– WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston and WWE Diva Natalya will be hosting a WrestleMania Reading Celebration event today at the Harry Kizirian Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island.
– The Los Angeles Times ran an article on their website recently covering the rumors that WWE Hall Of Famers “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan may be working at the upcoming WrestleMania XXX event in April. You can check out the article online at LATimes.com.
– The official WWE website currently has a poll up asking fans who they would most like to see Batista wrestle when he returns. The options are Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose and Big E. Langston. At last check, with nearly 10,000 votes cast, Orton leads the pack with 36 percent. Lesnar is in a close second with 33 percent and Cena comes in third with just 12 percent.
– Former WWE Diva Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria) attended the WWE live event in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday. The following is a photo of she and Natalya backstage at the event:
– The official WWE website caught up with WWE Superstars to find out their worst travel stories, including The Miz’s ride through a blizzard, Cody Rhodes’ messy trip with Randy Orton, and The Brooklyn Brawler’s confrontation with an unruly passenger. Natalya remembered Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallaj”kull wreaking havoc on the final legs of the two-week post-WrestleMania XXVI tour in 2010.
“My travel day from hell was on an International Tour when we got stuck over in Europe,” Natalya recalls. “We were heading to Switzerland but we couldn’t get out because there was a volcano. There was ash in the air and they wouldn’t let planes fly out of most of Europe. We got stuck there for a week. We couldn’t do anything until the ash cleared. Every airport, practically, in Europe was shut down. So we had to stay there and just hang out for a week. And we nearly missed Monday Night Raw, which is unheard of. They were saying that the ash wouldn’t clear and it could take up to a month to clear. When we finally, finally, finally made it home, I literally kissed the ground of the JFK airport.”
– As reported recently, WWE has plans to release a single-disc DVD highlighting the promotion’s greatest music. The video now has a name as according to WrestlingDVDNews.com, it will be called Signature Sounds: The Music of WWE.
Featuring twenty-five tracks and interviews with WWE composer Jim Johnston, it is scheduled for release on March 18, 2014. The synopsis is as follows: “Music has been integral in WWE history, especially anthems for all the greatest WWE Superstars. Since Sgt. Slaughter first made his entrance to the Marine Corp hymn in the early 80?s music themes have become synonymous with the Superstars themselves. Just hearing the first few notes brings the crowd to their feet. They are the songs that let the WWE Universe know that business is about to pick up. Now, get behind the music and learn the inside story behind the timeless anthems of WWE and the Superstars.”
– E! Canada will be airing marathons of Total Divas on December 26 and 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Posted December 22nd, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: Natalya.
– As seen last night at WWE TLC, AJ Lee successfully defended the Divas Championship against Natalya after it was heavily speculated online that she would lose the title as punishment for a reported backstage incident with NBC personality Michelle Beadle at Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event—gamblers briefly predicted Natalya would win amidst reports of the ordeal (betting for the match was ultimately nixed from most sportsbooks), after Lee was considered a heavy favorite. Dave Meltzer stated this morning in a podcast on F4WOnline.com that Lee was always scripted to win the bout, as the match result was finalized before the story surfaced.
As reported earlier, WWE executives don’t want to draw any more attention to the Lee-Beadle story than necessary.
– Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett paid tribute to “Ravishing” Rick Rude on Sunday after sacking New York Giants star quarterback Peyton Manning. Here is an animation of Bennett performing the late wrestler’s signature dance.
The Seahawks shutdown the Giants, 23-0.
– Hulk Hogan’s WWE theme song, “Real American,” briefly played this afternoon on Fox News as bumper music for a story tease on Iowa GOP Senate candidates.
Total Divas star Natalya spoke to the Miami Herald over the weekend. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Women Taking Over WWE: “Women, we call the shots, whether it’s your mother, wife, even in my relationship , my better half knows that Nattie calls the shots. In WWE, Stephanie McMahon, I would vote for her to be President of the United States. She is beautiful, intimidating and endearing, all at the same time. Women are taking over in WWE. People look at WWE and think it’s very male dominated, but really it’s not. There’s a nice blend and balance of women who are involved in WWE. You look at Stephanie McMahon and Vickie Guerrero and AJ Lee and this cast on ‘Total Divas.’”
Can Women Be Featured More Prominently on WWE TV? “Of course. I’m not saying this in a cocky way, but I think women are taking over, whether it’s [singer] Beyonce or [MMA fighter] Ronda Rousey or all the divas in WWE. Look at Stephanie McMahon. When she comes on your screen on [WWE] Monday Night Raw, she’s engaging. When you watch her, you want to hear what she’s going to say. You look at Vickie Guerrero, and you look at AJ Lee, and you look at the Bella twins. Even if you watch ‘Total Divas’ and you think the Bella twins are cocky or sassy or arrogant, you’re watching. You’re tuning in, and you’re hanging on every word they’re saying. I think that we have a nice blend of power women who are kind of taking over WWE. Go by what they do, not by what they say. If you’re watching WWE and you’re seeing all these women on your television screen, you know the tide is turning, and things are changing. WWE is always evolving and changing and growing, and for women our role in WWE is getting bigger and stronger and better, as it should. That’s the way it’s always worked in WWE. Our reality show ‘Total Divas’ is proof of that. You have seven divas, and we have an hour long show every week on another network [E!] that partnered with WWE to show what our girls do. You turn on SmackDown, and you see Vickie Guerrero, and you turn on Raw, and you see Stephanie McMahon, and you see all the girls. It’s very empowering to know that women are taking over WWE.”
Training new talents in the future: “For me, everything is situational, especially with my career in WWE. I learned a long time ago not to plan too far in advance, because the minute you start planning your life, it all takes a different direction. I was one of those people who liked to have all her ducks in a row, but now I don’t do that. I take it one day at a time, because everything can change, and you have to be willing to roll with the punches and the ups and downs, the highs and the lows. Although, I do really enjoy working with new talent, women and men, and I love training people. I think training people makes you better at your craft, but I don’t know. It will just depend on the situation, and if the right opportunity presents itself, but I can’t say what my future holds.”
Posted December 16th, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: Natalya.
– Amidst reports that Divas Champion AJ Lee is in hot water with WWE brass for appearing unruly towards NBC sports and entertainment personality Michelle Beadle at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington, betting for her scheduled title defense against Natalya tonight at WWE TLC is now off in most outlets.
The New Jersey-native was a heavy favorite to win her match against the accomplished third-generation wrestler after “insider betting” was placed on Thursday. At the start of Sunday, Lee was a 4,500-point favorite, then downgraded to a 2,750-point favorite after reports of the incident surfaced. Natalya moved to a 1,250-point underdog with late money landing on a win before the match was removed from most sportsbooks entirely.
Lee has the third-longest Divas Championship reign in history, having held the title for 182 days as of Sunday. She trails Beth Phoenix (204) and Maryse (216).
– This week’s WWE Classics on Demand updates are as follows: (The Big Events – Armageddon 1999; Classics Rewind – Monday Night Wars: Nitro (1/19/98). Monday Night Wars: Raw (1/19/98), Prime Time Wrestling Holiday Show (12/23/86); Cowboy Bill Watts – North American Heavyweight Championship: Bill Watts (c) vs. Terry Funk (CWF – 1970’s), Bill Watts and Jerry Brisco vs. Robert Fuller and Ron Fuller (CWF – 7/2/74), Florida Heavyweight Championship: Dusty Rhodes (c) vs Bill Watts (CWF – 10/22/74), Bill Watts, Jim Duggan and Terry Taylor vs. Fabulous Freebirds (UWF – 7/21/86); Season Beatings – WCW World Tag Team Championship: Dallas Page and Kevin Nash (c) vs. 3 Count (Nitro – 12/4/2000), First Blood Match: John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (Raw – 1/2/06), Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sting (WCW Thunder – 12/9/99), Eddie Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman (Nitro – 12/28/98), Divas Championship: Michelle McCool (c) vs. Maryse (Smackdown – 12/26/08); TV Classics – NWA’s WCW on TBS (8/20/88), Monday Night Raw (12/19/94), Tribute to the Troops (2012).
– Mexican wrestling legend Konnan continues to take shots at current talent on the WWE roster, most recently setting his sights on the current WWE Divas. Konnan noted that, “they suck. Only Tamina, Natalya and AJ can ‘go.'”
Konnan also tore into new TNA character Ethan Carter III, tweeting, “You couldn’t be a star if you were thrown by a Ninja. #BOOM.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin noted on his podcast on Tuesday that Vince McMahon is interested in coming on his show. Austin said that he and McMahon are looking to find a mutually viable time to record an interview.
– WWE Superstar Damien Sandow originally posted a tweet complaining about not winning any Slammy Awards on Monday night and how he was ready to take action. Since then, Sandow has deleted the tweet and is now telling fans to “get ready” and “prepare.”
– WWE Diva Natalya recently spoke with Philippe Chereau and Christophe Agius about her husband Tyson Kidd, her father, WWE and more. You can check the interview out below:
Daniel Bryan, winning three Slammy Awards competing in a match, appearing in the Championship Ascension Ceremony, was without question the star of the show. His hometown crowd chanting YES! YES! YES! and DANIEL BRYAN! throughout the beginning of the Championship Ascension Ceremony. Going back earlier in the night to his first Slammy win for Superstar Of The Year. On stage The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. He announces the Superstar of the year is Daniel Bryan. We were all expecting fireworks to occur during that interaction. HBK even exited stage right a perfect set-up for a “surprise” superkick from out of nowhere! But there was no Sweet Chin Music. Just a humble acceptance speech by Bryan for his Slammy Award which he refereed to as The “HB Swizzle” award, Michaels naming it that just before presenting the award. Bryan did mention if it wasn’t for Shawn he wouldn’t be in the WWE. Likewise if it wasn’t for his interference at Hell-In-A-Cell he would be the WWE Champion. Although there was no physical interaction here, that wouldn’t be the last time these two interacted on the show.
See this is why I can’t shake off fighting the Daniel Bryan cause, he belongs in the main event. Heck this article uses his YES! and NO! and lord help us all if Daniel Bryan ever appears in a “NO!” portion of this article. Some people might say, he was in his hometown and had an extra kick of support. There may be a bit of truth to that, but I feel that there are just some hot wrestling towns. Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and apparently Seattle. After what transpired later in the show who knows what will happen the next few months. I’m excited! YES!
Championship Ascension Ceremony
John Cena showing why he is in fact the face of WWE.
Former World Heavyweight and WWE Champions appeared all in the ring for the Championship Ascension Ceremony. As I said earlier the crowd was going crazy for Daniel Bryan. While Triple H was talking up the match, and the championship, the Seattle crowd chanted YES and Daniel Bryan to the point where Triple H gave them what seemed like at least a minute of chanting and Yessing and clapping. This crowd was on fire for Daniel Bryan. Triple H introduced both Orton and Cena. The crowd did not want to hear what Orton had to say. There were boos and boring chants. Then Cena took the mic. More boos and cheering mix. Then Cena begins to speak and prove why he is the face of the WWE. These days with everything being very planned and scripted, Cena played to the crowd and included Daniel Bryan in the conversation, he compared Randy Orton’s rise to success to Daniel Bryan’s. The idea was Bryan didn’t have a father and grandfather to get him in to the WWE, he did it by working. Cena turned practically the entire crowd around and behind him., shouting out his past opponents, HBK, CM Punk, and putting over that the only fair shot Daniel Bryan had was the one with him. Brilliant, this is why he is where he is. The end was something I haven’t seen in the WWE in a long time. It was an awesome chain of events excuited perfectly. Cena and Orton shake hands as the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship are hoisted up. Orton gets in a cheap shot, the two are down on the mat fighting. Orton and Cena get pulled apart to their corners. CM Punk gets shoved by Orton causing CM Punk to start attacking Orton. Triple H throws down CM Punk, who retaliates with a knockdown of his on on The Game. HBK Superkicks CM Punk, setting up Daniel Bryan to
The Authority and John Cena look over A fallen Randy Orton. A great segment to end raw.
WWE Reminding us what they are capable of, a Powerful and compelling end to Raw.
deliver his running Knee on HBK. Orton tries to RKO Bryan but instead gets shoved into Stephanie McMahon knocking her down. Triple H runs to Stephanie’s aid, and then gets up and pedigrees Randy. The show closes with The Authority and John Cena looking disappointed over Randy Orton on the mat. What a great segment. This is what WWE used to do on a regular basis. Twists and turns, these chain-reaction action segments. YES!
Quick Mentions
Dean Ambrose vs CM Punk – Ambrose vs CM punk was a Pay-Per-View quality match with a great dissension in the ranks tease when Dean Ambrose wanted Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to head to the back so he could finish the job by himself. Punk gets the win shortly after that exchange, although Punk loses out to the numbers game and gets a great spear from Reigns. YES!
The Wyatts – With a chip on my shoulder because of Daniel Bryan’s demotion, I don’t think I appreciated Bray Wyatt’s amazing performances over the last few weeks. They are great, and compelling. YES!
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
As noted in our full WWE live event report from Sunday’s show in Yakima, Washington, WWE Superstar Fandango came to the ring with a heart painted on his belly-button and the words, “I Love Nattie” written on his body. Fandango worked a mixed-tag-team match on the show with Summer Rae, losing to The Great Khali and Natalya.
There is speculation that WWE may be running an angle between the two stemming from the recent jealousy incident on Total Divas where Natalya’s real-life fiancee’ Tyson Kidd helped train Eva Marie, leading to Natalya trying to get him jealous by working with Fandango.
For those interested, you can read a full report from the WWE live event in Yakima on the main page.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin interviewed Jim Cornette on Sunday morning. The Cornette interview will air on his “Steve Austin Show” podcast on Thursday. Austin tweeted:
– 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:
– As recently announced, Raw and SmackDown tapings are slated to take place at The O2 Arena in London, England next May. Advertising for the event in an area publication, however, features two errors, as John Cena is being promoted as Ryback while CM Punk is labeled as Alberto Del Rio.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans who is the most talented “Total Diva.” With over 2,000 votes cast thus far, Natalya is winning the poll at 41%. She is currently trailed by Brie Bella (17%), Nikki Bella (16%), Naomi (9%), JoJo (7%), Eva Marie (6%) and Cameron (4%).
– Former WWE Diva Trinity turns 42-years-old on Sunday. Now a stuntwoman and roller derby player, she came out of retirement for one night only in the spring for TNA Wrestling.
– The season one finale of Total Divas on E! will air on Sunday, Dec. 15 and will be highlighted by former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan asking Brie Bella for her hand in marriage. According to TVGuide.com, the official synopsis for the episode, titled “Ready to Ride,” is as follows: “In the Season 1 finale, Bryan pops the question to Brie in a romantic setting; at the same time, Nikki feels uncertain about her future with John Cena after a heated discussion about marriage and children; and the first meeting between Eva Marie’s fiancé and her family goes horribly wrong.”
The penultimate episode will air on Sunday, Dec. 8. Details are as follows: “Nattie and TJ are forced to say goodbye to a beloved pet; Trinity has it out with Jon over his jealous behavior; and Nikki’s medical leave causes tensions between herself and Brie.”
– Former WWE Diva Amy Weber, who served as John “Bradshaw” Layfield’s image consultant when the Texas native reigned as WWE Champion in 2004 and 2005, was honored with Best Dance Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in Hollywood, California last week. She also opened the show with a performance, footage of which is available here.
– In addition to Christian (40) and Jushin “Thunder” Liger (51), two former WWE wrestlers are celebrating birthdays today. “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk turns 55 while Jimmy Del Rey turns 51.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week as a celebrity guest picking NFL games.
Here’s the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” I may have a different perspective than you since I was live at Raw this week at The Nassau Colosseum! Comment below and tell us how you like the column and if you agree with this week’s picks.
Daniel Bryan & CM Punk cut a promo before facing The Wyatts
The obligatory rematch between The Wyatts and Daniel Bryan & CM Punk, took place on Raw. First a promo from “The Beard & The Best” CM Punk discussing team names, and asking questions allowing Daniel Bryan to answer them with a “Yes!”. Daniel Bryan got a chance to say more than just the three letter word that will follow him for the rest of his career.
I love Daniel Bryan, and so does the crowd. In fact you could hear Daniel Bryan chants during the opening segment, proving once again that this demotion was not “Best For Business” But more on that in the “NO!” section.
Any match can be enhanced with the crowd behind you. When you have top stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the two most over Superstars at Raw, it can add just that little more energy to the match.
CM Punk made a comment about Triple H and the authority in the opening promo, and wouldn’t know it after Daniel Bryan was “Kidnapped” by the Wyatts. CM Punk was laid out by The Shield. I wonder if that marks the end of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk together, because I was enjoying that. Time will tell.
Who would have thought Goldust would be having great matches alongside his brother in 2013!
The Shield vs The Rhodes and Rey Mysterio
I have never been a fan of Tag Teams growing up watching the WWE. I must say however, though all the missteps, and bad booking since SummerSlam, The WWE has a great tag team division. This, of course includes The Shield and The Wyatt factions. Day in and day out these teams from The Veteran Golddust, to newer WWE talent in The Shield and The USO’s, are having great matches. I am thoroughly enjoying watching these teams work.
The Kosher Butcher!
The Kosher Butcher Superstars for Sandy Relief Auction winner, ” Charlie Tebele was interviewed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. When asked if he were to be a WWE Superstar, what would his name be. Charlie was prepared, with a blue T-shirt and a great gimmick “The Kosher Butcher” He even went as far to come up with his finisher, The Circumcision! At first the crowd didn’t know what to make of this. Not sure if this was shown on TV, but The Kosher Butcher had at least a dozen of his friends and family at Raw, all wearing their Blue shirts! Great stuff. Half way during the Xavier Woods match, and some further thought, the crowd broke out into chants of both “Kosher Butcher” and “Circumcision”, add that to the list of most bizarre Raw chants.
Great Stuff.
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
There was a pretty big error during the conclusion of the Divas Elimination Match at Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view involving both the commentary team and the ring announcer.
Near the end of the match, the Survivor Series broadcast team of Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry “The King” Lawler consistently referred to Natalya as the only member of her team remaining in the match. Nikki Bella, who was outside the ring selling, was actually still active in the match. Natalya ended up putting AJ Lee in the Sharpshooter to gain the win for her team, and was announced as the “sole survivor” of Team Natalya.
After the match, Lilian Garcia announced Natalya as the sole survivor, as did the announce team, when in fact Nikki was a survivor as well. Later in the show, Michael Cole acknowledged the fact that they had made the mistake, and informed fans that both Natalya and Nikki Bella survived in their match.
– CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were unable to answer the question, “will they remain a tag-team following their win at Survivor Seires” when asked by Renee Young in an exclusive WWE.com post-match interview. The two claimed that “they don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” when working in WWE.
– WWE Superstar Mark Henry, who returned with his new look to answer the open challenge issued by Ryback at Survivor Series, spoke to WWE.com about his reason for coming out. Henry claimed that he answered Ryback’s challenge due to the fact that Ryback was disrespecting Bret Hart, Booker T and Mick Foley, who he cut off when he came out to the ring.
Also featured in post-match interviews at Survivor Series on Sunday night were The Shield, Curtis Axel, Natalya and The Bella Twins. You can watch these interviews online at WWE.com.
Day seven of the WWE European tour continues on Tuesday with half of the WWE roster remaining in Manchester, England for the WWE SmackDown and WWE Main Event television taping, while the rest of the roster travels to Newcastle, England for a non-televised live event.
Announced already for the SmackDown television taping is an arm-wrestling contest between World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and former champion Alberto Del Rio. The two will continue to hype their upcoming title rematch at the WWE Survivor Series on Sunday, November 24th.
Confirmed for the WWE Main Event portion of the television taping is a WWE Divas Championship match between current title-holder AJ Lee and Natalya.
Also official for the SmackDown television taping is an appearance of WWE Superstar CM Punk.
Unless WWE continues their recent trend of false-advertising, you can count the following Superstars out of SmackDown and Main Event on Tuesday: Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz and The Shield. Orton vs. Bryan is advertised as the main event for the WWE Championship at the live event in Newcastle, as well as a six-man tag-team match featuring Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz vs. The Shield.
Make sure to check back here at the website on Tuesday afternoon for live play-by-play spoiler results of the WWE SmackDown and WWE Main Event television taping.
– A WWE Divas Championship match between current champion AJ Lee and Natalya is scheduled to take place on this Wednesday’s edition of WWE Main Event.
– Recently released WWE NXT star Kassius Ohno (aka Chris Hero) is scheduled to work his second post-WWE match this Sunday in Brooklyn, New York at The Lyceum for Dragon Gate USA.
– WWE has filed a copyright claim in response to the YouTube videos that surfaced online this past weekend that featured leaked satelitte footage from last Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. The two videos have also been removed from YouTube.
With Total Divas returning tomorrow night at 10/9 CT on E!, viewers can expect to see Eva Marie’s off-putting behavior and John Cena and Nikki Bella’s relationship take center stage.
The Nov. 17 episode, titled “Nurse Nikki,” will focus on the three. Courtesy of TVGuide.com, the synopsis reads, “Nikki moves in with John Cena and he shocks her with an unexpected demand; at the same time, Eva Marie considers cheating after she’s asked to announce on live TV.”
The Nov. 24 episode, as well as tomorrow night’s show, will center around Eva Marie. In a new twist, Natalya suspects that she is attempting to get in touch with Tyson Kidd. The official synopsis for “Seeing Red,” which also features the continuation of the Cena and Bella storyline, is as follows: “Nattie has a feeling that Eva Marie is trying to cozy up to her man; Nikki wonders if she can accept John Cena’s demand; and Brie has issues with Bryan’s increasing fame.”
As reported earlier, the synopsis for tomorrow night’s “SummerSlam” show reads: “Eva Marie’s rising popularity is seen as a threat by Nikki; Ariane works on anger management; and an accident during a match leaves Nattie worried about returning to the ring for SummerSlam.”
Brie Bella has her own suspicions of Eva Marie. Speaking to OK! Magazine, she stated the following of her peer’s behavior at SummerSlam for her match against Natalya, “The thing is, you are putting so many different personalities together trying to force friendships and it is like, we are still going for one spot. Especially in the first episode because it is SummerSlam, that is a big night for us and I was lucky enough to have a singles match but how can someone just walk in and try to capitalize off that?! We definitely have our moments where we get along great but you will see a lot more of Eva just kind of being herself and just trying to get ahead without working hard. She has her ways.”
Eva Marie, who scored her first pinfall victory last Monday on Raw, is currently in Europe promoting Total Divas.
The following are highlights from a recent WWE.com interview with WWE Superstar Tyson Kidd:
On if he’s had to change his in-ring style due to knee surgery: “I originally thought I would, but I’m very, very stubborn. I’d been doing cardio since week six of my rehab, and after two minutes in the ring the day I got cleared, I was done. It felt like I’d wrestled a 30-Minute Handicap Match. I was dying. I mean, this sounds bad, but in terms of my conditioning and my wind, I may as well have been sitting on my couch for eight months.”
“There’s only one way to train, and that’s being in the ring. And even in practice, it’s not the same as performing in front of a crowd. You’re constantly feeding off their energy and their reactions and trying to feel them out. It’s a different aspect than practicing in the ring on your own. That’s been my limitation. But the only way to improve is to run that tank on empty, and then refill again. If you’re afraid and don’t let yourself get to empty, you’ll never build your conditioning. I learned that from my Japanese trainer, Tokyo Joe, a long time ago. But I’m not going to let my knee alter anything I do in the ring. My move set is part of what makes me unique and there’s no way I’m going to throw that away out of fear.”
On receiving support from CM Punk: “When I got hurt, before I got the MRI, I was going down to the school at NXT [now the WWE Performance Center] and doing some pre-surgical therapy on my knee. [CM] Punk was down there too, rehabbing his knee. I told him about my MRI, and the same day I got the MRI I went to my doctor, and Punk told me to text him as soon as I was done to let him know how it went.”
“Punk and I have always gotten along and he’s always been friendly to me. I met him in Ring of Honor on the independent scene in 2003. When he said that workhorse thing, it blew up my Twitter, and now I have people tweeting me every day using #workhorse. That was definitely going through my head the whole time.”
“I remember thinking, “if my knee is never the same again, but I tried my hardest, then that’s just how it is. But if my knee isn’t the same again because I didn’t try my hardest, then that’s me letting everyone down — including myself.” And that’s just not the kind of person that I am.”
On being on the Total Divas reality show and having his wedding on TV: “It’s funny. These cameras are in your house and you know they’re there. I don’t know if this because I’ve been in sports-entertainment for almost 18 years now, but after a couple of hours, I honestly forget the cameras are there. The next thing I know, I’m watching “Total Divas” back and I see things like my mom playing with my hair while we’re eating and I’m like, “I honestly don’t remember that happening.” I’m not saying they’re sneaky — I know they’re there — but they’re so good at what they do that you just feel so comfortable.”
“I love that. It wasn’t being on the road, but I still felt like I was in the mix even though I was hurt, and it made me want to get back out there even more. “Total Divas” kind of fell in my lap. Obviously, it’s Nattie’s story and I’m part of it, but the fact that I was at home injured and was still able to contribute to something within the company meant the world to me.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
– Mattel was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida last Friday, scanning 30-35 NXT talents for future potential action figures. WWE does not have any current plans to release a line of NXT action figures, but the scans will were done for when those talents eventually make it to the main roster.
– WWE Diva Natalya being advertised for the WWE NXT TV tapings on November 21st from Full Sail University.
– Here are the NXT Power Rankings:
1. The Ascension
2. Corey Graves
3. Alexander Rusev
4. Paige
5. Sasha Banks
-On Monday’s RAW, WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino was brought on stage during a commercial break. The segment aired on the WWE App, and was then re-played after the commercial. Sammartino came out on and fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler led the crowd in singing “happy birthday” to the legendary performer, who celebrated his 78th birthday this past weekend.
-Also on Monday’s RAW, WWE Total Divas stars Eva Marie and Jo Jo Offerman made their official WWE television in-ring debut in a six-Diva tag-team match. The match featured Marie and Offerman teaming with Natalya, who defeated their opponents – Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes and Aksana.
Tonight at WWE Battleground, the Divas Championship will be on the line as AJ Lee defends the butterfly-emblazoned belt against Brie Bella. Promoting the bout on the WWE App, Natalya and Eva Marie spoke to Tom Phillips, where they announced that they are rooting for their Total Divas co-star in her match against Lee. During the interview, Eva Marie rattles the third-generation wrestler with her proclamation that she could be the No. 1 contender—Eva Marie has competed in one match thus far, a non-televised tag team bout at SummerSlam Axxess in August.
Natalya said, “I’m actually really excited to see what’s going to happen at Battleground. As much as I wanted to be the No. 1 contender for the Divas Championship, I’m happy that Brie is going to get a chance to make a stand against AJ and really put her in her place for all the things she’s done to us Total Divas. I am looking forward to AJ getting beaten.”
Eva Marie then remarks, “Now Nattie, I know you want to be No. 1 contender. I know you’re a little hurt that you’re not in Brie’s spot right now, aren’t you? I mean let’s be honest, I think I can be No. 1 contender, but I’ll be rooting for Brie.”
Natalya snaps back, “Yeah, you really could be No. 1 contender. I’d like to see you do a headlock takeover first.” Eva Marie responds, “Absolutely, no problem. I’m just being honest.”
Natalya then resumes talking about the match: “What we’re trying to say is that all us Total Divas are excited about seeing AJ Lee without the Divas Championship on Sunday at Battleground. If it’s Brie Bella that does it, then so be it.”
– The official website of WWE announced Monday afternoon that Divas Champion AJ Lee will defend her title against Brie Bella at this Sunday’s Battleground pay-per-view event.
Previewing the match, WWE writes, “With the full attention of Brie Bella — who is no doubt eager to prove that she’s more than a “cheap, interchangeable, expendable, useless woman,” to quote the champion — focused solely on her, will the mercurial AJ Lee be able to back up her brazen words? Or will WWE’s black widow find herself trapped in a web of defeat as Brie begins her second reign as queen of the mountain?”
– What are the most extreme moments in Rob Van Dam’s career? Find out in the latest edition of WWE Top 10.
– Natalya, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil participated in a WWE Community Health event today in Biloxi, Mississippi, as they met an inspirational family. Click here to view a group photo the WWE Diva posted on Twitter.
