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Update On Kurt Angle Training For The 2012 Olympics

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TNA star Kurt Angle is saying on Twitter that he is currently training for the Olympics, presumably the 2012 games from London.

Check Out: Pictures ofAngle’s 25-Year-Old Fiance GIOVANNA YANNOTTI

Angle is of course a former Olympic gold medalist, capturing amateur wrestling’s top prize in the 1996 games from Atlanta. Here’s what Angle wrote on Sunday @AngleFoods1:

“much negativity goin round @ Olympic comeback.I truly am getting ready.Don’t compare it to my Ufc- mma attempts,We couldn’t agree on “terms”

“Terms that were about $ and starting dates.Olympics will be on My “terms”. Nobody elses’.It’s not for Publicity or I would tweet it everyday”

“To the naysayers, believe what U want. But “I” am in control of this. Nobody else. My nephew and I started training for it.”

“As long as I stay injury free,I am going for it.Tna’s backing Me.It won’t be easy. Probably harder than Mma. But at least its under my terms”

UPDATE: Kurt Angle later followed up with more details regarding his goal to compete at the 2012 Olympics, saying that TNA is supporting his training:

“Also thanks to Tna for allowing Me to go for Olympics. Impact Wrestling is the the Best. Believe it or not!!!!”

“I have a long road. I’m Humble but Confident. This is all about Proving at 43, I can still show I am a world Class competitor.”

Velvet Sky Launches Twitter Account, Raising Money For Helms

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TNA Knockout Velvet Sky is putting together a charity campaign for Gregory Shane Helms after the former WWE Superstar and his girlfriend Karen were involved in a serious motorcycle accident Thursday night. Helms remains hospitalized after suffering a broken leg and ankle, as well as other injuries. He is therefore unable to wrestle, which was his only source of income.

According to her official website, Talia-Madison.net, she is accepting donations on Helms’ behalf to help pay for his outstanding medical and surgery bills, as well as everyday expenses. She asks that people donate what they can via PayPal to [email protected].

Velvet Sky, who said she would never go on Twitter because she thought it was ‘stupid’, launched an account today via twitter.com/VelVelHoller to help spread the word on her charity campaign. This account has been confirmed by her official website as well as former tag team partner April Hunter.

She wrote, “I know I said I would never get on Twitter but I want to use it in a positive way to help spread the word about donations for Helms.”

It’s been speculated that Helms has been unable to gain employment with TNA Wrestling following his release from WWE last year because Velvet Sky vowed she would quit the promotion if he was brought in. The two were involved in a relationship for several years, and their break-up in 2009 was said to have been tumultuous.

Pictures Of CHYNA’s Debut For TNA Wrestling

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If you haven’t heard by now – former WWE Diva Chyna will make her debut for TNA Wrestling on Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! Chyna will be revealed as Kurt Angle’s mistress in his feud with Jeff and Karen Jarrett.

We do apologize for the spoiler .. Our rational here is that the benefits outweigh the negatives – more people will watch iMPACT! this Thursday to see Chyna than the amount of people who will be upset by the spoiler. Anywhoo..

Check out these images of Chyna’s TNA debut:

Pictures: Shane Helms After His Motorcycle Accident

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As we reported on Friday, former WWE star Shane Helms and his girlfriend Karen were involved in a motorcycle accident near their home in North Carolina. Various online reports stated that Helms suffered a broken leg, ankle and nose – and received over 200 stitches.

Helms posted the following pictures on Twitter of himself and his girlfriend Karen from the hospital.

Despite their serious injuries, Helms seems to be in good spirits .. One of the images, he included the caption, “Me vs. Manny Pacquiao” –

Hogan Responds To Criticism, Anderson Takes Shot At WWE

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— Hulk Hogan refuted criticism that he “never jobs.” He wrote last Friday on Twitter in response to a fan alleging he would not agree to job to wrestlers below his level of stardom: “You mean like Billy Kidman, who beat me 3 weeks in a row. HH.”

When asked about not jobbing to Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2005, he responded: “Vince is the only man that makes those decisions, that came from him. hbk didn’t want to job, not me. Bye, over it. HH.”

— Mr. Anderson took a shot at WWE while cutting a pre-match promo at yesterday’s TNA live event in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

As Anderson yelled “Mr.,” an audience member yelled, “Kennedy!” He stopped and said, “No, he died in a horrible train wreck — a train wreck that can be seen on USA every Monday night!”

Anderson beat Jeff Jarrett via pinfall in the main event.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

JR Blog: Hogan Back In WWE, Helms’ Accident, Christian

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. JR talked about a number of topics, including his recent visit to the Legends of the Ring fan convention in New Jersey.

Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

Hulk Hogan Back In WWE: “Do I think that Hulk Hogan will ever return to WWE? This is a classic, never say never answer IMO….BROTHER! Crazier things have happened BROTHER and one could theoretically see some sort of PR role for Hulk down the road. Who knows? Not something that I dwell on to be honest with you BROTHER.”

Randy Orton Defeating Christian: “Christian and Randy Orton had a great, TV match on Smackdown but I don’t buy into the ‘tragedy’ that some fans flooded us with here on our site due to Christian losing the World Title. It isn’t as if the loss ended Christian’s career and who’s to say that ‘Captain Charisma’ won’t regain the title at a later date? Those that truly understand the nature of the genre have a different mindset than those who are knee jerking themselves silly.”

Shane Helms’ Motorcycle Accident: “How’s Hurricane Helms after his near tragic motorcycle accident? Helms and his girl friend were severely injured in a motor cycle accident last week and seemingly just dodged a fatal bullet. My late father would never let me own a motorcycle and I assume situations like this are the reasons why. I wish Gregory Helms and his lady friend only the best in healing and regaining their health. They are both lucky from what I hear to still be with us.”

Hogan Advertised For WWE Event, Orton Lands WWE Mag Cover

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— An Austrian radio station advertised tickets going on sale for a SmackDown live event taking place in November in Vienna. The hosts interviewed Carsten Schaefer, the longtime announcer for WWE telecasts in Germany. The hosts mostly discussed Hulk Hogan, who Schaefer praised. Then it was announced that Hulk Hogan would be appearing on the show—which is not true.

— Randy Orton is featured on the cover of the June 2011 issue of WWE Magazine, which includes an interview with “The Viper.” Also featured is Edge’s “Final Interview.”

— WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes was unable to make his scheduled appearance at yesterday’s “Legends of the Ring 12” pro wrestling fanfest event due to a death in his family.

— TNA Wrestling co-founder Jerry Jarrett now hosts a radio show on The Zone 104.5F FM in Nashville, Tennessee. It airs every Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Former TNA Stars Appearing In Music Video, Party With Divas

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— Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan announced via Twitter that Raven, Melissa Anderson (a/k/a Alissa Flash) and Shelly Martinez (a/k/a Salinas) will appear in the band’s upcoming music video.

— The DivaMania tour is advertised for a stop in Baltimore, Maryland next Saturday with former WWE Divas Maria Kanellis and Taryn Terrell. The ex-Playboy models are scheduled for an autograph signing at 8:30 p.m. at Mist Baltimore and a party afterwards. The venue is located at 124 Market Place, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

— Former NWA World Tag Team Champion Don Kernodle, 61, underwent successful quadruple heart bypass surgery on Tuesday. He is now in the ICU and expected to be released this week.

— New Jack is accepting bookings through Bill Behrens at [email protected].

VIDEO: Randy Orton Wins The World Heavyweight Championship

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If you didn’t see Friday’s episode of SmackDown, watch this video of Randy Orton defeating Christian to capture the World Heavyweight championship, ending Christian’s 5-day reign

WWE’s YouTube channel also posted this post-match video of Christian:

Hulk Hogan’s In-Ring Return, Helms Update, iMPACT! Rating

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– To update the news of Hulk Hogan getting back in shape and planning to return to the ring, it’s being reported by the Wrestling Observer that doctors have advised Hogan against this. That said, Hogan is still determined to wrestle again.

Check Out: Update On Hulk Hogan Expecting To Return To The Ring

– This past Thursday’s episode of TNA iMPACT scored a 1.15 cable rating, up from last week’s 1.10. The show averaged 1,567,000 viewers fro the two hour broadcast. The first hour did a 1.06 rating while the second hour did a 1.23. The 1.06 first-hour rating is the lowest first-hour rating of 2011.

Reader Stan sent word that iMPACT had just 23 minutes and 29 seconds of in-ring action, down from last week’s 31 minutes and 43 seconds.

– Matt Hardy has posted the following video on Youtube, providing an update on Shane Helms’ Friday motorcycle accident:

The Miz To Stay A Main Eventer, WWE Wants More Rock & More

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– For those of us still upset that WWE decided to take the WWE Championship off The Miz just 5 months into his first reign – we’ve got some good news about his standing in the company.

Unlike other young WWE stars who were given a top title and then had it taken away quickly (Sheamus, Jack Swagger), John Cena winning the WWE championship is not a sign that they’ve lost faith in The Miz as a main eventer. The company is very pleased with how he carried himself as champion.

In fact, WWE recently informed a number of their business partners that The Miz will remain one of the company’s top superstars in the coming year … and THAT … is awwweeesommme.

Related News: What Did You Think About The Miz’s Title Reign?

– Following the blockbuster success of WrestleMania 27, WWE is looking for The Rock to make more television appearances in the coming months. WWE is looking to have The Rock appear at SummerSlam (possibly as a guest referee in John Cena’s match) – because they’ve seen how much of an impact that The Rock’s involvement has on TV ratings and PPV buyrates.

– THQ announced during their conference call last week that the most recent SmackDown vs. RAW and the new WWE All Stars video games shipped over 4 million units total. By comparison, THQ’s most recent UFC Undisputed game shipped 3 million units.

THQ posted a $44.1 million loss in the fourth quarter of their fiscal year and a total loss of $136.1 million for the whole fiscal year.

– WWE is currently scouting talent in the UK – with an emphasis on big, muscular guys. (Shocker)

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Khali Scheduled To Turn Heel, Steamboat Appears At Live Event

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— The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh encountered Jinder Mahal last night in a backstage segment on SmackDown, with the newcomer once again saying that things will be a lot better due to him. Khali walked off and Singh said while it’s nice to see Mahal, Khali is his brother and he’s got his career on track. Mahal mentioned Khali wearing a tutu on Monday’s episode of Raw. Singh tried to defend Khali on the matter, but Mahal interrupted and said he wasn’t condemning him, just making a comment. He then patted Singh on the back and walked off.

The angle is scheduled to result in Khali turning heel since many people within WWE feel he’s become too soft as a babyface and no longer portrays a monster type character. This will result in Khali and Mahal working together as a heel tag team with Mahal carrying most of the work.

— WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat hosted last night’s Raw live event in Dothan, Alabama, but was interrupted by Alberto Del Rio upon his arrival. Del Rio attacked Steamboat, who was saved by Rey Mysterio. CM Punk then arrived on the scene, but was fended off by Kofi Kingston. Mysterio and Kingston beat Del Rio and Punk in a match later in the show.

WWE developmental wrestler Percy Watson also worked the show, beating Zack Ryder in a singles match.

sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Pro Wrestling Torch

Main Event For Over the Limit PPV, Justin Gabriel Speaks Out

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— The official website of the Key Arena is advertising an I Quit Match between WWE Champion John Cena and The Miz for Over the Limit. The pay-per-view event takes place May 22, 2011 in Seattle, Washington.

Other WWE Superstars advertised for the event include Randy Orton, Christian, John Morrison, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, “The All-American American” Jack Swagger, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston and “Highflying” Rey Mysterio.

— Promoting an upcoming SmackDown taping in Philadelphia, WWE Superstar Justin Gabriel discusses his past with the Soscia Network. The audio interview is available here.

— Today would have marked as Owen Hart’s 46th birthday. He died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri at the Over the Edge pay-per-view event.

Chris Harris Returns To TNA, Update On Flair’s Shoulder Injury

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— Seven-time NWA World Tag Team Champion Chris Harris returned to TNA Wrestling at last night’s live event in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Hardy introduced Harris as his surprise tag team partner prior to his match with Beer Money, Inc. It concluded with the former Braden Walker being pinned.

— Ric Flair’s reported shoulder and injury rotator cuff tear is at the top of the shoulder. The front and back are fine and he is able to lift light weights without much pain.

The wrestling legend wasn’t hurt following an unforgiving Lethal Lockdown Match last month at TNA Lockdown. Also note, he is putting surgery off because he doesn’t want to undergo six months of rehabilitation.

– This week’s episode of TNA iMPACT! featured 23 minutes and 29 seconds of in-ring action, down from 31 minutes and 43 seconds the week before.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Sheffield Says He’s Returning Soon, Top Stars Scouting Talent

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— Raw Superstar Skip Sheffield, who hasn’t appeared on television since breaking his leg and ankle on August 18, 2010 at a WWE live event in Honolulu, Hawaii, issued his first public comments since suffering the injury yesterday on Twitter.

“First and last update here since so many of you have been kind to ask. Things have been extremely complicated with the injury and it was much more than just a broken ankle and leg,” he wrote.

“It has been the most positive experience of my life and I promise you I will return very soon bigger and badder than anything you have ever seen. Nobody is going to stop me from achieving what I have set out to do.”

— The Undertaker, Triple H, Sean Waltman and members of WWE’s creative team were at Florida Championship Wrestling’s Tampa based facility on May 4 scouting talent.

— This week’s episode of WWE Superstars featured 19 minutes and 46 seconds of in-ring action, down from 26 minutes and 3 seconds the week before.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Orton Wins His 8th Title, Kharma Rough With The Divas

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– In case you missed Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Randy Orton defeated Christian to capture the World Heavyweight championship. This begins the 8th championship reign for Orton and ends Christian’s 5-day championship reign.

– Ezekiel Jackson appears to be gone from The Corre after getting attacked by other members on SmackDown. Wade Barrett wrote the following on Twitter after the show aired:

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Zeke. Zeke got too big for his boots. I hope he has learned a valuable lesson.”– As noted before, Alicia Fox suffered a shoulder injury after being clotheslined by Kharma on this week’s WWE SmackDown. There are already people backstage making comments about how rough Kharma is with the Divas.

– As we reported earlier this week, Alicia Fox suffered a shoulder injury after being clotheslined by Kharma at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings. Kharma is already getting a reputation for being very rough with the WWE divas.

– Speaking of Kharma, she made her first appearance at a live WWE event last night at the SmackDown live event from Dothan, Alabama. Kharma continued her streak of attacking the WWE divas, this time beating the crap out of Eve Torres after she lost to Divas Champion Brie Bella.

Update On The Undertaker’s Career Winding Down

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After 20+ years as one of the top acts in pro wrestling, the end is near for the career of the legendary Undertaker.

The general feeling behind the scenes in WWE is that The Undertaker is effectively retired. After years of working a reduced schedule and working through lingering injuries, the Dead Man’s days as a regular in-ring competitor are over.

WWE officials are hopeful that The Undertaker has one more match in him, but he is said to be in much worse physical shape than previously thought. The idea has been pitched for The Undertaker to wrestle one more match at next year’s WrestleMania 28 and for him to retire after that match with his streak in tact at 20-0.

The recent retirement of the Undertaker’s wife Michelle McCool is a strong indication that the two of them are moving on from their roles as active competitors to start a family and begin the next chapters of their lives. Both The Undertaker and Michelle McCool have office jobs waiting for them if they are interested.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Chris Jericho Talks About Returning To WWE

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In an interview with IGN.com, wrestling superstar / heavy metal rocker / reality TV dancer / all-around sexy beast Chris Jericho spoke about when he’ll be stepping back into the ring. Jericho, who said he would return to WWE once he was done with DWTS, had this to say about returning:

“I don’t want to go back and do the same thing. And do the same character I was doing last time. You constantly have to reinvent yourself. It’s kind of a strange analogy but I think you’ll pick it up when I say it – I always consider myself to be the Madonna of wrestling. And what I mean by that is ‘constantly re-inventing yourself.”

“Every album Madonna does, she morphs into new styles of music and new looks. And when you work for the WWE, you work 52 weeks out of the year and on TV every week. You can’t look the same or act the same every week. It gets boring.”

“And I think that’s why I’ve had such longevity as a performer and was always the guy to watch because people wanted to see what I did next. I even did that on Dancing with the Stars. And you have to do that or else you become predictable. And that’s the worst thing you can become when you’re in show business.”

What do you think about Chris Jericho returning to WWE? COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think..

VIDEO Highlights From Thursday’s Episode Of TNA iMPACT!

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TNA’s official YouTube channel has posted the following video highlights from Thursday’s episode of iMPACT!:

A Message For Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff

The Jarretts Call Out Velvet Sky

Who Is Kurt Angle Bringing To Get Revenge On Karen?

Tommy Dreamer Attacks AJ Styles

Sting and Rob Van Dam Prepare For Sacrifice

Sangriento vs. Suicide

Crimson Has A Message For Samoa Joe

Reaction To Tommy Dreamer’s Actions On iMPACT

Mickie James Defends The Knockouts Championship

Fortune Takes The War To Immortal

Mexican America Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

Who Is Kurt Angle Bringing To Get Revenge On Karen?

Shane Helms & Girlfriend Involved In Serious Motorcycle Accident

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Former WWE star Shane Helms and his girlfriend were in a motorcycle accident near their home in North Carolina on Thursday night. Matt Hardy, a close friend of Shane Helms, tweeted the following on Friday:

“Last night, Shane and his girlfriend Karen were in a very serious motorcycle accident. They were both seriously injured, but they’re both warriors”

Big Daddy Donnie of Tha O Show reports that Helms and his girlfriend had to be airlifted to a hospital and in addition to Helms suffering a broken leg and broken ankle, his nose is also broken, and his jaw may have been dislocated. Helms has received over 200 stitches. Donnie also reports that his girlfriend Karen broke her neck.

Our thoughts, prayers and hopes for a quick recovery go out to Helms and his girlfriend.

*Spoiler* Jeff Jarrett Gives More Info On TNA’s Name Change

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SPOILER Alert: The following article contains a spoiler for next week’s iMPACT!:

At Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings from Orlando (set to air next Thursday, (5/2), Mick Foley was revealed to be the person from “the network” that has been keeping Hulk Hogan in line.

Foley came out and interrupted a promo by Immortal, informing them that TNA iMPACT! will now be known as “Impact Wrestling” – and the show will be “all about wrestling” – a clear jab at WWE, which has been distancing itself from everything “wrestling” in recent months. Later in the show, they actually re-shot the entire segment, with Mick Foley saying that the show is no longer “TNA” – but “Impact Wrestling”.

This led to some confusion as to whether it was the company name that was changing – or just the name of the television show.

In response to the confusion – Hulk Hogan tweeted the following on Wednesday, which appeared to indicate that the “TNA” name is no more:

“No TNA. only IMPACT. HH”

On Friday, TNA star Jeff Jarrett responded to fans asking him about whether it was TNA’s company name that was changing to “Impact Wresling” – or just the iMPACT! television show. Jarrett responded:

“Impact…it’s now Impact Wrestling.”

Based on what we’ve been hearing in recent weeks, there has been serious talk of rebranding the entire company “Impact Wrestling” and phasing out the “TNA” letters in the coming months. However at this point, after a week of conflicting and confusing information, it apears just the television show is being renamed.

* VIDEO of the MAJOR *SPOILER* for Next Week’s iMPACT! (Big Star Debuts)

WWE Working On New TV Projects, HOF’ers Hosting Live Events

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— Vince McMahon noted during yesterday’s quarterly conference call that WWE will be introducing “new live event programs” in the “not too distant future” with their current television partners. He added it “won’t be too difficult” to find a home for their expanded programming line-up.

Regarding WWE Superstars and WWE NXT, management noted in two separate instances during the conference call they’re evaluating the future of where to air those shows.

— WWE Hall of Famer “Bullet” Bob Armstrong is advertised to host tomorrow night’s SmackDown live event at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will host Sunday’s Raw live event at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, South Carolina.

— The pre-sale password for the July 26 SmackDown taping in Philadelphia is SDPHIL. It is ongoing at Evenue.net.

source: PWInsider.com

Miz & Maryse Appear On TMZ, Vows To Shave Reporter’s Head

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The Miz and Maryse, his girlfriend, were featured on Thursday’s episode of TMZ on TV. The former WWE Champion played up his heel character as he responded to a segment on a show last week where a reporter took a swipe at him.

The couple was spotted in Los Angeles, where Miz responded to TMZ’s reporter, Charles, saying one WWE star — The Miz — had to die in a scripted movie hunting down Osama bin Laden—this was days before bin Laden was actually killed.

“Really? Am I the Spencer Pratt of WWE, Charles? I’m going to shave Charles’s head next time I see him,” Miz said while Maryse tried not to laught. “His dreadlocks are going away. If I’m the Spencer Pratt of WWE — the one person that has to die if I go overseas — let me tell you, I’m shaving Charles’s head.”

Charles replied from TMZ headquarters that he was writing a script for a movie. “He should be lucky he even got a role in the movie,” Charles said.

The segment can be seen here at the 3:00 minute mark.

WWE SmackDown Preview For Tonight (No Spoilers)

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Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy will feature fallout from Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, including the first title defense by new World Heavyweight champion Christian. Here’s a preview of what’s confirmed for tonight’s show:

* Christian celebrates his World Heavyweight title victory and defends the title against an opponent to be chosen by the live audience

* Sin Cara takes on Tyson Kidd

* Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan.

* WWE Tag Champion Big Show vs. Ezekiel Jackson

* Layla b. Alicia Fox.

If you haven’t heard by now, there’s some crazy stuff that goes down on tonight’s show. You can check out complete *SPOILER* results for tonight’s SmackDown by clicking here.

Kelly Comments On Making Maxim’s Hot 100 List & Kharma

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It was announced earlier this week that Kelly Kelly made Maxim‘s Hot 100 list, which is known as “the definitive list of the world’s most beautiful women.” Kelly is ecstatic over making the prestigious list as it is a dream come true.

“This has always been a dream of mine,” Kelly Kelly told WWE.com. “It’s something I wanted to strive to be on. When I got the announcement that I was going to be on it, I thought that this is such an honor and such a dream come true.”

The first person Kelly Kelly shared the big news with is with her mother.

“She was so happy. She knew it was something I always strived to be on, that it was a list I always wanted to be a part of. So she was always behind me 100 percent,” she said.

In her Maxim Hot 100 debut, Kelly Kelly ranked at No. 82. She’s hoping to continue her reign on the list for years to come, just as former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler has. Keibler is the only other WWE talent to ever make the list, and has been on it every year since 2006.

“Just to be on the Hot 100 with Stacy is exciting. She’s somebody I’ve always admired and I’ve always looked up to,” she said.

Kelly Kelly indicated she isn’t too worried about jealousy or backlash from the other Divas, except maybe for Kharma, who’s been attacking Divas since her debut on Sunday at Extreme Rules.

“It’ll probably give her even more ammo to come after me,” Kelly Kelly said.

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