There was an altercation between TNA Wrestling talent Matt Hardy and members of the Tough Enough cast at a hotel bar in Atlanta, Georgia during WrestleMania XXVII weekend.
While details of the incident have to be disclosed, Reby Sky, Hardy’s girlfriend, revealed on her Formspring account that she and Hardy were “banned for life” from the hotel in question.
One WWE source said that if a main roster talent had done some of the things they did, termination would be likely if they were low enough on the totem pole.
Jim Ross published a new blog on his official website today discussing topics coming out WrestleMania weekend. Highlights are as follows:
Announcing again for WWE: “I’m not sure when I will be back for another announcing appearance but will embrace any opportunity to do what I love.”
Calling the final matches at WrestleMania XXVII: “Announcing at WM27 was an adrenaline rush but I’ll admit that I was rusty and had plenty of pre-match anxiety as I would have liked to have been able to prep more. Plus, one never knows after a long absence from WM’s just how one will respond in the heat of battle.”
WWE’s one-year build towards The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII: “The journey between now and WM28 in Miami could well be very compelling especially considering that a main event has already been tabbed. I have no issue whatsoever in dubbing a main event a year in advance because that provides fans with a destination and hopefully the journey to the destination will be full of twists and turns.”
Watching the premiere of Tough Enough alongside Steve Austin: “I hear that the upcoming episodes are much more compelling that the first, of which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
His post can be accessed here. Ross also noted that WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher needs a hip replacement.
TNA star Kurt Angle was guest on this past Monday’s Wrestling News Live podcast hosted by JJ and Trey. Kurt stopped by to discuss the recent “Twittergate” scandal that emerged during the WrestleMania 27 broadcast and the boys allowed Kurt to clear the air and give his side of the story.
Kurt apologized on behalf of what happened but found that upon further investigation his twitter account was not hacked but was used by a family member after Kurt went to bed.
Kurt addressed what was said about both Jack Swagger and Randy Orton and he had since talked with Orton and things between them are fine, he has no issues with Swagger
The interview can be heard at Archive.org, starting at the 30 minute mark.
— Jillian Hall, who has not wrestled since being released from her WWE contract on November 19, 2010, has announced plans to return to the squared circle.
The former WWE Divas Champion is accepting bookings for signings and wrestling appearances via jillian9hall@aol.com.
— Former WWE Divas Lilian Garcia and Candice Michelle hosted a Tough Enough aftershow this past Monday night discussing its premiere as well as their time in the wrestling industry. Both Tommy Dreamer and Torrie Wilson called in to the program. To view the episode, here. Torrie Wilson joins the program next week as a regular.
Next week’s episode will start at its normal time, 11:15 p.m. ET/ 8:15 p.m. PT, via ustream.tv/afterbuzztv.
— NBC has launched a WWE Tough Enough app via iTunes.
Former WWE superstar Chris Jericho has impressed many with his performances thus far on Dancing With The Stars, but Jericho found himself on the verge of elimination this week.
Jericho, who performed this week as “Chris Irvine” (his real name), was in the bottom two this week and almost got voted off the show before talk show host Wendy Williams was eliminated.
Jericho wrote the following on Twitter regarding the close call:
“Wow, what a mindfunk. But like Tom (a judge) said, it’s the final two, not the bottom two. Don’t forget that every vote counts…
“Big false finish on DWTS tonight, but I kicked out at two and a half! Ready for the big babyface comeback next week.”
Unlike previous weeks, there were no WWE divas shown in the crowd this week.
Despite the fact that their WrestleMania 27 match was billed as “no holds barred” and anything goes, WWE has announced on its corporate website that both The Undertaker and Triple H have been fined for hitting eachother in the head with steel chairs. The announcement reads:
“Superstars Fined for Chair Shot
Pursuant to WWE’s Concussion policy, the stunt of using a folded metal chair shot to the head is prohibited. Triple H and The Undertaker have both been fined for violating this policy at WrestleMania XXVII. WWE penalizes through fine and/or suspension for violation of this policy, which is unchanged and still in effect.”
Granted, this is a storyline fine, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering the stipulation of their match.
With this policy in place – WWE can expect to collect a ton of money from their talent following the upcoming “Extreme Rules” pay-per-view.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night to promote his new movie Fast Five and had a lot to say about his return to WWE.
They showed some clips from The Rock’s biggest movies, including The Scorpion King, The Tooth Fiary, Faster and Fast Five, the latest installment of the Fast and Furious series, co-starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.
The Rock talked about his decision to return to the ring at WrestleMania next year in a dream match against John Cena. The Rock said he and Vince McMahon have remained very close since he left the ring seven years ago and said the two of them have been discussing ways for The Rock to do something special for the fans. Jay Leno joked that The Rock should wrestle Charlie Sheen and said The Rock has really “let himself go” since leaving the ring and has a belly now.
Leno asked The Rock to do his trademark People’s Eyebrow, which he did, to a loud ovation from the crowd.
Overall a great segment, the audience was very into The Rock and he came across as the big- time movie star that he is.
Monday’s episode of WWE RAW saw the long-awaited debut of recently-signed Mexican lucha libre star Sin Cara. What many probably don’t know is that WWE used an old school trick to add a little extra “boost” to Sin Cara’s high-flying offensive attack on Sheamus.
When Sin Cara ran to the ring, a WWE crew member actually pushed a mini-trampoline from under the ring, which he used to springboard into the ring. Check out the video below of his debut, you can actually see the trampoline for a second during the wide shot before he runs to the ring:
There was said to be a lot of concern backstage that the stunt could go wrong if the trampoline wasn’t in the exact right position – which it wasn’t. The trampoline was positioned so close to the ring that Cara almost didn’t clear the top rope when he went to attack Sheamus.
In related news, Sin Cara actually called an “audible” during his debut and the top rope cross-body attack on Sheamus is not what was originally planned. Cara was booked to hit a flying “tornado twist”splash, but toned it down and went with a high crossbody instead. The tornado twist would have had a lot more impact but after the trampoline stunt almost went wrong, he decided to keep it more conservative and not risk too much during his first appearance.
Sin Cara will be appearing on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, so at this point, there’s still no word on which brand he’ll settle down on.
There is said to be a lot of pressure on Sin Cara right now, with most in WWE having very high expectations for him to climb the roster ranks in the coming weeks. So far, so good.
The USA Network issued the following on Tuesday night:
“WWE TOUGH ENOUGH” PUTS REALITY WORLD ON NOTICE IN DEBUT
WWE TOUGH ENOUGH premiered to huge numbers last night in its debut on USA Network. WWE TOUGH ENOUGH is #2 new reality series premiere of the year on cable in P18-49 and P18-34.
– P18-49: 1.969 million
– P25-54: 1.714 million
– Total Viewers: 3.326 million
– P18-34: 1.064 million
WWE TOUGH ENOUGH premiered last night immediately following WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, and moves into its regularly scheduled timeslot, Mondays at 8/7c, starting on Monday, April 11.
Sunny’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was nixed from last night’s broadcast on the USA Network in favor of Drew Carey’s since a promotional deal is in place to push his new series on GSN. It was done in spite of her induction speech being advertised for the telecast the previous week on Monday Night Raw.
“The Original Diva” commented on being snubbed from the television broadcast, writing on Facebook: “Well, even though I was told by many, including office staff, that I had the best speech of the night, I was still bumped in favor of a game show host who was booed all night….hmmm, oh well.”
She also responded to those criticizing her induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on various Internet forums.
“When all the other divas come up to me and say “Thank you for paving the way, you are the reason we all have jobs”, it really means something.
“To be appreciated by my peers means so much more than what some dude who lives in his Mom’s basement and writes his opinions for an internet website has to say about me and my induction… you all can kiss my Hall of Fame bootie!!”
She added, “I would appreciate if everyone stopped posting the websites posting negative stuff on my wall…b/c it doesnt MATTER what they think…what matters is what the WWE and VKM think. Period.”
— TMZ.com reports that the people behind Pit Boss have teamed up with VH1 to produce a show centered around the wives of famous professional wrestlers.
According to the report, the show will star Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman (wife of Booker T), Stacy Carter (ex-wife of Jerry Lawler) and Jackie Haas (wife of Charlie Haas).
The show will be centered around Booker T’s wrestling school in Texas, which Sharmell helps run.
— Raw Superstar Yoshi Tatsu has launched an account on Twitter.
— John Cena is advertised for next week’s episode of Tough Enough on the USA Network. The program airs at 8:00 p.m.
The Associated Press published an article today indicating that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin declined an offer to appear on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
The WWE Hall of Famer said Monday that he wasn’t interested because he has “two left feet” and his rhythm is “so-so at best.”
Austin says he enjoys the program, and is supporting fellow wrestler Chris Jericho.
He says Jericho “never gets nervous” and that “he’s going to go far.”
The article acknowledges his involvement with WWE Tough Enough. Austin says he appreciates the show because the avenue was not available when he tried to break into the wrestling industry.
— Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi told TMZ.com during an impromptu interview that her wrestling career is over. She said she has way too much going on in her life to focus on WWE.
Polizzi won her debut match at WrestleMania XXVII Sunday, defeating Michelle McCool following a series of aerobatic maneuvers.
— WWEShop.com has released three merchandise items on Sin Cara including a replica mask, a Bienvenido Authentic T-Shirt and a Basics T-Shirt.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is scheduled for tonight’s episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
— On Raw, The Corre came down and attacked both The Rock and John Cena. The heels worked over the WrestleMania XXVIII opponents until they fought back and got the upper hand. Rock and Cena cleared Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson out of the ring and Heath Slater was the unlucky Corre member who got the brunt of Cena and Rock’s revenge. Rock and Cena hit their finishers on Heath Slater and cleared the ring. Cena put his hand out and The Rock shook it. Cena then left the ring and The Rock celebrated to end the show as Cena walked up to the ramp.
— WWE followed up on their claim that they set the Georgia Dome attendance record with 71,617 fans at WrestleMania XXVII.
“Confirmed by our friends at The Georgia Dome, WWE WrestleMania XXVII did in fact set the entertainment event record, with 71,617 fans,” according to a post on WWE’s Facebook page.
“The previous record holder, the Backstreet Boys, hosted 65,658 fans on Feb. 19, 2000. The number quoted by Billboard.com in a 2009 article was for a two-day event in Atlanta, not a single performance.”
— It was reported earlier that WWE planned on releasing several talents following WrestleMania XXVII. The latest word is that between 12 and 14 talents will be cut.
— The April 1 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 1.94 cable rating, which is in line with the previous week’s show. The show averaged 3.0 million viewers over the course of two hours.
– Prior to their epic match at Sunday’s WrestleMania 27, sources report that WWE officials were discussing a Triple H vs. The Undertaker rematch for WrestleMania 28 in 2012 from Miami, Florida.
Based on what we saw at RAWand Triple H saying he would be waiting when Taker returned, it looks like they are indeed heading in that direction.
– John Cena and The Rock posted the following on Twitter about what went down on RAW and their big match next year at WrestleMania:
John Cena: “CeNation. I truly can not believe what happened tonight. Only in the WWE. WM 28. HERE WE COME!”
The Rock: “TEAM BRING IT – Wrestlemania 28 Miami, FL. – The People’s Champ…The People’s City…The People’s Wrestlemania. IT’S OUR TIME..”
In a fantasy bout for the ages, John Cena will face Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson next year at WrestleMania XXVIII, emanating from The Great One’s hometown of Miami, Florida.
The match-up WWE is advertising as “the match the world wants to see” was announced at the conclusion of Raw during a confrontation between The Rock and John Cena. The Rock accepted Cena’s challenge for a match, but said it would be at WrestleMania XXVIII.
The Rock extended his hand to Cena, which he shook. Following their handshake agreement, the two were jumped by The Corre. Cena and Rock fought the group off and two shook hands again to conclude Raw.
— Joey Styles took a shot at Kurt Angle tonight on Twitter for claiming that his account was hacked, writing: “I’m watching Jack Swagger apply the Ankle Lock to The King and wondering if anyone’s twitter account will be hacked.”
CM Punk wrote earlier today, “My twitter account was hacked”, is the new: “I’m a sloppy drunk douche”.
— Former WWE star Billy Gunn was backstage at WrestleMania XXVII last night.
— Chris Jericho appears on the syndicated show Rachael Ray Tuesday to discuss Dancing with the Stars.
— When United States Champion Sheamus refused to relent against a defeated Daniel Bryan tonight on Raw, a masked wrestler sprung onto the scene to assist. The internationally-renowned luchador, Sin Cara, leveled The Celtic Warrior and saved Bryan before exiting.
— Matches taped tonight in Atlanta, Georgia for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Tyson Kidd vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Santino Marella vs. Ted DiBiase.
— Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder in a dark match prior to tonight’s Monday Night Raw taping in Atlanta, Georgia.
Two matches have been announced for tonight’s Raw broadcast on the USA Network.
A title match is on tap as Sheamus will defend the United States Championship against Daniel Bryan. The match was originally scheduled for the WrestleMania XXVII pay-per-view broadcast.
Randy Orton will team up with Rey Mysterio to take on CM Punk and Cody Rhodes.
John Cena is advertised to call out Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Johnson announced earlier today on Twitter that he would be making a ‘special announcement’.
Tough Enough personalities “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Booker T, Trish Stratus and Bill DeMott are scheduled to appear during the show.
Sunny’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame has been nixed from tonight’s broadcast on the USA Network in favor of Drew Carey’s since a promotional deal is in place to push his new series on GSN. The comedian’s acceptance speech was significantly edited and all boos directed at him were edited out.
A highlight reel showcasing Sunny, Abdullah the Butcher and Bob Armstrong will air.
The special will open up with Dusty Rhodes inducting The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The broadcast will close with the Hall of Fame induction of Shawn Michaels. His speech was heavily edited as it lasts approximately four minutes. Triple H’s crack on Michaels “refusing to join the Hulk Hogan hair club,” however, remains intact.
TNA Wrestling talent Ric Flair, who attended the event, is not shown during the broadcast.
As we’ve been covering here on the site, Kurt Angle went on a rant on Twitter last night – accusing Randy Orton, Jack Swagger and Jerry Lawler for “stealing” his wrestling moves at WrestleMania.
Randy Orton responded to Angle’s accusations, which you can read here.
Angle then responded to that – claiming his Twitter account was actually hacked – and it wasn’t him who made the posts.
CM Punk has chimed in on the Kurt Angle situation, providing some enlightening insight as to what really happened with Angle’s Twitter account. Punk tweeted on Monday:
“my twitter account was hacked”, is the new: “I’m a sloppy drunk douche”.
– Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler mentioned during a recent interview that she would be appearing on Tough Enough. It marks as her first involvement with WWE since parting ways with the organization in 2006.
— Coming out of this weekend, WWE reportedly wants to put a celebrity and a female personality into the Hall of Fame every year going forward.
— Tonight’s episode of Raw is scheduled to go off the air at 11:15 p.m. at the earliest but the USA Network has given WWE permission to go later if need be as they want a strong lead-in for the premiere of Tough Enough.
— Colt Cabana was at WrestleMania XXVII visiting friends.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is teasing an announcement for Raw tonight.
“Team Bring It – I have a very special announcement tonight on Raw,” he wrote on his Twitter account. “The People’s Champ to The People.”
WWE is advertising The Rock to interact with WWE Champion The Miz and John Cena after his role in the finish of their match at WrestleMania XXVII.
— DirecTV’s feed of last night’s WrestleMania XXVII pay-per-view event halted during the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole match.
— In the following video on WWE.com, Michael Cole proclaims himself the new “Mr. WrestleMania” after his victory over Jerry Lawler last night at WrestleMania XXVII.
