— The conclusion to last night’s Divas Tag Team Tables Match between Michelle McCool & Layla and Beth Phoenix & Natalya reportedly went as planned as the table used in the bout was tested beforehand to make sure that it would not break when the Divas Champion shoved Lay-Cool off the turnbuckle. Natalya then splashed them to break the table, giving her and Phoenix the win.
— WWE’s next special edition magazine will be a “Year in Photos” issue, featuring hundreds of photos from the past year.
— Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez worked under under a mask at Friday’s Florida Championship Wrestling Christmas Supershow in Fort Myers, Florida, losing to Richie Steamboat. He performed as Chimaera, a character he portrayed on the independent circuit before joining WWE.
Recently released WWE talent Taryn Terrell (a/k/a Tiffany) answered a number of questions from fans yesterday on her Twitter account. When asked if she thought she’d ever return to World Wrestling Entertainment, she remarked the following:
“No…if I have to sleep with people in power to keep or continue progressing in my job, I’d rather be poor,” she replied.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer strongly implied in the past on his f4wonline.com podcast that the only reason she landed the role of ECW General Manager despite having less than stellar verbal ability was due to management’s favoritism towards her.
Terrell later clarified her remark, noting she was not referring to former colleague Michelle McCool, who is married fellow WWE Superstar The Undertaker.
“No my tweet was not about Michelle,” Terrell clarified. “She gained her success and talent on her own, it honestly is mean that anyone would accuse her otherwise. If you are not there or in the locker room with her, it’s completely unfair to say that about her. She is talented and creative and patient and I have a ton of respect for her.”
— Last night on Raw, the anonymous General Manager arranged Lay-Cool vs. Beth Phoenix and Divas Champion Natalya for Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view in the first-ever Divas Tag Team Table Match. The match was concocted in response to Mickie James battling Tara in a Steel Cage Match last Thursday on TNA Wrestling’s iMPACT!.
— David Arquette was said to be a delight backstage at last night’s Raw. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion spent time chatting with most everyone locker room, a stark contrast to numerous celebrities who solely acknowledge the top stars.
— The terms Slammys and David Arquette were trending worldwide on Twitter last night during Raw.
— Triple H is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.
— Divas Champion Michelle McCool was given off from WWE’s ongoing tour of Europe to tend to The Undertaker after undergoing rotator cuff surgery this past week.
— There has been much talk amongst WWE officials in recent weeks to induct Theodore Long into next year’s Hall of Fame class since it’s taking place in his home city of Atlanta, Georgia. Matt Striker is often mentioning the SmackDown General Manager over commentary in conjunction with it.
— There has been a change in WWE’s creative process as it’s said that they “want to push the envelope” on company programming. It is also said that they want the commentators making more inside jokes.
— The current Diva-exclusive season of NXT — coupled with an ongoing recruitment drive by WWE officials to hire more models, which it can train as professional wrestlers — indicate that cuts will be made to the female roster in due time.
According to the UK based wrestling magazine, Power Slam, the list of females whose jobs are considered safe in the company is limited to Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Melina, and “possibly” Natalya and Eve Torres.
Those not listed are considered expendable by officials.
— Maxine, who was eliminated from NXT on Tuesday’s show, commented on why she believes she was expelled from the contest in an interview with nxt.wwe.com.
“The WWE Universe doesn’t always warm up to the bad girl. I think it’s much easier to really like somebody that’s overly perky and nice,” she stated. “I feel like I’m more of a leader, I’m not a follower. I make my own path and I think that’s the way to go.”
— Besides a few people who viewed the script for Monday’s Raw, former talent Lita’s surprise appearance was kept a secret until she walked into the Nassau Coliseum. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— It was announced on Friday’s SmackDown that Lay-Cool member Layla would defend the Divas Championship against Natalya at Bragging Rights, as opposed to Michelle McCool. The WWE website has updated its preview page for the match to reflect the announcement, removing McCool’s image.
— WWE Studios’ much anticipated Knucklehead opens today in theaters for a “special limited engagement.” For a complete list of theater locations, click here.
