Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of the Score Television Network and the Baltimore Sun recently spoke with current WWE Champion CM Punk about the upcoming WWE ’13 video game, his ‘Hell in a Cell’ opponent, what he’d still like to accomplish in WWE and more. Here’s what Punk said about:
On his ‘Hell in a Cell’ opponent Ryback and whether he’s surprised to face him:
“Im glad actually. I think you take a look at Ryback and he’s your typical WWE wrestler. He’s what Vince McMahon likes. But conversely, my choice was John Cena or Ryback; Cena’s had shot after shot after shot. To me, the ‘change’ I talked about a year and a half ago was about new people stepping up and getting shots, so I’m excited. Its something new, its something different and I can sink my teeth into it.”
Other topics include:
* Whether the rivalry between himself and John Cena will be the one that sticks out the most in his career.
* A possible match with the Rock at the Royal Rumble and whether it could be the biggest match of his career.
* Early retirement and what he feels he has left to accomplish in WWE
* Being on the cover of WWE ’13
* Which wrestlers he models himself after in the ring
* How he re-invents himself as a Superstar and WWE Champion
– WWE is really playing up the removal of AJ Lee as the General Manager of RAW. John Cena has been showing his support for AJ on Twitter all week. WWE is now encouraging fans to show their support for AJ on Twitter and Tout using the hashtag #AJScandal.
– WWE Champion CM Punk has dubbed November “Punktober 2” and told his Twitter followers that he has two “super secret” events planned:
Two awesome events set for November, which has been renamed Punktober 2. Super secret events! #punktober rolls on…
– Speaking of November, WWE announcer Matt Striker is teasing on Twitter that he might celebrate “Mo-vember” by growing out a mustache, which some men do to promote prostate cancer awareness.
– Ryback’s first WWE action figure was shown off this past weekend by Mattel at the Ringside Fest event in New York City. Mattel toy designer Bill Miekina told WWE.com that they have received a lot of positive feedback about Ryback. Here’s the first-ever Ryback action figure:
– The dark main event after Tuesday night’s WWE tapings in Providence, Rhode Island saw Sheamus defeat Big Show in a Last Man Standing match after leveling him with a Brogue Kick.
– Aside from WWE selling the usual merchandise at live events (primarily apparel), WWE is now setting up “toy” booths as they gear up for the holiday season. The new merchandise booths feature Mattel action figures and the WWE ’13 video game.
– As previous reported, Ryback got physical with Paul Heyman after his match with WWE Champion CM Punk at Sunday night’s WWE live event. It appeared that Ryback had trouble executing his finisher once again and simply slammed Heyman down after getting him overhead.
A fan showed a video of the spot to Goldberg on Twitter, who responded, “NOW comparisons offend me.” The video has since been taken down due to copyright request by WWE.
Here are some live notes from Sunday night’s WWE RAW live event from Hartford, Connecticut:
– Jack Swagger wrestled on the show, losing to Brodus Clay in the opening match. Swagger has a new look, sporting a slicked-back haircut.
– Michael McGillicutty defeated David Otunga in about 22 seconds. McGillicutty, son of late wrestling legend Curt Hennig, cut a babyface promo before the match and has been rumored to be getting a push on WWE television soon.
– The advertised “Last Man Standing Match” between CM Punk and Ryback wound up being a traditional match with no stipulation. Ryback won via DQ after Paul Heyman interfered and struck him with the WWE title belt.
After the match, Ryback struggled getting Heyman up for his Shellshocked finisher and slammed him down to the mat instead. Punk tried making the save for Heyman but Ryback laid him out to end the show.
– With WWE Champion CM Punk and Ryback’s big pay-per-view match just six days away, the two wrestled each other at this weekend’s live events in preparation for Hell in a Cell. According to various live reports from fans who have seen the first Punk vs. Ryback matches, they are working well together and getting better every night. CM Punk is obviously leading Ryback in the matches and WWE officials are hopeful that they’ll have a good match inside Hell in a Cell.
– Speaking of Punk & Ryback, as of this weekend, their match is the only one that’s scheduled to take place inside Hell in a Cell this Sunday.
– SmackDown General Manager Booker T served as the honorary team captain of the NFL’s Houston Texans on Sunday when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens. Booker T was there with his wife Sharmell and got a big pop when he was introduced to his hometown crowd.
– Following reports that WWE is interested in bringing in 7-year old reality TV star Alana Thompson (“Honey Boo Boo”) for WrestleMania 29, James Pittaro, the ownerof New Jersey’s D2W Pro Wrestling Academy, has offered to train her in the ring. If she accepts the offer, she will be trained by TNA (and D2W) star Robbie E.
