TMZ.com broke the story on Monday morning that former WWE superstar Dave Batista is becoming a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
The 6’5″, 290 pound Batista was in Hollywood over weekend and told TMZ that he’s headed to the Strikeforce MMA promotion, home of another former WWE superstar, Bobby Lashley.
Batista even told the TMZ camera guy that he already has his first fight lined up, but can’t comment on it just yet.
There have been rumors for months that the 41 year old Batista would be following in the footsteps of Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. Now, its official.
— A dark match pitting Zack Ryder against MVP took place before tonight’s live Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view broadcast. Ryder pinned MVP after striking him with the Zack Attack.
— Maryse suffered a wardrobe malfunction during the Divas Championship Match at tonight’s Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view. The malfunction, which was captured on camera during the live broadcast, occurred when Fox went to pin Maryse.
— Bryan Danielson was over with the live audience at the Nassau Coliseum’s for WWE’s Fatal 4-Way event as fans reportedly chanted for “Daniel Bryan” just prior to the show going live on pay-per-view. His name could also be heard during the conclusion of the show when the NXT season one Rookies stormed the ring during the WWE Championship Match.
— A number of WWE stars trended tonight at various points on Twitter including Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, Alicia Fox, Chris Jericho and Evan Bourne.
Solomonster previews Fatal 4-Way before leaving for the show and talks about the NXT follow-up, HBK’s thoughts on Daniel Bryan’s release, Abyss turning heel, Ric Flair wrestling Jay Lethal, a rant on 3D glasses and who is the GREATEST WWE superstar of all time?
A video package opens up WWE Fatal Four Way highlighting John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Edge in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship and Jack Swagger (c) vs. Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
A highlight reel from previous WWE programming showing Kane in search for Undertaker’s attacker is then shown.
Vince McMahon is out first. He announces that Bret Hart will not be at tonight’s pay-per-view. A video package from Team NXT’s attack on Hart from last week’s Raw is shown. Vince then says that he will be meeting with ‘representatives’ of Bret Hart to determine if he will be able to return to his duties as General Manager.
Drew McIntyre comes out to the ring but first shakes hands with Vince McMahon. His match against Teddy Long on last week’s SmackDown was highlighted in a video package.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Vince is shown on the screen getting in a limo outside.
Drew gets on the mic and tells Teddy Long that Vince McMahon said he must come out right now. Teddy Long’s music hits and he makes his way out to the ring while Long unleashes a verbal attack. Drew tells Teddy to sit at ringside while he wins back the Intercontinental Championship; when he wins, Teddy must hand him the belt.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston’s music hits and he appears from the backstage area.
Back in the ring, McIntyre got a two count, then applied an armbar. Kofi armdragged out of it, then slid under McIntyre, but Drew hit him with a shoulderblock. Drew stomped the arm, and Kofi tried to fight back, but Drew stomped him down in a corner.
Drew clotheslined Kofi twice in the corner. Drew went for a short-arm clothesline, but Kofi floated over it and hit a DDT. Kofi elbowed Drew, then hit some kicks to the legs. Kofi punched Drew in the head, then hit a series of chops and a dropkick. Kofi missed a clothesline, then Drew missed with one and Kofi rolled up Drew for a two count. Kofi hit a reverse bodypress out of the corner for a two count, but Drew hit the arm again and delivered a neckbreaker on the knee for a two count.
Drew went for a slam, but Kofi floated out of it and hit a legsweep. Kofi hit the Boom Drop legdrop, then began to clap. Drew backed away from the Trouble In Paradise kick, and backdropped Kofi to the ringapron. Drew hit some punches and went to back suplex Kofi into the ring, but Kofi shifted his weight and landed on top of Drew for a two count.
Drew picked up Kofi off the mat, but Kofi hit the SOS for a two count. McIntyre tripped Kofi into the turnbuckles, but Kofi grabbed a headscissors. Drew stood up in the headscissors and threw Kofi into the referee, knocking him out.
Drew threw Kingston shoulder first into the ringpost and hit the Future Shock DDT, but there was no referee to count. McIntyre tried to revive the referee, then went outside and threw Teddy Long in the ring, demanding he make the count. McIntyre even ripped the shirt off the unconscious referee and ordered Long to put it on. Long did so, and McIntyre made the cover. Long counted two, then stopped and shook his head no. The fans chanted for Long. McIntyre glared at Long, and backed him in a corner. McIntyre told Long he needs to count him, or he would “drop him.” McIntyre went to pick up Kofi for another DDT, but Matt Hardy ran in from the crowd and gave McIntyre a Twist Of Fate. Long just watched. Kofi then gave McIntyre a Trouble In Paradise kick and Long counted the pinfall for Kofi at the 17-minute mark.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Eve gave Maryse and Fox forearms and dropkicks. Fox and Maryse double-teamed Eve. Kim got on the apron and gave Fox a headscissors while Eve put Maryse in an armbar. Kim let go of her headscissors to break up Eve’s hold on Maryse. Kim put Maryse in an armbar of her own, then Fox broke it up and she put Maryse in an armbar. Maryse escaped to the floor. Eve put Fox in a camel clutch, while Kim put Fox a Boston Crab at the same time. Maryse tossed Eve and Kim out of the ring, leaving her to face off with Fox.
Fatal 4 Way Divas Champion Match: Eve (c) vs. Gail Kim vs. Maryse vs. Alicia Fox
Eve and Maryse paird off at the bell, while Kim and Alicia did the same. Gail got kicked in the shin by Fox, who then hit a Northern Lights suplex, leading into a sequence where everyone was breaking up pins and going for covers. Fox gave Kim a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
They argued, then Fox shoved her. Maryse hit some forearms and a side kick for a cover, but Eve broke it up. Kim came in and dropkicked Eve and Maryse. Kim hit Maryse with a shoulderblock, then a missile dropkick for a one count, as Eve broke it up. Kim got yanked down off the apron by Alicia, who dropped her face first on it Eve gave Maryse a neckbreaker in the ring, then went to the top rope and hit a moonsault. Fox broke up the cover, throwing Eve to the floor, and Fox covered Maryse for the pin at the six minute mark.
