WWE Articles for 2011

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WWE & TNA Ratings From The UK
Posted by Larry Csonka on 02.23.2011

How are the shows doing?

Credit: Ian Hamilton andPwinsider.com

- Here are the UK ratings report for the week ending February 13th:

Raw from February 7th:
drew 149,000 in the live airing (up 38,000 viewers/+25%)
drew 59,000 in a replay on Friday evening

SmackDown from February 11th:
drew 133,000 in the first airing (up 32,000 viewers/+24%)
drew 33,000 in a replay on Saturday morning

NXT from February 8th:
drew 22,000 in a replay on Saturday night

Superstars from February 10th:
drew 23,000 in a replay on Saturday night (before NXT)

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WWE News: Smackdown ratings are in for Friday's show - Smackdown takes a hit following record Syfy rating
Mar 7, 2011 - 5:02:09 PM By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Smackdown on Friday, March 4 scored just below a 2.0 rating, down from the previous week's 2.3 record rating for Smackdown on Syfy.

Smackdown was slightly below the Feb. 18 episode, which was just above a 2.0 rating. Through the first nine episodes of 2011, Smackdown has averaged just below a 2.0 rating.

Caldwell's Analysis: Smackdown's target rating is essentially a 2.0. The Mar. 4 show "returned to earth" after the huge rating on Feb. 25 for the fall-out from the 2/21/11 Raw episode.

Overall on Friday night, Smackdown's average viewership of 3.0 million viewers ranked #8 on cable TV. Smackdown ranked #9 in males 18-34 and #2 in males 18-49. Smackdown was #1 in m18-49 for its timeslot.

Disney channel programming drew in a considerable number of younger viewers on Friday night and the NBA game on ESPN also performed well, which could have impacted Smackdown's ratings.

-- Smackdown was down 30 percent among teen males 12-17 compared to the Feb. 25 episode, which set every rating & demo record for Smackdown on Syfy. Compared to the 2011 average, Smackdown was down 15 percent in m12-17.

-- Smackdown was down 25 percent among males 18-49 compared to Feb. 25. Compared to the 2011 average in the demo, the show was down 15 percent.

-- Smackdown was down 28 percent among males 18-34 compared to Feb. 25. Compared to the 2011 average in the demo, the show was down 16 percent.

pwtorch.com

WWE: Chris Benoit Becomes Hall of Famer If Alive Today
By: Robert Aitken (Featured Columnist) on July 12, 2011

What if Chris Benoit did not kill his family and was still alive today?

Chris Benoit is a topic that I have written about on three prior occasions. I've also mentioned him in other varied rankings. The only thing that fascinates me more than his final days on earth is the damage that has been done to his legacy in the four years and 18 days since his shocking death.

I don't need to recap Chris Benoit's double murder-suicide in his Atlanta home, but the one thing I haven't done is attempt to create a realistic time line of how the remainder of his career might have played out. How would the last four years and 18 days have gone for Chris Benoit, his family and those around him? Here is my projected time line, broken into five major categories.



ECW

Let's start with the day of his death, June 24, 2007. That was the day that Benoit killed himself, as well as the night of Vengeance: "Night of Champions." It would be the first time that the "Night of Champions" name was placed on a pay-per-view and the final time Vengeance was used for a pay-per-view. Ironically, the name is being brought back this year on October 23, once again standing on its own as a pay-per-view name.
Images-2_original_crop_340x234 Benoit was expected to become ECW Champion at Vengeance: Night of Champions.

That night was supposed to crown a new ECW champion. The vacant title was going to be won by either Benoit or CM Punk. Both men had yet to hold the championship, and for Benoit, a member of the original ECW promotion, the title match was a way to come full circle. It has been confirmed by WWE that Benoit was scheduled to win the championship had he competed.

Benoit could have spent a long time with the ECW Championship, and CM Punk could have chased it in a nice changing of the guard between the two. With Benoit still in the title hunt, some changes to what actually occurred would have had to take place.

For one thing, Johnny Nitro would not have become John Morrison and ECW champion, even if the gimmick change was planned for the future. Without a heel for Morrison to get over as ECW champion, there may never have been a Miz and Morrison tag team. Without that tag team, The Miz may never have had the chance to branch out on his own and become The Awesome One that he is today.

ECW did not have fantastic ratings, even with Benoit on the brand, so I can't imagine that ECW would have stuck around forever—or that Benoit would have stayed on the brand forever. I still believe that the brand would have been dissolved and that NXT would have been created. Much like past ECW superstars, Benoit could have been named a pro during one of the NXT seasons.

I would imagine that Benoit as ECW champion would have been similar to Christian's reign with the championship. It would have brought a lot of prestige back to the championship, it would have been a long reign and it would have put some of the younger challengers on the map. Eventually, CM Punk would have claimed his ECW championship, but without Benoit the brand suffered, claiming some random champions for most of the rest of its existence.


For more of this article click on the link at the bottom of this post.


Source:bleacherreport.com

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Gail Kim Insists She Quit WWE - TNA Return?
By Ryan Clark | August 06, 2011

Gail Kim insisted Friday on her Twitter account that she quit WWE on Monday and was not released.

"I didn't ask for a release. I QUIT," she wrote to TNA Wrestling performer Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara). "Lol meaning I don't want their money I'd rather be freeeeeeee haha."

She commented further, "I don't know but I've been telling them since Monday I quit. So either they have control issues or they're in denial."

WWE, however, has yet to announce that she has been released from the organization. Regarding their lack of announcement, she wrote, "Future endeavor message? Ok here it is: I wish the WWE the best in their future endeavors!"

Varon is lobbying on Twitter for Kim to return to TNA Wrestling, where the Canadian grappler presided as the first Women's Knockout Champion.

"Super excited to hear about Gail asking for her release. TNA TNA TNA!!!!!" she exclaimed. "Oops I mean Impact Wrestling! Impact Wrestling! Impact Wrestling!!!!"

Christy Hemme, who appears as a ring announcer for TNA, is also lobbying for Kim to return.

"What!??!? Come back to TNA then!!!" she wrote after learning of Kim's departure from WWE. "Love seeing all the excitement for Gail Kim. My fav bad ass female wrestler makes life on her own terms!! Of course she does!!"

Kim says she is glad to leave WWE, calling it "the best thing ever."

"Everyone sounds upset or sad or concerned..trust me it's the best thing ever. Now my life can begin. All the negativity is gone and control over my life. No one can hold me down but me now!"

Source: www.wrestlinginc.com