As seen on ECW this week, Ezekiel Jackson made his debut on the brand, defeating local competitor Jack Meridol. Jackson had not appeared on television since the April 3, 2009 episode of SmackDown, which saw him lose to Jeff Hardy. Jackson was drafted to the ECW brand two weeks later as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, therefore breaking up the team of himself and The Brian Kendrick. Without debuting for the brand, however, Jackson returned to Florida Championship Wrestling for further training, where he largely squashed wrestlers.

Labels: Ezekiel Jackson

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE has announced that actor and producer Seth Green will be the special guest host for this coming Monday night’s RAW from Orlando, Florida. Green is the co-creator of hit TV show Robot Chicken and has starred in such movies as Austin Powers, Can’t Hardly Wait and The Italian Job, among many others.

Labels: RAW, Seth Green

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Edge was injured during a match with Jeff Hardy over the weekend at a WWE Live Event in San Diego. Edge was running towards Jeff when he tore his Achilles tendon.

WWE has confirmed on their website the torn Achilles tendon injury. Edge arrived at Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama earlier today to have surgery to repair the torn tendon in his left ankle. Edge’s surgery began at 10 a.m. EST this morning.

WWE has confirmed that Edge’s surgery was a success this afternoon, but have not provided an update on his return. Early estimates predicted that Edge may be out of action for the remainder of 2009 and put his return at January 2010.

Labels: edge

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The always insane Ultimate Warrior (or Warrior), took some massive shots at the death of Michael Jackson from this past week. The following is from his blog on the subject:

I imagine all the crying about the death of this recent drug-soused entertainment freak has most to do with the unfortunate inconvenience that the other drug-soused entertainment freaks now face. They will have to look for another local, safe and reputable babysitter. No longer will they be able to drop their kids off down the street at Jacko’s to be watched for the afternoon and spend some play time with his own kids.

I hate the paparazzi, and think they should all be shot for the obsessive invasion of privacy. But I’m really going miss ALL those TMZ and Entertainment Tonight video clips of Jacko’s and other celebrity kids playing together. You ever see any of those? Weren’t they great? Didn’t they make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside? Worked for me. Every time I caught one it made me believe maybe he wasn’t a pedophile. After all, famous and rich entertainers, with all kinds of money to go to any expense to have things accurately checked out for themselves, wouldn’t let their own little babies near a pedophile…would they?!

Well, you gotta give him credit for one thing. He spent all his money (and then some) before he died. And that’s not an easy thing to calculate. Go ahead, ask your financial planner if he has a plan to pull it off. For all the horrific mismanagement of millions and millions and millions of dollars, here at the end, Jacko did a pretty damn good job at balancing the books in his favor. Sorry, at my new age and with the way the Obama economic plan is going, I couldn’t help but recognize this stunner.

Your Founding Father of Intense Sarcasm…

Always Believe, Warrior

Labels: michael jackson, ultimate warrior

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Jim Ross is back with another blog on jrsbarbq.com. Some of the highlights:

- ECW is going to be a mix of a handful of vets mixxing it up w/ several rookies. WWE has many, talented youngsters who will make ECW their home for the foreseeable future.This show will showcase their ever improving skills.w/ some talents winning, some losing and all of them improving. That’s the goal. Got a feeling this show will be feast or famine w/ no lack of effort. Sheamus, the Keltic Warrior is a keeper. Kovlov had a good nite. There is something good in the future for the Russian. Abraham Washington’s “talk” show will be challenging at first but the young man can talk. Patience for these young kids will be needed by all involved but they’ll succeed with hard work and the leadership of the vets.ECW will be unpredictable without question. I expect Christian, Dreamer & Regal to be viable vets on Tues nite.

- SD did well in the draft. It was easy to see it in tonight’s locker room. The Hart Dynasty adds ready to rock youth and heritage. Finley adds a veteran who can have a good match w/ most anyone as he did w/ Ricky Ortiz who learned from the Quiet Man.” Friday Night SD is wrestling heavy. Fit-Ortiz, Ziggler-Truth, Rey vs Kane, a diva tag that had the time to evolve,and the reluctant duo of Jeff Hardy & CM Punk vs Team Ego of Jericho & Edge.Once I slipped up and said “Edge & Christian.” Opps…my bad or wishful thinking. The finish at the end of the show provided two surprises that you should watch Friday night.

- Plus there is one more night to go Wednesday in Bakersfield. This may be the most interesting night of the week as it relates to fatige and unpredictability. Jericho challenges Mysterio Wed nite for the IC Title. Let’s hope that they can recreate their magic at The Bash. Wed’s content will be voicedover next week in Stamford. We’re all out here working hard with many new elements which keeps everyone on their toes & to be honest some of it will be great and some will be fodder for the critics.

Labels: chris jericho, edge, jim ross

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

From: Wrestling Observer

Last night’s episode of ECW saw the debuts of four wrestlers in Yoshi Tatsu (Naofumi Yamamoto), Abraham Washington (Brian Jossie), Sheamus (Stephen Farrelly) and Tyler Reks (Gabriel Tuft). However, both wrestlers and fans alike shouldn’t get too comfortable quite yet as the four newcomers were considered in the eyes of creative as not full-fledged ECW wrestlers, but rather, wrestlers being looked at for possible spots on ECW. At this point, none are considered to be official members of the ECW roster.

Keep your eyes peeled on ECW over the next few weeks as more developmental wrestlers will be tested out for possible spots on the roster. Given the limited amount of roster spots in ECW and extraordinary number of wrestlers in developmental, unfortunately, not everyone will make it. Given WWE’s lack of patience for young stars, it’s definitely a “sink or swim” situation.

Labels: abraham washington, ecw, sheamus, tyler reks

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE’s website has the full details on the 15 Superstar trade that was approved by Donald Trump. Here are the full roster changes:

New Members of RAW: Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox

New Members of Smackdown: Matt Hardy, Finlay, Tyson Kidd, Natalya, David Hart Smith

New Members of ECW: Shelton Benjamin, Goldust, William Regal, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella

The decision to implement the fifteen-Superstar WWE roster trade was reportedly made sometime in the past week. One of the trade’s biggest implications concerned the ECW Championship. The original plan called for Jack Swagger to win the title at The Bash in the Championship Scramble. Instead, WWE opted to move Swagger to RAW, where he will feud with fresh babyfaces.

Labels: ecw, gail kim, jack swagger, mark henry, matt hardy

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

According to twnpnews.com:

Tony Atlas' future with WWE is very much in doubt following the transfer of his associate, Mark Henry, to the Raw brand this past Monday.

Company officials plan on pushing the "World's Strongest Man" as a top babyface, which as a result, has left Atlas to fend for himself as he is not being brought alongside him.

The WWE Hall of Famer's contract is coming due in a few weeks and it remains uncertain whether it will be renewed.

Labels: mark henry, tony atlas

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

After sending out several surveys over the past few months, WWE has changed the name of a few upcoming pay-per-view events.

* The October 4th No Mercy pay-per-view is now called Hell in a Cell. This show is expected to have the top matches take place in a Hell in a Cell. At one point there was a plan to have Randy Orton vs. Triple H at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match but that plan might be changed now.

* The Cyber Sunday pay-per-view on October 25th has been changed to WWE Annihilation. Presumably this will be the event with the top matches on the card having submission stipulations.

Labels: 20009 WWE Annihilation, 2009 Hell in a Cell

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE Hall of Famer Billy Graham was hospitalized on Friday night after his legs went numb. He went in and x-rays showed 2 of the discs in his lower back fused on their own with the obliteration of a disc separating them. Graham underwent traction and is back at home but will miss an independent event in Massachusetts today he was scheduled to appear at.

The event he was going to appear at is a benefit show from the Millenium Wrestling Federation for “Mermaid Girl” so she can get into a summer camp. Stars like Awesome Kong, ODB, Spike Dudley, John Cena Sr., The Kat and others will be appearing. There will also be some taped stuff from JBL. The promoters are trying to get Graham to do a Q&A session with the fans by phone. The promotion is offering all ticket purchasers a free autographed photo by Graham, two new wrestling books and a free Graham action figure in an attempt to make good. For fans who pre-purchased the autographs and photos with Graham, refunds will be sent via PayPal this week.

Labels: superstar billy graham

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Lilian Garcia made the following announcement on her official website this morning:

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of you are doing well! I am writing to address the situation in which WWE is looking for a Female Ring Announcer/Singer. The truth of the matter is that they are looking for someone new because I have given them my notice that I will be leaving at the end of my contract this year. It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision because WWE has been my family from day one and you, the WWE Universe have always been incredible to me. The fact is that I am getting married later this year and have decided to enter into a new phase of my life but I will truly miss all of you and the WWE tremendously.

Love you all & keep rockin!

Forever Rockin’,
Lilian

Labels: lilian garcia

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

- Even though the issues between Rey Mysterio and WWE may or may not have been worked out yet, he is not leaving WWE although at one point he was on the verge of doing so. The whole Mysterio situation was a big deal within WWE a week ago with the fear that he would leave but it’s all considered settled now. Mysterio has brought up to WWE the idea that he thinks he can make more money in Mexico. Rey has been making somewhere in the $1.5 million range with WWE over the past few years and might not be able to pull that in Mexico. Supposedly the AAA promotion in Mexico had offered him a $1 million signing bonus and in excess of $1 million per year back when he was on the open market.

Mysterio is likely in the group of WWE talents who are probably down 15% on their pay because the revenue streams used to pay those talents are down 15% although the decline in WrestleMania revenue from last year is significantly less than the overall business, about 8%, and WrestleMania pay is a big part of the talents annual income.

Right now Mysterio is happy about where things are going with him in the future and happy with the Chris Jericho angle. He also was pleased with how everything went down this past week in the storylines. One thing that might come up in the future is the fact that Rey wants to take advantage of his huge popularity in Mexico. Rey wants to monetize his popularity there. doing mainstream media appearances and getting product endorsements like a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan would in this country. These are avenues that wouldn’t be available to wrestlers here in the United States but those in Mexico say Mysterio could get them there.

Labels: rey mysterio

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

- Here’s the updated card for WWE’s The Bash pay-per-view coming out of tonight’s RAW:

Best of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Title
Randy Orton vs. Triple H
The first fall will be a regular singles match, the second fall will be a Falls Count Anywhere match and if necessary, the third fall will be a Stretcher match.

World Heavyweight Title Match
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy

ECW Championship Scramble Match
Tommy Dreamer vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry

Mask vs. Title Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho

WWE Unified Tag Team Title Match
The Colons vs. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes

WWE Women’s Title Match
Melina vs. Michelle McCool

John Cena vs. The Miz

Labels: 2009 bash, john cena, rey mysterio

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE wrestler John Morrison recently spoke to ESPN.com to promote the SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 videogame. Here are some highlights:

Inspirations for his moves: “I watch other wrestlers, I watch movies with Jackie Chan and Jet Li and Tony Jaa, then there’s breakdancing and Capoeira. Just anything I see that looks awesome that I think I could adapt in the ring. Just your typical Kung Fu, breakdancing, Capoeira moves.”

On being drafted to SmackDown: “I think Smackdown is the cooler show in a lot of ways. Like you said, it’s the more athletic show, it’s faster paced. And then when you look at Raw, they have a lot of the established guys. They have Batista, John Cena, Triple H, The Big Show, HBK when he comes back. Look at the Smackdown side. We have all of the up-and-comers, but we also have (Chris) Jericho and Edge who are established, but they haven’t been around as long as guys like Triple H and the stuff that they have to say is generally fresher. There are more opportunities for match-ups people haven’t seen yet on Smackdown.”

His favorite wrestlers: “HBK (Shawn Michaels), loved him. Rick Rude, Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man… all those guys. I can go on and on.”

Labels: john cena, john morrison, triple h

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Undertaker is said to be working out very hard in preparation for his return. WWE hopes to have him back in time for a meaningful match at SummerSlam. Undertaker’s surgery was a success, but he is still a little banged up. He is pushing hard to get back and is said to be very dedicated to performing at a high level for WWE.

He feels that the company needs him and he wants to get back and help WWE, and more specifically, help the SmackDown brand. Undertaker has his mind set on returning sooner than later, despite sources within WWE feeling that at this point in his career he should be more cautious and make sure he is completely healthy before returning.

Labels: undertaker

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: brooke hogan

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE stock dropped as much as 6.7 percent on Tuesday and at least one stock exchange analyst is blaming the drop on the new storyline with Donald Trump.

Dow Jones News Plus’ Maxwell Murphy says: “For starters, public companies don’t announce mergers and acquisitions involving one of their most lucrative brands as part of staged, circus-like events. And if, heaven forbid, they do, they certainly must file with alacrity an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission to announce and explain the pact, which WWE hasn’t done.”

Murphy also noted that he contacted the USA Network after they sent out the press release for the angle. Murphy wrote, “A USA spokesman referred questions to WWE about whether the release could mislead WWE investors who don’t get the joke, or run afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rules. An SEC spokesman wasn’t familiar with the situation, but doubted the agency would have a comment one way or the other about the propriety of such a press release.”

A WWE spokesperson noted in the article that the storyline Trump sale “will make for great television,” but wouldn’t directly admit that the sale was indeed a storyline.

Labels: donald trump

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: donald trump, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This isn’t confirmed but there was a rumor going around at Extreme Rules and RAW that new ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer has signed a new three to five year deal with WWE. It’s been believed by some that Dreamer would be offered some kind of agent deal by WWE in the future.

Labels: tommy dreamer

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:56 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

In a shocker - Umaga was released Monday from his WWE contract. PWInsider.com reports that WWE sources say it was “a situation where he just had to be let go.” What that quote means is anyone’s guess because the sources didn‘t specify, but there have apparently been behavior-related issues with Umaga in the past.

Umaga is telling people he left under his own free will, and while that could be true, it seems unlikely as he just made his return and worked hard to come back.

There have been a lot of people in the company worried about losing their jobs as of late. Vince is said to be even more hyper or “insane” than usual and it’s a very tough time to be a member of the WWE staff. Vince is said to be more short-tempered than usual and is changing his mind on issues very frequently and frantically. Vince is usually much nicer to the wrestlers than the staff, possibly due to the fact most of them are physically bigger than him. Some sources feel that when Vince is mad at a wrestler for doing something, he doesn’t chew out the wrestler but rather takes it out on a staff member like an assistant or a TV announcer. Vince is famous for taking out his anger on Michael Cole and former WWE announcer Mick Foley, both of whom are described as very nice guys by their co-workers. This treatment is what apparently lead to Foley leaving WWE for TNA and becoming one of TNA’s top draws. Mick Foley, alongside Sting, helped set new TNA iMPACT viewership records leading into the company’s Lockdown 2009 PPV.

PWInsider.com reports that people in the company feel RAW is “boring” is right now, but since Vince is directing creative, nobody says anything. The feeling is that even if you suggest something minor that is logical and would improve the show, you could get chewed out by the boss for it.

On a side note, WWE management is back on a kick to prevent leaks to the internet. Finding moles within the company staff and creative team is back to a top priority.

Labels: umaga

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

WWE's website has just confirmed that WWE Champion Batista is injured and will be out of action for four months, putting his return sometime around October. WWE says that the injury is indeed a completely torn left bicep. No word yet on what will come of the WWE Championship. Stay tuned for more details.

Batista has been diagnosed with a torn tendon in the biceps. The good news is that it's not believed to be a full fledged muscle tear, which means less time out of the ring for him. The injury is believed to have occurred about three weeks ago, but that's not confirmed. Batista is still scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow. Many are under the impression that the injury was caused just by wear and tear.

There is no word yet on how long he is expected to be out of action, but those within WWE are hopeful that it will be a minimal amount of time while yesterday they were expecting the worst. It appears Batista is still the WWE Champion after tonight's RAW. He didn't show for his match with Randy Orton, but the referee stopped the 10 count right before Triple H made his return to destroy Orton. We may get a better understanding of the whole Batista situation tomorrow after surgery.

Labels: batista, randy orton, triple h

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post