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Doink the Clown’s Identity, Mexican Wrestler Receiving Tryout

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— Doink the Clown was portrayed by WWE producer Steve Lombardi (a/k/a Brooklyn Brawler) on Monday’s Raw, reports the Pro Wrestling Torch. He took part in the eight-wrestler “Brady Bunch” themed tag match. It’s interesting to note that the official WWE website referenced Lombardi’s past personas in its write-up for the match, saying: “In the end, the “Santino Bunch” proved too strong for the “Regal Bunch,” despite the clever recruitment of Doink the Clown, a staple of the ’90s, who competed alongside such unlikely ring warriors as Brooklyn Brawler, Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz and Kim Chee.”

— Mexican wrestler Psicosis II is scheduled to receive a tryout with WWE when the company tours Texas later this month, reports www.F4WOnline.com. He is not to be confused with former WCW Cruiserweight Champion and WWE performer Psychosis.

— In the following video, Florence Henderson recalls her night as Monday Night Raw’s special guest hostess.

Scott Hall In The Hospital, Friends Very Concerned About Him

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(credit f4wonline.com)

-Scott Hall remains in the hospital battling a double pneumonia infextion. Hall recently had a falling out with some close friends as a result of his stubbornness in not entering a hospital earlier than he did. In a recent radio interview Hall did with Sean Waltman, he began sobbing on the air when discussing his health, claiming he also suffers from a psychological disorder. His friends are more concerned for his well being now than at any point in the past.

-Gene Snitsky has a starring role in an upcoming film called “Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge”, the sequel to what was once deemed ‘the worst movie ever made.’ Snitsky said it films in early 2011 and will be released in 2013.

-Booker T is currently writing a book that chronicles his life before wrestling, including growing up on the streets of Houston, going to jail for armed robbery of a Wendy’s and eventually turning his life around.

Teenage Fan Enters The Ring After Match At “iMPACT!” Taping

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(source: www.prowrestling.net)

A teenage fan jumped the guardrail and entered the ring following the Mr. Anderson vs. Matt Morgan match at last night’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando. The fan, who was described as being 13 years old, charged towards Anderson and held up his arm after the match. Morgan got up and clotheslined Anderson, which apparently scared the teenager as he ran away. The scripted angle continued as planned once the intruder left the ring.

There was heat on Universal Studios security for allowing the teenager to reach the ring. The fan was told that he is prohibited from attending shows at The Impact! Zone.

On another note, there was a lot of joking backstage following the incident about how Morgan should have taken the kid out.

Raw Guest Hosting To Continue, “Superstars” Preview, More

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— Though no Raw guest hosts are currently scheduled, the WWE website announced that the concept will continue. The following statement was released:

Upcoming Raw guest hosts

From comedians to politicians to musical performers to professional athletes, Monday Night Raw’s guest hosts are some of past and present’s finest entertainers. The WWE Universe, therefore, can expect this trend to continue as more and more of the most popular celebrities are hopping aboard to serve as Raw special host.

Check back here as new Raw special guest hosts are announced, and be sure to tune in Monday nights when the biggest stars from all over the world have the opportunity to take over as Raw’s special guest host.

— Matches taking place on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:

* Chris Jericho vs. Yoshi Tatsu
* The Bella Twins vs. Maryse and Jillian
* JTG vs. Chavo Guerrero
* Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins vs. local competitors

— Rey Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage Match following last night’s SmackDown taping in Louisville, Kentucky. Meanwhile, Alberto Del Rio beat a local competitor in a dark match before NXT.

Major News on “Extreme” Makeover for TNA Hard Justice PPV

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(credit f4wonline.com)

At the end of tonight’s Impact taping for the 7/22 show, TNA announced the 8/8 Hard Justice PPV will be essentially a remake of the ECW One Night Stand shows from several years ago. Tommy Dreamer even referenced how the 2005 show was supposed to be the end, but Vince McMahon brought it back and ruined it. He got emotional, asking Dixie Carter to give them one last night and she consented, saying the former ECW guys will have full control of the PPV. Dreamer then promised people would see ECW as it should be seen and not what Vince McMahon turned it into.

Smackdown Spoilers With Exclusive Photo of Punk Unmasked

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Thanks to SEScoops reader and Sound Off listener Jeronimo Cárdenas for the results and photo:

-Dark match was Alberto Del Rio over some local wrestler before NXT.  Guy was good… not great, but looked good.

— The NXT battle royal was really confusing live, but the 450 at the end did the trick.   It’s amazing to witness live.

Smackdown opened with Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston going to a draw after Kane came out and destroyed both men.  He then cut a promo vowing to kill Jack Swagger later.

-Drew McIntyre def. Christian.

-CM Punk and the SES in the ring for a promo before Big Show interrupts.  Show brought out various ladders that didn’t accomodate his size, but then brought out a custom ladder specially made for his size.  SES attacked Show, but he eventually got rid of them and went after Punk.  It culminated with Big Show taking Punk to the top of the ladder and removing his mask!  See the photo below.

-Kelly Kelly and Chris Masters def. Layla and Trent Barretta.  Rosa Mendez came out and distracted Layla by jumping rope.

-Dolph Ziggler def. Matt Hardy.

-Jack Swagger brought out his “father” (SITE NOTE: played by former WCW star Bunkhouse Buck) with “evidence” that would clear him from Kane’s accusations.  It was just a bunch of silly photos with Swagger and his dad doing athletic contests during the  Memorial Day holida.  Kane came out and called BS, then attempted to chokeslam both men.  Swagger fought back and Rey Mysterio came out and attacked Swagger, leading to Kane chokeslamming Swagger’s dad while poor Jack watched from outside the ring.

-Best moments were the Christian-McIntyre match and the Big Show segment with CM Punk (Paul Wight was really over with the crowd.

Female Fan Targets John Cena After Raw Goes Off The Air

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(credit: prowrestling.net)

-Once Raw went off the air last night, John Cena and Randy Orton defeated Edge and Sheamus in the dark match.  Following the match, with the two babyfaces celebrating, a female fan hopped the barricade and got into the ring at John Cena.  Security quickly grabbed her, though she grabbed hold of the ropes, held on tight and it took several bodies to get her out.

-(SPOILER ALERT) TNA stars Tommy Dreamer and Brother Ray of Team 3D were responsible for leading all the wrestlers involved through a walkthrough of the “invasion” angle that closes out this Thursday’s Impact show.  There was a belief that Dreamer may have suffered some sort of knee injury during the angle, but we have not gotten confirmation of this as of yet.

Lisa Marie Varon Kayfabing Her Return To TNA Wrestling

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As seen at Victory Road, Madison Rayne lost the Women’s Knockout Championship to Angelina Love via disqualification due to outside interference from a person incognito in a motorcycle helmet. The mystery person was Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara), who recently agreed to return to TNA Wrestling. On Twitter, she has been kayfabing her return to the organization by writing various messages indicating she’s at home. In fact, she wrote late last night that she slept all day, thus explaining why she was unable to tweet much.

Further indicating that Varon has in fact rejoined TNA Wrestling, she opened a Facebook Fan Page last week in which lists herself as a TNA Knockout — and former WWE Diva.

“PWI 500” Winner Announced, Bischoff Comments On TV, More

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— “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles has been named Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “PWI 500” winner for 2010. He is the first TNA wrestler to top the annual chart, which is now in its twentieth year. To view the magazine’s cover, click here. The issues hits newsstands Aug. 3.

— On Facebook, Eric Bischoff commented on last night’s television tapings in Orlando, referencing creative writers Vince Russo and Matt Conway: “Just talked to Vince. Sounds live TV went well today. Next 4 months of TV is set up to be pretty exciting. Looking forward to it. Thanks again Vince and Matt for picking up my slack. Looking forward to next set of TV’s!”

Bischoff previously stated that he would not be attending this week’s tapings.

— Jeremy Borash announced during last night’s television tapings that TNA Wrestling will be offering VIP packages (meet and greet with TNA stars) for every pay-per-view event. (source: PWInsider.com)

Officials High On Diva, NXT Rookies Scheduled For SummerSlam

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(sources: www.f4wonline.com, PWInsider.com)

— WWE officials are said to be “very high” on Divas Champion Alicia Fox. Her sister, Christina Crawford, is currently training in developmental. She made her Florida Championship Wrestling debut at last Thursday’s live event in Tampa, competing in a Divas Bikini Contest.

— NXT Rookies from both seasons are scheduled to compete at SummerSlam.

— Following last night’s Raw, a match pitting Randy Orton against Edge and Sheamus began. Moments into the match, John Cena appeared, after being tended to backstage by medical personnel as a result of a cut suffered during the conclusion of Raw. Cena spent most of the match on the outside, but made the save for Orton to win the bout. A woman jumped the barricade after the match and began clinging to Cena’s leg, but was quickly escorted by security.

— WWE has a new DVD project in the works entitled Best of the High Flyers. This title is set to be released on Oct. 12.

— WWE developmental wrestler G-Rilla is now going under the name Brodus Clay. He recently formed a partnership with Donny Marlow, referring themselves as “The Colossal Connection.”

The Bella Twins’ Future In Doubt, PPV Buys For Over The Limit

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— With WWE’s Raw guest host concept seemingly on its last legs, one company source said “things don’t look good” for The Bella Twins.

Throughout the duration of the concept, the twin duo’s screen time would hinge on the guest host of the week as they are generally used on Raw as “arm pieces” rather than in a wrestling capacity. In recent weeks they have been largely relegated to WWE’s secondary show Superstars as a result of the concept being de-emphasized.

Florence Henderson, who wasn’t even announced in advance on Raw, was the last guest host scheduled, though that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the final one.

— WWE released a preliminary figure of 198,000 worldwide buys — including 115,000 from North America — for its Over the Limit pay-per-view in May. WWE dropped Judgment Day from it annual line-up and replaced it with Over the Limit this year. Last year’s event drew 228,000 total buys.

— Last week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.64 cable rating, 715,000 viewers. The midnight replay scored a 0.2, with 146,000 viewers.

Maryse Discusses Playboy, Superstars Preview, Raw Dark Match

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Playboy’s “Cyber Club” has published nude photographs of Maryse taken several years ago and are using her image to advertise the pictorial. This matter was brought to her attention, to which she remarked on Twitter:

“For all those asking constantly about Playboy, no I didn’t shoot recently and haven’t sign any deals w them, Playboy owns their copyrights. They own all the photos I did shoot with them, so they can use it for the next 100 years if they want and in any kind of form they want! I never worked for Playboy Cyber Club, they are parts of Playboy, that’s why they are releasing right now other photos!”

— Matches taped before Monday’s Raw broadcast for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America were Yoshi Tatsu vs. Chris Jericho and The Bella Twins vs. Maryse and Jillian.

— In a battle of NXT Rookies, Kaval beat Alex Riley in a dark match before Monday’s Raw broadcast. Riley cut a heel promo before the match.

Injury Updates On Divas, J.R. Comments On New WWE Intro

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— Melina is presently shaking off ring rust at WWE’s developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling. The multi-time WWE Women’s Champion is expected to make a return to the main roster “anytime.” Meanwhile, Beth Phoenix is roughly two months away from returning to the ring. She is recovering from ACL surgery. (source: PWInsider.com)

— As seen at the top of Monday’s Raw broadcast, WWE debuted a modified montage video. Among the changes were “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and Harley Race being added, but the most striking change was the removal of the voice of Jim Ross in favor of Raw announcer Michael Cole.

Concerning the modified video, Ross wrote on Twitter: “While @ gym got messages my voice was removed from Raw show open. If it matters, that’s news 2 me. Been nice 2 have been informed. Oh, well.”

— WWE’s DVD set chronicling the Elimination Chamber Match, Satan’s Prison- The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber, is officially released today. The trailer for the DVD can be viewed here.

Updated Card For WWE’s Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View

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Below is the updated card for WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view following this week’s episode of Raw. A new match has been added to the lineup as it was announced that Alicia Fox would be defending her Divas Championship against Eve.

Here is the updated card:

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jack Swagger

Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Randy Orton vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Mark Henry
(Winner earns right to challenge the WWE Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Big Show vs. Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
(Winner earns right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

Unified Tag Team Championship Match
The Hart Dynasty (c) vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso

WWE Women’s Championship Match
Layla (c) vs. Kelly Kelly

WWE Divas Championship Match
Alicia Fox (c) vs. Eve

Dixie Carter Holds Backstage Meeting With Talent in Orlando

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(credit f4wonline.com)

-TNA President Dixie Carter held a company meeting this afternoon prior to tonight’s Impact taping, but said nothing about any of the rumors swirling around Paul Heyman, Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff.  Rather, she told the wrestlers that they need to tighten up their ring work.  Lots of workers were said to be infuriated by this.

-Speaking of Hogan and Bischoff, neither are at the building tonight, nor are they expected to be there tomorrow.  Bischoff is said to be off at a biker rally while Hogan laying low may actually have more to do with the possibility of Paul Heyman coming in rather than his recent back surgery.  While there is still no deal between the two sides, negotiations are still very much active with the former head of ECW.

-Mick Foley is scheduled to return to TV at the Impact tapings this week.

*Spoiler* Former TNA Champion Returning At Impact Tapings

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(source: www.prowrestling.net)

Mick Foley is backstage at tonight’s iMPACT! television taping in Orlando, Florida and expected to appear on television this week.

The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion is expected to join the “ECW” faction.

Foley last appeared on TNA programming on the March 22, 2010 edition of iMPACT!. Foley lost to Jarrett in a No Disqualification Career vs. Career match set up by Eric Bischoff, forcing him to leave TNA (kayfabe).

Identity Of Mystery Person At Victory Road, Impact Rating, More

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(sources: PWInsider.com, Pro Wrestling Torch)

— As seen last night at Victory Road, Madison Rayne lost the Women’s Knockout Championship to Angelina Love via disqualification due to outside interference from a person incognito in a motorcycle helmet. The mystery person was Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara), who recently agreed to return to TNA Wrestling.

— Last Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! scored a 1.14 cable rating off of hours of 1.11 and 1.18. Viewership grew throughout the program, starting with a 1.07 quarter-hour rating in Q1 and ending with a 1.21 quarter-hour rating in Q8.

— Tomko is recovering from an ankle injury, which prohibited him from making his scheduled appearance at Saturday’s K&S Wrestlefest event in Carteret, New Jersey.

Jim Ross Blogs: Would Rock and Austin Work In a PG Era?

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted his latest BBQ blog HERE. Here are some excerpts:

“My long time friend and former business associate Paul Heyman has been Googled to oblivion the past few days as he has been the source of endless, sensationalistic, some planted, rumors regarding his alleged, pending return to pro wrestling. Does Paul really want a ‘future’ in wrestling? I will believe it when I see it but if Paul Heyman is back in the game and is in a role where he likes, the game will get more interesting.

Solomonster Says: In other news, grass is green and Matt Hardy still has a gut.  Of course any significant change made by TNA will make things more interesting.  Word is that negotiations are still ongoing between Heyman and Dixie Carter.

“What’s WWE’s top priority as it relates to Raw or Smackdown? Not to be Mel Gibson crazy here but you’ve got to be kidding. RAW was, is and always will be the WWE’s premier show. Smackdown will never outperform RAW and it will never be positioned over RAW. Even when Friday Night Smackdown went to MyNetworkTV it ended up being much to do about nothing. Trust me…I was a part of that ‘upgrade.'”

Solomonster Says: Ouch!  Bitter much?  But really, we’ve known for over a decade that Raw is Vince’s baby and Smackdown is the black sheep of the family.

“How do I think that the Rock and Stone Cold would have fared in the WWE’s PG environment? Both were talented enough to pull it off, without question, but it likely wouldn’t have been as much fun for either talent considering how their TV persona’s were crafted. “For all that want to see Stone Cold drink a ‘Near Beer’ give me a ‘heck, yeah!'”

Solomonster Says: Don’t forget all those Steveweisers Austin would also have to forgo in favor of Vitamin Water.

JR also gives his thoughts on the ROH talent roster, wrestler tattoos and whether he has one himself, Brock Lesnar’s next fight, and more.

Trish Stratus Resurfaces, LeBron James Compared To The nWo

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— Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday’s Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox game in Toronto, Ontario. To view an image of Stratus from Saturday, click here.

— A number of sports columnists are comparing LeBron James’ “decision” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat to Hulk Hogan’s infamous heel turn in 1996, feeling it was a page straight out of professional wrestling.

“LeBron’s announcement was the basketball equivalent of what Hulk Hogan did in 1996 at the WCW Bash at The Beach. The Hulkster turned on Randy Savage and joined Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form NWO,” ESPN.com columnist Adam Watson wrote. “And just as Hogan traded his red and yellow tights for black and white ones with lightning bolts, LeBron will don the flamed black and white jersey of the Heat.

“Unfortunately for the people of Ohio though, this isn’t fake.”

Here are a few links comparing the two – ESPN.com | Bill Simmons | Baltimore Sun | Worcester Telegram | Sports From The Korndog Stand

— Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia announced on her official website that she is now living a raw vegan lifestyle. The majority of her diet consists of raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs and fresh juices. She also noted she’s busy recording a new music album, which she hopes to release in the near future. You can read her latest blog post here.

— Today is former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms’ birthday, who turns 36 years old. He worked a match last night at the Brockton Fair in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Dave Batista Begins Training For Mixed Martial Arts

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Dave Batista took part in two-day training camp with Cesar Gracie last week in California, which was organized by Strikeforce. He worked out with former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and rolled with welterweight champion Nick Diaz at the Cesar Gracie gym in Lodi.

“He’s got a lot to learn but his strength alone is impressive,” Gracie told Sherdog.com. “Obviously he’s a beginner at jiu-jitsu but we can take a guy like that that’s already a strong athlete like that and teach him what to not get caught in.”

When asked when he thinks the former wrestling champion would be ready for a pro fight, Gracie said it would depend on who his opponent is.

“You’re talking about a guy who is very powerful, very strong and an extremely hard worker, and if he can put it all together he could be a very formidable force,” he said. “And he’s at the right camp for that… Our camp is known for bringing people with nothing and making them into something. We like to make champs.”

Update On Shane McMahon, Former WCW Star Hospitalized, More

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— Shane McMahon and Mickey Rourke are listed among the investors in International Sports Management, a Cheshire-based agency for cricket stars and golfers. (Article link)

— Former WCW performer “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton was hospitalized in Arkansas due to fluid around his heart. Stacy Cornette, wife of Jim Cornette, posted the following update on her Facebook account concerning Eaton’s health:

“Just got off the phone with Bobby. He is still in the hospital and will be there for a couple of days under observation an to run more tests. He says he’s doing fine now and that he had fluid build up around his heart and lungs but the doctors put him on medication and he seems to be getting better. Thank you everyone for your well wishes.”

— Shelly Martinez debuts for Perro Del Marat’s Lucha Expo event at the end of the month alongside Annie Social, a Northeast independent women’s wrestler. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Hogan & Bischoff Absent From Victory Road, Fans Turned Away

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(credit to PWInsider.com)

-Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were both absent from last night’s Victory Road PPV and were not in attendance in Orlando.  Bischoff did publicly say he would not be present at the event, nor will he be there this week at the Impact tapings.  He is reportedly spending time with his family.   As for the Hulkster, he recently underwent yet another back surgery, but no word on whether that was the sole reason for his absence.   He was mentioned on the air during the show.

-TNA turned away close to 100 fans from last night’s show at the Impact Zone.  Their normal capacity for the venue is right around 900.

-The company will be taping its next four weeks of TV tonight and tomorrow at Universal Studios.

Quick Results for TNA Victory Road PPV from Orlando

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Here is a rundown of results for tonight’s TNA “Victory Road” PPV from the Impact Zone in Orlando:

-Douglas Williams def. Brian Kendrick in an Ultimate X/Submission match for the X title

-Brother Ray def. Brother Devon and Jesse Neal in a 3-Way Match

-Angelina Love def. Madison Rayne via DQ due to interference by a mystery biker lady (Tara), per the rules for this match, the Knockouts title is now back with Love

-A.J. Style and Kazarian def. Samoa Joe and Rob Terry after Styles pinned Terry.  After the match, Joe laid out Desmond Wolfe (who had interfered earlier) with a muscle buster

-Hernandez def. Matt Morgan in a cage match

-Jay Lethal def. Ric Flair via submission with the Figure Four leglock

-Motor City Machine Guns def. Beer Money to capture the vacant TNA Tag Team titles after Chris Sabin pinned Robert Roode

-Kurt Angle def. Pope D’Angelo Dinero via submission with the ankle lock

-Rob Van Dam def. Jeff Hardy, Abyss and Mr. Anderson after RVD pinned Anderson to retain the TNA World Title

No real surprises (i.e. Paul Heyman).  Best match honors to Angle/Pope and the tag title contest.

Sound Off 116: HHH Has Secret Surgery, Baseball Player F***s It Up

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solomonster
Solomonster Sounds Off

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 116)

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Est. Runtime: 60 minutes

Solomonster talks about LeBron James as a great heel, Triple H’s secret surgery, John Cena shows attitude and more on Dixie Carter’s tweets and the desperate state of TNA. Listen now!

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Jarrett Teasing “Huge News”, Victory Road Rumor Killer, More

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— On Twitter, Jeff Jarrett is teasing a big announcement which will apparently be disclosed during tonight’s Victory Road pay-per-view broadcast. However, he made sure to note today that the announcement is “huge news” as opposed to a “big surprise.”

“Doing some more cardio thinking about the weeks and months to come. Very exciting.. I tweeted “huge news”, not “big surprise”…,” Jarrett wrote. “Most of the time surprises are a major letdown… Hints coming later…”

He has provided photos hinting the announcement – image one | image two |
image three

— As reported earlier, AJ Styles and Kazarian are being advertised to wrestle a mystery tag team at tonight’s Victory Road. There was a rumor going around that Christopher Daniels would be one of the opponents, but it is said to be untrue. (source: www.pwtorch.com)

— As seen two weeks ago on iMPACT!, Sarita turned heel by attacking tag partner Taylor Wilde following the former Women’s Knockout Champion’s loss to Madison Rayne, proclaiming she was sick of losing matches. The program is being continued on Xplosion as the two are advertised to face each other in a match on this week’s show. Though they are feuding on television, the former tag team partners appeared together at yesterday’s “Heatwave” wrestling convention in Carteret, New Jersey as they signed autographs and posed for photo-ops with fans.