— Steve Austin revealed on Twitter that WWE is producing a complete, final compilation DVD of his career. The project will chronicle his entire professional wrestling career.
“WWE is going to do a final DVD story on my career in the ring. Very in-depth look from start to finish. I’m very much looking forward to it,” Austin said.
“I want to hear questions from the fans. I will get an address for questions tomorrow. This will be the be all, end all DVD collection.”
Jim Ross noted on Twitter that the DVD is likely to be released during the holidays.
— The Miz will be throwing out the first pitch prior to the Cleveland Indians vs. Los Angeles Angels game on Tuesday, July 26 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
— Former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez has launched a premium website, ShellyMartinez.org. For $3.99 per month, members receive exclusive photos, videos, a first look at her Sprinkles web series and chat with the former WWE Diva herself.
While the chances of this happening are very slim, people close to CM Punk have said that Punk still has his heart set on a match with retired WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The potential feud was featured as a “dream feud” in WWE’s recent “All Stars” video game – and they both engaged in a war of words on Twitter hypothesizing what would happen if they ever stepped in the ring together.
During a recent interview with GQ.com, Punk was asked about his recent “shoot” promo on RAW – and whether him wearing a Steve Austin t-shirt while giving the promo was a sign of things to come. Punk told GQ – saying a program with Steve Austin “writes itself” –
“I do a lot of weird little things like that because people talk about it. I don’t think it’s any secret; I think the biggest match any wrestling company can do right now is C.M. Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. I’ve thought that since I was 15. I’m straight edge. I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t smoke. And that is the perfect protagonist or antagonist to Stone Cold Steve Austin, depending on how you want to spin it. It writes itself. You would have to try really, really hard to f*** that one up.”
Regarding the Steve Austin shirt he wore while ripping into WWE management and creative direction of the company – Punk says he would jump at the opportunity to wrestle the WWE legend:
The idea of being on television is to wear your T-shirt so people see it and maybe buy it. I had gone out previously in the night and wrestled. You throw your T-shirt on the ground, and I don’t know what the hell happens to it after that. I came to the back, and I was looking for another T-shirt. I sent somebody to go and get one, and they came back with a XXL. I was like, “I’m going to be swimming in this thing.” And it’s always creepy when you’re wearing wrestling trunks with a shirt because it doesn’t look like you’re wearing any pants. I had a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt in my bag, and it fit me. I chuckled to myself and put it on.”
Am I planting seeds? I don’t know. I can’t guarantee to anybody that that match is going to happen. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely.”
— CM Punk and Colt Cabana briefly reunited on the latest episode of Art of Wrestling Radio, which features an interview with Ring of Honor performer Chris Hero.
Punk appears early in the podcast to discuss his “little match on Sunday.” When asked if people should order the pay-per-view, Punk replied, “Yeah, they should. I get paid more that way.”
— WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race is advertised to appear at WWE’s upcoming SmackDown live event in Springfield, Missouri. The event takes place Sunday, August 28 at the JQH Arena.
— Beckett announced that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will be featured in Topps’ upcoming Allen & Ginter autograph trading card set, comprised of everyone but baseball players.
— SmackDown Superstar Heath Slater celebrates his 28th birthday today.
Colt Cabana told Alex Marvez of Scripps Howard News Service that he will be attending this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, which emanates from Rosemont, Illinois.
“I am more interested as a fan to see what happens,” Cabana said. “There is so much buzz around this. Punk has caused a stir that hasn’t happened in wrestling in a long time. I’m excited to see what goes down and, most importantly, watching my best friend in his last WWE match.”
Cabana, who performed for WWE in 2008 and 2009, also spoke about his interest level in returning to the organization.
“I love where my career and life is at,” said Cabana. “Don’t get me wrong: I’d love to be with WWE and working again with CM Punk. That would be amazing.
“But I’ve also seen so many guys get fired from WWE and then sit around waiting to get a call to come back that usually doesn’t come. Their value drops until they have no following. I can’t sit and wait. All the different projects I have make me creatively and monetarily happy.”
Cabana remains hopeful that Punk’s tirades could benefit both his friend and spark WWE to reassess its method of operation.
“If the buy rate for this show is high, it basically says CM Punk was responsible singlehandedly for making this kind of money,” Cabana said. “And it will be because of the stuff he said, that people want to see something different and have gotten on the bandwagon. If WWE realizes that maybe it is time for a change, the potential for that is there.
“Yes, inevitably this will all put a lot of money in McMahon’s pocket. But it also puts a lot of power into the hands of CM Punk.”
— The official website of Sports Illustrated has put together a list of the top 100 Tweeters in the sports world and Zack Ryder was the lone professional wrestler listed.
SI.com’s description of Ryder reads: “Professional wrestling’s first “Internet Champion” has used social media to become one of WWE’s fastest-rising stars.”
To view the complete list, click here.
— John Cena became upset yesterday after discovering a remark on his Twitter timeline poking fun at mentally handicapped children. It reads: “The kids that ride the short bus to my nieces elementary school r the only 1s I see wearin @johncena shirts. They were jipped twice in life!”
He responded to the Twitter user who wrote the comment: “I could give two sh*ts about the tee shirt thing but I think that is the worst thing I’ve ever heard someone say. I am officially sick. RJ, say whatever u want about me…but really, that bullsh*t was way out of line. Karma works in strange ways my man.”
— WWE Hall of Famer Jesse “The Body” Ventura turns 60 years old today while former WWE Diva Cherry turns 36.
– Rey Mysterio was reportedly not at Monday’s RAW because he was at home resting up for Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
– Tough Enough coach Bill DeMott told a fan on Twitter this week that “if and when” there is a second season of Tough Enough, he coaches will most likely remain Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, Booker T and himself.
– Stan sent word that Monday’s 2-hour episode of WWE RAW featured only 24 minutes and 15 seconds of in-ring action.
– Chris Jericho and Joey Styles both commented on Twitter about the CM Punk – Vince McMahon segment that closed RAW.
Jericho wrote: “Just watched the Punk-Cena-Vince confrontation from last night and it was brilliant! It’s the best angle the WWE has done in a long time…”
Styles wrote: “@CMPunk, are we allowed to say “wrestling” and “wrestler” again? Is @JohnCena holding the Championship “belt”? Did I miss a memo?”
– It was announced to the live crowd on Monday that WWE will return to Boston’s TD Garden on Monday, November 14th for RAW.
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:
The Rock’s Promo On John Cena This Week: “The Rock’s on line promo that can be found on Rock’s Facebook page and at WhoSay.com or by doing a simple Google search is reminiscent of some of the great, Attitude Era Rock promos back in the day. Rock learned to talk big time trash at ‘The U’ which is the University of Miami for those that don’t know and then Rock refined it in WWE. This promo is highly entertaining and comes with a truck load of passion. Strongly suggest that you watch it. Sure brought back great memories for me.”
“I’m curious as to where Rock plans on ‘whipping John Cena’s ass’ prior to Wrestlemania. I hope that I don’t miss that physical encounter. As fun as it is to follow the two WM28 adversaries ‘tweet off’ It’s obvious that to build WM28 into the huge hit that everyone involved wants that @TheRock and @JohnCena must physically engage before April 1, 2012. When, where, and how is TBD but I, as a fan, certainly am excited about the possibilities.”
“Let the speculation begin that @TheRock may blow up the proceedings at Summer Slam. Hell, as far as I know it could be this Sunday on PPV at MITB. The only thing that I know conclusively is that if Rock said he was going to do something then it will happen.”
Jim Ross Hosting A Podcast? “I’ve been approached by a major, national company about doing a weekly podcast. I’m thinking it through but I can assure you that IF, and that’s a big IF, I do a weekly podcast they won’t be of the 60-90 minute version that some wrestling websites do at times. Sorry, but for me that’s just too long for me. Stay tuned.”
WWE’s PG Programming: “PG means different things to different people. I thought Raw was definitely PG money night even though there was some ‘edgy’ language but not edgy enough to make one want to run the kids out of the room. I don’t see a return to PG 14 for WWE and would advise against if if asked but the edgy, more strategic PG we’ve seen on Raw recently has entertained me.”
Former World Heavyweight champion Rey Mysterio recently spoke with Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Post Crescent newspaper to promote Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, which takes place from the city. Mysterio, whose Hall of Fame-worthy career has been plagued by various injures, had this to say about the toll his high-flying in-ring style has taken on his body:
Which Of His Moves Hurt Him The Most To Perform: “Without a doubt, and this is what has held me back and put me out for surgeries, is the West Coast Pop, which is a version of the Frankensteiner. I used to do that every night I would perform and it was just hard on my knees. At the time, being so young, 17-years-old and just going out there and doing it was like, man that’s cool ‘cause the reactions from my fans were incredible. And of course, you get the feedback from the rest of the boys. Man, you’ve gotta take it easy on your body. You wanna make sure you last in this business. But you never listen to that as a young kid. You just wanna go, but that West Coast Pop has given me at least five major surgeries on my left knee.”
Practicing His High-Flying Moves: “In the past, I used to have trampolines in my house and that was one of my ways of creating moves… But now, as I’ve gotten older and wiser with how my body feels and just trying to stay healthy in sports, I just like to look at the ring and visualize certain moves. Sometimes not even practicing them until I’m in the ring and it comes down to that one point of OK, here it comes in front of a live audience and if it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But I probably hit nine out of ten.”
His Various Injuries: “Knock on wood and thank God that I haven’t suffered any neck injuries, which is one of the worst injuries that a superstar could have. I would have to say without a doubt, my knees. It’s only one knee. It’s the left side that has been aggravating me and kind of limiting me to a certain degree to perform at a peak level in sports entertainment. My ACL kept on snapping from my left knee almost on a year-in, year-out basis. I would have my surgery, be gone for about nine months, come back, wrestle for a year and then right after that year went by – boom – it would snap again and I’d have to go back in and get my knee sliced up again. That’s one of the main surgeries and main reasons that I’ve suffered a lot in this industry.”
Randy Orton garnered a lot of heat from both talent and company officials regarding alarming comments he made two weeks ago during an interview with Phoenix, Arizona based rock station 98KUPD. “The Viper” candidly discussed his past drug abuse, knocked the actresses who have portrayed his wife on television, claimed The Rock needs a teleprompter to cut his promos and besmirched Divas Champion Kelly Kelly.
One WWE source noted that if a mid-level wrestler uttered a quarter of the startling remarks Orton made, he would be due for an “MVP/Carlito like career burial.” However, Orton is able to get away without facing repercussions because he’s considered one of the company’s “big three golden boys.”
His comments regarding Kelly garnered a unanimously negative reaction. While she has been romantically linked to numerous wrestlers, many feel he shouldn’t have made it public since it goes against the wholesome image WWE portrays her and other female performers. Many people also consider Kelly a genuinely nice person and didn’t deserve to be singled out as promiscuous.
Spured on by the show hosts, Orton implied that he could name ten wrestlers who have slept with Kelly. He later issued a formal apology to her via Twitter.
Earlier today, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted an epic 10-minute video running down John Cena for talking trash about him on WWE’s recent Australian tour. The Rock vowed to whoop John Cena’s ass before WrestleMania and made a few comments that some people might consider borderline homophobic, including saying that Cena’s wristbands make him look like a “bloated transvestite Wonder Woman.”
Cena responded to The Rock on Wednesday afternoon with the following statement on Twitter:
“CeNation. Just saw Dwayne’s statement. Via satellite of course. Sad, really. It was like an episode of mad money.”
“I wonder if GLAAD will be offended by Dwayne’s comments.”
“Either way..looks like I have really made him mad. But, certainly not mad enough to show up and do anything. Maybe he can send a stuntman.”
“Dwayne. I am a WWE employee, and a proud one. The difference between us is you left for ‘greener pastures’. For me…this is what I love.”
“I have never begged for anyones admiration or acceptance, u don’t believe me..watch MITB. Its not about that. Its about showing up.”
Id rather wrestle a thousand ‘punks’ than one ‘rock’. Because I can see his passion. Wish I could see yours…yer just never there. :)
“Until april 1st. Keep on bringing it my man. You’re doing great. Your friend John Cena”
Following the successful premiere of Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures, the Heartbreak Kid looks to have a promising career in Hollywood – with another reality show in the works.
According celebrity blog PopWrecked.com, Michaels and his management team are meeting with several major cable networks about bringing Shawn aboard in another new reality series – which could begin shooting as early as this fall.
Popwrecked.com blogger Doug West was quoted last week as saying:
“Shawn has a lot of fans in Hollywood. and Shawn appears to be weighing several different options in the reality show business right now.”
Stay tuned for more updates on HBK’s acting career.
WRESTLEMANIA® SPECIAL ON NBC SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT
NEW YORK , NY – July 13, 2011 – For the third consecutive year, NBC and WWE® will bring the world’s biggest pop-culture extravaganza to network television when WrestleMania: The World Premiere airs Saturday, August 13 at 9 pm ET / 8 pm CT. For one night only, NBC will be the place viewers can witness their favorite WWE Superstars such as Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson, John Cena®, Triple H®, Undertaker®, The Miz® and Randy Orton® entertain a record-breaking sold-out crowd of 71,617 fans at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The hour-long special will feature highlights from WrestleMania XXVII, including: the return of the The People’s Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who served as The World’s Most Electrifying Host of WrestleMania; the Jersey Shore’s beloved Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi proving to the world how tough she really is in a six-person tag team match with Dolph Ziggler®, WWE Divas LayCool™ (Michelle McCool® and Layla®), Vickie Guerrero®, John Morrison® and USA Network’s Tough Enough® trainer Trish Stratus®; a historic match between two of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, Undertaker and Triple H, that had more than 71,000 fans on their feet in awe of this classic match-up; plus, the highly anticipated main-event between bitter rivals John Cena and The Miz for the WWE Championship, all set to music from today’s hottest acts.
WWE again made history as WrestleMania became the highest grossing entertainment event in its host city, for the third year in a row. A total of 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries attended the event on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome, surpassing the previous attendance record set by the Backstreet Boys (65,658) on February 19, 2000.
John Cena recently had some strong words for his WrestleMania 28 opponent The Rock, once again calling him out for abandoning the WWE universe in favor of a Hollywood career.
Not one to remain quiet when insulted, The Rock has fired back at Cena with a hilarious promo, explaining what he meant when he said he’d never leave WWE, telling him that people don’t like “phony punks” and promising to whoop his ass. Rock also strongly implies that it might be at next month’s SummerSlam from Los Angeles.
WWE Champion John Cena was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune this week to hype Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which takes place from the Windy City.
With CM Punk vowing to leave WWE with the WWE championship this Sunday, Cena knows Punk’s the atmosphere in Punk’s home town of Chicago will be electric:
“Chicago fans greeted me with a ‘(Expletive) you, Cena’ chant. Chicago fans cheer and boo who they want. They’re great fans whether they like me or not. They show you how they feel. I don’t like crowds that sit on their hands.”
One of CM Punk’s gripes in recent weeks has been that The Rock, who is no longer an active WWE superstar, made a brief return to the company earlier this year and is already booked for the main event of next year’s WrestleMania. Cena had this to say about Punk’s gripe:
“Here’s a guy [Punk] who literally is a pure-bred wrestler, who loves the business and loves being able to go out and compete. I can understand his frustration. But you can’t ignore the attraction of The Rock being involved.”
With all the negative things John Cena has said about The Rock turning his back on the WWE universe by retiring as an active competitor, Cena was asked why he hasn’t been as hard on CM Punk’s decision to leave. Cena responded:
“I know he’s not going to leave wrestling. He’s leaving WWE. There’s a difference. CM Punk doesn’t feel he’s been treated properly in WWE. We’ve had this problem before. MVP was another one who felt he wasn’t treated well and has gone on to have a prolific career in Japan. Same with A-Train. I have more respect for a guy who leaves the company to better himself in another territory. But all roads lead back to Rome. If you’re successful, you’ll find your way back.”
Tough Enough competitor Jeremiah Riggs was interviewed over the weekend by Sean Walford of the Aftershock Wrestling radio show. Riggs spoke about his time working with WWE for Tough Enough, as well as TNA, ROH, UFC and more. You can listen to audio of the appearance by clicking here. (MP3)
One of the more newsworthy topics discussed was the major heat Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine received after not selling the Stone Cold Stunner he received following the Tough Enough season finale. Here’s what Riggs said about that situation:
“I think that a lot of people may have just bit there tongue on that one and let it pass, however I do know that he got his ass chewed that’s for sure. I ain’t gonna blast nobody, I ain’t gonna mention nobody’s names or anything, but there certainly was some people that knew what the deal was and they weren’t happy.”
The fact that Andy Leavine was already under a developmental contract with WWE during Tough Enough was also addressed. Regarding that situation, Riggs said:
“You know it is what it is. Hell, he is back in FCW, so it’s not like the WWE invested in something they already had. I don’t think that it’s much, but I tell you that when I get my chance I’m gonna come through there and I’m gonna shake some things up. I’m gonna step on some toes. If someone is in my way then they can either move or get hit over. I think in this business your gonna get pushed around, however I’m gonna push myself to the top and I’m gonna give it my
Good Humor, the company that produced and ultimately discontinued WWE’s beloved Ice Cream Bars, has issued a statement in response to the incredible amount of customer feedback they’ve received this week to requesting them to revive the beloved product:
“Thank you for writing us regarding Good Humor.
The product you have contacted us about has been discontinued. Our company’s goal is to provide consumers with a variety of products to meet their needs and preferences. As you may know, marketing is a complex function, and many business factors are taken into consideration before discontinuing a product.
Before a product becomes available at the retail level, much time and expense is involved in perfecting the recipe, consumer focus testing, and marketing support. It truly saddens us when we must discontinue a product. However, consumer demand is a major factor. When the level of demand is insufficient to ensure that consumers receive high quality products at an affordable price, the product may be discontinued.
We apologize that this product is no longer available and hope you will continue to enjoy the other products we offer. We will forward your comments to our brand staff.”
— The July 11, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw did a 2.9 rating, up from 2.40 on July 4 but down from 3.13 on June 27. The program drew hours of 2.86 and 2.96.
The program averaged 4.387 million viewers over the course of two hours, down from 4.40 the week before. Raw was also 12 percent below the 2011 average of 5.0 million viewers.
Raw faced strong competition as the Home Run Derby on ESPN averaged a 4.64 cable rating from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.
— Joey Styles stated on Twitter that both Big Show and Mark Henry refused medical treatment after both individuals fell off the stage last night on Raw. He added, “if either is injured, they’re not saying so!”
— Eve is featured on the cover of the July 2011 issue of Muscle & Performance (available at Vitamin Shoppe) and discusses her training regimen, working out on the road, and more. The WWE Diva is giving away ten personalized, signed copies of the issue. Click here for details.
— WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly revealed this afternoon on her Twitter account that she will be on hand for tonight’s SmackDown taping at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
“Sorry I’ve been Mia guys! Recovering from the tour..but thought I’d take the championship n make a surprise visit to Smackdown today,” she wrote. “So get ready for me Mohegan sun :) btw @thebellatwins I promise I will expose u both on sun…you deff can look but no1 wants to touch ewww.”
— Vickie Guerrero revealed on Twitter that WWE will be releasing an “Excuse Me” T-shirt for both men and women.
— “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is featured on the cover of the latest issue of The Wrestler. The headline reads: “Tough Enough For One More Match?”
— Linda Hogan promotes her book, Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes, tonight on Showbiz Tonight. The program airs at 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
– Many fans have been sending in emails asking Drew McIntyre, who took a nasty bump on RAW along with the Big Show when Mark Henry attacked show, which sent all 3 men off the stage. According to a backstage source, McIntyre was not scripted to fall off the stage and was visibly shaken up backstage following the fall.
– WWE has announced that travel packages for WrestleMania 28 will go on sale next Monday, July 18. For more information, head over to the WWE website.
– The dramatic build to Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view has been so good that former WWE & TNA star Mick Foley is considering attending the event. The former WWE & TNA star tweeted on Tuesday:
“Thinking about getting a ticket for MITB, just to feel the atmosphere in Chicago as a wrestling fan. Should be amazing.”
On Monday’s episode of RAW, CM Punk laid out his list of contractual demands for what it would take for him to sign a new contract. One of his demands was that WWE bring back their beloved ice cream bars – and include a CM Punk ice cream bar.
In yet another demonstration of the power of social media and WWE’s global influence, “WWE Ice Cream Bars” were trending worldwide on Twitter last night.
Now – you’ve got the power to help bring WWE Ice Cream Bars back.
The ice cream bars were made by the Good Humor food company – and their website features a feedback section where you can contract them with your suggestions. CLICK HERE to contact Good Humor by email or phone and demand they bring back WWE Ice Cream Bars.
As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, WWE has been working on a new project set involving former rivals Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. According to a report on WWEDVDNews.com, the DVD will be part of a series titled, “WWE’s Greatest Rivalries.”
The next rivalry in the series will be Steve Austin vs. The Rock, which is also sure to be a doozy.
The working title for the two-disc Blu-ray and three-disc DVD is simply “Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart” and will be released on October 25th in North America.
Here’s the synopsis:
“For more than a decade, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Shawn Michaels engaged in perhaps the most storied rivalry in the history of sports entertainment, from their teams (the Hart Foundation and the Rockers), through battles for the Intercontinental Championship and the richest prize in the business, the WWE Championship.
Their enmity spilled out of the ring, and led to the most infamous incident in the history of professional wrestling, The Montreal Screwjob. More than a decade later, the two men buried the hatchet as both are now WWE Hall of Famers.
Now, for the first time ever, the two sit down together and rehash their intertwined destinies in Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. These new, never-before-aired, interviews will shed new light and insight on controversies fans have speculated about for years.”
Here’s a clip of the memorable handshake and hug between Bret and Shawn on the January 4th, 2010 episode of WWE RAW, the night Bret Hart returned after 13 years away:
After Monday’s episode of WWE RAW from Boston went off the air, John Cena defeated CM Punk in dark match.
Reader Brent L sent in the following live report of what happened:
“The match lasted about ten minutes. Punk grabbed the mic and wanted to thank Derek Jeter for his 3000 hits along with thanking himself. Punk then shoved Cena’s father at ringside which led to a punch from his father as well as an AA from Cena. Overall great Raw and Punk live is amazing.”