— Following Daniel Bryan’s victory over Kofi Kingston on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, the World Heavyweight Champion was encountered by Big Show. Bryan offered Show another opportunity for the World Title at any time. The World’s Largest Athlete revealed that SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long granted him a No Disqualification, No Count-out World Title rematch on Friday’s SmackDown.
— On Twitter, a fan wrote to Jim Ross with a message reading “Help Push Drew McIntyre.” The WWE Hall of Famer instead offered McIntyre advice.
Ross wrote, “Drew needs to push Drew. It’s a PROCESS.”
— Brutus Beefcake, Lanny Poffo and Larry Zbyszko have been announced for Wrestlereunion, which takes place January 27-29 at Westin Los Angeles Airport 5400 West Century Blvd. Los Angeles, California.
On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that former WWE superstar Edge and legendary stable The Four Horsemen will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012.
Edge’s induction corresponds with the releases of his WWE Studios film, Breaking The Rules and a DVD set on his career.
The Four Horsemen as a group will be inducted into the 2012 Hall of Fame class from Miami, Florida. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham will be inducted as the group. No word yet if Flair will be there for the induction.
WWE will reportedly be pushing back the launch of the WWE Network several months to the fall, according to a report on PWInsider.com.
WWE had been planning to launch the WWE Network the day of WrestleMania 28, April 1st. However, the tremendous amount of work involved in creating a new television network from scratch as well as the issue of securing clearances from the big television carriers was too much to get done by 4/1.
WWE recently decided pushing the Network back several months would be their best chance for the Network to be a success.
Despite the delay, projects that were being produced will still go on as planned.
After exiting last week’s Raw SuperShow without addressing the Memphis crowd, Chris Jericho is slated to speak on tonight’s program. Brodus Clay, is also scheduled to make his much anticipated Raw debut, which has been continuously delayed by Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis.
The official Twitter feed of Laurinaitis made the following announcement concerning the show: “I hope you’re all excited for #Raw tonight…Brodus will be debuting, and @IamJericho will be speaking. It’s like a redo from last week.”
WWE.com is also advertising a non-title match pitting World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan against Kofi Kingston. Regarding the bout, Laurinaitis’ Twitter feed states, “@WWEDanielBryan just asked me if he and @TrueKofi could have a non-title match on #Raw tonight. I said yes. #MrExcitement.”
— WWE.com has announced a match pitting World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan against Kofi Kingston for tonight’s Raw SuperShow.
After Kingston questioned Bryan’s victories over Big Show, the SmackDown Superstar challenged the WWE Tag Team Champion to a match. Bryan added, “Obviously non-title, of course.”
Video of the backstage exchange is available here.
— There is a story in the latest issue of the the National Enquirer claiming that Jennifer Hudson wants fiancée David Otunga to quit professional wrestling.
— WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who is confirmed for WWE Network’s upcoming Legends’ House reality series, commented on theD show on Twitter. “LEGENDS HOUSE. BOTTOM LINE, “I SLEEP ALONE!!” he wrote.
John Cena appeared to allude to the day Chris Benoit was found dead in a Twitter message prior to tonight’s Raw SuperShow at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“Home of Whataburger. An arena of celebration…and reflection. All cities are wonderful to WWE..but Corpus..I will never forget,” Cena wrote Monday.
On June 25, 2007, WWE canceled a three-hour-long live Raw show that was to have taken place in Corpus Christi, Texas after news broke that Benoit and his family were found dead in their home. Vince McMahon made the announcement before company employees that day at the arena; many of whom were coincidentally dressed for a scripted memorial for the Mr. McMahon character. WWE instead paid tribute to the life and career of Benoit with matches and segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story video title and comments from wrestlers and announcers from Raw, SmackDown and ECW. It was not until the program was nearly over that reports surfaced that police were working under the belief that Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself.
— CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell stated on Twitter that John Cena will be featured on three million boxes of Post’s Fruity Pebbles cereal over the next three months.
As part of the promotion, Post is holding a contest for one fan to meet John Cena, win “fantastic seats” to a WWE event and Cena gear.
— Matt Striker has replaced Jim Ross as host of the Monday Night Wars series on WWE Classics On Demand. The August 10, 1998 episodes of Raw and WCW Monday Nitro are currently airing.
— Tampa Bay Times has published an article on former Florida Gator, Tampa Bay Storm player Thaddeus Bullard turned WWE NXT star Titus O’Neil. O’Neil discusses his upbringing, adjusting from the gridiron to professional wrestling, performing for tens of thousands of fans and more.
— Velvet Sky stated on Twitter that she will not be on hand for TNA Wrestling’s upcoming tour of the U.K.
“Due to a recent storyline change, I’m no longer on the UK tour. So sorry to all the fans that were wanting to see me, I will miss u guys,” she tweeted.
Sky had been heavily advertised for the tour and was featured in a contest in which a fan could have dinner with the TNA Knockout.
— Christy Hemme, who is an aspiring musician, performed on stage with her band Hemme on Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center for the 2012 Easyriders Bike Show Tour. SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia and former WWE Diva Candice Michelle attended her performance.
— The IMPACT WRESTLING World Tour event on December 29, 2011 in Albany, New York drew 1,500 fans while the December 30, 2011 show in Poughkeepsie, New York drew 1,600 fans.
— Accounts of Husky Harris competing at Sunday’s SmackDown live event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are incorrect as it was WWE developmental wrestler Calvin Raines who partnered with Drew McIntyre in a tag team match against Ezekiel Jackson and Trent Barreta.
Jackson was asked on Twitter who his opponent at the event was and he replied Calvin Raines.
— Dennis Haskins, who was known as Mr. Belding on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Saved by the Bell and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, will appear on AfterBuzzTV.com’s post-show for Raw tonight alongside former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis. The program airs at www.ustream.tv/afterbuzztv immediately following Raw.
Haskins, who is now 61 years old, is pushing a petition on Twitter for the Mr. Belding character to be instated as the General Manager and/or principal of Raw.
— WWE will hold a Raw live event at the EA Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday, March 24, 2012.
– Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow takes place from Corpus Christi, Texas at the American Bank Center. Advertised for tonight’s show are WWE Champion CM Punk, John Cena vs. Kane and a special appearance by Chris Jericho.
SmackDown stars advertised for tonight include World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, Big Show, Mark Henry, Wade Barrett and Sheamus.
– Husky Harris returned to WWE’s main roster at Sunday night’s WWE live event from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Harris teamed with Drew McIntyre and lost to the team of Ezekiel Jackson and Trent Baretta.
– Continuing her feud with television host Chelsea Handler, Beth Phoenix tweeted over the weekend that she wants to wrestle Handler at WWE’s upcoming live event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 2/24.
Based on Handler’s responses to Phoenix, it doesn’t sound like a match between the two will ever happen.
– Jack Swagger will be appearing at the FCW show on January 27th from the Charlotte Harbor Events Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.
— WWE will release a DVD and Blu-ray chronicling the life of Edge on April 10, 2012. It is titled “You Think You Know Me – The Edge Story.”
Several WWE employees as well as peers not affiliated with the organization were interviewed for the documentary portion of the release.
— Tickets for WWE’s annual Hall of Fame ceremony, which takes place March 31, 2012 at American Airlines Arena, go on sale this Saturday via Ticketmaster. Prices range from $93.65 to $41.40. An online pre-sale will be held Thursday. The password has not been publicly disclosed.
— The official theme song for the 2011 Royal Rumble is “Dark Horses” by Switchfoot.
— John Morrison answered numerous fan questions for the fansite Starship-Pained.com including a query regarding life after WWE.
“I feel like I got off an express train walked to my car, and sped away. I’m still busy as all hell, but now, I’m the one driving,” he said.
He was also asked, “What do you think will help you get to the next level when you return to WWE?”
Morrison said, “JoMo needs to cut promos.”
— Popthecrowd.com has compiled a list of the top 25 most followed professional wrestling personalities on Twitter. The Rock heads the list with over 1.8 million followers. He is trailed by John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, The Miz, Shawn Michaels, Zack Ryder and Kelly Kelly.
— Greg “The Hammer” Valentine is scheduled to appear at WrestleReunion in Los Angeles, California later this month and he will be dying his hair jet black for the occasion. The WWE Hall of Famer will appear alongside The Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart for a special “Rhythm and Blues” photo op.
– FCW star Antonio Cesaro (formerly Claudio Castagnoli in ROH) wrestled his first WWE match at Friday night’s RAW live event from Jackson, Mississippi. Cesaro teamed with Michael McGillicutty and lost a squash to Mason Ryan and Alex Riley. The same match happened at Saturday’s live event in Tyler, Texas.
Cesaro is likely being evaluated to be called up to the main roster, similar to Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins working live WWE events last month.
– Chris Jericho appeared at Saturday night’s WWE RAW live event in Tyler, Texas. He came to the ring but was quickly interrupted by David Otunga before he could even say a word on the microphone.
Otunga demanded that Jericho take off his jacket because it was causing seizures. Otunga got into Jericho’s face and the segment ended with Jericho putting Otunga in the Walls of Jericho before making his exit.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Chris Jericho On RAW: “What do I expect from Chris Jericho live on Raw this Monday night? I have no way of knowing but w/o saying a word he made an impact and created ample discussion last week in Memphis. What if Jericho decided to disrespect the live audience and the TV viewers again by NOT addressing them again this week? Would there be outrage, disgust or smiles?”
His Goatee: “Is my mostly gray goatee permanent? TBD. We’re still getting to know each other. It’s an experiment as a result of a lazy guy not shaving during the holidays. I’m not becoming a TV villain as best that I know and if I was I could do so w/o facial hair.”
Legends House: “Would I like to see the Iron Sheik in the WWE Legends House? That would be a hoot. Lots of beeps and perhaps a need for closed captioning. As best that I know, the cast has NOT been finalized for this WWE Network reality show.”
Ultimate Warrior vs. Kevin Nash: “What’s my take on @RealKevinNash and Warrior’s verbal issues? Not sure what prompted it but they will likely NEVER have an official, physical confrontation. It did provide some entertaining exchanges during a slow news week.”
Jack Swagger spoke with Caller.com this week to promote Monday’s RAW from Corpus Christi, Texas. Here are some highlights of what Swagger said about:
2012 Being “The Year Of Swag”: “You’re definitely going to see an evolution of the All-American American. I’m not going to be satisfied until Jack Swagger is back at the top of the mountain.”
Wanting The United States Title: “The All-American American was born to be the United States Champion. (Ryder’s) really molded himself into championship material to cool off his momentum is going to be kind of tough. I’m going to get in there and throw my weight around a little bit and show him how to wrestle.”
Nash has responded to the Ultimate Warrior’s video message. Nash tweeted early Saturday morning:
“Helwig goes Dr. evil on me. What does he want, 1 billion dollars? How about this Jim, you pick the time and place for free and fun.”
“i thought i was listening to the vagina monologues”
Hulk Hogan, who had a very heated online feud with Warrior last year, gave his pick on who would win between Warrior and Nash:
in a real fight Nash will destroy the Underdog Worrier. HH”
Regarding the challenge, RF Video has offered Nash a venue in Miami during WrestleMania weekend if both men agree to a fight. Dragon Gate USA has also offered Nash and Warrior a venue.
— The Honky Tonk Man has denied “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s statement that he will be appearing on WWE Network’s upcoming Legends’ House reality series.
He tweeted Friday, “Regarding Rowdy Roddy Piper saying on Twitter I’m going into the WWE legends house with him. I have NOT talked to anyone from WWE about anything other than my ownership of The Patriot trademark. Where this came from is anyone’s guess. You fans know HTM does not BS on things. We do not know who is spreading the rumors. If the Piper camp is involved, all we can say is there is no truth to the statement. Believe HTM or someone else.”
— A.J. denies taking part in an interview with Brady Hicks, a writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated—which was recapped here earlier.
She tweeted, “Was just told there is some interview by someone named Brady Hicks out there. I have never done an interview with this person. I have never done any interviews outside of WWE. Whoever would create a fake interview needs a life. Please impersonate someone more important than me.”
She continued, “THIS IS NOT ME. I never did this interview or any interview outside WWE ever. Please spread the word.”
— Former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez created a photo shoot which was inspired by actor and director Eli Roth. Check out the exclusive photos and Shelly’s personal message about what peaks her interest in horror among other things.
UK women’s wrestler Britani Knight (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) made her WWE developmental debut at Thursday night’s FCW show in Tampa. Knight competed in a battle royal under the name Saraya, a play off her mother’s ring name, Sweet Saraya. Knight signed a WWE developmental contract in the fall of 2011 after receiving two tryout matches. She now wrestles at NXT as the “Anti-Diva” Paige. Check out these pictures of NXT Diva Paige:
Posted January 6th, 2012 in News, WWE. Tagged: Paige.
Lilian Garcia At Vince McMahon's Walk of Fame Star (Click To Enlarge)
– While strolling Hollywood Thursday night, SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia came across Vince McMahon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She tweeted:
“Walking around Hollywood & guess who’s Star I came across?! LOL What a coincidence!”
– The official Twitter feed of WWE Games is teasing big news.
“January is SUCH a big month for @WWEGames. And that’s not just because of #WWE12… #cryptictweet”
– SmackDown announcer Booker T revealed his “Fave Five” Thursday on Twitter, which ranks his five favorite WWE Superstars.
– Many MMA fans are reacting very negatively towards the news of WWE champion CM Punk escorting UFC fighter Chael Sonnen to the Octagon later this month for his fight at UFC on FOX.
As previously reported, Punk accompanying Sonnen to the cage was a deal struck between Punk and Sonnen, not WWE and UFC
– The WWE website’s latest “Bring It Back” campaign is for Women’s Tag Team Titles.
– Tickets for this year’s WrestleMania 28 Axxess event go on sale January 28th via Ticketmaster. Axxess takes place from March 29th until April 1st at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida.
Tickets for the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame go on sale Saturday, January 14th through Ticketmaster and the American Airlines Arena Box Office. The 2012 ceremony takes place on March 31st at the American Airlines Arena.
— WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is currently filming the movie “Snitch” in New Orleans, is negotiating to star in the upcoming film “Empire State.”
Deadline.com reports that The Rock would join Liam Hemsworth in the movie based on a real event in 1982 where $11 million was stolen from an armored car in New York. Production is scheduled to begin in April, immediately after The Rock’s match with John Cena at WrestleMania 28.
– Early buyrate numbers are in for last Friday’s UFC 141 pay-per-view featuring Brock Lesnar’s loss to Alistair Overeem – and once again, Brock has shown to be a blockbuster pay-per-view draw.
Early estimates for the show that featured what turned out to be Lesnar’s final MMA fight drew between 750,000 and 810,000 North American PPV buys, which is even higher than original expectations.
Lesnar is one of only 3 people to ever draw over 1 million pay-per-view buys twice in a year. The other two are Manny Pacquiao and Mike Tyson.
– FOX affiliate KDVR based out of Denver has a review up of The Sorpion King 3, the straight-to-DVD movie co-starring former WWE star Batista and MMA fighter Kimbo Slice. The review mentioned some positives and negatives, but the closing summary stated:
“The Scorpion King 3 may not feel like it belongs in the world of the original films, but it is a very fun, light hearted romp. Definitely worth a rental.”
Jim Ross was asked on Twitter about the possibility of a match pitting Brock Lesnar against Bill Goldberg at next year’s WrestleMania. Ross responded:
“@Goldberg vs Lesnar at WM29 would be miraculous ie HIGHLY UNLIKELY.”
Goldberg, despite his well-documented negative feelings about WWE and specifically company head Vince McMahon over the years, says he’s interested in the bout. He wrote Friday,
“……I’d do it.”
Goldberg last competed for WWE at WrestleMania XX in a match against Lesnar with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin serving as special guest referee. The match garnered a hostile reaction from the audience due to knowledge that both competitors were leaving the promotion. After Goldberg defeated Lesnar, both wrestlers were laid out with Stone Cold Stunners.
Meanwhile, Goldberg still apparently views Chris Jericho in a negative light nine years after the two last worked together. A fan wrote to the former wrestling champion Monday, “Y2J sucks u should have came out there & speared him.” Big Bill responded:
WWE’s United States champion Zack Ryder is back with his latest Z! True Long Island Story video. This week’s episode includes Ryder’s reaction to Kane trying to drag him under the ring on RAW, a musical tribute to Eve Torres, a cameo from his former tag team partner Curt Hawkins and more:
The ongoing saga between Kevin Nash and the Ultimate Warrior continues.
To recap .. Earlier this week, Warrior responded to a tweet from one of his fans asking why he doesn’t dye his hair like Nash and come back for one more run. Warrior said that he’s “not a dickhead who thrives on stealing the limelight from young guys.”
Nash fired back with a scathing rant on Twitter, calling Warrior a clown and a “c–t” and challenging him to an MMA-rules shoot fight with $100,000 on the line. After a day or so went by with nothing back from Warrior, Nash tweeted:
“I knew i would get no response because i know Jim Helwig, in the future when my name comes up pass Jim, puss”
Warrior’s camp has responded to Kevin Nash’s challenge, tweeting the following Friday morning:
“Mr Warrior has filmed a video response to Kevin Nash. Stay tuned. #TeamWarrior”
Oh boy .. We’ll have Warrior’s video message on the site as soon as it gets posted online.
In case you forgot what happened the last time Warrior unleashed a video response to a fellow colleague talking trash about him, check out Warrior’s video rant on Hulk Hogan from last year:
