Wrestling

I'll never forget that moment. I signed onto America Online to find out what was going on during the evening's WWE pay-per-view, Over the Edge 1999 at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, and was immediately messaged by an e-fed acquaintance I hadn't spoken to in some months. "Are you watching the show?," he asked. When I told him I wasn't, he leveled me with the news. "Owen Hart is dead." I couldn't believe what I had just read. As I tried to access any number of wrestling news sites, I became increasingly upset at the fact that I couldn't. They all seemed to have trouble dealing with the sudden spike in unexpected traffic. Eventually, I found out what happened: Working as the Blue Blazer, Hart was supposed to be lowered down into the ring like a superhero flying in but a harness broke and he free fell nearly 80 feet, crashing into the turnbuckle. The unfortunate accident would ultimately prove fatal. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were beside themselves. Jeff Jarrett, a rulebreaker at the time, broke character and told Owen they were praying for him while Debra McMichael couldn't help but break down during the promo. Vince McMahon was criticized for continuing the show, WWE was sued -- and only recently settled that lawsuit this year -- and the already strained relationship between McMahon and the Hart family was dealt another blow. But beyond all that, wrestling fans lost an enormous talent that night. From everything I've heard and read, his wife Martha and their children lost a loving husband and father. Those who worked with him and cared for him lost a dear friend. We all miss you, Owen. Here are highlights from one of Hart's greatest matches, his WWE championship showdown against his brother, Bret, at SummerSlam 1994. Editor's Note: This post was originally written by former site Author Sergio Hernandez.

TNA Impact comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 23, 2013) from Tampa, Florida, featuring AJ Styles finally turning on the good guys and revealing he has aligned himself with the bad guys in Aces and 8s. That's what we're supposed to believe, anyway. Also set for tonight's show is Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson, James Storm selecting a tag team partner for Slammiversary (which seems pointless considering he's too hurt to wrestle), Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James for the Knockouts championship, the continuation of the Gut Check tournament, and the return of Suicide. It all goes down tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET on Spike TV, so remember to check back right here to follow along with the live blog as it all goes down. _________________________ TNA IMPACT RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 23 Geno here. See you tonight, folks.

The first round of the Cageside Seats Greatest Finisher Tournament continues today with a match-up pitting number one seed the Stone Cold Stunner, as performed by Stone Cold Steve Austin, against number 16 seed the Muscle Buster, as performed by Samoa Joe. Remember, voting closes at midnight CT. In order to cast your vote, leave a comment and in the subject line make sure you adhere to the guidelines as follows: To vote Stone Cold Stunner simply write: Vote - StunnerTo vote Muscle Buster simply write: Vote - Buster Here are videos showcasing each move. Stone Cold Stunner: Muscle Buster: Updated bracket: (Click image to enlarge)

WWE Main Event returned to the ION Television airwaves last night (May 22, 2013) from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, featuring Alberto Del Rio vs. Big E. Langston and The Usos vs. 3MB. If you missed the show, or just want to go back and read the live blog again, click here. That's enough with the appetizer, let's get to the main course. One of the reasons Main Event is such a wonderful show is structure. You get a main event level match, a video replay from Raw, a mid-card level or jobber level match, then another video replay from Raw. It works. Sure, the replays can be annoying if you already watched Raw but they serve their purpose and create a natural show break, even for a program that only runs for an hour. Plus, we're still getting more wrestling than not and it's almost always good wrestling. That includes last night's match between Big E. Langston and Alberto Del Rio. The storytelling was simple but effective: Big E. uses his power to overwhelm Del Rio for much of the match but the resilient babyface manages to make a comeback -- after teasing it a few times, of course -- to get the roll up pin. It was tough getting there, making Langston look good, but the comeback worked and the pinfall was clean, making Del Rio look good. Seriously, why can't WWE book all of its matches like this? Is there something wrong with definitive outcomes? It's not like we're suddenly not going to buy into Langston anymore because he laid down for a three count for Del Rio. Although it's possible the flip side is just as true, that "ADR" won't get much juice on it if that's the case. Big E. really needs to get to doing the five count gimmick. The Usos may in fact be the future of the tag team division but hearing it stated expressly by the commentary team came off more like WWE trying to convince us other than letting us figure it out naturally. Hearing one of the two brothers literally shout that they are the tag team division was downright comical. They aren't the tag team division, and they're probably not the future of it either. Remember when Drew McIntyre was heavily hyped and the word around the water cooler was WWE was high on him for having such a great look? Now look at him. It's not even that he's fallen so far, it's that he was always up against it and never really stood a chance in an environment like this. If he ever decides he wants to be world champion one day, he should hit up TNA. They would have the belt on him by the end of the year. Ryback may, in fact, rule. I absolutely love the idea of "Big Hungry" randomly driving into arenas during various matches, grabbing someone involved with the match, and tossing him into the ambulance before driving away again. It's far more interesting than having him stand on top of one and ramble on about how fat and stupid the WWE audience is in whatever town the promotion is running. It should be noted, though, that Ryback has done this to two people and we shouldn't really be surprised who: Zack Ryder and Heath Slater, the two best jobbers on the roster. I guess the big man figured he should go back to smashing guys he can actually beat, since he hasn't won a match against a top level opponent since ... umm ... yeah. Stan Stansky and Benny Camer can eat their heart out. The show was exactly as this show has always been and, hopefully, will always be. Good wrestling, very little fluff, and only two replays that act as solid breaks. Grade: B That's it from me, Cagesiders. Now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below with all your thoughts on last night's show.

Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill. Important reminder: Rumors are just that -- rumors. None of this has been confirmed as legitimate news or fact; so remember to take it all with a grain of salt. Rumors for the Day: Following the six-man tag team main event at Tuesday night's (May 21) SmackDown tapings (set to air Friday, May 24,) Shield member and one half of the tag team champions, Roman Reigns, was helped to the back by the referee after suffering an apparent ankle injury. The injury reportedly occurred following a spot with Randy Orton on the ring apron. Reigns was limping and did not participate in the post-match brawl which saw the face team take out fellow Shield members Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Turns galore! As you may have read yesterday, WWE is believed to be planning a Sheamus/Randy Orton feud that will lead us into SummerSlam in August. Obviously, that would mean one of them has to turn heel. Popular opinion rightly pegs Orton for the turn, as he has expressed his displeasure with his role as a face in the past. However, don't rule out a heel turn for Sheamus. While past rumors suggested that Vince McMahon himself shot down the possibility of a Sheamus heel turn, it wouldn't be the first time that WWE has leaked false information in order to increase the shock value of a swerve... Speaking of Orton, the "punt" finisher he used to finish off Big Show at Extreme Rules was a one time deal for the "extreme" gimmick pay-per-view and remains banned otherwise. In other "turn" news, Mark Henry and Wade Barrett may be up for face turns in the near future. Henry reinjured his shoulder at Extreme Rules and may miss some time, but if the plan to pair him up for a match against Big E Langston at SummerSlam still holds up, Henry might be the one making a turn. As for Barrett, he may be turning face in order to feud with dancing WWE newcomer Fandango over the Intercontinental Title. WWE has never been shy about leaving no stone unturned in the search for potential talent, and now they're trying to open up another recruiting avenue. Jim Ross reportedly met with NFL Players Association officials hoping to open up a pipeline between the NFL and WWE. Players struggling to find work on NFL rosters could be directed towards WWE instead. Goldberg is likely the most famous former NFL player to make the jump to pro wrestling, but many wrestlers played in the college ranks, including the Rock and Roman Reigns. If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you'd like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Please remember, these are merely rumors. Try not to take them too seriously, just have fun with them.

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including some notes on the death of Mick McManus, Main Event and Smackdown taping thoughts, Impact preview for the week, Overeem gets a big fight, preview of this weekend's UFC PPV with Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 and Hunt vs. Dos Santos, plus your questions on a ton of different topics. A fun show as always so check it out~~! {radioShow dmdocuments/052313wo.mp3}

- On Wednesday, CM Punk tweeted the following about his absence from WWE: “I am exactly where I belong. No desire to be anywhere else. #thankyouverymuch” As noted, Punk has been dealing with knee problems and was burned out from years on the road – including his historic 1+ year run as WWE Champion. Big Backstage *UPDATE* on CM Punk’s Return and Upcoming Feud with Brock Lesnar…

Bob Holly was recently interviewed by The Sun. Here are some highlights. If he currently watches WWE: “I try to watch it, but sometimes I can’t because it annoys me. There’s a lot of good stuff though. I’m a huge fan of Fandango and I think Dolph Ziggler is the best right now. I would love to see Ziggler and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. I don’t usually buy PPV events, but I would buy that one for sure.” His thoughts of TNA: “I enjoy watching TNA and they’ve got great talent across the board, especially Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, James Storm and AJ Styles. Although, I don’t know what the deal with AJ is — they seem to start and stop with him. “I was really impressed when I met Magnus, he’s got a good mind for wrestling and I think he’s going to have a great future in the business.” Holly also discussed his new book, if he would join WWE as a road agent, leaving WWE in 2009 and more.

The follow release was sent in: Shawn Michaels will be making a rare East Coast fan meet-and-greet appearance for on Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Louis Spilman Auditorium in Waynesboro, Va. Fans can take part in one of two ways – through the VIP Meet and Greet and the Fan Q&A. “We wanted to give fans every chance they could to be able to be a part of this special day,” said Chris Graham, the president of Top Rope Pro Wrestling, which is co-hosting the event with Michaels. Tickets for the Fan Q&A are just $25, Graham noted, “and that means for $25, you can ask Shawn anything. The Montreal Screwjob, WrestleMania main events, DX, even his days back in AWA.” “This is just a neat opportunity for fans,” Graham said. Starting at $125, fans can take part in the Meet and Greet with Michaels that gets you entry into the Fan Q&A and photo opportunities with Michaels. A limited number of VIP Passes are available at $175 with guaranteed Row 1-5 seating and a spot in the front of the line for the Meet and Greet. The event is still three months away, but fans from across the country have been snatching up the VIP Passes and are now moving into the Superstar-level tickets. “Look, we’re big fans, too. This is without a doubt the biggest meet and greet that we’ll ever do. Shawn does so few of these type events. We’re privileged to have this opportunity to be a part of this show, and we encourage fans to get their tickets now, because they’re not going to be around for much longer,” Graham said. More information on the show is available online at here.

- As noted earlier, Jim Ross was going to meet with officials from the NFL Players Association on Wednesday to discuss a potential working relationship between the NFLPA and WWE. This could see WWE recruit former NFL players who no longer have a spot in the league. Ross tweeted about the meeting: “Great meeting in DC today w/ NFLPA & @NolanHarrison74. Anxious to see what the future holds. @wwe looking 4 charismatic beasts who luv genre” Backstage News on Another Huge Change WWE Is Working On…