Speaking to Business Week, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon said that she doesn’t see herself running for public office again although things can always change.
McMahon is fresh off a second – and much wider – defeat in the Senate elections, having blown almost $100 million for the two campaigns spanning over 4 years. For the first campaign in 2010, McMahon did not accept any donations and funded the whole thing with her own money to a tune of $50 million.
“I feel really good about what I’ve accomplished. I think people were more thoroughly convinced the second time around that I was passionate about these issues,” McMahon said.
When asked about running again, McMahon said she gave it a really good and strong shot but it didn’t work out.
“At this moment, it’s not a consideration. Things can always change but it’s not something I anticipate right now.”
She noted that she discovered that she lost this year’s election when she was sitting by herself while she was gathering thoughts of would would be a victory speech. She said she saw on ABC that Chris Murphy’s name popped up as the winner just 40 minutes after polls in Connecticut closed, leaving her “stunned for a moment.”
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that WWE executives are holding talks with different officials from football (soccer) stadiums in the United Kingdom for a potential SummerSlam pay-per-view next year.
London hosted the only pay-per-view outside North America in 1992 with SummerSlam, featuring a double-header main event of Macho Man vs Ultimate Warrior and Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog. That event still ranks as one of the largest ever attendance in WWE history with over 80,000 fans packing the original Wembley Stadium.
According to Meltzer, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Old Trafford in Manchester, and other stadiums in the London area are being considered. Both the Millennium Stadium and the new Wembley Stadium in London have roofs which would hold off any rain, a big plus considering weather in the UK is very unpredictable.
Wade Barrett, a Brit himself, tweeted yesterday that it’s about time that SummerSlam makes a return to Wembley.
“After showing that they are the best fans on the planet this week in Brum, I think it’s about time Summerslam made a return to Wembley,” he said, adding that there would be no other place in the world he’d rather beat Sheamus than in the greatest stadium in the world.
TNA is helping with the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Sandy with the TNA Make An Impact campaign, a campaign drawn up by TNA President Dixie Carter after she had dinner with a friend of hers a few days ago who shared stories about the immense damage from the area on the Jersey Shore where she grew up and where her family still lives.
Starting effective immediately, you can go to tnamakeanimpact.com to help spread this message, share your personal stories, donate money or find out how to volunteer. A “Make An Impact” t-shirt has been created and fans can buy it for $20 plus shipping with all proceeds from the purchase going to the American Red Cross aiding the relief efforts.
In addition in the coming weeks, many TNA Superstars and other celebrities will be wearing the same t-shirts then autographing them for auction on the website.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 is headlined by the five round middleweight bout between Rich “Ace” Franklin and Cung Leand the light heavyweight bout between Thiago Silva and undefeated Stanislav Nedkov, will air live on FUEL TV from the Cotai Arena in Macao, China at 9am ET / 6am PT. Fans who “like” the UFC on Facebook can also see prelim bouts at 7:15 am ET / 4:15 am PT.
MAIN EVENT
Cung Le (186) VS Rich Franklin (185)
FUEL TV MAIN CARD
Stanislav Nedkov (203) VS Thiago Silva (205)
Paulo Thiago (169.5) VS Dong Hyun Kim (170.5)
Mac Danzig (155) VS Takanori Gomi (155)
Jon Tuck (156) VS Tiequan Zhang (155)
Jeff Houghland(135) vs Takeya Mizugaki (135.5)
ONLINE FIGHTS
Motonobu Tezuka (135.5) VS Alex Caceres (136)
John Lineker (126) VS Yasuhiro Urushitani (125.5)
Tom DeBlass (185) VS Riki Fukuda (186)
The Hyun Gyu Lim vs David Mitchell bout has been canceled after Lim wasn’t medically cleared to compete. Mitchell will receive his show money.
Ronda Rousey was just the first and now the opponent that she captured the Strikeforce championship from, Miesha “Cupcake” Tate, has also joined the UFC Women’s Bantamweight ranks. Cupcake tweeted the following message last night:
“So Stoked to be fighting for the @UFC it’s been a dream of mine for along time! SO happy it’s finally come true :-D”
The former Strikeforce Women’s 135 champ is 13-3 as a professional with 6 of those wins coming by way of submission. She last competed in August at Strikeforce: Rousey vs Kaufman and was able to defeat Julie Kedzie in the third round by arm bar. Tate is a Tacoma, Washington, native who is currently affiliated with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento.
Impact begins this week with a recap of the unveiling of the Aces and Eights member once known as Luke Gallows. In the Aces and Eights clubhouse, the leader lectures “Doc” (Luke’s new name) for letting himself get unmasked last week. Devon tells Doc he needs to try and make up for what he’s done by teaming up with him to face Sting and Kurt Angle later tonight.
The first person to make his way out to the Impact Zone is James Storm. Storm joins the broadcast team to scout his opponents at Turning Point, AJ Styles and James Storm, who are in the first match.
Match #1: AJ versus Bobby Roode.
The two men lock up and AJ twists Roode’s arm behind his back. Roode reverses the hold and twists Styles’ arm. Roode switches to a headlock but Styles pushes Roode off and whips him into the ropes. AJ Styles leapfrogs Roode; Roode hits Styles with a back elbow. AJ retaliates with a dropkick. Roode goes out to the floor and AJ pursues. The two men exchange several punches on the floor. AJ whips Roode into the steel steps and then rolls him back into the ring.
AJ re enters the ring and bodyslams Roode. The two men exchange a series of punches and chops. AJ hits Roode with a backdrop. Roode punches AJ and then clotheslines him. Roode gives AJ a neckbreaker.
Commercial
AJ lands a kick and whips Roode to the corner. AJ drives his shoulder into Roode’s gut. Roode snaps AJ’s head down onto the top rope. Roode climbs to the second rope and hits AJ with a neckbreaker. Roode hits AJ with an elbow drop and then covers him for a two count. AJ lands several punches; Roode responds by whipping AJ hard into the corner. Roode takes AJ over with a snapmare and then applies a chin lock. AJ escapes and hits Roode with a forearm. Roode responds with a punch and then AJ hits him with an Enzuigiri. AJ hits Roode with a leaping clothesline and a pair of chops in the corner. AJ throws Roode out onto the edge of the ring apron.
Roode snaps AJ’s head down across the top rope. Roode climbs to the top but AJ cuts him off and takes him down with a Frankensteiner. AJ tries the Styles Clash but Roode fights it off and hits AJ with a spinebuster. AJ tries the styles clash again but Roode again blocks it. AJ tries a Pele kick but Roode avoids it. Roode hits AJ with a fisherman’s suplex into a bridge and a cover, but AJ kicks out at 2. Roode exits the ring to grab a steel chair. James Storm takes off his headset and makes his way to the ring.
AJ hits Roode with a springboard crossbody to Roode on the floor. AJ rolls Roode into the ring and starts arguing with Storm. AJ tries to springboard back into the ring but Roode trips him up. AJ crashes to the canvas and Roode rolls him up for the win.
In the back, Austin Aries confronts Hogan. Hogan tells Aries that if he doesn’t return the title he stole, he will strip Aries of his title shot at Turning Point this Sunday.
Commercial
Joseph Park is in the ring and he still wants a match with Aces and Eights. Hogan comes out to tell him he’s still worried about putting a lawyer in the ring with Aces and Eights. Bully Ray comes out to take Joe Park’s side. Bully argues that Park is tough and has heart, and he also has more reason than anyone to hate Aces and Eights. Hogan agrees this one time.
Tara and Jesse are in the back talking about Jesse’s ‘big win’ over ODB recently. Jesse brags about all the technical moves he was using, and ODB interrupts to call him a douche and remind him that the only move he used was a ‘schoolgirl’ roll-up. ODB says she and Eric Young are the only real power couple in TNA, and she challenges Tara and Jesse to a two on one handicap match.