Winner and new Divas Champion: Alicia Fox.
Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho
Bourne hooks Jericho’s leg and gets a two count. Both are laboring in the ring as we see a replay of the head scissors take over from Bourne onto Jericho. Jericho rolls through a great counter and applies the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring on Bourne.
Bourne is able to get to the ropes and Jericho is forced to release the hold. Jericho is very angry at the referee and pushes Bourne off the apron. Bourne hits his head on the announce table. Jericho follows Bourne to the outside and goes on the offensive.
Bourne takes Jericho down face-first into the steel steps in a counter. Bourne goes to the top rope but he’s being counted out. Bourne goes off with flying knees and gets a two count on Jericho. Chris kicks out.
Jericho starts to counter and hits a nice backbreaker into a two count on Bourne. Jericho goes for the Lion Sault but Bourne rolled out of the way. Bourne goes to the apron half way around the ring. He goes to the top but he’s taking a ton of time. He goes for the Shooting Star Press but Jericho moved. Bourne landed on his feet and ate the Code Breaker.
Jericho slowly goes for the cover and Evan kicks out! Jericho works on Bourne in the ring. Jericho beats away on Evan as he instructs him to stay down and calls him an idiot. Jericho whips Bourne into the turnbuckle, Bourne counters and rolls Jericho up for two. Jericho counters and goes for the Walls of Jericho again. Bourne counters again and hits a guillotine into a DDT. Bourne goes to the top again. Jericho is up as Bourne took too much time. Jericho goes for a superplex but Bourne fights him off.
Jericho counters as Bourne is stuck on the top rope. Jericho goes for the superplex again. Bourne counters, sending Jericho face-first onto the mat. Bourne lands the Shooting Star Press and pins Jericho for the three count
Winner – Evan Bourne
We return from a brief promotional piece to Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker hyping tonight’s World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way match. Cue highlights from Smackdown where they recap the situation of what happened to The Undertaker.
Fatal 4 Way World Heavyweight Championship Match:Jack SWagger (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. vs. CM Punk vs. Big Show
The following match is a Fatal 4-Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Out first is the first challenger, Big Show.
CM Punk, the next challenger, comes out with Serena and Luke Gallows.
Rey Mysterio is the final challenger out to ringside alone.
Finally, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger is out with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waste. He poses at the top of the ramp and is no hurry on his way to the ring.
Tony Chimmel does the formal in-ring introductions. The first main to gain a pinfall or submission is the winner. All four men are in the ring at once. The bell rings and we’re off. Big four-man staredown to open the bout.
Show takes out Swagger first. CM Punk gets on Show’s back. Show dominates him to the mat, allowing CM Punk to hit kicks to his face. Now Show goes after Swagger as Punk tries to get Rey’s mask off him. Punk gets dumped over the top rope by Mysterio. Swagger tries to work over Big Show but he dumps the Champion out of the ring. It’s Show and Mysterio in the ring.
Punk is in control of the match. Swagger gets on the apron as Punk drags him into the ring and hits offense on him. Punk lands a kick on Mysterio in the corner. In the opposite corner, he hits a high knee on Swagger. Punk goes for one on Mysterio but he counters. Double German suplex from Swagger onto Punk and Mysterio. Swagger gets a two count on Mysterio then on Punk.
Mysterio regains control and goes for 619 on Punk but Show catches him on the outside and picks him up and bounces him off the announce table. Show clotheslines Punk and Swagger in the ring. He lifts Punk up and drops him down. Show whips Swagger into Punk then goes into them himself. Double clothesline from Show on Swagger and Punk. Everyone exits the ring. Show goes outside after Punk.
Mysterio kicked the steel ring steps into Show and Punk goes over the top onto Show. Swagger gets in the ring as Mysterio springboards off the apron into the ring. Mysterio tries to pickup the pace but Swagger counters. Punk comes in and gives Swagger the GTS. Unable to make the cover as Kane comes out with the casket.
Kane gets in the ring and takes out CM Punk. He takes him out of the ring and throws him in the casket. Punk tries to keep him from closing the casket as Luke Gallows gets involved. Gallows and Punk retreat to the back as Kane follows them. Mysterio and Swagger are in the ring. 619 on Swagger. Mysterio off the top and he pins Swagger. New champion folks!<br><br><b>Winner & new World Heavyweight Champion – Rey Mysterio.
Kane pushes the casket to ringside and hits the ring. Kane shoves Punk out and chokeslams him into the casket. Kane tries to shut the casket door but Punk puts his leg up. Luke Gallows comes down and drops Kane. Gallows helps Punk to the back. Kane chases off after them. In the ring, Mysterio hits 619 on Swagger and the senton for the pinfall, the win and the World Heavyweight Title.
Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: Rey Mysterio
Backstage, Josh Mathews is with WWE Champion John Cena. Mixed reaction from the live crowd. Mathews asks him if he’s concerned about the NXT Rookies showing up and disrupting the match. Cena says they have solidified the line between ‘us versus them’. Mathews asks Cena about two championships changing hands. He asks him how he expects to leave the PPV still champion. Cena says this isn’t a match he’s going out there to win but he’s certainly not going out there to lose. Tonight whoever walks out the WWE Champion, they’re going to have to earn it.
United States Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs. R-Truth
The Miz comes out first with a mic. Miz says in a few moments R-Truth is going to come out doing his ‘What’s Up’ rapping. He says he’s made the rap more suitable with some new lyrics. Miz talks like Truth by using his unknown lyrics, replacing ‘Whats up’ with ‘The Miz’.”
They lockup after the bell with R-Truth sending The Miz down to the mat with a shoulder block. They have words as The Miz stands up. Lockup again as R-Truth applies a sideheadlock before sending Miz to the mat. Miz finally rolls to the outside. Truth follows.The Miz applies a submission maneuver on the challenger. He wrenches back but R-Truth battles out. He gets back to a vertical base and backs the champion down with elbows. The Miz counters his attack but R-Truth lands a high hip toss. Truth whips The Miz into the corner and ends up on the apron as he and Miz brawl. R-Truth sends The Miz down with a right hands. Truth turns his back on the apron and The Miz pushes him off. The referee begins the count out.
The Miz regroups in the ring as R-Truth barely beats the count back into the ring. Miz gets right back onto the attack with hard boots. The official checks on R-Truth to see if he can continue. The Miz runs into him and works him over into the corner. The Miz tries to back him out of the corner but Miz won’t listen. Finally he retreats before he’s disqualified.
The Miz hits a running clothesline in the corner and gets a two count on R-Truth. He applies a leg scissors submission on the challenger in the middle of the ring.
The Miz hits a high kick to the face of Truth’s face. He gets a two count. Little reaction from the crowd either way. The Miz applies a choke on R-Truth in the ropes. The Miz has to break the hold at four. The referee checks on Truth as he fights back with stiff right hands. Truth goes off the ropes but The Miz takes him down to the mat. Miz buries his foot in the side of the face of R-Truth.
The Miz attacks R-Truth as he is slow to get up. Truth hits a couple of right hands just to stay in the match. Miz whips him into the ropes and hits a shoulder block followed by a modified arm bar.
Finally some reaction from the crowd as R-Truth breaks the hold. Truth ducks a clothesline and hits a suplex. Both men are down but Truth goes for a cover. Two count.Finally some reaction from the crowd as R-Truth breaks the hold. Truth ducks a clothesline and hits a suplex. Both men are down but Truth goes for a cover. Two count.Finally some reaction from the crowd as R-Truth breaks the hold. Truth ducks a clothesline and hits a suplex. Both men are down but Truth goes for a cover. Two count.
Snap suplex by The Miz on R-Truth. The Miz is back in control after a brief counter by his opponent. Very good ring work by a much improved Miz. The Miz taunts the crowd as he continues his assault. R-Truth uses the taunt to his advantage and lands face plant suplex. Two count by Truth onto The Miz.
R-Truth hits a couple clotheslines then whips The Miz off the ropes and finally the Flatliner but only gets a two count. Truth kicks The Miz and hits a suplex/stunner combination. Two count for the challenger.
The Miz counters R-Truth again, targeting his midsection. Back/neckbreaker combination from The Miz but he only gets a two count on the challenger. The Miz runs at R-Truth in the corner but he gets out of the way. It’s R-Truth’s chance as he hits scissor kicks with The Miz pinned in the ropes. Truth puts an arm over Truth but The Miz grabs the ropes.
R-Truth attempts the pin again but this time in the middle of the ring. He only gets a two count. R-Truth goes to the top rope but The Miz stops him and they fight up top. Truth fights The Miz off. R-Truth goes off the top rope for the cross-body but The Miz dodges it. Truth rolls through a pin attempt and nearly wins. The Miz hits offense and gets rolled up again for another two count. Kick to R-Truth’s midsection and after a counter, The Miz is able to secure a roll-up pinfall for the victory.
Winner & still WWE United States Champion – The Miz
Backstage, Todd Grisham is with Edge. He asks him about the WWE Championship Fatal 4-Way match. Edge talks down Randy Orton for his separated shoulder. He says Sheamus on the surface is a powerhouse but deep down inside he knows he doesn’t belong with the three of his opponents. Edge says he’s facing three men that have main evented a dozen Wrestlemanias. Edge says The Rated R Superstar only has one thing running through his head – walking out the PPV the new WWE Champion.
Uso Twins & Tamina vs. The Hart Dynasty
The following is a 6-person mixed tag team match. Announcing first, the team of Tyson Kidd, DH Smith and Natalya. They’re facing Tamina, Jimmy & Jay Uso.
We start with Natalya and Tamina. Tamina works over the arm of Natalya as this is her main roster WWE debut. Natalya gets Tamina down for a quick cover. Tamina tags in Jay versus David Hart Smith. Smith gets a quick cover then works over Jay’s arm.
Side headlock from Smith onto Jay, he backs out of it but Smith hits a shoulder block. Hip toss try by Jay but Smith counters with a suplex and a quick cover. Smith tags Tyson Kidd and sets Jay up in the ropes in tree of woe position. Double team move.
Tyson Kidd applies a side headlock on Jay Uso but he tags in Jimmy. Jimmy with a scoop and a slam on Kidd. He uses a submission hold to try and tame the spark plug of The Hart Dynasty. Nice move by Tyson to counters out. Off the ropes into an elbow. Jimmy throws Kidd to the outside and gets heat from the crowd. Off the ropes he went for the suicide dive but Tyson Kidd hit a kick from the apron. Kidd covers Jimmy but Jay makes the save. Tyson and Jimmy work on the apron with Tyson eventually getting caught in a Samoan Drop as Kidd went for a DDT.
Jay, now the legal man, gets a two count on Tyson Kidd. Kidd gets to his feet and goes off the ropes. Jay hits a dropkick and gets a cover for a two count. He grabs Tyson then tags in Jimmy. Double team move, then another. Jimmy gets the cover for a two count. Another cover but two again. Snap suplex from Jimmy on Kidd. Jimmy Uso applies a face submission mat move on Tyson.
