As noted in our full WWE live event report from Sunday’s show in Yakima, Washington, WWE Superstar Fandango came to the ring with a heart painted on his belly-button and the words, “I Love Nattie” written on his body. Fandango worked a mixed-tag-team match on the show with Summer Rae, losing to The Great Khali and Natalya.
There is speculation that WWE may be running an angle between the two stemming from the recent jealousy incident on Total Divas where Natalya’s real-life fiancee’ Tyson Kidd helped train Eva Marie, leading to Natalya trying to get him jealous by working with Fandango.
For those interested, you can read a full report from the WWE live event in Yakima on the main page.
The following are the official nominees for the “LOL Moment of the Year” Slammy Award, which will be presented by The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) on Monday night.
– The Rock concert during the RAW 20th Anniversary show
– Vickie Guerrero getting fired as RAW General Manager
– Titus O’Neil throwing up on JBL, Michael Cole and Zeb Colter on SmackDown
– The Great Khali and Jinder Mahal attempting to charm Santino Marella’s “Cobra”
– As previously reported, former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho is starting a new online podcast. Jericho recently posted an update noting that the podcast will be called “Talk Is Jericho.” Jericho also noted that his first guest will still be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. “Talk Is Jericho” is scheduled to debut on December 4th.
– According to a report on the IndianExpress.com website, a wrestler named Rajesh Kumar is set to begin training with WWE in Japan in the near future. Kumar is 39 years old, stands 7-foot 5-inches tall and weighs in at 335 pounds. He claims he meat WWE Superstar The Great Khali when he came to India two years ago and that was his motivation to begin training for pro wrestling.
– Tonight on SmackDown, R-Truth teamed up with The Prime Time Players to defeat The Union Jacks – the wrestlers usually known as 3MB – while The Great Khali beat Hunico and Camacho in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. This week’s “Backstage Fallout” features The Prime Time Players, R-Truth and Khali discussing their victories.
– WWE’s stock price continues to increase as it reached a 52-week high of 13.37 on Friday before closing at 13.32. The stock price improved 12 cents from Thursday.
– A Six-Man Tag Team Match highlights this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as The Usos and The Great Khali square off against The Prime Time Players and The Miz. Plus, The Funkadactyls go up against Alicia Fox and Aksana. Highlights from both matches are available here.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans which personality showcased the most infamous gimmick in [wrestling] history. The options are The Gobbledy Gooker, Doink the Clown, The Boogeyman, The Dynamic Dudes, The Red Rooster, The Mountie, Akeem, Disco Inferno, Glacier and Giant Gonzales.
Wade Barrett, who has not appeared on WWE’s television shows since August, defeated Damien Sandow in a dark match prior to tonight’s Raw taping in Manchester, England at Phones 4u Arena. Fellow countryman William Regal handled ring announcing duties.
In a match taped for WWE Superstars, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and The Great Khali squared off against The Prime Time Players and The Miz.
In Divas action, The Funkadactyls, Cameron and Naomi, squared off against Alicia Fox and Aksana.
– Cody Rhodes and Goldust continued their winning ways on SmackDown as the brother duo defeated Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, which marks as the first-ever loss for The Wyatt Family in WWE. On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, Rhodes and Goldust react to their victory. Plus, The Prime Time Players and The Great Khali celebrate their victory over 3MB.
– WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel celebrates his birthday on Friday as he turns 52-years-old. Also celebrating a birthday today is former WWE wrestler Rikishi, who turns 48-years-old. Jey and Jimmy Uso wished their father a happy birthday via Twitter, writing, “Happy birthday to our pops @TheREALRIKISHI!! Out here in the middle east!! Don’t kno what time it is anymore!! Have a bless day dad!!”
-John Cena appeared on Dan LeBatard’s ESPN 2 show today. When asked what was the most shame he ever had in wrestling, Cena referenced losing to The Rock at WrestleMania in Miami. Cena said, “There is a huge back story to the match. Things didn’t go the way he wanted. Maybe in 20 years me and The Rock will get around a table and talk about it.”
-WWE has officially pulled Christian from their weekend live events in Providence, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christian was scheduled to work against Alberto Del Rio on both shows, but has been pulled and will be replaced by The Great Khali. Additionally, Christian has been pulled from the upcoming WWE tour of Mexico.
Tonight at WWE Battleground, Santino Marella and The Great Khali will take on The Real Americans, Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro, in a tag team match. The official WWE website announced the bout this morning.
WWE teases, “Will the Real Americans finally be able to break The Italian Stallion, or will Santino’s unorthodox style —and Khali’s brute strength — overwhelm Zeb Colter’s patriotic pair?”
