As previously reported, WWE is set to make a “major announcement” at the 2014 International CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 4th.
Along with Vince McMahon, who will be on hand to make the announcement, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena and Shawn Michaels will also be in attendance.
In the invitations sent out to those scheduled to attend, WWE is promising a “groundbreaking announcement,” which is rumored to involve the WWE Network.
– KomoNews.com recently added a featured article looking at WWE meeting up with the U.S. Troops in Fort Lewis for their “Tribute To The Troops” special this week. WWE Superstar John Cena commented on being around the troops:
“”It’s great to be around guys and gals like these folks right here. Their enthusiasm not only for us being here, but for their jobs and their service. It’s outstanding.”
You can check out the complete article online at KomoNews.com.
– WWE has added the following video to their YouTube channel honoring soliders who received the Purple Heart Medal:
– WWE Superstars Sheamus, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil, along with WWE Diva Alicia Fox, hosted an anti-bullying rally on Wednesday afternoon at the Hillside Youth Center in Fort Lewis, Washington. The company is in the area for the annual “Tribute To The Troops” special, which takes place on Thursday evening.
– The following is another Diva-Dirt clip from this Sunday’s season one finale episode of Total Divas. The clip features Nikki Bella telling John Cena her plans on having a family together.
John Cena’s recent comments in the TMZ interview where he implied that Hulk Hogan was too old to be wrestling actual matches anymore is said to be a statement of significance and not an off-the-cuff remark.
– WWE is getting closer to turning Antonio Cesaro babyface. Cesaro has won a lot of people over in recent months, including top company officials as well as John Cena.
– A lot of people in WWE are very excited about the upcoming WWE Network. The feeling is that the Network, which will likely be an Internet-based subscription service similar to Netflix, has the potential to transform the way WWE distributes its content.
– WWE officials were caught totally off guard by the crowd chanting “Daniel Bryan” during the Championship Ascension segment at the end of Monday’s RAW. A good portion of John Cena’s promo was improvised to acknowledge the chants and get things back on course to promoting TLC.
Daniel Bryan, winning three Slammy Awards competing in a match, appearing in the Championship Ascension Ceremony, was without question the star of the show. His hometown crowd chanting YES! YES! YES! and DANIEL BRYAN! throughout the beginning of the Championship Ascension Ceremony. Going back earlier in the night to his first Slammy win for Superstar Of The Year. On stage The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. He announces the Superstar of the year is Daniel Bryan. We were all expecting fireworks to occur during that interaction. HBK even exited stage right a perfect set-up for a “surprise” superkick from out of nowhere! But there was no Sweet Chin Music. Just a humble acceptance speech by Bryan for his Slammy Award which he refereed to as The “HB Swizzle” award, Michaels naming it that just before presenting the award. Bryan did mention if it wasn’t for Shawn he wouldn’t be in the WWE. Likewise if it wasn’t for his interference at Hell-In-A-Cell he would be the WWE Champion. Although there was no physical interaction here, that wouldn’t be the last time these two interacted on the show.
See this is why I can’t shake off fighting the Daniel Bryan cause, he belongs in the main event. Heck this article uses his YES! and NO! and lord help us all if Daniel Bryan ever appears in a “NO!” portion of this article. Some people might say, he was in his hometown and had an extra kick of support. There may be a bit of truth to that, but I feel that there are just some hot wrestling towns. Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and apparently Seattle. After what transpired later in the show who knows what will happen the next few months. I’m excited! YES!
Championship Ascension Ceremony
John Cena showing why he is in fact the face of WWE.
Former World Heavyweight and WWE Champions appeared all in the ring for the Championship Ascension Ceremony. As I said earlier the crowd was going crazy for Daniel Bryan. While Triple H was talking up the match, and the championship, the Seattle crowd chanted YES and Daniel Bryan to the point where Triple H gave them what seemed like at least a minute of chanting and Yessing and clapping. This crowd was on fire for Daniel Bryan. Triple H introduced both Orton and Cena. The crowd did not want to hear what Orton had to say. There were boos and boring chants. Then Cena took the mic. More boos and cheering mix. Then Cena begins to speak and prove why he is the face of the WWE. These days with everything being very planned and scripted, Cena played to the crowd and included Daniel Bryan in the conversation, he compared Randy Orton’s rise to success to Daniel Bryan’s. The idea was Bryan didn’t have a father and grandfather to get him in to the WWE, he did it by working. Cena turned practically the entire crowd around and behind him., shouting out his past opponents, HBK, CM Punk, and putting over that the only fair shot Daniel Bryan had was the one with him. Brilliant, this is why he is where he is. The end was something I haven’t seen in the WWE in a long time. It was an awesome chain of events excuited perfectly. Cena and Orton shake hands as the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship are hoisted up. Orton gets in a cheap shot, the two are down on the mat fighting. Orton and Cena get pulled apart to their corners. CM Punk gets shoved by Orton causing CM Punk to start attacking Orton. Triple H throws down CM Punk, who retaliates with a knockdown of his on on The Game. HBK Superkicks CM Punk, setting up Daniel Bryan to
The Authority and John Cena look over A fallen Randy Orton. A great segment to end raw.
WWE Reminding us what they are capable of, a Powerful and compelling end to Raw.
deliver his running Knee on HBK. Orton tries to RKO Bryan but instead gets shoved into Stephanie McMahon knocking her down. Triple H runs to Stephanie’s aid, and then gets up and pedigrees Randy. The show closes with The Authority and John Cena looking disappointed over Randy Orton on the mat. What a great segment. This is what WWE used to do on a regular basis. Twists and turns, these chain-reaction action segments. YES!
Quick Mentions
Dean Ambrose vs CM Punk – Ambrose vs CM punk was a Pay-Per-View quality match with a great dissension in the ranks tease when Dean Ambrose wanted Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to head to the back so he could finish the job by himself. Punk gets the win shortly after that exchange, although Punk loses out to the numbers game and gets a great spear from Reigns. YES!
The Wyatts – With a chip on my shoulder because of Daniel Bryan’s demotion, I don’t think I appreciated Bray Wyatt’s amazing performances over the last few weeks. They are great, and compelling. YES!
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
After the televised portion of WWE RAW ended on Monday night in Seattle, Washington, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena gave props to the 12th man and asked if the fans wanted one final match.
John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification. The DQ came when Orton hit Cena with a steel chair during the match. Orton tried for an RKO, but ended up getting hit with an Attitude Adjustment instead.
After the match, Cena brought out Daniel Bryan to another enormous ovation. Booker T came out and led the crowd in cheering on Daniel Bryan to do a Spinarooni. Bryan obliged and did one of the most awkward Spinarooni’s ever. Booker then brought out John Laurinaitis for a “People Power Spinarooni.” Titus O’Neil was also brought out to do a Spinarooni. Next, he challenged Stephanie McMahon to come out and do one. She tried backing out of it claiming her head hurts, but eventually did one herself. Finally, Booker had CM Punk come out and do one in his underwear.
– As seen Monday night on the 2013 Slammy Awards edition of Raw, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29 was voted as Match of the Year by members of the WWE fanbase. The historic encounter beat out The Undertaker vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 29, Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns with the Rhodes Brothers’ jobs on the line at Battleground, and Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules. Johnson addressed the honor following the show on Twitter.
“THANK U @WWE Universe for the vote and @JohnCena for the earned brotherhood,” Johnson remarked. “Truly my honor to do “the honors.”
– Sparingly seen WWE Superstar JTG turns 29-years-old on Tuesday. The Brooklyn native has only competed in two televised bouts since after WrestleMania 29 (both on WWE Superstars, which were losses). Furthermore, he last competed on Raw on last year’s post-WWE TLC – Tables, Ladders & Chairs show.
Also celebrating a birthday Tuesday is former WWE Superstar Essa Rios, who turns 35. He currently competes in Mexico for CMLL.
– Damien Sandow, who was nominated for multiple 2013 Slammy Awards, did not win a single one Monday night. Upset, Sandow remarked on Twitter following the show, “Well, no Slammy. Action will be taken soon. If your with me get ready.”
– WWE.com has published a gallery of the “WWE App’s Best Backstage Photos.”
– A fan on Twitter congratulated Zack Ryder for reaching 1.5 million followers. Continuing to show frustration with his spot in WWE, Ryder responded, “thanks but it doesn’t mean anything.”
– This Sunday at Tables, Ladders and Chairs, John Cena and Randy Orton will battle in a TLC match to crown a new Unified Champion. It’s a feud that’s spanned over a decade, dating back to their time in Ohio Valley Wrestling back in 2002. Looking back at their rivalry when both men were on the WWE roster, their match this Sunday will be the eighth time they’ve wrestled each other on pay-per-view. John Cena currently leads the series, with 4 wins to Orton’s 3. Here’s a look back at their WWE PPV matches:
* SummerSlam 2007 (Winner: John Cena)
* Unforgiven 2007 (Winner: Randy Orton)
* No Way Out 2008 (Winner: John Cena)
* SummerSlam 2009 (Winner: Randy Orton)
* Breaking Point 2009 – I Quit Match (Winner: John Cena)
* Hell in a Cell 2009 – Hell in a Cell Match (Winner: Randy Orton)
* Bragging Rights 2009 – Anything Goes 60-Minute Iron Man Match (Winner: John Cena)
Aside from these singles matche, Cena and Orton have also faced each other in nine additional PPV matches involving others (Elimination Chamber matches, Fatal Fourways, Six Pack Challenges).
WWE has once again changed the scheduled lineup for their final “Holiday Week” live events at the end of December.
The new main event for the WWE live event on December 28th in Newark, New Jersey is John Cena and Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio in a tag-team match.
Originally, WWE was advertising Cena vs. Del Rio as a singles match, and later Cena vs. Randy Orton as a singles match, but the latest advertisements are promoting the aforementioned tag-team match.
The new tag-team main event is an addition to a card that will also feature Big Show vs. Kane in a steel cage, with WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T serving as the special guest referee.
The first son of Stu Hart and the oldest brother of Bret and Owen Hart, Smith Hart, recently commented on WWE’ Unifying the WWE Championship & the World Heavyweight championship:
“The problem is not with the unification itself, but rather the circumstances which surround it. First and foremost, a match of this calibre is something that should be built to over a period of time. “Hot-shotting” it to the next PPV with less than 3 weeks notice is such a waste of a golden opportunity. Second, the wrong talent are fighting for the opportunity.
Both Cena and Orton are fabulous superstars but both have reached their respective pinnacles. Part of the success of Jericho’s unification was the creation of a new top star, whom to this day lays claim to having beat both Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to win the undisputed championship.”
– The official WWE website has added a new article looking at WWE Superstars Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista all passing through Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) on their way to WWE. You can check that out online at WWE.com.
– Speaking of Cena and Orton, both WWE Superstars are interestingly enough not advertised for the WWE SmackDown television tapings on January 14th in Worcester or on January 21st in Grand Rapids. Triple H is advertised for both shows.
– The official WWE website announced Thursday the 2013 Slammy Award nominees for “Superstar of the Year.” They are:
* John Cena
* Randy Orton
* CM Punk
* Daniel Bryan
* Big Show
* Brock Lesnar
The award will be presented by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.
– Glenn Jacobs, known as “Kane” in WWE, will speak at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus in Tennessee on tonight discussing his political views. His lecture is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Additional details are available here.
– Three wrestling legends are celebrating birthdays on Thursday as “Adorable” Adrian Street turns 73; Larry Zybysko turns 62; and the “Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington turns 55.
– The debut edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is now available online. Fans interested in checking out the debut of Jericho’s new podcast can download it for free at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena recently took to Twitter to address the feedback from WWE fans regarding his upcoming title unification match against Randy Orton at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. Cena tweeted the following:
I truly have taken great pleasure in seeing the quite strong opinions of the @WWEUniverse in regards to #TLC
– WWE announced a singles match between Goldust and Ryback for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. The match was made official on this week’s edition of WWE RAW from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
– Also announced on RAW is the official new title for the top championship in WWE. As the result of a fan poll that took place on RAW, the man who wins the John Cena vs. Randy Orton match at TLC will be crowned the Unified Champion of WWE.
Comment below and tell us what you think about this new name.
The following is an excerpt from the RAW Five Point Preview from WWE.com:
“As the year comes to a close, the biggest match in WWE history quickly approaches at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs between World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and WWE Champion Randy Orton. With looming expectations from COO Triple H of there being just one World Champion in WWE, what will unfold tonight during the official contract signing between Cena and Orton? Here are five reasons to catch Raw at 8/7 CT on USA Network.”
The build-up to the WWE TLC pay-per-view in two weeks continues on Monday night as WWE RAW returns live from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
No matches or segments have been announced in advance, however the focus will remain on the Randy Orton vs. John Cena match at TLC, which is being billed as a “unification match.”
Included on RAW will be The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who along with Vince McMahon, is being advertised locally for the show.
WWE will also begin setting up the undercard for the WWE TLC pay-per-view, which is likely going to revolve around The Wyatt Family kidnapping Daniel Bryan and The Shield targeting CM Punk last week.
Additional talent advertised for RAW this week include Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, AJ Lee and even Paul Heyman, who has not appeared on RAW in a few weeks.
For the live crowd in Oklahoma City on Monday night two post-show dark matches are benig advertised. John Cena is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Alberto Del Rio, while Randy Orton is slated to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show.
– As recently announced, Raw and SmackDown tapings are slated to take place at The O2 Arena in London, England next May. Advertising for the event in an area publication, however, features two errors, as John Cena is being promoted as Ryback while CM Punk is labeled as Alberto Del Rio.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans who is the most talented “Total Diva.” With over 2,000 votes cast thus far, Natalya is winning the poll at 41%. She is currently trailed by Brie Bella (17%), Nikki Bella (16%), Naomi (9%), JoJo (7%), Eva Marie (6%) and Cameron (4%).
– Former WWE Diva Trinity turns 42-years-old on Sunday. Now a stuntwoman and roller derby player, she came out of retirement for one night only in the spring for TNA Wrestling.
– WWE RAW is scheduled to return to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 10th. Before that show, WWE will be running events in Oakland, California on February 7th and San Jose, California on February 8th.
– WWE Superstars Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio are being advertised to work at the December 30th WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the live RAW on the same night (December 30th) in Richmond, Virginia. WWE Superstar John Cena is also being advertised for the WWE live event in Toronto on December 30th, so if those advertisements are true, he will not be appearing on RAW that night in Richmond.
– The season one finale of Total Divas on E! will air on Sunday, Dec. 15 and will be highlighted by former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan asking Brie Bella for her hand in marriage. According to TVGuide.com, the official synopsis for the episode, titled “Ready to Ride,” is as follows: “In the Season 1 finale, Bryan pops the question to Brie in a romantic setting; at the same time, Nikki feels uncertain about her future with John Cena after a heated discussion about marriage and children; and the first meeting between Eva Marie’s fiancé and her family goes horribly wrong.”
The penultimate episode will air on Sunday, Dec. 8. Details are as follows: “Nattie and TJ are forced to say goodbye to a beloved pet; Trinity has it out with Jon over his jealous behavior; and Nikki’s medical leave causes tensions between herself and Brie.”
– Former WWE Diva Amy Weber, who served as John “Bradshaw” Layfield’s image consultant when the Texas native reigned as WWE Champion in 2004 and 2005, was honored with Best Dance Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in Hollywood, California last week. She also opened the show with a performance, footage of which is available here.
– In addition to Christian (40) and Jushin “Thunder” Liger (51), two former WWE wrestlers are celebrating birthdays today. “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk turns 55 while Jimmy Del Rey turns 51.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week as a celebrity guest picking NFL games.
According to one source, there is said to be a lot of panic backstage in WWE right now regarding creative plans.
When the call was made to switch Daniel Bryan and Big Show in the WWE title picture, the idea was Big Show vs. Randy Orton in a main event match at Survivor Series, with them following up at the TLC pay-per-view with a Big Show vs. Triple H match. Plans then changed to have Orton vs. Big Show in a tables match, which is why Big Show chokeslammed Orton through the announce table on RAW a few weeks back.
At one point, there was an idea floating around that John Cena would feud with Big E. Langston for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Langston turning back heel. When Survivor Series was over, both of those matches were scrapped and the new TLC main event ended up as Cena vs. Orton for both of the titles. As recently reported, there is now talk of having that match serve as a unification match, despite originally not intending to unify the titles.
As far as the creative team is concerned, one WWE source noted that they are “burnt out and scared of who might not be there too much longer.”
It appears as though WWE has gone back and forth on their plans for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship ever since the conclusion of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view earlier this month.
When Survivor Series ended, the plan, despite how it appeared on television, was not to have a unification match. On RAW the next night, WWE apparently went out of their way not to say the words “unification match,” but they are now apparently leaning towards having only one World Champion following Triple H’s latest sitdown interview with Michael Cole.
There has been speculation that the finish at the WWE TLC pay-per-view could see John Cena walk away as the WWE Champion and Randy Orton as the World Heavyweight Champion, with the two basically just reversing roles as far as their championship status is concerned. Whether or not WWE runs with that finish remains to be seen.
– WWE has changed their scheduled lineup for their post-Christmas event in Madison Square Garden. The new main event will feature John Cena vs. Randy Orton in what is being billed as a “title unification match.” Also added to the show is a WWE Tag-Team Championship match featuring Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. The Usos vs. The Real Americans.
– Jim Cornette has announced a tour of the United Kingdom in February of 2014. The dates and venues are as follows:
2/18 in Manchester at the Comedy Store
2/19 in Birmingham at the Glee Club
2/22 in Nottingham for a fans dinner at Restaurant 88
2/23 in Dagenham for a booking and managing seminar
2/23 in London at the Leicester Square Theater
2/25 in Cardiff, Wales at the Glee Club
