– WWE Superstar Sin Cara turns 30 years old today.

– Speaking of Sin Cara, the knee surgery that he underwent on Wednesday was arthroscopic, according to f4wonine.com. He is not expected to be out of action for too long.

– A 1-hour encore of WWE’s Tribute to The Troops will air tonight on NBC at 9pm (EST).

– Here’s the latest edition of WWE Backstage Fallout:

“In the latest edition of “Backstage Fallout,” Santino Marella comments on his win over the massive Tensai, Kaitlyn reflects on being attacked by her former friend AJ Lee and Antonio Cesaro sounds off on his match with Ryback. Watch the exclusive interviews now!”

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Undertaker’s Return: Many are asking about the return of the Undertaker as mentioned by HHH Monday Night on Raw. “Not seeing the last of the Deadman” can mean a variety of things, one can assume. In my perfect world it would be Taker vs _________ at WrestleMania 29 where “The Steak” would extend to 21-0. For some Twitter followers who are seemingly hell bent on Taker losing at WrestleMania, I’d be reluctant for them to handle my taxes. It makes zero sense for “The Steak” to ever die, in my humble opinion.

Big E Langston: The addition to Big E Langston is significant, especially, for @HeelZiggler notwithstanding @WWEAJLee. I’ve seen a lot of Big E in NXT and he’s a physical beast with uncanny natural strength and surprising agility for a 280 pounder. “E” is no Clydesdale and his football background has enhanced Langston’s athleticism. Aside from @TheMarkHenry, Langston is likely the strongest man on any WWE roster. As I have said here on multiple times, I’d suggest that you keep an eye on Big E Langston whose upside is significant. But, as always, “Potential will only buy the groceries for so long.”

Foley & Flair Wrestling Again: Do I ever expect to see @realMickFoley or Ric Flair wrestle again? To answer a frequent question on that matter, the answer is simply “No.” They don’t need to grapple again in a bout but being involved occasionally in the isolated incident might be OK… depending on what the demands of said incident were. Just my two cents.

– The official website of the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, are now advertising The New Age Outlaws, “Road Dogg” Jesse James and “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn, for next Wednesday’s Raw live event. As reported earlier, the five-time WWE Tag Team Champions will also appear at Thursday’s Raw live event at Madison Square Garden and Friday’s show in Uniondale, New York.

– This week’s The JBL and Cole Show features John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Micheal Cole outside of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, before Sunday WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event. The synopsis reads, “Outside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, “The Wrestling God” and one of WWE’s most outspoken announcers visit with Alex Levine from The Gaslight Anthem to join The Prime Time Players, Alicia Fox and WWE fans in a “Millions of Dollars” chant. Watch the latest episode of the hilarious “JBL & Cole Show”!”

– WWE recently reached out to Martha Hart, widow of the late Owen Hart, about getting Owen inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. According to PWInsider.com, WWE inducting Owen would be part of a settlement agreement that would involve Martha Hart ending her ongoing lawsuit against WWE. She reportedly turned down the offer.

* Update On Who WWE Wants In 2013’s HALL OF FAME Class

– Zack Ryder will be appearing in Levittown, New York at the FYE store on Hempstead Turnpike next Friday, December 28th at 3pm. The signing is limited to the first 400 fans.

– The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that former WWE announcer Ernest “The Cat” Miller is now the Director of Chuck Norris’ World Combat League.

– Here is the latest episode of Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story, featuring “Another Very Broski Christmas”:

Wade Barrett was interviewed in the new issue of WWE Magazine. Here are some highlights from WWE.com:

The Night He Injured His Arm On RAW (2/20/2013):

“I remember Big Show picking up Dolph Ziggler and throwing him down on top of me. I’d guess Ziggler would be about 12 feet in the air being thrown down on me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch him with both hands, so I figured I’d catch him with one hand because of the angle of his trajectory, so all that weight landed squarely on one of my arms, which just snapped at the elbow joints and, unfortunately, required surgery to fix it. It was initially diagnosed as a partially dislocated elbow, but after MRIs, we discovered it was completely dislocated, with additional tearing of two ligaments that go between the bones of the arm. They had been completely severed, which required surgery immediately. It looked fine initially, but I was aware how far out of place the bone was. Then obviously, my whole arm went numb. That’s when I realized I was going to be out for a long time.”

The Recovery Process & Being Away From The Ring:

“I took myself away from wrestling for a while. A lot of people think when you’re off you need to study wrestling nonstop. At that point in time, that was completely the wrong thing for me. The worst thing was being around wrestling. Such as, I had to go to WrestleMania this year and do a lot of signings and AXXESS, and I hated every second of it simply because I don’t want to be at WrestleMania unless I’m there to compete. I really was working on my rehab and doing a WWE Studios film, “Dead Man Down,” with Colin Farrell and Terrence Howard. That was a great thing to get involved with while I was out. But really, the whole time I was out, I was pretty furious about how things had happened.”

Seeing Other Nexus Members Advance While He Was Out Of Action:

“It doesn’t bother me at all. I’m actually a big supporter of the majority of the guys from The Nexus. Heath Slater has done a great job. I’ve always found him entertaining, so it’s not shocking to me. Justin Gabriel is a great performer, too. It comes as no surprise to me that I feel no jealousy, really. I was always very pleased to see their success.”

Is He Softening His Views On Heath Slater?

Barrett: I don’t know about changing my mind regarding The One-Man Band. I’ve always personally found him incredibly entertaining, which is one of the reasons why, in the past, I surrounded myself with guys like him. I think he’s a complete buffoon, don’t get me wrong, but personally, I find him very funny.

Sn Cara recently spoke to WWE Magazine about a number of topics, including following in Rey Mysterio’s footsteps, the hardest part of adapting to the WWE style of wrestling and more. Here are some highlights from WWE.com:

Following In Rey Mysterio’s Foot Steps:

“I think being compared to Rey Mysterio is a great honor! In Mexico, Rey’s an icon, so to be mentioned along with him is in no way a bad thing. But I also don’t see myself as a Rey Mysterio clone. Our styles are similar, but each of us has something distinct, as well. I’ve learned a lot from Rey. Being his partner has been one of the highlights of my career.”

The Hardest Thing About Adapting To Life in WWE:

“By far, the most difficult thing I’ve had to adapt to is the fact that 95 percent of the Superstars speak English and only English. I’m a Mexican-born luchador, and I never felt I was going to need English. I lived in Mexico; I had a career there. It’s not that I never wanted to learn English; I just never had the need to. So working in an English-speaking environment has been quite the challenge! But I’m taking classes, and I study at home and on the road.”

His Rival With Hunico (Black Sin Cara) In WWE:

“I loved it. It was cool to have to wrestle myself, in a way, because originally he had the same outfit I had. Then when he changed to the black version of my gear, it felt almost like I was wrestling my shadow. Something that I couldn’t get rid of but was also a dark reflection of myself. There was a lot about that rivalry I enjoyed. And when it was over, I showed everyone who the real Sin Cara was!”

– TNA star Kurt Angle announced on Twitter today that he has reached a legal settlement with Wafi Wahidi, the man Angle claims scammed him out of thousands of dollars in connection to the development of various mobile apps for his Angle Foods company:

A fair Settlement Has Been Completed With @WabaSocial. The Settlement Ends Any Dispute With @WafiWahidi and @RealKurtAngle

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) December 21, 2012

– TNA’s official website is running a Wrestler of the Year poll, with the winner to be announced on the next live Impact on January 3rd. The five nominees are:

* Jeff Hardy
* Austin Aries
* Bobby Roode
* James Storm
* Bully Ray

You can vote for TNA Wrestler of the Year at ImpactWrestling.com.

