WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was interviewed this week by Brian Fritz of AOL Fanhouse.
You can read the entire WWE interview at Fanhouse.com.
Here are some highlights of what Bret Hart said about:
His WWE Future: “I have every intention of working with them for the next couple of years. They’ve been pretty good to me and I’ve been pretty happy with how they’re treating me. We’re kind of just waiting for the next step in the steady progression of Bret “The Hitman” Hart returning to the WWE. I’m not quite sure where they go from here but I still expect to be part of things for quite a while.”
Bret Hart Appreciation Night at MSG: “It’s the biggest thing I’ve done since my comeback. I always wanted to wrestle in Madison Square Garden one more time. I used to tell Vince McMahon long before I ever worked with him again, before I came back to the company and buried the hatchet, but I always told him … He wanted me to do WrestleMania in Toronto for example and I think they wanted me to do something else at one of the other WrestleManias after that, it might have been the one in LA and he called me up to be a part of it and I said nah. I’m really just waiting for you to have something at the Garden. If you ever have anything in New York. I always felt that my strongest U.S., American fan base was in New York and that’s where they kind of loved me the most and I almost felt that I owed it to them to come back one time. When they brought it up to me a few months ago that they were going to do something with me in New York, I thought that’s going to be a magical moment for me that I’ll never forget. And it was great. I loved every bit of it. Even now, I still sort of pinch myself and ask myself if it really happened, did I wrestle in New York. I thought I had pretty good match there too. I thought the whole thing was a very special night for me.”
Here’s a fan-shot video from Bret Hart’s recent return to Madison Square Garden for Bret Hart Appreciation Night:
His Favorite WWE Superstars: “I’ve been really impressed with (John) Morrison who is amazing to me. Kofi (Kingston) is another guy who has some amazing stuff. Some of these guys today can really move like Evan Bourne who really impresses me with his wrestling style. Even Jack Swagger and some of these other bigger guys are quite impressive. I’ve always been a big fan of Rey Mysterio, he’s one of my favorites. I love how he seems to give 100 percent every night and pull off these five-star matches all the time. He’s an innovator that comes up with moves and does things that people have never seen before which is so hard to do in wrestling. Everything has been done or seems like everything has been done before so when somebody comes up with something that is totally new it always impresses me. The girls in wrestling are also quite impressive. The lady wrestlers of today are a billion miles ahead of the lady wrestlers of 20, 30 years ago. They’ve really taken it up a notch. Melina and so many of these young girls are such fantastic performers and hard workers.”
Connecticut Democratic State party spokeswoman Kate Hansen attacked WWE on Tuesday for “Stand Up for WWE” campaign that launched The Democratic party, who are currently campaigning against Linda McMahon’s bid for the United States senate, claim the campaign is an “illegal coordination” to get more people to vote for Linda McMahon. Hansen told CQ Politics:
“Linda McMahon’s $50 million attack machine now has corporate reinforcements, thanks to the ‘Stand up for WWE’ campaign launched by her husband Vince McMahon. No coincidence, it looks a lot like her political campaign… except this one is probably against the law.” There is a federal election law that prohibits corporations from working directly with political campaigns.
Hansen added, “Linda McMahon’s claim that her husband’s aggressive public relations campaign is independent of her own political campaign is unbelievable, particularly after Vince McMahon specifically cites the Senate race as the reason for the offensive.”
WWE Spokesperson Robert Zimmerman defended the company’s intention of the Stand Up campaign, saying, “It had absolutely nothing to do with the Linda McMahon campaign. It’s trying to correct inaccuracies that have been reported. … The attention that’s been put on WWE by Linda’s opponents have focused media attention on the company.”
The ratings are in for Monday’s WWE RAW, the final show before Sunday’s WWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view.
The 10/18 episode of WWE RAW drew a a 3.09 cable rating and averaged 4.47 million viewers. This is up from last week’s 2.9 and virtually even with RAW’s 10-week average.
The first hour drew a 3.06 rating (with 4.42 million viewers) and the second hour did a 3.12 (4.53 million viewers).
Raw’s viewership was up nearly five percent compared to last week, a modest sign of momentum heading into Bragging Rights.
(Credit to pwtorch.com for the ratings data used in this report)
WWE has released a series of videos hyping the new “Stand Up For WWE” WWE is asking its fans to help them combat unfair and biased attacks from “certain politicians and media outlets.” WWE says they’re trying to “correct factual inaccuracies” that have been reported about the company during Linda McMahon’s United States Senate campaign.
– We reported on Monday that WWE chairman Vince McMahon was scheduled to appear on this week’s live RAW. While there were plans for Vince to appear live and promote the company’s new “Stand Up For WWE” campaign, time constraints, prevented this from happening and they just aired a video package.
– It appeared that WWE was originally planning to turn David Hart Smith heel against Tyson Kidd, it now appears that Tyson Kidd is the one going heel.
– As we saw on RAW, Ezekiel Jackson returned to television and was added to Team RAW at Bragging Rights. Mark Henry had been rumored to be the final member of Team RAW, but Henry’s brother has been fighting for his life after suffering a stroke on October 3rd and Henry wasn’t able to guarantee he could be at the PPV on Sunday.
SmackDown superstar MVP is back on Twitter venting his frustrations about being misused in WWE. The former United States champion says he’s not happy with the way things currently are, but keeps an upbeat attitude and says he’s not leaving the company any time soon.
When a fan asked him last night if he was happy in WWE, MVP responded,
“Not my finest hours but life is all about peaks & valleys! Tomorrow is a new day!”
Another fan asked MVP if he has lost his passion for wrestling. He replied:
“I LOVE wrestling! Not crazy about the “business”.”
MVP later said the following about his relationship with WWE:
“All relationships have ups & downs. You work thru ‘em. I’M NOT LEAVING! Let ‘em speculate on that. I’m pretty candid!”
Posted October 19th, 2010 in News, WWE. Tagged: MVP.
– WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. World Heavyweight Champion Kane has been announced for this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.
– Matches taped before RAW tonight for this week’s WWE Superstars were:
William Regal vs. Darren Young
The Usos vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella.
– RAW superstar R-Truth was not at Monday’s RAW because his criminal record prevents him from entering Canada. WWE aired an R-Truth music video on RAW in his absence. He is still a member of Team RAW and will be at Bragging Rights this weekend.
Posted October 18th, 2010 in News, WWE. Tagged: R-Truth.
The official WWE website has named “the Top 25 talkers in WWE history.”
Comment below and tell us if you agree with their rankings.. Edge above Jesse Ventura? CM Punk & JBL above Hulk Hogan?
Here’s the list ..
25. Sheamus
24. Rick Rude
23. Santino Marella
22. The Million Dollar Man
21. The Miz
20. Jesse Ventura
19. Triple H
18. Paul Heyman
17. Edge
16. Mr. McMahon
15. Superstar Billy Graham
14. Mick Foley
13. Hulk Hogan
12. CM Punk
11. Randy Savage
10. JBL
9. Bobby Heenan
8. Dusty Rhodes
7. John Cena
6. Jake Roberts
5. Chris Jericho
4. Ric Flair
3. The Rock
2. Roddy Piper
1. Steve Austin
Click here to check out the WWE website’s feature.
TNA executive Eric Bischoff is speaking out about Vince McMahon’s new “Stand Up For WWE” campaign, lending support to his former employer.
“Good for Vince,” Bischoff wrote. “I don’t blame him for wanting to use his platform to activate WWE fans and speak out against some of the mainstream media b.s. that has been flung at Linda McMahon and the WWE.
“Linda’s opponent and his surrogate campaign staffers over at MSNBC, have used their ‘news’ format to trash a woman who has raised a family, overcome financial challenges, and helped build a billion dollar industry that is weathering the financial bon-fire that her challengers predecessor, Chris Dodd provided the lighter fluid for with his role in the disastrous bail-out debacle.”
You can read more from Bischoff at EricBischoff.com.
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is the “go home” show for Sunday’s WWE Bragging Rights PPV.
The Guest Hosts for tonight’s RAW will be the stars of the new WWE Studios movie “Knucklehead” – SmackDown star the Big Show and actor Bobb’e J. Thompson.
The main event will see WWE Champion Randy Orton team up with John Cena against NXT Season 2 rookies Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty. Wade Barrett announced last week that if Harris and McGillicutty win the match, they’ll be officially added to Nexus.
One more spot remains on Team RAW for Sunday’s Bragging Rights PPV. The final member is expected to be revealed tonight.
The arena website is also promoting an appearance by WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart for tonight’s show.
WWE star Chris Jericho, who is currently touring the UK with his metal band Fozzy, was recently interviewed by the UK Sun. In part 1 of the interview, Jericho spoke about other former WWE stars who have left the company to explore other projects in the entertainment industry, such as The Rock, Mickie James and Maria.
Here are some highlights of what Jericho said about:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hollywood career:
“The Rock is a great guy, he’s a great actor, he was great wrestler — one of my favourites — but I don’t understand why he doesn’t want to come back to the show once in a while.”
Why He’s Able to do Other Projects & Not Lose His Spot In WWE:
“At the risk of sounding egotistical, I’ve reached a certain point where you know what Jericho brings to the table. You know the value that I have to the show, both on camera and behind the scenes in the locker room as an idea guy. So I think I can get away with a lot more. Plus I think it’s always been understood about Jericho is that there is another side to me. When I walked into the WWE I had a band, there’s always been stuff like that going on. If I was just some guy wet behind the ears in his first year in the business there’s no way I’d be able to get away with all this stuff.”
We’ll post highlights from part 2 of the interview when its online, stay tuned.
Reader Marissa has sent in pictures of several WWE superstars and Divas partying at Daytona Beach …
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, the Bella Twins, Santino and the Great Khali were spotted waiting in line to get on the “slingshot” ride two hours before the recent “Raw World Tour” live event. Check out the Great Khali’s sweet fanny pack…
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has commented on the situation, writing on Twitter:
“WWE has come to terms on the release of Matt Hardy. Know no details just that fact. Good luck to Matt. Probably best 4 all involved.”
Over the past several weeks, Hardy had been documenting his interest in a WWE release in YouTube videos.
Hardy is expected to join his brother Jeff in TNA Wrestling. Assuming the termination of his contract comes with the standard 90-day no-compete clause, he would be free to show up in TNA in January.
– The new name for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Hardy, Abyss and Jeff Jarrett’s group is Immortals. On last night’s iMPACT, Hogan’s Immortals joined up with Ric Flair’s Fortune to go against Dixie Carter. The main storyline now is that Dixie Carter unknowingly signed over control of TNA to Bischoff and Hogan.
– Madison Rayne is now the TNA Knockouts Champion after Tara laid down for her on last night’s iMPACT.
– As reported on over the weekend, former long-time WWE talent and Vince McMahon associate Bruce Prichard was backstage at TNA’s live iMPACT! taping on October 7. According to a TNA source, Prichard’s new role with the company will be as a producer. Prichard helped Vince Russo produce backstage pre-tapes at TNA TV tapings this week.
– TNA star Ken Anderson wrote on Twitter.com/secondpower that despite suffering a gash on the back of his head this week, he’ll be at TNA’s live events this weekend.
Anderson posted a graphic picture of the bloody gash (below) and wrote the following about it:
“Not too bad, but trying to not get a staph infection from the filthy canvas in my brain……ummm……wait one…..”
– Bret Hart is advertised locally for this Monday’s Raw, which takes place in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
— The Hartford Courant had a front page story this week about drug issues in WWE and Linda McMahon’s Senatorial campaign.WWE’s Medical Director Dr. Joseph Maroon is quoted in the article, saying, “We have no talent now on steroids.”
— The latest Quinnipiac poll, taken before Tuesday’s debate, showed Richard Blumenthal’s lead over Linda up to 54-43%.
— The New York Times today endorsed Blumenthal and said that he’s apologized for his Vietnam falsity, but that McMahon is not ready to take on matters like the war, the economy and other major issues.
— A Texas steroids-education group had a conference call on Wednesday blasting WWE for their track record.
– TMZ.com caught up with The Rock this week, who talks about the time he hit Mick Foley with 14 chairshots to the head in front of his kids. They showed the clip from King of the Ring back in the late 90s and the shots are brutal. You can check out the video here.
WWE champion Randy Orton wrote on Twitter that he checked out TNA iMPACT! this week for only the “second time ever” and shared his thoughts on the TNA product.
“Samoa Joe can move. Miss working with (Kurt) Angle and Jeff. Coulda done w/o the JWoW segment tho. I enjoyed the backstage stuff for the most part anyway. Something about the realness of the conversations between some of the talent was really well done.”
When a fan seemed surprised that Orton was praising TNA, Orton responded:
“Who said that I do not like TNA? I surely didn’t. Never approved of the 8(sic) sided ring tho. Competition is a good thing.”
Orton put over TNA TV Champion AJ Styles:
“never met him. Can do some amazing things in the ring. IMO has alot to do with tna’s early success.”
He finished with some comments about Ken Anderson, who was outspoken against Orton following his WWE release:
“The only prob I ever had with Ken was him telling the Internet that I used my ‘pull’ to get him fired. Not tru, I have no pull.”
In a 2009 interview with ESPN 540’s “Pro Wrestling Report,” Anderson said he and Orton became “very good friends” in WWE before their relationship turned sour. At the time, he seemed to blame Orton for his WWE release:
“The fact that he made such a big stink about supposedly dropping him on his head. He literally blew up in front of all the talent including Vince and Stephanie and began to lecture me about how I had to be careful and his health was very important. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
The official website of World Wrestling Entertainment’s developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling, has added two male wrestlers and two female wrestlers to its roster page — Kenny Li, Ron Myers, Sonia and Verity Thomas.
Sonia, who’s real name is Su Yung, has wrestled for various independent wrestling promotions in the United States including Memphis Ladies Wrestling, LadySports and Glory. She signed a developmental contract with WWE in May and debuted last month in FCW under the name Vannah.
Thomas is British-based women’s wrestler Vickie Skeeles. The 23-year-old was signed to a developmental contract in August and had recently debuted in FCW.
Li is 27-year-old Texas-based independent wrestler Li Fang, who the company recently signed to a developmental contract. He bills himself on his MySpace page as “the first ever Chinese wrestler.” He has been wrestling professionally since 2006 and has appeared for numerous Texas-based independent promotions including Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW).
Myers formerly competed as Kris Logan in Florida Championship Wrestling prior to being released last year. He was recently re-signed to a developmental contract.
Meanwhile, WWE has released Rudy Parker (a/k/a Asher Knight) from his developmental contract. He was signed from Ohio Valley Wrestling in January.
J-Woww tells RadarOnline that tonight’s appearance may not be a one-time deal:
“Never in a million years would I ever think I would be at TNA so it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I did it. You know, I never thought I could be able to do it; it’s pretty intense, but after getting in the ring and, you know, going in there, the adrenaline rush I could definitely see myself doing something like this in the future.”
A TNA representative commented on working with J-Woww:
“We would definitely love to have her back. She’s a black belt, she’s very athletic and she was very good at this. TNA has worked with countless celebrities and lots of ex-professional athletes…and she got it! She was a very quick learner. She was as physical and ring-smart as you could be given the fact that she’d never done it before and she knows the entertainment side of it.”
Busted Open with Booker T
Hosts: Dave LaGreca and Doug Mortman
Mondays and Wednesdays 2-4 PM ET
Sirius 125, XM 241 (note: new channels)
Here are some highlights of what Booker T said about:
Whether He Would return To TNA or WWE: “I’m a free agent… It’s about making a phone call. I left on good terms. I’m pretty good friends with Terry Taylor. I left on good terms with Dixie Carter. But I don’t want to get back on that WWE schedule… I would be willing to do commentary. I’d be willing to work behind the scenes (with WWE).
Why He Went To TNA: “I went there to make those young guys a lot better, guys like A.J. (Styles), (Robert) Roode, Black Machismo, and the list goes on and on… The Main Event Mafia could still be going today… The wrestling business is all about the young guys coming up and taking those spots.”
TNA Rehashing Old Angles: “I feel the past should left in the past. You cannot recreate WCW. TNA was in a great position to move up to the next level.”
Rumors of Him Leaving a Live Event and Not Putting Over Matt Morgan: “It was one live event, overseas, and there was not any security. The fans were throwing full cans of beer. I felt unsafe working in that environment… I did not want to put over Matt Morgan that night because I had never had a segment with Matt Morgan.”
Visit Facebook.com/bustedopen for more information.
