July 2007 News Archive (Page 6)

Results courtesy of WWE.com..

NEW ORLEANS – Seeing extreme icon Tommy Dreamer drag a garbage can to ringside had to momentarily give ECW World Champion Johnny Nitro second thoughts accepting this Extreme Rules Match for ECW on Sci Fi.

But with no rules, no disqualifications, and no help from referees, the Hollywood, Calif., Superstar used the occasion to prove his extreme mettle to his critics that questioned his hardcore credentials.

After weathering an early storm of blows from a steel crutch from Dreamer, Nitro rebounded to deliver a corkscrew moonsault from the ringside barrier. Then, after Dreamer recovered and pelted the champion with trash can blows, Nitro was able to reverse Dreamer’s momentum and send him crashing into a steel chair.

The champion quickly rolled up the ECW Original and used some leverage from the bottom rope – perfectly legal in Extreme Rules Matches – to gain the pinfall.

Meanwhile, his ECW World Title opponent at The Great American Bash, CM Punk, had his hands full with Stevie Richards. Richards had the Straightedge Superstar on edge throughout their match up, making Punk escape from a dangerous leg lock that had him near submission.

But with Nitro watching from a locker room monitor, Punk rallied past Richards, scoring the pinfall with his patented GTS. With less than two weeks until The Great American Bash, the rivalry between the champion and Punk continues to get hotter.

The evening on Sci Fi started off in a fitting way for New Orleans, a city known for the macabre and occult. Your teacher, Matt Striker, invited out his strange rival, Boogeyman, for a lecture. Keeping his school desk between him and The Bottomless Pit dweller, Striker tried to reason with Boogeyman and educate him about the importance his favorite snack, worms, have on the ecosystem.

But after seeing his lessons falling on deaf ears and the macabre monster stalking him closer, Striker introduced his new pupil, the intimidating Big Daddy V. Striker struck Boogeyman in the back to get his attention, then Big Daddy V attacked the worm-eater. The monster slammed Boogeyman into the teacher’s desk and then threw him through a chalkboard to the floor.

Also making his long-awaited ECW debut was The Miz, who defeated the Italian spitfire Nunzio. The former reality TV star, drafted to ECW weeks earlier, had Extreme Expose’s attention before the match, and got Nunzio’s attention early on in their contest. Miz caught the Full-Blooded Italian in his swinging neckbreaker, called the “Mizard of Oz,” to gain his first-ever ECW win.

Elijah Burke also snapped his recent slump, scoring a victory over Balls Mahoney. After trading blows early in the match with the Chair Swinging Freak, Burke was able to dodge Mahoney’s leg drop from the top rope, then deliver the Elijah Express to the stunned New Jersey native to score the pin.

Matches:
* Elijah Burke def. Balls Mahoney
* CM Punk def. Stevie Richards
* The Miz def. Nunzio
* ECW World Champion Johnny Nitro def. Tommy Dreamer (Extreme Rules, non-title)

Last night, WWE sent out the following press release to announce that shows originally postponed after the Chris Benoit tragedy are now canceled.

WWE Canadian Shows Canceled
STAMFORD, CT, July 10 - Due to a scheduling conflict, the WWE show dates scheduled from July 14-17 for Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton have been canceled. Ticket refunds can be obtained at the place of purchase.

• Last night's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw drew a final 3.4 cable rating with a 5.6 share. The first hour drew a rather low 3.0 rating, while the second hour drew a 3.7 rating. This is a big drop from last week's 3.7 rating and is one of the lower ratings for Raw for a non-holiday edition of the show this year.

• The audience for "Larry King Live" on Monday night, which went head-to-head with the first hour of Raw and featured WWE Champion John Cena, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase and Steve Blackman, only drew a 0.8 cable rating. This was actually a lower number for the program, as it has commonly drawn in the 1.0 range or higher. In fact, the June 27 edition of the show featuring Paris Hilton drew a 2.7 rating.

Here's how The Great American Bash looks so far:

- WWE Champion John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley

- World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Kane

- ECW World Champion Johnny Nitro vs. CM Punk

- U.S. Champion MVP vs. Matt Hardy

- Women's Champion Candice Michelle vs. Melina

- Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton (Texas Bullrope Match)

- Batista vs. The Great Khali

King Booker v. Bobby Lashley
The two locked it up and eventually ended up in the ropes. Of course our King fought back with punches and forearms after a dirty eye rake. The two exchanged some blows before Lashley caught Booker in a nasty power slam and assumed control of the match. Lashley hit some shoulder thrusts before bringing booker out to the middle of the ring and hitting a sit down gut buster for a near fall.

Lashley connected with a suplex before going for another cover. Booker whipped Lashley to the ropes but found it quickly reversed and ended up eating a back elbow and yet again, Lashley almost scored a victory over the former World Champ. Booker came back looking for a back heel kick but Lashley quickly caught it and nailed the dominator. Lashley went for the cover but Booker kicked out miraculously.
Winner: Bobby Lashley via DQ

Lashley hit a standing vertical suplex before Kennedy showed up out of nowhere to cause the DQ. Booker and Lashley went to work on Lashley on the ropes much to the chagrin of the fans in attendance.

The beat down ceased when Coach’s music hit and he came out to the ramp. He said Lashley deserved a fighting chance. Coach said the main event would be Kennedy and Booker T against Lashley and a partner of his choosing. If Lashley couldn’t find a partner, he’d be in a handicapped match. After paying attention for a little while Booker went for some more cheap shots but ended up getting clotheslined to the floor by the Lash to end the segment.

William Regal was in the back before Coach came back to congratulate him on the job he did last week. Regal said his performance was a breath of fresh air. Regal and Coach started to get a little snippy with each other before Coach made a match with Regal and the Sandman. Regal called Sandman a maniac. Coach said for entertainment’s sake it’d be very very effective.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Umaga v. Santino Marella
Marella looked like someone hit him with a truck. Marella hit a few punches before Umaga just picked him up and slammed him down like a coconut. Umaga hit some stomps and hit a nasty chop in the corner before following the fighting Italian around the ring and leaving him in a heap in the corner. Maria showed up pretty quickly to cheer on her hubby.

Umaga batted Marella around the ring some more before almost chopping his head into the upper deck. Umaga dropped a knee across Marella’s sternum before picking up his challenger and smashing him into the corner.

Marella staid plucky with some punches but Umaga was overwhelming. He hammered Marella back to the mat and choked him out on the bottom rope before hitting some hard shots to the chest in the corner. Umaga ‘talked’ with the official before whipping Marella hard to the buckle and making love to the crowd.

Marella looked like a gerbil that had been stepped on accidentally in the middle of the ring as Umaga went for the flying Harley Race like head butt off the middle rope. Umaga missed and Marella had a chance. He hit some drop kicks and got a one count. Marella looked like he might be gaining some momentum before he ate a crescent kick in the face. Umaga lined Marella up in the corner and beat him for fun before backing up and hitting the running back side to the face. Umaga hit the spike and that’s it. Let’s eat belts.
Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Umaga via pin fall

Cade & Murdoch v. The Highlanders
Cade grabbed a headlock on Rory before being tossed off. Cade kept momentum in his favor, flat backing his foe with a shoulder block before going back to the hold. Cade hit a nice fireman’s carry take over before gloating a little bit for the crowd.

The two locked it up again before Rory hit a shot to the gut. The advantage was short lived though as he was bullied to the opposition corner and Murdoch tagged in. Murdoch grabbed a nice side headlock and worked over Rory on the mat. The hold evolved into a rear chin lock before the Highlander fought out and hit a nice jaw breaker. Robbie tagged in and hit some forearms and some drop kicks before trying to get the crowd behind him. Rory hit a flap jack before all hell broke loose. Eventually it ended up with Rory getting decapitated by the lariat-chop block combo behind the ref’s back. Three seconds later, this one’s in the books.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch via pin fall

Santino was in the back with Maria and she said she felt sorry about his match. Maria said the two could go out and have some fun. Santino said it was embarrassing to lose his title and he was scared of being looked at as just ‘the fan.’ Santino asked her if she could come to his hotel room and help him. Maria said they could watch a movie.

Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas were acting weird in the back and Haas was busting his chops about kissing Booker’s ring. Haas asked him if he wanted to kiss his hand as a birthday present. Shelton said if he lost tonight, he’d kiss Haas on the lips. Shelton left and Haas looked a little confused.

A video aired putting over the John Cena-Lashley match at the Great American Bash.

Snitsky v. Super Crazy
The two locked up before Crazy got flung across the ring by the huge Snitsky. Snitsky rammed Crazy into the corner and hit some forearms to the back of the head before putting the boots to the insane luchadore. Snitsky continued the beat down with some shots to the kidneys before setting up and hitting yet another Irish whip. Snitsky mauled Crazy with a pump handle slam and that’s all she wrote.
Winner: Snitsky via pin fall

A recap aired of the Randy Orton-Rhodes family encounter last week. Dusty Rhodes is on his way out to the ring to confront Randy Orton next!

Dusty Rhodes came out to his music and climbed up on the mic. He immediately called out Orton who came down to the ring. The two exchanged some words before Rhodes called him a disrespectful, snot nosed punk. Rhodes asked him if he was just going to stand there and look stupid.

Orton said he heard the legends speech a hundred times. Rhodes went nuts on Orton and told him it was much bigger than basic disrespect, it was disrespect to the people who built the business. Orton said people like Rhodes that lived off the past didn’t deserve respect. He said he gets respect for things he’s accomplished.

Rhodes asked him what made him such a bad boy. Orton said he was the youngest world champion in history. He also put over ending the careers of HBK and RVD. Rhodes said having a great match wasn’t what it was all about. When you kick someone in the head, it degraded everything the business was about.

Orton told Rhodes to put his money where his mouth was and challenged him to a match. Rhodes said he wouldn’t have even had to hear that out of Orton’s mouth to accept the challenge. Rhodes said he was in no shape to meet him at the Bash. Orton said if he wouldn’t do it for himself, he should do it for his son. Orton said he’d end Cody’s career before it even started if he had to.

Rhodes told him what he’d do. He said he would meet him at the Bash but on his terms. Rhodes said he would do the match, but it’d be a Texas Bull rope match. Orton accepted the challenge. Orton told Rhodes to tell his son to bring a broom to clean up whatever was left of him.

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CNN has posted a full transcript of the interview Larry King held last night with John Cena, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart regarding the death of Chris Benoit. Here is the broadcast's opening:

Good evening.

The wrestling world and its fans still reeling from last month's suicide and double murder involving WWE champion and star Chris Benoit. His friends, colleagues and law enforcement are trying to figure out exactly what happened at his Georgia home the weekend of June 22nd.

Benoit apparently strangled his wife Nancy and suffocated their 7-year-old son Daniel and then hanged himself.

We begin with John Cena, the WWE champion and superstar. He knew Chris Benoit professionally.

Bret "Hitman" Hart is in Calgary, Canada. He is the former pro wrestling star, who knew Chris Benoit for several years. In fact, Chris started with Bret's father -- his wrestling company -- in Canada. And in 1999, you remember, Bret's brother Owen died tragically, falling to his death in Kansas City during a stunt for a Pay-Per-View wrestling event.

And here in Los Angeles, Chris Jericho, a very close friend of Chris Benoit, former WWE star. He held six different titles and he's author of "A Lion's Tale: Around the World In Spandex."

John, what did you make of this? How did you hear of it?

JOHN CENA, WWE CHAMPION & SUPERSTAR, WORKED WITH CHRIS BENOIT: Mr. King, we were --

KING: Larry.

CENA: Larry, we were actually in Corpus Christi, Texas getting ready to do our regular Monday night "Raw" broadcast and it really just really caught everyone by surprise. We heard of it about two hours before we went on the air. And it was such sudden and disastrous news that the right thing to do was to cancel the show. And it really, really hit everybody like a ton of bricks.

KING: To your knowledge, was anything troubling him?

CENA: No, absolutely not. And I think, if you ask anybody who knew Chris -- I strictly knew him professionally. But the guy was iron clad. He was real quiet. He kept to himself. He had ultimate respect for his workplace. He was a model employee. I have no idea where any of this came from.

KING: And you're in a violent sport, but I understand he was not a violent person.

CENA: No. He was a great guy. He was a great guy to be around. And that's -- that's the, ultimately, the strangest thing about this whole thing. No one saw this coming.

KING: Chris, you were a friend as well as a colleague, right?

Click here to read the full interview...

Trish Stratus will soon be hosting Second City’s Next Comedy Legend on CBC in Canada. Below is an interview with the former WWE Diva...

TV Guide: From wrestling to comedy – what gives?
Trish Stratus: People don’t know this, but I’m part of the Second City family – I did a live show there in 2004. I had a broken thumb from wrestling, and I went to Second City to take some improv classes. Word got out, and I ended up putting on a one-night-only show. And ever since then I’ll pop in once in a while and perform. I just love comedy and improv.

TVG: Did you ever think of going into it full-time?
TS: I never thought about it until now, but maybe now that you’ve mentioned it … [Giggles.] That’s one reason I retired from wrestling – it takes up every moment of your time.

TVG: What’s it like going from being the main attraction in the ring to sitting on the sidelines as host?
TS: I wasn’t really interested in just saying, ‘Hi! These are the contestants,’ and ‘Here’s the commercial break’ – that’s not fulfilling for me. So I asked to be like Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model. She interacts with the contestants, and is a liaison for the viewer. She’ll bust it out.

TVG: Will you bust out a performance on the show?
TS: I can’t overshadow the contestants! [Laughs.] But comedy is in my personality, and I can just be me, which is really easy to do, because, you know, it’s just being me. [Giggles.]

TVG: A lot of people might think this is just like Last Comic Standing. True?
TS: It’s completely different because it’s sketch comedy, not stand-up. The closest comparison is probably Saturday Night Live or Mad TV.

TVG: You married your high school sweetheart last September. Is your husband a funny guy? They say women want a guy who can make them laugh …
TS: Yeah, he definitely is. We both have that personality – we’re known as the goofy couple. We’re the live entertainment for the night. [Giggles.]

TVG: So, who’s your favorite comedian?
TS: Jim Carrey. He’s excellent in The Number 23 – he’s just so diverse. I love that he’s Canadian.

TVG: So many other great comedians are Canadian – Mike Myers, Caroline Rhea – why do you think we’re so funny?
TS: I think we’re good at self-deprecating humor. We’re not afraid to poke fun at ourselves.

TVG: Before this show, you did Armed & Famous. What did you learn from doing that series?
TS: [In a sinister voice.] I learned how to shoot a gun. [Laughs] Sorry. It was such a unique experience. I took that job because I love challenges and conquering new things.

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By Pete Ellis

A lot of things have been said since the untimely demise of Chris Benoit and his family a few weeks ago.

Many of his fans have journeyed to Atlanta to leave flowers at the gate of his large suburban home. Others consider the events the act of a madman or a drug addict who deserves to be condemned for his actions.

The WWE has all but washed its hands of Benoit and his legacy since the day after the initial announcement of his death. WWE.com went from a Benoit memorial to "MOVING RIGHT ALONG! NOTHING TO SEE HERE!" overnight.

But for whatever it's worth - for the public, for the media, and for wrestling fans everywhere - I will never forget Chris Benoit. In my opinion, he stands as the greatest in-ring performer in the history of wrestling. I will not forget his accomplishments or what he meant to me as a fan.

William Regal said it best the Monday his death was announced. Regal didn't gush about his passing or speculate as to any of the details. He simply said Benoit was the best ever, and he was right.

I have the luxury of being able to remember Chris fondly and not consider judging him or his actions. Certainly I am left a little more weary of the idol worship that comes with every form of professional athletes and other famous individuals. But perhaps that's for the best.

I also look forward to enjoying wrestling again, and here's hoping that the string of bizarre and unexpected deaths that find their way into this business can dissipate now and forever.

Goodbye, Chris Benoit. May others who internalize their pain in this world find a way to deal with it because of you. The sport of wrestling is worse off because of your absence, and you will always be remembered.

• To further update everyone on Rob Van Dam, he is not under a non-compete agreement. His WWE contract ended on July 1st after opting not to renew. Opting not to renew and being released are two very different situations. In the event of someone’s release, they cannot wrestle on national TV during a 90-day period, during which WWE pays them. Van Dam, however, can compete anywhere he wishes but is choosing not to as he wants to rest up.

• WWE will be releasing a 3-disc DVD set on Rey Mysterio. The set title, “Biggest Little Man” will be released on October 23.

• Larry King Live tonight will feature John Cena, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart. The show airs on CNN at 9ET.

• Samoa Joe was offered a three-year contract extension but turned the offer down. No details on why the offer was turned down.

• TNA management is said to be very bitter towards Konnan and Ron Killings. The two walked out of the company before the Impact tapings on June 19th. Both wrestlers owe the company money. In Ron Killings case, money was the only issue.

In Konnan’s case, LordsofPain reports management was more upset with him for several reasons. One being that he signed a valid contract, which did not expire, and walked out of the company before an already written Television taping. Terry Taylor has already contacted Konnan about the money owed, there were also threats made to take legal action. TNA advanced Konnan the money needed for his hip replacement.

• NFL star, Frank Wycheck, was praised heavily for his work inside and outside of the ring.