Wrestling Thread Mar 23-29 | 3/23 RAW - Edge vs Big Show; HHH vs Orton/Dibiase

[4wrestling]

So what will get more attention tonight? Pushing towards WrestleMania, or hyping John Cena's crappy WWE-produced movie? If you want to hype the movie,fine, but at least don't show the same two trailers over and over and OVER. And then we'll have to see them again next month when it is already out onDVD.

Does anyone have any real interest in HHH vs Orton? I forget who said in the wrestling thread a few weeks back that they thought HHH/Orton was a better feudthan Michaels/Jericho, but I am officially banning you from wrestling posts for the next 30 days. HHH vs Orton is awful ... no other way to put it. It hashad awful writing and acting (HHH's home invavsion), egotistic angles (HHH destroying Rhodes in the cage), and non-sensical plots (Orton threatening legalaction to cancel WrestleMania). Out of five weeks, there has been ONE single positive segment for this feud, and that was the confrontation between HHH andOrton in the ring a few weeks back. I'll give HHH credit for cutting a great promo, but one single promo does not sell a WrestleMania main event. NowStephanie is back in the mix. God knows that can't make things any better. It's only a matter of time until Vince and Shane are back as well,especially with ratings continuing to plumet (especially for Smackdown). At this point, I have no hope for this match because they haven't given me areason to have any hope. My guess for tonight is HHH probably destroys Ted Dibiase Jr. Or maybe Stephanie will beat up all of Legacy. At this point, Iwouldn't be surpised.

So since I wrote this, they have announced HHH vs Randy Orton and Ted Dibiase in a handicap match. So tonight HHH will not only beat his WrestleManiaopponent, but he will beat him and another wrestler at the same time. Oh, the ego of HHH never ceases to amaze. Stephanie is confirmed back tonight.


Edge takes on The Big Show tonight. Again, we are getting a piece of the WrestleMania main event tonight. Does the WWE even understand booking anymore? Thepurpose of a PPV is to make people want to pay to see a match. When you give away essentially the same match on free TV, there is no reason to buy the PPV. This match has no juice to begin with, and now you are giving away 2/3rds of it tonight. I just don't get it. Yes, it will probably end in a no contest,but still. John Cena will almost definitely not be on Raw tonight because he is filming an episode of Leno tonight. Unless the WWE has some type ofsupersonic jet, it would be almost impossible for him to make the show. That's ok, since he'll still get more airtime than anyone with 12 Roundspreviews.


In what could have been a huge angle/match for the WWE, Chris Jericho will now face three washed up legends at WrestleMania - Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, andJimmy Snuka. Steamboat may still have something in the tank, but we know Piper and Snuka don't. There is still the rumor that the announced match is aswerve because Vince is once again trying to outsmart us Internet fans. The report is Austin may end up showing up this week. However, I find that highlydoubtful at this point. Two weeks of build to Austin vs Jericho, one of the biggest matches of this year's WrestleMania, doesn't make sense. Ofcourse, the WWE has already thrown all logic out the window. Flair is confirmed for Raw tonight. I would much rather see a debate between Jericho and thelegends instead of an actual match. At least then it wouldn't be so painful to see Jericho do the job.


The only match I really care about at WrestleMania of course is Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker. However, once again the build is not doing much for me. We'll see what happens tonight, but it is definitely the names alone that is selling me on this match.


JBL has promised to do something historic at WrestleMania. Well, having Michael Cole break the news of a meaningless match against Rey Mysterio is a goodstart. I have no idea where they are going with this, but personally, I don't really care. Hopefully it is him retiring as Intercontinental Champion. Fire Lawler and get JBL back behind the mic.

More Diva stuff to set up the 25 Diva match at Mania.



My interest in the WWE is at an all-time low. Considering this is supposed to be the strongest time of the year for the WWE, that is a really bad thing. IREALLY wish I got HDNET so I could watch Ring of Honor.

 

[dunksnjordans1992]

should be a good Raww

 

[gabegrams]

HBK vs. Undertaker is WrestleMania.

Undertaker has a streak right ? HBK gonna end it I think like he sent Ric Flair out. I think Undertaker wants out...

I don't look for inside info so if all this is already known or totally wrong, Eh.

 

[blackmamba08]

I think the Jericho vs the 3 washed up legends match has been scrapped, but I could be mistaking.

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

My fault, I didn't know you had the new thread posted up...here's what I wrote as far as the matches for tonight:

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]...so what happened to the whole "we can't touch each other (pause) before Wrestlemania"deal between HHH and Randy Orton? Is this some kind of a joke? Why are Edge and Big Show/Orton and HHH facing each other? You can basically forget DiBiase,he's not going to do anything important tonight...I GUARANTEE you he's only there to get squashed, since Cody Rhodes got it last week. Then HHH says"2 down...1 to go"

. This booking is trash...

It's sad that Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble yet he's being relegated as the prey to HHH being the hunter.....isn't Orton supposed to be thechallenger here? You'd almost think that the WWE TITLE isn't on the line here...wow.

Stephanie is also supposed to return tonight. Whoop di do.[/color]

News & Notes in a few...

Originally Posted by 4wrestling

I forget who said in the wrestling thread a few weeks back that they thought HHH/Orton was a better feud than Michaels/Jericho, but I am officially banning you from wrestling posts for the next 30 days.

 

[dunksnjordans1992]

Originally Posted by iLLoQuent aka DSK

My fault, I didn't know you had the new thread posted up...here's what I wrote as far as the matches for tonight:

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]...so what happened to the whole "we can't touch each other (pause) before Wrestlemania" deal between HHH and Randy Orton? Is this some kind of a joke? Why are Edge and Big Show/Orton and HHH facing each other? You can basically forget DiBiase, he's not going to do anything important tonight...I GUARANTEE you he's only there to get squashed, since Cody Rhodes got it last week. Then HHH says "2 down...1 to go"

. This booking is trash...

It's sad that Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble yet he's being relegated as the prey to HHH being the hunter.....isn't Orton supposed to be the challenger here? You'd almost think that the WWE TITLE isn't on the line here...wow.

Stephanie is also supposed to return tonight. Whoop di do.[/color]

News & Notes in a few...

Originally Posted by 4wrestling

I forget who said in the wrestling thread a few weeks back that they thought HHH/Orton was a better feud than Michaels/Jericho, but I am officially banning you from wrestling posts for the next 30 days.

whatt i didnt even know he was goin for the title i completely forgot he won the rumble

 

[bayburyya]

Originally Posted by 4wrestling

John Cena will almost definitely not be on Raw tonight because he is filming an episode of Leno tonight. Unless the WWE has some type of supersonic jet, it would be almost impossible for him to make the show. That's ok, since he'll still get more airtime than anyone with 12 Rounds previews.

He'll finish second in face time only to HHH.
But as for his movie, those same two trailers really look like 12 Rounds is gonna be pretty wack.

 

[mr whomp whomp]

BlackMamba08 wrote:

---

I think the Jericho vs the 3 washed up legends match has been scrapped, but I could be mistaking.


I hope so, I'm starting to 2nd guess even going to WM at this point

 

[jdcurt2]

Gonna get a late start because of the UK game but Raw better be better than last week or they can kiss my $50 goodbye

 

[barack 0drama]

I think it's long overdue for Legacy to get one-up on HHH...

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

News & Notes


Stone Cold Steve Austin was asked to do the match vs. Chris Jericho...but rejected it.

- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was asked to do the match against Chris Jericho but rejected the offer, telling WWE officials he would need 3-4 months of in-ring training. Austin rejected WWE's pitch before they released the WrestleMania 25 promotional poster that included him, but the company released it any way.

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]I'm surprised he actually said what he said...so if the 'E would have had long-term plans andplanned accordingly like any respectable major business does...we would have had Austin vs. Jericho instead of this hogwash. Ugh.

[/color]


Chris Jericho vs. Legends match possibly changed?

Chris Jericho's WrestleMania plans may have changed. WWE has pulled the advertising for the 3-on-1 match that was originally scheduled to be Chris Jericho facing Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, & "Rowdy" Roddy Piper with Ric Flair in their corner and Mickey Rourke at ringside. It appears there has been a change in creative plans and more will be learned regarding the WrestleMania plans for Jericho on tonight's edition of Raw.

The original plan was for Jericho to take on Mickey Rourke in a celebrity angle but Rourke's people decided against it. As far as I know Rourke will still be at the show.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- WWE creative is working on several possible scenarios for Chris Jericho's role at WrestleMania 25. With under two weeks until the big show, plans are changing on a regular basis and Vince is still keeping mosts of the important details to himself. While the current plan is for Chris Jericho to wrestle several legends at WrestleMania and for Mickey Rourke to deliver a "knockout" punch to Jericho, the fact you're reading this news here is a sign that Vince may change his mind once again to keep people guessing.[/font]

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]I hope so...[/color]


Major Spoiler regarding 25 Diva Royal Rumble at Wrestlemania; Who is expected to win and be crowned Miss Wrestlemania.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

WNW has learned that Trish Stratus is scheduled to compete in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 featuring current and past WWE Divas. While plans such as this change all the time, the creative plan as of this week is for her to win the match and be crowned "Miss WrestleMania."

Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne at Wrestlemania?

- While it has yet to be announced, I was told today there are plans for the ECW Championship to be defended at WrestleMania 25 next month. WWE wants to do Jack Swagger defending the strap against Evan Bourne.


Stipulation to be possibly added to Triple H vs. Randy Orton match.

- There has been a lot of talk that a stipulation will be added to Triple H vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. While I haven't heard for sure, my guess would be a no disqualification bout or a variation of it.


Would RVD consider returning soon?

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Mike sent the following: Hey thought you might want to know that Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by BE! Magazine and when talked about a full time return to wrestling he said this: "I miss showing off in the ring in front of thousands of people, but not enough to trade in my life at home for it, yet. It's the non-stop travel that I've had enough of in the last 19 years or so. Still, I know I could come back and go straight to the top any day I wanted, and there's a lot of contentment in that."[/font]


Confirmed matches for tonight's ECW taping.

Prior to tonight's Raw, WWE will tape this week's edition of ECW on Sci-Fi. The following matches have been announced:

* Tommy Dreamer & Evan Bourne vs. ECW Champion Jack Swagger & Tyson Kidd

* Carlito vs. John Morrison

* MVP will host his VIP Lounge with the Money in the Bank competitors


Details on the WWE Developmental show over the weekend that was reportedly a disaster; Vince McMahon oblivious to it.

The Florida Championship Wrestling show Friday night in Orlando was said to be a complete disaster. Numerous sources have told us if Vince McMahon been at the show he would have "went off the deep end". The problems not only stemmed from lackluster ring work and workers not being ready to be booked, there was a tremendous lack of professionalism with the presentation of the show and FCW employees. One source who was at the show told us there were so many distractions from the girlfriends of workers in the audience; it was actually a problem one could expect from a second-rate indy promotion.

As we have reported previously, there is a tremendous amount of disappointment from the WWE high-ups regarding the Florida Championship Wrestling developmental system and we were told months ago significant changes were expected. I was told the company sees the promotion as something that is bleeding money and not creating a positive return on investment.

Assessments from Friday's show indicate some workers appeared untrained and were literally learning on the spot. One source I spoke with told me there is no way Vince McMahon is aware of what is going on and he is so preoccupied with the build towards WrestleMania along with concerns over the economy, he is not aware of the many problems.

While the feeling is FCW has done its job with some workers, the consensus is the entire system is a failure and needs to be significantly revamped.


Vince McMahon "driving the creative team nuts".

