WWE News

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Kane In India, Chris Jericho Guest Starring On TV Show, Victoria Update


- Wrestling News World reader Andy sent word that local television advertisements in India continue to promote Kane's appearances. He was in Deli on June 10th and will be in Mombay on June 11th and 12th.

- WNW reader Brian Arthur sent the following... Chris Jericho will be guess starring on a future episode of Aaron Stone.

- Former WWE Diva Victoria posted the following blog on her official MySpace profile:

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My TNA Wresting Debut !
Hey MySpacers !

A few people have asked me why I chose to go to TNA. Not nearly as many as have suggested that I go to TNA over the past couple years, but it has been been asked. Before I can answer that, I have to address why I left WWE. I left because I didn't enjoy my role, and I didn't see it changing. That, in addition to the brutal travel schedule, made it an easy choice for me to walk away and leave the opportunity available to one of the scores of female wrestlers who were anxiously awaiting their chance.

TNA approached me with the offer to come to their organization, work a less rigorous schedule, and more importantly, wrestle to the best of my ability with no limitations.

Several people have debated whether this will effect my chance at one day being elected into the WWE Hall of Fame. I am flattered at my name even being mentioned with such an honor. And whether or not you believe that I am worthy, I really don't think that WWE will hold it against me for doing other things after I left. I truly believe that I gave 100% every day with WWE, and that I went above and beyond what was expected of me. I think that if I am happy with my choices, then they are happy for me. Of course they took me off their website. They can't promote talent with another organization. But again, I'd like to think that on a personal level, they are happy for me.

The only serious considerations I had were 1) Would I still be able to train for MMA? 2) Do I miss wrestling and want to do it on a regular basis? 3) Can I entertain TNA fans in a way that they deserve to be entertained?

I believe so to all three. I still have time to dedicate to MMA. I definitely miss wrestling. And my goal is not only to be the best in a very tough Knockout division, but to elevate the performance of the entire division.

Thursday night on TNA Impact on SpikeTV I have my first match in about five months, and my first in a six sided ring. For those who haven't seen TNA recently, I think you should tune in. Because for those of you who do, you'll see a female wrestler in the best shape of her life, at the top of her game, beginning a new journey.

Buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy ride...

 

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Official Promotional Poster For WWE The Bash PPV


Wrestling News World reader Angel L. sent the following promotional poster for WWE's The Bash pay-per-view featuring Batista:

 

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WWE Raw House Show Results (6/11/09) - Prague, Czech Republic


Wrestling News World reader Hustak F. sent the following results:

Here are quick WWE Raw house show results from Prague, Czech Republic:

* Goldust defeated William Regal

* Maryse defeated Kelly Kelly to retain the Divas Championship

* Primo and Carlito defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase via DQ to retain Unified tag team championship

* Kofi Kingston defeated Matt Hardy to retain US Championship

* Big Show defeated MVP

* John Cena defeated The Miz

* Triple H defeated Randy Orton

The arena was half crowded but the atmosphere was very good. This was the first WWE show in Czech Republic and I really enjoyed it.

 

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Coachman Mentions Kennedy On ESPN, Chris Benoit Note, Armando Update


- WNW reader Mike Franklin sent the following… I was just watching ESPN NEWS with Jonathon Coachman when Adam Kennedy of the Oakland A's hit a homer Coachman yelled, "KENNEDY!" "That's from a previous life, some fans out there know what I'm talking about."

- WNW reader Giuseppe sent the following… Today I was looking through WWE.com and found myself on "The History of Backlash" section. I started looking through the galleries and I got to the Backlash 2004 gallery. The first picture is Chris Benoit taking Shawn Micheals down for a Crossface. I find it interesting since WWE was trying to get rid of anything that had to do with Benoit on their site.

- WNW reader Coach Ken sent the following… The Daily Southtown is a newspaper based out of the south suburbs of Chicago and it did an interview in yesterday’s paper on Haz Ali aka Armando Alejandro Estrada. It’s a great read, more about the person than the entertainer. You can check it out at this link.

 

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Update On Batista's Surgery


Dave Batista's official website posted the following update on his surgery:

Dave's surgery went well Tuesday to repair his tendon. He's back in Tampa now recovering.

 

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Jim Ross Talks About Hectic Travel, Jeff Hardy vs. Edge, Bret Hart, Batista's Surgery, More


Jim Ross has posted a new blog on his official website. Below are highlights:

- It took me 13 hellacious hours to get from NYC to OKC Thursday because of weather issues in Dallas. I ended up making the DFW to Norman trip by car but only after sitting on the tarmac in Kansas City where we were diverted. I think OKC would have been a much better diversion city. Nonetheless it was a memorable way to end a 5 day odyssey considering I have to leave again Sunday for Charlotte and the big, 3 hour Raw. Bad travel days suck pond water even after having my share of them over the years.

- Not enough can be said of Edge and Jeff Hardy wrestling this week on TV considering all that they put themselves through Sunday in the Ladder Match. There's probably some idiot out there on message proclaiming that the two participants "know how to fall" when using a ladder.

- If you are fans of either Jeff or Edge be sure to catch Friday Night Smackdown this week. You'll like what you see.

- The live crowd in New Orleans seemed to dig Randy Orton Sunday night to to a larger degree than I would have guessed. I know some fans simply like to cheer for the villains but Mr. RKO's reception was eyebrow raising for me. I think we simply live in a defiant generation where many voyeuristically live through athletes like Orton. Randy's youth, cool tat's, great entrance music, really strong in ring skills, and being attitudinal make Orton "popular" to many young males. My theory is that as long as those defiant, young males buy a ticket, it's good.

- I've followed Chris Jericho's career closely for years and I don't think that the Winnipeg native has ever been better that he is right now. When Jericho boasts that he is the best at what he does in the world he's not overly exaggerating.

- One has to expect that we will likely see more of Jericho vs. Mysterio Monday night on the huge, enhanced, 3 hour Raw that starts one hour early at 8/ 7 Central. At least I hope so. Jericho vs. Rey in New Orleans was big time stuff from two guys who were trained the old school way.

- Dr. Jim Andrews, as I understand it, in Birmingham, Alabama performed the surgery to repair a major injury to Dave Batista's biceps. The Animal will be out at least 4 months and perhaps closer to 6. Bad break for a good guy but no one has to worry about how hard Batista will work to come back and be 100%. Nor will Dave be "lonely" one has to assume. Perhaps Nurse Slobberknockers will be available. Sponge bath any one??

- The young wrestlers who are getting an opportunity to wrestle against Ricky Steamboat at selected, live WWE events should count their blessings. What a learning opportunity for these youngsters. Steamboat told me over the weekend that he never has wrestled a match in his career where he was positioned as the villain for the record.

- With C.M. Punk cashing in the Money in the Bank Contract Sunday night, does that now make Punk a wrestling villain? I think not. I think many fans were more upset that Jeff Hardy lost than they were with Punk winning . It seems to me that any one with a brain would pick the most opportune time possible to cash in the MIB Contract and moments after an insane, ladder match seems like perfect timing. Now, the fans themselves may turn against Punk and if so, fine, but Punk's actions at Extreme Rules don't seem as if they should automatically make him public enemy #1. Punk has some "attitude" so I think he will be able to handle whatever comes his way.

- I got a cool email from "Hitman" Bret Hart this week with some photos of him wearing our "Got Sauce" white T shirt. We'll get that photo on the site soon. Bret is a fan of our sauces and especially our beef jerky. He seemed to be enjoying relaxing times in his Hawaii home but we do hope to hook up later this year in Calgary.

You can read the full blog at this link.

 

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Update On The Undertaker's Return

In his latest blog entry, Jim Ross provides an update on the return of The Undertaker. He wrote the following:

Communicated with The Undertaker recently who is anxious to return to the ring sooner than later. I don't have a return date but there is no doubt in my mind that the future Hall of Famer will be back in a WWE ring by summer's end or early autumn. "They" don't make 'em like the "Demon of Death Valley" any more folks and for those that continue to send us questions regarding a 'Taker retirement be advised that they are still be deleted because there's nothing to that rumor. [/URL].

 

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WWE Raw Airing Commercial Free Later This Month


The June 22nd edition of WWE Raw from Green Bay, Wisconsin will broadcast commercial free on the USA Network. The show will be the go-home episode before The Bash pay-per-view on Sunday, June 28th.

 

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Free Concert Prior To WWE PPV

Adelitas Way and Rev Theory will perform a special free concert for the WWE Universe before The Bash in Sacramento, Calif.! The live concert is outside the Arco Arena on Sunday, June 28, at 2 p.m. PT, before The Bash.

Adelitas Way – the band behind the “WWE Superstars” official theme song, “Invincible” – will be introduced by Raw Diva Kelly Kelly before their 2:10 p.m. performance. Then at 3 p.m., Rev Theory – who provides Randy Orton’s theme song, “Voices” – will perform for the WWE Universe. Afterward, Rev Theory will hold a special autograph signing at 3:30 p.m.

WWE Universe, don’t miss your chance to see Adelitas Way and Rev Theory before The Bash! This live concert event is free, and no tickets are necessary for this outdoor event.

Go to http://prowrestlingevents.tk for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide.

 

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Detailed Report: WWE Raw House Show Results (6/10/09) - Helsinki, Finland


Wrestling News World reader Ville Heinonen sent the following:

WWE RAW was on tour here in Finland on Wednesday, 10th of June. Here's the full results and some notes.

Goldust def. William Regal
This was a really slow match, a true comedy opener. Goldust received huge pop from the crowd while Regal taunted the fans time and time again. Really bad match wrestlingwise but it did fire up the crowd though. Horsnwoggle interfered in the end and cost Regal the match. A post-match attack then started as Regal grabbed Horsnwoggle and pushed him over and dropped to his knees, then Hornswoggle jumped on him and they rolled on the mat for a while until Regal rolled out of the ring. Goldust and Hornswoggle had a celebration in the ring with the Finnish flag. Goldust looks really fit and Regal did look a lot more convincing in live.

Divas Championship
Maryse (c) def. Kelly Kelly
This was actually quite good and one of the better matches in the card. Kelly Kelly did a hurricanrana and other solid moves, she really has improved over the years. Maryse picked up the win with her DDT. There were a lot of stupid chants from the drunks in the audience so that kind of flattened the mood in the match. I so wished the guys would just shut up.

Unified Tag Team Championships
Primo & Carlito (c) def. Legacy
Another solid match, Dibiase was far more convincing and comfortable in the ring in live than on TV. He taunted the fans troughout the match. Primo was being pummeled most of the match until he made the hot tag to Carlito but the momentum was cut short when Legacy grabbed chairs and attacked the reigning tag champs which caused a DQ ending.

U.S Championship
Kofi Kingston (c) def. Matt Hardy
This was another quite good match. Kingston was really lively and happy-go-lucky while Matt was his usual self. Hardy cut a pre-match promo about his "injured" hand etc. There was a nice go-home sequence and even a superplex Kingston picked up the win after Trouble In Paradise.

Big Show def. MVP
This was rather disappointing match. No Ballin' elbow drop (or what it's called, haven't really followed WWE that much recently). Show chokeslammed MVP early in the match and finished him with the K.O punch. First time I've seen Big Show live, that man is huge.

John Cena def. The Miz
Miz cut a pre-match promo, same stuff that we saw on Judgment Day. Cena came out to a huge pop and controlled from the early going, doing atomic drops and nippletwists. Miz gained some offence until Cena started hitting his trademark moves. I felt so small when chanting "Cena Sucks" when the crowd was about 99% pro-Cena. Darn it. Cena was over with the crowd and threw his wristbands and other stuff into the crowd.

Triple H def. Randy Orton
Loved the entrance from Triple H. A solid main event from these two, but nothing extraordinary, of course. Orton removed the padding from the turnbuckle when Triple H's theme was playing and it of course backfired on him in the end when Orton got whipped in to the corner after trying to hit the RKO. Triple H hit the Pedigree for the 1-2-3.

The matches were all quite disappointing but I guess you can't expect that much from the guys when they travel abroad and hold these small house shows. The arena was quite empty, there were a lot of seats free all around the arena, sadly. Overall the show was good in terms of crowd participation and the general atmosphere, I really do appreciate the wrestlers and the WWE for coming to Finland and holding these small shows.. I believe that they didn't make any profit from the show. My respect towards the WWE rised a lot after the show.

Other notes: Lilian Garcia has an amazing voice. Triple H, Kelly Kelly and just one or two other wrestlers circled the ringside, interacting with the fans, I touched Triple H's hand. The third row seats cost 89e or so but I guess it was worth it. Overall, I think the Smackdown Survivor Serious tour a few years back was slightly better than this one but still, it's always great to see the wrestlers live and come to the live shows. I wish that they will come back in the near future, I know I'll be there.

- Just a random wrestling fan from Finland.

 

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Monday's Dark Match, Today's Birthdays, Sherry Shepherd/MVP


- WNW reader Thomas Zulli sent the following... I just heard on the radio that there will be a dark match during this Monday's Raw 3 for all. It will be John Cena and Triple H vs Randy Orton and The Big Show which is interesting seeing how on the same night all 4 men will be in the fatal 4 way for the vacant WWE title.

- Wrestling News World reader Alan sent today's birthdays: Current ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn (46), Mark Henry (38), and WWE Referee Jack Doan (37).

- WNW reader Jonathan Hebert sent the following... On E! TV tonight they will be covering Sherri Shepherd's prom date with WWE Superstar, MVP.

 

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SmackDown Trouble On Time Warner, Benoit Family News, More


- WNW reader Justin sent the following... For the past two weeks, I have had trouble watching SmackDown on Time Warner Cable. As a matter of fact, it has not even come on in the past two weeks in its timeslot. Instead, a race is put in its timeslot. This has been very irritating for me, as I have actually wanted to start watching SmackDown again.

- WNW reader CJ Spicher sent the following... The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that Paul and Maureen Toffoloni, the parents of Nancy Benoit, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Phil Astin in U.S. District Court. Maureen Toffoloni has also filed suit on behalf of the estate of Nancy Benoit and the estate of Daniel Benoit, both of which she controls. The suit seeks financial damages to cover the "full value" of the deceased lives, along with money for pain, suffering and expenses and requests a jury trial.

 

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More Problems Watching SmackDown, The Dirt Sheet Sponsored, More


- WNW reader Mike Chitwood sent the following... On WRJM My Network TV based out of Troy, AL which runs the Montgomery, AL area did NOT show Smackdown on Friday. The TV Guide on the the cable box has Smackdown listed, instead they are showing country music videos. We have tried to call the station and are not getting a response on any number we are calling. Thought it was interesting and you might be interested.

- WNW reader Eric Jones sent the following... I don't know if it was just me and my friends but Smackdown seemed like it was filmed like a movie this week. I don't know if anyone else noticed but it was kind of annoying to us.

- This week's Dirt Sheet on the official WWE website is sponsored by Castrol GTX. Both The Miz and John Morrison are shown holding a bottle. You can check it out at this link.

 

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WWE Developmental News & Notes


Below are some notes from Thursday night's FCW television taping:

* Tyler Reks defeated Drew McIntyre to win the FCW Heavyweight Championships. McIntyre has been on the road with the main WWE roster lately so there's talk he could be in line for a call-up. Reks is also receiving good reviews and could be called up soon as well.

* Developmental Diva Angela Fong defeated Rosa Mendes in a match that lasted under a minute.

* Former TNA worker and current WWE developmental talent Lance Hoyt worked Thursday night in a 6-man tag team elimination match.

 

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Several Problems Reported With The Airing Of SmackDown Last Night, Jerry Lawler Sends CC Sabathia WWE Title Belt


- WNW reader John Fair sent this in... To confirm what Eric Jones had sent in about Smackdown being "filmed like a movie", I watch Smackdown on My 9, the MyNetwork channel based out of New York City and it was the same exact way. I thought it might have to do with the digital conversion recently. Not sure why it was like this.

- WNW reader Andrew B. sent this in... To follow up on last fridays Smackdown, in the NY area Smackdown also looked movie like. I don't know if it was because of the changes in program brodcasting in digital now or not.

- WNW reader Christian sent this in... Several readers in the past have sent in word that the New York Yankees use Johnny Damon's son's toy WWE Championship belt as an award given to the player of the game. In a follow up to that, this morning I read in the Bergen Record (NJ) that none other than Jerry "The King" Lawler sent pitcher CC Sabathia an actual replica of the WWE Championship belt to replace the toy. Lawler and Sabathia are said to be good friends ****** back to Sabathia's time with the Cleveland Indians as Lawler is a big Indians fan.

 

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Hurricane Returns, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Works

To follow-up on an earlier item, Gregory Helms worked tonight's SmackDown/ECW house show from Binghamton, New York as Hurricane. Hurricane teamed with Evan Bourne and lost to The Hart Dynasty in an ECW tag match.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat also worked tonight's house show, defeating WWE developmental worker Drew McIntyre

 

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Details On The World Heavyweight Championship Match On Monday's Raw


For those that missed on it last night's edition of SmackDown, CM Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge and Jeff Hardy in a 3-For-All on Monday's edition of Raw.

 

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WWE Raw House Show Results (6/12/09) - Belgrade, Serbia


Below are quick results from yesterday's WWE Raw house show in Belgrade, Serbia:

* Goldust b. William Regal

* WWE Divas Champion Maryse b. Kelly Kelly to retain

* Unified Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo b. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase to retain

* WWE United States Champion Kofi Kingston b. Matt Hardy to retain

* Big Show b. MVP

* John Cena b. The Miz

* Triple H b. Randy Orton

 

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Jim Ross Thinks HBK Will Retire Before Undertaker, ECW Title Situation, Batista's Injury, More


Jim Ross has a new blog on his official website. Below are the highlights:

- I do think that Taker will compete longer than HBK but I don't think either are ready to say adiós as of yet. When either retires it will be handled with class and with huge fanfare and it isn't on the drawing board as we speak. I fully expect both Taker and Shawn to be back touring no later than the WWE's Fall International Tour but likely much earlier than that.

- We're getting lots of emails about C.M. Punk and whether he is fish or fowl as in a fan favorite or a villain nowadays after beating Jeff Hardy while cashing in Punk's Money in the Bank Contract last Sunday in New Orleans. Now, Punk may well wind up out of favor with some fans, perhaps even the majority of the fans, but I don't know that. If it happens, so be it. If Punk's opportunistic endeavors at Extreme Rules make him a bigger star albeit a despised one, then that's a good thing. Punk does have an attitude as I have mentioned before and is arguably not the most popular guy in the SD locker room but there are also no cash bonuses being paid for being named Mr. Congeniality. If you want to boo Punk, then have at it, but don't hold it against him simply because he was smart in cashing in his MIB contract at an opportune time. Do I think at the end of the day Punk will gain favor with the fans? It damned sure won't happen in Charlotte Monday night and I would say that chances are it probably won't happen in the near future either. For the record, Punk appears to me, and I might be dead wrong, that he really doesn't care one way or another. One thing about this matter is that is adds a different dimension and dynamic to Friday Night Smackdown which I think helps the broadcast.

- I thought it was pretty cool that Joey Styles snapped the ECW World Title on Tommy Dreamer backstage at Extreme Rules and that both men had tears in their eyes while doing it. Some younger fans may roll their eyes at this information but it is called "passion" and truly loving what one does and respecting their roots. If that is wrong then many of us are on the other side of being right.

- Dave Batista tore a biceps tendon and not the biceps itself as I understand it but "The Animal" will still likely be on the shelf for about 4 months but only Mother Nature knows for sure how fast the big guy will heal. Dave's back at home in Florida and one always heals better with the old, home field advantage in their favor.

Click here to read JR's latest in its entirety.

 

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WWE SmackDown House Show Results (6/13/09) - Binghamton, New York


Wrestling News World reader Matthew Prentice sent the following:

The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena was pretty much sold out.

* John Morrison b. Mike Knox

* Hart Dynasty b. Hurricane/Evan Bourne

* Ricky Steamboat b. Drew McIntyre

* Great Khali b. Dolph Ziggler

* Gail Kim/Melina/Eve b. Natalya/Layla/Alicia

* Tommy Dreamer b. Jack Swagger to retain the ECW Championship

* CM Punk b. Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio to retain the WHC