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Tag: Bret Hart

  • Earl Hebner and Julie Hart Remember “The Montreal Screwjob” Fifteen Years Later

    Julie Hart and Earl Hebner both joined Inside The Ropes to talk about “The Montreal Screwjob” and their thoughts after 15 years.

    The highlights from Earl Hebner’s chat are:

    His thoughts when he heard Bret didn’t want to drop the belt to Shawn: “Bret had plenty of time to drop the belt. He could’ve dropped it in the United States. I didn’t know much about the deal with those two but he could’ve dropped the belt to anyone, hell he could’ve dropped it to me. But he had an ego and he didn’t wanna do it. Time was running out. If you’re leavin you drop the strap, he didn’t wanna do it. If you remember Alundra Blayze went down there and dropped the Womens belt in the trash. Now if you have a $3 million deal to go to another company, why would you even hesitate to drop the belt? I mean why? Your moneys already guaranteed when you get there. Just drop it and go. A lot of people put him over, made him who he is. So he’s gonna refuse to drop it and make those guys look like idiots? This business is a work.”

    On him telling Bret he swore on his kids lives he wouldn’t let anything happen in Montreal: “I was sitting on a plane with Bret. His very words “Will you count me out?” I said “If you keep your shoulder up, I will not count you out” Which I didn’t count him out. Did he get pinned 1.2.3? You stop and think about my position. I’m thinking about the guys in the back. Austin, Undertaker, Rocky all the guys that put him over as being the Worlds Champion, we made him what he was, so he’s leaving us and he’s screwing us because he doesn’t want to drop the belt. So on my way to the ring, I’m thinking it’s not fair. Someone asked me, I won’t say who, about two minutes before I walked to the ring, I said I can’t tell you what I’m gonna do, but when I walked to the ring, I thought about all the boys back in the dressing room, so it wasn’t right for him to screw 25 guys because of his stubbornness, so thats why I did what I did. When McMahon and Sgt Slaughter came to the ring, whether I had done it or not, that bell was gonna ring. The only thing that made it more official is that I motioned for the bell.”

    If he thinks Montreal was a work: “It could have been a work. McMahon, Bret, WCW could’ve all been in on it for all I know. I’m gonna go 50/50 on it. I think it was but I can’t say for sure, but look where Bret is now.”

    In the rest of the chat, Earl talks about the relationship between Shawn and Bret, how Undertaker felt about the situation the next day, his conversations with Bret since Montreal, Bret’s 2010 return and whether he was contacted to appear by the WWE at WrestleMania 26 and more. Check it out below.

    The highlights from Julie Hart’s Chat:

    When Bret got suspicious that he might get screwed: “It wasn’t really till we got to Montreal. I remember someone came to Bret and told him that they’d saw Shawn getting into an elevator with Vince in his hotel and that kinda got Bret a little worried. That was earlier in the day. The kids and I had gone shopping and when we got back, Bret said he had to go talk to our lawyer who was in town with us as well. The source, I can’t tell you who it is, but the source had said what happened, so bret went over to our lawyer to talk about it and that’s when Bret really started getting nervous.”

    WWE making Vince into the Mr McMahon character: “I thought that was horrible but thats what Vince does right? Thats how he markets things. I felt sorry for Bret because he was such a good person to Vince and I felt like “jeez why did you have to go and do that?” But you look at everything now and how things have played out. It was all about the business, and it’s still all about the business. Those things, I guess, shouldn’t have been taken so personal.”

    Her reaction to people who think Montreal was a work: “Firstly, no it wasn’t work. It was as raw as…..you’d have to be there to experience the emotions that Bret went through. I can honestly say on my childrens head, that none of that stuff was set up. It was as real as you would ever get. That camera was in the place in the right time. It was never set up, it’s sad that people would think that. I know, I was there, my kids were there, I saw what it did to Bret emotionally, for our marriage after that, we were never the same…..”

    To hear Julie’s full chat where she talks about how Bret was in 1997, who she saw backstage at Montreal, why she talked to Hunter after the match, why Bret wore a wire and much more, listen below.

  • Bret Hart Talks About Undertaker & Steve Austin’s Characters Evolving, Hogan-Warrior

    As noted earlier, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently spoke to Canada’s CTVNews to hype the new WWE ’13 video game. You can read Hart’s quotes comparing today’s current generation to the main eventers of the 1980’s at our earlier report here.

    Hart also spoke about the Attitude Era bringing about the evolution of Steve Austin and the Undertaker’s characters – and what it was like during the mid 1990’s when WWE transitioned from pushing one-dimensional bodybuilders like Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior to technical masters like him and Shawn Michaels.

    Wrestling Evolving From Bodybuilders To Technicians:“I don’t want to rag too much on Hulk Hogan but he’s pretty one-dimensional,” said Hart. “Very big guy. The great, magnificent body that he had — the 22-inch arms and all that kind of stuff. But after a while, after (The Ultimate) Warrior came, it was like, ‘Enough of the body-building, let’s go on with who can actually do a drop-kick and who can actually climb up on top and do stuff.’

    “I think the wrestling really did change from these sort of dinosaurs to the guys who were really picking it up and doing the moves.”

    Undertaker’s Evolution: “Whereas in the beginning, he was kind of like Frankenstein, kind of moving around slow and ponderous in the ring, and was very methodical. But times changed and by the mid-90s, Undertaker had revamped his whole character.”

    Steve Austin’s Evolution: “I like to think I was carrying the flag for the whole company, where it wasn’t about the wrestlers being cartoon characters,” said Hart. “It was about the wrestlers being committed stars that were trying to get to the top.”

  • Bret Hart Talks About Today’s Top Talent, WWE Stars Celebrate Milestones & More

    – Canada’s CTVNews.ca has published an interview with WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart. Hart talks about the new WWE ’13 video game, WWE’s Attitude Era and says he’s got plenty of respect for today’s talent “especially because it’s a much more drug-free environment.”

    “There’s a lot of innovators,” he said, citing Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. “They’ve really stepped up a lot. They might not be as big and as bulky as the wrestlers back in the ’80s were, but they’re every bit as hard-workers as this industry has seen. I think they’re working harder today than they’ve ever been working.”

    – The Rock tweeted the following on Friday, giving a shout out to his buddy CM Punk:

    – WWE’s Tyson Kidd and Justin Roberts both celebrated career milestones on Thanksgiving. Tyson Kidd tweeted:

    Justin Roberts wrote:

  • Bret Hart Talks About The Attitude Era & Wanting To Work With Triple H More

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke to WWE.com this week to promote the new WWE ’13 video game. Here are some highlights of what the Hit Man said about:

    The Lasting Legacy Of The Attitude Era:

    “Just about everybody I know talks about that being the last great era of wrestling,” Hart said. “For me as a fan, I loved all the stuff (Steve) Austin did with me and with Vince McMahon. Austin has such a great character that I really enjoyed following his career even after mine was over… Even when I was with him in 1997, I thought the stuff I did with Austin was as good as it gets – the match we had at WrestleMania 13, all the promos we did, the Street Fight Match. There was this conviction we both had to make it real, to make everyone really feel that these were real – kind of like what the UFC projects today. We were doing a better job of doing it back then.

    The Attitude Era Star He Wishes He Could Have Worked With More:

    “If I could go back in time, I would have loved to have done more with Triple H. He blossomed into a bigger star after I left.”

    “I regret, looking back now, that we didn’t have more matches, or better matches or at least one pay-per-view match where we could have really showed our best stuff — or at least, I did. He’s a guy that he and I had some situation together, and I think it worked well on Monday Night Raw, but we never really had the chance to show what we could really do.”

    The Definitive Attitude Era Superstar:

    “I can’t think of anyone more fitting than Steve [Austin].”

  • Marty Jannetty Shows His “Ugly” Ankles, Reveals He’s Upset With Shawn Michaels

    Former WWE Superstar Marty Jannetty revealed the severity of his ankle injuries stemming from his prolonged wrestling career on Facebook Sunday with a photo; one ankle is positioned sideways, and the other one requires a cast.

    Jannetty is in dire need of surgery, but cannot afford it. He recently criticized his former employer, WWE, on the social networking website for financially assisting former talent with substance abuse problems and not those with debilitating injuries stemming from their time laboring for the company. He questioned whether he needs to abuse pain medication before he can receive financial assistance from the sports-entertainment organization.

    Jannetty also ripped his former tag team partner and best friend, Shawn Michaels, for displaying little sympathy toward his ailments as well as his “fallen brothers,” at an autograph signing last month in California. The tag team specialist showed Michaels an old wrestling program and said how sad it was that eight of the sixteen individuals who competed at the event died prematurely. Michaels’ response was that he doesn’t keep up with “that kind of stuff” and that he has other things to do, such as ride his tractor. Then, when Jannetty showed his shot ankle to Michaels, he only said “Damn!” and did nothing more. Bret Hart, on the other hand, who was never his tag team partner nor his best friend, vowed to take action in assisting him.

    Here is Jannetty’s post: “hey thanx for all of you expressing wonder and concern over them ugly looking ankles I got..maybe I shouldnt say too much right now for.. certain reasons.. but just know, they still work..and some days they dont really hurt that bad..it took a ton of hard work, training the ass off so that I could make it to the level where yall all know me at all..unlike Shawn, I wasnt a natural gifted athlete.. which is one of the reasons I tend to lean towards my students at the wrestling schools, who work the hardest, over those who may be a lil bit better but are naturals…oh, speaking of our Golden Boy Shawn..some of yall may have seen a lil while back where I said a couple of negative things about him, and..take it for what it is..I recently texted him about it..saying I wanted to apologize for things said in moments of extreme pain.. well, the Golden Boy yall love so much returned text saying, “I told you Marty, Im out of touch with the internet so I dont know what youre talking about”(the dude tweets more than anyone I know)..then he send a 2nd text saying, “are you still in high school?”….

    “hmm, for apologizing ?? no one made me do that, I just felt it in my heart, and the lil bitch comes back with that?..I guess thats something the spoiled rich kid didnt learn about in high school or other wise…this is the same brat, who recently in an LA Rockers Reunion show, when I showed him an old wrestling program and said to him, “bruh, isnt this sad, look at all our fallen brothers just off this one card (it was about 8 of the 16 guys on the card had died, all fairly young..Curt hennig, Big Boss Man, Rick Rude Road Warrior Hawk, etc) and his response was..”Marty, I dont really keep up with that kind of stuff, I just got other things to do, like ride my tractor”…well, anyway, I said all that to say>> when he saw my f”ed up ankles, he had the same reaction Bret Hart did when he saw them..a Ron Simmons moment, they both said>>>”DAMN!!”…difference being, Bret, who was never a tag team partner, nor best friend at one time..took action..told me what we can do to get it fixed or burn the people who should but wont fix it..Shawn on the other hand, never did more than say DAMN!..well, moving on..for all of you sports peeps out there and you in particular Donut, yall all know that when you have one injury or ailing part, you focus on it during the next event trying to protect it..which Donut, yep, thats how I broke the collar bone last night in a match(Hedges, you were a pleasure to work with, wasnt anything you did and I think our match was GREAT!!)..bumping is an art, a must, and a thing you have to protect yourself with when doing…bumped a bit different last night, got a new injury now..one that will heal..but Im tired or this shit..Im tired of being in such pain daily, when it could all be fixed..or should I go out and snort Peru and drink up Russia b4 the ones who I served, serve me???? and only need serving in a just way..aint wanting SHIT for free..this is OWED!!..but…this post was just to say THANK YOU!! to all those who expressed concern on the emails..love ya all..we’ll be fine!! and back again!!”

    Marty Jannetty

  • New Bret Hart WWE DVD Project, Candice Michelle Gives Birth & More

    – Today’s wrestling birthdays include D-Lo Brown (42) and WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales (70).

    – WWE camera crews are visiting WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart this week for an upcoming DVD project on his best “unreleased” matches. Aside from matches from WWE’s video library, the project will also feature matches from Bret’s own personal archives, including matches that were not transferred to WWE when they acquired the Stampede video library.

    – WWE held two anti-bullying rallies in Connecticut on Sunday, with Eve Torres and Brodus Clay hosted a rally at the Boys & Girls Club in Hartford and AJ Lee and Jack Swagger at local YMCA for another rally.

    – Former WWE Diva Candice Michelle gave birth to her second daughter, Ryumi Grace, over the weekend. Here’s a picture of the new baby:

  • Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara Appear On Raw Backstage Fallout, Bret Hart Giving Input To Upcoming WWE DVD

    – In this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for Raw, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara respond to The Prime Time Players’ attack from behind. Plus, Layla suspects Eve had something to do with Kaitlyn’s being viciously attacked at Night of Champions, Wade Barrett discusses his future plans and Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vow to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship from Daniel Bryan and Kane.

    http://youtu.be/V-qgFn0xlUDcY

    – The official WWE website announced last week that a new Bret Hart video title, Bret Hart: Unreleased Matches, will be released on March 5, 2013. The WWE Hall of Famer is giving input to the project.

    He tweeted Tuesday, “Starting to review matches for the new “Unreleased Matches” DVD.”

  • Bret Hart Talks About Punching Out Vince In 1997 & WWE Wasting Good Talent

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke with Rob McNichol of the UK Sun this week about his return to Montreal on Monday for RAW and WWE wasting great talent by focusing on making them “television stars” instead of world class pro wrestlers. Here’s what the Hit Man said about:

    Returning To Montreal After The Montreal Screwjob: “It was a big night,” Hart said. “I knew it was going to be, because any time I’ve gone back to Montreal for anything, it’s always been emotional. It was fitting, going full circle. I think it was important to do. I think it was more important than WWE or anyone realized.

    “I think when they called me it was more to be there for Pat Patterson Appreciation Night than anything else — I love Pat and I’m a big fan of his — but it had more significance to me than that. The Montreal Screwjob was a famous, historical meltdown that in a lot of ways was my finest hour.

    “WWE failed me on that day and buried the knife as far as they could. I think the little fisticuffs that happened afterwards with Vince was my finest hour. It’s not so much the physicality of it, but more that I stood my ground as a Canadian and as a professional.

    “That reaction from the fans told me that I did do the right thing. These people wouldn’t feel the way they do right now and have that emotion 15 years later if I had done the wrong thing that day.

    WWE Wasting Quality Talent: “They have some great wrestlers, and Tyson Kidd is as schooled as they get. Technically and mentally – as far as wrestling psychology, moves, timing – Tyson Kidd is maybe one of the best in the world,” Hart said. “There are a lot of wrestlers in that company that have not been used properly. Brodus Clay is a guy that when I first saw how he moved and how skilled he was as a big 300-pounder, and now I see him with the girls and he’s just a cartoon character. Whoever thought of that should be taken out the back and shot.

  • Bret Denies Involvement His “Loser Brother’s” New Stampede Wrestling Promotion

    – The dark main event that took place after Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings saw World Heavyweight champion Sheaamus defeat Alberto Del Rio.

    – The WWE Youtube channel has added several clips of Jerry Lawler, including his match against Tazz at SummerSlam 2000, his return to WWE RAW back in November 2001 and a classic AWA World title match against Curt Hennig from 1988.

    – WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart says he has absolutely no affiliation with the new incarnation of Stampede Wrestling, run by his “loser brother” Bruce Hart (awesome). The Hit Man tweeted on Wednesday:

  • Bret Hart’s Comments After RAW, WWE Airing Live Footage During RAW Commercial Breaks

    – Bret Hart spoke to WWE.com after his appearance on Monday’s WWE RAW from Montreal. Bret said his homecoming was an uplifting, happy moment for him. He also said he wishes he could have wrestled CM Punk in his prime.

    – WWE.com also has an exclusive video from a commercial break at Monday’s RAW, when the CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton and Jerry Lawler match was made. With all 4 wrestlers brawling at ringside, RAW General Manager AJ Lee came out and made the match.

    – WWE.com now streams footage from RAW live during commercial breaks.

    – Former WWE superstar Goldust tweeted the following after Monday’s RAW regarding the Prime Time Players:

    “These 2 @primetimeplayers have improved alot! Good for u titus and darren. Keep learnin boys ur doing great #RAW”

    Goldust, who was working as an agent earlier this year, was reportedly released because he booked a spot where the Prime Time Players delivered a double powerbomb to Yoshi Tatusu. The spot was deemed unsafe reckless by WWE management.

  • Is Jack Swagger At Tonight’s Raw In Montreal?, WWE Honors Pat Patterson, R-Truth Featured, Bret Hart

    – Last week on Raw, a dejected Jack Swagger revealed he would be taking some extended time off following his latest loss—his last win was on the June 7, 2012, edition of WWE Superstars. Despite the angle, The All-American American is in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the site of tonight’s Raw, according to the official Twitter feed of Live Audio Wrestling.

    – Live tonight in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, WWE will pay tribute to the first-ever Intercontinental Champion, Pat Patterson. WWE.com has published an article profiling the WWE Hall of Famer, which also acknowledges his contributions behind-the-scenes.

    – Juanita Wright, who portrayed Dusty Rhodes’ valet Sapphire in the World Wrestling Federation, passed away sixteen years ago today at the age of 61. Fritz Von Erich, legendary wrestler, patriarch of the Von Erich family, and owner of the World Class Championship Wrestling territory, passed way fifteen years ago today.

    – WWE Tag Team Champion R-Truth is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

    – Bret Hart arrived to the Bell Centre today for Raw with a police escort. (Thanks to Jesse)

  • 2013 WWE DVD/Blu-ray Release Schedule: Goldberg, History of WWE, War Games, Mick Foley, Triple H, Divas and more

    WWE has announced its WWE Home Entertainment 2013 DVD/Blu-ray release schedule, which confirms several rumored titles. In addition to pay-per-view events, the sports-entertainment organization will be releasing compilation videos on WCW Monday Nitro, Bret Hart, Mick Foley, In Your House, Goldberg, ECW, War Games, WWE Divas, Triple H, Money in the Bank and Raw, among others. A History of WWE title is also scheduled.

    WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2012 – 01/15/13
    Best of Raw & SmackDown 2012 – 01/29/13
    The Best of Nitro Volume 2 – 02/12/13
    Royal Rumble 2012 – 02/26/13
    Bret Hart Unreleased Matches – 03/05/13
    Elimination Chamber 2012 – 03/19/13
    Mick Foley Biography – 04/16/13
    The Best of In Your House – 04/30/13
    WrestleMania 29 – 05/14/13
    Top 25 Rivalries – 05/28/13
    Extreme Rules 2013 – 06/18/13
    Goldberg – 06/25/13
    TBD PPV – 07/16/13
    ECW Unreleased Vol. 2 – 07/30/13
    Money In The Bank 2013 – 08/13/13
    Best of MSG – 08/27/13
    Best of War Games – 09/10/13
    SummerSlam 2013 – 09/17/13
    Top 20 Divas Countdown – 09/24/13
    Triple H Biography – 10/08/13
    Night of Champions 2013 – 10/15/13
    Money In The Bank Anthology – 10/29/13
    Over the Limit 2013 – 11/05/13
    History of WWE – 11/19/13
    Hell in a Cell 2013 – 11/26/13
    Raw 20th Anniversary Box Set – 12/03/13
    Survivor Series 2013 – 12/24/13
    Best WWE PPV’s – 12/31/13

  • Update On Bret Hart’s Appearance On Raw Tonight, WWE Returning To Miami, Top Kicks In History

    – Tonight on Raw, Bret “Hit Man” Hart will step inside a WWE ring in Montreal, Canada, for the very first time since the infamous “Screwjob” at the 1997 Survivor Series. According to sources at the event, the WWE Hall of Famer is scripted to appear in multiple segments.

    – As an homage to Sheamus banned finishing maneuver, WWE.com ranks the ten greatest kicks in WWE history. Topped by Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music, the list also ranks: #2 Randy Orton – Punt, #3 Rob Van Dam – Van Daminator, #4 Sheamus – Brogue Kick, #5 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – Stompin’ a Mudhole, #6 Hulk Hogan – Big Boot, #7 Booker T – Scissor Kick, #8 Trish Stratus – Chick Kick, #9 Tajiri – Buzzsaw Kick, #10 Kofi Kingston – Trouble in Paradise. (Article)

    – WWE returns to American Airlines Arena at Miami, Florida on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 for a SmackDown taping. Talent advertised to appear include Randy Orton, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, Ryback, Antonio Cesaro, Kane, Sin Cara and Natalya.

    (source: PWInsider.com)

  • Bret Hart Talks About Returning to Montreal Monday Night For RAW

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke to the Montreal Gazette about appearing on Monday’s RAW Montreal, the first time in 15 years since the Montreal Screwjob that he’s returning to the scene of the crime.

    “Over the years … in the last couple of years anyways, since we sort of got back on good terms again, I always thought: ‘I wonder what will happen when they’re in Montreal…they’ll have to think that maybe it would be a good idea to bring me into that,’” Hart told the newspaper in a Friday interview. “I didn’t expect it in some ways and wondered if it would ever happen, and here it is.”

    Hart added, “It’s truly a special night that I’ve been waiting for since the Screwjob, and it would be great to put a better cap on things.”

    WWE has not yet announced what Bret Hart will be doing at RAW, but you can bet it will be another “RAW Moment” for the ages.

  • Update On Christian’s Whereabouts, AJ Lee Says Bret Hart Will Appear On Raw

    – Reports surfaced online this week stating that WWE officials pulled Christian from television since he’s expected to appear at next month’s TNA Hall of Fame ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona as part of an agreement the rival wrestling organizations reached to allow Ric Flair to appear at Wrestlemania XXVIII. According to PWInsider.com, the reports are incorrect.

    Multiple WWE sources state that Christian requested time off from the road since there were no major storylines planned for him and to also rest his ankle. He is still having trouble with his ankle, which sidelined him late last year and at the start of the year.

    It is not known when he will return to the ring although he was at one point scheduled for next week’s television events in Canada.

    – Following her latest dramatic episode on Monday’s Raw, General Manager AJ Lee addressed her mental state before announcing that WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will be returning to Raw in Montreal for the first time in 15 years, this Monday at 8/7 CT.

  • Bret Hart Comments On Returning To Montreal For RAW On Monday

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will be appearing at Monday’s RAW from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada – the site of the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

    Bret tweeted this about his homecoming:

  • Bret Hart Appearing On Montreal RAW, Cody Responds To Seth Rollins (Video)

    – WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has been announced for Monday’s RAW from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada for “Pat Patterson Appreciation Night.” The Bell Centre is the site of the infamous Montreal Screwjob that drove Bret Hart away from WWE for over a decade.

    – Damien Sandow will be appearing at this Friday’s WWE NXT show from Orlando, FL at the Armory.

    – Cody Rhodes is firing back at NXT Champion Seth Rollins for taking issue with The Miz declaring Rhodes the “Future of WWE” on Monday’s RAW. Cody has now issued the following video response and says he is open to wrestling Rollins at the September 14th NXT live event, which both wrestlers will be attending:

  • Bret Hart Talks About His Relationship With CM Punk, Punk/Bryan Compared To Him/HBK

    Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of theScore Television Network and the Baltimore Sun spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart (@BretHart). Topics included:

    – CM Punk wearing pink and black and Bret’s thoughts, particularly since Punk seems to be in a similar position in his character as Bret was in 1997

    – Thoughts on Punk and Daniel Bryan being the Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart of this generation

    – His UFC 149 experience in Calgary – walking fighter Nick Ring to the cage and having fighter Antonio Carvalho use his entrance music

    Here is video of the interview:

  • WWE Names 15 Stars Who Should Return For One More Match, History Of WWE Dancers, Jacqueline

    – WWE.com has compiled a list ranking 15 former Superstars that should make a one-night comeback. It reads: 15. Scott Steiner, 14. Honky Tonk Man, 13. Michelle McCool, 12. Steve Blackman, 11. JBL, 10. Mick Foley, 9. Edge, 8. Shane McMahon, 7. Goldberg, 6. Trish Stratus, 5. Shawn Michaels, 4. Bret Hart, 3. Batista, 2. Ultimate Warrior, 1. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

    – WWE has released a preview clip of a Saturday Morning Slam segment showcasing sports-entertainment’s history of dancers.

    – Jim Ross complimented former WWE Women’s Champion Jacqueline via Twitter Wednesday, writing, “WWE never had a better pro, tougher Diva than Jackie Moore. She made all WWE Divas better.”

  • Ziggler Demands Rematch With Jericho (Video), Bret Hart Congratulates CM Punk

    – WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart praised WWE Champion CM Punk for his performance at Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. Hart wrote on Twitter:

    Punk responded:

    Punk paid tribute to Bret Hart at SummerSlam by wearing pink and black tights during his WWE title defense.

    – Chris Jericho spoke to WWE.com after defeating Dolph Ziggler at WWE SummerSlam and said doesn’t believe their rivalry is over. Jericho said he is looking forward to hearing what Ziggler had to say after their match – which didn’t take long.

    Following his loss to Chris Jericho at SummerSlam, Dolph Ziggler posted a Tout video demanding a rematch.

    “Congratulations Chris, you finally won the big one. I say it was a fluke, and I’m not asking, I’m DEMANDING a rematch.”

  • Dolph Ziggler Mocks Jericho’s “Midlife Crisis” (Video), Bret Hart Appearing In California

    – On this week’s episode of WWE Download, Dolph Ziggler debuts a new segment called “midlife crisis clip of the week” where he pokes fun at Chris Jericho with a string of one-liners. A clip from WCW Monday Nitro of Goldberg spearing Jericho is shown and Ziggler runs down Jericho for continuing to phone it in and sinking television ratings on “Dancing with the D-Listers.”

    – WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart appears at Frank & Son Collectible Show 19649 E. San Jose Ave. City of Industry, California 91748 on Saturday, September 1. An In Ring Photo Opportunity taken by professional photographer (professional set up) will be available for $50.00—less than 100 available. $30 for all additional photo opps and autograph. Contact GEMINI SPORTSCARDS 714-496-4578 for more information.

    – Monday marks the five-year anniversary of the passing of Brian Adams (a/k/a Crush), who was found dead of unknown causes at his Tampa, Florida home. He was 43-years-old.

  • HBK Talks About Punk & Bryan Being Compared To Him & Bret

    WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was interviewed this week by Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas of The Score and spoke about WWE Champion CM Punk and Daniel Bryan’s feud being compared to his feud with Bret Hart and other classic feuds, like Steamboat vs. Flair:

    “I’m remiss at saying, ‘boy, it’s a big compliment to them!’ I hope they take it as a compliment… it’s just weird. If Bret and Shawn are something to be compared to, it’s only because we have a [Ric] Flair and [Ricky] Steamboat to be compared to. If that’s what we’re talking about, then I’m deeply complimented and honored to have that, and I hope that they are too.”

    “I do know that they are both very talented. It does not surprise me one bit that they have phenomenal matches, that they can continue to have something very special and consistent through the years because they’re both very talented. They both bring so much to the table… they don’t rest on their laurels, they’re two guys that want to continue to improve, continue to get better. Those are the same things that Bret and I strived for in each other, in ourselves and in our matches.”

    Here is audio of the interview:

  • WWE Hall of Famer Calls Montreal Screwjob: “A Joke”

    George “The Animal” Steele recently spoke on the Inside The Ropes Podcast about his character, the Montreal Screwjob and more. The Highlights Appear Below Listen to the podcast here

    On his promos: “I did my own interviews and I was very articulate in the WWF when I got there but once they called me The Animal, and I was doing an interview with Vince and he said I was making too much sense for an animal so i turned into the ooh ooh aah guy and became the comedy character and it was a great run.”

    WrestleMania 2: “I had a great time. It was not as stressful as when I wrestled Bruno because Bruno and I were hardcore. I was a cartoon character with Randy so it was easier. Randy was in all honesty, a very jealous guy about Elizabeth and what you saw was sort of real. So then the further I went on TV to make him jealous and the further I got, the angrier he was.”

    WrestleMania 3: “It was about 12 miles from home. The Savage/Steamboat thing was Not my kinda match. i heard them talk that match for three weeks, i was sick of hearing about it. They called the spots, it was a great match but there was no psychology. Andre was a very good friend, Vince and Hogan did not know what Andre would do when he got to the ring if he’d lay down. He sort of kayfabed them. I’m sitting watching, laughing my tail off because I knew what Andre would do. When Hogan slammed Andre, that made him.”

    His departure of WWE: “I was deathly ill with Crohn’s Disease. I was in hospital for a month, and I knew it was all over, I couldn’t keep wrestling. I didn’t know I’d have to retire, but once I got to hospital, I knew it was over.”

    His Hall of Fame Induction: “It was fine. they brought my family in. After my induction they didn’t do any inductions for years. I got to talking to this guy Tony Mollano who’s responsible for the boxing hall of fame and I told him there wasn’t a physical building, and so we set up the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, New York. It’s a good thing. We’re not in competition with Vince. But we have a building people can come along and take a look at history.”

    On the Montreal Screwjob: “To me that’s one of the biggest jokes in wrestling of all time. Lets be honest, who did Bret Hart beat to win the belt? They give him the belt and then he can’t drop the belt in his own country? Give me a frickin break. By Vince doing the double cross Vince became the hottest thing in the business when all he did was take his belt back. He outdid everyone who walked away like Hulk and Bret.”

  • List Of Former WWE Stars In St. Louis For Tonight’s Raw 1000

    WWE officials have reached out to numerous former talents in recent months for tonight’s Raw celebrating 1000th episodes. The following former WWE Superstars have been confirmed as being in St. Louis, Missouri, site of tonight’s epic show:

    * Billy Gunn

    * Bob Backlund

    * Bret Hart

    * Diamond Dallas Page

    * “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan

    * Jim Ross,

    * John “Bradshaw” Layfield

    * Mae Young

    * “Mean” Gene Okerlund

    * Mick Foley

    * Psycho Sid

    * Road Warrior Animal

    * Ron Simmons

    * “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

    * Ryan Shamrock

    * X-Pac

  • Hall Of Famer Possibly Spoils Legends Angle For 1000th Raw

    After competing at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in San Diego, California, Road Warrior Animal stopped by the 100.3 KFAN-FM studios for Extreme Pro Wrestling Radio to discuss this coming Monday’s historic 1000th episode of Raw SuperShow and confirmed his and other former WWE Superstars’ involvement on the program.

    The WWE Hall of Famer may have spoiled the payoff of Heath Slater’s returning Raw legend angle while addressing rumors of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s involvement with the program—who has not been announced to appear by WWE.

    When asked whether The Rattlesnake will encounter Slater on the show, Animal responded, “Austin will definitely give him the stunner, ya know thats coming! Fans get ready, you’re gonna see a stunner!”

    Animal, who appeared on Raw in 1997 and 1998, also confirmed that he will be on hand for the festivities: “I will be making an appearance…people will see that my spikes from SmackDown were excellently repainted! Yeah, I’ll be there all painted up, with bells on boys! If it happens it happens, I’m ready!”

    On what else to expect for the unprecedented show, he said, “It’s gonna be star studded, on my flight alone is me, DDP and Bret “Hitman” Hart!”

    Animal reveals more on Raw 1000, audio available here.