AS I SEE IT: Is the WWE starting to panic?
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
http://pwbts.com
How do you spell “Stop the panic in Stamford”?
C-E-N-A.
After the disastrous Battleground PPV, the ratings for Monday Night RAW were the third lowest of the year. Expectations for the Battleground buyrate can’t be very good. Recent buyrates have been down overall.
So it was announced that John Cena would return from a tricep tea, which saw his elbow look like asomeone stuck an orange in it…seemingly several months early for Hell in a Cell, to take on Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell. Presumably that means he’ll be on at least Smackdown later this week or even RAW tonight; certainly before the PPV to build his match at the PPV.
First and most obvious question: how in the hell is any human being recovering that quickly? There’s one way to speed up that process, one which Cena has been accused of of using throughout his career, but has denied…with no tangible proof to the contrary. It’s such an obviously insane recovery that WWE even had Cena address it on the company website with the headline “John Cena’s Unbelievable Recovery”.
WWE.COM: Is there something special about your body that you’re able to recover from your injuries so quickly? You always seem to return much sooner than expected.
CENA: Please don’t spread the rumor that I’m some kind of real-life X-Man or something like that. The reason that surgeons give those timetables is because they obviously want to err on the side of caution. They don’t want the operation going badly. They basically take all the operations they’ve done and come up with a medium timeframe to recover. That’s why it was four to six months.
OK….Cena’s come back early from injuries before, notably in 2008 where he came back unannounced to win the Royal Rumble. No one denies he’s ridiculously dedicated, whether it’s for the company or making appearances for Make-A-Wish.
But the human body is capable of only so much. Unfortunately, the speculation will start all over again as to how he recovered so quickly.
Speaking of more insanity…Noted NY Daily News commentary/sports writer Mike Lupica commented on the current nonsense going on in Washington, suggesting it would be better written if the participants instead took part in last week’s Battleground PPV. Given how we got a screw-job last week, the similarities aren’t as far off as you’d think.
If you’d like to read, go to <A HREF=”http://www.pwbts.com/messages/68617.htm”>this link with the article on my site</a>.
It’s the third week of October, and the holidays are approaching,
Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year will soon be here. Your friendly not-so-local retail mega-store will soon be killing lots of trees to print advertisements to sell you and I all sorts of goodies. Holiday ads are already running on the shopping channels, and will soon be running on TV non-stop. People will maul each other to get this year’s “must have” for their kids or themselves.
But more in keeping with the actual spirit of the season, the wrestling community will reach out to those in need. Independent promotions hold a wide variety of events to benefit various food pantries, shelters, Toys for Tots drives. Over the years, promotions in my area ranging from the family-friendly United Wrestling Coalition to the hardcore themed Combat Zone Wrestling to indies of various sizes and types trough the United States and Canada. Even if you don’t have one in your own area this Holiday season, please take time to contribute to or volunteer with such organizations.
Four promotions have agreed so far to do Toys for Tots and related shows during the Holidays (and shortly before):
Elkmania: Live Pro Wrestling takes place on Saturday, November 2nd at the Beverly/Salem Elks Lodge on 39 Bow Street in Beverly, MA. Doors Open at 7:00pm Bell Time 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $10.00 and are available at the door and at Harrison’s Comic’s on 252 Essex Street in Salem, MA. All proceeds from this event will go towards the Elks National Foundation which supports youth programs, veteran services and scholarships
Elkmania Matches:
Project Zero Wrestling Heavyweight Championship
Stevie James (c) vs. Derek Simonetti
Triple Threat Match for the Bay State Championship
“The Unequaled One” Todd Sople vs. Buddy Romano vs. “Dastardly” Doug Summers
1stRound Elkmania Tournament:
Richy Sic vs. Jon Wilson
1stRound Elkmania Tournament:
Joey Warner vs. “The Wrestling Machine” Tommy Corbin
Elkmania Tournament Finals
Sic/Wilson Winner vs. Warner/Corbin Winner
Open Challenge for the NCW Tag Team Championship
The Inglorious Dastards vs. ?????
Special Attraction
Anthony Stone vs. “Sensational” Scott Levesque
Fans Choice Match
“The Original Showoff” Mike Paiva vs. An opponent of the fans choosing
USA vs. UK
“Slam Master” Atlee Greene vs. Union Jack
Also scheduled to appear: Lumberjake, Firecat, Hunter Ward, and many more.
Slam Championship Wrestling presents WRESTLE FOR TOTS on Saturday, November 9 at Pinegrove Fire Hall, Gloucester City, NJ. Come out and see wrestling superstars, such as: The Patriot, Patch, Breaker Morant, Latin Connection, and Donnie Hart, and more…
Doors open 6:30/pm 7:30 pm. Tickets: Childreen under 12 and under $7, Adults $10. Bring a new unwrapped toy for a child, and get a FREE 8×10 picture of a WWE Superstar
First State Wrestling returns to Harrington, DE on November 16 for pediatric cancer benefit show in a night featuring 3 Tables Ladder and Chairs Matches.
Here is your November 16th LINE UP for First State Wrestling goes EXTREME on CANCER
1- 1CW Tag Title Match
Champions Pretty Ugly vs WBDC in a TLC & Toilet Seat Match
2- 1CW Cruiser Champion Eric Chapel defends in a fatal 4way vs Chance Sevenfold vs Juan Montoya vs ?????
3- 1CW Hwt Title Champion Mark Harro defends against Christian York vs Justin Credible in a 3 way TLC Match
4- Black Wall St ( Drolix /Lennox& Solo) vs the Brotherhood of Brutality (Adam Flash/ Vinnie Damoochie & a NEW MEMBER)
5- Sinister X vs the Samoan Tsunami NUI
6- Muddy Waters vs the Funky White Boy
7- Country Force vs D& D Destruction Co (Sonny Deeds & Scott Dukes) in a TLC Match
8- SPECIAL SURPRISE TAG MATCH !!! ****
DJ Hyde has agreed and plans are underway for the annual Toys for Tots collection (in conjunction with the Marine Corps Reserve) to take place for the ninth year in a row to have Combat Zone Wrestling (and this year Women Supestars Unlimited), at the 15th annual Cage of Death at The Flyers Skate Zone, 601 Laurel Oak Road, Voorhees, NJ with a 7:30 pm bell time. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online.
ECWA will be doing its second annual Toys for Tots show on Saturday, December 7 with Toys for Tots II in Newark, DE.
So as I ask promotions and readers each year, please e-mail any announcements about scheduled Holiday charitable-themed (fund-raisers for clothes, food pantries or Toys for Toys, etc.) wrestling or MMA events to bobmagee1@hotmail.com.
Until next time…
— Bob Magee