Matt Hardy recently spoke with VOC Nation. Here are some highlights:
Being part of the birth of extreme wrestling: You can go back to the first TLC ladder match with Edge and Christian or even before that to the original Omega. Myself and my brother were two of the guys who wrote the dictionary definition of extreme wrestling. Once we got to the WWE and we got the chance to have the ladder matches and the cage matches, we took them to a different level. We opened up a lot of doors for a lot of smaller guys to do more athletic, interesting, and entertaining stuff.
Working for Tommy Dreamer at House of Hardcore: Tommy Dreamer is a genius promoter. He (does) truly what is best for business. He makes smart business decisions and he gives the fans what they want. House of Hardcore will blow away any of the other promotions on November 9.
Meeting and working with his wife, Reby Sky: Reby and I first spoke online after a fan introduced us via Twitter. Were having a blast together. Were newly married, we travel together, and were big on promoting ourselves and branding ourselves as SkyHard. Were enjoying being our own boss. Were very public people. Were both big tweeters, we love social media; we mesh very well. When it comes to oversharing, were both on the same page.
His future in wrestling: For so long, I felt like I was in a wrestling bubble. You (always fight) to move up a level, to be on tv, to be a champ, etc. Ive dropped all that right now, and I truly enjoy what Im doing right now. I dont want to be under contract. I dont deal with politics, I dont deal with stress, and Im having fun again. If it leads me back to Ring of Honor, or TNA, or WWE, then so be it; but thats not my end game.
The state of the wrestling business: Nothings extremely red hot or extremely stable right now. WWE is set; its not going anywhere its always going to be around. People will always complain, but they have so many corporate sponsors and nothing is going to happen with them. There is a lot of speculation about TNA right now, there are a lot of rumors going around; I dont know anything personally. In my opinion, the better TNA does, the better it is for business. Wrestling is a little hokey nowadays compared to what it should be, but thats because TV is so advanced. You cant insult viewers intelligence; you can go online and find out anything.
Guys that can carry the torch: John Cena is the modern day Hulk Hogan in many ways. He takes someones finish, he kicks out, and is almost indestructible. Its always the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. Take Stone Cold Steve Austin: He was an (average guy) in WCW, and he went to the WWE and was the right guy in the right place at the right time to become Stone Cold Steve Austin. Wrestling is still waiting for that next guy to change the direction, to change the business, and make things white hot again.
What will make wrestling boom again: The content needs to be more sophisticated stories that dont insult the viewers intelligence. The stories need to be more consistent. You cant insult the fans intelligence. With the power of the Internet, people know everything. If you insult peoples intelligence, theyll hit the off button on the remote and that will be it.
- Regarding TNA being for sale, Prowrestling.net is now reporting that there is indeed a person who has serious interest in TNA. This person is described as someone fans would know and someone that may surprise us. The party who is interested in buying TNA reportedly has money behind them and was described as intelligent. TNA doesn't necessarily have a "for sale" sign up but they are listening to this potential buyer and others. There are also rumors that a major celebrity may be interested in purchasing TNA.
- With Eric Bischoff out of the picture, TNA creative going forward will be in the hands of writers Matt Conway and Dave Lagana. The guys maneuvering the creative direction will be John Gaburick and Jeff Jarrett, who has had a lot more and more input as of late.
Former TNA knockout Roxxi announced that she will be retiring from professional wrestling. Her last match is scheduled to take place on December 6th, 2013 at the Lucky Promotions Pro Wrestling show in Clinton Massachusetts.
Serious potential candidate to purchase TNA Wrestling?
There are serious sale talks going on behind the scenes. After we reported it over the weekend, a lot of places ran with borderline ridiculous stories. What I can say at this point is that there is a potential buyer that has been looking at the company. Reps for the potential new ownership group have been at the offices. Talk of a potential sale has been going on for months, but has reached a serious enough point where things are at a significant stage. It is not entirely clear who will end up in power and run the company if and when the deal being negotiated goes through, and what percentage of the company, or if the entire company, is what is being negotiated.
One source with significant knowledge of what is going down said the new group is unlikely to get involved without owning a controlling interest. Also, regarding speculation in various media of names involved, all of the speculation is way off, that much I know. It doesn't appear Viacom has any interest in buying the company (even though TNA gets far better ratings than Bellator, it's not as valuable because it can't get the corporate sponsors or ad revenue) and the parties involved come from outside the pro wrestling industry. The people who have at least been negotiating the most seriously are not from Viacom. The people involved have been successful in a number of other businesses. Just my gut says they are buying it more as a television property with the idea that future rights fees as those number escalate for sports will make it valuable.
Title Change & Return at Tonight's WWE HIAC Posted by Steve Carrier on 10/27/2013 at 10:26 PM
- Kane returned to action at tonight's WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view, making the save for The Miz while Erick Rowan and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family beat him down. Kane ended the segment by laying The Miz out with a chokeslam. Here is a photo:
- John Cena became the new World Heavyweight Champion at tonight's Hell In a Cell pay-per-view by defeating Alberto Del Rio.
Eric Bischoff Being Paid to Sit at Home Posted by Steve Carrier on 10/29/2013 at 01:37 PM
Dave Meltzer mentioned on the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that Eric Bischoff was sent home and will get paid for the remainder of his contract, which is expires early next year. Meltzer also noted that Bischoff is out of power and is "gone."
"He wasn't at the PPV, [he] wasn't at the last TV, [he] won't be around," Meltzer said. "A lot of people are really happy on that one, Eric was not very well liked there. Eric got exposed... Eric was very lucky that he had some very smart people propping him up in the WCW days and those people aren't there now, and he got exposed on this run real bad."
- Originally the scheduled main event for Monday's Raw was to have Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. The Shield in a Handicap Match. Vince McMahon changed creative plans over the course of the day, as a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship was instead announced for this Sunday at Hell in a Cell (Cody Rhodes and Goldust will defend their belts against The Shield and the Uso brothers) and United States Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Daniel Bryan was added to the show at the last minute.
- Dean Ambrose appeared to have tweaked his knee after being tossed out of the ring during his match against Daniel Bryan. He was limping slightly backstage following the match, but it is not considered serious.
- There was a lot of talk backstage of CM Punk appearing hurt after his tag-team match on Raw.
- Regarding why Dolph Ziggler seems to be stuck in the midcard right now, he has the reputation backstage for being someone with a bad attitude. It's said that WWE officials don't like the way he represents himself backstage, the way he speaks to people and the way he speaks to the media. While Ziggler tries to make it sound like he's keeping with the storylines, there are people within WWE that don't like how he speaks out about the company.
Alex Shelly Reflects on Several Injuries Suffered Posted by Steve Carrier on 10/21/2013 at 03:24 PM
Former TNA Wrestler Alex Shelly reflected on Twitter the various injuries he has suffered since joining NJPW with the following Tweets:
September 2012, my first @njpw1972 tour. 4 broken front teeth via rabbit clothesline from Rocky Romero. I could hear my teeth "Ping!" when they hit the guard rail and spit chunks out as I finished the match. Later, I could smell the burning and taste the dust when they ground down the shards to bond them when I went back to Detroit after the tour.
April 2013, partially paralyzed vocal cord via Prince Devitt lariat. Had to change some of the songs at band practice and now I sound like a full time smoker. Not counting the damage from the brutal dropkicks to the face.
June 2013, slightly fractured skull via Plancha from Taka Michinoku. Spinal fluid actually leaked out my nose for a week after and I had I idea of the severity until I went to the doctor weeks later. Wrestled again that night against Devitt in a dream come true.
Finally, September 2013, severe sciatica via Liger Bomb from @taichi0319. Bad enough injury that I had to let a bunch of people down and forego my chance to become a 3 time IWGP Jr. Tag Champion. Had a hard time walking, couldn't workout, and totally rethought my life."
Shelly also questioned to himself whether he should retire from professional wrestling or carry on.
"I don't consider myself tough, persay. I just really love wrestling. And @njpw1972 is wrestling. I was "orphaned", by my choice, and NJPW gave me a home. So while I waited in the doc's office, I really thought that 2012-2013 was my favorite year of my career. I grew the most as a wrestler, I (hopefully) won over @njpw1972 fans and proved to everyone I could adapt and learn and go in the ring. This was the first time I thought "Maybe I need to get out." So, understandably, I was pretty scared when I went in again last week. But nope. I am supposed to continue wrestling, I think. Cleared to lift weights, burnout on cardio, and should make a full recovery. :)"
Former TNA Knockout Mickie James Says She Will Be Back On Television
Former TNA knockout Mickie James recently spoke to The Temple News regarding her departure from TNA, her music career and the possibility of returning to televised wrestling soon.
On returning to wrestling:
Its certainly not the last time youll see me on television in a wrestling ring, James said. Im far from done. When I retire, I want to retire the right way. Thats what we all hope for, right?
On balancing her music and pro wrestling:
"Its one of those things where you have to make time and work around your schedule. Coming from the WWE where I was on the road 200 to 250 days of the year and then crossing over to TNA where the schedule was much lighter gave me some time to work on the music. But its not easy cash, I will say that."
The seating plan for the Impact Wrestling World Tour live event at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, KS scheduled for 17 September, 2015 shows the ramp leading up to a six-sided ring instead of the traditional four-sided ring. This may be a sign of the six-sided ring returning to TNA.
Keep in mind that this is a very preliminary seating plan for an event two years away and the event has yet to be officially announced.
PWinsider.com is reporting that Ring of Honor's Veda Scott worked a tryout match for TNA officials at Bound for Glory before the crowd was let into the venue in San Diego, she faced Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Candice LaRae.
This is Candice's second TNA tryout, she wrestled a dark match in TNA's developmental territory OVW awhile back
Gauntlet Match: Kazarian and Daniels vs. Robbie E and Jesse Godderz vs. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez vs. Eric Young and Joseph Park We go to the ring to crown new #1 contenders. Kazarian and Daniels are out first as Christy Hemme does introductions. Out next comes Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez.
Lots of back and forth to start. Hernandez takes out both opponents. Hernandez runs down the ramp and leaps into the ring while Chavo leaps from the top rope, taking out their opponents at the same time. We go to commercial with Chavo and Hernandez in control.
Back from the break and Hernandez is still in control of Kazarian. Daniels and Chavo tag in at the same time. They go at it and Chavo nails a nice dropkick. More offense and a 2 count from Chavo as Kaz breaks the pin. Hernandez blocks a double team and runs over both men. Hernandez knocks Kaz out of the air. Daniels dumps Hernandez out to the floor. Chavo hits Three Amigos on Daniels and goes up top. Kaz pulls Chavo off the top and Daniels rolls him up for the pin. Chavo and Hernandez are eliminated. Joseph Park and Eric Young are out next.
They hit the ring and everyone goes at it with Bad Influence in control. Young sends Daniels to the floor and helps Park. They double team Kaz. Park nails a splash and a scoop slam. Kaz turns it around and goes to work on Park. Young argues with the referee while Park gets double teamed. Park tries to make a comeback but misses a sitdown splash. Kaz with a clothesline on the mat for a 2 count.
Back from the break and Young is hitting Daniels and Kazarian. Young mounts Daniels with right hands in the corner. Young keeps control of Daniels and hits a big belly to belly suplex for 2. Young whips Kaz out to the floor. Daniels chokeslams Young and misses a Best Moonsault Ever. Park gets back up and they double team Daniels. Park nails a fallaway slam and Young covers for the pin. Daniels and Kazarian are eliminated. Before they exit, Daniels and Kazarian attack Young and Park. Kaz drops Young on his head in the ring. Park gets double teamed on the floor and whipped into the Ultimate X structure. A referee calls for help as Park is laid out. Out next comes Jesse Godderz and Robbie with Mr. Olympia.
Park is helped to the back by security. Park looks back with a busted mouth and looks sad. The bell rings and Robbie E enters the ring while Young tries to get up. Robbie covers but EY kicks out at 2. Another pin attempt. Robbie unloads on Young and tags in Jesse for some double teaming. Godderz works over Young for a 2 count as Mr. Olympia cheers them on. Godderz stomps away on EY and almost trips. They collide in mid-air with clotheslines and both go down. Robbie tags in and runs into an uppercut. Young dodges some double teaming and works over both of his opponents. Young slams Robbie and goes to the top for a big elbow drop. Young with a 2 count as Godderz breaks the pin. Young fights them both again but they drop him on his face with a double team move. They nail a Hart Attack for the win and title shot later tonight.
Winners and New #1 Contenders: Jesse Godderz and Robbie E
Ultimate X for the TNA X Division Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. Chris Sabin vs. Austin Aries vs. Manik We go to the ring and out first comes Jeff Hardy. This is Hardy's first-ever Ultimate X match. Out next comes Austin Aries. Chris Sabin is out next with Velvet Sky followed by Samoa Joe. Out last is TNA X Division Champion Manik.
Sabin starts to climb but goes back down and drags Aries to the floor to start the match. They brawl on the floor and use the structure. Hardy and Aries on the floor now. Joe comes in and lays out Sabin with a bunch of right hands. Joe with a splash and clothesline on Sabin. Hardy and Aries both have climbed up and are going at it. Hardy comes down. Aries looks to cross the cables but Hardy brings him down. Manik takes both Hardy and Sabin down at the same time. Sabin and Manik go at it now. Manik with a submission but Aries breaks it. Aries takes control of Manik now. Aries goes out for the title but Hardy pulls him down. Hardy catapults Aries on his face. Hardy goes under the ring and brings out a ladder.
Joe leaps out of the ring and takes out Hardy. Sabin takes out Joe but Manik takes out Sabin. Aries goes to the top and leaps out onto everyone on the floor. Aries and Manik go at it in the ring now. Manik ends up dumping Sabin out to the floor right in front of Velvet. Joe with right hands on Aries in the corner. Joe takes Aries up for a Musclebuster but Aries counters and drops Joe on his head. Aries with a corner dropkick on Hardy. And one for Joe on the opposite side of the ring. Aries with another dropkick on Hardy and Joe. Aries goes for a brainbuster on Joe but it's countered. Joe with the rear-naked choke. More back and forth with Joe in control until Sabin dropkicks him.
Hardy takes out Sabin from the top. Hardy brings a ladder in the ring and sets it up under the title. Hardy climbs but Joe meets him and they go at it up high. Joe sends Hardy to the floor. Aries takes out Joe and the ladder. Aries sets up the ladder and climbs. Manik springboards onto the cables and meets Aries at the title. Sabin pushes the ladder over and both of them fall. Sabin grabs Hardy and works him over. Hardy blocks a kick and nails Twist of Fate. Velvet cheers on Sabin to get back in the ring but they start arguing. Sabin wants Velvet to get in the ring but she says no. Sabin pushes her in the ring. Hardy takes out Joe. Hardy moves Velvet out of the way of the ladder. Sabin takes advantage and climbs for the title. Sabin unhooks the title as Manik dropkicks him to the mat..
Winner and New TNA X Division Champion: Chris Sabin
TNA Tag Team Title Match: Jesse Godderz and Robbie E vs. James Storm and Gunner We go back to the ring and out comes Jesse Godderz and Robbie with Mr. Olympia again. TNA Tag Team Champions Gunner and James Storm are out next. Lots of back and forth and tags to start the match. Gunner goes at it with Jesse now. Gunner drops him with an elbow for a 2 count. Gunner with a big knee in the corner and a slingshot suplex for 2. Gunner fights off both of them but gets knocked off the top by Jesse for a 2 count. Gunner gets double teamed as Robbie tags in. They keep Gunner in their own corner now. Gunner finally fights them both off and runs over Robbie with a high running knee. Gunner goes for a tag but Jesse knocks Storm off the apron. More quick tags between Jesse and Robbie as they keep control of Gunner. Gunner with a big fallaway slam. Storm finally tags in as Robbie does. Storm unloads on both opponents. Storm with a neckbreaker and a 2 count on Robbie. All four end up in the ring going at it now. Jesse and Robbie go for a double superplex on Storm but Gunner pulls Robbie away with an electric chair. Storm knocks Jesse off the top onto Robbie. Storm flies off the top and gets a close 2 count. Gunner unloads on both men now. Lots more back and forth with everyone in the ring. Godderz and Robbie get the win and the titles.
Winners and New TNA Tag Team Champions: Jesse Godderz and Robbie E
TNA Knockouts Title Match: Brooke Tessmacher vs. Gail Kim vs. ODB We go to the ring and out first comes Gail Kim followed by Brooke. The TNA Knockouts Champion ODB is out next. Kim gets sent to the floor early on as Brooke works over ODB. Brooke drops ODB on her face for a 2 count. Brooke uses the ropes to choke her now. Brooke keeps control and nails a neckbreaker. Brooke with another neckbreaker for a 2 count. Gail pulls Brooke's legs and applies a Figure Four on the ring post. Gail brings it back in the ring but Brooke kicks her in the head. ODB with a flying forearm on Gail. Brooke and ODB trade shots now.
More back and forth action. Gail breaks up a submission attempt by ODB. Gail goes to the top but Brooke fights her off and climbs up. ODB climbs up and tries to suplex them both to the mat. They knock ODB to the mat. Gail hits her with a missile dropkick. Brooke comes off the top with an elbow drop on Gail. ODB runs over Gail and Brooke. She suplexes Gail and holds her in the air before dropping her.
2 count as Brooke breaks the pin. ODB accidentally splashes the referee in the corner. He gets sent out to the floor by Gail. ODB scoops Gail and Brooke on her shoulders at the same time. Brooke falls off after a minute but ODB drops her with Gail's legs. ODB looks to be going for a pin when Lei'D Tapa comes out. ODB takes a drink from her flask and meets Tapa on the apron. They go at it but ODB goes down. Brooke leaps out onto Tapa as she approaches the ring. Tapa powerbombs Brooke back into the ring on top of Gail. Gail takes advantage and covers Brooke for the win. Winner and New TNA Knockouts Champion: Gail Kim
Bobby Roode vs. Kurt Angle Bobby Roode is out first followed by Kurt Angle. They lock up and trade holds to start the match. They lock up again and trade holds. They lock up again with more holds. Roode keeps Angle grounded with a headlock. Roode with a shoulder block now. Angle avoids a submission and retreats to the floor to regroup. Angle comes back in and goes for a quick ankle lock but it's blocked. Roode keeps control and works over Angle in the corner. Angle finally turns things around and makes a comeback. Roode pulls him to the floor but Angle keeps control. Roode kicks him and slams his face into the apron. Roode goes for a suplex on the floor but Angle blocks it and suplexes Roode on the floor. They come back to the ring with Angle in control. They fight on the apron and Roode drops Angle over the top rope, sending him back to the floor. Roode comes back in and starts working on Angle's neck. Roode with a 2 count and more offense. Angle makes a comeback with clothesline and hits a few German suplexes. Angle with a belly to belly suplex now. Angle hits another German for a 2 count. Roode counters an arm drags Angle. Roode with a spinebuster for another 2 count. Angle applies the ankle lock but Roode gets out. Angle misses a shoulder in the corner also. Roode with an armbar takedown and then the Crossface. Angle misses the moonsault and applies the Crossface again. Angle turns it around and applies the ankle lock. Roode turns it back into the Crossface. They break the holds and go back at it. Roode with a neckbreaker for a close 2 count. Angle with the ankle lock once again. Angle drops down and tightens the hold. Roode looks to have passed out. He lets the referee raise his hand to see if he's still in it but Roode takes advantage and grabs the rope to break the hold. Fans boo.
Angle takes Roode back to the top and they both go down with an Angle Slam. The back of Angle's head hit hard and he didn't move. Roode covers for the win. Winner: Bobby Roode
Ethan Carter III vs. Norv Pernum We go to the ring and out comes Ethan Carter III for his debut. His opponent is announced as being from San Diego and his name is Norv Pernum. Norv can't weigh 150 lbs. and doesn't look like much competition. Carter controls Norv, who was hand-picked by Aunt Dixie. Stalling and a slow-paced start here. Norv works on Ethan's arm but gets dropped with a forearm. Ethan beats Norv down in the corner now. Ethan rubs Norv's face into the mat and the fans aren't into this one. Ethan gets the easy win. Winner: Ethan Carter III
Sting vs. Magnus Sting is out first followed by Magnus. Lots of back and forth to start the match. Magnus keeps Sting grounded with a leg scissors. Sting eventually applies the Scorpion submission. They both go down after colliding with clotheslines. Magnus comes back and uses some of Sting's own moves on him. 2 count for Magnus. More back and forth. Sting with the Scorpion again but it's broken. Magnus misses a top rope elbow drop. Magnus blocks the Scorpion Death Drop with elbows. Sting falls face first after so many elbows to the face. Sting tells Magnus to bring it. Magnus ducks a clothesline and applies the Cloverleaf on Sting. Sting tries to reach the ropes but finally taps out to end the match. Winner: Magnus
No DQ Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title: AJ Styles vs. Bully Ray We go to the ring and out first comes AJ Styles to a decent pop. Out next comes TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray with Brooke. We get official ring introductions from JB.
The bell rings and they lock up. Ray takes AJ to the corner and they break. Ray talks trash and says AJ doesn't belong in the ring. More stalling but they go at it. Ray knocks AJ down with a big clothesline and talks some more trash. AJ fights back with right hands. They run the ropes and AJ nails a big dropkick as the crowd pops. AJ applies the Calf Killer. Garett Bischoff runs down and gets on the apron. A distracted AJ breaks the submission hold. AJ backs Garett up the ramp. Ray gets to his feet in the ring and has grabbed a hammer. AJ comes back to the ring and blocks the hammer shot. AJ picks up the hammer but Ray blocks it. Ray with a big chop to the chest.
Another big chop and more offense from Ray. Ray mocks AJ and takes him to the corner for more slaps to the chest. Ray smacks AJ around. AJ fires back and gets in his face. AJ takes the big chops from Ray and comes back ready for a fight. Ray drops AJ with a chop but he gets right back. AJ takes Ray to the corner and dares him. Ray finally does fight back and runs over AJ. More chops to the chest. AJ no sells it and fires back with right hands and kicks. Fans chant for Styles. He takes Ray's legs out and Ray goes down. Knux comes down and enters the ring as AJ is on the top. AJ leaps down but Knux grabs him in mid-air and nails a big chokeslam. Ray with a 2 count. Ray yells at Knux and then gets in the face of the referee. Earl Hebner yells back and gets in Bully's face. Ray charges AJ but accidentally clotheslines Knux. AJ with a 2 count roll up on Ray. Ray knocks AJ back with a punch to the mouth. Fans chant for tables but Ray knocks AJ out to the floor with a big boot to the chest. Ray keeps control on the floor at ringside until AJ nails a Pele kick. AJ grabs the hammer but drops it and slams Bully's head into the production table at ringside. AJ springboards up and out of the ring but Bully moves and AJ goes crashing through the table. A big "holy s--t" chant breaks out as Hebner checks on AJ and we see replays. Taz hands Bully a cutter and Ray cuts the ring covering off the ring. Ray pulls back the ring covering and the padding to expose the boards underneath. Fans chant "ECW" as AJ is still recovering out on the floor. Ray stomps on AJ's head. Ray calls for his Aces & 8s partners to come out but nobody is coming. Dixie Carter comes down and the crowd boos. Dixie has security hand her a steel chair. She hands it to Bully. Ray turns around to a springboard forearm from AJ. AJ nails a springboard 450 and goes for the pin but Dixie stops the referee. Hebner goes to count anyway but hesitates. Ray kicks out and breaks the pin. AJ goes for the Styles Clash but Ray backdrops him onto the exposed boards. Ray goes back to pounding on AJ. Ray goes to the ropes for a Bully Bomb and nails it. 2 count for Ray. Ray with a big chair shot to the back now. Ray with another chair shot before tossing it to the side. Ray goes for the big powerbomb on the exposed boards but AJ counters and slides out. AJ with another Pele kick as Dixie looks on from the ramp. AJ connects with a chair shot to the head. AJ goes to the top and points at Dixie. AJ nails Spiral Tap for the win and the title. Winner and New TNA World Heavyweight Champion: AJ Styles
Michael Hayes Reportedly Suspended from WWE Posted by Steve Carrier on 10/09/2013 at 06:57 PM
Earlier we noted that Michael Hayes has not been around the company for sometime as he has been taking time off the road to handle some of his personal issues, however that doesn't seem to be the case according to former creative writer, Court Bauer.
Bauer revealed on the most recent episode of the Bauer and Pollock Podcast that Michael Hayes has been suspended indefinitely by World Wrestling Entertainment for offering alcoholic beverages to Rosa Mendes just days after she returned to the company after a stint in rehab for substance abuse. Officials were shocked at his actions and deemed it insensitive enough to suspend him indefinitely.
- Daniel Bryan recently spoke with The Pitch to promote the October 15th SmackDown tapings in Kansas City. Here are some highlights:
A prank he pulled on the Total Divas crew while proposing to Brie Bella: "Quite frankly, by the time that that happened, they were barely there because we'd just done a 5-mile hike. Imagine those people, they don't know where I'm proposing, right? They're hoping that it's at the beginning of the hike, but absolutely not. [Laughs.] I waited until we're at the top of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and everybody's drenched in sweat, and they've got the cameras and sound stuff, and nobody was even sure that's when I was going to propose. They just had to film us that entire time. It was almost like my own practical joke on the reality-show people to make them hike this far with all of this equipment, and then that's when the biggest moment happens, when they're completely mentally and physically unprepared for it."
Did he foresee his beard becoming a big part of his character? "No. Absolutely not. I just started growing my beard because I was tired of shaving. Then I kept growing it, so I could grow out the hair on the top of my head. When you have a shaved head and you start growing out your hair, it goes through that awkward stage. I was like, 'If I keep growing out my beard, nobody's even going to notice that I'm growing out my hair.' And true to form, nobody did until it was past the awkward stage because everyone was looking at my really awkward beard." [Laughs]
Will he shave it for the wedding? "It'll be interesting to see if she wants me cleanshaven for the wedding or not. I don't know if I could shave my beard right now if I wanted to. We're filming SmackDown tonight. Imagine if I just showed up to the arena tonight cleanshaven, how mad everyone would be. [Laughs.] It's no longer something that I can control myself. I have to accept that this is what I am."
Has he reached the level of a bus guy yet? "No, and I don't know how you get to the level of being a bus guy. I do OK, but I'm somebody who saves my money. It's hard to justify that expense. Think of this: You're renting a bus and a driver to take you around 200 days a year. When you're trying to compute the cost of what that might be, it's very, very expensive. For me, I've been working most of my career not making very much money. [Laughs.] And I've been wrestling for about 14 years now. So I need to be able to save for retirement. I don't have any other job skills. I've been wrestling since I was 18. This is it."
Backstage News on Why John Cena Is Returning Early
It turns out that John Cena wasn't hurt as much as doctors originally expected. When doctors examined him, they found only a partial tear triceps. This was known when WWE announced Cena's original recovery time.
There was talk of Cena still staying out of action until January but with WWE's thin roster, the decision was made to bring him back. WWE officials knew Cena would be returning 4 or 5 days ago but didn't decide on the match against Alberto Del Rio until this past weekend.
As of Monday, the plan is for Cena vs. Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title to be a regular singles match, not a Hell In a Cell match.
Update on RVD's WWE Status and His Unique Contract
PWInsider insists that reports of Rob Van Dam not re-signing with WWE are incorrect. RVD is already under contract, as we have noted, his deal calls for him to work 90 days and then take time off, as much as he wants. Van Dam can come back whenever he wants for another 90 days of work.
This is a deal that RVD and Triple H came up with, one that was signed off on by Vince McMahon. One of the reasons for the deal is RVD has so many of his own projects going on. RVD and WWE are on good terms with a new action figure coming out soon and a possible DVD in the future.
While RVD is away from WWE, he can still work for other wrestling companies but cannot appear on any of their TV programs. Word now is that he may be gone until the Royal Rumble season. WWE creative wants him to return then and work from the Royal Rumble through Extreme Rules, which obviously is more than 90 days.
We start off with the standard look back at last week's action before heading to the ring as Dixie Carter and her crappy entrance music make their way to the ring. She says that last week, we saw how some self-important jerk who is not a team player found his way out of the company, and his name will never be heard on her show again, because she doesn't need him or anyone else to tell her how to come in and run her own wrestling company. She doesn't need a Vince, Eric Bischoff, Stephanie Levesque, or those good ol' boy Jarretts because she's the best this business has ever seen. The crowd is loudly chanting for Hulk Hogan as Dixie talks about what happened last week when she nicely asked AJ Styles to leave her building, but then she came back anyway. Dixie says he is not needed here, and her security is praying he shows up, and she's going to give her World Champion a blank check tonight...she says that means a blank check in trailer talk...but before she's able to continue, Sting comes out and asks Dixie point blank what is going on. Dixie says she doesn't need to wake up because she's wide awake, and everyone's contract is under review, and by the way, it was Sting's idea to make Hulk Hogan the GM of the company and we saw how well that worked out. Dixie doesn't appreciate Sting putting himself in her position and making his own match for Bound For Glory, and she asks if he wants to be like AJ and be out of here. She doesn't want that for Sting, but she'll do it because he walked them right to the edge of the cliff by making that match, and she feels like she wants to take it all away. She decided to give Sting and Magnus some time to bond and makes a match between them and Kazarian and Daniels tonight, and Sting still wants to know what's going on, but Dixie blows him off and says that she's going to turn up the heat and if either Sting or Magnus loses tonight, neither of them will be at Bound For Glory. If that happens, then Sting's future here is in the palm of her little bitty hand. Dixie starts to leave, but turns back and tells "Steve" that this is what's going on and wishes him good luck tonight...because she wants him to win. Dixie makes Jeremy Borash hold the ropes open for her as Sting is dumbfounded.
Tonight: Bobby Roode is inducted into the EGO Hall Of Fame, and Jeff Hardy faces Austin Aries! Speaking of Aries, he's backstage saying that Jeff Hardy is again trying to blow up his momentum, and he's no stranger to the X Division, and they're doing Ultimate X because HArdy needs the spectacle and the highwires. Aries is a wrestler, and tonight he'll prove why he's going to remain undefeated in Ultimate X, regain the X Division Title, and cash it in once again.
AJ Styles is backstage saying it's nice to be let into the building without security chasing him out, and he's going to make Dixie pay.
Jeff Hardy vs Austin Aries
They do some basic mat wrestling to start with neither man able to get an advantage over the other, Aries catches Hardy with a back elbow and tries a double axhandle off the second rope, Hardy catches him on the way down with an inverted atomic drop, but Aries with a series of armdrags takes Hardy to the mat. Hardy tries a legscissors, but Aries is obviously easily able to escape that and hits the low dropkick for 2. Aries whips Hardy to the corner, nails him with a charging clothesline, then brings him back out with a bulldog and covers for 2. Aries keeps up the pressure, hitting a high impact elbowdrop for 2 before going to a chinlock. Hardy with a jawbreaker to escape, Aries reverses a whip and sends Hardy to the corner, Hardy leapfrogs and catches Aries with a headscissors that sends him out to the floor. Hardy baseball slides Aries into the broadcast table and then comes off the apron with a clothesline as we go to commercial.
We're back as Aries regains control by whipping Hardy into the corner at high velocity and then using Hardy's own momentum to skee ball him out to the floor and into the broadcast booth. Aries nails Hardy with a double axhandle off the top rope, then goes back to the top rope and nails another one. Aries rolls Hardy back into the ring and goes to the top rope, waiting for Hardy to get to his feet before coming off with a missile dropkick, but Hardy moves out of the way and Aries hits nothing but mat. Hardy is back on the offensive, hitting a flying clothesline, inverted atomic drop, double legdrop to the ding ding, and a low dropkick for 2. Aries does something I don't catch to put Hardy back down, nails him with the missile dropkick on the second try, comes zipping into the cornerfor the IED, but Hardy gets the boot up. Hardy powerbombs Aries up over his head and down on his fate, Aries blocks the Twist of Fate, but Hardy nails him with the Whisper In The Wind and TAKES THE SHIRT OFF! Hardy goes to the top rope, but Aries dropkicks the ropes and crotches Hardy on the top rope, then Aries goes up and hits A BRAINBUSTER OFF THE TOP ROPE! Hardy is dead as Aries covers him for the win.
Winner: Austin Aries
Aries earns his first win over Jeff Hardy in grand fashion. Samoa Joe comes out and congratulates Aries on his win, but he's out here because Aries came out here last week and put himself in an X Division Title match, then Jeff Hardy made it an Ultimate X match, but even though they're both very charismatic, Joe thinks there's something to having a microphone and announces that there will be a fifth participant in the Ultimate X match, and that is Samoa Joe. They've been put on notice that at Bound For Glory...JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU.
The Bro Mans are backstage and Robbie E asks what was up with him getting beat by ODB, but Jessie asks him what is up with losing to both EY and Joseph Park in five seconds. Jessie says that Dixie Carter respects people who are stepping up, and he's going to take care of their biggest problem right now.
Jeremy Borash is out in the parking lot with Joseph Park and Eric Young as they prepare to hit the road to Bound For Glory, and they start to pull out of the parking lot before stopping and getting out of the truck. EY tells Borash that he can't go yet because ODB is wrestling tonight.
Robbie E and Jessie Godderz are in the ring and calling ODB and Eric Young out, so we go right into our next match...
ODB vs Jessie Godderz
ODB isn't intimidated by Jessie, nailing him with a pair of chops before rubbing his face in her boobs, does the same to Robbie E when he pops up on the apron, then gives EY one for good measure. Jessie tries charging her and she rolls him up for 2, Robbie trips ODB from the floor and winds up brawling with Eric Young all the way up the ramp and to the back, leaving Jessie and ODB alone. ODB gets her liquid courage out, but then Lei'D Tapa's music hits and she stalks down to the ring looking intent to do some damage. ODB takes a swig of liquid courage and goes after Tapa, but Tapa spears her into next week and causes a DQ.
Winner: ODB by DQ
Tapa beats the hell out of ODB and drills herwith a superkick, drags ODB back ot her feet by the hair, and hits a TKO Stunner. Tapa picks up the Knockouts Title belt and holds it over her head while standing over the fallen form of ODB.
Bully Ray is backstage saying he wants a revenge match tonight, and he's on his way to get it right now.
Garett Bischoff and Knux are backstage yelling at Bully Ray and saying it's his fault they're down to three members, but Bully says it was Ken Anderson and his ego that brought them down. Knux says Bully didn't have to piledrive Anderson on the stage because he was a brother who wore the colors and the Vice President, but Dixie Carter sais he can get the revenge tonight, so he's giving Knux and Garett the chance for the glory and he wants them to have the chance to make sure AJ Styles doesn't make it to Bound For Glory, and he wants them to be the reason the TNA World Title stays in the club.
Sting is backstag telling Brutus Magnus that they had quite a confrontation last week, but Magnus says he needed the kick in the butt and this is going to be the biggest match of his career and he's taking it seriously. Sting says Bound For Glory is the biggest show of the year and it's been good for him because he won the World Title three different times there, and even though he can't win the title anymore, he still has something to prove. Magnus says that's good, but for right now, they should just think about tonight.
The Mystery Cameraman knocks on Ego's dressing room to ask about Bobby Roode's induction into the EGO Hall of Fame tonight, and they say they can't see the Wizard until it's time to go out there. Ain't no party like an Ego party, and they tell the cameraman to am-scray.
Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian come out in pale blue and bright orange suits (respectively) to say that they decided to dress like all the fans tonight, and there are lots of fraudulent Halls of Fame out there like the Baseball Hall of Fame that hasn't inducted Jose Canseco, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hasn't inducted Judas Priest, and the TNA Hall of Fame hasn't inducted Ego, but now they want to introduce the It Factor of Professional Wrestling...Bobby Roode! Kazarian says he slaved over a hot computer all week and made something for him, and plays a hilarous video package of fake clips of TNA wrestlers talking about how great he is and all the girls in TNA saying how hot he is. Roode is sitting in the chair pretending to be overcome with emotion as Daniels tells him that he's a real genuine Hall of Famer, not like Sting who will get his butt kicked tonight be Kazarian and himself, but Roode was the longest reigning champion in company history, the Prime Minister of Suave & Debonaire, the It Factor of Professional Wrestling, and it gives him great pleasure to introduce the first member of the Ego Hall of Fame: Bobby Roode. Roode shakes their hands and then steps up to share a few words. He thanks the fans as they chant that he sucks, and he truly needs to thank two amazing individuals...two amazing gentlemen...Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels. Without them...(he stops to compose himself)...he would not be the man he is, but he also wants to thank one other person with talent that makes everyone show up at the arenas and watch at home, and that man is none other than...himself. He is more deserving of this than Kurt Angle because he is the longest reigning champion in TNA history, he carried this company on his back, and he wants to know what Kurt Angle did and where he is. Angle's music hits, and Kurt Angle appears at the top of the ramp for the first time in years and gives Roode the death stare. He takes his shirt off and marches down to the ring and tells Roode to shut his mouth, then says he's been gone for a while and asks if Daniels and Kazarian are his girlfriends. Bad Influence jumps Angle, but he lays them both out and goes after Roode, who hightails it like a weenie. Angle says Roode made the biggest mistake of his life because Kurt Angle is back, and he wants Roode at Bound For Glory!
Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky are backstage, and they're...WALKING! And Velvet is...HOLDING HER RIBS! They'll face off for a Knockouts Title shot...NEXT!
Bobby Roode is backstage freaking out and yells into the camera that Angle made the biggest mistake of his life. Angle ruined his induction, and Roode's the one who makes the challenges around here, so HE wants Angle at Bound For Glory.
#1 Contender Match: Velvet Sky vs Brooke Tessmacher
Velvet's ribs are still taped up, but she still manages to let the pigeons loose on her way into the ring...at least until Sabin covers her ass with his leather jacket. Then he covers her boobs with his jacket when she gets on the turnbuckles to jut. I look at these two and see a real fun weekend waiting to happen. Brooke goes right after the ribs, Velvet takes her down with a shoulderblock, then puts the boots to Brooke in the corner. Velvet tries a charge, but Brooke misses and starts hammering the ribs with kicks and forearms before tearing the bandages off. Velvet hits a Russian legsweep, but is too hurt to follow up and crawls to Sabin, who tells her to stomp on Brooke's throat. Brooke doesn't give her the chance, wrapping her over the ropes and gouging at her face while telling her to come on. Brooke dumps Velvet out to the floor and beats her up right in front of Sabin, but stops too long to shake her ass on the way back into the ring and she gives Velvet the chance to mount a comeback. Velvet bulldogs Brooke hard and covers for 2, then gets a running neckbreaker and makes a cover, but takes too long because of her injured ribs and Brooke is out at 1. Sabin pulls Velvet over to him to try and talk strategy, but that distracts Velvet long enough for Brooke to roll her up with a handful of tights for the win.
Winner: Brooke Tessmacher
Sabin gets in the ring and looks frustrated with Velvet for blowing it while Brooke laughs at her from the ramp.
Sting and Magnus are backstage, and they're...TALKING!
Ethan Carter III, otherwise known as EC3, is coming to TNA!
Sting & Brutus Magnus vs Bad Influence
Magnus and Sting pretty much dominate Daniels and Kazarian early on. Sting briefly gets caught in the wrong corner, but fights his way out before accidentally colliding with Magnus against the ropes. The miscommunication leads to Daniels and Kazarian nailing them as we go to commercial.
We're back, and Magnus is in trouble as he's caught in Bad Influence's side of the ring and is being grounded by a front facelock from Kazarian. Daniels comes in and takes over with a chinlock of his own as Kazarian taunts Sting by doing his howl. Magnus finally manages to fight his way free and tag in Sting, who cleans house on both Daniels and Kazarian before tagging Magnus back in. Magnus comes off the top with the elbowdrop, but passes up the cover to go for the Texas Cloverleaf. Daniels breaks it up and knocks Magnus into his corner, and Sting tags himself in, hits Kazarian with the Scorpion Deathdrop, and gets the win.
Winners: Sting & Brutus Magnus
Magnus gives Sting a kind of dirty look as if he feels like Sting stole the win from him, then he comes innside and they argue for a moment before the referee raises their hands in victory. Sting plays to the crowd as Magnus steps through the ropes and walks off.
Dixie Carter runs up to AJ Styles backstage and asks if he had an easier time getting in tonight, then says he doesn't have to do the match with Aces & Eights tonight, and he can even skip the match with Bubba. She hands him a check and tells him that he could live like a king in Gainesville with that kind of money, buy rows of trailers, and teach all the illiterate kids in Gainesville how to read. AJ says this can buy a lot, but it can't buy him. AJ tears up the check and walks off, and Dixie says, "I didn't sign it anyway."
Bully Ray comes to ringside with Knux and Garett Bischoff and kicks Mike Tenay out of the broadcast booth so he can join Taz for our next match, because...IT'S MAIN EVENT TIME!
AJ Styles vs Knux & Garett Bischoff
AJ goes on the offensive right away, knocking Knux to the floor with a leaping enziguiri before going after Bischoff. Bischoff gets some shots in, but AJ whips him to the corner and drills him with a leaping forearm. AJ hits the leaping kneedrop, then just puts the boots to him before going for a clothesline that Garett is out of position to take, but he's nice enough to sell it anyway. Knux diverts our attention from that pretty quickly by coming in and nailing AJ and dropping him throat first on the top rope for 2. Garett tags in and puts the boots to AJ before grinding his face across the middle rope, then hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Knux tags in and goes to the second rope, but AJ rolls out of the way of his flying legdrop and then unloads on both guys. Garett holds AJ so Knux can hit him, but AJ ducks and Knux nails Garett. AJ hits Knux with the Pelle kick and quickly rolls Garett up for 3.
Winner: AJ Styles
An irate Bully Ray comes in the ring and shoves both Garett and Knux out of the way, then stands over AJ with the chain and whips him with it as Brooke bounces up and down cheering him on from ringside. Bubba tells Knux and Garett to stand down as he continues pounding on AJ with the chain, and AJ writhes on the mat screaming with each shot. He finally throws the chain down and waits for AJ to get to his feet so he can backdrop him onto the ramp. Bubba goes out and hovers right over AJ saying the last man he's going to see and the last voice he's going to hear at Bound For Glory will be his because he's taking AJ out.
Ik ben Boon Kenneth, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Sting.
Ik ben een man en woon in Dworp (Belgie) en mijn beroep is .
Ik ben geboren op 05/06/1989 en ben nu dus 34 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Worstelen en films.
Gastenboek
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn gastenboek
PWinsider.com is reporting that Ring of Honor's Veda Scott worked a tryout match for TNA officials at Bound for Glory before the crowd was let into the venue in San Diego, she faced Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Candice LaRae.
Gauntlet Match: Kazarian and Daniels vs. Robbie E and Jesse Godderz vs. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez vs. Eric Young and Joseph Park
