– Online technology news website Wired.com published an article today criticizing WWE’s storytelling ability, but more specifically, John Cena. To writer Chris Sims, nobody embodies the problem more than “The Champ,” whose character is often promoted at the expense of others.
On the Dec. 3 Raw, WWE chief Vince McMahon had authority figure Vickie Guerrero add the stipulation of Dolph Ziggler putting his World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract on the line in his match against Cena at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. For this disregard of storylines, Sims ripped WWE, writing, “It’s the most blatant example of pulling strings to give him an endless amount of chances, and to make matters worse, it’s a pointless storytelling move. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is; if he loses, it doesn’t mean anything because it’s become evident that he’ll just be given another chance. If he wins, he doesn’t really gain anything because he’s in the exact same spot that he always is, and Ziggler loses some of his legitimacy to fix something that ain’t broken.”
– In a Too Cool reunion, Rikishi, Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty appear at the Franks & Son Collectible Show 19649 San Jose Ave. City of Industry, California, today from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Event Information)
– Former WWE star Rene Dupree turns 29-years-old today. After competing in Japan and Europe following his 2007 departure from WWE, the French Canadian wrestler returned to North America last month at an independent show.
– Promoting his Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract against John Cena tomorrow night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Dolph Ziggler went on Twitter to taunt his opponent
“studying ladder matches & killing it at the gym -somewhere @JohnCena studies a cue cards poorly crafted reference to my junk,” wrote Ziggler.
– This week on “The JBL & Cole Show,” multi-platinum rapper Flo Rida drops by to talk about the genesis of his name, The Rock and his stirring WrestleMania XXVIII performance.
– WWE will present the final performance of The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary shows, exclusively on pay-per-view tonight, at 9 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Details on the event are available here.
John Cena and Sheamus participated in a meida conference call on Thursday to promote next week’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops specials on USA Network and NBC. Here are some highlights of what John Cena said about:
WWE’s Shift to Family-Friendly Programming: “Our programming has changed so much over the years. I started in 2002, our programming was more TV-14, edgy, anti-hero based, more conflict-hero based. Since then, I think our programming has made a turn for the better into more of a PG environment. All of our programming platform-wise is PG.”
“The reason is simply because the people who attend our events. More families began to attend and more children began to attend. When you have those young and youthful eyes looking at you, you know you’re global, you tend to have choices to make. Me being portrayed as a good guy on our programming, it was an obvious choice. I wanted to do my best to use my TV time to set good examples.”
His Match Against Antonio Cesaro: “I’ll be competing in a match, and the great thing about our Tribute to the Troops show – whether in its extended form on USA or abbreviated form on NBC – it’s a great watch. It’s not something that you necessarily have to be up-to-date on all the WWE storylines or all the plots. It really is just a general entertaining program, which is why we have a guest host in the Muppets or musical guests. I, myself, am in a singles match against our current United States champion Antonio Cesaro.”
– As previously reported, John Cena recently showing up on TMZ.com as Nikki Bella’s date for her high school graduation led WWE to put Cena’s on-screen romance with AJ Lee on hold. On Monday’s RAW, we saw Cena distancing himself from AJ, who was acting crazier than ever. Moving forward, the angle will be that AJ Lee is a psycho and John Cena will do his best to distance himself from her.
– WWE superstar Ted DiBiase has been testing the waters in Hollywood seeing if he can get acting work. He’s not interested in moving to Los Angeles, which will not help his chances there. DiBiase is among the group of disgruntled wrestlers that is taking a wait and see approach with his future in WWE and would look for work outside of the wrestling business if hep arts ways with the company.
– With The Shield angle getting over as well as anybody expected, Dean Ambrose is seen as the member with the most breakout potential. Ambrose has the total package (mic work and in-ring), while Rollins is great in the ring but needs to work on his promos. Some see Roman Reigns as having major star power as well, but aside from his great look, he needs to improve his ring skills. Overall, the three men compliment each others strengths and will be put to their first test Sunday in the main event of TLC.
– WWE will hold a live event in Amarillo, Texas at the Amarillo Civic Center on Sunday, May 12, 2013.
– John Cena and Sheamus will be appearing on late night television talk shows this Thursday to promote WWE’s Tribute to the Troops special. Cena will be appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, while Sheamus will be on Connan.
– WWE released the following video looking back at Superstars going through the Spanish announce table:
– In WWE’s latest Countdown video feature, WWE counts down the ten most shocking returns in company history. The Rock, John Cena, Vince McMahon and others are featured.
– Chris Jericho, who is currently working on his third autobiography covering his 2007 return to WWE and beyon, noted on Twitter Sunday that it is coming along “very slowly.”
– Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy garnered 59,266 in social media activity, down 2% from the prior week’s show.
– The late Bad News Brown is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
WWE Superstar John Cena spoke to Virginia’s HamptonRoads.com this week to promote WWE’s upcoming Tribute to the Troops special. Here are some highlights of what John Cena said:
Pro Wrestling & Patriotism Going Together:
“You know what, I don’t know. At the root of the good-vs.-evil story is what America is all about.”
Meeting Members of the Military:
“It’s kind of backwards. Every one of them wants to thank us, but we’re there to thank them. It’s a mutual respect.”
What It’s Like Performing for the Troops
“The energy is crazy. They like to get excited. We encourage them to take a night off and come to the event and be exactly the fans that they want to be.”
Almost Joining The Marines Before Getting Into Wrestling:
“I was literally about to join the Marine Corps (Officer Candidate School) when a buddy asked me if I wanted to be a wrestler. I thought I would literally last two weeks in there and the Marines would always be there.”
– We noted earlier this week that John Cena was battling some sort of illness at Monday’s RAW. PWInsider.com reports that Cena was battling food poisoning, which is quite possibly the least fun thing ever. It’s believed Cena got sick while traveling on the road.
– As previously reported, The Rock has been advertised to appear at the WWE RAW the night after the Royal Rumble (1/28) and on February 18th. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that The Rock is also booked for RAW on January 7th and the RAW the week before the Royal Rumble (1/21).
– It appears that Ring of Honor star Mike Bennett could be working with WWE sooner than later. Bennett’s girlfriend, former WWE Diva, Maria Kanellis, tweeted the following on Thursday night:
– William Regal stated on Twitter that he has been receiving death threats, with two teenagers also accusing him of child abuse.
“Faceless keyboard warriors are divs but how do you describe someone who puts a profile pic on his account and then gives you abuse. Bless, Regal wrote.
He continued, “I’m used to abuse and death threats but that has to be stopped.”
– WWE has released the following video promoting “Cena Saturday” this Saturday on Vortexx on the CW, starting at 8:30 a.m.
– Christian is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– A member of WWE’s creative team suggested this week that Brock Lesnar perform a run-in during CM Punk’s WWE Championship defense against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson next month at Royal Rumble. This would then lead to a match between Lesnar and Johnson at WrestleMania.
– General Motors and WWE salute the Achilles Freedom Team. See the following video message, featuring John Cena.
– Former WWE talent Shane Helms appears at The Wrestling Universe 34-29 Francis Lewis Blvd. Flushing, New York, on January 20, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Call 718-460-2777 for more information.
– WWE’s romance storyline with John Cena and AJ Lee was placed on the back burner on Raw Monday as a result of photos surfacing online of the Cenation leader appearing as former WWE Diva Nikki Bella’s date at her ten-year high-school reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona two weeks ago. The photos received a lot of publicity from TMZ, so continuing Cena’s storyline with Lee just three days later would have thrown it “in the face of the fans.” The storyline is expected to resume later this month.
Cena’s character was depicted as “goofy” and “happy-go-lucky” because WWE wanted to promote the positive vibe around him based on the publicity he had received.
Cena’s date with Bella was legitimate as they have been together “for a little while.” Daniel Bryan and former WWE Diva Brie Bella also attended the event as a date as the two have been romantically involved for several months.
– WWE Superstars and Divas express their holiday cheer by joining together for a group sing-along.
– Former WWE talent Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes appears for PCW on January 26, 2013 at the Addison Park District 120 E. Oak St. Addison, Illinois.
– WWE’s romance storyline with John Cena and AJ Lee was placed on the back burner on Raw Monday as a result of photos surfacing online of the Cenation leader appearing as former WWE Diva Nikki Bella’s date at her ten-year high-school reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona two weeks ago. The photos received a lot of publicity from TMZ, so continuing Cena’s storyline with Lee just three days later would have thrown it “in the face of the fans.” The storyline is expected to resume later this month.
Cena’s character was depicted as “goofy” and “happy-go-lucky” because WWE wanted to promote the positive vibe around him based on the publicity he had received.
– The former Bella Twins, Nicole and Brianna, have launched a fitness based website, BnNHealth.com. The WWE Divas Champions noted on Twitter, “1st 20 sign ups 4 our challenge will get customized coaching & autographed photos from us! Besos! B&N.”
– WWEShop.com has released a WWE Sock Monkey. The product description reads: “Go bananas with your very own Official WWE Sock Monkey!”
John Cena has commented on CM Punk surpassing his longest WWE title reign and wishes Punk a full and speedy recovery from yesterday’s knee surgery. Cena tweeted on Wednesday morning:
Injured or healthy, today @CMPunk is the longest reigning @WWE champ in modern era, it would be hypocritical not to acknowledge + respect it
– WWE.com has a feature up looking at John Cena’s various t-shirt designs over his 10 year career.
– South Carolina’s PostandCourier.com has an article up looking at WWE’s David Otunga and Natalya visit to Mary Ford Elementary school on Tuesday for a “Be A Star” anti-bullying rally. Otunga, a 230 pound beast with one of the biggest physiques in WWE, told the students that he bullied as a child for being short, chubby, wearing thick glasses and being a good student.
The bullying eventually stopped after he told a trusted teacher about what was going on. The teacher held a meeting where Otunga could confront his bullies and explain the effects of the harassment. “They didn’t realize how their words affected me,” Otunga said. “The bullying stopped.”
As for critics who claim pro wrestling sells violence to viewers, Otunga replied that “the good always triumphs over the bad. If you watch the storylines from beginning to end, yes, there are bullies, but the moral of it is that they never win.”
– Former WWE WWE Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs, who is now an MMA fighter and last fought for Bellator back on May 25th, noted on Twitter recently that he is still contracted to the promotion and will fighting for them again soon:
“@brianhallmma: @JeremiahRiggs What are you doing now man ?” Healing up about to get back in there early next year!
Bellator MMA will premiere on Spike TV after TNA Impact Wrestling on Thursday, January 17th.
– While WWE Champion CM Punk’s knee surgery has been the big story of the day, he wasn’t the only top WWE superstar dealing with health issues this week. John Cena has been battling some sort of illness recently and worked this weekend’s live events and Monday’s RAW sick.
– After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, WWE Champion CM Punk sold the effects of his beatdown for about 10 minutes before getting helped to the back. The advertised dark match with Ryback never took place.
– WWE.com caught up with John Cena backstage at Monday’s RAW after it was announced that he’ll get a chance to win Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank briefcase at the upcoming Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view. After Dolph Ziggler attacked John Cena a few weeks ago in a bathroom on RAW, Cena has gotten the upper hand on Ziggler over the past couple weeks. Cena was asked where the feud is heading.
John Cena thanked Vickie Guerrero for making the match and giving him a golden opportunity to win the TLC briefcase again. Cena said not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about the fact that he’s the first person to fail to win a big WWE Championship back when he won Money in the Bank. Cena says he can’t wait to take Ziggler’s briefcase and challenge Big Show for the World Heavyweight championship.
Here are some tweets from around the WWE Universe reacting to Monday’s RAW:
John Cena: “Great crowd tonight in Greensboro! Steel horse on its way to Norfolk for my favorite time of year. #TTTT”
Jim Ross: “@antoniocesaro & @WadeBarrett will both be in WrestleMania main event level bouts in the near future. Why? They’re smart/aggressive/driven.”
Vickie Guerrero: “Ok…ok…everyone is upset with me…BUT at least my actions on RAW were pleasing to Mr. McMahon #CougarInCharge”
AJ Lee “I may have gotten lucky tonight @TaminaSnuka , but you should’ve been smarter. Never turn your back on a crazy chick.”
Wade Barrett: “Heaven knows I’m miserable now, but at #TLC, my mood will improve considerably. #NewICChamp”
Antonio Cesaro: “Despite the @WWEUniverse’s best efforts, I’m still the #USChampion #Superior”
Kofi Kingston: “BAD: Didn’t win the US Championship. GOOD: I’m still IC Champ, which means: champ vs champ match’s still on..Gonna get real UGLY. #MainEvent”
Ricardo Rodriguez: “Did you all see how @VivaDelRio destroyed @TheSinCaraWWE ?! #Lucha”
Scott Sanford: “Miz TV makes the Jerry Springer Show look like Dr Oz!”
– John Cena was former WWE diva Nikki Bella’s date at her recent 10-year high school reunion. Pictures from their night out appeared on TMZ.com and source close to the situation says this was not staged for publicity. Cena and Nikki Bella are believed to be dating.
– After Friday’s SmackDown, a match talked about for tonight’s WWE RAW from Greensboro, North Carolina is John Cena and Sheamus and vs. Dolph Ziggler and Big Show.
Speaking of RAW from Greensboro, NC there have been no sightings of Ric Flair locally or at the arena.
– The official WWE website teased Monday night that Vince McMahon may appear on Raw. Their message states, “WWE.com has learned Mr. McMahon has been spotted in Greensboro, N.C., host of tonight’s Raw. What is the Chairman of the Board doing in Greensboro? Is he going to be on Monday Night Raw? Tune in at 8/7 CT on USA Network to follow this developing story.”
– Mark Briscoe of Ring of Honor attempted to auction off his false teeth on eBay last week but the listing was later removed by the website since auctioning human remains and body parts is prohibited. Here is a video ROH put out promoting the auction.
– The official WWE website has released a poll asking whether AJ Lee and John Cena will kiss tonight on Raw. According to the poll results, 74% believe they will smooch.
John Cena will host Vortexx on The CW this Saturday morning from 8:30-10:30am, the weekly block of children’s programming that includes WWE Saturday Morning Slam. A press release sent out by WWE states:
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 3, 2012) – Vortexx on The CW, an affiliate of Saban Brands, today announced WWE Superstar John Cena will host the kids television block this Saturday, December 8th from 8:30 a.m.—10:30 a.m. In addition to the WWE Superstar hosting the block, dubbed Cena Saturday, viewers can watch him face-off in the ring against WWE Superstar Heath Slater at 10 a.m. on a special WWE Saturday Morning Slam.
Cena Saturday will offer viewers the unique opportunity to get to know the man behind the legend, as this Saturday’s programming will also include special profiles on him.
“We have many young WWE fans watching Vortexx every Saturday morning, so we’re thrilled to bring them Cena Saturday,” said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands. “The spotlighted features on John Cena are a very exciting addition to the block this week.”
Also airing on December 8th will be other Vortexx marquee titles, including Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Sonic X, Dragon Ball Z, Justice League Unlimited and Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
For more information on Vortexx on The CW, please visit www.MyVortexx.tv.
Sunday on Twitter, Gabe Tuft, who appeared as Tyler Reks in WWE, dished some dirt on his former employer including a story regarding his one-time finishing maneuver, the Burning Hammer, and how John Cena took issue with him over it.
“Anyone want to know what top guy forced me to stop using the burning hammer – even after it appeared on SD/RAW and PPV’s?,” Tuft wrote. “1st house show loop, Cena asks pulls me aside, degrades me like I’m 10 years & tells me if I use it again I’d me fired. He yelled at me & said, ‘Who gave u permission to use that’? Apparently he hadn’t been watching the product 4 the last 8 months… Or perhaps how he stole our idea to get fired, use social media to get over, & run in from the crowd (Given to Miz & Truth)… I still have the promo DVD our idea was burned onto when Cena supposedly helped us with the idea – then lied & said it wasn’t stolen later.”
When asked by a Twitter user on why he feels Cena did not want him using Burning Hammer, the former WWE Superstar said “it looks better than the [Attitude Adjustment]” and that Cena is “insecure.”
Former WWE wrestler Kenn Doane (a/k/a Kenny Dykstra), who has called the Cenation leader’s personal character into question numerous times in recent months over the micro-blogging outlet, concurred with Tuft’s remarks Monday.
“Uh oh! @GabeTuft spoke truth, now cenation gonna cry lol,” wrote Doane.
He continued, “@GabeTuft was a threat [to Cena], he looks impressive and has talent.”
In part two of John Cena reflecting on his decade of dominance in WWE, the twelve-time world champion reveals that he dislikes being formally recognized as the sport-entertainment promotion’s premiere Superstar.
“I just do the best I can do. I hate those words like “face of the company” or “flagbearer.” I hate that. I’m just the best that I can be,” said Cena. “And, I take great pride in that people want to come after me. I’m always ready for a fight. I’m me, I’m the best me I can be, and we’ve put together a pretty good ten years and I’m hoping for ten more.”
Cena also discusses bringing back his “Doctors of Thuganomics” persona during his rivalry with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
“That whole year-long with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, there were little moments of thuggery in there,” Cena said. “I thought it was really cool. It gave a different approach to me validating my position right next to Dwayne Johnson. He seems to claim that he’s the best ever (to) hold the microphone. I seem to dispute that title.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cena opens up on his unique relationship with the WWE audience.