– Former WWE superstars MVP and Shelton Benjamin are now teaming together in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
– There continues to be talk of pairing Rosa Mendes with Alberto Del Rio.
– WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia, who is still recovering after being hit by a car several weeks ago in Los Angeles, says she will be live tweeting with fans during Survivor Series:
– WWE’s mobile app has a video interview up of William Regal, prior to his match against Big Show on RAW. After 30 years in the business, Regal has dubbed himself “Mr. Entertainment” and says that he’s still able to keep up with WWE’s top superstars, even at 44 years old.
– WWE personality Hornswoggle is headed to Los Angeles to film an episode of E’s The Soup, most likely the upcoming WWE-themed episode that will air on 11/26 on the USA Network right after RAW. Hornswoggle tweeted on Wednesday:
“Early flight to LA to film some stuff for @eonline ‘s The Soup! Quite excited as I’m a huge fan of the show! #swogglewithmuppets”
Speaking of Hornswoggle, he’s featured in the latest episode of WWE Superstar Toyz:
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has secured the lead role for Hercules, reports Deadline.com.
Production on the film is scheduled to begin in “early 2013,” which could coincide with Johnson’s involvement with WWE in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 29.
The Brett Ratner-directed action film will be co-produced by Paramount and MGM. The screenplay is based on Radical Studios’ graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars.
– WWE Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon was a special guest speaker at the The SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Covington & Burling Sports Media & Technology Conference in Times Square in New York City. Click here to see WWE.com’s photos of the event.
– AXS.com is currently holding a pre-sale for the Dec. 28 SmackDown live event in Minneapolis at the Target Center with the passcode Sheamus. Sheamus vs. Big Show and Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio are advertised as the main events.
– The official WWE website has published an article ranking the 15 greatest ring entrances in sports-entertainment history.
“What’s more impressive, pulling up in an expensive sports car or walking through hellfire?” WWE states. “A calm walk through darkness or a mad dash to the ring?”
The list ranks 15. Ultimate Warrior, 14. Goldust, 13. Alberto Del Rio, 12. Glacier, 11. The Sandman, 10. The Rock, 9. Rey Mysterio, 8. Gangrel, 7. Goldberg, 6. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, 5. Hulk Hogan, 4. Kane, 3. Chris Jericho, 2. Triple H, 1. The Undertaker.
– Matches taped Monday in Birmingham, England for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Jimmy Uso vs. Jinder Mahal and Justin Gabriel vs. Tensai.
In a pre-taping dark match result, Tyson Kidd defeated Michael McGillicutty.
– WWE developmental Briley Pierce turned 28-years-old Sunday. He is the younger brother of WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler.
– Next Tuesday’s SuperSmackDown Live! (airing on tape delay from the United Kingdom) will feature Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. WWE has released the following video commercial promoting the event.
– WWE will hold SmackDown live events on Friday, April 27, 2013 at SAP Arena in Mannheim and Saturday, April 28th, 2013 at LANXESS Arena in Cologne. Tickets go on sale this Monday.
– WWE Champion CM Punk is featured in today’s “Superstar” Spotlight” on WWE.com.
WWE developmental wrestler Memo Montegro will be teaming with his older brother, Alberto Del Rio, in a match against Kassius Ohno & Leo Kruger at Friday night’s WWE NXT live event from West Palm Beach, Florida. Montenegro spoke with The Miami Herald to promote the show and said this about:
Being in WWE developmental:
“It’s an incredible experience. In the three, four months I’ve been here, I’ve already learned so much. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned so far. I want to thank Bill DeMott, Norman Smiley, Joe Mercury, Ricky Steamboat, because they really help me and tell me my mistakes to learn from and improve and get better.”
How His Father Dos Cara Feels About Him Changing His In-Ring Style:
“My dad loved it. In Mexico, it’s a good business, but here it’s bigger, and it’s a bigger opportunity for me. My dad said in the future if something happens, ‘you’ll have the background working in the states, and it’ll be easier for you to work in Japan, Europe and even in Mexico.’ My dad likes that I’m following in the steps of my brother. My brother followed in the steps of my dad, and I’m following in the steps of my brother.”
Joining WWE & The Differences Between USA & Mexico’s In-Ring Styles
“I almost started wrestling in Mexico for CMLL, but then I spoke with John Laurinaitis [who was the WWE’s senior vice president of talent relations], and he told me they were going to sign me. There’s a really big difference between the Mexican style and the American style. There’s more psychology in the American style. So to prepare, I also started working with American wrestlers in Mexico. My brother is 6-4, and he weighs more than me, but for me I have good size here in America. I try to mix a little of the Mexican style with the American style. I do high-risk moves and combine it with the American style, so that helps me a lot.”
– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for Raw, Rey Mysterio addresses his and Sin Cara’s loss to Team Rhodes Scholars in the No. 1 Tag Team Title No. 1 Contenders’ Tournament to earn a title opportunity against Team Hell No at WWE Hell in a Cell this Sunday. Also, Alberto Del Rio reveals what he has planned for Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell and Dolph Ziggler offers his thoughts on Vickie Guerrero.
– Former WWE Women’s Champion Sable, 45, is now a grandmother. Her daughter, who is in her early 20’s, gave birth to a child in September, reports RenaLesnar.net.
– Heath Slater is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
The WWE Championship Match at Hell in a Cell was made official tonight on Raw as Vince McMahon decided that CM Punk will defend his belt against Ryback. After both competitors signed their Hell in a Cell contract, Ryback delivered the Shell Shock to the WWE Champion.
As a result of the growing animosity between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio, it was also announced that the two competitors will face off at the pay-per-view event. The Viper gave a surprise attack to Del Rio on SmackDown last week before RKO’ing Ricardo Rodriguez onto the announce table.
The announced card for Hell in a Cell, which takes place Oct. 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, is as follows:
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Ryback
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Big Show
* WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Tag Team Tournament Winners
– WWE’s creative department has broached the idea of holding a match between CM Punk and Mick Foley at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on Dec. 16 in Brooklyn, New York at Barclays Center.
– Alberto Del Rio will be participating in a meet and greet at an NXT Wrestling live event taking place Oct. 26 in West Palm Beach, Florida at the Armory.
– Former Raw General Manager Mike Adamle turns 63-years-old Thursday.
– This Saturday, Devon will be signing autographs at Seacoast National Bank at 6711 Lake Andrew Dr in Melbourne, Florida from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
– After Big Show defeated Randy Orton on SmackDown and hit him with the WMD, Alberto Del Rio took advantage of the situation by assaulting The Viper. The two-time champion battered Orton as a measure of revenge after being on the receiving end of an RKO earlier in the night. Video of the attack has been posted on WWE.com.
The official WWE website suggests Orton will be sidelined, stating: “While the extent of Orton’s injuries is unknown and it appears he may have lost more than just the No. 1 Contender’s Match, the WWE Universe is well aware that WWE’s Apex Predator is rarely down for long.”
The angle will likely be used to explain Orton’s absence from WWE programming while he films scenes for “12 Rounds: Reloaded” in Vancouver. Though he will be busy filming through at least the end of October, the multi-time champion will continue to appear at SmackDown tapings in the meantime. He is not scheduled for next Tuesday’s show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but will resume appearing at the following week’s event in San Jose, California.
– WWE has plans to release a Paul Heyman T-Shirt featuring the tagline, “I’m A Paul Heyman Guy.” The tagline stems from CM Punk referencing himself as a “Paul Heyman guy” during his infamous speech last year chastising WWE brass. To vote on three potential designs, click here.
WWE and ION Television have announced the upcoming taping schedule for WWE Main Event, premiering Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 8/7 PM CT. Each episode will be taped at the previous night’s SmackDown television taping, beginning with next Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The following press release was issued Thursday:
ION TELEVISION GETS IN THE RING WITH THE DEBUT OF WWE MAIN EVENT PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 8:00 PM EST/PST
NEW YORK, NY (September 27, 2012) – Fans of WWE are finally getting their midweek fix with the brand new installment WWE Main Event, a weekly, action-packed series premiering Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on Ion Television. Featuring the WWE Superstars and Divas of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, including John Cena®, WWE Champion CM Punk™, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus™, Alberto Del Rio®, The Miz®, Kofi Kingston®, Eve® and Alicia Fox®, it’s a must-see for longtime devotees and those looking for character-driven, high-octane entertainment.
The original series will showcase live events filmed across the country, as well as a stop in Europe. The taping schedule, which takes place one day prior to airing, is currently as follows:
October 2 – BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
October 9 – HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.
October 16 – FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.
October 23 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.
October 30 – Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.
November 6 – LG Arena, Birmingham, England
November 13 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
November 20 – Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
– After sustaining a season-ending injury during last Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins defensive end Adam Carriker immediately thought about Triple H.
“I’m laying there on the turf at the Edward Jones Dome and there’s one thing going through my mind and it’s the image of Triple H tearing his quad tendon off his knee in the ring,” Carriker said on 4th & Pain. “Why I’m thinking about that, I don’t know… I think that’s because it’s exactly where I felt it in my leg.”
Like Carriker, the WWE Superstar tore his left quadriceps muscle in May 2001 and suffered a similar injury at a pay-per-view event in January 2007. The full story is available here.
– The top two matches advertised for Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Sarnia, Ontario did not take place. Originally scheduled for the event were Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship and Daniel Bryan and Kane defending the WWE Tag Team Championship against Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Instead, Sheamus defended the belt against Alberto Del Rio in a singles match, Dolph Ziggler faced Tyson Kidd, Wade Barrett took on Yoshi Tatsu, Kofi Kingston wrestled Ted DiBiase, and Kane and Bryan faced The Prime Time Players.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler’s miraculous recovery from a heart attack on the Sept. 10 Raw is featured in a full page story in the latest issue of The Globe tabloid.
– A Steel Cage Match between WWE Champion CM Punk and John Cena was held after Raw went off the air Monday. The bout resulted in a disqualification loss for Punk since Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio interfered, leading World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Randy Orton to surface and even the odds. Ziggler was left in the ring as he took the babyface wrestlers’ respective finishers.
– During a commercial Monday night on Raw promoting this week’s episode of WWE Saturday Morning Slam on The CW, it was announced that Zack Ryder will be in action. The program will also feature segments on WWE Champion CM Punk and The Miz.
– As reported Sunday, Randy Orton was caught on camera using the middle finger gesture during his match against Dolph Ziggler at Night of Champions. According to F4WOnline.com, Orton’s flippant action stemmed from a group of fans ringside chanting “Orton sucks.” Following the match, Orton reportedly threatened a fan that he would “kick his ass” after the show.
– According to an account backstage at tonight’s Raw show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, John Cena is walking around fine after rolling his ankle last night at Night of Champions. As of 4:00 p.m., he was scheduled to compete on the show.
– Before World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio squared off last night at Night of Champions, SmackDown General Manager Booker T reinstated the Brogue Kick, which aided The Celtic Warrior in retaining his title. According to F4WOnline.com, Sheamus is moving on to a new opponent on television as Big Show is scheduled to confront him tonight on Raw. This will lead to a match at Hell in a Cell on Oct. 28.
– Zack Ryder is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Kids Magazine. The Raw Superstar excitedly tweeted a photo of the issue.
– John “Bradshaw” Layfield addressed his appearance on Raw tonight at the announce booth via Twitter: “Yes back on @wwe raw with my burden, @MichaelCole ! Like Usain Bolt having to run with crutches being with Cole!”
– WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan captured the Extreme Wrestling Federation’s Midwestern Championship over the weekend at a show in Indiana.
– After Monday’s RAW, Sheamus spoke to WWE.com about Booker T’s announcement that he will be stripped of the World Heavyweight title if he uses the Brogue Kick prior to the conclusion of his investigation. Sheamus called Booker T’s investigation unfair and said Alberto Del Rio’s armbreaker finisher has also inflicted a lot of damage on opponents.
– Alberto Del Rio also spoke to WWE.com on Monday night following his match with Tyson Kidd. Del Rio said he has a surprise for Friday’s SmackDown – someone “in his pocket” who also has a problem with Sheamus and the Brogue Kick.
– Wade Barrett was advertised to face Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus in the main event at Saturday’s SmackDown live event at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario but the match was changed to a Street Fight between Sheamus and Del Rio the World Heavyweight Champion won. Barrett instead faced Ted DiBiase, who he defeated.
– Future Endeavors (www.future-endeavors.com) celebrated its two-year anniversary Wednesday with a nearly two-hour interview with Gabe Tuft, known in WWE as Tyler Reks. Subjects broached include:
* How he broke into the professional wrestling industry
* How CM Punk misled him before the 2011 Royal Rumble
* The secret to Ryback’s non-existent pyro
* How his recent stripper gimmick had actually been years in the making with a story he said he has never told before
* The rise and fall of the Mid Card Mafia cartoon and its possible return
* His opinion on independent wrestlers that come into WWE
* His opinion on many WWE superstars and officials including HHH and his former partner Curt Hawkins, who he describes as a young Shawn Michaels
WWE announced Wednesday that for the first time, the organization will hold events in Egypt. The following press release was issued:
WWE to Make Live Event Debut in Egypt
LONDON, September 5, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced that, for the first time, it will bring WWE World Tour to Egypt for three nights from Thursday, October 18 through Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the Cairo Stadium Complex. With its debut in Egypt, WWE continues to expand the reach of its business, including live events in six new countries in 2012.
This Egyptian tour comes on the heels of a successful WWE Raw® World Tour in Abu Dhabi this past February, where more than 16,000 fans packed the International Tennis Complex within the Zayed Sports City. The WWE World Tour will bring some of WWE’s biggest Superstars to fans in Egypt, including Sheamus®, Alberto Del Rio®, Zack Ryder®, Kofi Kingston® and Dolph Ziggler®*.
WWE will be working with Egyptian live events promoter, Creative Design, to bring WWE World Tour to local fans. Creative Design previously brought WWE to Doha, Qatar last year.
“WWE is one of the largest names in family entertainment, and it’s a great honor to hold such an enormous event in a wonderful country like Egypt,” said Assem Al Sheikh, Chairman of Creative Design.
“We’re thrilled to announce this three-day, live event tour in Egypt,” said Ed Wells, Managing Director and Senior Vice President of WWE International. “These shows in Cairo are further testament to the strength and popularity of the WWE brand throughout the MENA region and build on our efforts to expand our business internationally.”
Tickets are on sale starting September 8 and can be purchased from http://Ticketsmarche.com and the Tickets hotline: +2 01008425387 (+2 0100tickets)
– Wade Barrett was advertised to face Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus in the main event at Saturday’s SmackDown live event at Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa but the match was changed to a 2-out-of-3 Falls bout between Sheamus and Del Rio. Barrett instead faced Tyson Kidd, who he defeated.
– Sunday would have would have marked as the 59th birthday of Rocco Rock and 51st of Bam Bam Bigelow. Rock died on September 21, 2002 at the age of 49, reportedly due to a heart attack, while Bigelow died on January 19, 2007 at the age of 45. Autopsy results showed that Bigelow’s death was due to multiple drugs found in his system including toxic levels of cocaine and an anti-anxiety drug. He was also suffering from a heart problem, specifically arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
– Finlay is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com. He returned to the sports-entertainment organization in June in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
– Charlie Sheen, who had been speculated to appear at SummerSlam Sunday, attended a family party that. While at the get-together, Sheen was asked about working the pay-per-view event and joked that it would cost WWE a ton of money to get him. Multiple WWE sources report that company officials are interested in collaborating with Sheen at a future pay-per-view event, possibly WrestleMania XXIX.
– Santino Marella is expected to receive a WWE United States Championship rematch against Antonio Cesaro at Night of Champions. Other matches expected for the event include CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship, Kaitlyn vs. Layla for the WWE Divas Championship and a Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, Jey and Jimmy Uso, Epico and Primo, and The Prime Time Players.
– After Linda McMahon’s U.S. Senate opponent Chris Murphy purchased advertising time on the USA Network scrutinizing the former WWE CEO during Monday’s Raw airing in Connecticut, the sports-entertainment organization released the following statement to CourantBlogs.com: “It is apparent that the same people who have consistently denigrated and mischaracterized WWE and our family-friendly entertainment for political gain have officially changed their point of view about our content. For the second week in a row, Mr. Murphy’s campaign continues to run advertising in our programming with his new ad airing yesterday at 10:30 p.m. on USA during Monday Night Raw. While the past political rhetoric has been unjust, it pleases us to know that Mr. Murphy recognizes that WWE’s TV programming is a highly effective way to reach families and voters in Connecticut.”
– Matches taped for today’s WWE Superstars include:
* Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger
* Yoshi Tatsu vs. Damien Sandow
* Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel
* Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre.
– Alberto Del Rio might be staying in WWE much longer than he’s previously stated in interviews. While Del Rio has previously talked about being in the final leg of his career with plans to retire in the next few yerars, he recently did an interview where he said he would now like to stay for 10 or 15 more years, or as long as WWE has use for him.
– Speaking of Del Rio, he’s currently booked for 3-way matches with Sheamus and Randy Orton at WWE’s upcoming SmackDown brand live events. As previously reported, Orton will be taking time off soon to shoot the WWE Studios movie “12 Rounds: Reloaded.” Even when he’s off television, Orton will be kept in the main event picture.
– World Heavyweight champion Sheamus retained his title in controversial fashion at WWE SummerSlam. After hitting Alberto Del Rio in the head with Ricardo Rodriguez’ shoe, Sheamus pinned Del Rio 1-2-3. Del Rio had his foot on the ropes – but the referee didn’t see it and Sheamus was awarded the victory.
Del Rio has now filed a formal complaint with SmackDown General Manager Booker T. The WWE website spoke with referee Mike Chioda and he admitted the mistake. Booker T will address the situation on Friday’s SmackDown, which will likely lead to a rematch.
– Santino Marella tweeted the following message after losing the WWE United States title to Antonio Cesaro at SummerSlam:
Simple put, I let my fans down, I'm sorry and need to digest what happened before I figure out what I do next
– WWE caught up with the Big Show after he came up short in the Triple Threat match for the WWE championship at SummerSlam. Big Show said it was unfair that CM Punk and John Cena double teamed him and says he wants a singles match for the WWE title.
– At the upcoming screening for CM Punk’s new WWE DVD documentary in Chicago on October 7th, several of the people who were interviewed for the documentary will participate in a panel discussion for the live audience.
– Matches taking place on today’s WWE Superstars show include:
* Damien Sandow vs. Justin Gabriel
* The Usos vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty
* Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre.
– WWE has reporetdly signed Guillermo Rodriguez, son of Mexican legend Dos Caras and the younger brother of WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio. Guillermo is already wrestling for WWE NXT as Memo Montenegro and trained in Florida with Pablo Marquez earlier this year.
– Randy Orton returned to action Monday night on Raw after serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Heath Slater called out any current WWE Superstar in the back to answer his challenge, and The Viper responded by pummeling The One-Man Band all over the ring. After blasting Slater with a powerslam and a DDT off the second rope, Orton nailed him with the RKO to gain the pinfall victory.
– It was announced during Raw that World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will defend his belt against Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam. As the No. 1 contender to the title, Alberto Del Rio declared following his victory over Santino Marella that he would not compete again until his SummerSlam bout.
In his first match since flooring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with a clothesline and subsequent Go to Sleep on Raw 1,000, CM Punk appeared as a babyface at Saturday’s SmackDown live event at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. He retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Daniel Bryan and Kane. Attendees largely ignored his apparent heel turn on Monday as he was loudly cheered throughout the match.
Chris Jericho rekindled his partnership with Christian as the duo took on Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler donned a Jericho “WANNA-BEE” T-Shirt, which Jericho ripped off during the contest. The match concluded with Jericho striking Rhodes with the Codebreaker.
Drew McIntyre appeared as a babyface on the show as he rushed the ring to aid Ted DiBiase from an attack courtesy of Camacho and Hunico—after DiBiase defeated Hunico due to interference from Camacho. The third generation wrestler then proposed they have a tag team match, which all agreed to. The match concluded with DiBiase escaping Hunico’s sleeper attempt and hitting him with Dream Street.
Other match results were Kaitlyn over Natalya, Jinder Mahal over Percy Watson, Justin Gabriel over developmental wrestler Leo Kruger and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus over Alberto Del Rio in a Last Man Standing Match.
– Alberto Del Rio is the new #1 contender to Sheamus’ World Heavyweight Championship. He won a Fatal 4 Way match on SmackDown that also involved Kane, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio. The match will likely take place at SummerSlam and there’s been talk of a third man being added to the match.
– Kevin Nash continues to rant about an NWO reformation taking place involving WWE Champion CM Punk:
“CM Punk can pick who he wants if not me I’m cool with that .just think the brand is so strong an he can continue it with his skill and edge”
– Here is the latest episode of WWE Backsage Fallout featuring backstage interviews from Friday’s SmackDown: