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The 50 Best Professional Wrestlers Of 2011 Named

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For the eighteenth year, Power Slam magazine presents The PS 50, which ranks the 50 best-performing wrestlers in the industry. Rankings in The PS 50 are basted on grapplers’ in-ring showings over a 12-month period (December 1, 2010 through November 30, 2011).

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2. Randy Orton
3. Davey Richards
4. Prince Devitt
5. Shingo Takagi
6. Christian
7. Kurt Angle
8. C.M. Punk
9. Kota Ibush
10. Takashi Sugiura
11. KENTA
12. Go Shiozaki
13. PAC
14. Akira Tozawa
15. Hirooki Goto
16. Eddie Edwards
17. BxB Hulk
18. Tetsuya Naito
19. AJ Styles
20. Shinsuke Nakamura
21. Masaaki Mochizuki
22. Bobby Roode
23. Rey Mysterio
24. Kenny Omega
25. Sheamus
26. Antonio Cesaro
27. CIMA
28. Katsuhiko Nakajima
29. Masato Yoshino
30. Chris Hero
31. Dragon Kid
32. Jay Briscoe
33. Ricochet
34. Mark Briscoe
35. Kevin Steen
36. Yuji Nagata
37. James Storm
38. Dolph Ziggler
39. Daniel Bryan
40. El Generico
41. Alberto Del Rio
42. Ryusuke Taguchi
43. Austin Aries
44. Jeff Jarrett
45. Kofi Kingston
46. Bully Ray
47. Christopher Daniels
48. The Miz
49. John Morrison
50. Kenny King

Punk Speaks – Facing Austin Or Jericho At WM, Honoring Savage

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CM Punk stopped by Mix 106.1 in Philadelphia for a “CM Punk Christmas” with Brian Soscia of The Soscia Network. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

His current injuries: “I don’t think anything’s broken. I’ve been working with a broken hand for about a month and a half now so I’m relatively in better shape than I planned on being, honestly.

What got him into wrestling as a kid: “I think everyone just being larger than life. I always say the Piper and Snuka and the coconut. It’s like all those memories bleed into one after awhile. I just remember being like, man, this is crazy watching all these guys and all the monsters Hogan used to fight. Randy Savage was obviously the man.”

Paying tribute to Randy Savage with the stars on his tights: “The four stars – my ties are the Chicago flag, the four stars on the Chicago flag. Yeah, it’s an homage a little bit to Randy. Everyone was bigger than the world it seemed.

“I kind of got into this because I was a GI Joe and they all had code names and real names. I just wanted a code name. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just live life like my favorite superheroes or cartoon characters and stuff like that. I just decided I could and I did.”

How his parents reacted when he got into wrestling: “I don’t think they ever supported the idea or supported me until like all of a sudden I was, I guess, famous which I don’t really think I am. I try to downplay it as much as I can. I realize the scope of how I’m seen and everything but I don’t think they really cared until I was in the WWE.”

His fame: “I’m not like The Situation from Jersey Shore who like all of a sudden got ridiculously rich and he thinks he can boss people around and have all of these ridiculous demands. I’m very much in tune with where I came from and how hard I worked to get here and I appreciate it. I don’t think a guy like that really is. I think he’s handed all this stuff and, yeah, I can use him as an example because I can kick his ass.”

Working with Sgt. Slaughter having a GI Joe tat: “It blows my mind every time I see Sergeant in the locker room… He knows (about the tattoo). I always see him and I’m like, ‘Sergeant,’ and I salute him. It’s great. It’s two-fold because he’s a GI Joe guy and he’s a hell of a pro wrestler. Talk about somebody I look up to.

“When I was growing up he was kind of out of sight, out of mind until he did the whole Iraqi sympathizer thing… He was getting death threats and stuff like that; that’s tremendous. That was his job and he did it great.”

A potential match with Steve Austin or Chris Jericho at WrestleMania and who he’d like to face: “Who would I like at Wrestlemania this year? I’ll explain it to you like this. Steve Austin, the biggest star in the wrestling business, period. Bigger than Hulk Hogan by a landslide, I might add. I don’t think Steve is going to come out of retirement for anything less than the main event at Wrestlemania, nor should he. When you talk about a guy like Dwayne. Dwayne should not come back for anything less than the main event of Wrestlemania. So the main event at Wrestlemania was booked in stone a year ago. It’s Dwayne versus John Cena. It is what it is. I’m not guaranteeing anything but we got awhile until Mania and then we got a whole 365 days until Wrestlemania 29 and I think I can talk a lot of trash and maybe coax Steven into putting the boots on one more time. I’m not promising anything. I’m sure he gets annoyed when I talk about it but I got to be me.”

If he gets nervous: “I had somebody ask me yesterday if I ever get nervous. This somebody doesn’t really know a whole lot about what I do, somebody I recently met. I hate kind of explaining it to people. When I meet somebody who doesn’t know who I am, I get excited. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is great. This is fantastic. I don’t have to talk about work. I don’t have to explain anything. I don’t have to answer questions. I just get to be me.’ I was explaining to her that, no, I don’t really get nervous. I can count on one hand how many times I get nervous a year. I love high pressure situations. I thrive on it. It makes me feel alive so when I do get nervous I take it in stride and it just lets me know that I still love this.

“Wrestlemania is one of those times I get nervous. It is the biggest show of the year, all eyes on you. 70,000-80,000 people and not to mention all the people around the world who are watching you live. When you think about it, it gets kind of daunting. I love those situations. It’s like, ‘Hell yes, everybody look at me. Watch me rise.'”

The last time he got butterflies: “I’m going to say last night [at TLC]. I felt it last night. High pressure situation – no John Cena on the pay-per-view. CM Punk is the champion. I’m supposed to carry the load and I take that responsibility extremely seriously even though there’s guys in the locker room that I’ve been wrestling with for 10 years. I still look at them as my crew. I take it very seriously. I’m the General on the ground and I’ll be the first one on the ground and I’ll be the last one off. We’re going to war; that’s the way I look at it. I very much take my responsibility as a leader very seriously. It’s not like a we don’t need John Cena sort of thing and John gets it.”

His altercation with Tony Atlas at Ohio Valley Wrestling: “What it boils down to is a misunderstanding. Tony was unfortunately a victim of backstage OVW politics. The true story is Al Snow, for whatever reason, hated the Major Brothers who is now Curt Hawkins and the broski, Zach Ryder and would give them grief. These guys were on the road, working house shows and if they weren’t they were doing RAW and ECW on Tuesdays and they would get back and do OVW TV. They weren’t released from developmental yet at the time so Al would make them do the weekend shows. They didn’t get a break and they are hard working kids. For some reason Al had a boner for them and he’d constantly give them grief and treat them like crap. They had their wrists taped and it turned into this big thing where they’d try to hassle them about it. ‘What happens when you have a taped fist match?’ Stuff nobody cares about. So it was a thing.

“Tony was down there talking to the kids about saving your money and doing all that stuff. I was still living in Louisville at the time and I went down there to help out, and I wound up working a Dark Match main event. I had my wrists taped. I didn’t know any of this was going on. I was there on my day off. I thought I was being a nice guy. Tony comes up to me and starts talking about the wrist tape. I didn’t know what was going on. Tony says, ‘If you don’t listen to your coach I’m going to write you a bad report and you’re never going to get called up to TV.’ I was just like, ‘What? I can’t win this fight.’ I said, ‘Thank you sir. I appreciate the advice. I’ll take it into consideration.’ I’m not going to be like, ‘I’m on television. I’m the ECW Champion.’ It turned into a big thing.

“I just saw Tony last Monday. I was in the hotel gym in the morning doing sprints and he popped his head in. We had a cool 10 minute conversation… Like I said, he was just down there and he was a victim of Al Snow’s weird OVW politics. He tried to make the Major Brothers feel like dirt for whatever reason.”

The ECW Arena no longer hosting wrestling events: “It’s not my call; I don’t own the building and I was renting it out to people who wanted to give me money to use it – I don’t know why I would exclude anybody. I got a feeling it might change. Maybe the fans will be vocal about it and something will give. Hopefully it does. I think the coolest thing that ever happened in that building in my life is that’s where I met Joey Mercury. We’re family now so that’s the cool part about that building for me.”

Video: Mick Foley Talks Wrestling Again, Punk-Austin & More

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New York City DJ Peter Rosenberg is back with another exclusive interview .. Last week, Rosenberg interviewed WWE legend Mick Foley, who talked about his career, his friendship with Owen Hart, Mark Henry’s resurgence, the possibility of another match, and Punk vs Austin. Check it out here:

Updated Card For TNA Genesis 2012 (1/8)

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TNA Genesis 2012

Following Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, here’s the updated card for TNA Genesis 2012 on Sunday, January 8th:

– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Robert Roode vs. Jeff Hardy

– Kurt Angle vs. James Storm.

– TNA Tag Champions Matt Morgan & Crimson vs. Wild Card Tournament Winners

– “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero vs. Devon.

– X Division champion Austin Aries vs. Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorensen vs. Tony Nese-Zema Ion winner.

*SPOILERS* for Next Week’s Impact Wrestling (12/29)

Jim Ross Shares His Holiday Wishes For WWE

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this update, Jim Ross gives his holiday wishes for the WWE Universe:

– That Brodus Clay will someday make an impactful debut in WWE.

– The return of viable, tag team wrestling on the global stage. It would be new to many younger fans, it would provide fresh, TV programming, and, as we have seen many times in the past, it facilitates the ‘spinning out’ of new individual stars especially if the teams are truly established and not thrown together.

– I’d love to see Jerry Lawler be able to wrestle more on WWE TV. Performing with Jerry would help so many younger talents as I felt King’s work in 2011 with Miz was extremely helpful for Miz. If King were told tomorrow that he would no long broadcast Raw but would instead be used in the ring, he would love it. (Same goes for Booker T wrestling younger talents.)

– That Daniel Bryan gets plenty of positive, TV time and a legit opportunity to show all involved what the hard working veteran can do from bell to bell. Personally, I find any ‘size arguments’ regarding the new, World Champion to be near sighted and outdated. Plus, Bryan being verbally thrashed for being a vegan or a ‘hypocrite’ for cashing in the MITB contract earlier than WM28 has run its course. The consumers will determine if Bryan is a hit or a miss.

Video: Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story (Ep. 45)

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WWE United States champion Zack Ryder is back with episode 45 of his Z! True Long Island story video series.

Final Card For Tonight’s ROH Final Battle 2011 iPPV

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Final Battle 2011

Here is the final card for tonight’s Ring of Honor: Final Battle 2011 iPPV from New York City.

You can order the show at GFL.TV.

* ROH champion Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards with Dan Severn

* ROH Tag Team champions Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin vs. The Briscoes

* ROH TV champion Jay Lethal vs. Mike Bennett with Bob Evans and Maria Kanellis vs. El Generico

* Kevin Steen vs. Steve Corino – No DQ with Jimmy Jacobs as the referee and Jim Cornette at ringside. Steen will be reinstated if he wins

* Tag Team Gauntlet: The Young Bucks vs. Future Shock vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. The Bravados vs. The All Night Express

* TJ Perkins vs. Michael Elgin

* Tommaso Ciampa with The Embassy vs. Jimmy Rave

* Roderick Strong vs. TBA

Mark Henry Was Close To Retiring, WWE 2012 PPV Schedule

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– Shortly before his most recent run as the dominant heel on the SmackDown brand, Mark Henry was close to retiring earlier this year. Henry, who is currently out of action battling injurie, was interviewed in the new issue of WWE Magazine and said:

“Well, I’m older in the business, and my children miss their dad.  Not to mention the aches and pains are just making it harder to get through everything. But, right now, I’m feeling fresh and things are going well. I’m going to hang around as long as I can.”

– Here is the updated listing of WWE PPVs for 2012 as they are currently scheduled, including several new dates confirmed from the most recent issue of WWE Magazine.  It’s worth noting that with the WWE Network launching on April 1st, many of WWE’s pay-per-view events are expected to air on the Network.

1/29 – The Royal Rumble (St. Louis, MO)

2/19 – Elimination Chamber (Milwaukee, WI)

4/1 – WrestleMania 28 (Miami, FL)

4/29 – Extreme Rules (Chicago, IL)

5/20 – Over The Limit (Raleigh, NC)

6/17 -Bragging Rights (Las Vegas, NV)

7/15: – Money in the Bank

8/19  – SummerSlam (8/19)

9/16 – Night Of Champions

10/7 – Hell In A Cell

10/28 – Vengeance

11/18 – Survivor Series

12/16 – TLC

SmackDown Preview: Bryan-Ziggler, Ryder-Rhodes

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WWE SmackDown on Syfy

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

* U.S. champion Zack Ryder vs. IC champion Cody Rhodes

* Big Show vs Henry

* Sheamus vs. The Miz

* Kofi Kingston (w/Evan Bourne) vs. Primo (w/Epico and Rosa Mendes).

* World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero)

CM Punk On The Future Of The Industry, Ice Cream Bars

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WWE Champion CM Punk spoke with RedEyeChicago.com this week to hype Monday’s RAW from the windy city. Here are some highlights of what Punk said about:

Whether “PG” Is Driving Fans Away: “I don’t think the WWE is going to go anything but PG. I don’t see the need for the TV-14 rating because that was the past and we are opening new doors to fans across the world. Swearing to just swear isn’t entertaining to me whatever you’re watching. There are some things I get away with, but at the same time I have to remember it is a family-orientated show. I think the product in general is a lot better when we have to police ourselves, knowing that families are out there watching and listening to every word. The so-called “Attitude Era” is not needed in this day in age of sports entertainment.”

The Potential Return of WWE Ice Cream Bars: “I really am hoping that does happen. A lot of people don’t realize that when I mouthed off about the ice-cream bars they wanted them the next day. It’s a licensing issue, and we are working with the proper people to bring them back. We want them back by the “ice-cream season,” as you can say, so next summer is a good possibility. Although I don’t think there is a day where I wouldn’t go without eating ice-cream.”

Where He Sees Wrestling In 10 Years: “Hopefully in a better place than it is now. I would like to see younger talent introduced to the fans and they get chances to show they have what it takes. I’ve been very vocal about the things that are wrong with the sport and hopefully they are being looked at to be changed.”

“As for what I’m doing in 10 years? I don’t know what I’m doing in the next 10 minutes but surely I don’t want to be in the ring 10 years for now. I know guys that have done it and I’ve done so much already in the sport. I would like to be one of those guys that doesn’t need surgeries to continue to try to get that extra payday. Hopefully I can just disappear.”

Stephanie McMahon Named To Board Of Directors (Not WWE)

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Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Creative, has been named to the Board of Directors of the USO’s Metropolitan Washington organization. Here’s the official press release, sent out Thursday afternoon:

STAMFORD, CT, December 22, 2011 – Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Creative, was recently voted onto the Board of Directors for the USO Metropolitan Washington. WWE has a long history of supporting our men and women in the armed forces, so it is an honor for WWE to join the efforts of the USO Metropolitan Washington and support their important mission to serve those who serve and their families. In 2004, the USO Metropolitan Washington presented WWE with the first ever “Legacy of Hope” award for the company’s extensive support of our troops and the USO’s Operation Care Package Program. Additionally, WWE Superstars and Divas regularly visit military bases and hospitals, including Bethesda Naval Hospital and previously Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to bolster the morale of our troops.

Since 2003, WWE has produced its annual, holiday special “Tribute to the Troops” at military bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and the United States. WWE is also a proud supporter of the National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe Program, which assists underprivileged youth obtain their GED or competency in a technical trade. WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston serves as a spokesperson for the Youth ChalleNGe Program.

WM28 Plans For Punk, HBK Reffing Taker-HHH, Rock vs. Cena

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WrestleMania 28

– Shawn Michaels is scheduled to be the special referee for the Undertaker vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania. Since Triple H and Shawn Michaels have both failed twice at ending the streak, it lends something to the idea that they could work together to screw Undertaker.

Triple H might put his career on the line against the streak. The Undertaker vs. TripleH match will be promoted as the #2 match on the card, behind Cena vs. Rock.

– John Cena recently mentioned that his match vs. The Rock at WrestleMania would be even bigger if it was for the WWE championship. At the time he made the comments, WWE was strongly considered putting the title on Cena heading into WrestleMania.

The WWE title being on the line would make the match seem bigger and elevate the status of the WWE title. Additionally, if the title wasn’t on the line in this match, it doesn’t look great that the WWE title match would be billed as the #3 match on the show. That said, WWE is firmly behind Punk as champion and the Rock vs. Cena is already guaranteed to be a huge draw without the belt on the line.

– As for current WWE champion CM Punk, the latest news on his WrestleMania opponent is that he’ll be wrestling Chris Jericho, who is expected to return in early 2012. While all indications have been that Jericho will be returning on January 2nd, there’s a strong chance WWE will try to throw off all the online reports and have somebody else be the person behind the cryptic promos we’ve been seeing on RAW in recent weeks.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

RAW Ratings Breakdown: Bad News For Punk, Ryder & Bryan

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As previously reported, Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow drew a low 2.92 cable rating and averaged 4.29 million viewers for the two-hour broadcast.

A closer look at the ratings on a segment-by-segment basis does not bode well for the drawing power of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder.

RAW’s opening segment did a strong 3.36 rating, a sign that fans were interested in the fallout from the previous night’s TLC pay-per-view.

The Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett match lost 721,000 viewers, a significant drop. Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox rebounded, for a gain of 277,000 viewers. Jinder Mahal vs. Sheamus lost 247,000 viewers and the John Cena promo that featured Kane and Mark Henry gained 428,000 viewers – doing a 3.18 quarter rating.

Epico & Primo vs. The Usos and Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella lost 719,000 viewers. Backstage segments with John Laurinaitis and The Bella Twins, Hornswoggle and a Big Show interview lost another 56,000 viewers.

The RAW six-man main event with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan & Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio, The Miz & Dolph Ziggler drew a very low 2.67 rating – making it one of the lowest-rated RAW main events of the year.

The overrun only gained 59,000 viewers. RAW’s overrun usually gains significantly more viewers than that.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Storm Praised Backstage, Neal’s Departure, Flair, OVW

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– The song “Ric Flair” by Killer Mike was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 50 best singles of 2011.

– James Storm continues to get a ton of praise behind the scenes in TNA. He’s been working very hard on improving his mic work and has been working with Vince Russo on his promos.

– Jesse Neal’s storyline injury was TNA’s way of writing him out of the company. TNA let him go because he was not willing to move to Louisville, Kentucky to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling, TNA’s new developmental territory. Neal was not completely opposed to relocating, but based on what TNA was paying him, it didn’t make seense for him.

– TNA has sent Anarquia, Rob Terry and “Big Brother” reality star Jessie Godderz to OVW to train

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Shaq In Talks For WrestleMania, Skip Sheffield Update

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Shaq Says He's In Talks With WWE to Wrestle Big Show at WM28

– NBA star Shaquille O’Neal appeared on Chicago’s Abe Kanan radio show on Thursday and said he’s in talks for a match against Big Show at WrestleMania.

Shaq, a lifelong wrestling fan, has appeared on WWE television several times in recent years, including a spot as the RAW Guest Host back in 2009. Shaq had a face-to-face confrontation with The Big Show at that time and has been interested in working a WWE match for a very long time.

With WWE negotiating with Shaq to step in the ring at WrestleMania, you can see the company is going all out in hopes of making next year’s event the biggest WrestleMania of all time.

— WWE star Skip Shieffield tweeted the following on Thursday night, referencing his habit of deleting tweets and Nexus:

“Tweet and delete. Still sitting in a chair at a table stairing at a damn ladder. Nexus shirt and armband mysteriously back on me. #Weareone”

“16 months have passed yet the last thing I remember is meathooking D Youngs face off. YENOAU was my creation Barrett answered to me. #22”

Picture of Chris Jericho, Samoa Joe Bully Ray & Christian Together

News On WWE’s New Talent (Rollins, Ambrose, Marlow)

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– Haku’s son Donny Marlow debuted on Superstars last week as the mystery man alongside Hunico. He is seen to have potential, but at 33 years old, he’s not that young any more and WWE felt its time to take the training wheels off already.

– Seth Rollins is going on the road with WWE next week. He’s seen as the FCW star with the most potential, despite not being as polished as they’d like. The hope is that he learns to connect with the crowds better after getting experience working live events.

– While Seth Rollins is viewed as the developmental wrestler with the most upside right now, Dean Ambrose is right behind him and is a more well-rounded talent. Ambrose can talk and is a better worker than many of WWE’s main eveners.

– With CM Punk and and Daniel Bryan’s recent success as well as the potential of Rollins and Ambrose, the stigma behind being an “indy” worker is not as bad as it was even six months ago.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The Reason Jeff & Karen Jarrett Are Off TNA TV

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Regarding the departures of Jeff and Karen Jarrett’s departures from TNA shorelines, Jeff is taking time off because he is very busy with projects outside of TNA.

Jeff Jarrett been working hands on with TNA’s new Indian promotion as well as the All Wheels Wrestling show he is trying to get picked up on the Speed Channel.

Karen Jarrett needs surgery on her foot, which will keep her on the sidelines for several months.

In Karen’s absence, Sting will be naming a new head of the Knockouts division.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Rumble Matches, Updates On Hero, Clay & Sheffield

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– Aside from WWE announcing that January’s Royal Rumble match will be returning to the traditional 30-man format, John Cena vs. Kane is also confirmed for the event.

– Regarding Chris Hero and WWE, the company is said to still be interested in bringing him in, despite reports that he did not pass a WWE physical due to elevated testosterone levels.

Hero will be undergoing more medical tests in January and if things go as expected, he will be signed. Hero’s most recent round of physicals took place in September.

– WWE appears to have abandoned plans to re-introduce Brodus Clay. Last we heard from Brodus Clay, he tweeted that he was going to destroy John Morrison on his final night with the company. Clay would not have tweeted that if he wasn’t told he’d be on RAW that night, but Morrison wound up getting laid out by his former tag team partner The Miz – with no mention of Clay on WWE television since then.

– Skip Sheffield has been told that he’s returning with a push in early 2012.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

MAILBAG: Why Does WWE Allow Michael Cole To Belittle Talent?

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SEScoops Mailbag for December 22nd

(please submit YOUR questions to [email protected])

Q: I was wondering who’s idea it was and who authorized Mick Foley being thrown off the Hell in a Cell and going through that table? And apart from getting good ratings, were they not worried about what damage it would have done to the company on a live PPV and with all those kids in attendance if that stunt had gone horribly wrong, especially as they were competing with WCW at that time? – Kev

A: Competing with WCW is precisely the reason they began pushing the envelope in the first place back in those days. They did dangerous things all the time. It was Foley’s idea to do the jump off the cell. Vince McMahon had to have known it was going to happen because his production people knew. You could tell by the way the camera pans out just as Undertaker tosses Foley off the structure. Foley maintained in his book that his second bump through the roof of the cell was not planned, but I’ve never bought that. Based on the way Undertaker delivers that chokeslam (without much in the way of force), they knew it was breaking.

Q: I realize [Shawn Michaels] came back and fought HHH at Summerslam 2002 in an epic match, but HBK returned in the NWO earlier in the year. Did he ever go away [first and then] come back for that matchup? I can’t remember because I was 11 at the time and I am having no luck on YouTube. – Ozzie

A: Michaels returned to WWE television in June 2002 when he joined the nWo. Booker T had also joined the group around the same time, though he ended up being kicked out. Then Kevin Nash tore his quad muscle in a match on Raw and at that point, Vince McMahon decided to kill off the nWo for good. There was no explanation for Michaels essentially going from heel back to face and he transitioned right into a program with Triple H. If Nash doesn’t get injured, the group lives on, though probably not for much longer anyway.

Q: Could you provide some insight as to how matches are actually taped for television? Specifically, since “most” matches are called on the fly, does the producer/director simply direct cuts and shots based on in-ring action as it happens, or is there some element of pre-production (apart from obvious things like run-ins, turns, etc) and planning before the match begins? – Shawn

A: There are definitely certain spots that Kevin Dunn is aware of in advance so they can be prepared for those shots. That would usually be reserved for major stunts or anything done outside the ring (e.g. in the crowd). That said, it’s not a situation where the wrestlers need to alert them of all of their key spots before they go out. In the context of a basic match, cuts and shots are directed as it happens. They have many more cameras than they used to placed strategically in various areas, so it’s rare they would miss anything significant.

Q: Why does WWE continue to put Michael Cole in storylines and let him belittle the talent? The Cole/Lawler feud was enough, and now every week on Smackdown, he is talking down Daniel Bryan and others. If it weren’t for DVR, I wouldn’t be able to watch. Do you believe Cole as a heel announcer is actually helping faces get over or just hurting the product? – Josh M.

A: Absolutely not. The Cole character is killing the product. The more he talks about how someone doesn’t belong or how boring they are, the audience starts to believe it, not rebel against him for it. Cole as a heel color announcer might have worked if the play-by-play guy was strong enough to fight back against him, like a Gorilla Monsoon/Bobby Heenan dynamic, but having your primary announcer do these things, especially when he’s supposed to convince you to buy PPV’s on the go-home shows and have at least some credibility, is completely preposterous. But Vince McMahon gets his rocks off on it, so it’s not going to stop.

Q: The Nation of Domination should make a return to WWE. The members would be Mark Henry, Ezekiel Jackson, R-Truth, Percy, Titus. Faarooq or Teddy Long should manage them. Do you agree? – Chris T.

A: No, I do not agree.

Q: As I recall, cutting yourself in order to bleed (or “blading”) during a match was banned in WWE around 2008/2009. I was watching John Cena vs. Randy Orton from Hell In A Cell 2009, in a Hell In A Cell match. Orton hit that unique backbreaker he does from time to time, and when Cena fell to the mat, it was very clear that a small shiny object came out of his wristband. The referee picked it up and nothing was ever mentioned. Were there plans to blade in that match? – Connor from Las Vegas

A: If blading was banned, then there were no plans for John Cena to blade in that match. It’s just that simple.

Q: Would you rather watch John Cena and Mason Ryan headline WrestleMania in an Iron Man Match or do Big Show and Mark Henry’s laundry by hand for a month? – Brandon

A: This sounds a great premise for the next Saw film.

Q: I was playing WWE ‘12 and the Stone Cold character had “101 proof” on his vest. What is 101 proof? – Elvir Bajric

A: 101 proof is what I have to drink when browsing the comments section on SEScoops.com.

Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!

What Vince Wants From Del Rio, New WWE Network Details

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– Vince McMahon has been pushing Alberto Del Rio to show more “ruthless aggression” in the ring and work a more physical style.  This is the reason Del Rio has been working stiffer in recent weeks.

RAW is lacking strong heels, with The Miz not being seen as a legitimate tough guy at this point. Vince thinks Del Rio has the size, toughness and gimmick to be a permanent main event heel, but he needs to come across as more dangerous in the ring.

Del Rio recently injured his groin on a recent episode of RAW. He was able to finish his match, but had to be helped out of the ring and was checked out backstage. Despite his pain, the injury is not believed to be serious.

– WWE is in talks with Shed Media, the company behind Tough Enough, to help produce new reality programming for the WWE Network.

With WWE looking to run new reality-based programming, the company is to film television episodes the week that they are set to air on television. This is unlike what most reality shows do (ie. UFC’s Ultimate Fighter), which is to film the entire season before the first episode airs. Filming the whole season at once allows producers to see where storylines are going and produce the show accordingly.

Booking the show on a week-to-week basis will hurt their ability to tell long-term shorelines, which some have joked is similar to how WWE television is written.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Cena Sucks Update, Linda Distancing From McMahon & WWE

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– In response to WWE selling “Cena Sucks” t-shirts, John Cena noted on Twitter that WWE has wanted to make the shirts since 2008 and he is not bothered by them. Sources close to Cena say that he legitimately does not mind that the shirts are being sold and gets royalties from every single one sold.

– With Linda McMahon second run for United States Senate underway, the former WWE CEO is making an effort to distance herself not only from the WWE product this time around, but the McMahon name as well. Her campaign material pushes the name LINDA with no mention of her business experience running WWE or her last name. Instead of using all her own money this time, Linda is raising funds from her supporters.

Last weekend’s 12/16 live event from Fort Myers, FL drew 5,500 paying fans for a live gate of $155,000. The next night’s Nassau Coliseum show drew 7,000 and a $285,000 live give, which isn’t good for the New York market. The New York market, however, did get three shows in a month, so that could be one of the reasons.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Picture: Chris Jericho With Samoa Joe, Bully Ray, Christian

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Chris Jericho hung out with Christian and TNA stars Samoa Joe and Bully Ray this week.

He tweeted the following on Thursday night:

Awesome time w @Christian4Peeps @SamoaJoe and Brother Ray tonight!! Merry Christmas f**kers!!

Samoa Joe, Chris Jericho, Bully Ray & Christian

(Fixed) WWE Network Pilot Taped With WWE & FCW Talent

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Earlier this month, WWE held a television taping at Full Sail University in Florida featuring FCW and WWE Superstars. The one-hour show is reportedly a pilot show for the WWE network that would profile WWE’s developmental territory and WWE’s up and coming superstars. The footage that was taped this month is not expected to air.

Triple H and John Laurinaitis were there, with Triple H coming to the ring during one of the tapings and cutting a promo in front of the live crowd. WWE set up the venue to look like the FCW arena in Tampa- and the production values were said to be very good.

Jim Ross, Byron Saxton and Chris Russo did commentary – with Saxton & Russo doing the first hour and Ross & Russo calling the scond.  Here are results from the taping:

Hour One:

* Xavier Woods defeated Big E. Langston
* Richie Steamboat beat Brad Maddox
* Kaitlyn & Alicia Fox defeated Tamina & Aksana
* Antonio Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins

Hour Two:

* Kenneth Cameron defeated Mike Dalton
* Leakee beat Ricardo Rodriguez
* Briley Pierce defeated Derrick Bateman
* Husky Harris beat Damien Sandow
* Leo Kruger beat Dean Ambrose
* Triple H cut a promo for the crowd

Half-Hour Taping

* Sheamus & Daniel Bryan beat Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre

(Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE CFO Talks Business Performance & UFC As Competition

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WWE CFO George Barrios was at the UBS 39th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference this month and spoke in depth about WWE’s business performance as well as why WWE does not view UFC as competition. You can read the full transcript at * SeepingAlpha.com.

Barrios spoke about how WWE monitors every aspect of their business:

“Some of those metrics that we look at pretty intently is our live event attendance both in North America and overseas, our television ratings for the four to six hours that we will have on the air domestically at given time, which we also report,” he said. “We also look at our rating globally…We always look at how we are trending in social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter. Google Trends and Google Analytics also gives us a sense of how the brand is trending from a search perspective. We look at our own unique and page views on our own site as well as the streams that we do – we do about 75 million video streams on YouTube every month. So, we track that.”

WWE’s CFO also spoke about the UFC and explains why WWE does not consider them direct compeition:

I think we get a lot of questions about MMA, as I often say, it’s because I think people see that the both are performers are wearing some form of spandex, so they think there must be some natural competition there. We don’t view it that way,” he said. “We tend to — we take the broader view, which is we are a pop culture entertainment brand, and anything that takes attention away from us is something that gets our attention. We don’t really view UFC or MMA more broadly as a specific competitor, but you know they are part of entertainment landscape and they take eyeballs away from — or they soak up eyeballs, so we obviously have to be aware of them. But we don’t view them as specific competitor. Barrios concluded, “I don’t want to diminish them as a competitor but I also don’t — we don’t anyway elevate them as a specific competitor.”

* TONS of Backstage WWE News Heading Into 2012

Detailed Report From Today’s Ring Ka King Show (Pictures)

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SEScoops.com reader Himanshu Doi sent in the following report and images from Wednesday’s Ring Ka King show from Pune, India.

I attended the fourth and what might be the final day of taping of the month for the upcoming wrestling show on Colors “Ring Ka King” at Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. Here are the spoilers:

– The taping began with a segment involving Jazzy Lahoria who was the “Commissioner of Ring Ka King”, Matt Morgan, Magnus, Abyss, Steiner, Sonjay Dutt, Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore, some Indian wrestlers and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. I missed most of this part since I arrived late into the arena and wasn’t able to catch it.

– The team of “The Snakes” (Shawn and Arya Daivari) and Raisha Saeed defeated Bollywood Boyz (Bollywood Lions) and Mickie James.

– Matt Morgan, the Ring Ka King champion, came out for a promo. Apparently he’s a babyface and he started off the promo with a couple of lines in Hindi to get over with the crowd. He says that there was going to be a battle royal later on for the #1 contendership to his Ring Ka King championship. He says he wants to know who was the one who attacked him from behind, so whoever he is must come out now. Abyss’ music hits and he comes to the ring. Morgan gets the upper hand at first but Abyss comes back and dominates him. Morgan is helped up to the back by a couple of referees.

– Battle Royal for the #1 contendership to the Ring Ka King championship:

1. Sir Brutus Magnus

2. B Maxx (Indian wrestler)

3. Barood (Indian wrestler)

4. Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch)

5. Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore

6. Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler)

7. Isaiah Outlaw (?)

8. American Adonis (Chris Mordetzky/Masters)

9. Chhotu aur Zoravar

10. Mahabali Veera

11. Scott Steiner

12. Aaghori Saaya

Chhotu aur Zoravar is a team that consists of one short and one really tall Indian guy, Chhotu being the short one and Zoravar the tall one. Zoravar is a 7-foot plus guy and was jumped on by everyone in the battle royal. Looks like they found their own version of The Great Khali.

Aaghori Saaya had an almost Samoa Joe like character and was in control of the match fighting with Steiner. Magnus attacked Adonis as soon as he entered, but they both teamed up against Aaghori when he eliminated Steiner. In the end, Aaghori managed to eliminate Adonis, but was beaten to the punch by Magnus who became the #1 contender to Morgan’s title.

– Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh came out to promote the #1 contendership match. He needed at least 15 retakes.

– Mickie James (w/Bollywood Boyz) defeated Raisha Saeed (w/The Snakes) with the Mickie DDT. The Snakes tried to interfere in the match but were fended off by Bollywood Boyz.

– Jeremy comes out with a female Indian presenter. He says that there is an American businessman Jeff Jarrett who wants to buy Ring Ka King. He will be here tonight to try and buy the company. The female presenter translates what he said to the audience.

– Pagal Parinda (in the guise of an Indian wrestler but who seemed to be Alex Shelley, I might be wrong) defeated Zema Ion. Pagal Parinda had a bird gimmick and came out with wings. Sonjay Dutt enters the ring after the match and cuts a promo in Hindi, asking him who he thinks he is. The crowd cheers for him at first, so Sonjay Dutt said in Hindi that you’re all the crazy ones, not this guy. Parinda doesn’t reply to the Hindi promo which further leads me to believe that it was Shelley. He pulls some punches on Dutt till he falls out of the ring, then hits a diving crossbody over the ropes and re-enters the ring to end the segment.

– Jeremy Borash and the female presenter remind us of the arrival of Jeff Jarrett and say he is the same man who brought Steiner and Abyss into Ring Ka King.

– Scott Steiner and Abyss defeated Barood and Romeo Rapta (both Indian wrestlers). The match was really a squash match but what followed was one of the most amazing sights on a wrestling show you could ever wish to see. Following the win, Steiner motioned to punch one of the people in the crowd. He then climbed over the barrier and into the crowd. The crowd scattered in opposite directions away from him as if he were a raging bull! He then proceeded to climb to the second tier like f***ing King Kong and those people tried to run away from him too! Great stuff by Steiner! I hope they got it on camera because it is to be seen to be believed!

– We then had the contract signing segment where Jeff Jarrett would try to buy Ring Ka King from the Commissioner, Jazzy Lahoria. A red carpet and a table was set up in the ring. An Indian presenter introduced Jarrett as the founder of TNA Wrestling and he made his entrance through AJ Styles’ style pyro, followed by Steiner, Magnus, Abyss and Dutt. The Commissioner Jazzy Lahoria was then introduced. Jarrett said that he was impressed that they were able to do what they have done. He said he was the founder of TNA Wrestling, his family was in the business for 70-plus years and that he would be able to take Ring

ka King to another level. After some deliberation, Jazzy said that for th sake of the fans, he would not sell Ring Ka King to Jarrett. Sonjay Dutt then tried to convince him in Hindi to sign the contract. Steiner catches him by the collar and is threatened by Dutt. Just as it seems that he was going to sign the contract, he tore it up. Jeff Jarrett is livid and takes off his suit and throws it to the ground and was almost about to hit Jazzy. He then slowly cools down, wears his suit back on and offers Jazzy a handshake. Jazzy thinks about it and shakes his hand. Jarrett hugs Jazzy, then turns around and punches him down. The entire bunch gang up on him. Steiner hit him with his own walking stick and Abyss takes it and chokes him with it. Harbhajan Singh then enters the ring with an Indian police officer character guy who must’ve been about 6’5″-6’6″. This causes Jarrett and co. to quietly leave the ring. Harbhajan and the police officer check on Jazzy who he is helped up by the two and gets a standing ovation from the crowd.

– Bollywood Boyz defeated Broadway (Little Guido/Nunzio) and Hollywood (Joey Ryan) with a double superkick on Broadway.

– Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch) defeated Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler) after a splash off the top rope. Roscoe shook Romeo’s hand and raised it after the match.

– Sir Brutus Magnus vs Matt Morgan for the Ring Ka King championship. During the intoductions by JB (which was interestingly enough done in kilos instead of pounds), Jarrett appeared in the crowd claiming to have a ticket. Soon after the match began, he appeared in front of the announce table and clapped, distracting Morgan enough for Magnus to capitalize. The action went to the outside with Magnus hitting Morgan’s head against the barrier. The action returned to the ring as Magnus stayed in control through the majority of the match. It then came to a sleeper hold by Magnus, only for Morgan gets his hand up before 3 and come back into the match. Morgan went for the chokeslam, but it was avoided by Magnus only to get clotheslined. Morgan gets the chokeslam this time. Some Indian guy I didn’t recognise distracted Morgan. The Indian police character then returned and hit Morgan with a baton while the ref was distracted. Magnus then hit the Mag Driver on Morgan and gets the 3 count. Magnus becomes the new Ring Ka King Champion. Jarrett then enters the ring and puts the championship on Magnus’ shoulders. The police character guy celebrates with them to suggest that he was bought off by Jarrett, and Dutt, Steiner and Abyss join in the celebration. Some Indian wrestlers try to enter the ring but are attacked by the bunch and thrown out. Harbhajan Singh’s music hits and he comes out with a cricket bat in hand leading to Jarrett and co. leaving the ring. Harbhajan says in Hindi that it was a mistake to give him a second chance, and that soon he would take his wicket. Magnus celebrates with the championship on the ramp as they leave.

Additional notes:

– The show is being promoted as “Ring Ka King: Wrestling Ka Mahayuddh”, which translates to “King Of The Ring:Wrestling’s Megabattle” in Hindi. The show name in all likelihood was chosen by Endemol and Colors and not TNA.

– This was the first set of tapings for the show and was shot over four days. The next set of tapings will be in January.

– The show was held at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, which is a city near Mumbai.

– The arena probably had about 1,500 people in, and they might have turned off about a 1,000 more. And that was with zero promotion or advertising.

– In terms of the size of the arena, it was similar to the Impact Zone, but the floor area was filled to capacity till they hardly had any space to move around.

– While in conversation with a lady who had come to watch the show, I found out that like most TV shows in India with an on-screen audience, there were a lot of people who were sent by the organizers to watch the show and fill the seats. I’m convinced that with the turnout that they got even without any promoting or advertising in the city, they wouln’t have needed to do that had they done some promoting in the city they were taping it in at least.

– Joe Baath is one of the two announcers of the show. Joe Baath has been the presenter for a bunch of TNA Wrestling recap shows in India for the past 5 years. The announcing will be in Hindi.

– A lot of the Indian wrestlers were also used on the previous wrestling show on Colors, “100% De Dhana Dhan”, which involved the South African wrestling promotion WWP.

– The show will air every Saturday and Sunday night on Colors in India, which is available in the US and UK as “Aapka Colors”. Colors is one of the top three networks in India in terms of ratings.

– It may be possible that Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother involving Indian celebrities, will be the lead-in to Ring Ka King.

– The celebrity involvement in the show is by Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Cricket is the most popular sport in India and Harbhajan Singh is among one of the well-known faces of the national team.

– The production values of the show were excellent and may match or even exceed the quality of production in the Impact Zone. There was a truckload of lighting on the ceiling of the arena and was definitely much better lit than the Impact Zone. Though the Impact Zone may win in the pyrotechnics department.

– I managed to catch a glimpse of what the arena might look like on TV by the direct feed on one of the TVs in the “Creative TNA” room. It looks spectacular and will look good on TV too.

– I was not allowed to take photos, but I managed to sneak out my camera and take a few snaps from the horrible view that I got behind the announcer’s table.

– Overall this was a great experience, it being my first time at a wrestling event. All the wrestlers and celebrities involved got a great reaction from the crowds, unlike the usually dead Impact Zone. I’m sure TNA would be pleased with the way the tapings turned out. I was lucky to find a few wrestlers on the hallway outside and I quickly searched through my bag for a piece of paper, though all I could find was a bank receipt. Oh well. I managed to get a couple of autographs – one from Matt Morgan, who was nice enough to give me an autograph after frantically trying to get to the bathroom before asking one of the crew members “Can you tell me where is the shower?” The other was from Luke Gallows, though he did not seem very pleased by my asking him for an autograph. I was dumbfounded and speechless when I saw these guys in front of me, because I’ve only ever watched these guys on TV. Also it made me realise how big these guys are. Matt Morgan was f***ing huge!

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