– MercuryNews.com has an article about WrestleMania 31 coming to the Bay Area in 2015. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon was quoted in the article, and promised that the event will set a “new standard” by being “the most interactive experience in WrestleMania history.”
Levi’s Stadium, which is still under construction, will be one of the most state-of-the-art stadiums in the world and will allow fans to connect to a high-speed WiFi network. WWE plans to make fan participation a huge part of the show and will be encouraging fans in attendance to post content to social media services like Twitter, Facebook, Tout and Instagram.
– According to a source in WWE, voting for the “Superstar of the Year” Slammy Award (won by Daniel Bryan) was extremely close. As noted earlier, voting was 100% legitimate.
– WWE Superstar David Otunga recently appeared on the Steve Harvey Show to promote his new Muscle & Fitness magazine cover. Footage of the segment can be seen at SteveHarveyTV.com.
– The dark match prior to Monday’s WWE RAW from Seattle saw NXT star Alexander Rusev defeat Zack Ryder. There were no matches taped for Superstars.
– We received word from a few fans that were at RAW stating that Rey Mysterio was once again seen favoring his knee after the eight-man tag team match on RAW.
– Mick Foley’s big “Cactus” Jack announcement at midnight is that the original Cactus Jack t-shirts are available for one week only on TopRopeTuesday.com for $19.99.
– Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella took home a total of 6 Slammy Awards last night, including Couple of the Year, Superstar of the Year, Diva of the Year, Beard of the Year, Fan Participation of the Year and Catchphrase of the Year.
Brie tweeted this photo of her and Daniel Bryan showing off their awards:
– During the commercial breaks of last night’s WWE RAW from Seattle, WWE aired several videos featuring Hulk Hogan. With those videos and a slew of recent articles on WWE.com, appears WWE is already re-introducing Hogan into the minds of WWE fans ahead of a possible return from the Hall of Famer.
– Tonight’s WWE Main Event and SmackDown tapings will take place from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. No matches have been announced for the “go home” show before Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
– WWE.com has published several videos of Slammy Award winners and presenters. Shawn Michaels spoke to Josh Mathews and said it wasn’t “too weird” being on stage with Daniel Bryan. Shawn thought it would feel more uncomfortable but it wasn’t that bad because after so long, you get used to double-crossing people. Shawn was surprised that Bryan won Superstar of the Year, because John Cena usually takes home that award, but put Bryan over and said he deserves it.
Daniel Bryan, winning three Slammy Awards competing in a match, appearing in the Championship Ascension Ceremony, was without question the star of the show. His hometown crowd chanting YES! YES! YES! and DANIEL BRYAN! throughout the beginning of the Championship Ascension Ceremony. Going back earlier in the night to his first Slammy win for Superstar Of The Year. On stage The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. He announces the Superstar of the year is Daniel Bryan. We were all expecting fireworks to occur during that interaction. HBK even exited stage right a perfect set-up for a “surprise” superkick from out of nowhere! But there was no Sweet Chin Music. Just a humble acceptance speech by Bryan for his Slammy Award which he refereed to as The “HB Swizzle” award, Michaels naming it that just before presenting the award. Bryan did mention if it wasn’t for Shawn he wouldn’t be in the WWE. Likewise if it wasn’t for his interference at Hell-In-A-Cell he would be the WWE Champion. Although there was no physical interaction here, that wouldn’t be the last time these two interacted on the show.
See this is why I can’t shake off fighting the Daniel Bryan cause, he belongs in the main event. Heck this article uses his YES! and NO! and lord help us all if Daniel Bryan ever appears in a “NO!” portion of this article. Some people might say, he was in his hometown and had an extra kick of support. There may be a bit of truth to that, but I feel that there are just some hot wrestling towns. Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and apparently Seattle. After what transpired later in the show who knows what will happen the next few months. I’m excited! YES!
Championship Ascension Ceremony
John Cena showing why he is in fact the face of WWE.
Former World Heavyweight and WWE Champions appeared all in the ring for the Championship Ascension Ceremony. As I said earlier the crowd was going crazy for Daniel Bryan. While Triple H was talking up the match, and the championship, the Seattle crowd chanted YES and Daniel Bryan to the point where Triple H gave them what seemed like at least a minute of chanting and Yessing and clapping. This crowd was on fire for Daniel Bryan. Triple H introduced both Orton and Cena. The crowd did not want to hear what Orton had to say. There were boos and boring chants. Then Cena took the mic. More boos and cheering mix. Then Cena begins to speak and prove why he is the face of the WWE. These days with everything being very planned and scripted, Cena played to the crowd and included Daniel Bryan in the conversation, he compared Randy Orton’s rise to success to Daniel Bryan’s. The idea was Bryan didn’t have a father and grandfather to get him in to the WWE, he did it by working. Cena turned practically the entire crowd around and behind him., shouting out his past opponents, HBK, CM Punk, and putting over that the only fair shot Daniel Bryan had was the one with him. Brilliant, this is why he is where he is. The end was something I haven’t seen in the WWE in a long time. It was an awesome chain of events excuited perfectly. Cena and Orton shake hands as the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship are hoisted up. Orton gets in a cheap shot, the two are down on the mat fighting. Orton and Cena get pulled apart to their corners. CM Punk gets shoved by Orton causing CM Punk to start attacking Orton. Triple H throws down CM Punk, who retaliates with a knockdown of his on on The Game. HBK Superkicks CM Punk, setting up Daniel Bryan to
The Authority and John Cena look over A fallen Randy Orton. A great segment to end raw.
WWE Reminding us what they are capable of, a Powerful and compelling end to Raw.
deliver his running Knee on HBK. Orton tries to RKO Bryan but instead gets shoved into Stephanie McMahon knocking her down. Triple H runs to Stephanie’s aid, and then gets up and pedigrees Randy. The show closes with The Authority and John Cena looking disappointed over Randy Orton on the mat. What a great segment. This is what WWE used to do on a regular basis. Twists and turns, these chain-reaction action segments. YES!
Quick Mentions
Dean Ambrose vs CM Punk – Ambrose vs CM punk was a Pay-Per-View quality match with a great dissension in the ranks tease when Dean Ambrose wanted Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to head to the back so he could finish the job by himself. Punk gets the win shortly after that exchange, although Punk loses out to the numbers game and gets a great spear from Reigns. YES!
The Wyatts – With a chip on my shoulder because of Daniel Bryan’s demotion, I don’t think I appreciated Bray Wyatt’s amazing performances over the last few weeks. They are great, and compelling. YES!
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
After the televised portion of WWE RAW ended on Monday night in Seattle, Washington, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena gave props to the 12th man and asked if the fans wanted one final match.
John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification. The DQ came when Orton hit Cena with a steel chair during the match. Orton tried for an RKO, but ended up getting hit with an Attitude Adjustment instead.
After the match, Cena brought out Daniel Bryan to another enormous ovation. Booker T came out and led the crowd in cheering on Daniel Bryan to do a Spinarooni. Bryan obliged and did one of the most awkward Spinarooni’s ever. Booker then brought out John Laurinaitis for a “People Power Spinarooni.” Titus O’Neil was also brought out to do a Spinarooni. Next, he challenged Stephanie McMahon to come out and do one. She tried backing out of it claiming her head hurts, but eventually did one herself. Finally, Booker had CM Punk come out and do one in his underwear.
– Next Sunday night’s edition of Total Divas is the episode that will feature Daniel Bryan’s real-life proposal to Brie Bella.
– Lex Luger’s autobiography is scheduled for a paperback release in May of 2014.
– The following is the official synopsis for the new “WWE #1” comic book, which was written by WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:
“Pandemonium Squared,” Part 1 of 4. An all-new adventure straight from the world of WWE’s powerful, ongoing clashes. It all starts with a fierce battle between WWE Champion John Cena and Mark Henry, but quickly turns into all-out chaos! Soon virtually every WWE Superstar faces off in a no-holds-barred Brawl to End it All – but what has caused the wrestlers to virtually go berserk? Can Vickie Guerrero and Booker T manage such chaos, or will Mr. McMahon have to step in? Featuring CM Punk, Fandango, Sheamus and more! “
– According to F4WOnline.com, there is a chance WWE will shoot an angle of some sort between Shawn Michaels and Daniel Bryan at this coming Monday’s RAW. HBK will be presenting the “Superstar of the Year” Slammy, while Bryan is expected to win the website vote for the award.
It should be noted that it is strictly a rumor at this point.
– The following are some new tweets from WWE personalities discussing WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio’s return:
SERIOUSLY, @reymysterio SAID HE'S FROM SAN DIEGO…WHO KNOWS IF THATS TRUE? SOMEBODY ALSO SAID YOU COULD KEEP YOUR INSURANCE. HMMM..@WWE
The following are a series of tweets from WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan. Bryan goes on a lengthy rant about people in Arizona being charged for installing solar panels in 2014. Bryan tweeted:
Arizona will start charging people who install solar panels starting next year. Corporate greed strikes again. http://t.co/0acftWH5mq
– One of the most frustrating things about WWE over the past few months has been the handling of Daniel Bryan’s character. According to a backstage source in WWE, source, when it comes to Daniel Bryan’s push, it’s not that the WWE creative team didn’t want him to get revenge, win the WWE title or even gain some sort of symbolic win – it’s that no one on the creative team has the type of influence that Vince McMahon or Triple H have, who ultimately make the final call.
– Apparently the reason WWE promoted a match featuring “CM Punk vs. a member of The Shield on SmackDown” on RAW this past Monday night was because at around 10pm on Monday, Vince McMahon had yet to make up his mind on which of the three members of The Shield would be the best opponent for Punk.
The following are highlights from a Baltimore Sun interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Sgt. Slaughter:
On the way WWE is treating Daniel Bryan: “I don’t think he’s being treated fairly. [The people at WWE] are making him work awfully hard to be successful and he’s not letting them down. He’s working harder than ever. He’s like a giant slayer. He takes on the biggest and the best. Kind of like Dolph Ziggler — he’s another talent I thought he wasn’t being used right, and I brought it up in several production meetings that they shouldn’t do his character as they were.”
On Randy Orton’s rise through the ranks: “…A guy like Randy Orton, there wasn’t much to teach him inside the ring. I wrestled his grandfather and his father. All the teaching for him was done outside the ring. He was a tough nut to crack. He had a mind of his own, and still does. He’s another talent that exceeds and has so much ability.”
On helping name The Undertaker in WWE: “We would have meetings after shows to talk about what happened and plan things out creatively. The topic turned to Mark [Calloway] and Vince [McMahon] said he had an idea for a character name and he brought up the name Paul Bearer. The next day I went to Vince and I said I didn’t really care for that name for Mark in particular. I thought he looked different than that, and Vince said ‘like an Undertaker?’ and I said yeah! Maybe we should do Paul Bearer as his manager.”
Check out the complete interview online at BaltimoreSun.com.
– The official WWE website announced Thursday the 2013 Slammy Award nominees for “Superstar of the Year.” They are:
* John Cena
* Randy Orton
* CM Punk
* Daniel Bryan
* Big Show
* Brock Lesnar
The award will be presented by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.
– Glenn Jacobs, known as “Kane” in WWE, will speak at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus in Tennessee on tonight discussing his political views. His lecture is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Additional details are available here.
– Three wrestling legends are celebrating birthdays on Thursday as “Adorable” Adrian Street turns 73; Larry Zybysko turns 62; and the “Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington turns 55.
– Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.641 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2.641 million average marks a pretty significant decrease from the impressive 3.106 million viewers that the show averaged the previous week.
– As previously reported, WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan appeared on the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which is available online right now. During the interview, Bryan revealed that he and his fiancee, Brie Bella, intend to get married during WrestleMania weekend in April of 2014. Bryan said the reason they are likely to tie the knot at that time is because it is a rare time when WWE Superstars actually get a break from their hectic travel schedule.
You can listen to the full interview with Bryan on Austin’s podcast online at PodcastOne.com.
– Despite some speculation, there are currently no plans for CM Punk to feud with Daniel Bryan. They will not be wrestling each other at WrestleMania, as some sites reported in recent weeks.
– Former WWE star MVP has been tweeting about training but says it’s for a North American Grappling Association event. He wrote:
No, I'm not training for a WWE return. I have a NAGA tournament next weekend. I am returning soon tho. The "where" is still in discussion.
The build-up to the WWE TLC pay-per-view in two weeks continues on Monday night as WWE RAW returns live from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
No matches or segments have been announced in advance, however the focus will remain on the Randy Orton vs. John Cena match at TLC, which is being billed as a “unification match.”
Included on RAW will be The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who along with Vince McMahon, is being advertised locally for the show.
WWE will also begin setting up the undercard for the WWE TLC pay-per-view, which is likely going to revolve around The Wyatt Family kidnapping Daniel Bryan and The Shield targeting CM Punk last week.
Additional talent advertised for RAW this week include Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, AJ Lee and even Paul Heyman, who has not appeared on RAW in a few weeks.
For the live crowd in Oklahoma City on Monday night two post-show dark matches are benig advertised. John Cena is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Alberto Del Rio, while Randy Orton is slated to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show.
– The season one finale of Total Divas on E! will air on Sunday, Dec. 15 and will be highlighted by former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan asking Brie Bella for her hand in marriage. According to TVGuide.com, the official synopsis for the episode, titled “Ready to Ride,” is as follows: “In the Season 1 finale, Bryan pops the question to Brie in a romantic setting; at the same time, Nikki feels uncertain about her future with John Cena after a heated discussion about marriage and children; and the first meeting between Eva Marie’s fiancé and her family goes horribly wrong.”
The penultimate episode will air on Sunday, Dec. 8. Details are as follows: “Nattie and TJ are forced to say goodbye to a beloved pet; Trinity has it out with Jon over his jealous behavior; and Nikki’s medical leave causes tensions between herself and Brie.”
– Former WWE Diva Amy Weber, who served as John “Bradshaw” Layfield’s image consultant when the Texas native reigned as WWE Champion in 2004 and 2005, was honored with Best Dance Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in Hollywood, California last week. She also opened the show with a performance, footage of which is available here.
– In addition to Christian (40) and Jushin “Thunder” Liger (51), two former WWE wrestlers are celebrating birthdays today. “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk turns 55 while Jimmy Del Rey turns 51.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week as a celebrity guest picking NFL games.
According to one source, there is said to be a lot of panic backstage in WWE right now regarding creative plans.
When the call was made to switch Daniel Bryan and Big Show in the WWE title picture, the idea was Big Show vs. Randy Orton in a main event match at Survivor Series, with them following up at the TLC pay-per-view with a Big Show vs. Triple H match. Plans then changed to have Orton vs. Big Show in a tables match, which is why Big Show chokeslammed Orton through the announce table on RAW a few weeks back.
At one point, there was an idea floating around that John Cena would feud with Big E. Langston for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Langston turning back heel. When Survivor Series was over, both of those matches were scrapped and the new TLC main event ended up as Cena vs. Orton for both of the titles. As recently reported, there is now talk of having that match serve as a unification match, despite originally not intending to unify the titles.
As far as the creative team is concerned, one WWE source noted that they are “burnt out and scared of who might not be there too much longer.”
WWE Superstar The Miz spoke to This Is Infamous this week to promote his new movie, Christmas Bounty. During the interview, The Miz spoke about
John Morrison “Saving” His WWE Career: “If Miz and Morrison never happened, I truly believe that I would have been fired within a year. I think being with Morrison really gave me the opportunity to take risks. It gave me the opportunity to really stand tall in our realm. When we created a thing called The Dirt Sheet, which… Back then, YouTube was just getting going with its popularity. WWE now has its own YouTube channel. It didn’t have its own YouTube Channel. It didn’t have those internet shows. We were the first. So we kind of became originals and we were doing those sorts of things that were going against the grain because we wanted to get noticed. I think Morrison pushed me and I pushed Morrison to really do the best that we possibly can. We brought the best out of each other, is what I thought.”
Fighting The Perception of What Makes A WWE Superstar: “You have to work hard, dedicate yourself, and don’t let people tell you that you can’t do it. Because that’s exactly what people are going to do. It’s your job to go against the grain. It’s your job to fight and claw and scratch to that top, and if people are telling you no, it’s your job to say yes. That’s why I always have these shirts that say “Haters Love Me,” and “Haters Want It,” because you’re going to get hated on by everyone and everything. Whether it’s backstage, in the WWE Universe, or even corporate. It’s your job to rise above it and figure out a way to make yourself noticed. And that’s exactly what people like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have done.”
Daniel Bryan’s Rise To The Top Of WWE: “I knew that Daniel Bryan was going to have a struggle, because he doesn’t really have that size that WWE normally looks for. I mean even me: I’m 6’1 and 220 pounds and I had to struggle and fight and claw because I wasn’t the stereotypical 6’6? and 250 pounds of pure solid ripped muscle. That’s basically the quintessential star in the WWE now. Daniel Bryan had an uphill battle, but he definitely went strong and he dedicated himself, and this guy is now the most anticipated person whenever we come to a show. He’s the person that people want to see. You’ll see them chanting “Yes,” and you’ll see them chanting “No.” It’s kind of insane how great he’s become, and it’s all after his hard work.”
– Two big pro wrestling-related weddings are now official for the early part of 2014. WWE Superstar The Miz and his fiancee, former WWE Diva Maryse are set to get married in February. WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan and his fiancee, current WWE Diva Brie Bella are set to get married in April.
– Many are unaware, but a little known fact about WWE Diva JoJo Offerman, who is also one of the stars of the WWE Total Divas reality show, is that she is the daughter of Major League Baseball legend Jose Offerman.
Here’s the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” I may have a different perspective than you since I was live at Raw this week at The Nassau Colosseum! Comment below and tell us how you like the column and if you agree with this week’s picks.
Daniel Bryan & CM Punk cut a promo before facing The Wyatts
The obligatory rematch between The Wyatts and Daniel Bryan & CM Punk, took place on Raw. First a promo from “The Beard & The Best” CM Punk discussing team names, and asking questions allowing Daniel Bryan to answer them with a “Yes!”. Daniel Bryan got a chance to say more than just the three letter word that will follow him for the rest of his career.
I love Daniel Bryan, and so does the crowd. In fact you could hear Daniel Bryan chants during the opening segment, proving once again that this demotion was not “Best For Business” But more on that in the “NO!” section.
Any match can be enhanced with the crowd behind you. When you have top stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the two most over Superstars at Raw, it can add just that little more energy to the match.
CM Punk made a comment about Triple H and the authority in the opening promo, and wouldn’t know it after Daniel Bryan was “Kidnapped” by the Wyatts. CM Punk was laid out by The Shield. I wonder if that marks the end of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk together, because I was enjoying that. Time will tell.
Who would have thought Goldust would be having great matches alongside his brother in 2013!
The Shield vs The Rhodes and Rey Mysterio
I have never been a fan of Tag Teams growing up watching the WWE. I must say however, though all the missteps, and bad booking since SummerSlam, The WWE has a great tag team division. This, of course includes The Shield and The Wyatt factions. Day in and day out these teams from The Veteran Golddust, to newer WWE talent in The Shield and The USO’s, are having great matches. I am thoroughly enjoying watching these teams work.
The Kosher Butcher!
The Kosher Butcher Superstars for Sandy Relief Auction winner, ” Charlie Tebele was interviewed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. When asked if he were to be a WWE Superstar, what would his name be. Charlie was prepared, with a blue T-shirt and a great gimmick “The Kosher Butcher” He even went as far to come up with his finisher, The Circumcision! At first the crowd didn’t know what to make of this. Not sure if this was shown on TV, but The Kosher Butcher had at least a dozen of his friends and family at Raw, all wearing their Blue shirts! Great stuff. Half way during the Xavier Woods match, and some further thought, the crowd broke out into chants of both “Kosher Butcher” and “Circumcision”, add that to the list of most bizarre Raw chants.
Great Stuff.
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
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 he said about:
The Shield’s Potential & Inevitable Implosion: “No one should sleep on the potential of Dean Ambrose or Seth Rollins considering that [Roman] Reigns is getting ample, fresh spotlight these days. Both Rollins and Ambrose are going to be top hands. I’d bet BBQ sauce on it.
“Ambrose has always reminded me as having some Brian Pillman and some Roddy Piper in his personality. So, if Ambrose doesn’t get institutionalized (Only kidding) with those perceived personality traits, he’s going to be outstanding. A little of The Loose Cannon and some of Hot Rod equates to money to me. Rollins, from day one in NXT, has always reminded me of CM Punk and I’m not sure exactly why but I perceive that it’s a good thing nonetheless. Rollins match several weeks back from Daniel Bryan was one that I could watch every night.”
“It’s obviously enviable that the Shield will implode at some point to allow the three stars to evolve separately instead of keeping all three talented men in one entity. How, where, when it happens remains to be seen but the why is a no brainer especially when WWE needs to build quality depth. This isn’t the era of the Horsemen when talent depth wasn’t an issue.”
CM Punk & Daniel Bryan: “Punk/Bryan are a great team. For now. I hope that they are back on their own sooner than later but I’ve really like them as a duo in recent weeks. Can’t say that I loved the kidnapping storyline as it challenges reality. For some, that may not be an issue at all which is fine. Perhaps Kane can find Daniel Bryan. Just saying. BTW…CM Punk’s promo was highly entertaining and worth watching again. Punk drop”
There’s much more to this blog, including JR’s thoughts on Bray Wyatt and new details on his upcoming one-man “Evening With Jim Ross” show.
– WWE has provided a storyline update on Daniel Bryan after he was abducted by the Wyatt Family last night on RAW.
WWE.com reports that the Wyatt Family threw Daniel Bryan into the trunk of their car and drove away from the Nassau Coliseum. Daniel Bryan’s fiance Brie Bella was asked about the situation and she was upset, saying that she has not heard from him since.
– The following matches might take place on this week’s episode of WWE Main Event:
