GIF of Ryback botching the gorilla press by landing CM PUNK on the concrete!!

CM PUNK NEWS:FORMER WWE SUPERSTAR HAD VERY SIMILAR HEALTH ISSUE DUE TO WWE SCHEDULE!!

Besides the wording of WWE's statement and fact that Punk dealt with his issues with WWE intelligently (in the sense he didn't talk about his situation until he had a legal settlement from the company), there's something else that gives his allegations an air of truth: the same thing happened to Bob Holly when Dr. Ferdinand Rios was in Amann's role.  In his book, The Hardcore Truth, Holly wrote about what happened to him the day Eddie Guerrero died. He had found a bump on his underarm that wouldn't go away. "By the time I got to Minneapolis, I felt like I had the flu. Dr. Rios checked me out backstage and said I had a staph infection and it had spread to the forearm. He told Johnny Laurinaitis that I was really sick and needed to go to the hospital to get it taken care of. Johnny said that I was needed on the overseas tour, so the hospital would have to wait. I'm not one to complain but even I said to Johnny, 'I'm as sick as hell, man.' Johnny insisted I go overseas. I thought it was just another case of working hurt—you work through it and it goes away eventually. If I'd refused to go, they would have probably fired me. Maybe that's how Eddie had felt."  By the time they got to Germany, Holly's forearm had swollen up to twice its normal size. Rios attempted to drain the infection, but it didn't help; the infection had spread to the bone and Holly was hospitalized: he had MRSA. Surgery didn't work, so they put him on Vancomycin, the "last resort" antibiotic. It worked. The doctors told him that arm would have been amputated from the shoulder down if it hadn't, and quotes one of them as saying that "That man [Laurinaitis] is the reason you ended up in the hospital and nearly lost your arm."  Holly even wrote that "Because they'd gone against Dr. Rios's orders, the company was very liable and they knew that they had set themselves up for a huge lawsuit. I could tell because they were kissing my ass the whole time I was off, telling me not to worry about anything and that they'd get me anything I needed." By the way, you know how Laurinaitis said Holly was needed on the tour? He was in a battle royal every night.

WWE BACKSTAGE REACTION ABOUT CM PUNK INTERVIEW WITH COLT CABANA. VINCE AND HHH MAD!!

Even with CM Punk having a number of detractors in WWE, Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com was told that virtually everybody in WWE who listened to the recent Art of Wrestling podcast with Colt Cabana "thought it was awesome."

Alvarez said, "Now if you know CM Punk, CM Punk is a guy who has his lovers—maybe that's the wrong word—he has his fans, and he has his detractors. There's a group of people in WWE who are big fans of CM Punk, and there are people in WWE who just can't stand the guy. When he left, I heard from people that were like, 'Thank God this guy has left! He drove us crazy. He was so angry.' When he did his podcast with Colt Cabana, he admitted that at the end, he was actually sorry for how many times he told people to f--k off. When it happened, I had been told from people that he was so miserable, he was such as a crabby individual, they were glad he was finally gone out of the locker room because they couldn't handle him anymore. Now with that said, the impression that I got was, even people who did not like CM Punk, even people who really thought he was a miserable guy and were not CM Punk's fans in the slightest, they were fans of a lot of the stuff that he talked about in the podcast."

He continued, "It is true, there are a lot of guys in the company who are afraid to speak out, they're afraid to say anything, they're afraid to approach management, they're afraid to ask questions, and CM Punk got a lot of that out in the podcast. And he opened a lot of people's eyes that didn't know anything about what goes on internally in WWE. So there were even people that don't like CM Punk and don't want him back in the company, who are happy that he did this podcast and said everything that he said."

Alvarez said Vince McMahon is upset with Punk, but he's not "fuming." With the WWE Network airing a live "Stone Cold" Steve Austin podcast with the WWE Chairman and CEO immediately following Raw next Monday, Alvarez was told that it is very unlikely that he will talk about the matter in-depth. If he does, the feeling is that he will offer a "corporate answer."

Paul "Triple H" Levesque was among those hit the hardest in Punk's two-hour long speech as The Straight Edge Superstar addressed his issues with the WWE executive throughout the show. During his meeting with Levesque and McMahon that led to his exit from WWE, Punk went off on Levesque for not putting him over in 2011 when he was riding high on the momentum from his infamous "pipe bomb" promo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Upon being told by McMahon that he would be wrestling Levesque in a 'main event' at WrestleMania 30, Punk recalled turning to Hunter to say, 'All due respect, I do not need to wrestle you, you need to wrestle me. I do not want to wrestle you. I seriously resent you for not putting me over three years ago when you should have. That would have been best for business but you had to f--king come in and squash it. And then I had to lose to f--king Truth and Miz. It didn't make any business sense then, it doesn't make any business sense now, and I am in a position now where I can tell you that I don't have to nor do I want to wrestle you at WrestleMania. I don't care if I was supposed to win.'"

Punk then noted, "Which I was. I didn't care. I didn't want to give him the f--king privilege. I said a lot of s--t in there. I told them again and Hunter, he was gritting his teeth and I knew... he never liked me. It's one of those situations where you always hear those stories in the dirt sheets about 'Hunter says this about Punk' and all this negative stuff but me and him in a room together? Never any good vibes. Always negative, the way he would always look sideways at me, the way he always treated me."

According to Alvarez, Levesque is furious with Punk over his remarks. He said he received a text message from a person in WWE reading 'Triple H wants to kill Punk.'"

Alvarez added that Levesque, as well his wife, Stephanie McMahon, have 'an abject hatred' for Punk. He

HIGHLIGHTS ON CM PUNK INTERVIEW:WWE FIRED HIM ON HIS WEDDING DAY, THE HEALTH ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM

Here are the some highlights of the CM Punk interview on Colt Cabana's "Art of Wrestling" podcast, which may very well be the best in-depth interview with a top former WWE personality all year. 

Please note these are just some major highlights.  Since it's a holiday weekend, I cannot recap everything in detail immediately, but as I have time over the next few days, I will indeed re-listen and write a more detailed recap because of the nature of the interview and the level of story this obviously is.  There is a LOT of ground to cover here.

Before you read these highlights, I highly advise you to check out the original interview as I think all would be best served by listening to this in Punk's own voice atwww.ColtCabana.com.  In case the site is down, you can go to iTunes.com and subscribe to Cabana's podcast at this link to get the episode.  You will hear a MUCH more detailed version of these discussions on Cabana's podcast. 

Quick Highlights:

*Punk made it clear that he's the happiest he's personally been in many years and that at times, he will come off bitter while discussing what happened, but it's "OK to be bitter" and that's part of going through the process of dealing with everything and that his appearance wasn't meant to be an attack on WWE, but a discussion of what his led to his departure.

*The most amazing thing to come out of the interview is that Punk didn't quit WWE after all - he was fired.  While he left the company in January, he was told weeks later by Vince McMahon via text that he was suspended for two months.  The next day, Vince told stockholders that Punk was on a "sabbatical."  When the suspension ended, no one in WWE contacted Punk.  When Punk finally reached out asking where royalties that were owed to him were, he got a run-around from WWE Execs until he received termination papers informing him he was in breach of contract on his wedding day.  So, they technically fired him on his wedding day in June 2014, which Punk said was "going too f***ing far."  Punk claimed the company tried to find him in "retro-breach" in June, instead of claiming he breached his deal back in January 2014 and he knew legally, that wouldn't stick.

*Punk said he left WWE the day after The Royal Rumble for one main reason: his health.  During the podcast, Punk went into great, esquisite detail about the last several months in the company, which includes Punk being so injured that he's working with broken ribs (thanks to Ryback), a concussion (which he ignored after WWE medical asked him if he was OK to go on a European tour, so he toughed it out, which he noted was his own mistake) and injured knees.  During the November tour, Punk was getting so sick that he was puking and dry heaving every night after wrestling, had a fever for months and had no appetite. WWE medical had given him so many antibiotics by that he pooped himself in the ring on Smackdown all while watching his checks shrink.   Punk described it as the worst he ever felt in his life and being unable to sleep because he was so sick. This went all the way through the end of his WWE run.

*At the Royal Rumble, Punk suffered a concussion early on and still worked the entire match.  The next day, he passed the company's concussion test (which he described as "bullsh**") while texting Colt Cabana and wearing headphones.  WWE then told him he passed the test but they wanted him to go run the ring ropes to check him again.  Punk said he felt like they wanted him to go run the ropes like some 2 week rookie in front of everyone and refused.  At that point, Punk demanded they just decide he has a concussion and admitted that until then he was just trying to deny he was hurt and tough it out. 

That same day, the company began pressuring him about signing visas for future tours and taking a drug test instead of listening to his requests to "f***ing help me" because something was obviously wrong with all the issues that had built up.  Deciding he had enough, Punk said he decided to tell Vince McMahon and Triple H he was going home.  Punk's version of this conversation is something to behold as he calmly tears into Triple H for cutting off his momentum in 2011 (Punk goes into great detail on issues with HHH), complains to Vince that he's stifled Punk's creativity and tells them both it's garbage they aren't considering Daniel Bryan for the main event of Wrestlemania 30, passing him by the way they've passed Punk by.    He told them he was done and didn't want to do this anymore.  Vince hugged him goodbye in tears and told him he was family, yet later suspended and fired Punk.

*Punk also told a story of going to WWE's doctor because he found a lump on his back during the same time period as the November 2013 European tour.  The WWE Doctor, identified by Punk as Dr. Chris Amann, diagnosed it as a fatty deposit.  Punk told several stories of asking for Amann to cut it out, but Amann says no because it wasn't hurting Punk.  Punk explained that WWE docs cut things out of the wrestlers on a regular basis.  Amann declined several times to remove it with Punk describing him as "lazy" in explicit, colorful terms.  The day of the 2014 Rumble, Punk told Amann that it was now badly hurting and purple and bigger.  Amann told him he couldn't do it then because Punk had to work the Rumble.  After the Rumble, Punk demanded it be cut out right now and Amann noted that Punk would need to be on antibiotics, to which Punk responded that had been put on antibiotics WWE docs have given him for three months, which is why he pooped his pants. 

*After leaving WWE and still not feeling any better weeks later, his wife AJ Lee convinced him go to her doctor.  Her doctor (without knowing who Punk was or having any background information), immediately looked at the lump and diagnosed Punk with a MRSA staph infection.  The doctor proceeded to squeeze the lump so hard the puss hit the ceiling.  Punk said getting it cleaned out was the worst pain in his life and he needed specific medications for the infection, so none of the meds WWE had been giving him were any help.  So, Punk had been wrestling the last few months of his WWE run with a staph infection in his back, which he stated was ignored and/or misdiagnosed by WWE's medical staff.  When the doctor asked Punk how long he had the lump and Punk told him a few months, the doctor told him, "You should be dead."

*Punk talked about how badly hurt he was during his 2011-2014 WWE run and that on two occasions, he literally came out of surgery (and in one story, was walking out of the hospital following knee surgery) to find out he was being brought back almost immediately to TV with no time off.  After elbow surgery, he was told he was being brought back to the road and TV to cut promos and after the knee surgery, was told he was being brought back in three weeks to work a TLC match against Ryback.  Punk's version of these stories were enough to really make you shake your head and really need to be heard in his own voice.

*Punk described his wrestling career as a failure as he failed to get to the main event of Wrestlemania and that he's come to terms with that as he's moving on to the next stage of his life.  He said that it was ridiculous that so many current roster members have not been in the Mania main event position.  Punk talked about politicking to get to that level, but it was never about winning or being the guy.  He said he needed to get there so he could learn to work at that level and get better, draw more and be an asset to the company.  He said he would hear he wasn't a draw, but every chance he had, he "shoved it down their f***ing throats."  He said that it all comes down to an "out of touch old man" (Vince McMahon) and his decisions. 

*Punk said he knew he had the best match at Wrestlemania 29 and he was praised for it, but he knew he didn't get the money that John Cena, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Rock, and Triple H got for the show. 

*Punk said that for anyone complaining he left WWE in a lurch, he didn't hold WWE up for money and didn't ask for anything and didn't walk out in the middle of a storyline.  He was chokeslammed by Kane and he was gone.  He went home for his health and sanity, although he did note he was frustrated with seeing smaller checks and not getting answers as to how the WWE Network will change the pay scale.  Punk noted that everyone was afraid to ask Vince McMahon and even Randy Orton was coming to him asking if he knew anything.

*Punk said that when WWE fired him and issued him a contract breach, he hired a very "vicious" Los Angeles lawyer to go after WWE to fight the breach and in the end, he got a settlement that gave him everything he asked for "and more."  He said he's just not allowed to talk about the settlement, but pretty much made it clear he got everything he wanted and noted it was stupid of WWE to even advertise him for the next WWE 2K15 videogame.  He said he is completely done and clear of WWE and they will never, ever have a working relationship ever again. 

*Punk said they were terrified that as an independent contract for the last ten years, that he would take them to court and ruin their way of doing business.  

*When WWE later asked to issue a joint statement between the two, he told them to "F*** off."

*Punk talked in detail about WWE using the independent contractor status, noting the company does concussion testing to help themselves, not the wrestlers.  He noted all the money the NFL Player's Union is forcing the NFL to pay for old injuries and medical concerns of players and that WWE is doing all this to prevent wrestlers from being able to say that they aren't.  Punk said that if WWE truly cared for the talents, they would allow a union to be created for the talents.

*Punk also noted that he was to star in "12 Rounds 2" while he was WWE champion.  When signing the paperwork, he noticed the filming dates were the same as a WWE European tour and Triple H.  Triple H told him that was not the case but he will look into it.  The next day, WWE announced Randy Orton would star in the move with HHH never calling Punk to inform him of the change because, as Punk said, "He thinks I'm a piece of sh**."  Punk said it was indicative of the lack of respect he was shown by those in the company.

*Punk said wrestling Ryback took "20 years off his life" and talked in detail about how badly hurt he was working with, as Punk described him, "Steroid guy."

*WWE was afraid he was going to TNA, but his lawyer told WWE that he despises wrestling now and will never wrestle again.

I highly advise you to check out the original interview as I think all would be best served by listening to this in Punk's own voice at www.ColtCabana.com.  In case the site is down, you can go to iTunes.com and subscribe to Cabana's podcast at this link to get the episode.  You will hear a MUCH more detailed version of these discussions on Cabana's podcast.  As I noted, I will have a MUCH more detailed recap on this interview when time will allow over the course of the holiday weekend.

COMPLETE AUDIO INTERVIEW OF CM PUNK ON THE ART OF WRESTLING WITH COLT CABANA !!

TNA NEWS :TENAY TO BE REPLACED IN 2015??

The plan is for a reboot of sorts for the debut show, with new graphics and a new look. Josh Matthews will be replacing Mike Tenay as the lead announcer, working with Taz. The expectation is that Tenay will remain with the company in an on-air role. That change probably would have happened anyway, even if they weren’t looking for a new look and changes on a new station. Part of the deal may be because they consider Jeff Jarrett Public Enemy No. 1 (they even did a video piece designed to mock Jarrett doing a Billionaire Ted-like skit on him) and signing Tenay would keep him from Jarrett, who wanted Tenay to be his lead announcer if he got TV. I had pretty much figured from the day Matthews was let go by WWE that TNA would bring him in because of the John Gaburick connection, and he was at a TNA show in New York immediately after being let go. He was signed right after his non-compete ended, and moved to Nashville some time ago. He was signed at the time to be an announcer, a job he hasn’t started at yet. He’s been working on the web site and other work for months. The only thing that may have changed the plans was Tenay’s performance at Bound for Glory which some figured may have swayed the decision, similar to the fan reaction to Jim Ross in Chicago on the Hall of Fame induction swaying Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn to cancel the plans of replacing him after the 2007 WrestleMania, which had been the plan. It probably would have only delayed the inevitable, because once the thought is in people’s heads about age, it’s just a matter of time before the decision is going to be made. With the doctrine of a complete new look for the product, changing the announcers in an easy cosmetic change.

CM PUNK TELLS ALL ABOUT THE LATEST MONTHS IN WWE, WHY HE LEFT AND WHAT HE TOLD TO HHH AND VINCE MCMAHON!!!

- Former WWE Superstar CM Punk has finally spoken out about his WWE departure on the latest episode of Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast. It's a very in-depth interview with Punk going into detail about his health, last few months with WWE, his departure and what happened after that. The full interview is available on iTunes now. Below are a few highlights:
* He left after the Royal Rumble mainly because of his health. He talked about working with broken ribs, a concussion and bad knees during his last months with the company. Punk was so sick during last November's European tour that he was throwing up and dry heaving every night after his matches. He had a fever for months and no appetite. WWE doctors gave him so many antibiotics that he had an accident in the ring on SmackDown, all while watching his paychecks shrink. He said it was the worst he's ever felt in his life.
* He suffered a concussion early during the Royal Rumble match but still worked. He passed a concussion test the next day and called the testing "bullshit." WWE informed he passed but wanted him to run the ring ropes and evaluate him. Punk then demanded that they just decide he has a concussion and admitted that he had been trying to deny he was hurt and just tough it out.
Punk says that same day he was being pressured about taking a drug test and signing visas for future tours instead of listening to his requests for help because something was obviously wrong. Punk then told Vince McMahon and Triple H that he was going home. Punk says he told off Triple H about cutting off his momentum in 2011 and complained to Vince for stifling Punk's creativity. He says he told them both it was garbage how Daniel Bryan wasn't being considered for the WrestleMania XXX main event. Punk says he told them he didn't want to do this anymore and was done. Vince was in tears when he hugged Punk goodbye and told him he was family.
* However, Punk was actually fired from WWE. After he left in January, he was told a few weeks later by Vince McMahon through text message that he was being suspended for two months. This was the day before Vince told WWE shareholders that Punk had taken a sabbatical. Punk heard from no one in WWE once the suspension was over and received termination papers for breach of contract on his wedding day in June.
* Punk says he hired a very vicious lawyer to go after WWE and fight their claim of breach of contract. In the end, he got a settlement that gave him everything he asked for and more. Punk's not allowed to talk about the settlement. He said they are done and will never have a working relationship again. Punk says WWE wanted to issue a joint statement with him but he told them to "fuck off." WWE was worried he would go to TNA but Punk's lawyer told WWE that he despises wrestling now and will never wrestle again.
* He said wrestling Ryback took "20 years off his life" and described Ryback as "steroid guy."

WWE - STING UPDATE!!

For those of you wondering if Sting will appear on Monday Night Raw tonight, I am told the plan was for him to only appear on the PPV this week. We have heard from one reader who said he saw Sting at the airport in St. Louis this AM as the reader was heading for his own flight back to California, so it does not appear WWE made a last second change to plans. It is possible they pre-taped a segment, but if they have, we haven't heard about it as of this writing.

Obviously everyone is asking if Sting is going to wrestle Triple H. As I noted in the Elite section over the weekend, the expectation is that Sting will wrestle Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31 (and on Friday, when I first heard Sting would be at Survivor Series, I was told this was all part of a plan for that match at Mania), but there is also that little show called The Royal Rumble coming up in January in Philadelphia, so we shall see. From a timing standpoint, that would make the most sense and would give fans unfamiliar with Sting a chance to see him in the ring before he potentially faces off with Undertaker. After last night's moment, WWE would be crazy to pass up Sting vs. Hunter in my opinion.

As I wrote yesterday in the Elite section, WWE flew Sting to Kansas City Sunday AM to avoid fans seeing him and then kept him under wraps for as long as possible backstage. At one point, there were plans for him to simply do a cameo earlier in the PPV after his Titantron video played but the creative changed and he was used in the main event. One person I spoke to believed they switched him with Randy Orton for the main to "mess with the Internet" since there was so much talk about Sting the last 48 hours.

I am told the decision to bring in Sting wasn't made until this past Thursday.

Sting was brought in last night for several reasons. One, the company wanted a big surprise to show "anything can happen" on the WWE Network as a way to entice fans to remain subscribers if they were using the free month. Two, now that the next-generation console version of WWE 2K15 were out, it was smart synergy to have Sting at the show to help promote the game, since a big part of it's marketing is built around Sting. Three, all sides knew that with Sting hitting the 30th anniversary of his career (and being 55), it was now or never if they were going to ever do anything. This is going to be Sting's last run, so if you are a fan of his, enjoy it, because this will be it.

WWE -AJ LEE UPDATE!

After the way she lost the WWE Divas championship last night, there have been a lot of questions about the status of AJ Lee and her contract with WWE.
In speaking to WWE sources last night and this afternoon, I was told that it was simply the way the match was booked that led to the quick ending and loss, not Lee requesting a release, trying to quit, or any of the other stories that seem to be making the rounds.

WWE Survivor Series PPV RESULTS 11/23: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Team Cena vs. Team Authority, more

WWE Survivor Series PPV Report
November 23, 2014
St. Louis, Mo.
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Live PPV First Hour

Survivor Series opened with a video package on Team Cena vs. Team Authority, with the future of WWE hanging in the balance. The focus was on Triple H, Stephanie, Cena, and Seth Rollins.

Fireworks shot off inside the arena to kick things off. Michael Cole introduced the "Thanksgiving Week tradition" before Mr. McMahon's music played to bring out the man responsible for the main event stipulation of The Authority out of power if they lose tonight.

Mr. McMahon strutted down to the ring and welcomed everyone to Survivor Series. McMahon said it will be a Survivor Series that you will never, ever forget. He then welcomed out Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to boos. The power couple sold confidence walking down to the ring as Jerry Lawler said he thinks they're putting up a front. Steph hugged her dad, then Hunter embraced Vince. Big boos once their music stopped.

Stephanie said she understands Vince has given them an incredible opportunity tonight, and they will make him proud. Hunter then asked the crowd to give it up for Vince McMahon. Steph got a little too excited sucking up to daddy. Vince sold annoyance. "This is a bunch of crap," Vince said before bringing out John Cena. Big mixed reaction for Cena, including some crowd members singing the "John Cena Suuuucks" tune.

Vince handed a mic to Cena, who sold concern as Vince reminded him that if his team loses, his teammates will have their contracts terminated tomorrow night on Raw. Likewise, if Team Cena wins, Hunter and Steph will no longer be in power. Cena asked Hunter and Steph if he's going to have to throw them out after his team wins tonight. Hunter laughed, then said Cena is going to be personally responsible for four men losing their jobs. And these men have families and children. Hunter said after these men are fired, they will be ignored, and then they will be completely forgotten about. He said Cena's teammates have everything to lose.

Steph spoke up next that once all four men are cut, the audience will move on. Because that's what they do. Steph said if Cena's team wins, they sure won't be here at Raw and Smackdown (isn't this a PPV), they will still be in power at global HQ calling the shots. Isn't that right, dad? Vince said that's not what he had in mind, news-flashing Stephanie. Vince said the thing is if Team Cena wins, Steph and Hunter will have their desk jobs, but they will have no control or influence over any WWE star. Ever. Vince said he has so much confidence in them that he has arranged for only person to ever be able to bring them back to power.

Steph tried to sweet-talk Vince, but he wasn't having it. He said the only person with the power to bring them back if they lose tonight is ... John Cena. "Yes!" chants from the crowd. Cena smiled. Vince strutted around behind Steph and Hunter, then said he has so much confidence in them tonight. "You're a McMahon ... and you married a McMahon, so you can do it dammit!" Vince growled. Steph told Cena to wipe the smile off his face because they will end Cena tonight. Cena smirked, then told them they will lose tonight. And after that, they will be out of power. Cena said their chances of coming back to work for WWE are the following - "No chance in hell." Cena dropped the mic, then stomped to the back after a 16-minute opening promo segment. People who have never watched a PPV and were enticed to watch S. Series for free must be wondering what's so different about a PPV compared to Raw.

Announcers: Cole, Lawler, and JBL introduced the show on-camera, then gave the Spanish announce team some air time.

In-ring: Lilian Garcia announced an opening Tag Title match. The Usos were out first, then The Miz & Damien Sandow, then Los Matadores with El Torito, and finally the Rhodes Bros. tag champs. Cody Rhodes was dressed in gold with red-accented facepaint and outfit. Even his ears were painted red.

1 -- WWE tag champs RHODES BROS. (GOLDUST & "STARDUST" CODY RHODES) vs. THE MIZ & DAMIEN SANDOW vs. THE USOS (JIMMY & JEY USOS) vs. LOS MATADORES (DIEGO & FERNANDO w/El Torito) -- four-way WWE Tag Title match

JBL randomly introduced Rob Van Dam's name by wondering if he's hiding behind the mask of one of the Matadores. "We Want Mizdow" chant as Miz took a beating from un Matador and Sandow sold the effects on the outside. Miz teased tagging in Sandow, but he pulled away to boos. Cody and an Uso battled, so the crowd picked up a louder "We Want Mizdow" chant. Cody teased tagging in Sandow, but waved it off to boos.

Miz finally tagged in Sandow to a big pop, then Sandow prepared to smash un Matador, but Goldust slap-tagged Sandow from behind. Boos. Goldust pushed Sandow out of the ring, then worked on the Matador. Another "We Want Mizdow" chant as the tag champs retained control. "You don't want Mizdow!" Cody shouted. "You want Starrrrrdust." Boos. The pace slowed considerably, so El Torito tried to warm up the crowd while Sandow hung out on the apron interacting with the crowd. 

Un Matador tagged out of the match to an Uso, prompting Cole to explain that he was in a state where he was unable to continue and the Usos's corner was closest to him. In any event, the Usos combined for successive butt splash to Goldust. Superkicks followed. No sign of The Young Bucks. The Usos then splashed heels on the outside. Cody avoided the attack, then did his Falling Star splash. El Torito entered the ring to boos and did a splash.

Back in the ring, Goldust cut off un Matador. They waited on the top rope for a while before a Tower of Doom spot was set up. Goldust took the worst of it, Miz re-entered the ring to pin Goldust, but Sandow tagged himself in, and Sandow covered Goldust for the win. Miz sold shock as the crowd popped for Sandow, then Miz grabbed both titles and celebrated with both belts. Miz posed in one corner to boos and Sandow mimicked him (without a belt) to loud cheers.

WINNERS: Miz & Sandow at 15:25 to capture the Tag Titles. The next step toward Sandow eventually breaking free and being his own man. But, it's taking away from the babyfaces in the match - mainly former top babyface tag team The Usos. Overall, sluggish match that felt too much like it was Monday night until a strong finish. (**1/4)

Next Week: Vince McMahon does a live interview on Stone Cold's podcast following Raw on WWE Network. It's December 1, the day after the free month of WWE Network expires.

Backstage: Adam Rose tried to settle his issue with The Bunny by battling with action figures. The Bunny won after Rose noted he found him doing birthday parties, and now he's traveling the world with him. Titus O'Neil and Heath Slater interrupted to run down Rose, who booked them in a tag match tonight. In the arena, the crowd shouted, "No! No! No!"

In-ring: Eden Stiles announced a Divas Survivor Series elimination match. Out first was the heel team of Paige, Cameron, Summer Rae, and Layla. Out first for the babyface team was Natalya (with Tyson Kidd led by the hand wearing a giant hood covering his face - first Justin Gabriel and now Tyson Kidd are representing A.J. Styles tonight). Then, Naomi, Emma, and Alicia Fox. On commentary, Cole noted Paige and Fox are no longer best friends and Paige will be joining the cast of Total Divas in January.

2 -- TEAM NATALYA (NATALYA w/Tyson Kidd & EMMA & NAOMI & ALICIA FOX) vs. TEAM PAIGE (PAIGE & SUMMER RAE & LAYLA & CAMERON) -- Survivor Series elimination match

The story early on was Paige avoiding Layla & Summer Rae, who wanted to tag into the match. Chaos broke out, then Naomi rolled up Cameron for a pinfall to eliminate her former teammate. Alicia then knocked down all three remaining heels, clearing them from the ring to regroup. The crowd got restless, so they targeted Tyson Kidd with "Nattie's husband" chants. Layla was eliminated, then Paige rolled Summer into the lion's den to take punishment from Natalya. Emma tagged in and put Summer in the Emma Lock for a submission, leaving Paige by herself.

Paige, having dug herself a big hole, initially ran away from the fight like a good heel, but then she put up a valiant babyface effort against the opposition. She couldn't overcome the odds, though, and Naomi got the fall on Paige to finally get revenge. Afterward, Kidd jumped in the ring to celebrate and take the shine from Natalya, who eventually joined the other Sole Survivors for a curtain call in the ring.

WINNERS: Team Natalya at 14:35. This was Naomi's night to get revenge on her long-standing opposition. And, it's clear WWE is stretching this show out after putting their top stars in one match. (*1/2)

Live PPV Second Hour

Earlier tonight on the pre-show: Fandango returned in victory and Bad News Barrett vowed to usher in a new era when The Authority loses tonight.

Pre-Show Panel: Renee Young brought in Booker T, Alex Riley, and Paul Heyman for reaction to the first hour of the PPV. Forget about that, New Japan is coming to U.S. TV in 2015.

Video Package: Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt feud. 

In-ring: Dean Ambrose was introduced to the ring first, then Bray Wyatt made a solo entrance led by his lantern in the darkness of the arena.

3 -- DEAN AMBROSE vs. BRAY WYATT

The two crazy men scrapped early on before colliding mid-ring. Except, Dean got the worst of it, so Bray retained control of the match. Dean made a comeback, then mocked Bray's upside-down pose in the corner. "That's what Bray always does!" Cole nerdily exclaimed, sounding like he was explaining something to an eight-year-old. Ambrose then dropkicked Bray into the ropes before coming off the top with a guillotine leg drop to the back of the head. Dean covered, but only got a two count.

Ambrose wanted a rebound lariat, but Bray had it scouted and dropped him to the mat for a two count. Bray tried a move from the second rope, but Dean moved and rolled up Wyatt for a two count. Rebound Lariat from Ambrose, then he climbed to the top rope for a flying attack that resulted in another two count. Dean tried to follow up, but Bray went Stan Hansen on Bray with a very loud and impactful lariat. Dean rolled to the floor, where Bray dropped him with a uranage into the steel steps.

Bray rolled Dean into the ring, then introduced the Raw TV portion of the match by grabbing a mic from ringside. Bray asked Dean why they're tearing each other apart when they could be ruling the world. Bray said Dean chose his own path instead. Right hand to the face. Bray then went under the ring and retrieved a steel chair. Make it two. Dean grabbed one and was reprimanded by the ref, who vowed to DQ him. Bray told Dean to smash him with it. Apparently he really wants the winner's purse. Dean took the bait and jabbed Dean with the chair, causing the bell to sound for a DQ.

Post-match: Dean dropped Bray with Dirty Deeds into the steel chair. Ambrose left the ring, then went under the ring looking for a table. This appears to be a set-up for TLC next month. In the ring, Dean placed Bray on the table, then came off the top with a big dive through the table. Dean wasn't done, as he yanked out another table. Dean put the clean table on top of Bray, then smashed the table (and Bray below) with the chair.

Dean chucked more chairs into the ring, then he went under the ring again to retrieve a ladder. WWE is really spelling this out for next month. Ambrose slid the ladder into the ring as JBL played the "human being" card on Bray being subjected to Ambrose's antics. JBL demanded security or medics come help. No sign of help, as Dean climbed to the top of the ladder, posed, contemplated matters, and his music played. Cole said Dean Ambrose has buried Bray Wyatt. Refs finally spilled out to get Dean out of the irng while the ringside medic checked on Bray.

WINNER: Bray Wyatt via DQ in 14:00. They've shifted Ambrose into that babyface role of the guy who loses big matches, but does something zany to distract the audience and stand tall in the end. The "free" PPV sure has felt like an episode of Raw thus far. (**1/2)

Backstage: An eclectic mix of individuals identified as members of Team Authority was standing by in The Authority's office. Triple H gave them a big ra-ra speech while Stephanie McMahon teared up. She got serious and told them more title matches, fame, and money are at-stake. She said they cannot let them down. Steph hyperventilated, so Hunter calmed her down and said this is one of those moments remembered forever. Hunter said with a straight face that he would not have picked anyone else than these men. Hunter said if they lose, they might as well be fired because if you're a champion (Rusev and Luke Harper), you won't be for long and if you're not a champion, you never will be (Seth Rollins). Hunter told them to fight like their life depends on it. The team members eventually shouted "Fight, Fight, Fight!" in unison.

In-ring: Adam Rose and his entourage were introduced to the ring. The Bunny tried to take the spotlight, prompting Rose to get him in line. Meanwhile, Cole talked about crop-dusting after JBL stumbled over the name of the fall when there's trust and lack of sight and group gatherings and team building involved. Slater Gator came out to face Rose and The Bunny.

4 -- ADAM ROSE & A MAN DRESSED IN A BUNNY SUIT vs. SLATER GATOR (HEATH SLATER & TITUS O'NEIL)

Adam Rose did The Miz's bit tagging himself into the match and keeping The Bunny out of the ring. Slater Gator dominated a distracted Rose early on, prompting Bunny to sell concern in the corner. Rose made a desperation tag to The Bunny, prompting Lawler to inform new PPV viewers why a man inside a bunny suit is wrestling. The Bunny then pinned Slater as Rose stood stunned in the corner.

Post-match, Bunny did the trust fall with the entourage, leaving Rose stunned and alone in the ring. Lawler went there about this bit being the same as Miz/Sandow, saying Rose would probably prefer to have a stunt double at this point.

WINNERS: Rose & Bunny at 2:36.

[Commercials]

Announcers: Cole, JBL, and Lawler stood up at the announce table to introduce their special guest ... Roman Reigns, who appeared on the Titantron. They won't let him stay off TV. Cole looked into a ringside camera instead of the Titantron to ask Reigns presumably live questions about his recovery. Reigns's standard lines did not connect, so he cheap-popped St. Louis, then said if he were there, he would cock his fist and make it rain in this b-----. JBL then also looked into the ringside camera to ask Reigns a question (instead of looking into the Tron). JBL asked about Seth Rollins, who Reigns vowed to go after when he returns about this time next month.

Backstage: Team Cena members Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and a dejected Big Show waited for John Cena to join them for a final discussion. Cena said he knows their careers are on the line tonight, but he will fight to the end. Ziggler said he is fighting for what's right, Show said he knows what he signed up for, Ryback said it's time for the Big Guy to eat, and Rowan stood up, removed his mask, and simply said, "Win." Cena hammed it up, then shouted "Win!" 

In-ring: Nikki Bella, along with Brie Bella, came to the ring for the Divas Title match. A.J. Lee came out next to defend her title. Lilian Garcia handled formal ring introductions.

5 -- Divas champion A.J. LEE vs. NIKKI BELLA (w/Brie Bella) -- Divas Title match

Once the bell sounded, Brie remained on the ring apron. She held onto A.J.'s Divas Title, drawing A.J.'s ire. Brie then kissed A.J. on the lips, stunning A.J., who turned around into offense from Nikki. Nikki then dropped her with the Rack Attack. It was good for the pin and the win after 33 seconds.

Afterward, Brie seemed pleased by her actions as the announcers equated this to Brie's husband, Daniel Bryan, losing the World Title in 18 seconds at WM28 after receiving a good-luck kiss from A.J. Lee. Lawler tried to cover for Brie seemingly turning heel to join Nikki by noting maybe she thinks it will make the last two days of her personal service go easier. There was also the deal where A.J. dropped Brie on Raw, so it could have been Brie getting revenge on A.J., but Brie seemed more pleased that Nikki won than A.J. lost.

WINNER: Nikki at 0:33 to capture the Divas Title. Does Brie have a master plan to win the Divas Title from Nikki? Has Brie submitted to the heel because WWE books her character to lose big matches? Lots to sort out here.

Announcement: Ambrose vs. Wyatt was announced as a TLC match in three weeks at the TLC PPV. They're really treating Survivor Series like an episode of Raw.

Video Package: Team Cena vs. Team Authority.

Live PPV Third Hour

At the top of the hour, Triple H's music played to bring out Hunter and Stephanie looking determined to make sure this goes their way tonight. As they stood on the stage, Cole hyped Mr. McMahon reacting to Survivor Series after the PPV on WWE Network. Kane was introduced first for Team Authority. Then, Mark Henry. Luke Harper's eyeballs brought out the new IC champion next, then Lana brought out U.S. champion Rusev. Out last was team captain/Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins. As Rollins made his way to the ring, Cole brought up one potential surprise, Randy Orton, noting they are in his hometown and he's not in this match because Team Authority took out Orton earlier this month.

After a pause, Dolph Ziggler's music played to bring out Ziggler. Big Show was out next with a big smile on his face, apparently feeling very confident about matters tonight. Random new music played next to bring out Erick Rowan. It was like a mix of 18 different sounds. Ryback came out next, then team captain John Cena was out last. Cole noted Cena's title quest as the two teams stood opposite each other. Hunter remained in the ring with his troops, then he slipped to the ring apron with Stephanie. The referee tried to get this organized before the bell sounded at 10:10 p.m. EST.

6 -- TEAM CENA (JOHN CENA & BIG SHOW & RYBACK & DOLPH ZIGGLER & ERICK ROWAN) vs. TEAM AUTHORITY (SETH ROLLINS & KANE & IC champion LUKE HARPER & U.S. champion RUSEV & MARK HENRY w/Triple H, Stephanie, Lana, Joey Mercury, and Jamie Noble) -- Five-on-Five traditional Survivor Series elimination match -- If Team Authority loses, Hunter & Steph are out of power -- if Team Cena loses, Cena's teammates are fired

It was Henry and Show to start things off. Henry sold nervous energy trash-talking everyone in sight. He then returned to his corner for a pep talk from Hunter and Steph. Hunter, full of life and bravado, turned right into a KO Punch from Big Show. One, two, three, and Henry was done. Hunter and Steph sold shock as Show told them to bring it on. Refs helped Henry out of the ring as Hunter bailed to ringside to stare into the arena.

*** Henry eliminated by Show at 0:50 ***

The Authority regrouped with an ambush on Big Show. But, Show fended them off and slapped Seth across the chest. Seth rolled out of the ring as Cole noted Hunter ripped his tie off. They cut to a shot of Hunter sitting in a ringside chair selling dejection and the end of his road. Cena entered for a bit, then Harper and Rowan found themselves in the ring together. No physicality, as Seth decided to tag in to make sure Harper did not make a mistake out of anger.

Ryback tagged in and cleaned house before jackhammering Harper, who slipped out of the ring. Enter Kane, who took punishment from Ryback. Clean tag to Rusev, who slowly entered the ring to square off with Ryback. Ryback got the best of Rusev and wanted Shell Shock, but Kane entered with a big boot. Chaos broke out before Rollins slipped in the ring to Curb Stomp Ryback. Rusev capitalized with a superkick to eliminate Ryback. Fist pump from Hunter. "Yes!" from Stephanie standing over Ryback.

*** Ryback eliminated by Rusev at 8:10 ***

Show entered and wanted a chokeslam on Rusev, but Rusev slipped out and tagged in Harper. Show blasted Harper, but Harper came back with a big dropkick. Enter Rollins, who went after Show. But, Show tagged in Ziggler, who went after the man who took the IC Title from him. Ziggler got over-zealous and found himself on the wrong side of the ring to take an extended beat down. Ziggler fought back and nearly pinned Rusev, but chaos broke out shortly thereafter. Rowan chucked Rollins onto the heels down below, but Rusev KO'ed Rowan. Ziggler tried the Fameasser on Rusev, but Rusev dumped him into a pile of bodies on the floor.

On the outside, Rusev cleared the announce table as Hunter sold concern. Rusev tried a big splash on the Spanish announce table, but Ziggler moved and Rusev ate the floor after crashing hard through the table. The referee administered a count in the background, Hunter panicked, the henchmen couldn't get the big man up, Ziggler returned to the ring at nine, and Rusev was counted out.

*** Rusev counted at 21:00 ***

It was Cena and Kane for the next round. Five Knuckle Shuffle to Kane, then the AA. But, Rollins entered the ring with an off-looking Curb Stomp to Cena. Both Cena and Kane sold face-down on the mat. Tags to Harper and Rowan, setting of a battle of Wyatt henchmen. Rowan hit a big spin kick to the face, but Kane cut off Rowan's momentum. Rollins came out of nowhere with a kick to Rowan, then Harper smashed him with a clothesline for a pin.

*** Rowan eliminated by Harper at 24:14 ***

The match was down to Cena, Show, and Ziggler against Rollins, Kane, and Harper. Cena and Show came together to square off with the heels, but Show turned to Cena and KO Punched him in the mouth, turning heel. Rollins, the new ultimate opportunist, quickly jumped on Cena and pinned him for the win. Rollins celebrated, but backed away when Show walked across the ring. Show leaned down to shake Hunter's hand as Steph jumped up and down to celebrate. Show walked out of the ring to the back, essentially ending his involvement.

*** Cena eliminated by Rollins at 25:11 ***

*** Show quit around 26:30 ***

With it down to Ziggler representing Team Cena, Stephanie taunted Cena, who quietly got up and walked down the ringside area to the back. The heels picked Ziggler apart as the announcers wondered if Mr. McMahon had anything to do with Show's actions. Ziggler fought back on Kane with a cross-body splash, then hit Zig-Zag on Kane for a pin.

*** Kane eliminated by Ziggler at 29:35 ***

Harper quickly entered the ring with a knock down kick to Ziggler. Harper followed with a superkick, but Ziggler kicked out. Harper followed with a big powerbomb, but Ziggler kicked out again. Hunter freaked out, screaming at Harper to finish Ziggler. This was a flashback to the IC Title change on Raw, but this time Ziggler rolled up Harper and scored a quick three count on a small package.

*** Harper eliminated by Ziggler at 31:35 ***

It was down to Ziggler and Rollins, who hit the ring full of energy blasting Ziggler across the ring, then on the floor. Rollins taunted the ringside fans, then rolled Ziggler back into the ring. Ziggler surprised Rollins with a roll-up, but Rollins kicked out just before three, causing Hunter to nearly lose his mind. Rollins responded with a Bucklebomb, but Ziggler kicked out again. Rollins tried a top-rope Curb Stomp, but Ziggler avoided and hit a Fameasser for a super-close count. Hunter lost his mind again, Stephanie tried to avoid a heart attack, and the wrestlers reset in the ring.

Chaos broke out involving Mercury and Noble, then Ziggler nailed Zig-Zag, but Hunter pulled the ref out of the ring just before a three count. Visual three count for Ziggler, then Joey and Noble entered the ring to assault Ziggler. Ziggler fought them off, though, before knocking the henchmen into Stephanie, who fell down onto Hunter. Ziggler cleaned house, but Rollins caught him with another Bucklebomb. Rollins missed the Curb Stomp, Ziggler hit another Zig-Zag, had another three count, a new ref hit the ring, and Hunter smashed the second ref.

Hunter hit the ring looking to punch the crap out of Ziggler as Cole and Lawler called this pathetic and despicable. Hunter teed off on Ziggler as Rollins recovered in the corner. Hunter then scooped up Ziggler for a Pedigree center-ring. Hunter rolled over Ziggler, then put Rollins on top of Ziggler. No ref, though. Cole told Hunter to just go ahead and call a three count himself. Hunter waved for another ref to come down and there was ol' Scott Armstrong, who's been in Hunter's pocket since the beginning.

Armstrong counted one, two, and stopped as suddenly lights flashed, a scarecrow was heard, and Sting's image appeared on the big screen. Out came Sting. The announcers wanted to know what in the world Sting was doing here as Cole went nuts, calling this "incredible." Hunter seethed in the ring as Sting made his way out on-stage. Cole said it's the man who has never set foot in a WWE ring before. Sting marched down to the ringside area and punched out ref Armstrong.

Sting entered the ring and squared off with Hunter as the crowd roared. Sting's hair and gait made him look pretty old, by the way. Hunter and Sting kind of circled each other, waiting for the crowd to break into a chant or make sustained noise. "This is Awesome" was the chant they got. More circling. Is the match still going on? Hunter then asked what the heck he's doing here. Sting cocked his head, ducked a clothesline, kicked Hunter in the gut, and Sting dropped Hunter with a Scorpion Deathdrop.

Sting then turned to Rollins's pinfall on Ziggler, which was the longest visual pinfall ever after the long Sting-Hunter stare down. Sting reversed the pin, putting Ziggler on top of Rollins and left the ring. The original ref woke up, returned to the ring, and counted a three count for Ziggler on Rollins. Ziggler wins it for Team Cena, and Team Authority is out of power.

Post-match: Ziggler stumbled out of the ring celebrating the win, then Cena met him on the stage to celebrate on the way to the back.

Back in the ring, Hunter woke up. Meanwhile, Steph woke up ringside and realized what happened. Steph kind of looked around in a daze, then the crowd broke into the "na na, goodbye" chant. Steph entered the ring to join Hunter in defeat. Loud "Yes!" chants. Hunter stood up and looked around the arena as the goodbye song grew louder. Steph tried covering her ears out of anger. "This is not over!" she defiantly shouted while clutching her stomach. Steph shouted that she will not accept this. Hunter was silent as he internally processed this.

"You are fired!" chant from the crowd. Steph shook the ropes like Ultimate Warrior before Hunter tried to calm her down. The trademarks flashed as Steph threw a fit in the ring. Hunter clutched her as the PPV signed off right at the three-hour mark. No post-game show reaction from McMahon since the Network rolled right into the PPV replay.

WINNERS: Team Cena via Ziggler at 43:05. Well, that was a WWE-style main event. It looks like Cena vs. Show is on the table, plus a potential Hunter-Sting match (which will be a challenge considering Sting's physical condition), and there's Cena's #1 contender shot against Brock Lesnar, which will now be a fair shot with The Authority out of power. Plus, Dolph Ziggler should be in line for something big after pulling a Cena by overcoming the odds. And, by something big, not regaining the IC Title.

WHY DESTINATION AMERICA IS A STEP DOWN FOR TNA

Here's how things stand in terms of what percentage of U.S. TV households can watch what:

USA Network (RAW) - 86.38%
Spike TV (TNA until now) - 85.50%
Syfy (SmackDown) - 85.33%
E! (Total Divas) - 84.48%
Fox Sports 1 (UFC) - 75.13%
UniMas (Lucha Underground) - 57.8%
Destination America (TNA in 2015) - 52.20%
ROH - 38.1%
El Rey (Lucha Underground) - 35%?

All the numbers except the final two are for August 2013. The ROH number is from October 2014, but includes future expansion that has not yet come into effect. The El Rey number was their target number that they announced earlier this year, but I don't know if they've reached it.

Also, it should be pointed out that Destination America is technically available to a lot more people than 52%, but since it's a high-tier channel you'd have to pay extra to watch it.

FULL DETAILS ON NEW TNA TV DEAL!!

The following press release was issued to PWInsider.com:

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST RIGHTS TO TOP PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING LEAGUE, TNA IMPACT WRESTLING, FOR DESTINATION AMERICA

(Silver Spring, Md.) – Discovery Communications announced today that it has signed a multi-year deal with TNA (Total Nonstop Action) IMPACT WRESTLING to bring the popular league to homes nationwide on Destination America, the only network dedicated to celebrating the people, places and stories of the United States.

Destination America officially enters the ring with its first world premiere of IMPACT WRESTLING in January 2015. The series features some of the biggest names in professional wrestling, including Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley and Gail Kim.

The partnership includes the U.S. premieres of additional TNA WRESTLING series and specials and provides Discovery Communications with international broadcasting rights in select regions, to be announced at a later date.

“Our partnership in this uniquely entertaining franchise with TNA IMPACT WRESTLING provides a significant addition to Destination America’s programming strategy,” said Henry Schleiff, Group President of Destination America, Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel, Discovery Fit & Health and Discovery Family Channel. “The enduring, cross-generational enthusiasm of pro wrestling is felt by millions of fans around the country, from coast-to-coast and throughout the heartland. We are delighted to bring this beloved American pastime to the one and only network dedicated to celebrating the unique spirit of the U.S., Destination America.”

“Our knockout partnership with TNA IMPACT WRESTLING continues Destination America’s mission of bringing our viewers the best of all-American entertainment, and going center ring with one of the world’s foremost professional wrestling leagues fits perfectly within our DNA,” said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. “Wrestling has created a fiercely loyal, passionate and widespread fan base, and we look forward to being part of the TNA family.”

“We are very excited about Destination America being the new network for IMPACT WRESTLING and the partnership with Discovery Communications both domestically and across the globe. Their commitment to promote and grow our brand in innovative and compelling ways was instrumental in knowing we had found the right home,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “Together we will create an experience that takes our fans on a new journey that will push the envelope of technology, including where we take our cameras, going deeper into our superstars’ lives and showing the reality of what it takes to create a weekly professional wrestling show, all while showcasing the very best male and female athletes in the world.”

Since launching in 2012, Destination America has become one of cable’s top five fastest-growing networks*, earning 10 consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth in Prime among P2+. With top series that explore unique American cultures and ways of life – including Mountain Monsters, A Haunting, Hillbilly Blood, Buying the Bayou, Buying Alaska, Ghost Asylum and BBQ Pitmasters – Destination America’s programming spans the nation from Alaska, Hawaii and Colorado to Louisiana, West Virginia and communities in between. To find Destination America, the new home of TNA’s IMPACT WRESTLING, go to destinationamerica.com/watchda.

TNA is a privately held sports entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn., specializing in TV properties, events, merchandise, music, and the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. TNA annually delivers more than 500 hours of original content to millions of fans around the world.

BIG ALBERTO DEL RIO UPDATE!!

After making a surprise appearance at the House of Hardcore event in Philadelphia, PA over the weekend, it appears American wrestling fans will see a lot more of the former Alberto Del Rio in 2015.
As I discussed in the Elite section of PWInsider, the former Del Rio, while appearing at the Signamania wrestling convention over the weekend, told numerous fans that he would be working for both Lucha Underground and TNA in 2015. TNA had been interested in Del Rio since word of his WWE release became public. Del Rio has mentioned plans to sign "two contracts" in media appearances.

Del Rio settled his breach of contract issues with WWE last week, paving the way for him to return to the ring within the United States.

Video:ReDRagon vs. Young Bucks 11/3 Super Jr. Tag Tournament 2014 – Final

ROAD TO POWER STRUGGLE 2014 
11/3/14 (Samurai! TV) 
Gifu Industrial Hall 
2,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy 
Super Jr. Tag Tournament 2014 – Final


Bobby Fish  & Kyle O’Reilly vs... di JAHMAL1111

Rey Mysterio - Vince McMahon Meetings Update !

Mysterio in Buffalo on 11/3 met with Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque. Nothing definitive came out of it other than Vince wanting him to return to action. For those who think Levesque is really the one running things, this was all very clearly a Vince meeting and Vince was running the show. At least from the WWE standpoint, the belief is that he’ll be back shortly and working fairly regularly between now and WrestleMania. His contract expires in late April. The only thing we’ve heard is that they’ve asked him to do more dates than most think is prudent for him. I don’t know if that’s just not learning, since he will break down on a nearly full schedule. But the belief is they’ll reach a compromise. Creative has been told to come up with some ideas for him

CMLL - L.A.Park Controversial Situation Update !!

In a crazy story, it now looks like L.A. Park isn’t returning after all, although people are skeptical of that one as well. All Elite Wrestling, which is running a series of show in CMLL’s arenas this week announced that Park was still an independent and you can only see him work with CMLL talent on their shows. CMLL has not talked about Park since he did his interview at their show. Why CMLL would allow Park to do a promo, running down its talent, challenging all the talent and then not already having him locked up, or allowing it to promote independent shows booking their arenas (even if they were paid for it like it was advertising as was speculated) only makes them look bad. The thing that makes no sense is Park never once mentioned the All Elite shows when he did his promo. 

On the TV show and in the arena that night, there was no mention of the All Elite shows, and when Park talked to the press after the show he never once mentioned the promotion or its dates. Weird advertising. It also could be that Park came in, and something fell apart and now everyone is creating a story to explain it. Time will tell. Park is now listed on the All Elite shows and back on the indie scene at the end of the month, which is too early given the surgery he just got, but since it is mostly trios matches, he can be protected. For what it’s worth, Park was booked on an indie show on 11/9, which was his first match back advertised since his surgery, and his son worked the match in his place.

WWE Network "ECW Exposed" Show Review!

As part of WWE’s attempt to build up the network during its free month, they announced ECW week, kicked off by Paul Heyman and Joey Styles doing a live “ECW Exposed” show on 11/10 immediately after Raw.

It was mainly Styles asking Heyman some questions, as well as taking fan questions, and then the show abruptly ending at midnight for regularly scheduled programming even though Heyman was in his element and clearly wanted to go on a lot longer.

There was a lot of talk about how ECW would have been the hot thing on social media had it existed in that day. They pushed the idea that the term “Extreme” in culture in the late 90s came from them and they were the forerunners of it. Heyman tried to also push they were ahead of the curve producing shows in a basement (Ron Buffone’s house) because some of the biggest names today now have studios in their basement. Well, there is a difference in working out of a basement because they are so rich they can have the studio built for them, as opposed to not being able to afford it in any other way, and it’s not like Heyman didn’t say that as well.

Styles noted that there are parental warnings on the new ECW Hardcore television shows because of language. They went through the firing and hiring of Sabu, and how Sabu vs. Taz worked because in real life the two couldn’t stand each other so it brought believability into their feud.

Styles pushed the idea that ECW was important in the big picture because it was where Steve Austin first cut his teeth doing his own promos. ECW was the first place where Austin’s personality really shined, as in WCW, he was a very good worker with a good look, but didn’t show the personality that made the difference between being a star and a big-time superstar. Still, even with that, his time in ECW was short, on the way to WWF, where whatever he showed in ECW was forgotten when he was given a new Ringmaster character. But the fire in his promos did come across when he came up with the badass character that made him the biggest short-term draw in wrestling history.

They also talked a lot about Brian Pillman appearing on ECW TV when he was under contract to WCW, with Heyman admitting that the entire time he was running ECW he was always in contact with Kevin Sullivan, and that he finalized the Pillman deal through Eric Bischoff.

At the time it happened, Heyman was always denying he was working with WCW, because he pushed that WWF (who he also had even closer relations to during that period) and WCW were the mortal enemies and they were the underground movement that through hard work could compete with more well-funded competitors. He always portrayed it as Pillman coming to them, which was true, since everything regarding Pillman in ECW was a collaborative effort of Heyman and Pillman, but Pillman was WCW talent, as much as everyone went to almost ridiculous lengths to show that wasn’t the case.

WCW gave Pillman to ECW for free with the idea they thought it would convince their audience that Pillman had really been fired for being a loose cannon, doing and saying things on the air and behind the scenes that cost him his job. The idea was to fool everyone and eventually build for him to return.

This was actually all Pillman’s idea and he convinced Sullivan and Bischoff of it, and told them to keep in between them and not let anyone else know. There were very few he kept abreast of what he was really doing, limited likely to Kim Wood, his father figure and assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals when he played on the team in 1984; and to a degree, Bruce Hart, who he started with in Calgary as his tag team partner; and Terry Funk, because of Funk’s creativity when it came to out of the box angles.

Pillman’s master stroke was working the people who thought they were the only ones working with him into giving him a legitimate release. The idea was if he had the full legal release, the word would get out from the WCW office and people would buy his firing as legitimate and not storyline. The funny thing is that it didn’t actually make a difference. Most people in wrestling in time figured out what was up.

But for Pillman, the idea ended up being brilliant. Pillman, with his release, then started negotiating with WWF legitimately, double-crossing Bischoff and Sullivan on their agreed upon angle. For Sullivan and Bischoff, especially Bischoff, the idea of the angle was to fool everyone else. For Pillman, the idea was to get himself hot, become a free agent, play both sides against each other, and appear on ECW where he’d have the most leeway to do his thing and get over while he negotiated the two against each other. His goal was to get a Lex Luger level contract.

Pillman always resented that he believed he was so much more talented and creative than Luger, but Luger made so much more money and was pushed harder than he was. It wasn’t any personal dislike for Luger, but of the system and mentality of those in charge in pro wrestling at the time.

In particular were times years earlier when Luger would laugh at him when he’d try to learn different styles of wrestling and study tapes to get better in the ring.

Heyman noted that Pillman became so hot during that period that WCW wanted him back quicker for the Triple Decker cage atrocity they were planning on a PPV. In actuality, Pillman thought returning to get leg dropped by Hogan (it was Hogan who asked for Pillman

in the match because Pillman was getting so hot underground) was the last thing he wanted for his return match. So Pillman, who needed surgery from time-to-time because of polyps that continually returned in his throat, scheduled a surgery. In reality, and I’m pretty sure Sullivan knew this (Pillman at least thought that way), Pillman could have had the surgery at any time, but scheduled it to where he wouldn’t be ready for that PPV, thus avoiding being leg dropped and pinned in what he thought would be (and was) one of the worst PPV main events in history.

Heyman noted that the original idea was for Pillman to wrestle one match in ECW, to lose to Shane Douglas, because Heyman needed to rehab Douglas after a failed stint in WWF. But that never transpired in 1996 because Pillman got in a humvee wreck that put him out of action for a long time.

That was 18 years ago, but the only thing not accurate was Heyman’s time line, saying that Pillman signed with WWF, and WWF was going to allow Pillman to do the match with Douglas, and then he got in the humvee wreck. Actually, Pillman signed with WWF after the wreck.

Pillman never had any intention of going to WWF. The goal was always to stay in WCW, particularly since he thought by having Sullivan and Bischoff as the only ones in on his angle, that they’d take care of him thinking they all pulled something off together. But he did want to get the leverage high, feeling also, that if he got $450,000 a year (main event money at the time) that by getting that contract Sullivan and Bischoff would book him as a main eventer and not a mid-carder.

Even before the humvee wreck, Pillman’s body was starting to fall apart. He had back problems and he was an undersized lineman who played football through college, where at a legitimate 5-8 3/4 and juiced up to 223 pounds (his actual wrestling weight was between 198 and 202 pounds in shape), he was a Division I-AA First Team All-American noseguard.

He felt the pressure to make big money for the next several years, figuring his career had a finite time left, and he was supporting five children.

If the truth were to be told, that was more of his motivation for coming up with all of his crazy ideas than anything else.

He went to WWF instead, because after the wreck, Bischoff would not give him a no-cut clause in his contract, I guess for fear of Pillman not being able to perform as well and being on the hook for years for a big-money deal. Pillman knew, after the wreck, that physically he was done, but told nobody of that (he even kept that from me until just before he died) for obvious reasons. To show the level of paranoia at that point, Sullivan thought Pillman worked the wreck at first and was really in the hospital to get facial reconstructive surgery so he would look exactly like Michaels, and that he was going to WWF to feud with Michaels. I had been pushing Pillman to go to WWF. He would always argue against it, feeling in the end, WCW would pay more than WWF. He felt once WCW paid him main event money they’d push him as a main eventer to justify the contract.

I felt WWF’s main event side was far thinner. Michaels was their top guy, who at the time needed a fresh opponent, and that Pillman’s size, which was the only thing that held him back

from being a top guy, wouldn’t be an issue against Michaels, but would be for the top of the WCW roster.

Plus an advantage was Jim Ross running talent relations, as they knew each other and were friends from WCW, and Ross liked hiring credentialed athletes. Ross and McMahon agreed to the no-cut clause on his contract and that’s why he went, as Bischoff’s guarantee was higher. I don’t know if Bischoff was sincere about this, because it was at Pillman’s funeral that he told me, but he said his biggest regret was not closing the deal on Pillman, maybe feeling that if things were different, maybe he’d have lived.

In 1997, when Heyman was planning that year’s November to Remember, and by this time Pillman was wrestling regularly in WWF, Douglas pitched to Heyman about seeing if WWF would agree to let Pillman wrestle him at the November to Remember show that year. Heyman told Douglas that Pillman, whose drug issues had gotten bad (some of that was due to trying to wrestle in so much pain because of a destroyed ankle from the humvee wreck, but it’s not as though there were no issues before the wreck), wouldn’t be alive in November. He never told that part of the story on the air for obvious reasons.

Pillman died that October.

Styles asked Heyman who on today’s roster, if they were transported back 18 years, would have done well in ECW. He mentioned Brock Lesnar first, as well as Dolph Ziggler (who he said reminded him of Douglas and Shawn Michaels), Cesaro (who he said was underutilized in WWE), Daniel Bryan (he noted that they used Michael Shane, a Michaels school graduate and had ECW continued probably would have used Bryan and thought Bryan may have attended an ECW show at the end with Shane), and that if ECW had continued a few more years, that C.M. Punk may have been its flagship star. He also put over John Cena, talking about his work ethic and longevity at the top, comparing his tenure as the top guy to people like Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz.

They aired videos of Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko talking about their time in ECW and their final match.

Heyman talked about his seven different lawsuits against WCW (which always ended up in settlements where WCW would let him use talent for big shows).

When asked what was ECW’s biggest flaw, Heyman said not having an ad sales team.

Heyman defended using New Jack when asked about it, saying he was one of the most fascinating characters in pro wrestling history, and was worth it even with the lawsuits and legal fees, and talked about how he came off as legit.

When asked about money WWF gave ECW, Heyman said that the $1,000 per week was an agreement he and Vince made when Vince took Too Cold Scorpio away from ECW and it cost ECW $1,000 per week in a sponsorship deal with Tommy Boy Records. He said WWE agreed to pay the company that money to replace the lost sponsorship, but he was not himself on the WWE payroll. Those in WWF always described it at the time as Heyman being on salary as a consultant. He noted the $500,000 (give or take a little) loan in 2000 was an agreement to keep ECW from suing them since WWF was negotiating with TNN (now Spike) while ECW was on TNN. From the WWF side, I was told about the loan that they

believed ECW was going out of business, wanted to avoid any legal complications since TNN was offering five times what USA was and WWF wanted to take the deal, plus they worked into the loan that they were a secure debtor which gave them the leg up if the company went bankrupt to own the intellectual property.

I was told at the time that they never expected to get their money back from Heyman when they loaned it to him. That was one of the best investments WWF ever made, because as a secured debtor, they ended up being able to buy all the ECW intellectual property for a ridiculously low amount in the big picture.

When people used to knock ECW as far as it being something that had a lot of talk but never made any money, the reality is, it made a huge profit in the end, but it wasn’t Paul Heyman or those in business with him who made any profit. The person who made the most profits off ECW were WWF, in marketing DVDs and using the footage in other ways. They could have made tons more if they had marketed ECW merchandise, particularly in 2005 when ECW nostalgia went through the roof.

The last $88,000 loan Heyman said was because WWF knew ECW was about to die, and at the time WWF wanted to keep it alive because they were in talks of buying it and didn’t want it closing. Shane McMahon wanted WWF to buy the company and for him to run it, and Shane McMahon always wanted to run a company by himself. I had never heard that, but the timing does sound accurate. I did know Shane wanted WWF to buy ECW and for he and Heyman to run it at one point. In the end, Vince wouldn’t buy the company, which is the same thing that happened when Shane wanted Vince to buy UFC at about the same time, and in 2006 when Shane wanted Vince to buy Pride. Once Vince made that call, WWF let it die, and picked up its assets later in 2001 in bankruptcy court.