Big Show was Michael Cole’s guest for this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview. Here are the highlights:
– Cole asks about his match against Brock Lesnar this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Show says the match is important for his own redemption and validation. He is going to remind people who he is and what he’s done for the industry.
– Big Show and Brock Lesnar’s rivalry goes back 13 years and Show pointed out that the won the WWE Championship by defeating Lesnar at MSG back in 2002. Cole asked about their match at Royal Rumble 2014 ago. Show says Brock came back with a lot more intensity and he had a steel chair. Show told himself if there came a day when he got another shot at Lesnar, it wouldn’t go down like that again. Show says he owes Lesnar some payback.
– Cole noted that fans on social media were upset Show interrupted Paul Heyman on RAW. Show knocks internet fans and says they’re supposedly the heart and soul of what the wrestling world wants. Show says Heyman knows him and is afraid because he knows if Show hits Lesnar with the knockout punch, the “Go To Hell Tour” will be over. Show says Heyman does not want his match against Lesnar to happen, but it will this Saturday night.
In response to the recent downturn in RAW ratings, WWE is now advertising Brock Lesnar for Monday’s RAW from Boston, MA.
Brock Lesnar’s Go To Hell Tour kicks off this Saturday from New York City when The Beast faces the Big Show live from Madison Square Garden. The event will broadcast live exclusively on the WWE Network.
Lesnar will then be back on RAW on the loaded 10/19 RAW from Dallas, after which he’ll be Steve Austin’s guest on the Stone Cold Podcast.
The tour concludes at Hell in a Cell on 10/26, when Brock steps inside the demonic structure to settle his score with The Undertaker.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on various WrestleMania 32 rumors. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
WrestleMania 32 Rumors:
“The online speculation on what the card will resemble at Wrestlemania Texas will become nauseating before it will all be said and done. This ‘Mania will do 100,000+ IMO but even with that success one has to wonder will today’s social media obsessed fans will be satisfied? I think that we all know the answer to that one.
Plans are coming together well for our WM32 weekend of activities. Our meetings in Dallas last week on our venue and our show schedule in Dallas plus a new pro wrestling project that we are exploring went very well.”
Steve Austin wrestling Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32:
“Love the fact that Steve Austin definitively shot down the rumors of any chance that he would face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania Texas on April 3 in Arlington at AT&T Stadium. I said the same thing on my podcast this week after talking to Steve before recording it last week on the Bruce Mitchell episode. Nonetheless no matter what Austin or anyone else says many fans will remain hopeful and damn near sure that this match is going to happen. I can only say to that ” Let it go.”
I could see Lesnar winning the 2016 Royal Rumble and then facing the WWE champion and winning before 100,000+ fans at WM32. Time will tell as there are many ways to go with a star as talented as Lesnar.”
The Rock vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 32:
“Another rumor is Rock vs. HHH at Wrestlemania Texas. I could see that happening but only time will tell. These two could have a great build up and then deliver a stout, old school match.”
An additional match has been made official for the next WWE Network live special, which is scheduled to take place next month in New York City.
In addition to the Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show match announced for the event, WWE has announced a tag-team title rematch from this past Sunday night’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
In WWE Tag-Team Championship action, current champions The New Day will be defending their tag-titles against The Dudley Boyz.
The next WWE Network live special is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2015 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
During Sunday night’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, it was announced that Brock Lesnar will square off against The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at the upcoming HIAC PPV on Sunday, October 25th from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The blockbuster rematch is part of the Brock Lesnar’s October “Go To Hell Tour” – which kicks off on Saturday, October 3rd, when Brock Lesnar competes against the Big Show at Madison Square Garden. The house show will stream live on the WWE Network.
On Monday, October 19th, Brock Lesnar joins Steve Austin on the Stone Cold Podcast, which airs on the WWE Network immediately following RAW.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently spoke with The Caller Times to promote this coming Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Corpus Christi, Texas. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his feud with The Wyatt Family: “I’m just trying to get out of the swamp. The goal is to take down this Wyatt Army. I don’t think it’s going to end any time soon. If the Wyatts keep adding people, then me and (Dean) Ambrose will continue to break heads.”
On feeling blessed: “You don’t really hear it enough, but I got to thank God for everything. I feel really blessed with the opportunities.”
On facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31: “Just the moment alone makes it the best opportunity (and) the best night I’ve ever had.”
– WWE posted the following teaser for the Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show match scheduled for the October 3rd WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden.
“On Saturday night, Oct. 3, the award-winning WWE Network thunders into New York City, presenting an earth-shattering special event: WWE: LIVE from Madison Square Garden! For the first time in over a decade, The World’s Most Famous Arena will feel the wrath of The Beast Incarnate as Brock Lesnar enters the hallowed halls to compete in an epic clash of titans against Big Show.
Can The Conqueror overcome the all-out fury of The World’s Largest Athlete? What other matches are destined to be added to this explosive event? Do not miss a moment of the action, LIVE from MSG, Oct. 3, at 8 ET/ 5 PT, only on WWE Network.”
– Part-time WWE performer Batista appeared at the Jaguar-Land Rover party for the premiere of 007: Spectre in Germany. As noted, Batista plays the role of Mr. Hinx. Below is a photo of Batista with the James Bond cars.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and opinions on a number of subjects. Below are some of the highlights.
On the finish to RAW: “The finish of the show was perfect to build to Sunday’s NOC as Sting beating Rollins as tried an true, old school booking. Still curious as to why WWE did not heavily promote Sting’s first ever match on RAW in advance especially going up against the Monday Night Football double header. Nice booking.”
On the finish to the Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte title match: “Had no issue with villain Nikki cheating to retain her title and creating another opportunity to have another title bout in Houston Sunday against a motivated Charlotte. I only hope that Charlotte will never be earmarked to be a umpteen time champion which is one of the more overrated stats in pro wrestling. WWE is blessed with some amazing female talent and if they are not booked liked females have traditionally been more often than not in the biz in the past, they have something special to work with that will be new and fresh.”
“Nonetheless, Charlotte is amazingly athletic and a special talent and she reminds me of a female Kurt Angle.”
On Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman: “Love that @HeymanHustle and Brock Lesnar are not on every RAW as it keeps them special ala Andre the Giant back in the day when he was the most valued attraction in the game. Same goes for Taker which is another reason that I feel that the Deadman isn’t retirement ready.”
On Cesaro: “Damn, I’m a major fan of Cesaro and for the life of me still fee that he is massively underutilized. His in ring work/persona is SO strong that he’s a main eventer waiting to explode. I’d still love to see him some day have a match with Lesnar just for my own old school enjoyment. esaro is money…so please cash the check.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Daniel Bryan has been in Dubai doing promotional work for WWE and he recently spoke with The National, revealing his opinion that WWE should be concerned with the fact that they haven’t created many big stars since the Attitude Era.
The following are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his thoughts on WWE 2K16: “It is very realistic. My character kicks as I kick. It moves as I move. It does my Yes chant as I do my Yes chant. It is very surreal, and just a little bit creepy, almost like someone is stalking me, it is that realistic. But it is really neat.”
On Steve Austin being the cover star of WWE 2K16 rather than a current WWE Superstar: “It is interesting because I see it two ways. I see maybe people who don’t watch it anymore, who were big fans in the Attitude Era, which was the most popular time in wrestling. It would appeal to people who may not be watching the current product, but would be interested in the video game. One of the things I think it shows is that we have not really created enough new stars, to where we put new stars on the front of the video game, so that should be the overall bigger concern. We need to not just rely on people from the past. There is almost this mentality these stars are bigger than the current stars, and they keep going with the mentality when the guys now are every bit as good as the guys from before, it is just they need to be given the platform.”
On who he wants to face when he returns to the ring: “My number 1 dream match is Brock Lesnar. And I want that to be a WrestleMania match. I don’t know if the WWE will ever let that happen, because they might be afraid he might legitimately hurt me pretty bad. But I would like to do a major pay-per-view match with Cesaro. I’d like to to do a major pay-per-view match with Seth Rollins. I’d love do a major pay-per-view match with Stardust. We have so many talented people on the roster that I’d love to have a match on pay per view or we have a story to work through together.”
Kevin Owens was recently interviewed by Canadiens Magazine to promote WWE’s upcoming live event at the Bell Center from Montreal on September 18th.
During the interview, Owens was asked what his message would be for arguably the most dominant force in WWE today, Brock Lesnar.
“I would simply say that few people think I have a chance against him,” Owens said. “I have the body that I have, and I look like I look and that’s just who I am. On the other hand, I know from experience that I’m harder to beat than people think. I’m not saying I’d beat him, but I’d really like to see if I can, or at least how far I can push him.”
He also told an interesting story about how he got hired by WWE. Typically when WWE is considering hiring a performer, there are a handful of people who vote on whether or not they should be brought in. In the case of Kevin Owens, the vote was split 2-2, until Triple H made call to sign him.
“When I got my chance to be called up to the pros, the story I heard was that four or five people had a say in the decision. The vote was tied at two, and Triple H cast the deciding ballot. He gave me my chance. I appreciated that he was willing to risk signing me even though I’m not the typical WWE wrestler.
Since I started working with him, we’ve become a lot closer. He helps me as much as he can for shows – like he does with everyone – but we both have young kids at home and we talk about a lot of other things that have nothing to do with wrestling. The fact that he’s in my corner is what counts. I watched him fight when I was younger. I went to the Bell Centre to see him live. He’s the one who motivated me.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, who is good friends with The Undertaker, noted on a recent blog that he feels next year’s WrestleMania will not be the final match for “The Dead Man.”
For years the belief has been that Undertaker would try his best to physically work through the first WrestleMania held at Cowboys Stadium and then retire at that show, particularly because it’s in his home state of Texas and in a record-setting building.
After Undertaker came back and had a strong showing against Brock Lesnar that was a very physical match, and now that he’s working the tour of Mexico in October, it looks like WWE might be extending how long “The Dead Man” will go.
The 2014 WrestleMania was what Vince McMahon thought could possibly be Undertaker’s final match, which is why he ultimately decided to pull the trigger on having Lesnar end his legendary undefeated streak.
The general talk behind-the-scenes within WWE right now is that The Undertaker is not thinking about retiring imminently.
– King Barrett is going to be off of WWE television for a while as he is scheduled to film a new WWE Studios movie called “Eliminators” in the United Kingdom.
– WWE has announced a new NXT date for October 2nd in Nashville, Tennessee.
– For the replays, and most likely in the DVD of this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, two notable edits are The New Day singing “Empire State of Mind,” likely due to legalty rights, and Brock Lesnar flipping off The Undertaker in the Hell’s Gate, likely due to the non-PG nature of the content.
WWE returns to Madison Square Garden on October 3rd for a special event that will be broadcast live on the WWE Network. On Tuesday night, the following matches were confirmed for the show:
– Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show
– Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
Also scheduled:
– Seth Rollins vs. John Cena for the United States Championship
– Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
Plus, the Dudley Boyz will wrestle at MSG for the first time since WrestleMania 20 back in 2004.
Heading into SummerSlam this past weekend, there were a lot of questions surrounding how WWE would handle the finish to the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker main event. With Brock Lesnar’s historic win over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 and the Dead Man getting some heel heat prior to the showdown, fans were wondering who would walk out victorious and whether the match would be the end of their storied rivalry.
What we got at SummerSlam was a controversial finish that initially came off as sloppy and disjointed but did provide a solution that allows the feud to continue without damaging the viability of either man.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon felt like The Undertaker had to win this match but he didn’t want Lesnar to suffer a clean loss. There will almost certainly be a final chapter of Undertaker vs. Lesnar, but it remains to be seen whether WWE can wait 9 months until WrestleMania 32 before pulling the trigger. Undertaker tapping out without the referee seeing it and Lesnar passing out without giving up accomplished this objective.
While this should be taken strictly as rumor for now, and is a clear example of “card is subject to change,” the official Madison Square Garden website is listing the following lineup for the WWE event on October 3rd, which features Brock Lesnar and the live WWE Network special.
– WWE Champion/US Champion Seth Rollins vs. John Cena. (Cena is listed as U.S. Champion.)
– Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
– Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro
– Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman in his first time in the Garden in over 10 years. No opponent listed.
– Chris Jericho (no opponent listed) and more of “your favorite WWE superstars”
– Following the episode with Dave Scherer that drops this evening, Jim Ross’ next “Ross Report” guest will be former UFC Heavyweight Champion and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s AXS TV announcer Josh Barnett. The show will be available on Tuesday, September 1st at PodcastOne.com.
– On Tuesday, The Rock tweeted the following in response to a WWE Network link to a Rock vs. Brock Lesnar match from SummerSlam 2002, where Lesnar defeated Rock to become the youngest WWE Champion in history.
We poured blood & sweat around the world together. The fun we had. Pleasure "Doin' the honors" for my boy & the biz. https://t.co/S4R0WguSO9
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog following the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and WWE SummerSlam events this past weekend. Below are some of the highlights.
On his overall thoughts of WWE SummerSlam: “I certainly would give Summer Slam a good grade as in a B+. I enjoyed watching it at home even though my Chrome Cast apparatus did not work for me and forced me to watch the show on my iPad. It still worked but not as easy to watch as our big screen TV.
One thing for sure and that it s impossible to make all fans happy these days when it comes to match structure or how the matches end. As I have said, and it’s true, there are multiple ways to do something right in a pro wrestling match and everyone’s taste will never be the same. I had no major issues with any thing that I saw but I liked some things better than others.”
On Jon Stewart’s heel turn: “The Jon Stewart using a chair on John Cena was a head scratcher but hopefully we will find out more about that matter tonight on RAW. I hope that the reason leads to something significant as it should. It would be poor booking if it doesn’t.”
On the finish to Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: “Interesting and controversial conclusion to the Lesnar-Taker bout that did not adversely affect either man and facilitated a potential rematch in the future, likely at Wrestlemania in April, but perhaps not. That’s TBD I assume but if Taker considers retiring there then a Lesnar-Taker Hell in a Cell match with Lesnar winning in Satan’s Playground would be another ground breaking moment for Brock. Does Taker need to win his ‘retirement’ match? Not specifically and especially if it elevates WWE’s biggest star and monetizes their investment in Brock. Perhaps the ‘rubber match’ will be help prior to WM32 and Taker ends his ‘run’ at the Texas sized event with another opponent that’s unlikely to be Sting.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
In addition to announcing that he will be “venting a bit” on RAW tonight, it looks like his client, “The Beast Incarnate” himself, will also be at the show in Brooklyn, New York this evening.
WWE is hyping up a Lesnar appearance on tonight’s show. Their official RAW preview includes a line that reads as follows:
“Rumors are already circulating that Brock Lesnar himself might stay in Brooklyn for tonight’s Raw rather than fly home to the Minnesota wild.”
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for the best live WWE RAW results coverage on the web!
– As noted, Brock Lesnar’s return to Madison Square Garden will take place on October 3rd. The 10/3 date will actually be a live WWE Network special, which Lesnar will be a part of.
– In addition to IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada, other New Japan Pro Wrestling stars at SummerSlam on Sunday night included Jushin Thunder Liger, Shinsuke Nakamura and KUSHIDA.
– The next WWE pay-per-view will be the WWE Night Of Champions event, which takes place on Sunday, September 20, 2015, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. WWE aired the following promo during SummerSlam last night to promote this year’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
– Brock Lesnar’s return to the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City will be on October 3, 2015. No opponent has been announced as of yet for Lesnar.
– WWE announced the following new original programs for the WWE Network during WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night:
* WWE Breaking Ground, which will look at the WWE Performance Center and what it takes to become a WWE Superstar
* Next “Stone Cold Podcast” guests will be Edge and Christian
* WWE Swerved, new episodes including the season finale
– Although a date was not announced, it was revealed during the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view on Sunday night that the next edition of WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin’s “Stone Cold Podcast” will feature Edge and Christian as the special guests.
– There was controversy during the main event at SummerSlam on Sunday night, as The Undertaker actually tapped out to a Kimura from Brock Lesnar near the end of the match. This is why the time keeper called for the bell and the bell was rung prematurely. Replays after the match showed that Undertaker did in fact tap out, however because the referee didn’t call it, Undertaker’s submission victory over Lesnar stands.
WWE legend Honky Tonk Man released a new clip where he talks about Brock Lesnar. He says he’s never met Lesnar, but credits him for being one “hell of a negotiator” if he has able to get the type of deal he has from WWE.
In the video, which you can watch above, HTM said he hopes Lesnar’s deal sets the standard for other talents, but he doesn’t believe the rest of the guys will approach Vince McMahon in the same fashion because “they don’t have the balls.”
Honky Tonk Man also spoke about who Lesnar will feud with after The Undertaker.
“Who would be the next person in line that Brock can continue on with, and make that investment that they’ve invested in him really pay off? At this point in time I don’t see someone getting really ready for Lesnar because they mad him such a monster and a killer out here, so to speak, that after The Undertaker, where do you go?”