TNA & Spike TV Meeting Today About A Monday Night Show
Hot of the heels of yesterday’s blockbuster news that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are now officially working with TNA Wrestling, there could be another industry-changing announcement brewing.
TNA Wrestling executives (including president Dixie Carter) were in New York City yesterday for Hulk Hogan’s Madison Square Garden press conference – but that’s not all they’re in town for.
SEScoops.com can confirm that TNA execs are meeting with Spike TV today in New York about moving TNA iMPACT! to Monday nights. From what we’re told, the show would air 8pm to 10pm, head-to-head with the first hour of WWE Raw.
We should have more on this story soon – possibly later today, so keep checking back for the latest.
TNA & Spike TV Meeting Today About A Monday Night Show
Hot of the heels of yesterday’s blockbuster news that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are now officially working with TNA Wrestling, there could be another industry-changing announcement brewing.
TNA Wrestling executives (including president Dixie Carter) were in New York City yesterday for Hulk Hogan’s Madison Square Garden press conference – but that’s not all they’re in town for.
SEScoops.com can confirm that TNA execs are meeting with Spike TV today in New York about moving TNA iMPACT! to Monday nights. From what we’re told, the show would air 8pm to 10pm, head-to-head with the first hour of WWE Raw.
We should have more on this story soon – possibly later today, so keep checking back for the latest.
Hulk Says Vince Wanted Him To Host MSG Raw on 11/16
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hoganwas a guest on the Howard Stern SiriusXM satellite radio show on Wednesday morning. There was
– Hogan confirmed what we reported earlier this year, that he had talks with WWE about facing John Cena at WrestleMania 25. The match never happened because Hogan pulled his back out while training.
– Hogan claims WWE CEO Vince McMahon contacted him recently about hosting an upcoming edition of WWE Raw. Ironically enough, Vince wanted Hogan to host WWE Raw on November 16th from Madison Square Garden – the location where Hogan held a press conference this week to announce he’s signed with TNA Wrestling.
– Hogan also claimed Vince McMahon wanted to begin the Hulk Hogan retirement tour, similar to what they did for Ric Flair last year. Hogan said he still feels he has plenty of gas left in the tank and doesn’t want to retire.
– Hulk said the main reason he signed with TNA Wrestling instead of going back to work for WWE is because Vince wanted to own the rights to the Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania names – which he wouldn’t do. He told Howard that Vince is probably not pleased with his decision to sign with TNA.
*Spoiler* Survivor Series World Hwt. Title Match Annoucned
Warning: The following contains *SPOILERS* for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:
At Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings, Chris Jericho defeated Kane to earn a spot in the Survivor Series World Heavyweight title match. Jericho joins the Big Show in what is now a triple threat match for the Undertaker’s title.
With that match in place, here’s the updated card:
WWE Title Triple Threat Match:
John Cena (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match
The Undertaker (c) vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho
The 23rd annual WWEÂ Survivor Series PPVtakes place on November 22nd from the the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Hulk On Larry King: TNA, His Son Wrestling?, Suicide, More
Hulk Hogan appeared on Larry King Live tonight on CNN to plug his new book, My Life Outside The Ring. The interview started off with Hulk explaining why he came out with the book now, saying that he wants to give people hope and show them that life is worth fighting for.
He says that he “crashed and burned†and his life as he knew it had changed when he walked into his house and it was completely empty. He says he prayed to be happy, and things changed instantly. He recounts the story where he came close to suicide but a friendly phone call from Layla Ali gave him hope. He talks about how he hardly knew her but she called to check on him because she saw how lost he was on the set of American Gladiators when he was served with the divorce papers. Larry got a quote from Ali who says she had no idea the shape he was in when she called her, but that the phone call was divine intervention.
He says they weren’t hiding anything on Hogan Knows Best, but rather were hoping that the show would bring them together. He says he has learned that life is beautiful, and he doesn’t retract anything in the book because it’s all the truth. Hulk briefly mentions that Linda is still with Charlie Hill, who went to school with his children.
Larry calls Hulk’s story “incredible†and says the book is sure to be a best-seller.
They show a clip of Nick Hogan on Brooke Knows Best talking about losing his mind in solitary confinement in jail. Hulk says Nick is a great kid and walks in the spirit of Christ. He says both Nick and Brooke are great kids, and what happened with Nick was an accident. Hulk’s lawyer says that Hulk has always wanted to take care of John Graziano, but they feel some people among John’s guardians have ulterior motives. He says Hulk is being sued because he co-owned the vehicle and allowed his son to drive it. He says Brooke is working on her career and doing great things.
Hulk says he’s handled all of the recent events in his life by going back to a place that was real, and that was back of inside himself to find the spirit of Christ. He says that he already possesses everything he needs to be happy inside him, and now he attracts positive things because he‘s realized that.
They show footage from Hulk Hogan’s press conference at Madison Square Garden today. They show a bunch of fans wearing their Hulkamania gear and that one guy with a huge Hulk Hogan tattoo on his back. Larry mentions that Hulk has signed with TNA, and asks if Hulk will get back in the ring. Hulk says he is going to contribute as much as he can in TNA and take the business to a whole new level. He says he’s going to test out his legs in the ring in Australia before he decides if he’ll get in the TNA ring or not.
On the subject of steroids, he says when he got in the business everyone was using them and it was the norm. He says around 1988-1990 people got educated on it and realized it wasn’t necessary.
Hulk says Nick Hogan is heading out to Rikishi’s wrestling school in north Hollywood in his spare time and is learning the ropes. He thinks Nick is curious about what attracted his dad to the wrestling business all those years and wants to get in shape.
To close off the segment, Hulk says he wants to do a reality show where they find the next Hulk Hogan, like American Idol for wrestling.
BREAKING: Ric Flair To TNA; Full Details On Plans for Flair & Hulk [FULL REPORT >>]
WWE's Upcoming Hulk Hogan DVD Release, New WWE Storyline
— TNA Wrestling’s signing of Hulk Hogan has instantly put World Wrestling Entertainment in a troubling dilemma as their three-disc DVD set on the wrestling legend, Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collector’s Series, is due for release mere weeks from now.
Whenever a former WWE star signs on with TNA, they instantly become persona non grata in the company. For instance, the WWE website removed both Mick Foley and Victoria’s profiles from its Alumni section shortly after their respective arrivals in TNA. Also, fan signs bearing the names of former WWE wrestlers in TNA are quickly confiscated by security and company personnel at live events. However, WWE has never dealt with having to release a major product on a performer employed to the competition before.
The DVD set, which features some of the rarest matches and moments from the WWE Hall of Famer’s career for the first time, is set for release three weeks from now. It is highly unlikely that the DVD set will be pulled considering production of the title has more than likely been finalized by now. Furthermore, WWE DVD titles often begin circulating weeks before their official street date, so the title should be due for shipment any day now — if it hasn’t already. As a result, WWE pretty much has no choice but to release the DVD set and promote it properly, otherwise they’ll cost themselves millions of dollars.
The cover of the DVD was recently released, and you can see it at the following link.
— Eve Torres’ angle with The Miz last night on Raw was not a one-time occurrence as it was actually the beginning of a long-term storyline WWE has planned for both parties. (source: www.f4wonline.com).
— WWE returns to the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 26th, 2010. Tickets go on sale December 5th, 2009 at 10 AM. Go to http://sportsentertainmentevents.tk or http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
Eric Bischoff's Past Comments Slamming TNA Wrestling
As noted this afternoon, Eric Bischoff is reportedly joining Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alongside the one and only Hulk Hogan. His apparent arrival in the organization comes as a bit of surprise considering he has been quite critical of the organization in recent years. Time and time again, the former Vice President of World Championship Wrestling has labeled the organization as a minor league operation and questioned its creative direction. More recently, Bischoff told The Sun this past February that him nor Hogan were interested in joining TNA.
“It’s a small organization that doesn’t have very much vision,” Bischoff said.
Likely targeting Vince Russo, Bischoff added he wouldn’t want to work with people in the creative process “that couldn’t get a job in WWE or shouldn’t have had a job in WCW.”
Bischoff continued: “There’s no vision for that company. They are people who have never been to the dance. They’ve never been a part, really, of any of the decision-making processes that led to the success of the industry. Some of them happen to have been working there while other people did it, but have never really done it for themselves. They just don’t have the feel for it. So that’s the reason we wouldn’t want to be there.”
To read the interview in its entirety, click here.
More on Hogan Signing with TNA, Bringing Bischoff Too?
Credit: PWInsider.com
For those who have asked whether Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff coming into the company means they are going to take the reigns of TNA, I am told, “absolutely not.” The signing is not a precursor to removing the current TNA creative team. Given Vince Russo’s past issues with Hogan, that is going to be extremely interesting to follow.
There are SpikeTV and TNA banners up at the Hogan press conference outside Madison Square Garden right now. Jimmy Hart is with Hogan as well. The signing was kept a secret to even the inner-most members of the TNA circle until today.
The press conference today featured Eric Bischoff introducing Hogan. Hogan talked about TNA and stated he was becoming a “partner” in the company and that he was feeling great and looking forward to being a part of the company. The conference left the impression Hogan may be involved as a personality, but not wrestling for the group.
TNA President Dixie Carter gave a short speech saying she was looking forward to working with Hogan and that while they have great ratings for a Thursday night, Hogan would be the “boost that TNA needed.” SpikeTV’s Kevin Kay was also in attendance and gave a brief statement about the network working with Hogan.
The Q&A session was said to mostly be fluff fan type questions, although one fan did ask Hogan whether working with Vince Russo would be an issue. Hogan responded that as long as Russo stayed in his place and didn’t cross him, there would be no issues. Hogan then said that if he did, Hogan would have to take care of it.
When the topic of Eric Bischoff came up, Hogan did not say Bischoff was working with him in TNA but noted they have other side projects they are working on.
Breaking News: Hulk Hogan Signs With TNA Wrestling
The details are still coming in, but I’ve received word that Hulk Hogan has signed a contract with TNA Wrestling and will announce the deal this afternoon at a press conference from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
A source who is at Madison Square Garden has informed us that TNA Wrestling president Dixie Carter as well as several top TNA executives are at MSG for the announcement. There are Spike TV & TNA Wrestling banners at the press conference – this is about to go down in a BIG way.
UPDATE: PWInsider.com is now reporting that Eric Bischoff will be joining Hulk Hogan in TNA as well.
More on this story as it develops … Keep checking back throughout the day.
What You Didn't See On Raw (Dark Matches, Live Notes)
Thanks to reader Dave M. for sending in this live report from last night’s WWE Raw:
Last night’s crowd was really hot and into everything all night long.
-The arena was about 90%-95% full.
-The new RAW opening premieres next week. They had the crowd stand and scream “HEY” every time it came on the screen with the cameras panning the crowd.
-During commercials, Chris Jericho was ripping on the fans and the city…he was hysterical.
-Jamie Noble sucked up to the fans before his squash by Sheamus.
-Surprisingly the guest hosts got a huge pop. When they drove into the arena, the first car almost hit a cameraman who was right by the ramp. He stumbled a bit backwards and almost fell.
-Vince & the WWE must love Buffalo. In the course of 12 months we had: 2 Monday Night Raws, 1 PPV and now they are bringing a house show back in 2 months on 12/27 @ 5pm.
-At one point they turned the lights out and all you saw was a sea of green DX glowsticks…..an awesome sight.
-When Eve was guest ring announcer she was sitting and shaking from either nerves or impatience.
-The crowd had no clue what Hornswoggle was given or what Lawler was saying to him.
-The Kofi/Jericho match was awesome to watch & everyone was into all the false finishes.
-The crowd was into the beatdown of the Big Show for the main event. Evan Bourne got some major mid-air time! He was really high up.
-Dark match main event featured DX, Cena & Kofi “Johnson” vs. Orton, Legacy & Big Show. Legacy left Randy right after Big Show was tossed over the top rope leaving Orton with the 4 faces. Each one gave him their finisher. After the match HHH got the mike and did the usual DX stuff with Kofi & Cena. Everything finished up just before 11:30pm. They hung around with the fans at ringside for a few minutes as Justin Roberts (the girls sitting next to me were “swooning” over him all night long and kept saying why doesn’t he do a male diva thing….it was funny!).
Biggest Pops:
-Cena
-DX
-Kofi beating Jericho and trashing Orton’s car
-Evan Bourne-Flying through the air
Biggest Heat:
-Big Show
-Orton
-Jericho
Personal note: The signs are nice and sometimes funny….but not to hold up the entire night so the people behind you can’t see! I wish they would make a few announcements asking people to only show them when they ask you to. It is very annoying. I noticed one guy towards the front rows who was annoying as hell with his sign. Finally some guy had enough and he got clocked because his oversized sign kept blocking the view.
WWE returns to Buffalo on 12/27 with tickets on sale this Saturday.
What You Didn’t See On Raw (Dark Matches, Live Notes)
Thanks to reader Dave M. for sending in this live report from last night’s WWE Raw:
Last night’s crowd was really hot and into everything all night long.
-The arena was about 90%-95% full.
-The new RAW opening premieres next week. They had the crowd stand and scream “HEY” every time it came on the screen with the cameras panning the crowd.
-During commercials, Chris Jericho was ripping on the fans and the city…he was hysterical.
-Jamie Noble sucked up to the fans before his squash by Sheamus.
-Surprisingly the guest hosts got a huge pop. When they drove into the arena, the first car almost hit a cameraman who was right by the ramp. He stumbled a bit backwards and almost fell.
-Vince & the WWE must love Buffalo. In the course of 12 months we had: 2 Monday Night Raws, 1 PPV and now they are bringing a house show back in 2 months on 12/27 @ 5pm.
-At one point they turned the lights out and all you saw was a sea of green DX glowsticks…..an awesome sight.
-When Eve was guest ring announcer she was sitting and shaking from either nerves or impatience.
-The crowd had no clue what Hornswoggle was given or what Lawler was saying to him.
-The Kofi/Jericho match was awesome to watch & everyone was into all the false finishes.
-The crowd was into the beatdown of the Big Show for the main event. Evan Bourne got some major mid-air time! He was really high up.
-Dark match main event featured DX, Cena & Kofi “Johnson” vs. Orton, Legacy & Big Show. Legacy left Randy right after Big Show was tossed over the top rope leaving Orton with the 4 faces. Each one gave him their finisher. After the match HHH got the mike and did the usual DX stuff with Kofi & Cena. Everything finished up just before 11:30pm. They hung around with the fans at ringside for a few minutes as Justin Roberts (the girls sitting next to me were “swooning” over him all night long and kept saying why doesn’t he do a male diva thing….it was funny!).
Biggest Pops:
-Cena
-DX
-Kofi beating Jericho and trashing Orton’s car
-Evan Bourne-Flying through the air
Biggest Heat:
-Big Show
-Orton
-Jericho
Personal note: The signs are nice and sometimes funny….but not to hold up the entire night so the people behind you can’t see! I wish they would make a few announcements asking people to only show them when they ask you to. It is very annoying. I noticed one guy towards the front rows who was annoying as hell with his sign. Finally some guy had enough and he got clocked because his oversized sign kept blocking the view.
WWE returns to Buffalo on 12/27 with tickets on sale this Saturday.
Hulk Hogan's Media Blitz – Complete Schedule Of Events
source: WrestlingFigs.com
Beginning today, Hulk Hogan embarks on a media tour promoting his new autobiography, My Life Outside the Ring. The WWE Hall of Famer will be appearing on Larry King Live tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CNN. You can also catch him tomorrow night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35 a.m. on NBC. He will also be doing both the The Howard Stern Show and Bubba the Love Sponge Show sometime this week as well.
Hulk Hogan will be holding a press conference this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in New York City and extended Question & Answer session for wrestling fans, in celebration of the release of his new book. The conference is being held at Madison Square Garden in the mall area (located at 7th Avenue & 32nd Street).
Here is his book signing schedule:
October 27th – HULK HOGAN book signing of My Life Outside the Ring @ Barnes & Noble – 555 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY starting @ 12:30 PM. Call 212-697-3048.
October 27th – HULK HOGAN book signing of My Life Outside the Ring @ Barnes & Noble – 600 Smith Haven Mall – Lake Grove, NY. starting @ 5 PM. Call 631-724-0341.
October 29th – HULK HOGAN will be signing copies of My Life Outside the Ring @ 7 PM @ Borders Books – 830 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL. Call 312-573-0564.
October 30th – HULK HOGAN will be signing copies of his book My Life Outside the Ring @ Barnes & Noble – Mall of America – 118 E. Broadway Suite 238, Bloomington, MN. @ 6 PM. Call 952-854-1455.
November 5th – HULK HOGAN will be signing copies of his book My Life Outside the Ring @ Barnes & Noble – The Grove @ Farmers Market – 189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA. @ 7 PM. Call 323-525-0270.
November 6th – HULK HOGAN will be book signing of My Life Outside the Ring – Book Soup – 8818 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA @ 7 PM. Call 310-659-3110 or 800-765-2665.
For more information on the book, click here.
WWE To Debut New Raw Opening, Superstars Rating & More
source: PWInsider.com
— Apparently, WWE no longer “wants to be loved” as they will be debuting a new opening video for Monday Night Raw next week.
Following Jamie Noble’s bout with Sheamus on last night’s show, Josh Matthews entered the ring to lead the crowd in screaming over and over. The ECW announcer said they were shooting footage of fans for a new Monday Night Raw opening video that will debut next week.
— Last week’s edition of WWE Superstars drew a 0.9 cable rating. The midnight replay did a 0.2 rating
— The WWE website has posted new photos of Michelle McCool.
Survivor Series Main Event, Next Week's Raw Hosts, Sheamus
— WWE has announced that rock legend and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon will be the guest hosts for next week’s WWE Raw from Worcester, Massachusetts.
— The 23rd annual WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view takes place on November 22nd from the the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. It was announced on Raw that new WWE champion John Cena will defend the gold against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at the event in a triple threat match.
— WWE newcomer Sheamus has been moved from ECW to the Raw roster. He defeated Jamie Noble in his impressive Raw debut.
Survivor Series Main Event, Next Week’s Raw Hosts, Sheamus
— WWE has announced that rock legend and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon will be the guest hosts for next week’s WWE Raw from Worcester, Massachusetts.
— The 23rd annual WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view takes place on November 22nd from the the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. It was announced on Raw that new WWE champion John Cena will defend the gold against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at the event in a triple threat match.
— WWE newcomer Sheamus has been moved from ECW to the Raw roster. He defeated Jamie Noble in his impressive Raw debut.
Triple H Talks About His Backstage Power, Retirement & More
In a recent interview with Powerslam Magazine, WWE star Triple H spoke at length about a number of topics, including the downside of WWE’s success, retirement, his backstage power, WWE’s young talent and more. It’s a great read and we’ve got the highlights below.
Triple H says he could walk away from WWE at any time, but still feels that he’s popular with the fans and the next generation of stars aren’t ready to step up. “I’ve always said that I won’t be one of those guys still wrestling at 50 or 60. I look at the business now from the other side and, if I was Vince McMahon, I’d know when to tell me to step away. Right now, the talent’s not there: there is no depth. But, yeah, I do think about retiring: wrestling isn’t the only thing in my life, like it was when I broke in. If my family asked me to give up wrestling tomorrow, I’d do it in a heartbeat for them, and I’d never look back.”
Hunter is often criticized for having too much power backstage as a member of the McMahon family, but he says the power doesn’t go to his head. “People say the power I have puts me in a position of dominance but, if I lost that power, I’d be quite happy,” he said. “It’s all about what benefits the business for me. …The critics I listen to are the ones I can hear when I walk into the arena. When people aren’t caring about me anymore, I’ll know.”
He acknowledged that one of the negative aspects of WWE’s incredible success is that aspiring wrestlers don’t really have many places to learn their craft. “When I was coming up, there were lots of places to work and learn your craft and, by the time you got called up to the WWE, you already had plenty of ability – whereas now, you achieve a bit of success and you come in before you’ve learned,” Hunter told boxing writer Danny Flexon in an interview for Powerslam Magazine. “There’s fewer places to send wrestlers where you can let them make mistakes. Guys used to say that WWE wouldn’t even look at you until you’ve had five years’ experience. But, now, we’re looking at guys who’ve had between six months and a year.”
Hunter was asked which younger wrestlers currently on the WWE roster he sees as having the most potential. “C.M. Punk is obviously already on his way to becoming a big star. Jack Swagger, I like. Sheamus. Evan Bourne is very good. Kofi Kingston,” Hunter said. “They are all moving up, but slowly, which is the right way.” He used the example of Steve Austin making himself a star at the 1996 King of the Ring and against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 to show how a good wrestler becomes a star. He said younger talent need to find a way to stand out.
At the end of the interview, Hunter singled out Sheamus as somebody with a ton of potential. “The closest (younger star) to me is probably Sheamus, because we always train together on the road. But I try to watch all the young guys’ matches and give them advice, if they want to hear it,” he said, almost if he had to defend himself for giving advice. “If they take advice to heart and really want to improve, them I am wanting to help. As for seeing some of myself in someone? That’s tough. Sheamus just the other day showed up at a show he didn’t have to be at. He does whatever he’s asked to do without complaining, he goes to every show and is always wanting to work: he does it all, goes above and beyond. That’s what I was like.”
Triple H Talks About His Backstage Power, Retirement & More
In a recent interview with Powerslam Magazine, WWE star Triple H spoke at length about a number of topics, including the downside of WWE’s success, retirement, his backstage power, WWE’s young talent and more. It’s a great read and we’ve got the highlights below.
Triple H says he could walk away from WWE at any time, but still feels that he’s popular with the fans and the next generation of stars aren’t ready to step up. “I’ve always said that I won’t be one of those guys still wrestling at 50 or 60. I look at the business now from the other side and, if I was Vince McMahon, I’d know when to tell me to step away. Right now, the talent’s not there: there is no depth. But, yeah, I do think about retiring: wrestling isn’t the only thing in my life, like it was when I broke in. If my family asked me to give up wrestling tomorrow, I’d do it in a heartbeat for them, and I’d never look back.”
Hunter is often criticized for having too much power backstage as a member of the McMahon family, but he says the power doesn’t go to his head. “People say the power I have puts me in a position of dominance but, if I lost that power, I’d be quite happy,” he said. “It’s all about what benefits the business for me. …The critics I listen to are the ones I can hear when I walk into the arena. When people aren’t caring about me anymore, I’ll know.”
He acknowledged that one of the negative aspects of WWE’s incredible success is that aspiring wrestlers don’t really have many places to learn their craft. “When I was coming up, there were lots of places to work and learn your craft and, by the time you got called up to the WWE, you already had plenty of ability – whereas now, you achieve a bit of success and you come in before you’ve learned,” Hunter told boxing writer Danny Flexon in an interview for Powerslam Magazine. “There’s fewer places to send wrestlers where you can let them make mistakes. Guys used to say that WWE wouldn’t even look at you until you’ve had five years’ experience. But, now, we’re looking at guys who’ve had between six months and a year.”
Hunter was asked which younger wrestlers currently on the WWE roster he sees as having the most potential. “C.M. Punk is obviously already on his way to becoming a big star. Jack Swagger, I like. Sheamus. Evan Bourne is very good. Kofi Kingston,” Hunter said. “They are all moving up, but slowly, which is the right way.” He used the example of Steve Austin making himself a star at the 1996 King of the Ring and against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 to show how a good wrestler becomes a star. He said younger talent need to find a way to stand out.
At the end of the interview, Hunter singled out Sheamus as somebody with a ton of potential. “The closest (younger star) to me is probably Sheamus, because we always train together on the road. But I try to watch all the young guys’ matches and give them advice, if they want to hear it,” he said, almost if he had to defend himself for giving advice. “If they take advice to heart and really want to improve, them I am wanting to help. As for seeing some of myself in someone? That’s tough. Sheamus just the other day showed up at a show he didn’t have to be at. He does whatever he’s asked to do without complaining, he goes to every show and is always wanting to work: he does it all, goes above and beyond. That’s what I was like.”
Brock Lesnar Pulls Out Of UFC 106 Title Fight Due To Illness
Source: Yahoo.com
UFC champion Brock Lesnar’s scheduled title defense against undefeated heavyweight contender Shane Carwin has been canceled. The fight had been scheduled for UFC 106 on November 21st but Lesnar has been battling an ongoing (undisclosed) illness.
UFC President Dana White told Yahoo! Sports, “He said he’s never been this sick in his life. He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”
White was quick to shoot down a rumoro that Lesnar has contracted swine flu, but didn’t go into detail on what the illness is.
Shane Carwin posted a message on his Twitter account this afternoon that the fight will now take place at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010.
Randy Orton's Next Feud, CM Punk Visits Sick Children & More
— WWE’s previously scheduled SmackDown & ECW live event on December 5, 2009 at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana has been changed to a tri-branded show. In perhaps an indication of things to come, the advertised main event is Randy Orton vs. Triple H.
— Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk took time out of his busy schedule to visit sick children at a Pittsburgh area hospital on Friday. “This is my second one this week, so I try to do it as often as I can,” says Phil Brooks about how often he gets to visit seriously ill children. “There is no better way to spend a day off.” To see the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review‘s video interview with the SmackDown Superstar, click here.
— The WWE website has posted new photos of Rosa Mendes.
Jim Ross Talks About WWE's Bragging Rights PPV
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts about last night’s WWE Bragging Rights Pay-Per-View. Here’s what JR had to say about the top matches:
The 14-man Raw vs. SmackDown Match: Chris Jericho will likely continue to be the most despised man in WWE which is apropos and befits his ample skills. The SD team winning the 7 man tag, as I mentioned, surprised me but not in a bad way. Fans can choose to nit pick any 7 man tag all they choose but with 14 bodies in one, one fall match these massive tags are tough to navigate. The follow up, or fall out as it were, should make for some potentially intriguing TV. For any one who may think that 14 athletes are going to get “equal time” in a bout such as this isn’t realistic. The things that were top line issues got the focus they seem to need/warrant. I thought the 7 man tag delivered as expected, again in a challenging format. A Jericho/Big Show vs. DX issue looms one would assume.
World Heavyweight Title Match: “Fatal 4 Ways can only have so many agendas and the biggest thing to come out of the World Title Match was the Batista-Mysterio issue which should make for some interesting Friday Night Smackdown. The big, disgruntled bully against the smaller underdog seems to be a dog that will hunt.”
Cena & Orton’s Iron Man Match: “I throughly enjoyed the 60 Minute Ironman Match and that was the match that I would have most loved to have participated in from an old school perspective. Cena and Orton rose to the occasion, in a physically demanding environment and told a magnificent story to bring the PPV to the close it needed. Loved the physicality and intensity as ‘going the hour’ is a challenging piece of business. Cena is unquestionably and obviously the ‘Face of WWE’ which is no revelation but was certainly reaffirmed Sunday night. Orton has raised his game to an extraordinary level and he’s still not nearly as good as he is going to be considering his age and what lies ahead for the third generation wrestler. That’s a scary thought.”
To read what JR said about Miz vs. Morrison, the Divas Match and get an update on his MRI results, visit JRsBarBQ.com.
Jim Ross Talks About WWE’s Bragging Rights PPV
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts about last night’s WWE Bragging Rights Pay-Per-View. Here’s what JR had to say about the top matches:
The 14-man Raw vs. SmackDown Match: Chris Jericho will likely continue to be the most despised man in WWE which is apropos and befits his ample skills. The SD team winning the 7 man tag, as I mentioned, surprised me but not in a bad way. Fans can choose to nit pick any 7 man tag all they choose but with 14 bodies in one, one fall match these massive tags are tough to navigate. The follow up, or fall out as it were, should make for some potentially intriguing TV. For any one who may think that 14 athletes are going to get “equal time” in a bout such as this isn’t realistic. The things that were top line issues got the focus they seem to need/warrant. I thought the 7 man tag delivered as expected, again in a challenging format. A Jericho/Big Show vs. DX issue looms one would assume.
World Heavyweight Title Match: “Fatal 4 Ways can only have so many agendas and the biggest thing to come out of the World Title Match was the Batista-Mysterio issue which should make for some interesting Friday Night Smackdown. The big, disgruntled bully against the smaller underdog seems to be a dog that will hunt.”
Cena & Orton’s Iron Man Match: “I throughly enjoyed the 60 Minute Ironman Match and that was the match that I would have most loved to have participated in from an old school perspective. Cena and Orton rose to the occasion, in a physically demanding environment and told a magnificent story to bring the PPV to the close it needed. Loved the physicality and intensity as ‘going the hour’ is a challenging piece of business. Cena is unquestionably and obviously the ‘Face of WWE’ which is no revelation but was certainly reaffirmed Sunday night. Orton has raised his game to an extraordinary level and he’s still not nearly as good as he is going to be considering his age and what lies ahead for the third generation wrestler. That’s a scary thought.”
To read what JR said about Miz vs. Morrison, the Divas Match and get an update on his MRI results, visit JRsBarBQ.com.
Cena Bleeding At Bragging Rights Causes Panic Backstage
During last night’s Iron Man match at Bragging Rights, a spot where John Cena got busted open caused a lot of commotion backstage.
The incident happened when Randy Orton hit Cena with a microphone and started Vince McMahon ordered Cena to be cleaned up immediately after seeing the blood. WWE’s John Laurinaitis along with trainers rushed to ringside to clean him up, as WWE currently has a very strict “no blood” policy as part of their TV-PG programming initiative.
With their first attempt, Cena wasn’t aware what they intended to do so played babyface and mounted offence against Randy Orton. The cut was finally glued shoot and cleaned up after the next fall.
Cena and Orton were scheduled to work among the crowd and WWE wanted to ensure there was no health issue with a bloody wrestler among fans. If it were to have happened, the issue would have been taken seriously by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and likely used as more ammuniton against Linda McMahon’s senate campaign.
As the blood was unplanned, WWE decided to stop the clock during the bout as it wasn’t known how long the clean up operation on Cena would take.
(Credit to PWInsider.com for some of the information used in this report)
Early Raw Preview, Lex Luger Speaks, Parks Unknown
— Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw takes from the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The special guest hosts are NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. The advertised dark match main event is John Cena, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Big Show in a six-man tag. For the first time in months, WWE has 4 weeks to build to the next Pay-Per-View instead of only 3.
— WWE’s website has added Lex Luger to the “Where Are They Now?” section. Luger says, “One of the things I do is try to get a positive message out there in the local schools and tell my story,†Luger said. “I also do a lot of faith-based speaking, sharing my story and testimony, to help show what God has done in my life and what he can do in others’ lives.” For more, visit WWE.com.
— The WWE website has a tongue-in-cheek article about superstars who have hailed from “parts unknown,” which you can read here.
Shawn Michaels To Wrestle For 2-3 More Years
Shawn Michaels has no plans of retiring any soon. The Heartbreak Kid is likely to continue wrestling on a regular basis for another 2-3 years and is not giving the impression that his retirement is imminent, according to prowrestling.net.
Michaels currently works a lighter schedule than most of the WWE roster (he doesn’t appear on all house show events) and that schedule may be scaled back even further in the next year or so.
It is believed that when the time does come for Michaels to call it quits, he will receive a spectacular sendoff similar to that of Ric Flair’s when he retired. Michaels has spent almost his entire career with WWE and is one of the few WWE superstars to never jump to WCW. He’s been one of Vince McMahon’s favorite performers for a long time and it’s possible his sendoff will be even bigger than Flair’s.