– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson touted the ratings success of Raw since becoming WWE Champion at Royal Rumble.
He tweeted Wednesday, “People’s Era – highest #RAW ratings in over a year. @WWE Universe’s powerful voice. #WeBringIt.”
Last week’s post-Royal Rumble show drew a 3.68 cable rating and averaged 5.02 million viewers over the course of three hours. Not including the heavily promoted 1,000th episode of Raw, the numbers are the show’s highest marks since the night after WrestleMania XXVII in 2011. This week’s show also drew high viewership with a 3.56 cable rating and 4.81 million viewers.
– Prior to Raw Monday in Atlanta, Georgia, WWE held a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying rally at Hope-Hill Elementary School. Stephanie McMahon, Kofi Kingston, Layla and Hornswoggle appeared. WWE has released footage from the event.
– The longest-running WWE Champion of all-time, Bruno Sammartino, who was announced on Monday as the latest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
– The Miz, R-Truth, Layla, Eve and WWE CEO Vince McMahon will not be on hand for tonight’s Raw in Lafayette, Louisiana, since they are overseas visiting U.S. troops as part of a handshake tour. The group visited military bases in Bahrain today.
– Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock no-showed his scheduled appearance for AAW Wrestling on Saturday in Merrionette Park, Illinois. He was advertised to face Sami Callihan. The promotion released the following message Sunday via Twitter regarding his absence: “Everyone was on edge all day yesterday regarding Shamrock. Here’s the story behind it. Ken canceled his plane ticket yesterday and didn’t inform his agent or AAW staff. Classic definition of a no show.”
– WWE will hold a live event at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 1, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Ticketmaster.ca will hold a pre-sale beginning December 14, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
– Jim Ross remarked via Twitter of Raw returning to his former stomping grounds tonight: “#WWE #RAW Lafayette, La Mon night. Memories of Ernie ‘Big Cat’ Ladd, weekly, Mid South live events, rowdy, villain hating fans, & gr8 food.” He added that he will not be on hand for the show.
– Following reports in recent months indicating that The Undertaker’s in-ring career is uncertain, F4WOnline.com confirms that WWE brass spoke with the legendary wrestler this week and he’s “on board for a high-profile match.”
– The Miz, AJ Lee and Alicia Fox paid a visit to Riley’s Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, last Friday to spread some holiday cheer. WWE has released the following video of their visit.
– Layla has been announced to appear with Sheamus at Barnes & Noble 3400 Forest Dr. Columbia, South Carolina, on Dec. 1. They will be signing copies of the new WWE Encyclopedia. Call 803-787-5600 for more information.
– With WWE’s Divas division centered on Eve, Kaitlyn and Layla week-in, week-out, many people within the company believe that more woman need to be featured imminently since there are zero new challengers left on either the face or heel side. F4WOnline.com states that a few developmental wrestlers could be promoted to the main roster to rectify this depth issue.
– The Miz takes you behind the scenes of the making of his Survivor Series commercial.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, Sin Cara appears at HH Gregg 8921 US 31 S., Indianapolis, Indiana, this Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Call 317-888-2192 for more information.
WWE issued the following press release concerning their annual Tribute to the Troops holiday special on USA Network and NBC. Among those announced to appear at the event are Disney’s The Muppets, Kid Rock and Flo Rida.
KID ROCK, DISNEY’S THE MUPPETS AND FLO RIDA JOIN WWE®’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF “TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS” HOLIDAY SPECIAL
STAMFORD, Conn., November 12, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE), USA Network and NBC will honor the United States Armed Forces with its 10th annual holiday special, WWE Tribute to the Troops presented by Slim Jim. The 10th anniversary holiday extravaganza will air as a two-hour television special on Wednesday, December 19 at 9/8C on USA Network and as a one-hour television special on Saturday, December 22 at 9/8C on NBC.
WWE Tribute to the Troops has become a holiday tradition and is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show. In the grand tradition of Bob Hope, the holiday special will feature performances by Grammy Award-nominated, international superstars Kid Rock and Flo Rida, and WWE’s biggest Superstars and Divas for thousands of military personnel and their families at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA.
