– Vince McMahon said to be tired of the John Cena vs. CM Punk feud, so their match next week on RAW will be the last time we see them cross paths for a while.
– The Rock has been nominated for “Favorite Male Buttkicker” at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, which airs on March 28th.
WWE superstar & executive Triple H has been nominated for “Most Metal Athlete” at the 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which takes place on May 2nd and will be hosted by Chris Jericho.
– A Ryback heel turn has been teased lately, with him losing several high profile matches and walking out on his team at Elimination Chamber. If WWE does go through with the heel turn, it would lead to a John Cena vs. Ryback program after WrestleMania. While Cena could certainly benefit from a fresh heel monster to play off of, Ryback is somewhat limited in the ring and losing the crowd support would hurt his character a lot.
– Future WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino will be appearing at not just the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday 4/6, but also the WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view and WWE RAW the following night.
– WWE’s announcement of of WrestleMania XXX heading to New Orleans in April 2014 got a ton of local media coverage.
– The Hollywood Reporter has a review of The Rock’s new film Snitch, which hits theaters February 22nd. Their ‘Bottom Line’ calls the film, “A serious-minded, well-made yarn of a father’s risky descent into the drug underworld to save his son.”
– Bill Goldberg re-tweeted the following comment from a fan regarding Ryback:
RT @Mastakel: The only thing that is keeping @ryback22 from being @Goldberg is 1) talent and 2) 12 years of hebrew school
– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has published exclusive photos of Heyman’s match against Ryback at December’s Madison Square Garden live event. Yours truly was at the show in person and the atmosphere during the special attraction match was unique to say the least.
Without giving too much away about the match result, let’s just say that Mr. Heyman got introduced to a table the hard way.
– The opening segment of tonight’s WWE RAW will see The Miz hosting Miz TV with his special guest .. Paul Heyman.
– During a recent interview with the Phoenix New Times to promote last weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Ryback spoke about his “Big Hungry” nickname, noting that he is the one that came up with it, but Vince McMahon ultimately banned it.
– WWE is currently hiring several corporate positions, including an Executive Vice President of International Business, a new Vice President of Marketing and a Vice President of Social Media.
– In conjunction with the buildup to WrestleMania 29, Brock Lesnar will be appearing on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine.
– CM Punk vs. Ryback will be headlining several upcoming WWE live events. WWE Champion The Rock is not scheduled for any house shows and will only be working RAW, SmackDown and PPV shows.
– The current plan for the World Heavyweight title match at WrestleMania 29 is Randy Orton vs. Sheamus. Since neither man is currently champion, that means that Del Rio’s title reign will probably end at Elimination Chamber.
– As noted over the weekend, Brock Lesnar has signed a new 2-year deal with WWE that will keep him with the company through WrestleMania 31 in 2015. It’s believed that Lesnar will be required to work only 3 pay-per-view events per year. There is some talk that Lesnar actually signed the deal backstage before Monday’s RAW from Las Vegas.
– WWE’s original plans for the Royal Rumble pre-show called for a large team match that would have included superstars from WWE as well as NXT. The decision was made a week or two ago for Antonio Cesaro to wrestle The Miz on the pre-show and to hold an NXT tournament at the Royal Rumble fan fest this weekend, with the winner earning a spot in the Rumble match.
– Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler tweeted the following about her new Supermarket Superstars show on the Lifetime network:
First day on the set of my show #SupermarketSuperstars@lifetimetv and I'm loving it! So exciting to help make someone's dream come true.
Ryback spoke to the College Times this week to hype Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
How much input he’s had in the evolution of his character:
“I was very vocal in that, actually. A lot of people don’t know that I was Ryback before I was Skip Sheffield down in the developmental territories. It was a name I came up with and created, as far as when I was away from the WWE. ‘Skip Sheffield’ was presented to me by Dusty Rhodes. It was something I don’t regret ever having happened because it did happen [and] that’s what got me to the WWE initially. I cannot tell you enough how glad I am to not be doing that right now. What you see now is me. I’m a very intense individual in real life in everything I do. I set goals and I attack them with the intensity you see on TV.”
Which title belt is he hungry for?
Right now, the WWE Championship and the Heavyweight Championship. I made my 2013 vision board, my goal board, and I have 13 goals for 2013 that are going to be accomplished. That is one of my main goals—becoming the WWE and World Heavyweight Champion. They’re both of equal importance to me.
Who his closest friends are in WWE:
“I get along with everyone to some degree. I travel alone, though, and Stone Cold Steve Austin always said, ‘Don’t trust anybody.’ He didn’t just say that to say that. I always say, there are sharks swimming with dolphins. There are a lot of sharks in the WWE. You gotta be wary of everybody. Wade Barrett, though, still to this day is one of my friends that I keep in contact with and talk to a lot up there, and Daniel Bryan, believe it or not, I tend to get along pretty well with. I’m not there to make friends. Razor Ramon/Scott Hall used to always say, ‘You can make money or you can make friends.’ I’m here to make as much money as possible and put out a great product for WWE and that’s my goal.”
Posted January 23rd, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: Ryback.
WWE superstar Ryback recently spoke to the Phoenix New Times to promote WWE’s upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what Ryback said about:
His “Slow Build” Push
“We’re just going slow with it, like you should when you build a new superstar. Things have been rushed in the past. I’m not new to this, I’ve been in [the WWE] almost seven years. I’ve been through a lot in developmental. This is just the beginning. There’s much, much more to Ryback. I firmly believe I’m going to be the focal point of the WWE for the next 10 years.”
Becoming WWE Champion:
“I know it’s going to happen, it’s only a matter of time. I’ve been a fan my entire life and growing up watching this and its going to be surreal moment and I’m going to take every second of it in. And I look forward to waking up every day the WWE champion.”
Comparisons To Goldberg:
“I’ve explained this to people before, it’s never offended me … I was a fan of his. I think was unbelievable and exciting and fun to watch. But I truly, truly love this and have a passion for this and want to be as great as this as I could possibly be. I love money and want to make millions upon millions of dollars, and I’m going to. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be in WWE. I’ve said it at the beginning, I want to be part of WWE for the rest of my life. And I don’t know Bill Goldberg personally, so I don’t know exactly how he feels about wrestling and whatnot, but I can just tell you how I feel, and I think at the end how I feel is what’s going to be what separates me from Goldberg ultimately when my career is winding down. He was a huge draw and hopefully I can be as big if not bigger of a draw as he was in his prime. It motivates me and I look forward to outdoing him in any way possible. It’s never been a negative thing in my mind.”
Posted January 15th, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: Ryback.
– WWE officials are reportedly very happy with Ryback’s recent matches, including the TLC match against CM Punk on Monday’s RAW. The feeling is that Ryback has come a long way since last year and management is optimistic that he can be used as a main event babyface in 2013.
– WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch recently noted on Facebook that she has completed rehab and is now engaged. She also revealed that she’s leaving wrestling business and plans to get her chiropractor’s degree. She is also looking to auction off her WWE Hall of Fame ring.
– FUSE TV recently sat down with several WWE superstars and divas and discussed their favorite music. The following video contains comments from Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee, Paul Heyman, Eve Torres, Damien Sandow, David Otunga and the Prime Time Players:
– After WWE Champion CM Punk defeated Ryback on RAW in their TLC match, WWE trainers came to ringside and tried getting Ryback onto a stretcher. Ryback pushed them away, but was eventually helped to the back by four referees. Ryback was really selling the effects of the powerbomb spot through a table he suffered at the hands of The Shield.
– After Monday’s RAW went off the air, CM Punk returned to the ring to confront The Rock and told him he wasn’t finished talking yet. This resulted in The Rock delivering three more Rock Bottoms to the WWE Champion.
The Rock then grabbed the microphone and told the crowd that he used to live and train in Tampa, which is why he chose the city to make his WWE return.
The scheduled dark match main event between John Cena & Sheamus vs. Big Show & Dolph Ziggler never took place.
The photo below was taken backstage prior to Monday’s WWE RAW from Tampa, Florida. The leaked picture shows a feed that aired on the arena television sets showing Ryback and members of the Shield rehearsing for the TLC match that took place on RAW between Ryback and CM Punk.
CM Punk can be seen sitting in the bottom left corner of the ring, with Big Show in the bottom right corner, Triple H and Ricky Steamboat as well as several WWE divas outside the ring.
The image shows Ryback, Rollins and Ambrose rehearsing the spot that took place on RAW, where Ryback was climbing the ladder, the lights went out and all of a sudden he was battling Rollins and Ambrose on the ladder.
– Dragon Gate USA wrestler Samuray Del Sol is denying that he signed a WWE contract after a bogus talent contract that he “signed” was circulating online over the weekend:
Amigos I am not signed with WWE just ignore the photos and rumors, if you don't see it posted on my website, twitter or Facebook, not true!
– WWE Hall of Famer & NXT authority figure Dusty Rhodes noted on Twitter that he’s doing work on a new DVD project for WWE today.
– Former WWE Diva Maryse announced that she’ll be returning to Family Wrestling Entertainment for their upcoming iPPV from Brooklyn, NY. Once again, she’ll be doing commentary for the promotion.
Posted January 7th, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: Ryback.
On Monday’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW, Ryback interrupted a promo by CM Punk and Paul Heyman to once again challenge Punk to a TLC match for the WWE Championship at the first live RAW of 2013 on January 7th. You can see video of that challenge below.
WWE officials are still going back and forth as to whether the CM Punk vs. Ryback TLC match will actually take place on the show. CM Punk is still scheduled to defend the WWE Championship match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble, so he won’t be dropping the title to Ryback on 1/7.
Ryback losing another WWE Championship match is also not doing his character’s momentum any favors. The TLC stipulation would allow for Ryback to lose the match without getting pinned or submitting, but the possibility remains that the match somehow does not take place.
The Rock being in the house adds another dimension to the Punk vs. Ryback TLC match. While there are no plans for Ryback to wrestle The Rock any time soon, the “possibility” of Ryback defeating CM Punk for the WWE Championship to set up a Ryback vs. Rock match is something WWE is sure to tease that night.
Here’s the video from RAW of Ryback’s latest challenge to Punk:
Matt Hardy appeared on the Inside The Ropes radio show this week and spoke about a number of topics, including the state of tag team wrestling in WWE:
“I would love to see the tag divisions be highlighted more. I think until the WWE or TNA find their next white hot star or angle that’ll get record ratings or even improve ratings, starting to sell out more arenas, thats what all the companies are looking for that top star. The top guy in the WWE right now is John Cena but until they find the next Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin, they’re going to be engulfed, obsessed with that. While they’re obsessed with finding the new face of the company, tag team wrestling is always going to be secondary or even further down,” said Hardy.
“We were lucky because Stone Cold, The Rock, DX were so hot, we were selling out arenas every night so they had time to say “OK lets invest some time into the tag division” I think until they have their top 2 or 3 stars and their top programs, breaking records and doing good pay per view numbers, tag teams will just be an afterthought. It’s sad and I hate it, but it’s just the state of the game.”
Hardy also weighed in on Ryback’s breakout year:
“I think they’ve done an amazing job establishing Ryback, getting people to connect with him. In terms of him having longer, more competitive matches which will eventually be a necessity if you’re going to be a player. If Ryback can do that and follow through and retain his character and that fanbase then that’s great. He’s definitely the breakout star of 2012 and they took a guy who for years hadn’t really done anything and made him a star and made people care about him so kudos to that and hopefully he can continue and grow as a performer,” said Hardy.
You can listen to the full interview below, where Matt also talks about Extreme Rising, the Divas division in 2012, Ring Of Honor, Luke Hawx and his plans for 2013:
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown Supershow, Ryback told CM Punk that he wants his guaranteed WWE title match against Punk on the first RAW of 2013, which takes place on Monday, January 7th.
At the WWE RAW tapings that took place immediately after SmackDown airing next Monday night (Christmas Eve, 12/24), it was announced that the match will be a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match.
This will be the match that was originally scheduled to take place at this past weekend’s TLC pay-per-view before Punk underwent his recent knee surgery and will allow WWE to transition to CM Punk vs. The Rock the following week at the 20th Anniversary of RAW.
Tuesday night’s Super SmackDown special featured a few notable news items:
* Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara have been written off television after both men were attacked by The Shield. Rey Mysterio was attacked before the show went on the air and suffered a “serious neck injury,” while Sin Cara was attacked after his match by Cody Rhodes. Sin Cara has been working through an injury to his left knee and The Shield focused on Sin Cara’s knee during their attack on SmackDown.
* Ryback interrupted CM Punk’s promo on the show and said he wants his guaranteed WWE title match against Punk on the first RAW of 2013, which takes place on Monday, January 7th. There had been talk of the match taking place the following week, but WWE will wrap up the Punk vs. Ryback feud that night so Punk can transition to his feud with The Rock.
– 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.
– The Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam match from WWF Backlash 2002 is featured on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection and broadcaster Jim Ross’ mention of Chris Benoit was not censored as it typically is on WWE programming reruns. Other bouts airing on the show include Lex Luger vs. PJ Walker (WWF Monday Night Raw – March 1, 1993), Lex Luger vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF All American Wrestling – September 19, 1993), King Haku’s Coronation (WWF Superstars – July 9, 1988), King Haku vs. Sam Houston (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – August 22, 1988.
– This week on Santino’s Foreign Exchange, foreign correspondent Yoshi Tatsu attempts to interview Ryback. The synopsis reads, “On this episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” The Milan Miracle puts the pressure on foreign correspondent Toshi Yatsu – uh, we mean Yoshi Tatsu – in an attempt to hone his interviewing skills. Yoshi’s mettle is tested, though, when he runs into the monstrous Ryback!”
– Daniel Bryan is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– WWE 13 was the 9th best selling game of November. Despite this, overall sales have been strong for the game.
– Before Randy Orton got injured at Sunday’s Tribute to the Troops taping, WWE was planning for Randy Orton to face Alberto Del Rio at this weekend’s TLC pay-per-view.
– Speaking of Alberto Del Rio, WWE is considering turning him babyface in early 2013. While this would be difficult because his Mexican aristocrat gimmick is pure heel, the company is badly in need of a top Hispanic worker. Rey Mysterio has 2 Wellness strikes against him and is in the tail end of his career, while Sin Cara has failed to take off as to company had hoped.
– WWE has released the following video looking at Ryback’s current feud with The Shield leading up to the 6-man tag main event at TLC:
– The Rock is going to have a very busy early 2013, with several movies to promote as well as many appearances for WWE and promotion his new “Hero” reality show that premieres on TNT in February.
The Rock is currently scheduled to appear at WWE RAW on January 7th, 21st and 28th, as well as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber PPVs. The January 7th episode of RAW will be going up against the college football BCS Championship game, so WWE will be counting on The Rock’s appearance that to prevent the RAW rating from bottoming out again.
– With Ryback guaranteed a WWE Championship match against CM Punk in the coming weeks, there are conflicting reports as to when the match will take place. Originally, it was thought that CM Punk vs. Ryback would headline the 20th Anniversary of RAW episode of January 14th.
However, that leaves only 2 weeks to end CM Punk’s feud with Ryback and go full force with Punk vs. The Rock. There is now talk of CM Punk vs. Ryback taking place on the January 7th episode of RAW and immediately switching gears that night to Punk’s feud with The Rock.
– Randy Orton reportedly injured his wrist at Sunday night’s Tribute To The Troops tapings, according to PWInsider.com. Orton wrestled a tag match with Sheamus against Big Show and Dolph Ziggler at the show.
Orton did not work Monday’s RAW as a result of the injury, but is still advertised for tonight’s SmackDown. We’ll post an update when it becomes available.
– With the planned CM Punk vs. Ryback match at TLC put on hold due to Punk’s knee surgery, WWE is now planning to present the match at the 20th Anniversary RAW special on January 14th from Houston, Texas.
– Tonight’s WWE television tapings take place from Bridgeport, Connecticut. The top match scheduled for WWE Main Event is Ryback vs. Alberto Del Rio.
No matches have been announced for this week’s Smackdown, but we’ll get the final hype for Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view and the Big Show vs. Sheamus World Heavyweight title feud.
The advertised dark match main events are a title match between Big Show vs. Sheamus as well as Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio. Considering the wrist injury Orton sustained on Sunday, it’s unknown whether this match will take place.
– WWE taped the following matches for this week’s WWE Superstars prior to RAW from Newark, New Jersey.
* Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre vs. Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd
* Brodus Clay vs. Michael McGillicutty.
– It was announced on Monday’s WWE RAW that this week’s episode of Main Event will feature Ryback vs. Alberto Del Rio.
Due to the 12/12/12 Hurricane Sandy benefit concert that will be airing on most broadcast networks on Wednesday night, the show will start 90 minutes earlier than usual, at 6:30/5:30c.