The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania 31 [NSFW]

[Slimgrady]

Did challenge just put on gladiators instead of the end of No Surrender??

Yes.

Jesus Christ,I was half watching it like!

[Balloon Sod]

My prediction:

Hogan turns face (he's said as much) and punches people from Immortal in the head for a bit. That, I think, will be the resolution to this one year long Immortal storyline that required half the roster to turn heel. Typical Eric Bischoff crap; build the heels up forever, then just drop the story. Perfect.

I'm also interested in seeing Hogan wrestle Sting, because Hogan has an electronic device in his back that relieves his pain with small shocks to the muscle. If he lands on it, he's dead.
Hogan is so beaten down that he can't do any of his moves. No leg drop, a big boot only to the knee area, no vertical suplex, no running fast enough to hit an axey boombar. So Hogan will literally be punching Sting in the corner for a bit, whipping him into the other corner to do it again, applying a sleeper hold and no selling weak chair shots to the shoulder from Immortal, before Sting and Hogan join forces to fight off the baddies. Or something.

Will it be better than Dory Funk JR's retirement match? I doubt it.



Skip to 3.41.

[KK]

WWE RAW Ratings Breakdown 5th September 2011

Quarter 1: Opened at a 3.4
Q2: Lost 327,000 viewers (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. Great Khali & Jinder Mahal)
Q3: Lost 263,000 viewers (Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres)
Q4: Gained 84,000 viewers (R-Truth/Miz rant)
Q5: Gained 538,000 viewers (C.M. Punk vs. R-Truth, HHH confrontation)
Q6: Lost 552,000 viewers (Jerry Lawler & Zack Ryder vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty)
Q7: Lost 237,000 viewers (Randy Orton vs. Heath Slater) to do a 2.7.
Q8/Over-run: Gained 465,000 viewers (Elimination tag match) to end on a 3.1.

IMPACT WRESTLING Ratings Breakdown 8th September 2011

Quarter 2: Gained 53,000 viewers (Pope & Devon vs. British Invasion)
Q3: Gained 80,000 viewers (Eric Young vs. Robbie E)
Q4: Lost 53,000 viewers (RVD, Jerry Lynn, Mickie James, Karen Angle and Velvet Sky backstage shenanigans)
Q5: Gained 120,000 viewers (Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson World Title match)
Q6: Lost 80,000 viewers (Angelina Love & Winter vs. Mickie James & Velvet Sky)
Q7: No decline (Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan backstage)
Q8: Gained 13,000 viewers (Bully Ray vs. Gunner vs. James Storm vs. Bobby Roode/Jeff Hardy interview)


WWE RAW Ratings Breakdown 12th September 2011

This was the lowest rated edition of RAW (that didn't coincide with some sort of holiday) since December 1997.

Quarter 1: Opened at a 3.1
Q2: Lost 715,000 viewers (John Morrison & Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger)
Q3: Lost 205,000 viewers (Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz). Show was now at a 2.47.
Q4: Gained 274,000 viewers (Jerry Lawler & Sheamus vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty)
Q5: Gained 262,000 viewers (John Cena & Bret Hart vs. Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez)
Q6: Lost 418,000 viewers (Kelly Kelly vs. Vickie Guerrero)
Q7: Gained 53,000 viewers (Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes)
Q8/Over-run: Gained 626,000 (HHH/Punk confrontation) to close on a 3.0.

[Cosmo]

Challenge had the right idea.

[Mafro]

I wonder if Challenge will show No Surrender again after strawberry floating up the broadcast last night?

[A J Styles]

Challenge

[KK]

I never thought Challenge would be as hopeless as The Wrestling Channel & Extreme Sports. This is the third time now it's happened to a TNA broadcast.

[Prototype]

I never thought Challenge would be as hopeless as The Wrestling Channel & Extreme Sports. This is the third time now it's happened to a TNA broadcast.

I don't understand what's so hard about pressing play on a broadcast TNA have sent them. Baffling.

[KK]

Perhaps the last part of the PPV was damaged or something.

The continuity announcer for Challenge said following the commercial break "We are unable to return to our scheduled programme, so here's something you wouldn't have been expecting.", so in this instance it wasn't like nobody was paying attention.

[Zellery]

Just watching No Surrender/Gladiators

How awesome is A Double?

[Zellery]

Also what were people talking about the other day when they said the BfG series final was on Impact?

[KK]

The full report compiled by police on Matt Hardy:

Terminal Blvd., and upon my order, made a left turn into the north-end parking section of the main parking plaza. As Mr. Hardy was making the left turn, his vehuicle swerved into the curb and then back onto the road. Mr. Hardy came to a stop in the service court and I approached the vehicle. Mr. Hardy was sitting in the front seat with his seatbelt on and both hands on the steering wheel. I asked Mr. Hardy how he was doing and he mumbled, "Alright". I asked where he was going and he said, "To pick up my girlfriend". Mr. Hardy's speech was very slurred and he made a concentrated effort to speak "normally". Mr. Hardy's appearance was neat, but his speech was very slow and slurred, and he had trouble focusing on me while I was speaking to him. He was able to answer questions but after hesitating and then slurring his speech.

Vehicle Stop:

Sgt. Larson activated her emergency lights and stopped the vehicle. The driver stopped the vehicle as soon as the emergency lights were activated. However, Sgt. Larson twice requested that Mr. Hardy pull into the entrance of the north section of the main parking deck.

Driver Contact:

Sgt. Larson: As noted above. After my initial contact, I asked Mr. Hardy in he had been drinking. He said, "No", and I asked if he was okay. He said, "Yes". I explained that we received a phone call about his vehicle, stating that the caller said that his vehicle was "all over the road" and that he almost hit two drivers three separate times. Mr. Hardy did not respond. I then asked Mr. Hardy to step out of the vehicle, and he began to open his driver-side door. The vehicle rolled forward and I yelled for him to put the vehicle in park. Mr. Hardy put the vehicle in park and stepped out of the vehicle. He moved to the left rear side of the vehicle and leaned on the trunk. At this time, I turned the traffic stop over the Officer Smith. I then checked the vehicle to ensure that it was in park. It was, and I removed the keys from the ignition.

Officer Smith: Upon my arrival, I did witness Hardy attempting to exit the vehicle without placing the car in park. After Hardy secured the vehicle, I aske him to exit the vehicle. I did notice that Hardy had slow and slurred speech, sleepy eyes and a very lackadaisical demeanor.

Field Sobriety Tests:

Sgt. Larson performed the initial contact with the driver. Based on her statements and contact with Mr Hardy, she had Mr. Hardy step out of the vehicle to conduct further field sobriety tests. Mr. Hardy was asked if would complete these tests, to which he agreed.

I started the field sobriety tests with the Walk-and-Turn test. After giving Mr. Hardy instructions and demonstrating the test, Hardy stated that he understood and I asked Mr. Hardy to begin. Mr. Hardy took four heel-to-toe steps then mis-stepped and had to begin again. I allowed him to complete the first nine steps and then Hardy turned around to complete the second set of nine steps. After taking two steps, Mr. Hardy lost his balance and failed to stay on the line. I asked him to continue, and he was only able to take three additional steps before he was unable to complete the test. I explained and demonstrated the test to Mr. Hardy again, and asked him to complete the test. He was only able to take two or three steps before failing to remain heel-to-toe and losing his balance. I then stopped this test.

I conducted the horizontal gaze nystagmus test with negative results (the test did not show nystagmus to any degree in either eye. At Sgt. Laron's request, Sgt. Elena Sanchez of the Morrisville Police Department arrived on scene at approximately 1412 hours with a Portable Breathalyzer Test (PBT) machine. She asked Mr. Hardy if he would be willing to submit to a PBT and he agreed. She explained the test to Mr. Hardy and he blew into the PBT for the first time. The time was 1415 hours, and the rest was 0.00. Sgt. Sanchez had Hardy complete the test for the second time at 1421 hours. The result was 0.00.

Finally, I asked Mr. Hardy would he submit to another SFST. I explained and demonstrated the One-Leg Stand test to Mr. Handy. Mr. Hardy acknowledged that he understood my instructions. As Mr. Hardy attempted to perform the test on two different occasions, he was unable to hold is leg up past 1 second.

DRE Field Sobriety Tests:

At approximately 1730 hours, Drug Recognition Officer and NC State Highway Patrol Trooper H.C Ellefson arrived on scene. Trooper Ellefson performed a battery of Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to further determine if Hardy was under the influence of any illicit substances.

Arrest:

I placed Mr. Hardy under arrest for Driving Under The Influence in violation of G.S. 20-138.2. Mr. Hardy was taken to the Wake County Public Safety Center for booking and processing.

Disposition Of Vehicle:

Mr. Hardy's vehicle, a red 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, was driven to his residence by his girlfriend, Rebecca Victoria Reyes (FL DL R-200-738-86-786-0).

Implied Consent:

Mr. Hardy submitted to all requested Standard Field Sobriety Tests while on scene. Mr. Hardy also submitted to a battery of field sobriety tests and interview by Drug Recognition Officer and State Highway Patrol trooper Ellefson. Additionally, Mr. Hardy consented to a blood specimen draw at the Wake County Jail. This specimen was drawn, secured, and placed in a sealed evidence pouch and entered into RDU Airport Police Department's evidence locker #40.

