– Recently released WWE NXT star Kassius Ohno, who is now working again under the ring-name Chris Hero, has officially been announced for the upcoming Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) “Cage Of Death XV” iPPV show. The “Cage Of Death XV” iPPV will air on Saturday, December 14th at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey. For more information, visit CZWrestling.com.

– The following is a new tweet from the official Twitter page of WWE:

From the #WWEApp: FANDAN-GOAL? @WWEFandango @RealSummerWWE #RAW @Everton pic.twitter.com/pMn49vSTdB

— WWE (@WWE) November 12, 2013

• Backstage News On The Shield Breaking Up & CM Punk’s WMXXX Opponent

Former WWE NXT Superstar Kassius Ohno, who is working again under the name Chris Hero, posted the following blog on his official Facebook page tonight discussing his recent release from WWE.

Maybe you’ve heard. Maybe you’ve not heard. Last Friday my contract with WWE was terminated. Man… Terminated sounds so harsh, right? To me, it conjures up images of post-apocalyptic wars with robots, machine guns and atomic bombs. No thank you. Merriam-Webster defines terminate as ‘to come to an end in time.’ Okay.. That’s a little less dramatic. I can handle that. For the last 21 months, I’ve lived in Florida as a part of WWE’s Developmental System. That time has now come to an end.

There are a lot of ways I can look at this and, honestly, it won’t serve me at all to be anything BUT positive and optimistic. I could sulk. I could point fingers. I could feel sorry for myself. Or, I could channel all my energy into getting back out there, kicking some ass and taking things to the next level. Once upon a time, a close friend of mine named Claudio Castagnoli was released from WWE. Another good friend, Colt Cabana, got his walking papers. The ‘Best in the World’ Bryan Danielson had his contract ‘terminated’. TWICE. These three guys are all CRAZY talented and, on all accounts, are doing rather well for themselves right now, eh? I’m leaving WWE on good terms so, if it’s meant to be, I’m sure I will be back. If it’s not meant to be, I can guarantee you that I will still be trotting all over the globe doing what I love (and what I’m damn good at) at the highest level possible.

How will my career unfold? There’s no telling at this moment and that can be scary. I can assure you, though, that I am genuinely excited to take things into my hands and get back out there. There are sights I’ve not seen in the last two years, friends I’ve not spent time with and fans I’ve not performed in front of. How long has it been since a #HipHopThursday? There are people I’m dying to work with! I have ideas that are practically begging to surface; I say let’s get to it!

The response I’ve gotten from all of this hullabaloo has literally overwhelmed me. So much so that I’m just now getting back to some people two, three days after they had reached out. It’s important to me that I let you all know how much this has meant to me. Whether it was a tweet, an e-mail, facebook message, text, call or voicemail, your support means the world to me. It would have been incredibly easy to go to a dark place and succumb to negative thoughts and energy. Your love has kept my spirits high and, again I reiterate, I am absolutely thrilled to get back in the mix.

…I do have a favor I’d like to ask of you. When things happen that we don’t like, it’s our instinct look for answers. We get sad. We get mad. In this situation, there’s nothing to be sad about! And rather than being angry about what has happened, I want you all to be happy about what’s going to happen! I’ll be back with a vengeance, I assure you. The best way to support me is with positive energy. Also, WWE and NXT loaded with talented guys and girls. There’s an overabundance of talent at that Performance Center that inspires ME, some of which you’ve not even seen yet. Those folks need your support just like I do so make sure your voices are heard.

To wrap this up, I’d like everyone to know that I loved my experience here. I’ve made so many great friends. I have memories that will last a lifetime. I’ve learned so much; not just about professional wrestling but I’ve discovered a lot about myself. I’ve gained a lot of new fans and I hope that you will all follow me on this new journey. If you wish to support me directly, there are a plethora of ways to do so: you can continue to follow and interact with me on Twitter and Facebook, you can come watch me do what I love to do LIVE and in livin’ color, you can pick up some brand new Chris Hero merchandise in person or online. Speaking of which, thechrishero.com will be sorted out soon with all new @ChrisHeroMerch *and* I am pleased to announce that I will have additional t-shirts available courtesy of @OneHourTees (http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/chrishero).

Whether it’s in Philly, Oberhausen Germany, Los Angeles, Austin Texas, London, Tokyo, Chicago or Toronto, you will see me and I will see YOU. Soon, my friends. Thank you for your support.

-CH

P.S. Here’s my upcoming schedule. Enjoy~!

November 16 for PWS (@ProWreSyndicate) in Rahway, NJ v. Hurricane Helms – “Wrestle Bowl”

November 17 for Dragon Gate USA (@BookItGabe/dgusa.tv) in Brooklyn, NY v. ??? – “Freedom Fight 2013?

November 29 for FUW (@FUWPro) in Tampa, FL

December 6 for IWA-MS (@IWAMidSouth) in Clarksville, IN v. Trik Davis – “Big Ass Christmas Bash”

December 7 for DREAMWAVE (@dwwrestling) in LaSalle, IL v. Prince Mustafa Ali – “The Fight Before Christmas”

December 20/21 for PWG (@OfficialPWG) in Reseda, CA – “All Star Weekend 10?

potential promoters can e-mail me directly at bookchrishero@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter at @thechrishero
Check out my MERCH Twitter at @ChrisHeroMerch
Follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/thechrishero
Buy t-shirts at prowrestlingtees.com/chrishero
Stay tuned for the resurrection of thechrishero.com

– A WWE Divas Championship match between current champion AJ Lee and Natalya is scheduled to take place on this Wednesday’s edition of WWE Main Event.

– Recently released WWE NXT star Kassius Ohno (aka Chris Hero) is scheduled to work his second post-WWE match this Sunday in Brooklyn, New York at The Lyceum for Dragon Gate USA.

– WWE has filed a copyright claim in response to the YouTube videos that surfaced online this past weekend that featured leaked satelitte footage from last Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. The two videos have also been removed from YouTube.

– WWE has signed independent wrestler Chris Hero to a developmental contract. Hero was evaluated by the company in the fall and had an undisclosed medical issue that prevented WWE from signing him. Hero will join his former “Kings Of Wrestling” tag team partner Claudio Castagnoli (who wrestling as Antonio Cesaro) at WWE developmental in Tampa.

– WWE’s new YouTube channel has released the latest “Backstage Fallout” video featuring backstage footage from Monday’s RAW. This edition focuses on Daniel Bryan and A.J. following Bryan’s Raw match with Big Show, David Otunga talking about his match with Sheamus Tamina talking about winning the eight-Diva tag match for her team.

— Ring of Honor’s official site made the following “breaking news” announcement Wednesday evening:

“We have received breaking news that Chris Hero has signed and is officially confirmed for “The Homecoming 2012″ on January 20th in Philadelphia, PA.  More details soon!”

Hero was close to signing with WWE several weeks ago but the situation fell apart after issues with Hero’s medical physicals.

– UFC President Dana White says Brock Lesnar is free to work for WWE after announcing his retirement from MMA last week. PopCandiesTV caught White leaving a Hollywood club Tuesday night.

Jim Ross Comments On Brock Lesnar Returning To WWE

Here’s video of Dana White from Tuesday night talking about Lesnar/WWE:

For the eighteenth year, Power Slam magazine presents The PS 50, which ranks the 50 best-performing wrestlers in the industry. Rankings in The PS 50 are basted on grapplers’ in-ring showings over a 12-month period (December 1, 2010 through November 30, 2011).

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2. Randy Orton
3. Davey Richards
4. Prince Devitt
5. Shingo Takagi
6. Christian
7. Kurt Angle
8. C.M. Punk
9. Kota Ibush
10. Takashi Sugiura
11. KENTA
12. Go Shiozaki
13. PAC
14. Akira Tozawa
15. Hirooki Goto
16. Eddie Edwards
17. BxB Hulk
18. Tetsuya Naito
19. AJ Styles
20. Shinsuke Nakamura
21. Masaaki Mochizuki
22. Bobby Roode
23. Rey Mysterio
24. Kenny Omega
25. Sheamus
26. Antonio Cesaro
27. CIMA
28. Katsuhiko Nakajima
29. Masato Yoshino
30. Chris Hero
31. Dragon Kid
32. Jay Briscoe
33. Ricochet
34. Mark Briscoe
35. Kevin Steen
36. Yuji Nagata
37. James Storm
38. Dolph Ziggler
39. Daniel Bryan
40. El Generico
41. Alberto Del Rio
42. Ryusuke Taguchi
43. Austin Aries
44. Jeff Jarrett
45. Kofi Kingston
46. Bully Ray
47. Christopher Daniels
48. The Miz
49. John Morrison
50. Kenny King

– Aside from WWE announcing that January’s Royal Rumble match will be returning to the traditional 30-man format, John Cena vs. Kane is also confirmed for the event.

– Regarding Chris Hero and WWE, the company is said to still be interested in bringing him in, despite reports that he did not pass a WWE physical due to elevated testosterone levels.

Hero will be undergoing more medical tests in January and if things go as expected, he will be signed. Hero’s most recent round of physicals took place in September.

• Chris Hero Responds To Online Reports
  

– WWE appears to have abandoned plans to re-introduce Brodus Clay. Last we heard from Brodus Clay, he tweeted that he was going to destroy John Morrison on his final night with the company. Clay would not have tweeted that if he wasn’t told he’d be on RAW that night, but Morrison wound up getting laid out by his former tag team partner The Miz – with no mention of Clay on WWE television since then.

– Skip Sheffield has been told that he’s returning with a push in early 2012.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Survivor Series 2011

– Based on preliminary data released by WWE, November’s Survivor Series pay-per-view featuring The Rock’s first match since WrestleMania 20 drew approximately 280,000 buys. The final figure is expected to be higher than 280,000, as this figure is only through the end of November, but its a reliable early indicator of the event’s performance.

Last year’s Survivor Series did 244,00 buys and 2009’s show did 235,000 buys. Company officials were so disappointed with 2009’s buyrate that the show was temporarily scrapped from WWE’s pay-per-view lineup.

– Earlier this week, we covered the story of Chris Hero’s WWE contract reportedly being pulled due to elevated levels of testosterone found during his physical exams. In what could be a reference to this possible career setback, Hero tweeted this week:

“I don’t think I will ever be ‘done’ with wrestling. Thank you for your continued support!”

— WWE has rescinded their contract offer to Ring of Honor star Chris Hero after results from his drug test showed elevated testosterone levels, according to a report at Wrestling News World. We’ll be be looking into this story today and will follow up when we’ve got an update.

— WWE will hold a Raw live event in Moscow, Russia on April 11, 2012 at Luzhniki Small Sports Arena.

— WWE.com has posted footage of Nickelback performing “Animal” at Tribute to the Troops.

— WWE: Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century, which was released last July on DVD, will air on iN DEMAND pay-per-view during January.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka is reportedly in need of ankle replacement surgery, which will cost over $20,000. ECW original Dawn Marie is organizing a series of fundraisers to help pay for Snuka’s medical bills.

– To update the status of Chris Hero, there was reportedly an issue that came up when he was undergoing a series of physicals prior to WWE signing him to a developmental deal. He is still expected to join his former tag team partner Claudio Castagnoli at FCW early next year.

As we reported a few days ago, Chris Hero appeared at a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show over the weekend and told fans it might be the last time they see him in a PWG ring, as he’s got a big announcement he’ll be making shortly.

– Steve Austin continues to keep the possibility open that he’ll wrestle another match. When asked by a fan if he’ll wrestle again, Austin said there’s one major condition that would need to occur in order for him to wrestle again:

“I wouldn’t even consider stepping back in the ring for one more match unless @JRsBBQ was calling it. #bestannouncer.”

• Major Update on Steve Austin Wrestling One More Match

(Partial source: f4wonline.com)

– It appears that Chris Hero might finally be headed to WWE. Hero wrestled at a Pro Wrestling Guerilla show over thew weekend. After his match, Hero thanked fans for coming to the show, teased that it might be the last time they see him in a PWG and said he’s got a special announcement that he’ll be making soon.

– The Rock tweeted over the weekend that his new “Boots to Asses” t-shirt is officially WWE’s best selling piece of merchandise since November 14th.

– BG James was at Sunday’s Tribute to the Troops tapings in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The former Road Dogg was recently hired by WWE and will serve as a producer/agent.

– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Rey Mysterio (37), former ECW World Champion Sabu (47), ECW Original Jason (48) and Ultimo Dragon (45).

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was at WWE’s developmental territory FCW this week evaluating talent – and was asked by a fan on Twitter when we’ll see Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine on WWE television. Ross replied:

“Don’t see it being eminent. Lots of work to do.”

– To update the status of Ring of Honor star Chris Hero headed to WWE, company officials reportedly wanted to sign him a few months back when they signed his partner Claudio Castagnoli to FCW. Hero began taking physical exams for WWE – which is around the time the whole process stalled.

Either WWE  found a medical issue that made him unfit to sign or the contractual negotiations broke down, but he’s still not under contract. Hero hasn’t gone back to work for ROH or NOAH since his WWE physicals, so it’s still possible he’ll show up in FCW soon.

– WWE is gearing up for Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops tapings (airing Tuesday night on USA) – and has a few days of events for the troops lined up. Several superstars and divas will be visiting the Advanced Airborne School and the Tolson Youth Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina this Friday morning. On Friday evening, there will be a meet and greet event at Sports USA for any Department of Defense cardholders. WWE will then tape Tribute to the Troops on Saturday from Fayetteville’s Crown Coliseum. Tickets are available free of charge to DOD cardholders.

(Sources: pwinsider.com, f4wonline.com)

— Multiple sources believe Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, who perform as The Kings of Wrestling for Ring of Honor, will conclude their obligations with the organization next month and join WWE immediately thereafter.

Though they are advertised for the August 13th Ring of Honor television taping in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, one source says it’s possible they will debut for WWE—bypassing developmental—before the end of the month. There are also rumors that they could be involved in CM Punk’s current storyline.

— A profile on John Laurinaitis, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, has been added to the Alumni section on WWE.com.

Contrary to CM Punk’s derisive remarks concerning the corporate executive during a pseudo-shoot promo last month on Raw, Laurinaitis is referred as “a respected WWE employee” in his bio. His previous life as “a successful sports-entertainer” in both Japan and the United States is also acknowledged.

source: ProWrestling.net

— Ring of Honor wrestlers Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, both WWE bound, willbypass developmental and join the main roster after they sign their respective contracts.

— Scott Hall’s son Cody, who 6-foot-9 and 20 years old, is training at the I Believe In Wrestling school in Orlando, Florida. Hall offers helps train wrestlers at the school, as does Larry Zbyszko, Chasyn Rance and Alex Porteau.

— A WWE camera crew is prepping with Steve Austin today at his Broken Skull Ranch in Tilden, Texas to begin filming their DVD project on the Hall of Famer Tuesday and Wednesday.

— CM Punk has been removed from WWE’s entrance video for The Nexus.

source: F4WOnline.com

— Ring of Honor talent Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli are in the middle of a pre-signing procedure with WWE—taking a physical and having their backgrounds checked out. The Kings of Wrestling, however, are tentatively advertised for next month’s ROH television taping in Chicago Ridge, Illinois.

— For a limited time only, people who join ShellyMartinez.org for $3.99 per month will get to talk to her on the phone for five minutes. More details available here.

— WWE’s upcoming OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History DVD and Blu-ray release will be rated TV-14. It is slated for release on August 23, 2011.

— Former WWE star Mike Knox celebrates his 33rd birthday today. It is believed that he has only competed in one wrestling match since his departure from WWE last year.

source: F4WOnline.com

— Former ROH World Tag Team Champions Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli were on hand for this week’s WWE television tapings in New York and Rhode Island. Both worked out in the ring in front of officials before each show.

Castagnoli signed a developmental contract with WWE in November 2006 but was released a short while later for reasons that have yet to be publicly disclosed.

— WWE has released a commercial ad promoting SummerSlam, which takes place August 14, 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It is branded as “The Biggest Event of the Summer.”

The commercial features The Miz, Chris Masters, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and The Bella Twins emerging from the ocean and scurrying to a beach house to watch SummerSlam.

The commercial is available here.

— Damage starring Steve Austin airs tonight on Spike TV at 11:00 p.m.

source: PWInsider.com

Ring Of Honor sent out the following today:

On the heels of a week of phone calls, e-mails, and meetings with Shane Hagadorn, ROH officials have finalized the paperwork for Eddie Edwards’ next World Title defense on May 7th when Ring of Honor returns to The Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto. His opponent: “That Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero!

As one of only two men who have pinned Eddie Edwards since his “Survival of the Fittest 2010” win, Chris Hero has not challenged for the World Title since “Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2” in April 2010 when he fought Tyler Black. Now, with the fire of recently losing the World Tag Titles in his heart, Hero comes after Edwards with a vengeance.

“Hagadorn did his job well.” stated Hero, “And soon it will be time for me to do mine. Eddie Edwards, you felt the force of my elbows in Plymouth and you know what it feels like to be rendered unconscious by me! Hold that title tight for the little time you have left with it, because in Toronto…the city where I beat Lance Storm, the city where Claudio and I slaughtered The Briscoes… in Toronto I will bring your championship dreams to a brutal conclusion!”

“Chris Hero thinks he knows me.” stated Eddie Edwards, “He thinks he has my number after pinning me in Plymouth. Watch the tape Chris, and look at what it took to put me down that night. Look at my fight with Roderick and look at what he put me through, but look at who took the belt home that night. Chris, this championship is everything to me, and there is nothing you can possibly do that will put me down for the count.”

May 7, 2011 in Toronto, ON, Canada; Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Hero, ROH World Title on the line! Ring of Honor is coming off a huge weekend in Atlanta and we’re going to carry that momentum into a weekend of “Revolution”! Join us in Dearborn & Toronto and revolt against the norm as ROH creates an uprising in true pro wrestling. Get your tickets now at this link!

Pro wrestling manager Alex Whybrow, who performed as Larry Sweeney for Ring of Honor and numerous American independent promotions, has died at the age of 29.

F4WOnline.com reports that he committed suicide either late last night or this morning. It is believed that he hung himself.

Whybrow suffered from bipolar disorder and had a breakdown in 2009, which he described as “the absolute worst event” of his life. He went through a long recovery process the following year.

He made sporadic appearances on the independent scene after parting ways with ROH in 2009.

Independent wrestler Chris Hero, a friend of Whybrow, commented on his passing on Twitter.

“We lost a dedicated friend and an overwhelmingly talented performer this morning,” he wrote. “Alex Whybrow aka ‘Sweet & Sour’ Larry Sweeney has passed.

“We spent a few yrs together on the road & Alex was gifted beyond measure. He could enthrall you with colorful stories from his personal life or he could captivate thousands with his undeniable charisma. I loved him & my heart is with his family, friends & his countless fans. First he was my student & he transcended that almost immediately. I will forever cherish our in depth conversations & time spent together. Love you man. Miss you. Rest in Peace.”