SEScoops

Author: Staff

  • SmackDown Preview: 41-Man Battle Royal, Title Match

    The following is scheduled for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, taped Tuesday night from Dallas, Texas.

    As reported earlier this week, the DX reunion that took place at the taping will not air tonight on Syfy.

    – 41-man Battle Royal: Winner gets a title shot of his choice later in the evening

    – Divas Champion Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly in a non-title match

    – Black Sin Cara vs. Justin Gabriel

    – WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus

    – Zack Ryder and Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.

  • Hulk Hogan Totally BURIES Bobby Roode

    This is Bobby Roode’s week. Sunday is TNA’s biggest show of the year – Bound For Glory – and for the first time in several years, the main event features the opportunity to push one of TNA’s young, up-and-coming homegrown talents to the next level .. There’s a good chance Bobby Roode will go over on Sunday night and have the biggest night of his carrer. But that didn’t stop TNA’s biggest star, Hulk Hogan, from totally burying the guy this week.

    Hulk Hogan taped an appearance with The Busted Open show on Thursday that will air today at 3pm on Sirius Radio. When asked whether Bobby Roode is ready for to be the #1 guy in TNA – here’s what Hogan said:

    “Nah, he’s not ready. He’s not the next guy. Ya’ know, they might think he is. Dixie Carter might think he is. The whole world might think he is. He’s not the next guy. If I had to bet money on anybody and really be serious about betting money on anybody, I’d say Jeff Hardy is the next guy if he keeps his act together.”

    “Um, that’s what you gotta to have, man. This is much more than being a wrestler, this is crossing barriers, medias, ya’ know media barriers, and, and entertainment barriers of all kind. Getting your character down verbally has 90% to do with getting over.”

    “I just have a very strong feeling Kurt Angle’s going to clean his clock performance wise, and carry the match, and basically remains the champion. He’s training for the Olympics. He’s had some up and down moments, and I think this is not gonna be a down moment for Kurt Angle, so I’m betting that farm on him.”

    Here are some more highlights of what Hulk Hogan said about several other TNA stars and his match with Sting on Sunday:

    James Storm: “I’d go with James Storm all day long. Mainstream brotha’! Cowboy hat, beer drinking, middle America, Nascar, Walmart, Country Western. I mean all day long, it’s a no brainer. That’s me. That’s my opinion. So, I mean, Bobby Roode’s a tremendous athlete. I would change. I’d build him from Venice Beach, California or Omaha, Nebraska instead of, I dunno, Canada, eh’? I love him to death. He’s a great kid. When he looked down at me from the ring, and we had an argument one day, and he goes, “What the hell have you ever done?” I said man, this guy’d be a great heel, but yeah he has a lot of potential there for him to, but if you ask me to choose who to run with’, and you gave me those two choices? That’s my opinion.”

    Jeff Hardy: “If I had to bet money on anybody, and really be serious about betting money on anybody, I’d say Jeff Hardy’s the next guy if he keeps his act together. Well, I think he’s got a lot of shine to him, I mean he just doesn’t have 5-star matches. He shines outside the ring. He walks through the mall, and people know who he is. He’s got a look, he’s got an air about him. He’s got the “IT” factor. That’s what you gotta’ have, man. This is much more than being a wrestler. This is crossing barriers, medias,, media barriers, and, and entertainment barriers of all kind. And I think the kid, Jeff Hardy has the potential to really be the guy.”

    AJ Styles: “It’s never too late. I mean, I just don’t know. I, when I first came in all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed a couple of years ago, I had a ton of suggestions which I was kind of pushing real hard, which I thought would take him to a crazy, crazy level, and nobody responded. So, I don’t know at this point. I have my ideas, but a lot of things that I believe in, and what I feel from the crowd, and what I know. The little I know about this business. Sometimes, it’s either taken and used, or used and it doesn’t work, or it’s not used at all. So, it’s just..it’s my opinion. I don’t know at this point.”

    Wrestling Sting at Bound for Glory: “The main event is Kurt Angle, thank god! And uh, Bobby Roode stepped up, and he’s definitely become a presence, so I’m betting the farm on Kurt Angle, and uh, I guess I’m kind of like the icing on the cake, Sting and I have a crazy track record with Pay-Per-View buy numbers, and it just made sense to give everybody a little extra, and let everybody know, and, that it’s not a performance orientated match. Of course none of em’ were for me, anyway. But it’s a situation where I think there’s gonna’ be some interest to see what happens out there with Sting and I, and if I can roll my walker down the ramp, I’ll be good to go. I don’t even want to think about it. It’s just going to happen like everything else. I’m not into talking about diving off something or falling off something. I never have really talked about a match. There’s really nothing to talk about. You gotta’ go out there and listen to what the people want. They want a car crash, they’ll get one. I’m not looking for back surgery #9 or anything like that. I mean I’m not out of my mind, and crazy. I don’t think Sting’s ever really had anything broken on his face. My nose and teeth are, have been so beat up, it doesn’t matter, but Sting? I don’t know if he can take one straight in. Even as of last week, it was there. I just stood in the ring with him, and it’s electric. I mean it’s there. You just follow that energy man, and we could end up in the middle of the ring, we could end up at the top of the building, I mean you just don’t know. It could go 5 seconds, it could go 50 minutes, I don’t know. I mean, if it’s there, it’s there, and right now, standing in the ring with him, it’s there. I’ve stood in the ring with a lot of people that it hasn’t been there. But I’m not worried about this one because it’s there. The feeling and the energy’s there from the people. They want to see something crazy happen. Well, I had my last match a long time ago, so we definitely didn’t attempt to build this as a match. It’s kind of like, almost a grey area again. The crazier Sting gets, the more over his character gets, but then the down side should have been me getting booed more, but it’s kind of like the N.W.O. feel all of a sudden. The more aggressive I get, the more people cheer me out of loyalty, out of love, out of compassion, whatever it is. I think the people might’ve farted at me turning good guy, shaking hands, and going you know what? One last fight, and I’m gonna’ fade off into the sunset. I don’t think they would’ve bought that. The timing doesn’t feel right for that.”

  • *SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Tonight

    WWE SmackDown on Syfy

    Credit to SEScoops.com reader Angelo for the following WWE SmackDown spoilers from tonight’s tapings in Dallas, Texas, airing this Friday night on SyFy:

    Dark Match:

    * Brodus Clay defeated another local wrestler in a squash.

    SmackDown:

    * Shawn Michaels and Triple H reunited as DX for an off-camera appearance and teased a future WrestleMania for Cowboys Stadium.

    * Teddy Long opened this week’s show with the RAW General Manager, John Laurinaitis. They announced a 41-man battle royal for tonight’s show. The winner will get a title shot of any title they choose, similar to Money in the Bank.

    * Randy Orton won a 41-man battle royal to earn a shot at any title. Miz and Orton were the final two men standing. Orton RKO’d The Miz from the apron and they both fell at the same time, the refs declared Orton the winner. Orton chose to face Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship.

    * Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly.

    * Black Sin Cara Black attacked Blue Sin Cara Blue on the stage and removed his mask.

    * Black Sin Cara (wearing Blue Sin Cara’s mask) defeated Justin Gabriel.

    * WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio defeated Sheamus. Christian interfered and helped Del Rio get the win. After the match, Christian beat down Sheamus.

    * Kofi Kingston and Zack Ryder defeated Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler.

    * Randy Orton defeate Mark Henry by DQ when Cody Rhodes interfered and attacked Orton. Big Show runs out to make the save and chokeslams Henry. Orton got up and nailed Cody with an RKO.

  • Kurt Angle Injured Headed Into Bound For Glory (Video)

    TNA World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle appeared on the Philadelphia NBC affiliate’s “10! Show” Thursday morning to promote Sunday’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view from Philadelphia. Here are some highlights:

    – Angle reiterated what Hulk Hogan said later this week – that his match with Bobby Roode will be the main event of Bound For Glroy.

    – Angle says Hulk Hogan’s fight with Sting on Sunday will be “the last time you will ever see Hulk Hogan wrestle.”

    – Angle was visibly in pain when walking onto the set, which the hosts brought up during the interview. Angle said that he’s been battling a hamstring injury, which doesn’t bode well for his ability to deliver a star-making match with Bobby Rude, but we shall see.

    Here’s the video:

  • Video: Hulk Hogan Says He No Longer Supports President Obama

    TNA star Hulk Hogan appeared on FOX News today and says he no longer endorses President Barack Obama. Not because of the economy or his policies – but because he used Hogan’s “Real American” theme music without asking him first. Hogan also talked about having to drop the value of his home substantially, Sunday’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view and more. Here’s the video:

    Hogan also appeared on ESPN SportsNation today and cut a great promo on NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, brother:

  • Mick Foley Talks WWE Return, His Stand-Up Comedy & More

    Former WWE superstar Mick Foley recently appeared on the Live Audio Wrestling show. You can download an MP3 of the show by clicking here. Here are the higlights, courtesy of Chris Maffei:

    How He Got Involved with Stand Up Comedy:

    “I had done a lot of speaking at colleges where a lot of my stories were humorous, but because I was never billed as a comic, they didn’t have to be funny, that was just kind of like the icing on the cake. When I did make the foray into comedy, I realized that you can’t just go out there with some ideas, even if the ideas do lead to good stories. I had essentially shrugged off comedy as something that’d be too difficult to get good at. The challenge I really had was trying to get the same people who would willingly wait two hours in line for me to sit down in a comfortable club and listen to me tell stories and do comedy for the same amount of time and for the same price. There was a disconnect, like “Comedy? No, no, we like you in a wrestling venue,” even if it’s a signing that has to do with wrestling. It was really frustrating to me, and I honestly didn’t think I would have the capacity to overcome that. I thought it would take too much time and effort.”

    Whether His Comedy Is Geared Towards Wrestling Fans:

    “I try to make it inclusive for everybody, without alienating the people who do like me for wrestling, which is most of the people there. I want it to be entertaining for everybody. I use wrestling as my jumping off point to go to other topics, and I’m kinda using trial and error to figure out how to get back to wrestling, and how to weigh everything out. I like to think of wrestling like the best education ever, if you just travel around the world with your eyes and ears open. I share stories that I learned along the way, and things that I learned about people through wrestling. There are some really good stories that anybody could appreciate as long as they are willing to be open to seeing a wrestler tell them.”

    Returning To WWE and Wrestling Again:

    “First of all, I’d really have to start working out and conditioning. I should really do that now, in case some of these rumors turn out to be true. They’re all rumors that I started, by the way, so it’s nice to know that form of communication is still viable. I’m having fun, I think most people know I’m joking when I use the words, “I’ll show Hugh Jackman how it’s done when I show up as the SECRET special guest referee at Hell in a Cell,” and then about a minute later, “WHOOPS! Disregard that, I was trying to direct message Michael Cole. A lot of people took me seriously, and were disappointed when I wasn’t there, so I’m gonna try not to spread rumors. With that being said, I do think that I’ll be showing up in WWE sometime soon. Sometime.”

  • Batista & Kimbo Slice Appearing In Scorpion King 3 (Video)

    Former WWE superstar Batista and former UFC star Kimbo Slice will be appearing in the new straight-to-DVD film, “The Scorpion 3” – the latest installment in the movie that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson starred in back in 2000.

    The following is the official press release for the movie followed by the video trailer:

    Former WWE World champion Dave Bautista will be teaming with former UFC star Kimbo Slice in the new film “Scorpion King 3 – Battle for Redemption”, which will be released via DVD and Blu-Ray on 1/17/12.

    The film “brings the heroic, larger-than-life saga of the dethroned king Mathayus to face some of his fiercest demons and most vicious rivals—both real and supernatural—ever.”

    In the film, Mathayus (the role originally played by Dwayne Johnson, now played by martial artist Victor Webster), since losing his kingdom, now works as an assassin for hire, defending a king and his land from the king’s evil brother, who has amassed an army of ghost warriors.

    Beyond Bautista and Slice, the film stars Billy Zane (Titanic), Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy, Hellboy) and Temeura Morrison (Green Lantern, Star Wars prequel trilogy) with stunts designed by Kawee “Seng” Sirikanerut (Ongbok, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Civilization) and Supoj “Jimmy” Khaowwong (Batman Begins).

    The DVD will feature a number of extras, including a montage of deleted scenes, a behind the scenes making of the film, a featurette on Victor Webster preparing for his role as Mathayus, a commentary track with Director Roel Reine and more. There will be additional features for the Blu-Ray version as well.

  • Muppets-RAW News, Linda Targeting Women, JR-King & More

    Hornswoggle's new Muppets Tattoo (click to enlarge)

    – With Disney’s The Muppets set to guest star on the October 31st Halloween edition of WWE RAW, the creative team has been working on the script for that show this week.

    As if WWE’s resident muppet Hornswoggle wasn’t already going to be featured on the show, his new Muppets tattoo virtually makes him a lock for the Halloween RAW.

    – The Associated Press is reporting that Linda McMahon is looking to better engage women in her 2012 Senate bid. Exit polling data in 2010 showed that 42% of female voters were less likely to vote for McMahon because of her association with WWE because of WWE’s portrayal of women and violence.

    As with her last campaign, Linda is also looking to distance herself from WWE.

    – The recent Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara match at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view got overwhelmingly negative feedback by fans here on SEScoops.com – and WWE officials were also unhappy with the match, namely, how WWE’s agents/producers booked the match. While most would assume that two luchador wrestlers would stick to the style they know best (lucha!), many were expecting more of a grudge match-style fight, due to the nature of the HIAC event.

    – WWE officials were disappointed at how the crowd reacted towards some of the bigger stars participating in the walkout angle, and the fact that two of the people the crowd reacted to the most were Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. You know it’s a bad sign when your announcers are more over than most of the wrestlers on your roster.

    – Felipe Barerra, a Texas high school football coach, received a one-week suspension after being caught doing a DX crotch chop to the opposing team as his team was celebrating their win this week.

    (Sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, f4wonline.com)

  • JR Blog: Getting Fired, Lesnar Back In WWE, Samoa Joe

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

    Will Brock Lesnar Ever Wrestle In WWE Again?: “In my opinion, not any time soon but he is in the WWE12 video game which means that he makes more money off his WWE reputation just as he has done in UFC. Good deal for Lesnar. If Brock comes back to WWE it will likely be for a one time deal after his MMA days have ended as he doesn’t like travel or the overall mentality of the wrestling locker room or so it seems based on what Brock’s said. Plus, his ‘controversial remarks’ directed at Undertaker and Steve Austin merely create awareness and is good marketing. Too many fans take these types of comments as gospel.”

    His Firing On RAW: “WWE upper management made the call to remove me from weekly TV and that is their choice. It’s the WWE’s team and I simply am playing on it. Being a team guy, I run the plays that are sent in whether they make sense or not. Like my Dad taught me, if you accept a man’s money then do the work that the man wants. When one can’t handle the work or the silliness any longer, stop taking the cash and stay home and do something else. I’m not ready to leave the team that I helped build especially considering the vulnerable state the company was in when I took over Talent Relations.”

    Will WWE hire Samoa Joe Some Day? “I don’t know as I’m not in that loop which should be obvious by some of the signees in recent years. 2. How does anyone know Joe wants to come to WWE? Personally, I like Joe’s work and his unique look which means he likely won’t be signed. Just saying…but you need to ask John Laurinaitis as he seems to be the genius of the week.”

    JR also spoke about whether The Undertaker will wrestle Mark Henry at WrestleMania 28 next April, working on future episodes of WWE’s Legends Roundable series and more more. To read the full blog and links to where you can purchase JR’s amazing line of BBQ products (the Main Event Mustard is a must), head on over to JRsBarBQ.com.

    (Source: JRsBarBQ.com)

  • Video Of DX’s Return At Tuesday’s SmackDown Tapings

    Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Dallas, TX featured a DX reunion. Although Shawn Michaels’ return to a WWE ring will not be broadcast on Friday’s SmackDown – we’ve got footage of the reunion here.

    HBK wrote the following on Twitter regarding the DX reunion:

    “I’ve lost my voice. I can no longer yell for a promo & not lose my voice. The ol’ yelling vocal cords are out of practice:-)”

    “Was great to see everybody at WWE & of course a big thank you to the folks of Dallas.”

    “As I’ve said before. I will not be on Smackdown. It was just DX doing their silly stuff for the live audience which requires screaming.”

    Here’s the footage – enjoy:

  • Steve Austin & Brock Lesnar’s Verbal Battle Continues

    Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar’s war of words continues.

    After calling out Steve Austin earlier this week for ducking him back in 2002 when they were supposed to work together in WWE, Lesnar intensified his comments about Austin during an interview with IGN.com:

    “There’s a guy that’s been on a winning streak for a long time that somebody needs to step up to the plate and finish the winning streak. But then there’s another side of me that says if there was a chance for me to come back to fight a guy, it would be the guy that I was supposed to fight that chicken-sh**ted out on me and didn’t show up, and that would be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

    “Stone Cold” Steve Austin chicken-sh**ted out on me and walked away and didn’t want to participate because he thought that I was getting something too fast too soon and he felt threatened by me.”

    Austin, showing patience and self control we didn’t always see during his beer-swilling hell-raising WWE days, responded to Lesnar on Twitter:

    “At a bit of a crossroads here. on one hand go after @DCBROCKLESNAR after his comments..on other hand deer season is very near. #decisions

    Just called my taxidermist…got two quotes on shoulder mounts… #decisions”

    • COMMENT BELOW: Could we actually see an Austin vs. Lesnar match in WWE at some point?

    In case Brock Lesnar forgot what happens when you get in Steve Austin’s face, here’s a reminder:

  • Jeff Hardy Out Of Jail, Goldust Getting MRI, TNA Gut Checks

    – Goldust Tweeted on Thursday morning that he’s undergoing an MRI on his shoulder today to see if it has healed properly.

    – Jeff Jarrett announced on Twitter that 3 new TNA Gut Check tryouts have been announced:

    • 10/28 – Sacramento, CA
    • 11/5 – Toledo, OH
    • 12/10 – Orlando, FL

    – After serving his 10 day prison sentence stemming form his September 2009 drug arrest. Jeff Hardy tweeted on Thursday, “HailFreedom!”

  • Jim Ross Talks About Being Embarressed On RAW

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke to Yahoo! Sports this week and gave new details as to whether he knew he’d be fired on Monday’s RAW. Ross maintains that he had no idea he’d be fired prior to entering the ring and acknowledges that being fired in front of his hometown crowd and his wife at ringside was embarrassing;

    “No, no idea whatsoever. It came as a complete surprise. My wife, we’re celebrating our eighteenth anniversary today, none of us knew. It took me completely by surprise.

    “It was one of those embarrassing moments you endure and move on. It’s like anything else in life – when you get faced with a challenge or an uncomfortable situation, you have to make some choices on how you handle it.”

    When asked whether the firing was legitimate or just part of WWE’s storyline, Ross replied:

    “If it is, no one has told me about the storyline. I just think WWE upper management has made the decision, again, to go with a different presentation at the announce position and I’m not in the plans. So, we move on.”

    In case you missed it on RAW, here’s the video of Jim Ross being fired:

  • WWE Begins Mexico Tour, Fear Of Drug Cartels, Results

    – WWE kicked off their tour in Monterrey, Mexico last night with a RAW brand show. Here are the results:

    • Alex Riley defeated David Otunga.
    • Mason defeated Def. Primo.
    • Zack Ryder defeated Drew McIntyre.
    • Air Boom (Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston) retained the tag titles against Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler
    • Beth Phoenix retained the Divas title against Kelly Kelly
    • CM Punk & John Morrison defeated R-Truth & The Miz.
    • John Cena defeated WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio by disqualification after interference Ricardo Rodriguez. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio and Rodriguez to end the show.

    – It’s worth noting that WWE is taking extra precautions with their tour buses this week for fear of crime from Mexico’s drug cartels.

    – WWE moved the SmackDown! live event in Veracruz, Mexico on October 15th up to 1pm so the top SmackDown stars are able to appear at the RAW TV tapings at 8pm that night in Mexico City.

    – There was some speculation that the SmackDown stars may not be appearing on next week’s RAW because of the scheduling. The RAW stars will still be able to appear on SmackDown if needed because their scheduled don’t conflict when SmackDown tapes on Sunday.

    (Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Dana White Explains Why He Allowed Lesnar In WWE ’12

    This week, we reported on the news that UFC fighter Brock Lesnar will be one of the playable characters in the upcoming WWE ’12 video game, the first time Lesnar has worked with WWE in over 7 years.

    As the man who has Brock Lesnar under contract, UFC President Dana White was instrumental in making Lesnar in WWE ’12 possible. Here’s what White said about why he didn’t have a problem with Brock working with WWE again in this capacity:

  • Backstage News On WWE’s PPV Plans Through WrestleMania

    Contrary to WWE’s short-term booking as of late, WWE currently has plans in place for the next several pay-per-view events all the way up to the Royal Rumble and beyond.

    Aside from the big Survivor Series main event that will see The Rock and John Cena teaming up, there will be a Scramble match involving Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Big Show, Sheamus, Christian and Kane.

    For December’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs PPV, a TLC match between Mark Henry and the Big Show has been discussed.

    As for the Royal Rumble, it’s said that WWE has already picked the winner – and the superstar is from the SmackDown brand. We heard several weeks ago that Randy Orton was favored to win the Rumble, but that has yet to be confirmed. While the Royal Rumble winner typically gets a title shot at WrestleMania, WWE is planning to have the Royal Rumble winner win the World Heavyweight title prior to WretleMania (likely at Elimination Chamber) and then defend against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania.

    (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Hulk Hogan Denies Gay Rumors, Bad News For TNA

    – In a piece of news that can’t be seen as good for TNA, Spike TV senior vice president Brian Diamond is no longer with the network. Diamond’s official title was “senior vice president of sports and specials for Spike TV.” Diamond was a strong supporter of TNA Wrestling. Jon Slusser has been named as Diamond’s replacement.

    – TNA star Hulk Hogan appeared on the Howard Stern show this morning and addressed rumors of him having homosexual relationships with wrestlers:

    (Partial Source: prowrestling.net)

  • Update On Jim Ross’ Status With WWE

    After getting relieved of his announcing duties by John Laurinaitis on RAW, Jim Ross wrote the following on witter status with WWE:

    “Let’s get something straight. I hired Laurinaitis in WWE when he had NO job. I helped him prep 4 his job & I remained an EVP in another dept

    I’m not going to Smackdown or PPVs. I’m done as best that I know. Might do some Roundtable type stuff. My services aren’t required weekly.

    1 more time..I’m fired from wk’ly tv. Our products are still being sold at WWEshop.com because it’s good business. Thx 4 support.”

    As we reported on the site earlier this week, Jim Ross did not know he was going to be fired prior to it happening on live television in front of his wife who was at ringside and his hometown crowd in Oklahoma.

    While Jim Ross is off television, he’ll still be working with the company. He is headed to WWE headquarters next week to tape the next edition of the Legends Roundtable show.

  • Eric Bishoff Talks About Vince Russo’s Status In TNA

    TNA/iMPACT Wrestling’s Eric Bischoff was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

    You can listen to an MP3 of Eric Bischoff’s appearance by clicking here.

    Here are some highlights of what Eric Bischoff said about:

    His reaction to Bruce Prichard replacing Vince Russo as the new head writer for the TNA creative team: “A lot has been written about that recently, and a lot has been written with a lack of full disclosure or full knowledge. I think the change that people are reading about probably represents more of a change in process than anything else. Vince Russo is still a vital part of the creative team in TNA and is a very talented, hard-working, & committed individual. Bruce Pritchard is as well. I think what we’re doing is fine-tuning a process, as opposed to fine-tuning or changing authority & control.”

    Why he is not worried about Hulk Hogan’s decision to step back into the ring one more time & why he is “very confident” in the way that things will turn out when “The Hulkster” collides with Sting this Sunday night at Bound for Glory: “If I thought for a second that Hulk wasn’t capable and able to get into that ring safely, convincingly, and in a way to entertain the audience and in a way to protect his health, I would the first person that would step in front of it all and say no. But I don’t feel that way. I’m very confident that things are going to turn out great. I’m very confident in Hulk’s ability to do what he feels he needs to do to produce the match and a fight in the way that he wants to.”

    The experience of sharing Bobby Roode’s story with the world in his quest to become the TNA World Heavyweight Champion at Bound for Glory: “It’s been a real joy to watch Bobby Roode come from way behind in the Bound for Glory Series. He was somebody so far behind that nobody thought that he had a chance, and then to emerge as the winner, and to watch Bobby Roode’s story evolve to the point where we watch him week after week come from behind, and then emerge as a front-runner. I think it’s a story people can relate to. I think Bobby has done a phenomenal job both in the ring and outside of the ring helping make that story relatable and something the audience can relate to.”

    His opinion of the X-Division’s progression & overall growth/expansion since Destination X: “We’re getting there. It’s a work in progress. I’m very happy with it, but I think there’s a lot of things we can do to enhance & improve on the presentation of the X-Division and really make it even more special than it already may be to some people. I would say on a scale of 1-10, we’re at a 4, and I hope to be at an 8 or a 9 in the next three to four months.”

    More is contained in the latest installment of “The Hot Seat” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces), including Eric’s candid thoughts on the importance of Bound for Glory creating new fans for TNA/iMPACT Wrestling, his reaction to Mark Madden’s recent comments about himself & Hulk Hogan reportedly re-signing with TNA and referring to iMPACT Wrestling as “an abortion,” whether or not “The Hulkster” has received too much slack for promoting Micro Championship Wrestling more than TNA in his recent appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” if he is a fan of the recent “walkout” storyline on Monday Night RAW, his favorite memories of working with Eddie Guerrero & Brian Pillman, plus much more.

  • Screenshots of Brock Lesnar In WWE ’12

    It was confirmed earlier this week that former WWE superstar and UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar has signed on to appear in the upcoming WWE ’12 video game.

    Here are the first screenshots of Brock Lesnar’s character in the game:

    [Credit: IGN.com]

  • News On Mick Foley & JBL’s Rumored WWE Returns

    It’s widely expected that former WWE superstar Mick Foley will be returning to the company in the next few weeks, with Foley himself even teasing his return in recent interviews and on twitter.

    According to a source in WWE, there’s been a lot of talk behind the scenes this week about Foley’s return taking place around Survivor Series.

    With Foley’s longtime friend The Rock returning to the ring at Survivor Series and appearing on the final RAW before Survivor Series on November 14th, it’s expected that Foley will make several appearances on WWE television leading up to and after the big event.

    Additionally, there’s been talk in recent days that former WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield could also be brought back to the company, but the JBL return is just talk at this point.

    (Source: PWInsider.com)

  • Steve Austin Responds To Brock Lesnar’s Shoot Comments

    During an interview with ESPN.com earlier this week to promote his inclusion in the new WWE ’12 video game, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was asked about who he’d like to wrestle if he does return to WWE one day. Like CM Punk, Lesnar’s got his sights set on the biggest star in WWE history – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Lesnar told ESPN:

    “Ironically it’s probably the guy that walked out on me. The guy that took his ball and went home. A guy that I was supposed to face and I think that he was just plain downright scared to get in the ring with me because he was one of those guys that was on top and saw a huge threat in Brock Lesnar at the time. That’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. I worked with everybody and anybody that was anybody there and if I came back, I think the guy that I would come back to fight is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.”

    Lesnar’s beef with Austin stems from a legitimate incident that took place back in 2002. Brock Lesnar was a rising star in WWE and company officials wanted Lesnar to squash Steve Austin on RAW en route to winning the 2002 King of the Ring tournament. WWE officials tried making the match on very short notice (we’re talking 2-3 days) – and it’s said that Steve Austin refused to take part in such a big money angle with no buildup. Austin didn’t have a probably putting Lesnar over in a big way, but to do it in such a haphazard, shortsighted way showed Austin that WWE creative was spinning out of control even back then. Austin “took his ball and went home” as a result of this incident.

    Steve Austin, not one to sit on the sidelines when somebody’s running their mouth about him, has responded to Lesnar’s comments. Austin tweeted on Tuesday night:

    “So @DCBROCKLESNAR was talking trash about me…very interesting. Gonna finish my beverage and mull this one over…catch y’all tomorrow.”

    Later in the evening, it was clear that Lesnar’s words were getting to the Texas Rattlesnake. Austin followed up with another Tweet before bed:

    “Trying to go to sleep..but this @DCBROCKLESNAR thing is winding me up a bit… relax…. breath… relax…breathe…. no use..to be continued..”

    While there’s still a possibility that both Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin have at least one match left in each of them, the chances of their final WWE matches being against each other are unlikely.

    What do you think – should Austin wrestle Brock Lesnar if he returns to WWE for one last match, or should he wrestle CM Punk? Or somebody else? Hit up the COMMENTS below.

  • Post-SmackDown Dark Match, Possible WM29 Location

    – After Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown taping from Dallas, Texas went off the air – WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio defended the belt against RAW star John Cena. Cena won via DQ, then sent the crowd home happy with the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio.

    – Prior to the SmackDown tapings, the DX reunion took place as advertised – with Shawn Michaels and Triple H hitting the ring and entertaining the crowd with their typical edgy DX routine. Shawn Michaels teased that a future WrestleMania, rumored to be WrestleMania 29 in 2013, could take place from Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Cowboys Stadium is the newest, nicest stadium in the United States and has the capacity to hold over 100,000 fans.

  • Picture Of DX (HBK & Triple H) From SmackDown Tapings

    D-Generation X—Shawn Michaels and Triple H—reunited prior to the SmackDown portion of tonight’s WWE television tapings in Dallas, Texas by teasing that WrestleMania would take place at Cowboys Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

    The largest domed stadium in the world has been speculated as a future home of the pay-per-view extravaganza since the stadium opened in 2009.

    DX performed their trademark routine and cut a “non-PG” promo, according to a fan in attendance. Their celebration was interrupted by Vince McMahon.

    The segment will not air on television since Michaels’ appearance was locally advertised.

    Check out this picture of DX from Tuesday’s tapings:

  • How Long Hogan & Bischoff Re-Signed With TNA For

    Following the recent news that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff signing new deals with TNA Wrestling – source indicate that they’ll be with TNA for two more years, through 2014.

    Speaking of Hogan, he will be doing a live chat on ESPN.com’s SportsNation page tomorrow at 1pm EST. This is part of Hogan’s ESPN media blitz over the next few days to promote TNA’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view, where he returns to the ring against Sting in a no-disqualifcation match.

    (Source: pwinsider.com)