The 2014 edition of the WWE Slammy Awards have been moved to the December 8th edition of WWE RAW from the Bon Secours Center in Greenville.
Confirmed for the show that night is the return of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.
Below is the official announcement from the Bon Secours Center:
“RAW Main Event: John Cena and Dean Ambrose vs Money in the Bank Contract Winner Seth Rollins and Kane. Plus, you’ll see WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, WWE COO Triple H…AND The Slammy Awards will take place live in Greenville!”
– For those wondering how WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has been spending his time off from WWE recently, it was reported that he was hunting in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada this past weekend.
– As noted previously, Vickie Guerrero turned down an offer from WWE to appear at the 15th anniversary special edition of SmackDown. Apparently, Guerrero wasn’t the only person to turn down an invite, as it’s said that several other past stars turned down offers to appear on the show as well.
– 2K Sports is running a social media promotion for their WWE Super Card mobile game, pitting some of the baddest WWE legends squaring off in various dream matches.
To commemorate #Brocktober, in honor of WWE’s reigning heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, the Beast has been pitted against Hulk Hogan (who he wrestled back in 2002) and Andre The Giant. Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has published videos of these simulated matches, which you can view here: Brock vs. Andre | Brock vs. Hogan.
WWE Super Card is available free for download in the Apple, Android and Windowds mobile app stores.
– WWE.com has published a statement addressing reports Batista will be appearing in the next James Bond movie:
“Unconfirmed reports indicate that The Animal is in negotiations to star as the villain Hinx opposite Daniel Craig’s 007 in the next installment of the legendary franchise. According to casting reports, the producers were looking for a physically imposing male with a unique look and a sports background — a description that fits Batista perfectly.”
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On The Rock at WrestleMania 31: “Does it automatically mean because Rock was in NYC Monday on business and he did a promo segment with Rusev that the Great One is automatically ‘booked’ for WM31 in Santa Clara, California? The next reason the Rock will be booked at WM31 is because his grandfather, the great, High Chief Peter Maivia, wrestled in that territory for years for Roy Shire. Rock delivered the magic that I assume Brian Gewirtz wrote for him. Don’t get me wrong, the WWE could drastically use @TheRock at WM31 but only if there was a valid story behind the match/return and if he could make enough RAW TV’s to engage the audience in his rivalry even considering the ‘pop’ he received Monday night in Brooklyn. The surprise visit by Dwayne Johnson Monday night was by far the highlight of the broadcast. By far….”
On Rusev: “Many old school bookers would have never allowed Rusev to be bounced around as he was Monday night but instead would have had Lana step between the two men and ‘forced’ Rusev to exit the ring.”
On Brock Lesnar: “Been reading where Brock Lesnar is not expected back on WWE TV until January which I find extremely hard to believe. Can that be true? If it is, I’m astonished.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Since capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Brock Lesnar has been virtually invisible. Aside from a few pre-taped interviews, Lesnar has yet to appear since retaining his title last month at Night of Champions.
The latest reports indicate that Lesnar will continue to wear his invisibility cloak, as he is not scheduled to appear again on television until January, meaning the title will likely not be defended for the next three pay-per-views.
It appears that Lesnar and Heyman will not return to television until next year.
With an absent champion and a highly dissatisfied fan base, my question is simple: Is Brock Lesnar’s title run the worst of all-time? In my opinion, it has all the ingredients to take home the honor.
Not only has Lesnar’s title run not been memorable thus far, it doesn’t make sense from either a business or storyline perspective.
On the business front, Raw has gone off a cliff over the past few months. Fans have expressed their displeasure online, crowds are chanting “This is stupid,” and the rating for last week’s episode of Raw was the lowest since 2012.
Although the company wasn’t exactly serving up filet mignon over the summer, there’s no denying that it was a bit tastier than the rump roast they’ve been dishing out over the past few weeks. I also think it is no coincidence that the downturn in the quality of Raw directly coincided with Brock Lesnar becoming champion.
As seen on the website yesterday, Paul Heyman cut a promo prior to Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Philadelphia that ended up being posted on YouTube. While there is no word yet as to whether or not the promo will air on SmackDown this Friday night, the plan right now is to keep Heyman off of television for a while. He was reportedly not at Monday’s RAW in Brooklyn.
While plans could change, the idea is to keep Heyman off of television for a while, as to not call attention to the fact that WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion is away and missing pay-per-view events.
As noted, Brock Lesnar is not scheduled to return to WWE until January.
At one point, WWE was planning on having Brock Lesnar return for a brief feud over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Big Show. Apparently, that is no longer in the plans and will not be happening.
Lesnar is not scheduled to make his return to WWE until January to begin promoting his Royal Rumble title defense, which is expected to be against John Cena.
It’s been reported that Cena may face Rusev at WrestleMania 31 next year, so the belief is that if they wanted to, WWE could have Rusev cost Cena his match with Lesnar at the Rumble, setting up Cena-Rusev at WrestleMania.
Over the past few weeks, the WWE has gone all out in promoting Stone Cold Steve Austin. The company has promoted Austin’s podcast on a weekly basis, and reports indicate that the company is ramping up production on all Stone Cold merchandise.
When coupled with recent statements from Austin claiming he still has a final run left and reports alleging that he has been training for one final match, it seems like the Texas Rattlesnake will soon make his return to the squared circle. The only problem, however, would be choosing Austin’s opponent. Here are five potential opponents for Stone Cold Steve Austin if he decides to make his return.
5. Brock Lesnar
It appears that Lesnar is being saved for WrestleMania, where he will undoubtedly be fed to Roman Reigns. However, there is always a chance for a setback in Roman’s recovery. Most believe that it will be at least another month or two before Reigns returns, so the slightest setback could derail the company’s WrestleMania plans.
This could open the door for Austin to come in and challenge Lesnar. There is a decent story in place if the company decides to discuss Austin walking out in the early 2000s because he was not on board with putting Lesnar over. In all, this could be a blockbuster main event between two of the biggest stars in WWE history.
Michael Cole’s latest weekly sit-down interview guest this week is John Cena.
This week, Cena talks to Cole about Seth Rollins interfering in his rematch with Brock Lesnar at WWE Night Of Champions, how he and Dean Ambrose have some common ground and the upcoming WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.
This week on Raw, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena continued their three-way feud, as Seth Rollins ended the night by retrieving his briefcase and decimating his two foes.
Earlier in the evening, Cena and Ambrose once again hinted that there was tension between the two, with both claiming that they deserve the right to exact revenge from Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins.
Ambrose embarrassed his former partner earlier in the night, but Rollins got the last laugh.
Based on this week’s episode, it seems apparent that the reports released earlier in the week were true. In case you missed the news, the current plan seems to be that Dean Ambrose and John Cena will face one another at Hell in a Cell. The winner will be given the opportunity to face Rollins later in the evening, while the loser will be relegated to squaring off with Randy Orton.
The company is obviously hoping to develop a storyline that will reel viewers in for next month’s pay-per-view, and with Brock Lesnar apparently missing the event, it will take a lot more than a few singles matches to attract viewers, especially with the quality of Raw over the past few weeks. With that said, last night’s episode was admittedly a considerable upgrade over the previous few weeks.
So, how does the company attract viewers with no championship match and a card filled with contests that fans have seen over the past few months? The answer is clearly the briefcase.
Seth Rollins has become a main event player since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase back in June. He has teased cash-ins on multiple occasions, and attempted to slay the Beast at Night of Champions following the main event between John Cena and Brock Lesnar.
For the past year, the Authority has dominated WWE storylines. They have been involved in every WWE World Heavyweight Championship feud along the way, often influencing the outcomes of important matches.
Along the way, Triple H started using the phrase, “Adapt or Perish” to describe his stable Evolution. However, over the past few months, it appears that the Game should apply that same philosophy to the Authority.
Rollins has been one of the bright spots in the Authority storyline over the past few months.
Indeed, it has been much of the same as of late with the Authority. Other than adding Seth Rollins as a member a few months ago, the group has done literally nothing to change over the past year. This has resulted in too much Corporate Kane, a reliance on six-man tag matches nearly every week on Raw, and an almost identical storyline for any face attempting to challenge the Authority’s, well, authority.
In my opinion, the Authority has gone stale and needs to do something quickly in order to minimize the risk of losing fan interest. One possible solution would be to add new members. This could easily be accomplished by having one of the current members defect from the stable.
The most logical option would be Randy Orton, as they have teased tension between Orton and the Authority, and he’s a far more marketable star than Kane, the other stooge doing the group’s bidding. By having Orton leave the Authority, it could open the door for another young star as well.
Seth Rollins has benefited immensely since joining forces with Triple H and company. He captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, seems to be more confident on the mic with each passing week, and is way over with the fans. The stable could add another future star (perhaps someone from NXT) in an attempt to inject more life into the program.
In all, adding new talent to the Authority could only help, as the current storyline is extremely repetitive and formulaic, with most programs ending after Kane interferes in a match and the Authority beats down an opponent.
The following are highlights of a new blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On his upcoming MMA broadcasting debut: “In my spare, time I am doing research on my first MMA play by play assignment which will be next Friday October 3 from Tulsa and on PPV produced by Battle Ground MMA where I will partner with Chael Sonnen on the broadcast that features the return of the one night, 8 Man Single Elimination Tournament with the winner earning 50K. This event is being carried by many major cable systems and I hope that you will give us a shot on what will be an unpredictable, exciting. night. This is going to be a down and dirty night of fights in the cage That begins at 10 eastern/9 Central time.
I have many, great friends in the MMA world helping me prepare for this long awaiting, eagerly anticipated opportunity.”
On a new trend in main event matches in wrestling: “What started the trend that it takes a main event level talent using their finish MULTIPLE times on another top hand to win a match? Why is that lame trend on going? If one has to use their vaunted finish multiple times to beat another talent then is is really one’s finish?
If the in ring psychology was more refined and made more common sense, we wouldn’t be seeing someone have to take another’s go to finish multiple times to lose. For those who think that matter helps a match then they are out of touch with the genre. It’s all about protecting the loser obviously instead of it being all about getting the winner truly over.”
On Sting to WWE debates: “Is there really a debate that Sting should or should not compete at WM31? Really? Seems like a no brainer to me. The second part of our Sting conversation on the Ross Report had approximately 1.5M downloads and that number is still growing. That specific market research says there is an interest in WWE fans wanting to see the Stinger have his WrestleMania Moment. I see the WM31 card being an ensemble type show and any one who thinks that Sting can’t contribute to that ensemble is out of touch.”
On Brock Lesnar/HIAC rumors: “Some are saying that no Brock Lesnar at this year’s HIAC in Dallas? That’s the rumor and a head scratcher.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Brock Lesnar’s current deal with WWE expires after WrestleMania 31 in April and according to various sources, it is believed that WWE has yet to have any serious talks with him about his interest in re-signing upon the expiration of his current deal.
Many are working under the assumption that when Lesnar’s current deal expires, due to the state of UFC’s current pay-per-view business, that he will have negotiations with UFC and leverage those against WWE when discussing terms.
WWE has issued a statement denying that Brock Lesnar is suffering from a heart condition, a rumor that began circulating after his match against John Cena at Sunday’s Night of Champions event. Following Lesnar’s title defense, WhatCulture.com speculated:
“The current WWE Champion started his match against John Cena with a completely normal look. However, after just a couple of minutes, Lesnar was already sweating profusely and had turned both red and purple in his face. This is normal for someone undergoing intense physical exertion, but Lesnar was barely doing anything of note. A rehearsed wrestling match shouldn’t be turning a man purple. … Fans have noted that in addition to turning red and intensely sweating, Brock also appeared to be struggling for breath. Yes, he’s a big guy, but he shouldn’t be reacting like this. It’s a worrying indicator of health problems such as blood pressure or risk of heart attack.”
The fact that Lesnar did not appear on RAW added fuel to the fire, leading many fans to be concerned for the health of WWE’s reigning champion. As we reported yesterday, Lesnar was never booked to appear at RAW and he is currently not scheduled to compete at Hell in a Cell next month, completely unrelated to any “health issues.”
In a statement to the Washington Post newspaper, a WWE spokesperson said there is “no truth to the rumors about issues with Brock Lesnar’s health.”
Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view marked the end of the third quarter of the WWE calendar. With only three pay-per-views left in 2014, fans have almost reached the end of another exciting year of rasslin’.
With that said, it is now time to review the top matches from the third quarter. Feel free to compare these contests with the best matches from the first and second quarters:
Without further ado, here are the top five matches from the third quarter of 2014.
5. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Night of Champions)
Some might disagree with this choice, but I feel that it warrants inclusion. The contest perfectly juxtaposed the first contest between Cena and Lesnar at SummerSlam. Instead of Lesnar dominating from the opening bell, it was Cena who quickly hit an Attitude Adjustment and controlled the pace throughout much of the contest. The match was booked well enough that the outcome seemed in doubt, and the no-finish ending was the perfect way to keep the title on Lesnar, not make Cena look too weak, and inject Seth Rollins into the storyline.
The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Randy Orton: “Hard to believe it’s been 12 years since we introduced Randy Orton on WWE TV and the son of a HOFer hasn’t disappointed on his way to his own HOF career. @RandyOrton is one of WWE’s most valuable commodities especially with the company rebuilding it’s main event talent roster to a large degree. Randy was one of the most interesting talents to manage that I was ever around and he always kept me on my toes but at the end of the day I am immensely proud of the talent that he has evolved to be.”
On the WWE Intercontinental Championship change on RAW: “Good move putting the IC Title on Dolph Ziggler again as I was perplexed as to why he lost it the night before at Night of Champions. I’m beginning to wonder if the holders of the IC & US Titles are blessed or cursed.”
On Paul Heyman’s absence from RAW: “Curious as to why no Paul Heyman and few mentions of WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar on RAW. I missed a @HeymanHustle verbal presentation.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Ronda Rousey vs. TRANSSEXUAL?!, Wanderlei Silva BANNED FOR LIFE From MMA + MORE!
With WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view just under five weeks away, many fans are speculating about which match will headline the show. After retaining the WWE Championship at night of Champions due to interference by Seth Rollins, neither Brock Lesnar nor Paul Heyman appeared on Monday’s RAW.
While another Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena rematch, this time inside Hell in a Cell, seems to make sense, it appears WWE is still uncertain about whether that match will take place. Paul Heyman was reportedly scheduled to appear on RAW to address his client’s “successful” title defense, Heyman was kept off the show due the uncertainty of the HIAC main event.
As of Tuesday morning, WWE is not planning for Lesnar vs. Cena at HIAC.
No matches have been announced for the show as of this writing.
– The September 21st episode of WWE Total Divas drew 1,188,000 viewers on E!. Despite the fact that it went head-to-head with Night of Champions, the show was up over 200,000 viewers from the previous week.
– Following John Cena’s win by disqualification over Brock Lesnar at WWE Night of Champions, Cena is now 2-4 all time in singles matches against Lesnar.
– NXT Diva Bayley posted the following promo on Instagram, vowing to capture the NXT Women’s Title from Charlotte at Friday’s live event in Cocoa, Florida:
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:
On WWE Night Of Champions match of the night: “IMO the US Title match between Champion Sheamus and Cesaro was the match of the night. Great physicality, drama and compelling action for my taste. Congrats to both men. Cesaro could easily fill a viable fan favorite role on the depleted WWE hero side of the roster. There is money in ‘face Cesaro if it is cultivated.”
On Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: “Enjoyed the intensity and the physicality of the Lesnar vs. Cena match but I wasn’t overwhelmed with the decision even though I understand why it was the way it was. It seems as if it was a means of facilitating getting Brock and John to the Hell in a Cell PPV in Dallas in a little over a month. As a fan of Paul Heyman, I’d liked to have seen Paul somewhat more involved in the presentation Sunday night but I’m certain that @HeymanHustle will be front and center come Raw from Memphis.”
On WWE changes: “With injuries, scheduling issues, etc one might expect WWE to somewhat ‘reshuffle the deck’ with 5 weeks to build to some new issues between now and HIAC.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
On paper, WWE Night of Champions didn’t look like anything special. It was mostly a card packed with rematches, and what would have likely been the best match of the night was cancelled a few days before the event.
With that said, it was hard to come away from last night’s event without feeling satisfied. The action was solid, the booking was logical, and the pay-per-view as a whole was entertaining. Throughout the night, some superstars squandered their time on camera, while others excelled. Here are the 5 superstars who made the most of their time at Night of Champions.
5. Gold and Stardust
The Dust Brothers are finally champions once again. After several months with the Usos at the top of the tag division, it is nice to see a new team carrying the straps. Both Gold and Stardust worked very well during their contest, and it served as an excellent way to start the evening.
It will be interesting to see where the brothers go from here, as they are already teasing a feud with former NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension and there are few teams on the main roster worthy of a title shot. .
4. Chris Jericho
This was Y2J’s final match of his current run with the company. Although his program with Bray Wyatt fell a bit flat, it is always great to see Jericho back in a WWE ring.
He did not disappoint last night either, as Jericho and Orton put on a show for the Nashville crowd. The contest ended after a memorable spot that featured Orton hitting an RKO on Jericho after he dove from the top rope. Although he came out on the losing end last night, Jericho did everything he could to put Orton and the match over, and it served as an excellent conclusion to his current run.
3. Cesaro
From a wrestling perspective, the match of the night was easily Sheamus against Cesaro. The two worked incredibly well together, with a number of memorable spots and counters. Much like Jericho before him, Cesaro did not come out on top last night, but he showed why he is one of the best workers in the business.
Another United States Title run likely wouldn’t have done much to advance Cesaro’s career, so the loss isn’t really damaging, but it would be nice to see the Swiss Superman sporting a bit of gold in the near future (perhaps the Intercontinental Championship). Cesaro made the most of every second he was given, illustrating why he should be pushed as one of the future stars of the company.
WWE RAW emanates from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee with the fallout from Sunday night’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who successfully retained his title in his rematch against John Cena on Sunday, is not advertised to be a part of the show. Also expected to be absent tonight are Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns.
Superstars that are advertised for tonight’s show include Dean Ambrose, The Wyatt Family, Randy Orton, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Triple H, Kane, Cesaro, Sheamus, Big E and The Usos.
In the case of Reigns, as noted above, he is not expected to appear, however he is included in the advertisements for the show. It’s worth noting that this is likely a case of advertisements that were released prior to his emergency surgery this weekend.
WWE is focusing on the following points in their “RAW Five-Point Preview” for tonight’s show.
– Who is next for Brock Lesnar?
– Will Dolph Ziggler look for retribution on The Miz tonight?
– What will Goldust and Stardust do next?
– Will Paige and Nikki Bella prey upon AJ Lee now that she’s the Divas Champion?
– Will Dean Ambrose strike at Seth Rollins once again?
As things stand right now, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins is 100 percent off of tonight’s Night Of Champions lineup. There is some talk within WWE, as we noted yesterday, of having Dean Ambrose make a surprise appearance at tonight’s pay-per-view to fill in for Reigns against Rollins, however that is purely speculation at this point.
Also as noted yesterday, Reigns will likely be out of action for up to six weeks. WWE is hoping to have him back in time for the Survivor Series pay-per-view, but even under the worst case scenario, he will be back in time for the Royal Rumble in January, meaning he will be able to work WrestleMania and that if WWE was planning on having Reigns be the guy to end Brock Lesnar’s dominant streak, they can continue on with that plan despite Reigns’ current situation.
Speaking of Reigns, he surfaced on Twitter today to thank fans for their support. He tweeted the following:
Thank you everyone for your kind words, support and prayers!! I'm hurting right now but it's great to know good people have my back!!
The following is the final official lineup heading into tonight’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view, which takes place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena
WWE United States Championship
– Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. The Miz
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Goldust & Stardust
WWE Divas Championship
– Paige (c) vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella
– Mark Henry vs. Rusev
– Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho
WWE Night Of Champions “Kickoff Show”
– “Peep Show” Segment with Christian and Chris Jericho
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com tonight for the best WWE Night Of Champions live play-by-play results coverage on the web!
The following are highlights of a new TSN BarDown interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart:
DB: Is there a reason that wrestlers come out for their match with their hair soaking wet?
BH: The truth is for me I always wet my hair because it was a way of waking up. You get tired, flying in and driving up and then it’s like your finally ready to go out and you gotta deliver in your big match. So, I always used to take a big cold glass of water and pour it over my head and kind of wake myself up before I went out. And then everyone after that is just trying to look like Bret Hart (laughs).
DB: Favourite heel of all time? Favourite bad guy?
BH: Favourite heel? Ya, I got lots of them that’s a good one. Steve Austin was my favourite. When he was jumping me at every turn back in the 90s, back before he became a good guy. Before our match at Wrestlemania 13, the months leading up to that he was just the baddest bad guy. He was a really good character.
DB: Favourite good guy wrestler? Or favourite babyface in wrestling terms?
BH: John Cena strikes me as one, Sting is maybe another one. They were two guys that always seemed to be faces.
DB: Speaking of John Cena, do you think he’ll rebound this Sunday at Night Of Champions and beat Brock Lesner?
BH: I think Cena is going to win. And I think Cena is going to win big!
– For you trivia buffs out there, Sunday will mark the third straight year that Paul Heyman has managed a champion going into the Night Of Champions pay-per-view. This weekend, Heyman manages WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. In 2013 he managed Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel and in 2012 he managed WWE Champion CM Punk.
– Below is the latest edition of The JBL (Not Cole) Show: