFy. Expect to see more crossover among RAW and SmackDown stars in the coming months.

– The new backstage announcer we saw on RAW is Scott Stanford, who announces on WWE Superstars and is one of WWE’s “hype men” on the PPV preview shows that air before WWE’s PPVs go on the air. He’s a longtime newscaster in the New York area and has an official website at ScottStanford.tv.

WrestleKings V Results: TNA vs. NJPW From Tokyo (VIDEO)

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New Japan WrestleKings V show
Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo Dome
Report by reader Nick

I don’t know the exact attendance figure, but the whole first tier was filled along with the ground level seating. My friend and I speculated there were about 10,000-12,000 people there. We paid 3,000 yen (approximately 35 US dollars) for a seat in the first tier, with a nice view of the action.

As is expected in Japan, the Japanese wrestlers received the biggest pops and heat. Notable mention must go to Kenny Omega and Prince Devitt though – they seem to have created a pretty nice following in Japan.

From TNA, Jeremy Borash was doing the ring introductions, and Beer Money, RVD and Jeff Hardy were in action. Quite a few people seemed to be familiar with Beer Money as they have been to Japan
before, but unfortunately Jeff Hardy and RVD received little to no reaction. It was quite funny with RVD, as the Japanese wrestler he faced received a way bigger pop when he mockingly did the RVD gesture with his name than RVD did himself.

Props go to Jeff Hardy for making the trip to Japan with all the personal issues he has going on right now, but he was far from top form today, and put on arguably the worst match of the night. He faced Tetsuya Naitoh (part of No Limit who were in TNA briefly), but the match never got going, had a couple of botched spots, and there was a “was that it?” feeling in the crowd after it ended.

The match may have finished early for some reason as Naitoh didn’t even take his t-shirt off (he usually takes it off during one his signature moves), and Jeff did look noticeably exhausted a couple of minutes into the match. Like I say though, props to Jeff for coming to Japan and putting on the show with everything he has going on at the moment.

All TNA wrestlers used their TNA music and entrance videos.

There was also an announcement during the show that New Japan will be putting on 3 shows under the “Strong Style” slogan in the U.S. in May this year. I think it was May 13 in New Jersey, May 14 in New York, and May 15 in Philadelphia. You may want to confirm those dates, but it was definitely in those cities.

Dark Match

1. Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask, Tama Tonga and Tomoaki Honma defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishi, Gedo and Jado in an 8-man tag match. Short 8-man tag match, was disappointing to see Tiger Mask relegated to dark match status.

Main Card

1. Kouji Kanemoto and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kenny Omega and Taichi.
Kenny Omega looked great, and the fans seem to be really behind him.

2. Giant Bernard (A-Train/Prince Albert) and Machine Gun Anderson defeated Beer Money and the team of Nakanishi Manabu and Strongman in a three way tag match. I liked Machine Gun Anderson – he and Bernard got a nice reaction. Beer Money did the Beer Money suplex, DWI, and James Storm did the beer spitting spot which backfired. Fun match which ended with Bernard telling TNA that “NJPW is No. 1!”

3. La Sombra and Mascara Dorada (from CMLL) defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Hector Garza. Lucha libre style tag match with lots of high risk athletic spots. La Sombra performed an inwards somersault dive to the outside and Mascara Dorada did a tightrope walk moonsault to the outside. Really impressive stuff from all 4 guys.

4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Takashi Iizuka in a “Deep Sleep” (first person unconscious) match. Finally a singles match! Very physical grudge match – Iizuka is an awesome heel. Tenzan finished with an move similar to the Anaconda Vice to put Iizuka away. The crowd loved Tenzan – he was out for a long time with an injured neck and seems to be somewhat of a crowd favourite.

5. Rob Van Dam defeated Toru Yano in a hardcore match. Poor RVD. He put on a good effort here, but received little to no love from the crowd. Japanese crowds are tough to win over. Standard hardcore rules match with chairs, trash cans, ladders, etc involved. RVD did the Van Daminator a couple of times (to no reaction) and hit the Five Star Frog Splash to Yano holding a chair (to no reaction) for the win.

6. Yuji Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki. Grudge match – apparently there is legit heat between these two guys going back over 20 years. Nagata hit some mega stiff kicks, very much a Japanese strong style match.

7. Prince Devitt defeated Kouta Ibushi to retain the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title. Easily the best match of the night. Both these guys are so impressive in the ring, and shook hands at the end after a very high paced match. I urge you all to check this out on YouTube if it gets uploaded.

8. Sugiura and Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Hirooki Goto and Kazuchika Okada. Takayama was as stiff as ever, everyone was “oooh”-ing every time he hit a knee. They did a Go To Sleep style move where Sugiura threw Goto off his shoulders and onto Takayama’s oncoming knee. Looked nasty. Takayama got the win for his team with a bridging german suplex.

9. Jeff Hardy defeated Tetsuya Naitoh to retain the TNA Title. As I mentioned, a disappointing match. Never got going. Jeff hit the Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Hate, and finished with the Swanton Bomb. Naitoh did all the heavy lifting before that, and did his best to create some movement, but Jeff didn’t have a great day at the office.

10. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Go Shiozaki. Great match, Nakamura has some nasty looking chops. He was even chopping Shiozaki’s knee at one point.

11. Tougi Makabe defeated Masato Tanaka.

12. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima to become the 56th IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Tanahashi, who was in TNA for a while, had the crowd behind him in an entertaining title match, and sent everyone home happy with a title win.

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