From: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Key people have already soured on Kizarny, who made his official WWE in-ring debut at last night's SmackDown taping. Kizarny has been added to the list of people John Laurinaitis has heat on for backing. Kizarny had matches with MVP at house shows over the weekend where MVP was booked to control the whole match and then do a fluke loss to keep his losing streak alive. It was described internally as the perfect example of having someone win and buried at the same time.

Labels: kizarny, MVP

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: The Sun

AS 2008 draws to a clean finish, let's look back on the people and events that provided the biggest impact on the wrestling, MMA and boxing industries over the last 12 months.

Keep in mind, the global economy is going to take its effect on available spending, which means pro-wrestling, the sweet science, and Mixed Martial Arts are all going to be in heavier competition with each other for the entertainment customer in 2009.

With wrestling, MMA, and boxing promotions all fighting over the ever-elusive pay per view, live gate, and merchandise piggy bank, it's time to realise that each industry has an effect on the other, at least for now.

So The Paulies are open to anyone who could or can influence a consumer's choice as to where to spend that available money.

The impact player Paulie award: Brock Lesnar

Nobody made an impact this year quite like my former "client" in WWE, the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

UFC president Dana White marketed Lesnar as the fake sport outsider coming into the very real world of ultimate fighting. The results of their marketing? Lesnar was the single biggest revenue-grossing attraction on pay-per-view this year.

Click HERE to read the rest of the Story

Labels: brock lesner, paul heyman

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

Ah yes, the final RAW of 2008, and they made sure we knew that all night long. I mean, how many times did Michael Cole say "it's the final RAW of 2008" last night? Seemed a little too much for my taste, but I guess they wanted to make sure that if you don't have a calender you know by next week that it will be a new year.

On to the big matches, the fatal-four was was pretty predictable, and I stated last week we would see JBL take it and move on to a match with John Cena at the Royal Rumble. We've seen the Cena-JBL feud a number of times, but they did have a great match in their last big PPV brawl, a NY parking lot brawl back at the Great American Bash.

Now of course there is a new twist to the feud with Shawn Michaels involved, and it will be intersting to see if he actually goes through with attacking Cena on behalf of JBL for his new "boss." I am not a huge fan of the Michaels-JBL storyline, but I will say that it is at least somehwat new, and has an interesting twist to it as HBK is going to do whatever he can for Layfield.

The other matches on the show had to do with the new Randy Orton group - "Legacy" and the members of that group, Sim Snuka, Cody Rhodes and Manu all had to wrestle single matches and win to stay as members of the group. Cool concept, and the only one to lose was Manu, who lost to ECW champ Matt Hardy, who now wrestles on all three shows just about every week.

Snuka beat Charlie Hass, who was dressed as his dad - the "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, and Rhodes beat C.M. Punk via count-out as William Regal got involved. They had a women's battle royale with Melina winning to move on to tak on Beth Phoenix at the Royal Rumble. This was okay, and those two should have a solid women's match. The RAW women's roster is way stronger than the SmackDown roster.

In a 10-man tag, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme & Kofi Kingston defeated Kane, Mike Knox, World Tag Team Champions The Miz and John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler. This was pretty strong from start to finish, but why do you bury Mike Knox, who was being built as a big heel that was going to take guys out each week? They could have had Miz or Ziggler suffer the loss and it wouldn't have been a big deal.

We also know that the Kelly Kelly "lover" was none other than Orton, who then did what Orton would likely do in real life, which was blow her off. I assume this will lead to a match in a few weeks with Orton and Kane? Otherwise, why else have the encounter in the first place?

This was a kind of all over the place show. From the huge 10-man tag to the main event which was kind of weird how it ended, this was a decent show, with a lot packed in for two hours. Here's to a better quality of RAW in 2009.

Labels: kelly kelly, legacy, randy orton, rey mysterio

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

WrestleMania Axxess: Thursday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 5th

Main Ring with Live Matches - Undertaker‘s Graveyard - Call-A-Match - Memorabilia Displays - Superstars’ Art Gallery - Kids Area - SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Gaming Area - Film a Superstar Entrance DVD Starring YOU - Championship Belts Display - Autographs - Get a photo with your favorite WWE Superstar - And much more!

Exclusive pre-sale to WrestleMania ticket holders on December 30th at 10:00 AM CT. Use Password: AXXESS

WrestleMania Axxess Tickets go on-sale to the public January 31st at 10:00 AM CT. Tickets: $25 - LIMITED V.I.P. Packages: $45

Multiple session times available. Tickets available at Reliant Stadium Box Office, all Texas Ticketmaster retail locations, www.ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at Ticketmaster Express 1-866-448-7849

Labels: wrestlemania 25

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

SmackDown Diva Maria posted a blog on the WWE Universe site responding to people criticizing her for not being a great wrestler. “I am not a person to respond to anger and cruelty but lately I have had such a hard time even getting on this site,” Maria said addressing the criticism. “Mind you I do not claim to be the greatest wrestler or the quickest learner. I work hard, I get in the ring, (and) I try and still can’t win. … Wrestling is hard. I love it and that is what keeps me going. I love what I do.” Maria added more on the negative comments. “If you want to be negative that is okay. I just can’t read your comments cause negativity breeds negativity. I refuse to get down on myself. I could lose a million times and mess up a thousand things and as long as I love being out there I continue to march on.”

Labels: maria

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

In case you haven’t noticed, Candice Michelle hasn’t wrestled on RAW in over a month. Her last in-ring appearance took place on 11/24 in a six-diva tag match. She’s made subsequent appearances since then, but nothing too important. It’s also interesting to note that she’s wrestled in a grand total of two singles matches on television since her return from injury at the start of September. It would appear that her push ended at the No Mercy pay-per-view following her loss to WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix. Since then, all of the focus has been taken off of her, and she’s only been used in a wrestling capacity as a throw-in for Diva tag matches.

Candice posted a blog on the WWE Universe site talking about her standing in the organization, and apparently hinting that she lost her passion somewhere along the way — which she has since found again.

“RAW has the new me to look forward to at the new year!” Candice wrote. “I have found that fire and passion again, and without that you’ve lost the fight even before it has begun!” She acknowledges her rough past year, but is looking forward to the new year so she can come back and become one of the top Divas again. “Everyone knows I’ve had a journey and even coming back has been a new chapter of learning for me!” Candice wrote. “I’ve gone back to my roots of having ‘faith.’ It’s hard to get over in the WWE but it’s even harder to get back over again!”

Labels: candice michelle

Posted by Matt Loede at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

TMZ reports that former WWE Diva Joanie “Chyna” Laurer was rushed to the hospital at 5AM yesterday morning after she had been celebrating her birthday with friends. Chyna was found passed out at her home in Southern California with cuts on her arms. She was taken to the hospital for a psych evaluation but her blood alcohol level was too high to test her. TMZ spoke with her at the hospital yesterday and she said, “All I really want right now is a hamburger.”

Apparently she mixed an entire bottle of prescription pills and vodka, adding to the belief that she may have attempted suicide. Chyna is currently being held at the same hospital pending a mental evaluation. Chyna’s manager, Mike Esterman has told those who asked that she will be checking into rehab once she is released from the hospital.

Labels: chyna

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

Batista has unfortunately suffered a torn hamstring. He is expected to miss several months and will be undergoing surgery shortly, according to several sources within the company. The Randy Orton punt kick to the head last week was the storyline reason for Batista's disappearance from the company.

Batista's hamstring began giving him problems during the most recent European tour and has worsened since. This would be Batista's third major muscle tear, as he's had previous tears to the lat muscles in his back as and his triceps in 2006. WWE isn't expecting Batista back until June at the earliest, with a worse case scenario being August.

Labels: batista

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

In a recent report, there was a list of 35 WWE legends slated to appear in the upcoming “Legends of Wrestlemania” video game. According to the list, Randy Savage and Mick Foley are being left off the game. Jeff Wilen of the JAWBreaker contacted THQ about it and rep Jaime Jensen e-mailed him back. Jensen said all rumored names for the game are considered speculation/Internet rumor. “Our announced roster at this point is as follows: Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock (and) Jimmy Hart. All other talent names floating around at this juncture are considered speculation/Internet rumor,” Jensen said. “We expect more names to be announced over the coming months. The total talent list will be around 40 Legends and managers.”

Labels: WWE Legends of WrestleMania

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:03 AM | Permalink | Comments

WWE Superstar Evan Bourne is recovering from his ankle injury well and is now walking a bit without wearing the protective boot he was given. Bourne has wrestled with his ankle feeling worse than it does now and he’s hoping to get back in the ring within the next month. Bourne is still doing daily therapy on the ankle. On a related note, Bourne is living in Tampa, FL so when he’s ready to start training at FCW, it’s right there. Bourne shares a home in Tampa with WWE’s Scotty Goldman and ROH’s Roderick Strong.

Labels: Evan Bourne

Posted by Matt Loede at 2:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

From: Wrestlescoop.com

The decision to give Jeff Hardy the WWE Championship belt took place during a creative team meeting two weeks before the pay-per-view match at Armageddon. Vince McMahon first brought up the idea, which caught most of the creative team by surprise.

Ever since Rob Van Dam’s drug possession arrest in July 2006 (who held two major title belts at the time) and all the drug related suspensions of September 2007, McMahon said they could never put a major title on someone who was at a high risk of being suspended because all of the creative team’s major storyline plans would have to be overhauled not to mention that it would set a bad example.

At the creative team meeting two weeks ago, Stephanie McMahon was the only one to challenge Vince’s idea of giving Jeff Hardy the WWE Championship, bringing up his own doctrine of a wrestler at a high risk of getting suspended receiving a major belt setting a bad example to the talent. Vince acknowledged the doctrine, but said in the short-term, his plan could work if Jeff handled the opportunity properly.

With WWE’s rule of publicly releasing names of talent who fail drug tests putting enough pressure on them as it is, strapping the title on Hardy isn’t going to make people say that they can fail a test with no punishment.

If somehow there is a relapse on Hardy’s part before his title run comes to an end, McMahon made it clear he’s immediately dropping the title as a failed drug test would of course mean the termination of their world champion because it’s would be Jeff’s third strike. McMahon said Hardy getting fired while champion would send the ultimate message to the locker room.

Labels: jeff hardy, Rob Van Dam

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

In light of Gene Snitsky's release from World Wrestling Entertainment this past Thursday, you could say that the company really gave up on pushing him as a money player over a year ago.

While Snitsky garnered a number of victories on episodes of Heat, house shows and dark matches (although, he did his fair share of jobbing as well), he had not garnered a pinfall victory on an episode of Raw in over a year. Snitsky's last pinfall victory on an episode of Raw took place on November 5, 2007 in a win over a local wrestler (former XPW & WSX wrestler Kid Kaos).

After serving for months virtually exclusively for Heat and seemingly at the end of his rope in the company (he lost to Umaga in about a minute in his last singles match in 2006 on Raw under his former look), officials gave him second chance and repackaged him under a new gimmick as a psychotic madman. Promos would begin to air on ECW on Sci Fi in early 2007, signaling Snitsky's renewed push in the organization. Snitsky would debut a bizarre fully-shaved look with dark yellow stained teeth soon after and enjoy a virtually loss-free run before returning to Raw following the 2007 WWE Draft. Snitsky's loss-free streak continued on Raw and he didn't suffer a pinfall loss until a whopping ten months into his push in a loss to Jeff Hardy on December 3, 2007.

Following his clean pinfall loss to Hardy, Snitsky's push in WWE was for all intents and purposes, over. Snitsky lost the majority of his television matches, but was usually put over on the Internet-based show WWE Heat in a half-hearted attempt to keep him as a monstrous threat. He actually did manage to garner at least one pinfall victory in 2008, which took place on the 3/25 edition ECW as he pinned Tommy Dreamer in a 24-Man Tag Team Match promoting the 24-Man Interpromotional Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Although, Snitsky was squashed by Batista in about a minute during the SmackDown portion of the show later that night. Following the match, Batista assaulted Snitsky with a steel chair.

As the months wore on, Snitsky was progessively used less and less on Raw, often going weeks at a time without wrestling on the show. By this point, Snitsky was primarily used to put over talent getting pushes of their own. It's interesting to note that in his two encounters with CM Punk, it took several minutes for Punk to finish off Snitsky (even when Punk was the World Heavyweight Champion), whereas in the case of Santino Marella, it only took him about 90 seconds in their one match.

If you're wondering why Snitsky received countless opportunities to get over (which most wrestlers don't receive) and managed to evade multiple talent purges despite the audience's repeated apathy towards him, it is because head honcho Vince McMahon was at one point a huge supporter of the yellow-toothed grappler, according to a November 2007 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. At the time of the report, Snitsky was in the midst of his seemingly never-ending push. Also, McMahon has a well known fetish for big, muscle-bound wrestlers, and there's not too many wrestlers out there larger than Snitsky. Despite Snitsky's huge physical stature, it would appear that McMahon eventually lost interest in trying to push him as a big player in WWE, hence his sporadic appearances and frequent losses on Raw in 2008.

Here is Snitsky's television record since his last pinfall victory on November 5, 2007 (not including Heat). In the seventeen television matches since his last pinfall victory on Raw, he only managed to get one pinfall victory on either of the three main shows.

11-26-07: Loss to Triple H and Jeff Hardy when Triple H pinned Umaga
12-03-07: Pinfall loss to Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy
01-07-08: Loss to Chris Jericho via disqualification when JBL hits Chris Jericho with the ring bell (2-on-1 Handicap Match)
01-14-08: Defeats Triple H via disqualification due to Triple H attacking him with a steel chair
01-21-08: Loss to Triple H after being thrown over the top rope (Over-the-Top Rope Gauntlet Match)
01-28-08: Pinfall loss to Triple H in tag match with Umaga vs. Triple H & Shawn Michaels
02-04-08: Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy in tag match with JBL & Umaga vs. Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho & Shawn Michaels
02-18-08: Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy(Money in the Bank Qualifying Match)
03-17-08: Loss to John Cena & Randy Orton via disqualification in match vs. "Entire Raw Roster"
03-24-08: Pinfall victory over Tommy Dreamer (24-Man Tag Team Match) (ECW)
03-28-08: Pinfall loss to Batista (SmackDown)
05-12-08: Pinfall loss to Mr. Kennedy
06-09-08: Defeats Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly when Umaga pins Rhodes
07-08-08: Pinfall loss to World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
09-08-08: Pinfall loss to Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella
10-20-08: Pinfall loss to Rey Mysterio
11-24-08: Pinfall loss to CM Punk (Intercontinental Championship Tournament Match)

Labels: gene snitsky

Posted by Matt Loede at 2:47 AM | Permalink | Comments

In an interview with the Peoria Star, Jerry "The King" Lawler said he's seen seen former WWE/WCW star Sid Vicious and he believes he's completely healed from his gruesome leg injury. "To me, he's better than ever," Lawler said. "He's the same Sid he was before the broken leg." Lawler added that he's heard talk of Sid returning to WWE and he'd like to see it happen. "He's completely healed, and there is some talk he might return to WWE," Lawler said. "He could come back and make a big splash."

Lawler also talked about the differences between working with Michael Cole and working with Jim Ross. "J.R. and I worked together for 15 years. He is great at what he does. He takes it so seriously," Lawler said. "Working with Michael Cole is easy, as well. Michael is a little more ... gosh, he might be a little more like me in the fact he's kind of laid back." Lawler added, "I always keep in mind, this isn't brain surgery, it's not life or death. It's wrestling."

Labels: jerry lawler, sid vicious

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:44 AM | Permalink | Comments

From: Slam Wrestling

WWE developmental performer Angela Fong is said to have the most potential at this stage of training of any WWE women's wrestler in a quite some time. Fong's athleticism is far and away above any of the women on the current roster, including the likes of Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix or former WWE Diva Trish Stratus, who were accomplished athletes before joining the wrestling business.

Although it should be noted that Fong is a former gymnast and cheerleader. Fong is said to be significantly better at the same stage of training as Gail Kim was, not to mention actually significantly better athletically that Kim even is now. With that being said, Fong is by no means close to ready for television matches in WWE, although she has started getting feet wet in Florida Championship Wrestling after starting out as a manager. Fong's pure athleticism is said to be on the level of the top Japanese women's wrestlers, and she does things like bridging out of pins and moves reminiscent of that style and era. Fong, now simply going under the name Miss Angela in FCW, tried out for the 2007 WWE Diva Search, but didn't make the final cut. WWE would later sign Fong to a developmental contract in February 2008.

Labels: angela fong, beth phoenix

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

Jim Ross is back with another blog update at jrsbarbq.com. Some of the highlights:

- I have read where some fans are uncomfortable with Jeff Hardy being the WWE Champion because of his past “strikes.” I have read where some fans feel that because Jeff won the WWE Title at one of the WWE’s perceived “secondary” pay per views that it is a tainted title win. Others have predicted that Jeff will be the proverbial “interim” champion and will be losing the title before new merchandise can be made and distributed.

How long will Jeff Hardy be at the top of the WWE mountain as the WWE Champion? I have no idea other than the obvious answer, ” until he loses it.” I choose to look at this as an adventure for the talented, young man and to vicariously travel with him on it.

- I am proud that the superstar formally known as “Cherry” is heading back to college and taking a sabbatical from the ring. I applaud this young lady’s decision as her education is vital in today’s world and if she chooses she can always resume her wrestling career. Wrestlers with no college degree or nothing to fall back on if things don’t work out for them in the business put themselves in a position to be paranoid and insecure more often than not which can’t be deemed any thing but unhealthy.

- Friday Night Smackdown is really in-ring, wrestling heavy this week which is a good thing from where I sit.

Labels: cherry, jeff hardy, jim ross

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE’s website has an interesting note on Sim Snuka, formerly known as Deuce, who debuted his new character on this week’s RAW broadcast. The note teases more additions to Randy Orton’s Legacy group by saying “Possibly even more troublesome, however, is the existence of even more Superstars with squared circle lineage. Who could possibly stand against this already fearsome group if they were to bring WWE Tag Team Champions Carlito and Primo or even the submission technician Natalya into the fold?” The article notes that we will be learning more about the intentions of Randy Orton and Snuka in the coming weeks on RAW.

Labels: legacy, randy orton, sim snuka

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

The decision to give the Tag Team Title win to John Morrison and The Miz at the WWE live event in Canada last weekend was made the previous week. WWE officials have decided to do what it takes to elevate Morrison and The Miz to main event status. This is why you will see them brag about the Tag Titles and their Slammy Awards. The feeling is that they’re in for a long reign as Champions.

Labels: Miz and John Morrison, slammy awards

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

Kofi Kingston explained how he went from working in a corporate office to wrestling for WWE during an interview with the UK Sun. “About three years ago I was working in a cubicle in corporate environment, knowing in my heart that it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. I was only doing it because everybody else was doing it. Then one day I decided to follow my dream instead.

“I started wrestling on the independent scene and they held a WWE tryout at my wrestling school with lots of the agents. I did very well and a few days later they called me and offered me a developmental deal in Deep South Wrestling in Atlanta – where I started just two weeks after getting the call.” To read the rest of the story, visit the thesun.co.uk.

Labels: kofi kingston

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE has started offering long-term contracts to several big stars with clauses strongly favoring the company. WWE has offered a five-year contract to Rey Mysterio and a ten-year contract to Randy Orton. The WWE contracts barely provide any way out for the wrestler, but are filled with out clauses that would let the company out of the deal. For example, if there is a three-year contract, WWE could break it at any time with just 90 days notice. Some top stars have enough leverage to broker better deals, but the company is still strict about protecting themselves with out clauses.

WWE would be protected if Mysterio suffered another injury or Orton had a serious meltdown and the company wanted out of the deals. In case of injury, WWE merely pays the downside guarantee, so there is incentive for wrestlers to continue working. WWE put the policy put in place in response to various wrestlers milking WCW’s guaranteed contract system. This leaves the wrestlers with very little leverage. Basically, if the wrestler is locked in for a long-term deal, the company can opt out at any time they please, so it’s basically a no-lose situation for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Labels: randy orton, rey mysterio

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

As noted earlier, Tyson Tomko returned to WWE this past Monday in a dark match before RAW, defeating Paul Burchill. The match was designed to help Tomko look better and get over with the RAW audience. Word is that when Vince McMahon got a good look at Tomko on Monday and what Vince believed to be his poor physical shape, Vince jumped on John Laurinaitis, who was a big proponent of bringing Tomko back to WWE.

A source reports that Tomko may already be done with WWE and may not make it back to the main roster. Tomko was expected to train at Florida Championship Wrestling until WWE was ready for him to come to the main roster. Tomko lives about an hour from FCW’s training facility but only showed up to train a few times.

Labels: tyson tomko

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

In recent months there has been speculation on who will play the lead role for the upcoming “Thor” movie, which is scheduled to be released in 2010. Speculation has centered on Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond in the latest “Bond” series of movies, and Triple H. This past week, Craig said he’s not interested in taking the role, saying “it doesn’t interest me at all.” The other potential candidate to take the lead role of Thor is Kevin McKidd, who was in the 2005 “Kingdom of Heaven” movie.

Director Kenneth Branagh said today, “There’s been lots of talk [about casting] — I sound like a politician — but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is early days.” It should be interesting to see if Vince McMahon allows Triple H to take time off from the road for several months to work on a non-WWE Studios film.

Labels: triple h

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

The following letter was sent by a fan looking to gain some sympathy for a friend who was removed for popping Batista the bird during Sunday's PPV. I agree with the company on this one, as it sounds like this guy and his group of idiots were causing trouble. Read below and vote for yourself.

WWE Fan Robbed of History
By: Derek Greser 11/15/08

This past Sunday at WWE Armageddon 2008, history was made. In a shocking conclusion to the event, Jeff Hardy captured the WWE Championship. This would mark the first time that the high-flying Superstar would capture what is considered to be crown jewel of the sports entertainment business. Any fan of the WWE and/or Jeff Hardy can tell you this has been a long time coming. The event emanated from HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY. The event marked the 2nd ever Pay-Per-View event in the city and venue's history, as well as its first major title change.

29-Year-Old Tom Griffith attended the event, and had front-row seats. Tom has been a 20-year tenaciously loyal fan of the WWE. I know Tom personally and I can say that without question, the WWE is one of the biggest passions in his life. Tom has attended over 25 live events in Buffalo, Toronto, Philadelphia and Rochester. He has purchased countless WWE DVD's and box-sets (many on their release date), video games, memorabilia, clothing, and roughly $7000 dollars on pay-per-view events.

Unfortunately for Tom, he was not able to witness history. Prior to the main event, Armageddon featured a mid-card bout between Batista and Randy Orton. Tom, an avid fan of Randy lead his friends in a raucous chorus of boos Batista's entrance. They even dared to direct a naughty hand gesture (The same that mega-star Stone Cold Steve Austin used on television for years) at the 300 plus lb. powerhouse dubbed "The Animal". Batista himself made eye contact with Tom and his friends, and got right in their face before ascending the ring apron. Due to the quality of Tom's seats, this was clearly visible to fans at home as well as in the arena.

Tom then received a signal from one of the cameramen working outside the ring. This WWE employee made the "slit the throat" gesture at Tom which universally means "cut it out". Tom nodded, and decided that he had expressed himself enough. Minutes later, approximately 8 imposing looking men dressed in gray suits asked if they could speak with Tom in the aisle. Tom obliged and was then walked out of the arena, concluding in the gray suits tearing his ticket up in front of him. The explanation Tom was given was "The person renting this building tonight has requested you be removed from it". Tom spent the rest of the event outside in the freezing rain waiting for his friends who were still inside to drive him home.

In the past, WWE has encouraged their fans to express themselves. Vince McMahon has encouraged fans to bring signs to their support, or anti-support of his performers. This leads to the question; why was Tom removed? He was not involved in an altercation with anyone performing at or attending the event. He was not publically intoxicated. The only possible reason Tom was removed is that the powers-that-be at WWE wanted to protect the image of their Superstar Batista, who is presented as a fan-favorite.

The right thing to do here is to refund Tom's ticket price. In the interest of fairness, this should be the very minimum. The best case scenario is to give Tom priority seating at the next WWE event at HSBC to make up for this obvious mistreatment of a great patron and fan. This article will be sent to World Wrestling Entertainment as well as HSBC Arena and Tickets.com. The ball is now the court of these companies. Will any of them step up to right this wrong?

I am asking for the support of the Pro-Wrestling community to please let Tom's story be heard. Let's protect the right to express ourselves as fans, and paying customers.

- Derek Greser

Labels: batista

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

Two night ago on the Armageddon pre-match report here on Let's Talk Wrestling, I said that I did not want to see them rush a match with Legacy vs John Cena and Batista. So what did we get on RAW last night? Legacy vs John Cena and Batista. And so it goes with the WWE.

The company just cannot stand to let things build, and instead of letting the fans wait for something, they instead rush things in the ring and out, and while the match with the five super stars was very good in my opinion, the ending with Batista being taken out with a Randy Orton kick was rather flat, and they ended the show with a rather weird scene of Cena over Batista with Orton looking on.

The rest of the show was okay, as there was the usual many recaps and then the awful and strange storyline with Kane and Kelly Kelly, which came out of nowhere, and really went nowhere. By the way, the wrestler at the end of the day that is going to be dating Kelly Kelly is going to be C.M. Punk, and that probably will come out during Punk's title shot vs William Regal, and then we'll see a Kane-Punk feud with Kelly Kelly in the middle.

Then we had the announcement by Stephanie McMahon about four matches next week to see who will face John Cena at the Royal Rumble. Then those winners of those four matches will go at it in a Fatal Four Way, which is kind of a cool way to decide the contender for the belt.

The matches will be:

Shawn Michaels vs Kane - Michaels goes over here
Rey Mysterio vs JBL - I like JBL here
Randy Orton vs Batista - Orton wins as they will play the Batista injury angle
C.M. Punk vs Chris Jericho - Y2J stays in the title picture

So that would put us with a match of Michaels, JBL, Orton and Jericho. Now while I am purley throwing this out there, I can see JBL winning, as he'll have Michales take out Jericho and then he'll find a way to beat Orton as Batista comes back for revenge vs Randy. Just a guess, but kind of makes sense as to where they are going.

The rest of the show was mostly filler, with Dolph Ziggler winning vs Santa Claas (Charlie Haas), Miz and Morrison beating Punk and Kingston to keep the belts (then Kane laid out Miz, thinking he was the boyfriend), Mysterio beating Sim (I'm not "Deuce" anymore) Snuka.

Speaking of which, what a weird way to change your name from "Deuce" to the son of Jimmy Snuka. Can you see a hook-up with Legacy coming as well for Sim?

Labels: batista, john cena, kane, kelly kelly, legacy, randy orton, RAW, sim snuka

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

Join Matt Loede and John Sefick from Let’s Talk Wrestling for the Let’s Talk Wrestling Armageddon Post Match Show. The two take you through the card with the matches, the title changes, and talk about the upcoming storylines and different things going on in the WWE. Click below to hear Matt and John break down the card and talk about what’s ahead for the WWE on this very special podcast.

Labels: 2008 armaggedon

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

Join Matt Loede and John Sefcik from Let's Talk Wrestling for the Let's Talk Wrestling Armageddon Pre-Match show. The pair break down the 6-match card taking place in Buffalo, give their predictions, give their views on the show as well as the upcoming storylines in and around the WWE. Click below and listen to the show as Matt and John break down Armageddon!

Labels: 2008 armaggedon, john sefcik, matt loede

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

Check out The Camel Clutch as this week on their Pro Wrestling Radio show they will have former WWF Champion Bruno Sammartino on as a guest. The info on the show is at www.prowrestlingradio.com and the show airs live online and they will take calls as well - check it out!

Labels: prowrestlingradio.com, thecamelclutchblog.com

Posted by Matt Loede at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: PWInsider

The word going around among several talents within WWE over the last 24 hours is that former Women's champ Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) is planning to retire shortly and would be departing WWE as a performer. I heard a rumor over Survivor Series weekend that she had given notice to management but was unable to confirm it at that time.

Victoria has been with the company since 2002 after going through WWE then-developmental companies Memphis and Ohio Valley Wrestling. After making a cameo appearance as a Godfather Ho that later was involved in a vignette with Eddie Guerrero during his run as Chyna's love interest, Victoria was introduced as a full fledged character to feud with then top Diva Trish Stratus.

The back story at the time was that Victoria she felt Stratus had betrayed her back when both were fitness models and she had come for revenge. Both were fitness models and probably did cross paths during competitions prior to become wrestlers. Victoria broke into the business, originally training at Rick Bassman's UPW school in California.

Victoria has had a long run with the company where she was linked on-air with different partners, including Molly Holly, Stevie Richards, Kenny Dykstra and most recently Natalya Neidhart. She and Neidhart had been feuding with the Bella Twins on Smackdown in a storyline designed to introduce the Twins to viewers. Despite being a ring general, Victoria's role in recent years has more or less been to be the older veteran who worked with younger, greener babyface talent that were getting pushed.

If the retirement story is correct, Victoria would be the last of the Divas who had rebuilt the WWE Women's division in the early part of the decade into something was more than a T&A diversion as Ivory, Stratus, Molly Holly, Jazz and Lita have pretty much retired from the business in recent years, being replaced by a generation of talent mostly cultivated by the company's Diva Search era (although there are exceptions to that rule, such as Mickie James and Neidhart).

Victoria had two runs with the WWE Women's championship, defeating Stratus in a Hardcore Match in New York City at the 2002 Survivor Series before dropping the belt back to Stratus at Wrestlemania XIX in Seattle in March 2003. Victoria regained the belt in February 2004, winning a Four Way match against Lita, Holly and Jazz. She held the title for four months before dropping it during another Four Way at the 20054 Bad Blood PPV, with Stratus again regaining it.

Victoria has been very involved in opening outside projects in the Louisville area where she lives, including most recently a custom body shop for cars and previously a pizzeria named after her Uncle.

We'll have an update as it's available.

Labels: victoria

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments

Sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Regarding the recent firing of Bruce Prichard, it was ultimately as a result of a behavioral incident on the road. Stephanie McMahon made the call to let him go, which Vince didn't overrule. Prichard's firing wasn't as a result of cost-cutting deal or a drug issue, although some in creative believe they are better off without Prichard because he was always trying to nix pre-taped segments so he'd have less work to do. A number of people believe he'll be brought back to the company at some point, but with less power and no involvement with creative.

Labels: Bruce Prichard, stephanie McMahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

As reported recently, Raw wrestler Ted DiBiase, Jr. has been filming scenes for WWE's next straight-to-DVD movie, The Marine 2. The film is scheduled to be released sometime in 2010. WWE CEO Linda McMahon said at today's UBS Conference in New York City that filming is taking place in Thailand. McMahon did not say when DiBiase will return to television after filming has completed. McMahon also noted the first Marine movie, starring John Cena, as the company's most successful film to date. You can listen to the conference at the following link.

Labels: Ted DiBiase Jr, the marine 2

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

For people wondering about MVP's losing streak (now at 19 consecutive losses on television), he was told it was being done because the company is mad about giving guys such as Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley huge pushes only to see them leave. The word going around is that they're doing this to MVP now not as a booking reprisal, but as a way to make sure he's willing to stick out for the long haul. MVP feels this is the real reason for the losing streak, apparently not realizing everyone else they are high on and grooming for the future also don't have losing streak storylines.

Labels: MVP

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: 2008 Tribute to the Troops

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

ECW's offering on Tuesday night was, per usual, nothing special, but we did get a few interesting things out of it. First off, sounds like Tommy Dreamer is in someone's dog house backstage for talking about TNA on his recent blog entry. Dreamer talked about watching and liking the TNA product, a big "no-no" in the WWE. Seems like he paid for it with a quick opening beating from Vladimir Kozlov and then Jack Swagger.

The funny part is we never really heard why the beating took place, or what may come of it.

As for the announcement of Kozlov vs Matt Hardy for the ECW Title at the PPV Sunday, seems like a total rushed deal to me, but that's what we have come to expect at ECW. They have tired as hard as they can with Kozlov, but at the end of the day they will come to find out he's nothing special, and he's a waste of time. We'll see if Hardy can get something good of him Sunday night.

The tag match with Miz and Morrison vs Kung Fu Naki and Jimmy Wang Yang was not a bad match, but I again have to question the long-term focus of Miz and Morrison. Too often they break up tag teams too fast, but this team needs to be broken up just so we can see what is going on with them as single wrestlers. At least this was an entertaining match to watch.

You gotta love WWE.com, which states the following about the Boogeyman match: "Boogeyman def. local competitor - After making quick work of a local athlete, Boogeyman added insult to injury by “worming” the poor competitor. Who is next to suffer the same, slimy fate?"

Just who is this mysterious "local competitor," and will we see him again? I guess only the WWE knows.

As for the main event, I could have done without it. You of course don't need to have a PHD to figure out that Mark Henry is eventually going to turn on the much older (yet in better shape than Henry) Tony Atlas. I for one don't care if I ever see Finlay Hornswoggle again in a ring together, but the company seems to think it's something we want to see.

Hopefully they will get the hint. Oh, and as for Henry and Atlas winning. Does anyone really care? And so goes another week of ECW.

Labels: boogeyman, ecw, hornswoggle, mark henry

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

WWE will be releasing a new book on Tuesday called Showdowns: The 20 Greatest Wrestling Rivalries of the Last Two Decades. As the title says, the book looks at the greatest wrestling rivalries from the last two decades. Among the rivalries profiled include Rock vs. Austin, Hogan vs. Savage, the Monday Night Wars, and Austin vs. McMahon.

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Word is coming in about a major backstage altercation that took place while the WWE crew was overseas in Iraq for Tribute to the Troops. Former ECW personality and WWE.com writer Joey Styles punched out former WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield, busting him open under the eye.

JBL is one of the senior members of the WWE locker room and has a reputation for being somewhat of a bully. According to several sources, JBL picked out Joey Styles to be the target of his hazing during the Iraq tour. JBL was messing with Styles all week, including calling him condescending names in front of other WWE employees and spilling a drink on him intentionally.

After a few days of abuse, Joey Styles had enough abuse and confronted JBL, who had been drinking at the time. The altercation turned physical and Styles dropped JBL with a punch to the face. Several wrestlers had to step in and break it up.

At last night’s RAW tapings, JBL was unusually quiet while Styles tried to play down the incident and did not want to talk about it. While some companies would fire an employee for an incident like this, there are actually some people within the company that feel Styles standing up for himself might actually score him some points with Vince McMahon.

Labels: jbl, joey styles

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool has a new blog on the WWE Universe site. Once again, she makes note of people saying and writing negative things about her.

“It’s not easy to filter out all the negative things people say and/or write about you,” McCool wrote. “It’s not easy to go down the road less traveled. It’s not easy to always be yourself.”

She also defended herself against people who criticize her in-ring work, saying she’s done everything possible to improve, not to mention that she’s worked very hard to be given the championship opportunity by WWE.

“I love how people so quickly forget that I have been here four years and worked my butt off every single day…pitching storylines, training at DSW, working in the ring, doing appearances, etc.,” McCool said. “Not just that, but in case you forgot - I’m certainly not the only ‘diva search reject’ under contract right now.”

In case you haven’t noticed, McCool doesn’t use the “Wings of Love” finishing maneuver anymore, which is a double underhook facebuster similar to TNA star Awesome Kong’s finisher. According to McCool, she’s not allowed to use the move anymore.

“I haven’t used it in quite some time now, but that’s not by choice,” she said. “Truth is, I’m not allowed to use it anymore. Apparently, it was too devastating for us girls! Seriously.”

However, she has plans to introduce a new finishing maneuver soon.

“The only good thing about that is that I debuted a new one on Maryse this weekend and believe me, I think you’ll be impressed,” McCool said. “I have to keep it under wraps for now until I use it on TV. Hopefully, it’s not too rough for us girls.”

Labels: michelle mccool

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: 2008 armaggedon

Posted by Matt Loede at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

In the new issue of WWE Magazine, the cover article is an interview with John Cena. Highlights from the article:

His Secret Return at the Royal Rumble: “I was hidden away in the back of a car and then 45 minutes after the show started, I was briskly brought to a secret room in Madison Square Garden. Nobody knew I was there and nobody knew what was going to happen…I came out a minute before no. 30 was called. Everyone backstage had 60 seconds to react.”

The Spinner Belt: “Believe it or not, that belt has had minute changes over the the years, and I’m actually flattered that it’s now considered the WWE Championship. I thought for sure that once it went to Smackdown, it would see a redesign. I like the fact that the ECW Championship has changed; I think it adds flavor to it. It’s weird, the one trophy that tradition says you can’t touch is the World Heavyweight Championship, but it is what it is.”

CM Punk’s World title run: “I didn’t know much about him and he’s not the first number on my friends list but I was thoroughly impressed by how he handled it. I think the great thing about Punk is that he listens to everybody, whether it’s a vet or a rookie, some weird guy posting on the Internet, a paying customer or a six-year old who’s hero is John Cena.”

Most Underrated Talent in WWE: “William Regal. Not only is he smooth as silk in the ring, he’s one of the most entertaining characters I’ve ever seen on TV.”

Cena also noted he recently recorded a hop hop track with Snoop Dogg titled “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” and would like to do a 10 song online album with Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound.

Labels: c.m. punk, john cena, william regal

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

Former WWE Superstar Big Daddy V blamed his doctor for costing him his job with WWE during an interview with Phil Strum of the Poughkeepsie Journal. “Actually, the way I got released from the company this last time, it was a blessing in disguise,” V told PojoSlam.

“My doctor really got me fired. The very next day, Hollywood called me. Now, I’m focusing on one thing. My ultimate dream was to become an actor.

“I’m going to concentrate on that for at least another couple of years before I go back to WWE. Of course, I’ll go back. You know what I mean? That’s my home. I’ll go back eventually.”

Labels: big daddy V

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

The January 2009 theme for WWE Classics on Demand will be “Ring Royalty” with both regal characters and the annual Royal Rumble event being covered. The WWE Hall of Fame profile will be Jerry Lawler. The Video on Demand channel will feature the 1995 (Rumble plus Diesel vs. Bret Hart) and 1998 (Rumble with Vince McMahon and Steve Austin plus Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels featuring the back injury that sidelined Michaels for years) Royal Rumble PPVs, the 1997 King of the Ring PPV (Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels, plus Triple H’s tournament win), Raw and Nitro episodes, a January 1990 Saturday Night’s Main event featuring Hacksaw Duggan vs. Randy Savage for the crown, plus segments featuring Lord Alfred Hayes, Harley Race, Lord Steven Regal, Prince Iaukea, and the 1989 run of “Macho King” Randy Savage and “Queen” Sherri hosted by Kofi Kingston.

Labels: royal rumble, steve austin

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

An anonymous person who recently worked inside WWE’s writers room as an intern assistant and got to sit in during a few creative team meetings had some things to saying regarding his experience observing the McMahons at work. The person really put over Stephanie in particular. Here are his comments regarding Stephanie, Vince and Shane:

On Stephanie: “The woman is so passionate and hard working I have no idea how she keeps up. Despite all the pressures of alive production and constantly having to deal with mega egos from her male counterparts, one thing that always stood out about her was that she always remained down to Earth and approachable. In production meetings, numerous writers would pitch ideas. It was her job to decipher what would go to Vince. Vince would have the final say and often make several changes in the end. Not all ideas were great. Some were downright ridiculous. What most impressed me about Stephanie was that if there was something or somebody she truly believed in, she really stuck to her guns. That didn’t always rub people the right way. Seemed everyone always had their own agenda and everyone always seemed to think they knew what was best for the company. Her job is to play the bad cop and decide which direction to go. I truly believe her decisions were based solely on making the WWE a better product within the realm of pleasing family friendly advertising giants as well as wrestling fans always pushing for cutting edge material.”

On Vince: “He, like Stephanie is very passionate and hard working, but unlike Stephanie, he is very neurotic and intense. Not saying this is a bad thing. It’s his company but he does demand respect.”

On Shane: “He never seemed to grasp the big picture from a creative standpoint and always seemed more self-preserving in his ideas and thoughts.”

The intern also described Shane as a “polished ego-stroker” who likes to think of himself as “one of the boys.” The intern said Shane is always pushing ideas for Batista, while Stephanie was always trying to come up with ideas for the younger performers.

Labels: shane mcmahon, stephanie McMahon, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

Below is a non-spoiler match listing for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops show, which airs on NBC on 12/20.

* Kelly Kelly vs. Maria

* R-Truth, Jeff Hardy and CM Punk vs. The Miz, John Morrison and JBL

* A Cryme Tyme Christmas

* Rey Mysterio, John Cena and Batista vs. Big Show, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton

* Vince McMahon also makes an appearance

Labels: 2008 Tribute to the Troops, kelly kelly, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Foundation is coming to the SmackDown roster with Natalya Neidhart, TJ Wilson and DH Smith.

The decision was made to bring them up after Vince McMahon was on a flight back home a few weeks ago after what he considered a bad set of WWE TV tapings. Vince was looking over the roster, which includes developmental talents, and saw Harry Smith’s name. Vince ragged hard on the creative team about letting a “pedigree kid” sit on the sidelines, as Harry comes from the Hart family. Vince went on and on about how creative is letting young, good talent waste away or get jobbed out.

Vince said he wanted a debut storyline for Harry planned out as soon as possible. It was about then when they started pairing DH and TJ up again as a tag team down in Florida Championship Wrestling. It’s now just a matter of time before we see the group on TV together.

Labels: d.h. smith, Natalya Neidhart, tj wilson, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE’s creative team has had recent discussions regarding TNA wrestler Kurt Angle. The discussions are more of a “what if?” scenario as opposed to making any plans that he will return to WWE once his deal with TNA is up in 2009.

People in WWE are interested and are pushing the idea of having Angle work a schedule similar to the one Shawn Michaels works, where he does all TV tapings and pay-per-views, plus some live events, but not a full schedule. The feeling is Angle wouldn’t hold up to a full-time schedule with all his injuries and he will be almost 41 by the time he can return.

Shane McMahon and Michael Hayes have both pitched scenarios for Angle to make his WWE return. Other people in the company are critically thinking why even discuss the subject after Angle’s controversial departure and the way he was in 2005 when he left the company.

Labels: kurt angle, Michael Hayes, shane mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

According to house show reports over the weekend, ECW Superstar Ricky Ortiz tried out working as a heel on two shows. He wrestled fan favorite Tommy Dreamer on two shows (in State College and Johnstown, PA), but lost both times via the Dreamer DDT. At the show in State College, Ortiz got on the mic and complained about being left off the Survivor Series pay-per-view. He said he was undefeated and did everything ECW General Manager Theodore Long wanted him to do, yet he was left off the card. Ortiz then insulted the fans as well as the other wrestlers in the back before Dreamer came out to a big pop.

During the match, Ortiz heeled it up by blowing his nose on his white "rally towel" and then spinning it over his head like a sprinkler to spread snot onto the fans at ringside. On Tuesday's edition of ECW (taped on Monday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.), Ortiz was back to being a face as he made fun of Jack Swagger and his noticeable lisp. Theodore Long and Tiffany made a match between the two undefeated ECW stars (in singles competition on television), but Swagger came out on top, thus putting an end to Ortiz's five-month long undefeated streak.

Labels: Ricky Ortiz, tommy dreamer

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

In an interview with www.Eagle1057.com out of Atlanta, GA, Hulk Hogan discussed Vince McMahon's negative reaction to his Celebrity Championship Wrestling program on CMT.

"All of a sudden, Vince McMahon raised his ugly head and thought we were threatening his company and he's been doing everything he can to shut us down," Hogan told the radio station. "We're just a reality show."

Hogan said he was worried the celebrities signed on for the show wouldn't take wrestling seriously because they were paid upfront, but he was positive about the experience.

Hogan claimed the likes of Regis Philbin inquired about being on the series when it was first announced, and now people from "all of the major companies" are calling wanting to be part of Celebrity Championship Wrestling.

Hogan mostly hyped CCW during the interview, but managed to take a shot at Triple H. When asked about the wrestling business' history of exposing its inner workings, Hogan said McMahon smartened up the public in the 80s when he said pro wrestling isn't a real sport, and then created the Tough Enough series on MTV. However, Hogan believes the worst offense of exposing the business is Vince McMahon keeping the WWE Title on Triple H for so many years, and that it exposes the wrestling business more than Celebrity Championship Wrestling does. "The biggest expose is putting the World Title on your son-in-law for the last five or six years," Hogan said. "That's probably the biggest expose I've ever seen keeping Triple H as champion." Triple H has taken a number of unwarranted shots at Hogan over the years (usually when Hogan's been out of favor with Vince), even though Hogan was mostly positive when talking about him.

During the interview, Hogan also said he will be in New York this weekend with Steve Austin doing promotional work for liveautographs.com, which films celebrities signing merchandise that customers are buying to authenticate the merchandise.

Labels: hulk hogan, triple h, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE has announced more nominees for the Slammy Awards next week. Here’s the updated list:

WWE Superstar of the Year
Nominees: John Cena, Edge, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Batista

WWE Diva of the Year
Nominees: Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly

Match of the Year
Nominees: 2008 Royal Rumble Match, Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 24, Undertaker vs. Edge Hell in a Cell Match at SummerSlam

Labels: john cena, mickie james, slammy awards

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Jason Powell reports that Vince McMahon contacted Hulk Hogan within the last two months and requested that he be part of the Tribute to the Troops show in Iraq. However, Hogan turned down the offer for various reasons. The timing of Vince’s request was poor because Hogan’s divorce has been described as a full-time job for him. He is working closely with lawyers and he felt that he couldn’t take the time away to head overseas. He has also heard horror stories about the travel conditions from friends, which may have also factored into his decision.

The buzz is that Dick Ebersol of NBC requested that Hogan be part of the show, which is logical given that they are friends and because Hogan has done big numbers for NBC in the past. Vince has approached Hogan about appearing on past Tribute to the Troops shows, but Hogan has turned him down each time.

Labels: hulk hogan, jason powell, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE released two developmental talents last week.

Former K-1 fighter Imani Lee, who is good friends with Batista, has been released after being signed last May to a WWE developmental deal.

WWE also released Mike Jarvi, who worked under the name Giant Titan in Florida Championship Wrestling. Jarvi was billed as 7 feet tall and trained by Dory Funk Jr. It was said that Jimmy Hart pushed him when he was signed by the company in October 2007.

Labels: imani lee, mike jarvi

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

The fear within WWE over releases has reached the offices. Several employees feel that the cuts they’ve seen with wrestlers and referees may be hitting them soon. There was also talk among employees last week that once the cuts do come, how much harder the work environment will be.

It’s already considered a tough place to work as there’s a lot of pressure to perform and there’s always a rotating door of employees who just quit due to the stresses of the company. The feeling is that once the cuts come, the stress will just get worse.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

Randy Orton has been telling friends that WWE offered him a 10-year contract. Although there is still no word on whether Orton will agree to the deal, it says a lot about their faith in the young superstar. WWE is also trying to sign Rey Mysterio to a five-year deal.

Labels: randy orton, rey mysterio

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

Four-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James tells WWE.com that she is looking forward to expand her professional career beyond World Wrestling Entertainment. “If I was to accomplish anything outside of the continuous growth of my WWE career, it would be to star in at least one movie,” Mickie said in a wwe.com Superstar 2 Superstar interview with Jessica Sutta of the Pussycat Dolls.

“I have always dreamed of being a star on the big screen.” When asked about the challenges of life on the road, James says staying upbeat is difficult, especially when she’s worn out and fans want her attention. “I find it especially challenging when we come off a long tour and fly into town our fans are at the airport waiting for autographs,” she said. “We are all exhausted and can’t wait to get to our hotels.” She added, But then I think if it weren’t for their loyalty to us, we wouldn’t be who we are today. Besides, I was once one of those.”

Labels: mickie james

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE has released long-time TV producer Bruce Prichard, who had been with the company for most of the past 22 years. Prichard hasn’t been at WWE’s TV tapings over the past few weeks and people were told that he was on vacation. For what it’s worth, Prichard has been close in the past with Jeff Jarrett and both men have had similar tragedies in their personal life with their wives having cancer.

Labels: Bruce Prichard

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments