– WWE has announced a Chris Jericho “Highlight Reel” segment with Rusev and Lana for tonight’s post-TLC edition of WWE RAW.
– Bad News Barrett was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida today working out. He wrote the following about it on his official Instagram account: “Lacing ’em up for the first time in six months at the @WWE Performance Center. #BNB #Owwww”
WWE Superstar Bad News Barrett recently spoke with The Huffington Post. Here are some quick highlights of what he said about:
WWE’s Perception Of Internet Fans:
“Traditionally, WWE used to shy away from that internet kind of fan base. But I think increasingly, in life in general and every aspect of entertainment, social media, the internet fan base is now massive. It’s gone from being a minority of people who use that kind of thing — Twitter and forums — to pretty much everybody in some respect. With Instagram and Facebook, the Internet fanbase is the masses nowadays, so I think you’re foolish not to embrace that. WWE has been at the forefront of embracing that in the entertainment industry.”
His Upcoming Return To Action:
“It’s going to be interesting. Sometimes being away from TV for four months or six months or whatever it’s been can really help you. People miss you and are happy to see you back. On the other hand, people can forget about you.”
Backstage Update On Bad News Barrett’s WWE Return, Plans For Him When He’s Back
As seen in recent ads for WrestleMania 31, the WWE Superstars that are most prominently featured in the majority of those ads are Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Mark Henry, Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose. Apparently the reason Henry is included among those guys is because the WWE advertising department were told to include an African-American in the main ads for the show.
Other ads for the show, such as those at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the show will take place next year, have Randy Orton and Bad News Barrett instead of Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan, and include Big E. as one of the big six.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
A few announcements were made regarding the WWE Survivor Series “Kickoff Show” on the “go-home” edition of RAW for this Sunday’s pay-per-view.
WWE Superstar Fandango will be back in action and Bad News Barrett was confirmed for the show, with Jerry Lawler saying he heard he has some “Bad News” to deliver.
Finally, Paul Heyman will join the “expert panel” for the pay-per-view pre-show.
WWE Survivor Series takes place this Sunday night, live and free on the WWE Network. Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Sunday for live coverage of the event.
WWE has announced an official WrestleMania 31 On-Sale Party for Friday, November 14th from 6pm until 9pm at the Intel Plaza inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the host of next year’s show. Tickets for WrestleMania 31 go on sale to the public the next morning.
Superstars scheduled to appear at the party include Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett, Charlotte, Tyler Breeze, Rosa Mendes, Booker T, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. The event is scheduled to be hosted by NXT’s Corey Graves and Fan Axxess emcee Christian Litke.
Additionally, a DJ will be playing throughout the night and fans in attendance will have their first opportunity to get official WrestleMania 31 merchandise.
Chris Jericho, who reportedly finished up his latest run with WWE at the Night Of Champions pay-per-view, is still advertised to appear at the upcoming WWE European tour in November.
According to the official WWE events page, Jericho is scheduled to appear at the November 10th, 11th and 15th shows, with the 11th being the most interesting, as that is a WWE SmackDown television taping in England.
If Jericho was a full-time guy, it could be chalked up to being a simple mistake. For example, Bad News Barrett was listed for those dates but was eventually pulled off of the advertising when word got out to the proper people. In Jericho’s case, however, the only reason he would be advertised after Night Of Champions is if he was booked to appear.
It’s also worth noting that Jericho teased that he “might be returning sooner than you think” during a recent interview.
The following are highlights of a new Ten Sports interview with Bad News Barrett:
On working with John Cena after debuting on the main roster: “That was a pretty intense period in my life, to go from being pretty much an unknown wrestler, which I had been for 6 years at that point since I’ve started wrestling to suddenly get the opportunity to go out there and be a main event level character, and be the guy that’s opening up every RAW on the microphone and closing every RAW, wrestling all the top stars and beating up John Cena, which is a huge jump for me to go from that unknown around the world; I wasn’t recognized to immediately being one of the most important guys on the show. So it was a pretty intense period in my life, but I also loved every second of it. It was what essentially I was aiming to do, what I had sacrificed for, for over 6 – 7 years in my career to get to that point. So, to get that payoff, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders; so I didn’t really feel the pressure much. I was just enjoying the reactions we were getting and I knew it was working. Everything we did was working perfectly, so that felt good.”
On if he thinks Nexus could have been booked better towards the end: “Yeah, 100%. I think there was definitely more life left in Nexus at the time. If I had been in charge, I wouldn’t have ended it like it ended. But then again, we got great opportunities for young superstars to come into the WWE, make a huge impact and then 4 or 5 years down the line, most of us are still around, and most of us are still making a very good living in the WWE, and are involved in great angles. So I don’t really look at it in a negative way; I think we were very fortunate to get that opportunity, and I’m also very grateful for the fact that Nexus came along when it did. I wish it could’ve gone a bit longer, but I think there’s always that appetite left for people where they want to see some more of Nexus. They know it didn’t end the way it should’ve ended, and I think there’s always a potential in the future where we could bring it back. So we’ll have to see how that goes.”
On his favorite opponents: “My favorite opponent to work with.. I’d say there are two to choose between, and it’s because I’ve probably wrestled them more than anybody else, and that would be Kofi Kingston and Sheamus. They’re two completely different wrestlers. Kofi is obviously a high – flying, technical kind of guy, and Sheamus is very smash mouth and last time there were a lot of bruises and black eyes and things like that. So two completely different kind of wrestlers; I always seem to have good chemistry with them, and I don’t think I’ve had a bad match with either of those two, despite the fact that we’d wrestled hundreds of times. So I love wrestling those two, and then just before I got injured, I had a couple of matches with Dolph Ziggler. He’s a guy I have a lot of respect for, and I’ve known Dolph for 6 or 7 years and up until probably 3 months ago, we’ve never had a match before. So to get in with him and we clicked instantly; he’s another one that I’m hoping that when I get back, I get to do stuff with him because he’s currently got my Intercontinental championship I got stripped off. So fingers crossed, when I get back I can go straight for him, and try and win that back, and see what we can do together.”
Check out the complete interview at TenSports.com.
– As noted, Ryback recently underwent surgery to repair an injury he had been dealing with for a while. It has since been revealed that it was hernia surgery and that the operation was a success. Ryback is currently recovering and will return when he is back to 100 percent.
– Although he had hoped for a November return since that is when the WWE tour of the United Kingdom takes place, Bad News Barrett was recently informed by doctors that he won’t be cleared to return to the ring until December.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following are highlights of a new Sports Keeda interview with Bad News Barrett:
Q: You have been out of action for quite a long time now with your shoulder injury. When can we expect you to be in the ring?
Yes, I have been out for a while. I’m going through my recovery phase right now. It has been great, I’m feeling great. I will be back probably by December, with WWE doing their European tour this winter.
Q: Upon your return, will you be aiming to regain your Intercontinental title back?
Definitely. Since I didn’t really lose the title, and was stripped off from it. I hope I’ll come back and beat him up, cos’ nobody likes the Miz. Everyone wants to beat Miz up. But, Dolph has it now, Dolph Ziggler. He is another guy who I think is a very talented performer; had some good matches with him in the past. And, if he is still the champion when I come back, I’ll go straight for him. I enjoy wrestling him, but I want my title back.
Q: And, what about Jack Swagger, the guy who injured you?
Jack Swagger, he is a good guy himself. I don’t really blame him for the injury, I’ve been asked that before. It is just one of those things. And, unfortunately, you can get two guys, very experienced, like Jack Swagger and myself, and sometimes things go wrong, and that’s exactly what happened with regards to my injuries. I don’t blame him, but if I do get a chance I’m gonna hit him right away, just to be on the safer side.
Q: Bad News Barrett or Wade Barrett?
Bad News Barrett. There you go that is the future. I mean Wade Barrett, I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved in the past, but right now, I’m performing as Bad News Barrett, that’s my name, that’s how I’m in the video game, and that is what my pictures says. So, yeah Bad News Barrett, that’s my favourite right now.
Check out the complete interview at SportsKeeda.com.
– Paul Heyman has issued a statement to John Cena on his Heyman Hustle website. Brock Lesnar returns to WWE RAW tonight – and Cena is looking for a fight. In typical Heyman fashion, he explains exactly why this is a disastrous idea from Cena just 6 days ahead of their rematch this Sunday at Night of Champions. Heyman explains:
“Brock Lesnar is going to kick John Cena’s ass all over Monday Night RAW, and John Cena will not have enough time to recover to be 100% for his contractually-invoked rematch at WWE Night of Champions next Sunday. “
“Martyrdom does not guarantee immortality. Bluntly, it guarantees the opposite. Martyrdom only offers death. In this case, the death of John Cena’s dream of proving himself anything but inferior to my client, the reigning defending WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World, Brock Lesnar! “
You can (and should) read the full statement at HeymanHustle.com.
– WWE Superstar Bad News Barrett is back on tour with WWE, traveling to India for this week’s International tour. He posted the following on Instagram on Sunday:
“About to take off on tour… @WWEIndia, see you in Bangalore in about 24hrs! Can’t wait. #BNB”
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Bad News Barrett:
On how he’s doing since the injury: “I’m great. I’m back in the gym lifting weights again. I’m working hard on my rehab to come back as soon as I can. I miss performing in front of the WWE Universe and traveling around the world seeing the fans all the time.”
On getting injured during a push: “…There is never really a good time to get injured. I felt like I was in the middle of a good run. I had some good matches, and people were enjoying what I was doing. Obviously, I also had the Intercontinental championship, which was huge in itself. There are elements of this happening that really did suck, but I want to be back and better than ever. I want to push forward. Eventually, I want to win the WWE world heavyweight championship.”
On if he change his in-ring brawler style? “I think with me and the injury, it was kind of an unfortunate situation. We can do that 100 more times, and it wouldn’t have happened. Sometimes you have this element of bad luck. It would be a struggle to go out and not give a 100 percent, especially when you have the loud crowd behind you and the adrenaline pumping. I would find it hard to step back and do things a little different. Maybe it’s something I need to look at with a bit more maturity. However, with this particular injury, I think it was just a case of bad luck.”
On Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns: “For me, he (Wyatt) is definitely one of the guys I would look at as the future. What a unique guy and amazingly talented in the ring. I think his character is just so unique within the world of WWE that you can’t help but to take notice. So he is a guy who I enjoy a lot. Another I like is Roman Reigns. He has the potential to be the next top, top guy, which only happens once in a generation. With this generation, he kind of has everything on paper to be that guy. Fingers crossed for his development. I think he has a great head on his shoulders. He is a great athlete and a good attitude. Everyone seems to like him in the locker room, which is pretty rare in itself. If he keeps developing the way he has, I can see him being the guy who is pulling the whole train along.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
As noted earlier today, WWE is advertising Daniel Bryan for their upcoming European tour in November.
Current WWE advertisements list Bryan for one-half of the tour, which begins on November 6th in Cardiff, Wales and also includes Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt as the key Superstars.
Additionally, Bad News Barrett, who is also currently on the sidelines with an injury, is advertised to return during the tour. Barrett is currently advertised for the other half of the tour, which begins on November 5th in London, England and also features John Cena.
WWE Superstar Bad News Barrett was recently challenged to take part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge.” Before doing so, Barrett extended the challenge to NXT trainer Robbie Brookside and musician Ian Perkins.
Check out Barrett’s “Ice Bucket Challenge” clip above.
During WWE SummerSlam weekend in Los Angeles, California, veteran wrestling journalists Dave Meltzer and Brian Fritz caught up with Bad News Barrett.
Barrett, who has been on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, spoke to the guys about his current physical condition, his history with injuries and who he’d like to work with when he’s back in action, which he says is targeted to be in December.
Check out the complete video interview above.
– It was announced during Monday’s RAW that at this Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view, the injured Bad News Barrett will be in attendance. Barrett will present the winner of the Battleground Battle Royal with the Intercontinental Championship that he used to hold.
– Below is a hype video for rapper Flo Rida’s gig as host of next week’s RAW:
We are a little over halfway through the year. With Money in the Bank behind us, the WWE will now focus on building up its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam. With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the second quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)
Dolph Ziggler is rarely given more than ten minutes to perform anymore, so it is definitely worth enjoying when he is given enough time to show off his talent. In this match, Ziggler squared off with Bad News Barrett in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. Both superstars put on a great show, with Barrett ultimately winning after hitting a Bad News Bullhammer Elbow. The action was fast paced in this contest, with both guys showing why they have main event talent. This would start Barrett’s push to win the title, although he would of course later be stripped as a result of injury. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdwcxG9A8UU
This would end up begin Daniel Bryan’s only title defense, as he was stripped of the title just a few weeks later due to injury. He made the most of his time with the strap, however, by engaging in a great contest with Kane. Of all the matches on the list, this is definitely the one that had the most old-school feel to it, with the action spilling to the back of the arena at one point. Bryan also used a forklift to help secure the victory by delivering a diving headbutt from the top of the vehicle. Ultimately, the match was a throwback to the Attitude Era, providing fans with a simultaneous glimpse into both the past and future of the company. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ReEU8WzzQo
We’ve got “bad news” for Bad News Barrett fans.
The former WWE Intercontinental champion underwent surgery on Tuesday morning to repair his shoulder, which was injured last week on SmackDown when he was thrown into a ringside barricade by Jack Swagger.
The surgery was performed in Birmingham, Alabama by Dr. Jeff Dugas.
WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann told WWE.com:
“Bad News Barrett underwent a ligament reconstruction in his shoulder, as well as a distal clavicle resection, where the end of the collar bone is shaved off. The operation went very well, he’s resting comfortably.”
It was announced on Monday’s RAW that due to Bad News Barrett suffering a separated shoulder on last week’s episode of SmackDown, the Intercontinental Championship has been officially vacated.
A new champion will be crowned at WWE Battleground in a Battle Royal.
The first four confirmed participants are Kofi Kingston, Cesaro, Damien Sandow and the Great Khali.
WWE Battleground takes place on Sunday, July 20th.
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
(WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
(Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match
(Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
Winner: Stardust and Goldust by pinfall
Early advertising for the WWE Battleground pay-per-view, which is the next show following Sunday’s Money In The Bank, has been released in the local Tampa market and may have already spoiled two of the matches planned for the show.
According to the ads in Tampa, Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose will be taking place at Battleground.
Also advertised to appear at Battleground are John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Kane, RVD, Sheamus, Cesaro, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Bad News Barrett and Kofi Kingston.
WWE has been continuing to find ways to make as many budget cuts as possible due to enormous losses expected as part of the WWE Network upstart costs.
Outside of talent and executive cuts that we have reported in the past few weeks, WWE has done away with unnecessary things such as Fandango’s entrance stuff and Bad News Barrett’s giant podium.
It is believed that WWE will continue to make budget cuts wherever they can manage to, including more potential talent cuts and other production cutbacks.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following are highlights of a new DC 101 interview with Seth Rollins:
Money In the Bank Ladder Match on Sunday: “Looking at the field there’s a lot of guys who are going to take risks, I think a lot of people might think I might be one of those guys. But in this scenario, what I’m going to do I think is let the other guys take their risks and when they crash and burn I’m just going to climb that ladder, snatch that contract and be the man for the next year!”
Being the first NXT Champion: “To be the inaugural, to be the first is very special. And if you look at the legacy NXT has already created within the past couple of years, and the legacy that I’m sure it’s going to have moving forward shaping our industry for the next couple of decades most likely, to be the first guy, to be the placeholder is pretty awesome.”
Will Wade Barrett be able to compete on Sunday after hurting his shoulder: “I think we’re still waiting to see how that goes. I know Wade’s been riding an incredible wave of momentum over the past couple of months, his Bad News thing has really been awesome. As a competitor in the match I can’t say that it’s a shame that he may not be in it anymore, but as someone who is a little bit of a fan of Bad News Barrett I would be kind of upset if he had to miss out.”
Check out the complete interview above, or by going to DC101.com.
Money in the Bank is only a few days away, and it appears that the card is all but set. There are two ladder matches scheduled so fans can enjoy double the fun. Leading into the event, most questions have been answers, but a few still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered heading into Money in the Bank.
This past week on Raw, Big E cut a rather passionate promo on Rusev. During his Intercontinental Title run, Big E was never really given an opportunity to connect with fans, leading many, including myself, to believe that his run with the title was stale.
However, after seeing him on Raw last week, I think that he could be one of the top superstars if booked properly. Instead of writing Big E cookie cutter promos that bore the fans, he should be given more time to speak freely and be himself as he did on Raw. If he had been given this opportunity while he still held the title, he could still be holding the strap today.
Bad News Barrett was unfortunately the one receiving the bad news this week after separating his shoulder during a SmackDown taping. It seems that Barrett cannot avoid the injury bug, as he has been known to go down to injury at the worst possible times.
There has been no official announcement regarding his status for this Sunday’s pay-per-view, but it seems as if he will have to sit out while his fellow competitors attempt to win at shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. One can only hope that he recovers quickly and gets back in the ring, especially considering how successful his latest push has been.
The official WWE website has published a new article that confirms our earlier reports regarding an injury Bad News Barrett suffered during the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann said Barrett “sustained an injury to his right shoulder when he was thrown into the barricade by Jack Swagger.”
Amann continued, “After Barrett felt an immediate pain and a pop, we brought him back to the training room and the exam showed a separated shoulder. We’re going to do some additional testing this week and then sit down with him and talk about options for treatment for this injury.”
The article goes on to note that Barrett’s status for this Sunday’s pay-per-view, where he is scheduled to compete in the Money In The Bank ladder match, is in question.
Check out the complete article at WWE.com.