– An image of Brock Lesnar growling is featured on the cover of WWE’s upcoming SummerSlam DVD and Blu-ray release on Sept. 18. The cover is the same graphic used for the pay-per-view event’s promotional poster.
WWE has been building up a match between Lesnar and Triple H and it will headline SummerSlam on August 19, according to F4WOnline.com.
– WWE currently has no Jack Swagger merchandise in stock. WWEShop.com’s page on the former World Heavyweight Champion does not have a single item up for sale. “The All-American American” has struggled greatly since the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, having won only one televised match and losing twenty.
– Jim Ross responded “Total BS” to a Twitter message Wednesday that WWE was replacing Michael Cole with “Good Ol’ J.R.”
– Jerry “The King” Lawler stated on Twitter that he will be on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Evansville, Indiana for a match against Michael Cole. It is unclear whether the bout will a dark match or televised since the official website of The Ford Center does not have it advertised.
– In this edition of WWE Download, Dolph Ziggler celebrates summer by sharing some of the season’s most humiliating clips he could find.
– The former Bella Twins stated on Twitter that they attended the premiere of Magic Mike over the weekend: “It’s a must see! @RealKevinNash was awesome! Besos!”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQcom. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Michael Cole’s Commentary: “I’ve been impressed with Michael Cole’s more balanced commentary recently. He’s the new voice of WWE w/o question. Our handshake at WM28 ended any personal issues that I may have had with him. End of story.”
WWE’s Tag Team Division: “I see WWE tag team wrestling taking positive steps forward in 2012. Go ahead, roll your eyes at will. The lack of overall talent depth, no territories, etc affects all areas of the genre whether some fans want to admit it or not.”
His Favorite Broadcast Partner: “Besides the King, my favorite broadcast partner, when looking at antagonists, is @HeymanHustle. He knew what buttons to push to get me to raise my game. I never played the role of an announcer and was always just myself, for better or for worse. Being real. Bobby Heenan was an amazing partner too but ‘The Brain’ was more funny than a villain. I’ve said it before, Bobby Heenan may well be the most talented, all around performer in the history of the wrestling business.”
Brock Lesnar: “Lesnar and WWE may be a marriage made in Hell but it’s a relationship that I, as a fan, want to follow. When we signed Brock back in the day we knew tht he was going to be a handful and he was. However, athletic freaks like him don’t grow on trees and, like many coaches, etc, we put in the time necessary to keep Brock headed in the right direction as best that we could. He’s stubborn, anti social, uber talented, and volatile. Time will tell where Lesnar’s latest foray into WWE life takes him but as for me, I’m staying tuned.”
— Edge’s WWE contract expired on April 30th and he has not signed a new deal with the company. When he made a surprise appearance on RAW several weeks ago and gave John Cena a pep talk, he was there to meet with WWE officials, but nothing came of it.
He was forced to pull out of a scheduled appearance for Billy Corgan’s Resistance Pro Wrestling show on 5/11 because of his filming schedule for Syfy’s “Haven” show, but he did promise to appear at a future RPW show.
— Michael Cole’s heel announcer gimmick was supposed to officially end at WrestleMania 28. His new role is to be an “edgy” character who still respects John Laurinaitis, one of WWE’s top heels. A recent sign of Cole retreating from being an annoying heel and shifting to a more neutral role was that he was sympathetic towards John Cena during his feud with Brock Lesnar.
— In a rematch from Monday’s Raw SuperShow, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will face Mark Henry this Friday on SmackDown. Also, Michael Cole will conduct an interview with Randy Orton to get his thoughts for his match against Kane at Extreme Rules.
— Matches taped Monday night in Detroit, Michigan for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Kelly Kelly vs. Maxine and Alex Riley vs. The Miz.
Antonio Cesaro beat JTG in a dark match at the show.
— The announced attendance for Monday’s Raw Supershow the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was a sellout crowd of 16,122.
SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has had a little trouble keeping her balance at recent WWE shows, most recently during Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at The O2 Arena in London, England. On this occasion, Garcia tripped over pyrotechnics equipment and stumbled to her knees while making her way ringside. WWE immediately released footage of her mishap, which features a soundtrack of Michael Cole and Booker T providing the “play-by-play.”
In an exclusive WWE.com interview, Garcia addressed her recent off-kilter moments.
“Well you know, we’re in London and they say London Bridge is falling down (laughs), actually it was me who was falling down!” she says of her ‘trip’ overseas.
“I walked in and I was looking up at the crowd and I didn’t see that they had the pyro tubes right down in the bottom and I just went right over it and tripped and fell,” Garcia explains. She then points to her bruised knee, adding, “If this is the worst thing that happens to me, I’m okay.”
Garcia suffered similar misfortune at the March 13 SmackDown taping as her shoe broke while making her ring entrance. The SmackDown Diva is asked what she plans to do to avoid similar mishaps in the future.
“I think I need to top it, is what I need to do. Like, every time it gets better and better, ’cause that definitely topped the whole shoe breaking incident,” she says. “What can I say, I like to make big entrances.”
SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has had a little trouble staying on her feet at recent WWE shows, most recently during Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at The O2 Arena in London, England.
On this occasion, Garcia tripped over pyrotechnics equipment and fell to her knees while making her way to the ring for the taping. WWE released footage of her misfortune within hours, which features audio of commentator Michael Cole howling in laughter.
Garcia is finding humor in her latest accident. She posted a link to the video on Twitter and wrote, “London bridge is falling down…no, actually I’m falling down! Tripped & fell in my entrance 2night on #SmackDown! LOL.”
As WWE says, Garcia can’t seem to catch a break: it is her third embarrassing incident in recent weeks. Similarly to Tuesday’s mishap, Garcia suffered a wardrobe malfunction at the March 14 SmackDown taping as her shoe broke while making her ring entrance. As well, WWE released footage of Garcia’s blunder with Cole crowing hysterically. Garcia was ridiculed again at the following week’s SmackDown taping as John Cena denounced her ring announcing ability after having erroneously introduced Zack Ryder as “Jack Swagger.”
— CM Punk wasn’t on hand to accept the “Most Metal Athlete” Award during the 2012 “Revolver” Golden Gods Awards ceremony Wednesday night in Los Angeles, California so the show’s host, Chris Jericho, accepted the award on the WWE Champion’s behalf.
“I want to accept this for him, and even though he beat me at WrestleMania, and basically embarrassed me, I will give this to him in good standing,” Jericho said before smashing Punk’s award over his knee and tossing it off the stage.
Video and photos from the incident are available here.
— At Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., WWE had arena security confiscate signs referencing Lord Tensai’s prior characters—Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train. The signs were taken away prior to his match against Yoshi Tatsu. During the bout, the crowd could be heard chanting “Albert,” which Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler did not acknowledge.
While Cole referred to Lord Tensai as a returning WWE Superstar in his Raw SuperShow debut last week, there has not been any specific references made to any of his former personas on television. However, WWE.com has acknowledged that he previously competed as Albert and A-Train before “embarking on a journey of self-discovery in Japan.”
— The Wrestling Observer reported this week that morale is low among members of WWE’s creative team after many of the were not invited to the annual post-WrestleMania party Sunday night in Miami, Florida. Former creative writer Christopher DeJoseph (a/k/a Big Dick Johnson) appeared on the Pro Wrestling Torch Livecast on Thursday (audio available here) and said he has heard from current staff members upset with the snub. He said they felt disrespected since they were a big part of putting WrestleMania XXVIII together.
— WWEShop.com has released the T-Shirt Brock Lesnar wore in his Raw return.
— FitPerez.com has posted photos of the WWE Divas during WrestleMania weekend.
— Jim Ross praised Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole’s broadcasting efforts at WrestleMania XXVIII. He wrote on Twitter, “I thought King and Cole did a heck of a job at WM28….4 hour, live show w/ immense pressure to do one’s best.”
– WWE commentator Michael Cole began using former WWE star Kerwin White’s entrance theme “Never Thought My Life Could Be This Good” at last week’s tapings. Chavo Guerrero portrayed the short-lived character in 2005, which was depicted as stereotypical, middle-class, white, conservative, Anglo-American man. The death of Eddie Guerrero led to Chavo dropping the character and wrestling under his real name as a fan favorite.
– Carlito defeated Finley at Big Time Pro Wrestling event on Sunday in Augusta, Maine. He said of his opponent on Twitter following the match, “I’m surprised WWE hasn’t rehired Finlay yet.” Finlay was released by WWE March 2011 after authorizing the interruption of the American national anthem by The Miz during a house show, drawing ire from the National Guard members in attendance. He has regularly competed on the independent circuit since then.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted a photo Sunday of himself applying the Sharpshooter. Bret Hart, who popularized the maneuver, saw the picture and said he’s doing it wrong:
“I have a lot of respect for The Rock, but I’d be more than happy 2 teach him how to put the sharpshooter on correctly.”
— WWE released footage Thursday night of SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s wardrobe mishap at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Columbus, Ohio—her shoe strap broke as she made her ring entrance. The video features audio of WWE announcer Michael Cole crowing hysterically at Garcia’s plight.
— Madusa, who formerly competed as Alundra Blayze for WWE, pondered Thursday night on Facebook whether she should attend WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami, Florida. She tweeted:
“Many celebs showing up for Wrestle Mania….I wonder if I should…………”
— Former WWE Superstar John Morrison appears at The Wrestling Guy?Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet/Space H5 13963 Alondra Blvd Santa Fe Springs, California 90670 on April 15 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:
Are some WWE Superstars jealous of The Rock’s return to WWE and headlining WrestleMania XXVIII?: “Probably, but I’ve not spoken directly to any that express that sentiment however jealousy isn’t anything new in the genre or in any locker room. For one to think that it isn’t is being naive. @TheRock returning to WWE is about BUSINESS and the bigger the pie the bigger the slice for everyone.”
If he wants to wrestle Michael Cole at WrestleMania XXVIII: “Absolutely, not. And not any where else either. That hand has been played. Time to shuffle the deck and deal new cards. Cole and JR don’t need to be taking valuable TV time that should be used by young talents who are expected to be the stars of the future.”
Whether Owen Hart will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: “My assumption would be yes but not any time soon due to circumstances beyond WWE’s control.”
Whether Jeff Hardy will return to WWE: “My absolute guess would be no. At best, highly unlikely. TNA’s schedule likely fits Jeff best. I still remember his bout on TV vs the Undertaker. Great, WWE TV moment.”
The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania: “I never said Undertaker’s Streak at WrestleMania would end in the ring. I’ve actually said the contrary and that I did not think it would happen. That’s simply my opinion but it can only be determined in the ring. Obviously, the Streak will end some day when Taker retires which I do not expect to be this year. That decision is entirely up to Undertaker and how his body is holding up after years of combat.”
Ross also weighs in on The Rock/Cena rivalry, Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII, WWE developmental talent, Ric Flair and more. His post is available here.
– On Monday’s RAW, we saw a full-on heel turn from WWE diva Eve, who admitted to the Bella Twins that she is nothing more than a manipulating bimbo. Eve said she was never interested in Zack Ryder – she used him to climb the social ranks and get to the biggest fish in the pond – John Cena, who overheard the entire conversation. Eve tried everything she could do to convince John Cena that it was all a big misunderstanding, but she was carried away from Cena crying hysterically when he wanted nothing to do with her.
With Eve’s evil intentions exposed, there is talk of pairing Eve with a heel WWE superstar and have them feud with Zack Ryder and a babyface Diva, possibly Layla.
– Mick Foley posted a few messages on Twitter this week revealing his top 3 career regrets:
Not wrestling Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17
Not wrestling on the first Eddie Gilbert memorial show
Not writing the foreword to the Lou Thesz autobiography when asked.
Regarding his decision to not wrestle Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17, Foley said that back in 2001, he truly believed that he was retired for good, so he turned the match down.
– Michael Cole apologized on Twitter for messing up Kofi Kingston’s name on RAW. Cole tweeted:
“I want to apologize for messing up @TrueKofi Kingston’s name tonight. So here goes: Sorry you aren’t more memorable, Kofi. #Raw”
Kingston, who has been teaming with R-Truth as of late, responded:
“@MichaelCole MayB i cld b as memorable as ur stellar commentary. U learn the dif btw a figure 4 of the head and the Anaconda Vice yet? Dunce”
– Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production, has taken initiative on the WWE Network project by hiring numerous people for mid-level management. Many of the people hired had worked for WWE in past.
Regarding Dunn, the Wrestling Observer says he understands how to interface with Vince McMahon and adapt to his haphazard decision making.
– An unnamed WWE employee texted a UFC employee during Saturday’s show on FOX to say their production is terrible. The WWE employee received a text back reading,
“At least we don’t have an imbecilic lead announcer ruining our show.”
– WrestlingFigs.com reports that Maryse Ouellet will appear alongside John Morrison at George’s Collectibles 7755 New Falls Road Levittown, Pennsylvania on March 10, 2012 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit GeorgesCollectibles.com for more information.
– John Cena was booked to appear in the 10pm and 11pm segments of Monday’s RAW Supershow, because WWE is still not comfortable with CM Punk’s ability to draw ratings. While WWE appears to be teasing a potential heel turn for Cena, there are no plans for a full turn any time soon.
– Upon a recent look at WWE’s ratings, it’s been determined that only a handful of WWE’s top stars are able to draw fans and keep them tuned in. It’s been acknowledged that Michael Cole’s commentary (specifically, the burying of midcard talent) could be hurting ratings.
– WWE has reportedly changed creative plans this week for several top stars including CM Punk, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth. No word yet on exactly what changed, but it likely affects what was planned for these stars through the Royal Rumble.
– Some people within WWE are predicting the lowest buyrate of the year for Sunday’s WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view.
– As we reported recently, Kelly Kelly has reportedly been trying to get her real name (Barbara Blank) out there, in the event that she does leave WWE down the road. When she recently launched her official website, she had originally bought the domain BarbaraBlank.com, but was told by WWE to use her WWE name and thus, she opened WWEDiveKellyKelly.com.
– Most of Jim Ross and Michael Cole’s interactions on RAW in recent months has been unscripted. JR is from an era where performers had to improvise on the mic, so he and Cole are trusted to work off bullet points instead of a full script.
Friday’s episode of SmackDown saw commentator Michael Cole make a crude remark concerning Jim Ross’ long battle with Bell’s palsy. After Josh Mathews said Cole speaks out of both sides of his mouth, the esteemed “Voice of the WWE” quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.”
The WWE Hall of Famer took to Twitter to address Cole’s inappropriate remark.
“Hope Cole never gets ill. Sad commentary,” Ross wrote.
Ross then posted a tweet comparing Cole’s snide comment to Ed Ferrara’s parody of him in World Championship Wrestling as the character Oklahoma, which included a mockery of his modified voice due to Bell’s palsy.
“Pathetic cheap heat by Cole. On par with Ed Ferrara if you ask me. Ron White says “You Can’t Fix Stupid.”
Ross added that Cole’s ad lib was “ill advised” and that there are no announcer ‘scripts.’ A Twitter follower of J.R.’s placed the blame on Vince McMahon for the remark, since the WWE CEO typically feeds lines to Cole via headset to be said on-air. Ross, however, said McMahon was not on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Jacksonville, Florida—he was off visiting U.S. Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. J.R. instead places the blame on a ‘writer.’
“McMahon wasn’t at Smackdown,” Ross wrote. “So we can blame a ‘writer.’ that’s cowardly. Poor attempt to be a villain.”
It was not the only underhanded remark on Friday’s broadcast as Cole aired the long-standing joke among WWE employees that ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s face resembles that of a horse. Garcia has not commented on the matter.
Returning to WWE after a more than two-year hiatus, Lilian Garcia appeared on Friday’s episode of SmackDown as the program’s new ring announcer.
Tony Chimel introduced Garcia to the live audience at the start of the broadcast, who was already standing in the ring. As Garcia talked about how great it was to be back, she was interrupted by Cody Rhodes, who was standing on the announce table. Rhodes said no one cares she is back since no one noticed she had left. Garcia danced with Hornswoggle later during the show, which gave commentator Michael Cole the opportunity to air a crass backstage joke.
He cracked, “I wish these two would stop horsing around!”
The reference stems from those in WWE’s “inner circle”—Vince McMahon, Triple H, television producer Kevin Dunn and the since departed John “Bradshaw” Layfield—often joking that Garcia has a horse-shaped face. The crass joke was passed around backstage years ago and ultimately acknowledged on television by Layfield and Hunter to amuse company employees. Though Garcia has publicly taken the joke in stride, Mick Foley took offense to Hunter demeaning the “Decade Diva” during an episode of Raw last year in which she had filled in for regular ring announcer Justin Roberts.
He wrote online after watching on television Triple H tell Garcia she can always return to WWE to “horse around,” “Why does someone like Triple H, one of the most talented, well paid guys in the business, do something so shallow and mean? Why would a multi-millionaire, with millions of fans around the world, feel the need (several times over the years) to say something that is only meant to hurt? I don’t get it. I don’t get why it’s done, I don’t get why it’s condoned, I don’t get what possible satisfaction anyone involved gets from demeaning someone like Lillian Garcia. I just don’t get it.”
The latest reference was likely directed by Triple H, who filled in for McMahon at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping since the WWE CEO was off visiting U.S. Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Cole is the mouthpiece of the program director, as he is fed lines via headset. It was not the only mean-spirited remark on Friday’s show as Cole made light of Jim Ross suffering from Bell’s palsy after Josh Mathews said Cole speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
Cole quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.”
— According to WWE’s latest performance indicators, the buy estimates for the October 2011 pay-per-view events—Hell in a Cell and Vengeance—totaled 322,000. Both shows drew under 200,000 buys, with Hell in a Cell drawing approximately 180,000 and Vengeance drawing approximotely 142,000. They are both down from last year’s shows in October.
— WWE.com has published a feature highlighting “the biggest turkeys” to ever step foot inside the squared circle. Among those profiled are Gobbledy Gooker, Vito, Bart Gunn, Fake Razor Ramon, Kizarny, Mike Adamle and Michael Cole.
— WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart is scheduled to appear at Dr Fleas 8 Westmore Drive Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, December 3 from noon to 3:00 p.m. Call 519-600-1831 for more information.
— John Morrison says he will discuss his future following his final advertised appearance on tonight’s Raw SuperShow.
“I’ll post more about the future next week,” Morrison tweeted Sunday night. “Right now I’m planning on tearing the house down at RAW tomorrow in Columbia SC!”
— A Memphis Street Fight between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler is being locally advertised for the January 2, 2012 Raw SuperShow in Memphis, Tennessee.
— Former WWE Superstar Rob Conway turns 39 years old Monday. He placed second in the Kentucky Bodybuilding Championships on November 5, thus qualifying for the NPC National Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini and Men’s and Women’s Physique Championships in Miami, Florida.
– Evan Bourne, who is currently serving a thirty-day suspension as a result of his first violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, took a dig at the organization’s constant shilling of Twitter during television broadcasts. Bourne tweeted:
“I wonder if WWE ’13 will have our twitter handles, random tweet pop ups and Cole talking tweets? Might make gameplay as annoying as viewing.”
“My guess is WWE 13: “The Network”. You are Vince and control the WWE with a WWE “Univers(e)al” Remote. Create history and earn money!”
– Kelly Kelly announced on Twitter that she has set up a page on Google+.
– Monday’s Raw saw Mason Ryan quickly defeat JTG. The appearance marked as JTG’s first match on the show since being transferred to Raw in April via the Supplemental Draft.
— It is believed that Evan Bourne is not at tonight’s SmackDown taping in Greenville, South Carolina. Therefore, Air Boom will not be dropping the WWE Tag Team Championship.
WWE announced this morning they had suspended Bourne for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s Talent Wellness Program.
— Jim Ross’ advertised segment with Michael Cole was cut from Monday’s Raw SuperShow because The Walt Disney Company were contractually guaranteed that no scheduled segment featuring The Muppets would be cut from the program. It wasn’t a last minute decision, though, as Ross’ segment was eliminated before Raw took place. Contrary to Cole’s claim, Ross was at Philips Arena.
— All December, WWE Classics On Demand celebrates “Season’s Beatings,” featuring memorable holiday shows and festive moments.
— The “Michael Cole challenge” match scheduled for RAW between Michael Cole and Jim Ross was bumped from the show due to time constraints. Jim Ross was indeed in Atlanta and tweeted the following after RAW:
“4 the record, I’m in Atlanta. Was informed by Raw GM’s office, my services weren’t needed. Cole wants 2 make fun of my 3 surgeries. Classy.”
Ross and Cole will wrestle on next week’s show, with the stipulation being that the winner remains a RAW announcer and the loser is off television for the foreseeable future.
— Despite Boston’s TD Garden website pulling Mick Foley from advertisements for the November 14th RAW Supershow featuring The Rock, local advertisements that aired last night in Boston
still said Foley would be appearing at that show – as a special guest referee.
– The Rock’s response to John Cena on RAW will be a taped promo. He will not appear live tonight, but is expected to hype his upcoming live appearance on RAW on 11/14.
– A segment featuring the Divas in Halloween costumes is tentatively scheduled.
– At least three Muppet performers are scheduled for Raw—Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson and Bill Barretta. Therefore, all of the major Muppet characters sans Gonzo will be at WWE’s disposal. It is unknown whether Gonzo’s handler Dave Goelz is scheduled for the event.
– The Muppet performers were asked to prepare for a segment in which Statler and Waldorf handle commentary duties. This will likely occur during “The Michael Cole Challenge.”
(Credit to PWInsider.com f0r some of the information used in this report)
— Jim Ross stated on Twitter that he has accepted “The Michael Cole Challenge.”
He wrote, “You asked..YES I’m taking the Michael Cole Challenge this Monday in ATL. What do I have to lose? Old dogs can still hunt BTW. Lets do this!”
If J.R. can defeat Cole on the Raw SuperShow, he will reclaim his seat at the announce booth and Cole will quit.
— Former WWE star Chris Masters deleted a message he posted on Twitter today alleging that a female member of the SmackDown roster maintains sexual relations with head creative writer Michael Hayes in order to keep her job. He says he was only “hypothetically speaking.”
Masters wrote earlier, “So if I had to tell you one smackdown diva who gave freebird hayes an “Oral” agreement to keep her job, who’d you guess?”
— Former WWE Superstar Edge turns 38 years old today.
