— WWE has filed a new trademark for the phrase “Fear My Name.”
— Despite Mark Henry’s injury (and the fact that WWE took the World Heavyweight title off him because he can’t wrestle), he’s still being advertised for Friday’s SmackDown and next Friday’s SmackDown live event at the Izod Center in New Jersey.
The main event for that show is scheduled to be Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. For the full card, visit Meadowlands.com.
— R-Truth, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension due to his first violation of WWE’s Wellnness policy, is back on the active roster as of tomorrow, 12/22.
— To update Mark Henry’s health and why he dropped the World Heavyweight title last night months earlier than originally planned, Henry’s injury is either a severely pulled groin or a torn hamstring. Henry’s situation is so bad that he was in no condition to perform last last night but they needed to get the belt off of him.
– Daniel Bryan wrote the following on Twitter regarding his title win at TLC:
“Six years ago CM Punk and I wrestled a 45 minute match in Florida in front of probably 36 people. It’s fun watching us pretend to be superstars when we’re really just a couple of Indy schmucks.”
– Gabe Sapolsky commented on Daniel Bryan’s World Heavyweight title win at TLC:
“I think a boundary was broken last night by two remarkable athletes and people. This just validates that the best talent and the new generation of stars can come from the independent wrestling scene. I believe we have today’s new stars in Dragon Gate USA and Evolve. the new Punks and Bryans are at the top of their game in each promotion.” Give it a shot and enjoy the ride to the top of WWE. Congrats to Punk and Bryan. they both deserve this and worked hard for it.”
– Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez got a ton of respect backstage at TLC for the insane bump he took off the top of a ladder through a table outside the ring. Mick Foley, known for taking a bump or two in his day, commented on the impressive stunt:
“Hope @RRWWE is feeling ok today..for real. Ricardo, that was one HECK of a bump, my friend! Worried about that mustard stain on the tux, too.”
– Friday’s edition of SmackDown drew a 1.99 rating with 2,881,000 viewers.
The reason why WWE decided to take the World Heavyweight title off Mark Henry at Sunday’s TLC PPV is because Mark Henry is legitimately hurt.
Henry suffered what’s being described as a pulled groin, which he reportedly suffered during his match against John Cena on Raw last week.
After having the injury evaluated, it turned out to be more serious than originally thought.
The majority of WWE’s creative team wanted Henry to work a lighter schedule until the injury healed up, however Vince McMahon made the call to end Mark Henry’s title run months earlier than originally planned.
— WWE producer BG James (a/k/a Road Dogg) tweeted on Thursday that World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry was en route to the hospital. He wrote:
“Mark Henry, on his way to hospital.”
After getting a ton of responses from concerned fans, James later clarified that Henry was getting his ankle scoped.
No word yet on when Henry injures his ankle, but at this time, he’s still booked for TLC this Sunday.
— The latest issue of WWE Magazine promotes The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII as both combatants are featured on the cover. The headline reads “WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON: TEAM BRING IT OR TEAM CENATION?”
— Ticketmaster.com’s pre-sale code for the February 13, 2012 Raw SuperShow at Valley View Casino Center is CENA. The pre-sale is ongoing. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Saturday at noon.
WWE’s Vengeance pay-per-view event on October 23, 2011 garnered 130,000 buys overall—70,000 in North America and 60,000 overseas.
With the exception of the disastrous December to Dismember pay-per-view event in 2006, Vengeance is the lowest-selling domestic pay-per-view event in WWE history—dating back to the infancy of pay-per-view in the 1980s.
December to Dismember, which was technically branded as an ECW event, drew 55,000 buys in North America.
Vengeance was headlined by Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match, Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a World Heavyweight Championship Match, and Awesome Truth vs. CM Punk and Triple H.
– WWE officials have been discussing turning World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry babyface again. Henry is in the midst of the biggest push of his career and he’s gotten over huge as an unstoppable heel, but sources expect the face turn to happen sooner than later.
– During an interview with TheState.com, the Big Show spoke about not loving his ring name when it was first pitched to him by Vince McMahon back in 1999. Regarding the “Big Show” name, he said:
“It’s like any nickname you are given as a kid. You don’t really like it at first but the longer it goes on the more you become accustomed to it. I can’t even think of being called anything else now. I am The Big Show.”
– WWE has recently relaxed on their policy about “banned” terms such as “wrestler” and “wrestling.”
Daniel Bryan triumphed in a Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title No. 1 Contender’s Match on SmackDown to earn a shot against Mark Henry in a Steel Cage on next Tuesday’s live holiday episode.
During the opening segment of the show, Bryan emerged to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pin Henry, who had been knocked out cold by Big Show. However, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed him that because The World Strongest Man was injured and not “medically cleared” to compete, the pin was invalid.
The winner of this Tuesday’s World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match will defend the strap against Big Show at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, which takes place December 18, 2011 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
— Mick Foley will host next Tuesday’s live WWE SmackDown episode on Syfy. The official website of the Time Warner Cable Arena website is billing the episode as a “Smackdown Live Holiday Special.”
The website is also advertising a Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Mark Henry and Randy Orton. Booker T will be the special guest referee. This will likely be a post-broadcast dark match.
— Epico, who has been competing on SmackDown since debuting on the November 4, 2011 episode, is now listed a member of the Raw roster on WWE.com. Epico and Primo beat Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil in a dark match at last night’s Raw SuperShow in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The two cousins were accompanied by SmackDown Diva Rosa Mendes.
— Arn Anderson has been added to K & S Wrestlefest, which takes place Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport 76 Industrial Hwy. Essington, Pennsylvania.
Here are some highlights of what Big Show recently spoke about during an interview CTPost.com:
Mark Henry: “He has really come into his own and stepped up his level of intensity. When you’re in the ring with him, you feel how powerful he is. I’m not embarrassed to say Mark is stronger than I am. “When I’m in the ring with someone who has a real potential to crush my spine, it increases my intensity level. Mark makes me push myself athletically.”
Dark Match Main Events at TV Tapings: “We do a great job putting out our TV product, but for fans in specific market areas, we like to give them something extra. It’s a reward for people for showing their support and coming out.”
His Career: “I’ve never been that kind of guy to talk about great matches or bad matches. What happened yesterday is what happened yesterday. I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in this business. And yeah, I’ve been around a long time and done a lot of cool things. But I just try to stay humble and keep working hard.”
“I enjoy what I do so much, but I don’t want to celebrate. If I keep my head down keep pushing, maybe nobody will notice I’ve been around so long.”
— WWE.com has announced that Daniel Bryan will face World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
The synopsis reads: “After nearly cashing in last week, Daniel Bryan will face Mark Henry this Friday on SmackDown. Can he survive another encounter with the World Heavyweight Champion?”
— Former WWE Divas Champion Jillian Hall filmed a “shoot” interview last Saturday for RF Video where she discussed her career and what she witnessed backstage while working for WWE.
— Jimmy and Jey Uso discuss their new entrance theme, “So Close Now,” in an article published on WWE.com. David Dallas, the artist who performs The Usos’ new entrance theme, hails from New Zealand but is also of Samoan descent.
The Usos say, “It’s an honor. The Usos are young and rising WWE Superstars, like David Dallas who is a young rising rap artist. We both represent our heritage in two totally different ways.”
— WWE.com has announced that Daniel Bryan will face the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania XXVIII. There is also a poll asking visitors who Bryan should cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase against—Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Sheamus or Sin Cara.
— WWE recently asked fans to help name a program looking back at the “Monday Night War” for their soon to be launched WWE Network. WWE has since registered a trademark for “The Monday Night War,” which was one of the poll options.
— WWE will hold a live event at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
— As per Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis, if CM Punk can defeat World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, he’ll face Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series.
Laurinaitis stated to WWE.com: “After giving this CM Punk situation serious consideration, I’ve reached a decision. In my deliberations as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Raw, I concluded that although Punk is extremely talented, he has lost several matches recently. As a result, I’ve decided that he must prove he’s worthy of a WWE Title opportunity. This Monday night, Punk must compete against World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. If Punk wins, he will face Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series. I wish both men a good match.”
— Former WWE talent Marty Wright (a/k/a The Boogeyman) is reportedly persuading WWE colleagues for a cameo appearance on Monday’s Halloween themed Raw SuperShow. He remains in good shape at 47 years old and has continued to appear in character since parting ways with the organization in 2009.
– WWE announcer Booker T is expected to return to the ring very soon. The latest word is that Booker T will soon begin a feud with Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes that will lead to a match between the two men.
Aside from Booker’s desire to wrestle again, WWE sees Booker’s return to the ring as a chance to promote their upcoming King of the Ring DVD set, which Booker is hosting.
– In an update from last night, the CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio WWE Title Match at Survivor Series is not official yet. The storyline is that John Laurinaitis will either make the match official or scrap it before next week’s RAW.
– WWE has been teasing the follow-up to Mark Henry and Big Show collapsing the ring at Vengeance for this week’s SmackDown, where the entire RAW roster is booked.
WWE’s website noted that Henry and Show suffered muscle and ligament strains when the ring broke on Sunday. A WWE doctor was quoted in the article, saying they should be back soon.
— Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas is being touted as a SuperShow as Superstars from both brands are slated to appear. The following matches are advertised for the event:
* Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
* Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship
* Raw vs. SmackDown Battle Royal featuring 41 Superstars
— The term “WE HATE CENA” trended Monday night on Twitter. Prior to his Last Standing Match at Vengeance, Cena walked up to a fan at ringside wearing a “We Hate Cena” T-shirt.
— Rhyno is advertised for an autograph signing on December 3 at the LaSalle Knights of Columbus 209 Gooding St. LaSalle, Illinois. Visit www.dreamwavewrestling.com for more information.
The WWE website has posted an article about the Great Khali, who has reportedly suffered a fractured fibula at the hands Heavyweight champion Mark Henry on Friday’s SmackDown:
“Dr. Michael Sampson confirmed the devastating injury to The Punjabi Giant and that the fracture was very similar to the injuries suffered by both Big Show and Kane at the hands of The World’s Strongest Champion.”
“The injury occurred moments after Mark Henry impressively secured a victory against The Great Khali following the World’s Strongest Slam. Wrapping a steel chair around the Punjabi Superstar’s leg, Henry ascended the ropes and brought all of his weight down on his opponent’s leg. Writhing in pain and unable to stand on his own, the fallen giant was tended to by medical technicians and taken out of the arena on a cart.”
The storyline storyline injury will keep Khali off television for several weeks.
— Jim Ross expects Jerry Lawler to return to television next week after being slammed through the announce table by Mark Henry on last week’s Raw SuperShow. He wrote today on Twitter, “1. I expect king back for Raw & ‘perhaps’ HIAC..TBD.”
He also addressed Michael Cole’s statement on last night’s show that Lawler suffered anal bleeding as a result of the attack.
“The ‘anus’ line was Cole being cute therefore no anus updates are coming from me,” Ross explained.
— CM Punk discusses his expectations for his triple threat encounter this Sunday at Hell in a Cell.
— The September 24 episode of A.M. Raw scored a 1.02 cable rating, with 1,172,000 viewers.
— Two additional matches have been announced for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view:
* Christian vs. Sheamus
* Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship
Also announced for the show are Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship.
— WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on Raw that Christian would face Randy Orton on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
— WWE has had discussions of Booker T coming back to wrestle in a short program on SmackDown against an undisclosed opponent.
Booker T has competed in one match since assuming the SmackDown color commentator position in February. On the June 6 episode of Raw, Booker wrestled his first singles match for the organization in four years, gaining a victory over Jack Swagger via count out.
— Randy Orton’s gruesome post-match attack on Cody Rhodes on this week’s episode of SmackDown was eliminated from airings in the U.K. After The Viper strikes Rhodes with a rope-hung DDT, the international broadcast cuts to a backstage segment with Christian and Sheamus.
— WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes is scheduled to appear at Sunday’s WWE SuperShow in Lubbock, Texas. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton are the top advertised matches.
— Matches scheduled to air on tonight’s episode of SmackDown are as follows:
* Sheamus vs. Heath Slater
* Justin Gabriel vs. Wade Barrett
* A.J. and Kaitlyn vs. Beth Phoenix and Natalya
* Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
* The Great Khali vs. Jinder Mahal
* Daniel Bryan vs. Sin Cara
* Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston vs. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso
* Mark Henry defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Christian in a Lumberjack Match
— The Miz announced this afternoon on Twitter that he has launched a YouTube Channel. He posted a video of his first words about being fired by WWE, which was filmed Wednesday during his new Sirius XM Radio show, First and Awesome.
— After R-Truth and The Miz were fired on this week’s episode of WWE Raw SuperShow, WWE.com transferred their respective profiles to the Alumni section.
Steve Austin spoke to Power Slam to promote his latest movie, Tactical Force. The discussion turns to present-day WWE and he is asked to name which wrestlers he believes can evolve into “money-drawing players” for the sports-entertainment organization. CM Punk heads the top of the list.
“Well, I love CM Punk. That guy is already a star, and he’s just breathed a much-needed breath of fresh air into the wrestling business,” Austin said. “He’s been working for over ten years. I’m a big fan of his—love his skills, love his promos.”
The WWE Hall of Famer then mentions Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan and the current Superstar most often compared to him, Randy Orton. Austin, however, feels “The Viper” still needs to work on his character and promo ability.
“Of the other guys, I’m still waiting for Wade Barrett to grab me by the throat and let me know who Wade Barrett is. Daniel Bryan could continue to move up the card,” Austin said. “I’m interested to see where Randy Orton goes next. His promos need work, and right now, he’s a little one-dimensional. The crowds are digging him, but there’s still another step on the ladder for him to climb to.
Austin also feels that Alberto Del Rio needs to work on his promos.
“Alberto Del Rio reminds me of Gino Hernandez from the old [Dallas] Sportatorium. [He is] another one who needs to work on his promos-I don’t like them worth a shit right now-but he has great ability,” said Stone Cold.
“He just needs to add a few pieces to the puzzle.”
Austin is also high on two SmackDown talents, including the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion.
“Christian is a hell of a performer in the ring, and he’s just had a hell of a run. He’s recently added a few exclamation points to his work and his promo style-but, again, there’s at least one more level for him to step up,” he feels.
“Mark Henry has finally put the pieces together. His Money in the Bank match with Big Show was not a great match in the ring. But I love the intensity Mark is putting into his work recently. This persona is really an extension of himself: he’s a big, mean, strong man, and they are presenting that well.”
– Mick Foley teased during Monday’s Raw Superstar that he would appear at Hell in a Cell. He wrote on Twitter,
“Maybe I’ll show Jackman how it’s done when I show up as the secret guest ref in the Hell in a Cell, RIGHT there in New Orleans, Louisiana!”
He later acknowledged that his message was merely a joke:
“Ooops, pulled a Weiner there – that was supposed to be a DM to @michaelcole ! Just completely ignore my last message! Thanks for a fun Raw everyone – started 5 new rumors.”
– Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at Wright State University’s Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio drew a poor crowd as the entire side of the arena that WWE cameras were shooting from was completely tarped off. This is the second SmackDown taping in three weeks to garner lackluster attendance; almost all of the camera side for the September 6 event at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio was tarped off.
– The SmackDown live event for Sunday, November 13 in Lisbon, Portugal has been canceled. Meanwhile, matches pitting Mark Henry against Randy Orton are being advertised for the European tour.
– We reported earlier that Jerry Lawler Was Injured By Mark Henry On RAW following a Worlds Strongest Slam through the announcers table at ringside. World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry was reportedly very upset after the incident.
– Hugh Jackman was said to be a big hit in the WWE locker room on Monday night. Jackman was a big WWE fan back in the 1980’s and marked out big time for WWE producer Steve Lombardi, formerly the Brooklyn Brawler.
– WWE announced on Monday that Disney’s The Muppets Are Appearing On WWE RAW on Halloween night – and there’s said to be a lot of excitement among the WWE crew over it.
– Former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio had the second shortest title reign of a Money in the Bank winner, at just 35 days. Rob Van Dam had the shortest reign – with just 22 days back in the summer of 2006.
