The latest sit-down interview between Michael Cole and Triple H has been added to the official YouTube channel of WWE.
In their latest discussion, “The Game” talks about Stephanie McMahon’s recent illness, Roman Reigns winning the battle royal on RAW and a second Money In The Bank ladder match on June 29th.
You can watch the interview below:
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Stardust’s Debut: “I like the duo of Goldust and Stardust and they have a significant upside. Too bad that they aren’t heels, and perhaps they will be in time, as the Usos are fan favorites like the Rhodes brothers and the two teams have the potential to have some great matches but the fans need a team to cheer and one to jeer….IMO. Nonetheless with one simple, creative move Monday night the tag team scene in WWE became topical and relevant.”
Bray Wyatt’s Character: “Bray Wyatt continues to be pushed as a ‘character baby face’ on RAW. His gritty and often times irreverent character is highly entertaining and allows the audience to systematically interact with him and seemingly gets more popular by the week. It’s only a matter of time until he’s changing jerseys IMO. Mentioning the name of the town that he’s in ala Mick Foley’s “Cheap POP” or Stone Cold’s “Give me a hell yeah!” plus the sing along to ‘He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands’ makes Bray fan friendly.”
The Development of Roman Reigns: “Roman Reigns is looking like the next ‘it’ guy, or so it seems, and I am completely fine with that. Great shine in the battle royal for the Samoan athlete and as I said months ago on the Ross Report Podcast, I’ve got Reigns winning the Rumble and then the WWE Title at WM31 and hopefully not before. WM31 is the only place to put Reigns on the desired pedestal. Plus, he is far from polished and that comes with time. In other words, I hope he isn’t rushed or force fed to the fans.”
There’s much more to this blog, including JR’s thoughts on the WWE World Heavyweight championship situation and several of his pet peeves about today’s wrestling landscape.
Roman Reigns and John Cena are the final two participants in the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns won a Battle Royal on RAW, while Cena defeated Kane in a Stretcher Match to qualify.
The full group of participants includes:
Join us here on Sunday, June 29th for our Live Coverage Results of WWE Money in the Bank.
Comment Below and tell us who YOU think will walk out of Money in the Bank as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
– Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio has been announced for Friday’s SmackDown.
– WWE is selling a new Paul Heyman t-shirt with the phrase “The 1 Behind The 21-1” – which you can check out here.
– WWE has published the following videos regarding the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games:
Stephanie McMahon, Big Show along with celebrities share in the celebration of the 2014 Special Olympic USA Games opening ceremony
WWE is ready to be a big part of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games
– It was announced on Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of SmackDown, which airs Friday night on SyFy and will be taped on Tuesday night, Roman Reigns will battle one-on-one with Alberto Del Rio.
– Also on Monday’s RAW, Cody Rhodes debuted as Goldust’s latest tag-team partner as his new “Stardust” character. Stardust is a Goldust-looking character with gold face paint and a black star painted on his face.
The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:
On Luke Harper: “I wasn’t sold on him. I wasn’t sold on the idea that they kept comparing him to Bruiser Brody, because Brody for the longtime wrestling fan was one of the great wrestlers of his era or of all time. But he was known as the intelligent monster and Harper was an out of control maniac. I think once you stop trying to imitate somebody and find your own way things really start clicking. So, I’ve been watching him and things have really been clicking and after the Wyatts have this amazing run, hopefully as long as possible, yeah, I do think he has what it takes to become a singles star.”
On The Shield breakup: “I thought it was pretty cool, yeah! I didn’t see it coming and they had a long, a nice long run. Sometimes, and I’m not picking on other groups, but when I wrestled elsewhere for a couple of years it was almost as if they thought every person watching the show watched every episode and kept up on everything, and they would break up groups, literally within months, two or three months. ‘Yeah, they’ve been together long enough, time to break ’em up!’ These guys [the Shield] had been together for two years, the time was right; I think it gives Seth Rollins a chance to break out. He was almost like the forgotten member, even though he would steal shows. He wasn’t the crazy guy, like Ambrose, and he wasn’t the guy with the incredible physique, like Roman Reigns. So he tended to be forgotten. Evolution by the nature of its name should be constantly evolving, I think it was a good move, and I think he upped his stock.”
Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.
– The dark match before Tuesday night’s WWE TV tapings saw Natalya defeat Rosa Mendes.
– The dark match in between Main Event and the SmackDown tapings saw Los Matadores defeat Ryback and Curtis Axel after El Torito distracted Ryback.
– After the SmackDown tapings concluded, Bray Wyatt called Seth Rollins to the ring. It looked like they were going to start fighting, but instead they attacked Dean Ambrose, who was still in the ring following the Wyatt vs. Ambrose SmackDown main event.
Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Luke Harper and The Usos then hit the ring and a huge brawl broke out. Reigns and Ambrose both grabbed steel chairs and went after Seth Rollins as the ring cleared out. The night ended with Reigns and Ambrose playing to the crowd.
– Several of the biggest names in pro wrestling history were in attendance at this past weekend’s Legends Of The Ring convention from Monroe, New Jersey. Trish Stratus, Lita, Mick Foley, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Booker T, Joey Styles, Colt Cabana, New Jack and more were all on hand to meet fans and tell stories from their careers.
Photographer George Tahinos got a ton of photos, including a hilarious one of Mick Foley trying his hardest not to stare at Sunny’s cleavage, which you can view by clicking the thumbnail below:
– Monday night’s RAW from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota was not sold out. An estimated 8,000-9,000 fans attended.
WWE RAW returns to the Target Center on Monday, December 22nd. The pre-sale password is WWEPRE.
– Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton vs. John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose is advertised as the dark main event for next week’s RAW and SmackDown tapings.
– Former ECW & WWE announcer Joey Styles says he’d like to call NXT television:
“@Ryzilla85 7@JoeyStyles would u ever get behind the desk again if @WWE asked” Yes for @WWENXT. It reminds me of ECW & tapes monthly in FL.
— Joey Styles (@JoeyStyles) June 10, 2014
– After Monday’s WWE RAW from Minneapolis, Minnesota went off the air, John Cena left the ringside area. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose stayed behind and celebrated with the crowd to end the show. The advertised dark match main event between John Cena and Bray Wyatt never took place.
– Comedy Central announced that the’ve picked up six new digital series under the “CC:Studios” banner. One of the shows, Team Tiger Awesome, stars former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho.
Here’s their synopsis of the series:
Team Tiger Awesome – Written by Nick Mundy, Michael Truly and Clint Gage, Team Tiger Awesome follows a loose cannon cop (Chris Jericho) and his partner (Mundy) getting super sensitive and introspective on a stakeout.
The Team Tiger Awesome Twitter account wrote on Monday night:
Big news! We're doing a boss project with @ComedyCentral starring @IAmJericho. http://t.co/lCIwVvDfDG @Michael_Truly @ClintGage @Dickfundy
— Team Tiger Awesome (@TTAwesome) June 10, 2014
Hey @IAmJericho! We can't wait to start working with you, it's gonna be fun! @ClintGage @Michael_Truly @dickfundy
— Team Tiger Awesome (@TTAwesome) June 10, 2014
Could UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey be the next member of The Shield? The wrestling world is still reeling from Seth Rollins’ shocking betrayal of The Shield last week on RAW. The heel turn took almost everybody by surprise, including Ronda Rousey, who is a huge WWE fan.
Earlier this week, a fan told Roman Reigns on Twitter that The Shield needs a female – THE female, Ronda Rousey. Reigns apparently thought it was a great idea:
"@MidgeBringsIt: The @TheShieldWWE needs a new member. A female. THE female. @RondaRousey , believe in the Shield! She seems like a good fit
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 8, 2014
How did I not see this till right now!? #thisisawesome @wweromanreigns pic.twitter.com/ohdm9lR4Uw
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) June 10, 2014
@RondaRousey well hell lets get a vest on u and start tearing the world apart! #BreakEveryRuleInTheBook
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 10, 2014
Btw I fan-girled out on that @WWERomanReigns tweet so bad I screwed up like 5 times lol
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) June 10, 2014
Rousey has been rumored to be interested in making some appearances for WWE, including a possible guest spot at SummerSlam in August.
– Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler was announced as the featured match for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event on Monday’s RAW. Main Event airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night.
– Here is a video of the segment from Monday’s RAW where Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose address the actions of Seth Rollins from last Monday night.
WWE is advertising the following on their official website for tonight’s RAW:
“Following Seth Rollins’ betrayal of his Shield cohorts, how will Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns address the actions of their former “brother” tonight on Raw? Also, what “blockbuster announcement” does The Authority have planned to kick off the show? For exclusive analysis, don’t miss Raw Pre-Show at 7:30 p.m. ET on WWE Network.”
As noted earlier in an exclusive SEScoops.com report, Daniel Bryan will not be able to wrestle at the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV, thus he will likely be stripped tonight on RAW.
WWE.com has a new article up looking at potential new members of The Shield, now that Seth Rollins has left the faction. The article looks at NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Big E., Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan as possible replacements for Rollins.
Following the success of the article, the website added a poll where fans could vote on the six aforementioned names. At last check, the results for the poll saw 43 percent voting for Bryan, 17 percent voting for Morrison and 7 percent voted for “none.”
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is also getting in on the action, hinting that The Shield might need a dose of Hulkamania, brother:
The Shield just might need Hollywoods services brother WWE4Life. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 9, 2014
– Seth Rollins tagged with his new Evolution partner Randy Orton against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Reigns and Ambrose won by disqualification and as you can image, Rollins got nuclear heat from the crowd.
– WWE.com acknowledged Tamina Snuka’s recent knee surgery to repair her ACL and meniscus. Typical recovery time for that procedure is 3-6 months.
– The “Summer TV Preview” issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine listed the WWE Network as #10 of their “Must List.” The article stated:
“The expanding archive features almost every show the company has ever run. Finally, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 3 in 1987 and Chyna’s title victory at No Mercy 1999 are never more than a few clicks away.”
The following are new “Take Time to be a Dad Today” videos from the official WWE YouTube channel, which features Roman Reigns and Titus O’Neil:
Also new on WWE’s YouTube channel is the latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which looks at the ten biggest breakups in history. You can check that out below.
Two big matches are being considered for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Aside from the tentative Daniel Bryan vs. Kane match and the Money in the Bank ladder match, WWE is also planning Seth Rollins to face his former partner Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton to compete against Roman Reigns.
The idea is that Reigns vs. Rollins would take place at Battleground in July, leading into the rumored Reigns vs. Triple H match at SummerSlam.
WWE Money In The Bank takes place on Sunday, June 29, 2014. As always, we’ll have live coverage the night of the show.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
WWE issued the following:
WWE® Superstars Alberto Del Rio, Titus O’Neil and Roman Reigns Take on the Importance of Being a Dad in National Public Service Campaign
WWE Joins Ad Council and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Launch New Fatherhood Involvement PSAs in Time for Father’s Day
Washington, DC, June 6, 2014 – A majority of dads in the U.S., seven out of ten, recently reported that they could use tips on how to be a better parent, according to a national survey conducted by the Ad Council. In advance of Father’s Day, WWE Superstars are inspiring dads throughout the country to get more involved in their children’s lives. WWE is joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, and the Ad Council to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) that encourage dads to recognize their critical role and give them the tools to help get more involved.
This month, the Ad Council will distribute the television, radio, print, outdoor and Web public service ads to media outlets nationwide. In addition, the Ad Council will make all PSA materials available through PSACentral.org. WWE will utilize all of its assets, including television, live events, in-arena, digital and social media, to generate awareness of the national public service campaign.
WWE donated their time, talent and resources for the campaign which uses humor and features WWE Superstars Alberto Del Rio, Titus O’Neil and Roman Reigns experiencing poignant moments with their actual children in an effort to inspire a nationwide commitment to fatherhood. The stars provide the voiceovers at the end, directing audiences to “Take Time To Be a Dad Today.” The campaign communicates to fathers that their presence is essential to their children’s well-being and emphasizes that “the smallest moments can have the biggest impact on a child’s life.” The new PSAs can be seen here.
“WWE is honored to be a part of the Ad Council Fatherhood campaign and the mission to inspire and support men in their commitment to responsible fatherhood,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Even the busiest of dads can do the simplest of things to have a positive impact on their children.”
All of the creative assets direct fathers to visit www.fatherhood.gov or to call 1-877-4DAD411 to provide them with the information they need to become more involved with their children’s lives, including parenting tips, fatherhood programs and additional resources. In addition to the English and Spanish-language advertising, the campaign also includes social and digital extensions, leveraging fans of WWE and its Superstars. To coincide with Father’s Day and the campaign launch, @WWEMoms is hosting a Twitter Q&A on June 12 at 7:00 p.m. via #WWEDads. The campaign will also be leveraging Thunderclap (a public synchronized social media post), and developing blog posts and additional activities.
“The importance of being a present and engaged dad lies in the long term effects and benefits that this responsibility has on the children and families we serve. Fatherhood must be respected as essential to the wellbeing of our communities and as an investment in the creation of a caring, healthier and more productive society as a whole. Fatherhood is both a privilege and an honor, and the greatest reward is when your child calls you dad,” said Office of Family Assistance Director Earl Johnson.
Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior, and avoid high-risk behaviors such as drug use, truancy, and criminal activity compared to children who have uninvolved fathers.
“Of course, with our target being dads, WWE was a natural partner for this effort,” said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “This campaign has already made such an impact on fathers and families throughout the country and I know that with the help of Alberto, Titus and Roman, we will be able to show dads how important their role is in their child’s life.”
The new PSAs are an extension of the Ad Council’s award-winning Fatherhood Involvement campaign, which launched in 2008. The ads will air and run in time and space entirely donated by the media. To date, the Fatherhood Involvement campaign has received more than $193 million in donated media.
This week’s edition of WWE Raw took place in Indianapolis, IN and was the post-Payback episode of the longest running weekly episodic television show in history. The card featured a total of nine matches, including a contest between John Cena and Kane, as well as a Money in the Bank qualifying match between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.
The show also featured two incidents that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the storyline for weeks to come. A lot of questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.
5. Is Cesaro Going to Challenge for the Intercontinental Championship?
On this week’s Raw, Cesaro abandoned his partner Bad News Barrett, leaving him helpless against the team of RVD and Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro stood on the stage staring at Bad News Barrett, perhaps alluding to an upcoming feud between the two for the IC strap.
This feud could help both parties, as it would provide Barrett with a worthy opponent to work with, while also allowing Cesaro to challenge for the company’s second most important title. With rumors of Cesaro being the top contender to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, there are a few directions they could take with the King of Swing, and fans would likely welcome any push.
4. Will WWE Listen to the Fans and Push Dolph Ziggler?
One of the biggest injustices of the past year has been Dolph Ziggler’s demotion to the midcard. After finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio on the Raw after WrestleMania last year.
His reign would ultimately be cut short following a concussion, and after a few harsh words directed at John Cena, Ziggler’s burial was a certainty. He hasn’t been able to claw his way out of the doghouse since, despite calls from fans to give him a push.
There were chants for Ziggler during the match between Big E and Rusev at Payback, and it seemed like he might finally get back on track during a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Alberto Del Rio on this week’s Raw. The hopes of Ziggler fans around the world were quickly dashed, however, as he was forced to tap out to the Cross Armbreaker and it looks like Dolph has become a permanent fixture at the bottom of the card.
3. Who Benefited More from Their Feud: John Cena or Bray Wyatt?
During their last man standing match at Payback, John Cena literally buried Bray Wyatt after slamming him through a crate that was conveniently placed at the foot of a table.
Now that it appears their feud is over, one has to wonder which superstar benefited more from the program. It is hard to argue that any victory could put Cena over more. Wyatt used the program to get himself over with the audience, but he ultimately looked weak in each of their contests.
Wyatt lost two of the three matches, and his one victory came with the help of Harper, Rowan, and a child. Ultimately, Cena did not gain anything from the feud, and Wyatt is just as over as he was before and looked weak throughout, so I would say that neither guy really benefited.
– Following the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, Ohio, a six-man tag-team dark match took place that saw Big Show, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose defeat The Wyatt Family.
– For those who have asked, Dolph Ziggler’s new ring trunks, which he wore this past Monday night on RAW, says “Over It” on the back.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Nick Bockwinkel has stepped down as the president of the Cauliflower Alley Club due to health issues. Former Killer Bees member Brian Blair will now serve as the president going forward.
After Seth Rollins turned on The Shield on Monday’s RAW, Roman Reigns, who was attacked by Rollins with a chair, tweeted the following about trust, showing off his back again.
Trust is completely dead to me. pic.twitter.com/ytvu6LSO1r
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 3, 2014
WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin also weighed in on the angle, tweeting the following:
Caught the last half of that angle on #raw. @WWERollins headed back to the dark side, perhaps…#cliffhanger
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) June 3, 2014
After last niight’s WWE RAW show went off the air, Triple H, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins stuck around for a little while longer as officials checked on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. HHH and Orton shook hands and embraced with Rollins a few more times, confirming their new alignment.
After that, John Cena and Bray Wyatt came out. Wyatt sang, “he’s got the whole world in his hands,” while Cena sang a remix of the song, “you’ve got no penis in your pants.”
The two eventually had a little post-show dark match, which Cena ended up winning via the Attitude Adjustment.
Seth Rollins turned on The Shield during the main event segment on the post-WWE Payback edition of RAW.
Instead of the originally scheduled Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns main event, Triple H revealed that he had a “plan B.” After saying that, Seth Rollins attacked both Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, blasting them repeatedly with it. HHH and Orton stood at ringside all-the-while smiling in approval as they saw their plan come to fruition.
They end up joining Rollins in the ring to attack Reigns and Ambrose some more.
– In a pretty coincidental tweet, WWE noted on Twitter today that Indianapolis, Indiana, which is the site of tonight’s edition of WWE RAW, was also the site of the first-ever WWE Buried Alive match. You can check out the tweet below.
The 1st-ever #BuriedAliveMatch in @WWE history occurred in Indianapolis, the host city of tonight's #Raw! WATCH NOW: http://t.co/c7fwgjnPOB
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) June 2, 2014
– Also new on Twitter, from the official account of Roman Reigns, is a photo of his welted up back following his match against Evolution at last night’s WWE Payback pay-per-view.
Sometimes we get crazy out there…ACTUALLY. . We always get crazy out there! pic.twitter.com/lDTPuUGp6F
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 2, 2014
– Roman Reigns noted during the WWE Payback post-show on Sunday night that he may have suffered a torn triceps during his six-man tag-team match against Evolution, which served as the main event of the evening. A fan who saw Reigns exit the building after the show noted that he clearly seemed to be in pain.
– Bad News Barrett suffered a black eye as a result of his match with Rob Van Dam at the WWE Payback pay-per-view. Barrett suffered the black eye when taking a stiff blow from Van Dam during their WWE Intercontinental Championship match.
– Bray Wyatt suffered various cuts as a result of his “Last Man Standing” match with John Cena at Payback, a match that many in the company were raving about afterwards.
Last night, the WWE Universe saw the soldiers overthrow their all-powerful leader, as the Shield destroyed the King of Kings and the rest of Evolution in a six-man tag elimination match.
The match was likely the last encounter between the two groups. Batista is scheduled to take time off starting tonight and there is little focus on the rivalry in tonight’s preview for Raw, so it seems unlikely that the program will be continued.
Roman Reigns dominated Evolution last night, ultimately winning the contest by pinning Triple H.
With Evolution in their rearview mirror, one has to wonder where the Shield will go from here. They have already feuded with a good portion of the roster, and none of the members are really in line to challenge for a title, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Hounds of Justice tonight.
One thing is certain though: all of the members are being booked strong. This was evident last night, as all three members of the group picked up an elimination against Evolution, with Roman Reigns ultimately securing the victory by pinning Triple H after hitting a spear.
It is obvious that Roman Reigns is being groomed as the first breakout star of the group. There were rumors that he and Triple H are being booked to square off at SummerSlam, but after last night’s emphatic victory by the Shield, that idea seems a bit less likely.
Assuming last night’s contest is the final time Evolution and the Shield meet, it was a fitting conclusion to a great rivalry. Their first contest at Extreme Rules is without a doubt the match of the year thus far. It appeared that last night’s matchup would surpass their first meeting.
After all, it had all of the ingredients of a classic match. It had the backstory between the two groups, it had the no-holds barred stipulation that would make the contest more exciting, and it also had a sense of finality due to the fact that most knew Batista was leaving after the event. It failed to live up to the hype of their first meeting, however.