The show will also feature appearances by Disney’s The Muppets, Access Hollywood and NBC Sports’ Michelle Beadle and more. Kid Rock and Flo Rida join a renowned list of legendary performers who have entertained at WWE Tribute to the Troops including Mary J. Blige, Nickelback, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ group Diddy – Dirty Money and Trace Adkins.
WWE is proud to have worked jointly with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in selecting Navy installations in the Norfolk, VA area for this annual celebration.
“We are excited to host WWE Tribute to the Troops in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “Virginia has long been committed to supporting our troops and this is another opportunity to thank them for their service. We are home to 125,000 active duty members, 830,000 veterans and so many military families. Naval Station Norfolk is the crown jewel of the United States Navy and it’s important to pay tribute to and salute the brave men and women of the military and their families who serve our country. It’s great to see that the WWE has chosen Virginia as the place to continue this holiday tradition.”
“This is a proud moment for WWE to once again recognize America’s servicemen and women as part of the 10th anniversary of WWE Tribute to the Troops,” said Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. “We are honored to bring our unique brand of family-friendly entertainment to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”
This trip marks the 10th consecutive year that WWE will bring its one-of-a-kind entertainment to our service men and women to thank them for their commitment to the country and recognition of their sacrifices. WWE Superstars and Divas will spend the weekend doing activities designed to give back to sailors and their families including a Be a STAR anti-bullying rally and hospital visits as well as spending time with our servicemen and women.
WWE Tribute to the Troops will also chronicle WWE’s goodwill visit to our troops overseas. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, WWE Superstars The Miz® and R-Truth and WWE Divas Eve and Layla will travel overseas to spread some much needed holiday cheer to the men and women serving our country far from home during the holiday season.
– According to the latest issue of Power Slam, Carlito has an open offer to return to WWE, whenever he desires. The magazine, however, notes that the former WWE Superstar is enjoying the freedom of working independent groups.
The second generation grappler was released from his contract with WWE in May 2010 due to a violation of the company’s drug testing program and subsequent refusal to attend a rehabilitation facility for a reported addiction to painkillers.
– Promoting his tour this month of the U.K., Chris Jericho spoke to Glasgow radio station Radio Caley (@RadioCaley) and presenter Colin Stone (@Colin__Stone) where he discussed Fozzy’s new album “Sin & Bones,” whether he’ll return to WWE (13.08) and his matches this year with Dolph Ziggler (14.57). Plus, Jericho has some words for Drew McIntyre (10:34).
– Santino Marella and Layla appear at Smyth’s Toys, Unit 6&7, Shane Retail Park, Boucher Road, Belfast, Ireland, tomorrow beginning at 3:30 p.m. as they sign for the first 400 fans.
– As reported this week, Gail Kim has earned the number one position in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s fifth annual “PWI Female 50” list, which ranks the top 50 women’s wrestlers in North America from September 1, 2011, through August 30, 2012. She succeeds Madison Eagles, who ranked No. 1 in last year’s list.
The top 10 has been released, which ranks: 1. Gail Kim. 2. Beth Phoenix. 3. Cheerleader Melissa. 4. Sara Del Rey. 5. Jessicka Havok 6. Layla. 7. Miss Tessmacher. 8. Saraya Knight. 9. Mercedes Martinez. 10. Tara. The full list is available at PWI-Online.com.
Kim remarked on the achievement via Twitter, writing to PWI, “Thanks so much for recognizing all female talent. I appreciate the recognition of hard work and feel flattered for the honor!”
– Independent wrestler Reby Sky is today’s “Lovely Lady Of The Day” on the official website of Sports Illustrated, SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. Jimmy Traina says of the Queens, New York native, “Reby Sky has been in Hot Clicks before because of her New York Giants fandom. She’s now a pro wrestler and dating former WWE superstar Matt Hardy.”
Sky competed at Friday’s SHINE Wrestling internet pay-per-view in Ybor City, Florida, where she defeated Kellie Skater after performing the Twist of Fate.
– Japanese wrestler Tiger Mask IV turns 42-years-old Saturday. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
– Delayed one week due to Rey Mysterio having the flu, Mysterio and Sin Cara will face Team Rhodes Scholars next Monday on Raw in the Tag Team Tournament Final. The winners will then face WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan at Hell in a Cell.
– During a backstage segment on Raw, Daniel Bryan challenged Kane to take on Big Show on next week’s show since he found it humorous that he was chokeslammed by The World’s Largest Athlete.
– One match was taped Monday in Nashville, Tennessee for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as Kaitlyn faced off against Beth Phoenix.
In a pre-taping dark match, Tensai defeated Michael McGillicutty. According to a correspondent, Tensai drew a lot of heat as well as ‘Albert’ chants during his entrance, but the audience became quiet once the match took place.
– Layla and R-Truth appear at the Verizon Wireless Store 1947 Mount Zion Rd. Morrow, Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Call 770-210-4019 for more information.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler appeared on WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, Friday promoting an independent show he was appearing at in South Haven, Mississippi. During the appearance, Lawler stated that had he suffered his recent heart attack anywhere but where he was—at a WWE event near paramedics—he would likely have died.
Lawler intends to return to the ring and plans to make his WWE return at the October 16 SmackDown taping in Memphis, Tennessee.
Video of his appearance is available here.
– This week’s episode of WWE Superstars is now online via WWE.com, featuring a Raw rematch between Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler. Also see Yoshi Tatsu battle Heath Slater, Layla take on Divas Champion Eve, and Ted DiBiase competes against Michael McGillicutty.
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge joins Jack Encarnacao on The Mouthpiece Wrestling Show at 10:00 a.m. Saturday on NBC Sports Radio 1510 AM in Boston, Massachusetts. He will talk about his life after WWE, who the smoothest person he’s ever wrestled, how different his character would be coming up in WWE today, and more.
– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, Santino Marella exuberantly celebrates his victory over the man who took the United States Championship from him, Antonio Cesaro. Plus, Layla explains why she changed her approach in the ring.
http://youtu.be/V-9nFOg_Jym5E
– After undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow Tuesday, John Cena appeared at Thursday’s WWE NXT tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The 12-time world champion apologized for being unable to compete at the event, but promised to do so when he physically able.
Cena weighed in on the event via Twitter Friday, writing, “#NXT was pretty damn impressive. @fullsail is an outstanding campus, the show is OVERloaded with talent.”
He also remarked on his rehabilitation progress thus far: “Day 3 of rehab, arm looks like old banana.”
Speaking of Cena, he is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Arda Ocal of The Baltimore Sun has compiled photos of the WWE T-Shirts John Cena has donned through the years on television, which now stands at 25. Ocal notes that Cena has debuted five shirts at WrestleMania, five at SummerSlam and four at Survivor Series.
– Unlike most WWE Divas, Layla is still on the market. In response to a tweet asking whether she’s single, the former Divas Champion wrote Wednesday, “Yes!!”
– SmackDown General Manager Booker T appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer to promote his recently released autobiography, From Prison to Promise: Life Before the Squared Circle. The six-time world champion recalled the hardships he encountered growing up in Houston, Texas, breaking into professional wrestling, his time in World Championship Wrestling, accepting a contract buyout to join WWE when WCW ceased, and more. The audio interview is available here.
– WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– In this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for Raw, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara respond to The Prime Time Players’ attack from behind. Plus, Layla suspects Eve had something to do with Kaitlyn’s being viciously attacked at Night of Champions, Wade Barrett discusses his future plans and Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vow to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship from Daniel Bryan and Kane.
http://youtu.be/V-qgFn0xlUDcY
– The official WWE website announced last week that a new Bret Hart video title, Bret Hart: Unreleased Matches, will be released on March 5, 2013. The WWE Hall of Famer is giving input to the project.
He tweeted Tuesday, “Starting to review matches for the new “Unreleased Matches” DVD.”
– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for Raw, Dolph Ziggler rips WWE Champion CM Punk for walking out on him during their tag team match before vowing to defeat Randy Orton this Sunday at Night of Champions. Cody Rhodes rips The Miz, with The Awesome One responding in a separate interview that Rhodes is jealous. Plus, Eve leaves WWE Divas Champion Layla and Kaitlyn dumbfounded with her encouraging remarks.
– Monday on Raw, Sheamus’ use of the prohibited Brogue Kick prompted a response from Raw General Manager AJ Lee who, in turn, was interrupted by SmackDown General Manager Booker T. Since the World Heavyweight Championship falls under T’s jurisdiction, he decreed that if Sheamus uses the kick again, he will be stripped of the title.
Lee posted a Twitter message furthering the storyline. She wrote to T, “Hey @BookerT5x next time you want to appear on RAW, my show, ask first. I could have handled @WWESheamus without your help.”
– WWE.com has released a video playlist highlighting the biggest WWE Superstar “Dream Teams” of all-time. Video clips of some of the biggest WWE stars of all time teaming up to do battle include The Undertaker and The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Trish Stratus and Lita, and more.
– The official WWE website is advertising Randy Orton for this weekend’s SmackDown live event tour of Ontario after “The Viper” was briefly pulled from listings. He will also appear at a non-televised Raw and SmackDown event on Sept. 15. It will be his last live event appearance until November since production for his latest film role, 12 Rounds: Reloaded, begins Sept. 26 and will go through the month of October. He is, however, advertised to appear at all SmackDown tapings in the meantime.
– All Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Kevin Nash will appear for the promotion at their Sept. 23 event in Yokohama as he partners with Keiji Mutoh (a/k/a Great Muta) in a “Special Tag Match” against Seiya Sanada and Taiyo Kea. The match would mark as an nWo reunion, with Nash being a member of the original New World Order faction and Mutoh being a member of nWo Japan.
– In the biggest match of her career, WWE NXT season three winner Kaitlyn faces her friend, and Divas Champion, Layla, at Night of Champions on Sept. 16. Regarding the upcoming bout, Kaitlyn tweeted Thursday, “2 years of Workin hard behind the scenes and flyin under the radar… It’s MY time at #NOC. let’s make this #NightOfKaitlyn @WWEUniverse.”
– WWE.com takes a look back at the influential career of Scott Hall with his addition to its Alumni section: “Who’s the WWE Alumni that climbed to the top of WWE and helped revolutionize sports-entertainment as a founder of The New World Order? Survey says: Scott Hall (aka Razor Ramon). Check out The Bad Guy’s new profile page with exclusive photos, videos and more.”
WWE also notes his reputation within the professional industry with the following sentence: “The talented performer wasn’t always in prime condition, but few were better than Hall when he was on his game.”
– Eve Torres posted a Tout message Wednesday concerning the safety of the WWE Superstars.
“I firmly believe that the safety of the WWE Superstars is the most important thing there is. And I’m fully confident that Booker T will make the right decision on SmackDown,” she said.
– WWE Divas Champion Layla is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com. Click here to view her photos and videos.
It was announced during Friday’s episode of SmackDown that Layla will defend the Divas Championship against Kaitlyn at Night of Champions.
Three title matches have now been set for the pay-per-view headlined by CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship. The updated line-up for the event taking place Sept. 16, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts is as follows:
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
– This week on “WWE Inbox,” Superstars comment on whether they’ve ever been caught picking their nose while driving.
“I really don’t care because if you have a booger up there, you have to pick it,” says WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston. “I pick my nose quite a bit.”
WWE Divas Champion Layla says, “It’s normal. It’s what you do in the car, right?” She continues, “You think nobody’s looking at you, you start picking your nose and then you’re like, “Oh God, that person just saw me.”
Derrick Bateman, however, doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him picking his nose.
“It’s not so much that caught picking my nose, it’s that I choose to pick my nose in public because I do not care what people think of my sanitary habits,” he says.
Superstars also reveal their favorite restaurants and what they stock their fridges with.
– Bill Behrens is currently accepting U.S. independent bookings on behalf of former WWE Superstar Rene Dupree through SBIBookings.com. Dupree now resides in New Brunswick, Canada after primarily competing in Japan and Europe since departing from WWE in 2007.
– Charlie Sheen, who had been speculated to appear at SummerSlam Sunday, attended a family party that. While at the get-together, Sheen was asked about working the pay-per-view event and joked that it would cost WWE a ton of money to get him. Multiple WWE sources report that company officials are interested in collaborating with Sheen at a future pay-per-view event, possibly WrestleMania XXIX.
– Santino Marella is expected to receive a WWE United States Championship rematch against Antonio Cesaro at Night of Champions. Other matches expected for the event include CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship, Kaitlyn vs. Layla for the WWE Divas Championship and a Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, Jey and Jimmy Uso, Epico and Primo, and The Prime Time Players.
– After Linda McMahon’s U.S. Senate opponent Chris Murphy purchased advertising time on the USA Network scrutinizing the former WWE CEO during Monday’s Raw airing in Connecticut, the sports-entertainment organization released the following statement to CourantBlogs.com: “It is apparent that the same people who have consistently denigrated and mischaracterized WWE and our family-friendly entertainment for political gain have officially changed their point of view about our content. For the second week in a row, Mr. Murphy’s campaign continues to run advertising in our programming with his new ad airing yesterday at 10:30 p.m. on USA during Monday Night Raw. While the past political rhetoric has been unjust, it pleases us to know that Mr. Murphy recognizes that WWE’s TV programming is a highly effective way to reach families and voters in Connecticut.”
– During Raw Monday, former WWE performer Maria Kanellis praised her former employer’s anti-bullying efforts with “be a STAR.” She tweeted, “I really love everything @wwe does with #BeASTAR.”
A follower of hers deemed WWE’s stance against bullying hypocritical considering that many talents have been subject to blistering ridicule by organization higher-ups, both on-air and off: “How can they advocate non-bullying with all the on and off-camera bullying going on in that company?” The former Diva feels that WWE is making an honest effort to make bullying on their part a thing of the past.
“I think that @WWE is changing for the better! They are moving in a great direction and it’s exciting. #BeASTAR,” she responded.
– WWE.com erroneously labeled Eve as Divas Champion in their main page write-up of Kaitlyn becoming the No. 1 Contender to the title on Raw. The website wrote, “In a No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal on Raw, Kaitlyn outlasted all of her competitors and eliminated Eve to become the new No. 1 contender to Divas Champion Eve.” Click here to view a screenshot of the error, which has since been corrected.
Meanwhile, Natalya was not pleased with the match result. She tweeted, “I’m not happy for @KaitlynWWE – she didn’t deserve to win tonight. It was a complete fluke. Everyone, ESP @EveMarieTorres knows this!”
– As fans lined up outside the American Airlines Center for Raw, a WWE crew member said Daniel Bryan would debut a new T-Shirt this Sunday at SummerSlam. He surveyed fans on four shirt designs and asked them to pick the one they like.
– Two matches were taped Monday night in Dallas, Texas for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty
* Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre
According to a fan account, Curtis debuted a new look in his match.
No dark match was held before the taping.
– Following her victory over Beth Phoenix and Eve on Raw, Kaitlyn posted a Tout of Layla gearing up the Texas native for her match against Eve on SmackDown. A position in SmackDown General Manager Booker T’s administration will be on the line when they fight.
– Three matches were taped Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars: Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater, WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Natalya and Justin Gabriel vs. Cody Rhodes.
In a pre-taping dark match, Brodus Clay squashed a local wrestler whose name was not announced.
– WWE will hold a SmackDown taping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Consol Energy Center on December 18.
– Trish Stratus will appear at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival on August 11 in Bowmanville, Ontario. The festival boasts a star-studded line-up of over thirty country music artists including Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Alabama, and Big and Rich. Additional details are available here.
– After AJ decided not to marry Daniel Bryan on Raw, it was revealed she accepted a proposal from Vince McMahon to become the new permanent Raw General Manager. She stated on Twitter Tuesday evening that she has big things planned.
“Big meetings this week at WWE HQ. Things are about to get VERY interesting. #Raw1001 #businesschucks.”
– Two matches were taped Tuesday night in Kansas City, Missouri for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars: Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre and WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Natalya.
In dark match results, Zack Ryder defeated Heath Slater via Rough Ryder while Jey and Jimmy Uso beat Camacho and Hunico. Both Usos hit Hunico with the Superfly Splash for the pinfall victory.
– Former WWE Superstar Headbanger Mosh weighed in on Monday’s landmark Raw episode via Twitter: “Thought #RAW1000 was pretty good (from what I saw) only thing missing was @steveaustinBSR.”