Some of Todays Wrestling News and Rumours (Possible spoilers) ***NO CHAT***

D2D

Ezekiel Jackson has been ruled out of action from 3 to 6 months

D2D

- Jim Ross not being used at Wrestlemania this year is still a hot topic of discussion within WWE. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker both reportedly requested that Ross call their main event match this year.

- WWE has at least made an attempt to get Tiger Woods to host the June 7th Monday Night RAW from Miami. Considering all of Tiger’s recent troubles, it’s highly unlikely WWE will get him to host. For the record, WWE has been in contact with as many top celebrities as possible in regards to hosting RAW.

- John Cena is still being bothered by back and knee problems, since the Wrestlemania match with Batista.

- In addition to the neck problems Triple H is suffering from right now, one of his surgically repaired quads is giving him trouble. Right now Triple H is scheduled to work all upcoming TV and PPV events only.

D2D

-- There has been talk of holding the King of the Ring tournament on the three-hour Raw taking place on June 7 in Miami.

-- WWE contacted representatives of Tiger Woods to host the June 7 Raw after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson balked at hosting the show due to film commitments in Canada. Nonetheless, there are still plans for him to host Raw at some point and it's been said that concept will continue until they are able to get him

D2D

- WWE has announced that the USA Network will present the May 17th episode of Monday Night RAW commercial free. RAW that night will take place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Air Canada Centre.

- Following the draft and throughout the summer, WWE is expected to continue working with movie studios to feature more guest hosts promoting summer films. (source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

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Credit: The Wrestling Globe Newsletter

- According to Mike Aldren, the May 17th three-hour RAW from Toronto, ON, will be advertised as Bret Hart's WWE return to Canada.

- The Edge vs. Chris Jericho match at Extreme Rules is expected to be the final match of their feud and it is likely that one of them will be drafted to RAW.

Dancor

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

The "Over the Limit" PPV poster has been released:

New poster?

Dancor

Fatal 4 way poster?



Looks fake to me.

D2D

Dancor wrote: »

Fatal 4 way poster?



Looks fake to me.

It's definetly fake.

There's no way that they'd have Edge on back to back posters. WWE never start a PPV at 7.45, it's 8c/5p and there's no TV-G/WWEHD sign on it that's on nearly every WWE poster

Bounty Hunter

that looks very fake to me by which i mean... NO CHAT

D2D

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

that looks very fake to me by which i mean... NO CHAT

Whoops, my bad:)

- Former WWE diva Maria has started talks with TNA, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Podge2k7

The Pro Wrestling Syndicate is reporting that TNA star "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero is currently sidelined with torn ligaments in his shoulder. There is no word at this time concerning how long he will be out of action.

Icky Thump

Apr 22, 2010 - 5:56:48 PM

WWE.com issued the following future endeavors statement:

WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Divas Mickie James and Katie Lea Burchill as well as Superstars Shelton Benjamin, Kung Fu Naki, Slam Master J and Jimmy Wang Yang as of today, April 22, 2010. We wish them the best in all future endeavors.

http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe/7430.html

D2D

:(:(

- The tentative plan is for Rob Zombie to be the guest host the 6/28 Philadelphia Raw.

:D:D
- The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that WWE is pushing to get Pamela Anderson to host a future Raw.

Gerard.C

Oh god Rob Zombie on Raw would be beyond epic

edit: didnt see it was the no chat thread. sorry

D2D

The word making the rounds in Baltimore, where the WWE crew has already arrived for tomorrow's Extreme Rules PPV, is that Batista is finishing up with the company this week. He's challenging John Cena in a Last Man Standing bout on the PPV. Batista has made noises about leaving dating back to this January, so we'll see whether this is really it or not for him soon enough.

"Batista's contract has either expired or will be expiring later this summer, depending on who the source is. I can't see the company pushing him so hard if his deal had expired, so I believe it's the latter. I was told Batista was informed he might not be starring in Killing Karma right around Wrestlemania weekend but the official decision wasn't made until about 7-10 days before the never-ending European trip. One of the reasons for the change is that WWE didn't want to release a film with him down the line if he wasn't under their employ."

JP Liz V1

Steve Austin and Awesome Kong hung out at the Cauliflower Alley Club event this past week. Austin and Kong took to Twitter this weekend for a quick conversation where Austin put her over. Here's what they wrote:

Kong: "It was a dream come true to meet and chat with you @ CAC. Hope to see you there next year!"

Austin: "you too kong!! keep up the great work..if WWE has any brains they will hire you immediately...GOOD LUCK!!!"

JP Liz V1

Below is the official promotional poster for WWE's first-ever Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view featuring Christian. The pay-per-view takes place on June 20th from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.


A push for Christian maybe

D2D

- Dave Meltzer indicated Sunday night on Live Audio Wrestling that Batista is indeed on his way out of WWE. The editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter wasn't sure when Batista would depart from the company, but obviously it is sooner than later.

- This will be an interesting week for Jim Ross. His WWE contract expires this week. JR signed contract extensions since his original deal expired, but apparently management has not extended him a new multi-year deal. It should be noted that unofficially, Ross was penciled in to commentate at Wrestlemania, but Vince McMahon nixed the plan.

- Bill Goldberg was interviewed by MonstersAndCritics.com on Friday following his eviction from the Celebrity Apprentice television show this past week. When he was asked about if he's continuing his relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon, Goldberg said that would happen if both sides can come to a contractual agreement. "What they've put forth right now is something that I will not accept," Goldberg said. "So is it something that I'm striving for? Absolutely not. Is it something that I would like to happen because I've got a little boy and it would wonderful for him to walk in the toy store and to be able to pick up a, you know, his - excuse me, like he says, a baby-daddy figure, you know, that would be awesome." Goldberg said that he's going to stand his ground and if a deal happens it will only happen if it is to his liking only. Earlier this week a fan asked him on Twitter about the status of the talks and Goldberg said that WWE first must realize that they're not dealing with just another wrestler, the first hint that the talks were stalled

D2D

- TMZ has reported that former WWE star Chyna has been accused of attacking a women at a motel on Saturday, in Sherman Oaks, California. Gabriela Targos (the accuser) claims that Chyna allegedly punched her in the face, dragged her by the hair, beat her with a wire hanger and threatened to kill her. Targos told LAPD that she thought she was going to die.

- Former and recently released WWE stars Mickie James, Katie Lea, Shelton Benjamin and Maria have all been added to WWE.com's Alumni page

- Jim Ross has posted the following on his Twitter page:

"I've had a blessed and amazing career full of unbelieveable experiences. This wk is memorable 4 what hasn't happened. Blessing n disquise?"

- The 4/27 edition of NXT did a 0.79 cable rating, with 1,069,000 viewers.

- According to a report by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bret Hart has been very hands-on and helping to mentor The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd). Hart watches all of their matches and then sends them a report card every week if he isn't on the road with them.

D2D

PWinsider.com

There was an incident with a fan that happened during Sunday's WWE house show in Johnson City, TN. According to an eye witness, the fan (who was a female) attacked CM Punk and she was ejected from the arena almost immediately. Punk handled the situation well despite the fan slapping the “hell out of him.” No word on what type of legal charges that fan maybe facing.

D2D

A 22-year-old man has been banned from going to WWE events after threatening to kill WWE employees and blow up WWE Headquarters over the release of Mickie James.

Seriously.

CTPost.com has reported that Zavr Peygumbari of Brooklyn, New York, described as an "emotionally disturbed" man was ordered by Judge William Wenzel was not to contact WWE employees, go near the Stamford offices or attend WWE events following his arrest this past Friday following after making a series of threats against WWE employees.

He called the offices more than 20 times, "making threats to blow up the company's offices and saying he would visit the building with a machete and a machine gun." This resulted in him being charged with four counts of fourth-degree threatening, one count of second-degree harassment and two counts of second-degree threatening. Currently out on bond, he is due in court to face the charges on May 25th.

His attorney, in responding to the charges, stated "It's a testament to the WWE that they get people so psyched up in the story lines." Although, as we know, the release of James was not a storyline.

waltersobchak

Source: PWinsider.com

Anthony Dash filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment and Floyd Mayweather Jr. on April 26, claiming that Mayweather's entrance theme at WrestleMania 24 "is music that includes Plaintiff's Tony Gunz Beat track, with lyrics added to the track."

Dash is asking for $150,000 in damages per copyrighted work infringed, in addition to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to put an end to the "ongoing infringement of Plaintiff's copyright."The suit does not explain how Dash's music could have been obtained to turn it into the theme, but a copy of the copyright documents was filed as an exhibit. Dash is requesting an account of "all gains, profits and advantages from their act of infringement," and states that the defendants have made "millions of dollars" from his copyrighted work. Dash claims that Mayweather ignored the first cease and desist order that was sent to him, while a second was returned unopened.

D2D

According to a commercial that aired promoting the upcoming Raw in Toronto on May 17, the show will feature a special appearance by Bret Hart. Hart stated on the "Right After Wrestling" show that he would be finishing up with the WWE after May 17. An official "guest host" for the Toronto show has yet to be announced.

JP Liz V1

Below is the new promotional poster for WWE's Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view. The previous poster featured Christian on it. Here also is the synopsis for the pay-per-view, in case you missed it before. WWE's first-ever Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view takes place on June 20th at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.

Get ready for WWE's most unpredictable event as eight WWE Superstars face off in two separate Fatal 4 Way championship matches! Watch Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H, Rey Mysterio, and all your favorite Superstars in "WWE: Fatal 4 Way" live on Sunday, June 20, 2010 on pay-per-view!

D2D

The Raw brand are touring Mexico this week. They were instructed to stay in their hotels as much as possible and not to travel alone due to fear of kidnappings

D2D

Thanks to Rjd2 for reminding me there:

Drew McIntyre and Tiffany have gotten married. Congrats to the couple:)

Butch Cassidy

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Below is the new promotional poster for WWE's Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view. The previous poster featured Christian on it. Here also is the synopsis for the pay-per-view, in case you missed it before. WWE's first-ever Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view takes place on June 20th at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.

Get ready for WWE's most unpredictable event as eight WWE Superstars face off in two separate Fatal 4 Way championship matches! Watch Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H, Rey Mysterio, and all your favorite Superstars in "WWE: Fatal 4 Way" live on Sunday, June 20, 2010 on pay-per-view!

Won't be as good as this one:

D2D

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Finlay is no longer considered part of the active WWE roster. Vince McMahon feels he is too old to wrestle, but remains with the company as agent.

D2D

- The Wrestlemania 26 PPV generated 885,000 pay-per-view buys world wide. Last year's event did approximately 970,000 world wide PPV buys.

- It was revealed in WWE's first quarter results for 2010 the following buyrates for the first three Pay Per View events of the year.

* Royal Rumble: 462,000 buys (up from 450,000 buys in 2009)

* Elimination Chamber: 285,000 buys (up from 272,000 buys in 2009)

* Wrestlemania 26: 885,000 buys (down from 970,000 buys in 2009)

- Gerald Brisco has recruited and signed eight new talent for developmental reports The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Most were said to be amateur wrestlers who had very strong credentials. Brisco was believed to be doing recruiting at some of the major tournaments. Jim Ross pushed the idea recently that any major pro wrestling or MMA organization should have scouted the NCAA Division I tournament. Based on what is known, WWE was the only company to have done it.

- Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Brett DiBiase and Joe Hennig were both scheduled to be brought up to the main roster on the Raw brand as a heel trio until DiBiase suffered a knee injury on April 29 at an FCW event in Tampa. DiBiase was actually wrestling against Hennig when the injury took place.

D2D

Credit: F4WOnline.com

The word going around is that those WWE creative team members who "knew what was good for them" did not bring up the logical inconsistencies with last week's WWE NXT, notably the fact that despite Otunga winning the right to wrestle a "pro," it was Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett who ended up receiving high-profile matches on RAW.

Regarding NXT, the word remains that Daniel Bryan is slated to win the competition, and if that were to meet execution, he would "choose" to wrestle for The Miz's title on pay-per-view. Any other victorious wrestler would reportedly team with his pro to go after the Undisputed Tag Team Championships.

geeky

Mick Foley posted the following on his Myspace blog:

"Why?

About a week ago, I watched the Raw from New Jersey on DVR - the one where Triple H made the crack about Lillian Garcia showing up just to "horse around". And since that time, just keep asking myself "why"? Why does someone like Triple H, one of the most talented, well paid guys in the business, do something so shallow and mean? Why would a multi-millionaire, with millions of fans around the world, feel the need (several times over the years) to say something that is only meant to hurt? I don't get it. I don't get why it's done, I don't get why it's condoned, I don't get what possible satisfaction anyone involved gets from demeaning someone like Lillian Garcia. I just don't get it."


Perhaps, Mick, it's because he's a tool.

JP Liz V1

Curt Hawkins and Vance Archer debuted their new tag team before the SmackDown tapings, defeating local wrestlers JT Talent and Chasyn Rance, of VH1 reality TV fame. The end came when Archer hit a reverse DDT finisher and Hawkins hit a flying elbow.

JP Liz V1

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is reportedly lining up a role in Fast & Furious sequel Fast Five.
According to Deadline, the actor has been in talks to star alongside Vin Diesel in the Universal action series's latest instalment.
Paul Walker and director Justin Lin are also slated to return for the sequel, which will take fugitives Dom Toretto and Brian O'Connor to Brazil.

D2D

Mickie James did a radio interview yesterday saying she was baffled by her release. "I really don't know what happened. I was doing interviews for the draft that morning (on 4/22) and then a couple of hours later, I got the phone call," she said. "I guess they just wanted to make a roster change." When asked about her crazy fan who threatened to blow up Titan Towers she hoped nobody would ever do that because she has friends in the office, but noted she appreciates all her fans, even the crazy one's. "Anger never solves anything," she said.

(credit: The Wrestling Globe Newsletter)

D2D

SD vs. Raw 2011 confirmed
:D:D

D2D

Credit: The Wrestling Globe Newsletter

Robert "Kinji" Shibuya passed away last week in East LA at the age of 88. Shibuya was a major star during the 1960s and early 70s. He played a traditional Japanese heel famously teaming with Masa Saito in Roy Shire's San Fransisco and Lebelle's Los Angeles territories where they were billed as cousins. Ironically, Shibuya was originally from Utah, and would often joke that the closest he ever came to Japan was changing planes en route to Australia. He also had a lot of success as a tag team with Mitsu Arakawa. After retirement, he bought a home in Hayward, CA, and was known for farming Koi fish at a local Buddhist Temple.

The New York Times has posted a positive piece on the Raw guest host concept and WWE's PG programming. In it includes quotes from Ryan Phillippe, Maria Menounos, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. It can be viewed here

D2D

A bunch of news here:

Credit: F4WOnline.com, Wrestling Observer Radio and the Wrestling Globe Newsletter

- Reportedly, some people on WWE's creative team have no idea where the Drew McIntyre firing angle is headed, let alone why it was done in the first place. It was originally speculated that he failed a drug test, but that's largely because nobody could figure out any other good reason for his storyline removal. If nothing else, his removal was clearly apart of an angle considering he worked the company's tour of Mexico last week.

It's been speculated that the angle could lead to Vince McMahon returning as an on-screen character to reinstate his "Chosen One" and perhaps fire Theodore Long. As recently as a few days ago, there was in fact talk of bringing "Mr. McMahon" back to television.

Further indicating that his removal from WWE is all an angle, Matt Hardy wrote the following on his Twitter account after last Tuesday's Smackdown taping: "As a favor to me, if ur a fan of mine-Let Drew McIntyre hear 'We want Matt' over & over again. This thing with him & I is just beginning. RT."

- The decision to put Vickie Guerrero on RAW last night was made this past Thursday. It was supposed to be a one-week deal but WWE were pleased with the heat she received and the talk now is that she may be brought back full-time for the role

- Jim Ross posted on his Twitter page:

Bret Hart just became a proud grandpa of a healthy baby girl named Kyra Beans..awesome name! Hope TO sells out nx wk 4 Hitman. Special nite.

- WWE has told their top stars to get on Twitter.

- WWE wants Betty White to host a future Raw.

- Apparently at the recent stock holders conference call, Stephanie McMahon said that hosting Raw is the newest cool thing to do for those in Hollywood and that celebrities are lining up to get the gig. WWE is enjoying the publicity the guest hosting spot is gaining them including yesterday's article in the New York Times.

- This week's Raw had roughly fourteen minutes of wrestling.

- As of the weekend, the plan was for John Cena to defend the WWE championship against Batista at the 5/23 Over the Limit PPV in a loser leaves town match. However, word reached the office that TNA is doing a career vs. title match with Tara vs. Madison Rayne, so apparently to avoid looking like they copied, WWE changed the match to an I Quit match.

- Jared Bartie, WWE's Executive Vice President and general counsel, has reportedly been fired due to a sexual harassment complaint placed against him over WrestleMania weekend.

- Jeff Hardy's trial on drug trafficking charges that was scheduled to start on Monday, has been moved to June 3rd.

- Kane suffered an ankle injury during last night's WWE house show event in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the injury isn't believed to be too serious at this point.

D2D

- This week's NXT did a 0.85 rating

- Nodq.com

It appears WWE's website team wrote their original RAW report this week off a script that was changed before it hit the air or they just got their information wrong. The following was a sentence written in WWE's official RAW report on Monday night before it was edited:

"The drama continued to unfold as the Rated R Superstar attacked the Viper while his former wife prepared to unleash a Cougar Splash on him. Happily for Orton he extricated himself from Edge and trained his fury on Guerrero."

- Credit: F4WOnline.com

According to Dave Meltzer, WWE's last "unofficial" offer to Jeff Hardy several months ago was a $750,000 downside guarantee. He would have only worked 65 dates a year, which would have given him a even lighter schedule than Shawn Michaels. Hardy ended up turning this offer down and went with TNA instead.

As reported months ago, Hardy was not happy about how WWE treated him following his arrest both behind the scenes and on television.

- The following is an excerpt from a recent interview with TNA star Kurt Angle:

Kurt Angle on how TNA house shows differ from WWE: "We (TNA) have a different mentality than the WWE. You know, Vince McMahon likes to keep his wrestlers away from the fans. He doesn’t want any fans in his little fantasy world. But I don’t blame Vince for that and that’s not a bad mentality to have. But we (TNA) have more of a Southern Hospitality. We invite our fans into our locker room, we invite them to meet all of the wrestlers, we let the fans get into the ring if they choose to do so. I think it’s worked really well too, because our house shows (attendance) have been up 30 percent in the past year. I attribute that to how TNA runs the house shows, and the fans really enjoy it. They (fans) go home happy, they get all of the wrestlers autographs, they get to take pictures with whoever was in the main event. I think it’s a really great idea and it’s done really well for us."

- Wrestling Observer says Anderson is on $2500ish a show and right now Sean Waltman is done with TNA, although that could change.

JP Liz V1

In an interview with the UK Sun, RAW superstar Chris Jericho spoke about his love of music and what let to him perusing a full time career in wrestling over music. The most newsworthy item of the interview came when Jericho was asked about his future in WWE and whether he's be leaving the ring for the stage any time soon. Good news for Jericho fans, as he responded, "I think now is the time to stay for a couple of years to help those around me. I want to help the young talent."

D2D

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Brett DiBiase suffered a knee injury while wrestling in WWE's Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory and will undergo surgery next week. DiBiase, along with Joe Hennig, were scheduled to be brought up to the Raw roster to be paired with Ted DiBiase Jr. to form a group titled "The Fortunate Sons." There is no word at this time whether or not they have gone with Carlito and Primo as substitutes for the time being.

- Melina stated recently on Twitter that she is targeting an in-ring return for WWE some time in late June.

- In an interview with Scrippsnews, Rob Van Dam commented on Jeff Hardy, Hardy's legal problems and more.

"When I talk to him about his life situation, the guy doesn't seem worried at all," said Van Dam, who himself is a longtime advocate of legalizing marijuana use. "He and I share the same outlook in that we don't let a lot get to us. We've always gotten along because we share the same optimism and sarcasm. ... I've gotten the impression from talking to him that things are going to be fine."

D2D

Diva suffers bad injury, according to diva-dirt.com link:

Beth Phoenix is out for a possible 6 months with a torn ACL. Phoenix tore her ACL in a match against Rosa Mendez on WWE Superstars 2 weeks ago

Handsome Bob

Morale in TNA was said to be quite deflated after the announcement that Impact was being moved back to Thursday. Many of the roster members who don’t follow the history of the business had been convinced by talk a couple of months back that the move to Monday nights was going to turn the company around. Some are fearful that the Thursday ratings will not return to what they were in February, with the Monday experiment perhaps having run off a sizeable portion of the fanbase. In the past, the consensus has been that although the money in TNA was not as good as in WWE this was offset by a far more enjoyable atmosphere at work. Now, the general feeling is that TNA is still a less stressful environment than WWE but nowhere near as much fun as it was a few months ago. Some feel that this is attributable to Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan coming in without any knowledge of the product, storylines or characters and yet changing the dynamic regardless. Others go back farther and attribute it to Jim Cornette being let go in favour of Ed Ferrara. Cornette had been the one who took scenarios that seemed foolish on paper and performed major damage control on them, while Ferrara lacked such instincts.

This was said to demonstrate just how little Dixie Carter knew about the business and how easy she could be manipulated. At the moment, it is becoming clear to many that Bischoff has no fresh ideas about how to turn business around. The upcoming schedule should be quite revealing about the creative team. The Sacrifice PPV on 16 May will be followed by TV tapings for four straight weeks of Impact on the 17th, 18th and 19th, right up until the next PPV. This has been done in the past as a cost-saving measure, yet it led to segments being taped out of order on different days and numerous internal logic holes, such as some people being in different outfits for no reason on the same show. When such tapings were being written by Vince Russo the major plot points and directions of the script would be left intact. Under the new regime, there are far more last-minute alterations to major aspects of storylines. Kevin Nash & Scott Hall winning the TNA Tag Team Championships was a last-minute decision after somebody brought up that Nash still had a Feast or Fired briefcase to use for a tag title shot. Bischoff knew nothing about the concept, while Russo had long since forgotten about it. When the subject was brought up they decided to go ahead and use it for a title change. This screwed with the original Sacrifice line-up, where Matt Morgan and a partner were to face Ink Inc, while Hall & Nash would have been in a #1 contenders four-way with Beer Money, Team 3D and Motor City Machine Guns. Now they are having Hall & Nash defend the titles against Ink Inc, with the other tree teams perhaps having a three-way match instead. Morgan has nothing in particular planned, although a match with Samoa Joe is on the cards since Joe cost him the tag titles.

The original plan for Morgan was that Hernandez would return as a mystery partner for Homicide, who would have won a tag title shot, yet the entire LAX reunion idea has been forgotten about since the original Hernandez injury angle. Meanwhile, Homicide was confronted about his recent interview comments about his lack of faith in TNA, their current direction and Hulk Hogan’s involvement with the company. He claimed to have been misquoted and so Terry Taylor has asked for a copy of the interview tape.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscribe here)

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/201...sacrifice-ppv/

JP Liz V1

WWE is still looking for their next big African American star and will be pushing Kofi, MVP, JTG and Shad on SmackDown with the idea being to see which one gets over the best. One source wouldn't be surprised to see Shelton Benjamin return to the company.

geeky

The Ultimate Wuh-ya returned to the blogging desk to offer his balanced and considered opinion on Ted Dibiase:
http://www.ultimatewarrior.com/blog/

Some Highlights:
"Truth is, it was I that lead you all around by the nose. In fact, I might be the best damn worker the business ever had in its whole history. Hell, I should get an induction into the HOF just for this alone. Ultimate Warrior can get his own separate induction, later. I worked circles around the “work” of the business so well, I succeeded at a greater level than anyone of you could even dream of. Not bad for guy who wasn’t born and raised in the business and had only ten hours of training before I set foot in a ring. Instead of being bitter about it, Teddy, you should be embarrassed."

"You’re [sic] hypocrisy is despicable."

"You used the incredible opportunity of your success to become weaker. I used my opportunity to become stronger. You developed lazy, destructive, mindless habits. I developed greater hunger. When you were drowning your payoff sorrows in booze and swapping spit with filthy whores, I was in the gym at 2 and 3 in the morning...You grew lazier, softer, less confident, and less creative during your run. I grew bolder, harder, more brazen, more imaginative."

"You, not Vince, were going to write the script of your career’s final chapter. No sir, no one was ever going to bring you to your knees. But when the time came, you and your equally experienced colleagues dropped quicker than a toothless, junkie prostitute."

ayatollah

Seamus discusses paddywhackery

waltersobchak

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

-- WWE is said to be planning a "3D" experiment some time next year in conjunction with the Friday Night SmackDown! show when it debuts on SyFy. Smackdown debuts on the network this October.

-- WWE COO Donna Goldsmith said Monday at the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference that WWE has had talks with Nickelodeon about bringing an animated TV series to the network.

-- Goldsmith also said she recently talked with Vince McMahon about how WWE has walked away from their older audience in recent years and talked about new ideas to get that audience back. Goldsmith said McMahon suggested a “Legends” show featuring WWE superstars from the 80s and 90s.

D2D

- According to Sky Sports highlights in July - Money In The Bank is on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD :D:D:D

- Connecticut's Hartford Courant has published a lengthy article sent in by Michael Benoit, father of the late Chris Benoit, urging voters not to send Linda McMahon to the United States Senate in November. Benoit holds the McMahons responsible for the dozens of young wrestler deaths we've seen in recent years and says Linda has used blood money to fund her expensive campaign.

An excerpt from the article:

"My son, Chris Benoit, 40, was one of WWE's top superstars. In June 2007, our lives changed dramatically, when he tragically killed his wife, son and himself. The press jumped on steroids as the cause of his actions. But tests showed that brain damage in the form of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, not steroids, was responsible for our loss. CTE, caused by repetitive trauma to the brain, can bring on serious disorders such as a loss of emotional control, addictions to drugs and alcohol, depression, aggressive and violent behavior.

Most people view wrestling as fake and the McMahon family pushed that theory to avoid regulation. But in its lust for higher ratings and dollars, WWE began demanding that performers use more weapons and dangerous stunts in wrestling matches. Although matches are rigged and scripted, the harsh physical abuse in the form of blunt force steel chair shots to the head and power bombs through tables onto cement floors are real. I believe that this change in the industry is responsible for the majority of deaths it experienced in the last 20 years.

Michael Benoit says that despite the fact that wrestlers are individuals who have to make their own choices in life, the McMahons have set up a "dirty and dangerous enterprise" where the deck is stacked against the men putting their lives on the line to line the McMahons' pockets.

"You might say that these young wrestlers make their own choices, and that is true. And the McMahons entice them with prospects for fame, wealth and glory that few achieve. If this were any other business or sport, there would be congressional hearings and laws passed to reform this dirty and dangerous enterprise. The McMahons have steadfastly held that wrestlers are just independent contractors and not entitled to health care benefits, pensions or unionization to represent their best interests.

This is how Linda McMahon made the money she uses for her Senate race. This is how she ran her business. This is the true character behind the fancy, Hollywood advertisements. I pray the people of Connecticut do not allow her to buy her way into the world's most distinguished legislative body."

- from Nodq.com

With Beth Phoenix out of action, WWE is desperately looking for a good female wrestler, not just a good looking Diva, to work on the Smackdown brand.

- This week's commercial-free RAW did a 3.4 rating. The number is up from recent weeks, but way down when compared to the 4.5 rating that last year's commercial-free RAW did.

- Credit: F4WOnline.com

According to Bryan Alvarez, WWE recently re-wrote Over The Limit and this week's TV shows. It's unknown at this point what changes were made.
In regards to the chances of Chris Hero coming to WWE, only a few people in high positions are said to know who he is and probably only one or two have actually seen him perform.

With three eliminations last week, it is looking like the current NXT season will be finishing up sooner than scheduled. It will likely end around mid-June. It is possible that WWE will do one more quick season before Smackdown moves to SyFy in September/October.
Speaking of NXT, the segment with the rookies doing the obstacle course went for 16 minutes while RAW that same week had 14 total minutes of wrestling on the two-hour show.

The idea behind the John Cena vs. Batista "I Quit" match is that it gives WWE the chance to write Batista out of the storylines but doesn't completely close the door in case he decides not to leave.

The CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio feud has been talked about being extended to Summerslam. If that's the case, Punk will likely win on Sunday and then finally lose his hair in August.

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WWE Champion John Cena posted a few messages on his Twitter page (Twitter.com/WWEJCena) this week regarding Randy Orton's shoulder injury, Batista "quitting" WWE, and Shawn Michaels's retirement. Here's what Cena said about:

Randy Orton's Injury: "I do not know Randy Orton's condition so I really don't want to speak on his behalf although I do hope he is well. I have said it time and time again about him, he is one of the best I've ever seen."

Batista "Quitting" WWE: "As for Batista, I never know how permanent 'quitting' really is. The only two I've seen quit, and truly not come back yet are JBL and HBK."

After a number of fans jumped on Cena's remark that Shawn Michaels "quit" WWE, Cena clarified his comment by saying, "Sorry, outpouring of tweets are correct. HBK did retire, which isn't as angry as quitting."

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PWTorch.com is reporting that WWE star Randy Orton has been telling people close to him that his current injury is not serious and that he fully believes he will be healed in time to compete at the Fatal Four Way PPV. Initially, Orton feared the worst when he re-aggravated the injury at the Over The Limit PPV, but he says that he feels confident now that it's not serious.

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The following is an excerpt from an article on Low-Ki, aka Kaval from the Miami Herald:

What you see is exactly what you get with the wrestling warrior Kaval.
He is pro wrestler with martial artist tendencies.
Kaval is no-nonsense, experienced, tough, and the clean shaven head gives him a more menacing look.
With controlled aggression, he can take it as well as dish it out -- whether working on the mat, going to the air or delivering martial arts style kicks.
Trained by TNA star Homicide and ECWA's Jim Kettner, Kaval has paid his dues, since debuting in 1998 in the Northeast. He's competed as Low Ki and Senshi (Japanese for warrior) in TNA, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association, Jersey All Pro, Pro Wrestling Zero One, Pro Wrestling Noah, New Japan Pro Wrestling, before inking a developmental deal with WWE in 2008.
With a new name, the 5-8, 170-pound Kaval began training at Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's feeder group in Tampa.
``The experience in FCW has been great,'' Kaval said. ``As for me, my beginning, being from the New York area, starting in LIWF, advancing through the ECWA and moving onto doing a lot of things on the indies, going to Japan and TNA, the road has been long for me, but I get here [FCW), and it's another challenge.
``That to me is a very important thing for any kind of professional. You need to keep challenging yourself to make sure your skills are shark, and at the same time, you're taking on a whole new skill set because every company is different, has different rules and is run by different people.''
Kaval, the persona, is similar to Kaval, the person.
``What they see in the ring is me,'' Kaval said. ``While wrestling under the Low Ki name, the Low Ki name is an extension of me. I'm not the attention grabber by coming into a room and making the loudest noise. I've subtle. I'm very quiet, but it's a whole different story when the bell rings.
``I gain my attention in another way. I gain my respect the traditional way by earning it.
''I think people misunderstand sometimes. They think that's a character, when in reality it isn't. It's a real part of who I am, and it really is me in the ring as a disciplined fighter.''
Does that help him?
``I think it does because it comes across more natural,'' Kaval said. ``It doesn't come across as me pretending to be something I'm not. Other people sometimes are either lost or confused with their character as far as how to perform in the ring or how to compete in the ring, and then it doesn't translate well to the people viewing it.''
Kaval's future
``The next goal for me is to challenge for the FCW championship,'' Kaval said. ``I like to do things in stages and earn my way from the ground up -- similar to a martial artist who begins as a white belt and works his way all the way up to black belt and eventually a grand master. I see myself as the ever-growing student of the game.
``I've been introduced to FCW. I want to conquer it as best I can, and then from that stage, move onto the next bigger stage, one of the brands in WWE.''