– WWE officials have indeed been negotiating with Hulk Hogan about a return to the company. According to one source, there is at least discussion of having Hogan team with John Cena, presumably at WrestleMania XXX.
– Former WWE Superstar Diamond Dallas Page recently took part in an “Ask Me Anything” chat on Reddit. Fans interested in reading the transcript from the chat can do so online at Reddit.com.
– Former WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels will be appearing together at the Houston Autorama at various times this weekend. For more information, visit Autorama.com.
Here’s the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” I may have a different perspective than you since I was live at Raw this week at The Nassau Colosseum! Comment below and tell us how you like the column and if you agree with this week’s picks.
Daniel Bryan & CM Punk cut a promo before facing The Wyatts
The obligatory rematch between The Wyatts and Daniel Bryan & CM Punk, took place on Raw. First a promo from “The Beard & The Best” CM Punk discussing team names, and asking questions allowing Daniel Bryan to answer them with a “Yes!”. Daniel Bryan got a chance to say more than just the three letter word that will follow him for the rest of his career.
I love Daniel Bryan, and so does the crowd. In fact you could hear Daniel Bryan chants during the opening segment, proving once again that this demotion was not “Best For Business” But more on that in the “NO!” section.
Any match can be enhanced with the crowd behind you. When you have top stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the two most over Superstars at Raw, it can add just that little more energy to the match.
CM Punk made a comment about Triple H and the authority in the opening promo, and wouldn’t know it after Daniel Bryan was “Kidnapped” by the Wyatts. CM Punk was laid out by The Shield. I wonder if that marks the end of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk together, because I was enjoying that. Time will tell.
Who would have thought Goldust would be having great matches alongside his brother in 2013!
The Shield vs The Rhodes and Rey Mysterio
I have never been a fan of Tag Teams growing up watching the WWE. I must say however, though all the missteps, and bad booking since SummerSlam, The WWE has a great tag team division. This, of course includes The Shield and The Wyatt factions. Day in and day out these teams from The Veteran Golddust, to newer WWE talent in The Shield and The USO’s, are having great matches. I am thoroughly enjoying watching these teams work.
The Kosher Butcher!
The Kosher Butcher Superstars for Sandy Relief Auction winner, ” Charlie Tebele was interviewed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. When asked if he were to be a WWE Superstar, what would his name be. Charlie was prepared, with a blue T-shirt and a great gimmick “The Kosher Butcher” He even went as far to come up with his finisher, The Circumcision! At first the crowd didn’t know what to make of this. Not sure if this was shown on TV, but The Kosher Butcher had at least a dozen of his friends and family at Raw, all wearing their Blue shirts! Great stuff. Half way during the Xavier Woods match, and some further thought, the crowd broke out into chants of both “Kosher Butcher” and “Circumcision”, add that to the list of most bizarre Raw chants.
Great Stuff.
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
The following are highlights from the latest sit-down interview between Triple H and Michael Cole from the official WWE website:
On the goal behind unifying the belt at the WWE TLC PPV: “The goal is one champion. The goal being one champion at the end of the night. One Undisputed WWE champion. Let’s face it – with the brand extension no longer in effect, there is no need for two champions; we only need one… I want there to be one Undisputed WWE champion; the championship that was held by all the greats. Bruno Sammartino, (Bob) Backlund, Bret (Hart), (Hulk) Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Rock, (Steve) Austin, myself, Cena. All the greats. I want there to be one champion who represents this company going into the new year.”
On CM Punk’s dig at him on RAW this past Monday: “I didn’t happen to see C.M. Punk’s promo Monday night because I was a little bit busy creating the biggest match in WWE history. That being said, C.M. Punk says a lot of things; he runs his mouth a lot. It doesn’t make a difference to me. It’s irrelevant to me. He can say whatever he wants. I’m not phased by it. All I care about is C.M. Punk shows up and does his job.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
WWE Superstar John Cena recently spoke to TMZ about wanting Hulk Hogan to appear at WrestleMania XXX in 2014 in a new video released by the celebrity-gossip website on Wednesday.
When asked if he would want to face Hogan in a match on the show, Cena smiled and said, “I grew up in the ’80s as a fan of the old WWF. It would be a dream come true, but I certainly wouldn’t want to put him in a position he’s not physically capable of. We operate at a high level of speed in the WWE nowadays.”
Cena went as far as to say WWE can’t have WrestleMania XXX without Hogan. “You can’t have a WrestleMania 30 without Hulk Hogan. I really, truly hope he’s there in my heart of hearts. Because as WrestleMania turns 30, I think we need The Hulkster. But, we’ll see if we can get him there to do whatever he can do.”
When asked if Hogan is welcome back in WWE, Cena said he’s speaking as a fan, not from a business perspective, but noted “it would be like kicking Santa Claus out of Christmas.”
WWE’s World Heavyweight champion John Cena was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on FOX Business on Tuesday morning to promote his new line of children’s clothing, available exclusively at Kmart. Cena made a number of newsworthy comments during the segment, talking about how long he plans to continue wrestling and revealing that his character generates $100 million a year for WWE.
Regarding his new clothing line, Cena said, “Essentially, the message of the clothing is to empower you through a positive messageI think that’s why we were able to leverage our brand (WWE), my brand especially with Kmart, because it wasn’t just a typical sponsor deal. A lot of athletes get a sponsorship – ‘here’s your upfront money, we’re going to use your likeness.’ I wanted to hold on to my asset, do it correctly, and create an inspirational line. So, it’s not a ‘wrestling-driven’ line. The line is called ‘Never Give Up,’ and truly my character on WWE plays one of aspiration, inspiration, and motivation. I try to defy all odds and do what I can to do the right thing.”
He added, “Kmart picked up on this concept. And, from a branding standpoint, I just didn’t outright leverage myself; I wanted a piece and equity in the brand. So, there was upfront money, plus equity in the brand.”
When asked about how long he continues to wrestle, Cena says he made a pact with himself to “gracefully walk away” from WWE when he feels like he can’t hang with the young wrestlers on the roster anymore. 36-year-old Cena said that most professional athletes are winding down their careers in their mid-30’s, but stopped short of saying how close he is to retirement.
“A lot of these athletes that are married to their sport think this is going to last forever,” Cena said. “Then, they blow out an ACL, they look around when they’re 35 or 36 and their career is coming to an end and they act like the income stream is going to continue.”
“I truly am obsessed with my action in the ring, but I am also truly obsessed with the business of WWE,” he said. “I enjoy the workings of the company and how we create success in WWE, both in a brand perspective and an individual perspective. So, I take the model that my boss Vince McMahon has stretched out throughout the globe and try to copy it at an individual level.”
It was announced on Monday’s WWE RAW from Long Island, New York that the main event of next month’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view will feature a historic Champion vs. Champion match.
WWE Champion Randy Orton will face World Heavyweight champion John Cena in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match.
Although John Cena was pushing for both titles to be unified, and Stephanie McMahon did say that she and Triple H have considered the idea before – at this time, it does not appear that the two titles will be unified. WWE.com’s official preview for Champion vs. Champion match reads:
“Who will be left standing with both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships when the dust settles?”
Already, our Twitter follows are suggesting that the match will end with John Cena grabbing the WWE Championship and Randy Orton grabbing the World Heavyweight title – with the two superstars essentially swapping titles. Comment below and tell us how you think this one will pan out.
WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs takes place on Sunday, December 15.
– Last Friday’s “go home” edition of WWE SmackDown scored a 2.15 rating with 3.106 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode of SmackDown since February. The rating was up 13% while viewership was up 16%. SmackDown ranked #2 on cable for the evening (behind “Gold Rush” on Discovery) and was #1 in the coveted M18-34 demographic. Overall, encouraging news for fan interest in Survivor Series.
– In an update for tonight’s WWE RAW, WWE is now teasing a follow-up on John Cena and Randy Orton’s “champion vs. champion” confrontation at the end of last night’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
WWE is also teasing involvement by Mr. McMahon, who made a surprise appearance in front of the clive crowd in Boston after Survivor Series went off the air.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On overall Survivor Series thoughts: “I watched WWE Survivor Series Sunday night from Boston. No, I don’t get them for free and never have but who’s complaining? I get asked this question every PPV weekend. I pay my way and don’t condone people stealing including PPV’s from any company.”
On Roman Reigns: “Highlight of the PPV for me was the spotlight placed on Roman Reigns who pinned four members of the opposition with the same move, a nice, snug clothesline. Reigns has “it” and has always been high on everyone’s list of hopeful, future WWE main eventers. The son of WWE Hall of Famer Wild Samoan Sika has transformed his former nose tackle body into a more healthy, appealing and more marketable one since signing with WWE’s developmental program. Soon…I expect that the other two Shield members will also be more in the spotlight as both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are also marketably skilled and have excellent futures, as well.”
On Big E. Langston: “Bothers me to read some tweets @JRsBBQ regarding Big E Langston who I got to know well in NXT and who I feel has a very significant upside. ‘E’ is another talented, educated, dependable athlete who is so much more than a former power lifter. The former state high school wrestling champion and D1 football lineman at Iowa has great feet and agility plus he’s another student of the game and takes his preparation and in ring progress seriously.”
On the WWE and World titles possibly being unified: “Not sure what to make of a title unification match, if that’s where WWE is headed, with Cena and Orton. A unique way to end the show that certainly presented more questions and speculation than answers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’d expect that particular matter to be at the center of attention on RAW Monday night.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– WWE Superstar John Cena addressed a potential feud over who is “the face of WWE” with Randy Orton in a recent tweet posted on his official Twitter account on Monday. Cena tweeted the following:
– Speaking of Cena, WWE has added some Tout video clips of his appearance on Monday morning’s edition of “LIVE! With Kelly & Michael.” You can check those out here and here.
The post-Survivor Series edition of WWE RAW on Monday, November 25th emanates from Long Island, New York, with special celebrity guest host Michael Strahan.
RAW on Monday will focus on the Survivor Series pay-per-view fall-out, as well as the early build to the WWE TLC pay-per-view, which takes place in three weeks and serves as the final PPV effort from WWE in 2013.
This week’s RAW will focus on Randy Orton retaining his WWE Championship against Big Show, John Cena retaining his World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio, as well as the Orton-Cena showdown to close out Survivor Series.
Advertised for RAW this week are Orton, Cena, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Wyatt Family, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Kane, The Shield, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Curtis Axel and AJ Lee.
Make sure to check back here at the website later Monday evening for live WWE RAW results coverage.
– The official website of the National Football League has a new article up comparing tonight’s showdown between star quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady to the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. You can check out that article online at NFL.com.
– Speaking of Manning vs. Brady, tonight’s NFL Sunday Night game features the Denver Broncos vs. the New England Patriots. Needless to say, if you’re an NFL fan that is some stiff competition for WWE.
– Also competing against WWE tonight is …WWE. The third episode of the second-half of season one of WWE’s “Total Divas” reality show airs tonight on E!.
– The official website for Sports Illustrated has a new article up featuring WWE Superstar John Cena teaching some NBA stars how to draw a foul. You can check that out online at SI.com.
The special one-year anniversary edition of The JBL & Cole Show has been added to the official YouTube channel of WWE.
The show this week features a number of guest appearances, including Dolph Ziggler, Santino Marella, Josh Mathews, Road Dogg, Damien Sandow, Renee Young, Hornswoggle, Big E. Langston, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and John Cone.
You can check out episode 52 of The JBL & Cole Show below:
– As previously reported, WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan is scheduled to appear on a future edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast. Also scheduled for the podcast is veteran pro wrestling journalist and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer. Meltzer’s appearance on the show is scheduled to air either Tuesday or Thursday of next week.
– The latest edition of “WWE Rank’D” on the official WWE YouTube channel looks at the best “Attitude Adjustments” by John Cena at past WrestleMania events. You can watch that video below:
– Former WWE Superstars Matt Morgan and Ted DiBiase, Jr. will be squaring off for the first time ever on 12/7 Family Wrestling Entertainment’s one-night tournament in Corona, New York.
– World Heavyweight Champion John Cena tweeted today:
Been a crazy, few months. Often times I enjoy testing the capabilities of body and mind. With strong spirit impossible becomes possible
– The following is a new tweet from the official Twitter account of WWE Superstar John Cena where he asks fans to help him come up with a new catchphrase. Cena tweeted:
Ok so at @espn 2 b successful on @SportsNation I was told I need a catchphrase. Send ure ideas use #CenaCatchphrase I'll read best 1s on air
– Speaking of Cena, the current World Heavyweight Champion was recently revealed to be the “mystery host” for an upcoming edition of the ESPN show, “SportsNation.” The official SportsNation Twitter account tweeted the following:
– Mick Foley will be performing at the Déjà Vu Comedy Club in Columbia, Missouri tonight at 8pm.
– After reports that Mysterio was limping after his return to WWE on Monday’s RAW, Mysterio was said to be fine at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings. He teamed with the Usos in a 6-man tag match against The Shield.
– Singer Chili of the group TLC and R&B singer Monica were in attendance for Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Atlanta, GA. MLB stars Zack Wheeler and Josh Reddick were also in attendance, sitting together at ringside.
– Here is a clip from this Sunday’s episode of WWE Total Divas, featuring Nikki Bella talking to her sister Brie about the “co-habitation agreement” John Cena asked her to sign:
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan will be featured in the final episode of season two of China, IL, an animated series on Adult Swim. The show will air this Sunday at 11:30pm.
– WWE Superstar John Cena will be at the Wizard World Convention in Austin this Saturday doing a Q&A at 3pm.
– The Friday, November 15th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.9, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.9 final draw marks a decrease from the previous week’s 2.08 cable rating.
SmackDown last week averaged 2.684 million viewers, which was also a drop from the previous week’s average of 2.946 million viewers.
Huge UFC Star Says CM Punk Is Considering Fighting In MMA
Never Give Up(TM) By John Cena(R) Now Available At Kmart(R) Stores Across The Country
Kmart is proud to announce the launch of exclusive boy’s apparel line, Never Give Up(TM) by John Cena, available at Kmart stores nationwide, online at Kmart.com and on ShopYourWay.com.
Drawing inspiration from WWE(R) Superstar John Cena, the collection is currently available in boys’ sizes 5-16. For fall 2013, the line includes on-trend military-inspired camo prints, graphic tees, hoodies, cargo pants, outerwear, headwear and accessories priced from $7.99 – $29.99. A follow-up spring collection is anticipated to launch in-stores and online in early 2014.
“I am very excited that my new collection has arrived at Kmart,” said Cena. “Through this apparel line, we can collectively bring the positive message of ‘Never Give Up’ to all my young fans.”
Never Give Up is the latest addition to Kmart’s growing portfolio of celebrity brands within the Shop Your Way social shopping platform. Through ShopYourWay.com, members can receive exclusive news about the collection, connect directly with John during live chat sessions, find information about in-store appearances and enter sweepstakes.
Cena fans will have an opportunity to meet the WWE Superstar as he promotes the Never Give Up collection during an in-store appearance and autograph signing on Tuesday, November 26 at Kmart’s Penn Station store in New York City. Please visit www.ShopYourWay.com/JohnCena for more information.
– Weather issues in the mid-west United States resulted in travel issues for many WWE superstars returning from WWE’s overseas tour. Instead of flying directly into Nashville for tonight’s RAW, talent had to land in Birmingham, Alabama and drive to Nashville from there. As you can imagine, the crew is exhausted from the European tour and everybody is looking forward to a few days off after tomorrow’s SmackDown tapings.
– WWE will tape this week’s episode of SmackDown on Tuesday night from Atlanta, Georgia. Check back Tuesday night for our weekly Live Coverage of the tapings.
– As reported last week by the Wrestling Observer, World Heavyweight champion John Cena has been working through a number of nagging injuries since returning to action at last month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Although Cena had an injury scare at last week’s overseas live event from Leeds, he is simply “banged up” in general due to his chaotic schedule and returning to the road sooner than he probably should have.
– John Cena has launched 10WeekBodyChange.com, a website where fans can sign up for a weight loss program with Cena as their personal coach. The actual program goes live on December 1st and advertises that you can eat as much as you want to and do “close to no exercise” and get the body you want in just 10 weeks.
– WWE.com has a feature up titled, “Current meets classic: 7 modern takes on legendary Superstars” – including past vs. present dream matches between Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Steve Austin and Luke Harper and Bruiser Brody.
– WWE Superstar Wade Barrett noted on Twitter that he is back in the United States after resolving the issues with his work visa that kept him out of the country and off television.
WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena recently posted a new tweet on his official Twitter account where he teases a sneak-peak at “something BIG that will be happening soon.”
– WWE.com has added the following preview for tonight’s edition of Total Divas on E!:
‘Total Divas’ ROUGH SKIES FOR NIKKI & CENA?
John Cena and Nikki Bella contemplate the future during an emotional exchange before Cena’s triceps surgery in this preview clip of the latest “Total Divas,” airing tonight at 10/9 CT only on E!
– As noted, country music band Florida Georgia Line have announced that they will be appearing on Monday’s “RAW Country” edition of the weekly WWE program. In their tweet announcing their appearance on the show, the band also joked about borrowing John Cena’s workout routine when joking about being “pumped” for their appearance. The current World Heavyweight Champion replied to their tweet, cracking a joke back about how the post-workout routine may involve the consumption of some moonshine. Cena tweeted the following:
– WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel got physically involved in the action at the WWE live event in Minehead on Saturday night. After defeating R-Truth to retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship, Curtis Axel demanded that Chimel give him the proper post-match announcement. Instead of doing that, Chimel kicked Axel in the gut and hit him with a “Stone Cold Stunner.” Following that sequence, The Bella Twins hit the ring and gave Chimel a big kiss.
WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena later joked on Twitter that Chimel may “owe Steve Austin” and that he may have lost his girlfriend, Nikki Bella, to Chimel.
The following are highlights from a recent WZRtv interview with former WWE Superstar Big Vito:
On the sale of TNA: “There is so much financial debt that I think they’re so consumed with that. They tried every different angle to change things. They haven’t had any success. When you change heads of the departments, you change the people who run it. It’s the same thing that happened with WCW and it’s the same thing happening all over. You change, change, change, change.”
On Dixie Carter: “From what I understand, [Hulk] Hogan and [Eric] Bischoff are out now [and] it’s Dixie Carter running it. Dixie Carter, she might be a nice lady [but] she’s not groomed in the wrestling business. She’s been talked to and talked around, ya know, manipulated in the wrestling business, but she doesn’t know the wrestling business. She’s not the Jarrett’s. She’s not Hulk Hogan. She’s not anyone who’s had that kind of pedigree. This has nothing to do with being a man or a woman. When you’re not brought up in the wrestling business from the bottom up and you don’t know, you’re going to spend a lot of money and do a lot of stupid things. I’m not saying she’s a stupid lady. I’m not saying she’s dumb. She’s probably very smart in other areas, but this is the wrestling business. If you’re not groomed in it from the bottom up and polished, how do you not know what kind of product to put out? Another knock against TNA is they’ve had the same talent for 10 and 12 years. There’s only a handful of guys that’s been with the WWE for 10 or 12 years.”
On Vince Russo: “Well from what I know, Vince Russo, me and him back in the day, I helped him start out in the wrestling business and he helped me get into WCW. When he was in TNA, I was there when he was there. When he left, you know, I left. And then really just a couple of phone calls here and there, but ya know, nothing of nothing. I mean, he mentioned me in his books, he mentioned me in a nice way. I appreciate it, but as far as friendship and all that other stuff, ya know, he’s his own man. He does things his own way. He never returns a phone call, just like a lot of guys, but you know that’s Vinnie Russo and I can’t say nothing bad about him. He gave me my chance in WCW, and people remember [this] — giving somebody a chance doesn’t mean they gave you a spot. When you get a spot you have to earn it and I carried the ball and I ran with it, just like I did in every organization. I never was on the bottom, I always rose to the occasion and came to the top. So anybody who thinks that somebody gives you something — they can put you in any spot in the business, but if you don’t carry the ball, then you ain’t doing nothing. I carried the ball in all my positions, in all my companies and I’m very happy and very proud of my time. Whether it was in ECW with Da Baldies as Vito Skull LaGrosso, or Big Vito in WCW, Big Vito in TNA or Vito “The Toughest Man To Wear A Dress” in WWE.”
On Johnny Stamboli and a WCW reunion show: “Johnny Stamboli is still wrestling. He’s doing his own thing and he’s got his private life. He’s doing very well. You know everybody still asks when are The Mamalukes coming back and you know that would probably be one of the best things to happen if they ever had a WCW reunion show.”
On the current WWE product: “I think that the gimmicks they’re putting on are interesting. The guys are doing a good job down in NXT developing these guys. They have a lot of new faces [and] they’re trying to make new stars, but at the end of the day they’re still going with the name guys. You have the big names and they’re making the angles around them and you can’t change that. People wanna see them.”
On the WWE return of Goldust: “They brought back Goldust for a reason, ya know? Not because he was Dusty Rhodes’ son, ya know, Cody Rhodes or whatever. That’s Goldust. He’s the best gimmick in all of wrestling. That’s one of my favorite gimmicks. He is a gimmick and that’s something you wanna watch.”
On John Cena: “You know everybody can say what they want about [John] Cena, but that guy is still drawing money. Whether you love him or hate him, he gets a reaction.”
On Ryback: “They brought Ryback in, you know? Ryback was up and then he was down. If I could work a program with him, you’d never hear Big Vito complain about how he ever got [hit] too hard. I would love to work with that guy because it’d be a hart-hitting thing.”
On the way wrestlers come up in WWE these days: “A lot of guys who they’re bringing up today, like the problem they had in the past, they don’t have that experience and they’re not polished. They’re pushing guys up and you can’t learn everything from wrestling school. You gotta go out there and earn it and do it and when they try to polish you up and put you out there before you’re ready, sometimes it doesn’t come off as good as it can be.”
For more information on the Big Vito Wrestling Academy, visit the official website online at BigVito.com.