Superstar Segments

In the 60s when Vince McMahon Sr. created what would become World Wrestling Entertainment, very few of his wrestlers were marvelous talkers on the microphone. Vince Sr.'s wrestlers wrestled, and that was it. Oh, how times have changed. The 1980s and the rise of Vince Jr. brought about a renaissance in so many ways. One of the ways was the interview segment. It wasn't always a regular interviewer talking to the wrestlers either. Sometimes it was a back and forth between two wrestlers. This was the dawn of the "show" period of WWE that has recently begun to see a revival.

"Piper's Pit", still occasionally featured on WWE programming, was the original innovator of this particular medium. Piper is considered to be one of the greatest talkers ever in the business and the Pit was his place to prove it. With guests ranging from Andre the Giant to Captain Lou Albano, Piper had a comeback ready for each of his eccentric guests. The most famous moments on the show include Piper cracking a coconut over Jimmy Snuka's head and the altercation between Andre and Hulk Hogan that lead to Wrestlemania III.


"The Flower Shop", with its ever flamboyant host "Adorable" Adrian Adonis, filled the void of "Piper's Pit" while Roddy was away in Hollywood. Always accompanied by "the Colonel" Jimmy Hart. Adonis' set was adorned with a floral arrangement that made even Lord Alfred Hayes' passion Pink suits look conservative. Thankfully, "the Flower Shop" was broken up with the return of Piper. The Rowdy one was so enraged with Adonis that he defeated him in a hair vs. hair match at Wrestlemania III.


"The Snake Pit" with Jake "The Snake" Roberts is one of the often forgotten, but very entertaining, interview segments of the late 80s. Notable guests included WWE champion Hulk Hogan and the late Junkyard Dog. The most memorable moment in the show's short-lived history was when the Honkytonk Man broke his guitar over Jake's cranium.


"The Brother Love Show" was a show that didn't have a wrestler for a host, but certainly deserves honorable mention. Former WWE agent Bruce Prichard played a red faced, Jimmy Swaggart stereotype spouting that he "looooved yooou, yes!" Debuting in 1988, the show housed literally every major WWE star of the time at one point another. The show was the setting for Earthquake's famous sneak attack on Hulk Hogan and Rick Martel's blinding of Jake Roberts. It was a staple of WWE programs and occasional pay-per-views until Brother Love was replaced with another portly non-wrestler.


Paul Bearer's "Funeral Parlor" is perhaps my favorite of the shows. It took place during Undertaker's early WWE run when he was still a hated and eerie figure. The most famous occurrence on the show is obviously when Ultimate Warrior was locked inside a casket by Undertaker. Keep in mind that this was 1991 and no one had seen anything like that before. Caskets were a theme on the show as the same stunt was later tried with Hulk Hogan. Even Mister Perfect got in on the fun by purchasing a miniature casket for Davey Boy Smith's pooch Winston. No matter how much fun it may have been, segments always seem to have a short shelf life and "the Funeral Parlor" was about to be replaced by something altogether different.

"The Heartbreak Hotel" with Shawn Michaels debuted in 1994. With a rotating, heart shaped bed and neon lights it had all the elegance of a sleazy motel. Shawn's guests at times included himself or a cardboard cutout of Diesel. As a master of self promotion, it wasn't other guests that got the "Heartbreak Hotel" over, it was Shawn himself. Many laughed when Shawn boastfully claimed on the show that he would win the 1995 Royal Rumble. Following the event, no one except HBK was left laughing.


"The King's Court" with Jerry "The King" Lawler was a frequent spot on early Raw telecasts. He boasts one of the most interesting guest lists of all of our shows. At times it included musician Tiny Tim and midgets, lots and lots of midgets. King's show served to throw even more gas on the fire that was hid feud with Bret Hart. It also gave us all a glimpse of the puppy-loving King we know today.


Without these pioneers, men like Chris Jericho, Carlito, and Christian would be lost. Although entertaining to be sure, I feel that the new shows have yet to capture the tongue-in-cheek magic that was prevalent in the earlier shows. They also seem to serve only as a setup for an immediately-following match. We rarely see someone being interviewed just to get over. Perhaps the current crop of WWE talent and writers should take notice and use these shows as the personality enhancers they were created to be.

News Update

Shawn Michaels has firmly stated that Sunday's match against the Undertaker, was indeed his last match. In the wrestling business, you can never say never, but I would not be suprsied to see Shawn stick to his word. I think occasional non-participant appearances are likely.

As usual the Undertaker is sceduled to take an extended leave of absence starting in a few weeks.

Bret Hart will be the special guest enforcer for the Edge-Jericho matches on the upcoming overseas tour. No word as of yet on what the future holds for Bret after that but he has stated that he would like to stay on.

Tila Tequila will be hosting the 05/31 episode of Raw.

Kofi Kingston and MVP facing Carlito and Zack Ryder and William Regal versus Yoshi Tatsu are on tap for Superstars this week.

Voting for the NXT rookie to receive a WWE contract begins tonight.

Kurt Angle versus Mister Anderson in a ladder match is scheduled for next Monday's Impact. Next Monday's Impact will also be shown at a special time, 8-10pm. Not sure if that may become a permanent change but the idea has been batted about.

The long talked about Orlando Jordan bisexual angle finally kicked off on Impact last night. The people accompanying Jordan were his real life boyfriend and a female independent wrestler who has been hired for the role.

Consequences Creed and the Nasty Boys have been let go from TNA.

I'd like to send my condolences to Ezekiel Jackson on the loss of his father over the weekend.

Mick Foley is not expected to return to TNA in the foreseable future.

Weekend Update

A ten Diva tag has been added to the Wrestlemania card, making it a ten match card. The match will see Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, and Eve Torres take on Michelle McCool, Maryse, Alicia Foxx, Layla, and Vickie Guerrero. In previous years it has not been uncommon to see the Tag Team Title match scrapped and shown as a dark match before the pay-per-view when it is realized that it may run long on time. I have not heard of that happening this year, but anything is possible.

It is looking more and more likely that Goldberg will be returning to WWE in some fashion. He has made that pretty clear in the last few days saying that his son has never seen him wrestle and that he would like for him to have the opprutunity to. Some reports have Goldberg returning as early as tommorow night or Monday, although I think that could be a bit rushed.

The edited version of the Hall of Fame ceremony will air tonight on the USA Network at 11pm. The televised version will show the inductions of Ted Dibiase and Stu Hart.

Matches scheduled for Monday's Impact include Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, and Eric Young facing Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx-Pac in a cage match and AJ Styles facing Jeff Jarrett.

The rumored participants for the Lethal Lockdown match are Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Matt Morgan, and Beer Money Incorporated facing Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, Abyss, Jay Lethal, and Jeff Jarrett. That could change.

If you haven't already, check out the Bret Hart journal on wwe.com, it is quite interesting and has some great candid photos of the Hitman.

Ratings for March 21st - 27th

WWE Raw Champion: Batista 1. John Cena 2. Mike Mizanin 3. Sheamus 4. Shawn Michaels

5. Ted Dibiase Jr. 6. Cody Rhodes 7. Triple H 8. Kofi Kingston 9. Randy Orton

10. Jack Swagger

WWE Smackdown! Champion: Chris Jericho 1. Edge 2. Drew McIntyre 3. Matt Hardy

4. Shelton Benjamin 5. Kane 6. Dolph Ziggler 7. Rey Mistirio 8. CM Punk 9. John Morrison

10. The Undertaker

WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: The Big Show & Mike Mizanin

1. John Morrison & R-Truth 2. Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes

TNA World Champion: AJ Styles 1. Abyss 2. Rob Terry 3. Kurt Angle 4. Jeff Jarrett

5. Rob Van Dam 6. Jeff Hardy 7. Doug Williams 8. Kazarian 9. Mister Anderson 10. Scott Hall

TNA Tag Team Champions: Matt Morgan & Hernandez 1. Beer Money Incorporated

2. The Motor City Machineguns

Goldberg Update

Goldberg announced on his Twitter that he is in negotiations to return to WWE. Don't expect it to be a full fledged return however; although the possibillity of him coming in an doing a major angle and possibly a match or two, similar to what Bret Hart is doing, is on the table. This deal will most likely be a WWE legend's contract. This would allow WWE to use Goldberg's likeness in videogames and for t-shirts, action figures, etc. WWE Legends also make frequent personal appearances and are still free to do any outside events they choose as long as they do not involve TNA. Ring of Honor events can be worked with permission. If Goldberg agrees to this deal it certainly adds fuel to the fire of the rumor that he will headline next year's hall of fame in his hometown of Atlanta.

Update

Wayne Brady will be guest hosting an upcoming episode of Raw on May 3rd. Next Monday's hosts will be the stars of the film Hot Tub Time Machine.

Former American Idol winner Fantasia is scheduled to sing America the Beautiful at Wrestlemania.

The injury to Hernandez on Impact last night was part of an angle. Hernandez is scheduled to work a few months in Mexico before returning to feud with Matt Morgan. I'm not sure yet where this will leave the status of Morgan and Hernandez's Tag Team championships.

The current TNA World Title belt being used is a replica like those sold online, as the real belt is very damaged.

Matches set for next month's TNA Lockdown pay-per-view are AJ Styles defending the World title against D'angelo Dinero and a Lethal Lockdown match that will see Team Hogan, led by Abyss, square off against Team Flair, led by Sting.

Already announced for next Monday's taped Impact are Tara defending the Knockout's title against Daffney in a First Blood match and Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, and Eric Young facing Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx Pac. Impact for next Monday will be taped tonight.

Nash, Hall, and Pac are able to use the original Wolfpac music because the song was recorded, written, and is owned by Jimmy Hart.

This Thursday's Superstars broadcast will see Rey Mistirio face Tyson Kidd and CM Punk square off against JTG.

On tap for this week's Smackdown is a 5 on 5 match geaturing the Raw MITB participants against the Smackdown! MITB participants, Vickie Guerrero facing Beth Phoenix, and The Big Show facing R-Truth.

Bret Hart will be keeping a blog on wwe.com documenting his Wrestlemania journey this week.

Kofi Kingston FINALLY qualified as the final MITB participant on last night's Raw, defeating Vladimir Kozlov.

There has been quite a lot of internet backlash that out of the 26 different Wrestlemania covers, Matt Hardy is not featured on any of them.

V-H1 will not be renewing the reality show Brooke Know's Best.

News Update

WWE Hall of Famer Baron Mikel Scicluna passed away Saturday at the age of 80 following a lengthy battle with cancer. Scicluna was born in Malta but spend most of his life living in Canada. Scicluna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 by his good friend Gorilla Monsoon. He was also a former WWE Tag Team champion.

Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo asked WWE for statements regarding their father, Angelo Poffo, to be read at his funeral last week. TNA complied with the request while WWE ignored it, inciting Savage. Savage also was livid with his webmaster when a video tribute created in Angelo's memory for Savage's website referred to him as Randy Savage instead of Randy Poffo.

Earl Hebner claims to have been contacted about working in the Bret Hart/Vince McMahon match at Wrestlemania. He says he was told that if he cannot sart working now they would like him back in November. No word on what Hebner's current contractual status with TNA are or if he is open to the idea of a WWE return. Earl and his twin brother Dave were realized from the company a few years back for selling WWE merchandise without permission.

Gorgeous George, Stu Hart, and Bob Uecker are the final inductees into this year's class of the WWE Hall of Fame. George's 96 year old widow will be present for his induction. At this time it is unknown wether or not she will be inducting George or if she will be accepting the award in his honor. Stu will be inducted by Natalya Neidhart and David Hart Smith and Bret Hart will be accepting the award. Bob Uecker will be a celebrity inductee and he will be presented the award by former head of NBC Sports and co-creator of Saturday Night's Main Event Dick Ebersol.

At this point in time the Money in the Bank match will open Wrestlemania and Batista/John Cena will close the show.

Goldberg has been contacted about headlining the WWE Hall of Fame next year when Wrestlemania is held in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

Jeff Hardy's drug trial has again been pushed back so that the defense can continue to gather evidence. Due to this Hardy has agreed to more dates with TNA.

Jim Ross has stated that he will be at Wrestlemania but does not know at this point wether or not he will have any announcing duties.

Tammy "Sunny" Sytch has stated that she is working on a book about her time in the wrestling business.

AJ Styles defending the TNA World title against D'Angelo Dinero is still scheduled to headline April's Lockdown pay-per-view which will be held in Kansas City, MO.

WWE has banned chair shots and any other severe blows to the head as part of their concussion control policy. I don't know how they plan on continuing No Holds Barred matches and the Extreme Rules and T.L.C. pay-per-views with this rule in effect.

Taz and Brother Ray have suggested that Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer be brought into TNA.

Dixie Carter commented on Twitter that she would like to see the recently released Awesome Kong back in TNA at some point.

John Cena will be appearing on Jimmy Fallon and Mike Mizanin will be appearing on Lopez Tonight this week to help promote Wrestlemania.

This month's WWE Magazine has 26 different covers to celebrate Wrestlemania.

TNA's Brutus Magnus will now be known simply as Magnus.

Mickie James' debut country music album and Steve Austin's new dvd film Damage will both be released tommorow. Mickie is still healing from a recent surgery related to her contracting MRSA.

Japanese legend the Great Muta recently underwent surgery.

Ric Flair was heavily scolded at the last TNA taping for slinging blood into the crowd.

Triple H and Randy Orton will take on Sheamus, Ted Dibiase Jr., and Cody Rhodes in a handicap match on tonight's Raw, which will be guest hosted by WWE celebrity hall of famer Pete Rose. Expect Kane to be involved with Rose in some manner as a continuation of their long running Wrestlemania gimmick. Both TNA and Raw will be live tonight, with TNA taping next week's Impact tommorow night.

Shooting is scheduled to start soon in New Orleans for Randy Orton's debut film Big Red.

Expect some type of stipulation to be added to the Mistirio/Punk Wrestlemania match this week.

Ratings for March 14th - 20th

WWE Raw Champion: Batista 1. The Big Show 2. Mike Mizanin 3. Shawn Michaels 4. Triple H
5. John Cena 6. Randy Orton 7. Kofi Kingston 8. Sheamus 9. Cody Rhodes 10. Ted Dibiase Jr.

WWE Smackdown! Champion: Chris Jericho 1. The Undertaker 2. Drew McIntyre 3. Edge
4. Dolph Ziggler 5. Luke Gallows 6. CM Punk 7. Kane 8. Matt Hardy 9. Rey Mistirio
10. The Great Khali

WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: The Big Show & Mike Mizanin
1. John Morrison & R-Truth 2. David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd

TNA World Champion: AJ Styles 1. Jeff Hardy 2. Rob Terry 3. Kurt Angle 4. D'Angelo Dinero
5. Abyss 6. Mister Anderson 7. Desmond Wolfe 8. Scott Hall 9. Kevin Nash 10. Eric Young

TNA Tag Team Champions: Matt Morgan & Hernandez 1. Beer Money Incorporated
2. The Nasty Boys

Celebrating Women's History Month: The Fabulous Moolah

Born Lillian Ellison in the small town of Tookiedoo, South Carolina; the outgoing Lillian was the youngest of 13 children. When she was ten years old, her mother passed away, leaving her father alone to deal with the massive Ellison brood. Her closest moments with her father would come every Tuesday night when they would go to the local wrestling matches together. The father and daughter would get caught up in the drama between the ropes. Lillian knew she loved the sport, but it wasn't until Mildred Burke came to town that she ever thought about it as anything more than a pastime.


However the dream would have to wait as 14 year old Lillian soon became infatuated with a local pharmacy worker named Walter Carroll. The two eloped and it wasn't long before Lillian was pregnant with her one and only child, Mary. Unfortunately things with Walter did not work out and the two were divorced not long after Mary's birth. However she was not willing to let any of this stand in her way as she was intent on life as a wrestler. She made sure that Mary would be taken care of and went out to seek those who could help her get started.

After meeting Billy Wolfe, the preeminent women's wrestling promoter and one of the shadier characters in the history of the business, Lillian set out on her first tour of Montana in 1949. Before leaving however, Billy said she needed a better name. He asked her why she wanted to be in the business. Lillian replied "for the money, for the moolah." Hence Billy christened her the Fabulous Moolah. Moolah quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with. She won a one nigh tournament in 1956 that featured the likes of Mae Young and Judy Grable. The finals came down to Moolah and Grable. Grable was a tough competitor, but no match for the ferocious Moolah. "The Fabulous One" won the title that night and would not relinquish it until 1984. Interestingly enough it would be to one of her pupils, Wendi Richter.

The 1980s were kind to Moolah. Like Freddie Blassie, she had been a favorite of Vince McMahon Sr. The younger Vince Jr, remembered this and always found a place for her on his shows. She was at the forefront of the "Rock N' Wrestling Connection" Serving as a manager for Lea Lani Kai, she was a part of the inaugural Wrestlemania. She loved it; however circumstances soon called for an unscheduled return to the ring.

Wendi Richter had become one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, and I'm not talking women only. Some even said her popularity rivaled that of Hulk Hogan. However, many behind the scenes felt that Wendi was becoming too big for her britches. She had begun demanding more money, which unless you were Hulk Hogan was a big taboo. Enter: The Spider Lady. A hapless Wendi strutted out to the ring one night against what she thought was going to be a run of the mill match. Little did she know that the Spider Lady was really Moolah under a hood. Moolah defeated Richter to once again become champion. She followed that up with a victory over Australian sensation Velvet McClyntyre at Wrestlemania II that lasted mere seconds. Velvet would briefly win the title in her native Australia later in 1986, only to lose it back within days. Moolah would finally drop the title to Sensational Sherri in 1987. After that she finally bowed to a long deserved retirement; if you can call training the future women wrestlers along with "Johnny" Mae Young a retirement.

Moolah was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the mid nineties. For many young fans it was their first exposure to the aging champ. However little did anyone know that it wouldn't be the last. In 1999 Moolah and Mae began showing up on WWE telecasts. This eventually led to a feud with than WWE Women's champion Ivory. At the No Mercy pay-per-view in 1999 Moolah captured her fourth Women's championship. The reign wouldn't last long, but for a legend north of 70 years old it was quite a feat.

She continued to make occasional appearances alongside best friend Mae Young throughout the first decade of the 21st century; sometimes in the ring, sometimes out, but always adored. She passed away quietly on November 02, 2007 at the age of 84. Moolah left behind a legacy that few people, men or women, will ever be able to match.

Ratings for March 07th -13th

WWE Raw Champion: Batista 1. John Cena 2. Mike Mizanin 3. Ted Dibiase Jr. 4. Cody Rhodes
5. Vince McMahon 6. Evan Bourne 7. Randy Orton 8. Jack Swagger 9. Vladimir Kozlov
10. Mark Henry

WWE Smackdown! Champion: Chris Jericho 1. Edge 2. Drew McIntyre 3. R-Truth 4. Kane
5. Dolph Ziggler 6. Goldust 7. CM Punk 8. Rey Mistirio 9. Luke Gallows 10. Shelton Benjamin

WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: The Big Show & Mike Mizanin
1. John Morrison & R-Truth 2. Montel Vontavious Porter & Christian

TNA Champion: AJ Styles 1. Abyss 2. Rob Terry 3. Hulk Hogan 4. Ric Flair 5. Rob Van Dam
6. Sting 7. Eric Young 8. Doug Williams 9. Desmond Wolfe 10. D'Angelo Dinero

TNA Tag Team Champions: Matt Morgan & Hernandez 1. Beer Money Incorporated
2. The Motorcity Machineguns

News Update

Not sure of the reason why Kofi Kingston was pulled from the MITB match at Wrestlemania and replaced with Evan Bourne. Two trains of thought are that he may be teaming with rival Randy Orton to take on Rhodes and Dibiase and the other has him winning the battle royal that will take before the pay-per-view.

House show advertisements for after Wrestlemania have Jack Swagger defending the MITB brief case against Kofi Kingston.

Triple H vs. Sheamus and Rey Mistirio vs. CM Punk are official for Wrestlemania. Not sure when or if the Mask vs. Hair stipulation will be added to the Mistirio/Punk bout.

Drew McIntyre has been added to the MITB match, I don't know if he will be replacing someone or if it will now be a 9 man match.

TNA's live Impact drew good ratings for Spike but they were nothing in comparison to the ratings of Raw. Look for this to get worse as next week TNA runs a taped show against a live Raw hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Next Monday's Impact will feature AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy in a non title bout with Abyss as the special enforcer.

Next Monday's Raw will feature three Wrestlemania rematches as John Cena takes on the Big Show, Triple H takes on Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho takes on Shawn Michaels. Stone Cold Steve Austin will be hostong the contract signing between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon. Look for him to me made the special referee of that match at some point during the telecast.

Not sure why there was no Hall of Fame announcement this week. It is possible that one may be spliced into the airing of Smackdown! as that has been done in the past.

Brother Runt AKA Spike Dudley has returned to TNA. Kenny Dykstra had a TNA Tryout at last night's taping. Dave Taylor and Al Snow are now working backstage as agents in TNA.

Awesome Kong is still part of TNA although she has demanded either a release from her contract or a raise. Hamada and Kong were stripped on the Knockout's Tag Titles and Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne won a match Monday to determine new champions.

David Hasselhoff will be an upcoming Raw guest host.

Ric Flair has made it known that he is not happy about competing in the ring again.

Steve Austin's new movie "Damage" will be released on DVD on March 23rd.

Jesse Ventura's new book, American Conspracies, was released this week.

The Ultimate Warrior has been added to the WWE's opening montage. Rob Van Dam has been removed from the alumni section of wwe.com.

The Undertaker-Shawn Michaels match at Wrestlemania will now be contested under No Holds Barred rules.

News Updates

Sting has recommitted to TNA and is scheduled for tonight's live Impact. Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy are also expected to be present.

The Big Show and Mike Mizanin defending the Tag Team titles against John Morrison and R-Truth has been moved from Smackdown! to Wrestlemania 26.

Sean Morley and Roxxi Laveaux both received their walking papers from TNA last Friday. Morely said he plans on heading back to Mexico where he is known as Steel. Roxxi had been out with a broken leg that she suffered during the New Year's Eve Knockout show.

Former WWE diva Ariel, who was known as Salinas in TNA has said that she is working on heading back to TNA.

Rumors are floating that Sabu may be heading to TNA.

Sthphanie McMahon and Triple H are expecting their third child. Linda McMahon confirmed this on a campaign stop last week.

Their is a 3 disc Undertaker dvd in the works called "The Undertaker's Most Dangerous Matches".

There are expected to be two more Hall of Fame announcements before Stu Hart is announced.

There may be a battle royal before the live feed of Wrestlemania featuring all of the talent not being used on the pay-per-view. This has been done before and the match is usually featured on the dvd release of Wrestlemania.

Former WWE commentator and interviewer Kevin Kelly has joined the Ring of Honor team.

TNA will be unveiling a new theme song for Impact tonight.

Impact is scheduled to start three minutes early and end eight minutes late tonight. They have also promised a major suprise within the first 5 minutes of the broadcast.

Weekly Ratings for FEB 28th - MAR 06th

WWE Raw Champion: Batista 1. John Cena 2. Mike Mizanin 3. Randy Orton
4. Montel Vontavious Porter 5. Jack Swagger 6. Ted Dibiase Jr. 7. Zack Ryder 8. Cody Rhodes
9. Santino Marella 10. Yoshi Tatsu

WWE Smackdown! Champion: Chris Jericho 1. Edge 2. Drew McIntyre 3. Matt Hardy
4. Shelton Benjamin 5. Rey Mistirio 6. Ezekiel Jackson 7. Goldust 8. Dolph Ziggler 9. Luke Gallows
10. CM Punk

WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: The Big Show & Mike Mizanin 1. D-Generation X
2. John Morrison & R-Truth

TNA Champion: AJ Styles 1. Abyss 2. Rob Terry 3. Desmond Wolfe 4. D’Angelo Dinero 5. Jeff Jarrett
6. Tomko 7. Doug Williams 8. Orlando Jordan 9. Brutus Magnus 10. Kazarian

TNA Tag Team Champions: Matt Morgan & Hernandez 1. Beer Money Incorporated
2. The Motor City Machineguns

News Updates

WWE has reversed its plans to axe the weekly Raw guest host. They are now planning on still utilizing the gimmick through the summer. In addition to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Angel, upcoming hosts include WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose and the cast of the new movie "Hot Tub Time Machine".

Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart announced on the radio yesterday that Rob Van Dam has signed with TNA. He could debut as early as Monday when TNA begins going head to head with raw each week. The current plan is for TNA to be live one week and taped the next. The tapings would occur the day after the live show.

TNA released one of their original knockouts yesterday as the company parted ways with Tracey Brooks. Brooks posed for playboy at the company's behest last year and recently married TNA star Kazarian.

More WWE cuts are expected within the next few days.

Word has leaked that Stu Hart will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his grandchildren David Hart Smith and Natalya Neidhart. Bret Hart will be accepting the award. Word is that USA will be airing Hart and Dibiase's inductions during their portion of the ceremony with the rest airing beforehand on WWE.com.

Mickie James recently underwent a minor surgery but should not miss more than a few weeks of ring time.

Word is circulating that WWE was unhappy with many comments former diva Maria made on her Twitter account, which helped expedite her release from the company.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund has hinted that their could be another gimmick battle royal at this year's Wrestlemania. The only other gimmick battle royal occured at Wrestlemania 17 in 2001. I find this highly unlikely as there are already five matches signed with at least 3-4 more in the planning/soon to be announced stages.

Jim Ross stated on his blog that WWE is working on a Ricky Steamboat dvd that should be released in June.

WWE recently purchased the UPW video library. The California based independent company is where stars such as John Cena and The Great Khali got their start.

Goldust and Tiffany are now part of the Smackdown! roster following the end of ECW.

The main event for Monday's TNA Impact will see two questionable returns to the ring as AJ Styles and Ric Flair team to take on Abyss and Hulk Hogan.

RIP: Angelo Poffo

Legendary wrestling star Angelo Poffo passed away at his home in Sarasota Florida this morning at the age of 84. Although most fans best know Poffo as the father of "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Lanny "The Genius" Poffo, Angelo was a star in his own right. Poffo began his career in 1948 and wrestled throughout NWA territories before beginning his own "outlaw" promotion that ran competition to Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. Poffo was known for his immense stamina and at one time held the Guiness record for most consecutive sit-ups. Poffo last appeared on the national scene when he helped son Randy during his feud with Ric Flair in WCW in 1995.

Quick Update

Matt Hardy qualified for the MITB match at Wrestlemania at last night's Smackdown! taping.

The main event on Superstars this week will see World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho squaring off against Goldust.

During a match with Kofi Kingston taped Monday for Superstars, Chavo Guerrero Jr. was busted open and later required six stitches.

The Big Show and Mike Mizanin defending the Unified Tag Team Championships against John Morrison and R-Truth is on tap for an upcoming taping of Smackdown!

Here is the line-up for the upcoming Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Antholgy dvd set:

DISC 1 - Chapters

Stu Hart


Falling in Love


The Promoter


Hart House


Riches to Rags


All in the Family


Hart Foundation / British Bulldogs


Stampede Sold


Dean


International Spotlight


Family Feud


Canadas Family


Struggles Within


Family Tragedy


Third Generation


Reflections


Special Features

Stu the Athlete


Helens Car Accident


Terrible Ted the Wrestling Bear


A Letter from Dean


Stu vs. The Tiger


A Hart Family Thanksgiving 1987


Helen Throws in the Towel


Owen the Prankster


Chris Jerichos Flight with Owen


The Uninvited Guest


Bret Hit Man Hart Returns to WWE


Post-Raw Celebration (Raw January 4, 2010)


DISC 2


Introduction with The Hart Dynasty


6-Man Tag Team Match
Keith Hart, Bruce Hart & Bret Hart vs. The Kiwis & Dynamite Kid
Stampede Wrestling May 1979


Stampede Arrives in WWE
World Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs
Boston Garden November 1, 1986


An Unforgettable Match
Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret Hit Man Hart vs. British Bulldog
SummerSlam August 29, 1992


The Hart Family in a WWE Ring
Family Feud Match
Bret Hit Man Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart & Keith Hart vs. Shawn Michaels & His Knights
Survivor Series November 24, 1993


Brothers vs. Brothers
Bret Hit Man Hart & Owen Hart vs. Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner
Florence, SC January 11, 1994


Ripped Apart at the Seams
World Tag Team Championship Match
Bret Hit Man Hart & Owen Hart vs. The Quebecers
Royal Rumble January 22, 1994


DISC 3
Sibling Rivalry
Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Bret Hit Man Hart vs. Owen Hart
SummerSlam August 29, 1994


The Hart Family Settles It in the Ring
Bret Hit Man Hart & British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart & Jim The Anvil Neidhart
Raw November 7, 1994


Decorated in Gold
European Championship Match
Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog
Raw March 3, 1997


Front and Center
10-Man Tag Team Match
Bret Hit Man Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim The Anvil Neidhart & Brian Pillman vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom
In Your House: Canadian Stampede July 6, 1997


Border Wars
6-Man Tag Team Flag Match
Bret Hit Man Hart, Owen Hart & British Bulldog vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker & Dude Love
Raw July 21, 1997


Passing the Torch
WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match
The Hart Dynasty vs. D-Generation X
SmackDown December 25, 2009
 
The Best is Yet to Come

News Updates

Before the start of Raw last night, Jim Ross addressed the Oklahoma City Crowd, stating that he would be ringside for Wrestlemania 26.

Jack Swagger and Montel Vontavious Porter both qualified for the Money in the Bank match last night. Although he has yet to qualify, Kofi Kingston is rumored to be the favorite to walk away with the briefcase this year.

Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon is now official for Wrestlemania 26. Expect a Streetfight stipulation to be added soon. There are also rumblings that Stone Cold Steve Austin may be inserted as the special referee.

Gail Kim had to be helped back to the locker room last night following the "pajama pillow fight". If she is seriously injured that is a sad way to go out.

Awesome Kong appears to be done with TNA. She posted on her Twitter last night that she would like to thank TNA and Dixie Carter for wishing her the best in future endeavors. If this is the case it will leave her tag team championship team with Hamada in limbo.

Hulk Hogan stated during an interview with ESPN that he sees Abyss as the TNA version of John Cena.

TNA has also put out word that Hogan is no longer to be referred to as a "wrestling icon" but instead as a "pop icon" as he transcends the world of wrestling. Wonder whose idea that was?

AWA mainstay Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was announced as a member of the 2010 Class of the WWE Hall of Fame last night. Congrats to Mad Dog!

WWE is working on a three disc Divas dvd that will focus on divas past and present.

In the last week the wheels ave been set in motion for the Triple H - Sheamus and Mistirio - Punk matches at Wrestlemania. Expect them to be announced soon. Remember, you read it here first.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper will be appearing on an upcoming episode of the CBS show Cold Case. Piper will be sporting a platinum blonde dye job.

The main event for this week's Smackdown! is scheduled to be Edge vs. The Big Show. Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. and John Cena vs Vince McMahon are all on tap for next week's Raw.

Former WWE wrestler "Maniac" Matt Borne, who was the original Doink the Clown, recently completed WWE sponsored rehab.

News Updates

Toxicology reports are finally in on the death of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu. The coronoer has ruled that his death was brought on by a lethal mix of Hydrocodone, Soma, and Vallium. Umaga was 36 years old at the time of his death and had recently returned from the Hulkamania tour of Australia.

Orlando Colon, the cousin of Carlito and Primo, has been signed to a WWE developmental deal and will report to Florida Championship wrestling soon.

Stu Hart is still considered a lock for this year's WWE Hall of Fame, the only thing holding up the announcement of his induction is the continuing storyline between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon. The announcement will likely be worked into the storyline, possibly as early as tonight. Bret is scheduled to be on Raw tonight.

Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase is scheduled for Raw tonight.

Postproduction is complete on the "Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology" dvd set. The set will be available for purchase in early April and includes interviews with many members of the Hart family.

Former WWE wrestler Jorge Gonzales (The Giant Gonzalez, El Gigante) has pulled out of upcoming Fan Fest appearances. These were to be Gonzales' first US appearances in years. He suffers from severe diabetes and is confined to a wheelchair in his native Argentina.

Sheamus is being advertised for Smackdown! house shows following Wrestlemania, likely indicating he will be moved in the post-Wrestlemania draft.

Ratings for last week's NXT debut were slightly up from what ECW had been averaging.

Percy "Paul Bearer" Pringle recently completed voice over work for the upcoming WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 video game.

Charlie Haas Released

Yesterday, February 28th, WWE released Charlie Haas. Haas was initially with the company from 2002 - 2005, after being signed with his brother Russ. Tragically Russ passed away from a heart attack at the age of 27. When WWE called Haas up from developmental he was paired with Shelton Benjamin to be part of Kurt Angle's Team Angle. The duo enjoyed success, garnering two tag team title reigns. Afterbeing split up during the draft Haas formed a short lived championship winning team with Rico. It was during this time that Haas began working with his soon to be wife; Jackie Gayda. Haas and Gayda were both released in 2005. After a brief stint on the independent scene, Haas was resigned in 2006. He was briefly pushed in a feud with Intercontinental champion Shelton Benjamin and the two also reformed their team. Haas however floundered back to obscurity as soon as the team was broken up once again. Haas was a locker room favorite, which may be why some people didn't realize he was even still with the company, keeping his job because he was well liked, even though seldom used.