Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia, who is currently working on her second music album, recently spoke with the Miami Herald. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Returning To WWE One Day: “I say, ‘Never say never,’. Look at The Rock now. It is something that I’m definitely tied to. Once you are in the WWE for a length of time, it’s a family base. You are tied in, no matter if you leave and take a break. Sometimes you come back; so you never know.”
The Rock’s WWE return: “I really didn’t think he would come back. I really thought with his movie career and all. I don’t blame him, though. It had been seven years. When he was making movies, he didn’t have that experience being with the fans and feeling that electricity from the fans. He thrives on that. It was having that experience again. People were tweeting me telling me how much they missed the interviews with me and The Rock. It was just such great chemistry that he and I had with those interviews. As soon as I saw him on TV again, it brought back memories of those days. It was just really cool.”
— Tonight on RAW, John Cena has promised a “final knockout” in his ongoing feud with The Rock, who will not be at the show in person. The Rock tweeted the following on Monday afternoon about what Cena has planned for tonight:
TheRock
to “the MILLIONS..”. Cena and CeNation is delivering their “final knockout blow” to us tonight. We cant wait YABBA DABBA BITCHES BRING IT!!
— WWE announcer Todd Grisham incorrectly tweeted the following on Monday, saying Jersey Shore star Snooki will be on RAW tonight:
todd_grisham
Snooki and Stone Cold on Raw tonight? Wonder if he’ll stomp a grease hole in her.
Both WWE and Snooki have confirmed that the reality star will be hosting RAW NEXT week, not tonight.
— Following the announcement that Snooki will be hosting RAW next week, Zach Ryder has challenged her to a tanning contest:
ZackRyder
I challenge @Sn00ki to a TANNING CONTEST on Raw. I was WOO WOO WOOing long before MTV’s Jersey Shore…thus, I have the experience advantage
— Zach Ryder isn’t the only person who wants a piece of Snooki. Natalya Neidhart tweeted:
NatbyNature
Snooki hosting Raw? I smell a sharpshooter!!!!!
After going on a scathing tirade against Hulk Hogan last week on Twitter, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is back with another batch of fan Q&A … Here are some highlights of what Bret said about:
Lawler vs. Cole at WrestleMania: “I hope Lawler rag, bags, and shags (that’s british slang) him royally at WM.”
Shawn Michaels and Sunny In The Same Hall of Fame Class: “It’s kind of ironic. We’re all enjoying sunny days again. haha ;)”
Whether He Watched Laycool’s Parody Of Him A Few Weeks Ago: “Yes, I did. They did a good job. Michelle McCool is such a pro. Despite her beauty, she can stay heel which is difficult”
His Favorite WWE PPV: “The SummerSlam PPV has always been a favorite. Almost always had a good match at that event.”
Least Favorite WWE PPV: “Survivor Series. The initial concept was lame.”
Vince Russo’s Involvement In His Canada/USA WWE Storyline (1997): “Zero input from Russo for Canada/USA storyline. He wasn’t much more than a pencil holder till I left.”
Five TNA Originals Who Would Be Good in WWE: “AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss, Kazarian, Jeremy Borash”
Jersey Shore star Snooki will be appearing on next week’s episode of WWE RAW, according to a report on TMZ.com.
Snooki and RAW star John Cena have traded messages on Twitter in recent wees, with the reality star talking about how much she wanted to meet Cena. Next week, from St. Louis, Missouri, it looks like she’ll get her chance.
According to a WWE source, Snooki, real name Nicole Polizzi, has been in talks with WWE in recent weeks and a deal was made late last week.
Update: WWE and Snooki wrote the following on Twitter on Monday morning, confirming her appearance next week:
Sn00ki
Yes I will be at Monday nights #RAW ! Ugh ohhhh
WWE
It’ll be a “Shore” thing March 14, as reality TV star @Sn00ki guest hosts @WWE Monday Night Raw! Details coming on WWE.com!
We’ll have more details on this story soon, stay tuned.
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:
Batista vs. Ken Shamrock: “Yes I would watch a rumored Batista vs. Ken Shamrock MMA fight that is making the rounds on the ‘net. However, I’d love to see Kenny hang ’em up and simply train fighters but the name identity that Batista and Shamrock bring to the table would provide more than ample sizzle for any promoter. I’d watch this train wreck I’ll honestly admit. ”
Cyborg Santos To WWE? “Is Cris Cyborg leaving MMA/Strikeforce to migrate to WWE? Beats the hell out of me just as she would if she chose to but it is an interesting internet rumor. Seeing more athletic, hard hitting women compete in WWE is intriguing for me as a fan. Cris Cyborg is arguably the baddest women on the planet but she would need to learn better English and the art form of pro wrestling or she would run out of opposition in WWE just as she has seemingly done in MMA. Cyborg would be huge draw on a WWE event in Brazil, for example, or so I think. ”
Sin Cara’s WWE Debut: “The Mistico name is owned by the wrestling promotion CMLL in Mexico City which is why the athletes formerly known as Mistico is now known as Sin Cara. I expect Sin Cara to debut after WM27 so as to not get lost in the Wrestlemania shuffle so to speak. Right now it’s all about WM27 and not about introducing new people. Makes sense to me.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross commented on the Twitter beef between Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan in the Q&A section of his JRsBarBQ.com website. Here’s what Jim Ross wrote:
“Two strong, outspoken personalities who obviously, or seemingly, don’t care for one another. Not my hill to die upon. I like Bret very much and know him much better than Hulk who I have no personal issues with whatsoever. My health and my life are both in a much better place after I detached myself from matters such as this. I read them and simply move on and consider it one day closer to college football season”
To follow all the back and forth shenanigans between Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan from this week check out:
The war of words between WWE Hall of Famers Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan is heating up. To recap, Bret Hart was asked by one of his Twitter followers on Wednesday night what he thought about Hulk Hogan. Hart tweeted:
HitmanBretSHart
Hogan’s nothing but a two-faced, backstabbing, steroid freak who deserved everything he got.
It didn’t take long for Hulk Hogan to respond to those harsh words. Hogan tweeted on Thursday morning:
HulkHogan4Real
Listen to where Bretts speaking from,it’s funny he’s done everything he’s saying I did. HH
Bret Hart has responded to Hulk Hogan once again with the following:
HitmanBretSHart
@HulkHogan4Real That’s not what John Graziano thinks, dickhead.
John Graziano is the young man who was a passenger in Nick Hogan’s car during Nick’s August 2007 car wreck that left Graziano permanently brain damaged. Hulk Hogan was sued by the Graziano family and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount of money last February.
Hulk Hogan later decided to be the bigger man in the situation and forgave Bret Hart for the comments he made.
HulkHogan4Real
Want to thank all the maniacs that really get it ,it feels right on track. Good night. HH
HulkHogan4Real
What a crazy day yesterday,I want to say I’m sorry for getting sucked into responding to all the people that have no love,no lives,and only Hate because their negative losers that are bitter because their own lives are going nowhere,I feel so bad for them and I pray they find Joy and real happiness some day
On Thursday’s episode of TNA iMPACT!, the meaning behind “3/3/11” was revealed to be STING, who recently re-signed with the company after much speculation that he was WWE bound to wrestle the Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Sting returned as the challenger to Jeff Hardy’s TNA World title and made quite the iMPACT! in his first match back:
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown television show on Tuesday night from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Credit to Wrestling News World to these results:
* World Heavyweight Champion Edge is out first to open the show. He talks about his match at Wrestlemania XXVII against Alberto Del Rio and his problems with Vickie Guerrero but is interrupted by Drew McIntyre. Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long comes out and makes a match between the two after a small altercation.
* World Heavyweight Champion Edge b. Drew McIntyre after locking in the Sharpshooter.
* Rey Mysterio is attacked by “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and Cody officially challenges him to a match at Wrestlemania XXVII. They also showed the attack last week on Rey and Cody said he will expose Rey’s face at Wrestlemania.
* Backstage, The Corre offer help to Kane in his match later tonight against Big Show.
* WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel w/Ezekiel Jackson & Wade Barrett vs. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov. Jackson and Barrett get on the apron and Wade ends up getting hit with Santino’s Cobra. However, the distraction allows Slater to hit his finisher and get the three count.
* It’s announced in a video that airs on the titantron that Christian will return to Smackdown next week.
* The Undertaker comes out and says “The Streak” cannot be broken and hypes his upcoming Wrestlemania XXVII match against Triple H. He entered and exited to “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash.
* LayCool b. Beth Phoenix & Rosa Mendes. While the referee was distracted, Michelle McCool kicked Beth in the face which allowed Layla to get the pinfall victory.
* Big Show b. Kane when The Corre came to ringside and handed Kane a chair and he hit Big Show with it. Show pushes Justin Gabriel into Kane and Kane swings the chair at The Corre. The Corre retreats.
* Jack Swagger comes out and Michael Cole talks about his match against Jerry Lawler at Wrestlemania XXVII. Cole says he’s going to announce his special guest referee on Raw and teases he is “flamboyant” and “awesome.”
* Jack Swagger b. JTG via submission in the ankle lock. Very quick squash match. After the match, Michael Cole gets in the ring and celebrates with him.
* World Heavyweight Champion Edge defaces a portrait of Alberto Del Rio that was being worked on throughout the show as the contract signing for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania XXVII is up next.
* The contract signing is moderated by Teddy Long. Alberto Del Rio sang the Mexican National Anthem but was interrupted by World Heavyweight Champion Edge. Long asks for there to be no violence but Edge warns him it was about to get chaotic. Things break down and Teddy bails. Edge gets his nosed bloodied as Christian comes out and gets involved and the show goes off the air.
— The WWE website currently features an interview with RAW superstar Evan Bourne, who made his return to television on Monday night after several months out of action. To read that interview, visit WWE.com.
— On Wednesday evening, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart did a Q&A session with his fans on Twitter. Hart was asked about his thoughts on Hulk Hogan, to which he replied:
HitmanBretSHart
Hogan’s nothing but a two-faced, backstabbing, steroid freak who deserved everything he got.
It didn’t take long for Hulk Hogan to respond to those harsh words. Hogan tweeted on Thursday morning:
HulkHogan4Real
Listen to where Bretts speaking from,it’s funny he’s done everything he’s saying I did. HH
– TMZ.com has posted footage of Jersey Shore’s Angelina appearing on tonight’s iMPACT. They wrote:
“Former MTV annoyance Angelina Pivarnick got her head BASHED in by one of the hottest professional wrestlers on EARTH .. and TMZ has the ruthless girl-on-girl footage. It all went down in North Carolina last week — when Angelina decided to talk a whole lotta smack to a she-wrestler named Velvet Sky during a taping of TNA iMPACT … scheduled to air tonight. As we previously reported, Angelina signed a deal with TNA to wrestle an entire match next week on Spike TV … and if this footage is any indicator, she’s gonna get WHOOPED ON.”
– Speaking of Angelina Pivarnick, we’ve got an update on how much she’s getting paid (or, not getting paid) to appear in TNA. Some wrestlers were told by management she did the appearance for publicity and was not paid. However, both the Pro Wrestling Torch and Wrestling Observer Newsletter report she was paid $7,000 for the one-night appearance.
With the former Jersey Shore cast member currently off television, it’s said that she was hoping to land a contract with the organization. Pivarnick was given her own locker room at the event.
Earlier this week, it was reported that WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart is leaving TNA Wrestling to appear for WWE at WrestleMania weekend. Hogan tweeted the following about what Hart willb e doing at WrestleMania:
“I think it’s great for Jim Hart to go back to the WWE as Jerry Lawler’s manager at WrestleMania.”
“I just hope it’s not a one-off like The Rock. Jimmy still lives for being right in the middle of all the action. He did what was best for himself.”
It had originally been reported that Jimmy Hart would only be participating in WWE’s Fan Axxess event, but now it looks like Hart will have a more prominent role on the show.
Hulk Hogan, a longtime friend of Jimmy Hart, was reportedly upset when he first found out Hart was leaving TNA to work WrestleMania.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart played the “name association” game on Twitter this week and had a lot to say about Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, Michael Cole, CM Punk, TNA and more.
Here are some of the highlights of what Bret wrote about the following @HitmanBretSHart:
The Rock: “When I was WWE Champion back in 1997, I often gave Dwayne (Johnson) all the advice I could. I remember watching him wrestle for the very first time and telling the wrestlers next to me that Dwayne was going to be the biggest superstars in the wrestling world and to mark my words.”
Hulk Hogan: “Hogan’s nothing but a two-faced, backstabbing, steroid freak who deserved everything he got.”
How He Would Improve TNA: “I’d have Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff tar and feathered.”
Michael Cole: “Michael Cole does a piss poor job of putting over a lot of the talent. He couldn’t lace Jim Ross’ shoes.”
Inducting Shawn Michaels into the WWE Hall of Fame. “I would like to induct Shawn, but Triple H makes more sense.”
Undertaker: “Undertaker is one of the most consummate professionals inside and outside the ring.”
C.M. Punk: “I think he’s uniquely gifted. By the time his career is over, he’ll be recognized for his greatness.”
Bill Goldberg: “I have great respect for Goldberg. What happened to me was an accident.”
Daniel Bryan: “Has the best submission in wrestling today.”
His Favorite Match Not Involving Himself: “Lesnar vs. Angle at WrestleMania”
WWE superstar Triple H spoke to the New York Post this week to discuss the release of his new movie, The Chaperone. Here are some highlights of what The Game said about:
Being Part of the McMahon Family: “Vince McMahon runs the WWE. I’m married to his daughter seven years. We live in Connecticut with three girls — 4½, 2½ and 6 months … Both McMahons love the grandchildren. Come around all the time. Take them to school. Their house even has sleepovers. ”
Linda McMahon In Politics: “I did appearances and campaign rallies for my mother-in-law. She’s [Linda] great and staying politically involved. Lieberman’s not running again so she can try once more in 2012.”
The Toll Wrestling Takes On The Body: I’m 41. Still wrestling. It’s very physical. I’ve had injuries, like torn quads off my biceps and thighs. People believe the sport’s fake and nothing hurts. Listen, it [hurts] when a 350-pound guy jumps on you. Ten years from now I want to be able to pick up my kids.
His Role In WWE & Wrestling In General: “I’m also a WWE executive. I’m a wrestling fan. As a boy I watched it on TV with my father. At 20, I met a guy and the rest is history. Right away you get a flashy trick name so you’re a superhero come to life. Nobody pays $20 to see his next-door neighbor. Wrestling’s made me rich. Very. But everyone’s surprised that a wrestler can be not only talented but also articulate. Listen, we’re theater actors. Bad guy versus good guy. It’s a show. We’re onstage telling a story through our actions.”
Here are some new details on what to expect on the show:
– “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the most likely candidate to referee the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole match. Cole teased that he will be revealing his “awesome” pick for guest referee on Monday’s RAW, but with Steve Austin also scheduled to appear next week, things might take a turn in a direction Cole is not too pleased with.
– Tough Enough coach Trish Stratus will be working the show in a 6-person mixed tag match. Trish would team with Kelly Kelly and John Morrison against LayCool and Dolph Ziggler.
– NEXUS members Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel will be taking on 4 of SmackDown’s toughest competitors, with those men expected to be Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian.
– Rey Mysterio will wrestle Cody Rhodes in singles action.
– WWE United States Champion Daniel Bryan will defend against Sheamus.
– There will be no Money in the Bank match this year. That match will live on at the Money In The Bank pay-per-views.
The current WrestleMania card is as follows:
WWE Championship Match
– The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship Match
– Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
“The Streak” on the Line
– The Undertaker vs. Triple H
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)
Former WWE superstar Dave Batista has been training for his professional mixed martial arts debut since leaving the company last year. According to MMAWeekly.com, Batista’s MMA debut is currently scheduled to take place in May – and the fight will not take place in the United States.
Several promotions have been trying to sign Batista for his first MMA fight, most notably Scott Coker’s Strikeforce promotion, but sources close to Batista have revealed the UK-based BAMMA promotion is the front runner and could sign Batista soon. BAMMA has an upcoming show (“BAMMA 6”) scheduled for May 21st Wembley Arena.
Batista reportedly has a movie scheduled to begin shooting in September and wants to have his first fight before then.
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 said about:
Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara in WWE: Is there room for both Rey and Sin Cara in WWE? Absolutely. Why not? Do some feel that because both are Hispanic, masked stars that they cannot both be major assets in WWE at the same time. I think not. WWE is lucky to have both men. Rey is an established main event star and a future Hall of Famer while Sin Cara has a huge upside but has to prove himself to the WWE fans.
Michael Cole: “I agree with many emailers that Michael Cole is the type of antagonist that one legitimately wants to see get beat up and humiliated. He has Cornette-like heat hearkening back to the Mid South days where fans lined up in droves to see somebody, anybody humiliate the manager of the Midnight Express. Same emotion elicited by the late Andy Kaufman in Memphis. BTW most fans don’t realize that the Lawler-Kaufman issue lasted well over a year.”
The Rock Back On WWE TV: “I am personally ecstatic that The Rock is back in WWE for WM27 and no matter Rock’s role he’s going to positively add to the event in multiple areas. Rock is a huge star on several fronts and his promo ability is as good as it gets. People ‘over think’ Rock’s return as in what’s going to happen when he’s not on TV? How does he make Cena/Miz look? What happens if Rock steals the show in Atlanta, etc?”
“All talents throughout the Raw and Smackdown rosters need to step it up to attempt to get on Rock’s level. Competition is great for everyone. If Rock, Austin, etc make the incumbents dig a little deeper to perform at a higher level then everyone wins especially the fans.”
“I have no idea what Rock is going to do at WM27 but I can assure you that it will be impactful. His interactions via Twitter, @The Rock, directed to Cena, etc have been entertaining.”
– MTV.com has an article looking at Triple H’s friendship with Lemmy of Motorhead, Triple H recently took part in VH-1’s documentary on the rock star.
– The Rock will be on the cover of the May issue of WWE Magazine, available at newsstands in April.
— With the huge amount of news coverage WWE has received in Mexico due to the recent signing of Mistico, last week’s WWE’s television ratings in Mexico are through the roof.
Last week’s SmackDown! drew a 9.6 and Monday’s RAW drew a 9.3.
By comparison, last week’s CMLL drew a 2.6 and AAA’ sshow drew a 2.8.
According to a correspondent who knows the Mexican market well, it appears CMLL and AAA see WWE as a major threat to their business and the companies plan to work together more in the coming months to “rescue Lucha” from WWE.
Earlier this week it was announced that former WWE star Chris Jericho will be joining the cast of the upcoming season of the hit ABC show, Dancing With The Stars, which premieres on Monday, March 21st.
Jericho’s partner for the show will be DWTS alum Cheryl Burke.
Jericho tweeted this week about joining the cast and his partner:
IAmJericho
So ready to conquer DWTS! It’s been a long time comin And its gonna be KILLER! My partner is amazing-the best in the world at what she does
IAmJericho
So stoked to have @CherylBurke as my partner!! She rules! The time has come for both of us to become champions once again… #goTeamChericho
Burke, who appeared on the George Lopez Show this week to promote DWTS, had this to say about being paired with Jericho:
CherylBurke
So excited to be partnered up with @iamjericho! Let’s go team chericho! What do u guys think of our team name?
Here are some pictures of Cheryl Burke, Chris Jericho’s Dancing With The Stars partner:
– TruTV has picked up Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey’s Micro Championship Wrestling series, which is expected to premiere on the cable channel later this year. Production for the ‘midget’ wrestling show will begin next week, with the first taping set for March 9th in Tampa, Florida at The Blue Iguana. Hulk Hogan is scheduled to make a guest appearance on the show.
For more on Micro Championship Wrestling, visit MCWUSA.us.
– Dixie Carter wrote on Twitter this week that will be getting her own JAKKS action figure, which will be on sale this year. Insert your own joke here …
– Kurt Angle will be hosting the Kurt Angle World Teen Championships at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio from 3/4-3/6.
– Forbes.com has an article looking at WWE’s stock, which they give a “Very Attractive” rating. The stock price has bounced back after the company’s forth quarter earnings report sent it crashing down and still offers a very attractive dividend for investors. To read the Forbes article, click here.
– WWE NXT rookie Derrick Bateman is dealing with a knee injury. He tweeted:
DerrickWWE
Heading to Birmingham to get my knee scoped. “It ain’t ballet.”
– Chris Jericho and Bret Hart tweeted the following about Jericho competing on the new season of Dancing With the Stars:
IAmJericho
So ready to conquer DWTS! It’s been a long time comin And its gonna be KILLER! My partner is amazing-the best in the world at what she does
IAmJericho
So stoked to have @CherylBurke as my partner!! She rules! The time has come for both of us to become champions once again… #goTeamChericho
HitmanBretSHart
So @IAmJericho will be on DWTS. He has balls the size of beach balls. When he wins, I hope his balls don’t show through his latex.
Hulk Hogan and Diamond Dallas Page will both star in the independent thriller “Black River,” set to be released later this year.
Here’s the official synopsis from IMDB.com:
“After losing his son to a tragic accident, Clayton Elie’s [Diamond Dallas Page] life was destroyed by alcohol abuse and violence that ended his marriage. When he moves to the small Midwestern town of Black River in an attempt to begin again, he finds himself at the center of a series of murders that echo a long dormant secret from the town’s past. After several sleepless nights that lead to a long night of heavy drinking and a subsequent blackout, Clayton awakens the next morning to find his neighbor and her small child brutally murdered and the murder weapon inside his apartment. When he is forced to hide the evidence by the untimely arrival of an FBI profiler, Clayton’s life rapidly deteriorates into a storm of violence, murder and small town intrigue. Is Clayton a cold-blooded killer, or the victim of a malevolent force that has descended upon the town of Black River?”
Hogan will have a prominent role in the film. A trailer for the film has been released focusing on DDP’s character:
– Johnny Curtis won the NXT season four contest, defeating Brodus Clay in the finals. Curtis and his trainer R-Truth will receive a tag title match.
– It’s been confirmed that there will be a fifth season of NXT. NXT Season 5 begins next week and will air on the WWE website in the usual Tuesday night time slot. No details were given regarding the format of Season 5, but the NXT announcers hyped that it was going to be “unlike anything we’ve seen before.” We’ve reported in recent weeks that the format is rumored to be WWE legends coaching their sons.
– The WWE Youtube channel has posted a video of the NXT Season 4 finale, which you can check out here:
