Shane McMahon: European Champion

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As most of you probably know by now, Shane McMahon resigned from WWE effective early January.  Nobody has been quite sure why he's leaving or where he'll end up.  If he was going to work on his mother's senate campaign, it would've been mentioned in the press release about his departure.  Dave Meltzer has subtlely implied that he may end up in TNA, but there was nothing close to concrete until yesterday, when he reported that Shane was seen at UFC headquarters.

Shane McMahon first worked for his parents' company as a member of the ring crew while also modeling for their merchandise catalog (something his younger sister Stephanie also did) before becoming a referee.  He moved his way up the company over the years to the point of heading up "new media" and later "global media," where he was well liked as a boss.  During this time he was also a performer, first as a regular and later more sporadically when he concentrated more on his office work.

Over the last several years, a pattern emerged: There would be plans for a company that he'd run himself, but the idea would be dropped.  This happened with the original ECW in 2000 (where it was decided that instead of buying it outright, they should let the company go bankrupt first and then buy the assets so as to save money), WCW in 2001, UFC when Zuffa considered selling, the new ECW in 2006 (originally envisioned as a separate company having the TV air online and not cable as a "WWE brand"), and PRIDE when Dream Stage was selling the company.  He was also routinely undermined by Stephanie, most famously the weekend of Wrestlemania 23.  Shane was scheduled to open the show like Vince did 20 years earlier (Announcing "WELCOME TO WRESTLEMANIA!" and introducing Aretha Franklin) but Stephanie vetoed it and a tape of Vince from Wrestlemania 3 was played instead.

UFC is not suffering in areas where Shane has the most direct experience, though this was not the case a few years ago, when they were locked into a terrible DVD deal and had very little merchandise available.  That's not to say that Shane McMahon in UFC wouldn't be a big deal, though, if just for how it could shake up WWE and change perceptions about UFC.

Brock Lesnar

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Various news outlets are reporting that UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has been hospitalized after collapsing at his property in Canada, where he was resting while recovering from mononucleosis.  Dana White confirmed that Lesnar is also suffering from another illness but Lesnar requested that the specifics not be revealed other than to note that it's not cancer or AIDS.  Dave Meltzer is reporting that there may even be more than the mono and a second unknown illness.

White was quoted by TSN as saying that "He's not going to be getting well any time soon," also noting that Lesnar may have to go to the Mayo Clinic or another major hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment.  Obviously, Lesnar's January 2nd fight with Shane Carwin has been indefinitely postponed.  There may be a match made to determine an interim champion, but since the top contenders are mostly recovering from injuries, it's unclear who would be involved or when it would take place.

The former NCAA champion wrestler went through WWE's developmental program for 2 years before debuting on Monday Night Raw and becoming WWE Champion within 6 months of his TV debut.   While he was an above average draw, he burnt out on the lifestyle and quit wrestling to try a run at the NFL.  His best offers came from NFL Europe teams, which he turned down.  He wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling briefly, even winning their IWGP World Heavyweight Title, before leaving the company over a financial dispute and taking the physical belt with him.  Meanwhile, WWE alleged that he violated the no-compete clause of his release, but he won the ensuing lawsuit after some brilliant legal maneuvering where he negotiated a return to the company, was offered less than his previous contract, and used the offer in his favor in court.

He turned his attention to training for MMA, and after a quick debut at the infamous K-1 show at the Los Angeles Coliseum, signed with UFC.  His first fight for the company was against Frank Mir, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion who was wildly inconsistent after a motorcycle accident.  Booked as a no-lose situation based on Mir's heavyweight title reign, Mir won with a quick submission after a rookie mistake by Lesnar.  Lesnar won his next fight against well-regarded Heath Herring en route to getting a title shot against Randy Couture, who was returning after a contract dispute for what was sure to be a big money fight.  Lesnar won the title, but wasn't "undisputed champion" until defeating Mir (who had defeated interim champion Minotauro Nogiuera) at UFC 100 this past summer.  The well-hyped event was by far the biggest in UFC history, garnering 1.7 million pay per view buys, plus plenty of closed circuit TV money via bars, hotels, and a live broadcast at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The 1.7 million buy number made it, by far, the biggest non-boxing event in PPV history.

According to Dave Meltzer in the newest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Conbraco, the plumbing and heating valve company that rightfully owns the old NWA World Heavyweight Title belt pictured about is owned by a good friend of Ric Flair.  Apparently, Flair borrowed $300,000 from Conbraco using all of his wrestling memorabilia as collateral "partially"  so said memorabilia would be in the hands of a friend of his, as his now ex-wife Tiffany sold one of his ring robes and he wasn't aware of that fact until the buyer explained it to him at an appearance (while wearing the robe).

As far as Highspots goes, they are hoping that Flair will pay back the Conbraco loan soon, making them the legal owners of the belt, since he used it as collateral to get a loan from them after the Conbraco deal, freeing them to sell it to the highest bidder.  That said, Flair disputes the amount that Highspots says he owes them because he's done autograph sessions for them "above and beyond" what they paid him for.

Yes, he's getting married for the 4th time today to a lass named Jackie Beems.  Here they are earlier this year:

She follows in the footsteps of the Jewess that gave birth to David (and Meghan) whose name I don't know, Beth, the mother of Reid (and Ashley), who accused Ric of blading when they got into fights so it would look like he attacked her (leading to Ric quickly agreeing to her terms when they divorced so more wouldn't come out), and Tiffany VanDeMark, the very comely "fitness competitor" who separated from Ric within months of their wedding.  There's no word yet as to what Ric is planning to pawn when they split.

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Edited to add BREAKING NEWS:

This photo just went up at People of Walmart:

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Since Austin Aries won the ROH World Title in June, he had been acting like a major-league dickhead, as is his wont, and had introduced a system called the "A Double L Double" or Austin Aries Lethal Lottery.  This was basically a classic heel tactic wherein Aries would pull names and locations out of a hat and claim to defend the title against someone in Poland at a future date, or would pull some scrub's name out of the hat in order to claim he'd had a title match.  This was an especially simple way to get heat in Ring of Honor, since at the time, there was no actual ranking or contender system.  Basically anyone who wanted to challenge for the belt more or less would be able to eventually after they had fulfilled some vague semblance of "momentum" or had won some "winner gets a title match" match. 

It now appears that the L Double was merely a gimmick to set up the new ranking system, which is...unique, I suppose.  Hold onto your hats:

To begin, twelve competitors have been selected by ROH on HDNet Executive Producer Jim Cornette to compete in six singles matches with the winners being seeded by ROH officials from one-to-six. Once the initial ranking is established, the “Pick 6” Contenders Series will function as follows:

- Only wrestlers ranked in the “Pick 6” are eligible to challenge for the ROH World Championship.
- The higher a wrestler is seeded, the more leverage he has in determining the scheduling of championship matches.
- Wrestlers securing victories in “Pick 6” matchups earn a match bonus.
- Once the rankings are set, wrestlers can only enter the “Pick 6” Standings by defeating a ranked wrestler.
- An unranked wrestler that defeats a “Pick 6” Contender assumes that wrestler’s spot, and everyone lower slides down one rank. The lower a wrestler is ranked, the more they have to lose.

It strikes me that the people who have the most to lose are anyone in the "Pick 6" (ugh that is not what that means) who are dumb enough to take a match with an unranked wrestler, as if they lose, they're out of the ... sigh ... "Pick 6" altogether. 

I think this is the real kicker, though:

ROH officials are encouraged by the simplicity offered by this system and look forward to a establishing a new level of competition around the greatest prize in our sport – The Ring of Honor World Championship.

I do have to admit, it is miles more simple than...I don't know... "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" or TNA's famous "Reverse Battle Royal" or that other TNA match where there are five people and four briefcases and one of the briefcases has a pink slip in it so you are better off not going for a briefcase at all since the briefcases themselves can be defended in later matches (except for the one with the pink slip in it, of course; no one wants to try for a chance at being fired OH SO WHY ARE YOU IN THIS MATCH IN THE FIRST PLACE ARGH). 

It's a stupid idea but I suppose it's better than not having a ranking system at all.  I guess it makes a bit more sense than the "Field of Honor" they used to use back in the day.  Good luck, guys.

via dgusa.tv

As reported on WrestlingObserver.com  the wacky trio of Gabe Sapolsky, Sal Hamaouri and Davey Richards will be starting a new promotion to likely compete with ROH. Check out this hip and edgy  EVOLVE video after the jump

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EvolveWrestling.com - Davey Richards (via EvolveWrestling)

Possibly bad news for Ring of Honor: former booker Gabe Sapolsky and former DVD cover/website design man and Florida Impact Pro owner Sal Hamaoui, and current ROH Tag Title holder Davey Richards have announced a new promotion, EVOLVE Wrestling.  Fight Game Blog has a bunch more information, including that Sal has applied for a New York State promoter's license.  They've also started a YouTube account which currently features a video with Richards, which is assumed to be the first in a series of viral videos.  To that same effect, they have launched a bare-bones website which features a countdown clock to the website's next "Evolution" with the idea that fans can watch the information about the promotion be revealed a piece at a time. 

Given Gabe's relationship with the new Dragon Gate USA promotion and their willingness to go head-to-head with ROH on WrestleMania weekend in Arizona in March, and given Richards' apparent commitment to Gabe and Dragon Gate in that situation, the writing may be on the wall that Richards may not be with ROH that much longer.  Add into the equation that Richards is FIP's current heavyweight champ and the only public face of EVOLVE, as well as one of the singles stars of DGUSA, and it's not too difficult to see where this is going.

ROH has been rumored to be having problems or in danger of folding for a year or two now, but has shown no real outward signs of that being the case.  If they were to lose one of their big stars and champions so soon after the losses of Bryan Danielson to WWE and Nigel McGuinness to TNA, however, the cracks may be beginning to show.  EVOLVE would certainly be in a good position by launching in 2010 if ROH were to fold within the next couple of years, and having a bona fide indie superstar with a ton of buzz onboard certainly doesn't hurt.  It's also no secret that Gabe is well-liked with indie workers everywhere and he shouldn't have any problem getting top-level talent booked, assuming he has the right money men backing him.

iIt's certainly going to be interesting seeing where EVOLVE goes from here.  Stay tuned.

SS

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WWE's next PPV is Survivor Series, which will air live on PPV on November 22.  Historically considered one of WWE's annual "Big Four" events, the Series is famous for its fan-favorite concept of the eponymous Survivor Series match, which is a four-on-four or five-on-five elimination match, which lasts until all members of one team are eliminated.  For a short time, the survivors of the individual matches would meet up again in a main event consisting of the "sole survivors" squaring off in strict heel vs. face teams.  In recent years, the Series PPV has been mostly "just another WWE PPV", occasionally going so far as to have a token elimination match on the undercard advertised as a "Classic Survivor Series Match". 

This year, however, WWE is really showing a surprising dedication to renewing the gimmick.  The two main events are three-way matches for the WWE and World Heavyweight titles, which keeps in with the "Survivor" theme, and in addition to the big match between Rey Mysterio and Batista, WWE today announced three Survivor Series elimination tag matches:

Team Kofi, consisting of Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, R-Truth, and Christian (or "Team Black Guy Plus Christian) will further (or end) Kofi's feud against Randy Orton by taking on Team Orton, which also includes Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, C.M. Punk (who they couldn't think of anything else to do with), and William Regal.

John Morrison will be captaining a classic babyface team featuring Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Fit Finlay to take on his old tag team partner the Miz and "Team Miz" of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, and Jack Swagger, which places both wrestlers whose gimmick is "Irishman" and the wrestler whose gimmick is "Scotsman" all in the same match.  Let's hear it for consolidating!

Meanwhile, on the Divas side, Team Mickie of Mickie James,  Eve Torres,  Kelly Kelly , Melina, and Gail Kim takes on Team Michelle of Michelle McCool, Jillian Hall, Beth Phoenix,  Layla, and  Alicia Fox.  

With some tag teams remaining like Cryme Tyme and Hart Dynasty, it's possible we could still see another Series match announced in the coming weeks.  The announcement of these three matches makes me actually excited for the Survivor Series, as opposed to the crushing apathy I was feeling a few hours ago.  Kudos, WWE!

Chris Masters was the highlight of the show.  Yes, Chris Masters.  Check out the incredible video after the jump.

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