| Live WWE RAW Spoiler Coverage From London, England
*Todd Grisham is doing his best to warm up a noisy and full arena. We have heard eleven and a half thousand fans (a sellout) in attendance.
Ric Flair does a promo, thanking us for our presence and says the WWE loves London.
Jeff Hardy defeats Kenny in a decent ten minute match with the Swanton bomb.
Mickie James defeats Victoria to not much reaction.
Next up is Chris Masters vs. Val Venis, who comes out to almost no reaction despite my best efforts. Masters wins in an OK bout. Venis asks for a rematch right there and gets it, winning. Not sure how it will air on Heat.
Crime Tyme defeat Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin - much to my dismay. Crowd a little quiet after heat. Surely its time for Raw now!
In what seems like a dark match after a test start for Raw start, Johnny Nitro took on Eugene, who got a big reaction.
5/12 WWE Raw in St. John's, NL: Cena vs. Orton, Hardys vs. Cade ...
No pre-show autographs, as it was raining. Khali had to come in an SUV. Orton, Masters, and Dykstra arrived together in a Hummer. Chuck Palumbo and Val Venis also arrived together. Maria, Val Venis, Cade, Murdoch, and Shelton Benjamin acknowledged the crowd mostly. Cena gave a quick wave. Others must have come early or from another entrance. 80-85 percent capacity, which is weird considering I lined up overnight and still only got 5th row, and that they haven't been here in 2 or 3 years. Ring looks smaller than I remember, but I haven't been to a live event in 9 years. (1) Cryme Tyme (JTG & Shad Gaspar w/guest local brat as manager) d. World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) with the Samoan drop/neck breaker combo. Crowd was HOT for Cryme Tyme. Myself and a few of the smarks in the audience TRIED a Shelton chant, but we were drowned out.
Shelton Benjamin hard to faze
Whether it's landing in Toronto for an autograph session only to find out that his luggage didn't make it, or whether it's being asked point-blank about the size of his genitalia by a female fan at the session, there doesn't seem to be much that can faze WWE star Shelton Benjamin. Except, that is, for the suggestion that he's not the best video gamer in the WWE locker room. "Those are fighting words," he warned, when it was suggested by this SLAM! Wrestling interviewer that he lost this year's WWE's THQ Superstar Challenge (a video game tournament that takes place every Wrestlemania weekend -- Benjamin won four times in a row before retiring from the competition in 2007). "No, no, no. I didn't lose my title. I voluntarily stepped aside to let somebody else get the chance to know what it's like to be the champ.
WWE) Four Horsemen Update, International Tour Disappoints, Umaga
The talk of reforming the Four Horsemen as a way to promote the DVD released last month never got far because Arn Anderson's neck and arm atrophy would prevent him from doing anything respectable in the ring. Although he works out with wrestlers in the ring sometimes, it would be obvious to fans he wasn't able to fully function because of his hand, and Arn wouldn't want to be remembered that way. The Horsemen idea never included anyone new, and would have just been Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Arn for a short-term reunion of some type. Overall, the European tour was a disappointment with some shows drawing in the 1,200 range. The idea of running full-time territories around the world grows less and less likely with each passing day. Most parts of the UK would not be able to sustain a full-time touring WWE group, Japan is certainly out of the question since it's not supporting any full-time wrestling groups, Mexico business was way down this tour, and while it was not a disaster it's pretty clear that with what the WWE stars make and what the ticket prices are for rare WWE shows, a regular troup down there would be a money loser.
Keys to the Game 4.20.07: Applying the Dynasty Tag
Every sport has its dynasty. A closer inspection into the WWE tag team division reveals a team that may be worthy of that particular distinction.
Dynasty is a label for teams that dominate their respective sport for an extended period of time, yet it is very rarely applied to professional wrestling, perhaps due to the fact that the "team" aspect in wrestling is often overlooked, especially in recent years. The decline in the WWE tag team division can be attributed to several factors. The brand split has certainly had its effect by creating an additional World Tag Title, splitting the competition between RAW and SmackDown!, while WWE Management has chosen not to promote tag team title matches as much as they have in the past. Back in the 80's and 90's, World Tag Team Title matches often received top billing; The Road Warriors vs.
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