Pyro at Mania/Brangelina buys WWE ring/More

During The Undertaker's entrance at Wrestlemania, the pyro malfunction, injuring 40 people.

The following is courtesy of Wrestlezone.com:

Believe it or not, celebrity couple Brad Bitt and Angelina Jolie's new home has a full-sized WWE wrestling ring. "The best part of the house is a separate gym area with a real [World Wrestling Entertainment] ring in it," Building contractor Ron Charles told Life & Style Weekly. Pitt is filming Terrence Malick's Tree of Life in Texas and his home, which he is renting from professional wrestler the Undertaker.

The WWE Hall Of Fame on USA did a good 2.1 cable rating this past Saturday.

Right before the Heat taping, WWE flashed a Cryme Tyme graphic on the HD set, spoiling
Cryme Tyme's return.

Former WCW wrestler Hardbody Harrison was sentenced to life in prison on sex trafficking and forced labor charges.

Floyd Mayweather was spotted taking pictures and interacting with fans outside WWE’s hotel in Orlando yesterday afternoon and into the evening. He came out around 4:00 PM and told fans that he had just woken up which isn’t a surprise since he’s known as a night owl. He smiled for all the pictures and was said to be very respectful and approachable when dealing with fans. While Floyd was posing for pictures one of his bodyguards sold a Floyd Mayweather Jr. hoodie for $250 to a guy from Australia.

The chinchilla outfit that Floyd wore to the ring for his WrestleMania 24 match against Big Show reportedly cost between $25,000 and $30,000.

News

Candice Michelle will not compete at Wrestlemania tonight. She is being replaced by Ashley.

There is a 50% chance of rain in Orlando tonight. This could affect Wrestlemania, because the PPV is outdoors.

The following is courtesy of Wrestlezone.com:

WrestlingObserver.com also reports that all wrestlers from Smackdown and ECW were informed yesterday that they are required to appear at Monday's RAW. This didn't sit well with some of the Smackdown and ECW wrestlers who were hoping to have a day off in Orlando on Monday.

There is some speculation that WWE may announce the details for this year's Draft Lottery on RAW. The rumored date for the draft is April 21, the next time WWE RAW is a 3-hour show.

As noted earlier, MVP & Maria appeared on the "Best Damn Sports Show Period" earlier in the week. Host Charissa Thompson met with MVP & Maria at a ring. MVP tried to give an in-ring wrestling lesson to Thompson, not to mention that he let her hold his WWE U.S. Title. Thompson also played SmackDown vs Raw '08 with both MVP & Maria. If you missed the segment, you can see a video of it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bi0hNcCZ70.

The following is courtesy of Wrestlezone.com:

COVERAGE FROM MVP'S AUTOGRAPH SIGNING:
The first thing I saw when I pulled into the Double Tree Hotel parking lot where MVP was signing autographs was a TNA promotional vehicle. I thought that was odd. I was chatting with someone inside the lobby who mentioned that the vehicle had been circling the parking lot all day. Inside, there was a really cool Wrestlemania merchandise table. Lots of cool things to buy from wristbands to replica belts to personalized jerseys. I went with the Wrestlemania boxing glove keychain for $5.

I ran into "Sign Guy". People were asking him for autographs and taking pictures with him. I've seen him on Youtube before and heard about him but I had no idea how "almost famous" he was. Odd. He seemed like a really cool guy though. I took a picture with him for the hell of it. The line for the MVP autograph session was very long. It took awhile for it to start moving but once it did, it moved quickly. Some dude who works for WWE kept coming out and telling us that the line was "cut-off right here". Lots of people left right at that moment but loyal fans including myself stuck around. That same employee came back out and told us "you guys are standing here for no reason". Nobody left. I made it inside the "lounge" where MVP was signing. He signed my Wrestlemania boxing glove keychain. He seemed like a very polite person. There's not a whole lot to say about him though because the WWE employees were rushing everybody so much. "Keep it moving." I was disappointed in the fact there was no chance for a photo opportunity. Oh well.

Larry King rescheduled/ News on Battle Royal/ Smackdown Spoilers

The WWE superstars will appear on Larry King Live tonight at 9:00, on CNN.

The 24 man Battle Royal will be on WWE.com for free at 6:30, and will not be on the Wrestlemania card. The winner will still get a shot at Chavo, meaning that the title match will probably be 1st. Here are the superstars in the battle royal:

From Raw: Snitsky, Brian Kendrick, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Hardcore Holly, Cody Rhodes, Val Venis, Hacksaw Jim Duggan

From Smackdown: Mark Henry, Chuck Palumbo, The Great Khali, Deuce, Domino, Jesse, Festus, Kane, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore

From ECW: Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, The Miz, Tommy Dreamer, Kofi Kingston

Here are the Smackdown Taping Results: (courtesy of wrestlingnewsworld.com)


Dark Match: Ron Killings def. Kenny Dykstra
Killings received a nice reaction when you consider how long he’s been out of the WWE and instead stuck in TNA purgatory and also AAA. There were plenty of responses to his WHAT’S UP yells. He pins Dykstra with an axe kick.

Smackdown Tapings (Air date 3/28):

Mark Henry def. Kane, Chuck Palumbo, and The Great Khali in a 4 man battle royal
Chavo Guerrero is introduced at the start of the show and does guest commentary. Match itself is rather short. Kane is eliminated first and followed by Chuck Palumbo (both by Khali, I believe.) Henry and Khali trade chops and punches for a bit, then Henry lifts up Khali for a body slam and throws him over the top rope. Henry receives a face pop for his disposing of Khali.
Chavo sneaks into the ring after the match and takes out Henry at the knees. He works on him for a bit before Henry comes back and gives Chavo a bodyslam and splash.

Teddy Long is backstage with Eve, Cherry, and Michelle McCool. He announces that Eve has been eliminated from the Diva competition. Maryse and Victoria show up and start arguing with everyone. Teddy says the only way to settle this is with a ‘Diva Super Soaker/Water Balloon Tag Match’ or whatever the hell he called it. Yikes.

CM Punk def. John Morrison

Jesse, Festus, and Kofi Kingston def. Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, and the Miz

Batista def. Snitsky
After the match, Batista beats the hell out of Snitsky and Batista Bombs him onto a steel chair.

Michelle McCool and Cherry def. Victoria and Maryse w/ Eve as special referee in the ‘Diva Super Soaker/Water Balloon Tag Match’

Chris Jericho def. MVP via DQ

There’s a bit of a delay while the ring crew switches out the mats. MVP comes out while the ring is still being switched and he gets on the mic and works the crowd for a few minutes. He also walks over to the announce table and mouths off and berates Michael Cole. I doubt that will air, however.
This was another enjoyable match. Jericho seems to be finally finding his stride again and MVP’s potential is through the roof. Jericho reverses a Playmaker attempt into the Walls of Jericho and MVP is able to escape and scurry out the ring. He grabs the belts and runs into the ring to get DQ’ed. Jericho ducks the hit and gives MVP the Codebreaker on the US title.

Funeral Ceremony
The ring is set up with full funeral arrangement garb and resembles a wake. The black flowers and wreaths are present, along with a picture of the Undertaker and a podium for Edge to speak. A casket is in the middle of the ring. Edge and his entire posse are present in formal attire. Edge gives a eulogy on the Undertaker, covers his accomplishments, and lists his Wrestlemania opponents. He comments on how that time has now come to an end.
Vickie interrupts and says she has a gift for Edge. It’s a video in the style of a movie preview promoting Edge as a superhero for conquering the Undertaker. When Edge starts a final prayer, the lights go dark and Undertaker’s music and video plays. The casket opens and Taker ambushes Edge. He assaults him in the corner until Edge is able to escape. The tapings end with Taker posing in the middle of the ring.
Note: Someone screwed up during this segment and really exposed the product. When the lights dropped and the music/video started, it seemed to go on longer that what you’d normally expect. One of the producers who had been outside on the corner ring steps for the entire segment then literally jumped onto the apron and banged on the back of the casket in plain sight. He hopped back down and the casket opened. I was just a few feet away from this since I was sitting 3rd row floor on the TV side. All of us in the area looked at each other literally dumbfounded since it was painfully obvious. I understand this type of segment isn’t necessarily ‘believable’ to begin with and it’s nothing that will show on TV, but it kills any type of suspension of disbelief that the crowd needs to have to be fully invested with the product. I can’t possibly believe that’s how it was designed in the first place. It definitely looked amateurish.

Dark Match: Ric Flair, Batista, and the Undertaker def. Edge, the Big Show, and MVP
Post match, the faces are in the ring celebrating for several minutes. Batista grabs the mic and thanks Flair for being a friend and an integral part of his professional and personal life. Flair speaks and thanks Fayetteville for supporting him throughout his career. He says that if this Sunday is truly the end of the line, he’s glad to have performed here one last time. Taker doesn’t speak but embraces Flair and motions to him. All three walk out together to end the show.

Quick News

Source: Wrestlezone.com:

WWE.com has an interview up featuring Rich Christensen of the Speed Channel's "Pinks" show and Tommy Dreamer. During the interview Dreamer admits to suffering a hairline fracture in his leg and continuing to wrestle on it because he didn't realize that he was injured.

CNN has a video now online of Vince McMahon and Larry King squaring off in a match in an animated video courtesy of the WWE Raw vs. SmackDown 2008 video game. As noted earlier, WWE has been bumped from tonight's episode of Larry King Live. Instead, CNN.com confirms that Larry King will interview "Dr. Laura" about former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's prostitution scandal. Hours later, King announced that he may have the WWE on his show sometime next week.

The Daytona Beach-News Journal continues their coverage of WrestleMania with another Q & A with Jim Ross.

Deuce, Domino, Cherry, and Val Venis will be in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend with the WrestleMania Fan Axxess tour. The festivities will be set up at the Opry Mills Mall Entertainment Court on Saturday and Sunday.

During an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, Kim Kardashian stated she would be appearing at WrestleMania 24 during the BunnyMania Lumberjack Match along with Snoop Dogg.

World Wrestling Entertainment's "Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania" production will be shown in Carmike Cinema theatre chains this weekend. The production will also be released on DVD through Wal-Mart.

The following was issued on ROHwrestling.com: "Forget about the Monday Night Wars, the Thursday Night War is here TONIGHT. ROH and TNA will be going head-to-head on cable TV. ROH "Rising Above" featuring the Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries main event that everyone is calling a match of the year candidate will air tonight at 9pm on iN DEMAND. If you have The DISH Network you can see it today on DISH's All Day Ticket. TNA "Impact!" airs on Spike TV tonight at 9pm featuring Karen Angle's bombshell announcement. Relive the days of the TV wrestling war (well, at least for one night) and compare the products for yourself."

The special extra on the WWE No Way Out 2008 DVD will be the backstage segment where Shawn Michaels congratulates Ric Flair on his victory over Ken Kennedy.

Stacy Keibler is putting all her wrestling memorabilia on sale on eBay. She's selling dresses, skirts, shoes, boots lingerie and bikinis.

Lita was interviewed on radio station Y101 (Richmond, VA) this morning. The hosts kept asking her about her personal life but she was having none of it. When they asked her if she was still dating Edge, she said that even if she was, she wouldn't tell us because she learned her lesson last time. She sounded very uncomfortable and did not want to talk about wrestling at all. When asked about Jeff Hardy's suspension, Lita said that she hadn't heard about it yet but "it sucks". She refused to answer whether Jeff uses drugs. Afterwards, the hosts ragged on her and said she was a bad interview guest.

From what I understand, Jeff Hardy is now in rehab. The word we are getting is that Hardy was denying he had a problem and was rejecting the idea of going to rehab. Apparently Hardy has been having a drinking problem. This is just what I (Ryan Clark) have heard and I'll keep you posted as I get more. I was hesitant to post this so take it for what it's worth.

PhillyBurbs.com has an interview up with WWE Diva Melina. When asked whether she was surprised when Batista went public about their relationship, Melina said, "Kind of yes and kind of no. Like, I was surprised to see it but knowing him, he wears his heart, he'll tell people how he feels. He doesn't hide anything, and he didn't say as much as he would have said, and for reasons I guess? But in his way, he put the most important people in his life in that book, and that's his way of saying that I'm an important person in his life."

Regarding the Georgia State Senate passing Senate Bill 413 (that dealt with professional wrestling), the bill was amended to keep professional wrestling from the strict state regulations. The bill largely focuses on regulating mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting in the state as they will be regulated by the Georgia Boxing Commission. There was a separate section added to the bill for professional wrestling.
The only thing that Senate Bill 413 will require out of professional wrestling events in the state of Georgia is that all wrestlers and promoters must have a license to work. Wrestlers will not be subject physicals and drug tests or fall under the strict regulations that MMA and boxing will be subject too.

ECW Diva Lena Yada is apparently injured. There's a picture circulating online in which she is seen wearing a cast on her right arm.

Five wrestlers from Ohio Valley Wrestling debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling at Tuesday's show. Justin LaRouche lost to Gabe Tuft, Shawn Spears (from OVW) & Johnny Curtis beat Sinn Bowdee & Kafu, Charles Evans beat Sheamus, Mighty Mikey & Colt Cabana (from OVW) beat Heath Miller & Jack Gabriel, & Milena Roucka teamed up with Nicole Bella in her FCW debut, losing to Nattie Neidhart & Victoria Crawford.

Triple H and Shane McMahon will be guest speakers at Friday’s ceremony to honor Vince McMahon with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will take place in Hollywood, California at 11:30 AM Pacific Time.

Updated WRESTLEMANIA 24 card/ Smackdown spoilers

Here are the Spoilers for Friday's Smackdown (courtesy of wrestlezone.com):

We are told that they accidentally turned the ring over while changing out the ECW stuff for SmackDown's setup. Tony Chimel and referees were said to be responsible. I was told it was hilarious. - There are two rows of tires in the center of the ring. - We are told that there is something that looks like potato sacks at ringside. Jonathan Coachman and Michael Cole are now at their positions ringside. WWE SmackDown (Air date 3/14):

The show opens with the Divas Swimsuit competition. Eve Torres, Cherry, Maryse, Victoria, and Michelle McCool are all featured. Maryse is voted off by the fans through their text messages. Michelle McCool wins an obstacle course with the remaining WWE divas. The obstacle course was said to be extremely dumb as the divas had to run through the tires in the ring, complete a potato sack race, and jump a small wall.

A Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels promo

WWE shows a promo for tonight's match between Batista and MVP for the U.S. Championship in a no holds barred match.

Big Show d. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore in a handicap match. Big Show pinned Shannon Moore. After the match Big Show tossed Wang out of the ring.

It is announced that WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz will face off against one another in a WrestleMania Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier.

John Morrison d. The Miz in a Money in the Bank ladder qualifying match for WrestleMania. I was told the crowd was not too involved during the match. It should also be noted that Jeff Hardy's picture was removed from the MITB graphic.

United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter d. Batisa in a No Holds Barred match to retain the title. This match was given significant amount of time. There was a lot of chairs used throughout. MVP was able to get the pin after Umaga came out and hit Batista with a Samoan Spike.

Chuck Palumbo & The Great Khali d. Kane & Jamie Noble Khali pinned Noble after a chokeslam to get the win for him and Palumbo.

Edge, Zack Ryder, curt Hawkins, & Chavo Guerrero d. Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels in a steel cage match. Flair gets a monster pop from the live Chicago crowd. Vickie Guerrero comes out and says that ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero will join Edge, Ryder, and Hawkins and the match will be 4-on-2. Michaels got caught in the rope for several minutes as all six men are in the cage. Flair is busted open early in the match. Michaels and Flair both locked Figure Four leglocks on Edge and CM Punk at the same time, which I was told was a very cool spot. Eventually the lights went out and the Undertaker appeared. He cleans up but Edge is able to escape for the win. Undertaker points up to the WrestleMania sign.

Vickie Guerrero re-appears and says now it's Big Show vs. Undertaker. This could be a dark match forthcoming. (6) Undertaker d. World Heavyweight Champion Edge. It started as Big Show vs. Undertaker. Big Show was dominating early but left the ring when Edge came out and instructed Big Show to leave. Undertaker ended up hitting a Tombstone on Edge to get the victory.

Jeff Hardy has been suspended at won't be appearing in Wrestlemania's Money in the Bank match. Here is the updated Wrestlemania card:

Triple Threat match for the WWE title:
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H

World Heavyweight title match:
Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather

Batista vs. Umaga

Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Confirmed thus far: Ken Kennedy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. MVP vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Lumberjill match:
Maria and Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina

Belfast Brawl:
Finlay vs. JBL

Raw/SmackDown/ECW 24-Man Battle Royal - Winner gets a ECW Championship shot later that night against Chavo Guerrero

ECW Championship match:
Chavo Guerrero vs. The winner of the #1 contender's battle royal

Mr.Kennedy lands Movie Role!/Lashley Update/

This just in. Ken Kennedy (Mr.Kennedy) will be appearing in the new movie "Behind Enemy Lines 3". He got the role through the WWE.

As most of us know, Bobby Lashley quit the WWE a few months ago. He is now training for MMA. He is not allowed to perform for any other wrestling show but WWE until May 10th, so don't expect to see him in UFC until sometime in the late spring.

Smackdown is moving to MyNetworkTv in the fall. The show will still be broadcast in HD.

With Wrestlemania approaching, the WWE is holding a few Live Events this weekend. If you go to any of these, comment the results or email me at roadkill25@gmail.com :

RAW LIVE EVENTS:
SATURDAY NIGHT: Alliant energy center, Madison, Wisconsin
Being advertised: Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Umaga, Chris Jericho, and JBL are all scheduled to appear.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Resch center, Greenbay, Wisconsin
Advertised: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton, DX vs. Umaga and Snitsky, Chris Jericho vs. Mr.Kennedy. JBL, Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Santino Marrella, and Hardcore Holly are scheduled to appear.

SMACKDOWN/ECW LIVE EVENTS:
SATURDAY NIGHT: Kulf sports center, University of Wisconsin-OshKosh
Advertised: CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, MVP, Matt Hardy, Hornswoggle, Mark Henry, Chuck Palumbo, Kofi Kngston, Jesse and Festus, and many more are scheduled to appear. The main event will be Edge and The Big Show vs. Kane and Batista.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Five Flags center, Dubuque, Iowa
Advertised: Edge, Batista, Kane, MVP, and Matt Hardy are scheduled to appear.

John Cena will not be at the house shows because he is filming his new movie "12 Rounds" in New Orleans.