– Stephanie McMahon might wind up in her husband Triple H’s corner for his No Holds Barred match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29. Stephanie would be there to even the odds (with Heyman in Lesnar’s corner), so it appears there could be more to the recent video of her boxing and saying she’s “coming to get” Paul Heyman.
– With less than two weeks to go until WrestleMania 29, there’s been talk that the build to CM Punk vs. Undertaker will include CM Punk trying to end the Undertaker’s streak by pushing the Undertaker into getting himself disqualified. Punk has already stated on WWE television that the Streak does not have to end in a pinfall or submission.
– WWE officials have discussed turning Booker T heel after he’s inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen deceased WWE manager Paul Bearer’s urn incorporated into storylines and used in CM Punk’s WrestleMania 29 feud with The Undertaker.
CM Punk has been pushing the envelope with the the memory of Paul Bearer, interrupting The Undertaker’s tribute to him, implying that the urn contains Paul Bearer’s ashes, impersonating Paul Bearer’s voice and even dropping the urn on the floor while tossing it around.
According to TMZ.com, everything we’ve seen in recent weeks since Paul Bearer’s passing has been approved by his family. WWE’s creative team approached Paul’s family immediately after his passing and asked for permission to incorporate Bearer into the Punk-Taker storyline.
Paul Bearer’s son Michael told TMZ.com that the family had no problem signing off on the idea, because they know he’d appreciate being part of a storyline from the afterlife:
“We felt that dad would have wanted us at RAW last week and agreed to the angle … We knew Dad wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
CM Punk will be getting some time off after WrestleMania 29. The former WWE Champion has been dealing with several nagging injuries in recent months, but has downplayed the extent of how banged up he is. Punk’s latest injury took place on last week’s RAW during his no DQ match with Kane. There are conflicting reports as to whether it was his arm or his hip or his knee.
Punk was originally scheduled to wrestle at last week’s WWE live events, but did not compete. He’s also been pulled from all upcoming WWE live events through WrestleMania 29, so he can rest up and be healthy for his match against The Undertaker.
Punk most likely will not be working most live events immediately after WrestleMania, but is still scheduled for all RAW TV shows and is still advertised for WWE’s European tour the week after WrestleMania. The feeling in WWE is that Punk has been giving 110% to the company during a time when they needed him (especially during his title reign) and has earned the time off.
– CM Punk has been pulled from all WWE live events through WrestleMania 29. Despite the fact that he’s been downplaying whatever nagging injuries he’s working through, WWE wants to make sure he’s rested up and healthy for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29.
– Jim Ross tweeted the following about an upcoming hunting trip with Shawn Michaels:
Can't wait to go feral hog hunting w/ @ShawnMichaels & #MRA crew hopefully in May on HBK's Texas ranch. I smell…bacon!! And a BBQ.#WWE
– Rey Mysterio is being advertised for the April 8th WWE RAW taping from East Rutherford, New Jersey, the night after WrestleMania 29.
– CM Punk did not appear at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Providence, Rhode Island, despite being advertised. Punk’s name was featured on the marquee outside of the arena, but there was no mention of him during the live event and no refunds were offered to fans who attended the show to see him. It’s believed that Punk suffered an injury to his arm last week on RAW and he was given a few days of to rest up.
– F4wonline.com reports that WWE superstars have been talking about how strange it is to not have the WWE Champion appearing at live events for over a month now. That said, WWE’s “Road To WrestleMania” live events have been drawing great crowds and have been very profitable.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has update his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about: is back with a new blog on jrsbarbq.com. Here are some highlights:
The Latest From Steve Austin:
@steveaustinBSR about to head to Mexico to tape season three of CMT’s Redneck Island and then onto his ranch in south Texas to start a new, reality show for CMT taped on the Broken Skull Ranch. Plus, the Texas Rattlesnake and devout JR’s BBQ Sauce and Chipotle Ketchup user is about to step into the world of weekly podcasts. Stay tuned and follow Steve on Twitter for more info.
CM Punk’s Recent Antics:
Still getting some lingering feedback regarding @CMPunk interrupting The Undertaker’s tribute to the late, Paul Bearer Monday night. Again, I did not and do not have a problem with it especially considering that WWE honored the memory of my late friend throughout the night. For PB to be involved in another major, storyline leading into WrestleMania, would have thrilled him to no end. Villains do bad things and usually get their comeuppance in the end. Time will tell on the latter as it relates to Punk ending ‘The Streak’ which would be as big a defining moment as when the Ultimate Warrior beat Hulk Hogan at WM6, in the eyes of some.
Helluva match on Friday Night Smackdown between @RealJackSwagger and @IAmJericho. Jericho brings out the best in everyone he faces, which is a legit artform on the grappling canvas, and the former Division One, two sport athlete Swagger is getting better each week. Swagger’s addition of veteran Zeb Colter to his presentation has been positive from the young Oklahoman’s development.
CM Punk appeared at Friday’s Raw live event in Bridgeport, Connecticut with Paul Heyman. The former WWE Champion did not compete after reportedly suffering an arm injury during a match against Kane on Monday’s Raw.
CM Punk and Paul Heyman had the Undertaker’s urn with them as they cut a promo hyping their upcoming showdown at WrestleMania 29. Punk and Heyman were playing catch with the earn and all but said that it was Paul Bearer’s ashes inside the urn.
– 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.
– There was some concern in WWE that CM Punk might have been injured on RAW during his no disqualification match against Kane. At one point in the match, Punk took a bad bump and cameras quickly cut away, while referee Mike Chioda threw up the “X” symbol. A trainer came down to look at Punk, but Punk ended up finishing the match. Between this and the recent incident at a WWE live event where The Miz dropped Punk on his head during a botched stalled suplex, the road to WrestleMania has been a bumpy one for Punk, to say the least.
– WWE legend Goldust commented on his WrestleMania 29 status on Thursday:
“Looks like i will be watching #WM29 this year from the comfort of my home. #newkidsontheblock ! Hope they know the opportunity they have!!!”
Goldust has been pushing for years to get a WrestleMania match against his younger brother, Cody. After his surprise return at the Royal Rumble, it looked like he might have finally gotten his wish, but .. there’s always next year. He mentioned that, he “might have to hit up Booker T for a reunion against Rhodes Scholars.”
– As previously reported, WWE has been reaching out to former Divas in hopes of getting them to return to the company. Aside from Kelly Kelly and Maryse, they also reportedly reached out to Beth Phoenix.
– In light of CM Punk interrupting The Undertaker’s salute to the late Paul Bearer on RAW, WWE.com has a feature up looking at CM Punk’s most dastardly moments.
– The Undertaker is currently scheduled to appear every episode of WWE RAW leading up to WrestleMania 29.
– Here’s the latest edition of WWE Inbox:
World Heavyweight Champion, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston and The Miz reveal their dream jobs within WWE if they weren’t Superstars. Plus, Mae Young and Betty White form a tag team? Your favorite WWE Superstars pick their team name. All this and more on WWE Inbox!
– The Miz was recently interviewed by Denver’s Westword.com blog and had this to say about getting to travel the world as a WWE superstar and his character now being a babyface:
“I love the fact that I get to travel all over the world — I’ve gone everywhere all over America. I’ve been to China, Mexico, Europe and Australia. I’ve gotten to see the world through the WWE. Not only that, when I come out onto the stage, I get to hear the reaction of the crowd. Let me tell you something: You might not know this, but a few months ago, people were booing me. They were telling me I sucked and they hated me. But now, they’re embracing me. It’s a whole newfound glory and I’m loving every second of it.”
– The New York Daily News has named WWE superstar CM Punk as their “Dude of the Week” for recently meeting with shooting victim Thomas Dotterer in a Syracuse, NY hospital. The paper wrote:
“For paying a surprise visit. The WWE star invited Tom Dotterer to a wrestling show Sunday, but the 77-year-old was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery related to a gunshot wound to the eye he suffered in January during a robbery at his liquor store. Dotterer couldn’t make it to the WWE event so Punk (showing he’s hardly one) came to the hospital before the show for some spirit lifting. A letter Dotterer wrote, read by his son during a fund-raiser, showed he was thinking of Punk. Dotterer asked to be forgiven by those he “sarcastically ripped apart or had opinionated exchanges with.”
TNA star Christopher Daniels recently spoke to TheWhig.com. Here are some highlights of what Daniels said about:
TNA President Dixie Carter: “You know, she’s given a lot of people opportunities that they may not have had, if it wasn’t for TNA,” he said. “And the fact that she came around, and helped TNA last, it’s a big deal for a lot of us. Those of us who have never had that opportunity with WWE, we’re on a nationally televised wrestling promotion, and we’re living our dream.”
Why He Never Caught on with WWE: “I think that they never really saw anything that they could really sink their teeth into,” he said. “Which is OK, because you know, the truth of the matter is I was never really their type of wrestler. Or when I was, or now that I am … I don’t know … I’ve already got ties to TNA, or Ring of Honor, or wherever I was, at the time.”
Fellow ROH Alum CM Punk: “I think it’s great, man. He rose to the top at a time where it seemed like John Cena might be the only person that WWE would give that opportunity to. You know, it took him a while to sort of find his groove, but I think it’s a testament to his hard work, and his stubbornness to stick with it. And to finally break through and hold a World Heavyweight Championship for more than a calendar year … that’s a big accomplishment, especially in this day and age. It all goes back to the effort he put in to get there in the first place, and the effort he put in to stand out, and be somebody that the crowd wanted to see.”
ESPN.com has updated their weekly WWE Power Rankings and once again, CM Punk tops the list. Here’s this week’s Top 10:
1. CM Punk
2. The Undertaker
3. Ryback
4. The Rock
5. Triple H
6. The Sheild
7. The Miz
8. John Cena
9. Mark Henry
10. Alberto Del Rio
The article speculates whether CM Punk vs. The Undertaker will be the final match at WrestleMania, writing:
“That’s a notion that would’ve seemed ludicrous a few months ago, especially considering the popularity of The Rock. But after seeing the boring exchange between Rock and Cena on Monday night (other than Rock’s great line about Lance Armstrong), I think, once again, you have to go back and credit Punk for creating the fire and intensity behind the Punk/Rock feud and giving the fans something to care about heading into the two title matches.”
– The following matches were taped before RAW for this week’s episode of Superstars:
* Team Rhodes Scholars vs. The Usos.
* Layla vs. Tamina Snuka.
– The Undertaker returned to WWE on Monday’s Old School RAW at the start of the show. The Undertaker signaled that he would be at WrestleMania 29. Later in the show, a 4-way match would be held to determine his opponent.
– CM Punk defeated Sheamus, Big Show and Randy Orton to earn a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. Undertaker came out after Punk’s win and had a staredown with Punk.
– Also on RAW, Triple H challenged Brock Lesnar to a match at WrestleMania 29.
WWE superstar CM Punk met with 77-year-old robbery victim Thomas Dotterer in a Syracuse, New York hospital on Sunday.
Dotterer was scheduled to attend Sunday’s WWE RAW live event, but was unable to leave the hospital due to complications from being shot in the eye back in January.
According to local ABC affiliate WSYR, Dotterer is scheduled to be released from the hospital in a few days.
Here is WSYR’s news report of Punk visiting Dotterer in the hospital:
WWE’s RAW brand will be heading to Toronto, Canada tonight for the first leg of this weekend’s live events tour. They will be in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Saturday night and Syracuse, New York on Sunday.
On Sunday, CM Punk will get to meet 77-year-old robbery victim Thomas Dotterer, who was shot in the face at his liquor store back in January and told a local news crew that the worst part of his week was actually The Rock defeating Punk for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Punk heard about the story, reached out to Dotterer and WSYR in Syracuse reports that Dotterer will have ringside seats at Sunday’s show.
The following matches are advertised for this weekend’s RAW brand live events:
– John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus vs. The Shield
– CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston
– US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Donald Trump’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction & A Physical HOF Building:
“Still amazes me that many seemingly sane people can’t differentiate from being inducted into the WWE HOF as a wrestler, etc over the honorary, celeb status. I have written about this in the past and am getting tired of responding to many knuckleheads on Twitter @JRsBBQ on the topic.”
“I will say that WWE definitely NEEDS a building to house the HOF combined with a WWE Museum and I feel that will happen in the future. So much goes into a facility such as this as it is a MAJOR undertaking as one can imagine. The location is vital, an adequate building is a must, the right staff and curator can influence success or failure, acquiring items for display are crucial and these are just some of the issues. I would bet my last black hat that it happens sooner than later but only when all the moving parts have been addressed. Until then many will continue to bitch about who’s in the WWE HOF and why their favorite isn’t….and so it goes.”
John Cena vs. CM Punk on RAW: “Two points on this tremendous, main event, 1. Cena added some new wrinkles to his game that might silence some of his narrow minded critics for a few days and 2. Punk was working with the flu and hampered by jet lag from a long flight to Dallas from Istanbul on the last day of a grueling, three day international tour. I watched the match live on TV and it is the first match in a long time that I’ve gone back and watched again on DVR.”
Following his surprise return at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Waco, Texas, The Undertaker’s television return is imminent and could take place as soon as Monday’s “Old School” RAW.
The long-rumored Undertaker vs. CM Punk match at WrestleMania will in fact be taking place – and now WWE’s creative team is rushing to fast-track the feud with just over 5 weeks until the pay-per-view. WWE already got the ball rolling on Monday’s RAW, when CM Punk cut a promo talking about being a wrestling icon above all other Superstars and God.
One big issue with Punk’s match against The Undertaker is that he’s now lost 3 high profile matches – against The Rock at the Royal Rumble & Elimination Chamber and against John Cena on Monday’s RAW. Punk remains one of WWE’s top draws, but there is concern that another big loss could affect his perception with fans.
The February 25th, 2013 WWE RAW main event between CM Punk and John Cena is being called an “instant classic” and one of the best RAW matches in years. Battling for a shot to face The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29, both competitors stepped their game up and delivered what could be their finest match to date.
– John Cena continues to tweet a countdown to his match against CM Punk on RAW:
“Only 2 more days until #thunderdomeindallas @JohnCena v @CMPunk winner faces @WWE champ @TheRock”
– Friday’s WWE SmackDown had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 59,010, down 5% from last week. This was the least social media activity for the show so far this year, headed into next week’s “Social Media SmackDown.”
– WWE has released the following video of the Top 10 entrances in WrestleMania history:
Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger posted the following video on Youtube, calling out conservative radio host and TV personality Glenn Beck on Friday, inviting him to appear on Monday’s WWE RAW to address them and get 5 minutes of uninterrupted time to get his point across –
– John Cena tweeted the following on Friday hyping his match against CM Punk on RAW:
“Only 3 more days until #thunderdomeindallas @JohnCena v @CMPunk winner faces @WWE champ @TheRock”
CM Punk was asked by a fan on Twitter if he can beat John Cena without cheating. He replied:
“Of course. Just more fun to cheat.”
– Here is the cover art for WWE’s new Mick Foley “For All Mankind” DVD/Blu-Ray, due out April 16th. Limited copies of the Foley DVD/Blu-Ray will come packaged with a Mr. Socko.
– WWE taped the following matches prior to Monday’s RAW for a future episode of Saturday Morning Slam:
* Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett
* AJ Lee vs. Natalya
– Next week on RAW, John Cena will put his WrestleMania main event spot on the line against CM Punk. The winner will go on to challenge WWE Champion The Rock on April 7th.
– HeymanHustle.com has exclusive quotes from Paul Heyman, who talks about CM Punk’s possession of the WWE Championship as well as some storyline-driven accusations that The Rock and Vince McMahon have conspired together to get the belt off Punk.
– WWE personality Ricardo Rodriguez turns 27 years old today. He was born on February 17, 1986.
– New Orleans’ Times-Picayune newspaper published a preview of tonight’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The article predicts that Dolph Ziggler will leave tonight’s event with the World Heavyweight Championship and Chris Jericho will win the Elimination Chamber match, setting up a WrestleMania showdown between the two men.
– WWE has released the following footage of R-Truth’s recent promotional tour of Qatar: