– RAW’s 1,000th episode on July 23rd will feature a DX reunion, as Shawn Michaels and Triple H will be “getting the band back together” for the special night.
– John Laurinaitis will no longer be teaming with Big Show in handicap matches against John Cena at WWE’s upcoming live events. Cena is not getting off the hook that easy – because Lauinaitis is being replaced with Tensai.
Cena defeated the team of Big Show and Tensai at Friday night’s WWE live event from Alexandria, Louisiana. June’s RAW brand live events now list John Cena vs. Big Show and Tensai as one of the top matches.
– To promote the DVD release of Hulk Hogan’s “No Holds Barred” on July 3rd, WWE has launched Twitter accounts for the movie’s two main characters – @Rip and @Zeus.
– CM Punk is reportedly scheduled to wrestle Big Show at SummerSlam.
The two previously faced off at the pay-per-view event in 2010, with Big Show defeating Punk, Joseph Mercury and Luke Gallows in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match.
This year’s show takes place August 19 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.
– WWE’s stock price hit an 8-year low on Friday – going as low as $7.58 per share. The previous low point was $7.43 per share on April 10, 2003.The stock was down 3.1% for the day since Thursday’s closing price.
– Two weeks after being involved in a multi-car accident in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rosa Mendes returns to managing Epico and Primo at tonight’s Raw live event in Alexandria, Louisiana. She tweeted on Friday:
“Packing for 13 days on the road. Can’t wait to see my Mendesluverz and for them to see me. AW took me shopping! I love $$$,” she wrote Thursday on Twitter. “But I love looking beautiful a lot more. Wait till you see me on Monday:).” She added Friday, “On my way to Alexandria!!! So ready to shake my thang lol;).”
Mendes suffered serious whiplash from the accident but no other major injuries were reported.
Tensai failed to impress WWE officials in his pinfall victory over John Cena on the April 16 Raw SuperShow in London, England and was labeled “a flop” as a result. He was initially pegged to face Cena at the company’s Over the Limit and No Way Out pay-per-view events but his poor showing in the main event match led to his push being curtailed and Big Show taking his place. WWE also canceled plans for summer live events to be headlined by Tensai and John Laurinaitis vs. Cena, instead replacing the former tattoo artist with Big Show.
Though Tensai has yet to be defeated on television, he suffered his first pinfall loss before a WWE crowd in a dark match following Monday’s Raw SuperShow—to Cena. He is being largely relegated to WWE Superstars while his character is retooled. He has already undergone tweaks as he appeared sans robe, competed more aggressively and had his named modified within the past two weeks. More changes could be in the works as there was talk this past week of additional modifications.
– Some of the WWE-related terms that trended worldwide on Twitter on Monday night were: Big Show, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, WWE ’13, Alex Riley & ECW.
– The WWE ebsite is reporting that several superstars were injured on RAW at the hands of the Big Show. According to storylines, WWE tag team champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth both suffered “multiple contusions” to various areas of their bodies.
Brodus Clay suffered a concussion and several bruised ribs from Big Show’s attack. The WWE.com article states that Dr. Chris Amann advised Brodus Clay to visit the hospital for further evaluation, but he declined. Clay left the New Orleans Arena with Naomi and Cameron around 11:45pm (central time).
– WWE Superstar CM Punk is scheduled to appear at the upcoming Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con event, which takes place on May 31st at the PA Convention Center from 2-6pm.
– Following his heel turn at Over The Limit, Big Show will be replacing Tensai and will team with John Laurinaitis against John Cena in handicap matches at several upcoming WWE live events.
– Jim Ross tweeted this week that he currently has no plans to appear at the 1,000th episode of WWE RAW on July 23rd.
– David Otunga has been telling his Twitter followers that he has his sights set on Santino’s United States championship. #OtungaForUSChampion was actually trending worldwide on Twitter on Wednesday.
– The Rock wrote on Twitter about GI Joe 2 being moved back to the week before WrestleMania 29, March 29th, 2013:
“Commitment to make GI JOE a massive world event just got bigger. New release 3/29/13. Rock + Ass kickins + 3D = #AwwwwShit”
As previously reported, GI Joe has been moved so the project can be converted to maximize box office revenue and due to the stiff competition around its original release date from the new Avengers, Spiderman and Batman movies.
– After Big Show’s surprise turn against John Cena at Sunday’s Over The Limit pay-per-view, expect to see a singles match between Cena and Big Show at No Way Out next month. Expect to see John Cena vs. Big Show in a steel cage match.
– WWE Diva Kelly Kelly has WWE Diva has made Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 list. She ranked #38 this year, way up from #82 last year. She tweeted on Monday:
“I couldnt be happier to be #38 on maxims hot 100 list!!!! Such an honor!!!!! I want to thank all the fans for the support love you guys xoxo”
– WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler “downloads” and dissects dance fail videos in Episode 17 of WWE Download:
As seen on Monday’s RAW, Big Show has been ‘fired’ by John Laurinaitis for making fun of his voice last week. During commercial break that aired right after Big Show was fired, he stopped on the ramp on his way backstage, bowed to the fans and waved goodbye.
John Laurinaitis tweeted the following after RAW:
“Tonight, @WWETheBigShow forced me to make an example out of him. Let that be a lesson to the entire locker room. #Raw”
To sell the storyline, Big Show’s profile to their Alumni roster and the WWE website has posted an article speculating who else might get fired for disobeying the General Manager of RAW and SmackDown:
“Under Laurinaitis’ tumultuous reign, Big Show and The Bella Twins have both been handed their walking papers. If Laurinaitis defeats John Cena at WWE Over the Limit and continues to serve as the GM of Raw and SmackDown, one can only wonder who might be next to face his wrath.”
We can confirm that one scenario that’s been discussed for Sunday’s Over The Limit pay-per-view is for Big Show to interfere in John Laurinaitis’ match with John Cena – and cost Cena the match. A stipulation was set on RAW that John Laurinaitis will lose his job if he loses to John Cena – and any WWE superstars who interfere will be fired. Since Big Show is already ‘fired’ – he can interfere, help John Laurinaitis win & keep his job – and then Laurinaitis would re-hire Big Show.
– With the news of John Cena’s divorce becoming public last week, there are those who believe it’s going to get ugly – and ugly fast. John Cena’s wife signed a very restrictive prenuptial agreement back in 2009 and recently turned down a financial settlement offer. Don’t be shocked to see Cena’s ex to “make some noise” (talking to TMZ, writing a tell-all book) in hopes of getting paid off to go away.
– Despite his “firing” on Monday’s RAW, Big Show is currently advertised for WWE’s upcoming tour of Mexico and all SmackDown tapings and live events in June.
– Mark Henry announced on Twitter this week that he was undergoing Surgery on Tuesday and would retire if he could no longer compete at his best. No word yet on how the procedure went, but it’s worth noting that Henry is not advertised for any WWE live events until RAW on June 25th.
– With WWE building towards a Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H match at SummerSlam, it’s been confirmed that plans for Lesnar to feud with Randy Orton have been scrapped.
– Another employee from WWE corporate has departed. International media distribution sales manager Marcos Milanez recently left WWE for a position in Turner Broadcasting.
– The feud over the Intercontinental championship between Cody Rhodes and the Big show is expected to culminate at next Month’s No Way Out pay-per-view.
WWE’s angle on RAW this week with Cody Rhodes running away from the Big Show and getting counted out is setting the stage for a cage match where Cody can’t escape and has to go toe-to-toe with the 7 foot giant.
(Sources: Figure Four Weekly, Pro Wrestling Insider)
– Paul Heyman was asked by a fan on Twitter whether he’ll be wearing his trademark baseball cap on WWE television. He replied, “Not a chance. I’m beautiful and I know it!”
Heyman has been re-tweeting several messages from fans and colleagues since returning on Monday, including one where a fan suggested a CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar feud.
– Continuing the feud from RAW between John Laurinaitis and the Big Show, Laurinaitis tweeted the following on Tuesday:
“Remember how I said I’d “consider” accepting @WWETheBigShow’s apology for making fun of me? I’m not quite sure he’s sorry enough.”
Considering Heyman’s strong ties to both men, it will be interesting to see the extent of CM Punk’s interaction with Heyman on television – and whether a Punk vs. Lesnar match will be the way WWE gets the title off Punk and onto Lesnar.
– WWE is advertising the following matches for their first-ever live event in Brazil (Sao Paulo on 5/23):
* CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a No DQ Match
* John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler
* Epico and Primo vs. R-Truth and Kofi Kingston
* The Miz vs. Zack Ryder
* JTG vs. Brodus Clay
* Alex Riley vs. David Otunga
* Kelly Kelly vs. Rosa Mendes
* Michael McGillicutty vs. Curt Hawkins
WWE holds their fourth annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view event tonight at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The following seven matches have been announced for the show:
* John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules Match)
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (2-out-of-3 Falls Match)
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)
* Randy Orton vs. Kane (Falls Count Anywhere Match)
* Intercontinental Champion Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes
* United States Champion Santino Marella vs. The Miz
— WWE.com is advertising a Six-Man Tag Team match for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy as World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Randy Orton and The Great Khali will join forces against Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry. Other matches airing include AJ vs. Natalya, Brodus Clay and Hornswoggle vs. Camacho and Hunico, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil, Ryback vs. James Lerman and Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio.
— Brodie Lee, who recently signed a developmental contract with WWE, will report to Florida Championship Wrestling shortly. He concluded his independent wrestling commitments over the weekend.
— WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase has changed his Twitter handle to twitter.com/MDMTedDiBiase.
— Former WWE star Johnny Stamboli turns 35 years old today.
– Some of the WWE crew experienced travel difficulties during this week’s European tour. Drew McIntyre was among the superstars complaining about the travel situation on Twitter:
“You ain’t stopping me from getting home you bloody useless airports. Looks like I’ll be taking 4 flights but im going home if I gotta swim!!”
The Big Show also dealt with some issues while traveling overseas –
“Boarding now! Off to Ireland! Seven hour flight and can’t fit in the restroom. Oh joy to be a giant! Lol.”
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus received a hero’s welcome at Thursday night’s SmackDown live event from Dublin, Ireland. Sheamus received a thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd and defeated Daniel Bryan to retain his title. After the match, Sheamus told the live crowd that he won the World Heavyweight title for the people of Ireland and plans to make them proud as champion.
– WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix also got a big crowd reaction at the RAW brand’s live event from Poland. Phoenix, whose family is from Poland, tweeted the following about the experience:
“Poland was a dream. Reunited with my dad, enjoyed an incredible “welcome home” ovation,& some quality facetime with the one I love! #blessed”
– Speaking to Power Slam last month about his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, legendary boxer Mike Tyson says he would be interested in wrestling for WWE. When asked if he still watches wrestling these days, he responded:
“I don’t watch it as much as I used to—but it’s not the same as it was; they don’t have the same guys. But Triple H is coming back, the WWE is coming back, and I’d like to do whatever I can to be a part of that, to help them in any way I can. I would like to be a wrestler.”
– Kaitlyn was accidentally bloodied during her match against Natalya on this week’s episode of WWE NXT. She wrote of the mishap on Twitter, “For the record that was NOT my skin hanging off my face in my match with Nattie on NXT.. I wish I was that hardcore. Had a little accident before the match … As we all know.. Graceful is not my middle name.”
The SmackDown Diva enclosed the following photo of her chin following the injury.
– Billy Gunn stated on Twitter that he was backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown in Orlando, Florida. He thanked Big Show for inviting him.
— The latest issue of WWE Magazine asks Daniel Bryan to give his opinion on his best work in a WWE ring so far. He says it’s a match that took place on WWE Superstars last year.
“My favorite match was probably my bout against William Regal on the November 10, 2011, Superstars in England,” Bryan said. “Whenever I get to wrestle someone who has taught me as much as Regal has is great for me, and to do it in his home country added something special to the match.”
— A number of celebrities were on hand for WrestleMania XXVIII including New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson. TMZ.com has published an article noting the couple’s appearance. TMZ says Wilson introduced A-Rod to such WWE Superstars as Big Show, John Cena and Rey Mysterio.
— WrestleMania related searches did not fare relatively well on Google.com. The term WrestleMania hovered between No. 10 and No. 20 last night and until this afternoon. No wrestler cracked the top 20.
– We received emails from many fans who were at WrestleMania 28 that their views were obstructed by the giant palm trees that were used around the ring.
– With Team Laurinaitis’ win at WrestleMania 28, John Laurinaitis is now in control of both RAW and SmackDown. WWE is hyping that the “Team Johnny Era” will begin on tonight’s RAW Supershow.
Team Laurinaitis won after Zack Ryder was distracted by Eve Torres and received a Skull Crushing Finale from The Miz. After the match, Eve Torres turned on Zack and kicked him in the junk, apparently completing her heel turn. Ryder tweeted after the match:
“@EveMarieTorres ruined my #WrestleMania moment. I got a low blowski from a hoeski.”
– Big Show is now a Grand Slam Champion after capturing the Intercontinental Championship from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28. Big Show has held the WWE title, the World Heavyweight title, the WWE tag titles, the defunct WWE Hardcore title and now the Intercontinental title.There have been eleven other Grand Slam Champions in WWE history. For more on and the other superstars who have reached this, visit Wikipeida.com.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wrote on Twitter that he has a surprise in store for Monday’s Raw SuperShow in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He wrote, “PHILADELPHIA! Damn good to be here – been too long. I have a little surprise for you on RAW. #EyeOfTheTiger.”
— Going against his word, Cody Rhodes is now on Twitter at codyrhodeswwe. His first message is a video post in which he states that unlike Big Show’s record of wins at WrestleMania, his mind can change.
— This week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection highlights WWE Hall of Famers. Matches and segments are as follows (thanks to Devin Cutting): Road Warriors WWE Hall Of Fame induction video and speech; Road Warriors vs. Doom (WCW Power Hour – February 23, 1990); Dusty Rhodes WWE Hall Of Fame induction video and speech; Dusty Rhodes vs. Big Boss Man (WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event – November 25, 1989); Edge WWE Hall Of Fame induction video; Edge vs. John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Monday Night Raw – July 3, 2006).
— Big Show and David Otunga, along with WWE Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon, spoke out against bullying at a be a STAR Alliance rally Thursday in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The trio rallied a group of 850 students at Luis Munoz Marin School as Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and State Representative Andres Ayala Jr. presented McMahon with a citation for the organization’s fight against bullying.
“Kids define themselves. Other people’s hurtful words don’t define them,” said the wife of WWE Superstar Triple H. She then encouraged the students to help stop bullying and learn to show tolerance and respect for each other.
When asked if there is any bullying in WWE, Big Show replied no! “We don’t tolerate bullying in WWE!” the SmackDown Superstar stated.
— SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia will be performing at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California (located on 9039 Sunset Boulevard) this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at liliangarcia.eventbrite.com.
— Sid Vicious appears for Canadian Wrestling’s Elite on April 19 at Cowboy’s Roadhouse in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The former WWE Champion will partner with Nate Hardy in a tag team match against The Axe and Zack Mercury. (Event Details)
– With WrestleMania 28 just over two weeks away, Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes is said to be working through a few nagging injuries. According to a report at f4wonline.com, Cody has been seen limping around backstage at recent live events and was noticeably in pain backstage the past two weeks.
This time of year is especially rough on the WWE crew, with everybody working extra hard during the buildup to WrestleMania. Despite his overall soreness, Cody will be able to wrestle Big Show at WrestleMania and is expected to retain the Intercontinental championship.
– We reported earlier this week that Jim Ross is in Tampa, FL evaluating WWE’s developmental talent at Florida Championship Wrestling. Former intercontinental champion Goldust is also at FCW this week. He tweeted on Tuesday:
“Thanks to chris hero and xavier woods for the great workout at fcw…..”
“Great to see fcw boys today and @JRsBBQ ….love passing on my knowledge to to future of the business”
– Many WWE legends will be appearing at the WrestleMania weekend festivities, including Roddy Piper, Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Jimmy Hart, Gerald Brisco, Hacksaw Duggan, Paul Bearer, Tony Atlas, Gene Okerlund and Hillbilly Jim.
– During a recent interview with the Miami Herald, WWE’s giant Big Show was asked about the rumors of NBA star Shaquille O’Neal competing at WrestleMania 28. Big Show said:
“I know there are a lot of rumors this year that I might get a chance to compete against Shaq at WrestleMania [28 Miami]. I didn’t hear anything about it on my end.
I don’t know if Shaq was getting froggy, stirring up some stuff, but if he ever wants to take his Nike butt away from the announcers’ desk and try to step in the ring, he’s more than welcome to try.
I teach as well as I compete. So he can come on down and get a lesson.”
It was announced on SmackDown last week that Big Show will challenge Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania – so a match with Shaq seems highly unlikely at this point.
– Zack Ryder is telling his disgruntled fans to contact WWE and ask them to re-enable comments on his Z! True Long Island Stories videos:
“Broskis…if you want your voice to be heard and be able to leave comments again on Z! TLIS…tweet @WWEonYouTube #letuscomment”
– WWE Hall of Famer Sunny announced this week that she will be in attendance for the WWE Hall of Fame and WrestleMania 28 this year.
– With production of THQ’s upcoming WWE ’13 video game under way, we can confirm that two former WWE talents are doing motion capture work for the game. Former WWE diva Angela “Savannah” Fong wrote on Twitter this week that she and former WWE Superstar David Hart Smith are working on motion capture work for the game.
— It was announced at Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts that Night of Champions will take place at the same venue on September 16, 2012. There will be a pre-sale this week on Ticketmaster.com with the code WWENOC.
— Triple H will compete at WWE’s Road to WrestleMania event at Madison Square Garden on March 18, 2012 as he teams up with CM Punk and Randy Orton in a Six-Man Tag Team Match against Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler.
Also announced for the show: World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry; John Cena vs. Kane in a Last Man Standing Match; R-Truth vs. The Miz; Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder.
— WWE Champion CM Punk shot footage for his upcoming DVD Monday in Boston, Massachusetts.
“Oh hey. Day 1 of filming for this little DVD thing I’m doing. No time like 5:30 AM to capture my true crabby essence,” he wrote on Twitter. “Man. This DVD is going to be so great. #LWF #MAW #SDW #IWA #IWC #ROH #OVW #WWE.”
— With SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long taking control of Raw Supershow Monday night, he announced last Friday on SmackDown that David Otunga would face The Great Khali in a singles match. The match did not take place despite his announcement and being advertised on WWE.com. Instead, Otunga accompanied John Laurinaitis ringside for the United States Championship Match between Jack Swagger and Santino Marella while Khali squashed Curt Hawkins in a pre-show dark match.
— The Miz debuted a new T-Shirt on Monday’s Raw SuperShow prior to his encounter with Big Show. The shirt, which is labeled The Miz Onslaught of Awesomeness Augmented Reality Authentic T-Shirt, is available for purchase on WWEShop.com.
— WWE.com has published a photo gallery highlighting Lex Luger’s career with World Championship Wrestling.
— Former WWF star Killer Khan turns 65 years old Tuesday while former WCW United States Heavyweight Champion David Flair turns 33.
— With next week’s Raw SuperShow emanating from the city of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio, a special event will be presented: The Rock in concert and John Cena rapping.
— The Miz lost in short order to Big Show on Monday’s Raw SuperShow via WMD. This extends the former WWE Champion’s losing streak to nine consecutive losses in televised singles matches. He has not won a televised singles match since the December 5, 2011 Raw.
— SportsCenter anchor Robert Flores was in attendance at Monday’s Raw Supershow in Boston, Massachusetts.
— The announced attendance for Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts was 16,286.
— Talk within WWE is that a stipulation may be added to the Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show match at WrestleMania XXVIII beyond the Intercontinental Championship being on the line.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has already arrived in Boston, Massachusetts for tomorrow night’s Raw SuperShow at the TD Garden. He is staying at the same hotel as WWE talent.
Johnson posted a photo of himself on Twitter hanging out with a large group of fans.
— The March 3, 2012 episode of WWE Vintage Collection featured the following matches: Buddy Landel vs. Bob “Spark Plug” Holly (WWF Monday Night Raw – December 18, 1995), George “The Animal” Steele vs. Nikolai Volkoff (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – June 23, 1986), Batista vs. Tajiri (WWE Raw – May 10, 2004), “The Natural” Butch Reed vs. Tito Santana (WWF All American Wrestling – December 7, 1986), Cactus Jack vs. Dustin Rhodes (WCW Main Event – March 1, 1992), Bret Hart vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler (WWF Monday Night Raw – March 13, 1995), Harley Race vs. Pedro Morales (WWF live event – December 6th, 1986).