Commercial
When we return, AJ and Storm are arguing. AJ is mad that Storm came to the ring to scout him before their match Sunday. Storm says he’ll kick AJ’s face in.
Match #2: ODB versus Tara and Jesse.
Kind of a silly match, but still fun. Tara and Jesse apparently don’t have to tag, ODB is going to try and beat them both at the same time. ODB dominates the start of the match with clotheslines, chops, and a lot of chest grabbing and BAM yelling. Tara and Jesse knock ODB down with a double clothesline and then Tara starts to choke her.
The ref breaks up the choke and ODB goes back on offense. ODB body slams Jesse and then bodyslams Tara onto Jesse’s prone body. ODB whips Jesse into the corner and hits him with a splash. ODB whips Tara into the corner and hits them both with a double Bronco Buster. ODB spears Tara and covers her for the win! ODB is TNA’s Ryback.
After the match, Jesse tries to sneak up on ODB but she sees him. Unfortunately she does not see Tara sneak up on her. Tara cheap shots ODB and then hits her with Widow’s Peak. Tara and Jesse steal ODB’s booze flask and empty it out on her unconscious body.
Commercial
When we return, ODB is on the phone. She is trying to get in touch with her husband and is screaming into his voice mail. ODB says she needs him to team with her against Tara and Jesse, then angrily screams I LOVE YOU into the phone.
Match #3: Kurt Angle and Sting versus Devon and Doc.
Before the match even starts, all four men start brawling outside the ring. Eventually the match begins with Doc and Sting in the ring. Sting DDT’s Doc but is distracted by Devon. Doc takes advantage of the distraction and clotheslines Sting to the mat. Doc tags in Devon and Devon hits Sting with a headbutt. Devon hits Sting with a series of strikes and tags in Doc. Devon and Doc hit Sting with a double Shoulder block. Doc hits Sting with an elbow and suplex. Doc hits Sting with a back elbow and tags in Devon. Devon hits Sting with a leg drop.
Devon pretends that he’s going to let Sting tag Angle, and then Devon knocks Angle off the ring apron. Devon tags in Doc and Doc punches Sting repeatedly. Doc hits Sting with a running splash and goes for a cover; Angle makes the save. Doc tags in Devon and Devon hits Sting with a back elbow and then tags Doc back in. Sting and Doc clothesline each other and they both go down. Doc makes his way over to Devon and tags him in; Sting tags Angle at the same time. Kurt hits Devon with a kick and then a missile dropkick from the second rope. Angle hits Doc with a German Suplex and Devon with an Angle Slam.
Sting enters the ring and hits Doc with a Scorpion Death Drop, and then puts him in the Scorpion Death Lock (or Sharp Shooter, as we call it here in Canada.) Devon grabs Sting’s bat and takes out Sting and Kurt with it. Bully Ray runs to the ring and clotheslines Devon. Ray gets a table and sets it up in the ring, but Devon runs away. Doc grabs Sting, but Sting hits him with a low blow. Sting hits Doc with a kick and a punch, but more Aces and Eights members join the fight, ganging up on Sting and Kurt.
Doc puts Sting through the table. One of the Aces and Eights members gives Doc a hammer, and Doc pounds Sting with it repeatedly, hitting him in the back, ribs, and each hand. Joe, Chavo and Hernandez chase Aces and Eights away, but the damage is already done to Sting.
Commercial
When we return, it’s Gut Check time. Christian York makes his way to the ring to find out if Taz, Al Snow and Bruce Prichard are going to give him a TNA contract. For the first time so far, all three judges agree: Christian York gets the contract and is now on the TNA roster.
Commercial
When we return, Hogan is in his office trying to find out about Sting’s condition. Hogan is interrupted by Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan. Hogan tells Morgan he won’t be allowed at ringside for Ryan’s match with RVD for the X Division title this Sunday. Morgan tells Hogan he has no idea who he’s messing with. After Morgan and Ryan leave, Hogan chuckles and says “oh but I do know.” I think he’s gone senile.
Commercial
Match # 4: Samoa Joe and Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez versus Magnus, Kaz and Daniels.
The match begins with all 6 men brawling in the middle of the ring. Chavo, Hernandez, and Joe get the upper hand and chase the heels out of the ring. Chavo and Daniels start the match off. Chavo hits Daniels with a clothesline and suplex. Chavo hits a knee lift and a European uppercut. Chavo whips Daniels hard into the corner. Chavo charges, but Daniels gets his knees up and tags in Kaz. Chavo takes Kaz down with a drop toe hold and tags in Hernandez. Hernandez splashes onto Kaz and then tries a suplex but Kaz escapes and hits Hernandez with a spinning heel kick. Hernandez tags in Joe and Kaz tags in Magnus.
Daniels grabs Joe and Magnus beats Joe down. Daniels and Kaz double team Joe in the corner. Joe fights his way out and puts a beating on Daniels. Joe hits Daniels with a running back elbow and a kick to the head. Joe lands some more strikes and a knee drop before tagging in Chavo. Joe bodyslams Daniels and Chavo hits Daniels with a slingshot senton. Chavo tags in Hernandez and Hernandez puts Daniels in a bear hug. Hernandez takes Daniels over with a Belly to Belly suplex and tag Chavo back in. Chavo hits Daniels with a dropkick followed by a knee strike.
Chavo punches Daniels out to the floor. Daniels pulls Chavo out to the floor and then slams him into the steel barrier. Kaz hits Chavo with several cheap shots and Daniels tags Kaz in. Kaz hits Chavo with running neckbreaker and then tags in Magnus. Magnus lands several strikes and tags in Daniels. Daniels scores with a neckbreaker and tags in Kaz. Kaz clotheslines Chavo and Daniels hip tosses Kaz onto Chavo. Kaz puts Chavo in a bow and arrow submission. Chavo fights his way out of it, but Kaz rakes his eyes and regains the advantage. Chavo responds with a hurricanrana and several strikes.
Chavo tags in Hernandez and Hernandez hits Kaz with a pair of shoulder blocks, a clothesline, and a splash. Daniels comes in to help Hernandez and they try to double suplex Hernandez, but Hernandez blocks it and suplexes them both at the same time. Joe enters the ring and scores with a clothesline and a powerslam. All 6 men are back in the ring and the action breaks down into chaos. Eventually Joe gets his hands on Magnus and sets him up for the muscle buster. Kaz and Daniels trip Joe up and Magnus climbs to the top rope. Magnus hits Joe with a flying elbow drop for the win.
Commercial
When we return, Bobby Roode is laughing at the way James Storm and AJ Styles are arguing. Roode thinks this gives him the edge in their three way match this weekend.
Austin Aries has makes his way to the ring, presumably to return the old TNA title and preserve his title shot this weekend. Aries mocks Hardy for calling himself “the best on the planet.” Aries notes that a lot of people call themselves “Best in the World”, Aries is actually the best wrestler in the universe. Aries gives Hardy credit for being the greatest daredevil in wrestling, but promises to beat Hardy at his own game this Sunday when they face off for the TNA title in a ladder match.
Aries promise that if he wins, he’ll keep the old TNA belt, but melt the one with Jeff Hardy’s face on it and turn it into a belt buckle; that way Hardy’s face will always be near his crotch. Aries says he will NOT give the belt back, and challenges Hardy to come and take it.
Hardy comes and takes it after a short fight. Hardy takes both belts and asks for the hook to be lowered and places the belts on the hook and has it raised back up. Hardy climbs a ladder underneath the belts, but Aries suddenly re enters the ring and knocks the ladder over. Hardy hits the mat hard and Aries beats him down. Aries climbs the ladder and poses with both belts as TNA goes off the air.
TMZ began reporting a couple hours ago that Ronda Rousey will become the first female fighter in the UFC. Rousey will bring her 135lb Women’s Bantamweight championship with her from Strikeforce to the UFC making her also the first ever female champion. The 25 year old champion will defend her belt for the first time in the new organization in 2013. Dana White tweeted a smiley face once the story began to circulate but is yet to confirm or deny the rumors.
TMZ in the same article is also saying that according to their source that the newly announced Strikeforce card on January 12th in Oklahoma City will be their last before they shut the doors for good.
Check back later for further news as it becomes available.
The New York Post has an interview with Triple H regarding WrestleMania 29, discussing several topics on what makes WrestleMania the biggest event of the year.
Triple H mentioned that Axxess will be a bit different this year, including more autograph and meet-and-greet sessions along with new stuff like VIP experience where fans will get to see how backstage works during WWE television shows.
Asked about the show being outdoor in April in New Jersey, Triple H said it “could be a bit nippy,” adding that for fans in the area it won’t make much of a difference but fans from outside that area will have to bring appropriate clothing.
“We’ve got it all figured out to have the heating right and make sure that everybody being there is going to have an enjoyable experience,” HHH said. “I think that at the end of the day, it’s not going to make a difference where we are, enclosed or open, the atmosphere is going to be the same, it’s going to be electric.”
You can read the rest of the interview at http://bitly.com/VVv5jx (Thanks to W-O reader ‘rockypita’ for the link)
Former WWE champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield has announced that he is returning to the WWE full-time doing commentary for Smackdown along with Josh Matthews and on pay-per-views with Cole and King.
“Very happy WWE and I have worked out a deal for me to return on a full time basis. There came a need when my friend Jerry Lawler had a heart attack and was not able to work, however, I realized how much I enjoyed being back and this was the basis for my decision to return.”
Apart from doing Smackdown, JBL will fill in for The Miz when The Miz will be wrestling on Main Event.
Bradshaw said that his return does not involve getting in the ring again as he doesn’t want to risk getting injured while doing training for his Seven Summits climbs.
Regarding doing RAW as well, JBL said that the show is “100% Jerry’s” and there are no plans to turn it in a three-man booth.
2013 will kick off with the second season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil. This morning, the media got a chance to speak with the two men that will try to take a group of fighters and turn them into the next big thing in the UFC. This upcoming season will see heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum pick teams of welterweight fighters. Nogueira and Werdum both are extremely honored to coach these men in their home country of Brazil. They are hoping for a good healthy war to take place in the house but also want to set the foundation of good diets and training techniques to their teams.
The rematch between these two coaches will take place at the conclusion of the season. The first time they met was back in Pride in 2006. Nogueira walked out that night as the winner by unanimous decision. There has been a lot of change and experience gained for both of these men since than. Werdum, who was almost solely a jiu-jitsu practitioner at that time, has developed a devastating set of striking skills. In his last fight he stopped Mike Russow with punches in the first round and the fight before he absolutely pounded Roy Nelson. The hard chinned Big Country was able to make it the distance but had little to offer other than being able to take a punch.
Nogueira submitted Dave Herman last month in Brazil in his first return to action since suffering a horrific broken arm at the hands of Frank Mir. Nogueira had a plate put in and 16 screws in his upper arm felt that his last fight with Herman was a great confidence builder to show him he still can compete and wants to get back to the top of the division.
While both fighters would love to hold the UFC Heavyweight belt Nogueira has made it clear over and over that he will not fight Junior Dos Santos. JDS has been training with the Nogueira’s since he was a blue belt and is considered family. Werdum had one run in with JDS already back at UFC 90 and was stopped by the current champ by punches in the first round. Werdum than went to fight for Strikeforce before returning to the UFC.
On January 26th, live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, the UFC’s Flyweight champion will defend his crown for the first time as Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson takes on John Dodson in the main event.
Also, one of most anticipated fights will finally happen as 155 pounders Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will finally meet in the cage to settle their differences. These two outstanding kick boxing fighters could easily put on a fight full of highlight reel material. Both fighters and fans have been looking forward to this fight for a while but it has been put off due to other scheduled fights and Pettis’ shoulder injury.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has verbally agreed, according to the UFC, to take on a red hot Glovier Teixeira who is on a 17 fight win streak. This fight was originally booked to take place at UFC 153.
The Round Lake, Illinois native Clay “The Carpenter” Guida will make his debut in the featherweight division as he will face former Sengoku champion Hatsu Hioki. Also in the 145 weight class, the man who put a stop to Hioki’s six fight win streak back in June, Ricardo Lamas will step inside the Octagon against the 13-1 Erik Koch to determine who will get the next shot at the winner of February’s Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar title fight.
In the lightweight division “Handsome” Matt Wiman will face T.J. Grant. Heavyweight Shawn “The Savage” Jordan will take on the hometown fighter in Mike Russow. Russow suffered the second defeat of his career back in June when he was stopped in the first round by an outstanding looking Fabricio Werdum.
WrestleMania 29 tickets went on sale this morning in a pre-sale that will go through the whole day tomorrow, ending at 11:59PM EST.
Apart from the IZODVIP code, fans can now also use the codes FB1WWE and ACCESS to try their luck in getting the best possible seat for the pay-per-view. (Thanks to W-O reader ‘rockypita’ for the second code.)
As of this writing, floor seats for $850 are still available for purchase.
TNA will return to the popular MTV show Made this Saturday, November 10, for the episode titled ‘Pro Wrestler’ airing at 11AM EST.
The show will feature several TNA Superstars and Knockouts including Tara and Miss Tessmacher, Robbie E and Robbie T, and more as they help Deanna Washington in her attempt to become a professional wrestler.
Several TNA personalities have appeared on MTV’s Made in the past in hopes of helping would-be wrestlers achieve their dream.
You can see a preview of this episode of Made – which involves a mom trying to change her daughter’s mind from doing pro wrestling – below.
UFC 154 is now just 10 days away and will be taking place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. The main event will be the unification of the Welterweights belt as long time champ Georges St-Pierre returns from a year plus lay-off to take on the interim champion Carlos Condit.
Since both Condit and St-Pierre have worked with Greg Jackson in the past, this time Jackson is staying neutral this time and not coaching or cornering either man. St-Pierre is still training out of his Tri-Star gym in Canada; while Condit is still at Jackson’s gym but is using Mike Winkeljohn and Chris Luttrell as his primary coaches to get him ready.
GSP is returning from a knee injury that has kept him from competing since his unanimous victory over Jake Shields in April of 2011. In the audio you can tell in his voice that he is truly excited about being back training and getting ready for a fight. Usually fighters get worn out preparing for the fight and are looking forward to the vacation time afterwards. This lay-off for St-Pierre though has fueled him even more and made him realize how much he really does enjoy fighting and being part of the UFC.
One of the most talked about aspects during the media call was the potential pound for pound match up between St-Pierre and Anderson Silva. Silva has made it known that he will be in Montreal to watch the fight and cheer on GSP. Dana White when asked wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see a call out from the Middleweight champ if GSP is able to defeat Condit that night.
Dana also stated that he is looking at Toronto, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, or a soccer stadium in Brazil as potential host venues. While Condit, as a fan, is intrigued by the potential GSP vs Silva fight, he is hoping to ruin some people’s plans for that fight. Dana made it clear that the GSP/Silva fight is a pound for pound fight between the top two that has been in everyone’s books for a while now and that should Condit win he will defend the 170 pound title against whoever is next in line.
St-Pierre had this to say when he was asked about Silva being at the fight and his presence: “I don’t care about Anderson Silva. He can do whatever he wants. He can go to Florida or stay in Brazil if he wants. I am focusing on Carlos Condit and that’s all that matters to me.”
Condit is not a fighter to be over looked though as he as shown devastating finishing ability like his fight with Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim. In the more recent with Kim he ended the fight with a flying knee and punches in the first round. In his fight with Nick Diaz for the interim title he showed a superb game plan against a very crafty fighter and executed it almost flawlessly for the decision. Out of Condit’s 28 victories, 13 have been come by KO/TKO while 13 others have come by submission even though he has not submitted any one in the UFC yet.
The pre-sale for WrestleMania 29 will kick off tomorrow at 10AM EST and will till Friday at 11:59PM EST.
Ticket prices will range from $35 to $2,000 for ringside plus additional fees and taxes. A $35 ticket will end up costing $49.50 in total while the VIP $2,000 ticket will carry an additional $75.50 in taxes and fees.
The pre-sale code to order tickets is IZODVIP and starting on Saturday morning at 10AM EST, no code is necessary as tickets will then be available to the general public.
WrestleMania 29 takes place on April 7 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Monday Night RAW did a 2.78 rating on the eve of the U.S. election this week with a total of 4,076,000 viewers, down from the 4,102,000 viewers it did overall last week.
The first hour did 4,066,000 viewers, followed by 4,279,000 in the second and then dropping to 3,883,000 for the third and final hour. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWinsider.com)
Let me take you back to earlier this year… remember when all of those promos were airing on Raw and SmackDown, promising a revolution? The internet was abuzz with rumors of what the promos were for – the most believed one was the return of Matt Morgan (how did that work out for you?) – as the internet salivated over what was coming up. Then, we found out that it was a trailer for the new video game. Disappointing? That seems to be the perfect analogy for what ended up being WWE 13.
If you’ve read almost any other review of the game, you’ll have doubtless seen plenty of praise for THQ’s latest release, labeling it as the best wrestling game since the holy grail that is No Mercy. On the surface, they’re right, but once you’ve spent any time playing it, you’ll quickly start wishing for an HD update of No Mercy.
Having played every WWE game since the dawn of time (well, not quite), WWE 13 has the usual updates you’d expect. The graphics are a little shinier, the sets updated (although the new Raw and SmackDown sets didn’t make it this year), and the centerpiece of this year’s game is the Attitude Era Mode. Replacing the Road to WrestleMania feature, the Attitude Era Mode is WWE 13’s core feature, as you re-enact different scenarios from throughout the late 90s. Want to relive the reformation and the rise of the original D-Generation X? How about the genesis of Austin 3;16? Or perhaps you want to relive WrestleMania XV?
Lurking into the Attitude Era mode, you get to replay a variety of matches, with the key being that you meet several objectives to relive history. For instance, an early match between Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog needs you to have HBK beat the Bulldog, but you get extra bonus points depending on what you do during the match, so as to accurately represent what really happened.
The core gameplay remains the same – left thumbstick moves your wrestler, whilst the face control pad’s face buttons allow you to strike, grapple, hit a finisher or whip your opponent. If you’ve played any WWE games in the last five years, you’ll be in familiar territory, and whilst it is a case of “if it ain’t broke”, the control pattern is starting to feel dated by now.
If you don’t want to follow the usual career mode, then you’re in luck as WWE Universe mode returns for another year, allowing you to create an alternate universe (ahem) where you can control what happens on Raw, SmackDown, and any show you want to create. Among the improvements this year is the ability to add a show on every day of the week – so if you want to create Saturday Morning Slam, have at it. Want to have WWE Main Event on Wednesday? Be our guest… Tuesday Night Titans? Go on then. Heck, if you want to ditch Raw and replace it with Nitro, you can do that too, however, you’ll have to create your own Nitro arena, as the WCW-inspired arenas that graced WWE 12 did not make the trek into this year’s game.
Of course, modern day wrestling games would fall flat on their face without a good create a wrestler mode. No matter how many guys you have on the roster, there’s always someone that will be missing. With the inclusion of the Attitude era wrestlers, WWE 13 boasts the biggest roster in history (bulked out with three HHH’s, two Undertakers, two Kanes, three Mick Foleys, and so on), but still manages to omit several fringe wrestlers, with Drew McIntyre, Ryback and Damien Sandow relegated to downloadable character status, whilst Tyson Kidd fails to make the cut entirely.
Thankfully, the godawful servers that ruined WWE 12’s online experience appear to be fixed, so downloading new characters and wrestlers is not the thankless chore that it was. Unfortunately, as one bug is fixed, several more seem to have reared their ugly heads. To make things clear, I’m playing the PlayStation 3 version of this game – most reviews seem to have been based off of the Xbox 360 edition. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue, especially as these games are usually copies of one another (WWE 13 is initially written for the Xbox, before being ported down to the PS3 and other platforms), however this year, THQ seem to have only done quality testing on the Xbox version.
Case in point: on launch day (and as of time of writing) although you can create your own arena, you cannot use it in Universe mode on the PS3, whilst some PS3 owners have reported not being able to use a custom arena anywhere in the game. Which really makes the expanded create-an-arena mode pointless – what’s the point in being able to use the classic SmackDown fist as a base for an arena if it’s just going to crash your game?
Other annoying glitches include the computer getting stuck in animations that are unbreakable – whether it’s Sin Cara freezing when trying to somersault out of the ring, or the CPU taking forever trying to eliminate a wrestler in the Royal Rumble. They’re random, they’re annoying, and they really should have been caught in beta testing. Speaking of the Royal Rumble, I stumbled onto a classic Rumble PPV in my Universe mode where I had no choice but have a 20 man Rumble, in the old Rumble PPV arena, with a silent crowd and minimal commentary. It was nice, at least, until the CPU got stuck in an animation loop and I had to skip the match entirely.
In summary, WWE 13 is a game that just isn’t quite finished. It has all of the hallmarks of a game that would easily be the best wrestling game of this console generation, but if you own a PS3, I cannot honestly recommend this game until it has been patched. Xbox 360 owners, by all means, grab this game – you’ll enjoy it – but you too will wish that THQ had spent more time ironing out those annoying glitches.
The planned WrestleMania 29 kickoff party which was supposed to be held at the Bryant Part in New York City on November 9 was called off by WWE.
The company canceled the event due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and no rescheduled date was announced. The event was going to be free with several Superstars, Divas, and Legends appearing to kick off ticket sales.
For the past four years, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon dedicated her life campaigning trying to become a U.S. Senator. Last night, her second shot at the Senate seat was lost as Democrat Chris Murphy defeated McMahon in the election.
Flanked by her son Shane, daughter Stephanie, son-in-law Triple H, and husband Vince, Linda conceded the race just two hours after the Associated Press predicted that Murphy was going to win at the Hilton Stamford Hotel.
The 64 year old suffered heavy losses in Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford, and there was no way back up the ladder from that point onward.
In the 2010 election, McMahon lost the race by 11% and this time, with 90% precincts reporting at time of this writing, she was trailing Murphy by 12%.
McMahon spent close to $50 million during this race, in addition to the $50 million of her own money she splashed for the failed 2010 race as well.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and his son-in-law Triple H made their way back to the United States today to join Linda McMahon on election day. The two were at the RAW tapings – and Vince even appeared on camera – but will not be at the Smackdown tapings tonight.
Linda campaigned till the last day, meeting supporters and workers in different cities, ending her campaign in Norwalk.
The former WWE CEO told the Associated Press that she is “cautiously optimistic” about her chances of winning and more Democrats have told her that they would be voting for her this time around.
The McMahon campaign has already indicated it would be watching Tuesday’s vote closely and would not hesitate to go to court if it suspected a violation of election laws according to The Hartford Courant.
McMahon spent almost $45 million for this campaign, just a bit under the $50 million she spent for the 2010 race which she lost by 11%. Latest polls show her trailing her Democrat rival Chris Shays once again.
