– Triple H will be in action tonight on Raw as the official WWE website has announced that he will face Curtis Axel. Also tonight, Randy Orton partners with Team Hell No to battle The Shield for the first time ever in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.
– The latest edition of WWE en Espanol is now online.
– The official WWE website has a poll asking fans how Curtis Axel will peak under Paul Heyman’s guidance; World Champion (39%), Intercontinental Champion or U.S. Champion (30%), Topflight competitor, but he won’t win a singles title (31%).
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is filming an appearance on Larry King Now today, a web series hosted by the former CNN personality. The series can be accessed at www.ora.tv/larrykingnow.
Regarding the appearance, Austin wrote on Twitter, “Talking with @kingsthings Larry King today. Excited to talk to the legend himself.”
– This past Saturday, WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan and WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat participated in a Q&A session with fans at Wizard World’s Philadelphia Comic Con. Footage from the event is available below.
– Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger celebrated his birthday on Sunday as he turned 55-years-old.
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:
Former NXT Stars Stepping Up In WWE: “NXT is doing its work as many new faces from developmental are beginning to to occupy key, roster spots on RAW and Smackdown. Some incumbent talents on the main roster who are ‘peculating’ might want to glance over their shoulder. More, outstanding NXT prospects are pushing to be “next” on the call up list. Competition is on going and good for all. It will take time for all the ‘new’ to be facilitated which means that it will take patience of which many fans and some talents don’t have in an abundance. I see much of 1013 being a ‘transition year,’ of sort, which means fresh, new, and exciting times on WWE TV programming.”
Bray Wyatt & Family: “The Bray Wyatt Family vignette was spot on and after seeing them perform as much as I have in NXT I can attest that they will, without question, contribute positively to WWE once they arrive on RAW and/or Smackdown. Wyatt has success and athleticism in his blood and has that rare, second gear that most big men do not possess. I can’t stress how important that is. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are big, rugged dudes who, at times, remind me of a young Mick Foley or Bruiser Brody inasmuch as they are ‘brawlers’ who move well for being such big men.”
The Shield’s Recent Work: “The Shield continues to evolve and their unit is becoming one of the hottest entities within WWE in years. If they can stay healthy, which there are no guarantees, and continue to evolve and master their craft these three can be big time players in WWE for years to come. Hopefully, they will continue down their current path as I would like to see where that would take the trio at WM30 in New Orleans.”
Daniel Bryan: “For my money, no one on any WWE broadcast over shadows Daniel Bryan who is arguably the best technical wrestler in the business and his consistent performances week after week often times goes unmentioned. Bryan has the same skill set that Bret Hart had back in the day and that is making everyone that he’s in the ring with better. That is a true artform and is one that is battling to make a comeback in today’s world of sports entertainment.”
– Dolph Ziggler held an “#AskTheHeel” Twitter Q&A sessions with fans on Monday morning. Nothing really newsworthy coming out of it, except for some jokes by the World Heavyweight champion. When asked about his favorite “finishing move” – he responded:
– MMA fighter & TNA star King Mo made his pro wrestling debut on Wednesday night at Ohio Valley Wrestling. defeating Austin Bradley via an arm submission in the main event. Mo reportedly used a variety of MMA holds throughout the match.
– The Ryback vs. Daniel Bryan match that will air on tonight’s SmackDown is getting rave reviews from people who have seen it, with many saying that it’s Ryback’s best match to date.
– Here are some attendance figures from WWE’s recent European tour, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer:
– As noted earlier, Ric Flair was backstage at Monday’s WWE RAW from Greenville, He was just there visiting and there were no plans for him to appear on television.
– John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Ricky Steamboat will be appearing at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con in Philadelphia, PA, which takes place over the weekend of May 30th.
– CM Punk will be doing appearing at the Wizard World NYC Experience on June 28th for a signing, photo session and Q&A panel.
– Triple H underwent an MRI on his wrist this week because there is some concern that he might have suffered a scaphoid fracture. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons describes the injury as typically being “caused by a fall on an outstretched hand, with the weight landing on the palm.”
– The Undertaker will compete on Raw next Monday, which is being taped at the London O2 Arena in London, England. In-advance, the venue has been advertising an appearance from “The Deadman.”
During tonight’s Raw, Undertaker was advertised for a Six-Man Tag Team Match pitting himself, and WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Kane against all three members of The Shield.
– On this week’s Raw Slam of the Week, Ryback shocks fans by attacking WWE Champion John Cena.
– “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts are advertised to appear at the Fanboy Expo, which takes place May 31 to June 2 at the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park 3301 E Magnolia Ave. Knoxville, Tennessee. Click here for more information.
– GulfNews.com has an article up looking at John Cena granting a Make-A-Wish for a 16-year-old boy during WWE’s recent WWE tour of Doha, Qatar.
– MTV.com has an article up looking at The Miz’s role in The Marine 3, including a picture of The Miz with bloody makeup on his face and arms.
– Daniel Bryan and MLB player Josh Reddick of the Oakland A’s have agreed to a “Beard-Off” challenge, where fans will vote to decide which man has to shave his beard off at the end of the year.
Eurosport Turkey interviewed Daniel Bryan over the weekend. Here are some (translated) highlights of what Bryan said about:
Being trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal:
“Being trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal was a great opportunity. Not everyone gets this opportunity. Imagine what someone like Kaval would be if he was trained by HBK& Regal”
Comparing WWE to the Indys:
“I miss the intimacy of the fans in independent scene. They have their pluses and minuses but I can say I miss the fans there.”
Disliking WWE’s Original NXT TV Concept:
“NXT was disrespectful to wrestling in general. The entire show. When Undertaker debuted, he didn’t have to climb ladders or carry kegs. I trained to be a wrestler for a long time, so let me go out and wrestle. If you have me go out and do these stupid contests, you make me look stupid and it’s very difficult to make stars when you already made them look stupid on television”
His “The Future is Bright for Bryan Danielson” Promo on NXT:
“One of the things people don’t know about NXT is that we were never told what to say, and we never knew the questions people were asking us. When the interviewer asked me “You were a big fish in a small pond and now you seemingly drowned in the sea that is the WWE”, my response was “No, this character that you created for me, he’s failed, because you created him to fail. But me, as a person, I’m better than this. I can go out and do, I can do what I’m doing right now, which is capturing the imagination of the crowd.”
The Choking Justin Roberts Incident:
“I did what I felt was natural, but I am not used to wrestle in a confined environment. WWE has to be very carful about being PG. I wasn’t used to that at the time. I was an independent wrestler, Sometimes I would do things because it just felt right, and when it felt right, it wasn’t right for the company.”
Being a World Heavyweight Champion:
“Being a world champion is cool, but you don’t just wanna be the champion, you want to be the man, you wanna be the guy they rely on for everything. Even though I was the world champion, I never was the man. John Cena, even though he isn’t the champion, he’s the man, and that’s what you aspire to be. At the end of the day, you wanna be the man”
Wanting To Do More Serious Work In WWE:
“I was able to do lots of comedy stuff on Pro Wrestling Guerilla and shows like that, it’s been fun to do that to a wider audience. But now, I’m starting to feel like aching for the more serious stuff, being able to go out there and just wrestle. “
– WWE is advertising both John Cena and Triple H for the April 9th SmackDown taping from Boston, MA. Triple H appearing at a taping just 2 days after WrestleMania 29 could be another indication that he’ll be wrestling Brock Lesnar at WM29.
– The following matches will take place on tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event:
* Cameron and Naomi vs. Aksana and Tamina.
* Cody Rhodes vs. Sheamus.
* Damien Sandow vs. Daniel Bryan.
– Chris Jericho is headed down under to Australia from 2/23-3/4 to tour with his metal band, Fozzy. After Jericho gets back, he’s scheduled for almost all RAW and SmackDown tapings through WrestleManai. He then heads overseas to Europe for another Fozzy tour that begins on April 11th and runs through the end of the month.
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Jacksonville, Florida, Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to earn a spot in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match at the upcoming pay-per-view.
The participants for the match now include Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan. Two more Superstars will be decided in the coming weeks, with the winner facing the World Heavyweight champion at WrestleMania 29.
– WWE contacted Rikishi to participate in Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match but the veteran wrestler is unable to appear due to a prior commitment, Jerry “The King” Lawler revealed in an interview with New York Post promoting WrestleMania Axxess.
“I do know that they had contacted Rikishi, but he had a prior commitment that he could not get out of. My son Brian told me that it was just a commitment he literally could not get out of even though he really wanted to [be in the Rumble],” Lawler said.
Lawler also hinted that former stars could resurface as surprise entrants.
“The Royal Rumble has become our next biggest and most fan-favorite pay-per-view. It’s so unpredictable. I know for a fact, I don’t know who it will be, but there’s always some surprise entrants. There will be some people that you didn’t have a clue they were going to be involved in the Rumble.”
– This week’s edition of The JBL & Cole Show features appearances by Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels, who have some kind words for JBL. Plus, Hornswoggle faces off with Daniel Bryan and his “magician’s assistant” in the “SUPERStar Search.”
– Darren Young is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Speaking to Montgomery Adviser, Daniel Bryan says he enjoys competing as a tag team wrestler because it gives him the opportunity to face wrestlers who he may not have otherwise squared off against, such as a wrestler he idolized in high school.
“We wrestled the team of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara once and it was a lot of fun,” Bryan said while promoting WWE’s upcoming Raw live at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama. “Rey is one of the guys who I looked up to when I was in high school and wrestling him was just a dream come true.”
– The official WWE website has posted a lost episode of Raw originally scheduled for November 22, 1993. WWE explains, “WWE produced two episodes of Raw under the show number “41”. One of those episodes was never considered part of the shows historic 1000+ episode run. Relive this episode in its entirety featuring a huge WWE Championship match between Bret Hart and Yokozuna.”
Also featured is a match pitting Marty Jannetty against Irwin R. Schyster and Bruce Prichard impersonating Dusty Rhodes’ voice as Reo Rodgers in a segment with Shawn Michaels.
– At Thursday’s New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, a “This Day In Garden History” graphic was shown on the video screens with a photo of Hulk Hogan facing The Iron Sheik displayed. The day marked as the twenty-ninth anniversary of the night Hogan won the WWF Championship at the venue.
Daniel Bryan posted the following video on Tout, giving the world another glimpse at his new alter ego, The Dazzler. To recap, Bryan revealed on January 1st that one of his New Years Resolutions was to become … The Dazzler:
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include former WCW star La Parka (47) and former WWE & WCW star Jim Powers (55). The late Chris Kanyon would have been 43.
– The documentary portion of WWE Champion CM Punks’s “Best In The World” recent DVD is now streaming on Netflix.
– The documentary portion of the Undertaker’s Streak DVD will begin airing on pay-per-view on February 4th.
– WWE.com has a video up featuring tag team champion Daniel Bryan talking about how he wants to be known as The Dazzler in 2013.
– Former WWE superstar and UFC Hall of Famer Dan “The Beast” Severn announced over the weekend that he has officially retired as an active pro wrestler. Severn, a former NWA World Champion, will continue to make appearances at wrestling shows and conventions, but his days in the ring are over. He feuded with Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock during WWE’s Attitude Era.
– WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper announced that Diamond Dallas Page will be appearing on his ROD-POD podcast tonight at 8pm (PST).
– Daniel Bryan noted on Twitter that his New Year’s Resolutions include: “1) grow my beard all year 2) become The Dazzler 3) continue dominating The Ryback.”
– The Shield’s Seth Rollins finally got a chance to watch their debut match at last month’s WWE TLC pay-per-view from Brooklyn, NY:
– The Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam match from WWF Backlash 2002 is featured on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection and broadcaster Jim Ross’ mention of Chris Benoit was not censored as it typically is on WWE programming reruns. Other bouts airing on the show include Lex Luger vs. PJ Walker (WWF Monday Night Raw – March 1, 1993), Lex Luger vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF All American Wrestling – September 19, 1993), King Haku’s Coronation (WWF Superstars – July 9, 1988), King Haku vs. Sam Houston (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – August 22, 1988.
– This week on Santino’s Foreign Exchange, foreign correspondent Yoshi Tatsu attempts to interview Ryback. The synopsis reads, “On this episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” The Milan Miracle puts the pressure on foreign correspondent Toshi Yatsu – uh, we mean Yoshi Tatsu – in an attempt to hone his interviewing skills. Yoshi’s mettle is tested, though, when he runs into the monstrous Ryback!”
– Daniel Bryan is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
WWE tag team champion Daniel Bryan recently sat down with Brian Soscia for an interview. Here are some interview highlights followed by video of the interview:
Who He Enjoys Working With The Most Right Now: “Even though I dislike him, I like wrestling Sheamus. He hits hard, he doesn’t mind being hit hard back. We go out there and we just fight. It’s nice, it’s fun.”
Wanting To Wrestle His Former Trainer, Shawn Michaels: “I want to wrestle Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. Shawn Michaels is the man. Yeah. It never ocurred to me that he would come back because at the time, his back was so bad. You could tell how passionate he was about wrestling because he wasn’t supposed to be doing anything. All of a sudden, he would be showing us how to do something and he’d get so excited and he’d get in there, take a big back body drop. His feet would hit the ceiling — and it was a boxing ring, which are really hard. Then, he’d come in the next day and he could barely walk but he kept doing it. That was the thing.
If He’s Ever Felt Like He Was “In Over His Head” Against An Opponent: “Absolutely. There’s two guys: The Big Show and Mark Henry. So, I don’t know if you guys know this, but when Mark Henry grabs you, it’s not like somebody normally grabbing you. It’s almost be like if I had four hands and I grabbed you with my four hands as hard as I could. That’s how Mark Henry grabs you. You just feel completely helpless, almost like a child.
“…Do you know what also is not fair? When I was the World Champion, I was wrestling Mark Henry and The Big Show. So, Big Show’s close to 500 pounds, Mark Henry’s over 400 pounds. I am closer in weight to Hornswoggle than I am to either of those guys. And they would never give Hornswoggle a WWE championship match. … He’s 165 pounds.”
– TMZ.com is reporting on the photos that surfaced online of John Cena attending former WWE Diva Nikki Bella’s ten-year high-school reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona last week. TMZ notes that Cena was “getting up close and personal” with Nikki on the dance floor. Regarding their relationship status, the website states, “It’s unclear if Cena and Bella are “officially” an item … but they definitely weren’t shy with the PDA at the reunion.”
Nikki’s sister Brie also attended the function with Daniel Bryan, her boyfriend.
– WWE developmental wrestler Corey Graves (f/k/a Sterling James Keenan on the independent circuit) competed at Friday’s Raw live event in a “Special Attraction Match” against Zack Ryder.
The NXT star mocked Ryder’s social media presence during his ring entrance as he vowed to become famous the old fashioned way: By embarrassing people like Ryder. He then said he created a new hashtag for Ryder: BooHooHooGravesJustKickedMyAss. Ryder won the bout with the Rough Ryder.
– Former WWE Diva Trinity turns 41-years-old Saturday.
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 wrote about:
Possible WWE Hall of Fame Candidate: “Another 2013 HOF candidate for consideration….@RealKKBundy who was a major player in WWE in their breakout, national expansion years and was one of the best super heavyweights ever in the business. “King Kong Tonnage” as Ernie Ladd used to call Bundy, is hilarious to follow on Twitter.”
Barrett, Bryan & Kingston: “I’m encouraged by the on going development of such talents as @wadebarrett, @wwedanielbryan. @TrueKofi, among others. WWE is doing a nice job of continuing to build some new, foundation players for the future which, as I’ve often said, simply takes time. ”
The Shield “Enjoyed the Shield presentation Monday night on RAW. Not sure what I would have changed. I liked the succinct, cut to the chase interview and particularly liked the fact that it was pre-taped in a controlled environment.”
“@thedeanambrose, @wwerollins, and @romanreigns are have unique qualities that they bring to the dance as was somewhat illustrated Monday night. Bottom line is that they all ‘want it’ and seem to be willing to continue to work harder than many of their young peers in accomplishing their goals. They are not at a place where they can essentially take a ‘day off’ of preparation. I know these three to be aggressive, in ring talents and that trait alone will help them on their journey. All three are totally different personalities which is a positive but I love the fact that they are all young and are being provided an opportunity to push others already on the main roster aside on their way to main event status.”
– Based on statistics compiled by Hashtagbattle.com, Daniel Bryan actually won the RAW Active poll to determine who would wrestle CM Punk in the main event of the show. With less than 1,000 votes cast, #WWEBryan had 585 tweets, while #WWEKane had 408 tweets. Bryan tweeted on Tuesday:
Is this fair to Daniel Bryan? We think … NO! NO! NO!
– The first downloadable characters for the WWE ’13 videogame will be released on 12/4. The DLC pack includes Tensai, Ryback, AJ Lee, Antonio Cesaro, The Usos, Natalya and Damien Sandow.
– The WWE Studios DVD/Blu-Ray film, “Leprechaun: Origins” starring Hornswoggle is currently scheduled for a March 2013 release.
