The big news this weekend in rasslin' news outside WWE and TNA is of course, CHIKARA's second ever internet pay-per-view (iPPV) Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur going down tomorrow (June 2) at 7pm ET.

And you know -- YOU KNOW -- Cageside will be here providing blow by blow action but for only $15 bucks -- or a fourth of the cost of a WWE show -- you can catch the action live thanks to our friends at GFL.tv. So ORDER ORDER ORDER.

The card looks to be one of the best CHIKARA has ever put together and on paper, looks to be a candidate for the Show of the Year Award coming January 2013.

Assuming The Batiri haven't destroyed the world by then.

Check out full lineup, videos, the whole shebangabang -- as well as the latest from Ring of Honor (ROH), DragonGate USA (DGUSA)/EVOLVE, Beyond Wrestling, and Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW) after the freakin' jump.

WRESTLING~!

Continue reading this post »

Hoo boy, you better believe I'm excited about this one.

It was revealed last night through various sources -- first time by myself on Florida Championship (FCW) announcer Chris Russo's Twitter account -- that the six-month long feud between William Regal and Dean Ambrose will come to an end during the promotion's final TV tapings next week on June 7.

The rivalry began when Ambrose attacked the Briton who was regularly providing commentary for the FCW television show. They collided inside the squared circle on the episode which aired November 6 in an excellent match which Regal won.

Since then, Ambrose has been utterly obsessed with getting a rematch against the former Lord Steven and has even added the Regal Stretch to his repertoire, often slapping it onto his opponent while glaring at Regal in the announcing booth.

Well, since FCW is going the way of the dinosaur, the officials behind the scenes decided to go out with a bang and allow the two to hash it out one more time.

This is absolutely great news and is exactly the sort of match which should get the buzz -- which has already been building -- for Ambrose to a fever pitch.

My only complaint is I'll have to wait a month or so until it airs to watch it.

Then again, how much is a plane ticket to Tampa nowadays?

Check out their first encounter after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

If you watched last night's live edition of Impact Wrestling, you were either getting paid to do so -- like my Cageside colleague Geno Mrosko -- or simply a glutton for punishment.

It simply was not good.

But there was one interesting tidbit to come out of the show. TNA President Dixie Carter announced the formation of their own Hall of Fame and the first inductee will be named at this month's (June 10) Slammiversary event, live from Arlington, Tx.

Now, the WWE Hall of Fame is a bit of a sham, let's not kid ourselves. Pettiness and hurt feelings keep some of the most deserving wrestlers -- "Macho Man" Randy Savage -- out. Still though, WWE had been around for around three decades before starting the honor by inducting Andre the Giant, a worthy nominee if there ever was one.

TNA has only been around for 10 years. Regardless, they're going forward with their plan to induct someone in nine days time.

But who will get the nod?

I discuss the likely candidates after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

During his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tenure, Martin Kampmann has come short four time inside the Octagon.

Of those four losses, three of the men who beat him would go on or had challenged for a world title.

It's safe to say on the off-chance "The Hitman" loses, it will be only to the best.

He started his career off at 185-pounds and found great success, losing only once until Nate Marquardt essentially Killer Instinct'ed the Denmark native to welterweight.

Since then, he's gone 6-3, with two of the loses coming by way of questionable judges' decisions.

Tonight, he finds himself stacked up against Jake Ellenberger in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale in a bout which may very well determine who takes on Welterweight Interim Champion Carlos Condit.

The Omaha-born wrestler finds himself in the headlining bout after stopping Jake Shields in less than a minute and outlasting Diego Sanchez for three rounds.

Kampmann is there thanks to wins over Rick Story and Thiago Alves.

Before the two collide, let's take a look at "The Hitman's" victory over Drew McFedries back in 2007 at UFC 68, a forgotten classic comeback the Dane unleashed on his opponent.

Let's go.

Continue reading this post »

They are sure putting Christian to work, aren't they?

Since he returned at Over the Limit in a battle royale to determine the number one contender to either the United States or Intercontinental title, he's had no less than 57 matches.

Okay, my math may be a bit off but he's wrestled A LOT.

And today's installment of Superstars is no exception as he takes on Drew McIntyre in a non-title about.

The regular Superstars fodder is present as Jinder Mahal takes on Yoshi Tatsu, Tensai collides with "I Love Walls" Alex Riley and Beth Phoenix meets up with Alicia Fox.

Check it out, Cagesiders.

During The Wrestling Observer's Wednesday update, they included a small blurb concerning former Ring of Honor (ROH) World Champion and future Best of the Best 2012 main eventer Davey Richards.

The former American Wolf sat down with Inside Wrestling Magazine -- a new member of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated family -- and discussed his future in the sport we know and love.

Here's what The Observer gleaned from the upcoming interview:

Davey Richards ... said he was going to retire in 2013. He said something would have to go drastically wrong in his life for him to be wrestling in 2014.

Richards had promised to retire from the sport once already, back in 2010, to spend more time with his then-wife. As you can probably tell by the qualifier, Richards and his wife split which also led him to rescind his plans to quit wrestling.

Wrestling through next year would give Richards nearly a decade of time inside the squared circle under his belt. It may not seem like a long time considering Hulk Hogan is nearing 145-years of age and was in the ring as early as last year. But nearly 10 years of bumps and bruises, breaks and fractures build up and wrestling the style Richards has can only exacerbate the situation.

He isn't compared to Dynamite Kid for looks alone, after all.

Perhaps he wants to be able to walk away -- both literally and figuratively -- from the business on his own terms. Maybe he wants to try his hand at mixed martial arts (MMA) in earnest, something a lot of wrestling fans feel he's been doing anyway in ROH.

Of course, this all may be an angle considering his title shot against the newly crowned Kevin Steen at Best in the World 2012 is purported to be his last. But this doesn't seem to be the case. For one, the timeline is all wrong. If this was storyline-based, I would expect a "I'll retire if I don't win the belt" ultimatum.

But next year?

Love him or hate him but it looks like Davey Richards will be gone in 18 months.

If you can't get enough of my voice, check this out.

Apparently, SBN won't allow the Spreaker player to embed in FanPost/Shots so the link will have to do.

NASHVILLE, TN (May 30, 2012) - TNA IMPACT WRESTLING announced today that the highly-rated weekly series will be making changes to its programming to include a hybrid of reality and explosive action each Thursday, live on SPIKE TV at 8:00pm/ ET. The reality elements and production technique represent the most significant evolution in this genre in more than 15 years.

"We took a step back to look at our product with fresh eyes," says TNA IMPACT WRESTLING President Dixie Carter. "People watch TV differently today than before, and the wrestling format itself has become stale. What happens backstage, in the office and on the road is so entertaining that we decided it was time to pull the curtain way back and give viewers a peek at that world as well. Over the next few weeks and months, viewers will continue to see our show evolve as we expose more real aspects of our business that have always been sacred," she continued.

This announcement is a key component in the continued growth of the TNA IMPACT WRESTLING brand that is bringing game-changing programming to the world of professional wrestling. Cameras will be everywhere. Meetings will be shot in real time and unscripted as we capture moments; not produced segments. Access to conversations and vantage points that have never been seen before, such as production meetings, talent evaluations and post match critiques, will be revealed. Combined with an emphasis on story structure, long term character and story development, these changes will help IMPACT WRESTLING pioneer the next generation of wrestling entertainment programming.

Going live allows IMPACT WRESTLING a deeper connection with our audience via social media. Starting with the May 31st broadcast, IMPACT WRESTLING will be the most socially interactive television program in the history of professional wrestling. Viewers will have a variety of unique opportunities to participate and influence certain elements of the program through various social media platforms. Also, backstage will take center stage, as fans will have access to live interviews being conducted featured on www.impactwrestling.com.

It's been rumored for a couple of weeks now and since it doesn't appear a TNA press release is in our near future, this might be the most official word coming out of Orlando regarding their now former talent.

Alex Shelley's biography and other information has been removed from ImpactWrestling.com, indicating he is, in fact, done with the company as the scuttlebutt over the past few weeks have claimed.

Further whispers say he's on his way up north to Stamford and is relatively close to signing a deal with WWE.

I have mixed feelings about this.

One, I was never a huge fan of Shelley up until Murder City -- PG rating, be damned! -- Machine Guns, his tandem with Chris Sabin. When Sabin fell to injury and sat on the shelf for a year, Shelley floated around in the X-Division without purporse until his partner returned.

He did so early last month but with Shelley now gone from TNA, it stands to reason the team is done as well.

Secondly, I'm unsure in what capacity WWE will be using him. If the fabled cruiserweights show does actually come to fruition, I could see Shelley easily making an impact -- no pun intended... ah, sure, why not? -- there but otherwise, he might be filler for Raw's soon-to-happen three hour expansion.

Still though, as reported last week by my Cageside colleague Keith Harris, WWE might hold off on signing the former Machine Gun until any heat from TNA's lawsuit cools down. If so, he might be able to bide his time in his old stomping grounds of Ring of Honor (ROH).

Excited to see Shelley inside a WWE ring, Cagesiders?

Remember when Matt Morgan was going to revolutionize WWE?

Egg on my face!

The monsterweb was host to several mysterious videos leading up to this Monday promising a revolution. Was it a debuting Superstar? Was it the beginning of a huge storyline?

Nah, it's WWE '13!

From the WWEGames YouTube site:

With WWE '13 you can relive the fan-favorite, ground-breaking Attitude Era like never before with WWE LIVE, featuring completely revamped, realistic audio and jaw-dropping Spectacular Moments like ring breaks and barricade crashes. Play as legendary Superstars including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Undertaker and Mankind, or present-day icons like cover Superstar CM Punk, Sheamus and Chris Jericho. The revolution has begun.

The trailer features a lot of WWE property property being destroyed including video game cover poster boy CM Punk -- although I would fork over an extra 10 bucks to GameStop for the variant cover -- elbow dropping Chris Jericho through the ringside table and Mark Henry top rope superplexing The Big Show and destroying the ring in the process.

For more information on the game, including release date, roster and a whole gaggle of other tidbits, click here.

In the summer of 1994, a four-piece punk rock outfit from California by the name of Rancid released their second full-length album entitled Let's Go.

Thanks in part to the huge success shared by contemporaries Green Day and The Offspring around the same time, the album did better than expected and the band saw itself in the middle of a major label bidding war while the video for its single, Salvation, played in heavy rotation on MTV.

You know, back when they played videos, pre-The Situation and 16 and Pregnant days.

In the end, Rancid decided to stay with their indie label home Epitaph and released what many consider to be their magnum opus, ... And Out Come the Wolves.

Accessible yet still wholly Rancid, poppy but with an edge, the album was a snapshot of the year prior for the band; the whirlwind of success threatening to capsize them while they struggled to maintain their punk rock ethos. The album title itself was an indictment of their success and those who sought to capitalize on it. It was around this time the band infamously stated they would never to a major label.

Eight years later, they signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records to distribute their latest album.

The record, Indestructible, was the best-selling since ... Wolves but criticized for its cleaner, poppier sound by some of the band's more tenured fans.

I know you're probably asking yourselves, Cagesiders. What do four punk rockers from California have to do with wrestling?

In the case of CM Punk, just about everything.

Continue reading this post »

Joining the ranks of Triple H, The Undertaker, John Cena, Randy Orton and other WWE heavyweights, CM Punk will be the coverboy for this year's edition of the promotion's long-running annual video game.

The official cover was revealed tonight on Raw and the photo was tweeted from Punk's official Twitter account.

It's official: Punk has arrived, Cagesiders.

What do you think of the cover?

I guarantee you WWE Raw will be terrible tonight -- as most holiday editions are -- but today is still a good day.

Want to know why, Cagesiders?

Because we're only five days away from CHIKARA's second internet pay-per-view (iPPV) offering, Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur.

We will, of course, be providing live play by play Saturday night but you can always join in on the action by ordering the show here.

I'll cover the show more extensively during this week's Under the Radar so for right now, let's enjoy the latest Podcast-A-Go-Go complete with highlights from Dasher Hatfield taking on personal favorite Archibald Peck and trios action between The Batiri and 3.0lé!

Full video after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Last December, after suffering a first round technical knockout (TKO) to Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar retired from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

In his short career, he defeated a Hall of Famer, won the heavyweight championship and became the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw in the history of the company.

Four months later, he was back in WWE, F5ing John Cena out of nowhere and kicking off their rivalry which culminated in a terrific match at Extreme Rules.

Following Lesnar's loss to Cena that night, he attacked WWE COO Triple H. Snapping "The Game's" arm, he hasn't been seen since and his old mouthpiece Paul Heyman showed up at one point to announce his client's resignation and subsequent lawsuit against WWE.

Of course, in the world of professional wrestling, this is all a charade.

So when Lesnar showed up at last night's UFC 146 event and rumors began swirling the former champion was looking to get his old job back, it get me thinking.

Certainly, the two beatings he received at the hands of Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem haven't been forgotten and it's been less than half a year since his retirement. Call me crazy but I doubt Lesnar is aching to step back inside the Octagon.

So what's he doing at a UFC event?

Is this a case of Dana White and his company being used to further a WWE storyline?

Continue reading this post »

Jake Ellenberger had been fighting for nearly five years when he finally got the call from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It's the moment every single person who straps on four ounce gloves hopes to one day see.

However, it wasn't under the most ideal of circumstances. The fight promotion was in a pinch and needed the Omaha native to replace Chris Lytle who was set to take on Carlos Condit but bowed out due to injury. "The Juggernaut" had only a little over a month to prepare for the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Welterweight Champion.

Regardless, when opportunity came knocking on Ellenberger's door, he wasn't going to let the chance to fight for the UFC pass him.

"The Juggernaut" fell short against the now-interim welterweight champ but fought well enough to earn one of the judge's decisions. Beyond that, Ellenberger impressed countless fans who had never even heard of him before that night in Oklahoma City.

But kudos don't pay the bills. A victory inside the Octagon is something else altogether and necessary for any fighter not looking to find a place in an unemployment line.

Ellenberger finally got that win a few months later when he took on veteran Mike Pyle during a preliminary bout at UFC 108. He steps inside the Octagon this Friday (June 1) in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale and he'll be facing off against fellow 170-pound title contender Martin Kampmann.

Before he does, we'll take a look at his bout against Pyle, an impressive victory for "The Juggernaut."

Let's go.

Continue reading this post »

Surprise, surprise.

Triple H was full of crap.

Back in March, The Wrestling Observer reported WWE was going to shut down its developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), and do... well, no one was sure but it was going to change for sure.

"The Game" was quick to issue a denial but less than three months later, here we are with the penultimate tapings for the Tampa-based company.

As my Cageside colleague reported yesterday, FCW's television show has indeed been cancelled despite WWE not having found a TV home for the revamped sixth season of NXT.

The entire thing is confusing and probably not worth thinking too much about but at the very least, we'll be getting six more episodes of FCW goodness, chock full of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Richie Steamboat and all the rest.

Full spoilers for the month of June are after the jump, check them out, Cagesiders.

Continue reading this post »

Last night's (May 26, 2012) UFC 146 event was a whirlwind blur of brutal knockouts and horror movie-levels of blood.

When all was said and done, Stefan Struve, Stipe Miocic, Roy Nelson, Cain Velasquez and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos all came up victorious, each in impressive fashion.

But despite all five men winning, there is a difference in their victories.

Struve securing a quick armbar over Lavar Johnson is not the same as the champion battering Frank Mir for the better part of two rounds. Miocic earning a second round technical knockout (TKO) over the undefeated -- but also untested -- Shane del Rosario isn't on par with Velasquez making a bloody mess of Antonio Silva.

The three winners in the opening bouts may have won but they're not ready for the likes of "Cigano" and Cain, the former champion who will likely challenge the Brazilian by year's end.

So what's to be done with these mid-tier heavyweights?

Continue reading this post »

Everyone loves a rematch.

UFC 52 featured the second bout between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell and that event jump started a boom period the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) still enjoys to this day.

Moving beyond mixed martial arts (MMA), the rematch between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson drew record numbers at the time. Everyone who bought that pay-per-view (PPV) witnessed a grown man biting his opponent's ear off.

Everyone loves a rematch.

Thankfully for the UFC's bottom line, they've got one heck of a rematch ready to be made.

Last night (May 26, 2012) at UFC 146, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez won their respective bouts in dominating fashion. Velasquez made a bloody mess of Antonio Silva and dos Santos battered and bruised Frank Mir en route to a brutal second round knockout.

The UFC Heavyweight Champion dos Santos ripped the title away from Velasquez last November during the promotion's initial broadcast television showing in 64 seconds. A fight ending that quickly might bring up feelings it could have ended either way. A single punch thrown at the exact right moment can significantly alter the ending of a fight.

Lucky or not, the punch lands and the the bout is determined.

Seeing as how decisively both fighters finished their bouts last night, one can't help but wonder if that single punch landed from the opposite fighter might have given fans a completely different ending.

That's exactly why a rematch between the champion and the man he wrested the title away from needs to happen.

Dos Santos/Velasquez II must be booked.

Continue reading this post »

One by one, fights were announced for the UFC 146 card. A preliminary fight here and there, but the meat -- the pay-per-view (PPV) main card -- all turned out to a Heavyweight contest.

The PPV broadcast will hold five bouts where 10 heavyweight fighters will look to advance their rankings in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The main event, a bout between heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir, sees the champion lock horns with a two-time former champion and each are coming off first round stoppages. For the champ, it was a knockout over Cain Velasquez that won him the title, and for Mir, a submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is what led him to this evening's event.

The co-main event is Velasquez himself taking on Antonio Silva. Combined, the two men have nearly 30 fights to their name. And of those bouts, only four times have they involved judges in the outcome.

The two men in the title bout have only gone to a decision a combined five times.

What does all this mean?

If history is any indication, we may be in store for the shortest main card in UFC history.

Continue reading this post »

Is tag team wrestling in the future for Mason Ryan?

Everyone's favorite Batista-look-a-like might soon be getting a slice of home thanks to fellow Welshman Stevie Starr recently signing a developmental deal according to the South Wales Evening Post.

Having been wrestling for a little under five years, Starr -- real name Steve Evans -- was spotted by a talent scout during WWE's visit to London in 2011. A second meeting with officials took place in November and now Vince McMahon and company are pulling the trigger on this young international.

At 6'6" and nearly 260 pounds, it's no surprise why.

Pending a medical exam, Starr can expect to begin his new job in the next month or so when he reports to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) or NXT or Superstar Showdown or whatever the heck WWE is calling their developmental league nowadays.

Check out his Welsh Heavyweight Championship match against Kade Callous from earlier this year after the jump.

Any Cagesiders from across the pond know of his work? Think he's got what it takes to make it?

Continue reading this post »

When it came to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) landing a deal on network television, it was always a matter of "when" it would happen rather than "if."

The day finally came in Aug. 2011 when the world's top mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion announced a landmark deal with Fox, a seven-year partnership which kicked off three months later when Cain Velasquez defended his heavyweight title against the challenge of Junior dos Santos in a one-hour special.

A full fight card was put together that night in Anaheim, Calif., but the Fox broadcast was limited to the heavyweight tilt, a decision that would come back to bite both companies when the fight lasted all of one minute.

The Brazilian knocked out the champion in 64 seconds and became the sixteenth Heavyweight champion the UFC has crowned.

Tonight (May 26, 2012), he defends his title for the first time against Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 146. He was supposed to step inside the Octagon against Alistair Overeem but the man who retired Brock Lesnar was unable to secure a fight license thanks to a positive test for higher than normal testosterone levels.

Mir was removed from the co-main event -- a bout against Velasquez, likely to determine the next challenger -- and stepped in for "The Reem." The Dutch kickerboxer's loss suddenly became the Las Vegas-born Brazilian jiu-jitsu player's gain.

Before dos Santos tangles with the man who broke his mentor's arm, let's take a look at how "Cigano" became champion in the UFC's historic first bout on network television:

Continue reading this post »

Missed WWE Smackdown last night (Fri., May 25, 2012)? Have no fear, Cagesiders, we have you covered!

In addition to the main event -- a triple threat match between everyone's favorite hairless, tanned and oily Superstar Randy Orton, the sadistic monster Kane and luxury car renter Alberto Del Rio to determine the number one contender to Sheamus' World Heavyweight Championship -- you'll also see Christian in non-title action against Hunico as well MAH BOY Damien Sandow taking on Yoshi Tatsu.

A lot more awaits you on this week's edition of Smackdown; that is if you can sit through five minutes of Raw recap videos, of course.

At UFC 92, Frank Mir accomplished what no other fighter on the planet -- including Fedor Emelianenko -- had ever been able to when he stopped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the second round.

Going into the bout, Mir was seen as the massive underdog against one of the best heavyweights the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has produced; however, when the dust settled, the American had his arm raised and secured a rematch with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.

Almost immediately after the fight, rumors began swirling of a staph infection afflicting "Big Nog," putting the Brazilian at a level lower than normally expected and perhaps explaining the reason Mir was able to finish him off.

The former champion put any doubts to rest three years later when the two met inside the Octagon for the second time. At UFC 140, a healthy Nogueira was once again stopped by Mir. Only this time, the Brazilian wasn't felled by a series of punches, but rather a bone-breaking submission (see the carnage, before and after, here and here).

Before Mir challenges Junior Dos Santos for his title tonight at UFC 146, we'll take a look at that bout, a performance that secured the American's place as one of the elite fighters above 205 pounds.

Let's dive in.

Continue reading this post »

Word broke early this morning Chris Jericho was suspended indefinitely by WWE for an incident at a house show in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

During a match with CM Punk, Jericho held up the Brazilian national flag before balling it up and tossing it to the mat. He then kicked the flagged which led to authorities threatening to arrest the WWE Superstar if he didn't apologize.

He did, both in person and in print, but was still reprimanded by WWE.

Thanks to iAmSammoMedia, footage of Jericho's actions towards the flag and his subsequent apology have now hit the monsterweb.

Whew.

To be honest, I haven't watched this particular episode of Raw since it aired in 1999.

It made me cry then and sure enough, it made me cry now.

It seems professional wrestling and death go hand in hand, both partners in a dance macabre that takes so many of our heroes away. It happens so often and to be honest, it's almost always expected to hear of a wrestler dying with some kind of drug, recreational or otherwise, in their system.

But when someone is taken like Owen Hart was, when it wasn't a result of bad choices or succumbing to vices, it cuts deeper.

The night after the Over the Edge pay-per-view (PPV) where Hart tragically passed away, Raw served as a two hour tribute show to WWE's fallen brother. Stories were told, goodbyes were said and a final toast by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was given. In the words of Jim Ross:

"One last toast to our friend Owen Hart. We will never forget you, Owen."

The full video is after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The Great Khali and Ezekiel Jackson main eventing NXT?!

This is not my beautiful house... this is not my beautiful wife!

While WWE figures out what to do with their Full Sail show, it seems NXT: Redemption aka the neverending season of WWE's little show that could will continue to tape prior to Smackdown.

What's on tap?

Jinder Mahal takes on Derrick Bateman, Alicia Fox battles Maxine, Percy Watson and Heath Slater tangle and the aforementioned duo take on the tandem of Johnny Curtis and Drew McIntyre.

Too much Superstars riff raff on this week's installment of NXT for my tastes...

Raw has come and gone -- and wasn't very good -- so now we have Smackdown to look forward to.

What can you expect on Friday?

Well, a number one contender to Sheamus' World Heavyweight Championship is crowned. I'll give you three hints: it's either Randy Orton or Alberto Del Rio and it's not Kane.

After the events at Over the Limit, there seems to be a budding storyling between former Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes and the man who beat him, Christian.

Plus more Santino antics -- because wrestling can't be super serious all the time, right Triple H? -- and of course, a Ryback squash.

Find out exactly what goes down -- courtesy of PWTorch -- after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

I'll never forget that moment.

I signed onto America Online to find out what was going on during the evening's WWE pay-per-view, Over the Edge, and was immediately messaged by an e-fed acquaintance I hadn't spoken to in some months.

"Are you watching the show?," he asked. When I told him I wasn't, he leveled me with the news.

"Owen Hart is dead."

I couldn't believe what I had just read. As I tried to access any number of wrestling news sites, they all seemed to have trouble dealing with the unexpected traffic.

I finally found out what had happened: as the Blue Blazer, Hart was supposed to be lowered down into the ring like a superhero flying in but a harness broke and he freefell nearly 80 feet, crashing into the turnbuckle which would end up being fatal.

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were beside themselves. Jeff Jarrett, a rulebreaker at the time, broke character and told Owen they were praying for him while Debra McMichael couldn't help but break down during the promo.

Vince McMahon was criticized for continuing the show, WWE was sued -- and still is today -- and the already strained relationship between McMahon and the Hart family was dealt another blow.

But beyond all that, wrestling fans lost an enormous talent that night. From everything I've heard and read, his wife Martha and their children lost a loving husband and father. Those who worked with him and cared for him lost a dear friend.

We all miss you, Owen.

After the jump, his cage match against brother Bret at SummerSlam 1994, one of the best matches I've ever seen.

Continue reading this post »

Our friends over at PWTorch have posted the above screen grab from WWE's latest "Revolution" video.

Judging by the looks of it, our advice on last night's (May 21, 2012) Cageside Live to "not get your hopes up" in regards to the web-only videos being Dean Ambrose or a combination of Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) alumni seems pretty sound.

This isn't meant as a slight to Matt Morgan, who the man in the screen grab looks an awful lot like, but he didn't exactly set the WWE Universe on fire the first time around so it puzzles me how he would be one to bring about a revolution.

Morgan's contract with TNA is done, for all intents and purposes, as the promotion has used all the dates he was signed for, so it looks as if a verbal deal, at the very least, has been agreed upon between "The Blueprint" and WWE. If he does, in fact, debut on next week's (May 28) Raw, it can be assumed he'll have put pen to paper between now and then.

Down in Orlando, he was most recently teaming and then later feuding with fellow big man Crimson. The pair won the tag team straps after forming a mutual respect for one another but their partnership soon devolved and they ended up dropping the belts to Samoa Joe and Magnus at this year's Against All Odds.

Since then, the two have gone back and forth until Morgan was attacked by Bully Ray and stretchered away two weeks ago on Impact.

Will he return to WWE on Monday? And will you like it if he does?

UPDATE: According to PWInsider, the viral marketing campaign has to do with a new video game WWE will be debuting, not any kind of wrestler's debut or storyline.

Only revolution I care to see is WWE video games going back to the No Mercy engine.