Wrestling

I don’t even know where to start with this after hearing of the NXT talent that got released this weekend. I’m devastated over Derrick Bateman, I’m bed-ridden in sorrow over Audrey Marie, I’m… completely dumbfounded and still confused over Briley Pierce, but through it all I guess the show must go on as much as I’m not willing to accept it. (P.S. – If I’m a little cranky in this post, I’m hopeful this intro gives you a clear reason as to why) This week, we’ve got Divas action to kick off the show as Natalya does battle against Summer Rae in what is a match I’m really looking forward to seeing. It’s something that hasn’t been done before, and even has a smidgen of build up following the dance off the two had on Raw a few weeks ago with their respected male counterparts. Frankly, my energy has been drained by the mourning so let’s get right into things, shall we? Following the intro video to NXT, the sound of a sharp guitar riff erupts and signals the entrance of our trademarked Dungeon Diva, Natalya. Kendall Skye continues to do an impressive job announcing, as Nattie steps into the ring and cheers along with the Orlando bound fans. Upon the finish of her music, Summer Rae’s starts up and out comes the first lady looking benevolent and graceful as ever. The bell sounds as we get things underway with a side headlock takeover. Rae applies a leglock to counter out, but Nattie kips up and takes the advantage by flipping into a headlock. Summer exchanges into a wristlock and lets out an evil cackle, as these two continue to exchange hold for hold in a nice fashion. Summer with a kick and a wrist lock, but Natalya flips out again… only to get slammed to the canvas. An Irish Whip into the corner allows Nattie to hit a shoulder tackle and after a few more swings off the ropes, Natalya goes for the sharpshooter! Summer crawls to the ropes just in time and hits an elbow to the jaw, but Natalya kicks her back and takes the advantage. Great discus clothesline, but only for a two count as Summer kicks out. Rae tries to take a time out, allowing the referee to hold Nattie back. Now she wants a hand shake, but as Natalya tries to move forward, Summer sends her flying to the outside and hits a sharp kick as she attempts to move back in. From there, we head to a commercial. We’re back as Summer still has the upper hand, screaming at Natalya and working on the arm. Summer is not amused with Nattie’s constant kick outs, forcing her to apply a boot to the throat in the corner, but while she goes to capitalize, Natalya manages to roll her up for a near fall. Summer then leaps onto Nattie and hits a pretty sweet DDT, but instead of going for another pin, she stays on top of her and continues the beatdown. A back elbow follows up for a two count, as Rae then goes for the shoulder again and screams at the referee to ask Nattie if she wants to give up. Natalya looks for the Sharpshooter, but out comes Paige! She gets up onto the ring apron, but Summer then kicks Nattie back who lands into Paige and sends her flying on the outside. This then distracts Natalya long enough for Summer to roll her up for the win! Summer runs to the back with Paige still down, but Paige doesn’t waste any time in running right after her! Thoughts: I felt the match between Natalya and Summer was good on its own right, but suffered from a crowd that didn’t seem to react that much of the time. I personally loved their hold for hold exchanges at the start which might be my highpoint followed closely with Summer’s kick and DDT. Also, Natalya is the perfect female to be down working with the Divas of NXT because if there’s anyone they can learn from on the main roster, it’s her. I’ve said constantly how I find her to be a perfect combination of just about everything you could want in a Diva, so I won’t harp on that too much, but it&

David Dexter reports that Raven will appear at JR’s Sports & Collectibles at the Englishtown Flea Market (Red Building Booth 5) 90 Wilson Ave. Englishtown, New Jersey, today from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Call 347-992-8240 for more information. The post Raven appears at JR’s Sports & Collectibles today in Englishtown, NJ appeared first on Online World of Wrestling.

David Dexter reports that Scott Hudson was a guest on Inside the Ropes and compared Goldberg to Ryback. Here are highlights: On Sting’s character changing into the Crow gimmick in 1996: “I thought it was brilliant. Sting for better or worse, is never going to be confused with Shawn Michaels or Kenta Kobashi or the great workers of the business. It’s not that Sting was a poor worker but he wasn’t gonna go out there and give you a 5 star match every time he laced up a pair of boots. But the thing that got him over was his charisma. You go back and look at those Sting promos, they weren’t that good either. They were passable promos, some didn’t make any sense but he had such a charisma that he got over. And Eric, to his everlasting credit, got the idea, he said “What can we do to get Sting over? He’s only getting so hot and then when we try to put him on top, the buyrates go down, the ratings go down, we need to do something to elevate him to where he can become the top guy” And Eric’s idea was, you know everyone likes Sting nobody doesn’t like Sting so Eric thought Sting can’t really work and isn’t that great at promos so how about if we have him not work and not say anything and then he’ll be really over. So that’s what they did. If you go back and look at that whole build up to Starrcade 97, it took him months to even say anything or point the black bat at somebody. And he was never more over than at that time when he didn’t say anything and he didn’t wrestle. That was the most popular he’s ever been.” On comparisons between Goldberg and Ryback: “Eric Bischoff was smart enough to know the NWO weren’t gonna last forever so he started building up Goldberg who would go on to be the overarching storyline and I guess be the Hulk Hogan of 1985 in WCW in 1998. That was a terrific way to use him, but then by comparison, you look at Ryback right now in the WWE, who is so obviously a knock off of what we did with Goldberg and if he’s over at all, and I question whether or not he is, he’s nowhere near as over as Goldberg was. And it’s because we booked Goldberg correctly. He never lost, that was the whole gimmick and the minute he lost he lost that luster. Well Ryback has been beaten by, who knows, Santino Marella? Lilian Garcia? Who knows? He’s been beaten by everybody. You know, we let Goldberg be the monster and beat up everybody. They tried to make Ryback a monster and he gets beaten up. Nobody buys that. That gimmick only has a certain shelf life unless you build him as this incredible monster and we built Goldberg perfectly only to screw it up with that finger poke of doom and stuff.” He also spoke about his time in WCW, feelings on Bret Hart in WCW, Russo’s booking, the sale of the company, his short stint in the WWF Invasion storyline, thoughts on Vince McMahon and more. The post Recent Scott Hudson interview appeared first on Online World of Wrestling.

RESULTS AAA 5/17 – Gimnasio Miguel Hidalgo de Puebla (Sin Limite taping = both brands) 1. Jinzo & Saturno beat Angel Mortal & Fresero Jr. 2. Carta Brava Jr. & Eterno defeated Lucky Boy & Nino de Ebano – After the match, Joaquin Roldan along with Heavy Metal honored Metal’s father and long-time AAA referee Pepe “Tropi” Casas who celebrated his 70th (they said 80th) birthday on 5/15. 3. Axel/Dinastia/Pimpinela Escarlata beat Argos/Mini Abismo Negro/Black Mamba 4. Fabi Apache & La Jarochita defeated La Hechicera & Mari Apache 5. Los Mirreyes (Alan Stone/Elegido/Toscano) beat Los Perros del Mal (Halloween/Psicosis Original/Ricky Marvin) even with Toscano being stretchered out after being dropped on his head. The Perros mocked Mirreyes before the match as they were fake stripping with towels before the match. 6. Chessman/Parka Negra/Pentagon Jr. defeated Fenix/Heavy Metal/La Parka Jr. with Hijo del Texano running out and bashing a guitar over Metal’s head allowing Chessman to pin him. 7. Blue Demon Jr./Electroshock/El Mesias beat El Consejo (Hijo del Texano/Mascara Ano Dos Mil Jr./Silver Kain) with help from Chessman who attacked Texano. Demon & Mesias has issues throughout the match and fought afterwards with the tecnicos breaking them up. EMLL 5/17 – Arena Mexico 1. Molotov & Sensei beat Akuma & Apocalipsis 2. Escandalo/Hooligan/Nitro defeated Pegasso/Starman/Triton 3. Kraneo/Namajague/Olimpico beat Delta (subbing for Guerrero Maya Jr.)/Rey Cometa/Sagrado with Delta doing a stretcher job. Kraneo & Mije were dressed as Darth Vader & Yoda respectively. 4. En Busca de un Idolo: Vangelis defeated Fuego with Vangelis getting a 23 from the judges and Fuego getting a 20. 5. En Busca de un Idolo: Stuka Jr. beat Tiger with Stuka getting a 24 and Tiger a 22. 6. Brazo de Plata/Rush/Thunder defeated Los Sicarios del Infierno (Averno y Mephisto)/Volador Jr. 7. Diamante Azul/Maximo/La Sombra beat Shinsuke Nakamura/Negro Casas/Pierroth with Sombra going over Nakamura clean and challenged him for a shot at his IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Title afterwards but Nakamura declined. Independent 5/16 – Palenque de la Feria de Chilon 1. La Brillantina & Murcy Jr. I beat Drakken & Venganza de Fuego 2. Chiapas Middleweight Title: Murcy Jr. II defeated New Fire Jr. by DQ after a foule to retain his title. 3. 3 Way Dance por el AAA Minis Title: Dinastia beat Mini Chessman & Mini Psicosis to retain his title. 4. Por la Copa Tseltal: Chessman & Pentagon Jr. defeated Fenix & La Parka Jr. IWRG 5/16 – Arena Naucalpan 1. Serpiente de Oro beat Dragon Celestial 2. Centvrion & Golden Magic defeated Eita & Tomahawk 3. Chico Che/Dinamic Black/Dr. Cerebro beat AK-47/Cerebro Negro/Fierro 4. Cien Caras Jr./Dr. Wagner III/Eterno defeated Pirata Morgan/Hijo del Pirata Morgan/Pirata Morgan Jr. when Eterno fouled and pinned Pirata. 5. Por el Junior de Juniors: Carta Brava Jr. beat Factor by countout to win the title. Carta took out Factor on a dive and beat him back to the ring. TIJUANA/BAJA CALIFORNIA MV Promociones 5/17 – Auditorio Municipal de Tijuana 1. Tigrillo beat Tirano 2. Angelus & Ursus defeated Dementor & Shamu 3. Hijo del Fishman/Inferno/Mr. Tempest beat Arandu/Extassis/Extreme Tiger when Fishman fouled and pinned Extassis. There were mask match challenges thrown around afterwards. 4. Decision Match por el WWA Lightweight Title: TJ Boy defeated Steve Pain to win the title. – After the match there was a moment of applause for the recently deceased Rocky Roman who was the promoter for FMLL in Southern California among other places. 5. Hijo del Santo & L.A. Par-K beat Angel Blanco Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr. with Santo going over Blanco of course.

The History of Extreme Rules Back in the mid-aughts, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was tired of defiling the corpse of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). So he turned his sights to the other company that had alternately harmed and pushed his business to new heights - Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). ECW One Night Stand took place in June of 2005 and was billed as a one-time only reunion show. Remarkably, the show was pretty true to its roots - even the WWE workers who wrestled on the show had ties to the Philadelphia-based promotion that had taken the 90s by storm and given birth to today's "smart marks". For that reason, it was also a huge success. It certainly wasn't because of the build, which saw WWE focus mostly on an invasion angle of non-ECW affiliated guys like Kurt Angle, JBL and Eric Bischoff. That would be a sign of things to come. Like a later "Once in a Lifetime" match, One Night Stand would occur again in 2006. At least that show kept its reunion theme. When the third One Night Stand happened in 2007, it was taken out of New York and the Hammerstein Ballroom (to Jacksonville, FL) and featured a decidedly un-ECW main event - John Cena vs. The Great Khali. One Night Stand would continue on as WWE's June pay-per-view (PPV) through the following year before changing it's name to Extreme Rules in 2009. Lip service was still paid to that year's show having ECW roots, but by 2010, Extreme Rules was its own entity. WWE now refers to this year's show as the fifth annual PPV with the name. In 2010 it moved from June to May, providing the other interesting bit of history for this event. After a decade of Backlash, Extreme Rules has become the show that follows WrestleMania on the WWE calendar. The former post-Mania staple was old enough that it started life as an In Your House. As a matter of fact, Backlash: In Your House in 1999 was the last show branded as such before the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) went to individual titles for all of their annual shows. Both monthly PPVs and giving each show its own brand identity were responses to WCW having made the same move first, so the Backlash-into-Extreme Rules event has a couple of influences from vanquished Attitude Era foes. That 1999 show also established the trend of the show after the Granddaddy of Them All featuring rematches from the Show of Shows. The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin went to war in Providence, RI over the WWF championship, just as they had a month earlier at WrestleMania XV. TONIGHT Cageside Seats has you covered backwards and forwards on everything that's going down at Extreme Rules 2013. Our own General Geno Mrosko took a look at the still-developing card earlier this month, then Hulk Holland peeked the show from a week out in two parts (One and Two). You can see the predictions of many of the staff in J.M. Williams predictions column, or even peruse the picks of fellow Cagesiders in the comments of the PPV Pick 'Em post. And, of course, the StoryStream of match previews will give you insight into each and every contest set to go down at the ScottTrade Center in St. Louis, MO. It'll be hard to top: Extreme Rules 2009 While it wasn't a classic show from top to bottom, it had at least three moments that I don't seen anything at the May 19th show touching. In one of the last true to connections to ECW, Tommy Dreamer was in a triple threat match against ECW champion Christian and Jack Swagger. The story was that Dreamer's contract had expired and he was given a one-day extension to participate in the match. If he didn't win, he could never wrestle for ECW again. The champ and Dreamer were respectful of each other with Swagger as the arrogant disrespectful heel. Dreamer won after a match full of kendo sticks and high spots, and afterwards shared his celebration with the New Orleans crowd. Two men with ECW ties went no-holds barred for the Intercontinental belt. A recently returned Chris Jericho momentarily u

- Triple H has been surprisingly open with fans when it comes to answering questions on Twitter. He noted this morning that Dean Ambrose has a bright future in WWE. - Due to the knee surgery he had earlier this year, Bret Hart isn’t booked for any physical angles on the upcoming Bret Hart Appreciation Night RAW. Big HHH Match Being Considered, WWE’s Singles Plans for Ambrose, Revealing New Maryse, More… Partial source: F4Wonline.com

- WWE Diva Layla has outed Naomi and Jimmy Uso as WWE’s newest couple. We noted last week that one of the Usos and Naomi taped a segment with Natalya for E!’s Total Divas. Layla tweeted this weekend: “The cutest couple ever #trueLove @wwenaomi @wwejimmyuso Awewwwwwe #lol” - CM Punk spent some time at a Gracie MMA training camp this weekend. Former WWE Diva Eve Torres, who can be seen bottom left, tweeted this photo. You can see Punk in the upper right-hand corner: “Standup Paddle boarding at #GracieImmersionCamp! Who’s the weirdo in the corner?” Backstage News on Future World Title Feuds, Hot New Kelly Kelly Shoot, More…

- Below is video of Mick Foley and The Bella Twins appearing at last night’s St. Louis Cardinals game to promote WWE Extreme Rules: - MVP noted on Twitter that he will be performing at the M Lounge in Sugarland, Texas next week. He tweeted: “If you live in Houston, I’m performing next week at M Lounge in Sugarland as a guest of my dude @ShawnStackz come out a party.” Backstage News on MVP’s WWE Future, Hot New Layla Photos, More…

- Below is the final card for tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Remember to join us at 7:30pm EST for live coverage beginning with the pre-show. We will also have live post-show coverage. Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Title Ryback vs. John Cena I Quit Contenders Match Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger WWE United States Title Match Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston Tag Team Title Tornado Match Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan Steel Cage Match Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar Strap Match Sheamus vs. Mark Henry Extreme Rules Match Randy Orton vs. Big Show Fandango vs. Chris Jericho Pre-show match The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes Live STREAMING Extreme Rules Coverage, Rumor on Lesnar, More…

Tornado Match for the WWE tag team championship Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) (c) vs. The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) Although Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) have been Tag Team champions for 245 days (since defeating R-Truth and Kofi Kingston at Night of Champions on September 16, 2012), they have failed to win a victory over The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose). Will the Tag Team champions, facing off against two-thirds of The Hounds of Justice, finally get a win over the young upstarts? Or will the challengers walk out of Extreme Rules with gold around their waists? The Road to Extreme Rules These teams first tangled at the end of 2012, when the invaders attacked Kane and Bryan on the November 26th and December 3rd editions of Monday Night Raw. As a result, The Shield faced off in their first WWE match against Team Hell No with Ryback on December 16, 2012 at TLC. And, in a tables, ladders and chairs match, emerged victorious. After several more skirmishes between the two factions in 2013 and an attack on Kane's brother, The Undertaker, The Bothers of Destruction and The Dazzler were dealt another defeat by Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns on the April 22, 2013 episode of Raw. The fury of that six-man tag would be hard to top; most would not have thought that things could get more tense between the two teams. But when the trio followed up Undertaker's submission victory over Ambrose by putting the Dead Man though the announce table with their patented triple powerbomb, things got personal. Especially for Kane. Evidence of this came when the teams faced off last Monday night, this time with WWE champion John Cena as the good guys third. Kane could not control his anger and was disqualified. Although that match ended with The Shield's first loss as a unit, both members of Hell No were eliminated before the finish - a fact that can't fill them with confidence heading into Sunday night. To settle the dispute once and for all, a match for the Tag Team Championship was set for Extreme Rules on the May 17, 2013 episode of SmackDown. With tornado rules in effect, all four men can go to war without worrying about tags. But who does the stipulation favor - the vengeance-minded champs or the methodically viscous challengers? What's at stake? The right to call themselves the Tag Team champions, for a start. The Shield, as a unit, are have not lost by pinfall or submission. That claim could no longer made if they fail in their mission to claim the bronze eagles. Will Team Friendship add to their epic reign? Or give Rollins and Reigns their first loss in two-man team competition? What are your predictions, Cagesiders? Find out here tonight!