Jimmy dominates Kidd in the ring as Kidd desperately goes for the tag. Jimmy works Kidd into his corner as he gets a tag. Double team move followed by a couple two counts by Jay Uso on Tyson. Another hot tag as Jimmy goes to the top rope and drops a knee to the face of Tyson Kidd.
Jimmy applies a submission hold on Kidd but he counters out. Jimmy counters, sending Kidd to the mat. He throws Kidd into the corner and lands more offense. Kidd is isolated in the corner but Jimmy Uso takes too long and Kidd gets out of the way into the turnbuckles. Jimmy gets a tag and keeps Kidd from doing the same. Back body drop from Kidd as he tags in Natalya. Tamina has to come in now.
Natalya looks good with suplexes on Tamina. She nearly gets the win but Jimmy Uso makes the save. He and Smith go to work on one another. Kidd goes from the ring to the outside on the Uso brother. Meanwhile, Tamina hits a Samoan Drop in the ring on Natalya. Tamina goes to the top rope for her father’s finisher but Natalya gets out of the way. Natalya lands a clothesline and gets the cover for the pinfall.
Winners – The Hart Dynasty
Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker hype next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. They roll a hype video for the Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship. Cue replays from Raw and the setup of the match.
Fatal 4 Way WWE Championship MatchJohn Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Sheamus
The following is a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE Championship. Randy Orton is introduced first. Edge is announced next. Sheamus, the final challenger, comes to the ring as pasty as ever.
The WWE Champion – John Cena – was out last. Mixed reaction until he emerged – the cheers drowned out most of the boos.
“All four men are in the ring for the formal introductions under Justin Roberts. Jack Doan is the referee.
Doan holds up the belt and calls for the bell. Big staredown from all four. Cena goes for Sheamus, Orton goes right for Edge. Sheamus is dumped by Cena, Edge by Orton
Orton and Cena stare each other down. Michael Cole says he has goosebumps (not sure why) as they both just look at one another. Cena gets Orton up early for the Attitude Adjustment, Orton goes for the RKO out of a counter. Neither hit as Sheamus comes in and beats down Cena. Orton goes to the outside. Sheamus backs Cena down in the corner. Edge comes in and helps Sheamus with Cena.
Edge and Sheamus whip Cena into the ropes and both hit elbows on him. They beat him down in the corner. Loud ‘Cena sucks’ chants coming through. They take Cena down in the corner. The arena is now split. ‘Let’s go Cena’ and ‘Cena sucks’. Right hand from Sheamus on Cena. Cena no-sells a punch from Edge as Sheamus sends him to the mat. Edge rolls Sheamus up. We’re shown the WWE locker room watching from the back as Sheamus kicks out and goes on the offensive against Edge.
Cena gets back in the ring but Edge ends up tossing him out after fighting off Sheamus. Edge goes to the top rope but Orton gets back in and takes him down. Orton kicks Sheamus in the head and goes to the corner to work on Edge who is on the top. Sheamus joins the party up top and hits offense on Orton. He tries to powerbomb Orton off but Orton blocks. Edge goes off the top rope right onto Sheamus for a two count. Orton made the save and went after Edge.
Loud split crowd as Orton goes for more offense. Orton misses as Sheamus hits a big axe handle on Orton’s skull. Now it’s Cena and Sheamus. Cena gets in control and hits a fisherman suplex on Sheamus. He goes for the Attitude Adjustment but Sheamus blocks with an Irish Curse backbreaker. Sheamus gets a two count on Cena.
Sheamus goes for the High Cross. He gets him up but Edge goes for the Spear. Sheamus sidesteps it but it allows Cena to roll him up for a two count. Sheamus takes Cena down but Orton comes back in and lands offense on him. Orton works on Sheamus who is standing on the apron. Orton tries to viper Sheamus back in the ring. Now, he’s bringing Cena in with DDT as well. Double DDT as Orton pins Sheamus for a two count.
Edge gets back in and takes out Orton. Edge is the only worker on his feet in the ring as Cena is down in the corner. Edge waits for Cena to get up to attempt a Spear. He goes for it but Cena moves. Cena hits a couple shoulder blocks. Backbreaker onto the mat. Cena signals 5 Knuckle Shuffle. He connects.Orton comes in out of nowhere and hits a move that looked like a modified backbreaker on Cena. Edge back in, Orton powerslams him. It’s Orton and Edge. Sheamus comes in and tosses Orton out. Sheamus and Edge now in the ring. Sheamus stomps away at the WWE Champion. Edge rolls back in the ring as Sheamus is in control of the match. Cena dumps Sheamus to the outside but it takes a lot out of him.
Cena lands offense on Edge in the ring then brings Sheamus to the apron. Orton grabbed Sheamus when Cena had him, getting hurt as well. Edge knocks Orton off the apron with a shoulder. He turns his back to Cena. Cena looks in STF.
Edge is caught in the middle of the ring in the STF. Orton and Sheamus nowhere to be seen. Doan checks for submission. Edge nearly makes it to the ropes but Cena breaks and pulls him back then reapplies. Sheamus finally breaks it and gets a two count on Edge.
Sheamus works on Cena in the corner. He gets out of the ring and drops a couple elbows to Cena’s throat. Then another from the outside with Cena’s throat under the bottom rope. Sheamus gets back in and hits a clothesline on Edge. Two count on The Rated R Superstar.
Cena gets knocked off the apron when he tried to get back in it. Sheamus has Edge in the ring. Orton and Cena are both laid out. Sheamus goes for his finisher but Edge counters, taking Sheamus to the mat. Edge is alone in the ring but not for long. Attitude Adjustment attempt but Orton hits the RKO out of nowhere. Orton goes for the pin but Sheamus pulled the referee away. Orton kicks Sheamus out of the ring but walks into the Spear.
Stiff kick from Sheamus on Edge, sending him to the outside. Sheamus gets a two count on Orton then goes back to work. Cena down in the ring. Sheamus whips Orton into the ropes. Edge takes him to the outside. The fight goes to the outside. Here comes Sheamus. Orton sends him over the announce table. He attempts the RKO on Edge on the outside. They battle as we cut back to R-Truth, Bourne, Kidd and Smith watching the match. The NXT grads run-in and take them out.
We’re shown Bourne laid out as Cena is in the ring alone. Lawler and Cole retreat. Cena is in the ring looking around. Here come the NXT grads out to the arena. They take out production people and start to dismantle the set. They hit the ring and go after Cena.
No commentary as it’s chaos at ringside with the grads taking apart the main event. Sheamus sneaks in, pins Cena and wins the match. Sheamus hits the crowd but is the new WWE Champion.
Winner & new WWE Champion – Sheamus
The match is over as the NXT guys take out Cena with Wade Barrett leading the charge. Barrett hits his finisher on Cena. Gabriel lands the 450 splash on him. Sheamus is at the top of the ramp with the belt as they chase him off. Cena is down in the center of the ring knocked out. Edge is shown knocked out, outside the ring. Orton is out, outside the ring.”
The match is over as the NXT guys take out Cena with Wade Barrett leading the charge. Barrett hits his finisher on Cena. Gabriel lands the 450 splash on him. Sheamus is at the top of the ramp with the belt as they chase him off. Cena is down in the center of the ring knocked out. Edge is shown knocked out, outside the ring. Orton is out, outside the ring.
The pay-per-view ends early as Cena is left down in the ring.
— Immediately following John Cena’s pinfall victory over Sheamus at last night’s WWE Supershow at Madison Square Garden, Wade Barrett entered the ring to attack him. Chaos ensued as the rest of the NXT Rookies joined in on the assault of the WWE Champion. This was followed by several WWE Superstars coming out to aid Cena, clearing the ring out in the process. You can view video footage from the brawl here.
— Victoria’s profile has been added back to the company website’s Alumni section. It was removed last year after the multi-time WWE Women’s Champion joined TNA Wrestling. Meanwhile, Tommy Dreamer, who recently debuted in TNA, has been removed from the website.
— Jim Ross noted on his Twitter account that last night’s WWE Supershow at Madison Square Garden in New York City drew $850,000 in ticket receipts.
— Awesome Kong teased on her Twitter account today that she’s returning to national television in the near future. She wrote: “Kong returns to wrestling on national television soon! Check back for details.”
The multi-time Women’s Knockout Champion officially parted ways with TNA Wrestling in March after requesting her release from the organization. She later revealed that she had asked for her release due to monetary issues and recent changes to company management.
–Former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James will be appearing for the Japanese wrestling promotion SMASH on July 24, which is owned by former WWE performer Tajiri. Scotty 2 Hotty and Eugene will also be competing on the show.
— Former WWE performer Jimmy Wang Yang threw out the first pitch at yesterday’s Class-A minor league baseball game between the Rome Braves and Charleston RiverDogs. Yang and former WCW wrestler Glacier signed autographs following the game.
— While not officially announced, The Hart Dynasty and Usos were notified today that they would be competing on tonight’s Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view. Tentative plans call for The Dynasty to defend their Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against The Usos in a tag match.
— Tonight’s Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view was hyped at last night’s WWE Supershow at Madison Square Garden, which is taking place at nearby Nassau Coliseum. As of this afternoon, tickets were available in all areas, including some in the second row. One could have purchased eight tickets in the fourth row in the same section, which is the maximum number of tickets able to be purchased via Ticketmaster.
— WWEUniverse.com will be holding a live Fatal 4-Way chat tonight with WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel and former Women’s Champions Melina and Beth Phoenix. The chat begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Taking a page out of the Dixie Carter playbook, Jim Ross said to expect some ‘shockers’ and ‘surprises’ for tonight’s Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view.
Ross wrote yesterday on Twitter, “Fatal 4 Way likely to have some ‘surprises.'” He added: “Anxious to see Fatal 4 Way live. Expect some shockers.”
J.R. noted on his official website that he is returning to the road in a behind-the-scenes capacity for today’s show. He will be working with the announcers before the event.
“Going to a PPV and not working is a challenge for me but as the Great One said, ‘Know your role’ and my role at ringside no longer exists but I do plan on helping the broadcasters as much as I can during the afternoon,” Ross wrote.
— John Cena announced at the conclusion of last night’s WWE live event at Madison Square Garden that WWE would be returning for WrestleMania 30. WrestleMania has been held at Madison Square Garden every ten years.
— Due to international touring, WWE will taping two episodes of Monday Night Raw in the same night several times over the next few months. Here’s the schedule (Thanks to Devin Cutting):
* The July 26 and August 2 episodes will be taped on July 26 in San Antonio.
* The August 16 and August 23 episodes will be taped on August 16th in Los Angeles.
* The September 20 and September 27 episodes will be taped on September 20th in Indianapolis.
— Caylen Croft of The Dude Busters has opened a page on Twitter here.
(sources: Wrestling Globe Newsletter, www.f4wonline.com)
— Creative has discussed having Cody Rhodes join CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society. The second generation wrestler has sparingly appeared on Friday Night SmackDown! since being transferred over to the blue brand in April.
— A Six-Divas Tag Match pitting Divas Champion Eve and The Bella Twins against Maryse and Laycool (with Santino Marella as the special guest referee) at last night’s WWE live event in Madison Square Garden garnered a highly negative reaction from the raucous New York City audience as the “Sexy, Smart & Powerful” WWE Divas were treated with “This is boring” and “This is stupid” chants during the bout. The match, which was said to be “a mess,” concluded with Eve pinning Maryse following a spinning neckbreaker.
— For the week ending Jun 6 in the UK, TNA’s iMPACT! did 58,000 viewers, Monday Night Raw did 111,000, Friday Night SmackDown! did 125,000, WWE Superstars did 51,000, and NXT did 26,000.
— Shawn Michaels, who believed Bryan Danielson’s termination from WWE to legitimate, was said to be furious upon learning the news. For those unaware, Michaels is Danielson’s original wrestling trainer.
— Shad Gaspard, who hasn’t appeared on WWE programming in over a month, has in fact been sent down to developmental. Officials intended to push Gaspard as a top heel on SmackDown due to his size and speaking ability, but his failure to get over resulted in the demotion.
— Tough Enough 3 winner Matt Cappotelli now holds a job as a personal trainer at the Ideal Fitness center in Louisville, Kentucky.
— There will eventually be a four-hour block of TNA programming every Thursday evening on Spike as Xplosion, which is taped for international markets, has been picked up by the network. The debut date for Xplosion has yet to be decided on.
The four-hour block would consist of Xplosion at 8 p.m., iMPACT! from 9 to 11 p.m., and ReACTION at 11 p.m. (source: www.f4wonline.com)
— TNA will announce the location for this year’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view this Thursday night on iMPACT!. TNA president Dixie Carter noted the following on her Twitter account on Friday: “Will announce Bound for Glory PPV location on next week’s iMPACT! Can you say destination location?”
— TNA Wrestling is eight years old as Saturday marked the eighth anniversary of the thriving wrestling promotion. Its first event was held on June 19, 2002 in Huntsville, Alabama.
— Though Triple H’s current absence from television is in due part to filming the upcoming WWE Films project The Chaperone, the word is that he is more hurt than first thought. The extent to which the injuries will delay his planned return to the squared circle are unclear, but sources indicate a rumored SummerSlam feud between him and Edge has been scrapped.
Meanwhile, Edge is expected to miss some house shows during the month of August as he films WWE’s action-oriented comedy Chasing the Hawk.
— One soldier stationed in Iraq says Layla is by far the most popular WWE Superstar when the company goes overseas for its annual Tribute to the Troops event. Though her striking appearance probably doesn’t hurt, the feeling is her popularity is due to how friendly and caring she appears as she takes time to talk to most everyone, making them feel special in the process.
“When she talks to you, she makes you feel like the most important person in the world at that moment, and that there’s no one she’d rather be talking to,” the soldier said.
Eric Bischoff opened Thursdays TNA iMPACT broadcast and announced that due to personal reasons, Scott Hall was no longer with the company and The Band were stripped of the TNA Tag Team Titles. A tournament is being held to determine who will face The Motor City Machineguns for the vacant belts at Victory Road.
TNA President Dixie Carter wrote the following on her Twitter about Hall’s release:
“Scott Hall and I talked and together decided he needed time to focus on some personal issues. I am proud of the action he is taking.”
Former WWE Superstar Dave Batista made his first public comments since leaving the company at last night’s Strikeforce MMA show in Los Angeles, California.
Batista said he left WWE because he didn’t like the direction the company was going in and that he does not plan on returning anytime soon.
Batista continues to workout at the Affliction MMA gym, but is more focused on his acting career than becoming a professional MMA fighter.
Batista’s final appearance on WWE programming was the May 24th edition of WWE Raw in which the company did an angle where he “quit” on-screen after losing to John Cena in an “I Quit” Match at WWE’s Over The Limit pay-per-view. In reality, his contract was up and he didn’t re-sign.
Sources from Batista’s camp have indicated he’ll be back to finish up his WWE career but based on Batista’s comments last night, those plans may have changed.
Steve Austin appeared on Live Audio Wrestling (The LAW) this past Sunday night to promote his new DVD The Stranger that is available now through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Here are some highlights of the interview with Dan Lovranski of The LAW:
On Jim Ross: “Jim is a very close, personal friend and was very instrumental and a big part of my career and I love the guy but it’s just a case of the WWE wanting to go in a different direction and maybe get younger. The show has changed, it’s a PG rated show so Jim fits into that but the Stone Cold character not so much. That’s just the business and sooner or later your time is up and I guess they figured his time was up. I love Jim Ross and I think he’s the greatest announcer in the history of the business and there’s been a couple of outstanding ones and lots of good ones but I put him at the top of the list and that’s just the wrestling business.”
Comparisons of Randy Orton’s current character to the Stone Cold character: “I guess you can see a parallel and I like Randy. “Cowboy” Bob Orton was one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, I loved what he did in the ring. But when you make that comparison to Stone Cold, that’s a pretty tough comparison if I’m that guy and I think Randy is a great talent in the ring and I love the viper gimmick but that’s a tough comparison.”
On the TNA product: “Yes I do watch TNA as much as I can, just as I do WWE. I have a lot of friends in that promotion and I wish them all well just because it’s another place for guys to work and I’m a pro wrestling fan so I don’t care what brand it is. My blood is in the WWE but I love wrestling in general. You’re running with your older talent there just because you’re trying to go off name value that people can identify with so you can rope them in and try to expose them to some younger talent, they just need to expose them to some more younger talent. Samoa Joe is one of my favorite guys over there he’s kind of got lost in the shuffle, they need to break him back out. They have some talent over there I think their writing is a little lost right now I don’t know whose booking or whose calling the shots they need to bring a little more focus and come around and see what the direction is they are going in and follow up on that and not compete with the WWE or try to be the WWE just be the best TNA you can be.”
