It’s been widely speculated that Morgan is interested in returning to WWE when he is contractually able to do so. No word yet on the nature the “business” Morgan conducted while in town, but we’ll post an update on this story when it’s available.
– As reported earlier, WWE is teasing that Paul Heyman will be at RAW tonight to react to Triple H punching him out last week.
Heyman’s current deal with WWE runs through SummerSlam and he’s expected to be a regular on WWE television through then as a representative of Brock Lesnar.
Former WWE SmackDown head writer Alex Greenfield appeared on the MLW Radio show over the weekend and says he almost got into a physical altercation with Vince McMahon after a disagreement over a proposed SmackDown storyline.
Here’s what Greenfield said about the incident:
“We’re standing right outside the arena. There are fans way back behind the fence wondering what Mr. McMahon is yelling at this little Jewish kid for. I just refused to back down. I was like, my way is the right way. You did it wrong. He said, Damnit, I wish you were 6′ 7″ and I said, I’m not, but I’m standing right here.”
“And there was a moment in that conversation where I thought he was just going to haul off and punch me in the face. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking like a badass here like I would have won this confrontation necessarily. He probably would have broken my jaw.”
“But he really thought about it. I’m convinced to this day that he thought about knocking the [expletive] out of me.”
Part 1 of the MLW Radio interview with Alex Greenfield can be heard here (.MP3).
Kenn Doane, who appeared as Kenny of the Spirit Squad and Kenny Dykstra for WWE from 2006 to 2008, blames an affair between John Cena and Mickie James for ruining his relationship with the former Diva and sabotaging his once promising career. He stated on Twitter that he has received nothing but positive feedback from those in the professional wrestling industry, including WWE employees, for speaking out against the Cenation leader online.
“Thanks for tweets from positive to negative Nothing but positive from those in the ‘biz’ and in the know,” he wrote Sunday night. “Alot of text messages saying all positive things. ‘Goodjob, thank you, ect’ stuff like so. And that’s from WWE employees and non employees.”
Former WWE star Shad Gaspard agrees with the assessment that Doane’s career was ruined due to backstage politics.
He tweeted, “Kenn Doane is a great guy and worker who was held back. Some of the best guys get shitted on for no good reason.”
Doane stated to SEScoops.com that he we wanted to bury the hatchet with Cena at a WWE show last November, but was blown off. He also explained why he’s speaking out now.
“When I was there in November I was actually excited to talk with John and I wanted to bury this all. He walked by I put my hand out and said hey you got a minute? He didn’t shake my hand and said “for you, absolutely not.” So I was like “really OK John, that’s cool,” he recalls. “So to all you people that disagree with me bringing this up now it’s merely to clear my name of having a bad attitude.”
He continues, “Another thing people claim my timing is bad on this and maybe you’re right. John is going through a divorce right now and I really wish him and Liz a peaceful divorce. But if anyone of you lost your job, personal life and then got stuck with a bad reputation, you’re gonna honestly say you wouldn’t do the same thing? Let’s get real people.”
– Jerry “The King” Lawler stated on Twitter that he will be on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Evansville, Indiana for a match against Michael Cole. It is unclear whether the bout will a dark match or televised since the official website of The Ford Center does not have it advertised.
– In this edition of WWE Download, Dolph Ziggler celebrates summer by sharing some of the season’s most humiliating clips he could find.
– The former Bella Twins stated on Twitter that they attended the premiere of Magic Mike over the weekend: “It’s a must see! @RealKevinNash was awesome! Besos!”
– FCW Diva Raquel Diaz (daughter of Vickie & Eddie Guerrero) is now the longest-reigning Divas Champion in FCW history. The previous record holder was WWE Diva Naomi, who now dances with Brodus Clay.
Diaz captured the gold back in December 2011, when she defeated Audrey. Diaz, who worked this weekend’s WWE SmackDown events as ring announcer, tweeted the following about her milestone:
– Metallica may appear at SummerSlam on August 19; the legendary heavy metal group is in negotiations with WWE to perform at the pay-per-view event.
Metallica’s The Memory Remains was used by WWE as one of the official WrestleMania XXVIII theme songs to promote the “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker.
– WWE Divas Champion Layla celebrates her birthday today, however, it is not her thirty-fourth as numerous websites list. She stated yesterday on Twitter that she actually turns thirty-five years old today.
– Vickie Guerrero, who will reign as Interim General Manager on Raw SuperShow and SmackDown this week, tweeted the following: “Ready for my week to have control of Raw and Smackdown…..my office better be ready for occupancy.”
– Booker T is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
With WWE currently finalizing plans for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 15th, some fans will find it surprising that Cena might not be booked on the show.
WWE’s top draw is not currently scheduled for a match at Money in the Bank, but will be returning to the WWE title picture this summer.
As of this weekend, WWE is considering a double main event for SummerSlam that would feature Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H and John Cena challenging CM Punk for the WWE Championship.
While WWE’s plans are always subject to change, advertising for September’s WWE’s Night of Champions pay-per-view suggests that Cena will not be capturing the WWE title at SummerSlam. A commercial airing in the Boston area promoting Night of Champions states, “John Cena returns to his hometown of Boston to try and re-capture championship glory.”
John Cena has been out of the WWE title picture for quite some time and is expected to be chasing the gold for the latter part of the year.
– Rey Mysterio’s 60-day suspension ends today and is able to return to action this week. He is expected to return to television next week.
– Carl Dantes sent in the following preview for Tuesday’s night’s Season 2 premiere of Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures hunting show:
Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures begins its second season this June 26, 2012 on The Outdoor Channel every Tuesdays at 11:30pm eastern (8:30 pm pacific), Wednesdays at 8:00am eastern (5:00am pacific) and Saturdays at 7:00pm eastern (4:00pm pacific) Ch-606 on DirectTV, Ch-396 on Dish Network, Ch-406 on XFINITY TV.
The premiere episode will feature hosts Shawn and Keith stalk the world’s largest land animal with a crossbow in this African adventure. They are hunting for elephant in Zimbabwe, Africa. See just how dangerous it can be when they have a close encounter with a big elephant.
– Suspended WWE superstar Randy Orton continues to get heat with WWE officials, with his latest offense being recent comments he made on Twitter.
Earlier this month, Orton responded to a fan question and said “we can only pray” that he’ll be returning as a heel. WWE is still firmly behind using Orton as a babyface on SmackDown and was not pleased with him venting about being unhappy with his role on television.
As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, despite the Orton’s recent differences with management, he’ll return to the main even scene due to WWE’s current lack of roster depth.
– WWE diva Kharma continues to train for her upcoming return and is said to be very close to ring shape.
There are still plans to bring her back as a babyface and slowly build to a Kharma vs. Beth Phoenix match.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include WWE Divas Champion Layla (34) and Damien Demento (54).
– The WWE Shop website is selling new sunglasses for various WWE superstars.
– Lilian Garcia did some charity work over the weekend, appearing at the 10th Annual LOPen Charity Golf and Concert. She noted on Twitter over the weekend that the event raised over $100,000 for Ohio’s Akron Children Hospital, with WWE donating $14,000 for the cause:
What an amazing magical wkend. We raised over $100,000 for @LopenCharity 2 benefit Akron's Children Hospital in OH! #GreatCause
– Ryback addressed comparisons to Bill Goldberg during an interview with the July 2012 issue of WWE Magazine. When asked what his look tells WWE Universe members, Ryback responded, “All the Rob Van Dam comparisons are fine with me because we actually have the same airbrush guy. I feel like I’m a colorful person in terms of my personality and what people are going to see over time. The plain black look just didn’t cut it for me. It worked for Austin, it worked for Goldberg, but I’m not Austin or Goldberg—I’m Ryback.”
He was also asked why people should care about him over anyone else: “I bring an intensity and excitement that nobody’s seen in a long time. When you watch a Ryback match, you’re going to be entertained one way or another, whether it lasts for two minutes or twenty minutes.
– The late Chris Benoit’s theme song is available for purchase via iTunes. “Whatever” was released under WWE’s 2002 compilation album Forceable Entry. The song is being sold by Sony, which was released under their label.
– Former WWE Superstars Hillbilly Jim, Jacques Rougeau, Hardcore Holly and Michael Tarver have been announced for Legends of the Ring 15, which takes place October 13 at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe, New Jersey.
– WWE has changed the official names of the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches taking place at Money in the Bank on July 15.
In the past, the two annual matches were referred as Smackdown and Raw matches. WWE.com has Big Show listed as the first participant in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
While WWE has yet to announce whether a World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match will take place, F4WOnline.com reports that there are plans to hold it.
– WWE.com has published photos of Beth Phoenix from a photo shoot for WWE Magazine.
– Former WWE Superstars Demolition Ax and Bull Buchanan are advertised to appear at tonight’s NWA Action show in Stockbridge, Georgia. Ax will be inducted into their Hall of Fame while Buchanan will face Tyson Dean for the NWA Action Heavyweight Championship.
– This week’s edition of Are You Serious? with Road Dogg and Josh Mathews features RoboCop appearing at WCW’s Capital Combat to rescue Sting. Also featured are clips of Ric Flair appearing at a mental hospital and Dean Douglas.
– Alicia Fox and John Cena visited wounded warriors and members of the U.S. Military at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland last week. Click here for photos.
– In Mexico, Raw SuperShow is now airing live on Channel 5. The program previously aired on a two-hour taped delay and was edited to ninety minutes.
– Scott Steiner is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
– Randy Orton is advertised for WWE’s upcoming two-event tour of Tokyo, Japan. He will face Alberto Del Rio and Kane in a Triple Threat Match on August 9. The following night, he will team up with Santino Marella and Zack Ryder to take on Epico, Primo, and John Laurinaitis.
Also announced for the August 9 show is Sheamus vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis in a Handicap match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Sheamus will defend his title the following night against Alberto Del Rio, Big Show and Kane in a Fatal 4-Way Match.
– TNA Knockout and former WWE Diva Mickie James was mentioned in WWE.com’s article highlighting the “Craziest Chicks” in the promotion’s history. James acknowledged her former employer’s article via Twitter, writing, “I was crazy b4 crazy was cool! Haha! ;^P.”
– WWE NXT will continue to air in Australia in its regular Thursday 3:30 p.m. time slot.
Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:
Michael Cole: “For those that keep asking, I am not a hater of @michaelcole but I, better than most, know how challenging his job is in today’s multi platform, serve many master’s, Monday Night Raw. ‘Hate’ is such a strong emotion especially for anything involving a TV show. Why not save our ‘Hate’ for things like cancer, children’s issues, starvation, etc? To dislike…fine. To HATE..not so good.”
His involvement with the “new” NXT: “I got tons of tweets this week from fans who enjoyed the new, NXT. I worked on all of the first four broadcasts and appear in the main event segments in the next round of four shows. Partnering with William Regal was an enjoyable experience as we tried to make the show about the talents by using objectivity and honesty and not being the “Battling Bickerson’s.” The job of every broadcaster in this genre is to enhance and better represent the talents in ways in which the viewer will emotionally invest and not roll their eyes in absurd disbelief.”
Mockery of his affliction with Bell’s palsy: “Amazing how some jerk-offs on Twitter are either making fun of me for having Bells palsy or blaming me for what appears regarding it on TV. If it doesn’t bother me at this point in time in my life then why should it bother others? I have long since stepped away from my issues with Bells and refuse to allow it to dictate any phase of my life to me. It will not define me. When I’m told to “grow a set” I’d suggest to those tools that I grew “a set” long ago specifically when I walked to the ring to broadcast a Wrestlemania main event with half my face hanging and I had to hold it up to speak to where I could be understood. I can only surmise that those making these cowardly remarks are younger, defiant males and if that assumption is true I am truly worried about the future with those individuals as potential leaders in our world. However, perhaps I shouldn’t be worried as people like this are rarely successful or viable contributors in any society. My life is too blessed to worry about what turds say on Twitter about me or what occurs on a satirical skit in an entertainment based, TV show. Lighten up, Francis!”
John Cena: “Congrats to @JohnCena for granting his 300th Make-A-Wish which is an amazing accomplishment. Not sure many realize how challenging it is to interact with terminally ill children but take it from me it’s sobering, memorable and life changing. I can remember every Make-A-Wish that I’ve done over the years and I’m no where close to 300. These are the bravest kids in the world. No matter if one likes Cena’s TV persona or not this isn’t about a TV show or a TV character but about life and death reality. John Cena should be saluted for his efforts.”
Ross also discusses the historic 1000th episode of Raw, Paul Heyman, John “Bradshaw” Layfield and more. His full entry is available here.
– John Cena reached a milestone this week, granting his 300th wish with Make-A-Wish. The wrestling megastar met 7-year-old Jonathan Littman before Raw SuperShow, then surprised him by joining him live Wednesday on ABC’s Good Morning America. Yahoo Sports has published an article concerning his achievement and it is noted that he had his schedule rearranged to grant the wish.
Eric Adelson, author, writes, “Cena never says no. Even though his schedule is tougher than most stars – there are no home games and there’s no off-season – he unfailingly builds in time for Wish kids. WWE rep Kevin Hennessey even says Cena’s 300th wish was so important that his bosses rearranged his entire schedule for it.”
– The June 22 episode of WWE Vintage Collection featured matches involving cruiserweight wrestlers: Rey Mysterio, Spike Dudley and Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jamie Noble and Akio (WWE SmackDown – July 8, 2004), Billy Kidman and Paul London vs. Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley (WWE SmackDown – July 8, 2004, 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Eddie Guerrero (ECW Three Way Dance – April 8, 1995), Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho (WCW SuperBrawl VIII). (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– WWE Champion CM Punk is today’s featured star on WWE.com.
– Despite being fired by Vince McMahon at No Way Out (and getting disposed of by John Cena on RAW), John Laurinaitis continues to work WWE live events.
The main event of this weekend’s RAW shows (Bethlehem, PA on Friday, Wheeling, WV on Saturday and Huntington, WV on Sunday) will be John Cena vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis.
The storyline behind Laurinaitis still appearing at live events is that WWE’s Board of Directors are “making him fulfill his contract obligations.”
Fans attending these RAW-brand shows expecting to see WWE Champion CM Punk will be out of luck, because this weekend’s SmackDown shows (Springfield, IL & Bloomington, IL) will feature CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane and Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio as the top matches.
– After finishing up shooting scenes in Philadelphia, Wade Barrett is headed to New York this weekend to continue filming for WWE Studios’ Dead Man Down, due out in 2013.
– Chris Jericho’s WWE suspension ends tomorrow and WWE is advertising that he’ll be at Monday’s RAW Supershow. With just one day to go until he’s cleared to wrestle again, Jericho continued his countdown on Twitter:
One man, one goal One mission One heart, one soul Just one solution One flash of light One God, one vision One flesh, one bone…
It’s expected that Chris Jericho will be working as a babyface when he returns to action. WWE showing footage of Jericho performing with Fozzy on RAW was the first step in portraying him in a more positive light.
– The theme song for the new season of WWE NXT is “Welcome Home” by Coheed and Cambria.
Warning: The following contains a *Spoiler* for Tonight’s SmackDown:
WWE’s third annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will feature MITB matches for both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight title.
At the start of tonight’s WWE SmackDown show, the Big Show will announce that he is first participant for the RAW brand’s Money in the Bank match for the WWE Championship.
While the line between the RAW and SmackDown rosters has been blurred more than ever this year, it’s expected that each show’s respective match will only feature participants that are officially on that brand’s show.
The WWE’s website has an interview up with ring announcer Justin Roberts, who celebrated 10 years with WWE this past Monday. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Celebrating 10 Years With WWE:
“It’s really cool have accomplished 10 years of ring announcing with WWE. I was a wrestling fan who lived for WWE. I didn’t watch any other sports; WWE was all I wanted to watch.”
Advice He Received from Stephanie McMahon:
“When I started here, I had been listening to Howard Finkel. So when I previously announced at independent wrestling events, tough man contests, University of Arizona women’s softball games, basically anything I could announce … I was utilizing a bit of The Fink’s ‘cool announcer voice,’. I didn’t even realize that I was doing it.”
“One day, Stephanie McMahon came up to me and said not to go out there and be Howard, but to be me. I didn’t understand it at first, and then it hit me. I went back, watched some of my work, and thought, ‘That that isn’t my voice, that’s not how I sound.’ Once she said that to me, the light went on and I just became me. So every introduction that I do has its own flavor. I don’t go out and give the same introduction to everybody.”
Christian recently spoke with Pantagraph about his career, being Intercontinental Champion and more. Here are some highlights of what
On having the Intercontinental Title eighteen years into his career: “It’s kind of cool to be Intercontinental Champion. It means a great deal…I used to make my own title belts out of cardboard and attach them to the back of my weightlifting belt, then hold it up in the mirror and practice my posing. My thought was that if you believe you’re a champion and work hard at it, you’ll finally get to that point.”
On wanting to be a wrestler as a kid: “I loved playing hockey growing up as a kid, but the first time I stepped into a ring, it seemed natural to me, like home. The first day of training, I was a kid thrown into the ring, and the minute I hit the ropes and the mat, it felt comfortable.”
On Edge’s retirement: “Yeah, I was the first person he called after he got the news (about the injury). It was one of those things where I had to listen and be there for him. I could tell he was upset about it once it sunk in. I told him that if was writing the end to his story, this was the perfect way to finish it off, just winning the WrestleMania (XXVII) world championship, the biggest show of the year. You can’t write a better ending than that.”
On how long he wants to keep going: “Having a long career with real lasting power has always been a goal,” he says. “So as long as I’m physically able to do what I do, I’ll keep doing it.”
– Despite having two Wellness Policy strikes against him, Randy Orton will be pushed back into a main event spot when he returns from his current suspension.
Orton has been very vocal about wanting to be a heel, but WWE continues to push him as a babyface because the feeling is that World Heavyweight champion Sheamus is not strong enough yet to carry SmackDown live events as the top good guy.
Orton is also frustrated over WWE banning his punt kick, which was done to prevent concussions.
– WWE Diva AJ Lee was at Marvel headquarters yesterday filming an interview with Lorraine Cink for Marvel’s The Watcher series.
– If elected this November, Linda McMahon would be one of the wealthiest United States Senators. According to financial disclosure reports, Linda and Vince McMahon were together worth between $90 million and $350 million. The McMahons are believed to be much closer to 350 than 90.
Vince & Linda recently took out a loan of between $5 million and $25 million from Morgan Stanley to build their investment profiles.
– Former WWE Champion JBL published the following video on Wednesday highlighting his Seven Summits adventure. JBL’s first challenge will be climbing Russia’s Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.
– “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner is the latest addition to WWE.com’s Alumni section (view his profile). WWE.com writes of Steiner: “Scott Steiner is not only an accomplished tag team competitor, but he is also one of the most physically impressive and imposing Superstars of all-time.”
Promoting the page via Twitter, website director Joey Styles acknowledged Steiner’s obscenity-laced Twitter page but would not link to it:
– WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch plans to relocate from New Jersey to her boyfriend’s residence in Connecticut and indicated via Facebook that would be interested in working at the sport entertainment organization’s Stamford-based television production studio. She wrote Thursday:
“Hmmm just had a thought…. I’ll be living in Connecticut soon… I think I’ll make a call and work in the studio….hmmmm.”
A fan then pleaded for one final WWE run, reasoning that she’s ‘hotter’ than Vickie Guerrero. The remark offended Sytch, who wrote back:
“Than Vickie?? Of all people you have to compare me to her???”
– Daniel Bryan is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.