Currently in WWE when it comes to power and decision-making within the company, there are several people involved in the process, however the only real key decision makers are Vince McMahon and Triple H.
Regarding a lot of changes that takes place during WWE RAW, which is the company’s top priority presently, they don’t even begin talking about what they are going to do on SmackDown until late Monday afternoon.
Apparently around 6pm on Monday’s, Vince McMahon will ask the writing team to give him a main event for SmackDown so that it can be promoted during RAW. At that point, writers begin scrambling for ideas for a big match. Apparently that is the reason why WWE SmackDown and WWE Main Event matches announced on RAW frequently change.
The following is an excerpt from the RAW Five Point Preview from WWE.com:
“As the year comes to a close, the biggest match in WWE history quickly approaches at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs between World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and WWE Champion Randy Orton. With looming expectations from COO Triple H of there being just one World Champion in WWE, what will unfold tonight during the official contract signing between Cena and Orton? Here are five reasons to catch Raw at 8/7 CT on USA Network.”
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.
– WWE NXT Champion Bo Dallas is scheduled to defend his title against Adrian Neville at the WWE NXT live event on December 5th in Tampa, Florida.
– The Kentucky.com website has an article up promoting Mick Foley’s upcoming one man show at The Mall in Lexington Green on December 4th. You can check that article out online at Kentucky.com.
– WWE has added a nearly four-minute clip on YouTube from the latest Michael Cole and Triple H interview from WWE.com. The clip focuses on Triple H revealing that he wants there to be one undisputed champion in WWE. You can watch the clip below:
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.”
It appears as though WWE has gone back and forth on their plans for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship ever since the conclusion of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view earlier this month.
When Survivor Series ended, the plan, despite how it appeared on television, was not to have a unification match. On RAW the next night, WWE apparently went out of their way not to say the words “unification match,” but they are now apparently leaning towards having only one World Champion following Triple H’s latest sitdown interview with Michael Cole.
There has been speculation that the finish at the WWE TLC pay-per-view could see John Cena walk away as the WWE Champion and Randy Orton as the World Heavyweight Champion, with the two basically just reversing roles as far as their championship status is concerned. Whether or not WWE runs with that finish remains to be seen.
Former WWE Superstar Bill Goldberg appeared at the C4 Comic Con in Winnigpeg a few weeks ago and was asked about the possibility of appearing at WrestleMania XXX for WWE in 2014. Goldberg noted that Triple H has called him multiple times and they have talked, but there is no official deal in place.
Goldberg spoke about being open to coming back, as he would like his son to see him wrestle at least once on a major stage, but he said he would only do it if the price was right. Goldberg said he would never call WWE personally and ask to return. He said the ball is in their court and that they know what needs to be done if they want him to return. One source noted that Goldberg’s financial demands were very significant.
Goldberg also talked about WWE trying to push the idea of him getting an enormous pop, saying “think of the pop you’ll get,” but Goldberg claims they are using the wrong negotiation tactics by saying things like that.
According to reports, WWE NXT writer Ryan Ward is making a push for Triple H to sign top former Ring Of Honor stars Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Apparently the two also received good reactions from NXT trainers Billy Gunn and Bill DeMott.
WWE is going to allow both Richards and Edwards to finish out their commitments with Ring Of Honor, including the upcoming ROH show in New York City on December 14th, but the company has apparently told them not to take any additional dates with ROH.
The following are highlights from the latest sit-down interview between Triple H and Michael Cole from the official WWE website:
On the goal behind unifying the belt at the WWE TLC PPV: “The goal is one champion. The goal being one champion at the end of the night. One Undisputed WWE champion. Let’s face it – with the brand extension no longer in effect, there is no need for two champions; we only need one… I want there to be one Undisputed WWE champion; the championship that was held by all the greats. Bruno Sammartino, (Bob) Backlund, Bret (Hart), (Hulk) Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Rock, (Steve) Austin, myself, Cena. All the greats. I want there to be one champion who represents this company going into the new year.”
On CM Punk’s dig at him on RAW this past Monday: “I didn’t happen to see C.M. Punk’s promo Monday night because I was a little bit busy creating the biggest match in WWE history. That being said, C.M. Punk says a lot of things; he runs his mouth a lot. It doesn’t make a difference to me. It’s irrelevant to me. He can say whatever he wants. I’m not phased by it. All I care about is C.M. Punk shows up and does his job.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
“The McMahon’s” are once again being advertised for an upcoming WWE television taping. The latest advertisement is for the December 2nd edition of WWE RAW in Oklahoma City. Obviously the last few times Vince McMahon has been advertised for a WWE event he has ended up not showing up on the show, so take these advertisements with a grain of salt.
Vince McMahon is still scheduled to return to WWE television as a regular character in the near future. The company apparently wants to delay McMahon’s television return as long as possible in order to build up heat on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
– Despite not working lately, word is that the official Sin Cara WWE t-shirts sold well among kids at the recent WWE European tour.
– Apparently WWE will not be offering former NFL star Shawne Merriman a contract. Merriman, who had a WWE tryout a few weeks ago, reportedly wasn’t that impressive in the ring and apparently got tired very fast.
– As previously reported, WWE and Triple H in particular are starting to focus heavily on their tag-team division. Triple H has reportedly been pushing the idea to have more tag-teams on the main roster as a way to bring up developmental talents who might not have otherwise gotten the call. In fact, WWE is talking about doing a three-day tryout camp next years exclusively for tag-teams.
– As we have previously reported numerous times, WWE Superstar Ryback is said to be dealing with a decent amount of heat from WWE management. In addition to the reasons we have explained in the past, apparently Ryback gained additional heat recently due to performing typical Goldberg spots in a match, including the Jackhammer and the spear, without getting permission from WWE to do so ahead of time.
– The latest edition of the sit-down interview series between Michael Cole and Triple H has been posted on the official WWE website. In this week’s edition, HHH talks about this Sunday’s Survivor Series, the perception from fans that he is manipulative and more. You can check out the video online at WWE.com.
– Local advertisements for next week’s post-Survivor Series edition of WWE RAW are promoting “The McMahon’s, Triple H and more.” Whether or not this is another case of early advertising, or “The McMahon’s” meaning Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, even though it’s plural, remains to be seen. If you go by WWE advertising, it appears as though Vince McMahon will be back on RAW next week. He has been rumored to return for a while now, although his return continues to get pushed back each time it’s scheduled to happen.
– Also announced for next week’s RAW are dark matches featuring John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship and Randy Orton vs. Big Show for the WWE Championship, both of which will be Survivor Series rematches by that point.
– The latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now online. This week’s first show features Steve Austin interviewing veteran pro wrestling journalist Wade Keller. You can check out the show online at PodcastOne.com.
The following are highlights from a recent Gerweck Radio interview with former WWE Superstar Paul London:
On Chris Benoit’s dark side: “Chris was dark, he was extremely dark. We used to have a joke that Chris was tri-polar, because it was a step up from bi-polarity. He would flip sometimes. I think a combination of Chris’ background of with steroids, mixed with the partying, is a recipe for disaster. One of them is a recipe for disaster. Its literally taking Drano and pouring it on your hard drive. See what that does for your computer.”
On Triple H being jealous of Rob Van Dam: “That is another reason I’m pretty sure I won’t be returning there any time soon. Hunter was pretty obviously jealous of certain individuals. I’m not saying he was jealous of me. I could tell he was envious of (Rob) Van Dam. He was extremely envious of Rob’s success. He was jealous of Van Dam’s personality. He was jealous that people gravitated towards Rob, because people liked being around Rob because he was very positive. The most glaring was the work rate. Hunter has had the same matches his whole career. If the guy is so damn tough, why does he need a sledgehammer. How do you justify this guying be a bad ass if he always has a weapon. Hunter is like that nerd that throws out a joke expecting the room to start laughing and ends up laughing at his own joke.”
– One of the main angles on this coming Monday’s WWE RAW, the Survivor Series “go-home” edition of the show, will be The Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) returning from “vacation” to address the performances of Kane, Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero on last week’s show.
– There is some speculation that the 3MB group in WWE will be permanently switching to The Union Jacks after debuting the look at last week’s WWE television tapings in England. Additionally, there is speculation that the group will switch up their look for the “RAW Country” edition of RAW this coming Monday night.
As previously reported, WWE made some drastic changes to the executive staff at WWE Headquarters last week. These changes resulted in the release of Peter Leone and Randy Helms, both of which were Triple H’s top assistants. Nobody seems to know why they were released, especially in the case of Leone, who was Triple H’s top confidante in the company.
Leone was Triple H’s right-hand-man, to the point that he was almost always on the telephone with him if he wasn’t traveling with him and working with him directly. Leone was responsible for organizing all of Triple H’s travel arrangements, including scheduling his business meetings and handling security.
The other top executive who was released, Randy Helms, was mainly responsible for coordinating the schedules for both Triple H and Vince McMahon.
Jane Geddes, who many WWE fans have seen in a number of appearances on the Total Divas reality show, formerly worked as the Senior Vice President and Head of Talent Relations, but is now Triple H’s new key assistant. Sean Clearly, who used to work as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, has replaced Geddes in her previous role of Senior V.P. and Head of Talent Relations.
Apparently Clearly has virtually zero knowledge of the product, and is basically a typical clean-cut younger looking executive type that WWE likes to hire. The idea behind moving Clearly into the role is to capitalize on his general business knowledge, and have Triple H teach him his style of wrestling as he works his way into the new role.
WWE “Director Of Operations” Kane filled in for WWE COO Triple H in the latest sit-down interview with Michael Cole on WWE.com this week.
The focus of the interview this week was Kane’s character change from “The Big Red Monster” to a member of The Authority who now wears a suit and tie. Kane mentioned that he is still capable of unleashing “The Monster” if and when the situation calls for it.
“Mr. Cole, there is a monster deep inside all of us. The difference is for 17 years, I chose to allow mine to run amok, to promote chaos. But, make no mistake, I was always in control,” said the WWE’s new “Director Of Operations.” Kane continued, “Unlike you and everyone else, I accept the bestial side of my nature. Indeed, I relish in it. But, it is simply one facet of my personality. A tool, if you will, but not the only tool at my disposal. So, when the appropriate situation arises, The Monster will be utilized.”
You can check out the complete video interview online at WWE.com.
The following are highlights from a recent WGD Weekly interview with former WCW star Alex Wright:
On the Chris Benoit tragedy: “Benoit was a very tough wrestler, very hard in the ring, a lot of intensity, but I liked that kind of style…It was very sad hearing about Benoit. It was shocking, you know, because I met a person that was totally different, you know, and so it was kind of unbelievable that this had happened.”
On working with Triple H before he was a big star: “Triple H, or at that time, Jean-Paul Levesque, he was very cool and a very nice guy. I had a lot of fun working with him and there was no real competition between us. We were both young and we both wanted to do our best and we both wanted to show the veterans, and of course Bischoff, that we can do it and that we have the right to be on the pay per views and the shows…(There are always) haters and jealous people, but when I met him and I’m sure it is still the same, he loved the sport, just like I did…if you look now at WWE, you see the new WWE Performance Center, and that just shows how Triple H wants to secure the future for the sport and the upcoming talent.”
On turning down WWE: “When Vince McMahon bought WCW, he couldn’t buy my contract and what WWE offered for a buyout was not enough for me to say, ‘OK, I’ll go to WWE’…WWE approached me afterwards twice and I was very honored for that and actually very happy, but on the other side, I told them thank you very much…but right now, I’m not able to do that, what you want from me. I’m a guy when I step in the ring, I want to give 180 percent, for the promotion, for the fans, and for myself also and if I can’t do that, I will not step in the ring…at the time, going straight on the road for so long, plus the backstage politics…I was married, I wanted to have kids…I said, if I don’t now use the time to regenerate, mentally and physically, I most likely will end up like some of my other colleagues…that’s why I said no to WWE.”
– On WWE RAW this week, which was taped in Manchester, England on Monday afternoon, the company announced that next week’s edition of RAW will have a country music theme. “RAW Country” emanates from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee live on Monday night.
No official matches have been announced for next week’s WWE RAW thus far, however it was announced that “The Authority,” Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, will return from “vacation” to appear on the show.
– WWE Superstar CM Punk is confirmed to appear on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. The announcement was made on WWE RAW on Monday night. SmackDown will be taped on Tuesday afternoon in Manchester, England.
With WWE television tapings taking place overseas, the company is playing up “The Authority” (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) being on “vacation” to explain their absence from television.
WWE suggested that the new “Director Of Operations” Kane will be in charge of running WWE RAW from a storyline standpoint this week.
Make sure to check back here at the website later this afternoon for complete WWE RAW spoilers for tonight’s show.
– Former WWE Superstar Scott Hall, along with his son Cody Hall, are accepting booking requests for 2014 through their company, “HallGood Entertainment.” Promoters interested in booking either of the Hall’s can do so via e-mail at Scott@Razor4Life.com on by tweeting @Cody_Hall1.
– WWE CEO Vince McMahon will be writing the foreword to the new WWE 50th Anniversary book, which is scheduled to be released in March of 2014.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels recently responded to a fan on Twitter that asked him if WWE COO Triple H would be making any future appearances on his hunting show, “MacMillian River Adventures.” HBK tweeted the following:
RT: @HellcatPerez: "Any plans to have @TripleH back on your show again?" — We've been talking about it.
-WWE Diva and co-star of the Total Divas reality show, Brie Bella, is said to have impressed WWE officials with the improvement of her in-ring work as of late. Many are crediting her real-life fiancee’ Daniel Bryan for her improvement, as Bryan and Bella reportedly spend two hours before each show in the ring working on various things together.
Speaking of Brie Bella, there is talk of WWE releasing some “Brie-Mode” merchandise soon. Fans of Total Divas will remember “Brie-Mode” as the name her twin sister Nikki gave her to describe her behavior when she is drunk and partying.
-According to reports, a new priority for the future in WWE is tag-team wrestling. Triple H is strongly behind the idea and will apparently put additional focus on tag-teams during the next set of WWE NXT television tapings, which is scheduled for November 21st at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
– WWE Diva and one of the stars of the Total Divas reality show, Eva Marie, continues to be a heat magnet in WWE these days. One wrestler who works for the company was recently quoted saying, “Eva has a real nice body. That’s all I can say nice about her.”
– As we previously reported, WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio is likely to remain on the sidelines until 2014 while he waits on his knee to strengthen. Unlike in the past in WCW and WWE, where there was heavy pressure put on him to return from injuries, Triple H is said to be patient with him this time. The WWE COO is reportedly telling Mysterio not to rush things and is putting no added pressure on him to return sooner than he should.
-It was announced at the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina that John Cena will be defending his World Heavyweight Championship in a rematch against Alberto Del Rio at the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 24th. The match had been expected for a while, but was not official until the announcement at SmackDown.
-As previously reported, Triple H announced that the new “corporate Kane” has been named the “Director Of Operations” for WWE. The announcement came as part of the latest sit-down interview that “The Game” did with Michael Cole for the official WWE website. You can check out the complete video interview online at WWE.com.