– The referee who officiated Eve’s match against Alicia Fox on Monday’s Raw SuperShow is Brian Nguyen. He has officiated in Florida Championship Wrestling for the past two years as Ryan Tran.
– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will appear Wilmington Blue Rocks game in Wilmington, Delaware on June 14, 2012. Details are available here.
– In Friday’s birthdays, Melina Perez turned 33 years old, Rick Steiner turned 52 years old and Nikita Koloff turned 53 years old.
– On this week’s webisode of Foreign Exchange, Santino Marella patrols the Texas border, rounding up WWE’s international Superstars including Natalya, Primo and Ricardo Rodriguez.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart told a fan on Twitter this week that Montreal is a dead issue and unfortunately, some of his siblings are still jealous of him and take any chance they can to tear him down. A fan asked Bret, “Your brother Smith Hart said in an interview that Stu Hart stated, “Bret should have just done the job in Montreal.” Any truth to that?”
Bret replied with the following:
“I’ve had numerous conversations w/my dad about Montreal & he never ever indicated anything of this sort to me.”
“There are certain members of my family that never miss an opportunity 2 tear me down or minimize my achievements. My dad’s nickname for my brother Smith was “shed”, short for shithead. So take it from the source.”
“I don’t give a damn what anyone says re:Montreal & it’s a dead issue.”
— The official website of the BMO Harris Bank Center is advertising CM Punk as a special guest for the WWE SuperSmackDown Live special that will air on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 on Syfy.
Two bouts are advertised for the event as Daniel Bryan will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show and Randy Orton will face Wade Barrett in a Street Fight Match.
— Metro Calgary has published an article on researchers with National Geographic’s Genographic Project approaching Bret Hart for a DNA sample. Links were found from as long ago as 60,000 years and in places such as India, Iran and several European countries.
“It pretty much goes back to the beginning of time,” Hart said. “It’s not something you can easily wrap your head around. It’s pretty fascinating stuff.”
— Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine have been announced for Legends of the Ring 14, which takes place Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey.
– The Miz will be guest-starring on the USA Network show Psych. No word yet on when the episode will air, but the new season premiers on February 29th.
– Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens was visiting at this week’s FCW tapings from Tampa.
– The WWE website has posted a storyline video interview with doctor Chris Amann. He says the WWE cameraman that Mark Henry attacked on SmackDown suffered three broken ribs and will be out for upto 3 months.
– Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis is set to debut for Ring of Honor next Friday night, December 23rd. She’ll be accompanying her boyfriend Mike Bennett to the ring for his match against Jay Lethal.
– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is the latest person to speak out publicly about what’s wrong with WWE today. During an interview with Vezzy Parmesan, the Hitman talks about the “cookie cutter” look of today’s WWE superstars and how the WWE office doesn’t know what they’re doing. Bret echoes a sentiment felt by many WWE fans, which is that he’s sick of the company pushing the same superstars and not effectively developing new talent. Here’s a video of the interview:
Arda Ocal caught up with WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who discussed WWE’s upcoming Greatest Rivalries – Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart DVD, his relationship with Earl Hebner following the “Montreal Screwjob,” his time in World Championship Wrestling, and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
Where he ranks his time in WCW
“Where would I rank my time in WCW? Right in the toilet. It was a waste of time. There were so few highlights.”
Has Bret made peace with Earl Hebner and thoughts on his “Damn Right I Did” T-shirt referencing the “Montreal Screwjob”
“I don’t have any hard feelings towards Earl, but if I was in his shoes I wouldn’t have done what they did.”
Thoughts on the Survivor Series match format
“In truth I never liked the Survivor Series format, I thought it was a waste of time.”
Following tonight’s SmackDown taping at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, WWE held a ceremony honoring Edge.
Seven-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus kicked off “Edge Appreciation Night” by introducing “The Rated-R Superstar.” Photographs of Edge’s most memorable WWE moments aired on the big screen, including a video montage featuring comments from John Cena, Bret Hart, CM Punk, The Miz, Josh Mathews, Vickie Guerrero, Randy Orton and Jim Ross, among others. Edge broke into tears while the video aired.
Christian interrupted the festivities to say that he and Edge are closer than friends as they were like brothers. He adds that a great way to show appreciation for Edge is to bring out the people closest to him. Edge’s mom Judy appeared, as did his trainers Steve Hutchinson and Sweet Daddy Siki, former WWE Superstar Rhyno, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart and the WWE locker room.
Edge spoke and notably said to Hart, “Bret, you and Owen were the two I looked up to as Canadians.” The ceremony concluded with a five-second pose “for the benefit of those with flash photography.”
The official website of the Air Canada Centre is advertising WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart and multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus for this Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the venue.
Both Canadian stars are advertised for “special guest appearances.”
WWE announced Friday on SmackDown that former world champion Edge would appear on this week’s show, which emanates from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to the Air Canada Centre website, WWE will be paying tribute to the “Rated-R Superstar” with “Edge Appreciation Night.”
Also advertised for the event is a World Heavyweight Match between Randy Orton and Mark Henry. Overseeing the night’s action will be WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H.
— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart stated in an interview with The Cardboard Connection that he is looking to write a follow-up to his memoir, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. However, he says it could “take years” for the book to come out. “I’m just waiting as my life continues to unfold,” Hart said.
Hart was also asked to name his favorite wrestling performers in the industry today and the first names out of his mouth were The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki. “They’re getting better and better,” Hart said. “I like Daniel Bryan. I love his style. I love his incorporation of actual wrestling holds and submissions and his style. I’m a big fan of Cena. I’m a big fan of [Randy] Orton.”
— The Miami Heraldreports that WWE will be hosting its WrestleMania XXVIII ticket kickoff party in early November in Miami, home to the 2012 version of the mega event. Further details were not disclosed.
— Former WWE stars Vladimir Kozlov and Jillian Hall have been announced for Legends of the Ring XIII, which takes place Saturday, October 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe, New Jersey.
— Former WWE Diva Terri Runnels was accompanied by two large bodyguards for her appearance at Saturday’s sparsely attended K&S Wrestlefest event in Essington, Pennsylvania. It marks as her first public appearance since she filed a lawsuit against her former partner Jerome “New Jack” Young, accusing him of libel for what she calls a series of slurs he’s stated online about their sex life and her appetite for drugs and alcohol.
— WWE returns to the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 28, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
— With General Manager Theodore Long unable to attend tonight’s SmackDown due to unforeseen circumstances, COO Triple H called on WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart to serve as the Special Guest General Manager. Christian, however, showed up with a court order stating that no Superstar would get a World Title match until he was granted his rematch – including the new No. 1 contender Mark Henry. The Excellence of Execution then announced that Christian will face World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Title on this Tuesday’s live SuperSmackDown in Wichita, Kansas.
— Former WWE Diva Lauren Jones, who sporadically appeared for SmackDown in 2004 and 2005, was invited to tonight’s Raw live event at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi. A native of Jackson, she watched the show from the front row and went backstage afterwards.
Jones mutually parted ways with WWE in June 2005 because company officials pushed her to become a wrestler when she wanted to pursue other opportunities. WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, who brought Jones to the organization in 2004 after she appeared as a model for a WWE Magazine photo shoot, has since made overtures to the entrepreneur/entertainment personality about returning to the organization. She garnered mainstream attention earlier this month as Hollywood starlets Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Charlize Theron were all photographed wearing a high-heel shoe she had designed, the Lauren Jones ‘Franci’ Sandal.
– The following matches are confirmed for next Tuesday’s special live edition of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:
WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara (Non Title Match)
World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton vs. Christian in a Steel Cage Match.
– WWE Chariman & CEO Vince McMahon turns 66 years old today.
– The dark main event that took place after Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Calgary saw World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton defeated Christian in a Street Fight – with Bret Hart as the special guest referee.
Triple H brought out Bret Hart prior to the match, which got a tremendous pop from the live crowd. Christian refused to enter the ring, but was thrown into the ring by Triple H. After the match, Bret Hart put Christian in the sharpshooter to end the show.
— WWE announced via Twitter that WWE Hall of Famer will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Their statement reads: “This Friday on @WWE #SmackDown, WWE Hall of Famer @BretHart will be SmackDown’s GM from his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada!”
He is also locally advertised to appear at tonight’s taping at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta as the special guest referee for a Street Fight between World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Christian. This will be a post-show dark match.
— WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly indicated on Twitter that she will be on hand for tonight’s SmackDown taping.
She wrote, “At smackdown baby… let’see what booty whippings I can give out tonight.”
— Trish Stratus is advertised to appear at this Sunday’s Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building 222 Bremner Blvd. Toronto, Ontario. She will be on the Anchor Bay Panel beginning at 5:30 p.m. Click here for event details.
– Rey Mysterio announced Monday on Twitter that he will be undergoing surgery this Friday after sustaining an injury to his knee. The masked performer blew his knee, believed to be his ACL, while attempting a baseball slide during his match against Alberto Del Rio on last week’s episode of Raw.
There is talk that he may not be able to return to action until WrestleMania XXIII.
– Smith Hart, the eldest brother of the legendary Hart family, stated on his Facebook account that they will be out in “full force” for tonight’s SmackDown taping in Calgary, Alberta. He wrote,
“Boarding a flight to Calgary shortly. Hart Family in full force tonight on Smackdown.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is scheduled to appear at tonight’s show at the Scotiabank Saddledome as he will be special guest referee for a Street Fight between Randy Orton and Christian.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke with WrestlingVoice.net promoting his upcoming tour of Ireland with American Wrestling Rampage. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
His relationship with Shawn Michaels: “I suspected from the very beginning that me and Shawn, our handshake, would be more BS than anything else and that we were still going to loath each other and hate each others guts for the rest of our lives, but the truth is that he was very humbled and grateful that I was willing to forgive everything and the reality is we were able to become good friends since then. Knowing that it really meant something to him, meant something to me and we actually have a really good friendship now.
“I think Shawn was always a bit of a prima donna and I didn’t think he’d be sincere when he shook my hand and the gratification I get over a few weeks and months after that, you could really see it was a weight lifted of his back and he seemed appreciative and grateful that we could be on good terms again.”
His match with Vince McMahon and his in-ring performances since then: “I thought it was perfect, I loved having my family out there, I loved having my brothers and sisters play the lumberjacks and I think fans got what they wanted even though it wasn’t the old Bret Hart, but the truth is I’m never gonna be that Bret Hart, the technical wrestler, I’m basically gonna be more of a character for the rest of my career, my days of taking suplexes and diving over the top rope are over.”
Harry Smith’s recent release: “It’s unfortunate, but these things happen, you might look at it as a setback but you might look at it as a blessing in disguise, I think he’s a great talent, but needs to reinvent himself and by stepping away from WWE might be a nice break, but I don’t doubt that in time he’ll be back in WWE. He’s still young and a great talent.
“He needs to step away and look to reinvent himself, my brother Owen left the company years ago when he was wrestling as the Blue Blazer and he got out of WWE and did some different tours and promotions and then came back a couple years later and found the footing he was looking for when he came back.”
Being placed #4 behind Steve Austin, The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels on WWE’s 50 Greatest Superstars of All Time DVD: “I beat Steve Austin every time I worked with him throughout my career and yet he he’s graded above him, so figure that out. I could give you a list of 50 wrestlers and it would have credibility because I would have an idea but some guy that’s working for WWE Magazine that makes it up frankly, he can kiss my ass, he doesn’t know anything.”
Randy Savage and Owen Hart’s absence from the WWE Hall of Fame: “It’s not much of a Hall of Fame without Macho Man in it, and Owen belongs in there as much as me or my Dad, so I think it’s only a matter of time.”
Other topics include his highlights from his last run with WWE, who he would like to work with from today’s talent, his favorite and least memorable matches as well as his upcoming rivalry DVD featuring himself and Shawn Michaels.
— In a preview of tomorrow night’s WWE Championship Match on Raw, Rey Mysterio beat The Miz via pinfall Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bret Hart was the special ringside enforcer for the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Christian and Randy Orton. Towards the end of the match, Hart stopped Christian from bringing a chair into the ring. The World Heavyweight Champion was ultimately disqualified.
— WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler is advertised to appear at tonight’s Norfolk Tides baseball game tonight in Norfolk, Virginia. The game begins 6:15 p.m. at from Harbor Park.
CM Punk crashed the joint Mattel/WWE panel—WWE: Past, Present and Future—this afternoon at the San Diego Comic-Con, featuring Triple H, Rey Mysterio and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.
Punk announced himself via bullhorn and then, with the WWE Championship in hand, sauntered to the designated question-asking microphone and began to speak. The Straight Edge Superstar took exception to WWE attempting to crown a new champion on Raw and then challenged Mysterio, or anyone else who wanted to be champ, to head out to Chicago to take him on.
Punk then asked Triple H and creative writer Brian Gewirtz why Zack Ryder wasn’t on television. Triple H, in what appeared to be a kayfabe response, told Punk that things had changed on Raw and there was a new regime. He told Punk to give him a call. Punk responded by telling Hunter that he was certain Stephanie had his number.
As you’ll notice – Punk is once again wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt, another sign that Punk is hoping to eventually get Austin to come out of retirement for one more match.
As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, WWE has been working on a new project set involving former rivals Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. According to a report on WWEDVDNews.com, the DVD will be part of a series titled, “WWE’s Greatest Rivalries.”
The next rivalry in the series will be Steve Austin vs. The Rock, which is also sure to be a doozy.
The working title for the two-disc Blu-ray and three-disc DVD is simply “Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart” and will be released on October 25th in North America.
Here’s the synopsis:
“For more than a decade, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Shawn Michaels engaged in perhaps the most storied rivalry in the history of sports entertainment, from their teams (the Hart Foundation and the Rockers), through battles for the Intercontinental Championship and the richest prize in the business, the WWE Championship.
Their enmity spilled out of the ring, and led to the most infamous incident in the history of professional wrestling, The Montreal Screwjob. More than a decade later, the two men buried the hatchet as both are now WWE Hall of Famers.
Now, for the first time ever, the two sit down together and rehash their intertwined destinies in Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. These new, never-before-aired, interviews will shed new light and insight on controversies fans have speculated about for years.”
Here’s a clip of the memorable handshake and hug between Bret and Shawn on the January 4th, 2010 episode of WWE RAW, the night Bret Hart returned after 13 years away:
— Zack Ryder was announced as the WWE Internet Champion at today’s Raw live event in Melbourne, Australia and had a replica belt with him that he successfully defended against Primo.
— CM Punk’s current storyline was continued at yesterday’s Raw live event in Sydney, Australia. Ring announcer Tony Chimel announced at the start of the show that Punk was suspended by WWE but had agreed to fulfill his contract and appear at the event. Punk trashed the McMahon family, among others, before his mic was cut off. He then lost to Rey Mysterio in the show’s opening match.
— In today’s birthdays, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart turns 54 years old, WWE referee Charles Robinson turns 47, former WWE star Scotty 2 Hotty turns 38 and former WWE Diva Amy Weber turns 41.
— Jerry Lawler is advertised to appear at the Norfolk Tides minor leagus baseball game at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday, July 24 at 6:15 p.m.
— WWE.com officially announced Monday that Kelly Kelly will be defending the Divas Championship against Brie Bella next month at Money in the Bank.
Brie is enacting her rematch clause for the event after losing the strap last week to Kelly. The blonde grappler then beat Nikki in a Raw Roulette Submission Match last night.
— Bret Hart is advertised to appear at the July 24 SmackDown live event scheduled for the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The WWE Hall of Famer will be the Special Guest Referee for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match between Randy Orton and Christian.
— Former WWE Tag Team Champion Heidenreich celebrates his 42nd birthday today.
– Bret Hart is rumored to be returning to WWE television in the near future. The Hitman is booked for several upcoming SmackDown shows and creative is discussing possible storyline ideas for him.
– There has been talk of the USA Network airing a new ‘preview’ show on Monday nights prior to WWE RAW, similar to what the NFL does with its pre-game show for Monday Night Football.
– Despite several botched attempts at establishing Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as a viable tag team, WWE officials are said to be committed to getting them over on the SmackDown brand. The dynamic between The Miz and Alex Riley is being seen as a blueprint for what WWE will do with DiBiase and Rhode, with DiBiase doing Rhodes’ dirty work for now and then eventually turning babyface and feuding with Rhodes.
– Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine got screamed at backstage at RAW the night of the Tough Enough season finale. A top WWE official ripped into Leavine for about five minutes due to the way he didn’t sell the slap from Mr. McMahon and Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Stunner. Leavine was told that he’s a piece of crap who doesn’t respect the business and will never amount to anything in WWE. As previously reported, Leavine will be heading to developmental to sharpen his skills in the coming months. Considering the heat on him, it will be interesting to see if he ever makes it out of FCW.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, f4wonline.com)
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read over at JRsBarBQ.com. JR spoke about another of topics this week, including Chavo Guerrero’s release from WWE, Jesse Ventura, being honored by the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, whether WWE will ever draw more fans than they did for WrestleMania 3 and more. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Chavo Guerrero’s WWE Release: “Sorry to hear of Chavo Guerrero leaving WWE after many years with the company. I don’t know the details but from what I read Chavo asked for his release and wanted to explore other options. Chavo is a talented guy who comes from a regal, wrestling family who I respect greatly. Chavo strikes me as the type of wrestler who has given his post wrestling career adequate thought and even though Chavo can and likely will continue to wrestle, one can never over stay their welcome inside the ring and everyone has to have an exit strategy at some point.”
Whether WWE Will Ever Break WrestleMania 3’s Attendance Record: “Will the WM3 attendance record ever be broken? In my opinion, yes. It could happen in a variety of venues but specifically, in my eyes, it will be when WWE has a Wrestlemania in Cowboys Stadium in Dallas which could accommodate close to 100,000 for the event. With DFW being an American Airlines hub and Love Field being a Southwest Airlines hub, getting to Dallas from virtually any where in the world is doable. Of course, how well any event does or doesn’t do is always dependent on the main event attractions.”
Participating In The Shawn Michaels-Bret Hart DVD Project: “The HBK/Hitman DVD will be released worldwide this October and I have high expectations for the project. The two legendary, WWE stars sat side by side during the shoot facing yours truly who asked them a battery of questions … To be able to sit and talk to two WWE Hall of Famers such as Michaels and Hart who did have a bona fide rivalry at one time but also respected the other’s work was a privilege for me. I’m honored to have been assigned this project and hope that it lives up to the expectations we all have for it. I know that both Shawn and Bret were very happy with the day.”
Ross added, “I’ll tell you this, it takes a lot of courage and character to be honest to the core on these types of productions and Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were definitely honest, open, emotional, and had some compelling things to say. My respect for both men, which was already immense, was elevated even higher after this DVD taping.
JR has much more to say about the Michaels-Hart DVD, which you can read at his site.
lYou may have heard some buzz here on the site that WWE is working on a special DVD project that’s set to be released this fall. Jim Ross dropped a few hints on Twitter, calling the project “groundbreaking” and saying he was very fortunate to be a part of it. To follow up on this story – it appears the project will be an in-depth profile on the rocky relationship between WWE Hall of Famers Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
Jim Ross announced on Twitter this week that he interviewed Bret and Shawn for several hours yesterday in Stamford, CT for a DVD project that will be released this October.
While the DVD will certainly cover the infamous Montreal Screwjob, but their entire relationship during the 1990s will be covered, including both men breaking out of top tag teams and their paths crossing several times en route to WWE super stardom.
While the Montreal Screwjob has been analyzed and scrutinized from every possible angle, never before have we been given an inside look at Bret and Shawn’s rocky relationship.
Comment Below and tell us what you think about this DVD project – are you interested in hearing what each man has to say?
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was interviewed this week by Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca of the Busted Open radio show to promote his new “outdoor lifestyle” (hunting) show.
Here are some highlights of what Shawn said about:
His Classic Feud With Chris Jericho & How It Influenced The PG Era:
“Me and Chris (Jericho) would bury ourselves in the writer’s room…..just continue to add and we didn’t have any direction and I guess that my point, and I guess we just sort of said it ourselves and went from there. The process was phenomenal, thought the angle was phenomenal and truthfully we were the reason the PG thing came down and I bled like a stuck pig, there where people wanted to sponsor something and they saw me bleed like a stuck pig, they left and there was no more of that stuff.”
His reconciliation with Bret Hart:
“It was very genuine. He and I, we had been texting each other. I can’t give you a time frame. Some time before that you know me and Tyson Kidd were talking…Holy Cow! This whole thing needs to end. Tyson had passed his number along to me. And he and I had been texting, but not getting in to any detail, but we were testing the waters, like ‘Hey, we can do this, it’s been a long time and it sucks and its time to end to end it.’ We saw each other at Raw, we asked each other, but we didn’t talk about what we were going to do out there. But we did get to have a very long chat about everything and look the man in the eye and tell him I was sorry, for being a pain in his back side and it was very genuine. We have since texted one another, I think we will see each other again next week up in Stanford doing something. It’s been very nice and its been a great weight lifted off our shoulders….it was important to us and it was important to the people that saw it.”
John Cena As The Face Of WWE:
“I think John does a great job…..it’s gonna be impossible not to be partial to John. Because I like him and I like him because he is a good guy. He is the hardest working guy in that company. There isn’t anyone who puts in more time then John Cena. The only thing that works against John, and I tell you this with love…..you hardcore guys just decided to dislike him.”
Staying Loyal to WWE and Vince McMahon:
“There where times when I was going threw my very tough times, just let me go, just let me go. He would say ‘No, look you would be miserable, they wouldn’t do with you what needs to be done. They wouldn’t know what to do with you, and that fact that they put that kind of time in to me.’ That was really the end of it, that’s why I always sound like a company man….its genuine, and I know the real guy, the real guy has cared for me a great deal, and no one is more committed to this business then he is. It was easy to stay l
Busted Open airs Mondays and Wednesdays on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2-4 EST.
— Deadline Hollywood reports that Dwayne Johnson is in negotiations with Paramount Pictures to play the Roadblock character in the G.I. Joe sequel Cobra Strikes.
— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart announced today on Twitter that he will appear on WWE’s upcoming tour of South Africa.
“Yes, I will be a part of the WWE tour in South Africa. Always thought Cape Town was a beautiful city. Was last there in ’97. Very excited,” Hart wrote.
The Smackdown brand tours South Africa July 6-10.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the July 2011 issue of WWE Magazine.
— The late Chris Benoit is shown a few times in WWE’s forthcoming The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro DVD (scheduled for release on June 7), and even in the same segments as Woman. However, no full matches of Benoit are included in the DVD, not to mention that in segments where he is shown, commentary referring to “The Crippler” is muted.
— Shawn Michaels and friends of his went to Joplin, Missouri Thursday to offer support to tornado victims.
“Me & my buds got cases of H2O & sum dry goods & headed 2 Joplin MO, jus wanna c if we can do anything,” he wrote on Twitter. “Can’t hurt 2 give it a try.”
— Hornswoggle will throw out the first pitch at the July 7 Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers game at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart appears at MVP Sports Collectibles in Victoria, BC, Canada on Saturday, June 25 from 2-4pm. Call 250-380-1958 for more information.