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 Jim Ross had to say about:
Helms’ Verbal Attack On Shawn Michaels: “I’m not getting involved in that matter nor am I commenting on it. You would be amazed at how many people have asked me my thoughts on this subject of which I have none.”
Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston: “Saw a short clip of Kofi-Swagger from Smackdown Friday Night. These two hungry, athletic young men have chemistry without question. Next to Lawler’s show stealing performance with Miz last Monday on Raw, IMO, once again, Swagger-Kofi was the best WWE, TV match on the air last week.”
MVP’s WWE Release: “MVP requested his WWE release to explore other options as I understand it. I personally like MVP and have always enjoyed our relationship. He’s a talented guy who has endured and overcome some major league challenges in his life. MVP’s life might make for a good movie as a matter of fact. I always preferred the antagonist MVP better than the fan favorite MVP but that’s merely a personal preference. The guy is a survivor and he will perceiver and be just fine. Being off the road during the holidays isn’t a bad thing and it gives him time to assess what he wants to do. We had some particularly fun conversations when Oklahoma had their home and home college football series with MVP’s fav team, ‘The U.’ ”
Visit JRsBarBQ.com for Jim Ross’ great line of BBQ products.
— Shawn Michaels says he will be on hand for WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops event, which takes place next Saturday in Fort Hood, Texas and airs the subsequent Saturday on NBC.
“I will be at the Tribute to the Troops show,” he wrote on Twitter. “However not performing or anything. I’m just there to visit & pay respect 2 the troops.”
— Friends of Edward Fatu (a/k/a Umaga) have been posting messages today on Twitter acknowledging the one-year anniversary of his passing.
“Tonight in Houston, we gather with the Fatu’s and friends to celebrate Eki’s life,” wrote former WWE talent Charlie Haas. “We miss you and will always remember you, USO.”
Umaga’s former manager Armando Estrada wrote, “RIP Eddie Fatu, aka Umaga. Can’t believe it’s been a year. Miss ya, big Uce.” Jeff Hardy added, “Umaga, I miss and love ya, my brother.”
Fatu’s cause of death was ruled as acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam.
— With Randy Orton’s latest WWE title run having concluded, “The Viper” now ranks at No. 10 for most days spent as WWE Champion, surpassing Shawn Michaels with 420. No. 9 would be Randy Savage at 529, Steve Austin at No. 8 with 529, Triple H at No. 7 with 539, and Bret Hart at No. 6 with 654. John Cena is in fifth place with 947, while Pedro Morales ranks at No. 4 with 1,027. The top three spots are Bruno Sammartino (4,040), Hulk Hogan (2,184) and Bob Backlund (2,138).
— Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez donned a mask at Thursday night’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event in Tampa. He worked under the name Chimaera, a masked identity he has used in the independent scene since 2006.
– Jim Ross commented on news of MVP’s release from WWE with the following.
“MVP released 2day from WWE. Good guy who will do well going forward. He’s a survivor,” he wrote on Twitter.
— New promotional material for upcoming WWE live events no longer advertise Juan Cena as appearing. Edge is being advertised in place of Juan for said shows.
— Big Show will be signing copies of Knucklehead following this Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. He is also advertised to appear in Pasadena, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 19 from noon until 2:00 p.m. at FYE #1328 located at 276 Pasadena Town Square.
— Shawn Michaels has signed a deal to endorse the Chuck Norris Total Gym.
Shawn Michaels, who has not appeared inside a wrestling ring since his emotional farewell speech on the March 29, 2010 episode of Monday Night Raw, is advertised to appear at WWE’s 2010 Tribute to the Troops event, which airs Saturday, December 18 at 9:00 p.m. EST on NBC.
Other talent advertised for the event include John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, Kane, Big Show, Eve, Kelly Kelly, The Miz and Mark Henry. Celebrities announced for the event are Diddy-Dirty Money, Sherri Shepherd, Cedric “The Entertainer”, Ariel Winter and Miss USA Rima Fakih.
The event will be held on Saturday, December 11 at Sadowski Field in Fort Hood, Texas. It is free and open to the public. Gates open at 11:30 a.m.
– As we saw on Monday’s King of the Ring episode of RAW, footage was shown of former WWE star Brock Lesnar. Lesnar’s name was also mentioned several times throughout the broadcast. According to f4wonline.com, some people within WWE believe Lesnar being mentioned on RAW was a way of getting people talking about the possibility of Lesnar participating in some capacity at WrestleMania. While most have acknowledged that the chances of Lesnar being able to wrestle are virtually impossible due to his UFC contract, Vince McMahon remains optimistic and thinks he can still pull it off.
– Jerry Lawler, The Miz and Michael Cole were all trending topics (worldwide) on Twitter last night during RAW.
– Former WWE star Shawn Michaels continues to hype some “special announcements” he’s going to make on Twitter. HBK wrote this week:
“Hope 2 have a few “special” announcements coming in the very near future. We’ll see:-)”
— Shawn Michaels noted on Twitter last night that he would not be watching the Survivor Series, writing:
“I won’t be watchin SS I’m way out of touch w/whats goin on so I can’t really give u any predictions.2 those who watch hope u enjoy. Didn’t watch much when I was doin it. Gettin 2 absorbed makes u less objective IMO. Felt I cud think out of box more that way. That’s what worked 4 me jus an opinion. Who knows diff strokes 4 diff folks. That seemed 2 work 4 me. If it aint broke don’t fix it. The important thing is that U ALL enjoy it. Shudnt matter what I thinl anyway. We r 2 provide a service 4 u, bottom line.”
Michaels posted a follow-up message after being questioned over his comments. He revealed that he no longer watches wrestling.
“That’s why I don’t talk/watch wrestling w/u all. Everybody starts playing psychologist. Holy cow its not that deep. Pretty simple 4 me. God called me home. I went home. That’s about the extent of it. No deep feelings of guilt, despair, longing.
“Just done wrestling. Sorry its not romantic enuff 4 sum of u. Works 4 me tho. Altho I’m pretty simple. So there u go.”
— Tiffany will give her first post-WWE interview tonight on MondayNightMayhem.com.
— Vance Archer, who was released by WWE on Friday, is accepting independent bookings via lancehoyt@yahoo.com.
— The advertised dark match for tomorrow night’s SmackDown taping at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida is Edge, Rey Mysterio and Big Show vs. Kane, Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger.
Former WWE star Shawn Michaels was forced into retirement after losing his WrestleMania rematch against The Undertaker back in March and he’s been very firm that his days in the ring are over.
Michaels returned to the road last week promoting ticket sales for WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta, Georgia. Both he and Triple H made numerous public appearances throughout the city, with HBK addressing his current WWE status in interviews. Michaels said he was happy with his career and that he went out on top. He was asked to help promote the event since most of the top WWE stars were overseas touring.
Company officials want to continue utilizing Michaels as they are hopeful he returns at the event to appear as a special guest referee for a match involving The Undertaker. Creative has a storyline in mind where Michaels would have the opportunity to gain revenge on The Deadman by ending his undefeated streak at WrestleMania. However, said plans are extremely tentative due to the SmackDown star recently undergoing shoulder surgery. It’s said to be touch-and-go on whether he’ll be healthy enough to compete in a singles match at the event.
Creative has a worst-case scenario in place which would involve him teaming with Kane in a multi-man tag team match against The Nexus where he could be protected.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels appeared at the Atlanta Falcon’s NFL football game on Thursday night and actually got some microphone time to address the stadium crowd.
The duo was in town to promote the release of WrestleMania 27 tickets, which went on sale Saturday.
Here’s a video of Triple H and Shawn Michaels representing DX at the Georgia Dome:
— Bret Hart returned to the ring Friday at WWE’s SmackDown live event in Cologne, Germany. “The Hitman” teamed with David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd to defeat Husky Harris, Heath Slater and David Otunga. The match concluded when Slater tapped out to Hart’s Sharpshooter.
— Shawn Michaels and Triple H were at the Georgia Dome Thursday before the Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens game. They briefly discussed WrestleMania XXVII before doing the signature ‘Are You Ready’ bit. HBK explained they had to say ‘Rise Up’ instead of a certain catchphrase because it’s the Falcons slogan this year, and also because they don’t want to get in trouble.
Shawn Michaels was named the number one Superstar in World Wrestling Entertainment’s forthcoming DVD set counting down the top 50 Superstars of all time, WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time.
The DVD’s complete 1 to 50 ranking is as follows:
1. Shawn Michaels
2. The Undertaker
3. Steve Austin
4. Bret Hart
5. The Rock
6. Harley Race
7. Ricky Steamboat
8. Andre the Giant
9. Rey Mysterio
10. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
11. Eddie Guerrero
12. Triple H
13. Gorgeous George
14. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
15. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
16. John Cena
17. Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair (tied)
19. Edge
20. Jerry “The King” Lawler
21. Lou Thesz
22. Terry Funk
23. Hulk Hogan
24. Bruno Sammartino
25. Chris Jericho
26. Ted DiBiase
27. Fabulous Moolah
28. Classy Freddie Blassie
29. Randy Orton
30. Pat Patterson
31. The Iron Sheik
32. Jimmy Snuka
33. Mick Foley
34. Kurt Angle
35. Buddy Rogers
36. Gorilla Monsoon
37. Junkyard Dog
38. “Superstar” Billy Graham
39. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
40. Big Show
41. Jack Brisco
42. Sgt. Slaughter
43. Kane
44. Nick Bockwinkel
45. Jeff Hardy
46. Dory Funk Jr.
47. Bob Backlund
48. Rick Rude
49. Batista
50. Killer Kowalski
— Shawn Michaels was asked to fly out to Atlanta, Georgia to promote the first day of WrestleMania XXVII ticket sales because most of the company’s major names are currently touring in Europe. Two names not on the ongoing tour are Triple H and The Undertaker, however the latter is recovering from rotator cuff surgery. (source: f4wonline.com)
— Mae Young has been confirmed to appear at Monday’s “Old School” episode of Raw.
— WWE returns to the Salzburg Arena in Salzburg, Austria on Apr. 20, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Nov. 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Shawn Michaels said on his Twitter account this afternoon that he is flying out to Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow to promote WrestleMania XXVII alongside Triple H.
“I was gonna tell ya tomorrow on the way. But someone blabbed. Yes, HHH and I are going to Atlanta to promote Wrestlemania, tomorrow and Friday,” he wrote.
He then noted why he’s promoting the upcoming event and for fans to not get their hopes up on him returning to the ring.
“Easy on the hoping. It’s very simple. They asked and I said yes. I will always help the WWE when I can. It will always be home to me.”
Tickets for WrestleMania XXVVII go on sale this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. via the Georgia Dome box office, Ticketmaster, and by phone (800-745-3000).
— Shawn Michaels, who was featured in a promotional commercial Monday promoting next week’s “Old School” episode of Raw, responded to those who asked if he would be appearing on the show.
“For those asking, I will not be at the old school RAW as best I know,” he wrote on Twitter. “Do I already qualify as “Old School?” If so…SWEET!!!”
— There was a late push to amplify Bragging Rights because members of creative felt it was a flat show going in. Vince McMahon, however, made the decision to keep the script intact and not enhance it.
— Today is injured WWE star Skip Sheffield’s birthday. He turns 29 years old.
– Local advertising in Miami, Florida is hyping that Kane will defend the World Heavyweight title against Edge at Survivor Series on November 21st.
– RAW Diva Melina is not very popular with WWE officials recently, according to f4wonline.com. No word yet on what caused the heat on her.
– SEScoops reader Carl Dantes sent in the following up date on Shawn Michaels:
Shawn Michaels and Keith Mark of MacMillan River Adventures will be at Devils Lake, North Dakota all week filming an episode for The Outdoor Adventure Foundation, Inc. They will also be hunting with a few children and young adults with cancer and other life threatening illness and disabled veterans.
TNA star Kevin Nash says he will be done with TNA after tonight’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view. Nash, Nash wrote the following on Twitter:
“4 days left and I’m done ,hope you that enjouyed me and are left happy .I always did my best with a beaten body. thanks and goodbye. Time to be a husban and dad this part of my life is over.If I’m woprth nothing than I need to stay at home. Thanks TNA 4 letting me go.”
When asked by fans if he’d consider a final run in WWE after he became a free agent, Nash wrote “no WWE.”
Kevin Nash went on a rant on Twitter a few weeks ago, claiming he was being seriously mistreated by people in TNA and would be leaving the company. He followed up a few days later that things had been smoothed over, but it’s been clear for some time that Nash has not been happy in the company.
Nash’s longtime friend Shawn Michaels weighed in Nash’ retirement on Twitter. HBK wrote: “Looks like my buddy is gonna b joinin me. I think he will find it 2 b great. Enjoy big Kev. U deserve it.”
– Shawn Michaels said on Twitter that he will be letting fans in on some news next week. For what it’s worth, Shawn said he is “getting back into work some.”
– Matt Hardy noted on Twitter last night that he was watching TNA iMPACT. Hardy wrote:
“I also really dig seeing my buds like Tommy Dreamer & Mickie James on Impact-they seem happy, less stressed.”
– NXT Diva Maxine noted on Twitter that her neck is “messed up” after being dropped on her head in the match with Aksana on this week’s NXT.
– Former WWE superstar Batista is be attending the “Strikeforce: Noons vs. Diaz” event this weekend.
– A new WWE’s Legends Roundtable episode featuring “Wrestling Families” will debut this Friday on WWE On Demand.
The Sportsman Channel sent out the following press release:
Michaels’ First Appearance on TV Since Retiring in March; Wife Rebecca Joins Him Hunting
New Berlin, WI – August 3, 2010 – Hunting gear, shooting birds and…wrestling? That’s what you’ll see on this week’s episode of The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark as the couple hosts recently retired WWE star, Shawn Michaels, and his wife, Rebecca. The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. EST, with re-airs on Thursdays at 12 a.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. on Sportsman Channel.
The Clarks said they filmed a total of three episodes with Shawn and Rebecca at the Venado Creek Ranch in Texas this past February. And what makes this show so special is that it is Shawn’s first time back on the screen since retiring in March. “The episodes will feature Shawn and Rebecca talking about their hunting experiences and viewers will get to see how Shawn enjoys himself in the outdoors,” said co-host of The Experience, Weston Clark. “Shawn is an enthusiastic and passionate person; I think viewers will see that enthusiasm come across when he and Rebecca talk about some of their dream hunts as well.”
The Experience with Weston and Jodi Clark sets out to surprise our nation’s heroes on every episode with a dream hunting trip, which they find by asking viewers to nominate their hero. This one-of-a-kind show goes “behind the hunt” to the human side of the story to reveal how we all share a common bond through the outdoors.
In the episode with Michael’s, viewers will be introduced to Assistant Chief of Police Tim Schnieder from Plainview, Minn. who recently lost his eight-year-old son to cancer. On Tim’s first time out in the woods with The Experience, he came up empty handed. So the Clarks bring him out again, but this time with his favorite wrestler, Shawn Michaels. “When Tim saw Shawn, he was just shocked – he couldn’t believe he was hunting with this wrestling icon,” said Clark.
Viewers will have to stay tune to the episode to see if Shawn and the Police Chief get their bucks!
Check out these pictures of Shawn Michaels and his wife Rebecca hunting:
WWE legend Shawn Michaels answered a batch of questions sent in from fans on his YouTube page.
Michaels answered questions about a number of topics – including whether he will ever wrestle again, if he’d consider returning to television in a non-wrestling capacity, if he’d ever go to TNA and more. Here’s what Michaels said about:
Retirement: “It was time. It was time for HBK to pack up and move on. There isn’t anything I left undid. There isn’t any match that I wish I had. There is absolutely nothing that I didn’t do for me. I know there are a lot of matches people would have liked to have seen, but for my wish list, I was fortunate enough to accomplish far beyond anything I possibly could have accomplished. That was the reason I was ready to go. If there was even one little thing out there, I would have stayed around. Rest assured, there are no regrets and there are no ‘I wish I would have’ for me in WWE.”
His Future & Whether He’d Go To TNA: “No, I’m not going to come back to wrestle. I’m going to do my best to keep my word willing. I’m not going anywhere else. I’m going to be a WWE guy, the good Lord willing, until the day I die,” Michaels said. “You’re not going to see me show up on someone else’s wrestling program. I hope to make some appearances throughout the years. Hopefully in the not too distant future, I will see many of you again.”
Still Surreal .. HBK & Bret Make Peace After 12 Long Years
WWE’s Hart Dynasty – David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya – appeared on Monday’s Right After Wrestling radio show. Among the topics discussed was Bret Hart’s return to WWE on January 4th and his in-ring reconciliation with longtime rival Shawn Michaels.
“You could feel the weight being lifted off of them after that night,” Natalya said. “To have that kind of history, over a decade of holding onto that, it was a great release for both off them.
“Before Bret had come to WWE, Shawn Michaels had helped mentor a lot of the younger talent, Triple H as well, so we saw a completely different side of these guys than Bret had remembered during the time of the Montreal Screwjob.”
Other topics included more on Bret’s return to WWE, the pride Natalya takes in Trish Stratus naming her the current Diva she’d most like to work with, backstage ribs and thoughts on the WWE tag division.
To listen to the full interview, visit Radio.TheScore.com.
— Shawn Michaels said on on Twitter that he will not be on hand for tomorrow night’s 900th edition of Monday Night Raw.
Responding to a fan’s query, Michaels wrote, “No I won’t b there. I have business elsewhere that day & Tue. sorry.”
The former WWE Champion also said that he has turned down two movie roles, indicating he would rather be silly than serious.
— Carlos Sanchez, who portrayed Alberto Del Rio’s opponent on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, was AAA star Alex Koslov.
It was noted on last night’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that company officials are interested in signing the Moldovan-born grappler to a contract.
— Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.59 cable rating, with 658,000 viewers. The midnight replay drew a 0.14 cable rating, with 128,000 viewers.
— The WWE Magazine Superstar Yearbook Official Roster Special issue hits newsstands Tuesday. Every WWE Superstar and Diva is featured in what is being dubbed an official WWE program.
— Only two matches are advertised for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America — Chris Masters vs. Drew McIntyre and Goldust vs. William Regal.
— At the request of the fans, Shawn Michaels has posted a video showing off his new glasses — in a manner that only he can.
— Former WWE developmental wrestler Jenny Quinn was backstage at last Thursday’s Florida Championship Wrestling show in Tampa. The former Playboy model was released last February.
— Carlito’s ninety-day no-compete clause with World Wrestling Entertainment expired over the weekend. He is now free to join any wrestling promotion with national television exposure.
— Former WWE Champion Batista announced last night on Monday Night Mayhem that he is working on a project to raise awareness for cancer research, “Batista vs. Cancer.”
Batista filmed an eight-minute video drawing attention to ovarian cancer in an effort to raise money for research. His ex-wife, Angie, recently went through a battle with ovarian cancer.
— Shawn Michaels has posted a video on YouTube thanking fans for finding his official website and following him on Twitter. He is shown wearing a fat suit in the video.
— Former WWE, WCW and TNA performer Erik Watts donated $1,000 to the Will Grason Foundation at the 1st Annual Will Grason Memorial Pro Wrestling Show held on July 24. Grason was the nine-year-old son of Mark and Freda Grason, who drowned on May 6, 2010. The event raised over $3,700.