-The main event angle on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW saw WWE Superstar Big Show get re-hired by WWE COO Triple H, ending what was probably the shortest “banned for life” sentence in WWE history. Additionally, Big Show was guaranteed a WWE Championship match against Randy Orton at the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
-Daniel Bryan was officially removed from the WWE Championship picture. As noted, Big Show will receive the next shot at the title, with Bryan now positioned in a feud alongside CM Punk against The Wyatt Family.
-Paul Heyman re-emerged on RAW on Monday in the form of a live telephone interview with RAW announcer Michael Cole. Heyman claimed multiple injuries suffered at the hands of CM Punk at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, and was reportedly scripted to say that he was getting medical treatment in Europe, which is where next week’s RAW will take place.
For more news from this week’s RAW, you can read our detailed report of the show here: WWE RAW Results (11/4/13)
-The official E! website has added a new preview clip of the WWE Total Divas reality show. In the clip, WWE Superstar John Cena discusses a time when he pooped his pants in the ring. You can check that clip out online at EOnline.com.
-The pre-sale password for the return of WWE to Chicago, Illinois on December 26th is PUNK. Currently advertised WWE Superstars for the event include CM Punk, Paul Heyman, Ryback, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and The Wyatt Family.
– World Heavyweight champion John Cena was interviewed by Renee Young last night after defeating Damien Sandow on RAW. Cena said Sandow gave a great effort, but he doesn’t plan on losing the World Heavyweight title any time soon. Cena says he plans to carry himself like a champion, unlike other people in WWE.
– CM Punk suffered a cut over his eye after being attacked by Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family on RAW. WWE.com has video footage from a commercial break of Punk refusing help from referees.
– The following matches are rumored for WWE Survivor Series:
* World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio
* WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Big Show
* A traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and 2 partners vs. The Wyatt Family and a partner.
* 4-Team Tag Title Match featuring Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. The Real Americans vs. The Shield vs. another team, probably The Usos.
(Information from f4wonline.com was used in this report)
Mexican wrestling legend and former WCW competitor Konnan made a guest appearance on the Asked w/Riv Landin podcast, where he addressed CM Punk, Curtis Axel, Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, TNA Wrestling and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
* When asked whether or not he has heat with CM Punk. Konnan mentioned that he’s never had a problem with Punk personally and said the reports of him having a big ego are all second hand.
* Konnan was asked about Sunny’s cancer fundraiser, he stated that he doubts the WWE Hall of Famer is even being truthful about having cancer because she is a known liar.
* In regards to TNA Wrestling possibly being put up for sale, Konnan said he’s not surprised and he hopes Jeff Jarrett is the buyer.
* Konnan said that Curtis Axel is boring and referred to as “wonder bread.” He stated Axel needs to watch his father’s old films and get a charisma transplant.
– When John Cena faces Alberto Del Rio tonight at WWE Hell in a Cell for the WWE Championship, Cena will sport a protective compression sleeve (with pad insert) on his surgically repaired arm, according to the Miami Herald. This is similar to what former NBA player Allen Iverson wore and what Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade wears. That will minimize any swelling and help decrease impact on the arm.
– Booker T will not be hand on for tonight’s WWE Hell in the Cell pay-per-view event in Mimai, Florida. Rather, that WWE Hall of Famer and talent from his Reality of Wrestling promotion will be watching tonight’s pay-per-view broadcast with fans in Houston, Texas, at Diablo Loco on Richmond Avenue.
– As seen on SmackDown, CM Punk and Ryback got a tune-up match against a CM Punk imposter in preparation for their encounter with Paul Heyman tonight at WWE Hell in a Cell. Highlights from the bout are feature on the “WWE SmackDown Slam of the Week.”
– CM Punk was originally scheduled to compete at last Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Birmingham, Alabama, but ultimately did not because company officials didn’t want him to any more beat up going tonight’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event encounter against Ryback. Nonetheless, Punk’s injuries are expected to affect the booking of the match. The bout is not scheduled to be the end of his feud with Paul Heyman.
– Chris Jericho revealed late last night on Twitter that he plans to release his third autobiography, which will on his second tenure with WWE, next September, and a Fozzy album in June. In response to when he will return to WWE, Jericho responded, “Most asked question & the answer is “I don’t know” That’s the best I can say so STOP ASKING ;).”
– World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio battles the returning John Cena in a title clash tonight at Hell in a Cell. Courtesy of the official YouTube account of WWE,
– After concluding six months of filming for Hercules: The Thracian Wars last week, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is crossing over to filming for Fast & Furious 7, where “The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment” reprises his role as the hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs.
Fast & Furious 7 will hit theaters in July 2014, while Hercules: The Thracian Wars comes out the following month.
– Promoting Hell in a Cell, the official YouTube account has released a WWE ’13 simulation of CM Punk vs. Ryback and Paul Heyman, as AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Jerry Lawler not being mocked in his hometown on RAW: “The King got out unscathed in his home town. That somewhat surprised me and, just thinking out loud, I wonder if WWE missed an opportunity to help a villain IE Del Rio have more momentum for this Sunday’s HIAC PPV? It better serves the returning John Cena to face a hot antagonist.”
On how fans perceive John Cena: “Find it humorous that on my Twitter feed @JRsBBQ that those that did not like Cena before he was injured STILL don’t like John even after viewing the videos. Without question Cena is amazingly polarizing but also, without question, John Cena is the biggest star in WWE, like it or not.”
On the in-ring product on Monday’s RAW: “The in ring product last night was solid and enjoyable for the most part. Any one who thinks that WWE, or any one else, can have three hours of great, TV rasslin and it all be really good needs to be drug tested. That’s not going to happen any time soon. I honestly don’t think that’s possible at this time in the business.”
“Ambrose vs. Bryan was a really, nice match. Bryan provided his fans ‘hope’ while Ambrose taking a clean loss gives him something to bitch about and to plot for his retribution. Great selling and near falls which are two essentials of any good, pro wrestling bout.”
“Orton vs. Ziggler was another good bout that Orton needed to win and Ziggler provided the ‘shine’ for that outcome. Another loss that did not destroy Dolph who has proven to me that he is one of WWE’s top talents. Many fans are growing impatient of Ziggler’s current status on the card but all he can do is continue to out perform as many of his opponents as he can on a regular basis and his time will come. That’s akin to HBK being considered only a tag team wrestler and never any thing else for years until Shawn got into one on one bouts and, over time, became a show stealer.”
On Paul Heyman’s promo on RAW and the Punk/Heyman feud: “Paul Heyman’s promo was the best verbal presentation on the show but that can be said more often than not. Heyman knows how to be an antagonist and how to facilitate fans to dislike him. Villains who purposely make fans laugh are erroneously produced in my view. Bobby Heenan could pull it off but ‘Wease’ was a genius and he did not have writers providing his material.”
“Certainly feel that the Heyman-Punk personal issue is nearing a definitive end. I guess we will find out on Sunday. I’m not sure where else it can go involving the two especially as it relates to Punk giving Heyman the long promised physicality that Heyman’s TV persona deserves.”
On HBK’s performance on RAW and how WWE ended the show: “Thought HBK was effectively utilized in Memphis and much better than the week before. I tweeted @JRsBBQ last night asking if RAW would end the night with ‘hope’ or ‘heat’ and the answer obviously was one of ‘hope’ as the overachieving, underdog Daniel Bryan…along with the Big Show….left the live audience on a high and hopefully, for the talents and WWE’s sake, the motivation needed to purchase the HIAC PPV this Sunday.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– The originally scheduled main event for Monday’s Raw in Memphis, Tennessee was to have featured WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. The Shield in a Handicap Match. Vince McMahon, however, changed creative plans over the course of the day, as a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship was instead announced for this Sunday at Hell in a Cell (Cody Rhodes and Goldust will defend their belts against The Shield and the Uso brothers) and United States Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Daniel Bryan was added to the show at the last minute.
Speaking of Ambrose, he appeared to have tweaked his knee after being tossed out of the ring during his show-opening match against Bryan. He was limping slightly backstage following the match, but it is not considered serious.
– In a tag team match pitting Hell in a Cell opponents, CM Punk and Big E Langston defeated Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel and Ryback on Raw. Following the bout, there was a lot of talk backstage of Punk appearing hurt.
– While Xavier Woods was backstage at Raw, there were no plans for him to appear on the broadcast.
-According to various reports, WWE Superstar Ryback is scheduled to have a program with the new babyface Big E. Langston following his current feud with CM Punk.
-During Sunday’s WWE live event in Tupelo, Mississippi, Rey Mysterio made an unannounced appearance. Mysterio made the save for R-Truth, who was getting beat up by Alberto Del Rio following his loss to the World Heavyweight Champion on the show. Mysterio and Truth both beat up Damien Sandow, who teased cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase during all of the chaos.
Fans interested can check out a complete report from the WWE live event in Tupelo on the main page.
CM Punk and AJ Lee are now dating, according to Mexican wrestling legend and former WCW Superstar Konnan.
Last month, “The Straight Edge Superstar” and the WWE Divas Champion were shown seated together at Wrigley Field during WGN’s broadcast of a Chicago Cubs versus Pittsburgh Pirates game. This naturally jump-started rumors online, especially on social media—some fans on Twitter have stated that they were blocked by Punk for mentioning Lee to him in messages.
Konnan learned of this tidbit from his source within the sports-entertainment organization. While addressing WWE happenings on the MLW Radio podcast, he stated, “I would also to say that I found that AJ Lee is dating CM Punk, I don’t know if that’s public knowledge.”
Punk had been romantically linked to former WWE talent Amy “Lita” Dumas as recently as last spring. Co-host Court Bauer asked Konnan, “He’s done with Lita?” He responded, “Yep.”
Konnan continued to dish on Punk, stating that some people in the company feel he has a “huge head.” Furthermore, the former Max Moon reveals that Punk once “hated” fellow top star John Cena for similar behavior.
“To me, it’s like, alright, you waited all this time to become a big star, and all those guys that had a big head, that you hated, like Cena,” said Konnan. “And now you have a big head. You need to bring your s**t down back to ground.”
He reiterated further, “I was told by my source in WWE that CM Punk has a big head and he’s conceited.”
This new episode of MLW Radio is available for free at MLW.com and on iTunes (search: MLW Radio), along with episodes featuring Chris Jericho, The Ultimate Warrior, Billy Corgan, Konnan, Carlito, Teddy Hart, Sean Waltman and many others—a new episode drops every Sunday.
– WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel has published a new article on WWE.com looking at “10 Overlooked Managers You Need to Know” – including The Jackl, Paul Jones, Skandor Akbar, Coach, Frenchy Martin and more.
– When asked about his thoughts on World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio on Twitter, Jim Ross said, “Good man. Tough guy. Love to see him be more aggressive. ”
– In the latest “Outside the Ring” WWE Youtube show, CM Punk plays wiffle ball in Chicago:
“Join CM Punk in Chicago as he attempts to hit a homer with a chair at “Woody’s Wiffle Ball Classic” and meets some of the members of the WWE Universe at Wizard World.”
On Monday’s live edition of WWE RAW, a new match with an added stipulation was announced for the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, which emanates from Miami, Florida on October 27th.
It was announced by RAW General Manager Brad Maddox that a “Beat The Clock Challenge” would take place to determine whether Paul Heyman or CM Punk would get to select the stipulation for Punk’s match against Ryback at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Ryback would take on R-Truth, while Punk would take on Curtis Axel. Ryback defeated Truth at 5:44, while Punk defeated Axel at 5:33.
It had already been revealed earlier in the night by Heyman that if Ryback won, the match with Punk would be a two-on-one handicap match against both Ryback and Axel. Since Punk won, he decided to keep it a two-on-one handicap match, instead featuring Ryback and Heyman against himself in a Hell In A Cell match.
With that now known, here is an updated look at the official lineup thus far for this year’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view:
Vacant WWE Championship Hell In A Cell Match with Special Referee Shawn Michaels
-Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship
-Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena
Hell In A Cell Handicap Match
-CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman
Stay tuned to SESCOOPS.COM for further updates to the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view lineup, and make sure to check back on Sunday, October 27th for the best live results coverage of the show on the internet.
-WWE announced Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler for Ambrose’s WWE United States Championship as the main event for WWE Main Event on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW.
WWE Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Kansas City, Kansas.
-Also on RAW this week, it was announced that in a “rare appearance,” CM Punk will be on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which is also taped on Tuesday night in Kansas City.
-And finally, the WWE Tag-Team Championships changed hands on Monday’s RAW, as Cody Rhodes and Goldust defeated Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to capture the titles. The Rhodes Brothers picked up the victory via help from Big Show, who interfered on their behalf in the main event of the show.
The goofy mixed-martial-arts challenge match between CM Punk and actor Jason David Frank (aka The Green Power Ranger) is back in the headlines following Frank’s recent appearance at the New York Comic Con. During a 20th anniversary panel, Frank spoke about the challenge made to Punk to fight in a legitimate mixed-martial-arts contest back in July.
The following is a quote from Frank about the issue, which he spoke about at the aforementioned Comic Con panel:
“Let’s get that going. I love CM Punk, he’s a really nice guy. But he did say in his panel that he would fight me and you can’t say that in the fighting world if you don’t mean that you’d fight me. Let’s get a contract going!”
-Paul Heyman spoke to WWE interviewer Renee Young following his “client” Curtis Axel’s victory over R-Truth in the WWE Intercontinental Championship match on Friday night’s edition of WWE SmackDown. The interview, which appeared exclusively on the WWE App, featured Heyman talking about CM Punk’s recent obsession with him, as well as Heyman questioning whether or not Young was going back to Punk with his answers. On that subject, Heyman said, “When you’re the man on top like Paul Heyman, you always have to wonder when they’re coming after you. Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not coming after you. When I say they, I mean CM Punk.”
-Philly.com has posted a new interview with WWE Superstar and the current holder of the Money In The Bank briefcase, Damien Sandow. Fans interested in checking out that interview can do so online at Philly.com.
-WWE Superstar CM Punk is reportedly dealing with a few nagging injuries, including problems with both of his knees and his back.
According to one source, the hope is with John Cena returning to WWE, and both Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton healthy, that Punk can take some time off soon and heal up before WrestleMania XXX season.
-The Everything Zoomer website has added part one of a new two-part interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Fans interested in checking that out can do so online at EverythingZoomer.com.
-Apparently the WWE television storyline where Triple H bought Big Show’s house was taken from the CM Punk DVD that the company produced. On the documentary portion of the DVD, a real-life story was told where Joey Mercury was facing financial problems due to some personal issues he was experiencing, and as a result, Punk bought Mercury’s house for him.
-It’s said to be unlikely that WWE Superstar Wade Barrett’s new gimmick will be the “Bad News Barrett” character that we see on the weekly JBL & Cole Show that appears on the official WWE YouTube channel. Many in the company feel it would be surprising if the higher-ups chose to use anything that is featured on YouTube on their actual television storylines. Regardless, the rumors are true that the company is planning on repackaging Barrett, simply because the feeling is the roster is lacking depth in the heel department.
– WWE has officially announced that CM Punk will face Ryback at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
– During last night’s SmackDown taping, Los Matadores faced the tag team of El Locales, which was Riccardo Rodriguez and Tyson Kidd working under masks.
– Today would have been the 46th birthday of the late Eddie Guerrero. Eddie’s wife Vickie and his nephew Chavo Guerrero tweeted teh following messages remembering Eddie:
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On John Cena’s early in-ring return to WWE: “John Cena returning so soon from his latest surgery surprised me. It’s a no brainer why WWE needs their top star back as quickly as possible but is Cena returning too soon? Perhaps Del Rio travels to Florida and takes Cena out prior to the HIAC but not likely. Sounds like an old, Watts angle.”
On Stephanie McMahon and Big Show: “Thought the opening segment was a hit. Stephanie McMahon had control of her promo and it did not sound un-organic. Talents who memorize their ‘lines’ and then present them as such ruins it for me. Yep, I might be too old school for today’s product but I tune out and disconnect when I feel someone is talking to me from any place other than their heart.”
On CM Punk and Paul Heyman: “Significant albeit surprising opportunity for R Truth tagging with CM Punk vs. Heyman’s duo. Yes, it sets up a match for Smackdown but what else down the road? I don’t feel Punk’s angst toward Heyman was much as I did a few weeks ago. Is that just me?”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– CM Punk low-blowing Ryback to win their match at Battleground was done because WWE did not want to have either man lose cleanly.
– Several fans who posted live reports from Battleground noted that the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY was approximately 1/3 empty, with around 12,000 fans in attendance.
– Regarding the power outage before the main event, WWE’s video wall and set lights went out but the arena lights were not affected. WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts made an announcement to the live crowd about the situation shortly after the outage.
The official WWE website posted a series of video interviews following Sunday’s WWE Battleground event in Buffalo, New York. The interviews feature several WWE Superstars reacting to everything that transpired during the event. Here is a breakdown of what is covered:
-WWE RAW General Manager Brad Maddox reacts to the controversy over the outcome of the WWE Championship main event between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. Maddox also sells the fact that he was warned by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon over the phone that if anything went wrong, he would be to blame.
-CM Punk reacted to his victory over Ryback, continuing his claim that he will not rest until he gets his hands on Paul Heyman. Punk went as far as to say because he did not finally get his hands on Heyman, he was not satisfied with his performance at Battleground.
-The Rhodes Family reacted to their emotional victory over The Shield, which guaranteed Dusty Rhodes his job as a WWE trainer in Florida, and also resulted in both Cody Rhodes and Goldust being re-hired by the company.
-R-Truth vented his frustration for continually coming up short in matches recently after he failed to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship in his pay-per-view match against Curtis Axel.
-Alberto Del Rio gloated about his victory over Rob Van Dam in the pay-per-view opener, and the fact that he is still the World Heavyweight Champion.
You can check out all of the aforementioned video interviews online at WWE.com.
-Former WWE Superstar Perry Saturn was introduced as a trainer during Saturday night’s WWE NXT live event in Bartow, Florida.
-WWE is continuing the “Where’s Drew?” theme for Drew McIntyre. According to various reports, this could lead to McIntyre splitting from the 3MB group and returning to his “Chosen One” gimmick. The official company Twitter account posted the following on Saturday:
“Is @TheDrewMcIntyre in #WWEAlbany? #WheresDrew”
-WWE has added a video preview of the CM Punk vs. Ryback match scheduled for this Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view on their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
-WWE Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund was in attendance at the WWE live event in Syracuse, New York on Friday night. Fans interested in reading a full report from the WWE live event in Syracuse on Friday can do so on the main page.
-Several WWE Superstars, including Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Booker T, The Miz, Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Titus O’Neil and Brodus Clay, fielded questions about life in WWE during a recent interview with The National publication in the Middle East to promote next week’s WWE tour in Abu Dhabi. You can check that article out online at TheNational.ae.
-WWE Superstar and member of The Shield, Roman Reigns, recently took a shot at Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes” in a WWE Battleground promotional tweet posted on his official Twitter account on Saturday afternoon. Reigns wrote:
@DUSTIN_RHODES1: the poor fool isn’t familiar with how we do things. #WWEBattleground = #TheRhodesRetirementParty Believe That!