The Swamp (newsblogs.chicagotribune.com) has great World Wrestling Entertainment news, photos, videos and more
If you publish The Swamp or are a publisher of a great blog, join THE BOXXET NETWORK.
Smackdown: Four will settle the score
Original at The Swamp
• Sat, Oct 10
By Kevin Eck It was announced on Smackdown Friday night that The Undertaker will defend the world heavyweight title in a fatal four-way at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view on Oct. 25 against CM Punk, Batista and Rey Mysterio. That’s probably the best option... It was announced on Smackdown Friday night t...
A Decade of Smackdown scores a Perfect 10
Original at The Swamp
• Sat, Oct 3
By Kevin Eck Current and former WWE stars gathered to party like it was 1999 on a special episode of Smackdown Friday night to celebrate the show’s 10th year on the air. A very special guest couldn’t make it to the party at... Current and former WWE stars gathered to party like it was 1999 on a special episode o...
TNA Impact: The beginning of a face turn for the Main Event Mafia?
Original at The Swamp
• Fri, Oct 2
By Kevin Eck Between the violent dissolution of the alliance between the Main Event Mafia and the World Elite on Thursday’s episode of TNA Impact and the way Kevin Nash has been booked in recent weeks, it almost seems as if the seeds... Between the violent dissolution of the alliance between the Main Even...
TNA Impact not for the faint of heart
Original at The Swamp
• Fri, Sep 25
By Kevin Eck For those who enjoy the sanguinary and salacious aspects of pro wrestling that have been eliminated from WWE programming, I hope you caught Thursday night’s episode of TNA Impact. Among the highlight of the show: An attack by Mick Foley... For those who enjoy the sanguinary and salacious asp...
Looking at new TNA world champion A.J. Styles
Original at The Swamp
• Mon, Sep 21
By Kevin Eck If TNA’s goal is to be viewed as a distinctive brand and not a WWE – or even WCW – wannabe, the crowning of A.J. Styles as world champion at the No Surrender pay-per-view on Sunday night was a significant... If TNA’s goal is to be viewed as a distinctive brand and not a WWE – or even WCW – wannabe, the cro...
Dawn Marie: Health care program for wrestlers 'very close'
Original at The Swamp
• Sat, Sep 19
By Kevin Eck When former WWE diva Dawn Marie Damatta started the Wrestlers Rescue foundation a year ago, one of her main goals was to establish a health care program for professional wrestlers -- past and present -- and their families. That noble... When former WWE diva Dawn Marie Damatta started the Wres...
Quick hits on ECW
Original at The Swamp
• Sat, Aug 15
By Kevin Eck • Zach Ryder winning a 10-man battle royal on Tuesday night’s episode to determine the No. 1 contender for Christian’s ECW title surprised me. I like Ryder, and he and Christian had a good match together a couple months ago,... • Zach Ryder winning a 10-man battle royal on Tuesday night’s episod...
Batista takes care of unfinished business before leaving Raw
Original at The Swamp
• Tue, Jul 21
By Kevin Eck I love it when a plan comes together. With Batista ready to make his return after undergoing surgery to repair his torn biceps in June, WWE needed to figure out what to do with him. It was Randy Orton and... I love it when a plan comes together. With Batista ready to make his return after undergoing su...
Opinion: News and views on Robert Roode, Verne Gagne and Van Hammer
Original at The Swamp
• Mon, Feb 23
By Kevin Eck Here’s my take on some wrestling headlines from the past week: ROBERT ROODE RE-SIGNS WITH TNA: Roode told The Peterborough Examiner of Ontario that he has inked a new five-year deal with TNA despite having received some interest from WWE.... Here’s my take on some wrestling headlines from th...
Opinion: WrestleMania title picture comes into focus on Raw
Original at The Swamp
• Tue, Feb 17
By Kevin Eck So, what did we learn by watching Raw last night? Let’s review: • It looks like it’ll be Edge versus John Cena for the world heavyweight title, and Triple H versus Randy Orton for the WWE title at WrestleMania 25... So, what did we learn by watching Raw last night? Let’s review: • It looks like it’...
Opinion: Q&A with John CenaOriginal at The Swamp
• Wed, Feb 11
By Kevin Eck John Cena’s second movie, 12 Rounds, opens March 27. I spoke with the WWE world heavyweight champion over the phone last week about his acting career, and I slipped in a few wrestling questions, too. Was acting in a movie... John Cena’s second movie, 12 Rounds, opens March 27. I spoke with the WWE w...
Opinion: Great, a new WWE TV show
Original at The Swamp
• Fri, Dec 19
By Kevin Eck No matter how much wrestling was on television when I was younger – and at times it was quite a lot – there still was no such thing as too much wrestling. I would often tape the shows and forego... No matter how much wrestling was on television when I was younger – and at times it was quite a lot – there s...
Opinion: The Slammys on Raw: That’s entertainment
Original at The Swamp
• Tue, Dec 9
I absolutely abhor awards shows. The Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys – you name it, I hate it. They’re all too long and pretentious, and the scripted jokes are so lame that even Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler would have a hard time managing a fake laugh. If only all awards shows could be more like Th...
Opinion: Q&A with Jeff Hardy
Original at The Swamp
• Sun, Oct 5
By Kevin Eck I sat down for an interview yesterday afternoon with WWE star Jeff Hardy at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, where he was making a personal appearance to promote Smackdown’s move to MyNetworkTV (WUTB-24 in Baltimore) beginning tonight. Hardy is... I sat down for an interview yest...
Opinion: Raw gets blitzed by NFL
Original at The Swamp
• Fri, Sep 19
By Kevin Eck You know those “Did you know” graphics that WWE was running coming out of commercial breaks about Raw having higher ratings than Monday Night Football during the preseason? Well, don’t expect to see how the show fared against the NFL... You know those “Did you know” graphics that WWE was runn...
Opinion: Q&A with Ted DiBiase
Original at The Swamp
• Wed, Jul 23
By the time Ted DiBiase came to WWE in 1987, he already had been a top guy in several territories and was regarded as one of the best workers in the business. It was his “Million Dollar Man” character in WWE, however, that made DiBiase a superstar. DiBiase brilliantly portrayed one of wrestlin...
Opinion: WWE supplemental draft picks
Original at The Swamp
• Wed, Jun 25
WWE has announced the results of the supplemental draft on its Web site. A couple of the moves were predictable, some were head-scratchers and others were inconsequential. The biggest names involved were Carlito (Raw to Smackdown), Mark Henry (Smackdown to ECW), Shelton Benjamin (ECW t...
Opinion: Booker T. discusses Michael Hayes’ use of the N-word
Original at The Swamp
• Wed, Jun 4
During a conference call with Booker T. (who was subbing for Kevin Nash) yesterday, I asked him what his experience was like in WWE working with Smackdown head writer Michael Hayes, who was suspended 60 days in April for using a racial slur. Booker laughed, and then said: “I don’t know what’s...
Opinion: One Night Stand thoughts
Original at The Swamp
• Mon, Jun 2
By Kevin Eck WWE promised extreme action last night, and it delivered a very strong pay-per-view show in which a wrestling legend lost what was advertised as a career-threatening match, while another major star suffered a significant injury. Edge defeated The Undertaker in... WWE promised extreme ac...
Opinion: Q&A with Shawn Michaels
Original at The Swamp
• Wed, Nov 14
After spending more than four months at home recovering from knee surgery, Shawn Michaels stepped right back into the WWE title picture last month and filled the void left by John Cena, who had gone down with a torn pectoral muscle. Michaels, 42, faces WWE champion Randy Orton this Sunday a...