Cageside Seats

Wrestling's Most Horrific Current and Recent Losing Streaks

2012-05-17T03:24:11Z

You may not be aware, but a year ago last Tuesday (May 15, 2012), Shannon Moore began a losing streak that is still intact to this day. Yowzers. There's jobbing, there's putting people over, and then there are embarrassing and insulting streaks.

I am shocked at all those World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstars with huge losing streaks, especially the upper-card guys like Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett. I never realized the doghouse is such a cruel place to be.

The TNA roster has fewer names on the list, yet they get fewer public matches considering Impact is the only weekly show they have. But I was surprised by Bully Ray's streak.

16 losses in a row and he's supposed to be the "best heel in professional wrestling?"

Natalya is the only Diva in short term history to have a serious losing streak. Five Knockouts have lost six straight matches or more while four of them haven't won a match since November of last year, but Natalya's losing streak has garnered more attention due to the fact that WWE books talent far more often.

Rules of qualifying for the list:

Only WWE and TNA talents are eligible.
Must lose five consecutive "public" matches (matches distributed for free viewing on national TV, pay-per-view, and Internet) or more. So NXT, Superstars and Xplosion count, but FCW, OVW do not.
Streaks can still be ongoing.
Losing streaks had to begin during the second half of last year (starting July 1, 2011), unless they are still ongoing.
Dark matches, events from Indie and developmental leagues, and house shows do not count.
Wrestlers can appear on the list more than once if they have more than one different losing streak.
Released wrestlers count, but only if their last match happened this year.
Results courtesy of www.profightdb.com.

Check out the complete list after the jump.

WWE Superstars

Heath Slater - 27 matches - Aug. 16, 2011 to Jan. 23, 2012
Alex Riley - 15 matches - Jan. 10, 2012 to Apr. 23, 2012
David Otunga - 13 matches - Aug. 15, 2011 to Dec. 27, 2011
Curt Hawkins - 12 matches - Oct. 11, 2011 to Jan. 9 2012
Yoshi Tatsu - 10 matches - WINLESS since Feb. 14, 2012
JTG - 10 matches - Dec. 13, 2011 to May 1, 2012
Jack Swagger - 9 matches - WINLESS since Apr. 2, 2012
Trent Baretta - 9 matches - Sept. 13, 2011 to Dec. 6, 2011
Drew McIntyre - 9 matches Dec. 27, 2011 to Feb. 28, 2011
Ezekiel Jackson - 9 matches - Jan. 3, 2012 to Apr. 3, 2012
Michael McGillicutty - 8 matches - December 19, 2011 to Feb. 14th, 2012
Wade Barrett - 7 matches - WINLESS since Jan. 29, 2012
Curt Hawkins - 7 matches - WINLESS since Mar. 20, 2012
Dolph Ziggler - 7 matches - Jan 30, 2012 to Feb. 20, 2012
Tyler Reks - 7 matches - Nov. 29 2011 to Jan. 16, 2012
Jack Swagger - 7 matches - Dec. 13, 2011 to Jan. 9th, 2012
Christian - 6 matches - WINLESS since Oct. 16, 2012
Jack Swagger - 6 matches - Oct. 10, 2011 to Oct 31, 2011
Mason Ryan - 5 matches - WINLESS since Feb. 13, 2012
Dolph Ziggler - 5 matches - Apr. 2, 2012 to Apr. 29, 2012
Cody Rhodes - 5 matches - Mar. 18, 2012 to Apr. 24, 2012
Dolph Ziggler - 5 matches - Feb. 27, 2012 to Mar. 18, 2012
Jack Swagger - 5 matches - Feb. 27, 2012 to Mar. 18, 2012
Heath Slater - 5 matches - Feb. 14, 2012 to Mar 20, 2012
Jinder Mahal - 5 matches - Nov. 29, 2011 to Dec. 19, 2011

WWE Divas

Natalya - 10 matches - Nov. 29, 2011 to Jan. 24, 2012

TNA Wrestlers

Bully Ray - 16 matches - Oct. 16, 2011 to Mar. 20, 2012
Shannon Moore - 9 matches - WINLESS since May 15, 2011
Christopher Daniels - 8 matches - Sept 23, 2011 to Dec 13, 2011
Rob Terry / Robbie T. - 8 matches - WINLESS since Oct. 26, 2011
Anarquia* - 7 matches - WINLESS since Nov. 14, 2011
Hernandez - 6 matches - WINLESS since Nov. 14, 2011
Christopher Daniels - 6 matches - Feb. 27, 2012 to Apr. 3, 2012
James Storm - 5 matches - Aug. 9, 2011 - Sept. 21, 2011

TNA Knockouts

Rosita - 9 matches - WINLESS since July 12, 2011
Angelina Love - 8 matches - WINLESS since Sept. 12, 2011
Winter - 8 matches - WINLESS since Oct. 16, 2011
Madison Rayne - 8 matches - Feb. 27th, 2012 to Apr. 30th 2012
Sarita - 6 matches - WINLESS since Nov. 14, 2011

*wrestler has been released

E-Wrestling for Cagesiders: Wednesday Night Revival for May 09, 2012

2012-05-16T22:12:00Z

This is Dannie Ray, Head of Creative for Revival Pro Wrestling and Chief operating officer.

You might ask, what is Revival Pro Wrestling (RPW)?

RPW is a group of Cagesiders who have joined forces to create their own brand of wrestling entertainment, everyone has made and developed unique characters that face each other weekly for RPW supremacy.

RPW is drama, RPW is comedy, RPW is passion and RPW is wrestling but most importantly RPW is fun.

If you want to join either as a character or as a fan, be sure to join our mailing list.

If you are a part of our mailing list you already got the show, and hopefully read it aswell, but leave your kind (or not so kind) comments.

More information and the show after the jump.

The show is best read in PDF Format.

We have a new website in the works, it should be avaliable soon.

If you are already part of the show and havent joined our mailing list please do so.

Please use this fan post to leave all the storyline comments about The Show.

If you do not wish to read the show at full length you can still check our review of the show which follows

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SHOW.

Wednesday Night Revival - 5/9/12 fr

Posted by Trevor Church

Coming to you life from Phoenix, Arizona Wednesday Night Revival kicked off with a scene that can only be described as bazaar, at least in the context of a wrestling show. The first match featured the slumping Ryan Mercy going one on one with “Ravishing” Ronnie Reynolds. The always-fragile Reynolds was accompanied to the ring by Jafaar al-Sultan (his comrade), Dominic Golden (his manager), Jackson Gerritt (his agent), Amy Evans (his image analyst), his Sports Psychologist, his Water Boy, his Towel Girl, and his Publicist. For those keeping score at home that’s eight accompaniments, far exceeding the RPW Wrestler Handbook, article B – section 213, which clearly states ‘Wrestlers may be accompanied to the ringside area by no more than three (3) representatives.’ Apparently Dominic Golden got clearance from Commissioner Jack Dobbs, or one of his associates for the extra bodies.

In any case it seems as those every single one of those accompaniments was necessary for Reynolds to achieve success. Even if the crowd didn’t think so. In the end Reynolds emerged victorious via the Full Nelson Driver. I guess the saying is true, ‘It takes a village to raise an idiot…err a child’. With his newfound confidence Reynolds has been on a roll as of late, we’ll have to see where this goes RPW fans.

We are treated to a short video package of Leonard Knox arriving to the arena. When he gets to his locker room he gets splashed with a truckload of water, and hit in the head with the bucket for good measure. The only clue as to who set up the prank is spray painted on the wall, “DANGER! SLIPPERY ROAD AHEAD!” Could this have been the work of Sirius Danger, the man Knox mocked a week earlier, and the man he was to square off with later in the night?

Knox isn’t the only wrestler on Danger’s radar though. He has been having issues with one Kirk Cobain as well. In fact that match was going to happen in place of Knox v. Danger, but Cobain wasn’t medically cleared to wrestler.

Back from commercial Knox and Danger were already engaged in fierce battle of wills, going toe to toe until one man fell. Danger, realizing the tied was turning against him delivered a devastating drop toehold that left Knox’s prone neck lying across the bottom rope. Danger to the opportunity to further introduce Knox’s throat to the ropes, breaking the hold only when forced to by Referee Shen Lee. It was in this moment when RPW announcer Benjamin Washington spotted Kirk Cobain in the front row holding a sign ‘MOM I’M ON TV’.

After five more grueling minutes of action Danger took flight, ducking under a Knox clothesline, hoping to the top rope, and diving over the barricade onto Kirk Cobain. After landing a few merciless blows and hoping back into the ring, Danger showed just how crazy he could be. Cobain was left in bewilderment as to what just happened. Unfortunately for Danger this high-risk maneuver didn’t bring a high-reward.

With Danger’s attention split Knox took the advantage and landed his trademark Bull’s Eye Splash for the three count. The victory assures Knox of an Iron Man Championship match next week.

Diego San Martin made it known that he hasn’t been liking the direction RPW has taken with his Man El Omega 23, relegating him to dark matches. When pressured Commissioner Dobbs assured San Martin an Iron Man Title match for El Omega 23 if the pair didn’t interfere in the tag match between The Empire and the debuting Amazonian Invasion. San Martin relented and agreed to stay out of the match. Though he and El Omega 23 have had their problems with the Empire, it was in his client’s best interest to make the deal. We’ll see later tonight if he holds true to his word.

With all of these matches having title implications it can become difficult to keep track. For the sake of clarity: The Iron Man Champion Jafaar al-Sultan has a match with John ‘The Brand’ Brandenburg. The winner of that match will face Leonard Knox next week. Also next week, provided San Martin and El Omega 23 don’t interfere in the Empire’s match, El Omega 23 with face the winner of the Douglas Gallagher v. Hakai Dragon match. The winner of that match will face the winner of the Knox v. al-Sultan/Brandenburg match. The Ironman Title, which must be defended every WNR, is up for grabs. Can the undefeated Jafaar al-Sultan hold on until the RPW’s next Pay Per View?

Sir Charles Strickland led the ‘Liverpool Sensation’ Douglas Gallagher to the ring for his match against the fan favorite Hakai Dragon. Both man share a respect for the other as they shook hands in the center of the ring, an uncommon occurrence in RPW. The respect was short lived however, and a technical battle ensued. Perhaps taking a cue from Jafaar al-Sultan, Hakai Dragon gained control of the early part of the match by working over Gallagher’s arm with a great series of chain wrestling maneuvers.

Alas, Hakai Dragon could not hold the advantage for long. Instead Gallagher took control with a delayed vertical suplex. The battle continued, back and forth, with no man creating a large advantage. For every power move Gallagher inflicted on Dragon, the man from Japan had an answer. And Gallagher limited Dragon’s ability to take flight, grounding him with his strength. The match became a battle of wills and technical skill, puzzling the pundits who expected a typical Power verse Speed match. Ladies and gentleman this match was RPW at it’s very best; two men willing to change the game plan on the fly, both selling out big-time for the sake of vicory.

While Dragon continued to work over Gallagher’s arm and Gallagher continued to fight back, it was a simple high cross body that netted our first near fall, when Dragon countered Gallagher’s power slam. Gallagher, sensing his grasp on the match slipping, grounded Hakai Dragon once more, but because he was favoring his arm he wasn’t able to keep him there. Instead Dragon dumped Gallagher outside the ring with a vicious back body drop and added a devastating flipping Senton splash for good measure.

Sensing victory Dragon manages to muscle Gallagher back into the ring. Dragon goes for the victory with his patented Phoenix Splash. The move looks beautiful, but the high-rsik doesn’t pay off as it misses its target, giving Gallagher a much-needed moment to recover.

Gallagher was able to use this moment wisely and managed to begin to build some momentum for himself. A scoop power slam followed by a military press slam left Dragon inches away from defeat. Sensing this Gallagher sent Dragon off the far-side ropes and then connected with his finisher, a devastating discus lariat he calls the Crimson Tornado. Dragon’s kick out was a split second too late as Gallagher had earned an extremely hard fought victory.

In the end Gallagher shows his class by helping Hakai Dragon to his feet. The two share an embrace that only battle weary combatants can share and then raise each other’s hands in victory. Gallagher, with the win, earned a match against El Omega 23 next week; the winner of which will be the next contender to the Iron Man Title. Hakai Dragon, with the loss, earned the respect of everyone in attendance.

The pleasant to look at Brandy Swinson interviewed two thirds of the Empire backstage and they had some harsh words for their opponents. Damien Wolfe and Mr. Nice Guy let the Amazon Invasion, nay the world, know that they are the top of the food chain in RPW; all roads go through the Empire, and almost no one makes it to the other side. The words were poignant and direct, if not without the unmistakable flare of the Empire.

As Jafaar al-Sultan prepared for his title defense his manager Dominic Golden came down to ringside to introduce his newest client, Landon Jackson. Jackson, al-Sultan, and Ronnie Reynolds now make up a great stable of workers for Golden to tout. Though the crowd didn’t seem to appreciate Jackson’s harsh words, there is no denying the impact the three could have under Golden’s tutelage.

In perhaps the most anticipated match of the night The Amazon Invasion and the British Empire tangled in a No Limits Rules Tornado Tag Match. Before the bell could even ring all four men began beating each other senseless. The Empire wanted to make this match a vicious battle while the Amazonian Invasion tried to ground this into a technical battle.

For a bit it appeared that the Brazilians would dominate. Gustavo Gusmao showed his prowess by suplexing Damien Wolfe in impressive fashion. Espirito do Animal showed his prowess by delivering a leaping leg drop and a top rope body splash. Both men seemed in complete control, much to the delight of those in attendance.

The Empire finally wrestled control away from the Amazonian Invasion, showing great teamwork and an impressive display of power. Their knowledge of the technical side of the game also proved useful, but their upward mobility was thwarted by the insane power of the ‘Great Gorilla’ Gustavo Gusmao. Gusmao countered an attempted double vertical suplex by suplex his would be assailants all by himself.

When things seemed the bleakest for the Empire they showed why they are the best in the game. Legal under No Limits Rules, Damien Wolfe grabbed a steel chair and began wielding it like a man possessed. But before he could connect the chair was stolen by Espirito do Animal. Fortunatly for Wolfe Mr. Nice Guy steals the chair back and levels the masked Espirito do Animal with the formed steel.

After a bit of chaos that saw Damien Wolfe dominate Espirito do Animal on the outside of the ring and Gustavo Gusmao dominate Mr. Nice Guy inside the ring, the ‘Great Gorilla’ delivered a devastating falling slam on top of the steel chair. Unfortunately for the Empire Wolfe wasn’t quick enough with the save and the Amazonian Invasion emerged with the three count for the win. A disappointed Wolfe looked over his comrade as the Amazonian Invasion celebrated on the ramp. This feud is only beginning and it looks to be a hot one!

Backstage Dominic Golden looked to secure an advantage for Jafaar al-Sultan. He led his newest clients to the locker room of John ‘The Brand’ Brandenburg, and the three obviously had evil intent. Fortunately for ‘The Brand’ Commissioner Jack Dobbs is always one step ahead of his former colleague. Dobbs was waiting in Brandenburg’s locker room and he punished al-Sultan for Golden’s transgressions, or attempted transgressions as it was. Flexing his power Dobbs turned al-Sultan and Brandenburg’s match into a submission match. And to add insult he proclaimed that any interference on Golden’s part would result in the immediate disqualification and loss of al-Sultan’s title. A stunned Golden was indignant, but it mattered not, the Commissioner had spoken.

A bitter Damien Wolfe tried to interrupt another Brandy Swinson interview as she stood near Malcom ‘The Escape Artist’ Valenzuela. After beating down Valenzuela, Wolfe was chased off by El Omega 23 and Diego San Martin.

After the assault we see RPW Heavyweight Champion Ian Jones resting comfortably in his locker room. Sir Charles Strickland enters and warns Jones of his perceived Dobbs plan. Cautioning the champion that he feels he is walking into a Dobbs trap. Undeterred Jones agrees to think about enlisting a fellow Brits help.

Just before his Iron Man Title challenge against Jafaar al-Sultan, John Brandenburg tells Brandy Swinson that he is supremely confident in his talents, more so now that this match is a Submission match.

The crowd was hot for this match almost from the get go. It was easy to see why as the two technical masters traded holds back and forth through the early part of the match. With the added stipulation of only two potential rope breaks every submission attempt carried more weight.

Brandenburg managed to gain the early advantage by working al-Sultan’s arm over. He cemented the advantage when al-Sultan burned his first rope break following more vicious arm work. Brandenburg continued to prove why he may be the best technical wrestler in RPW, countering a German Suplex with the ‘Black Knight’s Brand. Brandenburg held the backstabber, locking a chin lock for good measure. This forced al-Sultan to use his last remaining rope break to save his title.

Al-Sultan finally gained a bit of the advantage back, even going so far as to lock in the ‘Siganture Brand’. It seemed Brandenburg’s technical acumen would be too much to overcome however, as he managed to reverse the hold. Al-Sultan managed another rally and bloodied Brandenburg with some vicious elbows.

Undeterred the match wore on. As both men were seemingly a strike away from unconsciousness it was al-Sultan who seemed to be at the advantage. He set up his opponent for the Asp Strike, but Brandenburg countered, hooking in a front face lock. Brandenburg then hoped onto the apron and locked in a modified ‘Signature Brand’. Modified because al-Sultan’s throat was draped over the top rope. With no official rope breaks left and al-Sultan rendered unconscious referee Carlos Perez had no recourse but to call for the bell.

With al-Sultan never actually tapping and Brandenburg locking in what would otherwise have been an illegal move, the crowd was left wondering the outcome of the match. After a short conference with Referee Perez, Ducky Smith had the pleasure of announcing a NEW RPW IRON MAN CHAMPION! The crowd erupted as Brandenburg’s hand was raised in triumph.

Brandenburg’s victory celebration was short lived as Dominic Golden, Ronnie Reynolds, and Landon Jackson attack the new champion from behind. A vicious chair shot and a vintage Dominic Golden pile driver leave Brandenburg helpless. When all seemed lost the lights in the building go out. A bazaar video flashes around the arena until finally one word appears on the screen. ENIGMA. The members of the newly minted stable 1% are left in befuddlement and Brandenburg is saved from a further beating by this video.

Back from commercial break we were left scratching our heads, but we were also about to be privy to one of Pro Wrestling’s great displays – the official contract signing for the main event of RPW’s next pay-Per View, Call to Arms! In the ring Jack Dobbs announces that the PPV would be held in this very arena in Phoenix, Arizona; a fitting symbol of Revival Pro Wrestling.

Sir Charles Strickland interjects and proceeds to berate Dobbs for not introducing RPW to London, England despite the plethora of British talent on the roster. After Jones finally agreed to let Strickland handle his affairs, Jones opponent Aron Scythe came down to the ring and let Jones know that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He told Jones that all of the actions the Empire has taken to ensure Jones keeps the strap have been worthless because he is letting ‘the business’ down. He is burning bridges and not representing RPW with the honor of a true champion. Sycthe signs the contract to a huge ovation, and now it’s the champ’s turn.

Before Ian Jones signs the contract his new council Sir Charles Strickland informs him of something. An irate Ian Jones shreds the contract. Jones is unhappy with the terms, a no-rematch clause, and all members of the Empire are barred from ringside. Strickland and Dobbs engage in a tête-à-tête. Dobbs offers to have the next PPV in England if Jones signs the contract as is. Strickland counters with resetting the current contract to allow a rematch and allow the Empire at ringside, and in exchange both Dobbs and Strickland choose a wrestler to represent their interests in the a match.
Jones and Sycthe, Dobbs and Strickland, The Empire and The Amazonian Invasion, 1% and the entire RPW Roster…things are boiling over and I for one can’t wait till the Pay-Per View in June!

How low can you go? WWE Over the Limit shaping up to be a pay-per-view disaster

2012-05-16T18:30:14Z

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will hold yet another pay-per-view (PPV) this coming Sunday night (May 20, 2012) when they invade the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Over the Limit.

And all signs point to the show being an unmitigated disaster.

Monday Night Raw's go-home show recorded the second lowest rating of the year, though many would argue that has nothing to do with anything and is not indicative of how well a show will sell on PPV. I'll never understand the dismissal of key business indicators, especially when those in power with WWE use them to make decisions on the product delivered to us each week. Remember Alberto Del Rio's short lived title reign that ended prematurely when he jobbed the title to John Cena at Hell in a Cell last year? There's a reason they did that and it's not because it made sense for the storyline.

Poor ratings aren't even the biggest reason Over the Limit looks poised to fail miserably once the buyrate comes in. Though that does show a general disinterest in the promotion, consensus opinion from reading reports and stalking social media sites shows downright rebellion. Fans aren't just disinterested in the product, they're literally pissed off at how bad it's been lately.

Take the closing segment from Raw this week for example. John Cena turned in the most laughable (at you, not with you) performance of his career, spending nearly 15 minutes calling John Laurinaitis a loser in the silliest Ace Ventura-esque voices he could muster. Laurinaitis, in turn, called Cena a loser and the fans losers for liking him.

Essentially, WWE wants us all to know we're losers for liking their product. And, sadly, that's how everyone felt after watching that segment. And that entire show for that matter.

Thanks to an angle shot earlier in the evening with Big Show, it would seem the main event match at Over the Limit would now have a rather predictable ending. Once stipulations were added, it all but confirmed it. With a match like this, between a guy who hasn't worked a match in god knows how long against a guy who has headlined a million WrestleManias and can still barely work a match, the unpredictability of the finish was all it had going for it. Now? There's absolutely no reason to tune in.

The rest of the card isn't much better. CM Punk will defend his WWE championship against Daniel Bryan, which should be a fantastic match if for no other reason than the two men involved. But there's been no build for it, no hot angle to drive interest in viewers. They were just sort of thrown together, as though the Creative team had no clue what to do with either guy at present time so they booked a lazy Beat The Clock Challenge for a Raw and had Bryan win to earn a shot at the belt before booking meaningless tag team matches up until the singles match.

The complete lack of attention paid to two of the most talented guys in the industry today has been almost criminal. What's sad is there were a great number of fans who had been pushing for this feud. WWE gave it to them and then underwhelmed so very much that all enthusiasm has disappeared.

The world heavyweight championship is a secondary title, therefore requiring twice the attention to get it over as something worth paying money to see. That hasn't happened here. In fact, the powers lacked so much confidence in Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio drawing money, they added Chris Jericho and Randy Orton into the mix. But every match on every Raw and Smackdown show involving any of them has ended in a smoz and brawl that has done little to drum up interest.

There's a pattern here that spells disaster for WWE.

Perhaps it's the post-WrestleMania lull. After all, May has never been a traditionally strong month for PPV and Over the Limit is an ultimate "B-show." But this feels like a show that could fail to crack the 100,000 buys mark domestically. And fans can turn a blind eye to the business side of pro wrestling all they want but that would be an absolute catastrophe for WWE.

Are you buying this event, Cagesiders?

TNA Impact spoilers for May 24, 2012, featuring Bobby Roode vs AJ Styles

2012-05-16T17:00:31Z

Bobby Roode still has a stranglehold on the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

This week on Impact, a series of four matches will help determine who will challenge him on next week's (May 24) installment.

And seeing as how it's an Open Fight Night, we'll also get plenty of other surprises.

Austin Aries takes on Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and NWA Hollywood stalwart Joey Ryan while the Knockouts Tag Team and TV titles are defended. ODB and Eric Young takes on former champs Gail Kim and Madison Rayne while Devon goes one on one with Garett Bischoff.

All this and much more!

Full credit goes ProWrestling.net for the spoilers.

Check them out after the jump.

Gail Kim and Madison Rayne ~~regained the TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles by~~ defeating ODB and Eric Young.

Per Open Fight Night rules, Rob Van Dam calls out Gunner and defeats him with the Five Star Frog Splash.

Garett Bischoff challenges Devon for the TV title but the match ends in a No Contest when some dudes run in and attack them. The two are able to chase the mystery men off, though.

Austin Aries defeats Joey Ryan (!!!) to retain the X-Division title.

Bully Ray calls out Joseph Park. Abyss' little brother gauges fan reaction to determine Ray's guilt. And of course, the best rulebreaker in TNA is booed almost out of the building. Ray ends up laying Park out and shouting "not guilty" over his body.

Apparently, last week's series of matches wasn't for entry into a four-way match. Apparently, the winners only won the opportunity to get the chance to wrestle TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode. That is, of course, is Hulk Hogan, selects them. What? You know what, nevermind.

Hogan selected AJ Styles who ends up losing to Roode.
The champ has a party to celebrate having the longest reign but Hogan interrupts it. Lights go out and Sting comes out, chasing Roode out.

Hogan announces the new start time for Impact (8 ET/7 CT) and says the first show will be headlined by Roode and Sting in a lumberjack match.

WWE Smackdown spoilers for May 18, 2012, featuring World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs Randy Orton

2012-05-16T15:30:17Z

This Monday's Raw was a big waste of time but maybe Smackdown might lead us into Sunday's (May 20) Over the Limit show on the right foot?

They already announced Sheamus taking on Randy Orton so that's a good sign. Plus Damien Sandow makes another appearance which is also a plus.

What else can you expect?

CM Punk opens his big mouth to John Laurinaitis and has to take on Kane as a result. The tag team champs see action as do Santino and Cody Rhodes, who end up taking on each other.

Aside from Layla, every single champion appears in action on Friday's (May 18) installment of Smackdown.
Normally, I wouldn't care if we didn't see the Divas champ but good gravy, is Layla easy on the eyes.

Full spoilers -- courtesy of ProWrestling.net -- after the jump.

WWE Champion CM Punk kicks off the show by talking about how glad he is John Laurinaitis will be gone after he loses to John Cena at Over the Limit. He wants to be the first to wish the General Manager the best in his future endeavors. Laurinaitis responds by booking the champ against Kane later on in the show.

Tag team champs R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeat Titus O'Neil and Darren Young.

Backstage, Zack Ryder is in the middle of filming his YouTube show no one cares about anymore when Damien Sandow walks past. Sandow makes his way to the ring and says Yoshi Tatsu isn't worthy of facing him. Tatsu calls his opponent a chicken so Sandow nails him with a chickenwing neckbreaker.

Sheamus and Randy Orton cut a promo on each other, hyping up the four-way World Heavyweight Championship match on Sunday.

Daniel Bryan squashes Ryder.

Kane defeats Punk by disqualification. Bryan was providing commentary and went to hit his Over the Limit opponent with a chair but instead hit Kane. He absconded up the ramp and Kane, thinking Punk had hit him, began laying into him.

Santino defeats Cody Rhodes. Hmmm, maybe they are going to unify the titles?

And in the maaaaain event, Sheamus beats Orton after countering an RKO with a schoolboy roll-up. They shook hands after the match but "Apex Predator" gonna "Apex Predator" and the champ eats an RKO anyway.

On This Date in WWE History: Eddie Guerrero destroys the Muta Scale at Judgment Day 2004

2012-05-16T14:01:07Z

Back in 1992, The Great Muta took on Hiroshi Hase at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show and after getting cracked across the dome with a metal tool, gave birth to the Muta Scale.

The Muta Scale measures amount of blood loss. Say, a wrestler eats a chair shot to the skull and gets a nice amount of color. That might be a .5 on the Muta Scale.

Even in all my days of watching Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and all manner of deathmatches from Japan, I had never seen a match where someone replicated -- hitting a 1.0 -- Muta's blood loss.

That is, not until WWE Judgment Day 2004.

Eddie Guerrero took a direct chairshot -- ugh -- from John Bradshaw Layfield not only hits the fabled score but downright sets it on fire and rebuilds it in his own image.

To this day, I now use Eddie Scale rather than Muta.

Check out the bloody good time after the jump.

UFC on Fuel TV 3: Results and thoughts from last night (May 15) in Virginia

2012-05-16T12:00:21Z

UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" went down last night (Tues., May 15, 2012) at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. In the main event, Dustin Poirier battled featherweight veteran Chan Sung Jung. Former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner and UFC mainstay Amir Sadollah took on Jorge Lopez in the co-main. Without a doubt the event lacked in star power but, for the most part, delivered in action.

Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung

Watch this fight. I don't care what you're doing right now, find a way to watch it. Heading into this fight, it seemed ridiculous that this match would have any immediate impact on either fighter's career, but both of them proved me wrong. Despite having two of the most impressive victories of 2011, "The Korean Zombie" looked to have slipped past most people's radar going in to this fight. He exceeded all expectations by dominating Dustin "Diamond" from bell to bell. Poirier found some success throughout the fight by landing hard straight punches, but Sung Jung blasted through that with knees and takedowns. He capped it off by rocking Poirier in the fourth round with a flying knee and finishing the fight with a slick Brabo choke. Chan Sung Jung by submission in round four.

Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah

This fight was the worst co-main event in UFC history. Go ahead, bring up Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle. At leat that fight had an impressive first round win by the former. This fight had no such redeeming qualities. Sadollah is a middling talent at best and he somehow keeps getting placed on the main card. Lopez tried to make it ugly from the start by pressuring Amir against the fence. If you saw that in the first round, go ahead and skip the rest of the fight. Amir defended well, but inevitably that's the weak point of any Muay Thai based fighter with little power. Many saw the fight going for Lopez, but the result was Sadollah by split decision.

Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens

Depite the loss to Nate Diaz, Cerrone had one of the best years in fighting MMA has every seen. He went on a four-fight win streak capped off by a decision loss to one of the best fighters in the lightweight division. He didn't leave that fight without a lesson, though. Throughout the fight, Cerrone controlled the distance against Stephens and punished him with kicks and straight punches. Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision.

Jeff Hougland vs. Yves Jabouin

You ever feel bad for Sisyphus? Nope, this is the Internet and we don't have empathy. But that's what this fight felt like to me. Jabouin tried to Hougland that he should stop when he dropped him in the first round with a spinning back kick to the body. Hougland went to the fetal position and the fight should have been stopped. To his credit, Hougland found the heart to scramble to a defensive position and eventually find his feet. In the long run, that hear isn't going to mean much. Jaboin spent the rest of the fight clowning on Hougland. Yves Jabouin by unanimous decision.

Igor Pokrajac vs. Fabio Maldanado

Facing off in a battle of mid-tier talent, Pokrajac and Maldanado engaged in a grueling fight. Maldonado kept busy with punishing body shots while Pokrajac focused on working the Muay Thai clinch and delivering punches and knees to the head. Pokrajac pulled off an ugly decision as he pushed Maldanado against the fence and beat him as badly as he could. Fabio has nothing to be ashamed of in this match, however, as the decision could have gone either way. Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision.

Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald

Both Lawlor and MacDonald are well known as gritty grapplers. So, as I expected, the match turned into a technical chess match of positional control vs sweeps and submission attempts ... wait, what's that? Lawlor said, "Eff that!" with a beautiful display of takedown defense and a powerful right hand that ended the fight in 50 seconds? Well, I never liked you anyway, Lawlor. Oh yeah, and happy birthday! Lawlor wins by first round knockout.

WWE Raw ratings fall again for Over the Limit go home show on May 14 in Pittsburgh

2012-05-16T06:01:17Z

Ratings for World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) flagship program, Monday Night Raw, may not be nearly as important as they once were but it's never a good sign when the lead-in show to a pay-per-view event registers the second lowest number of the year.

Such was the case with his past Monday night's (May 14, 2012) episode of Raw, which pulled a 2.9 rating and an average of 4.21 million viewers for the two hour broadcast on USA.

The first hour of the show, which featured Triple H's big opening segment with Paul Heyman and a tag match between CM Punk and Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan, averaged 4.09 million viewers while the second hour, which saw John Laurinaitis heavily featured in firing Big Show and getting run down by John Cena, averaged 4.32 million viewers.

We could bring up the stiff competition from the NBA Playoffs, and that would be fair seeing as the Los Angeles Lakers played the Oklahoma City Thunder, but we know the reality of the situation. Raw is generally a mediocre to poor show that is so firmly entrenched in its timeslot with its fanbase that, barring a catastrophic change, will continue to pull around four million viewers on average every week, no matter what.

For complete results and the running live blog from Raw click here, for complete reactions to the show click here, and to listen to Sergio and myself gab about the show on the Cageside Live podcast click here.