Another Set Of Results For Today's WWE Live Event In Brisbane: Cesaro Works As A Face

Thanks to WrestlingINC.com reader Keelan Cetinich for sending in these results from the RAW World Tour in Brisbane, Australia:

It was almost a sellout crowd. I usually sit near the ring, but this time I sat near the back and had a great view of the ring!

Zack Ryder def. Heath Slater in a "Let's See Who Can Get More Over Than The Other Match." That's pretty much what it was, the two kept trying to see who could get more cheers. Although, solid start and Ryder won with a Rough Ryder.

Natalya def. Aksana with the Sharpshooter.

The Great Khali def. Jinder Mahal. Khali got a BIG pop!

Dean Ambrose def. The Miz in a People's Choice match to retain the US Title (fans chose a Street Fight). An amazing match considering I've never seen a street fight live. Miz was very over and Ambrose got some mixed reactions. Kendo sticks and chairs were used - solid 20 minute match!

Intermission for 15 minutes.

Curtis Axel (heel) def. Antonio Cesaro (face) to retain the I-C Title in a surprisingly great and lengthy match! Cesaro came out as a heel but turned into a face quickly in the match.

Team Hell No def. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns by DQ. Titles were on the line. Match of the night. At least 25 minutes long too, and Bryan received the pop of the night! A sea of "YES!!" chants in the audience. Dean Ambrose attacked Team Hell No, but they fought back against The Shield. Bryan hit a Chokeslam on Rollins. Bryan got on the mic after and asked the crowd if they he will beat Cena at SummerSlam, and the crowd yelled "Yes!" He then asked if he had a better chokeslam than Kane, and they yelled no. Bryan was mad and tried to chokeslam Kane to prove them wrong, which was funny. They hugged it out after and left.

John Cena def. Ryback in a VERY short Tables Match to retain the WWE Title. Both men were booed. Cena AA'ed Ryback through to win, celebrated and then left.

Biggest Pops:
Daniel Bryan
Kane
The Great Khali
The Miz

Biggest Heat:
Ryback
Heath Slater
Curtis Axel

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WWE RAW Results - Tables Match Main Event, The Wyatt Family Attacks, More

Welcome to our WrestlingINC.com Live RAW Viewing Party. We will be providing live ongoing coverage of tonight's RAW, while you all can chime in with your thoughts throughout the show.

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Keep hitting REFRESH on your browser to get the most up-to-date results.

- Tonight's WWE RAW opens up with a look back at Daniel Bryan and John Cena from last week. We see highlights from the Gauntlet Match.

- We go to the ring and out comes Vince McMahon as Michael Cole welcomes us to RAW. Behind Vince is RAW General Manager Brad Maddox.

Vince gives the mic to Maddox and he apologizes for his boneheaded decision to let John Cena choose his SummerSlam opponent. Vince reminds Maddox that he called Bryan a troll last week. Vince asks Maddox if he knows what a troll is. Vince says Maddox may be onto something. Vince goes on and asks Maddox how he really feels about Bryan. Bryan's music hits and out he comes.

Bryan comes out and talks about respect. He tells Vince he's gave his company everything, every night but Vince hasn't gave him anything. Vince asks Bryan if he respects John Cena. Bryan respects Cena as a human being and as a champion. Bryan respects that Cena chose him for SummerSlam. Vince goes on and says Bryan can't beat Cena or Kane. Vince goes on and mocks Bryan's height, even taking a shot at Cena. Vince doesn't care about Cena or Bryan at SummerSlam and hopes he wins. Bryan says if Cena is lying to him, he will have hell to pay. Bryan says it doesn't matter what Vice thinks, it matters what the fans think. Bryan says the fans want a new champion at SummerSlam and his name is Daniel Bryan. The crowd pops. Bryan asks the fans if they want a new WWE Champion and they start chanting "yes" as Bryan joins in and his music hits. The music hits and out comes The Shield.

The Shield vs. The Usos and Mark Henry

WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose and WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns pose together as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Mark Henry is out with The Usos. Henry dominates Rollins before he makes a tag to Reigns. They face off and go at it with Henry striking first. Henry beats Reigns into the corner and makes a tag to Jey Uso. They keep Reigns down in their corner. Jimmy Uso tags in for some double teaming. He drops a headbutt and covers Reigns for 2. Uso with a headlock now. Reigns backs Uso into the corner and Rollins tags in, beating him down. Ambrose tags in as they keep Uso in the corner.

Uso finally gets a tag and goes at it with Ambrose. Jimmy Uso with a big flying shot and a scoop slam. He tags in Henry. Henry misses a big elbow drop. Ambrose kicks him and starts brawling. Rollins comes back in for some double teaming but Henry fights them off. Henry clotheslines Ambrose and Rollins out of the ring. Reigns comes in but Henry tosses him over the top. The Usos come in and dive out onto The Shield. The Usos and Henry stand tall as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Rollins goes at it with one of the Usos. Reigns comes in and breaks up a pin attempt. Reigns keeps Uso grounded now. Ambrose tags in and keeps the attack up on Uso. Uso finally fights out and hits a jawbreaker. Ambrose runs into the ring post as Uso moves. Henry finally tags in and unloads on Rollins. He knocks Reigns off the apron. Ambrose catches a big running powerslam. Another clothesline for Rollins. Reigns runs in and takes Henry out with a spear. One of the Usos take out Reigns. Jimmy Uso tags in and hits a Superfly splash on Ambrose for 2. A big Samoan Drop on Ambrose now. Uso goes to the top for another splash but Ambrose gets his knees up. Ambrose drops Uso for the win.

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Ahmed Johnson Talks Racism In WWE, Alleges Pat Patterson Traded Promotions For Sexual Favors

Ahmed Johnson joined Inside The Ropes on Thursday to talk about his career, where he also addressed recent claims of racism in the WWF. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

To clarify his recent racism allegations against the WWF: "To become the black champion in history there (WWF), it was so neat. But there was also a dull side to it, I lived in this fantasy land where I thought there was no more racism in the world, then I go out to my car and and someone had scratched 'Congratulations n----r' on my car. I didn't know who did it, nobody would fess up to it. I never found out who did it but you know I thought about it for a while and I asked Vince the question, I asked him why did it take them until 1996 to decide that they'd have a black champion because there was so many great black wrestlers before me like Junkyard Dog and other people. Why didn't he give them the opportunity to be a champion and wear the belt? He got very upset about me asking that question. So that ended up being the end of me in the WWF after that. I didn't want anything to do with him. The word I got from the booker Vince Russo, he told me after this was over and all the smoke had cleared, that they would have meetings about this and Vince and other people said that the American audience wasn't ready for a black champion, which was bulls--t. Every time we went to Germany, Kuwait, India, I was the number one draw over there when we went."

Thoughts on former WWF booker Pat Patterson: "Not so cool. He likes guys you know, I don't have a problem with that, that's cool. But when you start pushing guys based on who has the sexiest ass to you, I have a problem with that. I'm telling you this as a respect point, I'm gonna be honest, he was gay, there's no secret about it. He did do some things that are unmentionable. He made certain wrestlers do certain things to get pushed in certain positions. That was his thing. He was a bully, a gay bully. The casting couch type thing but with males not females."

To hear the rest of the interview where he talks about getting his start in wrestling, thoughts on The Nation gimmick, his heel turn, working with Goldust, The Rock and others, head over to www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.

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Impact Wrestling Review: Hardcore Justice Next To Be On Free TV, Title Match Set

This episode of Impact Wrestling was the second hailing from the Broadbent Arena in Louisville, KY. It was off the heels of the Destination X television special, with Chris Sabin overcoming the odds and becoming the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

Main Event Mafia is now in the Hulk Hogan/Aces and Eights rotation of opening the show, as they once again cut a promo to start the night. The members claim that one of the two missions they are geared to accomplish has been done, that being Bully Ray no longer having the title. This promotes an introduction of Chris Sabin who shows his will to be a fighting champion by issuing a champion vs. champion match on the next Impact Wrestling show. Of course, Bully Ray had something to say about his loss, bringing an attorney to corner TNA to give him his title back to prevent getting sued. Honestly, the best part of this segment was that Bully's attorney looked remarkably like Kevin Nash.

The Ultimate X match to determine the new champion was very good, and Manik was a good choice to have to title. He is the most marketable person to hold that belt right now, and I must say that the TJ Perkins vignette to explain why he is the Manik character was a good way to salvage the damage that came with his identity being revealed. Perkins is a very good wrestler, and it is good that he has a firm spot on the TNA roster.

Mr. Anderson vs. Hernandez was a very subpar match, and the crowd just was not into it. Maybe it was the placing of the match being right after the Ultimate X contest, or it could have been the long hours of taping that drains the live crowd's energy. Regardless of the reason, it just did not deliver, and both wrestlers are capable of putting on an above average match.

Mickie James vs. Gail Kim was decent, but lacked energy from the crowd. Maybe the heel vs. heel bout hurt because it did not give the audience someone to root for, especially since both of them were still acting heelish. Mickie retaining the title was a good idea, because her current persona is the best thing going in the division right now. Good to see ODB back in a wrestler role, because she is clearly the most over babyface Knockout, which was showed by the fan reaction after the match. Hopefully she is on deck for a title shot soon.

Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe was a great match, and it definitely lived up to the hype. There was an interesting stat that was said, being Daniels never defeating Samoa Joe in singles competition in TNA. That was broken with two BMEs, due to Joe being distracted by Mr. Anderson. Good way to keep the dignity of Joe and the Main Event Mafia, losing as a result of interference and kicking out of a finisher.

AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy was also a good match, with Hardy taking a rare tapout loss. Styles need to be built up as much as possible, because although his "No One" gimmick is a good way the freshen his character, it needs to be a bit more polished in order to not get stale. It is already heavily being compared to Sting's 1997 Crow days, so it needs to be more distinguished. Stylesâ€"with this gimmickâ€"should get to the finals of the BFG series, especially since he has not been world champ in nearly four years.

The final segment featuring Chris Sabin, Hulk Hogan, and Bully Ray was lackluster, with the primary focus being to promote another television special. Interestingly enough, it will continue with the normal August PPV name Hardcore Justice, which was also a One Night Only PPV last month. This seems to be the end of Chris Sabin's title run. It is a very slim possibility that he will have it all the way to Bound to Glory, but we may be surprised. We shall see how his title run holds up.

Should Chris Sabin have the title at Bound for Glory? Sound off below.

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Smackdown Recap: Sandow Vs. Orton, Van Dam Vs. Del Rio, Christian Vs. Swagger, More

Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow

They tie up and chain wrestle briefly. Orton gets a back elbow. They tie up again and Sandow gets a hip toss. He keeps Orton's head locked in. Orton gets out and Sandow locks his head back in. Orton gets out. Sandow takes Orton to the corner and strikes him. Orton fights out and clotheslines Sandow in the corner twice. Orton hits a vertical Suplex. He stomps on Sandow's hands. He then kicks Sandow in the face and snap mares him. He tries to drop a knee, but Sandow moves. He stomps Orton at the ropes.

Sandow headbutts Orton and strikes him several times. Orton tosses him to the outside. Orton follows and lands an uppercut. He drops Sandow back first across the barrier. Orton tosses him in the ring for a two count. Sandow backs Orton into the corner and drives his shoulder into his gut. He then chokes Orton with his boot. Orton fights out of the corner and then hits an uppercut. Sandow bails to the apron. Orton tries for his draping DDT, but Sandow grabs his head and drops to the floor, snapping Orton's neck across the top rope.

Back from commercial and Orton is punching Sandow in the corner. He tries to keep the attack up, but Sandow comes back with a knee to the gut. He drops Orton across the ropes. Sandow drops several knees into Orton's chest. He strikes Orton a few times and gets a two count. He then locks Orton in a body scissors. Sandow hits Orton on the chest and goes for the pin. Orton battles back with kicks, but Sandow comes back with his signature multiple knees to the gut.

Sandow gets his somersaulting Russian leg sweep, followed by the Elbow of Disdain for a near pin fall. He locks Orton in another body scissors. Orton fights out via strikes to the head. They exchange strikes. Sandow whips Orton, but Orton comes back with clotheslines and his scoop slam. Orton gets an uppercut. He tries for his draping DDT as Cody Rhodes comes out. Sandow backdrops Orton to the outside as Rhodes takes the WHC Money in the Bank case. Sandow stares at him. Orton hits the RKO off the distraction for the win.

Winner: Randy Orton

Rhodes leaves with the MITB case. Then, CM Punk is shown walking backstage. Back from commercial and CM Punk comes out to the ring. A recap of Brock Lesnar's attack on Punk is shown.

He says it's official, his match against Lesnar at SummerSlam. He says since Monday, everyone has told him that he fell into Heyman's trap. He says that's what Heyman wants everyone to think. He says Heyman taught him a lot about being the dirtiest player in the game and how to target weaknesses over and over. He says he will do that to Lesnar at SummerSlam.

He says Lesnar's biggest weakness is trust in Heyman and that it will be his downfall. He says Heyman's biggest weakness is his ego. He says every time Heyman stuck his neck out for Punk, it was for him to help benefit Heyman's career. Punk says Heyman always wanted everything and at SummerSlam, he's going to take it all from him.

Punk says he will kick Heyman in the face until he is unrecognizable. Fandango and Summer Rae interrupt. Punk stares at them as they come down to the ring. Fandango gets in the ring and Punk attacks him and delivers a GTS. His music plays as Summer Rae checks on Fandango.

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Notes From Tonight's RAW: Dark Match, Big Fight, Randy Orton, Commentary Change, More

Thanks to WrestlingINC.com reader HEEL_VILLAIN for sending in these off-camera notes from tonight's RAW taping in Laredo, TX:

* A huge "Yes" chant broke out before the show even started.

* The dark match before WWE Main Event saw Tons of Funk defeat The Prime Time Players.

* HUGE heat for Zeb Colter on WWE Main Event, as he said that he doesn't even know what country he is in. He said that he could see from people sneaking into this country from his hotel room, and that some of the people he saw swimming in the river are in attendance. He said that there are no real Americans in Laredo. A "Culero" chant broke out. This was for Main Event.

* Sheamus came out to a big pop for his Main Event match with Jack Swagger, which was said to be a good lengthy match.

* Sin Cara got a big pop for his Main Event match with Drew McIntyre. A "Mistico" chant broke out and Sin Cara seemed surprised.

* Also on Main Event, Damien Sandow cut a promo about how he is a future World Heavyweight Champion and that no one in the arena knows what it's like to hold that briefcase. Sandow got a lot of heat. He went on to face Justin Gabriel.

* WWE Main Event results are here.

* JBL was not on commentary for RAW tonight.

* Chants broke out for Mike Chioda and Justin Roberts, which they acknowledged.

* A big fight broke out in the crowd, but on the non camera section. It seemed like a rumble, a lot of people were involved. A "Fuera" (meaning "Out") chant broke out.

* There was a big "Mexico" chant during the Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian match.

* The entrance for the Wyatt Family didn't look as cool live. I'm not sure if it was the camera flashes or what, but you can see them pretty clearly when they walked out.

* The John Cena vs. Ryback was lengthy. A lot of heat for Ryback.

* There was no post-show dark match, even though John Cena vs. Mark Henry for the WWE Championship was advertised

* Randy Orton was not there as advertised.

* Triple H appeared backstage during a segment but did not come out as advertised.

* There was no Vickie Guerrero all night.

* While Sheamus wrestled on Main Event, he did not appear during RAW.

* Full WWE RAW results for next Monday are at this link.

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

Jim Ross On Why Paige Isn't Ready For The Next Level Yet, TNA, CM Punk Vs. Brock Lesnar

Source: JR's BBQ

Jim Ross posted his latest blog at JRSBBQ.com. Here are some highlights:

Why he wrote that Paige wasn't ready for the next level: "Amazing how when people ask an opinion of a NXT talent and I provide it, then it becomes a manure storm on Twitter because I merely expressed how I felt per their question. Amazing times that we live in, right? I was asked if NXT's Paige was ready for the next level and I simply said 'No' because she was only 20 years old and needed more time in development before being elevated to the main roster. One can't even rent a car in the USA until they are 25 and, no, I'm not suggesting that the talented Paige will be in development for that length of time. Point is, I am of the belief that 20 year olds don't belong on the main roster unless it's a rare exception."

TNA: "Yes...I watch TNA periodically as I have many friends who work there and, no, I don't have any 'solutions' to their alleged woes that I care to share. I do hope TNA all the success in the world. No...there will NEVER be a WWE/TNA partnership unless WWE owned TNA and that's highly unlikely to ever occur. Please don't start that rumor but some brain surgeons will. WWE has zero to gain in said 'partnership.'"

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam: Thinking that the pending @CMPunk vs. @BrockLesnar match at Summer Slam will be really good. Very Physical. Straight forward. Both men have healthy egos which is an essential part of being a major star in any endeavor especially in sports and entertainment. 'Controlled' egos are often hidden within the term 'self confidence.' Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to see Punk's strategy to counter Lesnar's obvious size and strength advantage plus Brock's athletic skill set. One can't win on heart alone or compel PPV buyers to invest simply on the"I won't quit" sort of attitude. That obviously helps but fans need to know that the underdog (Punk) has a 'plan' and a legit chance to 'overcome.' All that aside, both Lesnar and Punk will want to steal the show at Summer Slam in a big time way and @HeymanHustle will foster that mindset. There are many, unique elements at play in this main event level bout.

Much more is contained in Ross' latest blog, including his thoughts ... and much more. You can check out the full entry by clicking here.

Also, don't forget to order some of JR's BBQ Sauce, which is great for the kitchen and the grill, at WWEShop.com by clicking here.

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Another Detailed Set Of Spoilers For Tonight's WWE RAW Taping In Laredo, TX

Thanks to WrestlingINC.com reader @RamWalls for sending in this set of results from tonight's RAW taping in Laredo, TX:

Raw kicked off with Vince Mcmahon coming down to the ring with Brad Maddox, only for Vince to kick Maddox out. Daniel Bryan entered the ring and Vince said that he wants a new champion, but not for it to be Bryan or Cena. Cue the "Yes!" chants. The segment ends with Bryan proving that the fans want him as champion as they are doing the "Yes!" chants.

*The Shield defeated Mark Henry and the Usos in a six man tag match. This was a pretty good match ending with Ambrose getting the pin on one of the Usos. Henry was pretty over. In a cool moment, I got to tap the Sheild as they passed by me.

* Rob Van Dam defeated Fandango via count out. Basically a showcase match for RVD with Fandango walking away before RVD hit the frog splash.

* Kaitlyn defeated WWE Divas Champion AJ in a non title match. Pretty decent divas match that ended with a good looking spear.

Dolph Ziggler came out to make fun of AJ. He then challenged Big E. to a match.

* Dolph Ziggler defeated Big E by DQ when AJ attacked Dolph. Big E. was furious.

* Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a non title match with a roll up. Del Rio was over huge since we were close to Mexico. A good match.

* Cody Rhodes defeated Wade Barrett in a decent match. The crowd didn't really react to either of them. Afterwards, Damien cut a promo about Cody stealing his briefcase. This was confusing because earlier for the Main Event taping he appeared with the briefcase. I'm assuming that the angle happens on SmackDown.

* Daniel Bryan defeated Kane in a good match with a roll up. Afterwards the Wyatt Family appeared and attacked Kane. Wyatt spoke about Kane not being a demon.

* Brie Bella defeated Natalya in a boring match after Nikki distracted Natalya.

* Curtis Axel defeated R-Truth in a really quick match. Afterwards Punk attacked Axel and got his hands on Heyman, but Heyman ran off before any damage was done. Huge pop for punk.

* There was a backstage segment with Triple H and Stephanie thinking aloud about giving Bryan a "corporate makeover"

* John Cena defeated Ryback in a tables match. Surprisingly entertaining match that ended with an AA through a table. After the match, Bryan came out and grabbed the WWE Championship and pretended to hand it to Cena, only to pull it back at the last second. Cena got mad and snatched the belt from Bryan and they had a staredown. There were boos for Cena and "Yes1" chants for Bryan. Cena left the ring to "Yes!" chants.

As you can see there weren't many in ring promo segments which surprised me. Axel looks like he's improved on the mic in a short promo he gave. Good wrestling show. 8.5/10

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

The Big Show A No Show Tonight, JR On Daniel Bryan's Performance, WWE Joins Forces With E!

- As you have probably noticed, The Big Show did not return on tonight's RAW as advertised. WWE had released the above promo last week hyping his return on tonight's show. Big Show also tweeted the following last Friday: "#monday night raw. Austin Texas. :-)"

No explanation was given for his absence, although he was noticeably limping when he worked Money In The Bank as an analyst last week.

- Jim Ross commented on Daniel Bryan's performance on RAW tonight, who wrestled the final three matches of the show (four if you count the post-show dark match). Ross wrote on his Twitter, "Thinking @WWEDanielBryan was easily star of #WWERaw & that his skill set would translate well to any era that I've experienced in biz."

- The following press release was issued today:

WWE® and E! Entertainment Join Forces to Support Make-A-Wish®

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE and E! Entertainment today launched the first-ever Superstars for Hope fundraising initiative to support Make-A-Wish, featuring chances to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences available to anyone who makes a contribution. The entertainment powerhouses will also host a Superstars for Hope red carpet party in Los Angeles on Thursday, August 15 at the Beverly Hills Hotel as a part of WWE's SummerSlam® Week.

Starting today, for every $10 fans and supporters contribute through fundraising partner Omaze, they will receive five chances to win one of two packages donated by WWE and E! Entertainment.

"We are honored to be part of Superstars for Hope in support of Make-A-Wish," said Suzanne Kolb, President, E! "This wonderful organization endlessly inspires and their incredible work brightens and enriches the lives of so many children and families."

"WWE's commitment to granting life-changing experiences is unmatched," said David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. "We know that having E! join forces with them will mean more life-changing wishes are granted for children with life-threatening medical conditions."

"We are proud to partner with E! on Superstars for Hope and continue our long-standing support of Make-A-Wish," said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. "This is an opportunity for so many people to help children's wishes come true."

Once-in-a-lifetime experience packages include:

* WrestleMania 30 New Orleans Party Package: A VIP trip to WrestleMania for four which includes travel and accommodations, access to the WrestleMania 30 red carpet kickoff party, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and WrestleMania Axxess, along with behind-the-scenes tours, meet-and-greets with WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends, as well as a WWE Championship title signed by WWE Champions John Cena®, Triple H®, Brock Lesnar™ and Undertaker®.

* E! Exclusive Hollywood Experience: A three-day trip to Los Angeles to attend a taping of an E! show such as E! News, Fashion Police, The Soup or Chelsea Lately, a gift basket with Hollywood's hottest spa essentials and $1,000 spending money for a shopping spree with WWE Divas, The Bella Twins.

For more information or to donate to Superstars for Hope, please visit Omaze.com/WWE and Omaze.com/E!

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

SmackDown Review: Mark Henry Gets Some Retribution, Orton Momentum Continues

This episode of SmackDown hailed from Providence, RI, and was the first episode following the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Both the WWE and WHC winnersâ€"Randy Orton and Damien Sandow, respectivelyâ€"looked to gain momentum after their wins leading to an unpredictable cash-in in the near future.

Teddy Long starts the show off in the ring. He gets interrupted by the returning WWE Hall of Famer, Booker T, looking to reclaim his position as GM of SmackDown. However, Vince McMahon had other plans. While Brad Maddox also appeared to state his case to become GM for both shows, McMahon decided against all three candidates and gave Vickie Guerrero another run as GM.

Of course, this came with a chorus of boos, and some heavy heel action from Guerrero. Honestly, this is the same song and dance that we've seen before, and the focus needs to be off of Guerrero. Now, we are forced to see more of her on Friday nightsâ€"very unfortunate.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger was a good way of continuing to build Ziggler as a face. So far, he has received more boos from the crowd than expected, but we saw on Raw and this episode of SmackDown that the cheers are starting to become more unanimous. Competing against more (relevant) midcard heels, such as Swagger, Cesaro, Axel, Fandango and even Dean Ambrose, will significantly help Ziggler in becoming all full-fledged babyface.

Ziggler had some words to say about AJ post-match, which led to her snapping backstage and Big E. Langston consoling her. Nice tease with Big E. going in for the kiss as well. AJ becoming involved with Big E. can help the feud, having Ziggler show a small hint of jealousy and believe that they conspired to cause him to lose the World Heavyweight Championship. This angle has been properly booked so far, and is developing well.

The Usos vs. The Shield led to a no contest due to early interference by Dean Ambrose, causing Mark Henry to make the save. It seems as if Mark Henry will keep his edge as a face, which is what exactly needs to happen. Henryâ€"by no meansâ€"should become a chessy, vanilla babyface just because he has an issue with a group of heels right now. He was already getting cheered, so keep the same Mark Henry, but just begin to fight heels.

It seems as if we may get a six-man tag match as SummerSlam between everyone involved in that segment. For a stage that big, separating it in two matches would be betterâ€"having The Usos vie for the tag team titles again and Henry compete for the US titleâ€"but a six-man match is not a horrible idea.

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett was just a way to put more fuel in the DB freight train, and that train is moving fast. Such an awesome time for Bryan right now; his momentum is red-hot, and his level of consistent crowd interaction has not been seen since the 97-98 WCW days of Bill Goldberg. Such a deafening reaction, that may lead him all the way the the WWE Championship.

Curtis Axel vs. Chris Jericho was just disappointing in so many ways. Don't get me wrongâ€"the match was good, but who actually thought that Chris Jericho was going to win the Intercontinental title before he left for his tour? If that answer includes you, it was wishful thinking to say the least. Just another loss in the Jericho history books, which is unfortunately nothing new. Ryback coming in after the match was an "insult to injury" moment, and he is going to have to do substantially more than that to make his career relevant again.

Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow are shaping up to be a good feud leading into SummerSlam, and possibly beyond. It has brought some freshness back to both careers, as their run as individual and tag team competitors became quite embarrassing.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio was a good match, and "good match" is once again becoming synonymous with Randy Orton. He is building some much-needed steam, and has quickly became one of the most over babyfaces in the past few months. The pivotal point seemed to be when he faced the Big Show at Extreme Rules in his hometown. Since then, he has experienced a meteoric rise into the realm of relevancy again, and the WWE is capitalizing on every moment. Well done.

How would you have booked Chris Jericho's potentially last match of the year on SmackDown? Sound off below.

Follow Chris Featherstone on Twitter @cravewrestling. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

Mark Henry Talks Doubting His Future In The Business, His Career Highlight, Crying On RAW

As noted earlier, Mark Henry was recently interviewed by With Leather. Here are a few more highlights from the interview:

If he needed Visine to produce the tears during his fake retirement speech: "No, I don't need Vi-sine. Man, you've got to be able to get into whatever you're doing. Not only am I trained, but I'm also one that really gets into anything that I do, and it was real to me. I made it real, and there'll come a day when I have to do stuff like that again, but right now, that's not the question."

His career highlight: "I've had some good ones. I would have to say me and the Undertaker at WrestleMania 22 was probably as high as it's gotten. To be a part of the Streak, win, lose or drawâ€"and everybody's lostâ€"is an important moment in history. I was honored to be in there and take him to the limit of his ability, and put on a performance that people will remember for a long time. You're judged by the standard of your competition, and it don't get much better than that."

His career low: "You know what, man? I've had some moments where I was unfocused and I doubted whether I wanted to continue to be in the business. That was around '99. Learning the industry was hard. I went to Canada and what started off as the worst thing ended up as the best thing. I ended up in the Dungeon with the likes of Bret Hart and Stu Hart â€" God rest him â€" who was able to say, 'Hey, you're trying to do too much. I got the kind of tutelage that I should have got from the first day.' That's the thing about this industry: What looks like the darkest thing might be the best thing for you."

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WWE SmackDown Results: Orton Vs. Del Rio, Booker T Returns, Vince Announces GM, Rob Van Dam

Welcome to our ongoing results of tonight's WWE SmackDown. You all can chime in with your thoughts throughout the show.

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- The opener runs and we go right to Teddy Long in the ring. He says Mr. McMahon will be here tonight and rumor has it, he will be giving Teddy a job evaluation. He polls the crowd if he should be the permanent GM. The crowd cheers for him that he has been doing a good job. Then Booker T's music hits and he comes to the ring. Booker thanks Teddy for filling in for him during his absence. Enter Vince McMahon...

Vince does his signature saunter down the ramp and gets in the ring. He shakes both men's hands. Vince says only one person can be in charge of the show. He asks Teddy what match he would make. Teddy says Curtis Axel vs. Y2J with the Intercontinental Title on the line. Booker T says he would make Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton. The crowd pops. The RAW theme hits and a nervous Brad Maddox comes to the the ring and he wants to have a word with Vince.

Maddox wants to be the GM of SmackDown as well. He says not only was he going to make those matches, but it will be the SmackDown return for Rob Van Dam. The crowd goes nuts. We get a drumroll and Vince announces the permanent GM...Vickie Guerrero. The crowd hates it and chants "No." Vickie comes to the ring and hugs Vince. Booker's face is priceless. Vickie cuts a grating promo and I turned down the volume a little. Vickie gloats as the crowd boos. Cole says, "Wow." Vickie leaves the ring to the show's theme as Booker, Teddy, and Brad stand stunned.

- Back from a break as Jack Swagger awaits Dolph Ziggler in the ring. Zeb Colter and Antonio Cesaro are at ringside. We see footage of AJ Lee going crazy on Ziggler from Monday. On a side note, AJ needs new theme music to match her crazy character. Her music totally took me out of the moment on RAW when it hit after she turned on Ziggler. They should give her theme the Doink treatment.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger

They go back and forth. The action goes to the floor and Cesaro hits Ziggler with an uppercut behind the ref's back but he suspects something when he sees Ziggler on the floor and sends Zeb and Cesaro to the back. AJ and Big E look on in the back. Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for the win.

Winner by pin: Dolph Ziggler

Dolph cuts a post match promo in the ring. He says he dumped his girlfriend last Monday. He pauses and looks troubled and says he is sorry. He then smiles and says he is sorry he didn't do it sooner. In the back AJ goes nuts and throws things. Big E picks her off the floor. I again turned down the volume. AJ cries and screams in Big E's arms. Langston looks into her eyes and goes for a kiss but stops. They stare at each other awkwardly and Langston walks away.

- Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns come to the ring as we go to commercial. After we return, we see footage of Mark Henry getting jumped by the Shield on RAW. The Usos make their entrance and charge the ring. Dean Ambrose shows up to help Reigns and Rollins. Mark Henry's music hits to cheers and he succeeds with The Usos to overtake the Shield as the trio escapes over the security wall.

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TNA Impact Results: New Champion Crowned, X Division Tournament, Former WWE Star Debuts

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- The show kicks off with a shot of Trent Barreta and other X Division stars lined up for a shot at the vacant title. We go to a nice hype package for Chris Sabin vs. Bully Ray.

- TNA World Champion Bully Ray makes his entrance to the ring. We hear Tenay and JB are on commentary; they don't know where Taz is. Bully cuts a promo about Chris Sabin and how everybody has been talking about the "boy." The crowd chants for Sabin and Bully says he has no chance of beating him and we should have a funeral for Sabin. Bully calls out Brooke Hogan who comes out cutting an emotional promo on her way down. She says she is sick of it and "Mark" should move on. Bully starts to answer calmly but he flips and says Brooke moves on when Bully says so.

Hulk Hogan interrupts to loud chants from the crowd. He says, "enough is enough," and he turns to leave with Brooke. Bully says he will never give Brooke a divorce and he will never lose the title and Hogan can do nothing about it. The Main Event Mafia appear on the big screen and Angle and Sting say Bully is over and he can do nothing about it.

- In the back, Bobby Roode gives the interviewer a few words about Destination X. He is still salty about last year and calls the concept a fluke and says he will win the BFG Series and will be World Champion again.

- Back from a break for our first Bound for Glory Series match of the night. Bobby Roode is out first followed by Austin Aries.

BFG Series: Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode

Aries has CM Punk-style sideburns as he puts on a back-and-forth clinic of sorts with Roode. Aries launches Roode to the floor and flies off the top turnbuckle for a strike to the floor. Aries rolls Roode back in and flies off the top but Roode catches him in mid-air with a dropkick. Roode takes it back to the floor with a clothesline off the apron as we go to a commercial.

We return to action with Roode connecting with a spinebuster for 2. Aries comes back with a 450 splash off the top for 2. Aries tackles Roode through the ropes from inside the ring, sending him into the steel steps. Aries continues his momentum with a missile dropkick in the ring and another running dropkick in the corner. Roode comes back and they trade near falls and counters. Aries connects with the discus forearm and after some more resistance from Roode, finally hits the brainbuster for the win.

Winner of 7 points by pin: Austin Aries

Aries quickly leaves up the ramp as Roode stumbles out of the ring. Roode snaps and starts destroying the announce table and punching himself.

- Hernandez, Homicide, and Chavo pep each other up in the locker room. Chavo makes reference to LAX.

- Aces & 8's are in the back talking amongst each other. Anderson tells Knux that his 'no' vote last week made Doc turn in his cut. Anderson makes sure everybody knows what their role is tonight.

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WWE Touts Performance Center Key Highlights And More, Says It's A New Beginning

WWE issued the following tonight:

A NEW BEGINNING FOR WWE®

STAMFORD, Conn., July 11, 2013 â€" WWE today opened its world-class training facility that is the new foundation for WWE's guaranteed success. As the new home to WWE's talent developmental system, NXT®, the new facility in Orlando, Florida was officially unveiled at a press conference hosted by Paul "Triple H®" Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, WWE, Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, Creative, WWE, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Mayor of Orange County Teresa Jacobs and Ken Goldstone, Chief Operating Officer, Full Sail University.

With 26,000 square-feet, seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities, the new state-of-the-art Performance Center will give WWE the ability to train more potential performers than ever before through a comprehensive program including in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development.

"The WWE Performance Center represents the guaranteed future success of our company, providing the next generation of WWE Superstars with a world-class facility to call their own," said Paul "Triple H®" Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, WWE. "The venue offers our developmental talent a full training experience with real time feedback from WWE coaches, trainers and doctors, giving them the resources they need to develop their talent both athletically and creatively."

"We are happy to be back here at WWE's Global Performance Center, officially opening this state-of-the-art training facility," said Governor Rick Scott. "WWE is a big name in sports entertainment so it's fitting that they have chosen to take a one-way ticket to Florida to grow their business. In only two and a half years, Florida has created 330,000 private-sector jobs and our unemployment rate has dropped well below the national average to 7.1 percent. It's working in Florida."

"Creating new, high-value jobs has been a top priority for my administration since day one. The grand opening of the amazing WWE Performance Center is terrific news for our local economy," said Teresa Jacobs, Orange County Mayor. "Not only are these great jobs, the presence of the WWE Performance Center adds to Central Florida's reputation as a television, film and entertainment production hub."

"Throughout our evolving partnership with WWE, our students have had the unique educational opportunity to take part in the live production process for WWE NXT tapings within the Full Sail Live venue," said Ken Goldstone, Chief Operating Officer for Full Sail University. "We are delighted to have the WWE Performance Center in such close proximity to our campus, and we are proud to participate in welcoming this facility to Central Florida."

The new center will be the training ground for approximately 75 talent who include former professional and collegiate athletes, Olympians and entertainers, offering a best-in-class sports medicine program and a central location for all current WWE Superstars to receive the best care both in and out of the ring.

WWE Performance Center Key Highlights:

In-Ring Training Room

12,000 square-foot world-class training room with seven training rings

Including one "show ring" with theatrical lighting and broadcast capability to provide developmental talent with a full training experience

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** SPOILERS ** WWE NXT Tapings For 8/5 Through 8/26

WWE taped the August 5th, August 12th, August 19th and August 26th episodes of NXT tonight at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Here are spoilers, thanks to Johnnie Fuller:

August 5th:

* Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy open the show but get confronted by Tensai, Brodus Clay and Mason Ryan. Ryan takes them both out and then dances with Clay and Tensai.

* Charlotte beat Sasha Banks.

* Erick Rowan and Luke Harper with Bray Wyatt won a squash over Mickey Keegan and Aiden English. Wyatt cut a promo about the match and talks about changing the world. He says tonight, they say goodbye to NXT.

* Corey Graves with Adrian Neville beat Scott Dawson with Sylvester Lefort. The Shield came out after the match and said they are back at NXT. Ambrose says Neville stole Kassius Ohno's spot and calls it an injustice, challenging Neville to a match. Neville accepts for next week but wants the US Title on the line.

* Leo Kruger and Antonio Cesaro beat Bo Dallas and Sami Zayn

August 12th

* Adrian Neville beat Dean Ambrose via DQ with the US Title on the line. The DQ came when Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns interfered. Corey Graves and Xavier Woods made the save.

* Summer Rae and Emma participated in a dance contest to determine a new #1 contender for the NXT Women's Title. Fans chose the winner and Emma won. Summer attacked her after the decision.

* Tyler Breeze defeated Danny Burch.

* Bo Dallas beat Leo Kruger with the NXT Title on the line.

August 19th

* Paul Heyman comes out and says he's looking for new Heyman Guys. He introduces Curtis Axel and talks about the future. Big E Langston comes out and wants an Intercontinental Title shot. Axel tells him to bring it but jokes that maybe he can get a title shot around Thanksgiving or Christmas. Big E talks Axel into defending tonight.

* Big E Langston beat Curtis Axel with the IC Title on the line via DQ when Heyman interfered and hit Big E. Big E cornered Heyman but Axel made the save. Big E blocked a belt shot and hit the Big End on Axel.

* Mason Ryan beat Scott Dawson. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy attacked Ryan but he tossed them out onto Dawson.

* Paige defeated Summer Rae with the Women's Title on the line. Emma came out after the match and beat Summer down. No word on why Emma didn't get the title shot.

* The Shield beat Adrian Neville, Xavier Woods and Corey Graves in the main event.

August 26th

* AJ Lee defeated Bayley with the WWE Divas Title on the line.

* Conor O'Brian and Rick Victor defeated Ron Hicks and Michael Zaki.

* CJ Parker came out with a new hippie gimmick and squashed Baron Corbin. He was interviewed by Renee Young after the match but Tyler Breeze interrupted him and they got into it.

* Antonio Cesaro beat Sami Zayn in a 2 of 3 Falls Match. Sami got pin 1 but Cesaro got the next two for the win. This was described as one of the best matches from WWE in years. Fans chanted "match of the year" and gave both men standing ovations.

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Views From The Turnbuckle: MITB Review, The Sacrificial Goat

The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of WrestlingINC.com or its staff.

If the Money in the Bank ppv had a theme, other than the MITB match themselves, it was that of sacrifice. On three separate occasions tonight, the WWE had a performer who was getting way over with the crowd as a babyface, but instead of promoting their victory, they cut their chances off by sacrificing their popularity in hopes of getting more heat on a heel character. I feel like this is a very bad idea, because it is so much harder to get a face over then it is a heel. However, that didn't prevent the WWE from hitting up the trifecta tonight.

The first offense took place in the opening match, the MITB match for the WHC contract. Most fans considered this to be a pretty wide open match, with the winner having to emerge during the match to make sense. Cody Rhodes, after wallowing in mediocrity for a couple years, began to become THE guy in the match. The crowd was all over Rhodes and suddenly it looked like the WWE was going to have a new top-level babyface, one that had just turned 28 years old. Instead, the WWE pushed him aside and crowned Damien Sandow, a talented performer who is only 30. While I am not against Sandow's victory, it seemed strange that they choose to put another heel over a face.

The good news is that now that Sandow has turned on Rhodes, two young up-and-comers will now be allowed to wage a battle over something of dire importance. Rhodes flashed the ability to really get a crowd behind him and Sandow has proven himself to be a compelling heel. The match itself was also very good and unpredictable, so in the end I am ok with this one.

The next two decisions I found less defensible. Over the course of their rivalry, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio have shown to have great in-ring chemistry. At Money in the Bank, they were on their way to having one of the top wrestling matches of the year, as a great back and forth match was taking place, with the crowd behind every move and every near fall.

But then, AJ Lee came out. Any fan could tell what was coming next: AJ Lee was going to cost Ziggler the World Heavyweight Championship. And that was exactly what happened. Even though Ziggler was way over with the crowd, even though ADR has been somewhat of a lame duck champion, and even though they were having a great wrestling match, the WWE still sacrificed Ziggler's potential babyface moment to get more heat on his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend AJ. For the second time that night, a huge babyface victory was forfeited in order to get more heat on a heel.

The largest disappointment was yet to come, as it was thrusted into the main event spot. Few would argue against the fact that Daniel Bryan is ready to become a huge main event superstar, and that he was the obvious choice to win the MITB. And boy, did Bryan deliver in Philadelphia. Bryan was cleaning house, disposing of all the former world champions to the largest ovations of the night. But when it came time for Bryan to be crowned "Mr. Money in the Bank", the WWE had Curtis Axel come out and take out Bryan. This random attack was explained moments later by the obvious turn from Paul Heyman on CM Punk. For an incredible third time that night, the WWE sacrificed a great babyface victory in order to get more heat on a heel character.

Now, Daniel Bryan is by no means done as a potential WWE Champion. He will still be over, maybe more than ever, and it is entirely possible that Daniel Bryan is the next opponent for John Cena. But what the WWE did tonight was rob the fans of a great moment. The WWE fans wanted to see Bryan win the MITB tonight, just like they wanted to see Dolph Ziggler win the WHC, however, the WWE denied us that moment tonight. Maybe it will happen down the road, but then again, maybe it won't be as special as it could have been tonight.

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WWE MITB: MITB Ladder Match For A Shot At The WWE Title

- We go back to the panel to talk about what's happened tonight.

- Fans chant for RVD as the announcers lead us to a video package for The Wyatt Family, showing how they took out Kane on RAW.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a Shot at the WWE Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Christian vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. CM Punk

We go back to the ring and fans are still chanting for Rob Van Dam. His music hits and here he comes to a big pop. Christian is out next followed by Daniel Bryan to a big pop. Randy Orton comes out next to another big pop. Sheamus is out next followed by CM Punk to another big ovation from the Philly crowd.

The bell rings and everyone looks at each other. Fans chant for RVD. RVD poses and everyone attacks him. They beat RVD down and the crowd boos. RVD gets dumped out to the floor. The 5 other Superstars go at it now. Punk and Bryan face off alone in the ring as the fans pop. RVD tries to get back in the ring but gets kicked out. Bryan and Punk go at it now. Punk goes for a GTS but Bryan slides out and goes for the Yes Lock. Sheamus brings a ladder in and runs them both over. Christian comes off the top but Sheamus hits him. Orton drops Sheamus with a dropkick. RVD finally comes off the top and nails Sheamus with a big kick. RVD and Punk go at it. RVD drops Punk and drops Bryan with kicks. RVD sends Christian flying. Another kick to Orton. RVD poses and the fans chant his name.

RVD blocks Killswitch and sends Christian into the ladder. RVD continues to dominate and drops Orton with a kick. RVD goes up top for a Five Star frogsplash but Christian knocks him off with a ladder. Christian brings a small ladder and regular ladder into the ring. Christian cleans house and climbs up for the briefcase. Sheamus stops him and hits a big shoulder thrust into the corner. Sheamus climbs the ladder but Christian cuts him off. Christian goes back for the briefcase but Sheamus stops him. Sheamus goes for a Celtic Cross but Christian slides out. Sheamus blocks a ladder shot and decks Christian with a right hand. Christian goes down and out of the ring. Sheamus sets up a ladder but RVD stops him from getting the briefcase. Sheamus grabs RVD and hits the rolling senton on top of the ladder. Sheamus kicks RVD out and stops Bryan from coming in. Sheamus works over Bryan on the announce table and into the barrier.

Bryan ends up running the apron and hitting knees to the face of Sheamus. Punk sets up the ladder and works over Orton. Punk climbs up but Orton stops him. Punk fights him off but Orton pulls him down. Orton climbs up but Christian stops him. Punk climbs up. Bryan brings a ladder beside his. All 6 Superstars are on 2 ladders now. Everyone reaches for the briefcase. It starts swinging and everyone goes down with the ladders. Sheamus gets up and unloads on everyone. Sheamus rams Christian into the ladder and hits White Noise. Sheamus sets up a ladder but stops to hit RVD in the head with it. Sheamus nails a Brogue Kick on RVD. The fans boo Sheamus as he climbs up. Bryan meets him and they trade shots on top of the ladder. Sheamus turns him around and hits the series of forearms to the chest. Sheamus sends Bryan to the mat and grabs the briefcase. Punk stops him. Sheamus hangs from the briefcase and falls to the mat without taking it down. Punk with chops in the corner now. Sheamus turns it around and fires back.

Punk takes out Sheamus with a ladder and bows for the crowd. Orton attacks Punk from behind. They trade shots. Orton hits a t-bone suplex into the ladder with Punk. Orton drops Punk again and he rolls out to the floor. Orton gets speared by Christian. Christian knocks Bryan off the apron. Christian sets up the ladder and climbs but RVD cuts him off. RVD props up a ladder in the corner. RVD with the spinning leg drop on Christian before climbing up. Christian stops him and the fans chant for tables. Christian moves the standing ladder into the opposite. Christian grabs another ladder and sets it up. RVD meets him on the top and they trade shots. RVD reaches for the briefcase but Christian goes for it also. The ladder falls over but RVD jumps onto another. RVD nails a barely Five Star Frogsplash from the top of the ladder onto Christian. RVD hurts himself but climbs up as the fans chant his name. Sheamus comes in and climbs up, trading shots with RVD. RVD sends Sheamus to the mat and grabs the briefcase but Sheamus pushes the ladder over. RVD catches his chin on the top rope and lands hard.

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WWE SmackDown Results: Final Money In The Bank Hype, Sheamus Vs. Orton, Divas Contract Signing

Welcome to our ongoing results of tonight's WWE SmackDown. You all can chime in with your thoughts throughout the show.

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- We kick-off with the opening video and go right to Daniel Bryan's music and entrance. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show. Randy Orton will face Sheamus tonight. We are 48 hours away from Money in the Bank. The MITB briefcase hangs high above the ring. Christian makes his entrance.

Christian vs. Daniel Bryan

They both look up at the briefcase and lock up. Christian gets the first takedown and his a dropkick out of the corner for 2. Bryan comes back with stomps to Christian on the mat. Christian comes back with a spinebuster for 2. Christian starts to build momentum and launches Bryan over the top. He misses with the slide under the ropes and Bryan clotheslines him on the floor. Bryan flies off the apron with a knee to Christian on the floor as we go to our first commercial.

Bryan leaps into the corner and misses as we return to action. Christian gets 2 consecutive near-falls. Bryan tosses Christian to the floor and charges-in but Christian clocks him in the face to stop him in his tracks. They make it back in the ring and Bryan hits No/Yes Kicks. They trade kicks and strikes in the center of the ring. Christian misses with the crossbody off the top. Bryan goes up and misses with a splash off the top also. They both make it back up. Bryan hits No/Yes Kicks but Christian catches him in a reverse DDT and looks for the spear. Bryan stops him in his tracks with a kick to the head.

Bryan continues with the flurry but Christian catches him with a spear from out of the corner. Exciting back-and-forth with "Awesome" chants from the crowd. Bryan applies the No/Yes Lock and Christian taps.

Winner by submission: Daniel Bryan

Bryan celebrates with the fans with "Yes" and points to the briefcase.

- Teddy Long gives Dolph Ziggler the night off in the back and they argue. Teddy is afraid of someone interfering tonight. He doesn't want to get fired like Vickie Guerrero did on RAW. Dolph thinks Teddy is in cahoots with Alberto Del Rio and says he (Ziggler) will be World Champion at MITB.

- Back from a break as The Usos await The Shield in the ring. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins jump the security wall.

Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins

Uso takes control of Rollins. Rollins takes over and gets a couple near-falls. Rollins hits some chops to the chest but Jey Uso gets his second wind and hits the Running Stinkface in the corner. Reigns gets on the apron and he pays for it as Jimmy kicks him down on the floor. Jey hits a Samoan Drop in the ring for 2. Reigns lays out Jimmy on the floor and Rollins makes Jey lose his balance up top. Rollins hits the Black Out stomp to Jey for the win.

Winner by pin: Seth Rollins

Rollins and Reigns stand on the announce table and raise their titles in the air.

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Impact Wrestling Review: Is 'Rampage' In The Main Event Mafia A Good Fit?

This episode of Impact Wrestling was the final show before the Destination X television special, airing live next week. The suspense was mainly built around Chris Sabin's decision to cash in his X Division title, and the newest member of the Main Event Mafia.

The show mostly revolved around the "Joker's Wild" tournamentâ€"basically a shortened, slightly modified version of the WCW BattleBowl of oldâ€"to determine who would receive 25 points toward their BFG series point total. Since the show was mainly those matches, I am going to rate them one by one.

Before I go to the matches, I just want to briefly mention the opening segment, where Bully Ray broke kayfabe and mentioned Brooke Hogan's real engagement. And the purpose was for...? We (hopefully) all know that this is a kayfabe sport. Simply a promo, without officially ending the Bully/Brooke "marriage" angle, was poor writing.

Now, on with the "Jokers Wild" matches and gauntlet:

Samoa Joe/AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy/Joseph Park: Like I've alluded to before, Joseph Park really sucks the importance right out of the BFG series. Although his character is funny (although it is becoming stale), he has no business in the series. Other than that, Joe, Styles and Hardy did manage to provide good in-ring work in the match, with Joe and Styles advancing. 6.5/10.

Magnus/Mr. Anderson vs. Hernandez/Jay Bradley: Similar to Joseph Park, Jay Bradley also has no business in the tournament. However, he did not look bad in this match, though. This tag match actually was decent, especially since the fact that both Magnus/Anderson and Hernandez/Bradley are both engaged in some kind of feud, but was forced to tag with each other. Magnus gets the win, although he barely received any help. 6/10.

Bobby Roode/Kazarian vs. Christopher Daniels/Austin Aries: Interesting play on teams, as they were forced to split up and compete with their nemesis. As expected, this was a good match, which was well played due to not showing any signs of Bad Influence disbanding. 8/10.

Magnus wins the "Joker's Wild" gauntlet. Good choice. Especially being a member of the Main Event Mafia, it is clear that TNA has high hopes for his future. Even if he does not win the BFG series, which he should, he will be a staple in the main event picture. However, as a member of the MEM, it would only make sense to win the series, potentially achieving one of the Main Event Mafia's goals of dethroning Bully Ray from being TNA World Champion.

If he gets past Chris Sabin. We'll get to that later.

Mr. Anderson as the new VP of the Aces and Eights would have been important about six to nine months ago, but not anymore. My true hope with this dissension between he and D.O.C. is that they do not split up in two groups, similar to nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac.

Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell was the match of the night (go figure), with some amazing spots. This is proof that the Knockouts division should again be one of the main focuses of TNA, as it used to be. Again, we need a deeper Knockouts main roster. The very fact that this was a #1 contenders match was also a good thing, as it shows the passion involved in becoming Knockouts champion. #1 contenders matches are truly a lost art. It does nothing but help the prestige and importance of a title.

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TNA Impact Results: MEM's Bombshell New Member, #1 Contender Knockout Ladder Match, Sabin Cashes-In

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- Impact kicks-off with a recap of last week.

- We go to the back as Bully Ray calls over the camera guy and cuts a promo in his sunglasses and title on his shoulder. He angrily paces and addresses the Brooke Hogan engagement rumors and says, "You move on, when I say you move on."

- Aces & 8's come to the ring and Bully says it is time to take care of business. Bully addresses Chris Sabin and gets a huge "What" treatment. Bully says that they will vote on the new VP tonight; not the fans, this is personal club business. Bully says "no" to the MEM's previous challenge.

Main Event Mafia comes on the stage with Kurt Angle and Sting in suits and Joe and Magnus in gear. Angle stands in the center of the group and cuts a promo on Bully. Sting takes the mic and says that before the end of the night, Bully will be introduced to a "heavy hitter" 5th member of MEM.

- X Division Champion Chris Sabin walks in the back. Will he hand in his title for a shot at Bully Ray next week at Destination X?

- JB and Christy Hemme stand on the stage. Christy draws names from a lottery tumbler to reveal the teams for the first of three Joker's Wild tag matches. The winners will advance to the Gauntlet where the winner will win 25 points in the BFG Series. Jeff Hardy is drawn first and he makes his entrance. Joseph Park is his tag partner. Their opponents are... AJ Styles... and Samoa Joe.

Joker's Wild Tag Match: Jeff Hardy & Joseph Park vs. AJ Styles & Samoa Joe

Park quickly tags out and Hardy and AJ mix it up. Hardy hits a front suplex for 2. Styles backs Hardy into the corner and Joe tags himself in for punishment on Hardy. Samoa Joe gets 2 on Jeff Hardy. Joe hits the Enzuigiri in the corner and tags AJ. Styles applies the Calf Killer on Hardy but Joseph Park comes in to break it. Hardy legally tags Park and he goes crazy on Joe, knocking him down twice and delivers a big back bodydrop to AJ. Park is fired up. Styles flies off the top rope and connects with a forearm to Park. Joe makes Park tap to a rear naked choke.

Winners by submission: AJ Styles & Samoa Joe

Joe and AJ bumps heads after the match and they are separated.

- Taryn Terrell stretches in the locker room for her Ladder Match, later against Gail Kim for the #1 Contendership of the TNA Knockouts Title.

- Jay Bradley is the first name drawn for our 2nd Joker's Wild. He is joined by Hernandez. They will face Mr. Anderson and... Magnus.

Joker's Wild Tag Match: Mr. Anderson & Magnus vs. Hernandez & Jay Bradley

Anderson puts out his hand to Magnus as a fake gesture that he will start the match. Magnus motions for Anderson to be his guest. Anderson dances around the Hernandez and runs and slaps Magnus on the chest to tag him. Hernandez tags Bradley and he locks up with Magnus. Magnus hits a nice high knee for a 1 count. Hernandez tags in and Magnus puts him in an armbar. Magnus goes to tag Anderson but Anderson pretends to have something in his eye. Hernandez and Jay Bradley start to slowly take Magnus apart.

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Tammy Sytch Weighs In On Today's WWE Diva Competition, WWE Classics On Demand Preview

- The official YouTube account of WWE released the above video previewing this month's slate of Classics On Demand programming; the theme is "Ring Royalty." This includes a profile on Jerry "The King" Lawler, the 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble, various King of the Ring moments and the 2007 video release, Triple H: King of Kings - There is Only One.

- Tammy "Sunny" Sytch, who was recently released from a Connecticut prison after serving a four-month sentence for repeatedly violating terms of a restraining order filed by her former boyfriend, touted her trailblazing ways in a Facebook post this week.

With so many females vying for roles as "Divas" in WWE these days, the self-proclaimed "Original Diva" says she's pleased to have redefined the role of women in the sports-entertainment organization.

"I find it fascinating that so many women now strive to be a WWE diva," Sytch wrote. "Im so happy I helped make that occupation a glamourous one, back in the prehistoric days of not-so-glamourous lady wrestlers."

In the past, the WWE Hall of Famer has labeled the women who came before her as "one dimensional." She once told WWE.com, "Then I came along and anything they threw at me I could do. I could get in the ring and have a match, I managed at ringside, I co-hosted TV shows, I did broadcasting, I did the modeling. I was the first one."

She added, "My definition of a Diva is that all-around, well-rounded performer."

- Former WWE wrestler Big Bully Busick turns 59-years-old on Saturday.

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Author's link:
New Photos Of Tammy Sytch Fresh Out Of Jail

Matt Striker Talks Alex Riley Possibly Replacing Him, Issues When He First Signed With WWE

Matt Striker was a guest on The Shoot radio show earlier today. You can listen to the full 20 minute interview at this link, here are some highlights that they sent us:

Alex Riley as a potential replacement: "He's a good kid. He's a taller better looking version of Matt Striker. I believe he's a graduate from Boston College, he's well spoken, he's bright and I think it's a great opportunity for Alex Riley. To me, this is what is my saving grace, I'm gone now and then I read that it's Alex Riley that's sitting in that chair and I think about all the conversations I've had with Alex Riley. Maybe one thing I said to him he uses on the show and he's now the breath of fresh air, he's now the new guy, I don't fault anyone for that. WWE gives opportunity, they gave me an opportunity, they're giving Alex Riley an opportunity and I expect great things for Alex Riley and I'm genuinely happy for him"

Issues when he first got to WWE: "When I first came to the WWE, I did not wear humility well. I think people mistook my New York-ness and my excitement for arrogance and I am glad that it happened, I'm glad that some of these battle tested veterans sat me down in their way and said, 'hey man, I slept in a car, wrestled for $5 and did all these things so that a kid like you could walk in here right now.' Once I started to realize that, I began to adopt the same theories and mentality."

Striker also discussed how he handled his release, how he interacts with others and more. You can listen to the full interview here.

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

WWE Live Event Results From Wildwood, NJ (7/5): Dolph Ziggler Gets Title Shot, Hall Of Famer Appears

Thanks to WrestlingINC.com reader Nicholas Cannella for sending in these results from last night's WWE live event in Wildwood, NJ:

- Before and during the show there was a special meet and greet with Mr. Bob Backlund in the concourse where the fans could get autographs and take pics with him.

- Damien Sandow with Cody Rhodes came out and Sandow did his usual heel promo and told everyone "SILENCE"! and said this is the Rhodes Scholars reunion tour tonight and praises Cody by introducing him "COOODDDYYY RHOOOOODES"! Then Cody grabbed the Mic to introduce "DAMIEN SANDOW and thier tag partner the lovely BRIE BELLA"!

(1) Tons of Funk & Naomi (w/Cameron) defeated The Rhodes Scholars & Brie Bella when Naomi pinned Brie with a High Cross Body Off The Top Rope. After wards Tons of Funk brought some kids in the ring to dance.

- AJ Lee & Big E. cut a promo on the video screen and first AJ claimed she was the greatest Divas Champion and will be defending her title against that "trash" known as Kaitlyn. Big E. claimed that tonight he will end Randy Orton's streak of being the Apex Predator in the WWE. Tony Chimmel announced that The Prime Time Players will take on The Usos in a Fans Choice Match where the crowd gets to choose the stip via text/tweet of either a 2 out of 3 Falls or Tornado Tag Match which is where all four men can be in the ring at the same time.

(2) Justin Gabriel defeated Heath Slater with a Top Rope Springboard Lionsault.

- Alberto Del Rio cut a promo on the video screen telling everyone that he is a true World Champion and he will defend his title against Dolph Ziggler but he said about Ziggler "I don't like the way you look, the way you talk, the way you walk and the way you smell and tonight I will destroy you in a Last Man Standing Match and still be the World Champion!"

(3) WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee (w/ Big E.) defeated Kaitlyn to retain the Divas Title when Big E. distracted Kaitlyn and AJ pinned her with an Inside Cradle. This was followed by Kaitlyn chasing AJ to the back and Big E. went in the ring and told the crowd "Who are you to boo me? If you all don't stop I'm going to leave"! Then he claimed he was going to make "Team Big Lee 2-0 and thats why they call me BIG EEE LAAANGSSTON"! Then Orton came out to a huge pop!

(4) Randy Orton defeated Big E. Langston with the RKO. After Orton greeted the fans ringside and around the aisle. This was the first ever meeting between these two and it turned out to be a solid match from start to finish.

(5) R-Truth defeated Drew McIntyre (w/Jinder Mahal) with the Whats Up.

- The Prime Time Players followed by The Usos made their entrances to the ring. Tony Chimmel announced that the votes are in and this will be a Tornado Tag Match.

(6) The Usos defeated The Prime Time Players in Tornado Tag Match with a Splash Off The Top Rope.

(7) World Hvt. Champion Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler in a Last Man Standing Match to retain the World Title when Del Rio kicked Ziggler in the head and couldn't ansewer the 10 count. Afterwards Del Rio said "I'm everyones true World Champion and now all the people here in Wildwood can go out and eat Hot Dogs, burgers and french fries to keep getting fatter and fatter, so now I have big suprise for everyone and thats Ziggler's brain all over this place." He then grabbed a chair swingged and missed but Ziggler hit him with the Zig Zag to send the crowd home happy and greeted the fans as well. During the Match both used Kendo sticks, a chair and ADR put Ziggler through a table.

- The Oceanfront Convention Center was about half full with a decent amount of seats still available. But overall, a solid show and can't wait until WWE returns to Wildwood next summer!

Biggest Pops:
Orton
Ziggler
Tons of Funk
Usos

Biggest Heat:
Sandow and Cody
Big E. and AJ
Del Rio

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

WWE Live Event Results From Ocean City (7/6): Briscoes At Show, Del Rio Defends

Thanks to WrestlingINC.com reader @MooseMcNamara for sending in these results from Saturday's WWE live event in Ocean City, MD:

House was mostly full, but it was a smaller venue inside the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City. I would say 1,000 to 1,500 fans, but that could be off, just a guess.

I was surprised immediately when I walked through the door and saw the legend Bob Backlund set up in a booth to take pictures and sign autographs. There was a sign reading "Now appearing: WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund" so the impression I got was that WWE will continue these types of appearances with different legends. The price was $30 I believe.

When we went to sit down, I was surprised again to see across the ring from me, sitting in the front row were Jay and Mark Briscoe with their father and children. During the night, many wrestlers acknowledged them, most notably Justin Gabriel and the Usos. They were also getting a lot of attention from fans who went up to say hi. I didn't want to bother them right off the bat, so I waited until intermission.

Event started with Tony Chimel coming out and introducing the contestants of the opening bout which was:

Team Rhodes Scholars and Brie Bella vs. Tons of Funk and Naomi (Mixed 6-Man Tag Team Match):

Sandow came out with a microphone during the Rhodes Scholars entrance and talked up Cody Rhodes, but the acoustics were very rough in the auditorium, so I couldn't make out much of what the Intellectual Savior of the Masses was saying. Rhodes got up on a chair and introduced their third partner, Brie Bella. Next out was Tons of Funk. They had a standard match that the crowd got into. Tons of Funk got the win with Naomi pinning Brie, if I remember correctly. The winners did their typical dancing celebration with some small children from the audience.

Next up two former Nexus members battled it out with Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel:

This match more fast paced, and these guys went a little more unprotected which was appreciated by the fans. The Cape Town Werewolf got the win after a slash of the top rope.

Next, Tony Chimel informed the audience that they were going to have the power to decide the stipulation for one of the main events later in the evening. By txting in, the crowd could choose whether The Usos versus the Prime Time Players would be a 2 Out of 3 Falls match or a Tornado Tag Team match.

Next up was the Diva's match for the night:

AJ Lee (with Big E Langston) vs. Kaitlyn (WWE Diva's Championship)

This match was pretty grounded. A lot of AJ slowing the pace so that Kaitlyn couldn't get any momentum. It was an alright fight between two girls that made you believe they had some bad blood. The illusion was shattered after the show, however, when Big E rode with Kaitlyn and AJ in the same car. But anyway, as you may have guessed, AJ retained her title and a role up on a distracted Kaityln.

The girls left to the back, but Big E remained out in the ring. He took a microphone, and I believe issued an open challenge, but again the sound was bad. I could barely hear him, and I was only four rows back form the ring. A superstar did rise to the challenge however:

Big E Langston vs. Randy Orton

Pretty good back and forth here, with the two men battling in and out of the ring and even into the crowd at one point. Orton did a good job getting the crowd to pop, and Langston had good psychology making it seem with his facial expressions like he was a confident yet in over his head young talent. Orton got the win after his suspended DDT into RKO routine. Orton slapped every hand around ringside and stopped for some photos and autographs. Right next to me, he stopped to kiss a woman who I believe was his wife, Samantha. Last I heard the two got into a limo, which I did see parked in the talent parking lot, apparently to go out for a night on the town.

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@MooseMcNamara contributed to this article. Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

The Rock's New Show Debuts Next Week Before Impact Wrestling, Meet The Contestants

The Rock's new reality series, The Hero, debuts on Thursday, June 6th at 8pm ET on TNT, one hour before Impact Wrestling on SpikeTV. The show puts ordinary people together in a house and assigns them various missions, that will push "them to the limits to see what they are willing (and able) to overcome, undergo or sacrifice for the sake of their fellow contestants."

The Rock serves as the mentor and motivator of the contestants. Social media will also be incorporated into the show, with viewers being able to vote each week for the contestant they consider to be the most heroic.

The Rock has been introducing the contestants this week on his Twitter account, you can check it out below with additional details from a recent press release:

Athena, 25, - Worcester, Mass. - Some might wonder what could possibly make a former professional cheerleader a hero. But dig a little deeper. She's been taking care of her brother ever since they were kids, and she's not going to let anyone or anything stand in her way.

Charles, 39 - Los Angeles, Calif. - A decorated cop and devoted husband and son. But he's still plagued by self-doubt, and wants to use this experience to find out if he has what it takes when it matters most.

Darnell, 32 - Vancouver, Wash. - A committed father and husband, he's now going to be asked to exhibit raw strength and courage beyond anything he's ever imagined.

Dr. Dave, 50 - Beaumont, Texas - As a trauma surgeon, he saves lives every day. But it's hard for him to trust anyone else, and that trait may make it hard for him on this show.

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Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

What Was Cut From RAW This Week On Hulu Plus

This week, the following matches and segments were included on Monday Night RAW on Hulu Plus.

1) Triple H vs. Curtis Axel
2) Backstage between Triple H and Stephanie where she asks him not to hurt Vince McMahon
3) Kane vs. Dean Ambrose and aftermath
4) Segment where Jerry Lawler announces voting to pick Daniel Bryan's opponent
5) Backstage segment between Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon where Stephanie says Vince made her cry
6) Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler segment
7) Chris Jericho vs. Big E. Langston
8) Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
9) Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins
10) Kaitlyn, Big E. Langston and AJ Lee secret admirer segment
11) Bray Wyatt video
12) Office segment between Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
13) John Cena and Ryback segment

The Following matches and segments were cut.

1 Backstage segment between Team Hell No, Randy Orton and Vickie Guerrero where she announces Payback matches
2) The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes
3) Paul Heyman announcement of Curtis Axel replacing Fandango at Payback
4) Mark Henry return announcement
5) Sin Cara vs. Antonio Cesaro
6) Backstage segment between Vickie Guerrero, Vince McMahon Brad Maddox
7) Damien Sandow vs. R Truth/Sheamus promo after the match

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Retro Wednesday: Does Tazz Trust "Stone Cold" Steve Austin?

2001 was such a great year for the WWE. The heat of the McMahon-Hemsley era, coupled with continued tension built between Vince McMahon and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made for weekly "must-see" TV.

In March of that year, Vince McMahon shocked the world by purchasing World Championship Wrestling (WCW), even broadcasting both Raw and Nitro simultaneously to make the colossal announcement.

Witnessing the same fate, Paul Heyman's financial issues, along with the inability to maintain a lucrative TV deal caused the demise of his company, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) the same year.

In the summer of 2001, both defunct promotions were revived as an alliance to end WWE, in which the group of combined superstars from both WCW and ECW (recent superstars from both promotions, as well as notable alumni) were aptly named The Alliance. At first, they were supposed to be a babyface group. However, with the audience refusing to buy in to the cause, they quickly turned heel instead.

On July 22, 2001, WWE had a full PPV that pitted the company against The Alliance, named Invasion. In the main event, coined the "Inaugural Brawl", The Alliance defeated WWE as a result of Austin re-establishing his WrestleMania 17 heel turn from months before after "bringing the old Stone Cold back"â€"a request made by Vince McMahon.

Leading to the traditional multi-person tag match scheduled for Survivor Series, there was much suspicion that Austin would turn on The Alliance and defect to the WWE. In a segment on an episode of Smackdown, Austin called The Alliance to the ring and assured them that he can be trusted. Reluctantly, the members of the group obliged in believing him.

Except one personâ€"Tazz.

As a result, he was called out and humiliated by Austin. Despite The Alliance agreeing to trust Austin, they still left him alone in the ring during the attack on Tazz, much to his disapproval.

This was undoubtedly one of the funniest segments during the Alliance era. Although the group only lasted a few months, they left an indelible mark in WWE history.

Were you a fan of The Alliance? Sound off below.

Follow Chris Featherstone on Twitter @cravewrestling. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

Views From The Turnbuckle: Wrestling On The Airwaves, A Look At The Current State Of Commentary

The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect
those of WrestlingINC.com or its staff.

Commentary in professional wrestling has been an integral part of a promotion and its success for decades. A lot of fans earliest memories center around hearing the voices of legendary commentators like Gordon Solie, Ed Whalen, Jim Ross, Vince McMahon and others. Both the play-by-play man and the color commentator(s) play important roles in providing insights on the action and getting the performers over.

I have a pretty basic thinking process when it comes to wrestling commentating. An average commentator neither adds or subtracts from the wrestling show. A poor commentator takes away from the show, while a good commentator adds to the action. Basically every commentator can be classified into one of those three categories, and from there the impact they have on the shows can be assessed.

The WWE has had a significant commentating issue since Jim Ross was phased out of doing work full-time for the company. Michael Cole is an average commentator, perfectly capable of playing the basic everyman character that plays against the heel color-commentator. His heel run was atrocious and is something that should never be attempted again. Since he turned back to being a face, he gets a solid B. If there is one thing I don't like about Cole it is that he never calls any of the wrestling moves by their actual names. I doubt this actually Cole's fault, it is more likely a decision made by the WWE, but I would hesitate to say that kids who listen to Michael Cole know the difference between a belly-to-belly suplex or a hip-toss.

Jerry Lawler has been a serious determent to Raw over the past few years. King was never meant to be a face commentator, and in the P.R. consciousness of the PG Era, King has been really handicapped. Although King is one of the all-time great heel color guys, as a face, his bad jokes and backing of the babyfaces seem to fall flat. I would really be in favor for either a heel turn by King, where he would back a young heel in the ring and then turn heel on the microphone. That would really help the WWE's commentating situation and put some heat on an up-and-coming wrestler.

I have no doubt that John Bradshaw Layfield is a great heel commentator. Every now and then he says something incredibly outrageous that makes you wonder how he got it past the censors. I am not a big detractor of the PG rating for WWE television, but I really do think it holds someone as creative as JBL back from really becoming a top-flight commentator in the WWE.

Perhaps the WWE's best commentator lies in the developmental territory of NXT in one William Regal. Regal has long been one of the most articulate and intelligent speakers in the WWE, and it seems like a given that he would go on to be a great commentator. I seriously doubt that there is another human being on this earth who knows more about actual wrestling holds then Regal, and this is reflective in his commentating. Actually, the fact that Regal knows so much about the actual holds and focuses on that while commentating might be one of the reasons he is being held back from appearing on major WWE television.

While the WWE is far from perfect, TNA has also had some issues commentating, mainly concerning Tazz. While with the WWE on Smackdown and later on ECW Tazz was amongst the best in the business, ever since he has been in TNA he has been brutal. Tazz consistently mispronounces wrestlers names, gets sidetracked from the action with long-winded side notes that have nothing to do with anything and just flat out sucks. When Botchamania names an entire segment after you, it is never a good sign. Tazz is clearly capable of better work, but like some other people in TNA, he seems to just be mailing it in every week.

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Jim Ross Blogs On Ric Flair's Daughter Debuting, WWE Performance Center Opening, Wyatt Family

Source: JR's BBQ

Jim Ross posted his latest blog at JRSBBQ.com. Here are some highlights:

Charlotte's in-ring debut: "Ric Flair was on hand to see his athletic daughter, Charlotte, make her in ring debut and Charlotte did well for her first outing. She's approximately a 6 footer who has a viable upside."

The Wyatt Family: "The Wyatt Family had a strong night and they are ready for a successful entry into the WWE sooner than later. Luke Harper had an especially physical and solid match with WWE Superstar Sheamus on one of the taped programs."

The WWE Performance Center: "The new, WWE Performance Center will officially open on Thursday July 11 which is also the next time we tape NXT at Full Sail. This grand opening is not open to the public and will be via invitation only to the media and a variety of WWE business partners, etc.

"The Performance Center begins a new era in the development of WWE talents that is truly exciting. I went through the facility again last week and it is amazing. There is not a NFL training facility that exceeds what WWE has done with this facility. With that said, the training of these future WWE Superstars will be amped up and the expectations raised not only for the athletes but for the coaches as well."

Much more is contained in Ross' latest blog, including his thoughts on Adrian Neville and Cory Graves, who were the stars at last Thursday's NXT TV taping, Sara Del Ray and much more. You can check out the full entry by clicking here.

Also, don't forget to order some of JR's BBQ Sauce, which is great for the kitchen and the grill, at WWEShop.com by clicking here.

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

Wade Barrett On Bray Wyatt's Future, Del Rio Absent, SD! Weekend Tour (Reports Wanted), More

- The WWE SmackDown brand presents live events this week in Daytona Beach, FL and Albany, GA. Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Wade Barrett and The Miz are advertised for the shows. World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is not advertised for any live events this weekend.

- WWE presents SmackDown "WWE Live" Saturday evening at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL. Bell time is 7:30 pm. You can purchase tickets for the event by clicking here.

- News-Journalonline.com has an interview with Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett about Saturday's live event in Daytona Beach. During the interview, Barrett was asked which wrestler to watch out for in the next 10 years.

"Bray Wyatt (formerly known as Husky Harris) is going to be a big deal with the Wyatt Family," Barrett replied. "They are very strange and very creepy. He's going to be a big star. There's an English guy named Adrian Neville. He's an incredible athlete and a very high-flyer. He's in the mold of a Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. I think he might be the most athletic guy I've ever seen. Bo Dallas has a lot of potential. He made the mistake of attacking me, though. He needs some maturation."

Barrett also discussed his days as a bare-knuckle fighter, if he misses the Nexus or Corre, how much longer he plans to wrestle and more. You can check out the full interview here.

- WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart will be at Saturday's Market at 3751 East Harrisburg Pike in Middletown, PA Saturday from 11 am until 2 pm. Tickets are available at Keeping Time Collectibles, located in Saturday's Market.

- The SmackDown brand finishes the weekend with a live event Sunday evening at the Albany Civic Center in Albany, GA. Bell time is 5:00pm, you can purchase tickets at this link.

- As always, we would appreciate a report for any of these shows, so if you are attending one, please send us a report by clicking here.

Follow Raj Giri on Twitter at @RajGiri_303. Got a news tip or correction? Send it to us by clicking here.

Chris Benoit's Sister-In-Law Comments On The Tragic 2007 Murder/Suicide And More

The sister-in-law of Chris Benoit, Sandra Toffoloni, was interviewed by The2Counter.com on the tragic double murder/suicide in 2007. Here are some highlights:

Reports that Chris Benoit's breakdown was caused by Concussion Syndrome: "You know, evidence showed that on the Sunday before he committed suicide, he was booking flights to get to the show he was scheduled to appear on in Beaumont, Texas. This shows that there was a moment, however brief, that he thought he could get away with it. I don't believe in the brain damage theory. He killed 2 people and believed he could go wrestle. The concussion theory doesn't really stick with me."

What the medical examiner told them about Chris: "Yes, my brother-in-law had concussions, he hit his head for a living and I understand that. But way beyond that, he had a very serious drug and steroid problem. Unfortunately, a lot of athletes still do to this day. It's spiraling out of control. The medical examiner told us after the autopsy that Chris was on his way to death within 10 months. His heart was huge, about 3 times normal size, and it was ready to blow up at any moment."

What effects Eddie Guerrero and other deaths had on the Benoit family: "Chris had suffered multiple losses of friends. Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 shocked us all, no one was prepared for that. It was devastating for Nancy but it was devastating for Chris on a whole other level. Eddie's passing came after a long line of huge losses and Chris was in a state of perpetual bereavement ... The final blow came in mid-June 2007, just a few days before everything happened, when Sherri Martel passed away. That devastated Nancy just as much as Eddie's death had devastated Chris."

Chris planning to leave WWE after Eddie Guerrero's death: "After Eddie passed away, Chris and Nancy discussed the possibility of Chris leaving the WWE and starting his own wrestling school. As a matter of fact, it had become more than a possibility. A business plan had been developed and merchandise had been designed. However, the WWE was prepared to give Chris a big push and put him into another championship match so Chris began training harder and pushing his body further. Chris did a lot of self-medicating."

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