In a press release issued today by WWE and Marvel, it was announced that WWE champion CM Punk wrote the introduction for the limited-edition Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover.
“To say I’m flattered to write the intro for the biggest comic book crossover EVER would be…well it wouldn’t be me,” said CM Punk. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s super cool, but it also makes sense. Best superheroes in the world? Check. Best writers in the world (plus Ed Brubaker)? Check. Best artists in the world? Yup, them too. Best wrestler in the world. That’s me! So it’s the best team of all time! We are all the best! Now you will read the best!”
The Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover features exclusive behind-the-scenes extras utilizing special augmented reality technology, Avengers vs. X-Men Infinite comics in print for the very first time, and a code for a free digital copy available exclusively through the Marvel Comics app & Marvel Digital Comics Shop!
The book will sell for $75 and will be out in November.
Monday Night RAW suffered another crash in the ratings due to the NFL game and the Presidential debate this week.
The show did a 2.5 rating, with the second lowest numbers of viewers in fifteen years by a small fraction, with a total of 3,554,000 viewers. Hour one did 3,578,000, hour two did 3,653,000, while hour three continued to pull the worst numbers with 3,432,000 viewers.
The overall viewership is down from last week’s 3.89 million and had just 52,000 more viewers from the October 1 episode which carries the title of the lowest viewership in 15 years for a non-holiday show. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
Lafayette, CA (October 22, 2012) – UFC GYM, the fitness destination that goes beyond the traditional workout, announces plans to bring the brand’s first east coast facility to Long Island, NY (2020 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY 11040). The 24-hour full-service facility is set to open for workouts in spring 2013 and will offer an array of programming for the entire family and every fitness level.
“Just like the UFC has revolutionized the world of combat sports, we are now bringing the newest innovation of fitness and training to the East Coast,” said UFC president, Dana White. “UFC GYM is for everyone who wants to have a place to work out and who is looking to change up what they do when they go to the gym.”
UFC GYM Long Island will join a multitude of other businesses in an expansive free-standing building. Its ‘Train Different’ approach offers an alternative to the traditional workout with a multitude of ways for the entire family to sweat, move and burn different through signature classes and specialized equipment. The club will feature an array of amenities to provide everything needed to ‘Train Different’, including a 32 ft. Octagon, BJJ Studio, Bag Room, top-of-the-line strength training and cardio machines, battling ropes, agility ladders and other functional training equipment for explosive workouts. In addition to expert Personal Trainers to help people of all fitness levels achieve undeniable results, the club space boasts an expansive 2,500 sq. ft. group fitness studio to house a full range of UFC GYM’s signature classes including Hot Hula, Women’s Self Defense, Performance Cycling, and more.
“Every gym that we open just gets better! Fusing together what is so great about mixed martial arts, with state-of-the art fitness equipment and amenities, clearly makes UFC GYM the most unique training option in the world today,” said Adam Sedlack, senior vice president, UFC Gym.
“What makes our gyms so special is that we bring fitness and community together – when Dad is doing a boxing class, Mom can be taking High Octane Condition, all while the kids are improving their athletic performance,” added Sedlack. “We have something for everyone, and cannot wait to show our ‘Train Different’ approach to the residents of Long Island.
UFC GYM Long Island is set to open for workouts in spring, 2013. Residents and commuters will enjoy easy access at the club’s location in the heavily traveled intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Leonard Boulevard, and within walking distance of two Long Island Rail Road train stops and bus stops. In addition to the club’s training options, UFC GYM Long Island will offer full-service locker rooms, an Arm Bar Café, featuring a tasty assortment of healthy shakes and smoothies and a retail shop. To create a fitness destination for the whole family, the club also offers a UFC Kids GYM, a private kids training area, offering Youth Fitness Classes, Active Fitness Gaming, Youth Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Birthday Parties.
An enrollment center will be opening soon in the area. To reserve your reduced pre-opening special rates and to find out more about UFC GYM, visit www.ufcgymlongisland.com.
John Cena was honored by Make-A-Wish last week at their Evening of Excellence Awards Ceremony for being the only celebrity to reach the record-breaking milestone of fulfilling 300 wishes.
Cena became the first recipient of the 300th Wish Award at the annual Make-A-Wish awards ceremony in Glendale, AZ. His award was presented by wish mom Judith Harrison, whose late son Justin was the second wish child Cena ever met, before an audience of hundreds of Make-A Wish national and chapter staff, volunteer leaders, and wish families.
