– Last night at Extreme Rules, we saw a segment with Ryback interrupting a promo by Bo Dallas and taking him out with Shell Shocked. It’s being speculated that this might come in to play as Ryback gears up for a feud with Bo Dallas’ brother, Bray Wyatt.
– Paul Heyman is scheduled to be kept off WWE television until July, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Lesnar is scheduled to return from his “indefinite suspension” this summer and will likely be working a top match at SummerSlam.
– Director Derek J Sulek noted on Twitter that his movie “The Confession” with Rob Van Dam is now complete. Here’s the DVD artwork featuring RVD:
– The official WWE website has a new poll up asking fans who they would like to see Sting face next in WWE. With over 25,000 votes, The Undertaker is in a comanding lead with 62 percent of the vote. Triple H follows with 14 percent of the vote, while the other options, which includes Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt and The Rock, all have six percent. You can vote on the poll right now at WWE.com.
– Chris Jericho’s new “Nothing To Report” Comedy Central web series is scheduled to premiere this Monday on YouTube and on Comedy Central’s official website. Jericho filmed the show last summer along with Nick Mundy.
– WWE Diva Cameron is giving away a 2015 “prom package” to one lucky fan with a custom prom dress, hair and make-up. Check out the video below for more details.
– WWE recently applied for a number of new trademarks. WWE has applied to trademark the term “Superfriends Crew,” possibly for a new stable. They also applied for “New Face of Fear” for Bray Wyatt, “Lone Wolf” for Baron Corbin, “The Vigilante” for Sting, “Anti-Diva” for Paige, “The Beast Within” for Brock Lesnar, and other terms such as Starrcade, Halloween Havoc and WWE Nation.
– UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has signed with Dany Garcia, The Rock’s ex-wife and business partner, to be her new business manager. With a budding movie career (Fast 7, The Expendables 3) and a new book coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.
It’s worth noting that Rousey and The Rock also share the same agent, Brad Slater.
– It’s believed that stipulations will be added to the Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton WWE title match and John Cena vs. Rusev U.S. title match at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Also expected for the PPV is Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler in singles action, and either Big Show vs. Roman Reigns or Big Show & Kane vs. Roman Reigns & Ryback. Already scheduled for Extreme Rules, in addition to the two aforementioned title matches, is an Intercontinental Championship bout between Daniel Bryan and Bad News Barrett.
It was reported last week that almost no one knew that Seth Rollins was going to be cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31 until half-way through the show, however that is not the case.
Brock Lesnar knew about Rollins cashing in prior to signing his new WWE contract and because he, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns were working closely together during the build-up of the match, the belief is Reigns knew a few days in advance as well.
Regarding Reigns not winning the title, which was the original plan for WrestleMania, many WWE talents have been really defensive of Reigns and there has even been some bitterness towards the vocal fans that ultimately forced the change in plans. Even though in WWE who aren’t knocking the vocal fans are said to be very defensive of Reigns.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. the internal reaction to Reigns losing this year is said to be nearly the complete opposite of the way talents reacted to Batista last year, as he went through a similar situation with the vocal fans changing plans for WrestleMania XXX, which was suppped to end with “The Animal” winning the title.
The feeling regarding Reigns is that the company spent a year building him and grooming him to be the next top guy, and then the vocal fans put his big climax in jeopardy, ultimately costing him the title and what would have been the most important moment of his career.
– WWE has recently applied for trademarks for the terms “Suplex City” for Brock Lesnar and “Balor Club” for NXT star Finn Balor.
– The premiere episode of Jerry Springer’s “Too Hot For TV” show on the WWE Network is scheduled for Monday, April 27th. That is the Monday night after this year’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
– Bad News Barrett wrote the following on Twitter regarding his match at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Traveling is great, but if there’s one place you sure as hell don’t want to visit, it’s Suplex City. Courtesy of Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle, Cleveland-based hip hop artist PFV paid tribute to The Conqueror Brock Lesnar with this remix of the Tyga song Rack City.
On a four-hour pay-per-view for WrestleMania 31 this year, the longest match was just 18 minutes and 34 seconds — Triple H vs. Sting. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns was the second longest match on the main card, coming in at 16 minutes and 44 seconds. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the Kickoff Show lasted 18 minutes and 8 seconds.
Regarding timing issues at this year’s WrestleMania, the main event was supposed to last about ten minutes longer than it did. The segment with The Rock and Ronda Rousey ended up going 24 minutes long, with WWE officials originally looking at cutting time off of the Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker match to make up for it. Instead, the decision was made to chop the time off of the Lesnar-Reigns title match.
– Santa Clara and San Jose city officials are said to be very happy with how everything went with WrestleMania 31. While WrestleMania likely won’t be back in that area for quite a while, city officials have been discussing the possibility of putting up a bid that nobody else can match to bring WrestleMania back in around eight years or so.
– The new documentary on the life and career of The Iron Sheik is now available on Netflix.
– The Rock’s new film, “Furious 7,” opened to an estimated $56 million to $60 million on Friday night.
– Speaking of The Rock, the following is a segment from the new “Lip Sync Battle” show which features The Rock performing Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” against Jimmy Fallon on the premiere episode.
– Below is Byron Saxton’s full sit-down interview with Roman Reigns, which aired on this week’s SmackDown. During the interview, Reigns claims he would have beaten Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 if he had 30 more seconds, and promises to beat Seth Rollins again.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has updated his website blog with thoughts on the reaction to Samoa Joe’s comments at his WrestleMania weekend one-man show, format changes to next year’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, thoughts on Seth Rollins as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and more. Below are some highlights.
On Samoa Joe to WWE: “I find it weak that some pundits think that Samoa Joe gave a “political answer” when someone at my show in San Jose asked him if he would have any issue with starting a potential WWE career in NXT and Joe said he’d do whatever was asked of him. Is that being political or simply being a smart, team player? The best headline for some wresting sites may be to go with the “political” answer instead of giving the athlete the credit for being a guy who wants a shot and will work hard in any environment to earn that opportunity. NXT is WWE’s hottest brand at the moment in the eyes of many and it’s not like it’s ‘A’ Ball.
Joe also said he’d love to work with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania next year. News flash….what wrestler worth their salt wouldn’t want that main event opportunity?”
On next year’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony: “A case of JR’s BBQ Sauce says that WWE will make significant format changes and put more checks and balances in place to ensure that the 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn’t top four hours in Dallas. For those going to WM32, I’d advise everyone to try and base out of Dallas as the Stadium is Arlington which is between Dallas and Ft Worth. The HOF and RAW after WM32 will both be held at the American Airlines Center while the Axxess activities will be at the Dallas Convention Center. Sounds like Dallas will the place to your hat. We plan on having the RINGSIDE with Jim Ross Show on Saturday afternoon prior to the HOF Induction Ceremony in Dallas at this time.”
On Seth Rollins as WWE World Heavyweight Champion: “Seth Rollins is an old school booker’s dream…an averaged sized, heel champion who could ‘easily’ lose on any given night. But…when was the last time that WWE changed a title at a live event? Nonetheless the theory is still in tact. Smart booking. On this week’s Ross Report Podcast I have Rollins retaining the WWE Title until WM32 where he finally meets BROCK LESNAR!!! Uh, oh….more fantasy booking on this week’s podcast including Lesnar winning the Royal Rumble.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– At Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 PPV, Sting and The Undertaker shared locker room, while Brock Lesnar and Hulk Hogan also shared a room.
– Earlier this week on RAW, some fans noticed that Seth Rollins’ WWE Championship belt did not feature the Seth Rollins “side plates” that WWE tweeted a photo of after WrestleMania. Apparently the Rollins side plates that were ordered did not fit the belt correctly and new ones have been ordered.
– Speaking of WWE’s championship belts, the company is currently working on a new design for John Cena’s United States Championship.
Former TNA and ROH Champion Samoa Joe made a surprise appearance at Jim Ross’ one man show during WrestleMania weekend and said he wants to fight Brock Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania 32 from Arlington, Texas.
Brock Lesnar isn’t the only person that could be lined up as a future opponent for Joe. Just last week, NXT Champion Kevin Owens said he’s open to all challengers and specifically named Samoa Joe as somebody he’d like to face.
It’s no secret that Joe will be headed to WWE soon. Fans have been questioning whether Joe should start in NXT (where he could feud with the likes of Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami) or if he’ll be fast-tracked to the main roster.
While speaking to Jim Ross, Joe gave a ‘political’ answer – stating that he’ll be fine wherever they put him.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Brock Lesnar’s current contract is similar to his previous two in that he will likely be booked for either three or four pay-per-view appearances per year (with “year” being defined as WrestleMania-to-WrestleMania).
Lesnar was storyline suspended after destroying the announce team and delivering an F-5 to Michael Cole on this week’s episode of Raw. This was done as a way to write off Lesnar from the storyline until he makes his return later this year.
The current plan seems to involve keeping Lesnar off of television until about a month before SummerSlam, meaning he would likely make his return to television at the beginning of August.
As we all know, things can change in the blink of an eye, but for the time being, it appears the Beast could be taking a vacation over the summer before returning to build up his next feud at SummerSlam.
– WWE is teasing that Stephanie McMahon will be announcing the length of Brock Lesnar’s “suspension,” as well as the amount that he was “fined” on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which emanates from Austin, Texas.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross narrates highlights from WaleMania in a new video posted online by the hip-hop star. You can check it out below.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show to talk about a number of topics. Below are some highlights.
On Global Force Wrestling/New Japan Pro Wrestling: “If they do another one I’m very interested in being involved. I don’t know what New Japan or Jeff’s plans are going forward but if they do another one I’d like to be considered. I’m interested in getting back into the game with them because they’re not every week. They’re special occasions, they’re special events, and that’s kind of an environment that’s good for me. So I’m very much emotionally invested in doing more if the opportunity comes about.”
On Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania: “I’ve been saying on my podcast for the last several months that Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Cowboys, if WWE is truly serious about selling a 100,000 seats or more, then attractions like Ronda Rousey versus Stephanie McMahon will help do that. People say she shouldn’t wrestle, or she should wrestle Ric Flair’s daughter, you want her to wrestle the woman who has the most heat, the most angst, and is the greatest villain, and Stephanie McMahon is an incredible villain. People will pay money to see the babyface, i.e. Ronda Rousey, go against a stacked deck, which you know the McMahons can do. What if Stephanie goes, ‘Oh by the way, my husband is going to be the special referee,’ that type of thing. So you can put the heroine in great jeopardy, you’ll get great outside the box publicity, she has a great fan base that will follow her in any of her endeavors, why do you think movie people are using her so frequently? Fast & Furious, Entourage movie, all that stuff. She has a following and they will follow her to WrestleMania.”
On WWE’s use of Brock Lesnar as Champion: “It harkened back to the days of the traveling NWA Champion, it harkened back to the days of the traveling Andre the Giant. You only saw those guys on special occasions, therefore, they always made an impact when you did see them, they were always special. I think Lesnar is exactly that way by not being overexposed. One of the kisses of death in doing a flagship, three-hour show each Monday is overexposure of talent. I like steak, but I don’t wanna eat it every day. My point is a little bit of Brock goes a long way, like you pointed out so astutely, when he did a appear he made an impact. So I like the way that it’s booked and now he’s the big hero, he’s a big babyface, he’s gonna come for retribution. He’s suspended right now on the storyline, I love that, he has a logical reason storyline wise to not be present. I think WWE has done a magnificent job of setting up what I would book as SummerSlam is Lesnar vs. Rollins, and then I would not have Lesnar and Rollins cross paths through hook or crook until Lesnar wins the Royal Rumble and then he goes to WrestleMania 32 to challenge Rollins for the WWE Title.”
WWE made the call to have Seth Rollins cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship late in the show at WrestleMania 31 this past Sunday.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rollins found out about the new plans as The Rock and Ronda Rousey segment was going on. He was then taken into a room with producer Michael Hayes, as well as Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns, to go over the new plans for the finish of the main event.
Originally, the plan was for Reigns to win the title from Lesnar, however WWE reportedly changed those plans sometime in advance. The belief is that Lesnar was fully aware of the new plans before he signed his new deal with WWE last Tuesday.
It’s unknown when Reigns found out that he wasn’t going to become the new champion, however as noted earlier today, his family, particularly his father Sika, was furious when they realized Reigns wasn’t winning as planned, and reportedly wanted to “go to war” with WWE as a result.
There was a lot of criticism of WWE at Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW regarding the storyline injury to Michael Cole following the Brock Lesnar attack angle.
While the WWE writer who initially wrote the angle may not have been aware of Aguayo Jr.’s cause of death, considering how many channels a WWE script goes through, the belief is that at least someone who read the script knew about Perro.
With Michael Cole “injured,” Byron Saxton handled the sit-down video interview for WWE.com this week. The full interview, which features Roman Reigns, is scheduled to air during this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
“It was terrible. It was right there, I was right there. I climbed the mountain, I felt the top, I was looking down and I got pulled right off of it in a matter of moments” said Reigns during the interview about coming up short at WrestleMania 31 this past Sunday.
“That Seth Rollins, that was his job and that’s what he did,” Reigns added. “He had the Money In the Bank briefcase with a contract he could cash in at any time and what a perfect time – let the animals take each other out and pick the bones. That’s what he did. But I did something too…”
WWE has an article on their official website updating fans on the physical condition of the WWE RAW announce team.
The article states that Michael Cole, JBL and Booker T will all be back at next Monday’s RAW following their “injuries” sustained in the attack by Brock Lesnar at this past Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of the show.
According to the story, Cole was diagnosed with a bulging disc and is battling severe neck, back and shoulder pain. JBL was diagnosed with an abdominal wall tear, and Booker T suffered contusions and soreness.
WWE issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon denying online rumors that a permitted blade job took place during the WrestleMania 31 main event on Sunday.
A “GIF” image circulated around the internet shortly after the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns main event on Sunday that appeared to show a razor blade being passed from the referee to Reigns, with the speculation being that it was done — with Vince McMahon’s permission — as a way to draw blood from Lesnar during the match on Sunday.
WWE has since issued an official statement denying the rumors, which you can read below:
“WWE programming is TV-PG and we don’t permit intentional bleeding. The communication or contact between our performers and referees is part of our safety protocol. That said, unintentional blood sometimes occurs, and we do our best to minimize.”
– Vince McMahon is reportedly very high on Lana’s talent. According to one source, McMahon has big plans for Lana in the near future.
– The “camera man” who took F-5’s from Brock Lesnar on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW was a California independent pro wrestler named Dylan Drake.
– NXT wrestlers Enzo Amore, Drake Younger and Solomon Crowe were among those portraying soldiers during Triple H’s special “Terminator” entrance at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday. Below is a photo of the guys in their gear.
Jim Ross posted a new blog on his official website on Tuesday to share his thoughts on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW. Below are some highlights:
On Monday’s RAW: “RAW was a true wild west show from what I saw via watching it via DVR late Monday night. Honestly, watching via DVR is a cool way to navigate through the three hour show to avoid the endless commercials that run multiple times within the show. Advertisers who run the same spot over and over aren’t doing themselves any favors in my opinion.”
On Brock Lesnar: “The star of the show and the hottest commodity in WWE right now was Brock Lesnar who made an IMPACT for the ages. Monday night was one night that I was pleased to not be the “Voice of Monday Night RAW” any longer. I’ve taken enough ass whippings on TV to last a life time and having Brock get physical with yours truly isn’t on my bucket list.”
On WWE doing a good job with their titles: “I think tht WWE has done a stellar job in the placement of their titles including Rollins/WWE Champ, Cena/US Champ, and Daniel Bryan/IC Champ, Potential new matches abound and I only hope that these titles don’t become a hot potato and begin changing hands where one needs a program to remember who the title holders are. All three of the current champions can in their own unique way build equity in their respect championships. That is good booking.”
On Neville’s RAW debut: “Neville lost his first name from Friday night at the NXT show I attended to Monday’s RAW but mke no mistake that the British lad is special. Great young man who is respectful and a true pro who has more than paid his dues and, yes, he reminds me of Tommy Billington aka the Dynamite Kid.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– Following last night’s angle with Brock Lesnar attacking Michael Cole, WWE is reporting that Cole suffered a “possible cervical fracture,” which many consider to be in poor taste after the recent tragedy of Perro Aguayo Jr.. The early belief is that he will at least miss this week’s SmackDown to help sell the storyline injury.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin reviews WrestleMania 31 with wrestling journalist Wade Keller on the latest edition of his “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which is available for download right now at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins wasn’t the only one to travel from California to New York and back after WrestleMania 31, NXT Diva Zahra Schreiber also had a busy 48 hours. She posted the following on Twitter on Tuesday.
There has been speculation that Brock Lesnar did a “blade job” at WrestleMania 31, purposely cutting himself open to bleed during his main event match with Roman Reigns.
Below is a GIF that shows the referee of the match handing off the blade to Reigns, likely so Reigns could pass it off to Lesnar.
If true, this would likely mean Vince McMahon gave the green light, something he hasn’t allowed in years, as the referee wouldn’t be involved in helping faciliate a blade if it wasn’t part of the plan.
– For those who missed it, Stephanie McMahon announced that Brock Lesnar is “suspended and fined” after attacking the RAW announcers and a WWE camera man at Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW.
– Speaking of Lesnar’s attack, it was announced later on during the show, and again on WWE’s official Twitter account, that while JBL and Booker T were stretchered to the back, Michael Cole was hurt and was rushed to a hospital. The company tweeted the following during the show.
coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter. 
