– Part two of William Regal on the “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now available. You can download that show at PodcastOne.com.
– Also new on PodcastOne.com is the latest edition of “30 Years Of WrestleMania,” which features Renee Young interviewing WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. You can also check that one out at PodcastOne.com.
– Last Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 2.05, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2.05 final draw is up from the previous week’s number. Friday’s SmackDown drew 2.796 million viewers, which was also an increase from the previous week.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart was forced to cancel some of his wrestling appearances that were scheduled for this weekend due to bad weather. Hart’s appearance for Pro Wrestling Syndicate has been re-scheduled for Saturday, June 7th. His appearance for The Wrestling Universe Store has been re-scheduled for Sunday, June 8th.
– The following is a trailer for WWE’s new “WCW’s Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches Vol. 1” DVD:
– As previously reported, the “expert panel” for the upcoming NXT “Arrival” special on the WWE Network will consist of Kevin Nash, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart and Renee Young. Apparently Nash is replacing Shawn Michaels, who was originally scheduled to be part of the panel.
– According to reports, Alexander Rusev may be using a sidewalk-slam as his finishing move. Up until recently, Rusev had been using the camel clutch as his finisher.
The official WWE website recently added a new interview with Joey Styles talking to WWE Hall Of Famers “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Bret “The Hitman” Hart about the WWE Network.
Austin was asked what the Network announcement was like for him, and he noted the following:
“I was actually a bit [ticked] off that I had to be there, because I had just gotten back from Texas, I was out of shape, I hadn’t really unpacked my bags from being at the ranch for two months. But I was so proud and happy that I went. Way back in the day when I started out in 1990, I would have never envisioned that the business would ever turn to this or someone would have the vision to do it. Vince McMahon was standing right in front of me, about two feet away, and I slapped him on the back two times and I said, “That’s impressive.” And I left that thing being extremely impressed with what WWE has come up with now.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer recently confirmed the report we published on Tuesday that noted WWE’s intentions on inducting the WrestleMania I main event into their Hall Of Fame this year. Piper also confirmed the rumors as to why he had issues with WWE officials recently.
You can check out more from “The Hot Rod” by checking out his official Twitter account @R_Roddy_Piper.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” has been added online. The seventh edition of the show features part two of Jericho’s interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Following a lengthy discussion in part one of their discussion about Hart’s time in the Stampede promotion in Canada, part two features Hart talking mostly about his legendary run in WWE.
You can check out the latest edition of “Talk Is Jericho” online at PodcastOne.com.
– Regarding rumors of Hulk Hogan being backstage at last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Philadelphia, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that he was not there.
– Chris Jericho’s latest “Talk Is Jericho” podcast with Bret Hart as his guest is now online at PodcastOne.com.
– Ahead of tonight’s groundbreaking WWE Network announcement, WWE.com has published a lengthy feature looking back at the History of WWE.
“It begins with Mr. McMahon’s purchase of his father’s business in 1982, and ends … well, there’s really no telling. This timeline is divided into six action-packed sections, with each one detailing the events of a particular era in the company’s history: The ’80s Boom (’82-’85); The Dawn of WrestleMania (’85-’90); The New Generation (’90-’96); The Attitude Era (’96-’01); The Postwar Era (’01-’05) and The Modern Era (’05-Present).”
– Jonathan Snowden recently published an interview he conducted with WWE Hall Of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr. Fans interested in checking that out can do so online at BleacherReport.com.
– In Sunday’s New York Times crossword puzzle, WWE Hall Of Famer Captain Lou Albano was one of the answers. 94 across was “Wrestler Lou,” with the correct answer being “Albano.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be appearing at The Wrestling Universe in Flushing, New York on February 22nd from Noon until 2pm E.T.
VH-1’s “That Metal Show” co-host Eddie Trunk was the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s new “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. During the interview, the two spoke a lot about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
“The president of the Hall of Fame came into my radio show to try to, kinda, discuss it with me and calm me down a little bit so I know that for a fact, it resonated,” Trunk said during the interview.
The following are some new tweets from former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho regarding the success of his “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, as well as a note on a future guest:
HOLY SHNIKES!!! @TalkIsJericho has hit ONE MILLION downloads in three weeks!! Thanks to everybody who's checked it out so far!! @PodcastOne
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart recently spoke about controversial Toronto mayor Rob Ford during his appearance on the Smart Mark Pro Wrestling Radio show. Hart said of Ford: “Toronto deserves Rob Ford, they put him in office. Toronto deserves everything it gets. Up in Calgary we’ve got a more prestigious mayor [Naheed Nenshi]. I think we’ve got the best mayor in North America.”
– WWE Superstar and member of The Shield faction Dean Ambrose celebrates his 28th birthday today. Ambrose was born on December 7, 1985.
SESCOOPS.COM reader Joe Dombrowski sent along the following:
Former WWE Ref Jimmy Korderas Discusses “Montreal Theory”
On November 9, 1997, pro wrestling was changed forever thanks to the events of what has now become known as “The Montreal Screwjob”. But did Vince McMahon really “screw” Bret Hart or where they secretly on the same page, or perhaps even co-conspirators? It’s a question that has been posed off and on since the incident took place, but has seen new life thanks to the “Montreal Theory” DVD, which analyzes & debates the possibilities, scenarios, and reasoning behind Montreal being the most well-orchestrated storyline in wrestling history.
The DVD itself sees comments from several big names, including Jerry “The King” Lawler, Kevin Nash, Raven, Steve Corino, Jerry Jarrett, Kevin Kelly, Tammy Sytch, and even archival footage of Shawn Michaels and a quote from Earl Hebner. It has been mentioned by everywhere from Bleacher Report to WWE.com. But so many more voices need to be heard. Since its release, several high profile stars, past and present, have chimed in with Theories of their own, ranging from the highly conservative to the wildly skeptical.
Shortly following the 16th Anniversary of the Screwjob, I sat down with Jimmy Korderas over the phone, a man who spent 22 years with WWE, to get his take on whether he thought Bret could have been in on the Screwjob the whole time.
The answer is not as easy to provide as you may think. For more, visit BlogTalkRadio.com
To purchase “The Montreal Theory” on DVD or Digital Download and to read more about the project, please visit www.MontrealTheory.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently spoke to Metro.co.uk to promote the new WWE 2K14 video game. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Favorite WrestleMania Memories: “WrestleMania was a very special event for me, a bit like an American footballer playing in the Superbowl. I was there from the second one in 1986 to WrestleMania XIII in 1997. Facing The Nasty Boys at WrestleMania VII was one of my best tag-team matches and solidified my solo career, which virtually commenced the next day. Then Rowdy Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII established that my style and storylines were always going to be a little different to Hulk Hogan or Sycho Sid [Sid Vicious].”
His Greatest Rival: “There was a happy rivalry with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin in that he was a lot of fun to wrestle with, and I think I helped launch his career. But on the not so happy, the brilliant work I did with Shawn Michaels. You can never underestimate what we did at WrestleMania XII, even though it was the last match we had and part of the infamous Montreal Screwjob, it was still a fine match. I could have wrestled the Undertaker a few more hundred times as well.”
How He Now Views the Montreal Screwjob: “I’ve calmed down a lot. There were a lot of things I did to escalate that whole thing with [opponent] Shawn Michaels and [now WWE owner] Vince McMahon. I wouldn’t change anything I did in terms of my own conduct but I regret all of it. I wish I had never left the WWE but I’ve moved on. I went back and shook Shawn’s hand and it was good for everyone to bury the hatchet.”
Antonio Cesaro: “[He] is one of the best wrestlers going, if you ask me.”
The first son of Stu Hart and the oldest brother of Bret and Owen Hart, Smith Hart, recently commented on WWE’ Unifying the WWE Championship & the World Heavyweight championship:
“The problem is not with the unification itself, but rather the circumstances which surround it. First and foremost, a match of this calibre is something that should be built to over a period of time. “Hot-shotting” it to the next PPV with less than 3 weeks notice is such a waste of a golden opportunity. Second, the wrong talent are fighting for the opportunity.
Both Cena and Orton are fabulous superstars but both have reached their respective pinnacles. Part of the success of Jericho’s unification was the creation of a new top star, whom to this day lays claim to having beat both Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to win the undisputed championship.”
As noted previously, WWE Hall Of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, along with Christian and former WWE Diva Eve Torres are all scheduled to return during the Slammy Awards on next week’s live edition of WWE RAW. The following is the awards that they will be presenting:
– Shawn Michaels will present the “Superstar of the Year” award.
– Bret Hart will present the “Match of the Year” award.
– Christian will present the “This Is Awesome Moment of the Year” award.
– Eve Torres will present the “Total Diva of the Year” award.
As noted previously, the Slammy Awards will be hosted by WWE Hall Of Famers Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T.
WWE Hall Of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels are both scheduled to appear on WWE RAW next Monday night as guest presenters during the Slammy Awards. Hart will present the award for “Match of the Year,” while HBK will present the award for “Superstar of the Year.”
Also scheduled to appear during the Slammy Awards on RAW next week is current WWE Superstar Christian and former WWE Diva Eve Torres.
As noted previously, the Slammy Awards next week will be hosted by WWE Hall Of Famers Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T.
– There are no WWE live events scheduled for this weekend. WWE Superstars were given the weekend off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
– WWE Hall Of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Tammy “Sunny” Sytch will be headlining a benefit show for former WWE star Sir Mo in Humboldt, Tennessee this weekend. Also on the show will be an Ultimate Invitational Tournament. For more information, visit HeroesAndLegendsWrestling.com.
– There will also be a benefit show for WWE Hall Of Famer Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon this weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota. TNA star Mr. Anderson will be replacing Perry Saturn, who was originally scheduled for the event. Former WWE Superstars Rikishi, Armando Estrada, Ken Patera and Stan Kowalski are also scheduled. For more information, visit HeavyOnWrestling.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is scheduled to appear at the 54th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Autorama event at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas this weekend. HBK’s timeslot will be 11:00am to 2:00pm. For more information, visit Autorama.com.
WWE has added the complete Survivor Series “Kickoff Show” that aired prior to the pay-per-view on Sunday night to their official YouTube channel.
Fans interested can check out the pre-show special, which featured the Hall Of Fame panel consisting of Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Mick Foley and Booker T, as well as the “Kickoff Show” match between The Miz and Kofi Kingston.
Watch the full WWE Survivor Series Kickoff Show below:
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On tonight’s WWE Survivor Series main event: “Orton vs. Big Show for the WWE Title….I’d expect some sort of a ‘Boston Screw Job’ at Survivor Series especially with Bret Hart on the HOF TV panel. Plus, remember when Bret got shafted at Survivor Series versus Bob Backlund. Just seems as if it’s too easy to not cheat Big Show out of the title and to add much needed heat to Orton and the ‘Authority’ personas. Nice place here for the Shield to circle back through the PPV.”
On “yes-men” backstage in wrestling: “To hear those that are in positions of authority silently nod in agreement at all of upper management’s concepts or suggestions and then gather amongst themselves to bitch and complain is disheartening. Those offenders will tell you that they’ve just trying to keep their jobs which is more often than not sadly true.”
On a Survivor Series memory involving Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon: “One of my favorite Boston, the site of tonight’s WWE Survivor Series, memories with WWE saw me sharing a small dressing room in the old, Boston Garden with Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. The Brain would hide Gorilla’s suspenders, socks, etc in the non air conditioned cubby hole that we were sharing. At just the right time, before the ‘Big Ape’ exploded, ‘Wease’ would refrain from angering the giant of a man any further. It was all about ‘timing’ and no one had better timing than Bobby Heenan.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– It was announced on Monday’s special country-themed edition of WWE RAW that at the WWE Survivor Series Kickoff Show this Sunday there will be a Hall Of Fame expert panel. Representing the panel for the Kickoff Show will be WWE Hall Of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Mick Foley and Booker T.
– Also announced on RAW this past Monday night is a WWE Tag-Team Championship match between the current champions Goldust and Cody Rhodes, and The Real Americans – Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be holding a Twitter Q&A with fans this coming Wednesday @BretHart.
– The following is the official preview for this Sunday’s edition of Total Divas on E!. It will be the third episode of the current second-half of season one:
“Brie has a difficult time accepting Bryan’s notoriety. Nattie feels that Eva is trying to get too close to TJ. Nikki has to cope with John’s demands.”
This week on Bauer & Pollock, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer shares his thoughts on the passing of Eddie Guerrero eight years ago this month and reveals plans the sports-entertainment organization had for the legendary grappler at the following year’s WrestleMania pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois. Bauer also squashes the rumor of Guerrero being scheduled to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista during their feud.
Bauer recalls, “It was twenty-four hours before he passed away, I believe. Twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours, something like that. We had a call with Vince at home, and we were talking about the preliminary plans for WrestleMania. I know there’s this romanticized story about how Eddie was going to get the title, and that was the plan that he was going to get it that night or at Survivor Series. That wasn’t the plan. I think Stephanie said that, or alluded to it on the air, and that was not the plan. The plan was that he would lose, and I think they were going to return in December. We had talked about a fascinating idea; I’m not the biggest Bruce Prichard fan, but to his credit, I believe it was Bruce Prichard who pitched putting Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania against Shawn Michaels and doing the parallels of their careers. Being the heartthrob in Mexico and this mercurial figure south of the border, and the American version being HBK.
“They had never really worked, and you would’ve had such a great dynamic between the two with heel Eddie versus Shawn. That’d be your “tear the house down,” high quality match at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago. Vince was like, “God damn, that’s really appealing. We could parallel their careers. What kind of footage of Eddie do we have outside of WCW? We could really do some impressive packages.”
In 2005, Bret Hart worked with WWE for the first time since the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” by contributing interview footage and selecting matches for a DVD highlighting his career. With Hart in bed again with WWE, Vince McMahon proposed that they fight at WrestleMania 22.
Bauer recalls, “We talked a lot of matches, and the other match at WrestleMania 22 was going to be Vince versus Bret in a street fight, that they would do in a convoluted manner several WrestleManias forward. Bret had just come back into the company in a very informal way. He had just agreed to do the home video release. (Vince) literally, on that call, got Bret on the other line and pitched him doing the match. Bret was uneasy, but was thinking he could possibly do it as long as there were no hits to his head. We’re sitting here like, “Holy sh*t, we didn’t think we’d be talking about a Bret/Vince match!” Vince pitched that match and said, “What do you guys think?” Everyone was like, “Yeah, no sh*it! Of course! Bret versus Vince, yes! That’s huge.”
Bauer continues, “A week or two later, Vince said that match was no longer an option. I think it had to do with something on Bret’s end.”
(Transcribed by Chris Maffei)
The full show is available at FightNetwork.com, and The LAW: Live Audio Wrestling and MLW feeds on iTunes. Bauer & Pollock airs every Wednesday at LiveAudioWrestling.com and MLW.com.
