Gawker.com released a one minute video from the Hulk Hogan sex tape after it obtained the tape from an anonymous source, who according to TMZ, gave the footage to the site for free.
The full sex tape is 30 minutes long and Gawker calls it a “goddamn masterpiece.” Apparently, Hogan and the mystery woman were initially joined by another man, believed to be Bubba “The Love Sponge” and his voice is heard but he never makes it on camera.
“You guys do your thing,” the anonymous man says. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
The site has a full rundown of the steamy sex that happens afterward.
TMZ.COM meanwhile is now reporting that Hogan’s lawyers are writing up a cease-and-desist letter for the website to take down the clip and if Gawker doesn’t take it down, he’s going to run wild all over them.
According to the Hulkster, Gawker has no right to post the footage, or anything related to it.
You can see the one minute clip and read the full play-by-play of the tape here.
Linda Bollea, the ex-wife of current TNA Superstar and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was arrested in Malibu, California, after she was busted with a DUI.
According to TMZ.COM, Linda was booked at around 1:30AM yesterday morning after cops found her blood alcohol level topping .084, just above the California legal limit of .08.
Linda was originally stopped for speeding after she was on her way home from a jewelry event in Los Angeles. A rep for Linda said she drank a glass of champagne on an empty stomach and the combination of alcohol and antibiotics increased the effects.
She was released from jail a few hours later after posting a $5,000 bail.
Impact begins this week with Sting and Hogan in the TNA office discussing who they will pick to be Sting’s partner for the big match with Aces and Eights at Bound for Glory in 10 days.
Hogan and Sting agree it needs to be someone with a killer instinct. In the Impact Zone, Mr. Anderson is the first man to make his way to the ring. Anderson tells Hogan and Sting to pay close attention to their monitors, because he wants to prove he is the man they should pick.
Match #1: Mr. Anderson versus Gunner with Kid Kash.
Gunner starts the match of with some punches and then drags Anderson’s eyes across the top rope. Anderson knocks Gunner down with a pair of clotheslines and follows up with a neckbreaker. Gunner fights back with a kick, a couple punches, and an elbow. Anderson takes Gunner down with a hip toss and then dropkicks him to the floor.
Anderson pursues Gunner but is distracted by Kid Kash. Gunner rolls Anderson back in, hits him with an elbow, and gets a 2 count. Gunner ties up the arm and chin of Anderson but Anderson punches his way out. Gunner hits Anderson but Anderson hoists Gunner up on his shoulders to try a rolling fireman’s carry slam.
Kid Kash saves Gunner from the fireman’s carry slam, but Anderson is still able to hit Gunner with the mic check for the win. After the match, Anderson hits Kash with the mic check, knocking him out as well.
After the match is an annoying segment with Tara and Gail Kim. Tara is talking to her huge Hollywood boyfriend, and Gail wants her to concentrate on the match they have coming up.
Commercial
Match #: Tara and Gail Kim versus Miss Tessmacher and ODB.
ODB and Gail Kim start things off. ODB uses her larger frame and boobs to knock Gail down twice. She really does seem to be using her ample bosom as a weapon, and it appears to be working. I’m not surprised, fake boobs can be very hard. They may constitute a foreign object…or two.
Gail fights back with a kick but is knocked down again with a shoulder/boob block followed by a body slam. ODB tags in Miss Tessmacher and Tessmacher knocks Gail down with a dropkick. Tessmacher grinds her ass into Gail’s face. Apparently Tessmacher’s ass is just as dangerous as ODB’s tits. They could call themselves team TNA!
Tessmacher tags in ODB. ODB goes for a bronco buster (which would mean her vagina is now a weapon, I’m sensing a pattern in women’s wrestling) but misses. Gail tags in Tara, but Tara is knocked down by ODB, who follows up with a bronco buster. Boobs, ass, and vagina have all successfully been used as weapons in this match. Tara goes for a dropkick but misses.
Gail distracts ODB and Tara knocks her down. Tara tags in Gail and Gail grinds her foot into ODB’s face in the corner. Gail follows up with a diving shoulder block in the corner. Gail lands a kick and a shoulder block to ODB.
Tara tags herself in and beats ODB down. Tara goes for a standing moonsault, but ODB gets her knees up in time to block it. ODB tags in Tessmacher and Tessmacher lands a punch, a pair of clotheslines, and a headscissors takedown. Tessmacher climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits Tara with a face plant.
Tessmacher goes for a cover but Gail comes in to make the save. ODB comes in after Gail and the match starts to break down. Tara rams her own partner, Gail Kim, into Tessmacher and then hits her with the widows peek for the win.
Commercial
When we return, TNA executive Al Snow is making his way to the ring. Al recently got into an altercation with Gut Check loser Joey Ryan that ended with Al hitting Ryan. As a TNA executive, Al is here to apologize.
Al calls Joey Ryan to the ring and apologizes. That’s not good enough for Joey, and Joey insists Al say that he personally is sorry, which Al does. Joey also wants Al to tell everyone what else they recently agreed to. Al produces a TNA contract for Joey Ryan.
Joey is pleased and orders Al to turn around so he can sign it on his back. Al says Joey may want to read it first, but he just signs it anyway. Apparently Joey never saw the South Park episode when Kyle was turned into a human cent-i-pad because he failed to read before agreeing to something. It turns out that Joey’s contract is only for one day, Bound for Glory, and he’s going to face Al Snow. It could have been much worse.
In the back, Sting is being approached by Kurt Angle. Angle already has a tag title match at Bound for Glory, but he wants to join Sting’s fight against Aces and Eights even if it does mean he has to pull double duty.
Sting says he wants someone focused exclusively on Aces and Eights, but because he’s Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, he’ll consider it. Bully Ray also wants to fight Aces and Eights, claiming that they cost him the world title. Sting says if he wants to be considered, he’ll have to prove tonight that he really is the bully he says he is.
Commercial
Match #3: RVD versus Samoa Joe for the TV title.
The two men lock up and Joe pushes RVD back. Joe takes RVD down, but Van Dam escapes and rolls Joe up. Joe fights his way out and the 2 men exchange punches. Joe lands a pair of clotheslines and then whips RVD to the corner. Joe hits Van Dam with a running back elbow and then a kick to the head.
RVD lands a punch and then tries to take Joe down, but Joe blocks the takedown attempt and catches RVD in an STF. RVD makes it to the ropes and then rolls out to the floor. Joe pursues RVD and gets hit with a kick from RVD. Joe responds with a punch, a couple knee strikes, and then whips RVD into the steel post. Joe rolls RVD back into the ring and the two men exchange punches back in the ring.
RVD lands an elbow and couple big kicks before hitting Joe with Rolling Thunder. RVD goes for a cover but Joe kicks out. RVD lands a kick and tries a monkey flip but Joe blocks it. RVD hits Joe with a crossbody and then climbs to the top. Joe cuts RVD off and hits him with the muscle buster for the win.
