Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio recently toured Spain where he invited Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and their Real Madrid teammates to WWE's upcoming SmackDown and ECW live event in Madrid on Sept. 24.
"It was an honor to be invited to visit Real Madrid's training ground and meet Raul, Ronaldo, Kaka and all the other footballers that play for such a successful team," Mysterio said. "I am looking forward to seeing them again in September when I am back in Madrid and to give them a taste of my own kind of athleticism!"
Real Madrid is a professional club and the most successful team in Spanish football history. They've won a record 31 La Liga titles, 17 Spanish Cups, nine European Cups and two UEFA Cups.
"Rey, it is a pleasure to meet you," Raul told the SmackDown Superstar. "Thank you for the invite to see you in Madrid. My kids love your show."
ST. LOUIS - Temperatures are seriously scorching with just six days left until the hottest happening this side of WrestleMania. That's right, we're talkin' SummerSlam. In the run-up to the boiling brawl, Raw celebrity guest host Freddie Prinze Jr., turned up the oven and ripped off the knob.
WWE Champion Randy Orton & John Cena def. Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show The summer humidity outside may have hung heavy in the Missouri air, but the tension inside was almost thick enough to choke on. As Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show sized up their opponents, WWE Champion Randy Orton & John Cena, The Viper and Cena were busy sizing up each other. And who could blame them?
Although Cena and Orton harbored obvious distrust, the WWE Universe voiced their opinion on WWE e-Vote, affirming that they felt the two would still manage to squeeze out a victory.
To add to the intrigue, Prinze Jr., bravely returned to establish the tag team bout as a Lumberjack Match with the ring surrounded by his handpicked Superstars, all with a suspicious eye on Orton.
Not only do Orton and Cena have a laundry list of complaints about one another, they're set to square off in six days at SummerSlam. With a weary eye on their "partner," both Orton and Cena tried to fend off the sizable challenge of their tag team tormentors. In the end, it was Cena who captured the victory for his team by pinning Jericho. True to form, however, The Viper RKO'd his partner to show his gratitude. As if to prove his mettle, Cena not only rebounded, he also tossed both Jericho and Big Show out of the ring.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather to host next week's Raw The WWE Universe will remember Floyd "Money" Mayweather as the man who bloodied Big Show's nose and defeated The World's Largest Athlete at WrestleMania XXIV. Now they'll also know him as Raw's celebrity guest host one day after SummerSlam. Tune in Monday night to watch the boxing great take control.
Hornswoggle def. Chavo Guerrero Oh, Chavo. Losing to a 4-foot-4-inch leprechaun seems to be taking its toll. This week, Guerrero found himself "facing" Hornswoggle, this time in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The sly 'Swoggle fled the ring early, heading toward the locker room area of the Scottrade Center. With Chavo in pursuit, Hornswoggle locked himself in a room. When Chavo finally opened the door, a can of paint swung down, knocking him unconscious, enabling Hornswoggle to score the victory. When he finally came to, he discovered that 'Swoggle wasn't to blame. Actually, the culprit appeared to be Prinze's pal, Macaulay Culkin!
MVP def. Jack Swagger by disqualification Montel Vontavious Porter; the name alone seems like a lot to handle. And now Jack Swagger finds himself forced to handle more than just a name. After weeks of trading barbs, last week "The All-American American" underhandedly attacked MVP after his match against Chris Masters. This week, however, The Franchise Playa came prepared. MVP put in a solid effort against Swagger until the arrogant American refused to yield to the referee after displaying relentless aggression to get disqualified.
Divas Champion Mickie James def. Gail Kim Having teamed with Divas Champion Mickie James just two weeks prior, Gail Kim found herself facing down the sporty stunner for the title. While Kim's efforts were impressive as usual, Mickie proved too powerful for the No. 1 contender and emerged with her title intact.
DX returned to Raw; The Legacy attacked After months of seclusion, Shawn Michaels finally made his climactic return to D-Generation X and Monday Night Raw, much to the thrill of the WWE Universe. Any celebration, however, would prove short-lived. As Michaels and partner Triple H addressed the crowd, their SummerSlam opponents, The Legacy, attacked DX from behind. Then it was Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase's turn at the microphone. They informed the stunned crowd that yes, they ARE ready.
The Miz def. Evan Bourne The Miz swears up and down that he's, well, awesome! And now, he's out to prove it. After getting banned from Raw two weeks ago, the self-important Superstar earned his way back on the program by defeating Eugene in a WWE Contract-on-a-Pole Match. Now, he claims he will become United States Champion and started by facing off against Evan Bourne. Despite the unpredictable nature of "Air" Bourne, Miz grounded the high-flyer for the victory.
United States Champion Kofi Kingston def. Carlito Before succumbing to Randy Orton's rage, Raw celebrity guest host Freddie Prinze Jr., arranged for United States Champion Kofi Kingston to defend his title against Carlito. The Caribbean quarrel pitted the jumping Jamaican against a Superstar who lately has shown little respect for anything or anyone, even his brother. A crowd favorite, Kingston managed to overcome the Boriqua Brother to avoid any trouble in paradise.
Raw celebrity guest host Freddie Prinze Jr., refused WWE Champion Randy Orton's demand, suffered attack As the star of such movies as I Know What You Did Last Summer and She's All That as well as the upcoming season of Fox's 24, Prinze greeted the enthusiastic crowd in the Scottrade Center and fielded an impromptu acting audition from Santino Marella before being confronted by WWE Champion Randy Orton. The Viper appeared more than a little ticked at the prospect of having to pair with SummerSlam opponent John Cena against Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show and not the least bit shy about letting Prinze Jr. know it.
The actor and lifelong WWE fan, however, refused to back down, which seemed only to provoke the erratic Orton and prompted an attack that left Prinze Jr., immobile on the canvas. The actor was subsequently taken to a local medical facility for observation.
Missed Sunday's "Hard Justice" epic event? Don't miss the replay all month long on your Pay-Per-View provider! Check your programming guide for availability.
QUICK RESULTS:
- Daniels won the X-Division Steel Asylum Match - Abyss defeated Jethro Holliday - Hernandez defeated Big Rob of The British Invasion - IWGP Tag Title: The British Invasion defeated Beer Money, Inc - Knockouts Title: ODB and Cody Deaner won, defeating The Beautiful People - X Title: Samoa Joe won the title, defeating Homicide - Tag Tam Title: Scott Steiner & Booker T retained over Team 3D - Legends Title: Kevin Nash won the title, defeating Mick Foley - World Title: Kurt Angle retained over Sting and Matt Morgan
COMPLETE PAY-PER-VIEW RESULTS: - In the most insane and daredevil Steel Asylum match thus far in TNA history, Daniels came out the winner to earn a shot at the X Division Championship. The match was highlighted by the debut of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero (who kept Suicide from winning the bout), as well as Daniels hanging upside down from the top of the cage! After Dinero took out Suicide, Daniels recovered and escaped to win it.
- Jethro Holliday took on Abyss in an attempt to claim Dr. Stevie's 50,000 bounty on Abyss. Dr. Stevie attempted to interfere on Holliday's behalf, but it only backfired. In the end, Dr. Stevie handed brass knuckles to Holliday, but Abyss instead hit his Black Hole Slam finisher to get the win. After the match, Dr. Stevie was irate with Holliday and got in his face. In turn, Holliday knocked out Dr. Stevie!
- Hernandez gained a quick win over Big Rob of The British Invasion, using a shoulder block at the start of the match to surprise the UK muscleman! When Hernandez came out, he got on the microphone and told all of the British Invasion that they could hand him the briefcase, or he would take it by force. The Invasion attacked, but Hernandez fought them off. After getting the pin on Big Rob, Hernandez grabbed his World Title shot briefcase and exited the ring, while Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams held back an irate Big Rob!
- With World Elite leader Eric Young on commentary, The British Invasion defeated Beer Money, Inc. to retain the New Japan IWGP Tag Team Title. During the bout, Eric Young tossed one of the IWGP titles into the ring, which caught the attention of Robert Roode. Roode went after Young, but Eric spit on him. As the referee was removing the title from the ring, the Invasion hit Roode with a low blow and rolled him up for the pin!
- ODB and Cody Deaner got the win over Angelina Love and Velvet Sky to become the new Knockout Women's Champion! Madison Rayne accidentally cost Angelina the match (and the gold) when she went to hairspray Deaner but blinded her Beautiful People leader instead. Deaner scored the pin and ODB was awarded the title, but Deaner took it and left the ring while ODB gave chase! After the bout, The Beautiful People argued in the ring, with Love leaving in a fit of rage!
- Samoa Joe (with Taz) defeated Homicide to become the NEW TNA X Division Champion! Homicide hit Joe with everything he had, but in the end Joe forced Homicide to tap out to the rear naked chokehold! Samoa Joe has certainly re-focused on his submission skills, and now he once again dominates the TNA X Division as the reigning champion!
- In an all-out brawl for the TNA World Tag Team Title, Scott Steiner and Booker T retained the gold against Team 3D. The conclusion of the match was controversial, with two TNA referees (Earl Hebner and Slick Johnson) both registering pins for each team. After Hebner and Johnson reviewed the videotape, it was announced that Booker T and Scott Steiner were still the tag team champions, which the crowd didn't agree with!
- In a bloody and chaotic battle, Kevin Nash defeated Mick Foley to win the TNA Legends Championship! After a brawl between Nash and Foley, Mick brought a barbed wire bat into play, which brought out Traci Brooks to stop him. As Foley dealt with Brooks, Nash took his opportunity to deliver a big boot to Foley to get the win. After the bout, Abyss came out to save Foley from further damage by the new champ.
- In the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Kurt Angle successfully retained the gold by beating Sting and Matt Morgan. Late in the bout, Sting had it won, but there was no referee. Morgan took his opportunity to capitalize - hitting his "Carbon Footprint" on Sting. However, Kurt Angle smashed Morgan with a steel chair, and covered him to get the pin and the win. Once again, Kurt Angle outsmarted Sting and Morgan to remain World Champion.
Former WWE Diva Kristal Marshall (Bobby Lashley's girlfriend) wrote on her Twitter account on Tuesday that she's going to "make a debut soon".
Earlier, she also wrote: "Just got some super duper news today! Let's just say it's a page turner!"
Marshall appears to have wrestling on her mind as we reported earlier that Vince McMahon has been incredibly frustrated as of late with WWE's inability to create new Superstars. Marshall apparently read the report as she wrote the following on her Twitter account: "Sorry Vince stars are born not created...."
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle has posted bail and has been released from jail following his arraignment this afternoon. From all accounts he will be allowed to travel to Orlando, Florida for tomorrow night's TNA Hard Justice pay-per-view.
Previously, according to a criminal report filed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kurt Angle has been arrested and was currently in the Allegheny County Jail. There was an altercation at the home of Kurt Angle involving Angle and his girlfriend Trenesha Biggers, also known as TNA's Rhaka Khan. Biggers went to police and filed a protection from abuse order against Angle, and police came and removed Angle from the home this morning.
At around 8 AM, Biggers called police again, stating that Angle was stalking her. She had gone to a Starbucks to use the internet, and told police that Angle had her phone and had been circling the parking lot. She claimed Angle was deleting photos from the phone, which were described as "pictures of abuse".
Angle was questioned by police, under suspicion of driving under the influence, and when they searched the vehicle, they found used syringes and two vials of human growth hormone. Angle claimed that he had a prescription for the medication, and could provide that to police.
Angle is currently awaiting arraignment on the following charges: - Driving while operating privileges suspended - Prohibited acts - Possession - Harassment
Angle is scheduled to defend his TNA World Heavyweight Title tomorrow night at the Hard Justice pay-per-view in Orlando.
The WWE/TNA ratings battle in the UK is much closer than in the US, with TNA often coming out on top. They beat Raw and Smackdown in the last week of July.
July 27 WWE Raw drew 57,000 July 30 TNA iMPACT! drew 70,000 July 31 WWE SmackDown drew 45,000
It must be noted that Raw does air in the early hours of the morning.
In WWE announcer Jim Ross' latest blog, the wrestling veteran puts Jeff Hardy over as the hottest wrestler in the company.
"If you are wondering who the hottest WWE Superstar presently is in WWE, it's Jeff Hardy. As my late, domino playing friend, Ernie Ladd would say, case closed," wrote Ross.
While many will undoubtedly connect Ross' comments to reports that WWE is working hard to keep Hardy beyond his expected exit date of WWE SummerSlam, his words do speak to the consensus within the company. Several months ago, a Wrestling Observer report confirmed that WWE internally views Hardy as the most popular wrestler.
Ross was also complimentary of the Divas, putting over Layla's improvement, Melina's consistently solid performances and Gail Kim's potential to be "Stratus-like".
The PWTorch Newsletter reports that the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle is still telling friends that it's only a matter of time before he takes over the TNA creative team. Although Angle has TNA President Dixie Carter's ear, very few people within the company actually believe he will become the new booker.
At this point, the creative team is made up of Vince Russo and Matt Conway, with contributions from Jeremy Borash. So far nobody else has been added to the team, which is currently without it's leader Jeff Jarrett.
TNA officials are considering bringing in former WWE Women's Champion Jazz for a role in the Knockouts division.
Last year, TNA had Jazz pegged for the role of The Beautiful People's bodyguard, but she was pregnant at the time. The role later went to Mickie "Moose" Knuckles before she went down with a freak injury.
On last nights episode of TNA iMPACT!, a brief vignette aired promoting Elijah Burke's new character, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero. It was noted that he's coming on August 16, which is when the Hard Justice pay-per-view event takes place.
WWE parted ways with The Brian Kendrick last Thursday. It would appear that the decision was actually made two weeks ago because he was pulled from a previously scheduled program with Evan Bourne that week. He was then booked to lose to Jerry "The King" Lawler and Kofi Kingston in humiliating fashion.
To confirm ongoing internet rumors dating back to last fall, Kendrick's push went up in smoke, so to speak, as a result of his disobedience towards the company's policy on marijuana. He had been warned several times by company officials that they weren't going to tolerate his failing drug tests for marijuana (which constitute a $1,000 fine, but not a suspension) after failing numerous tests. He was one of at least two wrestlers whose pushes were stopped because of their disobedience, and it was likely a major contributing factor in his departure from the company.
Kendrick's release from WWE was also said to be taken as a warning to higher profile wrestlers who have been failing tests for marijuana, as company officials have said many times to a slate of wrestlers individually that they are no longer going to tolerate it.
It should be noted that when Kendrick was informed by John Laurinaitis that he was being let go, he was told it was due to the economy. Those who heard it couldn't believe he gave him such an obviously bogus reason. It's also been said that Kendrick would have been released months ago, but Pat Patterson spoke up on his behalf.
According to an article on DigitalSpy.com, "Brüno" star (and former "Ali G" and "Borat" star) Sacha Baron Cohen is friends with WWE superstar John Cena in real life.
"It may sound like an unlikely friendship, but Cohen is apparently best buddies with WWE wrestler John Cena," the article stated.
The piece continues with: "Online reports have claimed that the Brüno star is a big fan of the sports entertainment format. Maybe we'll see Borat and co at the next Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble." That's doubtful. You can check out the article at DigitalSpy.com if interested.
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle recently spoke to FilmsInReview.com about trying to get his acting career off the ground. Here are some highlights:
On acting after he retires from wrestling "I'm kind of caught in the middle right now but I am making the jump into movies. I'm in four films this year.... When you get into professional wrestling and you see how brutal it is and you are on the road for 250-300 days per year, it starts to wear on you a bit. I got to the point where I knew I could not do it anymore. I am 40 years old, and as much as I want to stay with TNA as long as I can, I know I can't go full time forever. I want to provide for my kids and give them everything they want and give them all the things that I never had and save enough for them to get through college."
On WWE Films "I knew I had to make a choice. I knew being in the WWE, the money was there, the movies were there with WWE Films, but I wanted to go outside the circle, the realm of WWE, and spring out on my own. When you are with WWE, you are under the WWE umbrella. John Cena is a big star right now, HHH is a big star, those guys are doing incredibly well and I am very happy for them. But, you are still under that WWE umbrella. I don't blame Vince for doing that. I think that he is going to make a whole new avenue of stars with WWE Films. But I wanted to go beyond WWE Films. I am not saying that I am doing films that are better than their films, I think that Vince is doing a great job with some of the films he has done already. They have done real well on DVD and fairly well in the movie theaters so my hat is off to him but I just didn't want to be under that umbrella."
On the movie he's currently filming "The movie I am working on right now is called WARRIOR. My character's name is Koba. I play an unknown but respected fighter from Russia. I have been taking Russian accent classes and learning how to speak Russian and I have been training my ass off at the Pittsburgh Fight Club. I am so happy they are doing the film in Pittsburgh; it has made it a lot easier on me.... He's in this tournament called Sparta. There are 16 of the best fighters in the world. (The story) stemmed from a guy name Fedor Emelianenko who is a highly respected fighter from Russia. He's done so well, but a lot of people don't even know who he is yet because he hasn't fought under UFC.... This guy shows zero emotion, he goes out there and he is so good, there isn't anybody that can touch him. I think that he is 41-1. His only loss wasn't really a loss. He got cut and was bleeding so much that they stopped the fight. They are really going way out there with this character. They are bringing back the 80's cold war kind of thing. It's going to be a lot of fun to see the American fighters against the Russian to get the same affect that ROCKY IV did."
Brock Lesnar was recently featured on the front page of the Star Tribune out of Minneapolis, Minnesota in an interview which touched on his life with WWE. The article notes that Lesnar was paid $450,000 by the UFC for his fight with Randy Couture, and by the next day he was back on his 40-acre ranch in Alexandria, Minnesota where he farms corn. The article says he doesn't own a computer and dislikes attention. Here are some highlights from the interview:
On deciding to sign with WWE "Here I was wondering how I was going to buy myself a beer and a steak after the national tournament, reaching down and pulling out lint. It was pretty easy. Go with a sure thing. And the sure thing at the time was becoming a pro wrestler."
On the WWE lifestyle "You're in a different city every night. You can be whoever you want to be. You can sit in your hotel room and rot to death or you can go out and... just use your imagination. And I didn't use my imagination, I was living it. Really, I was a young man, 22 years old. Bank accounts overflowing and everything else."
The article notes that Lesnar lives an extremely private life, and most locals know to leave him alone. The UFC Heavyweight Champion reiterated this by saying "Our dream is just to go home and shut our gate".
Shane Douglas was advertised to wrestle Al Snow at Saturday's "Legends of the Arena" event promoted by longtime ECW performer Francine and her husband Joe to raise money for the American Cancer Society, but pulled a no-show.
When Snow came out for his match, he blamed the Head, saying he was responsible for all their losses to Douglas in the past and now that he had a chance to beat him, Head pulled this. The lights went out and when they returned, Jerry Lynn was in the ring. A few minutes into the match, the crowd began chanting, "Fuck Shane Douglas!"
Douglas was scheduled to fly in Friday, but claimed he missed his flight. When Douglas attempted to re-book his flight for Saturday, he called claiming an issue at the airport, saying he was there and couldn't rebook the flight. Ultimately, he did not come to the show, and the word going around the locker room was that he was in a cast from his ankle injury at the TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view and "didn't want fans to see him in the cast". Whatever the case may be, Douglas had a plane ticket and a hotel room paid for him, but he didn't come.
Douglas was scheduled to be inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame at the event as there was a banner made for him. A decision was made to just announce Douglas couldn't make it as they didn't want to be bury anyone on what was supposed to be a feel good show for a good cause.
Tammy Sytch was also scheduled to appear at the show, but did not appear as well. In fact, her picture was on the banner advertisements promoting the show. Sytch backed out of the appearance to take a booking in California.
Beyond Douglas and Sytch, Tracy Smothers and Jack Victory also missed the event. Smothers had a conflict with his full-time job and couldn't attend. In Victory's case, a personal issue came up at the last minute, thus preventing him from doing the show.
FRESNO, Calif. – Thanks to Donald Trump's blockbuster 15-Superstar trade and ECW's New Superstar Initiative, the Land of the Extreme is a changed place. The New Era of ECW is full of new faces and plenty of hungry ECW Superstars ready to make an Extreme impact on Tuesday nights.
Vladimir Kozlov & William Regal def. ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer & Christian Sunday night's Bash competitors became tag team partners on ECW this week, when ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer joined Christian to face Vladimir Kozlov and William Regal, the later who arrived via Trump's trade. Dreamer & Christian seemed to put their differences aside for the match, but their bond wasn't strong enough to withstand the impact of The Moscow Mauler and his English partner. The ECW Original lost the tag team match after the unstoppable Kozlov pinned him for the win. How will Regal's presence affect ECW? Who will dare to get in the ring the brutal Kozlov? What's next for Captain Charisma? And when will Dreamer defend the ECW Championship next?
Yoshi Tatsu def. Shelton Benjamin ECW's General Manager, Tiffany, said ECW is the place to see the best, most talented, young Superstars in WWE today, and Yoshi Tatsu is proof. Shelton Benjamin made his return to ECW as part of Trump's trade, but was bested by one of Tuesday night's newest Superstars, Tatsu, who arrived via the New Superstar Initiative. The Japanese Superstar made an impressive debut in the Land of the Extreme, when he defeated The Gold Standard quickly with one swift kick and a pin after plenty of taunting and teasing from Benjamin. After making such a shocking debut, which Superstar will have the nerve to face brave newcomer Tatsu?
Sheamus def. local competitor Irish eyes were smiling widely upon Sheamus during his ECW debut. Sheamus – who also arrived in ECW as part of the New Superstar Initiative – earned his first Extreme victory over a local competitor Tuesday night. Sheamus comes from Ireland and a long line of tough, Irish Superstars – such as Finlay, who moved to SmackDown in Trump's trade. It's clear this new ECW Superstar is poised to make an impact in the Land of the Extreme. How will his arrival affect ECW on Sci Fi?
"The Abraham Washington Show" debuts with The Bella Twins Abraham Washington also made his ECW debut Tuesday night with his self-titled talk show. The special guests for his inaugural show were none other than the newest Extreme Divas – Nikki & Brie Bella. The sisters told Washington and the WWE Universe that being identical twins has its advantages and its disadvantages, in and out of the ring. The Bellas' discussion turned into a bit of sibling rivalry-tinged argument, of which Washington found himself caught in the middle. How will Washington and The Bellas' arrival on ECW impact Tuesday nights?
Zack Ryder meets Tyler Reks Enthusiastic newcomer Tyler Reks met his future competition Tuesday night. The Southern California-raised, surf-loving Superstar approached Zack Ryder in the ECW locker room just two days before their match on "WWE Superstars." Ryder quickly told the "rookie" to get a few things straight – the best beaches are on his native Long Island, N.Y., and he better eat his "avocado rolls" to toughen up before their match Thursday night. Will Reks be as successful as the others in ECW's New Superstar Initiative when he faces Ryder on "WWE Superstars"? Tune in Thursday night at 8/7 CT on WGN America.
Next week: ECW on Thursday WWE Universe: Don't forget, ECW on Sy Fy airs next week on a special night and time – Thursday at 7/6 CT.
MILWAUKEE – Just two nights before The Bash, things erupted in the land of SmackDown, culminating in an epic "Rage in the Cage" Match, featuring some of Friday night's biggest Superstars.
Edge & Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho def. Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio With World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk as guest referee, Edge & Chris Jericho went to war with Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio in a "Rage in the Cage" Match. In the end, it was "Team Ego" who prevailed when The Rated-R Superstar avoided a Twist of Fate from Hardy and stunned the high-flyer with a hard-hitting spear.
After the match was over, CM Punk, perhaps being sarcastic, offered up his praises for Hardy, saying he fought a good fight despite losing the match. On Sunday, the two will clash for Punk's World Heavyweight Championship at The Bash.
A visit from the Chairman The epic main event was orchestrated by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long. Long was put under pressure to deliver a quality night by none other than the Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon, who paid a rare visit to SmackDown.
During the night's opening segment, the Chairman insisted that the night better be good, and put Long on "probation." The Chairman never let up on Teddy. After the night's main event, Mr. McMahon said he expected really big things from him at The Bash and told him to "perform as if your job depended on it."
R-Truth def. Shelton Benjamin Performing his signature entrance song "What's Up?!," R-Truth crossed paths at ringside with the Chairman. When offered the chance to respond to the famous question, Mr. McMahon had nothing to say.
After the rapping was over, R-Truth endured a vicious verbal assault from his opponent, Shelton Benjamin. The mean-spirited lashing fueled a quick and aggressive offense from Truth during their match. Benjamin eventually turned the tables, putting Truth on the defensive. But in the end, Truth prevailed when he dropped The Gold Standard with a Lie Detector.
Michelle McCool & Alicia Fox def. Women's Champion Melina & Gail Kim With the upcoming Women's Championship match on their minds, Michelle McCool and Alicia Fox went to work, punishing reigning champion, Melina. Their strategy worked, keeping Kim out of the ring for most of the contest. When Kim finally entered the fray, she was stopped cold by McCool with a devastating Faithbreaker. After it was all over, Melina was clearly still feeling the effects of the encounter. Can she recover in time to defend her title against McCool at The Bash?
John Morrison def. World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk (Non-Title) Last week on SmackDown, John Morrison went toe-to-toe with former World Heavyweight Champion Edge, giving him a run for his money. Although The Friday Night delight came up short against The Ultimate Opportunist last week, on this night, he found a way to defeat the reigning champion. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable with his loss to the younger Superstar, Punk offered a congratulatory handshake to Morrison, only to crush him with a Go to Sleep. After the loss, Punk must put it behind him if he is to successfully defend his title against No. 1 contender Jeff Hardy at The Bash.
The current World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk was at the Rancid/Rise Against show last night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Summerfest. Rancid even dedicated the song "Last One to Die" to Punk, who was watching the show from the side of the stage. Later, Rancid's guitarist and vocalist Lars Frrederiksen threw his water bottle at Punk, who flipped him off in return.
A number of personalities from the wrestling world have commented on the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Here are their posts taken from Twitter.
Chris Jericho: "I saw Michael in concert in '93 and he blew my mind. One of the best entertainers of all time."
Jericho on Farrah Fawcett: "Farrah Fawcett was sooo hot. I had many evil dreams about her in my wonder years."
Eve Torres: "What an amazing icon of our time... RIP Michael. Thank u for sharing ur incredible talents with the world!"
"Ok, Heal the World just came on. Now I'm in tears."
Howard Finkel: "Rest in peace, Michael and Farrah. An amazing entertainer and an original 'Angel' are gone."
Hurricane Helms: "Just heard Farrah Fawcett has passed. RIP."
Helms on Michael Jackson: "Huge fan of Thriller, not really big on the child molesting stuff. Either way, RIP to the King of Pop!!"
Maria: "How can Michael Jackson die? He is one of the staples of my childhood. He Thrilled us, he Healed the World, he Rocked with You. So sad."
Maryse (picture): "Farrah Faccett! the muse of my current hairstyle choice - its so sad"
Maryse on Michael Jackson: "michael jackson! wow hard to believe!"
Matt Hardy: "Sad to hear about the deaths of Farrah & Michael Jackson today.. Don't take your loved ones for granted, you never know what tomorrow holds."
The Miz: "I cannot believe the King of Pop is dead."
Angela Fong: "Wow so crazy about Michael Jackson...rest in peace."
Awesome Kong: "I'm sad that Michael Jackson has died. A bunch of us were just talking about him this morning. I remember seeing him live at the Super Bowl."
Elijah Burke: "This is literally the first movement I've made since the news. Pope is deeply saddened. This is a day I will never, ever forget! ~ PHS"
Eric Bischoff: "Condolences to the family and friends of Farrah Fawcett. She was a celebrity who lived her life with dignity and class."
Lauren Jones: "Michael Jackson, you are an eternal legend. You inspired so many. R.I.P. So sad. :("
Shannon Moore: "RIP Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett."
On tonight's edition of iMPACT!, TNA will be promoting the Bobby Lashley (picture) vs. Bob Sapp mixed martial arts fight, which takes place Saturday Night at the Ultimate Chaos MMA event at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Meanwhile, Mikey Batts, who worked for TNA when they were on Fox Sport, will have his first mixed martial arts bout this weekend in Rhode Island at the Naga 2009 East Coast Submission Championship event. Batts has been doing his MMA training with American Top Team.
Missed Sunday's TNA Wrestling "Slammiversary" Pay-Per-View epic event? You can still catch the replay all month long on Pay-Per-View! Check your cable programming guide for availability!
Preshow: The British Invasion defeated Rhino & Jesse Neal when Brutus Magnus beat Neal. Rhino's original partner Eric Young walked out on him during the bout, leading to Neal coming to try to help his mentor.
QUICK RESULTS: - X Champion Suicide won the first King Of The Mountain match - Daniels defeated Shane Douglas - Knockouts Champion Angelina Love defeated Tara - Abyss & Taylor Wilde beat Raven & Daffney in Monster's Ball - Sting defeated Matt Morgan - Beer Money beat Team 3D to win the Tag Team Title - Kurt Angle won the King Of The Mountain to become new World Champion, thanks to Samoa Joe turning his back on his friends and fans to help Angle!
COMPLETE PAY-PER-VIEW RESULTS:
- Suicide retained the X Division Championship in the first King Of The Mountain match to open the broadcast, beating the members of The Motor City Machineguns and Lethal Consequences in a high-flying ladder match!
- Daniels defeated "The Franchise" Shane Douglas in the "Second Chance Match" after Daniels hit the Best Moonsault Ever.
- Angelina Love successfully defended the TNA Knockouts Championship over Tara when Velvet Sky interfered on behalf of her Beautiful People partner. Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne interfered throughout. Velvet sprayed hairspray in Tara's eyes, allowing Angelina to hit her finisher and get the pin to retain the gold.
- Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Raven and Daffney in the "Monster's Ball" match when Abyss reversed a DDT into the Black Hole Slam for the pin on Raven. The chaotic bout also saw Wilde and Daffney go hardcore on each other with weapons and tacks!
- "The Icon" Sting defeated "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan after Sting escaped from Morgan's "Hellavtor" finisher and Sting hit the Scorpion Death Drop for the win. Sting remains the leader of the Main Event Mafia.
- Beer Money, Inc became the new TNA World Tag Team Champions by defeating Team 3D. The British Invasion got involved in the bout, ultimately costing Brother Ray and Devon the gold! After Team 3D hit their finisher, Rob Terry of the Invasion climbed up on the ring apron - causing a battle between Team 3D and the British Invasion. This allowed Beer Money to hit their finisher on Brother Devon to get the win!
- Kurt Angle became the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion by winning the King Of The Mountain main event, beating Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles...with help from Samoa Joe!!! As Joe was climbing the ladder to win it, he handed the gold to Angle! Joe shocked the wrestling world with his actions - the question is, what will be the fallout from what he did?
Former ECW General Manager Paul Heyman wrote a lengthy blog for the UK Sun in which he discussed what's next for the CM Punk (picture) character. "In the coming weeks, I am sure Punk will display personality traits of both hero and villain," Heyman wrote. "Fan favorite and subtle rulebreaker. Babyface and heel."
"His character, based on his real life discipline of abstaining from drugs and alcohol, can be presented as both a man of principles, and a champion who, with the exception of the drugs and alcohol he is above, will do anything to remain the World Heavyweight Title holder." Click here to read the full blog post.
ROANOKE, Va. – A strange brew of trickery, retribution and pure squared-circle aggression consumed SmackDown, just nine days before The Bash unleashes itself upon the WWE Universe.
Jeff Hardy def. Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho (count-out) Prior to his match with Chris Jericho, The Charismatic No. 1 Contender was confronted by World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk about their World Championship Match at The Bash. Punk voiced no regrets about cashing in his Money in the Bank opportunity at Extreme Rules, nor with his actions in Monday Night Raw's Triple Threat Match. An intense Hardy expressed his determination to take his title back at the upcoming pay-per-view.
Hardy's attention then turned to Jericho. In the culmination of their heated battle, as the nine-time Intercontinental Champion was throwing Hardy back into the ring, Rey Mysterio suddenly emerged from a seat in the crowd. He attacked Jericho, driving the stunned Superstar into the ring post before returning to his seat next to two other identically dressed fans. This surprise onslaught led directly to a Hardy victory when Jericho couldn't answer the 10-count. After the bell, The Charismatic Enigma put the exclamation point on the win, hitting the disoriented Jericho with the Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb combination.
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. Rey Mysterio Later, Mysterio accepted the challenge from the reemerging Jericho to put his sacred mask on the line against Jericho's gold at The Bash. The nine-time Intercontinental Champion then joined Hall of Famer Jim Ross & Todd Grisham at the broadcast table. But in a critical moment of Mysterio's match with Punk, Jericho "evened the score" for his masked adversary's earlier attack, slamming The Master of the 619 into the steel ring post. Though Mysterio answered his 10-count, the World Champion quickly finished him off with the GTS.
After the bell, an angry Jeff Hardy charged into the ring to dispute the decision. He was clearly still seething after being stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules. But the confrontation only ended in a staredown, with Punk still walking off with the victory over Mysterio. At The Bash, things will finally come to a head when Punk and Hardy collide in a rematch.
Edge def. John Morrison The Friday Night Delight may have matched The Master Manipulator in a war of words before the bell, but The Rated-R Superstar ultimately reigned supreme, hitting the spear in the climax of their tremendously hard-fought battle. Morrison heroically fought through injured ribs, but couldn't stop the former World Champion at the finish line.
Dolph Ziggler def. The Great Khali (disqualification) While the referee was distracted, the incomparable Ziggler threw a chair toward The Great Khali before falling to the canvas as if injured. When the referee turned around, The Punjabi Playboy was holding the steel and was therefore disqualified. Once again, Ziggler appears to have outsmarted Khali, giving himself another victory over his irate adversary.
Melina def. Alicia Fox Melina reigned supreme over "A-Fox," flipping herself downward off Alicia's back and using her momentum to whip Alicia over for the pinfall. Michelle then attacked, hurling the Women's Champion from the ring before viciously kneeing her into the broadcaster's table. The No. 1 contender promised to humiliate Melina at The Bash and become the first Diva to hold both the Divas and Women's Championships.
R-Truth & Cryme Tyme def. Ricky Ortiz, Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin Amidst mass confusion both in and outside the ring in a six-man brawl, R-Truth caught Benjamin with a powerful kick as The Gold Standard was leaping from the top rope. Truth followed up with the hurricane-like Corkscrew Elbow to prove triumphant.
TNA superstar Consequences Creed was featured by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday and explained when he knew he wanted to be a pro wrestler.
"You know when you're in first grade and the teacher goes around the room and asks 'What do you want to be?'" Creed said. "The other kids all said fireman or policeman or doctor. I said pro wrestler, and everybody laughed at me. It just seemed like the best job ever, because you got to go out in front of people and do what you love on a daily basis."
Creed also explained where his wrestling name came from. "In wrestling school, they gave three of us boxes at random (that) had gear that people used to wear in the '80s," he continued. "Mine happened to be a red, white and blue cape and trunks, and when I put it on, they were all like, 'You're Apollo Creed!' 'Consequences' is something they came up with when I came in to do Bound for Glory."
Ric Flair is expected to be signing a new deal with WWE in the next week or two where he will return to in a similar role he had when he left the company around ten months ago reports The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Many in the company always expected a return of Flair to WWE in some kind of capacity with many feeling the novelty of getting huge money autograph bookings, shoot interviews and other appearances wouldn't have very long staying power.
One undoubtedly huge factor in Flair needing a continuing flow of money is the reported $20,000 per month in alimony payments for his second wife Beth along with legal bills and an undisclosed alimony payment to his third wife Tiffany. The WWE had previously tried to prevent Flair from taking on many lucrative deals he was being offered, which is why he left the company last August.
Although nothing has been confirmed, the belief at this point is that Flair's new deal with WWE would not include any wrestling as Vince McMahon wants his retirement at WrestleMania 24 to stick. Flair was brought in for a return in May at the Judgment Day PPV to help boost a lack of star power on Raw with Triple H out seling a storyline injury and Shawn Michaels out for what expects to be a lengthy period of time. The company recently ran an angle on this past Monday's Raw where Randy Orton punted Flair in the head so it would appear he will be off TV for a while.
There was said to be some lack of communication between WWE and Flair as the company had hoped to have him signed earlier, but the distraction of the "Denver Dabacle" had Vince McMahon worrying about other things had everything put on hold. The company did initially want Flair under contract when they brought him back at the Judgment Day PPV on May 17 in Chicago. He was asked to not appear at the recent Ring of Honor TV tapings for HDNet, but no one at ROH was told about this until at 5 PM on the day of the tapings. ROH was then forced to rewrite three hours of television that they were filming just a few hours later.
Flair leaving ROH was said to be a big disappointment among ROH officials and wrestlers as they liked the idea of being on the same show as Flair. It also created a good deal of unhappiness between ROH officials and HDNet officials as the network had been largely promoting ROH using Flair. One important point here was that HDNet had plans to syndicate the show into foreign countries and planned to use Flair's name as a regular to make a huge difference in whether a deal would go down or not. Flair has stated in interviews recently that if he does come out of retirement that he would do so overseas. Whether or not he still intends to do this is up in the air with a new deal from WWE now on the table. He is still at this point scheduled to make many appearances overseas at events in Europe, South Africa, China and Egypt, although it would appear any plans to wrestle on those events before may not be the case anymore. It appears Flair's intentions of returning to the ring will rely on his new status with WWE and if he ends up signing a new deal with the company.
In an interview with B95 FM in central California, Jeff Hardy spoke on his current WWE contract status, saying "There's nothing concrete. There's rumors out there about me not re-signing, but we haven't decided that yet. They're real cool with giving me time. There's a very good chance (I'll still be on TV in six months), but we'll see."
He also spoke on 2008 being a tough year for him when he lost his house and dog while serving a wellness policy violation suspension. "I was tested like crazy," Jeff said. "Really hard time for me to get through those 60 days. Had to pee in a cup to prove myself to them (WWE) again." He denied reports that he was doing an MTV series.
Jeff closed out the interview by saying he's going to try to be creative to come up with new moves with Edge in the ladder match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on Sunday.
While the full details behind the release of Mr. Kennedy by WWE are still not known, some new reports that have come out indicate that a discussion between Kennedy and WWE Champion Randy Orton may have pushed things more along.
As noted earlier, Orton and Kennedy had a discussion after this past week's Monday Night Raw taping. It wasn't a heated discussion and was more Orton telling Kennedy to be careful out in the ring. Orton was said to have been a little upset about a back suplex given to him by Kennedy during the main event on Monday night where he was dropped more on his shoulder instead of his back, which happened to be the same area where he broke his collar bone last year putting him out of action for a good amount of time.
Kennedy didn't argue with Orton or talk back when told this after the show. While there were reports that Kennedy suffered an injury to his wrist taking an RKO from Orton during the main event, it wasn't believed to be that serious and many WWE sources who discussed it didn't seem to think it was going to keep him out of action at all. Some have suggested his release may prove the pull Orton might have in WWE right now, while others think it is a combination of many things including how Kennedy hasn't progressed much in-ring wise and continues to have health problems. Either way, his release definitely surprised many on Friday.
Missed Sunday's "Sacrifice" Pay-Per-View event? You can still catch the replay all month long on your Pay-Per-View provider! Check your programming guide for complete details on times and availability!
Quick results from the PPV:
- Countdown Preshow: The Amazing Red def. Kiyoshi - Lethal Consequences and Eric Young def. The Motor City Machinerguns and Sheik Abdul Bashir - Taylor Wilde def. Daffney in the Knockouts Monster's Ball Match - Suicide retained the X Championship in a time limit draw over Daniels - Angelina Love def. Awesome Kong to retain the Knockouts Title - Samoa Joe def Kevin Nash - Beer Money, Inc def. The British Invasion to win the Team 3D Tournament - AJ Styles def. Booker T to retain the TNA Legends Title in an I Quit match - Sting pinned Kurt Angle to win the "Ultimate Sacrifice" main event (As a result, Sting gains control of The Main Event Mafia)
- On the Countdown Preshow, The Amazing Red beat Kiyoshi with a standing moonsault!
In the opening six-man match on the Pay-Per-View, Lethal Consequences and Eric Young beat The Motor City Machinegs and Sheik Abdul Bashir when Machismo beat Bashir (Bashir tried to block the pin by grabbing the ropes, but the referee kicked them off). After the match, Bashir was upset with the referee's role in costing him the bout.
- Taylor Wilde beat the maniacal Daffney in the first-ever Knockouts Monster's Ball Match. After the bout, Dr. Stevie Richards poured out the bag of tacks and demanded Abyss slam Wilde into them! Abyss refused, and when Richards shoved Lauren Brooke, Abyss instead slammed Richards into the tacks.
- In the X Division Championship match, Suicide retained over Daniels via a time limit draw. However, during the bout the Motor City Machineguns cost Suicide the bout, leading to Daniels getting the win. But when Daniels saw the replay, he refused to accept the win and asked the referee to restart the match. The referee allowed it, and bother Daniels and Suicide fought to the time limit. In the end, Daniels handed the X Title to Suicide and the two superstars congratulated each other on an amazing match.
- In the Knockouts Title match, a terrified Angelina Love retained the gold after getting the pin on Kong after spraying her in the eyes with her perfume. After the bout, Kong cleared her vision and attack Love!
- "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe bloodied and defeated his former mentor, Kevin Nash, ultimately forcing him to tap out to a clutch submission. After Joe got the win, he continued to assault Nash, leading to security hitting the ring. "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner came out to check on his fellow Main Event Mafia member.
- In the finals of the Team 3D Tag Team Tournament, Beer Money, Inc defeated The British Invasion to earn $100,000, a trophy and a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The British Invasion attempted to use the briefcase they stole from Hernandez during the bout, but Beer Money turned the tables and used it instead, allowing James Storm to hit the superkick for the pin.
- In an I-Quit match for the TNA Legends Championship, AJ Styles defeated Booker T to retain the gold after Jenna Morasca threw in the towel from Booker's corner. After a grueling bout, AJ got the best of Booker with an armbreaker after Booker was accidentally distracted by his wife Sharmell. When Booker refused to quit, Morasca tossed in the towel, resulting in the referee stopping the match and awarding the decision to Styles!
- In the "Ultimate Sacrifice" main event featuring TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mick Foley vs. TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting vs. Kurt Angle, "The Icon" Sting got the pin on Kurt Angle to win the bout after Jeff Jarrett hit The Stroke on Angle! As a result of the match stipulations, Sting becomes the NEW Godfather of the Main Event Mafia! Mick Foley retains the TNA World Heavyweight Title, as he was not pinned.
2009 WWE Hall of Fame member Terry Funk made a surprise appearance at last Friday night's TNA house show in Amarillo, Texas.
Funk was the special guest enforcer for the show's main event featuring Samoa Joe versus Scott Steiner. He was alongside his old friend, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mick Foley.
TNA have posted coverage and photos of Terry Funk's appearance alongside Mick Foley, Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe on their official Twitter page.
Yesterday marks the 10 year anniversary of Owen Hart's tragic death. He was the youngest of the 12 children to the legendary Stu Hart and Helen Hart. He was the younger brother of Bret Hart.
Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri on May 23, 1999 during the WWF Over The Edge pay-per-view event. Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and rappel line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blue Blazer's new "buffoonish superhero" character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act "entangled", then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect—this necessitated the use of a quick release mechanism. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done previously on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series 1998. This time, something went wrong with the stunt harness, apparently triggering the release mechanism early as he was being lowered. Hart fell 78 feet (24 meter) into the ring, landing his chest first on the top rope, approximately a foot from the nearest turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring. In Mick Foley's autobiography Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, he claims that following the fall, Hart attempted to sit up and did so before falling back.
Hart had performed the stunt only a few times before and was worried about performing the stunt at the Kemper Arena due to the height involved. Hart's wife Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. TV viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath—at the moment of the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena. After, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event's broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF TV announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. Hart was transported to Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt chest trauma.
Hart had just celebrated his 34th birthday a couple weeks before, and is survived by his wife Martha and two children.
Macho Madness, the "Macho Man" Randy Savage DVD is now available. See classic matches and interviews from one of the most unique stars in WWE history. You can buy Macho Madness on DVD in stores now. You can see the preview of the DVD below:
The ex-wife of former Canadian professional wrestler Ivan "The Croatian Giant" Radocaj (picture) has been charged with first degree murder in connection with his death.
Meldoy Lynn Sanford, 43, of Winnipeg has been in custody since January 2008 when she was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Ironically, she was slated to appear in court Wednesday afternoon where she was going to enter guilty plea and receive sentencing on that charge.
According to the prosecutors on the case, it was the ongoing investigation of Radocaj's death that led to the upgrade in charges this week.
Radocaj died of blunt force trauma after being beaten in his home in September of 2007.
Sanford's friend, Rita Louise Cushnie, 53, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Three family members of Cushnie had previously been charged with first degree murder in the beating death.
Prosecutors contend that Sanford threatened to kill the former pro wrestler in the weeks leading up to his death.
The couple were married for only three weeks during the summer of 2007.
Radocaj's wrestling career spanned the early 1980s. He worked under a number of names including The Croatian Giant, Ivan the Giant, and Big John Radocaj.
Sanford filed a petition for a protection order against Radocaj, which was granted by the courts and banned the man from coming with 500 meters of her.
She claimed Radocaj was jealous of the time she was spending with friends, family and even her pets. "He was angry that I would cuddle with my cats," she wrote in her affidavit.
Ring of Honor has posted a video clip of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair's entire first televised ROH promo from the May 2 edition of ROH TV on HDNet. Flair, who now serves as the official "ROH Ambassador", cuts a promo and is later joined by ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn. The two men are then interrupted by Austin Aries. You can see the video clip below:
WWE has signed Rachael Carr, a British model and dancer who has done body-double work for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, to a developmental contract. In an interview with The Sun, Carr says she was approached by WWE recruiter Lou Maggio, who asked her to audition. She's now training at Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, five days each month and plans to dedicate herself to learning the craft of a WWE Diva.
"You train for between six months and two years before you're ready to move up," she said. "I was so excited to go over there and meet everybody, but I was also scared. On my first time over, watching the girls throw themselves around, I thought I couldn't do it. I've only just begun the training so I'm not doing too much of the physical stuff at the moment."
Carr certainly has the look and body type of a typical WWE diva and hopes that will help her make it to WWE television one day. "They want me to be a cutie. Because I'm quite small and little, they want the whole angel thing coming over. Hopefully it will go well, I'll perfect my wrestling and my character and I'll end up with a full time WWE contract."
The Ring of Honor announced yesterday that former ECW, WCW and WWE superstar Lance Storm will be coming out of retirement this summer to work two ROH shows in Toronto on July 25 and 26. Here is the announcement as seen on rohwrestling.com:
It's been nearly ten months since Lance Storm stood in front of the ROH faithful at "Northern Navigation" on July 25, 2008 where he was disrespected by Sweet & Sour Incorporated, and left Shane Hagadorn laying with a superkick. And it's been even longer, April 1, 2006 at "Better Than Our Best", since Storm entered into ROH competition. That night it was an epic, nearly thirty minute classic against Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title. Storm came up short in his bid to become the champ but without question won over the fans of Ring of Honor
On July 24th and 25th, one year since he last appeared for ROH, Lance Storm will not only come back to ROH, he will return to active competition! At the Ted Reeve Arena in downtown Toronto, Storm will make his ROH in-ring return with matches on both nights! His opponents have yet to be determined but stay tuned to upcoming Newswires for more details on whom Storm will face when he returns to the ring.
When you add Storm's name to a weekend that already includes appearances by Bret Hart on July 24th and Ric Flair on the 25th, ROH's return to Canada is shaping up to be an historic one. Tickets are on sale now for both events here at www.rohwrestling.com, and you can save up to 40% off until Tuesday at noon. You don't want to miss out on this historic weekend! Get your tickets now!
Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio recently toured Spain where he invited Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and their Real Madrid teammates to WWE's upcoming SmackDown and ECW live event in Madrid on Sept. 24.
