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2010-04-06T14:25:00.001-04:00

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WrestleMania: The Streak Continues

2010-03-29T11:29:00.003-04:00

Shawn Michaels just didn't look like himself as walked down the ramp to his match at WrestleMania last night. He'd go from a serious, "I mean business" walk into a little hopping, dancing walk. That's was when I knew we were watching Michaels walk down that ramp for the last time, for the time being at least.

Backstage, after the match, Michaels said, "It's time for me to be a husband and a daddy." But, he added, he would always be around.

As I said the other day, it's much easier to come out of retirement than to repair a broken streak. And, for Michaels, as we've seen in the past, it's hard for him to stay away from the ring. He may come back as a manager of some sort, as Ric Flair did last year, for a brief period of time. Perhaps he'll guest host Raw. Maybe there will even be a brief DX reunion. However, after Raw tonight (at which I'm assuming he'll make a farewell appearance) don't expect to see him until the end of August, at the very least.

For those of you who don't believe me, look at Ric Flair, whose career HBK "ended" two years ago...

Other results from last night include:
- (Dark) Yoshi Tatsu wins 26-Man Battle Royal
- The Miz/Big Show retain Unified Tag Team Championship (this match was only about 4 minutes long)
- Randy Orton defeats Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes (DiBiase pinned)
- Jack Swagger wins Money In The Bank Ladder Match
- Triple H defeats Sheamus
- Rey Mysterio defeats CM Punk
- Bret Hart defeats Vince McMahon (the match became a Lumberjack Match, with all the Harts there -including the Hart Dynasty- as lumberjacks paid by McMahon to help him. However, the Harts double-crossed McMahon, and the Chairman spent most of the match outside of the ring getting beaten up by various Harts, including an outstanding move by Tyson Kidd jumping off the top rope onto McMahon, who was being held by DH Smith)
- Chris Jericho retains the World Heavyweight Championship
- Vicki Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse and Alicia Fox win 10-Diva Tag Match (Vicki pinned Kelly Kelly- this was actually one the most entertaining matches of the night not including Michaels and Taker...)
- John Cena wins the WWE Championship

(To see the backstage video of Michaels, visit wwe.com.)

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WrestleMania: Vengeance

2010-03-27T20:30:00.004-04:00

On the morning of Nov. 9, 1997, Bret Hart woke up not knowing how important that day would play in the rest of his life, or in the lives of wrestling fans every where. He was the WWF Champion and competing in Survivor Series against Shawn Michaels that night. Just days before, he had signed a contract with WCW, at the urging of Vince McMahon, and would be starting work with the new company Dec. 5. It was planned the match that night, his last Pay-Per-View for the company he had been with for 14 years, would end in a way so he wouldn't have to lose the title in Canada, even though McMahon made it clear he wanted that title out of Hart's hands as soon as possible.

That night, Bret Hart was screwed.

Tomorrow night, Hart will finally seek vengeance. And, I believe Hart was right when he said "Vince screwed Vince," after the contract signing. Vince has either wrestled or managed wrestlers in five WrestleManias since that night, which is when the "Mr. McMahon" character was being created. Vince has lost every single time. He has lost to Stephanie (via Triple H in 2000), Shane (2001), Hulk Hogan (2003), Shawn Michaels (2006) and to Donald Trump (via Bobby Lashley, 2007). Tomorrow night, Bret Hart will make it to that list. (By the way, this is a No Holds Barred match. Even though this kind of stuff doesn't happen often at WrestleManias, I think the Hart Dynasty may have a part...)

And finally, the match which should have been the finale of WrestleMania last year, Undertaker v. Shawn Michaels, will get an encore. I'm not sure if these two can top what they did last year, but if they do, it will be worth the $55 (wasn't it just $39 a couple of years ago?) to watch it. I went through last year how equal these guys are in age, experience, wins, etc., so I won't go through that again this year. (It's all archived, in case you missed it... look to the right side of your screen...) Because of the stipulations, I have one thing to tell you. Career threatening matches mean nothing. You can always come back. However, once a streak has ended, it's done. Michaels will lose again, but he will be back again.

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WrestleMania: The Title Matches

2010-03-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

Matches for the title belts last year were a downer because the best match was before them, and the same may happen this year. However, there is hope...

John Cena thought for maybe 30 seconds he was going to WrestleMania as the WWE Champion. Then, Bastista was ushered out to the ring for a title match. So, who will be leaving what I think should be the first main event as WWE Champion? Well, I have two answers. John Cena will win the match because, well, Batista is right about the way Cena is treated in the company. When Cena is not the champ going into WrestleMania, he comes home with belt.

