WWE Royal Rumble Results 2011 (1/30)

WWE's 24th annual Royal Rumble is here and we are Live from Boston! Forget about the Celtics Laker game, the All-Star's in the NHL are over, right here tonight, we're set for officially the biggest Royal Rumble ever! Two factions go into this thing as united groups, Kane's in, the Big Show, King Sheamus and the athletically gifted in Johnny Morrison, Kofi Kingston and 2006 winner Rey Mysterio! Here we go, the Road To WrestleMania begins, 40-person Royal Rumble!


Michael Cole, Jerry 'The King' Lawler and Matt Striker bring us in and we begin with the World Heavyweight Championship match! Edge makes his entrance to a huge reception from the crowd, but then Vickie Guerrero follows out to remind us all that Edge is banned from using his signature finisher the Spear here tonight. Vickie then chants for the Spear, reminding Edge that if he does use it, then he will be Disqualified and Dolph Ziggler will be named new World Champion.



Edge (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero



World Heavyweight Championship


The contest gets under way after official intro's from Tony Chimmel. Edge and Dolph trade between grapples and punches early and the World Champ gets the first near fall after Irish-whipping Dolph hard into the turnbuckles. The commentary trio discuss Edge's move-set, wondering how the ultimate opportunist will cope without the use of the Spear. Edge gets a couple of Two-counts before fighting with Ziggler to the outside and Edge dominates Dolph as he lifts his opponent to have his chest snake-eye over the top of the barricade. Back in the ring Ziggler uses the ring ropes to help him out and he manages to conquer Edge to the canvas with a swinging neckbreaker. Edge's torso then hangs off the apron and Ziggler lays in heavy shots after exiting the ring once more. Back in the ring now the fans chant Edge on as he manages to roll through a sunset flip from Dolph and Edge turns it into a catapult into the corner. The match continues back and forth and Ziggler gets back on top of things, putting a chin-lock on Edge right in the middle of the ring. This past Friday night Dolph Ziggler suffered and RKO, a chokeslam and multiple Spears, but none of that has any effect on him here tonight as he looks to win his first World Title. He sends Edge crashing to ringside before getting him back in the ring and again slowing the pace, wearring the Champion down in the middle of the ring. Edge eventually gets himself up, but then after an Irish-whip, Ziggler and Edge both collide in the middle of the ring with a double attempt at a cross-body. The referee counts toward Ten, but both men get up and after another series the two of them are down again for another Ten-count. The contest goes on as both men beat the count and Edge and Dolph follow with near-falls on one another. Ziggler's in the driver's seat as he attacks with an attempted fame-asser, but Edge turns it into a modified powerbomb and he gets a Two after the cover. Edge goes high risk, but takes some time and Ziggler follows him up the turnbuckles. The two trade blows, as Edge gets the better of Dolph, battering him back into the ring. Edge then measures and dives off for a cross-body, but Ziggler rolls through and he has the cover, One, Two - no, only Two and that was close. Goodness, the WWE Universe is chanting 'Let's Go Ziggler!' as Edge administer's his modified submission move, the Edgecator, but Dolph reaches the bottom rope. After a trade of blows Dolph nails Edge with the fame-asser and gets Two. Edge then gets back into the match and he revreses a Dolph Sleeper into an Impaler DDT. He covers, but Vickie pulls out the referee. Edge and Vickie argue and then down to the ring comes Kelly Kelly to Lou Thesz Press Vickie Guerrero! Edge watches the pound-down at ringside, but then from behind Dolph Ziggler slams Edge down with the Zig-Zag! Dolph takes a second too long to cover and Edge gets his shoulder up to kick out at Two and a half! Dolph sets for a Sleeper and he locks it in. He wears Edge down, but after some time Edge fights out, but in doing so he inadvertently knocks down the referee. Vickie's down, Dolph's down, the ref's down - so Edge measures for a Spear and *BAM* Spear on Ziggler! Edge then hits the canvas, playing possum 'till the ref gets up. Edge then gets up, administers the Unprettier (Kill-Switch, whatever you prefer) and that's it, One, Two, Three!


Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Edge!


Backstage The Miz stands with Alex Riley and they tell Josh Matthews and the WWE Universe that Miz's going to beat Randy Orton tonight, because "I'm The Miz, and I'm Awesome."


Randy Orton vs. The Miz (c) w/ Alex Riley



WWE Championship match


The bell rings as Striker and King talk strategy and Michael Cole kisses Miz's metaphorical hiney (that's ass for all you non-PG). Orton grounds Miz early and stomps on the WWE Champ, choking him under the bottom rope and then catapulting him throat-first on the underside of the cable. Orton covers for a Two and then picks Miz up to coninue his dominance, all the while keeping an eye on Alex Riley at ringside. Orton stomps into the mid-section before picking Miz up and whipping him against the ropes, but Miz grabs the referee and A-Ry meanwhile climbs the apron to get a piece of The Viper. Miz then takes over and although Orton gets some offense, he's too eager to storm toward the corner and Miz side-steps to pursue further dominace. Miz and Alex Riley then perform tag-team work to wear down Randy Orton and the referee never sees any of it. Miz soon has Orton in the middle of the ring, but Orton fights out to get up and go against the ropes, but Miz kitchen sinks him and then continues with stomping. The same sequence happens again, but this time Miz catches Orton with a back-elbow and Orton goes down again. Miz then gets Orton's torso to hang off the edge of the apron and Miz exits the ring to punish The Viper from ringside, lifting his knee high into the hanging body of Orton. Back in the ring Miz gets a Two on the cover and then the match goes on with both men succesfully countering one another and then Miz hits a standing big boot right to the chin of Orton and somehow Orton is able to kick out after Two. Miz then goes high risk and it doesn't work as Orton jolts the top rope and Miz lands on his Mizter's. Orton then climbs and administer's an excellent top rope superplex and he then covers, but only gets a Two. After some time on the canvas both superstars get up to exchange 'Yay!' 'Boo!' punches from one another. Just as Orton gets some momentum though, Miz decks him to ringside and again the double-team comes into play as Miz grabs the referee's attention and Riley stomps over and over on Orton at ringside. Miz exits the ring and rams Orton spine-first into the barride before throwing him back in the ring and achieving a series of near-falls. Cole and King argue Miz's credentials, but King points out that Orton could have had this match done with by now if Miz didn't have a chihuahua at ringside. Back outside the ring again Miz catapults Orton head-first into the ring-post. Miz gets back in the ring as the ref counts toward Ten and The Viper gets back in the ring on Eight, and he's on fire now, taking it to Miz in the ring with two hard clotheslines and then Orton's textbook scoop-powerslam. Orton then drops a knee on Miz's face before covering for a Two. Alex Riley provides another distraction and this allows Miz to get back into it. He administer's his backbreaker into a neckbreaker and he covers, but for only Two. The contest continues and Miz evades an RKO to attempt a Skull-Crushing Finale, but no, Orton hits an Angle Slam and gets a Two. After that Miz escapes the ring and grabs his Title, looking to exit, but Orton cuts him off with a hard clothesline right to the mat at ringside. Orton then scares off Riley, but again it's a distraction and Miz decks Orton to get a Two in the ring. Orton takes over and hits his suspension DDT, Miz's legs hanging from the middle rope and *BAM* it connects and Randy then sets up for RKO. Wait, down the ramp come CM Punk's new Nexus, minus CM Punk. The referee gets out of the ring to stop them as they approach the ring. Meanwhile Alex Riley tries to get at Orton from behind, but Orton counter's, grabs Riley and launches him over the top rope, over the referee and all over the New Nexus! Orton setting the house on fire as he folows up with an RKO on Miz, but wait, CM Punk, out of nowhere comes in to GTS Orton and *BAM* he connects and Orton is out cold. Punk drags Miz over Orton and the referee counts!


Winner and Still WWE Champion: The Miz.


We're shown an advert for next month's pay-per-view; the Elimination Chamber, Live, Sunday February 20th.


Backstage Daniel Bryan stands with girlfriend Gail Kim and he tells Josh Matthews that it would be great to win the Royal Rumble match. Brie and Nikki Bella enter the scene and they soon trade words with Gail. This leads to a scrap and then there's chaos between the girl's backstage.


The Royal Rumble match:



Winner goes to a Championship match in the main event at WrestleMania!


Entrant number 1: CM Punk. Punk begins against a member of The Corre, but who? they all come to the ring and pummel CM Punk. Out come David Otunga and the rest of the New Nexus and a faction vs. faction brawl breaks out before the match even starts! *BLEEP* *BLEEP* The RAW General Manager doesn't want any of this and he demands that all members of The Corre and The Nexus return to the locker room immediately. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and the only person permitted to be in the ring right now is CM Punk. Nexus and The Corre all leave and then out comes Entrant number 2: Daniel Bryan - and now the bell rings. Punk and Bryan tangle back and forth as the crowd have decided to split their support. Entrant number 3: Justin Gabriel. Gabriel comes out to deck Punk and attempt a 450 Splash, but he misses and Daniel Bryan then eliminates the South African. Entrant number 4: Zack Ryder. Ryder gets booed like hell and he comes in to lay the stomps into both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Ryder focusses on Punk and Daniel Bryan then gets up to take it to him and Bryan then eliminates his second superstar of the night, Zack Ryder is outta here. Entrant number 5: William Regal. Perhaps one of the best to never have held the WWE Title, Regal a former King Of The Ring comes in to lay into Punk with a knee trembler. He goes to pick up Punk, but then Daniel Bryan tustles with Regal and he soon decks both Regal and Punk to the canvas. Entrant number 6: Ted DiBiase w/ Maryse. DiBiase comes in to try and eliminate CM Punk. Meanwhile Daniel Bryan lays in heavy kicks to the chest of William Regal who's on his knees in the middle of the ring. Bryan then tries to heave Ted over the top rope but can't do it and then out comes Entrant number 7: John Morrison. What happens next has never ever happened in a Royal Rumble; Morrison comes in to typically go high risk with his plethora of moves, taking everyone in his sights down, but then we have William Regal shove him off the apron and Morrison clutches the barricade - and his feet don't touch the floor! He clmibs to balance, then walk along the barricade, meanwhile William Regal gets eliminated and Morrison leaps from the barricade, to the steel stairs and kicks Regal in the head before walking back into the ring. Amazing par-core action from John Morrison. Entrant number 8: Yoshi Tatsu. In the ring we have CM Punk spending most of his time by a bottom turnbuckle. Daniel Bryan and Ted DiBiase often exchange and then Entrant number 9: Husky Harris comes out. He gets into the ring to automatically defend CM Ppunk and he does a good job of fending Bryan and Morrison away from Punk's corner. Entrant number 10: Chavo Guerrero. Chavo does well as he exchanges with CM Punk and eventually he administer's the Three Amigo's to Daniel Bryan. Entrant number 11: Mark Henry comes out though and elimaintes Chavo right away and soon out goes Yoshi Tatsu aswell. CM Punk and Husky Harris then team up to bring Henry to his knees. Entrant number 12: JTG enters and he trafes fists woth Husky Harris. Meanwhile Ted DiBiase is trying to throw Morrison over the corner. Husky Harris, Daniel Bryan and JTG are in a three-way tangle but then out comes Entrant number 13: Michael McGillicutty and he takes JTG away from Harris to eventually elevate him to the apron and dropkick him out the Royal Rumble. McGillicutty and Harris then again fend off attacker's from CM Punk and it seems that Punk's Nexus strategy is working so far. Ted DiBiase is eliminated by Harris and McGillicutty and then out comes Entrant number 14: Chris Masters and the Masterpiece comes in to almost elimate CM Punk. Entrant number 15: David Otunga enters and meanwhile out goes twenty-minute-man Daniel Bryan. Three of CM Punk's new Nexus are in and they then team up under Punk's guidance to eliminate John Morrison and then the lot of them eliminate Mark Henry. Entrant number 16: Tyler Reks comes out and he suffers the same fate as the New Nexus eliminate him straight away. Entrant number 17: Vladimir Kozlov, one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions enters and he uses his head-butting arsenal to take it to anyone in sight, but it doesn't work. Nexus team up once more and Kozlov is out. This pattern continues as the crowd count down the next particpant, Entrant number 18: R-Truth, and after making a mockery of Truth, Nexus eliminate him and we wait for Entrant number 19: The GREAT KHALI w/ Runjin Singh. CM Punk looks on in shock as The Great Khali makes his in-ring return. Khali thwarts off Nexus and eliminates Husky Harris. Otunga and McGillicutty are down and Khali goes to target CM Punk, but then out comes Entrant number 20: Mason Ryan. Ryan enters to eliminate Khali! Holy hell and Nexus then celebrate and wait for Entrant number 21: BOOKER T! Booker T. enters the ring to a huge roar from the fans and he is not afraid of Nexus. He lays into all of them, after a Mason Ryan attack, side-kick to the head followed by a Scissor-kick on Otunga and then a Book-End on McGillicutty followed by a huge Spin-a-roony! Booker and Punk then tangle, but Mason Ryan enters the scene again and out goes Booker T. Entrant number 22: John Cena! The fans go nuts as Booker goes out and Cena comes in. Cena storms to the ring to take it full speed to Nexus and he eliminates Mason Ryan and then out go McGillicutty and Otunga as well! It's Cena vs. Punk! Cena vs. Punk in the Royal Rumble match and the two exchange back and forth, Cena almost getting in an AA, Punk almost hitting a GTS and then both men go down with a double clothesline. Entrant number 23: Hornswoggle! The little man comes out to a cheer, but then his excitement is taken down a notch as CM Punk takes him down in the ring. Cena soon gets up though and administer's an Attitude Adjustment to eliminate the leader of the New Nexus out the Royal Rumble! Cena and Hornswoggle then work together to eliminate Entrant number 24: Tyson Kidd, with Hornswoggler performing an AA on Tyson before Cena throws Kidd out. Entrant number 25: Heath 'Wendy' Slater enters and Hornswoggle puts on a Stunner, a Five-Knuckle Shuffle and a Tad-Pole Splash before Cena throws Wendy out. Entrant number 26: Kofi Kingston comes out and he faces off against John Cena. Friendships are out the window as the two of them eye the WrestleMania logo and Hornswoggle watches on as Kofi and John goe back and forth before Entrant number 27: Jack Swagger comes out to clothesline Kofi down and then Vader-bomb both Cena and Kingston. Swagger gorilla pounds his chest as he Vader's Cena again. He then eyes Hornswoggle, but Kingston's up and Kofi and Hornswoggle team up to double Boom-Drop Swagg. Entrant number 28: Sheamus. King Sheamus to be exact and he comes in to lay out everyone except Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle though valiantly steps up to him, but Sheamus shoves him down. Hornswoggles gets up and tunes up the band to Sweet Chin the shin of King Sheamus. Cena comes into play and sets Sheamus and Hornswoggle up for a Tad-Pole Splash. Before they can complete the sequence though, Swagger takes Cena away from the play and Sheamus gets up to Brogue Kick Hornsowggle out the Royal Rumble. Entrant number 29: Rey Mysterio comes in to 6-1-9 the All-American American and Swagger's out the Rumble. Entrant number 30: Wade Barrett comes out and he and Cena go back and forth as the comms remind us of the torture Wade Barrett's Nexus put Cena through last year. Entrant number 31: Dolph Ziggler comes out and he and Wade Barrett almost eliminate John Cena. Entrant number 32... DIESEL! 6-foot-11 300plus pounds and Big Daddy Cool enters to the loudest reception of the night and Diesel enters to get himself a piece of everyone, especially Sheamus. The crowd chant 'Let's Go Diesel!' as Entrant number 33: Drew McIntyre comes out and he and Sheamus team up on Diesel and soon Rey Mysterio nails Diesel with a 6-1-9. Entrant number 34: Alex Riley w/ The Miz and Miz joins commentary and Diesel is eliminated by Wade Barrett. Riley, McIntyre and Sheamus team up on Sheamus and then out comes Entrant number 35: Big Show. Show has a bit of a face to face with Diesel as he exits (so cool :-P ) and then Show gets into the ring to take it to the oncoming Sheamus and McIntyre and Show then eliminates Ziggler. Entrant number 36: Ezekiel Jackson enters as Drew McIntyre is eliminated by Show and Jackson comes in to eliminate Big Show. Where is Alex Riley? Hmm, weird, but anyway, impressive from Jackson as Entrant number 37: Santino Marella comes out and he's tossed under the bottom rope. Entrant number 38: Alberto Del-Rio comes out and by the time his entrance is over, out comes Entrant number 39: Randy Orton and he tosses Alberto into the ring. RKO's him, ducks a Brogue Kick, RKO's Sheamus, RKO's Kofi and elimiantes him, then tosses Sheamus out the ring too and while Mysterio, Del-Rio, Barrett and Jackson are down we have a face-off between Randy Orton and John Cena. Then out comes Entrant number 40: Kane! Kane enters to drop Cena, deck Orton and then he escapes a Jackson body slam to pull the top rope down and send Jackson out the ring. Kane then takes it to Wade Barrett before thumping Orton and then targetting Rey Mysterio and Rey's the man to eliminate Kane and Barrett follows up quick to eliminate the master of the 6-1-9. We're down to our final four (in the ring) and Wade Barrett has Cena on the apron, but Cena manages to get himself back in the ring. Orton has Del-Rio down in the corner and then again there's a face-off between Orton and Cena. They trade blows this time and evade each other's main moves until Wade Barrett and Alberto Del-Rio get involved again, this time Barrett on Orton and Del-Rio focusses on Cena, but soon Cena hits him with an Attitude Adjustment. Wait, Alex Riley shows up and Cena decks him right off the apron, now Riley is eliminated, but then Miz, Miz enters the ring and topples Cena over the top rope and all the ref sees is Cena sat on the mat at ringside, John Cena is officially elimated. Now we're down to three. Orton, Barrett and Del-Rio tustle to and fro with the two latter innitially teaming up against Orton. The Viper though fights out, scoop-powerslam on Barrett, backbreaker on Del-Rio and Orton then sets up for an RKO on Del-Rio. On comes Barrett, but Orton sees him coming and tosses Barrett over the top rope. Del-Rio's up and goodness, he grabs Orton from behind and Del-Rio eliminates Randy Orton! Holy hell, has Del-Rio won?! No, Santino Marella is back in, (remember he went under the bottom rope) and Marella comes in to Cobra Del-Rio! The fans can't believe it as Santino marches to throws out Del-Rio, but it's moot, a back body drop and Santino's out. Alberto Del-Rio is the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble!


Winner and on his way to a WrestleMania main event Title shot: Alberto Del-Rio!


Del-Rio and his announcer celebrate as the fireworks go off and we've come to a check-point on the Road To WrestleMania. Good night folks.

Kevin Nash Lands In Boston, MA w/ Brown Hair

Kevin Nash has landed in Boston, MA, and is sporting brown hair.

As noted earlier, he'll be appearing at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

WWE and USA Network Officially Confirm Steve Austin as WWE Tough Enough Host

World Wrestling Entertainment and USA Network have officially confirmed that WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin will in fact be the host of WWE Tough Enough, which will return to the airwaves on April 4, 2011 - the night after WrestleMania 27.

Here is the article from WWE.com confirming the news...

NEW YORK CITY – USA Network and WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host USA Network’s upcoming reality series "WWE Tough Enough." The non-scripted series will premiere Monday, April 4 at 11/10 CT, immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE Monday Night Raw, and move to its regularly scheduled slot in primetime, Mondays at 8/7 CT, starting on April 11.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has captivated audiences around the world with his magnetic presence and bold, yet charming nature. Austin has done it all in sports-entertainment, winning 17 championships, including the WWE Championship six times. He has an immense and incredibly devoted fan base, and is considered one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work with my old friends at WWE on 'WWE Tough Enough.' Sports-entertainment has always been an important part of my life, and I look forward to finding the next generation of WWE Superstars," said Austin.

"Stone Cold" will share his intimate knowledge, experience and flair for the stage as one of the most popular figures in WWE history to a group of individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Austin will mentor the diverse group of men and women who will live, train, eat and sleep under one roof in a house in Simi Valley, Calif. Each week, the contestants will battle it out in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports-entertainment organization. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE.

Since leaving the world of sports-entertainment, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has made a name for himself in Hollywood, with roles in such blockbuster hits as The Expendables, staring Sylvester Stallone and The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Other film credits include Damage, The Condemned and Hunt to Kill. In addition to film, Austin is a household name from his work on hit television shows such as NBC’s Chuck and CBS’ Nash Bridges.

Shed Media US, noted for its strong characters and memorable casting in the non-scripted arena, will produce "WWE Tough Enough." The company’s previous reality credits include The Real Housewives of New York City, Who Do You Think You Are and World's Strictest Parents. Producing for Shed Media US are Alex Demyanenko and Eric Van Wagenen.

Best of WCW Nitro DVD News - DDP!

WWE has signed Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) to a new deal which entails him hosting the upcoming "Best of WCW Nitro" DVD set. He tweeted:

"IT's Official! I will Host "The BEST OF NITRO"! This a Great thing for the WCW/NWO/WWE fans! Plus a Great way for DDP to return to the WWE!"

and then added: "I'm already getting hit with Questions! Ha! This "Best of Nitro" is a DVD box collection that will include the years 95/96, 97/98 & 99/2001"

TNA House Show Results From Glasgow, Scotland

Here are the results from TNA's show in Glasgow, Scotland:

*X-Division champ Kaz defeated Shannon Moore, Chris Sabin and Mark Harkins.

*Mickie James and angelina love defeated Madison Rayne and Tara.

*Jeff Jarrett defeated Lionheart with Greg Hempil as the special referee after a guitar shot.

*TNA Tag Team champions Beer Money with Ric Flair defeated The British Invasion. Money played babyfaces.

*Dixie Carter came out and talked up Impact on Challenge TV.

*Matt Morgan defeated the Pope. Didn't like this match.

*TNA champion Ken Anderson and Rob Van Dam defeated the Hardys.

A guy proposed to his girlfriend when Jeremy Borash went into the crowd.

They were pushing Impact's move to Challenge TV all night.

Credit: PWInsider

WWE SummerSlam Location, TNA Plans for Mania-Weekend

- WWE would like SummerSlam to take place in Los Angeles again this year and every year for the foreseeable future as they try and entice celebrities to their second biggest event of the year.



- TNA will be holding events at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville, Kentucky on April 1st, 2011 and the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee on April 2nd, 2011. Go to http://www.prowrestlingevents.webs.com for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide.

Major Royal Rumble Surpries Planned - Returns!

Two 'legends' are reportedly scheduled for Sunday's 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. Another wrestler that would be considered a surprise is also set to appear. You can likely guess who that person is as he's been expected to return for quite some time now.

How WCW Slipped Through Eric Bischoff's Fingers

A revealing, politically incorrect look at how pro wrestling’s future slipped through Eric Bischoff’s fingers, and why fans should be disgusted with AOL-Time Warner.



By Jason Stone
Editor, 24Wrestling

This feature is dedicated to the end of WCW, and how it was ripped from Eric Bischoff‘s hands like a candy bar from a little girl. When you find out why WCW was truly cancelled, the wrestling fan inside you may just be a little offended. Okay, 'a lot' offended.

As you know, in March 2001 WCW stopped broadcasting TV shows and PPVs, and was purchased by Mr. Ruthless Aggression himself Vince McMahon. However, the real downfall of WCW began years before, when the standards & practices people at Time Warner began telling Eric Bischoff he couldn’t do the things he needed to do to compete with the more edgy Monday Night RAW. Storylines would be vetoed and Easy E along with his monkeys were forced to re-write sometimes entire shows just minutes before going live. WCW signed Bret Hart, but he was completely mishandled. By the summer of 1998, Time Warner outright forced WCW to be a more family-friendly show. Papa Bischoff took his frustration out on his employees, who he would throw coffee at and swat with newspapers, unless they were a lot bigger than him and Nash wasn‘t around. The trio of Bischoff, Nash and Hogan came up with some of the dumbest ideas of their lives in a short period of time in 1999. Everyone started to hate them. Eric, who knew the booking was the s**ts, stopped showing up to Nitro and began shaking hands in Hollywood which ended up paying off later. WCW was left to the devices of Kevin Nash, who didn’t do much to bring the company back on it’s feet. I think once he booked an entire hour of Nitro without a single wrestling match, just backstage skits. This lead to a frustrated Bischoff pulling out his dyed jet-black hair and leaving to take a job clubbing baby seals on September 10, 1999.

Ted went against every advisor in his company and kept WCW alive. If that's not a true fan, I don't know what is.

It turned out that Ted Turner himself was really the only one within Time Warner who gave a damn about wrestling, and the rest viewed it as a lowly form of entertainment for meth addicted white trash hillbillies. When someone suggested selling off WCW, Ted shot them down and told them to never mention it again.

Fall 1999: Turner Sports president Brad Siegel appointed an accountant named Bill Busch to run WCW in Bischoff‘s absence, who then had the bright idea to steal Vince Russo from WWF to help the ratings. The idea didn’t go as well as planned and Russo was demoted on January 15, 2000 . He was replaced with Kevin Sullivan, who just may have did as much damage in a few months as Russo did in his entire run. Don’t believe me? Watch WCW UnCeNsOrEd 2000. Days after Sullivan got his spot, a bunch of wrestlers quit including future WWE champs Benoit and Guerrero.

Ah, Kevin Sullivan. Watching old tapes, sometimes we took bets if Kevin Sullivan was really just some guy they found on the street corner yelling things.

Sullivan:...beer hash and lots of squirells’lI tell ya that
if my wife leaves me I sweartoTeddyZ.RooseveltI'llkill...

Time Warner: I like the cut of your jib, son, how'd you like a job.

Sullivan: ...and I tell ya that you haven't hadtoshootyour
hounddogintheballswithachickenriflethen...

Time Warner: You're hired!

NB/Millionaires Club almost turned things around. The storyline had the rug pulled out from under it before the New Blood Rising PPV even aired. Hated by wrestling fans, and rightfully so.

Brad Siegel fired the Busch/Sullivan dream team and brought back Bischoff and Russo as a duo in late March 2000. Although they hated each other, they went half on a candy bar and found the golden ticket -- The New Blood vs. Millionaires Club feud that almost saved WCW's reputation. It began in April, but before the end of the Summer it dwindled away. Russo had trouble finishing what he started and some guys at Turner Sports didn‘t like it, so they pulled the plug. Bischoff then left WCW to take a job euthanizing puppies. (Actually he just went home, spent time with his family, and collected checks.)

Russo was left as uncontested head booker, and the whole wrestling world breathed a big "Oh, Holy Living F...".

During this time, Russo created ideas that in retrospect seem impossible, because there's no way a human being could do enough acid to come up with "David Arquette, WCW champion," and live. Or at least you'd hope. Vinnie Ru came up with brilliant and totally new ideas including, but by no means limited to, covering Sting in blood that magically stayed wet for 3 days and lowering him on a rope on the anniversary of Owen Hart's death. Two ideas that brilliantly pushed the insensitivity envelope.

Other great ideas were G.I. Bro, Russo being the father of Stacy Keibler‘s child, not even advertising two awesome Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner battles (one of them on PPV and the other in a cage for free on Nitro), and other angles so idiotic they make "Muppet's Present Battlefield Earth" look like Se7en.

Bischoff first starting sending out feelers about buying WCW as early as fall 1998, which has some conspiracy theorists saying that Easy E sabotaged the company in 1999 to try and lower the price as much as possible. If there’s any truth to that, then it certainly blew up in his face, but lets leave that for another day…

Time Warner, the parent company of Turner Broadcasting and Turner Sports, always hated WCW. Brad Siegel, who was appointed to oversee WCW, wanted nothing to do with wrestling but was stuck taking care of Ted‘s half retarded baby. Time Warner execs wanted WCW gone but good ol’ Ted wouldn’t let that happen. However, when AOL merged with Time Warner, Ted Turner was effectively pushed out of his own company. There was now a board of directors full of incompetent wannabe entrepreneurs, case in point: AOL lost $54 billion in one quarter! I’m not just talking s**t because I'm mad they cancelled WCW, those are the real numbers! Ted wasn‘t happy. While even Russo can’t match AOL’s stupidity, he did manage to lose almost $20 million (I think) in 2000, mostly on stupid TV props (Hummers, helicopters, limos, stupid hardcore matches) that nobody cared about. Bischoff made an offer to buy WCW, and while Siegel initially rejected, he would go on to accept in late 2000. By January 2001, reports stated that Eric Bischoff and his group of investors known as Fusient Media Ventures, a satanic cockfighting company, had purchased WCW and the deal was done!

On January 11, Bischoff started negotiating with Hogan, and put out this press release: "Wrestling fans can rest assured that we will give the WCW the adrenaline shot it needs to once again become the most exciting brand of wrestling in the world.” He planned to give the cruiserweights their due and bring in Johnny Ace to handle the books. FOX and NBC started inquiring to Fusient about getting WCW programming on their networks! That’s pretty big stuff.

On February 26, 2001 reports came out saying that there were some troubles between Fusient and AOL-Time Warner, but it was nothing to worry about. Then in mid-march, apparently things came to a halt between Brad Siegel and Eric Bischoff; Easy E was being kept in the dark. Bischoff did not have the best relationship with the execs after years of bickering with the standards & practices people.

Fusient was left in the dark over three weeks while the WWF began doing their own arrangements with AOL-Time Warner. On March 13, 2001, WCW head Brad Siegel apparently had a conference call with Fusient Media Ventures executives in Atlanta to try and ‘save the deal’.

Jamie Kellner

But wait! Brad Siegel just had a new supervisor appointed, Jamie Kellner, and this guy REALLY hated wrestling. His first week on the job, Kellner, a conspiracy theorist with a Napoleon complex who thinks TiVo and DVR‘s will destroy the entertainment industry, announced that World Championship Wrestling was CANCELLED from Turner Broadcasting -- Despite still being the highest rated programming on TNT or TBS. 26 years of wrasslin’ on Turner, no more. How does a guy like this get such a powerful job? Well, it was at AOL-Time Warner, which in 2000 and 2001 was the biggest mess on earth. Specializing in things for little girls, Kellner’s credits include commissioning shows like Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls. By the way, I'm not lying about this guy's thoughts on Tivo & DVRs like I was about Eric Bischoff clubbing baby seals, check this out.

Why did he cancel it? There was no mention of the decline in ratings, PPV buyrates or ticket sales; After all, if that was the case, WWF wouldn't have made it past 1997 and TNA would never have seen national TV. Kellner's reasoning was that WCW's viewer demographics were not favorable enough to get the "right" advertisers to buy airtime. Yeah, and showing Con-Air eight times a week brings in the high-rollers. This dipsh** was fired in less than two years, but the damage had been done.

WCW wasn’t cancelled because their ratings dipped, it wasn’t cancelled because they didn’t sell as many tickets anymore, it wasn’t cancelled because it didn't turn a profit in 2000 -- It was cancelled because the executives at AOL-Time Warner thought wrestling was too dumb to show on national TV. That is how the television industry views us wrestling fans; too stupid to buy the things the advertisers are selling.

Ted Turner was truly the only thing that kept WCW alive past the early 90’s slump, allowing for the Monday Night Wars to begin and literally save wrestling. To this day, Ted credits WCW with helping him establish TBS & TNT, and recognizes the wrestling industry is one that continuously reinvents itself. But the hatred for wrestling within Time Warner was deep.

With no primary broadcast outlet, WCW became worthless to a company like Fusient. FOX and NBC stepped away from the table. However, WCW wouldn't be worthless to a company who already had a broadcast outlet -- Hmmm....

The final arena booked on the WCW calendar was March 26, 2001 -- in addition to Bischoff’s ‘Big Bang’ PPV on May 6 in Las Vegas, NV which obviously never happened.

Before anyone knew what hit them -- Vince McMahon had swooped in and taken Eric Bischoff’s wrestling company right from under his nose. Time Warner had sold WCW to the WWF. The WWF already had a TV deal with TNN and there were talks of airing Nitro on Saturdays. But the emasculation of Bischoff would not stop there, as he went on to sign a performers contract with Vince and be humiliated on WWE TV and DVDs for the years to come. His run as a WWE performer must have been especially humbling for Eric given their strained relationship, which began when Eric was denied an announcer gig at WWF in the 80’s. Eric put the squeeze on WWF to the point where they neared financial ruin and could barely pay their wrestlers, which is what actually lead to Bret Hart‘s departure. Vince put the squeeze on WCW to the point where it ate itself alive. The two promoters stole talent, traded lawsuits and did every other dirty tactic in the book. Bischoff even challenged McMahon to a fight which Vince “accepted” but never showed up for.

On the Dec. 4, 2000 Nitro, Steiner's return bumped the rating up an entire point from 1.9 to 2.9.

I’m willing to bet my life savings that Bischoff cried like a little girl for a week straight when he found out he lost WCW, then another month when he found out it was to Vince McMahon.

While WCW was slowly slipping downhill there were always hard workers, believe it or not, like Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, Diamond Dallas Page, Rey Mysterio, Lance Storm and many others who went out and gave it their all every night. A slew of new talent was on the horizon but never got a chance to rise, most of them cruiserweights and all those guys from the Natural Born Thrillers. Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, Midajah, Kimberly Page, and all those other chicks also deserve a round of applause for being extremely hot.

Nitro & Thunder weren't cancelled because of mismanagement, 2+ years of crappy writing from Bischoff/Nash/Sullivan/Russo, or because of wasteful spending. It died because AOL-Time Warner thought wrestling fans were stupid.

I guess the “moral of the story” on this feature, is that while we can mostly agree WWE’s quality has dropped since 2001, many of Vince’s decisions are strategically made to drop the stereotype that wrestling fans are dumb hicks and get better advertisers to keep Monday night wrestling alive and kicking.

Major Updates to 2011 WWE DVD Schedule – Nitro Change & New Additions

WWE has kindly provided us with a updated Home Video schedule for 2011, last amended this month. Here’s a summary of modifications and new additions.
- The WCW Nitro themed DVD release remains on the schedule. However it was previously down as “Best of Seasons 1 & 2″ but now is simply titled
“The Best of Nitro“.
This is planned as of now for release on May 25th and that update seems to indicate it will not cover individual seasons after all but instead all years in one set. Once again things may change before May but this is the latest update we have.

The Big Show: A Giant's World DVD - Full Match Listings

The Big Show: A Giant's World
Release on Feb. 22.

- THE BIG SHOW A GIANT'S WORLD DOCUMENTARY

- MEET THE PARENTS

- YOU'RE THE BIG SHOW

- THE ROCK IS FIRST CLASS
- SMACKDOWN - OCTOBER 28 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE DUMPSTER

- SMACKDOWN - NOVEMBER 11 199
DEARLY DEPARTED

- RAW - APRIL 3 2000
BIG SHOW THE ENTERTAINER

- THE BIG FATHER

- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 15 2004
BIG SHOW VS. TORRIE WILSON'S CAR

- SMACKDOWN - MARCH 24 2005
BIG SHOW VS. THE JEEP

- TRIPLE H ROASTS BIG SHOW

- KENNY IN KNUCKLEHEAD

- LIFESTYLE CHANGE

- BIG SHOW VS. EVERYONE

- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN MONSTER TRUCK SUMO MATCH

- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- NITRO - APRIL 29 1996
THE GIANT VS. RIC FLAIR - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- SLAMBOREE - MAY 19 1996
THE GIANT VS. STING - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- GREAT AMERICAN BASH - JUNE 16 1996
THE GIANT VS. LEX LUGER - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- RAW - MARCH 22 1999
BIG SHOW VS. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN

- RAW - JUNE 7 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE UNDERTAKER - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 14 1999
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H VS. THE ROCK - TRIPLE THREAT MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

- BACKLASH - APRIL 30 2000
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE

- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 17 2002
BIG SHOW VS. BROCK LESNAR - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- BACKLASH - APRIL 27 2003
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO

- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 19 2003
BIG SHOW VS. EDDIE GUERRERO - UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- SMACKDOWN - SEPTEMBER 9 2004
BIG SHOW RETURNS

- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 3 2004
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE

- TABOO TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 1 2005
BIG SHOW & KANE VS. LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH - WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION - JANUARY 8 2006
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H

- ECW - JULY 4 2006
BIG SHOW VS. ROB VAN DAM – ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 20 2006
BIG SHOW VS. SABU - ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- RAW - MARCH 10 2008
THE OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN FOR WRESTLEMANIA XXIV

- WRESTLEMANIA XXIV - MARCH 30 2008
BIG SHOW VS. FLOYD MAYWEATHER - NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH

- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 10 2009
BIG SHOW VS. KOFI KINGSTON

- RAW - APRIL 20 2009
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO

- HELL IN A CELL - OCTOBER 4 2009
BIG SHOW & CHRIS JERICHO VS. BATISTA & REY MYSTERIO - UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

- RAW - FEBRUARY 8 2010
TRIPLE THREAT ELIMINATION MATCH FOR THE UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP = BIG SHOW & THE MIZ VS. TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS VS. CM PUNK & LUKE GALLOWS

- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 15 2010
BIG SHOW VS. CM PUNK, LUKE GALLOWS & JOSEPH MERCURY - 3-ON-1 HANDICAP MATCH

- EASTER EGG: THE END OF JERISHOW

Awesome Kong's WWE Debut Rumors

There are rumors that Awesome Kong will make her WWE debut at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, possibly in the Divas Title match with Natalya defending against Layla & Michelle McCool.

Ric Flair Pulls Out Of Remaining TNA UK Tour Dates

Ric Flair has pulled out of the remaining dates of TNA Wrestling's ongoing European tour according to sources.

To clarify, Flair was not sent home from the tour by management. It's been indicated that Flair is still in Europe and could reach the troupe in Scotland, if he chooses. There was no official decision to send him home, just to leave him behind as opposed to holding up an entire talent roster waiting to travel internationally.

Flair was one of the top attractions of the tour, which was named the "Maximum Wooo!" Tour. He accompanied Beer Money, Inc. for TNA Tag Team Championship Matches at prior events in France and Ireland.

WWE NXT Results (1/25)

Source: Hit The Ropes



Tonight, the rooks gets the opportunity to trade their pro if they can win an elimination match.

We get footage from last week that showed Derrick Bateman hatching a plan with Daniel Bryan to cheat on last week's challenge. Because of this, Bateman will be penalized. Instead of 30 seconds to answer questions in the first challenge, Bateman will answer in 20 seconds.

Out Think the Fink

The rookies have to answer more questions in 30 seconds than Howard Finkel. The WWE Hall of Famer answered two questions in 30 seconds. No one was able to get more than two so they all lose.

Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr.

During the match Maryse is nice enough to give Josh Matthews her autograph. Some mat-based wrestling from both to start. R-Truth decides to get the crowd to chant for Bryan but a missile dropkick doesn't keep DiBiase down for the three count. Hell seems to freeze over as DiBiase comes out victorious in a very entertaining match.

Backstage DiBiase informs Brodus Clay that after his win tonight the other rookies are all going to want him to be their pro. However, DiBiase feels Clay is his best chance to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. Clay vows not to let him down.

The Rookies Battle in a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match

Bateman is ganged up on by the other three rookies and Bateman is quickly eliminated from the match by Clay. Byron Saxton gets several near falls to eliminate his opponents but Saxton is the second to go. The big man stands tall in the end.

After the match, Clay informs us that his pro is rich and will go on to win the Royal Rumble but it isn't DiBiase. Clay states that DiBiase can't control his woman and that he's the "brokest rich dude" he's ever met. The new pro for Clay is Alberto Del Rio. Clay then drops DiBiase to the mat before exiting the ring.

TNA House Show Results 01.25.11 – Berlin, Germany

Credit: Rudi Orton & PWInsider

TNA X-Division Championship - Four Way Dance
Kazarian (c) defeated Chris Sabin, Shannon Moore and Mark Haskins

Knockouts Tag Team Match
Mickie James & Angelina Love defeated Madison Rayne & Tara

Jeff Jarrett defeated Murat Bosporus (w/ Martin Kesici)

TNA World Tag Team Championship
Beer Money Inc. ("Cowboy" James Storm & Robert Roode) (c) defeated Douglas Williams & Magnus

--- Intermission ---

"The Blueprint" Matt Morgan defeated "The Pope" D`Angelo Dinero

Tag Team Match - Main Event
Rob Van Dam & Mr. Anderson defeated The Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy)

SPOILER: Ex-WWE NXT Rookie Makes SmackDown Debut

At tonight's WWE SmackDown taping, WWE NXT season three winner Kaitlyn made her debut with the brand, teaming with Kelly Kelly to lose to LayCool

WWE.com Adds New Profile, New WWE Faction Now on Facebook

-WWE.com has added the profile of New Nexus member Mason Ryan to the RAW roster page.

-An official Facebook page has been created and launched for WWE's new The Corre faction, complete with the group's entrance video and theme song.

James Storm Suffers Possible Injury

Source: Pwinsider.com

James Storm may have suffered a groin injury at the TNA show in Dublin, Ireland, though it hasn't yet been confirmed

WWE Highlights Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, More

The storied careers of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were highlighted on last night's episode of WWE Vintage Collection. The following segments aired:

* "Razor Ramon" vs. Savio Vega from WWF Raw on September 30th, 1996
* The Diamond Stud and Oz vs. Tom Zenk and Big Josh from WCW Main Event on August 25th, 1991
* Razor Ramon's vignette from WWF Superstars on June 13th, 1992
* Razor Ramon vs. Paul Van Dow from WWF Superstars on August 15th, 1992
* Shawn Michaels introducing Diesel from WWF Raw on June 7th, 1993
* Diesel vs. Lex Luger from WWF Raw on July 18th, 1994
* Scott Hall invading WCW from WCW Monday Nitro on May 27th, 1996
* Scott Hall introducing Kevin Nash from WCW Monday Nitro on June 10th, 1996
* Eric Bischoff confronting The Outsiders from WCW Great American Bash 1996
* The Outsiders vs. The Nasty Boys vs. Meng and The Barbarian from WCW World War 3 in 1996

More On TNA's New TV Deal In The UK Inside Here

TNA's new programming home in the UK, Challenge TV, will in fact place the company's shows in more UK markets then WWE. The channel is part of the lowest subscription packages for Sky, Virgin Media and BT. Sky Sports, WWE's programming home, is an exclusive package that is expensive on Sky and even more expensive on rival services. Digital TV penetration in the UK is about 34%, compared to just 37% for Sky.

Reports are also stating that Challenge TV is trying to create a block of programming aimed at young male viewers, and that TNA will be part of that effort.

Source: Pwinsider.com

SPOILERS: WWE SmackDown Taping Results for This Week (1/28)

-This week's show opens with footage showing what happened with The Corre on last week's show.

-Acting SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero comes out to the ring with the crowd dishing out massive heat towards her. Randy Orton then comes out to interrupt her, followed by Dolph Ziggler, who both hype the main event later tonight.

-LayCool defeated Kelly Kelly and Kaitlyn. Before the match, Kelly and Kaitlyn attacked both members of LayCool.

-Drew McIntyre defeated JTG. Following the match, Kelly Kelly got up from the announce table and got into the ring but gets brushed off by McIntyre.

-"Dashing" Cody Rhodes is shown backstage, refusing to show his face. He says that since his nose was broken by Rey Mysterio, he will be unable to appear in the Royal Rumble Match this Sunday.

-World Heavyweight Champion Edge is interviewed backstage. He hypes the main event and talks about The Corre.

-Kofi Kingston defeated Kane and Alberto Del Rio in an Over-The-Top-Rope Challenge. Rey Mysterio then hits the ring and helps Kingston fight off Kane and Del Rio. Vickie Guerrero then comes out and makes a tag team match that will take place right now.

-Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio defeated Kane and Alberto Del Rio.

-Big Show comes to the ring and starts to talk about The Corre, but is interrupted by the group.

-Big Show defeated Heath Slater. After the match, The Corre starts attacking Show, but the group is then run off by R-Truth, Chris Masters, United States Champion Daniel Bryan, and Tag Team Champions Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov.

-In the main event, Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion Edge defeated Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion The Miz. After the match, Vickie Guerrero announces that from this point forward, Edge's Spear maneuver is banned from WWE. She also says that if Edge uses the move at the Royal Rumble, the World Heavyweight Championship will automatically go to Ziggler. Edge's music then hits and the show ends.

Ric Flair Pulls Out Of Remaining TNA UK Tour Dates

Ric Flair has pulled out of the remaining dates of TNA Wrestling's ongoing European tour according to sources.

To clarify, Flair was not sent home from the tour by management. It's been indicated that Flair is still in Europe and could reach the troupe in Scotland, if he chooses. There was no official decision to send him home, just to leave him behind as opposed to holding up an entire talent roster waiting to travel internationally.

Flair was one of the top attractions of the tour, which was named the "Maximum Wooo!" Tour. He accompanied Beer Money, Inc. for TNA Tag Team Championship Matches at prior events in France and Ireland.