– As he prepares to make his WWE return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, John Cena posted the following year-end message to fans on Twitter.
Wishing everyone a happy and safe rest of 2015. Reflect, rejoice, and regroup to make 2016 even better!!
While The Rock wasn’t able to accept his Slammy Award this past Monday on WWE RAW, he did give an online acceptance speech and promised a big surprise for next Monday prior to RAW.
The Rock wrote the following on his official Instagram page regarding winning the “This Is Awesome Moment of the Year” award for his WrestleMania appearance with UFC star Ronda Rousey, and his “surprise” planned for Monday.
The Rock hasn’t appeared on WWE television since WrestleMania, however he did turn up at a WWE live event in Boston this Summer, where he confronted Bo Dallas. It’s worth pointing out, however, that he noted that his surprise would be before this coming Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW.
– Featured above is the latest edition of “Eden’s Style,” which features Nikki Bella, Corey Graves and other stars talking about the fashion at this year’s Slammy Awards. Renee Young, who is also featured in the clip, jokes to Eden about haing “the body of a young boy.” Young was also told by Kevin Owens that she looks ridiculous this week.
– The WWE Tribute To The Troops 2015 special, which aired on the USA Network on Wednesday, December 23rd, drew 1.802 million viewers. The show finished second on the night in cable viewership and in the 18-49 demographic, trailing only college football.
– As seen below, Mick Foley and his children, Noelle, Dewey, Hughie and Mickey Foley all participated in a family Christmas photo parodying the Four Horsewomen of NXT — Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley. Also featured are comments from Becky Lynch and Bayley regarding the photo.
WWE Hall Of Famer Chris Jericho recently spoke about the legitimacy of WWE’s drug and concussion testing policies, as well as his current travel buddies on the active WWE roster. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On who he hangs out with when he’s on the road with WWE these days:
“When I go on the road [with WWE now], I hang out with [Sami] Zayn, and Neville, and the Usos, and big uce, [Roman] Reigns, and [Dean] Ambrose, and Seth [Rollins], and [Dolph] Ziggler, Miz. Those guys are my friends and they’re all 10 years younger than me, but that’s who I hang out with because all the guys that I know are pretty much gone. They’re either retired or dead.”
On the legitimacy of WWE’s drug testing and concussion policies:
“The testing is real. Concussion testing. Heart testing. Everything is very, very strict because [WWE] wanted to stop guys from basically dying at a young age and wanted to take control of it.”
On nearly being suspended for testing for elevated levels of testosterone, as WWE requires a a T/E ratio of 4:1 or less:
“I kept getting readings of 10:1, 8:1, 9:1. And the guy finally called me. He said, ‘listen, you [have] got another elevated level.’ I said, ‘okay, listen, I know that you think that I’m on something, but I’m not, so if I wasn’t on something, what could this be?’.” Jericho continued, “he goes, ‘well, you probably have a tumor.’ I’m like, ‘what?’ He goes, ‘you probably have a tumor.’ Like what kind of doctor says that, ‘oh, you probably have a tumor’?”
On his reaction when he was told he might be suspended despite WWE finding out that he naturally produces elevated levels of testosterone:
“I said, ‘you can’t suspend me! It’s like suspending me for having a naturally big nose! Like, it’s natural! You can’t suspend me, you dummy!’ But that’s how strict the testing is.”
One of the big complaints coming out of this year’s Slammy Awards was the fact that so many top stars that won awards weren’t present to accept them, including The Rock, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Sting and John Cena. The voting is legitimate, so it wouldn’t be practical to call in big names like The Rock and Brock Lesnar without even knowing if they’re winning awards. On the flip site, winners not being in attendance feeds the perception that the Slammy Awards aren’t important enough for the big stars to show up for.
Two changes are being discussed for next year’s Slammys. One is to have the voting take place one week prior to the show itself, this way WWE would know ahead of time who the winners are so that they could arrange to have them at the show. In the case of The Rock, where he could still be busy with movie commitments, WWE could send film crews to record an acceptance speech.
The second change proposed was to move the annual Slammy Awards to WrestleMania week, as most of the top stars will already be in town, so there won’t be an issue with not having big stars on-hand to accept the awards in person. The problem with doing that is that WrestleMania week is already very busy, and putting the Slammy Awards on the post-WrestleMania edition of RAW would potentially ruin what has become one of the biggest and most exciting RAW shows each year.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns recently spoke with WWE.com about his road to becoming the champion, attacking Triple H and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his performance at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar:
“I stand on that performance. That was a fight out there and the crowd knew it. Regardless of how they felt about me when I walked in, they certainly felt a definite way when I left, and I think that’s respect. I think that’s what’s helped me along this full year’s process. They can see I come out every single night and I’m not playing about this big-fight thing. I do it different than anybody else, because I’m willing to bang heads every single night. I don’t think anybody else could have gone out there with Brock Lesnar and do what I did. I stand by that and I’m proud of it. My father and my mother were in the front row watching and they got to see their son go toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar. Not many people can say that.”
On if he finds it difficult to tune out any negative reactions to what you does:
“It’s something I’ve had to teach myself over the past few years, because I am a person that cares. I do. I wouldn’t be in this business and do what we have to do and go through all the stuff we have to put up with if I didn’t care. Sometimes I have to pull myself back [and remind myself] the world is a big place. Don’t focus on the negativity. Focus on the positivity and the people that want you to do well, then, do it for them and for yourself. Sometimes I do things for myself; sometimes I do things for my family; sometimes I do things for my friends. There’s a great system where I’m not doing this just for one dream, I’m doing this for a bunch of people’s dreams. I have a great crew and a great family that loves me.”
On his recent attack of Triple H:
“I haven’t been able to watch much of the stuff back I’ve done in the past few weeks. But one thing I notice is anytime me and H are in the ring together, there’s always that buzz. You can feel it, there’s a tingle in the air. Regardless, when you have that buzz, it’s going to get to the physicality, so that’s how it’s got to go down.”
– As noted, Ric Flair noted during a recent edition of his “WOOOO! Nation” podcast that Stardust is currently out of action with a neck injury. Although he was sent to a local hospital for fear of a possible bone fracture but was cleared, Flair claims it is a neck injury that Stardust is dealing with as a result of his December 7th RAW match against Jack Swagger.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Stardust was medically cleared to return to the ring this past Monday, but for whatever reason, did not work this week’s RAW or Super SmackDown shows.
As noted, Stardust also missed the WWE Tribute To The Troops taping last week due to the same injury, as he and real-life wife Eden had the following exchange on social media that confirmed the fact that Stardust was originally scheduled for the taping.
.@StardustWWE heard you had a great outfit for Tribute to the Troops. Injury kept you from wearing. Maybe you can wear it on #EdensStyle ??
WWE Superstar Alex Riley recently appeared on “The Wrestling Compadres Slamcast and spoke about the status of his knee, his plans for his WWE return and how frustrating it was being a WWE announcer when he wanted to be in the ring.
On the status of his injured knee following his third surgery on it:
“The rehab [has] taken a little bit longer than I would have originally liked. When the doc got in there, he saw a couple of other things and tried to do this stem cell procedure. Basically, when he got in there [he noticed] I was missing a lot of cartilage kind of on the lateral side of my knee, so he kind of did this procedure that hasn’t really been approved yet, but it was Dr. Andrews down in Pensacola [Florida], who is a fantastic doctor and gets a lot of professional athletes. Like, he did a stem cell procedure, and unbeknownst to me and the WWE, it took a little bit longer for the recovery. But I’m glad he did it. My knee feels great.” Riley added, “until my knees completely give out, not one of them, but both of them, I will be in there fighting it out.”
On if being an athlete helps you break into pro wrestling:
“I think being an athlete and being used to the contact and the brutality of tackle football certainly helps. I think it’s something that will get you used to what you have to do as an athlete in the WWE. Now, mentally, I don’t think so. I think it hurts you because wrestling is something that is very individualistic and even your coaches, they know from what they did and what they were successful at, but nobody can tell you how to be you. And I think what happens to athletes that come in here is that they’re so used to ‘run to that line and catch the ball and we’ll pat you on the back and say ‘good”. That’s not how this business works. This business is ‘you have to create a path. You have to create a line of your own and then maybe we’ll throw you the ball, maybe we won’t’.” Riley continued, “you have to think for yourself [in professional wrestling]. You have to have your own ideas. You have to have your own beliefs. You have to believe in something so strongly and really be willing to die for it, in a way, because you’re going to be tested when it comes to that and your character, who you are, [and] what you stand for has got to come from inside and nobody can tell you that. And I think that was a lot of what my struggle was at first. I didn’t really know who I was unless a coach was telling me where to go or ‘do this drill’ or do that.”
On Titus O’Neil and Mojo Rawley:
“[O’Neil]’s a big guy. He [has] got a lot of talent. He’s certainly a good athlete. And when it comes to professional wrestling, you put him out there and JBL says it all the time, and I don’t know if I completely agree with it, but he has everything that it takes to be a world champion. And when you’re being told things like that and it just is not happening [it is frustrating]. Titus came in a year and a half after I was in FCW and when it’s not happening, he just made the choice where he’s going to start kicking in doors until he gets at least somewhat of what he thinks he deserves. So he [has] done a great job in that regard. He has not quit. He [has] fought and he’s being rewarded for it.”
On his announcing gig and how he’d rather be in the ring:
“When they had taken this from me and for whatever reason I was doing the commentary, and, again, certainly a good opportunity to do it, but do I think I should have been in the ring [instead]? 100%. Did it feel like a cage? Yes. In the regard that I was sitting there every single Monday night watching people out there that I felt that I was better than, but I couldn’t get in there.” Riley added, “I’m sitting there every night talking about people, telling people how great they were or how great they are and how bad I was and that’s B.S.”
On how he plans to “go for it” when he returns:
“When I come back, I promise you, I’m going for it. Now whether I become WWE [World Heavyweight] Champion or I’m in NXT for the next three years, regardless of where I am or where I’m placed, I’m swinging for the fence, so it’s going to make a loud noise and I’m sure you guys are going to hear it, but I have no more, I don’t want to say I have no more fear because I certainly fear things, but very little. Very little at this point.”
On the whole, the the WWE locker room was very supportive of Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
There have been instances of jealousy in the past when certain performers were earmarked for main events and shot to the top, but Reigns is well liked and respectful to everybody back stage. There was genuine excitement behind the scenes when Roman finally had his ‘moment’ on RAW last week and the acceptance says a lot in terms of how Reigns is perceived backstage.
As the WWE Champion, he does have to be a locker room leader to a degree and so far he’s off to a good start.
WWE Network will be airing marathons of their original programs over the holidays. They issued the following press release on Wednesday with all of the details.
WWE Network Holiday Marathon
Join WWE Network over the holidays for marathons of our best original programming.
THURSDAY, DEC. 24
Swerved – starting at 7:00 a.m. ET
WWE teams up with the director of “Jackass” and “Bad Grandpa,” Jeff Tremaine, as WWE Superstars and Divas prank one another in this hilarious original series. No one is safe when it’s time to get Swerved!
FRIDAY, DEC. 25
Table for 3 – starting at 7:00 a.m. ET
Table for 3 is a one-of-a-kind program that places the WWE Universe directly at the table with some of the biggest Legends, Superstars and Divas in WWE today. Hear the real men and women behind your favorite personas share never-before-told stories and offer unique insight into the world of sports-entertainment!
SATURDAY, DEC. 26
“Total Divas”: Season 4 – starting at 10:00 a.m. ET
The WWE Divas division reaches new heights and friendships are set aflame as “Total Divas” returns for Season 4. Trinity is back along with Nikki and Brie Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Paige and Alicia Fox for an inside look at these women’s lives in and out of the ring.
SUNDAY, DEC. 27
Beyond the Ring – starting at 12:00 p.m. ET
WWE Beyond the Ring is a gripping spotlight on the triumphant and turbulent careers of WWE’s most famous Superstars. Each true story will offer fresh revelations about these larger-than-life personalities, with insight coming from the people who know, or knew them best – close family and friends, embittered in-ring rivals, childhood crushes, high school mentors, the WWE Superstars and Legends themselves, and more.
MONDAY, DEC. 28
The Monday Night War – starting at 7:00 a.m. ET
The Monday Night War is WWE Network’s original series documenting the epic television ratings battle between sports-entertainment icons Vince McMahon and Ted Turner. On Monday nights in the 1990s, Turner’s World Championship Wrestling and McMahon’s Monday Night Raw aired head-to-head in primetime, defining a power struggle that rewrote the rules of television and forever changed the face of sports-entertainment.
TUESDAY, DEC. 29
WWE Breaking Ground – starting at 10:00 a.m. ET
This sports docu-series goes behind the scenes like never before, chronicling the trials and tribulations of the performers, coaches and staff at WWE’s state-of-the-art NXT training center in Orlando, Florida.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30
WWE Legends’ House – starting at 10:30 a.m. ET
These men started the phenomenon known as WrestleMania and now, 30 years later, come together for the ultimate reunion. Eight WWE Legends are all under one roof, where friendships will be tested, rivalries pushed, challenges undertaken … while the laughs and tears flow with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Tony Atlas and “Mean” Gene Okerlund.
THURSDAY, DEC. 31
Best of WWE Network 2015 Marathon: Day 1 – starting at 9:00 a.m. ET
As 2015 winds down and we prepare for the arrival and excitement of a new year, take a look back at some of WWE Network’s highest-rated programming and most memorable shows in celebration of the year. From original shows like WWE Breaking Ground and Swerved, to unforgettable events including WrestleMania and NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, join WWE Network in remembering 2015.
FRIDAY, JAN. 1
Best of WWE Network 2015 Marathon: Day 2 – starting at 9:00 a.m. ET
SUNDAY, JAN. 3
WWE Breaking Ground – starting at 3:00 p.m. ET
Catch up on every episode of WWE Breaking Ground in time for the season finale coming on Monday, Jan. 4, immediately following Raw.
WWE Diva Natalya recently spoke with Digital Spy to promote the new season of WWE Total Divas, which premieres on E! in January. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On new Total Diva Mandy (Amanda Saccomanno from Tough Enough):
“I’ve only known Mandy from Tough Enough. My husband and I watch everything on the Network, we watch anything WWE – Raw, SmackDown, Tough Enough – so we would watch it every week. I actually really liked her on the show. I thought she stood out because she had a lot of personality. Joining Total Divas I didn’t know how she would be, because everybody’s really nice when you first meet them – but so far I really get along with her.”
“She’s very genuine, believe it or not. It’s funny because you would look at her and think she has the potential to be a quote-unquote ‘Diva’. She’s beautiful and has obviously got an awesome body and she could have a lot of attitude, so to speak, just based off of how she looks. But I feel like she brings the right attitude. After spending time with her I feel like she’s really genuine. I feel like she makes a great cast member. Obviously I don’t choose who joins our cast but when I work with new people – new girls, new guys – I always try to treat them how they treat me, and judge them based on my own experiences with them. There’s nothing worse than judging a book by its cover, so I really like her.”
On having a pregnant Total Diva in Rosa Mendes:
“It’s definitely a different aspect. It’s good because it’s added a whole new layer to Total Divas that we’ve never seen before. We’ve seen weddings, we’ve seen family health issues, we’ve seen people that want to get married that aren’t getting married, we’ve seen people that are married. The fact that she’s doing something that’s a first ever for our show is cool and I think it will bring a lot of interest to the viewers.”
“It’s cool – it shows that WWE is celebrating women that are of every walk of life. The company is really embracing Rosa’s pregnancy which is a huge testament to WWE embracing not only diversity but also supporting women.”
– Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn made his NXT television return on Wednesday’s episode on the WWE Network. As seen by the above clip posted by WWE this evening, Zayn returned to the ring with a victory over Tye Dillinger in a match that was taped after last week’s NXT TakeOver: London special.
– Also on this week’s edition of NXT TV, Elias Samson re-debuted under his new character. Samson defeated Bull Dempsey in one-on-one action on the show.
– The Tuesday, December 22nd live WWE Super SmackDown show drew 2.264 million viewers, which was actually down from the 2.332 million viewers for last Thursday’s taped edition of the show.
– Kevin Owens has been receiving some heat for telling Renee Young she looked ridiculous during Tuesday’s live Super SmackDown show from Des Moines, Iowa. Owens took to Twitter after the show to comment on fans standing up for Young on social media.
– Next Wednesday’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network will be part one of a special two-part “Year-In-Review” show looking back at top NXT moments from 2015. The description for the special reads as follows:
“Rich Brennan and Corey Graves host part one of this look back at the Best of NXT in 2015.”
– A new episode of WWE Breaking Ground will premiere on the WWE Network after next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. The description for that show reads:
“With TakeOver just days away, the stars of NXT are preparing for the biggest night of their careers.”
TNA will be starting off the new year with a “One Night Only: Live!” pay-per-view from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Friday, January 8th at 8pm EST.
The TNA: “One Night Only: Live!” pay-per-view will air live in the United States and Canada on 1/8, on 1/12 in the United Kingdom, and one week later in other countries.
The official description for TNA: “One Night Only: Live!” reads as follows:
“It’s a dawn of a new era, where anything can and will happen. For one night only, the stars of Impact Wrestling discover what 2016 has in store.”
The TNA: “One Night Only: Live!” pay-per-view airs just three days after the scheduled debut of TNA Impact Wrestling on POP TV on January 5th.
– In the above Super SmackDown Fallout video, Santino Marella mourns his ruined Christmas party and vows revenge on those responsible for ruining it.
– The following matches were recently taped for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
* The Vaudevillains vs. Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder vs. Blake & Murphy vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan
* Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey
* Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger
– WWE tweeted the following link to a clip of Big Show’s appearance on ESPN SportsCenter on Tuesday night.
Former WWE Superstar JTG recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and discussed a number of topics related to his career. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Paul Heyman’s name for him in OVW:
“I was known as Neighborhoodie. Paul Heyman gave me that name. And then when I heard it, he was like, ‘we’re going to call you Neighborhoodie’ and I was like, ‘okay, I love it’. Paul Heyman, if you’re listening to [this], I didn’t like it, but at the time, I didn’t want heat.”
On the story behind the JTG name:
“I’m still JTG. I own the rights to JTG. I don’t know how I pulled that off,” JTG said. “When I was in OVW, I was at the top of my class. And when we’d cut promos, I’d call myself ‘Just Too Good’. Just Too Good. At the end of every promo, it would be, ‘because I’m Just Too Good’. And then when I got to WWE, I had to humble myself. A lot of people would ask me, ‘so what does JTG stand for?’, and I started stuttering, I said, ‘uh, Just Too Gangster’ because I didn’t want to say Just Too Good because I didn’t want heat.”
On the original name for the Cryme Tyme tag-team:
“We heard about Cryme Tyme, I think it was our second or third time up on the road. We were just sitting in an office coming up with names, and you wouldn’t believe some of the names they had. I’ll give you an idea of [just how terrible the suggested names were]. I forget what the writer’s name was, but he said, ‘we’re going to call you Hoodie Nation and here’s what we got. You’re going to come out with your own flag and we’re going to sell flags and everybody in the audience is going to have the Hoodie Nation flag and you guys are going to be so over.’ And we’re like, ‘oh, gosh, no.’ And then they checked to see if the name was available because you have to go through trademark and this whole process and somebody already had it. I’m like, ‘yes! Thank you!’. And then Cryme Tyme came up and we just spelled it different and it worked.”
On teaming with John Cena and advice Cena gave him:
“One day, I just found out that we would be partnering up with Cena and I’m like, ‘hell yeah! That’s like the perfect fit.” JTG continued, “[CTC] was a good learning experience. A lot of the things I was doing that I had no idea was wrong, John Cena pulled me to the side [and said], ‘don’t do that no more. We’re taking it to another level.’ For example, before every match, I’d like to get the crowd warmed up. I’d say, ‘are you ready to get it popping?’. I’d look at the crowd [and] he’s like, ‘don’t do that. You don’t need their approval. Just start the match.’ He was like, ‘you don’t do that anymore.'”
On meeting his wife and the angle where he and Cena destroyed JBL’s limo on the 7/7/2008 edition of RAW:
“I’ll never forget that day. That was the day I met my wife, so I’ll never forget that day. John Cena came out. He was having a [feud] with JBL, and, if I can remember it right, he had some violations and he needed some help.” JTG continued, “and then when I invited my soon-to-be wife to the show, I was like, ‘that would be perfect. She sees her future husband being a bad ass. Oh, he’s with John Cena and beating up limos?'”
The Rock took to social media recently to congratulate Kevin Owens on a great first year in WWE and to respond to a friendly challenge from Dolph Ziggler and Charlotte.
Rock posted this one regarding Owens’ debut year in WWE:
@FightOwensFight Mahalo my man. I know u know the joy lil' ones bring. Congrats on a helluva year w the company. Proud of ya. #SunsetFlips
The Rock also called Ziggler and Charlotte two of the best in-ring performers in WWE right now in response to the following photo Ziggler posted of himself and Charlotte, which contained a friendly challenge to The Rock and UFC star Ronda Rousey.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts and opinions on a number of current topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On the WWE Slammy Awards:
“I think that the Slammy concept needs to be tweaked as the multiple presentations made for way too many interruptions during the three hour show which made the broadcast more challenging to watch because it had a had a tough time building momentum. Perhapslessening the number of awards being presented on Raw might be a consideration.
WWE can always also do a separate Slammy’s show for the network as well.”
On Seth Rollins’ RAW return:
“Good seeing Seth Rollins back on TV and his presentation was well done. Rollins was also deserving of the Superstar of the Year Award which says a great deal about today’s audience that an alleged ‘heel’ won the award. Times, they are a changing.”
On Roman Reigns’ promo ability:
“Roman Reigns had a positive ight but he doesn’t need be speaking as long as we heard last night. He will find his natural voice faster if allowed to ease into the ‘main eventer promo land’ than simply dumping a long promo in his lap when it clearly isn’t his strength. Nonetheless WWE is booking Reigns more strategically lately than just a few weeks ago.”
– Following the announcement that Alberto Del Rio will be John Cena’s return opponent on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the WWE United States Champion posted the following on Twitter, warning Cena to be afraid in Spanish.
– There was no announcement regarding WrestleMania 33 following last night’s WWE RAW at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After months of speculation, PWInsider.com is reporting that WrestleMania 33 will not be held in Minnesota in 2017.
– Former World Kabbadi League Champion, Lovepreet Sangha and two-time Kushti National Heavyweight Champion, Satender Ved Pal, will be making their in-ring debuts at the upcoming WWE live events in New Delhi, India on 1/15 and 1/16. Both talents signed developmental deals with WWE back in June.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the Q&A section at JRsBarBQ.com, fielding questions from fans on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose:
“I like and support both Reigns and Ambrose. It simply takes a while for talents to get to their destination (Get over) and both these men are still on their journey to get there. Let’s give both time. Patience.”
On Reigns’ matches always looking the same:
“I don’t have any thing for you that’s going to make you automatically like Reigns or any one else any more or any less. Connecting with a talent sometimes never occurs and for others it comes immediately or over time. If you don’t like him, it’s not a crime. I know he’s doing his best to ger there but Roman is green an still evolving with miles to go before he reaches the Promised Land.”
On Eva Marie:
“Eva has a great look but how she matures as a performer is the key to her future. I think her look has been what has appealed the most to WWE thus far.”
On why WWE ring entrances aren’t as cool as they used to be:
“Even bigger than the entrance music, accompanying pyro, is for the stars to be over and many aren’t at this time. I don’t see this as a Lilian, entrance music or pyro issue whatsoever.”
On reason why WWE doesn’t have international photographers at ringside as much as they used to:
“I don’t know but it’s seemingly been long ago except for Wrestlemania or so I think. WWE likes to own and control all their own intellectual property.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and spoke about a number of topics from his legendary career. Below are some of the highlights.
On Shawn Michaels teaching him how to put a match together:
“Shawn was calling matches when he was doing jobs for guys in Texas. Shawn always had a clue. The first time anyone broke down to me the way a match should take place was Shawn Michaels on a trip from, like, Kansas City to Des Moines [Iowa]. We were just sitting in a car together talking and he just starts laying it out to me. He was always great. Even when he started, he was great, so he smartened me up and that’s why I’ve been invited to return to the NXT, to the [WWE] Performance Center to work with the young guys.”
On WCW giving him a raise when they thought he was returning to WWE, only to find out it was “Fake Razor” and “Fake Diesel” promotion:
“I’m barely paying attention to what’s happening on [WCW Monday] Nitro, so I’m not watching [WWE Monday Night] RAW at all. But Eric Bischoff called Kev and I in and we got a raise and a contract extension because he believed it. And then after that, he went, ‘I thought you guys didn’t care about the lawsuit and you were just going to go back there!'”
On Undertaker’s “disposable razor” joke in reference to the fake Razor Ramon:
“I heard the story one time, they were sitting around the [WWE] locker room and somebody’s trying to shave and they go, ‘hey, who [has] got a disposable razor?’ And they said Taker went, ‘there’s one right there.'”
On his thoughts on WWE bringing in a fake Razor Ramon after he went to WCW:
“I felt cool. It made me feel like Elvis [Presley]! I had an impersonator! The guy was doing my schtick! He was doing everything! Like, Kane did Diesel, but it’s just similar body types, but I heard they auditioned guys for the Razor role and I felt so flattered. I even contacted the guy [and] offered to sell him my old [ring] gear because I wasn’t using it anymore, but he was, like, too fat. He couldn’t fit into anything.”
On getting heat from Eric Bischoff for putting over Chris Jericho in WCW:
“The storyline then was we were going to bring Larry Zbyszko into the pay-per-view at Halloween Havoc as a special [guest] referee against Lex Luger and I. And so, I was just supposed to keep hitting Chris with the Razor’s Edge, just keep dropping Jericho on his head until Zbyszko came down. And I said, ‘Chris, but that’s not going to get a reaction.’ I said, ‘think of some way to beat me out of my finish and get with me later,’ so he came up with the idea to kick his feet off the turnbuckle and small package me and I said, ‘don’t tell anybody. I’ll take all the heat.’ So when I came back through the curtain [after the match], Arn Anderson’s there at the Gorilla position just shaking his head, going, ‘you’re too much’. So now I’m walking back towards the locker room and I pass Eric Bischoff and he looks at me and he goes, ‘didn’t I tell you to go over?’ and I’m going, ‘you’re telling me you didn’t like my segment?’ and he’s going, ‘no, no, but weren’t you supposed to win?’ and I said, ‘does it really matter?’ and he just throws his hands up in the air.”
– On Monday’s RAW, a second title match was announced for this week’s live edition of WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition to The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons tag-team title match we reported earlier this evening, Dean Ambrose will be defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship in a triple-threat match against Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler.
– It was also announced on Monday’s RAW that Big Show will be Jonathan Coachman’s guest for the WWE segment on ESPN SportsCenter tomorrow evening to promote Wednesday’s WWE Tribute To The Troops special.
– Paul Heyman made his WWE television return at Monday’s special Slammy Awards edition of RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Heyman made a number of Slammy Awards-related appearances, as he presented an award early in the show and appeared again to accept Brock Lesnar’s “Match of the Year” Slammy award later in the program. Above is a video of Heyman’s “acceptance speech” for the aforementioned “Match of the Year” award.
– Also making an appearance on Monday’s RAW was WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley, who appeared in a pre-taped segment as Santa Claus. Below is a photo of the Foley segment, which also features the “Hardcore Legend’s” young son (not the one hired by WWE recently) and daughter Noelle Foley as elves.
– As seen in the video featured above, Santino Marella made a surprise appearance during Monday’s WWE RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota to present the Slammy Award for the 2015 “LOL! Moment of the Year.”
– WWE announced a tag-team title match for this Tuesday’s live edition of WWE SmackDown, as The New Day will defend the tag-team gold against The Lucha Dragons. This week’s WWE SmackDown emanates from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
John Cena will look to avenge his WWE Hell In A Cell loss in seven days, as WWE announced his return match for next Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Cena, who lost the WWE United States Championship to Alberto Del Rio in Del Rio’s surprise return at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in October, will face the reigning U.S. Champion in his first match back from hiatus on next week’s RAW.