– On Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, it was revealed that the 1/3/13 promos that have been airing on TNA television are indeed for the return of Sting. Here’s the latest video:

WWE sent out the following statement on Friday regarding this week’s bankruptcy filing by their video game publisher THQ.

WWE Responds To THQ Filing

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) is listed in THQ, Inc.’s recent bankruptcy filing as an unsecured creditor holding a claim of approximately $45 million reflecting the entirety of the existing multi-year agreement.

Any impairment of a current THQ account receivable would be immaterial to WWE’s financial statements. Even if the impact of THQ’s bankruptcy were detrimental to WWE, the Company does not believe that the ultimate economic impact for financial statement purposes would materially and adversely affect the results of operations or financial position of WWE in light of the strength of the WWE brand and the historical performance of WWE’s video game business.

* Rumored ROYAL RUMBLE Winner Revealed & Who He Will Challenge At WM29

SEScoops Mailbag for December 21st

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com) or follow @solomonster on Twitter and submit them that way!

Q: Who creates the [wrestler’s ring attire]? Do [they] design their own attire or do WWE officials make the decision about it? Rey Mysterio is one prime example because he always has new and updated wrestling gear almost every week. – Gary from Malaysia

A: My understanding is that in many cases, both sides work together. There are people in WWE who offer creative ideas for t-shirt designs and the like, but the wrestlers have a great deal of input into things as well. As far as ring attire goes, look no further than, say, Mantaur or any number of wacky characters over the years as evidence that WWE has their own input into what certain guys should be wearing. The same for be said for The Shield right now – obviously, it’s part of their gimmick. On the flip side, Zack Ryder and the Ghostbuster-themed tights he was recently sporting on Raw would be a great example of a wrestler having significant input into his own attire.

Q: With reports of Jeff Hardy leaving TNA early next year, what do you think will happen to the company once he is gone because I thought he was one of their top merchandise sellers? – Tyler from Davis, FL

A: Personally, I don’t think Jeff Hardy is going anywhere. As far as the fate of TNA were he to leave, it would hurt them a bit, but it wouldn’t be a killer. He does sell the most merchandise, and there has, in fact, been an increase in the number of PPV buys with him as champion (a report in the Wrestling Observer newsletter cited Final Resolution as having done 11,000 buys with Hardy in the main event, a 38% increase over what Aries and Roode were doing as champion). His impact on the ratings has been virtually non-existent. TNA is going to continue to do the same numbers they always do, by and large.

Q: Out of all the WWE champions in history, who do you think is the greatest of all time? – Ravonn from New York City

A: Greatest of all time means different things to different people. Are we talking pop culture impact? Ticket sales and PPV buys? Most title reigns? I’d say each era has its own greatest. Bruno would have been the best of his era, Hogan the best of his, Austin for the Attitude Era, and Cena for the PG Era. You take each of those guys out of the equation and business during that era suffers greatly as a result.

Q: When Triple H takes over WWE, do you think that [will be] a good thing or a bad thing? – Euquine from New York

A: I think it will be a good thing. I already like his approach to handling the developmental system. It feels like a priority now and that largely has to do with Hunter. Then again, I think they realized they needed to create new stars and fast, so really, they had no choice. But he’s an old school guy and we need more of that in today’s wrestling.

Q: Many view John Cena as the Rock of this age, who himself was like Hulk Hogan. In the same way, many draw comparisons to Stone Cold. In that way, who was the Stone Cold of the previous generation? If it was Cena-Rock-Hogan, then who was CM Punk-Stone Cold? – Jeff T.

A: Closest thing I could compare Austin to from the generation that came before would be Roddy Piper. Like Austin, he was a good worker, but had an even better personality. He was controversial at a time when not many others dared to do or say the things that he did. Some would call CM Punk the “Stone Cold” of the modern era, but I think that’s doing a disservice to Punk. He’s great in his own way.

Q: Can you please explain the whole Muhammad Hassan situation that happened on Smackdown that led to his release? Was it really the scene of him chanting some prayers, and some masked people coming and strangling Undertaker with a piano rope that led to his departure? I mean, if that was solely the main reason, Undertaker’s charater did far more extreme things like that, isn’t it? Hassan was a good character, able to draw a tremendous amount of heat, and I feel it’s a pity he was released. – Tej

A: I don’t recall him doing anything wrong. The reason WWE got in so much hot water for airing that angle (which really was pretty stupid) was because they did so on the same day as a terrorist attack in London. While Smackdown was a taped show and they could have, in theory, edited that segment out of the show, they had already sent the tape to UPN, so it was out of their hands. They received a lot of backlash over it and it came out later that the network had basically pressured WWE not to feature the Hassan character on the show going forward. I suppose they could have moved him over to Raw, but I think the damage was done and his goose was cooked at that point.

Q: What do you think would be a harder challenge, facing Ryback in an eating contest or Stone Cold in a beer drinking contest? – Kirk from Fort Worth, TX

A: Trick question. The correct answer is sitting through 3 hours of Raw every week.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

– The Miami Herald is reporting that The Rock has been officially added to the first two WWE television tapings of 2013.

The Rock will be appearing on the January 7th edition of WWE RAW from Tampa, Florida. That show will also feature CM Punk defending the WWE Championship against Ryback in a TLC match.

The Rock will also be appearing at the following night’s SmackDown tapings from his hometown of Miami, Florida (airing 1/11).

* New Pictures of The Rock’s Smokin’ Hot Girlfriend

– Last night’s WWE Tribute to the Troops 10th anniversary special on the USA Network drew 2.34 million viewers. By comparison, Tuesday night’s Super SmackDown show drew 3.33 million viewers.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

With the WWE Network launch still on WWE’s radar but without a definitive date, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE is in negotiations with at least one investment company about joint venturing on the new television channel.

According to their source, WWE’s plan for how the Network will be presented has changed dramatically in recent months and people will be “stunned” when the plans are revealed.

Aside from the XFL, when WWE partnered with NBC, Vince McMahon rarely partners with companies for major undertakings like this. While WWE likes to have as much control as possible with their projects, the upside is that WWE will be able to share a lot of the costs associated with launching and running the Network.

WWE will also be saving a lot of money by featuring most of their own content on the Network, which saves them the need to license expensive shows. There is still a lot of upside to the WWE Network, but there is also fear in WWE that the company is at risk of over-exposing the television product even further.

* Rumored ROYAL RUMBLE Winner Revealed & Who He Will Challenge At WM29

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Some WWE RAW delayed-viewership data from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE RAW on 11/19 had 336,000 homes watching via DVR or tape delay, while the following week (11/26) had 292,000 homes watching delayed.

– WWE Attitude Era superstar Steve Blackman now has a profile on the Alumni section of WWE.com.

– As part of WWE Week on the USA Network, WWE World Heavyweight champion Big Show will be guest starring on tonight’s episode of Burn Notice.

– ESPN has announced that former WWE announcer Todd Grisham has signed on to be the studio host of ESPN’s new Friday Night Fights series, debuting January 4th.

* SIN CARA Undergoes Knee Surgery: VIDEO of THE SHIELD Destroying His Knee On SmackDown

WWE superstar Sin Cara says he will be undergoing surgery “minor” today. Cara has been working through an injured knee for several weeks and was attacked by The Shield on Tuesday’s Super SmackDown show to explain his time away from television.

Sin Cara tweeted on Thursday:

https://twitter.com/wwe/status/281790417782063104

WWE.com has an article up about the procedure and does not list a time frame for his recovery. Here is video from Tuesday’s SmackDown of Sin Cara’s match against Damien Sandow and The Shield’s post-match attack:

With Ric Flair’s surprise return to WWE RAW on Monday, it’s believed that TNA’s ongoing lawsuit against WWE is the reason that Flair’s return was not promoted in advance and why Flair has not signed a contract with WWE.

Flair has always been a strong ratings draw and Monday was no exception. When Flair was on television, RAW viewership rose from around 4.1 million viewers to 4.7 million viewers, with big spikes in the key male demographics.

Flair’s return has been planned for several weeks. There have been several angles discussed regarding how to reintroduce the 2-time Hall of Famer, including one where he would introduce his daughter, Ashley, who is currently training at NXT as Charlotte. Originally, Flair was not supposed to do anything physical, but those plans went by the wayside.

When Flair arrived in Philadelphia, he was ordered to undergo an EKG to make sure his heart was healthy enough for him to get physical on RAW with Punk, Heyman and The Shield.

* VIDEOS of RIC FLAIR’s Return On RAW – WHOOOOOO!!

Even though Ric Flair told WWE.com after RAW that he could be ready to wrestle CM Punk in 60 days, there is virtually no chance of Flair wrestling in a WWE ring again. That said, Flair will be doing an on-air angle with CM Punk (presumably after Punk’s program with the Rock is over). With CM Punk adamant that he’s the Best in the World and the most dominant pro wrestling champion of the past 25 years, there’s plenty of material for Flair and Punk to work off of.

Flair’s return was kept a secret from most of the WWE crew. There was some buzz that he might be appearing, but he was kept in a trailer away from everybody else. Even as names were leaking out on Monday about who was at RAW (Billy Gunn, Boogeyman), WWE did a good job of keeping Flair’s return a surprise.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

On Tuesday’s Super SmackDown show, both Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio were written off television as a result of beat-downs by The Shield. Sin Cara’s attack took place on the show, while Mysterio’s was a “phantom” attack that took place before the cameras were rolling. As we’ve been covering, Sin Cara been working through a legitimate knee injury, although the extent of the damage is unknown at this time. He will be taking time off and will get checked out by doctors to determine whether surgery is needed.

Pictures of Sin Cara Unmasked

As for Rey Mysterio, the “severe neck injury” he suffered at the hands of The Shield is being used as a way to get him off television. WWE sources indicate that Mysterio is not injured and his departure from WWE television could be related to the confidential family situation that kept him off TV earlier this month. After briefly returning to WWE to wrestle at TLC and RAW, Mysterio flew back home to San Diego after RAW and is not expected back in the immediate future.

* MORE On WWE Bringing Back Several Former Mid-Card Wrestlers Soon

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– With Alberto Del Rio flirting with a babyface turn, his romance with Rosa Mendes has been dropped.

– WWE has made the call to put the new Fandango gimmick on hold. No word on whether it’s been dropped entirely, but WWE is no longer running vignettes and there are no plans for him to debut any time soon.

– Chris Jericho recently contacted WWE about returning for a short run leading up to WrestleMania that would involve Jericho putting over young talent. The sides are still talking, but as we’ve seen in the past, the major issues holding up the deal are Jericho not being able to commit to a full-time schedule (due to his outside projects) and Jericho wanting full control over said outside projects.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– The dislocated shoulder that Randy Orton suffered at the Tribute to the Troops taping is not serious and will only keep him out of action for a week or two.

– WWE’s decision to bring Big E Langston up to the main roster was made in the past week or so. After NXT Champion Seth Rollins made his WWE television debut as part of The Shield, WWE made the call to put the title on Big E Langston at the most recent tapings on December 6th, 11 days before his WWE TV debut.

Langston is a pure athlete that was successful in wrestling, football and power lifting and was seen as one of the top prospects at NXT before getting called up. Triple H has a policy where NXT stars are not called up until there is a solid character and storyline in place for them, so Langston should be kept busy with Ziggler and AJ for the next few weeks.

* Pictures of MARK HENRY’s Amazing Weight Loss

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE is no longer opening RAW with pyro.

– WWE recently made several changes to the top planned matches for WrestleMania 29. The Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H rematch is still scheduled to take place and there has been talk of adding a stipulation.

– WWE’s decision to stack the January 7th, 2013 edition of RAW with Punk vs. Ryback in a TLC Match and an appearance from The Rock is a response to the stiff competition they will be facing that night from the college football BCS championship game.

Some sports pundits are predicting the BCS game could do over 30 million viewers, which would make it the most-watched show in cable television history. Now that the NFL’s regular season is winding down and WWE won’t be facing weekly competition from Monday Night Football, RAW’s ratings are expected to rise and hover around the 3.0 mark as we head in to WrestleMania season.

* SPOILERS For Next Week’s RAW & SmackDown

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– According to Philadelphia’s Philly Post newspaper, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was ringside at Monday’s RAW, sitting behind the announcers table. Manuel is a longtime WWE fan.

– WWE’s Fan Nation Facebook page noted that WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson was in Tampa yesterday working with the WWE developmental talents.

– A trailer for The Miz’s new WWE Studios movie The Marine 3 aired last night during the Tribute to the Troops special on USA. The hype video noted that the movie is scheduled to be released on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 12th.

– Speaking of WWE developmental, WWE is talking about creating a new full-time training facility in (or around) Orlando, Florida. This would become the company’s official training headquarters and would take the place of the current facility in Tampa.

* Find Out Who Is Scheduled To Win The ROYAL RUMBLE (Direct Link)

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Christian is expected to return to WWE television in January, in time for the Royal Rumble.

– The December 5th episode of WWE Main Event did a 0.7 rating with 1.18 million viewers. The show featured IC Champion Kofi Kingston vs. US Champion Antonio Cesaro.

The December 12th episode, which had a special start time of 6:30pm (EST), did a 0.4 rating with 600,000 viewers. The show featured Ryback vs. Alberto Del Rio.

– JBL received a hate mail from the fans of Scotland’s Rangers Football Club after mentioning on RAW (12/17) that they recently went bankrupt.

* Updated Card For WRESTLEMANIA & WWE Negotiating With Several Former Superstars

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– USA Today is reporting that Steven Borden, the son of TNA star Sting, has signed with the University of Kentucky to play Division I college football.

– TNA will be taping 4 episodes of Impact Wrestling when the company heads overseas next month for the annual UK Tour. Orlando’s Universal Studios, home of the Impact Zone, issued the following statement this week regarding TNA’s taping schedule:

“There are no IMPACT WRESTLING events at Universal Studios for the month of February 2013 due to the stars of IMPACT WRESTLING entertaining fans in the United Kingdom.”

– Early estimates for this month’s TNA 2012 Final Resolution event show that the event did around 11,000 pay-per-view buys. This is on par with the average TNA PPV.

* Listen To Music From JEFF HARDY’s New Music Album

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro is currently working with several broken fingers and torn tendons in his right hand.

– Following the tragic elementary school shooting that took place last week in Newtown, CT, Vince McMahon is aware that WWE could come under fire once again for teaching violence to children and is fighting that image by continuing to push that WWE is family friendly entertainment that puts “smiles on faces.”

– Following Sunday’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, TNA star Bully Ray tweeted, “Dudleys, Hardys, E&C…still the KINGS of TLC. Anybody doubt that? Of course not. #BULLYNATION.”

Ray’s tweet was a topic of conversation backstage at Monday’s RAW, with most people agreeing that he did not come off well by making that comment. He later clarified on Twitter that he was not meaning to be a d-bag, but was “just proud of what we did.”

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Kayfabe Wrestling Radio
Hosted by Alan Wojcik & Spug
Listen Live on Tuesdays at 9pm ET on Wildtalkradio.com

Listen Here: Ricky Morton on Kayfabe Wrestling Radio (.MP3)

One half of the legendary tag-team “The Rock N’ Roll Express” Ricky Morton joined Kayfabe Wrestling Radio Tuesday Night. In a nearly 30 minute interview, he discussed how the ‘Rock N’ Roll Express’ came together, facing the Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane and Steve Keirn), working for Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett in Memphis back in the day and how he got started in wrestling, the differences with wrestling today, on moving to and working with the Crockett’s NWA promotion, being part of Starrcade ’85 and selling out two arenas for one event, the iconic match between the Rock ‘N Roll Express and the Andersons from Starrcade ’86 and that being named Steve Austin’s favorite match of all time, working different styles and the role of the babyface back in the day, his times as Richard Morton in WCW with the York Foundation and what as more fun: being Ricky Morton or Richard Morton, his upcoming match with Jerry Lynn vs Kid Kash and MMA fighter Josh Shockman at Crossfire Wrestling’s TV Taping and more.

On how the Rock N Roll Express come together as a team: “Well, I knew Robert real good; but in 1983, matter of fact this is our 30 year anniversary that Robert and I have been tag team partners, Jerry Lawler in Memphis, Tennessee put us together in 1983. We were, back then, were looking for a place; they had the Fabulous Ones in there and were looking for another tag-team, so he (Jerry) put Robert and I together and they came up with the “R N’ R Express”, the Rock N’ Roll Express, and that’s what we stuck with man.

Working for Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett in Memphis and how he got into wrestling: “Oh, they were great. But you got to remember; we were back in the time when Memphis was real hot, that was after when Jerry and Jeff Jarrett and all of them came up there. Working for Lawler, you got to understand; not only working with Lawler, you had Bill Dundee too; they were two great, great thinkers, booker wise, for business. You got have to understand, you had to keep this territory going; you had to have new ideas. If you were working on top and you didn’t sell Memphis and Louisville and Evansville out, they moved you down the figurative spot.

That’s why I followed my dad’s footsteps; my dad was a referee there. He wrestled in the early days but he was a referee there in Memphis. You’ve got to understand, I’ve been in the business all my life; I broke into the business. I started when I was a very young kid, I’m talking back in elementary school, going with him and putting the rings up. But eventually I started in Memphis; I started out, first of all, with a promoter of the name of Nick Gulas in Nashville, Tennessee and then when I switched and went to Memphis and it was like going to the show, going the big leagues. When you stepped into the Memphis Coliseum, it was 10-12,000 people and that was every Monday night and working with these guys from all over; when you stop and look, some of the greatest stars that ever been in this business came out of Memphis, Tennessee because there you had to learn to carry the load, you had to learn what to do. You had Lawler, you had Jarrett and you had Bill Dundee and that was the main three that really ran that territory and kept it going, giving the people something to see every week and bring excitement to them. To me, it was a great pleasure to be there, you understand?”

The differences working back then as opposed to today: “Now-a-days, and I’m not taking nothing away from nobody, and understand these younger guys don’t have the opportunity to learn like we did and how sacred our business was too. You wrestled every night and you got into the programs and you were on a bicycle tape of the towns if you know what I mean by that; you went around from town to town and it wasn’t that you had the same match every night because you had to follow your TV shows and your shows were on a bicycle tape; it was a week late getting from Memphis to Louisville the next night. You might start an angle on Saturday with somebody that went to Memphis that Monday, but on that Tuesday, you had to wrestle from a week before that, which you shot on TV. And it was a great experience learning, not only that but watching how these guys ran these programs and kept them going. And another thing about back then, and I don’t know if you understand, the heel and babyfaces kayfabed; we didn’t even dress in the same locker rooms, so we didn’t have the time, like these guys do today, to go over every move of your match. When you went out, you called everything in the ring, you know, your finishes, well not the finish but every move you did. That was just the way it was back then with our business and I’m sorry that guys missed out, but business was different back then.”

What was more fun: being Ricky Morton or Richard Morton from this time with the York Foundation in WCW: “To tell you the truth, I’m Ricky Morton, that’s who I am and that’s who I’ve built my character off of for years. Robert (Gibson) got hurt, that’s what that was all about and I was lost in the shuffle. So, I had to keep a job, so they turned me heel and made me part of the York foundation. It’s not like I had a choice; I just needed to change a bit of character and it didn’t last for long because it wasn’t me and I didn’t stay in WCW much longer than that; that’s when Robert and I went to Smokey Mountain Wrestling and we toured. They only reason Robert and I weren’t together was cause Robert got injured and was out for about a year. So I had a lot more fun being Ricky Morton. We were just lost in the shuffle.”

For more information the upcoming Crossfire Wrestling TV Taping on January 5th, go to Crossfire’s website (www.crossfireLLC.vze.com), their Facebook (www.facebook.com/CrossfireWrestling) or through their Twitter page (@CrossfireLLC) to get the latest information, updated card of matches and more. A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation of Middle Tennessee.

The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:

– It’s the return of CHAMPIONSHIP THURSDAY with an epic main event as World Heavyweight Champion “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy will defend the gold against former titleholder Austin Aries!

– The Knockouts Championship will also be on the line as Tara defends the title against one of these four superstars: Mickie James, Velvet Sky, Miss Tessmacher or ODB! The potential challengers will make their case to Knockouts Executive in Charge Brooke Hogan, and Brooke will select who receives the title shot!

– Also on the CHAMPIONSHIP THURSDAY edition of IMPACT, the Television Championship will be defended as Devon of The Aces and Eights puts his title on the line against the Olympic Gold Medalist – Kurt Angle!

– Plus, just days before the big holiday, Kazarian promises to throw a party on the broadcast in honor of Christopher Daniels to celebrate his big win over AJ Styles at Final Resolution!

All this and much more on Thursday’s special holiday IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV

WWE taped next Friday’s 12/28 edition of SmackDown tonight from Rochester, NY. Here are ongoing results, courtesy of Eric Buttaccio & PWInsider.com:

– Footage was shown of the closing moments of the Sheamus versus Big Show Lumberjack match from the December 24th episode of Raw.

– Show starts with an in ring promo with Sheamus. Sheamus challenges Big Show for a World Title match tonight. Big Show comes out and says that Sheamus can’t beat him when it counts. Big show says that the locker room is full of losers and no one is worthy of a title shot.

– Booker T comes out and says that every superstar’s name will be in a tumbler including Sheamus and the name that gets picked gets a World Title match tonight. The whole locker room comes out to see which name gets picked. The name that gets picked is . . . Santino Marella.

– Brodus Clay defeated Epico

– Backstage segment with Sheamus and Santino with Sheamus trying to teach the Brogue Kick to Santino. While trying the Brogue Kick, Sheamus pulls his hamstring.

– Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, and Damien Sandow defeated Kane, Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston when Barrett pinned Kofi.

– Backstage Booker T picked another name from the tumbler due to Santino’s injury. Show wanted to know who his opponent would be, but Booker said he will find out soon

– Back to Booker’s office. The new opponent for Big Show is Ricardo Rodriguez, who Teddy Long brings to the office. Big Show laughs and tells Ricardo to announce himself as World Champion. As Ricardo does his introduction, Show gives Ricardo the WMD.

– Antonio Cesaro defeated Zack Ryder

– Dolph Ziggler defeated The Miz with the Zig Zag after a distraction from Big E Langston and AJ.

A- fter the match, Miz says that no matter who AJ is with on New Years Eve, it will end with a bang. This caused Dolph and Langston to go back to the ring and Langston gave Miz the Big Ending.

– Backstage Booker and the doctor check on Ricardo. Brad Maddox asks for one more chance, Booker says Maddox gets one last shot. Alberto Del Rio comes to check on Ricardo and threatens to go after Big Show. Booker T offers Alberto the World Title match.

– Sheamus defeated Brad Maddox

– The Usos defeated the Primetime Players via a small package after the Usos did “twin magic”

– Big show defeats Alberto Del Rio by DQ when Sheamus attacked Big show as he tried to leave.

– The rest of the locker room comes out to prevent big show from leaving and throw him back to the ring where Alberto hits Big Show and then Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick on Big Show to end the program.