TNA THROUGH THE EYES OF A WWE FAN: "Bound For Glory -- October 16th, 2011"

Hello everyone and welcome to a new thing I'm going to be doing. It's going to be as weekly as possible but, I don't fully keep up with TNA programming but I watch enough to know what's going on. So, tonight I'm going to be reviewing TNA's Bound For Glory PPV that just got over a few hours ago. I've been following the World of wrestling for 20 some odd years of my life and with TNA still being not even a decade old, there's still way more room for improvement. But alas, I'm not here to bitch about the negative of TNA considering 90% of users here know I'm a devout fan of the WWE. So, let me get into it now.
[B]BOUND FOR GLORY PRE-SHOW:[/B]
The opening segment with Mr. Anderson was very well produced and I liked it. There's something in the way the TNA does backstage stuff that I like. I think WWE has a too polished feeling when it comes to that type of stuff now a days. TNA does this very, very well.
[B]TNA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Ink, Inc. VS. Mexican America[/B]
This feud has been built up very nicely yet there was a lot more they could have done with it. The match was put on as best as they could. It was a nice choice for an opening match. I think it could have ended differently and that they could have had a bit more time but, I'm not the TNA booker, am I? For what it was though, it was decent. Mexican America retained their Championships in this one. And honestly, I like that.
[U]Match Grade: I know Jesse is coming back from an injury but, I hate it when they put a belt on a returning star, TNA was awesome for this one and not doing it.[/U]
There's another backstage segment with Jeff and Karen where they're displeased with everything basically. Being in Philly, going against Hardy, blah, blah, blah.

[U]Pre-Show Grading: I give this 3 out of 5. I like that TNA does this. Something that WWE has failed to do for the last few years. Their Pre-Shows don't give you matches or anything like that. They give you Jack friggin' Korpella. -_-....[/U]
[B]BOUND FOR GLORY FULL SHOW:[/B]
Another thing that TNA does WAY better than WWE is their opening packages. Their videos are amazing. I love that they give history, promote matches and all the like. Their packages are always clean and great. A lot of times for me, they were the best parts of the show in the past. No pyro, right into Tenay and Tazz talking about the show and how great its going to be. We get the rundown of the event and it's on from there. RIGHT TO THE POINT!!! That's how I like it.
[B]TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: The Brian Kendrick VS. Austin Aeries[/B]
AMAZING MATCH IS AMAZING! I was floored by this one. These two guys are great performers and laid it all out tonight. I liked the way it was done. Nice moves, great crowd popping "wrestling". They did their best to get the crowd pumped for the rest of the show and damnit, it was worth it. Aeries is still your Champion here and it's a deserved win.
[U]Match Grade: Aside from the minor hiccups in the match, it was definitely worth it. 4 out of 5 for this one.[/U]
We get a wonky backstage segment that was really not needed. Brooks was playing with Karen's kids while wearing "tight clothing". Karen is appald and yadda, yadda, yadda. It leads to Karen pulling out a ref shirt and that's it... nothing was really needed from this segment. They should have just announced it when the match happened. Ugh.
[B]"FULL METAL MAYHEM" MATCH: Rob Van Dam VS. Jerry Lynn[/B]
Okay, so... I guess it means Ladders and Chairs are available throughout the match? Cool.... now, onto the match. The beginning was sloppy. Very sloppy. I felt that while they were beginning they were in the process of feeling each other out again. There was a good ECW chant going on and it was nostalgic for sure. But, TNA ruined that a while ago. Either way, as the match progressed, so did their moves and the fluidity of the match. They got more comfortable with each other again and did some great things with the chairs. Although there were a lot of "WTF?" moments, it was still solid. Rob Van Dam is your winner here.
[U]Match Grade: I liked how at the end they hugged and showed respect. The match was iffy alot of the times. The good things they did, I don't feel outweighed the bad. 2 1/2 out of 5 on this one.[/U]
A quick video of Dixie Carter arriving to the arena earlier is shown... okay then. Lets move on...
[B]TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Crimson VS. Samoa Joe VS. Matt Morgan[/B]
Alright... nice video package. Not a good match. This was a WWE Triple Threat at best. You all know how that goes. I like Crimson and Samoa Joe. I don't like Morgan. This was a hard match to watch... there were a lot of botches it seemed things were miscued... I don't know, it was just off. I REALLY wanted better for this match. I really did. They didn't show up tonight. Just like the Phillies, they slept through this. Crimson wins this one.
[U]Match Grade: I was nowhere near a fan of this. I give it 1 out of 5 basically because they showed up. Sorry.[/U]
Backstage stuff with Bully Ray being a heel. Screw Philly, he's from New York. He's used the fans for years... cheap heat.... whatever. Yup.
[B]FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE MATCH: Mr. Anderson VS. Bully Ray[/B]
I liked how the cameras followed him into the arena where he was getting a lot of heat. Of course due to the pre-match promo. Mr. Anderson just runs in while getting a big pop and we're ready to go. This match was good. Damn good. Definitely made up for the last one. There was a LOT of crowd interaction, signs being given, Bully on the Mic, just everything in general about the build up until the ending bell. Of course there were sloppy moments but, it's bound to happen. Nice "Mic Check" through a table on the floor to end this on. Mr. Anderson is the victor!
[U]Match Grade: I love this match. It was another solid outing for the show. Only one match has fluttered for me. (I'm including the Tag-Team Championship Match as well here.) Definitely say this was 3 1/2 out of 5 [/U]
Another backstage segment. This time Eric is with his son, the referee and Eric tries to coax him into helping out "THEM" tonight saying Sting needs to be done completely. Taken out on a stretcher and all. After the segment, Tazz and Tenay act all shocked like that the ref is Bischoff's son.
[B]TNA KNOCKOUT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Winter VS. Mickie James VS. Velvet Sky VS. Madison Rayne[/B]
Special Guest Referee: Karen Jarrett
The fans said it all in this one. Wow.... I used to like the Knockout Division. A lot. But my, my, my how it has fallen. Madison and Velvet are the highlights for me here... they're my "favorites" ;). Other than that, there was nothing here that suited anyone. The match lasted WAY too long and there was confusion, bothced moves, it was all just so bad. The high point though is that Velvet Sky won this one and is the NEW Knockouts Champion.
[U]Match Grade: No. Just no... I don't even want to grade this one really. 1 out of 5. Reasons are already known to anyone with eyes.[/U]
Another backstage segment with Kaz talking to JB about Fortune and all that they've been through. How happy he is for Roode and how he just wants Styles and Daniels to put things behind them and he hopes after tonight they do. We are then treated to an AJ/Daniels package that tells the story of them and their history which obviously leads to the match.
[B]"I QUIT" MATCH: AJ Styles VS. Christopher Daniels[/B]
What's with the people in these matches tonight trying to get the upper hand by cheating before they get to the ring? You'd think Russo is booking every... oh, wait....
So, the match gets off good. There's a lot of love from the Philly crowd on this one and many people obviously understand why. The match is good. NOWHERE near their best but, a fine showing. It ends when Styles goes to use a screwdriver that Daniels brought into the ring. Daniels quits and AJ Styles is the winner. After the match we see Daniels leave, AJ gets his hand raised and celebrates with the crowd and he goes up the ramp. Daniels comes back out and hits AJ from behind saying that AJ never won and WHO WON NOW? Yup.
[U]Match Grade: So, this was a decent match. Nothing to truthfully write home about. I miss their old matches in all honesty. These guys used to tear the roof down but, not anymore. I'm thinking they shouldn't be together anymore in matches after this. 2 1/2 out of 5 on this.[/U]
At this point Jarrett and Hardy were supposed to happen but it turned into a brawl and all that crap. The Philly fans didn't like this one. It definitely went on for far too long for what it was. The trainers came out and they got more love than either Hardy or Jarrett did. As a segment, this kind of failed. Up next though we get... well, I still don't know what the hell we got.
[B]THE IMMORTAL BATTLES THE ICON: Sting VS. Hulk Hogan[/B]
Um... it's 2011 right? Right? 14 years after "STARRCADE 1997" this match happens again. Wow, has it really been that long? Oh well. Either way, this match was shit. What did we expect from it though? I honestly think we deserved a better match than this. It went into a weird development with Flair being out there in Hogan's corner, yet, Bischoff came out too. The ref didn't play ball and Bischoff hit his own son with a chair, Hogan and Sting teamed up and took out IMMORTAL and a whole bunch of WTF? happened. Sting won with one of the worst Deathlock's ever.
[U]Match Grade: Yeah. Nope... I have no words. I'll give this 1/2 out of 5... I guess... for effort? And no, you didn't misread. 1/2.[/U]
A great video package is shown for the next match. After the last two segmental debacles... we need something good to send the crowd home happy. This match is looking to deliver. Big time.
[B]TNA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Robert Roode VS. Kurt Angle[/B]
The crowd is with Roode tonight as the match starts off kind of slow with "The Basics Of Wrestling" being applied. As it continues, Angle shows his age a little bit against the younger guy but, that doesn't slow down the build up here. Both men went at it and in all honesty, it was the best match of the night. Great false finishes, great ring presence, greatly performed. Yes, just like every other match on this card, there were bothces but, it didn't matter. I was disappointed by how it ended with some controversy but, I guess it was needed. Kurt Angle is still your Champion. And with Hogan burying Roode a few days ago and with Angle being in Pennsylvania... did anyone TRULY believe in their heart of hearts that this would end how we wanted it to?
[U]Match Grade: This was easily the best match of the night. 4 1/2 out of 5 for sure. I was pleased with how these guys handled themselves, both did a fine job carrying each other and that's what you want out of a match. The pressure wa son both men in the match and it didn't affect them. Bravo. Solid match indeed.[/U]

Overall, I enjoyed the show. There were some questionable moments but, what sometimes in TNA isn't questionable? (THE 'E has had many of them equally recently.) I honestly feel that this was one of TNA's best PPV outings. I give the show a full on 3 1/2 out of 5. Thanks for reading and hopefully I get some comments on this one. :)

THE REAL SIN CARA RETURNS!

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, the original Sin Cara, returned to action at Saturday's SmackDown! live event in Tacoma, Washington.

Alvirde is eligible to resume performing since his thirty-day suspension for his first violation of WWE's drug testing policy expired on Tuesday. He claimed in an interview that he did not know what he had tested positive for and that he had only gotten a routine injection for his injured knee in Mexico.

Alvirde's future with the organization was believed to be in doubt since developmental talent Jorge Arias (a/k/a Hunico) assumed the Sin Cara character at the last two SmackDown tapings. There was talk that the move would be permanent since company officials were reportedly sour on Alvirde due to his attitude and lackluster performances.

TNA (IMPACT) NEWS: MATT HARDY IS AN IDIOT (DWI CHARGE, GETS FIRED)

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

PART. 01:

TMZ.com reports that Matt Hardy was arrested in North Carolina today on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a trooper discovered the TNA Wrestling Superstar after his 2009 Corvette ran off the road and struck a tree. Hardy was by himself and did not suffer any injuries.

The trooper observed signs of impairment and arrested Hardy. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and the trooper found no other contraband in the vehicle. Hardy submitted to a blood test, results of which are pending.

He was released at approximately 7:00 p.m.

TNA Wrestling officials reportedly suspended Hardy in June due to continuously arriving late to events and posting a video online of himself urging Jeff Hardy to stun Reby Sky (Matt's girlfriend) with a taser. He stated last week on Twitter that his time away from the ring has been a blessing in disguise as it has allowed him to completely clean up his life.

PART. 02:

Following his arrest Saturday in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated, Matt Hardy has been released from his contract with TNA Wrestling.

In a statement released to TMZ.com, an unnamed TNA spokesperson stated, "TNA today released Impact Wrestling star Matt Hardy from its roster. Hardy was already under suspension from the company."

According to sources within TNA, plans were in place for Matt and Jeff Hardy to return to television in October. Jeff's status with the company remains unchanged since TNA will be releasing a slew of merchandise in the fall bearing his name including a video title.

Hardy joined TNA last January after being released by WWE in October 2010 following a series of events that caused him to be sent home from a company tour of Europe. Hardy walked out of a SmackDown live event on September 5, 2010 after officials voiced concern over his condition. During the subsequent weekend's European tour, Hardy's condition caused the organization to act. When the story broke online, Hardy responded with a rambling video claiming it was untrue because he was still in Europe. WWE, however, confirmed to NewsDay.com on September 12, 2010 that he had been sent home. He never wrestled for the organization again and was released from his contract a few weeks later.

Hardy stated last week on Twitter that his time away from the ring has been a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to completely clean up his life. He added Friday, "It's time for me to get back to a healthy, happy place, the transformation his now started for me, for us-(New Chapter Will begin new)"

PART. 03:

TNA Wrestling announced Saturday on their official website that Matt Hardy has been released from its roster.

Their statement reads: "TNA today released IMPACT WRESTLING star Matt Hardy from its roster. Hardy was already under suspension from the company."

His bio was also removed from the website's roster page.

According to a source, company president Dixie Carter made the decision to terminate Hardy's contract following his arrest earlier in the day in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated

BE A STAR/WWE/LISA WRIGHT REACH AGREEMENT?

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Lisa Wright, program director of the national non-profit organization Council for Unity, has issued a retraction and an apology regarding her criticism of the Be a STAR Alliance's anti-bullying campaign with WWE.

Wright wrote a letter earlier this week criticizing their campaign after receiving an e-mail concerning the numerous "fat jokes" being directed towards performer Vickie Guerrero on television. She asked how the organization's partnership with WWE fits their mission to show tolerance and respect since professional wrestling consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence. She concluded her letter by requesting the removal of the Council for Unity from the Be a STAR Alliance website's list of organization affiliates. Wright, however, has since rescinded her request and issued an apology to WWE and the Be a STAR Alliance.

In a letter sent to Diva-Dirt.com, WWE and the Be a STAR Alliance, Wright says she changed her tune on the matter after further research and receiving intelligent feedback from some of the wrestling organization's loyal fans.

Wright wrote, "After careful consideration and research on my part, plus some intelligent feedback from some of the loyal fans of WWE, I realize that perhaps I reacted too harshly and without enough information. I have been reminded that the important issue is the prevention of bullying and the protection and support of those that have been victimized by it. Ultimately, my own actions, intended or no, have had a negative impact."

She continues, "I hereby offer an apology to the Be a STAR foundation and the WWE. I also wish to rescind my request that my organization be removed from the Be a STAR Alliance website. There are often many ways to reach a goal; the important thing is that we support each other on our journey."

She adds that her initial letter was never intended to be made public and that it was never her intention to disparage the Be a STAR Alliance, WWE, their wrestlers and many fans

MORRISON TALKS MELINA, SMACKDOWN! HOUSE SHOW CHANGE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- The London Free Press interviewed John Morrison, who was promoting WWE events in Canada. He spoke about many of his fellow superstars (including Triple H, whom he labels "ambitious but unproven"), and mentioned the release of Melina by saying, "The idea of having more freedom to choose when and where to work is liberating for her."

-- The SmackDown! house show on October 8 was supposed to take place at the Oman Arena in Jackson, Tennessee. It has been moved to the Ford Arena in Beaumont, Texas.

MICK FOLEY'S COMEDY SHOW

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

The following press release was sent out today:

Wrestling's Hardcore Legend MICK FOLEY makes a special announcement about his upcoming stand-up comedy benefit show.
Long Island, NY, August 18th, 2011 – Be a part of a special event in Bellmore, NY at Governor's Comedy @ The Brokerage when wrestling's Hardcore Legend Mick Foley takes the stage to perform his stand-up comedy act to raise money for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network).

Mick, along with several other comedians from the New York area, will take the stage and perform a fun-filled evening of comedy for a great charity on Wednesday, August 24th at 8pm, doors open at 6:30pm!

You can check out the fan cam video of the announcement shot by filmmaker Steve Strangio at this link …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uuBX2sqWqY

Also check out a special behind-the-scenes interview shot on that very same night where Mick talks to Steve Strangio about his stand-up comedy act and plans for future shows. Check it out at this link …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nisZVTxBMgE

WWE EUROPEAN TOUR, AT&T/WWE DISPUTE, WHY SMACKDOWN! SHOW WAS CANCELED, MORE NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- The Miz is in Europe this weekend doing some promotional appearances for the company.

-- AT&T UVerse has done a long-overdue update of their WWE Classics on Demand content to include all the content they didn't receive in the past few weeks.

-- The Sunday SmackDown! house show was cancelled due to logistical problems in getting the Smackdown crew from Tacoma, Washington to Kamloops in Canada.

-- The Bellas have a blog that you can check out at http://nicoleandbrianna.com/

-- Sgt. Slaughter will appear at the Lynchburg Hillcats game in Lynchberg, Virginia tonight.

WWE EXECUTIVE LEAVES

POSTED BY: ROBERT WODWARD JR.

WWE Executive Vice President of Digital Media is no longer employed with the company.

Kalinowski had been working in WWE since 2007. No reason is currently known for his departure.

Source: Pwinsider

WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII BOXING MATCH? JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT BREAKS RULE @ WWE PARTY?

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- A boxing match is possible between Monte Barrett and David Tua at next year’s WrestleMania 28 in Miami as Barrett is friends with John Cena and the two have discussed it. Barrett told 8countnews.com that he’s meeting with Cena and Vince McMahon next week. We shall see.

-- Reuters recently published an article stating that actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, who attended WWE's SummerSlam VIP Kick-Off Party last Thursday at the Andaz Hotel in Los Angeles, California, broke one of the organization's unwritten rules: No dancing.

The article notes that the Hollywood starlet danced for over an hour at the event. She was also photographed dancing with Hornswoggle. Those photos have leaked online.

THE YOUNG BUCKS KEEP ON DEFENDING THEMSELVES

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Goldust gave his thoughts about the Young Bucks on his Twitter.

He wrote: "As booker says.....better show some respect when in the locker room, there are good teachers here that know more than you young bucks....Just a reminder....if trying out for wwe....extend your hand,be polite and respectfull and do what your told. You dont have to like the golden one, but you will respect my knowledge of the business....jfyi"

Matt Jackson wrote on his own Twitter: "Somewhere, somehow, there is a "tell me he didn't just say that?" joke that needs to be told. I love you, wrestling. Nothin' but love & respect for all my peers in the business. Hope everyone makes their own decision based on their own experiences."

Nick Jackson adds: "I respect everyone in the business even if they have bad words about me. God bless them all. Thx to all the loyal fans that support us!"

Finally, their brother Malachi said: "Sounds like @BookerT5x is a little 12 year old girl on his young buck rant. These vets such as @therealrvd and @BookerT5x are jealous of the young bucks cause they cant do half what bucks can do in the ring. I can't believe @MattJackson13 and @NickJacksonYB didn't say hi to @BookerT5x ! #whatisthishighschool ? @RRWWE (Ricardo Rodriguez) Booker t is mad cause they supposedly didn't say hi to him so @BookerT5x is trashing the bucks. I love when vets say stuff bout the young bucks. All they're doing is getting them more popular :O @BookerT5x I didn't shake the hand of someone at work today. The person then tweeted bout how disrespectful I was being @BookerT5x #getoveryourego @BookerT5x that's weird you and rvd are the only ones out of hundreds of workers that don't like the bucks. And btw they've already made it."

WEEKEND WWE SCHEDULE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- The SmackDown! house show on October 8th, 2011 has been moved to the Ford Arena in Beaumont, Texas. The original venue was the Oman Arena in Jackson, Tennessee.

-- The Raw house shows are running through Regina, Saskatchewan tonight, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Saturday and Edmonton, Alberta for Monday Night Raw. The advertised lineup is below:

Alberto Del Rio will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena and CM Punk
John Morrison vs. R-Truth
Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler for the United States championship
Kofi Kingston​ and Evan Bourne vs. David Otunga​ and Michael McGillicutty

WWE SmackDown! has just one house show this weekend, Saturday in Tacoma, WA. Randy Orton​ vs. Christian in a Street Fight for the World Title has been announced.

MAJOR WWE/KEVIN NASH UPDATE -- STATUS, BOOKINGS, HAIR, TNA, CM PUNK

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- Kevin Nash will be at RAW this Monday and he is expected to be a regular character going forward. He will be doing a program with CM Punk which will culminate in the two meeting in the ring. This is supposed to give Punk a major name to work with that would put him over.

-- Nash did not get a big reaction coming out on RAW, and the general feeling backstage is that WWE needed to do a better job explaining to the current generation of fans who he was. This was originally not a concern because of the much bigger reaction Nash got at the Royal Rumble.

-- The backstage reactions to the back and forth between Kevin Nash and CM Punk were that Punk got the better of Nash and that Nash's comments came off as too inside.

-- WWE had instructed Nash to dye his hair black, but it may have already been dyed for his role in the Rock of Ages, where he plays Tom Cruise's bodyguard.

-- Nash was able to get a verbal shot in on TNA during the back-and-forth with CM Punk. He stated that Punk looked like "a short order cook in a Pikeville Waffle House," which was a shot at Pikeville, Kentucky, one of TNA's best house show markets. Nash always hated being on the promotion's house shows and was never happy to be booked on them.

Source: PWInsider.com

SIN CARA AND KEVIN NASH WWE FUTURE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- We noted yesterday that Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, the original Sin Cara, is eligible to resume performing since his thirty-day suspension for his first violation of the company's drug testing policy expired on Tuesday. Alvirde's future with the organization, however, remains in doubt. Developmental talent Jorge Arias (a/k/a Hunico) assumed the character at this week's and last week's SmackDown! tapings and there is talk it may be permanent as company officials are reportedly sour on Alvirde due to his performances and attitude.

-- Canada's CWI promotion was originally scheduled to have Kevin Nash appear at this weekend's events, but since he is needed to appear on Monday's RAW, he had to be pulled from them as well. He's been pulled from numerous other indy events as well. The promotion made a statement on their website that the deal Nash has signed allows him to do independent dates as long as they do not interfere with WWE appearances.

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer

ANDY LEAVINE SUSPENSION -- FALSE?

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- Word on why WWE hasn’t publicly announced the suspension of Andy Leavine is that they are going through the motions to make sure his Wellness failure is legitimate, like checking to see if he was prescribed something by a doctor or other steps along those lines. Andy also may be offered a second test but that’s not confirmed. There have been situations where a talent failed a test, then took a second one and proved they were clean.

Andy reportedly failed his Wellness Test right before SummerSlam. It was also noted that Andy is still technically a developmental talent and WWE usually doesn’t announce suspensions, releases or failures from developmental.

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

BE A STAR --- BE A LAME DUCK

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Lisa Wright, who is the program director of the national non-profit organization Council for Unity, wrote a letter to the Be A Star Alliance questioning their affiliation with WWE after receiving an e-mail concerning the "fat jokes" being directed towards performer Vickie Guerrero on television. She asks how the anti-bullying organization's partnership with WWE fits their mission to show tolerance and respect since professional wrestling consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence.

Her statement reads: "I recently received an e-mail regarding your alliance with the WWE. The e-mail pointed out the "fat jokes" about Vickie Guerrero. Wrestling as I perceive it consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence to settle conflicts. How does this fit with your mission to `Show Tolerance and Respect?' Are you saying this behavior is alright for entertainment value? As an employee of a member organization listed on your website, your questionable judgment reflects poorly, not only on you, but on all the organizations listed there.

"As an organization whose mission is to prevent violence and bullying, we must be careful who we partner with and what messages that partnership sends. As we look for funding, ways to market our mission, and new partnerships, we must remain aware of the cultural forces that impact those that we serve. Furthermore, we must be sensitive not to promote the very negative behaviors that we have spent our professional lives trying to prevent. I fail to see how an alliance with the WWE will do that. We must be aware that in our business, as in life, actions speak louder than words. The WWE may, in principal, be against bullying and the violence that so often accompanies it, however, the very nature of the business is not conducive to a culture of inclusion and peace that we here at the Council for Unity seek to create. To that end, we respectfully request the removal of our organization from your web site."

WWE and The Creative Coalition teamed up for a party centered around SummerSlam and the "be a STAR" initiative last Thursday in Los Angeles, California promoting anti-bullying. Contrary to the campaign, Jerry Lawler made jokes concerning Guerrero's weight days later on RAW while she occupied the announce booth for a segment.

LIVE EVENT CANCELATIONS, JOSE VARGAS, WWE SUPERSTARS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- This Sunday's SmackDown live event in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada has been canceled. This means that neither brand will have an event that day since the RAW house show was also cancelled.

Meanwhile, Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston are advertised as a tag team for Friday's and Saturday's Raw live events in Saskatchewan.

-- Jose Vargas, Brodus Clay's opponent on this week's episode of WWE Superstars, is California based independent wrestler Orion. He competes for Legion Championship Wrestling.

-- This week's episode of WWE Superstars has been posted online, which features Zack Ryder squaring off against Drew McIntyre in the main event. Other matches include Santino Marella vs. Primo, Wade Barrett vs. Trent Barreta and Brodus Clay against a local competitor. You can watch the episode at WWE.com.

SMACKDOWN LIVE ON SYFY -- AUGUST 30TH, 2011 (AIRDATE)

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Syfy and WWE announced yesterday its first ever WWE Smackdown live special, SuperSmackdown Live, on Tuesday, August 30 at 8-10PM/ET on Syfy, originating from the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

The reason for the schedule change is because the original September 2 air date falls on Labor Day weekend. Officials are anticipating a poor rating for that day and therefore the show will air three days earlier.

This is similar to WWE airing SmackDown! live on the USA Network on a weekend when the usual SyFy rating was expected to be down because of the holidays.

FUTURE ENDEAVOR TRADEMARK, SIN CARA CLEARANCE, LINDA MCMAHON

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- WWE recently filed a trademark for "Future Endeavors" for the on-screen character of John Laurinaitis.

-- As a reminder, Sin Cara is technically cleared from his WWE suspension today.

-- The Wall Street Journal featured an article on Linda McMahon and her attempts to soften her image and distance herself from WWE. This is in anticipation for another run at the United States Senate in 2012.

APOLOGY

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

I want to take the time and apologize to those that have been checking out my site. It hasn't been updated in quite some time now. There's been a lot of things going on and I'm supposed to have a few people helping me out with updates but that appears to not be happening. I'm in the midst of getting new staff so, we'll still be experiencing technical difficulities for a while. Sorry. But, I'm going to do my best with it apparently being just me. Thanks for understanding!

VARIOUS NEWS UPDATES: THE MIZ, EDGE, JR, HOGAN AND MORE

-- Because he was shooting for a role on USA"s Psych, The Miz was off of the house shows on Friday and Saturday.

-- There is an interview with Edge talking about his work on SyFy's Haven series. To view it, click here

-- Jim Ross posted a new blog on his website. One notable line was: "Who is the anonymous Raw General Manager? I still don't know and I still don't care. Next." To read it, visit http://www.JRSBARBQ.com/

-- Hulk Hogan's Micro Championship Wrestling will have a show in Bismarck, North Dakota on August 9t at 9 PM. The promotion's reality series will begin its run on TruTV on September 14th at 10 PM.

JOHN CENA RESPONDS TO WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII MATCH BEING IN JEOPARDY

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

John Cena responded to rumors of his scheduled match with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII being in jeopardy.

A fan asked, "Any truth to the rumours that a top WWE exec wants your match with The Rock removed from the WM 28 card?"

He responded, "none at all. That match needs to happen. If they kick us out we will fight.in parking lot."

Last week a high-ranking executive with great influence over Vince McMahon started lobbying for the match in Rock's hometown of Miami, Florida to be canceled. The executive is concerned that WWE's premiere star, Cena, will be heavily booed during the biggest show of the year.

INJURY UPDATES ON ZIGGLER AND MYSTERIO

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Ziggler suffered a abdominal muscle at Friday's RAW live event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same night, Mysterio suffering a knee injury, leading to the early stoppage of a bout with Alberto Del Rio. He limped to the back afterward.

Mysterio participated in an injury angle at last night's RAW live event in Fresno, California as he was attacked by Alberto Del Rio and R-Truth prior to his match with the second generation Mexican wrestler. Del Rio put the cross arm-breaker on Mysterio, and was subsequently assisted to the back by personnel. Meanwhile, Ziggler worked lightly during his match against Alex Riley as there was much stalling.

Both wrestlers are expected to work around their respective injuries and rest up as much as they can this week in Los Angeles leading into next Sunday's SummerSlam pay-per-view event.

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer

CHANGES WITHIN WWE AND TRYOUTS COMNG

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- With WWE in the West Coast for SummerSlam this week, company officials are holding a three day series of tryouts for potential wrestlers in California. In an update on this, WWE will reportedly be looking at wrestlers they've used as extras in the past, as well as others that have been invited.

-- The documentary Memphis Heat - The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' will be released on DVD on October 1st. For more details, go to http://www.memphis-heat.com/

-- WWE has been making a number of changes internally with Triple H's new talent recruiting division. Ty Bailey and Mark Carrano are now working directly with HHH and there is now a writer assigned specifically to work with HHH on development of new television characters and their introductions.

Partial Source: Pwinsider

WWE Summer Cleaning/Future Endevoars

After holding their 2nd quarter finnacial report recently it is not surprising that WWE is making some roster cuts. So far today there appears to have been 5 with possibly more to come.

DH Smith (heavily rumored but not confirmed by WWE.com yet)
Gail Kim (asked for her release/quit)
Melina
Chris Masters
Vladamir Koslov

Most of them haven't been doing much recently besides wrestling on Superstars or Diva battle royales. Gail Kim rolled out of the ring eliminating herself, last Monday supposedly in protest of being told to go out there and be out of the ring in a minute.

We'll keep you posted with anymore releases later today.

Upcoming WWE DVDs and Blu rays

Here is are the DVD/Blu Rays WWE has planned for the next few months

OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History August 23
Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator September 6
The Ladder Match 2: Crash & Burn October 11
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart October 25

All 4 titles are being released on DVD and Blu Ray. The Blu rays will include exclusive extras. The only upcoming PPV that will be released on Blu Ray is SummerSlam. WWE had started releasing all of their PPVs on Blu Ray but due to low sales have decided to only release the cornerston PPVs on Blu Ray for the time being.

Also in the works is the definitive Steve Austin set which is claiming to be the final Austin DVD and be 4-5 DVDs and will also be on blu ray. Along with tons of matches this will have a bunch of interviews and a tour of his ranch. This is scheduled to be their big holiday release scheduled for mid-December.

Other DVDs currently in the works
Austin/Rock Rivalary (rumored to be pushed back to March 2012 to play off of Rock headling Wrestlemania 28)
A New Triple H 3 dvd/2 blu ray set (this is rumored to be their Black Friday release coming out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
Million Dollar Man (this was originally scheduled for June but got pushed back Interviews and a documentary have already been filmed)
Gorgeous George (this will most likely be tied into the theatrical release of a movie about his life the WWE is working on.

DVDs being discussed but not yet in production
New Edge set with documentary (most likely being saved for 2013 with WM29 in Toronto Edge will most likely go into the hall of fame and this dvd will most likely come out then.

Brock Lesner (Heyman and Lesner have had discussions with Vince/WWE in the past few months about merchandising one would expect this to include a classic action figure and dvd/blu ray. Dana White was also at the WWE office recently it may have been to come to an agreement to make a DVD. UFC and WWE releasing best of Brock dvd/blu's the same time would be big sellers, but if somehow they made an agreement to release it as one set that could be huge!

War Games ( fans have been asking for this for ages, the WCW Nitro was the 2nd best selling non-ppv release by WWE in the past 2 years so they are definitely planning to release more WCW content. With the recent best of cage matches set we probably won't see this until next Summer. WWE has been releasing a cage match set on average of every 12-18 months.

Smackdown: The Best of 2010/11
Best of 2011 PPV matches
Shelved at this time
Raw: The Best of Seasons 3 & 4 shelved due to poor sales of Raw: best of Seasons 1 & 2
Nitro: Best of seasons 1 & 2 (converted to a Best of that covered the entire 1995-2001 run)
Goldberg (This was being planned for a March release when WWE hoped to put Goldberg into the Hall of Fame this year, when that didn't happen the DVD was shelved.


Partial credit: wwedvdnews.com

WWE MANAGAMENT AND TYLER REKS NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- WWE producer Kevin Dunn sold 20,172 shares of company stock this past week for $203,132. He still owns $1,457,087 worth of stock. John Laurinaitis sold $81,587 worth of stock this past week and still has $607,919 worth. Also this past week, Triple H was awarded 5,000 shares of stock worth $50,500. Stephanie McMahon currently has 51,945 shares of WWE stock worth $524,644.

-- Tyler Reks, who has portrayed a heel character since debuting last October on the SmackDown! brand, went on Twitter to defend himself for congratulating Rey Mysterio on his WWE Championship victory on Monday's RAW.

Reks wrote, "Lotta talk about me celebrating Rey's win with everyone last night. Bottom line is that Rey is my friend & I wanted to say congrats. No crime in that."

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

SIX DIFFERENT SCRIPTS FOR RAW!

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

As everyone knows by now, this past Monday's RAW featured the first night that Triple H was "in charge" as well as the returns of John Morrison, Jim Ross and CM Punk.

We noted earlier here on the website that RAW was completely re-written prior to the show going live. In an update on this, there were actually SIX different scripts for RAW that had been circulating throughout the day. One of those scripts had Triple H laying out CM Punk with a pedigree. Of course, that didn't happen. This just goes to show you how much things change on a daily basis in WWE.

As most would assume, the obvious scenario would be to really push CM Punk to the top considering his recent storyline angle and fan interest. With that being said, most of the RAW scripts were not about having CM Punk go over. They were more about pushing Triple H's new "authority figure" role. Surprised?!

As noted, the original RAW script called for CM Punk to be attacked by Triple H with a pedigree. Alberto Del Rio would then have come out and cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase against John Cena at SummerSlam. This would have put Triple H over as a major heel and then led to a storyline with CM Punk.

Of course, all scripts besides one were scrapped and that's what you saw on Monday night.

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

NEWS ON WWE PERSONALITIES -- JOHN LAURANITIS AND HARLEY RACE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race is advertised to host SmackDown live events on August 27th, 28th and 29th in the state of Missouri as WWE stops in Cape Girardeau, Springfield and St. Joseph.

-- A profile on John Laurinaitis, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, has been added to the Alumni section on WWE.com.

Contrary to CM Punk's derisive remarks concerning the corporate executive during a pseudo-shoot promo last month on RAW, Laurinaitis is referred as "a respected WWE employee" in his bio. His previous life as "a successful sports-entertainer" in both Japan and the United States is also acknowledged.

MICK FOLEY/WWE, BIG SHOW TAKING TIME OFF AND SHEAMUS NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- We can now confirm that Mick Foley and WWE are in negotiations for a return. More as we get it.

-- According to a backstage source, The Big Show is currently set to take several months off to rest his body. Big Show is 39 years old and is to the point where he is going to take time off from time to time for the benefit of his long-term health.

-- Sheamus will be turning babyface in the near future. He'll be working a program with Mark Henry.

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

NEW JR BLOG IS ONLINE -- HIS RETURN, SCSA AND A LOT MORE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Jim Ross posted a new blog on his website, and covered a bunch of topics. Below are some of the highlights:

On his Return to RAW: "I arrived at the Hampton Coliseum after the matches had started Monday night and stayed on a TV crew bus until just moments before I was introduced by HHH. Sort of flew by the seat of my pants for the broadcast which keeps one of their toes. Bottom line is that I had a blast and can't wait to do it again next week even though I fully realize that Michael Cole won't make things easy at the announce table."

On the Thesz/Gragos Museum: "BTW...if you're ever traveling and you can make it by the Dan Gable Museum/Lou Thesz-George Tragos Museum in Waterloo, Iowa make sure that you stop and take the tour. The facility has some cool memorabilia and one of a kind items that chronicle the history of the sport of amateur wrestling and the business of pro wrestling."

On Austin vs. Punk: "Do I think an Austin vs. Punk match would ever happen? Same old story, never say never. Punk would love it and Austin likely would as well if all the pieces fell into place such as Steve's professional schedule, etc. I don't know the answer but right now I'd say it's somewhat of a long shot."

To read the entire blog, go to http://www.jrsbarbq.com/

THE KINGS OF WRESTLING ARE WWE BOUND

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- Multiple sources believe Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, who perform as The Kings of Wrestling for Ring of Honor, will conclude their obligations with the organization next month and join WWE immediately thereafter.

Though they are advertised for the August 13th Ring of Honor television taping in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, one source says it's possible they will debut for WWE—bypassing developmental—before the end of the month. There are also rumors that they could be involved in CM Punk's current storyline.

Source: The Wrestling Observer

MORE CM PUNK NEWS -- CONTRACT SPOILER

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- During Triple H's promo that was taped at the SmackDown! tapings, he stated specifically that he had "re-signed Punk late Monday night".

-- Kenneth sent this one in: Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" is currently number 51 on iTunes in the UK. It wasn't within the top 150 at all yesterday lunchtime.

-- CM Punk's appearance on the BS Report with Bill Simmons is now online. You can listen to the show at http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantland/player?id=6808291

-- The Peoria Journal Star has an article up on CM Punk being added to the house shows this weekend, which you can read at http://blogs.pjstar.com/

Partial Source: Pwinsider

VARIOUS MICK FOLEY NEWS -- WWE RETURN?

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- On August 4th, Mick Foley will do stand up comedy at McGuire's in Bohemia, Long Island, NY. He will also do his act during the Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos weekend in August.

-- Photos have surfaced online of Mick Foley purportedly leaving last night's SmackDown taping at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Hardcore Legend was asked on Twitter earlier this week if he would be returning to WWE. Foley replied, "VERY soon, but just as a fan. I'm taking my kids to a show this summer - they are HUGE fans."

-- Fans once again asked Foley today if he would consider a return to WWE, and his response was, "considering it right now."

THE WWE'S NEW SURVEY, VICKIE GUERRERO AND RAW NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- WWE has sent out a new survey to fans on their mailing list. They wanted feedback on Monday's RAW, PPV prices, interest in Summerslam, Rock vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania, whether NXT is watched online, WWE.com and WWE's Facebook Page and of course, they asked how interested fans were in the return of the WWE Ice Cream Bars.

-- Monday's RAW featured 40 minutes and 6 seconds of in-ring action. That is up from the previous week.

-- Vickie Guerrero will make an appearance at the SmackDown! Live Event in Amarillo, TX on September 24th instead of Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes will be appearing at the RAW live event the previous night in Albuquerque, NM.

CM PUNK --- ESPN INTERVIEW

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

CM PUNK appeared on the BS Report radio show this wee, hosted by ESPN's Bill Simmons. You can listen to audio of the interview at ESPN.com. Here's a recap of what CM Punk said about:

Why he returned so soon:

It would be cool to stay off television for a while but SummerSlam is now and he wanted to capitalize on the momentum of the angle. He enjoys working with John Cena and likes their feud. He still loves what he does.

Wrestlers boring him:

He grew very bored of pro wrestling and still is at times. Certain guys on the roster do the same thing day-in and day-out and that's not him. He questions everything and tries new things - and whatever he's doing right now is working.

His epic shoot promo on RAW several weeks ago:

He knew WWE would cut him off at some point - but he wanted to push the envelope as much as he could. It was not scripted - everything he said was from the heart. He understood certain things are off limits - and he did go too far with a few of his comments.

Whether he was really leaving WWE:

His mind was made up to leave WWE. He made the decision to stay in WWE the day of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. He wasn't playing games or trying to get more money from WWE - he was very burnt out and spent a lot of time weighing his options.

His new theme song "Cut of Personality":

He's a big advocate of wrestlers changing their characters - their look, their music, etc. It was time to change. It probably cost WWE a lot of money to license the song and he's worth it.

* LISTEN HERE: "Cult of Personality"

MARYSE AND HER STALKER

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

WWE's Maryse has asked a judge for protection from a crazed fan. Maryse has filed a request for a permanent restraining order against 61-year-old Lee Silber. She claims that he has sent "numerous terrifying letters to my home and left more than 50 voicemails on my personal cell phone all of which are extremely disturbing and delusional."

Maryse goes on to claim that she has received letters from Silber, and in the letters, he states that he will, "not only give you a check for $100,000, but give you a 100 carat diamond ring worth $20,000,000 to prove I am your friend." Maryse says that the messages and letters have gotten scarier over the last few weeks, noting that he says he will "come to LA for me" and that he will, "take me to heaven with him."

In the filed documents, Maryse states that. "I fear for my life." She also explained that she had beefed up her security, and noted that Silber is a, "crazy stalker ... who needs to either be in a psychiatric hospital or jail!" Maryse will return to court on August 3rd to deal with the situation.

STATE OF THE 'E: A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

 One of my first blogs was "A Spring/Summer To Be Leary Of" and I focused on the problems of Spring and what they could do to fix their problems leading into the Summer. They fixed all of that and have been producing some of the best television around.
Now, I said a few weeks ago that I felt a change coming to THE 'E and everyone just wanted to sit there and laugh. I said that I was going to invest fully into this, that I knew they were going to steer us in the right direction. I knew that there was going to be amazing swerves and an awesome Summer coming along. The get it, they messed up last year when they "dropped the ball" with The Nexus. They knew they had to do something great with the summer of 2011. And they're doing it now.

1.) THE CM PUNK ANGLE -- What started as a head scratching segment that people didn't know what was going on, no one knew what to expect, everyone was going crazy over it. They continued to pique our intrest week in and week out for the last month. They've made everything worth while from the "shoot" interview, to him being suspended, to the VKM segment, to him finally winning the Championship and walking out.

Now, we have him coming back with Championship in hand looking at Cena for a match to determine the REAL Champion... even though Cena literally ran away from him. Great mixture of real life/kayfabe here, many things are going on and we are realistically up in the air on this one. The only way this will end badly is if Cena is victorious. But then ask yourself this, even if Cena is victorious, would it make it a horrible angle?

2.) THE RETIREMENT OF VKM/HAITCH BECOMING "THE MAN" -- This may still be a few years off in real time but in the world of television, it's now. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is finally done. Kaput. No longer in charge of WWE TV. The implications of this is definitely far reaching. Haitch is now the shot caller, when he himself was a rebel and against the establishment during his career. Now he is the establishment.

It's literally a case of "The Inmate Running The Asylum". The way this plays out is still TBD but still, the beginning of this angle has been brilliant with two Championship matches in one night, two Champions and everything inbetween JR coming back and Morrison too. I'm glued to the TV now waiting to see how all of it plays out from week to week.

3.) THE RETURN OF "WRESTLING" -- Two weeks ago they gave us a show with literally nothing but wrestling, two hours of a Tournament. A Tournament. They haven't had one of those in forever. And we were treated to a lot of good matches all in one night. And this week we were treated to a few more great matches this past Monday as well.

With CM Punk coming back and Daniel Bryan Danielson winning MitB things are definitely looking up. Not to mention "The Kings Of Wrestling" are bypassing FCW an main rostering it. You already have Bourne, Ziggler, McIntyre, and a slew of others who can actually "wrestle". It seems to be more of a focus again and especially on shows like RAW and SMACKDOWN! as well.

4.) BRINGING BACK THE "SWERVE" -- The last two Monday's there have been significant swerves during RAW. When VKM retired, when Morrison and JR returned and even when Punk cam back. No one. NO ONE expected all of that to happen in the course of a couple weeks. Not to mention all of the swerves leading up to Money In The Bank. Not to mention now we have two WWE Champions. I don't think there's been a time where we've actually had this going on in the WWE.

I for one am very apprecitave that they brought this back. It's proof that you don't need "Crash TV"  to make something good. The blood, and "ultra-violence" is not needed you know? This has been compelling for almost 2 months now. And I for one don't see it stopping at any time either.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm happy with the current television product THE 'E is putting out there right now. Like I said above, you dont need "Crash TV" to provide interesting TV. They have all of the formula's in place like I hoped they would. They've utilized the internet with CM Punk invading Comic-Con, and also with Ryder on his YouTube, and all of the other SuperStars coming forward to use it as well. Many things are on the horizon and I'm glad I put all of my eggs into one basket this time around. I knew a while ago that it was a good idea to invest with THE 'E this Summer and the majority of you scoffed at me for predicting that they'd do well.

I'm not going to say I told you so but I am going to say that hopefully people are getting the word out and that the resurgence will happen. With the actualality of "Professional Wrestling" coming back into the forefront and with them pushing guys that aren't 'roided up or even just muscle bound taking up the main even scene, it's very refreshing. The new crop may be smaller but in all honesty, that's a good thing. They look more human than cartoon character. They look more relatable. I understand you need the musclebound freak-o as well but at least they're not as dominant anymore.

I'm standing by their side like I've done for the last 20 odd years and I'm wondering how many more will do the same. They're quickly becoming "The Cult Of Personality"
As usual, please leave comments, questions, suggestions, reamings down below and if you have something you want answered or discussed e-mail me at: stateofthee@gmail.com

CURRENT PLANS THROUGH THE FALL

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Alberto Del Rio has once again been victimized by WWE's haphazard booking as his long planned match with John Cena at SummerSlam was nixed hours before Monday night's RAW telecast in Hampton, Virginia.

Creative overhauled the match line-up for SummerSlam Monday afternoon after deeming their creative plans for CM Punk for the event as "awful." Del Rio was effectively removed from the title picture as a result. WWE's braintrust felt that had Punk not been slotted in the title match, his much talked about storyline would extinguish.

Though Del Rio had the rug pulled out from under him once again, creative has the 34-year-old pegged for a title run this fall. WWE announced today they will present a landmark tour across Mexico this October and a number of high ranking officials feel the countryman returning as a conquering hero will garner a great deal of media attention.

Meanwhile, The Miz was at one point scheduled to reign supreme in the WWE Championship Tournament on RAW. Creative later changed their mind and the WWE Championship was awarded to Rey Mysterio, who got to hold the belt for approximately an hour and a half.

Source: The Wrestling Observer

CM PUNK'S SCHEDULE + SNUKA @ A PHILLIES GAME

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- CM Punk is now added to the RAW Live Events this weekend in Illinois. The Rockford MetroCentre website is advertising a Champion vs. Champion main event between Punk and John Cena, which means it will likely be the main event for the other two shows.

-- Following the events this weekend, CM Punk is only scheduled for RAW tapings. They are not advertising him for SummerSlam or any other PPV's.

-- Jimmy Snuka was spotted at the Philadelphia Phillies game today. He was photographed in the dugout before the game.

Credit: Devin Cutting

WWE SMACKDOWN! *SPOILERS* -- JULY 29TH, 2011

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

HHH starts off the show in the ring talking about the title situation on Raw. He is interrupted by Christian who welcomes him to SD. HHH says its a slap in the face to interrupt him & tells him at SummerSlam he'll be defending his title against Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match.
R-Truth comes out & says he followed HHH from Raw & talks about the conspiracy against him. HHH makes a match for tonight, R-Truth vs. Orton. He tells Christian he brought someone from Raw to face him, John Morrison. They have a good match, Christian wins with his finisher.

Backstage Teddy Long is with HHH & Zack Ryder interrupts them. HHH says he's gotta take a call but appoints Ryder as Teddy's assistant.

Wade Barrett is in the ring talking about how he should have won MITB & gotten a WrestleMania paycheck, not Daniel Bryan. Bryan interrupts & says he's gonna main event Mania. Barrett attacks him. Bryan is able to get the LaBell lock on him, Barrett taps & Bryan lets him go.

Backstage Mark Henry walks into Long's office & wants a match. Long says no one wants to get in the ring w/ him after what he did to Big Show & Kane. Ryder says he'll find him an opponent.

Tamina, Rosa & Alicia Fox def Kaitlyn, AJ & Natalya.

Video package on Justin Gabriel is shown (highlights of WWE's recent tour of South Africa).

Mark Henry defeated local guy Bobby Howard. After the match he tries to attack him with a chair but Long comes out & stops him. He says there's already one lawsuit pending & he'll find him competition. Sheamus comes out & says if he wants competition he'll fight him & slaps him. Henry goes after him but Sheamus throws him over top rope. Sheamus tries to hit him w/ chair but Henry leaves.

New Nexus defeated The Usos in a title match, so they kept the titles.

Backstage Ryder tells Long he made a match for tonight, Ezekiel Jackson vs. Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes in a handicap match.

Backstage Striker interviews R-Truth. Truth says he's ready for his match with Orton tonight.

Cody & DiBiase def Zeke.

Jinder Mahal & The Great Khali appear in crowd & talk Indian to the crowd so I don't know what was said. Everyone booed.

In the main event, Truth beat Orton via DQ.

Credit: Billy Krotchsen/Pwinsider

WWE PRESSER: WWE IN MEXICO

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

WWE issued the following press release for their upcoming Mexican tour. It's worth nothing that Sin Cara is advertised for the tour:

MEXICO, July 26, 2011 – WWE announced today they will present live events in six cities across Mexico from Oct. 12-15 with the WWE World Tour. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 26 at 11:00 a.m. local time.

This landmark WWE World Tour will bring the first ever WWE TV tapings to Mexico City and WWE debut live events to Merida, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz.

Don’t miss WWE Superstars John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Sin Cara, Kelly Kelly, and many more in Mexico this October.

Event Line-up

-- Wednesday, October 12: Raw in Monterrey

-- Thursday, October 13: Raw in Merida
-- Thursday, October 13: Smackdown in Monterrey

-- Friday, October 14: Raw in Puebla
-- Friday, October 14: Smackdown in San Luis Potosi

-- Saturday, October 15: Raw TV taping in Mexico City
-- Saturday, October 15: Smackdown in Veracruz

-- Sunday, October 16: Smackdown TV taping in Mexico City

CM PUNK MERCHANDISE

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

On the WWEShop.com website, all of the CM Punk items that they offer are either out of stock and backordered or completely sold out.

The T-Shirt CM Punk donned at Money in the Bank, "Best in the World," is now on sale via WWEShop.com. The shirt has been slightly modified from the original sold at the pay-per-view event as the date of 7/17/11 and "Chicago" have been removed. The original shirt is a hot seller on eBay, regularly fetching between $300 and $500. Some sellers have even manufactured counterfeits.

A BUNCH OF CM PUNK NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- Dave Lagana sent out he following today… "I'm a Paul Heyman Guy!" CM Punk – 6/27/11 Monday Night Raw. That one line in Punk's promo kicked off this whirlwind ride we're on in the "Summer of Punk" story. This period is being talked about as having lead to resurgence of interest in pro wrestling. Over the next three days, I'm going to look back at three different periods in 2007 when CM Punk became the center piece of the ECW Brand. These stories will shine a little light on the frustration surrounding Punk's early run in WWE. This article looks at the time period around the ECW PPV December to Dismemeber including how Heyman wanted to book Punk, how the agents did book Punk against Hardcore Holly and the WWE Hall of Famer who spoke up to save Punk. Read the whole article at http://iwantwrestling.com/

-- Highspots.com has released a "Best of CM Punk DVD," which features his work in IWA Mid-South.

JOHN CENA'S RECORD AND WWE DVD NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century is officially out today on DVD and Blu-ray. Twenty of the greatest WWE Superstars of the new millenium are profiled including Chris Jericho, Edge, Triple H, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Kane, Kurt Angle, The Rock, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Trish Stratus, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero Shawn Michaels, Booker T, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and John Cena.

-- John Cena has now held the WWE Championship a record nine times following his title victory last night on RAW . The previous record holder was Triple H, who held the WWE Championship on eight occasions.

If Cena holds the belt through Thursday, he will move past Pedro Morales into fourth place as most combined days as WWE Champion at 1028.

ROH NEWS: RESIGNED ADAM COLE AND KYLE O'REILLY

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

ROH has announced that they have re-signed Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly. Here is the announcement…

Ring of Honor officials are happy to announce that two more athletes have signed on the dotted line with ROH. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly, fresh off the biggest weekend of their careers at "Tag Team Turmoil 2011" & "No Escape", have put their signature to paper and have re-signed with ROH.

Cole & O'Reilly recently earned a future Tag Team Title opportunity in Richmond, VA with their victory over The Bravados in the Tag Contenders Lottery, and proved their mettle against The American Wolves the following night in Charlotte, NC. Unfortunately O'Reilly suffered an accidental injury at the hands of Eddie Edwards in that match, and had been ordered to rest it.

"Adam and Kyle have proven themselves against the best teams in ROH this year." stated Executive Producer Jim Cornette, "With their fights against The Briscoes, the Kings, Haas & Benjamin, and the Wolves…not to mention earning themselves a title shot, Cole and O'Reilly are poised to make 2011 their year here in ROH."

Cole & O'Reilly are scheduled to be in action when ROH returns to Chicago Ridge, IL on August 13th for our 1st ever SBG TV Tapings and Kyle assures ROH officials that he will be 100% and ready to go in time for that historic date. Tickets for that live event can be found here, http://www.rohstore.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=201, and keep an eye on ROHWrestling.com for all the details about the TV Tapings!

AFTER RAW, JR'S BLOG, SMACKDOWN! AND UNDERTAKER NEWS

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

-- After RAW went off the air, John Cena left the ring and left CM Punk alone. Punk then grabbed the mic and stated, "I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!"

-- WWE tapes SmackDown!, NXT and Superstars in Philadelphia, PA tonight.

-- Final Destination 5 is doing a promotional tie-in on WWE.com, and are sponsoring clips of the 25 greatest Undertaker moments.

-- Jim Ross has a new blog up, which you can read at http://www.jrsbarbq.com/

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW RESULTS -- JULY 25TH, 2011

POSTED BY: ROBERT WOODWARD JR.

Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, July 25th, 2011 (USA Network)
Location: The Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia
Results by Thomas Hall of 411 Wrestling

“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”

We immediately open the show with the WWE Championship match! Not a bad way to get going.

WWE Championship Tournament Final: Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz

Most of the roster is watching in the back. Big match intros occur as they should. Feeling out process to start and Rey takes over with some speed. Miz counters a rana to launch Rey into the top turnbuckle to change momentum. It's probably a good thing that they waited a week to let them rest up. Corner clothesline gets two for Miz. Knee to the ribs gets the same.

Miz sends him to the floor and adds a baseball slide to keep Rey down. The fans are totally behind Rey here as is probably expected. With Rey on the apron facing down Miz misses a kick but gets sent into the steps shoulder first. Both guys are down as we take a break. Back with Miz holding a chinlock and the third anti-politics line from the announcers. Miz takes him to the corner but Rey fights him off and goes up.

Seated senton hits and Rey speeds things up. Springboard spinning cross body gets two. Miz drills him in the ribs but a sunset flip doesn't work. Rey can't kick him in the head with that swinging kick and Miz grabs a DDT for two. A big boot gets the same. It's been about 80-90% Miz in this match. Victory roll gets two for the masked man. A dropkick to the knee looks to set up the 619 but Miz ducks.

Miz tries a powerbomb near the ropes but Rey counters into another rana attempt. That doesn't work as Miz hits a pretty sweet slingshot sitout powerbomb for a close two. Miz loads up the Finale but Rey climbs up onto the corner and elbows his way out of it. He gets caught in the Tree of Woe though and Miz drives in some knees. A charging knee hits the buckle though and Rey hits a rana to set up the 619. Top rope splash gives Rey the title clean at 13:20.

Rey Mysterio The Miz @ 13:20 - Top rope splash

Rating: B-. Not bad here but it wasn't quite epic or anything. This felt like any TV main event. It's a good match but Rey just hit his finishers and won the title. I did like the selling of the knee from last week which is a very nice touch. Either way, good stuff here and fine for a TV title match.

Post match Rey gets kneed in the back and HERE'S ALBERTO TO CASH IN! Rey dives on him though and Alberto picks up his case and runs. That wasn't a cash-in he says due to the bell never ringing. That's true so it makes sense.

HHH will give a State of the WWE Address tonight.

The roster congratulates Rey in the back and he gets champagne poured on him. Cena, who looks like a foot taller than Rey, shakes his hand and says good job. Rey says it was worth it and that he's going home to his family with the gold.

We get a shortened version of HHH and Vince last night.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Evan Bourne

Dolph has a new somewhat slower rock version of his theme. Pretty sure this is non-title. Yeah it's non-title. Bourne gets a shot to the head to send Dolph to the floor for a bit. Back in the ring Dolph avoids an enziguri and hits a Fameasser for two. Dropkick gets the same and we're off to a chinlock. Splash misses in the corner and here comes Bourne. Jerry makes what is I believe the fourth political/Obama reference of the night. Shooting Star misses and there's the Zig Zag. No cover though as he puts on the sleeper and we're done at 3:27.

Dolph Ziggler b. Evan Bourne @ 3:27 - Sleeper

Rating: C. This was fine. This is also what Ziggler needs: wins over guys that he should be able to beat where he has to work a bit to get them. Not every match with a midcard champion has to result in an upset. You get an ok match out of it and Ziggler looks a bit more credible. Nothing to complain about there.

Kofi vs. Alberto tonight.

The Keith Stone beer guy hits on the Bellas and uses a marker to tell them apart. The other isn't happy and now there's a full tattoo on his arm.

Maryse/Melina vs. Kelly Kelly/Eve Torres

At least they all look good. Eve and Maryse start and Eve hits a downward spiral and then dances before trying a standing moonsault for two. Maryse gives her a Stinkface and Kelly comes in. Everything breaks down and Melina misses a charge, allowing the K2 to end it at 2:51. Thank goodness I don't have to rate it. Match was AWFUL but the girls looked good.

Kelly Kelly/Eve Torres b. Melina/Maryse @ 2:51 - K2 to Melina

R-Truth is talking to HHH and we can't hear what's being said. The Address is next and there's a major return promised.

Cee Lo Green will be performing at Summerslam. Because all the other concerts at wrestling events have gone so well you know?

Here's HHH and it's time for the State of the WWE Address. This place is awesome and let's thank Vince for it. However he's not here to talk about the past but rather the futuer. Tonight there's a new WWE Champion and his name is Rey Mysterio. However, tonight there's going to be ANOTHER WWE Championship match tonight. Rey is going to defend against.....John Cena. Oh dear.

Also there has been someone who the WWE Universe has been asking about all week. Cue CM Punk's chant. Someone is coming back to Raw tonight.....and it's not Punk. Cue JR of all people who is back on Raw. Cole throws down his headset and stands on the announce table as JR is next to King. Cole talks to HHH and says JR is the walking dead, not the future. He's done everything the company has asked for but the one thing he won't do is sit there with this hayseed. He makes fun of JR and asks why he's here. JR is fat and his restaurants failed don't you know.

HHH asks if Cole is done. His first inclination was to fire Cole and bring JR back. The problem is that Cole has a huge severance package so it's not worth it to fire him. However, if Cole wants to leave that's cool but he'll be in breach of contract and will forfeit all future earnings. Cole has the rest of the night off and he has until Friday to decide. If he's on Smackdown, he'll keep his job but if he's not there then good luck in your future endeavors. Cole sits down and says he doesn't quit. HHH says not so fast because you have a match tonight.

Cole is told he's next and that his gear is in the back. Here's R-Truth who says it's out with the old and in with the new. He says HHH has been part of the conspiracy since Day One and now HHH is the man. Little Jimmy cost him his match at Capitol Punishment and spiders and heights cost him MITB. Truth wants to know what the boss is going to do about the conspiracy. HHH wants to know who Truth is talking to: him, or the guys next to Truth.

Truth keeps talking to people that aren't there and HHH does the same. Now the invisible people are about to fight. Truth calls HHH crazy and the crowd gets a good laugh out of it. Truth says HHH is the Game but he's not playing. Truth drops the mic and leaves. HHH: "Hey all of you stop!" HHH says he re-signed another guy and he wanted a piece of Truth. Heeeeeeere's Jomo, for some reason not in a shirt. Wait was Morrison fired or something? They fight on the ramp and Morrison takes over, hitting Starship Pain to stand tall.

Here's Michael Cole in HHH attire, complete with King of Kings as his music and a bottle of water. Oh my oh my. He eve does the water spritz. And his opponent is.....

Michael Cole vs. Zack Ryder

Oh my again. JR actually calls Ryder an internet sensation. Rough Ryder and we're done in 28 seconds.

Zack Ryder b. Michael Cole @ :28 - Rough Ryder

Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio

This is a rematch from the tournament last week where Kofi got the clean upset win. Ricardo is back now. Alberto is in white not. He takes Kofi down almost immediately and gets a dropkick to the back of the head for no count. Kofi tries to speed things up and gets a cruficix into a sunset flip position for two. Alberto is sent to the floor and runs as Kofi teases a dive. Kofi is all fired up as we take a break.

Back with Alberto working on the arm. We get a clip from the break of Alberto hitting the running enziguri to Kofi while he was on the top, injuring the arm. Kofi starts his comeback and hits some kicks and a jumping clothesline to set up the Boom Drop which hits. Trouble in Paradise misses and there's the Codebreaker to the arm for two. Pendulum kick by Kofi sets up a victory roll for a VERY close two as Alberto grabs the rope. I thought that was it. Del Rio heads to the floor but catches Kofi with a guillotine over the top. Cross armbreaker goes on and we're done at 7:18.

Alberto Del Rio b. Kofi Kingston @ 7:18 - Cross Armbreaker

Rating: C+. Pretty decent little match here with Del Rio looking dominant again. Last week was a fine example of how you can lose and not lose your heat. Alberto looks fine here and him beating Kofi here is a nice rebound win for him because he did it clean. I hope that's a sign of HHH's time on Raw because sometimes (not always) clean wins are far more helpful than cheating ones.

HHH will be on Smackdown. Awesome.

Miz wants to know why Cena has a title match tonight. He says Cena got all of us into this situation in the first place. Miz thinks things have gone from bad to worse with Cena around now and that Cena should have been fired last week. The face of the WWE has no face. Oh and Miz will be on George Lopez on Wednesday. HHH has made mistakes and Miz isn't thrilled with them.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio

There's a bigger border on the belt now. Cena comes out post break. There's a Divas Battle Royal next week on Raw. Rey gets a kick to the leg to start and there's a second one. They're kind of feeling each other out to start. There are three more of them but Cena runs Rey over with a shoulder block for two. Rey gets a sunset flip kind of move for two and grabs a headlock.

Cena gets a belly to back to escape and gets two at the same time. Rey goes for the knee again but Cena dodges. He misses a charge though and hits the buckle chest first, falling to the floor. The dueling chants begin and Rey hits a springboard flip dive to the floor. Rey speeds things up but gets his head taken off by a clothesline. Back in and Cena gets a waistlock but Rey gets up and hits a DDT for two.

STF doesn't work as Rey gets to the ropes. 619 is caught and Cena tosses him onto his shoulder for that sitout powerslam for two. Here comes Cena's ending sequence but Rey fires off a dropkick to block a shoulder. Nice counter and it's remarkable how few people have blocked that before. Rey tries to speed it up but his spinning cross body is caught in an FU attempt which is also reversed.

Both guys are down and Rey drop toeholds him into the buckle. Seated Senton hits but Cena tries to roll through into the STF. Rey counters into an STF of his own. Cena gets up on one leg into an AA position but the leg gives out and Cena collapses, right into 619 position. It hits this time and Rey goes up top for the splash but it eats knees. Rey tries a rana out of the corner but Cena shoves him off in something resembling a powerbomb.

Cena loads up the top rope Fameasser but it turns into a leg drop on a standing Rey which only gets two. The fans are WAY into this too and I can't blame them as it's been a solid match. Cena sets the AA but Rey elbows out of it. Another 619 is set up but Cena catches him in the AA and is champion again at 12:47. I can live with this I think.

John Cena b. Rey Mysterio @ 12:47 - Attitude Adjustment

Rating: B. Solid stuff here as Cena got to show off his power and how effective it could be. I'm not sure what more they could do given the amount of time they had. Rey's STF was a cool addition which we haven't seen before on Cena, or at least not that I can remember. Good stuff here as both guys usually bring it in big matches.

Cena helps Rey up and celebrates with the title but some music starts up. It's a song called Cult of Personality........PUNK IS BACK! Cena holds up his title. Punk holds up his title. They stare it down as the show ends with Cena leaving.

Overall Rating: A+. This was a pretty excellent episode of Raw. We had history making stuff, a new champion, a pair of returns, no truly bad matches (the boobs and legs of the Divas make up for their weak wrestling) and a good HHH segment. I like where things are going here and things worked well here. This was one of the better Raws in awhile and I liked it quite a bit.

Credit: Thomas Hall

PWI 500 2011 #1 is Awesome

The Miz, who was WWE Champion for 160 days, has been named number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "PWI 500″ list for 2011. The is the 21st list put out annualy every summer by the company. So far only the cover has been revealed. We'll discuss the PWI 500 more indepth when the full list is revealed.