Eric Bischoff was not at Sunday’s TNA Final Resolution in Orlando due to “personal business” in Arizona, but noted on Twitter that will be back in Orlando for this week’s TNA television tapings.
Bischoff made his first public comments about the latest Hulk vs. Linda lawsuit:
“Been silent on the Hulk and Linda divorce since the beggining. Glad to hear he is filing a suit against her. She is a pig in every sense. Actually the only thing more disgusting than Linda Hogan is that pissant creepy little punk thats sleeping with that skank.”
Friday’s episode of SmackDown saw commentator Michael Cole make a crude remark concerning Jim Ross’ long battle with Bell’s palsy. After Josh Mathews said Cole speaks out of both sides of his mouth, the esteemed “Voice of the WWE” quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.”
The WWE Hall of Famer took to Twitter to address Cole’s inappropriate remark.
“Hope Cole never gets ill. Sad commentary,” Ross wrote.
Ross then posted a tweet comparing Cole’s snide comment to Ed Ferrara’s parody of him in World Championship Wrestling as the character Oklahoma, which included a mockery of his modified voice due to Bell’s palsy.
“Pathetic cheap heat by Cole. On par with Ed Ferrara if you ask me. Ron White says “You Can’t Fix Stupid.”
Ross added that Cole’s ad lib was “ill advised” and that there are no announcer ‘scripts.’ A Twitter follower of J.R.’s placed the blame on Vince McMahon for the remark, since the WWE CEO typically feeds lines to Cole via headset to be said on-air. Ross, however, said McMahon was not on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Jacksonville, Florida—he was off visiting U.S. Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. J.R. instead places the blame on a ‘writer.’
“McMahon wasn’t at Smackdown,” Ross wrote. “So we can blame a ‘writer.’ that’s cowardly. Poor attempt to be a villain.”
It was not the only underhanded remark on Friday’s broadcast as Cole aired the long-standing joke among WWE employees that ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s face resembles that of a horse. Garcia has not commented on the matter.
— The official website for be a STAR, an anti-bullying alliance co-founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE, was recently overhauled. Beastaralliance.org features the public service announcements currently airing on WWE programming campaigning against bullying as well as numerous information resources.
Triple H is one of the campaign’s top supporters; the front page of the overhauled site features a quote from the WWE Superstar that reads “Bullying needs to be stopped!”
— Jim Ross commented on whether he will be attending Monday’s Raw SuperShow in a blog post on jrsbarbq.com.
“I may even try to attend this Monday’s show in Norfolk. Or simply watch the three hour special from home,” Ross wrote.
Ross also discussed WWE’s developmental system following a recent visit, the WWE Network, John Morrison, Matt Hardy, next year’s Hall of Fame class, Kurt Angle’s Olympics aspirations, Zack Ryder, Chris Jericho, Batista and John “Bradshaw” Layfield.
— WWE officials contacted Lilian Garcia to return to the organization while she was in Las Vegas, Nevada last week for a red carpet event, the 1st Annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegas Stiletto Dash. Photos of her appearance are available here.
Returning to WWE after a more than two-year hiatus, Lilian Garcia appeared on Friday’s episode of SmackDown as the program’s new ring announcer.
Tony Chimel introduced Garcia to the live audience at the start of the broadcast, who was already standing in the ring. As Garcia talked about how great it was to be back, she was interrupted by Cody Rhodes, who was standing on the announce table. Rhodes said no one cares she is back since no one noticed she had left. Garcia danced with Hornswoggle later during the show, which gave commentator Michael Cole the opportunity to air a crass backstage joke.
He cracked, “I wish these two would stop horsing around!”
The reference stems from those in WWE’s “inner circle”—Vince McMahon, Triple H, television producer Kevin Dunn and the since departed John “Bradshaw” Layfield—often joking that Garcia has a horse-shaped face. The crass joke was passed around backstage years ago and ultimately acknowledged on television by Layfield and Hunter to amuse company employees. Though Garcia has publicly taken the joke in stride, Mick Foley took offense to Hunter demeaning the “Decade Diva” during an episode of Raw last year in which she had filled in for regular ring announcer Justin Roberts.
He wrote online after watching on television Triple H tell Garcia she can always return to WWE to “horse around,” “Why does someone like Triple H, one of the most talented, well paid guys in the business, do something so shallow and mean? Why would a multi-millionaire, with millions of fans around the world, feel the need (several times over the years) to say something that is only meant to hurt? I don’t get it. I don’t get why it’s done, I don’t get why it’s condoned, I don’t get what possible satisfaction anyone involved gets from demeaning someone like Lillian Garcia. I just don’t get it.”
The latest reference was likely directed by Triple H, who filled in for McMahon at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping since the WWE CEO was off visiting U.S. Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Cole is the mouthpiece of the program director, as he is fed lines via headset. It was not the only mean-spirited remark on Friday’s show as Cole made light of Jim Ross suffering from Bell’s palsy after Josh Mathews said Cole speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
Cole quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.”
— As reported earlier, former WWE talent Amy Dumas (a/k/a Lita) was arrested Friday in Columbia County, Georgia on charges of speeding in excess of maximum limits and driving with a suspended license. She was released on $2,200 bond and has already poked fun at the matter.
She tweeted Saturday afternoon, “You guys make a Team Extreme jailbird graphic yet? Get to work! #slackers.”
— A DUI charge against WWE talent Jonathan Fatu (a/k/a Jimmy Uso) has been continued until January.
The SmackDown star was arrested on September 29, 2011 in Tampa, Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence. An officer observed Fatu at approximately 3:00 a.m. that day driving the wrong way down a one-way street in a silver Mustang.
— David Otunga appears at the Cricket Communications Store at the Brickyard Mall 2650 N. Narragansett, Chicago, Illinois on December 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
John Cena opened up about his personal life on Twitter this weekend, revealing to his fans that wrestling has gotten him through a “very difficult” month. He tweeted @JohnCena:
“Very difficult month for me,personally. It’s times like these that I see truly how much I love wrestling. I am truly thankful for what I do. Adapt. Overcome. And now, more than ever before Rise Above Hate. I f’n love you guys. Even the ones that hate my guts. U get me thru each day..thick and thin. Thank u. For everything. Thank you.”
On Saturday, Jim Ross was asked by one of his Twitter followers, “Gotta’ ask you a question. Is @JohnCena really the hardest working Wrestler in the WWE?” He responded @JRsBBQ:
Vice President of the Knockouts division, Karen Jarrett, joined Diva-Dirt.com earlier this week on DD360 ahead of this Sunday’s Final Resolution pay per view.
When asked how she manages to be such a great heel and good on the microphone, Karen reveals she did not have prior acting experience — rather she was always a big fan of professional wrestling.
She says: “My entire life I’ve been a wrestling fan. From the age of 10 years old, I started watching wrestling with my grandfather and have just been a huge fan. I was a fan of Miss Elizabeth, Sherri [Martel] and I just loved the business.”
“Even when Kurt and I got married, he had never watched professional wrestling and when he started talking about getting into it, we were watching it and I would instruct him because I knew who everybody was. I was just very into it and love it.”
Karen also addresses recent drama on Twitter with fans pitting her and WWE’s Vickie Guerrero against each other.
She says: “To be honest, I think Vickie is an incredible woman. She was a great wife and she’s a great mother. As for the fans and the marks out there, or the people who get behind their little computer, you throw out some bait and they jump on it and I think people ran with it. It is what it is. But I have great respect for Vickie and her raising her daughters and everything that she has done.”
Former WWE superstar Batista appeared on The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show this week and said John Cena killed “hardcore, edgy” pro wrestling:
“I think, you know, they did the whole PG direction thing, I think that works for Cena; the little kids love him, cause he’s a great character, he’s someone they can look up to. The girls love him, good looking guy, says all the right things, does all the right things, but the hardcore fans can’t stand him. He is Mr. Hokey, Mr. PG… to me; he killed hardcore, edgy wrestling.”
Batista also commented on his feud with John Cena towards the end of his WWE run. Batista said he was the one booked as the heel, but he had to work extra hard to get booed, because some fans hate John Cena so much:
“I was playing the part of the heel, but they were still booing the hell out of Cena. I really had to go that extra step to be a heel against this guy.
– Ross and Marshall Von Erich, sons of WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Von Erich, are headed to Japan to tour with the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion in 2012.
The third generation Von Erich recently took part in Harley Race’s training camp back in October and werebooked by NOAH after being evaluated by NOAH officials.
– As previously reported, WWE filmed an angle at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings that never aired on television. After a divas tag team match, Kaitlin turned on her partner AJ Lee and aligned herself with their opponents, the Divas of Doom.
No word yet on why WWE scrapped the segment from this week’s SmackDown broadcast. Officials had been talking for a while about putting Kaitlyn with Beth Phoenix and Natalya but had also been discussing turning both Kaitlyn and AJ Lee heel.
– WWE Diva Eve has uploaded episode 6 of her “Ask Eve” online series, which you can view here:
– Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter regarding the cryptic promos that have been airing on WWE TV:
“Haven’t watched Raw in a month and I haven’t seen the mystery promos. Sorry…don’t know and don’t care so u can stop asking.”
– The Wrestling Globe reports that Chyna is charging $5,000 per wrestling-related appearance these days.
– WWE Superstars Big Show, Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, CM Punk, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, Rosa Mendes, Alberto Del Rio, Drew McIntyre, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Wade Barrett and Jack Swagger appeared at a meet-and-greet event at Fort Bragg in North Carolina yesterday. While the event was advertised to be for Department of Defense cardholders only, nobody was checking ID’s and several civilians were in attendance.
John Cena and CM Punk were presented with an Airborne Trooper Iron Mike statue by the military and the military was given a replica WWE Title belt.
Former WWE superstar John Morrison has posted his first video on YouTube since departing the company last month. Morrison says he’s at a point in his career where he needs to take time off to heal.
Morrison says there will be more videos coming – and he’s going to dish some dirt on his least favorite people in WWE:
“sup JoMoSapiens, check here for updates on what’s going on with me- check back next week for a list of people in WWE that I don’t like, and reasons why… haha!”
Maria Kanellis has responded to a report posted earlier this week regarding her perceived shots at Nikki and Brie Bella’s during AfterBuzzTV.com’s weekly post-show for Raw. The former WWE Diva says she is not taking personal digs at the twin duo, but rather, their villainous television characters.
Kanellis explained on Twitter, “Afterbuzz for Raw is a show about a show. Just like I did Afterbuzz for Dancing with the Stars, Borgias, Project Runway, ect….. We make jokes, poke fun, show respect, educate, and talk about news and gossip. No one forces you to watch. The Bellas play bad girls on tv as such we talk about them as bad girls. It’s a show. But thank you for talking about it so much. All press is good press. And I repeat, wrestlers are the most talented entertainers on the planet.”
Kanellis posted a similar explanation on Facebook, but added that she would never sacrifice her strong moral values in order to “get ahead.”
She wrote, “Afterbuzz for Raw on afterbuzztv.com is a show about a show. We talk about story lines, wrestling, gossip, news, superstars, divas, fashion, and we have guests. Are we funny? Yes. Do we make jokes? Of course. Is there inside info? Sure. Do we get nasty? Sometimes. All of my co-hosts have their own beliefs, style and personality. We have view points that differ. I was given a voice and I have strong beliefs. I don’t believe in authority or following a norm. I have sacrificed a lot because of my strong morals. But one thing I will never sacrifice is my values. I will not get ahead just because I play the game. Even though I know how. I will succeed on merit and talent. Or I will fail and failure is just another step towards success. Passion is my motivation….. Rock it.”
— SmackDown Diva Lilian Garcia has released her first music video, U Drive Me Loca. The video, which was shot in August in Los Angeles, California, features appearances by former WWE Divas Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson.
— Rey Mysterio, who has been sidelined since August due to knee surgery, is reportedly scheduled for this weekend’s Tribute to the Troops festivities.
— WWE Classics On Demand has not aired advertised shows due to legal reasons, notably two episodes of Prime Time Wrestling from June 1989, a September 10, 1988 house show, as well as events emanating from Madison Square Garden.
— Jack Korpela, who had been announcing for WWE Superstars and NXT, has parted ways with WWE. Reportedly, his contract expired and he opted not to sign a new one.
Korpela’s bio was removed from WWE.com this week. He joined the company in 2006.
— Sheamus is scheduled for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight, which airs at 12:35 a.m. on NBC. He will be promoting WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops special airing on NBC and the USA Network.
— WWE and MNC Sports have announced a six-month television distribution deal that will bring WWE programming to Indonesia.
“WWE is the biggest brand in sports entertainment and we are very pleased to be the broadcast partner responsible for bringing Raw and WWE Specials to Indonesia,” said Handhi S. Kentjono, Vice President of Directors for MNC SkyVision.
– Chris Jericho tweeted on Friday morning that he’s been named one of the Top 100 Living Rock Stars by Revolver Magazine. He wrote @IAmJericho:
“Just found out that the new issue of @Revolvermag named me as one of their top 100 living rock stars…What an honor! #hardworkpaysoff”
In related Jericho news, Jim Ross was asked on Twitter who would win in a match between Chris Jericho and CM Punk JR responded, “Let em fight! Love 2see it.”
– WWE is now teasing that Beth Phoenix and Maria Menounos will wrestle at this weekend’s Tribute to the Troops tapings. The two have been going back and forth over Twitter for a few weeks now.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery soon, according to PWInsider.com.
– WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper filmed a Piper’s Pit with director Eli Roth for Funny or Die yesterday. Piper also revealed that he’s been asked to appear on Celebrity Ghost Stories:
“Been asked to do Celebrity Ghost Stories. I think I will do that show.They have asked for next week.They won’t believe what I’ve seen.”
– Former WWE diva Stacy Keibler’s booking fee for apperances has reportedly gone through the roof since she began dating Hollywood star George Clooney.
Zack Ryder has uploaded Episode #43 of his Z! True Long Island Story series. This week’s show features a special appearance from Dennis Haskins, best known as “Mr. Belding” from the 90’s sitcom “Saved By The Bell.” Are you serious, bro?!
After the tag team match between Kaitlin and AJ Lee vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya, Kaitlyn turned heel and attacked AJ.
Reader Cohen Morrison sent word that on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, which has already aired in Australia, the entire divas tag match (including the post-match heel turn) was edited off the broadcast.
Check out this video of the heel turn that might never see the light of day – shot by a fan who was in Jacksonville on Tuesday night:
Hulk Hogan has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Linda Bollea based on allegations she made about him in her recent autobiography “Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes.”
In the book, Hulk Hogan is portrayed as a violent, manipulative, cheating maniac who was physically and mentally abusive to her.
Linda also alleges that Hulk has had a homosexual relationship with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, a claim he has vehemently denied.
While being interviewed on television and radio earlier this year, Bollea dragged Hogan’s name through the mud once again.
“It scared me that he might just snap, not realize what he’s doing. He is just so strong. I thought he could kill me. He had his hands around my neck one time on the bed, and he started squeezing my throat. He just went into this trance, and I was looking at him and saying, ‘Terry, stop, stop. I can’t breathe.’”
Wil Florin, the ex-wrestler’s attorney, said, “He’s being accused of all sorts of vile conduct that he did not commit. Miss Bollea’s made enough of these outrageous allegations that it’s time they stop … The only realistic way of making them stop is through the court system.”
The Miz returned to Conan O’Brien’s late night TBS show on Thursday – and it was another hilarious interaction between the most must-see superstar in WWE history and the “Ginga Ninja.”
Miz was there to promote next week’s Tribute to the Troops and gave Conan some crap about not using the “Ginga Ninja” nickname and the “Don’t step into my dojo, mofo” catchphrase Miz gave him gave him during his last visit. Miz presented Conan with a pair of “Ginga Ninja” tights and they even showed footage of The Miz vs. a created Conan in the new WWE ’12 video game.
WWE taped Friday’s Smackdown tonight from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dark Match:
* Yoshi Tatsu defeated FCW star Damien Sandow
Smackdown Results (Airing Friday)
* Tables, ladders, and chairs are set up around ringside to promote the upcoming TLC pay-per-view. Lilian Garcia makes her return to ring announcing tonight. The announcers make their way to the ring, and when Booker T walks down the ramp, Cody Rhodes ambushes him from behind.
* Lilian begins to address the crowd on her new position as Smackdown ring announcer, but Rhodes interrupts and informs the crowd that he will be acting as the ring announcer for the evening.
* Tonight’s show will have a series of Beat The Clock Matches.
* Wade Barrett beat Ezekiel Jackson in the first match.
* Beth Phoenix and Natalya beat Kaitlyn and AJ. After the match, Kaitlyn turned on AJ and joined Natalya & Beth’s team.
* Daniel Bryan is interviewed by Josh Mathews about losing to Mark Henry and failing to capture the World Heavyweight Championship last week. Bryan called out Michael Cole and went over to confront him, but Cody Rhodes stopped Bryan and assaulted him.
* Ted DiBiase beat Jinder Mahal.
* Big Show and Mark Henry segment in the ring. Show ends up attacking Henry and they go at it. Show grabs a chair and wails away on Henry with it.
* Sheamus beat David Otunga.
* This week’s cryptic lookwithin2012 vignette aired.
* Zack Ryder beat Heath Slater.
* Cody Rhodes beat Daniel Bryan by disqualification. Booker T caused the disqualification by getting into the ring and attacking Rhodes.
* Teddy Long and Aksana have another backstage segment. Cody Rhodes interrupts and demands a match against Booker T. Teddy makes Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T official at TLC, and adds that it will be for Cody’s Intercontinental Championship.
* Randy Orton beat Dolph Ziggler with 2 seconds remaining on the clock.
* It was announced that Randy Orton will face Wade Barrett at WWE TLC. Orton decided to make their match a Table match.
– Ultimate Warrior says he is in talks with MTV regarding The Warrior Show, which features the legendary sports entertainer directing an extreme motivational mind/body/soul work-out that combines intensity, passion, comedy and inspiration.
He tweeted Thursday, “So Exec Producer at MTV sends email: “I saw the sizzle reel for The Warrior Show and LOVED it. I think it’s really really great.” We talk…
– Kelly Kelly has responded to online reports saying she is looking to position herself for a career outside of WWE.
She tweeted, “Don’t believe everything you read! Wwe is my home.”
The report originated from this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which states she plans on pursuing acting and modeling work late next year under her real name, Barbara Blank.”
— A pre-sale for SmackDown in Orlando, Florida following WrestleMania XXVIII kicks off Friday at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster.com. The password is WWEEBSHOW.