[wweshop]WrestleMania 30 is still close to a year away, but early planning is already underway for the top matches at the historic anniversary show.
Despite the fact that WWE is running a storyline that Brock Lesnar has fulfilled his contractual obligations, Lesnar is still with the company and will once again be featured in one of top matches at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
A report at F4Wonline.com states that the two primary opponents currently being discussed for Lesnar at WM30 are The Rock and The Undertaker.
The Rock is WWE’s top choice for Lesnar, but the injuries he sustained at WrestleMania 29 (and the heat he got from Hollywood studio execs, who were already saying he shouldn’t be wrestling) have casted a shadow of doubt on his in-ring future.
The Rock and WWE are expected to meet after the summer to discuss whether The Rock will wrestle again, in what would almost certainly be his final run as an active competitor.
[rybackrules]- While WWE has written Brock Lesnar off television as having “fulfilled his obligations” to the company, Lesnar is expected to be back on television in time for SummerSlam in August. Lesnar’s “Paul Heyman Guy” stablemate CM Punk is also expected back before SummerSlam.
– There has been talk of turning Mark Henry babyface in the coming months. Henry stated on the Extreme Rules post-show that he’s “going home” and will be taking time off.
– As noted in recent reports, WWE superstar Kane has been getting involved in the ongoing political debate regarding the proposed Internet sales tax. There have been rumors that Kane is interested in running for United States Senate when his WWE career is over. Kane was asked about his political aspirations by the Tennessean newspaper and said:
“[I have] no plans on running for political office at this time…..things get a little carried away on the Internet sometimes.”
Of course, “at this time” does not rule out a political run when he eventually retires from the ring.
– The family of “Macho Man” Randy Savage gathered together at an Olive Garden restaurant in Florida on the 2-year anniversary of his passing. Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, told TMZ.com:
“I have to be strong for my family now. I’m just glad to have had him as a brother and wanna celebrate his life as much as I can instead of continuing to mourn.”
– In response to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar making a surprise appearance at WWE Headquarters earlier today (and Lesnar destroying Triple H’s office) – Stephane McMahon tweeted the following on Monday afternoon:
[heyman2extreme]Paul Heyman & Brock Lesnar made a “surprise” appearance at WWE Headquarters this morning – and destroyed the office of Triple H.
WWE.com has a storyline-driven article up featuring comments from WWE employees talking about Heyman & Lesnar’s apperance. “Superstars are here pretty regularly, but this was something different,” said one employee. “You could tell they were here on a mission.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it here,” another employee said. “This isn’t supposed to happen in an office.”
Heyman tweeted that footage of the incident will be shown tonight on Monday Night RAW.
Paul Heyman has been teasing that his client Brock Lesnar is in a “Breaking News” sort of mood today and won’t be waiting for RAW to get people talking. Heyman then tweeted:
… about to give my client @BrockLesnar a guided tour … of @WWE World HQ in Stamford, CT!
WWE.com has confirmed that Lesnar and Heyman did in fact show up “unannounced” at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut this morning.
WWE’s storyline-driven article is questioning what their “tour” of WWE HQ will entail – and whether it has anything to do with Brock’s upcoming Steel Cage match against Triple H at Extreme Rules.
– Brock Lesnar and Triple H settling their rivalry inside a steel cage has been the plan all along. The match was originally planned for later this year, however CM Punk’s hiatus led WWE to move the match up to Extreme Rules.
– The latest word on Rosa Mendes’ WWE status is that she won’t be back on the road until she addresses the personal issues that led her to being sent home from last week’s European tour.
– WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn posted this Tout video after RAW addressing her “secret admirer”:
– WWE.com has a new article up looking at Triple H’s upcoming steel cage match against Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules. The piece emphasizes that Lesnar’s past as a UFC cage fighter will work to his advantage:
“Will Brock Lesnar’s experience fighting in the UFC’s Octagon prove advantageous or detrimental when he steps inside WWE’s steel cage against Triple H at Extreme Rules?””
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge responded to a fan who Tweeted him about John Cena’s Achilles tendon injury. The fan noted that Edge had the same injury during his career, and it kept him out of action for 12 months. Edge replied:
Actually 6 months, not a year. Still sucks though. He's stubborn, he'll get through it @CCTChairShots @WWE@JohnCena
– A report at WrestleZone.com claims that WWE Diva Rosa Mendes has been sent home from WWE’s current European tour after appearing to be drunk for most of the trip. We will ask around about this story and will post an update when it becomes available.
– Brock Lesnar said to be opening an “outdoors” business near Milk River in Alberta, Canada which would guide people into the wilderness to hunt, fish and camp.
– Here is video from Diamond Dallas Page’s 57th birthday:
On Monday’s RAW, WWE set the stage for Triple H and Brock Lesnar to wrestle each other for a third time at next month’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Originally, WWE’s plans called for Brock Lesnar to attack The Rock the night after WrestleMania 29 to and build to a match at SummerSlam (not WrestleMania 30, as previously reported). Lesnar and Triple H’s rubber match would have taken place later this year.
The Rock’s injury at WrestleMania led WWE to change gears and go right into the third chapter of the Lesnar vs. Triple H feud.
As reported on Monday, original plans for this week’s RAW included appearances from The Rock and Brock Lesnar. The Rock was scheduled to open the show talking about his loss at WrestleMania, which would have led to Brock Lesnar coming out and beating up The Rock, setting up an eventual showdown at WrestleMania XXX.
The Rock’s getting injured at WrestleMania 29 and flying home to Miami led to the angle being called off, for the time being. According to those close to the situation, Rock was the one who came up with the angle with Lesnar.
The absence of The Rock and Brock Lesnar on RAW led to a chaotic environment backstage at RAW, since the script had to be re-written.
While The Rock was out of town on Monday night, Brock Lesnar still could have been used. However, due to the nature of Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract (limited appearances), the decision was made to not use one of those limited dates if they didn’t have something big for him.
– On Monday’s RAW, Big E Langston accidentally knocked into AJ Lee while stretching before his match against Daniel Bryan. AJ Lee tweeted about the incident:
– Brock Lesnar was knocked out at WrestleMania after a knee from Triple H about five minutes into their 29 match. Lesnar was “out on his feet” and there is speculation that Lesnar suffered a concussion.
– CM Punk underwent x-rays on Sunday night on his leg, which he may have injured in the top rope elbow table spot during his match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Punk reportedly will be undergoing an MRI this week, but will be at RAW next week.
There is said to be absolute chaos backstage at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, site of tonight’s RAW.
Former WWE Champion The Rock, who was scheduled to open the show and take part in a huge angle, reportedly flew home to Los Angeles this morning and will not be at the show. This is not part of a storyline – and WWE sources indicate that Rock’s departure caught the company completely off guard.
The original plan was for The Rock to cut a promo about WrestleMania 29, only to be interrupted by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Lesnar was going to attack The Rock and plant the seeds for a rumored WrestleMania 30 main event between the two.
Vince McMahon and WWE writers and producers are busy re-writing the show.
There is reportedly another major angle planned for tonight to set up John Cena’s next title defense at Extreme Rules.
– Christian is ready to return to action and WWE reportedly plans to bring him back to television after WretleMania as a babyface.
– Brock Lesnar is not doing any media appearances to promote WrestleMania 29 this year. Lesnar is not a fan of interviews and did very little promotional work to hype his UFC fights back when he was an MMA fighter.
– Detailing Dynamics recently customized a McLaren MP412C for WrestleMania. Here is a photo:
– As part of Make-A-Wish’s “World Wish Day” on April 29th, John Cena is starting a campaign to raise money and airline miles for the foundation. Cena has vowed to match every frequent flier mile donated up to 4.5 million miles. For more on this story, click here.
– Brock Lesnar has joined Twitter and can be followed at @brocklesnar.
– LoHud.com has an interview with Paul Heyman, who talks about wrestling’s popularity over the years, how he got into the business and of course, WrestleMania 29.
– WWEDVDNews.com reports that the following people were interviewed for the Mick Foley DVD, which will be released next month: Mick’s trainer Dominic Denucci, Shane Douglas, Michael Hayes, CM Punk, Vader, Terry Funk, Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, Joey Styles, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Big Show, ReganBooks founder Judith Regan, The Miz, The Rock, Mick Foley’s daughter and more.
– CM Punk is still expected to be taking time off after WrestleMania 29, with many people in WWE expecting that he’s more banged up than he’s letting on. Punk has reportedly been at odds with WWE’s creative team in recent months, but he’s also burnt out from being one of WWE’s top work horses over the past two years.
With CM Punk out of action after WrestleMania, WWE has secured both WWE Champion The Rock as well as Brok Lesnar for May’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Even though the event is not considered one of WWE’s “A” pay-per-views, the star power of The Rock and Brock Lesnar as well as the 6-week buildup after WrestleMania are strong signs that the show will do a buyrate.
– The producers of the new Bruno Sammartino movie are interested in working with WWE Studios to fund and produce the project.
– On Monday’s RAW, Paul Heyman revealed that Triple H’s match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29 will be a No Holds Barred match, with Triple H’s career on the line. Dave Meltzer reports that the stipulation was finalized just days before RAW, and other ideas for the match included Hell In A Cell, or Shawn Michaels and Paul Heyman in Triple H and Brock Lesnar’s corners.
– Former WWE Diva Serena Deeb will be making her return to the ring in May after an 18-month hiatus due to injury. She’ll be wrestling former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez at Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s Bombshell Ladies of Wrestling event on May 11th from Metuchen, New Jersey.
– “Stone Cold Steve” Austin tweeted on Thursday that he will not be taking part in WrestleMania 29 weekend:
I've had many questions concerning WrestleMania 29. The decision has been made that I will not be at WM29 and that the bottom line.
– Following up on the news that CM Punk appeared to be injured during his no disqualification match against Kane on RAW, PWInsider.com reports that the injury is to his arm, but it’s not serious enough to keep him out of action.
– WWE is considering a Hell In a Cell stipulation for the Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania 29.
– With all the talk of WWE reaching out to former Divas, WWE recently revived their trademark application for “Kharma,” which they had abandoned back in January.
Regarding the Bella Twins, they reportedly decided back in December that they wanted to return in time for WrestleMania 29. It’s no secret that they have been romantically linked to John Cena (Nikki) and Daniel Bryan (Brie) and WWE officials are said to be very happy that they’re back.
– Monday’s WWE RAW drew a 3.36 rating cable and averaged 4.81 million viewers. These numbers are down from last week’s 3.54 rating with 5.02 million average viewers. The hourly viewership was as follows:
Hour 1: 4.98 million Hour 2: 4.89 million Hour 3: 4.57 million
– Brock Lesnar topped this week’s ESPN WWE Power Rankings. Here’s this week’s Top 10:
1. Brock Lesnar
2. Dolph Ziggler
3. The Shield
4. CM Punk
5. Mark Henry
6. Ryback
7. Kane
8. Daniel Bryan
9. Team Rhodes Scholars
10. The Undertaker
Triple H, The Rock and John Cena were not on this week’s RAW and thus, were not included in the list. However, ESPN seems to feel that RAW is fine without them:
“If The Rock and John Cena fail to appear on TV, they’ll fail to appear in the rankings. Besides, with the awesome buildup of Punk versus Taker so far, who needs them?”
– It was announced on tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event on ION television that Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman will be on hand for Monday’s Raw in Indianapolis, Indiana, to respond to Triple H’s challenge for a match at WrestleMania 29.
“Apparently, Lesnar and Heyman are looking forward to addressing The Game’s challenge live on Raw,” the official WWE website teases. “What will unfold during Lesnar’s first appearance on Raw since being attacked and injured by The Game on the Feb. 25 edition?”
– Promoting WWE Studios’ much-anticipated DVD and Blu-ray release of The Marine 3: Homefront, The Miz spoke to movie news outlet I AM ROGUE in the following video interview.
– Former WWE wrestler Marc Mero is currently on a speaking tour in Georgia advocating youths on the dangers of drugs, suicide, bullying and peer pressure. He will be speaking Thursday at the J.J. Daniell Middle School in Marietta at 9:30 a.m., noon and 1:45 p.m., Friday at the Simpson Middle School in Marietta at 1:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m., and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at Piedmont Church in Marietta for a free community outreach event.
– WWE has announced that Brock Lesnar will be on Monday’s WWE RAW from Indianapolis, Indiana to respond to Triple H’s WrestleMania challenge. Triple H will also be at the show.
– With both Brock Lesnar and CM Punk involved in two of the top matches at WrestleMania 29, Paul Heyman is expected to pull “double duty” that night and be in the corners of both men .
– After meeting with Dr. James Andrews this week to determine whether he needs knee surgery to repair a possible torn ACL, Rey Mysterio tweeted the following update on his condition:
Have to wear a DYNASPLINT brace to prevent getting surgery! NO SURGERY 4 now! pic.twitter.com/oADBkcdiqR
As seen in the opening segment of Monday’s WWE RAW, Brock Lesnar brawled with the returning Triple H and wound up getting his head busted open the hard way when Triple H threw him into a ring post outside of the ring.
Lesnar received twelve staples backstage to close the gash on his head, but was walking around backstage afterwards and telling everybody he was fine.
Here is video footage of the Paul Heyman vs. Vince McMahon “fight” that eventually turned into a brawl between Brock Lesnar and Triple H:
– Paul Heyman has picked this week’s WWE Classics Five-Star Match of the Week and selected Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock for the Undisputed WWE Championship from SummerSlam 2002 as his pick. The match saw Lesnar defeat Rock to win his first WWE title and become the youngest WWE Champion in history, up until that point. Here’s what Heyman told WWE.com about the match:
“First of all, I disagree with the designation that it’s The Rock vs. Brock. It is Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock. Brock deserves top billing. And he deserves top billing because he won the match. [Brock] did not win the match with outside interference. In fact, The Rock hit me with a Rock Bottom through a table. I was not an equation. Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock cleanly to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. And in doing so, he put his boot on the neck of The Attitude Era and anointed himself the new reigning monarch of the WWE Universe.”
– WrestleMania 29 tickets are selling very well, although the event has not yet sold out, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. WWE has already grossed around $11 million from ticket sales and the final gate is expected to top $12 million by the time the show sells out.
– WWE is now advertising Brock Lesnar for the March 18 edition of Raw in Pittsburgh, PA. With that appearance set, Brock Lesnar is now advertised to appear at the following four RAW shows leading up to WrestleMania 29:
* February 25 from Dallas, Texas
* March 11th from Indianapolis, Indiana
* March 18th from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* April 1st from Washington, DC
– Syfy has posted the following preview video for Chris Jericho’s new Robot Combat League show, which premieres Tuesday, February 26th at 10pm:
