giovedì 31 gennaio 2013

SPOILER: DIXIE CARTER'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ON IMPACT WRESTLING WILL BE...


TNA President Dixie Carter's announcement will be that many of the Impact Wrestling episodes will be on the road going forward. The plan we have heard is to broadcast one live episode and tape another episode the same night.
They will still tape in Impact in Orlando as well.
The first taping will be Thursday 3/14 in Hoffman Estates, IL at the Sears Centre Arena, a venue they have run before. There's been talk of doing a PPV there for some time.

mercoledì 30 gennaio 2013

UNDERTAKER-WRESTLEMANIA UPDATE


As we noted earlier this week in the PWInsider Elite section, the word making the rounds at WWE TV this week was that plans for Wrestlemania may need to be altered pending a decision on whether The Undertaker will wrestle on the show.
Undertaker had given word he would be working the PPV several months back and there had been plans in place for a CM Punk storyline leading into the PPV.
The story making the rounds the last few days was that Undertaker's physical well being was being called into question and it was no longer fully confirmed he would be working the show.
This won't be the first time that WWE has been back and forth on whether Taker would work the biggest show of the year. In the past, he always came through and worked. We'll see soon enough whether he does or not. If he doesn't, there will need to be some plans tweaked.

UFC Ultimate Fighter TV report week two


by: Brent Wilson

brentwilson5@gmail.com

-------------------------------------------

The production quality of this season seems to be way up, including the recaps of last week's episode where we are reminded that with the first matchmaking opportunity Jon Jones pitted his team's Gilbert Smith against the number one overall pick Luke Barnatt from Team Chael Sonnen.

The fighters arrive at the house and we hear from Bubba McDaniel and Josh Samman from Team Jones who both question the merits of Smith facing off with Sonnen's top pick so early in the show. Team Jones' coaches include Frank Mir, NCAA Division I Wrestling champion and undefetead MMA prospect Bubba Jenkins, long, long time Muay Thai coach Stonehorse Goeman, and Vegas based MMA fighter John Wood.

In early practices McDaniel and Samman continue to second guess the Smith pick expressing concern over Smith's cardio. Wood and Jenkins second these concerns in a coaches meeting. Smith feels the negativity and complains about a lack of motivation from his coaches and teammates in the van after practice, "that shit is pissing me off."

The Gilbert Smith show continues as he breaks down in the backyard with a signed Colorado state flag from his friends and family. Teammate Adam Cella takes this as Smith potentially being mentally weak and homesick already.

Team Sonnen includes former TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes who worked with Sonnen on his grappling to much fanfare before the Anderson Silva rematch, former TUFer and Dolce diet maven Mike Dolce, Team Quest boxing coach Clayton Hines, Team Quest Tualatin head trainer Scott McQuary, and Team Quest striking coach Jamie Huey.

Team Jones confronts Smith in the locker room about his attitude and cardio issues with McDaniel and Samman telling him that he's not ready to fight. The coaches listen through the door until Jon Jones eventually steps in telling Smith to not care what anyone else says, that he's here for himself, and to have fun and to get it done.

In training Jones feels that Luke Barnatt leaves his chin high up in the air and wants Smith to exploit that with overhand lefts, then closing the range to use Smith's power to get takedowns.

Sonnen singles Uriah Hall out as someone he wants to ensure makes it to the next round on his team, seeing the potential Hall has to win the show. Hall tells Sonnen that he wants to focus on taking out one of Team Jones' best fighters early, picking out McDaniel, Cella, and Samman.

For this week Sonnen wants Barnatt to utilize his great reach advantage and keep Smith on the outside and stuck on the feet. Sonnen says he doubts Smith can take Barnatt down the multiple times he needs to to win the fight. Barnatt talks about standing with Smith for a few minutes, then flipping the script and taking Smith down.

OPENING ROUND FIGHT #1 GILBERT SMITH vs. LUKE BARNATT
Gilbert Smith (5-1), Notable Wins: None, Notable Losses: None.
Strengths: Strong as hell, a stocky powerhouse. Uses his strength to get slams and maintain top position, a solid wrestler. The southpaw has shown a little power standing. Has improving passing skills and can power some submission victories with his squeeze.

Weakness: Not much of a game plan other than getting in on your legs and trying to take you down. Very raw and rudimentary standing, throwing big blows to close the distance. Not the most exciting, often guilty of burying his head into his opponents chest in their full guard. Could be called a lay and prayer. Struggles when he can't control the fight from the top. His rocked-up build and musculature comes at the expense of his reach, very short for 185 at 5'9".

Outlook: Guys can ride being a superior wrestler pretty far through TUF, just look at Colton Smith. This Smith doesn't have a dynamic, well-rounded game to portend much success in the UFC and his wrestling isn't superlative enough to cover his weaknesses.

Luke Barnatt (5-0), Notable Wins: None. Notable Losses: He's you know, undefeated.

Strengths: Tall and long at 6'6" and he knows how to use it, pumping a strong jab, launching kicks and knees and utilizing trips from the clinch. Knows to keep his distance and shows some semblances of footwork. Has used his big frame and long legs to good effect when grappling maintaining a strong base and good posture.

Weaknesses: The Brit fights out of a strong team, the Tsunami Gym (John Maguire, Robbie Olivier, Jack Mason), but the stereotype about British fighters prevails, his defensive wrestling was not tested in the slightest on the UK scene although his long levers, footwork and strength give him some potential there. When pressed standing his footwork and defense are an issue, holding his chin straight up and moving straight back. Doesn't appear to be terribly explosive or athletic, often fights at a slow pace.

Outlook: As a prospect Barnatt has a ton of tools with his reach and understanding of how to use it. If he can keep on his feet and control distance he could be a really tough out.
'
ROUND ONE
Barnatt opens the fight pumping his jab, and keeping his distance firing inside leg kicks as well. Smith throws one overland left and ducks in for the takedown, Barnatt stopped moving and Smith is able to press him to the cage. Smith switches to a single leg and runs the pike, turning the corner and putting Barnatt down into full guard. Barnatt pops right back up and trips Smith down, who also pops right back up.

From the clinch Barnatt lands some heavy knees to the body forcing Smith to again drop for a takedown, again both fighters trade takedowns where the other immediately gets back up, with Barnatt also utilizing a very nice switch. At distance Barnatt lands some straight punches and Smith dives in again getting stuffed easily and pushed to his back.

Smith scrambles back up again and Barnatt attempts a push kick to the face and a flying knee, before stuffing another Smith takedown as the round ends.

Not a whole lot of damage for Barnatt but still his round 10-9, Smith threw and landed very little completely and unsuccessfully focused on taking Barnatt down.

ROUND TWO
Even when caught leaping in with a left hook Barnatt is able to fend off Smith's takedown, landing a few elbows to the side of Smith's head to boot. Smith is dogged on the single leg attempt and avoids a Barnatt switch attempt, as well as Barnatt's attempt to secure a back crucifix and roll through to back control. Even when Smith secures this brief advantage on top Barnatt gets to his knees and back up to his feet right away.

Barnatt trips Smith down straight to mount, but Smith in turn is able to shrimp to half-guard and easily get back to his feet. Once standing Smith starts unloading with haymakers, a few of which glance home on the possibly tired and stationary Barnatt.

Following a failed trip attempt from Barnatt the two fighters reset. Barnatt steps back then perfectly times A FLYING KNEE TO THE SIDE OF SMITH'S HEAD! Right as Smith was dropping down for a takedown! That's all she wrote as Smith is out.

WINNER: LUKE BARNATT BY KO (FLYING KNEE) AT 3:12 OF ROUND TWO
Great finish and fantastic display of defensive wrestling by Luke Barnatt showing an excellent base and counters. His top control and scramble game was real sloppy allowing Smith to easily get up, but his trips from the clinch were effective. His stand-up game wasn't especially active but his straight jab, right hand, knees from the clinch and leg kicks have real potential.

Jones blames Smith's mental state and cardio for his loss and Josh Samman says "I told ya so." Bubba McDaniel attempts to keep control by challenging Kevin Casey for next week's fight, a ploy I don't see Sonnen falling for.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT: Sonnen picks my season favorite, the man with devastating kickboxing Uriah Hall to face the relatively untested undefeatd prospect with a high workrate Adam Cella.

Cella's high workrate and active offense has involved constantly firing punches, this is exciting but has left his defense wide open which could easily result in him getting highlight reeled by Hall.

Considering the teaser involves Dana talking about the fight finishing with the nastiest KO in TUF history and them showing the ambulance showing up I'm not feeling too optimistic for Mr. Cella.

Another 'UFC vs. Strikeforce' lightweight fight added to 4/20 FOX show


Dana White just confirmed to us that Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson is earmarked for the 4/20 show in San Jose.

Thomson is a former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and Diaz is coming off a title loss to reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson in early December.

It's a strong local match since Thomson is from San Jose and Diaz is from Stockton, about 90 minutes away.

IF YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE UPSET CM PUNK LOST THE WWE TITLE....


This one has been going viral and will probably end up on Tosh.0 at some point. It' a video of one CM Punk fan who was not happy at all that Punk lost the title on Sunday. We'll let it speak for itself. STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING!

HOW WWE WILL FOLLOW UP ON BROCK LESNAR'S RETURN


Brock Lesnar is scheduled for this Monday's Raw taping in Atlanta, GA, so WWE will be using that appearance to follow up on the angle where he destroyed Vince McMahon and broke his hip during his return to the company.
Lesnar will be making semi-regular appearances for the company leading into Wrestlemania 29. When he was signed last year, the deal called for a minimum of two dates per month, which WWE obviously did not utilize as well as additional dates building to Mania.
Well, so far, Lesnar is being locally advertised for Atlanta this Monday as well as 2/25 in Dallas, 3/11 in Indianapolis and 4/2 in Washington, DC. Additional dates could be added (or these dates changed) as WWE storylines evolve.
As we broke on Sunday in the PWInsider Elite section, Lesnar agreed last week to a brand new 2 year deal with the company, locking him in through the Spring of 2015.

FINAL TNA VS. WWE LAWSUIT UPDATE


The TNA lawsuit against WWE was officially closed and dismissed on 1/22.
In the Judge's ruling, it was noted the case was closed without prejudice, which means that it could be re-opened down the line if needed. Chances are that won't happen, since TNA was able to get a permanent injunction against former office worker Brian Wittenstein to prevent him from using any confidential TNA information he poached. There was never any proof that WWE maintained or utilized the material Wittenstein passed on to former WWE executive John Laurinaits.
It was noted that each side would cover their own legal costs and that TNA would be required to pay the court's costs.

TNA PRESIDENT DIXIE CARTER SAYS BIG ANNOUNCEMENT IS COMING REGARDING IMPACT ON THE ROAD, EXPLAINS PPV CHANGES


TNA President Dixie Carter was interviewed by The American, which interestingly enough is a British media outlet, during last week's European tour. Here are a few interesting highlights from the discussion:
Changing PPV Schedule: "To cut down the PPVs was a difficult decision because you’re giving away millions of dollars to both your top line as well as the profit line on the balance sheet. We do have success in that. It’s always been the traditional way of doing wrestling but I feel we’re in a place right now where we have to shake things up and we need to look at things differently. It is a big financial risk on our part to do without it but I feel like it will make the PPVs we do much more special and I really feel it will make television mean more. We’ll have an opportunity to let programmes breathe, give away more PPV-quality matches on television, and then when we do have a PPV I know everyone of my guys are going to be fighting to be on that card and it will just be interesting to see how that plays out."
How the Taped PPVs will Work into TNA Stories: "It is so hard to build up a paid PPV-quality card in just four weeks, so here is a chance with this One Night Only series to come up with a dream concept and to put dream players in there. There doesn’t have to be back stories: you can create dream match-ups or see a certain gimmick. We are going to be having a lot of fun with these and I think we’ll come up with some really great programming."
Impact Wrestling on the Road: "That is the goal starting this year. We’re close to making a big announcement, another one besides the PPVs, which I think will have a great impact on the show, pun intended. Taking the show on the road is the natural next step for us. It’s expensive touring and it’s not that I haven’t wanted to be on the road but it’s a business decision just like losing the PPVs. I’m not going to put this company in any financial trouble, so everything we have done has been very conscious, people were saying we weren’t going to stay in business for ten weeks and here we are going into our 11th year and having more success than ever and that’s because we make good business decisions."
You can read the entire interview at this link.

TRUE STORY: MAN GETS SHOT IN EYE, MORE UPSET CM PUNK LOST WWE CHAMPIONSHIP!!


You have to see this one to believe it.
ABC affiliate WSYR featured a story on their newscast last night about a local man, 77 year old Thomas Dotterer, who was shot last week in the eye during the robbery of a liquor store he owns in Syracuse, NY.
Dotterer, who likely will lose his vision, was already back to work a week later. During an interview with the station, he noted that losing his eye wasn't the thing that upset him the most last week - it was The Rock defeating CM Punk for the WWE title.
The anchor covering the story noted during the broadcast that he sent messages to Punk and Rock via Twitter and Punk wrote back asking if the story was true and that he "needed to see the footage". They then passed the video footage link to Punk, who responded, "Tom Dotterer is amazing. He's got my respect. If he needs anything from me let me know."
The Rock has not yet responded.
To see the story and the video footage from the broadcast, click here.
A big thank you to Mike for sending that story along.

THE EL GENERICO NEWS YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR


Independent star El Generico has officially signed his WWE contract after passing all required medical testing. He is currently scheduled to report to WWE developmental sometime next month.
So, for those of you who are big fans of Generico, you'll soon be able to follow the next stage of his career.

WWE SMACKDOWN SPOILERS FOR THIS FRIDAY


Smackdown opened with a number of contenders in the ring as Booker T came out to the ring. In the ring were Team Hell No, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler and The Great Khali. They show ckips of the World champion Alberto Del Rio stalking outside with a bat, looking for Big Show to get him back for what he did to Ricardo on Raw. Booker said that they are all former champions and deserve another chance to become World champions. He announces they are in the Elimination Chamber. Out comes Jack Swagger in his first TV appearance since 1959 it seems, who says he's a former World champion and should be in the Chamber too, so he's going to go an win it. Booker says there are only six pods. Dolph says he already has a guaranteed title shot (Money in the Bank) so he's pulling out. Booker tells him he might want to chicken out but he's not chickening out of a match tonight with Alberto. Everyone else has to prove themselves tonight with their performances.
Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No. Good match and it was awesome to see Rey, although he is definitely looking like he's put on weight. The match was a good, frenetic pace. They did a fun deal at the end where Kane saved Bryan from the 619 but was tossed out of the ring. Bryan put on the No Lock but Cara drilled him and Rey nailed the 619 for the pin. The champs argued, of course.
We saw the beatdown of Ricardo and Alberto on the screen. Striker tried to talk to Alberto but was told to leave him alone.
We saw a recap of Raw karaoke.
Great Khali pinned Jinder Mahal with the big chop.
Backstage, Teddy Long revealed that he brought Jack Swagger back tonight. Team Rhodes Scholars arrived and Booker gave Sandow a rematch against Sheamus from Raw.
Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow wasn't much as the Shield appeared and attacked Sheamus, laying him out before running back through the crowd.
They showed clips of Bo Dallas' big win on Raw.
Randy Orton pinned WWE Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett with the RKO in a good match. Barrett dominated early but got killed with an RKO. There was a backstage deal later on where Barrett is being asked about his loss and sees Dallas off camera, then attacks him and they have a quick brawl.
Jack Swagger defeated Kofi Kingston with the ankle lock and looked really good in doing so. They had a lot of nice wrestling in this one with Swagger controlling early. Kingston made the comeback but kicked the ringside announcer's table while going for a leaping kick on the floor. From that point on, he was acting as if he was injured and finally tapped out. Real good.
Outside, Alberto Del Rio attacks Big Show's bus as it arrives. Show runs out of the bus and is chased around the parking lot before finally racing off in another car.
They show Rock and Punk from Raw.
Alberto Del Rio warns Ricardo he is to stay backstage.
World champion Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler in a really great main event. Pretty sure this was a non-title bout. Ziggler was over in San Diego. AJ and Langston got involved and thrown out. AJ sure lost her momentum compared to last time they were in town. Ziggler works over Del Rio who makes a comeback. They have a lot of good near falls but Del Rio finally grabs him in the armbreaker for the win.
Big Show shows up on the screen having grabbed Ricardo and knocks him out. That closes the show.
After Smackdown went off the air, Show came out and they had a segment where Alberto ran him off with a chair.

WWE MAIN EVENT SPOILERS FROM SAN DIEGO, CA


I attended tonight's Smackdown taping in San Diego, CA. Here are the Main Event spoilers: They opened with Ryback as the guest on Miz TV. Ryback and Miz complimented each other, then began talking about Antonio Cesaro. This brought out the U.S. champion and they had a match where Cesaro ended up counted out of the ring after he slipped out of Shell Shock and ran away through the crowd. He nailed Miz, who was doing announcing, before he ran away. They did a lot of power stuff where Ryback would dominate him. It was OK.
Ryback defeated Antonio Cesaro by count out. At one point Ryback had Cesaro up for a standing suplex for about 10 seconds, which was impressive. Ryback pretty much dominated the whole match with the exception of Cesaro knocking him out the ring for about 9 seconds. This led Cesaro to control the match for a few minutes before Ryback regained control. Ryback went for Shell Shock, but Cesaro escaped and kicked Miz (who was on commentary) in the face before escaping though the crowd. Huge heat for Cesaro.
They showed us the Brock Lesnar return.
Backstage, Tensai was getting mocked for his Raw outfit by the Prime Time Players. Brodus Clay came to his defense but Tensai was upset.
Tensai pinned Titus O'Neil. Brodus came out to stop Darren Young from interfering. It was OK overall. Clay got Tensai to dance after so apparently the hip hop hippo is back in town.
Not as strong as some of the Main Event episodes have been in recent weeks but OK overall.

WWE SATURDAY MORNING SLAM SPOILERS FROM SAN DIEGO


WWE taped three matches for Saturday Morning Slam in San Diego.
WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn defeated Aksana in a quick match. It was really fast. Kaitlyn is improving.
Sheamus pinned Cody Rhodes with White Noise. Dolph Ziggler came out to do announcing. Solid but short. Lots of Rhodes running away.
*Justin Gabriel pinned Heath Slater with a splash off the top rope. Athletic, fun match but short.

EARLY WORD ON WWE TLC PPV BUYRATE


The preliminary buyrate for WWE TLC looks to be about the same number they did in 2011 - around 179,000 buys. To check out more, click here.

FINALLY......RAW GOES BACK OVER FIVE.....MILLION.....VIEWERS


Yeah, I like The Rock.  So shoot me.  The 1/28 edition of Raw did 5,02,000 viewers, the best number for the show since last July.  Hour two did a whopping 5,270,000 viewers.
DateAverage AudienceHour 1Hour 2Hour 3
7/23/20126,019,0005,439,0006,318,0006,300,000
7/30/20124,495,0004,064,0004,719,0004,701,000
8/6/20124,367,0004,007,0004,648,0004,446,000
8/13/20124,134,0003,795,0004,252,0004,354,000
8/20/20124,478,0004,352,0004,657,0004,352,000
8/27/20124,482,0004,160,0004,786,0004,499,000
9/3/20124,203,0004,308,0004,395,0003,907,000
9/10/20124,136,0003,777,0004,362,0004,270,000
9/17/20124,052,0004,111,0004,119,0003,925,000
9/24/20123,787,0003,769,0003,990,0003,603,000
10/1/20123,502,0003,436,0003,598,0003,472,000
10/8/20124,108,0004,191,0004,067,0004,065,000
10/15/20123,989,0004,067,0004,013,0003,886,000
10/22/20123,554,0003,578,0003,653,0003,432,000
10/29/20124,102,0004,306,0004,217,0003,783,000
11/5/20124,076,0004,066,0004,279,0003,883,000
11/12/20124,194,0004,154,0004,399,0004,027,000
11/19/20123,835,0003,873,0003,923,0003,710,000
11/26/20123,920,0004,147,0004,126,0003,488,000
12/3/20123,437,0003,580,0003,370,0003,360,000
12/10/20123,764,0003,743,0003,876,0003,672,000
12/17/20124,230,0004,290,0004,410,0003,990,000
12/24/20123,143,0002,940,0003,271,0003,219,000
12/31/20123,552,0003,397,0003,644,0003,614,000
1/7/20134,420,0004,290,0004,320,0004,650,000
1/14/20134,550,0004,500,0004,680,0004,470,000
1/21/20134,317,0004,370,0004,419,0004,162,000
1/28/20135,020,0004,860,0005,270,0004,930,000

BELLATOR 87 SPIKE TV MAIN CARD PREVIEW


We have seen the start of both the light heavyweight and welterweight tournaments this season, but now it is time for the lightweights. This Thursday Night’s Bellator 87 broadcast on Spike TV will all be dedicated to the opening round of the lightweight tournament. The tournament will feature many past lightweight tournament veterans and a fighter who pulled one of the bigger upsets in the international MMA scene.
Kicking off the action is a lightweight tournament opening round fight as Thiago Michel (11-3-0) does battle with Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy (21-1-0). Michel made it to the semi-finals of the season six lightweight tournament before losing to Brent Weedman. Sarnavskiy competed in the opening round of the season seven lightweight tournament, but lost to UFC veteran Rich Clementi. Sarnavskiy looked like a monster until he ran into Rich Clementi, but he will get back on track by advancing to the next round.
Another lightweight tournament opening round fight is up next as Will “Ill Will” Brooks (8-0-0) battles Ricardo Tirloni (15-3-0). Brooks pulled a huge upset at the year-end DREAM 18 event, defeating Satoru Kitaoka by TKO in the second round. Tirloni got all the way to the semi-finals of the season seven lightweight tournament before losing to Dave Jansen. It will be the second upset in a row for Brooks as he will storm past Tirloni into an appearance in the semi-finals.
Up next is a lightweight tournament opening round fight as Guillaume “Il Toro” DeLorenzi (10-1-0) takes on Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (10-4-0). DeLorenzi enters the tournament riding a five fight winning streak, which includes a victory over UFC veteran Dale Hartt. Freire enters the tournament riding a two fight losing streak, which includes a loss to Eddie Alvarez in his final Bellator appearance. There is no reason that Freire belongs in this tournament and DeLorenzi will show him why with a victory.
Headlining this card is a lightweight tournament opening round fight as David “The Caveman” Rickels (11-1-0) faces Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (12-2-0). Rickels made it to the semi-finals of the season seven welterweight tournament before losing to Karl Amoussou. Woodard made it to the semi-finals of the season seven lightweight tournament before losing to Rick Hawn. This fight should be nothing short of an exciting slugfest, but it will be Woodard pulling out the big win.
Follow me on Twitter @DaveTeesMMA
Contact me at bigteesps3@yahoo.com

OFF AIR NOTES FROM RAW!


After Raw ended, they tended to Vince McMahon.  It took him a while to get up and be helped out.
Then John Cena came out to sing Happy Birthday to Sheamus.  Dolph Ziggler came out to interrupt and ended up getting laid out.  Of course.

Randy Couture, Spike TV announce deal

UFC Hall-of-Famer and former light heavyweight/heavyweight champion Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will be part of their 2013 reality TV show product with Bellator MMA.

Sports Illustrated writer Loretta Hunt confirmed the story with several sources and said that Couture's deal is for multiple years and could involve his presence on several different types of ventures.

He will begin as a coach on the upcoming Bellator reality series that begins shooting in February. Couture was a coach on the very first season of UFC's The Ultimate Fighter back in 2005.

So how will UFC president Dana White react? In the Hunt article, we got some insight into that:

Sources told SI.com that the deal with Spike and Viacom was executed in late December, much to the disapproval of Couture's former employer, UFC president Dana White. Since his retirement in April 2011 at age 47, Couture has turned his attention to Hollywood with supporting roles in The Expendables and its summer 2012 sequel, and had most recently served as an on-camera analyst for the UFC's live events on Fox. However, Couture was absent from the UFC on Fox 6 broadcast on Jan. 26, replaced by one-time teammate Chael Sonnen.


There is a press conference scheduled for Tuesday at 2 PM EST in California with more details expected to be announced.

WWE announces eight for 1st ever Intercontinental Cup tournament


In a TV ad for Wednesday's Ion show, WWE showed Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Miz, Antonio Cesaro, Darren Young and Randy Orton as the eight participants in the first ever Intercontinental Cup tournament for a shot at Wade Barrett's I-C title.

The Rock vs. CM Punk Rematch??


The plan as of last night for Elimination Chamber was to have Rock vs. C.M. Punk in a rematch as the main event.  That should be put together on tonight's show unless things change.

HULK HOGAN EXPLAINS WHY HE POSTED THE PICTURE OF BROOKE HOGAN'S LEGS!!


On his Twitter account, ‏@HulkHogan, Hulk Hogan wrote the following today about why he posted the picture of his daughter, which has drawn a lot of criticism as some have found it creepy.

Hogan wrote, "Brooke works out for 2hrs a day,a fan takes a picture,Brooke love it,tweets back thank u,proud dad tweets it,creeps and perverts everywhere"

He later added, "Need a break from all the haters got more good positive stuff to do,bye see u much later. HH"

Vince McMahon Update!


The WWE storyline update on Vince McMahon is that he suffered a broken pelvis taking the F5 from Brock Lesnar last night in the excellent closing angle on Raw. Obviously, this will lead to Lesnar feuding with Triple H leading into Wrestlemania.

Latest WWE Hall Of Fame Inductee is....


As PWInsider.com broke this morning in the Elite section, Trish Stratus was announced as the third inductee in the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame tonight.

Complete Raw Roulette Report!


Last night, an era ended with CM Punk failing to leave a building with the WWE Championship for the first time since the day before the Survivor Series in 2011. Now that The Rock has won the WWE Title, what is next for him? All signs (especially the Wrestlemania sign hanging above the ring) point to the Rock facing John Cena at the biggest show of the year in the once in a lifetime (if your lifetime started on April 2, 2012) match for the WWE Title. What will happen with the World Title? What other fun toys does Ricardo have in his bucket? What will happen when Paul Heyman is given a performance review by Vince McMahon? What is the fallout from the Royal Rumble match for the twenty nine people who do not have a date with destiny with The Rock?
We are in Las Vegas, Nevada and your announcers are Jerry ‘Is there a show tonight’ Lawler, Michael ‘Hey Dave Scherer, good luck in year ten’ Cole, and John ‘We repeat ourselves on Friday Night’ Layfield.
The wheel is spinning and Vickie welcomes everyone to Las Vegas and the Raw Roulette. It will be in the hands of lady luck. There are three wheels. The wheel of superstars, the wheel of stipulations, and wheel of Vickie
The first match will be Antonio Cesaro versus Randy Orton and the stipulation is Guest Referee.
Before we have any wrestling, CM Punk is on his way to the ring and he has Paul Heyman following behind him as fast as he can.
Punk is not in a good mood and he wants his music turned off. He says that this is Day 435 of his title reign. He beat the Rock last night and he retained his title. He became the new People’s Champion last night. He says that he did not lose while kicking the ropes.
Punk asks everyone if they want to put a cheater on the pedestal. They want a person who cannot win without help from someone else. Punk calls everyone no good thieves, just like Vince McMahon and the Rock.
Punk says that he never needed anyone to restart a match illegally. He got screwed over worse than Bret Hart in Montreal. Last night will be known as the Phoenix Screwjob. Punk says that he got screwed.
Punk asks everyone if they want to party and celebrate with the Rock? In his world, you don’t get restarts or water breaks. Punk says that he got screwed. He is the champion and the people’s champion. He is here to crash the party.
Vince McMahon’s music plays and he makes his way into the arena and Punk calls Vince a thief and a swindler.
Vince says that he can crash Punk’s party. There will be a video tape showing that Punk was complicit along with Paul Heyman as it relates to the Shield.
Vince tells Paul to shut up because he has had enough of his crap. There will be a personal performance review later tonight. Things could lead to Paul’s termination later tonight.
Match Number One: Randy Orton versus Antonio Cesaro with Guest Referee The Miz
The match is joined in progress and Orton gets a near fall. Orton with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Cesaro sends Orton into the turnbuckles and then connects with a European uppercut and punches. Orton with a punch but Cesaro with an Irish whip but Orton with a clothesline out of the corner. Orton with a snap mare and a near fall.
Orton with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Orton rolls to the floor and he punches Cesaro but Cesaro with a kick and European uppercut. Cesaro tries to send Orton into the ringside barrier but Orton blocks it and he sends Cesaro onto the barrier with a belly-to-back suplex. Orton puts Cesaro on the apron and hits a few European uppercuts.
Orton stomps on Cesaro’s chest and then he slingshots him into the bottom rope. Orton gets a near fall. Cesaro with a European uppercut but Orton fires back. They go back and forth with uppercuts but Orton gets control for a moment but Cesaro shows Orton how to do it.
Orton sends Cesaro over the top rope to the floor. Orton goes to the floor and he hits a clothesline. We go to commercial.
We are back and Cesaro escapes a side head lock with a belly-to-back suplex. Cesaro picks up Orton and they fight on the apron around the ring post. Cesaro drops Orton on the top buckle and to the floor. Cesaro gets a near fall. Cesaro with a cravate but Orton with punches. Orton with head butts and punches. Cesaro with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall.
Cesaro leaps onto Orton’s chest and then hits a dead lift side salto for a near fall. Cesaro insults Orton while slapping him in the head. Cesaro with a reverse chin lock. Orton with punches and then he escapes a tilt-a-whirl back breaker. Orton with two clotheslines and then he avoids a clothesline from Cesaro. Orton with a power slam followed by an Irish whip. Cesaro with a knee in the corner and a European uppercut from the turnbuckles for a near fall.
Cesaro argues with Miz over the count and that allows Orton to recover and hit a back breaker. Cesaro rolls to the apron and Orton tries for the IEDDT but Cesaro with a thumb to the eyes. Cesaro pushes Miz out of the way and he punches Orton. Miz tells Cesaro to respect him. Orton recovers and hits the RKO for the three count.
Winner: Randy Orton
After the match, Miz helps up Cesaro and gives him the Skull Crushing Finale.
It is time for a Vickie Wheel spin and it is on “Make Me Laugh”. It is time for Ryback to make Vickie laugh. Ryback snorts and leaves the office.
We go to commercial.
Darren Young and Titus O’Neil join Ryback in the ring for the ‘Make Me Laugh’ Challenge. Your host is Matt Striker. The person who makes you laugh the most wins.
Titus and Darren go first. Titus says that they have a joke on Matt Striker. What did the woman say to Matt Striker when he asked her on a date. Anybody got time for that. The crowd does not appreciate it and Titus blows his whistle.
It is time for Ryback to bring the funny.
Ryback asks what has four eyes, twenty fingers, and is about to be unconscious. . . Ryback looks at Titus and Darren and Ryback attacks Darren. Titus with punches and kicks. Ryback with a spinebuster and then he sets for the lariat and he connects. Ryback with the marching muscle buster on Titus while Darren watches from ringside.
Ryback wants to be fed more.
Matt declares Ryback the winner.
Ryback with the marching muscle buster to Striker and John Layfield acts like he just made a million on Wall Street.
It is time to look at Bob Backlund, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden.
Michael Cole tells us that the third inductee will be announced later tonight.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to spin the wheel of stipulations. It is Player’s Choice.
Wade Barrett chooses his opponent tonight.
Wade is in the ring and he says he knows exactly who he wants to fight tonight. He wants to fight that long haired, flash in the pan, Bo Dallas. Last night was the greatest night in Bo’s career when he eliminated Barrett. Tonight, his career ends with the Barrett Barrage.
Match Number Two: Wade Barrett versus Bo Dallas
Barrett tells Bo something and pushes him. Barrett sends Bo into the corner and kicks him. Bo avoids a forearm and Bo with punches. Bo with an arm drag or two followed by a drop kick. Bo avoids a clothesline but he does not avoid the back heel kick. Bo is sent into the turnbuckles and he goes down to the mat. Barrett with boots to Dallas.
Barrett with knees to Bo while in the ropes. Barrett with kicks to Bo’s head and then to the back. Barrett with a kick to the head. Barrett gets ready for the Bull Hammer but Bo with belly-to-belly suplex for the three count.
Winner: Bo Dallas
We go to the back where Cody Rhodes spins the wheel of wrestlers and it comes up on John Cena and Cody is happy.
Match Number Three: Cody Rhodes versus John Cena
They lock up and Cody with a side head lock but Cena with a hip toss and drop kick. Cody with a kick but Cena with punches and an Irish whip. Cena with a kick and suplex. Cody rolls to the floor and he says that this is a waste of Cody Rhodes and he is leaving.
Cena won’t let Cody get counted out and he brings him back into the ring. Cena with two flying shoulder tackles followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb. It is time for the five knuckle shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment for the three count.
Winner: John Cena
After the match, Cena looks to the Wrestlemania sign for some guidance. He says that it sounds like some of the people did not pick him to win the Royal Rumble. Any of the other 29 superstars could come here and tell you how they should have won the Royal Rumble. There is one man . . . this man, that can stand in this ring that last night they won the Royal Rumble.
No doubt throwing Ryback over the top rope was an unpredictable and enormous step. It is only the first step. The next step is to issue the challenge to the champion of their choosing for the main event at Wrestlemania. Cena points to the Wrestlemania sign.
John says that this is one of his toughest decisions. The person who holds the WWE title at Wrestlemania will be CM Punk or the Rock. CM Punk is a man who for the last two years has been impossible for him to beat. Say what you want about CM Punk, a true champion finds a way to win. The past six times he has faced Punk, he has won or Cena has not gotten the job done. Then there is the Rock. A man he openly spoke about before his return to the WWE. When he did return, he wanted to make sure that Rock challenged him. Rock came back and made that challenge. Cena says that he opened up about how he had to win that match for a year.
He jousted with the Rock and proved that he was in Rock’s league and there were times that Rock could not hold his jockstrap. Things were perfect until April 1st when his Once in a Lifetime moment was stolen. Everything in that year meant nothing because people only remember who won and lost that match.
Cena says that he has a big choice and this is a city built on making odds. Does he choose the World Title, a title he has a better chance of winning or does he face one of the WWE Champions against whom he has no chance to win.
John says that he is going to choose right here and right now.
John says that he challenges . . . the WWE Champion.
He tells Rock and CM Punk that they are now marked men by him. We are all on the Road to Wrestlemania . . .
The Shield interrupt and they make their way to the ring.
Cena waits for them to get to the ring. Cena fights off all three men for a moment but eventually Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins are too much for Cena.
Sheamus’ music plays and he goes after the Shield but the Shield take control of the situation.
Who will help a downed Sheamus and Cena? Ryback takes his time to get to the ring and Ryback sends Ambrose over the top rope. Rollins is next to go to the floor. Ambrose sends Ryback into the ring steps. Reigns sends Sheamus into the ring post.
Cena recovers but The Shield are able to work over Cena and they hit the Cerberus Power Bomb. The Shield leave the ringside area and we see the carnage.

We are back and it is time to take a look back at The Shield’s attack on John Cena and Sheamus and Ryback’s inability to help John.

We go to Vickie’s office for the next spin on the Wheel of Gimmickry. It ends up on a Lingerie Pillow Fight and Tensai is in the match against Brodus Clay.
Tensai refuses and he says that he is a monster.
Vickie says that he won’t put them in lingerie. He tells Brodus to spin the Vickie Vegas Challenge Wheel. It lands on Dance Off.
We take a look at what WWE did in Phoenix during Royal Rumble week.
It is time for the Lingerie Free Dance Off between Brodus Clay (with the Funkettes) and Tensai.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Jerry Lawler is the Don Cornelius for this segment. Tensai is in a robe and he tells King to get this over with. Tensai reveals his lingerie but Jerry tells Tensai this is a dance off. Brodus reveals that he never told Tensai.
Brodus dances first, but Tensai refuses to dance. Jerry tells Tensai that this is Las Vegas and ‘what happens in Vegas . . . stays in Vegas’ (even though it is being aired all over the world on USA Network). Tensai wants to make sure that Lawler is serious.
Tensai starts to dance and he does the robot along with some other moves. Brodus and the Funkettes join in.
Ron Simmons is in the back and it is time for that DAMN moment.
Tensai covers his head in shame as he goes to the back.
Alberto Del Rio spins the Wheel of Gimmickry on a Body Slam Match. Vickie tells Alberto that seeing him slam Show is the biggest trick we will ever see in Las Vegas.
Alberto says that anything can happen in Vegas.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Big Show versus Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) in a Body Slam Challenge
Show attacks Rodriguez and goes after Del Rio. Del Rio gets in a few shots and then Show knocks out Del Rio. Show reaches into his gear and he pulls out some duct tape. Show kicks Ricardo and then he puts Del Rio against the ropes and duct tapes Del Rio’s hand around the middle rope. Show chops Ricardo while the referee tries to get Del Rio free.
Show chops Ricardo again while Del Rio cannot get free. Show Irish whips Ricardo into the ringside barrier and he wants to know if this is funny.
Del Rio says something to Show to get him to stop. Show slams Ricardo. Show kicks Del Rio and then he tapes Del Rio to the ropes again. Show holds Ricardo up while telling Del Rio that he will let him go. Show lets Ricardo fall to the mat as a result of a knock out punch. Del Rio gets to his feet but Show kicks him in the other leg and Del Rio goes to the mat.
Show knocks out Del Rio with a punch.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we take a look back at Big Show’s attack on Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez.
We see Alberto being helped out of the ring.
Match Number Four: Tamina Snuka versus Katilyn in a Las Vegas Showgirl Lumberjill Match
They lock up and Kaitlyn with a break but Tamina with a kick and punch. Tamina backs Kaitlyn into the turnbuckles and then hits a modified Alabama Slam. Tamina with a kick and forearm to the back. Tamina with a kick to the midsection. Tamina with a head butt and a reverse chin lock.
Tamina sends Kaitlyn to the mat and then kicks her to the floor. Some of the showgirljacks attack Kaitlyn but Kaitlyn fights back. Kaitlyn with a shoulder to Tamina and then she uses the headdress on Tamina. Kaitlyn with a flying forearm and she punches Tamina.
All of the Divas get into the ring and the referee lets them battle and Tamina watches from the steps. The referees send the Divas out of the ring and it looks like this is over.
No Contest
We go to commercial.
We are back and we see what happened when John Cena announced that he would face the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania.
It is time to hear from the WWE Champion and he makes his way to the ring.
There is only one word that can describe the spirit of tonight. One word that symbolizes their entire journey and that word is . . . Finally. FINALLY, the Rock has come back to Las Vegas.
Finally, the Rock is WWE Champion. There is no accolade on this Earth that is more deeply ingrained in his blood than this WWE Championship. From 1998 through 2003, he had the honor of winning 7 WWE Championships. After 10 long years, he can honestly say that this moment is the proudest moment of his career.
Rock says that he has already thanked his friends and family. Now he wants to thank everyone.
Rock says that for 434 days CM Punk has come out here and run his mouth. He says that the people did not count and did not matter. The people were nothing. Rock says that those crap days are over. No longer will CM Punk come out looking like a homeless tattooed freak followed by his fat manager.
Paul is coming out worried if he has a bra big enough to hold up his deep fried Twinkie Tits.
Tonight we usher in a new era. It is the People’s Era. They are going to celebrate. He says that everyone is getting pie.
CM Punk’s music plays and he makes his way to the stage. He tells everyone to shut their mouth and no one wants to hear their irrelevant opinions.
Punk says that Rock is embarrassing himself and embarrassing Punk. Rock is flushing everything that Punk did down the toilet. Rock never won the title, it was handed to him, just like everything in his spoon-fed life.
Punk tells everyone that in twenty years the people who are telling him that he sucks will be calling him a genius.
If Rock was a man, the third generation blood that courses through his veins, he would come up to Punk and hand him his title back because he did not earn it. He stole it from him and then he would congratulate Punk for being the best in the world and apologize for tarnishing what Punk made great.
Rock tells Punk that if he had an ounce of manhood, Punk would walk down the ramp and try to take it. Punk can go to the ring and face him like a man or stay on the stage and be a punk ass bitch.
Punk makes his way to the ring and he stops at the bottom of the ramp. Punk looks around and then he goes up to the stage and be a punk ass bitch because it is cool to swear. Punk does things when he wants to. Punk says that he might grant Rock a rematch. He will grant him a title match in three weeks.
Rock tells Punk that he will get his rematch in three weeks, but he will be kicking Punk’s ass. Rock tells Punk to smell what he is cooking.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Five: Damien Sandow versus Sheamus in a Tables Match
They lock up and Sandow goes to the floor. Sheamus follows after him and Damien tries for a kick but Sheamus blocks it and sends Sandow to the mat. Sheamus with punches. Sheamus misses a short arm clothesline and Sandow goes to the floor. Sheamus goes after Sandow on the floor and sends him into the ring steps.
Sheamus gets a table and sets it up on the floor. Sheamus tries to slam Sandow through the table but Sandow gets back into the ring and then he goes to the other side of the ring to the floor. Sandow with a drop kick and Damien gets a table of his own.
Sheamus sends the table into Sandow and then he brings it into the ring. Sheamus sends Sandow back into the ring. Sandow with a single arm DDT onto the table and then he kicks Sheamus in the arm. Sandow with a snap mare and knee to the injured arm. Sandow brings another table into the ring and he runs it into Sheamus. Sandow puts the arm in the leg of the table and he stomps on the arm and drops a knee onto the arm.
Sheamus with punches and then he sends Sandow over the top rope but Sandow lands on the apron. Sheamus misses a Brogue Kick and Sandow brings Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus with a flying shoulder tackle and both men are down because Sheamus used his injured shoulder.
Sheamus grabs Sandow by the beard and he backs Sandow into the corner and he punches him. Sheamus with a short arm clothesline. Sandow with a side Russian leg sweep and then he hits the Elbow of Disdain. Sandow sets up the table in the ring and he puts Sheamus on it.
Sandow goes up top but Sheamus recovers and knocks Sandow off the apron and then it is time for the ‘JBL wishes he did this to Josh’ forearms. Sheamus tries to suplex Sandow through the table but Sandow blocks it and drops Sheamus’ arm on the top rope. Sheamus gets Sandow up and hits White Noise through the table.
Winner: Sheamus
We go to commercial.
We are back and Jerry Lawler is in the ring with Great Khali, Hornswoggle, Natalya, and Zack Ryder for WWE Karaoke. Zack and Khali will get to sing the entrance music for a WWE Superstar.
Khali goes first and he will sing Shawn Michaels’ entrance music.
The 3MB interrupt and they make their way to the ring. Slater wants to know if they are kidding him. Drew wants to know if they call this music. Jinder says that they are 3MB and they are music. He calls them an embarrassment.
Zack says that he likes pop music while Khali is into headbanging.
Heath tells Drew to show them and he does some air guitar but Khali with a punch to Drew. Ryder with a leaping leg lariat to Mahal. Khali with a chop to Slater and Hornswoggle goes up top for a frog splash.
Chris Jericho is walking in the back and he has his sparkling jacket as we go to commercial.
We are back and Chris Jericho makes his way into the arena with his technicolor dream jacket.
Chris welcomes everyone to Raw is Jericho. He says that it is great to be back in the WWE. He was only gone for six months, but it felt like six years. When he was the surprise in the Royal Rumble, it was one of the greatest nights of his career. Chris thanks every Jerichoholic who makes him feel good to be here and he will never . . . Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever forget agayne.
Dolph Ziggler comes out and he is joined by his briefcase, AJ Lee, and Big E Langston.
Dolph says that he was glad that Chris had a great time last night before he eliminated Chris. Dolph reminds Chris that he no longer works her and his WWE career was over.
AJ reminds Chris about what she did last year to force him out of the company and she apologizes to Ziggy for doing that. AJ reminds everyone that she got Jericho terminated.
Chris tells Ziggy to put a leash on his little doggie before she pees all over the ring.
Langston tells Chris he better leave before he ruins Chris’ return.
Chris wants to know what the E stands for. He wonders if that is his bra size because he can put a drink on those pecs.
Dolph wants to know why Jericho doesn’t leave.
Vickie appears on the TitanTron and she tells Dolph that she signed Chris to the contract. She does not let personal feelings get in the way. If they want a match, they can have one.
The wheel of gimmickry lands on Strange Bedfellows. They will be in a tag match against Daniel Bryan and Kane.
Match Number Six: Daniel Bryan and Kane versus Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee and Big E Langston)
Ziggler and Kane start things off and Ziggler with punches to Kane. Ziggler flicks some sweat on Jericho and we go to commercial.
We are back and Ziggler with a head lock on Bryan and Ziggler refuses to tag in Jericho. Ziggler with a slam and a leaping elbow drop for a near fall. Jericho wants the tag but Ziggler refuses again. Bryan with kicks of no but Ziggler with a kick to the knee. Jericho makes the blind tag and he hits a shoulder tackle on Bryan and then he hits a springboard drop kick that sends Kane off the apron.
Jericho with an elbow and he tries for a Lionsault but Bryan moves and Jericho lands on his feet. Bryan with a kick to Jericho and Kane tags in. Kane and Bryan have some miscommunication and they argue while Jericho stands there.
Bryan pushes Kane and Kane pushes back. Ziggler tags in and then Jericho slaps Kane from behind. Kane grabs Ziggler by the throat and hits a choke slam for the three count.
Winners: Daniel Bryan and Kane
It is time for the third inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame and it is Trish Stratus.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we will find out Booker T will make an announcement about the World Title on Friday night.
Vince McMahon is in the ring and he says that he loves to have fun and he loves to have fun in Las Vegas. Vince wants Paul Heyman to come on down. Vince tells Paul that CM Punk was escorted out of the arena ten minutes ago.
Paul offers his hand to Vince and Vince looks at it before thinking otherwise but he does shake Paul’s hand. Vince tells Paul to hold his mic and Vince applies some hand sanitizer.
Vince asks Paul if he ever had or currently had the Shield or Brad Maddox under contract.
Paul thanks Vince for the opportunity to come out here and look Vince in the eye and settle this once and for all. The answer to Vince’s question is no. He has never had anything to do with Brad Maddox nor The Shield.
Vince asks Paul if he ever lied in his life.
Paul says a long time ago he heard Vince’s father say adversity defines a man’s character in his darkest hour. Paul says that he knows where this is going, he has lied every day of his stinking life because he is a promoter and that is what promoters do. They lie to survive tonight to get to tomorrow. He has lied through his teeth, lied swearing to God, and lied on the souls of his parent. That is what he needed to survive.
With his career on the line, he has lied every day of his life, but he is not lying now.
Vince asks Paul if he is an honorable man.
Paul says that he is trying to be an honorable man and he hopes to learn from Vince. He has never been a saint and he wants to be here. If it takes being an honorable man to stay here, he will.
Vince wants a close up of this honorable face. Vince asks if this is an honorable face or an honest man.
Vince tells Paul that he wants to show Paul some footage and then he wants his comments.
Vince shows Paul footage of Vince talking with Brad Maddox in the back. Paul wants the camera off and while there is no video, the audio is still on. Paul says the show is cancelled. When CM Punk and him plucked Brad from obscurity. They brought him in as the referee to keep the title on Punk. They paid him and he kept coming back for more. Paul says that the Shield does not come back to them to get paid more. They pay the Shield for what they do and they are more effective.
We see the Shield come up behind Brad and Brad apologizes and says that he will leave. Paul tells Brad to take this like a man. Brad wants to apologize to Punk and let it go. Paul says that this is a learning experience. Paul leaves and the Shield beat up Maddox.
Vince wants to know what Paul has to say about that. Vince says that this is a personal performance review.
Paul says that wasn’t him. Paul says that his career is on the line. Paul says that Vince knows what it is like to be falsely accused. Paul says that he has been going through a lot. It wasn’t him.
Paul says that he has a thick New York/Jewish accent that is easy to imitate. We are in Las Vegas, a town full of impersonators. That is an impersonator doing a poor impersonation of Paul Heyman. He says that he is being set up because of envy and jealousy. It is because of his success with ECW and CM Punk.
Vince asks if that was Brad Maddox and The Shield. Paul says that was them. Vince asks if that was Paul Heyman. Paul says that it wasn’t him. Vince asks everyone if Paul is lying and deserves to be fired.
The crowd chants yes.
Vince says that he is going to wish Paul well in his future endeavors. Vince starts with the ‘You’rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre’ . . .
until Brock Lesnar makes his return. Brock does the Brock Bounce on the stage. Brock circles the ring and then he gets on the apron.
Paul tells Brock he had it under control.
Brock puts Paul in the corner. Brock gets in Vince’s face and we have a stare down.
Vince tells Brock if he was him, he wouldn’t do something that he would regret. Vince tells Brock to think about it.
Paul tells Vince to please leave the ring.
Brock looks at Vince and at Paul. Brock gets Vince up and he hits an F-5.
Paul begs Brock not to do any more. Brock does the Brock Bounce in the ring and then he looks at Vince one more time before leaving the ring.
We go to credits. 


lunedì 28 gennaio 2013

WHAT'S UP WITH CHRIS JERICHO AND WWE...


Chris Jericho has signed a new short-term deal with WWE and will be working for the company full-time through Wrestlemania 29, according to multiple sources. The two sides quietly came to a deal a few weeks ago I am told.
WWE has put a video online with Jericho and Dolph Ziggler going back and forth, so that appears to be the direction they are going in with him.
WWE has already released a new t-shirt for Jericho.

ROH ANNOUNCES 'INTERNATIONAL DREAM MATCH' FOR CHICAGO ANNIVERSARY EVENT


Ring of Honor today announced a "dream tag match" for the March 11th Anniversary iPPV event in Chicago Ridge, IL featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling team Rocky Romero & Alex Kozlov coming in to face The American Wolves, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards at the Frontier Fieldhouse.
For more on the iPPV and live event tickets, visit www.rohwrestling.com.

PAUL HEYMAN TO FACE OFF WITH VINCE MCMAHON TOMORROW ON RAW


WWE has posted a video where Paul Heyman reacts to CM Punk's loss to The Rock.  He is then told he will be facing a performance review with Vince McMahon tomorrow on Raw.  You can watch the video by clicking here.

WWE Royal Rumble 2013 Report!


Welcome to our live coverage of the Royal Rumble from the U.S. Airways Arena in Phoenix.  We're looking for your thoughts on tonight's show, as well as last night's UFC on FOX show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

ANTONIO CESARO VS. THE MIZ FOR THE U.S. TITLE

Good for a pre-show match.  They traded near falls.  Miz did a unique injury on his left leg when he jumped off the top rope and landed badly.  The finish saw Cesaro throw Miz into the side of the ring, and then hit the Neutralizer, dropping him on his left knee, for the pin.  The coolest spot was where Miz jumed in the air and Cesaro turned him in mid-air into a spinning backbreaker.

ALBERTO DEL RIO VS. BIG SHOW FOR THE WORLD TITLE IN A LAST MAN STANDING MATCH

Before the match they did a backstage skit where Bret Hart endorsed Del Rio as a world champion.  He called Del Rio a Mexican Bret Hart and Del Rio said Hart was a Canadian Alberto Del Rio.  Ricardo Rodriguez acted all star struck by Hart and Hart gave Rodriguez the Bret Hart sunglasses.  He came out and did the ring introduction wearing the Hart shades.  Del Rio is being pushed as "The Pride of Mexico."

Long match with a few teased ten counts including once when Show threw Del Rio off a structure backstage through a table.  Lots of chair shots, Del Rio used a fire extinguisher.  The key spot was Show going for a tackle and Del Rio moved and Show went through the barricade.  Del Rio used the fire extinguisher as well as a chair shot to the elbow.  Del Rio put Show in the armbar while Rodriguez (who had been thrown into the barricade earlier) used an entire roll of duct tape on Show ankles and with him tied up, he couldn't beat the ten count.  The finish came off weak.  Some clumsy stuff early, match was good overall.

Dolph Ziggler said Vickie Guerrero was bitter, jaded and pathetic.  He said he's entering No. 1.  He did note 1 and 2 are the same.  A.J. called him "My Ziggy."  Big E Langston did a mock announcer interviewer.  Ziggler said said he was going to set the record for the longest time, win the Rumble, then win the world title with the briefcase and win the WWE title with the Rumble win and unify the belts.

DANIEL BRYAN & KANE VS. DAMIEN SANDOW & CODY RHODES FOR THE WWE TAG TITLES

Average match.  They worked on Bryan most of the match until he hot tagged Kane.  Bryan had a blind tag at the finish, hit the missile dropkick on Rhodes and Kane then choke slammed Rhodes.  Bryan then put Sandow in the no lock for the submission. 

Vickie Guerrero gave Kane and Bryan their entrance numbers.  Kane was happy and Bryan wasn't.  They did some double entenders.  Bryan showed Kane his number but Kane wouldn't show Bryan his.  So looks like Bryan is coming in early.

ROYAL RUMBLE

Looks like we're going to have a really long Rumble.  Ziggler and A.J. were making out.  I don't know about that ring outfit that Langston was wearing.  Chris Jericho out with him.

John Cena won throwing Ryback over the top when they were the final two.  A good Rumble.  Jericho was the biggest surprise and he went 48 minutes while Ziggler went 49 minutes from the start.  Other surprises were Godfather and Goldust.  Godfather was only in a few seconds.  Sheamus was in the final three.  Goldust and half-brother Cody Rhodes were going at it a lot.  Bryan threw out Kane.  Bryan was knocked off the apron into Kane's arms and Bryan then begged Kane to carry him back so his feet didn't hit the floor but Kane dropped him.  Kofi Kingston was thrown out but jumped on Tensai's back and ended up on the announcers table.  It looked like he was going to try a standing broad jump but it was too far so he got a chair, stood on the chair and hopped with the chair back to the apron.  He was dumped pretty quick.  They also did an angle where Bo Dallas dumped Wade Barrett and Barrett came back and pulled Dallas out.  Barrett gave him the Bull hammer elbow.  Ryback was killing people late, gave Cena a scary looking clothesline.  Ziggler and Jericho were probably the two big stars of the match.  The Shield weren't in the Rumble, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara were.  No other surprises, no Benjamin, Masters or Carlito.

The Rock interview, Rock doesn't get drafted in the NFL.  Talked about having $7 in his pocket at 24 years old.  Talked about his mom having cancer, but she's here tonight.  Showed his Mom.  She didn't quit.  He vowed to end 434 days of misery.  He said that is proof that we all count.  Said you and the Rock will beat C.M. Punk.  Old Dusty Rhodes style promo.

C.M. PUNK VS. THE ROCK FOR THE WWE TITLE

Really good match.  Rock won the title but they did a great swerve with Punk pinning Rock after the lights went out as Rock had the match beat and The Sheild came out.  The lights were out and The Shield did the triple-team power bomb on Rock through the English announcers table.  Punk put Rock in the ring and pinned him and was announced as the winner.

Vince McMahon came out and went to strip Punk of the title for The Shield interfering.  Rock, who was selling like he was dead, on his back, said that you aren't going to take the title from him that way, I'm going to.  They went 2:00 more with Rock kicking out of the Randy Savage elbow and coming back to win with a spinebuster and people's elbow.

There was one really scary spot when Rock was supposed to give Punk a Rock bottom through the Spanish table but the table gave way before he got Punk up.  It looked like Rock hurt his knee, but if he did, he worked through it.  Rock was freaky big, 265 and cut almost like Strongman Jon Anderson, but much bigger than he was last year.  That's where the table spot looked scary because he was so big and that thing gave way when he wasn't ready and looking like that increases the injury risk when something like that happens.

LOTS OF BACKSTAGE NOTES FROM ROYAL RUMBLE


Chris Jericho was hidden until his entrance in the Royal Rumble in a bus parked outside the Arena. The word backstage was that a deal was quietly made for him to work the show when the company reached out to him for Raw 1000. No word yet on his long-term status with the company, but wow, he was great. The company wants him back but Jericho doesn't want to relinquish control of his outside endeavors. He does have a new Syfy series debuting this year, so him returning for even a short run could be a way for WWE to cross-promote it.
As we noted earlier in the PWInsider.com Elite section earlier, former WWE World champion Mark Henry is backstage at the Rumble. There were plans in place for him to return tonight but that obviously did not happen. This PPV was the first one he's been brought in for in a long time, since he was hurt.
Ted DiBiase is backstage and slated to return from an injury anytime.
As we noted earlier this weekend in the Elite section, Shelton Benjamin and Carlito were at the WWE's hotel and were expected to be in the Rumble. As it turns out, they just ended up booked at the same hotel WWE was using while in town for an indy show. There had been talk of using Carlito since he visited at Raw 20th Anniversary. There were some in the company unhappy, however, with him taking shots at CM Punk online, which soured certain people on using him. In the case of Benjamin, he requested and received a ROH contract release last month after there was interest shown in him by WWE, so that issue isn't dead. His name has come up a lot internally in discussions of names the company could bring back to fill out cards and have good matches.
Godfather quietly drove in from Las Vegas in an attempt to hide his appearance from fans stalking the airports. He arrived this afternoon, checked into the WWE hotel, then headed for the Arena.
Chris Masters was also visiting with the WWE crew over the weekend.

domenica 27 gennaio 2013

SPOILER: ANOTHER ROYAL RUMBLE ENTRANT REVEALED


Mike "Super Nova/Simon Dean" Bucci noted on his Facebook page that Gene "Snitsky" Snisky will be in tonight's Royal Rumble match.

Ric Flair health update from Japan


It's been confirmed by those in Japan that Ric Flair did suffer a blood clot in his left leg while in Japan.  He was examined in the emergency room before the All Japan show on Saturday and they wanted him to check into the hospital.
He refused to check in and went to the show at the Ota Ward Gym, and ended up managing Keiji Muto & Reid Flair against Seiya Sanada & Tatsumi Fujinami.
He is flying back to the U.S. today as opposed to checking into the hospital after the show, and is still scheduled to be doing a series of autograph signings this week in Las Vegas.

UFC on FOX ratings are in: was the show a success?


Last night's UFC on Fox show was a major success in the ratings.
The fast national numbers were 3.77 million viewers, and more important, a 1.8 in the overall 18-49 demo.  That would be more than double anything else on network TV in the demo during those two hours, although CBS won overall due to older viewership.
Keep in mind the fast nationals measure 8-10 p.m. ratings nationwide.  UFC is strongest on the West Coast, and this does not measure the UFC rating in many markets but what the local station aired in that time slot.  Some stations would have aired a UFC replay, but the live UFC was 5-7:15 p.m.  It also doesn't measure the fourth and fifth round of the main event.
The increase from this number is not likely to be as much as it was for Dec. 8 (which did a lower number on the fast nationals than this show on the fast nationals but ended up doing 4.39 million viewers), because the show didn't go as long after 10 p.m. The overall number should end up similar to Dec. 8, which is a huge success.
The key is the flyweights as headliners were strong enough to make it work, at least during football season.  That seems to be the key, that when UFC is promoted on FOX's football platforms, with the huge Males 18-49 viewership, it creates far more interest in the show than other times during the year.

Former WWE Superstars in Phoenix tonight....


Among those in Phoenix right now hanging around WWE were Hurricane Helms, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin and Chris Masters.

THE NXT STAR GOING INTO THE ROYAL RUMBLE IS....


Bo Dallas (Taylor Rotunda, the son of Mike "IRS" Rotunda and grandson of Blackjack Mulligan) will make his televised debut on the WWE's main roster tomorrow, competing in the Royal Rumble PPV.
Dallas was signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2008 and has held the FCW championship several times. His brother appeared on NXT as Husky Harris.
Dallas has been working house shows and dark matches in recent months.

SPOILERS: THE MAIN EVENTS FOR TNA LOCKDOWN ARE.....


Announced over the course of TNA's Impact Wrestling taping in London were the main events of TNA Lockdown on 3/10. Set for the all steel cage PPV, which will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas:
*TNA champion Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray.
*Aces & Eights vs. Team TNA, led by Sting: Lethal Lockdown.
Also announced for the PPV is Kurt Angle vs. Wes Briscoe.

TNA Impact tapings at Wembley Arena in London


Just wanted to send in some results from tonight's TNA Impact tapings at Wembley Arena in London, England.

Impact spoilers from London. Crowd est. 6,000.

Jeremy Borash came out 15 minutes early to warm up the crowd.

A steel cage is already up, so we'll be starting with a cage match. The match is for Xplosion, not Impact.

Xscape the cage match : Zema Ion vs. Kenny King. Basic match, King won after crotching Ion on the top rope before climbing out. Decent, but not good that this was our shows cage match!

Impact for February 14
Hogan announces number one contenders tournament for Lockdown. Announces Storm v RVD, Daniels v Magnus, Angle v Joe and Roode vs. Aries. Hogan will pick his contender from those matches. Sting named team captain for TNA vs. Aces and Eights at Lockdown.

Daniels vs. Magnus - not as big a pop as you'd expect at first, but that quickly changed. Kaz was out as manager and got ejected. Magnus and his new music won with the Michinoku Driver and a top rope elbow for the pin.

Roode vs. Aries - they tried to the finger poke of doom on each other but neither budged. It then turned into something of a comedy match. They both did the Eddie Guerrero chair spot, before Chavo and Hernandez came out for a distraction to cause a double count out.

Earl Hebner out for the next match. Some boos but no fans attacking him.

Joe vs. Angle - good TVmatch, although not on the level of their prior matches, but ended in double DQ when Brisco and Bischoff ran in. Joe and Angle ran them off. Do Aces and Eights really need jobber members?

Blossom Twins & Party Marty (Scurll) vs Gail Kim, Tara and Jessie. Match was way longer than it needed to be, with a mild response to the British Boot Camp trio at best. Gail Kim pinned one of the Blossoms seconds after Marty scarily overshot a dive to Jesse on the floor, getting nothing but the guard rail. Post match Gail talked down to Tara and set up a title match for impact next week... Out came Brooke who was booed, who arranged Gail vs. Tara vs. Tessmacher vs. Velvet Sky for the title instead.

Marty got up after the Brooke promo and got a good reaction.

Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm - the Cowboy picked up the win with a super kick after Van Dam missed a Van Terminator.

Hulk comes out to name number one contender. Aces and Eights come out to corner Hogan, but Bully Ray (no music) then Sting come out for the save to end the show.

Impact spoilers for February 21

Robbie E vs. Spud. Spud had a phantom face turn and took a lot of punishment. Spud did get the win when Robbie T stopped E from grabbing the list, allowing Spud to roll E up for the pin. E berated T after the match, slapping him, which led to T taking his shirt off as E ran away in fear. Face turn?

Daniels, Kaz, Roode and Aries vs. Hernandez, Chavo, Joseph Park (huge pop) and James Storm. Fun match, story was the heels couldn't get along, Roode and Aries walked out, leaving Kaz to eat everyone's finishers, including a second rope splash from Park for a baby face win.

X division title - RVD vs. Kenny King. King attacked Van Dam at the bell. Typical RVD match, with him retaining with the five star frog splash.

Hogan promo... Names the number one contender for Lockdown. Bully Ray?! Ray accepts and sets up main event - Aces and Eights vs. Ray, Sting and Hulk Hogan!

Garett Bischoff vs. Samoa Joe. Think I can see someone getting killed here... Glorified squash until Wes Brisco ran out for DQ. Jobbers and Eights briefly beat up Joe but Angle ran out for the save. For Lockdown they announced Brisco vs. Angle in a cage.

Gail Kim vs. Tara vs. Tessmacher vs. Velvet Sky for the Knockouts title. Tara came out to Brooke's music in another in a list of production botches. Jesse was thrown out at the start of the match. This was announced on the prior show as an elimination match but there was a load of broken up pins in front of a dead crowd. After 3 hours, people were beyond burned out by this point.

Gail pinned Tara after Velvet hit her sit out pedigree so we'll get a new champion. It was an elimination so the match continued. Very little reaction - why break up pins if it's elimination rules?? Tessmacher eliminated after her attempt to roll up Velvet from another sit out pedigree failed, leaving us with Gail vs. Velvet - Velvet Sky wins the title with another sit out pedigree.

Devon, Ken Anderson and DOC vs. Bully Ray, Sting and Hulk Hogan. Hogan's music played, no Hulk. Twice. Match started without Hulk. Crowd seemed deflated by the swerve as the heels enjoyed their advantage. After Bully took a lot of punishment, Sting took the hot tag and cleaned house. Bully was about to do the Wazaap head but on mystery Aces and Eights man but Knox and other Aces and Eights guys came out with a kidnapped Brooke and injured Hulk. Bully ran off to save her as Aces and Eights stole pin on Sting. Post match beat down on Sting as Bully and Brooke and Hulk watched on from the ramp. The locker room emptied out as war erupted to end the show with TNA on top.

Ric Flair doesn't return to the ring after all!



Ric Flair did not return to the ring earlier today for All Japan Pro Wrestling after all. Flair, despite being in Japan for AJPW's Ota Ward Gymnasium live event, did not wrestle due to some sort of health issue.

Flair was replaced by his son, Reid, who was moved up from a preliminary tag match to work with Keiji Mutoh (Great Muta) in a losing effort to Tatsumu Fujinami and Seiya Sanada when Sanada pinned Flair in 15:31.

The bout, which would have seen Flair in the ring Fujinami for the first time since 1991 as well as teaming with Mutoh for the first time that I can recall, was to have been Flair's first bout in Japan since retiring from WWE in 2008.
   

sabato 26 gennaio 2013

Bellator 86 Results: Play-by-Play & Updates


Matt Jones vs. Cortez Coleman


Round 1
Both fighters exchange in the center if the cage, with Coleman landing two snapping left hooks while Jones pops him with a pair of leg kicks. Coleman’s left hook is continually connecting now as he circles to his right. Jones lands a two-punch combination to the body, but Coleman fires right back with a hard right of his own to the ribs. Coleman lands four or five really solid hooks as Jones backs up and regains his bearings, landing a nasty low kick to the groin. Referee Jason Herzog restarts the action, and Coleman goes back to work but eats a round kick to the ribs and a stiff left. With two minutes remaining, Coleman is still winging hooks, and neither man appears to have any desire for this fight to hit the floor. Jones lands a single right, but Coleman returns fire with a right hook and a knee to the body. Jones takes the center of the cage and is still trying to find a home for his jab, but Coleman lands a nice right elbow over the top. Jones presses the action as the round ends, but neither man can land cleanly.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Coleman
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Coleman
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Coleman

Round 2
Jeff Sherwood

Coleman took it to Jones in rounds one, two.
Both fighters pick up where they left off to start round two, with Jones picking away from range while Coleman lands shots inside. Jones connects with a nice overhand right and a low kick, but neither shot appears to hurt his man. Coleman connects with a blunt right straight and his foe moves forward, but Jones recovers well and connects with a right, instigating a flurry from both men. Coleman wobbles Jones with a hard jab, but Jones is hanging tough. Nevertheless, Coleman stay with it and lands a sharp knee and then a hard right. Though Jones holds on, Coleman once again rocks him, flooring Jones with a hard right only to see his opponent bounce back to his feet.

A nasty one-two again staggers Jones, who clinches and again survives, firing back with a looping right that catches Coleman on the cheek. Jones again moves forward, despite being outgunned, winging punches while blood streams down the left side of his face.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Coleman
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Coleman
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Coleman

Round 3
Round three begins with Jones looking for a takedown, but Coleman shucks him off several times in the first two minutes of the frame. Jones moves forward and lands another looping right, though Coleman is counterpunching effectively with harder shots, despite looking quite tired at this point. Jones fires off a low kick but eats a solid uppercut before firing back with a nice one-two. Coleman may be ahead on points, but Jones is acquitting himself well in this third frame. Jones continues to press the action as the final bell sounds but cannot land a home run shot.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jones (29-28 Coleman)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones (29-28 Coleman)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Jones (29-28 Coleman)

Official scores: All three judges see the bout 29-28 for Cortez Coleman.

Zach Church vs. Damon Jackson


Round 1
J. Sherwood

Jackson tossed Church around.
Jackson fires a trio of round kicks to start the fight and clinches, grabbing a front headlock before seeing Church reverse him against the fence with over-unders. Church is staying tight and tries to monkey-climb on Jackson’s back, who uses the ill-advised maneuver to grab a rear waist-lock of his own. Church turns inside, but Jackson lands a nice body lock takedown and rides his opponent from the turtle position. Quickly, Church again turns the tables and winds up in Jackson’s half guard, futilely searching for a guillotine as Jackson works to his knees and hits a slick double-leg takedown. Church recovers half-guard, but Jackson briefly takes the mount before Church explodes out of the position. Nevertheless, Jackson grabs a front headlock and knees the head, finishing the round with a beautiful gut-wrench takedown after grabbing another waist-lock.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jackson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jackson
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Jackson

Round 2
Jackson launches a front kick to start round two and hits another takedown, landing in side control against the fence. Church pulls half guard but has to fend off an arm-triangle try. Off the scramble, Church somehow locks Jackson in a weird inverted triangle and looks to have a form of a hammerlock available to him on Jackson’s left appendage. Jackson manages to escape and quickly takes his foe’s back, snatching Church’s neck and forcing a tap out via rear-naked choke. The official time is 2:43.

Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Raul Amaya vs. Jose Gomes


Round 1
J. Sherwood

Amaya overpowered Gomes.
The fighters touch gloves and immediately begin firing bombs. Amaya happens to land a solid hook on Gomes’ jaw and grabs a rear-naked choke with no hooks in. Gomes leans forward and bucks him off, quickly taking Amaya’s back after the Floridian hits the floor off a failed push kick. The action is too quick to call soon after, as neither fighter appears concerned for his well-being. Both men eat heavy shots, but neither go down. Amaya lands a nice right uppercut that puts Gomes on the deck. The Brazilian rises, only to be briefly floored again with a right hand. We are only halfway through the frame and both men look gassed.

Never mind, as Amaya floors the 41-fight vet with another hard hook and pounces looking for the finish. Though Gomes does his best to hold on, Amaya manages to pound him out with hammer fists, forcing referee Kerry Hatley to stop the contest 3:12 into the first round. Amaya is your first welterweight semifinalist.

Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Marius Zaromskis vs. Brent Weedman


Round 1
Jason Herzog starts the action, and Weedman quickly grabs a high-crotch and hoists Zaromskis into the air, landing in side control. Zaromskis will not let go of the American’s head, and Weedman is looking hard for a Von Flue choke. The Lithuanian survives but is still underneath Weedman until escaping to his feet and rifling off a one-two. Weedman fires right back, snapping the ex-Dream champion’s head back with a straight right hand. The man from Kentucky is now digging for a single-leg against the cage, but that high-crotch is no longer available. Zaromskis defends the attempt and creates space in order to fire off a pair of hard body kicks. Weedman appears unintimidated by any power Zaromskis may possess standing, walking forward and gauging distance with straight shots as the round expires.
J. Sherwood

Weedman controlled Zaromskis.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Weedman
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Weedman
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Weedman

Round 2
Weedman tells his corner that he feels good between rounds, and he resumes his forward movement to start round two. Zaromskis whiffs on a high kick and then eats a straight right and a knee to the body. The Lithuanian fires back with a nice body shot, but he is now on the retreat, as Weedman pursues with jabs and right hands. The Kentuckian again hits a takedown and tries to take the back. However, he is riding a little too high and slide off. Zaromskis recovers his vertical base and launches what appears to be a backflip knee-drop. Weedman easily defends the wild but inventive attack, taking Zaromskis’ back with 90 seconds remaining in the frame and rides “The Whitemare” until the round expires.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Weedman
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Weedman
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Weedman

Round 3
Weedman attacks with low kicks to start and then shoots for another takedown. Zaromskis grabs a Thai clinch with Weedman on his knees and lands two deliberate knees to the American’s face. Herzog warns him after the first one, but Zaromskis wastes no time in throwing the second. Herzog deducts a point from the former Dream king after Weedman gets checked out by the doctor and agrees to continue. Weedman walks through a spinning back fist from Zaromskis and tries another takedown against the cage. Zaromskis sprawls out and lands in Weedman’s guard, pounding away to the body with 2:30 remaining. Herzog stands them due to inactivity, and Zaromskis immediately launches a somersault kick. Weedman shoots, but Zaromskis shucks him off and pounds away from the turtle position before allowing the onetime lightweight to recover guard. Herzog again stands the fighters, and Zaromskis has two high kicks blocked to end the fight.

Mike Whitman scores the round 9-9 (29-27 Weedman)
TJ De Santis scores the round 9-9 Weedman (29-27 Weedman)
Mike Fridley scores the round 9-9 Weedman (29-27 Weedman)

Official scores: All three judges see the bout 29-27 for Weedman, winner by unanimous decision.

Chris Pham vs. Jason Sampson


Round 1
Kerry Hatley starts the 140-pound catch-weight contest, and Sampson lands a sharp low kick. Clearly the smaller and faster man, Pham jumps inside and lands a nice right before eating another hard leg kick. After another exchange, Sampson complains about a shot to the back of the head, but Hatley says fight on. Sampson scores a takedown, but Pham turtles and escapes to his feet midway through the frame. Pham blocks a high kick but eats a right on his way in. Pham continues to press forward, but he gives up another takedown in the process. Sampson passes to half-guard and then stands to unleash a hard right hand before passing to side control. Sampson takes Pham’s back off a scramble and transitions to an armbar attempt. It is not close, however, and Pham finishes the round in top position.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sampson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Sampson
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Sampson

Round 2
J. Sherwood

Sampson finished Pham in round three.
Sampson slips a jab to start round two and then whiffs on a right straight. Soon after, he tries a takedown, but Pham sprawls out and pushes him away, catching Sampson with sweet counter knee during another takedown attempt. The third time is the charm for Sampson, however, who secures a topside crucifix. Pham bucks him off, but Sampson is right back on top of him, sliding into mount and then once again taking Pham’s back, cinching up a rear-naked choke attempt that Pham somehow manages to wriggle out of. Pham is desperately trying to free himself from this position, but Sampson now has a body triangle secured.

A sweet armbar attempt from Sampson ends the middle stanza.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sampson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Sampson
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Sampson

Round 3
Round three begins with a flying knee attempt from Sampson, who scores another takedown after whiffing on the knee. Sampson again takes Pham’s back as the Louisianan tries to stand, but this time Sampson has more than three minutes with which to work. Sampson is framing up another RNC, but he cannot free his second hand. Hatley warns Sampson about hitting Pham in the back of the head, and “C-Lo’s” corner is griping loudly about the blows from outside the cage. Pham is taking a beating, but he will not cry uncle. Sampson secures another smooth armbar attempt and transitions to a triangle, switching back to the armbar and extending the elbow to force his foe to submit with just five seconds remaining in the fight.

Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Koffi Adzitso vs. Ben Saunders


Round 1
Kerry Hatley tells Ben Saunders and Koffi Adzitso to go to work, and the Spike TV broadcast is underway. Saunders lands a hard right hand to start and clinches up with “The Lion King” against the fence. Adzitso scores a slick takedown, but Saunders is fishing for a triangle choke off his back, elbowing the head while he adjusts his hips. Adzitso postures up and squirms out of the position, but “Killa B” goes right back to his high guard. Hatley stands the men, and Saunders hits a takedown of his own. Shots to the ribs and head follow from the Floridian, but Hatley again stands the fighters. Saunders lands a beautiful step-in knee to end the round.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Saunders
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Saunders
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Saunders

Round 2
J. Sherwood/Sherdog.com

Saunders outhustled his opponent.
Saunders lands a high kick and a knee to start round two. As Adzitso tries to take the fight to the floor, Saunders throws him to his back and dives into Adzitso’s guard with a brutal right hand. The African-born fighter tries to tie him up, but Saunders is continually landing with ground-and-pound. Another standup from Hatley, and this one is questionable. Adzitso tries for a single leg, and Saunders threatens with a kimura before the Utah resident finishes his takedown. Saunders then tries an omoplata, but Adzitso steps over and escapes the hold. Saunders again tries for a triangle, and Hatley again makes it known that no ground fighting will be tolerated tonight.

Adzitso grabs a single leg, but Saunders hits a switch and follows with a series of sharp series of knees.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Saunders
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Saunders
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Saunders

Round 3
Round three begins with more knees from Saunders, and Adzitso goes right back to the single-leg. The UFC vet again counters with a switch and lands in Adzitso’s guard. More ground-and-pound from Saunders, but Hatley is hovering dangerously close, and a standup seems imminent. Surprisingly, Saunders is instead allowed to work, and he lands some really crisp shots to the face and body as Adzitso tries to wall-walk. Adzitso tries a belly-to-back suplex, but Saunders drops his weight and lands -- bottom first -- on Adzitso’s face. The men scramble to their feet, and Adzitso tries another throw. This time, Saunders’ counter lands in him full mount. Punches and hammer fists follow, and Saunders pivots for a straight armbar. The bell sounds before he can lock out the appendage, however.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Saunders (30-27 Saunders)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Saunders (30-27 Saunders)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Saunders (30-27 Saunders)


Official scores: All three judges see the bout 30-27 for Saunders, who wins by unanimous decision.

Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Douglas Lima vs. Michail Tsarev


Round 1
Lima circles right and lands a leg kick to start the fight. Tsarev shoots hard for a single-leg, but “The Phenom” defends easily. Still, the Russian is tenacious, hanging onto that thigh like his life depends on it. Lima calmly rips to the ribs as he pushes down on the head of “The Lonely Wolf.” Tsarev finally turns the corner, but Lima hits a switch and lands in Tsarev’s guard. Referee Jason Herzog stands the men due to inactivity, and the Season 5 tournament winner connects with a jab and a low kick. Tsarev takes a heavy breath and lands a low kick of his own. Lima counters with a teep and lands a low kick as the bell sounds.
J. Sherwood/Sherdog.com

Lima destroyed Tsarev with kicks.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lima
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Lima
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Lima

Round 2
Lima’s low kick to end the first round apparently floored Tsarev, and the Russian limped back to his corner. The Brazilian-born talent immediately goes to work on that leg, flooring Tsarev with another brutal shin to the thigh. Tsarev is wincing and gamely trying to stay in the fight, standing only to be floored again with another leg kick.

“The Lonely Wolf” can no longer put any weight on that lead leg, and Herzog mercifully waves the contest off. The official time of the stoppage is 1:44 of round two.

Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal Fight:
Muhammed Lawal vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala


Round 1
J. Sherwood/Sherdog.com

King Mo abused Mysiala.
Kerry Hatley kicks off the final light heavyweight tournament semifinal, and Mysiala lands an inside low kick. Lawal counters with a left hook and blocks a high kick attempt. The Pole whiffs with an overhand right, and Lawal is now gauging distance with his left. Mysiala lands a low kick, but “King mo” catches it and counters with a hard right hand before wobbling Mysiala with a crisp jab. Two more jabs open cause the blow to flow from Mysiala’s nose, and Lawal now appears in total control. Another pair of jabs connects for Lawal followed by a right hand and a left hook.

The London-based fighter is gamely trying to hang in there, but it looks as if he is severely outclassed. With one minute to go, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, slips a right cross and lands a slick one-two, flooring Mysiala with a short right. Hatley halts the contest before “King Mo” can even pursue any ground-and-pound, awarding Lawal the technical knockout victory at 3:52 of round one.

Bellator Welterweight Championship
Ben Askren vs. Karl Amoussou


Round 1
Amoussou lands a hard one-two and another right hand to start as Askren tries to close the distance. The Frenchman throws a kick and slips to his back, where Askren dives into his guard. Amoussou tries an Omigawa-style armbar off his back and elbows Askren’s curls, only to see the champ fire back with punches and elbows. With three minutes remaining, Amoussou is still landing decent shots off his back and making Askren miss some blows from top position. Askren lands a really sharp short elbow that cuts “Psycho” over his left eye. Another elbow from Askren prompts Amoussou to throw up a futile armbar attempt. Amoussou tries another armbar and uses it to land a hard right hand. Hammer fists coming now from Amoussou, but the Frenchman eats another series of elbows from “Funky.”

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Askren
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Askren
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Askren

Round 2
J. Sherwood/Sherdog.com

Askren absolutely dominated his challenger.
Amoussou tries to keep his distance to start round two, landing a right hand but eating a right from Askren shortly thereafter. Amoussou ends up in top position off a scramble but gives it up in no time, falling back for a heel hook. The champion rolls with the technique and squirts his foot free, climbing atop his foe once more to deliver those mauling shots from the guard. Amoussou’s face is now a crimson mask from that cut over his eye. The judo player now looks to be fading badly, and Askren passes to half-guard before stepping briefly into mount. Amoussou recovers half-guard, but Askren’s onslaught does not cease. Nasty right hands from Askren land on Amoussou’s skull against the fence. Askren is now dishing out double-fisted punishment. Amoussou is gamely trying to fight back, but he is in a bad spot when the round expires.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Askren
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Askren
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Askren

Round 3
Amoussou’s eye is swollen badly, but the cage-side doctor allows him to come out for round three. The Frenchman lands a hard uppercut as Askren charges forward, but “Funky” walks right through it, stepping through with a double-leg and quickly passing to half-guard. It’s rinse, repeat for the champion, who is relentlessly pounding on the challenger with right hands. Askren is in total control now, sitting down on a leglock attempt and landing more jackhammer rights before stepping into mount. Askren launches a flurry of punches, and Amoussou gives him his arm. Askren won’t take the armbar, however, sitting on Amoussou’s chest and pounding away to end round three.

Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Askren
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Askren
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-8 Askren

The cage-side doctor will not allow a battered Amoussou to come out for round four, and referee Jason Herzog awards Askren a third-round technical knockout.

Hunter Tucker vs. Javier Obregon


Round 1
The featherweight contest is over seen by referee Kerry Hatley. The southpaw Tucker takes the center of the cage and fires off a leg kick that takes the lead leg of Obregon out from underneath him. Back to his feet Obregon paws a jab forward but nothing lands. Tucker goes high with a kick and follows it up with a flying knee that glances Obregon. Breifly Tucker finds himself on the mat but he is able to stand. The Greg Jackson product clinches his opponent against the fence and drags him to the floor. In a scramble Obregon is able to get free and fight again from range. Obregon shoots shoots from far outside and finds himself in a guillotine. Nothing is there and a scramble ensues. Obregon is able to frame a guillotine of his own but to no avail. In another quick scramble Tuckers back is taken but the Texan spins in to the guard of Obregon. The two men again battle for position and ultimately return to their feet. 10-9 Tucker.

Round 2
The two men fire kicks at one another to start the round. The exchanges of strikes shows no advantage to either man. Tucker is able to clinch and slam Obregon to the canvas. The ground play is short lived however as the two men get back to their feet a moment later. Tucker is the aggressor with Obregon not really commiting to any of hi s strikes. A left high kick rocks the jaw of Obregon. The strike lands with the foot rather than the chin and Obregon is able to get a takedown off the landed strike. Tucker is able to get back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the period. Another Obregon takedown attempt gets the fight to the floor. However, Tucker settles in to a fight-ending guillotine choke. The tap comes at 3:17 of the second round.

Mike Maldonado vs. Joseph Salas


The bout has been cancelled due to time constraints.