Big John McCarthy to be Color Commentator for Affliction

Former MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy may have retired from working in the UFC® Octagon but he will be a color commentator for the July 19th “Affliction Banned” pay-per-view event, featuring the WAMMA heavyweight championship fight between the most lethal MMA heavyweight of all-time, Russian M1 superstar legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (27-1), and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (24-4), live from Honda Center in Anaheim, California...More?

source: prowrestling.com

SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Box Art

Yes, this year's game will come to you boasting none other than the mugs of the King of Kings and the Showstopper. As you can see below, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are there in all of their badass glory. This is Hunter's fifth time on the cover and HBK's first. Cory Ledesma, THQ senior creative manager, said picking the pair was a no-brainer. "We selected them for the cover as a means to celebrate the unprecedented level of tag team functionality we will deliver in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009," Ledesma said. "Our tag team matches will allow players to experience the true task of working together, and our new Road to WrestleMania Mode will feature the franchise's first co-op tag team storyline."...More?

source: ps2.ign.com

New UFC Video Game

"UFC 2009 Undisputed" features more than 100 characters from all aspects of the promotion. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is, of course, among them. Next to a couple of THQ video-game designers, Jackson and Forest Griffin stood at opposite ends of the living room playing UFC 2009 Undisputed, offering up a preview of the game that will be released this spring. Their test run also seemed to serve as an appetizer to the mega fight that will take place in Las Vegas on Saturday...More?

source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
photo credit: THQ

Trevor Murdoch released

Standard release statement from wwe.com:

We have come to terms on the release of Trevor Murdoch as of today, July 03, 2008. We wish Trevor the best in all future endeavors.

Raw House Show Results - Santiago, Chile

Opening Segment: Rey Mysterio cuts a promo telling the audience that Triple H won't be able to be in the show and that he (Rey) will not be able to wrestle. Out comes Carlito and talks trash to Rey. Rey announces that a friend of his will fight Carlito instead… Batista.

Match 1: Batista def Carlito (squash match)

Match 2: Lance Cade def Paul London via pinfall

Match 3: Hacksaw Jim Duggan def Charlie Haas via pinfall

Match 4: World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr def Cryme Tyme via pinfall to retain the titles.

Match 5: WWE Women's Champion Mickie James def Beth Phoenix via pinfall to retain the tittle (Special Guest Referee: Santino Marella)

Y2J Promo: Jericho comes out. Talks trash to the crowd in Spanish telling them they are all cowards and liars just like Shawn Michaels… out comes HBK.

Match 6: Shawn Michaels def Chris Jericho via pinfall

Match 7: World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def Kane via pinfall

JBL Promo: JBL comes out. Says Chile, its women and the audience are all trash. Then he starts to sing. Out comes John Cena to a mixed reaction. Women and kids went nuts. Men just booed him out of the building.

Match 8: John Cena def JBL via pinfall.

The arena was packed with approx. 15,000 people. All in all, the general reaction was that the show was below what people expected. The first part dragged a lot and the crowd got into the show when Y2J came out. In general, the Smackdown show was put together better and the crowd was more into it, probably because it was the first time we saw this type of event in Chile. At the end of the show, the crowd started chanting Triple H showing their disappointment after the draft took the chance of watching The Game away from them.

source: Aquiles Lasa and wrestlingnewsworld.com

Fightin' Fanboys: WWE's Mark Henry

The new ECW champion and World's Strongest Man explains why when it comes to Marvel Comics, he's the world's strongest fan. "I've been reading comics since I was a young kid," recalls Henry. "But I've been more serious as an adult because it's the only thing that entertains me other than wrestling."

read more | digg story

Jeff Hardy on the cover of the new WWE Mag

source: zvezdite1.blogspot.com

The Game in the VIP Lounge

Triple H will be a guest on MVP's VIP Lounge this Friday, and The Game will certainly be on top of the world as the only World Champion on the show. What will Triple H have to say about Night of Champions?...More?

Hunter & Jeff comment on being drafted to SmackDown

“My initial reaction was shock,” said WWE Champion Triple H, who was just drafted to SmackDown. “I’ve always considered myself to be a franchise player of [WWE’s] flagship show, Monday Night Raw. The switch to SmackDown is definitely going to be a bit of an adjustment.”

Something else The Game noted, along with fellow SmackDown draftee Jeff Hardy, was the significant difference in Raw being a live show. The high-flying Hardy admitted, “The thing I’ll miss most is being on live TV every Monday night, because it’s very exciting.” Though he was quick to add, “It’s kind of a new time for me, and a chance to shine in a different light.”...More?

JR Comments on Mark Henry

I found it somewhat insulting that TMZ’s website would discount Mark Henry’s athletic abilities and entertainment skills pretty much in total by inferring that Henry became ECW Champion simply because of his ethnicity. Henry’s entire career has been marred by injuries plus let’s not confuse the difference in a traditional wrestler with a wrestling "attraction" a la Andre The Giant which is what Mark Henry is in my professional opinion, an attraction. Mark deserves this opportunity because he has earned it and now it will be up to Mark to raise his game and run with the ball. Henry’s "look" and verbal skills intrigue me.

source: jrsbarbq.com

Hunter & Jeff Hardy Heading to Peru and the Raw Central/South America Tour

JR commented on Triple H and Jeff Hardy heading overseas:

Hats off to HHH and Jeff Hardy who are headed to Peru of all places to wrestle once as I understand it before returning to the USA. That’s the damnedest "one off" I have ever heard of and HHH and Jeff should be commended for making a hellacious round trip for one event.

source: jrsbarbq.com

There have been several reports that the promoters in Peru were outraged that Triple H was drafted to SmackDown because they built the whole upcoming RAW brand tour around him being the top draw. The feeling is that the WWE put him on the tour to keep the international promoters happy.

After tonight's show in Chile, the Raw brand will run a show Thursday night in Lima, Peru, on Friday night in Panama City, Panama, and on Saturday night in San Salvador, El Salvador. They will head back to the US on Sunday night for Monday's Raw taping in New Orleans, Louisiana.

source: rajah.com

Hulk Hogan's Reality Championship Wrestling

Hulk Hogan's Reality Championship Wrestling is still slated to air on CMT this fall. Tapings have been ongoing into this month and the following is the confirmed list of contestants:

- Danny Bonaduce: The Partridge Family, Breaking Bonaduce
- Todd Bridges: Diff'rent Strokes
- Butterbean: Boxer and mixed martial artist
- Trishelle Cannatella: reality star and Playboy model
- Dustin Diamond: Saved By The Bell, Good Morning
- Erin Murphy: Bewitched
- Dennis Rodman: Former NBA star
- Frank Stallone: actor, singer
- Tiffany: 1980's singer
- Nikki Ziering: Playboy model

The judges will be Hulk Hogan (will also host the show), Eric Bischoff, and Jimmy Hart. Two of the trainers reported are Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Brian Knobbs. David Arquette is also scheduled to appear as a special guest at some point.

source: wrestlezone.com

I am trying very hard not to laugh :)...