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- WWE's creative team was told to visit Vince McMahon's Boca Raton penthouse condo following the the WWE RAW show on March 9th from Jacksonville, Florida. Vince planned on spending the week there and the staff was told to be ready for a big meeting to finalize the next few weeks of TV storylines, the direction of WrestleMania 25 and the upcoming Draft in April. Brian Gewirtz and Michael Hayes were later told on March 11 via phone that Vince would not be attending the meeting and for the creative team to return to Stamford come up with ideas on their own. Stephanie McMahon took part in the Stanford meeting via teleconference and was described as being frustrated with how Vince has handled the situation.[/font]

-- It's going to be a rough week for a lot of people within WWE with ratings slipping right before WrestleMania. Vince McMahon blew a complete gasket after the ratings for SmackDown came in and the 1.9 was revealed.


WWE Executive predicts 1 Million Buys for Wrestlemania.

WWE Senior Vice President of distribution and affiliate marketing Peter Clifford expects WrestleMania XXV to generate around 1.0 million PPV buys. Clifford made the statement to Multichannel News and said WWE will be mailing out over a million pieces of mail to previous PPV buyers, encouraging them to buy their annual PPV spectacle.

WWE officials enhanced their marketing efforts to achieve their goal of 1 million PPV buys, despite the week economy. $10 million will be spent in advertising spots on ESPN, MTV and USA Network.


List of matches supposed to take place at WWE Fan Axxess.

WNW has learned that there are matches scheduled to take place at this year's WWE Fan Axxess prior to WrestleMania 25 at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas. As of this writing, here are the matches that have been scheduled:

Thursday, April 2, 2009:
* R-Truth vs Chavo Guerrero
* Funaki vs Paul Burchill

Friday, April 3, 2009:
* Cryme Tyme vs The Brian Kendrick & Ezekiel Jackson

Saturday, April 4, 2009:
* John Cena vs Edge

We hope to have a full list of all the matches and times before the end of next week.

Cena vs. Edge for the 67th time at some meaningless event. Imagine if either one suffered an injurythere?


Rowdy Piper and Jimmy Snuka are backstage for tonight's RAW.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka are backstage at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas for tonight's Raw. I haven't heard if there are plans to use them, but I would imagine they will appear on camera as it is not common for them to be backstage. Both Piper and Snuka have been involved in the Chris Jericho angle.


John Cena speaks about The Rock on Jimmy Kimmel.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]John Cena appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night to promote WrestleMania 25 and 12 Rounds. After joking about Kimmel's Cousin Sal's WWE experience, Cena was asked whether Steve Austin is a bigger name than Hulk Hogan.

"My hero growing up was Hulk Hogan, but my favorite of all time is actually going to be inducted into our Hall of Fame this year the night before WrestleMania, and that's 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake, he is certainly the biggest name in the history of our business. Man, 'Austin 3:16' is the biggest marketing in the history of the WWE. I dig him because he did things his way. He's actually helped me with a lot of professional advice and told me to take crap from nobody."

Cena said he doesn't have a rivalry with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but said the former wrestler is making life tough on him. "The whole time he was with WWE he just preached to our fans, who are very, very loyal, about how much he loves the business," Cena explained. "Now he's a great actor and a great guy, a very hard worker, very personable guy, and I have nothing but good things to say about him, but he says he loves the business so much and then one day he just up and leaves.

"So now here I am, I've done the movies, I'm still working full-time for WWE, and everybody is asking, 'When are you leaving?'" And I'm saying, 'I love the business and I'm going to stick around.'" Cena stated he would continue wrestling even if he won an Oscar. He even joked that he'd have an "Oscar on a poll" match the next night. Jimmy said he didn't believe him.[/font]


Kevin Nash interview; talks about working with Shawn Michaels, being called "Big Lazy", steroids and more.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Kevin Nash recently spoke to the Bristol Times in CT. He's working an indy show on 3/28 at Bristol Central High School for Northeast Wrestling, that also includes Ric Flair and Jimmy Hart. Here are some highlights:

On working with Shawn Michaels: "Shawn was a little guy and he saw me as the perfect complement to him because I was a gigantic big guy. The combo of the two of us was pretty much unstoppable. I ended up learning from the best ever" Nash said of Michaels. "It was on the job training."

On working the upcoming indy date: "These shows are more one-on-one," Nash said. "In the WWE or WCW, there is no fan interaction. You just do your thing and get out. Here, I can spend some time with everyone. I really want to catch up with Ric. […] Wrestling for TNA, I'm lucky enough to be able to do this."

On his injury: "It's not healing as fast as I would like it too," he said. "TNA called me and asked when I would be back and I told them I'd be back as soon as I can. I'm doing the best I can do. If I can't wrestle, I'll still show up and honor my commitments. I've been operated on 27 times already. Sure, there is a depression that sets in right away, but once you get through that, you just want to get back."

On his legacy: "As beat up as I was, I'm really proud of what I accomplished," Nash said. "When I broke into wrestling I was half-crippled. I already had eight or nine knee surgeries. I did what I could do in the ring. If you asked me if I could have the career of a critically-acclaimed actor or be Sylvester Stallone, I'm going with Stallone. I want to be that guy that brings in the blockbuster money."

[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On being "Big Lazy": "When Bischoff called me lazy, I was 7-foot and 300 pounds," Nash said. "When he gets to that size, he can let me know what lazy is."

On steroids: "Now I don't think it's a big deal because it's a different era. Look at Samoa Joe; nobody thinks he takes steroids. There's always going to be a genetic freak, and people are going to question him, but steroid use is very small. With our financial state in this country, do you think senators should be giving Roger Clemens the better part of a week to appear in front of them? Does he deserve it? But it's all steroids, steroids, steroids. These senators need to worry about paying their taxes, not steroids. Honestly, cigarette smoke is just as bad. If cigarettes were developed today, the FDA would never approve it. But it's entrenched. Maybe if there were steroid lobbyists things would be different."[/font]


Lucha Libre star found dead.

Andres Palomque Gonzalez (a/k/a Abismo Negro) has been found dead. Kris Zellner is reporting on Gerweck.net Negro's body was found in a river near Mazatlan after possibly having an anxiety attack on a bus and getting put out by the driver. Gonzalez was reportedly trapped in the mud and could not escape. He sent a text message to his wife telling her he was lost in which a search party was launched after she contacted a local promoter in Mazatlan.

The body was exhumed from the river and later identified by a local coroner as Andres Gonzalez. Gonzalez was one of the top stars in the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion in Mexico. He was 37-years-old.

Abismo Negro made a few notable appearances in the US during his career, including the 1997 WWE Royal Rumble and the 2004 TNA World X-Cup.


Candice Michelle to step away from wrestling and pursue a career in modeling?

- Candice Michelle's WWE contract expires in October 2009 and there has been a lot of talk she could be finished with the company at that point. Candice has told friends she wants to further pursue a modeling career after wrestling and may step away to do it.


Two TNA Knockouts get into altercation; Rhaka Khan has backstage heat.

According to numerous sources, Roxxi and Rhaka Khan got in a heated backstage altercation at a recent TNA show. Roxxi reportedly felt Khan had worked too stiff with her, resulting in her getting a black eye. While it appears unrelated, we reported last week Dixie Carter has made the decision to phase Roxxi off of television.

Rhaka Khan is not well received backstage as many feel she gets special treatment because she is romantically involved with Kurt Angle. This was also something that followed Karen Angle on many occasions.


Mickie James in the dog house.

- Mickie James has been in the WWE dog house for quite some time over issues with her weight. The producers are said to be particularly hard on the Divas, instructing them to keep their weight down. According to the "pecking order" which was revealed in the recent leaked WWE documents, Mickie James is at the bottom as far as babyface Divas on Raw, below Melina and Kelly Kelly.


Two TNA stars being phased out.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- It looks like TNA fans won't be seeing Cute Kip and Jacqueline on their television screens anymore - or at least much. Following TNA president Dixie Carter's decision to remove them from television this past week, the two veterans have apparently been phased out as performers altogether - quite like BG James this past summer. However, they will likely be retained on the company payroll in the role of http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1237488742&archive=&start_from=&ucat=7&#]backstage[/url] agents offering guidance to the women of the Knockouts division. Both are 45 years old.[/font]


Traci Brooks injured after firing a weapon in Iraq (not considered serious).

Traci Brooks and So Cal Val are currently in Iraq to show support for the US troops. The official TNA website has posted a blog entry from Brooks who says she was injured in Iraq while firing a weapon. Below is the blog in its entirety:

MARCH 23 BLOG: hey tna fans just a quick update from So Cal Val and I from Iraq...been here for a week and words cant describe what its like over here...we've met over 20,000 soldiers, men and women from the ages of 18 and up and been all over Iraq...stranded right now in Baghdad due to a sandstorm so we had a minute to catch up with everyone back home...well i had a bit of a boo boo and got injured..i was of course doing something i shouldn't have been doing and burnt the right side of my chest pretty bad..i was firing a 240 off of an M rap and the shell kicked back and fell down my shirt and burnt me pretty bad...I'm a little sore but the medics here were fantastic and got me all wrapped up and back on the road..ya, only me that would happen to...dont worry tna fans my chest will be as good as new when i get back home..lol..the funniest part of the trip has been seeing So Cal Val roughing it..brushing her teeth outside with a bottle of water, using porta potty, eating bagged army food..its quite funny to me..lol..dont worry i got lots of pics...but seriously people back home have no idea how lucky we have it, i believe everyone needs to come over here and see what our brave men and women are doing for us..not a day has passed that tears have not run down our faces or a smile across our face from a solider saying 2 simple words THANK YOU!, We are both always so surprised when they say that, they are thanking us for coming over there for 10 days when they are risking their lives for us...THANK YOU guys for being so selfless and brave!!! God bless, love Traci and So Cal Val

http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/1336/84/]Click here[/url] for the coverage by the official TNA website.


Spike TV taking a greater interest in TNA.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Spike TV has been taking a greater interest in TNA as of late, especially with the ratings finally making a slow but steady increase. The general feeling coming from Spike officials is that they are happy to see Sting's star power finally make an impact in the ratings.[/font]

 

[gabegrams]

Shawn Micheals and Diesel Era FTW.

 

[thacamel]

So we could have actually had Stone Cold vs Jericho if Vince didn't have his head up his +%@. Thats great. I wish Vince would realize how much better hiscompany would be if he just paid attention to what people wanted, or even just what makes sense

 

[sidewayze]

Sad that Houston will be the city to hold one of the best Mania's if not the best, and one of the worst Manias.

 

[22stylez]

nvm found it yuku search suckssss

 

[bayburyya]

Originally Posted by thacamel

So we could have actually had Stone Cold vs Jericho if Vince didn't have his head up his +%@. Thats great. I wish Vince would realize how much better his company would be if he just paid attention to what people wanted, or even just what makes sense

Have we even seen him on TV (HOF induction excluded) since WWE made it public knowledge they were trying to be kid friendly?? I'd think Vince would preferto have Hornswoggle irritating the $%%* outta everyone as opposed to Stone Cold wasting a 12-pack all over the ring.

 

[owensstr8clownin]

ill be watching tonight

 

[bayburyya]

Lilian Garcia makes me wanna listen to some Webbie

 

[mjmoney23]

Ego H will take out the shovel and continue to bury Legacy tonight. Orton has become ReyMysterio esque in terms of being a main event jobber.

 

[4wrestling]

Jericho and Flair

God, I'd rather just hear them talk than see this awful match. Hopefully the match gets switched, unless they changed it to Jericho vs Rourke (ugh)

 

[owensstr8clownin]

Wow, did anyone else catch all those title belts on the table right before chris jericho came to the ring.

 

[4wrestling]

I'm sorry, but Flair should NOT be involved in this kind of physical altercations. He is retired. This just cheapens last year. I don't care ifit's not an official match.


And how the hell did Flair bleed so easily?

I got a bad feeling Lawler is going to get involved in the match.

 

[mrtramericanjr]

The amount of love HHH and HbK have for flair would it be logical for them to come out

 

[4wrestling]

Jericho is so far above any other heel in the WWE. His performances are amazing.

 

[owensstr8clownin]

Jericho/Orton/Edge are the best heels in the wwe right now.