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Raw is tonight with Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin for the IC Title and a show-opening promo by John Cena. Obviously, the Vince McMahon/Hornswaggle storyline will continue as well. If it's pushed hard, that to me is an indication that it's merely a holdover until Mr. Kennedy can return. Vinny and I will be back late tonight with a free Bryan & Vinny Show running down this event, plus Derby City Wrestling and more!Cena vs. Orton Last Man Standing for the WWE Title and Batista vs. Undertaker for the World Title appear to be the top two matches for the October PPV.
Matt Sydal suffered a concussion early on in his main event match with Delirious on Saturday night at the ROH show.
As noted, Irv Muchnick, who is one of the authors of the first Chris Benoit book to his stores in a few weeks, is our guest on Wednesday's members-only Figure Four Daily. I'll have read his chapter of the book by then so it should be a fascinating show. For lucha fans, Steve Sims will be on the show Friday to discuss AAA's Verano de Escandalo show from last night (results to come) and CMLL's Aniversario, which takes place September 28th.
Some weekend indy results from Dan the Man:
CZW “Tournament of Death: Fast Forward” results from Smyrna, Delaware: In non-tournament action, Greg Excellence def. WHACKS and Ryan McBride; Jon Dahmer def. CJ O’Doyle; Niles Young def. Drew Gulak and Sabian when he pinned Gulak; DJ Hyde def. Monsta Mack; Ruckus def. Homicide to retain the CZW Title. In first round tournament action, Brain Damage destroyed the Hellaware Assassin in “a Weapons Match” (yes); Scotty Vortekz def. Danny Demanto in a 4 Corners of Pain match following a one-man Spanish Fly through a couple of light tube log cabins; Danny Havoc def. Diehard Dustin Lee in a match that was cut short when, about 30 seconds in, Lee got a huge gash on his shoulder, immediately allowed himself to be pinned, and then rushed to the back for medical attention; JC Bailey def. Drake Younger following interference from DJ Hyde. After the match Vortekz and Hyde double teamed Bailey and Younger. In the finals, Brain Damage def. Danny Havoc, Scotty Vortekz and JC Bailey in an elimination match to win the Ultraviolent Underground Title.
Pro Wrestling Unplugged results from Philadelphia, PA: Detox def. Lucky; JC Ryder def. Aramis; Justice Pain def. Gangrel in a match that actually happened; Amy Lee def. Lexx; Z-Barr w/Sunny def. “Fabulous” John McChesney; The Best Around def. The Iron Saints and All Money is Legal by double count out; Brandon Thomaselli def. Adam Flash; Eddie Kingston def. Luke Hawxe; Devon Moore def. Trent Acid by DQ; The SAT def. The Bosom Buddies; Too Cold Scorpio vs. Joey Matthews ended in a no contest following interference from Dan “The Beast” Severn, Diamond Dallas Page, Devon Moore and THE SAND MAN. Yup. Show ended with a reunion between Scorpio, Sandman and Todd Gordon.
If you didn't see it, the folks at The Armpit interviewed me for their Pick My Brain feature. You can read it here.
TNA this past Thursday did, surprise surprise, a 1.1.
The announcement that Chris Benoit's brain was massively damaged and what that means headlines this week's new 27,000-word Figure Four Weekly newsletter. It's the biggest newsletter in our 12-year history, and for good reason. We'll discuss what doctors said about his brain, how it compares to the brains of other tragic sports stars, including many who have killed themselves, how the problems were almost certainly caused, and how the brain got into the hands of the Sports Legacy Institute. We've got comments from father Michael Benoit from many mainstream shows, with him speaking out for the first time on the deaths and what he'd like to accomplish. We've got info on Chris' diary to Eddy Guerrero and what was written in it, what raised red flags for Chris Nowinski about the case, whether Benoit had obvious brain issues over the past few years, what Chris had told people about the number of concussions he'd suffered, how many you can suffer before having major issues, how this affects the estate battle, whether lawsuits may be filed against WWE, what WWE had to say about it, whether brain injuries can lead to murder, what juries have said historically, what Chris' brain injuries are known to cause, other issues that may have factored in, what WWE has done about the injury problem in the past, what they could have done better, and what certainly needs to be improved. We've got a full report on UFC in London including results of all the fights, major thoughts on the Bisping/Hamill decision, whether it was a robbery, what the judges said about why they scored it certain ways, and the fit that Bisping threw during the press conference, including first-hand reports. Also, thoughts on upcoming major matches and the future of Mirko Crocop. PPV coverage continues with both the WEC show on Versus last week and the TNA PPV from this past Sunday night. We'll discuss what was good and bad about TNA, and list the five people in the company that realistically should be fired before the company moves to two hours, for the good of the wrestling business. Of course, full results, thoughts, and star-ratings on all the matches as well. In WWE news, we've got info on international expansion, why Vince is calling a board meeting, and lots on the illegitimate son deal. Is this the end? What happened to Kennedy? Also, the lengths they went to in order to fool people Monday, and the stern lecture that Steph and Vince gave the writing crew backstage. We'll talk about Ric Flair's future, whether King Booker is coming back and why he's gone, more insane ranting from WWE stars, who will be running what areas of the company when Vince steps down, more mainstream names coming out in drug probes, drug testing in developmental and what guys have been told, Kanyon rants about WWE, Matt Sydal update, and more. In other news, we'll tell you why Test is gone, the drug issues in TNA, ratings for the company, Goldberg's thoughts on a run there, a group trying to ban MMA, Pro Elite acquiring companies for no good reason, an MMA injury, some upcoming shows, Sherri Martel's cause of death, how John Graziano is doing after the Nick Hogan crash, how the Hogans are preparing for possible legal trouble, a fight in the hospital room he's staying in (seriously), CMLL anniversary show line-up, AAA Verano de Escandalo line-up, Misawa coming to ROH, and tons more. Plus, Vince reviews ROH: Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies, plus full reviews of every major TV show including Raw, Smackdown, TNA, Derby City Wrestling, and TONS more! Of course, as a member you also get full access to ALL new and archived radio shows dating back to 2005, plus all the new and archived (320-plus issues) Figure Four Weekly newsletters dating back to 2001. To sign up, please click here, or PayPal users can use the Quick Buy link at the top of this page to be online within 60 seconds. Rates start at just $7.99 per month (27 cents a DAY), so it's a steal. Thanks for your support!
Our latest FREE radio show, the September 4 Bryan & Vinny Show, can be downloaded here.
My newest Fight Network column is here with a look at concussions and head injuries in pro-wrestling. If you like the columns, they're about 1/25th the length of each issue of Figure Four Weekly, and we've got 300 back issues archived from 2002-today, all available 24/7 with an online membership to this site. See below for more info and ordering details.
WWE's Ashley Massaro grapples to pin down 'Survivor' win
Mexican youngsters wrestle with fame
Interview with the man behind the Sputnik Monroe film
Former Winnipeg wrestler Radocaj found dead
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