Masked Kane is Back!

In case any of you missed it yesterday, Kane returned...with his signature mask. If you missed it or just want to watch it again, check out the video below.



The rumor mill has it that the reason why Kane came back with a mask is that the WWE has no one active wrestling or entertaining with a mask. This move will hopefully be a marketing tool to sell masks to the public. Currently, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara are sidelined with injuries.
-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Survivor Series Card So Far

Here is your updated Survivor Series PPV card:

* Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Orton: Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara vs. Team Barrett: Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Christian, Jack Swagger and Hunico
* WWE Championship Match: Alberto Del Rio © vs. CM Punk
* World Championship Match: Mark Henry © vs. The Big Show
* The Rock and John Cena vs. The Miz and R Truth

Also, more on why I haven't been updating my blog a weekly basis in the next couple of days. Thanks for the reads guys!

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Sin Cara Gone?

Rumors are starting to swirl around that Sin Cara may be gone. No, not the character but the guy who portrays the character. Mistico has been Sin Cara since he has been in the WWE, but until recently another guy has been under the mask.

As many of you recall, Mistico was suspended for his violation of the wellness policy. Apparently he tested positive for steroids, even though he continues to deny it. During this time another wrestler, Hunicio, was portraying the character during his suspension. Now there is talk that Hunicio took take over the character as many people are not happy with Mistico. And of course the many retakes that had to be done on yesterday's Friday Night Smackdown doesn't help Mistico's cause.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Rey Mysterio Injured

The King of Mystery is injured.

WWE.com reported yesterday, "Former World Champion Rey Mysterio confirmed on his Twitter account today that he will require immediate surgery after sustaining an in-ring injury. Check back with WWE.com for more details as this story develops. "

It is being reported that he has a torn ACL. There is also talk that he will be out until next year's WrestleMania. Stay tuned for more on this story.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Del Rio Cashes In!

A few moments ago, Alberto Del Rio cashed in Money in the Bank contract after the John Cena-CM Punk match. CM Punk, who won the match, was attacked by Kevin Nash shortly after the match concluded. Del Rio, accompanied with a referee, made his way to the ring and defeated Punk to become the WWE Championship.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Franklin & Bash featuring Lucha Libre

I know right, two blogs in one day. What's going on here? Well I'll tell you. Tonight's Franklin & Bash season finale, which can be seen on TNT, features a case that involves lucha libre. See even cable television shows are catching on to the lucha libre culture. Just thought I would pass on this piece of information to the rest of all. Enjoy the rest of your night, or day, depending when you read this.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

WWE '12 Trailer

For those you haven't seen it or are interested in the new WWE video game to be released in late November, here is the trailer for it. Cheers.



-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Sin Cara Update

So the news on the rumor mill is that it looks like Sin Cara is going to stick around after all. On a recent post on ewrestlingnews.com, Sin Cara is scheduled to appear on live tapings of Friday Night Smackdown a couple of weeks after SummerSlam in mid-August. Of course when I research more information on this subject, I'll pass it on to your guys.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

CM Punk Return and Sin Cara News

As many of you, CM Punk made a return to Monday Night Raw. He showed up at the end of the show after the Rey Mysterio-John Cena WWE Championship match. Here's video in case you missed it or want to relive the moment again.



Ok now to the Sin Cara news. I wrote in my last post that he was suspended for violating the wellness policy of the company. Well it turns out that he test positive for steroids; of course he has denied this. He is currently serving a 30 day suspension, but the bigger question is if he will return.

No new news has been reported as of yet. Some wrestling rumors websites have said the company is thinking about cutting ties with him once the suspension is over, but nothing new has been said or leaked yet. So we all have to sit and wait here...enjoy your day.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

5,000+ Reads

So I learned something earlier today when I checked out the stats to my blog earlier today. It turns out that this blog has more than 5,000 reads. Yes you read that right, 5,000+ reads.

I would like to thank everyone out there who reads this blog. Never would I have thought that this blog would accomplish this number, much less do it in 6 months. Thanks for all you support so far and the continued support in the future.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Sin Cara Suspended

Sin Cara has been suspended by the WWE for violating the talent wellness policy. Ewrestlingnews.com is reporting that WWE was notified of Sin Cara's drug test failure in early June, but did not suspend him until today. He is believed to have tested positive for anabolic steroids. Also, there is always talk that him not being brought back at all once his suspension is over. More on this once more is reported.

In other news, I can't pick matches....

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Money in the Bank Predictions

Not going to waste any of your time, so let jump into it.

Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match
Match consists of Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Evan Bourne, Alex Riley, The Miz, R-Truth, Jack Swagger and Kofi Kingston. Bourne is just there to entertain with his high-flying ability. Same could be said for Mysterio. Swagger and Miz are there because they are past winners, but probably are going to win. Riley is there to ruin Miz's chance of winning. So that leaves R-Truth and Del Rio. Truth is there to get the crowd into it...so Del Rio is going to be your winner. He's the safe choice and rumor has it Cena and Del Rio are supposed to meet at Summerslam, but things change...

Smackdown's Money in the Bank ladder match
Match consists of Kane, Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater and Sheamus. Kane is unlikely to win two in a row. Sin Cara still has some growing to do. Gabriel and Slater are there for show. I expect Barrett to feud with Jackson so more. Same goes for Bryan and Rhodes, who have been fighting against each other for the past weeks. So that leaves Sheamus. Another safe choice and another heel to go against Orton.

Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella for the WWE Divas Championship
Kind of a hard choice. Kelly could be given a nice run but the threat of twin magic occurring makes this tricky. I think twin magic happens but somehow the ref sees it and Kelly is able to retain. Winner and still champion: Kelly Kelly

Big Show vs. Mark Henry
This is going to be a painful slow match. Two giants and power. Henry has been abusing Show at the beginning of the month. But I predict Show gets some revenge and takes down the world strongest man. Winner: Big Show

Randy Orton vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship
I have a feeling this could be the last encounter between these two if Christian loses. Of course if Orton loses, then this will continue for some time. But sadly all go things come to an end. Somehow, something weird is going to happen to Christian where he gets screwed not listed in the stipulations. He will fight it but Teddy Long will put up with no more of it. Winner and still champion: Randy Orton.

John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship
As much I would like to see Punk walk out the championship, it's not going to happen. Cena is going to win. That is no way that Vince McMahon is going to let someone who is walking away from the company with the opportunity to take the belt. Remember Montreal people. The only way I see Punk winning is if he decides to sign a contract in the 11th hour, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. So winner and still champion: John Cena.

Those are my predictions; let's see what happens in Chicago. Enjoy the ppv everyone.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Money in the Bank Predictions coming soon...

Just a reminder to all, as soon as results for this week's Friday Night Smackdown are revealed later tonight (gotta love spoilers), I will be making my predictions for the upcoming ppv. Stay tuned for opinion/analysis...

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Sarita Suffering from Facial Paralysis and Averno News

Keeping with the theme of this blog, I have some news to pass onto the twelve of you who read this blog.

TNA knockout Sarita, her real name Sarah Stock, announced a couple of days ago on her Facebook account that she is suffering from facial paralysis.

Debido a una paralysis facial que sufri recientemente, no era posible luchar ayer en Pachuca ni hoy en en la Arena Mexico. Estoy enfocada en mi recuperacion y los pido a todos una disculpa.

Due to a facial paralysis that I recently suffered, I was unable to wrestle yesterday in Pachuca nor today in Arena Mexico. I'm focusing on my recovery and I offer a sincere apology to everyone.

We will Sarita quick and speedy recovery.

In other news, Averno is doing quite well in Mexico. As reported by ewrestlingnews.com, "he is still working for CMLL in Mexico. He's apparently even 'hotter' now in Mexico than he was before he lost his mask last month."

The question is, well he ever make it to the WWE and start a feud with Sin Cara?

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

CM Punk beating John Cena?

If you guys have been keeping up with what's going on in the wrestling world, or maybe you are just reading this to catch up, the big news revolves around CM Punk and his contract expiring the next few weeks.

A couple of weeks back, CM Punk, number one contended for the WWE Championship, revealed to the WWE Universe that his contract with the company was set to expire after the next ppv, Money in the Bank. He then vowed that he would beat John Cena and take the WWE Championship with it. So where's the controversy...

Here it is...

CM Punk has been quite vocal about the views of the company. He has said he one of the best wrestlers in the business yet he is not featured enough throughout the company, which he has a point. He is also tried will all the politics that go behind the scenes and wants out (most of this said in his rant, which can be seen a couple of post back).

So long story short, this all leads to being 'suspended' by Vince McMahon but then being 'reinstated' on yesterday's edition of Monday Night Raw, all because Cena insisted be would beat Punk and not let any of that happen. Of course McMahon countered with: if Cena loses he is 'fired' from the company.

Now to the point, or first point of this blog.

I think anyone with half a brain can clearly see that Cena is going to win. Chances are Punk is done with the company for good. There is no way that McMahon would let Punk walk out with the championship if he was going to leave for good. We have already seen this episode before, just ask Bret Hart.

But what happens if Punk decides to stay with the company, then what? Well if he is going to stay with the company, he only has a few days to sign the contract. And also the writers of the show have to get something together to make this storyline work, hopefully. But chances are this will not happen, so he can bypass all of this.

But the main point is the company has to do something to re-brand itself. Batista left because he didn't like the way the company was headed. Chavo Guerrero asked to be released a couple of weeks ago. McMahon wants to be surrounded with 'yes' people. He doesn't want to bump heads with others and fight to get his way. He wants people who will do what they are told. And that's not right. It's okay when new superstars or 'entertainers' first start. But once they get their feet wet, they should have a say in what they do. They earned it.

The WWE has to start making small/minor tweaks in the company. If they don't they will start losing more superstars or worst, the fans that make the WWE a multi-million dollar business for Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Randy Orton Radio Interview

Here's something I came across today and like to share with all of you. Randy Orton gave a radio interview yesterday in Phoenix, Ariz. to promote the live show at U.S. Airways Center. It is extremely hilarious. Click here for the interview. Just be warned, this interview it is not like the WWE PG programming. It is uncensored but nevertheless hilarious. Enjoy...

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

CM Punk Rant

Here is video from yesterday's Monday Night Raw in case you missed it or just want to watch it again. More on this in the later days...



-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me at Twitter: @xfactor7806

Raw Roulette

Tonight on Monday Night Raw features the return of Raw Roulette. This concept was introduced by then GM Eric Bischoff. The purpose of this is to give the audience some uncertainly as to what kind of match will happen. Raw takes place in Las Vegas, hence the concept of roulette. Tonight someone will spin the wheel and wherever the wheel lands, is that what of match will take place. Below are the options for tonight's event courtesy of ewrestlingnews.com.

* Strange Bedfellows
* Player's Choice
* Steel Cage
* Pillow Fight
* Handicap
* Lumberjack
* Blast from the Past
* Flag
* ? (Question Mark)
* Falls Count Anywhere
* Tornado
* Blindfold
* Body Slam
* On A Pole
* No DQ
* Tables
* Special Guest Referee
* Trading Places
* Submission
* Song & Dance

In other news, based on my predictions for Capitol Punishment, I realized I can only pick matches that really matter. I got all four of the championship matches right, but didn't get any of the other matches right. What does this tell me, I have no clue...but it must mean something. More on this once I found out something on it, if anything...haha
-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

WWE Capitol Punishment Quick Predictions

Here is the final card for tonight's ppv and my predictions, as well.

WWE Championship Match:
John Cena (c) vs. R-Truth
Cena retains, but hopefully this will be able to put over R-Truth as a somewhat top heel in the company. Would be a shame if he is squashed like the Miz was last month.

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
I predict this as the match of the night. These two have great chemistry together. This one can go either way, but I pick Orton tonight. I would like to have Christian win because it would a greater push for him as a heel, but the WWE is way too predictable these days.

Intercontinental Championship Match:
Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson
I have Jackson winning here and continuing a feud with the Corre.

WWE United States Championship Match:
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for another title changed tonight.

Alex Riley vs. The Miz
The Miz finally puts his former apprentice in his place.

Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio
Big Show gets some revenge for being run over by Del Rio's car. Expect a couple of knockout punches by Show tonight. Victims include Del Rio and Rodriguez

Rey Mysterio vs. CM PunkAgain for like the 100 time. Mysterio wins as Punk continues to be buried, but I predict a Nexus attack after the match.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Over the Limit Buy Rate and Raw: Power to the People

Here's some interesting news I'd like to pass onto you guys who read this blog, all 12 of you haha. According to ewrestlingnews.com, "sources report that the show[Over the Limit ppv] is estimated to have garnered 65,000 buys in the United States."

What this basically means it would be the lowest buy rate for a WWE ppv in nearly five years. Now I've seen many comments why people think this happened. For one, some believe it's has to do with the booking. It's seems like just about every ppv in the last couple of years has the same matches. This guy against that guy. People will get tired of watching the same thing. And even when the same wrestlers do 'perform' again each other, it's the same thing. Sometimes there is no build up to the matches. If there is no build up to the ppv and the matches listed, how are you going to get people to watch it. The WWE has to learn to change it every once and a while, for the consumer's sake.

Another reason people give is the number of ppv's. As of right now there are 12 ppv's each year. I really don't think this is a problem. Back in the hay day, if the kids still say that now-a-days, there was a ppv each month. Yes fix something when it's broke. The company just needs to be a better job of booking matches.

In other news, it was announced that there will be another three hour Monday Night Raw. Stone Cold Steve Austin announced it as 'Raw: Power to the People.' In this special edition of Raw, the WWE Universe will have the power 'to have their voices heard loud and clear, determining matches, stipulations and more.'

Now I can imagine what some of people are thinking, hasn't this been tried before. Yes it has. Cyber Sunday and Taboo Tuesday were ppv's in the past that gave the audience control of they wanted to see. Obviously some people that it was fixed because wrestling is all scripted. I don't think this is the case. Yes wrestling is scripted, but the WWE probably uses choices to influence the audience to vote.

I remember one year there was a scheduled match between Stone Cold, later replaced by Batista, and Jonathan Coachman. The WWE allowed the audience to vote for what kind of match they wanted to see: a wrestling match, a debate or an arm wrestling match. Well, it's obvious what people wanted to see - a wrestling match. No one wants to see those other two events; it would be useless to watch. By doing this sort of thing, the WWE tries to come up with three choices; with one being the logic choice and the other two completely ridiculous. That's how they cover the ass to make sure it's 'power to the people' but also making itself still creditable as a wrestling company.

Well that's my two cents, and probably more on these topics. In case any of you guys are interested in some of stuff I write or maybe the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees or the University of Arizona football team (website not ready yet, but will let you know-if anyone cares haha), just click on the links. Just became an intern blogger for those websites. Thanks guys.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

TNA-AAA Relationship

So as many of you have probably figured out that this blog is mostly devoted to the WWE. It's not that I have anything against the other promotions out there, it's just that I have been watching the WWE since I was a little kid. Anyway, this post is going to be about TNA Wrestling or Impact wrestling or whatever they call it now. More specifically it's going to be about this promotion and another promotion located in Mexico, Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion or AAA.

In case some of have not been keeping up with Impact wrestling or not reading the internet wrestling news websites (shame on you), both companies are working on getting together for the second straight. Much like how the WWE has Wrestlemania, the AAA has their own Super Bowl of Wrestling, TripleMania. Last year several TNA superstars competed in it, which included Christopher Daniels, Beer Money and Abyss. This year more superstars are slated to appear at the annual showcase in Mexico, including Jeff Jarret, Rob Van Dam and some TNA Knockouts, according to Wikipedia.

This really should not come as a surprise because both promotions have been working with each other since 2004. In fact, the AAA has also done work the WWE, back in 1997. According to Wikipedia, some luchadors competed in the Royal Rumble that year but chances are most of us really don't remember that too well.

Looks like here TNA/Impact wrestling is also trying to get the Hispanic viewership into their company. With reports of the WWE signing more luchadors from Mexico, TNA is trying to keep up with. This whole scenario can be good and bad for wrestling here in the United States. Good because we get to experience a new culture of wrestling. Bad because we are taking about good wrestlers away from Mexico. Hopefully we are not using Mexico as a farm system for wrestling (cross your fingers).

Another interesting bit of news off of this whole TNA-AAA relationship is Kurt Angle. According to ewrestlingnews.com, AAA tried to get Angle involved but he was too expensive for the promotion to afford.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

New Masked Luchadors to WWE

According to ewrestlingnews.com, the WWE signed a new luchador by the name of Averno. He is currently working in the CMLL, a wrestling organization in Mexico. He is expected to be a heel and work with Sin Cara on Friday Night Smackdown. For more on this topic, click here.

In addition, WWE is looking into hiring several workers from Mexico in order to flesh out their roster for their upcoming RAW and SmackDown! tapings set for Mexico in November. No names have been confirmed at this time, according to the website.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Over the Limit Reaction

This blog is a tad late, but anyway...

Alright as many of you know, the pay-per-view Over the Limit took place this past Sunday. Now I didn't get a chance to see much of it (busying watching the Bulls-Heat game) but from what I read on some websites, it wasn't much to call home about. But I did get to watch a majority of the Randy Orton-Christian match. And not only was it the match of the night, but it could be the match of the year so far. Now off the top of my head, there aren't many matches that I can recall that deserve the title of match of the year. Sure the Undertaker-Triple H could be mention as one, but the World Heavyweight Championship was head and shoulders above it. I think that most people figured that Orton would win the match, but maybe not in the way it was won. The match they had on Friday Night Smackdown was ppv quality, but they were able to out do themselves. Even Orton said so himself on his twitter account:

Got to give it to Christian, every match we have against each other is a ppv match.Tonight was just like any other Seattle was a great host!

It's obvious that he had to win the match. He's the face of that show; much like how John Cena is the face of Monday Night Raw. Which leads me to my next topic...the Cena-Miz WWE Championship match.

The WWE Championship, well was, poorly booked. From what I have read and heard about the match, the Miz hit Cena with object possible for most of the match. But in the last moments of it, Cena put Miz in the STF and made him tap out in a matter of seconds. What kind of booking is that. Have a former champion bash Cena with multiple objects for several minutes, and then have him tap out in a matter of seconds. This only did one thing...made the Miz extremely weak. Actually it another thing, made Superman Cena even stronger. I can understand the children who watch the product wanting Cena to win and the writers doing this for them, but seriously. This has to stop WWE.

Another note from the ppv was the Chavo Guerrero-Sin Cara match. This was the first match since Summerslam 2007 that two wrestlers of Hispanic origin wrestled against each other in a ppv. Another intersting fact is that this the first time since Backlash 2008 that Chavo has wrestler in a ppv, which is a shame.

On a sadder note, Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage passed away last weekend. Growing up, he was one of the wrestlers I enjoyed watching. I even had a Macho Man shared pillow that I would do wrestling moves on. He was a true entertainer in and out of the ring. He will be missed.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @factor7806

Impact Wrestling

As some of you guys may know, TNA Wrestling has been re-branded as Impact Wrestling. They have changed the layout of their website, which includes the colors and logo on there. In addition, they are displaying a new slogan on their website, 'Wrestling matter here.' Is this supposed to be a shot at the WWE and their stance on wrestling, it might be but that's for us to debate. Check out this photo to see the new setup for Impact Wrestling.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Update Peeps...

Alright, so I know I haven't blogged anything in a week or so. But I have good reason why I have not posted anything in the last 7 days or so...I graduated from college. It's been a couple of crazy days but fear not, there will be new material posted as soon as Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown are recorded. Stay tuned and thanks for all the reads on this blogs; 2,400+ reads and counting.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Lay off Randy Orton

Alright for the last week or so, the hot topic in the WWE has been the championship reign of Christian. Christian has been wrestling for 17 years, both in the WWE and TNA. He had never won any major title, but all that changed at Extreme Rules on May 1. He defeated Alberto Del Rio to finally accomplish his dream of winning the World Heavyweight Championship. Yes, he did win the ECW Championship, but we all know that was really nothing.

Anyway, he won the title and was challenged by three wrestlers, one of them Randy Orton, on Friday Night Smackdown. Long story short, Randy Orton won the match and the championship, effectively ended Christian's title reign at 5 days. Many people in the IWC, the internet wrestling community, have been calling foul for his title reign being so short and also for Orton being the one who ended it. Some have been blaming Orton for this whole situation, even going as far was sending him hate tweets to his account: @RandyOrton. But the truth is, Orton is not the one to blame.

The one to blame is the head of the WWE, Vince McMahon. It has been noted that McMahon doesn't have faith in Christian to be the face of the company. He doesn't think Christian has the 'it' factor to carry a show like John Cena or Randy Orton. Sure Christian is a better wrestler than the two of them combined, but he doesn't have market ability that Cena and Orton have. He might be over with the IWC, but he is over as much Cena and Orton are. It's always about money when it comes to the WWE, and they didn't think he would sell posters, t-shirts or whatever they sell now-a-days like the latter.

Second, for people to blame Orton is crazy. The man was just doing his job. It's not like he booked himself to win the match. He's not like Kevin Nash back in the WCW days, destroying Goldberg's streak and all. Now some people have said Orton could have said 'no' to winning the title. But seriously, how would that looked to Vince. One of his top talents saying no to the championship. If Orton would have done that, Vince would have probably buried him so deep that the next time he would get a title shot is when his daughter is his age right now. So Orton had really no choice but to win the match that was booked for him to win; he was just doing his job.

But probably the worst thing out of this is how people are treating Orton on the internet. Sure you can voice your opinion how you think it is unfair for him to win the title again, but for people to say they hope he gets injured or other hurtful things about his family is plain horrible. Like Joey Styles said last week, "When sending hate tweets to myself or @WWE because of @Christian4Peeps, @RandyOrton and the World Heavyweight Championship, please be PG ;)"

Really people, it should not have to come this, just be respectful when it comes to this kind of stuff. Lighten up people. Remember we are talking about a scripted sports entertainment show.
Some people are acting as if this is completely real. They are out there putting a show for us. Enjoy the show they risk their bodies each week for us because if this wasn't around, then some people out there would be bored as hell.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

New Direction

Alright guys, I haven't posted anything for some time. I've had to deal with school and finals, thank god I will be done in tomorrow, and other things (not really, but it makes me sound important). Anyway, the reason I first started this blog was because of my journalism class, Border Beat. We were required to pick a topic related to the border and post at least one thing each other. I started to do that in the beginning, but as the semester went along, I started to post more than once a week; as many of you have seen. So what the point of this?

Well since my blog as because a success, at least from my point of view-almost 2,000 views since January, I've decided to change the direction of this blog. It is since going to address issues of wrestling related to lucha libre, but I am also going to post at least one thing each week relating to the wrestling world as a whole. That means if something interesting happens, I'm going to give you guys my two cents, whether it's completely stupid or somewhat correct haha.

So guys started tune in the next few days because I'm going to give you guys my opinion about this whole Randy Orton-Christian situation that happened last week. And yes I know I am a few days late with it, but still it's a hot topic issue in the wrestling world today. Til next time...

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

2011 WWE Supplemental Draft Results

As promised guys, here are the results from yesterday's supplemental draft that took place on WWE's website. Most of the people who were drafted are mid-carder, with the exception of a couple of well-known wrestlers...I mean entertainers. And sadly Zach Ryder's wish to be drafted away from WWE Superstars was not granted. Sorry internet wrestling community.

DRAFTED TO RAW:

-- Jack Swagger
-- Kelly Kelly
-- JTG
-- Drew McIntyre
-- Curt Hawkins
-- Chris Masters
-- Kofi Kingston
-- Tyler Reks
-- Beth Phoenix

DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN!:

-- Daniel Bryan
-- The Great Khali
-- Ranjin Singh
-- Jimmy Uso
-- Alicia Fox
-- William Regal
-- Yoshi Tatsu
-- Natalya
-- Jey Uso
-- Ted DiBiase
-- Tyson Kidd
-- Tamina
-- Alex Riley
-- Sheamus

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

2011 WWE Draft Results

As many of you guys know, the WWE had their annual draft tonight. The concept of the draft was to shake up things in the company, create new rivals and see different talent on different shows. This first started after Wrestlemania 20, and has been a recurring theme ever since. In case you missed it, here is how things shaped up earlier tonight. For more information visit WWE.com

Raw Draftees
-- Rey Mysterio (former luchador)
-- The Big Show
-- Alberto Del Rio (former luchador)
-- John Cena (Back To RAW)

Smackdown Draftees
-- John Cena
-- Randy Orton
-- Mark Henry
-- Sin Cara (former luchador)
*Results courtesy of ewrestlingnews.com*

Also don't forget about the supplemental draft that happens tomorrow on WWE's website. Check back here tomorrow all the developments and happenings of the draft.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Who is Sangriento?

In my previous post, I blogged that TNA Wrestling has a new masked Mexican wrestler by the name of Sangriento. At the time of my post, I really could not find much about this masked warrior. But as more details came about, I realized something very interesting about this whole matter.

For starters, this wrestler is billed from Tijuana, Mexico (and not Tiguana, Mexico as I first typed the previous blog, but later changed it; thanks to Joseph Hepp for that one). So one would think he is an authentic luchador, right...WRONG. It turns out that is wrestler is just playing a gimmick. Sangriento, originally known as Amazing Red in TNA Wrestling until his recent change in character, was billed from Brooklyn, New York. Nowhere near Mexico (by the way, I learned that in social studies class back in elementary school).

As ewrestlingnews.com is reporting, the reason for this change is because of one man, Sin Cara.

According to the website, "Sangriento was brainstormed by Spike TV officials as they wanted TNA to introduce a character that would counteract Sin Cara of WWE. TNA considered various independent wrestlers for the role but decided on Amazing Red."

So the secret comes out, TNA is trying to compete with the WWE. Ok it's not much of a secret, but the fact of the matter is that they are trying to become as successful as the WWE is. But there is one flaw, at least in this incident. They should try to get a luchador from Mexico rather than turning one of their own into one.

Granted Amazing Red is from Puerto Rico, but the point is they are lazy. Why not try to get someone with roots tied to lucha libre? Why not have some talent personnel scout luchadors in Mexico to enhance your product or hire someone to do that?

There is a reason for all this. They want a piece of the Hispanic viewership in wrestling. They see the success the WWE has had with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara; and they want a piece of the pie. When you look at the roster of TNA, there are a couple of wrestlers who have ties to Mexico; but the problem is none of them are big names.

I guess the company is hoping with the emergence of a wrestler like Sangriento, it will bring more Spanish viewers to their product. After all, he has won a couple of titles while he was under the character of Amazing Red (one-time NWA world tag team champion and three-time X Division champion).

But only time will time if this move will garner more Hispanic viewership or if it would have been better to bring in someone from Mexico to fill in that spot...

On another note, in case some of you didn't catch it, check out the video below of Sin Cara teaming up with John Cena from last week's Monday Night Raw. And this time, no botch from Sin Cara while entering the ring.

*Photo courtesy of unifiedwrestling.com*



-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

New Masked Warrior for TNA

According to the ewrestlingnews.com, TNA debuted a new masked Mexican wrestler. Sangriento, who is from Tijuana, Mexico, made his debut earlier this week during a taped television program for the company. To learn more about this masked wrestler, click here.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me at Twitter: @xfactor7806

Analysis of Sin Cara's Debut

As some of you guys know, this past Monday night Sin Cara made his in-ring debut. His match was against Primo. Now Primo isn't the greatest wrestler in the world. He mainly jobs most of the young talent and really isn't in any title hunt. Certainly not for the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships, or the Intercontinental or U.S. Championships. To me, the only reason he was really there was to partner with his brother, Carlito. But since he was released, he serves no purpose. Sorry Primo, just my opinion. But enough of this talk about Primo and his non-existence as formidable wrestler.

There are two things I took away from this match regarding Sin Cara. One, the guy has a high-flying move set. When I saw this match live on television, he was doing things I had never seen any other wrestler perform in WWE. Now before I get ahead of myself, there were a couple of moves he did that resembled things Rey Mysterio did when he first entered the company. For instance the head scissors tilt-a-whirl he did on Primo is something I seen from Rey; as well as the counter from the powerbomb Primo was trying to execute. But the one thing I saw from Sin Cara that left me speechless was his finishing move.

When you first break into the business of wrestling, the one thing most people will want to know about you is finishing move. Is something unique and spectacular or is something that has been done before too many times? As a wrestler, your job is to entertain the crowd. And if you are not able to do that with a unique finishing move, then you are not going anywhere in the business.

Anyway, Sin Cara's finishing moving was, well...something spectacular. I can't really put it into words, so I'll let the video do the talking for me.



Now that moonsault side slam, or whatever you want to call it, was pretty impressive. For me, that was the first time I had ever seen that move performed (sorry if someone else has performed that move before), so props to Sin Cara.

Even though I was impressed with his move set, there was one troubling thing I saw from him -- the way he sells his moves. Now this will come with more in-ring time, but there were a few instances where he really didn't sell the kicks or the punches from Primo.

At one point during the match, Sin Cara threw Primo back into the ring after he had tossed him a few moments ago. When he rolled him back into the ring and turned away for one moment. When he turned back Primo performed a baseball slide on Sin Cara. Sin Cara was knocked to the ground, but really didn't sell the move. He reacted to the move but really didn't lay on the ground long enough to indicate the power of the slide. You guys can check out what I am talking about in the video I posted a couple of blog posts ago (in case none of that made any sense).

Another thing I have heard from some wrestling websites is that Sin Cara had two botches during the matches. Well one might be kind of his fault, the entrance into the ring, but the other one was not his fault. When Sin Cara was setting up Primo for his finisher, Primo slipped off the top rope and caused Sin Cara to fall outside the ring. Now, Sin Cara has some caught some heat for these two incident, especially from Vince McMahon (according to ewrestlingnews.com).

Well Vince I have a message for you, it's wasn't his fault. Also give this guy some time to adapt to the WWE. This guy has been wrestling around the world some years and this is his first time in the big leagues. I promise, if you give this guy some time, he will be something special. But you have to remember, this guy will have some minor slip ups. Just be patience, he will succeed.

And if we are patience with him, then we will see more luchadors in the WWE in no time.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me at Twitter: @xfactor7806

Thanks for the 1000 Views!

Ok, so this blog has nothing to do with wrestling or lucha libre or anything related to the sport of wrestling. This blog is intended for you guys, the readers of my blog. For some strange reason, you guys decide to read my blog and keep coming back for more. Why, I have no clue. So I would like to thank the 12 of you who constantly read my blog, haha.

But seriously, thanks to all you who have read my blog so far. I started this blog at the beginning of the spring semester and it's amazing that I reached 1000 views with a little less than a month in the school year. Can't thank you guys enough. And hopefully the 1000 views will come just as fast. Thanks for the reads guys.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me at Twitter: @xfactor7806

Sin Cara's In-Ring Debut

For those of you who missed it yesterday, Sin Cara made his in-ring debut on Monday Night Raw. He faced off against Primo. Despite a couple of botches from both competitors, the match turned out pretty good (at least I think so when I saw it live on television). Sin Cara displayed his high flying ability with moves that left those in attendance speechless. Check out the video below to see the entire match.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Those Who Paved the Way

With all the events that happened last week during Wrestlemania 27, there is one event that could get lost within all the festivities. The WWE Hall of Fame. Now I'm not going to talk about the hall of fame ceremony but more about the people who paved the way for the Hispanic influence in the organization.

Now there are a couple of people who I would like to highlight in this blog: Tito Santana and Chavo Classic.

Tito Santana, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004, started wrestling in 1977 in various promotions, until he moved to the WWE in 1979. During this time in the WWE, he won the King of the Ring tournament in 1989, a two-time tag team champion and a two-time intercontinental champion, according to his wikipedia page. In addition, he won the very first match at Wrestlemania 1. After his time in the WWE, he would wrestle in three more organization until his semi-retirement in the 2000s. He would make one more appearance in the WWE during the 'old school' edition of Monday Night Raw in November 2010.

Chavo Classic, or also known as Chavo Guerrero, Sr., is a part of the Guerrero wrestling family that includes Eddie Guerrero and Chavo's son, Chavo Guerrero, Jr. He wrestled in Japan, the World Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s, according to his wikipedia page. He would eventually find his way to the WWE in 2004 when he teamed up with his son, who was feuding the Eddie. During his tenure, he would capture the Cruiserweight title in a triple threat match that included his son. He would only hold the belt for a month when he lost it to Rey Mysterio. Like Santana, he made an appearance during the 'old school' version of Monday Night Raw when he was the driver of Alberto Del Rio's car.

Both of these guys are considered to be pioneers for the influence of Hispanic wrestlers in the WWE. Even though they were not main event talent, like their counterparts today, they did showcase their skills in the ring. They proved that Hispanics could mess with the big boys of the business and be entertaining at the same time. Without these two legends, who really knows if there would be a Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio or Sin Cara in the business today. Santana and Guerrero laid the ground for the Hispanic influence in the WWE. And Mysterio, Del Rio and Sin Cara are adding onto that road. Who knows, maybe someone will be writing a blog post about how these three wrestlers are laying even more of a foundation for future wrestlers down the road.

In other news, Sin Cara made his television debut last Monday on Monday Night Raw. In case you didn't see it or what to watch it again, check out the video below to see his amazing entrance.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806



*Photos courtesy of WWE and gvocom.com*

Wrestlemania 27 Reaction: International Influence

Alright, Wrestlemania 27 ended a few hours ago and I feel I have a duty to give some reaction to it. Now I'm not going to give a complete overview of it, but instead I am going to concentration on the international aspect of it. For those who didn't get to see it, you can check out the live blog below to see what action you missed. Sorry if it is kind of long, but it was a four hour event. I did my best. Anyway...

For starters, the matches that were shown on the pay per view, which was eight, half of them involved a wrestler from other country than the United States. The first match: Edge and Christian from Canada and Alberto Del Rio and his ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, from Mexico. The second match: Rey Mysterio, a former luchador from Mexico. In the third one: Santino Marella (from Canada but billed from Italy), Kofi Kingston (Ghana), Wade Barrett (England), Ezekiel Jackson (Guyana) and Justin Gabriel (South Africa). To tell you the truth, that match felt like the World Cup all over again, haha. The last match that featured an international presence was the mixed tag team match with Trish Stratus from Canada.

In addition to all those names, the Sheamus-Daniel Bryan match, which was cut to due time, involved Sheamus, an Irish born wrestler. That match would eventually to turned into a over the rope elimination match with The Great Khali, who is from India, winning the match.

Another international aspect of WM 27 involved an early blog entry, the Spanish announce table. Sadly, it was not the first thing destroyed at this year's wrestlemania but it did see two men go through it. During the Triple H-Undertaker match, Triple H countered the Undertaker's move and sent him through the table. The first thing destroyed was the Cole Mine, but sadly Michael Cole was not in it. Damn....

Of course like any other pay per view the WWE puts on, it is telecast in other countries. I happen to come along one of them while searching for a good stream, but couldn't tell what language it was. Also going off of that, this event attracts many people from other countries. Wrestlemania Axxess attracts many fans from all over the world to meet their favorite personalities and with the number of people in attendance from the WM 27, I'm sure some were from another country.

The point is this wrestlemania, whether it was bad or good, had a big international influence on it. But most importantly, the influence of lucha libre and Mexican culture probably had the biggest influence on it. The Spanish announce table was there, which meant Hugo and Carlos were there to call the action. The event started with matches features former luchadors from Mexico; Del Rio and Mysterio. It seems like the company is really trying to push for more viewers from south of the border to watch their product. But the question is, will it work? The answer to that is, we will not know until numbers come out, if any. But the WWE can only hope that will happen with the arrival of Sin Cara tomorrow on Monday Night Raw.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Wrestlemania 27 Blog

Follow all the action happening at Wrestlemania 27 live from Atlanta, Georgia. Nine matches as of right now. Four hours of coverage. The Super Bowl of wrestling. Wrestlemania 27 with special host: The Rock.



-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

WM XXVII: Thoughts and Predictions

As many of you know, this Sunday Wrestlemania 27 will take place in Atlanta, Ga in the Georgia Dome. Before I get into my prediction for the Super Bowl of wrestling, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

The main thing I want to touch on is the significance of luchadors on the event. I remember when I first started watching wrestling on a regular basis, the only wrestler that was of Mexican origin was the late Eddie Guerrero. Now 11 years later, this pay per view will feature two luchadors, one who will be fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship -- Alberto Del Rio.

Not to mention, on the Monday Night Raw following the pay per view, the company will debut Sin Cara on television. According to ewrestlingnews.com, Sin Cara has worked a couple of house shows, but will finally make his debut on April 4.

The point is in a little over a decade, wrestling as a whole is starting to move toward international wrestlers; specifically luchadors. I am willing to bet back in 2000, the only reason Hispanics were watching wrestling is because of the likes of The Rock, Triple H, Stone Cold and the Undertaker. But now, they will be tuning in to watch Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio. And hopefully if put on a good show they will also see the debut of Sin Cara.

And now for the interesting part of this post, the predictions...

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
I got Orton is this match, mainly because I want to win and he is my favorite wrestler. Also, with the way things to do in the business, most people can pretty much tell Orton is going to win. But this rivalry is far from over.

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Let's go with Rey Mysterio here. Rhodes as had his number in the past couple of weeks, but I see Rey Mysterio coming back with some revenge.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
I'm picking Sheamus here he only became champion a couple of weeks ago. They need to build him as credible champion and having him lose would make him a paper champion.

Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella, and Vladimir Kozlov (with Tamina) vs. The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater)
Not really sure how this match will be played out; as an elimination or just a regular tag team match. But I think The Corre will win. They need to make the credible and what better way than beating two giants and the former tag team champs.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Trish Stratus and John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler and LayCool (Layla and Michelle McCool) (with Vickie Guerrero)
This match, like for most people I really don't care for. So I'm picking the team of Trish, Morrison and Snooki. Don't expect much out of this match...seriously.

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger)
God I hope Lawler beat the crap of Cole. It's not just because I hate Cole, but more because I miss Jim Ross calling the action. I just hope he calls the match. That's would be awesome. But I got Jerry 'The King' Lawler in this one.

Triple H vs. The Undertaker
With the way things went down on last Monday Night Raw, I think Shawn Michaels will play some role in this match. However the steak will continue. 19-0 for the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Edge (c) (with Christian) vs. Alberto Del Rio (with Brodus Clay)
Del Rio says its his destiny to win the World Heavyweight Championship. And I just can imagine how his ego will inflate if he wins the match. Well I guess we will have to wait and see on Friday. Del Rio wins this one.

The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
The Rock will cost John Cena the WWE Championship. He will payback for the Attitude Adjustment John Cena gave him on Monday Night and all this will lead to a match at the next pay per view. The Mix retains.

Now for the special blog post on Sunday. In case you will not be able to watch the pay per view, tune in here as I will blogging the whole event (do my best ability of course). So check here Sunday night to see all the happenings of Wrestlemania 27.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

*Photo courtesy of WWE*


This was the only promo video I could find with most of the matches

The One, the Only...Spanish Announce Table

As most of you are reading this blog post (all 12 of you out there), are probably thinking that I am going to talk about some wrestler. Well, you are wrong. Sorry =[. In this week's blog post I will be talking about an object. What kind of object you may asking yourself? Well it's something you really wouldn't think I would talk about. Ok, enough of this rumbling talking. This week's topic is about the Spanish Announce Table in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Really, the Spanish Announce Table. Yes. And no, most of the blog post will not revolve around the dimensions of the table and other related stuff (I know that most of 12 people would stop reading my blog if I pulled off something like that). What this blog post is intended to do is let you guys in some of the funny and bizarre happenings around the announcing area.

First, I have to tell you about the Spanish announcing team. The play-by-play commentator is Hugo Savinovich and his partners Carlos Cabrera and Marcelo Rodriguez. Savinovich is a former wrestler from the country of Ecuador, while Cabrera is from Colombia and Rodriguez is from Venezuela.

Ok, for incident number one. I have to take you back to Wrestlemania XIX. The match was Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon. Actually, instead of describing what happened, the video will do more justice. Enjoy.



Incident number two: the using of the announce table as a weapon. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntrye at the Money in the Bank pay per view. In this video, Kingston beats his opponent onto the table, then uses a ladder to, well inflict maximum amount of pain on him. About seven seconds into the video, you can see Savinovich standing near the table. Probably hoping that is beloved table will not fall victim to another wrestler destroying it.



Now that incident leads me to the final incident I want to point out; CM Punk and the Spanish Announce Table. For some reason whenever an announcer table is destroyed at a pay per view, it's always the Spanish one. Why? I have no clue. Probably have to ask the creative team about that one. Maybe it's an inferior table or something like that, anyway. It's a recurring theme, except for one time on Monday Night Raw.

John Cena was 'fired' from the company and decided to buy a ticket to the event. Well he decided to matters into his own hands and get revenge on the people who got him 'fired'. Listen to what CM Punk has to say around the 2:00 minute mark.



The influence of lucha libre or from anything from the culture of Mexico has been making an impact on the WWE, even if it means throwing your opponent through the table. But seriously, the impact that the Spanish announce table has made on the company is something to talk about. Without the table, there would be no announcers. No announcers would mean most people in the Spanish speaking part of the world would not be able to enjoy the telecasts in their native language. And with no fans, the company would be losing a demographic that is important to them, especially with wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Chavo Guerrero and Sin Cara to promote the brand overseas.

On another note, check back here sometime mid-week to see what my predictions are on the matches involving former luchadors at Wrestlemania 27. And also stay tuned for my special blog on Wrestlemania 27 next Sunday. And if any of you guys care, check out the new version of wwe.com, looks pretty sweet.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

Who is Alberto Del Rio's ring announcer?

Las damas y caballeros,

Es mi gran honor de introducir a usted aqui,

Un hombre con una inteligencia superior

de hacer su debut aqui en Smackdown

El es, Albertoooo Del Rrrrrrrio

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great honor to introduce to you here,

A man of great royalty

A man with a superior intelligence

making his debut here in Smackdown

He is, Albertooo Del Rrrrrrrio

That is what Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez said during his boss' first appearance in the World Wrestling Entertainment.

But other than being known for being Del Rio's personal ring announcer, who is Rodriguez?

Well, not much is really known about him, but one thing I bet that most of you did not know was that this guy can actually wrestle. Now for those of you who watch WWE NXT on their website (now there is a shameless plug for them; your welcome WWE), you might have seen him in a match against Conor O'Brian. And yes he did end up scoring the victory in the match, but has this guy done anything else in the past? Well the answer to that question is...yes.

According to his wikipedia page, he has wrestled in many wrestling promotions in Mexico under the name of Chimaera, who wears a mask. Heck, the man has even won a lucha libre title in the CWX. Now I'm not trying to say that the guy would not be able to get into the ring because he looks unathletic or something like that, it's just I never thought he was an actual wrestler.

Until I decided to google his name, I would not have not imagined he was a wrestler. I guess I still have this preconceived notion that most of the wrestlers in the business today are big and muscular. But I guess that is what kind of influence lucha libre is now having on wrestling here in America.

-Christopher J. Valverde

Follow me on Twitter: @xfactor7806

*Photo from wwe.com*