The updated line-up for Sunday’s pay-per-view event taking place in Buffalo, New York at the First Niagara Center is as follows:
* Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship Match)
* World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam (Battleground Hardcore Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Championship)
* CM Punk vs. Ryback
* WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella (WWE Divas Championship Match)
* Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns
* WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel vs. R-Truth (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)
* Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt
* Santino Marella and The Great Khali vs. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro
-WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch is offering fans a chance to talk to her on the phone. Fans wishing to talk to Sytch on the phone can do so for $4 per minute, with the minimum call length being three minutes (aka $12 a pop minimum). Sytch will talk to fans for up to 300 minutes ($1,200). For more information, visit VerifiedCall.com.
-According to The Times Of India, WWE prevented The Great Khali from accepting a featured role in the new Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger film, “Escape Plan.” Stallone apparently offered Khali a prominent role in the film, but due to the exclusivity of Khali’s deal with WWE, he could not accept it. For more information on this story, visit IndiaTimes.com.
-Independent pro wrestlers Craven Knyte, Ariya Daivari and Renny D. were among those portraying security guards on this week’s edition of WWE RAW.
Knyte and Daivari (younger brother of former WWE Superstar Shawn Daivari) also worked a dark match against The Great Khali at the SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night.
-The final rating for the 8/30 edition of WWE SmackDown came in at 1.93, up from last week’s 1.90.
-Roth Capitol has upgraded their WWE stock rating from “Neutral” to “Buy” based on the optimism over the new television deals for RAW and SmackDown. The stock also raised from $10 per share to $13. For more information, visit NASDAQ.com.
-According to one source, WWE is said to have interest in signing New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Prince Devitt. The company has apparently had interest in Devitt for a while, as William Regal brought a tape of a Devitt vs. Pac match to Triple H, which resulted in Pac getting a job (he’s now known as Adrian Neville). WWE has apparently wanted to sign Devitt ever since, and his name keeps coming up in meetings when the company discusses bringing in new talent.
-WWE Hall Of Fame Sgt. Slaughter celebrates his 65th birthday today. Slaughter was born on August 27, 1948. Also celebrating birthdays today is current WWE Superstar The Great Khali (41) and former WWE Diva Jazz (40).
– In WWE’s latest edition of Behind the Match, Antonio Cesaro lends insight into his match against The Great Khali on the January 2, 2013 episode of WWE Main Event, which concluded with the former United States Champion lifting the 420-pound wrestler.
– The official WWE website currently has a poll asking whether Damien Sandow should still be “Mr. Money in the Bank” without a briefcase—last week on SmackDown Cody Rhodes hurled the briefcase into the Gulf of Mexico, which Sandow was unable to retrieve. With over 8,000 votes cast, 86% chose “No, his Money in the Bank briefcase and title opportunity are at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.”
– This week’s episode of WWE Superstars is highlighted by Sin Cara squaring off against Michael McGillicutty, footage of which is available below. The masked wrestler returned to action last week after being sidelined since March due to a concussion suffered in a match with Jack Swagger. He made his televised return on Wednesday’s broadcast of WWE Main Event, defeating Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett in a non-title match.
Also on the show, Alex Riley goes up against Cody Rhodes. A clip from the match is available here.
– Amit Swami, who manages The Great Khali when the WWE Superstar returns to his native India, was arrested Friday for allegedly attacking a shopkeeper in Rewari.
Ajay Kumar filed complaint that Swami and other individuals barged into his shop Thursday evening, dragged him outside, and assaulted him. Swami claims that his family members had asked him to settle their domestic dispute as Kumar had been troubling them.
– Former WCW competitor Alex Wright turns 38-years-old today. Today, He is the owner of a wrestling promotion in his native Germany, New European Championship Wrestling, and still occasionally competes.
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Jacksonville, Florida. Here are the results:
* Big Show is shown arriving on his bus. He comes to the ring and talks about how Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez are suspended. Big Show says the recent events between he and Del Rio are Booker T’s fault, which brings out the SmackDown GM. Booker announcers Big Show vs. Kane for tonight.
* Cody Rhodes defeated Kofi Kingston.
* The Great Khali defeated Titus O’Neil.
* Mark Henry came out and destroys Khali, which the crowd loved. Henry announces the Hall of Pain is back and he wants a spot in the SmackDown brand’s Elimination Chamber match. Booker came out and announced Henry vs. Randy Orton.
* Big Show defeated Kane in a quick match.
* Alberto Del Rio is shown outside in the parking lot, where he’s taken the wheels off Show’s tour bus. Show ran out to the parking lot but gets a bunch of paint dropped on top of him from the roof. Del Rio laughed and drove off.
* Jack Swagger squashed Justin Gabriel.
* Tensai beat Drew McIntyre by DQ when 3MB attacked him. Brodus Clay made the save for Tensai.
* Antonio Cesaro beat Sin Cara.
* Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.
The Great Khali returned to action Tuesday night in Memphis, Tennessee, in a match taped for WWE Saturday Morning Slam. He faced Primo.
The former World Heavyweight Champion had been sidelined since undergoing surgery on July 26 to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland on July 26.
Also taped for the program was a match pitting Jey and Jimmy Uso against The Prime Time Players.
Two matches were taped for tomorrow night’s episode of WWE Main Event on ION Television. Zack Ryder took on Dolph Ziggler, and as previously announced, The Miz defended the Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston.
In a dark match result, Johnny Curtis squashed Drew Haskins, a local wrestler.
– The Great Khali is tentatively scheduled to return to WWE’s squared circle in approximately a month.
In late July, Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh, underwent surgery to remove a pituitary gland tumor that’s the cause of his tremendous size. The tumor was discovered through WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, according to a report by ABC News. It was noted that he would be healthy enough to return to the ring within months.
– Promoting the third season of Haven on Syfy, former WWE talent Adam “Edge” Copeland discussed making the transition from professional wrestling to acting during an interview with SciFiAndTvTalk.
“Once I became a wrestler and then as the years progressed I came to the realization that, well, I’ve done everything there is to do in wrestling, and now I can’t get cleared physically to do it any more, so what can I do? Anytime I’d done any acting I really enjoyed it, and it’s something creative,” Copeland said. “No matter what it is, I have to do something creative. That’s just the way I’m wired. I don’t do well in offices, so I need be doing something, whether it’s writing a book, painting, drawing, the theatrics of the WWE or acting, I need this. So I guess it [acting] is somewhat of a natural extension of the wrestling, but it was a happy accident, for sure.”
Copeland also discussed the evolution of his Edge character, coping with WWE’s strenuous travel schedule, his character’s role on Haven, and more. The full interview is available here.
The Great Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh, underwent surgery Wednesday to remove a pituitary gland tumor that’s the cause of his tremendous size. The tumor was discovered through WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, according to a report by ABC News.
A WWE official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press about Singh that WWE identified his acromegaly condition prior to surgery this week. Despite the surgery, he is at greater risk of facing health problems if the tumor came into contact with the nearby optic nerves.
Singh could be healthy enough to return to the ring within months, but if he does, it might be at the risk of internal bleeding at the surgical site caused by physical contact.
In a statement, WWE spokesman Adam Hopkins said that “[a]s part of WWE’s ongoing wellness evaluation, we are happy that The Great Khali had successful pituitary surgery, and we look forward to him returning to the ring in the near future.”
Gabriel Feldman, who directs the sports law program at Tulane Law School, believes WWE could be held liable for failing to address Singh’s acromegaly condition. However, he adds that WWE attorneys “are known for the scrupulousness with which they guard the publicly traded but privately controlled company from liability” and “WWE contracts tend to tilt most of the leverage toward the company.”
“This may be more of a moral problem than a legal problem,” Feldman said.
– Both Triple H and Dolph Ziggler celebrate birthdays Friday. WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events and part-time wrestler turns 43-years-old while “The Showoff” turns 32.
– The Great Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh, is underwent surgery Thursday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to remove a pituitary gland tumor that’s caused his enormous size, which is the same condition that Andre the Giant had. The story was featured on the front page of Yahoo.com Friday morning, which also notes that he is recovering well and expected to be released over the weekend.
– Trish Stratus, who appeared in a backstage segment on Raw 1,000, is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
According to TribLive News, The Great Khali had to have a tumor removed from his pituitary gland at UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here’s an excerpt from the article.
The tumor removed during a four-hour procedure on Wednesday led to the growth spurt that caused Singh to achieve a height of 7 feet, 1 inch and a weight of 347 pounds, according to UPMC neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon, who led the surgical team.
Maroon said Thursday the tumor causes a condition called acromegaly, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Khali is expected to recover within two to three months.
– Arda Ocal from TheScore sat down with Mick Foley after his appearance at Raw 1000th. Here are some highlights from the interview.
On RAW 1000: “I personally got a kick out of it. I had said previously that I would have liked to do something more substantial (at RAW 1000) like cut a serious promo, but there will be time – I can do that 2 months from now, for example. Looking at the legends dressing room, 2 things were noticeable – how fortunate we were to be among those selected to take part in RAW 1000, and this one is very telling, it was a locker room full of legends and they’re talking about Heath Slater and how much they enjoyed their interaction with him”
On playing at ‘Just for Laughs’ and how important that is: “Montreal, because there’s so many indsutry people there, it can be a tough crowd. They’re not necessarily going to laugh at everything, but they’ll take it in and I’m hoping that some of my fans will attend and make it an exciting atmosphere”
Announced an all-but-confirmed WWE involved comedy show to happen immediately after Summerslam in Los Angeles at another venue in the city: “I guess I can announce it here right? Big show, in the United States, California…Post SummerSlam comedy show at The Improv in Hollywood. It’s a done deal, I just have to figure out who’s on it. The woman at The Improv is asking if I want her to book other comics, and I’m like ‘Give me a few days, because if I can get the WWE stamp of approval, I’d love to have Santino host it, I’d love to have William Regal share some stories, I’d love to have J.R. share some stories and then I’ll do my thing. And then at the end we all come out, and it doesn’t matter how good or bad any of us do individually, I think people are going to love that atmosphere and they get the guys they like doing what they like them to see.”
