– One of our WWE sources is under the impression that Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio is not very happy that there’s another Mexican wrestling star, Mistico, coming to WWE. Del Rio knows that Rey Mysterio’s in-ring career will not last forever and apparently does not want competition in being seen as WWE’s top Mexican performer.
– WWF Wrestling Buddies, the early 1990s pillow toys most of us have given a few off-the-couch elbow drops to, were ranked as one of the 100 Best Toys of all-time by Time Magazine.
– Kevin Nash is starring in a new DVD movie called Monster Brawl which also stars former WWE star Kurrgan, WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart and UFC referee Herb Dean.
– Scott Hall wrote on Twitter that he and fellow Kliq member Sean Waltman will be filming a shoot interview next week.
– The Cartoon Network’s animated show MAD will air a WWE parody called “WWER” tonight. The sketch will feature a hybrid world of WWE and the old NBC show ER and will feature parodies of Triple H, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and WWE divas.
— The 400th issue of Super Luchas magazine in Mexico features a shot of Alberto Del Rio’s reaction to winning the Royal Rumble.
— Paul Bearer appears live tonight on SIRIUS Channel 98 tonight at 11:05 p.m. EST for Right After Wrestling, hosted by Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas. The former WWE manager will discuss his future in the wrestling industry.
— Edge’s mother was in attendance at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Toronto, Ontario. The reigning World Heavyweight Champion announced to the audience that his wrestling career is coming to an end.
— Alberto Del Rio is riding a tidal wave of momentum after winning the 2011 Royal Rumble last weekend, but his meteoric rise to a World Title Match at WrestleMania XXVII is a story that almost didn’t happen.
According to sources within Florida Championship Wrestling, he indicated to WWE officials approximately a year ago that he was not pleased with being situated in the developmental promotion (which had reached several months by that point) and would be quitting the promotion to return to Mexico where he could earn a higher salary. When he signed a contract with WWE in June 2009, he was assured that he wouldn’t stay in developmental for long. Officials tried to pacify him by allowing him to work live events with the main roster, and in part due to discussions at the time of his uncle, Mil Mascaras, being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His performances caught the eye of top officials and he was ultimately called up to the main roster in June.
Similarly, Colt Cabana said during a recent Art of Wrestling podcast that when he was training in WWE’s developmental system a few years ago with The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie threatened to quit WWE if they weren’t immediately brought on the road with the main roster.
Cabana stated, “They called up the office and said: ‘Hey, if we don’t go on the road we’re quitting’. And the next day, they’re on the road.”
He added that he probably would have been fired if he made the same demand.
“I don’t wanna do that,” Cabana said. “If I call up and say, ‘Put me on the road or I’m quitting’, I’m gone.”
The Bella Twins were promotional models John Laurinaitis offered developmental contracts to a year after their participation in the 2006 Diva Search. They have stated in interviews that they weren’t wrestling fans growing up, with Brie once remarking “that she was hired to do this diva thing.” Upon their contract agreement with WWE, they botched the organization’s name, referring to it as ‘Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment’ on their MySpace page.
– Steve Austin met with officials from WWE and Tough Enough yesterday in Venice, California. Austin wrote on Twitter:
“Had a great meeting with Tough Enough and WWE folks today…this show is going to be very cool and and thats the bottom line…”
– Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston has been discussed for WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Elimination Chamber.
– THQ had WWE All Stars setup backstage in the locker room at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble. WWE talent and management were said to be very impressed with the game, which hits stores in the United States on March 28th, the Tuesday before WrestleMAnia.
– There are very limited tickets left for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Atlanta during WrestleMania 27 weekend.
– Speaking of the Hall of Fame, we’ve heard that former WCW champion Lex Luger has been in talks with WWE about being involved in WrestleMania weekend, likely the Hall of Fame ceremony.
The official WWE website has announced that a “major announcement” will take place on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Following SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio’s win at last night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, it’s been announced that the SmackDown star will reveal which title he plans to challenge for at WrestleMania 27 in April.
Del Rio has the option of challenging WWE Champion The Miz or World Heavyweight champion Edge.
— WWEDVDNews.com has confirmed that World Wrestling Entertainment will release a video on D-Generation X titled Final Conflict on April 5 in North America. It will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray.
The three-disc set will pick off where the 2007 set left off with matches from their rivalries with The Legacy and JeriShow. It will also contain brand new interviews with Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
— Continuing their angle from Monday’s Raw, SmackDown Superstar Alberto Del Rio lost to R-Truth in a singles match at Friday’s Raw live event in Augusta, Georgia. He lost to the former United States Champion for the second consecutive night at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Lexington, Kentucky.
— Chris Masters celebrated his 27th birthday Saturday.
— This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.
— Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.
— The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.
– WWE will tape tonight’s episode of NXT and Friday’s SmackDown show from the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona.
NXT will feature the first elimination of Season 4. SmackDown will see Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio in a 2 of 3 Falls Match and Kane vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight championship.
– A few readers have asked why SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio wrestled on Monday’s WWE RAW from Phoenix. Aside from the fact that Alberto is in the midst of a major push and WWE wants him to get as much exposure as possibe, the main reason is that WWE wants to give RAW fans a look at a top SmackDown star in hopes that they’ll watch SmackDown on SyFy. Expect to see more crossover among RAW and SmackDown stars in the coming months.
– The new backstage announcer we saw on RAW is Scott Stanford, who announces on WWE Superstars and is one of WWE’s “hype men” on the PPV preview shows that air before WWE’s PPVs go on the air. He’s a longtime newscaster in the New York area and has an official website at ScottStanford.tv.
— While the extent is unclear, with WrestleMania XXVII taking place in Atlanta, Georgia near the ten-year anniversary of the death of World Championship Wrestling, there will be some sort of tie-in involving the defunct wrestling promotion at the event.
— Alberto Del Rio claimed in an interview last week that he is actually a third generation wrestler. He said his grandfather was a wrestler, but never famous. However, it has never been claimed that Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras are sons of wrestlers.
— Lilian Garcia is auctioning off several clothing items from her time in WWE including outfits and boots. To view her items, click here.
— Ring of Honor wrestler Chris Hero celebrates his 31st birthday today.
— Alberto Del Rio indicated to SLAM! Wrestling in an interview that tonight’s Fatal Four-Way TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship will be the biggest match of his career for two reasons.
“I’m going to have the chance to face those legends and especially because I’m going for the heavyweight title,” he said. “For me, this is the most important match in my career.”
After being a late addition to the match, Del Rio said his focus is on Mysterio and the World Heavyweight Championship.
“At the end, the only one who’s going to be left is Alberto Del Rio with the title,” he said.
— TNA Wrestling star Shannon Moore confirmed that Billy Kidman, who works for WWE in a backstage capacity, has an account on Twitter. His account can be reached at twitter.com/realkidman.
— Brodus Clay noted on a recent episode of NXT that he previously worked as rapper Snoop Dogg’s bodyguard. It would appear that the Brodus Clay ring name was inspired by his former colleague, as the rapper’s last name is Broadus.
SmackDown superstar Alberto Del Rio was interviewed this week by Canada’s Slam Wrestling to promote Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops show on NBC. Here are some highlights of what Del Rio said about:
Wanting The World Heavyweight Title & Becoming A Top WWE Star:
“That’s the reason I came here, that’s the reason I left everything behind – my friends, my family, my house in Mexico, my status,” he said. “I was a big superstar in Mexico and when I came to WWE, no one knew me. Now I’m building my career here in the States, little by little and I’m sure I’m going to be one of the main guys pretty soon.”
Working As A Heel In WWE After Being A Babyface In Mexico For Years:
“To develop my character, I only used experiences from people I hate,” he said, laughing. “That’s making my job really easy. All your life, you have the chance to know people where you hate the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they express themselves and that’s what I do to develop my character. I just remember people I hate through the years and that’s Alberto Del Rio right there.”
Advice He Received From Vince McMahon:
“Before my debut, Mr. McMahon told me, ‘You gotta believe to make people believe.’ When he told me that, I was like, ‘Okay, all that I need is to believe my character.’ … That’s what I do every time I go out, I really believe I’m Alberto Del Rio. I really believe I have all those cars, all those millions.”
Head over to Slam.Canoe.Ca to check out the entire interview, it’s a good read.
— The USA Network will reportedly air three WWE broadcasts on prime time in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday.
In addition to a live two-hour episode of Raw on Dec. 20, SmackDown will air live the following evening from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. A two-hour version of Tribute to the Troops is tapped to air the following night from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
— It was announced during Friday’s episode of SmackDown that the Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio match at TLC would be a Chairs Match.
— Maryse and Melina revealed on Twitter that they will be on hand for Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops event in Fort Hood, Texas.
– John Cena’s Mexican cousin Juan returned to action this weekend at the RAW live event in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The masked superstar defeated World Heavyweight champion Kane by disqualification after Nexus came down and attacked him. After Nexus took Cena’s mask off, he fought back and sent them running away to end the show.
– A few SEScoops readers have sent in emails asking who Twitter user @HeaterMC is, as several WWE superstars have been referencing HeaterMC in their recent tweets. We can confirm that HeaterMC is Mark Carrano, one of the top people in charge of WWE’s developmental system. He also works in the Talent Relations department under John Laurinaitis.
– Former WWE Diva Tiffany says she’s excited about a few new projects she has in the works. She recently wrote on Twitter:
“I have 2 huge projects coming up! Can’t wait to tell everyone about them! Hurry up 2011!”
— People within WWE thought the timing of Alex Riley’s arrest last week for Driving under the influence didn’t do him as favors, but he survived the company’s latest round of talent cuts in spite of many speculating that he would be fired.
Shawn Michaels and his family were involved in a car accident the night after termination papers had been finalized, while Riley’s arrest on a DUI charge took place the day before. Many feel Riley is lucky Michaels nor his family were hurt, because if they were, it is very likely that he would have been let go.
— WWE cleverly edited the episode of SmackDown held in Manchester, England so that it would appear that Alberto Del Rio’s ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez was on hand for the event when he actually wasn’t—due to a cost-cutting measure. A clip of Rodriguez introducing Del Rio was played to the live audience while clips from other television events were shown during the broadcast.
In an apparent error, there is a banner ad on the front page of WWE.com advertising a Two Out Of Three Falls Match between Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio for Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. However, no such match has been announced. A bout pitting Team Mysterio against Team Del Rio in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match is still advertised for the event on the website’s Survivor Series section.
— Rey Mysterio is active for the SmackDown brand’s live event tour of Europe, but has not been wrestling. An angle is taking place at live events where Mysterio comes out to face Alberto Del Rio in a match, but is then attacked. This subsequently leads to Kofi Kingston facing Del Rio.
Mysterio is suffering from an inner ear imbalance—which is causing him dizziness and nausea.
— Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw will be pre-recorded due to the time difference in England. The event is being held at the Manchester Evening News Arena and begins at 2:30 p.m. EST.
— WWE returns to the Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, Wales on Apr. 19, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Nov. 10, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
— It was advertised tonight during a commercial on Raw that Edge would be squaring off against Alberto Del Rio this Friday on SmackDown.
— Tonight, John Cena became the first WWE Superstar to accumulate 200,000 followers on Twitter.
— The Smackdown house show on January 9, 2011 will be held at the Knoxville Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tickets go on sale November 20, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– Celebrity news site HollywoodLife.com is reporting that WWE is negotiating with with teen pop star Justin Bieber to sing America the Beautiful at Wrestlemania 27.
“It is so perfect! To have Justin perform in front of 70,000 plus people would just be amazing! It is so perfect”, their source said. “It’s still a work in progress but it would be a lot of fun.”
Opening WrestleMania would put Beiber in an elite club of music icons that includes Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.
– SmackDown newcomer Alberto Del Rio, who has already been thrown into a top program with Rey Mysterio, nearly quit World Wrestling Entertainment before getting called up to the main roster. Apparently Del Rio wasn’t making much money and was considering a reutrn Mexico, where he’s already a top st. Del Rio actually received bad reviews from his time spent in the WWE developmental system. (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter).
– The WWE Smackdown taping on December 14th, 2010 will be held at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. Tickets go on sale October 16th, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer for the Del Rio & Syfy news)
– The comedy duo Penn & Teller have once again been removed from WWE’s lineup of upcoming RAW Guest Hosts. A WWE source has informed us that Penn & Teller are very protective over how they are presented on television and there’s been a lot of back-and-forth over how much the WWE creative team would write for them .. They were originally booked to host RAW on September 20th, the night after Night of Champions, but now it appears they’re out again.
The only two guest hosts now listed are teen actor Bobb’e J. Thompson on October 18 and country singer Toby Keith on Oct. 25, the night after the Bragging Rights PPV.
– Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer is Jesus “Ricardo†Rodriguez, one of the head trainers at The Fit Pit Pro Wrestling School in Chatsworth, California.
– The dark match before last night’s SmackDown tapings saw John Morrison defeat Tyler Reks. The dark main event after the tapings saw Kane and The Undertaker go to a double DQ.
– After Titus O’Neil messed up MVP’s Yakuza kick on last night’s NXT 2 finale, MVP responded to a fan on Twitter who asked about the botched move. MVP wrote:
“He’s either a) really tuff. B) I missed. C) he has no clue!â€
– Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, JJ Dillon, Sgt. Slaughter and Mean Gene Okerlund were at WWE headquarters on Tuesday to film another round of “Legends Roundtable” shows for WWE On Demand.
– Goldust noted on Twitter that he suffered a black eye after his WWE Superstars match with TedDiBiase on Monday night in Boston.
– Ted DiBiase Jr. will be appearing on SyFy’s WCG Ultimate Gamer on Thursday, September 23rd. The show will feature SmackDown vs. RAW 2011.
— Shawn Michaels said on on Twitter that he will not be on hand for tomorrow night’s 900th edition of Monday Night Raw.
Responding to a fan’s query, Michaels wrote, “No I won’t b there. I have business elsewhere that day & Tue. sorry.”
The former WWE Champion also said that he has turned down two movie roles, indicating he would rather be silly than serious.
— Carlos Sanchez, who portrayed Alberto Del Rio’s opponent on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, was AAA star Alex Koslov.
It was noted on last night’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that company officials are interested in signing the Moldovan-born grappler to a contract.
— Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.59 cable rating, with 658,000 viewers. The midnight replay drew a 0.14 cable rating, with 128,000 viewers.
— The WWE Magazine Superstar Yearbook Official Roster Special issue hits newsstands Tuesday. Every WWE Superstar and Diva is featured in what is being dubbed an official WWE program.
— Regarding Alberto Del Rio, who debuts this week on Friday Night SmackDown, company officials are reportedly high on him due to the feeling that Rey Mysterio is one knee injury away from possible retirement and they need a new Hispanic star. Meanwhile, some wrestlers feel he’s aloof, which has some rubbed some of his peers the wrong way.
— As reported earlier, Welsh born wrestler Mason Ryan beat Alex Riley last Thursday to become the new Florida Heavyweight Champion. After winning the title, Ryan was telling people that he couldn’t believe he was given the strap as he felt he was far too green and didn’t deserve it. Many within WWE like Ryan as most guys of his stature come in with the attitude that they should be pushed to the top, whether they have talent or not. He, on the other hand, doesn’t understand why the company is pushing him.
— The Aug. 1 Raw live event in Fort Myers, Florida drew 4,248, with a $147,850 gate.
— The July 19 edition of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.4 cable rating, with 4,873,000 viewers. The show drew hours of 3.09 and 3.68. Viewership was slightly up from last week, which drew a 3.3 rating, with 4,800,000 viewers.
— A dark match between Alberto Del Rio and Kaval took place before tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown taping in Little Rock, Arkansas. The WWE newcomer scored the victory following a jumping spin kick to the NXT Rookie, who was tied up on the ropes.
— The pre-sale code for the Smackdown live event taking place on September 25, 2010 at Madison Square Garden is WWESUMMERSLAM. The pre-sale begins Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. EST via Ticketmaster.
— WWE newcomer Alberto Del Rio has already developed a bad reputation among those in the locker room, reports the Pro Wrestling Torch. He has complained to fellow wrestlers about the company’s decision to remove the mask he donned while working in Mexico. Many feel he should be thrilled with the push WWE officials have given him thus far rather than moaning.
— Eve Torres has opened a fan page on Facebook, which you can view at the following link. The WWE Diva also has plans to open an official website in the near future.
— Eliminated NXT Rookie Titus O’Neil (real name Thaddeus Bullard) said he chose his ring name because of its Biblical reference as Servant to God, not to mention that he’s a fan of NBA Superstar Shaquille O’Neal.
— R-Truth reportedly tweaked his knee during his Triple Threat Match against The Miz and Mark Henry at last night’s Raw brand house show.
Immediately following the conclusion of the match, which saw Miz pin R-Truth, the referee threw up the “X” signal. The former United States Champion was assisted by medical personnel to the backstage area.
R-Truth was the third wrestler to require medical assistance Saturday night as Kelly Kelly and Cody Rhodes suffered injuries during their respective matches at the SmackDown live event taking place in Portland, Maine.
— As seen on Friday’s SmackDown, a pre-taped vignette was aired featuring an individual by the name of Alberto Del Rio, who claimed to be the “only real honest man.” Del Rio, who’s real name is Alberto RodrÃguez, has ties to some of the most well known Mexican wrestlers as he is the son of luchador Dos Caras, as well as the nephew of Mil Mascaras and Sicodelico. Del Rio previously competed in Mexico under the name Dos Caras, Jr., a masked wrestler. He reportedly signed a three-year contract with WWE last June and had been working non-televised matches since April, both masked and unmasked.