In the back, AJ Styles is arguing with Chavo Guerrero and Chavo’s partner, Hernandez. AJ and Kurt Angle will be teaming up to take on Guerrero and Hernandez and the tag champs, Kaz and Daniels at BFG. The three men are interrupted by the champs, Kaz and Daniels. Kaz and Daniels try to stir things up by claiming AJ and Angle are not on the same page.
Commercial
When we return, Austin Aries is talking to Jeff Hardy. Austin says he has no problem with Hardy and that things are cool between them. He doesn’t really seem to mean it though. They are interrupted by Bully Ray. Bully says he has to prove himself to Sting and Hogan tonight, and he intends to do that by beating one of them up.
Bully decides he wants to fight Hardy, because hardy is the #1 contender. Aries is insulted because he’s the champ; it’s got to be more impressive to beat the champ than it is to beat a contender for his title. Hardy offers to make it a triple threat. Aries is pissed off that Hardy is trying to book his matches. He is the champ after all. Pretty soon he is going to start demanding respect and beating up the people that don’t give it to him.
Match #4: Chavo Guerrero with Hernandez versus Kurt Angle with AJ.
Angle gets behind Chavo quickly, but Chavo reverses it. Chavo applies the first of what will be a lot of headlocks. After an Irish whip, Chavo hits Kurt with a shoulder block and then re applies the headlock. Angle hits Chavo with a suplex, but Chavo maintains the headlock. Angle escapes, lands a kick, and then stomps on Chavo.
Chavo fights back with punches and European uppercuts. Chavo then re applies the headlock; Angle escapes and backdrops Chavo. Angle and Chavo exchange punches and kicks. Angle clotheslines Chavo and goes for a cover, but Chavo kicks out. Angle takes Chavo down again with a rear gut wrench and goes for another cover, but Chavo kicks out again.
Chavo and Angle exchange strikes, and then Chavo takes Angle down with a hurricanrana. Angle fights back with a kick, but Chavo knocks him down with a dropkick. Angle hits Chavo with an overhead release belly to back suplex, Chavo responds with a hurricanrana. Chavo tries to hit Kurt with the 3 amigos, but Kurt blocks the second one. Kurt hits Chavo with 3 straight German Suplexes and applies the ankle lock. Chavo rolls out of the ankle lock and hits Angle with the three Amigos.
Chavo goes to the top rope and tries a frog splash but Angle rolls out of the way. Angle hits Chavo with an Angle slam but gets distracted by Hernandez before he can go for a pin. Chavo rolls Angle up and just barely gets a 3 count. Chavo wins.
Commercial
Match #5: Doug Williams versus Zema Ion for the X division title.
Williams slaps Zema to start the match and Zema responds with a kick. Williams lands a lot of European uppercuts and a running knee. Williams takes Zema out of the ring with a clothesline. Williams goes after Zema and punches him repeatedly. Zema whips Williams into the steel post and then rolls him back into the ring.
Zema applies a modified armbar and Williams taps out. Zema continues to apply the pressure too long after the bell however, and the ref reverses the decision. Doug Williams is declared winner by DQ but Zema retains the title.
Zema says he knows Sting and Hogan want him to help them with Aces and Eights, but he doesn’t want to risk his pretty face. Zema also tells us he’s not just f’in pretty, he’s pretty f’in dangerous. I’ve never been a fan of the phrase “f’n.” It’s self-censorship, which sounds weak to me. It’s better to just swear and get bleeped.
Commercial
When we return, James Storm makes his way to the ring to talk about his match with Bobby Roode at Bound for Glory. Storm says that since no referee can contain the hatred that they have for each other, TNA had to get MMA star King Mo Lawal as special enforcer.
Before long, Bobby Roode comes out to interrupt Storm. Roode says he’s not going to stop until he stands over Storm’s bloody carcass and ends his career. Roode also tells us that no one will be able to stop him, and he say the same thing to King Mo’s face if he was here. King Mo comes out and Roode shoves him. Mo shoves Roode back and knocks him over. Mo walks to the ring and has his hand raised by Storm. Storm and Mo share some beers.
Commercial
When we return, we see Aces and Eights torturing Joe Park on the big screen. They just want to prove he’s still OK, and to show us how much fun it is to abduct people and shock them with jumper cables.
Match #5: Bully Ray versus Jeff Hardy versus Austin Aries. Immediately after the ring entrances, we go to Commercial.
When we return the match is underway and Bully Ray is punching Jeff Hardy. Bully goes for a suplex, but Hardy reverses it and suplexes Ray to the floor. Aries rolls back into the ring and Ray pulls Hardy out to the floor. Ray slams Hardy into the steel post and then climbs back into the ring. Aries beats Ray down as he re enters the ring. Ray hits Aries with a back elbow and Aries responds with kick and a high crossbody.
Hardy gets back into the ring and hits Ray with whisper in the wind and then follows up with an atomic drop. Hardy hits Rays mid section with a double leg drop. Hardy hits Ray with a kick and then twist of fate. Hardy climbs to the top and tries for a Swanton, but Aries knocks him off the top. Aries goes after Bully ray and applies the Last Chancery. Hardy comes in and makes the save. Ray gets up and knocks Hardy and Aries down with a double clothesline.
Ray throws Hardy to the floor and then backdrops Aries onto him. Ray grabs Aries and tries to pull him back in the ring, but Aries grabs Ray’s head and snaps his neck down across the top rope. Aries hits Ray with a missile dropkick and follows up with a running dropkick in the corner. Aries tries to get Ray up in the brain buster but Ray blocks it.
Ray goes out to the floor looking for his chain but grabs the world title instead. Ray looks like he’s about to hit Aries with the belt, but Hardy attacks at the same time and Ray whips Hardy into Aries. Aries slumps to the canvas and Ray hits Hardy with the Bully Bomb for the win. Ray just beat the champ and the #1 contender.
After the match, Aries is yelling at Hardy and blaming him for the loss. Aries poses for the crowd and they boo. Hardy poses for the crowd and they cheer. Aries is mad.
Commercial
When we return, it’s time for Sting and Hogan to announce who they have decided to team up with Sting to fight Aces and Eights at Bound for Glory. Hogan tells us that after the two mic checks Mr. Anderson delivered to start the show, he earned the right to fight with Sting.
Anderson’s music plays, but he doesn’t come out. The big screen shows Anderson getting beaten up by Aces and Eights. Bully Ray comes out to the ring and starts screaming at Hogan and Sting. He asks how they could pick Anderson over him, don’t they know who he is?
He points to Anderson’s unconscious body on the monitor and asks “is THAT the guy you want fighting for you?” Ray then tells Sting he needs to convince Hogan to let Ray team up with Sting to fight Aces and Eights.
Eventually, Hogan and Sting agree: Bully Ray will team up with Sting to fight two men from Aces and Eights at BFG.
Personally, I think Bully Ray is associated with Aces and Eights. I know he claims they cost him the title, but I don’t think they’ve ever actually laid a hand on him. Also, he came out to the ring immediately after Aces and Eights beat down Ken Anderson, almost as though he knew in advance it was going to happen. Anderson’s beat down benefited Ray; know Ray has the match at Bound for Glory that he wanted. I predict ray screws Sting at BFG.
Sting, Hogan, and Bully Ray all shake hands as Impact goes off the air.
As UFC 153 approaches next weekend, the media had an opportunity today to ask questions to the combatants in both the main event and co-main event.
UFC 153 has been overhauled due to injuries since it was first reported and it took Anderson Silva agreeing to fight Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight match up to keep the event alive. These two took the fight on less than a month notice and therefore it will be a three round affair.
The co-main event will feature a pair of heavies as Dave Herman faces off against the Brazil native Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.
Herman was lost from the call early and answered only one question about how he felt to be facing Big Nog in Brazil. Dave Herman is excited for the opportunity. Nogueira on the other hand answered numerous questions for the media.
Big Nog, if you remember, last fought in the octagon against Frank Mir back at UFC 140. Nogueira had the chance for a TKO or KO victory when he went for the submission instead and Mir ended up snapping the bone in his upper arm with a kimura.
Nogueira feels fully healed and is glad to be fighting in his native Brazil. He has a great team that has got him ready for this fight. Minotauro admits that he should have finished Mir with strikes and if the opportunity is there against Herman he won’t let it pass by again.
Herman has stated before that Brazilian jiu-jitsu doesn’t work and when Big Nog was asked about those comments he referred to his record of 33 wins with 20 of them coming by submission.
Nogueira was questioned about whether or not he had another title run in him and he feels he does if it is someone other than Dos Santos as champion. Dos Santos is a training partner of his and a good friend and he regards him as a brother so he would not be interested in that match up.
As stated Silva and Bonnar agreed to this fight on short notice even though Silva is the Middleweight champion he still feels a responsibility to the UFC family in helping them to succeed and that means taking a fight on short notice he will.
Silva is also a family man and sees this as a chance to teach his children about ethics. This will be the Spider’s third fight now at 205 but has no plans on making a permanent move up in weight.
He stated that he has teammates more than capable of facing off against Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones and that he is now 37 and still has fighters to face in the middleweight ranks.
While this may not be Silva’s biggest fight in his career he knows how the fight game works and anyone can be knocked out or submitted at any time. He is honored to be fighting Bonnar who has proven himself in the UFC and helped to bring the UFC to the forefront with his fight in the finale of the first TUF season with Forrest Griffin.
Silva’s opponent Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar hasn’t fought since last November when he defeated Kyle Kingsbury by decision.
Bonnar had been in a semi-retirement phase after that fight because he was just enjoying fighting and not worried about going after the title which is in contrary to Dana White’s philosophy that everyone should be hungry for the title.
After months of not being in the gym Bonnar was asked to help get Dave Bautista ready for his upcoming fight. This triggered Stephan to get into the gym before helping out Bautista and two weeks in the UFC called with this fight.
Bonnar feels he his in good enough shape to fight a three round fight with Silva now and that a win could get him the marquee names out there for his next fight. Bonnar didn’t want to get too much into his game plan for the fight but admitted that he is not going to be able to out finesse the middleweight champ and will probably need to make it ugly and take a punch to land one.
Bonnar also stated that a win over Silva will be the highlight of his career regardless if a belt is on the line or not. Also to note, Bonnar has won his last three fights against Kingsbury, Igor Pokrajac, and Krzysztof Soszynski.
Feel free to check out the video preview of the event and follow @wonlinemma on twitter for more MMA coverage.
The Portage Theater in Chicago, Illinois, will have the premiere of CM Punk’s documentary titled Best In The World tonight at 7PM, a documentary which will also be released on Blu-Ray and DVD later this month.
The current WWE champion is being joined by his buddies Colt Cabana and Ace Steel at the showing. A Q&A session with all three will follow right after the documentary ends.
This release is one of the most anticipated for some time and WWE is banking on it to sell a lot of copies considering the popularity of Punk at the moment.
In a recent interview to promote Bound For Glory, TNA Superstar Jeff Hardy spoke with the Phoenix New Times about the possibility of returning to the WWE and fighting with his personal demons.
Speaking about his problems with addictions, Hardy said that there will also be people who will doubt him and waiting for him to crash and burn again but his mind and heart are “stronger than they’ve ever been” and he really doesn’t care what other people think about him.
He discussed how music helped him go through the dark times and coming back to the ring and proving himself to everyone was part of the recovery of getting himself in better shape.
When he was asked about possibly going to WWE when his TNA contract is up, Hardy gave the never say never answer.
“Man, I really can’t answer that. I’m happy where I’m at right now with TNA. But you never say never in this business, so it depends on where I’ll be at in a few months.”
Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization returns to Minneapolis this Friday for an all-action card at the Target Center, which will be broadcast on FX at 8pm ET/PT, immediately before an all-new episode of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays airs.
Following on from last Saturday’s heavyweight thriller, which saw Stefan Struve knock out Stipe Miocic, two other top heavyweight contenders collide as undefeated Travis Browne takes on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
The 6ft 7inch, 250lbs-plus Browne has showed rapid improvements to both his striking and submission games, knocking out Struve and tapping Chad Griggs in two of his last three fights.
Meanwhile, “Bigfoot” has the opportunity to reassert himself at the top of the division with a victory and, able to match size with Browne, will be looking to unleash the devastating ground and pound which famously accounted for his win over Fedor Emelianenko.
In the co-main event, top welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger has a chance to avenge his first professional defeat when he takes on the returning Jay Hieron. Ellenberger – a winner of 10 of his last 12 fights – has thunderous power in his fists and has stopped the likes of Mike Pyle and Jake Shields. Hieron, though, is more motivated than ever in his first UFC fight in seven years and is in the form of his life, having only dropped one controversial split decision since 2007.
Also on the four-fight FX card, elite flyweights John Dodson and Jussier Formiga clash in a fight to determine the No.1 contender for newly-minted UFC 125lbs champion Demetrious Johnson. Dodson believes he is the one man in the division who can match speed with the reigning champ, but first must contend with the other-worldly submission skills of the best flyweight in Brazil, the 27-year-old Formiga.
Travis Browne said: “I’m happy to be back. I haven’t fought since April and missed out on a huge opportunity when my opponent dropped out of UFC on FOX. But fighting Bigfoot on FX – in the main event – is a great opportunity for me, too. The heavyweight division is more stacked than ever, it is so hard to get into the top five right now, and everyone is looking so impressive, so you have to be consistently impressive.
“I’ve had some good wins, and I’ve had wins where I wish I could have shown more. The key now is to fight at the best of my ability for every fight. I’ve got a huge chance against a big name in Bigfoot, he’s beaten some top guys, and I’ve got to go out there and show the best of myself. I’m always looking to finish, but if it goes five rounds I am ready.
“If I do that, I know I can impress and move up the rankings. I feel I am better than ever and it is my time to shine.”
“Bigfoot” Silva said: “This is a very important fight for me, and I won’t let it go past the second round. It is a five round fight but, five rounds or three rounds, I don’t like decisions on my record. I will do my best to finish Travis Browne inside two rounds. He’s the second or third person I’ve fought who is bigger than me, but it does not matter, it is no problem. I know I can take him down to the ground and ground and pound him – for sure that is where I am very dangerous. But I have been training very, very hard on my standup. He is a very tough guy, undefeated, but I am so, so confident I will beat him inside two rounds.”
Jake Ellenberger said: “I’m a completely different fighter from the one he beat all that time ago. He’s a different fighter, too, so the first fight has nothing to do with Friday. I’m going to be happy to avenge that defeat, for sure, but it isn’t like I’ve been thinking about it since the fight. I feel I can win this fight and get back to the top of the division and challenge for the title. That’s the reason I am here.
“I know I can compete with the best but I will never look past any opponent. That is where you lose consistency and have disappointing fights. I’ve learned to be more patient when I hurt someone, and I feel I’ve tightened up a lot of things since my last fight. I realize now I’ve got 15 minutes to finish fights and I think you’ll see this new maturity in my fight this Friday.”
Jay Hieron said: “I’ve never had anything handed to me, and I’m glad it went this way. It is a shame UFC 151 got cancelled, as it would have been cool to fight in my hometown of Vegas, but I am just glad I’m going to fight in the UFC. I always believed I belonged in the UFC, that I was as good as the guys in the UFC.
“It is tough, living in Vegas, living in the UFC’s home town, and seeing all these big cards all the time. I have cornered on big UFC shows and wondered when I would be back in the Octagon myself. I had people ask me if I was an amateur fighter, because why wasn’t I in the UFC? I’ve had great runs, beaten top guys, but it just wasn’t my time. Either I was signed or I was injured, it just never worked out for me to come back to the UFC, but I never got deterred.
“I couldn’t ask for a better comeback fight than Ellenberger. I beat him before, and I will beat him again. I fought him back in 2006 and he was a hot prospect, he didn’t know he could lose and I beat him on points. I know he’s super-tough, and a much different fighter with a ton of experience, but I know I can beat him again. I know him very, very well.
“I beat him in our fight and then I cornered Mike Pyle and Martin Kampmann against him. Jake’s last loss was to Martin and we spent a lot of time breaking down Jake’s style so Martin could take advantage of his weaknesses. I feel I know what Jake brings to the Octagon as well as anyone. I taught him how to lose.”
John Dodson said: “This is a huge fight for me, and a big one for the division, a No1 contender’s match. Right now, everyone is trying to figure out who is who in the 125lbs class. Who fits where and who belongs at the top. Formiga is the best fighter in Brazil, he’s got phenomenal BJJ and his striking has improved a lot too. I will prove why I deserve the title shot. I think he will try to strike, because he cannot take me down. Not him, not anyone. Many have tried, all have failed.
“I want the fight against DJ. We are the two fastest fighters in the UFC and I want to match my speed against his. Some people say he’s the fastest, some people say I am. We got to fight to see who is the fastest. I really want to match what I got against what he’s got. But I have to make a statement Friday night against Formiga. I will knock him out. If I stop him – or can you imagine if I tap him out – I’m doing a triple summersault – a 360 – off the cage.”
Jussier Formiga said: “I’ve been waiting for this chance to fight in the UFC for years and, finally, there is a flyweight division so I can showcase my skills. I know Dodson is a powerful striker and is very fast, but I am a BJJ and judo black belt and am looking forward to the fight. I’ve been working very hard on my punches and have a good uppercut, and I am looking forward to showing this in the fight. I am looking forward to the whole UFC experience. I can’t wait to show the UFC fans what I can do.”
The four-fight UFC on FX card will be broadcast live on FX this Friday at 8pm ET/PT, with preliminary fights airing live on FUEL from 5pm ET/2pm PT.
Then, also on FX, at 10pm ET/PT The Ultimate Fighter continues with “Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson – Can’t Fix Stupid”. In this episode, UFC President Dana White treats the fighters to a special outing away from the house. After coach Roy Nelson uses a bizarre method to pick the next matchup, one fighter’s weight problem puts his future in jeopardy. Then, two more welterweights face off in the Octagon.
Ticketmaster has kicked off the pre-sale for the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view with tickets going on sale to the general public on Saturday.
The pre-sale code needed to purchase tickets now is WWETLC and then no password will be needed starting on Saturday, October 6, at 10AM ET.
Ticket prices are $31, $41, $56, $81, $156, and $406, plus additional taxes and fees. For the ringside seat expect to pay an extra $41.65 in total fees on top of the $406.
The show will be held at the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on December 16.
WWE.COM won MediaPost’s OMMA Award for Website Excellence in the Entertainment: TV (non-news) category.
The awards, which recognize the best in online media, marketing and advertising, were presented Monday night, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City’s Times Square.
The new design for WWE.COM was done by SapientNitro and it was launched earlier this year. You can see the full list of winners here.
Former five time WCW champion and current Smackdown General Manager Booker T joined Wrestling News Live yesterday for an interview with hosts JJ and Tony Mirabella.
Booker talked about his recent autobiography titled ‘From Prison to Promise. Life Before The Squared Circle’ as well as many topics in this 30 minute interview including whether he will be returning to the ring, The King Booker run in the WWE, working with John Cena and Randy Orton early in their WWE careers, and the possibility of a Harlem Heat reunion.
Booker gives his thoughts on if Sting will work for the WWE and Sting referencing Booker’s character in the WWE as why he never signed with the company. Booker puts over the WWE’s younger talents and his role in the company to help them achieve success.
He also talked about the Reality of Wrestling promotion in Houston, and enjoying his role as the GM of Smackdown.
The interview starts at about 1 hour and 5 minutes into the show and is a must listen as Booker is very honest and candid of these topics.
You can purchase the book from Amazon.com for just $12.18. You can listen to the show by clicking the WNL AUDIO SHOW tab at the top and play the October 2 broadcast.
WWE will debut on ION Television tonight with the first WWE Main Event show airing at 8PM ET.
The two matches that were taped for the premiere are Sheamus vs CM Punk and Santino Marella and Zack Ryder vs Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel in the WWE Tag Team title tournament.
Michael Cole and former WWE champion and current Intercontinental champion The Miz did the ringside commentary for the broadcast.
For the second week in a row, none of the three hours from RAW broke the 4 million viewer mark and this week it was even worse than last week.
For the October 1 broadcast, RAW did a 2.5 rating with an average viewership of 3,502,000 over the three hours. Hour one did 3,436,000 viewers, hour two did 3,598,000 and hour three did 3,472,000.
That is the lowest RAW number for a non-holiday in 15 years. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
Stone Cold Steve Austin looks like he is going to reignite the Twitter “war” with CM Punk after leaving some comments following yesterday’s RAW.
During the show, Punk interrupted the Jim Ross Appreciation Night segment, and made fun of Ross and tried to force him to say that he’s the best in the world while also knocking Ross for his friendship with Stone Cold.
Austin is currently in Mexico filming the second season of CMT’s Redneck Island and he posted a message on Twitter following the show saying, “I was in a bar in Mexico watching the football game. Word on the street was some low end piece of trash was talking smack on #WWE RAW. #SCSA”
The “low end piece of trash” is obviously a remark towards the WWE champion CM Punk who did talk smack about the Hall of Famer during the show. The two had some sort of a battle earlier this year on the social network website and Punk often said that he’d love to wrestle Steve Austin.
Five months after he was announced as joining TNA Wrestling as part of a deal with MMA company Bellator, King Mo is set to make his TNA debut this Thursday live on IMPACT.
A big wrestling fan, Mo is currently serving a nine month suspension for testing positive after winning an MMA fight during a Strikeforce show back in January. He is set to join Bellator in 2013 and will be juggling both wrestling and MMA for the two companies which both air on Spike TV.
It has been announced already that King Mo will be the special enforcer for the James Storm vs Bobby Roode match at Bound For Glory and the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion underwent wrestling training since he had no prior experience since he was announced to be joining TNA.
Las Vegas, Nevada – A heated rivalry between two of the sport’s hardest-hitting heavyweights will be settled on Saturday, Dec. 15 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its long awaited return to The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin will meet The Ultimate Fighter season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson in the night’s five-round main event. The two serve as opposing coaches on this season’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter (Fridays, FX, 10 p.m. ET/PT) and will finally have the chance to trade leather this December.
Plus, this season’s The Ultimate Fighter winner will be crowned when the Octagon makes its way back to The Joint.
“Roy Nelson has gotten under Shane Carwin’s skin all season and Shane’s ready to try to knock him out,” UFC president Dana White said. “I don’t expect this one to go the distance. Roy and Shane were civil to each other on ‘TUF,’ but they can’t stand each other and after having to spend six weeks together, Shane said he can’t wait to knock Roy out. These two are both known for having heavy hands. Chances are someone is getting knocked out. Best part is the coaches will fight on the TUF Finale Live on FX from Hard Rock Hotel here in Vegas.”
Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Finale go on sale Friday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.
UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Oct. 10 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. 11, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
The main card will also air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Former WWE and TNA Superstar Shawn Daivari – who also wrestled under the name of Sheik Abdul Bashir – is making the headlines for all the right reasons.
TMZ.COM is carrying a story saying Daivari took down a passenger on a train last Thursday in Minneapolis after he threatened to kill them all.
The former TNA X Division champ used a rear naked chokehold to save the day after multiple passengers pressed the emergency button for help, but nothing happened!
According to eyewitnesses, the passenger became uncontrollable and started abusing other passengers with racial slurs before threatening to kill them.
“I wasn’t going to wait any longer to see if a cop showed up,” Daivari told TMZ. Daivari held down the passenger in the chokehold until the next stop where he threw him out of the train.
Another eyewitness told TMZ that Daivari choked the passenger so hard that he went from threatening to kill them all to peeing his pants.
Batista’s first professional MMA opponent for this week’s show had to be changed as the original opponent – Rashid Evans (no relation to UFC’s Rashad Evans – had to be pulled out due to an unforeseen incident.
Replacing Evans will be Vince Lucero, stepping up in a week’s notice to fight the former WWE and World Heavyweight champion in his first pro MMA fight.
The fight will take place on a card which is being held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The show is titled “Real Pain,” and is presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports in association with June Entertainment and 4zero1 Entertainment Group.
It will be available on pay-per-view on DirecTV and will be streamed live on www.bautistamma.com using the Vividas service.
The Jim Ross Appreciation Night continued after RAW went off the air yesterday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“Jim Ross is an American icon and my friend,” said Vince McMahon as he stood in the middle of the ring praising the WWE Hall of Famer.
Triple H – rocking his new hair-do – led the celebrations, introducing a video from Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bob Stoops and also another video from Lawler’s long-time broadcast partner Jerry “The King” Lawler.
Bill Watts and Danny Hodge also appeared live, congratulating Ross and then JR was presented with an award from the WWE.
“Felt as big as 2007 #WWE HOF. A moment I’ll never forget. So grateful 2 you all,” Ross tweeted after the show was over.
WWE.COM has exclusive videos of all these located here.
After last week’s intriguing conclusion to Raw, with Ryback staring down WWE Champion C.M. Punk, what will go down in Jim Ross’ hometown/state?
Will John Cena be able to face “The Straight-Edge Superstar” for the WWE Title at Hell In A Cell? Or is Ryback going to step in? How about Mick Foley, after their confrontation last week? (That was well-done, and I’d like to see that even more!)
Who will advance in the Tag-Team Title Tournament? (I’m placing my bet right now that The Rhode Scholars will win it all).
Is there going to be anymore referee controversy, or much like the N.F.L., has General Manager A.J. been able to settle it?
And of course, what new matches will be added to October’s annual Pay-Per-View?
Plus, it is Jim Ross Appreciation Night!
Read on to find out!
Monday Night Raw Report for October 1st, 2012 – “Prove It!”
Introduction Segment: Recap And Welcoming
A montage plays, replaying last week’s events with WWE Champion C.M. Punk, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, John Cena, and Ryback. The regular Raw opening video starts up and the pyro blows in the arena of Oklahoma City.
Segment #1: Arena Promo
“Cult Of Personality” begins over the speakers to kick off the show. WWE Champion C.M. Punk walks out, with his associate Paul Heyman in tow, who is holding the WWE Championship high and proud. Punk calls John Cena a “coward” for attacking him with a lead pipe behind his back. Punk then takes a shot at Mick Foley, saying that his “look” last week was disrespectful, which is why C.M. kicked him down. Punk asks Heyman and the crowd if Foley would’ve shown the same “disrespect” to John Cena or Dwayne or Steve Austin. The answer is no, but the WWE Champion does give credit for Mick making him think about stepping into the Hell In The Cell with John Cena. “The Second City Saint” announces his decision: “at Hell In The Cell, C.M Punk, John Cena, is still not going to happen.”
Punk whispers something in Paul’s ears, and Heyman replies, happy to handle “it.” Paul E says that he and Punk want to move on to a more “relevant piece of business.” A clip of Heyman “proposing” to General Manager A.J. last week is shown. Heyman happily points out that “A.J. Lee never said no. However, unfortunately it is my duty to inform you that what A.J. Lee did do is violate an edict from the Board Of Directors of the WWE.”
He pulls out a memo from the Board, which he quotes verbatim: “A.J. Lee’s actions have been inappropriate and sometimes juvenile, and she is not to put her hands on any superstar, manager, or anyone else ever again.” Heyman explains that he and WWE Champion Punk conquer and want herself to be removed from the G.M. position immediately. Heyman then cites that he should be put in place, recapping his experience as a previous General Manager. (Smackdown, era 2003/2004.)
Another want-to-be G.M. (and former) interrupts. Vickie Guerrero (with Dolph Ziggler) makes her case as to why she should be replacing A.J. and taking back control of Raw. Heyman disputes a little, but Ziggler suggests that he teams with Guerrero and become the most powerful team to take over.
Before this goes further, the current G.M. skips out as normal. She insults Heyman, then announces she has been placed on probation and that there is a “coach” to help her run Raw. That person is…one half of the Tag-Team Champions Daniel Bryan! He marches out, with “no’s, no’s, no’s.” And no, he’s not it. Instead, Bryan has come out to apologize. He is sorry for A.J.’s mental issues, ever since he dumped her following WrestleMania.
Daniel puts himself over, as a handsome, former World Champion with a great beard. Oh, and he is the “Tag-Team Champions!” His partner may disagree though, as Kane and the other half of team “Hell No” walks out. Kane reminds everyone in the ring that A.J. is a “phenemonal kisser.” Kane also agrees with everything Bryan said, except for who is the Tag-Team Champions.
They get into a verbal argument, until A.J. screams at them to stop it. She enforces her power, as she is still technically the General Manager of Raw. Lee then books a tag-team match for the night, where Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion C.M. Punk will team up to take on the Tag-Team Champions Team “Hell No.” The four yell at each other, while A.J. skips to the back.
Later tonight, a World Championship debate will commence between The Big Show and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus.
Up next, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara will attempt to move on in the Tag-Team Title tournament, against Primo & Epico.
Commercials.
Match #1: Tag-Team (Title Tournament Advancement) – Primo and Epico (with Rosa Mendes) VS. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara
Cara and Epico start out, and trade schoolboy roll-ups for quick one-counts. Cara springboards backwards with an elbow for another one-count, but gets taken over by the cousins. Primo tags in and kicks away in the corner at Sin. A counter into a flying headscissors by Cara, then a springboard twisting armdrag takes down Primo. Mysterio in with a headscissors, then they double-team Epico, sending him to the outside. In the middle of the match, “The Primetime Players” make their presence known, as Titus O’Neil and Darren Young take chairs atop the stage and watch this bout.
Ads.
Back live, Epico misses a splash in the corner, allowing Rey-Rey to slap hands with Cara. He comes in and flies around all over Epico with a springboard crossbody, dropkick, and springboard headlock takedown! Epico manages to counter with a dropkick to Cara’s stomach, then switches with Primo. Colon kicks and drops knees on Cara, but Sin reverses a powerbomb attempt into a rolling sunset flip for a close-call! Epico comes back in and takes control, until he gets a tilt-a-whirl DDT!
Primo and Rey now get respective tags, with Mysterio dominating. He flys off the top with a seated-senton and a tilt-a-whirl headscissors/reverse DDT for another nearfall! Mysterio and Cara set-up both Primo & Epico for a double-619, with Primo being the legal man, he gets a top-rope rocket-man splash by Rey for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners and Advancing via Pinfall: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay (with the “Funkadactyls” Naomi and Cameron) VS. United States Champion Antonio Cesaro (Non-Title)
Prior to the contest, a small side video plays of Ceasaro saying “appreciation” in five different languages – English, German, French, Italian, and Swiss. They lockup but Brodus over powers immediately with a suplex and big elbow drop. Hard headbutt by Clay, but Antonio moves out the way in the corner, springboards himself off the ropes with a flying headbutt, and then drives him down with the Neutralizer (Cradle-Faceplant) for the quick victory!
Winner via Pinfall: United States Champion Antonio Cesaro
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
General Manager A.J. Lee approaches Kaitlyn, and introduces her to the “coach,” Christopher Jay Stevenson. She tells Kaitlyn that she will have a match next week, when she is more healed. Lee then asks her for forgiveness after the way she treated Kaitlyn, but quickly laughs in her face, saying “I’m not really sorry at all,” then skips away.
Ads.
Match #3: Single – “Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder VS. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (Non-Title)
Elbow/collar tie-up begins, with Miz turning it into a wrist and side headlock respectively. Ryder leap frogs, and gets Miz down with a flapjack drop and high dropkick from Ryder. “The Awesome One” regains domination with an elbow counter and stiff kick-to-the-face for a two-count. Miz delivers a hard knee-to-the-back, then clamps on a rear grounding headlock. Ryder counters in the corner now with knees-to-the-face, then a second-rope missile dropkick.
Ryder gears up and connects with the Broski Boot, but only for a near-fall! RoughRyder Leg Lariat attempt, but Miz counters, throwing him off with a powerbomb in the corner. Miz measures from behind and plants Zack with the Skull-Krushing Finale to finish the bout.
Winner via Pinfall: Intercontinental Champion The Miz
Up next is the World Championship Debate, moderated by Smackdown General Manager Booker T.
Commercials.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
Booker T., Smackdown General Manager comes out and introduces the participants in the debate and World Championship match for Hell In The Cell – The Big Show and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus.
Booker offers Big Show to go first. The 7-Footer denounces the point of this, as he sees that at H.I.A.C., he will basically rip Sheamus’ leg off, hit him with the Weapon Of Mass Destruction Knockout Punch, and become the next World Heavyweight Champion – end of story!
Sheamus now offers his rebuttal. He introduces who he is, then politely asks Show not to rip his leg off, as “I’m going to need it to kick his teeth in.”
Booker then provides the first question, courtesy of the WWE Universe. The question is, “what do you find the most challenging aspect of your opponent?” Sheamus responds first, saying that the thing he is looking forward to the most is to fight. Sheamus’ main problem is whether the match will go longer than 45 seconds or not. Show is not pleased at this “jab” as he calls it, then informs Sheamus’ that he is a threat and will take the World Championship from him.
The next question is “who has the more dangerous move – the Brogue Kick or the W.M.D.?” Both obviously say their own finisher is devastating, then Sheamus takes another shot at Show. The Giant inadvertently breaks his podium and calls this a joke. That point is proven when Sheamus airs a tout from his “cousin,” Rey Mysterio O’Sullivan. It is obviously Sheamus in a Mysterio mask, saying nothing important. Even Booker chastises Sheamus for the silliness. (And trust me, this really bad).
Sheamus becomes serious again, asking Show how it feels to lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Daniel Bryan in 45 seconds, then have him lose to Sheamus in 18 seconds. He wants to know how it feels.
Both men get real serious and disrobe (Big Show his jacket and Sheamus his shirt), but Show backs out and walks up the ramp to the back.
Ads.
Match #4: Single – Tensai VS. Ryback
They circle around the ring then lockup, with Ryback running into a shoulder-block, but getting right back up. They slug it out back and forth, then Ryback throws Tensai into the corner. He clutches Tensai on the sides of his head, and catches him off the ropes with a powerslam. Tensai connects with a headbutt, but Ryback fires back with a forceful clothesline, then tries to hoist up Tensai for the marching Samoan Drop, but to no avail. Tensai was too heavy, so instead he delivers another stiff clothesline for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Ryback
Segment #4: Locker Room Promo
Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow discuss their new team name, “Rhode Scholars,” which they love and are happy they picked, not the WWE Universe. They also are not pleased with the previous debate, and take shots at Sheamus’ lack of “professional attire.” They realize this is an opportunity to show how champions dress, when they win the Tag-Team Championships at H.I.A.C.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – Divas Champion Eve Torres VS. Beth Phoenix (Non-Title)
Eve offers to shake Beth’s hand, which Phoenix takes, then pulls her in and sweeps Eve down. Beth picks her up and puts her in the corner, kicking away at her. Eve quickly dives out of a running shoulder block, letting Phoenix throw herself shoulder-first into the steel post. On the outside, Eve pounds away and then chucks Beth into the barricade. Phoenix slides in at 9, then hits Eve with an Inverted Atomic Drop and a sledge blow. 1 – 2 – Eve kicks out. Out of nowhere, Eve kicks Beth in the gut, then drives her down with the Tornado Neckbreaker for the W!
Winner via Pinfall: Divas Champion Eve
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
G.M. A.J. is with her “Coach,” telling Wade Barrett who he is. Barrett berates her for her wacky mind-changing decisions, and for also not being in a match. As he walks off, Stevenson can’t believe what he saw, and A.J. says that he is intimidated.
Ads.
Match #6: Single – Santino Marella VS. Heath Slater (with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre)
Starts out as a “one-upsmanship” comedy (pretty dumb) then turns into an actual contest. Right hand knockdown and a grounding rear chinlock by Slater. Marella reverses into a toss over his shoulder, but Slater hits him with a jumping calf-kick. Scoop slam from Heath, but he gets a boot-to-the-face from Santino. Hip-toss and headbutt by Marella, then he gears up for The Cobra. Nails it, but gets beaten down by Jinder and Drew, causing a dq for Slater.
Winner via Disqualification: Santino Marella
Post-match, Slater orders the assault, with McIntyre dropping Santino with the Future-Shock DDT. They then get on the mike and call-out their catchphrases. (More on below in “Bogus,” but this group doesn’t work/fit for me.)
Commercials.
Match #7: Single – World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus VS. Damien Sandow (with Cody Rhodes) (Non-Title)
Lock up and break into the corner by both. Damien chickens out of a punch by Sheamus, but quickly catches him in a wrist lock and arm submission. Sheamus reverses it into one of his own, but gets slammed with a side headlock takedown. Sheamus comes back with a shoulder knockdown, but misses a clothesline as Sandow rolls out of the ring for a break.
Ads.
Back live, Sheamus sends Damien off the ropes, but Sandow pulls out. He runs away, giving Cody a chance to distract on the outside, then Sandow jumps over the barricade with clothesline. In the ring, Sandow takes control with a knee-to-the-gut and low-clothesline. 1 – 2 – kickout by “Great White!” In the corner, Damien runs his shoulder three times into Sheamus’ stomach then hammers away and clamps on another grounding rear chinlock. Repeated knees now to Sheamus’ sternum and Russian Legsweep, followed by “The Elbow Of Distain” drop, otherwise known as a corkscrew elbow. 1 – 2 – Sheamus kicks out! Damien runs at Sheamus against the ropes and locks on a ground headscissors/leglock. Sheamus rolls out of it with clubbing punches and a big boot, but Sandow cuts him off the top rope and takes control again.
He chucks Sheamus over the top rope, then rolls him in for another near-fall. Sheamus finally reverses another chinlock into a backdrop suplex, and the ref begins the count. Both men back up at six, with Sheamus beginning a comeback. A knee lift and rolling fireman’s carry help Sheamus regain momentum. However, Sandow chokes him off the ropes and twirls him around with a whirl-around neckbreaker. 1 – 2 – kickout by Sheamus! (Great shot of Damien looking frustrated with not getting the pin.)
Sandow chokes Sheamus in the corner but runs into a boot. Sheamus dives off the top rope with a shoulder-block! 1 – 2 – Sandow kicks out! (Sheamus has an expression of exasperation on his face now!) A Brogue Kick attempt is ducked by Damien, but he gets tied up in the ropes and hammered away on the chest by the World Heavyweight Champion!
On the outside, Sheamus instinctively blocks Rhodes and throws him in the ring too! He ends up nailing both at the same time with the Brogue Kick, then covers Sandow for the hard-earned victory!
Winner via Pinfall: World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus
Up next is Jim Ross Appreciation!
Commercials.
Segment #6: Arena Promo
In the ring, Michael Cole welcomes a “man who has been the most respected commentator in the history of WWE. A man, who for three decades, has been the voice of this company. A man, who when he sits at ringside at the announce table and calls a match, makes it seem, just, well a little ‘extra special.’ Ladies and Gentleman, please join me in appreciating the Hall-Of-Famer, ‘Good Ole’ J.R.’ Jim Ross!”
The man himself walks out and salutes his hometown faithful. Cole gives his congratulations and props to the Oklahoma City fans. Before Ross gets to answer Cole’s question, the WWE Champion interrupts, once again followed by Paul Heyman and the WWE Champion.
C.M. Punk takes the microphone and orders Cole to back to ringside. The crowd boos him loudly. Punk says he will fill shoes but gets a “J.R.” chant going. He says that Ross is the best announcer we got and “I respect the hell out of you.” However, C.M. points to the fans and say they “don’t know the first thing about respect.” “The Straight-Edge Superstar” wants to be the example of respect, and makes J.R. tell them that Punk is the “best in the world.”
Ross first thanks Punk for not embarrassing him, but tells the Champion that he has embarrassed himself the last several weeks of T.V. Punk is disappointed, because he came out to put over J.R. positively, but did not expect that response in return from the legendary commentary. C.M. turns the tables and wants to treat Jim with disrespect, mocking J.R.’s calling of “Stone Cold, Stone Cold, Stone Cold.” Punk says that Jim’s friend Steve Austin can’t help him, nor can Jerry Lawler.
The WWE Champion says that 3:16 used to mean a tough guy, but that number now is the days Punk has been WWE Champion. Punk pokes fun at Ross’s “John Wayne hat and your phony Stone Cold goatee.” He commands Ross to say that he is the best in the world, but Ross vehemently denies that demand.
Ross says that he has been “blessed to call some of the greatest WWE matches in history, involving the best in the world. I have called WrestleMania main events with men like Shawn Michaels and Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. I have called WrestleMania main events involving men like Triple H and The Undertaker. And you talk about ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin? Well Austin and all those men have one thing in common: they didn’t ask to be called the best in the world, and if they had, I damn sure would’ve done it. You know why? Because they earned that distinction! They earned that distinction! So here’s the bottom line, as ‘Stone Cold’ would say, and I’m just being dead-honest with ya, with no disrespect. You want to be called ‘the best in the world?’ Then what I suggest that you do, is that you accept John Cena’s challenge. You walk into Hell In The Cell and you kick his ass! And if you do that, if you do that, then I will be the first man in line to look you in the eye and say, ‘C.M. Punk, by God you are the best in the world!’ But until then, we got nothing to talk about!”
(Beautiful!)
Huge “J.R.” chants blare from the crowd, as Punk takes off his sweatshirt and flips off Ross’ cowboy hat, stomping on it. “I don’t runaway from fights, I’ve beaten John Cena time and time again,” declares Punk. The WWE Champion threatens Ross that he should run, as he is standing in the ring with “the most dangerous man in the WWE,” as he will “knock you into next week, and I will hurt you, and I will make sure that you never, ever commentate another Monday Night Raw broadcast ever again. So you think real hard. You get your hands up and you fight me, or you leave.”
Ross begins to go back to the announce booth, but Punk continues to intimidate him, and orders him to walk to the backstage area instead. Jim follows suit, as Punk berates him more. However, a man who equaled Punk last week marches out and engages in another staredown. Ryback faces Punk in the ring and brings J.R. with him.
Loud “feed me more” chants as the two glare at each other for about a minute, then Punk backs down and out with Paul Heyman and the WWE Title.
(Awesome segment/promo!)
Ads.
Match #8: Single – Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) VS. Kofi Kingston (with R-Truth and “Little Jimmy”)
Alberto is aggressive right away with a quick snap suplex, but Kofi leap frogs him a couple times, then jumps on him with an elbow and clotheslines Del Rio over the ropes. Kofi grabs the ropes and springboards himself off the top rope with a high, high crossbody to the outside!
Commercials.
Back live, Del Rio is dominating now with an abdominal stretch. Kofi begins a comeback with more leaping offense and clotheslines. Boom ledgrop by Kingston, as he sets up for the Trouble In Paradise spin-kick, but Del Rio ducks. He also moves from another springboard crossbody and locks in the Rolling Cross Armbreaker for the tap out!
Winner via Submission: Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez)
Segment #7: Office Promo
Christopher Stevenson gives G.M. A.J. some advice on being a good executive and a good leader, by putting aside her personal differences. Lee agrees, and teases him being the referee for tonight’s main event, but then quickly “fires” her “coach.”
Match #9: Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell-No” (Daniel Bryan and Kane) VS. “Mr. Money In The Bank” Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) and WWE Champion C.M. Punk (Paul Heyman) (Non-Titles)
(Note: Ads ensue between the faces and heels’ entrances). Justin Roberts then announces there will be a special guest referee – General Manager A.J. Lee!
Kane and Dolph start this match, with Kane taking Ziggler down with a shoulder block. He scoop slams him then drops a big elbow for a two-count. Kane mocks tagging Bryan, then goes back to work on Dolph. Kane throws Ziggler up in the air and lets him drop with a flapjack. Kane clotheslines Ziggler over the top, but is standing right beside Daniel, who tags himself in!
Commercials.
Kane is still in the ring, with Ziggler wrapped around his head and back in a sleeper/scissors position. Kane regains advantage with punches in the corner, then does tag in Daniel, who gets a near-fall with a dropkick in the corner! Another switch and Kane is back in, but gets driven down with a jumping DDT by Ziggler. WWE Champion C.M. Punk is now in, and hits the running high-knee in the corner, but gets caught in a sidewalk slam by Kane. He soars off the top rope with a clothesline, but Bryan blind-tags, and gets kicked in the gut coming off the top rope.
Punk gains dominance now, choking Daniel in the corner. Daniel ducks a move and hits a running clothesline, followed by continuous kicks-to-the-chest. Punk gets momentum back, tags in Ziggler, who hits his patented high dropkick, sending Bryan to the outside, and harshly chucking him into the crowd-control border. Back in the ring, Ziggler gets a near-fall, then tags Punk back in. Daniel crotches Punk on the post, then flies off with a double-underhook/butterfly suplex. Bryan clamps on the “No-Lock” crossface, but Punk manages to get his foot on the ropes, with a little help from Paul Heyman. A.J. catches this and orders Heyman to leave. The same happens for Vickie when she argued with the special ref/G.M.
Ziggler is livid and follows Guerrero. Bryan dropkicks an alone Punk from behind, then Kane comes in and Chokeslams the WWE Champion for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell-No” (Daniel Bryan and Kane)
As per normal, “Team Hell-No” face-off as to who the “Tag Team Champions” are to close tonight’s show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
Third-time’s a charm, as they say. Another awesome episode, particularly again with many great matches and one magnificent promo!
Excellence: Almost every match on the card tonight (save one, mentioned below). I really loved the Sandow/Sheamus bout, even though I was leery and knew that Damien was going to lose. I was slightly apprehensive because I don’t think he should’ve lost, being a part of the Tag-Team Title tournament. However, they put on a strong, strong, wrestling match (with Damien getting the grunt of the bout to show off), and because Cody tried to help out, it didn’t take away from Sandow’s forward motion as a rising star. Even the Tensai/Ryback match was impressive, and a good showing of two strong-willed powerhouses.
Knew that Mysterio/Cara were going to move on in the tourney, but still had a nice match Epico & Primo (great length, too) and showed what they can do. The only thing that Rey/Sin can’t do anymore is wear nearly-identical attire, as I got confused a couple times as to who was who!
Finally, on the plus, LOVED the ENTIRE segment with Michael Cole/Jim Ross/WWE Champion C.M. Punk/Paul Heyman/Ryback. That was passion and realism at it’s finest in a promo. I believe I said about a month ago that I wasn’t sure about the Punk heel turn, whether he’d still be cheered by a good number of fans much like the love/hate Cena has, however interviews like tonight’s with J.R. make him a clear-cut bad guy and all-around jerk. I love that he is using intimidation factors on non-active superstars (last week Mick Foley and this week Jim Ross) to gain both major heat and demand what he wants. This is a perfection he can do beautifully.
And I really don’t need so say much about J.R.’s response, as I typed out the whole thing verbatim while he was talking – absolutely a shining example of how to cut a promo and make it both real and effective, winning over the people. J.R. is one of the top 5 in my book who exuberates the passion and love for professional-wrestling and tonight hammered it home even more. And Ryback coming out to defend J.R. (even though he didn’t get physical) was a nice touch, and liked that Punk and him haven’t touched each other yet. Maybe Ryback will be the H.I.A.C opponent?
Bogus: Really only two issues: #1 – the opening promo. While it made sense in the end, and set up the main-event, I still felt it was overload and was enjoying the WWE Champion C.M Punk/Paul Heyman promo with only them. I felt it got a bit “crowded” with everyone there. But again, it did make sense at least, with them all being tied to A.J. somehow.
#2 is Heath Slater/Jinder Mahal/Drew McIntyre – Mahal has no personality, Drew’s time is gone I think as the “Chosen One,” but Slater has miles to go and could actually pull off a decent gimmick/guy you’d love to hate. My point – get ride of the other two and just push Heath – he can carry himself on his own just fine (as proven through the summer with the Legends storyline.)
In general, another wonderful edition, with some really paths leading to Hell In A Cell. As always, until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online readers and wrestling Fans!
Tonight’s Monday Night RAW in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is being billed local as the Jim Ross Appreciation Night, with most likely all of the stuff happening after the show goes off the air.
Every time RAW rolls into Oklahoma, Jim Ross always ends up the victim of something so hopefully tonight there will be a change in that department.
“I’m very excited 2 be honored by #WWE Monday night on #RAW. If you can attend I hope you will. If not, join us for the broadcast. Thx 2 all,” Ross wrote on Twitter.
WWE has done a few Appreciation Nights in the past, with the last one for Pat Patterson in Montreal being canceled due to the Jerry Lawler heart attack.
