Pinfall Recall
The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard

WWE

WrestleMania and Mickey Rourke, Draft news, Creative news

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

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

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

Credit: wrestlezone.com

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

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

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

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

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

Credit: wrestlezone.com and 411mania.com

Talk about all things WWE right here on our forums

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

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

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

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

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

Credit: PWinsider.com

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

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TNA

Mick Foley discusses TNA storylines and wrestling again

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

On twists and turns in the MEM/Frontline angle:

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

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

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

On TNA’s critics:

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

On training for a match return at Lockdown:

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

Credit: wrestlezone.com

Talk TNA and Foley on the boards here

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ROH

ROH Newswire for Feb. 26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Credit: 411mania.com

Discuss Ring of Honor right here with our forum members

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Other

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

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

You can read more about it here

Credit: PWinsider.com

Talk about this disturbing story right here on the PFRC Forums

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

CK@pinfallrecall.com

JG@pinfallrecall.com

DC@pinfallrecall.com

RDB@pinfallrecall.com

Milo@pinfallrecall.com

Hey!  CK and JG are bringing you “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard” and finally providing you with that much-anticipated surprise we talked about.    If you think you might be ready to have your mind blow, CLICK HERE.

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Hello All, I’m Danny Charisma, no introduction needed, you all know and wish you were me, especially certain members or member. We have a great column here for you friends, so enjoy!  And remember; DC is always right, Robbie is almost always right, Milo didn’t manage to make it this week, and JG and CK are in charge, so I’m going stop before I get myself into trouble.

Since everyone loves arguing about things on our podcasts and our forums, we’ve decided to give you a way to read all of the heavily analyzed and expertly crafted opinions of our Pinfall Recall Team right here in one place, as we gather to decide whether each statement is “Totally True or Fuckin’ False!” Each and every week the team comes together to answer the tough questions, and the host changes every time. Obviously, this is DC’s week.  The host compiles the questions, and the rest of the team lays out their opinions right along-side those of the host. So, without further ado, I present to you our sixth edition of Pinfall Recall’s

Totally True or Fuckin’ False? (continued after the jump…)

Click here to (more…)

Ladies and menz,

Welcome to Pinfall Recall’s 150th episode.  Eventually we will have a celebration but for today you’re going to get a show with “The Greatest Hosts You’ve Ever Heard” who will of course bring you “The Greatest Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard”.

Listen to us analyze Monday Night RAW and rule the podcast world as we usually do by CLICKING HERE.

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Ladies and Gents,

Welcome to the RAWcast where JG and CK continue to bring you “The Best Wrestling You’ve Ever Heard”.  Just because Stephanie McMahon trips over her words doesn’t mean we can’t too… listen to us as we rock your brain out with our amazing wrestling talk.  CLICK HERE!

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WWE

WWE Related News from the FCW Taping

- Umaga returned to the ring at Thursday’s FCW TV taping.

- Batista, Kelly Kelly, and Chris Jericho all appeared at the FCW TV taping.

- Edge and Tomko were both in attendance at the taping but didn’t appear before the crowd.

Credit: 411mania.com

You wanna share your thoughts? Then simply check our forums.

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More Friday News

- Jim Ross has a new edition of his WWE.com Smackdown This! column up here or you can read it below.

- Bret Hart’s appearance on the Opie & Anthony Show today will be replayed on Sirius 197 and XM 202 at 3PM and 7:30PM ET.

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Greetings to all from under the black, custom made hat from WWE’s resident Okie, who has looked forward to this week much like many of us do for WrestleMania … it’s time for Saturday’s Oklahoma-Texas Red River Rivalry college football game in Dallas. More on that later, but now on to the ever-popular “Random Thoughts.” (Which is a metaphor for one not knowing exactly what to write about so one writes about many things.)

Even though the “World’s Angriest Announcer” and me had only two matches to broadcast at No Mercy, I personally enjoyed the pay-per-view and thought the fans in Portland helped elevate the presentation. The final three bouts of the pay-per-view, two of which were ironically, wink-wink, broadcast by the Friday Night SmackDown announce duo, really rocked and closed No Mercy on a noticeably, high note.

What are some of the things we may have learned at No Mercy? Here’s a short list:

* ECW Champion Matt Hardy is a legit, main eventer who has elevated his game. Matt is an overachiever who believes in himself, which is contrary to our American political system. Matt does really well when he isn’t dating a WWE Diva.
* No one seems to be sure what role WWE HOF’er Tony Atlas fulfills in Mark Henry’s world.
* Beth Phoenix is a winner but is her “better half” Santino Marella?

If you’d like to share your feelings on these topics, just check our forums.

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Returning WWE Star Spoiler

- Randy Orton vs. CM Punk is being advertised for WWE’s November European tour, an indication that he will be returning soon.

Credit: PWInsider.com

Wanna tell everyone how you already knew this was coming?  Do it on our forums.

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WWE News with some Armageddon Spoilers

- Former TNA and current WWE developmental talent Sinn Bowdee is expected to debut shortly on Smackdown. WWE has already filmed several video packages for the debut, where he speaks in “carny.” It appears as if they will play off of his “strange look” and debut him during the Halloween season.

- The following matches are being advertised by the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY for the December WWE Armageddon PPV:

* World Title Match: Chris Jericho vs. John Cena vs. Batista
* WWE Title Match: Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Credit: Pwinsider.com

Wanna discuss this with other wrestling aficionados?  Check our forums.

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From WWE.com:

STAMFORD, Conn., October 10, 2008 - In accordance with its Wellness Program, WWE has suspended Nick Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) for 30 days for his first violation of the company’s policy.

You’re not surprised, and neither are our forum members.

TNA

Want Some Friday TNA News?

- Traci Brooks has been added as the special referee for the Beautiful People and Cute Kip vs. Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan match.

- The Impact replay will air at 9am Saturday morning this week.

Credit: 411mania.com

If you’d like to talk about how much Rhaka Khan scares you too, check our forums.

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Christian Cage Interview

Christian Cage recently did an interview with Slam Magazine, which can be read here. Or you can read below:
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TORONTO, ON — Approaching his third anniversary in TNA Wrestling, Christian Cage has accomplished goals that many wrestlers wouldn’t be able to in their entire career. Rather than coast on his past achievements, though, Cage is looking for even more success in the future. This weekend’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view seems to him like the perfect launching pad.

“My goal? To get to the top,” he told SLAM! Wrestling while on a promotional stop in Toronto this past week for Viewers Choice Canada. “I want to have another long world title reign, and as champion, keep moving the company in a forward direction, continue on with good house show business and pay-per-views and things like that.”

For Cage, wearing the belt one more time — since coming to TNA, he’s twice won the NWA Heavyweight Championship — is more than simply being recognized as a great wrestler. “When you’re the champion,” he explained, “it shows that the company has the trust in you to be the face of the company, to represent it, and to be the measuring stick by which everybody else is compared. You become the centerpiece of the company.”

Cage won’t get the chance to win the belt at this weekend’s pay-per-view, however, he will still be involved in a high-profile match. It was announced on TV this week that Cage will be competing in a three-way dance against A.J. Styles and Booker T. Beyond the match, there is an underlying storyline around this contest, one in which Cage will undoubtedly play a pivotal role. For the past few weeks, the company has been setting up an onscreen feud between its veterans and its younger stars (the main event of the PPV is one such affair, as Samoa Joe defends his TNA title against Sting). The concept of the feud isn’t entirely new — indeed, WCW tried a similar storyline in its waning months, where young up-and-comers squared off against veterans who had been in the company for years and refused to pass the torch — but Cage says that TNA’s version “is actually a bit different than how it was done before.”

“(In this case), the young guys were the first ones there. They were the building blocks for the company that took the opportunity to make it into something even before anybody even really knew who they were. When (the veterans) saw there was something here, that’s when they jumped over and tried to take all the glory for it, saying that it was because of them that the company has a Spike TV deal and monthly pay-per-views, and that without them, the younger guys wouldn’t be becoming household names. I think it’s going to be more interesting this time around.”

Cage hasn’t yet picked a side in the feud, and it’s expected that his allegiance will be revealed in the Booker-AJ match. “I’m the guy who’s just sort of become a veteran and stepped up to a spot where a younger guy would be trying to get. But I’m not too far removed from being that young guy who was looking to step up and take that spot. I’m playing it in the middle right now, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

No matter which way he sides, Cage is sure that the fans in attendance will let their reactions be known, as he has nothing but praise for the Chicago crowds. “I think Chicago fans are comparable to those in Toronto, in that they really get into the shows. They really support the talent and have an appreciation that (we’re) there to entertain them, and they let you know what they like and don’t like, and that’s what it’s all about.” When the crowd feels like they’re part of the show, he elaborated, it always leads to a better product. “They feel more attached to it, rather than when they just watch it at home like a soap opera or a sitcom every week,” he said.

For this reason, Cage likes the direction TNA has been taking over the past couple of years, whereby increasingly, pay-per-views are being held outside of the company’s home studios in Orlando. It’s important to do so, he said, if the company wants to continue to grow. “Eventually, you take it to the masses, and give the people who are watching the show the experience to watch it live. We have to do whatever we can to get as big as possible, and make the shows intriguing for our fans. If we can do that, they will want to tune in and come to our shows, and the rest will take care of itself.”

That will not only help TNA specifically, but the wrestling business as a whole, and that’s of paramount importance to Cage, as he’s hoping to be active in the business as long as he can, whether it’s in-ring or otherwise.

“I’m going to keep (wrestling) as long as I can stay healthy — knock on wood, I’ve never had a major serious injury. After that, I would definitely love to pass on to younger guys whatever I’ve learned, whether it’s with promos or announcing or training. It feels good to be in a position to be able to help guys out, and especially guys who have a hunger to learn and to step up and want to go far in the business — it’s humbling, but it’s nice.”

“Beyond that, I’ve always said that I would do it until it wasn’t fun anymore. Once it became like a real job, maybe then it will be time to hang it up and do something else. But when you’re walking into the ring every day and still say to yourself that you love your job, then there’s no reason to quit.”

If you’d like a chance to voice your opinion on Christian do so on our forums.

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