This year’s Survivor Series registered almost 100,000 less buys than the show did last year according to the latest figures from the WWE corporate website.
Survivor Series 2011, which saw the return of The Rock to the ring, registered just over 310,000 buys and while that figure was somewhat disappointing considering it had Rock and Cena teaming up, it faired much better than this year.
With a main event of Punk vs Cena vs Ryback, this year’s Survivor Series so far has just around 212,000 buys worldwide, which isn’t the greatest news for one of the “big four” pay-per-views.
The Guardian newspaper has a story about celebrity Christmas wish lists and among those asked about what they wish for the holidays was Hulk Hogan.
The Hulkster wanted 4 things for Christmas – thirty years of his life, a 747 jet, a knee surgery, and hair!
Regarding getting back 30 years of his life back, he said he wouldn’t change anything and do all the things he’s done all over again including wrestling the same matches.
On the 747 plane, he said he’d like to get his private jet plane again however he doesn’t want a Learjet or anything small so he can take all his fellow wrestlers on board with him.
Hogan had several surgeries throughout his career but he needs one more, on his right knee, to get back in the ring/ “Then I’m going to go for the TNA world title. I want to be 58 years old and be the champion,” Hogan said.
Just a couple of months ago, Hulk Hogan opened up the Hulk Hogan Beach Shop in Clearwater, Florida, where tons of wrestling merchandise and memorabilia are up for sale and display.
Now the WWE Hall of Famer and TNA regular has announced his latest venture – a 20,000 square-foot indoor and outdoor restaurant and bar titled Hogan’s Beach, located at the Best Western Bay Harbor Hotel in Tampa, Florida.
Opening on New Year’s Eve, the new hotspot offers waterside dining, live outdoor entertainment, a mechanical shark ride, authentic tiki bars, a giant video screen on the beach, as well as indoor and beachfront dance floors.
“Everyone knows I’m a maniac about the beach, great food, good people and entertainment that brings everyone together for a good time,” said Hogan. “So I’m proud to open a place that encompasses all that in one location and call it my beach – Hogan’s Beach.”
Chef Robert Uzzillia, recently named among Restaurant Forum Magazineʼs “Annual Top Chefs,” is developing the food and beverage menu for this entirely new locale.
The Superstars, Divas, and WWE crew are getting a few days off for the Christmas holidays, although not that much!
After the live Smackdown and RAW tapings ended on Tuesday night, everyone headed home and there are no shows planned until Wednesday, December 26.
On Boxing Day, there will be two shows, with RAW in Detroit and Smackdown in Chicago. On December 27, two more shows with RAW in New York and Smackdown in Green Bay. On Friday, yet another two shows as RAW hits Uniondale and Smackdown goes to Minneapolis.
There will be one show – TV tapings – on December 29 for both RAW and Smackdown in Washington, and then two final shows for 2012 on December 30, with Smackdown in Richmond, and RAW in Raleigh.
Business picks up again on January 4 with regular shows throughout the month as always.
“A reckoning is at hand.” At least that’s what the TNA 1/3/13 promo says and it was revealed during last night’s IMPACT that Sting is the one returning on that day.
The former WCW and TNA World Heavyweight champion has been off TNA television since the November 8 episode of IMPACT where he was taken out by Aces & Eights.
On that particular episode, the Stinger was put through a table and was then beaten up with a ball-peen hammer thanks to A&8 member Doc.
“Surprise. 13 13, unlucky number for you,” Sting says in the new promo. “Aces & Eights, I’m coming to get you. Doc, I’m coming for you. You first.”
Sin Cara will be off WWE television for a while as he underwent knee surgery yesterday.
The masked WWE Superstar was on the receiving end of an attack by The Shield during the commercial-free Smackdown this past Tuesday as a way to explain his absence from television.
Before heading for surgery, which he called “mini,” Sin Cara tweeted a message saying thanks for all the support he has been receiving from his fans.
In 2011 he was injured after performing a dive out of the ring, rupturing his patellar tendon and he was on the sidelines for six months.
Do you smell what The Rock is cooking? Well you better do as starting from the first RAW of 2013, The Rock will be appearing quite regularly on WWE television.
With his Royal Rumble match, planned involvement at Elimination Chamber, and then at WrestleMania, it makes sense that the former WWE champion will be appearing regularly – although not full time – on WWE television.
The Rock has been confirmed to appear on the first RAW of 2013 in Tampa, Florida, and then the next night for the Smackdown tapings in his home town of Miami.
Other appearances already announced are the January 28, March 12 and March 26 RAW shows.
Las Vegas, Nevada – STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion and seasoned UFC veteran Nate Marquardt will defend his title against current number one contender Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday, Jan. 12 as STRIKEFORCE visits Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. In the night’s co-main event, Oklahoma State University All-American wrestler and STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier takes on kickboxing veteran Dion Staring. The event will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) as part of the premium network’s Free Preview Weekend whereby more than 80 million households nationwide will have access to SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND and more.
This will mark the final STRIKEFORCE event on SHOWTIME.
“Since 2009, SHOWTIME has been a great partner and we appreciate its support of STRIKEFORCE and our athletes,” Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO, said. “For our final event, we’ve loaded the card with some outstanding fights. This is going to be a memorable night for the sport of mixed martial arts.”
“We are proud of our association with Scott Coker and the entire STRIKEFORCE team,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “From Gina Carano to Ronda Rousey, Fedor Emelianenko to Daniel Cormier, Nick Diaz to Gilbert Melendez, SHOWTIME Sports and STRIKEFORCE have built some of the biggest stars in the sport and have produced many of the most watched and most intriguing fights in the history of MMA. We look forward to another night of competitive and explosive STRIKEFORCE fights on SHOWTIME on January 12 in OKC.”
In addition to the main and co-main events, STRIKEFORCE will also feature the following matchups that include several past champions and many of the sports top prospects:
· Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett meets Austrian powerhouse Nandor Guelmino
· Former light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi takes on the heavy-handed Mike Kyle
· Former middleweight champ “Jacare” Souza faces UFC star Ed Herman
· Top lightweight contender Pat Healy will be in action against an opponent yet to be determined
· Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Roger Gracie takes on talented striker Anthony Smith at middleweight
· U.S. Army Ranger Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Smith in a fight involving top middleweights
· Elite kickboxer KJ Noons meets second-generation star Ryan Couture in a lightweight matchup
· Cincinnati’s Jorge Gurgel is set to battle Brazilian prospect Adriano Martins at lightweight
· At lightweight, winner of four straight Estevan Payan vs. Team Alpha Male’s Michael Bravo
STRIKEFORCE will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), while preliminary fights will be shown live on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast). Additional fights scheduled for the event are expected to be released shortly.
Tickets for STRIKEFORCE are on sale now and are priced at $150, $100, $70 and $50. Tickets are available at the Chesapeake Energy Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, at Ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Applicable service charges may apply.
For more information or the latest STRIKEFORCE news, visit www.strikeforce.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
The live commercial-free edition of Smackdown last night on USA Network pulled in a 2.29 rating and a total of 3.33 million viewers.
The show pulled in around 25% more viewers from what the taped Smackdown last Friday night did just days before the TLC pay-per-view. The commercial-free aspect of the show usually helps with the ratings as it keeps viewers glued to the channel rather than switching to something else during commercials. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
The U.S. Airways Center website is promoting a Royal Rumble Fan Fest event which will take place on Saturday, January 26, and Sunday, January 27. The event will be held on the U.S. Airways plaza on the corner of 1st Street & Jefferson.
Several WWE Superstars, Divas, and Legends will be appearing for meet and greet, and there will also be live matches and a tournament in which the winner will receive a spot in the Rumble. There will also be a Q&A session with three WWE Superstar panels discussing the Montreal Screwjob, DX, WCW Nitro, and the Monday Night Wars.
Fan fest tickets start at $10 and Superstar Panel tickets start at $90. A VIP package will run you $250 and will include all Superstar panels, cocktail hours and fan fest admission.
WWE’s video game publisher, THQ Inc., has filed for bankruptcy protection and Clearlake Capital Group secured an asset purchase agreement to finance the company. THQ will continue operating its business without interruption during the sale period, subject to Court approval of THQ’s first-day motions. All of the company’s studios remain open, and all development teams continue.
WWE issued a small statement saying that they are following the developments of THQ’s bankruptcy filing and proposed sale.
THQ has held the license of WWE for video games for around a decade and the WWE games have been some of the best selling for the company. At one point they also held the UFC license which recently was sold to their competitors Electronic Arts.
The first RAW of 2013 will feature a big main event for the WWE title as CM Punk defends his gold against number one contender Ryback.
The match was announced during the special live Smackdown yesterday on USA Network and a stipulation to the match between the two was added when WWE taped next week’s Christmas Eve RAW right after Smackdown ended.
Ryback and Punk had to wrestle in the main event of the TLC pay-per-view but CM Punk’s immediate knee surgery prevented the match from happening. The first RAW of 2013 will be held on January 7 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.
The first trailer for the Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg movie Pain & Gain from director Michael Bay has finally made its way online.
The action/comedy movie is based on a true story about a couple of Florida bodybuilders who become criminals involved in an extortion ring and a kidnapping plot that goes horrible. It follows the 1999 series of the Miami New Times articles written by a journalist who followed the whole story.
Joining The Rock and Mark Wahlberg in this movie are Ed Harris, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Rob Corddry, Tony Shalhoub, and others. The $22 million budget movie will be released in the United States on April 26.
Monday Night RAW this week following the TLC pay-per-view did a 2.9 rating with a total of 4,230,000 viewers, up slightly from last week’s 2.67 and around 466,000 more viewers overall.
Hour one did 4,290,000 viewers followed by 4,410,000 viewers in hour two and then down to 3,990,000 in the third and final hour. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
USA Network will air the 10th annual of Tribute to the Troops tonight starting at 9PM EST as part of WWE Week on USA.
The show was taped two weeks ago at The Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, in front of thousands of U.S. military personnel and their families.
Matches taped for tonight include Sin Cara, Khali, Brodus Clay, and Hornswoggle vs Epico, Primo, David Otunga, and Tensai; Eve Torres vs Layla, Ryback vs Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow vs The Miz, 3MB vs Kane, Daniel Bryan, and R-Truth, Sheamus and Randy Orton vs Big Show and Dolph Ziggler, and John Cena vs Antonio Cesaro. There will also be a segment of Miz TV and musical performances by Flo Rida and Kid Rock.
Footage from WWE’s trip overseas visiting the troops aboard the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier and the several meet and greet the Superstars and Divas did over the three days among the military members in Virginia will also be airing.
NBC will be showing a modified one hour version of Tribute to the Troops this coming Saturday.
WWE issued a press release today announcing the hiring of Mayuri Pitale as Consumer & Promotions Licensing (CPL) Manager and Carl Sequeira as Marketing Manager in its India office.
Pitale will be responsible for spearheading the licensing and retail expansion for WWE in India, and Sequeira will be responsible for executing marketing campaigns to help develop and grow the brand and support WWE’s various lines of business across the region.
Both employees are based in Mumbai and will report to Rukn Kizilbash, the General Manager of WWE India.
Following the last pay-per-view of 2012, what has changed for tonight’s Raw? I’m guessing (and hoping) some championships. For example, it would be really cool to see Dolph Ziggler walk out to the ring with a new Heavyweight title! And Wade Barrett should be the Intercontinental vhampion. Those are my main picks.
Also, of course, the Slammys are up for grabs. I believe (if they are in the categories) match of the year will be “End Of An Era,” between Undertaker and Triple H in the Hell In The Cell from Wrestlemania XXVIII with Shawn Michaels as the special referee. And superstar of the year….C.M. Punk, 2 years in a row!
Well, why wait. Read on to find out the results of T.L.C. another Raw Report!
Monday Night Raw Report for December 17th, 2012 – “Awards and Alliances”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo, Welcoming, and Recap
A montage of past Slammy awards and a preview of tonight’s Slammys airs. We go right to the arena in Philly, as Michael Cole, J.B.L., and Jerry “The King” Lawler (even donned in suits/tuxedos) welcome us to the show. They also recap two main T.L.C. matches, where A.J. cost John Cena the Money In The Bank Briefcase (Dolph retained – yay!), and The Shield dominated Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell-No” (Kane and Daniel Bryan) and Ryback.
Match #1: Single – Rey Mysterio (with Sin Cara) VS. “The Intellectual Saviour of the WWE” Damien Sandow (with Cody Rhodes)
Lockup to begin the bout, as Damien shoves Rey into the corner and kicks away. He hurdles Mysterio two the outside on his stomach, then throws him into the ring post. Sandow drops “The Elbow of Distain” for a two-count, then clamps on a grounding rear chinlock.
Damien corners Rey again with shoulders, then attempts a suplex off the top, but Rey counters and flies off with a seated-senton! Rey hits a front-dropkick off the ropes for a near-fall, but then gets driven down with a tornado neckbreaker from Sandow!
Mysterio reverses a shoulder-move with a spinning-DDT, then sets up Damien for the 619, nailing it and the “Drop Of The Dime” top-rope splash for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Rey Mysterio
Segment #1: Slammy #1 Promo – “Tell Me I Did Not Just See That!”
Smackdown General Manager Booker T. is out to present this first award.
Nominees: “Brad Maddox’s Low Blow” (Hell In The Cell), “18 Seconds” (Wrestlemania XXVIII), “Kofi’s Miracle Save” (Royal Rumble), “The Rock Gets Punked” (Raw 1000)
Just before he can announce who won, a face (or creature) from his past returns – The Boogeyman! The oddity crawls out to his usual entrance like before, giving Booker the creeps.
Commercials.
Back live, Booker is alone again (until Brad Maddox comes out, predicting his win) and gives the award to… Kofi Kingston! (Okay, that was a surprise). Kofi comes out and thanks the fans.
Match #2: Single – Kaitlyn VS. Divas Champion Eve (Non-Title)
All-out brawl to start, with Kaitlyn dominating until Eve counters with a low dropkick. She takes control with punches on the mat and kicks in the corner. Eve sits on the top rope and chokes Kaitlyn from there, until Kaitlyn counters and takes down Eve with a gut-wrench kneedrop for the quick victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Kaitlyn
Post-match, Kaitlyn takes the Divas Title and holds it over Eve, then lays it on her and poses.
Segment #2: Slammy #2 Promo – “Comeback Of The Year”
The New Age Outlaws, “Road Dogg” Jesse James and “B.A.” Billy Gunn are out to give this award. (Cool!) They go through their routine before listing the nominees.
Back live, the winner, of course and rightfully so, is Jerry “The King” Lawler. He runs up the ramp and thanks all fans for love and support.
Match #3: Single – Tensai VS. Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
Pretty short bout honestly, with Tensai controlling a little bit then Kofi hitting the “Trouble In Paradise” spin-kick out of nowhere for the W!
Winner via Pinfall: Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
Post-match, Wade Barrett assaults Kingston out of the blue, running him into the post twice, and with the elbow. He leaves he on the floor and walks off.
Segment #3: Slammy #3 Promo – “Kiss Of The Year”
Raw Supervising Manager Vickie Guerrero walks out for this award.
The nominees are, well A.J.! She is in every nomination, with her men of Daniel Bryan, Kane, WWE Champion C.M. Punk and John Cena.
Commercials.
Back live, prior to the announcement, Guerrero states that she would never be nominated for this award because she would never abuse her power for a romantic relationship. (Cha, right!)
Anywho, A.J.’s winning kiss is with John Cena. She skips out her and is asked to explain her actions from T.L.C. Instead, A.J. snags the Slammy and says she doesn’t owe anyone anything. “For the past year I’ve cared a lot about what people think about me, including you (Vickie), including them (the fans), but not anymore.”
They engage in a verbal joust before Dolph Ziggler walks out and breaks it up. A.J. says that her award it is “nothing compared to this.” She hops up on “The Showoff” and makes out with him for about 15+ seconds straight! Dolph didn’t stop her or nothing, just let her ride! She skips off and Dolph chases her to the back.
Match #4: Single – The Great Khali (with Natalya) VS. David Otunga
Ads between entrances.
Khali clubs down Otunga quickly, then chest-slaps him in two corners. David moves out of the corner and trades, stomping away at Khali. He ties up the 7-footer’s leg on the bottom rope, but gets a big elbow and boot, plus a clothesline. Chop-to-the-head finishes off Otunga for Khali!
Winner via Pinfall: The Great Khali (with Natalya)
Segment #4: Slammy #4 Promo – “Superstar Of The Year”
Despite hearing his voice, you don’t actually see “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Nominees: Sheamus, John Cena, World Heavyweight Champion Big Show, and WWE Champion C.M. Punk.
Commercials.
Back live, he’s live in person! “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair struts out to the stage after 4 years and 8-and-a-bit-months away. He puts over the crowd in Philadelphia and being back. He then gives the award to …. John Cena (boo!)
Cena embraces Ric with a hug, then stands and listens to the mixed reaction. He goes into a “respect” promo about what a “Superstar Of The Year” means and then gives his award to Ric Flair, the two-time Hall Of Famer.
Of course, as expected, WWE Champion C.M. Punk with a jovial Paul Heyman hobbles out on crutches. He gets right into Flair’s face then takes the Slammy. “This is completely ridiculous on multiple, multiple levels.” (Agreed!) The “Second City Saint” recounts why John Cena (or Ric Flair) should NOT be superstar, mainly because he has lost most of his main matches all year, while Punk has been the WWE Champion for 393 days.
Flair just stares and smiles, then takes cheap-shots at Punk and Heyman. C.M. claims that he could beat up Ric with one leg, just like he could be everyone up in Philadelphia. Flair takes him upon the challenge, takes off his coat and marches to the ring. Punk starts down the ramp, too!
Ads.
Back live, Punk gets in the ring with Heyman, and jabs Flair in the gut with his crutch, then smashes it over the back of “The Nature Boy.” Punk mocks Flair’s strut, but then gets poked in the eye. C.M. falls out of the ring, while Flair locks on the FIgure-4 on Paul Heyman!
Ric now takes the microphone. He says that he has come just to have a good time, then gives his love for Jerry Lawler. “If I die, I want to die right here, or with a woman from Philadelphia!” He puts over Philly again, until The Shield enter the arena.
Commercials.
Back live, an all-out war is broke again between The Shield, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and now Ric Flair. The Shield completely decimate Bryan, Kane, and Flair, then just as they go to put Ric through the announce table, Ryback interrupts.
He is on a mission, tearing apart The Shield until they retreat through the fans. Ryback, Kane, Daniel, and Ric celebrate in the ring.
Ads.
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Ric Flair are happy with their fight against The Shield. Ric keeps on “whooing”, while Kane says “yes” and Bryan screams “no.” Another Hall Of Famer, Ron Simmons, walks in and proclaims his “damn!”
Match #5: Single – J.T.G. VS. “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay (with “The Funkadactyls” Cameron and Naomi)
Pointless contest, with Brodus picking up the victory after a splash.
Winner via Pinfall: Brodus Clay (with “The Funkadactyls” Cameron and Naomi)
Segment #6: Slammy #5 Promo – “L.O.L. Moment Of The Year”
Odd couple, Santino Marella and Tensai, are out to present this lame award.
Nominees: “The Rock’s Boston Tea Party” (Raw), “Team Hell-No’s Anger Management Therapy” (Raw), “Randy Orton pouring food all over Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Matt Striker” (Smackdown), “Vickie Guerrero Dancing” (Raw)
Commercials.