— The promotional poster for Survivor Series has been updated to solely feature Wade Barrett. The previous poster featured the seven member slate of Nexus; two of which are inactive due to injury (Skip Sheffield and Michael Tarver), while Darren Young is no longer affiliated with the group. Check out the poster:
It was announced during this week’s episode of SmackDown, which has already aired overseas, that the member of Lay-Cool defending the WWE Divas Championship against Natalya at Sunday’s Bragging Rights pay-per-view is Layla.
Tonight’s SmackDown features a segment where Lay-Cool mocks Natalya’s family as Layla appears dressed up as Natalya’s father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, while Michelle McCool comes out as Bret Hart. A match pitting Lay-Cool against Natalya and Kelly Kelly subsequently takes place, with the babyfaces coming out victorious.
During an interview with Brian Fritz of Fanhouse.com, TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Angelina Love was asked about the similarities between The Beautiful People and World Wrestling Entertainment’s Lay-Cool — Michelle McCool and Layla. Love, however, cut him off quickly and would not discuss the matter.
“I don’t see it. I haven’t seen it. I’ve heard about it.”
She also discussed her relationship with Velvet Sky and how long it took them to gel as a unit, as well as tonight’s Four Corners Knockouts Match for the Women’s Knockout Championship at Bound for Glory.
— The official website of the American Airlines Arena, venue for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event, is advertising a Unified WWE Divas Championship Match between Michelle McCool and Natalya.
WWE has yet to announce the match for the event.
— WWE will be holding an event called “WWE Fan Appreciation Day” on October 30, 2010 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Bell time is 3:00 PM. Tickets go on sale October 5, 2010 at noon. Scheduled to appear are The Undertaker, Kane, John Cena, The Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Edge, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
— A pre-sale is currently being held on Ticketmaster.com for the December 30, 2010 SmackDown live event at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The promotion code is “Access” and it runs through Friday evening.
— The WWE World Tag Team Championship, with lineage dating back to 1971, is now considered retired by WWE’s official website. The Hart Dynasty are listed as the championship’s final holders.
The active tag team championship, currently held by Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, dates back to 2002.
— Last week’s Night of Champions pay-per-view saw Michelle McCool make history by unifying the Women’s and Divas Championships. The official WWE website conducted an interview with the self-professed “Co-Unified Divas Champion,” and posted a photo gallery honoring past Women’s Champions such as Fabulous Moolah, Trish Stratus and Sable.
— WWE Studios’ smash hit Legendary is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, exclusively via Wal-Mart. The DVD version is currently out of stock online.
— World Wrestling Entertainment’s symbolic Nexus T-shirt has been a huge flop in terms of sales.
According to a company source, Vince McMahon was ‘mortified’ when he was shown the latest merchandising report on Nexus shirts.
— Rookie Diva Kaitlyn was accidentally bloodied at some point during Tuesday’s episode of NXT. Seeing as it was a taped show, WWE managed to edit around it. Post-match, Michelle McCool delivered a very stiff kick to Kaitlyn’s head, although it is believed that she didn’t cause her to bleed.
— A World Heavyweight Championship bout between Kane and The Undertaker was officially announced for Hell in a Cell last night on SmackDown. The match will take place inside the Hell in a Cell.
sources: Pro Wrestling Torch, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
– WWE’s website is now referring to the women’s title as the Unified Divas Championship. The title history section lists Michelle McCool as the new Divas Champion and the last recognized Women’s Champion is Layla, who originally won the belt that Michelle defended last night. It appears WWE will be continuing the Divas Title history with the new Unified Divas Championship.
— WWE Studios’ Legendary, starring John Cena, will be released on DVD exclusively at Wal-Mart retail stores on Tuesday, September 28.
— WWE will return to the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, December 26 for a live event beginning at 5:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 30.
This week’s episode of TNA Wrestling’s new behind the scenes program ReACTION saw the recently reunited pairing of Angelina Love and Velvet Sky slam those who have attempted to imitate The Beautful People stable over the years.
Love charged during the pseudo-shoot program, “We created a group that has been like no other for women in professional wrestling. People have tried to be like this. People wanted to join us. No can do.”
Sky added, “And for all you wannabe Beautiful People girls out there… you know exactly who I’m talking about, get a life. You will never be us.”
Angelina then cryptically noted, “And you’re not cool by the way. You’re not cool.”
Some have interpreted their message as a thinly veiled potshot towards WWE Diva alliance Lay-Cool — Michelle McCool and Women’s Champion Layla. Both have directed similar remarks towards rival performers in the past, with Love recently stating the following on her Facebook account while watching television: “So this is what I get for quickly flipping thru the channels on a friday night……a blonde & a brunette blatantly ripping something off……..BRUTAL!!!”
Apparently in response to the TNA Knockouts’ most recent remarks, Layla said the following on Twitter yesterday:
“Living the dream & so blessed!!
1 thing I know when u r attacked u have 2 decide if it’s worth the time & effort to retaliate
Not worth the press
Plus don’t deserve the press we get even tho they want it & need it :-)
Real talk”
It was reported this past June in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Lay-Cool act was concocted due to WWE’s creative department being embarrassed by The Beautiful People making their female performers look second-rate by comparison.
To view The Beautiful Peoples’ ReACTION promo, click here.
— Skip Sheffield, who reportedly suffered a broken left ankle at Wednesday night’s Raw live event in Honolulu, Hawaii, did not work WWE’s shows in Japan and China. Though specifics of his status are unclear, he is expected to be sidelined ‘for some time’.
— Michelle McCool’s wardrobe malfunction during Tuesday’s live episode of NXT was edited off the show’s Saturday night replays on Universal HD. A shot of the crowd was shown in its place.
The multi-time champion’s right breast briefly popped out of her tube top dress while she was cheering Kaval’s rap performance, resulting in the camera quickly panning away.
— Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored an 0.63 cable rating with 671,000 viewers. The subsequent midnight replay garnered an 0.25 cable rating, with 238,000 viewers. (source: PWInsider.com)
— The TV schedule at SyFy.com has been updated. SyFy will be airing NXT at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 and at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, 2010 (right before SmackDown’s debut on the network).NXT is not listed on the schedule after the Oct. 1 airing. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
— Michelle McCool suffered a wardrobe malfunction during Tuesday’s live episode of NXT as her right breast briefly popped out of her top while she was cheering Kaval’s rap performance. The camera quickly panned away from McCool, who was wearing a tube top.
— A special pre-sale is currently being held on Ticketmaster.com for the Oct. 11 Monday Night Raw taping taking place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The passcode is ‘VIPER’. The sale begun today at 10:00 a.m. PST and concludes tomorrow at the very same time.
— As reported last night, Shawn Michaels announced via YouTube that he has launched an official online presence. He said his official website is located at TheShawnMichaels.com and that he has opened accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Regarding Facebook, his account is located at www.facebook.com/theShawnMichaels. It has been verified on his YouTube account.
— Jeff Wilen of The Daytona Beach News-Journal conducted an interview with Sheamus promoting WWE’s live event in Daytona Beach on Saturday. He discusses the term “Celtic Warrior,” his wrestling background, what it means to be the first Irish-born WWE Champion, what his future holds, and more.
— As part of its “Summer Divas” feature, WWE.com has posted new bikini photos of Michelle McCool.
— Michelle McCool says it’s hard for her to see the celebrity others see in her. Though she is former middle school teacher turned wrestling star, in her eyes, the important stuff has stuck around: Family, friends, passions and herself.
“I’m still the same person,” she told the St. Augustine Record in an interview. “I just happen to be on TV now.”
She wants her fans to know that even though she plays a villain on television, she’s just a regular girl.
“I’m real,” she said. “I’m genuine.”
Though the newspaper’s article largely focuses on McCool’s life outside the ring, she would not comment on her private life. Recently, the internet was abuzz over her marriage to a fellow WWE Superstar who shall remain nameless. She declined to discuss those details with the St. Augustine Record.
She would, however, discuss her foray into the world of professional wrestling, her athletic background, and biggest supporters, among other wholesome topics. The entire article can be read here.
— WWE is holding a contest with JCPenney where one lucky winner will win a trip for two to Miami, Florida to attend this year’s Survivor Series. Legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, and who are eighteen years of age or older, may enter the contest at www.wwesummerheat.com. The promotion concludes at 11:59 p.m. ET on September 18, 2010.
— Convenience Store News has a story on 7-Eleven being a top sponsor for WWE’s SummerSlam, noting its summer promotion featuring WWE Superstars such as John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker and Eve on various cups. Additional SummerSlam sponsors include Slim Jim, Army National Guard, Mars’ Twix, Mattel, Topps, THQ and Syfy.
— It is not a guarantee that Undertaker will be healthy enough to return for SummerSlam as originally planned. Next week’s television tapings will determine whether or not he’ll be able to return in time for the event.
— Several WWE stars encountered travel issues when trying to arrive to Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping in Louisville, Kentucky. The issues dealt with the local airport.
— Michael McGroto wrote the following concerning a sign he brought to Tuesday’s SmackDown television taping in Louisville, Kentucky stating “Michelle McTaker”: “Just wanted to pass along the word about the Smackdown taping last night in Louisville that my “Michelle McTaker” sign had been confiscated by the WWE during the Layla/Baretta vs. Masters/Kelly Kelly match despite being held up several times throughout the night. Many of the superstars that were in the ring waiting for their match to begin or were on stage for NXT noticed my sign and either laughed or shrugged their shoulders nervously. Just shows the power of the WWE to hide relationships and the amount of power the Undertaker has backstage with the rest of the guys.”
Michelle McCool married fellow WWE performer Mark Calaway (a/k/a The Undertaker) on June 26, 2010 in Austin, Texas.
— Abraham Washington is under consideration for the Raw General Manager position. He was reportedly slated for the role a few months ago before it was assigned to Bret Hart.
— To correct an earlier report, Mark Calaway (a/k/a The Undertaker) and Michelle McCool’s wedding actually took place in Austin, Texas, where the two reside. It was originally reported that the wedding took place in Houston.
— WWE’s forthcoming DVD set highlighting Friday Night SmackDown! in 2010 is scheduled for release on October 25, 2010, according to WWE Magazine’s “Best of WWE” Special Issue.
sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com
— WWE’s creative team is said to be pleased with the Diva pairing of Michelle McCool and Layla, known as “Lay-Cool.” Some within the company previously felt TNA’s “Beautiful People” concept made their women’s division look second rate by comparison, but now feel they’ve beaten the rival promotion at their own game.
Layla recently refuted fans’ allegations that “Lay-Cool” is copying “The Beautiful People,” writing on Twitter: “Cuz all of the tweets about this subject, For the Record, I do not watch TNA. So copy cat thing…kinda NOT!! This is All I will say. Done.!!”
Reportedly, the inspiration behind the “Lay-Cool” gimmick was due to creative watching “The Beautiful People” on TNA programming.
— Tuesday’s episode of NXT garnered a 0.93 cable rating for Syfy, an increase from last week’s 0.80 number. With that being said, viewership was actually down, from 1.21 million viewers to 1.05 (1,048,000). The all-time record viewership figure is 1.00 million viewers, which was scored on May 4.
— Today is Cody Rhodes’ birthday, who turns 25 years old.
— Apparently in reference to WWE’s Lay-Cool act, an upset Angelina Love wrote the following on her Facebook account Friday night while watching television: “So this is what I get for quickly flipping thru the channels on a friday night……a blonde & a brunette blatantly ripping something off……..BRUTAL!!!”
The TNA Knockout made similar remarks online last year after Maryse took a page out of “The Beautiful People” playbook by spraying Mickie James with hair spray during an episode of Monday Night Raw.
“You can try, but you cant and you never will be TBP!!!,” Love angrily typed on MySpace. “The Beautiful People- often imitated, NEVER duplicated!!”
Days before Love’s latest remark, Layla responded to those accusing her and Michelle McCool of ripping off TNA Wrestling’s “Beautiful People” act, writing on Twitter: “Cuz all of the tweets about this subject For the Record I do Not watch TNA So copy cat thing… kinda NOT!! This is All I will say Done!!”
— TNA Wrestling has launched a website solely promoting its live events tour. The website’s address is www.tnaliveevents.com.
— TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Madison Rayne squares off against Taylor Wilde in the following webmatch.
— Big Show briefly appears in a rap video/advertisement promoting USA’s hit medical drama Royal Pains. You can view the video here. Mark Feuerstein will guest host next week’s episode of Raw taking place in Charlotte, North Carolina.
— A Divas segment taped last Tuesday was edited off Friday’s SmackDown broadcast. The segment featured Michelle McCool and Layla interrupting a conversation Kelly Kelly and Tiffany were having backstage. Lay-Cool took credit for getting rid of “Piggie James” and “The Glamazon,” telling the two SmackDown Divas they were next.
— WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel, Melina and Beth Phoenix will be taking part in tonight’s Raw Live Chat on WWE.com.
— On Twitter, Melina indicated she has two months of physical therapy left before she can return to the ring. She also asked her fans what the “latest gossip” is on her comeback, to which they replied she was being advertised for the Jun. 5 Monday Night Raw taping in Miami. She said she was unaware of any such appearance as no one in WWE told her about it, writing:
“You never know, maybe I can be there for that Raw show… I surely can walk, talk and slap some people. :D I could still be there! But I haven’t heard from anyone though. :( so who knows if I’m supposed to be in Raw or SD. I’m in the dark like all of you. Maybe more so :p”
– Though Layla and Michelle McCool came to the ring wearing matching Women’s Titles on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, according to WWE.com, they are merely “self-proclaimed” co-Women’s Champions. Officially, Layla is the WWE Women’s Champion. McCool is not an official holder of the belt.
– Speaking of Melina, she will be appearing on tonight’s Over The Limit live chat on WWEUniverse.com. Tonight is “Divas Night” as the winner of the Divas Championship Match between Eve Torres and Maryse will appear during the session. Also scheduled to appear is former Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix. Click here for more information.
— Rey Mysterio is once again complaining about his pay, according to WWE sources. Though some feel he’s had legitimate gripes in the past, he’s developed a reputation within WWE for being overly paranoid over his pay. He feels he’s being short-changed compared to some of the other top performers in the company. (source: www.pwtorch.com)
— The following was issued: “And now ladies and gentleman, viewers to www.MichelleMcCool.Net of all ages we present to you *insert drum roll here* the exclusive second part to MichelleMcCool.Net’s 5th Anniversary Interview! In this half, we get a little more personal with Michelle as the questions and answers go “Beyond the Ropes.” Michelle talks about her experience at WrestleMania Axxess this year, what she thinks about support from the gay community, her body and what parts she has problems with most, who she’d like to have an on screen relationship with, which wrestling family is Flawless, her favorite and least favorite classes in school, who she enjoys doing WWE appearances with most, how she got involved with Krav Maga and much more! With questions that have never been asked before and answers never before revealed, you’ll definitely want to check out the conclusion to our two part exclusive 5th Anniversary interview with Michelle McCool!”
— In light of Beth Phoenix’ removal from television as a result of a torn ACL, there is talk of splitting up Lay-Cool — Michelle McCool and Layla — and having them feud with each other. It’s also been said that Melina may return to SmackDown once she’s cleared to wrestle, which is expected to take place in June. (source: PWInsider.com)
— In an interview with WWE Magazine, Ted DiBiase is asked what he won’t miss from his days in The Legacy, to which he replied playing with G.I. Joe action figures. He then relays a bizarre story of Rhodes once seriously asking him to play with said toys.
“Well, he wanted to play “War,” and I thought it was some video game or card game. Then he pulled all these dolls out of his bag. He lined them up and started making noises like, “Pow! Pow! Boom!” It was just bad,” DiBiase said. “I thought it was a joke, but he told me I needed to take it more seriously. I felt inclined to play along because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Never again.”
— WWE was the No. 2 trending topic on Yahoo.com yesterday.
