WWE Has just texted the following:
BREAKING NEWS: Mr. McMahon will name the new General Manager of SmackDown at tonight’s live event, and there is strong speculation it will be Booker T.
Bare in mind this could be a swerve. It is also interesting to note WWE doesn’t normally make references to the fact that SmackDown! is tapped on Tuesday.
We’ll have full coverage from Smackdown later tonight on here.
– Tensai made a racial remark in his first Tout video post. Noting he was traveling with his personal chauffeur Sakamoto to Indianapolis—the site of tonight’s SmackDown taping—following Raw, he remarks it’s “very, very dangerous” to drive with a Japanese person. He then slaps Sakamoto as he’s driving and orders him “to open his eyes.”
– WWE.com has uploaded a playlist of The Road Warriors’ greatest moments. Highlights include defeating The Nasty Boys to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, clashing with The Midnight Express in the dangerous Scaffold Match, a WarGames Match against The Four Horsemen at The Great American Bash in 1987, a match against Harlem Heat in 1996 and more.
– Ezekiel Jackson, who has sparingly appeared at WWE events in recent weeks, noted on Twitter that he will not be on hand for tonight’s SmackDown taping in Indianapolis, Indiana.
– Alicia Fox paid a visit to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health on Tuesday prior to SmackDown. The WWE Diva sent out a Tout noting her appearance.
Randy Orton returned to action Monday night on Raw after serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Heath Slater called out any current WWE Superstar in the back to answer his challenge and The Viper responded by pummeling The One-Man Band all over the ring. After blasting Slater with a powerslam and a DDT off the second rope, Orton nailed him with the RKO to gain the pinfall victory. WWE.com spoke to The Legend Killer after defeating The One-Man Band.
“I gotta say, I am very rested due to my 60-day “vacation.” Guys threw me huge party today, a welcome back party. They literally set the stage on fire,” Orton said. “I feel better than ever. I gotta say during my ten, eleven-year career here in the WWE, I haven’t felt this good, as good as I do today, and I think I just proved that out there a little while ago.”
He continues, “I’ve been at home and I’ve been watching and I see Heath Slater, week in, week out calling out these Legends. I used to to do the same thing and I’m thinking to myself, “I’m the Legend Killer, the original Legend Killer.” But he’s not even doing it right, he’s like the reverse Legend Killer. But tonight, I just couldn’t stand back here and let him go on yapping his gums. He got his a** kicked last week in my hometown of St. Louis at the 1000th episode of Raw and you know what? Sorry Heath, but you’re going to get your a** kicked if you flap your gums like that with Randy Orton backstage.”
– English wrestler Andre Tyson (a/k/a MVK Valkabious), who signed a developmental contract with WWE earlier this year and is awaiting to travel to Florida, was arrested in England over the weekend following a “bar-room bust-up.”
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports a scuffle broke out in one of the booths at the back of the bar and Tyson was asked to leave but resisted the security staff who tried to have him escorted. Police, who were already patrolling the street, arrested Tyson and another man.
Tyson admitted to assaulting the man following the incident and was given caution.
More details on the story are available here.
– The social media activity score for Raw dropped off significantly compared to last week’s milestone episode, according to Trendrr.tv. Raw scored 259,203, down 71% from last week’s record-high of 907,443. It was however, up from Raw on July 16, which scored 240,889.
Raw ranked No. 6 on cable television for the night.
– Triple H is today’s spotlighted Superstar on WWE.com.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made a crass joke referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case years ago. As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant in a Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
More on the story here: A.W. Says His Kobe Bryant Joke Was Not Malicious, WWE Furious
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Following Monday’s WWE RAW, here’s the updated card for WWE SummerSlam:
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Championship Match:
CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena vs. Big Show
World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
WWE Summerslam 2012 takes place on Sunday, August 19th from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made a crass joke referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case years ago. As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!” The WWE personality issued an apology late Monday evening via Twitter and noted that “there was no malicious intent behind the joke.”
A.W. wrote, “It was either a Kobe or Lebron joke. Lebron jus won the Finals so there you have it..Myself!”
The remark was in reference to the basketball star being accused of sexual assault in summer 2003 after having sex with a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for “remarks made by A.W.,” though without specifically referencing the joke. F4WOnline.com reports that many people were furious backstage over the remark, as well as in disbelief.
After Raw, WWE issued an official apology via TMZ.com reading, “A.W. made an inappropriate comment and WWE immediately apologized. WWE has taken appropriate action in the matter.” The representative, however, did not specify what “action” was taken against A.W.
WWE issued an official statement Tuesday concerning a personality’s off-color remark during Monday’s Raw broadcast in which NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case was referenced.
As Titus O’Neil grappled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W., who was wearing a live mic, yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
The remark was in reference to the basketball star being accused of sexual assault in summer 2003 after having sex with a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
A WWE spokesman issued an statement to TMZ.com reading, “A.W. made an inappropriate comment and WWE immediately apologized. WWE has taken appropriate action in the matter.”
WWE sources tell TMZ that A.W. “felt horrible” after making the remark and claimed he simply “got caught up in the moment.” He also realizes the remark could be hurtful to rape victims and their families.
A.W. immediately apologized to company brass, including the McMahon family, as well as several wrestlers, and has also vowed to refrain from making similar remarks in the future.
– After Raw went off the air, John Laurinaitis hit the ring with a steel chair tapped for John Cena. Cena, however, ducked and hit the former Raw General Manager and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations with the Attitude Adjustment. Big Show then tried to attack Cena, but was put to rest with the Attitude Adjustment.
– In her first night as Raw General Manager, AJ was referred to as AJ Lee. It is the alias she used in WWE developmental league Florida Championship Wrestling from 2009 to 2010. When it was announced in August 2010 that she would be part of the third season of WWE NXT, the last name was dropped and she was simply referred to as AJ. However, she maintained the AJ Lee name on her Twitter account.
– John Laurinaitis turns 47-years-old Tuesday. WWE.com announced Monday that Laurinaitis had resigned from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations, citing “burn out.” He will continue to work for the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches as well as performer.
We are live from Cincinnati, Ohio and your announcers are Jerry ‘Will Kane do anything with Pete Rose tonight’ Lawler and Michael ‘Herb Tarlek is my hero’ Cole.
Michael Cole mentions that the evening is eventful so far. Jerry Lawler mentions that there was a pyro situation where the TitanTron caught on fire. We see the footage of the fire.
It is time for a video package to remind everyone what they saw last week on Raw as the milestone of 1000 episodes of Raw was achieved. (remember that Raw 2000 will take place on September 22, 2031). We end with what Punk did to the Rock.
CM Punk makes his way to the ring. Punk says that Wrestlemania moments are what everyone talks about. They want their Wrestlemania moment. Punk says that he had a Raw moment last week that was bigger than most people’s Wrestlemania moments. Before he explains why he did what he did to the Rock last week, he wants to talk about something else.
The way that Raw 1000 went off the air, he felt uncomfortable. It ended with Jerry Lawler saying “CM Punk has turned his back on the WWE Universe.” Punk looks at Lawler and he goes to the announce table. He puts his title belt on the table and sits down in front of Lawler on the table.
Punk says that he doesn’t get it. He is used to bad overly dramatic hyperbole on commentary but not like that. Punk says that it was Lawler who turned his back on him. Rock was not the WWE Universe. The Rock is one single solitary man. He is a larger than life, extremely charismatic, delusional movie star who showed him an incredible lack of respect.
Rock interrupted him and that is something that no one should do. When he went into his tired shtick with Daniel Bryan, it was like Punk was invisible. When Rock ‘lowers himself’ to talk to Punk, he mentions that he is gifted a title match at the Royal Rumble. Rock acts like he is going to be given the title.
Punk says that he showed Rock some respect because he should have dropped Rock right then and there.
Then at the end of the night, Dwayne does what Dwayne does best. He tries to make the show all about him. Punk says that was when he showed Rock the type of person he is dealing with at Royal Rumble. Punk reminds Jerry that he is the champion.
Punk wonders what the Rock’s response is because we haven’t heard anything. When Dwayne was dealing with John Cena, we couldn’t shut him up.
Punk says that he knows what Dwayne’s silence means. Punk tells Jerry that when it comes to him and his little agenda, Jerry can say what he did or didn’t do to John Cena. The 1000th episode of Raw ended the way that every episode should end. The focus was on the WWE Champion, the best wrestler in the world.
Big Show’s music plays and he comes to the ring and Punk goes into the ring as well.
Punk says that Show is out here to steal the spotlight too.
Show says it isn’t hard to do. He says that the focus was on Punk at the end of Raw 1000, but the end of Raw 1000 was all about him. Show reminds everyone that he is the one who cost John Cena the WWE Title. He made John Cena the first man to cash in the contract and lose. Show says that Punk is the ‘best in the world’ but Show knocked out John Cena and Punk still couldn’t beat him. Punk was in the STF and would have tapped out if Show didn’t do what he did.
The only reason why Punk is still the WWE Champion is because of him. Show says that Cena vowed that he would not win Money in the Bank and Show says that he vowed that Cena would not cash in. Show vows that he will be the next WWE Champion.
Punk says that Show couldn’t beat John Cena at No Way Out and couldn’t get the briefcase at Money in the Bank. It appears that the only person who is winning is him.
John Cena’s music plays and he goes to the ring and he kicks and punches Show. Show pushes Cena away and leaves the ring.
Punk stands in the ring watching John Cena trying to steal the spotlight.
AJ Lee comes out and she says that as her first proclamation as Raw General Manager tonight’s main event will be Big Show versus John Cena. The winner of the match will face CM Punk at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Cole asks Lawler what his thoughts were on CM Punk’s explanation. Cole sends out a Tout Challenge.
Daniel Bryan is walking in the back and he goes to AJ’s office door. He hesitates and then walks away.
Match Number One: Santino Marella versus Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez)
Santino with punches but Del Rio with a clothesline and kicks to Santino. The referee warns Alberto and Santino with punches but Del Rio with a suplex. Del Rio runs Santino into the corner and he kicks Santino in the chest. Del Rio slaps Santino and chokes him in the corner. Del Rio with a kick and Irish whip.
Del Rio runs into the corner and Santino sends Del Rio onto the apron and Santino with a drop kick that sends Del Rio to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Del Rio is working on Santino’s arm. Santino with punches but Del Rio punches back to stop Santino. Del Rio leaps onto Santino’s chest and then he mocks the Cobra. Del Rio kicks Santino in the ribs and shoulder. Del Rio with an arm bar on Santino. Del Rio with a kick to the leg and a side head lock but Santino with a Saito suplex and both men are down.
Santino with punches and then he does the flip but he cannot get up and Del Rio kicks him in the chest. Del Rio with a boot to Santino’s chest. Del Rio goes to the turnbuckles but he misses a double stomp and Del Rio appears to have tweaked his knee. Santino sets for the Cobra but Del Rio was playing mongoose and then Del Rio sends Santino into the ring post and then he applies the cross arm breaker and Santino taps out.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
After the match, Del Rio stands over Santino and he says that he just destroyed the US Champion like nothing. Santino Marella is beneath him. Sheamus is beneath him. All of the people in here are beneath him. If it is not a World Title match, he will not compete. Starting today, he will not compete until SummerSlam.
We go to the hallway and Bryan tries a second time to talk to the Raw General Manager. Daniel cannot summon up the strength to knock on the door and we go to commercial.
We are back and Vickie interrupts Brodus and the Funkettes. She asks them if that is dancing and she calls it a disgrace. She tells the little girls to step aside so the Queen Diva can show everyone to put a step on. Vickie calls for her music.
Damien Sandow’s music plays and he has something to say. He begs everyone’s indulgence. Tis Damien Sandow, the intellectual savior of the masses and our martyr. A horrible crime was perpetrated last week against humanity. Damien wants the footage to be rolled at once. We see what DX did to Damien Sandow.
Damien sees Brodus laughing and he attacks Brodus. Sandow clips Clay and punches him. Sandow with knees to Clay’s head and he continues the attack with punches and kicks. Sandow whips Clay with his tear away pants and then he breaks Brodus’ gold chain.
Michael Cole mentions that Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho will be involved in a tag match later tonight. We see footage from way back at Raw 999 when Dolph Ziggler inquired of Chris Jericho’s current status only to see Jericho hit the Codebreaker.
We then see what Chris Jericho did to Dolph Ziggler on last week’s Smackdown (not even close to 1000) and the Brogue Kick from Sheamus and Codebreaker from Chris Jericho.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Daniel Bryan finally enters AJ’s office. AJ says that she is glad to see him. Bryan wants to know if AJ is insane but AJ tells Daniel to shut up and she reminds him that she is his boss. There were a few guys in white coats last week. They looked like they were from a mental hospital. AJ says that she thinks Daniel was going to marry her to get her committed.
Daniel says that he is committed to AJ. They were friends of his and they were wearing white because he was wearing white.
AJ says that she is putting Daniel in a match against one of his favorite opponents, Sheamus. Daniel asks if it is for the title and AJ says no. She repeats NO and Daniel leaves.
In case you missed the Brock Lesnar and Triple H confrontation from last week, we have highlights.
Michael Cole reminds us that Daniel Bryan will face Sheamus. The fans get to choose the stipulation. Will it be a No Holds Barred Match, a Falls Count Anywhere Match, or a Street Fight?
Sheamus is walking in the back and Josh Mathews asks Sheamus what type of match he wants. Sheamus likes that the decision is in the hands of the fans. Sheamus says that his face won’t win any beauty pageants so the rougher the better.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Daniel Bryan tells everyone to stop chanting yes. Daniel says that he is the only person who can chant ‘YES’. Daniel wants everyone to stop while he yells ‘NO’.
Jerry Lawler lets us know the stipulation and it is going to be a Street Fight.
Match Number Two: Sheamus versus Daniel Bryan in a Street Fight
Bryan with a running knee to Sheamus followed by kicks of Yes around the ring. Sheamus with forearms to Bryan followed by a punch to the midsection. Sheamus with an Irish whip and Bryan flips over Sheamus. Sheamus with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker to Bryan followed by knees to the head in the corner.
Sheamus with an Irish whip but Bryan with a drop kick to the knee and Sheamus goes into the turnbuckles. Bryan with a knee to the back of the head and then he works on the wrist and hand. Sheamus and Bryan exchange punches and kicks. Sheamus with a back elbow. Sheamus with a series of knee drops for a near fall.
Bryan falls to the floor and Sheamus follows after him. Sheamus sends Bryan into the ringside barrier. Sheamus sends Bryan into the ringside barrier again. Bryan with a kick but he charges at Sheamus and Sheamus with a back body drop onto the ramp.
Sheamus sends Bryan into the logo on the stage. Bryan with a drop kick to the knee followed by kicks of Yes to the chest against the edge of the stage. Bryan with a running drop kick and Sheamus gets sent to the floor and Sheamus is limping. Bryan with a knee off the stage and we go to commercial.
We are back and they have returned to the ring and Bryan with an arm bar. Sheamus with forearms but Bryan with a kick and a drop kick that sends Sheamus to the floor. Bryan goes to the apron and tries for a cross body but Sheamus catches Bryan and hits a fallaway slam into the ringside barrier.
Sheamus puts Bryan against the ringside barrier for the forearms of ten. Sheamus suplexes Bryan from the ring announcer and bell pit to the ringside area. Sheamus sends Bryan back into the ring and he gets a chair and kendo stick and sends them into the ring. Bryan grabs them and throws them to the floor.
Bryan is clotheslined over the top rope to the floor right next to the cane and chair. Sheamus goes to the apron and Bryan hits Sheamus in the leg with the kendo stick. Bryan with a series of kendo stick shots to Sheamus. Bryan gets the chair from the floor and he puts it in the corner between the top and middle rope.
Sheamus blocks a kendo stick shot and he connects with a head butt. Sheamus swings for the fenses and then Bryan with a drop kick that sends Sheamus’ head into the chair. Bryan gets a near fall on Sheamus.
Bryan grabs the chair but Sheamus with a running shoulder tackle to knock the chair out of his hands. Sheamus hits Bryan with the chair and then he picks up the ring steps and moves them out of the way. Sheamus tries to use the steps but Bryan escapes. Bryan sends Sheamus into the ring post and both men are down.
Bryan picks up the steps and puts them into the ring. Bryan with a hard Irish whip into the ringside barrier and then he sends Sheamus into the ring. Sheamus grabs the kendo stick and it is time for a tug of war. Sheamus picks up Bryan and climbs onto the steps for White Noise but Bryan escapes. Sheamus with a Brogue Kick that sends Bryan onto the steps and Sheamus gets the three count.
Winner: Sheamus
We take a look back at what CM Punk said about Dwayne during ‘Story Time with Jerry’ at the start of Raw.
We are back and Daniel Bryan says that he is not leaving the ring until he gets a doctor. Bryan screams NO and that allows us to see what Punk said earlier tonight.
Daniel Bryan is still in the ring and he refuses to leave the ring.
Kofi Kingston’s music plays and he is joined by R Truth and Little Jimmy. Kofi says that he knows that Daniel is having a bad day and a few bad weeks. Kofi tells Bryan to get out of the ring.
Truth tells Bryan that there is no place for him and he needs to skedaddle. Truth says that him, Kofi, and Little Jimmy have some business to take care of.
Bryan asks where Little Jimmy is and he introduces himself to Daniel Bryan. Daniel kicks Little Jimmy over the top rope to the floor and Truth checks on him.
Bryan says that Truth is consoling an invisible child and they wonder what is wrong with him. Bryan says that Truth is out of his mind and he does not belong here.
Daniel’s wedding party comes out and they are here to take Truth away.
AJ’s music plays and she comes out. She tells them that Truth isn’t the person who needs the help. The little guy in the ring needs the help. She tells Daniel that he seems a bit mentally unstable tonight. AJ says that in the interest of a safe working environment, Daniel needs to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we will find out on Friday night who the new Smackdown General Manager will be.
R Truth brings Little Jimmy to a chair at ringside as the ‘sane’ people talk to an invisible person.
Who wants some Touts?
Abraham Washington comes out and he introduces everyone to the future WWE Tag Team Champions, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil.
Match Number Three: Titus O’Neil (with Darren Young, Abraham Washington, and a live mic) versus Kofi Kingston (with R Truth and Little Jimmy)
Titus with a forearm and Irish whip but Kofi with boots to Titus. Kofi tries for a cross body but Titus catches Kofi and hits a back breaker. Titus barks while Abe talks over the action. Titus sends Kofi into the corner but Kofi with punches. Titus with a slam and he gets a near fall. Titus with a rear chin lock.
Kofi with punches but Titus with a forearm to the back. Titus holds on to Kofi but he waits too long and Kofi with a DDT and both men are down. Kofi with chops and a drop kick but Titus stays on his feet. Kofi with the Superman punch followed the Boom Drop. Darren gets on theapron and Truth takes care of him.
Abe throws his shoe at Kofi and Abe runs away. Kofi turns around and gets hit with Clash of the Titus for the three count.
Winner: Titus O’Neil
CM Punk is in the back and he tells Cena to watch the tapes. He might have taken advantage of Big Show’s involvement but with the title on the line, anything would have been done. Punk says that some say that they should have done more than stand and watch what Show did to Cena. Punk says that he likes Cena and he doesn’t wish either of them luck in their match later tonight because he doesn’t care who wins.
Punk says that Cena is angry because Punk did in one night to Rock what Cena couldn’t do in a year.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Michael Cole apologizes for what Abraham Washington said during the O’Neil/Kingston match.
We then see what Punk said to Cena before the commercial break.
We go to the ring and Heath Slater has a mic. First we see what happened to Heath on Raw 1000.
Slater says that now that the legends have finally went back to the retirement home, he can get his career back on track. Slater says that he is here to challenge any current WWE Superstar to come out and lose to the One Man Band.
Match Number Four: Heath Slater versus Randy Orton
Slater with punches and he sends Orton into the corner. Slater with punches and the referee pulls Slater out of the corner. Orton with a clothesline or two. Slater misses a clothesline and that means it is power slam time. Orton looks around and sends Slater to the apron for an IEDDT. Orton looks around and makes sure not to stare where Sheamus does for the Brogue Kick and it is RKO time and he gets the three count.
Winner: Randy Orton
Daniel Bryan is in the back and he says that his neck is killing him. He doesn’t need to go through this examination.
Bryan is asked what his name is, if he is from Aberdeen, Washington, if he is a former World Champion, if he is a vegan, and if he did not get married last week.
Bryan answers yes to all of the questions and he cannot stop saying ‘YES’.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Five: Chris Jericho and Christian versus Miz and Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero)
Dolph and Christian start things off but Christian wants Miz to start. They lock up and Ziggler with a waist lock take down and the he struts because he is impressed with himself. Christian with a slap and flapjack for a near fall. Ziggler with elbows to the head and Miz tags in. Christian takes Miz down and punches him. Miz tags Ziggler back in.
They lock up and Jericho tags in and Ziggler tags Miz back in. Jericho with a hip toss to Miz followed by a clothesline. Jericho slams Miz and hits an elbow drop for a near fall. Jericho with a chop to Miz and then he chops him again in the corner. Jericho with an Irish whip and he runs into a boot from Miz. Miz kicks Jericho and sends him into the turnbuckles. Ziggler tags in and he punches Jericho. Jericho with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Ziggler sends Jericho over the top rope but he goes to the apron and up top for a chop to the head. Jericho clotheslines Ziggler over the top rope. Miz is sent to the floor and Christian with a cross body from the top and we go to commercial.
We are back and Miz with a reverse chin lock. We see footage from the commercial break when Vickie distracted Jericho long enough to allow Ziggler to knock him off the apron. Miz with a clothesline for a near fall. Miz returns to the reverse chin lock. Jericho with a belly-to-back suplex and he gets out of the chin lock.
Christian and Ziggler tag in and Christian with punches and a running forearm. Christian slingshots to the floor and he connects with an uppercut. Christian with a corkscrew back elbow but Ziggler sends Christian into the turnbuckles. Christian with a back heel kick and sunset flip for a near fall.
Christian takes care of Miz and Ziggler but Ziggler with a drop kick and he gets a near fall. Miz tags in and kicks Christian in the head. He chokes Christian in the ropes. Ziggler kicks Christian. Miz gets another near fall. Christian punches Miz but Miz with a knee. Christian sends Miz to the floor and Christian struggles to make it to his corner. Miz pulls Jericho off the apron to prevent Christian from making the tag.
Miz and Ziggler attack Christian while the referee was not looking and then Miz gets a near fall. Ziggler tags back in and he hits a few elbow drops and then he hits a leaping elbow drop for a near fall. Ziggler with a reverse chin lock and he does a headstand to add more pressure. Christian with punches but Ziggler with a neck breaker.
Ziggler kicks Christian and connects with an elbow. Ziggler with shoulders in the corner. Ziggler with kicks and he tries for the Fameasser but Christian with a power bomb and both men are down. Miz and Jericho tag in and Jericho with shoulder tackles. Jericho with a springboard drop kick to Ziggler on the apron. Jericho with a bulldog followed by a Lionsault and he gets a near fall.
Christian with a spear on Ziggler but Miz sends Christian into the ring post. Jericho tries for the Walls of Jericho but Miz powers out and he kicks Jericho in the head. Miz sets for the Skull Crushing Finale but Jericho escapes. Christian with a thumb to the eyes and Jericho hits the Codebreaker for the three count.
Winners: Chris Jericho and Christian
After the match, Ziggler hits Jericho in the back of the head with the briefcase.
We go back to Daniel Bryan’s psychological evaluation. It is time for the Rorschach Test. Daniel sees the inkblots and sees a goat face. He says that he is not a goatface or an oompa loompa. He wants to know if Charlie Sheen put him up to this.
We are back and it is time to see what people are Touting about.
Match Number Six: Tensai (with Sakamoto) versus Tyson Kidd
Kidd with kicks to the leg and Kidd with an enzuigiri. Tensai with a shoulder tackle and splash into the corner. Tensai with a slingshot into the ropes followed by an elbow drop and forearms to the back of the head. Tensai with a nerve hold. Kidd with a spinning back heel kick and he misses a charge into the corner. Kidd with a rollup for a near fall.
Kidd with an enzuigiri from the apron and he goes up top for a blockbuster for a near fall. Kidd with a kick and forearms. Tensai with a choke slam and back senton for the three count.
Winner: Tensai
After the match, Tensai with a short arm clothesline or two. Tensai with elbow drops and he sets for a back breaker. The referee reverses the decision due to Tensai’s post match attack.
Tensai tells Sakamoto to assume the position and Tensai slaps him. Tensai throws Sakamoto to the floor.
The psychiatrist finds Bryan bitter, short tempered, and obsessed with Charlie Sheen. The doctor finds Bryan completely sane.
Bryan says that he knew he was sane.
The lights go red and Kane says that he is Bryan’s anger management therapist.
Kane slams Bryan’s head into the walls and table before leaving.
We are back and in case you missed it last week, or earlier tonight, we see a recap of the reason why Brock Lesnar will be facing Triple H at SummerSlam.
CM Punk makes his way to the announce table to get up close and personal to see who he will be facing at SummerSlam.
Show confronts Punk at the announce table before John Cena makes his way to the ring.
Match Number Seven: John Cena versus Big Show in a Number One Contender Match
Show misses a punch and Cena with punches to Show. Show with a punch to the midsection. Show with a head butt and Irish whip and running butt splash into the corner. Show with a punch to the midsection followed by a head butt. Show with the shhhh chop in the corner. Show with another shhhh chop in the corner.
Show goes for a third shhhh chop but Cena moves and he climbs on Show’s back and tries to choke Show out. Show runs Cena into the turnbuckles. Cena tries for a cross body but Show catches him. Cena returns to the choke.
Show falls to his knees as Cena continues to apply the choke. Show falls to the mat and Cena gets a near fall but Show sends Cena through the ropes when he kicks out and we go to commercial.
We are back and Big Show is in control of the match right now. Cena with punches to Show followed by a kick. Cena tries for a flying shoulder tackle but Cena bounces off Show. Show walks across Cena’s chest. Show with an Irish whip and running back splash and Show has something to say to Punk.
Show tells Punk to polish up his title for him. Show with another Irish whip and he charges into the corner again but Cena gets his boots up and Cena with a bulldog and both men are down. Cena with kicks and punches to Show and Show with a bear hug. Cena with elbows to get out of the bear hug. Cena tries to slam Show but he collapses under Show’s weight and Show gets a near fall.
Show signals for the choke slam and he grabs Cena by the throat. Cena counters with a DDT and both men are down again. Show hits a side slam on a charging Cena. Show gets up first and he goes to the turnbuckles for the elbow drop but Cena moves. Cena with a shoulder tackle followed by a blue thunder bomb. Cena with the five knuckle shuffle but Show with a choke slam and Cena is able to kick out at two.
Show brings Cena back into the ring and then he punches Cena and Cena goes to the floor again. Show tries to send Cena into the ring post but Cena sends Show into the post. Cena charges at Show and Show sends Cena into Punk.
The referee starts his count on Cena but he gets back into the ring in time. Punk is holding his shoulder against the ringside barrier. Show signals for the punch but Cena moves. Cena gets Show up for the FU but Punk attacks Cena and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: CM Punk by disqualification
After the match, Punk kicks Show in the head.
Punk takes the mic and title belt and he goes into the ring where both Cena and Show are down. Punk says that the winner of this contest is . . . nobody.
Punk says that both of them are losers and he drops the mic and leaves the ring. Punk walks to the back and he walks past AJ.
AJ comes out and she says that CM Punk is wrong. They are not losers. They are both winners so we will have a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam where Punk will face John Cena and Big Show.
Punk tells AJ that he is the champion and she cannot do this. AJ tells Punk that she is the GM. Punk tells her that she is a bad GM and Punk demands respect as we go to credits.
The official WWE website announced Monday that effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations after eight years of service. He will, however, remain with the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches. His resignation is legitimate and not part of any storyline.
In an indication that he was on his way out of the position, Laurinaitis was quietly removed from the WWE Corporate website’s index of Executive Officers in April.
Though WWE stated in their article that Laurinaitis was “burned out” from the position, multiple sources have stated that recent changes to the corporate infrastructure represent Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, assuming control of certain sectors of the company and re-shaping them to his liking.
Laurinaitis’ duties had been scaled back in recent years as Levesque and fellow executive Stephanie McMahon gained control over Talent Operations and creating line-ups for house shows. He had overseen the department since April 2004, when he replaced Jim Ross. He was hired as a producer after the sport entertainment organization’s acquisition of certain assets of World Championship Wrestling in March 2001.
(source: PWInsider.com)
– CM Punk will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena and Big Show in a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam on August 19. The match was determined on Raw after the Cena vs. Show bout resulted in No Contest due to interference from Punk. Raw General Manager AJ Lee then announced the match, which led to Punk scolding her as Raw went off the air.
– The July 27 episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 2,834,000 viewers over the course of two hours—the final rating has not been released. The prior week’s show drew a 2.04 cable rating, with 2,964,000 viewers.
(source: PWInsider.com)
Check out this report from Cincinnati, Ohio’s Local Fox 19 News
FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather
Plus Chris Jericho’s Actual Tout of the Raw Fire
– WWE Hardcore Superstar Mick Foley has announced that tickets for his “Post-SummerSlam Jam” comedy show at the Hollywood Improv will go on sale Tuesday at 2 PM PT. Start time is 9:30 PM PT following SummersSam. (12:30am EST) Tickets for the show are $20 for general admission or $40 for VIP tickets, which include a meet and greet with Foley, a photo opportunity and a signed 8×10.
Foley posted about the possibility of other WWE talent being present on Twitter:
Rumors abound about the possibility of other WWE stars appearing on the show. While I can’t confirm the rumors, I can tell you that I have spoken with WWE several times about letting WWE talent Superstars and Divas appear on the show. In addition, I expect at least a few of Superstars, Divas and show business luminaries to be in attendance at the show.
Following RAW, Foley stated during a Twitter Q&A session that Bruiser Brody and Hulk Hogan head the list of wrestlers he would have liked to have faced in his career.
You can get tickets here.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made an off-color remark referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case in 2003 and 2004.
As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for A.W.’s remark. He then quickly transitioned to a replay of a backstage segment featuring John Cena and CM Punk that took moments prior.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
– Randy Orton returned to action Monday night on Raw after serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Heath Slater called out any current WWE Superstar in the back to answer his challenge, and The Viper responded by pummeling The One-Man Band all over the ring. After blasting Slater with a powerslam and a DDT off the second rope, Orton nailed him with the RKO to gain the pinfall victory.
– It was announced during Raw that World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will defend his belt against Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam. As the No. 1 contender to the title, Alberto Del Rio declared following his victory over Santino Marella that he would not compete again until his SummerSlam bout.
– It was announced on Raw that WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown to announce the new SmackDown General Manager.
– Cody Rhodes defeated Zack Ryder in dark match prior to Raw at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Just prior to showtime, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics and as a precaution, the limited number of people in the venue during the incident were evacuated. The fire marshal issued safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7 p.m. CT. However, due to time constraints, no WWE Superstars matches were held.
– Via Twitter, Jim Ross weighed in on Daniel Bryan’s Street Fight against World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on Raw: “Does Daniel Bryan ever have a bad match? $2 steak tough. He’s a product of hard work & desire. Same can be said for Sheamus. Physicality!”
During rehearsal for tonight’s Raw at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics. As a precaution, the limited number of people in the building during the incident were successfully evacuated, and the fire marshal has given a safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7pm CT. There were no injuries.
Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning his position as WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. WWE.com issued the following statement.
John Laurinaitis resigns as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations
Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. Following his very public firing at June’s No Way Out, Laurinaitis continued to work behind-the-scenes in his corporate role. After eight years of service in talent relations, he’s “burned out” and now hopes to concentrate on what he knows best: putting together matches and working with WWE talent as a producer.
– With Kelly Kelly still off WWE television, WWE sources indicate that she has not signed a new contract with the company. WWE reportedly offered her a new 5-year deal in recent weeks. She was backstage at RAW 1,000, but was not used. During her time away from WWE, she has been doing her own personal appearances and looking for acting work.
– The latest in TNA’s ongoing lawsuit against WWE and former employee Brian Wittenstein is that a hearing is set for this Wednesday, August 2nd in Nashville, Tennessee.
The nature of the hearing is that TNA is looking for the temporary restraining order against Wittenstein to be changed to a court injunction that would require him to submit all materials relating to confidential TNA manners and prohibiting him from him transferring that material to a third party.
Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com recently interviewed former WWE and TNA superstar Matt Hardy. In part one of the interview (view here), Hardy discussed his time an an enhancement talent for WWE, his favorite stars growing up, working with the Kliq, tag team wrestling today and much more. here are some highlights of what Hardy said about:
His Favorite Wrestlers Growing Up: “Obviously, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage just because he was the first guy I was really drawn to and I think he was one of the top guys in the company at the time and his finishing move was a flying elbow drop off the top rope. For me, I thought it was really cool. A lot of guys did moves that seemed more boring. There was the Hulk Hogan leg drop. ‘Macho Man’ always flew off the top to do his elbow drop and it was very exciting.”
“Obviously, growing up in North Carolina, I was a big Ric Flair fan. I dug him, he was from Charlotte. The Four Horsemen were very cool. I was a big fan of the Freebirds as well. It was very ironic that later on, I’d work with Michael Hayes. When I first started wrestling and Jeff and I were on a trampoline, I actually emulated Michael Hayes and the Freebirds to a degree with the way my character wrestled, dressed and acted and whatnot.”
What It Was Like Being WWE Enhancement Talent: “It was exciting. We actually went the very first time with ‘The Italian Stallion’ Gary Sabaugh and we did shows for him all across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee. We’d work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and sometimes for free. But, as long as we would work all his shows, he would take us to WWE every few months when he got the opportunity to. So, we were really excited. The first time walking in the dressing room and just seeing the guys you’ve grown up watching on TV. They’re real human beings and they’re interacting. Actually, getting to see that every superstar was actually a human being was a pretty amazing feeling.”
Whether Anybody Gave Him Advice Early In His Career:
Hardy: There wasn’t really anyone that gave us an overload of advice. But the one thing I will say, the first time me and Jeff went up, we both wrestled Scott Hall/Razor Ramon and he was really good to both of us. The first night, he wrestled Jeff and Jeff was only 16. He had to lie about his age and move his birthday back by two years and he kind of banged Jeff’s knee on the pole when he was doing a certain move in the match. He checked on him the next day and the day after that. All the Kliq guys, especially Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were really cool to Jeff and I in the beginning. Jeff has his hair cut like Vanilla Ice, they actually called him Ice. They always knew the Hardy Boyz and the Ice guy. So, they were really cool to us overall. You hear a lot of horror stories about those guys, but Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and X-Pac were all really good to us early on.
Favorite Memories Of His First WWE Run: “Man, it’s really amazing that we were able to come in during that time. Once again, looking back, ‘Stone Cold’ was white hot. The Rock was white hot. DX was a huge deal. For Jeff and I, once we got out on the road full time, we were wrestling Too Cool/Too Much every night as the opening match. For us, we almost became accustomed to it. Every night, we were in a building that was sold out with 20,000 people. That was pretty amazing, pretty special. I think we were almost spoiled a little bit because in 2001-2002 when the business slowed down a little bit and the big, hot Attitude cycle ended and the shows weren’t sold out anymore, we were like, ‘Oh, my God. What is this? We’ve never seen this before. This is new to us.’ So, we were really lucky and really gifted to be there.
I mean, there were so many great memories between the ‘Stone Cold’-McMahon thing. Just for us, obviously, our feud with Edge and Christian and going through with the first ever tag team ladder match and having that and the TLC matches. Winning the tag team titles, which was our only goal that we really set for ourselves when we started in the business. There were so many great, monumental moments that there’s too many of them to list now. But, it was a really special time in the wrestling business.”
During a recent interview with the “Inside the Ropes” podcast, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino had some harsh words about fellow legends Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan and Ric flair.
Regarding Steve Austin, Sammartino said:
“Steve Austin, I didn’t care for him because of his mouth. He was a very vulgar individual and anybody that’s like that, I can never be a fan of. So, anything else that he had positive, it was shattered by the negatives.”
Steve Austin has responded to Sammartino’s comments, tweeting:
“I have always respected Bruno’s career and what he accomplished. However, I could give a rats ass of his opinion of SCSA”
Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com recently interviewed former WWE creative writer Court Bauer. During the interview, Bauer spoke extensively about his time with WWE as a member of the creative staff, here are some highlights:
His First Day In WWE: “I’ve been around wrestling. I’ve seen it. I’d been my own boss for a lot of that and I think that was one of my biggest issues there. I got along great from jump street to finish with Vince but Stephanie and I were constantly butting heads. Michael Hayes and I were constantly butting heads. Brian Gewirtz and I were just constantly butting heads for various reasons with all three of them. Some of it was just personalities; some of it was just professional issues. Some of it was just crazy shit.”
“The first day on the job, people are kind of just sizing you up. There are a lot of alpha-males there so you’re kind of sizing everyone up. Everyone’s looking at you and everything. I was very laid back. For me — it was a little bit of vindication and a little bit of validation because of how things went with MLW. I had hoped — MLW was really — I would say — arguably, the number three biggest company during it’s run. With the TV penetration and its crowd size and what we were doing and the impact we were making. Especially with our international television.”
“So, that was something that I felt — to me, people talk about pressure and everyone warned that this is a high pressure job. I was, like, “Dude, my money is not on the line. All I’m being told is to produce talent, create stars with Vince and Stephanie and the WWE machine, write to the best of my abilities and be a matchmaker/suggester and angle-suggester. To me, this is easy. it’s like auto-pilot. I love it, I’m going to bring my A-game. But pressure? Nah. No. Not really.”
“So, people are warning me from day-one. I thought that the rest of the writers for the most part were very quiet and detached and not to outgoing. At the time, the only wrestler on the team was Michael Hayes. I think like a week a two after I got that, the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase started. I worked a lot with Ted and to this day, we’re close friends. He’s a great guy. I’m talking about Ted DiBiase, Sr. of course. Along the way, we had a ton of wrestlers come in, trying to contribute to the writing team. Really, none of them stuck. Dusty Rhodes and Ted were there for a few years. Dusty was terrific to work with. Dusty was fun, especially after hours. Ted was terrific.”
“Michael [Hayes] was a challenge in a lot of ways. He has a lot of interesting ideas and doesn’t like to hear your ideas. He has his other issues and demons and things that if you look online, you can find out. It is what it is. We had a lot of wrestlers go through there and a lot of them had an issue trying to contribute to that kind of process. The creative department is a toxic environment, very passive-aggressive environment. Dysfunctional. If you look at the ratings and just the business in general, you’ll see a decline over the 12 year period since they started that department. There’s never really been a real revamping of the division and there’s nothing been done to address these issues. So, you can see these drops in everything… creative out-put, television content, character development… They go from a playbook of plays and pick out one and you’ve seen it a few dozen times beforehand.”
“It’s a tough thing to deal with because you want to bring new concepts to the table and produce the best product. But, a lot of the times — it’s such a hyper-political division — it becomes very tough to navigate those waters. I’ve seen masters of that try to navigate those waters and ultimately drown. Everyone remembers how it went for [Paul] Heyman at the end of his run there. The only way to really navigate those waters and have any varying degree of success is (based on) how you define success. Is it that you’re getting a paycheck, just chugging along and toeing the company line? Or, is it trying to bring the best ideas, push them forward and if it doesn’t work out, sometimes you might hang yourself because of that. And that happens. There’s other people that can’t take the travel. There’s other people that can’t deal with Vince. There’s other people that are their own worst enemy when it comes to how they present things.”
“There’s so much turnover for a multitude of reasons, but the creative division as a whole — they don’t really set anyone up for success. It’s almost like they want to watch you fail. So, it’s a very intriguing thing being in an environment like that and also try to contribute and create positive change. It’s really tough. I saw a lot of guys that could have been really good contributors and could have helped the company. We could have seen really great stuff but you had so many people that just wanted to hold on to their position (and would) pretty much sabotage them and wouldn’t give them a heads-up about something and ultimately they failed. It’s unfortunate because there’s a lot of successful people that went through there. A lot of wrestlers, a lot of wrestling fans. A lot of people that weren’t wrestling fans but didn’t necessarily have to be for their particular position within the creative team. They had been executive producers for top-rated network shows and ultimately they were shown the door.”
“So, it’s an unfortunate thing. Because they are the number one company. They are the only game and the only show in town. The central-nervous system is the creative division and it’s a very, very dysfunctional system.”
Whether He Was Encouraged To Interact With Wrestlers: “It depends on who you spoke to and what day and what time and what year and what month and week it was. There were times I was told by Vince that I’m tasked with Ric Flair and setting up his Flare-For-The-Gold retirement run that Steve Austin had pitched to Vince at WrestleMania XXIII. So I start working on it. Then, a day later, before I can even get to Ric, Stephanie tells me, “You’re going to be working on this but I do not want you talking to Ric Flair. Any ideas you have for Ric, you can bring them to me and we’ll go from there.” So, I’m like, “How the hell is this going to work and what’s that mean?””
Was He Told Why He Should Not Talk To Flair? “I asked her and then some shit-storm came into her office and never got an answer. Some def-con 5 phone call or something. I thought that was kind of a cop-out. So at that point — this was towards the end of my run there — I was like, “You know what? I don’t care. I’m going to do the best that I can.” A lot of the times, Stephanie would have erratic decisions or comments that just didn’t really add up. So, you learn to live with it and just try again. Just try to produce the best product. I never compromised my integrity in doing that. But I also realized that you’re dealing with people that have their own limitations. Sometimes, you do stuff that may hamper or hinder these things. So, I was just, “I’m going to do what I got to do and not really sweat this stuff.” I mean, it’s really strange. With Steph — there’s a great with Steph and there’s also a side that just makes you shake your head.”
Other Big Disagreements With Stephanie: “I’ll tell you a strange story where we were all sitting around the table, talking about the first time they got busted open or got color — color of course being blood. So, Vince is talking about the first time he did and how terrified he was that he was going to fuck it up real bad. Then, Ted [Dibiase] tells a story about what happened to him and where it happened and all that stuff. Michael [Hayes] tells a story, Dusty [Rhodes] tells a story. One of the writers tells a story that had nothing to do with wrestling but it was a pretty horrific story about how he gashed open his arm and you could still see the scar. Then, I tell the story about how my mentor, Gary Hart — who was a terrific booker out of World Class, was there and set them up for their run in the ’80’s and was the manager of The Great Muta, Terry Funk.”
“So, I start telling the story of when he was in MLW when he did an angle with Low-Ki and Homicide and they ultimately cracked a broom stick over me and they used the wrong side and there was a sharp edge to it that sliced my forehead open and I’m gushing blood. So, we start talking about that and everyone and it’s a very chill, laid-back conversation. Stephanie then points to me and says, “Can you come here?” after the meeting. We used to call that “getting called to the principal’s office.” She told me never to do that again. I said, “Why?” She said, “Only the boys can talk about getting color.” I said, “Well, I was in wrestling. You hired me for my experience in wrestling. I’ve been in wrestling since 1998. That was 6-7 years ago. This is 2005. This is a little shady. But that’s what she wants and I was like, “Fine. No problem.”
So, everyone came back wondering what happened. I was like, “She doesn’t want me talking about any of that wrestling stuff.” They’re like, “Really? What do you do now?” I said, “I’m just going to not say it in front of her!” [Laughs.] She’s a very quirky person and I think there some deep-rooted drama that goes back to our backgrounds and I think there was some conflict based on that.
I got along great with Hunter. Vince (and I) only once had a disagreement. It’s not that I was a “yes-man” it’s just that I could read him and tell him what he wanted to hear without compromising my concept.
What The Disagreement Was About: “I think it was a house show or something and I think we were in a predominately-Latino market or a Tennessee-type market and they had New York City-level prices for ringside seats but they were all scattered. So you had Madison Square Garden-level prices for general admission seats in a market that wasn’t going to pay that price because who would out of big, top-five markets. On top of that, all the radio was for the wrong demographic. You had Rey Mysterio on the card. I think it was in Texas in a border town. You had Rey Mysterio and maybe Eddie Guerrero on the show. Instead of promoting it on bi-lingual and Latino stations and networks, they instead were putting it on smooth Jazz or whatever it was. I think it was classic Rock and smooth Jazz or something that made no sense.”
“I said, “Wouldn’t it be better to reconfigure these prices in the market and target the talent that has huge followings according to Nielsen and according to the arenas.” It seems like this was a slight adjustment that could make a little bit of a difference. He just disagreed. Some days — Vince is just the kind of guy that you can’t just tell him something. You got to pick your battles and when you’re going to fight him and that wasn’t that day. Ultimately, we agreed to disagree on that day but it wasn’t like it was World War III or anything. It was a pretty logical argument.”
“I always had very positive experiences working with Vince and to this day, once in a while, we shoot e-mails back and forth that are non-wrestling related. Just to put it out there; I’m not looking to get back into wrestling. I’m not putting Vince over because…”
Does He Think It’s Time For Vince To Step Down?
“I only know what I’ve heard. I mean, I haven’t worked under Vince McMahon for close to five years. So, I can only say from personal experience that the Vince McMahon I worked for was a guy that was coming out of his glory years. He wasn’t a guy that I felt was incompetent at his job. I felt he had great days and some days that I fiercely disagreed with the direction. I think you could say that about a lot of people. You have good days, bad days, so-so days. I never saw the guy that I hear is running the company now. So, it’s a different guy.”
“I can only go by what I hear from other people and it’s unfortunate. When you get a guy like Vince McMahon who has been a world-beater and such a competitive guy, it’s hard to get a grip on where you are in your life. It’s not like this guy has hobbies. He’s not an avid golfer. His only hobby is lifting weightsand that’s it. He sleeps four hours a night, he runs his company 24/7/365, and he’s a driven man.”
“But when you’re yielding diminished results, you start to wonder, ‘How long should this guy be in this position?’ It’s a very hard situation. He doesn’t want to go live on an island in Bermuda. He doesn’t want to do that, he wants to do what he’s doing. There is no exit strategy, there is no, ‘I’m going to get to this age and leave.’ That won’t happen, I don’t believe that how he’s wired. Dana White’s not wired that way. There’s certain people that just aren’t wired that way.”
You can check out the full interview where Bauer discusses angles he regrets, Triple H taking over the company, how Brock Lesnar’s return has been handled, Eddie Guerrero’s death being exploited, angles he’s proud of, why he left WWE and much more at WrestlingINC.com by clicking here.
Wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino recently appeared on the “Inside the Ropes” podcast and had some very negative things to say about fellow legends Steve Austin, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.
Audio of Sammartino’s comments can be heard below:
http://youtu.be/PXZlBcMzZSU
http://youtu.be/MOYXkIG7-bE
http://youtu.be/ypTMOTpBJIs
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW will take place from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 3-hour show will be AJ Lee’s first night as the new RAW General Manager. The WWE website is promoting the following items:
– WWE Champion CM Punk will address his attack on The Rock at the end of last week’s RAW 1,000.
– AJ Lee will be in charge of the show.
– The next chapter in Dolph Ziggler’s feud with Chris Jericho.
– SmackDown #1 contender Alberto Del Rio will have to answer to Rey Mysterio for cheating him out a title shot on Friday’s SmackDown.
– John Cena will react to the fact that he is the first Money in the Bank winner to cash in his contract and not win a title.
Randy Orton’s is now cleared to return to action after serving his 60 day suspension, so it’s possible we’ll see his return. Plus, Triple H is scheduled to appear to continue his feud with Brock Lesnar.
The advertised dark match main event is a handicap match featuring John Cena vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis.