Final Disposition:

Magistrate Cronk found probable cause for my arrest, and Mr. Hardy was charged with Driving Under the Influence and served with the same. Mr. Hardy was given a written promise to appear and was released. Mr. Hardy is scheduled to appear at the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh on Wednesday, November 30th at 0900 hours.

In the police report transcript, it was noted Matt Hardy was arrested at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport after attempting to pick up real-life girlfriend Reby Sky.

She's been on Twitter the last few days...

On Monday:

Cameron bound (@ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) w/ 177 others)

A few hours later (likely after landing in Raleigh, NC):

strawberry float this.

She then followed up on Tuesday and Wednesday with the following:

Haven't been kissed in almost a week. New low. If your heart was as big as the bruises we give each other we'd be the perfect couple ...

@IsisTheAmazon worst day IN A WHILE

Could have very easily killed someone by the sounds of it.

[Zellery]

Why does he keep trying to cover up his strawberry float ups by saying there's a conspiracy against him, formed by the police?

[KK]

Challenge have issued an update on TNA No Surrender:

Apologies to all TNA fans for the issue with No Surrender last night. There was a massive technical issue which we are still getting to the bottom of this morning which caused the show to fall off air. We completely understand the frustration felt by fans and will be getting a full repeat of this show into the schedule as soon as possible. We will advise you when this has been confirmed.

We will be showing the event in its entirety from tonight at 1am and then again on Saturday at 9pm. We appreciate that tonight is very late but was the earliest available slot we could get it out again, so also wanted to make sure we had a more accessible slot pre-Impact on Sunday night. We hope it goes some way in making up for the problem last night.

[Zellery]

So it was Challenge's fault.

What a monumental strawberry float up. It's not like they just cut half the show and went into Gladiators. The episode of Gladiators that came on was even half way through.

[KK]

Hulk Hogan ended up sticking his foot in his mouth on Sirius Radio when questioned about Kurt Angle’s recent arrest. He said, “You know, I talked to his ex-wife and she said he’s a horrible driver. The whole time they were married she wouldn’t even let him drive the kids. He texts when he drives. He’s great in the ring as far as focusing but his people skills are horrible. He’s got two left feet, and it translates into his driving. I’m not making any excuses for him but I want to know what the facts are before I pass judgment.” Karen Jarrett, after learning about Hogan's remarks said, “People should never make false statements and say they had conversations with people they didn’t.”

Ric Flair will be appearing on the season première of the animated series “The Cleveland Show” on FOX. Ric Flair plays an 80s version of himself.

The newest TV commercial cut for WWE Survivor Series leaves no room for any other interpretation: The Rock will be wrestling on the show. Tickets sold out immediately and were going for double their face value on the secondary market. The show will be taking place from Madison Square Garden.

Anyone want to take a punt on what the match is going to be? I'm going with some form of multiple man Tag Team match. This allows Rock to hide any inevitable ring rust.

[A J Styles]

So a free PPV cuts out, one you can easily download and it's a total disaster

[Mafro]

The newest TV commercial cut for WWE Survivor Series leaves no room for any other interpretation: The Rock will be wrestling on the show. Tickets sold out immediately and were going for double their face value on the secondary market. The show will be taking place from Madison Square Garden.

Anyone want to take a punt on what the match is going to be? I'm going with some form of multiple man Tag Team match. This allows Rock to hide any inevitable ring rust.

Has to be a traditional Survivor Series match. Team Del Rio vs Team Cena with Cena and The Rock on the same team for shenanigans?

[Ginga]

Ric Flair will be appearing on the season première of the animated series “The Cleveland Show” on FOX. Ric Flair plays an 80s version of himself.

What's the difference between 80s Ric Flair and the version in 2011?

[Foxhound]

Hulk Hogan ended up sticking his foot in his mouth on Sirius Radio when questioned about Kurt Angle’s recent arrest. He said, “You know, I talked to his ex-wife and she said he’s a horrible driver. The whole time they were married she wouldn’t even let him drive the kids. He texts when he drives. He’s great in the ring as far as focusing but his people skills are horrible. He’s got two left feet, and it translates into his driving. I’m not making any excuses for him but I want to know what the facts are before I pass judgment.” Karen Jarrett, after learning about Hogan's remarks said, “People should never make false statements and say they had conversations with people they didn’t.”

Skip to 9:17: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x884fs ... shortfilms

(Or watch the whole thing if you haven't seen it before- it's a preview of Kurt's reality show which wasn't picked up and is pretty hilarious- if a bit sad)

And because it was in the related videos: Kurt's 'interview' with the Rock

Old Kurt