— Hullk Hogan tweeted the following after Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (airing 4/14):
“The taping of TNA on Tuesday was awesome ,feels like were starting to ride the big waves again HH”
— Former WWE talent Shawn Daivari worked last night’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida, beating independent wrestler Ricky Reyes via Death Valley Driver. He was announced as Shawn Daivari.
Over the weekend, Daivari denied reports that he had re-signed with TNA Wrestling. He didn’t, however, deny the report of him working this week’s iMPACT! tapings.
— For the week ending March 20, TNA iMPACT! beat both WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown for the third consecutive week.
According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board, TNA iMPACT! on Challenge TV drew 157,000 viewers, down 6,000 viewers from the previous week. Raw on Sky Sports 3 drew 156,000 viewers while SmackDown on Sky Sports 2 garnered 137,000.
TNA’s Victory Road pay-per-view event outdrew all WWE programming and equaled iMPACT! viewership with 157,000.
— TNAWrestling.com has posted new studio photos of Angelina Love.
Video game website IGN.com has posted their official review of the new WWE All Stars video game, which you can readhere in its entirety.
Here are IGN reviewer Greg Miller’s ratings for the game (out of 10):
Presentation: (7.0) – The colors and Fantasy Warfare videos set an awesome stage, but some slowdown after matches, long loads, and the lack of a tutorial steal the thunder.
Graphics: (8.5) – I truly dig the bright, action figure visuals. It gives WWE All Stars a distinct style.
Sound: (7.5) – Commentary from J.R. and the King is fine, the classic soundtrack is great, and the voiceovers in Path of Champions are good.
Gameplay: (7.0) – The core of a strike/grapple system is solid and the way to go, but the additional levels of depth confused me and the others I played with. Needs to be a bit more arcadey and less built for experts.
Lasting Appeal: – (7.0) Outside of Fantasy Warfare’s introduction videos, the matches and modes all kind of run together but are fun. The game’s built around you just beating on friends, and sadly, online isn’t super-smooth.
OVERALL: (7.0) – Good
Closing Comments: WWE All Stars is fun — I enjoy the cartoony colors, crazy moves and ability to just jump in and play — but it has plenty to improve on for next time. A detailed tutorial is needed, the modes and matches tend to all feel the same, and online should be more responsive. Wrestling fans will have fun when they pick this one up but I don’t know how long it’ll last as it’s a bit shallow. On the flip side, the nuanced combat isn’t going to suck in players looking for a simple, arcade experience.
WWE ALL STARS is now available at Amazon.com for around $50.
The new season of WWE Tough Enough does not premiere until Monday night after the post-WrestleMania edition of RAW, but we’ve already got a sneak peek at the first episode, including some spoilers. You’ve been warned.
* The show begins with Steve Austin having the contestants setup an empty arena for a live WWE event. The next day, the contestants begin their training with Trish Stratus, Booker T and Bill DeMott.
* The first beef in the Tough Enough house is between Miss USA Rima Fakih and New Jersey wrestler Mickael Zaki. Zaki runs his mouth about how Tough Enough should have only featured men and women don’t belong on the show. Zaki throws a pillow at Miss USA, who responds by telling him off and storming out of the room. Zaki is portrayed as a heel on the first episode.
* One of the contestants “crapped their pants” during the in-ring training.
Right After Wrestling with Howard Finkel
Hosts: Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas
Available at TheScore.com or at Itunes.
Finkel on his favorite celebrity to work with and celebrity involvement at WrestleMania: “Where do I begin. Of course, Muhammad Ali. At that time, he was to boxing what Hulk Hogan was to wrestling. Years to years, I worked with Joan Rivers in 1986 and enjoyed meeting her. Donald Trump – how could you go wrong with Donald Trump. What an entrepreneur he is and a class-act that he was. A lot of these celebrities were fans – some weren’t. But once many of them ‘got the rub’ from the WWE/F machine, they became fans from then on”
On how unique WrestleMania is as an event and why it continues to deliver: “It’s classified as ‘expecting the unexpected.’ There is no other event – on the face of this Earth, in my humble opinion – that can give you bang-for-your-buck every year, consistently. You want the very best of events – in entertainment – it’s WrestleMania.”
What the Fink felt was his defining moment in his career and at WrestleMania: “Personally, WrestleMania 3 – Pontiac Silverdome, 1987. To stand in the middle of the ring and look around at 93,173 people looking down at us – myself, and the WWF superstars, that was the greatest moment for me. And just to know all those people were there to have a good time and I had to perform – to ring announce – for those people…that’ll never happen again. I don’t think I’ll ever work in front of crowds that huge – that ‘landmarkish’ – ever again. I was absolutely filled with pride for Vince (McMahon) on that day.”
Other Topics
-What he thinks are Shawn Michaels’ greatest matches in his career
-How the name “WrestleMania” initially came about
-The feeling of going into the first WrestleMania and being the 1st true employee of the WWE/F
-What other jobs did he do within the WWE, besides ring announcing
— Shawn Michaels is scheduled to appear ringside during The Undertaker vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania XXVII.
— “WrestleMania Week” kicked off today in Atlanta, Georgia as Turner Field hosted “WWE Night.” WWE talent John Morrison, Mark Henry, Eve and Melina participated in an autograph signing prior to an Atlanta Braves spring training game.
Morrison was named honorary team captain while Henry tossed the “first pitch of the year.” The Divas exclaimed “Play ball!” to start the game.
The signing drew approximately 100 fans.
— Kevin Nash announced on his Twitter account that he will be on hand for this weekend’s WrestleMania Axxess festivities at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He appears at the event Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon.
— There have been discussions all week about whether to close Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVII pay-per-view event with John Cena vs. The Miz or Triple H vs. The Undertaker. The latter match was scheduled to close the show last week, but Vince McMahon is going back and forth this week on what to do.
— WWE Champion The Miz and WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight on ABC at midnight Eastern Time.
— The reason “The Cole Mine” was constructed is because Michael Cole will resume his role as a mere commentator following WrestleMania XXVII and creative wants to keep him and Jerry Lawler apart.
— The March 28 episode of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.81 cable rating, up from 3.34 last week.
The first hour scored a 3.56 rating before increasing to a 4.06 in the second hour. It is the only hour to score above a 4.00 rating since the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Raw was watched by 5,838,000 viewers overall.
— Commemorating the ten year anniversary of World Wrestling Entertainment Entertainment acquiring longtime rival World Championship Wrestling, WWE.com has posted a retrospective looking back at the history of the promotion, as well as some of its talent. It can be accessed via WCW.com.
The feature highlights former “competitors” such as Sting, Scott Hall, Barry Windham and The Steiner Brothers. It is also noted that Chavo Guerrero is the only active competitor to have never left WWE since the acquisition of WCW. He looks back and remembers World Championship Wrestling.
— Randy Orton’s tour bus on Raw last week is, or was, his day-to-day tour bus.
sources: Pro Wrestling Torch, PWInsider.com, F4WOnline.com
— Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter this morning to promote the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter and was asked by anchor Hannah Storm about the possibility of returning to World Wrestling Entertainment.
“I should never say never,” Lesnar responded. “When my stint in the UFC is over, it’s a possibility. But folks, it ain’t happening very soon. That’s for sure.”
— The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford, Connecticut has received a $300,000 pledge from the Vince and Linda McMahon Family Foundation. The foundation will donate $100,000 per year over the next three years. (Article link)
— The March 26 episode of A.M. Raw on the USA Network drew a 0.5 cable rating, with 572,000 viewers.
John Cena is one of the most active celebrities working with the Make-A-Wish foundation, an incredible charity which gives sick children a chance to experience their wildest dreams. TMZ.com is reporting that John Cena is taking 30 children with “life-threatening medical conditions” to WrestleMania 27 this weekend from Atlanta. The children will be from the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
The children, which will hail from the United States, Canada and Australia, will not only attend WrestleMania, but they’ll get a private autograph session with WWE Superstars and Divas, as well as a pizza party hosted by John Cena.
Cena does so much for the M.A.W. Foundation that he’s reached an incredible milestone – 200 wishes granted. He’ll be honored by the organization this weekend for reaching 200 wishes, an honor that’s only been achieved by 3 other celebrities – NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and some guy named Hulk Hogan.
Say what you want about John Cena, but it’s hard to hate on a guy who does so much good for sick children.
Rapper Snoop Dogg announced on Facebook on Tuesday that he’ll be attending Sunday’s WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view from Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Dogg wrote:
“Fo’ Shizzle WWE Univizzle!! The one-and-only Snoop Dogg will attend WWE WrestleMania XXVII!! Click LIKE if you’re down with the D-O-Double G!
WWE also made the following announcement on Tuesday:
Multiplatinum recording artist Snoop Dogg to attend WrestleMania XXVII
March 29, 2011
ATLANTA – WWE’s longtime friend and past Monday Night Raw guest star, Snoop Dogg, will be in the ATL to attend WrestleMania XXVII!
The last time Snoop attended WrestleMania was in 2008, when he was Master of Ceremonies for the BunnyMania Lumberjack Match at WrestleMania XXIV.
Snoop has just released his 11th studio album, Doggumentary, available now. For more information, visit snoopdogg.com.
WWE has posted a video clip [WWE Youtube Channel] of the final minutes of Monday’s RAW, featuring part of the epic showdown between The Rock, John Cena and The Miz. Don’t forget to comment below and tell us what you thought about it.
Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis, who is launching a perfume in the next few weeks, has released a stunningly sexy set of photos online. The beautiful Wrestlemania Playboy Cover Girl must be working out like a fiend, because she has never looked better.
To see the entire hot gallery of Maria Kanellis, click on the photos below:
Posted March 29th, 2011 in News, WWE. Tagged: Maria.
WWE legend Kevin Nash spoke to Atlanta’s Creative Loafing blog to promote the VIP he’s throwing in Atlanta this Friday night as part of WrestleMania weekend. To read the full interview and get more details on Nash’s party – visit CLATL.com. Here are some highlights of what Nash said about:
His Current Role in WWE: “For me, right now at almost 52 years old, I really don’t want to be bouncing around too much. I’m blessed that I can get around as well as I can after being beat up for so many years. But I’d still like to do anything I can do to help the young guys and help the federation move forward. So we’re going to sit down over ‘Mania weekend and the weeks after that, look at some options, and see what works for them and what works for myself and move forward.”
Whether He’ll Be A Part Of WrestleMania Weekend: “I haven’t been told anything, but like any good pro wrestler, I’ll definitely pack my gear because you never know when somebody’s going to go down and they need a body. So I’ll make sure I have my gear on me in case I am needed. But I will be signing at the fan Axxess for them under my Legends contract. It’ll be nice to get back down there, and WrestleMania’s always special. It’s the Super Bowl of wrestling, and it’s nice to be part of the whole weekend. And to do our own little thing to kick it off is something that’s special to me because I’ve never tried to do anything like this before and it’s gotten a good response.
Atlanta’s a sweet town. Great food, great nightlife, good people, so it will be good to spend a couple of days in Atlanta going to my old gyms and hanging out in my old stomping grounds.”
His Decision To Leave TNA and Re-Join WWE: “I was with TNA for the better part of four or five years. I’d walk through the airport and people’d come up and ask for my autograph and ask if I was ever going to wrestle again. I’d be like, “I have been for the past five years.” There’s that much drop-off between WWE and TNA. Then coming back at the Rumble and running out in front of 20,000 people — well, walking out in my case — it was special. The reaction was nice and it’s nice to be back. To me, it was the right move. Everything goes full circle and I became a money player with WWE, and I’d like to finish my career with them.”
WWE’s creative team plugged Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov into the Eight Man Tag Team Match with The Corre at Wrestlemania XXVII after it was decided that Christian would be in Edge’s corner when “The Rated-R Superstar” defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio. Christian and Kofi Kingston were originally pegged for the match.
It also said that Marella had “earned a spot on the card” based on his tenure with WWE. Management reportedly feels he “hits a home run” with whatever he is told to do on television and since he hadn’t yet worked a WrestleMania match (WrestleMania XXV nonwithstanding), he was to be rewarded.
In regards to Kingston not being currently slotted for a match at the event, there has been talk in the last day of him facing Drew McIntyre.
— WWE.com announced Monday that Sin Cara would make his television debut on next week’s episode of Raw.
The website’s description reads: “Possessing a rich history and deep reservoir of talent, Sin Cara will become the latest impressive import to join the Raw roster. The masked Mexican explodes onto the WWE landscape next Monday in what promises to be a dynamic debut.”
WWE ran the latest vignette promoting Sin Cara’s imminent debut on Raw. The wrestler formerly known as Mistico made his in-ring debut last Friday at a Raw live event at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois. He beat Primo in a singles match.
— Edge, John Cena, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio beat Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and The Miz in an Eight Man Tag Team Match following Monday’s WWE television tapings in Rosemont, Illinois.
The match concluded with Del Rio eating the Spear, the 619, the RKO and a top rope splash from Mysterio for the pinfall victory.
— WWE.com has posted exclusive footage of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recovering from John Cena’s Attitude Adjustment at the conclusion of Raw.
— Dolph Ziggler will be on the road for most of the next month as the Raw Superstar said tonight on Twitter that he is going on a WWE promotional tour of Turkey alone from April 6 to April 9. He is advertised for a Raw taping two days later in Bridgeport, Connecticut and immediately following that is Raw’s annual spring European tour, which takes place April 13-21. Following that is a Raw taping on April 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
— Tickets for the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois go on sale via Ticketmaster on Saturday, May 21 at noon. A pre-sale takes place between Monday, May 16 at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, May 17 at midnight with the password MONEY.
World Wrestling Entertainment released Dave Finlay yesterday. He had been solely working as a producer since retiring from in-ring competition last year.
WWE Champion The Miz was booked to interrupt the national anthem during a live event in Champaign, Illinois on Friday. A number of representatives for the National Guard were in attendance (a major partner and sponsor for WWE) and they were not pleased with the anthem being used to garner heel heat.
Once key WWE officials were informed of the ordeal, a decision was made to terminate his contract, since he was the event’s top producer.
His release from the organization comes as a shock to numerous employees. Finlay is well liked and many people are hoping that it is a situation where he could be brought back in the future.
Finlay had been with the company since 2001 and was considered the top producer in the organization. Many credit him with orchestrating the women’s division over the past decade.
— Michael Cole announced on Raw that Shawn Michaels, Sunny and The Road Warriors would be the three Hall of Famers to featured during the WWE 2011 Hall of Fame Induction broadcast on the USA Network. It airs next Monday at 8:00 p.m. before Raw.
— Matches taped Monday night in Rosemont, Illinois for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:
* Divas Champion Eve, Gail Kim and Natalya vs. Brie Bella, Melina and Nikki Bella
* Curt Hawkins vs. Trent Barreta
— Mark Henry beat Ted DiBiase in a dark match prior to Raw.
— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published an article on WrestleMania XXVII featuring quotes from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as well as SmackDown Superstar Cody Rhodes. The Rock reveals his plans for the event.
“What I can guarantee in Atlanta is that I will put my boot to candy [rear-ends] live in front of 75,000 strong members of Team Bring It,” Johnson told the newspaper.
— The official website of the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. is listing Capitol Punishment in place of Fatal 4-Way. The pay-per-view event takes place Sunday, June 19. (Event page)
It’s worth noting that John Cena is not advertised for the event. Advertised are Edge, Randy Orton, The Miz, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and the WWE Divas.
— Head SmackDown writer Michael Hayes celebrates his 52nd birthday today. Today also marks as the 24th anniversary of WrestleMania III.
Billed as the most dominant tag team in history, The Road Warriors and their manager, Paul Ellering, are the latest inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame (presented by THQ’s WWE All Stars)
Below is the final list of entrants into this year’s Hall of Fame class:
* Shawn Michaels
* Hacksaw Jim Duggan (inducted by “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase)
* “Bullet” Bob Armstrong (inducted by the Armstrong Family)
— Tonight on Raw, WWE will officially announce an Eight-Man Tag Team Match for WrestleMania XXVII with The Corre going up against Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian.
It was reported earlier that the source code of the front page of WWE.com disclosed the bout. The code was removed shortly after the report.
— WWE Champion The Miz appears on tonight’s episode of Attack of the Show on G4. The episode replays tomorrow at 1:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m. and noon.
— Big Show has been announced to appear at the 2011 Kids Choice Awards. It airs this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on Nickelodeon.
Many within World Wrestling Entertainment feel that Michael Cole’s ego has gotten out of control in recent months. There have been reports of “The Voice of WWE” having tremendous heat amongst the locker room. In light of Cole’s Twitter miscue over the weekend, one company source gave his opinion on how the lead WWE annnouncer conducts himself behind the scenes.
“Is Cole getting a big head? HELL YES,” the source exclaimed. “Ever since he was reading the GM e-mails he started begging to become GM and walks around like his sh– doesn’t stink. He has an opinion on everything.”
The source also indicated that Cole berates creative writers who hand him scripts, as he feels he can say whatever he wants on television. Many feel Cole’s on-screen persona has gone to his head as how he portrays himself on television reflects his behavior behind the scenes.
The source indicated that incidents such as his flagrant remark on Twitter would be cause for termination if Vince McMahon was looking for an excuse to release a talent. However, the organization has too much invested in the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole program to abandon it.
Sin Cara made his WWE debut on Saturday night in Champaign, IL and defeated Primo Colon. Cara also did most of his trademark moves that he did as Mistico in Mexico.
Here are some links you’ll want to check out, followed by a bunch of pictures from Sin Cara’s debut:
— The main selling point for tonight’s episode of WWE RAW from Chicago is a live in-person appearance from WM27 guest host The Rock. The Rock arrived in Chicago last night and stayed at the same hotel as the rest of the WWE crew. The Rock was approached by several WWE fans at the hotel and was said to be very “accessible” – taking pictures and talking to people who came up to him.
— During a recent interview with The Wrestling Minute radio show, former WWE wrestler/manager “The Genuis” Lanny Poffo had some big news about his brother, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Poffo said, “I’m not going to reveal his big secret because I am afraid of what he’ll do to me if I do, but keep watching, in the next month or so Macho Man will be doing something BIG!”
— The WWE website has once again changed the WrestleMania line-up and now lists WWE Champion The Miz vs. John Cena as the main event. Previously, Triple H vs. Undertaker had been hyped as the main event. Over the weekend, WWE was still going over different scenarios as to which match will end the show.
Tonight is the final episode of WWE RAW before Sunday’s WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view. RAW takes place from the sold out Allstate Arena in Chicago and will feature a a live in-person appearance from The Rock. Here’s what’s advertised for tonight’s show:
* A showdown between The Rock, The Miz and John Cena
* Triple H and The Undertaker will go face-to-face to hype their big showdown on Sunday
* Trish Stratus, Snooki, Layla and Michelle McCool will have a segment which was taped last week at a bar.
The dark match main event that will take place after RAW will see Edge, Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton team up against Wade Barrett, The Miz, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio.
