– The storyline reason for Triple H and Stephanie McMahon not appearing at last night’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view is that they were called away to an “emergency meeting” before the show began.
– WWE creative has been discussing turning R-Truth heel soon.
– Following the Rhodes family’s win over The Shield at Battleground, Goldust and Cody’s superstar profiles have been added back to the WWE.com roster page. is now back on the WWE roster after the Rhodes family’s big win last night. As previously reported, Goldust is working under a short-term deal with WWE and is expected to be around through WrestleMania XXX.
The official WWE website posted a series of video interviews following Sunday’s WWE Battleground event in Buffalo, New York. The interviews feature several WWE Superstars reacting to everything that transpired during the event. Here is a breakdown of what is covered:
-WWE RAW General Manager Brad Maddox reacts to the controversy over the outcome of the WWE Championship main event between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. Maddox also sells the fact that he was warned by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon over the phone that if anything went wrong, he would be to blame.
-CM Punk reacted to his victory over Ryback, continuing his claim that he will not rest until he gets his hands on Paul Heyman. Punk went as far as to say because he did not finally get his hands on Heyman, he was not satisfied with his performance at Battleground.
-The Rhodes Family reacted to their emotional victory over The Shield, which guaranteed Dusty Rhodes his job as a WWE trainer in Florida, and also resulted in both Cody Rhodes and Goldust being re-hired by the company.
-R-Truth vented his frustration for continually coming up short in matches recently after he failed to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship in his pay-per-view match against Curtis Axel.
-Alberto Del Rio gloated about his victory over Rob Van Dam in the pay-per-view opener, and the fact that he is still the World Heavyweight Champion.
You can check out all of the aforementioned video interviews online at WWE.com.
– Before his Intercontinental Championship Match against Curtis Axel tomorrow night at WWE Battleground, R-Truth reflects on his career in WWE, including his partnership with Road Dogg, joining the “dark side” in 2011, and the strong message sent to him recently by Stephanie McMahon.
– Tomorrow night at WWE Battleground, Cody Rhodes and Goldust look to not only regain their jobs but also save their father’s, when they square off against WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The wrestler formerly known as Black Reign, Seven and The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust, issued the following words of warning to The Shield via Twitter this morning.
“I wonder if @WWERomanReigns and @WWERollins realize what is coming their way. No, i don’t think they do! #WWEBattleground #RhodesFamily @wwe,” wrote Goldust.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans which signature maneuver they would like to see tomorrow night at WWE Battleground. With over 8,000 votes cast thus far, the Van Terminator is winning at 48%, and is followed by the “Yes!” Lock (28%), RKO (15%), Sister Abigail (4%), Trouble in Paradise (3%), and the Cross Armbreaker (1%).
– After defeating Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel in a non-title match on Raw, R-Truth will challenge the “Paul Heyman Guy” again this Sunday at WWE Battleground. WWE.com announced the match this afternoon.
– All month long on WWE Classics On Demand, Chris Jericho takes a look back at his legendary career. Featured matches include WWF Vengeance in 2001, WCW Uncensored in 1998, and classic bouts with Eddie Guerrero. Courtesy of WWE’s YouTube account, here is a video promoting the features for the month.
– Despite his on-screen termination, WWEShop.com has released a Cody Rhodes “Rise Above Cancer” Pink Authentic T-Shirt. Through December 31, 2013, WWE will donate to Susan G. Komen 20% of the retail sales price of Specialty Rise Above Cancer merchandise sold on the website and at live events.
It will be announced on this week’s WWE SmackDown that WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel will defend his title against R-Truth. Bray Wyatt also teased an appearance at Battleground, which will likely be the rumored match we reported on Tuesday with Wyatt taking on Kofi Kingston. That match, however, is still strictly a rumor at this point.
With that now known, here is an updated look at the official lineup for Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view from Buffalo, New York:
Vacant WWE Championship
-Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan
World Heavyweight Championship
-Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Rob Van Dam*
WWE Intercontinental Championship
-Curtis Axel (c) vs. R-Truth
WWE Divas Championship
-AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella
-CM Punk vs. Ryback
-Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns**
WWE Battleground Kickoff Show
-Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow
RUMORED Match:
-Bray Wyatt vs. Kofi Kingston
* – The Del Rio vs. Van Dam rematch will be contested under “Battleground Hardcore Rules.”
** – Dusty Rhodes will be in the corner of Cody & Goldust. If the Rhodes Family loses, all three men will never be allowed to work for WWE again. If they win, Cody and Goldust get their jobs back
Make sure to visit SESCOOPS.COM this Sunday night for the absolute best live results coverage of the WWE Battleground pay-per-view. The coverage will begin at 7:30pm E.T. with the WWE Battleground Kickoff Show, and will continue throughout the entire duration of the pay-per-view. Until then, stop by the SESCOOPS.COM Facebook Page and/or the SESCOOPS.COM Twitter Page to share your predictions for this Sunday’s pay-per-view!
-The WWE stock closed today at $9.75, so it has basically leveled off following the big drop on Monday.
-As noted previously, WWE will be running two shows this weekend in Hidalgo, Texas. On Saturday, WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio returns. In addition, WWE will be holding a “WWE Street Party” on Saturday from 2pm to 6pm to kick off the 10-year anniversary of the State Farm Arena. Scheduled to appear at the “WWE Street Party” are WWE Superstars Sin Cara, Big Show, Brodus Clay, R-Truth and Alicia Fox.
-For whatever reason, currently sidelined WWE Superstar John Cena is still being mentioned in the local advertisements as appearing in the dark match at the upcoming WWE RAW television taping in Biloxi, MS on Monday, September 30th. Unless a miracle occurs, obviously Cena will not be wrestling on that show.
The official WWE website has added an article featuring quotes from the WWE Superstars who made the decision to help Daniel Bryan in the main event of Monday’s post-Night Of Champions edition of RAW.
Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Prime Time Players and R-Truth were among those, in-character, who provided responses as to why they got involved. Absent from the article were Rob Van Dam, The Usos and Justin Gabriel, who were also part of the group of Superstars who were involved on Monday.
As noted in a previous article posted on the website today, WWE COO Triple H will be addressing the aforementioned Superstars in a segment planned for next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW.
With WWE Night of Champions less than a week away, WWE Tag Team champions The Shield are still without opponents for the show.
Originally, the match was scheduled to be Big Show and Mark Henry teaming up against Reigns & Rollins. With Mark Henry currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, there’s been talk that R-Truth will replace him and team with Big Show.
WWE Night Of Champions emanates from Detroit, Michigan this Sunday. Here’s the current card, as of Monday afternoon:
* WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan
* World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam
* CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel & Paul Heyman (Handicap Match — Elimination Rules)
* Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Natalya vs. Brie Bella vs. Naomi
* US Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
SEScoops.com will have LIVE COVERAGE of Night of Champions this Sunday.
– WWE is filming scenes for the upcoming Divas reality series this week.
– R-Truth is in Toronto today, promoting WWE at a Rogers Media upfront presentation.
– Jesse Ventura appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan show last night to discuss various political topics. You can read a transcript of the appearance at CNN.com.
– Early viewership data is in for Monday’s WWE RAW and it’s not good news for WWE. According to TVByTheNumbers.com, the show averaged only 3.68 million viewers. By comparison, Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers (TNT) averaged 11.57 million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership data for RAW:
– During a recent interview with The National, R-Truth revealed how he got into wrestling:
“I originally wanted to be a rapper and musician. But a guy called Jackie Crockett, who was a senior cameraman for WWE, saw me and convinced me I had a lot more talent than this. He said: ‘You do music, you rap and dance, and you love wrestling. You … have all this athletic ability. I think you’d be a great, great wrestler.’ For once in my life, I actually listened to this guy and the rest is history.”
– Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth spoke about his ties to pro wrestling on a recent episode of his “The Roth Show” Youtube series. In the following video, Roth tells stories about Bruno Sammartino, Sheamus, The Undertaker and more:
– Antonio Cesaro spoke with WWE.com after losing the United States Championship on RAW. Cesaro said he is the answer to WWE’s problems and should be thanked for bringing honor back to the title.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett spoke with Matt Striker during a RAW commercial break in an interview that aired on the WWE mobile app. Barrett said the loss to R-Truth on RAW was the wake-up he needed and said he plans to give Truth a title shot.
– Also on the WWE app, Damien Sandow bet Cody Rhodes he could turn any WWE superstar into a sophisticated member of society by the end of the summer. Cody picked The Great Khali to be Sandow’s project, which apparently set up their tag team match on RAW.
– During a recent interview with Collider.com, The Rock commented on whether he’s interested in joining the cast of the next “Expendables” movie, which features an all-star cast of action heroes:
“It all depends. Yeah, sure. I like Sly. He’s been a buddy for some time. I love the first one and I’m excited about the second one. Sure, if he needs somebody to hunt somebody down, he knows where I’m at.”
– The official theme song of Saturday Morning Slam, “This Time It’s Mine,” is now available for purchase on iTunes.
– After dealing with neck issues in recent weeks, Santino Marella tweeted that he is “good to go for this Monday.”
– R-Truth defeated Titus O’Neil at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Providence, RI, so the apparent injury he suffered the night before was nothing serious.
– R-Truth appeared to be injured at Friday night’s WWE RAW live event from Bridgeport, Connecticut. According to a fan who was in attendance, Truth was wrestling Titus O’Neil when the referee threw up the “X” signal during the match. After it was over, he was helped to the back by several WWE officials.
– The latest edition of the JBL & Cole show is now online, featuring Damien Sandow taking on Road Dogg in round two of their Superstar Search.
“Superstar Search continues on this week’s JBL & Cole Show with a command performance from “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses,” Damien Sandow. But will it be enough to defeat the D-O-Double G? Watch this week’s hilarious new episode!”
– Wade Barrett tweeted the following about his segment on RAW last night with Sheamus:
“I don’t know which pillock edited that #DeadManDown trailer together, but it seems he forgot about the film’s main star. Trust me, I play a pivotal role in the film and you will be blown away by my performance. In fact, you should make the most of me being in WWE while you can. Hollywood bigwigs will be clamoring for my signature after March 8th. Anyone else notice the jealousy in @WWESheamus’ eyes tonight? Some people just can’t handle others being more successful and better looking.”
“Fe Fi Fo Fum this is how I get it! I’m not yo typical run of the mill but I’m sick wit’it!! The Suntan Superman is back!”
– Sgt. Slaughter was backstage at Monday’s RAW.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include ECW Original Danny Doring (39) and ECW’s “Queen of Extreme” Francine (41). Today would have been the 65th birthday of the late WWE Hall of Famer Big John Studd.
– The WWE RAW crew is flying overseas to Qatar today for two shows there this week. They will then be in Istanbul, Turkey over the weekend. RAW stars advertised for the tour include John Cena, CM Punk,Dolph Ziggler, Big E, Langston, Ryback, Mark Henry, R-Truth, Antonio Cesaro, Kane, Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder.
– Injured WWE star Santino Marella was backstage at Monday’s RAW and took part in a backstage interview segment with Matt Striker for the WWE mobile app. Thinking it was “Presents Day” (instead of Presidents Day), Santino gifted Striker a copy of the new “Best of WCW Nitro” DVD.
– Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock turns 49 years old today.
– WWE’s Gerald Brisco will be evaluating talent for WWE once again at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame weekend in Waterloo, Iowa on Friday, July 12th.
– WWE Champion The Rock tweeted the following about tonight’s RAW from Nashville, TN:
1996 I wrestled at flea markets & fairs for $40 bucks a night. Cool to be back where it all started.. #NashvilleRAW@WWE#BringIt
– WWE superstar R-Truth, who has been out of action since December’s TLC PPV with a gash on his knee, has released the official music video (and behind the scenes footage) for his new song, “For Little Jimmy”:
– With WrestleMania 29 still two months away, WWE is already in the early planning stages for SummerSlam 2013, which will once again take place from Los Angeles. WWE is interested in booking The Rock and Brock Lesnar at the show, as they are two of its top stars with mainstream appeal. There is also a push to get the local Hollywood community involved in event, so expect a lot of celebrities to show up during the week-long Axxess events leading up to the PPV.
– WWE announced on Thursday that it will report its 2012 fourth quarter results on February 28, 2013, before the opening of the market. The Company’s Chairman and CEO, Vincent K. McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.
– R-Truth and Christian are expected to return within the next two weeks.
– Tickets for WWE RAW the night after WrestleMania 29 from East Rutherford, NJ will go on pre-sale week.
– R-Truth is headed to Qatar to promote WWE’s upcoming tour dates there. Truth has been out of action since December when he suffered a nasty gash on his knee during WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.
– David Otunga was on the field at Sunday night’s Super Bowl, where his wife, Jennifer Hudson, performed America the Beautiful. He posted this picture on Instagram with the caption, “So proud of Momma!”
– The Great Khali won a Battle Royal on Wednesday’s WWE Main Event to earn a shot at Antonio Cesaro’s United States championship. Khali vs. Cesaro will take place on next week’s Main Event broadcast.
– R-Truth is expected to return to action in early January, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He’s been on the sidelines since his match with Antonio Cesaro at TLC, where he suffered a nasty gash on his knee. The injury reportedly took place when Truth’s knee struck one of the TLC props at ringside.
– The New Age Outlaws were victorious against Team Rhodes Scholars at Wednesday night’s WWE Holiday live event from Detroit, Michigan. As you can imagine, the Outlaws were very over with the live crowd and the finish saw Billy Gunn getting the pin on Cody Rhodes. The Outlaws will be in action again tonight for the RAW brand’s live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
– Dolph Ziggler takes aim at John Cena again on this week’s episode of WWE Download, which features The Showoff make a quip regarding the Cenation leader’s wrestling ability.
After a viral video is shown of a German man attempting a cannonball into a frozen pool, Ziggler remarks, “The only thing that would hurt worse would be Lou Thesz’ feelings after watching a John Cena match.”
– R-Truth, who fell to United States Champion Antonio Cesaro Sunday at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, suffered a deep gash in his knee during the bout. Kevin Nash remarked on the severity of the injury, writing on Twitter, “hope @RonKillings is not in too much pain, get well friend.”
– There was a lot of concern among WWE officials over Ryback receiving a tepid reaction from the Barclays Center audience for his entrance Sunday at WWE TLC. Management is blaming this on vocal fans who rooted for the heels, thereby drowning out his supporters.
Meanwhile, management was pleased with The Shield’s performance in their match against Ryback and Team Hell No.
– R-Truth, who fell to United States Champion Antonio Cesaro Sunday at WWE TLC, suffered a deep gash in his knee during the bout. This garnered a lot of talk backstage as many people remarked on how nasty it appeared.
– The latest edition of WWE en Espanol with Carlos Cabrera and Marcelo Rodríguez is now online.
Warning: The following contains a graphic picture!
WWE Superstar R-Truth suffered a nasty gash on his knee at Sunday’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. He tweeted the following picture of the gash – view at your own risk!
– The Miz, R-Truth, Layla, Eve and WWE CEO Vince McMahon will not be on hand for tonight’s Raw in Lafayette, Louisiana, since they are overseas visiting U.S. troops as part of a handshake tour. The group visited military bases in Bahrain today.
– Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock no-showed his scheduled appearance for AAW Wrestling on Saturday in Merrionette Park, Illinois. He was advertised to face Sami Callihan. The promotion released the following message Sunday via Twitter regarding his absence: “Everyone was on edge all day yesterday regarding Shamrock. Here’s the story behind it. Ken canceled his plane ticket yesterday and didn’t inform his agent or AAW staff. Classic definition of a no show.”
– WWE will hold a live event at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 1, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Ticketmaster.ca will hold a pre-sale beginning December 14, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
– Jim Ross remarked via Twitter of Raw returning to his former stomping grounds tonight: “#WWE #RAW Lafayette, La Mon night. Memories of Ernie ‘Big Cat’ Ladd, weekly, Mid South live events, rowdy, villain hating fans, & gr8 food.” He added that he will not be on hand for the show.
WWE superstar R-Truth recently spoke to SoulTrain.com about his background as a dancer and singer influencing his wrestling career. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His Dance Background Helped I’m In The Ring: “My background in dance pretty much sets the pace for me, and I don’t have to explain what it is because it’s real. You can’t make that up. You can try to create it through character, but that’s not the realest thing. It’s just in me. My dance background helped me tremendously. Dancing is like second nature to me.”
Expressing Himself Creatively In The Studio & In The Ring: “I’ve been wrestling and making music for a long time. I’ve been around the right people in the entertainment business who know what it takes in several different areas to make things happen. I’m passionate about both of them, so I try to be an artist when I’m doing both. In many ways professional wrestling is a dance. I guess it depends on how you look at it. When I’m in the ring I’ve got a million people watching me weekly, looking for me to present something memorable to them. I try to do that in the studio as well.”
Posted November 25th, 2012 in News, WWE. Tagged: R-Truth.
WWE issued the following press release concerning their annual Tribute to the Troops holiday special on USA Network and NBC. Among those announced to appear at the event are Disney’s The Muppets, Kid Rock and Flo Rida.
KID ROCK, DISNEY’S THE MUPPETS AND FLO RIDA JOIN WWE®’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF “TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS” HOLIDAY SPECIAL
STAMFORD, Conn., November 12, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE), USA Network and NBC will honor the United States Armed Forces with its 10th annual holiday special, WWE Tribute to the Troops presented by Slim Jim. The 10th anniversary holiday extravaganza will air as a two-hour television special on Wednesday, December 19 at 9/8C on USA Network and as a one-hour television special on Saturday, December 22 at 9/8C on NBC.
WWE Tribute to the Troops has become a holiday tradition and is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show. In the grand tradition of Bob Hope, the holiday special will feature performances by Grammy Award-nominated, international superstars Kid Rock and Flo Rida, and WWE’s biggest Superstars and Divas for thousands of military personnel and their families at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA.
The show will also feature appearances by Disney’s The Muppets, Access Hollywood and NBC Sports’ Michelle Beadle and more. Kid Rock and Flo Rida join a renowned list of legendary performers who have entertained at WWE Tribute to the Troops including Mary J. Blige, Nickelback, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ group Diddy – Dirty Money and Trace Adkins.
WWE is proud to have worked jointly with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in selecting Navy installations in the Norfolk, VA area for this annual celebration.
“We are excited to host WWE Tribute to the Troops in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “Virginia has long been committed to supporting our troops and this is another opportunity to thank them for their service. We are home to 125,000 active duty members, 830,000 veterans and so many military families. Naval Station Norfolk is the crown jewel of the United States Navy and it’s important to pay tribute to and salute the brave men and women of the military and their families who serve our country. It’s great to see that the WWE has chosen Virginia as the place to continue this holiday tradition.”
“This is a proud moment for WWE to once again recognize America’s servicemen and women as part of the 10th anniversary of WWE Tribute to the Troops,” said Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. “We are honored to bring our unique brand of family-friendly entertainment to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”
This trip marks the 10th consecutive year that WWE will bring its one-of-a-kind entertainment to our service men and women to thank them for their commitment to the country and recognition of their sacrifices. WWE Superstars and Divas will spend the weekend doing activities designed to give back to sailors and their families including a Be a STAR anti-bullying rally and hospital visits as well as spending time with our servicemen and women.
WWE Tribute to the Troops will also chronicle WWE’s goodwill visit to our troops overseas. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, WWE Superstars The Miz® and R-Truth and WWE Divas Eve and Layla will travel overseas to spread some much needed holiday cheer to the men and women serving our country far from home during the holiday season.
