– Jack Swagger tweeted the following after his Elimination Chamber win:
“Jack Swagger’s America is here… #WethePeople #RealAmerican”
– Future WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley tweeted this about The Sheild’s win over John Cena, Sheamus & Ryback at Elimination Chamber, specifically Dean Ambrose:
“Impressive showing by the SHIELD, especially Ambrose. Very fluid; disturbingly poetic in his style and movements.”
– Antonio Cesaro the following after defeating The Miz by disqualification at the PPV:
“Even with Miz stooping to new lows and resorting to cheap shots, I am still YOUR #USChampion #WWEChamber”
– The Miz re-tweeted the following image of his post-match low blow to United States champion Antonio Cesaro at Elimination Chamber:
“Now that is what a DQ looks like RT @SinCaraN1Fan: @MikeTheMiz Kicking @AntonioCesaro in the ___ #Revenge #WWEChamber”
– WWE announcer JBL posted a Facebook.com on Monday night about his upcoming mountain climb of Mt. Aconcagua, also known as “Mount Death.” He wrote:
“Less than 7 weeks out from Mt Aconcagua-nicknamed “Mt Death” some estimates are as high as 60% success rate but seems like closer to 30% is more accurate. Numbers are all over the place as records are not kept that well and some are embellished for marketing.”
“This is the highest mountain outside of Asia, by far my toughest test. Since it is only 80 miles from the Pacific Ocean wind chills can be deadly. I might need a little luck, however, if weather is OK I believe I have a great chance of making it.”
– Mick Foley tweeted the following during Monday’s RAW about Dean Ambrose:
Earlier this year, Mick Foley and Dean Ambrose were feuding on social media, with Ambrose calling out Foley for “destroying a generation” of wrestlers by championing the hardcore style of chairs and barbed wire. Ambrose confronted Mick Foley at a hotel in Florida during WrestleMania 28 weekend and there was talk of Ambrose debuting on the main roster in a feud with Mick Foley, but they eventually called a truce and the angle was dropped.
Dr. Tom Prichard joined the VOC Wrestling Nation recently to give his thoughts on the debut of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, working with the trio down at FCW, his new wrestling project, and the overall state of the wrestling business. The VOC Wrestling Nation is the flagship program of the VOC Nation Radio Network, and can be heard every Wednesday at 5PM ET worldwide at VOCNation.com. Here are some highlights from the chat with Dr. Tom:
On Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns’ WWE debut: “I don’t know if you can find anything in wrestling that hasn’t been done before, but I look at it the other way. At least these guys finally had the opportunity not to just show up, but to make an impact on a (top) guy like Ryback, who is making an impact right now.”
On the WWE product: “WWE is in a transitional period. The powers that be (HHH) know that they need new blood. The lifeblood of the business is getting new talent and putting them in the mix.”
On Roman Reigns: “Out of the three, Roman Reigns is the greenest, yet he still has talent and untapped potential and charisma to be a major star. Reigns is Sika’s son, so he has the bloodline. He played football in the past, and has overcome a number of personal challenges in his life that none of us can ever imagine.”
On which of Rollins, Ambrose, or Reigns has the most star potential: “The dark horse is Roman Reigns. As far as charisma and working ability, Ambrose is at the top of the list. Rollins has the passion and the attitude that can put you over the top. You have three guys that have their own individual “it factors”. All three guys are smart. Ambrose is crazy like a fox. Rollins is wild like a maverick, but finally understands that there are rules that you need to play by; he has his beliefs, and he won’t sacrifice what he believes in, but he’s finally figured out (how to work the system).”
On his departure from WWE developmental: “When anyone new comes in, they want their team. When Bill DeMott came back, I knew that the writing was on the wall. Canyon Cemen, who took over Ty Bailey’s place, is very new to the business and really knows nothing. I was very honest with him when I probably shouldn’t have been. I told him that he came across like an a—hole in his initial meeting with the talent, and the writing was on the wall from there. I understand how it works. HHH wants his own people. If they can’t produce stars, but proof will be in the ratings.”
On how to be successful in wrestling: “It’s more how you handle yourself backstage than anything. If you show up at the arena at 12:30, you have 9 hours before showtime where the (powers that be) can see you and judge you. Someone much wiser than I told me on a plane ride not too long ago, that you have to understand who you can be honest with and who you can’t.”
On his new wrestling school: “We have a new wrestling project coming to Knoxville called Next Level Wrestling. It’s going to start in January. January 3rd is the open house for Next Level Training (the wrestling school).” VOCNation.com will have all of the information regarding the project as it develops.
Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle site has a guest blog up by Gabe Sapolsky, who talks about his memorable times working with Dean Ambrose in the Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE promotions. Here’s a sample of what Sapolsky wrote –
“I’ll never forget the very first moment I worked with the man now known as Dean Ambrose,” he wrote. “There was only one other time I experienced anything like it in my 10 year booking career and that was with Paul Heyman’s current top hustler, CM Punk.”
The first time he got a chance to work with Ambrose, “I eagerly awaited for Ambrose to arrive at the armory for the Peterson Cup. I wanted to see what he was all about face-to-face. Shortly after he arrived, I immediately seized the opportunity to work with him for the first time. I wasn’t sure what we had on our hands, but I was about to find out.”
“Come on,” I said to Ambrose before he had time to prepare for anything, “time to cut a promo.”
“We scurried into a back room, I think a janitor’s closet actually. He asked if there were any bullet points. I purposely told him to just run with whatever he thought the people should know about him. He then cut an amazing, unique and distinctive promo that floored me.”
When he was done my gut instincts were screaming, “PUT THIS GUY IN SOMETHING NOW!”
I didn’t even care if he could wrestle. His charisma, poise and presence was one-in-a-million. The only other time I was sold on a talent before seeing how well he could wrestle was CM Punk, who dazzled me by showing a command of the audience during a simple ring entrance. Fortunately, both Punk and Ambrose are equally great talents in the ring.”
You can read the full blog at the Heyman Hustle. Sapolsky’s next blog for the Hustle will discuss his time working with Seth Rollins.
At Tuesday night’s WWE Main Event tapings from Grand Rapid, Michigan, the group of rouge group of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns struck once again.
During the opening contest between Tyson Kidd and Santino Marella, the “NXT 3” hit the ring and got to work. They threw Santino Marella out of the ring and delivered a 3-man powerbomb on Tyson Kidd before exiting through the crowd.
WWE.com is now covering the the story – and we’ve got video footage of their latest attack.
As we reported on Tuesday night, Michael Cole will interview all three men next week on WWE RAW.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog entry, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about last night’s Survivor Series PPV:
CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Ryback “Biggest match of the night as far as the promotion was concerned was the WWE Title Bout featuring @CMPunk, @JohnCena, and @Ryback22. It seemed that this match accomplished several things including getting Punk to becoming a 365 day WWE Champion and on an apparent, collision course to meet the @TheRock at the Royal Rumble, or so it seems. That could always change between now and then considering that WWE could shock us with a TLC PPV ending that would surprise.”
Big Show vs. Sheamus “@WWESheamus vs. @WWETheBigShow was the closest thing to an old school match on the PPV. I love their pacing as I’m not into today’s, microwave, move a second mind set on which some fans embrace. Sheamus’ chair shot attack on Show was memorable and straight from Idaho. I’m a fan of this rivalry.”
The Debuts Of Rollins, Abrose & Reigns: “The inclusion of the NXT talents into the equation intrigues me and I’m anxious to see how these three, talented young men evolve on WWE programming over the next several weeks. @WWERollins, @TheDeanAmbrose, and @RomanReigns all have something viable to contribute but, as usual, it will depend on how they continue to invest in their game and maximize their ‘playing time.’ Bottom line, WWE has brought three, potentially viable talents into the mix in an impactful manner which I find refreshing.”
“I’ve seen all three of these young, NXT talents enough to know that their in ring skills are, by and large, solid and that they all possess the necessary personalities to contribute to WWE for years to come. This trio’s introduction was one of the brightest aspects of the Survivor Series for me.”
WWE.com has an article up looking at the trio of NXT stars that attacked Ryback at Survivor Series: NXT Champion Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Here’s what they wrote about each man:
Seth Rollins: “Seth Rollins is the first ever WWE NXT Champion, having won a tournament to crown the inaugural titleholder. This native of Davenport, Iowa, came into NXT with a sterling reputation from his work on the independent circuit and immediately made an impact in WWE’s developmental system. Perhaps the word best used to describe Rollins would be “chaotic.” His in-ring style is calculated, yet frantic. Employing a combination of high-risk maneuvers and devastating strikes, Rollins’ offense is spectacular and elicits show-closing ovations.”
Roman Reigns: “Like his fellow WWE NXT standouts, Roman Reigns is a fierce competitor and an exceptional athlete. Inside the ring, Reigns is a heavy hitter, and he is just as aggressive outside the ring. The powerhouse always acts with a sense of purpose, depicting power and commanding respect. Put simply, Roman Reigns views himself as the most valuable commodity in NXT.”
Dean Ambrose: “Dean Ambrose is every bit as effective as Rollins, but there’s something slightly off about this dangerous competitor. From the moment he marched onto the scene, WWE NXT fans were unable to take their eyes off Ambrose. Fearless, wild and always unpredictable, the iconoclast more than lived up to his reputation as a world-class competitor and infamous troublemaker.”
“In October last year, Ambrose created quite a stir when WWE champion CM Punk appeared at NXT for an autograph signing. Ambrose decided to verbally assault Punk on the microphone, resulting in a raucous and unforgettable scene when The Straight Edge Savior challenged Ambrose that evening. The 30-minute showdown between the two physical competitors blew away the lucky fans who witnessed it.”
WWE NXT Champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose were the men who attacked Ryback and allowed CM Punk to retain the WWE Championship at Survivor Series.
All 3 men were identified by Michael Cole and are expected to appear on tonight’s RAW.
In case you missed it – here’s a video clip of the appearance:
– Former WWE diva Kharma returned to the ring last night at the SHINE 5 iPPV event. Wrestling as Amazing Kong, she teamed with former WWE diva Jazz and defeated teh team of Mercedes Mertinez and Rain.
– It’s been reported over the past week that WWE is looking to call up several divas from developmental to add some depth to the women’s division. According to a reliable source, there are also plans for NXT Champion Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to make their long awaited debuts on the main roster very soon.
– Following the “evidence” that Vickie Guerrero has produced in recent weeks regarding AJ Lee and John Cena’s alleged affair, AJ says she has some evidence of her own against Vickie and will present it at Survivor Series:
– Injured WWE superstar John Cena will appearing on this morning’s “Live with Kelly & Michael” talk show. Cena filmed his appearance on Friday in New York and will be at tonight’s WWE RAW from Sacramento, California.
– NXT wrestlers Dean Ambrose and Xavier Woods continued working weekend WWE live events.
– Yoshi Tatsu was working as a heel at weekend WWE live events. Tatsu teamed with Darren Young and Titus O’Neil to face Justin Gabriel and The Usos at Saturday night’s SmackDown live event in Anaheim, California. Following the match, Tatsu tweeted the following:
– Santino Marella suffered a knee injury at Friday’s Raw live event in St. Joseph, Missouri, leading to a brief stoppage of his match against Tensai. He was examined by a medical trainer before resuming the bout and picking up the victory.
WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose competed at the event, losing to Michael McGillicutty.
– WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who as reported earlier this month is in the process of divorcing his fourth wife, is now dating his former valet from World Championship Wrestling, Wendy Barlow, better known as “Fifi the Maid.”
– Pro Wrestling Syndicate has announced that “The Original Gangsta” New Jack will debut for the promotion next April in Rahway, New Jersey during WrestleMania weekend.
– Pro Wrestling Blitz on Saturday, October 27 at St Joe’s Park Joliet, Illinois will be headlined by Billy Gunn vs. Jay Bradley.
– At Sunday’s Raw live event in Worcester, Massachusetts, WWE Champion CM Punk made an obscure reference to a TNA Wrestling talent.
The show opened with Punk and Raw General Manager AJ Lee discussing the night’s main event since Punk’s originally scheduled opponent, John Cena, was unable to appear due to injury. During the verbal exchange, Punk referred to Lee as “Allen Jones,” the real name of AJ Styles.
Lee announced Big Show as Punk’s replacement opponent and that it would be a Lumberjack Match. Big Show performed as a babyface and won the match via disqualification after Punk struck him with a chair. Following the match, Punk assaulted Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. As he was celebrating, Big Show struck him with the WMD to end the show on a high note.
– WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose faced Michael McGillicutty at all three Raw live events this weekend. McGillicutty beat Ambrose cleanly in all three bouts.
– The late Big Bossman is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Mick Foley wrote on Twitter that if his Christmas book does well (which comes out on October 1), he will write a Halloween book starring Daniel Bryan.
– Joey Styles noted on Twitter that he attended this weekend’s RAW house show in White Plains, New York. Styles grew up close to where the event is being held.
– Dean Ambrose is working the RAW house shows this weekend. He is still expected to be one of the next stars from NXT to be called up to the main roster.
Matches taped Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Tyson Kidd vs. David Otunga, and The Prime Time Players vs. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.
A taping was also held for WWE Saturday Morning Slam on The CW. Bouts taped were Sin Cara vs. Jinder Mahal, and Justin Gabriel vs. Zack Ryder.
A dark match was held before both tapings as Kofi Kingston beat WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose following Trouble In Paradise.
– During last week’s WWE live events tour of Asia, Japanese wrestling promoters approached John Laurinaitis about their local promotions serving as a Japanese WWE developmental system. The idea is that WWE would send wrestlers to Japan to work a full-time schedule and sign local Japanese wrestlers to appear on WWE television.
– Another note from WWE’s live events in Japan last week, some fans were unhappy that WWE did not deliver on all the matches that were advertised. In particular, Japanese fans were really loooking forward to the advertised Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio match, which never took place. While live event cards are always “subject to change,” Japanese wrestling fans are apparently not used to companies changing advertised lineups.
– WWE NXT is holding a show tonight at the Tampa Arena in Tampa, Florida. 8 Matches are scheduled for the show, which starts at 7pm.
– William Regal is teasing that developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose’s WWE debut could be imminent. When asked by a fan on Twitter who Ambrose is, Regal replied:
You'll know soon enough.A new villain will come to town.RT @EastonBCW: who in the blue blazes is #Dean Ambrose?
– WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose was back in action at Sunday night’s WWE RAW live event from Alabama. He worked as a heel, and cut a promo before his match with Alex Riley, which he lost .
– Cody Rhodes has responded to a recent report by SuperLuchas.net that stated he failed a Wellness Policy test but was not suspended because he was able to provide a valid prescription for the substance in question. He tweeted on Monday:
So apparently some luchas site was curious in my physical growth…working harder than my gen is not cheating. Never failed, never will.
– WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose competed in his first WWE match since mid-June at Friday’s Raw live event in Jacksonville, Florida. He defeated Alex Riley in a singles match.
– Japanese wrestlers are highlighted on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Monday Nitro – December 30, 1996), Antonio Inoki vs. Lord Steven Regal (WCW Clash Of The Champions – August 24, 1994), Mr. Fuji and Tiger Chung Lee vs. Eddie Gilbert and Tony Garea (WWF live event – February 18, 1984), The Great Muta vs. Masahiro Chono (WCW/New Japan Supershow – January 4, 1993).
– Dean Malenko, who works for WWE as a producer, turns 52-years-old on Saturday. Also celebrating a birthday Saturday is Kensuke Sasaki, who turns 46-years-old.
– WWE Champion CM Punk sported a different hair style during his Street Fight Match victory over Daniel Bryan at Friday’s Raw live event in Jacksonville, Florida. In a change from his regular slicked back look, he sported a hairstyle similar to his time with The Nexus early last year.
– WWE brass had planned for developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose to be a member of the main roster by now as he is listed as a Superstar in the newly released WWE Souvenir Program sold exclusively at live events. He is pictured appearing menacingly in traditional wrestling trunks and billed at 6’4″, 250 pounds and hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. He has competed in numerous non-televised matches for WWE since late last year, but not since June 16.
– Though Chris Jericho will never say anything publicly about his comings and goings with WWE, with him not advertised for televised events following SummerSlam on August 19, many employees believe he’ll be leaving the company shortly, at least temporarily.
– Former WCW announcer “Stagger” Lee Marshall is organizing a reunion of broadcasters at radio station KRIZ in Phoenix, Arizona in February. In addition to radio announcing, he is the voice of Tony the Tiger in Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes commercials.
– Celebrating birthdays Friday are Greg Gagne (64) and Manny Fernandez (58).
– It’s interesting to note that almost all of the tweets from WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose have been deleted. This could be another sign that his WWE debut is imminent (@TheDeanAmbrose).
– WWE has posted the official Money in the Bank contract online, which you can view here (.PDF).
– WWE diva Kharma’s profile has been moved to the Alumni section of WWE.com. She tweeted on Thursday afternoon:
Getting a flood of dm's. I guess the cat's out of the bag.
The following are live notes from Monday night’s WWE RAW Supershow taping from Laredo, Texas:
– Dean Ambrose defeated Michael McGillicutty the opening dark match.
– Matches taped for this week’s WWE Superstars were:
* Alex Riley vs. Antonio Cesaro
* Zack Ryder vs. Jack Swagger.
– After RAW went off the air, John Cena defeated Big Show and Tensai in a handicap match. The finish came when Big Show accidentally laid out Tensai and then Cena hit Big Show with the Attitude Adjustment.
John Laurinaitis then came out with a steel chair and hit Cena with it. He went for a second shot, but Cena blocked the chair and hit Laurinaitis with the Attitude Adjustment to end the show.
– Dean Ambrose will almost certainly be the next wrestler from developmental to debut on the main roster. WWE writers have been told to come up with storylines to introduce Ambrose. He will debut on the RAW brand.
As previously reported, it’s believed that his online feud with Mick Foley has been dropped.
– The first match has been announced for next Tuesday’s WWE Super SmackDown “Great American” Bash special: WWE Divas Champion Layla and The Great Khali vs. Aksana and Antonio Cesaro.
– WWE Champion CM Punk will be participating in a charity bowling event today at the 10pin Bowling Lounge in Chicago, IL. The event will benefit the Wood Family Foundation and there will also be members of the Chicago Cubs there, including pitcher Kerry Wood.
– This week’s WWE Interim General Manager Mick Foley tweeted the following message after last night’s SmackDown tapings, stating that he finally had a chance to speak with Dean Ambrose face to face:
– Dean Ambrose was back on the road with WWE again this weekend, working against Alex Riley at RAW brand live events. WWE Champion CM Punk tweeted the image to the right (click to enlarge) of Ambrose walking out to the ring and called him “our secret weapon.”
Punk also re-tweeted a comment from former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky that said:
– Injured WWE superstar Evan Bourne will be appearing at the FCW live event on 7/23 from the Orlando Armory in Orlando, Florida.
– As seen at WWE No Way Out, Abraham Washington dumped Primo, Epico and Rosa Mendes and aligned himself with new #1 contenders, the Primetime Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young.) AW tweeted the following about his new clients:
“AW doesn’t only stand for #AllWorld, it also stands for the #ArtofWar. The Colons were nothing but pawns and I’m the King. #CheckMate! For those of you who question my tactics, Tough S#!T, The PTP’z are the future of the #WWE. Can anybody out there say #MillionsOfDollars? I told the #Colons that I would give them the ultimate spotlight tonite and I delivered. Too bad they had to see them on their backs,lol!!!”
Matches taped Tuesday evening in Manchester, New Hampshire for this week’s episode of WWE NXT are as follows:
* Derrick Bateman and Percy Watson vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks
* Kaitlyn vs. Natalya.
* Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty
Justin Gabriel faced Hunico in a match taped for WWE Superstars.
In a battle of WWE developmental wrestlers, Big E Langston faced Dean Ambrose in a pre-taping dark match. Langston, who was billed from Manchester, beat Ambrose. Prior to the match, Ambrose cut a heel promo denouncing the city of Manchester.
– At Thursday night’s final FCW TV tapings, the highly anticipated rematch between Dean Ambrose and William ended in a no contest due to referee stoppage. During the match, Ambrose caused Regal to bleed from the head and the officials stopped the match.
Ambrose flipped out and attacked the referees and wrestlers who came into help Regal. He then applied Regal’s Regal Stretch hold on him. When Regal finally got free, he applauded Ambrose, who proceeded to knock him out with his Knee Trembler move.
Also at the tapings, Vickie Guerrero’s daughter Raquel Diaz cut a promo. She has a totally new look, sporting bleach blonde hair and crazy makeup.
– The official match listing for the upcoming WWE: Best of Falls Count Anywhere Matches DVD and Blu-Ray set has been released. You can view the complete match listing, as well as pre-order the product, at Amazon.com.
Hosted by Mick Foley, the collection will feature matches spanning 30 years from WWE, NWA, WCW, & ECW and will be released on 6/26.