Pinfall Recall
The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard

WWE

Track Listing For 12 Rounds DVD

- Here is the listing for WWE’s 12 Rounds DVD which comes out on 6/30.

* PG-13 and Director’s Cut versions of film
* Audio Commentary Track with Director Renny Harlin, Writer Daniel Kunka and John Cena
* Two alternate endings
* Featuette: Crash Course: John Cena Stunts
* Blooper Gag reel

Blu-ray:

* All the aforementioned above as well as:
* Featurette: “Streetcar Crossing: Film with Caution”
* Featurette: 12 Bonus Rounds: Making Magic Behind-the-Scenes”
* Featurette: “Keeping Score: The Music of 12 Rounds”
* Round and Round with Director Renny Harlin and John Cena
* Viral videos

Credit: PWInsider

Discuss on our forum!

TNA

TNA’s Free Webmatch of the Week

…can be found right here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL0-6jEqWkc

credit: ME

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

ROH House Show Results!

#  Ring of Honor returns to Edison, New Jersey tonight, with the following card:

* ROH Title Match: Jerry Lynn © vs. Jay Briscoe
* ROH Tag Team Title Match: The American Wolves © vs. Bryan Danielson and Kevin Steen
* Chris Hero
vs. Sonjay Dutt
* Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan with Prince Nana
* Necro Butcher and Delirious vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Jimmy Rave w/Prince Nana
* Brent Albright and Erick Stevens vs. Super Smash Brothers
* Eddie Kingston vs. Ricky Reyes
* Also scheduled to appear: Kenny King and Rhett Titus

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Other

New JR Blog

Here’s hoping that everyone is having a great day. The weekend is upon us and then it is back on the road for me as I leave Monday for Dayton, Ohio to prepare for another taping of Friday Night Smackdown. The smoker is fired up so let’s get rolling with some BBQ’ed random thoughts…..

For those that have made comments on my most recent Smackdown blog on WWE.com and that took ALL my comments seriously, as Michael Cole would say, “Please, stop the pain.” Humor, or attempts thereof, take many forms and my intent with that particular blog, as I try to do more often than not when I write, is to have fun.

Because I am pro choice & pro same sex marriage, does that mean I have to like all intergender wrestling matches because I don’t. BTW that’s as much as I will ever discuss politics or religion on this site. We aren’t here to address the world’s problems or to change the direction that wrestling is or isn’t traveling.

Tag team wrestling. Seems like it has become topical over the past few days. We have received a fair amount of feedback on this site regarding it. Again, I reiterate that I am a fan of tag team wrestling or should I say good, tag team wrestling. It really doesn’t matter who says what company is or is not prioritizing tag teams because until an established tag team headlines a PPV then it seems to me that tag teams, no matter how good they are, are still viable, important, semi main/under-card contributors. A resurgence of long arcing, tag team issues that culminate with those teams squaring off on PPV main events or even co-main events would suit me just fine but until then it is what it is.

Friday Night Smackdown provided the most compelling elements of WGN America’s WWE Superstar broadcast Thursday night. Edge ’s verbal skills continue to just get better and better and wait until you hear Edge’s guest commentary on Friday Night Smackdown during the main event featuring Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho.

Is this WWE fan LeBron James year to lead his Cavs to the NBA Title? I vividly remember “King James” attending a Monday Night Raw at the then Gund Arena in Cleveland his rookie year. We had a nice chat after the event walking to our vehicles and he signed my TV format that night. Really a classy young man as all have seen with his many TV interviews, etc. Since then LeBron has provided me a signed basketball and a signed Cav’s home jersey that we will eventually display at J.R.’s Family BBQ in Norman, Oklahoma. LeBron is a great example of what is really good about pro sports and is a young man who knows he has been blessed with amazing gifts and doesn’t take that fact for granted.

I saw on the ‘net that it was May 8 (that’s today as I write this) 2006 that was the date that I came back to Monday Night Raw full time after battling a colon cancer issue. 2005 was an interesting year for me and I got a huge break considering my tumor was not malignant. Fans still write about “Dr. Heiney”, etc and all that sort of stuff expecting me to rant about it but I am so much more thankful that I am cancer free and still alive that all that other stuff that has happened on TV is no more than a dot on my personal, radar screen.

Somehow some idiot will go on another’s website message board and turned my preceding statement into me “bitching” about not being on Raw and being “stuck’ on Friday Night Smackdown which reeks of  some having a chronic case of the “dumbass.”

A-Rod returns to the Yankees lineup Friday. Does any one outside the world of pin stripes care? Alex Rodriquez can;t have any thing short of a great year for 1. the Yankees to battle their way into the playoffs and 2. to do the right thing by his teammates and fans after creating such a firestorm with his off the field BS of a few months ago. Hearing less from A-Rod in the near future on any subject might be something #13 should consider.

I got a nice email recently from Torrie Wilson who is on NBC’s newest reality show that starts imminently. She’ll be in a Costa Rica jungle with a slew of other celeb’s with the object to see who can last the 30 days as I understand the premise. Torrie isn’t a “dumb blond” by any stretch of the imagination and is dead set on proving that fact on her reality show opportunity. Torrie is in amazing physical condition which will help her cause in less than Marriott surroundings in the jungle. She sent us an autographed swimsuit to display in our BBQ joint and I have this revelation, the swim wear did not consist of an overabundance of material.

Speaking of lovely, smart and sexy WWE Divas, it is amazing how many folks check out the Daily Diva section of www.wwe.com. And I’m not even counting how many times the King logs in, so to speak.

From my days associated with the Atlanta Falcons in the early 90’s, I got to know Bret Favre  and found him to be one helluva guy. Tough minded, competitive and a super guy to be around. But he’s a football player who loves to play the game. Bret was put on Planet Earth to be a quarterback. All great players, wrestlers too, have difficulties knowing when to hang up their gear. Let’s all remember that it was the media that started the Favre to Minnesota story, not Bret. He seems to have made it clear that he is retired, yes I know that he’s said it before, but this time I think he will stay retired. He certainly doesn’t need the paycheck and I do know personally that he loves his off time hunting and fishing. Plus, what network wouldn’t love to have the future Hall of Famer in their broadcast booth or studio if he’s “football bored” and wants to stay associated with the game? NBC’s brilliant Dick Ebersol is likely already all over this one.

There was a time in my life when I was joined by several Atlanta Falcons on a regular basis and we thought that we could drink all the Crown Royal in Atlanta but we failed miserably. Thank goodness I met Mrs. J.R. about that time or my life story, if I were able to remember it, might resemble a sad, country song. A party can be found in Hotlanta every night even without seeking one out.

I think the HBK vs. Undertaker Wrestlemania 25 match could be made into one helluva documentary styled DVD. I know some of the biggest stars in the biz who would love to talk about it including some of the HOF’ers who were present that day. This match will live forever in the annals of WWE and should be celebrated sooner than later even though both men are on hiatus for the time being.

Manny Ramirez really screwed up. Duh. How could Manny’s doctor accidentally violate the MLB drug policy so blatantly and not be remotely aware of what he or she was doing? Will Ramirez seek restitution from his doctor for the $7M Manny is losing as a result of his suspension. Highly unlikely. Everyone should stop the insanity and just say no and work within a zero tolerance or something damn near it.

WWE’s much anticipated DVD release of “The Rise and Fall of WCW” will no doubt create controversy which in turns creates cash. Where have I heard that before? Some have refused to be interviewed for this project which is understandable for many who have already discussed the topic endlessly. I would have personally liked to have heard Bill Shaw’s thoughts, and I use that term loosely, but he declined. This DVD, as I understand it, will focus more on the WCW side of this equation from those who were there. I wasn’t there when it “fell” and arguably wasn’t there when it “rose” but I came in to WCW with the original class and discussed my tenure in Atlanta which was more positive than negative. It will be interesting to see how much of my contributions to the DVD will make air. For the record, I don’t “blame” any one from the old, WCW regime for not wanting to be involved in this process and for a variety of reasons. I do know that this DVD is getting tons of internal attention and I fully anticipate that it will be a compelling DVD and one that I can’t wait to watch.

What will you bet that the Rick Pitino to the Sacramento Kings story isn’t being fueled by rival colleges who want to hurt Louisville’s recruiting efforts? The same thing usually happens every December, more often than not it seems to come from the Dallas Morning News, regarding Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops leaving the Sooners. Bob has been at OU since ‘99 and has no plans on leaving any time soon but  those sort of stories do adversely affect recruiting as kids are kids and are impressionable and are also more media savvy than any other generation.

A Terry Funk Roast is being planned for October in New Jersey which I am sure will be a blast. I love the idea of doing Roasts on DVD but with WWE being PG rated and Roasts usually not being, it wouldn’t be a good fit on that particular platform. Nonetheless I am betting a slab of ribs that the Terry Funk Roast will be a fun event to attend and wish the promoters well.

Cowboy Bill Watts turned 70 this past week. He’s still feeling great and going strong. Bill “understood his audience” better than the vast majority of his peers in wrestling and was a real student of ring psychology. Cowboy wasn’t a great in ring performer, better than he’s often described as being, but not great. But he made fans believe and he knew how to promote himself particularly w/ mic time. How many wrestlers can you name who were headlining MSG their third year in the biz? I can think of Rock and Brock Lesnar off the top of my head but Watts did it in 1965, decades before any one else of accomplished the same feat. “Bombastic Bill” is featured prominently in the new book, “The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette 25th Anniversary Scrapbook” which is available at www.jimcornette.com. Watts’ hand written memo regarding the art of and the importance of doing promo’s is a must see and,  like the rest of this classic publication,  is a must read.

I have worked diligently to keep up with your questions and comments on our Q&A section of this site. It is updated as we speak and I will continue to work on it sporadically throughout the weekend.

Keep in mind that we ship non liquid, non food items any where in the world. That means our autographed J.R.’s Cookbook and autographed, black, Trucker’s Caps, among other items. I hope that you will take a moment and check out our specials in our on line store.

With the wife out of town, I found myself watching WWE 24/7 On Demand until 3 a.m. this morning and that’s not a complaint. I love the 24/7 service and encourage all fans to check it out as it is a great value. I truly lead an exciting life do I not?

Apparently the WWE’s tour of Mexico is back on and I know that the advance ticket sales are MASSIVE. The international growth of the WWE brand in the future is going to be a major part of the company’s success and will further strengthen the brand which should enhance the stock price one has to assume.

I hope to see  a huge crowd of WWE fans Tuesday night in Dayton for a full night of WWE action including SD, ECW, and WWE Superstar content. I am arriving in Dayton on Monday in time to watch Raw even though I always DVR it. I have fun “entertainingly” hammering Raw on my blogs but don’t kid yourself,  I regularly watch the WWE’s #1 TV priority. I can always count on the King breaking out a spiffy,  new T shirt and his comedic banter directed to his broadcast partner, the “vintage” Michael Cole, has been fun to listen to lately especially when “Oh, My” Cole retaliates.

Remember that the Q&A section is updated and you’re cordially invited to visit it.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

credit: jrsbarbq.com

Discuss on our forum!

WWE

Divas Update

Mickie James was removed from the opening video of RAW and replaced by Diva’s champion Maryse. This is a bit odd considering Mickie James is still on the RAW roster, post-WWE draft.

It is being reported that Vickie Guerrero has been taking lessons on in-ring action in recent weeks, preparing for some kind of upcoming work in the ring for television.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss on our forum!

ROH

4.24.09 Show Results

Credit: Aaron Rund & PWInsider

Pre-Show:

The Soul Shooters vs. Josh Raymond (Abercrombie) and Christian Abel:
The Soul Shooters were announced as from Dayton so they did get a small home town pop. I haven’t seen Josh Raymond since he shaved his mustache and stopped calling himself Josh Abercrombie and if it wasn’t for the Tattoos I wouldn’t have even known he was the same person. This match was ruled a no-contest after about ten minutes when the Dark City Fight Club ran in with chairs and ran everyone off (think of it like how Sandman used to come out and cane everyone in a Bad Crew vs jobbers match in the Original ECW except no one got hit with any of the chairs)

GT Vega and “Dirty” Ernie Osris vs. Andy “Right Leg” Ridge and Tim Donst:
It was a surprise to me to see Tim Donst on this show considering he is working Chikara in Easton, PA and Philly this weekend on Sat and Sun. Donst got a small pop when he was first introduced. Andy Ridge is one of the most recent graduates of the ROH wrestling school and he was very impressive in this match. His kicks remind me a lot of Davey Richards. Vega and Osiris get the win. Post match Osiris was begging for tips from ringside fans.

Mikey Nichols vs. Sampson:
This match was your pre-show main event. Nichols and Sampson had a pre-show match at the Indianapolis ROH show that was very entertaining and this match was no difference. Sampson is one of the most Charismatic wrestlers I have seen in a very long time on an ROH pre-show. I can see a future spot for both Nichols and Sampson in the future (I don’t know how viable that is for Nichols as I believe he is Australian and may be in the States for only a short period of time), Overall it was a good match with Nichols getting the win.

Main Show:

Attendance was estmated at 600 people.

“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Edwards w/Shane Hagadorn:
Edwards is one half of the ROH world Champions the American Wolves (with Davey Richards). This match was one of the best openers I have ever seen in ROH live. These two had a great technical match with a lot of back and forth action. Dragon was able to hit most of his signature moves and even added a few knee strikes from the clinch which I hadn’t seen him do before. Danielson wins when he reverses a small package.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. “Skull Krusher” Rasche Brown vs. Silas Young vs. Matt Cross:
No Prince Nana with Claudio for this match, Rasche Brown was making his ROH debut. This was your standard ROH 4 corner survival. Brown and Claudio at one point were trying to one up each other on power moves delivered to young. A scary moment in this match when Cross attempted a spring board move off of Silas Young’s back (who was being held by Claudio Castagnoli in a fireman’s carry position) onto Rasche Brown on the floor. Cross caught his feet on the top rope and nearly took a header to the floor. I give a lot of credit to Brown who saw what was happening and dove to try and catch Cross. Some how Cross was able to right himself and didn’t land directly on his head. Claudio wins the match (I think with the Ricolla Bomb on Young but I am not sure).

Grizzly Redwood vs. Jimmy Rave w/Prince Nana and “Dirty” Ernie Osiris:
Ernie Osiris has taken the old Jade Chung role in the Embassy as Jimmy Raves footstool. Jimmy Rave was welcomed back to Dayton with a TP Shower from the fans. Rave won this glorified squash with Ghana-ria after Osiris distracted Redwood by offering him the piece of wood which Osiris had stolen a few weeks back. Post match, The Embassy destroyed Grizzly Redwood, Ernie Osiris stole both of Grizzly’s boots.

“A Double” Austin Aries & “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus vs. The Phoenix Twins:
The Phoenix Twins were making there Dayton ROH debut. Austin Aries did a little bit of mic work before the show, ripping on both the Phoenix Twins and the Dayton fans. Aries told Titus before the match to “sit tight and observe, I may not even have to tag you into this match” This match was controlled for the most part by Aries and Titus. Phoenix Twins were impressive in the little offense they got in. Austin Aries won the match for his team following a Brainbuster.

Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana vs. “That Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero w/Shane Hagadorn:
Cabana cut a promo before the match saying how great it is for him to be back in ROH. He mentioned that there were other offers on the table but he chose ROH because this is where he wanted to be. A pretty good back and forth match between these two with Colt getting a few comedy spots in and Hero working towards a knockout. Colt won the match via submission with “The Billy Goats Curse” (Inverted Boston Crab).

Intermission:

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Egotistico Fantastico:
Jimmy Jacobs was wearing an eye patch following last week’s match in Toronto where Delirious spiked him in the eye with Jacob’s own railroad spike. This was another good match, I had only seen Ego a few times and he hadn’t really impressed me before but he was very impressive in this match. At one point in time Jimmy Jacobs ended up in the Crowd and Ego ran 3/4s of the way around the ring and dove onto Jimmy Jacobs in the crowd. Jimmy at one point ripped the horn off of Ego’s mask and tried to use it as a weapon. Jimmy then kept the horn. Jimmy Jacobs wins via submission via the End Time.

Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards w/Shane Hagadorn:
This match was in my Opinion the match of the night. As expected both men worked their asses off. Tyler hit an insane springboard, front flip senton to the floor on Richards at one point. Honestly, my description of this match won’t do it justice. Davey Richards won with a roll-up and hand full of tights. Both men got a standing ovation from the crowd.

Kevin Steen and Jay Briscoe vs The Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Corey Chavis):
Through no fault of anyone in the match, this match just wasn’t that good. It may have been the placement on the card, it may have been the lack of chemistry between Jay Briscoe and Kevin Steen. It could have been burnout from the crowd due to the Black vs. Richards match but for whatever reason these four just never clicked. Kevin Steen and Jay Briscoe won the match.

Roderick Strong vs. ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn:
Jerry Lynn received a smattering of boos when he first came out but for the most part received a positive reaction from the fans. The action in this match started off a little slow with both men feeling each other out. At one point Jerry Lynn was knocked to the floor, Strong acted like he was going to do a Pescado but Lynn moved out of the way. Roderick was able to catch himself and went for his running kick from the ring apron on to Lynn on the floor. Lynn was able to side step the move and sen Strong into the guard rail. Roderck hit the Guardrail face first and opened up a huge gash over Strong’s left eye. This cut was gushing and there was a small pool of Roderick’s blood on the protective mats on the floor. At this point many in the crowd wondered if Strong was able to continue. Strong toughed this one out and was able to continue. This re-energized the crowd. Lynn gets the win to Retain the ROH World Championship following two Cradle Piledrivers on Strong. By the time the match was over, the left side of Strong’s face was covered in blood. He resembled Two-Face from the Batman comics. Both Lynn and Strong received standing ovations. Jerry Lynn cut a small promo about how it is fans reactions like the one he received tonight that keeps him going after 20+ years in this business.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

Other

Torrie Wilson Update

- Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson posted the following statement about her upcoming role on the new reality show, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.

“Hey guys and gals! In case you haven’t heard I am going to be on a new reality series on NBC entitled “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” I will definitely be testing my survival skills but am feeling confident. I met the cast members this week and have to say I am looking forward to this most likely life changing experience of surviving in the Costa Rican jungle! I really hope you tune in and vote for me in the month of June. It will be airing 4 days per week and parts of each show will be live! I will also be playing for a charity so it’s going to make me even more competitive than I already am! I will keep y’all posted….”

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

New JR Blog!

I’m holed up in my hotel room watching the NFL Draft & preparing for Sunday’s Backlash PPV. Here are some BBQ’ed Random Thoughts. Backlash feels like a “sleeper” PPV & will likely bring with it some surprises.The match that may plesantly surprise us is the Steamboat-Jericho bout. I’m approaching this (unofficially) as Ricky’s last 1 on 1 bout. I have loved his work for years and admire him as an honorable man & one of the best fan favorites ever. Chris Jericho is the perfect opponent for “The Dragon” which makes this match even more intriging to me as a fan. With Ric Flair in Jerry Lawler’s corner Saturday night in a New York indy show promoted by my friend Michael O’Brien, I’m taking King and giving the points in that one.I kept Jerry updated on the Browns’ draft Saturday. I’ve been traveling some recently w/ Matt Striker on the road which I enjoy. Matt is a real student of the biz who wants to learn his craft. Plus, he’s a good “wheel man.” We’ll make our way to NYC after Backlash. Since flipping our Moore BBQ joint to a Louie’s Sports Grill our BBQ biz in Norman has been amazing. I hope those of you that can will check us out in Norman if you’re ever in our area. We are going to add a bunch of new memorabilia there over the next few weeks. I was hoping to hook up w/ JBL while in NYC but John is out of town next week. He did give me some BBQ joints to try. John is busy building his businesses which could include doing business w/ JR’s Family BBQ down the road. We get lots of questions about wrestling schools. I suggest that one look at the successful students the schools of interest have produced before making a final decision. I know that men like Harley Race, Danny Davis, and Lance Storm are all credits to the biz and can help anyone w/ the ability & aptitude increase their chances of finding regular work. But always bear in mind that the road to fame & fortune is challenging and many more will fail than will succeed. With that said, never give up on your dreams. After this coming week, specifically Tuesday nite at MSG when MVP faces Dolph Ziggler for the U.S. Title, it looks as if WWE is going to be really serious about the brand seperation. I hope that assumption is accurate. I like giving more talents the opportunity to become stars. Another visitor to this site asked me to compare working w/ Todd Grisham and w/ Tony Schiavone. At the 1st Clash (Flair vs Sting) my role w/ Tony is much like my role is now w/ Todd, an analyst or whatever one wants to term it. I enjoy the role as I’m still calling matches w/ the best seat in the house. It obviously is an adjustment re: timing, etc but I’m still having fun which is key. The challenge to make Smackdown a stronger brand going forward is motivating to me at this stage of my game. For those fans who write from time to time that I am unhappy about not being on Raw, they simply show their ignorance & immaturity w/ their ramblings. I enjoy working w/ Todd and hope that I am able to help him refine his game as our team evolves. Don’t forget that we ship our JR’s BBQ caps, shirts, and our autographed “JR’s Cookbook’s” any where in the world. We will soon be moving from glass bottles to shipping friendly plastic bottles. Plus, our new HOT BBQ sauce is a main event product. I’m anxious to see what our announcer assignments will be for Backlash. Several bouts intrige me on what I perceive to be a largely “wrestling heavy” event. Backlash is sold out as is Monday’s Raw in Bridgeport and Smackdown Tuesday in MSG. I hope you will join us on PPV and keep up w/ what you don’t see on WWE.com. BTW my wife Jan & I saw comedian Ron White’s show in Norman Friday night and “Tater Salad” was awesome. If you get the chance to see Ron perform, don’t miss it. Boomer Sooner! J.R.

credit: jrsbarbq.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

Kevin Kelly returns, NBA playoffs could alter location for “Extreme Rules” PPV

- The official DirecTV preview for the debut episode of WWE Superstars next week on WGN lists host Kevin Kelly for the series.

- WWE currently does not know which venue in New Orleans will host the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on June 7th, 2009. The original plan was for the event to be held at the New Orleans Arena. However, if the New Orleans Hornets need the New Orleans Arena on June 7th for a playoff game, WWE will be forced to move the Extreme Rules show to the Lakefront Arena at the University of New Orleans.

Credit: PWinsider.com

Discuss this news on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Raw rating

- Last night’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw scored a 3.9 cable rating, up from last week’s 3.6 rating.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss this news on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Danny Bonaduce picks a finisher, TNA taping schedule to possibly change

- It’s being reported that Danny Bonaduce has been hyping his match against Eric Young at TNA’s Lockdown PPV on a daily basis during his morning show broadcasts. He’s even hinting that he has been working on the Swanton Bomb, a move he hopes to debut during the bout at the PPV. Mick Foley will be a guest on Bonaduce’s show tomorrow morning to help promote the Lockdown event.

- In other TNA news, it’s being said that the company is seriously considering altering their TV taping format this summer, although nothing has been finalized at this point.

Credit: 411mania.com 

Discuss this news on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Former Diva wants to work for TNA

- Debra Marshall is currently working on a “Debra to TNA Fan Movement”, with the hopes of TNA hiring her.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss this news on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

ROH stars spotted at the WWE Hall of Fame

- Prowrestling.net is reporting that several Ring of Honor personalities attended WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony this past weekend. Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin and the new ROH Champion Jerry Lynn were both in attendance, as well as Ace Steel who was reportedly there as a guest of CM Punk’s. Although it was not confirmed in the initial report, it’s being said that Bryan Danielson was also in attendance for the big event.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss this news on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

Wrestlemania Ticket Prices

- WWE has raised the price of WrestleMania by $5 this year. The base price is now $54.95. WWE gets $2 out of every $5 that they charge for a PPV, and with buyrates dropping due to the economy, they are assuming that their loyal fanbase will pay the extra $5 and help make up for the lower number of buyers.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss on our forum!

WWE.com Results For Greatest ‘Mania Match

- WWE.com Legacy has posted their latest “Greatest WrestleMania Matches” as voted on by the fans:
* WrestleMania XI: Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel 
* WrestleMania XII: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart 
* WrestleMania 13: Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin 
* WrestleMania XIV: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels 

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss here!

ROH

Nigel McGuinness Injury Update

Will he work tonight’s show? 

According to Pwinsider.com, ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness will work tonight’s ROH Seventh Anniversary show and defend the ROH World Title against KENTA.

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss here!

3.20.09 ROH Results

*Delirious pin Sterling James Keenan in a good back & forth ten minute opener. He scored the pin with a splash to the back off the top rope.

*Erick Stevens & Matt Cross vs. Rhett Titus & Kenny King.. Pre-match, Austin Aries confronted. Cross and Stevens leading to the other team attacking them to state the match. King got the pin on cross in about 15 minutes hitting a clothesline from the top on cross while Titus held him up. Solid action throughout.

*Bryan Danielson defeated Mike Quackenbush with a small package in about 20 minutes… Lots of chain wrestling throughout. Both guys worked hard. The story of the match was quack selling the left arm as Danielson worked on it throughout.

Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jerry Lynn and Brent Albright in a fast paced high impact match. Castagnoli got the submission on lynn with an arm breaker after Albright worked over Lynn’s arm and did the damage to the arm.

The Age of the Fall vs. Necro Butcher and Tyler Black. They brawled all over the place and beat the hell out of each other. Jacobs got the win on black with a guillotine choke. Great brawl.

Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong was a solid back and forth match. Aries got the pin on strong with a brain buster after outside interference from King and Titus. Great action packed match.

*El Generico and KENTA vs. Davey Richards and ROH champ Nigel McGuinness. Nonstop action throughout. The match went about 25 minutes. An awesome tag match and an awesome main event. KENTA got the pin on McGuinness with the GTS. 

credit: 411mania.com

Discuss here!

Other

New JR Blog

I’m not sure what happened earlier with our website but nonetheless it is back. If you haven’t read our last blog with more about Andrew Martin and drug use in our society, I hope that you will check it out. Our Q&A section has also been updated and you can check it out too while you are here. Anyone else have March Madness? So let’s tip this one off. 

The “historic” 500th episode of Friday Night Smackdown is history and aired as a solid, two hour wrestling show. I’m sure it could take a spanking in the ratings this week, with male viewers especially, because of the NCAA Basketball Tournament that’s underway. I will admit I was checking out scores during Smackdown commercial breaks. 

With the challenging American economy, it is always encouraging to see ticket sales for WWE events doing well in many venues. It looks as if even though the NCAA’s are in Kansas City this weekend that Monday’s Raw could well be a sellout in KC. One has to believe that this Monday’s Raw will be hot as there are only two Raws remaining until Wrestlemania. The Raw on March 30 in the American Airlines Center in Dallas is also selling briskly and could well be sold out by that event’s show time. The Hildago, Texas event the night before Dallas on March 29 has already gone clean.

What’s the over/under on The King wearing another black T shirt this week on TV including the fact it could be another freebie from the frugal WWE HOF’er. If you have black and something with “King” on it you are likely in the money. I guess I’m subconsciously trying to figure a way to get some exposure for J.R.’s Family BBQ on TV. No, the BBQ logo on my hat is not a consideration. It’s o.k. for my poker hero Doyle Brunson to plug his “Doyle’s Room”  poker site on his hat but I don’t think that would fly w/  WWE management. 

As mentioned previously, in Dallas on Monday March 30 Monday Night Raw will be produced plus a few bouts for Smackdown and for ECW. I love a nice “car trip” such as this one as the Mrs. and I can drive down and back to Big D as we don’t leave for Wrestlemania until Thursday April 2. Hopefully I will be over the hump battling this bout of pneumonia by then.

Wrestlemania still has seats available and WWE is shooting for over 70,000 fans in Reliant Stadium on Sunday April 5. The WM25 gate is already in excess of $6.2M. I remember when Mid South Wrestling promoted the first Super Dome event in New Orleans and it was a huge hit back in the 70’s and I think the gate was around $76,000. How times have changed.

European ticket sales are doing well for the April tour after Wrestlemania and the Annual WWE Draft. In a recent blog,  we mentioned several venues that had already sold out and now you can add Geneva, Switzerland to the list. Tickets in London for Raw and Smackdown TV’s are not sold out as of yet but are “this close” so I suggest WWE fans in the UK to hustle and get your tickets to these London events which will obviously have different looks as they are after the Draft. 

Man, reading some websites reviews of various wrestling TV shows can be morbid, kind of like talking to an ex-wife. Some reviewers seem to never like anything and to be auditioning for a job in either stand-up comedy or creative writing with their ramblings. I wonder how many of those dudes are unemployed. Some websites do offer fairer degrees of objectivity which balances things out.

Something tells me that this year’s WWE Draft will really shake things up even more than last year. No one has tole me this but it just seems like the deck will be completely reshuffled in Atlanta and that could include some new announce teams put together. Again, this is only speculation so for those considering this the Gospel please, “Lighten Up Francis.”

Did you see the take down of OU’s Blake Griffin Thursday night in the NCAA’s? Oklahoma’s National Player of the Year kept his cool after being “modified arm dragged” over the shoulder of an opponent who got ejected from the game for his unsportsmanlike efforts. There were the obligatory, “Sports Center-like” wrestling references to the move including one of the talking heads mentioning Ric Flair and his partner doing a “WHOOO.”

I love it when the “legit” sports world’s broadcasters use a wrestling reference and they usually do it reluctantly as if someone wrote their script for them or with tongue firmly in cheek because no one from the “real sports world” would be caught deal watching ‘rasslin. They watch,  don’t let them kid you.  

Friday night late I watched the Legends Roundtable that is currently airing on WWE 24/7 On Demand regarding Texas Wrestling and it is really a fun, quick hour of TV to watch. Lots of stories of famous, Texas born or based wrestlers didn’t make air due to the one  hour format of the program but several greats were discussed and some classic footage aired. Gene Okerlund was the host and Gene does a great job in that role while the panel consisted of Michael Hayes, Dusty Rhodes, Cowboy Bill Watts, and me. Personally, I like being a panelist better than hosting but being a part of the Roundtable in any form is super and one of the most fun broadcasts to be a part of in WWE. I am told that after WM25 we will be heading back to Connecticut at some point to produce two more Roundtable shows but I don’t know the subjects or the panelists yet. 

From what I hear, WWE will be back in Oklahoma in September with Raw going live from Tulsa’s BOK Center on Monday September 28. Smackdown and ECW will emanate from the Ford Center in OKC on Tuesday September 29. Those dates are subject to change but that’s the latest that I have heard. I don’t expect tickets to go on sale for these events until probably August so, please, no phone calls or emails wanting tickets from my “friends” who I don’t hear from as a rule unless I bump into them at a watering hole or until WWE is in the area.  

On a side note regarding the last blog that I wrote about drug abuse and additional thoughts on the late Andrew Martin, I feel that all wrestling organizations should begin instilling in their prospects early in the training process the dangers of drug abuse and that it has no place any where especially in the wrestling business. On-going education regarding drug abuse should be covered as in depth as learning to withstand a body slam. I know that I am old school and damn proud of it for the record but I also think that wrestling students should be challenged with written tests as well as the established physical tests that they endure and that drug education should be an important part of their curriculum. To be fair, some training entities may already be doing some of these things but education at an early age is key to this problem that I feel ( I hope) has peaked and will become less of an issue as time goes by but this issue will never be completely eradicated because humans are, well, human. 

I have WWE Axxess appearances this year on Thursday and Friday night in Houston. I’m looking forward to them and the chance to meet many of you. Thursday night I will be at the Announce a Match booth and Friday night I will be signing autographs with the King. J.R.’s Family BBQ won’t be a part of this year’s Axxess as we could not strike a fair deal with the concessionaire but some of our products, J.R.’s Beef Jerky and our Bar Nuts, will be available in limited supply at WWE’s souvenir stand at Axxess. If you buy ‘em, I’ll sure as heck sign ‘em!

Thanks for the many get well wishes as they are appreciated. Also, we want to thank all of you that shop with us in our on line store. Your business helps keep us a float plus we are proud of everything we sell and won’t put our name on inferior products. Thanks, again, and be well.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

JrsBarBq.com

Join our forum today!

————————————————————————————-

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

Title match scheduled for Smackdown, Harley Race at Axxess, Boogeyman news

- During this past weekend’s airing of AM Raw, the ticker which runs at the bottom of the screen announced that Shelton Benjamin will be defending his United States Championship against MVP on this Friday night’s edition of Smackdown.

- It’s being reported that Harley Race is expected to make an appearance during the Wrestlemania weekend. It will most likely be at the Axxess weekend event. 

- It’s also being reported that due to his 90 day no-compete clause, The Boogeyman has pulled himself from all indy appearances until his WWE deal officially expires. The man who plays Boogeyman, Marty Wright, is claiming that he will retain his Boogeyman gimmick when he begins working on the indy scene even though it seems likely that WWE owns the intellectual rights to the name and gimmick.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sci-Fi network name change, Where Smackdown may end up, Mysterio injured

- Sci-Fi, the network that hosts the WWE’s ECW program, will undergo a name change from “Sci-Fi” to “SyFy”. They made the following statement on the change:

“We love being sci fi and we’re still embracing that,” said network president Dave Howe on Friday in a Hollywood Reporter article. “But we’re more than just space and aliens and the future – the three things most people think of when they think of ’sci fi.’ What this does is hopefully give us the best of both worlds. You keep the heritage, but also open up to a broader range of content.”

- It is believed that if MyNetworkTV shuts down, WWE Smackdown could end up on the “SyFy” network, as they will be looking to expand their viewership

- Rey Mysterio tweaked his knee when he slipped on the floor while doing a 619 spot at a house show over the weekend, but he isn’t expected to miss any time. 

Credit: 411mania.com

Talk about ECW, Sci-Fi, Smackdown and Mysterio right here on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Top matches scheduled for Lockdown (SPOILERS), Creed injured

(SPOILERS START HERE)

- The top three matches for the 4/19 TNA Lockdown PPV in Philadelphia, PA are:

* TNA champion Sting vs. Mick Foley.

* Team Jarrett vs. Team Angle - Lethal Lockdown.

* TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money Inc. vs. IWGP Tag Team Champions Team 3D - Both titles on the line.

(END SPOILERS)

- Consequences Creed has been pulled from wrestling at tonight’s Impact taping. Apparently he has very little memory of the Ultimate X match after being knocked out from a suplex.

Credit: PWinsider.com

Talk TNA with our forum members here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

Card for debut ROH show

- ROH debuts on HDNet on Saturday night, March 21st, and features the following lineup:

* Jerry Lynn vs. Delirious 

* Sami Callahan vs. Kenny King

* Brent Albright vs. Rhett Titus

* Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss Ring of Honor right here on the boards

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other

Test news

- The Tampa Tribune reported tonight that “prescription drugs, including painkillers and steroids” were found by authorities in the late Andrew “Test” Martin’s apartment in Tampa.

To read the article, click here.

- Andrew Martin’s father spoke with Slam Wrestling about his son’s death, which you can read here.

- Lance Storm remembers Andrew Martin here.

Credit: PWinsider.com/411mania.com

Express your thoughts on the Test tragedy and more 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

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

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

WWE

WWE.com posts update on Jamie Noble’s injury

- NASHVILLE - For Jamie Noble, the agony of defeat at the hands of Mike Knox is thankfully only temporary. The Raw Superstar is recovering from a brutal corkscrew into the mat that left him motionless Monday night on Raw. It had been reported that Noble had no feeling in one of his arms and his hand.

“The Pitbull” was immediately placed on a stretcher by Dr. Chris Amann and WWE’s Certified Athletic Trainers and taken via ambulance to a local emergency room in Nashville.

En route to the medical facility, Noble reportedly had begun regaining feeling in all of his limbs. An MRI administered shortly thereafter confirmed the best possible news.

“All of Jamie’s tests were negative,” Dr. Amann told WWE.com. ”I expect him to be sore for the next several days, but I think he will do fine.”

The Raw Superstar is in good spirits, and he expects to return to the ring as early as Monday.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss Noble, Raw, and everything else wrestling right here on the Pinfall Recall Message Boards. The topic is here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who’s going to induct Steve Austin into the HOF, Smackdown rating, Backlash presale code

-The Houston Chronicle currently has as article up about the WWE Hall of Fame. In the article, they say that Vince McMahon will “reportedly” induct Steve Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame. You can read the full article here.

- The February 20th edition of WWE Smackdown scored a 2.2 broadcast rating.

- The presale code for the WWE Backslash presale, which takes place today, is “BACKLASH“. The PPV takes place on April 26th from Providence, Rhode Island.

Credit: 411mania.com

Express your thoughts on the possibility of Vince inducting Austin and Smackdown right here on the forums

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TNA

Dixie Carter issues address to TNA fans

- TNAwrestling.com posted the following message from TNA President Dixie Carter:

A MESSAGE FROM TNA WRESTLING PRESIDENT DIXIE CARTER

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all of you for making last Thursday’s edition of TNA “iMPACT!” the most-watched broadcast in our company’s history.

Last October, we invited wrestling fans around the world to “Cross The Line” and sample our product, whether it was watching “iMPACT!”, ordering a Pay-Per-View, experiencing a live show or even visiting our website. We asked that if you enjoyed it, you would tell a friend about us. Well, you have responded and we are so grateful. 

Since that time, TNA has also accomplished several major milestones including our debut in Hi-Def on SpikeTV, our first live television special from Las Vegas, our biggest event of the year with Bound For Glory and our hugely successful tour of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

In 2009, we will celebrate seven years in business. The little company who no one gave a chance has grown by leaps and bounds because of you, our fans. We will continue to work hard to earn your support. Several big things are already being planned including April’s brutal, all-steel cage pay-per-view, Lockdown, in Philadelphia, new superstars, new programming, a reinvigorated focus on the X Division, expansion of our online digital world and so much more.

Once again, all thanks to you. You are loyal and passionate and we don’t take this opportunity you have given us for granted. 

Dixie Carter

President, TNA Wrestling

Credit: 411mania.com

Talk about Dixie’s state of the union right here with our forum members

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other TNA news and notes for February 25

- The TNA Lockdown presale will begin tomorrow at 10AM through liacourascenter.com . The presale code is “ICON”.

- On April 18th, there will be a Fan Fest in Philadelphia as part of the TNA Lockdown PPV weekend.

- TNA will return to Dublin, Ireland in October. TNA’s last trip there saw two back to back sellouts.

- Kurt Angle will appear on the Howard Stern radio show again in March. 

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss these news bits on our forums right here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROH

ROH Newswire for February 25

- In case you missed it, KENTA is coming back to Ring of Honor! As explained in the main page article http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=2641, ROH, in conjunction with Pro Wrestling NOAH, is bringing back the multi-time GHC Champion for four dates: Elizabeth, PA on March 20th, NYC on March 21st, and Houston, TX on April 3rd & 4th. We will have more on KENTA’s match announcements for these four events soon. Don’t forget you can save 25% off on all live event tickets, or almost anything else we sell at www.rohwrestling.com until Thursday morning. Details are posted on the main page.

- A huge Four Corner Survival match has been signed for March 13th, just outside of St. Louis. Austin Aries made some very insulting comments toward Silas Young in Detroit in January. And while Young came up short in that match-up, he advised the ROH booking committee that he wants an opportunity to avenge the words that Aries spewed about his family. Meanwhile, even as Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny Omega will lock horns as part of ROH’s debut in Indianapolis, Kenny Omega heard the comments that Claudio made about him in the 2/20 edition of the Newswire. “Claudio calls me a flash in the pan,” said the charismatic Omega. “That’s just fine by me, because I beat him once, and I’ll beat him in Indy, and why not, I’ll beat him at the Gateway Center as well!” It’s Castagnoli, Omega, Young, and Aries on March 13th!

- ROH officials have recently been in contact with a member of the AAA roster recently about coming in for the huge debut weekend of events in Houston on April 3th and 4th. More on this next week as it develops.

- Part 4 of the poignant Jerry Lynn interview is available. If you would like to see more “sit down” style interviews with ROH stars in the future, let us know who and we’ll do our best to make it happen. That interview plus Lynn in action from ROH’s recent Florida swing is part of the Wire, as well as comments from D’Lo Brown and the legendary “Nature Boy” himself, Ric Flair, calls out Larry Sweeney!?

- The 5th of the 6 Television Main Events has been signed, and it features two men that have been connected by recent animosity. Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright have had several “wars of words” and a lot of controversy as of late, but that aside, ROH officials feel they are two of the most physically gifted competitors ever to set foot in an ROH ring. Add that to their recent happenings, including their grudge rematch on 2/27 in Danbury, and this qualifies as a TV main event!

- We have the first match announcement for the ROH 7th Year Anniversary Celebration on March 21st in New York City! The ROH World Tag Team Titles will be on the line as Kevin Steen and El Generico will face the American Wolves – Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. And there is plenty of hate and bad blood to go around in this one, capped recently by Davey Richards attack on El Generico’s knee in Orlando. Now, ROH officials understand that order cannot be kept when the boiling point has already been reached between these four men. With that in mind, the ROH Booking Committee has decided that this match will be contested under “No Disqualification” rules!

Credit: 411mania.com 

Talk Ring of Honor to your heart’s content right here on the message boards

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other

Homicide ruled in Verne Gagne case, charges unlikely

- WCCO Television in Minnesota is reporting that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled that the death of Helmut R. Gutmann being ruled a homicide due to complications from a right hip fracture.  Gutmann was injured after being attacked by former AWA World champion and WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne.  They both lived in the same assisted living facility and were dealing with dementia as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.

The investigation is ongoing, although the belief is that Gagne is unlikely to be charged due to the circumstances involved.  There had been previous instances involving Gagne at the facility which had caused him to be removed from living there, although he was later allowed to return.  One of those instances involved Gutmann.

Gagne is 82.  Gutmann was 97 at the time of his death.

To read and watch WCCO’s coverage, click here.

Credit: PWinsider.com

Discuss this news story and more 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