WWE’s upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view is just a week away and the creative team is reportedly still struggling to come up with a finish for the CM Punk vs. Ryback match.
Ryback is in the midst of a monster push and WWE officials are concerned that CM Punk defeating Ryback cleanly will take away from his momentum. At the same time, WWE has been planning for CM Punk to keep the WWE Championship until the Royal Rumble, when he is expected to defend against The Rock.
The match is being held inside the HIAC steel cage, so a disqualification finish is not an option. One idea that’s been pitched is for Brock Lesnar to do a run-in and help fellow “Paul Heyman Guy” CM Punk win the match. This could set up a potential Brock Lesnar vs. Ryback match, but would also require WWE to use up another one of Lesnar’s already-limited number of appearances.
COMMENT BELOW and tell us how YOU would book the finish of CM Punk vs. Ryback at Hell in a Cell. Should CM Punk drop the WWE Title? Can Ryback’s momentum continue if CM Punk defeats him clean?
– In the latest issue of WWE Magazine, cover-dated November 2012, WWE Superstars were asked what they are thankful for. In Ryback’s case it is WWE giving him a second opportunity.
“I’m thankful for WWE not giving up on my career, and instead offering me another opportunity to live my dream,” said Ryback. “They could have wished me luck in my future endeavors, but they didn’t. Instead, they gave me a second chance at life.”
Ryback’s current WWE run is actually his second with the organization. He was released from his first developmental contract, which he earned after competing on Tough Enough 4, in January 2007. He regrouped a year and a half later and resurfaced at WWE’s former developmental league, Ohio Valley Wrestling. He was re-signed to a developmental contract shortly thereafter and has been with the sports-entertainment company ever since.
– Two matches are featured on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as Kaitlyn takes on Beth Phoenix and Michael McGillicutty goes one-on-one with Tensai. Highlights from the episode have been posted on WWE.com. The full episode is available on Hulu Plus.
– Former WWE Women’s Champion Amy “Lita” Dumas appears at Ken’s Cards & Collectibles 27 Mill Street Berlin, Ct. on Sunday, Nov. 11 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
– Rey Mysterio is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
Goldberg addressed comments made by Ryback in WWE Magazine when he joined Washington Redskins defensive end and weight loss champion Chuck Carroll on 4th & Pain this week.
The comments begin around the 8:30 mark in the video and last for about five minutes.
During the WWE Magazine interview, Ryback said comparisons between the two don’t bother him, but that “people are misinformed.”
“People see a big guy with a shaved head who’s intense, and they draw those comparisons,” said Ryback. “I will say this: Goldberg did this for the money. He was never a fan of wrestling. I do this because I have a passion for it, and that’s the biggest difference between Goldberg and me. I’m not here to make five million dollars and then walk away. I’m here for life. And, I firmly believe that I’m much better than he was in the ring. He was great, and I was a fan of his when I was younger. But, I feel I’m a better athlete and wrestler than Goldberg ever was, and people are going to see that over time.”
Goldberg said in response, “I’m flattered that throughout his rise people have been chanting my name. I don’t think it’s a knock on him whatsoever. ”
“I take no offense to it. To be compared against a guy right now who is (going for a title) … who hopefully will be a major superstar for these guys is kind of flattering.”
“For people to still be chanting my name six years, seven years, eight years removed from the business—that’s a huge honor. Any comparisons in the positive note is a honor for me.”
Goldberg also made his weekly NFL picks with the show. Listeners can pick with Goldberg and the show at 4thAndPain.com.
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 JR said about:
His Status When Lawler Returns: “The Nashville Raw ran smoothly for Cole and me at the announce table. Our two man chemistry is evolving nicely as I keep @Jerry Lawler’s seat warm for his return which I assume will likely be sometime before the end of the year. I haven’t heard an exact date as that decision will be left up completely to the medical people. I’m assuming that King will return and take his seat next to Cole and that JBL (@JCLayfield) will continue to work with Josh Mathews on Friday Night Smackdown but that’s simply one man’s observation. ”
Dolph Ziggler Channeling Shawn Michaels: “It seems like more and more each week that @HeelZiggler aka Dolph Ziggler is taking on more of the personality traits of @ShawnMichaels had back in the day. I’m not saying that Ziggler is going to surpass arguably the greatest in ring performer ever but if one had to pick a guy to study and to emulate to a certain degree then Ziggler has picked the right guy. Showoff equates to Showstopper as Dolph and Shawn have similar athletic traits and confident attitude. As Ziggler continues to become more natural on the MIC the comparisons will likely grow.”
Ryback vs. CM Punk At HIAC: “Ryback vs. CM Punk in the main event inside HIAC in Atlanta is something that I never foresaw coming this quickly but I’;m excited to see the bout. I have no preconceived notion of how it will go but my guts say it won’t be a scientific masterpiece but will be physical, straightforward and smash mouth.”
“The Raw broadcast this Monday should tell us even more about this matchup. Certainly Ryback is on a roll, has yet to lose or to ever compete inside Hell in a Cell so this main event has several viable unanswered questions that, as a fan, I like.”
– Paul Heyman’s WWE deal does not require him to be on the road full-time. He works all RAW shows and most PPVs, but only limited live events.
– Next week’s feature match for WWE Main Event will see Ryback vs. Dolph Ziggler. After defeating Zack Ryder in a quick match on this week’s episode Ziggler issued an open challenge for next week – which was answered by Ryback.
WWE Main Event typically features one short match and one 15-20 minute main event. F4Wonline.com speculates that Ziggler vs. Ryback could be next week’s short match.
– WWE’s SmackDown crew has arrived in Egypt for WWE’s first-ever tour of the country. WWE will run three shows in Egypt this week beginning with tonight’s show in Cairo. SmackDown stars on the tour include World Heavyweight champion Sheamus, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Zack Ryder, Jinder Mahal and Natalya.
The RAW brand will be touring the North East this weekend, with shows in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The main event for tonight’s show in Trenton, NJ will be a Lat Man Standing match featuring WWE Champion CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs. Ryback. Other matches for this weekend’s RAW live events are Sin Cara vs. Antonio Cesaro and WWE Tag Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Primo & Epico.
WWE.com has an article up questioning whether John Cena “passed the torch” to Ryback on Monday’s WWE RAW by leading the crowd in a “Feed Me More” chant and endorsing Ryback as CM Punk’s opponent at Hell in a Cell:
“Ryback, who has been nothing short of a force of nature since his arrival in April, now carries the weight of the WWE Universe on his broad shoulders. Handed to him by Cena — a 10-time WWE Champion — Ryback also carries with him the hopes and dreams of an entire locker room. Whether it’s because Cena isn’t yet healthy enough to do battle, or perhaps because the Cenation leader sees something special in the rising Superstar, the burden is now on Ryback to answer the call.
Few have been afforded the opportunity to challenge for WWE Championship gold; fewer still have claimed it. Standing now at the precipice of greatness, when Hell in a Cell descends on Ryback and Punk come Oct. 28, will Ryback live up to the enormous expectations thrust upon him by Cena and carry that torch to a title reign?”
DISCUSSION: Comment below and tell us what you thought about John Cena putting Ryback over on Monday’s RAW. Is it too soon to put the WWE Championship on Ryback, is that exactly what he needs to complete his monster push and establish him as WWE’s top new babyface?
– WWE RAW General Manager AJ Lee was recently interviewed by Trentonian.com to promote next week’s RAW from New Jersey. AJ, a New Jersey native, once again stated that she hopes to wrestle in front of her home town crowd next April at WrestleMania:
“I’d like to still be general manager and put myself in a match. I’m loving every second of (being general manager), but I really want to wrestle in New Jersey.”
AJ said she’d book herself in a Divas title match against Eve Torres.
– In this Raw edition of “Backstage Fallout,” Santino Marella and Zack Ryder call out 3MB, while Sheamus looks ahead to his fight against Big Show at Hell in a Cell.
– Three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and former WWE Superstar Vader noted on Twitter Monday that he was at WWE’s television studio in Stamford, Connecticut filming content.
“Just finished up a very long hard week. Left WWE recording studio did some good work a little rusty on the promos thxs to Kieran from WWE,” he wrote.
– Ryback is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
The WWE Championship Match at Hell in a Cell was made official tonight on Raw as Vince McMahon decided that CM Punk will defend his belt against Ryback. After both competitors signed their Hell in a Cell contract, Ryback delivered the Shell Shock to the WWE Champion.
As a result of the growing animosity between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio, it was also announced that the two competitors will face off at the pay-per-view event. The Viper gave a surprise attack to Del Rio on SmackDown last week before RKO’ing Ricardo Rodriguez onto the announce table.
The announced card for Hell in a Cell, which takes place Oct. 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, is as follows:
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Ryback
* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Big Show
* WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Tag Team Tournament Winners
Bill Goldberg addressed Ryback’s critical remarks in WWE Magazine regarding comparisons between the two wrestlers via Twitter Sunday.
In the interview, Ryback proclaimed to be a better wrestler and athlete than Goldberg ever was. Goldberg, who played in the National Football League, particularly took issue with the WWE Superstar proclaiming himself as the better athlete.
“Better athlete? Come on dude wake up…..,” Goldberg tweeted.
In a remark re-tweeted by Goldberg, former WCW colleague Scotty Riggs stated, “Take it as a complement that the kid is unsuccessfully trying to outshine you!!”
Former WCW announcer Mark Madden also noted earlier, “Ryback thinks he’s superior to @Goldberg? Ryback is a Xerox of a Xerox. Goldberg was an organic phenomenon. We’ll see how Ryback winds up.”
Goldberg wrote “Case closed!” in response to the following remark: “Ryback is a better athlete than @Goldberg? I don’t remember seeing Ryback play in the NFL. #ShowSomeRespect.”
During the WWE Magazine interview, Ryback said comparisons between the two don’t bother him, but that “people are misinformed.”
“People see a big guy with a shaved head who’s intense, and they draw those comparisons,” Ryback stated. “I will say this: Goldberg did this for the money. He was never a fan of wrestling. I do this because I have a passion for it, and that’s the biggest difference between Goldberg and me. I’m not here to make five million dollars and then walk away. I’m here for life. And, I firmly believe that I’m much better than he was in the ring. He was great, and I was a fan of his when I was younger. But, I feel I’m a better athlete and wrestler than Goldberg ever was, and people are going to see that over time.”
Ryback addressed oft-made comparisons between himself and Bill Goldberg during an interview published in the latest issue of WWE Magazine. He said they don’t bother him and that “people are misinformed.”
“People see a big guy with a shaved head who’s intense, and they draw those comparisons,” said Ryback. “I will say this: Goldberg did this for the money. He was never a fan of wrestling. I do this because I have a passion for it, and that’s the biggest difference between Goldberg and me.”
“I’m not here to make five million dollars and then walk away. I’m here for life. And, I firmly believe that I’m much better than he was in the ring. He was great, and I was a fan of his when I was younger. But, I feel I’m a better athlete and wrestler than Goldberg ever was, and people are going to see that over time.”
DISCUSSION: Does Ryback have the potential to be better than Goldberg was in his prime? Who would win in a match between RYBACK and GOLDBERG? Would you want to see this dream match at WrestleMania 29??
– Mick Foley will be doing stand-up comedy tonight at the Comedy Factory in Baltimore, Maryland at 8pm.
– MMA fighter Gilbert Melendez was backstage at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings in San Jose, California as a guest of Paul Heyman.
– As we noted earlier this week, Ryback will be wrestling WWE Champion CM Punk at this weekend’s WWE live events. Ryback is filling in for John Cena until Cena is ready to return from injury. This includes the main event of WWE Hell in a Cell, which will be CM Punk vs. Ryback if Cena isn’t healthy by then.
– As for John Cena’s recovery from elbow surgery, he still has very limited use of the arm. The surgery was more extensive than originally expected.
Cena is doing everything he can to be ready for Hell In a Cell and a decision will be made this week as to whether he will be ready in time.
– WWE’s plans for the final shows of 2012 have been revealed and they will not be doing a “Best Of” show after all. New Year’s Eve, December 31st, falls on a Monday night – and WWE will tape that RAW on Saturday night, December 29th from Washington, DC.
The January 2nd episode of Main Event and the January 4th episode of SmackDown will be taped on Sunday, December 30th from Richmond, Virginia.
The RAW that will air on Monday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) will be taped on Tuesday, December 18th from Pittsburgh, PA.
WWE will hold a double SmackDown taping on December 19th (location unknown), with those shows airing on Friday December 21st and Friday December 28th.
– Former WWE superstar MVP took a shot at Ryback on Twitter when a fan asked him if he trained Ryback. MVP replied:
No because if I did he'd be able to wrestle. RT@12hkarim786:MVP hey man did u train ryback?…. Cos if u did then u did one HECK of a job!!!
– WWEShop.com is now selling a “I’m A Paul Heyman Guy” t-shirt.
– Larry King was interviewing WWE Superstars backstage at RAW. The reason that King was brought in for RAW is because he also has a new show on Hulu Plus. King and his wife Shawn were interviewed by WWE.com after RAW. King says he ws surprised when fans cheered him because WWE officials warned him that he might get booed. King said that he and his wife are available whenever WWE needs them.
– As seen on last night’s RAW, the new nickname for Ryback is Big Hungry. Ryback tweeted after RAW:
– At the conclusion of Raw Monday, Vince McMahon presented WWE Champion CM Punk with an ultimatum: at Hell in a Cell, he would either face John Cena or Ryback. And if Punk hadn’t made up his mind in seven days, The Chairman said he would make it for him.
– The finals of the WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders’ Tournament will be determined next week on Raw as Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara take on Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. On Monday’s show, Mysterio and Cara defeated The Prime Time Players while Team Rhodes Scholars beat Santino Marella and Zack Ryder.
– WWE has released a promotional video hyping a match between Randy Orton and Big Show this Wednesday on WWE Main Event on ION Television. (Watch)
– For the first time, Ryback will go one-on-one with WWE Champion CM Punk at this Friday’s Raw and SmackDown SuperShow in Jonesboro, Arkansas at the ASU Convocation Center.
The match was announced after WWE revised its event card for the show. John Cena was originally scheduled to face Punk at the show, but company officials told KAIT-TV Region 8 that he will be unable to appear after he underwent surgery last month to remove bone chips in his elbow. At the beginning of the show, WWE will announce that refunds are available to anyone who bought a ticket to see Cena.
Also announced for the event is a World Heavyweight Championship Match between Sheamus and Big Show. Kane, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth Santino Marella, Sin Cara, Cody Rhodes, Brodus Clay and WWE Divas are also scheduled to appear. (Event Information)
– WWE will hold a SmackDown taping on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in Sacramento, California at Power Balance Pavilion. Ticketmaster.com will hold a pre-sale following tonight’s Raw at the venue.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– WWE Superstar JTG did a Q&A with fans on Twitter over weekend and says he was punished by WWE for ranting about being held back and WWE’s young talent not getting the opportunities they deserve. After his Twitter rant, JTG says WWE “punished” him by having him get squashed by Ryback the next week on RAW.
– Speaking of Ryback, his big push continues. Ryback wrestled his first Lumberjack Match at last night’s WWE SmackDown live event in Anaheim, California, defeating Jinder Mahal. At one point in the match, many of the heel lumberjacks attacked him, but he was able to throw them all off of him. After the match, Ryback hit his finisher on several of those heel lumberjacks.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about :
Jim Ross Appreciation Night: “I have to tell you that the award that WWE presented me was the nicest thing that I’ve ever been bestowed including my 2007 WWE Hall of Fame ring. The “Voice of WWE’ engraving brought me to tears I’m not ashamed to say.”
His Segment With CM Punk On RAW: “The segment that @CMPunk and I were involved in, of course along with the irrepressible @HeymanHustle Paul Heyman, was the highest rated quarter hour of the three hour broadcast which is a tribute to the WWE Champion and his evil sidekick.”
Ryback Evolving: “Ryback is just starting to come into his own. I got a tweet from a teacher that said his students were chanting “Feed Me More” prior to their lunch at school recently. Ryback is a unique talent who will hopefully carve out his niche much like other power and strength guys have over the years which takes a little more time and perseverance than many traditional talents. Ryback’s exposure Monday night was timely for him and his progression.”
Ricardo Rodriguez:”Ricardo Rodriguez is an underrated asset for WWE in my eyes. Rodriguez ‘gets it’ and will hopefully end up being a bigger star in WWE than what some fans perhaps currently perceive him.”
Despite the strong build for a match between WWE Champion CM Punk and Ryback, it is only being teased at this point and no concrete plans will be made until November or December. The match may not even occur since there has discussion of Ryback facing Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX, with The Deadman’s undefeated streak at the pay-per-view extravaganza going up against Ryback’s overall undefeated streak. However, some people within WWE have speculated that Undertaker may not even work next year’s show.
With the curtain call finish to his WrestleMania XXVIII match against Triple H, and his wife, Michelle McCool, recently giving birth to a child, it is possible that the bout was his final wrestling match. WWE’s original plans called for the legendary wrestler to compete at WrestleMania XXIX and start building toward a match at around Survivor Series. Many feel he’ll ultimately wrestle on next year’s show, but it’s not considered certain. Whether he competes on the show or not, it will be entirely up to him and not Vince McMahon.
– RAW General Manager AJ Lee is doing promotional work for the WWE ’13 video game this week.
– Despite CM Punk talking trash about Steve Austin on RAW and Austin responding on Twitter, there is still virtually no chance that Austin will be wrestling at WrestleMania 29. The Rock, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker will be the special attractions of WrestleMania 29, with people in WWE still optimistic that Austin can be talked into wrestling one more match at WrestleMania 30 in 2014.
– WWE intends to continue building towards a CM Punk vs. Ryback match. The creative team is working on more segments between them for future episodes of RAW.
– Recently signed wrestling diva Mercedes KV has reported to WWE developmental. She did some ring announcing work at last week’s NXT live events.