The Superman movie franchise is being rebooted in 2012 and casting is already underway for the lead roles of Superman and his mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent.
According to a few entertainment industry publications, both John Cena and Dwayne ‘The Rock” Johnson are being considered for the lead role in Superman: Man Of Steel.
IMDB.com reports that the film is being executive produced by Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) and will be directed by Zach Snyder.
Aside from John Cena and The Rock, actor Joe Manganiello (“Spider Man 3,” “True Blood”) is also being considered for the part.
— WWE Chief Operating Officer Donna Goldsmith said at Thursday’s investor conference call to company stockholders that sales of Nexus merchandise have increased since John Cena joined the pack.
Update:
— Goldust noted today on Twitter that he received stitches to his eye after suffering an injury during his match last night in Cardiff, Wales with Ted DiBiase.
— The WWE website has released a soundboard highlighting NXT Rookie Diva Aksana’s most memorable remarks to date on NXT, such as “Billion Dollar Baby,” “Aksana Here Not By Mistake,” and “She Loves Her Dog.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin appeared on Howard Stern’s sattelite radio show on Wednesday morning and announced that he will be the special guest host of WWE Monday Night RAW on December 27th from Albany, NY. Austin said he will be bringing Howard Stern regular “Jeff The Drunk” with him.
– WWE’s RAW and SmackDown brands are flying overseas today to begin a 12-day European tour.
– John Cena post a message on Twitter explaining why he has not been posting as of late. Cena says Nexus leader Wade Barrett is behind his Twitter absence:
“Wade Barrett has allowed me to send this one message. As long as I am in Nexus. I answer to them. He has kept me from any communication and was very mad about navajo code message. I am sorry to all of you.”
— It was advertised tonight during a commercial on Raw that Edge would be squaring off against Alberto Del Rio this Friday on SmackDown.
— Tonight, John Cena became the first WWE Superstar to accumulate 200,000 followers on Twitter.
— The Smackdown house show on January 9, 2011 will be held at the Knoxville Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tickets go on sale November 20, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– Former WWE superstar Dave Bautista is currently training for his professional Mixed Martial Arts debut some time in early 2011, but that doesn’t mean his days inside the ring are over. Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki’s IGF promotion has announced that Batista will be wrestling on their December 3rd show in Japan. We’re looking into this story and hope to have more details shortly.
– John Cena has not appeared at WWE live events as of late because he’s been in New Mexico filming Blood Brothers for WWE Studios.
– As we reported here earlier this month, Hollywood actor Freddy Prinze Jr. has returned to WWE’s creative team. Prinze was at Sunday’s WWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view and will be working with talent backstage producing interviews. (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— It was reported last week by the Pro Wrestling Torch that MVP developed heat backstage for moaning about the company’s younger performers being promoted ahead of him. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting this week that the SmackDown Superstar garnered heat for recent Twitter remarks complaining about his lack of a push with the organization.
— The reason given for the substandard outcome of the Kaitlyn vs. Maxine bout on last week’s episode of NXT was because the ring was late in being set up and the Rookie Divas had no time to plan their match move-for-move beforehand like they usually do. The ring setup was delayed because it had to be rigged for The Undertaker to pull Kane down through it for the evening’s SmackDown taping.
— John Cena has not appeared at WWE live events as of late because he’s been in New Mexico filming Blood Brothers for WWE Studios.
– On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that John Cena will be the special guest referee for Randy Orton’s WWE title defense against Wade Barrett at Survivor Series. The match stipulation states that if Cena can help Barrett win the belt, he will be relieved from his duties as a member of Nexus.
To update how long John Cena will be a part of Nexus, a commercial that aired during Monday’s WWE RAW announced Randy Orton & Mark Henry are scheduled to face Sheamus & Wade Barrett in a tag team match at the Raw World Tour house show to be held in Biloxi, Mississippi on December 12. The ad stated John Cena would be in the corner of Sheamus and Barrett during the match.
While these TV ads are always subject to change, it’s worth noting that WWE is advertising Cena as a member of Nexus as far off as December.
– As noted earlier, last Friday night’s WWE SmackDown! on Syfy scored a 1.7 cable rating, down from a 1.8 rating two weeks ago. That’s tied for the lowest rating in the four weeks since SmackDown! came to the network. The show’s premiere on the network also scored a 1.7 on October 1st. For the night, SmackDown! was the #5 show on cable TV among males 18-34. It was #2 among males 18-49, behind the MLB Playoffs. The show’s ratings were down for the 18-34 & 18-49 demos, as well as males 18-34 & 18-49, and males 12-34. It was up for ages 12-17, though, which saved the overall rating.
– WWE Tough Enough alum Daniel Puder is pitching a new reality TV series that would see him traveling around the country to confront high school bullies. Puder has appeared on TMZ.com a few times in recent weeks talking about the project.
– Andrew Whitaker, WWE’s Executive Vice President of International affairs, cashed out $31,000 in company stock last week. WWE’s stock is currently valued around $14 per share, close to the 52-week low.
– Blood Brothers, the next WWE Studios movie starring John Cena just began production in New Mexico.
Blood Brothers is an action adventure movie, with Cena playing a character named Sam. TheGovMonitor.com gives the following description of the plot:
“[Brothers] 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 (played by Amy Smart) to learn which of them will inherit the old man’s fortune, they are handed an unpleasant surprise.”
— Regarding World Wrestling Entertainment promoting a “one time only” appearance by Triple H at their Fan Appreciation Day Supershow in Hartford, Connecticut on Oct. 20, some took it to mean he is “coming out of retirement” for the day. To clarify, they used the wording of their advertisement to signify that “The Game” was not returning to a regular schedule at this time, but rather merely making an appearance. That said, no one in the company broached on the subject believes he is retired. Everyone is under the impression that he is rehabbing his arm injury and will return to the squared circle sooner or later. (source: PWInsider.com)
— Kane is featured on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s annual “Greats of the Game” issue. Visit www.pwi-online to view it.
— While WWE has yet to officially acknowledge Jamie Keyes’ departure from the organization, the company’s Twitter account has unfollowed her.
— Evan Bourne is expected to be sidelined for four months once he undergoes shoulder surgery, reports www.f4wonline.com.
— Edge is being advertised again to appear at WWE’s Fan Appreciation Day event at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 30.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Fighting Spirit, with the headline reading “Have We Cena ‘Nuff?” To view the cover, click here.
The synopsis reads: “Between his superhero act getting incredibly old and him almost ruining the careers of people like The Miz and Nexus by squashing them completely, FSM has had it up to here with John Cena. But is it really all his fault? FSM examines WWE’s top man and wonders if he’s to blame for ruining WWE for everyone.”
— John Cena made a cameo appearance in a video short produced for MTV news, MTV After Hours With Josh Horowitz. He appears alongside Malin Åkerman and Elijah Wood in the segment.
— The cover art for WWE’s Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 DVD has been released and it features John Cena in the center. To view it, click here.
Th three-disc set is scheduled for release on October 26, 2010.
— WWE Studios’ Legendary starring John Cena will be released to retailers on December 28, 2010.
– As evidenced by Monday’s RAW rating jumping around 22% from the previous week, there appears to be strong interest in the John Cena – Nexus storyline.
According to a reliable source, WWE creative is planning to book the angle in a similar way to the classic Million Dollar Man – Virgle relationship from 1990. The idea is that Cena will reluctantly serve under Nexus leader Wade Barrett – with hopes that WWE’s live audiences will be cheering Cena to stand up for himself and fight back against Barrett (as Virgil did with Ted DiBiase). Creative has done some longterm planning for this storyline and has a definitive finish in mind, but will be booking on a week-to-week basis until they get to the finish.
– WWE has announced that John Cena will be in the corner of Wade Barrett at WWE’s Bragging Rights pay-per-view. Barrett will challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, with WWE teasing that Cena will be subservient to his leader and give Barrett the advantage.
– Kurt Angle just signed a 1-year contract extension with TNA Wrestling, but the Olympic gold medalist says he’s open to returning to WWE after that. Angle appeared on the Right After Wrestling radio show on Monday night and said:
“There comes a time when everybody has to hang it up. I’m coming to the close of my career whether it be a year or two or three. I know it won’t be full-time after this year. I would like to stay in TNA, but if I my option goes to WWE, I will. I want to stay in TNA, no doubt about it.”
— As John Cena held Wade Barrett in the STF during their bout at last night’s Hell in a Cell, two mystery assailants stormed the ring — one distracting the referee while the other blasted The Champ in the head with a foreign object, knocking him out cold and giving The Nexus ringleader the duke. The attackers in question were NXT season two contestants Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, reports f4wonline.com.
— World Wrestling Entertainment will be releasing a two-disc DVD set highlighting the legendary career of WWE Hall of Famer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan on Tuesday, December 28. Below is the title’s official synopsis:
“Fans loved to boo Bobby Heenan but despite their vocal displeasure with The Weasel, everyone acknowledges he’s the greatest manager in the history of sports entertainment. He guided members of the infamous Heenan Family to great heights in both the AWA and WWE, even occasionally stepping into the ring himself. He also further cemented his place in pro wrestling lore by becoming one of the great color commentators of all time, completely earning his 2004 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Now, for the first time ever, fans can relive the Brain’s magnificent career in Bobby The Brain Heenan, a 2-disc DVD that tells the life story of Heenan as well as collects his most famous matches, interviews, and moments.”
— WWE returns to the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
— As John Cena held Wade Barrett in the STF during their bout at Hell in a Cell, two mystery assailants stormed the ring — one distracting the referee while the other blasted The Champ in the head with a foreign object, knocking him out cold and giving The Nexus ringleader the duke.
Per the stipulation of the contest, Cena must join the heel faction.
— The Miz has landed his third magazine cover within the span of a month as he is featured on the latest edition of United Kingdom based wrestling magazine, Fighting Spirit. To view the cover, click here. Also featured is an interview with Sheamus, who reigned as WWE Champion at the time of piece.
— WWE Films’ The Condemned starring Steve Austin airs immediately following Raw. The action flick replays at 2:05 a.m.
John Cena has been the babyface hero of WWE for the better part of a decade, but the possibility of turning Cena heel has been discussed much more seriously than in the past, according to the Pro Wrestling Torch.
Vince McMahon made it clear when the idea was previously broached that it would not even be considered due to the tremendous amount of revenue Cena draws via merchandise. While there doesn’t appear to be any firm plan in place, McMahon has since changed his tune on the subject as he is now open to listening to suggestions.
Meanwhile, this week’s issue of Figure Four Weekly adds that there is ‘strong talk’ of a turning Cena heel come WrestleMania season.
— WWE’s creative department reportedly has tentative WrestleMania plans in mind for Chris Jericho, according to www.f4wonline.com.
The final match of Jericho’s current contract with World Wrestling Entertainment took place last night in Indianapolis. Many believe he’ll return to the organization taking an extended period of time off and fulfill non-wrestling commitments.
— The Miz, who is featured on the latest edition of WWE Magazine, has also landed the cover for the next issue of The Wrestler/Inside Wrestling. To view it, visit www.pwi-online.com. They have also posted the magazine cover of the next issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, featuring John Cena.
— Monday Night Raw on November 29, 2010 has been moved to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original locations were Trenton, New Jersey and Norfolk, Virginia.
The Scope Arena in Norfolk will now host the SmackDown taping on November 30, 2010 and the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton will now host the Raw house show on January 21st, 2011. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– WWE’s website is now referring to the women’s title as the Unified Divas Championship. The title history section lists Michelle McCool as the new Divas Champion and the last recognized Women’s Champion is Layla, who originally won the belt that Michelle defended last night. It appears WWE will be continuing the Divas Title history with the new Unified Divas Championship.
— WWE Studios’ Legendary, starring John Cena, will be released on DVD exclusively at Wal-Mart retail stores on Tuesday, September 28.
— WWE will return to the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, December 26 for a live event beginning at 5:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 30.
Early critic reviews are in for the John Cena WWE Studios film “Legendary” and they are not pretty.
Movie review website RottenTomatoes.com, while compiles dozens of reviews from mainstream critics and blogs, gives the movie a 21/100 score.
Here are some of the critics’ comments:
“It’s a feel-good Kleenexâ„¢ dispenser of a movie, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it’s routine Hallmark Hall of Afterschool Special material.” – Roger Ebert
“The script, by actor turned writer John Posey, has structural problems and motivational issues in between the cliches. And Cena, a few movies into his career, is still all presence and no acting.” – Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
“A wonderfully crafted coming-of-age drama about the love that can heal the brokenness of an estranged family.” Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Peace
“A well-meaning dud that’ll put you out faster than a sleeper hold.” Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly
“John Cena radiates subdued menace and cool daring on screen. The problem is that he’s intended as strictly dramatic wallpaper to this more suds than steroids coming of age wrestler story derivative of countless other sports tales.” – Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
— Vince McMahon noted in a recent interview with the Boston Herald that he held a talent meeting a few years ago urging his performers to “reach for the brass ring” regardless of whom they have to step over. He particularly recalled John Cena approaching him at the end of the meeting to say, ‘I’m your man.’
The interview caught the attention of an anonymous wrestler who attended the meeting. He said there were actually five wrestlers who came over to McMahon following the meeting to say they were the right man for the job.
“The only difference is that Cena did his ‘stepping over guys’ in the locker room more than the ring,” said the wrestler.
The anonymous wrestler feels McMahon was looking for a “backstabbing asshole/stooge” to serve as his top WWE Superstar.
“It has zero to do with in-ring talent,” the wrestler said. “Cena stepped on guys like the Spirit Squad and others who were only there for less than six months.”
— Randy Orton was dealing with a sore neck and shoulder following last night’s Raw live event in Wildwood, New Jersey, where he faced Sheamus in a Lumberjack Match with Nexus. He was therefore placed in a Six-Man Tag Team Match at today’s Raw live event in Newark, New Jersey so he could have a lighter workload.
The advertised main event was a Steel Cage Match between Orton and Sheamus, while John Cena was scheduled for a Six-Man Tag Team Match against Nexus. An angle was conducted at the beginning of the show where Sheamus attacked Cena and Nexus attacked Chris Jericho, leading Orton and Daniel Bryan to perform a run-in.
Orton sparingly wrestled during the match and did not perform the RKO. He did, however, strike Michael Tarver with a punt to the head in the aftermath of the bout.
Orton’s injury is not immediately being considered serious, but he will likely have it checked out tomorrow.
— A brawl broke out amongst fans at today’s Raw live event in Newark, New Jersey over a T-shirt John Cena had thrown to the crowd just before his Steel Cage Match with Sheamus.
According to a fan who witnessed the incident, the melee lasted approximately 15 minutes before Prudential Center staff broken it up. The correspondent also noted that over 10 people were ejected from the arena and some children were hurt during the brawl.
— The entire WWE talent roster will be on hand for next Monday’s “Raw 900th Episode Celebration” in Boston, Massachusetts. It should be noted that the episode is scheduled for two hours.
— John Cena appears in a new episode of Hannah Montana Forever, premiering Sunday, September 12 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. The WWE Superstar guest stars as himself to provide Miley’s brother Jackson with some real life motivation.
— Jimmy and Jey Uso celebrated birthdays Sunday as the twin sons of WWE alum Rikishi turned 25 years old.
— Eve Torres celebrated her 26th birthday Saturday.
— World Wrestling Entertainment has re-signed Vic Adams to a developmental contract, a wrestler released last August. Florida Championship Wrestling officials have discussed pairing Adams with Xavier Woods (a/k/a Consequences Creed) in a tag team.
It has also been confirmed that WWE re-signed Brian Cage (a/k/a Kris Logan) to a developmental contract. The California based grappler was originally signed by the organization in June 2008, and then released last September.
— WWE Studios is encouraging fans to sign a Twitter petition to bring a screening of Legendary to their area.
Legendary, starring Patricia Clarkson, JohnCena and Danny Glover, arrives in theaters Sept. 10 for a limited engagement.
— On Twitter, Chris Jericho posted a photo of his credentials to the Shanghai Expo in China.
— There has been talk of beefing up the SmackDown roster before its television show debuts on Syfy on October 1. Though it may be unrelated, it’s worth noting that The Miz is advertised to appear at a SmackDown live event in October.
— As seen on Monday’s episode of Raw, John Cena alluded to Justin Gabriel’s sexuality by saying the Nexus member has an “alternative way of thinking.” Unlike past instances on WWE programming, it was not some sort of inside reference on behalf of creative. Figure Four Weekly Online editor Bryan Alvarez noted in an online show Tuesday that Gabriel has a girlfriend, He did not, however, reveal who his girlfriend is.
— Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia has posted several photos of herself mingling with such WWE Superstars and Divas as Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Maryse at last week’s SummerSlam Kickoff Party in Hollywood, California on her official website, www.liliangarcia.com.
– The dark main event after last night’s RAW tapings in Los Angeles saw John Cena win a battle royal with Nexus, Team RAW and Team SmackDown. RAW and SmackDown eliminated Nexus first and the final three were CM Punk, Edge and John Cena. Punk threw out Edge and Cena eliminated Punk to win.
– For what it’s worth, WWE Magazine is currently running a poll on Twitter asking fans which pay-per-view they would like to see return. The options are King of the Ring, War Games, Halloween Havoc and “Other.â€
On a related note, WWE is currently running a poll on their website asking fans what their opinions are on triple threat matches.
– WWE has once again added Daniel Bryan to the RAW roster page. Despite being kicked out of Nexus last night, Darren Young is still listed on the RAW roster.
– John Cena will be signing copies of his Legendary DVD on Sunday, October 3rd at Blockbuster in Dallas, Texas on Greenville Avenue. Cena will appear from 11am until 1pm.