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John Cena to do appearances at upcoming European tour

Former WWE champion John Cena will be going on the road with his co-workers for the upcoming European tour in November to do special appearances.

Cena has been out injured since the day after SummerSlam and underwent elbow surgery, putting him on the sidelines for four to six months. WWE has not announced yet during which shows Cena will appear but having him show up for shows he was originally advertised for will certainly decrease the possibility of offering refunds.

The massive tour of Europe kicks off on November 6 in Belfast, Ireland, and runs through November 16.

Maryse on the cover of 10th anniversary issue of Summum Magazine

Former WWE Diva and Divas champion Maryse is gracing the cover of the special 10th anniversary of Summum Magazine. Actually, it’s not Maryse per-se, but rather her breasts.

Maryse has been on the cover of the Quebec-based magazine three times before – in 2006, 2008, and 2010 – so this is her fourth on the cover, even though only a part of her body occupies it.

The former Diva did however have a pictorial inside the magazine which you can see below.

Shaul Guerrero returns to NXT after a one year absence

Shaul Guerrero, the daughter of Vickie and the late Eddie Guerrero – is back working at NXT after leaving the company in September of last year.

The 22 year old wrestles under the name of Raquel Diaz and is already back on Twitter using the Twitter handle @RaquelDiazWWE. When she was in FCW before WWE rebranded to NXT, Diaz was the longest reigning FCW Divas champion at 197 days. She appeared several times on NXT before requesting to be released from her contract.

“I’m so proud of my daughter and she has returned fierce and ready to make a difference,” her mother Vickie tweeted yesterday.

WWE Studios reserves a spot at New York Comic Con

WWE Studios announced that they will be holding a Q&A session on Sunday, October 13, at the New York Comic Con for two of their upcoming movies, See No Evil 2 and Leprechaun: Origins.

See No Evil 2 will star Kane and starts filming next week in Vancouver. It will be released straight-to-DVD next year.  Leprechaun: Origins will feature Hornswoggle and will be released in theaters on February 28, 2014.

The New York Comic Con will be held at the Javits Center. The guests for the WWE Studios panels will be announced next week.

SummerSlam 2013 buyrate down from last year’s show

The preliminary buyrate for SummerSlam this year is not looking that good with 298,000 buys, down 60,000 buys from last year’s show which was headlined by Triple H and Brock Lesnar.

The show had 186,000 buys domestically and an additional 112,000 overseas, barely surpassing the 2011 SummerSlam by 2,000 buys. The numbers are not final and could change once all the data is in.

The 2008 SummerSlam still ranks the top in the last five years with almost half a million buys. That show was headlined by Undertaker and Edge.

Nick Dinsmore joins WWE Performance Center as trainer

PWInsider.com is reporting that Nick Dinsmore, better known as former WWE Superstar Eugene, will be returning to the company as a trainer down at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Dinsmore wrestled for WWE between 2004 and 2007 and was introduced as the nephew of RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff. He had his WrestleMania “moment” when at WrestleMania 21 he was attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari but was saved by Hulk Hogan who was inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before.

Dinsmore was released from his contract in 2007 after he failed his second Wellness Policy test. He joins Bull DeMott, Billy Gunn,  Joey Mercury, Norman Smiley, Ricky Steamboat, Robbie Brookside, Sara Del Rey, and Terry Taylor as trainers down at NXT.

Locations for Axxess, Hall of Fame, and RAW after Mania announced

Along with the announcement of the WrestleMania tickets, WWE also released the locations of the weekend activities that will be part of the show.

The four-day WrestleMania Axxess event will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center which is located just a mile and a half away from the Superdome.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony and Monday Night RAW that will follow WrestleMania will be at the New Orleans Arena which sits right next door to the Superdome

Location for the other activities during WrestleMania week have not been announced yet.

WrestleMania XXX tickets on sale on November 16

WWE today announced that tickets for WrestleMania XXX will go on sale Saturday, November 16, starting at 11AM EST / 10AM CT on Ticketmaster.com.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $850 with additional – but limited number – Gold Circle VIP packages available for $2,000. The Gold Circle packages include seating in the first four rows ringside, a Gold Circle VIP stadium entrance, a collectible WrestleMania XXX ticket holder and the commemorative WrestleMania XXX take-home folding chair.

WrestleMania XXX will take place at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Preview for second half of first season of Total Divas

E! issued new information regarding the upcoming second half of Total Divas which will resume airing on November 17 at 9PM EST.

The second half of the first season will feature Nikki moving in with John Cena and a surprise “co-habitation agreement,” her sister Brie’s trouble with Daniel Bryan, Natalya and TJ having issues over wrestling, Ariane’s health issues, Trinity’s opportunity to be a solo Diva, and the rise of Eva Marie and JoJo.

Total Divas has been E!’s most-watched freshman series since Summer 2011 and is the #1 most social Reality Show on Sunday nights.

Entire roster for WWE 2K14 to be announced on RAW

The entire WWE 2K14 roster will be revealed on Monday Night RAW as WWE looks to push the new video game with their new partners 2K just over a month before it is scheduled to be released.

So far 50 WWE Superstars and Legends have been announced including the full roster for the “30 Years of WrestleMania” mode which was announced during the SummerSlam weekend.

Legends such as The Rock, Goldberg, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and others will be joining Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Darren Young, Brock Lesnar and other current Superstars on the roster.

Ranking the Top WWE Superstars for every decade

The world of professional wrestling has treated us to a wide range of colorful figures over the decades, and perhaps the most productive wrestling franchise in terms of iconic superstars is WWE. Whether you are a casual pay-per-view spectator or an avid fan of Bodog sports betting, you are likely to have a range of favorites of your own for any given period in WWE history. Let us take a look through the top WWE superstars of every decade as we relive the thrills and spills of tournaments gone by.

The history of WWE can be traced back to 1952, when an ancestor called the Capitol Wrestling Corporation picked up a devoted following from many people, some interested in betting on sports, others simply casual viewers.

Amongst Capitol’s stars, probably the biggest names were the tag team of Eddie and Jerry Graham. Together, the team succeeded in besting their rivals Curtis and Mark Lewin – in doing so, paving the way for many more spectacular matches to come.

1963 saw the formation of the World Wide Wrestling Federation – the outfit which is today known as WWE. Throughout the sixties, it seems safe to say that the big names of the franchise were Lou Albano and Tony Altomare, who comprised a tag team called the Sicilians. As their motif was themed around the stereotypical Italian gangster, they caused something of a controversy which went beyond the world of sportsbook betting and led to debates about stereotypes in the media. Despite the villainous, Mafiosi-style persona around which he had originally based his career, Albano became a wrestling manager in the seventies and was presented as a more friendly and benign figure in official media.

With Albano having risen through the ranks, the stage was set for a new WWWF star of the seventies. The franchise played host to many memorable figures: these include Mr. Fuji, a Japanese wrestler who, like Albano before him, later became a manager; the glamorous Valiant Brothers; Haystacks Calhoun, a veteran from the early days of the franchise who was still going strong; and the Fabulous Moolah, an icon of women’s wrestling. But perhaps the greatest of all was Larry Zbyszko, a wrestler who lent his talents to AWA and WCW as well as WWWF.

bodogsports

In 1980, the World Wide Wrestling Federation became the World Wrestling Federation. The title may have become smaller but the franchise became much bigger, reaching proportions that rivaled the excitement of the Olympics and Bodog Sports.

It attracted memorable grapplers such as Harley Race, a veteran who was previously associated with NWA, and Mr. T, an actor who starred in The A-Team.

There was one champion who shone above all others, however, one of the first wrestlers to become an out-and-out mass media star: Hulk Hogan. An unpredictable figure – not even the best bookmaker sportsbook knew exactly what he would do next – Hulk Hogan was immortalized in comic books, a children’s cartoon series and numerous action figures. Make no mistake, Hulk Hogan was the face of wrestling in the eighties.

Hogan’s prime status lasted throughout the nineties as well, but the decade also saw new blood being injected into the franchise – resulting in some of the best sportsbook excitement seen to date.

There was a rise in emphasis on wrestlers with larger-than-life personas, a prime example being the Undertaker – a mortician-like wrestler inspired by the morbid imagery of goth rock music. The Undertaker emerged as a “bad guy” figure who could stand in opposition to the more clean-cut stars such as Hulk Hogan.

Finally, we come to the decade of the 2000s. As well as seeing the WWF become renamed as the WWE, not to mention the rise of the Internet – and, therefore, the online sportsbook – the 2000s saw the rise of a great new superstar named John Cena. Cena grappled his way through many of the more memorable events of the decade and earned his place as the true superstar of the 2000s.

What will the future of wrestling bring us? Well, when 2020 arrives we be able to look back upon another decade of wrestling superstars…

 

Sky Sports 3 in the UK to air Total Divas

Sky Sports in the United Kingdom will be airing the first season of Total Divas starting on September 23.

The show will be part of the massive six hour WWE block which airs on Sky Sports 3 every Monday which Total Divas will kick off at 10PM local time.

The first half of the season wrapped up last week on E! and the second half will start airing on November 17 at 9PM EST with six episodes scheduled to air.

Preview of the upcoming Triple H ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ video release

Next week, WWE will release yet another Triple H home video titled Thy Kingdom Come, a three disc DVD and a 2 disc Blu-Ray.

The release will have twelve full matches as well as a lengthy documentary which will also include rare candid comments from The Undertaker.

In a recent interview with the New Hampshire Magazine, Triple H said that this release is different from any previous WWE DVD that was released about him. “It’s about me, but my parents are in it, a lot of talent are in it. Even the Undertaker asked to be in it. Plus, they came to the offices and interviewed some people. It covers a lot of ‘corporate’ Triple H.”

You can see the full details of the disc and a trailer of the DVD which features comments from the Undertaker, The Rock, Kevin Nash, Billy Gunn, Jim Ross, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and a bunch of others below.

DISC 1

The Game
Growing Up
WCW
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Ninth Wonder of the World
Mick Foley
D-Generation X
Leader
DX vs. The Nation
Champion
McMahon-Helmsley
The Rock
Injury
Evolution
DX Returns
Torn and Rebuilt
Randy Orton
Actor
The Undertaker
Chief Operating Officer
A Unique Breed

DISC 2

Jean-Paul Levesque vs. Ricky Steamboat
WCW Saturday Night – September 3, 1994

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Dude Love
One Night Only – September 20, 1997

60 Minute Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H vs. The Rock
Judgment Day – May 21, 2000

No Disqualification Match
Triple H vs. Kurt Angle
Unforgiven – September 24, 2000

DISC 3

WWE World, Intercontinental, & Tag Team Championships Are All On The Line
Triple H & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker & Kane
Backlash – April 29, 2001

World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H vs. Rob Van Dam
RAW – June 30, 2003

Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Royal Rumble – January 25, 2004

Road to WrestleMania 22 Tournament Match
Triple H vs. Ric Flair
RAW – February 6, 2006

Return From Injury
Triple H vs. King Booker
SummerSlam – August 26, 2007

Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
No Mercy – October 7, 2007

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
SmackDown – November 21, 2008

Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
RAW – November 30, 2009

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES

No Holds Barred Match
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
WrestleMania 29 – April 7, 2013

Motivation in High School
Hard Way In
Paul Scream
Resume
Sherri
Diamond Cutter
Hunter Hearst Helmsley – The Name
Wild ‘n Crazy Guys
Evolution’s Fifth Member???
Shawn’s Comeback
WrestleMania 26
Two Movies at Once
Commemorating the End
Worst Gas on the Planet
Candy Bar
Praising the Boss
Behind the Scenes – Photo Shoot
Behind the Scenes WrestleMania 29 Weekend
Taping Wrists
The Levesque Game
King of Signs

Hulk Hogan’s TNA deal about to expire

A lot of rumors online are circulating that Hulk Hogan’s deal with TNA Wrestling is expiring in October and the two sides are no where close to ironing out a new agreement.

Hogan is reported to cost TNA in the range of $30,000 per  show no matter if he appears once or five times on television during the tapings.

With TNA currently undergoing some major financial issues it will be interesting to see if Hogan gets the same deal – or something better – to keep him around. Hogan’s deal expires before the Bound for Glory pay-per-view so a temporary extension might be the solution unless the two sides agree on money issues.

Hogan made his TNA debut in January 2010, just two months after he and Bischoff signed a deal with TNA.

RAW rating for 09/16/2013

Monday Night RAW this week with the fallout from Night of Champions pulled a 3.0 rating with a total of 4,013,000 viewers, up 127,000 viewers from last week.

Hour one did 3,865,000 viewers, hour two did 4,162,000 viewers, and hour three did 4,012,000 viewers. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)

Monday Night Raw TV report for 09/16/2013

It is over 24 hours since Night Of Champions and once again, I do not know about the results, so the pay-per-view is a mystery to me. The build-up was great and it seemed to have a nice card to it, so hopefully for those who watched, it lived up to their expectations.

Did Randy Orton retain the WWE Championship, or was the popular Daniel Bryan able to come out on top? Did Rob Van Dam get a hometown win and a World Title?

Did C.M. Punk manage to get his hands on his former friend, Paul Heyman; or did the duo of him and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel manage to swerve “The Second-City Saint?”

Were any other new champions crowned?

I gave you my ideas and hopes last week, so here’s wishing those did pan out. And to figure out if they did,  read on!

Monday Night Raw T.V. Report for September 16th, 2013 – “Defiance”

Introduction Segment: Video Recap

Footage from Night of Champions is aired first, showing one correct prediction of mine and one big twist – C.M. Punk made Curtis Axel tap out to the Anaconda Vice, then as he was going to go after Paul Heyman, Ryback ran out and put him through the table; he placed Heyman on top for the win! In the other, Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Champion for the second (and longer-lasting) time, defeating Randy Orton clean!

Segment #2: Arena Promo

Justin Roberts welcomes the NEW WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan! He walks out to a LOUD “Yes” ovation, and as the old saying goes, you can’t “surgically remove the smile off his face!” Bryan holds the championship high, which is now decorated with a “yes, yes, yes” plate on each side of the WWE logo.

Loud “Daniel Bryan” chants fill the arena. “You guys are awesome,” his first words are as WWE Champion. Of course, he follows that up with many “yeses” until WWE C.O.O. Triple H interrupts.

He storms to the ring with a very serious look on his face. He calls Bryan’s win “tainted” because of an apparent fast-count by referee Scott Armstrong. He orders him to also come out and Armstrong obliges. First, “The Game” compares video of Scott’s regular counting and his supposed fast-count that gave Daniel the victory.

It’s noted that it was faster, using the side-by-side camera angle between the regular count and the fast count. HHH asks him to explain it, and he admits that it was a fast-count but doesn’t know why. He confesses that he also “made a mistake.”

Trips doesn’t by it, because he says that Scott has always been an honest guy. Armstrong whispered something to Bryan, which HHH interprets as “they got us/they’re onto us.” Triple H dismisses Armstrong, saying he will deal with him later.

Instead, he decides to accuse Bryan of entering into a conspiracy with referee Armstrong, and therefore he wants to strip him of the WWE Championship. “Daniel, I speak to you like a man. You have embarrassed yourself. You’ve disgraced yourself. You’ve disgraced the WWE Championship. I would’ve thought Shawn taught you better than this. Daniel, you are no longer the WWE Champion. Hand over to me the WWE Championship belt or I will take it from you.”

Randy Orton now interjects and is ticked. Triple H tries to restore order, barking at Orton to “calm down.” He declares that the championship is “held up” and there is no title holder. Daniel stares at the championship then at Triple H.

He yells “no!” at “The Game” and goes to walk away, but Randy catches him with an R.K.O., and Triple H snags the title, walking to the back. Orton stands over Bryan with a sneer on his face, listening to the “Randy sucks” chants.

Commercials.

Segment #3: Backstage Promo

Triple H and Stephanie are discussing the breaking events when Randy Orton barges into their conversation. He wants his title back, but Steph gets in his face. She says he had to lose the title, because he wasn’t the same Orton from years ago, who had “no morality.” They threaten that he is no longer the “face of the WWE” until he finds himself again.

Match #1: Single – United States Champion Dean Ambrose VS. “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler (Non-Title)

Elbow/collar tie-up begins, which Dolph breaks out of and slugs away at Ambrose. He hits him with a shoulder block then a running crossbody. Ziggler punches him on the mat then clotheslines him to the outside, going with Dean. Dolph ducks a clothesline and clamps on the sleeper hold. (Note: loud “let’s go Ziggler” chants).

Dean breaks out of it and grips on a sleeper of his own, which Dolph counters with a sit-down jawbreaker. Ziggler kicks away in the corner, but is whipped over the top to the outside.

Ads.

Back from break, Ambrose is in control, locking in a Dragon sleeper. Dolph pushes out and begins to punch, but is sent again to the outside. The U.S. Champ slams Ziggler’s head against the top turnbuckle, then scratches is back before butterfly-suplexing him off the top! 1 – 2 – Ziggler kicks out!

Dean ties him up in a grounding half-nelson. which Dolph also fights out of with headbutts! Ambrose takes back domination with a knee-to-the-gut. Dolph fires back with an elbow and jumping DDT, then a dropkick and corner splash! He hits Dean with fists of fury in the corner, then another clothesline.

He drops repeated elbows – 10 of them! 1 – 2 – Ambrose gets the shoulder up! Hw reverses an Irish whip and puts Dolph down with a spinebuster, but only gets two.

Dean attempts a neckbreaker, but Ziggler reverses into a backslide for two and quickly is cut-off again with a pull-down from the middle rope. Ambrose is leading Dolph up, but “The Show Off” counters his front-facelock DDT and brings him down with the Zig-Zag neckbreaker drop for the victory!

Winner via Pin Fall: “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler

Post-match, Dolph celebrates with fans while Ambrose looks perplexed at his loss.

Segment #4: Office Promo

The Big Show is staring down General Manager Brad Maddox when is informed that Triple H and Stephanie will be there shortly.

Commercials.

Segment #5: Office Promo

Brad confirms with Triple H that Daniel Bryan will face Roman Reigns of The Shield. He also tells Stephanie that Dusty Rhodes in the building. Stephanie orders The Big Show to stay in the office and not get involved in any activity tonight.

Still photos of C.M. Punk taking on Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman from Night Of Champions is shown, complete with the help from Ryback. Later tonight, we might find out their potential new partnership.

Match #2: Single – Fandango (with Summer Rae) VS. R-Truth

Fandango tries a kick to start things off, but Truth catches his leg and slaps him around. Truth follows up with high hip toss and jumping legdrop. Truth punches against the ropes and sends Fandango to the floor. He rolls him back to the ring and Fandango cuts him off.

He punches against the mat then whips him hard into the corner. He grips on a grounding chinlock, but Truth gets out of it and hits Fandango with a jumping calf kick. A couple of clotheslines and a tornado suplex-jawbreaker combo nets a near-fall for Truth!

Fandango runs at Truth in the corner and hops over to the apron. He nails Truth with a high kick, then soars off the top rope with a legdrop, getting the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winner via Pin Fall: Fandango (with Summer Rae)

Backstage, Dusty Rhodes is with various WWE wrestlers while Michael Cole announces that next, Rhodes will discuss a “business proposition” with Stephanie and Triple H.

Ads.

Segment #6: Arena Promo

“The American Dream” is back and walks down the aisle very seriously.

“I’m not here as ‘The American Dream’ tonight. I’m here as Virgil Runnels. I want the McMahons to here what I got to say. I want them to understand a couple of things, because obviously, they never went down that ‘bad road.’ I’ve been down that ‘bad road.’ You raisin’ a whole family of two great young men. And in that process, you can’t pay your light bill. You can’t pay your rent-a-car. You can’t pay your mortgage. You can’t pay anybody to come and cut the long. And you’re wondering where the next dollar’s gonna come from. But you reach down because of the LOVE of your children. The LOVE of your sons, and find a way to do it! This is not about me, this is about Cody’s job. And in one night, you watch a suffering, young man lose his job. Not for the ‘fight of the game.’ Never turned down a shot at Randy Orton. But on a whim, if you will. ‘What’s good for business.’ What the hell is ‘good for business?’ As Triple H said, ‘hey by the way, if you don’t beat Randy Orton, you lose your job. You’re outa work. You’re in the unemployment line, because “that’s what’s best for business.”‘

“Goldust comes in and steps up to the plate, and takes a mighty swing. Having two sons you are proud of, two sons that you LOVE with all your heart, is ‘what’s best for business.’ Don’t you ever think that God’s greatest gift to each and everyone of you is a child. It is your family, it is your business. It is what you do day-in and day-out to exist. And we exist to be the best! Cody Rhodes, before he was 22-years-old, was two-times Intercontinental Champion, four-times World’s Champion. And in one night, you broke his heart. So, with that being said, I did not call for this meeting. I did not say, ‘I’m coming to see ya and begging for Cody’s job.’ I just want him to have the opportunity to earn that job back.”

Dusty requests that Stephanie McMahon come out and give her “business” proposal to him. She sarcastically sucks up to Rhodes, and gives him a gift-card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for Cody and his wife. Dusty wants to her get to the chase.

Stephanie does say that they want to give Cody his job back. Dusty accepts, but that it is not all. Steph also wants to give Goldust/Dustin Runnels an opportunity. She forces him to make a choice – Dustin or Cody.

Rhodes won’t and compares the proposal to Stephanie picking her own favourite child. He is furious, yelling at Stephanie. Just then, The Shield walk down to the ring and surround it. Stephanie wants to even the odds for Dusty and orders The Big Show to come out. He reluctantly obliges again. McMahon then gives Rhodes another choice – to be taken out by The Shield or Show. Dusty refuses to answer, so Stephanie makes Show do it.

He won’t at first, but stands up against “The Shield.” They surround Rhodes and Show with chairs, but the 7-footer hugs Dusty before hitting him face-first with the punch. Show kneels over a downed Dusty with empathy while a staff person checks on him.

Commercials.

Dusty Rhodes is being stretchered off and taken tot he hospital. Big Show climbs in the ambulance with him.

Match #3: 6-Diva Tag-Team – The Funkadactyls (Cameron and Naomi) and Brie Bella (with Eva-Marie, Nikki Bella, and Jojo) VS. Aksana, Alicia Fox, and Layla.

(Note: Natalya and Divas Champion A.J. Lee are on commentary, although Natalya’s mike doesn’t work until Jerry “The King” Lawler gives her his.) Lockup between Layla and Naomi, with Naomi butt-bumping her for a quick one-count. She tags in Cameron and they hit a double-team flip-over clothesline and senton.

Layla is now in and she takes control with a kick. She switches with Aksana who chokes her with a boot-in-the-corner. Alicia whips Cameron hard into the corner and Layla chokes her again against the bottom turnbuckle. Fox snapmares Cameron then grips on a grounding chin lock.

Cameron fights out of it, but gets scoop-slammed hard. Alicia misses a senton, allowing Cameron to tag in Brie. She goes to town on Aksana and the bout breaks down. She gets the win for her team with a sit-down facebuster!

Winners via Pin Fall: The Funkadactyls (Cameron and Naomi) and Brie Bella (with Eva-Marie, Nikki Bella, and Jojo)

Post-match, Natalya and A.J. have a stare-down over the championship.

Backstage, The Miz is chatting with General Manager Brad Maddox, and appears to be happy.

Ads.

Match #4: Single – “The Intellectual Saviour Of The Unwashed Masses” Damien Sandow VS. Rob Van Dam (with Ricardo Rodriguez)

(Reporter’s Note – DAMN! No World Championship around the waist of R.V.D. So should’ve won!) Elbow/collar tie-up starts and Rob is shoved into the corner by Damien. He kicks away until Mike Chioda, the referee, breaks it up. Sandow is all over Van Dam, with punches and fast covers.

He rams is shoulder into Van Dam’s gut in the corner, then takes him down with the side Russian legsweep and elbow drop. Van Dam eventually gets momentum by battling out of a chinlock, then flipping over Sandow with a Hurricanrana.

He springboards off the second rope out of the corner with a crossbody, then hits a couple clotheslines and a kick. He goes for the Rolling Thunder but Damien counters with knees-to-the-back and a roll-up for a near fall!

Van Dam comes back with another kick and ascends the top rope. He dives off with the 5-Star-Frogsplash and the victory! (They accidentally played Damien’s them music first, which Ricardo was laughing at while celebrating with R.V.D.!)

Winner via Pin Fall: Rob Van Dam (with Ricardo Rodriguez)

It is announced that The Miz will face Randy Orton later tonight.

Commercials.

Segment #7: Office Promo

Triple H is having a talk with referee Scott Armstrong. He says he is in a tough position, and cites that the referees “have to have integrity. They have to be above reproach. If we don’t have that, then we don’t have nothing.” He offers Armstrong a “generous severance package,” meaning that Scott has just gotten the “pink slip.” HHH promises that he will still take care of him as Armstrong walks off dejected.

Match #5: Single – “The Viper” Randy Orton VS. “The Awesome One” The Miz

As Miz makes his entrance and greets his family ringside, Orton viciously assaults him. Referees back him up for a break.

Ads.

Miz is fired up and wants to continue the bout. The referee allows it and Miz sweeps up Orton, ferociously punching him. Orton comes back with a hard headbutt and clothesline in the corner. He punches away and is completely amped up. He goes for the slingshot-DDT, but Miz tosses him over and rope-jawbreaks him! Miz runs Randy into both the side of the ring and the barricade, but is tripped up into the ring post face-first. The referee calls for the bell.

Winner: No Contest due to Referee Stoppage

Post-match, Orton continues the attack, dragging him to where is parents are. Miz comes back, clotheslining him back over the guard rail. Orton slams his head again, stares ad Miz’s Dad, and hammers away. He sets up Miz and drives him down with the DDT on the floor!

He picks up Miz and rolls him back in the ring. Randy takes a chair from ringside, and glares down Miz’s family. He places the chair in the ring, then around the head of Miz. Orton hesitates then runs his knee onto the chair, crushing the back of Miz’s head. His mother looks on in horror. Medical technicians and referees enter the ring to help Miz.

Commercials.

Segment #8: Arena Promo

Ryback, Paul Heyman (in a wheelchair) and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel approach the stage. “Ladies and gentleman, my name is Paul Heyman, and I am ‘the best in the world!'” Paul says that “envy” is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and calls the crowd “heathens.” “I PINNED C.M. Punk, and I can say that over and over and over and over and over and over again, and every time I say it, it will be the truth,” he gloats.

Heyman says his favorite that the record books will always say that Paul Heyman beat C.M. Punk when they wrestled for the first-time ever. Heyman denies any big “plan” he had. He credits C.M. for giving him a hellacious assault, and credits Ryback for helping him.

“Ladies and gentleman, I’m here tonight, and will continue to torment C.M. Punk and each and every one of you because of the actions of this big, beautiful man right here. I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, I owe my life to Ryback.”

He hands over the microphone and Ryback talks about hating a bully. He calls C.M. Punk one for the beating he laid on Heyman. “Punk, I don’t like you. I don’t like anything about you. You’re a ‘bully,’ and I’m here to stop you.”

He gets down on bended knee beside Heyman and tells him all will be good as long as he’s around. Heyman mouths “thank you,” then gives a kiss to Ryback on the cheek! (That was weird, but almost fitting at the same time!) Ryback rolls a smiling Heyman to the back after yelling “Ryback rules!”

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Match #6: Triple-Threat Tag-Team Elimination for the #1 Contendership to the Tag-Team Titles – The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) VS. Tons Of Funk (Brodus Clay and “Sweet T.” Tensai) VS. The Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro) (with Zeb Colter)

Jack is all over Brodus until he gets t-bone suplexed. Clay runs into Swagger in the corner with a splash, and “The Real Americans” regroup on the outside. Jack tags in Jimmy, who locks up and is shoved down by Brodus. Jimmy ducks a clothesline and hits a splashes Brodus in the corner, but is caught with a fall-away scoop slam out of a crossbody attempt. Clay drops in elbow, then Cesaro blind-tags in.

Jimmy comes back with a spinning elbow and tags in his brother, who hits a flying forearm. The Usos double-team Antonio, but he comes back with an uppercut on Jey. Tensai is switched in, and he plants Cesaro with a butterfly-gutwrench stalling suplex! 1 – 2 – Cesaro kicks out. Jimmy tags himself and is dominated by “Sweet T.” He drives him down with the double-chokeslam/spinebuster, but Cesaro sneaks and rolls up “Sweet T.” to eliminate “Tons Of Funk!” Cesaro dropkicks Jimmy to the outside and poses “we the people” for a break.

Commercials.

Swagger now has Jey locked in a surfboard/butterfly stretch. (Cesaro’s swing move from the ads is shown, since the fans loved it so much!) Swagger rams his shoulder into Jey’s stomach, then springboards out of the corner with a splash, which Cesaro follows up with the jumping double-foot stomp. Cesaro puts him down with a scoop slam and elbow drop, then begins to wear Jimmy down with the grounding chinlock.

Jey starts to come back, elbowing both Jack and Antonio back and forth, then shoving Cesaro off and getting the hot-tag to Jimmy. He flies off the top with a cool clothesline onto Jack, and puts him down with a Samoan drop. He runs hard into the corner with the butt-bump, but Cesaro comes in before Jimmy could get the cover. Both Usos soar over the ropes with planchas.

Jimmy goes for a superkick, but Swagger catches it and locks in the “Patriot Lock” Ankle Lock. Jimmy struggles for a bit but manages to fight out and hit another superkick! He goes to the top but is cut off by Cesaro. Jey helps out and tags himself in, flying off the top with a Superfly-esque Splash for the hard-fought victory!

Winners and #1 Contenders for the Tag-Team Championship: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey)

Segment #9: Video Promo

The WWE’s “Be A Star” program is featured, plugging the awesome efforts to try and do away with bullying.

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Segment #10: Video Promo

“They say that patience is a virtue. But in my estimation, it’s a lost art.” Bray Wyatt opens his latest prophesy with this line, talking about the “me-first, we want it all immediately culture.” Wyatt compares this world to his, where “we don’t fumble around in agony. We put them down.” While making weird faces and splicing the footage with Erik Rowan and Luke Harper, he finishes declaring, “don’t you worry about a thing Abigail, I’m going to put ’em all down. I’m going to put ’em down.”

Michael Cole recaps the attack by Big Show on Hall-Of-Famer Dusty Rhodes, and Jerry gives an update, saying that “Dusty is conscious, his vital signs are ok now.” Cole says that Cody has tweeted “cowards,” speculating about the McMahon family.

Backstage, Daniel Bryan is walking through, receiving applause and courage from fellow wrestlers. He also gets a hug from his girlfriend, Brie Bella. Up next, he will take on Tag-Team Champion Roman Reigns!

Commercials.

Match #7: Single – Tag-Team Champion Roman Reigns (with Shield partners, United States Champion Dean Ambrose and Tag-Team Champion Seth Rollins) VS. Daniel Bryan

(Note: After Bryan makes his entrance, “The Viper” Randy Orton does the same. He takes sides with Ambrose and Rollins.)

Lock up to begin and Daniel kicks Roman in the corner. He continues with the leg strikes, then takes him down with a dragon screw. Bryan works over Reigns’ left leg with a kneedrop and a leglock. Roman shoves Daniel into the corner and stomps away to gain some momentum. He goes to slam Bryan’s head against the turnbuckle, but Bryan kicks out of it. Another dragon screw spins Reigns around, and Daniel continues  wear down his left leg.

Roman reverses an Irish whip into the corner and nails Daniel in the back with a harsh clothesline. He drives him face-first, then goes for a cover but only gets two. Reigns locks on a grounding sleeper and side headlock. Roman runs off the ropes with a shoulder block, but receives a knee-to-the-gut from Bryan. He kicks away on the back of the Tag-Team Champion and gives him a knee chop block. Reigns fights out of another leglock, then punches and headbutts Daniel in the corner.

The Shield member suplexes Daniel for a two-count. He goes back to the grounding sleeper and headbutts Bryan again after Daniel tried to battle out. Roman runs at Daniel, but ends up eating the second turnbuckle as Bryan tripped him up with a drop toehold. Bryan goes up high and comes off the top with a front-missile dropkick! He runs through the ropes for the suicide dive, but Reigns catches him and rams him against the apron!

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Returning, Reigns has a grounding full-nelson clamped on, but Bryan reverses into a victory roll pin combo for a near fall! Reigns comes back with a hard hit to regain control. He rams his shoulder into Bryan’s gut against the corner, then tries to bring him off the top with a suplex, but Daniel punches out of it and headbutts him off! Bryan is firing up and soars with a headbutt! He misses! Roman lays atop for the 1 – 2 – Bryan kicks out!

Reigns continues the domination with a tornado slam and another two-count! He grips on the grounding chinlock, but Bryan again battles out. He throws Bryan into the corner, but Daniel somersaults over with his feet and puts Roman down with a running clothesline! Bryan’s gaining his momentum again from the fans and begins to soccer-kick Reigns in the chest. He misses the final to the head and gets planted with a Samoan drop! 1 – 2 – Daniel kicks out!

Reigns is mount-punching Bryan, then stands over him and yells “this is what happens when you play with an A+ player!” He goes for the big powerbomb, but Bryan rolls over with a sunset flip for a VERY close two and a half! Daniel nails the kick-to-the-head for a close call! Rollins checks on Reigns, but pays for it with a front-running dropkick, sending him into the commentator’s table. Bryan runs at both Ambrose and Reigns with running front-dropkicks, but Reigns fires right back with a stiff diving clothesline.

The Tag-Team Champ goes for something, but is quickly caught in the “Yes Lock” Crossface! Just then, Randy Orton jumps in and axe-handles Bryan to break it up.

Winner via Disqualification: Daniel Bryan

Post-match, Orton and The Shield put a beating on Bryan. “The Viper” brings in a chair and places it on his head, as Rollins yells “your career is over!” Just as Randy was appearing to punt-kick Bryan, Rob Van Dam, The Usos, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, “The Prime Time Players,” Justin Gabriel, and Kofi Kingston all run out to lend support and save Bryan.

They get rid of Orton and The Shield, and celebrate with the fans. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young hold Daniel on their shoulders and the arena explodes in “yes” chants to close the show!

End Of Raw.

Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp

This was a great Raw overall, especially with a hot start.

Excellence: The opening promo/angle. I was really surprised to see them have Daniel Bryan win at Night Of Champions, and while I liked it, I also loved the swerve of stripping him of the championship due to a “fast-count.” If done correctly, this angle could potentially last until Wrestlemania; with Bryan coming oh-so-close and/or winning the title, and “the office” finding a way to screw him over and over. Of course, it would culminate at Wrestlemania XXX with Bryan finally cleanly winning and keeping the WWE Championship.

Fantastic matches with Ambrose/Ziggler and the Triple-Threat Tag-Team. Nice to see The Usos get the W (although, I honestly would’ve been just as happy to see “Real Americans” victorious as well), BUT they need to win the Tag-Titles to solidify this latest push. The Divas match was also decent, and Naomi is really agile/athletic. Same with Rob Van Dam/Damien Sandow. (Although, cheesed that R.V.D. does NOT have the World Title – he really should’ve won at the Pay-Per-View.)

Dusty Rhodes – great way to continue the storyline and THAT promo displays why is he is truly one of the greatest speakers in wrestling. Much like C.M. Punk, Dusty has always made you believe what he is saying is for real, and can be very inspirational. It definitely helps that through is (probably) 40+-year career, what Rhodes says is absolutely true. I also loved how they had Dusty “understand” what Big Show had to do – the position he was put in – and give him the “ok” nod to do so. It flows with Rhodes’ personality of the “working-common man,” who needs to do anything to put food on his family’s table and survive/make a living.

Like the paring of Ryback and Paul Heyman. Even Ryback’s promo was pretty good tonight. Hopefully Heyman can do for Ryback what he has done for Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. Bring him back to the monster side. Also glad C.M. Punk was off the show, other than recap footage, because it helps sell the match-ending from Night Of Champions.

As I keep saying, The Wyatt Family can keep doing no wrong. I am loving the eerie promos they are giving.

AWESOME match between Bryan and Reigns. Great power VS. quickness story in the ring. I also loved the ending, because I am tired of the constant 3 or 4-on-1 beatdowns, so it was a nice surprise to see something different with a lot of the top babyfaces running out to help out Bryan. Definitely sets up an interesting angle for next week!

Bogus: R-Truth/Fandango – wasn’t feeling that and just an average match. Also, where was Santino? Makes a great return last week and M.I.A. this week? Should’ve been included and I think he can have another decent push.

Wow, that was a great episode if I have a ton “happiness” and not a lot of grievances! For real, was a good follow-up to the Pay-Per-View and the ending has really giving something to branch off for the coming weeks. Hopefully, they go through with a bunch of these wrestlers that ran out to get the higher-up and/or main-event nods.

Until next week, as always, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!

Mickie James’ TNA contract expires, no deal yet

ProWrestling.net is reporting that Mickie James is currently a free agent as her contract with TNA Wrestling has expired.

James has been signed to TNA since September 2010 after departing WWE following seven years with the company. She previously worked for TNA between 2002 and 2003.

The country singer is currently the TNA Knockout champion, a title she has won three times and will be defending her title against ODB in a match that will air on Impact this coming Thursday.

The same website also adds that TNA did offer James a new contract but she has rejected the current offer.

WWE Superstars save Daniel Bryan in exciting RAW ending

JBL called it anarchy while Jerry Lawler called it an uprising. And it just might have been both!

The ending of last night’s RAW made some of the best television in a while as several WWE Superstars came to the rescue of Daniel Bryan after he was attacked by Randy Orton and The Shield.

The Usos, Rob Van Dam, Prime Time Players, Dolph Ziggler, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, and R-Truth all came down to clean house as the WWE fans in Cleveland went bananas with their ‘yes’ chants, joined by everyone in the ring pumping their hands.

“It’s a coup versus the Triple H regime,” exclaimed Lawler as Bryan was hoisted on the shoulders of Prime Time Players after the faces cleared the ring.

In previous weeks, Triple H has threatened anyone who gets involved in helping Bryan so it will be interesting going forward to see where the storyline leads after 10 Superstars “defied” the order.

Total Divas finale disappoints in the ratings

The finale of the first half of season one of Total Divas did 1,036,000 viewers, down 55,000 viewers from the previous week and effectively making it the least viewed show of the series.

The show went up head to head against the Night of Champions pay-per-view, and is down over half a million viewers when compared to their most viewed show.

The second half of season one returns in November in a new time slot, airing one hour earlier at 9PM EST on E! (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)

WWE title vacant as Bryan is stripped off the championship

The WWE title was declared vacant yesterday on Monday Night RAW after Triple H stripped Daniel Bryan off the title just 24 hours after winning it at Night of Champions against Randy Orton.

Triple H said that the referee’s three count was too fast compared to his other counts and after pushing Scott Armstrong to come clean, Armstrong told Bryan that they “got them,” insinuating that Bryan and the referee were in cahoots to screw Orton with a fast pin.

Later in the night, Triple H fired Scott Armstrong and told him that he’ll take good care of him with a good severance package.

The last time the WWE title was announced vacant was in 2009 when Batista had to vacate it after winning it the day before at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view due to a torn left biceps.