What a surprise...Triple H keeps the belt at a PPV

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

One match that I was eagerly looking forward to at last night's No Mercy pay-per-view (event poster above) was the WWE Championship match between Jeff Hardy and Triple H, a match that I thought was going to elevate Jeff to that upper echelon but rather, the opposite happened and Triple H remained champion. What a surprise.

I'll admit, I didn't think Jeff was going to win but I kept a slimmer of hope that he would and that was only magnified towards the end of the match only to be let down like Cubs fans were when the Cubs were swept out of the playoffs by the Dodgers Saturday night.

For those who missed it, the end of the match went like this: Jeff went for the Swanton Bomb and missed. Triple H went for the Pedigree as Jeff got back to his feet but Jeff countered and hit the Twist-of-Fate out of nowhere. Immediately, Jeff went back to the top rope and this time, hit the Swanton Bomb. Jeff leaned back to cover Triple H and as the referee counted two, Triple H rolled Jeff over and got a three-count, much to the dismay of the live crowd.

I wouldn't have had as much as a problem with the finish had time elapsed between the Twist-of-Fate, the Swanton and the pin attempt, which would be reasonable. However, that was not the case and I personally feel this made Jeff look weak in the process as Triple H had enough where-abouts to roll Jeff over for the win after taking the Twist-of-Fate and Swanton Bomb in a five second window? Give me a break!

I don't know what its going to take for Vince and Co. to put the title of Jeff. I mean, he is by far the most over and popular wrestler in the entire company; he sells tons of merchandise and is liked by both women and men. He puts on entertaining matches and has a unique look about him. What else do they want?

If they are hesitant because of Jeff's behavioral issues, that is a crock and everyone knows it, especially when one considers that Randy Orton had way more baggage and behavioral problems than Jeff and yet, was rewarded with a six-seven month title run with the WWE Championship from Oct. 2007-April 2008.

Double standard? You bet.

Petruzelli destroys EliteXC hype machine and defeats fraud Slice in 14 seconds

Photo courtesy of ESPN.com

Just a couple of hours ago, I witnessed something that made me smile (and party like a rock-star) as a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and that was seeing Seth Petruzelli, a virtual unknown and former contestant on the Ultimate Fighter, DEFEAT Kimbo Slice in just 14 seconds in the main-event match of EliteXC's primetime special on CBS.

For those who are wondering what happened to Ken Shamrock, the man Slice was originally suppose to face, Shamrock suffered a laceration right above his left-eye while doing a workout earlier in the day. The laceration required six-stitches and after being evaluated by the doctor, the fighting commission medically disqualified Shamrock from the fight, saying they couldn't take the chance of his cut re-opening and possibly hemorrhaging, thus impairing his vision and not being able to defend himself in the fight.

As a result, EliteXC decided to tab Petruzelli, who was scheduled to face another fighter on a preliminary bout that was not going to air on television, and put him into the main-event fight against Slice a mere 40-minutes before the primetime show went live.

Upon hearing the news, I was agitated because EliteXC had hyped the Shamrock/Slice match for the last several weeks and after hearing both men say they would break the other's leg, I was curious to see if either could back up that claim, which I'm sure neither would have.

In addition, I had very little, if any, faith in Petruzelli as I had never heard of him and thought he was just some scrub EliteXC hand-picked to feed to their hype-machine, as they did with Tank Abbott, and continue the lie of Slice being a legit MMA fighter.

All that changed in a matter of seconds as Slice, showing his lack of skill, bull-rushed Petruzelli at the sound of the bell and Petruzelli dropped him with a shot that proved Slice has a glass jaw and cannot take a punch. Seeing Slice down, Petruzelli pounced on him and whaled away (pictured below), opening several cuts on Slice's face (pictured above), with punches until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight a mere 14 SECONDS after it started.



Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel


I was ecstatic. I thought Petruzelli had no chance in hell of winning and boy was I wrong. Even better was hearing the announcers trying to cover up Slice's lost and save face by saying Slice wasn't ready for this fight and that he mentally wasn't in the fight as he didn't have "the look" when he walked down the ramp.

The announcers hyped the hell out of Slice's reputation that he would fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, such as he did in his infamous youtube videos and now, they use that as an excuse because he lost? Newsflash...he is a supposed fighter and should be ready for anyone at anytime, just like a marine.

All I have to say is enough with the excuses. Slice lost, plain and simple. Petruzelli had the same amount of time to prepare for Slice as Slice did for Petruzelli but the difference was Petruzelli is a legit fighter and showed that Slice has no business in MMA.

Slice's previous fights had been carefully handpicked by EliteXC to build an aura of invincibility about him and it backfired. Slice looked shaky in his last fight against James Thompson, a fight I still say Thompson won, and its going to be extremely difficult for EliteXC to sell Slice as a legit contender since he's obviously not.

Slice's lost wouldn't have been such a big disappointment for EliteXC if he hadn't been in the main event as it was his shoulders EliteXC built its house on and now, the rains have fallen down on that house, causing it to collapse as well as Slice' so-called MMA career.

Wrestling Recipes Week 5 - Army Brat Tapas

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine


In the June 2007 issue of WWE Magazine, current WWE Raw announcer Lilian Garcia shared her secrets to two authentic Spanish appetizers that one could make when they are watching Raw, Smackdown, ECW, a pay-per-view or their favorite football team.


STUFFED PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS:
*5 Sweet red-peppers tops and seeds removed
*2 tbsp. olive oil
*1/2 lb ground beef
*2 Cloves garlic, sliced
*Garlic Salt
*Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS:
1) Brown ground beef in skillet on stove, adding garlic salt and Italians seasoning to taste.
2) Drain excess oil from pan.
3) Spoon beef into each pepper.
4) Drizzle olive oil into a new pan and add garlic.
5) Place peppers in pan and cover.
6) Simmer on low heat for four-to-five minutes.



GARLIC SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:
*25 Shrimp, shell-less
*4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
*1 tsp. chili pepper flakes
*1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat oil in pan.
2) When oil begins to sizzle, add shrimp, garlic and pepper flakes.
3) Cook shrimp on each side for three-to-four minutes.
4)Traditionally served on earthenware ramekins.

WWE History of I.C. Title Match Listings Released

Photo courtesy of Silvervision.co.uk

Silvervision has just released the match listing for the WWE History of the Intercontinental Championship DVD, which is scheduled for a Nov 25, 2008 release date. No news yet if a fourth bonus disc will be made available at certain retailers but don't hold your breath as the last bonus disc that came in a WWE 3-disc dvd set was the Wal-Mart exclusive fourth-bonus disc for the Raw 15th Anniversary set that featured the entire first episode of Monday Night Raw.

On to the DVD listing:

Disc 1 – 1980s

Todd Grisham – The Inaugural Champion

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Pat Patterson vs. Ted DiBiase
Madison Square Garden October 22, 1979

Todd Grisham – Olympic Strongman vs. The Fiery Latino

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Ken Patera vs. Pedro Morales
Madison Square Garden October 20, 1980

Todd Grisham – Knockdown Drag out Fight

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Pedro Morales vs. The Magnificent Muraco
Madison Square Garden December 28, 1982

Todd Grisham – The Super Splash

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
The Magnificent Muraco vs. Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka
Madison Square Garden October 17, 1983

Todd Grisham – Arriba! & The Hammer

Lumberjack Match for the WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana
Madison Square Garden March 17, 1985

Todd Grisham – Enter the Macho Man

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Tito Santana vs. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage
Boston Garden February 8, 1986

Todd Grisham – The Greatest Ever[/i]

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage vs. Ricky ‘the Dragon’ Steamboat
WrestleMania III March 29, 1987

Todd Grisham – The Guitar Playing Antagonist

WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match
Ricky ‘the Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Honky Tonk Man
SuperStars June 2, 1987

Todd Grisham – End of an Era

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Honky Tonk Man vs. Ultimate Warrior
SummerSlam August 29, 1988

Todd Grisham – The Ladies Man

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Ravishing Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior
SummerSlam August 28, 1989



Disc 2 – 1990s

Todd Grisham – The Perfect Champion

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart
SummerSlam August 26, 1991

Todd Grisham – Divided Loyalties

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart vs. British Bulldog
SummerSlam August 29, 1992

Todd Grisham – Stealing the Show

Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania X March 20, 1994

Todd Grisham – Believing in Yourself

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett
Royal Rumble January 22, 1995

Todd Grisham – One of the Greatest Rivalries in History

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Rocky Maivia
In Your House: D-Generation X December 7, 1997

Todd Grisham – A New Level of Popularity

2 out of 3 Falls for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Triple H vs. The Rock
In Your House: Fully Loaded July 26, 1998

Todd Grisham – The Ninth Wonder of the World

Good Housekeeping Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Jeff Jarrett vs. Chyna
No Mercy October 17, 1999



Disc 3 – 2000s

Todd Grisham – The New Millennium

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle
No Way Out February 27, 2000

Todd Grisham – 3 Is Better Than 2

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho vs. X-Pac
SmackDown! October 12, 2000

Todd Grisham – David vs. Goliath

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
SmackDown! April 12, 2001

Todd Grisham – The Unification

WWE Intercontinental vs. European Championship Ladder Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy
RAW July 22, 2002

Todd Grisham - Battle of the Young Guns

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Edge
Vengeance July 11, 2004

Todd Grisham – Former World Champions Collide

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Ric Flair vs. Triple H
Taboo Tuesday November 1, 2005

Todd Grisham – Winner Takes All

Money in the Bank & WWE Intercontinental Championship – Winner Takes All
Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin
Backlash April 30, 2006

Todd Grisham – Fresh Faces

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. Johnny Nitro
Vengeance June 25, 2006

Todd Grisham – One Man Wrecking Crew

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Umaga vs. Jeff Hardy
Great American Bash July 22, 2007

Todd Grisham - # 8

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho
RAW March 10, 2008

Todd Grisham – The Matches Speak for Themselves

Undertaker possibly developing arthritis?

Photo courtesy of World Wrestling Entertainment


While browsing several wrestling-related message boards, I came across a post that had the title "Undertaker showing early sings of arthritis." Interested, I clicked on the headline and read that according to wrestlinginc.com, Undertaker (pictured above) has reportedly starting showing signs of arthritis as a result of his noticeable limping in the ring during his matches on the overseas tour and that the knee he had arthroscopic surgery on is in worse shape than first thought.

As expected, most people who responded to the post were irate, saying the story was false, Taker isn't that old (43), takes time off each year and wanted to know exactly what the beginning signs of arthritis are. However, just because the story could be false doesn't mean one should dis-credit that possibility that after a 24-year career in professional wrestling, which started in WCCW in 1984, father-time maybe catching up with Taker.

Don't get me wrong, Taker is in the best shape of his career and has lasted in the industry of professional wrestling than most of his fans have been alive. However, we are mortals and our bodies though strong, can't defy time. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Taker's body would show wear-and-tear from the nearly two decades-and-a-half of punishment he has put it through.

Perfect example is Shawn Michaels, who despite being one of the best wrestlers of all time, has two destroyed knees, one of which may need plastic down the line, as a result of the abuse he put his body through.

Even if one takes breaks, such as Taker, the damage done to the limbs is irreversible and while surgery may fix things, in the end, that person is never the same.

Smackdown All-Star Kickoff Preview

This Friday night marks a historic night for WWE as Smackdown, which spent nine years on the CW/UPN network, will debut on the Mynetwork television station and WWE has stacked the card, fittingly titling the premiere episode "All Star Kick-off."

Thanks to WWE.com's preview section, below are the graphics for the matches this Friday night:

Tag Team Champions vs. Champions

Carlito/Primo Colon vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase

One-on-One Champion vs. Champion

Shelton Benjamin vs. Santino Marella


One-on-one Champion vs. Champion

Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix


8-Man Tag Match

Kane/JBL/MVP/Brian Kendrick vs. Rey Mysterio/Finlay/Batista/Jeff Hardy

Triple Threat Champion vs. Champion vs. Champion

Matt Hardy vs. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho

Birthday wishes to Candice Michelle

Photo courtesy of wwe.com


I would like to give a birthday shout-out to former WWE Women's Champion and current Go Daddy girl Candice Michelle, pictured above, who turned 30-years old today.

More amazing than the fact that Michelle is 30 is that she has been in the company for four-years and despite not making the final cut for the inaugural WWE Diva Search contest in 2004, which also included current WWE Diva's Maria and Michelle McCool, Michelle was hired and given the gimmick of a make-up artist.

Honestly, I did not see anything special in Michelle when she first started out. I thought she was just another bimbo trying to use the WWE and pro wrestling to elevate herself to something else. However, my opinion slightly changed when I saw her featured in her first Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial in 2005 but I still didn't think she belonged in the WWE.

However, Michelle would prove me wrong and much like Trish Stratus did, Michelle started focusing on being an active, full-time wrestling diva on the Raw roster and began honing her craft, which eventually led her to becoming the first WWE Diva Search contestant to become WWE Women's Champion.

Another thing I admire about Michelle is how she handled her recent collar-bone injury that some feared could have been career ending by being mentally tough when most would have cracked and given up.

Initially, her clavicle was cracked during an Oct. 22, 2007 match against Beth Phoenix on Raw in a two-out-of-three falls match for the Women's Championship and was out of action for 14 weeks.

Upon making her return in Feb. 2008, Michelle had her first in-ring match on March 17 and in that match, she injured her left shoulder by tearing the scar tissue over her previously broken left clavicle. Unlike the first injury, Michelle broke her clavicle in four separate places, shattering it and kept her out of action until Sept. 1, which is when she made her surprise return to Raw.

Before I conclude this entry, I would like to share with you my favorite Candice Michelle moment and no, its not one of her Super Bowl commercials. Rather, its a backstage segment between her, Matt and Jeff Hardy and Ron Simmons at the 2007 Great American Bash pay-per-view.