The Wrestling News Experience 04.20.09

Monday, April 20th, 2009

From 411Mania’s Canadian offices in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, this is The Wrestling News Experience, with Stephen Randle!

Sponsored by AC/DC – “Thunderstruck”

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Experience. I am Stephen Randle, and the dream continues, as the Jays hit double digit wins, have won every series so far for the first time in franchise history, and are off to their best start since 2001. Of course, I’d prefer the best start since 1993, but at least they didn’t lose 22-4 to the Indians. And hey, they didn’t spend 200 million dollars on four players, so they’re already ahead of the game.

I can entirely see this coming back to bite me by the All Star Break, so I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Moving on.

PPV In Review – TNA Lockdown 2009

Lansdell did the live coverage

In case you didn’t know, all Lockdown matches occur inside (well, most of the time) the Six Sides of Steel.

Suicide defeated Kiyoshi, Consequences Creed, Jay Lethal, and Sheik Abdul Bashir in an X Division Elimination Xscape Match to retain the TNA X Division Title

ODB defeated Sojo Bolt, Daffney, and Madison Rayne in a TNA Queen of the Cage Match

The Motor City Machine Guns defeated LAX and Team No Limit in a Triple Threat Match to retain the IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles

Matt Morgan defeated Abyss in a Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match

Well, enter “World” Champion #1, Dr. Stevie Richards, despite him being on TV (essentially) for a couple months now. Come on, TNA, not even WWE pretends that any ECW title is a World championship.

Angelina Love defeated Awesome Kong and Taylor Wilde in a Triple Threat Match to win the TNA Knockouts Title

Team 3D defeated Beer Money, Inc. in a Philadelphia Street Fight to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles and win the TNA Tag Titles

Team Jarrett (Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels) defeated the Main Event Mafia (Angle, Steiner, Nash, Booker T) in a Lethal Lockdown Match

And here we have the appearance of World Champion #2, and it’s Bobby Lashley. Granted, he just came out and stood on the ramp at the end of the match, I presume so we can spend some time debating just whose side he’s on, but at least it was an actual surprise.

Mick Foley defeated Sting to win the TNA World Title

Well, now we have Mick Foley and Team 3D both holding major titles on top of a promotion. I forget, what year is it again?

What’s On Tap – WWE Raw for April 20th

Tonight, we resume our regularly scheduled Raw, free of drafts and three hour specials and such, and we can get on with the build to Backlash, which takes place…this Sunday. Uh oh. How many matches have we got booked for the PPV at this point? Four?

Well, with the rosters all shuffled up, look for some good old-fashioned insta-feuding to erupt tonight, with the possibility of new characters, new alliances, and even completely new wrestlers showing up tonight.

Plus, John Cena and Edge look to continue their intense feud of hatred under the watchful eye of no longer interim Raw GM Vickie Guerrero, while Triple H must try to keep his partners for this Sunday’s match under control and still maintain focus on his match with Randy Orton tonight. I’m not sure why he’d be worried, he already destroyed Orton three weeks ago, but then, I’m not The Game.

And meanwhile, we’ve got new champions all over the midcard, and new challengers sure to present themselves. You can never be quite sure what will happen the week after the WWE Draft, but you can be sure it’ll be interesting. All this, tonight on Raw!

The Wrestling Threatdown

5. Money, Money, Money, Money, Moneeeeeeeeey

WWE, never a company that shies away from trumpeting its own accomplishments, made sure to issue a press release in which they celebrated the fact that WrestleMania 25 was the highest-grossing single day event to occur in 2009. Of course, it’s only the fourth month of 2009, and there’s a half dozen movies coming out in the next four months that will probably easily outstrip the 52 million dollars gross that Mania brought in, but hey, never look a gift chance for a press release in the mouth.

The unfortunate story here, of course, is that this is almost definitely another example of the WrestleMania name selling despite the card, which has been rated anywhere from “bad with a few exceptions” to “forgettable except for that one match which might be one of the best in WrestleMania history, but which nonetheless was not worth 55 dollars on its own”.

Irregardless, expect WWE to completely miss the point and overlook the very real flaws with their current booking strategy and instead focus on the fact that no matter what kind of crap they throw at us in the form of Raw first hour main event style matches masquerading as marquee main event title bouts, we’ll still pay them for the privilege. We are so lame.

4. Free Tickets

Meanwhile, while we’re practically falling all over ourselves to hand WWE our lunch money, it seems that TNA was forced to give away large quantities of free tickets to last night’s Lockdown PPV. Despite Impact finally showing an upward trend (well, a slight rise, anyway) in ratings, it seems that fans just weren’t interested in what TNA was selling for thirty bucks this month. No word if the fact that the main event seemed so predictable that nobody bothered buying the show, because who in their right mind would put the company’s World title on a mostly retired wrestler who had his last good match (for argument’s sake, we’re considering the street fight with Edge at WrestleMania here) nearly half a decade ago, and was at his peak as a worker at the end of the last millennium. Boy, TNA sure showed us….something.

3. 12 Rounds

Because we’re short on news and it’s always stylish to bash the latest WWE Films project, it should be noted this week, as it plummets off the top ten and top twenty lists worldwide, just to kick the corpse, that 12 Rounds is now the second-lowest grossing WWE Film of all time, just ahead of The Condemned, which at least had the decency to make some of its money back on DVD, and also provide hours of entertainment while Santino Marella told us all the many, many reasons why he refused to watch the movie.

2. Vince of Clan McMahon

This week also featured the debut of ESPN’s new program E:60, and for its debut, the network decided to focus on WWE as it prepared for WrestleMania, and in particular on the patriarch of the industry, Vince McMahon. The most interesting part of the interview with WWE’s biggest billionaire was when Vince was asked about the future of the company, given that one day he will inevitably be taking the long dirt nap. According to Vince, it seems that the question is a silly one, as he’s not particularly planning to die at any point in the future. And given that God still has issues with Vince’s claims that he betrayed Shawn Michaels a couple years, ago, the source of Vince’s apparent immortality seems to remain a mystery. All I can say is that, if Vince truly will live forever, Triple H is going to be very upset about all that wasted effort.

1. Hogan!

And it just wouldn’t be another month in the world of professional wrestling without Hulk Hogan making the news. This time, it seems the man with mountains of charisma, and an intricate knowledge of manipulating people and situations to his own advantage, has actually managed to stick his foot in his mouth in a big way, as he reportedly claimed during an interview that, well…

“I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like O.J., cutting everybody’s throat. You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can’t go to anymore, you’re driving through downtown Clearwater and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife…

I totally understand O.J. I get it.”

Obviously, Hogan’s public relations people have rushed to calm the waters, but it seems that the damage has been done, as Hogan’s ex-wife, Linda, has already released a statement where she is apparently “considering her options” in light of the alleged threat.

Oh, and Hogan might also be facing legal action from this man:

WARNING: Moderately NSFW, and no, there’s no video, just audio.

Well, if he’s going to try and break in to standup comedy, at least he’s stealing material from one of the best.

The Injury Bug Bites

Inactive List as of 04.13.09

WWE Raw

– Candice Michelle, RAW, out 4-6 weeks as of March 8th (ankle)

WWE SmackDown

– Umaga, out indefinitely (leg)

ECW

– No reported injuries

TNA

– Christy Hemme, out indefinitely as of January 10th (neck surgery)
– Moose, out indefinitely as of July 7th (broken femur)
– Kaz, out indefinitely as of December 15th (torn bicep)

Transactions

– Bobby Lashley, TNA, made TNA debut at Lockdown PPV

– Brother Runt, made special appearance on April 16th Impact

– Balls Mahoney, made special appearance on April 16th Impact

– MVP, Big Show, Triple H, Maryse, Matt Hardy, Ken Kennedy, Carlito and Primo Colon, The Bella Twins, Festus, The Brian Kendrick, Chavo Guerrero, SD!, drafted to Raw

– The Miz, Hornswoggle, ECW, drafted to Raw

– Vladimir Kozlov, DH Smith, Natalya, Hurricane Helms, Ezekiel Jackson, Zach Ryder, SD!, drafted to ECW

– Rey Mysterio, Melina, Kane, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Charlie Haas, Cryme Tyme, Dolph Ziggler, Layla, Candice Michelle, Mike Knox, RAW, drafted to Smackdown

– John Morrison, Ricky Ortiz, Alicia Fox, ECW, drafted to Smackdown

Who’s Holding Gold

WWE

WWE Champion: Triple H
– 64 day reign, defeated former champion Edge, Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, The Big Show, and The Undertaker in an Elimination Chamber match on February 15th (No Way Out PPV)
– Next title defense: with Batista and Shane McMahon, vs Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase, and Cody Rhodes, Backlash PPV

World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena
– 15 day reign, defeated former champion Edge and The Big Show in a Triple Threat Match on April 5th (WrestleMania XXV PPV)
– Next title defense: vs Edge, Last Man Standing Match, Backlash PPV

ECW Champion: Jack Swagger
– 97 day reign, defeated Matt Hardy on January 13th (ECW on Sci Fi)
– Next title defense: vs Christian, Backlash PPV

WWE Intercontinental Champion: Rey Mysterio
– 15 day reign, defeated JBL on April 5th (WrestleMania XXV PPV)

WWE United States Champion: MVP
– 31 day reign, defeated Shelton Benjamin on March 20th (Smackdown)

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions: Carlito and Primo Colon
– 15 day reign (+191 day reign as WWE Tag Team Champions), defeated World Tag Team Champions The Miz and John Morrison in a Tag Team Title Unification Lumberjack Match on April 5th (WrestleMania XXV PPV)

WWE Women’s Champion: Melina
– 85 day reign, defeated Beth Phoenix on January 25th (Royal Rumble PPV)

WWE Diva’s Champion: Maryse
– 116 day reign, defeated Michelle McCool on December 26th (Smackdown)

TNA

**NEW** TNA Heavyweight Champion: Mick Foley
– 1 day reign, defeated Sting in a Six Sides of Steel Match on April 19th (Lockdown PPV)

**NEW** TNA Tag Team Champions: Team 3D
– 1 day reign, defeated Beer Money, Inc. in a Six Sides of Steel Match on April 19th (Lockdown PPV)

TNA X-Division Champion: Suicide
– 36 day reign, defeated former champion Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Consequences Creed in an Ultimate X Match on March 15th (Destination X PPV)

**NEW** TNA Knockouts Champion: Angelina Love
– 1 day reign, defeated former champion Awesome Kong and Taylor Wilde in a Triple Threat Six Sides of Steel Match on April 19th (Lockdown PPV)

TNA Legends Champion: AJ Styles
– 36 day reign, defeated Booker T on March 15th (Destination X PPV)

Links For Fun And Nonprofit

Harrison and James have the weekend news reports.

The Triple Threat talks Draft Day…2009!

Ford had Contemplating CHIKARA

Rodriguez has For The Record

And Ari has Column of Honor Part 1 and Part 2

And One To Go On

411 will have live coverage of Raw tonight starting at 8 pm EDT.

Remember, if you love poker, and are in the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo area, check out Player’s Poker League.

And for the drunken ramblings of Sean Carless and his merry band of reprobates, check out The Wrestling Fan.

From our promotional department, I’ve been informed that if you really do like 411Mania and all it provides, or even just me (and really, who doesn’t like me), don’t forget to bookmark the site in your browser or make 411 your homepage.

That’s our show, Small is in tomorrow.

Have a good one, and always be a fan.