— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart stated in an interview with The Cardboard Connection that he is looking to write a follow-up to his memoir, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. However, he says it could “take years” for the book to come out. “I’m just waiting as my life continues to unfold,” Hart said.
Hart was also asked to name his favorite wrestling performers in the industry today and the first names out of his mouth were The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki. “They’re getting better and better,” Hart said. “I like Daniel Bryan. I love his style. I love his incorporation of actual wrestling holds and submissions and his style. I’m a big fan of Cena. I’m a big fan of [Randy] Orton.”
— The Miami Heraldreports that WWE will be hosting its WrestleMania XXVIII ticket kickoff party in early November in Miami, home to the 2012 version of the mega event. Further details were not disclosed.
— Former WWE stars Vladimir Kozlov and Jillian Hall have been announced for Legends of the Ring XIII, which takes place Saturday, October 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe, New Jersey.
— Former WWE Diva Terri Runnels was accompanied by two large bodyguards for her appearance at Saturday’s sparsely attended K&S Wrestlefest event in Essington, Pennsylvania. It marks as her first public appearance since she filed a lawsuit against her former partner Jerome “New Jack” Young, accusing him of libel for what she calls a series of slurs he’s stated online about their sex life and her appetite for drugs and alcohol.
— WWE returns to the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 28, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
— A match pitting CM Punk against John Cena is being advertised by cable outlets for this Tuesday’s live SuperSmackDown special on Syfy. WWE has not announced the match yet.
— Kaitlyn accidentally revealed in a Twitter message intended as a private message that she hates her WWE entrance theme (“Let’s Go” by Hollywood Records).
“To be honest, I don’t have any criteria really or a timeline . I just hate the generic music they have for me. And u thought it would be,” she wrote.
Kaitlyn said upon learning her mistake, “Oh snap! U stop reading my DM’s hahah I accidently posted a message meant for a DM.”
— Jerry Lawler is advertised to host tonight’s Raw live event at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
— WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio is missing this weekend’s Raw live events because he was due to return to Mexico to renew his work visa. He will be on hand for Monday’s Raw in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
— The Score in Canada will be airing NXT on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. beginning Aug. 31, 2011. College football will air in NXT‘s former spot on Thursday nights.
— “WWE Magazine’s” 2011 poster book, which hits newsstands this Tuesday, features 20 giant photos of the likes of CM Punk, John Cena, The Rock and Randy Orton. Click here to view the issue’s cover.
— The Ventura County Star has published an article on the wrestling dominated play, “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.” Kristoffer Diaz’s play will be performed Tuesday through Oct. 9 at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, California.
With CM Punk emerging as the breakout star of 2011 – there has been a lot of talk about how Punk and« John Cena’s big match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view would deliver with customers. Aside from being one of the top merchandise sellers for WWE in recent months – Punk can add “ability to sell PPVs'” to his resume.
According to the latest numbers released to WWE stockholders, July’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view did over 265,000 worldwide buys – up a staggering 100,000 buys (60%) from 2010’s MITB event.
Money in the Bank is now the 3rd top grossing PPV of the year, behind WrestleMania 27 and the Royal Rumble.
John Cena visited WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling on Thursday and wrote about the experience on Twitter – putting over the sons of former WWE star Mike “IRS” Rotundo.
Cena was asked which developmental stars he thought had the most talent and potential. Cena responded:
“”Bo Rotundo and his brother “Husky” Harris aka Wyndam Rotundo.”
Cena was asked about the progress of Ricky Steamboat Jr., who is said to be one of the most promising superstars in the developmental system.
“Very well. Taken much more calculated, violent striking style. Shows much promise“
Former ROH champion Tyler Black (now Seth Rollins in WWE developmental) responded to John Cena’s endorsement of the Rotundos and Ricky Steamboat Jr., tweeting:
“Of course @johncena would say the Rotunda brothers are FCW’s best. I mean, who else could it be? (scratches head in wonder) :-)”
John Cena wrote the following on Twitter in response to comments from fans after last night’s RAW:
“CeNation. Amazing to see in times of crisis, and change, who your freinds are. Thanks to all of u who never give up…. And for those that wish for our demise, now is when we rise above the hate, and overcome. Can’t wait to get my hands on Del Rio. Yawn ..stop looking at this bizz in black and white. I am not a “heel” or a “face”, I am me. I find it comical that u truly believe. That archaic ideology still exists. Today, wwe fans cheer for who they please, which is why I love this company. I should mail u a pair of my shorts, because your stuck in 1993.
I thought I made it pretty clear at contract signing where I stood. I guess there’s a lot of folks out there whose capacity is as limited as “my offense”. :) I back those who back me. And those who back me, get ready for one Helluva few months! Rise Above Hate. This “soap box moment ” was brought to you by Fruity Pebbles. :) Thanks again to ALL those who never give up.”
Next year’s WrestleMania 28 from Miami could be the third WrestleMania to feature a boxing match, according to a report on BoxingScene.com.
Heavyweight boxer Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett, a good friend of John Cena, says he is interested in fighting David Tua for a third time at WrestleMania next April.
Barrett told the Boxing Scene that he plans to speak to Cena about putting the fight together. Barrett says he’s already exchanged text messages with Cena, who said he’d talk to WWE officials about it.
Barrett, who is currently dealing with a broken jaw suffered in his fight against Tua this weekend, says he wouldn’t mind having the match in a steel cage.
David Tua is a member of the Anoa’i family and is the nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i.
As previously mentioned, this would not be the first time a boxing match was featured at WrestleMania. WrestleMania 2 featured a worked boxing fight between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Mr. T, while WrestleMania XV featured a legitimate tough-man fight between Bart Gunn and Butterbean.
– Former WWE champions John Cena and CM Punk were said to be “ecstatic” with their match following Sunday’s Summerslam pay-per-view. After tearing down the house at Money in the Bank with a Match of the Year-caliber performance, Cena and Punk silenced critics that questioned whether they could follow up with another classic.
Overall, the general consensus in WWE is that SummerSlam was a great show.
– An SEScoops.com reader who attended SummerSlam said he didn’t see too many fans using the new “Live Commentary” radios that WWE began selling on Sunday, which allows fans to hear ringside commentary at live events.
– As reported earlier, the Young Bucks (former TNA tag team Generation Me) received a WWE tryout on Monday afternoon prior to RAW from San Diego. They reportedly worked a match against California indy wrestlers Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky, who were also being evaluated for possible employment.
Scorpio Sky was one of the security guards that stopped CM Punk from getting to the ring where Kevin Nash was during RAW.
Matt Jackson of Generation Me wrote on Twitter that it was a “very interesting day” while his brother Nick asked his followers where the Young Bucks should wrestle next.
Wrestling legend Mick Foley, who is rumored to be on his way back to WWE, went to bat for John Cena on Monday night, tweeting several matches endorsing the former WWE champion’s work inside the ring and his model behavior in the locker room. Foley tweeted the following on Monday night:
“I really enjoyed the angry, serious tone of @johncena . Might be about time more fans started recognizing his legacy of amazing matches.
Sorry to disagree with so many of you, but go through your archives and look at how many good/great/amazing matches @johncena has had on PPV
You may not like the character, but @JohnCena is a workhorse, and hasn’t been in a bad PPV (that I’ve seen) in a long time. He CAN wrestle!
Come on, someone find me a bad @johncena PPV. He’s been a part of classic stuff with regularity for years. It’s NOT just the opponents guys.
Look, I was clearly more of an @WWE fan even when I was with TNA. I just call them like I see them…and I see Cena favorably.
I really appreciate all the feedback from everyone. I’ll grant you that his last Mania wasn’t great, but his match with @therock will be.
Good conversation, everyone. Remember when @johncena wrestled 10 minutes with Orton AFTER tearing his pec off the bone? THAT is HEART!”
Foley also posted recent a blog on his website titled, WHY IS MICK A MARK FOR JOHN CENA?” Foley explained that Cena is one of the best workers in the business today – having great matches with everybody from world class workers like Triple H, Edge and Kurt Angle to big-man slugs like the Great Khali and Bobby Lashley. Beyond what he does in the ring – Foley said the main reason he’s a John Cena fan is because Cena treats every wrestler on the roster with equal respect, something you don’t always see in the wrestling business.
— WWE creative had not finalized the script for tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event as of this morning, though it was expected to be finished by the afternoon.
As of a few days ago, two different conclusions to the WWE Championship Match between John Cena and CM Punk had been drawn. The match finish was reportedly decided upon today.
— Santino Marella defeated Jack Swagger with the Cobra Strike in a SummerSlam Axxess match last night at the Nokia Plaza. A.J. beat Natalya earlier in the day. In today’s match results, Justin Gabriel beat Tyson Kidd while Yoshi Tatsu defeated Drew McIntyre.
— Numerous WWE developmental wrestlers and contestants on the last season of Tough Enough are on hand for this weekend’s festivities in Los Angeles, California. Some, however, flew out to L.A. on their own.
— WWE talent reportedly must correct media reporters whenever they say ‘wrestling’ or ‘wrestlers’ in their questions.
– Following the WWE releases of Melina, Vladamir Kozlov and DH Smith last week, the talent is expected to get paid until November and will have no-compete clauses.
– WWE is looking give “Stone Cold” Steve Austin a big role at next year’s WrestleMania – although it still remains unlikely that he will wrestle a match.
– The WWE Championship unification match between CM Punk and John Cena is expected to get a lot of time at Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. With less than a week to go, only four matches have been announced – leading many to see SummerSlam as a “one-match show.”
Several WWE personalities appeared at the Teen Choice Awards last night from Los Angeles, California. WWE Champion John Cena and The Miz presented an award to the show Glee, along with fellow presenter Maggie Q.
WWE diva Maryse was shown in the crowd and appeared on the red carpet earlier in the night.
The Rock was also in the house as Fast Five won an award for best action movie. The Rock was also up for Best Action Star, but lost to Johnny Depp.
Check out these pictures and a video clip of John Cena and The Miz at the Teen Choice Awards:
– WWE champion John Cena is known for his jean-shorts ring attire – but according to Cena, the denim might soon be a thing of the past. A fan asked Cena on Twitter this week whether he ever gets bored of his jean shorts. Cena replied:
“yeah. Gonna change it up soon.”
– WWE is holding tryouts in California for new wrestlers by invitation only, according to PWInsider.com. Tryouts will be held over three days. Among those invited include the wrestlers WWE has used in segments in the past as extras.
– WWE recently interviewed Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, who talks about his career in the wrestling business as well as Triple H’s new role as the Chief Operating Officer of WWE. You can view that video here:
WWE Champion John Cena has responded to rumors of his scheduled match with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII being in jeopardy. A fan asked Cena on Twitter, “Any truth to the rumours that a top WWE exec wants your match with The Rock removed from the WM 28 card?”
Cena denied the report, indicating that his dream match with The Rock will still take place as scheduled:
“none at all. That match needs to happen. If they kick us out we will fight.in parking lot.”
The rumor is attributed to the Wrestling Observer, as they reported last week that a high-ranking executive with great influence over Vince McMahon is lobbying for the match in Rock’s hometown of Miami, Florida to be canceled.
The executive is said to be concerned that WWE’s premiere star, Cena, will be heavily booed during the biggest show of the year.
What do you think – with the amount of hype WWE has already invested in Cena-Rock, could they get away with not delivering? COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think.
WWE Champion John Cena answered some fan questions on Twitter yesterday about his WrestleMania 28 opponent The Rock. Here are some highlights about what Cena said about:
Which Man Is Stronger:
“No shorting the Rock for all of his abilities …but I can say with confidence, I am stronger than him. That does not make me better, just stronger. So don’t go and take that out of context. He is much quicker and probally a better overall athlete, but strength belongs 2 me.”
The Rock Insulting John Cena’s Fans:
“I don’t get that part. He can call me anything and everything he wants…I just don’t get that part.”
Whether He Thinks The Rock Is Gay:
“That is the last one I will answer because of how ridiculous it is. My answer. Why should it matter? No take it as is. Why should a persons sexuality matter? He is a great entertainer. I will admit. I have made some mistakes in the past but I now realize that it shouldn’t matter what race creed color sexual preference age u are. If your good. You’re good. Trying to pick something like that as a persons flaw is about the most ignorant thing that can be done. Don’t be that person. Step your game up. So it IS what it IS. Gay or straight. To quote “Dwayne”, “it doesn’t matter!””
— A photo surfaced online last month showing what appeared to be The Undertaker with a shaved head. There was speculation as to whether or not the image was legit but a WWE source says the SmackDown Superstar did indeed shave his head.
— John Cena and The Miz are scheduled to present awards at this Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is up for the award of Choice Movie: Action Actor, will also be on hand for the event.
— Shawn Michaels is in Africa filming episodes of Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures. The episodes are scheduled to air in the fall.
— A WWE live event scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas will be a Supershow featuring talent from Raw and SmackDown. Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 27, 2011.
— Shawn Michaels and WWE.com writer Craig Tello are collaborating on an e-book titled Diary of the Heartbreak Kid. It is scheduled for release this December. Further details on the book have not been disclosed.
— 7-Eleven has released eight collectible Slurpee and Super Big Gulp cups featuring WWE Legends and Superstars. The Miz, John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock are featured on Slurpee cups while Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper are featured on the Super Big Gulp cups.
Ultimate Warrior revealed his thoughts regarding WWE Superstars John Cena and CM Punk on his Facebook page.
Warrior said of Cena: “I don’t know John. Or any of the other guys. It’s been a long time since I was in the business and none of them were there when I was, except for a few, like Undertaker. I don’t watch TV or PPV’s and I don’t visit wrestling newssites. However, I was told by the top decision maker in the business, “nobody wants to go for the brass ring anymore, except this John Cena kid…I think, anyway.” I’ve heard from other reliable sources that John is a hard worker.
“I know from my OWN experience that self-discipline, stamina and hard work goes a long way with a decision maker who can go longer and harder than 99% of talent he’s seen come and go throughout the years.”
Warrior remarked the following regarding Punk, who he has exchanged multiple messages with on Twitter: “From what I have heard, he’s got a good ear to his gut instincts and follows the music of his OWN muse. A man’s entire destiny depends on how much he will trust these two virtues. Doesn’t matter if wants to rule a wrestling ring or the world. If he will fight and bleed for them and guard them from falling prey to ANY other human being’s advice, he could write himself a damn good-sized ticket, especially with today’s culture being what it is.
“About Punk and the others, I say it is their time and let them have it.
“If a Superstar from yesteryear can’t contribute in a way that allows the new crop of talented guys to shine and have their day in the spotlight, contribute in a way to let them Feel their Power, then they should pack their gear bag and go fucking home. Pack your gear bag and go the fuck home.”
Warrior’s full statements on Cena and Punk are available on his Facebook page.
Tyrone Evans (a/k/a Michael Tarver), who was released last month from his contract with WWE following several months of inactivity, posted a bizarre diatribe on his Twitter account today accusing John Cena of feeling threatened by his talent and intentionally fracturing his arm with a chair during a pay-per-view event last year to put him out of commission. The founding Nexus member also alleges that Cena laughed in his face afterwards.
Here is his post in its entirety:
“Family im a baaad man YAHWEH NISSI ,, soooooooo stop me if you heard this one for starters I went from sleeping in a car to being on 2 Wrestlemanias fun fact there soooooo this guy has a dream job but an adv he meets his dream girl assn db on his dream job he was to be away From his kids so he makes it work while spendiing 3 years trying to get his daughter to tampa to live him away from addcict mother
“Now during this dream job he fights trains show crazy potential on the mic regarded as one the best ever in developmental so he moves on ,,,To nxt and raw where he is burried on tv treated like trash back stage to the point where a certain top superstar takes notice of this Guy building steam with his promos back stage and begins to feel threatend so one night on a ppv the champ purposely fractures this Persons arm with a chair and after.the match backstage laughs in his face about it and walks off you know im talking about you just cant see See him anyway he takes out threats to his throne back stage to the point where the even get released from their dream job and ironicaly This guys dream wife leaves him tthreatening to take everything from him a month later on the se day his daughter was to move in with With them now his daughter is hysterical beyond help and has to be sent back home after three years of fighting and one week there
“Hmmmmm makes you wonder is it worth it because in your opinions WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO IS BAD.ENOUGH TO SCARE A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY So I saw to all things mention ME ,,,,,,,,IM THAT BAD MAN ,,,,,,,,,,,YAHWEH NISSI”
— WWE’s Capitol Punishment pay-per-view event featuring R-Truth vs. John Cena drew approximately 200,000 buys, according to business figures released for the month of June 2011 on their corporate website.
The preliminary figure is up from 143,000 buys for the previous June’s pay-per-view event, Fatal 4-Way.
Capitol Punishment was also up from the previous month’s pay-per-view, Over the Limit, which drew approximately 150,000 buys. Cena was also featured in the main event, but against The Miz in an “I Quit” Match.
— Sin Cara, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension due to his first violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, is advertised for an event WWE.com has just listed; a SmackDown taping in St. Louis, Missouri taking place September 27.
Regarding the masked grappler’s status with WWE, many employees are under the impression that management “had decided to cut bait on him.” Creative wasn’t informed until a day or two prior to Money in the Bank that he needed to be written off television and were also told to not “put any thought into any scenarios for him going forward.” A final decision regarding his immediate future has not been made.
Alberto Del Rio has once again been victimized by WWE’s haphazard booking as his long planned match with John Cena at SummerSlam was nixed hours before last night’s Raw telecast in Hampton, Virginia.
Creative overhauled the match line-up for SummerSlam Monday afternoon after deeming their creative plans for CM Punk for the event as “awful.” Del Rio was effectively removed from the title picture as a result. WWE’s braintrust felt that had Punk not been slotted in the title match, his much talked about storyline would extinguish.
Though Del Rio had the rug pulled out from under him once again, creative has the 34-year-old pegged for a title run this fall. WWE announced today they will present a landmark tour across Mexico this October and a number of high ranking officials feel the countryman returning as a conquering hero will garner a great deal of media attention.
Meanwhile, The Miz was at one point scheduled to reign supreme in the WWE Championship Tournament on Raw. Creative later changed their mind and the WWE Championship was awarded to Rey Mysterio, who got to hold the belt for approximately an hour and a half.
— John Cena has now held the WWE Championship a record nine times following his title victory last night on Raw . The previous record holder was Triple H, who held the WWE Championship on eight occasions.
If Cena holds the belt through Thursday, he will move past Pedro Morales into fourth place as most combined days as WWE Champion at 1028.
— Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century is officially out today on DVD and Blu-ray. Twenty of the greatest WWE Superstars of the new millenium are profiled including Chris Jericho, Edge, Triple H, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Kane, Kurt Angle, The Rock, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Trish Stratus, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and John Cena.
— WWE has a SmackDown live event scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2011 at the Century Link Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Randy Orton, Christian, Kane, Big Show and Sin Cara are advertised to appear.
– The Miz is being advertised to appear on Wednesday’s episode of Lopez Tonight. The program airs at midnight on TBS.
— WWE will be touring Georgia this December. Dates and locations are as follows: December 3 at the Entertainment Complex in Augusta; December 4 at the Civic Center in Columbus; December 5 at the Civic Center in Albany.
— John Cena has responded to The Rock saying he would be at the Survivor Series. Cena tweeted on Monday:
“Dear Dwayne, excited that you are thinking of attending Survivor Series in MSG. You can buy your ticket on September 10th. See you there.”
The 25th annual Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
– SyFy writer Nora Zuckerman wrote on Twitter that former WWE Superstar Edge will appear on next week’s episode of Haven and a few more episodes this season.
– Paul Bearer announced on Twitter that former WWE referee Dave Hebner is undergoing heart surgery this morning.
– A SmackDown taping will be held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday, December 6.
– Former WWE champion John Bradshaw Layfield has posted his latest video blog. In this installmnent, JBL responds to fans who say that RAW’s Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio stole his gimmick: