– The Celtic Warrior has ditched his trademark beard.
Sheamus, who has been sidelined since August due to a torn labrum in his shoulder, participated in an anti-bullying rally today in Orlando, Florida, with a clean shaven look.
The three-time world champion is expected to return to action sometime between December and February.
– Promoting his much anticipated return to the squared circle this Sunday at WWE Hell in a Cell against World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, John Cena gave a shout out to Miami Heat star player LeBron James on Twitter.
– Tonight on WWE Main Event on ION Television, WWE Tag Team Champion Goldust will do battle with Seth Rollins. Promoting the match on Twitter, Rollins wrote,
First time ever, 1-on-1 with Goldust on @WWE#MainEvent tonight! He's the best he's ever been, but I'm already better than he'll ever be.
WWE(r) SUPERSTAR JOHN CENA(r) HONORED BY MAKE-A-WISH(r) WITH FIRST-EVER 300TH WISH AWARD
STAMFORD, Conn., October 22, 2012 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) announced today that WWE Superstar, John Cena, was honored by Make-A-Wish last week at their “Evening of Excellence Awards Ceremony” for being the only celebrity to reach the record-breaking milestone of fulfilling 300 wishes.
Cena became the first recipient of the 300th Wish Award at the annual Make-A-Wish awards ceremony in Glendale, AZ. His award was presented by wish mom Judith Harrison, whose late son Justin was the second wish child Cena ever met, before an audience of hundreds of Make-A Wish national and chapter staff, volunteer leaders, and wish families.
“WWE Superstar John Cena is a champion in the ring and a champion for Make-A-Wish and wish kids across the world,” said David A. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish America. “Even in the face of a hectic travel schedule, the physical demands of his job and countless requests for his time, John’s commitment to creating life-changing wish experiences for each and every wish kid requesting to meet him has never wavered. He is an amazing wish granter and a great friend of Make-A-Wish.”
“I can think of no greater honor than someone who can have any wish they want in the world, yet they choose to spend their time with me,” said Cena. “I will continue to grant wishes as long as there are children who request me. I am proud to be a part of WWE’s long standing alliance with Make-A-Wish.”
Cena set a Make-A-Wish record this June by granting his 300th wish to Jonathan Littman, 7, an honor that was also celebrated on ABC’s Good Morning America. Cena has been personally granting wishes for more than eight years, and during the course of WWE’s 25-year alliance with Make-A-Wish, the company and its Superstars have granted more than 4,000 wishes.
About WWE’S Corporate Social Responsibility
WWE’s global community outreach addresses important social issues, including education, diversity and inclusion, military support and fulfilling wishes and dreams. WWE and its Superstars and Divas support a wide range of programs, partners and initiatives that strive to positively impact children and families worldwide, including the “Be a STAR” anti-bullying campaign, WrestleMania Reading Challenge, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Make-A-Wish, WWE Tribute to the Troops and many more. For more information log onto https://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/wweinyourcorner.
About WWE:
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Jerry Lawler not being mocked in his hometown on RAW: “The King got out unscathed in his home town. That somewhat surprised me and, just thinking out loud, I wonder if WWE missed an opportunity to help a villain IE Del Rio have more momentum for this Sunday’s HIAC PPV? It better serves the returning John Cena to face a hot antagonist.”
On how fans perceive John Cena: “Find it humorous that on my Twitter feed @JRsBBQ that those that did not like Cena before he was injured STILL don’t like John even after viewing the videos. Without question Cena is amazingly polarizing but also, without question, John Cena is the biggest star in WWE, like it or not.”
On the in-ring product on Monday’s RAW: “The in ring product last night was solid and enjoyable for the most part. Any one who thinks that WWE, or any one else, can have three hours of great, TV rasslin and it all be really good needs to be drug tested. That’s not going to happen any time soon. I honestly don’t think that’s possible at this time in the business.”
“Ambrose vs. Bryan was a really, nice match. Bryan provided his fans ‘hope’ while Ambrose taking a clean loss gives him something to bitch about and to plot for his retribution. Great selling and near falls which are two essentials of any good, pro wrestling bout.”
“Orton vs. Ziggler was another good bout that Orton needed to win and Ziggler provided the ‘shine’ for that outcome. Another loss that did not destroy Dolph who has proven to me that he is one of WWE’s top talents. Many fans are growing impatient of Ziggler’s current status on the card but all he can do is continue to out perform as many of his opponents as he can on a regular basis and his time will come. That’s akin to HBK being considered only a tag team wrestler and never any thing else for years until Shawn got into one on one bouts and, over time, became a show stealer.”
On Paul Heyman’s promo on RAW and the Punk/Heyman feud: “Paul Heyman’s promo was the best verbal presentation on the show but that can be said more often than not. Heyman knows how to be an antagonist and how to facilitate fans to dislike him. Villains who purposely make fans laugh are erroneously produced in my view. Bobby Heenan could pull it off but ‘Wease’ was a genius and he did not have writers providing his material.”
“Certainly feel that the Heyman-Punk personal issue is nearing a definitive end. I guess we will find out on Sunday. I’m not sure where else it can go involving the two especially as it relates to Punk giving Heyman the long promised physicality that Heyman’s TV persona deserves.”
On HBK’s performance on RAW and how WWE ended the show: “Thought HBK was effectively utilized in Memphis and much better than the week before. I tweeted @JRsBBQ last night asking if RAW would end the night with ‘hope’ or ‘heat’ and the answer obviously was one of ‘hope’ as the overachieving, underdog Daniel Bryan…along with the Big Show….left the live audience on a high and hopefully, for the talents and WWE’s sake, the motivation needed to purchase the HIAC PPV this Sunday.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– Monday on Raw, The Wyatt Family continued their dominance in WWE as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan defeated Kofi Kingston and The Miz in a tag team match. Harper was the star of the bout as he scored the pinfall victory over Kingston following a discus clothesline. Backstage reaction to the former Brodie Lee’s performance was met with positive reviews as many of his co-workers were praising his efforts.
– Immediately following WWE’s video package on Raw highlighting John Cena’s standout career, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley remarked on Twitter, “Who else just realized how much they miss @RealKurtAngle in @WWE?”
-On Saturday, October 19th, WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be making an appearance at the Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) event in London, England. Also scheduled for the show is Colt Cabana, Davey Richards, Doug Williams and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Tanahashi. For more information, visit RevolutionProWrestling.com.
-WWE Superstar John Cena continues to hype his upcoming WWE in-ring return at the “Hell In A Cell” pay-per-view next Sunday, October 27th, in Miami, Florida. Cena’s latest tweet reads as follows:
Many opinions from the @WWEUniverse about what they will see at #hiac well, pick a side now because in 8 days #cenation knows #WRS
The word in WWE is that John Cena will not be appearing live in person on any WWE televised programming until the October 28th edition of WWE RAW. Cena will make his live return with the company at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view on Sunday, October 27th, and return to WWE television the next Monday night.
As far as Cena’s role when he returns, many have questioned if he will be on RAW or SmackDown, since he is challenging for Alberto Del Rio’s World Heavyweight Championship in his return match, and the World Heavyweight Championship is seen more as a SmackDown-brand title, whereas the WWE Championship is seen more as a RAW-brand title. The plan, as of right now, is for Cena to appear on both RAW and SmackDown following the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, leading up to the Survivor Series pay-per-view in November. Following the Survivor Series event, Cena is scheduled to go on the road for WWE live events, but only appear on television on RAW on Monday night’s.
-WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler appeared on a local morning television show in Kansas City to promote Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown and Main Event taping in the city. During the interview, Ziggler attempts to teach the news anchor of the show how to be cool. You can watch it online at FOX4KC.com.
-WWE added the video from Monday’s RAW that featured John Cena’s road to recovery from injury to their official YouTube channel. Fans interested in checking that out can do so below:
On Monday’s live edition of WWE RAW, a new match with an added stipulation was announced for the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, which emanates from Miami, Florida on October 27th.
It was announced by RAW General Manager Brad Maddox that a “Beat The Clock Challenge” would take place to determine whether Paul Heyman or CM Punk would get to select the stipulation for Punk’s match against Ryback at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Ryback would take on R-Truth, while Punk would take on Curtis Axel. Ryback defeated Truth at 5:44, while Punk defeated Axel at 5:33.
It had already been revealed earlier in the night by Heyman that if Ryback won, the match with Punk would be a two-on-one handicap match against both Ryback and Axel. Since Punk won, he decided to keep it a two-on-one handicap match, instead featuring Ryback and Heyman against himself in a Hell In A Cell match.
With that now known, here is an updated look at the official lineup thus far for this year’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view:
Vacant WWE Championship Hell In A Cell Match with Special Referee Shawn Michaels
-Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship
-Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena
Hell In A Cell Handicap Match
-CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman
Stay tuned to SESCOOPS.COM for further updates to the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view lineup, and make sure to check back on Sunday, October 27th for the best live results coverage of the show on the internet.
-Advertisements for the WWE live event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on December 7th currently list John Cena appearing as a special guest.
-Former WWE manager Don Callis celebrates his 49th birthday today. Callis was born on October 13, 1964.
-Former WWE Diva Debra Marshall (aka Debra McMichael) and former WWE Superstar Charles Wright (aka The Godfather) will be appearing at Kowloon’s in Saugus, MA. on November 16th to sign autographs, take pictures and take part in a Q&A.
-As noted in previous articles, Bray Wyatt appeared to suffer a calf injury during his six-man tag-team match on Saturday night’s WWE live event in Providence, Rhode Island. A fan captured the following photo, which is very blurry and hard to make out, but reveals that Wyatt left the arena with the use of crutches:
-WWE Superstar John Cena, who as reported previously will be making his in-ring return for WWE at the October 27th “Hell In A Cell” pay-per-view, recently tweeted about the rumors of his return being a possible swerve. Cena tweeted the following:
I am not a goose, face, cow, decoy, or stepping stone. I am #JohnCena@WWE this is your 2 week notice, get ready, in 14 days WE RUN S***
-Several WWE Superstars have recently been tweeting a link to an online petition for WWE to “re-hire” Big Show, who was “fired” by Stephanie McMahon on this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. You can check out the petition online at Twitition.
-WWE Superstar John Cena, who as revealed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW will be returning at WWE Hell In A Cell on October 27th, has begun counting down the days until his pay-per-view return. The following is the latest tweet from Cena:
Though initially pegged to be sidelined for as many as six months due to a triceps tear, John Cena will return to the ring after only two months on October 27 at Hell in a Cell to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE.com spoke to the 11-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion about his injury, how it feels to watch Raw at home, and more.
Cena says he’s not surprised about his rapid return to the squared circle, as he’s “happy with the way everything has gone.”
“I didn’t feel too bad when the injury happened,” states Cena. “It started to really be a pain in my neck about two weeks before SummerSlam. I had to tell the greatest surgeon in the world that I have a physical therapy team that I’m extremely familiar with. In doing therapy, it’s good to know that the therapist will push you. A lot of times, people are reserved or maybe scared of testing what your body is capable of. I’m not. I have complete faith in my surgeon. When it was time to test range of motion a little bit or test strength a little bit, a lot of people — if it’s their first surgery — they want to wait a few weeks before they do that. I kind of want to say, “Hey I got a new arm. Let’s see how it works.”
As a result of the recovery process, Cena can only catch up with Raw from the comfort of his own home as a fan. Cena, however, says watching the show as a fan “[is] something [he does] anyway.”
“It’s just in a greater capacity when you can no longer physically contribute,” said Cena. “At all Live Events, I’m watching somewhere, whether peeking behind a curtain or peering at a TV backstage. I watch just as much WWE as almost anyone, but I love to. It’s something I enjoy doing. I don’t force myself to watch. I get excited for Mondays. I get excited to see the show.”
Another question posed to Cena is whether his injuries will force him to alter his in-ring style. He says, “If you broke down my technique, it wouldn’t really take a rocket scientist to do so. I don’t know how you could take something so basic and do less [laughs].”
Much more is contained in the interview, as Cena discusses the recovery process, his upcoming match against Del Rio, going after the World Heavyweight Championship as opposed to the WWE Championship, learning Mandarin, and more. The full interview is available here.
-John Cena appeared on Dan LeBatard’s ESPN 2 show today. When asked what was the most shame he ever had in wrestling, Cena referenced losing to The Rock at WrestleMania in Miami. Cena said, “There is a huge back story to the match. Things didn’t go the way he wanted. Maybe in 20 years me and The Rock will get around a table and talk about it.”
-WWE has officially pulled Christian from their weekend live events in Providence, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christian was scheduled to work against Alberto Del Rio on both shows, but has been pulled and will be replaced by The Great Khali. Additionally, Christian has been pulled from the upcoming WWE tour of Mexico.
-Apparently there were already plans in the works to bring back both Shawn Michaels and John Cena to WWE television prior to the Battleground pay-per-view situation. As noted in a report a few weeks ago, it leaked out during a radio interview that HBK was scheduled to return to WWE television. Additionally, Cena was in talks with the company about returning earlier than expected as well.
-Speaking of Cena’s return, many have questioned if his match at the upcoming WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view will be a one-time-only appearance. According to one source, Cena is returning full-time with the company, and his scheduled appearances in New York and on an upcoming overseas tour, both of which were reported weeks ago, will now include Cena working matches as opposed to simply appearing.
– John Cena revealed on Twitter that his new “Never Give Up” clothing line for boys is now available at Kmart stores.
– Zack Ryder revealed on Twitter that his Internet Championship belt will be featured in the WWE 2K14 video game.
– WWE is working on new merchandise for Goldust.
– Brodus Clay will be appearing at Friday’s WWE NXT live event in Largo, Florida. He will participate in a pre-show signing with Paige and Mojo Rawley.
– Natalya and other WWE Divas have been doing media for international versions of E!’s Total Divas that will begin airing in those countries soon.
During an interview with Showbiz Tonight to promote WWE’s Rise Above Cancer campaign, John Cena spoke about returning to action months ahead of schedule as well as Hulk Hogan’s recent “Wrecking Ball” parody video, where he wore a thong.
Cena also showed off his “Twerking” skills during the video interview.
Here are some highlights of what John Cena said about:
Hulk Hogan Wearing A Thong In A Viral Internet Video: “So the commercial starts, and I’m seeing Hulk Hogan on the wrecking ball and he’s using his legendary and iconic do-rag, sunglasses, fu manchu, boa. He kicks the guy in the face, I’m like, ‘you know what, that’s a good…’ No, no, and then it all goes wrong. That’s a little too much, they should have stopped at the boot to the face, brother.”
Returning At Hell in a Cell: “October 27th, I know I’m ready, I’ve had a wonderful surgeon, I’ve had a wonderful physical therapy crew. I’ve been really diligent and really on track to get back early. I feel great, the doctors are happy with everything… I’m really, really excited, I thought I was going to be off until past Christmas but now I can get back in the WWE Universe and do what I love.”
If He’s Returning Too Soon: “It’s not just my opinion here, it’s the opinion of the WWE medical staff, my surgeon, my physical therapist. I had to clear it with all those people. I’m cleared, I’m ready to go, and on October 27th I’ll be as ready and as strong as I’ve ever been.”
Here’s video of the interview segment, including John Cena twerking:
On Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, Vickie Guerrero made the bombshell announcement that John Cena will be returning to action against Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell, 3 months earlier than he was advertised to return.
For fans wondering how Cena was able to get medically cleared for the match, it turns out that WWE once again overstated how injured Cena really was. When Cena was first examined by doctors back in August, they found only a partial tear triceps. The company has done this before as a way of surprising fans and showing that their superstars train extra hard to return sooner than the average person would.
Even with Cena being medically cleared to wrestle this month, there had still been talk of keeping him on the sidelines for a few more weeks to ensure he was truly 100%. Cena was cleared to return within the past week and the decision for him to wrestle Alberto Del Rio in just over 2 weeks was made over the weekend.
As noted earlier, Cena vs. Del Rio will be a traditional singles match and Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan will be the only match held inside Hell in a Cell.
-According to various reports, WWE Superstar John Cena was actually cleared by WWE’s doctors to return to in-ring action at the October 27th Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. That, along with details in our previous report about concerns within WWE that they have alienated their pay-per-view buying audience, is the reason Cena is returning to action so much sooner than originally planned.
-As of Tuesday, the plan for the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view is for only one match to be contested in an actual Hell In A Cell match. That match is the WWE Championship main event between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan
The reason WWE is stacking the deck so heavily at the upcoming WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view is due to reported concerns that they may have alienated their pay-per-view buying audience with the way they have handled the main event situation on the past couple of pay-per-views.
As noted previously, fans demanded refunds following the recent WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view due to the fact that they paid for a finish that was completely erased and overturned less than 24 hours later on the free WWE RAW television show that followed the next night. Additionally, fans were loudly chanting “refund, refund” after the non-finish to Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view in Buffalo.
Due to the fact that WWE has handled the main events, which are what pay-per-views are largely sold on, so poorly at their last few shows, the feeling in the company is they need to regain that trust with their pay-per-view buying audience at Hell In A Cell, which is why there seems to be such emphasis on guaranteeing a legitimate finish in the main event, as well as other major selling points to support it underneath. Basically, the company is stacking the deck so heavily that it pretty much guarantees that anyone who buys the show this time will get their money’s worth.
For those reasons, WWE has brought back John Cena earlier than expected for a match against Alberto Del Rio, as well as guaranteed a new WWE Champion in the third-straight pay-per-view main event between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. While they basically guaranteed a winner for the same match at Battleground, they are stressing that this match will be in a Hell In A Cell, which assures viewers that there will be no outside interference, and they have Shawn Michaels as a special guest referee to give further confidence to their fans that there will be a legitimate outcome this time around.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On John Cena’s early in-ring return to WWE: “John Cena returning so soon from his latest surgery surprised me. It’s a no brainer why WWE needs their top star back as quickly as possible but is Cena returning too soon? Perhaps Del Rio travels to Florida and takes Cena out prior to the HIAC but not likely. Sounds like an old, Watts angle.”
On Stephanie McMahon and Big Show: “Thought the opening segment was a hit. Stephanie McMahon had control of her promo and it did not sound un-organic. Talents who memorize their ‘lines’ and then present them as such ruins it for me. Yep, I might be too old school for today’s product but I tune out and disconnect when I feel someone is talking to me from any place other than their heart.”
On CM Punk and Paul Heyman: “Significant albeit surprising opportunity for R Truth tagging with CM Punk vs. Heyman’s duo. Yes, it sets up a match for Smackdown but what else down the road? I don’t feel Punk’s angst toward Heyman was much as I did a few weeks ago. Is that just me?”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
-WWE Superstars Rob Van Dam, Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee and Kaitlyn are scheduled to appear at the 2013 Ringside Fest event on October 26th at Caroline’s Comedy Club. For more information, visit RingsideFest.com.
-The 2013 WWE TLC pay-per-view will be released on DVD on January 14, 2014.
-The WWE Studios film “Christmas Bounty,” starring WWE Superstar The Miz, will be released on DVD on December 3rd.
-In addition to his appearance on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning, WWE Superstar John Cena will be all over the place in New York this week promoting the WWE campaign to battle breast cancer with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
-WWE Superstar John Cena, who will be returning to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning. Cena promoted the WWE involvement with the Susan G. Komen campaign, noting that the company has raised over $1 million for the charity last year. Cena also showed off the scar on his elbow from his recent surgery and promoted his return at the upcoming pay-per-view on October 27th. You can check out Cena’s appearance on the show online at GMA.Yahoo.com.
-WWE returns to Madison Square Garden in New York on December 26th. The pre-sale password for tickets to the event is PREWWE.
– As seen on last night’s RAW from Pittsburgh, hometown hero and WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino made a surprise appearance in front of the live crowd during a commercial break. Jerry Lawler led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to the Living Legend, who turned 78 the prior day.
According to f4wonline.com, the script for Monday night’s RAW did not include anything about Sammartino being in attendance. WWE COO Triple H reportedly called Sammartino on Monday afternoon and invited him to the show at the last minute.
– Here’s the latest installment of WWE Backstage Fallout:
“World Champion Alberto Del Rio is angry after finding out his opponent at Hell in a Cell will be a returning John Cena, R-Truth discusses his successful night teaming with CM Punk, and Eva Marie & JoJo reflect on their in-ring debuts, all this on Backstage Fallout.”
