– WWE RAW Supershow on Monday, April 23rd, 2012 will be a 3-hour episode, airing from 8 to 11 PM on the USA Network.

– The 2012 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on will air prior to RAW the night after WrestleMania on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 8 PM on the USA Network.

– Lucha Libre USA Masked Warriors hits the road this March, with live events in Nevada in California:

• March 23 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center:
• March 25 – Stockton, CA – Stockton Arena:
• March 30 – San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion:

Check out Ticketmaster.com for ticket information. More dates will be announced soon.

(Credit to Devin Cutting of prowrestlingevents.tk)

TNA Knockout Tara recently spoke with SportsVibe.co.uk this week and talked about the differences between her time in WWE and TNA.

The Major Differences Between WWE & TNA: “Oh my gosh! the first thing that I realized straight away was that the ‘Knockouts’ were such a main part of the show. When I first arrived we were doing four segments with the girls on one episode. It was nice because we got to showcase not just being boobs and butt, we got to go out there and showcase our talent, what we train to do is wrestle, kick-butt and not just having five minute matches.”

“We were having 12 minute matches, cage matches, the full works. It was amazing and the girls were all shapes and sizes we had the likes of Awesome Kong and ODB and it was just exciting to be a part of.”

Working For Vince McMahon vs. Dixie Carter: “I rarely got to talk to Vince McMahon, I would always say hello if I walked passed him in the corridor but he was always really busy, and I can imagine he has a lot going on in his life.”

“On the other hand Dixie is always around backstage, we can approach her and she has a lot of meetings with us girls and tells us what an important role we have on the show, so that’s nice.”

“I respect Vince, he created a palace and I have learned a lot from both Vince and Dixie.”

With WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in the books, we’ve passed the final detour on the road to WrestleMania.

WWE has plans to begin several new angles on next Monday’s RAW Supershow.

Two names that are expected to start appearing on WWE television for WrestleMania 28 are Kharma and NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal. Kharma is rumored to face Beth Phoenix at WrestleMania with Shaq expected to wrestle the Big Show.

Also scheduled for several upcoming RAW shows are The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Triple H.

(Partial source: f4wonline.com)

– The Rock tweeted a few messages to Zack Ryder this week – and took another jab at John Cena in the process:

“@ZackRyder If you don’t stop using my tweets and phrases – I’ll be forced to drop #ThePeoplesWooWoo on you.”

“@ZackRyder Btw, sorry to hear about your girl and John. Been told his breath smells like a dog’s anus. #DontSweatItBro.”

– Zack Ryder’s latest Z! True Long Island Story is now online, marking the 1 year anniversary of the show. Episode 53 includes a cameo from a recently released WWE superstar:

— TNA president Dixie Carter confirmed that Bobby Roode will defend the TNA World title against his former tag partner, James Storm, at TNA Lockdown in April:

“Couldn’t ask for a better Heavyweight title bout than Roode vs Storm at Lockdown in Nashville. Hometown advantage???? I CANNOT wait. 4/15.”

As it was announced on Impact, Roode will first have to get through Sting, when the two headline next month’s Victory Road pay-per-view.

— Former TNA Knockout Chelsea, formerly the valet of Desmond Wolfe, returned on last night’s episode of Impact. She was shown along side Eric Bischoff during his celebration segment.

— Mickie James is finishing up her second country CD, and plans to have it available for a spring release.

— Ring of Honor’s 10th Anniversary iPPV takes place on March 3rd from the Hammerstein Ballroom. The show can be ordered at GFL.tv.

— ROH debuts in Cincinnati tonight at the Masonic Hall with the following card:

* ROH Tag Team champions Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. ROH champion Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly

* ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal vs. BJ Whitmer – Proving Ground

* Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong – No Holds Barred

* Michael Elgin with Truth Martini vs. Adam Cole

* One Night Tag Tournament featuring: Shiloh Jonze & Rudy Switchblade, Sean Casey & Chris Silvio, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, Alabama Attitude (Mike Posey & Corey Hollis with the premise being the winners can make a name for themselves in ROH and earning a non-title bout with the Tag champions.

* Mike Mondo vs. Samson Walker

– SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has announced plans to hold a series concerts in the near future. She tweeted Thursday:

“Excited 4 tonight!! Have my first band rehearsal w my NEW Band!!! Gearing up 4 concerts! Yay!” Garcia just released her second single, Ur Girl (Til the End of the World), following the first release, U Drive Me Loca, both produced by Grammy nominated producer, Oh, Hush!, off her upcoming sophomore album.

– During an interview with MTV to promote his new Journey 2 movie, WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed that he will be filming the 6th and 7th installments of the “Fast And Furious” movie franchise this summer:

“We were going to try shooting them together. It would make sense while we have the same crew and everybody in one place. But I think we’re dealing with some weather issues, so from what I know we’re going to shoot ‘Fast 6’ first, and then worry about ‘Fast 7’ a little later.”

Here is video of The Rock talking to MTV:

– John Cena is not the only WWE star with ties to NASCAR. The Rock is listed as the Executive Producer of the upcoming documentary “Racing Dreams,” which debuts on PBS on February 23rd at 9PM ET. The documentary will follow one year in the lives of three young adults who aspire to become NASCAR drivers and has been described as “Talladega Nights meets Catcher in the Rye.”

— WWE Senior VIP Ron VanDeVeen recently revealed that prior to securing New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium for WrestleMania 29, WWE was originally in negotiations to bring Summerslam to the venue. He stated this week:

“We originally were talking about Summerslam coming to the stadium, then Giants Stadium, and we morphed it into let’s talk about how do we make this even bigger and does WrestleMania work.”

– WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at BrokenSkullRanch.com. In this entry, Stone Cold told a story about his early days int he wrestling business – and how Dutch Mantell once yelled at him after he had a bad match:

“This ass chewing session was a 9.9 out of 10. I think he actually invented a few new cuss words to use on me. The Dutchisms were relentless, ruthless, and certainly unparalleled at this point in my life.”

Austin said that Mantell instructed him to watch every match on the card:

“I got it. From that point on for the rest of my career I watched damn near every match of every card my whole career. Obviously, when I was white hot in the WWE I did not have time to watch as much, but I’ll never forget that night… Thanks to Jerry Jarrett for the job. Thanks to Dutch for all the advice and help while I was there. And, most of all…Thanks for cussing my ass out, it was the best advice I ever got.”

Peter Rosenberg from New York City’s Hot 97 hip hop radio station is back with another round of exclusive interviews with WWE superstars from this week’s WrestleMania 29 press conference.

John Cena talks about WrestleMania 29, New York’s rich history as city that loves pro wrestling, NBA sensation Jeremy Lin, and a potential new rap album:

The Rock talks hip hop music with Peter Rosenberg:

Peter Rosenberg interviews the Celtic Warrior Sheamus:

– WWE Champion CM Punk has been nominated for a “Most Metal Athlete’ award in at the upcoming Revolver Golden Gods Awards. The awards show takes place on April 11th and will be hosted by none other than Chris Jericho.

No word yet on whether CM Punk will be there in person, but considering their current feud, it would be  be interesting to see whether these two could peacefully co-exist at the same event.

For more information, visit RevolverMag.com.

– One of the top stories of the week is that former Ring of Honor wrestler Chris Hero finally made his debut at WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. Hery, who is now known as Kassius Ohno, is one of several new who joined the FCW website’s talent roster this week. Besides Ohno, here are the other new FCW talents:

• Garrett Dylan (Jody Kristofferson)
• Paige (UK diva Britani Knight)
•  Adam Mercer
• Aiden English (Actor Matt Rehwoldt0)
• Sonny Elliott

Earlier this week, it was reported by the Wrestling Globe newsletter that Brodus Clay’s “Funkasaurus” character is being put on hold because WWE officials feel his in-ring work is not yet up to par.

Brodus Clay has since responded to that report, Tweeted the following message on Thursday night:

“Don’t believe the hater hype plant funk still in orbit ya dig!”

Somebody call his mama!

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on SyFy:

* Battle Royal to determine the final entrant in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber.

* World champion Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus.

* Tag Team champions Epico & Primo vs. The Usos.

* Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes & Wade Barrett vs. Big Show & Great Khali.

* Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jinder Mahal.

* Hunico vs. Ted DiBiase.

* Divas champion Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka & Alicia Fox.

• *SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Tonight

WWE’s early 1990’s classic arcade game WrestleFest is coming back next week to Apple iOS Devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod). However – instead of a simple re-release of the game, THQ has remade the classic with updated graphics, smoother gameplay and an updated roster.

The roster for the game will feature legends from the early 90’s (including Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Big Boss Man), Attitude Era superstars (Steve Austin, The Undertaker) as well as today’s stars like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Randy Orton.

The game will will feature a multiplayer mode, a steel cage match, multiple arenas and “extensive downloadable content,” which will likely include additional playable characters, ring gear, etc.

WWE WrestleFest will be released in the Apple App Store on Tuesday, February 21.

Check out these images from the upcoming WWE WrestleFest game:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon talk about WrestleMania 29 coming home to the New York area:

MFeenz TV was at the WrestleMania 29 press conference from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday and got exclusive interviews with The Rock and John Cena.

The Rock will be at Wrestlemania XXIX, but he would not confirm if will wrestle:

John Cena says he’s hoping for snow at WrestleMania 29:

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, taped Monday night from Orlando:

– Super Bowl champion Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants makes a special guest appearance.

• Pictures of BRANDON JACOBS At IMPACT: He Gets Physical!

– Austin Aries and Zema Ion will face Alex Shelly and Shannon Moore.

– A Knockouts Battle Royal will be held to determine the Number One Contender for the Knockout’s Championship.

– James Storm vs. Bully Ray to determine the Number One Contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

– Bobby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy in a no-disqualification match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

• *SPOILERS* TNA Impact Tapings Results For Tonight

– As you’ve likely read by now, WWE has announced that Randy Orton suffered a concussion on RAW and as a result, will not be able to wrestle at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pa-per-view. A battle royal was held at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings to fill Orton’s vacated chamber pod, which was won by none other than Santino Marella.

According to sources who were backstage at SmackDown, Mark Henry was brought to the show with the original plans calling for Henry to replace Orton. It was decided late Tuesday afternoon that Henry could still use more time off to rest his body, so the decision was made to have Santino replace Orton.

– United States Champion Jack Swagger noted on Twitter that WWE will be coming to Brazil this coming May with shows in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

– The Rock announced on Twitter that Journey 2 is officially Warner Bros.’ 2nd biggest opening of all-time in China.

– WWE’s live tour of Abu Dhabi last week was considered a huge success, grossing over $2 million and drawing between 5,000-6,000 fans foe each show. Because Abu Dhabi is considered a wealthy city, WWE was able to charge an average ticket price of over $100. Abu Dhabi also has a very conservative culture, so the WWE crew was told to stay out of trouble and the Divas were not brought on tour.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– The Rock announced at Thursday’s WrestleMania press conference from the MetLife Stadium that he will be appearing at next year’s WrestleMania 29 – making it his third consecutive WrestleMania appearance.

The Rock is scheduled for the April 2nd RAW Supershow, the night after WrestleMania 28. There has been talk of The Rock participating in a match at SummerSlam as well, schedule permitting. Even if SummerSlam does not work out, The Rock is expected to work at least one more pay-per-view in 2012.

– “The Sports Guy” Bill Simmons takes aim at Triple H in his latest mailbag column for ESPN affiliated website Grantland.com. When asked if the recent surge of New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin is the NBA’s equivalent of CM Punk this past summer, he instead sounded off self-proclaimed “King of Kings.”

“Does this mean Carmelo is going to be Triple H — the egotistical, overrated star who couldn’t handle that something good was happening without him, so he interjected himself into the storyline and ended up throwing a wet blanket on all the momentum? I sure hope not.”

– Despite rumors to the contrary, there are currently no solid plans for WWE’s Legends House to air on SyFy.

– WWE Hall of Famer was Harley Race was in Tampa at WWE developmental on Wednesday, according to pwinsider.com.

WWE issued the following on Thursday:

WrestleMania(R) to Hit New York/New Jersey Region and MetLife Stadium

Week-long Festivities to Feature WWE(R) Superstars and WWE’s Biggest Event of the Year at Home of New York Jets and New York Football Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Feb 16, 2012 — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and WWE WWE announced today that its annual pop culture extravaganza, WrestleMania XXIX, will come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, April 7, 2013 with events throughout the New York/New Jersey region.

Governor Christie was joined by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, New York Football Giants President and CEO John Mara, New York Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson, NYC & Company CEO, George Fertitta and WWE’s Senior Vice President of Special Events John Saboor to make the announcement at a press conference held earlier today. WWE Superstars John Cena(R), Triple H(R), Sheamus(R), Mark Henry(R), Brie and Nikki Bella(TM) and special guest Dwayne “The Rock(R)” Johnson were also on hand at MetLife Stadium for the historic announcement.

“We are excited to be hosting WrestleMania XXIX in the great state of New Jersey,” said Governor Chris Christie. “Having WWE’s preeminent international event here will strengthen both the regional and local economies and continue to showcase MetLife Stadium as a world-class venue for sports and entertainment. Fans will travel from around the world to enjoy and participate in the WWE’s biggest event of the year.”

A week-long celebration, WrestleMania has generated more than $200 million in cumulative economic impact for its past four host regions. The 2013 event will mark WrestleMania’s fifth trip to the metropolitan area with past visits in 1985, 1986, 1994, and 2004.

“WWE would like to thank Governor Christie, the New York Jets, the New York Giants and NYC & Company for rolling out the red carpet to host WWE’s biggest event of the year,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. “We look forward to making history and adding MetLife Stadium to the list of iconic venues that have hosted WrestleMania.”

“When WrestleMania comes to town, related activities will occur throughout the New York and New Jersey area, but we are looking forward to hosting the main event,” said New York Jets Chairman and CEO, Woody Johnson. “We are confident that both the Superstars and fans of WWE will feel at home in MetLife Stadium.”

“WrestleMania has long been considered one of the most successful sports entertainment events in the world,” said John Mara, President and CEO of the New York Giants. “We are thrilled to welcome the highly-anticipated 29th installment to MetLife Stadium.”

WrestleMania Week activities will occur throughout the New York/New Jersey region including: the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; WrestleMania Axxess, WWE’s interactive fan festival; Make-A-Wish Pizza Party hosted by John Cena; Monday Night Raw; the finals of the WrestleMania Reading Challenge and other community-based events.

“NYC & Company looks forward to partnering with New Jersey on another world-class event in the tri-state area,” said NYC & Company CEO, George Fertitta. “We invite all WWE fans to visit New York City for its unparalleled shopping, dining, cultural and entertainment options across the five boroughs that will surely make WrestleMania Week an unforgettable experience.”

The pay-per-view event will be televised in more than 100 countries and 30 languages. In 2011, a sold-out crowd of 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries converged on the Georgia Dome for WrestleMania XXVII. This year WrestleMania XXVIII takes place Sunday, April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. The main event will feature the highly-anticipated match between John Cena and The Rock.

– WWE headquarters is still in the process of undergoing major changes, with the office space being reorganized to reflect designated space for each department.

Joey Styles, who runs the WWE’s website, recently confirmed those reports when a fan asked him on Twitter if he works from home. Styles replied:

“I work in the newly renovated office space for TV Creative, Magazine and .com at WWE HQ.”

– As we reported earlier in the week, WWE corporate made several recent cuts last Friday that are being described as “shocking.”

The most notable cut was Jim Connelly, who served as the Senior Vice President of Consumer Products. He was with the company since 1999.

Dean Miller, who worked under Connelly as the Senior Manager of Home Entertainment, and Florence DiGiorgio, who was with WWE since the 1990s and most recently served as the Senior Director of Global Licensing, are also gone from the company.

The timing of WWE’s decision to gut the Consumer Products division is especially surprising, coming right before the last week’s big New York Toy Fair.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

One of this week’s top stories is that Randy Orton is injured once again, suffering what is believed to be another concussion at Monday’s RAW. During Orton’s match with the Big Show, Orton delivered an RKO Big Show and was seen getting up very slowly and grabbing his head. Orton was visibly on “spaghetti legs” and appeared disoriented.

WWE ran a storyline on the company website and at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings where Orton’s concussion actually occurred after his match with Big Show, when Daniel Bryan hit him in the head with the World Heavyweight title belt.

According to backstage sources who were at RAW, there was not any talk about Orton being injured. Orton will not wrestle at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as a precautionary measure, but is not expected to miss much ring time beyond that.

Here is footage from Randy Orton’s match with the Big Show from RAW:

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– The final episode of ECW on SyFy aired on this date back in 2010. The main event saw Ezekiel Jackson defeat Christian in an Extreme Rules match to become the final ECW Champion.

– According to the latest polling for the upcoming Connecticut Senate race, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is currently trailing Democratic candidate Chris Murphy by 9 points.

– There is a strong feeling among WWE officials that today’s roster is lacking the main event star power of previous generations. While there are a handful of who carry themselves like stars and have major drawing power, overall – the locker room atmosphere is very different than what it was a decade ago.

During the tail end of the Attudie Era, WWE had guys like Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar as big draws. The next tier of talent included names like The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Eddie Guerrero and more who were hungry to climb the ranks and had the to make skills it happen. Today’s locker room and WWE’s developmental system are chock full of promising talent, but WWE has gone many years without effectively building mid-card talent and they are now paying the price.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

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

Orton’s Elimination Chamber Replacement: “Saw on WWE.com where Santino was replacing Orton in the Smackdown elimination chamber bout. That’s a jaw dropper.”

Divas Division Picking Up Steam: “It seems as if the Diva division in WWE is slow beginning to be more significant. Beth Phoenix is evolving into an intriguing character while Tamina has been evolving steadily. Of course, folks are clamoring for a Kharma vs Phoenix match which will likely happen some day. Kharma only gave birth to her son on New Year’s Eve so her coming back full time is likely still a ways away.”

Undertaker Cuting His Hair: “Why did Taker cut his hair? Beats the hell of of me but I’m sure that matter will be addressed when the time comes. Until then, I, like many of you, will stay tuned. I’ve never gotten so many questions on one topic on Twitter as I have regarding Undertaker’s hair. Wow.”

American Badass Returning: “Is Taker coming back as the American BadAss character? I honestly do not know. I enjoy knowing less, enjoyng the TV shows more, and seeing how things organically play out. I don’t have the desire to know every detail of what’s going on in advance of it happening as do some.”

John Cena and The Rock are at it again. In a blog posted on JRsBarBQ.com on Wednesday, Jim Ross stated once again that there are legitimate bad feelings between the WrestleMania 28 main eventers. In response to fans who question him whether Rock and Cena’s heat is real, Ross wrote:

“For those who seriously think that Rock and Cena are pals, think again. Go back to 2008 and listen to Rock’s comments at the WWE HOF regarding John Cena. That was almost four years ago. These two stars are NOT on the same page and both have strong personalities and are game day players. Their one on one match at WM28 will be physical and competitive I can assure you.”

The Rock posted the following Valentines Day message for John Cena on Tuesday:

TheRock @WWE @JohnCena Happy Valentines Day John. You may not be my girl, but I do consider you my bitch. #BootsToCenasPinkParts

John Cena responded to The Rock with a god awful attempt at comedy that involves Cena branded tampons and .. feminine wash:

JohnCena Looks like my buddy Dwayne is headed to Metlife Stadium tomorrow for WrestleMania 29…I got nothing to do..see u there amigo. Saw Dwayne wished me happy valentines ……..For those that didn’t get the “pink part” thing he once again is re referencing my mangina. So I propose this… Cena tampons. “That time of the month got u feeling bad, just put a lil Cena inside ya :) he’ll make ya feel fine” #champaxOr Cena feminine wash. “Tough day south of the equator? Lather some Cena on there and they can’t smell you!” #massCENAgil :)that’s the late nite act kiddos. Be back for the morning show at Metlife Stadium tomorrow. See u then movie star.

After a Twitter user brought it to The Rock’s attention that Cena called himself a tampon, Rock responded:

TheRock Mission accomplished. (Easy mission btw)

WWE has released the official logo for next year’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view, which will take place on Sunday April 7, 2013 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and WWE will be holding a press conference on Thursday morning at the Metlife Stadium thatwill feature appearances from The Rock, John Cena, Triple H and Sheamus, as will several Divas.

Also in attendance will be New York Giants President and CEO John Mara and New York Jets Owner and CEO Woody Johnson, whose teams play at the Metlife Stadium.

John Cena In The Marine

Deadline.com is reporting that WWE Studios and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have come to terms on a new deal that will yield 3 straight-to-DVD titles – including another Marine film.

The Marine: Homefront will be the third installment of WWE’s Marine franchise. The original Marine movie from 2006 generated over $18 million in revenue and was the most successful WWE Studios project by far. Ted DiBiase starred in the straight-to-DVD sequel. Deadline.com originally reported that John Cena would be starring in the new Marine movie, but has since updated their article and removed the part about Cena starring.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will handle worldwide distribution for the 3 movies via Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and digital download and WWE will use their juggernaut promotional machine to maximize exposure.

“WWE Studios will continue to expand its film offerings to appeal to a wide range of movie fans in 2012 and 2013,” said WWE Studios President, Michael Luisi. “We look forward to building upon our relationship with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment to present movies that bring action, adventure and humor to audiences all over the globe.”

No word yet on the other two movies, but one of them is expected to star CM Punk.