Dustin Alan from Omaha here, I attended Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings and here is my recap.
Quite an interesting show it was. Much fun was had. You know, when you start to lose interest in the WWE product, going to see it live really invigorates the love of pro wrestling. To start it off…..
Pre-NXT dark match
– The USO’s defeated Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks in a very good match.
NXT
– Titus O’Neil came out with a horrible, horrible promo (which included stuttering, putting words in the wrong order) to be followed by Darren Young who sided together when Percy Watson and Alex Riley came out to challenge them to a match.
– Tyson Kidd defeated Trent Baretta in a really, really good match.
– Heath Slater was punked out by Derrick Bateman in an all around boring promo
– Maxine was distracted by Johnny Curtis which led to quite possibly the greatest roll-up ever done by someone who considered themselves a professional wrestler.
-Young and O’Neil sloppily defeated Riley and Watson it what looked like an idie match. It was shocking that a guy with O’Neil’s skills was paid by WWE.
Superstars
– Jinder Mahal submitted Yoshi Tatsu in their match.
Smackdown
-The show opens with Theodore Long in the ring as he announces the participants in the 2012 Smack Elimination Chamber match:
Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Randy Orton
A few minutes later, out comes Mark Henry demanding that he be taken out of the Elimination Chamber match and granted a World Title match against Bryan tonight. Teddy says, “you lost, your lucky I even put you in the Chamber match.” Henry complains more and Teddy removes him from the Chamber match (only to be sadly, sadly replaced by The Great Khali) and doesn’t grant him a title match. Henry fiddles with Teddy’s tie, Teddy gets angry that he put his hands on the GM so he indefinitely suspends Henry. Henry grabs Teddy but out comes Sheamus to a huge pop and argues a bit with Mark and Teddy before Brode Kicking Henry out of the ring. Cody Rhodes came out to tell Sheamus that he needs to be worried about Wrestlemania because he will be facing the Intercontinental Champion as well as the World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes after the Chamber match. Teddy then made a match between the two.
– Sheamus defeated Cody
– Justin Gabriel came out for the next match with Hunico but before that could begin, Rhodes, who was still upset with the loss and hanging out ringside, proceeded to jump Gabriel from behind and Hunico and Camacho joined in until The Great Khali came down to save Gabriel.
– In a backstage segment, Teddy told Drew McIntyre he needs to think of something to do to impress Teddy, then Santino told Teddy he found a new partner in Hacksaw Jim Duggan, then Aksana came in to talk with Teddy, only to inform him of the giant wood below the camera. (She picked up Hacksaw’s 2X4, get your mind out of the gutter).
– Santino and Duggan were defeated by Primo and Epico.
– Cole Interviewed Daniel Bryan saying he was wrong and he is now behind Daniel Bryan and offered him a handshake. Bryan declined and went on a vegan rant, Big Show finally came out and confronted Bryan. Bryan poked and prodded at Show until AJ with a neck brace came out to stop Bryan getting whooped.
– Next, somebody call Brodus Clay’s mama because she won’t believe the hurting he put on Heath Slater! Not to mention, Drew McIntyre came out after the match to make an impact on Brodus only to be eradicated by the Funkasaurus. Someone, please, please call his mama!
– Beth and Natalya were backstage before their match only to set up more fart jokes on Natalya.
– Beth and Natalya faced Aksana and Tamina in a tag match, Beth came in out of nowhere to get the pin on Aksana after delivering her finisher. (I could only assume they are building up a Phoenix / Karma match at Mania.)
– Orton and Barrett faced off in a pretty good No DQ match. Orton defeated not one, but two tables, breaking the legs on 1 and going through the other after being pushed off the top rope. Barrett hit his finisher shortly after but Orton kicked out. Then Orton fought back and delivered and RKO to Barrett, followed up by another RKO, this time on a chair, then got the pin.
– Bryan came out during Orton’s celebration only to steal the spotlight without saying anything then left. Teddy announced Orton would face Bryan on next weeks Smackdown.
In the dark match after the tapings, Bryan defeated Big Show via DQ after McIntyre and Mahal came out to beat up on Show but to little effort as Show easily fought back and sent the crowd home.
It was announced during Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling that Bobby Roode will be defending the World Heavyweight Championship in a four-way match at Against All Odds. His opponents will be Bully Ray, James Storm and Jeff Hardy.
Other matches advertised for the event taking place on February 12 include:
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Bobby Roode (champion) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. James Storm vs. Bully Rar
Challenge Match
“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs Kazarian (w/Christopher Daniels)
Tag Team Championship Match
Matt Morgan & Crimson (champions) vs. Samoa Joe & Magnus
X Division Championship Match
Austin Aries (champion) vs Alex Shelley
Knockouts Championship Match
Gail Kim (champion) vs Tara
#1 Contender’s Match for the X Division Championship
Jesse Sorensen vs Zema Ion
New details have become available regarding the upcoming “Legends House” reality show that will feature various wrestling legends living under one roof.
Filming begins this week at the Harpo Marx estate near Palm Springs, California, according to the Desert Sun newspaper.
The cast of, which is rumored to include legends such as “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Dusty Rhodes, Roddy Piper and the Iron Shiek, will live at the mansion until Saturday, March 31 – the day before WrestleMania 28. Most of the show will be shot at the house – but the legends will also explore the local community, including golf and hot air balloon outings.
The show was originally announced for the WWE Network, but the Wrestling Observer reports it could air on Syfy due the Network’s launch being delayed, so we’ll see.
Check out this look at the Harpo Marx estate, the house being used for WWE Legends House:
— CM Punk appears on the latest episode of Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast and confirmed that WWE is working on a DVD about his career that will be released later this year. The podcast is available at www.welovecolt.com.
Chicago Tribune reported in November that WWE was filming a “straight-to-DVD documentary” on Punk at the time.
— After taking a hiatus from Twitter to sell his storyline injuries, Zack Ryder has resurfaced on the micro-blogging website.
“When I’m healed, I’ll take Z012 back into my own hands! I’m not sure if I’ll rise above hate but I will rise above & fist pump Kane’s face!” he wrote.
“Resting & trying to heal up…Kane, we coming for you Broski!”
— WrestlingFigs.com reports that WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will be appearing at Texas Frightmare Weekend at the Hyatt Regency Hotel DFW Airport adjacent to Terminal C on May 4-6, 2012.
Sting appeared on Between The Ropes and spoke about a number of topics, including whether he’s retiring this year, his health and Kurt Angle’s recent statement that 2011 was a “subpar” year for TNA:
Dixie Carter’s Recent Comment That He Is Retiring This Year
“She’s listening to what I’m saying to her. I’m saying every year this will probably be the last year and part of it was in the beginning it was kind of like a project. I wanted to see TNA Impact, I wanted to see it succeed like we did with WCW. I hated that being the second rate or second class citizen to the WWF all those years until we launched Nitro and like I said before, everything was history – we became the number one. This has the same feel and I want to be a part of something a little bit like that and I’ve see us … we’ve gone from being at the fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee period to being in 120 countries worldwide now and the interest in other countries is enormous.”
His Recent Injury & His Overall Health:
“Yeah, I tore something. I went to make a move in the ring and I tore something on the bottom of my right foot and I think ‘oh no I hope it’s not the Achilles’ tendon’. If it is, then I’m done. Wrestling is officially over with. And that night, I said a few words to the crowd in London and that was part of it. I said I don’t know if I’ll be back. I don’t know what this injury is. I’m hoping it’s not serious. The move I was moving around on it, limping around, I could tell … I didn’t think it was the Achilles’ tendon. Then I thought there’s the fascia down there and maybe I just tore the fascia. And that’s exactly what I did. I tore the fascia off … The doctors say 4-6 weeks but it’s like I’m just going to stay off of it, take care of it and be back in the ring a week from this Sunday.”
Whether He Agrees With Kurt Angle’s Comment That 2011 Was A “Subpar” Year For TNA
“No, I really don’t. I don’t think it was a subpar year. I think a lot of the young guys have been elevated, guys like James Storm, Bobby Roode. These guys are now making a name for themselves. They’re elevating the company. Everything is moving up. We had a very successful trip to the UK. In my book, that was very successful. Again, getting back to the ratings that we have in other countries, Australia, New Zealand, all over Germany, all over the UK, incredible ratings. We’ve got stuff going on in India now. So, I just see growth. I don’t see how it could be considered subpar.”
Former WWE superstar John Morrison, who is now competing as John Hennigan, spoke to the UK’s SportsVibe to promote his upcoming appearance at the WWFX wrestling show in Manilla, Philippines. Here are some highlights of what Hennigan said about:
The MNM Tag Team: “What I loved about MNM was that it was our idea, us being Melina, Mercury, and myself. We were MNM in OVW (developmental wrestling) for a year before we were brought up to Smackdown. MNM was the first time I really felt at home in wrestling.”
His Favorite WWE Moment: “Some of my favorite moments are my debut match, MNM vs. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, and beating Sheamus to become the number 1 contender at TLC 2011. To be honest with you thinking about it, some of my favourite moments are from matches that I lost – losing the ECW championship to CM Punk in August 2007 plus Falls count anywhere versus Miz; MNM vs. the Hardy’s, Morrison vs. Ziggler any given night of the last Europe tour; the infamous Limo explosion on Z True Island story.”
Why He Left WWE: “I was starting to accumulate injuries faster than they were healing… neck surgery, and a lot of nagging injuries; shoulder, knee, ankle- I decided that time off is my best option. I’m working on elevating every part of my game during the time I have off, physical in ring stuff and mic work.”
Vince McMahon As A Boss: “Vince is a perfectionist, a work-a-holic, and a micro-manager. He expects everyone to work as hard as he does, and he really does work like a mad man. He cares very much about his business, and you have to respect that about him. If I had to pick out any one flaw, I’d say that I think it would behoove him to delegate more. Give power to others in the organization for longer periods of time without allowing them to be undermined.”
One of the new shows being developed for the upcoming WWE Network will exclusively feature Cruiserweight wrestlers, according to a report by pwinsider.com.
WWE has been scouring the independent scene looking for talents weighting around 200 pounds that will be featured on the new show.
We reported several weeks ago that WWE held a pilot TV taping at Florida’s Sunlife University back in December for an undisclosed project. WWE reportedly love the feel of the building and is looking to film the new cruiserweight show there.
As of this week, the plan is still for WWE to launch the Network this fall.
— Former WWE Women’s Champion Chyna rambled at length on Twitter on Wednesday, incoherently posting over 200 messages throughout the day. She discussed her issues with Vince McMahon and Triple H, early wrestler deaths, her belief that her influence in the wrestling industry is overlooked, as well as accusations of drug and alcohol use. A Twitter user wrote to former D-Generation X mate Shawn Michaels of her diatribe: “need to pray for Chyna, the girl is losing her mind HBK.” He responded, “Already have. More never hurts.”
Chyna responded, “Ha ha ha Pray? No my mind is just fine thank you. Real good! Better than ever now. And yes livid!”
— WWE.com has yet to post this week’s episode of WWE NXT Redemption. Advertised for the show is Alicia Fox squaring off with her former NXT Rookie, Maxine.
— “Mr. Puroresu” Genichiro Tenryu turns 62 years old Thursday.
2012 WWE Royal Rumble winner Sheamus spoke with Sky Sports in the UK this week and spoke about winning the Rumble, when he’ll announce which title he’ll challenge for at WrestleMania and which title he feels is the most prestigious. Here are some highlights of what Sheamus said about:
Eliminating Chris Jericho To Win The Rumble
“To be honest with you, when Jericho hit the deck I can’t really explain how I felt. This is something I’ve wanted my entire life, it’s a dream of mine that I’ve had ever since I was a kid and it still hasn’t really sunk in. There were a lot of emotions running through me.”
Who He Will Face at WrestleMania:
” Ha! Not a chance. There’s no way I’m letting that one out of the bag. I’ve got plenty of time between now and WrestleMania to decide which title I want to go after. There’s also a huge pay-per-view coming up called the Elimination Chamber and both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are going to be in there with their titles. They may not be champions by the time WrestleMania rolls around, so I’m going to wait and see. Take it to the wire and keep everyone guessing. That’s another thing that will make me happy.”
Which Belt Holds More Prestige: World Heavyweight Championship or the WWE Championship
“To be honest with you, I think both titles are huge. The World Heavyweight Championship holds the prestige that goes back to the days of people like Ric Flair and the WWE Championship is something special and I’ve held that twice. To hold either Championship would be a huge honour for me and a huge achievement and, to be honest with you, I’ve no preference between one and the other. To me there is no second-class championship and both of them are equal. Both have prestige, both have a wealth of legends behind them. I know you’re asking me the question to try and get me to tell you which title I’m going after, but I’m not telling you! I’m not giving anything away!”
During AfterBuzz.com’s post-show for Monday’s Raw SuperShow, SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s husband Chris Jozeph mentioned that Evan Bourne is ‘in rehab right now’ when the topic of tag team partner Kofi Kingston’s match against The Miz was discussed. It would appear that he was misinformed as Bourne stated on Twitter that he bumped into a former Tampa, Florida area professional football player on Wednesday at a Publix supermarket.
“Bumped into Chris Hovan, former Buc and current USF coach, at Publix today. It’d be hard to find nicer or more positive guy than him! Peace!” he wrote.
Bourne, whose real name is Matthew Korklan, is currently serving a sixty-day suspension for his second violation of the company’s Talent Wellness Program. The Raw Superstar apologized to fans via Twitter for his mistake.
“Sorry y’all. Sometimes we become our own worst enemy,” he wrote on January 17, 2012, the same day as the announcement.
Bourne was first suspended on November 1, 2011 for a drug test failure for Spice, a marijuana substitute. PWInsider.com reported last week that his second infraction was ‘for something completely unrelated to the first.’
– An angle took place on Friday’s SmackDown in which it was suggested that Natalya had accidentally farted during a backstage confrontation with Aksana and SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.
For those who were turned off by the talented diva being featured in a bathroom-humor segment, get ready for more – as WWE will be continuing the “Natalya farting” gimmick in the coming weeks.
– John Cena hit a milestone on Monday by netting 10 million fans on Facebook, becoming the first WWE Superstar to do so. He has since accumulated over 108,000 additional fans.
– In a trivia note, The Miz’s television record since losing the WWE Championship to John Cena in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules on May 1, 2011 is 15-32.
– Nigel McGuinness is working on a documentary about the end of his wrestling career. He also appears in a commissioner role for a West Virginia independent wrestling organization.
– WWE creative is discussing the possibility of holding a Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania that would feature only former world champions as the particiapts.
The idea could include the likes of Jack Swagger, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Christian and Kane battling it out to see who gets the coveted Money int he Bank briefcase.
Comment below and tell us what you think about a “Former Champions” Money in the Bank match.
– Despite the fact that former WWE & TNA star Bobby Lashley is interested in resuming his professional wrestling career, WWE reportedly “wants no part of him right now.”
WWE officials were reportedly very unhappy with the way he left the company several years ago after receiving a large push, not to mention that there are lingering issues with creative head Michael Hayes.
– Wrestling legend Jake Roberts was asked on Facebook if any wrestler ever refused to work with him due to fear of snakes. He replied:
“Some refused to have the snake put on them, but otherwise, not really. Roddy Piper wouldn’t come out around them at all…”
— Chris Jericho played up his television feud with CM Punk via Twitter on Wednesday. Regarding the WWE Champion’s entrance song, he wrote:
“Cult Of Personality playing on XM. I hate this song….”
– Former WWE talent Maria Kanellis appears in the new movie The Meltdown. A screening of the film takes place this Saturday at Theater 7 1406 South 3rd Street Las Vegas, Nevada 89104 at 6:30 p.m. A Q&A session will be held following the film.
– WrestlingFigs.com reports The Boogeyman, Taryn Terrell (a/k/a Tiffany) and Spellbinder (a/k/a Phantasio) will appear at Legends of the Ring 14, which takes place June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey.
– SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia is holding a contest today at 5:00 p.m. on Twitter. The prize will include “2 8x10s, WWE Magazine, “Quiero Vivir” album, Divas book and article of clothing worn on TV! ALL SIGNED!!!”
– Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production, has taken initiative on the WWE Network project by hiring numerous people for mid-level management. Many of the people hired had worked for WWE in past.
Regarding Dunn, the Wrestling Observer says he understands how to interface with Vince McMahon and adapt to his haphazard decision making.
– An unnamed WWE employee texted a UFC employee during Saturday’s show on FOX to say their production is terrible. The WWE employee received a text back reading,
“At least we don’t have an imbecilic lead announcer ruining our show.”
– WrestlingFigs.com reports that Maryse Ouellet will appear alongside John Morrison at George’s Collectibles 7755 New Falls Road Levittown, Pennsylvania on March 10, 2012 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit GeorgesCollectibles.com for more information.
Dolph Ziggler shares his hilarious insight on YouTube’s finest videos. Picking apart the digital disasters from an array of tools and fools who provide countless head-spinning moments for the world to share.
– Former WWE diva / porn star Chyna is in the midst of an epic Twitter rant today, posting hundreds of incoherent tweets @ChynaChyna9. Chyna rambles on and on Vince McMahon, Triple H, WWE’s Wellness policy, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, her porn career, wrestler deaths, her influence on the industry and much more. She’s been tweeting for hours and does not appear to be of sound mind. Let’s hope Chyna gets the help that she needs, because if these tweets are any indication, she is not well.
– During an interview with DigitalSpy.com to promote his new “Journey 2” movie, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson said he’s scheduled to begin shooting “Fast 6” this summer, the 6th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. Johnson said he can’t wait to reprise his role as Hobbs and is going to “rip someone’s f*cking face off” in the new movie:
“I had a blast creating Hobbs. We should start shooting Fast 6 in June, and I can’t wait. That was one of the most fun characters I’ve ever played. It’s very close to me, by the way, close to the heart – that type of hunter of men.
“In Fast 6 there’s unfinished business. I told Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel): ‘You have a couple of days, then I’m still gonna come find you and I’m still bringing you in’. So that has to come full circle.”
“Hobbs is going to bring it. Hobbs is gonna rip someone’s f**king face off, is what Hobbs is going to do!”
— Wrestling legend Kamala posted a Facebook update on his well-being after having his leg amputated late last year due to complications of high blood pressure and diabetes.
“I wish I could still be in the ring but deep down I know my time is up. Nowadays having only one leg it’s obvious. There is no turning back the hands of times. Thanks to all of you that write me and keeping me in your prayers. Right now my heart is broken but in time I know it will heal. I wish I had the skill to do something else but I dont know what it would be,” he wrote.
“I just don’t want the government taking care of me, that’s why when I was up and able I drove a truck. No matter what I once were it’s what I need to do now to support myself and family. I know it’s hard right now but I believe God has use for me. I’m coming back this way.”
— Territory League Wrestling will be holding the Rodney Anoa’i Cup honoring the late Yokozuna on March 27, 2012 at the Avalon in Hollywood. Gangrel, Scotty 2 Hotty, Brian Christopher, Gene Snitsky and Black Pearl, among others, are scheduled to compete in a four tag team tournament. Visit www.territoryleague.com for more information.
— The Yukes video game company has sold 100% ownership of Japan’s New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion to Bushinroad Group Publishing, card game company). The sale reportedly took place on December 31st and will go into effect this week. It is believed NJPW was sold for approximately $6.5 million (US).
— THQ is set to release Brodus Clay for WWE ’12 via DLC today. The download will be free via THQ.com.
— While doing the media rounds in Mexico last week to promote his new Journey 2 movie, The Rock posed with Mexican wrestler Blue Demon Jr. for a photo, which was picked up by numerous local media outlets.
— The short-sleeve referee shirt worn by John Laurinaitis at the Royal Rumble was a rib by Vince McMahon, who recently poked fun at Laurinaitis for his “flabby, skinny arms.”
It was announced at Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Omaha that Daniel Bryan would defend the World Heavyweight Title against Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Big Show in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match.
WWE then did an angle between Teddy Long and Mark Henry where Henry ended up being suspended indefinitely, which will explain his absence from television due to his latest injury. Later in the tapings, The Great Khali was announced as Henry’s replacement.
Here’s the updated card for WWE Elimination Chamber:
SmackDown Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Title:
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Wade Barrett vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show vs. Randy Orton vs. The Great Khali
RAW Elimination Chamber for the WWE Title:
CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston
– Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer reports that Mason Ryan’s sizable push was halted weeks ago due to his inability to connect with the audience. Nonetheless, WWE creative plans on renewing his push in the near future as they feel he has great potential. The Welsh wrestler was ultimately kept off Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match because they felt it would have done “nothing positive” for him.
Meltzer adds that Vince McMahon at least initially had an “infatuation” with Ryan, hence his fast track to the main roster last year and subsequent protection on television.
— Lance Storm stated Tuesday on Twitter that he will be attending the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Miami, Florida to see longtime friend Edge’s enshrinement. He added that he does not know yet if he’ll stay for WrestleMania.
— A photo of The Rock face-to-face with John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of The Wrestler.
– Numerous people within WWE have been saying for months now that Vince McMahon hasn’t been acting like himself. Vince’s behavior was said to be “off” as well at Monday’s RAW – leading many people to speculate that the launch of the WWE Network (and other issues) are taking their toll on him.
– Rapper Tech N9ne was backstage at Monday’s RAW Supershow from Kansas City.
– Monday’s RAW Supershow featured 31 minutes and 57 seconds of in-ring action, down from the previous week. (Credit: Stan)
– Chris Jericho’s second book “Undisputed” will be on sale in paperback form this week.
– Former WWE superstars Sean Waltman and Marty Janetty posted a shoot video online talking about their WWE careers and other memorable moments:
– WWELiveTour.com is reporting that Triple H is advertised for every RAW SuperShow through WrestleMania.
The only upcoming RAW that the Undertaker is currently advertised for is the February 20 RAW Supershow from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The official website of the Target Center advertises:
“The Phenom” The UNDERTAKER will be live in Minneapolis to confront “The Game” TRIPLE H for the first time in over a year since their last meeting at WrestleMania 27!”
– CM Punk and Daniel Bryan’s “Champion vs. Champion” match from Monday’s RAW Supershow got rave reviews from fans and wrestlers alike. Several superstars and announcers took to Twitter to praise the work of WWE’s two top champions:
Jim Ross: “Punk vs Bryan is a broadcaster’s dream. They’re making great music. Amazing match.” “What I would have given to call that one. Had to stand ti watch it”
Bret Hart: “Kudos to both @CMPunk and @WWEDanielBryan. Good match”
Joey Styles: “OK. I’ll admit it. I would come out of retirement to call @CMPunk vs. @WWEDanielBryan. #BestInTheWorld”
William Regal: “Hello from lovely Omaha Nebraska. Very proud of @CMPunk and @WWEDanielBryan. Good lads.I hope my twins marry such lovely fellas.”
Lance Storm: “@CMPunk and @WWEDanielBryan Thank you for giving me some great wrestling on my Sports Entertainment show.
