The following is scheduled for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown:
– Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger.
– Layla w/Michelle McCool & Kaval vs. Tiffany w/Kelly Kelly.
– Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler.
– Big Show vs. CM Punk.
Plus, more on the Undertaker’s condition and appearances by Teddy Long, Kane, Drew McIntyre and more.
Credit to reader Shannon Sylvia and Wrestling News World for this live report from Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown! tapings from the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Florida:
WWE SmackDown (Airing Friday)
* SmackDown opens with a recap of The Undertaker being found in a vegetative state where Kane vows there will be vengeance. Rey Mysterio is then shown winning last week’s Battle Royal match for Undertaker’s vacant spot at WWE’s upcoming Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view.
* Big Show will take on CM Punk while Jack Swagger will take on Rey Mysterio. Fatal 4-Way participants compete with Mysterio and Swagger kicking off this week’s edition of SmackDown.
* Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger
Rey comes out and talks about last week’s show where he won the SmackDown battle royal and says it’ll be his World Title. He’s cut off by Jack Swagger’s music. Swagger comes out and tells Rey to capitalize on the misfortune of The Undertaker. He then mocks Mysterio where he says he was winning in. Lots of 619 chants. Rey thinks all that education went to a waste and says he’s proud of his heritage. CM Punks comes out with SES and says “Malcom X got JFK in 1963” and this time he fell victim to the Season One NXT rookies. Punk then talks about how he’ll be a four time straightedge World Heavyweight Champion.
Rey Mysterio tells CM Punk that he is daring to take his mask off after Punk had his head shaved. Big Show comes out and says he will take care of business where he’ll beat three competitors and walk out the World Champion. Big Show then mocks Punk by saying he looks good bald. He can’t help but wonder if Kane’s responsible for Undertaker’s demise. When Kane finds out who did it someone will end up in Taker’s casket. Kane says it could be four people that did it and promises their will be vengeance.
Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger finally begins with a few back and forth moves. Swagger holds Rey to the ground until Rey rolls out of it and hits a move that sends Jack flying from the ring. Swagger smashes Mysterio into the turnbuckle. Rey hits a 619 and a frog-splash for a two-count. Rey is shocked. The two go at each other with Rey hitting a few moves until he tosses Jack back into the ring. Rey gets thrown out of the ring as Swagger stands tall until; he goes out of the ring and beats him up. Swagger goes for a submission move but Rey fights back until Swagger hits a clothesline for a nearfall. Swagger tries for a suplex off of the turnbuckle for a nearfall but ultimately gets heat from the fans. Rey makes a comeback and gets the win after reversing the gutwrench powerbomb into a 619.
After the match Swagger attacks Rey until Kane comes out and takes both of them out.
* Layla w/Michelle McCool & Kaval b. Tiffany w/Kelly Kelly
Lay-Cool came out and tell the crowd to be quiet and said they are there to get a famous flawless makeover. Michelle McCool starts teaching Kaval a lesson. The match was fairly short with Michelle distracting the referee. Layla got the win after a sloppy neckbreaker.
* Christian b. Dolph Ziggler
Vickie Guerrero comes out and introduces Dolph Ziggler after Christian came out to the ring. The match starts with Vickie watching. Dolph dominates the first part of the match even hitting a stunner on Christian. Christian eventually gains control over the match and gets the win with a rollup pinfall. After the match Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer make a statement. Dolph then puts Christian in a sleeperhold and then he walks out with Vickie.
* Kane is shown looking over the casket with dead roses on top. He says that his soul is empty and he will lead vengeance into hell.
* Drew MacIntyre comes out and demands that Teddy Long comes out. Long comes out and Drew tells him to watch what happened to him last week on Raw. He says that Matt Hardy is suspended from all WWE programming. Drew then gets in Teddy’s face. Kofi Kingston comes out and says he earned the Intercontinental Championship like a man. Kofi and Drew exchange blows until Kofi finally takes him out.
* Teddy Long is then shown on the phone. Drew comes into his office and says next week he’ll be taking him on. If Long loses, he’ll be fired according to Mr. McMahon.
* Big Show b. CM Punk w/SES via DQ
CM Punk and Big Show start out doing their boxing moves. Punk then goes for a kick and climbs until Show dares him to give him a KO punch. Show tries to rip off Punk’s mask followed by some chops. Show goes for the chokeslam and once again tries to remove Punk’s mask. SES and a ‘hooded’ individual come in the ring and take out Big Show. Kane comes out and cleans house. He takes Big Show out with a chokeslam. This ends this week’s edition of SmackDown.
Dark Match Main Event
– Big Show & Rey Mysterio beat Jack Swagger & CM Punk w/SES in a dark steel cage main event match.
Last month, Carlos Colon, father of former WWE superstar Carlito, made headlines when he stated that Carlito had a problem with prescription pain pills and left WWE after refusing to enter rehab.
Read More: Carlito’s Dad Says Carlito Has A Problem With Prescription Pills
Carlos Colon spoke to Peurto Rico newspaper “El Nuevo Dia” this week and gave the following update on Carlito’s situation:
– Carlito did not enter rehab program, but is no longer on pills and is no longer in pain. The time away from WWE has helped his body recover.
– Carlito is back in the gym and training again after taking some time off.
– Carlito lives with his mother in Texas.
– Carlos thinks Carlito should wrestle in Puerto Rico for a while before going back to the demanding WWE schedule.
– Carlito asked for time off from WWE on several occasions, but WWE rejected his requests.
TNA founder Jeff Jarrett was interviewed this week by Fanhouse.com to promote Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what Jarrett said about:
His Role in TNA: “I have zero to do with that (creative). It’s a breath of fresh air for myself because it’s a consuming job. At times, it completely consumes your life where it’s almost like you can’t see the forest through the trees. It not only takes up a lot of time but it takes up, I guess you could say, a lot of mental space.”
Being Engaged to Karen Angle & His relationship with Kurt Angle: “Me and Kurt are good and that’s a private matter and I’ll definitely leave it at that. I don’t discuss things like that. But it’s a very good, thriving relationship.”
The Possibility of iMPACT! Ever Returning To Mondays: “This sounds real clichéish but if the time was right, absolutely we would. But you know what, the timing, and I’m not talking about just internally on TV, I’m talking externally with Spike and different things with momentum going and different marketing plans and different dollars being invested and how we’re going to advertise as well as in the show with storylines to have it all make sense. Let’s just say the stars would certainly have to align but if they did align without a doubt.”
– WWE Champion John Cena has posted his first message on Twitter since the brutal beatdown he suffered at the hands of the NXT rookies at the end of RAW. Cena wrote:
“CeNation. Sorry for delay. Checked out fine. Mild concussion and some back and hip trouble, but I am in 1 piece. Thank u for your concern.”
Read More: John Cena & Wade Barrett To Feud
– The fan voting at Monday’s Viewer’s Choice RAW was legitimate. While the writing of Monday’s show did push fans to vote for particular people, they had plans in place for each scenario in the fan voting didn’t go as the company hoped for.
– WWE’s website had 12.4 million unique visitors for the month of April. The WWE Shop website averaged 633 orders per day and shipped 277,000 DVDs for the month, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
-There is a new movement in WWE’s overall booking philosophy to feature more realistic programming and to push younger, smaller stars. The NXT invasion on RAW and the recent storyline with Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Cole are examples of angles that are “out of the norm” for WWE.
WWE also knows that stars like The Undertaker, Triple H, Edge, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Big Show won’t be around forever. Some of today’s top young talents (The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Daniel Bryan, Kaval) are smaller than the current breed of main eventers and the company realizes that the smaller guys need to be portrayed well. Evan Bourne in particular is in line for a big push and has the endorsement of John Cena, but it remains to be seen how committed WWE is to the push.
– As we reported earlier this week, the reaction backstage after the NXT invasion on RAW was very positive. The angle was kept a secret from almost everyone in the company and wasn’t even listed on the show’s script.
Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
– The creative team in TNA has been told to make sure Hulk Hogan appears on every episode of Impact, even if its just for a moment. Others in the company feel that Hogan should be used more sparingly, so his appearances have more of an impact.
– Ric Flair’s TNA contract was for 52 dates over a one-year period. Since he has appeared on virtually all of TNA’s television and pay-per-view events, the comany will likely have to sign him to a new contract soon. One bargaining chip for TNA in the negotiations is their ability to bring in Ric Flair’s son, Reid.
– TNA President Dixie Carter posted a comment on Twitter that TNA has a “nice surprise” for fans at Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view. We haven’t heard anything yet about what the surprise may be, but TNA has built a nice track record of delivering on their surprises and “major announcements” – so this could get interesting.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
– According to Dave Meltzer, the creative team in TNA has been told to make sure Hulk Hogan appears on every episode of Impact, even if it is just for a brief moment. There are some thoughts that he should be on television less, so when he does appear, it means more.
– Ric Flair’s TNA contract was for 52 dates over a one-year period. Since he has appeared on all the TV/PPV events, they are likely going to have to sign him to a new contract soon. It’s possible that TNA will bring in Flair’s son Reid so he won’t ask for more money when it comes time to sign a new deal.
The NXT Invasion storyline continued at last night’s WWE developmental show in Florida.
The main event was scheduled to be The Miz and Daniel Bryan vs. Christian and Heath Slater – but that match never happened. The Miz’s music played before the match but nobody came out. Christian came out next and talked about what happened on RAW, then called out Heath Slater. Slater talked about how everything started off fine between them – but then Christian wouldn’t give him the answers so they lost the competition.
Daniel Bryan then ran out and attacked Christian from behind. The Miz came down next and helped Christian fight off the NXT rookies. Miz grabbed a microphone and proposed that they switch partners – and instead have a Pros vs. Rookies match. Miz and Christian worked as babyfaces during the match.
As Miz and Christian were about to hit their finishing moves on the Rookies, the rest of the NXT Season 1 Rookies rushed the ring and beat down Miz and Christian
As we saw on RAW, the Rookies destroyed the ringside area and tore down the FCW ring -Â before Bryan kicked Miz in the head and Slater hit the Killswitch on Christian. The Rookies left with the Pros laid out.
The NXT Invasion angle looks like it’s here to stay. Considering the strong feedback we got here on the site and the overall buzz in the industry this week, WWE has finally gone back to basics with a captivating wrestling angle that might just keep fans tuned in this summer.
Ring of Honor’s upcoming Death Before Dishonor online pay-per-view is just over two weeks away – taking place on Saturday, June 19th from Toronto.
Here’s the current card for the event, including a must-see video hyping the main event.
Death Before Dishonor Card
* ROH Champion Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards
* ROH Tag Team champions The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoe Brothers
* Christopher Daniels vs. Kenny Omega
* Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards preview:
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon showed up at WWE’s television tapings this past week with two black eyes and a cut over one eye that went to his forehead, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Nobody seemed to know what happened. Everyone was talking about it privately, but as you can imagine, nobody wanted to be overheard speculating about how Vince got so banged up.
Vince never addressed the situation publicly and if he did tell anybody what happened – they’re not talking about it.
Our source says it looked like Vince got into a fight or car accident. Most figured he was in an accident, because if it were a fight, it would be hard to keep that quiet.
Reader Gary C from Springfield, MO (SEScoops member “GCMissouri”) sent in this report:
Conservative pundit Ann Coulter wrote in her weekly column that she hoped that Sarah Palin would endorse McMahon’s Republican Primary opponent Bob Simmons because otherwise the Republicans would be “kissing the possibility of a major upset in Connecticut goodbye.”
Coulter described Linda as a “professional wrestling impresario” and expressed disappointment that those who attended the GOP caucus in CT last month endorsed Linda due only to the fact that “offered to spend up to $50 million of her own money on the campaign.” Coulter said that “any half-wit knows” that people in CT would not vote for her.
Coulter outlined in 19 of 20 instances where a candidate said they would spend a great deal of their own money… those candidates did not win. She argued that if McMahon is nominated that Republicans would blow a big opportunity for them to pickup a U.S. Senate seat vs. the Democrat candidate Richard Blumenthal, who was strongly criticized for recently lying about his Vietnam War service last month.
Coulter is an influential conservative writer and commentator that is quite popular among Republican voters at the grassroots level and Tea-Party members, so this cannot be good news for Linda.
The article can be seen at AnnCoulter.com.
Here’s a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of TNA iMPACT! on Spike TV, the final episode before Sunday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view:
* Jeff Hardy, Ken Anderson, Jay Lethal & Abyssvs. AJ Styles & Desmond Wolfe & Beer Money
* Kurt Angle vs. The Amazing Red.
* The Beautiful People’s Velvet Sky & Lacey Von Erich vs. Roxxi & Rosie Lottalove.
Also scheduled to appear are TNA champion Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Matt Morgan, Team 3D, Hernandez and more.
SEScoops reader Ray R. sent in these live tapings results for tonight’s TNA iMPACT!:
A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Desmond Wolfe and Beer Money came out without Ric Flair. Styles said he is now in charge with Flair not there. Styles said they are in an eight-man tag match but there are five of them, so he said Kazarian will sit out . Jay Lethal came out cutting a Flair-like promo saying how Styles will never be the man, Ric Flair is the man, and he said, “right now you’re looking at a wrestling God.” Lethal then introduces his team, himself, Abyss, Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy.
*Roxxi & Rosie Lottalove defeated Velvet Sky & Lacey Von Erich. The heels laid out the babyfaces.
*Matt Morgan is in Eric Bischoff’s office wanting to know who his new tag team partner is. Hulk Hogan cuts a promo, calling Morgan the biggest crybaby in the industry. Hogan said how Morgan backstabs every partner he’s ever had. Morgan came out but Hernandez attacked Morgan, who did a stretcher job. The Band came out and said Morgan was scheduled to wrestle Eric Young, so Young pinned him on the stretcher.
*Jesse Neal called out Brother Ray. Team 3D came out but security held everyone apart. Neal told Ray to say whatever he had to say to his face. Devon kept trying to keep the piece but when Shannon Moore butted in, he wanred Moore this was none of his concern. Bubba went after Neal and security pulled them apart.
*Kurt Angle beat Amazing Red.
*AJ Styles & Desmond Wolfe & Beer Money defeated Jay Lethal & Abyss & Ken Anderson & Jeff Hardy when Styles pinned Lethal. They held up four fingers. Sting attacked RVD and they brawl. Hogan shows up to help RVD and it ends with RVD splashing Sting.
– The Undertaker underwent surgery this past week on his damaged orbital bone. As we reported earlier this week, the Undertaker is expected to be off television until SummerSlam. When he returns, there are plans for a program with World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger – a sign that Swagger’s title is safe for now.
– Attendance figures are in for WWE’s recent European tour are in and the numbers are not good. This tour averaged 6,600 paid fans per show while last year’s tour averaged 8,100 paid fans per show – a decline of 18.5%. Considering the fact that WWE has relied on the strength of its international business when business has been down in the United States, this is something to be concerned about.
– Chris Jericho’s new gig as a game show host for ABC network’s “Downfall” show has been a major topic of discussion backstage in WWE for the past 2 weeks. The company was unable to talk Jericho out of doing the show. Jericho is under contract with WWE until this Fall and his new gig has caused many to fear he’ll get others in the entertainment business that would cause him to take another hiatus from WWE.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
— WGN America will be airing a baseball game on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 7 p.m. (ET), so WWE Superstars is being bumped to 10 p.m. (ET), head-to-head with hour two of TNA iMPACT!. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
— Beth Phoenix, who is currently out with a torn ACL, said on Twitter that she was backstage at last night’s SmackDown taping in Tampa, Florida. She wrote: “In attendance at Smackdown taping in Tampa for a great opportunity that I’m so thrilled about! Its an emotional visit.So hard to not work”
— Kofi Kingston and MVP will be appearing at the Toys “R” Us located in New York City on Saturday, June 19th at 1:30 p.m. The first 400 customers to purchase $50 worth of Mattel’s WWE merchandise will receive a ticket to the signing. Fans must purchase said merchandise through the Personal Shopping department on Level 3 of the Times Square store. Kingston and MVP will only be autographing their respective Mattel action figures or a provided WWE trading card.
Monday Night Mayhem radio with Eric Bischoff
Hosts: Big Mosh, Blade, Todd Vincent
Recap by Paterson from New Jersey
Available at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.
Here are some highlights of what Eric Bischoff said about:
His recent cryptic Facebook posts and his current TNA status: “Things are fine; things are no different from the last time we spoke on this show. As far as my page being cryptic, I’ve been on my Facebook page for a long time, and I was suggesting to fans that as much as I like to have an open forum and have people comment and have constant communication, there’s just a couple of things I don’t want to see on my Facebook page.
“I don’t want to see profanity and just stupid crap. One of the problems I have had with the Internet Wrestling Community is brain dead commentary and the same kind of redundant comments and statements over and over again, and when I started on the site, I really wanted to raise the bar and have conversations and even be critical without being abusive. It just got to the point where I didn’t want to spend anymore time editing my page, so I made a statement a couple of times and just got sick of it and said enough was enough and I pulled the wall posting.”
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels leaving TNA and his response to the fact that fans may perceive that he had something to do with Daniels’ departure: “I don’t really have a side. I’m a fan of Chris, and I was excited to meet him when I came to TNA. We talked a few times creatively about some character development for him and things like that, and I think he’s a phenomenal talent. But honestly, I can’t take a side when I’m not really on the inside of any of the discussions and issues as it relates to Chris. All I know is that there are a lot of people in TNA that think highly of him, and that’s all I know. There are a lot of misconceptions on my role in TNA, Hulk Hogan’s roles in TNA, and the day-to-day operations. It’s understandable; we are very high profile and out in front as story lines go, but I’m a really big fan of Chris and probably will be and hope we see him back in TNA in the near future.”
Why he sees Jay Lethal and Brian Kendrick as two of the most promising young talents in TNA right now and potentially as being major players in the industry in the years to come: “It’s so hard to say, and this is going to sound so political and such a kiss-ass answer, but there is a lot of good young talent there, and not only do they have talent, but they have attitude…and when I say attitude, I mean the desire, passion, and focus with an open mind, which I think is critical in this business especially with young talent. Young talent are so influenced (when it comes to learning) that unless they keep a very open mind, they tend to get very pigeon-holed.
“In TNA, there are a lot of guys that fall into that category. Jay Lethal is the obvious one, and I could take up a whole show talking about Jay Lethal. (Brian) Kendrick is another guy. I’ve been watching him for years, and I think he was in the WWE when I was there, and I saw him in TNA, but no one really spent the time with him, and he never had the opportunity, but because he had the drive to approach me and say ‘Hey, this is what I’m thinking, and this what I feel,’ and as I’m listening to him, I’m thinking there is something there. There’s a lot of guys and girls just like him in TNA.”
His response to those that feel that TNA always puts former WWE superstars in the main event matches/storylines, as opposed to TNA’s “homegrown” talent: “First of all, I have to say this, and this piss off some people in TNA, but I hate the term “homegrown talent.” We’re not selling vegetables here or freshly-made pies. This is about creating awareness. Our survival, our ability to grow our audience, and appeal to a broader audience isn’t about appealing to the same people who’ve been watching this, and quite frankly, the audience hasn’t grown all that significantly over the last 4, 5, or 6 years, or you probably wouldn’t be talking to me right now.
“This is about growing and expanding the audience. You gotta grow the brand, and you do that by bringing in people (whether they’re movie stars, television stars, or anything else) who have a broader appeal because they have been out there in front of other people in a bigger, broader audience than perhaps the talent you already have on the show. That’s not a knock at all on the talent that TNA currently has, but it does reflect the need that in order for TNA to grow, you have to bring in people that have a broader appeal worldwide. By bringing some of those people in, it benefits the talent that hasn’t been anywhere outside of TNA.”
The current status of TNA’s Knockout Division: “We got hit with a rash of injuries a few weeks ago, along with some contractual issues. But I think what you are going to see is the Knockout division getting back on track in very short order. Everyone in TNA is proud of the Knockouts division, and I look at the division and look at anything else that has been done before, I think the Knockout division is consistently one of the better women’s divisions that I’ve ever seen in any promotion. I think there is a lot of commitment to it, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
More is contained in the return of “The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff,” including what he looking forward to seeing at Slammiversary this Sunday evening, along with his candid thoughts on the “tweaks” that he has installed in the last few weeks to TNA iMPACT, the likelihood of see the company go live on Thursday nights in the foreseeable future, the expansion of TNA on the road, what one thing he would change to the promotion right now if he had complete control of TNA, plus more of your calls/Facebook questions! Due to the continued overwhelming response, “The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces) will return LIVE once again on Monday night, July 5th (beginning @ 7PM ET/6PM CT) leading into TNA’s Victory Road…exclusively on Monday Night Mayhem!
— Recently released WWE stars Carlito and Katie Lea Burchill have been pulled from next month’s World Wrestling Council Anniversario event. Carlito was pulled due to circumstances surrounding his release from WWE. Meanwhile, Burchill has been unable to obtain a new working visa for the United States since her departure from WWE, hence her removal from the event. She is being replaced by TNA Knockout ODB. (Thanks to Manuel Gonzalez)
— Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia will be holding a special one hour meet and greet over coffee and pastry at her hotel on the mornings of June 12th and 13th. The one hour “Coffee ‘N Chat” will be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street beginning at 8:00 a.m. It will be limited to 8 people each day. Tickets can be purchased on eBay at Lilian Garcia Direct or at Lilian’s booth at the Philadelphia Comic Con on Friday and Saturday — cash only. If fans bring items to be signed, there will be a charge of $20 per item. Those interested in attending can instantly purchase a ticket here.
— Fans have the opportunity to meet former WWE Diva Mickie James at this week’s Country Music Association Festival in Nashville as she will be appearing at the Roughstock booth. In another note, she participated in yesterday’s Porter Wagoner Celebrity Fishing Tournament, partnering with fisherman Roland Martin.
Earlier this week, we reported that it appeared most of the drug charges against Jeff Hardy had been dropped, since the North Carolina courts website had updated the public records of Hardy’s case – stating that he was now only being charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Opium.
Unfortunately for Jeff Hardy and his fans – news of any charges being dropped was an error by the The Moore County Superior Court. Hardy was in court on June 3rd, but time ran out and there was no time for his case to be heard. When the court listed Hardy’s next court appearance for July, most of the charges against Hardy were no longer listed (the erorr).
North Carolina’s Pilot Newspaper spoke to District Attorney Maureen Krueger, who stated:
“His charges are still pending. In fact, a new one was added.”
The new charge against Hardy is Conspiracy to Traffic Opium, a felony.
To recap Hardy’s legal situation ….
Jeff Hardy was arrested on September 11th, 2009 after police raided his home in Cameron, North Carolina. A joint investigation conducted by officers with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office narcotics and select enforcement units and the Fayetteville Police Department led to the search.
According to the police report, a search of his residence yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia.
He was charged with felony trafficking in opium, two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted of all charges, Hardy faces upto 14 years in prison.
Video game website Gamespot.com recently met with THQ and got a first look at the all-new WWE All Stars game. WWE All Stars will be a “larger than life” arcade-style game featuring the superstars of today as well as legends from past eras. The characters in WWE All Stars are super-sized and look like action figures. The game is more fast-paced than the other WWE video games and is being described as a hybrid of a wrestling game and a fighting game.
Button combos will play a big part of the player’s offense and a “juggle system” will let you string together multiple slams and throws in a row. During these juggle combos, the game uses slow motion technology. In the gameplay footage shown (which you can see below), The Rock’s People’s Elbow has him jumping high into the air as does the Rock Bottom, with lots of visual effects to emphasize the move.
WWE All Stars is set to be released in early 2011 and is being developed by THQ San Diego, which also worked on the TNA iMPACT game.
The video below contains an interview with one of the developers from THQ and some gameplay footage of a match between John Cena and The Rock.
Here’s the video:
Video game website Gamespot.com recently sat down with THQ and got a first look at WWE’s SmackDown vs. RAW 2011 video game, set to be released this Fall. Here are some of the new features in this year’s game, followed by a video of Gamespot’s interview with THQ and some gameplay footage.
– The game will feature a new physics system that will make all objects look more realistic. The TLC match especially will be enhanced. For example, instead of just crashing through a table, the table might break in different ways than you’re used to. Ladders will also bend and break depending on where they are impacted.
– You will also be able to lean the ladders up on the ring and in the corners, among other places.
– New effects with a steel chair will let you throw the chair at your opponent.
– You will be be able to have as many as six tables in a match
Here’s the video:
source: PWInsider.com
— The working title for WWE’s upcoming DVD set on Chris Jericho is The Best At What I Do. The DVD set will feature three discs and is scheduled for release on Tuesday, Sept. 21.
— Big Show and Rey Mysterio beat CM Punk and Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage Match following tonight’s SmackDown television taping in Tampa, Florida. During one point in the match, Mysterio dived off of Show’s shoulders.
— WWE developmental league Florida Championship Wrestling had a stand promoting itself and their “American Dream” tour this summer at tonight’s SmackDown television taping in the St. Pete Times Forum.
— TNA president Dixie Carter revealed on her Twitter page that Eric Young recently asked his girlfriend her hand in marriage.
She wrote: “Congrats to Eric Young & his fiance Sarah on their recent engagement. He asked her to marry him on the beach in Miami. Congrats guys!”
— Jersey All Pro Wrestling announced Tuesday that reigning JAPW Women’s Champion Sara Del Rey will compete against a Knockout at TNA’s July 3rd live event at Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey. JAPW alum Homicide and Jay Lethal will also be on hand for the show.
— It was Mick Foley’s birthday on Monday as he turned 45 years old.
– Monday’s three-hour Viewer’s Choice episode of WWE RAW drew a 3.1 cable rating. The show did a 3.3 rating for two final hours, RAW’s usual timeslot.
– The dark match prior to Tuesday’s NXT and SmackDown tapings saw JTG defeat Dos Caras.
– The new WWE NXT ring announcer is developmental Diva Jamie Keyes.
– WWE has announced that the new season of NXT on SyFy will last 12 weeks. The first fan vote will take place in 3 weeks and the first Rookie elimination will take place in 6 weeks. Fans will be able to vote for the next “breakout WWE Superstar” on the WWE website. The other votes will come from the NXT Pros.
– In an interview with The Wrestler, multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus comments on the possibility of a wrestling comeback. She said:
“I always want to do something that is challenging and impactful, no matter what I do … Absolutely, I’d go back—but only if I could do something that makes a difference.”
She also comments on today’s Divas, the “next Trish,” her legacy, being inspired by The Rock, and more. You can read excerpts from the interview here.
– Matches scheduled to take place on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:
* Alicia Fox vs. Gail Kim
* Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust vs. Zack Ryder and Primo
* Kofi Kingston vs. Luke Gallows