Any chances of wrestling another match?: “You may see me in a wrestling ring but I don’t think I’ll be wrestling. I think it’s best to leave well enough alone and let people remember Steve Austin for what he was. Could I go back? I could get another couple of years out of this carcass if I wanted to or if I had to and I could have another match but what’s the point? I have my sights focused on trying to be as good an actor as I can be and go down this road. I love my wrestling fans and wrestling is what put me on the map and I still follow the business to this day but I’m going to leave well enough alone.”
The entire interview is available at here. Catch The LAW each Sunday night at 11pm EST on Sirius 98 Hardcore Sports Radio and online at their website.
John Cena appeared on the Busted Open satellite this week, which airs Mondays and Wednesdays on Sirius 126 and XM 243 from 2-4 EST.
Visit Facebook.com/bustedopen for more information.
Here are some highlights of what Cena said about:
The “Spinner” WWE Title Belt: The spinner belt was a great evolution to the character, but I have plans every day to try to evolve the WWE Championship (belt) more. I’m just trying to get the right people to listen,” Cena said. “I think the championship itself is out-dated and gaudy. It was fine for the time, but it’s certainly not what we need right now. I’m pushing forward to the evolution of that another step.”
Evan Bourne’s Potential:“To be quite honest, one of my little pet projects is watching how [Evan Bourne] reacts to people and watching his energy in the ring. I think he has so much to offer to the business,” Cena said. “It’s not just what people do between the ropes. I want somebody to be able to walk the streets and be a proud representative of our company. And, when the bell rings, he’s one of the most entertaining people to watch on the face of the planet. I’m always watching everybody; every type of WWE-affiliated product, I’m always watching just to see people’s behavior. I think he is one of the many in the giant youth movement that we have in WWE that’s about to show some people that he belongs.”
His Hip Hop Character: “When I first started, they wanted us to do something to get noticed. The character was my own. I didn’t have anyone write anything for me and I do that today as well… As for the spinner belt, I keep trying to evolve the WWE Championship and I just have to get the right people to listen. I think the spinner belt is outdated and gaudy.”
Steve Austin’s Influence On Him: “Steve was always very brief with me.I was always star struck and unable to speak whenever I was around him. He would always bring me down to earth with humbling advice.” Cena added, “He’s the reason I keep working hard everyday. I owe a lot to Steve Austin.”
— WWE is asking for feedback on whether the recently released Daniel Bryan should be brought back to the company. The following message was posted on the company’s Facebook account: “It’s been the hottest topic for the WWE Universe in recent memory, so let’s talk about it. Here’s your LIKE/DISLIKE of the Day: “WWE should re-sign NXT Season 1 Rookie Daniel Bryan. (Click LIKE to agree, or click COMMENT to tell us why you disagree.)”
— Dubbed “Operation Summer Slam,” law enforcement agencies including Tampa police, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Temple Terrace police teamed up Tuesday morning to make arrests on hundreds of outstanding warrants. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is no stranger to professional wrestling as numerous grapplers have wound up in their jail cell over the years including Wade Barrett, Eddie Guerrero, Andrew Martin, Santino Marella, and Ted DiBiase, Jr., among others.
— It has been confirmed that Chris Masters has an account on Twitter. You can visit his page here.
WWE’s Celtic Warrrior Sheamus recently spoke to Newsday.com’s Steel Cage blog to promote Sunday’s WWE Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view.
** BE HERE Sunday night for our Live Coverage of WWE Fatal 4 Way!
Here are some highlights from the Sheamus interview:
WWE Youth Movement: “I think it’s brilliant. I think itshows that WWE listens to the WWE Universe – the fans. I think that they know that no matter what industry you’re in, things change. There’s always going to be new people coming in. I think it’s created a whole new, fresh era. You saw back when they had “The Next Generation” with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and Yokozuna was there. Then they did it again in the “Attitude” era. Austin stepped up. The Rock came in. I think every so often the whole climate changes. And right now it’s very exciting. I like to think that me becoming the WWE champion so quickly really set the ball rolling for this whole new wave of talent.
“And there’s a lot of exciting talent coming in. Drew McIntyre, myself, Wade Barrett… Of course you’ve got Bryan Danielson. You’ve got Kaval, who’s on the way in NXT. The son of Mr. Perfect, too, is coming in. It’s exciting times, fella. I’m just really happy to be involved at this time. Like I said, all these guys are coming in hungry – just as hungry as I was. That’s the whole thing… It keeps the product fresh. It drives the product forward. Every week we’re out there, everyone performs 110 percent. Because if we don’t, somebody is just going to step over you. So I think it’s good for everyone. Everybody wins. The audience wins. The talent wins. And the product itself – the WWE product – wins. So I think it’s very exciting.”
WWE’s New Themed Pay-Per-Views: “I think it’s a great business move. I think sometimes when people see the same things over and over again, it just becomes maybe a little bit repetitive. And I think these pay per views are separating each other. I mean you look at the Elimination Chamber pay per view we had in February. It’s not the greatest memory for me, personally, but it’s still a great concept. Mania is a big event. The Royal Rumble is a special event. And this Fatal 4-Way now – it’s two main events, world championship matches with eight of the top guys.
“You’re not seeing singles matches all of the time. I think it cerates that… anything can happen in a four way. There are so many variables that can happen in there, you know what I mean. It’s not your standard one-on-one. It’s the four top guys in each brand basically fighting to be the one. I think it creates a different scenario, a different backdrop, a different setting. To me, it’s exciting. I’ve been a fan all my life, too. I mean, this is all I ever wanted to do. And as a fan, even me, I find this intriguing. There are so many variables. You just don’t know who’s going to walk out – I know I’m going to walk out the WWE champion. But on the Smackdown brand, who’s going to walk out of there, with Swagger holding it, Big Show, Punk, Mysterio… There are so many different variables, and that’s why it’s going to make a great pay per view this month.”
– In regards to Undertaker’s “vegetative state” storyline, current plans call for Kane to be revealed as the culprit. A casket match between Taker and Kane is tentatively set for SummerSlam, reports f4wonline.com.
– Indian wrestler Tiger Raj Singh is now training in WWE developmental and is using the name Jinder Mahal.
– WWE Divas Layla and Vickie Guerrero both commented on TNA on Twitter yesterday.
Layla wrote: “Cuz all of the tweets about this subject For the Record I do Not watch TNA So copy cat thing… kinda NOT!! This is All I will say Done!!”
Vickie wrote: “TNA – no way will I watch or support it…enough said!”
WWE Champion was interviewed by Fanhouse.com this week about the recent release of Daniel Bryan. Despite the speculation that it’s all part of a storyline, Cena maintains that the release is legit – and he reveals why WWE had no choice but to take action against Bryan after he broke company policy. Here are some highlights of what Cena said about:
Bryan’s Release: “Well, the release is legitimate. It was something that I don’t understand. It’s something that a lot of people are upset about. This is one of those things where … you know, WWE is a business, and they chose to make a business decision. I think what is right for the WWE Universe to do is show that they have a bit of power. If they really feel so strongly about this subject — the consumer has the largest voice here, and if they were really serious they should organize their efforts and put forth some body of work.
Petitions to Reinstate Bryan: “I’ve even signed petitions to reinstate Bryan Danielson. But if they can get enough numbers to say, ‘Listen, we would like this person back on WWE.’ Like I said, they made a business decision, but at the same time, they can’t deny good business. So if you get 200,000 consumers saying, ‘Listen, we’d like to see this person on television,’ I don’t think the bean counters are gonna ignore the potential dollar signs. I just think all it takes is, all those people to organize under one roof and say, ‘Listen, this is how we want to act,’ because the uproar you’re talking about, I have no spectrum about how big the size is.”
WWE’s Rules Against Choking, Extreme Violence: “Well you have to understand, our programming across the board is TV-PG content, and anything that falls out of that TV-PG umbrella — we put a rating at the beginning of the show on our graphic that says TV-PG, so anything that even toes the line to being unacceptable from that, quite frankly needs to be removed from the program — because we pride ourselves on saying, for so long WWE has had the stigma of, ‘Yeah it’s fun to watch but I would never let my kid watch it.’ Collectively as a body, and as a business, we have taken the initiative to say, ‘You know what, I want your children and families to be able to come to our event because I truly believe we have the best value in entertainment. Jeopardizing all of that, it’s not worth doing something that falls outside the parentheses of TV-PG. That’s something that doesn’t fall in our lap, that’s something that has to do with the rating system.”
Again, you can (and should) check out the entire John Cena interview at Fanhouse.com.
— WWE has registered a trademark on the name “Showtime Percy Watson.” Speaking of Watson, the NXT Rookie already has heat on him for something he did backstage at television last week, reports www.f4wonline.com.
— In response to being asked to sign a petition to bring Daniel Bryan back to WWE, Dolph Ziggler retorted the following on Twitter: “Why would i sign a petition to bring back someone who never even made it to the WWE roster??? Idiots….”
— Jinder Mahal and referee Ryan Tran have been added to Florida Championship Wrestling’s online roster.
Under the name “Tiger” Raj Singh, Mahal worked in Canada for the PWA and Stampede Wrestling promotions. He held titles in both groups before signing with the WWE earlier this year. He was trained at the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo.
Tran began in FCW a few months ago following Aaron “Goose” Mahoney’s promotion to the main roster and an injury suffered by Justin King.
– Former WWE superstar Batista was ringside at last night’s Strikeforce MMA event from Los Angeles, California. Several MMA news sites are reporting that Batista was telling people that he does not plan on returning to WWE and was unhappy there for a long time before leaving. Batista is a big MMA fan and has been training at various MMA camps across the country in recent months, but has his sights set on acting and has been auditioning regularly since leaving WWE.
– In related news, Bill Goldberg, Chavo Guerrero and Ernest Miller were also at Strikeforce last night.
– As we reported earlier this week, RAW superstar Edge will be starring in a new WWE action-comedy called “Chasing the Hawk.” The movie will begin filming this coming August from New Orleans, where WWE has filmed all of its recent movies.
– Tuesday’s episode of NXT Season 2 drew a 0.89 cable rating and averaged 1,306,000 viewers. The 0.89 rating is down 17% from last week’s 1.07, which was the season 2 premiere and the night after the NXT invasion angle.
— Conspicuous by his absence is that of Shad Gaspard, who last appeared on WWE programming on the May 14th episode of Friday Night SmackDown in a win over a local competitor. It appears he has since been sent to developmental as he has been appearing on Florida Championship Wrestling shows in recent weeks.
— Fans have the opportunity to meet Kelly Kelly at tomorrow night’s Florida Championship Wrestling show in Ft. Myers as she will be taking part in a meet and greet before the event. There will be another meet and greet autograph session with WWE Legends and their offspring — Ricky Steamboat with Richie, Mike Rotundo with Husky Harris and Bo Rotundo, Haku with Donny Marlow, Jerry Brisco with Wes Brisco, and Jimmy Snuka with Tamina. Visit www.fcwwrestling.info for more information.
— A number of WWE Superstars and Divas were on hand for THQ’s Take No Prisoners party in Los Angeles last night at The Standard Hotel. Former WWE Diva and frequent partygoer Stacy Keibler also attended the event.
