WWE SNME Taping Results (08/02) *Spoilers* 07/28/2008

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

WWE taped this Saturday’s edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. Special thanks to Wrestling News World readers Katerina, Katie, B-Dawg, Aaron Coleman, and Alejandro Villarroel for sending text-message updates. If you are attending a WWE event in the near future and would be interested in assisting with our live coverage please email your name, the date of the show, and your mobile number to me by clicking here.

* Ted DiBiase has been spotted entering the building.

* A red carpet has been rolled out.

* A WrestleMania XXIV video package is shown.

Dark Match:
* Paul London b. Charlie Haas
- London comes out with a new haircut. He got the win after hitting a shooting star press.

* Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler make their way out to ringside.

Saturday Night’s Main Event: (Airing This Saturday)
* CM Punk comes out to a huge pop with the title belt around his waist as he joins Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross.

* JBL, Cody Rhodes, Kane, and Ted DiBiase Jr. b. John Cena, Cryme Tyme, and Batista.
- JBL got the win after pinning JTG.

* A video of Carmen Electra is shown speaking on autism.

* The Great Khali b. Jimmy Want Yang.
Khali won via pinfall in a squash match.

* A video of Jeff Foxworthy is shown speaking on autism.

* Jenny McCarthy is on her way out to ringside.

* Edge b. Jeff Hardy
Edge got the win with the spear after MVP came out and kicked Jeff in the head.

 

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Vince McMahon Hanging Out After Raw, Adamle Replacement, More

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

Source: PWInsider.com

Vince McMahon was seen hanging out in the hotel lobby after Raw last night which is actually very unlike him, even when he’s not selling an “injury” angle. It was reported that a fan congratulated him on the birth of his new granddaughter, but Vince didn’t respond.

Joey Styles was also at the hotel and fans asked him about whether or not he was going to replace Mike Adamle on ECW. He responded with, “You know I can’t answer that”. However, the word going around behind the scenes is that Todd Grisham may replace Adamle instead. Here’s hoping that’s it’s Styles rather than…anyone.

MVP was apparently backstage at Raw. No reason on why outside of simply hanging out.

Mae Young was also at the show involved with the “Kiss Cam” segment they do for the live crowd.

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Brooke Hogan Calls Media “Jerks”, Says She Didn’t Miss Nick’s BDay

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

Brooke Hogan posted a new blog yesterday on her MySpace page claiming that she didn’t miss Nick’s birthday. Here is what she wrote:

“Heres how stupid and inaccurate the media can be…

According to the press I didn’t show up to my brothers 18th birthday at the jail.

Lets see…

*hes in jail
*Its an important birthday…the big 18!!!
*I’m only a 4 hour drive to Tampa
*He’s the most important thing in my life.

They must have thought I didn’t show cause they didn’t SEE me.

uhh…there’s such thing as a back door you jerks.

In conclusion…That goes to show you that you can’t believe anything you watch on TV or read in magazines. Cause people will make up BS without even knowing the facts. Hey Media! Why don’t you gather facts, check them, and then give the public the truth? That might work. Oh no…I forgot. You make too much money telling LIES.

News On Tonight’s WWE SmackDown & ECW Tapings

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

World Wrestling Entertainment will be taping this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown and ECW on Sci Fi tonight from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

Thus far, nothing has been confirmed for this week’s edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, however expect the build up for this year’s WWE SummerSlam PPV. The SmackDown preview teases the return of The Undertaker at SummerSlam, more on the storyline between Edge and Vickie, Triple H’s and The Great Khali’s feud as well as mentioning Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder being the new WWE Tag Team Champions.

No matches have been announced for tonight’s ECW on Sci Fi, however WWE did advertise the Mark Henry’s and Matt Hardy’s feud for tonight’s ECW on last night’s Raw. Also expect the fallout from Raw and the possibility of a new ECW commentator. The ECW preview mentions more on Colin Deaney’s and Tommy Dreamer’s feud as well as ECW’s newcomer Evan Bourne

What Happened After WWE Raw Went Off The Air

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

After WWE Monday Night Raw went off the air, Batista and John Cena continued their staredown before John Cena left the ring. Batista then picked up the mic and explained how he was bouncing just two blocks away eight years ago and he never thought he’d be in the position he’s in now. He said he loves Washington, DC and he loves the fans. He also added that he was glad to be back home for the night and thanked the fans for the hometown support.

There wasn’t any physical interaction between Batista and John Cena after Raw went off the air. There also wasn’t anything involving the new Raw General Manager Mike Adamle after the show went off-air.

Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Have Baby Girl Today

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

Congratulations to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who gave birth to a new baby girl today. Her name is Murphy Claire Levesque and she weighed in at 8lbs, 12 ounces.

WWE RAW Results – July 28, 2008

July 29, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

RAW OPENER:

Tonight’s show kicks off with highlights of last week’s RAW where Batista made the match with him and CM Punk and where Kane interfered before the match began. We see clips of the match with Punk and Batista then the showdown between John Cena and Batista.

- The music hits and pyro explodes in the arena as Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole welcome us to a capacity crowd in Washington, DC. John Cena’s music hits to start the show and out comes Cena to a mixed ovation.

- Cole and Lawler are putting over the showdown between Cena and Batista as Cena gets ready to take the mic. There are indeed a lot of boo’s from the crowd in DC. Cena mentioned the mixed reaction from the crowd and says he is not perfect. As a matter of fact, he says he has made a mistake. He said he socked Batista in the mouth last week on RAW and he knows that has some consequences.

- Cena says he can’t believe he’s about to do this but says he is in the ring to tell Batista if he wants to settle these consequences, they can do it like men right now. Cena waits and finally The Animal’s music hits. Batista comes out to a pretty big hometown pop. Batista says nobody knows better than him that things happen in the heat of the moment and he saw the replay and everything is cool between them. Batista says Cena knows he likes him and he respects him. Batista says when he beats Punk at SummerSlam for the belt, Cena is the first person he wants to defend it against.

- Cena reminds Batista that he’s had two shots lately and says he can’t agree that Batista should get the next shot against Punk. Batista says Punk can’t beat him and neither can Cena. Cena asks him if it’s good to be home and the crowd pops. Cena brings up the fact that there is no law around here. He says everyone knows John Cena vs. Batista should headline WrestleMania and says let’s have WrestleMania tonight. Cena says let’s have Cena vs. Batista tonight in The Animal’s home turf so they can find out who the better man is. Batista says he has never faced Cena one on one and says since they’re in his hometown tonight, let’s do it. Shane McMahon’s music hits and out he comes.

- Shane says he and Stephanie has chosen a new General Manager that they will introduce later tonight. He says the new GM has been busy tonight making matches tonight and one of them is CM Punk vs. one of the biggest free agents in the busines who he doesn’t name. He also says tonight, John Cena and Batista will team up to face Kane and JBL. Shane’s music hits and he makes his exit after dancing around like a fool. Who will Punk’s opponent be?

Intergender Match: Kelly Kelly and D-Lo Brown vs. Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella
Kelly Kelly makes her way to the ring first followed by D-Lo Brown. Santino comes out next and we cut to a backstage video that was shot moments earlier. Beth tells Santino that he kissed her and there is nothing between them and they should keep the relationship strictly professional. Santino runs his mouth at ringside as The Glamazon makes her way to the ring.

Beth and Santino argue as D-Lo Brown and Santino start the match out. D-Lo strikes quick with a big atomic drop and a clothesline down low. D-Lo gets a 2 count. Brown goes to work on Santino in the corner with forearm shots but misses a big running splash. Santino with a neckbreaker. Santino can’t pick up D-Lo so Beth gets tagged in and picks him up. Kelly tags herself in and hits Beth with forearm shots but gets caught in a big knee to the back by Phoenix.

Santino tells Beth to tag him in because he wants Kelly. Santino knocks D-Lo off the apron and rolls Kelly Kelly up to get the win.

Winners: Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix

After the match, Santino and Beth shake hands in the ring. They stand back to back and act like nothing is ging on. Santino goes to walk off and leave the ring but Beth grabs him, pulls him back and kisses him. Santino looks stunned as Beth walks off to the back with a smirk on her face.

- Still to come tonight is the big tag match with JBL and Kane taking on John Cena and Batista as well as Punk’s match. Also, we will see the final edition of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel. We go back to commercial.

- Back from commercial and we see a video of Jeff Foxworthy promoting WWE’s Saturday Night Main Event this coming Saturday night.

- Backstage we see Shane McMahon looking at a portrait of Vince. JBL walks up and says Vince was, is a great man and asks how he is doing. Shane asks him what he wants. JBL says he is the one who should face CM Punk at SummerSlam. Shane says he will have to take it up with the new General Manager. Shane’s cell phone rings and he has his theme music as his ringtone. It’s the new General Manager on the phone. Shane says something about changes and says he has got to see this as he walks off.

WWE Tag Team Title Match: Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase

Hacksaw Duggan comes out first followed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. We go to a video of last week when Lawler and Duggan brawled with Rhodes and DiBiase. Another referee runs out as King’s music is playing and hands Lilian Garcia a note. She says this match has been changed by the new General Manager. Lawler will not be teaming up with Duggan as it will now be Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler taking on the Champions. Michael Cole looks on puzzled as we go to a commercial break.

Back from commercial and Michael Cole is on the ring apron arguing. There is nobody doing commentary. Cole finally gets in the ring as the WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase make their way to the ring.

Lawler tries to calm Cole down as we get ready for the match. It’s going to be Lawler and DiBiase starting things out. Yep, there is no commentary on this match as DiBiase backs Lawler in the corner. Lawler comes out and slaps DiBiase. Lawler hits him with a big boot but gets leveled with a huge DiBiase clothesline. DiBiase tags in Cody Rhodes and holds Lawler. The King hits DiBiase and catches Cody off guard but Rhodes manages to back him in the corner with right hands.

The referee seems to be very loud, much more vocal than usual. The guy is really showing out. Lawler comes back and drops DiBiase with right hands. He goes to piledrive Rhodes but gets back body dropped. Rhodes wants Lawler to tag in Michael Cole. Rhodes attacks Lawler, throws him out of the ring and brings in Michael Cole to the ring. Cole hits Cody with a weak right hand it looked like which just pisses him off. Cody hits Cole and then floors him with a clothesline to pin him for the three count.

Winners: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase

- Back from commercial and Mike Adamle is sitting in place of Michael Cole. Adamle says he got a call from WWE offices a few weeks ago telling him to be in Washington, DC for tonight’s show. Jerry Lawler walks up and says obviously our new RAW GM likes to play games.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Jamie Noble vs. Kofi Kingston

Jamie Noble is in the ring with Layla and says the new GM needs to recognize who he is and he compares himself to Obama and McCain. He says he brought Layla out here and says something about being the future Intercontinental Champion and says he challenged Kofi earlier today. Out comes the Intercontinental Champion. Kofi and Noble start the match going full force with Noble backing Kofi into the corner. Eventually Kofi comes back with a series of big kicks and hits his Boom Boom leg drop.

Kofi hits another series of kicks but Noble tries to counter. Kofi climbs the top rope and lands a cross body on Noble and ries to pin him. Noble manages to pin Kofi for a 2 count. They go back to their feet and Kofi knocks Noble to the mat with a kick to the head and gets the pinfall and the win.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

- We see the World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk headed to the ring to face who is being called the hottest free agent in pro wrestling as we go back to commercial.

- Back from commercial and JBL is at ringside with Lawler and Adamle. JBL tells Adamle he belongs on the Home Shopping Network and to shut his mouth. Out next is the World Heavyweight Champion.

CM Punk vs. William Regal

Punk makes his way to the ring and locks eyes with JBL as he holds his belt high in the air. Punk’s opponent is out next and it is the former RAW General Manager, William Regal.

Wrestling, going back and forth. Punk hits Regal with a knee to the jaw followed by a kick and a 2 count. Punk hits more knees and backs Regal into the corner. Regal turns it around and drops Punk with right hands. Regal goes to the outside and kicks Punk in the head while down on the mat. Regal back in the ring now and he stomps on Punk until his head is bleeding. Regal with another 2 count.

Regal continues punishing Punk, dropping knees on him and getting another near fall. Punk fights back and rolls Regal up for a 2 count. JBL keeps putting over how good Regal looks in the ring against Punk, and he does. Regal applies another submission hold and the crowd tries to get behind Punk. The hold breaks and the two start to brawl. Punk hits lefts and rights followed by a big kick and a 2 count.

Regal hits a huge back suplex on Punk and covers him for another 2 count. Out of nowhere Punk puts Regal in the GTS, lays him out and gets the pinfall for the win.

Winner: CM Punk

After the match, JBL gets in the ring to confront CM Punk. Kane’s music hits, the pyro explodes and out comes Kane to the ring. JBL gets decked by a right hand from Kane and Punk kicks Kane in the face. JBL gets up and lays Punk out. Kane and JBL face off in the middle of the ring as Kane stares off with a weird look on his face.

- We cut back to graphics for the tag team match tonight and Chris Jericho’s final Highlight Reel as Mike Adamle leads us back to commercial.

- Back from commercial and Chris Jericho, dressed in a suit, makes his way to the ring with Lance Cade by his side. The Jeritron screen still hangs on the set, bashed up from Shawn Michaels’ head. Jericho says once again he came out to tell the truth and the crowd put him down.

Jericho continues on with most of the same stuff he has been saying for weeks. He says he has moved on with his career and matured. He says tonight is the last Highlight Reel that we will ever see. He says he has put together a special farewell to an Icon, but a man that you will never see in the ring again. He says it’s not Shawn Michaels. He says it’s not HBK. The man he is talking about is Y2J. We cut to a highlight package of Jericho’s WWE career it looks like.

Jericho shows many clips of him acting a fool and says he is embarrassed to watch that footage. He says he has moved on and matured. Jericho talks about putting HBK’s head through the screen and beating him at Great American Bash. He says those highlights mean more to him than anything else in his career because when he destroyed HBK, he destroyed each and every one of the fans as well.

Lance Cade grabs the mic and tells Jericho that he appreciates him and what he has done for his career. Cade tells him he “saved him” and for that, he will be forever grateful. Jericho thanks Cade and says he appreciates him too as a “Boring” chant breaks out. Jericho talks about HBK’s eye injury and tells him to stay home, move on with his life and spend time with his family. Jericho goes on as the crowd chants HBK’s name. Jericho says he moved on because he hears Cena, Batista and JBL arguing over a match with CM Punk. He says nobody in WWE is more dominant than him and says he deserves the title shot at SummerSlam. We go to commercial out of nowhere, again.

- Back from commercial and Jim Ross makes his way to the commentary table at ringside! Ross says he got a call saying he needed to be here tonight.

Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall

As Ross takes his seat, the WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James makes her way to the ring. She hops out of the ring and hugs her dad Stewart who is at ringside. Jillian Hall is out next.

JR says that this match is a non-title bout. Jillian catches Mickie off the ropes and catches an early 2 count on the Champion. Jillian pulls Mickie’s hair as the ref makes his count and she breaks the hold. Jillian hits a cartwheel move in the corner on Mickie and another 2 count. Jillian takes Mickie back to the mat and screams to the crowd. Mickie catches her leg and rolls her up for a 2 count.

Mickie gets back to her feet and unloads with a series of moves and kicks on Jillian. Mickie hits her signature DDT on Jillian and gets the pinfall for the win.

Winner: Mickie James

After the match, Mickie goes to hug her dad at ringside. Katie Lea runs up and attacks Mickie from behind and lays her out. Katie goes to the entranceway where Paul Burchill is. She says that what she did was for the new General Manager and announces herself as the future Women’s Champion and Paul Burchill as the future IC Champion. Mickie and Katie trade looks as we go to the SmackDown Rebound and commercial.

- Back from the SmackDown Rebound and we see Todd Grisham talking to Shane McMahon backstage. Todd thanks Shane for being here tonight as things have been crazy. Todd asks for the scoop on RAW’s new GM. Shane says the person is already here and Todd will find out when everyone else does. We go to commercial.

- We go back to ringside with Lawler, Ross and Adamle. They plug SummerSlam and Saturday Night’s Main Event. We cut to a promo video with Jenny McCarthy and other celebrities.

- Backstage we see Cryme Tyme talking to John Cena. They’re asking him if he’s sure he doesn’t want them out there tonight because he can’t trust JBL. Batista walks up and Cena asks them if they can have a minute. Batista says they don’t trust each other and the best thing Cena can do is stay out of his way. Cena says funny, he took the words right out of his mouth. Both men are hesitant to walk ahead of the other to the ring for the main event as we go back to commercial.

- Back from commercial and Jerry Lawler announces that Shawn Michaels will be live at next week’s RAW to give his first interview since the Great American Bash.

John Cena and Batista vs. JBL and Kane
JBL’s white limousine pulls into the arena and he makes his way to the ring for tonight’s main event. Kane is out next with his mystery bag in hand. John Cena makes his way to the ring next followed by The Animal. Batista is out in red trunks tonight and gets a nice pop from the hometown crowd.

Cena and JBL start the match off first and go at it brawling. Cena hits his Blockbuster move early and goes for a quick 2 count. Batista tags himself in and goes to work on JBL with kicks and right hands. Batista backs him in the corner and works him over. Batista scoops JBL for a powerslam and hits a 2 count as Kane makes the save. Cena comes in and sends Kane over the top rope. Cena and Batista come face to face in the ring as we go back to another commercial.

Back from commercial and JBL is going at it with John Cena in the ring. JBL is working over Cena as Kane comes in and kicks Cena around, working him over. Kane with a big dropkick on Cena followed by a 2 count. Kane scoop slams Cena and gets another 2 count. Kane applies a chinlock and grounds Cena to the mat as Batista wants the tag. Kane abcks Cena into JBL’s corner and tags him in. JBL keeps punishing Cena, keeping him in their corner and tags back in Kane.

Cena finally fights back with Kane and they trade right hands. Kane catches him in a big side slam and another 2 count. Kane climbs the top rope but misses Cena on the mat. Cena comes up with a big DDT and lays out Kane. Both men make fresh tags as Batista and JBL come in brawling. Batista splashes JBL in two corners and hits a big spine buster. Batista clotheslines Kane and trades rights with JBL. Kane pulls Batista over the top rope and outside to the floor as JBL is left in the ring.

JBL goes back outside, brings Batista in the ring and gets another 2 count. Kane gets tagged back in, drops an elbow and gets a 2 count of his own on Batista. Kane continues working over Batista with kicks and chops. They go to the mat as Kane applies a body scissors submission hold. Batista turns it around and hits Kane with big left and right hands. JBL comes back in, decks Batista and knocks Cena off the apron. JBL backs Batista in the corner and lays him down with big right hands. JBL hits Batista with a big boot and goes for the Clothesline from Hell but Batista spears him. Batista nails Kane but turns around to another big boot from JBL. JBL’s right hand misses Batista and decks Kane. Kane comes in, grabs Batista for a chokeslam. Batista spears JBL as Cena tags himself in. Cena hits the FU on Kane for the pinfall and the win.

Winners: John Cena and Batista

After the match, Cena and Batista are left in the ring as Shane McMahon’s music hits and out he comes. He introduces the new RAW General Manager and it’s Mike Adamle! Adamle is standing in the ring with a microphone and asks Batista how he is doing!

Adamle announces that it will be John Cena vs. Batista at SummerSlam and wishes them good luck. Cena and Batista trade a few words as RAW goes off the air.

Taste My Rainbow [25] – At RAW Up Close And Personal

July 28, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

 

Taste My Rainbow [25] – At RAW Up Close and Personal

Do I know you? Ha! Of course I do! That was obviously a trick question. Welcome back my Fruity Followers to the latest and greatest edition of Taste My Rainbow. The only column around this joint fruity enough to fulfill your daily sugar intake. I’m the guy they call SkittleZ and I will be your tour guide for the day. Got a lot going on lately. Work as always, baseball is beginning to get interesting, the USA basketball team whooped the ever loving shit out of Canada Friday night (120-65) and we are now on the road to SummerSlam. Today’s column will be a little departure from what you’re probably use to. But what can I say… I like to take the easy way out in life. So sit back, get comfortable and fucking pay attention. As they say, It’s on with the show.

I don’t ever get a break, folks. If anyone’s been following me and DaveyBoy’s Prediction Contest, you are probably aware of the standings and know enough basic math to figure out that the Great American Bash didn’t exactly work in my favor. I was two matches back of Davey going in and now currently sit FOUR matches behind that foreigner. And Prediction Contest aside, I really didn’t do well overall. However, the two matches I dropped to DaveyGirl were the Divas Championship Match (I picked Neidhart) and the NYC Street Fight (I went with Cena) and those are the only two that really matter at this point. Don’t get me wrong… I’m still right on his ass (no homo). But losing ground this late in the game never helps. I suppose I’ll have to wait for SummerSlam to get my revenge. Anyhow, here are the updated standings:
DaveyBoy (42-21-1) / SkittleZ (38-25-1)

Are stables on the rise? More like mini-stables but I’ll take what I can get. When they aren’t overused, stables can be a thing of beauty as is the case right now in the WWE. On RAW, Cena and Cryme Tyme have been hanging out more and more regularly and all signs point to some kind of three man stable. The same goes for Rhodes and Dibiase. The World Tag Team Champions are a bright young team who have JBL as the leader and mouthpiece of the group. While the two teams may just be joining forces for a short duration to benefit all involved, stables are still a dying breed in pro wrestling today and its great to see them pop up on the radar every now and then. I would throw La Familia in there as well but they appear to be having some internal issues as of late.

While the majority my feel differently, I am really looking forward to the Matt Hardy/Mark Henry ECW Title Match at SummerSlam. Perhaps not as much from a match quality standpoint but due to the risk for reward ratio that works in this bout’s favor. WWE has an opportunity to do something big here and I believe they’ve realized that. If you ask around, a good portion of the IWC would explain that the ECW Championship was only put around Mark Henry’s waist at Night of Champions because Kane was heading to RAW and Henry was set to put over an up and comer down the road somewhere. Matt dropped the United States Championship to Benjamin at the Great American Bash and now doesn’t that seem like an opportune time to do so. Hardy isn’t what you’d call new to the game but this would be another monumental step in building on his credibility and taking him to that next level. That’s why I’m pulling for Matt to overcome all the obstacles at SummerSlam (Atlas, Delaney, etc.) and upset Henry to capture the ECW Title.

Call me silly but doesn’t it appear like the WWE is putting more emphasis on the SmackDown product since the Draft Lottery? Before you even start, I disagree. I don’t think it’s because Jim Ross and Triple H were moved over to the blue brand. For those who’ve forgotten, SmackDown is changing networks in a few months and therefore WWE is working to turn on more viewers to the program before it jumps ship. Shit… I don’t blame them. I can’t even remember the name of the new network. MyNetwork or something to that effect? Might as well air the shit on paid programming. That is the best the WWE could do? The number one wrestling organization in the world is reduced to putting one of their main shows on a network no one cares about? With all due respect, fuck you CW Network.

Although I’ve been a wrestling fan for over a decade, I have never once been to a live event. House show, RAW, SmackDown, ECW, Pay Per View… absolutely nothing. Plenty of opportunities however with the best coming nearly two and a half years when WrestleMania 22 was held at the Allstate Arena in Chicago (a mere 30 miles from my house). I often wondered if I’d ever end up going to a WWE show. As of now, I plan on heading to Houston for WrestleMania 25 with a number of friends from LOP next April but that’s ages away. Well as I mentioned numerous times in my last few columns, I’ve been on vacation in Connecticut since late April. I was hanging out one night watching TV in the living room when my step-mom was checking her emails and realized that RAW was coming to the Mohegan Sun Arena on July 21st (only a 45 minute drive from my Dad’s house) and asked if we should go. I marked like a little kid and my Pops bought tickets for him, myself, my step-mom and my sister. He told me they were great seats and I believed him when he told me the total cost came to $630!

Usually when you’re anxiously awaiting a certain day, time seems to slow down significantly. Well fortunately, that wasn’t the case here as the days just flew by and it was Monday night in a heartbeat. I wasn’t really all that excited until we actually stepped foot into the arena. Mohegan Sun is a casino in Connecticut with an arena inside. Once we arrived, there were lines wrapped all around the casino. The most popular t-shirts were Cena, Batista and Mysterio without question. Oh and on that note, make sure you check out JetSetPoker’s RAW Report from last Monday’s show. But like I was saying, it wasn’t until we headed in for our seats that I played witness to what I see on television each and every week. The atmosphere was amazing and the crowd was pumped up before the dark matches even got underway. We were located right up against the barricade in the corner of the main isle and the TitanTron. The dark matches were nothing to write home about. Charlie Haas and Jamie Noble beat two local nobodies. Lilian Garcia came out and same the National Anthem before Michael Cole and ‘The King’ (who got a huge pop) walked out. Lilian then informed us all to get rowdy as we were going on the air in 20 seconds. The show’s opening firework display is quite a sight when you’re standing barely 15 feet away.

Batista’s Challenge

I waited for Batista’s pyro to blow my eardrums but I was saved as the Animal was pissed at Kane for costing him the World Heavyweight Title the previous night at Great American Bash and appeared to be in no mood to take part in such nonsense. Batista blabbed about wanting to kick Kane’s ass and demanded a rematch until CM Punk came out to a big pop. The World Heavyweight Champ told the Animal he was on but JBL suddenly popped up on the TitanTron to remind us all that he was running the show and deserved a title shot more than Batista. He and Punk then took turns making fun of JBL and watching Bradshaw’s facial expressions on the big screen was priceless. Punk then invited Batista again to meet him up later on (in the ring you sick bastards) and they cut to commercial.

The segment was far from special but kept the title picture progressing. Punk hasn’t been given a clean win over Batista yet but it’s totally understandable. JBL put him over and I don’t expect Punk to play the role of transitional champion. JBL has done a great job of stepping in as RAW’s main heel during Orton’s absence. And Batista has just been his bad ass self and remained in the title picture like he always tends to do. Batista was pretty fucking sizable in person and JBL was taller than I’d imagined. I actually got to high five Punk as he walked back up the ramp!

Lance Cade vs. Paul London

The split up of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch still to this day does not sit well with me. I know all tag teams have to go their separate ways at some point or another but these two were better off sticking together for the long haul. Too many of WWE’s tag teams these days are broken up early before they’re able to really accomplish much or reach their full potential. So out of all the possible options available, WWE decided to fire Murdoch and push Cade. Excellent booking you fucking morons! I honestly believe a goofy singing babyface Trevor Murdoch had a better chance of succeeding than a big serious heel Lance Cade. What happens to Cade after Y2J doesn’t need him anymore? I personally would be insulted as a fan if Cade was headlining the latter matches of pay per view down the road. Instead of breaking up Cade and Murdoch prematurely, WWE should’ve just sucked it up and switched them over to SmackDown or ECW in the Draft.

This bout was obviously a squash to continue Cade’s push and sell him to the audience as a legitimate threat. Look at poor Paul London…. another career butchering thanks to the Draft Lottery forcing him and Brian Kendrick to go their separate ways. Now the entertaining aerial act of Londrick is no more and both of them now stand little chance of achieving much on their own. London’s glass ceiling is the Intercontinental Championship and even that doesn’t look very hopeful from where I’m sitting. So like I said, the match was over before I even knew what had happened. The only aspect I like about Lance Cade is his high impact finisher. There were tons of “Cade Sucks!” chants which I gladly took part in.

Y2J Speaks on HBK

After Cade’s victory, he got on the microphone and hyped Chris Jericho and the ass beating he gave to Shawn Michaels at the Great American Bash. Y2J then walked out in street clothes and at first, the crowd seemed confused whether to cheer or boo him. Well that all changed when Jericho took over the mic and informed us that he’d ended HBK’s career for good and that he didn’t regret it whatsoever. After that, it didn’t take very long until the fans were bombarding him with “HBK! HBK!” chants. He was even kind enough to show us a nice video package of him beating the shit out of HBK’s eye until the referee stopped the match. Got to love the WWE’s never ending attempts to amplify the drama with loud sounds, slow motion and black and white photography.

I was actually lost at the beginning when Jericho initially came out. Cade told the crowd to show them the proper respect and when the fans didn’t show said appreciation, he and Jericho left the ring and walked behind the curtain. Then it was silent in the arena for a minute or two and Y2J and Cade came right back out! I was unsure and even contemplated whether the segment had been botched somehow. That wasn’t the case as Jericho laid into Michaels with another awesome promo. The feud has been tremendous even though HBK has been injured through the last several weeks of it. The audience would have erupted if Shawn made an appearance but he was nowhere to be found. Not that I expected him to be there live or anything. When it comes to HBK, it’s all about the hard sell!

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix

They showed a quick video of Phoenix getting the upset win over Santino the previous week and it got a few laughs from the crowd. You don’t have to watch wrestling very long to realize this match wouldn’t last long. I honestly never thought Kelly Kelly was anything special but in person, she was absolutely gorgeous. I would’ve jumped over the barricade and made love to her right there if I knew Security wouldn’t rip my head off. And Phoenix was a beast from ten feet away. Kelly got a few impressive moves in but it was Phoenix who dominated as expected. Nice finish however when Kelly countered Beth into a roll up and nearly stole a victory. Beth showed off her strength by not only kicking out but rolling through the pin, lifting Kelly into the air and dropping her face first on the mat for the three count.

I guess they have to keep Beth strong for whenever she’s placed back in the Women’s Title picture down the road. Since Phoenix and Mickie have basically exhausted their rivalry for the time being, the writing team will probably wait until Candice Michelle comes back before Beth shows significant interest in another championship reign. No matter what she does, Phoenix will be just fine. Kelly Kelly is low on the radar but you never know… she could be a vital part of the Women’s Division two or three years down the road. She reminds me a lot of Maria as far as where her in-ring skills are and Kelly will most likely take over the role that Maria once held on RAW. Hey, I’ve got no complaints with that.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan Speaks

Hacksaw’s music hit and we all marked out with some “Hooooooooo!” chants. I figured Duggan was just coming out during commercial to tell us about some type of charity or to take part in an activity that involved the audience. His street attire assured me that he definitely wouldn’t be wrestling or getting squashed on tonight’s show. Hacksaw got on the mic and let us all know that he was contemplating retirement after a lengthy career. The fans protested until Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler jumped in the ring to talk some sense into Duggan. ‘King’ surprisingly got some of the biggest pops of the night. Lawler basically told him that as long as Hacksaw was still passionate about wrestling, that he can wrestler for as long as he wants (see Ric Flair).

Duggan appeared to be convinced on sticking around and all was fine and dandy until the World Tag Team Champs made their presence felt and walked out to greet the two veterans. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase took turns making fun of both Lawler and Hacksaw until ‘The King’ had heard enough and slapped the taste out of Cody’s mouth much to the adulation of the crowd. Rhode’s wanted to lay into Lawler but Dibiase held him back and JBL came out to back up the young heel duo as well as hype them. Cryme Tyme’s music suddenly hit the loudspeakers. Huge pop for JTG and Shad by the way as they’ve got to be one of WWE’s most over tag teams at the moment. Solid segment with Hacksaw and it led up greatly to Rhodes and Dibiase coming out to disrespect the old timers. Building on the Champs’ heat and moving in the right direction. Rhodes and Dibiase look a lot like Orton to me. Almost as if you combined them together, you’d get a Randy Orton. Just wanted to throw that out there. Make your own assumptions, dickwads.

Six Man Tag Team Match

I was none too happy when JBL came out through the curtain instead of in his trademark limousine. The problem I think was that the arena was a little small for a limo to be driven out into the arena and JBL’s fat ass would’ve been quite cramped trying to squeeze his way to the ring between the limo and the barricade. As Cryme Tyme waited at ringside for their partner in the upcoming contest, you can just feel the intensity in the arena turn up a few notches Everybody knew who was about to come out and it was no secret that the place was going to erupt. Cena’s music hit and the ovation was deafening. I don’t know how it came off on television but that place was going bonkers as Cena walked out and played up the crowd. I didn’t hear a single boo during Cena’s entrance. He and Cryme Tyme jumped in the ring and took out JBL, Rhodes and Holly. The referee tried to restore order and I’m assuming that’s when they cut to commercial.

Good early action and it unsurprisingly ended up being JTG playing the face in peril who just simply could not get a tag to save his life. But alas, JTG broke free and made the hot tag to Cena. The crowd came unglued yet again though there were noticeable boo’s as Cena handed Dibiase his usual flurry of offense. He went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but JBL ran in to break it up. Cena held his ground and fought JBL off who escaped through the crowd (a mere twenty feet from where I was sitting). Back in the ring, Cena hit a double FU on Rhodes and Dibiase and made the pin. Great co-main event and the audience was in pandemonium for the last thirty seconds of the bout. Cena and Cryme Tyme celebrated before exiting to the backstage area.

Mixed Tag Team Match

Honestly, I haven’t seen much of Kofi Kingston thus far. I never really watch ECW and he was on the C brand from his debut in January up until the Draft Lottery. So he’s been on RAW for three or four weeks and I’m still not completely up to date on Kingston. Well I totally forgot about his pyro and the couple of green fireworks that I WEREN’T expecting nearly sent me backwards toppling over a folding chair. Very good pop for Kofi but an even bigger one for the Women’s Champion Mickie James. What a hot bitch. Burchill and Katie followed to a chorus of boo’s and I was almost stunned by how beautiful and sexy Lea was in real life. If you recorded RAW, you can actually see me at this point stick my head over the barricade and turn it sideways to get a good look at Katie’s ass. I’m a dude… I can’t help it.

The match had good energy and there was a good mix of everything during the short amount of time the contest was given. There is no way Burchill isn’t on the juice because he easily has twice the amount of muscle mass he did during his Pirate days. Anyways, Paul worked over Kofi’s legs and nailed his neckbreaker finisher to pick up the win for him and Katie. Although most people don’t realize it (general wrestling fans at least), this feud is benefiting RAW in many ways. It keeps two feuds going at once for two respective championships. It allows different parties to work together for several weeks and the Kofi/Burchill program helps out the midcard and more importantly the Intercontinental Title. I’m a firm believer that allowing main eventers to carry the IC Title does little to aid the division. The division was built to elevate guys lower on the card to a status where they can really make a name for themselves. At this point, I wouldn’t even mind a Burchill/Kofi rematch at SummerSlam. On her way by, Mickie kissed a little girl on the cheek who was standing like five feet to my right. Too bad that wasn’t me…

D’Lo Brown vs. Santino Marella

This drunk fat guy from across the aisle way had been screaming for Santino to come out for minutes on end. To the point where it was starting to get downright annoying. The guy even took it as far as to yell out “Come on Vince! Give us what we want! Santino!” While I admit I rather enjoy Santino’s company as well (no homo), I doubt I’d ever take it to that extreme. So when Marella’s music finally hit, me and I’m sure hundreds of others were relieved to hear the chunky white dude shut his trap. Santino assured all of us in attendance that his inaugural challenge was intended for strictly males and offered any other superstar to meet him in the ring again tonight. And out of every possible superstar, it was D-Lo Brown who answered the call and let us know he’s still alive after all these years!

I was surprised how few people seemed to know who D-Lo was as I wasted no time in marking out like a schoolgirl. Then I took a glance around and remembered how many little kids were present and how the majority of them weren’t even alive when the Nation was at its peak. Brown’s upbeat personality always garners attention and the crowd quickly rallied behind him. D-Lo made quick work of Santino and finished him off with his old Sky-Hi frog splash. Perhaps this is mainly a feel good story as I don’t see much the WWE can do with him. Throw him in the Intercontinental Title picture? Meh… works for me. Beth Phoenix came back out and appeared as if she wanted to beat the shit out of Santino. However, Marella gave her a few looks before pulling her in and planting a kiss on the Glamazon! And she didn’t exactly stop him. The two then traded awkward moments until an intrigued Santino headed up the ramp. I have no idea where this is heading but when you have a clash of styles such as Beth and Santino working together, it can only turn into brilliant segments.

CM Punk vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship

I knew for a fact we were getting a taste of Batista’s pyro this time around. Isn’t it funny how when you don’t know something is coming, it can make you uneasy? But when you know it’s coming, you’re ripe with anticipation? Nonetheless, the Animal did his usual entrance and I loved it. Punk was surely out next so I relaxed when two huge burst of flames erupted behind me and I almost jumped into my sister’s lap! Kane marched to the ring and traded blows with Batista before giving The Animal a chokeslam (which they nearly botched). Punk sprinted to the ring to fend off Kane and clotheslined the Big Red Machine out of the ring. Batista was given time to recover before the match officially began. I was really taken aback by how much of the contest Punk dominated though I’m assuming it was mostly Batista selling Kane’s earlier attack. Punk went for his springboard clothesline but Batista caught him in midair and nailed the spine buster. The Animal appeared to be closing in on his fourth World Title after hitting Punk with a spear but JBL ran down to the ring.

Bradshaw and Batista slugged it out at ringside and the referee called for the bell. JBL got the upper hand on both The Animal and Punk before Cena ran out to make the save. Cena was whooping the holy hell out of JBL until Bradshaw ducked a punch and Cena accidentally hit Batista in the face. The Animal tried to give Cena the Batista Bomb but he slid out and went for the FU on Batista. The Animal wiggled free however and he and Cena brawled until a slew of referees hit the ring to break up the melee. RAW went off the air and Batista walked back up the aisle with his eyes on Cena the entire time. Cena then got on the mic and talked about the possibility of a one on one encounter between himself and Batista which the crowd responded in approval. He then told us that his Dad and friends were there and pointed them out in the front row. Cena thanked us all for coming and then slid out of the ring to hug his Dad and exchange words with his buddies. Cena high fived a bunch of fans and then walked back through the curtain. Nowhere near a great show but being there in person was amazing. Even a decent show seems amplified. I can’t wait to feel the electricity at WrestleMania 25 in Houston come next April. Yep… that’s going to cost a pretty penny.

The answer to my riddle from TMR [24] was indeed “John Morrison”. There was a slight jump in the correct guess percentage (57%) but nothing drastic enough to concern me. After a ton of soul searching, I think I’ve stumbled upon a riddle that will rack your brains and force each and every one of you to the brink of insanity. Try to crack this one, losers.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Somehow, I can relate to John Cena.

My matches towards the end of my WWE run were short and swift.

I’ve won tag team gold with both individuals from my former stable.

One of my past allies is mostly remembered as a comedic character but showed a dark side at the start of the new millennium.

As long as I’ve been around the business, you’d swear I was considerably older.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Think you know the answer? Give it some thought and guess away. If you answer incorrectly, I’ll laugh and poke fun at your severe lack of intelligence. Get it right however and earn the right to… oh who am I kidding? You’ll win nothing and like it! NO ONE will solve my masterful riddle. I will reveal the answer in my next column.

I’m not sure where the urge originated from but I’ve been on an Nintendo 64 binge as of late. Like most kids, I got the N64 back when it came out in 1996 for Christmas. Around 2001, I inexplicably bought the Nintendo GameCube (dumb move on my part) and went on to buy other various video game systems. Thus, leaving the N64 behind and never looking back. I never sold or threw out my Nintendo 64 but I lost track of it quite a while back. Over the last few weeks, I’ve suddenly got the itch to play it again. I had no idea where my old system was so I did what anyone would do… I bought one off eBay. The game console and three controllers for just fifteen bucks! Everything worked just fine too. Obviously, I had to purchase some games. I’m an adventure guy all day so I got my hands on Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Two classic platforms. Every day since I received them in the mail, I get home from work, shower and then play until three or four in the morning. While it isn’t a healthy addiction, it beats drugs and alcohol. Now I just need to snag a copy of Donkey Kong 64 and my life will be complete.

Who doesn’t love Fact or Fiction? I have risen it from the dead and have some good news regarding one of LOP’s most traditional columns. Along with three other individuals, Tito and DaveyBoy will both guess starring in the August installment of Fact or Fiction! * thunderous ovation ensues * Alright now. Settle down, people. I understand it’s hard not to get excited but you still have around three weeks so please try to contain yourselves. And don’t flood Davey and Tito’s email boxes with nude and/or inappropriate photos. We want them to come back in the future and I don’t want to be labeled a pioneer of filth. Oh and special thanks to Noc who made a spiffy column banner for Fact or Fiction. He’ll also be participating in next month’s column.

When in doubt, plug it out…

>>> Young Andy is stinking up the joint once again in a depressive manner Savana’s Chamber of Pain #32: Quitting

>>> The Anonymous Comedy Hour is back in full swing Inside the Mind 6.5: Teh Legacy of ECW is being destroyed

>>> MadChuck isn’t exactly what I’d call shy and polite. Click here to see what I mean The MadRanter: Brooke Hogan should be brutally raped

That’s all you get for now. Hopefully, this didn’t come off as overly generic for the majority of you. I figured an event of this magnitude to myself personally was worth sharing with you ungrateful homosexuals. Hell… tell me whether you enjoyed or outright despised it. If you have anything to add or point out, just shoot me a quick email at (Skittlez601028@aim.com) and either praise me or bash my literary skills to no end. You know how the story goes. I’ll be back at it in two weeks time with some new bullshit. Take care until we meet again and watch your ass in dark alleyways (or in prison for that matter). Later homies.

Click here to go back to Shop WWE for WWE Merchandise, WWE Action Figures, WWE Memorabilia, WWE Tickets, WWE T Shirts & More!

Benoit Author Muchnick Appeals for Release of Wikipedia Hacker Police Video

July 28, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

Source: Muchnick.net

Benoit Author Muchnick Appeals to Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission for Release of Wikipedia Hacker Police Video

JULY 28, 2008 – The author of a forthcoming book on the double murder/suicide of pro wrestler Chris Benoit today asked the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission to reverse the refusal by the Stamford Police Department to release a videotaped interrogation that was part of the Benoit investigation.

On June 25, 2007, the corpses of Benoit and his wife and their son were found in their home in Fayette County, Georgia. In February 2008, a report by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office closed the official investigation as a double homicide/suicide. Muchnick’s book about the case, Chris and Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death, will be published next year by ECW Press.

Muchnick’s dispute with Stamford PD concerns an interview the police conducted, at the request of Georgia authorities, with the Stamford man identified as the computer hacker who edited Chris Benoit’s biography at the online site Wikipedia at 12:01 a.m. on June 25, 2007 – more than 14 hours before the bodies were discovered. The edit said Benoit had missed a wrestling show the previous night “due to personal issues, stemming from the death of is wife Nancy.” The Fayette County sheriff’s report would identify the computer hacker as Matthew Greenberg, a then-19-year-old University of Connecticut student.

On June 29, 2007, in the interview room of the Stamford PD Bureau of Criminal Investigations, a detective interrogated
Greenberg in a session captured on videotape.

Stamford PD reported to the Fayette County sheriff that Greenberg was a wrestling fan, with no material connection
to the Benoit case, whose unauthorized Wikipedia edit was simply an escalation of uncorroborated online rumors. The Fayette County sheriff’s report concluded that the Wikipedia angle of the investigation was a “coincidence” and that Greenberg was “harmless,” adding that a copy of the Greenberg interview by Stamford PD was “included in the case file.”

This month, however, Fayette County admitted to author Muchnick that it had in its possession only a short snippet
of the police video, cutting off after three minutes. Stamford PD then explained that a faulty copy of the complete video had been sent to Fayette County. Georgia authorities have no explanation for why they published their conclusions about Greenberg’s role without first reviewing the entire interview, and they refuse to say whether they have requested a good copy of the video from Stamford. (The sheriff’s office agrees with Muchnick that the complete video would be a public record under Georgia law.).

On July 12, 2008, Muchnick asked Stamford PD for a copy of the complete interview under the 2007 Connecticut Freedom
of Information Act. Stamford PD refused the request on the grounds that “voluntary statements to police” are exempted by the statute. State public information law experts told Muchnick that no such exemption exists, and advised him to appeal to the Freedom of Information Commission.

Muchnick said: “I look forward to a lawful resolution of this matter. I do not expect to uncover an alternative to
the findings that Chris Benoit alone committed the crimes and that Matthew Greenberg was not seriously mixed up in any of the core events of the case. But the release of the Stamford police video is in the public interest for a number of reasons. For one thing, it will shed further light on overall timeline issues of the Benoit case.”

For more information on the State of Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission and the state Freedom of Information Act, visit http://www.state.ct.us/foi/. The text of Muchnick’s brief to the commission can be viewed at http://muchnick.net/ConnFreedom.pdf.

Muchnick’s website is http://wrestlingbabylon.com. His blog is http://muchnick.net/babylon. Investigative tips can be sent to tips@muchnick.net.

Media inquiries: media@muchnick.net.

WWE RAW Preview: “An End to the Mayhem?”

July 28, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

Source: WWE.com

Preview: An End to the Mayhem?
July 28, 2008

When Raw convenes in Washington, D.C. on Monday night, Shane McMahon is scheduled to appear. In recent weeks, Shane and his sister, Executive Vice President Stephanie McMahon have implored the WWE Universe to maintain composure on the brand, which has recently been overrun with civil unrest. They’ve also requested that our fans allow their injured father, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, the privacy he desires. Could Shane be coming to Raw to name a new General Manager?

Last Monday night, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk was battling Batista in a title match when all hell broke loose. The aftermath of the no-contest match saw John Cena rush the ring to tangle with longtime foe JBL, who had charged the ring moments earlier. During his tussle with JBL, Cena inadvertently leveled Batista with a right arm.

Accident or not, the already frustrated Animal was fit to be tied. He came up swinging and the two powerhouses traded blows to end the broadcast. The confrontation between Cena and Batista begs the question, how will the next meeting go between these two?

In no less disturbing Raw action, Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix shared what can best be described as the weirdest love/hate moment Raw has seen in ages.

As The Glamazon looked on from ringside, Marella lost a match to returning Superstar D-Lo Brown. After the match, Phoenix stepped into the ring and scuffled with the spicy Italian. As the two traded waist-lock holds, they suddenly, inexplicably … kissed.

Just as quickly, they pulled back, seemingly afraid of any amorous feelings their lip lock may have evoked. Hmmm. What might have sparked these feelings of amore? And how might a relationship between these two develop, if at all?

Finally, announcers Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler touched on rumors last Monday that, in the absence of a General Manager, Shane and Stephanie McMahon are searching for a new Raw GM. Will our fans soon see a new face as Raw GM? If so, who will take the reins?

To find out the answers to these questions and more, be sure to tune into Monday Night Raw, live at 9/8 CT, only on USA Network.

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