WWE Tribute to the Troops 2010 Complete Results

WWE aired a special 2 hour extended edition of its annual Tribute to the Troops show. A special 15 man over-the-top-rope battle royal opened up the Tribute to the Troops show from Fort Hood, Texas.

15 Man Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal

Competitors were John Morrison, Mark Henry, Ezekiel Jackson, Chavo Guerrero, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Chris Masters, Dashing Cody Rhodes, Vladimir Kozlov, Santino Marella, Nexus members: Otunga, Slater, Gabriel, McGillicutty, Harris. Michael Cole noted that these Nexus guys were assaulted by Cena at TLC PPV Sunday so he's surprised to see them here, although this special took place before TLC.

Early on Nexus retreated out of the ring as the match continued on. Masters was the first official elimination of the match. Jackson tried to toss Rhodes over the top, but Rhodes held onto the top rope. Ezekiel Jackson got eliminated due to a headscissors from Rhodes and Chavo coming over from behind to help push Zeke over the top rope. Cole noted that many fans showed up for today's event starting at 7am in the morning.

Santino used the Cobra on Chavo, Morrison, Rhodes and Bryan with all of them falling to the mat. Sheamus came over to knock Santino to the mat. Sheamus yelled out and Mark Henry stared him down. With everyone else down, Sheamus and Henry went at it. Nexus rushed into the ring and attacked both guys. They eliminated Santino together, then attacked Kozlov 5-on-1 to eliminate him as well.

Chavo was thrown onto the apron next then punched off by Nexus. Rhodes thought he had Harris on his side, but soon got thrown out by his former NXT rookie. Morrison, Henry, Bryan and Sheamus teamed up to take on the Nexus guys. Daniel Bryan managed to eliminate Gabriel, but then Sheamus hit a Brogh kick and tossed Bryan out. Morrison later tossed Otunga out.

It was down to Harris, Slater and McGillicutty vs Sheamus, Morrison and Henry. Morrison was about to go for a springboard move from the apron, but got punched off by Nexus. Meanwhile, Henry tossed Heath Slater out of the ring. It came down to McGill and Harris against Henry. Henry was able to send McGillicutty out over the top rope and then Harris. Henry forgot Sheamus was still in there and got attacked from behind. Henry gained the moment in his homestate but Sheamus kicked him as Henry charged the corner. Sheamus got up on the corner, but Henry went over and grabbed him. Henry pressed Sheamus overhead and tossed him to the outside!

Winner: Mark Henry wins the 15 man over-the-top-rope battle royal.

A special pre-recorded Taylor Swift holiday thanks and greeting to the troops was shown.

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The Bella Twins were next to the crowd in Santa's Helper diva costumes welcoming fans back to the show.

Justin Roberts introduced Diddy-Dirty Money saying they were performing their classic hit "I'll Be Missing You." The song was originally by Diddy, not Diddy-Dirty Money.

After a commercial break, Justin Roberts introduced special guest ring announcer, Miss USA Rima Fakih.

Kofi Kingston & Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger

Michael Cole was discussing the match as if it happened after TLC PPV, yet during the Saturday airing he provided different commentary, ahead of the Pay-Per-View.

Show and Kofi had the early advantage on Ziggler. Kofi jumped up on Ziggler in the corner for nearly 10 punches, then a European uppercut. Moments later, Kofi was on the apron fighting off Swagger and Ziggler. He tried to jump up for a springboard move, but Swagger was there to yank his leg and smash Kofi face first into the apron.

The action broke down late in the match, with Big Show getting the hot tag. Show and Swagger were legal. Kofi took Ziggler out over the top rope. Show got the Chokeslam on Swagger for the win, and Miss USA announced the results.

Winners: Big Show & Kofi Kingston win via pinfall over Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.

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A special pre-recorded video message was shown from LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Justin Roberts introduced country music star Trace Adkins to perform his song "I Got My Game On." Some have compared Adkins' outfit to something similar to what The Undertaker would wear.

R-Truth vs. Ted Dibiase

R-Truth arrived out first to rap his entrance song "What's Up?" with Eve Torres in a Santa's Helper diva costume doing dance moves. Maryse accompanied Ted Dibiase to the ring.

Truth took control early on against Dibiase as he booted him down on a move near the ropes. However, right after that Dibiase dropped Truth face first onto the top rope. Truth regained control yet again, but Maryse got up on the apron to distract. Eve rushed over and yanked Maryse down by the leg. Dibiase tried for Dream Street but R-Truth countered it. He came back moments later with the Lie Detector for the victory. Eve joined Truth in the ring post-match to celebrate.

Winner: R-Truth wins via pinfall over Ted Dibiase.

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Bella Twins, Natalya & Kelly Kelly vs. Lay-Cool, Alicia Fox & Melina

Kelly had the advantage late in the match and hit her finisher leg drop on Michelle. However, Layla came in to kick Kelly and stop the pin. All of the divas got into the ring to fight. Kelly and Michelle were left in the ring together. Kelly hit her leg drop to plant Michelle face first to the mat for the winning pinfall.

Winners: The Bella Twins, Natalya & Kelly Kelly win via pinfall over Lay-Cool, Melina & Alicia Fox.

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The View's Sherri Shepherd arrived out in a Santa's Helper outfit with Hornswoggle as her elf helper. They tossed out presents to the crowd, and then a pre-recorded message from former president George W. Bush was shown to the troops.

Lawler said President Bush and Randomhouse are donating copies of his book "Decision Points" to the troops. They showed troops holding copies.

Justin Roberts re-introduced Diddy-Dirty Money to perform their song "Coming Home" off the new album "Last Train to Paris."

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Special pre-recorded greeting to the troops from Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn.

Major General Grimsley vs Kane
Arm Wrestling Contest

Major General Grimsley issued an open challenge to anyone who wanted to face him in an arm wrestling challenge. Kane took the challenge. It was back and forth early on. All of a sudden, the Rated-R Superstar Edge showed up and Kane let go off Grimsley's hand. Edge came to the ring in a bulletproof vest. Kane tried to chokeslam him, but Edge escaped his clutches. Edge ran against the ropes then came back to Spear down Kane.

Winner: No contest due to Edge's interference.

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer came out to entertain the troops with his comedy. His aired jokes were the same as shown on NBC's show Saturday.

Late Night host Jimmy Fallon had a special pre-recorded message for the Troops. Fallon purposely told some corny holiday jokes. It ended with The Miz arriving out to bodyslam Fallon to the floor and then yelled "Happy Holidays everybody!"

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Trace Adkins was out again to perform another song. This time he performed "Whoop a Man's Ass" for the Fort Hood Texas crowd.

The Chief of Staff of the US Army, General George W. Casey Jr. had a special message for the troops.

Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and John Cena made their entrances for the main event six man tag match.

A special pre-recorded message was shown from The Today Show anchors to wish the troops well for the holidays and beyond.

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John Cena, Rey Mysterio & Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio & The Miz

The heels were introduced following the commercial break. Wade Barrett was out first. Next, Alberto Del Rio arrived driving a Rolls Royce out to the ramp. Finally, The Miz and Alex Riley made their entrance.

John Cena started off strong against Miz, but Miz soon got a kick in on Cena, then tagged in Del Rio to continue the beating. Barrett smiled as he looked on, then tagged in to go after Cena some more. The heels continued to stay in control with Miz gaining the advantage on Orton later. Orton came back to blast Miz down wit ha clothesline, then tagged in Mysterio. Mysterio had a near fall with a bodypress onto Miz. He nearly got the 619, but Riley tripped Mysterio from the outside, then yanked Rey out of the ring as the ref wasn't looking. Miz tagged Barrett, who went over to ram Rey into the apron. The show went to commercial.

Tribute to the Troops returned with the heels in control. Barrett had a near fall on Mysterio, then tagged in Del Rio to work over Rey. Del Rio reacted to the crowd's U-S-A chants. Mysterio managed to roll through a Dell Rio sunset flip pin attempt and kicked Del Rio in the face. However, Del Rio was quick to run back over and kick Rey again. Barrett tagged in and took it to Rey.

Barrett tried for a Superplex up on the corner, but Mysterio blocked it then headbutted Barrett down to the mat. Rey flew off the corner with a cross body then made the hot tag to John Cena. Cena slammed Del Rio down then hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Del Rio. The Miz and Barrett got involved as Cena tried to hit the AA and get the win. Barrett and Del Rio both ended up against the ropes with Mysterio hitting a 619 on both guys. Barrett stumbled back into Orton for the RKO. Del Rio stumbled back towards Cena, so he picked him up to hit the AA and win it.

The winners celebrated in the ring in front of the troops to close the matches out.

Winners: John Cena, Rey Mysterio & Randy Orton win via pinfall over Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio & The Miz.

They showed a highlight video of slideshow images and video footage with the troops. John Cena, Mark Henry, the Miz, Kelly Kelly, Eve, CM Punk were among the superstars in the footage. There were also celebrities shown including Cameron Diaz, Adam Sandler and Toby Keith. The video included the Kid Rock song "Born Free."

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Wrestling Poll: Best Raw Host?

For this latest WWE wrestling poll, the topic is the guest host celebrities who have taken over Raw each for one night only. The celebs have included a rap star, a reverend, football player, former game show host, a longtime rock band, NBA & NFL players and various actors. The guest hosting should continue through 2009, as it was first started by Donald Trump several months ago when he bought Monday Night Raw for a night. Trump instituted the policy that each week a different celebrity would step in to serve as guest host since Raw had no General Manager. Trump made this decision right before selling the WWE Raw show back to Vince McMahon for a boatload of money.

That begs the question of which host has turned in the best performance so far on the show. Each guest host in the poll has put a unique spin on Raw with their own agenda, causes, promotions and brand of sports entertainment. Some have even stepped into the ring to grapple with the wrestlers. Vote below for the WWE Raw guest host you think has been best so far....

Who has been the best WWE Raw guest host so far?
	Al Sharpton
	Ben Roethlisberger
	Bob Barker
	Cedric the Entertainer
	Freddie Prinze Jr.
	Jeremy Piven
	Nancy O'Dell
	Shaquille O'Neal
	Seth Green
	Snoop Dogg
	ZZ Top
pollcode.com free polls

Variety Article reveals Raw Hosts

Variety magazine has a recent online article examining the Raw guest hosting gig, and how most celebrities are using it as part of their promotional arsenal for new projects. For example, Jeremy Piven promoted his movie "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard", Seth Green promoted Robot Chicken and ZZ Top promoted their DVD's, albums, and a current concert tour.

Freddie Prinze Jr. hosts the 08/17/09 episode of WWE Raw and he also is joining the cast of Fox's hit action/drama series "24". Stephanie McMahon had the following to say, according to the Variety article:

"We wanted a different way to get our product out there and talked about," Stephanie McMahon, WWE's executive VP of creative development and operations, told Daily Variety. "Tying us in with celebrities in Hollywood raises our awareness and gets a variety of people talking about us, which is always a positive place to be. Hopefully it will translate to new viewers."

According to the article, the guest hosts will continue through 2009, and may even go on until Wrestlemania 26 in 2010. Among those confirmed as upcoming hosts: Bob Barker (Price is Right), Reverend Al Sharpton, Nancy O'Dell (Access Hollywood), boxer Floyd Mayweather, and NBA star Lebron James (also Shaquille O'Neal's Cleveland teammate). Sounds like at least two of the upcoming hosts could make things rough for The Big Show.

There's also several rumored guest hosts who are in talks with WWE: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson, the Osbournes, Danny DeVito, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, Jimmy Fallon, Rachael Ray, MC Hammer, Woody Harrelson, Serena Williams and Ashton Kutcher.

If you think about the move, it's smart business for both WWE and the hosts who get to plug whatever they want. ESPN covered Shaq's appearance, while Jeremy Piven talked his Raw hosting gig up on various shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Regis & Kelly. And at least a few times, it's made for entertaining television (Shaq, Seth Green). It's even boosted ratings since they've instituted the hosts and gained new sponsors such as KFC, Pepsi and 7-11, currently helping to promote Summerslam 2009. If you recall, this all started out when Trump announced the idea as part of his Raw restructuring plan. So maybe Donald Trump should be running WWE after all?

Read full article: "WWE added to Talk Show Circuit at Variety's online site.

Triple H on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

On Tuesday night, WWE Superstar Triple H made an appearance on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show. Triple H has been on SNL before so he and Fallon knew each other. Earlier in the show, Fallon talked about how one of the guests he really wanted on the show was Triple H. When the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show set was originally being put together, Fallon talked on a video blog about how cool it would be to have HHH come through these trap doors they had installed with smoke machines. And that's just what happened, as HHH came up through trap doors in the middle of the audience with smoke going off. Fallon's band rap group "The Roots" played "Bow down to the King" while HHH slapped hands with audience members.

Ashton Kucher was also a guest prior to HHH and sat in for the interview. He mentioned that his chiuahua always barks when Triple H is on the TV screen and doesn't stop barking until he's off. They discussed Twitter and Triple H said he doesn't even use it or know how to Tweet. Triple H also mentioned the DX reunion and how they will face Legacy at Summerslam.

They also showed a preview of Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, with a downloadable Jimmy Fallon character taking on Triple H. Triple H dominated after some brief offense from Fallon, and hit the Pedigree. Fallon then mentioned that NBC will have the world premiere of Wrestlemania 25 on August 29th.

Later on Jimmy Fallon posted the following Twitter message to Smackdown vs Raw about HHH's visit:

@SvRgame Triple H said he wasn't on Twitter. So please tell him thanks for me. The game looks fun. about 13 hours ago from Tweetie

Jeremy Piven talks Raw on Regis & Kelly

Thursday morning, actor Jeremy Piven made an appearance on the Regis & Kelly Show in New York. The actor was there to discuss his upcoming movie "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard", but also spoke about his recent gig hosting Monday Night Raw for WWE. Piven admitted he's got a fear of heights so getting up on the turnbuckle was really all about facing his fears. He also noted that he noticed two signs in the crowd; one read "Ari Gold is God" in reference to his Entourage character. The other sign read "Entourage Sucks", so Piven said he felt loved and hated all at once.

In terms of the jump at Cena, he said it's like every guy's fantasy to be in the wrestling ring, but he wondered what his mom was thinking when she saw it all. Kelly Ripa made the point that Piven could have been injured during the stunt, and Piven talked about Cena throwing Dr. Ken. He said he hasn't heard from Dr. Ken since the incident and Cena needs to watch his back. No word yet if Piven vs. Cena will be headlining Wrestlemania 26.

In his new role, Piven will play a used car salesman. Piven's movie "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" opens August 14th and is rated R.

Also see: Raw Revelations: Jeremy Piven & Dr. Ken

Raw Recap 08/03/09

Actor Jeremy Piven to Host WWE Raw

Poll: Raw Guest Hosts?

When Donald Trump purchased Raw he not only initiated a huge 15 superstar trade amongst Smackdown, Raw & ECW, but he also added in a new caveat for the Raw show. Each week the show would get a unique celebrity guest host, whether it be a beautiful model, an actor or actress, sports or music star. So far we've seen WWE wrestler Batista, former WWE wrestler The Million Dollar Man, actor Seth Green and rock band ZZ Top all take control of Raw, flipping the show upside down. Some weeks have been entertaining while others have flopped. On 7/27 Raw will be hosted by the always interesting NBA star, Shaquille O'Neal, and on 8/3 actor Jeremy Piven will take over.

So that brings us to this latest Pro-wrestling poll. If you could choose from among some of the biggest names in entertainment, music and sports who would you put as guest host of the WWE Raw show? Choose from the list here, and feel free to leave your comments regarding the latest format for WWE's Raw TV show!

Which of these celebs would you like to see guest host RAW?
	Heidi and Spencer
	Oprah Winfrey
	Paris Hilton
	Lebron James
	Adam Sandler
	Snoop Dogg
	Keven Federline
	Verne Troyer aka Mini Me
pollcode.com free polls

Actor Jeremy Piven to Host 8/3 WWE Raw

It's been recently announced that actor Jeremy Piven (Entourage) will have the honor of guest hosting Raw on August 3rd, 2009. Piven has an upcoming movie promotion as well for "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" in which he plays Don Ready, a used-car liquidator, who is hired by a flailing auto dealership to turn a 4th of July sale into a profitable event. The movie hits theaters on August 14, 2009. Piven is best known for his role on Entourage as the agent Ari Gold.

According to PWInsider.com, the guest hosts will continue for some time, as it appears many celebs have contacted WWE to be part of the show:

As I noted earlier this week on my Elite Hotline, don't expect the Raw celebrity guest hosts to fizzle out anytime soon. WWE has been contacted by a number of celebrity
fans who want to get in on the act as well as film and TV projects looking to use the guest host role to promote themselves, which is how Jeremy Piven ended up the host of Raw for 8/3.

The good news is that Piven can act, as he's wonthe "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy for the HBO comedy Entourage three straight years now. Based on the way he plays his Entourage agent, sarcastic and scheming Ari Gold, it could be a pretty entertaining show for fans. Next week, July 27th, we'll see NBA All-star and recent Cleveland Cavalier, Shaquille O'Neal as guest host for Raw starting at 9PM EST on USA.

Raw Preview 07.20.09

A week ago on Raw, the WWE Universe was entertained by WWE Raw's guest host, Seth Green. Green, an actor from TV & Movies is also the co-creator of Robot Chicken which will feature a sketch with Triple H and John Cena in it. The young WWE fan got to live every other fan's dream of scheduling his own matches, including a divas Summer Swimsuit Spectacular match, and a main event where he teamed with John Cena & Triple H to face Randy Orton & Legacy. Green's team came out on top due to a DQ win, and Seth celebrated the victory with his two much bigger partners. Now the Raw show gets a new set of celebrity hosts, with two members of ZZ Top filling in during the Raleigh, NC show. What will these legendary rockers have in store for the Raw roster as they call the shots? (See ZZ Top to Host 7/20/09 Raw)

During the main event, John Cena and Triple H had a near explosion at the end of the contest. When Legacy introduced a steel chair, the ref called for the bell for a DQ. However, the brawl continued with Triple H bringing his trusty sledgehammer into the ring. The Game cleared the ring of Orton, Dibiase and Rhodes and nearly clocked Cena in the head with it as well. Luckily, Cena was able to avoid getting hit and backed to the corner. The two future opponents in the Triple Threat WWE Title Match at Night of Champions stared each other down, prior to celebrating the win with Seth Green.

With Night of Champions 2009 approaching in under a week's time, there's a few titles waiting to be scheduled for defense at the Pay-Per-View. One title comes from Raw's roster, the United States Championship, currently held by Kofi Kingston. The high flyer has suffered losses to two other Raw superstars in consecutive weeks. First, Kofi lost a matchup to Evan Bourne, who recently joined Raw in the 15 Superstar Trade. Bourne arrived over from ECW and hasn't disappointed so far. Then, on WWE Superstars, Kofi was crushed by the mammoth Big Show. Big Show's had his eye on Kofi for weeks and most likely wants the title as well, but Bourne also may have something to say about that. Will the US Championship match be announced on tonight's Raw? What will be next for these three superstars?

Check out WWE Raw tonight at 9 PM EST on USA for all the action!

ZZ Top to Host Raw 07.20.09

Can ZZ Top Seth Green as hosts of WWE Raw?

It was announced on the 07/13/09 episode of Raw, featuring Seth Green as guest host, that legendary rock band, ZZ Top will host Raw in Raleigh, North Carolina. ZZ Top will bring a pair of guest hosts to the show in Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, who will be at a different end of the spectrum from Robot Chicken co-creator Seth Green. ZZ Top formed as a band in 1969, just five years before Seth Green was even born. Green originated in Philadelphia while ZZ Top comes from Houston, Texas. Green stands at 5'4" while Billy Gibbons is 5'11" . Green sported a rather clean cut look on Raw with a short hair cut, while ZZ sports lengthy beards and shades. Definitely a change in hosts. One other difference of note, ZZ Top members have been seen in the crowd at various WWE shows, and were backstage as part of Raw once before. Green's 1st appearance was Monday's as far as WWE involvement, but he does have a WWE wrestling match victory to his credit now.

So who are these ZZ Top guys? They're a 3 man band (drummer Frank Beard won't be on Raw) who has been playing great music for over 3 decades now. The hard rock/blues and pop band, ZZ Top has done 14 different tours including the "XXX Tour" and "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers Tour", which sounds like something Stone Cold Steve Austin might attend. They've released 19 albums including Eliminator, Recycler and Afterburner, with a 20th album scheduled for this year under famed producer Rick Rubin. The group's biggest performance to date came at the 2008 Orange Bowl game in Miami, but the WWE Universe has yet to see how their performance on Monday Night Raw will be.

Some younger fans may not be familiar with ZZ Top but they may be familiar with some of their well-known work. For a while, former WWE Diva Stacey Keibler's theme song was "Legs" (redone by Kid Rock). Her version was a remake but the original was done by ZZ Top. Also to their credit is well known song "Sharp Dressed Man". They're infamous for their music videos featuring classic cars and hot women. ZZ TOp is currently out on tour with Aerosmith, who will provide the theme song for Summerslam 2009.

See the ZZ Top Music collection at Amazon.

Raw Revelations: Seth Green runs Raw

Another week, another guest host for Raw, and last night it was actor Seth Green, who's starred in movies like "Austin Powers" and is the co-creator of Robot Chicken. Green was there mostly to promote his upcoming season premiere of Robot Chicken, which will air July 26th. It's set to feature Triple H in one animated sketch as seen on Raw.

The guest host for Raw has been something fresh so I give WWE credit for taking that idea which Trump suggested a few weeks back. Seth Green was a little shaky on the mic, but scheduling a divas bikini match is a move we need more of the hosts to make. Also, Seth decided to live every insane WWE fan's dream, and inserted himself into a main event tag match with the likes of Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton. During the match, Seth was nearly a victim of a vicious Orton Punt kick, but luckily got the save from Cena. By the way, did you notice the ref slow up his count on Orton's pin on HHH, so Seth could do his part and break up the pin? It was almost as if the ref was giving him a "hurry up and do your part" look. We can't fault Seth though, he's not a real wrestler.

The main event wasn't anything too special. It was your typical build-up to the Night of Champions Triple Threat match, with Cena and HHH as partners and Triple H nearly clocking Cena while going on a sledgehammer rampage in the ring. Of course they reconciled their differences long enough to raise up Seth Green's arms and put him on HHH's shoulders for the victory celebration. Earlier in the night, we got some more teasing of a Ted Dibiase break away from Legacy when Rhodes made a father-son comment. Rhodes hinted that his dad might be guest host next week, but instead we found out it will be rock band ZZ Top. The graphic on screen showed only 2 of the 3 members though. ZZ Top is currently on tour with Aerosmith, who will provide the 2009 Summerslam theme song.

Also on the show, MVP versus Swagger Round 1, with the newcomer Swagger getting a clean win. Looks like MVP is being used to put the newer star over, who will probably become US Champion while on Raw, and eventually move into the ranks of a WWE or World Heavyweight champ. Chris Jericho came out to reveal the contract clause he added for Night of Champions. Jericho will get to choose his tag partner since Edge is on the shelf. Jericho said it will be someone who won't be a weak link like Edge was. I'm going to guess it's Dolph Ziggler. We saw him rush down to attack Rey Mysterio after Jericho lost to him in an Intercontinental Title match on Smackdown. That would make Ziggler a tag team champ without ever actually winning a title. He'd help Jericho defend at Night of Champions, but many have speculated Legacy will win. Now the question is will this be another piece in the split up of Rhodes and Dibiase?

The WWE Divas Summer Swimsuit Spectacular didn't disappoint, with most of the participants in bikinis throwing each other around the ring. Seeing the divas in that skimpy attire choice is rare for Raw these days with its PG format attempts. We also saw another humiliation of Chavo Guerrero by Hornswoggle; this time Chavo had one-arm behind his back. Hornswoggle got the move with a surprise "small package". Not sure where Hornswoggle's 2-0 streak is leading, but I doubt he'll be the Undertaker's next Wrestlemania opponent, unless Taker really needs to take it easy in the ring.

WWE News: Edge Surgery, Cena & Borat...

WWE Superstar Edge suffered an achilles tendon injury (left ankle) just a week or so ago during a WWE House Show. It happened during a main event bout against Jeff Hardy where Edge landed badly, and then had to stop wrestling, requiring help getting backstage. The injury will supposedly shelf the superstar until early 2010 due to surgery and recovery time. Surgery was done by Dr. James Andrews at Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. WWE.com posted recent photos of the surgery here.

Add another superstar to the injury list. According to the SUN UK, WWE Smackdown star, Matt Hardy is expected to be on the sidelines for about eight to 10 weeks. Matt suffered a torn abdominal muscle 2 weeks ago in the US title Triple Threat versus Kofi Kingston & MVP. More about the injury and surgery at The Sun UK.

THQ has released the official cover for the upcoming WWE game Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 (featuring ECW). The cover features John Cena front and center, flanked by Edge, Undertaker, Orton, and Rey Mysterio. The game will be available November 10, 2009. See the cover and pre-order your copy here.

WWE has landed a legendary rock band to do the theme for Summerslam 2009. Boston rock band Aerosmith will supply "You Gotta Move". It was featured on the band's 2004 album Honkin' on Bobo. There's no word if the group will perform the song live at Summerslam, but with their current tour they'll be 50 miles away in CA on August 23.

JR's BBQ Blog discusses Jim Ross' thoughts on the 7/6 episode of Raw. Ross applauds Million Dollar Man's moves as guest host for the show, discusses splitting up the Colons, and talks up Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase as a future Wrestlemania main event. Ross also notes that Matt Hardy had surgery and won't be wrestling for a while due to that. Read more here.

It appears that John Cena and Borat/Bruno are buddies. A recent article "Ten Things You Never Knew About Sacha Baron Cohen" reveals:

7. It may sound like an unlikely friendship, but Cohen is apparently best buddies with WWE wrestler John Cena. Online reports have claimed that the Brüno star is a big fan of the sports entertainment format. Maybe we'll see Borat and co at the next Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble.

**Special reminder, ECW will air on Sci-Fi Thursday night at 7PM EST. It moved from its traditional spot of 10PM EST Tuesday nights due to the 2 hour premiere of "Warehouse 13".**

MVP appears on The View

On last Friday's WWE Smackdown, wrestler Montell Vontavius Porter (MVP) was accompanied to the ring and cheered on by Sherri Shepherd of The View. Sherri got a tour of Smackdown and donned a Ric Flair-esque robe to escort MVP to the ring. Not only was Sherri able to provide MVP with moral support in his title US Championship match against Dolph Ziggler, but she also got into it with Ziggler on the outside and apron. After a brief argument Sherri slapped Ziggler from the apron, allowing MVP to take control of things and hit the Playmaker to win it, retaining his United States Title.

On Tuesday's episode of The View, Sherri Shepherd showed her tour and the time she spent hanging out with MVP at WWE in Bridgeport, CT prior to Smackdown last Friday. Hornswoggle was on hand to escort Sherri to the ring while MVP got into ring attire and headed to the arena. On Sherri & Hornswoggle's way backstage to the ring, Great Khali and Ranjin Singh also showed up, as did Santina Marella, Cryme Tyme who did a special View rap chant with Sherri. Sherri finally joined MVP in the ring to try some moves out, including a celebratory kiss. Highlights were shown of Sherri showing up at MSG for Smackdown on Friday. Sherri put on the Flair style robe and joined MVP at ringside, helping him win the match against Ziggler when she slapped him from the apron. Afterwards, Sherri told MVP she needs to bring him on The View for everyone to meet.

MVP joined Sherri, Elizabeth, Joy, Whoopie and Barbara Walters on The View. MVP told the crew never to upset Sherri because he was more concerned about what she was going to do to Dolph Ziggler than him. MVP also discussed how women play a part in running WWE and also in viewing it. He talked about Linda McMahon & Stephanie McMahon playing a part in the company. MVP made a statement that 40% of their viewers are females. Sherri suggested fans tune in to Smackdown and Raw to check out all the WWE action.

The Wrestler DVD arrives 4/21

In less than a week the critically-acclaimed movie The Wrestler will finally make its way onto DVD and Blu-ray. The intended release date is Tuesday April 21st and you can currently pre-order The Wrestler at Amazon.com. Coincidentally its highly praised star, actor Mickey Rourke, just recently was a part of Wrestlemania 25, where he KO'd wrestler Chris Jericho in the ring. This all happened months after Rourke had noted on the Red carpet that he'd actually be wrestling Jericho at Wrestlemania 25. Wrestling fans can now check out this movie which takes a look at the wrestling career of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler still attempting to earn money by wrestling even though he's said to be 20 years past his prime. The movie also looks at his attempt to find a more normal life outside the ring and is said by critics to not only chronicle a "has been wrestler" trying to reclaim pride and glory, but also an actor doing the same.

The Amazon.com synopsis/review for "The Wrestler":

The mystery of Mickey Rourke's career comes to a grungy apotheosis in The Wrestler the much-battered actor's triumphant return to the top rope. He plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a heavily scarred and medicated battler who's twenty years past his best moment in the ring. But he still schleps to every second-rate fight card he can get to, stringing out the paychecks (more likely a fistful of cash) and nursing what's left of his pride. His attempts to adjust to a more normal kind of life form the most absorbing sections in the movie, whether it's flirting with a stripper (Marisa Tomei is in good form, in every sense), establishing a bond with his understandably angry daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), or working behind the deli counter at a nondescript megastore. Rourke is commanding in the role; he obviously spent hours in the gym and the tanning salon, and his ease with the semi-documentary style adopted by director Darren Aronofsky allows him to naturalistically interact with the colorful real-life wrestlers who crowd the movie's ultra-believable locations. All of which helps distract from the film's overall adherence to ancient formula. You might find yourself waiting for the scene where the risk-taking Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) pulls the switch and reveals his true motives for pursuing this otherwise sentimental story, but there's no switch. The Wrestler is an old-fashioned hoke machine, given grit by an actor who doesn't seem to be so much performing the role of ravaged survivor as embodying it. --Robert Horton

Pre-order The Wrestler DVD at Amazon.com!

John Cena News - TMZ, Gillette & 12 Rounds

While arriving in Washington, DC, TMZ caught up with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and grilled him with several questions including which celebrities he'd most like to step into the ring with, mentioning his previous feud with K-Fed. The celebrity news outlet also asked Cena bout his favorite all-time rapper and his Valentine's Day plans. View the full video over at TMZ.com.

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Cena was also part of a recent promotional event for the new Gillette Fusion Gamer razor in Florida. The event held at the UCF Arena was to showcase the Gillette Fusion Power Gamer razor at the Gillette-EA Sports Champions of Gaming tournament. The event featured sports celebrities playing video games against fans while promoting the new razor.

CentralFloridaFuture.com had the following to say about Cena:

Junior legal studies major Elissa Weiss wore her Cena shirt in anticipation of meeting the WWE Superstar. Elissa was able to get his autograph.

"He's really nice," Weiss said. "For someone who's famous, you don't really expect that."

After taking in the festivities, the World Heavyweight Champion had nothing but good things to say about the event and the university.

"This is a fantastic building. They've turned this into virtually a set of Monday Night RAW - all the screens, all the staging, all the lights, all the celebrity."

When asked how good the razor is, the "Doctor of Thuganomics" approved.

"It's the best," Cena said.

Other stars attending the event included NFL New Orleans Saints star, Reggie Bush; MLB Yankees All-Star, Derek Jeter; pro-golfer, Tiger Woods; and Orlando Magic NBA star, Jameer Nelson. Read more about the event here.

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John Cena's "12 Rounds" arrives to theaters on March 27th. There's currently a website set up at http://www.12rounds-movie.com/ for the film which shows a movie trailer and has a spot fans can sign up for updates regarding the movie.

Rourke not Wrestling at Wrestlemania 25

It seems that "The Wrestler" won't be stepping into the ring at Wrestlemania 25. News had quickly spread like wildfire that actor Mickey Rourke from "The Wrestler" would be going up against Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25, based on comments Rourke made on the red carpet during the SAG Awards. Now it's being reported that Rourke will merely be in attendance, possibly participating in Wrestlemania 25, but will not be wrestling. Rourke's spokeswoman revealed the insight in an email message.

According to artistdirect.com:

Rourke's spokeswoman, Paula Woods, has revealed via e-mail that her client will not be engaging in a royal rumble because "he is focusing entirely on his acting career." Rumors that Rourke would be donning tights in real life began to fly after the actor himself made a statement on the red carpet before the Screen Actor's Guild Awards in Los Angeles last week. Rourke claimed he was going to throw Jericho around the ring "like a tossed salad."

Rourke, age 52 will be focusing on acting as he will be starring in Broken Horses, a movie set to be shot in New Mexico and New York, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Chopra said he was "blown away by Rourke's performance in The Wrestler" making Rourke an easy choice for the movie role.

Rourke Wrestlemania News Spreads

Last night on Raw, Chris Jericho cut a promo when he came to the ramp to talk about Mickey Rourke's "The Wrestler" movie and how it's received critical acclaim, including praise from The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Footage was shown on the red carpet for the 15th Annual SAG Awards on Sunday night where Rourke told Access Hollywood he'll be getting into the WWE's wrestling ring at the Wrestlemania 25 Pay-Per-View. He dropped several legend's names including Roddy Piper and Ric Flair, then Chris Jericho's name. Rourke told the entertainment reporter he's serious about wrestling at the event and Jericho needs to "get in shape" since Rourke is coming for him. Jericho was not pleased by the comments and stated that Rourke should watch out because "Jericho is the last person he wants to offend".

Just as WWE anticipated, major news sources are now picking up and reporting on the Mickey Rourke versus Chris Jericho Wrestlemania 25 story. The LA Times blog has even posed the question of whether or not the move could cost Rourke his Oscar? According to the blog, Rourke said WWE has contacted him and he's been talking to Roddy Piper about getting into the ring. The blog author suggests that Rourke could hurt his Oscar chances because people would see he wasn't really acting in the movie role, rather being his crazy self.

Read the full blog story here.

MSNBC has also reported on the story, confirming Rourke's participation in Wrestlemania 25. Newsday also discussed the news saying that Vince McMahon proves everyone has a price. Read their story here

More coverage by various sources:

Mickey Rourke from Wrestler to Wrestlemania - E! Online

Mickey Rourke is Going to Wrestlemania - Wired Blog

Mickey Rourke not too big for WrestleMania - Boston Herald

Looking at Mickey Rourke and WrestleMania - Baltimore Sun Ring Posts

Mickey Rourke heads to Wrestlemania, calls out Chris Jericho - National Post"

So with a Chris Jericho-Mickey Rourke Wrestlemania 25 contest we have WWE's Slammy Award winner for 2008 Superstar of the Year versus a potential Oscar winner for Best Actor in 2009. The questions are how much extra work will Rourke put in as far as appearances on WWE TV prior to Wrestlemania 25. And even more pressing, will he and Jericho be putting their golden statues on the line or just their professional careers?

Also see: Wrestlemania 25 Card Unfolding

Raw Recap 01.26.09

WWE: Celebs in Action

He won't be fighting in the ring, but instead helping out the creative team behind the scenes. Freddie Prinze Jr, one of the stars of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" amongst other films, will assist with the WWE's Monday Night Raw show, as well as Pay Per Views and the other weekly WWE shows.

From Marketwatch.com:

"Bringing on board an experienced Hollywood writer, actor and producer like Freddie Prinze, Jr. will only increase the level of entertainment to millions of viewers and passionate WWE fans every Monday on USA," said Chris McCumber, Executive Vice President Marketing Digital & Brand Strategy, USA Network."
"Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s passion, energy and creativity make him an excellent fit for WWE," said WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Another celebrity, who may be more or less known than Prinze Jr. is Piers Morgan. Morgan found fame most recently on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice". The businessman/mogul will be appearing on this weekend's "Saturday Night's Main Event" along with Ben Stiller, Billy Ray Cyrus, Toby Keith and Jenny McCarthy. All of the celebs will be on hand as part of "Generation Rescue", the project McCarthy is heading up to fight Autism.

According to Digital Spy:

Speaking about the event, Morgan told The Sun: "I'm delighted to help with such a worthy cause.

"My kids are huge WWE fans, so there was no way I could turn down the opportunity to fight this cause alongside WWE's superstars."

Jenny McCarthy added: "I love the WWE and when Vince McMahon called me and said he wanted to join the fight and help families suffering with autism, I was really excited.

"Who better to have on your side in a fight than WWE?"