Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW Supershow takes place from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
– WWE Champion C.M. Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler.
– The big reveal from the cryptic “It Begins” videos will take place.
– Brodus Clay will make his long-awaited return to WWE television.
Announced for the live crowd (possibly dark matches) are:
– Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole in a Memphis Street Fight.
– John Cena vs. Kane in a “Raw Challenge match.”
– According to fans in attendance, the John Cena vs. Kane matches at this week’s RAW live events have been mostly one-sided for Kane until he uses a chair and gets disqualified, with Cena getting the upperhand after the match and clearing the ring.
– Cox Communications has WWE Classics On Demand still, with footage on it that won’t be removed until January 22nd. WWE was actively advertising a “Raging Rebels” theme for January; no indication has been given by WWE or Cox that the service will be discontinuing in the near future.
– FCW Champion Leo Kruger was back in action at Friday night’s RAW live event in Hartford, Connecticut. Kruger, who has previously worked as a heel, teamed with Alex Riley and Mason Ryan to defeat the team of Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins and JTG.
– John Cena appeared in 11 out of 13 WWE pay-per-view main events in 2011. CM Punk had the second-most pay-per-view main event matches in 2011 with 7. The Miz and Alberto Del Rio followed with 5 pay-per-view main events while R-Truth had 4.
– Randy Orton appeared in 35 main events on WWE TV throughout 2011, beating John Cena who had 27 TV main events. Christian came in third with 22 TV main events, Alberto Del Rio and R-Truth with 19, CM Punk and Sheamus with 18, Mark Henry with 17 and a four-way tie with Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Tyson Kidd and Dolph Ziggler appearing in 16 TV main events.
– Actor Dennis Haskins, best known as Mr. Belding from Saved By The Bell, recently spoke with MemphiSport.com about his quest to become WWE’s RAW General Manager.
There is a petition going around on Twitter to get Haskins hired by WWE as the RAW General Manager. Haskins has appeared on Zack Ryder’s YouTube show and is a known wrestling fans. There was talk months back of Haskins hosting RAW but it never happened.
The petition currently has less than 400 signatures. Haskins is asking fans to bring “Belding For GM” signs to Monday’s RAW Supershow in Memphis. He has received the support from guys like Ryder, The Miz, CM Punk, Diamond Dallas Page and others.
– John Cena was featured on CNN during Saturday night’s 2011 Year In Review recap show, hosted by Anderson Cooper.
Cooper made mention of Cena’s announcement on the death of Osama bin Laden to the live audience at the end of WWE Extreme Rules, which included CNN playing a YouTube clip of the announcement and showing the PPV graphic.
– John Cena sent the following tweet to recognize the end of 2011 and the start of 2012:
“A polarizing 2011 comes to an end. One filled with love and hate. The struggle continues tomorrow. A new day. A new year. Rise Above Hate. “
* Picture of CHRIS JERICHO At The Airport TODAY: Heading To RAW?!
WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper checks in with a new comedy video where he reveals his New Years Resolutions for 2012:
Stephanie McMahon Levesque was recently interviewed by bodybuilding website RXMuscle.com. McMahon spoke about losing weight and getting back into shape after giving birth to her kids. Here are some highlights of what Stephanie said about:
The Biggest Obstacle She’s Overcome: “From a body standpoint? Losing the baby fat-weight after having each of my children. I think normal weight gain is 35 lbs, I saw fit to double that. I’m the type of person that always has to eat right to be lean, so when I was pregnant the gloves were off and I ate like a champ! We’re talking a minimum of 4 pop tarts every morning with eggs and a glass of milk as a staple.”
Favorite Quote: This isn’t necessarily my favorite quote, it’s just the one that is coming to mind, “Learn to eat shit and like the taste” a life lesson by my dad, Vince McMahon.
Vince’s Love Of Physical Fitness: “It’s hard to say what life was like growing up as “Vince McMahon’s daughter”. I would watch my dad on Saturday mornings do interviews and I’d watch him commentate with Jesse Ventura on Saturday Night’s Main Events. It was just what my dad did; I didn’t look at it as anything unusual. It wasn’t until I was a little older and the other kids tried to make fun of me that I realized my situation was a little different (I actually kicked a kid in the shins for saying wrestling was fake!). My Dad was always big into working out; he’s the one who got me turned on to the gym. He was so intense and trained so hard, it looked like fun!”
How She Met Triple H: “We were married on TV as a fictional couple and life just imitated art…It wasn’t love at first site, but I bet you could call it chemistry at first site. I have never been more attracted to anyone in my entire life! He would just look at me and I would blush; still happens to this day actually.”
Whether She’ll Wrestle Again: “Anything can happen in the WWE!”
Stephanie noted that she legally had her middle name changed to McMahon (making her full name Stephanie McMahon Leveque) and she does not see her and Triple H having anymore kids.
The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on SyFy.
– Jinder Mahal vs. Ted DiBiase
– Kaitlyn & Alicia Fox vs. Tamina & Natalya
– Justin Gabriel vs. Hunico
– Big Show vs. David Otunga
– Drew McIntyre vs. Ezekiel Jackson
– Sheamus vs. Heath Slater
– Falls Count Anywhere: Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett
Former WWE diva Torrie Wilson is reportedly dating baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Longtime pro wrestling photographer Bob Mulrenin has posted an exclusive series of photos of the 2x Playboy cover girl with former WWE diva Tammy Sytch and TNA knockout Lisa Marie Varon. the New York Yankees’ A-Rod Alex Rodriguez. Pictures of their recent meeting can be viewed at HeymanHustle.com.
Popwrecked.com has the first picture of Torrie Wilson and A-Rod together.
According to a well placed source in WWE, there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding Randy Orton’s injury. The WWE website reported that company physician Dr. Michael Sampson examined Orton this week and found Orton’s back has a herniated disc.
Our source stated, “Randy might be back for the Royal Rumble, or he might not be back before WrestleMania. Orton is weighing his options carefully, and Vince wants to make sure Randy isn’t rushing back into the ring just for the WrestleMania payday. Vince has a long term investment in Randy, and he already has his three main events locked in for WrestleMania.”
WrestleMania’s top three matches are said to be The Rock vs John Cena; Undertaker vs HHH with Shawn Michaels as guest referee and CM Punk defending the WWE Title, presumably against Chris Jericho.
Lashley With His First MMA Championship (Click To Enlarge)
During an interview with SLAM! Wrestling, MMA fighter and former WWE & TNA superstar Bobby Lashley says that he wants to return to WWE sometime in the future.
Lashley, who recently captured his first MMA championship, said he’s eagle to settle up on “unfinished business” and “there’s still something’s to accomplish in WWE.”
“I’m completely open to going back, I would love to come back and do something big if there was an opportunity presented, I would definitely consider it,” he said.
“While I would do it, if the chance never came my way then I would be completely content in continuing with what I’m doing at the moment and that’s continuing wrestling and trying to become the best possible fighter I can be.”
To read the full interview, head over to Slam.Canoe.Ca.
Click Here To View Pictures Of Brock Lesnar's 12/30 Opponent
UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar spoke to the Los Angeles Times his week to hype his Friday night fight at UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem (pictures). Lesnar spoke about a number of topics, including his two bouts with diverticulitis, whether he considered leaving UFC while dealing with health issues and more. Here are some highlights of what Lesnar said about:
Training To Fight Overeem: “We’ve studied Alistair and tried to figure out his tendencies,” Lesnar said. “There are a lot of different things to look at. I know I have to perform to the best of my capabilities to beat him. We’ve had a successful camp, injury free, and hopefully by the time we’re in Las Vegas, no stones have been unturned. You never know until you get into the octagon, though. Anything can happen.”
Working With WWE Again: “I was recently asked to be on a WWE Legends video game, and when I did it rumors sprouted I was coming back,” Lesnar said. “I’m an ultimate fighter. I know [pro wrestling’s] always there. If the organization sees business to be made off me, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would turn down money, do you?”
To read the full article, which also includes quotes from UFC President Dana White, head over to LATimes.com.
Click To VIew Pictures Of Shaul Guerrero
– Dusty Rhodes tweeted that Shaul Marie Guerrero, daughter of Vickie and Eddie Guerrero, is his pick for the breakout FCW star of the year.
Guerrero, who is known as Racquel Diaz at FCW, is the current FCW Divas Champion and the “Queen of FCW.”
– Kevin Nash tweeted on Wednesday night that he is fine and should be back in action in a couple of weeks.
– Alicia Fox’s younger sister Caylee Turner has been ring announcing at FCW as of late.
Florida Championship Wrestling standout Seth Rollins wrestled Tyson Kidd at this week’s SmackDown live event in Detroit, Michigan. Rollins, working as a babyface, got the win in what was said to be a great match, despite the fact that the live crowd was not very into the action. Rollins and Kidd tweeted the following about the match:
Kidd: “Funny things happen when you mix a dose of Tyson Kidd with a talented and hungry athlete #workhorse”
Rollins: “Thank you Detroit! Holy $h*t that was awesome! So glad to be back! Can’t wait til next time. Get ready Buffalo…here we come!”
Multiple WWE sources have indicated that Rollins will debut on television “sooner than later.”
The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:
– Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam
– Knockouts Championship Match: Gail Kim defends against Mickie James
– The Wild Card Tag Team Tournament continues with two semi-final matches:
* Eric Young & ODB vs. Samoa Joe & Magnus
* Abyss & Scott Steiner vs. AJ Styles & Kazarian
– The final match in the Best-Of-3 Series between Anthony Neese and Zema Ion, with the winner earning a shot at the X Division Championship.
Also scheduled to appear are World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy, Sting, James Storm and more.
Mark Henry was recently interviewed by NorthJersey.com, Here are some highlights of what the former World Heavyweight champion said about:
His Current Push On Hold Due To Injury: “I’ve had my opportunities. Injuries are something that always seem to get in the way. I’ve gone almost a three- or four-year stretch, thank God, without an injury.”
20 Years Since Competing At The Olympics: “It seems like it’s been a long time to me and I would rather it feel that way. I’ve done a lot in my life. I’ve enjoyed the journey. I’ve had a chance to reflect and look back. But more than anything, the fact that I’m able to still be relevant and the world of sports and entertainment still know who Mark Henry is, it means a lot to me.”
Being An Ambassador Of WWE: “I’ve been that. I’ve never been a drug abuser. I’ve never been somebody that was abusive outside of professional entertainment. I’ve always done things necessary to grant and warrant carrying the gold.”
WWE debuted a new set at this week’s live events, check out these pictures of the setup:
[nggallery id=21]
Matt Hardy has posted a video message wishing everybody a happy holiday season. Hardy says he understands he can no longer talk about how great he’s doing or how his life is going to improve – he has to show us. Here’s the video and Matt’s description of the video:
“As we are faced with adversity and struggles in life, we can either continue our downward spiral, or learn from our mistakes. I start my journey on my second chance at life very enthusiastically. ”
– John Cena was booked to appear in the 10pm and 11pm segments of Monday’s RAW Supershow, because WWE is still not comfortable with CM Punk’s ability to draw ratings. While WWE appears to be teasing a potential heel turn for Cena, there are no plans for a full turn any time soon.
– Upon a recent look at WWE’s ratings, it’s been determined that only a handful of WWE’s top stars are able to draw fans and keep them tuned in. It’s been acknowledged that Michael Cole’s commentary (specifically, the burying of midcard talent) could be hurting ratings.
– WWE has reportedly changed creative plans this week for several top stars including CM Punk, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth. No word yet on exactly what changed, but it likely affects what was planned for these stars through the Royal Rumble.
(Source: f4wonline.com)
– Mexico’s Super Luchas Magazine is reporting that TNA star Jeff Hardy, who is set to headline the upcoming Genesis pay-per-view, is the man behind WWE’s cryptic January 2nd, 2012 promos. This report is completely false. Update: Today is “Innocents’ Day” in Latin America, which is similar to April’s Fools Day here in the United States, so that’s the origin or this story. Move along, nothing to see here.
– WWE Magazine is now available on the iPad.
– ESPN’s E:60 documentary piece on Scott Hall from earlier this year is nominated for Sports Illustrated’s “Best News Feature on a Sports Program” award.
– William Regal has once again addressed rumors of his retirement. Regal tweeted on Wednesday:
“Can I please make this clear.I have never said I’m retiring.Not at the O2 last year nor this week.Not wrestle as much,yes,but not retire.”
“Nor have I been removed from NXT or the WWE.Not been in trouble either(shock I know).”
WWE broke the news on Twitter on Tuesday night that Randy Orton was injured at the SmackDown tapings from Indianapolis, Indiana. We are hearing conflicting reports as to whether the injury took place during Orton’s Falls Count Anywhere match on SmackDown with Wade Barrett, or if it was a previous injury.
The match ended when Barrett threw Orton down a flight of stairs, a sign that Orton had pre-existing injury and the angle was used as a way to write Orton off television. Several readers have noted that Orton has not wrestled much in previous weeks, another sign that it’s been a nagging injury.
As noted before, Sheamus will be taking Orton’s place in SmackDown live events this week against Barrett. There’s talk that one of the RAW brand live event matches will be moved over to the SmackDown tour to add more talent in Randy Orton’s absence.
– Wade Barrett has commented on the injury suffered by Randy Orton at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings, which took place during their street fight (airing this Friday night). Barrett tweeted:
“Look, what happened at the taping was tragic. However, there are inherent risks in our profession. Play with fire, you get burned.”
– As Vickie Guerrero alluded to on Twitter this morning, WWE is set to debut a new stage at tonight’s live event. WWE champion CM Punk has posted (an admittedly crappy) preview picture of the set. Punk just tweeted:
“A horrible sneak peek picture of the new house show…er…LIVE EVENT set. Looks much better in person.”
Check out this preview of the new stage .. We’ll post a better quality picture when it becomes available:
Sneak Peek Of The New WWE Live Events Stage
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has a new blog up on his official website, BrokenSkullRanch.com. Austin recently had a custom Broken Skull Ranch Championship Belt created, which was made by Dave Millican Belts. Austin noted on his blog that he wanted to pay homage to the classic Intercontinental title – the first belt he won in WWE.
Here’s what Austin said about the belt’s design:
“First off, I wanted the shape of the belt to pay homage to the old WWF Intercontinental Championship. The old IC belt is one of the coolest belts of all time and some of the greatest workers in the history of professional wrestling have held this title. I have the IC title I won from Owen Hart in Meadowlands NJ in my safe. It is one of my prize possessions. Anyway…that’s how the belt got its shape. The main plate features the BSR, of course, and the skull in a barb wire circle artwork was created by artist and friend Joe Romero. The state of Texas features three towns–Austin, my birth place…Victoria, my former home town, and where I was from as Stone Cold Steve Austin…And Tilden, where the BSR is located. The plate with the whitetail buck is a deer taken by me in 2010 here at the ranch. His name was Stomper and he scored 181 gross B and C points. He was the first trophy buck taken here at the ranch and was the one of the cornerstones of our deer management program. He also represents my passion for hunting. The other plate is a Texas plate with the same three towns on it. I’m proud to be from the great state of Texas. The belt tip is obviously my signature, and is a nice finishing touch to a super belt. Rico knocked this one out of the park. Great job.”
Check out these pictures of the Broken Skull Ranch championship belt:
Check out this video from after Monday’s RAW from Chicago. John Cena puts over CM Punk big time in front of Punk’s hometown crowd:
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings results from Indianapolis (airing this Friday, 12/30), two PPV-caliber matches were announced for the first SmackDown of 2012.
The January 6th episode of SmackDown, which tapes 1/3 rom Little Rock, Arkansas, will feature:
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight championship
Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T for the Intercontinental championship
– WWE is currently discussing bringing back the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 28. If the match does return to WrestleMania, it’s a good sign the Money in the Bank themed pay-per-view could be rebranded in 2012.
– Jim Ross noted on Twitter that he’s not on WWE TV because WWE is not high on his look, plus company officials really like Michael Cole.
– After much speculation, we’ve heard that WWE legend The Iron Sheik will not be a part of the upcoming WWE Legends House reality show on the new WWE Network.
– WWE is set to debut a new stage at their live events. Vickie Guerrero tweeted this morning:
“Flying to Pittsburgh!!! I can’t wait to see the new stage setup tonight. See all of you there”
(Source: f4wonline.com)