WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update from JRsBarBQ.com. Some highlights:
Appearing At Raw on 3/1: “It has been reported on line that I am making some sort of unadvertised appearance at the March 1 OKC event as we have been getting emails regarding such. This is all news to me and I know of absolutely nothing that is planned. We are spending considerable time and some in kind donations to help promote the WWE event but that’s the extend of it. I do hope to drop by and say hello to friends prior to the event starting but will likely watch the show from home or possibly “in the back.”
The Rock’s Upcoming WWE Return: “Dwayne Johnson reiterated what we have said here for the longest time and that is that he isn’t interested in stepping back in the ring as a wrestler but doing a speaking role and having fun on a wrestling show would be more to his liking. Bottom line, one takes Dwayne any way one can get him as he is a huge star who will pop a TV rating which is the holy grail for wrestling promoters.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update from JRsBarBQ.com. Some highlights:
Appearing At Raw on 3/1: “It has been reported on line that I am making some sort of unadvertised appearance at the March 1 OKC event as we have been getting emails regarding such. This is all news to me and I know of absolutely nothing that is planned. We are spending considerable time and some in kind donations to help promote the WWE event but that’s the extend of it. I do hope to drop by and say hello to friends prior to the event starting but will likely watch the show from home or possibly “in the back.”
The Rock’s Upcoming WWE Return: “Dwayne Johnson reiterated what we have said here for the longest time and that is that he isn’t interested in stepping back in the ring as a wrestler but doing a speaking role and having fun on a wrestling show would be more to his liking. Bottom line, one takes Dwayne any way one can get him as he is a huge star who will pop a TV rating which is the holy grail for wrestling promoters.”
– The February 8th edition of WWE RAW drew a 3.6 rating, on par with the past 2 weeks. The show averaged 5,342,000 viewers and did hours of 3.48 and 3.69.
– As noted earlier, WWE has been going back and forth on whether or not to have veterans on the new NXT show. Word now is that the show will still feature veterans from other brands to help draw ratings. Apparently there will be regular appearances from WWE Superstars on the show to “mentor and hinder” the new talents on NXT.
– Chris Jericho noted on Twitter yesterday that he had written 78 pages of his new book with 250 left to write. Jericho said he has to turn the book into publishers in three weeks.
– The February 8th edition of WWE RAW drew a 3.6 rating, on par with the past 2 weeks. The show averaged 5,342,000 viewers and did hours of 3.48 and 3.69.
– As noted earlier, WWE has been going back and forth on whether or not to have veterans on the new NXT show. Word now is that the show will still feature veterans from other brands to help draw ratings. Apparently there will be regular appearances from WWE Superstars on the show to “mentor and hinder” the new talents on NXT.
– Chris Jericho noted on Twitter yesterday that he had written 78 pages of his new book with 250 left to write. Jericho said he has to turn the book into publishers in three weeks.
After it was announced on RAW that the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase will be joining the WWE Hall of Fame next month, we can confirm another wrestling legend set to join the Class of 2010.
WWE held a press conference in Tokyo, Japan earlier this week to announce wrestling legend Antonio Inoki has accepted their invitation to be inducted.
Inoki was presented with a Hall of Fame certificate and said he would fly to Phoenix, Arizona to be formally inducted. He also said he would appear at WrestleMania 26 the following night.
For more details, including pictures of Inoki at the media event, click here to view a translated version of WWE’s Japanese website.
The following news items have been compiled from several live reports sent in from fans who were at RAW:
Before Raw went on the air:
WWE taped two matches for Thursday’s Superstars show:
– Chris Masters vs. Chavo Guerrero.
– Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella.
Live Notes
– Who Dat Nation was at Raw last night and we happy. Coming off of the Saints big win in the Super Bowl, we were treated to great Raw show. The crowd was live all night and it looked like a sell out to me.
– Bret Hart coming out at the end got the biggest pop of the night, but the crowd was into everything at the show.
– John Cena and DX also got huge pops from the crowd. Sheamus, Vince McMahon and CM Punk had the most heel heat.
After Raw went off the air:
– In the dark match main event of the evening, John Cena defeated Sheamus by DQ. Cena had Sheamus tapping to the STF when the ref called for the bell because Sheamus had already hit him. Afterward, Cena hit Sheamus with the Attitude Adjustment, and celebrated with the crowd. He grabbed a Who Dat? sign and held it high on the stage to close the show.
The following news items have been compiled from several live reports sent in from fans who were at RAW:
Before Raw went on the air:
WWE taped two matches for Thursday’s Superstars show:
– Chris Masters vs. Chavo Guerrero.
– Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella.
Live Notes
– Who Dat Nation was at Raw last night and we happy. Coming off of the Saints big win in the Super Bowl, we were treated to great Raw show. The crowd was live all night and it looked like a sell out to me.
– Bret Hart coming out at the end got the biggest pop of the night, but the crowd was into everything at the show.
– John Cena and DX also got huge pops from the crowd. Sheamus, Vince McMahon and CM Punk had the most heel heat.
After Raw went off the air:
– In the dark match main event of the evening, John Cena defeated Sheamus by DQ. Cena had Sheamus tapping to the STF when the ref called for the bell because Sheamus had already hit him. Afterward, Cena hit Sheamus with the Attitude Adjustment, and celebrated with the crowd. He grabbed a Who Dat? sign and held it high on the stage to close the show.
– There has been talk of turning SmackDown star John Morrison heel in the near future. WWE is firmly behind the developing star and he’s still seen as having a ton of potential.
– Morrison’s former partner Joey Mercury is said to be returning to WWE shortly. While several sources are reporting that a deal has been signed, many people backstage at the Royal Rumble were not aware of his upcoming return.
– The feeling within WWE is that The Undertaker will work a very light schedule headed into WrestleMania. Undertaker is still in rough physical shape and there are plans to get the World Heavyweight title off him before WrestleMania. With Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels still looking likely for WrestleMania, the match has enough going for it that it doesn’t need a title on the line and WWE could probably get more drawing power in having a separate match for the World Heavyweight title.
– There has been talk of turning SmackDown star John Morrison heel in the near future. WWE is firmly behind the developing star and he’s still seen as having a ton of potential.
– Morrison’s former partner Joey Mercury is said to be returning to WWE shortly. While several sources are reporting that a deal has been signed, many people backstage at the Royal Rumble were not aware of his upcoming return.
– The feeling within WWE is that The Undertaker will work a very light schedule headed into WrestleMania. Undertaker is still in rough physical shape and there are plans to get the World Heavyweight title off him before WrestleMania. With Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels still looking likely for WrestleMania, the match has enough going for it that it doesn’t need a title on the line and WWE could probably get more drawing power in having a separate match for the World Heavyweight title.
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from The Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. With the local New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl last night – expect a hot crowd.
The show will be hosted by NASCAR driver Carl Edwards.
The main event for tonight’s Raw will be a Triple Threat tag match for the Unified Tag titles. Champions Triple H and Shawn Michaels will defend against the teams of Big Show & The Miz and the Straight Edge Society’s CM Punk & Luke Gallows. UPDATE: This match will now be an elimination-style match, according to WWE.com.
The advertised dark match main event will have Sheamus defending the WWE Championship against John Cena, which live Raw crowd have seen the past few weeks after the show goes off the air.
There’s also talk that WWE will announce another inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010.
— WWE sent out a press release on Monday announcing that Triple H will be appearing at New York Toy Fair this Friday morning at the Javitz Center in New York City. Triple H will be there to promote WWE’s new line of Mattel toys and is advertised to appear at 9:30am.
— WWE star the Big Show will be starring in the upcoming WWE Studios comedy “Knucklehead,” which hits theaters in October. Big Show posted a picture on Twitter of himself dressed in a pink tutu with a wig on. The caption reads, “Thanks for all the Birthday wishes, guys! Here is a funny pic from Knucklehead. Pink is not my color.” To see the picture, click here.
— Upcoming WWE Raw guest hosts Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong appeared on Arizona’s KQRS-FM radio station this morning. According to a reader who heard their appearance, the duo was funny and barely had any idea what WWE RAW was. (Source: Prowrestling.net)
— Rapper Foxy Brown mentions WWE Superstar John Cena in her new song “Let ’em Know.” Brown says she’ll “Slam A B**** On Her Back Like I’m John Cena.” No word on whether Foxy Brown also does the five knuckle shuffle.
— Tonight’s WWE house show at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA has been rescheduled to next Thursday due to the expected snow storm. Ring of Honor is running a TV taping tonight at the ECW arena (starting at 7:30pm) and has announced anybody who had tickets to tonight’s rescheduled WWE show gets into their show for free.
— It was recently reported that former WWE tag champion Joey Mercury is on his way back to the company. According to Mike Aldren, one idea currently being discussed by the WWE creative team is to have Mercury return on SmackDown as part of CM Punk’s Straight-Edge Society. Mercury was released from WWE back in 2007 after a well-documented battle with pain killer addiction, so the angle would be playing off real issues.
— Rapper Foxy Brown mentions WWE Superstar John Cena in her new song “Let ’em Know.” Brown says she’ll “Slam A B**** On Her Back Like I’m John Cena.” No word on whether Foxy Brown also does the five knuckle shuffle.
— Tonight’s WWE house show at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA has been rescheduled to next Thursday due to the expected snow storm. Ring of Honor is running a TV taping tonight at the ECW arena (starting at 7:30pm) and has announced anybody who had tickets to tonight’s rescheduled WWE show gets into their show for free.
— It was recently reported that former WWE tag champion Joey Mercury is on his way back to the company. According to Mike Aldren, one idea currently being discussed by the WWE creative team is to have Mercury return on SmackDown as part of CM Punk’s Straight-Edge Society. Mercury was released from WWE back in 2007 after a well-documented battle with pain killer addiction, so the angle would be playing off real issues.
– The following matches have been confirmed for TNA’s Against All Odds pay-per-view on February 14th:
TNA Heavyweight Title Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Tag Team Legends Collide: The Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D.
– While some speculated that TNA would be holding live events Arizona during WrestleMania weekend when WWE is in town, the company has actually announced shows in Alabama and Georgia that weekend. They will be in Ozark, Alabama on March 25th and Columbus, Georgia on March 26th.
– Scott Steiner has been removed from the TNA roster page, which doesn’t say good things about his standing in the company. It was reported a few weeks back that Steiner’s future with TNA was up in the air. Ric Flair and Mr. Anderson have been added to the roster page.
– The following matches have been confirmed for TNA’s Against All Odds pay-per-view on February 14th:
TNA Heavyweight Title Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Tag Team Legends Collide: The Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D.
– While some speculated that TNA would be holding live events Arizona during WrestleMania weekend when WWE is in town, the company has actually announced shows in Alabama and Georgia that weekend. They will be in Ozark, Alabama on March 25th and Columbus, Georgia on March 26th.
– Scott Steiner has been removed from the TNA roster page, which doesn’t say good things about his standing in the company. It was reported a few weeks back that Steiner’s future with TNA was up in the air. Ric Flair and Mr. Anderson have been added to the roster page.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be appearing on Friday’s edition of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” It will be Johnson’s first time on the program. Musical star Pink, whose Grammy performance grabbed headlines last weekend, will appear as the music guest. For more information, visit Oprah.com.
– After Beth Phoenix made comments about Chyna this past Sunday night, she wrote the following on her Twitter yesterday:
“I’m told I hurt Chyna’s feelings with my comments. Oops!”
– WWE Studios will be holding open casting calls this weekend for the lead role in their upcoming “Big Red” movie. The part calls for a male between the ages 13-16. The casting calls take place in Los Angeles on Saturday and New York on Sunday. If you fit the bill and are interested, visit WWE.com.
– The official theme song for WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is Rise Up by Cypress Hill.
– John Cena will be appearing on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson VP soon.
– Triple H will be at the International Toy Fair in New York City next week to promote WWE’s new Mattel Toy line.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be appearing on Friday’s edition of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” It will be Johnson’s first time on the program. Musical star Pink, whose Grammy performance grabbed headlines last weekend, will appear as the music guest. For more information, visit Oprah.com.
– After Beth Phoenix made comments about Chyna this past Sunday night, she wrote the following on her Twitter yesterday:
“I’m told I hurt Chyna’s feelings with my comments. Oops!”
– WWE Studios will be holding open casting calls this weekend for the lead role in their upcoming “Big Red” movie. The part calls for a male between the ages 13-16. The casting calls take place in Los Angeles on Saturday and New York on Sunday. If you fit the bill and are interested, visit WWE.com.
– The official theme song for WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is Rise Up by Cypress Hill.
– John Cena will be appearing on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson VP soon.
– Triple H will be at the International Toy Fair in New York City next week to promote WWE’s new Mattel Toy line.
As we saw on this week’s ECW show, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced the final ECW broadcast will take place on Tuesday, 2/23. McMahon thanking the superstars and crew who made ECW the success it once was and promised a “new, innovative, never before seen program broadcast” that will debut on February 23rd and take over the old ECW timeslot.
On Superstars, WWE confirmed reports that the new brand will be known as WWE NXT with a 10-second promotional spot hyping the new show. The show was called “Revolutionary” and we got a first look at the new NXT logo. It’s odd that WWE unveiled the name of its new show during a 10-second commercial on their D-show Superstars when they should have teased another “big announcement” for next week’s ECW .. Very well ..
Innovative .. Revolutionary .. Never Seen Before ..
WWE is setting the bar high for this new show. Based on what we’ve heard, the show will be be a hybrid of pro wrestling and reality TV, similar to WWE’s Tough Enough and UFC’s Ultimate Fighter series. WWE NXT will feature almost exclusively young talent from WWE’s developmental system, with the possibility of veterans appearing on the show to teach the young guys. WWE really is hoping to introduce the next generation of Superstars to fans in a whole new way, allowing us to get to know the wrestlers in and out of the ring. Whether the wrestlers are competing for a title or a WWE contract remains to be seen, but at least they’re trying something new.
As for what happens to ECW .. Expect to see most of the talent wind up on Raw and SmackDown. The ECW title will likely be put to rest in the near future as well.
As we saw on this week’s ECW show, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced the final ECW broadcast will take place on Tuesday, 2/23. McMahon thanking the superstars and crew who made ECW the success it once was and promised a “new, innovative, never before seen program broadcast” that will debut on February 23rd and take over the old ECW timeslot.
On Superstars, WWE confirmed reports that the new brand will be known as WWE NXT with a 10-second promotional spot hyping the new show. The show was called “Revolutionary” and we got a first look at the new NXT logo. It’s odd that WWE unveiled the name of its new show during a 10-second commercial on their D-show Superstars when they should have teased another “big announcement” for next week’s ECW .. Very well ..
Innovative .. Revolutionary .. Never Seen Before ..
WWE is setting the bar high for this new show. Based on what we’ve heard, the show will be be a hybrid of pro wrestling and reality TV, similar to WWE’s Tough Enough and UFC’s Ultimate Fighter series. WWE NXT will feature almost exclusively young talent from WWE’s developmental system, with the possibility of veterans appearing on the show to teach the young guys. WWE really is hoping to introduce the next generation of Superstars to fans in a whole new way, allowing us to get to know the wrestlers in and out of the ring. Whether the wrestlers are competing for a title or a WWE contract remains to be seen, but at least they’re trying something new.
As for what happens to ECW .. Expect to see most of the talent wind up on Raw and SmackDown. The ECW title will likely be put to rest in the near future as well.
Shortly after WWE announced ECW is being shutting down to make way for the “NXT” generation of programming, a light was shined on an existing NXT – NXT Wrestling, an independent promotion based out of Scotland. NXT Wrestling sent out the following today:
NXT Wrestling. Established 2006.
A Renfrewshire-based company in Scotland has come under threat from US media giants after a global enterprise decided to use their name and tagline.
Global media giants World Wrestling Entertainment have recently announced their plans to launch WWE:NXT, the NXT Generation of wrestling. This has since been a cause for concern for Scottish promotion NXT Wrestling, a local company who risk getting squashed in favour of the multi-million dollar WWE headed by Vince McMahon.
NXT Wrestling was announced in 2006 and launched in 2007 as a way of giving young men with dreams their chance to break free from their lives and live for a few moments in the spotlight. NXT and it’s associated promotion the Scottish Wrestling Alliance have strived to bring quality family entertainment to towns and halls across the West of Scotland, culminating in the struggle to bring an ailing genre into the spotlight with events in Kelvin Hall, and has helped raise funds for charities including Torkhill Childrens Foundation.
When WWE announced their new brand as NXT, using the same tagline ‘NXT Generation’ and emphasis on developmental talent, staff and employee’s began to worry when they woke up to the new on Wednesday morning.
“We have had no direct contact from WWE regarding this matter but we welcome any conversation or resolution they would like to put forward.” Commented Peter Murphy, owner of the Scottish Wrestling Alliance.
“Everyone at the Scottish Wrestling Alliance is honoured that WWE have decided to name their latest product after SWA’s feeder programme, NXT. We would like to assure our fans that the original NXT is still leading the way for trainees in Scotland and the shows on 6th February, Spittal Community Centre, Rutherglen, 19th February, Bargarran Community Centre, Erskine, March 6th, Viewpark Community Centre, Uddingston and March 19th, Links Community Centre, Cumbernauld are all still due to go ahead as advertised.”
After long and careful planning, SWA:NXT made it’s debut in January 2007 as a promotion designed to showcase up and coming talent within Scotland in conjunction with SWA’s Area 52 wrestling school. In 2009 NXT Wrestling split from the Scottish Wrestling Alliance to stand on it’s own two feet, taking it’s own creative direction in September last year.
The goal within the company is to give younger talent an opportunity to showcase their abilities and get noticed. Several of our NXT talents over the years have gone on to work across the UK, gain international interest and win NWA Heavyweight championships. NXT promoted shows across the West of Scotland with our next event scheduled this weekend, February 6th in Rutherglen which features some fresh young talent who have risen through the ranks of their training facility and earned their place on the event.
Contact:
Peter Murphy
Scottish Wrestling Alliance & NXT Wrestling
07877461913
fanaccess@scottishwrestling.co.uk
http://nxtwrestling.com
http://scottishwrestling.co.uk
