Despite Zack Ryder’s recent campaign to get a United States title shot against Dolph Ziggler, it’s John Morrison who will challenge for the title this Sunday at Survivor Series. Ryder has dubbed the snub the #ManhattanScrewjob – and got some support from John Cena on Twitter this week. Cena tweeted:
“Follow @ZackRyder No disrespect to Morrison but @ZackRyder deserves that match at MSG.”
John Morrison replied and said he agreed, proposing a Triple Threat between he, Ryder and Dolph Ziggler. Right after that, Morrison made the following comments:
“You should know better than anyone, sometimes deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”
“No disrespect Cena, but if you really think Zack deserves a match at MSG all you need to do is text your buddy @WWERAWGM and he will get one”
Chad Dukes of 106.7 The Fan DC’s Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes does a wrestling show (The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show) on Friday nights. On November 16th Chad did an interview with John Cena. Here is a link to the show’s twitter (http://twitter.com/DukesWrestling) and a blog post about the interview on the show website (http://chaddukeswrestlingshow.com/2011/11/17/john-cena-on-why-hes-part-of-the-ryder-revolution/). The interview is included in the post. Below is a quick transcription of the highlights of the interview, where Cena covers his view of the feud with The Rock brewing before Wrestlemania and putting over Zack Ryder.
On Zach Ryder’s career path and his support for him:
Chad Dukes: You were putting over Zach Ryder before Zach Ryder was cool…Just curious why that is; what did you see in Zach Ryder to say this is a guy I want ot make sure gets his spotlight on Raw?
John Cena: You’re probably going to censor me out but I saw a set of balls. I saw a kid in an era in which everyone is afraid to show their talents. This kid was like ‘You know what; I’m going down anyway so I’m going down swinging.’ And I’ve been in that spot before. I’ve been told by everyone ‘You’re nothing; You’re not going to be anything; Hey how you feel about doing this rap thing?’ If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging. So I really, I saw a lot of that in him. I honestly, whether he’s battle tested and ready for the next level, I’m not into that sort of speculation. I just like seeing a kid with a set of nuts who is just ready to throw it out on the line and risk it all, rather than ‘Hey man I just don’t want to rock the boat and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to draw attention to myself.’ We’re in the business of drawing attention to yourself. So when I see a kid like Zach Ryder- by the way you have to follow him on twitter @ZachRyder…- the kid is, he’s just one of those guys that was willing to take a chance. And I admire that quality out of people. Its something that’s not found enough in the WWE locker room.
Chad Dukes: Do you see [Zach Ryder]…being a figure that’s out there and ‘you’re the main event’ on a Monday Night RAW or Friday Night Smackdown?
John Cena: Well, honestly, that’s up to Zach Ryder. And I really like the fact that he was like ‘I really don’t care about the next step, I care about the first step.’ The cool thing about Zach is he has made that first step. And so many guys speculate on “What if I do this, then this is going to happen.” F it, like just make the first step. So now, Zach has to realize that he’s got some steam going and realize how he got the steam going in the first place, and then take it to the next step. Bu the fact that he threw speculation out the window and took a dive into the deep end and really did something that wasn’t being done and made an impression, that’s great. I think the biggest thing for him is maybe these upcoming weeks or months leading up towards Wrestlemania I think it would be a huge victory if you would see Zach Ryder on the Wrestlemania card.
On his feud with The Rock and they’re upcoming match at Survivor Series:
Chad Dukes: I got to ask one last thing about your feud with The Rock. Are there any parameters set up? Have you guys had a conversation? Because this is not just ‘Hey brother I’m going to kick your ass’ type f stuff going on, it gets personal. And you call him out for not being there and he calls you out for things, and it looks like you guys are really willing to say whatever you need to get this feud over with the fans. Which you don’t need to do anyway, who doesn’t want to see John Cena and The Rock at Wrestlemania. But were there any parameters going into this thing saying ‘this is out of bounds, this is off limits?’ Because it doesn’t look like it…
John Cena: Well I think if we’re both professionals and Ill say this with the utmost of integrity, Rock is a future Hall of Famer. He’s had an illustrious career in the WWE. He’s now a bona-fide box office superstar. If anybody is at fault for waving the personal trigger its me, just because I get a little testy about some of the stuff that he’s been quoted as saying in the past, some of the stuff he’s quoted as saying on our broadcast. I get testy about that, because I work for the WWE full time. I work for the WWE all the time. I will work for the WWE when I cant physically perform for the WWE. As long as there is a brand to work for, I want to be involved in it. I love the company, I love the people who run it, I love its administration, I love success stories like Zach Ryder. I love being there to see that and develop before my eyes. Whether I’m a part of it, whether I’m helping it or whether I’m just a third wheel watching someone succeed. And everybody knows that I have a little bit of a discrepancy with the way Dwayne handles himself. And every once and a while when things get too tense I bring something up that I probably shouldn’t. But, you know, sometimes your personality gets the best of you and if they’re going to remember this feud for eternity- which I really think they are, like you said it’s the match that everyone has to see- at least at the end of the day I’ll have got my point across. Yea, so I’ve already apologized to Dwayne, not only on twitter but in person about some of the stuff I said. It was unprofessional but in the heat of the moment sometimes you let your heart pour out rather than thinking with your head. And I have a feeling it’s probably not the last you’ve heard of me saying all that stuff.
— WWE announced Thursday that the Divas Championship Match between Beth Phoenix and Eve at Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view will be a Lumberjill Match.
WWE explains: “The Divas Championship Match at Survivor Series should be a one-on-one affair. However, nothing in this rivalry has been evenly contested, thanks to the underhanded tactics of The Glamazon and Natalya. Now, the decks will be stacked a little more equally, as Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Natalya and the rest of the WWE Divas will be ringside to make sure the action stays in the ring.”
— John Cena says family business caused him to be scratched from his scheduled appearance this Saturday on ESPN’s College GameDay.
“I want to apologize to espn’s gameday crew. I thank them for their hospitality, but I have some immediate family bizz that needs handling,” Cena wrote on Twitter.
– The latest plan for The Rock’s match with John Cena at WrestleMania 28 is that the match will not be for the WWE Championship. WWE creative has gone back and forth as to whether the WWE title will be on the line, but the general feeling is that the match doesn’t need a title defense to seem important and the company can get more mileage out of promoting a separate WWE title match on the card.
– Speaking of The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania, WWE is already spending big money to promote the dream match. We’ve reported already that WWE bought a big billboard in New York City’s Times Square. Now – WWE has purchased another billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, which is a pricey location.
– WWE officials are talking with SyFy about doing more live Tuesday SmackDown specials in early 2012 to build WrestleMania 28.
Due to the ratings success of WWE’s previous live Tuesday SmackDown specials, WWE has been toying with the idea of moving SmackDown to Tuesdays permanently.
— Maria Kanellis announced during last night’s AfterBuzzTV broadcast for Monday Night Raw that she will be returning to the squared circle on February 25, 2012 for New York City based promotion Family Wrestling Entertainment.
It will be her first match in two years and outside of WWE—she last competed at the February 23, 2010 WWE Superstars taping. She was released from her contract with WWE three days after the event and recently resurfaced on the wrestling scene to support her boyfriend, Ring of Honor talent Mike Bennett, at independent shows. She stated last Tuesday on Facebook that she had resumed wrestling training.
— The official Twitter feed of ESPN’s College Gameday announced Tuesday that John Cena, a Division III All-American center at Springfield College, will be the celebrity guest picker for this Saturday’s show at University of Houston.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of The Wrestler.
– Actor Jonah Hill will be the special guest host of next week’s WWE RAW Supershow.
– Friday’s SmackDown will feature Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett and Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes
– The man who portrayed John Cena’s Little League coach on Monday’s RAW during the Mick Foley “This Is Your Life” segment was independent wrestler Fabulous Johnny Vegas.
To update our previous story, audio has been posted online of John Cena’s interview on Boston’s 98.5 morning radio show. A reader who listened to the broadcast stated that The Rock would be wrestling tonight in the RAW dark match main event – however, we can now confirm that Cena said he’s be teaming with “Punk” – not “Rock.” We apologize for the error.
Here’s the original story:
Tonight’s special 3-hour WWE RAW SuperShow from Boston has been dubbed “RAW Gets Rocked” – and will feature an appearance from The Rock.
The Rock is currently scheduled to wrestle this Sunday at Survivor Series for the first time since WrestleMania XX back in 2004 – but The Rock’s tag team partner this Sunday says The Rock will be wrestling tonight in Boston.
During a radio appearance on Monday morning the Toucher & Rich morning show on Boston’s 98.5 station, John Cena stated that The Rock will be wrestling in the dark match after RAW.
Cena says The Rock will be teaming up with him and Zack Ryder to face World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry, Miz & R-Truth.
Mick Foley appeared for WWE once again on the current European tour – with an appearance at the live event from Newcastle.
Check out this video footage of Foley and John Cena – with Cena ripping into his Survivor Series partner and WrestleMania 28 opponent – The Rock. Below that – a promo from Mick Foley.
— John Cena has officially retired his “jorts” jean shorts ring gear and will be going with camouflage shorts moving forward. He will be rotating different colors of camo to represent different branches of the United States military.
— Many of WWE’s key business metrics were down in September from the year before, including attendance (down 9%) and DVD sales (down 44%).
— The following are the most-shipped WWE DVDs of the year:
* WrestleMania (229,000 units, down down 9.5% from 2010)
* Best of WCW Nitro (135,000 units)
* True Story of WrestleMania (118,000 units)
* The DX DVD (109,000 units)
* Best of Raw 2010 (96,000 units)
— WWE.com had only 10.4 million unique visitors in September, which is down 10% from the year before and the lowest month in several years.
— WWE Shop did 667 orders per day, down 13% from the year before. The WWE shop had a big spike in August due to CM Punk’s popularity at the time and was shipping almost 1,100 orders per day that month.
Sunday at Vengeance, John Cena debuted new ring gear, replacing his trademark “jorts” with shorts featuring a variety of camouflage designs. He says this will be a permanent move.
“The jean shorts, for the moment, have been retired,” Cena tells WWE.com. “These are military-issued camo, and I think they will stand out. I have every U.S. Military service branch represented: Army, Marine Corps., Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. I’ll be changing it up from time to time.”
Cena, however, clarified that he hasn’t ditched the denim completely.
“They’re always in the closet,” Cena said. “Maybe when they come back in style 30 years from now I’ll bust them out for the WWE Hall of Fame or something.”
Cena also discussed his new “Rise Above Hate” shirt, which features the logo of the anti-bullying “be a STAR” campaign printed on the sleeve.
“I wanted to make a positive statement,” Cena said. “I have a varied group of loyal fans out there that will literally back me through thick and thin. I’m known for crazy graphics and colors on my shirts, and I’ve pretty much run through the entire rainbow. I didn’t want the message to be drowned out with a graphic or anything like that, so we went real simple and put the words ‘Rise Above Hate’ with ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’ on the back.
– After conducting an online poll asking fans to name the new WWE Network reality show where wrestling legends live together in a house, the name that will be used is “WWE House of Fame.”
WWE recently trademarked that name and “WWE WrestleMania Rewind” for the WrestleMania recap show on the network.
As noted before, the name of the Divas road trip show will be called “WWE Divas: Heels on Wheels!”
The other show that’s being discussed features a look at the Monday Night War between WWE RAW and WCW Nitro.
– Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter after watching
the new Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels DVD: “Watched the @ShawnMichaels_ @BretHart rivalry DVD and it was incredible. True emotion and feeling…gave me closure as a fan. A must see!”
– As seen on RAW, The Rock and John Cena will be teaming up together against The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series on 11/20.
As recent as last week – WWE was planning on featuring The Rock and Cena in a traditional 5-on-5 match.
As previously reported, WWE is billing John Cena and The Rock’s tag team at Survivor Series as “The Most Charismatic Tag Team of All Time.”
— Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas is being touted as a SuperShow as Superstars from both brands are slated to appear. The following matches are advertised for the event:
* Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
* Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship
* Raw vs. SmackDown Battle Royal featuring 41 Superstars
— The term “WE HATE CENA” trended Monday night on Twitter. Prior to his Last Standing Match at Vengeance, Cena walked up to a fan at ringside wearing a “We Hate Cena” T-shirt.
— Rhyno is advertised for an autograph signing on December 3 at the LaSalle Knights of Columbus 209 Gooding St. LaSalle, Illinois. Visit www.dreamwavewrestling.com for more information.
A number of United States servicemen were in attendence at Sunday’s WWE Vengeance pay-per-view – visiting from the nearby Fort Hood military base.
John Cena debuted a new “Rise Above Hate” t-shirt and debuted a new pair of camouflage shorts, a departure from his signature “jorts” jean shorts ring gear.
The WWE website has a gallery of pictures from Vengeance, including pictures of his new “Rise Above Hate” t-shirt and camouflage shorts, which you can view here.
Cena announced on Twitter a few months ago that he is planning to change his often-mocked ring gear.
At this point, its unknown whether Cena’s camo shorts are a permanent change – or just a tribute to the Fort Hood soldiers who were in attendance.
Cena’ new “Rise Above Hate” t-shirt is available at the WWE Shop website. Also available are “Rise Above Hate” sweatbands, baseball caps and pendants.
— John Cena stated on Twitter that he will be on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Houston, Texas.
— WWE Network’s planned reality series that will follow the Divas on a private tour bus will be titled WWE Divas Heels on Wheels. The program is described as “a reality show that welcomes you aboard the private Divas tour bus as it travels from venue to venue. Cameras will roll 24/7, capturing the unscripted bonds, battles, and behind-the-scenes drama that only our WWE Divas can deliver when their public and private lives merge on the open road.”
— Zack Ryder stated on Twitter that WWEShop.com will no longer sell the “Take Care, Spike Your Hair” T-Shirt.
— WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales turned 69 years old on Saturday.
CM Punk is in “top consideration” for the WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania XXVIII since company officials are leaning against the title being on the line in the match pitting John Cena against The Rock.
The heavily hyped bout is not expected to be for the title because WWE brass feel the finish would be too obvious since fans don’t expect The Rock to leave WrestleMania as champion.
Cena will reportedly be removed from the title picture following Sunday’s Vengeance pay-per-view, which would indicate that Alberto Del Rio will retain the title in their Last Standing Match. Cena will begin building towards his partnership with The Rock at Survivor Series while Del Rio is expected to enter a program with Punk.
The Hollywood Reporter calls The Reunion a “lame action-comedy” that’s best suited for late night cable television, when viewers are half asleep and zoned out. They suggest that Cena, who already has a few movies under his belt (The Marine, 12 Rounds), is probably best off spending his time in the wrestling ring and not on the movie set. From the Hollywood Reporter review:
“Latest effort from WWE Studios is pinned to the mat.”
“There’s one thing to be said about WWE Studios — they’re consistent. Every one of their movies designed to showcase their stable of popular wrestling stars has been a critical and commercial disaster. The latest example is The Reunion, a lame action-comedy that seems ready made for undiscerning late-night cable viewing. This John Cena starrer receiving a token theatrical release provides further evidence that perhaps films are not the company’s forte.”
“But mainly the proceedings revolve around the expected action sequences, leavened by attempts at comedy, that fall flat in both areas. Needless to say, Cena is an imposing physical specimen, but after this and such previous efforts as 12 Rounds and The Marine it may be time for him to concentrate on the ring.”
Meanwhile, the Orlando Sentinel’s Roger Moore has reviewed WWE Studios’ The Reunion with John Cena and has some negative things to say about WWE’s latest effort. Moore gave the movie one star (out of 4) and had the following to say:
“Now Mike Pavone’s last picture for WWE comes out, “The Reunion,” a split personality action comedy that fails to please either impulse. The action is wan, the laughs hard to come by. They spent the money, as they often did under Pavone, on surrounding a wrestling star with decent actors (Amy Smart, Ethan Embry, Michael Rispoli). But an incoherent script gives them too little to do.”
“Wrestler John Cena has become a comfortable screen presence, within a certain range. He’s OK as a cop on disciplinary leave forced to form a sort of bounty hunters business with his siblings in order for them all to receive an inheritance.”
“Coming at the end of a string of flops, “The Reunion” makes one wonder about the motives and business model for this whole enterprise.”
– While in Mexico this week, John Cena granted several “wishes” for sick children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
– Several wrestlers from Mexico’s CMLL promotion (we’ve heard as many as 7) received WWE tryouts over the weekend.
– The never-ending season of WWE NXT: Redemption will finally be coming to an end soon.
– As we covered her in the site earlier this month, David Otunga’s wedding to Hollywood star Jennifer Hudson has been put on hold. The National Enquirer has picked up the story – and says the main reason for the couple taking a step backwards is that Otunga refuses a prenuptial agreement. The Enquirer states that Jennifer Hudson is worth around $15 million – which does explain why she is looking to protect her assets before getting married.
– Tommy Dreamer is set to debut some sort of new show this week. Dreamer tweeted on Sunday:
“Spoke to my producer. The show is finished. Tommorrow it will debut. Let the fun begin.”
– After Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown taping from Dallas, Texas went off the air – WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio defended the belt against RAW star John Cena. Cena won via DQ, then sent the crowd home happy with the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio.
– Prior to the SmackDown tapings, the DX reunion took place as advertised – with Shawn Michaels and Triple H hitting the ring and entertaining the crowd with their typical edgy DX routine. Shawn Michaels teased that a future WrestleMania, rumored to be WrestleMania 29 in 2013, could take place from Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Cowboys Stadium is the newest, nicest stadium in the United States and has the capacity to hold over 100,000 fans.
— WWE’s next three-hour Raw event takes place November 14 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts and The Rock is advertised to appear. The venue’s official website is billing the event as “The Rock Reunion Party.”
The website’s advertising reads: “What will happen when the seven-time WWE Champion, “the most electrifying man in all of entertainment” The Rock and ten-time WWE Champion John Cena meet in Cena’s hometown?”
Also advertised for the event is a Six-Man Tag Team Match pitting John Cena, Triple H and CM Punk against The Miz, R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio.
— Former WWE Divas Lilian Garcia and Maria Kanellis hosted the second edition of their post-Raw show for AfterBuzzTV.com Monday night.
The Reunion, a WWE Studios action film, stars WWE Superstar John Cena, Ethan Embry (Brotherhood, CSI Miami), Michael Rispoli (The Sopranos, Invincible, Mr. 3000), Boyd Holbrook (Milk) and Amy Smart (Road Trip, Starsky & Hutch, Varsity Blues).
The Cleary brothers, Sam (JOHN CENA), Leo (ETHAN EMBRY) and Douglas (BOYD HOLBROOK) take dysfunctional families to a new level. Sam and Leo have grown up hating each other and neither likes their juvenile delinquent kid brother, Douglas, to whom they’ve only recently been introduced. The sons share the same father, a womanizing drunk, but all have different mothers. Their father died a rich man, and when they’re brought together by their sister Nina (AMY SMART) to learn which of them will inherit the old man’s fortune, they are handed an unpleasant surprise.
A requirement of the will is that the three estranged siblings go into business together as bail bondsmen. Their first job is to bring in a parole violator who has left Leo with a $250,000 debt. Their search will take them into the mountains of Mexico where they encounter a drug lord and uncover a kidnapping plot, masterminded by an embittered entrepreneur (MICHAEL RISPOLI) that will endanger them all.