-The MMA Fighting website has added the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin interview from Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani. This is the interview where Austin talked about the potential of returning to the ring, as well as the Jim Ross/WWE situation. Check it out if interested at MMAFighting.com.
-WWE Superstar Sheamus and WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T will be appearing at the Dollar General store in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Saturday, October 5th at 10:30 A.M. The two will be signing autographs for the first 300 fans in celebration of the Dollar General’s 11,000th store opening, which is being sponsored by Doritos.
-According to advertisements, Triple H, Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are not booked for any WWE television tapings following the post-WWE Hell In A Cell edition of RAW on October 20th.
-The “See No Evil 2” WWE Studios film project, which stars WWE Superstar Kane, officially begins shooting today.
-Red Eye Chicago recently interviewed WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler. Fans interested in checking that out can do so online at RedEyeChicago.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T has been added to the WWE UAE tour as a special guest referee for the main events on all three live events. Additionally, WWE NXT stars Sami Zayn and Bo Dallas are advertised to appear on the tour.
The following are highlights from a recent interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T:
On whether or not he has interest in a return to the ring: “I wouldn’t call it a comeback (laughs). I’m semi-retired and to work around these schedules that the younger wrestlers and the divas (applies to the female talent, whether as wrestlers, managers or ring announcers) is rough. It’s a young man’s sport. I don’t want to be one of those wrestlers who still holds on to the past, hearing all the roars from the crowd. Royal Rumble is cool, I can do it once a year but to do it every day or week is tough. It’s time for me to step aside.”
On what he misses most now that he’s “semi-retired”: “I don’t miss wrestling, but I miss performing. You know, going out and amazing everybody and feeling that adrenaline rush. I performed in front of soldiers in Iraq in 2003 and the temperature was 40°C. And when you strap on your gear and with the adrenaline pumping, it feel more like 80°C. I’ll miss that. If it’s not for the exhausting travels, I could do wrestling for another 10 more years (laughs).”
Check out the complete interview online at NST.com.
-The season finale of WWE Total Divas on E! drew 1,036,000 viewers. The “Total Divas After Party” reunion special that followed it on Sunday night drew 939,000 viewers.
-WWE has added the latest edition of “Backstage Fallout,” this time for Monday’s post-Night Of Champions edition of WWE RAW, on their official YouTube channel. The official description for this week’s RAW Backstage Fallout reads: “Dolph Ziggler discusses his winning ways, Natalya discusses her disdain for AJ Lee & The Usos are amped for their upcoming WWE Tag Team Title opportunity, all on this edition of Backstage Fallout.”
Check out the latest RAW Backstage Fallout video below:
-SIRIUS/XM satelitte and Opie & Anthony personality Sam Roberts is back with another pro wrestling interview. This time, Roberts interviews WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T. You can check out their 15-minute discussion below:
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T recently spoke with Singapore Media about a number of topics, one of which being the difference between pro wrestling and mixed-martial-arts (MMA).
Booker said, “It’s as real as it possibly can be,” he said regarding mixed-martial-arts. “But I wouldn’t want my kids to do it. I don’t think the lifespan [of MMA fighters] is very long, and you could get hurt really, really bad doing it.”
Booker continued, “Plus, when it’s over with, where do you go from there? MMA is not going to overtake wrestling. But it’s going to be around for many, many years to come.”
Booker T also spoke about UFC Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, noting “she couldn’t find her way in life and found it through going out and beating other girls up.”
You can check out the complete interview online at Yahoo! Sports.
-WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior appeared at the PAX Convention in Seattle, Washington this past weekend. When asked about the possibility of being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in the near future, Warrior replied by simply saying, “Probably not, but we will see.”
-The official WWE website recently added an article that features a look at a list of the top 15 World Heavyweight Champions in company history. Coming in at number one, of course, was Triple H. Rounding out the top five were Batista, Edge, The Undertaker and Booker T. Check out the complete list online at WWE.com.
-Former WWE Superstar and ECW original Tommy Dreamer revealed in a new tweet on Monday evening that he will be tagging with hardcore icon and WWE Hall Of Famer Terry Funk, for “the last time ever”, at the House Of Hardcore event on November 9th. Dreamer and Funk will team up to take on the duo of Lance Storm and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. For more information, visit HouseOfHardcore.net.
-WWE Diva AJ Lee recently noted on Twitter that she is just now getting home after nearly 20 days straight on the road, as on top of her usual schedule, she was part of the WWE live event tour in Australia and South Africa recently.
-Episode number 39 of WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s new “Reality Of Wrestling” promotion is now available for viewing on the official YouTube channel, which you can access here.
-WWE Superstar and the number one contender to the WWE Championship at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view, Daniel Bryan, was recently interviewed by Sky Sports out of the UK. You can check out that interview online at SkySports.com.
-For those interested, WWE is looking to fill the position of “Account Executive in Digital Sales.” The job, which is based out of New York City, can be applied for online at Social.ICIMS.com.
-South Africa’s Daily News is currently running a story regarding several WWE Superstars, including Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio, visiting a teenager in the hospital who was attacked by bullies at his school. Apparently in the midst of the attack, the bullies performed a tombstone piledriver on the kid.
For more information on this unfortunate story, visit IOL.co.za.
-The following is episode 38 of Booker T’s “Reality Of Wrestling” show from YouTube.
–WWE.com posted video today from the “Booker T Day” ceremony held prior to the SmackDown television taping in Houston on Thursday evening. Additionally, Houston’s KHOU Channel 11 news ran a feature on the ceremony, as well as a profile on Booker’s wrestling school in the local area.
-Speaking of WWE.com, the official WWE website recently ran a feature titled “The 50 greatest ring names ever!” The top ten were: 10. Cactus Jack, 9. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, 8. Gorilla Monsoon, 7. The Fabulous Moolah, 6. Bam Bam Bigelow, 5. Killer Kowalski, 4. One Man Gang, 3. Abdullah The Butcher, 2. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and 1. “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
Check out the full list, which includes the other top 40 ring names in WWE history, at WWE.com. You can also check out the old “15 absolute WORST ring names in history” list from back in January at this link.
In addition to Booker T, Michael Cole and Booker’s wife Sharmell gave brief speeches at the “Booker T Day” presentation in Houston, Texas prior to the SmackDown taping at the Toyota Center on Thursday evening.
According to reports, there were about 250 fans in attendance at the ceremony, as well as members of Booker’s family. Some of Booker T’s wrestling students from the local area were also there to show their support.
WWE had cameras present during the ceremony, likely filming the happenings for an upcoming video package.
The following press release was issued on Wednesday:
Tomorrow (July 25, 2013) has officially been designated as “Booker T. Day” by the City of Houston!
WHAT: CITY OF HOUSTON PROCLAMATION – WWE HALL OF FAMER BOOKER T
WHEN: 5:00 P.M. THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013
WHERE: OUTSIDE TOYOTA CENTER (LABRANCH ST. ENTRANCE), 1510 POLK ST, HOUSTON, TX 77002
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Superstar and Hall of Famer Booker T (Mr. Booker T. Huffman) will be presented with an official proclamation from the City of Houston on this Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 5:00 P.M.
The presentation will take place outside of the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
This event is free to the public and will precede the WWE’s SMACKDOWN branded event at the Toyota Center later that evening.
Tickets for the WWE SMACKDOWN event can be purchased at the Toyota Center Box Office or online at (http://www.toyotacentertix.com).
Here is more information on Booker T:
-Earlier this year (at WWE’s Flagship Pay-Per-View event: Wrestlemania 29) Booker T was enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement in Professional Wrestling.
-Booker T. reflects his personal account of his early life when he was incarcerated with his award-winning autobiographical entitled BOOKER T: FROM PRISON TO PROMISE. In hopes of helping to turn around their lives, he has gone across the country to speak to individuals in prison.
-More than 500,000 Twitter Followers (@BookerT5x)
-Booker T and his wife Sharmell have established a Professional Wrestling/Fitness Training Center right
here in Houston, TX (XWF Training Center – 9189 Winkler Dr, Suite C, Houston, TX 77017).
-Fans can lo gon to http://www.pheed.com/bookert for exclusive content on Booker T, ROW and much more!
– Here’s an early preview for tonight’s WWE RAW from Richmond, Virginia:
Triple H vs. Curtis Axel.
World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler returns to RAW.
Kaitlyn’s secret admirer will reveal himself.
– WWE Hall of Famer Booker T will be undergoing surgery on his elbow soon and is currently off the road not traveling with the WWE crew to live events.
– WWE superstar Mason Ryan, who has been training at developmental for the past several months, worked this past weekend’s WWE live event from Lakeland, Florida. Ryan worked as a babyface and squashed Brad Maddox.
Comment Below and tell us who you think Kaitlyn’s secret admirer will be.
– While the official buyrate is still months away from being released, early estimates for the WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view are coming in and they do not look good. Even though WWE stated publicly that they were confident that WM29 show would sell similarly to last year’s record-breaking show, the company substantially lowered their internal projections in days leading up to WrestleMania. According to one source, the WrestleMania 29 buyrate is “downright shocking.”
– Tyson Kidd tweeted the following on Tuesday regarding his road to recovery:
I squatted heavier tonight than I routinely did before my injury. Funny thing, as I get stronger the road to recovery gets tougher
– As we reported a few weeks ago, there had been plans for Booker T to turn heel. Those plans have reportedly been dropped and there is now talk of Teddy Long becoming the new heel General Manager of SmackDown.
– During Thursday night’s WrestleMania AXXESS events today, Booker T announced that his brother Stevie Ray will induct him into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night from Madison Square Garden.
– The following are results from the matches that took place at Thursday night’s WWE AXXESS:
* Bo Dallas defeated Corey Graves
* Paige defeated Summer Rae
* Primo defeated Adrian Neville
* Zack Ryder defeated Michael McGillicutt
* Xavier Woods defeated Dante Dash
* Mason Ryan defeated Corey Graves
* Adrian Neville defeated Hawkins
* Ezekiel Jackson & Yoshi Tatsu defeated Hunico & Camacho
– Book publisher Medallion Press has announced that Booker T’s autobiography, “Booker T: My Rise To Wrestling Royalty” will be released next year (April 2014). From their press release:
“Booker T. Huffman, who has held 35 major titles within WWE, WCW, and TNA, has decided it’s time for his story of life inside the squared circle to be told.”
“After the release of his initial autobiography Booker T: From Prison to Promise (also with Andrew William Wright), which detailed Booker’s struggles growing up after losing both of his parents, fans have eagerly awaited a wrestling-focused bio of his rise to becoming one of the most decorated champions in history. Booker T: My Rise to Wrestling Royalty will chronicle the very beginnings of Harlem Heat, the tag team made up of Booker and his brother Stevie Ray, all the way through to Booker’s memorable portrayal of royalty as King Booker, as well as all of the championship titles in between.”
– Stephanie McMahon might wind up in her husband Triple H’s corner for his No Holds Barred match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29. Stephanie would be there to even the odds (with Heyman in Lesnar’s corner), so it appears there could be more to the recent video of her boxing and saying she’s “coming to get” Paul Heyman.
– With less than two weeks to go until WrestleMania 29, there’s been talk that the build to CM Punk vs. Undertaker will include CM Punk trying to end the Undertaker’s streak by pushing the Undertaker into getting himself disqualified. Punk has already stated on WWE television that the Streak does not have to end in a pinfall or submission.
– WWE officials have discussed turning Booker T heel after he’s inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE SmackDown General Manager and newest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame’s “Class of 2013,” Booker T,was the featured guest on this week’s edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. The former six-time World Champion joined The Big Mosh & “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent for his highly-anticipated return, which is now available for download here:
Booker T/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (.MP3)
Interview highlights courtesy of Aaron Carnevale:
His thoughts on his fellow inductees in this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class: “All of those guys (Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, and Donald Trump) have their own special unique talent. They all brought something different to the game. I’m honored to be sitting out there watching these guys and get that honor. I am looking forward to seeing Bruno Sammartino finally taking that step into immortality. I think it is something that is long overdue. It’s going to be a great night any way you look at it.”
The build-up to WrestleMania XXIX: “WrestleMania always starts the day after the previous WrestleMania. The build-up has been no different as far as the promotion goes, and you have to notice that. The fans are going to show up and it is going to be a great night of wrestling and a great night of entertainment.”
His mission statement for his Reality of Wrestling promotion in Houston, TX: “I’m trying to create an environment for the young people that want to get into this business and see what it is really all about from a true perspective.”
On Monday’s WWE RAW, it was announced that SmackDown General Manager Booker T will be entering the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2013. Booker T tweeted the following reaction to the news:
I guess you all no by now I'm going in the ( HALL OF FAME 2013 ) Just want to say there or no words but thanks to all me fans.#youdidit
Booker T spoke to Matt Striker at RAW during an exclusive interview for the WWE App. Booker T said he’s overwhelmed by the honor and teased that his days in the ring are not over. He also said that Harlem Heat will be reuniting at the Hall of Fame ceremony, as his brother Stevie Ray will be there with him.
Here is WWE’s Hall of Fame induction announcement video for Booker T:
– After Monday’s WWE RAW from Pittsburgh, PA went off the air, John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback defeated The Shield by disqualification after Ryback was hit by a chair.
– Former WWE star Scott Hall’s goal of raising $80,000 to help with medical costs for hip replacement surgery was reached on Sunday and has already topped $85,500. For more information and details on how you can contribute, visit Indiegogo.com.
– Boxing legend Evander Holyfield congratulated Booker T for his upcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame:
Congratulations to my friend Booker T on getting inducted into the WWE hall of fame. Work hard always pays off #realdeal
– Trish Stratus, who is also being inducted this year, wrote this on her official website about Booker T’s induction:
What an awesome addition, and a welcome addition to the class of 2013! A well-deserved honor for my fellow Tough Enough trainer, I can definietly dig that… sucka!
– Promoting Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, WWE released a sticker Friday featuring The Undertaker through the social entertainment check-in website, GetGlue. To view the sticker, click here.
– The premiere episode of Booker T’s “Reality Check” series is now online. The synopsis reads, “Come get an inside look at the Superstar from Booker T’s promotion “Reality of Wrestling” as we show you the REAL People behind the characters and gimmick hosted by Brad Gilmore!!!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkNem_wFFYM
– Former WWE Superstar Gangrel turns 44-years-old today.
– Former WWE Divas Champion Maryse Ouellet will be signing autographs tomorrow from noon to 2:00 p.m. at JR Sports & Collectibles 90 Wilson Ave / Booth #5 Englishtown, New Jersey.
– WWE began using brand new state of the art HD television cameras at Monday’s RAW.
– WWE Studios has signed to help develop Cruisin’ For A Brusin’, an action comedy about two rule-breaking ex-cops who reunite to exact revenge on the corrupt senator who murdered their mentor. WWE Studios president Michael Luisi said about the prject, “As we continue to seek out key creative and strategic partnerships to broaden our release slate, the opportunity for WWE Studios to work with producers like Ed Pressman and Jason Blum, and their talented executive teams, was a natural fit for us.”
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Jacksonville, Florida. Here are the results:
* Big Show is shown arriving on his bus. He comes to the ring and talks about how Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez are suspended. Big Show says the recent events between he and Del Rio are Booker T’s fault, which brings out the SmackDown GM. Booker announcers Big Show vs. Kane for tonight.
* Cody Rhodes defeated Kofi Kingston.
* The Great Khali defeated Titus O’Neil.
* Mark Henry came out and destroys Khali, which the crowd loved. Henry announces the Hall of Pain is back and he wants a spot in the SmackDown brand’s Elimination Chamber match. Booker came out and announced Henry vs. Randy Orton.
* Big Show defeated Kane in a quick match.
* Alberto Del Rio is shown outside in the parking lot, where he’s taken the wheels off Show’s tour bus. Show ran out to the parking lot but gets a bunch of paint dropped on top of him from the roof. Del Rio laughed and drove off.
* Jack Swagger squashed Justin Gabriel.
* Tensai beat Drew McIntyre by DQ when 3MB attacked him. Brodus Clay made the save for Tensai.
* Antonio Cesaro beat Sin Cara.
* Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.
In response to back-to-back attacks by World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio on No. 1 contender Big Show, SmackDown General Manager Booker T announced Tuesday night that he has suspended the Mexican grappler from this week’s SmackDown.
“Following the incidents last Friday on SmackDown as well as this week on Raw,” Booker told WWE.com, “it is my duty as GM to suspend Alberto Del Rio. He will not be in action this Friday night and will not be in the building.”
WWE teased in the announcement: “While there is no question these latest developments will make a profound impression on this week’s edition of the blue brand, one has wonder how it will affect the upcoming World Title Match between Del Rio and The World’s Largest No. 1 contender at Elimination Chamber.”