– The next episode of “Table For 3” on the WWE Network drops at 4pm EST. on Wednesday and will feature The Miz, Curtis Axel and R-Truth. The official description for the show reads: “The Miz, R-Truth and Curtis Axel share insightful stories in and outside the ring, and discuss what it takes to make it as a WWE Superstar.”
– Also on Wednesday, a new episode of “Unfiltered with Renee Young” will premiere on the WWE Network at 4:30pm EST. The description for her show, which will feature Finn Balor, reads: “Renee sits down with NXT Superstar Finn Balor as they discuss growing up in Ireland, his favorite movies and his surprising love for legos.”
– Below is the latest Superstar Ghost Stories teaser featuring WWE Diva and Total Divas star Paige.
– Earlier today, Curtis Axel’s profile on WWE.com was altered to reflect his Hulk Hogan-based Axelmania schtick. It has been changed again as all references to the persona have been removed.
When WWE terminated Hogan’s contract two weeks ago amid allegations that he made racist comments, virtually all references to his legendary name were removed from the official website, including his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise on WWE Shop, and his entry in the Hall of Fame portion of the Superstars section. This included anything that could be associated with Hogan, which meant the end of Axel’s character.
– AJ Brooks (a/k/a AJ Lee) has changed her Twitter handle to AJBrooks.
At last, I have a new handle: @AJBrooks. New name. Same asinine tweets.
– Here is the synopsis for Total Divas airing on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 9/8 CT on E!: “Tensions ride high in the Bella family when JJ tries to take over the twins’ new business; Trinity goes above and beyond in her role as stepmother; and Eva devises a risky plan to prove herself to the Divas.”
When WWE terminated Hulk Hogan’s contract on July 24 amid allegations that he made racist comments, virtually all references to his legendary name were removed from their website, including his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise from WWE Shop, and his entry from its WWE Hall of Fame page. This included any imagery that could be associated with him, and for Curtis Axel, it meant the demise of his character patterned after the legendary wrestler.
In an update, Axel’s profile on WWE.com was reverted back to the “Axelmania” character today.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official Q&A section, answering questions from fans on a variety of topics. Below are some of the highlights:
On Kevin Owens and his push: “I’m not worried about Kevin Owens “push” in the least. He’s too talented to not be successful if he continues to perform as he has. Fans need to display some patience on matters such as this.”
On The Undertaker’s physical status in 2015: “Taker seems to be healthier than he has in a long time. He’s months past his last surgery to repair lingering damage. Plus, he’s a stud.”
On the possibility of a Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens “Iron Man” match at SummerSlam since it’s a four-hour show: “That would be nice but for some reason I don’t think that they will give those two 30 minutes of bell to bell time.”
On getting UFC’s Daniel Cormier on his podcast and why WWE doesn’t run TV at MSG: “Steve Austin interviewed DC today in San Jose so he will be on SCSA’s podcast soon. Good dude is Daniel Cormier. WWE loses money doing TV from MSG even with a sellout. Union costs are killers.”
On what has happened to Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel: “It’s simply how they are cast/booked on an entertainment TV program. Apparently it is thought that this is how both men can best contribute to the WWE.”
On the news that WWE writers once pitched a gay character storyline for Brock Lesnar in 2002 (which was later confirmed by a former WWE writer): “Another ridiculous tale from the IWC. That one is truly absurd.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates online at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
WWE taped the following matches prior to the SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Toledo, Ohio for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
Dark Match
– Fandando def. Brad Maddox in singles action to kick off the evening inside the building.
WWE Main Event
– Neville def. Heath Slater in the first match taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. This was said to be a high-paced, crowd-pleasing match that saw the finish come when Neville hit his Red Arrow to finish off Slater in what was about a five minute match.
– The Ascension def. The Meta Powers in tag-team action. The match, which lasted about four minutes, saw The Ascension pick up the win after hitting Curtis Axel and Macho Mandow with The Fall Of Man finisher.
– R-Truth def. Adam Rose in a quick singles match. King Barrett was out for commentary during this match, which saw him leave the announce table to attack Truth, only for Truth to catch him coming and blast him with his finisher. In the end, Truth picked up the “W” in the official match with Rose as well.
– Luke Harper def. Cesaro in the headline match of the evening on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. This was another crowd pleasing match, as Harper and Cesaro put on a hell of a show in a match that lasted about seven minutes. The finish saw Harper hit Cesaro with his clothesline from hell to score the 1-2-3 and end the Main Event taping.
WWE Superstar Curtis Axel took part in a social media Q&A on Sunday to promote the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Below are some of the highlights.
– NXT star Tyler Breeze worked the WWE main roster live event on Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. Breeze was accompanied to the ring by Summer Rae for a match against Damien Sandow. Sandow ended up winning the match when Heath Slater interfered. After the match, Curtis Axel made the save.
– Samoa Joe is still scheduled to make his Preston City Wrestling debut in the United Kingdom on Friday, August 7, 2015. Tickets for the show officially go on sale this Sunday at PrestonCityWrestling.com.
– Below are this week’s “Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments.”
WWE taped the following matches prior to Monday’s Elimination Chamber “go-home” edition of RAW for this week’s edition of Superstars.
– Heath Slater def. Adam Rose in singles action. Slater won what was a pretty basic match in about six minutes.
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. Curtis Axel & Damien Sandow in tag-team action. The finish saw Harper pin Curtis Axel at about the eight minute mark after hitting him with his Lariat clothesline finisher.
– WWE Superstar Curtis Axel inducted his father — “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig — into the Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame at their 14th annual induction ceremony in New York this weekend. Others included at the ceremony were Rick Martel, Michael Hayes and more. Slam! Wrestling has a recap of the ceremony, which you can check out at Canoe.ca.
– In response to a fan on Twitter who commented about WWE taking NXT on the road for live tours outside of their home base in Florida, Triple H noted that they are “just getting started,” alluding to the fact that NXT will be doing more tours outside of Florida in the future.
– Following Monday’s post-Payback edition of WWE RAW, a quick five-minute “RAW Fallout” show is scheduled for the WWE Network. Additionally, fans will get to see a “First Look” special at the new WWE DVD on Jerry Lawler on the WWE Network this Monday night.
– After returning to action at Tuesday’s WWE television taping in London, England, Layla is sparking rumors that she will be hosting a show.
The 37-year-old updated her bio on Instagram to list herself as a host, in addition to WWE Diva, dancer and actress.
– This week on WWE Superstars, R-Truth takes on Curtis Axel while Zack Ryder goes one-on-one with Heath Slater. Highlights from both contest are as follows:
– Celebrating birthdays today are The Brooklyn Brawler, who works behind-the-scenes for WWE, and WWE developmental talent Zahra Schreiber. The Brawler turns 54-years-old, whereas Schreiber turns 28 (according to her profile on ExploreTalent.com).
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s WWE RAW at the O2 Arena in London, England for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Zack Ryder def. Heath Slater in singles action. Both guys got decent reactions from the fans in London. In the end, Ryder picked up the pinfall victory after hitting Slater with his finisher in a match that lasted approximately five minutes.
– R-Truth def. Curtis Axel in the second of two matches taped for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars. Truth did his rap entrance and Axel got a loud “Axel-Mania! Axel-Mania!” chant from the U.K. fans. Truth won in a match that lasted around six minutes.
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW in Austin, Texas for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Jack Swagger def. Adam Rose in the opening match of the taping. The crowd was really into Swagger in Austin, doing loud “We The People” chants. In the end, Swagger picked up the win via submission after getting Rose in the Patriot Lock.
– R-Truth def. Curtis Axel in the second of two matches taped for this week’s Superstars. Axel was doing a lot of “Axelmania” poses and such throughout the match. In the end, Truth picked up the pinfall victory.
Note: According to our live correspondent, security was confiscating anti-Roman Reigns signs again this week prior to RAW going live on the USA Network.
– It was announced on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, that Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler will team up to take on the duo of Bad News Barrett and the returning Sheamus in tag-team action on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Also announced for this week’s SmackDown, John Cena, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns will all be appearing on the show.
– Former NXT Champion Adrian Neville made his main roster WWE debut on Monday’s RAW. He was billed as simply “Neville” – The Man That Gaviroty Forgot, and defeated Curtis Axel in a match that showcased his fluid in-ring style.
– In the above video, WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan teases that there are a few “little surprises” planned for tonight’s WrestleMania 31 event. There has been some speculation that Hogan will be involved in some type of segment involving Curtis Axel and “Axelmania” at tonight’s show.
– Dana Warrior, the widow of the late Ultimate Warrior, posted the following on Facebook regarding Connor “The Crusher” Michalek being the first ever Warrior Award winner at last night’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.
Warriors Represent…
I felt your love and so much pride for helping induct the inaugural recipient of The Warrior Award!! Connor The Crusher is forever immortal and his spirit now runs with the Warrior FOREVER!!
WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan appeared on ESPN’s Sports Nation on Monday and spoke about a number of topics.
During the appearance, Hogan said a John Cena heel turn could work on television, and also praised Cena for being a good person behind-the-scenes.
Hogan predicted Roman Reigns will win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31 this Sunday and said Reigns is destined to be a top guy.
Hogan also teased doing something with Curtis Axel at WrestleMania and said that this might not be The Undertaker’s last WrestleMania, noting that Undertaker can go as long as he wants.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently appeared on The Shining Wizards podcast to talk about a number of WrestleMania 31 related topics and promote his RAINN raffle. Below are highlights from the interview.
On WrestleMania 31: “I don’t think it’s a lackluster card. I think it’s a card with some question marks. We don’t have the three or four matches that are definitely going to deliver. That’s why I think it’s important that, outside the IC title, which everyone knows is going to be phenomenal, that the matches that otherwise might not be given the chance to shine, like the divas for example… those girls can go. I sense that the wrestling world is ready to accept good female wrestling. I really hope that they’re given the chance, so I’d love to see that one do well. I’m just interested to see the reactions, because Triple H was right when he said this was the reality era. The fans in some ways can make or break three of these matches with the unknowns. When Reigns and Lesnar are in there, can you imagine the crowd breaks for Lesnar? It could be phenomenal, the way they broke for him when he was against The Rock. The Rock was technically the good guy, ya know, years ago. So I think there could be a lot of excitement. It could be a letdown. It’ll be interesting for sure.”
On Sting at WrestleMania: “I thought there was only room on the card for one mystical, mysterious entrance, and that’s Undertaker. So I was really relieved when Sting made an appearance and it was the excited Sting. I think that got people talking.”
On Curtis Axel and Axelmania: “When something gets over with the boys, you know you’re on to something. One win in the right place could really launch Axel.”
– Dolph Ziggler is now officially added to the WWE Intercontinental Championship ladder match at WrestleMania 31. Other participants confirmed for the match include Bad News Barrett, Luke Harper, R-Truth and Dean Ambrose.
– WWE has officially announced Big Show and Kane as the newest entrants in this year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. With those two added, the following is the updated list of participants, which as noted, is expected to feature 20 competitors in total.
* The Miz
* Curtis Axel
* Ryback
* Fandango
* Adam Rose
* Zack Ryder
* Jack Swagger
* Titus O’Neil
* Darren Young
* Big Show
* Kane
– The Prime Time Players, Titus O’Neil and Darren Young, have both officially been added to the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal match at WrestleMania 31. WWE is reportedly planning on having 20 Superstars involved in this year’s battle royal, down from the 31 participants who competed in the match last year. With the Prime Time Players now included, the following updated list for the match is as follows:
* Titus O’Neil
* Darren Young
* The Miz
* Curtis Axel
* Ryback
* Fandango
* Adam Rose
* Zack Ryder
* Jack Swagger
– WWE Superstar Xavier Woods recently got a new tattoo, which was inspired by the “Zelda” video game. Below, courtesy of Woods’ official Instagram page, is a photo of him getting the new ink.
– Following this week’s SmackDown television taping, WWE will be returning to Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 29th for a live RAW television show. The pre-sale code for tickets to the event is “WWEDC.”
– It looks as though Rusev vs. Curtis Axel will be taking place on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, likely for the WWE United States Championship.
– Goldust referenced the WWE Intercontinental Championship ladder match at WrestleMania 31 in a new tweet, leading some to speculate that he may take part in the match. Whether or not he’s throwing fans off the scent of what his real match will be remains to be seen. Goldust, a former three-time I-C champ himself, tweeted the following:
WWE taped the following matches for this week’s edition of Main Event prior to Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping in Washington, D.C.
Dark Match
– Natalya def. Sasha Banks in Divas action to kick off the taping. Nattie picked up the win by submission after locking Sasha in the Sharpshooter.
WWE Main Event
– Fandango def. Curtis Axel in the first match taped for this week’s Main Event. Fandango won what was described as a pretty basic match with a roll-up.
– Adam Rose def. Zack Ryder in singles action. Rose picked up the “W” when he caught Ryder coming in the ring by smashing his head into the ring.
– Paige def. Summer Rae in Divas action. Paige picked up the victory after getting Summer with her PTO.
– The Usos (with Naomi) def. The Ascension in tag-team action in the final match taped for this week’s Main Event. The Usos got the win when Jey hit the top rope splash for the 1-2-3.
Dark Match
– The Lucha Dragons def. Bo Dallas & Tyler Breeze in tag-team action in another dark match. The Lucha Dragons picked up the win by pinning Dallas.
– CM Punk and Colt Cabana are both scheduled to appear on a future episode of IFC’s “Maron” with Marc Maron.
– Following this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Adam Rose and Fandango are now both official for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. With those two added to the mix, the updated list features Rose, Fandango, The Miz, Curtis Axel and Ryback. More names will likely be added on Monday’s RAW.
– Speaking of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Alex Riley has continued his social media campaign with his focus now being on obtaining a spot in the match. He tweeted the following today:
– The following matches were taped on Tuesday night in Atlanta, Georgia for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown on the SyFy Network:
– Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz
– Naomi vs. Natalya
– Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan in a non-title match
– Curtis Axel vs. Fandango
– Goldust vs. Adam Rose
– Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show, and Kane
– The following press release was sent out today regarding Jim Ross’ one-man show during WrestleMania weekend …
PinUp Productions is proud to present RINGSIDE: An Afternoon with Jim Ross Saturday March 28th at the Rockbar Theater at 360 Saratoga Avenue San Jose, CA 95129. Tickets are currently on sale on TicketWeb and at the Rockbar Theater Box Office.
There will be a pre-show meet and greet for VIP ticket holders. The meet & greet runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doors open for General Admission ticket holders at 12 p.m. with the show beginning at 1 p.m.
Known to sports entertainment fans around the world as the Voice of Professional Wrestling, “Good Ol’ J.R.” has nearly done it all.
From sports entertainment executive to New York Times Bestselling Author, to enduring the struggle of Bell’s palsy and even playing the role of entrepreneur with his own barbeque sauce brand, Jim Ross has certainly worn many hats. But, come March 28th, he will puts on his most famous hat: a 200X Resistol when he takes the stage for a matinee performance to share his life story.
As one of the most influential sports executives of the past 40 years, J.R. has been welcomed into the homes of millions of viewers each and every week. His cool yet dry Southern charm became the soundtrack for wrestling’s most memorable clashes in the sport’s rich history. J.R.’s tales of the road and personal anecdotes featuring some of wrestling’s most legendary stars will have you howling with laughter.
After a successful performances around the world including the United Kingdom, Manhattan and most recently in Philadelphia, J.R. will bring his one-man show to San Jose for a special matinee performance: sharing his stories with wrestling fans in the intimate setting of the Rockbar Theater on March 28th, 2015.
The event will also feature a no holds barred question and answer session with J.R. where the fans become the stars!
Listen to the Ross Report with Jim Ross on PodcastOne to learn more about this event.
“Like” RINGSIDE with Jim Ross on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/JimRossLIVE
Follow Jim Ross on Twitter: @JRsBBQ
Visit Jim Ross online at: http://jrsbarbq.com
– On Monday’s post-Fastlane edition of RAW, WWE confirmed that there will in fact be a second annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at this year’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view in March.
The first three participants in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal were announced on RAW, as The Miz, Ryback and Curtis Axel all announced themselves as entrants in the match.
– Z.Z. Top member Dusty Hill was in attendance at Monday’s RAW in Nashville, Tennessee. Below is a photo of the legendary rock star at the show.
– Sunday’s edition of WWE Total Divas drew 914,000 viewers on E!, the lowest number the show has drawn thus far this year. By comparison, the previous week’s show averaged 1.08 million viewers. This coming Sunday’s show will look to bounce back, but will have to do so while running against the live WWE Fastlane event on pay-per-view.
– It looks as though former NXT Tag-Team Champions The Lucha Dragons could be headed to the main WWE roster soon. The duo, which consists of Sin Cara and Kalisto, worked the WWE Main Event taping on Tuesday night, defeating the team of Curtis Axel and Heath Slater.
The Road to WrestleMania took a brief detour last night, stopping at THE Ohio State University for Raw. Sting finally answered Triple H’s challenge, and the show was bookended by a pair of nearly identical matches. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The highlight of the night was easily Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt. These guys have competed over the past two weeks, and have exhibited amazing chemistry on both occasions. There were a number of impressive spots in this one, including Wyatt delivering a brutal blow to Ziggler’s midsection and a devastating clothesline outside the ring that eventually set up Sister Abilgail for the win. Wyatt later cut another promo, presumably directed toward the Dead Man.
Triple H calling out Sting was a close second. The video package, which featured Sting’s makeup being transposed onto Triple H’s face, was both eerie and entertaining. The only downside to this was the absolutely dreadful Sting doppelganger they sent into the ring. With that said, I absolutely can’t wait to see what these guys have planned for Fastlane.
The Usos squared off with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Kidd and Cesaro put in some decent heel work by crashing the dinner party on SmackDown, and it’s certainly nice to see them getting some television time.
Rusev continues to improve on a weekly basis, in my opinion. I loved his promo, where he made claims such as, “You don’t want me. I am a hero.” His brawl with Cena was also entertaining and helped further their feud heading into Fastlane.
The opening promo was also entertaining, but nothing to really write home about. Reigns seems to be more confident on the mic each week, despite a minor flub. It was also nice to see Bryan on the mic, taking a humorous shot at Triple H for his involvement in the Katie Vick storyline.
It’s nice to see Axel getting more time on the mic. His promo was humorous, even if he was quickly dispelled after being hit with Dirty Deeds. Barrett’s new BNZ segment could also be entertaining, but I’m not totally sure how much shelf life it has.
Finally, the main event helped further the tension between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. The match was nothing incredible, by any means, but there were a few memorable moments, including Dolph Ziggler getting involved at the end. Roman’s spear to Bryan was also the perfect way to end the show. It seems like the next step in Roman’s evolution will be to turn him heel and possibly pair him with Heyman following WrestleMania.