But, I think there may be a twist... just like Cena was screwed at the Elimination Chamber, I think he'll be screwed again, this time with Drew McIntyre, fresh from his loss in the Money In the Bank, getting yet another chance from the Chairman. Now, I didn't say he'd win, just that he may get a chance...

The finale needs to Chris Jericho and Edge because I think they have the potential to give us a match worthy of following the matches before it. The former tag team champions are high flying risk takers (both have competed in MITB, Jericho twice, Edge three times) and can play up the "I know everything about you" card to make it more interesting. I believe Edge will win because the odds are with him as the Royal Rumble winner.

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WrestleMania: The Teams That Were

2010-03-25T21:14:00.003-04:00

At this time last year, The Miz and John Morrison were World Tag Team Champions and Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes were loyal minions, I mean, proteges of Randy Orton. What a difference a year makes...

The Miz smartly teamed up with Big Show, became Unified Tag Champs and is facing Morrison and his newly found partner, R-Truth, at WrestleMania. Miz and Morrison, after being teammates for about a year and a half, parted ways in April when the Miz felt Morrison was getting in his way. See, it was Morrison who was pinned at WrestleMania, causing them to lose the belts, and it was Morrison who caused The Miz to lose a match during the draft episode of Raw.

Since then, both Miz and Morrison have seen gold in the US Championship and Intercontinental Championship, respectively. Big Show was tag champ with Chris Jericho over the past year, and, well, last time R-Truth held a belt (Hardcore Championship), his name was K-Kwik.

I think R-Truth will get his hands on the belts and Morrison will be the victor this year because, at least if the draft doesn't mess things up, the belts will work better with the talent on Smackdown. (Yes, I know being tag champs means you can be either show.) Also, the last time The Big Show won at WrestleMania was 2006 when he was teamed up with Kane as World Tag Champs.

Unlike the team of Miz and Morrison, The Legacy was built on a rocky foundation. If you remember, Rhodes first teamed with DiBiase in 2008 as DiBiase's surprise partner in a match against Rhodes and his partner/mentor Hardcore Holly, thus putting Holly at a disadvantage. By the end of 2008, through criticism, Orton took the second- and third-generation stars under his wing, forming The Legacy. (At first, DiBiase was literally kicked out of the group, but once filming completed on The Marine 2, he was back helping Orton and Rhodes betray members Sim Snuka and Manu.)

The two basically followed orders barked by Orton, continuously having to prove themselves worthy to carry on their families' wrestling traditions. Then, on July 6, the original Ted DiBiase, The Million Dollar Man, hosted Raw. He told his son he didn't believe he should be following Orton, and that he was going to prove it by defeating Orton that night. Orton had a different view, telling the younger DiBiase he could never beat him, and for that night at least, Orton proved he was mightier. Fast forward to the Elimination Chamber just last month- DiBiase (with help from Rhodes) eliminated Orton.

Since this spilt, amazingly, Orton has become the fan favorite. This makes the outcome tricky, but I think DiBiase and Rhodes will end up overpowering their leader. I think this will make for a better storyline, especially if Orton pulls two new Legacy members from FCW, like Joe Hennig and Brett DiBiase...
(hey, some did think it was odd Hennig wasn't selected as one of the rookies on NXT, perhaps this is why)

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WrestleMania: The Leftovers

2010-03-24T21:40:00.002-04:00

Because we have so many top healthy, they have to be included somehow at wrestling's biggest show. That's how we got Triple H v. Sheamus and CM Punk v. Rey Mysterio this year.

Let's stay positive... No JBL this year. That's who Rey faced last year. This year Rey gets CM Punk who he upset by pinning at the Elimination Chamber. If Rey loses, he doesn't have to get a new hairdo, but he will have to join the Straight Edge Society. Now, because this WrestleMania, Luke and Serena most likely will not be interfering. However, because this feud just started, I have a feeling this storyline won't have a happy ending for Rey any time soon...

We knew Triple H was getting a match at WrestleMania since he's kinda on the poster. Well, almost a month ago, he got an opponent when Sheamus decided he wanted to make his WrestleMania debut and attacked Triple H. Since becoming a McMahon, Triple H has won at WrestleMania only once (last year v. Randy Orton because his role is to help the rising stars rise higher. So, even though it pains me to say this, I believe Sheamus will walk away from his first WrestleMania with a win.

WrestleMania: Money in the Bank

2010-03-23T18:07:00.004-04:00

Last night, Kofi Kingston defeated Vladimir Koslov for the 10th and final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. In the first MITB match with 10 participants, Kofi will be battling Kane, Evan Bourne, MVP, Christain, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, Matt Hardy and Drew McIntyre for the suitcase suspended 20 feet above the ring.

Since the first MITB match in 2005, all winners (if you don't include Mr. Kennedy, who ended up losing his contract to Edge, and Edge ended up winning the championship when cashing in the contract) have gone on to win the championship of their choosing when they cashed in their opportunity. The main reason for this is because the winner can cash in the opportunity at ANY time, most choosing when the champ is at his weakest. The only men to hold the coveted suitcase are Edge (2005, 2007), RVD (2006), Mr. Kennedy (2007) and CM Punk (2008, 2009).

So who will be the new Superstar added to the list Sunday night?

Shelton certainly deserves it as the veteran of the match. He has competed in 4 of the 5 MITB matches. Unfortunately, Shelton's only in it because he can put on a good show. It would be nice if he got rewarded, but this is his position in the company right now, and it is a very important position.

Out of the rest, Kane, MVP, Christain and Hardy have each competed in the match twice. Kofi debuted in the match last year and Bourne, Ziggler, Swagger and McIntyre are all in it for the first time.

I think Christain deserves it the most and is the most realistic as a future champion (he has never been WWE Champ or WHW Champ, but was NWA Champ twice during his stint in TNA and held the ECW Championship twice). Christain, by the way, competed in the first MITB match, as did Kane and Shelton.

Kofi also has a chance, since he appears to be ready to be a main eventer. He is also an exciting new face, which WWE seems to be more interested in since TNA started calling them out for being stale. I would love to see Kofi catapulted, but also fear he'd end up like John Cena after a while, unless he gets a character revamp...

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What?

2010-03-18T18:09:00.005-04:00

I guess when Stone Cold said at his Hall of Fame induction that he was not going to wrestle anymore, he meant it. No stunners, just threatening looks and the attitude which made him a star.

Next week, I'll give you my annual Wrestlemania series of blogs sizing up the matches, but, until then, here are a few notes:

- Speaking of Stone Cold, did Stephanie have to dig through her basement to find that old "What?" sign to display in the general manager's office for the night?

- The ratings are in from the first battle of the new Monday Night War, and WWE won by a landslide. According to PWInsider.com, iMPACT! had 1.3 million viewers while Raw had 5 million viewers.

- Who else thought when the Beautiful People announced they had a new member that she was going to be Maria? (She wasn't, in case you missed it) The "Diva of the Year" was released from her contract with the WWE on Feb. 26. She is now pursuing a music career and her album, Seven Sins, will be available on iTunes April 13.

- At TNA's Destination X this Sunday, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman (can I call them Tweedle-drunk and Tweedle-drunker? No? Come on, I've already referred to them as Hogan's baggage... Oh, Disney won't allow it? Okay...) will fight for a TNA contract. Why do I think that even if they lose they will be back somehow...

- National Wrestling Superstars will be in Edison Friday night with Spike Dudley in a Steel Cage Match! The event is at 7:45 p.m. in the Herbert Hoover Middle School Gym and tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for children. For more infomation, visit nwswrestling.com or call 732-888-1704.

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It's good to be the host?

2010-03-10T16:10:00.001-05:00

No, kiddies, Mel Brooks is not guest hosting Raw, but Stone Cold Steve Austin is next week! In honor of the Rattlesnake's one-night return (and, of course, movie promo), let's take a look back at the guest hosts whom we wish Stone Cold was around for so he could end our misery with a Stunner...

Dennis Miller, Dec. 14, 2009: As we watched Miller host the Slammy Awards episode of Raw, we wondered how he ever made it as a comedian. Oh, yeah, and he made pretty obvious he's not that big of a wrestling fan when he introduced Triple H with the nickname "The Show."

Don Johnson and Jon Heder, Jan. 18, 2010: Actually, this night probably would have been okay if it was just Don Johnson. Jon Heder was just horrible. He made his character in "Napoleon Dynamite" look like a normal person. All this, and he attempted to wrestle, and really should have worn something to cover his pasty, scrawny chest.

Jerry Springer, Feb. 15, 2010: Because of Jerry's outrageous talk shows, the Raw Superstars decided to stage a "Secret Lives" segment. But, it was just strange and disturbing, even for Jerry Springer. With this one, I would suspect Stone Cold would give a Stunner to all the Superstars involved, start to share a beer with Jerry, then decide to stun him, too.

Criss Angel, March 8, 2010: I had never seen Criss Angel perform until Monday night, and now I'm glad I didn't waste my money to watch one of his shows. He really brought down a Raw show competing against a TNA show on Red Bull.

Which leaves me wondering, why didn't they get Stone Cold for last week? Maybe they decided they let who ever wanted to take a peek at TNA take their peek, and then make sure everyone came back to Raw the following week...

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Tonight's alright for fighting

2010-03-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

The Monday Night Wars return, again, tonight! First, the challenger has a man who is just under the age of 60 and another just over the age of 60 in a match with two guys who are about half their age. And, over in this corner, we have reigning champ with a man over the age 60 facing a guy half his age...

Really? Fifty-six year-old Hulk Hogan, 61-year-old Ric Flair, and 64-year-old Vince McMahon all stepping in the ring tonight to prove they can all still wrestle is what they are giving us? Where's Chris Jericho to help prove my point?

Now, I understand why they are all doing this. What better way is there for the men running the warring companies to start the war than to actually get in the ring and fight? At least Hogan was smart enough to make his match a tag match with Abyss on his side and AJ Styles on Flair's, so their replacement hips don't have to do all the work... McMahon chose John Cena because he knows he's smart enough not to hurt him, and because McMahon can always get Batista to come out and interfere...

Of course, TNA has a few more aces up its sleeve. As leaked by Spike TV last week, RVD will be making his debut tonight. Rumor has it, since RVD said he wanted his buddy to come to TNA with him, Sabu will be returning to TNA tonight. There may also be a few other new (and old) faces appearing tonight, and, of course, my favorite rumor is Paul Heyman...

Oh, yeah, and TNA says "it" is happening in the first five minutes. Take your pick on what "it" is.

Visit my Facebook page at about 9 p.m. to get updates on the two shows tonight... I'll do a TNA status and a WWE status and just comment on each so I don't clog up your home pages with a bunch of statuses.

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Gretzky screwed Bret

2010-02-27T21:15:00.003-05:00

Sorry faithful readers, but I have been a little consumed by the Olympics. In fact, I'm still a little upset Bret Hart wasn't the great Canadian athlete to light the Olympic cauldron. So, in honor of Bret no longer screwing Bret, and everyone admitting to screwing Bret, I am calling out Wayne Gretzky for screwing Bret out of being the final torch bearer.

More things to call out in TNA/WWE/Olympics...

- So, Abyss, how does it feel to be looking at your future? I mean, being buddies with Hulk Hogan means you get to be part of his baggage someday, like Brian Knobbs, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall. These three will always have a career as long as Hulk is ticking, so protect him well when you team up with against AJ Styles and Ric Flair on March 8 (you know, that day the Monday Night Wars return, again).

- Speaking of Hogan's baggage, Waltman and Hall beat the crap out of Eric Young and Kevin Nash, but not without Waltman doing the crotch chop and telling both of them to “S**k it!” twice. So I ask, with several wrestlers having tweaked their ring names and catch phrases after leaving WWE, isn’t the whole DX catch phrase thing just as much an intellectual property of WWE? They’ve been using it for 15 years, so that is something to think about.

- Amazingly, it appears I was wrong last month when I said a little something about John Cena having no one to compete against at Wrestlemania... apparently I should have predicted Triple H... When everyone is healthy, someone has to be the odd man out, and Triple H gets to be that man. My question is, how do you promote a Wrestlemania with Triple H as one of your three top stars, and don't put him in a match?

- Does anybody else think one of the Bobsleigh announcers sounds little like Matt Striker?

- NXT was, to say the least, interesting. The pairings we saw featured look like they are going to work and really get the personality part out, which is really what appears to need the most work. I really liked Heath Slater, even though his dancing seemed a little forced at times...

NXT up...

2010-02-17T17:35:00.005-05:00

Last night, we saw the end of ECW, but let's face it, the end of "Extreme Championship Wrestling" was long before last night. For a while now, the show has been a stepping stone for the next generation of Superstars to prepare them, and us, the fans, for their arrival to the main stage, with a smattering of familiar stars to make it look legit. Next week, WWE is making it official and bringing us NXT, which they admit is a stepping stone between FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) and Raw/Smackdown.

However, they are switching it up a bit (because, rumor has it, SyFy has not been happy with the ratings lately and requested something be done) and making the show a sort of reality show, and I say sort of, because something tells me it won't be as pure as "Tough Enough."

As WWE explains in their press release, "NXT is a hybrid live event/reality show featuring eight well-known, popular WWE Superstars ('Pros') mentoring eight WWE 'Rookies.' These Rookies, who are learning the ropes, are athletes who epitomize pop culture and personify strong attributes – they are opinionated and aggressive – which means inherent conflict between Rookies and other Rookies, conflict between Rookies and Pros, as well as, conflict between Pros and Pros."

“As we introduce this brand new franchise exclusively on Syfy, WWE NXT will have a completely different look and feel from our other WWE television programming,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said.

The Rookies/Pros thing is a little different from the rumors that were going around about what the show would be, and I think even a little different from what Christian said on Raw a couple of weeks ago, but perhaps that's because they were still working out the details on how the show would work.

The Rookies are all FCW guys, like those (Jack Swagger and Sheamus, for example) who came through ECW before them. Eventually, the Rookies will "graduate" to either Raw or Smackdown (no, they aren't competing for a contract as was the situation in Tough Enough), and a new crop of Rookies will make up the roster of NXT. From what I understand, the Pros will all continue to compete on either Raw or Smackdown.

The Rookies are:

Wade Barrett, an English wrestler who signed a contract with the WWE in in 2007 and worked in OVW before FCW. In FCW, he held the Florida Tag Team Championship with Drew McIntyre. His mentor on NXT will be Chris Jericho.

Justin Gabriel will be better known to FCW fans as Justin Angel, the South African wrestler who is the Florida Heavyweight Champion. His mentor will be Matt Hardy.

Skip Sheffield is not new to reality wrestling-- he was one of the finalists on Tough Enough 4, the one held during Smackdown in 2004 which also included the Miz. Sheffield's mentor will be MVP.

Michael Tarver is from Akron, Ohio. Tarver signed a contract with the WWE in early 2008. He will be mentored by Carlito.

Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) is a former Ring of Honor champion who has only been with the WWE for a few months. Personally, I think this guy may be the one to watch. He will be mentored by The Miz, but I have a feeling he won't need much mentoring... (btw, isn't it a little strange Miz is a mentor to a group of guys that includes someone he competed with to get a job in the WWE in the first place?)

Heath Slater is an former FCW Champion and Tag Team Champion (with Joe Hennig, yes, Mr. Perfect's kid). He will be mentored by Christian.

Darren Young, a Jersey native, has only been working with the WWE since May, but has been making the rounds in the business since 2002. He will be mentored by CM Punk.

David Otunga is another not new to reality television. He was one of the contestants on "I Love New York 2." Somehow, he went from loving New York to loving Jennifer Hudson. He will be mentored by R. Truth.

The WWE certainly has worked to make this new installment of Heat/Tough Enough sound interesting. I liked the original Tough Enough, and I hope NXT will have enough ingredients from the original to make it work for the long term.

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Monday Night Wars Return!

2010-02-15T15:53:00.003-05:00

Starting March 8, TNA iMPACT! will move to Mondays in direct competition (9-11 p.m.)with WWE Raw. The show will even air live from Universal Studios in Orlando every other week.

“On Jan. 4, wrestling fans showed us they’re ready for a new professional wrestling alternative on Monday nights, and we’re answering that call. Bringing ‘iMPACT!’ to Mondays is our most exciting move yet in a year that’s already been filled with huge milestones for TNA” said TNA President Dixie Carter in a press release.

According to TNA's press release, the Jan. 4 iMPACT! drew a record 2.2 million viewers.

"Monday nights are now officially the best night of the week to be a fan of professional wrestling," Hulk Hogan said. "My mantra has been 'change is coming' since partnering with Dixie Carter and TNA Wrestling. This change is great for the business and all fans of professional wrestling will benefit because of it."

Okay, Brother, we'll see...

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Snow postpones Philly show again

2010-02-09T16:28:00.001-05:00

From the WWE:
The anticipated winter storm has once again postponed the upcoming WWE professional wrestling event scheduled for the Wachovia Center on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. The WWE professional wrestling event is now rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. at the Wachovia Center .

All tickets from the originally scheduled date (Friday, Feb. 5) will be honored on Sunday, Feb. 14. Also, tickets are still available at ComcastTIX by visiting ComcastTIX.com or by calling 1-800-298-4200.

Philly show rescheduled

2010-02-06T19:33:00.002-05:00

If you had tickets to the WWE Raw Live show in Philadelphia Friday night, you can still use them. The show was rescheduled (you know, because of that little snow storm we were getting) to Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

According to the WWE, fans who cannot attend the rescheduled date
should go to their point of purchase for refunds.

EC-Gone

2010-02-02T22:55:00.003-05:00

Mr. McMahon announced on ECW tonight that the show would be going off the air in three weeks. He thanked the staff and talent for their work, and then said a new program would take its place in the same time slot on SyFy.

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On the Road Again...

2010-01-28T22:06:00.005-05:00

As we embark on the "Road to Wrestlemania," I would like to give you my predictions ideas, and dreams for the big show.

First, allow me to introduce you to the 24 Rumble participants already announced, especially those who have no shot at the ticket...

The Rookies
Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne will be participating in the Royal Rumble for the first time this year. I think the only rookie who won was Jim Duggan, the first winner of the Royal Rumble. Enough said.

The Big Guys
The big guys are the ones so huge, that when they enter the ring, all the other men look at each and agree they must combine their strength if anyone other than the big guy is going to win. This year there are three big guys in Mark Henry, The Great Khali and the Big Show. With five Rumbles under his belt, Mark Henry will once again be going over the top rope. Khali has only been in three Rumbles, and, well, he may have a surprise shot, but he likely will not. In his sixth year, the Big Show will also have no shot because, well, he's boring as a main event. Yokozuna is the only big guy to win the Royal Rumble (1993), but then again, he also was 27th entrant that year.

The Susan Lucci
Yes, I made this reference last year, and I still love it. Kane is the Susan Lucci (Erica Kane on All My Children, get it?) of the Royal Rumble. This will be his 12th consecutive year in the event, and Lucci didn't win her Emmy until she had been nominated 18 consecutive times, so I'd say the Big Red Machine has about six more years until he wins...

The Distractions
There are then those guys who really put on a good show in the Rumble, make it thrilling, make you think they could possibly win, and then Triple H or John Cena throws them over the top rope when the match needs to start ending. The stars of the Rumble this year will be Shelton Benjamin (8th year), MVP (3nd year), and The Hurricane (4rd year).

The Forgotten
So, Kane needs a few guys to toss out of the ring. These guys, when Michael Cole announces was just tossed out, will be the ones who make you say, "Wow, that's who that was." The reason you say this is because the ring gets so crowded, it gets hard to tell who is where, even on a big screen TV. That's why we have Kane. Our forgotten few will be CM Punk (4rd year), The Miz (3nd year), Carlito (5th year) and William Regal (3rd year).

Santino
Yup, gotta give him his own category. The man has the record for the shortest time in a Rumble match at 1.9 seconds. He thinks he'll win it this year. Dude, Triple H thinks he'll win it this year, too. Good luck.

The Teams
Legacy- Okay, I'll go out on a limb and say it's possible one of these guys will win, Orton will win, and then we have Orton v. 1/2 Legacy at Wrestlemania. I think it will make for a great storyline, and it's one they've been building up for a while. But, which one is worthy? I just don't know. And, that's probably why it won't happen.
Hart Dynasty- Neither DH Smith or Tyson Kidd are in the match yet, but there is a good chance they will be considering how many of their relatives have participated. However, has a Hart ever won?
DX- You can argue both guys have a shot. Triple H won the longest Rumble match in 2002. Shawn Michaels won the shortest 30-man Rumble match in 1995, oh, and was the #1 entrant. Michaels also won the 1996 Rumble and is one of only 3 men to win Rumbles back-to-back. Here is why both won't be adding any more wins this year:

- There is no way Michaels and Taker can top what they did last year. They cannot have a rematch without topping last year's spectacular.

- DX will be defending the Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemania.

The Real Contenders
- John Cena (2008 winner) basically has to be in a main event match because he is the golden child of the WWE. Cena's problem is he never really gets involved with anyone-- he's just after whomever has the belt. This is why it's so hard for the writers to legitimately get him into a main event match and why we end up with Triple threat matches. So, winning the Royal Rumble will solve that problem for the writers.
- Batista (2005 winner) is an interesting choice because either Taker or Rey Mysterio could win the title match, and we'd have a good match-up for Wrestlemania. If neither Batista or Rey win Sunday night, you can bet they will be meeting each other at Wrestlemania.
- Jericho has been in five Royal Rumble matches and has never won. However, Jericho is sly, and does usually end up surviving quite a while because of his ability to make the other competitors forget he is there. Jericho is also something different while being someone with experience to be in a Wrestlemania Main Event. Plus, Jericho, even though he has been banished from Raw several times, could use this as a new in to Raw, and challenge Sheamus or Orton.
- Kofi Kingston will only win if Randy Orton wins. I think Wrestlemania needs someone new at the main event and needs that person to win, and I think Kofi Kingston will be leaving Arizona a very happy man.

Late-comers
On Superstars, Chris Masters earned a spot in the Rumble and R. Truth announced to Chris Jericho he was in it. Matt Hardy also appears to be added to the list. None of these three are winning. One person who doesn't have a spot yet is John Morrison, who has been in the match for the past four years, and really has been the star of the match. Not only would I love to see Morrison in the match again, but I would love to him win for the same reasons I think Kofi should win.

Dark Horse
There's almost always one surprise entrant-- someone coming back from injury, some old-timer, you-know, something. Well, did you know that Bret Hart was the first ever entrant to the Royal Rumble back in 1988. Wouldn't it be awesome if he was the 30th entrant Sunday night? And he wins! And then, instead of going for a title, he goes for Vince! And then, there's chaos over who gets to be the #1 contenders for all the belts! Yup, it's a dream which probably won't come true, but isn't it an awesome dream?
(In case you missed Impact, Kurt Angle is not going anywhere. In fact, Earl Hebner, and nobody else, screwed both Angle and Hart for the money...)

And, drum roll please, my card for Wrestlemania:
Randy Orton v. Kofi Kingston (Rumble Winner)
Undertaker v. Batista
Vince McMahon v. Bret Hart (yeah, it's going to happen anyway)
Christian v. random ECW guy (seriously, their roster is really light)
DX v. The Hart Dynasty
Miz v. MVP

(and maybe they'll find something for John Cena to do... maybe they'll find another WWE films movie he just has to film in Vancouver that weekend...)

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Hulk screwed Kurt?

2010-01-22T18:34:00.001-05:00

TNA was a wild scene Thursday, with a re-enactment of the famous Montreal Screwjob of Bret Hart.

Rumors flew on the Internet yesterday that Kurt Angle, who played the role of Hart in the faux drama, was actually quitting TNA to either go to the WWE or focus on movies full time. He was “screwed” out of his title shot by A.J. Styles and Earl Hebner (yes Hebner was the ref in the Hart match, too), and he even spit on Hulk “Vince McMahon” Hogan at the end for punctuation.

Angle also trashed the set out of anger, much like Hart did, but the whole thing was so framed that it was obviously a slap in the face to the WWE. The lingering question is whether Angle will really quit at all, and if he does, whether he will be entrant No. 30 in the Royal Rumble on Jan. 31. (You never know.) In truth, TNA has too many guys to really give everyone a good storyline … where have I heard that before? Um, try WCW.

(Again I say, where is Disco Inferno when you need him? Someone will have to feud with Brian Kendrick.)

As for the nWo guys, X-Pac and Scott Hall were their usual wasted selves, and they were “kicked out” of TNA by former comrade Hogan. Pac and Hall told Kevin Nash to “fix this,” so it will be interesting if the two were brought back just for the big debut or if they have a future on the show. My guess is the latter in some fashion. Lucky us.

Then we have the bloodied Eric Bischoff at the end of IMPACT, telling us that Mick Foley is fired. Interesting. Since we did not see the attack take place, I think there is a chance that Foley was “framed” in some way, shape or form.

That’s all for now, until the Killer Bees or Bushwhackers show up in TNA…

Mr. Anderson times two

2010-01-22T00:59:00.002-05:00

TNA star Mr. Anderson (formerly Mr. Kennedy) has added an appearance at the Brick Elks Lodge on Saturday, Jan. 30 to go along with his Jan. 29 show in Manville.

Also, the Manville show has added TNA Knockout superstar Angelina Love, so that is a big treat for fans of the Beautiful People.

In a weird quirk, The Patriot will wrestle on Friday night at Manville, and Salvatore Sincere will make an appearance in Brick on Saturday. A little bird named Wikipedia tells us that these characters are the same man, so it is a good chance to see one of the best local wrestlers in action in both his personas.

Who's Next?

2010-01-16T19:07:00.003-05:00

TNA revealed they have yet another card up their sleeve, announcing another superstar, who would immediately be a title contender, would be "unveiled" and making his debut at Genesis tomorrow.

Which immediately made wonder, who else could TNA have acquired?

Mr. Kennedy was my first wish, but if you saw my previous post, you would assume it doesn't appear to be him. However, TNA-contracted wrestlers do still work shows like NWS, so it is possible. Want more evidence it could be him? He just happened to be working a little show in Australia a couple months ago called the Hulkamania tour which also featured people like Ric Flair, Val Venis and some guy named Hulk Hogan...

Another guess would be another neighbor of Hulk Hogan's (you know, most of the guys who "came" with Hogan to TNA live in the Tampa/St. Pete area)Edge, who, by the way, would also be a guess of mine as a surprise entrant to the Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, Edge tore his Achilles tendon in July, and he would be lucky if he could flex his foot right now, much less enter a ring of any sides.

So, basically, all I've got is Mr. Kennedy. Have you got any better ideas?

Misssssssttttterrrrrr ....

2010-01-05T17:29:00.002-05:00

Ken Anderson (aka Mr. Kennedy) will be making his National Wrestling Superstars debut on Jan. 29 at the Manville VFW Hall (600 Washington Avenue, Manville NJ).

Kennedy, as we will call him for the duration of this post, is making his first appearance in Central Jersey. He has not been heard from since the infamous Lakers-Nuggets 10-man match on Raw last spring. Kennedy got the pin in that match, then vanished from televised wrestling.

The Patriot will team with an unknown partner against the Nigerian Nightmares that night as well. The Nightmares are quite the characters if you have not seen them live.

Last but not least, there will be a Coffins-Tables-and-Doors match. Never seen one of those, but that sounds like fun.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 732-888-1704.

Full of Surprises

2010-01-04T23:42:00.003-05:00

"Well, I guess Hell froze over," an aged Bret Hart announced as he opened Raw Monday night. The Hitman making his return to a WWE ring was a shock, even though it was announced last week, because with all the history, it was just something you weren't really going to believe until you saw it.

This was the most amazing night in the wrestling business, and Bret Hart was just part of it.

TNA Impact started an hour before Raw, and Hulk Hogan certainly did not come alone. Surprise appearances were:
- Jeff Hardy
- Ric Flair (although I did predict this one)
- Scott Hall (Razor Ramon)
- Sean Waltman (X-Pac)
- Val Venis
- The Nasty Boys
- Orlando Jones
- Shannon Moore
- and the return of Sting

Raw's surprises included an admission from Shawn Michaels - to Hart's face - that he was involved in the plot against Hart in Montreal in 1997.

"There's a part of me that doesn't regret a bit of it," Michaels said before saying a lot has changed since then. The two decided to make up (or make out, as Triple H said it) and put the past behind them.

Hart then called out Vince McMahon, but McMahon later said he did not come out because he did not hear Hart because he was in a meeting. I have a feeling this meeting involved him watching Hulk Hogan, who was in the ring at the same time on Impact...

Hogan, along with Eric Bischoff, told the TNA team that everyone would have to earn their position in the company, including buddies like Kevin Nash and executives like Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley.

Even though TNA certainly made an impact, one thing got to me-- for a company talking so much about changing the industry, they sure did recycle a lot of WWE's former talent, most of of whom are in their 40's and 50's, to make that impact.

By the way, in case you missed it, John Cena was at neither show because he was in Tempe, Arizona, to do the coin toss for the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, I love my DVR.

Oh, and who was the winner tonight? Universal Studios Florida. The high there today was 52 degrees, but it felt like the 40's most of the day. Not many people are going to hang out at a theme park in that type of weather, especially on a Monday. But, everyone in attendance at TNA had to buy a ticket to get into Universal Studios to see the show, and I have a feeling there were many who did not get a seat...

The Best?

2009-12-28T22:20:00.002-05:00

As he prepares to go head to head with TNA next week (which, by the way, has not outright been said by the WWE, and in fact, has almost been ignored), Vince McMahon announced tonight on Raw that Bret "The Hitman" Hart will be guest hosting Raw!

Perhaps this is Vince's way of telling Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter that the WWE is "the best is, the best there ever was and the best there ever will be."

In my opinion, TNA is jumping the gun by going on the air against Raw this early. However, I'll be pretty disappointed if there is no DX action in Orlando next week...

Monday Night War

2009-12-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

TNA Impact will go live Monday, Jan. 4, against WWE Raw. Hulk Hogan made the announcement Saturday night at the UFC event he and TNA President Dixie Carter were attending.

"We're going to battle with the WWE," Hogan said. "Hulk Hogan and TNA, we're coming after everybody."

It sounded like Hogan wasn't planning on making his TNA debut until Jan. 4, but Hogan also said, "You never know when the old man with the yellow boots might just step into that ring, brother."

TNA's show will be in Florida at Universal Orlando, while Raw will be in Dayton, Ohio, that night. Impact is scheduled to start at 8 pm, and Raw still appears to airing at it's regular 9 pm start.

Umaga dies of heart attack

2009-12-06T22:59:00.002-05:00

Eddie Fatu, better known as Umaga (and before that, Jamal of 3 Minute Warning), died of a heart attack in a Houston hospital Friday, CNN reports. The 36-year-old was a member of the Anoa'i family which includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Rikishi and the Wild Samoans.

Fatu was released from his WWE contract in June for violating the Wellness Policy and refusing to go to rehab. He was a 2-time Intercontinental Champion.