Pinfall Recall
The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard

WWE

CM Punk Featured in Music Video

- CM Punk is in the new H20 music video for the song “Nothing to Prove.”

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

TNA

Shark Boy Sent Home With Illness

- According to TNA’s Twitter page, Shark Boy was sent home from the weekend house show run due to illness.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

Non-Spoiler HDnet Match Listing

The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s edition of ROH on HDNet:

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Other

Floyd Mayweather Announces Return To Boxing

- Former WrestleMania headliner Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to announce tonight that he will be coming out of retirement for a boxing fight in July.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

___________________________________________________________

That’s all for today’s Wrestling News Digest. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another easy to digest batch! Or, subscribe to our blog feed to get the latest Wrestling News, as well as our columns and podcasts, delivered right to your favorite feedreader. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact the Pinfall Recall team on the forums or by emailing them directly through the links below.

Cliff Karklin (CK) - CK@PinfallRecall.com

Joshua George (JG) - JG@PinfallRecall.com

Robby Boydstun (RDB) - RDB@PinfallRecall.com

Milo Taibi (Milo) - Milo@PinfallRecall.com

Ed Battes (Ed) - Ed@PinfallRecall.com

Danny Charisma (DC) - DC@PinfallRecall.com

WWE

Rey Mysterio Unmasks

- Rey Mysterio was accidentally unmasked two times during his match with Chris Jericho last night in Aberdeen Scotland. [Credit: Wrestlingobserver.com]

Discuss on our forum!

WWE Films Box Office Breakdown

- According to BoxOfficeMojo.com here are how the WWE Films compare to each other in the box office overall:
* The Marine: $22,165,608
* See No Evil: $18,420,968
* 12 Rounds: $12,712,242
* The Condemned: $8,635,183

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Major PPV Spoiler

Due to the fact that after the WWE draft both the WWE champion (Triple H) and the World champion (John Cena) ended up on the same brand (RAW), there is likely to be a title change at the upcoming Backlash pay-per view on April 26th.

While Triple H has his title up for grabs in a trios match with all RAW talent, Cena is defending his World title against SmackDown! star Edge. This pretty much guarantees Edge winning the World title to keep the top-two singles titles on opposing brands.

Of course, WWE has been known to switch booking ideas simply to fool people watching, but even still this seems to be a lock.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss on our forum!

TNA

Christopher Daniels Update

- Christopher Daniels may pull double duty tonight, working as Suicide in the opener and then later as himself in the Lethal Lockdown match. [Credit: Wrestlingobserver.com]

Discuss on our forum!

Mick Foley Comments On WWE To TNA Decision

“It’s been great for me. I have no doubt that it was the right move to make. I think anyone who watches iMPACT can see that I’m having more fun. That I enjoy really being part of the mix. I’m working on a book right now detailing my adventures leading up to this one match. It’s similar, in that respect, to the book that I wrote in 2006, about leading up to a big match in the WWE. The biggest difference is that it’s so much easier for me to try to get my vision across to viewers. Part of what made the last book a good read I think was that it detailed the constant battles I would have with the WWE creative department and with Vince McMahon. Those battles don’t really exist in TNA for me.”

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

4.18.09 House Show Results

Credit: David Musgrave & WrestlingObserver.com

Pre-show:

A) Player Uno and Alex Payne defeated Michael Elgin and Ash. Fun opener with the crowd being into everyone. Nice to see Ash and Elgin on the show.

B) Josh Raymond and Christian Able defeated Grizzly Redwood and Bobby Dempsey. Fun match, Raymond and Able seem like they could do well on the regular card.

Main Show:
1) Brent Albright defeated Jimmy Rave by submission with the crowbar. Jimmy Rave and Prince Nana seem to have fit right back in. The toilet papering went over well. Rave did enough heel stalling to get heat but limited it enough to not be Larry Zbysko. Lots of chopping with good selling by Rave. Albright looked good in victory, he seems to have trimmed and was in the best shape and worked the best I’ve seen him in a while.

2) Chris Hero d. Necro Butcher by DQ after Necro used a chair. This was a fun brawl that went out of the ring a lot and also involved wrestling. The DQ finish didn’t feel ill-timed. There was a great taunt by Hero when Necro was down and Hero said “Where’s your Oscar?”

3) Colt Cabana d. Claudio Castagnolli via pinfall. Cabana has fit right back into his comedic role and the crowd was right with him. It sucks that WWE wasted two years of hislife (sic) but he feels refreshed. Claudio was probably in the best heel mode Ive seen him, which happens when you shave your head and wear a scarf. Fun match.

4) Austin Aries, Rhett Titus and Kenny King d. Kevin Steen Kenny Omega and Player Dos. Aries, Titus and King were great as a trio and come off like a top act. This match was filled with lots of great ? along with Dos being worked over. It was cool for Generico to be there and kudos to ROH for announcing this upfront. Great match, second best of the night.Great chant of “Heppa-Titus” (sic) at Rhett.

Intermission.

5) The start of the second half was being announced when Delirious and Jimmy Jacobs appeared in the crowd already brawling.They were close to me so that was fun. They went into the stands, then to ringside, setting up a table for later. They got ine ring and brawled back and forth. Eventually Delirious tried to suplex Jacobs out of the ring onto the table but Jacobs fought back, hit the ropes and speared Delirious through the table. Eventually Daizee Haze got involved. During the finish, Delirious blew black mist, covering Jacobs’ face. Daizee hit Jacobs with his own spike and then Delirious put him in the Cobra Stretch with the spike digging in Jacobs black-covered face until Jimmy tapped. This is the best I’ve seen from either guy in a while.

6)Jay Briscoe d. Roderick Strong in a strong wrestling match. Lots of chops, lot of nearfalls (sic) and an ending sequence of rollups (sic) that ended with Jay winning. A really good match that was exactly what it needed to be.

7) Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards vsm (sic) Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black went to a 45-minute time limit draw in the best match I have seen live since Danielson v. Black from Detroit last July (ppv match).The 45 minutes flew by and caught the crowd by surprise with the one-minute warning while both Danielson and Black did elbow strikes to the Wolves followed by duelling (sic) Cattle Mutilation when the warning was given. Crowd was heated that it ended but good heat and a remacth (sic) should be good. Lots of innovative spots including Black and Danielson tagging in and out while taking turns bodyslamming (sic) Edwards. Simple, but it got over. The Wolves seem like a great classic tag with lots of great double-teams, many of which involve kicks and leg lariats. Crazy spot with all the guys in the crowd after dives by Richards and Danielson, then both Black and Richards getting back in at 19.5 when it seemed they would’t (sic). Danielson also had a crazy bruise on his left thigh the size of a melon and he sold it the rest of the match. I would have though he had broken it except he was able to work on it (stand,run,etc) and his opponents worked it the rest of the match with texas (sic) cloverleaf’s and dragonscrews (sic).

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

____________________________________________________________

That’s all for today’s Wrestling News Digest. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another easy to digest batch! Or, subscribe to our blog feed to get the latest Wrestling News, as well as our columns and podcasts, delivered right to your favorite feedreader. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact the Pinfall Recall team on the forums or by emailing them directly through the links below.

Cliff Karklin (CK) - CK@PinfallRecall.com

Joshua George (JG) - JG@PinfallRecall.com

Robby Boydstun (RDB) - RDB@PinfallRecall.com

Milo Taibi (Milo) - Milo@PinfallRecall.com

Ed Battes (Ed) - Ed@PinfallRecall.com

Danny Charisma (DC) - DC@PinfallRecall.com

WWE

WWE Supplemental Draft Note

The WWE Supplemental Draft has been scheduled for Wednesday at noon on WWE.com and WWEUniverse.com with Howard Finkel set to host.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

DVD Release Date Schedule

- Here is the updated list of WWE DVD releases:
4.14 - WWE’s Greatest Stars Of The 90’s
5.05 - Tagged Classics (No Way Out 2004/Backlash 2004)
5.05 - Tagged Classics (Judgment Day 2004/Bad Blood 2004)
5.19 - Wrestlemania 25 - Both Standard and Blu-Ray Releases
5.26 - Backlash 2009
6.09 - Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection
6.16 - Judgment Day 2009
7.07 - Extreme Rules 2009
7.14 - Allied Powers: The World’s Greatest Tag Teams
7.28 - The Great American Bash 2009 [Credit: Pwinsider.com]

Discuss on our forum!

TNA

Danny Bonaduce Match Update

- Danny Bonaduce has been discussing his match with Eric Young on his radio show recently. When a caller asked why the match wasn’t being promoted, Bonaduce stated that there was a rumor from Dave Meltzer’s newsletter that Dixie Carter had made the call for the match to be a dark match since “she didn’t want a comedy match on is supposed to be a serious PPV”. Bonaduce called Carter and found out that his match would be placed on the PPV pre-show as a way to entice people to buy the PPV. He liked that idea and said he didn’t care about being on the PPV anyway and just wanted to up the profile of his radio show. He again stated that he isn’t even being paid for the match. [Credit: Pwinsider.com]

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

ROH HDnet Episode Results

Ring Of Honor Episode 10
* The American Wolves cut a promo promising to win the Tag Titles when they put Kevin Steen and El Generico through a table tonight. A table was in the ring. Steen and Generico hit the ring and the Wolves retreated, leaving Shane Hagadorn to be put through a table.

* Kenny Omega won a Three-Way over Kenny King and Jay Briscoe when he pinned King.

* The Dark City Fight Club beat Irish Airborne.

* Chris Hero beat Eddie Kingston by DQ when he refused to stop beating Hero in the corner.

* Necro Butcher & Delirious defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Brodie Lee.

Ring Of Honor Episode 11
* Roderick Strong defeated Rhett Titus.

* SHIMMER champ MsChif won a three way over Daizee Haze and Sara del Rey.

* Erick Stevens defeated Sami Callahan.

* The American Wolves defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico in a Tables Match to win the ROH Tag Team belts. Great match.

Ring Of Honor Episode 12
* Colt Cabana & Brent Albright beat Claudio Castagnoli & Ernie Osyris.

* Bobby Dempsey beat Sal Rinauro.

* In a great Match, Roh champ Jerry Lynn defeated Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black and Austin Aries when he nailed the cradle piledriver on Danielson.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Other

Ted DiBiase Sr. Religious Statement Controversey

In a recent interview with the LaCrosseTibune.com, Ted DiBiase Sr. made the following statement: “Jesus said go and make disciples…It wasn’t a request. It was a command. And unfortunately in America, 90 percent of all people who profess Christianity never led anyone to Christ. So I’m an evangelist, and that’s what I do…I challenge people. We’ve got people who are willing to blow up themselves and buildings, die for something that is a total lie: Islam. … But we have Christians who have never been a witness.”

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

PPV Results

Credit: Mike Johnson and Pwinsider.com/ 411mania.com

After several pre-show bouts, ring announcer Bobby Cruise announced there would be some changes due to injury and further updates would be coming.

Ace Steel vs. Colt Cabana.
There was lots of silliness early in the bout as both played to the crowd. They did a lot of counter wrestling. Cabana called for the flying a**hole. Cabana then caught Steel out of nowhere with a submission to get the win. Short but OK.

Your winner, Colt Cabana!

Both shook hands after the bout.

Rhett Titus vs. Bushwhacker Luke Williams
Yes, Bushwhacker of Honor has come to PPV. Titus was none too pleased and the crowd got all over him. Titus whipped Luke into the corner but was clotheslined. Titus begged off. They went back and forth with some silliness before Titus schoolboyed Williams and hooked the tights.

Your winner, Rhett Titus!

The crowd clapped to Luke’s music as he left.

Chris Hero & Incognito & The American Wolves vs. ROH Tag Team champions Kevin Steen & El Generico & Magno & Jay Briscoe.
The babyfaces stormed the ring before the bell. Magno and Incognito went into a nice Lucha exchange, which the crowd liked. Magno nailed a rana and then reversed a backbreaker attempt into a Lucha armdrag. Incognito nailed a dive. Kevin Steen and Eddie Edwards then officially started the bout. They began exchanging chops in the center of the ring. Generico tagged in and hit several kicks on Edwards, who tagged out to Davey Richards. Generico maintained control, pummeling him in the corner with punches. Hero tagged in but Generico retained control. Hero came back with a forward roll and tagged in Richards. The Wolves began tagging in and out as they worked over Generico.

Hero tagged in and kicked Generico in the face. The crowd tried to rally Generico. His partners led them in an Ole Ole chant. Generico fired back with a DDT and made the hot tag to Steen. The Tag champions cleaned house and then hit stereo flip dives over the top to the floor. Generico then hit an awesome springboard moonsault to the floor. Magno hit a twisting moonsaulty to the floor. Steen and Generico double teamed Edwards. Briscoe went to the top and nailed a splash for a two count on Edwards.

The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” Hero went to the top but was cut off by Steen. Generico grabbed him and teased a brainbuster off the top but was fought off. Hero put on his loaded forearm pad and drilled Generico with it, but Generico evaded the shot. He went again for the brainbuster but this time, Hero nailed him. Generico fell backwards into the ring but kicked up at two.

Jay Briscoe grabbed Hero and pulled him into the ring. He nailed the Jay-Driller on Hero and scored the pin.

Your winners, Steen & Generico & Magno & Briscoe!

A fun eight man tag with some cool dives to the floor. Best thing on the show thus far.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Necro Butcher
They began brawling and went right to the floor immediately. They went over the guard rails into the crowd. Necro slammed a trash can over Jacobs’ head. They brawled up the bleachers. Jacobs nailed Necro but Necro came back with another trash can shot, sending Jacobs down the bleachers. They returned to the ring, where Necro was busted open and bleeding heavily. Jacobs went for a chair shot but Necro stopped him, then slammed Jacobs on the chair. They brawled onto the floor again. Jacobs went to the top but Necro threw a chair at him. He grabbed Jacobs to bodyslam him off the ropes to the floor but Jacobs battled back. Necro and Jacobs battled atop the top rope. Necro tried to suplex Jacobs to the floor but Jacobs reversed it and Necro took a suplex straight off the ropes to the floor. That was insane.

They returned to the ring, where Jacobs tried to pin Necro. Necro kicked up at two. Necro caught Jacobs with a bulldog for a two count. Necro nailed Jacobs hard with the edge of a chair, creating a sickening clanging noise. They battled on the apron and Necro hit a death valley driver through a table at ringside.

Butcher brought him back into the ring and hit a top rope cross bodyblock for a two count. This is a fun match. Gotta love the plunder.

Jacobs nailed Necro with a low kick. He locked the choke submission on Necro as the fans chanted for Butcher not to tap. Butcher’s arm was dropped twice by the referee but he fought his way to his feet. Butcher nailed a sitdown tiger driver and scored the pin.

Your winner, Necro Butcher!

Now, THIS is how you use Necro Butcher. A fun, fun brawl.

They announced the next match was now going to be a Three-Way match.

Bobby Cruise introduced former ROH champion Nigel McGuinness. McGuinness was openly favoring his injured arms. The crowd chanted his name and then “Thank you Nigel.” He said it’s really difficult to stand in the ring and say what he has to say tonight. He noted he wasn’t dressed to wrestle tonight. He said he wanted to apologize that he couldn’t wrestle tonight. He said the last 17 months, he’s abused his body and soul to preserve the integrity of the ROH championship. He said that sometimes, that means he has the type of matches he has last night. He said that if anyone has something to say about that, they can meet him after the show for a little chat…and it will be the last chat they ever have.

Claudio Castagnoli made his way to the ring. He took the ring mic. Claudio shook Nigel’s hand after Nigel wished him luck in the three-way bout. Castagnoli then attacked him from behind. As he was beating on Nigel, Bret Albright’s music hit and he came to the ring. Blue Demon Jr. then came to the ring.

NWA champ Blue Demon Jr. vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright
Castagnoli and Demon went back and forth as Albright watched from the apron, so I guess they will tag in and out. Claudio nailed a tiltowhirl backbreaker on Demon, then antagonized Albright. Claudio slammed Demon into the turnbuckle. Claudio turned his attention to Albright, which gave Demon the chance to nail him from behind. Demon tagged in Brent, who nailed a twisting neckbreaker. He drilled Claudio with an uppercut, then ducked when Claudio went for a dive. Claudio went over the top to the floor. Albright followed and as they battled on the floor, Demon nailed a tope.

Albright went to the top and dove into the ring but was nailed with an uppercut. He set up the Ricola Bomb but Demon distracted him. Brent hit a German suplex from behind on Claudio and scored the pin.

Your winner, Brent Albright!

OK match but again like last night, I would have wanted to see Demon work more in his element and see what he had to offer. This really felt like just as it started to get going, it was done, sadly.

Alex Kozlov vs. Roderick Strong.
They started out fast with some good back and forth wrestling. String caught Kozlov with a Fall Away Slam. They battled to the outside, where Strong nailed a flying forearm off the apron. Kozlov took control on the floor and began kicking at Strong when they returned to the ring. They began battering each other with chops. They battled on the top rope and Kozlov superplexed Strong into the ring.

They continued to assault the hell out of each other with chops. Strong came back with a gutbuster and a superkick for a two count. Strong hit a running leg lariat. He then locked on the Stronghold Boston Crab variation for the submission.

Your winner, Roderick Strong!

Short but fun match. They packed a lot into the bout.

ROH champ Jerry Lynn vs. Erick Stevens vs. D’Lo Brown vs. Bryan Danielson
Brown and Danielson went face to face, nose to nose when Stevens and Lynn got involved. It settled down into Danielson and Stevens. Danielson went for a leapfrog but was caught in a Fireman’s Carry. Brown and Lynn had a quick exchange. Danielson got involved and they teased a confrontation with Brown. Brown got tossed outside. Lynn and Danielson faced off, then opted to hit stereo dives outside on their opponents instead.

Danielson and Stevens returned to the ring and went back and forth. Lynn nailed a tornado DDT on Brown. Lynn nailed a German suplex on Danielson. Lynn and Danielson went back and forth on the mat and Lynn cinched in an armbar. Brown came off the top with a frog splash for a two count. Stevens lifted Brown into the air, then nailed a lariat. He placed Stevens on the top rope. Lynn came from behind and powerbombed Brown into the ring. Stevens went for a splash but missed. They ended up on the outside, where Danielson hit a springboard splash into the crowd.

Lynn surprised Stevens and scored the pin.

Your winner and still ROH champ, Jerry Lynn!

Tyler Black & KENTA vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima
Black and Aries faced off but Aries tagged out to Nakajima before anything major went down. Black evaded a kick and slapped Nakajima. He rebounded off the ropes but caught a dropkick to the legs. KENTA tagged in and the place went nuts. KENTA kicked Nakajima in the face and it was on as they started striking and kicking each other in the chest. Awesome! When they finished, the place erupted and chanted for ROH.

ENTA ducked under a kick and hit a running leaping leg lariat to the face. Aries tagged in and tried to dissuade KENTA from kicking him. They went to the mat for a nice exchange. Black and KENTA worked over Aries. Black went to hit a springboard but was shoved off the ropes to the floor. Nakajima nailed an elbow off the top on KENTA. They continued to go back and forth with lots of great wrestling.

KENTA hit a series of kicks in the corner. Nakajima nailed a flying forearm into the corner. KENTA went for a tornado DDT but Nakajima escaped and hit a spinning kick to the face in the corner. Nakajima went for a superplex but was slapped down and hit with a double stomp.

They continued going back and forth. Black caught Aries with a package piledriver variation for the pin.

Your winner Is Tyler Black

Discuss on our forum!

WWE

Hall of Fame Report

-Live from Toyota Center in Houston, TX

-WWE.com portion Hosted by Todd Grisham

-Todd Grisham welcomes the crowd, and introduces the WWE superstars in attendance to the live crowd.
Terry Funk & Dory Funk, Jr.

-A video package highlights the career of the Funk Brothers

-Dusty Rhodes handles the induction for the Funks, and comes to the stage getting funky like a monkey with Kelly Kelly. Dusty mentions Dory holding the NWA World Title for four years, second only to Lou Thesz. Dusty has kind words for Dory, but can’t say the same for Terry. Dusty says Terry always brought the fight to you. Dusty says Terry was extreme even before ECW. Dusty mentions that they were legendary all over the world even getting statues in their honor in Japan. Dusty mentions their wars, and how they both always called him an “egg sucking dog.” Dusty talks about the respect they have for each other and the fans. Dusty calls Dory a “shootist” and calls Terry “the last surviving outlaw in captivity.” And with that he introduces the Funks.

-Terry says after an intro like that he’ll never call Dusty an overbearing, obnoxious, egg sucking dog again. Dory thanks his father Dory, Sr. for training him, and tells about his father telling him after he won the World Title he had now accomplished the best a man can do. Dory says he has driven over 2 million miles, and flown over 3 million. Dory says he wrestled over 330 matches per year for several years. He says if he had the chance he absolutely would do it again, and that he loves pro wrestling. Dory says he loves working with love talent, and helping them accomplish their goals. Dory thanks the promoters, his peers, his family, his doctors, his attorneys, and both of his wives. He specifically thanks The Guerrero Family, The Hart Family, and Gene Kiniski who put him over the World Title. Dory thanks his children, and grandchildren. He brings up the six wrestlers who are wrestling in Wrestlemania who he trained Edge, Matt & Jeff Hardy, Christian, Mark Henry, and Mickie James. He thanks the Briscos, Keiji Muto, and to the WWE who had the sense to hold Wrestlemania in Texas. He says Texas is the only place to hold an event of this magnitude. Terry thanks his family, his wife, his children, and in-laws, and then thanks his grandkids. He says the grandkids want to be WWE superstars, but they have to get an education first because there is no room for dummies in the WWE. Terry thanks his mentors and peers, and then specifically ECW. He says he and his brother wrestled thousands of guys in front of large crowds and small crowds. Terry says he wants to go to heaven in a wrestling ring where he can have a battle royal that lasts for eternity. He’s gonna invite all of his wrestling friends, and all the wrestling fans because in heaven all the seats are front row ringside, but its BYOB. Terry thanks the fans, and tells them he loves them.

Koko B. Ware

-Video Package highlights the career of “The Birdman”

-The Honky Tonk Man handles the induction, and naturally shows up in the Elvis suit rather than a tux. Honky says he met Koko 30 years ago in a barn when he strolled in and saw a young athletic person having a person by himself. Koko asked Honky if he was here to work out, and asked him to get in the ring. Koko beat the heck out of Honky for the next nine months. Honky talks about Koko sending him to a horse trough to get a drink, and it was the same trough that the animals drank out of. Honky says Koko had the key elements of a superstar. Desire, dedication, and work ethic. Honky talks about JBL’s clothesline from hell, but Honky lets JBL know that Koko had a dropkick from hell. Honky says Koko taught him to take it, but he didn’t ever get taught how to give it. Honky says he thought he had it rough carrying a guitar around, but then he saw Koko with a bird. Honky tells a story about a promoter who didn’t want Frankie to appear. Koko told Honky he would never do another show without Frankie, because the fans didn’t care about him only the bird. Honky says tonight isn’t about the bird, but its about him and brings out Koko.

-Koko comes out with Frankie in hand and his trademark sunglasses. Koko says it’s good to be back in the WWE one more time. He thanks Honky for the kind words, and then thanks God. Koko says it’s so good to be walking on the ground rather than the ground walking on him. Koko says he was born in a small town of Union City, TN and how much it has grown. He played baseball and football, but was a big wrestling fan. Koko says he went to the wrestling matches every Thursday night in Union City. He says it was what he always wanted to do. He met Plyboy Frazier (Uncle Elmer), and he told Jerry Lawler about him. He met Lawler at a Friday Night event and that started his career. He was in Memphis for five years before moving out of the territory. He then got a call from the WWE, and it was Howard Finkel. He says he didn’t believe it, but Howard told him Vince McMahon wanted to talk to him about being in the WWE. He accepted the invitation, and Vince asked if he wanted to add anything to his name. He showed Vince a picture of him and a bird, and that’s when he became the Birdman. He thanks his wife and kids. He thanks the wrestlers, managers, and promoters who helped him during his career. He thanks all of his friends and family in Tennessee, and finally thanks the WWE for giving him the opportunity to share his wrestling talent with all of the fans. It should be mentioned the real star of this speech was Franky who squaked the whole time and actually walked right over Koko’s speech papers. Funny stuff.

The Von Erich Family

-Video Package highlights The Von Erichs

-Famous Von Erich family rival Michael “P.S.” Hayes handles the induction, and his ridiculous cowboy hat must be noted. Hayes says with all due respect to the iconic and legendary families of Texas, the Guerreros and The Funks, that no family had more of an impact in the transition from wrestling to sports entertainment than the Von Erichs. Hayes talks about the transformation from Jack Adkisson to Fritz Von Erich. He talks about the boys athletic accomplishments in school, but they weren’t satisfied with that. They wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps, and become stars in wrestling. Hayes talks about the evolution of WCCW, and how Fritz got heat for featuring his sons. He says that all changed Christmas Night in ‘82 when the Freebirds turned on Kerry which set up “the greatest tag team rivalry in wrestling history.” Hayes’s words not mine. He says the Von Erich’s were loved by fans all over the world, and they loved the fans right back just as much. Hayes then brings out Kevin Von Erich.

-Kevin says “God Bless Texas” and then thanks Michael Hayes. Kevin says if it looked fun to do that’s because it was. He says wrestling provided some of the finest memories of his life. Kevin talks about making $35 a night wrestling in Houston. Kevin talks about wrestling being the best form of entertainment in the world, and says he is in amazement at how much the business has grown. Kevin says he wishes his brothers and father was here, but don’t think he’s alone. His fellow wrestlers are like his family. Kevin talks about his final wrestling tour in Africa and how he didn’t want to do it as it was right after Kerry’s death. The wrestlers treated him family and helped him through that time. He talks about Buddy Roberts and Terry Gordy, and how beating on someone every night brings you closer. Kevin says a lot of people say “poor Kev” but they should say lucky Kev because of the fantastic memories he has. He says the Von Erich’s live through his sons, and also thanks his daughters. He also thanks his wife of 31 years Pam. Kevin says he wishes he had more time, but he can’t name names because he’d leave someone off. Kevin says he’s proud to be apart of the WWE, and tomorrow we’ll see a show like no other.

Howard Finkel

-Howard gets a hilarious highlight package.

-Mean Gene Okerlund is out to handle the induction. Gene says he wants to talk about a man who made his career holding a mic, and is adored by fans worldwide. But enough about him. Oh that Okerlund. Gene talks about Fink being the longest tenured WWE employee, and how he came up with the phrase “Wrestlemania.” Okerlund says Fink is a walking encyclopedia, and how he uses his knowledge to contribute to wwe.com. That brings out Finkel.

-Howard starts out of with a big “GOOD EVENING HOUSTON!” Fink says this is the highlight of his career. He says he never thought he would take his voice, and combining it with his love of the business to become a ring announcer. Fink says he can’t count all of the matches he’s done, but he treated them all as if they were the main event. Howard talks about his first appearance in 1977, and how that evolved into a fan telling him in the early 80’s that a fan told him the world was soon going to know what they already do. That he was the best in the world at what he does. Finkel talks about how he never thought he was the star of the show, but rather just a cog of the wheel. Fink says there is no better group of athletes and entertainers in the world than the WWE superstars. Fink says he was a Bushwacker, an APA member, Jericho’s lackey, and Harvey Whippleman’s opponent. He calls it his greatest match, and then remembers it was only his one. Finally he says it has been the time of his life, and how he’s announced some of the greatest of all time as New World Champion. Howard then gives himself that same thrill, by announcing that he is the NEW inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“Cowboy” Bill Watts

-Highlights of the career of Watts as both a wrestler and promoter.

-Jim Ross handles the induction of his fellow Oklahoman. Ross says it’s always good to hear “Boomer Sooner” in Texas. He says it’s always an honor to induct a boyhood hero and mentor into the hall of fame. JR talks about Watts’ career at OU, and his NFL career with the Vikings and Oilers. Wahoo McDaniel talked Watts into trying wrestling, and three years later he was main eventing MSG for Vince, Sr. JR talks about the different territories that Watts worked for. He talks about a Navy SEAL that Watts got into a fight with in California, and how the SEAL lost his eye and Watts ATE IT!?! Ross moves on to Watts’s career as a booker with Mid South, and then later on the owner. He brings up Watts’ fines, and how he was famous for them. He says a rule was no breaking up fights in the locker room, and talked about how if you went to the bar and lost a fight to a civilian you were fired. Ross says every day he worked for Bill he demanded perfection. He had to give 100% to the business and to the fans. Being okay or average was not acceptable. He says his first six months in the business he thinks Watts gave him a wrestling name of Dumb Ass. Ross says he’s a better man for having worked for Bill Watts. He says Watts was Vince Lombardi or Bill Parcells-like in his approach. That brings out Watts.

-Watts says he hired Jim out of college, and he started at rock bottom putting up the ring and refereeing. He says he’s very proud of JR, and how hard he worked to earn his position. Watts says he’ll be 70 on May 5th and this is a great birthday present. Watts introduces his daughter, and her children. Then he introduces son Erik Watts and his children. Watts talks about how WWE is becoming the historian of wrestling history, and how happy he is to be involved. He asks what took them so long to get him here. Watts says wrestling is in great hands with the current group of WWE superstars and the company itself. He talks about being Sooner born, and how OU and Texas is the greatest rivalry in the business. He talks about Danny Hodge, and his amateur accomplishments. He talks about the Brisco Brothers. He talks about how his first partner Wild Red Berry confused him for Dick Hutton, and how he called him “Big Dick Watts” on national TV. Watts says Berry went back to Vince, Sr. and told him he was going to be a star. He says since he was from Oklahoma he had to be a cowboy and all he needed was a hat. Watts talks about wrestling Kowalski and Sammartino. Watts says Sammartino was the strongest man in wrestling at the time, and says that his bench press was 585 at the time and he didn’t even know what a steroid was. Watts goes on to talk about several more WWWF wrestlers he worked with, and how he met Ernie Ladd. He talks about Ladd being one of his closest friends, and how he cried for four days when he died. He goes in to his promoting career, and talks about Simmons winning the World Title being one of the proudest moments of his career. He talks about JYD, and how he never realized how much he loved him until he was dead. He mentions several more African American stars that he worked with. He talks about the men who he worked with as a promoter. Gordon Solie, Dusty Rhodes, Paul Boesch, Eddie Graham, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Dick Murdoch, and Jim Duggan. He tells a story about Duggan having blood poisioning from a bump into the ringpost, but still making his bookings because Watts insisted until Hacksaw’s wife intervened. He mentions Andre who he thinks is having a drinking contest with Dick Murdoch somewhere. He says anyone can do it if they do it their way. Watts says this is the highlight of his career, and thanks the fans who he calls the real hall of famers. He says this will remain the highlight until he dies, and he gets to meet his hero Jesus Christ. He closes by telling the fans to watch out for flying chairs.

-USA Network Segment Hosted by Jerry “The King” Lawler

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

-Lawler brings out Ric Flair to handle the induction of Ricky Steamboat. Flair shows off his rolex, so I guess Jericho didn’t break it after all. Flair talks about what an honor it was to be inducted last year, and calls tonight a great honor as well. He calls Steamboat his greatest opponent of all time.

-Video Package for Steamboat

-Flair says over his 36 year career he stepped inside the ring with the greatest stars in wrestling, but his greatest opponent was Ricky Steamboat. Flair calls him a fans wrestler, and says he embodied what a true good guy should be. He says Steamboat always signed autographs for fans, and looked great. He says the girls loved Steamboat, and that he was a great performer in the ring. Flair says guys like Steamboat are what made him a legend, and they wrestled close to 2000 times without a bad match. Flair says the 1989 matches were good, but the 70’s matches were even better. Sadly with no cameras those matches are confined to the fans in the arena. He says Steamboat was an unbelievable performer. He says they shared blood, sweat, and tears and loved every minute of it. Both men settled down in Charlotte and raised their families. Both men now have sons who are training to be wrestlers and continue the great Flair-Steamboat rivalry. Flair again calls Steamboat the purest good guy who ever walked the aisle, and brings out Steamboat.

-Steamboat hugs Flair, and then they lock up one more time to the delight of the crowd. He fights back tears as he begins his speech. He says he’s humbled with what he’s been blessed with. He talks about a young man who he spoke with on a plan who was about 6-3 or 6-4 and very respectful of him. He always checked on him to ensure that Steamboat was comfortable. He talked to Ricky about a variety of things and impressed him to the point where he knew the kid had it. Steamboat says he had it then, and he has it more so now, and points out that the kid was Triple H. He says his rewards are not measured in wins and losses, but in the performance. He says every time he worked with Flair he was pushed to the limit because there was no other way. Flair took him to school every night. He brings up Greg Valentine, Blackjack Mulligan, The Briscoes, Sgt. Slaughter, Don Muraco, Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, and Roddy Piper. He pauses to call out Jericho and says Piper, Snuka, and himself will take Jericho to school tomorrow. He goes back to the thank you’s to Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Harley Race, Arn Anderson, and the guy who he had his final match with Steve Austin. Steamboat says he pushed those guys, but they all pushed back. Steamboat thanks Jim Ross for the commentary on his match. He says a carpenter is only as good as the tools he has to work with, and he had some great guys to work with. Steamboat thanks all of the superstars who he worked with over the years. He calls out to Mickey Rourke in the audience and says tonight is his Oscar. He says he is proud and humbled to be a hall of famer, and gives one final thank you to the fans.

-Lawler calls out Shawn Michaels, and then we get a video preview of tomorrow night’s Undertaker-HBK match courtesy of the “Legends of Wrestlemania” video game. Lawler then brings out Mean Gene Okerlund introduces a recap of the previous inductees we saw on wwe.com.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

-Lawler says our final inductor needs no introduction, but if he doesn’t give him one he’ll get fired. He then hilariously pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket, and introduces Vince as the “Best boss anyone could ever work for.” Vince says Austin and he have a strange relationship. It’s a love-hate relationship. Vince loves Austin, and Austin hates Vince. Vince goes through all of the different things that Austin has done to him over the years. Vince calls Austin the greatest WWE superstar of all time. Take THAT Hogan!

-Video package highlighting the career of Austin

-Vince busts out the old announcer Vince voice and brings out Austin. They even share a handshake on the stage. He should have stunned him. Long standing ovation for Austin and it was most likely edited down for the TV broadcast like Flair’s last year. Austin says he doesn’t like to get dressed up, and he got his suit from The Men’s Warehouse in Los Angeles. He says the commercials say “you’ll like the way you look,” but he had a button pop off so now he’s going into the hall of fame in front of all these people and his button popped off because of the Men’s Warehouse. Austin says its very easy for him to go into an arena and cut a promo, and the business has been a big part of his life. He says he watched the intro video at least 50 times trying to find the words to express how he feels. He wants everyone to know if he fails in conveying those feelings that to every person who came to see Steve Austin thank you for sticking with him. He says as high as he went, or he’d get an injury, or a divorce, or take his ball and go home the fans always took him back. He says its been a pleasure and a privilege to make a living in the squared circle. Crowd chants “one more match” and Austin casually says “I dunno about that.” He brings up his family, and what they did when he was growing up. He always wondered what he’d be, and when he took his aptitude test in high school his test told him he’d make a real swell Park Ranger. Austin says that wasn’t going to work for him so he became a wrestler. He says he’s met some of the greatest people he’s ever met in wrestling, and by that token he’s met some bad ones too. Austin says he wants to close the door on his wrestling career, but he doesn’t want to close the door on his fans. He says as he moves on to the movie industry he wants the fans to be able to support him, and he’ll do whatever he can to entertain the fans as best he can. He says he could talk for another hour, but he needs to wrap it up so the superstars and divas can get a good night’s rest or get started on a cold drink. He thanks the fans one last time and tells them he loves them. And that’s the bottom line ‘cause Stone Cold said so. Austin then downs a couple cold ones on stage, and then possibly symbolically tosses one to John Cena as confetti flies and we’re out. Any doubt on if Austin is ever wrestling again should have been settled in that speech.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Wrestlemania 25 Results!

Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker steal the show while John Cena wins the World Title and Triple H holds on to the WWE Title! Get all the details on WWE’s biggest show of the year with our full report!

Greetings, humanity! Welcome to the WRESTLEMANIA edition of 411’s PPV Report. I’m Chris Lansdell and I am STOKED. It’s MANIA, BABY! Let’s get it on!

PYRO!

They have the Fink doing the ring annoucing! We’re off to an epic win! Nicole She’sahumdinger butchers America the Beautiful and…guess what? IT’S MANIA BABY!

Money in the Bank Ladder Match: CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Finlay

Two years in a row huh? My boy Punk jerks that curtain. Boo-urns, Fink only did the opening. Henry has “SHS” on his signet, Sillsby High School maybe? Finlay appears to have robbed the Mad Max prop closet for his ring jacket. I hope the ladders are reinforced or Mark Henry may just die.

We’re underway! Early on we get Henry and Kane are slugging it out in the ring while everyone else is outside. Avalanche by Henry and he poses, only to get taken out with a laddere shot from Christian and Shelton. Another for Kane! They try to get Kofi but he jumps OVER the ladder and takes them both out! BIG boot from Kane to Finlay. Henry and Kane are the first to climb (REINFORCED LADDER!) but a gang bang stops that. We have 5 men on ladders! Kane and Henry put a quick end to that and drop both ladders, then go back to hurting each other. Kane throws Henry out then throws an extra ladder after him. Kane tries to climb but Henry takes the ladder down. He tries to throw the ladder at Finlay’s head, but mercifully Finlay ducks and takes Henry out. TOPE to the outside by Finlay, taking out Kane and Shelton! CHRISTIAN flies! MVP with a somersault senton to the outside into the crowd! Punk and Kofi confer, then both hit topes to the outside! SHELTON IS ON TOP OF THE FUCKING LADDER!!!!! SWANTON BY SHELTON and Jesus H Christ Shelton is dead. He either landed on his head or on Kofi’s leg, neither result is preferable. HENRY IS CLIMBING TO THE TOP! No, dear God no! Finlay saves everyone’s life with a shillelagh shot to Henry, and now Hornswaggle has a ladder! A short one, of course. TADPOLE SPLASH to the outside off the back of Henry! Finlay fetches a ladder and he’s all alone! Kofi tires to come back in, his leg seems OK thank God. Finlay cuts him off and tries to climb, but Kofi jumps THROUGH the ladder with a dropkick, then rams it into Finlay’s head! Kofi charges but Finlay gets the short ladder up into his face. Finlay takes the short ladder to everyone and once again he’s alone. Kofi crawls over and gets kicked off by Kofi. Kofi climbs but Henry just tips the ladder over. Headbutt to Kofi. Henry goes to set up the ladder and KOFI CLIMBS IT WHILE HENRY HOPLDS IT! Beautiful! Henry tips the ladder and Kofi turns it into a splash…CAUGHT by Henry! WORLD”S STRONGEST SLAM TO THE LADDER!!! Kofi dead. MVP uses a ladder as a spear on Henry, and then takes it to Benjamin. A ladder gets wedged horizontally, Benjamin tries a springboard rana off the horizontasl ladder but MVP catches him with a powerbomb! MVP climbs and is taken out by Punk! Punk is close! Christian intercepts but Punk regains control…No way! GTS on the ladder…no! UNPRETTIER off the ladder!!! MVP climbs again…hot damn Benjamin runs up TWO ladders from the floor to take MVP out! Botched sunset bomb off the ladder, but who cares. POWERBOMB by Shelton to MVP, over the top rope and into a crowd on the outside! Christian and Shelton are battling over the ladders now, both men had their hands on it, the ladder tips and Shelton goes to the outside!!! Christian keeps his balance with one foot on the top rope, then rights the ladder! THAT WAS AWESOME. He’s there PUNK!!!! Springboard to the ladder and takes Christian out! No, Christian has Punk dangling like last year!!! KANE saves the day again, now Kane climbs. Punk is up! GOOZLE to Punk! Punk kicks him off, and HE HAS IT!!! YES!!!

Winner: CM Punk

KID KASH IS ON WRESTLEMANIA! Oh, my bad. Kid Rock. This could be the tag title match. I used to be indifferent to Kid Rock, and now I dislike him intensely.

25-Diva “Miss WrestleMania” Battle Royal: Known Participants - Melina, Maryse, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Michelle McCool, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, Kelly Kelly, Maria, Eve Torres, Katie Lea Burchill, Beth Phoenix, Layla El, Rosa Mendes, Candice Michelle, Natalya Neidhart, Jillian Hall, Tiffany, Sunny, Torrie Wilson, Molly Holly, Victoria and Jackie Gayda-Haas

Santino is clearly in the ring in drag. Mae Young and Candace are at ringside. Rosa is first out, and…I have no idea who’s who. They didn’t announce anyone and they’re not calling the match. Neiither am I, they’re just catfighting. Sunny and Torrie are gone, confirmed by JR. VICTORIA eliminated Maria, just to make Sforcina happy. Gail Kim eliminates Jillian and fucks up to eliminate herself too. Beth takes Kelly out after a beautiful handsrping. MOLLY HOLLY is gone too! Beth is dominant, throwing everyone out, and it’s obvious Santino will take her out last. Maryse is gone, last 5 are Mickie, Michelle, Beth, Melina and Santina. Mickie and Michelle are slugging it out on the top rope, they fall off to the outside! Beth takes Melina over to eliminate her, Santino tips them both over, and the bullshittery continues.

Winner: Santina Marella

For the love of God. It’s gyrating.

Chris Jericho vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Rowdy Roddy Piper (w/Ric Flair)

Sign of the night: Y2J vs The Golden Girls. Rourke is nice and close to the ring so he can come and interfere. Jericho is out first, followed by Steamboat, Snuka and Piper. I hope they keep their shirts on. Steamboat looks incredible for his age. Piper charges early and takes Jericho to the floor, then rolls him back in. Jericho reverses a whip, Piper goes over in a sunset flip for 2. DROPKICK by Piper! No, you didn’t read that wrong. Shots in the corner by Piper. Snuka wants Jericho rammed into Snuka’s head, Piper tags him instead. Headbutt by Snuka, series of chops, then a whip and a knife edge. Tag to the Dragon, VINTAGE STEAMBOAT chop from the top! Arm drag! Arm drag! Hold number 4 – ARM BAR. Takedown by Steamboat and then a tag to Snuka for a double team chop. Well, it was a little off, but they old. WALLS out of nowhere on Snuka and he taps! 2 on 1 now and Jericho takes Steamboat out and to the floor. Whip by Piper and a stiff running kick to the gut. VINTAGE PIPER eye poke and sleeper hold! Jeircho escapes and hits a shining wizard for 3! Steamboat is on the top! CROSSBODY!!! 1…2…2.7! Jericho regains control and they exchange chops, a boot from Jericho has him win the exchange. Snap mare and a spine kick from Jericho. Half nelson applied, Steamboat fights out and takes down Jericho with a shoulder block. Jericho reverses a whip and throws Steamboat out…HE SKINS THE CAT!!! NO WAY! Jericho to the outside, CATAPULT CROSSBODY BY STEAMBOAT!!! Where is he getting this!???Top rope chop!!! 1…2…NO! Jericho reverses a whip, Steamboat goes up and over, rollup! 1…2…no! Damn! This guy is nuts! Bulldog by Jericho, LIONSAULT misses! Jericho stays in control with a kick, he charges and POWERSLAM BY DRAGON! 1…2…2.81! Walls applied! Steamboat rolols through into an inside cradle! This is how he won the NWA title!!! 1…2…2.8569!!! German try, Steamboat flips over! CODEBREAKER!!! 1…2…3! Jericho wins!

Winner: Chris Jericho via pinfall (last pinning Steamboat, Codebreaker)

Flair charges the ring! He chops seven shades of Hell out of Jericho! Whip gets reversed and Jericho hits the Codebreaker on Flair! Jericho grins and kicks Flair to the floor, and he has a mic. Jericho calls out Rourke, trying to get him in the ring. He calls him a coward and THAT does it. OK if this happens, I forgive them for bumping the tag match. Rourke is in the ring, the crowd is on edge, you can feel they are expecting Austin or SOMETHING. Rourke offers a few left jabs and Jericho is having second thoughts. They shadow box, Rourke catches him with a stiff left hook and DOWN GOES JERICHO! No Ram Jam? Boo-urns.

Extreme Rules Match: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

Oh my GOD Matt Hardy is wearing tights.

BITCHSLAP and we’re underway! To the outside early and Matt gets a poster to the head, followed by a trashcan and then gets taken to the steps. POETRY IN MOTION off the ring steps! Promising start. Matt is rolled back in and Jeff fetches a chair. He sets it up and goes for another Poetry, Matt moves and Jeff hits hard in the corner. Jeff goes for a Whisper in the Wind…DAMN chairshot to the knees!!! Another chair shot! 2 count only. Matt to the outside and he has…a VACUUM CLEANER? Vacuum cleaner shot (never thought I would type that!) from Matt and he gets 2. In the ring, Matt charges into a mule kick but catches Jeff in a Side Effect onto the chair! Matt lays in the boots and shots to Jeff then bends him around the cornerpost. Matt goes looking for more PLUNDAH and he has a table. He sets it up on the outsideand tries to suplex Jeff off the apron on to the table. Jeff blocks and knocks Matt down, then hits a SWANK twisting clothesline off the apron! Matt gets mule kicked into the steps and Jeff has a crutch and a kendo stick. Of course he does. Shots from the stick, then he fetches a garbage can. He places it over Matt’s head then CREAMS him with the crutch. Dropkick by Jeff, face-first suplex and up he goes for the Swanton. Matt moves! Kick wham Twist of Fate! 2 count only for Matt. Matt goes to the top and calls for the Swanton, but Jeff intercepts and stes for a superplex…connects. The crowd are pretty dead between moves. Jeff measures and connects with a chairshot flush to the head. Matt rolls to the outside and Jeff follows to put him on the table. He lays the chair on his chest and goes plunder-hunting…he has another table. He positions this one on the first, over Matt. Jeff to the top…SPLASH THROUGH TWO TABLES!!! Both men are down and quite possibly out. 2 count for Jeff before Matt gets to the rope, and Jeff has a ladder. No, two ladders. He positions the chair and jumps off it with a leg drop, then sets up both giant ladders. One is easily 15 feet, the other maybe 12. Slingshot leg drop MISSES! BAH GAWD KANG HE BROKE HIS ASS RIGHT IN HALF! Matt wraps the chair around Jeff’s neck…TWIST OF FATE!!! HOLY FUCKING FUCKERY OF OUCHTASTIC GOD DAMNS! 1…2…3 forget about it.

Winner: Matt Hardy via pinfall (chair-assisted Twist of Fate)

IC Title Match: JBL © vs. Rey Mysterio

JBL talks his way to the ring. It’s all in the name of cheap heat. JOKER MYSTERIO! Greatest outfit ever. We get super-special ring announcing for this one. Mysterio is sporting green suspenders with his mask. JR estimates JBL’s weight at 250…FAIL. JBL connects with a STIFF kick during instructions, the ref pulls JBL off and asks if Rey wants the match to star…he nods and there’s the bell…ENZIGUIRI! 619!!! Splash! New Champ! WTF???

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall (splash)

I smell Austin. JBL has the mic and looks speechless. He has something to say, but first he’s going to kill the crowd by standing there looking dumb. “I QUIT!” - JBL. Houston likkes that idea. Good, Smackdown needs an announcer. Well, maybe I didn’t smell Austin.

These video packages are a godsend. Cider number 4 GO!

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels has toppped his WM XII entrance, as he descends from the set in his NegaTaker garb to the music he used for thast promo, in an arms-spread pose. I wonder which developmental territory the druids will be from this year. Taker comes up from under the stage Gangrel-style, and we are already drowning in symbolism. Wait, no druids? Shenanigans! We still get a 4+ minute entrance.

Shawn opens up with his speed, ducking some rights and hitting some chops. The third dodge leads to some rights in the corner but Taker blocks the next one and literally throws HBK over the top. HBK tries to play possum and gets the mount, but Taker throws him off. Taker finally catches Shawn and here come the soup bones. Shots in the corner from Taker. Michaels blocks a whip and stars with the chops, Taker whips him to the corner. HBK does the flip bump and gets hit with a HIGH backdrop. Military press slam by Taker followed by an elbow drop for 2. Taker goes to the arm with shoulder blocks, and it’s time to ring the bell…OLD SCHOOL connects. Taker charges and tries a Yakuza kick, Michaels moves and Taker gets tangled in the ropes. Shinbreaker by HBK, followed by a chop block. Basement dropkick by HBK and he locks in the modified figure four. Taker punches his way out but has trouble standing, and HBL compounds the trouble with a dropkick to the knee. Michaels charges but Taker catches him in a bear hug, remembers to sell the knee and rams HBK to the corner. Shots in the corner, whip and a charging clothesline. A second charging clothesline, snake eyes and a big boot from Taker, followed by a leg drop for 2. Taker is setting for the chokeslam…goozle! CROSSFACE BY MICHAELS! Taker turns into it to relieve the pressure then triues to roll Michaels up, he gets 2. HBK maneuvers and gets into the prime crossface position, Taker gets to his feet with HBK still holding on…side slam breaks the grip and gets 2 for Taker. Whip by Taker but he drops his head and gets kicked…no-sold by Taker. HBK ducks some shots and comes back with chops. Flying forearm by HBK! Kip-up! Inverted Atomic, chop, inverted atomic, chop, clothesline by Michaels. HBL goes to the top for the flying elbow…Taker is up! HBK comes off for an axehandle…GOOZLE! HBK escapes, goes for chin music but Taker drops under it! HBK goes back to the legs…HELL’S GATE! He’s got it in good! HBK struggles and writhes and gets to the ropes. Both men on the outside briefly, Taker takes HBK to the steps and rolls him back in. Kick to the head of HBK, then the patented leg drop on the spron MISSES! HBK moved! Someone did their homework. Baseball slide to Taker on the outside. HBK goes to the top backwards…MOONSAULT misses!!! He hit HARD. Taker is back in the ring while the ref checks with HBK. ZOMBIE SIT-UP and Taker is going to fly…..HBK pulls the camerman in the way and OH MY GOD ON HIS HEAD! TAKER LANDED ON HIS HEAD! Watching the replay he may have tucked in time but he went almost full vertical into the floor like a lawn dart. Shawn checks on the ref, who he had previously shoved out of the way, and brings him into the ring, imploring him to count. The crowd is in a shocked silence. The ref is at 9 and Taker is still stumbling around…he gets back in the ring! HBK is tuning the band…Taker is up…Goozle! Chokeslam! 1…2…2.807! Wow. He got some serious height on that. HBL escapes the Tombstone, Taker catches Sweet Chin Music, goozle is blocked…MUSIC CONNECTS!!! 1…2…NO! HBK goes after Taker, Goozle from the floor! Last Ride! HBK escapes! Taker has him again…LAST RIDE connects! 1…2…2.935!!! Taker is…going to the top? HBK looks down and out. ELBOW FROM THE TOP misses and both men are down again. They get up, HBK charges and Taker sidesteps and sends him over…HBK skins the cat! He catches Taker in a headscissors…Taker drags him into Tombstone position! He nails it! What a great counter. 1…2…2.993!!! That’s it, ny heart can’t take any more. Taker’s face looks priceless. Down come the straps, Angle Slam maybe? Taker pulls HBK up and goes for another Tombstone…countered to a sloppy DDT! Ugh. HBK tries to drag himself to the top, elbow drop connects. Both men are worn right out. Strike up the band! FLUSH on the jaw with Sweet Chin Music! 1…2…2.974! Paint me gold and call me Oscar. We have a “This is Awesome chant”, don’t hear those much in WWE. They slug it out with stiff chops and punches, treading blows that would fell mortals men. Boot to the face by Taker ends the exchange! Damn, how would you like to follow this? HBK escapes another Tombstone and lays in more chops. Hard whip by Taker, he charges into another boot by HBK. Michaels tries a moonsault! CAUGHT! TOMBSTONE! THREE!!!!! Wow.

Winner: The Undertaker via pinfall (Tombstone)

World Title Match: Edge © vs. The Big Show vs. John Cena

I wonder what Cena will do this year? OK, his old music hits and about 300 Cena clones come down to line the ramp. The REAL Cena comes out to his correct music and walks sown a line of Cenarmy members doing the “You can’t see me” gesture. OK I guess that was pretty cool.

Cena starts quick on Edge and tries to attack Show with a flying shoulder block. That works about as well as you’d imagine. Show and Edge make like they’re going to collude, then Show dumps Edge crotch first on the top rope. Ow. Show whips Edge into Cena who gets him up for the Attitude Adjustment…and gets Show’s foot in his face. Show is dominating early with body shots on Cena while Edge is on the outside. Cena tries to fight back but gets flapjacked. He charges Cena who sidesteps and show gets caught in the ropes. Cena sends him over, Edge dropkicks the stairs into Show and HOLY MACKEREL Rocker Dropper from the top to the outside on Show! Edge rolls Cena in, Cena goes for the FU out of nowhere but Edge counters into an Impaler for 2. Cena punches Edge to the outside then turns into a side slam by Big Show for 2. Cena makes a comeback but Chavo trips him from outside. Cena is displeased and hits the FU on Cena on the outside. Back in the ring, Show gets caught up in the ropes! Cena takes it to Edge! Blue Thunder Bomb! You are unable to visually perceive me! FU attempt, Edge escapes, Vickie is on the apron and Edge shoves Cena at her. Cena puts on the breaks, Edge charges and SPEARS VICKIE! The ref finally frees Show and he charges both men in opposite corners with an avalanche, then whips Edge into Cena and hits another one. DOUBLE GOOZLE! Edge goes for the ride, Cena escapes! FU TRY by Cena on Show, but Show escapes and NAILS Cena with a big right. Show gets DDT’d on the outside by Edge, who drags the ring steps over to the opposite corner. Edge charges, leaps off the steps and tackles Show through the barricade! Edge tries to drag Show back to the ring but can’t move him. Cena is still out on the floor, Edge rolls him into the ring and goes for the cover…1…2…no! Edge sets for the Spear, Cena gets the drop toehold and the STF! Edge crawls for the rope, Cena breaks the hold and drags Edge back to the middle of the ring. Show is up and drags Edge to the ropes, than hauls Cena to the floor. Show climbs the ropes…NO WAY! OK, it’s a Vader Bomb and it misses. Cena back in, he sets for a suplex and can’t get Show up, but Edge helps and they take Show over. Edge and Cena nod to each other and charge Show, taking him to the outside. Kick to the face by Edge and he gets 2 on Cena. Throwback by Cena and he climbs the ropes. Show shoves him off RIGHT INTO A SPEAR! Nice spot. Edge drags him to center but Show breaks the cover and WAFFLES Edge with a slap. Back inside and a headbutt by Show. Whip to Edge, Show charges into the boots of Edge. Sleeper applied by Edge, Show tries to break it by backin Edge into the corner and just manages to do so…OH MY GOD CENA HAS THEM BOTH UP FOR THE FU!!!! Edge wriggles off, FU connects to Show! FU to Edge onto Show! Cover on Show! New champ!!!

Winner: John Cena via pinfall (on Big Show, FU)

Time for the Hall of Fame dudes. Austin gets a huge pop, despite allegedly needing to be in Brazil. Austin has gone backstage for some reason. GLASS! He has the quad! And the old school Austin 3:16 shirt! We get a good old fashioned beer baash as the announcers make it abundantly clear that this is Austin’s last appearance.

WWE Title Match: HHH © vs. Randy Orton

It is announced that the title will change hands on DQ or count out. It had better not, I say. Orton looks completely focused. HHH does a weird entrance where he uses Sledgie to shatter a mirror. 7 years bad luck! He also misses his water-spitting cue, and somewhere RVD is laughing. It was probably a one-shot deal though. HHH is intense.

They circle, the HHH takes Orton down and lays in the rights. Shots in the corner followed by stomps and more stomps. The ref warns HHH about being disqualified and RKO!!! Orton doesn’t go for the cover! Ah, he wants the punt. HHH dodges…KICK WHAM PEDIGREE! Both men are recovering on the outside until HHH levels Orton with a clothesline. HHH steals a bottle of water and pours it over himself to get back to his senses, then goes back to the ring to pummel Orton. Orton gets outside, HHH follows and takes Orton to the post. Orton tells HHH to wait, and not surprisingly HHH doesn’t listen. More shots, then a slingshot into the bottom rope by HHH. Kneedrops to the back of the head by HHH. So far, so mediocre. Forearm to the back of Orton’s head, and a hangman’s neckbreaker by HHH. Maybe he was serious about breaking Orton’s neck. Orton reverses a whip and sends HHH to the steps. A second whip sends HHH over the barricade and he’s down. Orton rolls back inside and the ref starts the count. HHH is back in at 8 only to be stomped into the mat. Know it’s Orton’s turn for the neck attacks, a high leaping kneedrop to the neck of HHH. Mounted punches by Orton. Orton applies a chinlock but gets taken over by HHH with the back suplex. HHH charges but gets powerslammed for 2. Chinlock again by Orton, just in case the crowd wasn’t dead enough. HHH escapes and gets the high knee, followed by the jawjacker. HHH tries for the Pedigree but Orton reverses it and catapults Orton into the corner, then catches him coming in with a huge clothesline. 2 only. HHH tries the 10-spot punches but Orton gets Snake Eyes and goes up top…into the boot of HHH! Orton blicks the Pedigree and gets the jacknife pin for 2! SPINEBUSTER by HHH! Another Pedigree try is countered and Orton hits the chinlock backbreaker. 1…2…2.804! Orton is stalking again, HHH shoulders him and goes up top…DROPKICK meets HHH on the way down! That was nice, but this is still too slow for me. Orton measures for the punt but HHH catches his foot! HHH throws Orton by his foot over the top to the outside! Exterior beatings ensue. HHH goes to use the monitor on Orton but thinks better of it after persuasion from the ref and just kicks Orton instead. HHH sets Orton up on the announce table and sets for a Pedigree…ORton backdrops him onto the Spanish table! It DOES NOT BREAK!! Orton gets that look in his eye and sets for the elevated DDT on the floor….CONNECTS! That should do it. HHH makes it in at 9.7, only to get stomped even more. Orton stomps him for a good long while then lays a vicious beating on HHH in the corner. HHH fights back briefly until Orton causes a ref bump! RKO!!! This could be over now! Silly Orton. Orton goes under the ring and HE has a sledgehammer. Orton gets in the ring PUNT BY HHH!!! Now Trips has the Hammer, the ref is still down…sledgehammer to the chest of Orton! Mounted punches aplenty, and Orton appears to be out. Pedigree! 1…2…3!

Winner: Triple H via pinfall (Pedigree)

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

WWE

New match added for WrestleMania 25

- The Miz and John Morrison vs. The Colons with both the World and WWE tag-team titles at stake has been added to the official line-up for WrestleMania 25. With that now known, here is an updated look at the card - as things stand now - for the year’s biggest event:

* WWE Title:
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton

* World Title:
Edge (c) vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show

* Brother vs. Brother:
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy

* Undefeated Streak On The Line:
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker

* World & WWE Tag-Titles:
The Miz & John Morrison vs. The Colons

* 3-On-1 Handicap Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat & Jimmy Snuka (w/ Ric Flair)

* Money in the Bank Ladder Match

* 25-Diva Battle Royal Match

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss WrestleMania and everything wrestling on the Pinfall Recall Message Boards. The topic is here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Raw and Smackdown ratings, WWE lowers ticket prices

 - The February 27th episode of Smackdown scored a 2.3 rating, so along with Raw, Smackdown is also slipping in the ratings right now.

- The 3/16 edition of Monday Night Raw saw World Wrestling Entertainment’s recent ratings drop continue as the show did just a 3.6 cable rating. That is down from last week’s 3.7 and also from the 4s that they were doing as the build for WrestleMania began. 

- WWE is lowering their lowest ticket prices down to $20-$25 for live events in order to counteract the recession.

Credit: 411mania.com/PWinsider.com

Talk Raw, Smackdown, and tickets with our forum members here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

TNA DVD and house show news

- “Second to None - TNA’s Toughest Tag Teams” is set for a May 5th release date. Team 3D will host the DVD and be featured on the cover. 

- The company has opened up a website to hype the April 14th release of the Jeff Jarrett: King of the Mountain DVD set. You can check out the website here. 

- This Friday, tickets will go on sale for the following TNA house shows:

* Knoxville, TN on April 30th 

* Corbin, KY on May 1st 

* Huntington, WV on May 2nd 

* Pikeville, Kentucky on May 3rd 

Credit: 411mania.com

Talk TNA here on the boards

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

Kevin Steen injured, Matches for Houston shows, Lineup for April TV tapings 

- Ring of Honor tag-team champion Kevin Steen will miss this weekend’s ROH shows due to an injury in his knee. He’s definitely off the Pittsburgh show and may try and work through his scheduled date in New York City, where he’s scheduled for a tag-title defense against The American Wolves.

- Added to the April 3rd show in Houston, Texas (the “Supercard of Honor”) is AAA’s Alex Koslov vs. Bryan Danielson and a six-man featuring Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero & Incognito vs. Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe & Magno.

- KENTA and Tyler Black vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima and Austin Aries has been signed for the ROH Take No Prisoners 2009 PPV, which will be taped on April 4th in Houston, Texas.

- And finally, added to April’s ROH on HDNet tapings are Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, Tyler Black, Prince Nana, Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Chris Hero and Eddie Kingston.

Credit: 411mania.com/wrestlezone.com

Discuss Ring of Honor on the PFRC Forums here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact the Pinfall Recall team on the forums or via e-mail.

CK@pinfallrecall.com

JG@pinfallrecall.com

RDB@pinfallrecall.com

Milo@pinfallrecall.com

Ed@pinfallrecall.com

DC@pinfallrecall.com

WWE

From T & A To DOA: Andrew “Test” Martin Found Dead At 33

- Andrew Martin, best known for his days as Test in WWE, has been found dead in his apartment at the age of 33. He would have been 34 in four days. Authorities in Tampa, Florida, where Martin lived, have not provided any details yet. They have stated that a body was found in a condo, but have not confirmed that the body in question was Martin, however multiple people within the wrestling industry have confirmed that it was Martin’s body that was found.

Martin was released from WWE back in February of 2007 after failing a drug test. He then worked for TNA but was not offered a contract and went on to work a bit in Japan.

Credit: 411mania.com

Join our forum today!

Santino Turns 30, Bryan Clark Turns 45

Popular WWE star Santino Marella turns 30 years old today. Former WWE and WCW star Bryan Clark also has a birthday today, as he turns 45.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss with our forum members!

Vince McMahon Has Big Plans Following the Draft

The Wrestling Observer is reporting, as we have been reporting for several days now, that WWE intends to put much more focus on Raw as the flagship show when the draft returns after Wrestlemania. It’s being said that Vince McMahon wants to fill the roster out with more big name stars, which means Smackdown may be losing some top names following the draft.

It’s being said that Vince wants Smackdown to focus more on the Hispanic demographic it’s seemed to have lost since Rey Mysterio left the show to wrestle on Raw. Therefore, as we’ve reported before, don’t be surprised to see Mysterio return to Smackdown to help get that target audience back.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss here!

TNA

Updated Destination X Card

The following matches have been scheduled for tonight’s TNA Destination X PPV:

- Angelina Love, Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne vs. Roxxi, Taylor Wilde and “The Governor”
- Scott Steiner vs. Samoa Joe
- 10,000 Thumbtacks Match: Matt Morgan vs. Abyss
- TNA Legends Title Match: Booker T © vs. AJ Styles
- TNA Knockouts Title Match: Awesome Kong © vs. Sojourner Bolt
- TNA Tag Team Title Off The Wagon Challenge Match: Beer Money © vs. Team 3D
- TNA X-Division Title Ultimate X Match: Alex Shelley © vs. Chris Sabin vs. Suicide vs. Black Machismo vs. Consequences Creed
- TNA World Title Match: Sting © vs. Kurt Angle - With Jeff Jarrett as Special Referee and Mick Foley as Special Enforcer

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss here!

ROH

Upcoming Show Update

ROH will make their Indianapolis debut tonight at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The following is scheduled.

* Nigel McGuinness & Austin Aries vs. Tyler Black & Jerry Lynn
* Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus for the ROH Tag Team Titles
* Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega vs. Claudio Castagnoli
*Jay Briscoe vs. Chris Hero and The American Wolves vs. Brent Albright & Roderick Strong

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss here!

Other

Chris Benoit Tidbit

In case it hasn’t already been brought up, an interesting thing about the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania issue of WWE magazine, the cover says every match but for some odd reason the index skips from Wrestlemania XIX to Wrestlemania 21.  I searched through virtually the entire magazine, and there is no matches listed for Wrestlemania XX, yet at the time they made a big deal about WM20 being “where it all begins again”. Strange they avoid that just to completely ignore Chris Benoit, yet he is still listed for Royal Rumble winners.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss here!

Lashley Interview

Twelve years ago, Bobby Lashley was one of the most impressive college wrestlers in the country. Two years ago, he was one of the most popular professional wrestlers in the country. But now he has a new challenge in front of him, making the transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts.

I interviewed Lashley this week about his upcoming fight with Jason Guida (Lashley told me he knows nothing about Guida and asked me to tell him what I know), about the cancellation of his previously scheduled fight with Ken Shamrock (Lashley doesn’t hold it against Shamrock that he was suspended after a positive steroid test) and about his goals in MMA (Lashley wants to be a champ).

The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: How did you find out that Ken Shamrock tested positive for steroids and your fight with him was off?
Bobby Lashley: A photographer that I did a photo shoot for sent me a text message. I thought it was a joke at first, but then I found out that he did test positive and the fight is off.

How prevalent do you think performance-enhancing drugs are in MMA?
I really don’t know. I haven’t heard a lot of people talk about it. I’ve heard people saying as much as, “Hey, some of the fighters are on something.” I don’t think that’s actually true, and I also don’t like the name “performance enhancing.” I don’t think people take them to enhance their performance so much as trying to help them train harder. I think that’s more what it is.

I think that Ken wasn’t out to take that substance so that he could beat that Ross Clifton guy. I’m sure he wasn’t using for that. I know he wasn’t thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to fight Bobby in a couple months, I’ve got to get huge.” I think like any other fighter or any other athlete who takes supplements, he was taking something to enable him to train harder and train longer.

How prevalent are performance-enhancing drugs in pro wrestling?
I don’t think there’s any now.

Really?
They have a really, really, really strict testing policy in the WWE. I know that for a fact. So I know that there is no one who is really on anything now. I think in the past there were some, but — and also, in professional wrestling it’s not “performance-enhancing.” You’re not enhancing your performance. You’re getting bigger and stronger, but it’s not like that makes you win in wrestling. I think there used to be more wrestlers on something than there are now, but it’s not like everyone was on something in professional wrestling. Not at all.

What do you know about your upcoming opponent, Jason Guida?
I know that his brother is Clay Guida. That’s about it. If you can tell me anything, that would be great.

Well, I can tell you that he has a losing record. His career record is 17-19.
Yeah, but the thing is, it’s not so much how many you’ve won, it’s how many you’ve been in.

Do you expect to watch video of his fights in the next week?
I’ll watch everything that I can on him.

So you think film study is important?
Oh, yeah. I trained at the Olympic Training Center with some of the greatest athletes in the world, and at the top level in every sport, elite athletes all watch film. Football players watch their opponents. In baseball, hitters watch pitchers. Wrestlers watch other wrestlers. You’ve got to scout your opponent so you can come in with the proper game plan.

When I was going to fight Ken Shamrock, I was watching video of Ken. How he approached his opponents. How he got into his submission holds. How he gets takedowns. How he reverses.

What are your goals in MMA?
I want to be a champion. That’s the main goal. Of course, everybody wants to make it in the UFC. That’s the top organization. But Affliction is coming up real strong. Strikeforce is coming up real strong. In Japan there are a lot of great fighters there. I just want to make it to the top. When I went into professional wrestling, I wanted to go to the top, and now that I’m a fighter, I’m training as hard as I can, as long as I can to make it to that level, to be the best.

Do you have any idea of how long that would take? Everybody compares you to Brock Lesnar. He was 1-0 when he got into the UFC, he lost his first fight to Frank Mir, then he beat Heath Herring and he got his title shot and became a champion. Is it realistic for you to think it can happen that quickly?
No, because that’s not the route I’m taking. I want to build up my skills. I’ve got a lot to learn and I want to learn before I fight for a title. I’m taking my time, but at the same time I hope that in the near future I beat some people and I do get that chance.

But you’re 32. Is it realistic for you to take the time to build your skills the way most fighters do?
That’s true, I’m not planning to spend 10 years in the business.

Do you have an idea when you might fight again after Guida and who your opponent might be?
I don’t know who it’s going to be, but I want to stay active. I want to fight. If Ken ever wants to fight with me, if he wants to go to Japan and do that fight, I wouldn’t mind doing that also. I know it’s kind of a touchy subject, but to do one fight in Japan, I don’t mind doing it. I think it’s a great fight. I think he’s a great fighter. And I know that the guy wasn’t maliciously trying to go out there to try go gain an advantage over anybody. At the same time, I don’t want to burn any bridges. But if people want us to fight in Japan, I wouldn’t mind doing that.

So you could fight Ken Shamrock this year?
I don’t know. That’s completely up to him.

But if a Japanese promoter came to you and offered you a fight with Ken Shamrock, you’re open to that?
Yeah, I would. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Do you think the state commissions would have a problem with that? In a sense, you’d be helping him circumvent his suspension.
I wouldn’t want to do it if it hindered my career. I want to fight him, and it’s unfortunate that it happened to him. I really wanted to fight him. I wouldn’t do anything against the commissions’ wishes. I wouldn’t do that at all.

Let’s go back to your own training. Do you have any veteran MMA fighters who train with you and teach you a lot, and anyone you watch and you try to emulate?
Not too much trying to emulate, but I look at the fighters at the top of the game and I try to find out what put them there. Some of the fighters we have at the gym, American Top Team, are right up there with the UFC’s best, and I try to watch their training regimen. I watch Mike Brown. He trains hard. He’s in the gym all day, training, working, sparring. He helps other people and he’s an incredible person.

Another person is JZ Calvan. If you every see him work out, you’ll get tired just watching him work out. After everyone is done training, he’s still shadow boxing. He works to be the best. Another one is Thiago Alves. He works, he’s a machine. He’s going, going, going. At this gym, there are so many high-level athletes that you have to step up your game.

The sense I get is that “stepping up your game,” that challenge, is what made you decide to leave a successful career in professional wrestling to try MMA.
I wanted to test myself. I wanted to go into a different realm. This is an opportunity to challenge myself. I want to push myself to be the best.

credit: http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/14/bobby-lashley-on-leaving-wwe-for-mma-i-want-to-be-a-champion/

Discuss here!

WWE

WCW DVD rumored, “The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania” being re-released

- Jim Ross mentioned in his most recent online blog entry that while he was in Stamford, CT. he was scheduled for an interview on “The Rise and Fall of WCW”, which has a lot of people hoping for, and to some extent - expecting, a DVD documentary on the former WWE-rival promotion.

- “The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania”, which was a theatrical release (in select markets) and Wal-Mart-exclusive DVD release last year, is being re-released for all retail and online stores this April as part of the WrestleMania 25 build-up. It should be noted that the special is being released in seperate installments on the WWE 24/7 On Demand channel as well.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss this news and all things wrestling on the Pinfall Recall Message Boards. The topic is here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jesse Ventura wants WWE investigated for wrestler deaths

- Former Minnesota Governor and WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura claims he wanted to investigate World Wrestling Entertainment in regard to deaths in the professional wrestling industry and would have if he had been elected to the Senate this past election cycle. Ventura chose not to run.

In an interview with CYInterview.com, Ventura commented, “It’s one of the things that if I would run for the senate I was going to do a senatorial investigation on the WWE And you know for concerning what? What’s even a bigger importance is the fact that today they are still called independent contractors by the government which is absurd. They tell you when you wrestle. They tell you who you wrestle. They tell whether you win or lose. They tell you where you’re going to wrestle. They are your boss as much as any job in the universe. Yet McMahon is able to get away with calling all the wrestlers even today when he has them signed to exclusive contracts he still is allowed to call them independent contractors where they have to pay their own social security and he doesn’t have to pay a penny.”

You can read and listen to the complete interview at http://www.cyinterview.com.

Credit: PWinsider.com

Express your thoughts on this story on our forums here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ECW rating and Royal Rumble buyrate

- Tuesday night’s edition of ECW on Sci-Fi scored a 1.34 cable rating, down from last week’s 1.4 rating. 

- As of today, the 2009 WWE Royal Rumble PPV did 445,000 buys worldwide, with roughly 268,000 coming from North America. Last year’s show did 575,00 PPV buys worldwide, meaning that this year’s event suffered roughly a 23% drop.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss this with our forum members here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stone Cold joins Stallone movie

- Steve Austin has joined the cast of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables. Austin joins a cast that already includes Mickey Rourke as well as Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Forest Whitaker and Charisma Carpenter. The film is about a team of mercenaries who attempt to overthrow a South American dictator.

Credit: 411mania.com

Talk about Austin right here on the boards

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Tonight’s iMPACT! preview

- TNA will be taping several weeks worth of their “iMPACT!” TV show this Monday and Tuesday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

- The following is scheduled for tonight’s edition of TNA iMPACT! on Spike TV:

* Special Guest Ref: Roxxi
Taylor Wilde vs. Madison Rayne

* Elimination Bout:
Beer Money, Inc. & Matt Morgan vs. Team 3D & Abyss

* Lethal Consequences & Mystery Partners vs. Booker T, Scott Steiner & Mystery Partners

* Also: Mick Foley, Sting and Kurt Angle building storylines leading into this Sunday’s “Destination X” pay-per view in Orlando, Florida.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss Impact right here on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lineup for Booker T’s wrestling convention

- The talent appearances for Booker T’s WrestleMania weekend “Legends of Wrestling Fanfest” on April 3rd in Houston, Texas was announced today, and are as follows:

Morning Session: Kevin Nash, Lita, Team 3D, DDP, Kimberly Page, Rikishi, Ernest “The Cat” Miller and Stan Hansen.

Afternoon Session: Booker T, Sharmell, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Samoa Joe, The Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart, Christy Hemme, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love.

Sting will also be there as part of a separate VIP ticketed event where he’ll be signing autographs starting at 2PM.

You can find out more information on Booker T’s “Legends of Wrestling Fanfest” at BookerTLOW.com.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Talk TNA and Booker’s convention with our forum members here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

ROH Newswire for March 12

- Ring of Honor returns to the St. Louis area tomorrow (Friday) night for a big event featuring the ROH debut of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. The event will take place at the Gateway Center, One Gateway Drive, Collinsville, IL 62234. A special Ric Flair meet & greet autograph session will take place between 6-8 PM. Tickets for the autograph session will be available to purchase at the door on Friday night. You MUST have an event ticket to get into the autograph session. Autograph tickets are $30 for the first item and $20 each additional item PER PERSON. We will have merchandise for sale at the venue which you can use to get autographed if you don’t have your own item. The live event begins at 8 PM and will feature: Nigel McGuinness vs. Brent Albright for the ROH World Title; Bryan Danielson vs. Bison Smith in a Grudge Match; Tyler Black & Jerry Lynn vs. The Age of the Fall; ROH World Tag Team Champion Kevin Steen & El Generico and Bobby Dempsey vs. The American Wolves of Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards and Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney; Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe; Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega vs. Silas Young vs. Austin Aries in a Four Corner Survival; MsChif vs. Daizee Haze for the SHIMMER Title; Ric Flair will appear in front of the live crowd; plus more. Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on the night of the show.

- On Saturday night we debut in Indianapolis, IN at the Indiana State Fairgrounds (Farm Bureau Building), 1202 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205. Already announced is: ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Austin Aries vs. Jerry Lynn & Tyler Black; Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Rhett Titus & Kenny King for the World Tag Team Titles; Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega vs. Claudio Castagnoli in a Three Way Match; The American Wolves of Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney vs. Brent Albright & Roderick Strong; Jay Briscoe vs. Chris Hero; plus more. Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on the night of the show.

- Larry Sweeney has been telling people close to him that he’s got two very special opponents in store for Bobby Dempsey, as Dempsey has two contracts leftover from when he was under the representation of Sweeney. The first matchup takes place as part of ROH’s Seventh Anniversary on March 21 in the Hammerstein Ballroom. “That fat slob is going to pay dearly,” said the Super Agent. “Ain’t no doubt about it. There ain’t no doubt at all.” ROH officials are unclear as to when Sweeney plans on making Dempsey live up to the second of the contracts.

- The first names confirmed for the second set of Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet tapings are: Roderick Strong, The American Wolves – Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney, MsChif, Tyler Black, The ROH World Tag Team Champions – Kevin Steen and El Generico, and the Dark City Fight Club! The tapings will take place on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10 at the Arena in South Philadelphia. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be a part of history as ROH brings real professional wrestling back to television!

- ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness contacted ROH Officials over what “Nature Boy” Ric Flair had to say in the March 4 Edition of the ROH Videowire at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4qD_gxO2YA. McGuinness is reportedly unnerved that Flair has stated publicly that he plans on checking Nigel out closely to find out if he is “the man”. ROH officials have been informed that McGuinness plans on speaking to the legendary Flair face-to-face tomorrow night in Collinsville. Tickets will be available at the door! Will Nigel confront Flair for everyone to see? Be there to find out.

- You can see this week’s version of the ROH Video Wire here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyn7c9r_AbE. 

- We have learned more about the modified Ultimate Endurance match that Jimmy Jacobs has requested for March 21 in New York. We have now learned that it is unlike traditional UE matches as Jacobs has proposed a 6-Man Tag Team Elimination contest. Similar to UE, the stipulations will change during the match based on the eliminations. But unlike, UE, we’ve been informed that each fall will determine the stipulation for the next. The result of the first fall will directly impact the next fall, and so on until there is only one man left. If a fall is won via pinfall, then the next fall must be won via some other means. If a fall is won via submission, then the following must be won via something different. It also follows that if a fall is won via count-out, then the next fall must be won via other means, meaning the next fall would then be contested under NO count-out rules. What about disqualifications, you ask? In this contest, there are no disqualifications. Because of the unique rules in this match, ROH officials are calling it a “revolution rules” match. We will have the participants next week in the Newswire!

- The Buy 3, Get 1 Free Ring of Honor DVD returns at the live events this weekend in Collinsville, IL and Indianapolis, IN. The BIG TEN SALE returns exclusively at ROHWrestling.com featuring over 100 DVD’s priced at $10 each. You can also purchase general admission tickets for events in Pittsburgh, Houston, Montreal, Toronto, Dayton, & Chicago for only $10 each. We also have a special on 2nd balcony tickets for the “7th Anniversary Show” next weekend in New York City for only $10 each. You can also save 10% off your entire order. For complete details on the sale along with the 10% discount code click here: http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=860. 

- We’ll have news next week on the huge Doubleshot weekend coming to Houston on April 3 and 4, as well as more on the March 20 event in Pittsburgh and, of course, the HUGE ROH 7th Anniversary Show on March 21 in the heart of NYC!

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss Ring of Honor on the PFRC Forums right here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact the Pinfall Recall team on the forums or via e-mail.

CK@pinfallrecall.com

JG@pinfallrecall.com

RDB@pinfallrecall.com

Milo@pinfallrecall.com

Ed@pinfallrecall.com

DC@pinfallrecall.com

WWE

Released wrestlers news

- WWE released Smackdown talent Ryan Braddock this past weekend, and the company’s website has removed his bio from their roster section thus confirming the release.

- WWE.com has posted the following:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of Smackdown Superstar Kizarny as of today, March 19, 2009. WWE wishes Kizarny the best in all future endeavors.

- Although WWE has released Afa Sr, one half of the legendary Wild Samoans tag team, he will still be associated with the company as VP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis has plans to attend a training camp at Afa’s Wild Samoan Wrestling School in Florida to scout talent.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss releases and everything wrestling on the Pinfall Recall Message Boards. The topic is here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next week’s Raw main event, Gail Kim in a movie

- Next week’s WWE Monday Night Raw main event will be The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels vs. JBL and Vladimir Kozlov.

- Soon to debut Diva Gail Kim is reportedly starring in a new film titled “Royal Kill.” In the movie, which is set to be released on June 9, 2009, Kim plays a hired assassin named Nadia. You can see a production still of her if you click here.

Credit: 411mania.com and wrestlezone.com

Talk about Raw and Gail Kim on the forums here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interview from Men’s Fitness with John Cena

- The following press release was sent out today, hyping John Cena appearing on the April Cover of Men’s Fitness:

JOHN CENA TALKS ACTING, WRESTLE MANIA AND LIFE AFTER THE WWE IN THE APRIL ISSUE OF MEN’S FITNESS

On Newsstands March 16th Nationwide

NEW YORK, NY—He’s an actor, hip-hop artist and the top name in the WWE. Now John Cena graces the cover of Men’s Fitness where he talks about everything from his new role in the new film 12 Rounds to growing up as a scrawny teenager in West Newbury, Massachusetts, forced to workout to protect himself. “I started listening to hip-hop when nobody else was, started dressing all urban when nobody else was, and I got hell for it,” he says in the issue. “To counteract, strictly for self-defense, I wanted to get bigger. I figured if I worked out three times a week, I’d get big. If I did it seven days a week, I’d get huge.” And it worked. By the time he was 16, Cena had gone from 155 pounds to 215. “Nobody was giving me any more stuff,” he says.

Following are highlights from his interview in the April issue of Men’s Fitness, on newsstands March 16 nationwide.

On rumors about him being on steroids…

“Train with me for just a week, and you’ll see that I’m the guy who drives 250 miles between shows but will be at the gym tomorrow at 10 a.m. when most people are still sleeping in. I’m the guy who’ll fly to Australia, find a gym, fly back, and the first thing I do off the plane is work out, before I even shower or eat. I’ve made a living out of working hard.”

On his favorite Wrestle Mania (1987’s WrestleMania III) 

“As unstoppable as Hulk Hogan was, I didn’t see him beating Andre the Giant, let alone picking him up. No one remembers anything else about that match, but that moment is so frozen in time. It was a moment that defined WrestleMania.”

12 Rounds Director Renny Harlin on his acting ability…

“He’s intelligent, he’s funny, and more invested than anyone I’ve worked with. I don’t know if it comes with his physicality, but he has such confidence in himself, definitely not to be confused with cockiness. I truly feel he’s a new movie star, a new action star, which Hollywood desperately needs.” 

On getting the role in “12 Rounds”… 

“Renny (Harlin) originally thought, ‘OK, I’m getting a wrestler, he can’t act, so how can I build the best movie around a broomstick?”

On bringing his personality to the ring…

“You hear a lot of people in our business say, ‘Oh, the character you see on TV is me with the volume turned up.’ What you see is me, 100%. That’s who I am at home. That’s how I am here.”

On life after the WWE…

In a 2005 Men’s Fitness interview, when Cena was asked if there was life after wrestling, he said no. “If I wasn’t doing this, I’d probably be mowing lawns,” he said. Apparently not much has changed. When asked if he still stands by that sentiment, he says, “Absolutely. When you hear the opening roar of the crowd, you’ll understand why. I certainly don’t want to be one of those guys who can’t let go. I think, hopefully, knock on wood, it’ll be for quite some time. If not, I’ll buy a big ass lawn mower.” 

Credit: 411mania.com

Talk about Cena right here with our forum members

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Awesome Kong upset about pay rate

- It’s being reported that TNA Knockout’s Champion Awesome Kong is apparently upset over her current pay rate, which is said to be lower than newcomer Brutus Magnus. Magnus, who was brought in from the UK after Dixie Carter saw him on the country’s version of American Gladiators, is still considered very green by many backstage in TNA and has not done as much for the company as someone like Kong. It is for reasons like this that Kong is apparently frustrated that a rookie is making more money than her as she feels she is a valuable asset to the TNA locker room.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Express your thoughts on this story on the boards here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

March 9th Newswire!

- Eddie Edwards of Larry Sweeney’s American Wolves has issued a challenge for March 20th just outside Pittsburgh. His partner in the Wolves, Davey Richards, was hand-picked by Nigel McGuinness and will be facing the team of KENTA and El Generico. With that in mind, Edwards wants to prove himself in the singles ranks, and Larry Sweeney has no doubt that he will. “It’s simple, Eddie Edwards has been looked over by the wrestling public,” said Sweeney. “But he’s top shelf in a team, and he’s top shelf on his own. Top shelf is only what Sweet-n-Sour deals with, and on March 20th in that dump Pittsburgh, Eddie will show the world why.” Signed for Pittsburgh is Eddie Edwards versus Brent Albright! 

- Jimmy Jacobs of the Age of the Fall has suggested that the ROH Booking Committee allows what he calls a “day of reckoning for those that stand against the revolution”. Tyler Black, meanwhile, has been requesting a shot at Jacobs for March 21st in New York, the very location that Austin Aries and Jacobs laid Black to waste at Final Battle 2008. Jacobs hasn’t ruled out the match, but has been steadfast that any such match would have to take place under terms that he, and only he, sets. “Tyler Black is blinded by the sheep that mindlessly chant his name. As is Necro. These are prime examples of the kind of weakness that the revolution is pledged to eliminate. Black wants his revenge? He wants it at the ’scene of the crime’? Well, I know I’ll have Brodie Lee at my side, and if need be, I’m sure Austin Aries could be persuaded to fight fire as well. But we shall see if Tyler Black is willing to meet my demands, because that is the only way he’ll ever get another chance to exact the revenge his shallow soul desires.” More on this at it develops.

- Silas Young has just been added to Indianapolis on March 14th, and will be in singles competition.

- ROH officials are happy to announce that the ROH World Championship will be defended on April 3rd in Houston. The current ROH World Champion, Nigel McGuinness, has two defenses signed before ROH debuts in the Lone Star State - on March 13th against Brent Albright; and against KENTA on March 21st. Regardless of who is carrying the title by then, McGuinness or not, it will be on the line. ROH officials are anxious to see the outcome of the title match in St. Louis this Friday night so that they can narrow down the challengers for April 3rd in Houston.

- The “March Madness Sale” continues this week at ROHWrestling.com where you can save 30% Off Your Next Order. For complete details and to get the sale code, click here: http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=2338. 

- “The Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero and Larry Sweeney have been scouting talent as of late, and have been very impressed by the resume of freelance lucha talent, Incognito. “Here’s a guy with tremendous upside,” said Hero. “He’s got the athleticism, heart, and obviously tremendous skill. He just needs direction.” Sweeney added, “Sweet-N-Sour Incorporated has been very successful in guiding foreign talent in ROH, and we’ve been looking to spread our reach into Mexico and beyond.” ROH officials have learned that Sweeney has been in contact with Incognito about a “Sweet-N-Sour Audition” of sorts, apparently to take place in Houston when ROH debuts there on the weekend of April 3rd and 4th. We’ll have more on this going forward.

- Ring of Honor is happy announce a working agreement with Booker T, the Booker T Fights for Kids Foundation, and the “Legends of Wrestling” Fanfest, taking place at the George R. Brown Convention Center on April 3rd in Houston. This is the same venue that will house the two ROH events that weekend. General Admission Booker T Fanfest tickets are free to anyone who has already purchased a ticket to the April 3rd Ring of Honor event at the Convention Center! This is sure to be a wonderful time for wrestling fans in the Houston area; for more information, please visit www.bookertlow.com. 

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss ROH here on the PFRC Forums right here

WWE

WrestleMania and Mickey Rourke, Draft news, Creative news

- At this point, the plan for WrestleMania XXV is to have Mickie Rourke sit at ringside and get involved somehow with the finish of the Jericho match, reports WrestlingObserver.com.  The idea is to build Rourke up as a former boxer and somehow implement a Big Show-type of punch to Jericho when Rourke is confronted.  As far as Jericho’s opponent for the event, Vince McMahon has apparently been telling people that he has it covered, but no one knows who it is at this point.  Hulk Hogan is saying that they could not come to an agreement and unless plans change at the eleventh hour (which is very possible), it won’t be him.  There is some talk of Jerry Lawler being the guy to face Jericho since he’s stated in the past that he would like to wrestle at WrestleMania before his career is over.  He has never wrestled on a WrestleMania event.  Nothing is confirmed at this point, however.

- This year’s draft decisions will mostly be decided the weekend of WrestleMania due to the fact that the entire creative team will be there in Houston.  Vince plans on holding extended meetings that weekend to discuss the direction heading out of WrestleMania and after the draft.  It does look at this point that Triple H is definitely coming over to Raw because most of the key people don’t believe his WrestleMania match with Orton is going to be a one-off deal.  Outside of that, it doesn’t seem like much talk has went into the draft yet.

- As we’ve reported, Freddy Prinze, Jr. is now out of creative, although reports now indicate that many have expected this for quite some time, specifically Stephanie McMahon.  She offered him a promotion complete with more duties a couple of months ago, but he declined claiming he was looking at giving notice a few days later.  Stephanie talked him into staying on part-time for a while, but he virtually took himself out of the picture for weeks leading up to his departure.  He was on the creative email-list that went out, but had not been attending shows and if he did give any input via email, no one knew about it.  The idea is that WWE would like to keep some sort of working relationship with Prinze, but it will not be in any creative capacity.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss this and everything wrestling on the Pinfall Recall Message Boards. The topic is here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Various news: ECW rating, Former Diva pregnant, Lawsuit dropped against WWE

- The February 24, 2009 edition of ECW on Sci-Fi did a 1.4 cable rating.

- Congratulations are in order for former WWE diva and Diva Search contestant, Amy Weber, who announced on her Myspace page that she is expecting her first child.

- The Stamford Advocate is reporting that Senior U.S. District Judge Peter Dorsey dismissed the lawsuit against WWE by Chris Kanyon, Raven and Mike Sanders. They were suing WWE claiming that they were misrepresented by the company as independent contractors and should have been considered full time employees. You can get the full story here

Credit: wrestlezone.com and 411mania.com

Talk about all things WWE right here on our forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CM Punk talks about house shows, his good year, building ROH, and more

- Alfonso Castillo of NY Newsday has posted an interview with CM Punk as part of the hype for the Nassau Coliseum show tomorrow.  You can read the full interview by clicking here.

The advantage of house shows versus televised events: “I think as a fan of wrestling, you can’t beat going to TV for the grand spectacle of the whole thing with the pyro, the music, and just the entire event atmosphere. It’s larger than life. But when you go to a house show, if you’re a wrestling fan, I think you have a better time because we have the freedom to pay more attention to the audience. We have the freedom to kind of go a little bit off in different directions. It’s more relaxed if that makes any sense. I know personally, I always have a better time on house shows. Sometimes at television you have to think about it. You’re doing a specific timed, television show. On a house show, we don’t have those restraints.”

Punk’s successful 2008: “The fact that I’m 30 years old, and in just this last year, in one entire year, I was ECW champion, I won the Money in the Bank at WrestleMania, I became World Champion, I was Tag Team Champion and I was the Intercontinental Champion, you know? And I won a Slammy.”

Thoughts on Ring Of Honor: “I’m proud to be able to say that I’m one of the guys that built that place – to just be able to say that that place is around because of me and handful of other guys. When times were tough, we were the guys who carried that place on our back – me, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Gabe Sapolsky. And of course there are countless others who are probably going to be mad that I didn’t mention them in this interview. But when you boil it down, we were the core guys. And I just love the fact that we built a place for guys to work and to learn. I’m very proud of that.”

Credit: PWinsider.com

Express your thoughts on Punk’s thoughts right here with our forum members

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Mick Foley discusses TNA storylines and wrestling again

- Mick Foley recently conducted an interview with Slam! Wrestling and discussed quite a bit, including twists and turns that the fans should look out for in upcoming months, him training for the Lockdown pay per view, TNA critics, and much more. The following are excerpts from the interview. To read the article in its entirety, click here.

On twists and turns in the MEM/Frontline angle:

“I think the feud has given a lot of focus to the show. We haven’t seen anybody jump sides, and depending on who does, it could be even more interesting. (It could) shake things up in a big way. Who knows? It might be me.”

On the timing of his first match back in the ring:

“Clearly it wasn’t the biggest match I could have been in, but I think it may have been the right time. It’s unlike (my last stint in WWE) in that now, it’s not going to be one match every couple of years; it’ll be a few matches a year. You don’t want your jumping off point to be the absolute zenith of your time there.”

On TNA’s critics:

“Some people have a love-hate relationship with TNA like they really want it to work but sometimes they get frustrated when things don’t seem to go the way they like it. (To those people, I say) just have patience. Some weeks we’re going to hit the bullseye, sometimes we’re going to miss the target completely. But overall, a year from now, I think people will think that the company has made great strides.”

On training for a match return at Lockdown:

“I am training and gearing up as if I might have to do something at that show. I’ll leave it at that, for people to wonder about.”

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Talk TNA and Foley on the boards here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

ROH Newswire for Feb. 26

- Ring of Honor kicks off an historic weekend starting tomorrow (Friday) night in Danbury, CT at the Danbury Police Athletic League Building, 35 Hayestown Road, Danbury, CT 06811. The event starts at 8:00 PM. The show features an ROH World Title Elimination Match with Nigel McGuinness defending vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs; ROH World Tag Team Champion Kevin Steen & Jay Briscoe vs. Chris Hero & Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney in a Grudge Tag Team Match; Bryan Danielson vs. Delirious; Brent Albright vs. Claudio Castagnoli; The Necro Butcher vs. Brodie Lee in an Anything Goes Street Fight; plus more. Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on the night of the show.

- The inaugural TV tapings for Ring of Honor on HDNet take place THIS WEEKEND in Philadelphia, PA at The Arena (former New Alhambra Arena/ECW Arena), 7 Ritner Street, with a zip code of 19148. The event on Saturday night starts at 7:30 PM. The show on Sunday has a special 3 PM bell time. This is it, perhaps the most important weekend in ROH history as HDNet and ROH present the first National Television tapings in our 7-year company history! Don’t be left out as we tape the first 6 weeks of the brand new television series, which debuts on HDNet on March 21st! Scheduled to appear this weekend in Philadelphia are: ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson, ROH World Tag Team Champion Kevin Steen, Jerry Lynn, The Necro Butcher, Tyler Black, Jay Briscoe, Chris Hero & Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney, Austin Aries, Brent Albright, Claudio Castagnoli, Delirious, Jimmy Jacobs & Brodie Lee of The Age of the Fall, Kenny King, Rhett Titus, & more. Tickets for both events will be available to purchase at the door on the day/night of the show.

- We’re happy to announce the 6th and final TV main event to be taped this Sunday at the Arena in South Philly, and it pits two of ROH’s best against one another. Bryan Danielson versus Tyler Black. What more needs to be said!? You DON’T want to miss your opportunity to be on National Television with ROH for the first time! If this match doesn’t personify the “ROH 101″ concept and give a huge taste of the style and action that new fans can come to expect from Ring of Honor on HDNet, nothing will. Come down to the Arena this Saturday and Sunday, as ROH and HDNet look to kick off a long-term relationship, and we want each and every one of you along for the ride!

- ROH officials have been told to expect a visit from Prince Nana at some point this weekend, and he’s apparently coming to “talk business”.

- ROH Officials are happy to announce that “M-Dogg” Matt Cross will return to action on March 20th in suburban Pittsburgh! He will team with his former Resilience teammate, Erick Stevens, to face the brash Kenny King and Rhett Titus in a contest of two teams made up of supreme athleticism, power, and according to Titus, “dependable thrust that you can trust”. Can M-Dogg make a splash in his return? Will King and Titus enter the ring in Pittsburgh the newly crowned World Tag Team Champions?

- Just signed for ROH’s 7th Anniversary Celebration at the Hammerstein Ballroom on March 21st are two matches that would main event anywhere in the country! D’Lo Brown looks to continue to impress ROH officials and fans as he has signed to face Jay Briscoe in Manhattan! “Man, I got all kind of respect for D’Lo,” said Jay. “And it’s an honor to face him in NYC. But D’Lo, I gotta warn you, this is ROH, and in ROH it’s simple. Man up, or get out.” Also signed for singles action is “Lightning” Mike Quackenbush! Quackenbush, making his return to ROH, will be locking up with Jerry Lynn! “I grew to love watching Jerry Lynn perform,” said Quack. “And to see his revival of sorts in ROH has been refreshing; it’ll be great to test myself against Jerry and to once again perform for the great ROH fans.”

- Bryan Danielson sent word to the ROH Booking Committee that he wants Bison Smith in the worst way, and apparently one match isn’t enough. He’s asked to face Bison in both St. Louis on March 13th and on the ROH debut in Indianapolis on March 14th. We have yet to receive word from Bison on whether or not he’ll accept this bold challenge from “the Best in the World”.

- We’re running a special sale this weekend on the ROH website and at the live events in Danbury & Philadelphia. For a limited time when you Buy 2 Ring of Honor DVD, you can get 1 Free. Full details on the sale along with the instructions on how to take advantage of this deal on the ROH website can be found here: http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=2643 . New ROH DVD releases include “Full Circle” from Manassas, VA from January 16th. This event features Features ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black; Bryan Danielson vs. Jimmy Jacobs; Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Aries; Jay Briscoe & Roderick Strong vs. The American Wolves; Delirious vs. The Necro Butcher; plus more. Also available is “Injustice II” from Edison, NJ on January 17th. This show features the controversial Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black ROH World Title Match; Bryan Danielson vs. Jerry Lynn; Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens vs. The American Wolves in a Lumberjack Strap Match; Austin Aries vs. Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs; plus more.

- There is a great article on The Necro Butcher here talking about “The Wrestler” and his career at http://www.dailymail.com/entertainment/200902251202 . Speaking of “The Wrestler”, click http://www.you-tube.com/watch?v=uK6smwWg8bc to see Bruce Springstein’s video for the title track in the film.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss Ring of Honor right here with our forum members

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other

Father of man injured in Nick Hogan crash arrested for murder plot

- In what has to be seen as a shocking turn of events, John Graziano Sr., whose son was severely injured in a car wreck as Nick Hogan’s passenger in 2007, was arrested for a suspected murder plot against his wife. Graziano Sr. is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife Debra. He reportedly had been plotting to have his wife killed in a car wreck. The hitman that Graziano Sr. dealt with was in actuality an undercover cop who received some $2,000 and a gift card from Graziano as payment for the proposed killing.

You can read more about it here

Credit: PWinsider.com

Talk about this disturbing story right here on the PFRC Forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact the Pinfall Recall team on the forums or via e-mail.

CK@pinfallrecall.com

JG@pinfallrecall.com

DC@pinfallrecall.com

RDB@pinfallrecall.com

Milo@pinfallrecall.com