• Wrestling News & Wrestling Rumors – WWE & TNA

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The Big News: Samoa Joe is now in the King of the Mountain match, or at least qualified for it. Jeff Jarrett slugged referee Earl Hebner during a brawl with Eric Young, which leads to some type of announcement next week by Mick Foley.

Lauren stopped Shane Douglas backstage, who says he plans to do big things in TNA for a long time. Or at least until the next teacher’s edition textbooks are updated.

1. Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi defeated Daniels and Suicide in 5:19. Don West was the highlight of the match doing a poor man’s Bobby Hennan on commentary. West talked about how Kiyoshi was misunderstood after having conversations with him. A discussion between West and Kiyoshi stands to be one hell of a comedy segment. When Mike Tenay brought up whether West was convinced that Suicide wasn’t Daniels, West asked Tenay why he was so obsessed over the identity of Suicide. Suicide got the heat after Kiyoshi kicked him in the back, but made his comeback with an exploder suplex on Bashir. Daniels got the hot tag and did a combination bulldog on Kiyoshi while giving Bashir a clothesline. Suicide followed with a pescado on Bashir, who started selling his ankle on the floor. While referee Mark Johnson checked on him, the Motor City Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences (who have done one of those turns without an angle explaining the turn) ran out to drag Suicide to the back. Then Douglas came out through the crowd again, only he had a t-shirt on this week. Douglas hit Daniels with a chain wrapped around his fist, leading to Kiyoshi getting the pin. I hate to rip off Bill Maher, but it’s time for new rules. New rule: Any wrestler in worse shape than Jeff Hammond was when wrestled in TNA can’t appear on TV. I don’t care how good of a talker he is, he only makes the company look second rate. **

Douglas did an in-ring interview that was pretty sad on several levels. He’s in horrible shape and the crowd didn’t know who he was. Worse, the interview was filled with inside references about how Douglas never got a second chance after he left the company three years ago. When he mentioned his whole career had been sabotaged by people in the front office, there was total silence. He finally had to work the crowd to get some heat, and vowed to keep making Daniels’ life miserable. Why is Douglas feuding with Daniels? That part was never really explained. I guess because Daniels just returned and they don’t want to drop his character into oblivion already.

Jeremy Borash was backstage in Mick Foley’s office. Borash asked him why he wanted to defend the TNA title only once a year, and Foley said the best sporting events are decided in a similar fashion. Granted, it’s that way with boxing champions, but nobody cares about the boxing governing bodies. Or the titles themselves. But it’s like that in wrestling nowadays, too. In both cases, the respective industries have no one to blame but themselves, real or fake. Kip James walked in looking like the latest person to take the Randy ‘The Ram” role. He was begging Foley for a job. Foley wouldn’t commit to anything, only saying that times were tight. Then Kevin Nash walked in with Jenna, who I could have sworn was fired last week. Does her unemployment count only when Sting is around? Or is this like the deal when Russo booked WWF in 1998 and Vader lost his mask against Kane, then kept wearing the mask until he got fired?

Nash was upset about facing Samoa Joe in a cage tonight. He said he didn’t care about whether the match drew, he just wanted money. Now that’s an inside reference everyone got. Foley agreed to pay him quadruple his regular rate. Sometimes I wonder how similar these staged negotiations are compared to the real thing. What negotiating tool does Nash have? His successful booking stint in WCW? How he elevated Goldberg’s career after beating him? How he elevated Goldberg following after Goldberg’s heel turn? Foley laughed about giving Nash more money but blowing off James.

The Machine Guns, Black Machismo and Consequences Creed did a promo backstage with no mention of what they did with Suicide earlier. In fact, they never even brought up jumping Suicide earlier. Chris Sabin was teaming with Creed against Beer Money, though the two don’t get along. The X Division championship match at Slammiversary will also be a King of the Mountain match, so this PPV is the Elimination Chamber of TNA.

Beer Money defeated Chris Sabin and Consequences Creed in 5:10. Sabin and Creed were totally miscast as heels, though Creed was a reluctant heel. James Storm and Robert Roode did the Beer Money suplex on Sabin. Storm gave Creed a uranage. Storm went down after Sabin pulled his hair, which upset Creed. It built to a unique spot where Sabin and Creed went for simultaneous springboard moves, but collided with each other in mid-air. Roode got the hot tag and buried Creed with the Anderson spinebuster. The British Invasion came out trying to interfere against Beer Money, but Team 3-D ran out to brawl with them to the back. It led to Sabin accidentally kicking Creed, which led to Beer Money getting the pin on Creed with drinking while investing. **

The Beautiful People went looking for Tara (nee Victoria) backstage. The brawl was joined in progress after a commercial, and Tara had already started her comeback, first decking Madison Rayne after a failed attempt at hairspray in the eyes, then sending Velvet Sky into a wall. She hit Rayne with a garbage can lid and dumped garbage on Sky. Angelina Love backed off and never made contact, and was so scared of Tara she nearly ran into a wall. The whole deal took 45 seconds, which didn’t help Tara after coming off so strong in her debut.

Daffney did an interview about her match with Taylor Wilde. They did that horrid angle in a restaurant for a throwaway TV match. Daffney is crazy. She must beat Wilde tonight. She started doing Damian Demento facials. End of story.

Main Event Mafia had a sit-down interview with Tenay. Story here was Kurt Angle, Nash, Scott Steiner and Booker T were all worried about being on Joe’s hit list and vowed to jump him backstage. Sting, in his new leader of the mafia role, overheard all of this and basically shouted down his stablemates, saying they would take down Joe, but only on Sting’s terms.

Daffney defeated Taylor Wilde in 2:08. Wilde came out more aggressive throwing Daffney into the stairs at ringside. Dr. Stevie and Raven came out, but Daffney still missed an elbow off the second rope. Wilde got a near fall with a rolling ¾ nelson. Wilde went to the second rope, but Stevie distracted her and Daffney threw her off. Daffnny then got the pin with the fisherman’s suplex neckbreaker, which was formally called the Thriller from Wasilla under Daffney’s old incarnation as the Governor. Well, it would have been her finisher if she had actually gone over in any of the matches. Here, it was called the lobotomy, as in the old Ramones song. Lauren the interview girl ran out to save Wilde, where Tenay revealed that Wilde and Lauren were old college classmates. ¾*

Raven did an interview afterward saying the wrestling world had been waiting for a decade for a Raven-Richards reunion. He said the reason he returned was because Abyss wouldn’t follow Stevie’s prescription. He said the better the medicine is, the worse it tastes, and vowed Abyss has never tasted what’s coming for him.

Jeff Jarrett came out and introduced Eric Young in a tone where he was trying to be friendly after the blowup between the two last week. At first, Jarrett apologized for snapping at Young lately because he’s been under pressure running the company. I know Foley is now supposed to be running the company while Jarrett wasn’t supposed to be under control, but creative changes their stories more with Foley-Jarrett than the “victim” in the Duke lacrosse case, so just go along with it. Jarrett said that when Young got beat last week, it was simply part of wrestling and he should have dealt with the loss with respect. Instead, Young disrespected him. So he could take it one of two ways, either they bury the hatchet tonight or they take it as far as Young wants to go. Both men’s mic work was first-rate here, and the fans were chanting for them to fight right away. Young said he often wondered why he struck up a friendship with Young so quickly. He thought it was because Jarrett was such a great wrestler, having competed around the world. Or because he was a great businessman since he started TNA with his own money. TNA is now seen in 100 countries and gave wrestling fans another choice. Well, he also thought weekly PPVs were a good idea, but he didn’t mention that. They both vowed to never be like their fathers. Young said he later discovered the real reason why they were friends is because their fathers both neglected them. Jerry Jarrett neglected Jeff for a life in wrestling. Young’s father neglected him when he moved to Cuba. But Jeff was slowly turning into what he despised-his own father. Everything in TNA revolves around Jeff, and everyone else is second. Young said his real concern was for his three daughters who Jarrett is forcing to settle for second place, just like Jerry did to Jeff years ago. Jarrett slapped Young, and it wound up with a pull-apart brawl. Unlike the pull aparts that they do every other week, this one had real heat. In the midst of the brawl, Jarrett decked referee Earl Hebner.

Foley watched this scene backstage and was outraged when Jarrett decked Hebner. Just then, former Main Event Mafia security members Sal and Rocco were shown in the office and Foley wanted them to come with him to ringside.

4. Matt Morgan defeated Jesse Neal in 2:08 . If you’ll recall, Neal is the petty officer who decided to go into pro wrestling after he lost a friend at sea during a legitimate attack by Al Quaida. They played up his debut for weeks. So you would think that someone in this company saw how WEC handled Brian Stamm, give him a few easy wins, build a cult following and let fate dictate it from there. Instead, Neal does a two-minute squash where he got 5% of the offense. Morgan treated him like a total jobber and pinned him after a carbon footprint. Rhino, who was training Neal, seconded him to ringside and looked totally deflated, even before the match started. They took something that had legit mainstream press possibilies and treated it worse than C.M. Punk wrestling in Chicago. Morgan is still doing the storyline about possibly joining the mafia. It’s been a month now. Wasn’t that supposed to be a limited time offer? DUD

ODB took Cody Deaner to Leroy’s Training Facility doing some redneck weight lifting. He curled a barbell with paint buckets tied at the end, did squats with kegs. I’m still trying to figure out how Deaner survived that bump off the ladder last week without killing himself.

Mick Foley came out with Sal and Rocco. He’s supposed the be the top heel in the company, but he’s still treated as a legend who the fans don’t want to hate. He announced Sting would face Kurt Angle next week in a King of the Mountain qualifier match. Foley said he was scared for his own career because Jarrett was out of control. He said that every action creates a reaction, and Foley would have a reaction for decking Earl Hebner next week, and it would be hardcore.

Sting did a promo backstage about facing Angle next week. Sting wasn’t worried about it. Then Morgan walked in wanting to know whether Sting noticed his match tonight. Sting said being in the mafia had everything to do with respect, and Morgan didn’t have it and walked off. Morgan thought the only reason he didn’t get in the mafia was because he had never been a champion, but guaranteed he would be a mafia member before long.

Samoa Joe will face Scott Steiner and Booker T next week in a nation of violence first blood match. Basically it’s a gauntlet first blood match, starting with Joe vs. Steiner. If Joe beats Steiner, he gets Booker next. Booker cut a promo in his Brooklyn accent. Sharmell walked in upset about Jenna being in the makeup room all day. Booker asked her to leave before Sting got in the room. She now has to knock before entering. Hope Booker has a comfortable couch.

5. Samoa Joe defeated Kevin Nash in a Six Sides of Steel King of the Mountain qualifier in 5:04. So Joe, Jarrett, Foley and A.J. Styles are in the King of the Mountain match, or at least they were at the time of this taping. Joe talked with someone before his ring entrance, again teasing Taz. Not much to the match. They hit each other with kendo stick shots before Nash threw his standard knees in the corner. Nash jabbed him with the stick and choked him with it. Joe made his comeback by throwing Nash into the cage. Nash hit a low blow and hit Joe with a trash can lid. Nash got near falls after a side slam. Joe battled back with a trash can lid, clamped on the Kokina clutch to wear Nash down, then pinned after smashing a hockey stick across his back, which was a slash that would have made Bob Probert proud. *1/2

SUMMARY: Nash deserves credit for at least trying to put someone over. But the repackaging of Joe is the latest in a long line of Steve Austin ripoffs, and there’s only one time you can catch that lightning in a bottle. Basically an average show with the highlight being the Young-Jarrett pull apart.

Jeff Hamlin
jhamlin@wchl1360.com