“WWE Superstar John Cena is a champion in the ring and a champion for Make-A-Wish and wish kids across the world,” said David A. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish America. “Even in the face of a hectic travel schedule, the physical demands of his job and countless requests for his time, John’s commitment to creating life-changing wish experiences for each and every wish kid requesting to meet him has never wavered. He is an amazing wish granter and a great friend of Make-A-Wish.”
Cena said that he cannot think of no greater honor than being chosen to be the wish of someone when they have the chance for any wish in the world they want.
“I will continue to grant wishes as long as there are children who request me. I am proud to be a part of WWE’s long standing alliance with Make-A-Wish.”
The New York Daily News is reporting that Hulk Hogan lost round one in his fight against Gawker.com after a judge denied the former wrestling champ’s request for a temporary restraining order which would have removed his one minute excerpt of his sex tape from the website.
“Plaintiff has failed to show that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result before Defendants can be heard in opposition,” U.S. District Judge James Whittemore wrote in his ruling.
A hearing has been set for November 8 in Tampa, Florida.
The pre-sale code for WrestleMania tickets will be IZODVIP and fans wishing to attend to the event can purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public starting on November 8 at 10AM EST.
Tickets will go on sale to the rest of the general public on November 10 at 10AM EST and as always it is expected to be a hot ticket.
Fans who will be attending are encouraged to purchase tickets early to avoid going through other websites which will charge much more over the face value for a ticket. Any tickets sold other than the box office or Ticketmaster is through a third party and will charge more.
Ticket prices will range from $35 all the way up to $2,000 for the first four ringside seats.
This is it – the final stop before Hell In The Cell, this Sunday! Now we know what will be the main event – Ryback VS. WWE Champion C.M. Punk, inside that punishing steel structure. Also, another match will be set for the pay-per-view, as after tonight either The Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes) or Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara will be challenging “Team Hell No” (Kane and Daniel Bryan) for the Tag-Team Championship, following their faceoff in the Tag-Team Title tournament conclusion.
Will there be any more bouts booked for October’s annual? What will go down tonight as it all boils over with six days to go? Only one way to find out, plus my picks for the card, all below! Read on!
Monday Night Raw Report for October 22nd, 2012 – “Hell In A Cell!”
Match #1: Tag-Team Tournament Final – Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara VS. Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow)
Raw starts off right off the bat with this big bout (no intro video or pyro), as Michael Cole and Jim Ross welcome us to the IZOD Center. Also, an big tweet from Raw General Manager A.J. Lee informs us that she has been called to an “emergency meeting with the WWE Board Of Directors.” (Ah-oh!)
Cara and Cody begin, with Sin battling out of the corner with his kicks and then hitting a hurricanrana. He tags to Rey, and they double-team Rhodes with a faceplant for a two-count! Rhodes soon falls down and uppercuts Mystery, then switches with Sandow.
Rey and Damien trade a bit, with Mysterio hitting a headscissors and setting Sandow up for the 6-1-9. Rhodes pulls Sandow out of the ring, but both Mysterio and Cara hit suicide dives and seated sentons, respectively, to take their opponents to the floor. Mysterio now holds Sandow on the middle rope and tags in Cara, who falls onto Damien with a springboard moonsault! 1 – 2 – Sandow kicks out!
Cara misses a corner springboard crossbody, allowing Sandow to take control. He tags in Cody, who slams down Sin with a standing vertical suplex into a faceplant. Rhodes Scholars continue to switch back and forth all while dominating Cara, classic tag-team heel style! Sin manages to counter with a headbutt-to-the-gut and an enziguri. Both men down to go to break.
Commercials.
Back live, Cody is in dominance again, until Cara shoves Rhodes off the turnbuckles and flies off with a Tornado DDT. He tags in Mysterio, who dives onto Cody with a seated senton, and Mysterio is on fire with all his aerial attacks! Mysterio dives from the top rope, planting himself with a moonsault, but only receives 2! He soon catches both Rhodes and Sandow in position and nails them with the 6-1-9. One more time, off the top rope with the Drop Of The Dime splash, 1 – 2 – NO! Sandow saves the match by diving UNDER the referees hand-count to prevent a 3! (Very creative!) Cara kicks out Damien, which slightly distracts Mysterio who falls prey to the Crossrhodes reverse spinning neckbreaker, and the victory for Team Rhodes Scholars!
Winners and #1 Contender’s for the Tag-Team Championship: Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow)
Post-match, the WWE Tag-Team Champions appear on the titantron. Kane and Daniel Bryan warn Rhodes Scholars that “Hell No!” they will not win the Titles. Kane then performs a little “magic,” pushing Bryan aside and lighting off his pyro in the ring.
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Match #2: Single – Michael McGuillicutty VS. Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston (Non-Title)
Prior to the contest, footage of last week’s WWE Main Event show airs, giving us clips of Kingston winning the I.C. Title. (Note: The Miz is on commentary). McGuillicutty aggressive early with punches in the corner and a high dropkick off the ropes. Hanging backbreaker from McGuillicutty and he is in complete control right from the get go. All of a sudden, Kofi dives over Michael, then knocks him out with the Trouble In Paradise tornado kick to get the 1 – 2 -3!
Winner via Pinfall: Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
Segment #1: Video Promo
Michael Cole, Jim Ross, and footage from last week’s ending to Raw recap why Ryback is the new #1 Contender to WWE Champion C.M. Punk.
Up next, John Cena is speculated to explain why he gave Ryback his confidence vote.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Cena welcomes the New York Giants NFL Football team, then gets down to business. He talks about WWE Champion C.M. Punk, who has lasted 337 days as champion. However, that will come to an end of Sunday, as there will be the “change” that Punk talked about last year. This change though, is in the form of a 291-pound machine. That machine is Ryback – a man who stands for only one thing – destruction. Cena declares that this Sunday, “the face of the WWE will change!”
Before he can go further, the WWE Champion walks out with Paul Heyman and his title. Standing on the stage, donned in a grey hoodie, C.M. Punk calls Cena’s change “laughable” and instead offers his 337-day title reign compared to Cena not being champion “change you can count on.” As always, Punk proclaims that he is the “best in the world” and promises to walk out of Hell In The Cell still the WWE Champion.
Punk admires Cena’s new role of “cheerleader” for Ryback, and tells John that he cannot beat him. Cena retorts, saying that he wasn’t “allowed” to beat you. However, now Cena is medically cleared to compete. Cena says that he won’t interfere though in the pay-per-view championship match, instead he wants to give Punk a “pre-ass-whooping to the real ass-whooping.”
Both Punk and Cena strip off their shirts, and as Punk marches down the ramp, Heyman begs him to reconsider. Punk stares at Cena from the apron, then backs off, holding his WWE Championship high.
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Match #3: Single – Justin Gabriel VS. United States Champion Antonio Cesaro (Non-Title)
Gabriel starts this off fast, with a springboard plancha, but Cesaro quickly counters by flapjacking Justin onto the ropes. Harsh uppercuts, both to front and back of Gabriel’s head, then a gutwrench slam by Antonio. The U.S. Champ locks on a grounding rear facelock, which Gabriel tries to fight out of, but gets dumped atop the turnbuckle and booted in the gut. Gabriel counters another move by landing on his feet and mounts a small comeback, climbing the top-rope, but getting crotched. However, Justin fights out a couple moves by Cesaro and kicks him to the mat. Gabriel then manages to fly with the 450 and get the surprising upset!
Winner via Pinfall: Justin Gabriel
Backstage, a limousine pulls into the arena. Outcomes WWE Owner Vince McMahon and Raw General Manager A.J. Lee!
Commercials.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is in the ring with Raw General Manager A.J. She is looking somber as Mr. McMahon informs us that A.J. has had meetings all day with Board Of Directors regarding her status as G.M. Lee then tells us that due to allegations of her “fraternizing” with a superstar, she is resigning as Raw General Manager. (To a loud pop from the crowd). She says the allegations are completely false, but understands that she could’ve been fired anyway for attacking Vickie Guerrero and Paul Heyman, so that’s why she decided to quit herself. A.J. now goes onto recall her life, from being “homeless to being the boss”, the typical sympathy vote. She hugs Vince to finish off.
Paul Heyman now walks out and not-so-subtly projects himself as the next pick for the Raw G.M. position. McMahon simply says “no,” then introduces us to Vickie Guerrero, who is now the “managing supervisor” of Monday Night Raw. (In other words, the same position, different name!)
Vickie walks out and gives her thanks to the Board of Directors, but gets interrupted by Heyman. Paul E. wants her to change the main-event for H.I.A.C., but Guerrero does not go for it. Instead, she books (another) Champion VS. Champion bout, with WWE Champion C.M. Punk taking on World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and adding lumberjacks to it! Heyman goes ballistic and walks out.
Guerrero turns her attention to A.J., degrading her age-inappropriate for a position of huge power. She then accuses A.J. of having an affair, then orders her out of “her ring.” A.J. begins to walk, but then turns around and jumps all over Vickie, engaging in a catfight! A.J. gets the best of it, laughing in the ring at the end while Guerrero heads to the back with the help of referees.
Up next, Ryback taking on The Miz
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Match #4: Single – Ryback VS. The Miz
I think you know how this goes by now! Ryback dominates, polishing off Miz with a clothesline then the marching Samoan drop – called “Shellshocked” – for the quick and decisive victory.
Winner via Pinfall: Ryback
Commercials.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Eve is on the phone, discussing A.J.’s “fraternization,” when Kaitlyn walks up. She still accuses Eve of attacking her at Night Of Champions, until Kaitlyn provides her with photo-evidence, and calls her a “conniving witch.” Another catfight ensues between the two rivals, and Divas Champion Layla manages to get involved too, until all three are broken up by referees.
Segment #5: Locker Room Promo
Josh Matthews asks World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus about his bout with WWE Champion C.M. Punk tonight. Sheamus says he loves the potential chaos with all the lumberjacks. Big Show now walks in, and punches out Sheamus’ stuffed toy that was in his hands. Show warns Sheamus to get serious for Sunday.
Match #5: Single – Tag-Team Champion Daniel Bryan VS. “Mr. Money In The Bank,” “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler
(Entrances prior to/during a commercial break). Lockup by both and they trade wristlocks, until Bryan takes Dolph down with a Northernlight suplex. Both get up and trade more maneuvers until Dolph hits a high dropkick to gain control over Daniel. Ziggler picks him up and drives Bryan down with a classic neckbreaker, but gets caught into a flapjack from Bryan. He locks on a surfboard-like submission and yanks at Ziggler’s nose for more pain. Dolph counters a leg-wrap-around and pushes Bryan into the corner. He punches away against the turnbuckle, but Bryan reverses into a cradle and figure-four leglock! Ziggler manages to clutch the bottom rope for the break. On the apron, Dolph dumps Bryan out to the floor via a suplex, and Daniel is holding onto his left knee. Just now, his partner’s pyro explodes and Kane walks out slowly.
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Ziggler is back in control with a headlock, but Daniel soon gains some momentum back. Short forearm clothesline then a running front-corner dropkick, with Ziggler selling beautiful. Bryan now kicks away and attempts the “no Lock” submission, but Dolph rolls out of it. Ziggler counters a potential spear-attempt into a jumping DDT! 1 – 2 – Bryan kicks out! Ziggler attempts a splash in the corner but eats only ringpost. Daniel capitalizes with a Suicide Dive and ascends the turnbuckle. Ziggler meets him there, however, drops with him into a facebuster! 1 – 2 – Bryan kicks out! Bryan now stiff-kicks Ziggler, but notices Kane trying to “rile up” the crowd with “yes chants.” Bryan takes umbrage with this, but it costs him since Ziggler brings him down from behind with the Zig-Zag for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler
Post-match, Kane and Daniel dispute the finish until Matt Striker walks out and delivers a surprise for them, courtesy of Vickie Guerrero. They will compete against their challengers, Team Rhodes Scholars, in a gameshow, a ‘la “The Newly Wed Game.” This is up next.
Commercials.
Segment #6: Arena Promo
This is a version of the “Newly Wed Game”, called “The Newly Tag Game.” Striker asks Team “Hell No” to introduce themselves. They do so, like the actual game show, and then Striker brings out Team Rhodes Scholars. In short (thankfully, because this one is pretty stupid), Damien Sandow says that he and Cody Rhodes will not be playing this, as it is way below their intellectual level. Instead, they will get to know “Team Hell No” when they defeat them Sunday for the Tag-Team Championship.
Striker manages to back out this, but not Big Show, who throws Show across the stage!
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Match #6: Single – Tag-Team Champion Kane (with Tag-Team Champion Daniel Bryan) VS. The Big Show (Non-Title)
This is your typical two-big-men match, with Show dominating the whole way. He manages to knock out Kane with the punch after Sandow and Rhodes distract him and Bryan. 1 – 2 – 3 for Big.
Winner via Pinfall: Big Show
Post-match, Team Rhodes Scholars run down and beat up both Kane and Bryan, exhibiting their challenge for the Tag-Team Championship on Sunday.
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Santino Marella consoles A.J. and tells her that he thought she did a good job as G.M. John Cena now walks in and berates A.J. for not fighting for her position. A.J. reveals that the accusations were against her and Cena! (That was a twist!) This stems from a “business” dinner they had, and Cena is livid about this, so he vows to figure it all out.
Commercials.
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
John Cena confronts Mr. McMahon, but it is not useful, as McMahon basically says “it is what it is” regarding A.J.
Match #7: Single – “Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder VS. Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez)
Alberto starts right away with punches and kicks, then puts Zack to the mat with a quick snap suplex. Ryder fights out of a shoulder lock, but walks into a high-kick from Del Rio. Another submission is clamped on by Alberto, which again Zack battles out of. He runs over Del Rio with a couple of short-clotheslines and double-knees into Alberto’s face. He goes for the Broski Boot, but misses and Del Rio kicks away at Ryder’s left arm against the ropes. Alberto pulls him up and locks in the Rolling Cross Armbreaker for the tap out!
Winner via Submission: Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez)
Post-match, Alberto continues to hold onto his submission, showing Randy Orton what damage he can do.
Segment #9: Office Promo
John Cena barges into Vickie Guerrero’s new office and confronts her about the turn of events. Bottom line, Guerrero says that Cena cost A.J. her job when he asked her out on a date on Raw. Cena walks out in disgust.
Up next, the main event!
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Segment #10: Backstage Promo
Josh Matthews asks Dolph Ziggler about A.J. Of course, he goes to bat for Vickie and blames John Cena for the loss of A.J.’s job.
Segment #11: Video Promo
Clips of Ryback’s career and hype are shown, to build him as the credible challenger for WWE Champion C.M Punk.
Segment #12: Locker Room Promo
WWE Champion C.M. Punk and Paul Heyman were watching that montage, and Heyman says not to let that get into his head. He builds up Punk, saying that next Monday night, he will still be the WWE Champion and “best in the world.”
The lumberjacks (Raw Roster) now makes their way to the ring for the main-event, next!
Commercials.
Match #8: Single/Lumberjack – WWE Champion C.M. Punk VS. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus
Lock up and waistlock by both, with Sheamus taking Punk down and C.M. rolling into a grounding headlock. Punk and Sheamus trade throwing each other into the lumberjacks, who just toss them back into the ring respectively. Sheamus reverses a neckbreaker into a shoulder block and drops a big elbow for a two-count! He clotheslines Punk over the ropes, allowing the L.J’s to throw him back in again. Sheamus pounds away on Punk’s chest against the ropes, but C.M. “jawbreaks” him with the rope. “The Second-City Saint” flies with a springboard forearm, but again only for two! Punk now chucks Sheamus into the lumberjacks again, and this time they kick away before putting him back in the ring. 1 – 2 – Sheamus kicks out!
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Back live, Punk has a hammerlock gripped on and wiggles out of a fireman’s carry. He again throws Sheamus to the lumberjacks to stomp away, then he hits a neckbreaker and double-axe handle off the top, twice. The third time, Sheamus counters with a punch to Punk’s stomach, but quickly gets kneed in his own gut. Sheamus begins to regain momentum by fighting out of a headlock, then rolling over Punk with the fireman’s carry. Sheamus pounds away again on the tatooed chest of Punk against the ropes, then brings the “Straight-Edge Superstar” back in the ring with a suplex.
Sheamus rolls through a sunset flip, but gets pushed off after a Texas Cloverleaf submission attempt. Punk runs at him in the corner with a high-knee, and brings him out with a short-arm forearm smash. Punk rolls up Sheamus, grabbing the tights, but still only gets a two! Punk ascends the turnbuckle again and dives off with an elbow drop, but Sheamus rolls out of the way! Sheamus drives down with the Irish Curse backbreaker for a two-count! Punk gets out of another Cloverleaf attempt and sends Sheamus to the outside for another beatdown. He returns into the ring to deliver a White Noise, then sets up for the Brogue Kick, however a couple of the lumberjacks distract him, allowing Big Show to Chokeslam Sheamus down. Punk capitalizes for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: WWE Champion C.M Punk
Post-match, Ryback marches his way to the ring and business is about to pick up! Punk tries to escape but the L.J.’s send him back to get powerslammed by Ryback. He gets picked up again and powerbombed this time! Military press and Ryback throws his opponent into the rest of the lumberjacks. Ryback stands strong, staring at a fallen Punk who is crawling up the aisle with Paul Heyman. Ryback mouths “feed me more” as Raw fades to black!
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a great “go-home” show before the pay-per-view, and really everything worked well. Onto the nitpick analysis.
Excellence: the matches – all but one (Cesaro/Gabriel) involved someone on the H.I.A.C. card, and made sense. None of tonight’s bouts felt like “fillers” and the top-notch were Gabriel/Cesaro (even that could potentially lead to a H.I.A.C. match of sorts), the Tag-Title tourney finals, Ziggler/Bryan, and the main-event. Really proud of the wrestling efforts tonight.
Big Show’s interactions with Sheamus – short, sweet, and powerful. That’s the way he needs to be when talking. That’s how I can believe him as a credible threat to anyone, particularly when the World Heavyweight Championship is involved.
NO 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal)!!! Enough said!!!
The build that Ryback has over Punk. I’ll admit, this works well and nice to see a new face get a dominance over Punk.
Really, the whole show.
Bogus: Only two segments bugged me: the whole A.J./Vickie G.M. Swap and “affair” storyline. Unnecessary in my book and “been there, done that.” Hopefully, this will end quickly, like next week in Charlotte with the naming of a “Nature Boy” for permanent G.M.?
The other was the game-show, that was just dumb, but kudos to having Team Rhode Scholars make it below their level and back out, not only giving credibility to their characters, but also putting an end to that very quickly!
Overall, this episode built Hell In The Cell well. It hyped up the main matches of Hell In The Cell beautifully and really has intrigue going into Sunday and beyond. Now my quick picks for the pay-per-view:
1. Kofi retains his Intercontinental Title over The Miz, and finally brings some excitement back to the once-prestigious championship
2. New tag-team champions in Team Rhodes Scholars, also to mix up the picture a little. Plus, they really do gel awesomely as a team and are actually believable as a long-term partnership.
3. Randy Orton defeats Alberto Del Rio
4. Big Show captures the World Heavyweight Championship – fresh rivalry with Sheamus as a “chaser.” Dolph will wait a little longer for a cash-in opportunity.
5. C.M Punk somehow escapes with his WWE Title, but Ryback also remains undefeated. I don’t know how, but that is what will happen, I strongly think.
Until next week, where I’ll see how many I got right and how the “landscape” of the WWE may have changed, as always Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
SilverVision, the company in charge of producing WWE DVD and Blu-Ray discs for Europe, has released the 90 second trailer for the upcoming nWo: The Revolution video release which will be out in November 6 in the United States.
This will be a documentary style feature with people such as Arn Anderson, Sean Waltman, Kevin Nash, Dusty Rhodes, Booker T, and other personalities who were involved in the nWo era, all interviewed. The nicely-done trailer shows the rise of the nWo but then shifts to the Hogan/Nash “match” that Hogan won after poking Nash which is described as the beginning of the end for the nWo angle.
Las Vegas, Nevada – On Saturday, Dec. 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the Ultimate Fighting Championship closes 2012 with a bang, as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos meets former champion Cain Velasquez in a long-awaited rematch between two of the sport’s hardest-hitting competitors.
Dos Santos (15-1, fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) ended Velasquez’s reign as heavyweight champion last November, knocking out the two-time Division I All-American wrestler in the first round. Now, the 30-year-old Velasquez (9-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) seeks revenge in arguably the biggest rematch in UFC history. Dos Santos was the underdog in online betting last time these two fought.
“Cain is on a mission to get the belt back and avenge the only loss of his career,” UFC President Dana White said. “He wants to prove that he’s still the best heavyweight in the world. But Junior is one of the hardest-hitting fighters ever and he proved that by knocking out Cain and Frank Mir in back to back fights. This is the perfect fight to end 2012!”
In addition to the heavyweight title rematch, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin meets former Division I national champion wrestler Phil Davis in a pivotal 205-pound contest. Griffin, winner of season one of The Ultimate Fighter, defeated Tito Ortiz in a trilogy bout in July. Now he collides with Davis, who is fresh off a brilliant submission victory over Wagner Prado at UFC 153.
UFC 155 also features surging middleweight star Chris Weidman (9-0, fighting out of Mineola, N.Y.) taking on Tim Boetsch (16-4, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.) in a fight that will push the winner toward a 185-pound title shot. Weidman scored a first-round TKO of top contender Mark Munoz, while Boetsch snapped Hector Lombard’s five-year, 20-fight winning streak by defeating the Cuban in July.
If that wasn’t enough, Gray Maynard (12-1-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) faces submission ace Joe Lauzon (22-7, fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass.) in a bout between two of the lightweight division’s top contenders. Maynard defeated Clay Guida in his last fight in June, while Lauzon earned another Fight of the Night award in August with a thrilling win over Jamie Varner.
Additional bouts for UFC 155 will be announced in the days to come at www.ufc.com.
Tickets for UFC 155: DOS SANTOS vs. VELASQUEZ 2, presented by Bud Light, go on sale Friday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125, and $75. Tickets are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are subject to convenience and service fees.
UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Oct. 25 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC 155: DOS SANTOS vs. VELASQUEZ 2 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
WWE issued a press release today announcing the on-sale date and ticket prices for the WrestleMania 29, which will take place on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Tickets go on sale on November 10 with prices ranging from $35 to $850 for regular tickets and limited VIP tickets will be available for $2,000.
The $2,000 tickets will come with the usual commemorative chair, VIP stadium entrance, and a collectible WrestleMania 29 ticket holder.
Tickets can be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees. Starting Monday, November 12th at 11AM ET, tickets will also be available at the MetLife Stadium and IZOD Center box offices.
TNA Wrestling today announced that two episodes of IMPACT Wrestling will be recorded at Manchester Arena on January 25, 2013.
This show will be part of the TNA Road To Lockdown tour in the United Kingdom which will also have live events in Glasgow, Nottingham, and two more TV tapings in London.
It’s the first time that TNA will be filming IMPACT outside London and all IMPACT shows in the month of February will be taped from the United Kingdom.
Along with Gigsandtours.com, TNA also announced that they have waived booking fees on tickets bought throughout the rest of the month for the January tour. All you have to do is go to http://www.gigsandtours.com/go/TNAOffer.
The Associated Press has a story about Linda McMahon’s campaign spending, listing her total for this race to more than $28 million according to the latest finance records obtained on Friday.
The $27 million – in addition to the $50 million she spent in her failed bid in 2010 – brings her total to over $78 million, a staggering amount for any individual running for Senate. McMahon did not accept donations in her first bid and funded the campaign solely from her own pocket.
Linda McMahon, the former WWE Chief Executive Officer, spent around $22 million more than her opponent, Democrat Chris Murphy, in this campaign.
While McMahon’s total of $78 million is a ridiculous amount of money, it pales in comparison to what former eBay CEO Meg Whitman spent in 2010 for her bid to become Governor of California. Whitman spent an astonishing $142 million for her campaign and still lost!
USA Network announced that they will be having three nights of WWE programming the week before Christmas.
On Monday, December 17, USA will air Monday Night RAW in its usual 8PM to 11P time slot, followed by a live Smackdown special the next day, Tuesday, December 18, from 8PM to 10PM. Then on Wednesday, December 19, the yearly Tribute To The Troops show will air for two hours starting at 9PM. All times are Eastern.
Smackdown will also have an encore on SyFy in its usual time slot on Friday.
MMAJunkie is reporting that Matt Riddle and Francisco Rivera both received a 90 day suspension for testing positive for banned substances. The two fought in Calgary back on July 21 at UFC 149. While the Calgary Combative Sports Commission would not comment it is being reported that the suspensions will be retro-active and both would be eligible to fight again now. Welterweight Matt Riddle reportedly tested positive for marijuana and Bantamweight Francisco Rivera tested positive for a banned stimulant.
MMA Fighting reportedly saw a tweet from Rivera addressing the situation and saying his result came through a pre-workout drink named “1MR” that contained an ingredient that was unbeknown to him, banned in Canada. The tweet is no longer on his page but one is there from Dizz at TalkMMA who interviewed him saying that he “…didn’t take any type of anabolic enhancer, it was a pre-work out[sic].”
Riddle took home the submission of the night with his third round arm triangle of Chris Clements and Francisco Rivera defeated Roland Delorme in the first round by knock out.
Zuffa who is the owner of the UFC released the following statement yesterday regarding the situation:
“We’ve been informed by the Calgary Combative Sports Commission that Matt Riddle and Francisco Rivera tested positive for banned substance following their bouts at UFC 149. UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of banned drugs and performance-enhancing stimulants, including the requirement that all incoming athletes be tested and cleared. Therefore, we fully support the drug testing efforts of the Calgary Combative Sports Commission and will fully cooperate with the Commission regarding this matter.”
In an interview this week with the Hartford Courant, WWE Chief Financial Officer George Barrios gave no new news about the planned WWE Network even though Vince McMahon promised during the last conference call that they will have some concrete announcements in the next quarter earnings call, scheduled in two weeks time.
Barrios repeated the options that WWE have – a traditional network, a pay TV channel, or a normal channel.
Apparently the big hold up at the moment is the State of Connecticut. Connecticut is offering the “Next Five” program which offers millions of dollars in state aid for company expansions and WWE has applied for it.
The program requires that companies add 200 jobs and invest at least $25 million in the state – something that WWE already did or in process of doing. Over the past two years, WWE went from 585 employees to over 700 and more are expected to be hired for the Network.
To accommodate the Network, WWE leased additional space in Stamford and expanded their headquarters and Barrios clearly stated that state aid would be a factor in decisions as to where the Network will go.
“We try to look at the right business decisions we want to make. Where do I want to do all this? To what extent can I do it? Would it be based in Stamford? Where things will go ultimately will be decided as we move forward,” he said.
The Miz and Kofi Kingston will meet again at Hell In A Cell later this month in a rematch for the Intercontinental title after Kofi won the title during the Main Event episode this past Wednesday.
The match, announced on Smackdown, is the fifth one on the card at the moment with other matches including CM Punk vs Ryback, Sheamus vs Big Show, Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio; and Daniel Bryan and Kane vs the tag team title tournament winners.
Mike Graham, the son of Championship Wrestling from Florida promoter Eddie Graham, passed away yesterday at the age of 61. He was found dead by his wife with a gunshot wound to his head in an apparent suicide.
Graham worked for WCW for over a decade both as a wrestler and as a road agent and also worked with WWE for the WWE Classics shows, often participating in round table discussions.
In 2008 he was at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and accepted his late father’s induction. Upon learning about his death, WWE issued a statement on its website saying, “WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of Mike Graham, 61, son of legendary promoter Eddie Graham. While never under contract with WWE, he was part of our extended family. The sports-entertainment world lost a beloved member today. WWE extends its sincerest condolences to his family and friends.”
Former WWE and World Heavyweight champion Dave Bautista is on the cover of the latest edition of Muscle & Fitness magazine.
Batista is photographed wearing MMA gloves with the headline “Dave Bautista. The man with the iron fists. From the WWE to MMA!” Bautista is featured in the move The Man With The Iron Fists, hence the headline which is tied to his new MMA career.
The magazine also has an article looking at the best – and worst – bodies in pro wrestling.
This is not the first time that Dave has been on the cover of Muscle & Fitness. He appeared before in the September 2008 issue.
Hulk Hogan’s legal team might have scored an early advantage in their lawsuit against Bubba “The Love Sponge” and his ex-wife Heather Cole as TMZ.COM reported today that they have seen multiple tapes of Heather having sex with multiple men in the same room on the same bed and video taped in the exact same way.
TMZ says that three additional sex tapes featuring the busty Heather have surfaced and they were all done while she was married to the DJ. In one video, she walks up to the camera to check that it is indeed recorded and tells a mystery guy, “Is this thing recording? Okay, not that I don’t trust you but I will get in trouble if it doesn’t.” The man was not identified as Bubba “The Love Sponge.”
When TMZ reached out to both Bubba and Heather, there was no reply. Just for the record, Wrestling-Online.com also reached out to Heather Cole early last week to see if she would like to discuss her side of the story but she has decided not to reply.
Our good friends at Highspots.com sent the below regarding a planned Dynamite Kid documentary.
Recently the Highspots.com video crew traveled to Manchester, England where they spent three days with the world-renowned wrestling legend known as Dynamite Kid.
Their purpose for the trip initially was fairly straight forward – they had traveled to England to conduct the very first video shoot interview of any kind with the reclusive wrestling legend. However after spending that time with Dynamite they knew a normal “shoot interview” would not do justice to this particular individual. “This man is an enigma, he is probably the most interesting and unique individual we’ve ever sat down with,” said Highspots.com video editor Jake Feuerbach. “They say that in wrestling you meet the best people and the worst people and sometimes it’s the same person. Judging by our time with Dynamite Kid, he is definitely that.” When the Highspots crew returned from Manchester a new idea began to take shape: produce a full-fledged documentary on Dynamite Kid’s amazing story using the four hours of interview footage conducted with Dynamite himself as well as conducting new interviews with those who knew him during his career.
Dynamite Kid is one of wrestling’s most polarizing figures of all time. He is simultaneously idolized by some for his amazing athletic matches and detested by others who accuse him of brutal cruelty outside the ring. We want to talk to people who loved him and those who hated him. We want to talk to people in Calgary where Dynamite got his first taste of stardom. We want to talk to people in Japan where he is revered as one of the most revolutionary pro wrestlers of all time. Our goal is to produce the definitive documentary on Dynamite Kid’s life and career. We want to tell the story of the man, the performer and his impact on the world of wrestling. The unfortunate reality is that the pro wrestling fan base of today is a relatively small market for an undertaking this big, but it’s a project we feel is worth attempting because his is a story that deserves to be told.
For this we have turned to Kickstarter.com, a revolutionary funding platform where projects such as this one are brought to life through the direct financial contributions of others. With the continued support of our great fans we can make this unbelievable project a reality. Funding for this ends on November 8th and the finished product, should be acquire all the necessary funding, is slated to be released in the first quarter of 2013. We encourage any of the fans who are interested in the possibility of a full-length Dynamite Kid documentary telling the complete story of this truly unique person and performer to visit our Kickstarter.com page and pledge your financial support for the project. We have many incentives such as autographed photos, action figures and copies of Dynamite’s autobiography “Pure Dynamite.” This is a project that we desperately want to bring to life and to do that we need YOUR support! Please visit our Kickstarter.com page to learn more and get involved in the production of what will be a comprehensive look at the amazing story of a revolutionary pro wrestling legend.
