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Sound Off 278: King of the Ring Anniversary Edition, Should WWE Bring Back The Tournament?

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Download Solomonster Sounds Off Episode 278 Here

Est. Runtime: 67 minutes

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the very first KING OF THE RING pay-per-view, which saw Hulkamania get squashed and Bret Hart capture his second (yes, second) crown. On this special edition of the Sound Off, Solomonster takes you back through the early days of the KOTR long before it ever aired on TV, then revisits each event from 1993 to its demise in 2002, and its resurrection in 2006, 2008 and 2010. This includes the commentary of Art Donovan (hear it for yourself!), the birth of Austin 3:16 and how the MSG Curtain Call incident made it possible, why Bret vs. Shawn never happened, Mick Foley’s plunge off the Hell in a Cell, the end of DDP as a main event player, how William Regal blew the biggest opportunity of his career, and… Sheamus’ Antlers. Finally, he examines who the KOTR helped, who it hurt and whether the tournament should be brought back. Who do YOU think would make a good king in 2013?

Follow The Solomonster on Twitter and on Facebook and subscribe to the Sound Off in iTunes!

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Want your question on the air? Send feedback to [email protected].

Creative Commons License
Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Derek Bateman Talks About His WWE Release, A Typical Week At NXT & More

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Former WWE superstar Derrick Bateman was recently interviewed by Wrestling Heels Radio. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

What a week at NXT is like: “Well, it’s a secret of the pros. I’m kidding, it’s pretty basic. Monday, Tuesday, you have a day of practice and then – back in the day it used to be Wednesday would be promo class or art of communicating, they like to call it. Thursdays would be a show at the arena and then Friday, Saturday maybe we have shows. If we don’t we might have a little practice and this would repeat every week. It’d be pretty much the same.”

What talent has to go through in promo class: “Real brief, just being able to communicate in a way that is current to how they would like it, current to the norm. So as opposed to back in the day of promo being a guy screaming about something and just basically telling a story with the amount of time you have. You just wanna tell a story, [which is] pretty much the gist of everything we do. We tell stories. Being able to communicate in a creative way certainly helps. The thing about a promo class is it’s a way you can try something, see if it works. If it works, cool. If it doesn’t, you can try something else and you kinda have free reign to pick and choose what you wanna do sometimes, and that’s always cool to have an open forum for your own amusement.”

His WWE release: “Yeah, I had a pretty – I don’t know how far it was, but I was doing the Mr. USA [promos], and had some guy on computer making those. That was something that was going to happen and almost didn’t a couple times, but unfortunately, in a Saturday Morning Slam match with Antonio Cesaro, I hurt my knee again and I had to have surgery on it. Then that match with Alex Riley was my first match back from having that surgery. So after the injury, you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind and things happen.

“There’s no regrets from me on my part of what I’ve done. I can regret getting hurt at an inopportune time or two, or I can regret maybe not pushing hard enough to talk to somebody. But I have really no regrets for anything I’ve done in the ring or outside of it, or the entertaining stuff I try to do. No regrets at all with that.”

Working for Vince McMahon: “Well, he’s always super busy with business and things at hand, like with Raw and Smackdown, but there were more than a few times I got to see him in Gorilla for NXT Redemption. I don’t know if you recall the time I had my mom there and was talking smack to Maxine, but walking out with my mom in Gorilla and you see the boss sitting there and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God is this really happening? That is insane!’ And you walk back and he’s laughing and, shoots ya a thumbs up, and that’s pretty much an awesome endorsement, and you’re like ‘cool.’

“As far as him being like hands-on with anything we did, he was busy with the real stuff but, I never had a bad experience with him. He was always super cool every time I got to talk to him and shake his manly hand, so no ill will.”

Final RAW Rating, Vince & Triple H On Next 2 RAW’s, Another G.I. Joe Movie

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– Monday’s episode of WWE RAW scored a 3.04 cable rating, up 14% from last weeks year-low 2.66. This is the first time RAW topped 3.0 since April 29th and the best RAW rating in 6 weeks. As previously reported, the show averaged 3.99 million viewers.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Triple H are being advertised for Monday’s WWE RAW from Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as the June 24th RAW from Charleston, South Carolina.

– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be appearing in yet another movie sequel, as direector John Chu is developing another installment of the G.I. Joe series.

* Big Update On Daniel Bryan’s WWE Title Push This Summer

The Rock Visits Kids In Jail, Early Sketches Of WWE Superstar Concepts

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WWE.com has published a very interesting new feature looking at early sketches of several WWE Superstar concepts – including Dude Love, Mankind, Goldust, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Doink The Clown and Adam Bomb.

– The Rock is currently overseas in Budapest filming his new movie, Hercules, and visited a jail this week to talk to the prisoners. He wrote the following description and posted a photo from the experience:

These boys are locked up in jail. Was good to spend time & talk with them. Reminded them that I was arrested multiple times as a teen too (fighting, theft & a lot of stupid shit). At one time, I was one of them. Told em if I can make it, so can you. I challenged them to commit themselves to being better. They did. This was a good day. #Commitment

BMjvwc1CIAA6pZh

 

WWE Payback Spoilers (Cena vs. Ryback), Heel Turns Planned, Match Changed

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– John Cena is currently booked to defeat Ryback in the Three Stages of Hell match this Sunday at WWE Payback.

– Over the weekend, several changes were made to the Payback card. Playing off their recent dissension, WWE had been planning for Daniel Bryan to wrestle Randy Orton at the pay-per-view. Instead, the two will be teaming up against The Shield’s Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

– Also discussed over the weekend, it’s possible we see two heels turns for Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho. As previously reported, Daniel Bryan is scheduled to feud with John Cena over the WWE Championship this summer.

* Find Out If WWE Plans To Put The WWE Championship On DANIEL BRYAN At SummerSlam

(Source: F4Wonline.com)

Plans For The Undertaker’s Return, Rumored Matches For SummerSlam

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With WWE Payback taking place this Sunday, planning is already underway for the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view on 8/18.

Over the weekend, WWE was discussing the possibility of The Undertaker wrestling on the show, teaming up with Kane against WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of The Shield. If Undertaker does not commit to wrestle, the match will likely be Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. The Shield.

Other matches in the works for SummerSlam:

* WWE Champion John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan
* Big E Langston vs. Big Show or Mark Henry
* US Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Rey Mysterio

Aside from those SummerSlam matches, WWE is looking at Randy Orton vs. Ryback and Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger as feuds for this summer.

* Find Out If WWE Plans To Put The WWE Championship On DANIEL BRYAN At SummerSlam

(Source: F4wonline.com)

CM Punk Attends Concert (Pic), Jake Roberts’ Advice For Cody Rhodes & More

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– WWE’s new Best of WCW Wargames DVD & Blu-Rays are now on sale at WWEShop.com.

– WWE legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts gave Cody Rhodes some advice on Twitter earlier today.

– CM Punk attended a concert for the band Rancid on Tuesday night in Detroit. Before playing their new song, “F**k You”, band member Lars Fredericksen called CM Punk on stage and joked that the song should be his new WWE entrance theme. They also got the crowd to chant, “..1..2..3..F**K YOU PHILLIP!!” at Punk.

Here’s a picture of CM Punk on stage with Rancid in Detroit (6/11):

* The UNDERTAKER Returning Sooner Than You Think

Sting Appearing At Basebrawl Event On Saturday, Sabin On “The List”

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– Eric Young appeared on last night’s edition of “The Crossover” on NBCSports.

– Sting is making a rare house show appearance this weekend at the TNA Basebrawl event from Lexington, KT. TNA is also selling a special meet and greet package with Sting, which includes a signed Louisville slugger baseball bat. (More Information)

– The following is the latest episode of “The List” featuring Chris Sabin:

“Things are starting to get a little more clear on how the list operates. This week Robbie E and EZ V give Chris Sabin the chance for a spot on the list.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XxvTGw5qWfk

* The Latest on HULK HOGAN Wrestling Again & The TNA Bound For Glory Main Event

Update On Former NXT Star Selling His WWE Contract, Callihan-WWE

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– Sami Callihan, who is believed to have signed with WWE, will wrestle his farewell indy match at the upcoming House of Hardcore 2 show from Philadelphia on June 22nd. His opponent will be former WWE superstar MVP.

– Former WWE developmental wrestler Derek Foore, who was known as Chad Baxter at NXT, revealed this week that he’s selling his WWE contract to the highest bidder. Foore has been openly criticizing WWE, tweeting:

He later tweeted the following update:

WWE Releasing Bill Goldberg DVD Set, Goldberg & Nash Working Together

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– According to WrestlingDVDNews.com, the upcoming Bill Goldberg WWE DVD set will be a match compilation, currently scheduled for release on September 30th in the UK, October 8th in the United States and October 16th in Australia.

– Speaking of Goldberg, he and Kevin Nash will be working together on another upcoming project. Nash tweeted on Wednesday:

https://twitter.com/RealKevinNash/statuses/344742020448915456

https://twitter.com/RealKevinNash/statuses/344748068001951744

* Early Plans For SummerSlam, Major Swerve Coming With CM Punk’s Return

Booker T Undergoes Surgery, Main Event Preview For Tonight

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– WWE Hall of Famer Booker T underwent surgery on his elbow this week:

– The following is a preview for tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event:

  • The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes
  • Sin Cara vs. Damien Sandow
  • The Usos vs Sweet T and Brodus Clay

WWE SmackDown Preview For Friday

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The following matches were taped on Tuesday night for this week’s WWE Smackdown:

– Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro

– Heath Slater vs. The Great Khali

– Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston

– Aksana vs. Kaitlyn

– Curtis Axel vs. Wade Barrett

– The Shield vs. Randy Orton and Team Hell No

* Early Plans For SummerSlam, Major Swerve Coming With CM Punk’s Return

*Spoilers* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

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WWE taped this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night from Greensboro, NC. Credit to reader Athan for these results:

Show opened with the announcement of Kane & Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton vs. The Shield and Alberto Del Rio & Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston as the two top matches.

Daniel Bryan did a promo.  He said Team Hell No was one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history, but when he and Randy Orton win the tag titles on Sunday, Team Hell No will be no more.  Kane asked if Bryan was breaking up with him.  Bryan said Kane was the weak link of the team.  Kane went to choke slam Bryan and then Orton broke it up.

Sheamus b Antonio Cesaro.  Sheamus was bleeding from the shoulder after being thrown into the ring steps.  Brogue Kick finish.  Post-match saw Damien Sandow jump Sheamus as he was leaving.

Teddy Long was talking about Hardee’s Burgers when Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston and A.J. Lee came in.  Langston ate Long’s burger.

Heath Slater b Great Khali  with a DDT when Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre distracted Khali.

Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio b Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston.  Del Rio pinned Ziggler with a roll-up.

Chris Jericho said he was going to beat Punk.  Paul Heyman came out and told him he had no chance to win in Chicago.  Jericho stuck the mic in Heyman’s mouth.

Kaitlyn was supposed to wrestle Aksana.  Kaitlyn is now insance and destroyed Aksana before the bell and also beat down the referee.

Curtis Axel b Wade Barrett in a non-title match.  Miz, at ringside, laid Axel out with the Skull crushing finale.

Bryan & Kane & Orton b The Shield when Bryan made Rollins tap to the No lock after Orton had given him the RKO.  They put over the win big.

*Spoilers* WWE Main Event Tapings Results

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The following are results for this week’s episode of WWE Main Event, and the dark match that took place before the tapings:

* Prime Time Players def. Justin Gabriel & Ted DiBiase in the dark match

WWE Main Event

(1) The Miz def. Cody Rhodes

(2) Damien Sandow def. Sin Cara

(3) The Usos def. Tons of Funk

* MAJOR Plans For Daniel Bryan’s Push, Original Plans for KAITLYN’s Secret Admirer & More

Justin Credible On How He Wound Up In WWE As Aldo Montoya, Discusses Triple H’s Rise To Stardom

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Justin Credible joined Inside The Ropes last Thursday where he recalled his tenure with WWE in the mid-1990s. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

How he went from appearing as enhancement talent on Raw to landing a contract with WWE in 1994: “I live in Connecticut, I live 45 minutes from WWE headquarters and I was doing jobs (on TV) and one day the office called me and they said, “We need you to come down to the office and work out with Mark, Undertaker. We have somebody coming in that’s gonna do a double Undertaker and we need to train him during the week to look like Mark and do his moves.”

“So basically they paid me $150 a day to go up there and be a crash test dummy for Brian Lee doing the impostor Undertaker. We did it all week and on Friday we did a dress rehearsal with Brian Lee in full Undertaker gear and Mark was sitting there and (Vince McMahon) and Pat Patterson, one of the bookers at the time, came down and saw the entire dress rehearsal and at the end, Pat and Vince come up to me and started asking me questions about where I was from, who trained me. But the next question they asked me was, what nationality I was. So I told Vince I was Portuguese and he said, “Ahhh, you’re Portuguese, do you speak it?” I told him yeah absolutely and he laughed and said good and that was it. So low and behold I found out later they’d been fixing to do the Aldo Montoya gimmick anyway and they had it written up. So they were looking for a legitimate Portuguese kid to come in and do the gimmick and I was just the in the right place at the right time.”

Thoughts on Triple H: “I was there when Hunter came in. I was his first set of matches around the loop. I was real close with (Kevin Nash), (Shawn Michaels), (Scott Hall) and (Sean Waltman). I remember, in 1996, we weren’t making much money so Hunter and I would share like a $40 room at Red Roof Inns across the country. I knew he had the passion, I knew he had ability. He just wasn’t…..his rise to stardom was very slow for a very long time. He just wasn’t getting over. That thing with the bow and the snob gimmick just was not getting over. The office kept trying and trying, he was beating everybody, they were giving him storyline after storyline, but the fans just weren’t biting. But Vince kept trying and you know the Kliq thing, the curtain call, Paul went out and he got put in the doghouse. Vince buried him on the road and on TV for almost a full year. For a long time, I didn’t think Paul was gonna get to where he is today that’s for sure. It’s just amazing, time heals all wounds, You know the persistence paid off. He’s a hard working guy, passionate about this business. For that I respect him.”

Credible also recalls his feud with Jeff Jarrett, being trained by The Harts and discussed the difficulty of appearing as Aldo Montoya character while knowing it would only be a short term character. He joins the show again this Thursday to discuss ECW and his run during the Invasion in 2001. To hear this interview and for details about his appearance on this week’s show, click here.

Jim Ross Blog: Bryan vs. Rollins, Tim Tebow In WWE, Wyatt Family

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Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins from RAW: “@WWEDanielBryan vs. @WWERollins was one of the best bouts on Raw in many moons. This was excellent from start to finish, an announcer’s dream really, and is a great match for NXT athletes or those wanting o make it to WWE Development to study. Both the winner and the loser improved their perception and enhanced their personas when this match ended.”

Tim Tebow In WWE: “If @TimTebow, for some reason, fails to make it in New England, I’m sure that I can get him a tryout in WWE Developmental. Roll your eyes if you choose but there’s a TV rating and a PPV number in that concept notwithstanding all the media that it would generate. Plus, Tebow could be a valuable member of the WWE team doing community service projects in addition to learning to perform inside the ring. Tebow might rival John Cena as the most polarizing talent ever in WWE.”

The Third Wyatt Family Vignette On RAW: “Another great, creative production building anticipation for the pending debut of Bray Wyatt and his “Family.” It doesn’t bother me when fans on Twitter @JRsBBQ compare Bray Wyatt with Waylon Mercy no more than it did when fans compared Waylon Mercy to ‘Cape Fear’s’ Sam Cady.”

* VIEW HERE: The Latest WYATT FAMILY Vignette Video From RAW – They’re Coming!

Kane Talks About Daniel Bryan Being WWE’s Most Talented Performer

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Kane recently spoke to AL.com to promote the upcoming WWE Live Event from Mobile, Alabama on June 21st. During the interview, the veteran WWE superstar put over Daniel Bryan as one of the most talented performers on the roster.

“Daniel Bryan might be the most talented guy on the roster right now. I think he’s the best technical wrestler we have, and he’s also one of those guys who’s been able to forge a connection with our fans. And people who are able to do that are very successful.”

Kane added that he’s had a great time teaming with Bryan because it’s been creatively fulfilling and has allowed him to “show a completely different side” to his character.

“The past year, I’ve really enjoyed it, maybe more so than any other time in my career,” Kane said. “It has allowed me to do things I’ve never done before.”

Tonight’s WWE TV Tapings, Video Of Dolph Ziggler Doing Local Media

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– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown & Main Event tapings take place from Greensboro, NC.

– World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee made a guest appearance on FOX 8 Morning News in Greensboro, NC this morning to promote tonight’s SmackDown taping at the Greensboro Coliseum:

Tammy Sytch Reveals “Not So Good” Medical News

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Some unfortunate news to report, WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch tweeted the following on Tuesday afternoon:

After being released from prison a few weeks ago, it was revealed that Sytch was diagnosed with cervical cancer while incarcerated and underwent a hysterectomy. She wrote on Facebook at the time:

“I’m free. Free from prison. Free from cancer. Free from my nightmare. I thank God for the lessons he has taught me and the blessings bestowed upon me. I have only good things ahead in my life.”

The Rock Has A New Look For Hercules (Pic), New WWE Comic Books & Puzzles

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– WWE signed a deal with Papercutz to produce a new line of WWE graphic novels and digital comic books. They’ve also signed on with Bendon Publishing to create a line of coloring and puzzle books featuring WWE personalities.

– Dwayne Johnson’s new film “Hercules” began filming this week in Budapest, Hungary. The Rock tweeted this picture of himself being done up:

* MAJOR Plans For Daniel Bryan’s Push, Original Plans for KAITLYN’s Secret Admirer & More

Backstage Fallout & Social Media Score From Monday’s WWE RAW & More

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WWE.com has a new feature up looking at “First Encounters” – how 5 of top feuds in WWE history began.

– Monday’s WWE RAW scored a Trendrr.tv social media score of 206,962, making it the 3rd most socially active show on cable TV for the night.

– Here’s the latest installment of WWE Backstage Fallout, featuring behind-the-scenes interviews from Monday’s RAW:

“What makes Curtis Axel’s Intercontinental Championship quest so “perfect” for WWE Payback? Find out in this edition of Backstage Fallout”

* MAJOR Plans For Daniel Bryan’s Push, Original Plans for KAITLYN’s Secret Admirer & More

Brian Maddox Promoted In WWE To VP Of Global Digital Sales

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WWE sent out the following press release today:

BRIAN MADDOX PROMOTED TO VP DIGITAL SALES

STAMFORD, Conn., June 11, 2013 – WWE® (NYSE:WWE) today announced that Brian Maddox has been promoted to Vice President, Global Digital Sales. Maddox, was previously Director of National Sales at WWE and will report to the Global Head of Sales and Partnerships, Michael Pine.

In his new role, Maddox will be responsible for monetizing all of WWE’s digital, video, social, and mobile assets, including WWE.com, WWE’s Facebook pages, YouTube Channel, Twitter followers and mobile app. His primary focus will be working with WWE’s partners to maximize their digital budgets by leveraging all of WWE’s media assets, content and talent to develop engaging custom, cross-platform programs.

“With more than 160 million highly-engaged and passionate fans across all our digital platforms, WWE is a leader in the social and digital space,” said Michael Pine. “Brian is the right candidate to lead our efforts in sustaining and building partnerships, while creating digital strategies that benefit WWE’s partners and fans.”

Previously, Maddox was the Director of Digital Ad Sales at MSG Media for MSG Interactive and Fuse.TV where he developed and implemented innovative digital opportunities for the company’s partners who included, American Express, T-Mobile, Anheuser Busch, Absolut and Coca-Cola.

* Exclusive VIDEO of the WYATT FAMILY’s Creepy Entrance (From Saturday Night)

Latest Wyatt Family Promo, Update On Fandango’s Concussion

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– WWE announced on Monday that Fandango suffered a concussion at last week’s SmackDown tapings and as a result, is not medically cleared to compete at Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view. According to sources in WWE, the concussion is legitimate.

Fandango did not wrestle at this past weekend’s WWE Live Events. Even though he did pass a concussion impact test, WWE is being extra cautious before letting him wrestle again.

– Here is the newest (third) Wyatt Family vignette, which aired during Monday’s RAW:

* Exclusive VIDEO of the WYATT FAMILY’s Creepy Entrance (From Saturday Night)

*Spoilers* WWE Superstars Tapings Results From Richmond, VA

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The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW from Richmond, VA for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:

1. Titus O’Neil defeated Brodus Clay after outside interference from Darren Young.

2. Heath Slater defeated Zack Ryder via pinfall with a DDT.

* VIDEO of FANDANGO Getting A CONCUSSION vs. Zack Ryder On SmackDown