Deuce & Domino crack their silence

By Lennie DiFino
Written: May 7, 2007
The WWE Tag Team Champions Deuce & Domino have an in-ring style that combines their brutal offensive maneuvers with the attitudes they bring each time they are in action. Outside the ring, the duo is very similar, carrying themselves with attitude and brutally offensive comments to this WWE.com reporter. After numerous attempts to conduct an interview with the new tag champions after they won the titles, Deuce & Domino were finally persuaded to sit and chat with WWE.com.When asked what winning the gold meant to them, Domino was quick to say, “before we won the titles we were the coolest thing ever, and after we won the titles, well, we are still the coolest thing ever.” He continued, “so it’s kind of the same, but now we are the champs. And we are happy to be the champs because you know what that means for Domino? More girls.”Domino’s partner Deuce shared those sentiments saying, “more girls for both of us.” Deuce was then slapped by his bubblegum-chewing girlfriend Cherry, who reminded him, “no girls for you, I am your girl.” After Deuce reassured Cherry, “you are my girl, absolutely,” he was fast to make sure she remained quiet for the rest of the interview. Cherry’s brother Domino then returned to business, claiming, “we came here to win the titles and nobody said we could do it, and we did it in three months. Nobody could beat London & Kendrick until Deuce & Domino – the biggest attraction in sports-entertainment – came along and took the titles on the 400th episode of SmackDown in Milan, Italy.”After pressing for an answer as to how they were able to defeat London & Kendrick, Deuce angrily said, “Deuce and Domino – that reckless style we have in the ring, we beat ‘em up, smashed ‘em, cracked ‘em in da mouth.” Deuce then added a challenge, “you got something you want to say?”While ducking for cover, WWE.com questioned Domino about the former champions’ plans to regain the WWE Tag Team Championships, which recently saw Brian Kendrick causing problems by defeating Domino in one-on-one action. “Last time I checked we were the champions, so I wouldn’t call them a problem,” he said. Deuce then interrupted once more, saying, “they (London & Kendrick) are not a thorn in our sides, they are a pebble to kick around.” Domino added, “we are the champs – Deuce & Domino, get it right before we do something about it.”The men from the Other Side of the Tracks then ended the interview, walking off admiring their titles, Cherry not far behind on her skates. The roar of the pink Cadillac could be heard in the parking lot, as Deuce & Domino’s theme music blasted from the car stereo as they drove off.

2-out-of-3 Falls Match - United States Champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP

The ongoing conflict between United States Champion Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter will add another chapter at Judgment Day when the two SmackDown Superstars face off in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the gold. MVP earned the right to face Benoit once more when he scored a huge victory over former rival Kane in a No. 1 Contender’s Match on SmackDown.MVP’s pursuit of championship gold has seen him push Benoit to the limit numerous times, only to watch as the experience of the Rabid Wolverine comes out on top. The flashy and confident Superstar has vowed that Benoit will be the first man to lose gold to him. Chris Benoit remains the United States Champion, and until MVP can find a way to get past the in-ring savvy of the veteran, the only bling the ballin’ Porter can flash is around his neck – not his waist.
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Bangin' with Ashley

By Ashley Massaro
Written: May 11, 2007
In the last edition of Bangin' with Ashley, she dished on her latest band exploits and promised an exclusive interview with The Hives.
Now, for the interview with The Hives. These guys were definitely super cool. They are from Sweden.
So funny…ya know how people always ask if you know someone from a certain state, meanwhile it’s a huge state, what are the chances of you knowing that person? Well, I totally pulled that on them, only one step worse. I found out they were from Sweden, and I happen to know a model from Sweden. Mind you, all I know is she’s from Sweden, and I have no idea what part or anything. So this jacka** (that would be me), upon meeting them says, “Hey guys, do know this chick Erika Johnson, she’s a model and she lives in Sweden."
Then I realized what a jerk I sounded like…UNTIL…they said, YES we know her, she’s in some movies and such! Apparently, she’s well known over there! So yeah, they saved me from being THAT girl. The idiot.
Anyway, without further rambling, I give you the interview with Nicholas Arson of The Hives:
Q: How did you guys get involved in working with Timbaland?A: He called us. Q: He just asked? A: We knew of him and did the track around May.Q: Sweet! When Timbaland’s tracking you down, that must feel pretty good. Do you have an album coming out or tour we should know about?A: The album should be coming out this fall along with a tour around August. Lately we've been in a few places, including Miami, recording.Q: Who are your musical influences, and what would you describe your sound like?A: We listen to all kinds of music starting with ‘60s and punk. The Sonics, Before The Damned, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys and bands that were around at that same time. The Oblivions and The New Bomb Turks also. We always described our sound as something like a velvet glove with brass knuckles; brutal and sophisticated at the same time.Q: What about your style? It’s very unique. I love it. Derived from anything? (They wear all white and black fitted suits, ties and shoes, very James Bond-esque.)A: We read an article once about Spy vs. Spy from the magazine MAD, and that's where the black and white came from. And black and white photo negs. Which we all dig.Q: How did you like the video shoot overall and the track…were you happy with the way the song turned out?A: I think the song sounds great. So far we’re having fun at the shoot.Q: Have you ever watched wrestling?A: When we were young, we got cable in Sweden around nine or 10 and watched American wrestling aka WWE. We were fans from then on. Our favorites included “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Brutus the Beefcake, Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior and Jimmy Snuka. Q: Do you still live in Sweden?A: Yes, we still live in the same town we grew up in. Two of us live in Stockholm.Q: Where do you like touring the best?A: Southern Europe, everywhere. It’s almost the same because it’s an amazing feeling to tour. The only different feeling place is Japan. They're very organized, they do what they are supposed to do, but as a punk band, to have them react that way at a show, well, it’s kind of weird.
Thanks, Nicholas. Good Luck to all of you guys with the new album, looking forward to it!!!
So I spoke to Lita and she's got some exciting and interesting news about herself and The Luchagors coming up in the next Bangin'. So stay tuned.
Speaking of other Superstars, I've decided my next victim to interrogate is going to be none other than the Dancin’ Divas themselves: Extreme Exposé:
Q: Kelly, what music runs through your iPod most often? A: Probably hip-hop. I love rap. (Yes, I know having spent some time in the locker room with you hehe). My iPod is very ghetto fab. My favorite songs are "Throw it on Me" by Timbaland, (kiss a** hahaha, j/k) Trina, Trick Daddy, and Three 6 Mafia.
Q: How about you, Brooke? What are you into these days?A: I have a wide range of music, lots of classic rock. Def Leppard is my favorite band of all time. I also like AC/DC, Billy Idol, Ozzy, Three Days Grace, Trapt, Linkin Park, Disturbed. Then I go to rap and hip-hop like Timbaland, Ying Yang twins, even a little bit of country – Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks.
Q: What about you, Layla? What do you like to shake that butt to?A: Hip-hop. I love Timbaland’s whole new album. Also, “Put Some D’s on It.” I love that song by Rich Boy. The new Mya song with Lil Wayne "Lock You Down" is great too. Also, I'm listening to my old school R&B songs in a nice, slow way.
Q: As a whole, what would be the ultimate song Extreme Exposé would like to dance to on ECW?A: There's so many that it’s so hard to choose from. Ok, top three...that’s why we like doing the Exposé, because every week we get to showcase a different song and style. We like to change it up. Next on the wish list, though, would be “Cherry Pie” by Warrant for Brooke, "Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake for Kelly Kelly, And for Layla some Miami flavor, like a “Luke” song and really shake that booty!
Ok, that about wraps up this week’s edition of Bangin’. Thanks for stopping by, y’all. I think my Playboy is finally off newsstands, but can be purchased at Playboy.com if ya missed it. I still am shocked they let my piercings and tats stay. It’s such an honor for me to be breaking the mold of your "standard Playboy chick". That's what's most cool about having done this issue – paving the way for more altered beauties that aren't your cookie cutter mold. I'm proud of that, and hope this issue sells well so that different things are considered when choosing cover girls and Playmates.Thanks for listening to my rants, dudes.
Love you guys...
Tunes of the day:“Interesting Drug”- Morrissey“Entrance of the Conflagration”- Trivium“Don't cry out”- Shiny Toy Guns“Oh the Guilt”- Nirvana“I Don't Love you”- My Chemical Romance
Xoxo,Ashley

Speedy recovery for Kennedy?

By Zack Zeigler
Written: May 9, 2007
Edge may not want to get too comfortable wearing the World Heavyweight Championship around his Rated-R waist. WWE.com has received word that the initial prognosis for Mr. Kennedy’s arm injury was overstated.
Based on Kennedy’s extensive MRI at the Birmingham, Ala., offices of Dr. James Andrews, WWE’s Dr. Ferdinand Rios now reports that the SmackDown Superstar’s triceps tendon “was not torn from the bone as originally reported, and will not require surgery.” Due to the severity of Kennedy’s hematoma — a collection of blood within a tissue or organ — he is still not cleared to compete from a medical standpoint. “He’s still vulnerable to injury and the arm remains badly swollen,” said Dr. Rios. “I’d expect him to be out of action for about six to eight weeks.” Upon hearing the positive report, WWE.com caught up with the former Money in the Bank holder. Though clearly relieved, he’s already shifting his focus from a likely six months of recovery time to plotting his next move. “This is great news for me; I don’t have a torn muscle,” Kennedy said. “But the good news for me is really, really bad news for Edge. He took something from me…took advantage of my unfortunate situation. Now he and everyone else have just a short amount of time to worry about what I’m going to do when I get back.”
Check out Kennedy's new Talk Loud t-shirt!

Making up for lost time

By Zack Zeigler
Written: May 11, 2007
PITTSBURGH – Mark Henry faced a huge career setback late last July when his right patella tendon ripped completely off the bone. While rehabbing his knee over the past 10 months, he’s had nothing but time to quietly stew alone, rehash old memories and build a meteor-sized rage inside himself.
Where exactly is all of his anger stemming from? One locker room source told WWE.com that it might be from rumors that have been circulating — rumors that imply how Henry has failed to live up to his potential since joining WWE more than a decade ago.
“When he got injured, people began to ask, ‘Is Mark Henry a classic example of an underachiever?’” said the locker room source. “The guy’s a former Olympian and Strongman. He inked a huge deal when he signed here, yet he’s never held a World Championship. What does that say?”
Perhaps it’s that mentality which fueled Henry’s vicious ambush on Undertaker after The Deadman’s bloody, exhausting Steel Cage Match with Batista. The Phenom could barely stand, let along muster the strength to defend himself as Henry battered him with jaw-jarring punches, then capped it off with several rib-crushing splashes. Choosing to pummel a weary and wounded Undertaker after he’d already been repeatedly slammed against the unforgiving links of a steel cage wasn’t just flawless execution of the “Kick a Man When He’s Down” strategy; it could also have been Henry’s way of showing everyone that he’s removed words like “mercy,” “forgiveness” and “sympathy” from his vocabulary.
“Undertaker took something very important from me at WrestleMania 22 — my chance at being a World Champion,” said Henry, referring to their Casket Match back in April 2006. “This beating was a sample of what I can do. My message is clear and my message is effective: If you don’t do what I say, when I say to do it, you will be dealt with, just like Undertaker was.”
Did Henry think he could really erase 11 years of disappointment with one unprovoked beating? What’s “the message” he’s sending — that these attacks won’t be focused, and will be directed to anyone who’s ever crossed him? On that topic, the World’s Strongest Man is also the silent type. He did, however, shed light on how he feels about Edge piggybacking on his dirty work, cashing in his Money in the Bank contract and claiming the World Heavyweight Championship for himself.
“Edge is a talented guy and a true opportunist, but if I had known his intentions I may have had something to say about it,” Henry explained. “But the milk has already been spilled and I got my point across…that my power and vengeance will rain down on the SmackDown roster.”
That said, does the World’s Strongest Man intend to run riot through the SmackDown ranks alone? Throughout most his career, Henry has had people to help guide him. He’s been a member of the Nation of Domination; teamed with D’Lo Brown; got wrapped up in an unusual amorous relationship with Mae Young; and shared allegiances with the likes of Theodore Long, Daivari and Melina. But now all those relationships have expired, and it looks as though his newest companion is one that won’t ever leave — his knee brace. Every time his entrance music sounds and he walks down the ramp, there’s a constant reminder of the pain and sacrifice it took him to get back into the ring. That, paired with the whispers about his “underachievement,” could be a dangerous concoction for his future victims.
Whether or not the time has come for Mark Henry to elevate himself into the next stratosphere of WWE Superstardom remains to be seen. But with his newly refocused urge to prove his dominance, this human wrecking ball of hurt will be extremely difficult to stop.

Boogeyman

Name: Boogeyman
From: The Bottomless Pit
Signature Move: Pump handle slam, Choke bomb
Entrance Video: WATCH

Lock your door, look for suspicious shadows and hope you do not hear the "tick-tock" of the clock. If you do, be afraid because you're about to face your deepest fear... Boogeyman is coming to getcha!
From out of the shadows, Boogeyman now lurks on Friday Night SmackDown. A face of mindless evil, it is said that Boogeyman feasts on fear and is fueled by the paranoia of others. Relishing the opportunity to recite deeply unsettling rhymes and riddles, Boogeyman celebrates the delicious destruction of his next victim. He also treats live worms as tasty treats and never is without them.

Jeff Hardy

Name: Jeff Hardy
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 225 pounds
From: Cameron, N.C.
Signature Move: Swanton Bomb, Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Fate
Career Highlights: World Tag Team Champion; Intercontinental Champion; Hardcore Champion; European Champion; Light Heavyweight Champion; WCW Tag Team Champion
WWE Debut: 1993
Trained By: Dory Funk, Jr. Michael Hayes
Entrance Video: WATCH

Simply put, Jeff Hardy is an artist. His world revolves around writing “emoetry,” recording music (“alternative, alternative music,” according to his brother Matt), and employing tinfoil and paint to craft intimate, personal, and sometimes bizarre works of art. His house is decorated with toys, artificial plants, and life-size Japanese fiberglass sculptures. One of his most cherished creations—a thirty-foot “Aluminummy” statue called Neroameee, from Nero, his middle name—stands tall outside his studio.
Still, this artist has always been drawn to another, very different canvas—that of the squared circle. Growing up with Matt in the pinewoods of Cameron, North Carolina, 11-year-old Jeff—influenced by the likes of Ric Flair, the Fabulous Freebirds, and the Rockers—took a ramp he built for his bike and painted it to resemble an entrance stage for their “wrestling ring,” the backyard trampoline. As he grew older, so did his desire to take greater risks, whether it was to feel the rush of executing hundred-foot-high triples on his motorcross bike, or jumping off the roof of his house as a member of the brothers’ “Teenage Wrestling Federation.” It was such fearlessness and desire that would bring the 16-year-old daredevil to World Wrestling Entertainment, and after several years catapult him to worldwide fame and main-event status, first as one-half of WWE’s high-flying “Team Extreme,” The Hardys, then in singles competition.
Though many of his paintings are abstract, this free spirit is a Rembrandt inside the ring, signing his name not with the traditional paintbrush or pen, but with wildly unorthodox, high-impact maneuvers off top ropes and 20-foot ladders. His credo is simple: to create, then surpass his creation.
Unfortunately, most true artists must sink to their lowest point before attaining their greatest heights. For Jeff, frequent drug use and the wear-and-tear of living life on the road would prompt him to leave WWE in 2003. But after a three-year personal journey of refocusing his passion and energies, he now finds himself “in a positive place…and that’s what motivates me.” Returning to WWE in August 2006, this reinspired risk-taker is back to creating the art he loves most—entertaining WWE fans in arenas around the world. And his most extreme masterpiece awaits.