— WWE.com has added Mason Ryan to their Raw Superstars page. CM Punk officially introduced Ryan as the newest member of The Nexus last night on Raw.
— The Star-Ledger has a story on Sheamus’ prior employment as the bodyguard of U2 front man Bono. The U2 bandmates would frequent the Lily’s Bordello pub in Dublin, Ireland, where the future WWE star worked.
“He came in all the time. It was his favorite spot when he got off tour because he wouldn’t get hassled,” Sheamus recalls. “He was a really cool guy, and took time to say hello to everybody.”
— “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan appears this Sunday at Causeway Tickets (located at 239 Causeway St. Boston, MA) from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. He is giving free autographs.
— This one has to be seen to be believed .. Check out this video of John Cena squatting 545 pounds 3 times prior to WWE RAW a few weeks ago ..
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:
Miz vs. Morrison’s Match From Monday’s RAW:
“Great start to Raw with Miz vs. Morrison. These are two of the individuals that WWE is counting on to be big time players in the future. They both put forth great effort in the falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. I enjoyed their hard work and the overall physicality of the contest. Both men likely want to be known not only as successful, main eventers, first and foremost, but also tough, physical wrestlers, as well. Each took positive steps forward on that goal.”
“Miz is establishing that he is a talented, charismatic WWE Champion who can be beaten on any given night. That combo has worked for ages.”
“Morrison can wow any discerning fan with his athleticism and his physicality is becoming more prominent in his matches and I like that trait with any wrestler.”
The Elevation Of Wade Barrett & Sheamus:
“Some of the exchanges between Wade Barrett and Sheamus were physical and both men showed intensity and a gear change. Both Barrett and Sheamus have definitive up sides and both fit into the same category with Morrison and Miz as men that WWE needs to get to the next level and to stay there. Again, this is no simple feat and the ascension is a process that takes varying amounts of time depending on the individual along with being at the right place at the right time with all the stars surrounding the process being aligned properly.”
Reports That Awesome Kong Has Signed With WWE:
“I don’t know if WWE has signed female star Awesome Kong or not but if they have then I think it is a smart hire. After meeting her at the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) function a year or so ago in Las Vegas, I wrote that I thought she would be a nice fit in WWE because Kong is so unique. If she does sign, I’d bet a case of BBQ sauce that her name changes. If the Kong rumor is true, and this is just my two cents, I hope that Kong NEVER wrestles a man in WWE.”
As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products!
— Current creative plans call for Melina to turn heel and feud with Divas Champion Natalya. It’s expected to be a slow turn. The idea was first conceived a few weeks ago and it said that Melina garnered heat because she was negative about going bad.
Meanwhile, a renewed on-screen relationship with John Morrison which was recently teased on Monday Night Raw is considered a dead idea.
— Creative has devised long-term storyline plans for Randy Orton, The Miz, Sheamus, Edge, John Cena and The Nexus through February.
— The pre-sale code for the Jan. 31 Monday Night Raw taping at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island is ORTON. Tickets for the pre-sale are on sale now through Friday morning via Ticketmaster.com.
sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com
Fox’s Orlando based affiliate WOFL-TV 35 has a piece on Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty lobbying World Wrestling Entertainment officials to build a permanent home in the city. WWE confirmed to the news station that it is in very preliminary stages of considering a possible Hall of Fame building.
The piece also features a look at WWE’s elaborate production setup for Monday Night Raw and brief interviews with Sheamus and Natalya. The Celtic Warrior was quick to correct the reporter labeling him as a wrestler, noting that “Superstar” is the correct term.
– The Undertaker underwent shoulder surgery in the past week to repair his torn rotator cuff. Obviously the hope is that he’s healthy in time for WrestleMania, but it’s not guaranteed and it will depend on how his recovery goes.
– CM Punk, who injured his lower back at WWE’s Bragging Rights pay-per-view, opted not to have surgery because a doctor told him he’d be able to rehab what’s believed to be a torn muscle tendon. Punk will be out of action until at least January, but will be healthy in time for WrestleMania season.
– Sheamus has a real nasty bruise on one of his legs and was seen limping around backstage at television this past week. He’s not expected to miss any ring time.
— An injury angle may take place tonight on Raw as Evan Bourne is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery soon.
— World Wrestling Entertainment has three three-hour episodes of Monday Night Raw scheduled for the remainder of 2010; November 15 in Hershey, November 29 in Philadelphia, and December 13 in New Orleans.
— Sheamus is featured on the cover of the latest edition of The Wrestler. To view the cover, visit www.pwi-online.com. The issue also features a lengthy interview with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.
Posted October 11th, 2010 in News, WWE. Tagged: Sheamus.
– RAW superstar Sheamus is well-liked by many backstage in WWE, including influential power players Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton. Each of them had feuded with Sheamus and gave his his in-ring work and overall attitude high praise. The belief is that he’s one of the true success stories of WWE’s recent youth movement and he’ll be a main eventer in WWE for a long time.
– WWE officials are already discussing who will wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII. As of last week, the top pick to face the “Dead Man” next April is Sheamus. John Cena has also been discussed as a possible opponent.
– One of the biggest stories of the year has been the steady decline of WWE PPV buyrates. Many say there are too many PPV events, they’re too expensive and the gimmick-based shows just don’t work. WWE is working on ideas to help buyrates, but none of them address these issues. One idea being tossed around within WWE recently is to go back to holding a live pre-game show to push late buys for the event. The company used to do this for years (Sunday Night Heat0 and later dropped it when it wasn’t considered to be cost effective.
– The Journal Inquirer has an article about WWE hiring APCO World Wide to come up with ways to make their promotion more acceptable to the mainstream media and politicians. You can check that out at https://www.journalinquirer.com/
(Credit to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)
— World Wrestling Entertainment is expected to rush through the current season of NXT with the final episode airing on October 1 just before the premiere of Friday Night SmackDown on Syfy. The third season of NXT will feature five episodes.
While company officials adore NXT and have vowed it will continue, they have been unable to land a new home for the show. With that being said, there was a discussion this past week of moving the show to WGN America. Vince McMahon said that ideally, they would keep both NXT and WWE Superstars.
— In regards to Sheamus’ eleven second win over Zack Ryder on last week’s Raw being the shortest WWE Championship Match in history, it is not. It is believed that the shortest WWE Championship Match in history was Diesel’s victory over Bob Backlund on November 26, 1994, which lasted eight seconds. The shortest WWE match in history is believed to be The Rock defeating Big Bossman in four seconds at the 1998 Survivor Series.
— Jerry Lawler’s Memphis Wrestling television program scored a 0.7 local rating on August 21, which equals approximately 11,000 viewers.
— Triple H took part in a VIP autograph session at yesterday’s SummerSlam Axxess event in Los Angeles, California on behalf of Venom Energy Drink. Numerous fans asked the “King of Kings” if he will be the seventh man for Team WWE in their bout against Nexus at SummerSlam. He routinely winked his eye and said, “Who knows?”
— Sheamus appeared on “The Big App Show” Friday to promote SummerSlam as well as WWE’s iPhone application. Sheamus bragged about being a two-time WWE Champion within the past year and referred to the title as his “pride and joy.” He said there will be a double Raw television taping on Monday in Los Angeles and plugged the company’s upcoming tour of Japan and China.
When asked to comment on his opponent at SummerSlam, Randy Orton, Sheamus replied, “Fella doesn’t stand a chance. Look at the difference between me and him. Yeah, he’s the Viper, he’s deadly, but he ain’t no Celtic Warrior.”
— WWE announced today that ‘acclaimed comic magicians’ Penn & Teller will guest host the Sept. 20 edition of Monday Night Raw taking place in Indianapolis.
Other upcoming guest hosts include actor Bobb’e J. Thompson on Oct. 18 and musician Toby Keith the following week.
— WWE Champion Sheamus appeared on BBC Radio 1 yesterday promoting his upcoming title defense against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. He also discussed former WWE Superstar The Rock during the interview.
When asked if he could beat The Rock in a match, he dubbed the former wrestling superstar “a mess” and jokingly said anybody could beat him now that he’s off doing movies such as Tooth Fairy. The Celtic Warrior was then asked if he now could beat The Rock of the 1990s, to which he replied, “absolutely.”
— The WWE Smackdown taping on Oct. 12, 2010 will be held at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon. Tickets go on sale Aug. 21, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
— John Cena is hosting today’s edition of the syndicated entertainment and gossip news television program TMZ on TV. Check your local listings for time and channel.
TMZ.com has posted a preview of tonight’s show with the WWE Superstar quoted as saying, “No f**king excuses. You’re on my watch now and if I don’t have an excellent show tomorrow, you’re all fired!”
— Rey Mysterio is being advertised to appear at tomorrow night’s Raw live event in San Diego, California. He is scheduled to take part in an eight-man tag team match alongside John Cena, Edge and John Morrison against four members of The Nexus. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and The Miz vs. Evan Bourne for the United States Championship are also advertised for the event.
— WWE Champion Sheamus took part in an in-studio interview yesterday with Sky Sports to promote SummerSlam. Footage of the interview can be viewed here.
— As reported last night, Shawn Michaels announced via YouTube that he has launched an official online presence. He said his official website is located at TheShawnMichaels.com and that he has opened accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Regarding Facebook, his account is located at www.facebook.com/theShawnMichaels. It has been verified on his YouTube account.
— Jeff Wilen of The Daytona Beach News-Journal conducted an interview with Sheamus promoting WWE’s live event in Daytona Beach on Saturday. He discusses the term “Celtic Warrior,” his wrestling background, what it means to be the first Irish-born WWE Champion, what his future holds, and more.
— As part of its “Summer Divas” feature, WWE.com has posted new bikini photos of Michelle McCool.
— Live tonight on Raw, three Superstars will compete in a Triple Threat Match to determine WWE Champion Sheamus’ opponent at SummerSlam. The match will feature Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge for the WWE Title opportunity.
— There were no serious injuries coming out of last night’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, reports www.F4WOnline.com.
— Former WWE star Batista is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Ironpoy, a fitness, lifestyle and leisure magazine. The cover can be viewed here.
— As seen this past Friday night on SmackDown, Jack Swagger’s “father” appeared. He was portrayed by Jimmy Golden, better known as former WCW performer Bunkhouse Buck. Golden competed in World Championship Wrestling from 1994 to 1997 and is a former WCW World Tag Team Champion, having won the title in 1995 alongside Dick Slater.
— WWE’s upcoming three-disc DVD set on Chris Jericho has been re-titled Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho. It is set for release on September 21. Meanwhile, the “Best of Smackdown 2010” DVD will be a three-disc set with a run time of approximately eight hours. It is set for release in October.
— Sheamus appeared at the Kansas City Royals game on Friday night. Appearing on the big screen, the WWE Champion cut a promo at the start of the Major League Baseball game promoting tonight’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view and appeared again at its conclusion.
Here are excerpts of an interview conducted by John Sharp of the Peoria Journal Star with the reigning WWE champion, Sheamus:
On becoming the first Irish-born WWE champion:
“It meant everything. This has been a long journey. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, to be in the WWE since I was 4 or 5 years old. A lot of people will tell you to be realistic in school – that you can’t do this or can’t do that. They will tell you to find a 9-to-5 job and all of that. But we all have dreams.”
On WWE placing a greater focus on younger stars recently:
“I think it’s a good sign, and no matter what industry you are in, there is new talent coming no matter what. Guys like Cena and Orton have done a good job. The NXT guys are a bunch of scumbags as far as I’m concerned. As far as I’m concerned, I’m leading the flag. They’ll have to kick me out of the door there.”
On his fantastic tan (I kid) and bright orange hair making him stand out more:
“Being different is everything and it is an advantage. When you look at a WWE show, you will see someone with a beautiful Irish tan like myself and someone like Randy Orton with the snake-like features and the Big Show and people like Evan Bourne who is like a rubber band and can do anything, and a big mouth piece like The Miz. If everyone looked the same with tans, what would be the point? It’s like watching the same movie over and over again.”
On who he would love to work with in the ring:
“I’ve had a chance with Finlay. He’s always been a big hero of mine. We did cross paths with the No. 1 contendership battle royal. Stan Hansen, too. He was a big dude and took no prisoners and he was a hard hitter who everyone feared. Him and Finley would be my two biggest idols.”
Drew McIntyre’s visa issue has been solved as he appeared at last night’s SmackDown live event in Savannah, Georgia to cut a promo. It is expected that McIntyre will be reinstated to the SmackDown brand at tonight’s television taping.
After losing to Matt Hardy on the June 25 edition of SmackDown, Theodore Long informed McIntyre that his work visa had expired and that he would be deported back to Scotland immediately. This storyline had a basis in reality, since his visa had indeed expired and as a result he was taken off television.
Meanwhile, Wade Barrett returned to Raw last night after resolving his own visa problems. Both Barrett and McIntyre paid visits to their home countries last week to fill out necessary paperwork pertaining to their respective visas. In that regard, everything is said to be fine now.
For those curious about Sheamus’ legality, he had his visa taken care of in late May. He, Barrett and McIntyre were simultaneously signed to developmental contracts in April 2007 following tryout matches during WWE’s annual European spring tour.
— The official website of the Sprint Center, the venue holding next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, is advertising a WWE Championship Match between Sheamus and John Cena. The match is also being advertised to take place inside a Steel Cage.
— Today on Twitter, John Cena noted starting with WWE eight years ago today.
“Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes,” Cena wrote. “Started something here eight years ago today, you are the reason I am still here. I will continue to give you everything I have, every night. I am truly grateful for all of you out there. You have no idea. This is my dream. Thank you for making it come true. Never give up. Eight years and going strong. They still can’t see us.”
Today is the eight-year anniversary of Cena’s debut match with WWE, which was broadcast on the June 27, 2002 edition of SmackDown!. He lost to Kurt Angle.
— David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd are expected to defend their Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against the Usos at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, reports www.f4wonline.com.
WWE’s Celtic Warrrior Sheamus recently spoke to Newsday.com’s Steel Cage blog to promote Sunday’s WWE Fatal 4 Way pay-per-view.
** BE HERE Sunday night for our Live Coverage of WWE Fatal 4 Way!
Here are some highlights from the Sheamus interview:
WWE Youth Movement: “I think it’s brilliant. I think itshows that WWE listens to the WWE Universe – the fans. I think that they know that no matter what industry you’re in, things change. There’s always going to be new people coming in. I think it’s created a whole new, fresh era. You saw back when they had “The Next Generation” with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and Yokozuna was there. Then they did it again in the “Attitude” era. Austin stepped up. The Rock came in. I think every so often the whole climate changes. And right now it’s very exciting. I like to think that me becoming the WWE champion so quickly really set the ball rolling for this whole new wave of talent.
“And there’s a lot of exciting talent coming in. Drew McIntyre, myself, Wade Barrett… Of course you’ve got Bryan Danielson. You’ve got Kaval, who’s on the way in NXT. The son of Mr. Perfect, too, is coming in. It’s exciting times, fella. I’m just really happy to be involved at this time. Like I said, all these guys are coming in hungry – just as hungry as I was. That’s the whole thing… It keeps the product fresh. It drives the product forward. Every week we’re out there, everyone performs 110 percent. Because if we don’t, somebody is just going to step over you. So I think it’s good for everyone. Everybody wins. The audience wins. The talent wins. And the product itself – the WWE product – wins. So I think it’s very exciting.”
WWE’s New Themed Pay-Per-Views: “I think it’s a great business move. I think sometimes when people see the same things over and over again, it just becomes maybe a little bit repetitive. And I think these pay per views are separating each other. I mean you look at the Elimination Chamber pay per view we had in February. It’s not the greatest memory for me, personally, but it’s still a great concept. Mania is a big event. The Royal Rumble is a special event. And this Fatal 4-Way now – it’s two main events, world championship matches with eight of the top guys.
“You’re not seeing singles matches all of the time. I think it cerates that… anything can happen in a four way. There are so many variables that can happen in there, you know what I mean. It’s not your standard one-on-one. It’s the four top guys in each brand basically fighting to be the one. I think it creates a different scenario, a different backdrop, a different setting. To me, it’s exciting. I’ve been a fan all my life, too. I mean, this is all I ever wanted to do. And as a fan, even me, I find this intriguing. There are so many variables. You just don’t know who’s going to walk out – I know I’m going to walk out the WWE champion. But on the Smackdown brand, who’s going to walk out of there, with Swagger holding it, Big Show, Punk, Mysterio… There are so many different variables, and that’s why it’s going to make a great pay per view this month.”
Here’s a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
– There will be a major update on The Undertaker’s future after the injury he suffered last week. Much of the show will focus on the Undertaker’s situation.
-Â World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger vs. MVP.
-Â WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre.
-Â Rosa Mendes vs. Kelly Kelly.
-Â There will be a Battle Royal & the winner gets a World Heavyweight title shot.
– As we reported over the weekend, Batista is expected to take some time off from WWE soon – as his new WWE Studios film”Killing Karma” is scheduled to begin filming in New Orleans next week.
– Radio host Howard Stern discussed the passing of Kanyon on yesterday’s show, noting that Kanyon had recently tried to book an appearance on the show, which the show’s producers had passed on and told him they’d get him on down the line.
– The Associated Press ran a story yesterday about the death of Chris Kanyon, noting that it was Kanyon’s brother who found him dead and there was a suicide note next to his body. Sad stuff.
– Sheamus is featured in the new edition of Men’s Fitness magazine as one of the 25 Fittest Guys in the World. Sheamus talks about how he learned to work out from his father and how he keeps in shape, always looking to better himself and accomplish goals. WWE.com has an article looking at Men’s Fitness piece.
In an interview with WWE.com following WrestleMania XXVI, Triple H strongly endorsed his opponent Sheamus and hinted at a rematch with the Celtic Warrior.
Triple H said, “I tell you what, there’s nothing I like better than a good fight. I look forward to getting back in the ring with Sheamus.”
Hunter said Sheamus has that “it” factor to be a top star in the company and showed the world at WrestleMania that he deserves his spot as one of WWE’s top up and coming stars.
“A lot of things go on in this business; a lot of things are said to get to WrestleMania. On the way here, I said if Sheamus didn’t beat me, he would fall into a pit of obscurity. Not going to happen,” Hunter said. “He has something I haven’t seen in a long time in this business. He reminds me of the way I started when I got into this business.”
— Sheamus is featured on the promotional poster for WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. The event will be taking place on Apr. 25 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Tickets went on sale this past Saturday.
— Reigning Divas Champion Maryse has launched an official website at www.FrenchKissMaryse.com. The site features a blog, photo gallery, online store and much more. In a blog posted last week, she revealed what’s in her purse.
“what do i always have in my purse? hum, my blackberry tour, my wallet of course, my check book, my keys, my passport, a caramel chocolat candy bar, sunglasses, my Itouch, and my phone charger, a pink lip gloss…….pretty much……be sexy.”
In a funny note, her name is misspelled in the site’s header banner.
— Last week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.94 cable rating with 965,000 viewers. The midnight replay did a 0.18 rating and 162,000 viewers. (source: PWInsider.com)
— William Regal is once again a member of the Raw roster as his profile has been moved to the Raw Superstars page. This marks as his fourth stint on the brand (2002-2005, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2010).
Regal joins fellow ECW alumnus Christian and Yoshi Tatsu on Raw.
— Matches scheduled to take place on tomorrow night’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows: Matt Hardy, The Great Khali and Maria vs. David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd and Natalya, William Regal and Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella and Chris Masters, and Zack Ryder vs. Primo. It’s worth noting that the WWE website is billing Ryder as an ECW alumnus rather than a Raw Superstar.
— Sheamus and TNA Knockout Velvet Sky are featured on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s annual PWI Poll issue. You can view the cover at www.pwi-online.com.
— To put any doubt to rest, Bret Hart will indeed be appearing on Raw tomorrow night after being “invited” back by Vince McMahon. The WWE Hall of Famer wrote the following note on his Facebook account this past Friday: “20,000 fans in a couple weeks! Thank you fans! Watch me on WWE RAW this coming monday.”
— The winner of the Women’s Championship Match between Michelle McCool and Mickie James, as well as WWE Champion Sheamus, will be taking part in tonight’s Royal Rumble Live Chat. Click here for more info.
— The pre-sale password for the 3/14 Raw show in Bakersfield, California is CENA. Tickets went on sale yesterday.