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WWE

Vince McMahon discusses Playboy, a new TV program, MMA, more

- Here are some notes from the WWE Annual Shareholders Meeting held today:

- Vince McMahon said that Playboy wanted to work with WWE again this year, but Vince turned down the offer because of WWE’s new “PG environment”.

- A shareholder asked if “Mr. McMahon” could be the person who ends The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania undefeated streak. Vince McMahon said that him ending the streak would probably anger a lot of people, so it’s unlikely to happen.

- Vince McMahon said that he is not interested in running an MMA promotion.

- Vince McMahon said that WWE is looking into creating a Wednesday night TV program. He feels that it would not be overexposure due to the huge number of TV stations available & that being on TV every weeknight would make it easier for the fans to follow along with the storylines or catch up if they miss any of the TV shows.

To read the rest go here

Credit: 411mania.com

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TNA

Roxxi released

- TNA Wrestling released Roxxi yesterday, according to several sources. As previously noted on PWInsider.com in our Elite section, Roxxi and Rhaka Khan had been serving a 60 days suspension following a backstage issue that became physical several weeks back at an Impact taping.

Credit: PWinsider.com 

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Article detailing Kurt Angle’s WWE release

- The Miami Herald has a fantastic article up on what happened back in 2006 when Kurt Angle was released from WWE following his suspension. The article reveals a lot about the inner workings of WWE’s Wellness Policy and such. Check out the article here.

Credit: 411mania.com

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ROH

Little Guido to wrestle with ROH

- Former WWE and ECW star Little Guido will work the June 13th Ring of Honor return to the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Credit: 411mania.com

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Other

Ric and Reid Flair to appear at wrestling event for police department

- The Shelby Star out of North Carolina has an article up about Ric and Reid Flair being set to appear at the Shelby Rec Center for an independent wrestling card designed to raise funds for future Shelby City Parks and Recreation projects and the Shelby Police Department. The show is scheduled for Saturday. Check out the article here. 

Credit: 411mania.com

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Steve McMichael going to a HOF, Batista in Pacquiao’s corner for Saturday night fight

- Four Horsemen member and former football great Steve “Mongo” McMichael will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year.

- Batista will be accompanying Manny Pacquiao to the ring for his fight against Ricky Hatton.

Credit: PWinsider.com

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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

Chuck Palumbo Comments On WWE Tenure

Chuck was welcomed by The Big Mosh & Blade for some of his first post-WWE comments since being released this past November. As many long-time Mayhem listeners know, “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” was one of the programs that began airing shortly after the WWE’s purchase of World Championship Wrestling, as well as the closing of ECW. With the rumors abuzz of the WWE potentially working on a WCW-themed DVD for the summer months ahead, more fans are clamoring about the days of the “Monday Night Wars,” and even some fans who wish WCW were still around to provide some competition. Chuck was asked by The Mayhem Crew how often he receives those type of comments from wrestling fans. “I get that a lot…people who talk about WCW. I miss it myself personally, out of all the years I’ve been in the business, I really think my best years & my most fun years were with WCW.”

On the heels of World Wrestling Entertainment buying out WCW, just several short months later we saw the failed “Invasion” angle, that unfortunately only lasted several months. Blade mentioned that many fans are still upset over the botching of that angle & the possibilities it could have brought to many talented performers & superstars. Many WCW wrestlers were pushed to the “back-burner,” and Chuck wished to give his open thoughts on the storyline from his perspective: “Who was the main beneficiary out of that ‘Invasion’ angle? It was Vince, the WWF(E), & his talent. There was nobody who was enhanced coming from WCW especially or ECW who really got enhanced by that angle.”

This past Monday night saw the face of the WWE change, with the 2009 WWE Draft. Chuck is very familiar with how the Draft operates, as back in 2004, he was drafted to RAW after being involved in the highly-talked about “Billy & Chuck” angle on SmackDown. Mosh asked Chuck what was it going from a huge storyline on one show to having to transition to another show. “If you noticed, it’s not hard to figure out both times 2004 & 2008 when I got drafted to RAW, I got released pretty quickly after that. One might say the writers had nothing for me, but I’ll tell you what, anything happens four years apart, and you got the same writer on RAW (Brian Gerwitz), who wasn’t a fan of mine & didn’t utilize me. But that’s how the business, I got no hard feelings.”

For many “old-school” fans of the business, the tag team division within the WWR has been a forgotten entity. However, in the early part of this new millennium, it was at aforementioned “Billy & Chuck” storyline. Chuck has been a part of several successful teams (both in WCW & the WWE), and had some very candid feelings about the shift from mainstream tag team wrestling: “Honestly, the tag belts haven’t meant anything for a while…Like all belts, all championships are just a prop, and they are used to enhance talents. He went on to add, “When we (himself & Billy Gunn) had them, it was entertaining, people were digging it..” Vince McMahon’s view on tag teams/tag team wrestling, according to Chuck: “Vince is not a big fan the tag team. He doesn’t believe that there’s money, as far as merchandise, or giving that guy that push for a Pay-Per-View buy they draw. Vince just doesn’t believe in tag teams…never has.”

Just last year on SmackDown, one of the hottest on-camera feuds was involving Chuck Palumbo & Jamie Noble fighting over former WWE Divas Champion, Michelle McCool. Many fans across the globe were hopeful this angle could lead to two of the most underrated talents finally getting some well-deserved TV time. However, it was cut short. The question many fans have been left wondering was why? Jamie became an agent, so what happened was he wanted to enhance himself more, so the next thing you know, he’s pitching storylines in the meetings for himself. You know, how many times you’re gonna’ have me lose to Jamie Noble? The kid wouldn’t last two seconds with me on the street if it was real.” He continued on by saying, “I’ll be honest with you, Arn Anderson’s not a big fan of mine…he’s one of the main producers. He hated seeing me come back, so he was doing everything in his power to let Vince know that I wasn’t going to be the next guy to make him money.”

With all of what has been reported about TNA signing two former champions & with the very good likelihood those talents may debut at Lockdown this Sunday night, the names begin to be bantered about….Taz, Victoria…what about Chuck Palumbo? Mosh & Blade asked Chuck that on a scale of 1-10, what are the chances of him heading to TNA before the end this year. “I say the chances are very good…they are very good. I’ve been talking, but I’m in no rush. If we do it, we gotta’ do it right.”

credit: 411mania.com

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ROH

House Show Results

ROH Montreal
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Centre Jean-Claude Malépart, Montreal, Quebec, CANADA

- Grizzly Redwood and Alex “Sugarfot” Payne fought to a time limit draw (5:25)

- The Super Smash Brothers (Stupefied and Player Uno) beat Eddie Osiris and Dan Paysan in 4:27 when Stupefied pinned Dan Paysan.

- Chris Hero pinned Franky the Mobster in 9:44.

- Daizee Haze pinned Lufisto in 6:01.

- Rhett Titus and Kenny King beat Necro Butcher and Delirious by DQ at 11:12 when Necro flattened Titus with a chair-shot.

- Tyler Black pinned Jimmy Jacobs after 15:41.

- In a four-way match that also included Jay Briscoe and Roderick Strong, Kenny Omega pinned Austin Aries with a backslide after 10:20.

- Claudio Castagnoli and Jimmy Rave beat Colt Cabana and Brent Albright in 12:21 with a big assist from Prince Nana.

- Kevin Steen, El Generico and Bryan Danielson beat Sylvain Grenier and ROH Champions the American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) in 22:35.

credit: 411mania.com

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Other

New JR Blog!

Good to be back in Oklahoma for a few days prior to departing for London on Sunday to get ready for Tuesday night’s Smackdown TV Taping at the O2 Arena.

It’s always busy in WWE and particularly so this week. A three hour Raw that turned into 3 1/2 hours for young Todd Grisham and yours truly as we called our WWE Superstars match for Thursday night’s inaugural broadcast on WGN America. These are the marathon nights when one wishes that he had not had that last cup of coffee or was at least wearing king sized Depends.

Nice trip late Monday night riding from Atlanta up to Knoxville with fellow WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco as we got to share some hilarious road stories which made me want to think more seriously about writing a book, someday. If you get a chance to watch the Brisco’s on WWE 24/7 On Demand, I strong suggest that you check it out. Even though tag team wrestling these days isn’t as prominent as it once was when the Brisco’s met teams like the Funk’s or Ricky Steamboat/Jay Youngblood those bouts were amazing.

Smackdown had a viable draft. Keeping such SD stalwarts as The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, Edge, and Umaga helped the Friday night cause. No brand has a more prominent star than ‘Taker who stock has risen even more since his amazing victory over the equally amazing Shawn Michaels at WM25 which saw the “Demon of Death Valley” go an astonishing 17-0 at Wrestlemania events.

Adding Rey Mysterio back to Friday night’s is huge especially for WWE’s ever growing Hispanic audience. Rey is a marvel considering that he is not physically the biggest dog in the hunt but the King swears that size is a non issue.

CM Punk somewhat quietly had one of the biggest years of any WWE Superstar ever in 2008 after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Edge in Oklahoma City in June. I remember that night well as it was my “farewell” to Raw after being drafted a week earlier to Smackdown. Punk can reach new heights on Friday nights I assure you.

Chris Jericho, 2008 Slammy Award winning Superstar of the year, is uber talented (how about that descriptor, Stocky?) and arguably no one is better at what they do than the brash and arrogant Jericho who has starred in Japan, Mexico, and most prominently in WWE. Don’t discount the fact that Jericho is the man who beat both Stone Cold and The Rock on the SAME night to become the first ever Undisputed Champion in WWE. Jericho is a BTP, big time player.

I expect huge things out of John Morrison especially now that he isn’t saddled in a tag team which will provide Morrison the chance to create his own individual legacy. Morrison has some Mr. Perfect-like traits as he is so athletic, flexible, and creates eye opening, innovative offense. John Morrison is a main eventer waiting to happen and he needs to grab the old, brass ring and make some noise.

Dolph Ziggler is another talent who has all the physical skills to be much better than some perceive. If Ziggler can someday get past personally introducing himself to the world and simply focus on beating people in the ring he can be a player. I love the athleticism that we often see in WWE and Ziggler has a load of it. Point being is that Ziggler knows the fundamental skills of wrestling which heretofore have been somewhat kept under wraps.

Another wrestler with a significant upside is Mike Knox who is now a Friday Night Smackdown talent. Knox, at times, reminds me of a young Bruiser Brody with his body type and, of course, that bushy beard. Knox is a raw boned, tough human being who is much more cerebral than perhaps some WWE fans are aware. Knox really caught my attention several weeks ago during, of all things, a succinct albeit memorable backstage interview on Monday Night Raw. Knox needs to be Knox but him watching some Brody DVD’s might serve him well.

credit: jrsbarbq.com

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Hulk Hogan Comments On Recent Controversey

- Hulk Hogan appeared on the Bubba the Love Sponge show yesterday and again claimed that his OJ comments were taken “out of context.” [WrestlingObserver.com]

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WWE

WWE Supplemental Draft Note

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

credit: 411mania.com

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DVD Release Date Schedule

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

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TNA

Danny Bonaduce Match Update

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

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ROH

ROH HDnet Episode Results

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

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

* The Dark City Fight Club beat Irish Airborne.

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

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

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

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

* Erick Stevens defeated Sami Callahan.

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

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

* Bobby Dempsey beat Sal Rinauro.

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

credit: 411mania.com

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Other

Ted DiBiase Sr. Religious Statement Controversey

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

credit: wrestlezone.com

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WWE

Shawn Michaels considers retirement, JR now a color commentator

- F4WOnline.com is reporting that Shawn Michaels is seriously considering either retiring or reducing his schedule from full-time to occasional appearances following Wrestlemania 26. HBK has said recently that he wants to spend more time with his wife and children, and although he might not be fully retiring, he will be reducing his schedule with WWE pretty significantly after next year’s PPV.

- Todd Grisham and Jim Ross were the announcers during the Smackdown! tapings this past Tuesday night (scheduled to air this Friday). It a bit of a weird note, Grisham was doing the play-by-play and Jim Ross was doing the color commentary (the Jerry Lawler role, etc.). 

According to JR’s blog, he will continue this role at least for the time being.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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JBL does a shoot interview, No Way out buyrate

- Don’t miss part one of a 50+ minute sitdown Studio Shoot Interview with WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield! After invading an MWF Board of Directors meeting, JBL joins Dan Mirade in studio to discuss his new energy drink company Layfield Energy, his career in WWE, his history at WrestleMania & much more!

- The buyrate information is in for WWE’s No Way Out PPV which took place back in February, and they show the event drawing 164,000 domestic buys and 274,000 worldwide, which is a 25% and 32% drop in buys domestically and worldwide, respectively, from last year. 

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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WWE hypes new show on WGN

- WWE sent out the following press release today:

EXPECT EVERYTHING WHEN WWE® SUPERSTARS ENTERS WGN AMERICA’S RING ON APRIL 16  

NEW ONE-HOUR EXCLUSIVE SHOW TO FEATURE WWE PERFORMANCES

NEW YORK, NY and STAMFORD, CT, April 9, 2009—Beginning April 16, WGN America and World Wrestling Entertainment® (NYSE: WWE) will team up for WWE Superstars, a first run, original program airing exclusively on WGN America, Tribune Broadcasting’s national Superstation.

The action-packed WWE Superstars will be produced by WWE and will feature WWE performances by Superstars and Divas from the entire WWE roster. The hour-long weekly program will provide WGN America viewers the chance to see WWE Superstars and Divas from all three WWE brands — RAW®, SmackDown® and ECW® — in one program.  WWE Superstars will be available in HD and air on Thursday nights in prime time at 8 PM and 11 PM ET (5 PM and 8 PM PT) with an additional airing on Sundays at 12 PM ET (9 AM PT).

Credit: PWinsider.com

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TNA

Kurt Angle admits to steroid use in interview

- The Philadelphia Inquirer is running a big article on Kurt Angle, discussing his career and next weekend’s Lockdown PPV, here are thehighlights…

On Taking Steroids and Being Suspended by WWE: “Have I used steroids before? Yes, I have, after I broke my neck and lost three inches in this arm and 21/2 in the other from loss of circulation. But I paid the price, both financially - I got fined $125,000 - and reputation-wise. I was a pure athlete, an Olympic champion. And all of a sudden, I’m like Kurt Angle the cheater? It really sucked. You can test me right now. I’ll come up clean. But there was a time when I did it.”

On the TNA Schedule: “It’s very grueling. There’s no time off. We don’t have an off-season. That’s why it’s so difficult on wrestlers. That’s why they break down physically. They try to rotate them in and out so nobody gets burned out. Except for me.”

On Who He Liked to Watch: “Roddy Piper intrigued me. He was always funny. The other wrestler I liked was Paul Orndorff. If those two weren’t on, I really wouldn’t watch.”

- You can read the whole article here.

Credit: 411mania.com

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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 

WrestleMania notes regarding announce team, Stratus, and more

- Jim Ross mentioned on his blog at JRsBarBQ.com that he, Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler will be the announce team for WrestleMania 25 this Sunday on PPV. 

- The UK Sun is reporting that Trish Stratus has spoken to them indicating that she has NO commitments for this weekend, which may imply that she will not be appearing at WrestleMania for the 25 Diva Battle Royal. Nothing has been confirmed at this time, however.

- WWE has set up a ring at the hotel where the wrestlers are staying, in order for them to work out and properly prepare for WrestleMania.

Credit: wrestlezone.com/411mania.com

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WWE rescinds decision to pull Jimmy Hart from Booker T’s convention

- PWInsider.com has just confirmed that World Wrestling Entertainment has changed their stance and has rescinded pulling Jimmy Hart from tomorrow’s Fanfest being promoted by Booker T.

There’s no word on whether the open letter Booker posted at www.BookerTLOW.com had any bearing on the latest move, but as of this afternoon, Booker received word Hart would be coming as originally scheduled.

None of the other talent originally scheduled for the Fanfest who later pulled out will be appearing beyond Hart.

Credit: PWinsider.com

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Monty Brown wants to return to WWE

- In a recent interview with Michigan Live, former TNA and WWE performer Monty Brown stated that he was negotiating for a return to the WWE. Brown said…

“I had to take some time away for a while on my own terms, but I kept a good rapport with the company and can come back at any time. I’ve got a lot going and I had a lot going (before leaving the WWE).”

You can read the full article here.

Credit: 411mania.com

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TNA

Brother Runt and Balls Mahoney return, TNA Stars heading to Japan

- Brother Runt & Balls Mahoney appeared at the recent TNA TV Tapings as part of the Team 3D vs Beer Money Angle. 

Both had previous been in TNA.   Balls Mahoney made a few appearances as Sandman’s partner when TNA was producing weekly PPVs in Nashville.  Brother Runt was part Team 3D in TNA in 2006-7.

- Kurt Angle and The Motor City Machine Guns head to Japan this weekend for New Japan Wrestling. 

The Machine Guns retained the IWGP  Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles defeating No Limit (Yujiro and Naito) in a match at the TNA TV Tapings this week.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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ROH 

ROH Newswire for April 2nd

- Ring of Honor will be in Houston, TX this weekend for two gigantic events. Both events take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, TX 77010. “Supercard of Honor IV” will take place on Friday night with a bell time of 8:00 PM. This event features Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn for the ROH World Title; KENTA vs. Davey Richards for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title; Tyler Black & The Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Austin Aries; Roderick Strong vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima; Byan Danielson vs. Alex Koslov; World Tag Team Champion El Generico, vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright vs. NWA World Champion, Blue Demon, Jr. in a Four Corner Survival; World Tag Team Champion Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, & Magno vs. Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards, & Incognito; Colt Cabana vs. D-Lo Brown; plus more. Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on Friday night.

- On Saturday we have a special matinee Pay-Per-View taping with a start time of 2:00 PM. For those fans attending the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony at night and the ROH show in the afternoon, the buildings are right next to each other. You won’t have to miss either event. Ring of Honor presents “Take No Prisoners” featuring a Dream Tag Team Match with GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion KENTA & Tyler Black vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Austin Aries; Bryan Danielson vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Erick Stevens vs. D-Lo Brown in a Four Corner Survival; ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli vs. NWA World Champion Blue Demon Jr. & Brent Albright; Jimmy Jacobs vs. The Necro Butcher in a No DQ War; Alex Koslov vs. Roderick Strong; ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico, Jay Briscoe, & Magno vs. The American Wolves, Chris Hero, & Incognito; Colt Cabana vs. Ace Steel; plus more. Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on Saturday afternoon.

- This Saturday’s episode of Ring of Honor on HDNet features a great main event of “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries. Other bouts include Sterling James Keenan vs. Erick Stevens, Dark City Fight Club vs. Cheech & Cloudy, and The Necro Butcher vs. Chris Hero. For more information including air dates and times click here: http://www.hd.net/ringofhonor.html.

- “That Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero has claimed that he’s perfected the rolling elbow strike due to knowledge bestowed on him by the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa. Others simply claim that his knockout prowess is due to an obviously loaded green elbow guard. ROH officials have been unable to find any concrete evidence to prove that the elbow guard has been doctored in any way, and super agent Larry Sweeney refuses to comment other than to praise the deadly precision with which Hero has been able to dispatch his opponents. Now Hero will have the chance to put that elbow to use as his opponents for ROH’s return to Canada have been finalized. On April 17th in Montreal, Hero will face rising Canadian star Frankie the Mobster in singles competition. A win by Frankie could secure him future ROH appearances, while Sweet-N-Sour Incorporated claims that this contest is nothing more than a “sparring session”. Then on April 18th in Markham, the challenge for Hero would appear greater as he’s signed to face the Necro Butcher! These two recently met during the inaugural ROH on HDNet television tapings, and that match will air this weekend on HDNet! Can Hero “pad” his personal win column in Canada?

- A pair of tag team matches has been signed for Dayton on April 24th. First, the Phoenix Twins will make their Dayton ROH debut as they oppose the team of Austin Aries and “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus. This marks the first time that they will team since the camaraderie between Aries, Titus, and Kenny King came to light in Pittsburgh. Can the athletic Phoenix Twins score the huge upset, or is this just the beginning of great things for Aries and his newfound friends? Also, the Dark City Fight Club has been very impressive since debuting in ROH back at Proving Ground ‘09, and they’ve run roughshod over everyone they’ve faced in ROH since then. Now they will see a rematch from Proving Ground ‘09 Night One, as they will face the ROH World Tag Team Champions, Kevin Steen and El Generico in non-title action. The DCFC couldn’t score the upset back in Coral Springs, but now they have momentum on their side while the champs have been busy trying to fight off the American Wolves. Can the Fight Club knock off one of the best tag teams on the globe?

- Chicago Ridge will be buzzing on April 25th as two big matches have also been signed. It looks like “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson’s fight against the Embassy will continue in Chicago as Prince Nana has secured a singles match between Danielson and his “crown jewel”, Jimmy Rave! Rave and Bison Smith fell to Dragon and Colt Cabana at the Seventh Anniversary show in New York, and now Rave wants redemption. He hasn’t forgotten the past, and wants nothing more than to set in the heel hook and slay the Dragon. Can Rave use the past to his advantage? Also signed for Chicago Ridge, a special attraction has been signed as Larry Sweeney has gotten Chris Hero signed to one of his highest profile matches since returning from Japan. On April 25th, Hero will face Tyler Black! Sweeney and Hero know that a victory over Black could catapult Hero into title contention, and they would love nothing more than to see that happen sooner than later. Black is also preoccupied, looking over his shoulders at all times for Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs. Get ready Chicago, besides those great matches you’ll also witness the “homecoming” of Colt Cabana ! Tickets are on sale now at www.rohwrestling.com. Don’t miss it!

- After conversations yesterday, we have learned that ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness has been strongly advised by medical personnel that further injury to either of his arms could result in surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process which would keep him out of action for several months. The safety and well-being of every performer is without question the top priority for ROH officials but McGuinness has informed everyone involved that nothing will stop him from “shattering Geritol Lynn’s ridiculous dreams”. Those comments aside, ROH officials are considering McGuinness a “game time” decision. Should McGuinness ultimately be unable to compete this weekend in Houston, ROH officials and the Booking Committee are prepared to shift the card.

- Jimmy Jacobs faces the Necro Butcher as part of “Take No Prisoners” on Saturday in Houston as outlined in this week’s main page article. But Jimmy will see Necro again, this time as part of another of the Television Main Event for Ring of Honor on HDNet. On April 10th in South Philly it will be tag team warfare as Jacobs and the gargantuan Brodie Lee will take on the Necro Butcher and Delirious! HDNet executives consider their network a family-friendly platform, but they have seen the type of carnage that can result when Jacobs and his hatred are at full bore. Considering the history and bad blood in this match, there is no telling how far any of these men will go to destroy each other!

- The Buy 3, Get 1 Free Ring of Honor DVD Sale is back at www.rohwrestling.com. The sale will also be in effect at this weekend’s live events in Houston. New DVD releases include Proving Ground 2009 weekend from Florida. “Proving Ground 2009 Night 1″ from 2/6/09 in Coral Springs, FL features Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards; Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Dark City Fight Club, Nigel McGuinness vs. Brent Albright; Bryan Danielson & Jerry Lynn vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious; Necro Butcher vs. Austin Aries; plus more. “Proving Ground 2009 Night 2″ from 2/7/09 in Orlando, FL features Bryan Danielson vs. El Generico in a great match; Nigel McGuinness vs. D-Lo Brown for the ROH World Title; Tyler Black & Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious, Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen; a wild six man tag; plus more.

- You can now save 30% Off the regular price on live event tickets for ALL upcoming Ring of Honor events. No discount code is needed. Ticket prices have already been reduced at ROHWrestling.com. 

- We’ll be back on Monday with an answer as to whether or not the “Tables are Legal” tag team title match between the American Wolves and Steen and Generico will happen in Philly, as well as more match and talent announcements for Montreal, Markham, Dayton, and Chicago, and the aftermath from ROH’s huge debut deep in the heart of Texas!

Credit: 411mania.com

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Other

Eric Bischoff creates a new show

- Variety.com has posted the following article which you can read at this link.

CMT has ordered eight episodes of “Runnin’ Wild …From Ted Nugent,” a reality-competition series that will feature the right-wing rock star and hunting advocate teaching contestants how to survive in the wild, then chasing after them along with his 18-year-old son, Rocco.

Series will begin running on the MTV Networks channel in August.

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

WWE

More participants added to Diva’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania XV

- At today’s WWE WrestleMania XXV press conference, it was announced that Sunny, Torrie Wilson, Molly Holly and Victoria would be a part of the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal.

Already announced for the match were 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.

Candice Michelle is currently questionable for the match, due to a recent ankle injury. Also, Wendi Richter and Lita have tuned down the invitation to appear in the match.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss this news on the fourms

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taz leaves WWE

- PWInsider.com and others are reporting that Jim Ross’ WWE Smackdown broadcast partner Taz is done with the company, and that yesterdays tapings were his last. His contract is reported to be expiring soon.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Discuss this news on the fourms

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TNA

Talent update for Booker T’s convention, Kurt Angle movie trailer

- Former WWF champion and current TNA star Mick Foley has been added to Booker T Legends of Wrestling Fanfest this Friday in Houston, Texas.  Foley is scheduled to appear on TNA house show events this weekend but since the convention is a charity event designed to help raise funds for children in the Houston area, he is going to fly to Houston to appear for several hours, then rush back to Louisiana for the TNA house show that evening.

Former WWE, ECW and TNA star Matt “Spike Dudley/Brother Runt” Hyson has also been added to the convention, making it a full Team 3D reunion.

- The trailer for Kurt Angle’s film End Game can be viewed here: http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/100788/Various-News:-Kurt-Angle-Film-Trailer,-Bret-Hart-UK-Book-Signing,-Simon-Diamond-Sues-Clergy-Claiming-Sexual-Harassment.htm

Credit: wrestlezone.com/PWinsider.com

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Other

Simon Diamond files molestation lawsuit

- Former ECW and TNA Performer Pat “Simon Diamond” Kenny is currently filing suit against, claiming sexual abuse as a child, against a teacher and priest at a prestigious Delaware high school. Here is the press release:

Former TNA Star Files Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Priest 

Church Officials Knew Cleric Was Abuser, Yet Allowed Him to Stay in Schools in Three States

Simon Diamond Vows to Help Keep Kids Safe

“The Time for Silence and Shame is Over,” He Says 

A former TNA Wresting Star filed a child sex abuse lawsuit today, accusing a teacher and priest at a prestigious Delaware high school of sexually abusing him when he was a young teen student at the school.

Pat Kenney, who wrestled under the name Simon Diamond, used a landmark Delaware Law, the Child Victims Act, to come forward and tell his story of childhood sexual abuse at Wilmington’s Salesianum High School, where he says he was sexually molested by known predator Denis Killion. 

Rev. Denis Killion was removed from ministry when four men came forward in August to accuse him of sexual abuse. Letters exposed in the cases showed that church officials knew that Killion was a molester, but instead of removing him, moved the priest to schools in Pennsylvania and Florida.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2008/07_08/2008_08_07_Parra_LettersSupport.htm.

Since then, a fifth victim has come forward.

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss this news on the fourms

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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

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Milo Taibi (Milo) - Milo@PinfallRecall.com

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Welcome to Pinfall Recall’s Wrestling News Digest, your daily collection of all the news in the professional wrestling world. Each day we collect all the news from WWE, TNA, ROH, and more, and deliver it to you in one easy to read posting. No more clicking 30 links and loading 30 pages to read 3 lines of text. Just point your browser to Pinfall Recall every day for all the wrestling news you need.

After the jump (the read more button) you’ll find today’s top stories, immediately followed by all of your news divided up by organization, for your viewing pleasure.

So, for the latest on Ric Flair’s RAW injuries, as well as Kurt Angle’s relationship with Rhaka Khan and which Diva’s won’t be wrestling at WrestleMania XV…

(more…)

WWE

3.22.09 House Show Results

- Good show, LOTS of kids, took a while to get everyone inside.

Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix w/Santino Marella
Solid opener, crowd was into it. Mickie got an impressive head scissors before Phoenix ended it with the double arm chickenwing slam. Around **.

Santino got on the mic and took up some time by talking, and gave an open challenge.

*Glass Shatters*….for Stone Cold Charlie Haastin! Huge pop, but the crowd was a little deflated when it turned out to Haas.

Charlie Haas vs. Santino Marella
Charlie did the mudhole stomps and Lou Thesz Press, while Santino did some basic cheating. Charlie hit an exploder before finishing with the Stone Cold Stunner. Crowd wasn’t into it very much, but it was solid. Around *.

After the match Beth carried Santino outside. Kelly Kelly was in the nosebleed seats, asked some kid what Wrestlemania was coming up and the kid and his family got front row seats for the show.

Kane vs. Kofi Kingston
Strange match due to the crowd being REALLLLY into Kane. Kane was motivated and did more than the checklist match he often does. Kofi wasn’t able to do much, but got a wheel nice Pele Kick, before we got an unexpected Wrestlemania series of nearfalls. The best one was an impressive sunset flip counter to a chokeslam, but Kane eventually got the real deal for the win to a good pop. Kofi got a good ovation after the match. Around **1/2.

Colons & Bella Twin 1 vs. John Morrison, the Miz & Bella Twin 2
Pardon me for not knowing which Bella was which, but they barely played a roll. Crowd was behind the Colons. These guys had the typical high energy match they’ve been having for the last few months, with Mizorrison working over Primo before Carlito got the hot tag. Lots of spots, but Carlito botched his Backstabber before getting the 3 count. Around ***1/2.

Belfast Brawl: Finlay w/Hornswoggle vs. Mark Henry w/Tony Atlas
Kids loved Hornswoggle. Very slow match for most of it, with Henry controlling and doing THREE nerveholds. There was also a bizarre spot where Henry used a kendo stick to poke at Finlay instead of smacking him as usual. Finlay finally made a comeback with some PLUNDAH, and Atlas ate a Tadpole Splash. Hornswoggle distracted Henry long enough for Finlay to use the shackilacki for the win. Long, mostly boring, but the antics and stiff shots made up for it a little. Around *.

After the match Finlay brought in some kids and Kelly Kelly gave them shirts. A little kid made my night when Kelly asked him who his favorite wrestler was. “The Hardyz.” “Which one?” “MATT!” “REALLY?” Huge boos but it made me laugh.

Intermission.

ECW Championship Match: Jack Swagger vs. Christian
Christian got a good amount of cheers and they worked smartly to get the crowd into it. Good, long match that was very similar to the one they had on ECW, minus the extended armwork and a few of the dives. Crowd was with them every step of the way, and bit hard on a nearfall after a tornado DDT. Swagger eventually sent Christian shoulder first into the post, which prevented an unprettier and allowed Swagger to hit the Doctor Bomb for the win. Christian got a standing ovation after the match. Extremely good match that was easily best of the night. Around ****.

Biggest mark out moment came when RICKY STEAMBOAT was introduced. Steamboat thanked the fans for coming, but was interrupted by Chris Jericho, who got a TREMENDOUS amount of heat. Jericho started tearing into him and said that there was nobody to save Ricky this time, which brought out CM Punk. Seeing Steamboat, Jericho and Punk in the same ring was SWEET.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
Somewhat slower match, with Jericho working over Punk for most of it. Punk did his stuff, Jericho did his stuff. The crowd was WAY into it, but more into booing Jericho than cheering Punk. Punk got the ropes to escape the Walls of Jericho, so Jericho got a chair. Steamboat made the save, which led to Jericho beating up Steamboat to more loud boos. Back in, Punk hit the Go To Sleep for the win. Nothing special, considering the talent, but these two can have a good match in their sleep. Around ***.

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. John Cena
Cena came out to an earsplitting pop, as practically everyone was behind him. Edge got a mild reaction, more boos than cheers but no crazy heat. Edge worked a very old-school heel approach, and only hit like two or three actual moves, preferring to soak in the boos by keeping Cena outside and trying a count-out victory. It picked up near the end, with Cena trying the Super “Attitude Adjustment” but getting hit with an electric chair drop, Cena countering the Spear into the STF, and Edge getting a very close nearfall off of a Spear. Edge used the belt which drew a disqualification. Edge went for some chairs, but I was denied my conchairto and Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment to send the crowd home happy. Funny to note that a lot of the kids were still calling it the FU. Good match, but hurt by Edge’s stalling. Around **1/2.

Overall, the show was fantastic, and people who are going to RAW house shows can probably expect something similar.

Biggest Pops:
1) John Cena (By a large margin.)
2) Ricky Steamboat
3) CM Punk
4) Charle Haastin (Followed by apathy.)
5) Christian

Most Heat:
1) Chris Jericho
2) Jack Swagger
3) Edge
4) Miz & Morrison
5) Santino Marella

credit: 411mania.com

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Changes Coming to Smackdown’s Network

- Media Daily News has an article up on how MyNetworkTV is nullifying all their current affiliate deals as part of their change to airing only repeat programming outside of Smackdown. The previous five year affiliate deals will now be changed to annual deals. MyNetworkTV Executive Vice President Paul Franklin said he doesn’t expect to lose affiliates. Smackdown is the highest rated show on the network. The new format will see the network air Law & Order reruns, movies, and other syndicated programming in prime time.

credit: 411mania.com

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ROH

3.21.09 Results!

The return date is June 13th.

I guess attendance isn’t quite what they expected, they just broke down two sections of GA seating. I’m really bad at gauging attendance, but this place is nowhere near full.

Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens defeated Rhett Titus and Kenny King

While Titus was handing out his card with his numbers to the girls at ringside, one girl handed him a card with her number. Pretty funny. Roderick and Stevens are looking pretty badass tonight. Strong has improved a million percent, looks in great shape, and is so on the money tonight, I wish they’d find a direction for him. Stevens has gotten really lean and cut as well, the two of the look pretty intimidating. Strong and Stevens batter Titus to start, killing him with an endless series of chops, but a cheapshot from the outside by King on Stevens turns the tide. Fans start chanting HepaTitus at Rhett. King kills Stevens with a clothesline for two. Titus and King have gelled great as a team and are terrific at cuttin the ring off. Roderick makes the hot tag and cleans house, then it’s back and forth for several minutes until Stevens puts Titus away with the Doctorbomb.

Brent Albright defeated Claudio Castagnoli by DQ

Claudio has a new robe with the Swiss cross thing and is doing the tried and true heel European gimmick of having his weight announced in kilos rather than pounds. Albright is really over with the NY crowd. Claudio cheapshots him from behind to start and then they start trading blows. Claudio bails to the floor and Albright hits a tope and tosses him back in. Albright gets the (very) delayed vertical suplex for 2, but misses a crossbody and shish kebabs himself on the ropes to give Claudio control. Claudio’s looking a lot more cut tonight too. Did somebody hire these guys a dietician? Albright makes a comeback, but Claudio takes his head off with a big bicycle kick. Albright with an Air Raid Crash for 2 and gets him in the Crippler Crossface (drawing a surprisingly large Benoit chant) but Claudio makes the ropes so Albright does the Benoit snot blow. Albright comes off the top and Claudio catches him with a European uppercut for 2, then they go to the outside where Albright gets a wicked suplex. Both men beat the count and Claudio starts working him over, but Albright gets the Crowbar. Claudio escapes and hot shots him on the top rope, but Albright gets a big superplex with one minute left in the time limit, drawing a groan from the crowd. Toe to toe until the bell rings and they keep going after the match ends. The crowd starts chanting for five more minutes, which of course always works. Claudio grabs the mic and says he knows he can beat Albright if he has five more minutes, and for the first time in history we actually get it. Albright with the Crowbar, Claudio reverses into a Crowbar of his own, Albright escapes and tries to get the half nelson suplex, but Claudio kicks him low for the DQ. Claudio with the Ricola Bomb and then fights off security before delivering the headstomp with the chair. Great match with a fun ending that left you unsatisfied, but in a good way.

Bobby Dempsey defeated Adam Pearce

Some guy from NBC is the guest timekeeper. Okay. This is a “Sweet N Sour Challenge Match.” Okay. Adam does a bit with the NBC guy and threatens to John Stossel him, then shoves him into the ropes. Okay, I really can’t see Dempsey beating Pearce. Pearce looks way better than last time I saw him, maybe he’s preaching his secrets to the roster? Just to make me look bad, Dempsey hits the Death Valley Driver for the win in like 30 seconds, then parties in the ring with the NBC guy. The lights briefly went out in the middle of the match, the second time that happened. I figured the first was a mistake, but this makes me think it’s some kind of angle.

Jerry Lynn defeated Mike Quackenbush

This is gonna be good. Counter wrestling to start as they trade armbars and wristlocks. Lynn with a flying headscissors and corner clothesline, but Quack blocks a bulldog and counters to a leg lace. Quack with a beautiful springboard headscissors and a rolling fireman’s carry into a crossed leglock. Lynn with the springboard dropkick sends Quack to the floor, Quack dives over Lynn’s baseball dropkick attempt, but Lynn gets the guillotine legdrop on the ropes. Quack counters by sweeping Lynn off the apron, but Lynn then counters another headscissors by swinging Quack into the guardrail. Back in the ring Lynn hits a nasty German suplex and a tornado DDT. Quack counters another tornado DDT and gets a nice magistral cradle for 2. This is really awesome. Lynn with a backslide for 2, then a series of reversals ends with Lynn trying to slam Quack off the top, but Quack rolls through and goes for a superplex, but Lynn with a top rope sunset flip/ powerbomb for 2. Quack with his version of the Jig And Tonic for 2, but Lynn gets the cradle piledriver out of nowhere for the win. This was a counterwrestling fan’s Christmas present. They shake hands after and Lynn raises Quack’s hand.

Tyler Black, Necro Butcher, and Delirious defeated Jimmy Jacobs, Brodie Lee, and Austin Aries

This is elimination rules, with a different stip for each fall and the whole thing being No DQ. Aries now not only has the “strip club for lunch” mustache, but also a soul patch as well. Joey Ryan has nothing on this guy when it comes to sleaze. Delirious is back in the green and black.

Fall #1

Brodie lays out Tyler and Delirious then calls out Necro, which ends badly for him. Jimmy winds up alone in the ring with all three opponents and gets destroyed. I guess the first fall is tornado rules? All six men end up brawling on the floor. Necro goes for the dive to the floor, but Brodie yanks him down and hits the big boot. All six men back in the ring as Aries and Jacobs continue to snipe at each other even as they try to work together. Tyler with the big dive to the floor and then Necro hits his to a big pop. Now Daizee goes for hers but Aries grabs her, drawing Delirious in to the rescue. Aries misses the corner dropkick, Brodie comes in but Delirious takes out both men. Delirious gets Jacobs in the Cobra Stretch, but Brodie with the Black Hole Slam and Aries with the brainbuster to eliminate Delirious.

Fall #2

This fall cannot be won by pinfall. Aries and Jacobs start their repressed love thing again, allowing Black to come back, but Brodie comes in and shuts him down. Heels triple team Tyler until Necro comes in and cleans house. Everyone’s back to the floor where Necro and Brodie end up brawling through the crowd and to the back, and the ref used that excuse to DQ both men. This whole fall got TNA chants.

Fall #3

No stip announced for this fall. Jacobs and Aries double team Black but spend as much time shoving each other around. Jacobs blocks Aries from hitting the missile dive to the floor so Aries attacks him and they start brawling. Black uses the distraction to try a comeback, but quickly gets shut down. I guess Aries and Jacobs are working together again. Jacobs gets 2, so I guess pinfalls count again. Aries misses a corner dropkick and kills Jacobs with it, but hits a second one for 2. Black and Aries go back and forth until Black gets the corner powerbomb and superkick, then locks in the End Time to eliminate Aries.

Fall #4

This fall can’t end by submission. That may be the least creative stip of all time. This match has gone beyond boring chants and now the crowd is just laughing. Jimmy gets the spike out, Tyler gets ahold of it, but misses and buries the spike in the top turnbuckle. Jimmy gets the Contra Code for 2, then locks in the End Time but there’s NO SUBMISSIONS! Tyler reverses the End Time to God’s Last Gift to mercifully end this one.

Not only did this not get over at all, but this may have been one of the worst matches in ROH history.

Bryan Danielson and Colt Cabana defeated Bison Smith and Jimmy Rave

Prince Nana came out in a Barack Obama shirt and made stimulus remarks to a girl at ringside. This guy’s hilarious. He announces Jimmy Rave as Bison’s mystery partner, which got a big pop from the crowd. Rave gets a big welcome back chant. Danielson ran into the ring before he could even be announced and got destroyed. Grizzley Redwood came out to make us think he was the mystery partner and was quickly disposed of, then the real partner came out…Colt Cabana! He got an even bigger reaction than Rave did. This match has gotten the biggest reaction of the night so far and they haven’t even started wrestling yet. Cabana and Rave start and the crowd starts a “die Jimmy die” chant. This match is bringing me right back to 2005. Danielson and Cabana take turns working Rave over until Rave tags to Bison, who presses Danielson into the corner. Heat segment on Danielson, but Cabana tags in after only a couple of minutes, but Bison no-sells everything and hits a big shoulder block. Danielson comes in and together they’re able to turn the tide, but Danielson tries a dive to the floor, and Bison catches and slams him. Bison with the claw slam onto Jimmy’s knee, and then tries another claw slam, but Danielson comes in and together they send Bison to the floor where Danielson hits the big dive. Rave catches Cabana in the heel hook, but Cabana reverses into a rolling press for the win. After the match Cabana calls for the Final Countdown and it begins playing over the sound system. This came totally unglued, but was still pretty good. I was a bit bummed that Bison didn’t get into total destruction mode.

D’Lo Brown defeated Jay Briscoe

D’Lo gets on the mic before the match and thanks WWE for releasing him and wishing him luck in his future endevours, because his future endevours are right here in ROH. Brown overpowers Jay to start and does the head thing, but Jay with a Frankensteiner and a dropkick and they do the indy stalemate. Jay with a series of legsweeps frustrates Brown, but Brown distracts the ref and gets a low blow to take control, then hits a big short clothesline. Brown working a very methodical style here, measuring Jay before getting a big running clothesline in the corner and a vertical suplex for 2. I want to see someone try a horizontal or, even better, diagonal suplex someday. Jay tries to go toe-to-toe with Brown but that doesn’t end well for him. They go chop-for-chop, but Brown goes to the eyes and catches him in a top wristlock/half nelson combo. Jay escapes, but eats the flying heel kick. Brown with a series of stiff short clotheslines gets 2. Brown with a springboard dropkick sends Jay to the floor and fakes a dive, but Jay caught him with a dropkick to the face when he did the dive for real. Dueling chants start as both men get back in the ring and Jay hits an inverted STO into the turnbuckle, big boot, and clothesline for 2. Brown with the Sky High for 2, then a Death Valley Driver for another two count. Brown moves out of the way of the top rope legdrop and rolls up Jay with the tights for the win. Crowd was asleep, but it was fun to watch D’Lo play the grizzled veteran who doesn’t mind doing whatever he has to to win.

Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated the American Wolves to retain the ROH World Tag Team Title.

I will be very surprised if the Wolves don’t get the straps tonight. This is no DQ. Good for Eddie Edwards, who first appeared as an occasional undercard guy two or three years ago and is now working the semi-main on one of ROH’s big four events. Steen and Generico run in before their announcement and attack the Wolves, sending them to the floor where Steen hits the big dive. Generico throws a bunch of chairs in the ring and Steen gets a flipping legdrop/conchairto on Edwards. Richards drags Steen to the floor and launches him into the rail, then gets in the ring and Tomvstones Generico on the chairs. Wolves start working Steen’s knee over with a chair. Crowd is dead for this one. I just noticed Edwards seems to be sporting a shiner. Wolves are pretty brutally working Steen over while Generico’s on the floor. They tie Steen’s knee in the ropes and take a run, but Steen moves and they go to the floor, where Generico hits a top rope somersault on both opponents. Back in the ring, Generico kills Edwards with a chairshot then gets a top rope splash on Richards for 2. Steen brings out a ladder and rams it into Edwards’ face in a pretty brutal display. Now it’s Steen and Generico’s turn to double team Richards, beating him up in the corner before Irish whipping him into the ladder and suplexing him on it. Generico with a split legged moonsault for 2. Edwards runs in and nails Steen, but eats a corner Yakuza kick from Generico. Generico misses a dive and audibly crunches onto the ladder as the crowd finally comes alive. Wolves with the double team alarm clock and a sick chairshot to Generico, but Steen breaks up the fall and takes out both men, then hits the corner cannonball. Steen places the ladder over the Wolves and Generico hits the coast to coast somersault dropkick, but that only gets 2. Great match. Steen gives Edwards a Fisherman’s Buster on a chair for 2. Richards takes out Generico on the floor then pushes Steen off the top rope and he lands on the knee. Richards with a chairshot to the knee and a Texas Cloverleaf, but he toughs it out until Generico makes the save. Generico misses a chairshot and nails Steen and Richards tosses Generico to the floor. Richards misses a shooting star press and Steen starts working Richards’ knee over with a chair then traps him in the Sharpshooter for the win. So much for my theory. Wolves attack after the match and Edwards just kills Steen with a chairshot, then put Generico through a table in the ring. Steen still tries to fight back, but they tape him to the ropes and work over his knees with a couple of chairs before finally finishing with a conchairto and walking off with the belts.

ROH Champion Nigel McGuiness vs. KENTA.

Nigel looks awful, he’s got both arms taped up. KENTA gets a lukewarm welcome back chant, and Nigel doesn’t get much reaction either. How does KENTA always end up wrestling badly injured ROH World Champions in New York? KENTA goes right to work with a pair of big kicks to Nigel’s arms that drop him immediately. KENTA continues kicking away on the arm and rams him shoulderfirst into the ringpost before putting Nigel in an armbar. KENTA is just mercilessly kicking away at Nigel, getting some big cheers from the strongly anti-Nigel crowd. KENTA with a big running boot for 2 and a key lock, but Nigel makes the ropes. Ref keeps checking on Nigel after each barrage to see if he wants to continue. Finally Nigel gets in some offense by moving out of the way of a kneedrop and getting a Tower of London to the floor. Back in the ring, Nigel starts working on KENTA’s arm. You’d think he’d go after the legs since kicks have been KENTA’s main offense, but what do I know? Anyway, Nigel gets 2 off of an arm-assisted suplex and gets a chickenwing, then catches KENTA with a surprise dropkick, which we never see him do. KENTA comes back with a vertical suplex and a flying clothesline for 2, then it’s back to the key lock, but Nigel makes the ropes. More vicious kicks from KENTA, but Nigel with a big forearm in the corner. He’s dramatizing it, but Nigel is obviously in pain. Nigel knocks KENTA off the ropes to the outside and then whips him into the rail, but misses a charge and eats the rail himself. KENTA drapes Nigel over the rail and hits a top rope kneedrop to the outside. Nigel just beat the count, and KENTA started killing him with kicks and a fisherman’s buster for 2. Flying clothesline gets 2 on Nigel, series of pinfall reversals ends with Nigel catching KENTA in the London Dungeon. He makes the ropes, so Nigel hits another Tower of London for 2. He tries a third, but KENTA blocks, so Nigel goes for a superplex instead. KENTA turns that into a top rope Falcon Arrow for 2 then another series of reversals into a German Suplex for 2 by KENTA. KENTA finally hits Go To Sleep, butNigel gets his foot on the rope. Crowd didn’t like that one. They battle on the apron and Nigel hits a Tower of London to the apron. Both men again just beat the count and Nigel reverses out of the Go To Sleep and hits one of his own for 2, then gets KENTA in the London Dungeon again, but KENTA reverses to a cradle for 2. Nigel catches him in the London Dungeon yet again and bridges all the way back until KENTA taps. Awesome match, on the level of KENTA-Danielson from 2006. Some idiot fan got a little overzealous after the match and Zack had to eject him.

Well, there were two awesome matches and two good matches, but the rest was moderate to really bad, and the crowd was dead. It was good, but not as good as it looked on paper.

credit: 411mania.com

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Other

Ricky Steamboat Update

- Ricky Steamboat appeared at the WWE house show in Topeka, Kansas. He spoke briefly before being confronted by Chris Jericho. Jericho talked bad about Steamboat until CM Punk came out to wrestle Jericho. Punk went on to beat Jericho.

credit: 411mania.com

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Lashley Wins Another Bout

At tonight’s boxing and MMA show, “March Badness”, Bobby Lashley took his pro MMA record to 2-0 with a unanimous decision victory over Jason Guida.

Lashley easily won all three rounds and his conditioning looked very good in the 15:00 fight. Guida had Lashley in trouble at one point in the third round, locking in a tight guillotine, but Lashley was able to escape and held on for the victory.

After the fight, Lashley admitted that the guillotine was tight, that he had to dig deep and that he went into the fight with the wrong plan and frame of mind. He promised to go back, watch the tape, learn where he could have finished the fight, and go on from there.

- Here are the MMA results from the card:

# Bobby Lashley defeated Jason Guida via Unanimous Decision (30-27 Across The Cards)
# Jeff Monson defeated Roy Nelson via Unanimous Decision (29-28 Across the Cards)
# Din Thomas defeated Gabe Lemley via RD1 TKO
# Dennis Hallman defeated Danny Ruiz via RD1 Submission

credit: 411mania.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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