WWE Daily

The 21st edition of WWE’s Royal Rumble takes place at Madison Square Garden this year, and there are a few questions that need to be answered. #1 Who is the better man JBL or Y2J? #2 Can the underdog Rey Mysterio beat Edge for smackdown’s world title? #3 Can the risk taker Jeff Hardy take advantage of his WWE Title shot against the legend killer Randy Orton? and finally Who will win the rumble and go on to main event Wrestlemania 24?

Availability: This title will be released on February 26, 2008.
Here is a list of the matches:

Flair’s Career On The Line
Ric Flair Vs. MVP

JBL Vs. Chris Jericho

World Heavyweight Championship
Rey Mysterio Vs. Edge

WWE Championship
Jeff Hardy Vs. Randy Orton

Royal Rumble Match

You can watch the Royal Rumble 2008 here.

Cena comes out and explains that he didn’t want to be on the sidelines, so he worked his ass off so that he could come back in just three months when the doctors said it would take twelve months. He says that he wants his Wrestlemania match tonight, and it gets set up that, at No Way Out, Cena will take on Orton for the WWE Title.

Match #1: Diva Tag Team Match

Ashley & Mickie James VS Jillian Hall & Beth Phoenix

Glamazon fisherman suplex on Mickie James.

Winner: Jillian Hall and Beth Phoenix

William Regal makes a statement, that at No Way Out six contestants will compete in the Elimination Chamber Match, and winner of the elimination chamber will face the whomever holds the title at Wrestlemania. The contestants are: Umaga, HBK, Chris Jericho, JBL, Jeff Hardy, and HHH.
Match #2: Carlito w/ Santino and Maria VS Cody Rhodes w/ Hardcore Holly

Rhodes showing excellent ring ability and raw talent. Rhodes gets side tracked by Santino and Maria and gives Carlito the chance to apply the Back Stabber.

WINNER: Carlito

Match #3: DX vs Umaga and Snitzky

HBK gives Umaga some sweet chin music, and a pedigree on Snitzky gives HHH the chance of the pin.

WINNER: DX

Match #4: Mr. Kennedy VS Brian Kendrick

WINNER: Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy is “Nature Boy” bound – expect Mr. Kennedy vs Ric Flair at No Way Out.

Match #4: Melina VS Maria w/ Santino Marella

Melina bridges to pull down Maria on the ropes. Maria grabs her legs and sits down for the pin.

WINNER: Maria

Match #5: Jeff Hardy (IC Champ) and Chris Jericho VS JBL and Randy Orton

Orton pushes Hardy off of the top rope as he jumps to the top, distracting the ref. Y2J gets JBL into the Walls of Jericho. Orton sets up Y2J for an RKO. JBL gets the pin.

WINNER: JBL and Orton

Cena comes out and takes out current WWE champ, Orton, sending him a message.

The Royal Rumble was a fun show, certainly had its moments, including the surprise return of the controversial, John Cena, who won the 30-man Rumble match after eliminating HHH.

A huge crowd of over 20,000 sold out Madison Square Garden and the fans had their usual impact on the event, including booing, popular, Rey Mysterio because one can assume they simply wanted to support Rey’s opponent, Edge, more. You pay your cash so boo or cheer who you choose, just don’t sit on your hands.

I am happy Ric Flair is still in business, but one would assume the next man to dance with “Naitch” will be Kennedy.

JBL-Jericho will almost undoubtedly meet again but don’t expect any catch as catch can classic from these two. Bowling shoe ugly brawls are more likely.

I was pulling for Jeff Hardy and was disappointed when his effort to go to the next level and win the WWE Title failed. Hardy winning the title would have certainly thrown a wrench in the WWE Title picture, not that the return of John Cena doesn’t make things “interesting.”

The King and I drove down to Philly last night arriving this morning at 3. Luckily, Raw starts tonight on the USA networks HD channel at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. It looks as if a huge crowd will be on hand in Philly, which is generally one of the WWE’s loudest and rowdiest crowds. Got to love it!

Nice to see our old friend Mike Adamle on the WWE team and he will be on Raw, as best I can tell. Mike was thrown in the “live fire” at MSG and survived it. Tonight’s Raw should address the WWE’s next PPV “No Way Out,” which is only 3 weeks away in Las Vegas. I expect some big news out of tonight’s show. No doubt tonight’s RAW will be a touch of Bedlam.

Are you tired of the Super Bowl hype yet and the condition of Pats QB Touchdown Tommy Brady’s ankle yet? Me too.

Our store is open and we just shipped a large order of sauces and ketchup to the Tazz residence, for which we appreciate.

More blogs coming.

Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
Source

Here is the 30 Man Royal Rumble.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Ric Flair vs MVP (Career Threatening Match)

Flair comes to the ring to a huge ovation. He grabs the mic and talks about what an honor it’s been to wrestle for the fans.

He goes on for a couple minutes and is then interrupted by MVP’s music. MVP then makes his way to the ring.

More exchanges before MVP hits a superplex off the top rope, but only gets a two count. Both men up and Flair attempts another rollup followed by a backslide, both for a two count. Flair fires away with chops on MVP. MVP goes for the “playmaker” but Flair reverses into a figure four!

Winner: Ric Flair

Chris Jericho vs JBL

Jericho’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring to a nice pop

JBL makes is way up to the ring, exiting from his white limo.

The ref calls for the bell to DQ Jericho who doesn’t seem to care. Jericho throws the chair at JBL in the ring. He then grabs the ring cables and wraps JBL’s neck in them much like JBL did a few weeks ago.

The refs finally break it up and Jericho’s music plays as he slowly walks to the back a bloody mess.

JBL is in the ring still trying to make it to his feet.

Winner: JBL

Edge vs Rey Mysterio (World
Championshp Match))
Edge’s music hits and he walks to the ring wearing the belt.

Rey goes up top and hit a two foot stomp onto Edge’s midsection.

Edge then goes for another spear and misses again. Rey hits another 619 but Vicki takes the hit. Rey goes for the west coast pop off the top rope, but Edge nails the spear in mid air.

Winner: Edge

Maria Hosts Kiss Cam

Santino comes out, followed by someone in a black sheet, and says that Maria is not going to pose and no one wants to see her with no clothes on. He then makes fun of New York sports team for being chokers and that the Giants will also choke in the Super Bowl. A “let’s go Giants” chant starts. Ashley goes back to the playboy question and Maria asks the crowd if she should.

Santino brings in the cloaked man who turns out to be Big Dick Johnson with a Patriots logo painted in his stomach.

He dances around until Ashley begins beating on him.

Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship)

Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring to a big pop.

Randy Orton is out next, walking very slowly to the ring as he glares at Jeff.

Jeff tries to spring over the top rope but is met with a drop kick from Orton.

Back in the ring, Jeff attempts a twist of fate but Orton counters into an RKO. Orton gets the three count.

Winner:Randy Orton

30 Man Royal Rumble Match

Here are the list on participants in order they came to the ring…

1. Undertaker
2. Shawn Michaels
3. Santino Marella
4. The Great Khali
5. Hardcore Holly
6. John Morrison
7. Tommy Dreamer
8. Batista
9. Hornswoggle
10. Chuck Palumbo
11. Jamie Noble
12. CM Punk
13. Cody Rhodes
14. Umaga
15. Snitsky
16. The Miz
17. Shelton Benjamin
18. Jimmy Superfly Snuka
19. Roddy Piper
20. Kane
21. Carlito
22. Mick Foley
23. Mr. Kennedy
24. Big Daddy V
25. Mark Henry
26. Chavo Guerrero
27. Finley (DQ’d)
28. Elijah Burke
29. Triple H

30. John Cena!!!

We’re left with Triple H, Batista, and John Cena. They start doing their signature poses and then go at it. Triple H comes from behind and throws Batista out.
Cena goes for the FU, Triple H tries to counter with a pedigree. Into the rope with a double clothesline and both men go down.

Triple H goes for another pedigree, but Cena reverses into a fireman’s carry to throw Triple H over the top rope and eliminate him.

WINNER of the 2008 ROYAL RUMBLE
John Cena

Cena is Heading to Wrestlemania:

Jeff Hardy was interviewed by Mike Mooneyham of the Post and Courier here are a few hihglights;

Hardy says it’s probably the biggest match of his career.

“By far this is the closest I’ve ever been to being the WWE champion and actually being one of the top guys. I’ve always kind of felt that I was a top guy although I’m not in main events all the time. But I’ve always been confident and true to myself that I am good at what I do, and I have a lot of people who care about me and a lot of really cool fans out there who want to see me be heavyweight champion.”

“They don’t care if I’m just 225 pounds and I don’t look like the standard champion in whom-ever’s eyes.”

Hardy’s fans, he says, are the same kind of fan he was growing up and cheering on his mat idols.

“There’s a special connection there. I always wanted to have that same kind of bond with my fans.”

That, of course, doesn’t mean Hardy is injury-free. Far from it.

“I’m beat up,” he says matter-of-factly. “My ankles are really weak. A lot of that stems from motocross in the past. I’ve got a (bone) chip in my right kneecap now, pain in my elbows and two herniated discs in my neck and my back. I’m not feeling great, but I’ve been extremely lucky that I’ve gone this far without surgery. So I’ll just keep knocking on metal or wood.”
For the complete story, click here.

Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE Championship Match)
With this being the Royal Rumble Randu Orton will retain his title and Jeff will be hanged out to dry. Hardy by all means should win tonight but the outcome is grim for this high flyer, but expect a rematch??!!!

Rey Mysterio vs. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship Match)
With this hype of Rey Mysterio this match has got to get the honors it deserves. Edge has won this title way too many times and under his own circumstances. unfortunatly Edge will remain the Champ. Mysterio will have rhis rematch.

United States Champion MVP vs. Ric Flair (Career Threatening Match)
Do you actually think Ric Flair will end his career ending match with MVP..NO. Flair will remain in the WWE for now as a wrestler and not retire just yet. This man will all his knowings and beliefs need to go out with a Bang.
Chris Jericho vs. JBL
What happened to all the YJ2 hype going in the WWE? I know where it is, in JBL’s back pocket..”smile”. With that little tid bit of infor Jericho is going to mop up the floor and send JBL back to where he belongs, on Wall Street where nobody can stand him.

The Royal Rumble Match
Umaga
Snitsky
Hardcore Holly
Mick Foley
Cody Rhodes
Santino Marella
Carlito
Shawn Michaels
Ken Kennedy
Triple H
Hornswoggle
The Undertaker
Batista
Kane
Finlay
Jamie Noble
Great Khali
Mark Henry
Chuck Palumbo
John Morrison
The Miz
Shelton Benjamin
Big Daddy V
Tommy Dreamer
CM Punk- CM Punk qualified yesterday from the Providence House show. CM Punk won his slot in the rumble when he defeated Chavo Guererro, same man he lost the title to with Edge’s help.

This one is going to be a hard one, but if I had to chose I beileve one of the 5 slots that are empty and that is goingto get filled. One of the participants will win the Rumble. Could this be the sign of the Paul Wights, The Big Shows return.
To see how much weight Wight has lost, click below:
(more…)

Order WWE Royal Rumble Live on Pay-Per-View, Sunday January 27th and you can qualify to receive this Official WWE watch! While supplies last.

Click on below to learn
how to redeem this offer.
(more…)

WWE is currently in the process of establishing their production set up for the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden in New York City tomorrow night.

Additional tickets have just been made available for sale to the general public via ticketmaster.com, ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster charge by phone 212-307-7171, and the MSG Box Office (box office sales only during business hours).

Don’t miss your last chance to see the Royal Rumble live at Madison Square Garden in New York City!

Chuck Palumbo will be one of the 30 entrants in this year’s Royal Rumble Match on Jan. 27.

Jeff Hardy’s time may be now. The Intercontinental Champion has thrilled our fans for years with his breathtaking, devil-may-care approach to battles in the squared circle, first in a groundbreaking tag team with brother Matt and then as a singles competitor. Hardy has held the Intercontinental Championship four times and the World Tag Team Championship, but a singles World Championship has eluded him during his illustrious career.

At Royal Rumble, the “Rainbow-haired Warrior” could realize his lifelong dream when he faces Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

Hardy earned the opportunity to face Orton with a career-defining victory over Triple H at Armageddon. Considered an upset by some experts, the win was nevertheless a career-defining moment for the Cameron, N.C., native. By defeating the 11-time World Champion and King of Kings, Hardy elevated himself to the upper echelon of WWE Superstars. He was now truly considered among the crème de la crème of athletes. WWE Championship opportunities have been few and far between for Hardy. He has plenty of championships in his trophy case, but he has never worn the WWE Championship. The Intercontinental Champion has admitted that his career will not feel complete with a singles World Championship.

Perhaps that desire – that need to make his career complete – has fueled Hardy’s incredible run over the last few months. Hardy is focused, hungry and ready to Swanton Bomb his place in history. That makes him a real threat to Orton’s title reign.

But taking the WWE Championship from Orton won’t be easy. The Legend Killer is as cold and sadistic as they come, and he becomes even more dangerous when someone tries to take away what he cherishes most, the WWE Championship. Orton has cemented his hold on the title in recent months, defeating all-time greats such as Triple H and Shawn Michaels and putting John Cena out of action. Though he possesses the gold, the Legend Killer is hungry and determined to forge his legacy and eliminate all threats to his reign.

In some ways, Orton vs. Hardy isn’t just about the WWE Championship; it’s about the future of WWE. Both are Superstars in the primes of their career, determined to build on their legacies. What will happen when they collide at Royal Rumble? The only way to find out is to check out Royal Rumble, live on pay-per-view on Sunday, Jan. 27.

As Matt Striker alluded to on the Jan. 18 SmackDown, the quarter-ton terror known by the letter V will also compete in the 2008 Royal Rumble Match.

In his latest edition of “An Original Thought,” Tommy Dreamer talks of struggling to make a name for himself. He may have his chance, as he has been named to participate in this year’s Royal Rumble Match.

Original Thought by Dreamer

As a WWE Superstar, the place where I’m recognized most is the airport. It all started at La Guardia Airport when someone asked me why I don’t wrestle on ECW on Sci Fi anymore. I was perplexed at this. He asked, “I haven’t seen you on TV in a long time. Why?”

After explaining to him that ECW has only one hour of programming and it can fit only so many people onto one show, I began to think about how long it has been since I was on TV. Then, discovering that I was no longer on the opening of the show, I really began to think about my status and career in the new ECW.

Since the SmackDown/ECW merger, things have not been too good for Tommy Dreamer. Who did I piss off? Was it SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero? Was it Armando Estrada? Maybe it was my old nemesis, Mr. McMahon? Whatever the case may be, I probably will never know, so now I’m taking a different route. Unlike many wrestlers or fans, I’m not hiding behind a computer and venting my anger anonymously. I’m going public and accepting full responsibility for my verbal actions. Since the merger, it seems like SmackDown’s outcasts have found their way onto ECW programming. I think that’s great; this is what ECW used to be about. It was a great vehicle for new rivalries and exposure for talent.

But have the displaced ECW talent made their way to SmackDown? Not so much. In essence, the merger has produced three hours of programming, yet we see many of the same Superstars on both shows. Let me make this clear: I’m not bitter. Actually, I’d just like to see more of the Superstars being utilized to their potential, and I’m simply speaking for myself on this one – I can’t stand riding the bench.

Forget about the past and all that I accomplished in the original ECW. I’m not one to rest on my laurels. Since ECW began, I’ve been in the trenches, working my ass off, attempting to help establish the resurgence of ECW. In the television business of trying to get people interested in watching a show, I’d like to pitch an idea: A guy who has one last chance at showing the world he still has it in him to be champion once again. I know this may sound like a crazy idea (did you sense the sarcasm in that?), but it’s proven to work.

Don’t believe me? What about movies that were nominated for Academy Awards like The Champ, Rocky, Raging Bull or Cinderella Man. Forget movies for a minute. George Forman’s return bout for the Heavyweight Title in boxing drew millions of dollars in pay-per-view revenue and made national headlines. I’m sure that helped sell lots of his grills, too. Another example: Brett Favre is getting as much attention as the New England Patriots’ undefeated season. The “old” quarterback leading his team to the championship game of his division – and setting every record along the way before he reportedly walks away from the sport he loves – is a great story.

How do those stories relate to the current state of ECW, or me for that matter? I’m 36 years old. The Royal Rumble is in my hometown of New York, N.Y. at the historic Madison Square Garden. No WWE Superstar has been to as many MSG events as I have. I would have the chance to win the Royal Rumble Match and go to WrestleMania to prove that I still have it. If I were to fail at the Rumble, I could try to win the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania. (A match with ladders and lots of high risks seems to be right up my alley, right?)

If I were to fail, I’d be willing to put my career on the line at ECW’s One Night Stand. If I were to lose that match, thanks for the memories. However, if I win it’s a whole new ball game. To the mysterious powers that be, the choice is yours.

In closing, I leave you with this: There have been five reincarnations of the TV show “Star Trek.” Some successful, some not. But no matter how old you are, everyone knows the original cast includes Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Scotty. People cannot remember the new cast members’ names though. And if the powers that be are dead-set on changing the face of ECW, then this Captain Tommy Dreamer is willing to go where no man has gone before.

Thanks for reading,

Tommy Dreamer

Mr. Kennedy became one of the participants in the Royal Rumble when Raw GM William Regal appointed him to the match on Jan. 21.

WWE’s 12-year veteran set engineer Jason Robinson talks about the new WWE set

When Raw goes live tonight, our fans will experience a groundbreaking new way to experience sports-entertainment, as WWE broadcasts in HD for the first time ever. To coincide with the HD broadcast, a revolutionary new set – made up of HD video screens – will be used for all three WWE brands. Recently, WWE.com had a chance to sit down and talk with WWE’s 12-year veteran set engineer Jason Robinson about the new HD set that will make its debut tonight.

WWE.com: What are some of the visually impactful elements WWE HD viewers will immediately notice about the new set?

Jason Robinson: The viewers will notice how vibrant the colors are. We’re going with a whole new set that is created entirely out of video. People are used to seeing hard sets with things like mirrors and the fist on SmackDown. We have more than 1.2 million LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that are going to be on the set. In HD, the rich colors that these LEDs produce is going to be amazing.

WWE.com: Tell us about some of set’s new features?

JR: The set itself is all video, so we can change it to be anything we want it to be. It will be a set for all of the WWE brands (Raw, SmackDown, and ECW). But when The Undertaker comes out, it will be gravestones and lightning bolts. When Kane comes out, it will be all fire and flame. It’s a complete freedom of palette to create anything we want for the Superstars.

WWE.com: For fans in the arena, how does the new set add to the enjoyment of live matches?

JR: The set won’t be a stagnant one that just sits there all night. The fans are going to feel more a part of the wrestler’s persona and who they are. They will see and feel the change when different Superstars come out.

WWE.com: How long did it take to go from planning to completion?

JR: We’ve been talking about a new set for a couple of years. Once we had a definitive idea of what we wanted to do, it took about three months to go from the planning stage to completion. The technology available to our industry – HD, lighting, sound and video – all merged together at the right time for us to put together a great set.

WWE.com: This is the first time that one set will be used for all WWE brands – Raw, SmackDown, ECW. What sort of challenges does that present?

JR: There are some challenges, but there is some ease. It’s easier for the crew because they have only one set to put up. It’s harder on us, from a creative point-of-view, to make the set different for four shows, even though the set is physically the same. We have to let it all hang out and get as creative as we can.

WWE.com: How big is the new screen compared to the TitanTron? How is it different from the TitanTron?

JR: The new TitanTron is full high-definition with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s about the same size as the previous TitanTron, but fans will enjoy a much better, sharper image. We’ve gone to HD projectors and screen material, and we’ll be feeding HI-DEF elements from HD cameras.

WWE.com: How is the set transported from each venue to the next?

JR: From show to show, we load the set onto 14 semi-trucks. We travel 300 miles every night to get to the next show. We start unloading the set around 8:00 a.m. Fourteen hours later, we have a live event.

WWE.com: How many people are required to break down and assemble the set for each venue?

JR: Our crew consists of about 24 people who travel with us all the time, including lighting, set, ring, ramp, pyro, audio, set and rigging people. They do the shows every day, every week. They do it all, including every pay-per-view event we do. Plus, everywhere we go, we hire about 60 local stage hands. So, this massive team of guys hits the arena in the morning, and the work like ants all afternoon until we hit rehearsals around 3:30 p.m. After we do our show and go off the air, all those guys go right back to work. What took us eight hours to set up, goes right back into the trucks in about 2-1/2 hours.

WWE.com: Are there certain locations where you have to make modifications to the set, or use an entirely different set?

JR: When we created this set, we took into account that we might be going into different arenas. We’ll go anywhere from a 30,000-seat arena down to an 8,000-seat arena. The set is modular, so we can adjust height and other things to fit into a variety of arenas. When we go to WrestleMania 24 in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl, we will use a completely different, special set.

WWE.com: About how many shows do you think the last Raw set was used for?

JR: I think our last Raw set and stage was used around eight or nine years…about 416 Raw events.

WWE.com: Will the “retired” Raw, SmackDown and ECW sets – either in part or in their entirety – be put on display anywhere, or saved for historical perspective?

JR: At the end of their last runs, we’re taking them back to the warehouse entirely. We’ve yet to decide to scrap any part of them. Who knows what you might see in the future? You might see that fist, the mirrors and the Raw set someplace else one day.

WWE.com: What is the most fulfilling part of set design for you?

JR: The most fulfilling part of the design and creation process is the very first time it’s all turned on. The very first day, before anybody ever sees it – when the set emerges, we turn the power on, all the lights swing out and the video comes on – that’s when I get my first goose bumps. That’s the best part. What I’ve imagined, drawn and worked on for months is there. It’s really cool.

WWE Royal Rumble
The Great Khali will be one of the 30 entrants in this year’s Royal Rumble Match on Jan. 27.

The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry brings his imcomparable strength to the Royal Rumble.

With these two power houses addes they will compete with Umaga, Snitsky, Hardcore Holly, The Miz, John Morrison, Hornswoggle, Mick Foley, Batista, Undertaker, Kane, Jamie Noble, Finlay, Cody Rhodes, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, Santino Marella and Shawn Michaels.

Just leaving 11 spots empty to fill the 30 Royal Rumble slots.

Carlito and Santino will wrestled in a tag team match against DH Smith and Drew McIntyre this passed week-end in Tallahassee, Fla. at a Raw event.

The team of Santino Marella and Carlito earned a spot in Royal Rumble.