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Match Preview For SmackDown, WrestleMania Returning To NBC

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— Matches scheduled to take place on tonight’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown are as follows:

* Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger (No. 1 Contender’s 2-out-of-3 Falls Match with the winner guaranteed a title match at SummerSlam)

* Matt Hardy and Christian vs. Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes

* Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler (Non-title match)

* Big Show vs. masked Straight Edge Society member

— For the second consecutive year, WWE will bring the self-proclaimed “world’s biggest pop culture event” to network television when WrestleMania XXVI: The World Television Premiere airs Saturday, Aug. 7 at 9:00 p.m. EST on NBC. The special will feature highlights from WrestleMania XXVI “set to music from today’s hottest acts in one lightning-fast hour of family-friendly programming.” (Article link)

HBK and Wife Return To TV With Guns, TNA Stars Invade India

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-The following was posted on the official Facebook page for Shawn Michaels and his wife, Rebecca:

The staff and crew of the national TV hunting show “The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark” (formerly Higher Grounds Outdoors) has finished filming the 3 episodes with Shawn and Rebecca on “The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark”.

The episodes were shot in Venado Creek Ranch in Texas last Febuary of this year and airs this end of July or August. The episodes will feature Shawn and Rebecca talks about hunting, hunts pheasant, shooting rifles and bows on their “dream hunts”.

“The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark” is featured on both the Pursuit Channel every (Wednesdays 12:30 AM EST / Wednesdays 7:30 PM EST / Sundays 4:30 PM EST) and on Sportsman Channel every (Tuesdays 8:00 PM EST / Thursday 12:00 AM EST / Sunday 4:00 PM EST).

To see images from their Facebook page of both Shawn and Rebecca in hunting action, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

-Jay Lethal, Mick Foley and Kurt Angle are currently on a six-day promotional tour in India designed to help promote TNA.  There has been talk of running the country sometime in early 2011.  In an article written for Yahoo News India, Angle commented, “It’s simply amazing.  I had never seen such a warm reception as the one we got at the Mumbai airport.”  You can read the full story HERE.

The last time WWE ran a tour of India, numerous wrestlers fell ill (and William Regal nearly died) and many have said that if forced to go back, they would quit the company instead.

Former ECW Champions Confirmed For TNA Hardcore Justice

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— A promotional advertisement for next month’s Hardcore Justice pay-per-view features footage of Sabu, Jerry Lynn and The Sandman, which should confirm the three former ECW World Heavyweight Champions’ involvement with the show.

— TNA Wrestling’s Before the Bell preview of Hardcore Justice has been posted online. The 15-minute video can be viewed here.

— Tommy Dreamer’s heartfelt speech at the conclusion of last night’s iMPACT! is online at the following link.

TNA Wrestling Announces Special ‘Hardcore Justice’ Pay-Per-View

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TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (TNA) WRESTLING ANNOUNCES SPECIAL ‘HARDCORE JUSTICE’ PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT LIVE AUGUST 8

Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling President Dixie Carter and “The Extreme Original” Tommy Dreamer announced that “Hard Justice,” TNA’s live pay-per-view event August 8 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, will transform to “HardCORE Justice,” a one-night-only celebration of extreme, hardcore wrestling featuring a never before seen reunion of legendary wrestling superstars.

Carter granted the request made by Dreamer and his band of hardcore originals – Mick Foley, Raven, “The War Machine” Rhino and Stevie Richards – on “TNA Thursday Night iMPACT!” on Spike TV (9p.m. ET/PT) to have “one last chance” to celebrate the history and the passion of extreme hardcore wrestling.

“Giving Tommy this chance is one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made as TNA President,” Carter said. “For years I’ve heard fans talk about the similarities between TNA and what these guys accomplished. Tommy, Mick and these superstars sacrificed everything, and not for money, but for the love of our sport and for the fans..”

Carter continued, “These guys set the bar so high with the passion they brought to this business. I’ve been lucky to have had so many work for me through the years, and now to have a locker room today with that same fire and drive to help build TNA. This is my chance to show our appreciation.”

“Dixie has allowed us to have a chance to finally thank the fans that have supported us for all of these years,” Dreamer said. “In the past, we’ve been lied to and we’ve been punished for being who we were and building what we did. Now we have a chance to get everyone back together for one last night.”

Carter also announced today that Dreamer would be given full creative control of “HardCORE Justice.” In addition to the hardcore originals, Dreamer revealed a few more names for “HardCORE Justice,”: Current TNA agents Al Snow and Simon Diamond, as well as tag team legends Team 3D and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam. Dreamer confirmed that Van Dam will compete at the pay-per-view event, but will not defend his title.

“TNA is the only place that this event could happen,” Dreamer said. “There are no politics to worry about and no restrictions in place. The fans know that I have a lot of extremely close friends, so they can expect anything and everything to happen. I have some surprises for everyone,” he said.

TNA officials have also announced a newly revised “HardCORE Justice VIP Weekend.” Originally created to celebrate Mick Foley’s 25th anniversary in professional wrestling, the VIP event will now feature a special “hardcore reunion” with Foley, Dreamer, Richards, Rhino and many more hardcore wrestlers on Saturday August 7 at the NASCAR Grill at Universal Studios’ City Walk. In addition, the VIP package includes guaranteed VIP early admission into “HardCORE Justice” as well as both tapings of “iMPACT!” on August 8-9, as well as a private post-show Q&A session with Foley, Dreamer and friends on August 8.

The “HardCORE Justice VIP Weekend” retails for $99, and is the only way for fans to guarantee admission to the “iMPACT Zone!” for “HardCORE Justice.” Tickets can be purchased at www.ShopTNA.com

Dreamer, who stated that more names and matches would be announced in the coming weeks on “TNA Thursday Night iMPACT!,” said that “HardCORE Justice” would be “The Last Stand” for the legacy of hardcore wrestling.

“This is it for an event like this, and it’s the perfect send off we never thought we’d receive. It’s funny, because there had never been a wrestling company that the fans would chant for by name since our time… until TNA began.”

Has Vince McMahon Placed a Ban on Shawn Michaels?

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(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

-WWE’s marketing deparment was told a few weeks ago that Vince McMahon does not want any usage of things related to the image of Shawn Michaels. Those close to Michaels say he is mentally done with wrestling and, in his mind right now, he will never come back in ANY form. Not sure what happened, but Michaels was quite vocal many weeks back about his displeasure with his former student, Daniel Bryan, being released by the company.

-Bret Hart will be married to girlfriend Stephanie Washington this Saturday in Calgary. He was scheduled to go to Hawaii on his honeymoon, so unless plans have changed, he will likely not be on Raw this Monday.

Warrior And Randy Savage Sign With Mattel For WWE Figures

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Today at the Comic Con event in San Diego, Mattel announced that both Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage have been signed by the company to be part of their WWE line of action figures.

When the announcement was made about Savage being part of the series, it stirred up a huge reaction at the event. This would be the first Macho Man action WWE figure since the early 1990’s when the company was then working with the Hasbro toy company. WWE did produce a “Macho Madness” 3-disc DVD set last year that was mostly well-received by fans, though it lacked a documentary portion.

Savage was last seen on WWE television in 1994 as an announcer alongside Vince McMahon on Monday Night Raw. Later that year, he jumped ship to WCW and has had little or no contact with McMahon since that time, and no one seems to have a definitive reason as to why.

Heyman Tells Dixie She Can Keep One Legend, But Fire The Rest

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(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Sources indicate that in a recent meeting with TNA President Dixie Carter, Paul Heyman emphasized he didn’t believe in drastic changes, bur rather the way to go is with new talent as the key stars while using a few veterans to give them credibility, not unlike how he used Terry Funk in the original ECW. Ironically, Heyman did not support the idea of an ECW invasion when it was brought up, yet Carter went ahead and did it anyway, plugging Tommy Dreamer into the role that essentially would have belonged to Heyman (both on-screen and behind the scenes).

Heyman is also said to have told Carter to her face that of the older legends they have under contract, she could keep one and get rid of the others, and she didn’t seem to understand why. Carter has been loyal to the stars of the past and has been resistant to giving anyone the authority to hire or fire people. This includes Vince Russo and even Jim Ross, back when they were making a serious play for him.

While the Heyman deal is cold, it is nowhere close to being dead. TNA sees Heyman’s asking for points in the company as merely a negotiating tactic and is still hopeful a deal can be reached.

Goldberg Wants One Last Wrestling Match, Michaels Turns 45

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— In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, former wrestling champion Bill Goldberg said he wants one final wrestling match because he wants his family to see him wrestle live.

“If the money was right, I’d go out there and do it in two seconds,” Goldberg said. “I’d have to be totally prepared for it, because I wouldn’t want to tarnish my image, but I’d like to be in the ring one more time so that my wife and my son can see me wrestle live.”

He also discussed his love/hate relationship with the wrestling industry in the interview.

“I don’t ever want to say that I miss anything about the wrestling business,” Goldberg said. “I miss the ability to put a smile on a kid’s face, more than one at a time. That was a true charge for me.”

Goldberg also talks about his latest television project, Garage Mahal. The interview can be read here.

— Another Viva La Lucha pay-per-view event is scheduled to premiere on Friday, August 27, which was a show taped from a Pro Wrestling Revolution card held in the United States. Visit www.vivalalucha.com for more information.

— Shawn Michaels’ celebrates his birthday today. “The Heartbreak Kid” turns 45 years old. Today would have also marked as WWE Hall of Famer The Fabulous Moolah’s 87th birthday.

Ex-WWE Star Accused Of Embezzling Charitable Organization

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Some serious claims are being made towards former WWE performer Dawn Marie Damatta as she is being accused of embezzling her charitable organization, “Wrestlers Rescue.”

The organization, which was founded in 2008, creates awareness and helps raise money to support the health care needs of retired professional wrestlers. However, former friends of Damatta say they are unaware of whom the organization has benefited and where the money raised has gone.

According to Wrestling Globe Newsletter editor and Sun writer Mike Aldren, Damatta has embezzled money raised by “Wrestlers Rescue” to fly herself to conventions around the United States so she can profit off of autograph signings. When questioned by Aldren, Damatta set her attorney on him, who admitted that “Wrestlers Rescue” is not a registered charity.

Aldren noted the following to author and activist Irvin Muchnick, which was posted on his blog: “Nobody seems to know where all the money has gone nor has anyone seemingly benefited from the money that Dawn has raised over the past three years. Her former friends have told me she uses the money to fly herself to conventions around the country so she can profit from autograph signings. She has agreements with several promoters where if she flies herself in she will get a free table to sell her merchandise. When I started asking reasonable questions, Dawn set her attorney on me, who admits Wrestlers Rescue is not a registered charity.”

This is not the first embezzlement accusation levied towards Damatta as two months ago, a host for the online radio show Hit the Ropes claimed that she was being investigated by the FBI for stealing money from “Wrestlers Rescue.” He said that she didn’t refund those who paid to attend the organization’s July 2010 fundraiser cruise after it was canceled in April.

The reason cited for the event’s cancellation was as follows: “It has come to our attention that there is a similar cruise event being held within a month of our event. Due to the fear of not having enough participants because of this we are withdrawing our fundraiser cruise.”

Last year, Damatta held a fundraiser to benefit “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, with the funds raised purportedly going towards the purchase of a hands-free medical device that would help him speak more easily after having his voice box removed during cancer surgery. The Hit the Ropes host claimed that she failed to assist Williams before his passing last December due to throat cancer.

He also claimed that she promised money to former WWF ring announcer Michael Porter, but failed to live to her word.

It’s worth noting that the official website of “Wrestlers Rescue,” www.wrestlersrescue.org, was suspended by its hosting provider for the past few days. It resurfaced online today.

Damatta was quoted by The New York Times for an article last week concerning Linda McMahon’s political campaign, which noted her charitable organization. She recalled attending an event a few years ago where retired wrestlers were signing autographs for fans and spotted ‘a legend of the sport’ (The Iron Sheik) dozing off behind an autograph table before his agent pushed him into the bathroom in a wheelchair.

“I said, ‘This man should be enjoying his life, he should be enjoying the fruits of his labor,’ ” Damatta said. “Instead, he is there signing autographs for $20.”

She subsequently launched “Wrestlers Rescue,” to help support the health care needs of retired professional wrestlers.

WWE Signs Former TNA Wrestler To Developmental Contract

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Platinum Championship Wrestling has announced that Austin Creed, known as Consequences Creed in TNA Wrestling, has signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.

“We at PCW want to congratulate our own AUSTIN CREED on the recent signing of his WWE developmental contract! Congratulations Austin,” the PCW website announced.

The one-time World Tag Team Champion was quietly released from TNA Wrestling in late March. Earlier this month, Creed won ECWA’s annual Super 8 Tournament in Delaware, defeating Tommaso Ciampa.

Randy Orton Scheduled For Talk Show, WWE Invades Comic-Con

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— Randy Orton revealed on his newly launched Twitter account that his first starring film, That’s What I Am, will be released in theaters this January. He also noted that he will be on hand for a taping of George Lopez’ late night talk show Lopez Tonight on Tuesday, August 10. Finally, Orton said he’s never had accounts on Facebook or MySpace.

— A number of WWE stars will be on hand for the annual San Diego Comic-Con International event taking placing this week. Among those scheduled for appearances include The Miz, Eve Torres, Jerry Lawler, The Bellas, John Morrison, Chris Masters, Melina and Kane.

Today, The Miz and Eve will be meeting fans from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. PT. Tomorrow, Jerry “The King” Lawler will be signing copies of WWE Heroes #0 prequel comic from noon to 1:30 p.m. Meanwhile, The Bellas and John Morrison will be appearing from 11:00 a.m. to noon. On Saturday, Melina and Chris Masters will greet fans from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Finally, World Heavyweight Champion Kane will appear at the event on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Click here for complete event information.

— After a six month hiatus, WWE referee Justin King returned to officiating at last Thursday’s Florida Championship Wrestling television taping in Tampa. A “freak” non-wrestling accident in January left him with multiple fractures in his left leg.

— Three weeks ago on Raw during the ceremony honoring Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Mike Rotunda told the WWE Hall of Famer that it was unfortunate that they never wrestled each other. The WWE producer was incorrect as the two wrestled in 1989 at a television taping in West Palm Beach, Florida during Steamboat’s brief run with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Diva’s WWE Debut Delayed, Howard Finkel Not A Fan Of Eve

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— Monday’s Raw saw Eve Torres become the No. 1 contender to Alicia Fox’s Divas Championship as a result of her victory over Maryse. Immediately following the bout, Howard Finkel expressed his displeasure with the Raw Divas division, but more specifically, Torres.

“I have had it with the Raw Diva division,” the WWE Hall of Famer remarked during the live Raw chat on WWEUniverse.com. He added, “I DO NOT hate Divas…..I am not a fan of who is the # 1 contender.”

— At the July 6 Friday Night SmackDown television taping, WWE ran a vignette before the Atlanta crowd introducing a new Diva by the name of AJ Lee. The vignette, however, was cut from the broadcast. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a decision was made to introduce one new character at a time — currently Alberto Del Rio — thus explaining why vignettes introducing Lee have yet to surface. Once Del Rio makes his official debut in WWE, the promotion of Lee will commence.

Lee, who’s real name is believed to be April Jeanette, is 23 years old and has been under contract to World Wrestling Entertainment since May 2009. At 5 foot 2 and 99 pounds, she is the smallest female performer affiliated with either major wrestling organization. Prior to joining WWE, Lee worked independent wrestling shows throughout the Northeast. She has been competing professionally since September 2007.

Bret Hart Returning To The Ring At Madison Square Garden

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After thirteen years, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart is returning to Madison Square Garden.

In what is being billed as Bret “The Hitman” Hart Appreciation Night, the official MSG website has announced that Hart will team up with The Hart Dynasty to wrestle three unspecified members of Nexus in a Six Man Tag Team Match at the September 25 SmackDown live event.

The match will mark as Hart’s first appearance at Madison Square Garden since a September 1997 Monday Night Raw taping, which saw him work a dark match against Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

The rest of the announced card is as follows:

* Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. Jack Swagger – Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
* Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Christian vs. Matt Hardy – Fatal Four Way Match for the Intercontinental Championship
* Big Show vs. CM Punk*
* MVP vs. Cody Rhodes
* Kelly Kelly and Tiffany vs. Michelle McCool and Layla

Estimated Return Date for Triple H, Concern For Steamboat

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-The injury for which Triple H underwent surgery was a torn biceps. The current belief is that it could be as late as December before he is healthy enough to return, with late October being optimistic. He is still being considered for a heel turn and alignment with Nexus, although if it were to happen, they would need to drag the angle out for at least a few more months.

-Ricky Steamboat remains in the hospital and continues to experience a great deal of head pain. This, coupled with the fact that he has been there for so many weeks now, has people very concerned.

(credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jarrett’s Past Comment On The Miz, Fozzy Releases New Video

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— Former TNA personality Jonny Fairplay congratulated fellow reality television alum Mike “The Miz” Mizanin on winning Raw’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match in a Facebook post Sunday night. He followed up his post Monday morning with a remark TNA Wrestling official Jeff Jarrett made a few years ago concerning The Miz.

“Is remembering back to 2004 when Jeff Jarrett told me there was no money in The Miz,” Fairplay wrote. “Thanks, Jeff.”

At the time, Mizanin was working independent wrestling shows in California for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). He would catch a break a few months later when he landed a spot on the fourth season of Tough Enough. Despite losing the reality based contest to Daniel Puder, Mizanin piqued the interest of WWE officials and was eventually offered a developmental contract.

— Chris Jericho’s rock band Fozzy has released a music video for the song “Let the Madness Begin.” The video can be viewed here.

— John Morrison and Eve are advertised to appear at the Daytona Lagoon Water Park in Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday, July 31. The meet-and-greet begins at 3:00 p.m.

WWE Classics on Demand Updates, Including Superbrawl 2

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(partial credit: pwtorch.com)

New offerings this week on WWE’s Classics on Demand channel include:

Big Ones Section
WCW Superbrawl 2 (2/29/92)
Old School – Philadelphia, PA 9/1/84

TV Classics Section
ECW TV 4/22/97
WWF Primetime Wrestling 10/4/88
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 4/7/82

Legends Section
Best of WWE Volume 7

Shorties Section
Dangerous Alliance
DOA vs. Truth Commission
Gary Hart Inc.
Dungeon of Doom
Spirit Squad vs. Kane/Undertaker

Editorial Note: The opening bout at Superbrawl between Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger is awesome stuff that you should go out of your way to see if you never have before. Some might say this was the bout that ushered in the type of acrobatic wrestling that is more commonplace today.

For those of you with access to the service but who do not subscribe, it really is worth every penny. In some places, it’s as low as $6/month, which is a steal. You won’t see product shilling here very often, so just consider this a hearty endorsement of classic wrestling.

Main Event For Hard Justice Confirmed, Rumored Payoff Figures

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(source: www.prowrestling.net)

— It has been confirmed that the main event of next month’s Hard Justice will feature TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn. It is unknown at this time whether the title will be on the line.

— While Tommy Dreamer has been contacting ECW alumni to work Hard Justice, Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor has handled the financial negotiations. The rumored payoff for non-contracted performers is said to range from $500 to $1,000.

— TNA officials have discussed the possibility of holding select house show events featuring former ECW talent in markets where the defunct promotion was most popular. The feeling amongst those pushing for it is that the ECW alumni will work cheap, thus resulting in a profitable venture for the company. However, it doesn’t appear that officials have mentioned the venture to those contacted for Hard Justice.

ECW Champ Discussed For Hard Justice, TNA Declines Yim, More

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— TNA Wrestling officials have discussed using former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Justin Credible at next month’s Hard Justice pay-per-view, reports the Pro Wrestling Torch. However, it has not been confirmed that he will be working the show, or if he has even been contacted to appear.

Credible briefly appeared with TNA in 2003, forming a stable with several other ECW alumni and reviving his feud with Jerry Lynn.

— TNA Wrestling officials have declined signing Washington D.C. based independent women’s wrestler Mia Yim to a contract following her tryout match with Taylor Wilde before an iMPACT! television taping last month. The reason cited was that there were no open spots for her in the company’s Knockouts division.

“No open spots for me at TNA,” Yim wrote on her Twitter account. “It’s ok, keep an eye out for me because I am just getting started.…Who knows what will happen in the future.”

— A number of wrestling personalities were on hand for the 5th Annual NPC Bill Grant Bodybuilding & Figure Classic held in Allentown, Pennsylvania over the weekend including TNA wrestler Rob Terry, Alicia Webb (a/k/a Ryan Shamrock), April Hunter and JD Michaels.

Former ECW Tag Team Expected To Reunite At Hard Justice

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— Johnny Swinger will be appearing at next month’s Hard Justice pay-per-view and is expected to reunite with former tag team partner Simon Diamond in a tag match, reports the Pro Wrestling Torch.

Diamond and Swinger were most notably seen in ECW as well as TNA Wrestling. During their time in ECW, they were managed by Dawn Marie. The duo have won both the NWA World Tag Team Championship and the MPW Tag Team Championship.

— Wrestling fans have a golden opportunity to meet Chelsea as the TNA Knockout will be making her first solo public appearance on Sunday, August 15, 2010 in New Milford, Connecticut at the Cruzin’ New Milford 4th Annual Car & Motorcycle Show. To purchase advanced tickets, VIP packages and exclusive limited edition items, visit www.revolutionarypromotions.com.

— New TNA live events have been announced for September 10-12 in Ohio and Windsor, Ontario. Appearing live and in person will be Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Motorcity Machine Guns, Jeff Jarrett and many more. Tickets go on sale this Friday. Specific event information can be found here.

“WWE Superstars” Preview, Promo Video For SummerSlam, More

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(source: PWInsider.com)

— The following matches are scheduled to take place on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America:

* David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd vs. Jey and Jimmy Uso
* Yoshi Tatsu vs. Primo
* JTG vs. Chavo Guerrero
* MVP and Chris Masters vs. Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft

— The official promotional video for WWE’s annual SummerSlam has been released. The video, which has yet to air on WWE programming, can be viewed here. It’s interesting to note that Evan Bourne is the final WWE Superstar displayed in the video.

— The July 9 edition of Friday Night Smackdown! scored a 1.9 rating, with 3,046,000 viewers. The episode featured a main of Big Show vs. Jack Swagger.

*Spoilers* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

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SmackDown *SPOILERS*

Credit to Prowrestling.net for these spoilers from tonight’s SmackDown tapings:

Smackdown begins as Kane starts out the show celebrating the title win. He recapped his MITB win and cashing in on Rey Mysterio. Kane said he did it for his brother the Undertaker and brought the title back to the dark side. He vowed to not rest until he finds his brother’s culprit.

Jack Swagger vs. Rey Mysterio in a 2 out of 3 falls match to determine the No. 1 contender was announced.

1. Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes defeated Christian and Matt Hardy. Christian and Hardy had the advantage most of the match. Christian dove to the outside on Rhodes and McIntyre. Rhodes took advantage for his team. He tagged in McIntyre, who had a field day with Christian.

Rhodes was tagged back on. Christian tagged in Hardy, who took out McIntyre. Hardy gave McIntyre a tornado DDT from the turnbuckle into a pin only for Rhodes to distract the referee from counting the pinfall. Rhodes and McIntyre ended up winning the match. After the match, Christian and Hardy shook hands. Katelyn said it was a “very, very good match.”

Swagger was interviewed by Josh Matthews. He talked about how he will beat Mysterio and then go on to beat Kane at Summerslam.

A LayCool promo started as they boasted about their win against Kelly Kelly on Sunday. They gave each other best friend necklaces. Teddy Long walked up and told Layla that she will be defending her title against Tiffany next week.

2. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) defeated Kofi Kingston (w/Michael McGillicutty) in a non-title match. This was a pretty even match up. Both superstars scored some offensive moves throughout the bout. Michael McGillicutty got sent to the back due to Vickie Guerrero influencing the referee as Kofi was outside selling being thrown over the ropes.

Kofi reentered the ring as Ziggler continued to take advantage. As Ziggler went for a leg drop, Kofi rolled him into a pin for a 2 count. Kofi regains control only to be distracted by Vickie Guerrero. Ziggler puts Kofi in the sleeper for the win. After the match, Ziggler poses over Kofi with the Intercontinental Title. Dolph tries to leave with IC belt, but the ref wouldn’t let him. Vickie comforted Dolph.

3. Big Show defeated the SES Masked Man. Show unmasked him to prove once and for a that Joey Mercury is straight edge. Show put the mask on and then chokeslammed Mercury for the pin in a short match.

Mysterio cut a promo hyping the number one contenders match.

An Alberto Del Rio vignette aired.

4. Rey Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger in a best of three falls match to become the No. 1 contender to the World Hvt. Championship. The match started as Swagger pushed Mysterio into the turnbuckle to take opening advantage of the match. There was a lot of back and forth action early. Swagger continued to work on Rey giving him a belly to back.

Swagger remained in control of the match. He took out Rey’s knee on the turnbuckle. Swagger scored a lot of close two counts. He threw Rey into the ropes only for Rey to jump off the ropes onto swagger a two count. Rey went to setup the 619 on Swagger only to come short. Swagger put Rey into the ankle lock. Rey made it to the ropes. Swagger refused to let go and was disqualified,so Rey won the first fall.

Jack won second fall by making Rey tape out with the ankle lock. Short match. Rey went for the 619 and Jack caught him.

Swagger and Rey fought outside. Swagger threw Rey back inside the ring and continued on the offensive. Rey reverses the gut wrench powerbomb into a pinfall to get the pin and become number one contender for Kane’s title.

Jack went after Rey after the bell. Kane ran down and took out Jack. Kane held up Rey’s hand. Kane left the ring and then returned and went to chokeslam Rey, who turned it into the 619. Rey ran away.

Minnesota Man Beats Drug Addiction; Marries Former WWE Diva

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Former WWE Women’s Champion Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald is getting married. The Minnesota native will marry a man by the name of Geno Benshoof in a small ceremony in the backyard garden of the groom’s family home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota later this month. The wedding comes just one year after the two met at a drug and alcohol recovery program.

Over a three-year period, the former WWE Diva’s husband-to-be had been arrested, charged and convicted of felony drug possession, burglary and possession of a dangerous weapon. He was also homeless and had contemplated suicide. It all came to head in February 2009 when a judge ordered him to enter a drug rehabilitation program or face 56 months in prison.

Greenwald was working at a Minneapolis center as a teen counselor when she met Benshoof, who had just landed an internship after completing court-ordered drug treatment. She said she couldn’t help being attracted to him.

“I knew I was falling for him,” Greenwald told the White Bear Press. “But I had to keep my feelings to myself to protect my job.”

Company policy prohibited counselors from dating interns, but Benshoof eventually landed a paying position and the two were free to date. A church pastor encouraged the relationship.

Greenwald admits Benshoof was her first boyfriend and that she doesn’t care to be a virgin.

“I’m a 32-year-old virgin that doesn’t care to be a 33-year-old virgin,” said Greenwald.

She then added, “Yup, we’re waiting until our wedding night. It’s pretty cool that Geno loves me enough to buy the car without test driving it first.”

To read the White Bear Press’ piece on Greenwald and Benshoof, click here.

This Week’s Raw Rating, Dark Match From Tonight’s SD Taping

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(source: PWInsider.com)

— The July 19 edition of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.4 cable rating, with 4,873,000 viewers. The show drew hours of 3.09 and 3.68. Viewership was slightly up from last week, which drew a 3.3 rating, with 4,800,000 viewers.

— A dark match between Alberto Del Rio and Kaval took place before tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown taping in Little Rock, Arkansas. The WWE newcomer scored the victory following a jumping spin kick to the NXT Rookie, who was tied up on the ropes.

— The pre-sale code for the Smackdown live event taking place on September 25, 2010 at Madison Square Garden is WWESUMMERSLAM. The pre-sale begins Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. EST via Ticketmaster.

Randy Orton Joins Twitter, Update On Morrison vs. DiBiase Feud

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— WWE announced on its website this afternoon that Randy Orton has joined Twitter. His account is located at twitter.com/RealRKOrton.

Following Orton’s Triple Threat Match victory over Chris Jericho and Edge last night on Raw, “The Viper” was the No. 1 most-popular trend on Twitter for more than 15 hours. During this time, John Cena persisted Orton to join the social networking site.

“CeNation. I have told Randy about the overwhelming demand 4 him on Twitter. What he does now is up to him,” Cena posted this morning. Later that afternoon, Cena tweeted, “The Viper lurks. [Orton] is seriously considering joining very soon.”

— Regarding the John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase program, it is expected to be prolonged through at least September as tentative creative plans call for the two Raw Superstars to face off at Night of Champions.

— WWE has added a third show to it’s upcoming tour of Puerto Rico. The event takes place on September 4, 2010 at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Hato Rey. Tickets go on sale July 31, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

TNA’s WWE-Inspired Name For Hard Justice, Impact Edited, More

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— Apparently playing off WWE’s one night reunion show five years ago for ECW alumni, One Night Stand, TNA Wrestling is promoting its own reunion show as Hard Justice: One Last Stand. There is a commercial running on cable and satellite providers promoting the event as such. The commercial features TNA footage of ECW alumni such as New Jack, Raven and The Sandman. Furthermore, an audible “ECW!” chant is heard at one point during the commercial. Years ago when Shane Douglas ran the ECW reunion show Hardcore Homecoming, WWE’s legal team demanded they edit out the fans’ “ECW!” chants off the DVD release.

— The conclusion to last Thursday’s iMPACT! was heavily edited. While nothing major was cut, the segment went far longer than what was broadcast.

— As reported earlier, last Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! scored a 1.09 cable rating, with 1.44 million viewers. The rating stayed steady throughout the show as it drew quarters hours of 0.96, 1.04, 1.14, 1.11, 1.16, 1.12, 1.08 and 1.09. The show did a 0.72 in Males 18-49 and 0.51 in Males 18-34.

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