Is he going to fight?

Former WWE Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be attending Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The Rattlesnake was last seen by our fans as special guest referee for the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, where Bobby Lashley defeated Umaga. Mr. McMahon had his head shaved after the match by real-estate magnate Donald Trump.
Madison Square Garden will host Saturday Night’s Main Event, and the World’s Most Famous Arena holds a special place in Austin’s heart.
“That is a special building, and a magic place, because of everyone that’s performed there,” Austin told MSG Network in an interview in May. “We’re lucky enough to call it our backyard. When [WWE Superstars] go to the Garden, they crank it up a notch.”
Since every WWE visit to The Garden is a special one, is Stone Cold coming to New York City to get an up-close view of the action? Or will Austin look to leave his fingerprint on an exciting night of action in a more physical way?

Montel Vontavious Porter was the one who challenged Matt Hardy to a Boxing Match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but it will not be the United States Champion who laces up the gloves against Hardy at Madison Square Garden. Instead, MVP has found a more than suitable replacement: boxing legend Evander Holyfield.
While sources say the United States Champion has been cleared by doctors to return to the ring after learning of a heart ailment last week, he will step aside and let one of the biggest stars in boxing history take his place on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Despite the questionable circumstances, no one can deny that MVP has found quite a replacement in “The Real Deal.”
At age 44, Holyfield is currently vying to win boxing’s Heavyweight Championship for an unprecedented fifth time; he will get the chance to do so on Oct. 13 in Moscow when he fights Sultan Ibragimov for the WBO Heavyweight Title. Win or lose there, Holyfield’s already the only man to do it four times, and the Atlanta native brings an impressive list of accomplishments into the bout, from Olympic medals to World Titles to his own boxing video game.
Quite frankly, his career record of 42-8-2 speaks for itself. Following an amateur career that saw him rack up a 169-11 record and a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, Holyfield turned pro later that year and quickly won the WBA Cruiserweight Championship. Six years later, he ascended to the peak of the highest mountain in boxing, becoming undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World by knocking out James “Buster” Douglas on October 13, 1990.
Throughout his 20-plus year career, Holyfield has been no stranger to big – or unusual – fights. After losing the undisputed title to Riddick Bowe in 1992, Holyfield rebounded to regain it a year later in one of the most infamous fights in boxing history. During the seventh round, a fan known as “The Fan Man” parachuted into the ring, causing a 20-minute delay; “The Real Deal” eventually won the bout via majority decision.
In 1997, after regaining a share of the Heavyweight Championship for a third time by defeating Mike Tyson, Holyfield met the former champion in a rematch in Las Vegas. In one of the most nefarious moments in boxing history, Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s left ear, drawing a disqualification to allow Holyfield to retain the title.
Most recently, Holyfield’s last MSG fight was a unanimous decision loss to Larry Donald in 2004. Now, just two months before he tries to become the second-oldest man to ever win part one of boxing's Heavyweight Championships, he will return to the MSG ring to face Matt Hardy, who has no professional – or amateur, for that matter – boxing experience whatsoever.
Holyfield, has already fought twice this year – defeating both Lou Savarese and Vinny Maddalone – and brings more experience, ability, and knowledge of the “sweet science” to the table. But while the bout between Holyfield and Hardy looks like quite the mismatch on paper, but stranger things have happened in boxing, WWE and Madison Square Garden to guarantee this match a “Real Deal” victory just yet.
If anything, Holyfield vs. Hardy be part of another historic night in “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

The showdown between King Booker and Triple H at SummerSlam will be about more than a royal title. It is about two potential future Hall of Famers who are at a crossroads in their careers and feel like they have something to prove.
For weeks, the mere suggestion that there can be another king in WWE has whipped King Booker into a royal snit. Jerry “The King” Lawler’s 30-year-claim to the throne threw Booker in a bug-eyed rage. But no other “blasphemous” claim has enraged the former World Heavyweight Champion more than the notion that Triple H is The King of Kings. King Booker could not control his outrage when Lawler informed him of his SummerSlam match during his coronation ceremony on Raw. Booker gave Lawler a savage beating and was clearly sending Triple H a message.
SummerSlam will mark the long-awaited, much anticipated return of Triple H, who has been sidelined since New Year’s Evolution with a quadriceps injury. The term “King of Kings” is not just a catchy moniker for Triple H. He is a 10-time World Champion who has won and done it all in WWE. He has had classic matches with a who’s who of all-time greats. Triple H loves to compete – and win – on the grandest stages in sports-entertainment. His thirst for gold is unquenchable and he has said that he wants to win an 11th World Championship.
Triple H has had to stew on the sidelines for almost eight months, rehabbing his injury and watching others bask in the spotlight. At SummerSlam, he will feel like he has to send a message. He will feel like he must eliminate all the “pretenders” to his throne. He will feel like he has to remind others who he is – The Game, the measuring stick by which all other Superstars are measured. In Triple H’s mind, he begins his journey back to a World Championship at SummerSlam, and King Booker stands in his way.
However, King Booker will not be a royal steppingstone for anybody. Although his British brogue is questionable at times, he also has a legitimate claim to the title “king.” Booker became king after winning the King of the Ring last year. However, he was sports-entertainment royalty before he ever wore a crown. King Booker is not only a former World Heavyweight Champion, but he is also a five-time former WCW Champion. He has one more than 30 championships in his illustrious career. Booker has seen and done it all and has always amazed skeptics with his ability to pull out a victory in high-pressure situations. Like The Cerebral Assassin, he knows how to win and will do anything to have his hand raised. And in critical situations, you can always count on his lovely, devious wife, Queen Sharmell, to help him out.
Make no mistake about it: King Booker may want this victory as badly as Triple H. Like Triple H, he has had a Hall of Fame career. But he is offended that experts so willingly refer to his opponent as The King of Kings yet see his monarchy as a punchline. Defeating Triple H at SummerSlam would put an exclamation point on King Booker’s career.
Triple H and King Booker are not strangers to one another. They met more than five years ago when Triple H successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX. But that was a long time ago, and so much has changed for both Superstars. Will King Booker cement his claim to throne and spoil Triple H’s return? Or will he be forced to bow down to The King of Kings?

For WWE Champion John Cena, the main event on Raw at historic Madison Square Garden was like carrying a lit match through a fireworks factory. Something was likely going to explode in his face.
On one side, his SummerSlam opponent and No. 1 Contender to his WWE Championship, Randy Orton, was teaming up with dangerous Caribbean bad apple, Carlito -- both looking to weaken The Champ just 13 days before the Biggest Party of the Summer.
On the other side, his own partner was the Samoan Bulldozer and Intercontinental Champion, Umaga. Despite the fact that the duo both owned Raw’s top titles, they didn’t speak the same language, and the savage had no love for the Chain Gang commander. Umaga had pushed Cena to the limit in several wars earlier this year.
Despite the communication barrier and several very tense moments between the champions, the unlikely pair rose above the barriers and defeated Orton & Carlito under the famed arena lights of Madison Square Garden.
But Orton gave The Champ something to think about before he was able to celebrate his victory. The third-generation Superstar has had a penchant for headhunting, taking out Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Dusty Rhodes and Sgt. Slaughter with severe concussions. Tonight, he appeared to send a message to Cena, consistently targeting his head with repeated stomps.
Ultimately, a woozy Cena was able to tag Umaga. The Samoan Bulldozer helped rally his team until Cena delivered the FU to Carlito to earn the pinfall victory.

Sorry I haven't posted anything for the last week, because ive just got back from my holiday to Spain.But I haven't forgotten any of you. Ill start with the news of what happened last night on RAW.

Rey Mysterio returns at SummerSlam

Irish author James Joyce once stated, “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” Well, if Mr. Joyce’s words ring true, then Vickie Guerrero has undergone an incredible odyssey since last May, and emerged from it as a great Assistant General Manager on SmackDown.
The evidence of her startling self-excursion? That lies not within our stars, but within our DVRs and TV sets, which this past Friday night showed Vickie taking steps to rectify a year-old mistake she made (“My greatest,” she clarified for WWE.com), when she turned her back on a lifelong family friend and former World Champion. Her solution? To name the returning Rey Mysterio as Chavo Guerrero’s opponent at SummerSlam three weeks from today.
Of course, Vickie’s nephew-in-law refuses to view his shameful treatment of Mysterio the same way as she does these days. As Chavo explained to WWE.com last week, he defended the Guerrero family name against the longtime family friend whom he believed had been exploiting it. Clearly, he feels no remorse over the mental anguish he and Vickie caused Mysterio throughout the latter part of 2006. Worse, he’s prouder than ever of the tremendous physical suffering he inflicted with a chair during their “I Quit” Match on SmackDown last October. And he positively beams at the end result beyond his victory in that brutal contest: Career-threatening surgery for Rey’s ruptured ACL and torn patella tendon, from which the former World Champion required nine grueling months of rehabilitative physical therapy.
A year ago, Vickie applauded Guerrero’s heinous actions toward Rey. A year later, she made certain that her nephew-in-law knew that she’d no longer join in his sadistic Mysterio-bashing. Sitting with WWE.com in the G.M.’s office shortly after the conclusion of Friday’s SmackDown in Phoenix, she only wants the best for a man whom her late husband, WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, hailed as both mejor amigo and hermano.
From a business standpoint, the Assistant G.M. is also fully aware what the Master of the 619 represents for the Friday night brand. “Rey’s an enormous asset to SmackDown. He’s a great wrestler and one of our finest Superstars. I think our fans can’t wait for his return at SummerSlam; I know I’m looking forward to seeing him there in the ring.”
It’s a remarkably different and pleasing sentiment, though surely Vickie must realize what she did Friday night; by putting Mysterio in a SummerSlam contest with the Superstar who nearly ended his career, there’s a distinct possibility that Chavo could suffer a similarly vindictive fate. Vickie claims that she’d rather not worry about things that haven’t happened yet, though it’s clearly on her mind, judging from the way she clasps onto her Styrofoam cup of water while talking.
Though she maintains having learned from her past mistakes, Vickie knows she can’t excuse them – particularly those she imposed in Mysterio’s direction. Instead, she simply hopes that neither Superstar will be irreparably harmed at their upcoming SummerSlam clash in New Jersey, and that her decision to sanction the match ultimately serves as a method to heal long-open wounds.

Jerry “The King” Lawler didn’t have to go far to find inspiration and motivation for his royal rumble with King Booker. A trip home to Memphis, Tenn., helped him focus on teaching the arrogant monarch a lesson.
In a city that Lawler helped make a mecca of sports-entertainment, he competed in a independent match the weekend prior to his battle with Booker. The response from the fans that grew up watching The King battle legends such as Curt Hennig and Kerry Von Erich helped energize Lawler, who hadn’t stepped in the WWE ring for more than nine months.
And that encouragement showed. The revitalized legend impressed many fans and Superstars alike with his showing against King Booker, pounding the former World Heavyweight Champion with powerful right-hand punches. Lawler won the match as Booker got disqualified for not following the referee’s commands.
Despite the impressive showing, Lawler stressed that this battle with Booker is not about who should wear the crown. It’s about respect, plain and simple.
And for the naysayers in the locker room that whisper that Lawler should abdicate his throne to the stronger King Booker, the Memphis monarch feels that he’s still able to hang tough with today’s Superstars.

The mere act of spitting apple into someone’s face is egregious enough to insinuate a brawl; but on Raw, when Carlito covered WWE Champion John Cena in saliva-drenched bits of a Granny Smith, he may have bit off more than his (loud) mouth can chew.
With Randy Orton next in line to challenge The Champ for his gold, spreading his focus between the two has a few possible outcomes for Cena: he spends too much time thinking about Carlito and doesn’t give enough attention to his upcoming SummerSlam match with Orton; or, he keeps Carlito at an arm’s length and centers all his attention on Orton.
If the latter scenario occurs, it would be Orton that receives no benefit. For the better part of the year, Cena has stepped up to every challenge that presents itself. That said, one could make an argument that an alert Cena would exponentially lower Orton’s odds of causing a title change.
There is also a way that Carlito and Orton could both profit if their scheme works (that’s assuming they’re working in collusion and that it is, in fact, their scheme). If Cena loses at SummerSlam, Carlito would immediately have an ally in the new WWE Champion, Orton, while Orton would regain a World Title for the first time since becoming the WWE’s youngest World Heavyweight Champion in 2004.
There’s no way to know for sure if Carlito and Orton are working together; that’s purely speculation, but being that two of WWE’s most notoriously underhanded Superstars are involved, our fans should not put it past them.
Even with all the uncertainty revolving around the situation, Cena says he cannot bring himself to worry about backroom politicking that may or may not be occurring.
Lately, a handful of Superstars have been following examples set by The Great Khali and Bobby Lashley that a surefire way to get Cena’s attention is through physicality. The mentality of “knock him around a little bit” and he’ll notice me has seemed widely accepted among contenders.
The weeks leading to SummerSlam will prove to be extremely important and telling for the WWE Champion, as well as all the Superstars who are immediately involved in attempting to unseat him. Will their disdain towards Cena prove to be a coincidence between two young, arrogant Superstars or a calculated plot to rip the title from The Champ’s grasp?

When Raw went off the air last week, an infuriated WWE Champion John Cena was wiping apple and spit off his face and staring lasers into Carlito, who thanks to Randy Orton, got a pinfall victory over The Champ. The Caribbean Superstar, who had argued that he deserved to be the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship, now seems to have further ammunition to his claim.
Tonight, Cena will be a guest of the Carlito's Cabana, and knowing the history between these two Superstars, fireworks are practically guaranteed.
Speaking of fireworks, there were plenty between the two kings of WWE, Jerry "The King" Lawler and King Booker last week. Their match on Raw settled nothing in the debate over who should be considered the real king in WWE, as Booker was disqualified. Tonight, Lawler and Booker will meet in the ring again and try to settle their conflict once and for all.
Another Superstar who made a powerful statement was Mr. Kennedy, who also wants to be recognized as the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship. Kennedy did the nearly-impossible – put Bobby Lashley on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. How much will the loudmouth from Green Bay, Wis., boast about his latest conquest? And what is Lashley’s condition?

Triple H returns at SummerSlam

The Great Khali had reason to hold a “Championship Celebration” on SmackDown Friday night. In just over a week, he established his monstrous dominance in a 20-Man Battle Royal to win the World Heavyweight Title, then defeated two of WWE’s mightiest Superstars at The Great American Bash. Therefore, Khali stood in the ring and allowed himself to be adorned by translator Ranjin Singh, as well as dancers and worshippers who bowed before his colossal presence. Truly, it was to be a night of festivity, Punjabi-style, for a champion whom SmackDown commentator John Bradshaw Layfield referred to as “the unstoppable giant.”
Apparently, JBL’s words went unheeded by Batista, who stopped the jubilant celebration, the dancing and bowing, and most incredibly, the giant himself.
Batista crashed the Punjabi-style party with a definite intent, and it wasn’t to dispute Singh’s favor-currying comparisons of The Great Khali to Indian pioneers like Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi and M. Night Shyamalan. It was evident that he still seethed with pent-up Animal rage over Khali pinning Kane at The Bash’s Triple Threat Match, thereby also depriving him of the World Heavyweight Title. In fact, Batista’s emotions seemed to be running especially high Friday night, judging from the brute-forceful manner in which he dispensed with one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, Deuce, earlier in the evening.
It’s almost inconceivable that a 6-foot-6 powerhouse like Batista could look like an undersized underdog in anyone’s presence. But The Great Khali isn’t just anyone; at 7-foot-3 and 420 pounds, the largest World Champion in WWE history dwarfed even the unimpressed Animal, who stood before him with a proposition: “I want to challenge you to a one-on-one match against me for the World Heavyweight Title. And if you’re so great, you’ll accept.”
Our fans in Fresno’s Save Mart Center were all for it, judging from the ovation that accompanied Batista’s words. Having witnessed his unforgettable several-month odyssey to reclaim the World Heavyweight Title from Undertaker, then Edge and, most recently Khali, they could certainly appreciate Batista’s relentless devotion toward sports-entertainment’s biggest prize – a prize that now laid on the massive shoulder of an unstoppable giant.
The Great Khali replied in his native tongue, though our fans heard the one word they needed to understand, and condemn, his answer: An emphatic “No! No!”
At that moment, Batista no longer viewed Khali as some unconquerable T-Rex, or a World Champion who held victories over himself, Kane, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and John Cena. Instead, he saw a seemingly-immovable Goliath falter for the briefest of instants. And that’s when The Animal struck.
Unloading a series of punches that could topple even the strongest wall, Batista actually made The Great Khali stagger. The shocked World Champion tried grabbing his challenger by the throat, almost defensively, but The Animal quickly broke the hold. Propelling himself off the ropes, Batista then dropped Khali with a spear that would have impaled any lesser being. Our fans in Fresno erupted as the so-called unstoppable giant practically free-fell to the canvas (trust us – at his size, he free-fell), then rolled to the outside floor, clearly in pain.

ECW Champion John Morrison has already made a name for himself in the Land of the Extreme.
When Morrison left his former self behind, he made his reborn presence felt on ECW with passion. The reason for the change is simple – John Morrison is being true to himself.
Claiming to be a fighting champion, Morrison is 100 percent convinced he will have the backing of our fans, especially those looking for a brave leader.
By bringing the 15 Minute Challenge to ECW, Tuesday nights on Sci Fi will never be the same. The bold ECW Champion welcomes all to the Land of the Extreme with his new trademark Challenge.
Morrison has already faced one contender in the 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge. The local Fresno, Calif., wrestler was out in 34 seconds in the ring with Morrison. Who will accept Morrison's challenge next? Is Morrison's ego too big for his own good? It's possible the 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge could hinder the self-proclaimed fighting champion – only time will tell. For now, Morrison said every single one of our fans will look up to him as a true Extreme icon, changing the face of ECW forever.

Well, that didn’t quite work out like Jamie Noble expected.
Earlier this week, Noble told WWE.com that he planned to get revenge on Hornswoggle for pinning him and “stealing” the Cruiserweight Championship at The Great American Bash. Come Friday night, Noble was deemed the No. 1 contender for the gold and got his chance; but when SmackDown invaded the Save Mart Center, Noble was once again on the short end of the stick, losing via count-out to the pint-size pugilist.
The mind games began before the match even started, as Hornswoggle didn’t come to the ring when announced. Growing frustrated, Noble stormed out of the ring, searching high and (very, very) low for the new champion. After a few minutes of futility, Noble turned to see the leprechaun and his band of gold standing…err, tall in the squared circle.
What ensued from there was the most mismatched game of cat and mouse our fans could ever dream of. Hornswoggle channeled Forrest Gump and just kept running and running — even making a brief stop at home, under the ring — before actually gaining a small upper hand over Noble with a flurry of punches and a Little Boot to the face.
The mini-onslaught was short-lived, though, as Noble’s size advantage finally helped him get control of the leprechaun. Unfortunately, he made a huge mistake, as he once again tossed Hornswoggle to the outside floor. After another chase that would make Tom & Jerry proud, Noble caught the champion as he tried to scamper up the steps.
Just then, the Luck of the Irish smiled upon the little warrior. As Hornswoggle kicked at Noble, his shoe came off in the challenger’s grasp, sending him crashing into the barricade. The champion slithered back into the ring as referee Charles Robinson counted to 10; Robinson called for the bell and Hornswoggle was declared the winner by count-out, making his first title defense a successful one.
The looks on the faces of both champion and challenger told the story; Noble couldn’t believe he lost to the leprechaun again, while the vertically-challenged champion seemed surprised that he still held the gold. Regardless, a celebration erupted, and a visibly enraged challenger chucked Hornswoggle’s shoe back at the giddy champion.
It remains to be seen whether Noble will get another chance at revenge, but until then, the pointing and whispering that has been directed at him since The Bash may continue. One thing is for sure, though: Hornswoggle’s win all but ensured him that his reign as Cruiserweight Champion won’t be the shortest on record.

John Cena overcame another massive challenge to his WWE Championship when he defeated Bobby Lashley in a classic at The Great American Bash. Meanwhile, Candice Michelle cemented her hold on the Women’s Championship with a hard-fought victory over Melina. These two champions will unite when they team up on Raw to take on Intercontinental Champion Umaga and World Tag Team Champions Cade & Murdoch in the first-ever Champions Only Match.
One Superstar who had a milestone victory at The Bash was Randy Orton, who defeated Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bull Rope Match to add another conquest to his long list of destroyed legends. However, Orton tried to severely injure the “American Dream” with a vicious punt to the head, but Dusty’s son Cody intervened.
Cody, who would have suffered the same fate on Raw last week if his father had not stepped in, is now going to try to avenge his family when he challenges Orton in a rematch Monday night. Will Cody Rhodes teach Orton a lesson?

The Great American Bash

WWE Championship
John Cena and Bobby Lashley locked eyes on each other and nodded as our fans at the HP Pavilion stood and applauded. The Great American Bash provided the stage for one of the most anticipated WWE Championship matches in a long time, and our fans knew they had witnessed a special moment in sports-entertainment history.
And so did Cena and Lashley. Though thousands and thousands of eyes were upon them, Cena and Lashley were alone in their moment. Both were exhausted and clutching their ribs. But the only difference was that Cena still had the WWE Championship to comfort his wounds, while Lashley was empty-handed.
Not much was said between the two champions; for the most part, they communicated in a language that only two warriors could understand. Lashley gazed at the WWE Championship that was still in the sweaty hands of Cena and nodded knowingly. Before The Great American Bash, he and his loyal fans believed he was an uncrowned champion. But on this night, the better man had won and he knew it – and extended his hand.
John Cena, the WWE Champion for more than 10 months – 308 days and counting – hesitated at first, but then looked in the eyes of his opponent. Unlike other challengers to his title, Cena had no personal conflict with Lashley. They both prided themselves on fighting with honor and respect; they were both courageous and resilient. Their rivalry revolved solely around the WWE Championship. Cena looked in Lashley's eyes and saw a mirror image of himself – and shook his hand. As our fans erupted, Cena hoisted his championship up high, showing the world that The Champ was still here.
Our fans were divided during the heated battle. Lashley’s fans, who believed he was an uncrowned champion because he never lost the ECW Championship and was stripped of that gold when he was drafted to Raw last month, chanted his name through the match. But Cena’s fans would not be outdone, as “Cena! Cena!” rumbled throughout the arena. Lashley overwhelmed Cena early in the match with his amateur wrestling skills and sheer power.
But Cena would not be denied, and showed the former Army sergeant why he has been able to hold onto the WWE Championship for 24 of the last 27 months. When Lashley charged at him in an attempt at a spear, Cena sidestepped and trapped him in an STFU. Lashley’s face turned purple as he scratched and clawed his way to get to the bottom rope. When Lashley refused to tap out, Cena slumped in amazement and held his head, wondering to himself, “What do I have to do to beat this guy?”
Moments later, that same look washed across Lashley’s face when he successfully speared Cena in his second attempt. Just before the referee was about to slap the mat for the third time, Cena was able to slip his shoulder off the mat. As our fans roared, Lashley tried to position The Champ on the top rope in an attempted superplex. But Cena surprised the former ECW Champion – and made the jaws of the crowd in the HP Pavilion drop – when he delivered a fateful FU from the top rope and fell on Lashley for the victory.

World Heavyweight Championship
Kane thought he was ready. Batista saw it as his ultimate opportunity. But at the end of Sunday night’s Triple Threat Match at The Great American Bash, it was The Great Khali who stood tallest once more, holding the World Heavyweight Championship high above his 7-foot-3, 420-pound frame.
It was a week of shocking surprises that had built toward literally the largest Triple Threat Match in WWE history, with an injury forcing Edge to surrender his championship, Khali winning it in a SmackDown 20-Man Battle Royal, and a No. 1 Contender’s Match in which the giant saw fit to interfere. As a result, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long declared that both the Big Red Monster and The Animal would face the Indian colossus at the Bash. Kane, who was originally supposed to face Edge for the title, saw a challenge to inflict double the torture, while Batista – who couldn’t vie for the World Heavyweight Title so long as it adorned Edge’s Rated-R waist – viewed it as a new lease on life.
As for The Great Khali…well, Triple Threat rules don’t generally favor the champion, especially since they don’t need to be involved in a pinfall or submission to lose their title; therefore, it seemed that he might not be the heavy favorite our fans initially believed. That belief seemed even more convincing when Batista and Kane worked in unison to slam the giant through the ECW announcers table. But on this night, Khali’s resiliency proved as impressive as his stature and might, as he rallied back into the ring and quickly re-established his dominant presence.
With Khali momentarily out of commission following a Kane chokeslam and Batista spinebuster, The Animal unleashed his full fury, spearing a chair-wielding Big Red Monster before hitting him with a Batista Bomb that made the very ring shake. Our fans thought it was all over but the pinfall, until Khali – still on the outside floor – used his extensive reach to pull Batista out of the ring before the referee could count three. Knocking The Animal senseless by tossing him into the steel ring steps like a dart, the Punjabi Goliath returned to the ring to finish off an already staggering Kane.
It would be impossible for our fans to tell you when they last saw the Big Red Machine looking like a helpless child in an opponent’s hands, but that was exactly the case at this moment. Khali’s two-handed chokeslam flattened Kane down on the canvas, making the ring official’s three-count all but a moot point.
Leaving his fallen foes and the carnage behind, the colossal champion then returned to the locker room, standing taller than ever in victory.

ECW World Championship
One swift kick to the knee and John Morrison had locked up his first win under his true name. CM Punk fell victim to the ECW Champion’s vicious style as Morrison got the three-count and retained his gold.
CM Punk seemed to be a man in tune with destiny, simply waiting for his moment at The Great American Bash. Like his first championship opportunity against Morrison at Vengeance: Night of Champions, however, this moment was denied.
Just as CM Punk is a Superstar whose principal morals revolve upon abstaining, Morrison is a man chiseled out of knowledge and understanding.
Morrison may sooner be referred to as arrogant than enlightened; however, he does know something nobody else knows. He is the only man who can call himself the ECW Champion. And it does not appear that CM Punk can do anything about it.

Texas Bull Rope Match
The Texas Bull Rope Match was made famous by WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and for the first few minutes of his encounter with Randy Orton, “The American Dream” showed why. But in the end, The Great American Bash was a nightmare for Rhodes, as Randy Orton beat the legend at his own game in the first Texas Bull Rope Match in WWE since 2004’s Bash.
The rules of the match were simple. Both men were attached to opposite ends of a 14-foot bull rope, meaning neither man could escape very far away from his opponent. The first man to score a pinfall or submission would win, and the bull rope and cowbell attached to the rope were legal.
Before the bout, Orton looked leery of attaching himself to the end of the bull rope, and seemingly rightfully so; the match is a Rhodes specialty, and one that Orton has never been in. And in the opening minutes, “The American Dream” did what he does best, dishing out some Texas-style clubberin’ to his third-generation adversary.
Soon enough, however, Orton found a prescription for his fever: more cowbell. Orton seized and used the bull rope’s attached weapon to clobber Rhodes in his heavily taped knee, exploiting a possible weakness in the Hall of Famer.
Rhodes nearly made a comeback, even nailing Orton with his signature “Flip Flop ‘n Fly” elbow sequence, but it was once again the cowbell that was his undoing. With a mighty wallop, Orton brought the seven-pound bell crashing down across the Hall of Famer’s skull, and that was enough to gain him the winning pinfall.
But Orton wasn’t done once the bout was over. Prior to the match, the third-generation Superstar reminded our fans of how he “ended Shawn Michaels’ career,” and he tried to do the same to the “Dream.” Fortunately, Rhodes’ son Cody ran into the ring, throwing himself between his legendary father and Orton’s attempt at a vicious kick to the head.

Last monster standing

As infrequent as Triple Threat Matches are in WWE, never has a three-sided ring encounter included as much girth as the one that will be seen this Sunday. Three very large and dangerous monsters will meet in one ring, with one goal, at The Great American Bash, when new World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali defends his freshly seized title against both Kane and Batista.
It was literally one of the biggest nights in the history of the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown as the 7-foot-3 Goliath won the gold just minutes after former champion Edge was forced to relinquish it. Things got even bigger by the end of the night, when General Manager Theodore Long announced that the new titleholder would defend the championship at Sunday’s Bash, against two of sports-entertainment’s most monstrous competitors, in arguably the largest Triple Threat Match ever.
In a collision involving three men who are each irresistible forces and near-immoveable objects, how can anyone possibly predict what will happen?
With the prevalence of such unpredictability, the mammoth World Heavyweight Champion may soon regret interrupting the No. 1 Contender’s Match on SmackDown between his Bash opponents. From WWE Champion John Cena to Kane himself just months ago at WrestleMania 23, Khali has conquered many men en route to his title reign.However it will be the towering Indian’s first battle with Batista, and his very first Triple Threat Match.

Championship jinx ?

Just more than two years ago, the World Heavyweight Championship came to SmackDown when then-champion Batista was selected in the 2005 Draft Lottery. As the richest prize in sports-entertainment, the World Heavyweight Championship instantly became the object of desire for the SmackDown Superstars.
But since becoming the (pun intended) gold standard on Friday nights, the title has seemingly become a curse to anyone who holds it.
Okay, so after reading that statement, you’re probably wondering the same thing everyone else is: How the hell can reaching the pinnacle of your profession actually be a BAD thing? Well, really, it’s not…if you’re a surgeon, that is.
Since Batista brought the gold to SmackDown, EVERYONE that has held it has been put on the sidelines within six months of their title reign. From The Animal on down to most recent ex-champion Edge, the infirmary has become SmackDown’s most popular post-championship destination.
Think that idea is a little bogus? Sorry, but the following chronology doesn’t lie:
January 2006: Batista suffers a torn triceps during a match with Mark Henry at a WWE live event. As a result, The Animal surrenders the World Heavyweight Championship on January 10 in Philadelphia; Theodore Long holds a Battle Royal to determine a new champion while Batista undergoes surgery and is out of action for six months.
Summer 2006: After losing the gold at WrestleMania in April, Kurt Angle suffers a multitude of injuries throughout the summer, most seriously a torn groin muscle in August. Later that same month, Angle is released from WWE.
October 2006: Rey Mysterio, who won the gold from Angle, suffers a serious knee injury at the hands of Chavo Guerrero. Mysterio, only three months removed from being champion, is put on the shelf indefinitely; as of this article, he still has yet to return.
April 2007: King Booker, who defeated Mysterio for the gold but lost it to Batista at Survivor Series in late-November, is knocked out of action by then-champion Undertaker. Thanks to a Tombstone on the announce table, Booker suffers a sprained and strained neck. He was never seen on SmackDown again, as he was drafted to Raw on June 11, and has since returned to action on Monday nights.
Later that same month, Undertaker suffered a torn biceps just weeks after winning the gold. Edge swooped in, picked the bones and took the title while The Deadman took a trip to the disabled list; Edge, however, solidified the curse theory by relinquishing the gold due to injury on Tuesday night.

You wouldn’t think that Jeff Hardy, world-renowned for his death-defying leaps of faith in the ring, would fear anything in the squared circle. But he admits that one rival has given him nightmares.
Jeff winces whenever he relives his encounters with this WWE Superstar. He recalls this savage’s primeval yell and the way he extended his thumb before he spiked him in the throat when he won the Intercontinental Championship last February.
Jeff suffered a similar fate in subsequent wars with the Samoan Bulldozer. But this Sunday at The Great American Bash, he has the opportunity to confront and exorcise his 348 pound demon by winning the Intercontinental Championship.
The native of Cameron, N.C., is heartened by the fact that some Superstars have exposed rare chinks in the Samoan Bulldozer’s armor in recent months. Bobby Lashley was able to topple Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in the Battle of the Billionaires. And in perhaps the greatest upset this year, the then-unknown Santino Marella came out of the crowd in Italy and pinned the monster’s shoulders to the mat – with a big assist from Lashley.
Jeff knows he probably won’t have that kind of help in his corner this Sunday when he stands across the ring from Umaga. But after surviving previous battles and closely watching Umaga over the past few months, he believes he has figured out a way to snag the Intercontinental Championship out of the jaws of the Samoan Bulldozer.
Jeff refused to reveal the specifics of his new strategy against Umaga. He believes that the monstrous champion is not really the savage beast that wreaks havoc in WWE rings worldwide. Umaga apparently understands the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship and showed particular sadistic glee when he decimated Santino Marella to reclaim the gold and turn back his challenge in a rematch.
When approached by WWE.com about his upcoming match with Jeff Hardy, Umaga screamed and chased our reporter away. The Samoan Bulldozer held his championship with his teeth and swung it like a lasso as his eyes fell into a vacant stare.
Jeff is well aware of the challenge ahead of him – it has haunted him in his dreams for months. But fear also fuels this daredevil; it’s part of his lifeblood.

Tonight, in an announcement like no other, the ECW World Champion known as Johnny Nitro officially renamed himself John Morrison. Not only did Morrison tell our fans about his new identity, but he delivered a special message to CM Punk – Morrison will be victorious at The Great American Bash this Sunday.
ECW will never see Johnny Nitro again. At the press conference, Morrison rocked a whole new look. He told our fans he was given his name at birth, and because of it, he was destined to accomplish great things.
The ECW World Champion continued to explain how he’s used his leadership skills throughout his education up until now, debuting himself as the new face of ECW. Morrison proclaimed that there’s no doubt in his mind he’ll defeat CM Punk at Sunday’s Great American Bash. The new face of ECW then pondered the meaning of the Straightedge Superstar’s name.
Suddenly, CM Punk entered the ring to confront the reinvented ECW World Champion. Morrison promised he wouldn’t lay a finger on Punk until Sunday’s Bash, and provoked Punk, asking him to explain his name. As Morrison handed Punk the microphone, the ECW Champ hit Punk twice, knocking him to the ground. After the cheap shots, Morrison annihilated Punk with a brutal corkscrew neckbreaker, leaving Punk down and out.

A new World Heavyweight Champion walks tall among us this night, and his name is The Great Khali.
No, you’ve read this right – The Great Khali now holds sports-entertainment’s most elite prize, one that dwarfs even his 7-foot-3, 420-pound frame. During lastnight’s taping of SmackDown in the Laredo Entertainment Center, he won the title in true colossal fashion, by being the last man to stand inside the ring after an excruciatingly hard-fought 20-Man Battle Royal. The historic contest had been ordered by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, who earlier this evening had ordered an injured Edge to surrender the World Heavyweight Title.
After pulling off his truly enormous feat, the largest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history needs a challenger for The Great American Bash. A No. 1 Contender’s Match – also ordered yesterday evening by SmackDown GM Long – will determine whether it’s Batista, whom Khali had originally agreed to face this Sunday, or Kane, the Big Red Monster who was supposed to meet Edge at the pay-per-view.

In a twist of irony for the Ultimate Opportunist, tonight was a night of ultimate defeat for former World Heavyweight Champion Edge, and great opportunity for the new gold bearer on SmackDown, The Great Khali.
In the middle of his brush with the Big Red Machine last week on SmackDown, the Rated-R Superstar tore his left pectoral muscle within Kane’s clutches. As a result, Edge’s doctors have ordered surgery, and have stated that he will be out of action for four months. Just days before his scheduled championship defense against his injuring party at The Great American Bash, Edge came to Laredo, Texas, to announce that he will be unable to compete on Sunday.
However, the best laid plans of the Ultimate Opportunist were abolished as SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed the champion of a critical clause in the WWE rulebook. Under official WWE edict, a World Champion must defend the title within a 30-day period in order to keep the gold. As Edge stood in sheer disbelief, Long was forced to strip the self-indulgent Rated-R Superstar of the World Heavyweight Championship in the center of the ring.

Naturally, it will be a sizzling summer night in late July for The Great American Bash, but with the Big Red Monster pursuing Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship, the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., may roast in hell’s flames.
After uttering four very strong words to the Rated-R Superstar last week on SmackDown – “I don’t like you” – Kane has the opportunity to torture the disliked champion and claim the World Heavyweight Title.
The Big Red Monster certainly demonstrated his disdain for the Rated-R Superstar on Friday Night SmackDown as he crashed the champion’s Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. Brazenly parading to the ring to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching in,” Edge tried to overcome the mind games of his Bash opponent with a mid-ring masquerade. The party, however, soon turned to bedlam as Kane – well disguised in an oversized king suit – laid to waste a gaggle of Edge’s costumed Cajuns. The Ultimate Opportunist escaped, but will be unable to run as he draws closer to his showdown next Sunday.
The sordid, tangled pasts of both competitors meet their immediate futures in just more than one week at The Great American Bash. According to the Big Red Monster, his deep abhorrence for the World Heavyweight Champion will not supersede his intent to maim Edge and achieve the SmackDown brand’s golden prize.

Johnny Nitro can’t help but chuckle when he thinks about what CM Punk does during his free time, away from the squared circle.
Nitro’s ring skills are indisputable. He stunned all of ECW and the sports-entertainment world when he defeated Punk for the vacant ECW World Title at Vengeance: Night of Champions last month and has turned heads with his new intensity and focus in recent weeks, defeating hardcore icon Tommy Dreamer twice, once in an Extreme Rules Match.With their rematch for the title at The Great American Bash less than two weeks away, it’s apparent that two men could not be more different than Nitro and Punk. They represent opposite sides of the spectrum. Nitro is accustomed to Hollywood bright lights and decadence, the finest things in life. He grew up surrounded by wealth and never had to want for anything. The finest trainers in the world helped him mold his chiseled physique.
On the other hand, Punk grew up poor in Chicago and had to fight for every single accolade and possession he had. He is the Straightedge Superstar who doesn’t indulge in waste and whose only addiction is competition. He doesn’t possess Nitro’s six-pack abs, but his body is a canvas for an array of tattoos. A self-made Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu technician, he has a cult following drawn to his never-say-die attitude.

Theodore Long has signed a United States Championship title defense for Montel Vontavious Porter at The Great American Bash. SmackDown’s self-proclaimed franchise playa will meet the six-time Tag Team Champion, Matt Hardy.
While there has been no comment from MVP or his people about the match, one would have to think that the highest-paid free agent in SmackDown history has to be nervous about his recent slump.
MVP has lost via pinfall in non-title matches to Kane and Matt Hardy in two straight weeks. Is he feeling the pressure of living up to his record contract and his reputation for taking on all comers?
Has MVP become a stepping stone to greater things as of late? Kane would think so, parlaying his defeat of MVP into a World Heavyweight Championship match at The Great American Bash. The ballin’ Superstar will look to put a stop to this recent trend, as no one treads on this champion.
In the same manner, Hardy has had a hunger for gold. While he’s more than a month removed from losing the World Tag Team Championship, he has turned up the heat in SmackDown singles action.
In previous weeks, he’s beaten numerous SmackDown Superstars with the Twist of Fate – a move that has been scoring pinfalls seemingly out of nowhere. Can the Carolina Superstar Twist his way past SmackDown’s No. 1 playmaker to become the next United States Champion?

The murmurs in the Raw locker room started almost immediately after the Superstars – and millions of fans worldwide – heard the familiar gravelly voice and saw the all-too familiar sight: Triple H holding his trusty sledgehammer like a holy scepter.
The vignette was the second video of Triple H that the Raw Superstars and our fans had seen during the show last week, but it clearly had the most impact. The first video showed The Game shortly after he suffered a torn quadriceps at New Year’s Revolution this past January, having surgery and talking about his long recovery ahead. But in the second video, the 10-time World Champion did what he does best – capture attention – as he declared, “In case you have forgotten, I am The Game! And I’m back!”
The Superstars clearly hadn’t forgotten Triple H in the nearly six months since his injury. Eyes widened, and jaws dropped. Questions such as “What does this mean?” and “When is he coming back?” raced around the locker room. King Booker forgot his British accent as he muttered to Queen Sharmell, “Tell me, I didn’t just see that?”
Besides when, another question our fans and Superstars must be pondering is what will Triple H want when he returns. Who will he target? He has said he wants to win an 11th World Championship. However, he also had to be fuming when Randy Orton and Edge took credit for putting him on the sidelines when they were partners as Rated-RKO. In addition, could The Game seek new legends – or legends-in-the-making – to conquer, Superstars he hasn’t faced yet, like Bobby Lashley and Mr. Kennedy?
Only Triple H holds the answers to these questions. For now, Raw Superstars and the rest of WWE had best be on top of their game.

The Great American Bash is the event Dusty Rhodes made famous, and the Texas Bull Rope Match is “The American Dream’s” signature match. On July 22, Dusty will get one more go ‘round when he hooks up with Randy Orton in a Texas Bull Rope Match at this year’s Bash.
For the 2007 Hall of Famer, the match is about teaching Orton a thing or two about respect. Orton certainly showed him none when he slapped “The American Dream” last week, so Rhodes had the third-generation Superstar meet him in the ring in Lafayette.
When he did, Rhodes decided to give him a little taste of discipline and instill some respect for his elders into the third-generation Superstar.
At The Great American Bash, the clash between Hall of Famer and third-generation Superstar is more than business; it’s now personal. Will the “American Dream” live on in San Jose, Calif., or will it be just another dream that gets shattered by Randy Orton?

WWE fans who watched SmackDown this past Friday night got a great piece of news: the exciting, high-flying Rey Mysterio will soon be returning to action. Rey, a former World Champion who has been a crowd favorite throughout his whole career, has been out of action for almost nine months, but will be back in the SmackDown ring later this summer.
While our fans will be glad to see Mysterio back in action, not everyone in the SmackDown locker room is ready to welcome the Superstar from the 619 back into the fold.
A few Superstars, including new SmackDown draftee Chris Masters, are looking forward to Rey’s return, if only for selfish reasons.
Being the underdog in a land of giants won’t be anything new to Mysterio, who has battled men larger than himself his whole career. Brett & Brian Major, SmackDown’s newest tag team, respect Mysterio because of his fighting spirit and can’t wait until he’s there in the flesh.
There’s no doubt that when he returns, Mysterio will look to regain the World Championship, which is fine with the current champion.Soon enough, he’ll have his chance, because the return of the masked sensation from the 619 is imminent. No one, perhaps even Mysterio himself, knows exactly when Rey will re-emerge; but when he does, our fans are sure to be in store for tons of excitement.

Since being drafted to SmackDown, The Great Khali has made Friday nights his personal domain. This past week, after throwing out an open challenge, Khali attacked everyone in sight, making Jimmy Wang Yang and Eugene among others feel his massive wrath. Finally, when it looked like no one would step up to answer Khali’s challenge, one man bravely stepped through the open door and stood face-to-face with the mammoth.
Our fans in Dallas cheered wildly as The Animal hit the ring to confront Khali. Batista was ready to fight then and there, but Khali’s translator pulled him away from The Animal’s path.
Batista is a man that will back down from no one, as no challenge is too big for him to accept. But why in the hell would ANYONE want to step up to face The Great Khali?
As mentioned before, Batista has never and will never back down from any challenge. This time, however, regardless of the reasons, some may wonder if he’s in over his head.

Edge held his aching jaw and paced, muttering to himself and shaking his head.
The World Heavyweight Champion’s teeth were rattled by a right uppercut from Kane, his surprise guest on The Cutting Edge. Earlier that night, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long had granted Edge’s request to have the night off from in-ring action, but told him that he would have his “biggest guest ever” on his talk show. Long refused to tell an intrigued Edge who his guest was, and the champion was stunned when Kane’s pyro erupted and the Big Red Machine lumbered down to the ring.
Edge’s fortune only went from bad to worse when Long announced that he would defend his championship against the Big Red Machine at The Great American Bash on July 22. The Rated-R Superstar could only mutter some Rated-R words to himself as he thought about his looming championship defense. Given his recent success against Batista, he doesn’t even think he should have to get in the ring with Kane.
Edge clearly hasn’t forgotten about the battles he and Kane had in 2005, and neither has the sadistic monster. He said only four words during his appearance on The Cutting Edge – “I – DON’T – LIKE – YOU” – before sending the Rated-R Superstar scurrying with a thunderous right hand.

If you’re among the fans who will travel from the four corners of the globe to attend WrestleMania 24 on Sunday, March 30, now is the time to start planning your trip. Advance planning is especially timely, because WrestleMania is expected to attract thousands of fans to one of the most popular vacation destinations in the entire world: Orlando, Fla.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join WWE for The Biggest WrestleMania Under The Sun: WrestleMania 24, on Sunday, March 30, 2008, at The Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. (Note: WrestleMania 24 tickets will go on sale to the general public later this fall. Watch your favorite WWE television program, or log-on to WWE.com for ticket information as it becomes available.)

Who's got the edge?

The match has been signed: It’s John Cena versus Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash. But as this pair of current and former champions prepares to face each other for the first time one-on-one, a glance at their respective histories is in order to see who might have the edge.
While both are impressive physically and utilize a wide array of tactics in the ring to beat opponents of all sizes, a look at their time as champions reveals a lot about what each man is made of mentally.
Cena’s faced two champions at the same time (World Heavyweight Champion King Booker and ECW World Champion Big Show at Cyber Sunday 2006), and also defended his gold from super heavyweights such as the current Intercontinental Champion Umaga and the Indian colossus, The Great Khali.
While former two-time ECW World Champion and United States Champion Bobby Lashley beat the 500-lb. Big Show in the Elimination Chamber to win his first ECW World Title at last year’s December to Dismember, he’s had his hands full dealing with the mind games and Machiavellian machinations of the WWE Chairman, Mr. McMahon.
Both men have the skills. Both men have the championship pedigree. Looking at these comparisons, it’s a virtual coin toss between Cena and Lashley as to who’ll be victorious at The Great American Bash.

WWE fans in Mexico welcomed Raw Superstars with a party in the streets of Tijuana. Hours before the first show of the tour, people lined the road to catch a glimpse of their favorite sports-entertainment role models.
“I stepped off the bus into a sea of people. Luckily, I’m not claustrophobic,” said Maria. “Once I finally made my way through our fans, I heard this little voice screaming my name. I had no idea where it was coming from. Then I turned and saw a pair of eyes and fingers poking through the gate. It was so cute.”
Maria said that while she loves our fans in America, there is a different level of excitement from audiences in Mexico and other international tour venues since they are not used to having such access to WWE.

The land where lucha libre thrives gets a taste of America when Raw Superstars begin their tour of Mexico tonight in Tijuana. The visit, which stretches through the end of the weekend, features four shows in three cities, giving our Mexican fans the great opportunity to see Raw’s Superstars up close. But that’s not all they will be treated to.
“Rey Mysterio is going to be with us, which is very exciting,” said a wide-eyed Jeff Hardy when asked about the trip. “He’s getting ready to make that comeback. I’m really excited to see the faces of the Mexican fans when they see Rey.”
Since our fans in Mexico are only treated to WWE a few nights a year, they are never shy to deliver a warm welcoming as their favorite Superstars enter the airport and the arenas.

The job of being a WWE Superstar isn’t always associated with a time clock, where the Superstars punch in and out for their “shifts.” On Raw, however, punching the clock was the name of the game, as it was Beat the Clock night in the American Airlines Center.
Four Superstars scrambled to win their match in the fastest time, with the successful Superstar earning a golden opportunity: a chance to face John Cena for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash on July 22. When all was said and done, time was on Bobby Lashley’s side, as it was he who beat the clock and walked out of Dallas as Cena’s opponent in the Bash clash.
As Raw went on the air, Lashley, King Booker, Mr. Kennedy and Randy Orton made their case as to why they should be the No. 1 contender to Cena’s gold. With Executive Assistant Jonathan Coachman away, he placed William Regal in charge, and it was the former WWE Commissioner who came out to make the Beat the Clock announcement.
Orton had the first crack at establishing the time to beat, thanks to his “seniority on Raw,” but had the tough task of facing former Intercontinental and World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy to do so. In a hard-fought battle, the Legend Killer scored a victory thanks to a vicious RKO, establishing the time to beat at 7:06.Next up was King Booker who took on Val Venis and beat him in 4:30.Then it was Kennedy's turn, but when he was making his introduction Super Crazy pinned him and Kennedy was out of the running.Bobby then speared Benjamin in 4:00 minutes and will face John Cena at The Great American Bash, but this Monday he speared John Cena just to leave a message.

ECW World Champion Johnny Nitro couldn’t stop smiling as he emerged from the locker room. His long brown locks were still drenched in sweat from his hard-fought victory earlier that night over legendary ECW Original Tommy Dreamer – an opponent that his chief rival, CM Punk, had chosen for him in a “Pick Your Poison”-themed ECW on Sci Fi. In turn, Nitro’s handpicked “poison” for Punk was Kevin Thorn – and he had just watched the Straightedge Superstar impale the powerful vampire.
Nitro seemed impressed, but his smile slowly faded as his eyes locked on Punk. The No. 1 contender to the ECW World Title did not take his eyes off the champion either, and challenged Nitro to get into the ring. But Punk was then blindsided by Thorn, and would have been double-teamed by him and Nitro if he hadn’t fought off the powerhouse.
Nitro backed away from a likely attack on his challenger as Punk invited him to duke it out. As our fans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas chanted “CM Punk! CM Punk!” Nitro stuck his nose up and held his – and he would stress his – ECW World Title for Punk and the whole world to see. “You may have won your match, Punk, but I’m still the champ,” he seemed to say. “I’m the ECW World Champion, and you’re not.”

In addition to crowning a new Intercontinental Champion and lining up John Cena’s next challenger for the WWE Championship, Raw’s highlights (02/07/07) also included clips from Triple H’s arduous road to recovery from a torn right quadriceps. Although The Game wasn’t there in person, just seeing the 10-time World Champion back on the TitanTron screen had many of our fans at the American Airlines Center buzzing.
“When The Game returns, he’s putting WWE on notice,” predicted Jack Sanhall of Irving, Texas. “Look at what he accomplished after coming back from injury in 2002 — he not only won the WWE Title a fifth time, he became a five-time World Heavyweight Champion as well. There’s no way anyone will stop Triple H from becoming an 11-time World Champion.”

Christopher Michael Benoit (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler who performed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. He was regarded as one of the best technical professional wrestlers of his time.
Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia home on June 25, 2007. Subsequent investigations confirmed that Benoit murdered his wife by strangling her, then killed his son before hanging himself in the house's weight room.
On July 2, 2007 Chris Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin III, was arrested for prescribing him 10-month supplies of anabolic steroids every 3-4 weeks. There has been speculation that the excessive levels of steroids in Benoit's system may have contributed to the murder-suicide of himself and his family. According to the LA Times, the doctor had also prescribed more than 3,000 prescription drugs to just two clients over an 18-month period, and was writing prescriptions without expiration dates.
For more information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit ,because WWE have eliminated all of the information about him even the titles he won and his merchandise.