SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • Stratus Appears On “Today”, WWE Taping TV Events In Mexico

    — Trish Stratus appeared on NBC’s Today show this morning to promote the new season of Tough Enough and her yoga studio, Stratusphere.

    Stratus said the show’s final two contestants will appear before the live WWE audience, where the winner will be determined.

    Video of her appearance is available here.

    — WWE will announce during their live event tour in Mexico next month that television tapings will be held in Mexico City at Palacio de Los Deportes.

    A week’s worth of programming, Raw and Smackdown, will both be taped during the October tour. Both shows will be taped in advance over a weekend.

    The shows will be the first WWE events to be taped from Mexico.

    source: PWInsider.com

  • WWE Draft News, Punk Trashes Tough Enough Girls, WM27

    – With WrestleMania 27 in the history books, there is talk within WWE about when the company will hold this year’s talent draft. There had been talk a few weeks ago that there would be no draft this year, but we have not heard anything concrete about the draft being scrapped. If the draft does take place , it will not be this month as in previous years, but would likely take place in June, when WWE will be holding two 3-hour episodes of RAW.

    – CM Punk made some interesting comments on Twitter this week after watching the premiere episode of Tough Enough. About Miss USA Rima Fakih, Punk tweeted:

    “So far this rima broad needs to take her padding and cover her weird face.”

    He also wrote the following about Ariane Andrew, the first contestant to be eliminated this week:

    “I know this Arianne as, “tampon girl”. Maybe I’ll tell the story…”

    – It’s worth noting  Triple H vs. The Undertaker was the only match at WrestleMania 27 to last over 15 minutes.  which went almost 30 minutes. John Cena vs. The Miz went just under 15 minutes before it was re-started and after the second fall, it went 15 minutes and 20 seconds.

    (Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

  • Where The Rock Will Be Next Week, Three-Hour Raws Planned

    — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed on his Twitter account that he’s flying to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil tomorrow morning. The worldwide premiere of his latest film, Fast Five, takes place in the city next Friday, which would indicate that he won’t be on hand for Monday’s Raw.

    Fast Five will be released in the United States on April 29.

    — WWE will hold three-hour episodes of Monday Night Raw on June 13 and June 20. The June 13 show will be held in Long Island, New York, while the June 20 show is set for Baltimore, Maryland.

    — Former WWE Women’s Champion Lita is scheduled for an autograph signing tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at George’s Cards & Collectibles 7755 New Falls Road Levittown, Pennsylvania. Visit www.GeorgesCollectibles.com for more information.

  • “Tough Enough” Finale Date Set, Gail Kim Comments On Rumors

    — The season finale of WWE’s Tough Enough is scheduled for June 6 at 8:00 p.m. on the USA Network.

    — WWE Hall of Famer Sunny claimed earlier this week on her Facebook account that a WWE Diva is engaged to a chef on the Food Network. It’s being speculated that the engaged couple is Gail Kim and Robert Irvine, who appears on a variety of Food Network programs. Irvine sat with Kim at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday.

    Regarding the rumor, Kim commented on Twitter, “Why is every1 saying I’m married? Lol! P.s. I don’t talk about my personal life…thanks for the kindness and respect.”

    — WWE Hall of Famer Greg Valentine has been announced for the Motor City Comic Con, which takes place May 13 – 15 at Suburban Collection Showplace 46100 Grand River Ave. Novi, Michigan.

    source: prowrestling.net

  • Trish Stratus Talks About Incident With John Morrison At WM27

    Former WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus is on a promotional tour this weekend promoting the much anticipated release of Ball Enforcers. She appeared on the Busted Open satellite show this morning and notably confirmed reports that John Morrison gave her the cold shoulder during their post-match celebration at WrestleMania XXVII. She also confirmed reports that he passed over suggestions she had for working together.

    Here are some highlights of what Trish said about:

    Trish Stratus on John Morrison snubbing her at Wrestlemania: “I got a bit of cold shoulder action, correct. John Morrison himself is amazing. He’s a great athlete. I was really looking forward to working with him. I thought it would be cool if we could do some stuff together. He didn’t think it would be that cool. It happens.

