Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton’s feud on SmackDown Live produced one of the hardest to watch segments in recent WWE memory. During an episode of SmackDown Live several weeks ago, Orton attacked Hardy before putting his finger in his ear piercing, and pulling on it. Many in the crowd were cringing and had their jaws dropped. The same could be said for those watching at home.

During their match at Hell In A Cell (HIAC), WWE took things a step further. Orton took a screwdriver, inserted it into the piercing, and again mangled Hardy’s ear. Hardy spoke to “The 11th Hour” recently to discuss the spots. He detailed the planning and conversation that went into it:

“We did the first earlobe deal, you know, with just the fingers and … actually one of the up and coming commentators – I think he’s from 205 Live – he had mentioned it as far as I said, ‘You can twist it too!’, but then he was like, ‘What if you use a screwdriver?’

“And then we kind of threw around ideas, and we both compromised on that certain screwdriver– to put it in, twist it, make it real tight and not rip it off! [Laughs] Yeah, watching that back with Randy’s face was … This is like, wow, they’re doing a good horror movie or something!

“And the fans knew it was coming, you know, because when they saw him trap my arms, they’d seen it before– and they knew it was coming again. So it was great. Overall, that match, I’m extremely proud of it.”

What did you think about Hardy and Orton’s screwdriver spot at HIAC?

Randy Orton has given his take on whether WWE should move forward with their next big pay-per-view event, Crown Jewel. Over the last few days, there have been reports that multiple members of the WWE roster were uncomfortable with going to Saudi Arabia for the event because of the disappearance and alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi of the Washington Post.

Thus, there has been some talk of WWE potentially canceling this show but WWE has made it known through statements that they are monitoring the situation at this time. 

According to the former WWE Champion, he thinks that the company should move forward with plans for the event. “I think we should go,” Orton stated to TMZ in a recent interview. “I think the only way to help with change over there is to go and not to cancel the trip.”

He would continue by stating that he thinks having women wrestle in Saudi Arabia will be something that happens eventually as he brought up the female talent working in Abu Dhabi not too long ago. “That’s the goal is to make things better everywhere and I think us not going doesn’t help. Going helps.”

Orton will compete in the World Cup Tournament at this show. John Cena, Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins & Dolph Ziggler will represent RAW while Rey Mysterio, The Miz, Orton & Jeff Hardy will represent SmackDown.

WWE presents the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.

WWE Hall Of Famer Sunny Released From Jail

WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was released from the Carbon County Correctional Facility yesterday and she is once again on parole now, according to Pwinsider.

She was arrested back in February this year and had been in jail since then for failing to appear in court for two DUI arrests and due to multiple violations of the terms of her earlier release.

Sunny was a part of WWE from 1995 to 1998. Apart from her WWE run, The Hall Of Famer also made appearances for ECW and WCW after leaving the company. You can check out more details about her arrest here.

Randy Orton On Upcoming World Cup Tournament

The main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown saw Randy Orton defeating a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup Tournament on the Crown Jewel PPV.

After his win, Randy joins stars like John Cena, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy who have already been confirmed to be a part of the upcoming tournament from Saudi Arabia.

Orton was interviewed backstage after his victory on the show where he talked about the upcoming PPV event and said that he has beaten all these people before and he’ll just have to do it again:

Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Rob Conway, recently visited the WWE Performance Center and served as a guest coach. WWE correspondents caught up with Conway, who credited Randy Orton for the opportunity.

“Well, it started talking a lot to Randy Orton,” Conway said. “He’s somebody that I helped when he first started and he had asked me what involvement I would want to stay in wrestling because my in-ring career is coming to a close and I told him that I really enjoy helping people and training people. I’ve done it in the past so he let the office in WWE know that it was something I was interested in and we kind of went from there. Its worked out great.”

Rob Conway WWE Career

Conway was a former 3x WWE Tag Team Champion. Along with Sylvan Grenier, he helped form La Resistance after Renee Dupree left the team. He also held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from 2013 to 2015.

He held the Ohio Valley Wrestling heavyweight title 5 times. Conway would also give his opinions on the Performance Center:

“I mean it’s so much different. It’s still guys and girls working really hard. Everybody having a dream and wanting it to become a reality but the new P.C. is so much more advanced as far as how many rings.”

Randy Orton attacked Tye Dillinger last night on Smackdown. Dillinger was wrestling Shinsuke Nakamura when Randy Orton made a run-in and attacked Dillinger.

When WWE correspondents caught up with Orton later in the show, they asked him why he targetted Dillinger. Orton simply responded that he is not fond of Tye’s “Perfect 10” gimmick.

Dillinger’s response to Orton was just a succinct as Orton’s reasoning for attacking him:

Hey @RandyOrton …

??

— Shawn Spears™? (@ShawnSpears) September 27, 2018

Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura Aligning?

Prior to attacking Dillinger on Smackdown Tuesday night, Orton had been involved in a feud with Jeff Hardy. The rivalry led to Orton pulling a screwdriver through Hardy’s stretched earlobes during Hell in a Cell.

Orton’s rivalry with Jeff Hardy also began after Orton attacked Hardy while he was wrestling Shinsuke Nakamura. In fact, he would attack Hardy multiple times during his matches against Nakamura. It’s possible that Nakamura and Orton could be revealed as having a spoken or unspoken alliance. Neither Orton nor Shinsuke Nakamura has a match scheduled for Super Show-Down in Australia on October 6th.

As for Dillinger, his match against Nakamura on Tuesday was his first match on Smackdown in nearly two months. Prior to Tuesday, his last match was a loss to Samoa Joe on a Smackdown from July.

Former WWE Champions Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy put on a heck of a show at Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network.

It was a brutal match, to say the least, that saw the two stars use ladders, chairs, tables and even a belt. The finish of the match saw Hardy fall from the top of the cell onto a table once Orton moved.

There was some controversy with the finish as the referee was calling for EMT’s to get into the ring to check on Hardy. However, Orton was playing up his character as a heel to the point that he demanded that the referee count the pin, which he did and saw Orton winning.

At one point in the match, Hardy’s studded belt was removed and both men used it on each other. Both stars were in for a rough night especially Orton, who bleeding from both his leg and back. He took to his official Instagram account to show off his bruises with these graphic photos. He wrote the following:

“No matter the outcome, they say you lose a small piece of yourself when you enter #HIAC @wwe.”

https://instagram.com/p/Bnz3mbsHN5-/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://instagram.com/p/Bnz5WcXHjnw/?utm_source=ig_embed

Hulk Hogan’s recent reinstatement into the WWE Hall Of Fame has sparked a plethora of nostalgia among the wrestling community. Even a nWo reunion tour is in the works, more on that here.

Current Lucha Underground referee, Marty Elias, recalls a time during his WWE career where he called the match between Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton.

Getting News That He Would Call The Match

Elias stated in his article for The Sports Daily that the agent for the match was Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter approached Elias and stated that he would call the match between the Legend Killer and Hulkamnia. Elias was speechless when he received the news and later found out that John Laurinaitis was the one who assigned him Hogan vs Orton due to the faith Laurinaitis had in Elias.

Booking The Finish

Once Orton learned that Elias was officiating, they both waited for Hogan in order to go over the game plan. Spots and choreography aside, the one issue that kept coming up was who was going over. Vince McMahon got involved and announced that Hogan was going over. With that detail out of the way, Elias recalls that Hogan demanded there be a sport where his foot would touch the bottom rope which eventually played into the finish.

Elias approached Hogan as the show started to make sure everything was still okay and then he went to see Orton. While speaking to The Viper, Elias was told, “Have fun, I know what you’re feeling! I remember seeing Hulk Hogan wrestle my dad (Cowboy Bob Orton) when I was young, and to be wrestling him today, is surreal, man!”

You can read the entire article here.

Cody Rhodes never shies away from a tough question. The former WWE superstar turned independent wrestling darling had plenty to answer during a Reddit ‘ask me anything’ session with fans on Tuesday. This weekend, Rhodes will serve as performer and promoter for the highly anticipated ALL IN pay-per-view that is expected to be the biggest independent wrestling card of 2018.

Despite a busy week ahead, Rhodes took time to answer questions about some of his favorite moments in the ring, plenty about the upcoming ALL IN show and he even addressed a notorious rumor regarding Randy Orton.

Here’s the best of the best from Cody Rhodes’ AMA on Reddit:

Promoting Future Shows

This weekend, Cody will put on his promoter hat after teaming up with the Young Bucks to put on the ambitious ALL IN card that takes place in Chicago. Obviously, Cody still loves in ring competition but does this latest show mean he’s thinking about turning promoter again in the future?

“I don’t know,” Rhodes answered. “I’m already over budget and overtime.”

Still, Rhodes says he wouldn’t have it any other way because he invited the headaches that he knew would happen with a show of this magnitude.

“I wanted the stress,” Rhodes stated.

Security at All In

Sadly after the shooting in Jacksonville just days ago during a Madden football tournament, some fans were curious about the security at the ALL IN pay-per-view, which is being held just outside of Chicago.

“Security was beefy from the jump, but we’ve added several levels and the building is an incredibly secure and disciplined building,” Rhodes stated.

All In Taking Place In Different Cities

Several months back, Rhodes had teased several potential locations for the ALL IN card and he even mentioned Dublin, Ireland as a possible landing spot. It turns out, Cody was dead serious about turning this show into an international card but ultimately they decided on Chicago instead.

“Loved the fans at OTT. Promoter wasn’t too keen on me and the ref actually had the balls to tell me to “take it home” during a triple-threat match. Yea, I’ll telepathically do that bud,” Rhodes wrote.

“But we weren’t lying. Dublin was considered and I’d love to be back there. Such a fun crowd that night.”

While they aren’t traveling to Europe, Rhodes was asked about bringing in more talent from overseas to perform on the ALL IN show. Sadly, Rhodes says navigating the difficult visa system made it nearly impossible to get everybody possible on the card.

“One issue with talents from outside countries was visas,” Rhodes explained. “The three of us were not versed in how that works properly. Securing the Canadian and Japanese ones were rather difficult. Lesson learned though.”

Marty vs. Okada

When it came time to booking the show, Rhodes had lots of ideas for the talent involved including the highly anticipated matchup between Kazuchika Okada and Marty Scurll.

“Nick Jackson wanted Marty to have a match. I had Marty doing a “singing segment”. Nick was right,” Rhodes joked.

The Best Advice Cody Has Received In Wrestling

Outside of ALL IN, Rhodes also answered a few questions from his past including the best advice he’s ever been given since becoming a professional wrestler.

“Never let them convince you that you aren’t the star of that tag team” -Joey Mercury

These days, Rhodes says he’s listening to himself for the best possible advice after receiving plenty from WWE CEO Vince McMahon and his own famous father, Dusty Rhodes.

“I got 10 years of advice from [Vince] and 30 years of advice from Dusty…invaluable, but got to follow my own advice now,” Rhodes said.

The Brotherhood vs. The Shield at WWE Battleground 2013

Rhodes also addressed one of his favorite moments from the past when he teamed with his brother Dustin in a match at WWE Battleground against The Shield team of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. That night, Cody hit the ‘Cross Rhodes’ to get the pin in front of his father and that still serves as one of the best moments of his entire career.

“Sorry I’m a little late! It’s definitely in my TOP-5,” Rhodes stated.

So .. Did He Shake Randy Orton’s Hand?

And finally just to add a little levity to the Q&A, Rhodes was asked about his former partner Randy Orton, who recently had some rumors brought up about his backstage behavior, especially when it came to shaking hands with people.

Rather than avoid the question, Rhodes offered his own hilarious answer.

“We hugged,” Rhodes said.

Check out Cody Rhodes and the entire ALL IN card this weekend with full results and coverage on SEScoops.com.

Randy Orton is said to have a unique way of introducing himself to new members of WWE’s creative team. Former WWE writer and current MLW Owner, Court Bauer, detailed Orton’s unique introduction practice on an episode of his podcast.

“For every new writer that would show up, he comes in the room puts his hand down his pants, pulls out his d*ck, touches himself, then says ‘I’m Randy Orton, shake my hand…oh you don’t want to shake my hand? Are you big leaguing me? That’s f**ked up man. Should I tell Vince and Steph you won’t shake Randy Orton’s hand?”

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1028032487765803008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1028032487765803008&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com%2Frandy-orton-sexual-misconduct-wwe-statement%2F

Since then several others have offered their insight into the matter. WWE has released a statement that they are looking into the matter.

Former WWE Writers and Performers Discuss Shaking Randy Orton’s Hand

Former WWE writer, Freddie Prinze Jr. was asked if ever shook Orton’s hand. He offered up the following in response:

https://twitter.com/RealFPJr/status/1029146538885312514

Former WWE writer Kevin Eck shared his thoughts on Orton in an article for the Sporting News.

“I don’t have any comment on the recent stories about Orton’s backstage behavior,” Eck wrote before then offering a comment. “Other than to say that I always avoided shaking hands with him during my time on the WWE creative team.”

Former WWE Superstar, Ken Kennedy (Anderson), also commented on Orton’s during a previous shoot interview.

“I remember my boots were sitting there and he kept dipping his c*ck into my boot,” Anderson said. “I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ ”

“He used to do stuff like this and we’d be riding in the car and I’d be like, ‘Randy, there’s no one else around to find that funny.’”

We have an update in regards to the lawsuit between Randy Orton’s tattoo artist & WWE/2K Sports.

Several months ago Orton’s tattoo artist, Catherine Alexander, filed a lawsuit against the companies. She alleged they used her original tattoo designs on the WWE 2K video game without her permission.

In full, Alexander is suing WWE, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s Co., Ltd. and Yuke’s LA Inc.

Attempt To Dismiss The Case

Previously, both WWE and 2K Sports attempted to have the suit dismissed. Alexander filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois. However, WWE is headquartered out of Connecticut.

As a result, WWE argued the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois doesn’t hold jurisdiction over them.

PWInsider reports that Alexander responded by saying “the court does not have personal jurisdiction over each entity because they chose specifically to aim their alleged infringement of her copyrighted work directly in the State of Illinois and because when previously contacted, WWE offered her a payment of $450 for the rights. ”

The response also included copies of six copyright applications for the assorted designs. They dated back to March of 2018. The court has ordered that all findings in regards to the case wrap up by January 7th.

A settlement conference has been scheduled for April 16th.

Randy Orton is known to rub people the wrong way earlier in his career. It seems his actions have caught up with him.

Former WWE writer and MLW founder Court Bauer alleges that Randy Orton would “expose himself” to new WWE writers. An on old episode of MLW Radio (Episode 49: Ribbing and Junk, 2012), Bauer said:

“For every new writer that would show up, he comes in the room puts his hand down his pants, pulls out his d*ck, touches himself, then says ‘I’m Randy Orton, shake my hand…oh you don’t want to shake my hand? Are you big leaguing me? That’s f**ked up man. Should I tell Vince and Steph you won’t shake Randy Orton’s hand?”

Bauer would go on to say that he barely avoided falling victim to Randy Orton’s antics back in 2005. Thankfully, Stephanie McMahon entered the room and interrupted what was about to unfold. Bauer describes that situation as ‘a teacher walking into the room’ and everything going back to normal.

Recently a fan asked Bauer if the story was true on twitter and he responded.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1028032487765803008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1028032487765803008&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrestlingnews.co%2Fwwe-news%2Fwwe-statement-on-alleged-sexually-inappropriate-behavior-by-randy-orton%2F

WWE issued a brief statement to WrestlingNewsCo regarding Randy Orton’s sexual misconduct. The company says they are “looking into” the situation.

Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida tonight. 2 matches have been confirmed for Smackdown, including the 2nd semi-final match in the Smackdown tag-team tournament. Just one match has been announced for 205 Live tonight.

Smackdown Live 7/31 Preview

Jeff Hardy Confronts Randy Orton

Jeff Hardy wasn’t on Smackdown last week. He was out selling his injuries from Orton’s attack the previous week. 2 weeks ago on Smackdown, Orton attacked Hardy and tried to rip open his stretched earlobe. Last week, Orton cut a scathing promo on the WWE Universe and promised to end Hardy’s WWE return.

Jeff Hardy returns to Smackdown tonight and will confront Orton on the show.

What do you say @Zelina_VegaWWE ????? ? pic.twitter.com/yh6ahzuxeE

— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) July 30, 2018

Lana vs Zelina Vega

Andrade Almas defeated Rusev on Smackdown last week. This week, Lana has challenged Zelina Vega to a single’s match. It will be Vega’s first match on WWE’s main roster.

Lana won her last single’s match. She defeated Billie Kay in a MITB qualifying match. It was her first single’s victory on the main roster.

The Boys ARE Back in Town to take those #SDLive tag titles.. #ItsCominHome #TheBar #18seconds pic.twitter.com/7neiBgj3dE

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) July 30, 2018

Smackdown Tag-Team Tournament
The Usos vs The Bar

Paige announced a 4-team tournament to determine who will challenge the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. Last week, New Day defeated Sanity to move to the finals of the tournament which will be held next week.

Tonight, two decorated tag-teams will fight for the right to take on the New Day in the finals.

Fallout From Samoa Joe’s Attack On AJ Styles

Samoa Joe will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Joe made a point of attacking and choking out the champion last week.

We should get Style’s response to his new challenger tonight.

Becky Lynch and Carmella Segment

Last week, Becky Lynch defeated Carmella in a non-title match to earn a title shot at SummerSlam. Without James Ellsworth by her side, Carmella is going to be in tough with the surging Lynch.

Daniel Bryan’s Response to the Miz

Last week on Miz TV, the Miz threw a fake baby at Daniel Bryan before attacking him. As we build to a showdown between these longtime rivals, Bryan will be looking for payback tonight.

Expect the Miz to promote his reality show as much as possible.

205 Live Preview

Akira Tozawa and Lio Rush Segment

Tozawa and Lio Rush have been feuding as of late. Rush believes Tozawa is too complacent whereas he takes whatever he wants. Tozawa has been calling for a rematch with Rush but that decision lays in the hands of Drake Maverick.

Cedric Alexander vs the Brian Kendrick

Alexander will defend his title against Drew Gulak at SummerSlam but tonight he’ll have a tune-up match with Brian Kendrick. Gulak will likely be on hand to scout his upcoming opponent. He might even get involved in the match.

Randy Orton has received some high praise from a WWE Hall of Famer over a recent promo that he delivered on WWE television.

That praise comes from former WWE Tag Team Champion Bubba Ray Dudley as he talked about Orton’s promo in the opening segment from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network where he talked about the reasoning behind his attack on Jeff Hardy at both the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event after his United States Title match with Shinsuke Nakamura and then last week on the blue branded show.

This promo was highly received from fans because they believe that Orton is a better heel on WWE TV.

Dudley noted on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM that he enjoyed the show including Orton’s promo as he thought that Orton knocked it out of the park and did a great job with it from the words that he was saying to his tone in his voice.

“Randy Orton believed everything he was saying last night. If you listened to the reaction of the people, there was a hush over the crowd. That hush wasn’t disinterested, that was ‘oh my God, Randy does sound pissed off, and he’s about to take out his frustrations on a lot of different people.”

Thanks to WrestleZone.com for the quotes.

"Randy Orton believed everything he was saying last night."@davidlagreca1 & @bullyray5150 praise @RandyOrton for his promo on #SDLive last night and think he may be right about the fans taking him for granted in the WWE. pic.twitter.com/PEjMR2Y749

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) July 25, 2018

What are your thoughts on this promo by the former WWE Champion? Sound off in the comment section.

Cody Rhodes doesn’t have a bad thing to say about Randy Orton.

Rhodes worked with Orton as a member of the Legacy stable in WWE from 2008 to 2010. Soon after he went on a nice singles run that included a pair of Intercontinental Title wins. In 2016, however, the son of WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes decided to venture out into the independent circuit and left the company.

Orton remains in WWE today, and cut an interesting promo on SmackDown Live last night (Tues. July 24, 2108) about “indy darlings.” He poked fun at The Bullet Club stealing the old Kliq “Too Sweet” hand gesture as well. One fan on Twitter seemed to take issue with this and asked Rhodes to “go off” on Orton.

Rhodes responded by saying “The Viper” could call him “a rat piece of sh!&” and he wouldn’t care. He credits Orton for his early success in the business and says he learned a lot from the former multiple time World Champ:

https://twitter.com/moaningreigns_/status/1021912319876624385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021912319876624385&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F979541-cody-rhodes-asked-to-go-off-on-orton-defends-the-viper

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1021918150424711168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021918150424711168&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F979541-cody-rhodes-asked-to-go-off-on-orton-defends-the-viper

Some interesting backstage news has surfaced about the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

According to a report by PWinsider.com, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not backstage at Sunday’s (July 15, 2018) pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that aired on the WWE Network, which marked the final PPV event before next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event. SummerSlam is widely regarded as the second biggest show of the year for the WWE just behind WrestleMania.

With McMahon not being there, Triple H was at the PPV with Billy Kidman running the show from the gorilla position. It should be noted that although McMahon missed the show, he was in communication with officials at the show, and as of this writing, there’s no word yet on if he will be backstage for this week’s RAW and SmackDown Live TV events.

Also, PWinsider.com reported that Randy Orton was hidden backstage in a bus until about 30 minutes before he made his return following the United States Title match that saw Shinsuke Nakamura beat Jeff Hardy to win the title.

Orton underwent minor knee surgery in May and had been seen in Birmingham, Alabama where was doing rehab last month gearing up for his return to the blue brand.

What are your thoughts on McMahon missing this show? Sound off in the comment section.

Randy Orton Comments On Tommaso Ciampa Using His Move On NXT

On last night’s (Wed. July 11, 2018) episode of NXT, Tommaso Ciampa hit Aleister Black with an elevated DDT backstage. It looked very similar to the same elevated DDT Randy Orton frequently uses inside the ring. Longtime WWE veteran Goldust took to Twitter to bring this to “The Viper’s” attention:

OH MY GOD. @ProjectCiampa just STRUCK AGAIN, and this time it's #WWENXT Champion @WWEAleister on the receiving end! pic.twitter.com/ecCMga1BQD

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) July 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/1017210038866280449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1017210038866280449&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F974381-tommaso-ciampa-channels-randy-orton-the-viper-responds

Mmmhmm https://t.co/pDC73YpIQy

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) July 12, 2018

The Rock & Stephen Colbert Have An Eyebrow Showdown (Video)

Former WWE Champion The Rock was recently a guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. During the interview, Rock and Colbert did shots of tequila and actually had an eyebrow showdown with each other. You can check out the video here:

They talked about several other topics, including his Samoan heritage and as well as if he actually plans to run for President Of The United States one day. “The People’s Champ” had this to say about the interview on Twitter:

We finally meet. Do a shot. And eyebrow off… @StephenAtHome 🤨🥃 #LSSC https://t.co/zmWqjMGWQb

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 12, 2018

– WWE has launched a new line of T-shirts that are specifically designed to enhance a women’s figure.

Calling it the “Curvy Collection,” WWE’s new Curvy Fit Women’s T-shirts are “softly shaped to complement a plus-sized woman’s curves – making it perfect for lounging around the house or wearing out on the town.”

The line features Nia Jax, Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton.

Jax reacted to the news with the following:

I’m beyond happy that this is now a thing!! I’m glad we are including all shapes and sizes ??? https://t.co/GpdHyAlji4

— Lina Fanene (@LinaFanene) July 11, 2018

Video via Nia Jax's Instagram story #CurvyTees #NotLikeMost pic.twitter.com/4yUp0IiftW

— Savelina-Fanene.Com | Fansite (@SavelinaFCom) July 12, 2018

– Former WWE star Chris Nowinski was backstage at Raw on Monday at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. In this Instagram post, he mentions catching up with Natalya.

https://instagram.com/p/BlDZ6njAX8F/

– Tucker Knight is now on Instagram @tuckerknightwwe. The official Instagram account of WWE NXT is following Knight, thus confirming its legitimacy.

https://instagram.com/p/Bk00Ce-ln2t/

• What’s the connection between Lars Sullivan and Brock Lesnar?

Randy Orton’s longtime tattoo artist, Catherine Alexander, filed a lawsuit against WWE and 2K Sports back in April in the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois over “The Viper’s” tattoos being used in WWE 2K18.

Alexander is suing for copyright infringement in regards to the tattoo designs. She has been Orton’s tattoo artist since 2003. Alexander wants a trial by jury and is seeking damages over her accusation that the defendants infringed upon her copyrighted work.

According to a report from PWInsider, WWE and 2K Sports have filed motions to dismiss this lawsuit for several reasons. For one, Alexander has apparently not obtained copyright registration for any of the tattoos she alleges to own.

They also argue that the lawsuit should be dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction, providing a 22-page memorandum which stated Alexander failed to prove the court had jurisdiction over WWE in Illinois when they are incorporated out of Delaware and headquartered in Connecticut.

Randy Orton Latest

It’s been well documented that Randy Orton underwent minor knee surgery last month. Orton was last seen on WWE programming at the Backlash pay-per-view event when he was defeated by Jeff Hardy in a United States Title match that aired on the WWE Network.

In regards to when he could return to in-ring action, the timeline is three months and that he would be back inside of the squared circle under the WWE banner before SummerSlam.

Orton is currently recovering from knee surgery and has been seen in Birmingham, Alabama where he’s likely doing rehab.

William Regal Absent

The expectation was that WWE NXT General Manager William Regal was set to work Thursday’s NXT TV tapings in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. However, he did not appear.

According to a report by PWinsider, the decision was made on Wednesday not to bring him in. It’s been noted that the reason he has not been used on TV since April is due to a personal situation.

As noted last week, WWE veteran Randy Orton recently underwent surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee.

The Viper gave a brief statement to WWE.com about the procedure and revealed he’s needed surgery for many months.

“I’ve known I needed the surgery since late last year, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to get my knee cleaned out,” Orton told WWE.com. “Right now was the right time.”

The Viper recently competed at Backlash, losing clean to United States Champion Jeff Hardy. WWE did not give a timeframe for his return, but F4WOnline.com notes that he could be back in time for SummerSlam in August if his recovery goes well.

Randy Orton did not travel to Europe for WWE’s latest live events tour, which has now concluded. While he has more schedule flexibility than most WWE Superstars and is not required to work every tour, his knee surgery is the reason he did not travel overseas this time.

• Randy Orton Teases WrestleMania Match With Former WWE Champion

The Viper on the mend

Randy Orton has needed knee surgery since late last year, and WWE.com now reports that he has successfully undergone surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear.

The Viper had reportedly wrestled through several matches with the injury, until his most-recent match at Backlash where he lost to Jeff Hardy.

Randy Orton’s return date?

Although WWE didn’t reveal any other details on Orton’s recovery timeline, F4WOnline.com reports that he’s expected to return in time for WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view in August.

Orton is currently home in St. Louis recovering, and told WWE.com he is “staying motivated to come back and dominate the blue brand.”

Randy Orton Undergoes Minor Knee Surgery

It turns out that former WWE Champion Randy Orton is, in fact, dealing with a minor injury. Orton hasn’t been seen since losing his United States Title match to Jeff Hardy at the WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view (PPV).

WrestlingNews.co is reporting that Randy Orton had a minor surgery on his knee this past Tuesday. It was not specified which knee Orton had the operation on, but it was noted he could be out until July. Orton’s wife recently posted a video on Instagram in which The Viper’s left knee is wrapped up. You can check that out here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi0V2R1lzyi/?utm_source=ig_embed

Omega Pokes Fun At WWE’s Roster Age

A fan recently shared a picture of an old Playstation WWE game “SmackDown Shut Your Mouth” from 2002. The cover features Superstars such as Triple H, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, and Kurt Angle – all who are still affiliated with the company today.

Kenny Omega responded to the photo and joked that it could be a poster for the WWE’s upcoming PPV:

What u know bout this? @XavierWoodsPhD @KennyOmegamanX @m3m3z90 pic.twitter.com/WYlms2J2vw

— Suki-Chan (@Suki_The_Idol) May 17, 2018

Isn’t that the poster for their next PPV?

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) May 18, 2018

There have been some rumors going around suggesting that former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton is injured or has backstage heat – being the reason why he missed WWE’s European Tour.

This is not true. Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer reports that Orton missed the tour because he was not contractually obligated to attend. The Viper’s current WWE deal allows him to work a lighter tour schedule, thus he was able to hang back state-side and spend time with his family.

Orton does not have any backstage heat and has no injuries as of this writing. At this point in his career, he simply worked out a deal that would limit the amount of overseas traveling he has to do in order to be able to spend more time back home with his wife and kids.

Randy, son of WWE Hall Of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton, has been with WWE for almost 20 years. It’s safe to say he’s earned some say-so in how many tour dates he works.

Randy Orton is well known to the fans of the sports entertainment company as a top guy for the promotion. He is also known for his finishing move, which is great, to say the least.

In recent years, he has worked a more limited schedule for the sports entertainment company. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler. His grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., father “Cowboy” Bob Orton, and uncle Barry Orton all competed in the professional wrestling business.

Recently on Twitter, Orton teased another match with former WWE Champion Dave Bautista at an upcoming WrestleMania event.

Although he is no longer a member of the WWE’s roster, the former WWE Champion will always be part of the WWE family. “The Animal” is one of the most successful WWE Superstars of all time as he has won six WWE World Titles, a four-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and a two-time Royal Rumble winner (2005 and 2014).

He has not been with the company since late 2014 but has expressed interest in a potential match with Triple H one more time. He wrote the following on his official Twitter account:

“Avengers 3 was just as great the second time around! Who knows maybe I could headline #WrestleMania with #drax @DaveBautista someday.”

Avengers 3 was just as great the second time around! Who knows maybe I could headline #WrestleMania with #drax @DaveBautista someday ?

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) May 11, 2018

What are your thoughts on Orton’s tease? Sound off in the comment section below.

– Randy Orton reached the six-million follower mark on his official Twitter page this weekend. “The Viper,” who is one of the longest tenured Superstars in WWE, can be found on Twitter @RandyOrton.

– WWE posted a special photo gallery to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, honoring some of the greatest luchadors in the history of the business. Check out the complete photo gallery at WWE.com.

Help celebrate Cinco De Mayo with the greatest luchadors in history! https://t.co/nO8DCTrrrx

— WWE (@WWE) May 5, 2018

Son Of Joe Frazier Enters The Business

– The son of boxing legend “Smokin'” Joe Frazier is apparently looking at taking a run at the world of professional wrestling. Zeus Frazier, son of the famous late boxing Hall Of Famer, has been training at the Heath Slater’s Atlanta, Georgia-based wrestling school. Slater tweeted the following photo of himself with Zeus, who he notes weighs 315 pounds and stands seven feet tall.

“We are proud to announce [Zeus Frazier] as the newest student at [Face 2 Face Wrestling School],” wrote Slater via his official Twitter page..”7′ tall 315 lbs, a professional boxer and son of one of the Greatest professional boxers ever, Smokin Joe Frazier! I am proud to have him join.”

https://twitter.com/HeathSlaterOMRB/status/992791042658365440

What do you think about Joe Frazier’s son entering the pro wrestling business? Sound off in the Comments section below.