The Wrestling Gospel

[Sebastos]

You know I said I hated him, but I actually watched some of his old matches and Ziggler isn't that bad at all. He's got potential to say the least, really changed my mind about him.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Totally. It's the right time for it.

Spoiler

Matt's promo needs to be really, really good.

Boy, Kendrick's blowing his push, isn't he? From being the standout in the Championship scramble to this.

Good for MVP.

That last match sounds dreadful.

Spoiler

That promo is gonna be a defining moment for Matt, any ME future he has depends on it.

Ive got no sympathy for Kendrick but it's a shame to see such a talent wasted.

Oh wrestlecrap are freeing up entry space for that ME.

 

[Hunter Rider]

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke to The Houston Chronicle about a possible Wrestlemania 25 appearance and he issued the following statement: "Let’s just say, I will be at WrestleMania, and that’s all I’m saying."

The article goes on to confirm that actor Mickey Rourke will indeed wrestle Chris Jericho at the event by saying "Rourke has signed to wrestle WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in Reliant Stadium on April 5. For real, or as real as pro wrestling can be." You can read the full interview at Chron.com.

 

[BlackLantern]

not crazy about celebrity involvement, but if Rourke is as serious about it as he says, then I wish him luck....

 

[NDX]

Felt this needed to on this page as well.

 

[Hunter Rider]

SmackDown: (Airing Next Week)

Spoiler

* The Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Chavo Guerrero, Vladimir Kozlov, MVP, Carlito, Primo Colon, Jesse, Shelton Benjamin, The Great Khali, Scotty Goldman, Kung Fu Naki, and R-Truth all compete in a battle royal for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out.
- Vladimir Kozlov to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out by eliminating R-Truth in the battle royal.

* Backstage segment with Hurricane Helms. He talks about how wrong Matt Hardy did Jeff at Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He says that Matt's has always been a jerk.

Matt Hardy comes out the the ring and calls out Helms. Helms comes out and gets dominated by Hardy.

* Shelton Benjamin comes out to cut a promo. He says that MVP should change his name to "VPM" - Very Peyton Manning because he always blows the big game even when he has all the fans behind him. He receives tons of heat from the live crowd.

* MVP b. Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match.

* The Miz, John Morrison, & The Brian Kendrick b. R-Truth, Primo Colon, & Carlito

* Michelle McCool b. Eve via submission. Typical divas match. After the match, Maria comes in the ring to help Eve.

* Umaga b. Kung Fu Naki

* Triple H & Undertaker b. Edge & Big Show
- Triple H & Undertaker got the win after Big Show turned on Edge.

Spoiler

Other than the fact they have put botchlov in the chamber, this seems a much better show than the first one.

 

[Hunter Rider]

God those Mickie pics are epic!

Mickey Rourke is currently the guest on Larry King Live on CNN, and interestingly, Chris Jericho just appeared on the show live via satellite and furthered what looks to be an ongoing storyline between the two performers. Jericho criticized Rourke for the comments he made on the red carpet of the SAG awards by saying "I think Mickey kinda talked a little out of line...there's a lot of a difference in playing a wrestler in a movie and actually being one in real life, and I think Mickey was given some bad advice in saying my name on the red carpet, and if you get your wish Mr. Rourke you will learn things you never learned in playing a wrestler in a movie." Larry King then asked Mickey if he would ever wrestle Jericho to which Rourke said, "Would I wrestle him? If it was up to me, no. It's not my world, I was a professional fighter. Would I box him in a boxing ring or a bare knuckle match? Ya. Wrestling, that's his world." Rourke went on to say he was taking the high road and respected everything Jericho does, to which Jericho responded by saying, "...You offended me, and that's the last thing you want to do is offend Chris Jericho, believe me, because you may have respect for me and my world but I don't have respect for you. I don't. I really don't."

Although this did come off as a work as Jericho was definitely "in character," Rourke shied away from announcing that he would be at Wrestlemania or that he would be having any kind of match with Jericho. In fact, he later stated in the interview that he will not have a match with Jericho and that he needs to stop doing these kinds of "crazy" things he used to be guilty of doing earlier in his career. In my opinion, it seems as if they're setting this up for Jericho to be the clear heel as he was really attacking Rourke, and the Oscar nominated actor will most likely be the babyface as he had nothing bad to say about Jericho and came off as very non-confrontational. It was an interesting segment no matter what happens.

 

[NDX]

SmackDown: (Airing Next Week)

Spoiler

* The Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Chavo Guerrero, Vladimir Kozlov, MVP, Carlito, Primo Colon, Jesse, Shelton Benjamin, The Great Khali, Scotty Goldman, Kung Fu Naki, and R-Truth all compete in a battle royal for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out.
- Vladimir Kozlov to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out by eliminating R-Truth in the battle royal.

The bolded, that's a typo, right?

 

[NDX]

ROH news:

Earlier today, as part of the ROH Newswire, Ring of Honor made the preceding announcement. Now with the negotiations put to bed, we can officially announce which top shelf competitor will be making their way to ROH during the “Proving Ground ’09” weekend in Florida. It’s a weekend in which many different competitors will be given an opportunity to showcase their skills for the first time in Ring of Honor, and we are proud to announce the addition of one more name.

On February 7th in Orlando, FL, for one night only, D-Lo Brown will look to prove himself inside the ROH ring. D-Lo is a former WWF Intercontinental & European champion, a former NWA World Tag Champion, and a former GHC Heavyweight Tag Champion. Now he is looking to forge a name for himself here in ROH. “I hear how great the wrestlers in ROH are,” said D-Lo. “And I look forward to showing the fans that it’s okay to still be down with the brown. After the 7th in Orlando, I’m sure all of ROH will be too.”

The question remains: who D-Lo will face in Orlando? ROH officials will have that announcement next in the Newswire!

 

[The Sage]

Good for both D-Lo and ROH.

 

[Dr. Evil]

A couple of thoughts on the Smackdown tapings:

Spoiler

1. Hopefully, the next time Shelton Benjamin loses the WWE United States Title he loses the damn title.

2. No Jeff, but I would guess promo videos or he's recruiting a certain former "Creepy Little Bastard"

3. Kozlov gets his very first loss in the Chamber

 

[NDX]

Good for both D-Lo and ROH.

I think if he does well and goes over with the crowd, they might bring him in on a more frequent basis. A match I want to see.

Now if they would only bring in Elijah Burke.

 

[Dr. Evil]

I am of the thinking that Shane vs. Orton for No Way Out was Plan B. I don't think this is what the WWE had in mind as late as The Survivor Series. If I had to take a stab at it, I would guess that the plan was for Batista to sell the punt from Randy Orton, come back as a surprise entrant in the Rumble, mainly to go after Orton only to have Orton avoid him like the plague for the next few weeks, with Orton throwing Rhodes and DiBiase at the Animal, leading to a showdown between the two at Wrestlemania 25 with Batista hell bent on revenge.

The McMahon Storyline was Plan B for Orton leading up to Wrestlemania 25 with Big Dave injured.

 

[Slushy]

Well, my belief was that if Batista didn't get injured, Cena / Batista II was to main event WM. Dave got hurt so Orton was the back-up plan.

 

[NDX]

WHAT ULTIMATE WARRIOR APPEARING IN THE NEW WRESTLEMANIA LEGENDS GAME DOES AND DOESN'T MEAN FOR WWE FANS

by Mike Johnson

The inclusion of former WWF champion The Ultimate Warrior in the forthcoming THQ-produced Legends of Wrestlemania video game has led to a number of people questioning whether Warrior and World Wrestling Entertainment have reached some sort of detente in their long-standing legal battle.

The simple answer to that is: No, they have not.

The Ultimate Warrior's ongoing lawsuit against WWE stemming from their portrayal of him in the 2005 "Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD is still making its way through the legal process, including the issue of whether WWE had violated a previous Settlement Agreement between the two sides from a previous lawsuit. As late as last month, the two sides were going back and forth, specifically after a federal court had sent the issue of whether the original settlement had been breached back to Arizona State Court where it was first agreed upon.

So, Why is Warrior included in the Legends of Wrestlemania game?

What is most likely is that THQ acquired the rights to use the Warrior character and likeness, for a fee, as part of the confidential, sealed settlement that Warrior and THQ agreed upon to end his lawsuit against WWE video game publisher in September 2008.

That lawsuit, which was filed in April 2005, featured claims by Warrior that the publisher had used Warrior's " likeness, moves, trade dress, marks, and other intellectual property" associated with him without his permission in their Create-A-Wrestler mode of WWE video games, allowing players to "create a character that has a similar build, face paint, and logo symbol as Warrior, that uses the entrance and finishing moves found under the label ‘OUW’ that are similar to Warrior’s, that has the call name ‘The Warrior’ or ‘Warrior,’ and is from ‘Parts Unknown.’"

Warrior had previously negotiated with THQ in 2003 in regard to licensing his intellectual property for the videogames but discussions ended without any contractual agreement. Warrior had contended in the suit that THQ had utilized and circumvented his trademarks and copyrights by allowing users the ability to build and create a Warrior character and thus, created the confusion that he had given his permission and was associated with the game.

In the end, the two sides settled matters.

Now, as how can Warrior be included in the game while at legal odds with WWE, there is a precedent for this as well. The Jakks Pacific video game company has made deals directly with a number of talents, including Warrior, Bruno Sammartino and Bret Hart in order to acquire their likeness and rights for the Classic Superstars WWE toy line. That process, approved by WWE, allows for Jakks to work directly with certain talents who don't want to work with WWE for obvious personal reasons. It stands to reason that is likely the situation between Warrior and THQ as well.

Either way, Warrior fans will get to have the former champion in the new video game.

 

[NDX]

RING OF HONOR ON HDNET UPDATE

by Mike Johnson

As noted yesterday, Ring of Honor and HDNet announced that they will be launching a weekly ROH series on the subscription High Definition cable network. This will be the first foray for ROH on television on a national cable scale (they briefly had TV locally on Philadelphia's channel 48 before dropping it after they realized the expenditure and time spent didn't result in drawing more fans) and also the network's first journey into producing a professional wrestling series. HDNet regularly features Mixed Martial Arts broadcasts from the United States, Japan and Canada as the cornerstone of their network.

There are not a lot of details yet in terms of the series but sources I've spoken to at the network indicate that HDNet will be handling the production end of things while ROH will provide the creative direction and in-ring product. The two sides will be working on something of a barter deal where they share in profits from the series, but it doesn't appear to be a case where HDnet will be paying a weekly rights fee for the ROH series. ROH declined to comment on the series' deal at this time, citing that aspects of the agreement are still being ironed out and it would be unfair to even comment on the deal in any fashion.

The early word among wrestlers is the first taping will take place in the Northeast, so I'm guessing they will debut with both barrels blazing at the Hammerstein Ballroom, but that is just conjecture on my part.

The initial plan a few weeks ago was to have a Saturday night series, but that isn't set in stone and there is no finalized debut date yet.

For those who asked, I have no confirmation on whether live ROH events could appear on the network as specials, but HDNet has the capability to do so if they wish - they often do live MMA broadcasts, even overseas from Japan. I also have no confirmation that ROH could take the series and syndicate it to other countries, a strategy that has been extremely financially beneficial towards making TNA profitable.

As you can imagine, ROH is thrilled that the deal is done and morale is extremely high right now. Finding some sort of television outlet has long been a goal for ROH owner Cary Silkin, who felt that they had reached the saturation point of their current audience and that it was time to grow or become stagnant. A few months ago, one top ROH executive told me that just getting on television anywhere would be a huge cornerstone for the company, because it would be a new stage to showcase the ROH brand name and help them build a track record for the long-term. ROH isn't going into the deal with stars in their eyes expecting this will lead to 10,000 new fans per live event, but see it as a major accomplishment and their chance to start a new chapter in the company's near-seven year history.

 

[NDX]

Source: PWInsider.com

BIG VISION Entertainment reviving GLOW?

GLOW Open Casting Call!

The 1980's TV sensation is getting ready to cast a new generation of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) girls to take part in an incredible journey! If you think you have what it takes, show up in person!

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
Between 4-6 PM

Big Vision Entertainment
14431 Hamlin St.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
818-779-0703

If you have questions, please Email: [email protected] (email is quickest and
more effective than calling)

You do not need experience in professional wrestling to take part. We are looking for a very wide range of types and styles of people. You do not need to RSVP, jus' come on down!

Think you have what it takes? PROVE IT! We will see you there!!

View GLOW on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/glowrestling

View Big Vision Entertainment on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bigvisionentertainment

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I definitely think having Legacy dominate belts post Mania is the way to go, it will prep a lot of feuds and lay seeds for a big pay off.

Yup. Good work Sage

 

[TheFuture]

In fact, he later stated in the interview that he will not have a match with Jericho and that he needs to stop doing these kinds of "crazy" things he used to be guilty of doing earlier in his career.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but it sounds as if they are playing on Mickey's failures in the past as a foundation in this match. And this is what I hoped they'd do because it would have been too lame if they got Rourke to use "The Ram" as his persona. Especially since you'll get the same results considering how Rouke and The Ram mirror each other in a number of ways.

 

[TwoMinutesHate]

Hey guys. Don't think this has been posted, but here is Jericho and Rourke on Larry King:

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[DX]

So, does anyone think that Tommy Dreamer's gonna win the ECW title before his contract expires?

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Nope

 

[BlackLantern]

Tommy is walking away from the ring I think....he's done more than enough

 

[Dr. Evil]

So does Tommy work backstage once he's done?

Also, I doubt Edge will be involved in the Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy/Christian storyline (if Christian ever shows up) after No Way Out, especially if he's still WWE Champion or loses the title and exercises his rematch clause.

 

[BlackLantern]

I know Tommy had been when he came over from ECW and then decided to start competing in ring again....I'm not sure if he'll go back to doing that when his contract is up...if the feud with him and Swagger goes full tilt, this could be a good way to get Swagger over with the fans, if thats what the WWE wants