    “Hey whatever. It happens. You know he’s into his thing and just didn’t think that I should part of his thing I guess, but I still admire him as an athlete, as a performer. I think he does a great job out there. Cold shoulder? Yeah I felt it. I was shunned. Some people are not smart maybe? You know they wrestle well, but maybe they’re not smart. I don’t know.”

    On John Cena’s persona, and could she teach him how to wrestle? “Yeah because he has no idea right? I mean if he could only learn how to wrestle he’d really learn how to come along in this business. So you would like to have his character developed further. You would like to get to know him a little bit more? Maybe that’s all he’s got. What can I say?”

    On working with Snooki: “The first move she ever did when she was on Raw that one time was a ‘crotch drop,’ and then she did the ‘butt bump’ (at Wrestlemania). It works. It’s kind of cool because this is what I do as a tough enough trainer. I had to access these kids. Right? So I had to say what is your athletic background? If you’re an athlete? Boom. You’re already in. That’s the first thing I look for. Forget the charisma because I’ll see if that’s there, but initially I need to know in order to do what we need to do in this business you need to be an athlete.

    “Number one she told me she came from a cheerleading background as well as being a gymnast. A partier does not qualify. Well you know we went to New Jersey her and I. Yeah so I saw the New Jersey side of things. Pretty interesting. She had some moves. The ‘bitch slap.’ I don’t know if that’s really a move, but that works, but that’s what I had to do. I had to access what she can do. Basically we play up her strengths. We play up what she can do.

    “She did this crazy triple Lindy back flip thing. That worked awesome. I think she surprised everyone. I tell you the coolest thing that Snooki went out there and the fans did not like her. She’s on the good guys’ side and they booed the heck out of her. She just took it in though. The minute she did those flips the crowd was like ‘that’s cool.’ Okay, we’re down with that. So she swerved 70,000 fans in an instant, which is pretty awesome.”

  • WWE Releases Coming Soon, Mysterio-Sin Cara, Arquette-WCW

    – With WrestleMania XXVII in the books, a number of people are expected to be released from WWE in the very near future. In most previous years, the company has let go several mid-card wrestlers as well as members of the office staff as part of a “spring cleaning” to cut costs and free up roster space.

    When WWE announced its 2010 year end financial results a few months ago, the fact that the company’s adjusted net income was down several million dollars from 2009 made the argument for “cost cutting” even stronger this year. Especially with the great deal of young talent WWE has been cultivating through NXT, Tough Enough and its developmental system through Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE has more of a need than ever to make cuts. Expect the cuts to begin as soon as next Friday.

    – As for the future of Superstars – now that it’s television run on WGN America has ended, the show will live on internationally and on WWE’s YouTube channel.

    – The USA Network issued a press release this week touting the factt that Monday’s 4-hour block of programming (Hall of Fame Ceremony, RAW, Tough Enough) drew over 12 million unique viewers. This year’s Hall of Fame broadcast was the most-watched ever – a good sign that we’ll see it air on Monday night prior to RAW once again next year.

    – WWE is considering various animated projects (either a web series, comic books or a television show). One idea discussed would be to base the projectaround Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. WWE’s new “Rumblers” action figures made by Mattel might also be used in an animated project.

    – On Monday’s series premiere of Tough Enough, trainer Steve Austin told the bottom 3 contestants a story of the time he ‘went to the bathroom’ on himself while wrestling former WWE champion Yokozuna. A clip of Austin’s storytelling was shown on the E! network show The Soup this week.

    – Actor and former WCW champion David Arquette was interviewed by IGN.com this week to promote his new movie Scream 4 and had this to say about winning the WCW championship:

    “It was surreal. To be able to be a part of that world and be a fly on the wall and see the workings of the circus, it was a dream come true. I know people joke about the guy from Hollywood winning the title, but I have nothing but respect for wrestlers. I got a chance to live in their world. It was an opportunity be play cops and robbers as grownups.”

  • Scott Hall’s Reps Deny He Suffered Overdose This Week

    It was reported earlier this week that former WWE star Scott Hall had been hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Hall’s reps over at Lightening Entertainment issued the following statement on Thursday night disputing the original report:

    For Immediate Release
    New York, NY

    Recent rumors regarding wrestler Scott Hall following a drug overdose were denied by Scott Hall’s rep Geena Jinev Anac of Lightening Entertainment. “I just spoke to Scott, he is at home, doing fine in Orlando FL.

    “Late last night Scott was at the hospital due to extremely low blood pressure & his doctor changed his blood pressure medication. Scott never overdosed last night, he is still recovering from last summer’s double pneumonia & is being treated for heart. Scott regularly visits the hospital for blood work & checkups.”

    “All these rumors on the media are completely untrue & fabricated. “Scott is thankful to all his fans for their continuous support through thick and thin and looking forward in his future appearances throughout the states.” Concluded Geena Jinev Anac

    For Press & Media,
    Please Contact:
    Lightninginc1@aol.com

  • VIDEO Of Sin Cara’s SmackDown Debut (Spoiler)

    Tonight’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy will feature the debut of newly signed lucha libre star Sin Cara.

    Related News: Trampoline Used For Sin Cara’s RAW Debut (VIDEO)

    Check out this leaked footage of what Sin Cara will do tonight on SmackDown:

  • Snooki Done Wrestling, WM27 Gate, Gail Kim Getting Married

    – Last night’s WWE Superstars broadcast was the final episode that will air on WGN America.

    – Prior to her first WWE match at WrestleMania XXVII on Sunday, Jersey Shore star Snooki had been saying that she planned to become a full-time WWE diva when MTV’s Jersey Shore ended. On Tuesday, Snooki changed her tune – telling TMZ.com that her wrestling days were over.

    It’s now come out that the reason for her change of heart is that Snooki and Jersey Shore co-star JWoww, who appeared for TNA Wrestling last year, are getting their own spin-off show on MTV. Snooki’s representatives have made it clear that there will be no more appearances for WWE in the near future.

    I know you guys were REALLY hoping for more Snooki in WWE ..

    – Sunday’s WrestleMania 27 from Atlanta’s Georgia Dome was the second highest live gate in WrestleMania history – bringing in $6.6 million for the company. This includes ticket and merchandise sales – not pay-per-view buyrates. WrestleMania 27 ranks second only behind WrestleMania 25 from Houston, Texas, which brought in a staggering $7.2 million live gate. (Source: f4wonline.com)

    WWE has high hopes that this year’s WrestleMania will break 1 million buys.

    – Tammy “Sunny” Sytch wrote on Twitter this week that a current WWE diva was getting married soon a celebrity chef, but did not reveal who the lucky lady was. We’ve learned that the diva in question is none other than Gail Kim, who is marrying celebrity chef Robert Irvine. The engaged couple were at WrestleMania 27 weekend together and Irvine sat with Gail Kim at Saturday night’s Hall of Fame ceremony.

    Check out these exclusive pictures of WWE diva Gail Kim from the WWE AXXESS fan fest last weekend in Atlanta, courtesy of photographer Bob Mulrenin:

  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson & Shawn Michaels Cross Paths

    It’s worth noting that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Shawn Michaels, who long harbored animosity towards each other, crossed paths during WrestleMania weekend. WWE.com published a photo of Johnson and Michaels sharing a laugh shortly after HBK had appeared on stage at WrestleMania XXVII to commemorate his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. According to F4WOnline.com, their past animosity was actually settled in 2008 when Johnson inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame.

    Johnson’s issues with Michaels dated back to when he was a teenager. He long harbored animosity towards Michaels because he felt he was disrespectful to his maternal grandmother (Lia Maivia) at a wrestling show she was coordinating for Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling. His disrespect towards her incensed Johnson, and nearly led to an altercation.

    Their issues persisted several years later when Johnson was a rookie starting out in WWE. Bret Hart wrote in his 2007 autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, that Michaels and Triple H disliked Johnson “intensely.” Both resented him because he was talented and Hart, a political foe, had taken a shine to him. Many believe they were out to sabotage Johnson so that Hunter would ascend to the top before him, since they were both viewed as the future of the company at the time.

    Michaels and Hunter conspired to obstruct Johnson’s push in March 1997, who was the Intercontinental Champion at the time. Michaels suggested to Vince McMahon that Johnson lose the title to Hart on an episode of Raw. Meanwhile, Hunter insisted to Hart that he beat Johnson. Their suggestion would serve two purposes — sabotage Johnson’s push and take Hart out of the world title scene. Hart, however, refused to beat Johnson. Hart felt it wouldn’t build heat for his newly launched heel turn, not to mention that it would undermine Johnson. Instead, Hart insisted on a DQ finish, which infuriated Michaels and Hunter.

    By 1999, Johnson had ascended to the top of WWE, going beyond nearly wrestler, including Hunter. Meanwhile, a back injury had forced Michaels to retire and he was relegated to sporadic appearances. Nonetheless, Michaels attempted to politically undermine Johnson by lobbying to McMahon that he be replaced by Hunter in the main event at WrestleMania XV. His suggestion fell on deaf ears.

    Johnson stated years later in a 2005 interview with WWE.com that he never had interest in working with Michaels — when asked if he would have liked to.

  • Steve Austin Says He Could Wrestle Full Time If He Wanted

    In an interview with Comcast’s XfinityTV to promote the new season of Tough Enough, WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin dropped a very newsworthy quote – saying his body is in good enough shape that he could actually get back in the ring and wrestle a full-time schedule for about two more years. You can read the full interview here.

    Here are some highlights of what Austin said about:

    Nexus Leader CM Punk: ” I really like C.M. Punk. I think he’s one of the top workers in the ring. I love his promos. I love his style. There’s no smoke and mirrors. I like the straight-edge lifestyle stuff he does. You want to start pairing that against the beer-guzzling “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, I think you’d have an interesting feud to say the least. He would push me to the limits, I would teach that kid a thing or two, and there would be some wonderful promos going back and forth. I like him a lot.

    How Physical He Got While Shooting Tough Enough: “One of the kids was pretty mechanically inclined, so I got in there with him…and shoot, I guess that means I haven’t been in the ring in seven or eight years…but I took a few bumps from him, gave him a few bumps, it was a lot of fun. I think if we do it again, I think I’ll be even more active and get in the ring a lot more.”

    A Possible Return to the Ring: ” I could still, you know if I was in a bad situation, I could still get two years out of my carcass on a full-time basis.” He then added, ” But I’m happy where I’m at. And in ten or twenty years I still want to be doing the things I’m doing with my hunting and fishing. I want to continue to do that in a pain-free fashion. And right now I’m living a pretty pain-free lifestyle.”

  • WWE Divas Upset With Taking A Backseat To Trish Stratus

    It was reported yesterday that there is backstage heat on John Morrison and Melina as a result of their behind the scenes treatment of Trish Stratus. It was claimed that either he or Melina, his girlfriend, felt Stratus took her spot at Wrestlemania XXVII. Morrison rejected various ideas Stratus had for the match and was said to be very difficult to work with. During the live performance, Morrison appeared visibly cold to Status, not making eye contact with her and dodging her following its conclusion. Morrison’s treatment of Stratus reportedly hurt her feelings. Word quickly spread amongst the locker room, garnering heat for both himself and Melina among some circles.

    Regarding the validity of the story, former WWE talent Sean Waltman (a/k/a X-Pac), who was on hand for the WrestleMania festivities in Atlanta, wrote yesterday on Twitter that a participant of the Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match did not behave in a professional manner. He wrote to Stratus, “It was wonderful seeing you this weekend. You are a true professional, unlike someone else in your match and I don’t mean Snookie.”

    He then added that he was very surprised and disappointed by the person’s unprofessionalism.

    According to a friend of Melina’s, the Raw Diva is legitimately upset with Stratus. Melina has privately said that her source of contention with Stratus is not because she herself was snubbed from WrestleMania due to her, but because many of the Divas were. She’s upset that many of them were snubbed from the grand event when they’re on the road throughout the year, unlike her. Melina also said that she’s not the only girl upset with Stratus for “taking their spot.”

    Meanwhile, Melina wrote a message on Twitter Tuesday defending her Diva peers, and that she will fight for them.

    “I was eliminated from TE…Look how far I’ve come. I’m not the best but God knows I try my best! Thru all the h8 I’m still standing strong!”

    “I don’t care what ANY1 says, WWE Divas CAN wrestle. We prove it when we get time. I believe in them. I will fight 4 them until U see what I C.”

    “Thank you everyone. We have a strong group of women in the WWE. A roster that I’m proud to & be a part of.”

  • Maryse Tweets Homophobic Remark, “WWE Superstars” Preview

    — Maryse said a homophobic remark late last night on Twitter, writing, “Ur sooo gay…….”

    It appears the WWE Diva blundered sending a private message as it was directed to no one in particular on her timeline. The tweet was deleted a short while later.

    WWE has come under fire from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in recent weeks, which took issue with ‘homophobic taunts’ John Cena directed towards Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the February 28 episode of Monday Night Raw, as well as a homophobic slur Michael Cole tweeted to Josh Mathews on March 26. Cena’s unsavory verbiage prompted WWE to issue an apology and form a partnership with the organization on an anti-bullying campaign. WWE addressed Cole’s conduct by alerting GLAAD of the situation and announcing that he would partake in a training session.

    — Santino Marella vs. Ted DiBiase is advertised for tonight’s episode of WWE Superstars, which marks as the final broadcast on WGN America. The show is expected to continue as an internet property due to the company’s overseas television commitments. However, no official announcement has been made.

    Other matches scheduled to take place include Tyson Kidd vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Drew McIntyre vs. JTG.

    — David Otunga celebrates his 31st birthday today.

  • Exclusive Video Of The WrestleMania 27 Intro

    Check out this badass video we shot of the WrestleMania 27 introduction and fireworks display:

  • VIDEOS: Cena, Miz, Big Show & More On The Tonight Show

    “The Tonight Show” correspondent Rove McManus attended WrestleMania 27 weekend and posted video footage taken at WWE Axxess and backstage at the pay-per-view:

    Part 1:

    Part 2:

  • Heat Between Trish & Morrison, Diva Getting Married, TE

    — According to sources within WWE, there is said to be a lot of backstage heat between WrestleMania tag team partners John Morrison and Trish Stratus. Morrison was reportedly very upset that Trish was booked for a match at WrestleMania, which he felt took away a spot on the card from his girlfriend, Melina. Morrison was very stubborn before the match regarding the booking of the angle leading up to the match, rejecting several ideas along the way. At WrestleMania, Morrison is visibly cold to Trish, not making any eye contact with her and apparently snubbing her in the post-match celebration and turning his back to her.

    — Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs, the mixed martial artist, met with TNA Wrestling’s Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor about joining the promotion before he wound up on the reality program. The organization showed in interest in Riggs due to his role on VH1’s Daisy of Love and because he has prior wrestling experience. Riggs trained with Dutch Mantel before turning is focus to MMA.

    — Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, who was enshrined last Saturday in the WWE Hall of Fame, indicated on her Facebook account that a WWE Diva is engaged to be married.

    “Can’t believe one of my favorite WWE Divas in marrying one of my favorite Food Network chefs!!” Sytch wrote. “Man, is she a lucky girl! All that amazing food, all the time!!!”

    Sytch stated she would not reveal who it is until the Diva in question goes public.

    — The pre-sale code for the Saturday, June 18 WWE Supershow at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey is ACCESS. The pre-sale began this morning on Ticketmaster.com.

    (sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com)

  • Matt Hardy Denies Being Involved In Altercation At Hotel

    It was reported earlier that an altercation took place late Sunday night at a sports bar between members of the Tough Enough cast and TNA Wrestling performer Matt Hardy.

    The incident occurred at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Atlanta, where WWE held the reality show contestants and consumers who purchased WrestleMania XXVII travel packages.

    Many of the cast members were watching WrestleMania at the hotel’s sports bar and warmly greeting fans. Michelle Deighton, in particular, was giving fans chops. Hardy and girlfriend Reby Sky, who were in town for the Dragon Gate USA Show, appeared at the bar (after being denied access to the WrestleMania after-party) and reportedly engaged in an argument with the Tough Enough members at 3:00 a.m., causing a scene in front of fans.

    Shortly after the story broke out, Matt Hardy posted several messages on his Twitter account poking fun at Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer, as the story was attributed to his website. He jokingly wrote, “Well, since it’s out- Yeah, @RebySky & myself beat up the entire Tough Enough crew after her DGUSA show-Reby beat up 4 girls, I beat 9 guys!”

    He later clarified his remarks, writing, “Just so everyone knows, the silly story we’ve been joking about 2day was created by a dirtsheet, not by Reby or I. Solid reporting there WO.”

    Sky clarified the situation as well, adding, “The dirtsheets were writing that me & Matt had gotten into a “serious altercation” w/the Tough Enough cast on WrestleMania weekend, which was so ridiculously erroneous that we made a sarcastic comment about “taking down” the entire cast. SARCASTIC. As in ha-ha-making-a-funny-because-the-dirtsheets-are-crazy-get-a-fking-sense-of-humor.

    “For the record, Matt & I had a wonderful weekend – He came down to support me at @DragonGateUSA & we were nowhere near the TE cast.”

    Shortly after the incident took place, Hardy wrote on his Twitter account, “Well, it’s official..Me & @RebySky are muthaf*ckin Banditos..I always liked the Hilton better anyway.”

    Sky wrote, “Banned for life. It was worth it.” She then added, “We’re headed back to North Carolina – Goodbye Georgia, your crazy fans, your crazy cops & your even crazier hotel security personnel.”

    When asked on Formspring what she and Hardy were banned from, Sky stated they were “banned for life” from an Atlanta hotel.

    source: f4wonline.com

  • Chris Jericho’s Blogs About Monday’s DWTS Performance

    Chris Jericho has updated his Dancing With The Stars blog over at TVSquad.com talking about Monday’s tribute performance to his mother, which you can see video footage of here. Jericho wrote:

    “As a performer, there’s a goal I set out to accomplish every time I step onto the stage. Whether it’s making people cheer (or boo) in the WWE, having people sing along to my songs with Fozzy or engaging people with my books, there’s a certain magic that comes with knowing that you’ve affected people.

    When I first agreed to do ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ after two previous invitations, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. The concept of ballroom dancing was as foreign to me as a Werner Herzog film, and I had no expectations of what I could or couldn’t do on the floor. Would I actually be able to do it? Could I entertain people with my moves, my charisma and my showmanship? And, more importantly, could I make them feel something special while they watched me?

    The first week I was a jittery jitterson and happy to get it over with. The second week I felt much more comfortable, and I think I surprised some people with the lightness of my footwork. But I still hadn’t created any magic.

    That changed Monday night, when I danced the rumba to ‘Let It Be,’ by the Beatles, as a tribute to my mother, Loretta. She passed away in 2005, after having traveled a hard road for the previous 15 years of her life. But she always supported me in anything I did.

    It’s funny ’cause I don’t think she really understood wrestling. She watched the wrestling matches because I was on, but she had no emotional attachment to what I was doing. But she loved dancing! I remember watching ‘Solid Gold’ (a musical variety show that was on every Saturday night in the early ’80s) with her, and she was always impressed with the Solid Gold Dancers, a troupe of hot chicks (or “gals,” as she called them) who would appear throughout the show like a glittery version of The Fly Girls. (Carrie Ann Inaba, represent, yo!)

    “I would’ve made a great Solid Gold Dancer,” my mom always said. And she would’ve. My mother was beautiful and sexy — am I allowed to say that about dear old mum? — with a dancer’s body and a great personality. It’s because of this that I know she would be a HUGE ‘DWTS’ fan and would’ve watched the show religiously.

    She would’ve been so proud of me for doing the show, and that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to dance for her. Doing the ‘Let It Be’ performance was amazing for me. To dance such a beautifully choreographed routine to one of the best songs by my favorite band, for my mum, almost moved me to tears.

    What I didn’t expect was that it would move others to tears. All I heard after the show from family, friends and pure strangers was how they had shed a tear when they watched Cheryl Burke and I perform. They felt what I was feeling. They related to it. They empathized with it. They were moved by it.

    The atmosphere in the studio Monday night was electric. There was magic in the air. And, for the first time since I began this journey almost six weeks ago, I felt like a dancer. Pure, raw emotion that moves people and provides them with a magical moment is worth more than any score. And Team Chericho felt like we scored three 10s when it came to creating such a special moment. As a performer, that’s all that I strive for.”

    * VIDEO of CHRIS JERICHO’s Latest DWTS Performance from MONDAY

    (Source: TVSquad.com)

  • Lots Of Details On WWE’s Rebranding & Growth Strategy

    Last week, we reported that WWE was eradicating itself of the world “wrestling.” John Cena and Randy Orton are no longer wrestlers – they’re “superstars” and “sports entertainers.” Even the company’s name is getting an overhaul – dropping the phrase “World Wrestling Entertainment” in favor of simply “WWE.”

    The Los Angeles Times has a feature article looking at the latest re-branding efforts of WWE, which includes many new details on the company’s strategy moving forward as well as comments from the chairman himself, Vince McMahon.

    “I think every brand has to re-create itself,” McMahon said. “I want everyone to look at us in a vastly different way than they have.”

    The article says McMahon plans to go on a spending spree to acquire media assets that could expand WWE’s business beyond the ring. In particular, WWE is targeting companies involved in production, live entertainment and branding.

    “It is a logical broadening of what we already do,” McMahon said. “No one does television production better than we do, it’s damn near the Olympics. We know more about live event touring than anyone in the United States.”

    With very little debt to speak of and almost $70 million cash on hand, WWE has deep pockets and the ability to make their vision of expansion a reality.

    Aside from acquisitions in the production and live entertainment arenas, WWE is also moving ahead with its planned cable channel and has already met with distributors (including Verizon) in hopes of launching the WWE Network in 2012.

    Analysts are mixed on whether WWE should expand outside of its core business, or whether it should be more conservative with its spending and focus on internal matters and improve areas of business that have been suffering in recent years.

    Jay Kaplan, portfolio manager for Royce & Associates, which holds about 9% of WWE stock, was interviewed for the LA Times pice and said, “I think that the most important thing right now is the return of the health of the core business. One of the market’s big concerns is are they losing market share to real fighting.”

    The article looks at the mixed results WWE has seen when branching out beyond the realm of pro wrestling – with the XFL and WWE New York ventures falling flat.

    Some analysts wonder whether WWE wants to grow to position itself for an eventual sale. With Vince McMahon in his mid 60’s and his wife Linda gone from the company, the article speculates whether this planned expansion is taking place in anticipation of an eventual sale. Without mentioning that his daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H are being groomed to be the next generation of WWE leadership, Vince shot down the idea of selling the company.

    “We’re very independent-minded,” he said. “I don’t see that happening.”

    Overall it’s a great read, head over to LATimes.com for more on WWE’s re-branding strategy.

  • Pictures Of Trish With Sunny & Lita At WM27 Weekend

    Trish Stratus met up with former WWE divas Amy “Lita” Dumas and Tammy “Sunny” Sytch over WrestleMania 27 weekend in Atlanta .. Check out these pictures of the legendary WWE divas together:

  • Backstage Videos With The WWE HOF Class Of 2011

    WWE has released the following backstage videos featuring the Class of 2011 members talking about joining wrestling’s most prestigious Hall of Fame.

    SEScoops.com was at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and have posted a batch of 25 exclusive photos from the historic event – including a surprise reunion from the Kliq – Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. Check those pictures out here.

  • Press Release: WWE’s Rebranding, Triple H’s New Role

    The following press release was issued by World Wrestling Entertainment WWE on Thursday .. Not only is the company re-branding itself simply “WWE” – but there’s a new tag line and Triple H will lead the company’s new talent development program:

    The New WWE® Expands Beyond Wrestling

    STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–To better reflect the company’s global entertainment offerings, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) announced today a new business model for future growth, including formally rebranding itself, WWE.

    “The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company”

    Two key components to WWE’s brand expansion will be the active pursuit to acquire entertainment content companies and the outsourcing of WWE’s core competencies – television and film production, live event production and licensing. As part of the new business model, the company will also focus on the development of new television products including scripted, non-scripted and animated programs, as well as the launch of a new WWE network in the next 12-18 months. The first new program of the brand expansion is Tough Enough®, WWE’s non-scripted program that debuted on the USA Network on Monday.

    “The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. “We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring.”

    This new rebranding initiative will be highlighted through a national consumer and business-to-business advertising campaign entitled “Bigger. Badder. Better.™” The campaign kicked off at WrestleMania® XXVII on Sunday and will be featured on cable TV, print and online.

    In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch a new talent development department headed by Paul “Triple H®” Levesque. The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas. The first recruit acquired under Levesque’s new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara™, formerly known worldwide as Mistico.

    About WWE

    WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly, PG content across all of its platforms including television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 500 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

    Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

    Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company’s brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business and any new business initiative which we may undertake; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is significant and is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant, including a waiver by the McMahon family of a portion of the dividends which has now expired. Any new dividend waiver is subject to two things. The first is the receipt of the approval of the Internal Revenue Service, which has been obtained. The second is the agreement of members of the McMahon family. No determination has been made by the McMahon family to enter into a new waiver agreement.

  • More On Matt Hardy’s Incident During WM27 Weekend

    – As we reported earlier this week, there was an incident that took place over WrestleMania weekend at a hotel bar between the cast of Tough Enough and former WWE superstar Matt Hardy.

    The incident occurred at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Atlanta, where WWE put up the Tough Enough cast as well as fans who purchased WrestleMania travel packages. The WWE superstars stayed at the Hyatt

    The only details about the incident that we can confirm are that  Matt Hardy and his girlfriend Reby Sky (pictures) got into a shouting match with some of the contestants at 3am, in front of a huge group of fans.

    According to a correspondent who was at the hotel bar, it was quite a sight – and appeared to be instigated by Hardy.

    – While Matt Hardy and Reby Sky did caused a scene at the Marriott hotel, things were not as crazy at WWE’s WrestleMania after-party. The Rock, Snooki nor any of the McMahon family members attended. Some of the names in attendance were Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, Lita and Awesome Kong.

    Matt Hardy and girlfriend Reby Sky reportedly tried getting into the WrestleMania after-party, but were denied entry.

    (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Heat On John Morrison & Melina, Trish Stratus’ Feelings Hurt

    There is backstage heat on both John Morrison and Melina, reports Pro Wrestling Torch. It centers around the Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match at Wrestlemania XXVII, which saw Morrison repeatedly brush partner Trish Stratus off.

    During their post-match celebration, Stratus hugged Snooki and went to hug Morrison, but he had already turned his back on her. Morrison then led Snooki to the corner of the ring and used the Jersey Shore star as a shield, to guard himself from Stratus.

    The backstory behind Morrison’s awkward body language is that either he or Melina, his girlfriend, felt Stratus took her spot in the Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match at Wrestlemania XXVII. The backstage belief is that he either holds Stratus in contempt for taking Melina’s spot on the card, or had to portray himself as such so that she would believe he was rude to her.

    Behind the scenes, Morrison rejected various ideas Stratus had for their match at WrestleMania XXVII, and was said to be very difficult to work with. His outright refusal to comply with any of her suggestions reportedly hurt her feelings. Word quickly spread amongst the locker room, garnering heat.

    Many feel Morrison’s unprofessional behavior will set back his standing in WWE since Stratus is highly regarded amongst company personnel.

    While Morrison is considered a nice guy, he’s not greatly respected amongst his peers. This dates back several years due to his real-life relationship with Melina. Particularly, he lost a lot of respect for allowing Melina to engage in a sexual relationship with former WWE talent Dave Bautista (a/k/a Batista) while the two were dating. The former WWE Champion made no qualms of being intimately involved with Melina in his 2007 autobiography, Batista Unleashed. He wrote:

    “My wife thought I was sleeping with Melina right off the bat, while we were still married. It wasn’t true, but it did make me feel guilty about being friends with her.

    “Since then, as I’ve said, Melina and I have gotten closer and our relationship has become physical. That’s caused a bit of controversy, but I don’t give a shit. She’s my friend, and I love her very much.”

    Former WWE stars Paul London and Brian Kendrick alleged numerous behind the scenes stories involving Melina and Morrison in their 2010 “shoot” interview, Brian Kendrick & Paul London’s Excellent Adventure. London stated that Morrison is ‘spineless’ because he repeatedly permitted Melina to engage in sexual activity with outside partners while the two were dating. He added that Morrison would accompany Melina on dates with her partner of choice. Kendrick also claimed that he himself had been intimate with Melina.

  • CM Punk Rips NXT Rookies, News On Upcoming Orton DVD, More

    — CM Punk took aim at the Rookies of NXT today on Twitter, writing: “The NXT rookies are SO passionate about our sport they can’t even remember what happened at wrestlemania two nights before. Embarrassing.”

    — Randy Orton said on Twitter that WWE’s upcoming DVD on “The Viper” will be released in September and that he’ll post a link to a teaser clip soon. The working title for the product is The Randy Orton Experience.

    — Dolph Ziggler is en route to Turkey to promote WWE’s upcoming tour in the country.

    — All WWE performers participated in concussion testing this past week.

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter