WWE announced Friday that Chris Jericho has been suspended indefinitely due to an incident at Thursday night’s WWE live event from São Paulo, Brazil.
During the main event match between Jericho and WWE Champion CM Punk, Jericho took a Brazilian flag from ringside and kick it. Because denigrating the Brazilian flag is illegal in the country, police came to the ring and ordered Jericho to apologize or be taken to jail.
The flag stunt was NOT planned or approved by WWE officials and was Jericho’an act Jericho improvised to get heat. Here’s WWE’s statement:
Chris Jericho suspended
Chris Jericho as been suspended indefinitely due to an irresponsible act of denigrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo on May 24. WWE has apologized to the citizens and the government of Brazil for this incident.
– On Monday’s RAW, WWE Champion CM Punk had an awkward backstage exchange with WWE diva AJ. Punk told AJ that he “sort of digs” crazy chicks. AJ has since replied, tweeting:
“I sort of dig guys that sort of dig crazy chicks.”
– Chris Jericho and William Regal have resumed their ongoing exchange of insults on Twitter. When asked by a fan who would win in a technical match between him and Chris Jericho, Regal replied:
“Someone would have to teach him a proper hold before he could enter.”
Jericho followed up with:
“Is this the guy who used to be on Raw 5 years ago? Not sure I remember who you are…”
Regal got in the last word and ended with:
“You know,I’m the one who copied you and wore a 3 piece suit and talked intelligently and menacing.”
Regal also commented on WWE’s new “Top 50 WCW Superstars” list, where he ranked at #35 (behind Jericho, at #27):
“Whoever put together the top 50 WCW superstars on WWE.com needs a kick up the selection box.”
Chris Jericho has been stating for months that he plans to leave WWE to tour with his metal band Fozzy – and we’ve got an update on his upcoming schedule.
Jericho is currently advertised for RAW live events through the RAW Supershow on June 4th. He will then hit the road with Fozzy in the UK from June 6-10th and will host the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London on June 11th.
Jericho is then advertised for WWE live events again starting June 15th and through SummerSlam on August 19th – including No Way Out on June 17th and Money in the Bank on July 15th.
Jericho and Fozzy will participate in the Rockstar Uproar Tour from August 15th through September 30th. WWE is not advertising Jericho for any events after SummerSlam until October. He is also advertised for WWE’s overseas tour in late October.
Of course – cards are always subject to change and Chris Jericho is known to be elusive with his true schedule. However, it appears there’s a good chance that Jericho will be wresting for WWE for the next several months.
Chris Jericho recently spoke toThe Sun about his current WWE run, touring with Fozzy this summer and more. Here are some highlights of what Jericho said about:
His Feud With WWE Champion CM Punk:
“It was a blast. It was the reason I came back. I went to meet with Vince in August to discuss working Wrestlemania with Punk. I knew we could do something with the ‘best in the world’ thing, and it amped up really well with the alcohol thing.
“It’s all about the storyline to get you to the match and I thought both matches were great.
“All that I care about is that I walked out of both of them feeling very vindicated and very happy with both. They were both excellent matches to add to my résumé.”
The Little Girl In His “End Of The World” Promo Videos:
“[Fans] were looking too deep into it — WAY too deep. It was just supposed to be a creepy thing. My idea was that it was the Mayan calendar in 2012 saying it’s the end of the world and I was going back and it’s the ‘end of the world as you know it’. It’s the end of the way that you used to live and it’s a new world.”
“The girl we just put in because she was creepy looking. There was never supposed to be a girl coming in with me — there wasn’t a change of plan. It was exactly what it was intended to be — a cryptic little cool thing that led to me coming back and doing what I did.”
Not Saying A Word When He Returned To WWE In January:
“That part was Vince’s idea. He was the one that suggested that and I thought it was great. I like to do something different that people don’t expect. That’s what I’ve always been about, in everything I do.”
– Today would have been the 45th birthday of Chris Benoit and the 48th birthday of Nancy “Woman” Benoit.
– WWE Divas Champion Layla got so many write-in votes for Maxim’s annual Hot 100 list that she might make the list. Maxim wrote about Layla:
“This British-born dancer, model and WWE Diva could easily knock any of us off of our feet. We feel a little light-headed just thinking about it.”
– After failing to capture the World Heavyweight championship in the fatal fourway match at WWE Over The Limit, Chris Jericho has now lost 5 consecutive PPV matches since returning in January.
The WWE website had an article up last week speculating whether Jericho would stick around if he did not win the title last night. Jericho is expected to finish up with WWE soon to begin touring with his metal band, Fozzy.
Chris Jericho and William Regal had a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter over the weekend. Jericho, who has accused CM Punk of ripping off his moves, is now being accused of the same offense by Regal.
Jericho tweeted on Saturday:
“Good news! Just signed a deal with Methuselah…I’m gonna wrestle until I’m 946 years old! Hurrah! Congrats fans, you got what u wanted!”
Regal replied:
“Perhaps I should invent some new stuff you can steal from me!”
Jericho responded:
“That would be great since you’ve done nothing new for years”
Regal got in the last word:
“While the likes of Chris Jerico and some of his worthless friends make a big production of passing the torch,I just do as I always do without fanfare and truly encourage,train and mentor the younger talent.How dare I call help without getting credit heaped on me.Shame,regal,Shame.”
– Earlier this week, the WWE website posted an article talking about the fact that Chris Jericho has yet to win WWE gold since returning in January and speculating whether Jericho will leave WWE again if he does not win the World Heavyweight title at Over The Limit this weekend.
Jericho responded to the writer of the article Twitter:
“Hey Alex Giannini, heres an idea-shut your effen mouth and stop spreading BS rumours.”
– A fan wrote to David Otunga on Twitter this week and brought to his attention that TNA World Champion Bobby Roode recently demanded a bowl of green M&M’s on Impact – which David Otunga also did back when he hosted RAW. Otunga replied and said the following about TNA’s champion:
The WWE website has a new storyline article up looking at how Chris Jericho has failed to win gold since returning in January and how this effects World Heavyweight Title match at Over the Limit as he goes against champion Sheamus, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio.
It’s been widely reported that Chris Jericho will be taking time off from WWE this summer to tour with his metal band Fozzy – and the WWE article is already planting the seeds for Jericho’s departure.
The following is an excerpt from the article, which you can read here in its entirety:
“Further, if Jericho fails to come away with the gold, will Over the Limit be the last time the WWE Universe ever sees the “Ayatollah of Rock n’ Rollla” in the ring? Or can Jericho save his career with a huge win against three formidable opponents?
If this is to be his final stand, the smart money would be to bet on Jericho walking out of PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., with the title in hand. Jericho is a survivor, and like a cornered lion, he’ll be at his most dangerous with his back to the wall. Jericho will do anything — anything — to emerge from Over the Limit with the World Heavyweight Championship secured around his waist.
But even if he does overcome the other three competitors in the Fatal 4-Way, there’s already plenty of speculation that the WWE Universe won’t see much of Jericho in the coming months. His heavy metal band Fozzy is set to release a new studio album this summer, and tour dates have been planned.
That said, will his match at WWE Over the Limit be his lingering legacy? And if Y2J does decide to walk off into the sunset, will he do so with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist?”
Comment Below and tell us whether you think Chris Jericho is really leaving again soon – or if this is just Jericho messing with Internet fans, as he’s been known to do. What do you think of Chris Jericho’s latest run with WWE?
— WWE.com has posted a list counting down the top twenty-five Intercontinental Champions of all-time and Randy Savage comes in at number one. He is trailed by Chris Jericho, Ultimate Warrior, Mr. Perfect and Pat Patterson. To view the complete list, click here.
— BarbershopWindow.com has released a “Kamala” Benefit T-Shirt, with all proceeds going to aid the legendary wrestler’s medical bills. The first seventy-five customers who order the shirt will receive an autographed photo of WWE developmental wrestler Kassius Ohno (a/k/a Chris Hero).
The former WWE Superstar has undergone amputation of both of his feet due to his ongoing battle with diabetes.
— Mick Foley will perform stand-up comedy this Thursday in Williamstown, New Jersey at Antony & Cleopatra’s. Call 856-629-2211 for event information.
It was announced early this week that Chris Jericho’s heavy metal band FOZZY will be performing on the upcoming Rockstar Uproar Tour, which takes place from August 15th through September 30th. One of the tour dates is August 19th, the night of SummerSlam.
During a recent red carpet interview at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, Jericho revealed that he’ll be taking a break from WWE soon to tour with Fozzy this summer.
While WWE’s live events page still lists Chris Jericho on the SummerSlam preview page, it remains to be seen if he will appear on the card.
Jericho is not currently advertised for any shows (with the exception of SummerSlam) from August until the RAW Supershow on October 1st from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK. He is also advertised for the WWE overseas tour which starts in late October.
That said, there’s a good chance that Chris Jericho will be written off WWE television prior to August 15th and eventually return to WWE full time this fall.
Following his loss to WWE Champion CM Punk at Extreme Rules, Chris Jericho posted a picture on Twitter showing the marks left on his back from the kendo stick Punk used on him during their Chicago steet fight. He included the caption:
“What a war at Extreme Rules. Don’t think wrestling can be real? I beg to differ…. @CMPunk #kendostick”
WWE holds their fourth annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view event tonight at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The following seven matches have been announced for the show:
* John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules Match)
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (2-out-of-3 Falls Match)
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)
* Randy Orton vs. Kane (Falls Count Anywhere Match)
* Intercontinental Champion Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes
* United States Champion Santino Marella vs. The Miz
– There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks as to whether Chris Jericho will remain with WWE after this summer, when his band Fozzy goes on tour. Jericho has stated on several occasions that he will be leaving WWE once again to tour with Fozzy, but Jericho is a seasoned pro at floating false information and misleading the wrestling media. Upon speaking with people close to Jericho, the feeling is that if he does leave this summer to tour with Fozzy, he’ll be back in WWE full time after the summer.
– WWE has fired back at Linda McMahon political opponent Christopher Shays after Shays recently told the Weekly Standard that WWE is all about “violence, bullying, degradation of minorities and women.” Here is an excerpt from WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman’s letter to Shays:
“With regard to our content being “violent,” WWE programming, like Hollywood movies and Broadway shows, is an exciting blend of action, characters and fictional storylines of good versus evil that entertains millions every week, including approximately 300,000 fans here in Connecticut. Our performers are professionals who have spent many years training to perfect the athletic and choreographed maneuvers in our shows. Your assertion that our content is “violent” is in direct conflict with the standards and practices departments of our current TV network distributors who have rated our programming TV-PG.
With regard to “degradation of minorities and women,” you should know that our shows are some of TV’s highest-rated programming and are watched by the very audiences, minorities and women, you claim that we disregard and “degrade.” In fact, Monday Night Raw is the most-watched entertainment program on primetime cable among Hispanic viewers and number four among African-Americans. Also nearly 40% of our audience is female. We would not have 13 million weekly TV viewers in the U.S. if they felt our programming was insulting or degrading.
Our company started with 13 employees and has grown to nearly 700 employees, which speaks to the quality and staying power of our product and our organization. WWE’s programming may not be your personal choice of entertainment, but that does not give you the right to recklessly damage our corporate reputation. We would appreciate a public apology and an assurance that you will not continue to unfairly denigrate our company.”
– WWE will tape this week’s NXT and SmackDown tonight from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Friday’s SmackDown will feature the return of Christian, Michael Cole interviewing Randy Orton and a non-title main event of Sheamus vs. Mark Henry.
The advertised dark match main event is a six-man Street Fight tag match featuring Sheamus, Randy Orton & Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry & Cody Rhodes.
– WWE plugged a WWE.com article on RAW speculating whether Chris Jericho is the company’s new “Cerebral Assassin” – a nickname Triple H has been using for years. While it appears that WWE might be setting up a Jericho vs. Triple H feud, there are currently no plans to bring Triple H back to television on a regular basis.
– Wade Barrett’s Twitter account has apparently been taken over by his lawyer. Barrett’s account tweeted on Monday night:
“Due to a number of factors, Mr. Barrett has signed the administration of this account over to his attorney for the foreseeable future. Mr. Barrett will be making no further comment at this stage. Regards, Peter Lazarou, Esq.”
Barrett is still injured and is expected to be out of action until around Summerslam.
– The opening segment of tonight’s 3-hour RAW Supershow from Detroit will feature the Extreme Rules contract signing between Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
– WWE is advertising CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho as one of the main events for the company’s upcoming tour of Spain from June 6-9. It’s worth noting that Jericho’s metal band Fozzy will be touring the UK during that week, so we’ll see if the Punk vs. Jericho match takes place.
– Tickets for WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view go on sale on May 5th. This year’s show takes place on Sunday, 7/15 from the US Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
– WWE Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine has commented on his release from the company. He tweeted on Monday afternoon:
“On my way to acquire some much needed experience. I’m just gettin’ started in this business.”
— Edge’s contract with WWE will expire on May 1, 2012, according to numerous organization sources. This would leave him able to appear for any professional wrestling organization.
Though Edge’s in-ring career is over, the news is considering surprising considering that he headlined last month’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the organization has kept other major retired figures (such as Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin) under contract.
— WWE.com has published an article revisiting CM Punk’s “dark past” entitled “Is karma chasing the WWE Champion?” WWE says: “WWE Champion CM Punk has endured relentless verbal and physical assaults from Chris Jericho in recent weeks. Has karma come calling for The Straight Edge Superstar? Take a look back at some dastardly deeds from Punk’s dark past that might finally be coming home to roost.”
— WrestlingFigs.com reports former WWF Champion Bob Backlund will appear Legends of the Ring 14 taking place Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey.
– Chris Jericho tweeted on Thursday that he got three staples in the back of his head as a result of his match with CM Punk last night in Milan, Italy.
– It appears that the 5/24 live event from Rio De Janeiro might be cancelled, as the show is no longer listed on WWE’s touring schedule. The 5/23 show in Sao Paulo, Brazil is still listed.
– This week’s NXT show featured a glaring error. At one point during the show, William Regal handcuffed Johnny Curtis’s left hand to Maxine’s right hand at ringside. Later in the show, Curtis and Maxine are shown still handcuffed together – but this time, Curtis’s right hand was handcuffed to Maxine’s right hand. Oops.
Chris Jericho appeared at the Revolver Golden Gods 2012 Awards last week and was interviewed on the red carpet before the event. Jericho revealed that his current WWE run will end before SummerSlam, when he plans to go on tour with Fozzy. Jericho said he and Fozzy intend to release new music by the end of August and plans to be on the road touring with Fozzy by then.
Jericho also gives his opinions on who would win between wrestling and metal personalities.
— On Wednesday, WWE’s stock price set a new 52-week low and closed at its lowest mark since April 2003. The stock closed at $7.96 per share after setting a 52-week low of $7.95 per share. It is also the first time the stock price has closed under $8.00 per share since April 2003.
— NXT authority figure William Regal fired both Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks on this week’s NXT episode (watch here) after pitting the perennial troublemakers against each other in a match in which their jobs were at stake.
Hawkins addressed his termination on Twitter, writing, “Future Endeavored. Anybody hiring a ridiculously good looking pro wrestler with exceptional hair? Damn you #NXT.”
This week’s episode of NXT also features Johnny Curtis vs. Percy Watson and Kaitlyn vs. Maxine.
— Beth Phoenix and Chris Jericho are scheduled to appear on French television show The Grand Journal this Friday to promote the evening’s Raw live event in Paris, France.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is set to appear in The Hero, a new competitive reality series looking to find the “next great hero,” reportsVariety. Johnson is an executive producer for the show, and will be appearing in “various incarnations” to encourage contestants.
— WWE.com takes a look back at the 10 best rookie years in WWE and WCW history. Brock Lesnar is ranked number one on this list, beating out Goldberg, Kurt Angle and The Undertaker, among others. (The 10 best rookie years).
— Former WWE talent Shane “Hurricane” Helms is not a fan of WWE’s “CM Drunk” storyline. He wrote during Monday’s Raw SuperShow where Chris Jericho claimed CM Punk was spotted drinking alcohol before defending his title against Mark Henry: “I like both Punk and Jericho but I could care less about this “straight edge vs alcoholic” angle. Just wrestle.”
Helms also critiqued a WWE star’s bumping ability: “Otunga … geez. You’re on TV with the biggest wrestling company in the world. Please learn how to bump bro.”
— Following CM Punk’s victory over Chris Jericho at Sunday’s Raw live event in Nottingham, England, the Straight Edge Superstar, John Cena, Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger appeared ringside to celebrate Vickie Guerrero’s birthday—she turns 44 years old on Monday. After Cena led the Capital FM Arena audience in singing “Happy Birthday To You” to Guerrero, Punk snuck up on the birthday girl by smashing her in the face with a chocolate cake. She then broke kayfabe by posing in the center of the ring with Punk and Cena.
Guerrero was taken by surprise by the moment. She wrote on Twitter, “My birthday is tomorrow the 16th!!!! The RAW crew surprised me tonight at show! It was so much fun! I showered the cake out of my hair and down my back….that was the sweetest shower ever!!!!”
— Rey Mysterio, who has been sidelined since August due to injury, is heading to Japan next month to promote the SmackDown brand’s upcoming tour of Tokyo. WWE will hold shows at Sumo Hall on August 9 and 10.
— WWE will hold two shows in Germany this November: at the O2 World Arena in Hamburg on November 2 and Arena Leipzig in Leipzig on November 3.
Earlier this week, Chris Jericho hosted the Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony. WWE Champion CM Punk won the award for ‘Most Metal Athlete.’ Chris Jericho accepted the award on Punk’s behalf – and then destroyed it. Check it out –
— CM Punk wasn’t on hand to accept the “Most Metal Athlete” Award during the 2012 “Revolver” Golden Gods Awards ceremony Wednesday night in Los Angeles, California so the show’s host, Chris Jericho, accepted the award on the WWE Champion’s behalf.
“I want to accept this for him, and even though he beat me at WrestleMania, and basically embarrassed me, I will give this to him in good standing,” Jericho said before smashing Punk’s award over his knee and tossing it off the stage.
Video and photos from the incident are available here.
— At Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., WWE had arena security confiscate signs referencing Lord Tensai’s prior characters—Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train. The signs were taken away prior to his match against Yoshi Tatsu. During the bout, the crowd could be heard chanting “Albert,” which Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler did not acknowledge.
While Cole referred to Lord Tensai as a returning WWE Superstar in his Raw SuperShow debut last week, there has not been any specific references made to any of his former personas on television. However, WWE.com has acknowledged that he previously competed as Albert and A-Train before “embarking on a journey of self-discovery in Japan.”
– While official numbers are not yet available, early indications from cable companies show that WWE’s WrestleMania 28 drew approximately 1.1 million PPV buys.
WWE was initially hoping for 1.3 million buys, but lowered their expectations to 1 million by WrestleMania Sunday.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Dustin “Goldust” Runnels (46), ECW original Balls Mahoney (40) and WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race (69).
– Chris Jericho will be appearing on Adam Carolla’s podcast this Friday at AdamCarolla.com.