November 22, 2009
Dangerous Head Games
As the Washington Redskins ran plays in preparation for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, Clinton Portis, their Pro Bowl running back, wasn't even on the sideline of the practice field. Portis is still dealing with the headaches caused by bright lights, still squinting at the screen of his cellphone at night, still trying to overcome the aftereffects of the concussion he suffered Nov. 8 at Atlanta on a play he still doesn't remember.
The culture in the NFL regarding concussions is changing, players, coaches, league officials and outside experts say. But even cursory conversations with players show that the changes in attitude are gradual in a league in which every game is an event, every Sunday a chance for a career to be ended or extended...More?
source: washingtonpost.com
This Day in Wrestling History
Promoter Jess (Roderick) McMahon passes away at age 72.
November 22, 1954
The Undertaker makes his official WWF(E) debut at the Survivor Series with The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine).
November 22, 1990
Scott Hall was arrested for traffic infractions following a two-car accident and found to be legally intoxicated.
November 22, 2000
November 21, 2009
Lance Storm Comments on the Next Great Bookers of the Business
Lance Storm did an interview with The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network. He speaks on his views on bookers in professional wrestling:
"The Chairman Of The Board" asked Lance where he feels the next great bookers of the business will be coming from. "The problem is the industry isn't even looking for bookers. I hate the term 'writer,' I hate the term 'storyline.' And I think that the more people we have running the industry or the creative direction that didn't have wrestling background I think is bad. I think the next person who will probably step up & actually be a booker is Hunter (Triple H) once he retires. I have great hopes that once he retires & steps out of the ring, he will be an even bigger asset, because is a little bit more old-school I think. Anytime I had conversations with him or watched him (as far as his work), he seems to have a similar view on the business as I did: that still, at the end of the day, there needs to be some serious wrestling involved. He's been involved in some good angles that I think were largely directly by him. He obviously is someone that is going to end up in power, and can be very good at it. I think that the WWE could be/should be looking at perhaps finding people that worked in the business that had good minds (Tommy Dreamer) & giving them a developmental contract, where they go to Florida & book there (have two or three people down there/brainstorming & working on booking skills), so they have people to replace the people they have got now when the time comes. I think that is one of the biggest things th at is going to be missing...The more we have writers & people growing up on the 'Crash TV'/30-second skits of RAW & iMPACT, the less really-sound understanding minds that really understand the business (Paul Heyman/Jim Cornette) will be hard to come by."
"Hulkamania" Tour Results: Show #1 (11/21): Melbourne
Fan report from wrestlezone.com:
Eugene & godfather beat "rock of love"
Spartan 3000 beat Shannon Moore with an amazing shooting star press (move of the night)
Nasty boyz beat Gangrel and Black Pearl in a street fight
Brutus Beefcake beat Heidenrich with sleeper hold
Lacy Von Eric wins a bikini contest then tried to start a USA chant (bimbo!)
Mr. (don't call me kennedy) Anderson beat Val Venus with a mic check. He then announced that Kennedy was dead!
Rikishi & Brian Christopher beat Umaga and Orlando Jordan
Hogan went over Flair in a match that Ric carried, both guys bladed, Flair did his usual spots and Hulk nearly collapsed in the ring having to throw away the knee brace. He won after hitting Flair with the knuckle dusters that Flair had in his tights.Hulk posed for 10 minutes sending the fans home happy. The wrestlers came out using their real names which confused the crowd.
This Day in Wrestling History
Bret Hart wins the WCW World Title by defeating both Sting and Chris Benoit in 2 matches on the same night.
November 21, 1999
World Wrestling Entertainment announced on their website that details of a new drug policy being instituted by Vince McMahon.
November 21, 2005
November 20, 2009
SmackDown Results: Survival Instincts Run Wild
The Brothers of Destruction, two legendary forces of indescribable mayhem, reemerged as one to take on Jericho and Big Show. However, the intense mega match between four of WWE’s elite Superstars was destined to descend into absolute bedlam from the beginning. When The World’s Largest Athlete stormed into the ring to break up The Deadman’s dreaded Hell’s Gate, he drew the wrath of The Big Red Machine, igniting an all out free-for-all that left the official no choice but to declare a no-contest.
When the smoke finally cleared, the squared circle anarchy had taken its toll on all four combatants. And with both The Phenom and Kane down, Jericho seized the moment and delivered a surprise Codebreaker to his own partner. The first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion snatched up the World Title and held it high above his head, sending a definitive message that this Sunday’s pay-per-view will truly be every one for himself. Full results.
source: wwe.com
November 19, 2009
WWE's European Tour A Big Success
The WWE's recent 22 date European tour grossed around $12 million. It turned out to be one of the strongest overseas tours in company history.
source: wrestling observer newsletter
WWE Superstars Results: Survivor Serious
In what is just a partial preview of this Sunday’s traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match pitting Team Kingston vs. Team Orton, The World’s Strongest Man flattened The Legacy member on his way to victory. Rhodes did whatever he could to out-maneuver Henry and gain the advantage in hopes of picking up the win, but the former ECW Champion’s unimaginable strength was too much, and once Henry caught the second-generation Superstar in The World’s Strongest Slam, it was all over. Full results.
source: wwe.com
Mark Cuban: I Can Take Vince McMahon
"Vince and I are friends. I love him and his approach to life," Cuban said. "He has about 50 pounds on me, but I think I could hold my own."...More?
source: espn.go.com
The Rock & the WWE Working on TV Project
Dwayne "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson says he's working with WWE on a special television project...More?
source: thewrestlinginc.com
Interview with Jerry Lawler
WWE announcer Jerry Lawler claims TNA is not even a blip on the radar to WWE management, but he believes WWE would benefit from competition...More?
source: pwtorch.com
"Dangerous" Danny Davis: A Profile in Black and White
Long before Earl Hebner heard his first "You screwed Bret" chant, another referee's name was synonymous with corruption and bias. In the mid '80s, shady referee-turned-wrestler "Dangerous" Danny Davis was one of the most controversial names in the WWE (then, WWF). SLAM! Wrestling caught up with Davis to document his career in black and white...More?
source: slam wrestling
McMahon Family's Vast Wealth Revealed in Senate Campaign Filing
Linda and Vince McMahon have $103.7 million in total assets and they received "at least" $8.97 million in salary and investment income from WWE during a period from January 2008 to October 2009.
The McMahons have $355.13 million worth of stocks, bank accounts, and other holdings, including a joint share of Stamford-based Bandito Entertainment, LLC and two properties in Boynton Beach, FL. (I believe it is actually Boca Raton, FL)
Linda McMahon has an investment portfolio with municipal bonds, mutual funds, and stock holdings, including $50,000 to $100,000 each in several industries, including notable names such as drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, technology companies Apple and Google, and financial services firms JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.
Vince McMahon holds four undisclosed assets recorded with a value of at least $1 million.
Linda McMahon's reported salary as CEO of WWE from January 2008 to October 2009 was $871,154. Vince McMahon's salary is recorded as $1,000. Vince receives his income from WWE through the company's Class B common stock designated for the McMahon Family.
source: connecticut post
This Day in Wrestling History
Curt Hennig defeated Kerry Von Erich for the WWF(E) Intercontinental title.
November 19, 1990
Rick Rude defeated Sting for the WCW U.S. Heavyweight title.
November 19, 1991
Bret Hart defeated Diesel for the WWF(E) Heavyweight title.
November 19, 1995
Ric Flair makes his return to the WWF(E) on RAW, announcing his new stock in the company following the WCW/ECW Invasion. Flair had not been on TV since the last WCW Monday Nitro.
November 19, 2001
November 18, 2009
WWE Reveals the Next Four Hosts of Raw
Jesse Ventura hosts Monday's three-hour Raw in Hershey, PA
Actor Verne Troyer hosts the Nov. 30 show in Baltimore, MD
NBA owner Mark Cuban hosts the Dec. 7 show in Dallas, TX
Comedian Dennis Miller hosts the Dec. 14 show in Corpus Christi, TX
More Billy Graham Bitterness Directed to Linda McMahon
Please read Chris Keating's excellent tale today of wrestling nutjob Superstar Billy Graham, who was happy to make piles of money for years off Vince and Linda McMahon but who is now bitter and out to take down the former WWE CEO in her campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Is it possible that we are dreaming this? Connecticut is sinking and the Republicans are giving us pulp fiction. Sam Caligiuri's knife-to-the-back of Justin Bernier yesterday was pretty dramatic, but is there any way any other candidate can match the daily drama this woman brings to the campaign?...More?
From Keating's story today:
An aspiring painter, Graham said he intends to create and distribute T-shirts that depict a drawing of McMahon with a razor blade taped to her finger with dripping blood and the slogan, "Linda McMahon is a scam and is made out of spam."
source: blogs.courant.com
Former Professional Wrestler Blasts Linda McMahon and Her Campaign For Senate
Superstar Billy Graham is speaking out against the woman he says made millions from the violence, sexual exploitation, blood and excesses of professional wrestling. What outrages him particularly, he says, are recent attempts to sanitize the wrestling mega-enterprise whose sexy women wrestlers once performed in "lingerie matches" and were still posing nude in Playboy as recently as 2008. He views this toning down as a huge act of hypocrisy — an attempt to graft a family-friendly face onto a business that has been anything but...More?
source: courant.com
Just a bit bitter are we? I guess the WWE was supposed to employ him for the rest of his life.
Interview with Chris Jericho
Express spoke with the athlete/actor/comedian/entertainer/vocalist/author also known as Christopher Irvine, born to former NHL player Ted Irvine, about the follow-up to his 2007 New York Times best-seller "A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex," his hard rock band Fozzy, professional burnout, life on the road with WWE and how his chatty, chatty mouth sometimes gets him in big, big trouble. Click here.
"Hulkamania" Press Tour Gets Bloody
Sydney Central’s photographer Phil Rogers has his flash broken when Ric Flair threw a table off the stage and into the press gathering before diving on photographers. Media were stunned as the Hulk’s head began bleeding profusely and confusion broke out when the veteran wrestling star was unable to get to his feet.
A reporter narrowly missed being struck with the table and photographers ducked and weaved as Ric Flair took off his trouser belt and began to whip anyone within range. The press conference began well with the stars of the tour speaking professionally about their careers and the business.
Additional fan reports state that it appeared to be a "work" that got out of hand.
sources: wrestleview.com & wrestlezone.com
This Day in Wrestling History
Vince McMahon is indicted on charges of possession of anabolic steroids and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. If convicted, McMahon would face up to 8 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
November 18, 1993
Trish Stratus defeated Ivory, Lita, Jazz, Molly and Jacqueline in a 6 Way Match for the vacant WWF(E) Women's title.
November 18, 2001
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
