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The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard

Ladies and gents,

We are finally back to bring you “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard.”  Between Cliff having a child, me working on my days off, Milo being busy doing stupid baseball things, and Ed being — well, Ed… Milo and I have finally come together to bring you yet another edition of Pinfall Recall.  We’re bringing you this edition in high quality sound, so let us know what you think!

 

  Wrestling Podcast Episode 168: RAWcast Never Felt So Good [36:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Do it, bitches!

 

 Wrestling Podcast Episode 167: Milo and JG "Chris Brown" the RAWcast [64:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This time Joshua comes at you with Milo to bring you “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard” along with Cliff for a few minutes.  Josh and Milo proceed to talk to you about how pathetically awful this week’s RAW was, and we focus a lot on the question of, “What Now?”.  Join us, and we assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

Do it, bitches!

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]

Discuss on our forum!

 

 Wrestling Podcast Episode 166: Supplemental Draftcast ft Milo [54:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

CK and JG come together with Milo to discuss our complete disdain for the supplemental draft.  WWE really fucked up this time, make sure to check out how we feel about it by listening here!

Also come talk to us about it on our forums!

Do it, bitches!

 

 Wrestling Podcast Episode 165: The RAWcast Drafts a Bloody Nose [42:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join CK and JG with special guest ED as we talk about the WWE draft and how they feel about it.  Of course, you’re still getting “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard”, so why the hell would you bother going anywhere else.  This is your one-stop awesome shop.  Listen up!

You wanna talk to other people that feel just like you about WWE or any other wrestling promotions?  Good news!  We have forums where you can talk about anything you want and tell us how you feel.  Go to the forums!

Do it! Do it NOW!

WWE

Orton and Triple H to face off in a cage on Smackdown

- WWE is holding a joint ECW/Smackdown taping in London, UK on April 21st. The company has announced that the Smackdown main event that night will feature Triple H vs Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match.

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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MVP says that prison led to his wrestling career

- The Evening Post over in the UK has a very interesting interview with MVP where he talked about how he got into wrestling when he was in prison.  He said, “Actually it was one of the guards – he was an independent wrestler and would bring in video tapes and title belts.  I was at work release, which is when you’re at the end of your prison sentence and you stay at a facility and work at a regular job out in the community. He told me he’d take me in his ring and teach me a bit. Needless to say the rest is history.”  It’s a great example of someone turning their life around.  To read the whole piece, click here.

Credit: PWinsider.com

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Dwayne Johnson digs at Cena, Preview of ESPN E:60 feature on WWE

- IGN in the UK recently interviewed Dwayne Johnson, and when asked about John Cena following the path he started, Johnson replied:

“I don’t look at myself for being a trailblazer in any way, or paving the way or anything like that, I just know what serves me. John is… umm… he’s an interesting guy! And I wish him well in his movie career and, umm, everything else… Haha.”

- A video preview for the ESPN E:60 feature on WWE can be viewed here

Credit: 411mania.com

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Stone Cold movie photo

- To see an explosive photo from Steve Austin’s new movie, click here

Credit: aintitcool.com

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TNA

Jeff Jarrett DVD details

- Here is the promotional information and complete match listing for the Jeff Jarrett: King of the Mountain 4 Disc DVD set, which gets released tomorrow:

Exclusive interviews with the following: Sting, Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Mick Foley, Booker T, BG James, AJ Styles, Vince Russo, Dutch Mantel, Jim Cornette, Terry Taylor, Bob Ryder, Don West, Mike Tenay, Ron & Don Harris and many more! Plus, Jim Cornette, Dutch Mantel, Tony Faulk, The Harris Brothers and others not only discuss Jarrett’s beginnings in Memphis, but they share many classic stories about the successful Memphis territory that saw a surge in wrestling popularity in the 1970s and 80s, which included names likes Jerry “The King” Lawler, Jackie Fargo, Nick Bockwinkle, Eddie Gilbert, Austin Idol, Randy Savage, Tojo Yamamoto, Bill Dundee, Tommy Rich and so many more.

* Challenge Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Scott Hall (7.2.2002)

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Ron Killings (11.20.02)

* Jeff Jarrett & The Road Warriors vs. Triple X & Vince Russo (1.15.03)

* Jeff Jarrett & Sting vs. AJ Styles & Sean Waltman (6.18.03)

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles (2.19.03)

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Raven (4.30.03)

* Footage of Jeff Jarrett attacking Hulk Hogan in Japan (October 2003)

* 2004 King Of The Mountain Match (6.2.04)

* World Title Ladder Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy (Victory Road 2004)

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown (12.3.04)

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin Nash (Against All Odds 2005)

* Lockdown 2006: Lethal Lockdown Match

* King of the Mountain Match (Slammiversary 2006)

* Fan’s Revenge Strap Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe (No Surrender 2006)

* Lockdown 2007: Lethal Lockdown Match

* World Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (Bound For Glory 2006)

* Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (Bound For Glory 2008)

* Bonus Match: March 5, 1986: Jeff Jarrett’s first on camera appearance as a referee

* Bonus Match: March 12, 1986: Jeff Jarrett (in his television pro debut) vs. Tony Faulk

* Bonus Match: December 26, 1987: Jeff Jarrett vs. Hector Guerrero

* Bonus Match: February 6, 1988: Jeff Jarrett vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler

* Bonus Match: September 20, 1988: Jeff Jarrett & Bill Dundee vs. Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) & Gary Young

Credit: 411mania.com

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ROH

Larry Sweeney and Dragon Gate claims ROH owes money, ROH responds

- Dragon Gate’s Cima made the following comments regarding Ring of Honor. The full blog entry can be read here.

“Well, I can’t tell you in detail because our lawyer is working on this case in the States, but what I can tell you is Dragon Gate no longer has any relationship with ROH. One of the reason is because we haven’t got payment from the past ROH show held in Japan in September 2008. Some of the ROH wrestlers’ airfare and their guarantees were supposed be shared between two companies, but the promise had never been kept. I recently hear from some of my dear friends not being paid by ROH as well. Any business is based on a trust, and we no longer wish to do any business with ROH again.”

- Ring of Honor then released this statement

We would like to comment on several topics that have been addressed by outside sources over the past week in regards to Ring of Honor. This will be our only public comment in regards to these issues. 

First, Alex Whybrow’s (Larry Sweeney) claim that he is owed money from ROH. Mr. Whybrow is under contract with Ring of Honor. His contract clearly states that he is paid “X” amount of dollars when he appears for Ring of Honor. Mr. Whybrow has been paid in full for all dates in which he has performed in front of Ring of Honor fans. Any claims in regards to payment for dates in which he has been unable to perform is not in accordance with his ROH contract. Everybody at Ring of Honor would like to wish Alex the best of luck in dealing with his current issues. 

Secondly, CIMA from the Dragon Gate promotion in Japan has made claims that Ring of Honor owes Dragon Gate money from our Sept. 2008 show stating “Some of the ROH wrestlers’ airfare and their guarantees were supposed be shared between two companies, but the promise had never been kept.” This statement is false. All Ring of Honor talent was paid in full for these events along with their airfare. CIMA and the Dragon Gate promotion are very well aware of what agreements they did not live up to in regards to the ROH/Dragon Gate show and why we choose to no longer do business with them.

- Word going around was that Larry Sweeney will not return to the company until he is able to handle his personal issues.

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

 

 Standard Podcast [65:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

JG and CK continue to bring you yet another mind-blowing episode of their wrestling podcast, Pinfall Recall.  We give great analysis of Monday Night RAW and help you understand who brings you “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard.”  Listen while we pull it apart and maybe piece it back together better than creative would.

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WWE

Cena Challenges the Rock To A Match

With Dwayne Johnson’s nearly seamless transition from professional wrestler to Hollywood heavyweight, you’d think any other wrestler/actor would want to follow in his footsteps. But John Cena — who stars in “12 Rounds,” opening Friday — doesn’t see it like that.

“He’s the guy I say I won’t be like,” he told MTV News. ” ‘Cause he — although a very, very successful actor and super-nice guy, consummate professional, one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever met — he left the WWE.”

One thing that bothers Cena is the way Johnson discarded his wrestling nickname, the Rock, for his acting career. “I really hope that people respond to ‘12 Rounds,’ the movie is a success, and more movies come down the line, [but] I’m just not for leaving the WWE,” Cena said. “I love my job. I have a long-term commitment. That’s the one difference in my future career path and what he’s done.”

He thinks the WWE fans might be a little put off by Johnson as well. “We have a very loyal fanbase,” Cena said. “For him to go on the front and say, ‘I love the business,’ and then not be a part of it [is something I'd never do].”

Cena is giving Johnson the perfect way to redeem himself. “I’ve been trying to wrestle him. It’s not that I don’t think he’ll accept the challenge; he truly has a full plate,” he said. “I think our fans would like to see him come back to the ring. Dwayne Johnson or the Rock or whatever he wants call himself vs. John Cena. Let’s say ‘WrestleMania XXVI.’ ”

credit: MTV.com, 411mania.com

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Raw/Smackdown Match Updates

- WWE has announced John Cena vs. Big Show for RAW on Monday.

- Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP for the WWE U.S. Title is set for Smackdown next week. The match will be taped on Monday at the WWE Supershow in Dallas.

credit: 411mania.com

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ROH

Non-Spoiler Match Listing For HDNet Show

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

- Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Edwards
- Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey
- Claudio Castagnoli vs. “Sugarfoot” Alex Payne
- ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Jay Briscoe

credit: 411mania.com

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Other

12 Rounds Update

- 12 Rounds debuted #7 at the box office, earning $5.3 million.

- When The Marine debuted in 2006, it earned $7.1 million in its opening weekend.

- Race to Witch Mountain fell two spots to #6 at the box office in its third weekend, earning $5.6 million to raise its total gross to $53.2 million.

credit: 411mania.com

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Jim Ross Speaks On Andrew Martin’s Death

On Andrew Martin’s death and drug use in wrestling: Since Andrew “Test” Martin’s untimely passing of what is expected to be from a drug overdose although that has not been confirmed as I write this blog pending the results of an autopsy, so much speculation regarding drug use in wrestling and sports has been written. We all likely have friends that we have grown up with and most probably some of them do drugs and, hopefully, most of them don’t. I have friends that were big party guys in college who did their fair share of drugs. Some of those guys, even now that they are in their 50’s, still seemingly live to get high. Others who ran in our same group decided to live their lives in another way and simply say no to illegal drug use and the abuse of prescription medication.

So why are wrestlers any different than the “average Joe?” They’re not. But the bottom line is that illegal drug use and specifically the abuse of prescription medication in wrestling should not and can not be tolerated. Wrestlers in question need to grow up, become men, and just say “NO” to what should be the simplest question that they are ever asked to answer. Please don’t go to the soap box that between a wrestler’s schedule and the physicality of their jobs that they can’t help but be drug users. That even sounds more stupid as I write it.

credit: Jrsbarbq.com, 411mania.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 John Cena’s thoughts on Steroids, the ECW Ratings, and what’s going down in ROH today…

(more…)