– Aside from WWE announcing that January’s Royal Rumble match will be returning to the traditional 30-man format, John Cena vs. Kane is also confirmed for the event.
– Regarding Chris Hero and WWE, the company is said to still be interested in bringing him in, despite reports that he did not pass a WWE physical due to elevated testosterone levels.
Hero will be undergoing more medical tests in January and if things go as expected, he will be signed. Hero’s most recent round of physicals took place in September.
– WWE appears to have abandoned plans to re-introduce Brodus Clay. Last we heard from Brodus Clay, he tweeted that he was going to destroy John Morrison on his final night with the company. Clay would not have tweeted that if he wasn’t told he’d be on RAW that night, but Morrison wound up getting laid out by his former tag team partner The Miz – with no mention of Clay on WWE television since then.
– Skip Sheffield has been told that he’s returning with a push in early 2012.
– Vince McMahon has been pushing Alberto Del Rio to show more “ruthless aggression” in the ring and work a more physical style. This is the reason Del Rio has been working stiffer in recent weeks.
RAW is lacking strong heels, with The Miz not being seen as a legitimate tough guy at this point. Vince thinks Del Rio has the size, toughness and gimmick to be a permanent main event heel, but he needs to come across as more dangerous in the ring.
Del Rio recently injured his groin on a recent episode of RAW. He was able to finish his match, but had to be helped out of the ring and was checked out backstage. Despite his pain, the injury is not believed to be serious.
– WWE is in talks with Shed Media, the company behind Tough Enough, to help produce new reality programming for the WWE Network.
With WWE looking to run new reality-based programming, the company is to film television episodes the week that they are set to air on television. This is unlike what most reality shows do (ie. UFC’s Ultimate Fighter), which is to film the entire season before the first episode airs. Filming the whole season at once allows producers to see where storylines are going and produce the show accordingly.
Booking the show on a week-to-week basis will hurt their ability to tell long-term shorelines, which some have joked is similar to how WWE television is written.
– In response to WWE selling “Cena Sucks” t-shirts, John Cena noted on Twitter that WWE has wanted to make the shirts since 2008 and he is not bothered by them. Sources close to Cena say that he legitimately does not mind that the shirts are being sold and gets royalties from every single one sold.
– With Linda McMahon second run for United States Senate underway, the former WWE CEO is making an effort to distance herself not only from the WWE product this time around, but the McMahon name as well. Her campaign material pushes the name LINDA with no mention of her business experience running WWE or her last name. Instead of using all her own money this time, Linda is raising funds from her supporters.
Last weekend’s 12/16 live event from Fort Myers, FL drew 5,500 paying fans for a live gate of $155,000. The next night’s Nassau Coliseum show drew 7,000 and a $285,000 live give, which isn’t good for the New York market. The New York market, however, did get three shows in a month, so that could be one of the reasons.
Earlier this month, WWE held a television taping at Full Sail University in Florida featuring FCW and WWE Superstars. The one-hour show is reportedly a pilot show for the WWE network that would profile WWE’s developmental territory and WWE’s up and coming superstars. The footage that was taped this month is not expected to air.
Triple H and John Laurinaitis were there, with Triple H coming to the ring during one of the tapings and cutting a promo in front of the live crowd. WWE set up the venue to look like the FCW arena in Tampa- and the production values were said to be very good.
Jim Ross, Byron Saxton and Chris Russo did commentary – with Saxton & Russo doing the first hour and Ross & Russo calling the scond. Here are results from the taping:
Hour One:
* Xavier Woods defeated Big E. Langston
* Richie Steamboat beat Brad Maddox
* Kaitlyn & Alicia Fox defeated Tamina & Aksana
* Antonio Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins
Hour Two:
* Kenneth Cameron defeated Mike Dalton
* Leakee beat Ricardo Rodriguez
* Briley Pierce defeated Derrick Bateman
* Husky Harris beat Damien Sandow
* Leo Kruger beat Dean Ambrose
* Triple H cut a promo for the crowd
WWE CFO George Barrios was at the UBS 39th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference this month and spoke in depth about WWE’s business performance as well as why WWE does not view UFC as competition. You can read the full transcript at * SeepingAlpha.com.
Barrios spoke about how WWE monitors every aspect of their business:
“Some of those metrics that we look at pretty intently is our live event attendance both in North America and overseas, our television ratings for the four to six hours that we will have on the air domestically at given time, which we also report,” he said. “We also look at our rating globally…We always look at how we are trending in social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter. Google Trends and Google Analytics also gives us a sense of how the brand is trending from a search perspective. We look at our own unique and page views on our own site as well as the streams that we do – we do about 75 million video streams on YouTube every month. So, we track that.”
WWE’s CFO also spoke about the UFC and explains why WWE does not consider them direct compeition:
I think we get a lot of questions about MMA, as I often say, it’s because I think people see that the both are performers are wearing some form of spandex, so they think there must be some natural competition there. We don’t view it that way,” he said. “We tend to — we take the broader view, which is we are a pop culture entertainment brand, and anything that takes attention away from us is something that gets our attention. We don’t really view UFC or MMA more broadly as a specific competitor, but you know they are part of entertainment landscape and they take eyeballs away from — or they soak up eyeballs, so we obviously have to be aware of them. But we don’t view them as specific competitor. Barrios concluded, “I don’t want to diminish them as a competitor but I also don’t — we don’t anyway elevate them as a specific competitor.”
Everlast and Mixed Martial Arts Superstar Brock Lesnar Agree to Exclusive Contract
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Everlast Worldwide Inc., the global leader in fight sports and fitness, today announced the signing of an exclusive, multi-year equipment contract with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. One of the most dominant heavyweights in the world, Lesnar has electrified MMA fans across the globe with wins over Shane Carwin, Frank Mir and the great Randy Couture.
Under the agreement, Lesnar will exclusively train with Everlast equipment, as well as play a feature role in direct to consumer and retail marketing initiatives. Lesnar took the MMA world by storm when he won the heavyweight belt in only his 4th professional fight. He has also served as a coach on the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“Brock Lesnar’s combination of size, athleticism and elite wrestling ability is truly unmatched,” said Matt Cowan, VP of Marketing and Products for Everlast. “His strength, determination and individuality makes him resonate with our brand ethos, and we are excited to welcome Brock to our storied family of champions.”
“I’m truly excited to be a part of the Everlast family,” said Lesnar. “Everlast’s MMA training equipment is the best in the industry. I’ve been able to take my training to a new level since installing their 30 foot competition cage at my DeathClutch Gym. I look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with Everlast.”
In addition to the personal endorsement contract, Everlast will become the official equipment sponsor of Lesnar’s private training facility, DeathClutch Gym, in Minnesota.
Everlast MMA equipment and apparel is available at www.Everlast.com and sporting goods retailers.
— Layla indicated Wednesday her return to the ring is drawing near. She tweeted,
“Who’s ready for wwe to become FLAWLESS again???”
The final WWE Women’s Champion has been sidelined since May due to tears of both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments, which required surgery. She has undergone rehabilitation in the meantime.
Meanwhile, retired Diva Michelle McCool said she’s ready for Layla’s return, adding, “Going thru photos…..good times!!! WWE needs some flawless back-FAST!”
— Tammy “Sunny” Sytch is healing slowly after falling down an escalator last month at Newark Liberty Airport, which resulted in a broken nose and cuts to her forehead, wrist and foot. The WWE Hall of Famer stated last week on Facebook that she has been suffering from dizziness not to mention that she acquired a viral infection due to not being given antibiotics while hospitalized. She was sedated Monday to have her teeth fixed and said Tuesday she broke her nose again, albeit due to clumsiness.
— After having his foot amputated last month due to complications of high blood pressure and diabetes, former WWE talent James Harris (a/k/a Kamala) was hospitalized Wednesday to remove the upper part of his leg.
Kamala Jr wrote on Facebook, “Please pray for Kamala Sr as he is back in the hospital, they are having to remove the upper part of the same leg. PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM!!!!”
— This month on WWE Classics On Demand, various WWE Superstars and Legends are giving the gift of their favorite past or present Superstar in a match. John Cena is included and reveals his favorite Superstar as Dick Murdoch. A match from 1989 pitting Murdoch against Lex Luger is then shown.
— Sean Conway, nephew of former WWE star Rob Conway, made his professional wrestling debut last week at OVW Homecoming 6. The family duo defeated Flash Flanagan and Lennox Norris in a tag team match.
– Based on preliminary data released by WWE, November’s Survivor Series pay-per-view featuring The Rock’s first match since WrestleMania 20 drew approximately 280,000 buys. The final figure is expected to be higher than 280,000, as this figure is only through the end of November, but its a reliable early indicator of the event’s performance.
Last year’s Survivor Series did 244,00 buys and 2009’s show did 235,000 buys. Company officials were so disappointed with 2009’s buyrate that the show was temporarily scrapped from WWE’s pay-per-view lineup.
– Earlier this week, we covered the story of Chris Hero’s WWE contract reportedly being pulled due to elevated levels of testosterone found during his physical exams. In what could be a reference to this possible career setback, Hero tweeted this week:
“I don’t think I will ever be ‘done’ with wrestling. Thank you for your continued support!”
— Christian, who has been sidelined since November 9, 2011 due to an ankle injury, is advertised to appear at the February 7, 2012 WWE SmackDown taping in Tulsa, Oklahoma as well house shows beginning that month.
— Goldust, who WWE officials have had issues with in the past due to the Superstar publicly blocking people on Twitter, stated the following Wednesday morning.
“I believe in christ and if u dont i block you so go walk with the devil.”
He then wrote “blocked” in response to the following remark:
“Why do you block people just because they don’t believe the same things as you do?”
— Joey Styles tweeted the following regarding an interview he shot Tuesday for WWE Network:
“Yesterday, I was interviewed for about three hours about Original ECW for WWE Network. I got choked up revisiting my life from 1993-2000.”
— Ring announcer Eden Stiles announced late Tuesday night on Twitter that she has parted ways with WWE after requesting to be released from her contract three weeks ago. She also stated that she is dating Cody Rhodes and indicated she left the promotion due to their relationship.
Stiles tweeted this morning, “Most people in relationships prefer not to work together. There’s work and then your personal life. Healthy balance.”
She added, “I left WWE because- as the most important person in my life put it -“the world is my oyster”. It certainly is! Keep following me!!”
— CM Punk confirmed Tuesday on Twitter that he does not have a Facebook account.
— Sheamus is advertised to appear at the World of Wheels at the Shreveport Convention Center 400 Caddo St. Shreveport, Louisiana on January 13, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
— WWE will be bringing the steel cage to Chicago next Monday night for RAW. The advertised dark match main event is CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship. Since WWE is going through the effort of transporting the cage on the road, but there’s a chance we’ll see a cage match on RAW next week.
— As reported earlier this week, Brock Lesnar has plead guilty to “improper tagging of an animal” on a November 2010 hunting trip. The other two charges, leaving meat to rot and illegal possession of wildlife, were then dropped. Lesnar has issued the following statement explaining the situation:
“In November 2010 I went on a filmed hunt in Alberta, Canada. It was sponsored by Fusion Ammunition and guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta. In Alberta, Americans can’t hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Videos from the hunt have been on the Internet for over and year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that’s all there is to it. Now it’s resolved. I paid my fine today. It’s the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their cooperation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can’t wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt.
As we’ve been reporting in recent months, there are plans for WWE to build a physical Hall of Fame building some time in 2012, similar to baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
WWE is currently looking at sites in both the North East as well as Florida and hopes to jumpstart the project in 2012. Aside from highlighting the careers of past superstars, divas and company officials who have been inducted in previous years, the building would also showcase historic company memorabilia.
WWE has warehouses full of of company memorabilia (various props, ring aprons, event banners, etc.) and the company is currently on the hunt to purchase other historic items which they do not currently own.
The WWE website ran an article this week speculating which items from past WrestleMania events should be on display at the Hall of Fame building, including Rowdy Roddy Piper’s boxing gloves from WrestleMania 2, [what’s left of] the battle royal trophy Bret Hart destroyed at WrestleMania 4, the zipline Shawn Michaels used at WrestleMania 12 and more.
We want to know – would you visit a WWE Hall of Fame? If you did not live near it – would you be willing to travel to the Hall of Fame? Hit up the Comments below and let us know.
— WWE has confirmed that January’s Royal Rumble event will be returning to the traditional 30-man format, down from 40 men last year.
The 25th annual Royal Rumble takes place on Sunday, January 29, 2012 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
— As he alluded to on his Twitter account last week, developmental wrestler Seth Rollins (formerly Tyler Black in ROH) will be touring with the RAW brand all next week. There’s been some talk that he’ll be wrestling against the returning R-Truth, but that’s not confirmed at this time.
Black is seen as one of the top stars at Florida Championship Wrestling along with Dean Ambrose (formerly John Moxley), who started touring with WWE last week
— WWE has filed a new trademark for the phrase “Fear My Name.”
— Despite Mark Henry’s injury (and the fact that WWE took the World Heavyweight title off him because he can’t wrestle), he’s still being advertised for Friday’s SmackDown and next Friday’s SmackDown live event at the Izod Center in New Jersey.
The main event for that show is scheduled to be Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. For the full card, visit Meadowlands.com.
— R-Truth, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension due to his first violation of WWE’s Wellnness policy, is back on the active roster as of tomorrow, 12/22.
Ring announcer Eden Stiles announced late Tuesday night on Twitter that she has parted ways with WWE after asking to be released from her contract three weeks ago.
She wrote, “This was it! 3 weeks ago I asked to be released from my WWE contract. Today was my last day. Sure enjoyed it!! More on the horizon for me.”
Stiles also revealed she is dating Cody Rhodes.
“And…now that I no longer work here I’m glad to finally not “hint” and say that I am 100% Cody’s girl :-).”
After being a successful model for a few years, Stiles wanted to get back to athletics and found herself at WWE’s development facility, Florida Championship Wrestling in March, where she began training to become a WWE Diva. Stiles, however, was made the ring announcer for WWE Superstars.
The countdown for next week’s superfight featuring former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and former Strikeforce title holder Alistair Overeem, begins Wednesday, at 10 p.m. ET/TPT on FUEL TV.
The main card also features a lightweight contest between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Nate Diaz, as well as welterweight contestants Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks, which all will be featured on the pay-per-view.
Additionally, the UFC 141 preliminary card features two other contests, which air on Spike TV, which will be the final live fights to air on that network. You can also check out another four bouts that will be streaming on Facebook.
Booker T had the biggest pop so far at the TV taping and Michaeal Cole got the most boos yet.
Big Show came out to cut a promo about working hard to get the World Title back. When he mentioned Daniel Bryan, it was met with a mixed reaction. They cut to a clip from Raw of Josh Mathews asking him if he was mad about losing the title, to which Show said he was proud. Mark Henry came out to boos and cut a promo on how Show should be mad and quit wrestling. Henry demanded his re-match right before Daniel Bryan came out. He said he wasn’t big or strong, but he is the champion. Show and Henry argued over who got a re-match and Teddy Long came out to announce they would fight tonight to determine the number one contender.
(1) U.S. champion Zack Ryder beat IC champion Cody Rhodes via the Rough Ryder after Booker T distracted Cody by singing Cody the Red Nosed Reindeer. The crowd was behind Zack, and also firmly behind Booker. The match started somewhat cold and ended really hot.
After the match, Santino was in Teddy Long’s office applying to be Assistant to the GM. Aksana interrupted, then Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler came in. Dolph asked for a match with Daniel Bryan, and, of course, Teddy obliged.
Big Show vs Henry was next, but David Otunga came out and said the match couldn’t happen because Henry wasn’t cleared to wrestle. Big Show then hit Otunga with the WMD to end the segment. Coffee spilled all over the canvas from Otunga’s coffee mug.
Teddy Long was shown walking when The Miz showed up to ask what he was doing tonight. He also bragged about how many PPV main events he’d been in. He told Teddy he would interrupt the show and wait in the ring until Teddy found someone for him to wrestle.
The Miz then came to the ring and stood there. He threw to clips of him beating up R-Truth and John Morrison. After taunting the locker room, Sheamus came out to wrestle him to a big pop. The best sign I saw was “I’m dreaming of a (Great) White Shea-mas.”
(2) Sheamus beat The Miz. Sheamus won with a Brogue Kick after Miz broke out of a High Cross.
Wade Barrett then came out to to heavy boos and cut a promo about the Barrett Barrage and his victories over Randy Orton, not mentioning the loss at TLC. After he wished the crowd a “happy Christmas,” he left the ring and Orton came out to attack him. They didn’t fight in the ring, but opted for a backstage brawl. Orton eventually beat Barrett down enough to end the segment.
Primo and Epico then came to the ring and, after an extended dance from Rosa, so did Air Boom.
(3) WWE tag champion Kofi Kingston (w/Evan Bourne) beat Primo (w/Epico and Rosa Mendes). The crowd was really into this match and even started a “Primo Sucks” chant. It was a fun match between the two high-flyers. Kofi won with Trouble in Paradise and celebrated in the ring with Bourne.
(4) World Hvt. champion Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) went to a No Contest. D-Bry and the Zig-Zag Man put on a great show with some great spots. They really are the future of the business. Jack Swagger came out during the match and leveled Bryan while Vickie distracted the ref. After that, Big Show came out to cheer on Bryan and make sure Swagger was under control. Bryan and Ziggler were stellar in the match, and the crowd went along for the ride. After a few minutes, Show and Swagger ended up in the ring, with Show almost chokeslamming Swagger. Teddy Long then came out and turned it into a tag match.
(5) World Hvt. champion Daniel Bryan & Big Show beat Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero). Swagger and Show started off the tag match and the crowd was pretty excited to see Show wrestle. All four guys put on a pretty exciting match, with some great spots and a good rhythm. At one point, Ziggler flew out of the ring and started selling his knee. Swagger put Bryan in the anklelock, which he reversed into the LeBell Lock for the win.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
The Cryptic 1/2 Promo Videos: “I have no firm idea on who these well produced/written vignettes are for but I have my suspicions. Again, if I truly knew, why would I spoil the surprise? Doing these types of vignettes always builds anticipation in a big way with many fans which is why I think that they should be used more frequently. ”
Daniel Bryan’s Title Win: “Proud to see Daniel Bryan make it to the top of the card as the new, World Heavyweight Champion. Those that knock Bryan for his lack of size generally don’t understand athletics especially MMA. I like that Daniel Bryan breaks the old mold, by and large, and he provides something/someone new for which the fans to emotionally invest. Bryan will be an effective fan favorite and someday, down the road, will be an outstanding wrestling villain.”
CM Punk As The Face Of WWE: “Based on WWE TLC PPV and Monday’s Raw from Philly, it certainly seems as if CM Punk has become the newest ‘face’ of WWE. No, John Cena hasn’t disappeared and Cena will still face The Rock at WM28 in the longest promoted and, arguably, the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever but Punk has been positioned to be the leader of a transitioning roster of young, WWE Superstars, many of who are ‘this close’ to taking the much needed step to the next level.”
It has been confirmed that the UFC 141 main event will remain intact. Alistair Overeem has been cleared for the fight with Brock Lesnar. Recent issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission have been resolved with Overeem’s latest drug test.
UFC president Dana White was the first to make a statement today via Twitter, which was later confirmed by multiple web reports.
White wrote, “Overeem is ready to go!!!” He continued with, “Lesnar vs. Overeem is on!”
UFC 141: “Lesnar vs. Overeem” takes place on Saturday, December 30, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
— Alicia Fox has commented on the damage she did to Beth Phoenix’s face during their match on RAW last night. Phoenix tweeted pictures of a nasty looking bump on her left temple. Fox tweeted on Tuesday afternoon:
“@TheBethPhoenix wow!!!! I think your face looks better than ever!!!! Next one I’ll put more STANk on it!!!! Kiss kiss”
— CM Punk and The Rock were both listed on Guyism.com‘s list of the “Top 75 Guys We Wish We Were in 2011.” The Rock ranked #17 and CM Punk ranked at #5. Actor Ryan Gossling got the #1 spot. The description for CM Punk reads:
“C.M. Punk, the straight-edge champion of the WWE, kept things interesting in 2011 with his outspoken critique of the company, his feuds with John Cena and Alberto Del Rio, and his short-lived retirement from the company. With the year that he’s had, it’s clear the WWE needs him. We just hope debuting a new theme song, ‘Cult of Personality,’ is a sign the sober wrestler is back for good.”
— WinnipegFreePress.com is reporting that UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar has plead guilty to “improper tagging of an animal” on a November 2010 hunting trip. The other two charges were dropped. Lesnar will pay a $1,725 fine and his hunting license will be suspended for six months.
Several readers have pointed out that the latest installment of WWE’s cryptic promos leading up to January 2nd appears to have the name “Chris” crossed out on the cover of the notebook written in by the little boy in the videos.
This will only add to the speculation (yeah, we’re not helping) that Chris Jericho will be revealed to be the man behind the vignettes
While WWE has been known to drop red herrings before to throw people off in previous cryptic promos, this does not help Jericho’s case that he’s got nothing to do with the videos.
UFC held a conference call yesterday as part of promotion for next Saturdays’s UFC 141. The conference call featured UFC 141 headliners Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.
Below is the transcript of the call:
Alistair Overeem: Everybody has a right to ask whatever they want and I have a right to respond or to ignore. The thing is I’m very busy with my career, it’s not just training, a lot of other stuff comes on top of it, which is assembling the team, PR, all these interviews, so I’m very occupied with that. I simply don’t have the time to get into all these allegations. Usually, they’re done over the internet, people I don’t even know, never even met. The thing is if people would come up to me and start a discussion about it, fine I’ll explain my side of the story and I would deal with it. But usually it’s over the internet, it’s all these comments, and I don’t have time to get into all that.
Brock Lesnar: I’ve been dealing with the same accusations my whole life. It comes with the territory. I’ve been used to dealing with it for many years now.
Brock Lesnar: I can’t wait to get back into the Octagon.
Brock Lesnar: I’m trying to live a normal life other than a UFC fighter.
Brock Lesnar: This is a dog eat dog division. It’s definitely getting more competitive so I have to get more competitive.
Alistair Overeem: I don’t talk about my training camps. I am not training with very good wrestlers.
Alistair Overeem: The UFC is 100 times bigger than Strikeforce. The bigger the fight is, the bigger the media attention is and the better I achieve in the ring. One of us is taking a step up and one of us is taking a step down.
Brock Lesnar: I try to be as prepared as I can. I feel good and you have to be able to roll with the punches.
Brock Lesnar: Look, I’ve had a great camp. This is the best I have felt in years and la-dee-da. I could go through all the clichés about how in shape I am but the fact is, I know myself and my own body and I know that I am back. I am 100 percent. I am as fast, as strong and as explosive as I’ve ever been and you’re going to see the same guy who beat Frank Mir to a pulp at UFC 100. If I go in and execute my game-plan, then I am winning this fight. That’s the bottom line here. Overeem says he is knocking me out in two rounds. Well, I am glad he has the ability to see the future. That’s his dream. I have my own dreams of winning this fight and going on to get my belt back. And on Friday December 30 his dream will be over
Alistair Overeem: I’m prepared for five rounds… we’re aggressive and not the top of guys who back up. We’re the type of fighters who finish fights.
Brock Lesnar: We’re both going into this to finish the fight. I don’t see it going five rounds.
Alistair Overeem: As far as dealing with distractions, I’ve been a three time champion, it’s about adaptation. I can say I’m an all-around fighter. The striking is something I focus on because of K-1. I prefer KO over submission despite my 19 submission wins.
Reporter asks a question and Brock completely shuts him down, Overeem does the same.
Brock Lesnar: Tony Ferguson is a good kid.
Alistair Overeem: This is a dream match not only for myself but for the fans.
Alistair Overeem: I’m not looking past Lesnar at the title shot.
Brock Lesnar: Me neither.
Alistair Overeem: The UFC title is the only thing missing from my collection, the only thing I’ve yet to achieve.
Brock Lesnar: This is an opportunity that not too many people get. I’m excited for it absolutely.
Some guy asks what music they’re training to. Yeah, really. Apparently Overeem listens to
Alistair Overeem: After the K-1 I stayed in japan to do a lot of media. Then I fought Todd Duffee on New Year’s Eve. I fought Fabricio Werdum and then had the injuries.This year has been a roller coaster ride
— WWE has rescinded their contract offer to Ring of Honor star Chris Hero after results from his drug test showed elevated testosterone levels, according to a report at Wrestling News World. We’ll be be looking into this story today and will follow up when we’ve got an update.
— WWE will hold a Raw live event in Moscow, Russia on April 11, 2012 at Luzhniki Small Sports Arena.
— WWE.com has posted footage of Nickelback performing “Animal” at Tribute to the Troops.
— WWE: Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century, which was released last July on DVD, will air on iN DEMAND pay-per-view during January.
