DALLAS – With just days to go before the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, you might expect the WWE Superstars to take it easy and conserve their energy. That wasn’t the case on Monday night, as several ring warriors competing at WrestleMania found themselves in a hell of their own making. John Cena not only suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of The World’s Largest Athlete, but was further battered after the match by vengeful World Heavyweight Champion Edge. Most shocking, however, was when Randy Orton began to reap what he has sown, being confronted by three angry members of the family he has spent the last few months terrorizing and picking off one-by-one: The McMahons.
-Two big announcements also came at the top of the show. SmackDown Superstar Undertaker is scheduled to appear, holding a funeral for his WrestleMania opponent, Shawn Michaels. In addition, Randy Orton will make a special “WrestleMania Address,” possibly in regards to his attack on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon the week before.
-Tiffany won an 18-Diva Tag Team Match for her team; Santino Marella was attacked when he announced he still plans to compete in the 25-Diva Battle Royal
At the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, a 25-Diva Battle Royal will be held to determine the first “Miss WrestleMania.” Opening Raw, 18 of those Divas squared off in a massive tag team match. Out of the chaos that ensued, Tiffany emerged victorious, pinning Katie Lea Burchill to lead her team to victory.
Directly following the match, Santino Marella made his way out to the ring. In spite of being denied entry to the Battle Royal the week before courtesy of a loss to Mickie James, the Italian Superstar is still intent on becoming “Miss WrestleMania.” To illustrate his worthiness, Santino showed off his “mankini” as part of an impromptu swimsuit competition. The Divas didn’t take kindly to the scantily clad Superstar’s claims of superiority and a massive melee broke out with the “Santino’s Casa” star right in the middle, though the craven Italian managed to escape.
-Chris Jericho def. Jerry “The King” Lawler
Though younger members of the WWE Universe might know Jerry Lawler as one of the voices of Raw, “The King” also boasts a distinguished in-ring career. Incensed over Chris Jericho’s recent brutal attack on WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Lawler challenged the nefarious Superstar to a match on Raw. In spite of his opponent’s extensive experience, it was the cruel, vicious style of Jericho that prevailed, forcing the Raw announcer to submit. During the match it was announced that the first-ever Undisputed Champion’s WrestleMania match against “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka & Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat would require Jericho to defeat each Legend individually. After his victory, the nefarious Superstar made clear his intention to annihilate each of his opponents in turn, making his own name synonymous with “Legend.”
-Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase claimed that Randy Orton’s WrestleMania address affects the entire WWE Universe; Shawn Michaels arrives in a hearse
Elsewhere in the locker room area, Randy Orton’s “Legacy” cohorts, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase announced that their leader’s WrestleMania address wasn’t directed at Triple H, but rather at the entire WWE Universe. The two went on to promise that after WrestleMania, everything about WWE would change forever.
Outside of the arena, a black hearse had been waiting since the start of the show. The WWE Universe was shocked to find out that the hearse did not contain the grim Undertaker, but rather a confident Shawn Michaels, casting an air of uncertainty over the previously announced “Funeral for Mr. WrestleMania.”
-Rey Mysterio def. Intercontinental Champion JBL in a Non-Title Match
Intercontinental Champion JBL has promised to deliver the most decisive victory in WrestleMania history when he puts his title on the line against Rey Mysterio. However, The Longhorn Loudmouth might need to reconsider his strategy after suffering a loss to The Master of the 619 during a non-title match on Raw.
-Big Show def. John Cena, who was attacked by Edge after the match
In a preview of some of the intense in-ring action the WWE Universe can expect to see at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, two-thirds of the World Heavyweight Title Triple Threat Match, John Cena and Big Show, squared off in the ring. The World’s Largest Athlete sent an exceptionally clear message to the 12 Rounds star, using his immense size and power advantage to defeat Cena. But even after the bell rang, Cena’s suffering wasn’t over. The maniacal Edge ran to the ring from the crowd, making eye contact with Big Show before viscously assaulting their WrestleMania opponent, perhaps taking revenge for Cena’s earlier refusal to work together against The World’s Largest Athlete.
-Shawn Michaels holds a funeral for Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak; The Phenom emerged and received some Sweet Chin Music from HBK
When Shawn Michaels came to the ring, it became clear that the “funeral” announced earlier in the night was not for HBK, but rather for the undefeated WrestleMania streak of his opponent, Undertaker. Complete with a casket, roses and images of Michaels defeating The Deadman in their past encounters, the service saw HBK boast of his actions during recent weeks: Kicking Undertaker in the face and trespassing on his hollowed cemetery. The Showstopper announced that he had done all of this without enduring any retribution, and promised that the most memorable moment of the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania would be his victory over The Phenom.
Just then, the arena darkened and a gong rang out, heralding the arrival of Undertaker. When the lights came back up, The Phenom stood in the ring, but Michaels was nowhere to be seen. As The Deadman searched, HBK emerged from under the casket and once again laid Undertaker out with a superkick.
-Kane def. CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Christian, United States Champion MVP, Finlay, Mark Henry and Shelton Benjamin in an Eight-Man Over-the-Top Rope Battle Royal
The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania will host the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but on Raw, the match’s participants competed in an Eight-Man Over the Top Rope Battle Royal. Ladder Matches require a host of skills, including speed, endurance, and a Superstar’s willingness to take risks, but on Raw, the sheer force and power of Kane enabled him to taste victory. Following the match, The Big Red Monster climbed a ladder in the center of the ring to symbolically grab the briefcase suspended above the ring.
-Randy Orton gives his WrestleMania address; Orton and his “Legacy” were confronted and attacked by the WWE Champion, Mr. McMahon & Shane McMahon
Accompanied by Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and a group of security guards, Randy Orton came to the ring for his special WrestleMania address. While describing his reprehensible actions in recent months (punting Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon, attacking Triple H’s wife Stephanie on multiple occasions), The Legend Killer explained how every step of the way was part of a plan to destroy everything The Game cares about. He then began detailing how the balance of power in WWE would permanently shift in his favor following his WrestleMania win.
But before Orton could finish outlining his twisted vision of the future, a black limo arrived. Though the third-generation Superstar expected WWE Champion Triple H to make an appearance, calling Rhodes & DiBiase to his side, he was stunned by who accompanied him. Joining The Game on the stage were Mr. McMahon and his son, Shane. The three family members made their way down the ramp, where they collided with Orton and his “Legacy,” ending Raw in a massive, heated WrestleMania-bound brawl.
Dark Match:
* Cryme Tyme b. Dolph Ziggler & William Regal
- Cryme Tyme comes out to a huge pop. Shad gets the win via pinfall on Dolph Ziggler after connecting with his finisher.
Smackdown (Airing Friday)
* There is no opening pyro for SmackDown. Everyone is in a huge rush.
* Gail Kim & Maria b. Maryse & Michelle McCool
- You guessed it... Very quick match. Gail gets the tag and hits her neck-breaker finisher on Maryse for the win via pinfall.
* MVP b. Shelton Benjamin to retain the United States Championship.
- MVP comes out to a good pop. A video of MVP winning the title plays before the match. Very solid match. Shelton hit a Blockbuster for the two-count then MVP hit the Playmaker for the win. MVP was very over with the local crowd.
* Jeff Hardy vs. Ezekiel Jackson is announced for later.
* A Tribute to the Troops video package is shown.
* Jeff Hardy b. Ezekiel Jackson w/The Brian Kendrick is up next.
- Jeff Hardy comes out to a big pop. Hardy controls most of the match and gets the win following a Swanton Bomb.
This is all that is being taped for this week's SmackDown.
* They will also air live cut-ins from the AXXESS event.
* Nikki Bella w/The Miz & John Morrison b. Brie Bella w/Carlito & Primo Colon
- The Miz & John Morrison distract the referee and Nikki gets the win on her sister via the roll up. Sloppy match. The Miz & John Morrison staredown Carlito & Primo and leave.
This is all that is being taped for this week's ECW. I'm sure they'll do backstage segments as well.
Randy Orton is a snake and Triple H is at the top of his game, so I think you’re going to see Triple H retain his title.
In the Big Show v Edge v John Cena match I’m going to go with Show on that one, because he’s physically so strong.
Matt and Jeff Hardy is a toss up. It’s two brothers so who knows what is going to happen there.
Miz and Morrison will unify the titles and there are too many Divas in the battle royal for me to have any idea who will be the victor.
As for Money In the Bank – I’ll win that one of course!
WWE Championship
WorldHeavyWeight Championship
Money in the Bank
WWE Legends Match
Extreme Rules
Intercontinental Championship
End The Streak?
Tag-Team Unification Lumberjack Match
25 Diva Battle Royal
Gail Kim Returns 
The current plans for Christian are quite different than from what most wrestling fans were hoping for.The Fans' Plan
Vince McMahon is not a big fan of Christian.
However, wrestling fans absolutely love him.
Even before Christian made his official return to WWE, wrestling fans from around the world were already coming up with scenarios for him.
Some wanted to see him working a program with his real life close friend Edge (either in a feud or in a partnership).
Others wanted to see him working a high profile program against Jeff Hardy where Christian is revealed to be mystery attacker.
A small group of wrestling fans were actually hopeful that Christian was finally going to get that main event push in WWE that he had been wanting for years now.
However, those plans didn't exactly match up with what WWE had in mind.
Plans For Christian
Vince McMahon prefers having Christian in the midcard scene.
While it's still possible that the plans could change, WWE is hoping to keep Christian in ECW after Wrestlemania 25.
It is believed that Christian will start working a program with Jack Swagger again. The two had been feuding for a little bit, but the company stepped on the brakes to enable Christian to work in the Money in the Bank match.
Working a program over the ECW Heavyweight Championship isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, wrestling fans were hoping for something bigger.
A lot of wrestling fans would love to see Christian winning the Money in the Bank match.
Bigger Plans
I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I truly believe that WWE would be doing themselves a favor by giving Christian a huge push at Wrestlemania 25.
They can get the ball rolling by having him scale that ladder and grabbing that briefcase that will ensure that he's a threat to jump into the main event scene at any time in the next 12 months.
By having him do that, WWE can then have Christian jumping to either Raw or Smackdown without having to utilize the upcoming draft lottery.
Nothing against ECW, but Christian belongs on one of the two major brands; not the developmental brand.
Closing Thoughts
I really hope something happens from now until Wrestlemania 25 to get Vince McMahon to change his mind. He changes it on his own, but it doesn't hurt to have something convince him to.
Dallas of Monday Night Raw, WWE will be taping Smackdown and ECW bouts: As mentioned previously, in Dallas on Monday March 30 Monday Night Raw will be produced plus a few bouts for Smackdown and for ECW. I love a nice “car trip” such as this one as the Mrs. and I can drive down and back to Big D as we don’t leave for Wrestlemania until Thursday April 2. Hopefully I will be over the hump battling this bout of pneumonia by then.
European sales are doing well: European ticket sales are doing well for the April tour after Wrestlemania and the Annual WWE Draft. In a recent blog, we mentioned several venues that had already sold out and now you can add Geneva, Switzerland to the list. Tickets in London for Raw and Smackdown TV’s are not sold out as of yet but are “this close” so I suggest WWE fans in the UK to hustle and get your tickets to these London events which will obviously have different looks as they are after the Draft.
JR’s rumors on the WWE draft: Something tells me that this year’s WWE Draft will really shake things up even more than last year. No one has tole me this but it just seems like the deck will be completely reshuffled in Atlanta and that could include some new announce teams put together. Again, this is only speculation so for those considering this the Gospel please, “Lighten Up Francis.”
When JR is on WWE Axxess; I have WWE Axxess appearances this year on Thursday and Friday night in Houston. I’m looking forward to them and the chance to meet many of you. Thursday night I will be at the Announce a Match booth and Friday night I will be signing autographs with the King. J.R.’s Family BBQ won’t be a part of this year’s Axxess as we could not strike a fair deal with the concessionaire but some of our products, J.R.’s Beef Jerky and our Bar Nuts, will be available in limited supply at WWE’s souvenir stand at Axxess. If you buy ‘em, I’ll sure as heck sign ‘em!
The biggest Superstars from Raw, SmackDown and ECW debut on “WWE Superstars” – a one-hour exclusive weekly television show – featuring original matches between any WWE Superstar from any brand, at any time. “WWE Superstars,” the only place to see it all! Expect everything. "WWE Superstars" premieres Thursday, April 16.
WWE taped next week's edition of SmackDown at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. If you are attending a future WWE television taping and would be interested in sending us live report, please email us. Thanks for your support!Dark Main Event:
* The advertised World Title match with Edge and Jeff Hardy happened actually. Edge got the win after spearing Jeff with interference from Matt Hardy.
SmackDown: (Airing 27/03 Next Week)
* Kane, Christian, Shelton Benjamin and Finlay defeated MVP, Mark Henry ,CM Punk and Kofi Kingston. This match was a bit better than the six-man match they had on TV the other night. Kane got the win after a chokeslam on Punk.
* Big Show defeated Jesse and Festus in a Handicap match. It was good to see Jesse and Festus back but this was an obvious show to make Big Show look good for Wrestlemania. Show got the win after his knockout punch.
* Carlito, Primo Colon and Brie Bella defeated The Miz, John Morrison and Nikki Bella. Good match here considering everything, made me want to see their match at WrestleMania. Colons and Brie got the win with the Backstabber.
* Matt Hardy defeated R-Truth with a Twist of Fate.
* Maryse defended her Divas Championship against Michelle McCool. The match ended in DQ when Gail Kim made her return and hit Michelle with a missile dropkick before attacking Maryse. Gail has definitely arrived.
* Rey Mysterio defeated Chavo Guerrero with the 619. JBL came out after the match and dropped Rey with the big boot. They did show a graphic on the Triton that JBL will defend the IC Title against Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania.
* Shawn Michaels came out to cut a promo on The Undertaker. Shawn was dressed in white mocking Taker and said he represented the light while Taker represents the shadows. Shawn quoted scripture from the Bible and talked about he will be Mr. Wrestlemania and end Taker's streak.
WWE taped this week’s 500th edition of SmackDown at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. If you are attending a future WWE television taping and would be interested in sending us text-message updates, please email your name, mobile number and email address!! Thanks for your support!
Dark Match:
* Jimmy Wang Yang defeated Eric Escobar.
WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Airing This Week, 3/20:
* Triple H came out and cut a promo about Randy Orton. Triple H called Orton a disease and said he was the cure.
* Triple H defeated Vladimir Kozlov. Nothing special here. Triple H won with the Pedigree.
* MVP defeated Shelton Benjamin with the Playmaker to become the new United States Champion. Good match here with MVP deserving the win.
* Shawn Michaels defeated Kane with Sweet Chin Music. Shawn got a huge pop for appearing on SmackDown.
* Jeff Hardy defeated The Brian Kendrick in an Extreme Rules match. Good match with some nice spots. Hardy won with the Swanton.
* WWE did an announcement for the Von Erichs going into the Hall of Fame this year.
* The Undertaker defeated JBL in a non-title match. Not a bad match here. Taker won with his Hell’s Gates submission move.
* Vickie Guerrero got some huge heat as she announced the winner of the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania will be the Champion of her heart. John Cena came out and got involved, turning Big Show and Edge against each other after they formed some kind of truce. Edge accidentally speared Vickie which led to Show chokeslamming Edge and leaving with Vickie.
Andrew Martin, best known for his days as Test in WWE, has been found dead in his apartment at the age of 33. He would have been 34 in four days. Authorities in Tampa, Florida, where Martin lived, have stated that a body was found in a condo. Police say there was no indication of foul play. At about 8pm last night, officers were dispatched to Andrew 'Test' Martin's apartment after his neighbor reported she could see a man laying motionless inside. The officers forced entry and found Martin dead. His body has been transported to the local Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
At approximately 8:00pm on Friday, March 13, 2009, Tampa Police Officers responded to the Post Harbour Apartments, located at 725 Harbour Place Drive to check on the welfare of Mr. Andrew J. Martin. A neighbor reported that she could see into his apartment through a window and that Mr. Martin appeared motionless for several hours.
Officers entered the apartment and discovered Mr. Martin to be deceased. At this time there is no indication of foul play. The deceased was transported to the Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The date of the autopsy is undetermined at this time. The next of kin has been notified of the death.
Andrew “Test” Martin is a former wrestling champion with the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).
Lieutenant William Ferguson
Tampa Police Department
Brothers do Battle
25 Diva Battle Royal
