WWE News

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Foley Burning A Bridge?, TNA/Marketing, Raw vs. MNF


I see that Mick Foley keeps taking shots at WWE, and my question is do you feel that Mick is doing this on his own or is he scripted to do so?

Mick Foley hasn't really taken that many shots at WWE, he's just expressed how he was not enjoying working as a color commentator on SmackDown. As you may have read, Foley felt insulted when Vince McMahon would tell him to say certain things. Could he be burning a bridge by not only taking his frustrations public but to the competition? I think that he could be although I do not know if that really bothers Foley at this point in his career. From everything that I have heard, Foley is already pretty well off financially, and I think that he just wants to help TNA because he wants to see someone be able to give McMahon some competition. It should also be noted that Foley is well liked by several people in WWE although some of the higher-ups were less than pleased to learn of his deal with TNA Wrestling. As for Foley's comments being scripted, everything is scripted, but he approves everything before he says it.

I regularly read your site and take notice of what you say in your Ask WNW section. I constantly hear you talk about TNA's marketing being poor. So, that being said, if you were put in charge of marketing TNA's product, what would you do?

Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter need to convince Spike TV to spend more money on them. TNA Wrestling can only go as far as their network can take them and I think that it is up to the higher-ups in TNA to convince the network that they are really going to have to open up their wallets if they want to give McMahon some competition. I also think that TNA should do a better job of branding their own workers (Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Robert Roode, etc.) rather than limiting main event pushes to already established workers (Sting, Kurt Angle, Booker T, etc.). Obviously I do not have all of the answers but more could be done and I know that is the feeling amongst several of the company's workers.

I know that WWE is blaming the current dip in Raw ratings on the return of Monday Night Football, I was just wondering if Raw has ever beaten MNF in the ratings perhaps in the height of the Attitude Era?

To be perfectly honest, aside from the 9/15 edition of Raw which was up against the Dallas/Philly game and only did a 2.6 cable rating, the ratings haven't really been in as much of a slump as you may think. While WWE would obviously like them to be higher, the ratings have remained fairly consistent. To answer your question, I do not have all of the ratings data in front of me (that would take hours to compile) but I cannot recall a time when wrestling beat out Monday Night Football. Remember before MNF moved to ESPN back in 2006, it was on broadcast television which means that it had more clearance than any cable network carrying wrestling. The highest rating that Raw has ever done was an 8.1 cable rating back in May 1999.

What does the 305 represent that MVP shows on his entrance and on the necklace that he wears to the ring?

MVP has the nickname Mr. 305 because it is the area code of Miami, Florida where he is from. It is kind of like saying that he is Mr. Miami.

To submit your question for our next installment of Ask WNW, click here.

Remember questions with proper spelling and grammar receive top priority and stand the best chance of getting answered. The next installment of Ask WNW will run on Friday, October 3, 2008.

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Attendance Figures From WWE's Recent European Tour

Below are attendance figures from WWE's recent European tour courtesy of Dave Meltzer:

* 9/24 SmackDown/ECW house show in Lisbon, Portugal - 4,500 fans in an arena with a 12,000 capacity

* 9/25 SmackDown/ECW house show in Barcelona, Spain - 5,000 fans in an arena with a 12,000 capacity

* 9/26 Raw house show in Barcelona, Spain (same venue as the 9/25 SmackDown/ECW show) - 7,000 fans

* 9/27 SmackDown/ECW house show in Munich, Germany - 7,000 fans

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Mr. Perfect DVD Holds At No. 1, Hardy Kills Rumors, Superstars Leaked For SmackDown vs. Raw 09


- Here is this week's Billboard Sports & Recreational DVD sales chart:

1) WWE: The Life And Times Of Mr. Perfect
2) WWE: Summerslam 2008
3) 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl National Championship
4) WWE: The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment
5) UFC 84: Ill Will
6) Pride Fighting Championships 32: The Real Deal
7) UFC: The Best Of Fight Night Live
8) WWE: Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection
9) WWE: WrestleMania XXIV
10) WWE: Twist Of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story

- Matt Hardy has a new MySpace blog online answering questions sent to him from fans. In one of his responses, he kills Internet rumors that he is dating WWE Diva Katie Lea. Click here to read the full blog.

- THQ inadvertently leaked superstars for the new SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 video game that have not yet been confirmed. The images have been moved on the website, however, here is the list that we were given. THQ has been revealing superstars confirmed for the game on IGN.com:

Big Daddy V
Brian Kendrick
Carlito
Curt Hawkins
Hornswoggle
Jillian
Lance Cade
Layla
Michelle McCool
Mr. McMahon
MVP
Paul London
Ric Flair
Snitsky
Tazz
The Boogeyman
Victoria
William Regal
Zack Ryder

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Major WWE Superstar Scheduled For In-Ring Return At Survivor Series


This article is only available to the Premium subscribers of WrestlingNewsWorld.com. WNW Premium Members get access to the following:

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WrestlingNewsWorld.com is proudly the most read professional wrestling news source online! In addition to the exclusive content mentioned you help support us financially and allow us to continue to bring you the best professional wrestling coverage on the Internet.

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Looking For A Good Place To Download MP3s? Check This Out


Several weeks ago I made a newsboard post about an easy place to download MP3s online. It is not only my goal to provide you all with the best professional wrestling coverage around, but to also assist you in your overall experience online. I look at all our loyal readers like family. With that said, I have found another website that I think everyone who wants to download MP3s should check out. It is Smoke247.com.

This website is like nothing else I have ever been to. In a matter of seconds I can search, listen, and download any MP3 that I can think of. I have to say, I am addicted, so I thought I would share with you all.

I hope everyone has a good Thursday evening and if you are in the United States, I hope you enjoy the VP candidate debate.

Thanks for all your loyal support, without you all there would be no WNW!

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Full Details On TNA Taping Impact At The Hard Rock Hotel In Las Vegas, NV


TNA issued the following:

TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (TNA) WRESTLING’S ‘TNA iMPACT’ GOES TO HIGH DEFINITION LIVE IN LAS VEGAS ON SPIKE TV OCTOBER 23!

“TNA iMPACT” ON SPIKE TV CELEBRATES ITS MOVE TO H.D. LIVE FROM ‘THE JOINT’ AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP, FEATURING TNA SUPERSTARS KURT ANGLE, STING, JEFF JARRETT, SAMOA JOE, BOOKER T, A.J. STYLES, CHRISTIAN CAGE AND MANY MORE!

The most exciting professional wrestling in the world is celebrating its move to high definition by hitting the bright lights of Las Vegas for one night only.

Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling’s “TNA iMPACT” (Thursdays 9 p.m. ET/PT) on Spike TV is hitting the road for the first time and landing at “The Joint” at the Hard Rock Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, October 23 starting at 6 p.m.

Celebrating its fourth season on Spike TV, “iMPACT” will leave its home at Universal Studios Orlando in Orlando, Florida for the first time in company history for a one-night-only live event to celebrate “iMPACT” moving to high definition.

Appearing live and in person will be TNA World Heavyweight Champion “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, “The King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett, “The Icon” Sting, Booker T, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage and many, many more TNA Superstars! Talent subject to change.

Tickets go on sale Friday morning at the Hard Rock Hotel box office, all Ticketmaster locations, and, http://www.ticketmaster.com.

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The Big Show On G4's Attack Of The Show Last Night


WNW reader Joe Paulding sent the following:

Hi, I wanted to let you know that The Big Show was on G4¹s Attack of the Show last night. A sample description, link and embed codes are provided below.

WWE Superstar The Big Show stops by Attack of the Show for a very entertaining interview to talk about the WWE's move to myNetworkTV, whether he's friends with the Undertaker in real life, and much more.

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Final WWE No Mercy PPV Card


Below is the final card for Sunday's No Mercy pay-per-view. No Mercy will take place live from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon:

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
- Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

WWE Championship Match
- Triple H (c) vs. Jeff Hardy

ECW Championship Match
- Matt Hardy (c) vs. Mark Henry

Number One Contenders Match
- Batista vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Women's Championship Match
- Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Candice Michelle

Rey Mysterio's Mask On The Line
- Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

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Jeff Hardy Speaks On Being Suspended, Losing His House & Dog, Nashville Airport Incident, More


Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun interviewed Jeff Hardy at an autograph signing yesterday afternoon at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Below are the highlights:

On being suspended in March, then losing his house & dog in a fire: Well, first of all, I have titled that the saddest day of my adult life — by far. The night I lost the Intercontinental title I had been suspended, which is to everybody’s knowledge now because I have been very open about that, and then that Friday night I lost everything, and the saddest thing is I lost my dog Jack. You hear about fires all the time, but then you experience it, man, it’s just like, “Wow, this really happens to people.” It’s a night I’ll never forget, naturally. A week or so later I found Jack’s body in the ruins. I got a little closure to that and cried a lot, was sad a lot and had bad dreams. When I came back we actually made that somewhat of a story line, but I was confident enough in myself and with Beth and everything that we got past that. You know, you can’t just die with everything you lost. You have to live for what you lost. So that’s what I’m doing now and everything’s much better. Our new house is under construction. It’s looking great, and hopefully by spring we’ll be in there. Thank God I had Matt, because if I didn’t I’d be renting an apartment somewhere. Matt’s been very cool to have open arms and invite us into his home.

On missing WrestleMania XXIV: It’s so strange, you know, because I was going to be a huge part of that in the Money in the Bank match, and Matt was hurt at the time and he was able to return at Mania, so, naturally, I watched it. I would have watched it anyway because I’m a huge ladder match fan and just to see how good the match would be. In a sense I was kind of sickened by the whole thing. But I did something wrong according to the Wellness Policy and I had to pay the price. So here I am on my last strike right now, and one more and I’m out, so I’m just trying to keep it all good. As far as WrestleMania goes, as angry or sad as I was that I missed it, I also was supposed to take part in an art show down there. I think Jerry Lawler was in it as well. I missed out on that just over what to me was a small mistake, but to them it’s huge.

Regarding the Nashville airport incident: That was extremely blown out of proportion. So many wrestlers drink at times, and I had been drinking a lot that night. I’m not going to lie — I’ve been on planes a lot drunker than that. There was nothing rude done; I wasn’t violent or anything like that. I guess I was stumbling boarding the plane or something, and somebody must have just said that I was drunk, because I was asleep on the plane. This is Southwest, you know, open seating and everything. The first thing I remember is just waking up and security — it wasn’t police, it was security — saying, “Mr. Hardy, you have to get off the plane. We feel you’ve had too much to drink.” Matt got up and was like, “What’s the problem?” They were like, “He’s had too much to drink.” I go, “I was asleep. I’ll wake up in Raleigh. I’ve been like this before.” But I just cooperated and left the plane.

Whether or not WWE lost confidence in him over the incident: No. Right away, once I got home I called who I needed to call and just told them what happened. It does make me sick when — especially with me — anything negative, the Internet wants to highlight right away. One [site] actually said that Beth was with me and she was the one that was too drunk and she was handcuffed. I was never handcuffed. There were these crazy things like, “He got caught with contraband.” It was nothing like that.

Someone that he would like to work with that he hasn't already: Yeah, Rey Mysterio. I’ve tagged with him before. During the draft it was kind of a bummer because when he went to Raw I was like, “Yeah, me and Rey are going to get to tear it up.” I had no idea I was going to Smackdown. Then when I got drafted I was like, “Oh well, throw that out the door.”

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Steve McMichael A Special Guest Referee At Bound For Glory, Updated PPV Card


Former Chicago Bear defensive tackle and WCW superstar Steve "Mongo" McMichael will be the Special Guest Referee for the Monster's Ball tag team match at Bound For Glory. Bound For Glory will be live on pay-per-view on Sunday, October 12, 2008. Below is the updated line-up for the pay-per-view:

TNA Championship Match
- Samoa Joe (c) vs. Sting

TNA Grudge Match
Special Enforcer: Mick Foley
- Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

TNA X-Division Championship Match
- Sheik Abdul Bashir (c) vs. Consequences Creed

TNA Knockout Women's Championship Match
- Taylor Wilde (c) vs. Awesome Kong vs. Roxxi

Monter's Ball Tag Team Match For The TNA Tag Team Championship
Special Guest Referee: Steve "Mongo" McMichael
- Beer Money, Inc. (c) vs. LAX vs. Team 3D vs. Abyss & Matt Morgan

Triple-Threat Match
- AJ Styles vs. Christian Cage vs. Booker T

The Return Of The Steel Asylum Match
- X Division workers will battle inside the steel dome structure