– Ring of Honor Star (and former WWE star) Colt Cabana worked another dark match prior to Monday’s WWE RAW from San Jose, California. Colt Cabana lost to Curt Hawkins, but was said to have looked good in his second WWE tryout over the past few weeks. Some are expecting Colt Cabana to be re-signed by WWE as a favor to his longtime friend CM Punk.
– Former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg says he is “probably” going to wrestle some time this year for the first time since 2004.
Video has surfaced online from an autograph signing back in March, which you can view below. Goldberg names “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as his ideal opponent, which remains a distant long-shot at best. Here’s the footage:
— The latest issue of WWE Magazine reveals that WWE Classics on Demand will celebrate the legendary career of The Undertaker throughout the month of October.
The synopsis reads: “MUST-WATCH THIS FALL! And when October rolls around, members of the WWE Universe can get ready to celebrate “Undertaker’s Ball” on WWE Classics on Demand. It’s a phenomenal month of highlights spanning The Deadman’s 20-plus-year career—including his most terrifying Casket Matches and his brutal Buried Alived bouts.”
Elsewhere in the magazine, a possible return is teased for Vengeance, which takes place October 23.
— The I.P.A. Network is now accepting bookings for Gail Kim for wrestling events and autograph signings via Steve Woolf at (951) 780-9611 and celebritysignings@sbcglobal.net. She is not accepting requests for interviews.
I.P.A. is also accepting autograph signing requests for Melina Perez, who was released Friday by WWE. She is not accepting bookings to wrestle, nor requests for interviews.
Longevity in pro wrestling is a skill. When the business is in your blood, you have to fight harder to make your own mark. Chavo Guerrero, a third generation wrestler from the world famous Guerrero family, is one of my favorite people from my time in WWE. Just a few months ago, Chavo asked for his release from WWE after being employed for over ten years. In this new podcast recorded on Friday, Chavo and I talk about what “cut day” is like at WWE as a talent, why he left WWE, his transition to WWE from WCW, teaming with Eddie Guerrero, the famous Los Guerrero vignettes, life on the road and so much more.
On days when multiple talents are let go: “Every time the phone rings you wonder if it’s Johnny Ace… A lot of people would be worried, “You might get the call”…. Vince McMahon is not in the charity profession. You got to produce or you’re going to be let go… You always got to be changing.”
Role of being the “other guy” in matches to feature talent: “Testament to my background and brought up how I was in making the person look better then he could on his own. But sometimes, you get tired being that second fiddle and want to have people shine you.”
How Eddie Guerrero looked at responsibility of being WWE Champion: “He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders… like the ratings. It was so much pressure on him and wanting to do well. Most people don’t know what it means to be the champion today, you should feel like the company is on your shoulders. Eddie respected that.”
On Eddie’s passing: “The Chavo Guerrero that woke up on the morning of November 13, 2005 – died right there with Eddie Guerrero. I came out of that room a changed man. I spent the last night before he died… I lost a brother. I lost him in my arms.”
— WWE has yet to remove Gail Kim from their website’s talent roster or announce her departure from the company. WWE sources say since she quit the organization, an official decision regarding her departure has yet to be made.
There is hope Kim would change her mind and the situation would blow over, but given her dismissive stance towards the organization on Twitter, it appears unlikely at this point.
Kim has been vocal with her unhappiness for the past several months. No one within WWE was surprised that she quit.
— It was reported this afternoon that eight WWE developmental wrestlers had been removed from the official website of Florida Championship Wrestling; Bobby Dutch, Colin Cassady, DeSean Bishop, Jason Mullen, Leroy Parks, Lucky Cannon, Cameron Lynn (Tough Enough contestant Ariane Andrew) and Sonia. Bishop stated today on Twitter that he was released on Friday, writing: “I got released friday from FCW. DeSean Bishop is no more. I wanna thank everyone who supported me. Im going to keep this site open under this name 2 commemorate the good old days.”
Cannon, meanwhile, implied Friday on Twitter that he had parted ways with WWE. He wrote, “This is my final tweet…. Nothing lasts forever, NOTHING! Good or bad this to shall pass.”
Following Friday’s main roster purge, the axe continued to fall at WWE headquarters as the following developmental wrestlers were removed from the official website of Florida Championship Wrestling this afternoon:
As we reported earlier, several WWE personalities appeared at the Teen Choice Awards last night from Los Angeles, California. WWE Champion John Cena and The Miz presented an award to the show Glee, The Rock accepted an won the award for Best Action Movie and WWE diva Maryse walked the red carpet and was shown in the crowd a few times during the broadcast.
We’ve got a few pictures of Maryse on the red carpet and goddamn does she look amazing. As much as we love The Miz, we also hate him for being the lucky man who is dating the French Canadian diva:
Posted August 8th, 2011 in News, WWE. Tagged: Maryse.
– Rey Mysterio suffered a legitimate knee injury at a live event on Friday night from during a match against Alberto Del Rio.
The following night in Fresno, California, Mysterio came out to cut a promo and was attacked by Alberto Del Rio and R-Truth. It was announced Rey suffered an injury during the attack and he did not wrestle that night as scheduled due to the injury suffered the night before.
At this time, we’re awaiting word on the health status of Rey Mysterio.
– WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler was also injured over the weekend, suffering a pulled abdominal muscle at Friday night’s RAW live event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ziggler worked Sunday night’s Supershow and defeated Evan Bourne, a sign that his injury was not too bad and will not keep him out of action.
Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
This is the “go-home” show before Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
The following has been confirmed for tonight:
– A contract signing between WWE Champions John Cena & CM Punk
– John Cena and CM Punk will both be in action tonight
The advertised dark match main event is John Cena vs. CM Punk. Cena and Punk have been wrestling each other in the main events of recent live WWE events – with the match usually ending in a double disqualification after interference from R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio.
Several WWE personalities appeared at the Teen Choice Awards last night from Los Angeles, California. WWE Champion John Cena and The Miz presented an award to the show Glee, along with fellow presenter Maggie Q.
WWE diva Maryse was shown in the crowd and appeared on the red carpet earlier in the night.
The Rock was also in the house as Fast Five won an award for best action movie. The Rock was also up for Best Action Star, but lost to Johnny Depp.
Check out these pictures and a video clip of John Cena and The Miz at the Teen Choice Awards:
Former WWE star Chris Jericho was interviewed over the weekend by Canada’s FortMcMurrayToday.com to promote his metal band Fozzy’s appearance at the at the InterPlay music festival, which took place on Saturday at Keyano College.
Of course, Jericho was asked about his future in the world of pro wrestling, which he said:
“I have no plans for it right now. Like I said, I didn’t leave wrestling for any bad reasons, it’s just that I had a lot of other stuff that was going on in my life that I’ve been wanting to work on, and Fozzy is one of the main reasons for that. I know sometimes that pisses wrestling fans off, but I don’t care. I do what I do to make myself happy. I’ve done wrestling for 20 years and I’ve been in Fozzy for 12. Fozzy is in the same place now after 12 years, that I was as a performer after 12. Just really on the verge of becoming something bigger. So I’d be crazy to not to devote as much time to the band as I can and take it as far as we can go. Wrestling is always there, it’s not going anywhere. Will I come back? I don’t know. But I have no plans of it right now.”
Jericho also noted that Fozzy will be recording a new album in December of this year and early 2011 – which is currently slated for a May 2012 release.
– Former WWE diva Melina was released from the company on Friday – but was still on the road with boyfriend John Morrison for this weekend’s live events. She tweeted @RealMelina:
“I’m driving w/ @TheRealMorrison on a WWE house show loop. I’m doing fine but i gotta admit I’m going to miss driving these loops with him.”
– Injured WWE Diva Layla started working out again this past weekend for the first time since suffering a torn ACL and MCL back in May, according to f4wonline.com.
– SmackDown’s Money in the Bank briefcase holder Daniel Bryan debuted a new theme song on last week’s show. The theme song is “Freefall” by the band Two Steps From Hell – which is the theme song that was used for last year’s Night of Champions pay-per-view. Here’s audio of “Freefall” –
– WWE has been making a number of changes internally with Triple H’s new talent recruiting division. Ty Bailey and Mark Carrano are now working directly with HHH and there is now a writer assigned specifically to work with HHH on development of new television characters and their introductions.
– The Miz will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the USA Network’s comedy series Psych. He missed Friday and Saturday’s live WWE events to film his scenes.
– WWE champion John Cena is known for his jean-shorts ring attire – but according to Cena, the denim might soon be a thing of the past. A fan asked Cena on Twitter this week whether he ever gets bored of his jean shorts. Cena replied:
“yeah. Gonna change it up soon.”
– WWE is holding tryouts in California for new wrestlers by invitation only, according to PWInsider.com. Tryouts will be held over three days. Among those invited include the wrestlers WWE has used in segments in the past as extras.
– WWE recently interviewed Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, who talks about his career in the wrestling business as well as Triple H’s new role as the Chief Operating Officer of WWE. You can view that video here:
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
WWE Releasing Talent This Week: “I was surprised to see the list as I didn’t know it was coming. Fortunately that’s not my area of concern these days. I used to be the one who had to make those unpleasant telephone calls or conduct the meetings to release talent. Not a good facet of the job of being head of talent relations but it has to be done and likely should be done a few times each year. Giving released talents the opportunity to go elsewhere while they are still young and potentially productive is a good thing. No list of releases will ever make any one happy, nor should they, but it’s a necessary evil even if one’s favorite was included in the cuts. As I have said on Twitter, generally speaking when talents are released it is the best thing for all involved after the initial shock/sting subsides.”
Jeff Hardy Returning To WWE One Day: “The internet guys can react as they usually do from afar on my ‘never say never’ retort but on this occasion I really don’t see it to be honest with you. Jeff had a wonderful run in WWE and it seems as if he peaked after leaving WWE. Jeff has the intangible ‘it’ factor but I don’t know how committed or motivated that he is to recapture the magic he once had. I’ll always be fans of Jeff and Matt Hardy. ”
Being Insulted On RAW: “Am I concerned over all the insults thrown my way on Raw? Hell, no. Been insulted by the very best in the world on a professional basis for years. It’s part of the presentation. Can it be overdone as in taking away from the building of talent? Yes. Announcer ‘banter’ should always have the talents in the ring in mind and the issues with which those talents are involved. I’ve worked with many color commentators over the year whose top priority seemed to be to promote themselves.”
WWE Champion John Cena has responded to rumors of his scheduled match with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII being in jeopardy. A fan asked Cena on Twitter, “Any truth to the rumours that a top WWE exec wants your match with The Rock removed from the WM 28 card?”
Cena denied the report, indicating that his dream match with The Rock will still take place as scheduled:
“none at all. That match needs to happen. If they kick us out we will fight.in parking lot.”
The rumor is attributed to the Wrestling Observer, as they reported last week that a high-ranking executive with great influence over Vince McMahon is lobbying for the match in Rock’s hometown of Miami, Florida to be canceled.
The executive is said to be concerned that WWE’s premiere star, Cena, will be heavily booed during the biggest show of the year.
What do you think – with the amount of hype WWE has already invested in Cena-Rock, could they get away with not delivering? COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think.
Melina, who was released from her contract with WWE on Friday, addressed her departure from the organization in a heartfelt podcast, which you can listen to below, courtesy of official website, RealMelina.com:
The five-time champion thanks her fans for their tremendous support and promises that she’ll always be around. The following is a partial transcript of the address:
“Everybody’s been so wonderful, I… oh my goodness it’s overwhelming in a very good way. In a way where I feel so honored and so privileged and so lucky to be able to have people like you. And I consider you all my friends and my family because you have helped me through so much. We have been on a roller coaster ride together and through it all, you have been very supportive and inspiring and encouraging.
“You see me through my injuries, you’ve been around with me when people start rumors and just say the most awful stuff. I understand why people say the things they do, they’re only human. Through it all, I’ve become a stronger person and I like the person that I’ve become.
“I think everything happens for a reason and all of it happened just so then I can experience it and learn to overcome it. But like I said, you’ve seen me through all of that. And you’re going to see me get through this. And I am so thankful to have you guys say all the things that you’ve said. They’re so beautiful. That’s why I say I’m so lucky because you guys are such great people and the things that you’ve written are so encouraging and inspiring and I know that I repeat that a lot but it really is.
“You’re going to see me go through another chapter in my life and I know that it’s going be exciting and there’s going to be so much more. And you know me, I’m always up for adventures, always fighting to do something else and to overcome things. Expect a lot more in the future and expect a lot more from me. You guys will always find me here on RealMelina.com. Find me on Twitter at Realmelina. I will never change, I will not change for a second. I will still be the person you talked to online. I will still have live chats. I’ll probably end up doing more YouTube videos; it won’t be the Zack Long Island Story (laughs), but at least you’re going to see me.
“Everything that you get is always from the heart. So expect a lot more from me because I ain’t going anywhere.”
Posted August 6th, 2011 in News, WWE. Tagged: Melina.
The Miz, who held the WWE Championship for 160 days, has been named number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s “PWI 500? list for 2011.
The list, which is now in its 21st year, ranks the top 500 professional wrestlers in the world. The criteria for the list is as follows: “Our staff compiled this list using criteria that included win-loss record, championships won, quality of competition, major feuds, prominence within their individual promotion(s), and overall wrestling ability. The list only considers a wrestler’s accomplishments during the period spanning June 1, 2010, through May 31, 2011.”
1. The Miz
2. Randy Orton
3. John Cena
4. Kane
5. Takashi Sugiura
6. Alberto Del Rio
7. Mr. Anderson
8. Rey Mysterio
9. Eddie Edwards
10. CM Punk
11. Rob Van Dam
12. Sheamus
13. Roderick Strong
14. Suwama
15. Daniel Bryan
16. Jeff Hardy
17. Dolph Ziggler
18. Kurt Angle
19. Wade Barrett
20. Jeff Jarrett
21. Sting
22. Hiroshi Tanahashi
23. Ultimo Dragon
24. AJ Styles
25. Davey Richards
26. Christopher Daniels
27. John Morrison
28. Dr. Wagner Jr.
29. Kofi Kingston
30. Bobby Roode
31. The Big Show
32. Matt Morgan
33. Christian
34. Kazarian
35. Cody Rhodes
36. Chris Hero
37. James Storm
38. Ricky Banderas
39. Jack Swagger
40. Bully Ray
41. Satoshi Kojima
42. Samoa Joe
43. Sin Cara
44. Claudio Castagnoli
45. Shinsuke Nakamura
46. El Generico
47. Alex Shelley
48. Chris Sabin
49. Adam Pearce
50. El Zorro
51. R-Truth
52. Drew McIntyre
53. Seth Rollins
54. Togi Makabe
55. Hernandez
56. D’Angelo Dinero
57. Mark Henry
58. Negro Casas
59. Gunner
60. Abyss
61. Justin Gabriel
62. Douglas Williams
63. Brother Devon
64. Go Shiozaki
65. Matt Hardy
66. Heath Slater
67. Robbie E
68. Ted DiBiase Jr.
69. Evan Bourne
70. Naomichi Marufuji
71. Shelton Benjamin
72. Tommy Dreamer
73. Prince Devitt
74. Jay Briscoe
75. Rob Terry
76. Austin Aries
77. Max Buck
78. Ezekiel Jackson
79. Charlie Haas
80. Jushin Liger
81. Mark Briscoe
82. Orlando Jordan
83. Jeremy Buck
84. Jesse Neal
85. Kenny Omega
86. Shingo Takagi
87. Carlito
88. Volador Jr.
89. Crimson
90. BXB Hulk
91. Shannon Moore
92. Vladimir Kozlov
93. Homicide
94. Colt Cabana
95. Yuji Nagata
96. Eric Young
97. David Otunga
98. Yamato
99. Tommaso Ciampa
100. Santino Marella
101. Kenny King
102. Dean Ambrose
103. The Sheik
104. Low Ki
105. The Great Khali
106. Alex Riley
107. Brian Kendrick
108. Jimmy Jacobs
109. Rhett Titus
110. Scott Steiner
111. Minoru Suzuki
112. La Parka
113. Tyson Kidd
114. Mike Bennett
115. Adam Cole
116. Johnny Curtis
117. Michael McGillicutty
118. Jay Lethal
119. Mason Ryan
120. Tyson Dux
121. MVP
122. Kevin Steen
123. Minoru Tanaka
124. David Hart Smith
125. Ryota Hama
126. Ultimo Guerrero
127. Hirooki Goto
128. Blue Demon, Jr.
129. Husky Harris
130. Giant Bernard
131. La Sombra
132. Michael Tarver
133. Chessman
134. Kaz Hayashi
135. Ryusuke Taguchi
136. Amazing Red
137. Yoshi Tatsu
138. Yoshihiro Takayama
139. Toru Yano
140. Zack Ryder
141. Delirious
142. Takuma Sano
143. Primo Colon
144. Karl Anderson
145. Wataru Inoue
146. L.A. Park
147. Averno
148. Kotaro Suzuki
149. Mohammed Yone
150. Hiram Tua
151. Joe Doering
152. Joe E. Legend
153. JTG
154. Kota Ibushi
155. Takeshi Morishima
156. Mephisto
157. Kono
158. Tayo Kea
159. Big Daddy Voodoo
160. Rhino
161. Steve Corino
162. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
163. Tyler Reks
164. Magnus
165. Chris Masters
166. Masato Tanaka
167. Anarquia
168. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
169. William Regal
170. Murphy
171. CIMA
172. Trent Barreta
173. KENTA
174. Heavy Metal
175. Curt Hawkins
176. Masakatsu Funaki
177. Paul London
178. Luke Gallows
179. Kensuke Sasaki
180. Ray Gonzalez
181. Akitoshi Saito
182. Atlantis
183. Yoshihiro Tajiri
184. Yuji Takahashi
185. Brodus Clay
186. Tetsuya Naito
187. Sami Callihan
188. PAC
189. Jimmy Uso
190. Jon Davis
191. Bo Rotundo
192. Jey Uso
193. Jun Akiyama
194. Bison Smith
195. Oliver John
196. Hector Garza
197. Masato Yoshino
198. Kory Chavis
199. Jack Evans
200. Arik Cannon
201. Perro Aguayo Jr.
202. Tim Storm
203. Electroshock
204. Taiji Ishimori
205. Darren Young
206. Richie Steamboat
207. Extreme Tiger
208. Xavier Woods
209. Masahiro Chono
210. Hartley Jackson
211. Brad Allen
212. Naruki Doi
213. Derrick Bateman
214. Johnny Vandal
215. Big E. Langston
216. Eric Escobar
217. Silver King
218. Chris Grey
219. Calvin Raines
220. Brodie Lee
221. Jerry Lawler
222. Tommy Taylor
223. Byron Saxton
224. Glamour Boy Shane
225. Peter Orlov
226. Drake Younger
227. Jado
228. Ultimo Gladiador
229. Michael Elgin
230. Raven
231. Matt Taven
232. Kyle O’Reilly
233. Necro Butcher
234. Chris Angel
235. Rasche Brown
236. Jon Rekon
237. Cibernetico
238. Keiji Muto
239. Sabu
240. Percy Watson
241. Keith Walker
242. Joe Lider
243. Gedo
244. Conor O’Brian
245. Metal Master
246. Martin Stone
247. Cody Hawk
248. Tim Donst
249. Titus O’Neil
250. Octagon
251. Vampiro
252. TJ Cannon
253. Dragon Rojo Jr.
254. Tiger Mask IV
255. Super Crazy
256. Jacob Novak
257. Blue Panther
258. Caylen Croft
259. Bruce Maxwell
260. Lucky Cannon
261. John McChesney
262. Ricky Reyes
263. Tokyo Monster Kahagas
264. Petey Williams
265. Akebono
266. Akuma
267. Cody Deaner
268. Johnny Gargano
269. Shawn Spears
270. Sterling James Keenan
271. Latino
272. Ryan Eagles
273. Mascara Dorado
274. Tozawa
275. Matt Cross
276. Derek Wylde
277. Damien Sandow
278. Joey Ryan
279. “Mr. 450” Hammett
280. Chuck Taylor
281. Jigsaw
282. Icarus
283. Ares
284. Ruckus
285. Jayson Cypress
286. Okada
287. Tito Colon
288. Eddie Kingston
289. Mike Quackenbush
290. Josh Daniels
291. Rocky Romero
292. Mason Beck
293. Sebastian Suave
294. Darin Corbin
295. Joey Mercury
296. Hunico
297. Robbie Heart
298. Rich Swann
299. Matt Riviera
300. Dragon Kid
301. Jason Bane
302. Dennis Rivera
303. Pepper Parks
304. Lance Bravado
305. Harlem Bravado
306. Dylan Kage
307. Kijimuna
308. Dan Lawrence
309. Matt Cage
310. Silas Young
311. Craig Classic
312. Shane Hollister
313. Brandon Locke
314. Sugar Dunkerton
315. Slyck Wagner Brown
316. Aden Chambers
317. Robert Anthony
318. Robbie McAllister
319. T.J. Perkins
320. Hallowicked
321. Cliff Compton
322. Don Paysan
323. Robbie Gilmore
324. Max Bauer
325. N8 Mattson
326. Brian Milonas
327. Mohamad Ali Vaez
328. Wes Brisco
329. Brandon Espinosa
330. Eli Cottonwood
331. Arick Andrews
332. Desean Bishop
333. Samuel Elias
334. Christopher Rockwell
335. J.D. Maverick
336. Jinder Mahal
337. Donny Marlow
338. Alexander Rusev
339. Ace Hawkins
340. Cole Callway
341. Jerome Hendrix
342. The Blue Meanie
343. Andy Ridge
344. C.J. Esparza
345. Mike Mondo
346. Ophidian
347. Diego Corleone
348. R.D. Evans
349. Amasis
350. Jake O’Reilly
351. Kirby Mack
352. Brett Gakiya
353. Steve Boz
354. Jake Crist
355. Tommy Treznik
356. DJ Hyde
357. Ryan Bisbal
358. TJ Mack
359. Paredyse
360. Vance Nevada
361. Shane Haste
362. Franky the Mobster
363. Lince Dorado
364. Dave Crist
365. Kyle Sebastian
366. Devon Moore
367. Asylum
368. Corey Hollis
369. Mike Sydal
370. Ryan Rush
371. Roman Leakee
372. Matt Burns
373. Russell Walker
374. Kevin Grace
375. Adam Revolver
376. Steven Walters
377. Sam Shields
378. Danny Havoc
379. Mike Rollins
380. Ted McNaler
381. Damien Slater
382. Jake Manning
383. Ryan McBride
384. Sinn Bodhi
385. Josh Alexander
386. Bloody Harker Dirge
387. RJ City
388. Alex Silva
389. Mega
390. Jonny Puma
391. Aaron Epic
392. Adam Windsor
393. Cobian
394. Chase Del Monte
395. Shiima Xion
396. Ricochet
397. Papadon
398. Josef Von Schmidt
399. Pat Buck
400. Dan Maff
401. Jason Static
402. Bazooka Joe
403. Bobby Shields
404. Grizzly Redwood
405. Breaker Morant
406. Scott Zenzen
407. Bobby Dempsey
408. Maifu
409. Kekoa the Flyin’ Hawaiian
410. Kid America
411. Mathieu St-Jacques
412. Saifu
413. Bryan Logan
414. Sylvan Grenier
415. Crazzy Steve
416. Eric Cooper
417. Brandon Aarons
418. Matt Logan
419. Pat Guennette
420. Whipdog Johnson
421. Damian Dragon
422. Jason Jones
423. Cheech
424. Elvis Pridemore
425. Rastakhan
426. Mr. Fantastic
427. Matt Saigon
428. Player Uno
429. MASADA
430. Sexxy Eddie
431. Benjamin Kimera
432. Stupified
433. Chris Wylde
434. Shaun Rickers
435. Jake Davis
436. Jimmy Cicero
437. Ernesto Osiris
438. Mike Posey
439. Gee Gee
440. Axl Rotten
441. Joe Gacy
442. C.W. Scott
443. Shorty Smalls
444. Noah Lott
445. Scott Wright
446. Mozart Fontaine
447. Cloudy
448. Jimmy Lee
449. Mike Dell
450. Tim Horner Jr
451. Vincent Vega
452. Leslie Leatherman
453. CUJO the Hellhound
454. Bill Collier
455. American Kickboxer II
456. Chrisifix
457. Scott Tytus
458. Outlaw J. R. James
459. Kevin Douglas
460. Tommy Mack
461. Rudy Switchblade
462. Steve Stasiak
463. Don Vega
464. Dennis Allen
465. Chris Cooper
466. Sabian
467. Vince Beach
468. Bodie Williams
469. Nick Fury
470. Brain Damage
471. Fred Flash
472. Biff Slater
473. A.J. Istria
474. Abraham Washington
475. Shockwave the Robot
476. Marc Mandrake
477. Martin Stanley Fuqua
478. Pee Wee
479. Damien Kass
480. Will Calrissian
481. Kwan Chang
482. AHTU
483. Ethan Page
484. Griffen
485. Barry Hardy
486. Jimmy the Hippy
487. Preston Maxwell
488. Scarry Garry
489. Brandon Bishop
490. Ryot
491. Joey Kings
492. Corey Blaze
493. Ash Walker
494. Justin Sane
495. Brandon Thurston
496. Milo Beasley
497. Peter B. Beautiful
498. Sinister Cross
499. Johnny Adams
500. Gino Martino
Note – Edge, who held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for nearly four months during the grading period, was not ranked due to retirement. Triple H and The Undertaker were on the disabled list throughout a major portion of the grading period.
WWE Champion John Cena answered some fan questions on Twitter yesterday about his WrestleMania 28 opponent The Rock. Here are some highlights about what Cena said about:
Which Man Is Stronger:
“No shorting the Rock for all of his abilities …but I can say with confidence, I am stronger than him. That does not make me better, just stronger. So don’t go and take that out of context. He is much quicker and probally a better overall athlete, but strength belongs 2 me.”
The Rock Insulting John Cena’s Fans:
“I don’t get that part. He can call me anything and everything he wants…I just don’t get that part.”
Whether He Thinks The Rock Is Gay:
“That is the last one I will answer because of how ridiculous it is. My answer. Why should it matter? No take it as is. Why should a persons sexuality matter? He is a great entertainer. I will admit. I have made some mistakes in the past but I now realize that it shouldn’t matter what race creed color sexual preference age u are. If your good. You’re good. Trying to pick something like that as a persons flaw is about the most ignorant thing that can be done. Don’t be that person. Step your game up. So it IS what it IS. Gay or straight. To quote “Dwayne”, “it doesn’t matter!””
— WWE announced Friday that they had come to terms on the release of David Hart Smith, who Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis once deemed a future WrestleMania main eventer. The third generation talent revealed that he is returning to Japan, where he competed prior to joining the sports entertainment promotion in 2006.
“Yup, Japan here I come! No more WWE, had a great time tho.” Smith wrote on his Facebook page.
His mother, Diana Smith, stated in April that David had plans to cross over to mixed martial arts.
— Tough Enough contestant Martin Casaus, who was forced by injury to withdraw from the competition near its conclusion, was spotted buying a ticket to last night’s Raw live event at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Furthermore, an independent wrestling promotion he co-owns, UCW-Zero, was handing out fliers promoting upcoming events, including his return match from the ankle injury he suffered while competing on Tough Enough.
Gail Kim insisted Friday on her Twitter account that she quit WWE on Monday and was not released.
“I didn’t ask for a release. I QUIT,” she wrote to TNA Wrestling performer Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara). “Lol meaning I don’t want their money I’d rather be freeeeeeee haha.
She commented further, “I don’t know but I’ve been telling them since Monday I quit. So either they have control issues or they’re in denial.”
WWE, however, has yet to announce that she has been released from the organization. Regarding their lack of announcement, she wrote, “Future endeavor message? Ok here it is: I wish the WWE the best in their future endeavors!”
Varon is lobbying on Twitter for Kim to return to TNA Wrestling, where the Canadian grappler presided as the first Women’s Knockout Champion.
“Super excited to hear about Gail asking for her release. TNA TNA TNA!!!!!” she exclaimed. “Oops I mean Impact Wrestling! Impact Wrestling! Impact Wrestling!!!!”
Christy Hemme, who appears as a ring announcer for TNA, is also lobbying for Kim to return.
“What!??!? Come back to TNA then!!!” she wrote after learning of Kim’s departure from WWE. “Love seeing all the excitement for Gail Kim. My fav bad ass female wrestler makes life on her own terms!! Of course she does!!”
Kim says she is glad to leave WWE, calling it “the best thing ever.”
“Everyone sounds upset or sad or concerned..trust me it’s the best thing ever. Now my life can begin. All the negativity is gone and control over my life. No one can hold me down but me now!”
— WWE announced on Friday’s episode of SmackDown that Sin Cara returns to action on next week’s show, which would indicate that he is returning prior to serving the full length of his 30-day suspension for a violation of the organization’s Talent Wellness Program. To get around their self-imposed ruling, there is talk that developmental wrestler Hunico will portray Sin Cara at live events until the SmackDown Superstar’s suspension is levied on August 17—the day following a SmackDown taping in Bakersfield, California.
Sin Cara was written off television at Money in the Bank, as he was booked to sustain a storyline injury during SmackDown’s Money in the Bank Match. WWE claimed he suffered a posterior fractured rib and would be sidelined for at least four weeks.
A clip of Sheamus powerbombing the masked wrestler from the ring apron through a steel ladder aired last night to explain his absence.
— NXT Season 4 contestant Johnny Curtis, who was to have made his in-ring debut on last night’s episode of SmackDown, instead appeared in a backstage vignette. He said, “the writing is on the wall.” A chalkboard was then shown indicating that his debut is set for next week.
— WWE.com has announced that Sheamus will battle Mark Henry at SummerSlam.
The synopsis reads: “Announced exclusively on WWE.com, Mark Henry and Sheamus will collide at SummerSlam in a rivalry that has quickly grown more intense than the summer sun itself. Will the fight of The Celtic Warrior be enough to defeat the meanest “Fella” in the land?”
— WWE developmental talent Aksana debuted on tonight’s episode of SmackDown in a backstage segment with Theodore Long.
Catsuit clad and with dark hair, the NXT Season 3 contestant tried to seduce the SmackDown General Manager into giving her his phone number. Long gave Aksana his card and wrote his personal number on the back. She said, “I can’t wait to do business with you.”
— CM Punk is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Power Slam.
Chris “Masters” Mordetzky was one of the five (so far) WWE talents released earlier today, along with Melina, Gail Kim, Vladamir Kozlov and DH Smith.
Masters issued the following statement this afternoon on Twitter (@WWEMasterP):
“Obviously, I’m surprised by the move. But I’m optimistic. I’m going to move forward and see what lies ahead. I still love this business and I’m not going to give up because of this small set back. I want to explore and see what options I have for the future.”
Masters is already taking independent bookings and can be reached at masterpiece83@gmail.com.
Melina wrote the following about her WWE release on Twitter today:
“Feel free to Tweet, write, call @WWE about how u feel about anything. You deserve to be heard regarding any matter. Strength in numbers. I love you all so dearly and reading all of your tweets. Seeing the trend… I know w/out a doubt, I’m a lucky woman! In the next few days you will see many updates on the matter, so keep checking www.RealMelina.com I will definitely Blog & Vlog about it. I’ve been through quite a bit of stuff in my life. I Overcame each time. I’ll never give up. Not now. I’ll Always fight & #StayStrong “
Melina also sent a Tweet to John Morrison in response to his heartfelt reaction to her release:
“@TheRealMorrison U just made me cry. I love you so much. I’m very proud of what u have accomplished & to have u as the love of my life.”
Posted August 5th, 2011 in News, WWE. Tagged: Melina.