WWE conducted an injury angle at this morning's WrestleMania Axxess affecting the Eight-Man Tag Team Match at WrestleMania XXVII featuring Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov vs. Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett.

Following Kozlov's victory over Tyler Reks, The Corre attacked the Raw Superstar. The faction used the steel steps to crush The Moscow Mauler's shoulder against the ring post.

WWE acknowledged the attack on the company website: "Twitter and YouTube has since erupted with photos and videos of the incident. The footage only serves to leave the WWE Universe wondering about Kozlov’s condition, or what condition he’ll be in for the Eight-Man Tag Team Match at WrestleMania."

The angle will play out with Kozlov being removed from the Eight-Man Tag Team Match and replaced by Kofi Kingston. The announcement is not expected to made until the match takes place.

Kingston dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Barrett last week on Smackdown.

Labels: tyler reks, Vladimir Kozlov, wrestlemania 27

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

The current idea with the storyline between Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov on ECW is to make them a team and tag title contenders to Chris Jericho and Big Show.

Labels: Ezekiel Jackson, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

SmackDown Superstar Vladimir Kozlov was named “Most Overrated” in the 29th annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter readership awards announced this past week. Triple H was only 70 votes shy of winning the award for a fourth time. Triple H won the award three years in a row from 2003 to 2005. For this year’s award, here is the final voter tally:

1. VLADIMIR KOZLOV (143)1,022
2. HHH (139)953
3. Great Khali (64)583
4. Sting (38)377
5. Kevin Nash (37)374
6. Batista (32)372
7. Kane (38)332
8. C.M. Punk (34)305
9. Mr. Kennedy (29)299
10. JBL (18)197

Labels: kevin nash, triple h, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

The official promo poster for this year’s No Way Out PPV features Vladimir Kozlov behind the chains of the Elimination Chamber.

Promotional material for the PPV from InDemand reads: "Two miles of chain and ten tons of steel will surround WWE Superstars in the elimination chamber. Don't miss Triple H, John Cena, Vladimir Kozlov, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, and all your favorite Superstars at WWE No Way Out, Sunday, February 15th, live at 8PM ET/5PM PT, only on Pay-Per-View. A World Wrestling Entertainment Production."

Labels: 2009 No Way Out, chris jericho, jeff hardy, john cena, undertaker, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

We all know already that next week we are going to see Vladimir Kozlov take on the Undertaker with the stip being if Vlad wins, he gets a title shot at Triple H at Survivor Series. In other words - book it. Taker is coming off a casket match win over Chavo Guerrero on Smackdown Friday night, and what I can forsee is Vlad and Taker going at it, and this time Big Show gets his revenge and knocks out Taker, giving Kozlov the win and the title shot.

My question though is this - do you really want to see Triple H vs. Kozlov? I mean, can you actually see the big Russian being a true legit challenger to the “King of Kings”? I can’t. He’s your typical big man that can do some things in the ring, but overall his character is not much, and while I like them doing the undefeated angle, this one is not going to be very good.

Triple H has not exactly had the best of challengers since moving to SmackDown. We’ve had the Khali angle, which was painful enough, and now after a pretty good but in the end rather one-sided feud with Jeff Hardy, it’s not Kozlov’s turn.

Let’s grin and bear it, as the only thing I can see them coming up with next is a long feud with Edge and eventually they will move HHH on to the Undertaker, where these two SHOULD do battle at WrestleMania 25.

Labels: smackdown, the big show, triple h, undertaker, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Halloween edition of SmackDown is in the books, and as usual for a Halloween episode, it was built around the Undertaker, who took on Chavo Guerrero in a “Casket Match” that of course saw interference from The Big Show, who is in the midst of a feud with Taker.

Taker though got the win, which is not a shock since they want to build towards next week’s showdown between Taker and Vladimir Kozlov. The stip as Vickie Guerrero told us at the very end of the show is if Vlad wins, he gets Triple H at Survivor Series (gee, wonder what is going to happen there). In other words, it’ll be Show getting a win for Vlad, who will then move on to a match with HHH at the PPV.

The show other than that was mostly filler matches, with matches like the tag champs (Carlito and Primo) losing in the opener to Miz and Morirson in a non-title match. A strong open, but the moment you heard it was a non-title, you knew that Miz and Morrison would win, thus pushing their match on Monday night on the 800th RAW vs DX.

The pair of six-person tag matches were okay for what they were worth, but the most annoying aspect of them and other parts of the show for that matter was the countless interruptions by the “Hurrapop” which is nothing more than Gregory Helms, who is on his way back, giving some quips about a wrestler, diva, or whatever he feels like.

First off, Helms is not funny, and second, he’s been gone so long, no one really cares he’s coming back anyway. Sorry Gregory. I also guess they will finally be pushing Brian Kendrick’s sidekick – Ezekiel, who beat up and took out Jimmy Wang Yang after he upset Kendrick by DQ. The monster then came in and beat on Yang. It also marks the end of any real push for Kendrick, who has been off TV a lot lately, and seems to be back to mid-card or lower status.

Other than that, not a whole lot to this show, we’ll see next week when Kozlov gets his Survivor Series shot at Triple H, and what else they start building towards this usually pretty good PPV. I can forsee a “casket match” with Show vs Taker as well. For the most part, this SmackDown was a show worth missing.

Labels: Brian Kendrick, smackdown, the big show, triple h, undertaker, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

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

- Well….yours truly finally made the front page of WWE.com and I didn’t even have to have a cancer scare. People will see Ol J.R. and the “World’s Angriest Announcer”, Tazz, in a much different light than ever before this Friday Night on Smackdown. After arriving at the San Diego Sports Arena, boy do they need a new facility in that beautiful city, Tazz and I were told that we would be in costume for the Smackdown that airs Friday night which is Halloween. We weren’t given any advance warning other than that and our costumes were already provided for us, as two Navy men. Tazz’s costume “might” have fit Hornswoggle as Tazz wears a size 56 coat and a 3X top. My Navy whites had to be altered significantly as well but we made it work. Tazz had to go with plan “B” in camouflage fatigues and reminded me of Sgt. Hulka from the classic film “Stripes.” The bottom line is that we made it work. We were asked to go along with the Halloween theme, look somewhat ridiculous and do our best to create an entertaining atmosphere for the night. On that goal we kicked ass.

- Actually this was a helluva Smackdown when it comes to some really nice wrestling especially the 6 man tag featuring the Hardy Brothers and Rey Mysterio, dressed in San /Diego Charger blue and gold, vs. Kane, Mark Henry and the snake bit MVP. This might have been the best match on WWE TV all week and I would like to think that the announcing helped enhance it somewhat as well.

- The Masked Magician makes a cameo and he might want to consider looking for a day job but then again…..

- Vladimir Kozlov has really been progressing nicely in all phases of his game and it seems inevitable that the athletic Russian will meet HHH for the WWE Sooner than later as this has been brewing for a while. I really like Kozlov’s upside and pairing him with HHH will help the Russian’s development.

Labels: jim ross, smackdown, tazz, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

Several WWE officials, mainly Vince McMahon, are very high on Vladimir Kozlov right now and they have some big plans in the making for him. Up until recently, the belief was that there was no hope for him but now they feel that he’s gotten better and took it up a notch.

Labels: vince mcmahon, Vladimir Kozlov

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

Preview:
Over the edge
August 9, 2008

As Jeff Hardy gets ready to face Montel Vontavious Porter at SummerSlam, he goes up against United States Champion Shelton Benjamin in a title encounter on SmackDown. Can Hardy upset Benjamin and go into Sunday as the new United States Champion? Or, will the Gold Standard stop the Legend Thriller?

After Mick Foley awakened a sadistic cruelty in Edge, the Rated-R Superstar has unleashed hell on anyone standing in his way. Could this new-found rage give him the support he needs to survive Hell in a Cell against a returning Undertaker at SummerSlam? What will the Ultimate Opportunist do just days before perhaps the biggest match of his career?

Last week in their unprecedented Indian Broken Glass Arm Wrestling Contest, No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship, The Great Khali, applied his vicious Vise Grip to Triple H, sending a message that “The Game” is over. After finding that his patented Pedigree on Khali could be anatomically impossible, how will The Cerebral Assassin successfully defend his gold against the Punjabi Giant at SummerSlam? Will these titans clash again just days before the Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer?

The undefeated Vladimir Kozlov is demanding a better class of competition. After making short work of Jesse, could the Moscow Mauler find what he seeks in the corn-fed colossus, Festus?

And with advisor Ezekiel Jackson providing a hefty distraction at ringside, The Brian Kendrick picked up yet another victory over Super Crazy last week. With Jackson becoming such a decisive factor in The Kendrick’s matches, will anybody be able to stand in his way?

Find out the answers to these questions and more on Friday Night SmackDown on The CW Network at 8/7 CT. And don’t forget to catch SummerSlam, Sunday, Aug. 17, only on pay-per-view.

Labels: 2008 summerslam, jeff hardy, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

Preview:
Wedded bliss
July 11, 2008

Last week, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero came to Edge’s aid, preventing utter destruction from Big Show. Now, with “The Family” issues settled, the reconciled couple will tie the knot on SmackDown.

Will the wedding distract the Rated-R Superstar from knocking WWE Champion Triple H off his throne at The Great American Bash? Or, will the officially united power couple work together to bring gold back to "The Family"? What might The Game have to say about things just two days before The Great American Bash?

Shelton Benjamin celebrated his reemergence on SmackDown with an important non-title win over ECW’s United States Champion Matt Hardy. Can Benjamin capitalize on his success and bring the coveted championship back to Friday nights? Or will Hardy twist the fate of the Gold Standard?

Although Mr. Kennedy proved victorious over Domino, his real conflict was with guest commentator and former friend, Montel Vontavious Porter. After Kennedy made a crack at MVP’s expense before the match, a telling stare between the two allowed the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga, to steamroll an unsuspecting Kennedy. Could this incident fuel the fire between the Green Bay Loudmouth & the Ballin’ Superstar?

Meanwhile, Finlay & Hornswoggle continued to be a thorn in the side of WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz & John Morrison, scoring a non-title victory with the help of the Belfast brawler’s shillelagh. Will the champions ever be able to move past the father-son combination? Or could their titles drown in a sea of green?

After scoring a tag-team victory over Michelle McCool & Cherry, with her partner Maryse, Natalya attacked her Great American Bash opponent with a devastating suplex outside the ring. Will McCool be able to get revenge on the third-generation Diva before they do battle for the new Divas Championship? Or will Natalya prove to be too much to handle?

The devastating Vladimir Kozlov continued his undefeated streak. Is there anyone who can stop the Moscow Mauler?

Find out the answers to all of these questions and more on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 CT only on The CW Network.

Labels: cherry, edge, michelle mccool, smackdown, Vickie Guerrero, Vladimir Kozlov

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments