Linda McMahon announces U.S. Senate bid, resigns as WWE CEO

WWE chief executive officer Linda McMahon officially announced her candidacy Wednesday for the United States Senate from Connecticut, promising to bring a fiscally conservative perspective to the institution. Shortly after her announcement of candidacy, Linda McMahon resigned as WWE CEO with her husband WWE Chairman Vince McMahon assuming the office.

Linda McMahon pledged to self-fund much of her campaign for the Senate as a Republican. She certainly has the financial resources to be a player in the Connecticut race but she isn't necessarily be the odds-on favorite even in her own party as her WWE experience could prove a double edged sword.

McMahon will have to play up her successful financial expertise with WWE while downplaying the specific nature of its product, especially as it existed during its provocative Attitude Era. Of course, Linda McMahon has never had a role in creating WWE's on-air content but that fact could be lost on non-wrestling fans. In an attempt to refute any criticism, WWE's corporate site is playing up the company's recent conversion back to fully TV-PG programming.

What the non-wrestling fans of Connecticut will also soon discover is that Linda McMahon is a serious person, perhaps too much so for this endeavor. She shares neither the outrageous bombast nor the natural charisma of her fellow McMahon family members. That fact could also prove another double-edged sword for Linda McMahon as she takes this most unique of journeys.

The Linda McMahon for Senate Web site is already up @ Linda2010.com with a Twitter feed @ LindaForSenate.

ECW on Syfy results (9/15/09)

ECW on Syfy results - 9/15/09
(aired September 15, 2009 from Hamilton, Ontario.)

#1	William Regal	pin	The Hurricane	Burchill laid out Hurricane postmatch
#2	Yoshi Tatsu	pin	Zack Ryder	-
#3	Zack Ryder	win	Paul Burchill, Sheamus, Shelton Benjamin, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Reks, Vladimir Kozlov, Goldust, Ezekiel Jackson, Tommy Dreamer	battle royal, #1 ECW contender

TNA champion Kurt Angle's stalking case charges dropped

TNA champion Kurt Angle was exonerated Tuesday of charges brought against him in connection with the alleged stalking of ex-girlfriend Trenesha 'Rhaka Khan' Biggers. According to Pittsburgh television station WTAE/4, Angle was found not guilty by a district court judge of harassment of Biggers.

Two other charges, driving with a suspended license & drug possession of human growth hormone, were also dismissed. Angle stated that he had a valid prescription for the HGH found in his vehicle in connection with a preexisting neck injury, an explanation that was apparently accepted by the court. Angle had also stated that his encounter near a neighborhood Starbucks with Biggers that allegedly violated the protective order was inadvertent.

One charge remains outstanding against Kurt Angle, the preexisting assault charge that triggered the issuance of the protective order for Biggers against Angle in the first place. For the most part though, the questions that now surround Kurt Angle for TNA are not ones of legality but ones of basic human health of its champion.

With Kurt Angle's own condition so seemingly fragile and dependent on medications like HGH just to keep going in the ring, TNA should do with Angle what WWE is apparently now doing with Undertaker and allow him to wrestle a reduced schedule.

WWE Raw results (9/14/09)

WWE Raw results - 9/14/09
(aired live September 14, 2009 from Toronto, Ontario.)

#1	Jack Swagger & The Miz	pin	Kofi Kingston & Primo	Swagger pin Kingston
#2	Alicia Fox	pin	Gail Kim	#1 Divas contender
#3	Shawn Michaels	dq	Ted DiBiase	Rhodes interfere 4dq, DX/Legacy fought postmatch
#4	Evan Bourne & Hornswoggle	pin	Chavo Guerrero & Carlito	H'Swoggle pin Guerrero
#5	Trish Stratus, MVP & Mark Henry	pin	Beth Phoenix, Chris Jericho & Big Show	mixed tag, Stratus pin Phoenix
#6	Batista	pin	Randy Orton	no holds barred, Cena attack Orton in-match, Batista WWE return

(Guest host: Trish Stratus)
(Batista announces move to Smackdown brand.)

added to Hell in the Cell PPV:
- WWE champion John Cena vs. Randy Orton (hell in the cell)
- Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes ( hell in the cell)

John Cena defeats Randy Orton for WWE title in I Quit match

John Cena defeated Randy Orton for the WWE championship at the promotion's Breaking Point PPV in an "I Quit" match. Much of the match featured Orton attempting to force the verbal submission of Cena by physically punishing Cena while Cena was handcuffed to the ring ropes. Cena eventually forced the submission by handcuffing himself to Orton and applying the STF. Cena's title win is the 6th WWE/World level win of his tenure in the promotion.

While the WWE title change was a highlight, the World title match that closed the show left fans in disbelief. WWE booking piled a Dusty finish on top of a Montreal screwjob. Undertaker's Hell's Gate submission win being ruled invalid by Smackdown general manager Theodore Long based on the maneuver being invalidated by Vickie Guerrero last year. The ref then called for the bell immediately after Punk applied his Anaconda Vice without 'Taker actually submitting.

CM Punk escaped with the title but not before completely defeating the submission
concept of Breaking Point in the first place. Let's hope for WWE's sake that fans have long memories of Orton/Cena and short memories of the Punk/Taker screw-job or the promotion could find the 2010 Breaking Point a very tough sell.

In other matches of note, ECW champion Christian defeated William Regal in the consensus match of the night while Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes scored a shocking upset of DX with both Legacy tag teamers forcing Shawn Michaels to submit. The U.S. and Unified tag champions both successfully defended their belts while Kane won a forgettable Singapore Cane contest.

WWE Breaking Point PPV results (9/13/09)

WWE Breaking Point PPV results - 9/13/09
(aired live September 13, 2009 from Montreal, Quebec.)

#1	Unified tag champs Chris Jericho & Big Show	pin	MVP & Mark Henry	Jericho pin Henry
#2	U.S. champion Kofi Kingston	pin	The Miz	-
#3	Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes	sub	Triple H & Shawn Michaels	Legacy sub Michaels, subs count anywhere
#4	Kane	pin	The Great Khali	singapore cane
#5	ECW champion Christian	pin	William Regal	Kozlov/Jackson banned
#6	John Cena	sub	WWE champion Randy Orton	I quit, Cena new WWE champ
#7	World champion CM Punk	sub	Undertaker	submission, montreal screwjob sub

WWE Breaking Point PPV lineup (9/13/09)

WWE Breaking Point PPV lineup - subject to change
(September 13, 2009 from Montreal, Quebec.)

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- WWE champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena (I quit)
- World champion CM Punk vs. Undertaker (submission)
- ECW champion Christian vs. William Regal
- U.S. champion Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
- Unified tag champs Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. MVP & Mark Henry
- Kane vs. The Great Khali (singapore cane)
- Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes (submissions count anywhere)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (9/11/09)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown results - 9/11/09
(aired September 11, 2009 from Rockford, Illinois.)

#1	Finlay	pin	Mike Knox	belfast brawl
#2	Unified tag champs Chris Jericho & Big Show	pin	Cryme Tyme	non-title, Jericho pin JTG
#3	IC champion John Morrison	pin	Charlie Haas	non-title
#4	Layla	pin	Melina	McCool laid out Melina in-match
#5	World champion CM Punk	sub	Matt Hardy	non-title, submission

Jeff Hardy arrested on multiple felony drug charges

Ex-WWE pro wrestler Jeff Hardy was arrested this week on multiple felony drug charges including "charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids."

The Southern Pines Pilot newspaper reports word from the Moore County, N.C. sheriff's office that Hardy was arrested after "262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia" were uncovered.

Hardy has been formally charged with five felony counts including "felony trafficking in opium, two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance, & felony possession of cocaine." He was additionally charged with one misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia.

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UPDATE: The ex-WWE/World champion was reported by the Pines Pilot to be in jail Friday but Jeff Hardy has since tweeted the following this Friday afternoon.... "Alot of exaggerations are out there today, don't believe everything you read 4 it is not true, I am at home and fine-thanks for your concern."

TMZ.com and PWInsider.com both report that Jeff Hardy was bailed out "by his brother," presumably Matt, though Jeff later tweeted that Matt didn't even know about the situation.

WWE Royal Rumble PPV moved to avoid NFL conflict

WWE's 2010 Royal Rumble pay-per-view has been officially moved to January 31, sidestepping a conflict with the National Football League. For reasons still unclear, World Wrestling Entertainment had originally set its PPV event for January 24 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

As pointed out earlier this week by Richard Trionfo at PWInsider.com, the 1/24 placement put the Royal Rumble in direct conflict with one of the NFL conference championship games. With those games being among the most popular television events for young adult males in existence, the conflict would have significantly reduced the Royal Rumble buyrate.

The decision to reschedule the Royal Rumble to January 31, the off Sunday between the conference title games and the Super Bowl, was thus a no-brainer for World Wrestling Entertainment. It just amazes this blogger that WWE allowed the conflict to exist in the first place.

TNA Impact results (9/10/09)

TNA Impact results - 9/10/09
(aired September 10, 2009 from Orlando, Florida.)

#1	Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams	pin	Team 3D, Scott Steiner & Booker T, Beer Money, Inc.	non-title, 4-way, gauntlet, Magnus pin Steiner
#2	Taylor Wilde & Sarita	pin	Alissa Flash & Daffney	women's tag tourney match, Sarita pin Flash
#3	D'Angelo Dinero	pin	Jay Lethal	-
#4	Angelina Love & Velvet Sky	pin	Roxxi & Madison Rayne	women's tag tourney match, Sky pin Rayne, Roxxi TNA return
#5	Abyss	pin	Dr. Stevie	Nash/Stevie attack Abyss postmatch
#6	Cody Deaner	win	Tara	mixed martial arts, Kong laid out Tara in-match
#7	AJ Styles & Daniels	pin	Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe	Styles pin Angle, Morgan laid out Angle postmatch, Homicide/WElite laid out Hernandez

added to No Surrender PPV:
- Beer Money, Inc. vs. Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams vs. Team 3D (lethal lockdown)

WWE Superstars results (9/10/09)

WWE Superstars results - 9/10/09
(aired September 10, 2009 from Rosemont & Rockford, Ill.)

#1	Kane	pin	Jimmy Wang Yang	Kane laid out Wang postmatch
#2	Sheamus	pin	Yoshi Tatsu	-
#3	Nikki Bella	pin	Katie Lea Burchill	twin switch
#4	Dolph Ziggler	pin	Slam Master J	-
#5	Jack Swagger & The Miz	pin	Kofi Kingston & Primo	Miz pin Kingston

John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler removed from WWE Breaking Point

The match betwee new WWE Intercontinental champion John Morrison against Dolph Ziggler has apparently been removed from the WWE Breaking Point pay-per-view card. WWE.com no longer lists the match in its preview for this Sunday's event.

Assuming this isn't just a WWE.com glitch, it isn't immediately clear why the Intercontinental title match would be removed from the card. The match had only been added when Morrison's IC title win over the suspended Rey Mysterio was broadcast on last Friday's Smackdown. WWE may believe that Morrison is not yet worthy of a major PPV push or that Morrison vs. Ziggler simply hasn't received sufficient promotional time.

The absence of Morrison/Ziggler is especially jarring considering the inclusion of the much less important or credible Kane vs. The Great Khali from the same Smackdown brand in a Singapore Cane match. For whatever reason that Morrison/Ziggler has been removed, the wrestling quality of Breaking Point will take a significant hit in its absence.

ECW on Syfy results (9/8/09)

ECW on Syfy results - 9/8/09
(aired September 8, 2009 from Rockford, Illinois.)

#1	The Hurricane	pin	Paul Burchill	-
#2	Shelton Benjamin & Sheamus	pin	Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu	Benjamin pin Goldust, Sheamus/Benjamin fought postmatch
#3	Zack Ryder	pin	Rory Fargo	-
#4	Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov	pin	Christian & Tommy Dreamer	Jackson pin Dreamer, Regal laid out Christian/Dreamer postmatch

added to Breaking Point PPV:
- ECW champion Christian vs. William Regal

WWE Raw results (9/7/09)

WWE Raw results - 9/7/09
(aired live September 7, 2009 from Rosemont, Illinois.)

#1	MVP	pin	Chris Jericho	-
#2	Evan Bourne	pin	Chavo Guerrero	H'swoggle attack CGuerrero
#3	John Cena	dq	Cody Rhodes	Orton interfere 4dq, Cena laid out Rhodes postmatch
#4	Big Show	win	Santino Marella	bodyslam challenge
#5	Mark Henry	win	Big Show	bodyslam challenge
#6	D-Generation X	sub	Randy Orton & Chris Masters	Michaels sub Masters, DX/Legacy fought & Orton laid out Cena postmatch

(Guest host: Bob Barker)

ROH on HDNet results (9/7/09)

ROH on HDNet results - 9/7/09
(aired September 7, 2009 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.)

#1	Briscoe Brothers	pin	Kenny King & Rhett Titus	Steen/Generico, Briscoes attack Wolves postmatch
#2	Eddie Kingston	pin	Sal Rinauro	-
#3	Nigel McGuinness	pin	Aaron Scott	-
#4	Jerry Lynn	pin	Tyler Black	-

WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (9/4/09)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown results - 9/4/09
(aired September 4, 2009 from Cleveland, Ohio.)

#1	The Great Khali & Finlay	pin	Kane & Mike Knox	Finlay pin Knox
#2	John Morrison	pin	IC champion Rey Mysterio	Morrison new IC champ
#3	Eve Torres & Maria	pin	Natalya & Layla	ETorres pin Layla
#4	Matt Hardy	dq	World champion CM Punk	non-title, UTaker laid out Punk postmatch

added to Breaking Point PPV:
- Intercontinental champion John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler
- Kane vs. The Great Khali (singapore cane)

Nigel McGuinness agrees to WWE contract in principle

Ring of Honor wrestler Nigel McGuinness has agreed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, according to an official ROH press release. McGuinness is the second ROH prominent wrestler in recent weeks to agree to such a deal, coming soon after Bryan Danielson did the same.

The British national was a longtime heel mainstay of Ring of Honor, performing as its Pure Champion before losing the title in a unification match. McGuinness later won the Ring of Honor World championship outright. As with Danielson though, McGuinness had been placed by ROH into a less prominent position over the past several months as he explored outside options.

McGuinness will be allowed to complete his Ring of Honor run over the next month, working the same farewell cards as Danielson in Boston, Philadelphia and New York. ROH management just has to hope against hope that it can either hold on to its remaining top talent or successfully transition to its next generation of wrestlers.

TNA releases Angelina Love due to work visa issue

TNA Wrestling has released ex-Women's champion Angelina Love (aka Angel Williams) from the company, reports PWInsider.com, in what amounts to a stunning blow to TNA's Knockouts division.

The TNA Knockout and one half of the The Beautiful People tag team had a work visa that was either about to expire or had already expired. Without a valid work visa, TNA can not legally employ the Canadian national anywhere in the United States, making her an effective non-entity.

Love's release comes at an inopportune time for TNA. The entire concept of a women's tag team title was built around the notoriety achieved by The Beautiful People faction of Love and partner Velvet Sky. Without Love and her heel skill set, the act no longer exists. Since Love can't even get a final write-off, TNA won't get a fair resolution of her storyline.

If/when Angelina Love can get her visa issue resolved, TNA could still bring her back into its fold. Of course with Love now a free agent, WWE would also have the same opportunity. Ultimately though, Angelina Love has to take care of her own legal concerns before she can resume her path to pro wrestling stardom.

TNA Impact results (9/3/09)

TNA Impact results - 9/3/09
(aired September 3, 2009 from Orlando, Florida.)

#1	Sting	pin	Rhino	TNA contender semifinal, Rhino laid out Sting postmatch
#2	AJ Styles	pin	Chris Sabin	TNA contender semifinal
#3	Doug Williams	pin	Suicide	TNA contender semifinal, Suicide attack Dinero in-match
#4	Tara & Christy Hemme	pin	Hamada & Sojournor Bolt	women's tag tourney match, Tara pin Bolt, Hamada laid out Bolt postmatch
#5	Hernandez	pin	Homicide	TNA contenders semifinal
#6	AJ Styles	pin	Doug Williams	TNA contenders final
#7	Sting	dq	Hernandez	TNA contenders final, Young attack Sting for dq, WELite/Booker/Steiner laid out BMoney/3D postmatch

added to No Surrender PPV:
- TNA champion Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan vs. AJ Styles vs. Sting (Styles, Sting added)
- Legends champion Kevin Nash vs. Abyss (bounty vs. title)