The decision to release Andy Leavine from his WWE developmental deal was made a few weeks back, according to f4wonline.com. WWE management felt that he was not improving in the ring and decided to cut their losses with him.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, who was one of the judges on the Season of Tough Enough that Leavine won, tweeted the following regarding his release:
“Big Andy won Tough Enough. All day long and twice on Sunday. Thanks for your passion and opinions. Like it or not…He won. End of story.”
– At this week’s Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion in Las Vegas, Jim Ross held a seminar for independent wrestlers instructing them on what to work on and what WWE looks for when they sign new talents.
Steve Austin was asked about wrestling at WrestleMania 29 and said he is open to the idea. He added that he feels great right now at age 47, but doesn’t want to be living in pain by the time he’s 57. Both Austin and Terry Funk expressed interest in working with WWE developmental talent at FCW.
– We’ve gotten a few emails asking whether Mick Foley’s latest blog about Dean Ambrose is really the end of their ongoing feud. Everything that’s gone down so far, including their confrontation during WrestleMania weekend and Foley’s latest blog, is all part of the storyline. Ambrose was asked by a fan on Twitter this week when he’s going to “take Foley out.” He replied:
“I wont. He took himself out. In terms he would understand he’s the cowardly lion of WWE, I’m far from heartbroken”
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin spoke to the UK Sun this week to promote the DVD release of his latest action movie, Recoil. Here are some highlights of what Austin said about:
Hell in a Cell “Saving” WrestleMania 28:
“The Undertaker and Triple H match made it special. Going into it, I thought how will they better last year? How do you follow something like that? But they did. It was at about the 8-10 minute mark when I saw them dig beyond the solid work they had done and pull out all of the stops. Shawn Michaels was a real benefit there too. He was perfect in his referee role. I believe the match they had was off the charts. If it hadn’t been for it, the event would have failed. It was very average until then.”
Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar & WWE’s Main Event Scene:
“I felt bad for Daniel Bryan, as his match with Sheamus was so short and I really wanted him to get the chance to shine. He is a great kid and he can work, you just want to see him work and he didn’t get that chance there. I hope they use him better down the line as there aren’t a lot of guys that truly work like he does. Daniel does need some polishing on his promos, but then so do a lot of the guys there.”
“There are a few prime spots for main eventers now and the WWE need to push some guys into them. They have Brock Lesnar back and he is a real monster, he also has his UFC success behind him too. He is right in at main event level. You have Cena there too and then they have very limited opponents. The job now is to move people to that position.”
Is CM Punk The Right Opponent If He Returns To The Ring?
“Maybe Punk’s not the guy to go against. He needs to pick up his intensity. We’ll have to see what I do, I’m happy now doing what I am. In a perfect world, where I could step back into the ring for one last match I would be willing to have that discussion with management. I do miss the business and working a live crowd, going out there and wrestling your hearts out.”
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 wrote about:
Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena:
“Thought the Brock Lesnar piece on RAW was excellent. I’m very anxious to see how he competes vs John Cena at the Extreme Rules PPV. Fighting in the Octagon for UFC is a much different animal than performing in a WWE ring. Lesnar is a gifted athlete and will likely shock us all with how well he does against Cena. This one is too close for me to call.”
Heading To FCW Next Week To Evaluate Talent:
“Can’t wait to get back to Tampa next week to work with the young men and women in FCW. It never fails to be a rewarding experience.”
SmackDown Newcomer Damien Sandow:
“Anxious for WWE fans to see Damien Sandow in the ring. He’s fundamentally sound w/ a distinctive upside. Time will tell. Keep getting questions on the apparent Mick Foley/Dean Ambrose war of words. I have no idea where it’s going if any where. Good to see so many young talents getting set to apparently get more, viable TV time. Remember guys, maximize those minutes.”
Steve Austin Honored By The Cauliflower Alley Club
“Steve Austin received the group’s highest award named after the founder of the organization, Iron Mike Mazurki, a former wrestler and successful actor. I was fortunate enough to be asked by Steve to induct him. He had a great speech and offered sage advice to many of the young wrestlers who were in attendance. For more info on CAC visit their website at Caulifloweralleyclub.org.”
— Prior to WrestleMania 28, 2010 Miss USA and former Tough Enough contestant Rima Fakih told German celebrity gossip website Promiflash.de that she was returning to WWE:
“You are the first to respond to me, but I can now tell you that I will definitely be part of WWE.”
According to sources in WWE, she has yet to sign with the organization.
Fakih was arrested of DUI back in December and struck a deal with Michigan prosecutors earlier this month just hours before she was scheduled to stand trial for the incident. Sentencing is scheduled for May 9 and she faces up to 93 days in jail.
— WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Jim Cornette are now columnists for the United Kingdom based Fighting Spirit Magazine, which covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Subscription information is available at www.fightingspiritmagazine.co.uk.
— WWE will hold live events in France this fall. Dates and locations are as follows: October 31 at Zenith Arena in Strasbourg (Raw); November 1 at Zenith Arena in Nantes (Raw), November 1 at Tony Garnier Hall in Lyon (SmackDown).
— Kharma attended the Cauliflower Alley Club’s annual banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday.
— Following the passing of legendary broadcaster Dick Clark on Wednesday, Jim Ross remarked on Twitter, “Since Dick Clark passed away, Jerry Lawler is now the oldest teenager in the United States.”
– Joey Styles mentioned on Twitter this week that he’s still hoping to induct Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame next year.
– Alberto Del Rio wrestled at Wednesday’s live event in Sheffield, England, winning a quick match over Mason Ryan. Live reports that we’ve read stated that it looked like Del Rio was working very “safe” and not taking any risks.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Jim Ross attended the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion show on Wednesday night from Las Vegas last night. Austin was introduced by Jim Ross and received the Iron Mike Award. Ross wrote on Twitter that it was an honor to introduce Austin and that Austin asked him to do it.
Speaking of Austin, he was interviewed for the latest issue of Men’s Fitness Magazine.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin continues to tease that he’s got at least one more match left in him. During a recent interview with ZooToday.com to promote the DVD release of his latest action movie, Recoil, Austin had this to say about a return:
“If the right situation, the right opponent and the right circumstances came up for the WWE, then it would certainly be something worth considering. Could I have another match or two? Yeah. Physically I am in really good shape right now.”
“People seem to think I am half-dead!… In my movies, I do some pretty hellacious fight scenes that, maybe, a normal person couldn’t do. So my physicality is fine, my neck is fine after having it all fused-up.”
“I am not pitching for another match but if it was a win-win situation for everybody, then absolutely, I would consider it.”
Time and time again, we’ve heard CM Punk as the likely opponent for Steve Austin, should Austin return to the ring. We want to know – who do you think Austin should wrestle? Hit up the comments below.
– WWE is planning to release talent in the coming weeks. As of this weekend, the latest talk is that WWE has decided on who will be released – but the releases will not be made public until everything is finalized and talent has been notified.
– WWE sent out an e-mail last night telling customers that Daniel Bryan’s new “YES!” t-shirt is on back-order after being on sale for just 3 days.
WWE officials are expecting the chants to die down, but there were still many “YES!” signs and chants at Monday’s RAW from Washington, D.C.
– WWE-Careers.com has a new job listing up for a new Editor-In-Chief of WWE.com.
– WWE announced last night that RAW will return to Washington, DC on Saturday, December 29th for TV tapings. They’re taping on Saturday night due to the New Year’s holiday. The pre-sale begins this morning and the password is WEEDC.
— TMZ published a story on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Texas ranch being hit by a nasty storm this week. His barn was destroyed as violent winds blew the top off. Austin says fixing it “ain’t gonna be cheap,” but he plans to use the opportunity to add more storage space.
— David Otunga, who has never publicly revealed his age, is believed to be 32 years old as he celebrates his birthday Saturday. He graduated from Larkin High School in 1998.
— Lex Luger was among those on hand for last week’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Miami, Florida.
— The April 6 episode of WWE Vintage Collection features the following matches and segments: Junkyard Dog vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (WrestleMania), Junkyard Dog vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (WWF live event – July 12, 1986), Mr. Perfect vs. Lex Luger (WrestleMania IX), Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna with Mr. Perfect as referee (WrestleMania X), Curt Hennig vs. Lex Luger (WCW Monday Nitro – November 17, 1997), Video package about Chris Jericho, Christian and Trish Stratus, Chris Jericho vs. Christian and Trish Stratus (WWE Backlash 2004). (thanks to Devin Cutting)
– Steve Austin wrote the following about the Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 28:
“Well that was damn sure worth $65 bucks. Great F’n story. Brutality personified. HBK tremendous addition to drama. Hats off to Taker/HHH.”
– Shawn Michaels thanked WWE for his role at WrestleMania 28 last night. He wrote:
“There are no words to express how honored I was to be a part of that match!! Thank you @WWE for allowing me to be a part of #WrestleMania !!”
– WWE reportedly spent over a half-million dollars on the pyro for WrestleMania 28.
– Several WWE mid-card wrestlers were tweeting about looking ahead to WrestleMania 29 next year:
Curt Hawkins: “An incredible night. So glad to be apart of the show but I need to be out there in that ring. A whole new year begins now. #WrestleMania”
Mason Ryan: “As hungry as I was before….I’m even hungrier now, I need, and will be at next years #Wrestlemania”
Kofi Kingston: “Wow, what a show! And just like that, we are on the Road to #Wrestlemania 29!”
Ezekiel Jackson: “#Wrestlemania 28 was an awesome spectacle. next year we’re going to the city that never sleeps…domination is going Home”
– Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view is still not sold out but a lot of tickets are expected to be sold today and tomorrow at bargain prices.
– No word yet if Steve Austin is planning on flying into Miami today for WrestleMania 28 and the Hall of Fame but he indicated on Twitter late last night that he was still on the West coast.
– WWE Diva AJ Lee won the annual THQ Superstars Challenge on Friday. AJ defeated Mark Henry in the finals to win the trophy. The Superstars and Divas played WWE ’12 this year.
– Last word on Brock Lesnar appearing at WrestleMania 28 was that the two sides were still working on terms of a deal including financial issues and a number of dates that he would be working for WWE. WWE wants Lesnar to have a somewhat regular role.
– The Rock spoke to PalmBeachPost.com and said that WWE’s decision to hold WrestleMania 28 at the Sun Life Stadium is what convinced him to return this year:
“It sealed the deal for me. It’s going to be a fun night, an electric night, but also a very emotional night, considering South Florida has been my home for over 20 years.”
– The Twitter meeting held last Monday by WWE officials has become a running joke among the WWE locker room, according to multiple sources.
– Despite his recent health problems, Barry Windham is expected to attend Saturday night’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Miami. Windham is being inducted with the Four Horsemen.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin posted his latest video Q&A on BrokenSkullRanch.com and spoke about the possibility of wrestling WWE Champion CM Punk:
— WWE Champion CM Punk revealed his favorite WrestleMania match during an interview with Marvel.com promoting WrestleMania XXVIII.
“WrestleMania 13, right in my backyard of Chicago. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin,” he said. “I can remember every punch thrown, every bodyslam and every submission move. It’s just one of those perfect matches that told a story. There’s just so many to choose from, but this match is the one that sticks out the most.”
The Straight Edge Superstar also discusses his impending WrestleMania match with Chris Jericho, belief in Captain America, his kinship to Tony Stark and more.
— SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has joined The Creative Coalition and WWE’s “Be a STAR” campaign as she, American Idol contestant James Durbin, Alicia Fox, David Otunga, The Miz, Rey Mysterio and Dolphins’ mascot T.D. will encourage students at two Miami-Dade schools this week to take a against bullying by showing tolerance and respect.
— Former WWE Women’s Champion Lita will participate in a meet and greet for FWE Wrestling on April 28 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Legged Dog Studios 80 Greenwich Street New York City.
WrestleMania 28 is just days away – but it appears a blockbuster dream match is already taking shape for next year’s big event.
WWE Champion CM Punk sent a tweet to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Monday night that simply stated, “29, son” – presumably an indication that Punk is looking to wrestle Austin at WrestleMania 29.
Austin, not one to back down from a challenge, responded with:
“Just worry about 28. If the stars all line up I always have a big can of Whoop Ass ready to take to NYC. #rogerthat“
Austin and Punk have exchanged messages on Twitter for months, both expressing interest in a match with one another. Austin has stated in multiple interviews that he has one more match left in him – and if he could wrestle anybody, it would likely be CM Punk.
Angle made a lot of bold statements during his latest rant, but his comments about WWE legends Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels are getting the most attention.
Angle stated that it only took him 1 year to reach the top of WWE – when it took Austin and Michaels 15 years. Angle added, “Could Either of U take Me as a Shoot? Be Honest!” He later clarified, “by the way! I Love Austin and Michaels. Just Joking. U guys are legends!”
He tweeted the following apology on Wednesday afternoon:
“I Do Want to Apologize to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin for My Comment. Without them I Would Have never had my Opportunity in Pro Wrestling,”
“I don’t get twitter.I Love tweeting What I feel-or responding to idiots. But I’m Supposed to be”Politically Correct” w/ My tweets?Forget It”
– To update the story of Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels going hunting together for Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures hunting show, Austin noted on his BrokenSkullRanch.com blog that he’s heading to his ranch this week to meet Michaels and his camera crew to begin filming.
– WWE is currently finalizing the match order for WrestleMania 28. As expected, the John Cena vs. The Rock match will close the show.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H Hell in a Cell match is currently scheduled to take place in the middle of the card. There had been some initial concern about how WWE would be able to construct the massive cage during the PPV, but WWE is planning to build a complex structure above the ring to hold the lighting setup as well as the Cell.
The WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Chris Jericho has been discussed as the show’s opening contest.
WWE legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appeared on The LAW radio show this past Sunday night to promote his new movie, Recoil. You can listen to the interview at FightNetwork.com. Here are some highlights of what Austin said about:
Talent Having Problems with The Rock returning: My thoughts on that are, you earn what you get in this business. Rock has earned the ability to come and go as he wants, because the business still needs him, it can still use him, and it can elevate the profile with having such a mainstream guy there. I don’t know about the promos between John (Cena) and Rock. I think some of them have gotten kind of personal, you wonder how much of it’s a work and how much of it’s a shoot. At the end of the day, it’s a worked business. Again, I think it’s a good thing for Rock to be involved with this. He’s earned his right to come and go and do whatever he wants.
Current talent being vocal to creative: (CM) Punk was a guy, and is a guy who, man, that guy flew by the seat of his pants. He was pissed off, he vented, he cuts great promos. He worked himself out of a bad situation into a great situation. He knew when it was time to pick his spot, when he contract was gonna be up. That guy’s been around the horn a few times, and he’s been kicked around a little bit. He saw how the other guys were being treated, and he needed, and deserved, and earned the right to be treated in that same fashion. Guys, you gotta pick your spot, but you gotta be vocal. It is a very interesting machine these days. They need voices to question them. They need voices to inspire them, or fuel them, to rethink some of the things that they’re doing and make it a better product.
Returning under the right circumstances: There’s nothing up in the air for me. If there’s something that presents itself as a business opportunity, then I have an open ear to listen to it. It would have to be right for myself, my opponent, and obviously the company. I’m not lobbying for another match. There’s always talk. People ask, “am I capable of having another match?” Yeah. If I was in a bad situation, I would get back in the ring full time if I had to, but I don’t have to. I’m happy doing what I’m doing.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this entry, JR talks about Monday’s RAW, the build to WrestleMania 28, NFL star Peyton Manning’s future, women’s MMA & more. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Why do indy wrestlers signed by WWE go to FCW even though they are not officially ‘rookies?’ “To essentially go through orientation on a variety of matters plus, as a rule, everyone’s work needs to be tweaked to some degree. Being successful in the independent scene certainly helps one’s career, w/o fail, but that alone doesn’t make one a ready to go fit for WWE.”
What will it take to get Warrior in the WWE HOF? “I don’t know but I know that attempting to barter additional video projects such as a DVD, etc likely won’t get it done. I’m not in that loop, luckily, but basic, logical communication usually works best. No one I know has ever argued that Warrior isn’t deserving. Personally, I have no issue with his outspoken personality as it is Warrior being Warrior and exercising his First Amendment rights.”
Would I like to see @steveaustinBSR have one last match at a future Wrestlemania? “As a fan, “Oh Hell, Yeah!” But that’s a decision that’s completely Steve’s. Just an assumption but if it is going to happen, one wold think it would be at WM29 OR would he wait until the historic WM30? Personally, I can’t see the Texas Rattlesnake doing multiple matches but who knows?”
As always, you can check out JR’s amazing line of BBQ products at WWEShop.com.
— Steve Austin confirmed in his latest blog that he and Shawn Michaels will be filming an episode of Shawn’s MacMillan River Adventures show at Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch in Texas soon. Both men are avid hunters and have been talking about working together in recent weeks.
Austin also spoke about his professional rivalry with Shawn Michaels, dating back to their 1998 feud that culminated in their main event match at WrestleMania 14:
“Shawn and I ran in two different packs while we were in WWE, but have always maintained a friendship and respect for one another,” Austin wrote. “It will be good to just hang out and hunt. The competitive nature and environment of putting everything on the line to be a top guy in WWE no longer exists for either one of us. It will be cool just to sit around and trade some war stories.”
— WWE Divas Alicia Fox and the Bella Twins were interviewed by Maria Menounos yesterday in Los Angeles. The interview will air on today’s Extra television show. Check your local listings for availability.
— Former WWE & WCW star Vader returns to the ring in Japan next Friday night for Real Japan Pro Wrestling. The 56 year old wrestler will be facing Tiger Shark.
— Zack Ryder is back with Episode 56 of his Z! True Long Island Story. Aside from the usual segments (Broski & Sign of the Week, etc.), Ryder talks about his kiss with Eve from RAW, which he called, “the most Zacktastic kiss ever.” Check it out:
– WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin has wrapped filming on his new movie Recoil and will begin doing promotional work for the movie today. The straight-to-DVD action film, which was released on Tuesday, can be purchased online at Amazon.com.
– Hornswoggle, who was featured in an angle at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings, tweeted the following after the show:
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at BrokenSkullRanch.com. In this entry, Austin talks about filming scenes for his latest movie this week, future acting projects and more. Austin also talks about hunting and wanting to get out there with fellow WWE legend and avid hunter, Shawn Michaels:
“Shawn Michaels and I have been trying to get together for a hunt for the last year and this could be the opportunity to get it done. Shawn has really taken to the outdoor world like a duck on a Junebug. Shawn’s show, MacMillan River Adventures has been a hit and when I spoke with Shawn in Las Vegas at the SHOT SHOW he was up for several awards. Shawn’s success is not a surprise to me. He’s extremely dedicated and motivated to be the best he can be at any endeavor he takes on in life.”
Austin’s praise for Shawn Michaels didn’t stop there. Austin, who is considered one of the greatest of all time and has certainly wrestled other top superstars who could make a good case for that high honor, continued with this:
“He is the greatest in ring performer I have ever seen. The fact that his talent and commitment transferred over from the squared circle to the world of hunting does not surprise me. Shawn has segued from being the “Show Stopper” to the “Game Stopper”. I’m proud of him and his success.
— WWE Senior VIP Ron VanDeVeen recently revealed that prior to securing New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium for WrestleMania 29, WWE was originally in negotiations to bring Summerslam to the venue. He stated this week:
“We originally were talking about Summerslam coming to the stadium, then Giants Stadium, and we morphed it into let’s talk about how do we make this even bigger and does WrestleMania work.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at BrokenSkullRanch.com. In this entry, Stone Cold told a story about his early days int he wrestling business – and how Dutch Mantell once yelled at him after he had a bad match:
“This ass chewing session was a 9.9 out of 10. I think he actually invented a few new cuss words to use on me. The Dutchisms were relentless, ruthless, and certainly unparalleled at this point in my life.”
Austin said that Mantell instructed him to watch every match on the card:
“I got it. From that point on for the rest of my career I watched damn near every match of every card my whole career. Obviously, when I was white hot in the WWE I did not have time to watch as much, but I’ll never forget that night… Thanks to Jerry Jarrett for the job. Thanks to Dutch for all the advice and help while I was there. And, most of all…Thanks for cussing my ass out, it was the best advice I ever got.”
— The Undertaker was shown cutting his hair during a vignette on Monday’s Raw SuperShow. The iconic wrestler shaved his head bald last year and appeared to don wear a wig for his return two weeks ago.
Regarding the Raw vignette, the official WWE website wrote, “Then, Undertaker appeared on the TitanTron, revealing a shocking moment, taking a razor to his hair and proclaiming “vengeance will be mine.”
— Tamina will be known as Tamina Snuka going forward. WWE is pushing her as the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka.
— WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin is in Canada shooting scenes for the action film The Package. Dolph Lundgren co-stars.
— Jim Ross was spotted last night by the bench of the Oklahoma University women’s basketball team for their game against the Connecticut.
