WWE.com spoke to many of the Superstars who competed at Sunday’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view shortly after their matches. Here are some highlights of what they said:
– World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio said his match against Jack Swagger was the hardest match of his career. Zeb Colter said he and Jack Swagger are not finished with Del Rio. Del Rio and Swagger are rumored to be facing each other again at Extreme Rules in a submission match.
– Following his impressive win over Ryback. Mark Henry says he has a lot more respect for him after taking the Shellshocked. That said – “somebody’s going to get their ass kicked” and he has more to feed Ryback.
– Fandango did not have much to say after his WWE debut win over Chris Jericho, but wrote “10? on a piece of paper and said that’s how he’s feeling right now.
– New Intercontinental Champion The Miz was greeted by members of the New Jersey National Guard after returning backstage and dedicated his win to his awesome “Mizfits.”
– The Shield posted a handheld video after their win over Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show, saying that justice was served.
New York City’s Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg got exclusive interviews with several WWE Superstars at this week’s WrestleMania 29 media press conference, including John Cena, CM Punk, The Rock and Mark Henry.
All of them have big expectations for this weekend’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view – and CM Punk has a special message for us “smart” fans.
– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is said to be a huge fan of Fandango’s new character, which is the reason we’ve seen him get such a strong push in recent weeks. The match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29 is designed to further get Fandango over – since a loss won’t hurt Jericho but a win for the newcomer at the WWE’s biggest show of the year would establish him as a strong mid-card player.
– Regarding Jericho’s WWE status, the two sides are talking about what his role with the company will be in the coming months. The situation remains that Jericho likes working with WWE as long as he has the freedom to pursue outside projects like his band Fozzy, the Robot Combat League and other TV hosting gigs.
– There has also been talk about Mark Henry leaving WWE after WrestleMania 29. Word now is that WWE and Henry are on the same page. Officials are very happy with Henry’s work since returning and he will most likely staying with the company.
– WWE.com has an article up announcing that both Mark Henry and Ryback broke the NFL Combine record for the 225-pound bench press at Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown taping from Hershey, PA. Visit the WWE.com link to find out who won the competition between the two WrestleMania opponents.
– The following matches will take place on tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event:
US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Kane (Non-Title Match)
– WWE posted the following Tout video of Mark Henry responding to Ryback “upstaging” him on RAW by destroying 3 opponents (3MB) when Henry only took out 2 (The Usos):
– Following an injury scare at Saturday night’s WWE live event, Mark Henry competed in his scheduled match against Kane at Sunday night’s WWE live event in Baltimore, MD.
– Former WWE Diva Chyna, who now lives in Japan teaching English classes, tweeted over the weekend that she is on good terms with WWE and recently spoke to Vince McMahon about a possible Hall of Fame induction in the future:
Waco, Texas high school senior Andrew Billings has broken Mark Henry’s state power lifting record. Billings lifted 2,010 pounds – including a squat at 805 pounds, a 500-pound bench press and 705 pound dead lift.
Henry’s record stood for 22 years until this weekend.
Billings is only 18 years old and will be play football at Baylor starting next year.
– WWE recently registered trademarks for the phrases “Rockpocalpse” and “1-800-Fella”.
– At Saturday night’s WWE SmackDown house show event in Norfolk, VA, Mark Henry appeared to have injured his leg or knee in his match against Kane. During the match, Mark Henry went down and the referee held up the “X” signal, pointing to Henry’s knee. Right after Henry’s injury, they quickly ended the match, with Kane grabbing a chair and hitting Henry with it. Henry was helped to the back by WWE officials.
WWE superstar Mark Henry was interviewed Power 92.3 in Little Rock, Arkansas to promote Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
The WWE Locker Room’s Reaction To The Rock:
“Rock is a great talent, but nobody’s taking pictures and asking for autographs. He’s a wonderful talent, he’s one of us, we respect him [and] he respects what we do. We just go about it and try to take advantage of the situation. He’s one of those that’s recognizable in many realms, and we appreciate him for coming back and still loving what we do and doing what he calls home.”
When He Plans On Retiring From WWE:
“When I retire there’s a lot of stuff I’m gonna do. [Right now] It’s all about wrestling, it’s all about performing, doing what I do best. [It’s about] extending my legacy and making it to when I look back I can’t say I didn’t do enough, I didn’t put in my due diligence… I’m enjoying it and reaping the benefits from it as well, but there’s gonna come a time when the wheels on the bus are gonna stop rolling.”
Another World Title Run & Sunday’s Elimination Chamber Match:
“I see one. I don’t think that there’s any question. No guy in there [Elimination Chamber] is gonna beat me. That’s just the way it is.”
Who He Would Wrestle If He Could Face Anybody From Any Era:
“I would have loved to have faced Andre The Giant or Hulk Hogan. Maybe Ernie Ladd… Gorgeous George. It’s a few guys that I go back and I look at their legacies and they never faced nobody like me. It’s not only a challenge for them, but it’s a challenge for me. I would have to put aside that I idolized them and do what I have to do.”
– Poor Zack Ryder. With WrestleMania 29 approaching, the Long Island Broski seems to have given up hope that he’ll get a match on the show. He tweeted this week:
“I can’t wait to order my new gear for WrestleMania……Axxess.”
– World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio will wrestle Dolph Ziggler on tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event on Ion. Here’s what both men had to say about the match:
Del Rio: “We had an spectacular #MainEvent and #SmackDown show here in Little Rock,Arkansas. You guys were amazing. Thanks. And don’t miss #mainevent this Wednesday you’ll see one of the best matches ever on the show!! WHC Alberto Del Rio vs Ziggler”
Ziggler: “I’d hate to have to follow my match on #MainEvent (wednesday night on @IONtv) or any of my matches #ZigglersBetter”
– Mark Henry did an interview with Power 92.3 in Little Rock, Arkansas on Tuesday:
– WWE.com has published a photo gallery of R-Truth’s recent promotional tour of Qatar.
– World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio tweeted the following on Monday afternoon hyping his match with the Big Show this Sunday at WWE Elimination Chamber:
This time is not about destiny,it's about pride and respect,@wwebigshow doesn't stand a chance this Sunday at #WWECHAMBER in NOLA ADR/WHC
– Mark Henry tweeted the following about his plan to win the SmackDown brand’s Elimination Chamber match this weekend and challenge the World Heavyweight champion at WrestleMania:
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Jacksonville, Florida, Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to earn a spot in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match at the upcoming pay-per-view.
The participants for the match now include Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan. Two more Superstars will be decided in the coming weeks, with the winner facing the World Heavyweight champion at WrestleMania 29.
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Jacksonville, Florida. Here are the results:
* Big Show is shown arriving on his bus. He comes to the ring and talks about how Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez are suspended. Big Show says the recent events between he and Del Rio are Booker T’s fault, which brings out the SmackDown GM. Booker announcers Big Show vs. Kane for tonight.
* Cody Rhodes defeated Kofi Kingston.
* The Great Khali defeated Titus O’Neil.
* Mark Henry came out and destroys Khali, which the crowd loved. Henry announces the Hall of Pain is back and he wants a spot in the SmackDown brand’s Elimination Chamber match. Booker came out and announced Henry vs. Randy Orton.
* Big Show defeated Kane in a quick match.
* Alberto Del Rio is shown outside in the parking lot, where he’s taken the wheels off Show’s tour bus. Show ran out to the parking lot but gets a bunch of paint dropped on top of him from the roof. Del Rio laughed and drove off.
* Jack Swagger squashed Justin Gabriel.
* Tensai beat Drew McIntyre by DQ when 3MB attacked him. Brodus Clay made the save for Tensai.
* Antonio Cesaro beat Sin Cara.
* Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.
– Kofi Kingston will be appearing at the National Guard Gala in Washington, DC on February 26th at 6pm.
– Zack Ryder’s “Hoeski” single broke the Top 100 Pop chart on iTunes the first day it was released. The song, which sells for $1.29, currently has a 4.5/5 star rating. Various WWE superstars, including John Cena, have been encouraging fans on Twitter to download the song.
– Tamina Snukka spoke to Matt Striker backstage at Monday’s RAW for the WWE app and said last week’s Vegas Showgirls match was a joke. Tamina added that she’s not our average Diva and that WWE has a huge problem. Tamina said next time she’s one-on-one with Kaitlyn, she’s going to make a statement.
– Following his return to WWE on RAW, Mark Henry spoke to WWE.com and says he’s charged up and ready to make his mark on the WWE Universe again. Henry said he’s been beating people up for 17 years and anybody that gets in the ring with him will be destroyed.
– Mark Henry made his return on tonight’s WWE RAW from Atlanta. Henry laid out Daniel Bryan at ringside before beating up Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in the ring.
– The following matches were for this week’s WWE Superstars taped prior to Monday’s RAW from Atlanta, Georgia:
* Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater
* Justin Gabriel vs. Damien Sandow
– Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan were confirmed for the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match on Monday’s RAW. The winner will face the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 29.
– Chris Jericho was hidden in a bus outside until his entrance. Word backstage was that a deal was quietly made for him to work the show when WWE reached out to him for RAW. No word yet on his future with the company.
– Surprise entrants besides Chris Jericho in the 2013 Royal Rumble match were Goldust and The Godfather. Santino Marella also returned from injury in the match.
– Shelton Benjamin and Carlito did not return in the Rumble match, despite previous reports. PWInsider reports that the two ended up being booked at the same hotel WWE used because they were in town for an indy show.
– Mark Henry was also backstage. WWE had plans in place for him to return but that didn’t happen.
– Regarding The Godfather, he quietly drove from Las Vegas to Phoenix to hide from fans staked out at the airports. Godfather arrived Sunday afternoon and checked into the WWE hotel before going to the arena.
– Ted DiBiase was backstage at the Rumble and should be returning from a hand injury soon.
Mark Henry has been spotted in Phoenix, Arizona at the hotel where the WWE superstars are staying. Henry has been out of action with an injury since the spring of 2012 and it’s unknown at this time if he’ll be returning tonight or if he’s just visiting.
Speaking of Mark Henry, he spoke to Eurosport Turkey last week to promote tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble. Here are some highlights:
– His WWE contract runs through Wrestlemania 29.
– He said he “thinks” he’ll be cleared to wrestle by the Rumble, but doesn’t know if he’ll be used.
– He said Mick Foley and Bob Backlund are very underrated and deserved to be in the WWE Hall of Fame a long time ago.
– The best wrestler in WWE is CM Punk, followed by John Cena and Big Show. He said after them there’s a group of 10 or wrestlers who are right on the cups to that top tier, such as Sheamus, Ryback, Daniel Bryan, himself, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and Christian.
– He said his favorite WWE theme music CM Punk’s. His least favorite is Sheamus’ theme.
– Mark Henry noted on Twitter that he’s currently in Istanbul, Turkey. He is there doing promotional work for WWE.
– Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona is totally sold out. WWE reportedly informed talent this week that there would be no comp tickets given out due to the packed house. This is yet another sign that WWE’s business is up since The Rock returned to television.
– WWEDVDNews.com has released the official synopsis for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 29 DVD:
“It only happens once a year, and in 2013, The Showcase of the Immortals comes to the greater New York City area for WrestleMania XXIX! From MetLife Stadium, the biggest stars in WWE and several returning legends compete on sports entertainment’s grandest stage. Last year, fans witnessed The Rock defeat John Cena in one of the most epic matches of all time. Will the People’s Champ bring it to WrestleMania for the second year in a row? Will Undertaker build on his incomparable legacy by extending his winning streak to 21-0, and is there a brave soul willing to challenge him? Plus, CM Punk, Big Show, Triple H, Sheamus, and several major Superstars strive to cement their legacies and create moments that will own a permanent place in WWE lore.”
– Both Mark Henry and Christian are expected to return to WWE soon. Henry’s status is more up in the air, while Christian should be back by the end of the month.
– As we’ve seen in recent years, WWE has a few surprises planned for the Royal Rumble match. The company typically contacts two or three veterans to come in for special appearances. Additionally, there are several former WWE superstars that are now free agents that are rumored to be returning to the company, as well as injured performers like Mark Henry that are due back any time now.
We reported earlier this week that Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars and Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn (Lumberjill Match) are rumored for the show. Another title match that could be added is US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz.
– WWE Champion CM Punk appeared on Chris Hardwick’s podcast at Nerdist.com and spoke about his recent knee surgery, saying he doesn’t want to ever undergo surgery again. He said his stitches are out and he’s now doing physical therapy to get himself back into ring shape. Punk also made fun of WWE fans that love to complain about the product but still watch the shows obsessively. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If WWE Is Exploiting Jerry Lawler’s Heart Attack: “Lawler ran Memphis for years and years and years. If this was still Memphis, if we weren’t PG, I would have been claiming I killed Jerry Lawler with a heart punch. He would have been all over that and we would have built for some big CM Punk – Jerry Lawler cage match or something like that.
“People nowadays think that we exploited the heart attack. Yeah, of course we did, look [at] what we do.”
Where WWE Draws The Line: “That was a serious deal, I mean the guy did have a heart attack at ringside doing commentary right after I got done wrestling him… Everybody thought that was it, that was the last we were going to see of him. If it was a planned thing, I don’t think anything’s too silly. I think that if you don’t plan on going too far in a lot of ways in life, then you’re not going to go far.”
If Wrestlers Have To Constantly Turn Heel/Face To Stay Fresh: “You have to evolve, it’s just evolution of your character. I don’t think there’s been anybody who’s been on TV doing the same thing for a sustainable amount of years. I think the average career in WWE is like three years maybe? There’s a big turnaround.
“The guys who I think make it to the top and stay there are the ones who constantly evolve their character, and it’s not necessarily flipping from good to bad. There’s just changes, you know what I mean? The perfect example would be a guy like The Undertaker. He was like this total cartoon character when he started, he was essentially a zombie, that was the whole reason why I thought he was cool. He’s been here for over 20 years, he couldn’t have been that same guy that debuted in 1991 or whatever for 20 years. He evolved… You gotta evolve.”
Punk also discussed why he got into wrestling, his apartment, being a nerd growing up, his tattoos, his father being an alcoholic and much more.
– WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross praised Bill Goldberg on Twitter, saying that he’s still a fan and has much respect for the former WWE & WCW star. Goldberg responded to JR, tweeting:
@JRsBBQ I always liked you for some strange Okie reason!!..Happy Holidays!!
Ross responded back, saying, wishing “Best to the Goldberg’s!”
– Mark Henry tweeted a video (view here) on Twitter with the caption, “Not ready but feeling like a beast.” In the video, Henry says he’s down in Tampa “working” (presumably at WWE’s developmental facility), which means it’s a good day for him – and a bad day for everyone else.
WWE superstar Mark Henry is calling “BS” on a report from the Wrestling News World website stating that he could be returning to WWE television at any moment.
WNW’s Richard Gray reported last week:
“We can confirm Henry has been cleared to return to the ring and has been pitched in recent main event creative plans. We do not have a timetable for his in-ring return but it’s possible to happen at any moment.”
Henry, who underwent surgery back in May, says the report is bogus and he might not ever return. He tweeted late Sunday night:
“This is bullsh*t. Truth is whoever wrote don’t (know) a damn thing. There is a chance I won’t come back. I have not been cleared yet.”
The tweet was later deleted. Henry has stated in recent interviews that he’s been dropping weight and getting into great physical shape in the event that he does return to WWE, but it’s far from imminent.
– This week on WWE Superstars, Zack Ryder comes up short to Tensai in their one-on-one encounter. The match concludes with the former Prince Albert catching Ryder on his Rough Ryder attempt and slamming him with the Chokebomb, then hitting the Running senton to capture the victory. It is Tensai’s first victory since the October 18 episode of WWE Superstars.
Brodus Clay also takes on David Otunga on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars.
– WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele is writing an autobiography, entitled Animal. The book is scheduled for released next spring and WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bill Watts will be writing the foreword.
– Mark Henry is featured in the “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.. “The World’s Strongest Man” has been sidelined since May after undergoing shoulder surgery.
– WWE has released a special magazine chronicling 2012 in photos.
– WWE Diva Rosa Mendes left the WWE RAW crew this week to work on SmackDown alongside Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown, however she was back with Primo and Epico for Wednesday’s RAW live event in Belfast, North Ireland.
– Here are some injury updates on the following WWE Superstars, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
* Mark Henry’s recovery from shoulder surgery is going well and it’s believed he’ll be back in action before the end of the year.
* Christian also had shoulder surgery several months ago and will be back in action either at the end of this month or in December.
* Hunico is scheduled to return by the end of January after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL.
* Evan Bourne should healthy to return in early spring after undergoing surgeries on his arm and foot this year.