Sunday, January 30, 2011

Surprise no more?

Check out what Wrestlezone.com found at the airport in Boston, home of the Royal Rumble...

Kevin Nash

Oh, and also check out what a rumored soon-to-be Diva tweeted this afternoon:

Awesome Kong
"My stomach is RUMBLE-ing. Craving sushi so I may SMACK DOWN on some RAW fish."

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Golden Ticket

As of now, 35 men are confirmed for the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble tomorrow night. Only one will end the night with that golden twinkle in their eye...

(Yes, I did watch Willy Wonka today...)

But who will it be?

Well, for the first time since the first Royal Rumble, the odds are great for rookies-- 15 will be in the match, and there are more rookies in wings (Usos, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, to name a few) waiting to be called up as one of the final five.

Most come from The Nexus, both the former and new members: Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David Otunga, Husky Harris, Mason Ryan, Michael McGillicutty, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett. Unfortunately, I don't see any of these guys winning. I'm sure many of them-- like Gabriel, Otunga, Jackson and Ryan-- will give us a good show.

Out of the remaining rookies-- DH Smith, Primo, Sheamus, Tyson Kidd and Alberto Del Rio-- Del Rio is a real possibility to win. He has the total package, and, actually, feels more like a veteran than a rookie when I see him perform. I also like that whether the champion is Edge or someone else, he will be a great match-up to them.

So, if a rookie can win, what about the complete opposite-- a past winner?

Only two are in the match: John Cena and Rey Mysterio. Only Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin have won the Royal Rumble more than once (more than twice, for Stone Cold). Cena is definitely in the same category as these men. He is the face of the company. Shouldn't the face of the company be in the main event at WrestleMania? So, that makes Cena a real possibility to win the Royal Rumble.

However, that is also too expected. So, let's look at another option.

Out of the remaining entrants, who would be great to see in the main event at WrestleMania? John Morrison.

Morrison is definitely main event ready and has certainly filled Shawn Michaels' shoes in my eyes. He is someone the fans will pay money to see because you know you will see an amazing show if he is there.

There's another plus-- Tough Enough, of which Morrison is only remaining winner, returns the night after WrestleMania. That would be great marketing for the new show-- see future WWE Champions. (I, of course, am assuming Morrison will be among the 70% who win at WrestleMania...)

***

As I said earlier, five spots remain (of course, there's always the chance someone will get knocked out backstage and sixth person will have to replace them...). Who should fill those spots?

Wade Barrett tweeted earlier in the week that Papa Shango was one of the mystery entrants to the Royal Rumble. My question is, once he's eliminated, will he re-enter as the Godfather?

Fans (okay, I'll admit it, I, too) have been drooling over when Triple H will finally make his return. This, especially with his new movie, The Chaperone, being released, could be it.

Another return could also come in the form of The Undertaker. I really can't wait to the faces on the Superstars in the ring when the first "BONG" rings.

I could also see anyone who loses in any of the title matches that night making an appearance in the Royal Rumble match. I'm pretty sure it has happened before, and with the match extended this year, it makes it more possible since there will be more of a rest period. If Natalya loses, I would love to see her enter (making her the third woman ever) and somehow toss Tyson Kidd or DH Smith over the top rope. She trained with them in the Dungeon, she can probably do it.

We also cannot rule out the past performers working backstage, like IRS and Sgt. Slaughter. Oh, and if Jerry Lawler is not doing color commentary for the match for some reason, that reason may be because he is entering the match.

For the list of confirmed 2011 Royal Rumble entrants, click here.

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Friday, January 28, 2011

Holla if ya hear me

By the way, before it gets to be a week out from the show, there is only thing to say about Thursday's Impact.

"Big Poppa Pump is your hookup ... HOLLA IF YOU HEAR ME!"

Enjoy.



Not sure who else is coming to help Kurt Angle and his band of untouchables next week, but it should be interesting to see.

Tommy Dreamer still extreme

Longtime ECW legend Tommy Dreamer is coming to the Brick Elks Lodge to face Drew Hankinson on Saturday night. Hankinson was once known as Luke Gallows of the Straight Edge Society, as well as Festus the Cornfed Colossus and Imposter Kane, to WWE fans.

Read all about Dreamer here at Trentonian.com.
While you read that, check out this old school video of Tommy taking on Raven in 1995. Note the cheese grater to the head and the licking of the blodd, and that's just in the first 45 seconds of the video.



More recently, here's Tommy taking on The Monster Abyss in TNA.



More from the show after tomorrow night.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Seeking Fame

Ever since Shawn Michaels was announced as the first inductee to the 2011 class of the WWE Hall of Fame, my mind -- and by looking at tweets from others, many of your minds, too-- has been spinning over who else could be inducted this year.

Only those who make the decisions on Hall of Fame inductees truly know who will be joining Michaels on the stage at the Phillips Arena this year, but it's still fun for those of us outside that small circle to guess.

First of all, we can eliminate anyone working for another wrestling promotion (TNA), anyone not on good terms with the WWE and anyone who's just not interested in being in the Hall of Fame.

So, that means all of you who think Sting is going into the Hall of Fame need to start rethinking.

I would love to see-- since the ceremony is in WCW's old hometown of Atlanta-- a DX invasion of sorts to the Hall of Fame.

I'm not sure how healthy she is or what terms she is on with the WWE, but Chyna would be a logical choice to accompany Michaels. After all, she was the ninth wonder of the world, the first woman in the Royal Rumble and the first woman to qualify for King of the Ring.

While there are few women in the Hall of Fame, there are also few Tag Teams. The New Age Outlaws are no longer connected with TNA (from what I can tell) and would be great choices considering their contributions to both WWE and WCW. The Road Dogg Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn won the Tag Team Championship five times, and individually won three Hardcore Championships and each won the Intercontinental Championship.

Another interesting choice that has been buzzing around is Ted Turner. After all, if it wasn't for him turning the NWA into the powerhouse WCW, we may never have had the attitude era of the WWF/E.

Of course, it's likely there won't be a theme. Here are some other likely choices for induction:

- Mike Rotunda, aka Irwin R. Schyster, aka IRS, is now a road agent for WWE and is one of the few backstage legends not in the Hall of Fame. Besides from being one of the most memorable characters of the WWE, he is a five-time tag team champion. He is also the father of Nexus member Husky Harris.

- Sabu, released from TNA late last year, would be a excellent choice to pay respects to ECW. Besides ECW, he brought his hardcore style of jumping off of anything he could find to WCW and WWE.

- As mentioned earlier, there are very few women in the Hall of Fame and there are still a few out there who should be in the Hall. Miss Elizabeth, Sunny and Trish Stratus are the three besides Chyna who should get in the Hall of Fame if not this year, in the very near future.

- My last guess is Linda McMahon. She stepped down from her role as CEO in 2009 to run for Senate. She helped manage the WWE to worldwide empire it is today, making sure it had heart along the way by giving back to the community.

Of course, it would be great to give back to the community by letting a tank roll into WrestleMania as they present the new inductees to the Hall of Fame...

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

TNA fires at Triple H (a week late)

I was out of pocket for a bit, so I just had a chance to review the tape of Impact from last week. Sorry I'm behind the curve on this, but Ken Anderson's title celebratory speech had a pretty fascinating barb in it.

For anyone who missed it, Mr. Anderson basically said that Triple H tanked his career in the WWE. He did not say the name of the Cerebral Assassin, but he said that "a little birdie" got in the boss' ear and told them Anderson wasn't championship material.

The voice was a dead-on impression of Triple H. So, take from that what you will. Just thought it was worth noting for anyone who missed it. Video below.















Alternative content







Also from that TNA show, just in time for tonight's episode:
* Karen Angle's alleged tell-all is set for tonight. Even though I am well aware that it's a show, this whole Jeff-Karen-Kurt thing is awkward due to the fact that it's probably pretty awkward in real life, too.
* Matt Hardy, you are about 13 years too late to join Raven's Flock, so do something with the hair. Sick Boy is offended.
* Will Eric Young give the real title belt back to Mr. Anderson? The one he's carrying around only looks good on Jeff Hardy, and even that is a stretch.

There is your week-late Impact update. More on tonight's show sooner than next Thursday.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

More from WWE champ, The Miz

Trentonian sports editor Matthew Osborne chatted with WWE champion The Miz on Wednesday, and here are a few extra tidbits from the champ’s interview in advance of his appearance in Trenton on Friday night at the Sun National Bank Center.
• Miz said people frequently ask him what he and the other wrestlers like to do when they come to a particular town. With the frantic travel schedule, they don’t get to do much.
“We literally land, we find a gym, then we look for an Applebees or somewhere to get some food,” The Miz said. “Then we get to the arena, and after the show, we’re off to someplace else. So, whatever gym you’ve got, I can’t wait to see it.”
• The Miz is a big fan of hair metal bands from the 1980’s — Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, to name a few — and he also recently attended a concert to see former WWE champion Chris Jericho’s band, Fozzy.
As for Jersey’s music legends, it’s clear where his loyalties lie.
“I love Bon Jovi, but I’ve never been a big Bruce Springsteen fan, which may upset some people, but whatever,” he said.
• The Miz is the champion of more than just the WWE. He dominated the company’s fantasy football league this year, dominating United States champion Kofi Kingston in the two-week final.
Miz also defeated 99.7 percent of players on ESPN.com, with his team that included Week 1 pickup Arian Foster of Houston.
He also traded Donald Driver for Mike Vick before Week 2, a move that gave him the best quarterback to go along with the best running back in the league.
Miz’s stellar lineup included stalwarts LeGarrette Blount, Andre Johnson and the Steelers’ defense as well.
And in Week 17, with Vick out of action, The Miz called on rookie Tim Tebow to quarterback his team to the title.
“I dominated so much that I could have played just one of the two Super Bowl weeks and still beaten Kofi,” Miz said.
• The Miz mentors Alex Riley on Raw, but when he was breaking into the WWE, he learned from some of the top stars.

“Al Snow and Bill DeMott put their heart and soul into training me. John Cena was one guy who taught me a lot just by me being in the ring with him,” Miz said. “He showed me what I had to do to be in main events. Shawn Michaels also took me under his wing for a while as well.”
• The Miz has every intention of being the WWE champion heading to WrestleMania.
“If you’re in this business, it’s your dream to headline WrestleMania. I’m undefeated at Mania, I’m 1-0, so I’m going after the Undertaker’s streak!”
As for who he faces, as The Rock would say, it doesn’t matter ...
“I’m going to beat whoever it is no matter what.”

Tomorrow, we hope to talk with Nikki Bella, and we’ll have more on this show on Friday night when it’s all over.

WWE Raw Live comes to the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton on Friday, Jan. 21. Great seats are still available and start as low as $15. For tickets visit www.comcastTIX.com, call 800-298-4200, or visit the Sun National Bank Center box office.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Starting off the year right?

Just a few notes from the first week of the year:

- We had some good news with the upcoming return of Tough Enough, in the original format. Casting is going on now, and the show will premiere the Monday after WrestleMania. It will have a regular air time of 8 p.m. Mondays on USA, just before Raw. John Morrison, you may remember, was a Tough Enough winner from the final what-I-call-real season of Tough Enough... The Miz was a contestant on the Tough Enough which aired as segment on Smackdown and was more like NXT.

- Well, you know it's Royal Rumble time if the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship is a former Spirit Squad member... Yeah, I still can't get past that... Nicky!

- On the TNA front, Karen Angle is returning Thursday night and Matt Hardy debuted at Genesis... Guess their budget is a little lower this year than it was last year when Jan. 4, 2010, brought us Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore, X-Pac, Razor Ramon, Brian Knobbs, Ric Flair, the Blue Meanie and some guy named Hulk Hogan...

- On a final note, I made my way over to the wrestling action figures aisle in a popular super store with a red circular logo and saw something new from the WWE: Rumblers, which are chunky mini action figures for ages 3 and up. They are a lot like the little Star Wars Galactic Heroes, if you are familiar with those. Anyway, they had sets with John Cena and Sheamus, John Morrison and Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and R-Truth, and Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They also had a ring for the figures and separate Morrison with ladder and tables.