On the WWE Hall of Fame and when he’d like to go in: “I do hope it’s this year. It would mean a lot to me honestly. One of the most telling moments of my relationship with WWE is when I got the phone call asking if I’d mind if they mentioned my book on their show when I was working with another company. When I heard the book being mentioned, every reservation I had or any semblance of bitterness vanished you know. I used to go around, not making a big deal out of [the WWE Hall of Fame]. Its like being in a relationship, if you give too much of yourself you risk being hurt. So if I said ‘Oh of course I’d love to be in the Hall of Fame’ I’d be letting them have that and make my career seem less important if I didn’t get it.”
On who he’d like to induct him: “I think who it would come down to is one of two people, Terry Funk or Jim Ross. It would hurt me to not have one of them there, because Terry, he was a mentor and wrestler. And J.R. put his reputation, possibly his job on the line to bring me in because Vince was not sold believe it or not on Mick Foley, he was not a Mick Foley fan when I came into the company and it took quite a while for him to become one.”
– This week on Santino’s Foreign Exchange, Santino interrupts Damien Sandow’s breathing exercises to ask him a very important question. Also featured is The Great Khali drinking tea and Michael McGillicutty eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles™.
– Former WWE wrestler Shane “The Hurricane” Helms is now a father. His son, Sebastian Gregory Helms, was born Friday. He wrote on Twitter, “Emotionally and physically spent. Good night everyone. Thx for all the love and positivity. It is returned!! Bless you all.”
– Former WWE Women’s Champion Sable is today’s featured star on WWE.com.
— Ranjin Singh, the former mouthpiece of The Great Khali, has been removed from the SmackDown Superstars page on WWE.com. His profile now resides in the Alumni section. He has not appeared on WWE programming since being attacked by The Punjabi Giant on the May 27, 2011 SmackDown. He remains with the organization as the head creative writer for Raw SuperShow.
— Titus O’Neil and Darren Young’s entrance theme is “Move (Get It In)” by Woo Child.
— The official Twitter feed of Marvel’s The Avengers named Shawn Michaels and his children Avengers Fans of the Day on Friday after the WWE Hall of Famer posted several Avengers related messages.
— WWE Hall of Famer Sunny appears for Women Xtreme Championship Wrestling on May 19, 2012 at Patriot Auction Gallery in Martinsburg, West Virginia. (Event Details)
— WWE.com is advertising a Six-Man Tag Team match for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy as World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Randy Orton and The Great Khali will join forces against Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry. Other matches airing include AJ vs. Natalya, Brodus Clay and Hornswoggle vs. Camacho and Hunico, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil, Ryback vs. James Lerman and Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio.
— Brodie Lee, who recently signed a developmental contract with WWE, will report to Florida Championship Wrestling shortly. He concluded his independent wrestling commitments over the weekend.
— WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase has changed his Twitter handle to twitter.com/MDMTedDiBiase.
— Former WWE star Johnny Stamboli turns 35 years old today.
— After falling in defeat to Team Johnny at WrestleMania XXVIII, Team Teddy captain Santino Marella and Theodore Long try to figure out what went wrong in this “WrestleMania hangover” edition of Foreign Exchange.
— The Great Khali appears in the upcoming French film Sur la piste du Marsupilami. The movie poster, which features the WWE Superstar, can be seen here.
— South Florida Sun-Sentinel has published an article on WrestleMania XXVIII. A columnist for the newspaper details his live experience at Sunday’s event at Sun Life Stadium.
Following Zack Ryder’s rally prior to Monday’s Raw SuperShow in which he lobbied to become part of Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, Long Island Iced Z informed SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long that if he was accepted onto the team, The Great Khali would join as well. Long agreed, with Hornswoggle named the team’s mascot.
The updated card for the pay-per-view event taking place April 1 in Miami, Florida is as follows:
* The Rock vs. John Cena
* The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as the special referee)
* Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny (Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Santino Marella, The Great Khali, Zack Ryder and TBA vs. Christian, David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and TBA)
* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
* World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
* Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show
* Randy Orton vs. Kane
* Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve