– WWE superstar David Otunga will be on The Wendy Williams Show on Thursday morning to promote his new movie with Halle Berry, The Call.
– WWEShop.com has released a new gold version of the John Cena “10 Years Strong” t-shirt. Cena wore it during the dark main event at last night’s RAW and is wearing it in the Tout video below:
– Ireland’s No Limit Wrestling has announced their wrestlers Joey Cabray (who wrestles in a demon mask as Omen) and Rachelle St. Claire have signed developmental deals with WWE.
– Here is the official cover art for WWE’s upcoming “Best of In Your House” DVD/Blu-Ray set, due out April 30th. Pre-Order Here
John Cena to Headline SXSW 2013 Panel This Saturday
STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE and Echo, the first and largest real-time web platform provider, announced that they will share the strategies behind WWE’s award-winning digital programs at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference this Saturday, March 9.
The panel will feature a candid discussion with John Cena, the third most followed U.S. athlete on Facebook and Twitter with more than 17 million fans combined, and provide insight into how the 10-time WWE Champion utilizes social media to extend WWE’s brand and connect with fans.
The panel will explore how WWE is leveraging creative, media, technology and talent to become one of the most widely respected and successful brands in social TV.
With more than six hours of domestic weekly programming, 300 Live Events each year and broadcasts in more than 145 countries, WWE is in a unique position to unite the web, mobile, television and live audience experiences under an integrated digital strategy, with the goal of building the ultimate interactive experience for fans.
Last year, WWE launched an unprecedented second-screen experience, WWE Active, on its WWE flagship app, which has been downloaded more than 4.6 million times since its debut. (MORE ON WWE ACTIVE)
PANELISTS
John Cena, WWE Superstar and 10-time WWE Champion
Stephanie McMahon, EVP, Creative, WWE
Perkins Miller, EVP, Digital Media, WWE
– Promoting the release of The Marine 3: Homefront on DVD and Blu-ray, The Miz appeared on Fox & Friends this morning. During the interview, the Raw Superstar said he wanted to be the one to face Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WWE’s upcoming pay-per-view spectacular.
“He’s the WWE Champion, he’s going to be main eventing WrestleMania 29… I wanna be in John Cena’s spot, let’s put it that way,” remarked The Miz.
– The official WWE website has posted a video playlist of Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund’s strangest interviews over his legendary broadcasting career, which includes interactions with Papa Shango, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
– Following the passing of legendary manager Paul Bearer Tuesday evening, ‘Paul Bearer dies’ has ranked among the top trending topics on Yahoo.com today.
– GulfNews.com has an article up looking at John Cena granting a Make-A-Wish for a 16-year-old boy during WWE’s recent WWE tour of Doha, Qatar.
– MTV.com has an article up looking at The Miz’s role in The Marine 3, including a picture of The Miz with bloody makeup on his face and arms.
– Daniel Bryan and MLB player Josh Reddick of the Oakland A’s have agreed to a “Beard-Off” challenge, where fans will vote to decide which man has to shave his beard off at the end of the year.
Solomonster talks about Monday’s epic battle between John Cena and CM Punk, is Cena underrated as a worker, Vince McMahon’s reaction to the piledriver spot and why he needs to chill out, fleshing out the undercard for WrestleMania, the pathetic state of Zack Ryder, praise for the women’s Gut Check on Impact, comparing the Knockouts division with the Divas division, reviewing “THE MARINE 3: HOMEFRONT” starring Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, and more!
Previewing his upcoming match with John Cena at WrestleMania 29 to IGN.com, WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson explained why he wanted to face the Cenation leader again after defeating him at last year’s show.
“You have to understand that my return back into the WWE was years in the making. And since I’ve been back, it’s been a three year-long journey that started at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta. So John has always been my first choice,” Johnson told Matt Fowler.
While contemplating his return to the sports-entertainment organization years ago, Johnson revealed that he wanted to work with the wrestler who he felt would generate the biggest business.
“Here’s the thing,” said Johnson. “The question was that if I was going to go back in the WWE, how could I go back and make the most impact? With who can I headline WrestleMania in that company and make the most impact? And the bottom line is that it continues to be John Cena. Just in terms of, and we’ll use a Hollywood term here, box office appeal. Universal appeal. Athletic pairing. So there are a lot of reasons.”
The Hollywood heavyweight also says he returned to WWE to give back; to elevate the company that led to his success as well as elevate their “number one hero.”
Johnson continued, “With some great drama, some great emotion. This scenario for me is one that I’ve honestly dreamed of. A dream match. And what I’m talking about is being able to go back to the WWE and give back to the business, which is in my blood and has allowed me a platform to perform which then, twelve years ago, allowed me to make he transition to Hollywood. So the scenario I’ve dreamed of is that I’m able to go back, become WWE Champion, go into the what is considered the biggest marketplace in the world, which is the New York City area, at MetLife Stadium and headline WrestleMania as champion and give back to the business, the fans, the company and their number one hero. So I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario and we’re going to have a blast.”
Regarding the WrestleMania bout itself, Johnson said, “I think we’re going to have a great match and my hope is that it’s going to be a classic.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Donald Trump’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction & A Physical HOF Building:
“Still amazes me that many seemingly sane people can’t differentiate from being inducted into the WWE HOF as a wrestler, etc over the honorary, celeb status. I have written about this in the past and am getting tired of responding to many knuckleheads on Twitter @JRsBBQ on the topic.”
“I will say that WWE definitely NEEDS a building to house the HOF combined with a WWE Museum and I feel that will happen in the future. So much goes into a facility such as this as it is a MAJOR undertaking as one can imagine. The location is vital, an adequate building is a must, the right staff and curator can influence success or failure, acquiring items for display are crucial and these are just some of the issues. I would bet my last black hat that it happens sooner than later but only when all the moving parts have been addressed. Until then many will continue to bitch about who’s in the WWE HOF and why their favorite isn’t….and so it goes.”
John Cena vs. CM Punk on RAW: “Two points on this tremendous, main event, 1. Cena added some new wrinkles to his game that might silence some of his narrow minded critics for a few days and 2. Punk was working with the flu and hampered by jet lag from a long flight to Dallas from Istanbul on the last day of a grueling, three day international tour. I watched the match live on TV and it is the first match in a long time that I’ve gone back and watched again on DVR.”
The February 25th, 2013 WWE RAW main event between CM Punk and John Cena is being called an “instant classic” and one of the best RAW matches in years. Battling for a shot to face The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29, both competitors stepped their game up and delivered what could be their finest match to date.
ESPN.com has released their weekly WWE Power Rankings and John Cena jumped to the top of the charts after barely breaking the top 10 last week (9). Following Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, here’s a look at this week’s ESPN.com WWE Power Rankings:
1. John Cena
2. CM Punk
3. Triple H
4. Brock Lesnar
5. Ryback
6. Randy Orton
7. Sheamus
8. Mark Henry
9. The Shield
10. Jack Swagger
The article noted the “awkward” wet spot on Triple H’s pants during his brawl with Brock Lesnar and gave big props to John Cena and CM Punk for their stellar main event match. The article also questioned WWE’s decision to continue pushing Jack Swagger’s after he was arrested for DUI and drug possession last week:
“So does WWE have a wellness policy or not? How can Swagger get arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana last week and not only avoid suspension, but star in multiple segments on Raw? Weed the People.”
– WWE’s official tagline for The Rock vs. John Cena WrestleMania 29 main event is, “Greatness vs. Redemption.”
– Fandango (Johnny Curtis) worked this weekend’s WWE live events and was accompanied to the ring by a beautiful young lady. They danced before the match and we have not heard anything about his dancing partner being an NXT Diva. Fandango will debut at tonight’s SmackDown tapings.
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, WWE will be holding “Old School RAW” next week, with the classic RAW opening video, on-screen graphics, arena setup, interview segment format and appearances from WWE legends. During the promos that aired on Monday’s RAW, legends that were shown as appearing include Mean Gene Okerlund, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.
Here are WWE’s video packages hyping “Old School RAW”:
– John Cena tweeted the following about his match tonight on RAW against CM Punk, with the winner getting a shot at The Rock’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania:
– WWE.com has published a photo gallery of former diva Stacy Keibler at last night’s Academy Awards. Keibler was there for the second year in a row with her boyfriend George Clooney.
– WWE.com also has a feature up looking at the “20 coolest tattoos in WWE history.”
– WWE announcer JBL is in Mendoza, Argentina today getting ready to begin his climb of the Aconcagua mountain, also known as “Mount Death.” He is doing his final gear check today and plans to start climbing the mountain Tuesday. He tweeted today:
Summit has averaged -25 to -60 over the last month with no successful summits. That's about to change!!! #sevensummitsforkids
– John Cena continues to tweet a countdown to his match against CM Punk on RAW:
“Only 2 more days until #thunderdomeindallas @JohnCena v @CMPunk winner faces @WWE champ @TheRock”
– Friday’s WWE SmackDown had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 59,010, down 5% from last week. This was the least social media activity for the show so far this year, headed into next week’s “Social Media SmackDown.”
– WWE has released the following video of the Top 10 entrances in WrestleMania history:
– John Cena tweeted the following on Friday hyping his match against CM Punk on RAW:
“Only 3 more days until #thunderdomeindallas @JohnCena v @CMPunk winner faces @WWE champ @TheRock”
CM Punk was asked by a fan on Twitter if he can beat John Cena without cheating. He replied:
“Of course. Just more fun to cheat.”
– Here is the cover art for WWE’s new Mick Foley “For All Mankind” DVD/Blu-Ray, due out April 16th. Limited copies of the Foley DVD/Blu-Ray will come packaged with a Mr. Socko.
– Vince McMahon said to be tired of the John Cena vs. CM Punk feud, so their match next week on RAW will be the last time we see them cross paths for a while.
– The Rock has been nominated for “Favorite Male Buttkicker” at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, which airs on March 28th.
WWE superstar & executive Triple H has been nominated for “Most Metal Athlete” at the 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which takes place on May 2nd and will be hosted by Chris Jericho.
– A Ryback heel turn has been teased lately, with him losing several high profile matches and walking out on his team at Elimination Chamber. If WWE does go through with the heel turn, it would lead to a John Cena vs. Ryback program after WrestleMania. While Cena could certainly benefit from a fresh heel monster to play off of, Ryback is somewhat limited in the ring and losing the crowd support would hurt his character a lot.
While talking to the media at Monday’s WrestleMania XXX press conference from New Orleans, John Cena revealed that 3 months ago, he didn’t think he would be a part of WrestleMania 29. Cena said:
“Had you asked me 3 months ago if I would even be part of WrestleMania, the answer was probably no,” he said. “I literally just had to stop being a boo boo face, you know, get off my horse and pouting and get back into the mix.”
Here’s video of Cena’s comments, courtesy of NOLA.com:
– Following Monday’s WWE RAW, John Cena tweeted about his decision to put his WWE title match at WrestleMania 29 on the line against CM Punk next week:
– WWE taped the following matches prior to Monday’s RAW for a future episode of Saturday Morning Slam:
* Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett
* AJ Lee vs. Natalya
– Next week on RAW, John Cena will put his WrestleMania main event spot on the line against CM Punk. The winner will go on to challenge WWE Champion The Rock on April 7th.
– John Cena congratulated his WrestleMania 29 opponent, The Rock, after his win over CM Punk at Elimination Chamber:
“Congrats @TheRock …… I’ll see you at #thedance @WWE get ready for #WM29 4/7/13”
– WWE.com has exclusive post-match interviews with The Rock, Kaitlyn, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler & more from backstage at Sundays Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
– Former WWE Diva Maria commented on a possible return to WWE on Sunday night. After responding to several tweets from fans talking about how the WWE Universe misses her, she wrote:
“Good night all. For now I am THE FIRST LADY of @ringofhonor but maybe someday there will be a @WWE return. I love ALL the possibilities…..”
– WWE will be returning to Japan this summer with live events on July 4th and 5th at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
– Adult film star Kendra Lust, who was rumored to have been having an affair with John Cena while he was marries, was interviewed by the Wrestling Soup podcast this week and shed some more light on the situation. Kendra said she first heard about the rumor after fans were contacting her on Twitter asking her about it.
She completely denies having an affair with John Cena and says she’s never even met him in person. She did say that she finds him attractive and would love to get to know him better, but she’s not the type of person to have relations with a married man. She also denies the reports that she was contacted by WWE due to the rumors.
– Former WWE Diva Kelly Kelly appeared on MTV 2’s “Guy Code” on last night where she discussed getting high, Valentine’s Day and PMS.
– Former WCW star Bobby Eaton plead guilty yesterday to a DUI charge in Hollywood, Arkansas stemming from a 2002 arrest. A warrant had been issued for the legendary tag team wrestler after he failed to answer the charge over a decade ago.
– John Cena returned to Twitter on Wednesday, writing:
Sorry @wwe I've been silent for a bit, was with some great friends catching up. Apparently some of my material was deemed #toohotfortwitter
– WWE.com has a new “Wayback Wednesday” feature up looking at “10 moments you never expected to see in WWE,” including Shane McMahon appearing on the final WCW Nitro in 2001, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels hugging on Monday Night RAW, Eric Bischoff debuting on WWE RAW and hugging Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Hall of Fame induction announcement.
– Earlier this week, a fan asked Hulk Hogan on Twitter what he thinks about John Cena. Hogan replied:
@_Al3Li_ yes I love John Cena,you can always depend on him to deliver,do business and work harder than anybody else. HH
After Monday’s WWE RAW from Nashville went off the air, Damien Sandow came out as The Rock was getting up from CM Punk’s attack. Sandow had a microphone with him and ran down the people of Nashville for cheering The Rock’s story, including the man of “questionable
Sandow got a Rock Bottom and a People’s Elbow. The Rock began to celebrate and as he began walking to the back, John Cena’s music hit. Rock and Cena had a stare down and both men pointed to the WrestleMania 29 sign hanging at the top of the arena.
The dark match main event, which was originally scheduled to be a tag team match, was John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler. The match was said to be great, with the referee getting knocked out at one point and Big E. Langston interfering on Ziggler’s behalf. In the end, Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment and got the win.
Justin Roberts thanked everyone for attending RAW and said WWE will be back in Nashville soon.
