WWE began issuing “Fan Council” surveys back in April in an effort to gauge customer interest on various products.
A new survey was issued this month with several big names in the running for their own DVD & Blu-Ray sets. Some of the sets WWE is considering producing include “The Best of 1997” and “Masters of the Mic.”
Here are all of the potential projects WWE listed in their newest survey, courtesy of WrestlingDVDNetwork.com:
Stephanie McMahon
From growing up a McMahon to ultimately becoming chief brand officer in WWE, Stephanie McMahon’s story is one of female empowerment in a predominately male oriented business. Stephanie worked through different departments at WWE including the creative team and became one of the most captivating on-screen characters in WWE history.
Hardy Boyz (Match Compilation)
The Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff, were born to wrestle, starting in their early days jumping on a trampoline to ultimately rising through the ranks of WWE. Matt and Jeff are the perfect combination of high flying and ground attack that dazzled the WWE Universe. Their matches were legendary, now you get a chance to own them.
The Kevin Owens Experience
Now’s your chance to follow Kevin Owens around in his daily routine to find out what makes the “Prizefighter” tick. Listen as he recalls honing his craft on the independents before coming to WWE.
Best of 1997: 20th Anniversary
A look back at the year 1997. It was the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the birth of DX, the summer of the Hart Foundation and the debut of Kane. And who could forget the infamous Montreal Screwjob?
Shane McMahon Biography
Shane McMahon, the fourth generation of the legendary McMahon family, sits down for the first time ever to tell his story
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has burst on the scene to become one of the biggest Superstars to date, but it’s no surprise that his historical lineage has set him up for greatness.
Cruiserweight Championship: 20 Years Later
A match compilation looking back at the legacy of the Cruiserweight Championship and its roots in WCW, creating the likes of Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mystery and Dean Malenko.
The Rise of NXT / OVW
In recent years NXT has emerged as an incredible box office draw for WWE with sold out live events and Network specials. Watch WWE’s “developmental” system churn out future Hall of Fame Superstars like John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Batista, Kevin Owens, Charlotte and more.
Masters of the Mic
Countdown of the top 25 talkers in WWE history – Stone Cold, Dusty Rhodes, Chris Jericho, The Rock, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman – they’re all here!
Goldberg
Who’s next? “The Man” sit down with WWE to break his silence. A compilation of all-new interviews and career-spanning matches.
TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy says he wants to end his career back in WWE. In an interview with Sports Illustrated to promote Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV, Hardy explained that his in-ring days are winding down and he would like to finish his career in his old stomping grounds for a WrestleMania.
“I know I’m getting close to the end. I can feel my body telling me something,” Hardy said of his wrestling career. “I don’t know how much longer I’ve got, and naturally I would love to end with a WrestleMania, and I would love to have a Hell in a Cell. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve always wanted to headline ‘Mania.”
The former TNA and WWE World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he was inspired by Shane McMahon’s big dive off the cage at WrestleMania 32, and he’s planning to top it “in his own way” as soon as this Sunday.
“Watching Shane, I knew I could top that. Every time I watched Shane, I was inspired to do something better,” he said. “I’m planning something big for Sunday. I’ll take my own path and do it my own way.”
TNA’s twelfth annual Slammiversary pay-per-view takes place this Sunday, June 12 at the Impact Zone in Orlando, FL.
The big news of the week is obviously WWE’s announcement that the brand split is returning, with SmackDown moving to Tuesdays and going live every week starting July 19th. Here’s the latest on what is planned for this summer, courtesy of Wrestling Observer Radio:
– John Cena is expected to be the top star for Smackdown while Roman Reigns is expected to be on Raw.
– There will most likely be ‘world champion’ for each brand. The IC & US titles will be defended on separate shows and plans are still being finalized for the Women’s and tag team titles.
– Vince McMahon and Triple H will still run WWE creative but head writers Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward will pick up more power as the two teams will have more control.
– Some in WWE want a hard split of the rosters while others are campaigning for a soft split with top stars making appearances on the other shows, making for more unique booking on TV and PPV.
– WWE is officially saying many key questions will be answered over the next few weeks.
– During Monday night’s “Tell All Podcast” on the WWE Network, Shane McMahon talked about how he and Vince McMahon shared an embrace and cried together after his HIAC match at Wrestlemania 32 this year. WWE tweeted this photo of Shane and Vince backstage sharing the moment:
Steve Austin spoke on his latest podcast about Mick Foley hosting the upcoming Shane McMahon “tell all” podcast on the WWE Network instead of him. Austin revealed that he would have been glad to participate, but he’s still got his “wing in a sling” and is apprehensive about traveling while recovering from recent shoulder surgery.
Foley stated yesterday that Austin had a prior commitment, but that’s not the case. Austin said he was ready to travel to Baltimore for the interview but he’d rather not risk all the work that’s been done on his shoulder.
Austin is expecting to be in a sling for 4 more weeks and will begin range of motion work in 3 weeks.
The Shane McMahon Tell All Podcast hosted by Mick Foley airs Monday, May 23rd immediately following RAW.
– WWE referee Scott Armstrong is celebrating his 57th birthday today. He was born May 4, 1959.
– A new episode of “Table For 3” premieres tonight on the WWE Network featuring Hall of Famers Pat Patterson, Ricky Steamboat and Hillbilly Jim.
– On Tuesday, WWE announced that a Shane McMahon “tell all podcast” will air later this month (5/23) on the WWE Network. Mick Foley will host the special, a decision many fans questioned on social media.
Foley responded to the buzz, noting that the WWE Network’s resident podcast host, Steve Austin, was unavailable for the gig due to a previous commitment.
– “Mean” Gene Okerlund noted that his longtime broadcast colleague Bobby Heenan is currently hospitalized after taking a fall earlier today. Keep “The Brain” in your thoughts.
Hey Gang. Just got word that, Bobby Heenan had a spill this morning and will be in the hospital for a few days. Wishing The Brain the best
Update: Heenan’s wife Cynthia has provided an update, noting that he’ll remain hospitalized for the next 3 days while doctors monitor his low blood pressure. Use the hashtag #GetWellBobby on Twitter to show your support.
WWE sent out a programming alert on Tuesday announcing the next “podcast” special. The “Shane McMahon Tell All Podcast” hosted by Mick Foley premieres on the WWE Network on Monday, May 23rd immediately following RAW.
Starting in August, Foley and his daughter Noelle will star in their own WWE Network series, Holy Foley. For more information on that show, click here.
Mr. McMahon announced last night at Payback that Shane and Stephanie McMahon will both be in charge of WWE moving forward, a compromise of sorts to see if the two can co-exist. There was no mention of Triple H having a formal role as part of this new regime, but there’s speculation that Shane and Triple H will eventually wrestle a match. The good news is that the era of The Authority’s death grip on RAW appears to be over and this new ‘checks and balances’ system will bring some much needed relief from completely overbearing authority figures.
Later in the show, Vince McMahon signed off on Shane McMahon’s suggestion that the main event of Extreme Rules should be AJ Styles challenging Roman Reigns in an Extreme Rules match. Stephanie agreed with Shane’s idea, so the two of them are starting off on the same page. We’ll see how long that lasts.
WWE Extreme Rues takes place in less than three weeks on Sunday, May 22nd.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new batch of Q&A’s at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights from the latest installment:
Sami Zayn’s Potential:
“Zayn is a main eventer in waiting and he’s likely not going to be waiting long. Talented, dedicated pro. BTW working stiff isn’t a crime but working in a careless manner is. Don’t believe all that you read or “hear.”
WWE Raiding Talent From Other Promotions:
“Nothing has changed and they are still scouting for new talents that are untrained but the plethora of skilled, indie talent is too good to pass up. Nothing has really changed in my opinion.”
With Shane running RAW, what was the point of his WM32 match against The Undertaker?
“Don’t have an answer for you…sorry. It’s obviously not that big an issue to WWE or they wouldn’t have forsaken their top WrestleMania stipulation after 24 hours.”
Head over to JRsBarBQ.com to check out the full feature.
WWE is teasing possible appearances on RAW by Shane McMahon or The Authority. Shane and Triple H have been added to the European tour, but they were never publicly announced for Monday’s show. Shane is booked for SmackDown and Triple H is booked for several live events.
Here’s what WWE.com has to say about Shane possibly being on RAW:
For two weeks, Shane McMahon has assumed control of Raw, and for two weeks, the show has been astounding, bringing us new Superstars, unexpected returns and even a No. 1 Contenders’ Tag Team Tournament sponsored, naturally, by Booty-O’s.
We haven’t seen The Authority on Monday night’s hottest show since WrestleMania, and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon surely have some strong opinions about Shane-O-Mac’s job performance. Will we see WWE’s Prodigal Son reign once more, or might The Authority put a stop to Shane’s tenure as Raw showrunner?
Triple H hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since WrestleMania 32 on April 3rd.
This afternoon WWE announced that Triple H and Shane McMahon had been added to their tour of Europe. Shane McMahon is booked for a special appearance at the SmackDown taping on April 19th in London, while Triple H has multiple appearances scheduled. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is booked for Newcastle on April 20th, Brussels on April 21st, Paris on April 22nd, and Malaga, Spain on April 23rd. HHH hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since WrestleMania 32.
The Undertaker was originally removed from all of his European dates, but was added back to the April 19th SmackDown taping in London and the April 20th live event in Newcastle.
In 2009, McMahon announced his resignation from WWE that went into effect January 1, 2010. He went on to become CEO of multi-platform entertainment service company You On Demand in late 2010. On July 12, 2013, McMahon voluntarily stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand and appointed Weikang Liu as his successor, while remaining the company’s principal executive officer and Vice Chairman of the Board. He returned to WWE as an on-screen character in February 2016.
– Shane McMahon took to Twitter to comment on the news that he would be in charge of RAW tonight for the second week in a row. Shane says he’ll see everyone there, seeming to indicate that he’ll be out in front of the live crowd as opposed to just in backstage segments.
Because of all of you, my foot's still in the door. I can't thank you enough. Much love and respect, see you tonight https://t.co/wemPCb035O
– Shane McMahon wasn’t the only one to comment on the news, as Curtis Axel of the Social Outcasts took the opportunity to reply to the tweet from WWE’s official account:
– Charlotte was working out with Jessamyn Duke of MMA’s “Four Horsewomen” in Los Angeles on Monday before RAW. The WWE Women’s Champion tweeted a photo of the two in the gym together:
Just last weekend at WrestleMania 32, Shane lost his chance to win control of WWE when he was defeated by The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. Despite that loss, Shane will now be running the show for the second consecutive week.
– Dr. Phil tweeted on Sunday about his appearance on Monday’s RAW in Los Angeles. Phil said he’ll be “behind the scenes,” which means he may not come out in front of the live crowd at the Staples Center.
– WWE.com is teasing an appearance by Shane McMahon at Monday’s RAW, while Triple H, Vince & Stephanie McMahon have all been pulled from their listing for the event. Shane originally wasn’t advertised for any shows after WrestleMania 32. Here’s the teaser they posted involving Shane:
Even though he failed to defeat The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania, Shane McMahon was still granted a temporary reign as Raw’s showrunner — by Mr. McMahon, of all people. His first night at the helm of Monday night’s hottest show brought us a new Intercontinental Champion, several new Superstar debuts and the return of the fan-favorite Cesaro.
It’s clear that WWE’s Prodigal Son didn’t fall on his face as The Chairman had hoped, and it’s equally clear that the WWE Universe likes the way Shane runs things. Will the risk-taking Shane-O-Mac have the opportunity to give us another crowd-pleasing edition of Raw? What might Shane’s success last week mean for The Authority?
We’ll have live results from RAW at the Staples Center in Los Angeles right here on Monday night.
In typical Shane-O-Mac fashion, Shane McMahon took a 20 foot plunge of the top of the cell to land on a table (and still lost the match). Despite looking like he was “broken in half” as Jim Ross would say, PW Insider is reporting that Shane avoided injury and was walking around backstage. Of course WWE.COM updated his medical condition:
“Following his Hell in a Cell showdown against The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Shane McMahon was taken to a medical facility in the Dallas area, WWE.com has confirmed”
If you missed the leap of faith, check it out here:
Yesterday in the WrestlingObserver.com Daily Update,there was an interesting (albeit not necessarily surprising item (I believe from Dave Meltzer) about what’s going on as part of WrestleMania 32 rehearsals at AT&T Stadium: “There was a major stunt being worked on and practiced yesterday afternoon.” Being that the hype for The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon has revolved heavily around Shane saying he will use his body as a weapon as well as clips of his past crazy stunts from the Attitude Era, it’s reasonable to think that if there’s a big stunt, it will be in that much. Perhaps even more so because the same update item says that the Hell in a Cell match in question is set to go on last as of the time it was written.
Besides his trademark flying elbow drop through the announcers’ table, Shane McMahon also did some incredibly elaborate stunts when he was at his most active. Most famously, at SummerSlam 2000, he took a bump off the truss near the top of the TitanTron onto a crash pad.
Shane McMahon was on ESPN SportsCenter on Wednesday night to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, TX. The main topic of discussion was his Hell In The Cell match with The Undertaker. Shane also explained that being able to wrestle in front of his kids is his main reason for doing it.
“I’m really excited to be in there. I’m nervous to be in there. It’s a whole different atmosphere. When you’re against a guy that big… And I have so much respect for The Undertaker,” Shane said of his WrestleMania 32 opponent. “He’s the measuring stick of the business. He’s carried the business on his back for quite some time. I’ve known him a very long time. But when you’re in there it’s intimidating, so you just got to let it rip and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m kind of known for I will do anything, especially when the stakes are high, I will definitely do that just as I showed the other night, so I will give it everything I possibly have.”
Shane McMahon has been part of a lot of memorable moments on WWE pay-per-views and when asked, Shane couldn’t choose just one favorite moment from his in-ring career. Shane says it was never in the original plans for him to have multiple matches or become known for jumping from tall places.
“Gosh, I don’t know. I always thought I would have one match because it was never supposed to be a series of things, and then it kind of caught fire,” Shane explained. “And then everyone becomes accustomed to it and you have to start thinking about different things and then it starts to build, so I always thought I would have one match. I was like, let’s give them some cool stuff, and then that evolved and escalated and has grown into what it is today.”
We’ll have live play-by-play coverage of WrestleMania 32 right here on Sunday night, in addition to the latest backstage news before & after the event.
ESPN will be kicking off their WrestleMania week coverage today, with several of WWE’s top performers making appearances to promote this weekend’s festivities. Here’s the schedule for WrestleMania 32 Week programming on ESPN:
Monday: Brock Lesnar on SportsCenter at 8:45am and 10:30am EST
Tuesday: Stephanie McMahon at 10:30am EST on SportsCenter
Tuesday: Triple H at 9pm on SportsCenter
Wednesday: Shane McMahon at 9pm on SportsCenter
TBA: The Undertaker on SportsCenter
We’ll post video highlights of the appearances when they become available.
On a recent media appearance to promote WrestleMania 32, Kane was asked about his storyline-brother’s match against Shane McMahon scheduled for the April 3rd event. Kane told Talks Sport that The Undertaker will do what he does best every year at WWE’s biggest pay-per-view, and predicted that he will beat Shane.
“With Shane, you just have to weather his exuberance, for lack of a better term. He’s going to want to just let it all hang out and jump off the top of the stadium if he can,” Kane said.
“So I think that’s the most important thing – just let him do his deal. And then eventually, of course, what’s going to happen is – much like in a soccer or rugby match – that emotion’s going to wear off and from there the better team, or, in this case, The Undertaker, does what he does best.”
When asked why The Undertaker’s character would accept a match with Vince McMahon’s son, Kane said the match with Shane is just business, not personal.
“He has a challenge in front of him, and that’s what it is,” he explained. “I don’t know if there’s necessarily a nefarious back story or anything like that.”
The Undertaker will face Shane McMahon in a Hell In A Cell match at WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, TX.
The dynamic between Vince McMahon and Triple H is reportedly something everyone is talking about internally in WWE. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Shane McMahon’s return, and recent changes to WrestleMania 32 storylines, have both lead to an increase in backstage chatter about the McMahon family drama. The Observer reports that Vince does not like being perceived as the old out-of-touch guy who needs to step aside so Triple H can take over.
The speculation within WWE right now is reportedly that if Shane does take on an executive role in the company, Vince could be playing him against Triple H and Stephanie. It gets hard to tell how much of the Vince-Triple H tension is exaggerated, but it is known that Shane did have issues with Triple H and Stephanie that lead to him leaving the company in 2009. Shane left WWE after he found out his sister and Triple H would eventually be taking over the company instead of him.
Shane’s entire promo on Monday’s RAW was re-written at the last minute to remove mentions of him wanting to fire Triple H and Stephanie from RAW should he win at WrestleMania 32. According to The Observer, the opening segment on RAW has been changing at the last minute lately at Vince’s request. Last minute script changes were blamed for Shane forgetting a line during his return promo on RAW, but it largely went unnoticed because Vince spoke up and covered for him.
Aside from any heat he may have with Vince and Shane, Triple H also reportedly drew criticism from some WWE employees for not “selling” his beating from Roman Reigns back in December. In the days after the angle with Reigns at TLC, Triple H was making appearances to promote NXT and not selling any injuries.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Heere are some highlights of what JR said about:
Shane McMahon’s Promo At The Start Of RAW:
“The show had its moments but it was at times challenging to watch for three hours. This could arguably be more because RAW was a 189 minute show rather than an indictment on the creative. Creative is always subjective but a 3+ hour broadcast with commercials is daunting.
The show had a hard time topping the opening segment with the continuing saga of the McMahon Family which I am enjoying. Shane McMahon is a, breath of fresh air IMO and the Shane vs Taker match at WM32 will likely exceed many naysayers cynical speculation and predictions of gloom and doom.”
Triple H’s Staredown With Bray Wyatt:
“Enjoyed the brief drama between HHH and Bray Wyatt. Wyatt is a major, character ‘face if WWE ever decides pull that trigger. The fans appear to love Bray’s presentation especially his fan friendly entrance.”
Chris Jericho Turning Heel On AJ Styles:
“Interesting turn of events with Jericho knifing AJ in the back. If it means more of Y2J vs Styles matches including at Wrestlemania Texas, I’m good with it. No, I don’t think it was too soon. WWE likely wants AJ to get a signature win in a ‘singles match’ in Texas.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will be Jonathan Coachman’s guest on ESPN SportsCenter tomorrow for the weekly “Off The Top Rope” segment. HBK will be talking WrestleMania 32.
– The next Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network will take place some time during WrestleMania 32 week from Dallas. Steve Austin’s guest will be his former rival, Mick Foley.
– WWE has announced “Sympathy for The Devil” by Motorhead as another theme song for WrestleMania 32. Other songs previously announced for this year include “Hello Friday” by Flo Rida and Jason Derule, and Flo Rida’s “My House” single.
– WWE posted this video looking back at Shane McMahon’s career highlights: