Monday, May 24, 2010

Wrestling News: Why did WWE put the U.S. Title on Bret Hart?

Bret Hart became the U.S. champion for the fifth time on Monday night, defeating The Miz in a chaotic title match. This interference-packed encounter was further evidence that Bret Hart is relishing his return to the spotlight.

It surely won't be long before The Hitman gives the title up. However, it seems strange that WWE would decide to put the title on him in the first place.

At the age of 52, and collecting on an insurance policy that is being paid to him on the basis of him being unable to wrestle, Bret Hart is not capable of having anything more than matches filled with interference. It is a shame for a wrestler whose career comprised an outstanding body of work to be unable to perform at a level he could in his prime.

Nevertheless, it seems that Bret Hart still has something to offer professional wrestling in 2010. As limited as he may be in the ring, The Hitman has been consistently excellent on the microphone since returning to WWE this year. One of the biggest fears about bringing Bret Hart back to WWE was that he would be irrelevant to a new generation of fans who never witnessed him in his prime. That has not been the case.

The Hitman has more than held his own in verbal exchanges with the likes of Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Jericho, and his acting has helped to create sympathy for a character that younger fans may be unfamiliar with. The storyline with Vince McMahon was overbooked, but it had its moments, such as when Bret revealed that he had been faking his injury to get McMahon to agree to a WrestleMania match.

The problem occurred when The Hitman stepped in the ring at WrestleMania 26. Limited by what he could do, Bret Hart beat down McMahon for over ten minutes, which coupled with a contrived storyline about the Hart family, made for arguably the worst match of his career. This inability to wrestle at a decent standard is the main problem with the return of Bret Hart, as there is no point in cutting great promos if the matches they lead to are a disappointment.

Thankfully, his title match was kept short on Monday night, and his shortcomings were covered by a string of run-ins. The crowd was into the match, and reacted with jubilation for Bret Hart's win. Slightly tarnishing The Hitman's victory was the commentary of Michael Cole, who inexplicably started heeling on Bret Hart, saying that he did not deserve the title. We can only speculate as to why he was produced to say this. He is much better on NXT as a heel announcer than he is as an announcer on Raw, so maybe it will be a good thing if Cole brings this aspect of his character to Monday nights.

While the title change was well-executed, there is the question of why they wanted to give The Hitman the title in the first place. He certainly can't go on the road to defend his title, and will be surely giving the title up in the near future. Hopefully he will drop the title back to The Miz rather than vacating it on Monday night.

It seems as though every time The Miz comes close to heading to the next level as a cocky heel, WWE cuts his legs out from underneath him. The loss to Bret Hart this week, Tyson Kidd the week before, and being made to look like a jobber by Big Show recently has not done The Miz any favors. His alliance with Chris Jericho has potential, but the number of times he has been pinned recently suggests that he won't be rising above the mid-card any time soon.

Bret Hart's title win was a nice piece of nostalgia, but TNA has shown that regular nostalgia is not conducive to drawing money for a modern wrestling company. Dropping the title back to The Miz as soon as possible would probably be the best way forward, as Miz would clearly benefit from a pinfall victory over The Hitman.

Bret Hart can't wrestle the way he used to, but as his performance on Monday night showed, he is more than capable of working a crowd. Hopefully there will be a meaningful role for him after he loses the U.S. Title.

(Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch)

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

WWE News: WWE continuing to play up Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Cole scrap with more "shoot" comments

WWE is continuing to play up the Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Cole "fight" from NXT on Tuesday with more "shoot comments" from Daniel Bryan after the angle played out.

WWE published a story today on their website with Bryan commenting on Cole "burying" him on commentary, Cole "putting over" David Otunga (who Bryan said "can't even run the ropes right), WWE "pushing" big wrestlers, and WWE trying to "hold him down."

It all adds up to WWE attempting to get a reaction out of hardcore fans by making it seem shocking that insider verbiage would be used in a WWE story and that WWE would "allow" Bryan to criticize WWE.

In actuality, it's a WWE-approved angle meant to get a reaction. One part of Bryan's interview that could point to the future direction of the storyline is Bryan saying in-character that he was "out of line" for attacking Cole on NXT.

"I think my actions were unprofessional and I'd do them all over again," Bryan said. "You can only be pushed so much before you get to that breaking point, you know, and at some point you need to stand up for yourself."

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(Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch)

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Friday, May 21, 2010

WWE mogul charges into Conn. political smackdown

HARTFORD, Conn. — Linda McMahon has had some infamous moments in the ring — kicking a man in the groin, getting slapped across the face by her daughter, and sitting in a wheelchair, feigning a coma, as her famous husband cavorted before thousands of screaming fans with a scantily clad "Diva."

McMahon last year stepped away from her wild World Wrestling Entertainment empire to climb into the political ring, where she has parlayed some of her experience with attention-getting stunts into a viable Republican candidacy to succeed the retiring Chris Dodd in the U.S. Senate.

As the state GOP prepares to endorse a candidate Friday, McMahon unabashedly acknowledges her campaign used some of the $50 million she has pledged for the race to provide "some things" for a news report that front runner Richard Blumenthal, the state's popular Democratic attorney general, had distorted his record of military service during the Vietnam War.

She also continues to deflect criticism about the WWE, which over the years has come under fire for the health of its performers and some of its stunts, including a developmentally disabled character being beaten and a performer simulating sex with a woman's corpse in a casket.

"It's push-back that WWE has heard over time. To produce seven hours of fresh programming every single week, with no reruns for 52 weeks a year, you do some story lines, you know, better than others," McMahon, a political novice, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "It becomes a matter of taste."

McMahon, who stepped down as chief executive officer of WWE last fall to run for the Senate, is now pitching herself as a successful entrepreneur with than 30 years of business experience, someone who knows how to manage a budget, create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Her early salvo has left a blemish in Blumenthal's tidy record in addition to stirring up renewed attention to her own record with the Greenwich-based WWE, where she helped grow a 13-person operation into a global business with more than 500 employees.

Democrats and McMahon's main GOP rival, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, are attempting to turn the tables and use the controversy that McMahon helped to create, as well as her campaign's words, as political ammunition.

Simmons points to McMahon's statements about the health and wellness of her WWE performers. His campaign recently produced an Internet video that flashes pictures of seven wrestlers who appeared in a 1991 Wrestlemania Event and later died, most of them in their 40s. It points out how the WWE stopped its drug testing in 1996 and didn't resume it until 2006.

"Evaluating Linda McMahon, the candidate begins with evaluating Linda McMahon's WWE business experience — the good, the bad, the ugly," read one recent Simmons mailer.
Another reads: "Linda McMahon made hundreds of millions of dollars she's using to fund her Senate campaign by selling graphic sex and violence to children of all ages."

It's questionable whether that rhetoric will influence Republican delegates on Friday, though.

"Rob Simmons, since September, has been attacking Linda, has run a nonstop negative campaign against Linda, he has been talking exclusively about wrestling, WWE," said Ed Patru, a McMahon campaign spokesman. "The result has been a nose dive in the polls for him."

While Simmons was the front runner for the Republican nomination earlier this year, actually leading Dodd back in January when the senator was still in the race, a March 17 Quinnipiac University Poll showed McMahon, who has already run numerous television ads, had taken the apparent lead among Republican primary voters. While Simmons is expected to win the endorsement Friday, some Republicans acknowledge McMahon has a shot.

Even if McMahon doesn't win the nod Friday, she's still expected to win enough delegates needed to challenge Simmons to a primary on Aug. 10. Simmons has said he won't seek a primary if he does not secure the endorsement.

A 2009 congressional committee investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling, one that included interviews with McMahon and her husband, Vince, criticized the WWE for a "lack of independence and transparency."

McMahon pointed out the WWE has improved its wellness program, telling the AP that there are now full cardiac evaluations and physicals for performers, and that the WWE was the first wrestling organization to put mats outside the ring to protect falling wrestlers.

"It's always interesting that you are seemingly punished or looked at askant for what maybe you weren't doing 20 years ago, instead of being credited for how you've evolved it, learned in the process, taken better care of people, and all of the evolutions of content and programming and been in business that long and been on television," McMahon said.

"It's a testament really to the creativity and ingenuity that's the product, I think."

Now McMahon is using that ingenuity in her political race.

A report this week by The New York Times, the newspaper to which McMahon's campaign acknowledges it supplied information, included quotations and a video of Blumenthal saying in 2008 that he had served "in Vietnam" even though his service in the Marine Reserve did not take him overseas.

Blumenthal, who appeared to have a lock on the Senate seat before this with double-digit leads in recent polls, has since said that he "misspoke" on several occasions and that his statements were "totally unintentional" errors.

Referring to McMahon campaign claims that Blumenthal's mistakes about his military record show "deeply disturbing disconnects between the image he sought to portray and reality," Simmons said the same can be said about McMahon.

"Just as Blumenthal's unscrutinized record has now caused consternation for Democrats," Simmons said, "so will McMahon's for Republicans."

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

SouthPeak Announces Hulk Hogan Returns to Video Games in TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line for Nintendo DS(TM)

TNA's Legendary Wrestler Hits the Ring in the New Handheld Game

MIDLOTHIAN, Va., May 14, 2010 - SouthPeak Interactive Corporation (SOPK 0.40, -0.06, -13.04%) today proudly announced that the Nintendo DS(TM) version of TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line will see the return to video games of the biggest name in professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan. That's right, brother, Hulkamania is back and exclusively on Nintendo DS!

Hulk Hogan is the most recognized personality in professional wrestling. Along with other titans of the ring including Sting, AJ Styles and Kurt Angle, he is on a mission to redefine wrestling in the ring and on your game system.

Based on the fastest-growing wrestling franchise, TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line brings all of the non-stop action and awe-inspiring moments of TNA to Nintendo DS. Players can pit themselves against a wide variety of fierce competitors, and experience an array of match styles including one on one, tag team, Ultimate X and the all new Full Metal Mayhem.

"We're thrilled to bring the greatest wrestler in the history of the sport back to video games," said Richard Iggo, SouthPeak's VP of Marketing. "The game was built ground-up for the Nintendo DS and takes advantage of its unique control system to offer an unrivalled experience on the platform. TNA is an organization that has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to offer their fans the ultimate experience in and out of the ring and we're delighted to be their partners in this endeavor."

TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line for Nintendo DS, developed by DoubleTap, will be available in June 2010 and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Also available on PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system. Visit www.tnawrestling.com or www.southpeakgames.com for more details.

SouthPeak's extensive portfolio of over 60 interactive entertainment games spans a variety of platforms and genres including RPG, simulation, FPS, sports, strategy, puzzle and fighting.

About SouthPeak Interactive Corporation

SouthPeak Interactive Corporation develops and publishes interactive entertainment software for all current hardware platforms including: Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system, PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) system, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), iPhone and Windows PC. SouthPeak's games cover all major genres including action/adventure, role-playing, strategy, racing, puzzle, sports and edutainment. SouthPeak's products are sold in retail outlets in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Australia and Asia. SouthPeak is headquartered in Midlothian, Virginia, and has offices in Grapevine, Texas and Leicester, England.

For additional information, please visit SouthPeak's corporate website: www.southpeakgames.com

If you would like to be added to SouthPeak's email list to receive news directly, please send your request to southpeak@tpg-ir.com.

About TNA

TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Sting, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the ring on "TNA iMPACT!" every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SPIKE. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com

Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

SOURCE: SouthPeak Interactive Corporation

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Saturday, May 08, 2010

UFC 113 BetUS News

UFC 113 BetUS News

UFC 113 will be quickly upon us this weekend May 8th, 2010. I thought I’d send out a quick reminder and an highlight some of the matches. I’m not sure about you, but I seem to have to constantly reminded of these dates or these events will just pass me by. Anyways, the last event for WEC 48 was really cool and featured some great bouts. I hope UFC 113 will do the same.

The big fight of the night is the re-match Machida vs. Rua for the Light Heavyweight Championship belt. I see things going a little better this time around for Machida. Last fight he got beat up a bit but retained the belt on a split decision. This time he knows he’ll have to be the aggressor and Rua will get caught with his chin out. My pick Machida KO 3rd round.

The fight between Koscheck vs. Daley should be fight of the night and all stand up. Koscheck the more experienced and superior wrestler has indicated he’ll stand and bang with Daley. The brash, cocky Daley has secured a staggering 78% of his 23 wins by knockout. "If he wants to stand-up, that's easy", says Daley. "If you're gonna stand up with me, you're gonna get knocked out--I've said it time and time again." These guys don’t like each other now and Koscheck is going to hate him later after he get’s KO’d. My pick Daley KO 2rd round.

Another potential KO bout is the Kimbo vs Mitrione. Kimbo should be vastly improved skill wise from his showing against Houston Alexander over 6 months ago. He’s got the right work ethic and training now and should be a force at this weight class.

Mitrione was one of the better athletes on the TUF 10 season and should be as he did play in the NFL. He only got one of two fights under him so I don’t give him much of a chance. My pick Kimbo KO 2rd round.

One last bout which could also vie for fight of the night is the Stout vs. Stephens one. Stout is one of the fiercest brawlers in the UFC and among all the Canadian fighters on this card he’s the one with the most skill. Stout made his pro debut at the age of 19 and has since racked up a slew of victories.

Stout will surely be a crowd favorite as he defends his home turf against human pitbull Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stevens at UFC 113 in Montreal. If both fighters' past performances are any indication, then this fight could be worth the price of admission all by itself!

UFC 113 match-ups

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley
Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens
Heavyweight bout: Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione
Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Alan Belcher

Preliminary Card

Middleweight bout: Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor
Welterweight bout: Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet
Welterweight bout: TJ Grant vs. Johny Hendricks
Heavyweight bout: Tim Hague vs. Joey Beltran
Welterweight bout: Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Mike Guymon
Middleweight bout: Jason MacDonald vs. John Salter

Date: Saturday May 8th
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Thursday, May 06, 2010

Edge and Randy face off on Raw - 4th May 2010

Tag teams were the focus on Raw this week, as an old duo clashed and a potentially great one formed.

Edge and Randy Orton once comprised the team known as Rated RKO, but after the Ultimate Opportunist speared the Viper to close last week's show, they were booked to face off in Edge's talk show segment, The Cutting Edge.

Hyped throughout the show, it proved to be the quasi-main event, and concluded with Randy standing tall after nailing an RKO on his former comrade.

Prior to this, Edge cut a very strong promo explaining that he tried his hardest to please the fans, but they wouldn't accept him, hence his heel turn.

Adam Copeland is a terrific talker, but hasn't found his groove since his return as a babyface. It's nice to see the wide-eyed, paranoid heel Edge back.

During this confrontation, Orton found time to RKO the Raw Guest Host Wayne Brady, who contributed little else to the show.

It evoked memories of Steve Austin dishing out stunners to all and sundry, suggesting that if Randy showed a similar penchant for hitting his finisher in scattergun fashion it could get him even more over.

We already know the WWE title, currently held by John Cena, will be defended against Batista at Over the Limit. So this show featured the two men wrestling in separate matches, with the man who got a win in the quickest time choosing the stipulation for the bout at the PPV.

Batista was due to face The Miz, but he produced a Doctor's note excusing him from action, and instead allowed his NXT rookie Daniel Bryan to face the Animal.

Batista knocked off the former Ring of Honor champ in about five minutes, although Bryan got some reasonable time to shine.

Later, Cena was supposed to wrestle Chris Jericho, but again a scheduled opponent cried off, with this time Jericho's NXT protégé Wade Barrett taking his place.

Cena beat Batista's time, and was about to announce what stipulation he would like, when he was ambushed by Sheamus, who had earlier got in Batista's face and claimed he should be the No1 contender.

With no obvious opponent for the upcoming PPV, Sheamus may well be inserted into the mix to create a Triple Threat by the time we reach Over the Limit.

Our favourite moment from the show, though, was the realisation that Chris Jericho and The Miz look set to be aligned as a Tag Team.

They have title reigns with Big Show in common, and a backstage segment where they compared note on the giant, who moved to Smackdown last week, gave rise to what seems like a uniting of the pair.

You could put forth a very good argument for Jericho and Miz being the best promo guys in the whole of wrestling right now, so a formation of a team is an exciting prospect.

They sat in on commentary to see the current champions, The Hart Foundation, get their hands raised against William Regal and Vladimir Koslov, and attacked them post-match.

There is only really one question to answer. Do we called them JeriMiz or Mizicho? (Credit: The Sun)

Hitman drops WWE future hint - 4th May 2010

Bret Hart has raved about his recent return to the WWE and hinted he may extend his stay with the wrestling promotion.

The Hitman returned for a WrestleMania match with Vince McMahon, but remained as part of their programming in the aftermath of the showpiece event to guide the Hart Dynasty to the tag team titles.

And speaking on the Right After Wrestling show on SIRIUS Radio, Hart said: "I thought I'd be done at WrestleMania, but every week there's something else.

"I don't mind. I'm having fun. The return of The Hitman has been good for me, good for the fans and good for the wrestlers.

"There's been nothing but an upside to it all. I'm pretty happy with it."

Canadian Hart's last appearance for the WWE is scheduled to be on WWE Raw from Toronto on May 17.

And although he insists he does not see himself carrying on after that date, he added: "At the same time I wouldn't rule anything out if I can play a useful role.

"It's not like I'm doing that much these days.

"As long as I'm not on the road every day like I used to be.

"The Monday Night Raw role I've had for the last three months was a lot of fun...and I would do it all over again." (Credit: The Sun)

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Saturday, May 01, 2010

Wrestling Legend Ric Flair Expands Gambling Deals, by Greg Tingle - 1st May 2010

Professional wrestling living legend, 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, has expanded on his gambling and gaming deals. Enter South Carolina Education Lottery.

As Media Man and Gambling911 have long suspected, there is a cross over audience in wrestling fans and punters, be it lottery, poker, casino, online and offline. We've also noticed an increase in PKR (3D) poker advertising on a number of Wrestling News Media and sports car - lifestyle websites, but that's another story. Flair didn't miss long time nemesis Hulk Hogan doing business with a Native American tribe via The Hulk-a-Mania Experience slot machine, but Flair's opted for "softer" gambling (thus far) via being a face of lottery tickets in the Carolina's.

Flair took a life gamble some 30 years ago when when his bleached his hair blond an transformed his image into a somewhat modern 'Gorgeous George' inspired character, known for his jet flying, limousine riding, wheelin', dealing, son of a gun antics. Flair became the thinking man's wrestler, and quite the entrepreneur in the process.

His biggest wrestling related pay days came around the time of his signing with World Wrestling Entertainment and 1991, soon after having his first match with Hulk Hogan. Today Flair still wrestles the occasional match against Hogan and his mates in WWE rival, TNA Wrestling, but Flair remains on the lookout for worthwhile business deals to help maintain his lifestyle and fuel his considerable expense account which experienced an increase with family matters and the like.

'The Man' is one of Charlotte’s best-known celebs, and one of the world's most famous wrestlers, will be showcased on 'Woooooo!' South Carolina Education Lottery tickets, kicking off next week.

Flair will be in the think of the action with the $5 scratch-off ticket, starting Monday, according to Flair management and of the South Carolina Lottery.

Some six months ago Flair fronted that $5 scratch-off lottery ticket in North Carolina. The Flair tickets were among the state’s best-selling lottery items. The ticket sale was pushed along by television commercials featuring Flair, which later became a bit of a viral hit on the YouTube website portal via Media Man creation American Gaming News.

Paula Harper Bethea, executive director of the South Carolina Education Lottery, said Flair will also help promote the ticket sales in the Palmetto State.

"We look forward to hosting Ric Flair in South Carolina at various events and anticipate an increase in ticket sales to generate more funds for education," Bethea said.

She also advised he is scheduled to appear on behalf of the lottery on 8th May at NASCAR’s Southern 500 racing mega event in Darlington; and again June 5 at the Sun Fun Festival in Myrtle Beach.

The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) began in 2002. South Carolina is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), best known for Powerball. Like most US lotteries, on January 31, 2010, it participated in the cross-sell lottery expansion, adding Mega Millions.

Pro Wrestlers Connection

Other pro wrestlers who have an interest to get involved in gaming of the gambling variety include Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Snuka and Piper also already in a number of traditional video games. Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash from TNA and NWO fame has some gambling links on his official website. Rumors persist of PartyGaming and / or Australia's NextGen Gaming developing an Andre The Giant online slot game, which would be certain to be a hit with punters down under in Australia, and around the world. Andre toured Australia a number of times including in the 70s and later in the mid 80's with the then World Wrestling Federation.

Punters, into wrestling? Check out the Media Man website network... interviews, articles, profiles et al of many of the world's greatest and most colourful wrestling stars. No pro wrestling slot games... the closest is The Incredible Hulk online slot. Hogan came to terms with Marvel Entertainment a couple of decades ago to the turn of a few million dollars. Captain Cooks Casino is understood to have a 'My Slot' game which can be customized, so if you want to incorporate pro wrestling stars, you can. All we have to say is have fun and Woooooo!

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*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Wrestling News Media is a Media Man creation

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