In the latest issue of Playboy, there's a photo of Maria Kanellis wearing just lingerie and a feather boa. The preview for next month's issue reads:
"Maria Kanellis - The WWE's Sexiest Star has moved from innocent reporter to mistress of the mat. Now her pesky tights are peeled off in a slamming pictorial."
The magazine will be officially released on Friday, March 7.
Because WWE RAW grapplers are touring Japan next week, the company has already taped the show set to air next week. Here's a look at what went down...
Hornswoggle defeats Mr. McMahon via pinfall
McMahon calls Finlay a coward, which prompts Finlay to hit him with the Shillelagh. Hornswoggle nails a tadpole splash off of the top rope onto McMahon, gets the pinfall.
After the match, they show a backstage segment between Mr. McMahon and William Regal. McMahon tells Regal to get some dismissal papers ready as he is going to fire Finlay for interfering.
Chris Jericho defeated JBL via pinfall
Jericho hit his Code Breaker finisher and got the win clean. After the match, Umaga comes out and gives them both a Samoan Spike.
They show another backstage segment with Mr. McMahon and William Regal. McMahon says that he has decided against firing Finlay. Instead, he is going to wrestle Hornswoggle in a cage on next week's edition of RAW.
Before the next match, the incest angle debuts on television between Katie Lea and Paul Burchill. Burchill basically says that whatever Katie wants, Katie gets.
Paul Burchill defeated Brian Kendrick via pinfall
Burchill wins with what was thought to be his finisher. Looks like an inverted swinging neckbreaker.
WWE Champion Randy Orton comes out next in street clothes to watch John Cena vs. Mark Henry.
John Cena defeats Mark Henry
After the match, John Cena lashes out at WWE Champion Randy Orton, who is sitting with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler at the announcer's table. Cena tells Orton that he's 100% healthy.
Mr. Kennedy comes out to ringside wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Flair comes out later in the segment wearing a tuxedo. Flair tells Kennedy that he will not forfeit their upcoming match at No Way Out. The segment ends with Kennedy kicking Flair in the knee, which Flair sells.
Melina defeated Maria via pinfall
Jillian Hall kissed Santino, distracting Maria. While Maria Kanellis was not paying attention, Melina rolled her up for the three count.
After the match Santino gets on the mic and tells Maria that she must choose - it's either Playboy or Santino. He says she has one week decide and gives her a kiss.
Jeff Hardy defeated Shawn Michaels via pinfall
This match was given a lot of time. Both attempted finishers, but missed. Michaels locked an inverted Figure Four on Hardy but he got to the ropes. Eventually, Hardy is able to hit Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb on Michaels. Hardy was able to get the three count.
Here is the scheduled card for TNA Against All Odds. It airs this Sunday night, February 10.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match
- Kurt Angle (c) vs. Christian Cage.
TNA World Tag Team Championship Match
- AJ Styles & Tomko (c's) vs. BG James & "Bullet" Bob Armstrong.
TNA Women's Championship Match
- Awesome Kong (c) vs. ODB.
Barbed Wire Massacre 2
- Abyss vs. Judas Mesias.
Six Man Hardcore Street Fight
- Team 3D & TNA X Division Champion Johnny Devine vs. The Motor City Machineguns & "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal.
- Booker T vs. Robert Roode.
Drinking Championship Match
- James Storm vs. Eric Young.
Case vs. Case Match
- Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams.
- Traci Brooks vs. Peyton Banks.
A bit of breaking, interesting WWE news: Friday Night SmackDown will cease to air on The CW at the end of the 2007-08 television season.
WWE issued the following press release last night:
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The following statement was issued today by World Wrestling Entertainment®:
After a successful decade of âSmackDownâ on both UPN and The CW, World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW have agreed to conclude our partnership. Since The CWâs exclusive negotiation period ran out as of last Thursday, January 31, we have been contacted and have been in negotiations with other networks.
âWWE SmackDownâ will continue to air on The CW until the conclusion of the 2007-08 broadcast season. We are grateful to Les Moonves, Dawn Ostroff, and their entire organization for bringing âWWE SmackDownâ to millions of viewers for so many years.
- We begin with Batista doing an in-ring interview with Michael Cole. He discusses the Elimination Chamber, which leads to Big Daddy V, The Great Khali, and Finlay coming out, all claiming they're going to win.
MVP comes out and says he's going to go on to Wrestlemania and no one can stop him. The lights go out and Undertaker is in the ring when they return.
- Shelton Benjamin defeated Kane by countout.
- Chuck Palumbo defeated Jamie Noble.
- Jesse & Festus return to beat Deuce & Domino.
- The Cutting Edge with Vickie Guerrero sees Rey Mysterio come out. Vickie demands he apologizes for her injuries and slaps him. Edge attacks Rey, but Rey lays him out with the 619.
- The Edgeheads defeated Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore.
- Big Daddy V & The Great Khali & WWE United States champion MVP defeated Batista & Finlay & Undertaker via DQ when Finlay nailed Khali with the shillelagh.
On last night's episode of Project Runway, a slew of WWE Diva made a guest appearance. They acted as clients to the hopeful designer remaining on the show.
Layla El looks nervous, doesn't she? You'd think the WWE Diva Search winner would be used to being judged.
Torrie Wilson looks on as her designer outlines an outfit for the beautiful vixen.
Before she appears in Playboy, Maria Kanellisa made an impression on Project Runway.
There is an article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal with Jim Ross answering questions regarding Wrestlemania 24.
Here is what he has to say on a possible appearance by Britney Spears:
"It's not that other talented albeit 'high-maintenance' females haven't been successful in the past in the WWE, but with Britney's many alleged issues the suggestion of her being a part of WrestleMania 24 might not be wise at this time. She needs to get her life back together, and the WWE would be taking a calculated risk to bring her into such a positive environment like WrestleMania 24.
I have not yet heard of any celeb's being a part of 'Mania, and I am of the personal opinion that the WWE Superstars themselves when put into compelling situations is a better use of corporate funds than investing more into the 'sizzle' than the 'steak' of the event. However, one can also predict that WM24 will not be celeb-free either.
There will likely be many celeb/fans who will be attending simply to enjoy the biggest event of the year."
Read the full article now.
Former Playboy Bunny Taryn Terrell has been signed by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Terrell was a participant in the 2007 WWE Diva Search contest and was actually training in WWE developmental soon after the contest finished.
In other Playboy news: Maria Kanellis is still scheduled to appear on next month's cover.
We now have a definitive (sad) reason for why Triple H missed WWE Raw on Monday.
The grappler's 41-year old brother-in-law, Gordon B. Ouellette (who was married to his sister Lynn Levesque) suddenly passed away earlier in the day at Southern NH Medical Center.
He leaves behind two children, Peter and Neysa Ouellette.
This week's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw drew a final 3.6 cable rating.
The first hour scored a 3.64, while the second hour earned a 3.53. The figures are down quite a bit from last week's 3.9 rating and marked the second week in a row that the number of viewers dropped as the show went on.
What do you think accounts for this drop? The absence of Triple H? The lack of excitement over the Randy Orton vs. John Cena feud? Let us know!Â
