Monday’s WWE RAW drew a 2.79 rating and averaged 3.99 million viewers for the 3-hour show. This is virtually even with last week. Hourly viewership was:
Hour 1: 4.07 million Hour 2: 4.01 million Hour 3: 3.89 million
WWE pushed the “main event” Hell in a Cell contract signing (and the announcement of Punk’s opponent) throughout the show, so the third hour falling off once again is not a great sign.
RAW ranked #3 on cable for Monday night behind the NFL’s Monday Night Football and “Major Crimes” on TNT.
Larry King interviewed several WWE superstars backstage at last week’s RAW from Sacramento for his new Hulu series, including John Cena, CM Punk, Zack Ryder, Big Show, and Miz.
One of the more noteworthy quotes from the interview came from John Cena, who talked about feeling better [physically] now than at age 20 and said he’ll wrestle until age 60 if he can. Larry King asked Cena who his favorite opponent is and he answered, The Rock. Cena says “He’s my favorite opponent because I really want to beat him.” Larry King asked Cena if The Rock is a good guy and Cena hesitated, then laughed. He said The Rock was a great football player, he’s a great actor and entertainer, “.. but I want to beat him.”
A rematch between John Cena and The Rock has been rumored for WrestleMania, with The Rock expected to win the WWE Championship from whoever he faces at the Royal Rumble.
Comment below and tell us if you want to see ROCK vs. CENA II.
– TNA Wrestling officials reached out to Ric Flair to speak about Sting at Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremony, but he declined the invitation.
Though Flair remains listed as a member of the TNA roster on the company’s official website, his contract was terminated in May after he failed to appear at events he was scheduled for.
– TNA Wrestling has released a video preview Thursday’s live episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, which will feature the aftermath of the Bound For Glory pay-per-view event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srjYnYKJPWc
– Knoxville, Tennessee will host the Impact Wrestling World Tour on Friday, November 16 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 19 at the Coliseum Box Office and through Knoxville Tickets (865-656-4444 or 877-995-9961).
– Chris Jericho told a group of fans at a Journey concert this past weekend to “stay tuned” when he was asked about returning to WWE.
– “The Beautiful People,” Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, will face Jessie Kaye and Niya at Maryland Championship Wrestling event taking place Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2401 North Point Blvd. Dundalk, Maryland. The former TNA Wrestling talent will also participate in an autograph signing. (Event Information)
– Wade Barrett tweeted the following in regards to his match with Sheamus on Raw: “My face is a tad sore after the cheap-shot, but i’m not complaining as i’m not a big girl’s blouse like most are. FYI, I can fight dirty with the best of ’em. I just choose not to. #RealMan”
– El Generico, who Ring of Honor teased over the weekend would be returning to the promotion as an opponent for Kevin Steen, has not signed a contract. His status with Dragon Gate USA remains unchanged.
– In this Raw edition of “Backstage Fallout,” Santino Marella and Zack Ryder call out 3MB, while Sheamus looks ahead to his fight against Big Show at Hell in a Cell.
– Three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and former WWE Superstar Vader noted on Twitter Monday that he was at WWE’s television studio in Stamford, Connecticut filming content.
“Just finished up a very long hard week. Left WWE recording studio did some good work a little rusty on the promos thxs to Kieran from WWE,” he wrote.
– Ryback is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Cable network CMT sent out a press release announcing the premiere date for Season 2 of Steve Austin’s reality show, Redneck Island. The show returns on Saturday, November 10 at 9pm (EST) and will be followed by the premieres of two new shows: Chainsaw Gang and Big Texas Heat. From the announcement:
REDNECK ISLAND returns for a second season with fourteen red, white and blue-collared Americans descending on Steve Austin’s tropical island for their chance to win a $100,000 prize. In the first episode, the contestants think they’re on easy street when they see that their living conditions are better than expected, but they soon realize the competition is serious during their first challenge, a game of human cornhole. New episodes of REDNECK ISLAND will premiere weekly at 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., ET/PT.
– Thanks to Devin Cutting for sending in this information regarding a “live” Super SmackDown broadcast on Tuesday, November 6th:
Super Smackdown returns to SyFy on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012 at 8 PM. It’s being advertised as a live broadcast, however WWE is in England that week, so Super Smackdown will actually be taped earlier in the day.
Since there is a Raw house show happening at the same time as the taping, this edition of Super Smackdown won’t involve the entire roster. A replay of Super Smackdown will air that Friday in Smackdown’s normal time slot.
– Mexican wrestler Hector Garza, who wrestled for WWE, WCW and TNA, has been diagnosed with lung cancer, according to PWInsider.com. Garza will undergo chemotherapy sessions and has been forced into retirement.
– WWE Intercontinental champion The Miz was legitimately busted open on RAW when Kofi Kingston kicked him in the face with his Trouble In Paradise finisher. The Miz appeared to “have his bell rung” by the kick and was checked for a concussion backstage. The Miz will also see a doctor today to determine if he sustained a concussion.
– WWE Champion CM Punk, an avid comic book fan who has been teasing that he’s going to be working on a graphic novel project, will be writing the introduction to a hardcover collection of Marvel Comics’ Avengers vs. X-Men series. Punk spoke to USA Today about the opportunity:
“I worked really hard to get to where I’m at and it’s cool to be afforded opportunities like this,” Punk said. “To me, it’s hard work paying off and I’m having a lot of fun right now.”
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include ECW original Justin Credible (39), legendary valet Missy Hyatt (49).
– WWE has announced that they will report Third Quarter 2012 earnings on Thursday, November 1. Vince McMahon will host the quarterly conference call at 11:00am (EST) that morning to discuss the results.
WWE will be giving a big update on the status of the WWE Network. We’ll also find out the PPV buyrates for Money in the Bank (July), Summerslam (August) and Night of Champions in (September).
– Bubba the Love Sponge stated on his radio show this morning that Hulk Hogan could have played a role in the release of his own sex video. “[Hogan] could have had something to do with the leak of it,” Bubba said.
Bubba said he and Hogan are no longer friends and that he’s never seen the sex tape. “I’m gonna be honest with you,” Bubba said. “I have not seen the tape … I can’t even comment on the validity.”
Tonight’s WWE Superstars, Saturday Morning Slam, Main Event and SmackDown tapings will take place from Memphis, Tennessee at the FedEx Forum.
Main Event is supposed to feature Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental championship, although The Miz might not be able to compete after the stiff kick he took from Kofi Kingston during their match last night on RAW.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler will be appearing in front of the live crowd, his first WWE appearance since suffering a heart attack last month.
JBL will be calling SmackDown. No word on whether his partner will be Josh Matthews or Michael Cole.
The advertised dark match main event was originally scheduled to be Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight championship. Local radio advertising has been promoting Sheamus vs. Big Show as the main event, so it’s unclear which match will take place.
On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that the finals of the Tag Team Tournament have been delayed a week due to Rey Mysterio being unable to compete.
Rey Mysterio is battling the flu and a bad stomach virus. He’s been under the weather for a few weeks and working through it, but he missed this past weekend’s live events due to the illness.
Dave Meltzer reports that Mysterio’s stomach virus is bad and he’s been bed ridden in recent days. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be healthy enough to compete on RAW next week.
– After Monday’s RAW went off the air, Sheamus came out and poured water on CM Punk to wake him up. They had a quick match but Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes hit the ring and interfered. Ryback ran out and made the save for Sheamus. The babyfaces cleaned house and celebrated together in the ring to end the show.
– With WWE Survivor Series taking place next month, WWE is planning to hold at least one traditional elimination match at the show. It was proposed several weeks ago for the entire card to be elimination matches, but that talk didn’t go anywhere.
PPV provider iNDEMAND has released the official synopsis for Survivor Series and confirms there will be a 5 vs. 5 match:
“This year, the act of survival turns into an all-out quest for total domination…and respect! Don’t miss an incredible event featuring your favorite WWE Superstars competing in a classic five-on-five match.”
The inclusion of the word “respect” could indicate that WWE Champion CM Punk would be involved in the match.
“The Man They Call Vader” is disputing claims that he engaged in a physical altercation with WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race at Saturday’s “Legends of the Ring” convention in Monroe, New Jersey.
According to multiple accounts, the two wrestling legends had a brief scuffle after Race voiced his disapproval with Vader acting belligerent toward fans. Race is alleged to have punched Vader in the face in response to a smart aleck remark on the part of the three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Vader reportedly lashed back at the 69-year-old, but accidentally struck and hurt a worker who came between them.
Vader is saying the reported claims are a “complete fabrication.” He wrote Monday afternoon on Twitter, “Just read {website name} what a bunch of bullshi!!!.Harley has been and has always my friend some one I respect and admire. Not mention he is seventy yrs old has a very bad knee.Total and complete fabrication.Harley arrived @the autograph session enthusiasticly greeted me hello by patting me on the back of my head w/HOF ring thats it end of story We took some pics together w/ fans and parted ways.”
Meanwhile, his official Facebook page issued the following statement Monday night from a person who witnessed the incident: “This is the Truth…
“I find it amusing how things get so blown out of proportion. I was standing next to Race and Vader when this “supposedly happened.” If you want the “real” story, from an unbiased 3rd party, it went down like this: Vader was sitting in a chair at his table doing autographs and such. Race was brought in mid-day for a short signing/pic stint. Vader was seated at the end of the table, which meant he would have to get up and move for Race to get by. For the record, Race was NOT on a scooter, and wasn’t even using a cane, I don’t know why the original person felt the need to make it sound like Race was wheeled out of an old age home. Anyways, Race and his family walk up to the table, and Race gives Vader a smack on the back–a hello, wrestler style. Vader was caught a little off guard and had no clue who did it, so he was like what the F? He turned around and saw it was Race, and Race laughed and said hello. Vader was like why the F did you do that? Race was already moved past him getting in to his seat. Vader says “F this, I am out of here.” In reality, he went to the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later when he was “done.” While on his was back from the bathroom, he felt the need to demonstrate on the “other guy” to show him what Race did. The “other guy” was like … oww … that FN hurt. Vader responds: that’s how Race did it. Vader returns to the table and nothing further is said. Five minutes later, the announcer gets on the PA and says it is time for the Race and Vader professional photo opp, which was set up in the hallway. Race and Vader get up and sit inches away from one another and take DOZENS of photos with fans — not really a “step in to the hallway to ‘have words'” as reported. When the photos are done, both return to the table and all continued going well. So, to sum it all up, Race did not PUNCH Vader in the FACE, Race SLAPPED Vader on the BACK OF THE NECK. Vader was NOT belligerent rather surprised and a tad annoyed. Vader DID NOT swing back. RACE was not in a motorized scooter. And finally they DID NOT step in to the hallways to “have words.”
“If ANYONE has video that shows otherwise, or even claims to have video, I would be totally surprised and would LOVE to be shown otherwise. Granted, the RACE punches VADER in face is a much more “newsworthy” way of spinning this, but in the end, it was a slight
Former WWE Superstars Luke Gallows (a/k/a Drew Hankinson) and Mike Knox (a/k/a Michael Hettinga) competed as Aces & 8s against Bully Ray and Sting at Sunday’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view event.
A TNA source stated that the other masked members of Aces & 8s were portrayed by Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff. However, it has been noted that wrestlers portraying the masked men may not necessarily be the final characters.
Speaking of Bound For Glory, Eric Bischoff remarked via Twitter following the show: “Proud of the entire roster. Real crowd+good story+strong characters = a great show!”
The WWE Championship Match at Hell in a Cell was made official tonight on Raw as Vince McMahon decided that CM Punk will defend his belt against Ryback. After both competitors signed their Hell in a Cell contract, Ryback delivered the Shell Shock to the WWE Champion.
As a result of the growing animosity between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio, it was also announced that the two competitors will face off at the pay-per-view event. The Viper gave a surprise attack to Del Rio on SmackDown last week before RKO’ing Ricardo Rodriguez onto the announce table.
The announced card for Hell in a Cell, which takes place Oct. 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, is as follows:
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Ryback
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Big Show
* WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Tag Team Tournament Winners
– Delayed one week due to Rey Mysterio having the flu, Mysterio and Sin Cara will face Team Rhodes Scholars next Monday on Raw in the Tag Team Tournament Final. The winners will then face WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan at Hell in a Cell.
– During a backstage segment on Raw, Daniel Bryan challenged Kane to take on Big Show on next week’s show since he found it humorous that he was chokeslammed by The World’s Largest Athlete.
– One match was taped Monday in Nashville, Tennessee for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as Kaitlyn faced off against Beth Phoenix.
In a pre-taping dark match, Tensai defeated Michael McGillicutty. According to a correspondent, Tensai drew a lot of heat as well as ‘Albert’ chants during his entrance, but the audience became quiet once the match took place.
– Layla and R-Truth appear at the Verizon Wireless Store 1947 Mount Zion Rd. Morrow, Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Call 770-210-4019 for more information.
– Former WWE performer Tamara Sytch, famously known as Sunny, remains jailed in Connecticut after being arrested for the fifth time in one month last Tuesday and her second time in less than 24-hours, for allegedly violating a protective order stemming from an original September arrest.
On her Facebook account Monday, a message was released from an individual claiming to be her lawyer: “I am Tammy’s lawyer Rob Serafinowicz and Tammy asked me to issue the following statement on her behalf. Tammy thanks everyone for all their support. She will be entering a long term treatment program soon and looks forward to putting this situation behind her. It also appears that Damien is selling her personal items on eBay and asks that these items be reported as stolen.”
– Fred Ottman (a/k/a Tugboat and Typhoon) resurfaced Saturday at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate event in Rahway, New Jersey portraying his infamous persona, The Shockmaster. Donning the character’s mask, he announced the intermission. He didn’t fall since he was on crutches.
– In Tuesday’s birthdays, former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Justin Credible turns 39-years-old while lucha wrestler Lizmark, Jr. turns 40.
– As reported Saturday, WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race and his former protégé in World Championship Wrestling, Vader, engaged in a physical altercation at that day’s “Legends of the Ring” convention in Monroe, New Jersey. According to Rob Feinstein, who witnessed the scuffle, tensions escalated after Race voiced his disapproval with Vader behaving belligerent toward fans.
Feinstein wrote on Facebook, “Vader was in a foul mood the entire day which is typical of him. He started to talk nasty to a few fans and Race did not approve. Race told Vader not to disrespect the fans as they are paying to see them. Vader made a smart ass comment which pissed Harley off. Harley who is crippled now struck Vader in the head with a punch. Vader when to strike back but instead hit a promoter who was standing near by. The promoter from what I told had to get a ice pack and Vader walked out of the room. That was basically how it went down and I am shocked that Vader would do that in front of the fans. I was waiting for Orndorff to do a run in.”
– Juventud Guerrera, who competed for World Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 2000, recalled his tenure with the organization in the Bloodstained Memoirs Special Edition DVD (available Oct. 16 Amazon.com). The following preview clip has been released.
Hulk Hogan held a press conference this afternoon to announce the legal action he’s taking over the unauthorized production and distribution of his infamous sex tape — and he’s looking for over $100 million from the parties involved.
Hogan’s attorney David R. Houston said they’re suing Gawker.com for $100 million in damages for leaking the sex tape footage.
The damages sought from Bubba The Love Sponge & Heather Clem were not specified, but their actions were called “illegal, outrageous, and exceeded the bounds of human decency.”
Hogan is also looking for BTLS, Gawker.com and anybody else that has possession of the time to turn it over to be destroyed ASAP.
Hogan’s legal team will continue to go after anybody else who shares the X-rated movie.
– WWE’s creative department wrote two different scripts for tonight’s Raw. According to F4WOnline.com, one script is contingent upon John Cena being medically cleared to compete at Hell in a Cell on Oct. 28 after undergoing surgery on his arm. The other script will be used if he is not able to compete at the pay-per-view event.
– The 1989 cult classic No Holds Barred, featuring Hulk Hogan in his first starring role, has been digitally remastered and is now available on DVD at Walmart. WWE has released a promotional video advertising its release at the department store.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, Sheamus appears at the Colonial Honda 225 State Road North, Dartmouth, Massachusetts on Oct. 23 beginning at noon. Call 508-985-6350 for more information.
– TMZ is reporting that Hulk Hogan will sue his best friend, Bubba the Love Sponge, for allegedly taping Hulk having sex with his then-wife Heather Clem back in 2006. Clem is also part of the suit.
Hulk will allege invasion of privacy, on grounds Bubba and Heather conspired to record Hulk’s sexual encounter with her. After it’s over and Hogan leaves the room, Bubba the Love Sponge is caught on tape telling Clem, “If we ever did want to retire, all we’d have to do is use this footage.”
Hogan is also filing a federal lawsuit against Gawker.com, the website that posted footage from the sex tape.
– Hulk Hogan will be holding a press conference today at 5pm (Eastern) to discuss the “legal action” being taken (ie. the two lawsuits).
– The official WWE website is officially advertising Jerry “The King” Lawler for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. He is listed among the roster of talent scheduled to appear at the show.
The WWE Hall of Famer is expected to address the hometown crowd one month after suffering a heart attack during a televised Raw event in Montreal.
– WWE recently signed Alisha Ceraso, a Connecticut-based fitness competitor and model, to a developmental contract.
Ceraso is currently training at the sports-entertainment organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida, Diva-Dirt.com reports.
Ceraso, who is in her early 20s, was involved in an automobile accident when she was 16-years-old that left her paralyzed and killed a fellow passenger, her best friend. She revealed in an interview to Status Fitness Magazine, “I broke my jaw, my ribs, and was in intensive care for a few weeks. I had to basically learn how to walk again, since being bedridden for so long.”
– WWE has launched a Twitter feed for SummerSlam at twitter.com/SummerSlam. The account will provide details on next year’s event.
– Randy Orton has been very outspoken in recent months about his desire to play a heel character on WWE television again. Orton, who is currently out filming “12: Rounds: Reloaded” for WWE Studios, was asked by a fan on Twitter about his favorite gimmick or storyline of his career. Orton replied, “Where I’m a HEEL.”
As previously reported, WWE has been holding off turning Orton heel until they feel comfortable that World Heavyweight champion Sheamus can carry the brand as the top babyface. According to WWE sources, Orton will be getting his wish and turning heel some time this fall.
– WWE.com has an article up looking at Dolph Ziggler’s comments on Friday’s SmackDown that he plans to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WWE Hell in a Cell and “guarantees” that he will be World Heavyweight champion by the time the night is up. The article speculates that Ziggler might be bluffing:
“Yet another possibility is that Ziggler’s guarantee is simply a red herring and he has no intention of making a major move Oct. 28. Just because The Showoff said he will cash in his contract at WWE Hell in a Cell does not mean he necessarily will cash in the contract. (Bryan pulled a similar ruse last year, first promising to cash in his contract at WrestleMania, only to pull the trigger at WWE TLC.) Despite his guarantee to take the title Oct. 28, might Ziggler choose to survey the situation in Atlanta before taking any drastic measures?”
Gail Kim has earned the number one position in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s fifth annual “PWI Female 50” list, which ranks the top 50 women’s wrestlers in North America from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. She succeeds Madison Eagles, who ranked No. 1 in last year’s list.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated attributes their decision to ranking Kim as the top women’s wrestler in North America to her record-breaking 210-day reign as TNA Women’s Knockout Champion.
The full list will be revealed this Thursday when the annual issue is released via digital download. The magazine will hit newsstands later this month.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pro Wrestling Illustrated has revealed that Gail Kim has been named #1 in the 2012 PWI Female 50. The Female 50 will be available for digital download on Thursday, October 18, at www.pwi-online.com. It will be released on newsstands later this month.
This is the first time Gail Kim has earned this distinction. Prior Female 50 number ones have included Madison Eagles (2011), Michelle McCool (2010), Mickie James (2009), and Awesome Kong (2008).
“Gail Kim held the Knockouts title for 210 days during the evaluation period,” said PWI Senior Writer Dan Murphy. “She also held the Knockouts tag team title, and had a string of successful title defenses against the top women in TNA, including Mickie James, Tara, and Madison Rayne. Our congratulations go out to her.”
Pro Wrestling Illustrated has been recognized as the sport’s number one magazine since its inception in 1979. Founded by legendary publisher Stanley Weston, PWI set out on a course to alter the landscape of pro wrestling journalism. Over the years, utilizing the talents of the world’s finest writers, editors, photographers, and designers, PWI succeeded beyond Weston’s wildest dreams.
