– Former TNA knockouts champion Awesome Kong is expected to debut for WWE next month, shortly after WrestleMania. There had been plans to debut her a few times since she signed in December 2010, but she’ll be on WWE television after WrestleMania.
– WWE is looking to hire a new VP of Talent Relations to work under John Laurinaitis. That spot was formerly held by Ty Bailey, who is now working for Triple H behind the scenes.
– Former Ring of Honor champion Tyler Black, who is currently training at WWE developmental, is currently slated for the next season of WWE NXT.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)
— Awesome Kong was backstage at last night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in Boston, but was not used. She is set to debut imminently. She is backstage at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence for tonight’s Raw.
— WWE Superstars Superstars Darren Young, David Hart Smith and Primo were advertised on WWE.com for last night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match but ultimately excluded. All three were not backstage at the Rumble as they were informed last week that they had been taken off the show. Smith, however, is in Providence for tonight’s Raw.
— Gail Kim took to Twitter to comment on speculation she performed as a heel at Saturday’s live event due to her partnership with Maryse in a tag team match. She wrote, “People I was forced to be Maryse’s tag partner by the GM! She left me high and dry so don’t think I wanted to be her partner.I had no choice.”
— There was much criticism amongst WWE officials regarding the quality of the commentary by Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker during last night’s Royal Rumble broadcast.
— “Rowdy” Roddy Piper suffered a black eye at the hands of Terry Funk during a battle royal at WrestleReunion 5 in Los Angeles.
— Awesome Kong teased an appearance at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as she noted the following on Twitter this afternoon.
“My stomach is RUMBLE-ing. Craving sushi so I may SMACK DOWN on some RAW fish.”
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s charge report on Kong last month for driving without a valid license, she resides in Massachusetts, near the site of tonight’s pay-per-view event.
— Maryse requested last week on Twitter ninety second tribute videos of her talking.
“I need a 90 secs video tribute of me talking, in an out of the ring, in commentary, backstages, ects….with other celebs I worked with,” she wrote. “Its a tribute to maryse s french accent…email it to me at maryseouellet500@gmail.com.”
She will post the best videos on her official website and follow the creators on Twitter.
– There are rumors that Awesome Kong will make her WWE debut at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. One scenario that’s been discussed is for her to interfere during the Divas Title match between Natalya and LayCool.
– There are still people in WWE that believe Batista will return to the company this year. Big Dave is known to be a fan of the “good life” – enjoying the luxury lifestyle that being a top-drawing WWE superstar brings. Batista has been pursuing his acting career, as well as training for his professional mixed martial arts debut, but his best chance to make big money is still with WWE.
While company officials remain optimistic that Batista has not wrestled his last match, the fact that Mason Ryan was brought in last week without changing his look (which most see as very similar to Batista’s) indicates that WWE is moving on without him, for now.
— Bret Hart’s latest role in WWE is taking part in the “Legends Roundtable” series that airs on WWE’s Classics On Demand channel. Jim Ross noted on Twitter this week that he was at WWE headquarters this week with Bret Hart, Pat Patterson, Michael Hayes and Gene Okerlund working on new Legends Roundtable episodes.
— On Friday’s SmackDown, we saw Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Ezekiel Jackson align themselves with Wade Barrett in what appears to be a new incarnation of the Nexus group. It’s worth noting that in promoting upcoming SmackDown live events, WWE is advertising Wade Barrett’s new group “Nexus.”
— Speaking of the SmackDown Nexus group, WWE is advertising Ezekiel Jackson as simply “Ezekiel,” so he may be dropping his last name.
— Fans interested in attending the WWE SmackDown taping at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York can use code LISD4PACK to purchase four tickets for $60. This promotion ends Friday.
— Former TNA Knockout Awesome Kong, who recently signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment, will be starting with the company soon, according to Mike Mooneyham.
— The Sun has posted an article claiming that WWE is plotting to swoop the multi-time World Champion from TNA Wrestling. They say with WrestleMania taking place in WCW’s former home of Atlanta this year, Vince McMahon wants Sting to be a part of the show and inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Though still listed on the TNA Wrestling website, Sting is presently a free agent after his contract with the organization expired late last year.
— The news of Awesome Kong’s recent arrest in Hillsborough County, Florida for driving without a valid license led one company source to quip, “Since Kong got arrested in Tampa I’d say that’s proof she got a WWE gig, because you have to get arrested in Tampa to work for WWE.”
— Last night’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America, which featured Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kidd in the main event, garnered a 0.58 cable rating with 588,000 viewers. Last week’s show drew a 0.67.
The midnight replay did a 0.16 with 166,000 viewers.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Miz vs. Morrison’s Match From Monday’s RAW:
“Great start to Raw with Miz vs. Morrison. These are two of the individuals that WWE is counting on to be big time players in the future. They both put forth great effort in the falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. I enjoyed their hard work and the overall physicality of the contest. Both men likely want to be known not only as successful, main eventers, first and foremost, but also tough, physical wrestlers, as well. Each took positive steps forward on that goal.”
“Miz is establishing that he is a talented, charismatic WWE Champion who can be beaten on any given night. That combo has worked for ages.”
“Morrison can wow any discerning fan with his athleticism and his physicality is becoming more prominent in his matches and I like that trait with any wrestler.”
The Elevation Of Wade Barrett & Sheamus:
“Some of the exchanges between Wade Barrett and Sheamus were physical and both men showed intensity and a gear change. Both Barrett and Sheamus have definitive up sides and both fit into the same category with Morrison and Miz as men that WWE needs to get to the next level and to stay there. Again, this is no simple feat and the ascension is a process that takes varying amounts of time depending on the individual along with being at the right place at the right time with all the stars surrounding the process being aligned properly.”
Reports That Awesome Kong Has Signed With WWE:
“I don’t know if WWE has signed female star Awesome Kong or not but if they have then I think it is a smart hire. After meeting her at the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) function a year or so ago in Las Vegas, I wrote that I thought she would be a nice fit in WWE because Kong is so unique. If she does sign, I’d bet a case of BBQ sauce that her name changes. If the Kong rumor is true, and this is just my two cents, I hope that Kong NEVER wrestles a man in WWE.”
As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products!
— As WWE announced earlier today, Tough Enough will be returning on April 4th and will air on the USA Network for 10 weeks prior to Monday Night RAW.
WWE has posted the official application online, which you can download here in .PDF format.
The application and a video must be submitted by January 14th. If you cannot download the application, e-mail ToughEnoughCasting@shedmediaus.com with your name, age, city, and state, phone numbers, a current photo of you, and a brief paragraph about you and why you think you can make it in WWE.
— To follow up on the news of former TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong signing with World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE reportedly asked Kong to clear up her legal situation in Florida before going to work for the company. Kong was arrested last month in Hillsborough County, Florida for driving without a suspended license. According to a WWE source, Kong no longer lives in Florida but went back in December to turn herself in and resolve the traffic violation. (Source: prowrestling.net)
– As we’ve been covering here on the site since last week, former TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong is believed to have signed a contract last week with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kong confirmed the signing on Twitter, re-tweeting congratulations from her attorney saying she’s going to “kill it” in WWE.
Independent wrestling promotion Millennium Wrestling Federation is promoting Awesome Kong’s appearance for this Saturday’s event at Memorial Hall in Melrose, MA as her farewell show before she starts with WWE. Kong will wrestle J-Busta and will be accompanies to the ring by John Cena, Sr., father of WWE superstar John Cena.
After speaking with a WWE source over the weekend about Kong’s signing, the latest is that the company is reportedly trying to keep it as “under wraps” as possible. A few WWE superstars are speculating that Kong could be a mystery entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble, which takes place on 1/30. While Kong will certainly be a part of WWE’s divas division, another plan that has been discussed is for Kong to be introduced as a bodyguard/enforcer for either a WWE superstar or diva.
– WWE has reportedly reached out to Chris Jericho about returning in time for WrestleMania. Jericho is said to be enjoying his time away and does not have immediate plans to return to the company. Triple H will be returning soon to add some needed star power to WrestleMania. The Undertaker’s status is still up in the air.
With WrestleMania taking place from Atlanta and there being talk of a possible WCW tie-in at the event, Bill Goldberg’s name has come up as somebody the company might reach out to for a WrestleMania program.
— Reigning TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Madison Rayne and Angelina Love recently shot footage for the custom wrestling match website SlamminLadies.com. Below is a photo of the two TNA Knockouts battling it out inside an empty room.
For prices starting as low as $250, the website allows fans to draw an outline of a pro-style match between any two women wrestlers featured on the site. Photo sets are also offered.
A number of past and present TNA Knockouts are featured on the website including Awesome Kong, Velvet Sky, Taylor Wilde, Cookie, Daffney, Sojournor Bolt, Roxxi Laveaux, Rhaka Khan, Ms. Payton Banks (a/k/a Rain) and Rosie Lottalove. Former WWE Diva Savannah (a/k/a Angela Fong) is also featured on the site.
— TNA Wrestling has made iMPACT! available to UK viewers while their television situation in the country gets resolved. The following instructions were posted on the company website: “Log on to TNAondemand.com, click the launch button, then click on the Impact UK button on the bottom left of the page. This free service is only available for the UK.”
— Millennium Wrestling Federation is promoting Awesome Kong’s appearance for this Saturday’s event at Memorial Hall in Melrose, MA as her farewell appearance for the promotion before she heads to World Wrestling Entertainment. She will be accompanied to the ring by the father of WWE Superstar John Cena, John Cena, Sr., for her match against J-Busta.
Other talent advertised for the show include WWE United States Champion Daniel Bryan, Abyss, Paul Bearer, Jay Lethal, and Matt “Doink the Clown” Borne. Visit BostonWrestling.com for more information.
— Randy Savage attended last month’s Florida Orchestra Yankees Concert, which was held in Tampa. Footage of the four-time world champion reciting “The Night Before Christmas” was shown during a recent news segment on Fox 13 Tampa. Check out the video below – Savage appears just over a minute into the video, and is shown again at the 1:27 mark.
— Awesome Kong confirmed today on Twitter that she has signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. She re-tweeted her friend’s remarks congratulating her.
“We did it Baby! Congrats to you on signing with the WWE!!” The Legal Diva wrote. “I am so proud of you as your attorney and friend! You will KILL IT at WWE!! YOU GO GIRL!!”
— Traci Brooks announced on Twitter today that WWE Diva Gail Kim has joined the micro-blogging platform.
Brooks wrote, “Hell must have frozen over cause Gail Kim finally got a twitter account. @gailkimITSME.”
— WWE will air SmackDown: The Best of 2009-2010 on pay-per-view in February.
— WWE posted tonight’s episode of SmackDown prematurely as it was available for viewing for a few hours today on YouTube prior to its national airing on Syfy. The video has since been set to private.
— Kane appeared on The Wease Show on radio station 95.1 in Rochester, New York on Tuesday and notably remarked that he was disappointed that his program with The Undertaker was cut short due to injury. He also commented on Paul Bearer’s return to WWE and subsequent departure from television. The interview can be accessed here.
— Dutch Mantell, who is credited for launching TNA Wrestling’s women’s division in 2007, took to Twitter to congratulate former colleague Awesome Kong on signing with World Wrestling Entertainment.
“Congrats to Awesome Kong for her WWE signing,” he wrote. “She was always one of my favorites…glad to see her in a position to make some real money.”
— The Dec. 27 Monday Night Raw taping in Albany, New York drew 6,000 fans. Sunday’s SmackDown live event in Chicago, Illinois drew 8,500 fans paying $320,000, while the following night’s show in Pittsburgh garnered 9,000 fans.
— Regarding WWE’s take on Awesome Kong being arrested last week after driving with a license that had been either canceled, suspended or revoked, sources claim they had issue with it. Her deal with the organization was finalized yesterday.
— Joey Mercury, who has been sidelined since September due to a torn pectoral muscle, is now working as a trainer in Florida Championship Wrestling.
— Ring announcer Justin Roberts celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday.
WWE is believed to have offered former TNA Women’s Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong a contract.
She wrote the following earlier today on her Twitter account:
“My dreams just came true today. I got my dream job. Yes, THAT one.”
WWE sources indicate there’s been discussion of Kong joining the organization in recent weeks. One source claims she paid a visit to WWE’s headquarters Stamford, Connecticut a month ago.
While the signing has not been confirmed, sources believe it was finalized last week.
Former TNA Wrestling performer Kia Stevens (a/k/a Awesome Kong), 33, was arrested Wednesday at 11:59 a.m. in Hillsborough County in Florida on charges of driving with a license that had been either canceled, suspended or revoked.
She was booked into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and released shortly later on $1,000 bond.
— Northeast Wrestling announced on its Facebook page this morning that tonight’s scheduled match between Awesome Kong and Mickie James has been called off due to injury.
“Awesome Kong contacted Northeast Wrestling at midnight last night notifying us that she will be unable to appear this evening due to a back injury,” the statement reads. “Northeast Wrestling would like to apologize as she promised us on Monday that would definitely be wrestling Mickie James tonight.”
James will be still be wrestling on the card, but a replacement opponent has yet to be announced.
— WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk, 66, has agreed to wrestle in a Legends Battle Royal at the WrestleReunion event taking place this January in Los Angeles, California. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— Former WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus kicks off an autograph signing tour today in the Northeast dubbed ‘The Stratusphere Tour’. For complete details, click here.
— Kia Stevens (a/k/a Awesome Kong), who officially parted ways with TNA Wrestling in March, has not been offered a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
WON suggests that WWE officials may feel she’s mentally unstable given the nature of her departure from TNA Wrestling and story of an attempted suicide.
— It was reported Sunday that WWE performer Taryn Terrell (a/k/a Tiffany) had been cleared of assault charges stemming from a domestic disturbance between her and husband Drew Galloway (a/k/a Drew McIntyre) last month in Los Angeles, California. Regarding a return to WWE airwaves, the official word is that creatively, the company does not know how they will reintroduce her character.
— Today is former WWE Women’s Champion The Kat’s birthday. She turns 40 years old.
— In a match pitting a former WWE Women’s Champion against a former TNA Women’s Knockout Champion, it has been announced that Mickie James will square off against Awesome Kong on Oct. 1 at Northeast Wrestling’s 15th Anniversary event in Waterbury, Connecticut. This would be their first-ever meeting.
Also scheduled to take place is a match fit for an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2005, Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin. For more information on the event, visit northeastwrestling.com. Bryan Danielson is also scheduled to appear.
— A photo has surfaced of actor Sylvester Stallone placing a headlock on Steve Austin at San Diego Comic-Con International. The photo can be viewed here.
Stallone and Austin were promoting The Expendables, an upcoming film they are both starring in, when the snapshot occurred.
— In today’s birthdays, former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tommy Rich turns 54 while Ring of Honor wrestler Roderick Strong turns exactly half that.
— Scott Hall remains hospitalized in Florida due to a bout with double pneumonia. His official Myspace page notes that he is off IVs and oxygen, but will be in the hospital for a few more days.
“It seems when he went in they did a dye test , he had a reaction to the dye and caused a small problem with his kidney’s,” reads the MySpace update. “They still have one more test to run.. but had to make sure.. the kidney’s were fine.”
— Former TNA performers Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed are advertised to reunite at the July 25 CHIKARA event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at “The Arena.” They will be facing the team of Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze. Also advertised for the event is a tag match pitting Tommy Dreamer and Eddie Kingston against Claudio Castagnoli and Ares. For more information on the show, visit ChikaraPro.com.
— In today’s birthdays, WWE Hall of Famer Jesse “The Body” Ventura turns 59 years old while former WWE Diva Cherry turns 35.
— Awesome Kong teased on her Twitter account today that she’s returning to national television in the near future. She wrote: “Kong returns to wrestling on national television soon! Check back for details.”
The multi-time Women’s Knockout Champion officially parted ways with TNA Wrestling in March after requesting her release from the organization. She later revealed that she had asked for her release due to monetary issues and recent changes to company management.
–Former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James will be appearing for the Japanese wrestling promotion SMASH on July 24, which is owned by former WWE performer Tajiri. Scotty 2 Hotty and Eugene will also be competing on the show.
— Former WWE performer Jimmy Wang Yang threw out the first pitch at yesterday’s Class-A minor league baseball game between the Rome Braves and Charleston RiverDogs. Yang and former WCW wrestler Glacier signed autographs following the game.
– Awesome Kong is booked to return to ROH on July 23rd in Collinsville, IL and July 24th in Chicago Ridge, IL.
– Ring of Honor released the The Best of ROH on HDNet DVD today.
– Ring of Honor made the following announcement today…
“Ring of Honor is happy to announce the return of one of the most exciting tag teams in professional wrestling today, Matt & Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks! These two athletes have proven to be one of the most athletic, innovative, high flying tag teams on the scene today, and they will bring that action back to ROH on July 23rd in Collinsville, IL and July 24th in Chicago Ridge, IL! The brothers Jackson last competed in the ROH ring at “SoCal Showdown” back in January as part of a classic 8-Man tag alongside The Briscoes, The Kings of Wrestling, and The American Wolves, and will now make their way back to Ring of Honor to showcase their brand of tag team excellence. The Young Bucks matches for July 23rd & 24th are still being finalized so keep your eyes right here on www.rohwrestling.com for updates. Tickets are available here for Collinsville and here for Chicago Ridge , so get yours now to see the return of one of the most exciting tag teams around today!”
In an interview with Diva Dish, Awesome Kong commented on TNA Wrestling signing independent women’s wrestler Betsy Ruth to be the new monster of the Knockouts division.
On Betsy Ruth and comparisons between them, she says: “She [Betsy] is a lovely person, lovely girl. She has great skill. Just because we are of the same build and do some of the same moves… You could have that comparison with a lot of the girls who are thinner, smaller and blonde or brunette who are on TNA’s roster or any roster in wrestling. There aren’t that many of us full figured [female] wrestlers around so I guess that’s why people are quick to compare. I think she’s going to do a phenomenal job and I hope that the writers give her great support.”
Speaking on comparisons between Betsy and Kong perhaps setting Betsy up for failure, she says: “I hope she doesn’t. When people make comparisons, it does set people up for failure. Judge her for what she does. Hopefully they have her character, not as an imitation of Kong, but as what she’s been doing and what she’s been cultivating. And if I were ever to come back, then maybe we could have an awesome feud or a tag. We are two different entities and I’m pretty sure they’ll showcase her strengths and they’ll be different from mine.”
Busted Open satellite radio show with Awesome Kong
Hosts: Dave LaGreca and Doug Mortman
Airs Mondays and Wednesdays on Sirius 126 and XM 243 from 2-4 EST
The Difference in Pay For Men and Women in TNA: “Wrestling does appear to be a man’s sport and in true tradition, women are traditionally not paid as much as their male counterparts. It (the payscale) is out of whack. Thats why instead of staying, I think everyone should come to a happy workplace and not to poison or be a bad egg, just leave the scene altogether and find something else.”
Working For Ring of Honor: “I’m not officially with the company yet, this is like a one night stand type of deal. I have a lot of unfinished business before I can officially join ROH and that is something that I am open to. They take wrestling here very serious…..I would definitely be interested.”
Her Beef With Bubba the Love Sponge: “There are things that happened backstage that should remain backstage. That’s why going on the program and speaking on what had happened, I shouldn’t have done that. I should have just kept it backstage. What happens backstage remains backstage and thats how it should be.
“He took it out on the radio. That drew me out a bit and I should know better. I’ve been in this business, I know this business, I respect this business, he doesn’t. People in our business can’t allow other people who don’t understand our business that because he wants to be a worker so bad and no one wants to play with him, people allow their friends to get away with things like that.
“The product definitely has changed, and since I am a wrestler, and this is pro wrestling for me, I took myself out of that particular product….of that equation, especially since it didn’t make sense monetarily.”
Former TNA Knockout Awesome Kong was a guest on the Monday Night Mayhem Radio show this week, which you can listen to by clicking here (MP3). Here are the highlights from the interview, courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson From New Jersey:
Leaving TNA: “The transition has been great. I’ve been taking better care of my body and easing up on the wrestling & my schedule a bit, and I have the opportunity to pick & choose when & where I work, so that has been fabulous. I’m also going back to basics, and going back to Japan this week, and just reinventing & bringing back a more aggressive Kong.”
How TNA Changed During Her Time There: “Well, there were some differences towards the end. They have offered to leave the door open should I want to come back, and that is something I’m also open to. Just right now, I came to this before all the changes happened. People think that because I left right when the changes happened, that I left because of the changes, and that’s not really so. This was gradually coming on, and I my body needed a break, and I just needed to regroup and figure out exactly how I wanted my character to go & the direction I wanted it to go. It’s (TNA) definitely a different product in the little that I have watched. The X-Division isn’t has prominent as it used to be, and that was one of the reasons I came to TNA. When I was Japan, the X-Division DVD’s were like crack on streets. That has changed a bit. So I’d like to see that come back full force. They’re trying new things, and I wish them well, and hopefully the things they are trying works out for them.”
How the Knockouts Division Changed During her Time in TNA: “When I first came to TNA, there was an ambiance that everyone was a team. Backstage, everyone supported one another, we were all together as one, and we worked together as one to grow as a company. Everyone was putting in back-breaking work & putting in their all, because we were depending on one another to make something big happen. I think when things started to get bigger, I guess people got comfortable. I won’t say cocky, but maybe a little comfortable, and the fire wasn’t there anymore. People just got comfortable where they were or discouraged & stagnant.”
Her Role in the TNA Locker Room: “I’ve heard idle reports about the locker room musings. When I was there, things like that didn’t go on. Not to say people didn’t have disagreements, but when I was there/if something came up, I would usually step in & be a mediator for whatever was going on, because we would like to keep a harmonious vibe in the locker room. It’s very important to come to a happy workplace, so when I was there, I did my best to make sure everyone was emotionally safe & physically safe in the ring … These reports that I’m hearing, they may be true, and I’ve heard things have changed since I left. The air there has changed; it’s a different air from when I first arrived that.”
Going to WWE: “Their product is a bit different, and I don’t fit the ‘diva model’ persay. I do believe that if I was there, I would back them a lot of money. They have some of the most creative minds in professional wrestling, and I believe if they choose to pick me up, that everyone would make money all around.”
