Posts Tagged ‘Honky Tonk Man’

Asuka Working More WWE Live Events, Owens On ESPN Tonight, Legend Parties With Fans

– Prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown, American Alpha teamed with Heath Slater and Rhyno to defeat The Ascension, Tyler Breeze and Fandango in a dark match.

– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka will be appearing at more WWE live events leading up to WrestleMania weekend. In addition to the 3/12 house from Madison Square Garden, Asuka is now advertised for the upcoming shows in Charleston (3/13), Johnson City (3/25), Raleigh, NC (3/26), and Norfolk, VA (3/27).

– WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens will be Jonathan Coachman’s guest on tonight’s “Off the Top Rope” segment on ESPN SportsCenter.

– WWE Legend The Honky Tonk Man enjoys a night out in this new video from Hannibal TV. Watch the former WWE Intercontinental Champion hang with fans after a recent indy event in Canada.

Video: Honky Tonk Man: WWE Stars “Don’t Have The Balls” To Approach Vince McMahon

WWE legend Honky Tonk Man released a new clip where he talks about Brock Lesnar. He says he’s never met Lesnar, but credits him for being one “hell of a negotiator” if he has able to get the type of deal he has from WWE.

In the video, which you can watch above, HTM said he hopes Lesnar’s deal sets the standard for other talents, but he doesn’t believe the rest of the guys will approach Vince McMahon in the same fashion because “they don’t have the balls.”

Honky Tonk Man also spoke about who Lesnar will feud with after The Undertaker.

“Who would be the next person in line that Brock can continue on with, and make that investment that they’ve invested in him really pay off? At this point in time I don’t see someone getting really ready for Lesnar because they mad him such a monster and a killer out here, so to speak, that after The Undertaker, where do you go?”

Video: Honky Tonk Man Talks About Issues He Had With Roddy Piper Before His Passing

WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man recently released a video where he revealed the fact that he and Roddy Piper were having some issues at the time of his passing.

HTM and Piper had some Twitter exchanges earlier this year after Piper called HTM an “assh*le” on The Adam Carolla Show and said he was jealous.

HTM claimed that as far as he knew, he and Piper were on good terms when he passed away and he was recently looking to appear on the “Piper’s Pit” podcast. He also noted that the two were supposed to meet up at a wrestling convention in California to smooth things out.

“We were going to kind of bury the hatchet, so to speak, and find out really what our problem had been, that I wasn’t aware we had one,” said HTM. “But I was looking forward to seeing him and talking about it.”

Jim Ross Q&A: Scripted Promos, Cesaro/Rusev, GFW & TNA Working Together

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official Q&A section, answering questions from fans on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.

On if WWE will induct The Honky Tonk Man: “I have no idea. In my eyes HTM is certainly a WWE HOFer. All we can do is stay tuned.”

On Cesaro vs. Rusev from RAW: “Thought the match overachieved and was entertaining. No wasted motion. Happy for all involved.”

On WWE going with Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall at WrestleMania 18: “I have no idea as that’s been 13 years ago. The storyline featured the nWo, so that was the direction that was taken.”

On why there aren’t as many good mic workers: “Some guys have potential but they will be challenged to find their voice as long as their promos are scripted for them.”

On TNA and GFW’s working relationship: “I have no idea but anything is possible and the two organizations working together is a timely idea.”

On GFW having tournaments to decide their first-ever champions: “Time will tell, but having tournaments is the natural way to determine champions in a new promotion. I hope GFW succeeds. The titles will help establish the personalities.”

Check out more JR Q&A online at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

WWE Legend Claims WWE Is Trying To Prevent Him From Using His Name, Threatens To Sue

WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man recently went on a Twitter rant claiming that WWE is trying to prevent him from using his name. He went as far as to challenge the company to sue him before he sues them.

Below are many of the tweets from Monday where Honky Tonk Man addressed the situation:

“HTM says to @WWE one more time WWE tries to stop HTM from using the HTM name,,HTM will go to the pay window in US Federal Court…”

“HTM says to all HTM followers, HTM owns the HTM name,@WWE it is in my release from the @WWE contract and in the HTM nostalgia @WWE contract”

“HTM says to all followers,,How would u feel when some tried to stop u from making a living #FREEHTM”

“HTM says to all HTM friends of color,, HTM understands having freedom taken away #FREEHTM”

“HTM does not bother @WWE business,, HTM could care F**ing less,,Why does @wwe f++K W/HTM?”

“HTM says he will never surrender to @WWE a public traded company who uses Philistine tactics on HTM to try to starve his family #FREEHTM”

“HTM says to all followers, stop the BS,, HTM owns the name,, @WWE does not. own the HTM name but tries to stop HTM from appearing at events”

“HTM issues a challenge to @WWE to sue HTM over the HTM name. #FREEHTM”

“HTM begs @WWE to sue HTM over ownership of HTM name. Please fans tweet @WWE to sue HTM over HTM name,,Please @WWE sue HTM before HTM sues u”

  • DIRECT LINK: PROOF DANA WHITE Has *ILLEGAL DRUGS* In His Office [VIDEO EVIDENCE >>]
  • Hulk Hogan Teases Legends House Appearance, WWE Ranks Top 25 I-C Champs

    – Hulk Hogan teased during a recent WWE App interview that he may be appearing on Legends House soon. Whether or not he was referring to the current season, which was filmed back in 2012, or a potential future taping of the series, is anyone’s guess.

    – The official WWE website recently ran another ranking article, this time looking at the 25 greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions in history. The top ten of the list reads as follows:

    10. Tito Santana
    9. Randy Orton
    8. Pedro Morales
    7. Bret Hart
    6. Razor Ramon
    5. The Honky Tonk Man
    4. Mr. Perfect
    3. The Ultimate Warrior
    2. Chris Jericho
    1. Randy Savage

    You can check out the complete list at WWE.com.

  • Find Out What SCOTT HALL Was Doing In The HOSPITAL THIS WEEK! (PHOTOS INCLUDED)
  • Looking Back At Ultimate Warrior’s 5 Greatest Matches

    On Tuesday, April 8, 2014, the professional wrestling world lost another one of the greats. The Ultimate Warrior, who for millions of fans who jumped on the pro wrestling bandwagon during the late 1980s boom period, was among the biggest and most recognizable Superstars in history. Today, we are going to look back at five matches that helped establish Warrior as the undeniable legend that he became.

    It’s no secret that Ultimate Warrior wasn’t what one would call a “catch-as-catch-can” classic type of in-ring performer, but if you look back at his career from an unbiased point of view, there were certainly some diamonds in the rough. He had some great moments in the ring, and at times was absolutely more than just “a cool ring entrance.”

    WWE SummerSlam 1988 (vs. The Honky Tonk Man)

    On August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, The Ultimate Warrior captured his first WWE Championship. In just 31 seconds, Warrior ended The Honky Tonk Man’s legendary 454-day reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion.

    Going into the show, which was actually the inaugural edition of what became WWE’s annual summer tradition, Honky Tonk Man was originally supposed to square-off with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Beefcake ended up on the sidelines, however, and it was announced, live during the show, that Honky Tonk Man would still have an opponent and would still be defending his title.

    To make a long story short, the infamous guitar riff hit the big speakers, thousands of fans in MSG exploded, and 31 seconds later, Warrior’s first WWE title reign began. History was made.

    WWE SummerSlam 1989 (vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude)

    Nearly a year later to the day, Ultimate Warrior found himself capturing WWE Intercontinental gold once again at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. Several months prior, Warrior suffered his first official defeat in WWE at the hands of “Ravishing” Rick Rude, who was arguably Warrior’s best in-ring opponent.

    This was the rematch.

    The bout took place on August 28, 1989 at The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the second annual WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event.

    In what turned out to be a pretty good little contest, Warrior prevailed and in the end, managed to get his hand raised and once again become the WWE Intercontinental Champion.

    The Honky Tonk Man On His Recent WWE Appearance, Rhythm and Blues & More

    The Honky Tonk Man was on Inside The Ropes radio show last night and here are some of the highlights:

    Being paired with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and why it didn’t reach it’s potential: “Rhythm and Blues thing was something that was going to rejuvinate both myself and Greg Valentine. But Greg was always very much “I’m Greg, I’ve got blond hair, my father’s Johnny Valentine, I’m a wrestler” I said “Listen, if you don’t do this, dye your hair black and at least give us a shot, he’s gonna fire both of us” And that’s eventually what happened because Greg just did not try to make it work. But now after all these years, he tells me he wished he’d went with it. We were supposed to get the Tag titles from The Harts. We were going to win the tag team titles, but he just did not want to do it and it showed.”

    Why did he go back to WWE now: “I really think it was the fact that they did call me and ask me to come back and do the old school Raw. It was a tipping point. And then the spot that I was given on that show, I could not have asked for any better. If they had asked me, I don’t think I could’ve dreamt of anything better, I was extremely proud of how they did it. It’s hard to describe. And for them to announce me as “The Greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time” I was really taken away with that moment of having them announce me like that on TV in front of a worldwide audience.”

    Will he return to WWE TV: “I would love to do something there on a full time basis, whatever they would have for me to do, because I think I can contribute something, somewhere, somehow. Do they need me there full time? Absolutely not. They don’t need anybody. But sure I’ll do some more stuff with them.”

    To hear the full interview where HTM talks about the origins of his character, joining the WWF as a babyface, winning the IC title, feud with The Warrior and much more, click here.

    CM Punk Attends Hockey Game, Saturn At NXT, Honky Tonk Man’s New Legends Deal

    – CM Punk was in attendance for the Chicago Blackhawks hockey game Tuesday night. He tweeted:

    – The Honky Tonk Man noted that his new WWE Legends deal prohibits him from doing media interviews:

    https://twitter.com/OfficialHTM/statuses/329405828429930496

    – Former ECW, WCW & WWE superstar Perry Saturn was in Tampa at WWE developmental last week training the students. He tweeted:

    *Spoiler* WWE Legend Rumored For Tonight’s RAW

    After making a guest appearance several weeks ago on “Old School” RAW, f4wonline reports that WWE Legend The Honky Tonk Man could be at tonight’s RAW from Pittsburgh, PA.

    Honky Tonk Man was scheduled to do a comedy show in Toronto last night, but reportedly canceled the show, citing that he was called by WWE to appear at tonight’s RAW.

    We can’t confirm that he’ll be there – but he was reportedly telling people he will be.

    Honky Tonk Man Talks About His Historic, IC Title Run, His Gimmick, Beef With Other Wrestlers

    Kayfabe Wrestling Radio with Honky Tonk Man
    Hosts: Alan Wojcik and Spug
    Airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET
    Interview available at WildTalkRadio.com

    Working in Calgary before coming to the WWE: “I was still very active in Calgary; in fact, I was the North American Heavyweight Champion I think at that point in time, or if I’m not mistaken… yeah, I think I was because Ron Starr, my partner, we were tag team champions and when those guys left and went to the Maritimes for the summer; and at that point in time I was picked up by WWE, so it was through the good graces of Stu Hart that he brokered the deal for me and gave me the rite of passage to leave Calgary to go over to the WWE. You know, Stu was the nicest guy in the world and would never hold anyone back and of course his son, that being Bret and his son-in-law, Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart, the Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith. They were, all for of them, there at the time and had went over the year before, then I came over and shortly after that I kind of left it off where Bad News Allen, which became Bad News Brown in WWE, and he came over shortly after me, six-eight months later, and that’s how it went.”

    How much of the Honky Tonk Man was personally created and how much was by Vince: “That’s a very good question; I like how you put it, because it was one of those things where I had started this character down in the Southeast wrestling with the Fullers, Robert and Ron Fuller; Robert being, of course, Col. Rob Parker in the WCW days. And then, I took the character up for Stampede Wrestling, for Stu Hart and the Harts; worked on it and developed in down in the Southeast down in the Mobile and Pensicola area, then took it up to Calgary and then came back to the Mobile/Pensicola area, then back to Calgary again.

    “So I spent three-five years working on this character: the black hair, the jumpsuit, the guitar thing, the interview style and all of that, so when I went over to interview with Vince McMahon; he wanted me to bring a tape so he could see something, a little piece of a match and of course some interview stuff.
    Their first thing was, back then there was no creative department or anything, there was just Vince and pretty much Howard Finkel, Pat Patterson, Arnold Skaaland; I mean, those were the guys in the office when I went over there. He looked at it (the tape) and saw these visions of black sideburns and the sunglasses; he saw little foamy guitars and little jumpsuits. Vince was always into the marketing part of it.

    “The wrestling thing, I heard you say earlier as part of your intro ‘you’re not supposed to say ‘wrestling’; Vince was not really into the wrestling part of it. I mean, he loved it and that’s his life, but what you did in the ring was secondary to what he had planed for you. But I had developed this character to be a bad guy, not a good guy and he envisioned it as a good guy, but eventually about six months later, it eventually went back to what I had developed, which was the bad guy character.”

    Being an entertainer and perceived as a ‘cartoon’ style character working with WWE in the ’80s: “You know, it was never something that I had a problem, because there’s so many people who have said those nasty things about me over the last few years; that I was terrible in the ring, I couldn’t wrestle, I couldn’t what they call ‘work’, I was not technical by any means and all. Well, you know, thank you very much; I have never considered myself to be a wrestler. I have always been an entertainer; I entertain people and I happen to be in sport entertainment or I like to call professional wrestling ‘theatrical athletics’ and anybody who says its different must be living, they obviously come from somewhere else. But Vince understood the entertainment value of what we were doing and consequently he had a group of guys there that were entertainers and that’s what we did.”

    If he thinks he would have been as successful with a different manager, other than Jimmy Hart: “I think it would have been a little more difficult. It’s like I said, I don’t know if the gears would have clicked as much with; you know Bobby was more, and I know that, from just my conversations with Rick Rude over some periods of time. Rick was one of those guys that; Rick never thought that he needed a manager, in fact, and he really didn’t. Rick was a good mouthpiece himself and of course Bobby is a mouthpiece and Bobby was Bobby and was already well established as a bad guy and had been thrown in with weasel suit matches and things like that.

    “It’s difficult when your manager, when the fans are yelling while your in the ring and you’re trying to get your persona and get your character developed and get the fans to watch you; and your manager is outside and they’re chanting‘Weasel, Weasel, Weasel’. So, Rick had the problem a little bit; he thought he should have the microphone time. And Bobby was a great mouthpiece, I mean, he was fantastic on a microphone and he was perfect for someone like an Andre the Giant. He was perfect for someone, like when Captain Lou Albano was always the talker for someone, or you know The Grand Wizard. Mr. Fuji wasn’t as much of a talker as a manager; I know when he managed Don Morocco, Don did all the talking and Mr. Fuji just kind of stood there and smiled with his devious smile and facial expressions. So, I don’t know if I could have done as well with someone else other than Jimmy.”

    His historic Intercontinental Title run and how it started: “It was, in bookings gone past, Vince’s father’s way of doing things and it was with a lot of promoters and bookers; they would tell you ‘Yes, we will start you (on a title run) on this date and six-eight months from now or thirteen months from now, you’re going to finish. I went to Puerto Rico and I had a starting date and they told me like nine months; when I went there it would be like nine months later, I’d be leaving on this particular month on this particular weekend and this was when I was going out, this is how they did it. But no, when it came to what we did, the way Vince (Jr.) was doing it, it was strictly on ticket sales, it was ‘Hey, if you can get the job done, you’re going to run with it.’

    “And that was the whole thing with me, when they mentioned Butch Reed’s not here and they were in a panic situation because Butch was going to get the belt from Steamboat and he wasn’t there; he was AWOL that night. I just happened to walk by and Hogan and Vince were talking and Hogan said ‘What about this guy?’ and Vince took a look and said ‘Alright, maybe so’ and he pulled me off to the corner and mentioned to me about the belt. I said ‘Hey, you know Vince, I told you when I first came here if you give me a chance, and I do good, pay me.

    “If I don’t do good and I can’t make it, fire me and I’ll be gone. You won’t have to fire me, I’ll pack my bag and leave.’ And that was our deal, our handshake deal and that was the way it was with the intercontinental belt. I said ‘Believe me, I don’t want a day off.’ He said, “Well, everyone needs a day off. You’ll burn out and you need to see your family every now and then.” And I said, “Listen, if you give me that belt, I will run with it as long as you want me to and as long as I can sell tickets.’ He said, ‘Ok, I like that.’ And that’s how it happened.”

    If he ever had problems with people during the IC Title run: “Naw, I never had any problems with that until I won the Intercontinental Championship. I had put, even with the belt, when Jake was on his hiatus or when Steamboat left, they were left a void there for a couple months of bookings for Steamboat that had to be filled with substitutes and anytime they had a substitute, the substitute would win and made it a non-title match and the substitute would win clean, 1-2-3. I actually lost more matches than I really won if you go back and look at this thing. The only time I ever won matches was on TV, on the TV Tapings, other than that it was a DQ or Jimmy Hart got involved; we always kept the belt somehow.

    “Even Steamboat, he’s gone on record saying the one match he’s never liked was losing to an Elvis impersonator. Well, you know, I look at it like this; listen ‘Dragon’, you could have lost it to a guy in a skirt blowing the bagpipes, or you could have lost it to a guy with a snake, or you could have lost it to Hulk Hogan, hey Brother with the 21-inch pythons, or you could have lost it to Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake and he could have shaved your head. You know, to say something like that, it struck a little chord with me and he was not the most professional that night. If people go back and watch this match, you’ll see I gave him about 90, or maybe 95 percent of the match was all his and let him shine and do all his stuff and by fluke and however it went down; we threw Jimmy Hart in the mix and Jimmy got hit and boom and this and I grab the rope, 1-2-3. And it was one of those things where I did everything to make this guy look good and make him be happy about it. After it was over and he back and we had return matches a couple of time, he was fine.

    “You know, there’s been other guys; if Tito was here right now, I’d tell him, I hope he’s listening. Tito Santana; Oh, you’ve got to pull my feet, Jimmy Hart’s gotta hit me with a megaphone, we’ve got to knock the referee down. Oh, come on, I took that flying burrito elbow and never said a word about it, 1-2-3. But when it come time for those guys to do the favor, it was like, ‘Naw. Can we do this? Can we do that?’ There was a couple of times that went on. Yeah, you know, I never ever said anything about any of it until that came up with the Macho Man thing, and it nothing to do with Randy; Randy and I talked about it. It was all about the television thing with 35 million people.”

    Change Made To Survivor Series Match, Smith Hart Predicts 2013 WWE HOF Inductees, The Rock T-Shirts Released

    – In a change to Sunday’s Survivor Series Pre-Show contest, the official WWE website announced Thursday that Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd will square off against two members of 3MB. Gabriel and Kidd replace Santino Marella and Zack Ryder in the bout.

    – Smith Hart, brother of Bret Hart, offered his predictions for WWE’s Hall of Fame Class of 2013 via Twitter. He believes Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Carlos Colon, The Honky Tonk Man and Lawrence Taylor will be enshrined.

    – WWEShop.com has released T-Shirts on The Rock—The Rock Bull Skull Retro T-Shirt and The Rock Seal of Approval Retro T-Shirt.

    – Some Target department stores are selling WWE’s 2008 DVD release on Edge, Edge – A Decade of Decadence, as well as the 2008 DVD release on The Rock, The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, for $5.00 each.

    The Honky Tonk Man Wants To Shoot With Eric Bischoff On Impact, Preview Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries

    – The longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all-time, The Honky Tonk Man, stated on Twitter this week that he would like to appear on Impact Wrestling.

    After one-half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions, Kazarian, tweeted, “I wonder if @officialhtm knows how over he is with a lot of us in the @IMPACTWRESTLING locker room. He is the most quoted man by far!” he wrote in response, “Maybe #TNA needs some Shake Rattle & Roll!”

    He added, “HTM in @impactwrestling LOL. 1 on 1 face off with Bitchoff. Mic to Mic shoot!”

    – TNA Wrestling has released a video previewing tomorrow night’s World Heavyweight Championship Match at Bound For Glory between Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOnZlI7rNHA

    – TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter tweeted the following regarding today’s events in Phoenix, Arizona: “Just waking up in beautiful Phoenix. Fan Interaction today and Sting’s Hall of Fame dinner tonight. It’s going to be a very special day.”

    Jerry Lawler Returning Home Soon, Morgan Comments On TNA Appearance & More

    – As previously reported, Matt Morgan made a surprise appearance at last night’s TNA live event. He tweeted this about the appearance:

    – WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper and the Honky Tonk Man have both tweeted that they’d be willing to fill in for Jerry Lawler on RAW as a commentator.

    – Jim Ross tweeted the following update on Jerry Lawler this weekend:

    The Honky Tonk Man Addresses Jerry “The King” Lawler, WWE Diva Announces Engagement

    – The Honky Tonk Man stated on Facebook that he is interested in assuming the Raw commentator’s position for one night only while Jerry “The King” Lawler recovers from Monday’s heart attack.

    The WWE Legend is the first cousin of Lawler, though the two have long had an unsteady relationship due to family issues. He addressed his relationship with Lawler: “Jerry and I have not seen eye to eye on the pro side of the business sometimes, but we buried the hacthet a few yrs. ago. I am what I am and he is what he is. He is my first cousin with our mothers who are sisters who are both passed on now. Jerry and I had a 100 matches against each other. We had a respect not as family but as professionals. He was a master at talking and in ring work. I myself copied his work. I can only hope he can be the King again.”

    – Eve Torres announced on Twitter Thursday that she is engaged to Rener Gracie, her boyfriend of several years.

    Enclosing a photo of her engagement ring, she tweeted, “I’ve never been so happy! @RenerGracie.”

    Jerry Lawler’s Health Scare Cut Out Of Raw Replays, WWE Brags About Raw Trends, Randy Orton Featured

    – During Wednesday night’s Raw replay on mun2, which will air Saturday night on Universal HD and most foreign markets, all matters pertaining to Jerry “The King” Lawler’s health scare during Monday’s live broadcast were edited off the show. This includes all of broadcaster Michael Cole’s updates concering Lawler’s health as well as background shots during the tag team match indicating that something had gone amiss. Cole also did voice-overs for the portion of the show he did not commentate.

    – A “Did You Know?” bumper is scheduled for this week’s SmackDown where WWE brags that Raw on Monday was the number one trending show and beat all network programming combined on Twitter. Social media activity for the episode was up 40 percent compared to last week.

    – Randy Orton is featured on the cover of the October 2012 issue of WWE Magazine. The headline reads: “EXCLUSIVE! RANDY ORTON – The Apex Predator: On The Hunt For Respect!” Other features include John Cena myths debunked, WWE’s faces of evil, and the 25 most dangerous matches in WWE history.

    – The Honky Tonk Man appears for Premier Championship Wrestling’s “Back to School Bash” event on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at Doubles Fun Club.

    (source: F4WOnline.com)

    WWE Names 15 Stars Who Should Return For One More Match, History Of WWE Dancers, Jacqueline

    – WWE.com has compiled a list ranking 15 former Superstars that should make a one-night comeback. It reads: 15. Scott Steiner, 14. Honky Tonk Man, 13. Michelle McCool, 12. Steve Blackman, 11. JBL, 10. Mick Foley, 9. Edge, 8. Shane McMahon, 7. Goldberg, 6. Trish Stratus, 5. Shawn Michaels, 4. Bret Hart, 3. Batista, 2. Ultimate Warrior, 1. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

    – WWE has released a preview clip of a Saturday Morning Slam segment showcasing sports-entertainment’s history of dancers.

    – Jim Ross complimented former WWE Women’s Champion Jacqueline via Twitter Wednesday, writing, “WWE never had a better pro, tougher Diva than Jackie Moore. She made all WWE Divas better.”

    CM Punk Explains Why He Tapes Up His Wrists, Legends of the Ring’s WrestleMania 29 Plans

    – Speaking to WWE Magazine, CM Punk explains why he tapes up his wrists for every match.

    “With taping up my wrists, there’s both an aesthetic and a utilitarian purpose,” he says. “Obviously, I’m big on imagery with Straight Edge. As for X’ing up the current CM Punk, mostly uses red pen—it’s my favorite color. But on the other end of the spectrum, taping up my hands and wrists helps me grip whomever I’m wrestling as well as the ropes. If I have a strained wrist, you’d never know thanks to the tape job. So it’s both functional, and it looks cool. Plus, it takes less than a minute to tape up both wrists, so it’s certainly not a time consuming process.”

    – Legends of the Ring has announced they will be participate in the WrestleCon festivities that are taking place WrestleMania weekend 2013 April 5-7 with an event at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Names scheduled to appear include The Honky Tonk Man, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, Kamala “The Ugandan Giant,” Mr. Fuji, Ken Patera and Tito Santana. (Event Information)

    – Rey Mysterio is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

    List of Wrestling Books Due for Release, Honky Tonk Man

    Here is an updated list of wrestling related books due out for the rest of 2012.

    * 7/31 WWE My Favorite Match by Jon Robinson

    * 8/31 Rastlin: A Southern Survey by David McClister and David Lewis

    * 9/1 Booker T: From Prison to Promise: Life Before the Squared Circle by Booker T Huffman and Andrew William Wright

    * 9/1 Red Headed Geek: My Short and Painful Career as a Rasslin’ Manager by Billy C. Wirtz

    * 9/3 WWE Encyclopedia Second Edition by Brian Shields and Kevin Sullivan.

    * 9/27 WWE General Manager’s Handbook by Jake Black

    * 10/1 Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons by Steven Johnson, Greg Oliver and Mike Mooneyham featuring a foreword by JJ Dillon.

    * 10/1 A Battle Royal in the Sky: The Life and Death of Wrestling’s 100 Greatest Gods and Gimmicks by Rich Tarantino and Jon Chattman

    * 12/1 Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story by Jimmy Snuka and Jon Chattman with forewords by Mick Foley and Roddy Piper

    Books that are due to be releeased in 2013.

    * 2/1/13 The 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time: The Definitive Shoot by Larry Matysik

    * 2/1/13 Harley Race King of the Ring (paperback) by Harley Race and Gerry Tritz

    * 2/1/13 Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling by Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hebert

    – WWE.com has added the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all-time, The Honky Tonk Man, to its Alumni section: “The Honky Tonk Man tried to make the WWE Universe twist and shout with his unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Don’t be cruel, grab yourself a “Hunka Hunka Honky Love” and check out his new WWE Alumni profile, with exclusive photos and videos!

    Ex-WWE Star Disappointed With Raw, The Honky Tonk Man Profiled

    – Former WWE Superstar Tatanka confirmed online reports that he was contacted to appear on the historic 1,000th episode of Raw. However, he reveals, company officials never followed up on the matter with him.

    “Hello #TeamTatanka! Wished I could’ve surprised u all & brought back what we all love! @WWE called & office confirmed but no follow-up at end,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Tatanka adds he was disappointed with WWE’s efforts for the milestone program.

    “With such a Historic Event #RAW1000 I was surprised that the show was not more than what it was. Missed it completely with show on for nineteen years!” he wrote.

    “The Native American” also retweeted a fan remark stating, “I watched @WWE #RAW1000 to see @NativeTatanka and instead I have to suffer watching Miz win the IC title…shenanigans!”

    – WWE.com has added the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all-time, The Honky Tonk Man, to its Alumni section: “The Honky Tonk Man tried to make the WWE Universe twist and shout with his unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Don’t be cruel, grab yourself a “Hunka Hunka Honky Love” and check out his new WWE Alumni profile, with exclusive photos and videos!”

    Update On The Rock’s Next Movie Shoot, Bateman Does ZUMBA

    — Emmett/Furla Films’ feature film Empire State starring Dwayne Johnson and Liam Hemsworth will begin shooting next Tuesday for twenty days in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Details)

    — In this week’s edition of WWE’s Outside the Ring, Derrick Bateman takes part in a party for the mind, soul, and body in a ZUMBA class. Bateman takes his newly found ZUMBA talents backstage at WWE where he teaches Kaitlyn and other WWE Superstars some new moves.

    [vsw id=”fjBwLNIyjF4″ source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

    — The Honky Tonk Man appears at Phoenix Comicon this weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center Hyatt Regency in Phoenix, Arizona. (Details)

    Update On “WWE Legends’ House”, Top Merchandise Sellers

    — Dusty Rhodes, Iron Sheik, Jimmy Snuka, Sgt. Slaughter and The Honky Tonk Man will not be appearing on WWE Legends’ House. “Hacksaw” Jim Jim Duggan, “Mean” Gene Okerlund and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper have been confirmed to appear on the program. The show began filming last week at the former house of Harpo Marx in Rancho Mirage, California.

    WWE officials contemplated having Sheik appear on the reality program due to the perception that he is funny but a doctrine is in place for the show to not appear “sad.”

    — CM Punk and John Cena “are neck-and-neck” as the top merchandise sellers in WWE. Punk, however, is ahead in the adult male demographic. Zack Ryder is also among the company’s top merchandise sellers.

    — Ring of Honor World Champion Davey Richards will challenge Prince Devitt for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on March 10 in Japan.

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Honky Tonk Man On WWE Hall of Fame, Legends’ House, More

    The Honky Tonk Man spoke to Off the Top Rope Radio last Wednesday on a variety of topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

    Declining WWE’s offer for WWE Hall of Fame enshrinement: “I turned down the WWE Hall of Fame because I was booked somewhere else and it’s the indies that put food on my table. They didn’t call until early March, it was just left too late.”

    Why he did not appear the “Old School” episode of Raw in 2010: “I nearly went back for the WWE Old School Raw, but I was booked on a 6:00 a.m. flight there and 6:00 a.m. flight back. I wouldn’t have even had time to check in the hotel.”

    WWE Legends’ House: “I’ve had no contact from WWE about the Legends House TV show.”

    Returning to WWE: “It’s as simple as this. I don’t want to be treated any better than anyone else (by WWE), but just as good and have a nice time.”

    The interview is available here.

    Morrison Comments On WWE Departure, Most Followed Wrestlers

    — John Morrison answered numerous fan questions for the fansite Starship-Pained.com including a query regarding life after WWE.

    “I feel like I got off an express train walked to my car, and sped away. I’m still busy as all hell, but now, I’m the one driving,” he said.

    He was also asked, “What do you think will help you get to the next level when you return to WWE?”

    Morrison said, “JoMo needs to cut promos.”

    — Popthecrowd.com has compiled a list of the top 25 most followed professional wrestling personalities on Twitter. The Rock heads the list with over 1.8 million followers. He is trailed by John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, The Miz, Shawn Michaels, Zack Ryder and Kelly Kelly.

    — Greg “The Hammer” Valentine is scheduled to appear at WrestleReunion in Los Angeles, California later this month and he will be dying his hair jet black for the occasion. The WWE Hall of Famer will appear alongside The Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart for a special “Rhythm and Blues” photo op.

    Honky Tonk Man Not On WWE Show, AJ Denies Doing Interview

    — The Honky Tonk Man has denied “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s statement that he will be appearing on WWE Network’s upcoming Legends’ House reality series.

    He tweeted Friday, “Regarding Rowdy Roddy Piper saying on Twitter I’m going into the WWE legends house with him. I have NOT talked to anyone from WWE about anything other than my ownership of The Patriot trademark. Where this came from is anyone’s guess. You fans know HTM does not BS on things. We do not know who is spreading the rumors. If the Piper camp is involved, all we can say is there is no truth to the statement. Believe HTM or someone else.”

    — A.J. denies taking part in an interview with Brady Hicks, a writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated—which was recapped here earlier.

    She tweeted, “Was just told there is some interview by someone named Brady Hicks out there. I have never done an interview with this person. I have never done any interviews outside of WWE. Whoever would create a fake interview needs a life. Please impersonate someone more important than me.”

    She continued, “THIS IS NOT ME. I never did this interview or any interview outside WWE ever. Please spread the word.”

    — Former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez created a photo shoot which was inspired by actor and director Eli Roth. Check out the exclusive photos and Shelly’s personal message about what peaks her interest in horror among other things.