WrestleMania 22 Blog

To read the full results from the 2/27 edition of Raw, click here

To read what happened after Raw went off the air, click here

Here are the major Wrestlemania 22 Developments from this weeks Raw:

-The Money in the Bank Ladder Match will take place at Wrestlemania 22, with Rob Van Dam, Shelton Benjamin, and Ric Flair qualifying so far

-Mick Foley declined Edge's challenge for a match at Wrestlemania 22, but instead challenged Edge to a Hardcore Match at Wrestlemania 22 - Edge is yet to accept the challenge

-Vince McMahon promised to kick Shawn Michaels ass at Wrestlemania, but no match has been announced

-Also at Saturday Nights Main Event, Triple H and John Cena will take on Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and the World Heavyweight Champion in a battle between the Raw and Smackdown Wrestlemania 22 Main Eventers. HBK will also take on Shane McMahon in a Street Fight.

During Raw tonight, it was announced that Mean Gene will be the third inductee into the Class of 2006 WWE Hall of Fame. It was also announced that Mean Gene will be inducted by none other than Hulk Hogan!

Also, for those that weren't crazy enough to camp out in the freezing Chicago Weather for Hall of Fame tickets like myself, or if you couldn't get your hands on tickets online, USA network will be broadcasting a portion of the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame at 10 PM Central Time on Saturday Night, April 1st.

WWE.com has updated the following WWE Superstar Appearences for the Chicagoland Area during Wrestlemania 22 Week:

Wednesday, March 29 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits, 1300 N Lewis Ave. Waukegan, IL 60085
Meet Rob Van Dam at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 29 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Toys "R" Us , Orland Park, IL

Beginning March 2, the first 500 guests who purchase WWE products worth $20 or more at Toys “R” Us Orland Park will receive a ticket to meet “Superstar” Billy Graham. Ticket holders will receive Billy Graham’s autograph during a special event on March 29.

Additionally, the WrestleMania Fan Axxess Tour, hosted by WWE Legend Hillbilly Jim, will offer interactive activities for WWE fans in the store’s parking lot throughout the day. See store for details.

Autograph session with WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham
5 pm – 7 pm
WrestleMania Fan Axxess Tour
12 noon – 8 pm

Location of event:
Toys “R” Us Orland Park

45 Orland Square Drive
Orland Park, IL 60462
For more information, customers can call Toys "R" US at (708)460-9494

Thursday, March 30 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits, 221 E. Rollins Rd. Round Lake Beach, IL 60073
Meet Booker T at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Friday, March 31 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits, 5711 S La Grange Rd. Countryside, IL 60525
Meet Chris Benoit at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

According to DIRECTV's website, Wrestlemania 22 will cost $49.95 this year. Starting on March 10th, you can order Wrestlemania's Big Time Moments for a penny, which will take a look at the past 21 Wrestlemania's. Also, if you order Doom (which premieres on March 23) and Wrestlemania 22, you will receive two limited edition posters of The Rock.

Thanks to Erwin for sending in the following Wrestlemania 22 Promotional Posters

Here are the WWE Fan Axxess Tour dates for the week of 2/27:

March 3, 2006 – Los Angeles, CA
SmackDown Viewing Party
Location To Be Announced

March 4, 2006 – Los Angeles, CA
Universal City Walk
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
11:00am - 7:00pm

Tonight on WWE Raw, Triple H won The Road To Wrestlemania 22 Tournament, setting up a match between himself and John Cena in the Main Event at Wrestlemania 22

Also tonight on Raw, it was announced that Eddie Guerrero will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

Along with all of these developments, Edge challenged Mick Foley to a match at Wrestlemania 22, and Carlito had the "idea" of a Money In The Bank match at Wrestlemania

For full WWE Raw results, including the return of Marty Jannetty click here

Winners are in italics

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Kid Kash vs. Psicosis vs. Super Crazy vs. Nunzio vs.
Funaki vs. Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Scotty Too Hotty vs. Gregory Helms (C)

Bobby Lashley vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Matt Hardy and Mystery Partner (Tatanka) vs. MNN (C)

United States Championship Match
Chris Benoit vs. Booker T (C)

Number One Contender Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Championship Match
The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle (C)

For full results, click here

World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Sponsored by Chicago Cycle

Bret “Hit Man” Hart and other wrestling legends (names to be announced) will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. All of the current WWE Superstars, and more than 3,000 fans from around the world will be at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is an elegant, emotional, star studded event that recognizes the in-ring achievements of the inductees, and offers historical insights into this century-old sports-entertainment attraction.

When: Saturday, April 1, 2006- 7 p.m.

Where:Rosemont Theatre- 5400 North River Road, Rosemont, Illinois

Tickets: $80.00 and $50.00

Tickets for the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony go on-sale Saturday, February 25th, 10 A.M. CT, at Rosemont Theatre Box Office, All Chicago-area Ticketmaster Ticket Center including Carson Pirie Scott, Tower Records, and Hot Tix, location, and select Coconuts& FYE locations. Call Ticketmaster Phone charge at (312)559-1212, or reserve tickets on-line at www.Ticketmaster.com.

Bacon, Bagels & Biceps Brunch

Bacon, Bagel, and Biceps Brunch is the traditional way to jump-start “WrestleMania Sunday.” This “high-energy” Brunch will include interaction between the Fans and the WWE SuperStars, before they all head over to Allstate Arena for WrestleMania 22.

When: Sunday, April 2, 2006- 9 a.m.

Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 North River Road, Rosemont, Illinois

Tickets: $125.00

Bacon, Bagels & Biceps Brunch tickets go on-sale Saturday, February 25th, 10 A.M. CT, at Rosemont Theatre Box Office, All Chicago-area Ticketmaster Ticket Center including Carson Pirie Scott, Tower Records, and Hot Tix, location, and select Coconuts& FYE locations. Call Ticketmaster Phone charge at (312)559-1212, or reserve tickets on-line at www.Ticketmaster.com

You can now vote on your favorite Wrestlemania Underdog Story by clicking here

Thanks to Qumar for the following:

The WWE is auctioning off lunch with all 3 members of MNM on their auction site. The winner gets to have lunch on April 1 for 90 minutes, and will get autographs, photos taken, etc. The opening bid is $300 and the auction ends on March 13th. Here is the link

The WWE currently has 3 different WrestleMania 22-related sweepstakes going on through WWE.com. There are 2 sweepstakes, with only one entry per e-mail address, one sponsored by Mountain Dew (only for residents in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana), another sponsored by KB Toys (48 contiguous states). The third sweepstakes run solely by WWE.com itself (for U.S., Canada and United Kingdom), where you can enter once per day per e-mail address.

Through that last sweepstakes, people who get "Sorry...You're not a Winner," are given a special offer of 10% off on any purchase over $75 at WWEShop.com. Go to WWEShop.com and use the code NICETRY at checkout to receive your special offer.

As reported earlier, not only will this weeks Smackdown be pre-empted in Chicago, but the March 3rd edition of Smackdown will also be pre-empted because of the Illinois Class AA Girls Basketball state tournament. Both shows will air at 10 P.M. instead of 7 P.M.

Here are the WWE Fan Axxess Tour dates for the week of 2/19:

February 24, 2006 – Phoenix, AZ
SmackDown Viewing Party
RT O'Sullivan's
1010 West Southern Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210
6:30pm - 9:00pm

February 25, 2006 – Phoenix, AZ
Desert Ridge Marketplace
Tatum Boulevard & Loop 101, Phoenix, AZ
12:00pm - 8:00pm

Hillbilly Jim has updated his Fan Axxess Tour Blog, and you can read his updates here

From Impact Wrestling:

PWInsider reports that the Bret Hart-hall of fame deal was made on February 6. Bret had been saying he wasn’t interested, and always said he would never work for WWE again, however he decided that he would go in and do his speech. He is not getting paid, WWE is just sending him there, inducting him, and then he’s going home. Bret is not taking any money for this, and wants to use this as his farewell in WWE.

As of right now, Bret is not going to be involved in anything to do with WrestleMania, and it’s unknown who will officially induct him at the show.

Here is where things get interesting. TNA heard that Bret was going to be at the hall of fame, and set up a meeting between Jarrett and Hart in Calgary. TNA had very much intended to make a deal with Bret big enough to snatch him out from under WWE. However, due to a family emergency Jarrett couldn’t make the meeting. If Jarrett had made the meeting, things very well could have turned out differently.

From PWTorch:

Bret Hart talked about his decision to appear at the WWE Hall of Fame for his induction in April in an interview with Canada's Slam website. "It took a lot of diplomacy," Hart said. "But I think we just softened. Vince McMahon called me up when I had my stroke in 2002, and I think that was a big step towards where we are now. I always appreciated the fact that he called me and that softened a lot of the bad feelings between us." Bret had been "on the fence" about appearing at the Hall of Fame ceremony just two weeks ago. Also in the interview, he talked about one of the main reasons he agreed to be part of the DVD. "The title of the DVD was to be Screwed," he said, "and when Vince called me to partake in it, I said that I would never be a part of it. When I eventually saw it, it was nearly complete, and it was right up there with the Ultimate Warrior's DVD. I told Vince that my career was never about what had happened at Survivor Series or about Owen's death." He also spoke about his series of matches with Ric Flair. "Flair and I had pretty good matches, by Flair's standards anyway," Hart explained. "But on the day that I won the belt, and from that point on, we starting having really shitty matches. He sort of, accidentally-on-purpose, began screwing up the matches, getting the endings wrong. I found that this was happening consistently, and I ended up going to Vince McMahon and telling him that Flair was sabotaging the matches. They ended up calling us together to try and sort it out, and I remember him confessing to me that he was having problems with his wife, at home, that he was distracted, and he apologized for not being able to give me the matches that we had had before."

To read the full article click here

Stay tuned for more information on the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame

In what is one of the biggest stories in the wrestling world in a long time, WWE.com has just reported that Bret Hart will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1st in Chicago! To view the video, click here

Here are the WWE Fan Axxess Tour dates for the week of 2/13:

February 13, 2006 – Atlanta, GA
RAW Viewing Party
Jock ‘n’ Jills
One CNN Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
8:00pm - 11:00pm

February 17, 2006 – Dallas, TX
Ticketstock
The Plano Centre
2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano TX 75074
12:00pm - 7:30pm

February 18, 2006 – Dallas, TX
Ticketstock
The Plano Centre
2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano TX 75074
10:00am - 6:30pm

February 19, 2006 – Dallas, TX
NO WAY OUT Viewing Party
Buffalo Wild Wings
4066 Hwy 75 N, Sherman, TX 75092
6:30pm - 10:00pm

It was revealed this week on Smackdown that Wrestlemania 22 will start at 6 P.M. central time. For those going to the event, The Fan Axxess Tour is scheduled to go from 12 P.M. to 5 P.M., with Wrestlemania beginning at 5:30 P.M.

For full Smackdown results, click here

Thanks to Qumar for the following:

WWE finally listed the locations for the last RAW and SmackDown shows before WrestleMania 22.

The last RAW before WM22 will be on Monday, March 27th, in Omaha, Nebraska.

http://www.wwe.com/schedules/events/eventdetail/?id=2025902

They are advertising a Cena vs. Edge (w/Lita) match for the show, which is most likely a dark match.
-
The last SmackDown before WM22 will be on Tuesday, March 28th, in Kansas City, Missouri.

http://www.wwe.com/schedules/events/eventdetail/?id=2117694

They are advertising a Fatal Four Way for the World Championship between Angle, Orton, Mark Henry, and Undertaker. Again, this could also just be a dark match for the fans in KC.

Apparently SmackDown on Friday, February 24th, will be pre-empted in Chicago. WPWR-TV will be airing live coverage of the Illinois state High School Girls Basketball tournament. SmackDown will air right after the 2nd primetime game, which is slated for 10pm. This will be the first SmackDown after No Way Out.

WWE.com has updated several of the activities taking place in the Chicagoland Area the week of Wrestlemania 22, and here is the current listing of all the activities:

Appearances

Wednesday, March 29 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Rest, Chicago, IL
Meet Rob Van Dam at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Thursday, March 30 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Rest, Chicago, IL
Meet Booker T at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Friday, March 31 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Popeye's Rest, Chicago, IL
Meet Chris Benoit at an Autograph Session from 4:30 - 6 p.m.


WWE Fan Axxess Tour

March 29, 2006 – Chicago, IL
Toys R Us
Orland Park
45 Orland Square Drive, Orland Park, IL 60462

March 30, 2006 Chicago, IL
THQ Superstar Challenge
Location To Be Announced

April 2, 2006 – Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena
12:00pm - 5:00pm

As soon as more information is released, you can find it here at The Wrestlemania 22 Blog

According to pwinsider.com, tickets for the 2006 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony at the Rosemont Theatre will go on sale on Saturday, February 25th at 10 a.m. Central Time. Tickets will be going for $80 and $50. The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday night, April 1st.

This weeks Wrestlemania Big Time moment of Kane tombstoning Pete Rose at Wrestlemania XIV can be viewed here

According to her appearance on the Jay Leno show Monday night, Candice Michelle will be competing for the Women's Championship at Wrestlemania 22. You can watch here appearance right here.

To read full WWE Raw Results, click here

Here are the WWE Fan Axxess Tour dates for the week of 2/6:

February 7, 2006 – Columbus, GA
Civic Center
400 4th St., Columbus, GA 31901
6:30pm - 7:30pm

February 9, 2006 – Atlanta, GA
Deep South Wrestling
1500 McDonough Pkwy, McDonough, GA 30253
4:00pm - 7:30pm

February 11, 2006 – Atlanta, GA
Mall of Georgia
3333 Buford Drive, Buford, GA 30519
12:00pm - 8:00pm

February 12, 2006 – Atlanta, GA
Mall of Georgia
3333 Buford Drive, Buford, GA 30519
12:00pm - 6:00pm

According to WWE.com, a tournament will be held starting this Monday on Raw to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship. Here is your complete WWE Raw preview for February 6.

Moving down the road

The Road to WrestleMania continues as RAW rolls into Atlanta this week.

A tournament will be held to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship, and it will begin Monday night on RAW. The opening round of The Road to WrestleMania Tournament, which will feature four matches, will be completed by the time RAW goes off the air.

In first round action, Rob Van Dam will take on Carlito. Carlito aggravated RVD's knee injury on the Cabana back in June, which set Mr. Monday Night back another six months. Now that he's back, RVD not only has the WWE Championship on his mind, but also some revenge.

Chris Masters, along with Carlito, was responsible for eliminating Kane from the New Year's Revolution Elimination Chamber. Then, last week the Big Red Machine was unable to break the Master Lock. Will Kane have better luck this week as he takes on Chris Masters in another first round matchup?

The history between Ric Flair and Triple H is well-documented...and very personal. They have been the best of friends and the worst of enemies. And they will get to write another chapter to their rivalry in the first round of the tournament.

Also in the first round, Shawn Michaels will take on Big Show. HBK already has a lot on his mind with Mr. McMahon, and now his son Shane. The Showstopper will need to focus all of his attention on Big Show if he hopes to advance in the tournament.

Last week, Edge defeated John Cena by disqualification when Lita hit the Rated R Superstar with the WWE Championship while Cena had him set up for the F-U. While Edge won the match, the gold did not change hands, leaving the Rated R Superstar still a challenger. On top of all of this, Edge and Lita left the arena separately. How will all of this impact their relationship?

Also last week, Shane McMahon struck again, nailing Shawn Michaels with a chair as Mr. McMahon looked on. How will HBK react to this latest setback in his standoff with the WWE Chairman?

Plus, the tensions between Trish Stratus, Ashley and Mickie James continue to rise. How will Ashley and Trish react to Mickie’s actions during her celebration for the Women’s Champion last week?

Tune into RAW Monday night at 9/8 CT on the USA Network to see what happens.