– JBL noted via social media that he has recorded three more episodes of “Legends with JBL,” however there is still no official word on when they will premiere on the WWE Network.
– NXT coach Billy Gunn celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday. His “New Age Outlaws” tag-team partner, Road Dogg, wrote the following on Instagram.
“Happy Birthday to my brother from another mother @realbillygunn I love you Billy Nilly and I hope you have a great day! #NAO #OUDK”
– The key sponsor for this year’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view is Rolaids. WWE Superstar Big Show can be seen in the Rolaids banner ads on the Internet and in print ads, as seen below.
– JBL and Eric Bischoff are getting rave reviews for part 1 of their Legends With JBL interview that aired on the WWE Network after RAW. Future guests on the show will include Ron Simmons and “Road Dogg” BG James.”
– Total Divas preview for tonight: “The ladies travel to Tulum, Mexico, for a vacation, during which Paige announces her engagement. Meanwhile, the Bellas learn they have a new sibling; and Alicia puts Trinity’s relationship with Jon at risk.”
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Paige vs. Nikki Bella is scheduled for next month’s WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view, according to Wrestling Observer Radio.
– JBL’s new WWE Network show “Legends with JBL” premieres this coming Monday immediately after RAW goes off the air. His first guest will be Eric Bischoff. The synopsis reads,
“JBL shoots straight with the controversial Eric Bischoff in this first of a hard-hitting two-part interview with the former WCW President!”
– Here’s the music video for WWE Diva Cameron’s new anti-bullying song Wrong #:
NXT announcer Rich Brennan has been promoted to the lead announcer position for WWE SmackDown. Now that WWE Tough Enough is over, it looks like Booker T, who was on hiatus due to the show, will be headed to Thursday nights in two weeks while Byron Saxton will permanently replace him on RAW.
WWE RAW on Monday nights will be called by Michael Cole, JBL and Saxton while SmackDown will feature Brennan, Jerry Lawler and Booker T.
Booker T and Rich Brennan recently had the following exchange on social media.
Congrats to @RichBrennanWWE, enjoy the ride! #SmackDown
– Ahead of UFC 190 on Saturday night, UFC President Dana White made a comment to a fan regarding the price of a PPV event in comparison to an event on the WWE Network.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section of his blog and has answered several questions including who has the final say of who goes into the WWE Hall of Fame.
JR also discusses whether or not he believes Tough Enough or Total Divas hurt the business, whether or not Kane is underrated, if JR had issues with Hogan and much more.
– John Cena has taken to Twitter to share a video of him back in the gym after he suffered a broken nose at the hands of Seth Rollins last week on RAW.
– Total Divas returns for its fourth season on Tuesday, July 7, at 9/8 CT on E!. The synopsis for the season premiere is as follows:
“In the Season 4 premiere, the Bellas face the consequences of quitting the WWE; at the same time, news of Eva’s new role causes chaos in the Divas division; and Nattie explores her dominatrix side.”
– After performing a stand-up comedy routine at the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, Massachusetts, Dolph Ziggler noted on Twitter that he would be performing another routine this afternoon, prior to the WWE live event at the TD Garden in Boston. His routine took place in the backyard of an apartment complex.
– The APA, John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Ron Simmons, reunited this weekend at the Florida Supercon at the Miami Beach Convention Center. In this video interview, the former WWE tandem talk about what it’s like to get back together.
– Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett is the guest on the latest edition of the Steve Austin Show podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– The next set of NXT television tapings, which are already sold out, will be taking place at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on Thursday, June 18th.
– JBL and Renee Young announced that the new season of their YouTube show will premiere on Friday, June 5th. Below is a post made on JBL’s Instagram page regarding the show.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley taped his “Cheap Pops” special for the WWE Network at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on Friday night. Below are some notes from the show.
– NXT host Greg Hamilton was the host for the event.
– Foley’s family was in attendance, as his daughter Noelle did an introduction for him and one of his sons also participated during the show.
– JBL was advertised to appear but never showed up and was never mentioned. Some NXT stars were in attendance for the taping, but also weren’t included as part of the actual show.
– While no air date for the special was announced, Foley did announce that he would be doing more shows in Florida this July.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross opened the show with about 30 minutes of stories and a brief Q&A segment.
– Mick Foley followed with about an hour of stories and a longer Q&A.
– A planned meet and greet ended up not happening due to issues with the venue.
– As of this past Monday morning, WWE officials were planning on having a Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback feud. Ryback is apparently the person Wyatt has been alluding to in his recent cryptic promos on RAW and SmackDown.
– JBL’s line on commentary during RAW on Monday about not liking catering was apparently a shot at the backstage offerings in WWE as of late. The company has reportedly cut back on their catering budget, but they have been using more pyro as of late.
– Jey Uso was kept off of the WWE European tour this week due to the shoulder injury he suffered prior to WrestleMania 31. Instead, Jimmy Uso is working singles matches during the tour. The official WWE Twitter account noted that Jey is at home resting up.
– WWE stock was down 2.19 percent on Friday, closing at $13.42 per share. The high yesterday was $13.89 and the low was $13.35.
– This week’s edition of the JBL & Renee Young Show, which you can watch below, features a stop at WWE Headquarters.
– There is talk that a former WWE Diva Search contestant will be hosting the new season of the show when it returns on the WWE Network. The only former contestants of the show that are still affiliated with WWE in some form or fashion are Layla, Rosa Mendes, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Eve Torres.
– With Michael Cole off of television selling the attack by Brock Lesnar at last week’s RAW, the commentary on SmackDown this week was handled by Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler and Tom Phillips. Main Event commentary was done by Rich Brennan and JBL.
– WWE executive John Laurinaitis praised the efforts of Summer Rae and Emma on Twitter on Tuesday, putting over the match the two had in Dallas last night, which was taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. Laurinaitis wrote the following:
I really enjoyed the competition ton Main Event between Emma vs Summer. #PeoplePower@WWE @EmmaWWE @RealSummerWWE if you get a chance, watch
WWE has an article on their official website updating fans on the physical condition of the WWE RAW announce team.
The article states that Michael Cole, JBL and Booker T will all be back at next Monday’s RAW following their “injuries” sustained in the attack by Brock Lesnar at this past Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of the show.
According to the story, Cole was diagnosed with a bulging disc and is battling severe neck, back and shoulder pain. JBL was diagnosed with an abdominal wall tear, and Booker T suffered contusions and soreness.
– For those who missed it, Stephanie McMahon announced that Brock Lesnar is “suspended and fined” after attacking the RAW announcers and a WWE camera man at Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW.
– Speaking of Lesnar’s attack, it was announced later on during the show, and again on WWE’s official Twitter account, that while JBL and Booker T were stretchered to the back, Michael Cole was hurt and was rushed to a hospital. The company tweeted the following during the show.
– During a taped interview on Raw offering his thoughts on Roman Reigns, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar mentioned beating The Rock as a rookie—at the 2002 SummerSlam to capture the WWE Championship—and sending him to Hollywood. It was stated in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this line was scripted to push a match between both wrestlers as a possibility for next year’s WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 32 is scheduled to take place on April 3, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
– After realizing Renee Young is his perfect co-host on The JBL & Renee Show, JBL celebrates by singing with other WWE Superstars on this week’s episode.
– It was announced on Monday that Larry Zbyszko will become enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31. To celebrate the induction, five clips of “classic moments” from his career have been added to the WWE Hall of Fame section on the WWE Network.
– ESPN and Grantland journalist Bill Simmons, who is a big WWE fan and is confirmed to announce a few matches on Monday’s WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of RAW, has been trading shots on Twitter with WWE announcer JBL. According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Simmons and JBL will be doing an angle of some kind on Monday’s show.
– Former U.K. soccer player Stuart Tomlinson, who is currently working in NXT as Hugo Knox, is considered to be progressing way ahead of the rest of the developmental talents, especially considering his experience level in the business. Knox is 29 years old and has only been in WWE developmental for 15 months, yet has been impressing WWE officials more than most. Currently, he is doing a Chippendale-type gimmick for promos, but has also started wrestling and is considered to be quite agile for his size.
– Alberto El Patron is suffering from a torn quad, an injury he suffered Wednesday night while wrestling a match in Mexico. He did, however, work a match again on Friday night in Waterbury, Connecticut for the Northeast Wrestling promotion, but that does explain why there was a change in the card and why he was so limited.
– The folks at Newsday.com have photos up from this weekend’s Jim Cornette tribute show.
– WWE announcer JBL is teasing that he will reveal the new co-host for his “The JBL (Not Cole) Show” web series on Monday. He tweeted the following teaser this weekend:
– As seen based on the vignettes on television for the past few weeks, Sheamus is scheduled to make his WWE return after being on the sidelines for several months.
As things stand now, WWE is looking at bringing back Sheamus as a heel. In fact, there’s talk that he will be in for a main event push as one of the top heels in the company.
– Below is this week’s “Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments” video.
– Finally, here is this week’s “JBL (Not Cole) Show.”
On Monday’s RAW, JBL made a joke during the Luke Harper vs. Ryback match in which he said Harper looked like a “Zombie Eddie Guerrero” when he dove over the top rope.
The remark got a lot of fans riled up on Twitter, with JBL posting this response on Facebook:
“The spot with Luke Harper I saw some Twitter comments over. I had just mentioned Walking Dead show and Luke does the ‘Eddie’ spot over the top rope, my comment (since I had mentioned Rick Grimes before toward Luke) was ‘it looks like a zombie Eddie Guerrero’. This was a WALKING DEAD reference toward Luke-who I have said before looks like a ‘walker’.
I would NEVER insult my friend Eddie, for those who took it wrong-sorry about that, but it is what it is.”
Last night during the Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network, As seen on the Steve Austin and Triple H interview last night, Triple H praised Michael “PS” Hayes, saying his contributions to the business are highly underrated.
Here’s what Hayes said regarding a possible 2016 WWE Hall of Fame induction from the Dallas area:
Well, can't say I disagree, but really appreciate the plug from @steveaustinBSR and @TripleH for the HOF next year in Dallas!!
– Larry King will be interviewing Diamond Dallas Page, Jake Roberts and Scott Hall in Utah this week to promote the new Roberts documentary. The interview is scheduled to air in a future episode of the Ora.tv “Larry King Now” show.
– JBL tweeted the following photo out on Tuesday, which shows Vince McMahon producing the rooftop weather segment from Monday’s RAW.
From last nights weather forecast, that's Vince McMahon to the left producing shot. He set up shot in cold with crew. pic.twitter.com/48IWMowv0m
As we noted recently, Booker T will be conducting a “special interview” with Shawn Michaels during this Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. HBK is not expected to be at the Rumble in person, however, as the interview with Booker T was taped this past Monday at RAW Reunion in Dallas.
Also taped this past Monday in Dallas is the latest edition of “The JBL Show,” which features an appearance by JBL’s former A.P.A. tag-team partner, Ron Simmons. You can check out the full show below.
The following was taped on Tuesday night for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event in Austin, Texas.
– JBL and Tom Phillips came out to a good reaction from the crowd.
– Kofi Kingston def. Tyson Kidd with a roll-up after countering a Sharpshooter attempt. Adam Rose and Cesaro, who were at ringside, joined in to beat down The New Day afterwards.
– The Miz and Damien Mizdow def. Los Matadores when Miz hit his Skull Crushing Finale for the 1-2-3.
– Natalya def. Summer Rae in Divas action.
– Bray Wyatt def. Jack Swagger with his Sister Abigail finisher for the pin.
– The Usos def. Goldust and Stardust in a non-title match, which served as the main event of the taping.
Last night’s Raw was held in Dallas, TX and was the final episode before the Royal Rumble. There were plenty of surprises, and after weeks of terrible programming, perhaps the biggest shocker was that the company put on an episode of Raw that wasn’t half bad. Without further ado, here are this week’s pros and cons.
Pros
There were a few highlights to choose from, but for me, the final segment easily takes the top spot. The action during the contest was commendable, but the real excitement occurred after the match. Sting’s appearance was completely unexpected, especially an in age where nearly everything is spoiled online beforehand. The Stinger looked great (much better than he did at Survivor Series, imo) and held the pose long enough to make everyone wonder if it was a picture to distract the Authority, or whether he was really in attendance.
Fans quickly found out the answer, making a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania all but official. Sting’s appearance, followed by Lesnar’s destruction of everything in sight, was an amazing way to end the show and sell Sunday’s Rumble. Speaking of Lesnar, the crowd is dying to cheer this guy. He could have a monster face run if he decides to stick around after ‘Mania.
A close second goes to the nWo reunion. The Ascension is completely laughable and unconvincing as intimating heels (Hall was straight-up laughing at them throughout the segment). I predict they will be dancing on the WWE comedy circuit within a year. With that said, it was awesome to see JBL finally take out his anger on these fools. It was hard not to mark out at the Clothesline From Hell, and it was pleasant to see actual planning and some sort of payoff for once.
The legends panel was decent, even if it’s the same three guys that are there every time a group of legends rolls into town. However, it was nice to see three Rumble winners talk about their victories, with Shawn Michaels saying, “There would be no Mr. WrestleMania without the Royal Rumble.” It was also humorous to watch Big Show bring up talking points from about two decades prior and refer to anyone as “three washed-up has-beens.”
In terms of wrestling action, the best match of the night, in my opinion, was Dean Ambrose and Bad News Barrett. These two had good chemistry and pulled off a number of impressive spots. In particular, Ambrose’s reversal of Wasteland into Dirty Deeds was an awesome way to end the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys work a program for the IC Title at WrestleMania.
Finally, Sandow posing as X-Pac backstage was absolutely hilarious. This guy deserves bigger and better things. Hopefully the company comes to the same realization before it’s too late.
Monday’s RAW Reunion show will feature appearances from several of the industry’s top legends, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. There have been reports over the past several days that Attitude Era tag team The Acolytes, JBL and Ron Simmons, will be reuniting for some sort of confrontation with The Ascension.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen JBL criticizing the team on commentary. There’s been talk of The Ascension confronting JBL on RAW, with Ron Simmons coming to the aid of his former partner.
With Billy Gunn advertised for RAW and Road Dogg working as a backstage agent, it’s possible we’ll see them reunite as well. Especially with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman in the house, a DX and nWo reunion on the same show would certainly make for some interesting television.
As noted recently, WWE switched up their television announce teams, with RAW now featuring Michael Cole, JBL and Booker T, and SmackDown with Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton. For those curious, the announce team for WWE pay-per-views, for the time being, will still feature Cole, JBL and Lawler.
The feeling within WWE is that the move of Lawler to SmackDown is the beginning of WWE phasing him out of the picture, as the company is age-conscious when it comes to their on-camera broadcasters, particularly for their key programs.
The idea of phasing Lawler out has been floating around for a while, however when he suffered a heart attack, it was pretty much a lock that they couldn’t make the move just yet.
When WWE moved SmackDown from Friday’s to Thursday’s, which begins this week on the SyFy Network in North America, it seemed like the perfect excuse to finally pull the trigger and make the transition of having Lawler move from RAW to SmackDown.