— SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced last night on Friday Night SmackDown that over the Memorial Day weekend, The Undertaker was found by his brother Kane “in a vegetative state,” following a vicious assault of unknown origins. The storyline sparked much curiosity regarding the health of The Undertaker as according to www.India-Server.com, thousands of wrestling fans are searching online to find out whether he has really died.
The website added: “Till now no official statement has been issued by the wrestler’s family or the World Wrestling Entertainment. The fans of Undertaker are praying for his well being.”
— Chris Jericho wrote on his Twitter account last night that he would be missing the evening’s house show in Asheville, North Carolina. While he didn’t give a reason for missing the event, he apologized for the no-show and promise to make it up to the people of Asheville in the future.
— Randy Orton is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Magazine, which you can view here.
Solomonster is back with thoughts on the supposed “youth movement” in WWE, Kane’s promo on Smackdown, the NXT finale and a rant on names for season 2, a new Raw guest host and THE MAILBAG!
— TNA has announced that the Victory Road pay-per-view event will take place on July 11. Meanwhile, Hard Justice will be held on Aug. 8. Both shows will take place at the Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida.
— Angelina Love is auctioning off a bikini worn on a fall 2008 episode of iMPACT! during the first ever “Beautiful People Beauty Pageant.” You can view the auction here, which ends today.
— You can follow TNA newcomer Rosie Lottalove on Twitter.com here.
— This past Wednesday, Velvet Sky turned 29 years old while AJ Styles turned 32.
— World Wrestling Council announced that former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James will compete at Aniversario 2010 — the promotion’s biggest event of the year. Previously announced names for Aniversario 2010 include Scott Steiner, AAA’s El Mesias, Shelton Benjamin, Tommy Dreamer, Katie Lea Burchill, Carlito, Primo and Tony Atlas.
Anniversary 2010, dedicated to Don Pedro ‘Huracan’ Castillo, will take place on Friday, July 9 at the Luis T. Diaz Coliseum in Aguadilla, on Saturday July 10 at the Coliseum Salvador Dijols of La Playa de Ponce, and on Sunday July 11 at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon. Visit <strongwww.superestrellaswwc.com for more information.
— Former WWE performers Charlie and Jackie Haas welcomed a baby boy this past week, Thomas Russell Haas II. Nicknamed after Charlie’s late brother Russ, Thomas was born Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., weighing 8 lbs, 14 oz.
— Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia and former TNA wrestler Christopher Daniels have been announced to appear at the San Diego Comic Con taking place July 22-24 at the San Diego Convention Center. More wrestling stars are expected to be added to the event in the coming weeks.
— WWE revealed Thursday that “rock icon” Rob Zombie will guest host the June 28 episode of Monday Night Raw taking place in Philadelphia. He will be on hand to promote the Rock Star Mayhem Tour beginning in July, as well as his new album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2.
— Preliminary estimates for WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view has the event doing 185,000 pay-per-view buys. Last year’s Backlash pay-per-view drew a reported 182,000 buys.
— WWE has modified the appearance of its official website, WWE.com. A Social Media section has been added to the site referencing verified talent profiles and brand pages on Twitter; official Facebook fan pages for every Superstar and Diva; and official WWE programming and video clips on YouTube.
– Jeff Hardy’s trial was scheduled to begin yesterday morning in Carthage, NC with Judge James M. Webb. No word yet on what happened in court.
– The feeling within TNA right now is that Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan won’t be leaving any time soon.
– Awesome Kong recently tried to trademark the Awesome Kong name so she could use it on the independent scene. Right now she’s using the Amazing Kong name until the issue is settled.
– Mr. Anderson’s recent babyface turn in TNA was a decision that was made just before the Sacrifice pay-per-view where he wrestled Jeff Hardy.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com Here are some highlights of what JR saida bout:
Edge Talking Retirement:Â “Interesting article in an Asheville, N.C. newspaper on Edge where he said he could see retiring in two years. I think many in Edge’s generation who have made big money, and he has, and have wisely saved and invested it, and I suspect that he has, will not hang around the business too long simply so that they can preserve what physical health that they can. Edge has had significant injuries in his illustrious career specifically his neck surgery and if asked, and I haven’t, I would advise him to call it a career sooner than later if he can financially afford it. Too many wrestlers have to stay longer than they need or should because of financial issues but I would be shocked if Edge even remotely comes close to that syndrome. Guys in Edge’s generation can easily take a look at previous generations of wrestlers to learn what NOT to do as it relates to their career and personal life style. Smart wrestles who work hard, get a break, and plan for their future by using a professionals help can often times comfortably retire from in ring wrestling by the time that they are in their 40’s.”
His WWE Status: “Emailers are congratulating me on my new ‘contract’ with WWE….I do not have a ‘contract’ but am a regular employee like many people who are not TV talents. That arrangement works just fine with me BTW. Plus, no one should feel badly that I’m not on weekly TV any longer. I don’t feel bad about it and neither should you. I feel confident that I will do selected, talent work with WWE in the future but just not on a weekly basis.”
Here’s a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
– There will be a major update on The Undertaker’s future after the injury he suffered last week. Much of the show will focus on the Undertaker’s situation.
-Â World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger vs. MVP.
-Â WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre.
-Â Rosa Mendes vs. Kelly Kelly.
-Â There will be a Battle Royal & the winner gets a World Heavyweight title shot.
ABC issued the following press release on 6/3 announcing that WWE superstar Chris Jericho will be the host of a new “high drama” game show this summer:
CHRIS JERICHO NAMED HOST OF “DOWNFALL,” THE HIGH STAKES AND HIGH DRAMA GAME SHOW PREMIERING JUNE 22 ON ABC
Courage and Smarts Play Against the Clock as Contestants Stand On the Edge of a High-Rise Building Trying to Win $1 Million + Prizes
Chris Jericho, a talented actor, television personality, radio host, rock star and WWE superstar wrestler, has been named as the Host of “Downfall.” The unique, high-stakes and adrenaline-pumping game show will put contestants on top of a 10-story building to see who has the focus and fearlessness to avoid his/her own ‘downfall’ — literally. Along the way, they’ll have the chance to win $1 million and a slew of incredible prizes, such as a pair of jet skis, a grand piano, a trip to Paris or a brand new car. The larger-than-life game show from FremantleMedia North America (“The Price Is Right,” “Family Feud,” “Let’s Make a Deal”) will premiere TUESDAY, JUNE 22 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.
Jericho has established himself as a multifaceted performer. Most recently he completed his first book, A Lion’s Tale: Around the World in Spandex, in which he chronicles, with a witty and humorous narrative, his rise in the wrestling business and the pitfalls of the industry. He made the cross-over to film with lead roles in the feature films “Android Apocalypse” and “Albino Farm.” He also appeared on stage before sold-out crowds and received standing ovations when he starred in the hilarious Norm Foster play, “Opening Night,” at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. In addition, Jericho has been invited to appear as a regular guest performer with legendary comedy troupe The Groundlings in the all-improv show, “Cookin’ with Gas.” On TV he starred in the comedy pilot “Ebaum’s World” for USA Network.
Jericho’s knack for comedy is obvious in his regular appearances on VH-1 and E!, lending his talent as a panelist or guest. He’s appeared on over a dozen shows, including G4TV’s “Attack of the Show” and “Filter”; E!’s “Biggest Celebrity Oops” and “Best Week Ever”; plus the “I Love the 70s, 80s and 90s” (and soon to be released 00s) series for VH1. Other recent guest appearances include “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Howard Stern Show,” “The Late, Late Show” and “Larry King Live.” Jericho also guest hosted “The Best Damn Sports Show Period,” “MadTV” and “Headbanger’s Ball” on MTV2.
Jericho began wrestling at age 19 and is considered one of the most popular wrestling champions in history. In 2001 he was the first-ever Undisputed Champion of the WWE and is the only performer to have held six different titles in the 44-year history of World Wrestling Entertainment.
For “Downfall,” the six-episode series will be played atop the roof of a downtown Los Angeles high-rise, where contestants will try to answer a series of trivia questions against the clock. Fabricated facsimiles of prizes will be placed on the largest conveyor belt ever seen on TV, with a pile of cash at the end ranging from $5,000 to $1 million. In each round, players will try to answer all the questions before their prizes and cash go over the edge, off the roof and crashing 100 feet to the street below. If the cash goes off the roof, the game is over and that player is eliminated. Each player also risks going over the side of the building — but in this case wearing a decelerator harness to soften the fall.
— In an interview with North Carolina’s Citizen Times newspaper, WWE RAW superstar Edge revealed that the injures he’s suffered in recent years have shortened his career and he doesn’t see himself wrestling more than two years. Edge said:
“I’m coming up on my 20th year, and I’ve definitely had some injuries that have shortened my career. That’s part of the reason I bought up here — we want to retire and listen to the wind in the trees, and we want to do it fairly soon. I may have two more years. With each injury, it’s harder and harder to come back.â€
– WWE NXT Season 2 rookie Michael McGillicutty, son of the legendary Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, posted a message on Twitter explaining why he decided not to use the Hennig family name:
“A lot of folks are asking about my “name”. Lets face it: Michael McGillicutty is the next generation of the WWE, the next World Champion…While on the other hand Joe Hennig was simply the son of Mr. Perfect…I will make a mark in the WWE & on NXT by MYSELF, not my name.”
Here are spoiler results for TNA iMPACT set to air tonight, courtesy of Tim Capture and Wrestlingnewsworld:
* Sting is out. He says not everything is as it seems. Coming from him it might seem ironic but there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors going on. He’s been in this place before where he needs to defend his reputation. He feels he doesn’t have to. He’ll reveal the meaning of his actions soon enough. He doesn’t know RVD that well and RVD doesn’t know him that well. RVD was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. When he takes the title from RVD the curtain will be pulled back and everyone exposed. The arena goes dark and footage of Sting’s recent action plays on the screen. Eric Bischoff comes out using a crutch with Miss Tessmacher. He has the spotlight put on Sting. He’s known Sting a long time and he thinks Sting’s trying to prove to people that he’s a superhero for so long he’s lost sight of the truth. It’s not about him, it’s about the company, not just one person. It’s about the action and tonight he’ll be in action. Samoa Joe sneaks in behind Sting and Bischoff announces him as Sting’s opponent. Joe attacks Sting but Matt Morgan runs down and attacks Joe. Sting and Morgan beat on Joe till RVD runs down for the save. Bischoff says this isn’t over and will continue later as a tag match. Samoa Joe & RVD vs. Sting & Matt Morgan. RVD gets on the mic and says hang on, every guy out here is in it for himself. He asks that the match be changed to a four way. Bischoff says he doesn’t have that authority, then Hogan’s music hits and out comes Hogan. He says RVD is the champ and that gives him some pull around here so you’ve got it brother, this match is a four way.
* Rosie Lottalove (new acquisition Mary Kate Duignan) vs. Roxxi. During the match, Madison Rayne runs down and gives Roxxi a belt shot while the ref isn’t looking. Rosie doesn’t like it and argues with Madison. During this Roxxi schoolgirls Rosie for the win. Afterwards JB interviews Rosie and asks what was going on. She says if Madison thinks she can take out all the ugly people one at a time she’s got another thing coming because she’s big, she’s bad, she’s beautiful and she’s got a whole lot of love for everybody. She lays a big kiss on JB and leaves.
*AJ Styles w/Ric Flair vs Kazarian vs Jay Lethal. Winner via quick roll up, Jay Lethal. The whole match AJ and Kazarian were arguing over who does cooler moves or what to do next to Lethal. Lethal got the win while they were arguing.
* Afterwards Flair gets in the ring and yells at AJ. He gave AJ the honor of being his protege and he gets beat by Jay Lethal? He tells him to go home and think about who he wants to be because right now he’s not in Ric’s good graces. He continues belittling AJ and telling him to go home and make a lifetime decision. On his way to the back Angle comes out and gets in AJ’s face. AJ yells some things at him and leaves. Angle heads to the ring. He gets a mic and says he came to show Kazarian the proper respect before he makes him his first victim. He likes to let his opponents know what he’s going to do to him. He plans to retain his belt and Kaz is #10 so at Slammiversary he’s his opponent. Flair asks if he realizes he just past by him? He says he wants his son Reid to be like Angle, the greatest amateur wrestler. Flair came to Angle for help and out of respect Angle did. But now they’re in Flair’s world and whatever Angle did as an amateur he’s done 10 times over. In wrestling he’s a god. He gives Hogan respect, he gives Sting respect and until Angle realizes that he gives him no respect. He tells Angle to leave. He says show him respect and leave before he takes his sport coat off. He says hang on and show me respect and let him show how a god acts. Angle holds the ropes open for Flair and then attacks Flair on the way out. Kaz tries to attack Angle but he tosses him out of the ring.
* Matt Morgan vs. Sting vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rob Van Dam. Hernandez showed up in the stands and distracted Morgan. Samoa Joe grabbed Morgan and gave him a Musclebuster. RVD then hit Joe with a top rope sidekick and then gave Morgan a 5 star frog splash for the win. Afterwards Joe and RVD had words and left.
Taped Wednesday:
*Chrisy Hemme in the ring. She brings out Mr. Anderson to talk Slammiversary. He was looking forward to coming out for a hard hitting interview, but he’s too distracted (he’s staring at her breasts). That doesn’t make him a chauvinist, that makes him an a–hole. Everybody in the crowd called him an a–hole but they’re hoping for a wardrobe malfunction so they’re a–holes too. He has a big announcement and that is that he saw Beer Money didn’t have opponents at Slammiversary and it’s not a party without Jeffrey Nero Hardy so it’s him and Jeff vs. Beer Money. Hardy comes out and says people wonder why he’s teaming with Anderson but Anderson is the funniest a–hole he’s ever met. Anderson says he’s an a–hole but he’s also a cheap a–hole so BYOB. Out comes Beer Money. Robert Roode says this is cute, TNA’s newest BFFs. Roode asks what either of them know about tag team wrestling? Sure, Hardy had a short run with his brother but his brother carried him the whole time. Tag team wrestling is about being a team, like a brotherhood. They’re not a team, they’re a moron and an a–hole. Roode asks why they think they can step in the ring with them? Anderson asks why Roode’s hair is always wet? And why does Storm always wear shades indoors? The only people who wear shades indoors are blind people and jackoffs. This leads to a brawl. Security keeps trying to break it up but it takes a while.
* JB says TNA management has said a match must happen right now so we get: Jeff Hardy vs. James Storm. Winner via Swanton Bomb, Jeff Hardy.
* Robert Roode vs. Mr Anderson. Winner via holding the ropes after sitting down during a sunset flip, Robert Roode. They need to do this as he’s no mere mortal but he’s MR. ANDERSON…ANDERSON. Afterwards, Anderson says any man can be beaten on any given day. He also says the only reason they can beat him is by under-handed tactics and tomfoolery.
* Desmond Wolfe & Orlando Jordan vs. Abyss w/Chelsea & Rob Terry. Winner via chokeslam from Terry to Jordan, Rob Terry & Abyss.
— Chris Jericho has been selected to host a new game show premiering this month on ABC.
Downfall will premiere on Tuesday, June 22 with the WWE star as the host, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ABC has ordered six episodes for the debuting series.
The series has contestants attempting to answer questions while standing on the roof of a Los Angeles high-rise building.
To read The Hollywood Reporter article, click here.
— CM Punk has an ongoing bet with WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel regarding the Stanley Cup Finals. The bet is that if Punk’s Chicago Blackhawks win, Chimel has to announce The Straight Edge Superstar as hailing “from the home of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago, Illinois.” However, should Chimel’s Philadelphia Flyers win, Punk has to cut a promo in Chicago stating “this city isn’t nearly as good as Philadelphia.”
— The May 21st edition of Friday Night SmackDown! drew a 1.7 broadcast rating. The program averaged 2.75 million viewers over the course of two hours.
— The woman who accused former WWE General Counsel head Jared Bartie of sexual harassment was Vice President of the company’s Sales/Marketing division. She too is no longer with WWE after allegedly being caught giving a oral sex to a man in talent brand management at the company’s Stamford headquarters during office hours. That man who was caught receiving oral sex, was also fired. He was said to be a favorite among many in WWE and was on the “fast track” for corporate advancement before the incident occurred.
— As reported earlier, Undertaker suffered a broken orbital bone, broken nose and a concussion after taking a seated senton from Rey Mysterio during a match taped last week for Friday Night SmackDown. It was not the first time in which he broke his orbital bone as he suffered the same injury while working a match with Mabel (a/k/a Viscera) in 1995. The injury forced him to don a grey mask for a few weeks while he recovered.
— This past weekend’s WWE shows drew above average attendance. Raw on 5/28 in New Orleans, LA drew 6,000 fans for a gate of $225,000. Raw on 5/29 in Monroe, LA did 4,600 and $130,000. The 5/30 show in Memphis, TN did 6,500 and $195,000. SmackDown on 5/29 in Las Cruces, NM drew 7,700 and $250,000. The following night’s show in Rio Rancho, NM drew 5,600 and $175,000.
— John Cena issued praise to one NXT Rookie in particular in a Twitter post yesterday. He wrote of Kaval, “After seeing profiles of nxt2. Keep an eye on kaval. I see somethin there.”
— Former WCW performer Vampiro was allegedly kidnapped Monday night while driving through the Mexican state of Michuacan in the middle of drug wars. He was reportedly held for 23 hours before being released.
— There has been talk of having Justin Gabriel team up with another babyface, possibly Matt Hardy. Many feel his talking ability is lacking and thus needs someone who can speak on his behalf.
— Matches advertised to take place on tonight’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:
* Christian vs. Chavo Guerrero
* Michelle McCool vs. Tiffany
* Gail Kim vs. Jillian
* Mark Henry vs. Primo
— It’s worth noting that Vince McMahon returned to television this past Monday night on Raw after informing WWE stockholders in April that he had no intention on returning to television.
McMahon said: “No, I don’t intend to be back in the ring. Then again, I never intend to be in the ring and somehow it happens. There are absolutely no plans whatsoever for me to get back in the ring right now. We are hopeful that won’t happen.”
— Due to scheduling conflicts, the SmackDown World Tour live event scheduled on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at the UTC McKenzie Arena has been postponed until Friday, January 14, 2011 at 7:30pm. All tickets purchased for the Saturday, July 10, 2010 live event at 7:30pm will be honored at the Friday, January 14, 2011 Raw World Tour live event.
— Two days before Over the Limit, Randy Orton dislocated his right shoulder while attempting a dunk in pick-up basketball game in St. Louis. This explains why he was favoring the shoulder at the house show in Cincinnati the night before the pay-per-view event.
Orton’s had problems with the shoulder for years as it’s the third time in which it’s been dislocated. He plans to focus on physical therapy before deciding on whether to have surgery. An injury angle was done on Monday’s Raw where Edge hurt Orton’s shoulder to take him out of the evening’s main event. Hence, if he’s not healthy enough to compete at Fatal 4-Way, WWE will have a storyline explanation.
— WWE has a few ideas in mind for Wade Barrett as there was talk of having the NXT winner team up with mentor Chris Jericho to go after the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. There has also been talk of having Barrett face R-Truth or Kofi Kingston for their respective titles.
— CM Punk was kept off the weekend house shows resting up minor injuries.
New Jersey’s Independent Wrestling Federation sent out the following press release on Wednesday announcing that WWE signed one of their wrestlers, “Fady The Arabian Bull”:
Fady the Arabian Bull signs with World Wrestling Entertainment in June 2010, and begins training at Florida Championship Wrestling in July 2010.
Chiseled out of pure granite, Fady The Arabian Bull has put everyone in the IWF on notice. When Fady enters the ring, he is like a runaway locomotive out to derail anyone and anything that stands in his way. He is one of the most powerful athlete’s to step foot inside an IWF ring. He enjoys using his size and strength to his advantage and is able to overpower opponents and manhandle them at will. This tough behemoth is not going to stop his path of destruction until he goes through the entire IWF roster. Proud of his Syrian heritage, he’s as indestructible as Superman, and it won’t be long before championship gold is around his waist.
Fady began training at IWF Wrestling School in August 2007 and graduated from the program in September 2009. Is the current IWF Heavyweight Champion.
– Monday’s episode of WWE RAW drew a 3.2 rating and averagaed 4,525,000 viewers. The show did hours of 3.11 and 3.32. (Credit: PWInsider.com)
– It’s expected that Wade Barrett will be joining the RAW brand.
– Speaking of Barrett, he and David Otunga were tending topics on Twitter last night.
– WWE sent out an alert yesterday reminding fans that this coming Monday’s RAW in Miami will begin at 7:30pm. Some tickets printed have a start time of 8:15pm but since it’s a three-hour RAW, the show is starting earlier.
– WWE officials have been going back and forth on the idea of having one or two Money in the Bank briefcase matches at July’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. There is also talk of putting CM Punk and a babyface in the World Heavyweight Title match against Jack Swagger, if he is still Champion then.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this entry, Ross talks about WWE NXT season 1 winner Wade Barrett, how Season 2 is shaping up, a new WWE video game concept and more.
Wade Barrett Winning NXT: “No surprise that Wade Barrett won NXT Tuesday night live in Dallas. Looked like about 10,000 in the AAC. Just as an interested bystander, I would like to see William Regal mentor Barrett at the outset. Something about that pairing that intrigues me. Barrett has the look of a young Billy Robinson one of t”he all time badass hookers who trained in Wigan and who once wrestled the legendary wrestler Jack Brisco all night in an Australian hotel room.Â
Season 2 of NXT: “I’m looking forward to season two of NXT and am anxious to see how many new ‘tweaks’ will be utilized. Strictly speaking as a fan I would love to see some of the ‘Tuf Enough’ elements utilized from time to time including the whole crew living in a dorm-like setting. ”
“Some of the names the NXT rookies have been anointed with are eye brow raisers like Curt Hennig’s son Joe is now going to be called McGillicutty. Help me with this one. I understand protecting one’s intellectual property but McGillicutty? Wasn’t that Lucille Arnez’ maiden name on ‘I Love Lucy?’ Bottom line is if the kid is any where close to his dad he can be called any thing he wants.”
“Kaval has unique skills and is hungry for success, that I know. If he doesn’t make it in WWE he should go to Hollywood and use those pipes of his in animated films. Being mentored however by Layla and Michelle McCool will be different.”
New WWE Video Game: “It looks like WWE has lined up a really cool, THQ video game for me to work on and that I will likely be broadcasting along side the King in the game where Legends compete with active Superstars. I’m not sure of the release date or the creative details, etc but the concept, as explained to me, was really cool. I hope to begin my voice overs in the next week or two. We’re burning daylight on this one and need to get rocking. I’m ready! ”
Describing Vince McMahon: “An emailer asked me to describe Vince McMahon in three words. So many words come to mind but to prevent from being moved from the pasture to the feedlot I will go with….”Very, Very, Rich.”
Thanks to Kerri P. and Wrestlingnewsworld for these SmackDown spoilers for Friday night:
* Teddy Long comes out to open the show. He says The Undertaker was found by Kane in a vegetative state over the weekend. Cue the opening video and the pyrotechnics.
* Druids come out signing and walking with a casket to the ring. Kane comes out and says The Undertaker is gone from WWE and he vows to find out who did this to his brother. He says he will hunt them down and make them pay.
* World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger vs. MVP. Swagger comes out wearing an Oklahoma University jersey. Swagger b. MVP with a roll-up. After the match, Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins attack MVP.
* Backstage, Vickie Guerrero asks Teddy Long who will replace The Undertaker in the main event match at WWE Fatal 4-Way. She suggests Dolph Ziggler. Long says there will be a battle royal tonight and the winner will replace him in the match.
* Kelly Kelly and Tiffany are shown backstage talking about how they hate Michelle McCool.
* CM Punk is shown adjusting his mask backstage. Kane storms in and asks him if the Straight Edge Society had anything to do with what happened to The Undertaker.
* A video is shown of last week recapping Drew McIntyre’s feud with Matt Hardy. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Intercontinental Championship is up now. Matt Hardy comes through the crowd and holds up a ticket before taking a seat at ringside. Matt Hardy gets involved and ends up taking a cheap shot from McIntyre. Hardy tries to retaliate and the distraction is enough for Kofi to hit SOS to get the pinfall and retain the title. Hardy finally jumps Drew after the match and escapes over the barricade. Security chases him off.
* Backstage, Rey Mysterio is shown. Kane comes in and asks him if he had anything to do with what happened to The Undertaker.
* A Tribute to the Troops video is shown.
* World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger out for a promo. He says OU gets no love in Dallas. He starts signing the Oklahoma Sooners fight song. He can barely be heard he’s drawing so much heat. Kane comes out and takes him out.
* Rosa Mendes vs. Kelly Kelly. Layla and Michelle McCool watch the match from the top of the ramp. Kelly Kelly won after hitting her finisher. A stare down ensues between Kelly Kelly and McCool & Layla.
* Backstage, Kane is shown yelling at Big Show.
* Battle royal for The Undertaker’s spot at WWE Fatal 4-Way. The match includes Rey Mysterio, Dolph Ziggler, MVP, JTG, Christian, Finlay, Drew McIntyre, The Dudebusters, Chris Masters, Chavo Guerrero, Curt Hawkins, Vance Archer, Luke Gallows, Kofi Kingston, Kane and pretty much everyone that isn’t a Diva. CM Punk and Serena are at ringside. Rey goes under the rope at Punk, Gallows goes under bottom at Mysterio. Punk leaves ringside. Dudebusters, JTG, Masters, Kofi, McINtyre, Ziggler, Christian, Chavo, MVP, Archer, Hawkins, Finlay, Gallows are all eliminated in that order. It comes down to Kane and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio wins the battle royal and the spot in the match.
– The winner of WWE’s first season of NXTwas Wade Barrett. Justin Gabriel was eliminated in round 1 of the eliminations on Tuesday night and it came down to Barrett and David Otunga. Barrett has earned a spot on the RAW or SmackDown rosters and a pay-per-view title match.
– The format of NXT season 2 will see the fans and the Pros both getting 50% of the votes that decide who stays and who goes each week. Season 2 begins next week on SyFy and will be shorter than the first season.
– Congratulations go out to former WWE copule Charlie and Jackie Haas, who are the proud parents of a new baby boy, Thomas Russell Haas II. Both “Russ” and Jackie are doing fine.
– SmackDown star CM Punk currently has a bet going with WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel regarding the NHL Stanley Cup.If the Chicago Blackhawks win, Chimel has to announce CM Punk as hailing from “the home of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago, IL.” and if the Philadelphia Flyers win the Cup, Punk has to cut a promo where he mentions that “this city is not nearly as good as Philadelphia.”
As announced tonight on the NXT finale, season 2 of the show will begin next Tuesday night on SyFy. Below are the Rookie and Pro pairings for the new season:
* Cody Rhodes and Husky Harris (Duke Rotundo). Rotundo is the son of former WWE star & current agent Mike “IRS” Rotundo. He has been in developmental since 2009 with his brother Bo, who is currently injured.
* John Morrison and Eli Cottonwood (Kip Christianson). Cottonwood stands over 7 feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds. He has been in developmental since 2009.
* MVP and Percy Watson (Chris McNeil). Percy has been in WWE developmental since 2009 and has teamed with former Rookie Darren Young as The South Beach Boys.
* Zack Ryder and Titus O’Neill (Thaddeus Bullard). Titus is a former Florida Gators defensive end and has been in developmental since 2009.
* Michelle McCool & Layla and Kaval (Brandon Silvestry). Kaval is the former TNA and Ring of Honor star Low Ki. Kaval recently recovered from an injury and has been signed to a WWE developmental deal since 2009. Kaval has held the TNA X Division Title twice, the ROH Title once and a number of other titles around the world. Layla and McCool are the first Pros to be Divas.
* Mark Henry and Lucky Cannon (Jon Emminger). Lucky Cannon is the former Johnny Prime and I don’t believe he’s been using the Lucky Cannon gimmick for long. They said on NXT that he was a former sheriff.
* Kofi Kingston and Michael McGillicutty (Joe Hennig). McGillicutty is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Curt Hennig. Up until last week, he was still using the Hennig name in developmental. Hennig has been with WWE since 2008 and has held the FCW Florida Heavyweight Title once and the FCW Tag Team Titles twice.
* The Miz and Alex Riley (Kevin Kiley). Riley has been with WWE since 2007 and is the current FCW Heavyweight Champion. He has worked several dark matches and live event matches for WWE over the years.
Here’s a look at the NXT Seaon 2 rookies’ profile pictures from the Florida Championship Wrestling website:
Warning: The following contains a *Spoiler* for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, it was announced that the Undertaker has withdrawn from the World Heavyweight title match at Fatal 4 Way. As reported here over the weekend, the Dead Man suffered a broken orbital bone during his match with Rey Mysterio on last week’s show.
On SmackDown, Rey Mysterio won a battle royal to earn the final spot in the World Heavyweight title match at Fatal 4 Way.
World Champion Jack Swagger will now defend his title against Big Show, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio in a Fatal 4 Way match.
