– 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.
– WWE.com has a a feature up looking at the 20 “Meanest Grinches.”
– As previously reported, JBL and Michael Cole will be taping their new online show this Sunday at the Barclays Center, the site of WWE’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. Fans who show up with clever signs have a chance to win tickets to the show. Cole tweeted on Friday:
“Don’t forget @JCLayfield and I taping jbl and cole show Sunday at 330 outside Barclays! Best sign wins two tickets to TLC!”
– Here’s episode 96 of Zack Ryder’s “Z! True Long Island Story” Youtube show:
– JBL and Michael Cole filmed another episode of “The JBL & Cole Show” prior to Sunday’s Tribute to The Troops tapings. Their special guest was rapper Flo Rida. JBL tweeted a picture of himself interviewing Flo Rida, which you can view here.
– 3MB says they will deliver a “State of WWE” address tonight on RAW. They tweeted on Sunday night:
Heath Slater: “#3MB State of Address tomorrow night. Stick by your Tv, Twitter and Tout. We have a lot to talk about. #3MB #3MB #3MB”
Drew McIntyre: “There are some real issues that must be tackled and #3MB are take it upon our enlightened shoulders to speak the truth.Tomorrow=state of WWE”
Jinder Mahal: “#3MB state of address will be presented to the universe tmrw. Stay tuned for more details.”
– Jey and Jimmy Uso have their sights set on making history in WWE. Saturday on Twitter, the twin duo vowed, “We will be the first brothers to hold separate titles and Tag titles at the same time!! Mark our words!!! #HISTORY #USOOO.”
– WWE will tape its annual Tribute to the Troops event tonight in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena. Free tickets are available for active members of the military.
– On the latest episode of the “JBL and Michael Cole Show,” John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Michael Cole disown professional sports. The synopsis reads, “Watch the latest episode of the hilarious, new “JBL & Cole Show,” as “The Wrestling God” and one of the most outspoken announcers in WWE history lay down their views on the worst owners in professional sports and the Tout of the week – featuring a certain cowboy-hat-wearing former WWE Champion!”
E!’S “THE SOUP” CELEBRATES WWE IN A SPECIAL EPISODE PREMIERING ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST
Following A Regularly Scheduled Episode at 10pm, “The Soup” Host Joel McHale Welcomes WWE’s Biggest Superstars For A No-Holds-Barred Special Salute to WWE at 10:30pm
Los Angeles, CA, November 19, 2012 – Just in time for Thanksgiving, E!’s “The Soup” is serving up a special night filled with not one, but two brand new episodes on Wednesday, November 21st!
Starting at 10pm ET/PT, Joel McHale presents a fresh new episode of “The Soup” with his tongue-in-cheek humor audiences have grown to love. As if that weren’t enough, immediately following at 10:30pm ET/PT, Joel welcomes to the set some of WWE’s most popular Superstars and Divas including The Miz, Eve Torres, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan and Hornswoggle, along with the legendary announcers Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler for the special episode, ” The Soup Salutes WWE- Pile Driving Clips in your Face.”
CHECK OUT A SNEAK PEEK FEATURING JOEL MCHALE, THE MIZ, EVE TORRES AND HORNSWOGGLE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AecKn9Qj_TM
Complete with plenty of pec bouncing, “The Soup Salutes WWE- Pile Driving Clips in your Face” delivers the most hilarious WWE moments and themed clips. From David Hasselhoff engaging in creepy conversation with the WWE Divas and Hulk Hogan doggy-paddling Donald Trump to safety, to more ‘sober’ fist pumping on “Jersey Shore” and classy romance on “Love Games,” this special episode continues the tradition of presenting the “best” of the funniest moments in television. Plus, “The Soup” cameras follow as some of the WWE Superstars stop by the “Fashion Police” set to give Joan and Melissa Rivers a run for their money!
So, grab a chair and tune in to a night of “The Soup,” November 21st beginning at 10pm ET/PT, only on E!
– With all the talk of Wade Barrett wanting WWE to bring a pay-per-view event back to the UK’s Wembley Stadium, we can confirm that WWE officials have been meeting with representatives from several major stadiums (75,000+) in the UK about holding a major show there.
WWE recently met with representatives from a stadium in London as well as Manchester’s Old Trafford soccer stadium. On Friday, WWE will meet with officials from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
– Michael Cole tweeted the following message about JBL returning to WWE full time as an announcer:
Congrats to @JCLayfield for his return! Look forward to the sparring. Surprised you could drag yourself off golf course!
As Sheamus was making his ring entrance for his match against CM Punk on Raw Monday, WWE broadcaster and mouthpiece Michael Cole acknowledged WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Twitter remark to the WWE Champion on Saturday by taking it out of context.
“Go get em, kid. Always be a student of the game and keep working hard. Safe travels. #respect from the #BSR,” Austin wrote.
The statement was in response to Sheamus positively acknowledging Austin’s critical remarks regarding his performance level in a recent column for Fighting Spirit Magazine. The SmackDown wrestler tweeted, “Appreciate words from @steveaustinBSR – i strive to get better everyday fella & hard work is something i love.. See me bring Hell in a Cell.”
Cole instead branded the exchange as Austin taking the initiative to give the WWE Champion a ringing endorsement on Twitter, and Sheamus responding to it. The WWE Hall of Famer’s critical column remarks were not acknowledged on-air.
In the column, Austin offered his opinion on WWE’s World Titles and said Sheamus is not ready to be World Heavyweight Champion.
“Sheamus is a big talented dude, no doubt about it. Can he get to where the company wants him to go? That remains to be seen, and there’s a lot of work required from both him and the company in order to jump to that superstar level,” Austin wrote. “He’s doing fine for the amount of time he’s been in the business, and there is no disrespect intended, but there are so many aspects that go towards making a guy draw money with the title.”
– One month after suffering a heart during a live episode of Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler spoke to fans at Tuesday’s night WWE television taping in Memphis, Tennessee, in his first live appearance since the ordeal.
Appearing between tapings for Saturday Morning Slam and SmackDown, the legendary wrestler said he hopes to return to the broadcast booth within the next few weeks. The official WWE website announced they will release footage of Michael Cole’s “emotionality-charged” interview with Lawler on Wednesday.
– Mick Foley will be appearing on an upcoming episode of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. He tweeted Wednesday, “Thought I was doing a simple favor for a friend in NYC today, and ended up stumbling into a guest spot on #CelebrityApprentice. Cool, huh?”
– Masked wrestlers were highlighted on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection. The following matches aired on the program: Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Who (WWF Superstars – August 25, 1996), Vader vs. Kane (WWF Over the Edge – May 31, 1998), Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Blitzkrieg (WCW Monday Nitro – February 9, 1999), Hardy Boyz vs. Los Conquistadors (WWF No Mercy – October 22, 2000), Los Conquistadors vs. Edge (WWF Raw is War – October 23, 2000).
– John “Bradshaw” Layfield released a Tout message this morning stating that he will not commentate Raw tonight. He will, however, be on hand for tomorrow’s SmackDown taping in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Playing golf today in East Texas, won’t be at Raw tonight. Looking forward to watching the show and seeing Jerry Lawler tomorrow in Memphis. Hopefully Michael Cole won’t be there in Memphis for the return of ‘The King’ because last time ‘King’ saw Michael Cole, he had a heart attack,” said Layfield.
– As reported over the weekend, Renee Paquette, an on-air personality for The Score Television Network in Canada has been hired by WWE. She addressed the news on Twitter.
“Thanksfor all of the well wishes! I’m sad to leave amazing people @theScore but very very excited to be joining #wwe #pumped #thankyou”
According to F4WOnline.com, it is rumored that Paquette will be utilized as a backstage interviewer on Raw.
– WWE had camera crews filming Dolph Ziggler during his appearance Saturday at the New York Comic Con.
– Former WWE diva Kelly Kelly is sporting a new hair style and posted a picture of it on Twitter [view here].
– The reported reason JBL did commentary with Josh Matthews on SmackDown this week is because Michael Cole is now the lead announcer for WWE Main Event on Wednesday nights. No word on whether JBL on SmackDown is a longterm thing.
– WWE Saturday Morning Slam has been doing a 0.7 rating each week among the show’s target audience, children 6-11 years old.
– WWE is holding off on signing Ric Flair to a contract until the ongoing lawsuit with TNA is settled. Flair is one of the main people named in the lawsuit with “WWE trying to steal TNA talent” using stolen information from former TNA/WWE employee Brian Wittenstein.
It’s believed that Flair would be back in WWE if it wasn’t for the lawsuit and will eventually be signed.
– Following Jim Ross’ return to commentary in the wake of Jerry Lawler’s recent heart attack, f4online.com reports that Michael Cole has been instructed to play the role of babyface announcer and lay off the Jim Ross insults.
– David Otunga is doing various media appearances today to promote the new WWE Main Event show on Ion, which premieres Wednesday night.
– John Cena tweeted the following update on Tuesday regarding his recovery from surgery:
Two weeks from surgery, swelling is almost under control, bruise is migrating. Im trying my best to get back to #rawhttp://t.co/crmBG9hI
– Jim Ross announced on Twitter Sunday evening that he and Michael Cole will call Monday’s Raw at Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
– The official WWE website has an article looking at seven classic factions and reimagining them with current Superstars and Divas. One dream sequence includes John Cena betraying fans to reform the nWo.
Article writer Kevin Powers states, “Who could possibly comprise the modern incarnation of the most notorious faction of all time? It would take a major betrayal of the WWE Universe akin to Hulk Hogan’s original collusion with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The only Superstar capable of such an impactful move would be none other than John Cena.
“When Hogan deceived WCW, he was as polarized as Cena. Some still loved the classic red and yellow, others were tired of it. Judging by Cena’s reactions in various arenas all over the country, the same can be said for his creed of “hustle, loyalty and respect.” The Cenation leader could eventually just have his fill of “Cena sucks” chants, grab a can of black spray-paint and really give the WWE Universe something to “boo” about.”
Powers recreates the New World Order with Randy Orton and Christian in the role of a veteran tandem similar to The Outsiders, Big Show as a returning member, Michael McGillicutty following in the footsteps of alumnus and father Curt Hennig, David Otunga as a legal adviser, and Michael Cole fulfilling Eric Bischoff’s role as a loud and obnoxious mouthpiece.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke to WWE.com after returning to the announcer’s booth at Monday’s RAW. JR said he wishes he could have returned under different circumstances, but it was great to be back and he enjoyed working with Michael Cole and JBL.
He also said that it’s a miracle Jerry Lawler is alive and if he had suffered the heart attack anywhere else, he would not have made it. JR gave thanks to WWE and Dr. Sampson for their handling of the situation.
Michael Cole tweeted this about JR and JBL calling RAW with him:
Thank you @JRsBBQ it was a blast. @JCLayfield all kidding aside good luck on the climb in Africa!
Michael Cole spoke to WWE.com this week about a phone call he received from Jerry Lawler on Wednesday:
“I had just gotten home to Texas after what had been a whirlwind two days dealing with this situation. I actually got a phone call from Jerry’s girlfriend, who’s in the hospital with him. And she said ‘Michael, I’ve got somebody who wants to talk to you.’ She handed over the phone and it’s ‘The King’!”
“We immediately had a couple of laughs. He’s weak, but he’s alert. He talked coherently and he’s not completely out of the woods yet and he’s got a long recovery process to come, but he’s awake. Jerry’s in a lot of pain — he said he feels like he’s been through a 60-Minute Iron Man Match, but he’s in great spirits.”
“The biggest thing Jerry wanted me to do was to let the millions and millions of fans out there that have been tweeting their well wishes to me, WWE and to his account, that the outpouring of support from around the world has really, really touched him. He broke down a little bit and was very emotional in talking about the love of the WWE fans, thanking the company for its support and he had very kind words for the people that helped to save his life: to Dr. Sampson, to [WWE production assistant] Mike Mansury, who was at ringside, to the EMTs in Montreal. Obviously, he doesn’t remember what happened, but he’d been told over the past 24 hours everything that went down, and it’s a miracle. The man had a massive heart attack and he was talking two days later. I never thought I’d hear his voice again, let alone two days after the event.”
– During Wednesday night’s Raw replay on mun2, which will air Saturday night on Universal HD and most foreign markets, all matters pertaining to Jerry “The King” Lawler’s health scare during Monday’s live broadcast were edited off the show. This includes all of broadcaster Michael Cole’s updates concering Lawler’s health as well as background shots during the tag team match indicating that something had gone amiss. Cole also did voice-overs for the portion of the show he did not commentate.
– A “Did You Know?” bumper is scheduled for this week’s SmackDown where WWE brags that Raw on Monday was the number one trending show and beat all network programming combined on Twitter. Social media activity for the episode was up 40 percent compared to last week.
– Randy Orton is featured on the cover of the October 2012 issue of WWE Magazine. The headline reads: “EXCLUSIVE! RANDY ORTON – The Apex Predator: On The Hunt For Respect!” Other features include John Cena myths debunked, WWE’s faces of evil, and the 25 most dangerous matches in WWE history.
– The Honky Tonk Man appears for Premier Championship Wrestling’s “Back to School Bash” event on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at Doubles Fun Club.
– F4WOnline.com published a report clarifying rumors of WWE’s handling of Monday’s Raw show after broadcaster and wrestler Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack while commentating.
According to a WWE employee backstage at the event, it was a very chaotic scene but he did not see any pray groups. Contrary to speculation, there was never any talk of halting the show.
WWE chief Vince McMahon was not at Lawler’s side during the entire ordeal, as reported. He briefly checked on the backstage commotion during a commercial break before resuming his producing duties at Gorilla Position. Rather, Paul “Triple H” Levesque directed orders backstage.
All of broadcaster Michael Cole’s on-air verbiage concerning Lawler was directed by McMahon word-for-word.
– WWE announcer Michael Cole missed the call of an important spot during the steel cage main event of Monday’s RAW between CM Punk and Jerry Lawler. Towards the end of the match, Punk used a Rock Bottom on Lawler, which was intended to be CM Punk’s latest shot at The Rock. Cole missed the spot and WWE officials were not happy about it.
– The release of the upcoming WWE Encyclopedia has been pushed back from September to November 19th.
– WWE is advertising CM Punk and Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena and Kane as the main event for the December 28th RAW live event at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, NY.
– The Rock announced over the weekend that he tore his hamstring at WrestleMania 28 during his main event match with John Cena. It’s believed that the hamstring was only partially torn and Rock rehabbed the injury while filming “Pain & Gain” with director Michael Bay. Rock reportedly limping backstage after his match with John Cena, but not enough to make anybody think that he was seriously injured.
– Macleans.ca has an article up about WWE titled, “WWE Keeps On Rolling … In Cash” that looks at WWE’s international expansion to new markets, including China. WWE’s Senior VP of International Operations Ed Wells was interviewed for the piece and said the company’s growth in China has consistently been in “double digits” since 2007.
Their popularity in China is so strong that that there’s talk about bringing in a Chinese character to the roster. “We’d love to have a Chinese star,” Wells said. “And we’re certainly open to working with Chinese talent.”
– Today is the final day of WWE’s 3-day talent recruiting camp in Southern California. Aside from Jim Ross and Gerald Brisco, Mark Henry and William Regal among the WWE superstars in attendance as well.
– Michael Cole is the latest WWE personality to speak up on Twitter about CM Punk’s attack on Jerry Lawler from RAW: Despite their differences over the years, Cole tweeted the following in defense of his broadcast partner:
I don't agree with what @jerrylawler says most of the time, but @cmpunk kicking him in the head because he offered an "opinion" was wrong!
– Road Dogg and Josh Mathews have more clips on “Are You Serious?,” including a clip of Heidenreich sharing a very personal poem with Michael Cole. Also featured are The Demon vs. Vampiro in a Graveyard Match and “Maniac” Mike Davis competing in the world’s first (and last) bungee jump match for the Global Wrestling Federation in 1992.
– After JTG pleaded his case to make some noise on Raw, his wish was granted by program General Manager AJ Lee as the quirky Diva placed him in a one-on-one match against Ryback. WWE broadcaster Michael Cole acknowledged JTG’s “controversial remarks” on Twitter last week where he cryptically stated that his “locker room brothers” were being taken advantage of—F4WOnline.com reports his source of contention stemmed from lower-tier wrestlers’ financial compensation for WrestleMania XXVIII.
Following the Cryme Tyme founder’s loss to Ryback, Cole stated, “I can’t wait until JTG tweets about this.”
– Zack Ryder mentioned on Twitter that he was not at Raw in Dallas, Texas, writing, “#NotAtRaw.” Rather, he drove to Austin, Texas, the site of Tuesday’s SmackDown taping.
– Raw viewers who check in to GetGlue.com will receive a free Trish Stratus Diva Summer Series sticker.
– Christian is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. He is currently not scheduled to compete this Sunday at SummerSlam.
– Michael Cole’s heel character has been seriously toned down in recent weeks, which was the call of Vince McMahon. Vince reportedly goes back and forth about whether Cole should be a strong heel or a neutral “voice of WWE,” but it’s clear that he was pushed so strongly as a heel that it wouldn’t be credible for him to work as a babyface anytime soon.
– Marty Jannetty is said to be in bad physical shape these days, with the former WWE superstar needing surgery on both of his ankles.
– WWE officials feel that Jinder Mahal has the potential to be a top heel, which is part of the reason why he’s currently working a feud with Ryback. WWE is looking to strengthen it’s position in India and with the Great Khali’s career winding down, Mahal is seen as a big asset to the company.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made a crass joke referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case years ago. As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!” The WWE personality issued an apology late Monday evening via Twitter and noted that “there was no malicious intent behind the joke.”
A.W. wrote, “It was either a Kobe or Lebron joke. Lebron jus won the Finals so there you have it..Myself!”
The remark was in reference to the basketball star being accused of sexual assault in summer 2003 after having sex with a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for “remarks made by A.W.,” though without specifically referencing the joke. F4WOnline.com reports that many people were furious backstage over the remark, as well as in disbelief.
After Raw, WWE issued an official apology via TMZ.com reading, “A.W. made an inappropriate comment and WWE immediately apologized. WWE has taken appropriate action in the matter.” The representative, however, did not specify what “action” was taken against A.W.
During Monday’s live WWE Raw broadcast, A.W. made an off-color remark referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case in 2003 and 2004.
As client Titus O’Neil tangled with Kofi Kingston in a singles match, A.W. yelled from ringside, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado hotel room. He’s unstoppable!!”
Following the commercial break, WWE broadcaster Michael Cole issued an apology on behalf of the organization for A.W.’s remark. He then quickly transitioned to a replay of a backstage segment featuring John Cena and CM Punk that took moments prior.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.