WWE took the Denver Nuggets head on and lost but still came out looking good. Plus the Pulse looks back fondly at the legendary Owen Hart.
Opening Witty Banter
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. There really wasn’t much in WWE land in this week other than the huge battle between WWE and The Denver Nuggets so that’s there the column will focus this week.
Let’s take some ‘E…
The News of the Week
The biggest feud in pro wrestling has just become Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment versus the Denver Nuggets.
WWE’s live flagship broadcast Monday Night RAW was to emanate from the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver, Colorado tonigh. The problem is that game four of the Nuggets/Lakers NBA Western Conference finals is also scheduled for the Pepsi Center that very night.
WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman said that tey secured the rights for the Pepsi Center back on August 15 and already 10,000 tickets have been sold for the event, ranging from $20 to $70. He went on to say that the Pepsi Center confirmed with WWE back in March regarding the May 25 date, and sent a contract on April 15 (the final night of the regular NBA season), which WWE signed and returned. Tickets went on sale for WWE RAW on April 11.
The scheduling conflict didn’t arise until Sunday, May 17 when the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. If Houston had won the series then Denver would have had home-court advantage in the next round and would have hosted Games 1 and 2, which would have put the May 25 game in Houston.
As a way to make peace, the Denver Coliseum offered to host in the Pepsi Center’s place. However, the Coliseum is smaller than the Pepsi Center and it may not hold all the fans who have already purchased their tickets. It is expected that WWE will decline that offer.
Earlier in the week WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told The Associated Press he doesn’t believe there was “any malice, just ineptness,” on the part of Kroenke Sports, the organization that owns both the Nuggets and the Pepsi Center, and he plans to still send his crew and trucks to the Mile High City. Running a live wrestling event is a large production and WWE can’t afford to not go on with current plans.
“That’s what we intend to do,” he said. “We’re going to show up.”
WWE also has an obligation to the USA Network to produce two hours of original live content every Monday night so a show will be produced.
“When you do have a date, you plan everything around it,” McMahon said. “We may be holding an event in a parking lot somewhere.”
Paul Andrews, executive vice president of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, issued a statement Monday night saying, “We are working with the WWE to resolve the situation amicably.”
McMahon couldn’t resist in getting a jab in at Kroenke and his organization.
“The fans in Denver had a lot more faith in making the playoffs than the owner,” he said in a phone interview from Louisville, where RAW took place tonight.
Pepsi Center officials have told the ABC television affiliate in Denver that the Nuggets game will be played as scheduled and are working with WWE to reschedule or move its event.
The NBA is leaving it up to the Nuggets and WWE to figure out the mess.
“The Nuggets and the WWE understand that the date of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals cannot be changed,” NBA senior vice president Mike Bass said. “We are confident that the Pepsi Center and the WWE will resolve their scheduling conflict.”
In a video on ESPN.com McMahon sat down with his old employee Jonathan “The Coach†Coachman, who now works as an anchor for ESPN, to discuss the situation. He reiterated that he thinks that Stan Kroenke, owner of the Nuggets, was a bad business and proposed a steel cage match to settle things tounge-in-cheekly (I think.) During his appearance he even held up a #24 Kobe jersey to show his support for who he thinks will win.
Then on Wednesday, it looked as if The Nuggets won the fight for the Pepsi Center as WWE announced they would be relocating to LA for this coming week’s RAW.
The Los Angles Times revealed that not only will the live RAW show be emanating from the Staples Center, but Tuesday night’s “ECW†and “SmackDown†television tapings will also be produced from the Staples. Tuesday’s tapings were originally scheduled for Colorado Springs. The Staples Center is of course where the Nuggets’ opposition the Los Angeles Lakers play their home ball games in a not so ironic twist.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was on 9News in Denver on Wednesday and confirmed the venue change, as well as the cancellation of Sunday afternoon’s Loveland house show. They will be returning to the area on August 7 for a house show at the Denver Coliseum. He claimed was happy for the Nuggets players and the success they earned, but was angry with Stan Kroenke and his management team.
McMahon also appeared on ESPN Sportscenter and reiterated his disgust and Kroenke and in typical McMahon fashion teased he confront Kroenke on this week’s RAW. He also mentioned that they didn’t enforce the contract because he was told, “Absolutely not, we’re going to have a basketball game.”
That day The Pepsi Center released the following press release regarding the situation:
Kroenke Sports Enterprises announced Wednesday that despite reaching an agreement in principal with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on Tuesday afternoon, a formal agreement could not be reached to reschedule the WWE Monday Night RAW event originally scheduled for Monday, May 25.
As of 4:30pm MDT on Tuesday, May 19, KSE believed that it had used its best efforts to meet WWE’s terms for rescheduling the event to this Sunday night, May 24 at Pepsi Center. The new terms were very favorable to WWE and the KSE team believed Mr. McMahon was on board with the new deal that would have allowed Denver fans to enjoy the event.
However, McMahon apparently changed plans overnight and has now decided to move the event to Los Angeles. The event is now scheduled to take place at STAPLES Center on Monday. Fans with tickets for the Denver show will be able to receive refunds at the original point of purchase beginning Thursday, May 21 at 10am.
“Despite the propaganda campaign launched by WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon, the KSE team maintained a professional manner throughout this process. We had hoped for, and worked hard toward an amicable resolution – which we verbally had on Tuesday,” said KSE Executive Vice President Paul Andrews.
“We understand there will be many disappointed WWE fans in the Denver area. It’s unfortunate and disappointing that WWE executives ultimately chose this path. The sensationalism employed by WWE in this instance is not surprising. The amount of publicity and coverage enjoyed by their group over the last few days has clearly become their new business goal instead of finalizing what we thought was a favorable solution and would have ultimately allowed their fans to attend the event.”
Certainly not be outdone, WWE sent out their own following press release, announcing tickets on sale for Raw Monday.
STAMFORD, Conn. – World Wrestling Entertainment has made arrangements, given innumerable logistical challenges and obstacles, to move its internationally televised broadcast, WWE Monday Night Raw to Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center. The live televised event, which was scheduled to take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver this Monday, May 25th, will take place live at the STAPLES Center at 5:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets for Monday Night Raw in Los Angeles will become available tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
WWE was forced to seek alternative arrangements due to the Pepsi Center’s double-booking of May 25 for both WWE Monday Night Raw and Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. The event will now take place live from the home of the Denver Nuggets’ opponents, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Denver fans wishing to receive a refund for their tickets to the originally scheduled Pepsi Center event must return tickets to the original point of purchase.
WWE, never one to back down from publicity, also announced a huge ten-man tag main event for RAW from the Staples Center.
From WWE.com: Live on Raw from Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center, WWE presents its answer to the Lakers vs. the Denver Nuggets. WWE Champion Randy Orton, Legacy, The Miz & Big Show face U.S. Champion MVP, Batista, John Cena, Jerry Lawler & a fifth “player.”
And just as I figured, the babyface team will come out in Lakers jerseys for the match.
Wrestler of the Week
Week of May 18 – 24: CM Punk
Punk arguably had the two best matches of the week on WWE TV, both against Chris Jericho. It isn’t really surprising that Punk and Jericho would have great matches as they are two of the best in-ring technicians of the day and they have had six or eight free TV matches over the past year and a half, so their chemistry is definitely getting stronger. But Punk gets the nod here as he won both matches, first in a great main event on Superstars which he clean as a whistle, and then a disqualification victory the next night on SmackDown thanks to Umaga’s interference. Punk’s WWE career over the past year may have seemed like a yo-yo to a lot of fans but in my eyes there aren’t many that are pushed on a more consistent basis than the “Chicago Made†Punk.
RAW’s On Tonight!
Yeah tonight’s RAW should b all kinds of fun as I’ve documented above. And how great is it that they have booked an epic ten man tag match for the main event and didn’t even break brand lines to do it. Being all the main players are in the main event, expect that eat up about a half hour of time, plus another fifteen or so for the Flair-Orton confrontation and another for the Mr. McMahon-Kroenke debacle. Going out on a limb I’d expect that other hour to be filled with The Brian Kendrick’s quest to capture the Tag belts (with Festus probably as his partner this week), a divas tag match, some shenanigans from Santino and Santina Marella and maybe a US Title contenders match involving a combination of William Regal, Kofi Kingston and Matt Hardy.
On Last Week’s Episode…
SmackDown
How They Rated
Superstars (5.14.09) – 1.0
SmackDown! (5.15.09) – 1.9
A.M. RAW (5.17.09) – .9
RAW (5.18.09) – 3.6
ECW (5.19.09) – 1.1
This is Boring, What Else is There to Read?
This past weekend was the tenth anniversary of the death of Owen Hart. Pulse Wrestling had many great pieces up honoring the “Slammy Award-Winning King of Harts.â€
Scott Keith picked his ten favorite Owen Hart matches from his time in WWE.
Yours truly looked back at the life and times of Owen.
David B. wonders if Owen’s death changed wrestling in the long run.
For more relevant, interesting and exciting wrestling information from your truly, check out my gig as the Pro Wrestling Examiner over at Examiner.com.
