Phil Allely's Wrestling Ramble

Mick Foley Interview Highlights

2012-02-15T03:11:00.000-08:00

Belwo is from silvervision.com

Interview with Mick Foley - He's Back!

07-02-2012

Mick Foley is back in WWE! He was in the UK last year for his Stand Up Comedy Tour and he's back again this February for a second tour. He's also returned to WWE and has even wrestled! We chatted to Mick about his comedy and his wrestling.

QMick, when we last spoke you were about to embark on your comedy tour of the UK, how did that go?

AWell, I guess it went well enough to merit a return. That's the thing about sequels; they don't make them very often for failures. Which is why there was never a second Chamber of Horrors match...or a second Kennel From Hell. I had a blast on that last tour, and I think just about everyone who showed up did as well.

QDid the audiences differ from much those in America?

AThe audiences did differ quite a bit from those in America - nowhere near the number of Americans! Actually, without pandering (not that I'm above it) the UK audiences seem to pick up on subtleties more than most US audiences do. A smaller percentage of the US audience picks up on some of the things the UK audiences appreciated readily. That makes it fun for me.

QTell us about Tori Amos in Glasgow?

AOh, that night in Glasgow was an incredible experience on that last tour! Never again will be able to walk a single block from one of my gigs into a venue where my favorite performer is playing. It was just great; a sold-out, very enthusiastic crowd, a great night of music, and a very nice chat with Tori. She's been just great to me. But I say it will never happen again, because if it happens once, it's a charming circumstance. If it happened again, she might find it a little creepy. She might have extra security waiting for me at the door!

QYou'e recently returned to Raw, what was it like to be back in WWE again?

AReturning to Raw was very nice - like returning home after a few years away. But my first WWE shows back were off televsion, in Dublin, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle. Dublin was the first, and it was a surprise to everyone, even the WWE Superstars and Divas. Everyone did a double-take, and said, "oh, it's you" and walked away unenthusiastically. Actually, it was a happy scene - plenty of hugs to go around!

QDo you think maybe there's one more WrestleMania match left for Mick Foley and if so who would you like it to be against?

AI just don't think I've got another great Wrestlemania match left in me. I mean, I could always be IN a match, but i think my days at or near the top of the card are behind me. But the Rumble showed that there might be a market for a Santino/Foley team...maybe a "Crouching Cobra, Hidden Socko" type of thing.

QWill you be doing anything differently on your second comedy tour here in the UK?

AI like to go with the flow when I do these shows. On one night, for example, I may do mainly material inspired by questions I get during the meet and greet, which will inspire some type of story or ridiculous observation. I'm also thinking of debuting some things that have been bouncing around inside my brain for a while. The only thing I can guarantee is that the material will be almost completely different than what I did in November on my last tour. Plus, I am working on an entrance that will be woth the price of admission alone! People can just get up and leave after the entrance if they want; I won't be offended. Especially if they buy a t-shirt on their way out.

QLots of fans have been calling for you to become the new GM of Raw. Is this a position you'd like and if so what be your first big change?

AI would love to be the GM of Raw. Talk about a dream job. I really wish I'd stayed on long-term when I had that gig in 2000. I'm not sure what my first move would be, but there are so many good young Superstars I could play off of. I still get fans asking me about the suff I did with Edge and Christian when I was commissioner. I would love to create that type of chemistry with some of the current Superstars..and Divas. There is already a vague sexual tension between me and the Bellas backstage - so thick you can cut it with a knife!

QDo you have another book planned? Any scoops for us?

AI actually just started my next book today. It's a WWE children's book and I'm hoping it will be out before Christmas 2012. It will be a unique holiday tale, with a little bit of a lesson learned for a naughty kid like the Miz.

QIn one sentence, why should people come to see one of your stand up comedy shows in February?

AMy comedy is still largely an unknown entity to people on both sides of the Atlantic. So most of those who come are still taking something of a leap of faith; trusting that i will not let them down. Almost everyone who showed up last time walked away very pleasantly surprised. I think that will be the case again this time. Just lower your expectations and you'll be fine!

Hulk Hogan to shave moustache!

2012-02-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

Hulk Hogan will shave off his iconic moustache for a 'couple million bucks'.

The legendary wrestler recently revealed he was considering losing his famous facial hair to increase his chances of landing some film roles.

Since making the revelation, the 'TNA IMPACT Wrestling' star has been contacted by some major cosmetics companies who want to pay to film him making the cut and he is ready to have a shave for the right price.

He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: 'When I talked about it (shaving off the moustache) everyone went crazy. Loads of people began jumping on it and the next thing I knew people were like, 'Oh my god he's shaving his moustache off!' The next thing I know is I had one of my sports agents calling me saying, 'Don't shave it off!' I've heard from Gillette, Right Guard. They said we may have a deal, so I said I'd wait for a while.'

When asked if he really would lose the moustache - which Hulk has rarely been seen without over the last 40 years - he added: 'If you pay me a couple million bucks, hell yeah I'd shave it off! It grows back.'

The grappler-and-actor was in the UK last month on the Maximum IMPACT Tour.

The leg of the tour which took place at London's Wembley Arena was filmed to be broadcast on 'IMPACT Wrestling' - which is aired on Challenge TV in the UK and Ireland and Spike TV in the US.

JBL Interview HIghlights

2012-02-14T01:53:00.000-08:00

If they weren't booing me, I wasn't doing my job

Beyond Rugby organizer John Layfield talks about his life as a pro wrestler, JBL talks to the Blatimore Sun, highlights

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How did you get involved in pro wrestling?

I was playing pro football and I couldn’t pass the physical after my third year. I had always been a wrestling fan so it wasn’t like a last ditch option for me. It was something I grew up loving. My earliest memory was watching wrestling with my grandfather. When I got hurt I had the opportunity to get in to wrestling — It was a childhood dream for me.

Who did you play football for?

I played with the Los Angeles Raiders for a cup of coffee in 1989 then I played in the World League of American Football for San Antonio.

Which of your wrestling personas did you enjoy the most?

JBL was my favourite. I enjoyed the Bradshaw character — the beer drinking character from Texas. It was just fun. For Ron Simmons and I, that was us. The WWE saw two old football players sitting around drinking beer and they wanted to put that on TV. We had a blast with that.

The JBL character came along. Vince McMahon will deny this because he didn’t see any parallel with the JR Ewing character (from the TV show Dallas), but in my mind it was a JR Ewing character. It was my idea.

I had wanted to be this JBL character for some time, but I was doing so much for the troops and going to Iraq for Christmas and doing shows for the troops.

Because of this Vince didn’t want me to be a bad guy. A confluence of factors happened. Big Show got hurt, The Undertaker got hurt and Brock Lesnar left the company and they needed a guy to face Eddie Guerrero. Vince asked me if I wanted to do the JBL character and I said ‘I’d love to and said let’s give it a whirl’.

Did you rehearse your matches ahead of time?

The best way for me to explain how it works is like two ad lib comedians. You get up on the stage and you don’t know what the audience is going to buy or not to buy. The ad lib comedians don’t have a set plan and the best way to do it in wrestling is not have a set plan. The finish is orchestrated — who is going to win and who is going to lose, but as far as how you get there you have to figure out what the crowd is buying and what it’s not buying.

How many matches would you wrestle in a year?

When I first started out I remember wrestling 117 straight days and that was wrestling matinees on Saturdays and Sundays and then an evening performance. So when I first started it was about 250 nights a year. The older I got the less I could do so I had to pick my spots.

Being a big time WWE wrestler seems glamorous, but what’s it like getting to that point?

I wrestled in the carnivals in Europe for two years and that’s as bad as it gets. I had a 16 ft long trailer that was 6 ft wide and that’s what I lived in for two years. I had no running water and lived on a campground with travelling gypsies. In the winter I literally lived on the parking lot next to where I would wrestle. If I had to go to the bathroom I had to go inside or in the hall or the shower— it was not a very glamorous lifestyle.

How did you move up to the ‘big leagues’?

WWE had found me somehow. They told me they wanted to hire me when I was done with my tour, pending a trial match. It was freezing cold in Germany at that time so I was ecstatic.

So what was your first WWE persona?

Justin ‘Hawk’ Bradshaw. Vince McMahon wanted me to be Bradshaw and I don’t know why. He wanted me to be a country character. I wanted to be John Bradshaw because people didn’t last too long and I wanted to take my name with me. To do that, I had to have a name that was real. If they create it, they keep the name. That’s why wrestlers change names so many times. I was using the name John Hawk and it ended up being Justin Hawk Bradshaw so that backfired because all my autographs had to be Justin Hawk Bradshaw.

How much of the autograph signing and other publicity stunts did you have to do?

What was so great was when I was a champion for so long I was a bad guy. You don’t want the bad guy out signing autographs because you don’t want people to start liking him so I never had to go to autograph sessions as a bad guy. Because you didn’t want to see in the paper the bad guy holding a kid because then people would think “Oh, he’s really a good guy”. You want to keep up that image that is a bad guy.

Did it bother you playing a bad guy?

I understood it was theatre. To me, it was never a problem being a bad guy. You would have people say something nasty to you in the airport, we had some that bothered them and couldn’t be bad guys in wrestling because it bothered them too much. To me, that was a kind of certification you’re doing the right thing. That never bothered me because hopefully one day that person would come to watch me lose and be entertained and go home happy. I was much more successful as bad guy than I was as a good guy.

What was the best thing about playing a good character?

Being a good guy is easy. I had a wrestling match in Bagdad. They were all booing me. As soon as it was over they would all rush the stage and say ‘Thanks for coming. That was great. Did you hear us booing you?’ They all understood that was part of the show. When you’re a good guy you get to interact with the fans a lot more.

Who did you like wrestling against?

The Undertaker was far the best. He and Eddie Guerrero — who was probably the most popular Hispanic character of all time — and those guys were just magicians. Those guys were so good and so professional and talented. With some guys, I wrestled hard, they wrestled hard but there was no chemistry. It’s frustrating because you’re wanting people to be happy because they’re spending hard-earned money. You want them to enjoy the show but I walked away thinking ‘I just didn’t do my job.’

How much time did you spend working on your wrestling moves?

I was trained as a proper Greco-Roman wrestler. It all comes from knowing the proper art and then adding a few theatrics to it.

What was your favourite move?

The Clothesline. Every character who has done a cowboy did The Lariat, which is just a clothesline. I remember when I was in Japan and to finish a match I did a clothesline and the boss said to me ‘I’ve got to hit him harder.’ So I finally developed this unique clothesline move that didn’t actually hurt people but looked like I was killing them. That came from weeks and weeks of tinkering on the Japanese tour.

How much of it is real wrestling?

It depends on the match. When I used to wrestle Kurt Angle, who was a legit Olympic gold medallist, a lot of real wrestling moves were involved. I couldn’t wrestle with him as he was the best out of six billion people, but we did a lot of pure wrestling moves because that was what was expected of him.

What do you miss the most about the WWE?

I miss the boys. I got into Twitter six or eight months ago and I love it because I’m sitting watching the Super Bowl and Stone Cold Steve Austin is watching it. They’re sending me messages and its fun. That’s’ the appeal of social media. Most people miss the dressing room. We had some very entertaining chracters and guys could sit around and tell stories for hours and have fun. I also miss the crowd. When you get it right and they leave happy, that’s pretty cool.

Former TNA Star wins IWGP Title

2012-02-13T08:11:00.001-08:00

Former TNA star wins IWGP Title

By Phil Allely

Kazuchika Okada, who worked for TNA as Samoa Joe’s masked cohort Osaka is the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

At the company’s The New Beginning Pay-Per-View this past weekend Okada ended Hiroshi Tanahashi’s epic 13 month reign as champion.

The PPV also saw the duo of Davey Richards and Rocky Romero win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi.

DVD Review: WWE Unauthorised

2012-02-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

DVD Review: WWE Unauthorised

By Phil Allely

WWE unauthorised is a reasonable look at the empire that is Vince McMahon’s WWE, the difference between this and other releases is that this is an independent production and as such has not reason to gloss over events or situations as other official one shave in the past.

Over its short (60 minute) runtime this DVD offers up a glimpse behind the scene of the WWE machine and some information on such things as wrestlers pay, storylines, the McMahon family and the lifestyle of a typical WWE wrestler.

There are also some insights into the tragic night Owen Hart died and many other controversial situations from the companies past.

Of particular interest here are the sit down interview with former WWE writer (and current TNA pen man) Vince Russo, former superstar Tito Santana and many other big names from WWE past and present.

The information compiled on this disc are all common knowledge, but perhaps this is the first time they have been gathered in one place, WWE fans old and new will feel enlightened by this presentation.

WWE Unauthorised is available now from all good retailers.

New TNA Knockouts pics

2012-02-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Samoa Joe Interview Highlights

2012-02-10T07:28:00.001-08:00

Samoa Joe: Magnus and I have natural timing

BY Phil Allely

Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe is currently riding high in the company once more after a long period of nonsensical feuds and unpopular gimmicks. Aligned with UK grappler Magnus Joe has returned to hard-hitting ways and both are set to tackle current tag champ Matt Morgan and Crimson this coming week at the Against All Odds PPV.

The Joe/Magnus team seemed and odd one, but it works very well and has certainly put a spring in the ‘Samoan Submission Machine’s’ step.

“There’s definitely a natural timing between Magnus & myself as far as what we do in the ring and it’s natural in the fact that it’s not practiced. Magnus lives a few States away from me and I’m always never at home so to get time to actually work with a tag team partner and work out the kinks we haven’t had that much time. We meet for a little bit beforehand and then we discuss we’d like to accomplish but it’s a testament to his ability that he’s able to get in the ring, read off of me what we’re doing and just go from there. I think that’s the biggest key element that works between us is just there’s a weird innate & natural timing between the two of us.”

Joe was also a part of the recent record-breaking UK Tour alongside such big names as Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle and many others, something which he clearly enjoyed.

“The level of excitement for the performers was off the charts. You had some guys who had not been in that environment yet, who were looking around the arena going “wow, this is pretty spectacular”. To walk into an arena to look out into a crowd & see the anticipation in their faces and when you hear that first initial roar of the crowd when the show started up it definitely ramped everybody and got us all ready to go.”

Joe is no stranger to the UK fans and has appeared many times in front of them for various sized companies, TNA’s success on UK TV and live has shocked the big man though.

“The popularity in general in the UK has surprised me. I think it’s a combination of our front office positioning us well with the right networks. I think a lot of it has to do with the taste of the UK fans. I think the UK fans in general, I think they appreciate great wrestling, they appreciate athleticism. I think they appreciate maybe a little less story & more action. Before I was in TNA I came over for several years with other companies & made forays in the UK. it was always just a hot bed for the art of professional wrestling. I think a lot of that has carried over into what you see today. For TNA at present I think international expansion is the key to our growth. It boggles my mind that there hasn’t been a full time major national promotion in the UK up to this point. I would love to see TNA run in the UK/Europe more, our expansion into India is going fantastically too.”

A man not to be pigeon-holed Joe is as happy in the ring against a heavyweight as he is facing off in a high flying X Division scrap. With that division once more flourishing would he consider a return to that style of match-up?

“Absolutely. Me & (current X Titlist Austin) Aries have a past and I’m sure I owe him a few. I think the X-Division has hit its stride again, it’s on the back of performers like Aries and a lot of guys who are coming back of injuries right now. I would like to go back into the X-Division. Obviously the powers that be have set a weight limit that I don’t think I’ll be breaking anytime soon, but yeah any chance to compete with great athletes in the ring I’m always up for. If there’s one thing people know about me in pro wrestling, I’m not scared of a scrap. I don’t care about who it is, if you want to get in there we’ll go. I have very, very fond memories of my time working in the X-Division & the matches I’ve had in the X-Division and would love to revisit that any opportunity that I get.”

You can see Joe (and Magnus) challenging the Tag Team Champions at Against all Odds on Wednesday February 15th at 10pm on Challenge.

Hulk Hogan Interview Highlights

2012-02-09T16:31:00.001-08:00

Hulk Hogan spoke to The Sun on a number of topics including creative control, Ultimate Warrior, not losing to Shawn Michaels in 2005, the Montreal Screwjob and more.

Regarding Hogan's use of creative control dating back to his time with World Championship Wrestling, he said, "People say 'Hogan, you have this creative control clause?' and I say 'yeah, but the only time I've ever exercised it in 30 years is when Vince Russo screwed me'. And it didn't even help then! I got screwed and couldn't do anything about it!

"Nowadays, we have a working relationship. I would have bet my bottom dollar that we wouldn't work together again. There was a point in time where if I was to go to TNA it was him or me. The truth is Eric Bischoff sold me on it. Eric had met with Vince and explained to me how things were different and we should sit down to talk."

In June, Ultimate Warrior released a hate-filled attack against Hogan, claiming the wrestling icon is a cocaine-abusing "dope head" who once tried to get Warrior to have sex with his wife. Hogan says of his rival, "What is the Warrior doing? What has this guy been saying? I've never approached him for sex. I can't speak for my ex-wife!

"We had a guest house, he stayed in it. We worked in my gym, he hung out in the pool all day with my kids, he was super nice to family. There was nothing but respect.

"All the insane, crazy stuff he is saying is nuts. Now even the most hardcore Warrior fans know he's a goof. His cover's gone now, he's so far out of line everybody just knows he is an idiot. He has no credibility. It's sad."

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TNA Gail Kim & Mickie James new Pics

2012-02-07T16:19:00.001-08:00

TNA Live Review - Manchester 2012

2012-02-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

TNA Live Show Review Manchester: January 2012

By Phil Allely

TNA’s annual UK tour/European tours have become huge deals. Each one building on the last and as the company’s popularity rises the quality of the roster has met it. Past tours have seen the cream of the crop make appearances on UK shores, this year was no different as the legendary Hulk Hogan was added to an already bulging card. Hulk joining Sting (in his final UK appearances), World Champion Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles and many other top names to thrill the loyal fans who have made Impact Wrestling one of the most watched TV wrestling shows available.

With 5,000 loud and excited fans in attendance at Manchester’s MEN Arena TNA did what they do best and put on a top notch live show, the air was electric and the wrestlers all stepped up their game to keep it there. Hosts Christy Hemme and Jeremy Borash ensuring things moved smoothly in between the matches.

Things kicked off with a nicely paced X Division Title triple threat scrap. UK talent Mark Haskins fared well against Alex Shelley and champ Austin Aries in what proved to be a riveting affair, Aries retaining his belt by pinning Haskins.

The undefeated Crimson and (another) UK veteran Douglas Williams worked a stiff bout next. Both trading the advantage and teasing their finishing moves. Fan favourite Williams however failed to his quest to end Crimsons winning streak.

The hugely ‘over’ AJ Styles had to work extra hard to pull a decent match out of Immortals Gunner. Styles did pull it off though, his high spots were superb and Gunner got in some good shots before a Pele kick gave AJ the winning three-count.

The Knockouts Division were well represented next. K.O. Tag Champs Madison Rayne and Gail Kim (also the K.O. Champ) facing off against the duo of Tara and Mickie James. James carried most of the bout for her team, taking considerable punishment before Tara got the hot tag. Referee Earl Hebner (who had already relished his Montreal Screwjob infamy by donning an ‘I screwed Bret’ tee and sunglasses) was once again a fixture of this bout, receiving mouth to mouth from the lovely girls for his trouble. James and Tara picked up the win after a ‘widows peak’ put Kim away. The winners then shared a kiss or two to the fans delight.

TNA president Dixie Carter then appeared post interval to praise the UK fans, generate interest in the London TV tapings and hype up the main event.

In an Xplosion only match TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode defended his belt against the formidable Samoa Joe. (a result which can be seen on Xplosion soon).

The main event then took the roof off the building, featuring the team of uber heel Bully Ray (donning a Liverpool football shirt) and Kurt Angle against Sting and James Storm. This soon became a six man bout as Bobby Roode returned to fight once more and Hulk Hogan showed up to join the faces.

The match was an old school fan pleaser. Hogan worked a few spots in the ring, Sting and Storm taking most of the shots and moves. Bully Ray, Angle and Roode were on fine form throughout. Hogan utilised a walking stick on Ray to allow for a ‘Stinger Splash’ and ‘Last Call Superkick’ combo from his teammates to put the Bully away for the win.

Once the posing, ‘Hulking Up’ and cheers died down the end result was a definite thumbs-up to TNA from the Manchester natives. The card worked well, the matches were all worth seeing and the roster seemed intent on making the night a success. The TV tapings the next day would be a more structured affair with less change to deviate from the script, but for a company such as TNA these live tours are exactly what they need to show just how much they bring to the table in the wrestling industry. As the 2012 shows begun the company showed how dedicated to the UK they are by announcing January 2013 tour dates.

Country Music Stars Son Joins WWE

2012-02-04T16:12:00.001-08:00

New WWE Star's Country Roots

By Phil Allely

As reported by entertainment website TMZ, Country Music legend Kris Kristofferson's 6'2" son has begun his career as a wrestling superstar by starting work for WWE developmental territory FCW.

"Big Country" Jody Kristofferson as he is billed locked horns with several other up-and-coming wrestler's in the WWE's Florida based training facility this week, his developmental contract having been a major talking point amongst smart fans in recent weeks.

Jody has been a regular face on the independent wrestling scene for the last few years, his build, in-ring ability and famous family member have all alegedly led to his signing with the WWE.

According to reports from within FWC Jody has impressed trainers well so far and there are high hopes that he will make it on to WWE TV soon.

WWE DVD Review - Night of the Champions 2011

2012-02-04T07:50:00.001-08:00

WWE DVD Review: Night of the Champions 2011

By Phil Allely

Night of the Champions has been a welcome addition to the WWE Pay-Per-View calendar, being one of the few shows where each title is defended and pretty much anything can happen during said defences.

The 2011 event was an above average effort and one that fulfilled a lot of fans desires, in that it included revenge/challenge matches gave many of the participants a degree of respect and honour gaining in the process.

NOTC kicked off well with high flyers Air Boom (Kofi Kingston/Evan Bourne) defending their Tag Team gold against the heel pairing of R Truth and The Miz. This was a fast-paced outing and one that warrants repeat viewing.

The Intercontinental battle between former team mates Cody Rhodes (champion) and Ted DiBiase was a decent affair.

Dolph Ziggler’s Fatal Four Way United States title defence against Alex Riley, Jack Swagger and John Morrison was a fun-filled frantic scrap.

The World Heavyweight match between Randy Orton and Mark Henry was well-worked and Henry looked his best in years.

With the Divas Championship on the line Beth Phoenix versus Kelly Kelly had its moments and although short did give the division a spot on the card.

Alberto Del Rio and John Cena had a pretty good encounter over the WWE Championship, there were some interesting highlights and this proved to be another match worth viewing again.

PPV main event the CM Punk/Triple H No Disqualification match proved to be the perfect finale, both men working hard and Triple H showing that his age and expanding waistline don’t hinder his in-ring expertise and skill. Opponent Punk must have been a dream one for Trips, bioth men making the other look like a million dollars.

One the extras front we have the contract signing from the August 30th Smackdown.

WWE Night of The Champions 2011 is on release now form www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £17.99 (DVD)/£19.99 (Blu-ray)

Running time 2hrs 59mins (DVD)/4hrs 14mins (Blu-ray)

WWE PPV Review: Royal Rumble 2012

2012-02-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

WWE PPV Review: Royal Rumble 2012

By Phil Allely

The Royal Rumble is one of the WWE’s most popular, talked about and often exciting events on its Pay-Per-View calendar. The 2012 effort may not join some its predecessors in historic terms, but it did offer up some interesting encounters/results and it did (as it should) pave the way for event of the year WrestleMania.

Opening up with a steel cage match, the Rumble tried its utmost to build a decent level of momentum to carry the live crowd and viewing audience through to the all-important 30 man over the top main event.

Said cage match saw World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan face off against the huge lumbering duo of Mark Henry and Big Show. Although average at best this was a decent bout for all concerned (considering the opponent for Bryan’s gold). Bryan fared well against the mighty power of Henry/Show and escaped the cage to retain his belt and hopefully progress to a more worthy championship defence at Mania.

Next up was a hastily thrown together Divas encounter, which to be honest only ate into valuable ring time. The teams of Beth (Divas Champ) Phoenix, Natalya and the Bella Twins facing off against the quartet of Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Eve Torres. The ladies tried their best, but the short length of the match and talent on offer reduced the quality here. Phoenix nailed a reasonable Glam Slam to take the win for her team after some back and forth action.

Kane’s return under his mask once again has seen his character back at its more edgy self. The match between him and perennial main eventer John Cena was an adequate effort from both, Cena especially was on the receiving end of some serious fan reaction. His heel turn teasing continued (but will probably never happen) and Kane showed no sign in losing any of the momentum his newly rejuvenated character has gained. Kane’s monstrous nature came to the fore throughout the match, he took a beating from Cena, but kept on ticking. The pair ended up being counted out for a non-decision, although a laughing Kane decided to take things further by brutalising both Cena and Zack Ryder, leaving them prone in the ring as he strode off in celebration.

In another bonus match the repackaged Brodus Clay tackled Drew McIntyre in an unfortunately poor (squash style) encounter. Clay nailed his ‘What the Funk’ finisher to net himself the win.

The match of the night (as expected) was the semi-main event pitting Dolph Ziggler against WWE Champion CM Punk. John Laurinaitis as guest referee proved inconsequential, when push came to shove. Both combatants shone and although we never expected Ziggler to net the title, he did try. Punk true to form overcame the eager Ziggler by nailing a nice GTS to retain his gold and taking another step towards WrestleMania.

The main event Royal Rumble was lacking star power at times, but the performers on hand did make the most of their time in the ring. With a short 90 seconds gap between each participant it was really a case of make your entrance, hit a move and then move aside as the next combatant arrived on the scene. Highlights were Mick Foley having a Socko versus Cobra stand-off with Santino Marella, Kharma making her Rumble debut (and in-ring return), Ricardo Rodriguez lampooning his former cohort Alberto Del Rio (with cheap car etc.), legend hacksaw Jim Duggan entering to a healthy pop from the live crowd, former DX member Road Dogg making a re-appearance and the entire announce team (Booker T, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler) dipped in for some ring time too.

The rumble boiled down to match favourite Chris Jericho and Irish tough guy Sheamus, both worked hard to create tension and tease the decision. Jericho took the advantage on several occasions before Sheamus countered a ‘codebreaker’ and nailed a nice loking ‘brogue kick’ to send his foe over the top rope and himself into the history books.

Royal Rumble 2012 was a mixed bag of matches, but it did serve its purpose, the road to WrestleMania is looking good and having a guy like Sheamus win a title shot at the biggest event of year certainly makes things interesting.

Former Diva Moly Holly 2012

2012-02-01T07:08:00.003-08:00

New Steiners & Sunny Pic

2012-02-01T07:08:00.001-08:00

Eve Torres Pics

2012-02-01T07:06:00.001-08:00

New TNA Knockouts pics

2012-02-01T06:28:00.001-08:00

TNA’s Abyss – Conference Call Highlights

2012-01-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

TNA’s Abyss – Conference Call Highlights

BY Phil Allely

TNA’s Abyss took part in a conference recently and spoke about his time in TNA, their Ra Ka King project in India, the Abyss character and the development of the character over the past 10 years. Phil Allely was one of the journalists offered the opportunity to participate in the call, below are some of the highlights.

The highest and lowest moments in Impact Wrestling's 10 year history: "The finest moment I think, would be the debut of Spike TV. It was a huge tactful event that really shaped the company, a network like Spike TV, I think was the beginning of growth period for TNA as a company. As far as low period's go, maybe being unsuccessful in our first move to Monday night's, we had high aspirations and I truly believe it wasn't from a lack of effort on anybody’s part, from top to bottom in TNA, but it's something we've learned from, we learnt a lot of lessons from it and I think we're better off as a company from the directions we've ended up taking."

His own personal highlight of the past 10 years: "I've had so many of them and I've been very privileged and honoured to have so many moments there, I'd definitely have to say winning the TNA World Title back in 2007 I'd have to say was the most memorable, it was my first major world title and it was an extremely emotional and proud moment for me."

Talents he worked with in India for Ra Ka King that he'd like to see in TNA: "All of them, it was a privilege to work with Chavo Guerrero over in India, and others, Chris Masters, Harry Smith and probably a few other that just don't come to mind right now and the chance to work with them because I haven't had the opportunity because they haven't been with TNA so it was a great experience and I truly enjoyed working with all of them, you know Chavo Guerrero is very smart and I love listening to him just put stuff together, just the overall vibe and overall chemistry that I had with all of them was really incredible.

How he's prepares differently than for usual matches for his trademark Monster's Ball gimmick ones: "It's more mentally that you change, you have to get into a mindset that you're gonna go out there and try to hurt somebody and they're gonna try and hurt you just as much, and throw in the fact that it's Monster's Ball with the weapons, you have to prepare yourself that it's not going to be a regular match. By the way, a normal, regular match is very taxing on your body as it is, but when it comes to Monster's Ball it quadruples, so you have to prepare yourself mentally for it to be a fight and to be a war."

You can catch Abyss and the rest of the TNA roster on Impact Wrestling each week (Challenge TV) and via www.impactwrestling.com

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Hulk Hogan UK Interview Highlights

2012-01-30T17:38:00.001-08:00

Hulk Hogan spoke with SportsVibe.co.uk this week to promote TNA’s Maximum Impact tour of the UK. Here are some highlights:

Q. You’re of course over here for the TNA Maximum IMPACT tour, what can the fans expect?

Nothing against Nottingham and nothing against Manchester but Wembley is the most important day for this company. This is going to be the most important day this company has ever had so far because we are filming the TV show here and it’s going to be in front of the greatest fans in the world.

It will make a statement to Spike TV and it’ll make a statement to Dixie Carter. Even though you send the TV signal out and all these people watch us, you can’t just leave it at that, you need to follow up and can’t just stay in Universal Studios. You need to go on the road and play the big game. I think Wembley is the most important day ever for TNA.

Q. Who in TNA should we be looking out for in 2012?

There are a lot of great guys in TNA, with the current champion Bobby Roode, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. There are a lot of talented guys but the wrestling part in the ring is only ten per cent of this business and they have to learn more than just that. There’s a lot more to the business than having a five-star match, there’s the media cross over, being in character, knowing when to break character, knowing how to deal with a locker-room full of men or knowing how to deal with a room full of kids that have cancer.

As soon as these guys figure that out and get off this ‘I’m a TNA original’ out of their mindset and look at the bigger picture, I think more of them will be like Bobby Roode and start to step up.

One guy that is doing that is Christopher Daniels, he’s starting to step out of that mould. When I see Daniels and shake his hand I say ‘Good morning super hero.’ I call him super hero because that’s what he’s going to be. He’s got the look, he’s got attitude, plus he’s so smart and is really stepping up.

Q. You’ve had many great matches and rivalries in the ring, but there has been a war of words on Twitter between the Ultimate Warrior and yourself. Do you think we could see the first ever Twitter wrestling match?

I don’t think it will happen because, number one, you can’t do business with him, he really never loved this business, some of us have the business in our veins like Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, Macho Man and myself. That’s what we are, we can’t move without this business. I think the Ultimate Warrior came in just to make money and he only lasted a couple of years, then when he left, he tried to do independent things but would screw the promoter’s over.

He’s really not what we would call one of the boys. The last time I saw the Ultimate Warrior, he was at my house spending time with my family, having a great time. Then all of a sudden I haven’t seen him for 10-years and I see all this crazy stuff he was putting on Twitter. Someone must of hit him in the head with a brick or something.

You just have to ignore him because he’s an idiot and you can’t do business with him. I can just pray for him and feel sorry for him, the guy is messed up, so there isn’t going to be a Twitter wrestling match between me and him because he might not show up or he might do something crazy. I’m into doing positive good things, I don’t need that crap.

Q. There is a lot of talk at the moment with regards to the Four Horsemen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and Ric Flair attending the Hall of Fame this year whilst under contract with TNA, what are your thoughts?

I think it’s great, everybody is being very open and Dixie Carter is open and the lines of communication are open. It’s great that the two companies can agree on this and have a common bond because Ric Flair has been a staple in this industry, and as they are going to induct the Four Horsemen in the Hall of Fame it’s only right Ric Flair is there.

It’s like the WWE saying Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were never here just because we’re now with TNA. It doesn’t make sense because people know we were there and helped build that company. I think with the lines of communication opening it’s good business for everybody.

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2012-01-30T15:53:00.001-08:00

Wrestlingringpost Royal Rumble predictions

2012-01-30T02:15:00.000-08:00

So how did these guys do in predicting the 2012 Royal Rumble?

http://www.wrestlingringpost.com/2012/01/hard-way-2012-royal-rumble-predictions.html