Movin' on down the road

Not gone, just relocated! :) PLEASE visit our new blog over at HTTP://INTHISVERYRINGBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM - dontcha dare miss the newly revamped, more-frequently-to-be-updated, all around more exciting home of In This Very Ring. Hope to see you at the matches! XOXOXO

ITVR Podcast and a BIG TASTE of Things to Come ...

CLICK HERE to listen.

Return of Vince McMahon and Thanksgiving for Wrestling

Hi guys,

Just as a note - we haven't broken promises and disappeared; it was actually a pretty quiet week wrestling-wise, and then come this weekend when we'd usually be up to discussing the product, Ari managed to get sick in such a manner that included losing his voice; it's been a busy, sloggy weekend with Ari and the kids being sick by turns and me trying to step up as I can to take care of them.

That said - tonight's made for an interesting Raw with the return to the canvas of Vince McMahon, more buildup towards Hell in a Cell, further progress in the #1  contenders' tag team title tournament, and much more that we will discuss later this week. For this moment it's a bit late and mostly I want to take the opportunity to wish my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving, and to share what I'm thankful for in the world of wrestling (personal thanks can be found on my personal blog, http://shortysar.blogspot.com).

• I'm thankful for all the 'workers' - the hard workers like John Cena, the talented workers like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the amusing workers like Santino Marella, and all those who are maybe green and have a lot to learn but are trying damn hard in an unforgiving field.
• I am thankful for wrestling fans - both the supportive and the disenchanted - for helping this product be what it can be, and being so much fun to share this damn crazy ride with.
• I am thankful for having married a fellow wrestling fan.
• I am thankful I got to go to Wrestlemania this year.
• I am thankful WWE tries - from providing substance abuse rehab for anyone who has ever been under contract, to their current work fighting breast cancer with the Susan B. Komen Foundation, to their anti-bullying work with BA* ("Be A Star"), they are by far not a perfect organization, but they are trying.

Wishing you and yours a happy, Thankful Holiday Weekend. :)

Programming notes for the week ahead - and "Paul Heyman's Guys?"

Hi all - first an apology for the absent week - my brother and fellow wrestling fan K turned 25 this weekend, and my mother in law - who couldn't even recognize a photo of Hulk Hogan - turned 60 the following day, so the past week has been largely prep for all that - and a great time was had by all!

That said - it hasn't been a bad week to be quiet if need be, as Raw last week did have some extremely good talk segments but somewhat less memorable (though by no means bad) matches, and while we're sorry to have missed Beth Phoenix and Natty Neidhart's Smackdown match, it's otherwise been a relatively quiet week (despite the hit to the Diva's division as Beth's departure looms, and both Kelly Kelly and Shaul Guerrero were wished the best in their future endeavours). But we will air tomorrow to talk about the direction of some of the storyline's, Beth's impending departure and her match with Natty, and whatever happens on Raw come 15 minutes from now (or as of 45 minutes ago, depending where you live lol).

Meanwhile though, CLICK HERE to check out an awesome piece published on WWE.com today, written by Paul Heyman himself, about his list of 10 "Paul Heyman Guys". A really interesting take to see who makes the list, who doesn't, etc. And be sure to tune in tomorrow night; we'll be here, ready to take you on ... IN THIS VERY RING.

ITVR Podcast

CLICK HERE to listen. :) So long and thanks for all the fish. XO

Jerry Lawler released from hospital

Just to report on the next step of Jerry Lawler's journey, he has today been released from the medical facility in Montreal and should in due time be heading back to Memphis to continue his convalescance. What a long and difficult but miraculous journey he has been on the last 7 days - so thrilled to see how well he's done!

Meanwhile - we didn't get a chance to make our predictions as hoped for for last night's Pay Per View, but we did get to watch, enjoy, and recommend the replay to any and all. JBL replaced Jerry Lawler in the booth to great success, and tonight Good Old JR will be joining Michael Cole on Raw - as is JBL, according to the Wrestling God himself. Whether plans have either changed or been misinterpreted, or whether it will be a 3 man booth, we will find out in 15 minutes time (in the US) or an hour and a quarter from now (Canada).

Be sure and join us in the next day or two for a recap of Night of Champions and tonight's Raw. Until then, be well. See you at the matches.

Jerry Lawler Update - IN HIS OWN WORDS!

In This Very Ring Podcast - We're Back and Better than Ever!

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Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler collapsed tonight while commentating on WWE Raw tonight from Montreal. He is currently breathing on his own, his heart is beating on its own, and he is responsive; he was taken to a local Montreal hospital and at last update was awaiting a CAT scan.

In This Very Ring's thoughts and prayers are with the 62-year-old at this time.

Back to reality ...

So we are back home (you can read about our vacation and the couple of days we've been back here) and ready to get back into the blog and podcast routine; we will be podcasting either tomorrow or Thursday about all the fun of last night's Raw in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago, but in the meantime want to thank you for bearing with illness and travel, and a year of 'best laid plans'. :) Back to the norm this week on all fronts, dontcha dare miss it.

Kayfabe Wrestling Radio

So of course no sooner do we make a 'we will absolutely head online and discuss tonight's pay per view' promise than I get deathly ill. And then Ari does. And then we had a vacation to get ready for (which we're on now). Because you know - that's how we roll. We did manage to fit in time however to talk to our friends Alan and Spug over at Kayfabe Wrestling Radio, however, always a good time. You can find this week's podcast over at http://www.wildtalkradio.com - amidst the debate and namecalling, lol, we actually had a good time. :)

We will be back online ourselves, I promise, on Tuesday with a Raw recap - wishing you all a great last week of summer or first week of school or wherever y'all are at these days! :)

Summerslam Predictions

First of all - copious apologies - we've been doing our best, with more or less success in the last little bit - to maintain the commitment I made to blog every couple of days, and at least largely we've been blogging 2-3 times a week, but it has been two weeks since I 'promised, I really do' that we would do an ITVR podcast the next day, or posted anything at all, really, and I can only explain that with copious amounts of travelling, and my baby boy's second birthday this weekend. However, Summerslam is upon us this evening and while we won't have the time to podcast BEFORE that, we wanted to make our predictions now and we will do an immediate post-show podcast that will probably be up sometime between midnight at 12:30am after our show tonight. With no further ado, however ... my predictions.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
I think the outcome of this match weighs heavily on whether or not Shawn Michaels will be involved, and how. He is no longer scheduled to be in Triple H's corner for this match following his 'broken arm' at the hands of Brock Lesnar on Monday; however, will he still make his presence felt? And if so, will he be supporting his longtime friend, or helping orchestrate his downfall due to having been left vulnerable last week and feeling resentful about that? I'm predicting a Triple H win here just because of how dominant Lesnar has been the last couple of weeks, and given Vince's tendency to book with his ego (which has been hurt by Lesnar) and not his promotional sense. But Lesnar SHOULD win because his loss to Cena a few months back weakened him, and if he's going to be involved in any significant storylines going forward, it would be damaging to have lost his first two feuds back - that simply makes him look beatable, and wins over him less significant.


World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto del Rio
This is a tough one to predict. On the one hand they've really been behind Sheamus. On the other hand, they've been playing around onscreen with del Rio even getting this match at all, and Sheamus has been World Champ since Wrestlemania - a not-insignificant amount of time in this day and age. For the sake of making a pick I'm going to say del Rio, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised at either outcome, or if del Rio's reign was a short one if I'm right.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
I think I'm actually going to pick Cena here, although this is another one where I'm not 110% sure of my own choice. I'm reasonably sure it won't be Big Show, and while a CM Punk retention wouldn't surprise me, he's also been champ for awhile and Cena - as funny as it sounds - could really use a boost to his luck and his win record. If I'm wrong and Punk wins, look for this to be his full-blown heel turn, and a win to come about via mischief of some sort or another.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler
I would like to see Ziggler win here, in the sense that Chris Jericho's contract is over within the next 48 hours, and he has made pretty clear Fozzy comes ahead of his WWE commitments at this stage in his life and career. More than that, Jericho is ultimately bullet proof in terms of his reputation, while Ziggler is still building himself up and could frankly use a high-profile win like this one going forward. I'll predict Ziggler but again - in a theme of the evening, wihch isn't necessarily a bad thing - don't go betting any large sums of money on this prediction.
Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
Daniel Bryan is one of the best stars of the WWE today, while Kane's job is mainly to look scary and give punk kids a run for their money. While this could go either way depending on AJ Lee - Bryan's ex-fiancee and Raw General Manager - I'm going to say Bryan comes out on top nonetheless.
Intercontinental Champion the Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
While this match occurs right in Mysterio's backyard, the Miz has been on something of a roll since his return and I think that's something that should be kept up. Both have returned recently, and both could use a win; one of them is going to need to settle for simply a 'good or great match'. Given WWE's proclivity as well to disappoint hometown audiences, while this is yet another one that I wouldn't bet the farm on, I'm going to go with the Miz.

WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R Truth vs. The Prime Time Players
I think I'm going to go with the Prime Time Players winning here; they have been strong as a tag team, in no small part due to their now-former manager Abraham Washington (AW). Without him by their side, I'm not sure how long their reign will last, or how significant they will be thereafter, but booking wise this would make sense. Having said that, as I've said about almost all the other matches - don't be entirely surprised to see the champions booked to retain simply out of spite for the drama of the last few weeks.

US Champion Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro (Youtube Preview Match)
This match unfortunately won't make the pay-per-view but should make at least a somewhat entertaining pre-show match. I'm not familiar enough with Cesaro to see a particularly bright (or not) future for him, on the one hand, but I also know Marella's held the title for a long time ... but is a popular and favourite comodity in the WWE Universe. I'm going to go with a Marella retention, but perhaps narrowly enough Cesaro earns a rematch, or via interference leading to his next feud, where Marella's days are more numbered.

All in all while I've made predictions on the above, all of these matches as I've said could conceivably go either way - which makes for a strong PPV when it's that unpredictable. I'm not anticipating a high percentage of correct predictions tonight, although I couldn't tell you which ones will be wrong lol. I DO think there will be a bonus match or two booked as there are only 6-7 matches booked for the actual PPV; perhaps a Ryback squash or a Brodus Clay/Damien Sandow faceoff. And we will discuss all of the above on-air after the PPV tonight so be sure and check back in then. Enjoy the show and be well!

Programming Note

Hi all,

Please note that while illness and travel have kept us from posting the last week or so with any regularity, we have still been watching WWE in its first three weeks of its new three-hour format ... we've seen it all, from AJ Lee and Booker T's new appointments as Raw and Smackdown General Managers respectively, to CM Punk's tweener turn, to some real-life drama involving inappropriate comments from Abraham Washington (AW, promotor of All World promotions) and Tensai (via TOUT! TOUTTOUTTOUT!), and a pyro-related Titantron/set fire last week at Raw that put its 8pm US start time in jeopardy. And while it's currently 10:30pm and we're JUST back from Kitchener - our 'hometown' - and watchings this week's fare, we will be back with our ITVR podcast tomorrow evening. Be sure to check it out then. Until then ...

Be well,
Sarah and Ari

ITVR

Hi all - sorry for this current sabbatical - I have spent the last 4 days ill, and they would have been busy ones to begin with (Wicked, a visit to Montreal, as well as my second week of 12 hour days of work, plus parenting) ... but we will have an ITVR podcast tomorrow to discuss last night's RAW, including a 'fiery' prelude, inappropriate humour, a big return, and some important storyline continuations. Thanks for bearing with us, and be well. XOXO

Raw 1000

Hi all! So tonight's the night! WWE Raw's 1000th episode - and man is it stacked. Perhaps TOO stacked, with the Daniel Bryan-AJ Lee wedding, a DX Reunion and the appearance of such legends as Mick Foley, Brock Lesnar the Rock, Bret Hart ... and I've heard rumours of Steve Austin the Undertaker, Mean Gene Okerlund, Jim Ross ... not to mention the announcement of the new permanent Raw General Manager, and a word title match between John Cena and defending champion CM Punk. When just half of this could sell any show, and with this week also signifying Raw's permanent move to a 3 hour show, I do have to say it might have been wise to hold some of the above for future weeks where they will be cramming for material ... nonetheless, tonight will be a good show; of this I have no doubt.

A reminder as it's a 3-hour show (and will be going forward), that Raw begins tonight, and in future at 8pm ET on USA network in the US, and the same time tonight here in Canada on the Score - I will have to double check and let you know if the Score is making the same permanent time slot shift with the US. Either way though, as of 8pm tonight, enjoy the introduction to a (risky) new era of Raw. :)

BTW - ONE LAST NOTE: Please click here for a completely unrelated but truy awesome article written by one of our friends over at Pro Wrestling dot Net - all about 'smart' fans and their (our?) attitude towards championship reigns. Got me thinking anyway ... :) Be well and enjoy Raw 1000!

ITVR

CLICK HERE to listen ...

BTW ... in our hurry ... we forgot to express our love for Abraham Washington, AW, owner of All World Promotions, the newest member of the 'awesome heel manager' club. This guy coud be MONEH if Vince let him (ie, if Vince liked managers ...)

AJ Meets Lita

We'll be podcasting in the next 1-2 nights about this week's Raw and the upcoming pay-per-view, Money in the Bank, this weekend. However meanwhile I wanted to share a cute video I just watched over at http://www.prowrestling.net of a very young AJ (current WWE Diva) meeting former Diva Lita, roughly 10-12 years ago or so. She first appears around the 21/22 second mark, and is the emotional fan towards the very end of the video as well. As that very same former 12-year-old girl fan, I can totally relate. Very sweet.

ITVR Podcast

CLICK HERE to listen. :)

Also - just wanted to add - happy belated birthday to Bret "Hitman" Hart who turned 55 yesterday. Still one hot Grandpa! :D

Be well.

Smackdown (and ITVR!) Programming Note!

Just wanted to take the time to remind you of tonight's LIVE Smackdown special on SyFy in the US or the Score in Canada. And also to let you know that ITVR will be returning tomorrow (after a long weekend preemption here in Canada due to the holiday weekend - I actually posted something about that but it didn't go through). That will give us the chance to catch up on last night's Raw, see tonight's SD, and tell you all about 'the week in wrestling'. Dontcha dare miss it!

This Day in Wrestling History ...

Ten years ago today ... John Cena began his WWE career.
One year ago today ... CM Punk made his infamous ... ahem ... WWE-changing promo.

Not a bad day to be a wrestling fan. :)

Tomorrow, Friday at the latest - ITVR podcast! Until then ... be well.

5 Years ...

This past weekend marked the 5th anniversary of the day wrestling changed ... and I have yet to see any wrestling site mark it. Chris Benoit, on the weekend of the 22nd-24th of June 5 years ago, murdered his wife and young son before taking ihs own life.

It is a day that will live in infamy in the wrestling industry. I said on my Facebook this weekend, it was a tragic day for wrestling fans, but more especially the families involved. We lost a myth, a legend gone up in smoke ... they lost loved ones (and yes - that includes Chris, and the man everyone seemed to think he was).

You will rarely, if ever, hear his name on a wrestling broadcast these days, his title reign wiped from the record books as you hear that at Wrestlemania XX, Shawn Michaels and Triple H fought each other in one of the best Triple Threat matches in history, and somehow neither of them left with the title. But his impact on the business is undeniable, as headshots with chairs have been banned, even as the WWE denied concussions and other head injuries were the factor behind the crime ... the drug-testing Wellness Policy was beefed up, despite the adamant denials that this was a case of 'roid rage.

This could have crippled the industry ... but in some ways it made it stronger, more wrestler friendly. But more could be done. What about incorporating psychological testing into the Wellness Policy? What about mandatory, rotating vacations so wrestlers don't burn out? What about health insurance coverage so guys can get the taking care of they need without worrying about losing their spot? What about - dare I whisper it? Dare I utter it? A wrestling union?

It is not too late to try to turn the tarnished and tragic Benoit legacy - one of waste, unchecked mental illness and hidden demons - into perhaps a positive one ... one that could have protected Chris, and perhaps more importantly, his family.

Naysayers will speculate that this is about Benoit's own mental illness/addictions, what have you - and I agree. He's an adult who sought out and engaged in unsafe, unhealthy, and ultimately fatal behaviours. A monster. But these types are inordinately attracted to the wrestling business. Whatever is cause and whatever is effect - we need to heed that, and work accordingly with it. For the sake of all the future Nancy, Daniel, and yes - even Chris - Benoits out there.

No Way Out Predictions

So it is that time of month and year, the WWE's next pay-per-view is knockin' at our doors, and there's NO WAY OUT of watching it. ;) OK ... well I suppose you don't need to buy it, but ... lol. Anyway, Ari and I didn't have a chance this weekend to podcast our predictions due to a visit from our in-laws and a weekend away while they babysat for our anniversary, but I wanted to take the time to share my thoughts on tonight's PPV before it airs. So match by match, here are my predictions.

John Cena vs. Big Show:
This match will take place in a steel cage and feature Vince McMahon and John Laurenaitis at ringside. If Big Show loses, Johnny Ace loses his job. If Cena loses, he's fired. I'm going to predict a loss and firing for Cena. The character badly needs a reboot. If they actually follow the story through for a time, he could get some time at home to recharge, deal with his divorce, and come back with a fresh set of batteries. Johnny Ace is a great heel authority figure (as much as it pains me to say so), and I think the stable he's working to build, works. In short, there's still some juice in that potential lemon. :) Even if they 'rehire' John Cena a week or two from now, this kind of loss might be enough to enable a directional change for him; not necessarily a heel turn, but even just encouraging him to approach his matches and career more seriously. The character needs a change and a loss would enable that.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler:
I'm going to go with Ziggler here actually. Sheamus has had a good run and has been easil frustrated/semi-aggressive; I could see a loss here enabling a heel turn. Ziggler also could really use some main event cachet. This would, in the big picture, benefit both men if Ziggler won. It wouldn't surprise me to go either way though, as for whatever reason WWE has been reluctant to back Ziggler to date. But I could see a double-turn here with relative ease.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane:
The most exciting match on the card. AJ will play a prominent role here and I think she and the title both are going with whoever wins this match. I think Kane has meshed into this storyline well but is still a tertiary player; CM Punk is too obvious. I am, by default, going with her helping her ex-boyfriend Bryan regain his title to win back his grace and favour.

Intercontinental Champion Chrisian vs. Cody Rhodes:
This should be a good match - in a storyline perspective, they have not focused on it as they could have, but if given a healthy amount of time to go in the ring these guys could make up for that easily. I'm guessing Christian retains on the basis that he only won the title a month ago, but this is another that wouldn't surprise me either way, as WWE doesn't care enough about the IC belt to worry about hotshotting it if Cody holding it somehow fits better into their plans.

Diva's Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix
Enh ... let's say ... Beth? And please oh please a return of Kharma?

US Champion Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez
This also happens to be a tuxedo match. Ah the comedy spot ... this will not be a ***** match by any means, but could be some good light fun for those who enjoy its wrestling with a side of tongue-in-cheek. These two are great comedy characters ... it's just a bit of a shame this is what the US title has become. Predictions? This is a toughy, as both have been pushed as decent yet entertaining wrestlers ... I will say Santino Marella has a slight edge over Rodriguez as champ and a more established star (wow did I really just say that?), but I think the difference in their chances resemble the 1994 Quebec Sovereignty Referendum results (look it up).

Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga
Brodus Clay's character has been evolving now that he's full-time Smackdown, and Otunga is being pushed more as a John Laurenaitis entourage member than a wrestler in his own right, so I'm going to guess Clay goes over here, being more in need of the win in terms of the work he does as a wrestler day-to-day. But this match is symbolic of the undercard at present; while the top three matches on this PPV are incredibly strong, either in terms of wrestling potential, storyline potential or both, the bottom 3-4 feel throwaway - not as an insult to those involved, but based on how WWE has positioned and pushed (or not) them. It comes down to - do you feel a good 2-3 matches can sell a PPV? And do you believe the midcard guys can turn their lemons into lemonade? Let's hope!

ITVR PODCAST

Oops! Uploaded this to the filesharing site last night and then forgot to link it here.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

Editorial Correction

We have mentioned the last couple of entries that Raw goes 3-hours permanently this week - not so. It goes 3 hours permanently July 23, on its 1000th episode. We apologize for the error. Work the last couple of days (church and school) has precluded us doing the ITVR we promised - of course obligations A and B kick in as obligations C and D finish up right? But we will do a special podcast reviewing tonight's 3 hour show ... and just what the implications for Raw are when it goes to this length of time full-time ... tomorrow night. Be sure to check in for our triumphant return (and this promise we WILL keep come hell or high-water).

ITVR Podcast Returns Tomorrow!

After almost a month's hiatus Ari and Sarah return tomorrow to podcast in anticipation of Raw going three hours this Monday night - the return of Vince McMahon and a host of other guests, as we head into No Way Out next Sunday night. Let's survey the WWE scene and talk about what's coming next as we head into the summer months. Dontcha dare miss it! :)

PLEASE CLICK ...

THIS LINK for an important message from management.

(No - we are not going out of business, however, announcing plans to serve you better from this 'older and wiser' new perspective.)

While this message was written at my personal blog, it applies to this space as well.

With thanks for your patronage.

XO

Chris Jericho Suspended for 30 Days

Hi all - sorry for the absence, it's been a crazy week as we went camping last weekend, and I've been preparing for a 100+ person barbecue at church, my father-in-law is visiting, etc. But we haven't forgotten about our ITVR folks, and will be podcasting either tonight or tomorrow night for sure.

But in the meantime wanted to address WWE's sort of snakebit first trip down to Brazil. After a cancelled flight delayed their show by one night, Chris Jericho, in his heelish antics, managed to disrespect the Brazilian flag - actually a crime in Brazil, for which he was almost arrested. He has issued a public apology and been suspended for 30 days. It should be noted none of the fans at the arena were offended, understanding he was just trying to be a 'bad guy' - however, rules are rules I guess.

Raw Goes to 3 Hours Starting in July

So we didn't watch all of Raw again this week - while some aspects were quasi-entertaining (the CM Punk/Daniel Bryan et all tag team match, the HHH-Heyman promo, the Big Show/John Laurenaitis interaction, Sheamus' performance in the announce booth), it's just not sustaining interest these days. I don't know ... I know WWE can do better, they just haven't been.

And in that kind of environment, the announcement comes yesterday that as of July 22 (I believe - or 29), Raw is going to 3 hours every Monday. When they barely have enough programming to sustain the 2 hour show they have now. This can't go wrong ... ahem. This was a contributing factor to the death of WCW/Nitro, at a time when they couldn't sustain the programming they already had, so why does WWE think this will be any different?

So without having seen much of the product this week, we're going to ATTEMPT to catch Smackdown and podcast tonight with predictions for this Sunday's PPV (which we will be missing due to camping this weekend) - but if we end up not having time (preparing for said camping trip etc.) we will catch Raw on Monday and either blog or podcast about it same-night, or the following.

Hope all is well out there and you're enjoying the lovely weather!

John Cena Files for Divorce

The news broke yesterday that John Cena filed for divorce from his longtime girlfriend, and wife of three years, Liz Huberdeau Cena, prompting her to hire Linda Hogan's barracuda attorney, Raymond Rafool. Per Rafool - "Although it is indeed unfortunate that John Cena decided to divorce his high school sweetheart Liz Cena; particularly, after they have come so far in their lives and in his career together, Liz will and really has no choice but to pursue all of her rights and entitlements."

Sounds like this could get ugly. Despite having been approached weeks ago by her husband with a pre-divorce settlement offer, Mrs. Cena refused to sign it, ostensibly thinking their marriage could still be salvaged ... and is now claiming to have been blindsided by the divorce filing. A prenuptial agreement is in place, and after three years of marriage and no kids, my guess is it should be fairly iron clad ... but it doesn't sound like that's going to stop Liz Cena from giving it the good old college try.

While obviously I'm dubious about the angle Cena's wife is approaching this from - blindsided despite being presented with a settlement? Refusing to sign said settlement? Hiring a vicious attorney despite a prenup being in place? - bottom line is divorce is no fun on anyone's part and I wish the Cenas the best as they go through this difficult time. May they be able to treat themselves, and each other, with the dignity and respect that everyone deserves when facing hard decisions.

ITVR Podcast

Please CLICK HERE to listen. 

And apologies for the gain - it's not as bad as it's been in the past, still annoying I know but we put the mic in the wrong socket tonight ... seriously, tired. lol But didn't feel like re-recording, especially given it's not GOD awful (just 'bad').

Thanks for the patience and have a nice week!

Processing Some Thoughts

So it's been awhile as I've been trying to assimilate what I think of this week's "Extreme Rules" PPV, and last night's Raw ... there were some things that were really, really strong (I can't speak to how excited I am about CM Punk and Daniel Bryan squaring off at the next "Over the Limit" PPV, and there were a few good matches at ER, including Cena-Lesnar, and Cena's promo afterwards was intriguing). There was also a lot that didn't work - while I'm no Cena hater, I think beating Brock his first match back was unnecessary, especially when a loss here could have easily fit into the John Cena losing his mojo storyline - which was working, and I'm not a fan of his being back after said intriguing promo the very next night raring to fight ... John Laurenaitis.

WWE has a lot going for it right now - and a lot that is really a big fail (see Tensai, Lord; and Clay, Brodus, as well as the depushing of the Miz and Dolph Ziggler etc.). I will be interested to see how they fit some of the messy pieces together in the coming weeks ... hopefully as well as the Triple H-Johnny Ace-Brock Lesnar interaction, for example.

Marcus Alexander Bagwell Update

According to TMZ, per "Buff" Bagwell's wife, he is now conscious, talking, and eating solid foods on his own. This is remarkable progress over the past week, and more than his doctor's expected. We at In This Very Ring are pleased to hear, and wish him continued improvement in his health in the weeks ahead.

ITVR PODCAST

Click HERE.

A Special Raw ... And a Special Birthday!

So we didn't ultimately ITVR this past week due to the fact we never did catch the entirety of Smackdown - though a goodly amount of it. Bottom line, there wasn't much to talk about newsworthiness-wise. Don't take that the wrong way though. While not game-changers, Raw and Smackdown were both good shows; Daniel Bryan and AJ continue to have an excellent dynamic, with, I think, an AJ heel turn imminent (and by extension a Daniel Bryan face turn, or a repairing) after her wailing on Natalya following another verbal lashing by Bryan - who delivered, by the way, a tremendous promo. Raw was strong as well, featuring Brock Lesnar in UFC countdown-style sitdown interview segments which worked well for him, John Cena cut a more serious promo than he has done in a long time, some more excellent work between CM Punk and Chris Jericho, and all around the WWE pulling out the stops for their overseas fans. There were just no major title changes or storyline progressions, or much that happened off-camera, to make the week feel particularly special.

Back Stateside this week, however, we have a three-hour Raw special tonight - note the airtime change at 8pm instead of 9pm, although still at 9 in Canada on the Score. It is also a bit ironic that John Cena, Raw's poster boy, will be putting in some overtime tonight ... his 35th birthday! We wish, of course, all the happiest returns to the Doctor of Thuganomics ... I mean ... the Champ ... I mean, John. :)

We will be podcasting early this week to make up for missed time; please tune in midweek this week (Wednesday or Thursday at the latest) for an ITVR where we recap tonight's Raw special and preview this Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Meanwhile, be well!

Programming Note

Please note for once the lack of blogging here this week hasn't been to over-busy-ness; it's actually been a slow week with not much to write about! We did, however, miss Smackdown last night due to a rough night with the kiddos so want to catch up on that before posting our podcast, since it's going to be light on material as it is. Please keep an eye out for our ITVR podcast either later tonight, or tomorrow evening at the latest.

In This Very Ring

CLICK HERE for podcast. :) Thanks for listening.

"Have a nice day ..."

Substance Abuse - the good news and the bad news

So - wrestlers' addiction issues have been in the news this week with Maven Huffman's doctor/pharmacy shopping arrest, as discussed on ITVR over the weekend, and Scott Hall's arrest earlier this week for drunkenly choking out his girlfriend - so drunk was he, in fact, that initially the local jail wouldn't even process him without a hospital stop first. Hall acknowledges having fallen off the wagon, though denies any domestic violence took place.

Huffman has accepted a WWE offer of rehab (policy to offer any ex-employee/'independent contractor'), and we here at In This Very Ring of course offer him our very best wishes on his road to recovery. As for Scott Hall, a little less clear where he goes from now, as he has now gone to rehab twice on the WWE dime. Nonetheless of course, we wish him well, for the sake of his girlfriend, children and family.

*UPDATED* Massive ITVR Wrestlemania Podcast (IN TWO PARTS!)

So ... first of all, sorry it took us so long to do this - except not to a certain extent. I'm glad we let ourselves soak in all Wrestlemania weekend and Miami had to offer, without being tied to the computer; but we did hope to make it a bit more participatory ... so for that, hopefully we can make this up now. We've been podcasting over the last couple of days, and this is what we've come up with. Hope you enjoy, and that it's been worth the wait.

CLICK HERE for ITVR Podcast #1
CLICK HERE for ITVR Podcast #2

Wrestlemania

Hi guys,

Just wanted to check in. We said we wouldn't disappear over this weekend and we meant it - but it has been a packed, busy, wonderful, fun two days so far. My feet are killing me, my voice is hoarse, I am exhausted, and I wouldn't trade one hot second of it. My thanks and love to everyone from my family to the Superstars and Divas to whoever has made this weekend possible.

That said - it's 3:36am as I type this and our second night in a row of a similar hour. I think we're going to call it for bed but please check out our photos on ITVR's Facebook by heading over to our page (just search for In This Very Ring) and checking them out. We will post a podcast, and/or a detailed blog and some pics etc. here sometime tomorrow night post-Raw, Tuesday AM before checking out at the latest.

Much love to all,
Sarah the Sleepy

Arrived in Miami

So we're here after a lovely flight and a somewhat scary shuttle ride, in Miami Florida. And it looks like Wrestlemania got a bit more exciting while we were gone, as a match involving Epico and Primo Colon defending their Tag Team Titles vs. the Uso brothers and Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd has been added to the card, and rumours have begun abounding that Brock Lesnar might have plans for an appearance. This is shaping up already to be a great weekend - heading out shortly to a lovely dinner date with my hubby and partner in crime Ari.

Also wanted to put a quick congratulations out there to the Undertaker and his wife Michelle McCool - Vicki Guerrero let the cat out of the bag today on Twitter that the 'Takers are expecting a baby! :) What impact this will have on UT's future plans in terms of sticking around or hanging 'em up remains to be seen.

Ric Flair to appear at Hall of Fame Ceremonies

So after some ballyhooing, considering his contractual status with TNA, there has been confirmation today that Ric Flair will be appearing with his fellow 4 Horsemen inductees at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday night. No word on exactly what this entails - appearing onstage, or in televised vs. 'dark' inductions etc. but he will be present and I assume at least an onstage appearance 'with his fellow inductees', as Dixie Carter put it in her statement on behalf of TNA, which 'graciously' (again, her words) allowed him to accept "yet another honor he truly deserves."

ITVR Podcast - Wrestlemania Predix and More!

CLICK HERE to listen to our official 'go home' (well ... 'go Miami'?) ITVR show.

And CLICK HERE to listen to the longform John Cena interview I mention in the above podcast - really good and interesting stuff.

See you again soon ... In This Very Ring. :)

John Cena's Car Accident, and Happy Birthday to a WWE Diva

Hi all,

So I got plenty of work this week and the weekend was too nice to not spend outside in favour of podcasting ... but I just wanted to take the time to let you all know we will be podcasting either after the show tonight or, depending on energy level, tomorrow evening at the latest.

In the meantime though, John Cena was involved in a three-vehicle collision this morning, being rear-ended in his SUV by a Honda Civic which in turn had been rear ended by a tractor-trailer. Thankfully there were no injuries and Cena has been cleared to wrestle, although the Civic was totaled. Cena was the passenger in his vehicle doing a phone-in interview at the time which wasn't even interrupted by the accident.

Glad to hear - whatever one thinks of Cena, car accidents - especially those involving 18-wheelers - are scary beasts, even if minor, and it's great he's still in fighting form.

I also want to take a quick second to wish a happy birthday to WWE Diva AJ, the 'girlfriend' of Daniel Bryan and a surprisingly fun gal to watch in terms of the women's product on WWE of late. She turns 25. Also celebrating a birthday today - Evan Bourne. Here's hoping WWE holds off on the 'future endeavouring' on this day ...

You will hear from us soon with our thoughts on last week's Raw and Smackdown, as well as tonight's show; until then, peace out.

XO Sar

In This Very Ring

CLICK HERE for this week's podcast.

This N That

So any of our readers know we've both been sick as dogs most of this week - but I wanted to take the time to comment on a few things generally - we didn't get to do an audio show this weekend but we will try to do a short one tomorrow night after Raw, which is set to be stacked. Meanwhile though, a few quick hits:

• Raw was strong this week as John Cena did really well in his promo with the Rock - although I think demonstrating his professionalism by NOT having been at the Daytona 500 was something they should have played with. Their unscripted promos, as well as Jericho and Punk's, really stripped wrestling back down to the bare bones of how good talented people can be if just allowed to go for it.
• That said - Raw's 3.1 rating was dismal considering it was the Rock's return and thereby the REAL start of his and Cena's Wrestlemania build. I'm assuming the Daytona 500 hurt the ratings given its delay from the day before - it would have been a competitor anyway, and then in light of a major fire on the track, I'm guessing it took some eyes away from the wrestling programming.
• Smackdown was also not a bad show featuring the return of Randy Orton to face Daniel Bryan, as well as a strong match between Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler. The build to Wrestlemania wasn't as strong as it could have been - I feel this General Manager feud is distracting, both from Wrestlemania, and the potential greatness of a Daniel Bryan-CM Punk feud which is playing second banana to a mediocre story featuring non-wrestlers - but we still have a few weeks. Only a couple for Smackdown though so hopefully they get in gear going forward.
• Speaking of the GM story - Teddy Long and John Laurenaitis will be switching the shows they run this week, with TL going to Raw and JL going to Smackdown - like I said, I'm not so sure this is great timing for a non-wrestler story with no real payoff, unless it's leading to a Team Long vs. Team Laurenaitis match at Mania ...
• And this week's Raw should be strong as Undertaker, Triple H, Rock and Shawn Michaels are all expected on-air. Let's see what THAT does for the ratings!
• Jeff Hardy missed TNA tapings this week due to food poisoning, officially. Here's hoping that's the case!
• Happy Anniversary to Ring of Honor, which turns 10 this week. They are celebrating as I type with an online pay-per-view at the storied Hammerstein Ballroom - the original home of WWE's Monday Night Raw, and the two WWECW "One Night Stand" pay-per-views.
• RIP Doug Fournas, a former WCW and WWE wrestler who died this weekend after a several-year struggle with Parkinson's Disease. Our thoughts and condolences go to his family at this time.

Be well, stay tuned for our Raw thoughts tomorrow night after the show, and take care of yourselves, and each other. XO

Mother Nature on Team Bring It? John Cena Foiled by "Raintona"!

John Cena was scheduled to wave the green flag and invite racers to 'Gentlemen, start your engines' at the Daytona 500 yesterday. However, for the first time in the race's 50+ year history, the vent got rained out and postponed until today. Does any other wrestling fan see the obvious problem this poses for Cena? Yup! Monday is a work night for one of WWE's biggest stars!

Now initially it looked like things might work out - with the race rescheduled until 11am today, Cena would have time to perform his bit before hopping a 5-hour flight to Seattle for Raw. However, with the race rained out again and postponed until 6pm tonight, he has decided to place his day job ahead of extracurricular activities, and has booked it to Seattle, with a promise to return if the race ends up being held on Tuesday, but WWE comes first - especially since the Rock would be at Raw on Monday and "You have to understand ... he never shows up ... ever!"

If this stark contrast, which fits so nicely into the picture John Cena has been trying to pain of himself vs. the Rock, isnt' used in their banter tonight - and MAYBE even win Cena over a few fans for his putting wrestling first - I'll eat my hat. Although on the other hand, perhaps the hypocrisy he'd show by sticking around to wave a flag for just a touch of mainstream publicity, while accusing the Rock of the same type of thing, is just obvious. Either way - money where his mouth is. Got to give THAT credit.

ITVR Podcast

Please CLICK HERE to listen to this week's podcast. Enjoy the weekend! XO

Raw is BLOG

Hi all - sorry about the lack of podcasting this weekend we went out of town somewhat spontaneously. To make it up, I will be writing this blog throughout Raw with my thoughts as it happens. It's the go-home show for Elimination Chamber pay-per-view this weekend, and Shawn Michaels is advertised for the show, so it should be  a good one! I won't publish until it's done, but that will explain the sort of stream of consciousness style. Please enjoy.

The show opens recapping Kane's threats to Eve from last week. I still don't quite get why it matters to him so whether or not John Cena 'embraces the hate', but why not. I suppose wrestling feuds have been started over stupider. Hair commercial endorsements, for example, paternity disputes, Marcus Bagwell's mom ... lol. Anyway. Whatever, it is what it is. Still wish the stip was more on the lines of a no holds barred or last man standing match than an ambulance match. But whatever. They at least managed to incorporate that into storyline, as Kane vows to send someone sent home in an ambulance tonight.

As a nod to the interminable debates leading up to the Republican party presidential nomination in this election year in the US, the elimination chamber participants have a debate, in which at least the participants are great talkers. I know by now some are complaining 'Raw is A LOT OF TALK' and fair enough ... but this was entertaining (although I have to say, when Vicki Guerrero stepped up to speak for Dolph Ziggler, I expected her to use all his speaking time ... lol that would have been awesome). Punk and Jericho have a nice exchange, they acknowledge John Laurenaitis' staying on as GM of Raw, and they announce Jericho-Kofi Kingston as a match after the commercial break. They head to said break as Kingston blindsided an irate Jericho who was getting in Punk's face.

They have a very good five-minute before cutting to a backstage DX reunion - Shawn Michaels is here for a visit, yay! Commercial break then leads to John Cena talking to Zack Ryder in his (Cena's) dressing room. Cena's concerned for Ryder's safety in being present with Kane on the rampage, but Ryder wants to surprise Eve for Valentine's Day. Cena promises Ryder he'll bring Eve to him, but wants him to stay put in the dressing room for his safety. Because of course, the safest place for anyone when a monster is on the hunt for Cena, is Cena's dressing room.

Cut to David Otunga telling Johnny Ace that he has a plan to make him not only permanent general manager of Raw, but of Smackdown as well ... while they scheme, they cut back to the announcers (plugging the new Michael Cole action figure? Really?), and recapping the backstory to the next match - Randy Orton vs. Big Show (Big Show unwittingly cost Randy Orton a match with Daniel Bryan, in sum).

Cue the next match, including Daniel Bryan at ringside with the announce team. You know Bryan's heel turn is progressing when his longtime arch-nemesis Michael Cole has begun talking him up, discussing how sowing some dissension between two of his biggest opponents in the elmination chamber and having them fight days before the match was actually good strategy. A decent match between these two big guys I have to admit. Daniel Bryan ends things by attacking both men in the ring, while Michael Cole returns to discussing how weaselly he is now that he's no longer in earshot. This must be the one heel Michael Cole doesn't like. Oh well. Two RKOs on a monster like the Big Show was still a sight to behold ... good match while it lasted, and given it was A. a Raw match B. between big men, the time it was given wasn't insignificant.

 Shawn Michaels comes to the ring expressing how surprised he was last week to see Triple H turn down the Undertaker's challenge ... before expressing his belief that H was punking all of us - being the 'Cerebral Assassin', playing games with the Undertaker. He called his buddy out to the ring - man hugs and DX signs ensue. Triple H lets Shawn know he's glad to see him, wishes Shawn was around more often, but that he's wrong, Trips has no intention of fighting the Undertaker at Wrestlemania - he would have to finish him, and he's not that guy anymore. Shawn encourages him, telling him he's a closer who steps on throats and has no mercy ... unless marrying 'that chick' (WWE executive Stephanie McMahon, daughter of the WWE chairman) turned him into a corporate sellout. Shawn might not know much about the corporate world, but he does know that if a man backs down from a challenge, he's a coward.

Trips walks away, before deciding to argue - he has responsibilities. The WWE will someday be his, and that weighs on his shoulders. Trips doesn't look at the Undertaker as an opponent anymore - he looks at him as a brand that is good for business. Trips, Shawn and Undertaker are the end of a different era, and Triple H isn't going to be the one to end that era for no reason - and certainly not so Shawn can live vicariously through him as he does the things HBK could never get done.

Shawn tells him he's going to ignore that jab - he's at peace with his life, but doesn't think Triple H is. He demands Triple H look him in the eye and say he doesn't want it. Triple H does exactly that, although he looks thoughtful as HBK leaves him in the ring. The bell tolls ...

A new Undertaker video much like last week's ... 'This is not over', as he chops his hair (fans who frequent news sites knows Undertaker has been bald for several months, and has been wearing a wig in recent appearances; this is a great, intense, dramatic way to incorporate that new look into this storyline). Commercial ensues after a great segment. The only issue with segments like this is it does remind us of a bygone, incomparable era, and why these guys, even in their 40s, are head and shoulders ahead of so many of today's stars (with, of course, a few exceptions) ... it makes the rest of the show seem so ordinary in a lot of respects, and in some ways isn't fair to the new talent.

R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler is up next, another match with some potential ... Vicki Guerrero is at ringside. An expectedly short but good match is followed by Santino's love tips to Zack Ryder (hint - apparently garlic is the world's greatest breath mint ... remember that tomorrow all you love birds).

Cue up a Rock tribute video after the commercial break - before John Cena can react to it, we hear Eve screaming in the back - he races to her rescue before Kane can kidnap her, and she kisses him (he does respond, although comes to his senses first, pulling away and asking what that was for). Pan wide to see that poor Zack Ryder saw the whole thing. For the record - my prediction that Eve is a heel who's in on this with Kane (playing Cena and Ryder, being intimidated but never actually hurt by Kane) is looking more and more likely.

The 'it's not you it's me ... but can we be friends?' conversation follows the commercial break, with Eve blaming the heat of the moment after Cena rescued her - Zack Ryder wheels away leaving her looking ... well, something. Back out to ringside, hot damn we actually have a match going on between CM Punk and the Miz. Another five-minute match, won (surprise surprise) by CM Punk. The Miz definitely needs some kind of push or pick-me-up at this point ... he obviously doesn't have the attention of the back office, and as such his work feels stale, even though he is a hard worker with a great deal of potential. Enter the ambulance being backed into the arena ...

Cena comes out after the break to address what just transpired. Cena says he tried to apologize to Zack Ryder, but he wouldn't listen, so he tried again publicly. "So this was Kane's plan all along", Cena points out - turn his friends and the WWE Universe against him, and leave him no choice but to embrace the hate. It would have worked if it was anybody else - but not him. But obviously people think, like Kane, that he has a breaking point where he'll just snap. "It's been six years ... I'm comfortable in my own skin." But go ahead, he says - keep thinking I'm soft. I'll just continue to do what I do. Cena promises Kane will leave Elimination Chamber in an ambulance. And he has a message for "Dwayne" about Wrestlemania ...

But that can wait until Zack Ryder interrupts, walking to the ring on crutches (oooh, after his time in the wheelchair, who sees a ready-made weapon?). He ultimatley drops those too, although winces in pain as he slaps Cena's offered hand away and slaps him. Cena prepares to fight and fakes a punch, startling Ryder without actually hitting him. He offers him a hand to help him up - Ryder declines and leaves Cena in the ring while Kane appears on the TitanTron.

Kane congratulates him on embracing the hate - stealing the true love of his best friend, a depth to which even Kane wouldn't have stooped. He promises to send Cena home in an ambulance at Elimination Chamber - but first, a round of applause for John Cena (I'm guessing for finally showing his jerky side?) ... while Cena's rolling his eyes, Kane comes out and attacks Ryder again, pushing him off the stage. Cena runs to his rescue, calling out trainers and EMTs ... Eve comes out too, to a chorus of boos, to check on Ryder. Raw goes off the air, and we head to Friday's Smackdown, and Sunday's Elimination Chamber PPV.

Before that though? Be sure and check in later this week (Wed. or Thurs. I'm hoping - Friday or Saturday at the latest) for our Elimination Chamber predictions and more, right here In This Very Ring. Thanks for reading! :)

An OK Raw

First - sorry for the non-posting this week; after not doing TOO badly with my posting (not quite every other day, but not more than 3 for a few weeks there), we had company over the weekend and were too busy living life, honestly, with beautiful winter days out on the Canal, a Toronto Maple Leafs shutout over the Ottawa Senators, and other good stuff. That said - you can hear our thoughts on last week's Royal Rumble and Raw over on Kayfabe Radio (see last entry including links). As to this week, though ...

It had some moments I guess. In no particular order, the Chris Jericho-CM Punk was every bit the fun promo - with words and without - I expected it would be when they finally confronted each other. Jericho's frustration with Punk's wordlessness was amusing, although I do have to throw out there, echoing Jason Powell's sentiment over at http://www.prowrestling.net, that I'd sort of been hoping with all this buildup that Jericho would have developed a new character in this return to the WWE, where from what I'm seeing to date, he's basically doing a sendup of his previous WWE returns, with a much quicker heel turn reverting to the character he played when he last left the WWE (basically, his last return in fast forward).

Now ... the sendup has been entertaining but I was hoping maybe for a bit of a more creative payoff than that. Maybe those expectations are unrealistic, and emblematic of the high bar Jericho has set for himself as one of the smarter and more creative visionaries in the WWE, and it's not like he's done BADLY, but ... momentum is everything in wrestling, and I feel like we've gone from a very creative return to he's another top-level heel very quickly. Yes, top-level, but he's gone from a very hot, anticipated return to he's another face in the Punk/Daniels/Cena/Orton/etc. crowd. Now ... he's a heel, which is different, and important at this time, with far too many top bad guys either on the DL (Alberto del Rio ... Mark Henry ... Christian ...) or not being pushed properly (Wade Barrett ... the Miz ...). But he should just have meteoric heat right now and I'm afraid he doesn't ... which pains me to say about one of my favourites. That said, his last comeback went flat pretty quickly and he used that to come up with one of the most creative directional shifts I've ever seen in a wrestlng character, so who knows what we'll see in the weeks ahead. But if it's him and CM Punk ... we at least know we'll see an awesome feud. :)

And we have John Cena again ... I have to give that WWE is doing really well with the promo videos for him and the Rock, demonstrating their personalities, and their contributions to wrestling, among other worthy causes, really well. AND Cena gets to wave the flag at the Daytona 500 - the biggest NASCAR race of the year, and a great way to get some notice and attention on the road to Wrestlemania. Add that to a nice piece on the Rock in People magazine last week, and the Hall of Fame induction announcement for Mike Tyson, and WWE is getting more publicity than they have in a very long time ... WM weekend is shaping up to be quite the Big Deal (but then, what else is new?).

My only complaint about the Cena storyline? I get they need to continue his angle with Kane until post-Elimination Chamber, at which point the Rock will be back to help build up to Wrestlemania - but an ambulance match? If this is their attempt to make this feud less hokey, and hocus pocus ... a last man standing or no holds barred match would have been more appropriate, and taken more seriously. I'm glad in that this is clearly the blowoff to what has been an uninspiring feud, but ... really?

I enjoyed the six-pack challenge to determine who gets to enter the elimination chamber last at the PPV in ten days' time. A good match, given the potential chaos in a 6-man bout, with the right outcome in Jericho's win. Actually, the action on this show was pretty good all in all, with only the two quibbles about injuries (Eve Torres and R Truth were injured in matches - which frankly is two injuries too many this cloes to WM, in a season where everyone should be starting to think ahead and play carefully), and - in trying to fit everything in - a bit of jumping around and not giving everything it's due time (which is better than a whole lot of filler, which is usually the bigger complaint - but to go straight from Jericho and CM Punk's interaction to pumping up the next match ... at least address the importance of what had just happened ... they'd have never done that to toher main eventers like Triple H or Undertaker) ...

Speaking of which, last but not least, those two gentlemen had an excellent joint promo/video set at the top of the show. It was a BIT long for some tastes, and admittedly laggy in some parts, but overall both men were very believable (in Triple H saying he doesn't want to participate in the Undertaker going out and embarrassing himself, that he's aging and no longer 'has it'; and the Undertaker saying he doesn't want the fans' last image of him being his beaten body being carried from the ring; he wants one more chance to set that right). With Shawn Michaels' set to guest on next week's Raw, it will be interesting to see his role in getting Triple H to agree to the match with Taker, since I'm assuming that's what they're working toward.

So Raw had some brilliant moments, but it was more a 4-star than a 5-star show ... that said, if they're going to have weeks like that - which is a given in any kind of long-running television show - better now than say, a month from now when they're building to WM in earnest. This was their scratch; remember, next week's the go-home show for EC, and then all roads lead to Mania ... so it's about to get hot in here, boys and girls. Let's keep on watching ... shall we?

Kayfabe Wrestling Radio

Hey all - hope you're enjoying Raw tonight! Just wanted, as promised, to tell you where to tune in to our visit with Kayfabe Radio tomorrow night. You can find them at http://wildtalkradio.ewazone.com (or just click that link), and they're on the air at 9pm tomorrow (Tuesday) night. We will be on in the 10pm hour. Be sure and tune in for our thoughts on the Rumble, as well as Alan Wocjik's and the rest of the crew.

Blessed be! :)

ITVR - Royal Rumble Predictions

CLICK HERE to listen! And enjoy tomorrow night's show.

WWE Royal Rumble Promo Video

WWE always does a good job with these - enjoy. :)

ITVR PODCAST

Click here to listen.

A Few Major Announcements

So ... lots to talk about this week - we'll cover most of these on the show tomorrow, but I didn't want to go too long without posting so I have a few quick hits for you - more detail, as well as discussion of Raw from Monday and Smackdown this evening, recorded either later tonight or tomorrow, and posted tomorrow.

1. HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS: So WWE this week announced the first inductees into the class of 2012 for their Hall of Fame. First ballot HOFer Adam "Edge" Copeland is to be congratulated - although given his relative youth, having him go in ahead of the Rock or Randy Savage - both of whom, incidentally, are from Florida, where the event is being held - I wonder at the timing ... but I love me some Edge, so that's all good. Also to be inducted offiially - the Four Horsemen, particularly the combination of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham. While some might discuss if this is a slight to Ole Anderson or Lex Luger - other prominent Horsemen (sorry ... I'll save the debating on whether this is a slight to Steve McMichael or Paul Roma for others lol) - it's a good combination to induct. Lex, anyway, has expressed his support, and that he will be in the crowd at Miami. Ric Flair has also confirmed off the record he'll be onstage accepting effectively his SECOND HOF induction (he is also inducted as an individual). Mexican legend Mil Mascaras has also been unofficially confirmed, with his induction announced in Mexico, albeit not the US/worldwide yet; and Yokuzuna, former WWE champion, is also a rumoured entry.
2. PEREZ HILTON IS SUCH A DIVA: WWE and Perez Hilton both have announced that Hilton will be the guest ring announcer for the WWE Diva's match on this upcoming week's Raw, after having gone through Diva Boot Camp with Eve, Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox. I'm a huge Hilton fan, believe it or not, although I get he might not 'gel' with your ... uh ... typical WWE audience, so we'll see how this goes. Should be fun.
3. MICK FOLEY SWAPS WIVES: January 24, 2012, Wife Swap (on ABC?) features Mick Foley's family. This show actually gets on my nerves 99.999% of the time, but I have to admit, it will be worth it just to see the celeb wife's reaction to the bundle of fur she's about to move in with for a week. :) Goofy stuff, but should be another fun trip.

Be sure and tune in within the next 24-36 hours or so for our thoughts on all of the above, and MORE. XO

ITVR Podcast

Hi guys - sorry the illness I mentioned at Christmas hung on and was a real bugger through the last two weeks. I'm still not entirely well - wait until you hear my voice! :) But Ari and I did manage to croak out some year end awards and some news to share for your listening pleasure, again, finally -

You can CLICK HERE to enjoy ...

And we promise, honest, swear to God, that now that ... birthdays, funerals, holidays, illness etc. have passed, we will be much, much much more reliable in the New Year; it is my resolution/goal to post every other day at least, and I have now made that intention public so I will probably come closer to it than I have in the past. And if you doubt you'll at least be hearing more from us in the coming months, well ... you just listen to this week's podcast; you'll know why we'll be around just a wee bit more. :)

Happy New Year all.