– WWE Superstar John Cena is scheduled to appear on the “Watch What Happens Live” show on the Bravo network on Wednesday, January 15th at 11pm. The show will replay again early Thursday morning at 2:30am, and again at 8:00am on Thursday.
– The MLive website ran a featured piece on WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley’s upcoming comedy show in Detroit, Michigan. You can check the article out at MLive.com.
There is no question that 2014 is a make or break year for TNA. With Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles departing, major budget issues, their Spike TV Contract renewal coming up, a lot of questions need to be answered as to how the company will survive. It’s not unrealistic that TNA will cease to exist in its current form this year. Without a doubt, TNA has some talented wrestlers that can put on consistent performances night in and night out, but a lack of talent isn’t the only problem that needs fixing.
We here at SEScoops like TNA and want them to succeed. It’s refreshing that there is an alternative wrestling company on network television aside from WWE, but unfortunately, it looks like they’re going off a cliff and they need to make drastic changes in order to survive. Here are five suggestions that may help TNA Impact Wrestling make it through 2014:
Dixie Carter is no Vince McMahon circa 1999 and the heel “Authority” angle has run its course in professional wrestling. The WWE is currently guilty of bringing back a similar angle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon wreaking havoc on the babyface superstars on the WWE roster and TNA can be different by distancing themselves from similar storylines. Just because Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff aren’t with the company anymore doesn’t mean you have to turn Dixie Carter into a heel authority figure. We’ve already seen this sort of thing multiple times in TNA and it’s just not working this time around.
Obviously, Dixie’s mic work does not compare to Vince’s and with AJ Styles actually gone from TNA for the first time in 10+ years, there is no true Stone Cold Steve Austin-esque hero to take down the big bad boss. Perhaps TNA has figured this all out already, having Jeff Hardy return from his hiatus to exact vengeance on the boss and her henchman, but will fans really pay attention, and more importantly, pay extra cash to see Hardy fight the odds? Don’t get me wrong, Hardy is one of the company’s top assets and an extremely talented superstar, but we’ve seen this too many times before.
Dixie Carter should be removed from television as soon as possible if TNA wants to start 2014 off on the right foot. Sure, she can still be showcased every once and a while in backstage segments like she used to be, but she is definitely being overexposed. A good start in resolving this situation is to stop having the boss open the show with an underwhelming/uneventful promo each and every week on Impact.
Due to TNA’s money/budget issues, releasing Sting and Kurt Angle would be a smart move by the company. This suggestion may be a bit of a shocker to some of you, but their big-money contracts may in fact be hurting the company as a whole.
What’s left for ‘The Icon” Sting to do in TNA Impact Wrestling? He’s 54 years old, put over the current TNA champion Magnus last year at Bound for Glory, played a key role in exterminating the Aces & Eights and can never wrestle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship again. Much like Hulk Hogan, Sting’s contract with TNA is costing them more than it is helping them.
Kurt Angle will go down as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, but in my opinion, Angle is inching ever so closer to the end of his career, and it seems as if he wants to eventually bring his talents back to the place that helped make him who he is today, the WWE. In a recent interview, Angle said that his TNA contract expires in eight months and that he can’t say that he’ll never return to the World’s number one wrestling promotion.
Sting and Angle are two of the most famous names on the current TNA roster, but both superstars have paid their dues, won numerous championships and have helped put over younger talent. It’s time to move on.
TNA has some impressive home-grown talent – Bobby Roode, James Storm, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, Fankie Kazarian, etc. Now, by “home-grown”, I mean non-WWE talent. TNA should keep up the tradition of signing Ring of Honor and other independent talent because the roster right now seems very thin. While there are plenty of independent guys that deserve a chance to have the spotlight shine on them, here are some wrestlers that I think would be a great addition to TNA:
Kevin Steen: “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen is one of those athletes that loves the professional wrestling business and has never been showcased on WWE or TNA television. Steen is a decent talker and a phenomenal worker that can get under the crowds skin in an instant. Steen is a born heel and has received high praises from the Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bringing Steen to Impact Wrestling would be a wise choice and would bring a section of new hardcore wrestling fans to the promotion.
Chris Hero: Chris Hero is an Indy sensation and a current free agent that would bring more viewers to TNA if signed to a contract. Hero was recently released by WWE and never made it onto the main roster despite being one of the more talented superstars on the NXT roster. Hero has the look to be a major star and his in-ring skills have been finely tuned by the WWE to be a sports entertainer.
The Young Bucks: The Young Bucks, known as Generation Me in TNA, put forth entertaining and consistent performances ever since their run in TNA from 2009-2011. They had some great matches with the Motor City Machine Guns, but due to poor booking decisions and monetary issues, the brothers left the company. The duo would be realistic signings because it seems that they are on good terms with the TNA promotion. Despite being eliminated in the first round, the Bucks competed in a TNA One Night Only PPV just last year. These two are in the prime of their careers and signing them to a TNA contract would undoubtedly help TNA’s now-struggling tag team division.
Sonjay Dutt: Sonjay Dutt is an easy choice because he is a world-renown athlete and continues to be showcased on Impact Wrestling time and time again. Dutt made his debut with TNA in 2003 and wrestled for the promotion until 2009. Recently, he’s made a few special appearances, but isn’t signed to a contract with the company. As Mike Tenay has said in the past, Dutt is the most talented wrestler to never win the coveted X-Division Championship. While he may not be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dutt is a reliable worker that is energetically entertaining and would most definitely help the X-Division reclaim its glory days.
Michael Elgin: I’m not an avid follower of Michael Elgin, but from what I’ve seen and read, the dude can put on top-notch performances that will make your jaw drop. Last year in ROH, Elgin had a must-watch, five star rated match with Davey Richards. If you want to help your wrestling promotion, it’d be smart to hire someone that can wrestle a five star match, right?
Of course, there are other independent stars that I didn’t list that would fit into TNA’s landscape and help them become a better promotion. Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are two names that come to mind, but word on the street is that they are in talks with WWE at the moment, so I left them off of the list.
Which independent wrestlers would you like to see TNA sign in 2014? Why do you think they would help the promotion? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Former WWE Superstar Edge made a surprise appearance at Mick Foley’s comedy show in Webster, NY on Friday night.
– WWE stock increased 2.77% on Thursday and closed at $16.67 following Wednesday night’s WWE Network announcement. The next big factor that will affect the stock in a significant way will be the TV rights fees negotiations, with a new deal to be announced by early March.
– The Democrat And Chronicle website ran an article on WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley’s comedy shows this weekend in New York and Toronto. Foley will be performing on Friday night in Webster, New York at The Comedy Club at 7:30pm and 10:30pm. He plays Saturday night in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Yuk Yuks at 8pm. For more information on the shows, visit DemocratAndChronicle.com.
– Former WWE announcer and ESPN host Todd Grisham celebrates his 38th birthday today. Grisham was born on January 9, 1976.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley joked on Twitter that the content during his comedy shows scheduled for this weekend may not make WWE too happy. Foley tweeted:
I'm pretty sure this week's shows are going to get me fired from @WWE. Should be fun!
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) January 8, 2014
– WWE has added the following video to their official YouTube channel featuring bloopers from the shoot of the WWE Royal Rumble 2014 commercial. The video, which you can watch below, is accompanied by the following description: “Randy Orton, Goldust and other WWE Superstars come unhinged in these outtakes from the 2014 Royal Rumble speed dating commercial.”
WWE will tape this week’s Main Event and SmackDown on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As announced at Old School RAW on Monday night, the main event for this week’s WWE Main Event will be a tag-team match featuring R-Truth & Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans.
The confirmed main event for this week’s SmackDown, which was also announced at Old School RAW, is a non-title match between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston.
Also advertised for the taping in Philadelphia tonight is WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley.
Anyone who is attending tonight’s taping, feel free to submit a live report to be published here on the website.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has published a new Facebook blog about The Shield, speculating whether they will break up or not. Here’s an excerpt:
“I don’t know if there’s going to be a true split between the SHIELD. or if the weeks long rift is going to turn out to be a false alarm. I think there has to be an eventual parting of the ways, if only because it’s been obvious from the start that all three members – Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose had promising singles careers ahead of them. But if/when that split happens, the WWE Universe will be ready for it.
In a business where things seem to move at warp speed, where we sometimes are in such a hurry to turn out a product that we forget to take our time with it, storylines can often jump onto our screens on our screen like a quick, microwaved meal – they gets the job done, but without any real passion in the craftsmanship, and ultimately, completely unmemorable. But WWE has taken the time to put the right spices into this angle, and when it emerges from the oven, it’s going to fully seasoned, and baked with that old world craftsmanship – something we can all savor for a while.”
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has published a blog on Facebook talking about Daniel Bryan joining the Wyatt Family. Here’s an excerpt:
“For the record, I am a huge daniel Bryan fan. I thought a Bryan win would have been best for business at “Hell in a Cell”. I think Bryan winning the Royal Rumble, and the potential of 75,000 strong in New Orleans chanting “YES” at the conclusion of Wrestlemania – providing an image for the ages….and sending people home HAPPY – will be what’s best for business in April. But could this recent turn of events with Bray Wyatt be what’s best for business now?
It could be.
Personally, I see the WWE World heavyweight Championship in Daniel Bryan’s future. But in the meantime, he has a chance to do something almost as important and prestigious; he has a chance to help MAKE somebody.
Last month, I mentioned that Bray Wyatt (yeah, I know I called him Way Bryatt on the TLC PPV) had that “IT” thing – those tricky two letters that can spell the difference betweeen a talented performer and a star, between an asset to the company and a main eventer. But even a peformer with that “IT” factor needs something else to get them there – a bridge of sorts to get lead them on that next step of the journey. Every performer in our business needs that intense personal issue, that rivalry, that FEUD that truly puts them on the main event map.”
Besides WrestleMania 29, which is annually WWE’s top video release, WCW nostalgia has been driving WWE’s DVD sales.
According to WWE business numbers released last week, WCW titles rank as the second, third and fourth top WWE video releases of 2013. Through the end of November, the most shipped DVDs have been WrestleMania 29 (174,000), The Best of WCW Monday Nitro, Vol. 2 (121,000), WWE: Goldberg – The Ultimate Collection (86,000), WCW War Games: WCW’s Most Notorious Matches (80,000), WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History (64,000) and WWE: For All Mankind- The Life and Career of Mick Foley (59,000).
It should be noted that the Goldberg DVD had only been out for less than two months, with 74,000 sold in the first month. It greatly outsold the Triple H video released two weeks prior, Triple H – Thy Kingdom Come, which was not ranked as a top-seller.
As of late, actual sales have hovered around the 60% mark of total shipments.
The DVD market appears to be declining, with shipments of WrestleMania and other top WWE-themed titles being significantly down compared to the year before. The top WWE DVD releases at the same point in 2012 were WrestleMania XXVIII (236,000), The Rock: The Epic Journey of Dwayne Johnson (150,000), CM Punk – Best in the World (114,000, released in October), WWE: Undertaker – The Streak (102,000), WWE: The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania (96,000), nWo: The Revolution (94,000, released in November) and Royal Rumble (89,000).
WWE has plans to release more titles featuring the best of World Championship Wrestling. WrestlingDVDNews.com reported last week that WWE’s upcoming WCW’s Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches Vol. 1 DVD and Blu-ray, which is scheduled for release on March 11, 2014, will be the first title released in a series highlighting the greatest WCW matches on pay-per-view.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley has been tweeting since Monday night about his desire to be part of the RAW Christmas special that aired this week. Foley initially tweeted:
Trust me @Mautoncman – I asked, pleaded & begged to be on #RAWChristmas.
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) December 24, 2013
Foley then tweeted these two, followed by a lengthy “feel good” Christmas-related story, which you can read below the following two tweets:
Not going to lie @AndySullivan12 – I felt like the kid in this photo when told I'd been written off #RAWChristmas pic.twitter.com/FHEcpNQvct
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) December 24, 2013
Maybe I was written off #RAWChristmas but in 2014 "I AM SANTA CLAUS" in @IamSantaMovie. Take a look at the poster! pic.twitter.com/S8CADajBSU
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) December 24, 2013
Here is the “feel good” Christmas-related story Foley wrote about on Twitter:
“Sure, I would have like to be on #RAWChristmas – but it’s not my show, and not my call. So, I’m going to look at the glass of milk half-full and share a nice behind the scenes story.
A couple months ago, I heard from a longtime Santa -a large man who had fallen on tough times, and had been unable to play the Santa role he loved, because he no longer owned a suit for his large frome. Following the Santa match on RAW, Mark Henry gave me his Santa suit, and I had it in a box bound for Kentucky the next day.
The Kentucky Santa sent me a photo a couple days later – the suit fit perfectly :)
And to all a good night.”
– Paul Heyman re-tweeted this photo of his most high-profile supporter to date:
"@Punkarmy434 @HeymanHustle Santa Clause is a Paul Heyman Guy! pic.twitter.com/8wkqudIj9i" … BEST. PHOTO. EVER! @WWE @RealMickFoley
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) December 20, 2013
– Here’s the latest WWE Inbox video:
‘Fandango dishes on the worst dancer, his own reflection and if he will replace Summer Rae this winter.’
– John Cena is featured on the latest Outside The Ring video:
“WWE Superstar John Cena steps from the ring to behind the desk where the leader of Cenation shined as a guest co-host of ESPN’s hit show, ‘SportsNation’.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley will be dressing up as Santa Claus to take photos with fans on Friday from 4pm until 6:30pm at Finishing Touch Photo in Setauket. Foley asked that fans please don’t bring merchandise for him to autogrpah as this is strictly a photo session. For more information, visit FinishingTouchPhoto.com.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Naomi’s interview with JET Magazine has officially been released. Fans interested in checking out the interview can do so online at JETMag.com.
– WWE is giving away four autographed copies of their new TriviaMania board game signed by WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio. The contest ends at midnight on December 17th. For more information, visit WooBox.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley’s son Hugh Foley has written a new book called “Crazy Christmas.” Hugh was assisted by comic book illustrated Jill Thompson on the project. The book features Mick Foley as a character.
It was announced during the TLC “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday night, which was also the Slammy Awards special, that Fandango will be facing Dolph Ziggler in the TLC Kickoff Show match.
Also announced for the TLC Kickoff Show is the “expert panel.” For the final WWE pay-per-view of 2013, WWE Hall Of Famers Mick Foley and Booker T will join WWE Superstar The Miz to hype up the TLC pay-per-view.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley is teasing that at midnight on Monday, he will reveal some “big news” for Cactus Jack fans. For more information, visit RealMickFoley.com.
– Speaking of Foley, he will be signing copies of his “WWE #1” comic book on December 14th in New York City at the Midtown Comics store on Fulton Street. The comic will be officially released on Wednesday, January 11th.
– Due to the strong sales of WCW-related titles, WWE is already coming up with multiple ideas for a bunch of similar WCW-related DVD releases.
– Next Sunday night’s edition of Total Divas is the episode that will feature Daniel Bryan’s real-life proposal to Brie Bella.
– Lex Luger’s autobiography is scheduled for a paperback release in May of 2014.
– The following is the official synopsis for the new “WWE #1” comic book, which was written by WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:
“Pandemonium Squared,” Part 1 of 4. An all-new adventure straight from the world of WWE’s powerful, ongoing clashes. It all starts with a fierce battle between WWE Champion John Cena and Mark Henry, but quickly turns into all-out chaos! Soon virtually every WWE Superstar faces off in a no-holds-barred Brawl to End it All – but what has caused the wrestlers to virtually go berserk? Can Vickie Guerrero and Booker T manage such chaos, or will Mr. McMahon have to step in? Featuring CM Punk, Fandango, Sheamus and more! “
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently spoke to Previews World regarding his new WWE comic book, “WWE #1” and how several WWE Superstars are excited to check it out:
“I know a few of them are really excited. Guys like CM Punk who grew up as huge fans are dying to see what they look like in a comic book. I’ve had that chance, when WWE did their book in 1999, and WCW did theirs in the early nineties.”
“WWE #1” is set for a December 11th release.
Following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker over the weekend, production has been shut down on The Rock’s new film “Fast & Furious 7.” After rushing to get the movie completed in time for a July 2014 release, producers are now considering scrapping the entire film and starting over. Fast & Furious 7, which has a $200 million budget, was more than halfway finished at the time of Walker’s death.
During an interview with Entertainment weekly, The Rock said:
“He was motivated by work that allowed him to take care of his family, number one, and that also allowed him the power and the leverage to help people in need and in crisis. The most important thing that we had in common was the importance of family time and being a great father to our daughters. We bonded over that. It was always the number one topic we would talk about. We would talk about silly guy things, his fast cars and my pickup trucks, or we would talk about the beautiful energy of Hawaii — but it always ultimately came back to family. And very specifically, the beautiful and important bond between a father and his daughter, and how we both realized that over the years.”
He praised Walker’s professionalism, calling the actor “a very calming presence on set.”
The Rock also tweeted on Wednesday morning:
Losing a loved one jolts our hearts to the core… It also has a way of helping us move forward to live & love as greatly as possible. #PW
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 4, 2013
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley is being advertised to appear at the upcoming WWE SmackDown television taping in Philadelphia on January 7, 2014.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T is being advertised to appear at the WWE RAW television shows on January 6th, January 13th and January 20th.
– WWE’s storyline with the Big Show and Triple H has been dropped. At one point, there was talk of them wrestling at the Royal Rumble, but Big Show was brought back to television early and wrestled Randy Orton at Survivor Series. Big Show has already been moved out of the Authority storyline – and competed in an unrelated 6-man tag match last night on RAW.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley appeared on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom radio show this morning. It will be be replayed at BobandTom.com later this afternoon.
– During a Total Divas Q&A on Twitter Sunday night, Natalya was asked if Divas Champion AJ Lee could make it as a Total Diva. She replied, “It’s not for everyone.”
– WWE NXT Diva Charlotte shared an encouraging text message from her father Ric Flair on Instagram:
– WWE NXT Champion Bo Dallas is scheduled to defend his title against Adrian Neville at the WWE NXT live event on December 5th in Tampa, Florida.
– The Kentucky.com website has an article up promoting Mick Foley’s upcoming one man show at The Mall in Lexington Green on December 4th. You can check that article out online at Kentucky.com.
– WWE has added a nearly four-minute clip on YouTube from the latest Michael Cole and Triple H interview from WWE.com. The clip focuses on Triple H revealing that he wants there to be one undisputed champion in WWE. You can watch the clip below:
– Actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the Fast and the Furious action movies, died on Saturday in a car crash in Southern California, his publicist announced. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson commented on his co-star’s passing.
“All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “We find our strength.. in his light. Love you brother.”
The latest installment of the movie franchise, Fast & Furious 7, was recently filmed in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The movie is scheduled for release next year with Walker involved.
– In honor of The Miz’s new ABC Family movie Christmas Bounty, 30 Second Fury takes a look at his devastating finishing manuever, The Skull Crushing Finale.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is scheduled to appear at two events in Indiana on Sunday. At 11:00 a.m., he will be participating in an autograph signing in Cincinnati at the Moeller High School Thanksgiving show and at 8:00 p.m., he will be holding a comedy show at the Laughter House in Muncie.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently joked about his participation in an upcoming fruitcake eating competition on his official Twitter account. Foley tweeted the following:
Suddenly, I'm having second thoughts about that fruitcake eating competition on 12/7. But, somehow I'll find the fortitude to see it through
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) November 30, 2013
– New main roster WWE Superstar Xavier Woods recently revealed his favorite wrestler in a new tweet posted on his official Twitter account. Woods tweeted the following:
@XavierWoodsPhD: My favorite wrestler is Flash Funk, @BrodusClay helped me do my thing and he's all upset about it! #UMadBro #Smackdown @wwe
— Xavier Woods (@XavierWoodsPhD) November 30, 2013
– Former TNA star Matt Morgan and recently released WWE NXT star Chris Hero (aka Kassius Ohno) are scheduled to headline the next NWA-Florida Underground event in Tampa, Florida this Friday, November 29th. For more information, visit FUWrestling.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley is scheduled to make an appearance at the Kalamazoo Wings hockey game on Friday, January 24th. For more information, visit MLive.com.
– Retired NFL quarterback Joe Thiesmann criticized the current WWE product in a new tweet he posted while watching WWE RAW this past Monday night. “Raw needs more wrestling and less gum flapping,” wrote the NFL legend, which ended up being covered by The Washington Post. For more on that story, visit WashingtonPost.com.