The winner is The Rock, however he is not here to accept. Instead, Santino wants to take it, but Daniel Bryan protests “no, no, no” until Kane comes out and literately carries him to the back.
Match #6: Single – Sin Cara (with Rey Mysterio) VS. Cody Rhodes (with “The Intellectual Saviour Of The WWE” Damien Sandow)
Elbow/collar tie-up and punches in the corner from Rhodes. He Irish-Whips Cara, but Sin counters with a handstand back elbow. He sends Cody to the outside with a top-rope armdrag, then runs through the ropes with a dive to the outside. Rhodes capitalizes with kicks quickly and takes control again. He grasps on a grounding arm submission, then stomps on Cara again.
Cody uses the ropes to help choke Sin, then delivers a stiff right hand. Cara eventually counters a running Cody with a kick, then nails a missile dropkick and hurricanrana. Cody reverses another move and drives Cara down with the Crossrhodes spinning neckbreaker to get the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Cody Rhodes (with “The Intellectual Saviour Of The WWE” Damien Sandow)
Segment #7: Slammy #6 Promo – “Trending Now Hashtag Of The Year”
“Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder and Layla give this one.
The winner, appropriately, is “#FeedMeMore” for Ryback. Zack and Layla take the award to the back to give to him.
Segment #8: Arena Promo
Despite not being voted “Superstar Of The Year,” The Big Show is still not upset because he is still the World Heavyweight Champion. The crowd begins to chant “boring,” which irritates the 500-pounder, until Sheamus comes out to liven things up. He gives accolades to the match they had at T.L.C., as well as The Big Show for being the better man.
He shakes Show’s hand and starts to walk off calmly, until the World Heavyweight Champion insults him with some Irish stereotypes. This makes Sheamus unglued and he destroys Show with chair shots and a Brogue Kick!
Just now, Dolph Ziggler is running to cash in his Money In The Bank contract, but Cena chases after him and levels “The Showoff” with a clothesline. Cena chucks him barricade-to-barricade, and since the referee never rang the bell to start the match, Ziggler still has his contract.
Match #7: 6-Man Tag-Team – “3.M.B. (Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, and Heath Slater) VS. Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), The Miz and ???
The mystery partner is left for after the break.
Commercials.
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Dolph Ziggler is looking for Vickie Guerrero. When he finds her, they argue about T.L.C. and tonight. Ziggler says this relationship is finally over (yay!) and that he wants revenge on Cena for costing him the World Championship opportunity. Guerrero agrees, but instead puts him in a tag-team match – with his partner of A.J. taking on John Cena and his partner – Vickie Guerrero!
Match #7: 6-Man Tag-Team – “3.M.B. (Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, and Heath Slater) VS. Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), The Miz and ???
The Miz announces their partner as a man that “takes it to the extreme, the heart and soul of E.C.W. – Tommy Dreamer!” The “Innovator Of Hardcore” walks out, welding a Singapore Cane.
Drew and Alberto tussle for a bit, until the Philadelphia-favourite is tagged in. Dreamer takes down Slater with a punch, and things break down fast. Dreamer flies off, impressively, to all three members of 3.M.B.
Ads.
Back live, Dreamer counters a side-headlock from Mahal to a backrop, then tags in Miz as Slater is switched with. Miz all-over Heath, hitting the running-clothesline in the corner. Slater eventually counters and sends Miz into the barricade, then Miz is wrestled by all three, who dominate over the Miz for a while.
Miz finally makes a hot-tag to Del Rio, going after Slater and Drew. Miz takes out Mahal with a clothesline, while Alberto hits the running Enziguri and goes to lock in the Crossarmbreaker submission, but decides to please the crowd and switch with Tommy Dreamer. He comes in and plants Heath with the DDT for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall: Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), The Miz, and Tommy Dreamer
Segment #10: Slammy #7 Promo – “Newcomer of the Year”
Sheamus comes back out to hand out the next trophy. The nominees are: Antonio Cesaro, “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay, “The Intellectual Saviour of the WWE” Damien Sandow, and Ryback (Gee, I wonder!)
Commercials.
The newcomer of the year is … Ryback. Yep, that’s about right. He walks out, shakes Sheamus’ hands and takes to the podium. Ryback quotes the late, great Owen Hart (ok, there’s my win, right there! Very classy!) saying “enough is enough and it’s time for a change.” Ryback declares he is that “change” and leads the crowd in a “feed me more” chant. He now marches to the ring, for a bout next.
Match #8: Single – Ryback VS. United States Champion Antonio Cesaro (Non-Title)
Prior to the contest, Cesaro rips the voting, claiming it is rigged. He says that he is stronger, smart, and a champion, unlike Ryback.
Antonio starts fast with a kick and uppercut, but gets a Lou Thesz press off an Irish whip. Ryback slams his head three times to the mat and punches him down. Cesaro counters and shoves Ryback into the ropes, then hits a couple uppercut punches to Antonio’s back.
Ryback reverses a suplex into one of his own, then gives Cesaro shoulders in the corner. He goes for another, but the U.S. Champion counters with a high-knee. He then runs and slams Ryback to the canvas!
As Cesaro signals for “The Neutralizer,” Ryback backdrops him and drives him and drives him down with a spinebuster. Ryback is gearing up for a clothesline, but Antonio rolls out of the ring to collect is U.S. Championship. He turns around right into an overhead-press, sending him back to the ring. Cesaro escapes again and decides to forfeit.
Winner via Count-Out: Ryback
Segment #11: Slammy #8 Promo – “Match Of The Year”
Hall Of Famers “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and “Good Ole J.R.” Jim Ross walk out to present the final Slammy of the night, for the greatest match of 2012.
The nominees are: “End Of An Era” Triple H VS. The Undertaker (Wrestlemania XXVIII, 4/2/2012), Brock Lesnar VS. John Cena (Extreme Rules, 4/30/2012), World Heavyweight Championship Big Show VS. Sheamus (Hell In A Cell, 10/28/2012), “Once In A Lifetime” John Cena VS. The Rock (Wrestlemania XXVIII, 4/2/2012)
(Ok, this one is actually hard to pick – it’s definitely down to the two ‘Mania 28 contests, and personally, I’d like it to be the “End Of An Era” bout.) We’ll find out next!
Ads.
Back live, the winner for 2012 “Match Of The Year” is … “End Of An Era” Triple H VS. The Undertaker (Wrestlemania XXVIII, 4/2/2012)! (Good)
Out to accept, Triple H returns (with his new haircut) and receives a loud ovation, and gives it right back to the fans and the three Hall Of Famers on stage.
Just as he begins his speech, loud “we want ‘Taker” chants blare. He calls the match “magical,” and puts over the two other participants as the two guys he respects more than anyone else in the business. Shawn Michaels, and calling Undertaker “the benchmark.”
The fans chant “thank you, Hunter” and he reiterates the sentiment. He then answers a “million dollar question,” saying that we haven’t heard the last of The Undertaker! Triple H walks off to his music.
Backstage, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose attack Tommy Dreamer and Ricardo Rodriguez until referees and agents shoo them away.
A.J. come out next and wants a ladder set up in the ring. She ascends it before the break.
Commercials.
Segment #12: Arena Promo
A.J. is almost atop the ladder with the microphone in the ring. She says that she is “just full of surprises.” A.J. claims that everyone is asking her why she tipped John Cena off the ladder at T.L.C. and cost him the match. She thought it was obvious, and just before she can say so, Vickie Guerrero excuses herself. She says that no one cares and drops the mike, getting ready for the match.
Match #9: Mixed Tag-Team – A.J. and “The Showoff/Mr. Money In The Bank” Dolph Ziggler VS. Vickie Guerrero and John Cena
Ziggler and Cena start out, with Ziggler ducking a clothesline and strutting around. They chain-wrestle with headlocks and armlocks, then Dolph tags A.J. following a spin-out backdrop.
A.J. comes in and eyes down Cena, then gets in the “catfight” with Vickie Guerrero. A.J. suddenly walks off, as Dolph takes control over Cena with stomps and punches. Vickie also walks off, and this is basically a one-on-one.
Ziggler misses a corner splash, but Cena gets the Attitude Adjustment countered by a jumping DDT for a close near-fall! Ziggler drops a series of elbows (7, to be exact!) Dolph misses a superkick and Cena locks in the STF. A.J. walks back out, and this time with a new charge – Big E. Langston from NXT.
Big E attacks Cena, causing the DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: John Cena,
Post-match, Big E. slams Cena with a shoulder breaker as Dolph looks on and A.J. skips around to close the show!
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
Honestly, this wasn’t a great show. It had it’s moments, but much like last year, it felt bland, really kinda just sucked! I’ll do my usual analysis, however the “bogus” will be very quickly summed up!
Excellence: Jerry “The King” Lawler, Kofi Kingston, and Triple H/Undertaker/Shawn Michaels winning their Slammys. Two out of three were surprises/hard to pick and Jerry’s was excpected, but still very nice and honourable. (Although again, they didn’t need to re-show footage of his backstage ordeal following the heart attack – a bit uneasy there.)
Ryback/Cesaro was actually a great match, and these two look good in the ring together for future bouts. Once again, I liked WWE Champion C.M. Punk’s rant, but that was it from that segment.
Anything that “The Rhodes Scholars” do, as well as Miz and Alberto’s face turns – I could actually see this doing well.
I still like The Shield for sure, I’m just starting to wonder if they need to pick a permanent opponent now and begin an individual feud, instead of attacking everyone.
Bogus: Everything else. In particular, three stand-outs – The other awards were too predictable, the Ric Flair segment – although nice to see him back – was too long and too much involved. Plus, you won an AWARD John Cena, why would you give it away? And the ending to Raw was just too sudden. It felt like they rushed off the air.
Ah well, here’s hoping for more explanation next week. On that note, I will not be writing about Raw on the 24th/25th, due to Christmas, so I wish all you readers a Merry Christmas (for those who celebrate), Happy Hanukah (for those who celebrate) and Happy Holidays to everyone else! The next posting will be on January 1st, so also Happy New Year for 2013! Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
In an interview with WWE.COM, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair said that WWE is “the best place in the world to work,” adding that he loves being there and appreciates all the friendships and loyalty among the people who work at WWE and the fans.
When he was asked about CM Punk and being the best in the world, Flair told the interviewer to give him 60 days so he can get in shape and in two months, he’ll tell him who’s the best in the world. “I don’t want to say something I can’t back up right now,” Flair said while smiling.
Meanwhile on Twitter, Flair wrote a message saying he is “so happy to be home” while Hulk Hogan, his former colleague over at TNA also tweeted a message saying it was great to see Ric Flair “doing his thing again.”
USA Network will air a special edition of Smackdown tonight live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as part of the WWE Week on USA Network.
The main event for tonight’s show will feature John Cena teaming up with Sheamus to take on the World Heavyweight champion Big Show and Dolph Ziggler, who just last night tried to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase at the expense of Show.
Tonight’s show will also air again on SyFy this Friday in the usual time slot.
A new WWE developmental wrestler currently assigned to NXT down in Florida made his debut on WWE television yesterday, flattening John Cena at the end of RAW after walking out with AJ Lee.
The 26 year old Big E Langston followed fellow NXT wrestlers Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns to the main roster and judging from the fact that he laid out Cena, it’s a fairly good assumption that the company is high on him.
Langston – real name Ettore Ewen – is a Tampa native and has been signed to a WWE deal since 2009. He made his NXT debut in August and was then involved in an angle with Vickie Guerrero who offered her services – managerial, that is – to him but he turned her down. Guerrero then put a $5,000 bounty to any member of the NXT roster who can take Langston out. He has taped a match for the NXT title against champion Seth Rollins but that match has yet to air.
He is a powerlifter and currently holds the USAPL Florida State Raw record in deadlift with an impressive 799lbs.
