Drama continues to brew surrounding the split of WWE’s David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson. Otunga’s attorney recently released the following statement to People regarding their split:
“Today, Jennifer requested and received a protective order against her ex-fiancé. Jennifer’s actions are solely taken in the best interest of their son [8-year-old David Daniel Otunga Jr.]. David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks now.
“However, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child’s primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute.
“As a result of Mr. Otunga’s career in the WWE, Ms. Hudson felt that she could give an award winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim. Mr. Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms. Hudson or their son, and it is unfortunate, especially in today’s climate, that she would feel the need to make these false allegations against him. Mr. Otunga looks forward to his day in court and in being awarded the residential care of the parties’ only child.”
A custody battle for Otunga and Hudson’s child together, David Daniel Otunga Jr., is currently underway. Hudson claims that Otunga is unemployed and asked for a judge to make him find employment, as well as also keep a job diary. Hudson also said Otunga “essentially sits on the sofa and needs gainful employment so she doesn’t have to pay support.” (via TMZ)
Otunga fired back and said Hudson’s claim is ironic considering five years ago she gave him an ultimatum – choose between wrestling full-time or family. He also claims that he is employed by WWE, as he serves on various panels for the company and is also a commentator from time to time.
He is also working on other various entertainment projects. Otunga said it’s ‘nervy’ for Hudson to mention money when she makes between $8 million and $13 million per season on “The Voice.” Otunga then took a shot at Hudson by saying that while she’s focused on making money, he’s raising their child.
Last November WWE’s David Otunga was accused of domestic battery after accusations from his wife, Jennifer Hudson. Hudson claimed that Otunga got angry at her and grabbed their son by the hand before pushing her out of their bedroom. Hudson subsequently filed a report with police in Burr Ridge, Illinois. She then requested a temporary restraining order against Otunga which later sparked a custody battle between the pair over their son, David Jr.
Otunga later won that battle as he has been David Jr.’s primary caregiver since birth due to Hudson’s extensive travel schedule. Hudson also dropped her order of protection against Otunga voluntarily. TMZ now reports that Otunga will not be charged in the domestic battery case against him.
Jennifer Hudson has dropped her restraining order on David Otunga and the courts have granted him custody of the couple’s son. The ruling is only part of a temporary agreement, however.
Hudson had filed a restraining order against David, which prevented him from seeing his son. She has now voluntarily withdrawn the order and the court has granted him custody for the time being. A permanent custody arrangement still needs to be determined, however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoiSiy21434
David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson Split
Otunga is accusing Hudson of having an affair with one of her producers. Despite having been together nearly a decade, Otunga and Hudson never officially tied the knot. They will have to go through proceedings in regards to a permanent custody agreement and child support for their son, however.
Jennifer Hudson’s net worth is currently estimated at $20 million whereas Otunga’s net worth is estimated at half of that.
After 10 years of marriage, Jennifer Hudson has filed a restraining order against David Otunga.
Hudson’s representatives have told reporters the two have been in the process of ending their marriage for months. They are now locked in a custody battle for their 8-year-old son.
Hudson has recently been granted a restraining order against Otunga.
Hudson Files Restraining Order
Otunga’s lawyers have released the following statement regarding the restraining order:
“David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks now. However, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child’s primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute.”
As a result of Mr. Otunga’s career in the WWE, Ms. Hudson felt that she could give an award-winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim. Mr. Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms. Hudson or their son.”
Hudson’s representatives are saying the restraining order is in the best interest of the child involved.
Following the controversial WWE RAW appearance from the Ball family on Monday night, David Otunga wants to step in the ring with LaVar Ball and is asking Vince McMahon to make it happen.
Otunga spoke with TMZ Sports about LaVar’s antics on RAW and says he found the segment to be the most entertaining this week. Otunga says LaVar is definitely a character, but joked that he needs to hit the gym and work on his physique.
When asked to give LaVar advice on how to get better, Otunga says he likes LaVar how he was. He’s not sure how the segment was supposed to go, but he thinks it was a “runaway train” that went off the rails.
Otunga, who is currently filming a movie and will return to RAW later this summer, tells Vince he’ll return immediately if it means he can work with LaVar Ball.
Otunga also posted the following to Instagram about a potential match:
David Otunga was moved from SmackDown to RAW during WWE’s Supertar Shake-Up. Otunga was supposed to be the third man in the booth, but has taken time off due to filming a movie. Booker T has filled in for Otunga for the past several weeks. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it has been acknowledged backstage that Booker T has been better on commentary than Otunga. David Otunga is set to return in a few weeks, so it will be interesting to see if he winds up replacing Booker on commentary. Otunga was at the Extreme Rules PPV but was only a part of the Kickoff Show.
WWE Hoping Female Superstars Will Boost 205 Live Viewership
Sasha Banks appeared on the May 30th episode of 205 Live on the WWE Network. Banks and Swann have been in a feud with Naom Dar and Alicia Fox. WWE is reportedly considering having female Superstars appear more often on 205 Live in hopes of boosting interest in the show.
John Cena is featured in a brand new commercial for “Crocs”. The commercial also features Drew Barrymore, YOONA and Henry Lau. You can check out the new commercial in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYw-URcN0GU
Details On David Otunga’s New Film
As noted earlier, new WWE Raw commentator David Otunga will not be debuting on the show for another six weeks. Otunga previously was on commentary for Smackdown, but switched to Raw during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. Otunga will star in the new film “Katrina” and it is set in 2005 New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Otunga will play the role of edgy DEA Agent James “World” Lawson.
As part of this week’s Superstar Shake-Up, RAW announcer Byron Saxton was ‘traded’ to SmackDown for Otunga, who will now be calling the action on Monday nights along with Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Eventually.
WWE.com announced on Thursday that David Otunga will be starring in a new ‘action franchise’ movie. As a result, his WWE RAW commentating ‘debut’ has been delayed for at least 6 weeks.
No word yet on who will fill in for David Otunga for the next six weeks or if WWE will go with a 2-man team while he’s away.
According to IMDB.com, David Otunga has several movies in the works this year, including Sandy Wexler (Netflix, post-production), Days Like This (pre-production) and Live to Tell (announced).
After Monday Night Raw went off the air, it was revealed that Byron Saxton will be heading to Smackdown tomorrow night. In the WWE Raw Fallout video below, Saxton stated that he was shocked to learn that he joining the Smackdown announce team. Saxton said that he was going to take this as a positive and that he is going to start wearing blue now. Byron also admitted that he probably won’t miss Corey Graves too much. It was also revealed in the video that David Otunga will now join the Raw announce team.
Here is the full list of every Superstar that changed brands during the Superstar Shake-Up on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw:
– WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens ripped SmackDown announcer David Otunga on Twitter today, following Otunga’s fat joke during the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on Sunday. You can see Owens’ Twitter assault below:
– Below are Total Divas previews for tomorrow with Jim Neidhart teaching Lana to shot put, Naomi visiting the PULSE Night Club in Orlando with her uncle and The Bella Twins shooting the cover for Latina Magazine:
– This week’s WWE Superstars episode will feature Jinder Mahal vs. Darren Young and Neville vs. Curtis Axel.
– SmackDown announcer David Otunga will be appearing on the 11/5 edition of “Where Are They Now” on the Oprah Network.
– Former WWE IC Champion Ken Shamrock talks to TMZ Sports in this new video about the Kim Kardashian robbery that happened in Paris earlier this week. The MMA Legend says he’d be open to working personal security for Kim and says the incident would never have happened if he were there in her apartment that day.
– After losing the RAW Women’s Championship to Sasha Banks on Monday’s RAW, Charlotte is finally retiring her first pair of wrestling boots. She tweeted the following after the match:
– Austin Aries suffered a ruptured eardrum at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II on Saturday after night after being taken out by Hideo Itami after Aries’ win over No Way Jose.
Ruptured eardrum at #NXTTakeOver thanks to sockless loafer boy, @HideoItami. Won't cost much to repair, but I'll save the receipt for you.
– Mojo Rawley and WWE announcer Greg Hamilton indicated on Twitter that they filmed a segment inside of a penthouse suite at the Mohegan Sun Casino for tonight’s SmackDown, which from the arena at the casino.
– Speaking of SmackDown, announcer David Otunga will appear at the Hudson Valley Film Festival this Saturday for a special screening of his “What Happened Last Night” movie.
– WWE has uploaded a few notable clips from the Holy Foley series, which is now available to binge watch on the WWE Network.
– NXT star Billie Kay will debut on WWE SmackDown this Thursday in a match against Dana Brooke. Click here for complete results from this week’s SmackDown tapings.
– WWE taped Zack Ryder & Jack Swagger vs. The Shining Stars, The Ascension vs. Golden Truth and Enzo and Cass vs. The Dudleyz for WWE Main Event in Miami last night.
– WWE announcer David Otunga shares his arm workouts with Muscle & Fitness Editor-in-Chief Shawn Perine for FOX 5 in NYC in this new video:
– MMA journalist Ariel Helwani says the latest plan for CM Punk’s UFC is for the fight to take place at UFC 203, scheduled for September 10th. However, the fight date is “far from a done deal.” In recent months, it was reported that Punk would likely debut at UFC 202, which takes place during SummerSlam weekend. Punk will [eventually] fight Welterweight Mickey Gall (2-0).
Current plan at the moment is CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall at UFC 203, per sources. Far from a done deal but that's the direction as of this AM.
Punk signed with UFC back in December 2014, shortly after his WWE departure and his controversial appearance on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast. His planned debut has been pushed back multiple times, most recently when he underwent back surgery in February to repair a herniated disc. UFC and Punk are still adamant that he’ll fight this year, but much of the excitement that surrounded his initial announcement has dissipated.
Visit our partner site MMANews.com for daily coverage of UFC and the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
– With Jerry Lawler serving an indefinite suspension from WWE as a result of his domestic assault arrest from last week, David Otunga filled in the the King at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings.
– Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra will be Chris Jericho’s guest on his Talk is Jericho podcast this coming Friday. The episode will focus on the Benoit family tragedy.
– WWE has announced Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro & Sami Zayn for this week’s SmackDown. Join us here later tonight for our weekly Live Coverage of the SmackDown tapings.
– WWE has registered to trademark the term “Legion of Doom.” The timing is curious, since LOD’s former manager Paul Ellering just returned to the company last week at Takeover. He will be managing the new Authors of Pain tag team, comprised of Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani.
– Chris Jericho will be Jonathan Coachman’s guest on tonight’s ESPN “Off The Top Rope” segment.
– David Otunga is no longer working the weekly WWE RAW pre-show on the WWE Network. He did commentary at last night’s WWE Superstars tapings and in the video below, confirms his new role. Otunga will now be doing weekly commentary for Superstars and Main Event with Tom Phillips.
– There’s a rumor going around that we might see a Women’s Money in the Bank match at next month’s MITB. Take this as a rumor for now, but comment and tell us if this is something you’d want to see.
– Big E will be signing autographs and attending the induction banquet during the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend on Saturday, Jule 23 at the National Wrestling HOF/Dan Gable Museum in Iowa. A press release was issued today with these comments from Gable:
“I’m excited to have WWE Superstar Big E at one of our biggest events of the year. Working together always yields the best results. We appreciate the support of WWE.”
– David Otunga will be on The Steve Harvey Show tomorrow. He posted this photo from the show:
– The next installment of “Legends with JBL” will be a two-part special with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. They will begin airing on the WWE Network later this month.
– Dolph Ziggler will be appearing on FOX Business program “Kennedy” this Thursday night.
– David Otunga is filming a new project with Tyler Perry for the Oprah Winfrey Network, as seen in this photo:
– Tonight after RAW, the WWE Network will air a special Wrestlemania-themed episode of the Edge and Christian Show.
– The Rock noted on Twitter that he did a cover shoot GQ magazine this weekend.
– Sheamus will be appearing on Conan on TBS this Friday to promote Wrestlemania.
– Dave Otunga will be appearing on the Steve Harvey Show this Wednesday for a segment about diet and nutrition.
– Friend of the site Jake Jeremy and his friend Roderick have launched a new wrestling podcast titled, the R&J Wrestling Podcast. You can check out Episode 1 below.
– Shinsuke Nakamura is featured in the latest NXT program, on sale at NXT live events. Nakamura makes his debut against Sami Zayn next weekend at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
– WWE Superstar David Otunga noted on social media that he will begin filming the independent movie “What Happened Last Night?” this week. In the film, Otunga plays a bartender named Tiny.
– Stephanie McMahon, Sin Cara, Kalisto, Ryback, Sasha Banks, Tamina Snuka and Naomi visited children at The Children’s Hospital Of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ahead of tonight’s WWE RAW at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh this evening. Below are some photos:
– John Cena checked in on Twitter today with the following tweet. Cena is scheduled to remain off of WWE television for at least two more weeks, after the TLC pay-per-view.
I never mind analyzation, but it's tough to process complaining. Identify the issue, work towards a resolve. #nevergiveup
– Adam Rose responded to a fan on Twitter today who wrote that NXT Superstar Tyler Breeze will become a “jobber” when he moves to WWE’s main roster, and that he will get “the Adam Rose treatment.” Rose replied to the fan, “Not at all, Tyler is gonna be a mega star! Mark my words.” As noted, Breeze is rumored to be joining the main roster imminently.
– WWE shot an angle during the RAW pre-show that saw co-hosts Corey Graves and David Otunga campaign for the job of “Director of Operations.” Prior to RAW, WWE announced that Corporate Kane was suspended this week and that if he loses to Seth Rollins at WWE Hell In A Cell this Sunday, he will be relieved of his job in The Authority permanently. The announcements led to Graves and Otunga campaigning for the spot throughout the pre-show, with both guys referencing it multiple times and airing campaign-style video packages. The fun continued on social media, as you can see via the following tweets.
– David Otunga, who has been under contract with WWE for years even though he hasn’t been used as a wrestler, returned to the ring at the WWE live event in Rockford, Illinois on Sunday evening. Otunga cut a quick pre-match promo, talking down to the fans in attendance for being out of shape. Otunga went on to lose to R-Truth via clean pinfall.
– The Thursday, July 2, 2015 edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2.265 million viewers. The viewership was down this week, as last week’s show delivered a total average audience of 2.466 million viewers. SmackDown joined RAW, Impact Wrestling and ROH, all of whom saw their numbers drop due to the United States holiday week. Regardless, SmackDown was still the number one show on cable television for Thursday night.
While nothing is official yet, there is speculation going around that Sheamus could potentially make his WWE return on tonight’s edition of RAW from Newark, New Jersey.
Speaking of tonight’s RAW, the WWE Network is advertising Alex Riley to return to the RAW pre-show tonight, however that appears to be a case of the Network not updating their listings. As things stand now, tonight’s RAW pre-show is set to feature the usual trio of Scott Stanford, Corey Graves and David Otunga.
Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho has launched an official t-shirt store at ProWrestlingTees.com. He tweeted the following about the store, which shows off some of the t-shirt designs.
WWE Superstar David Otunga recently spoke with the Chicago Tribune to discuss his new role in WWE as part of the RAW pre-show. Below are highlights from the interview.
On his new role on the RAW pre-show: “It kind of fits with what I’ve been doing as a legal analyst on HLN and CNN. It’s great to be back. I was off for a while and missed it greatly. (WWE) is family.”
On taking time off from the ring: “I needed to spend more time with my family and son. But now I really want to get back in the ring. I hear it 20 times a day from fans: ‘When are you coming back?’ My son is like ‘Dad, I want to see you wrestle again.’ He’s five and now of the age where he and his classmates are big into it.”
– WWE.com has published a photo gallery of the new Triple statue from McFarlane Toys’ WWE ICON series.
– David Otunga will be one of the hosts of this week’s WWE RAW Pre-Show tomorrow night on the WWE Network. Otunga could be filling in for Alex Riley, who recently returned to the ring in NXT.
– Rob Van Dam took a dig at the WWE creative team today when asked on Twitter about a potential return to the company:
– WWE Superstar David Otunga taped his second appearance on The Steve Harvey Show on Tuesday. He posted a clip of himself backstage at the show, which you can view at Instagram.com.
– ROH star Adam Cole is the guest on this week’s edition of the Jim Ross “Ross Report” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TRR – Ep52 – ROH’s Adam Cole
“Ring Of Honor rising star Adam Cole joins JR to talk about his wrestling start, the Stone Cold/Rock match at Wrestlemania 17 that inspired Adam to pursue pro-wrestling, his training, his in-ring technique, philosophy on selling, his thoughts on Kevin Steen, working for New Japan, and the effect social media has on storylines and character development. Plus, Adam reveals his top 7 fantasy matches!”
