SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • John Cena & WWE Win Awards For Their Use Of Social Media

    Social media news website Mashable.com has announced their “2010 Mashable Awards” winners, which recognizes “the very best of tech and the web.” With over 1.3 million votes cast, both WWE and John Cena were among the award winners, alongside Twitter, Google’s Android mobile operating system and Apple’s iPhone.

    Here are the awards given to WWE for its “Stand Up for WWE” campaign and John Cena for his tremendous work helping sick children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation:

    Most Creative Social Media Campaign: Stand Up For WWE:

    “In an effort to “set the records straight” about inaccurate media portrayals, World Wrestling Entertainment launched the Stand Up For WWE campaign, using social media and video to gather support from its fans. It also posted a list lesser known facts about WWE and inaccuracies and corrections to media portrayals from across the web with facts accompanying the claims. The campaign included videos with its superstars as well as the likes of President Barack Obama.”

    Most Influential Social Good Champion: John Cena

    ohn Cena is a WWE personality and actor who leverages his social media presence and influence for good. He’s been heavily involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2004, granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. He’s earned the foundation’s highest honor, the Chris Greicius Award and was later named Wish Ambassador by the organization. He uses his online presence to encourage his fans to take part in the foundation’s mission to grant wishes, and most recently he is encouraging the donation of Delta frequent flyer miles, which he’s already contributed 3 million matching miles for.

    For more on the awards, visit Mashable.com.

  • JR Blog: Hogan’s Rough 2010, Jack Swagger, Talent Scouting

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

    Hulk Hogan: “Hulk had a hellaciously challenging 2010 and here’s hoping that he has a much better 2011. Losing one’s Mom is a challenging piece of business. I was in the UK for a WWE event there when I got word that my Mom had died suddenly at age 64.”

    Jack Swagger: “WWE is taping Smackdown in Tulsa at the new, tricked out BOK Center on Tuesday January 18. I did some media for the event Thursday. Lots of Jack Swagger talk during the interview. I hope that Swagger has a big 2011 and feel that he is a long way away from his peak or approaching his potential. The former Sooner is a superb, natural athlete. The writer also asked me about the soon to be available OU Sooner Football radio gig of which is still on my ‘dream job’ list but as I have mentioned before I think it’s a long shot for me.”

    Scouting New Young Talent: “Yours truly will be headed to FCW next week to meet with and observe WWE rookies. This is one of my favorite trips to make these days as the future of WWE largely rests in the developmental program where the evolution of developing new stars begins in earnest.”

    As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com for JR’s great line of BBQ products.

  • Jim Ross Blogs MMA: Chael Sonnen, Strikeforce Tournament

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Ross spoke about a number of MMA topics this week – here’s what he said about:

    Chael Sonnen: “I’m still a fan of the embattled UFC fighter and hope that he gets his ‘house in order’ so that he can resume his MMA career. It won’t be easy but Sonnen’s public image can be rehabilitated as long as he’s sincere and honest about such. Even smart individuals make stupid mistakes and Chael has made a couple of very public ones. People/fans will forgive Sonnen to some degree in time.”

    Strikeforce’s Upcoming Heavyweight Tournament: “Good idea by Scott Coker. Timely considering that the UFC’s heavyweight division is seemingly in somewhat a state of flux largely due to injuries. I’m hoping that Coker/Strikeforce can craft the bracket that they envision, that the fighters don’t become problematic due to ego or injury, and that Showtime doesn’t try and become ‘match makers.’ Imagine NBC telling a NFL team who to play and what plays to run. Showtime might want to focus on how to produce effective personality profiles so that casual fans will have a clue as to who the heavyweights actually are and why all fans should watch the tournament. Emotional investment is just as crucial in MMA as it is in pro wresting. Same for the NFL as evidenced as to how important the ‘home field advantage’ is during the playoffs.”

  • Barrett Advertised For SD, Nexus Possibly Adding Female Member

    — WWE creative has recently discussed adding a female enforcer to The Nexus faction.

    — Wade Barrett is being advertised to face Big Show at tomorrow night’s SmackDown live event in Lexington, Kentucky, replacing Alberto Del Rio.

    — Chris Jericho will be playing with his band Fozzy next Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California.

    — WrestleMania headliner King Kong Bundy has launched an account on Twitter.

    source: PWInsider.com

  • Massaro Possibly Starring In New Reality Dating Show (Pictures)

    According to the gossip section of this morning’s New York Daily News, former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro is reportedly involved in a new reality series that would feature her as the object of affection for a group of men who would face off in mixed martial arts bouts in order to win her heart.

    Speaking of Massaro, here are some recent pictures from her Twitter udpates:

  • Big Update On The Fan Suing The Rock, Triple H & WWE

    Earlier this week, wrestling fan Ronald Basham sued World Wrestling Entertainment, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul “Triple H” Levque, claiming he was injured while in the audience at WWE’s Judgement Day pay-per-view back in 2000.

    During the main event of that show, The Rock battled Triple H in a street fight, with the two wrestlers brawling into the crowd. Basham alleges that he was injured during the brawl and says WWE failed properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque have been accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” He claims to have suffered lingering injuries over the past decade as a result of the incident and recently had knee surgery, for which he’s seeking compensation.

    Well, according to TMZ.com, Basham’s leg couldn’t have been too badly hurt by The Rock and Triple H, because he played high school football and has participated in stock car racing for years. Up until his lawsuit was filed, his Facebook page featured various photos of him raacing cars, including pictures of him crashing into a wall.

    Basham’s lawyer tells TMZ.com, “He has a long medical history with knee problems and as far as I know his knee was never injured [from racing cars].”

    Considering his high school football career and his habit of crashing race cars into walls, it seems he will have a difficult time proving WWE, The Rock and Triple H are the ones responsible for his recent knee surgery.

    Nice try though!

  • *SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Tonight

    * Percy Watson defeated Chavo Guerrero in a dark match that took place prior to SmackDown.

    * In the opening match, World Heavyweight champion Edge defeated Kane in a Last Man Standing match.

    * Kofi Kingston pinned Dolph Ziggler to win the WWE Intercontinental championship. After the match, Ziggler attacked Kingston. Vickie Guerrero cut a promo demanding a restart. Kingston won again.

    * Backstage, Drew McIntyre and Kelly Kelly had a segment.

    * #1 Contender’s match: Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show. Vickie Guerrero came out and added Dolph Ziggler to the match. Dolph Ziggler pinned Cody to become the number one contender. Wade Barrett came out during the match and attacked Big Show.

    * Another promo aired hyping Ezekiel Jackson’s move to SmackDown.

    * Michelle McCool pinned Kelly Kelly. LayCool attacked Kelly after the match but Drew McIntyre hit the ring and cleared it to make the save.

    * In a Best of Three Falls, match, Alberto Del Rio got the first fall on Rey Mysteiro. Del Rio avoided the 619 and nailed the rolling armbreaker for the first fall. Rey came back to win the second fall. Del Rio scored the pin in Fall Three after Ricardo holds Rey’s leg down. Rey kicked the crap out of Ricardo after the match.

  • Update On Movie Theaters Showing WrestleMania In 3D

    With the increasing popularity of 3D feature films and 3D televisions becoming more accessible to consumers, WWE has been working on producing its own 3D content. According to a reliable source, WWE is negotiating with Fathom Events to air this year’s WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view in 3D in movie theaters across the United States.

    While the idea of WrestleMania 3D sounds pretty amazing, fans should not get their hopes up just yet – as the two parties have still not yet come to terms on [what else] money.

    According to a new report from the Chicago Independent Press, WWE wants 47 percent of PPV revenue for 3D buys, which is standard for WWE PPVs, but Fathom reportedly wants a larger cut. WWE also wants 60-70 percent of revenue from theaters but Fathom isn’t willing to give that much away.

    The negotiations have reportedly stalled and with WrestleMania coming up in just 3 months, the window opportunity for both sides to reach an agreement is closing.

  • Trailer Released For WWE’s Triple H Movie “The Chaperone”

    The trailer for WWE Studios’ movie featuring Triple H, The Chaperone, has been released. Click here to view it.

    The Chaperone will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in March.

    The synopsis from ComingSoon.net reads: “In the film, Ray Bradstone (Triple H) is the best “wheel man in the business,” but he is determined to go straight and be the best parent he can be to his daughter, Sally (Winter), and make amends with his ex-wife, Lynne (Gish). As Ray struggles to find honest work, his old bank-robbing crew, led by Phillip Larue (Corrigan), offers him one last job. He agrees at first, but changes his mind at the last second leaving the crew without a driver. Ray decides instead to serve as a “chaperone” for Sally’s school field trip. When the robbery goes awry, Larue blames Ray and chases the school bus all the way to the Museum of Natural History in New Orleans. Ray must deal with Larue, while supervising Sally’s class on what becomes one of the craziest school trips ever.”

  • Kingston Discusses WWE’s PG Product, AJ Lee Cuts Heel Promo

    — The Huntsville Times recently conducted an interview with Kofi Kingston promoting next Monday’s SmackDown live event in the area. The article contrasts WWE’s family-friendly, PG product to the “Attitude Era.” Kingston adamantly feels that wrestling can be PG.

    “Absolutely,” Kingston said. “It’s one of those things where anyone can come to the show. Back in the day, it was a little more different and more intense. There were a lot of teenagers and adults in the crowd and you didn’t want to bring your kids to the show.

    “We’ve done a better job and tried to be more creative to tell a story that everyone can enjoy. We want to create an experience the parents can bring the kids to. We’ve worked hard to do that and it’s a route we want to go.”

    — In a sharp contrast to her plucky underdog babyface character on the third season of NXT, AJ portrays a snooty heel in Florida Championship Wrestling. Click here to see video of AJ bragging about being the first and only Diva to hold the Florida Divas Championship and Queen of FCW crown.

    — Joey Styles announced today on Twitter that photoshoots of Divas who choose to pose will be posted every Thursday on WWE.com. The website posted new photos of Gail Kim.

  • Match Originally Planned For The Rumble, Superstars Preview

    — The WWE Championship Match for the Royal Rumble was originally planned to be a Triple Threat Match featuring John Morrison, Randy Orton and The Miz. There was also talk of adding Sheamus to the bout, making it a Fatal 4-Way Match. But as seen Monday, it will be a rematch from TLC featuring Orton vs. The Miz.

    — WWE.com is advertising United States Champion Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kidd for tonight’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America. Other matches scheduled to take place include JTG vs. Tyler Reks, Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins, and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zack Ryder.

    — The total amount of wrestling action on this week’s episode of NXT was 13 minutes and 3 seconds.

    source: www.f4wonline.com

  • Triple H’s Power In WWE, Cena & Mysterio Injury Updates

    – With Shane McMahon gone from WWE, Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H are seen as the successors to the WWE empire. Triple H has been a power player behind the scenes for years and many in the company see this year as a time when Vince will shift more responsibilities to his son in law. While Vince is not going anywhere any time soon, the overall feeling within WWE is that the company will be in good hands under Triple H and Stephanie.

    – There’s still no word yet on the severity of John Cena’s hip injury or when he will be ready to return to action. Everybody is hoping that Cena will be healthy enough to compete at the Royal Rumble and he will be keeping a very light schedule until then.

    – As we reported earlier this week, Rey Mysterio has been pulled from this weekend’s WWE live events and will be replaced by Big Show in matches against Alberto Del Rio. This is part of John Laurinaitis agreeing to give Mysterio an even easier schedule while he’s recovering from a shoulder tear. Rey will continue to work television and pay-per-view events, but like Cena, will be kept off live events for the time being while his injury heals.

    (Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the info used in this report)

  • NXT News: First Elimination, Updated Win/Loss Records

    – SmackDown star Dolph Ziggler won a Pros Battle Royal on Tuesday night’s WWE NXT which allowed him to switch out his Rookie. Ziggler dropped Jacob Novak, who was later eliminated, and selected up Byron Saxton as his new Rookie. Chris Masters, who had Byron Saxton, was given Jacob Novak.

    – Coming out of this week’s WWE NXT, Rookie Derrick Bateman still has a win-loss record of 0-3 while Conor O’Brian still leads the pack with a record of 2-0. Jacob Novak was eliminated with a record of 1-2.

    Here’s the updated win-loss records for this season:

    • Conor O’Brian: 2-0
    • Byron Saxton: 3-1
    • Brodus Clay: 2-1
    • Johnny Curtis: 1-3
    • Derrick Bateman: 0-3
    • Jacob Novak (eliminated): 1-2

  • Update On WrestleMania Plans, Average RAW Rating For 2010

    – With WrestleMania 27 now less than 3 months away, WWE’s creative team reportedly has come up with 6 matches for the event that they hope to build towards in the coming months.

    The top two matches WWE is set on are The Miz defending the WWE Championship against John Cena and The Undertaker putting his streak on the line against former Nexus leader Wade Barrett. The Barrett vs. The Undertaker match would be a continuation of the angle that took place at Survivor Series, where Nexus took out the Undertaker and helped Kane bury him alive in their World Heavyweight title match.

    The Undertaker is still recovering from shoulder surgery and it’s not 100% that he’ll be healthy enough to work a singles match in  time for WrestleMania, so there are various backup scenarios being discussed.

    – One of the biggest stories of 2010 was the decline in WWE’s overall business – from pay-per-view buyrates to house show attendence and merchandise sales. WWE’s ratings were no different – with the average RAW rating for the year taking a dip from prior years.

    For the year of 2010, WWE’s Monday Night RAW averaged a 3.28 cable rating – down 8% from 2009’s 3.57 average.  By comparison, RAW averaged a 3.27 in 2008, a 3.61 in 2007 and a 3.9 back in 2006.

  • Matt Hardy Talks Returning To WWE, The PG Era & More

    Former WWE superstar Matt Hardy appeared on the Hit The Ropes radio show this week. Here are some highlights of what Hardy said about:

    The “PG Era” In WWE: “I see why they do it; I don’t necessarily agree with it. I think it puts them in a tough spot. I think it’s still cool that TNA has the ability to do things that are a little edgy. But once again, you don’t need people bleeding every match and you don’t need every match to be a ladder match. I think things have to be promoted smart and wisely.”

    Starting An Indy Promotion: I’ve talked with different guys about it already and I’ve definitely started making some small plans and as time goes on they’ll start materializing more and more.”

    Returning To WWE: “If I did go back there I would want to go back there and work a part-time schedule. I just think my body, where I’m at right now, I’m past working 300-plus days a year right now… I’d still be willing to work hard and work a majority of the shows but still not just out there in the trenches, day in and day out, like I have been for the past 13 years.”

  • JR Blog: Sting In The HOF, Paul Orndorff’s Cancer, WWE’s MVP

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com As always, check out JR’s website for his delicious line of BBQ products. Here are some highlights of what Ross said about:

    Sting In The WWE Hall of Fame:

    We’re getting lots of emails and Tweets, @JRsBBQ, regarding Sting these days. BTW has he left TNA? I actually don’t know the answer to that one but suspect that Sting is still officially with TNA. Nonetheless many fans hope that Sting is inducted in the WWE HOF in Atlanta at WM27. Theoretically, if Sting were not working for another wrestling company, it would be a splendid idea. It still might be but that’s not for me to speculate on. Sting was the first and only WCW star that Turner’s people ‘made’ in Atlanta that never wrestled for WWE as best that I recall.

    Paul Orndorff Announcing He Has Cancer:

    Sorry to hear of Paul Orndorff was recently diagnosed with having cancer. PO is a tough man, I know this without hype or speculation, and saw him in action as a young dude being mentored by Cowboy Bill Watts in Mid South Wrestling. Paul was a former running back for the University of Tampa and played with former NFL star Freddie Solomon. Our prayers are with PO and I have complete faith that Mr. Wonderful will be physically wonderful at the end of the day. Paul was a helluva hand in his day who was never afraid of ‘heat’ when he was one of the most hated villains in the business. Trust me, all wrestling villains could not honestly say that they had absolutely no fear of intense, fan angst but Mr. Wonderful could.

    Who Will Be The MVP Of WWE In 2011

    Who will be WWE MVP by year’s end. If he stays healthy an argument could be made, at least in my point of view, that it might be CM Punk. Punk knows how to be physical and punishing in logical, easy to follow methods plus the guy can talk. Those traits work for me. Plus he won’t miss work, moan about non, major injuries and seems to never burn out.

  • Daniel Bryan Interview: Dream Feud, Wrestling Cena & More

    Here are some highlights of what Daniel Bryan said to Slam Wrestling during a recent interview:

    His Cattle Mutilation Submission Hold:

    “I didn’t really believe the Cattle Mutilation would get over with the WWE Universe, and the reason why is because it’s such a TV-oriented product. There are a lot of downfalls to it. (In the Cattle Mutilation) you can’t see the other guy’s face, and on top of that, it’s very difficult to do it to big guys; I don’t have long arms. For example Ezekiel Jackson — he’s an enormous guy — there’s no way I’d be able to hook my arms through his arms like that. It was more me — no one mentioned anything to me about it. I’ll occasionally throw the Cattle Mutilation out there in places where I think there’s more of the independent fanbase, just as a tribute to them because they’re the people who got me to where I am today.”

    Who He Wants To Feud With:

    “CM Punk moved over to the Raw brand, so I’m actually hoping that me and him get to feud a little bit. We got to wrestle in the independents and we had some really good matches and I think the WWE Universe would be really excited about it.”

    “I’d love to wrestle Tyson Kidd. We tag teamed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2003 and I think we even did a singles match in Budokan Hall in Japan.” ?

    His 2003 Match Against John Cena On Velocity:

    “It hasn’t been brought up between the two of us, I haven’t seen it in years. The match was almost scrapped. That was the night he was going to come out in an interview and do something with Brock Lesnar. He was doing this major, main event thing, so they (WWE’s bookers) were saying, ‘We don’t want him in this Velocity match with an independent guy.’ I thought it was a good match and it gets me excited because I know we both progressed in our careers and if we ever got to wrestle again it would be really good.”

    In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a video clip of Daniel Bryan’s (then Bryan Danielson) match against John Cena back in 2003:

  • Cover Art For Big Show DVD, Steel Cage Match Pops Large Rating

    — WWEDVDNews.com has released the cover art for World Wrestling Entertainment’s upcoming DVD set on Big Show, Big Show: A Giant’s World. The cover features the WWE Superstar grasping a miniature wrestling ring.

    To view the cover art, click here. The three-disc set is scheduled for release on Feb. 22.

    — In the segment-by-segment numbers for Monday’s Raw, the WWE Title Match between The Miz and John Morrison drew a 3.1 for the first quarter and a 3.2 for the second quarter; Maryse, Melina and Alicia Fox vs. Brie Bella, Eve Torres and Natalya tumbled to 2.9; the in-ring segment with CM Punk, Wade Barrett and The Nexus setting up main event stipulations grew the rating to a 3.2; Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth fell to 3.0; backstage interviews with Randy Orton and The Nexus fell to 2.7; beginning of the Steel Cage Match between Orton, Barrett and Sheamus grew to 3.2 and then increased to 3.8 for the overrun. From start to finish, the Steel Cage Match gained 1,611,000 viewers.

    Overall, the show drew a 3.08 cable rating, with 4.51 million viewers.

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Paul Orndorff Talks About His Cancer, Never Being WWE Champ

    Busted Open with ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff
    Hosts: Dave LaGreca & Doug Mortman
    Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4 PM ET

    Here are some highlights of what Paul Orndorff said about:

    Never having held the WWF Championship: “I was a rebel. I’m proud and I’m not proud of that. I let my work do my talking. I wasn’t a very good politician. I said what I thought. I did what I thought was right for me and my family. Were they the right thing? I don’t know. Were they the wrong thing? I don’t know. Am I rich? Hell no. I have cancer right now. I wished I had saved some of my money…but that’s just the way it is.”

    Where he is with his Cancer: “I don’t know, I’m going to the doctors and they’re doing things and I brought that up not for sympathy but because I don’t want it. I just found out. And I’m sitting here telling you all this stuff because I wonder if maybe I should have just played the game.”

    The difference between the WWE and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame (he is in both): “Well one is chosen by your peers, and one is chosen by Vince McMahon. I would pick the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (as the most prestigious) because it’s chosen by the people you worked with. I think it holds more ground. Why would the NFL or baseball do it (that way) if it wasn’t the way to go?”

    Randy Savage and Bruno Sammartino not being in the WWE Hall of Fame: “Well they didn’t kiss (McMahon’s) ass. Of course a lot of guys didn’t kiss his ass believe it or not. I damn sure didn’t…That’s just life. It’s nice that I’m in (the WWE Hall of Fame), but if I had to choose between the two, (I would choose) the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.”

  • Fan Sues The Rock, Triple H & WWE Over 2000 PPV Incident

    A wrestling fan from Indiana is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestlers Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Levesque (Triple) H for an incident that happened at WWE Judgement Day 2000 from Louisville, Kentucky.

    During the main event of Judgement Day between The Rock and Triple H, the two wrestlers brawled into the crowd and the fan alleges that he was injured during the scuffle.

    The lawsuit accuses the WWE of failing to properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque are accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” The fan is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.

    Harris Berman, the fan’s attorney, said that because the fan was only 7 years old (a minor) at the time of the incident, the lawsuit is not prohibited by the statute of limitations. According to Mr. Berman, the fan has been to various doctors over the years concerning his leg and recently had surgery, spurring him to file the lawsuit.

    For more on this story, visit Courrier-Journal.com.

  • Unaired Diva Footage From Raw, Value Of McMahon’s Trust Fund

    — Footage has surfaced from the live feed of Monday’s Raw of Melina, Maryse and Alicia Fox apparently ad-libbing a promo prior to their Divas Tag Match against Natalya, Eve Torres and Brie Bella.

    Melina gives a half-hearted explanation for her recent actions against Natalya by simply saying, “I guess I don’t really have anything to say other than, I guess I just get a little emotional.” She then laughs and passes the microphone to Maryse, who proceeds to speak in French. Alicia Fox then says, “This is true class right here so just get used to it.”

    Click here to see the video.

    — Several top World Wrestling Entertainment executives received major stock options at the end of 2010. For instance, Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn sold 18,000 shares for $258,300 on Dec 29. Shares of WWE stock owned by Dunn are currently worth $1.77 million. A trust fund Vince McMahon earmarked in 2008, which is separate from his own stock portfolio, sold 2,866,944 shares on Dec. 29—equal to $41,140,646. The current value of his trust fund following the sale is approximately $146 millio

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Del Rio Feud vs. Mysterio To End, Christian Appearing At FCW

    — This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.

    — Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.

    — The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.

  • 300×600 Fight Day Test

  • Matt Hardy Talks About Jeff’s Legal Issues & Tag Team Wrestling

    The Poughkeepsie Journal has published a new interview with former WWE superstar Matt Hardy, which you can read here in its entirety. Here are some highlights of what Matt said about:

    WWE’s Main Goal, His Favorite Performer & The Sad State Of Tag Team Wrestling:

    “It saddens me and it bothers me. Looking at WWE, their main goal right now is to search for the next big thing that can draw. John Cena is the guy that is the centerpiece.

    “Randy Orton is probably my favorite performer right now. But they still can’t find that one person like a Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock that can spark the business to burn through the economy. That’s what they’re looking for and Vince, or WWE, isn’t going to focus on tag team wrestling or a cruiserweight division.”

    What’s Changed The Most Since He First Joined WWE:

    “What’s changed the most, by far, is true creative freedom. When we started with WWE, there was one writer, Vince Russo, and there was Ed Ferrara and those guys really dealt with the top five to eight guys in the company … Now, they try to take so much control over what everybody does. You have to be able to walk a tight line without a net. Sometimes, you’ll fail miserably and sometimes, you’ll look great. Everything is so choreographed now, especially with promos.”

    His Brother Jeff’s Legal Issues:

    “There’s definitely a lot more to everything than meets the eye. I hate it for Jeff. So many people jump to conclusions and that’s where information and the Internet can be somewhat of a negative. With the Internet having such a strength, a snowball effect becomes a full-fledged storm.”

  • Brock Lesnar Announces New Book, Jim Ross Comments

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog with his thoughts about former WWE superstar turned UFC fighter Brock Lesnar’s new book. Ross wrote:

    “[Lesnar’s] new book about his life and times that’s co-written with Paul Heyman is due out April 19. It will be interesting to see how many book signings the intensely private Lesnar does but as the old saying goes, “A signed book is a sold book.” Most MMA insiders think that Lesnar will next fight in July for UFC. With Lesnar off the radar and with nothing currently, publically established for his return, many die hard MMA fanatics seemingly have used that opportunity and Lesnar losing the UFC Heavyweight Title to start ‘hating on’ Brock again. Amazing. Lesnar will never fully live down his time in WWE to many MMA purists. “

    Speaking of Brock Lesnar’s book, he posted a video on YouTube this week explaining that the book will be about his life story and his fight to the top of WWE and UFC, despite all the doubters. Here’s the announcement: