– Kelly Kelly returns to the WWE ring next week after being granted time off the road in late May. She is scheduled to appear on the SmackDown brand’s tour of Japan beginning August 9 and will be returning full-time.
Kelly, who had been on the road on a weekly basis since joining WWE in 2006, was reportedly granted a break to spend time with her family and boyfriend. She last competed on television on the May 21 Raw SuperShow, losing to Beth Phoenix.
– MVP was among the WWE alumnus contacted to appear on Raw 1,000. WWE officials, however, ultimately changed their minds on bringing him and other former Superstars such as Steve Blackman, Tatanka and Viscera.
– The July 27 Raw live event in Charleston, West Virginia drew 5,500 attendees paying $170,000. The July 28 Raw live event in Lexington, Kentucky drew 6,000 paying $200,000. The July 29 Raw live event at the Broadbent Arena in Louisville, Kentucky drew a legitimate sell-out of 6,000 paying $235,000. The July 28 SmackDown live event in Johnson City, Tennessee drew 3,500 paying $110,000. The July 29 SmackDown live event in Pikeville, Kentucky drew 4,000 paying $120,000.
– WWE officials were impressed with Billy Gunn and his interactions with Shawn Michaels on Raw 1,000 and the belief is he’ll receive at least one match on a future televised show. Meanwhile, many backstage feel Sean “X-Pac” Waltman didn’t appear in great shape on the milestone episode so it is unlikely that he’ll be brought back for a match.
Some people were surprised that with WWE’s TV-PG directive and Linda McMahon running for United States Senate, officials had no problem having Waltman appear on television despite his involvement with a sex tape years ago. Some people backstage were also joking about how friendly Gunn was with everyone considering that he challenged Triple H and Shawn Michaels to a “shoot” fight years ago.
– After AJ Lee was named General Manager of Raw last week on Raw 1,000, her first act in the position was to grant Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a WWE Championship Match at the Royal Rumble. The angle, however, was nixed due to time constraints and Johnson announced that he would face whoever the WWE Champion is at the pay-per-view event.
WWE plans to downplay Johnson’s upcoming title shot until after the Survivor Series on November 18 as to not draw attention away from any of the other shows they have to promote in the meantime. Officials also want Royal Rumble, which takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, to be sold out by November.
On this week’s episode of MLW Radio presented by www.WWNLive.com, Konnan spoke about how much the culture has changed in the locker room since the 90s as well as past habits that later caused health issues.
“It was really hard [to stay clean] in the era I came in. It was like a party. The very first time I went to WWE for a dark match, Shawn Michaels was in the showers smoking a joint with Curt Hennig out in the open. There’s no way you could do that today. You used to have guys just shaking as they’d walk into a hotel. Just shaking from the somas and nobody really NARC’d on anybody.”
“I did have health issues from pain pills and anti-inflammatories and a whole bunch of other [stuff], but those are the two that really [messed] me up. A lot of vicodin.”
Also, Konnan, Court Bauer and Mister Saint Laurent shared stories about the best wing-men in wrestling, including hilarious road stories about Ted DiBiase, Scott Hall, Dean Malenko, Kevin Nash and more.
The new episode of MLW Radio is available for free at: www.MLW.com and on iTunes each and every Monday. You can also find more information about the show here.
– TNA Wrestling has released the promotional poster for No Surrender, which takes place September 9, 2012 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. The twelve wrestlers participating in the “Bound For Glory” series are featured on the poster: AJ Styles, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels, D’Angelo Dinero, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Magnus, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Robbie E and Samoa Joe.
– Sam Shaw has been added to TNA’s roster index on ImpactWrestling.com after being awarded a contract last week on Impact Wrestling in the “Gut Check” challenge.
– Tara has changed her Twitter handle to taralisamarie.
– Three matches were taped Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars: Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater, WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Natalya and Justin Gabriel vs. Cody Rhodes.
In a pre-taping dark match, Brodus Clay squashed a local wrestler whose name was not announced.
– WWE will hold a SmackDown taping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Consol Energy Center on December 18.
– Trish Stratus will appear at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival on August 11 in Bowmanville, Ontario. The festival boasts a star-studded line-up of over thirty country music artists including Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Alabama, and Big and Rich. Additional details are available here.
China’s largest pay-per-view and video-on-demand platform, YOU On Demand, has added Paramount Pictures to its roster of studio partners. The entity is the brainchild of former WWE executive and talent Shane McMahon.
YOU on Demand Signs Agreement to Offer Paramount Pictures Titles for Video on Demand In China
New York, NY, 08/01/12 – YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: YOD) PRC subsidiary, a leading Pay-Per-View (PPV) and Video On Demand (VOD) platform in China, announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer Paramount Pictures titles through YOU On Demand’s Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services in the People’s Republic of China.
The titles that will be available to YOU On Demand customers rank among the most renowned and successful films in Paramount’s 100-year history. These titles include worldwide box office hits such as the Mission: Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise, including the latest in the series, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” the Coen Brothers’ Oscar® winning “No Country For Old Men,” and director/producer J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.”
“Paramount Pictures is one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios and we are delighted to offer films from its rich library to our customers,” said Shane McMahon, CEO and Chairman of YOU On Demand. “The addition of Paramount’s roster now gives YOU On Demand the most vibrant and compelling titles available in the People’s Republic of China,” he concluded.
Paramount now joins Warner Bros. Entertainment, Disney Media Distribution, Lionsgate, Miramax Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Gravitas Ventures, Film Buff, K2 Communications, 3net and Big Mama Digital Entertainment (Karaoke) as content providers working with YOU On Demand in its efforts to bring the best in home entertainment to audiences in China.
WWE has issued an apology for a video Tensai posted late Monday night on the video sharing network Tout that could be perceived as racially insensitive toward Asian people.
“While in character, Lord Tensai (Matt Bloom) clearly took his storyline too far and he will be reprimanded for his inappropriate comments,” WWE’s statement reads, which was issued to multiple wrestling news outlets by company spokesman Kevin Hennessy.
The video, which has since been deleted, showed him traveling with his “personal chauffeur” Sakamoto to Indianapolis—the site of tonight’s SmackDown taping—following Raw, and he remarked that it’s “very, very dangerous” to drive with a Japanese person. He then slapped Sakamoto as he drove and ordered him “to open his eyes.”
Another racially charged remark toward Sakamoto was made on Raw as commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler quipped following the Tensai vs. Tyson Kidd match, “When Tensai beats up Sakamoto, he changes his name to Sum Ting Wong.”
– Viewership for the July 30 episode of Raw dropped significantly from last week’s 1,000th episode as the program averaged a 3.08 cable rating compared to 3.84. The overall rating was down 20 percent from the milestone show and is the lowest mark since June 4.
Raw averaged 4,490,000 viewers over the course of three hours and 4,710,000 from 9:00 p.m. to past 11:00 p.m. Overall viewership was down 22 percent from last week’s 6,019,000 figure and is the smallest audience since June 4.
Raw drew a 2.79 rating with 4,060,000 viewers in hour one, a 3.21 cable rating with 4,720,000 viewers in hour two, and a 3.25 rating with 4,700,000 viewers in the final hour.
– WWE announced Tuesday that WWE Studios’ No One Lives will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
No One Lives, which features Brodus Clay in a supporting role, will premiere at TIFF’s Midnight Madness as part of its Special Presentations and Galas programs. TIFF runs from September 6 to 16. It is a described as a “smart and original horror movie about a killer in the grip of a dark and twisted love affair.”
In addition to Clay, No One Lives features Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans, Immortals, The Raven), Adelaide Clemens (Silent Hill: Revelation), Derek Magyar, Lee Tergesen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) and America Olivo (Friday the 13th).
– Tensai made a racial remark in his first Tout video post. Noting he was traveling with his personal chauffeur Sakamoto to Indianapolis—the site of tonight’s SmackDown taping—following Raw, he remarks it’s “very, very dangerous” to drive with a Japanese person. He then slaps Sakamoto as he’s driving and orders him “to open his eyes.”
– WWE.com has uploaded a playlist of The Road Warriors’ greatest moments. Highlights include defeating The Nasty Boys to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, clashing with The Midnight Express in the dangerous Scaffold Match, a WarGames Match against The Four Horsemen at The Great American Bash in 1987, a match against Harlem Heat in 1996 and more.
– Ezekiel Jackson, who has sparingly appeared at WWE events in recent weeks, noted on Twitter that he will not be on hand for tonight’s SmackDown taping in Indianapolis, Indiana.
– Alicia Fox paid a visit to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health on Tuesday prior to SmackDown. The WWE Diva sent out a Tout noting her appearance.
Randy Orton returned to action Monday night on Raw after serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Heath Slater called out any current WWE Superstar in the back to answer his challenge and The Viper responded by pummeling The One-Man Band all over the ring. After blasting Slater with a powerslam and a DDT off the second rope, Orton nailed him with the RKO to gain the pinfall victory. WWE.com spoke to The Legend Killer after defeating The One-Man Band.
“I gotta say, I am very rested due to my 60-day “vacation.” Guys threw me huge party today, a welcome back party. They literally set the stage on fire,” Orton said. “I feel better than ever. I gotta say during my ten, eleven-year career here in the WWE, I haven’t felt this good, as good as I do today, and I think I just proved that out there a little while ago.”
He continues, “I’ve been at home and I’ve been watching and I see Heath Slater, week in, week out calling out these Legends. I used to to do the same thing and I’m thinking to myself, “I’m the Legend Killer, the original Legend Killer.” But he’s not even doing it right, he’s like the reverse Legend Killer. But tonight, I just couldn’t stand back here and let him go on yapping his gums. He got his a** kicked last week in my hometown of St. Louis at the 1000th episode of Raw and you know what? Sorry Heath, but you’re going to get your a** kicked if you flap your gums like that with Randy Orton backstage.”
– English wrestler Andre Tyson (a/k/a MVK Valkabious), who signed a developmental contract with WWE earlier this year and is awaiting to travel to Florida, was arrested in England over the weekend following a “bar-room bust-up.”
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports a scuffle broke out in one of the booths at the back of the bar and Tyson was asked to leave but resisted the security staff who tried to have him escorted. Police, who were already patrolling the street, arrested Tyson and another man.
Tyson admitted to assaulting the man following the incident and was given caution.
– The social media activity score for Raw dropped off significantly compared to last week’s milestone episode, according to Trendrr.tv. Raw scored 259,203, down 71% from last week’s record-high of 907,443. It was however, up from Raw on July 16, which scored 240,889.
Raw ranked No. 6 on cable television for the night.
– Triple H is today’s spotlighted Superstar on WWE.com.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made a crass joke referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case years ago. As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!” The WWE personality issued an apology late Monday evening via Twitter and noted that “there was no malicious intent behind the joke.”
A.W. wrote, “It was either a Kobe or Lebron joke. Lebron jus won the Finals so there you have it..Myself!”
The remark was in reference to the basketball star being accused of sexual assault in summer 2003 after having sex with a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for “remarks made by A.W.,” though without specifically referencing the joke. F4WOnline.com reports that many people were furious backstage over the remark, as well as in disbelief.
After Raw, WWE issued an official apology via TMZ.com reading, “A.W. made an inappropriate comment and WWE immediately apologized. WWE has taken appropriate action in the matter.” The representative, however, did not specify what “action” was taken against A.W.
WWE issued an official statement Tuesday concerning a personality’s off-color remark during Monday’s Raw broadcast in which NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case was referenced.
As Titus O’Neil grappled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W., who was wearing a live mic, yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
The remark was in reference to the basketball star being accused of sexual assault in summer 2003 after having sex with a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
A WWE spokesman issued an statement to TMZ.com reading, “A.W. made an inappropriate comment and WWE immediately apologized. WWE has taken appropriate action in the matter.”
WWE sources tell TMZ that A.W. “felt horrible” after making the remark and claimed he simply “got caught up in the moment.” He also realizes the remark could be hurtful to rape victims and their families.
A.W. immediately apologized to company brass, including the McMahon family, as well as several wrestlers, and has also vowed to refrain from making similar remarks in the future.
– After Raw went off the air, John Laurinaitis hit the ring with a steel chair tapped for John Cena. Cena, however, ducked and hit the former Raw General Manager and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations with the Attitude Adjustment. Big Show then tried to attack Cena, but was put to rest with the Attitude Adjustment.
– In her first night as Raw General Manager, AJ was referred to as AJ Lee. It is the alias she used in WWE developmental league Florida Championship Wrestling from 2009 to 2010. When it was announced in August 2010 that she would be part of the third season of WWE NXT, the last name was dropped and she was simply referred to as AJ. However, she maintained the AJ Lee name on her Twitter account.
– John Laurinaitis turns 47-years-old Tuesday. WWE.com announced Monday that Laurinaitis had resigned from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations, citing “burn out.” He will continue to work for the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches as well as performer.
The official WWE website announced Monday that effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations after eight years of service. He will, however, remain with the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches. His resignation is legitimate and not part of any storyline.
In an indication that he was on his way out of the position, Laurinaitis was quietly removed from the WWE Corporate website’s index of Executive Officers in April.
Though WWE stated in their article that Laurinaitis was “burned out” from the position, multiple sources have stated that recent changes to the corporate infrastructure represent Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, assuming control of certain sectors of the company and re-shaping them to his liking.
Laurinaitis’ duties had been scaled back in recent years as Levesque and fellow executive Stephanie McMahon gained control over Talent Operations and creating line-ups for house shows. He had overseen the department since April 2004, when he replaced Jim Ross. He was hired as a producer after the sport entertainment organization’s acquisition of certain assets of World Championship Wrestling in March 2001.
– CM Punk will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena and Big Show in a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam on August 19. The match was determined on Raw after the Cena vs. Show bout resulted in No Contest due to interference from Punk. Raw General Manager AJ Lee then announced the match, which led to Punk scolding her as Raw went off the air.
– The July 27 episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 2,834,000 viewers over the course of two hours—the final rating has not been released. The prior week’s show drew a 2.04 cable rating, with 2,964,000 viewers.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made an off-color remark referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case in 2003 and 2004.
As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for A.W.’s remark. He then quickly transitioned to a replay of a backstage segment featuring John Cena and CM Punk that took moments prior.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
– Randy Orton returned to action Monday night on Raw after serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Heath Slater called out any current WWE Superstar in the back to answer his challenge, and The Viper responded by pummeling The One-Man Band all over the ring. After blasting Slater with a powerslam and a DDT off the second rope, Orton nailed him with the RKO to gain the pinfall victory.
– It was announced during Raw that World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will defend his belt against Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam. As the No. 1 contender to the title, Alberto Del Rio declared following his victory over Santino Marella that he would not compete again until his SummerSlam bout.
– It was announced on Raw that WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown to announce the new SmackDown General Manager.
– Cody Rhodes defeated Zack Ryder in dark match prior to Raw at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Just prior to showtime, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics and as a precaution, the limited number of people in the venue during the incident were evacuated. The fire marshal issued safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7 p.m. CT. However, due to time constraints, no WWE Superstars matches were held.
– Via Twitter, Jim Ross weighed in on Daniel Bryan’s Street Fight against World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on Raw: “Does Daniel Bryan ever have a bad match? $2 steak tough. He’s a product of hard work & desire. Same can be said for Sheamus. Physicality!”
During rehearsal for tonight’s Raw at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics. As a precaution, the limited number of people in the building during the incident were successfully evacuated, and the fire marshal has given a safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7pm CT. There were no injuries.
Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning his position as WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. WWE.com issued the following statement.
John Laurinaitis resigns as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations
Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. Following his very public firing at June’s No Way Out, Laurinaitis continued to work behind-the-scenes in his corporate role. After eight years of service in talent relations, he’s “burned out” and now hopes to concentrate on what he knows best: putting together matches and working with WWE talent as a producer.
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW will take place from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 3-hour show will be AJ Lee’s first night as the new RAW General Manager. The WWE website is promoting the following items:
– WWE Champion CM Punk will address his attack on The Rock at the end of last week’s RAW 1,000.
– AJ Lee will be in charge of the show.
– The next chapter in Dolph Ziggler’s feud with Chris Jericho.
– SmackDown #1 contender Alberto Del Rio will have to answer to Rey Mysterio for cheating him out a title shot on Friday’s SmackDown.
– John Cena will react to the fact that he is the first Money in the Bank winner to cash in his contract and not win a title.
Randy Orton’s is now cleared to return to action after serving his 60 day suspension, so it’s possible we’ll see his return. Plus, Triple H is scheduled to appear to continue his feud with Brock Lesnar.
The advertised dark match main event is a handicap match featuring John Cena vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis.
– The Wrestling Observer reported last week that with the ratings success of the weekly “Legends” segments on Raw, WWE officials are strongly considering making the feature routine by having one former Superstar brought back on every show. PWInsider.com reports Monday that internally, the belief is that the re-emergence of former talent such as Vader, Sycho Sid and Bob Backlund caused part of a lapsed wrestling audience to tune in to WWE programming again. Should WWE continue the angle, names most likely to resurface are Tatanka, Steve Blackman and Big Daddy V. Those three and several other alumnus were contacted to appear on Raw 1,000, but WWE officials ultimately changed their minds and limited the Heath Slater gang beating to the APA and those who had already participated in the storyline.
– Conspicuous by his absence last week on Raw 1,000 during the Brothers of Destruction reunion between The Undertaker and Kane was longtime manager Paul Bearer. When Bearer last appeared on Raw in April, he was kidnapped by Randy Orton and then stuck in a storage freezer while strapped to a wheelchair. Kane later came for Bearer, only to roll him back into the freezer and say, “I’m saving you…from me.” A Twitter user pondered whether Bearer’s noticeable absence stemmed from the legendary manager still being locked up in the freezer. Bearer responded, “Yeah….. still in the freezer, dumb ass.”
Bearer also said of his whereabouts, “I am not going to waste my time playing your silly “where were you” games. I never said I would appear, not scheduled, enjoyed being home.”
– The Princess Bride, featuring WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant in a starring role, will be screened for free this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at McCarren Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The Great Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh, underwent surgery Wednesday to remove a pituitary gland tumor that’s the cause of his tremendous size. The tumor was discovered through WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, according to a report by ABC News.
A WWE official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press about Singh that WWE identified his acromegaly condition prior to surgery this week. Despite the surgery, he is at greater risk of facing health problems if the tumor came into contact with the nearby optic nerves.
Singh could be healthy enough to return to the ring within months, but if he does, it might be at the risk of internal bleeding at the surgical site caused by physical contact.
In a statement, WWE spokesman Adam Hopkins said that “[a]s part of WWE’s ongoing wellness evaluation, we are happy that The Great Khali had successful pituitary surgery, and we look forward to him returning to the ring in the near future.”
Gabriel Feldman, who directs the sports law program at Tulane Law School, believes WWE could be held liable for failing to address Singh’s acromegaly condition. However, he adds that WWE attorneys “are known for the scrupulousness with which they guard the publicly traded but privately controlled company from liability” and “WWE contracts tend to tilt most of the leverage toward the company.”
“This may be more of a moral problem than a legal problem,” Feldman said.
