– WWE officials are looking to sign Ring of Honor star ACH, according to a report at F4WOnline.com.
– CM Punk participated in a “Shoot The Puck” contest at Tuesday’s Chicago Blackhawks vs. LA Kings NHL game in Chicago. Punk shot from the blue line and won $100 after getting the puck through a small hole.
The Rock took to social media to talk about his “WrestleMania Moment” segment with UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey this past Sunday night.
The Rock said it was an “honor to create such an eletric and historic WrestleMania moment” with Rousey, and finished with “#WereJustGettingStarted.” He also re-tweeted an article about Rousey saying “We’re just getting started” and wrote “co-sign” on it, leading many to believe that we have not yet seen the last of Rock and Rousey in WWE.
“My brilliant (and bad ass) partner @UFC World Champ @rondarousey Very cool and honored to have created such an electric and historic #WrestleMania moment. Incredible to witness her connect with and inspire our awesome #WWEUniverse record breaking crowd. #IBuiltTheMoment #SheDeliveredTheMagic #RockAndRousey9000 #WereJustGettingStarted”
– Deadline.com has an article up today about the ratings for last night’s Saturday Night Live, which was hosted by The Rock. The show did the lowest ratings of any episode this season.
– Our condolence go out to Kofi Kingston, whose sister passed away this past week.
– Those who saw the rehearsals for WrestleMania 31 said that the entrances for Triple H, Rusev, The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt are all spectacular. Triple H’s in particular is said to be amazing.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has arrived to California for tonight’s WrestleMania at Levi’s Stadium. A fan on hand for this weekend’s festivities in Santa Clara met the actor/sports entertainer this morning and posted this photo on Instagram.
https://instagram.com/p/00S76lR2dH/
Johnson acknowledged the fan on Twitter, thanking him for “waiting in the cold.”
@GuyInGreenWWE Pleasure bud. Thx for waitin in the cold. Enjoy Mania
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who hosted Saturday Night Live on Saturday night, took part in a pro wrestling skit during his appearance on the show.
Check out the above video to watch as The Rock plays an over-the-top wrestling character cutting a promo on another wrestler in a segment that features a WWE logo backdrop.
With WrestleMania only a few days away, it’s time for our final look at the greatest matches in the event’s history. The final decade would be a transitional period in many ways. Perhaps most importantly, the content would change dramatically after the company changed its events to PG rating following several controversies.
Additionally, old stars like Steve Austin and The Rock would largely ride off into the sunset and hand the reins to a new generation led by Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and of course, John Cena. Well, here we go, the top ten matches of the final decade of WrestleMania. As always, full videos of each match are included so you can relive the contest in its entirety. Enjoy!
10. Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 21)
This match would change the WWE pretty dramatically and has become a staple in the current era, so much that it now has its own pay-per-view. Supposedly developed by Chris Jericho, the match saw a title contract hanging above the ring in a briefcase, with the winner being able to cash it in at any time over the next year for a guaranteed title shot. Edge would win this first Money in the Bank contest that was filled with memorable spots, and later cash it in and become the “Ultimate Opportunist” in a move that would be mirrored by many later.
9. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (WrestleMania XXVIII)
All of the hype heading into WrestleMania 28 was around the “Once in a Lifetime” match between John Cena and The Rock. However, many feel that the best match of the night was actually the WWE Championship match with CM Punk and Chris Jericho. Following a lengthy hiatus, Jericho would return as a heel and challenge Punk for the title. It was a pure wrestling match and a treat for fans, with Punk eventually countering the Wall of Jericho into the Anaconda Vice for the win. This match would also be important because it was one of the factors that would lead to Punk departing from the company, as his dream was to headline a WrestleMania but never received that opportunity.
8. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 23)
John Cena was the new top dog in the company by the time Shawn Michaels challenged for the title at WrestleMania 23. During the contest, Michaels was relentless in his pursuit of the title, executing a piledriver onto the steel stairs at one point, while also trying to hit his patented Sweet Chin Music several time. In the end, he would fall to the leader of the Cenation after being forced to tap out to the STF. Overall, it was a solid match that helped Cena elevated himself into the role as the face of this era.
This was one of the most hyped matches in the history of the WWE, as the build began about a year prior to the event. With Rock coming back from his successful Hollywood career and John Cena being by far the company’s biggest moneymaker, the outcome was really a toss-up. Both superstars kicked out of multiple finishers, and it eventually ended with Cena going down after failing to hit the People’s Elbow and receiving a Rock Bottom. It may not have been “Once in a Lifetime,” but it was definitely one hell of a match.
6. Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 22)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5KI8DPq_Vc
Anytime Mr. McMahon is involved in a match, one can expect some shenanigans, and this one was no exception. After being forcefully inducted into the infamous “Kiss My Ass” Club, Michaels wanted revenge and he got his chance in a No Holds Barred match against the boss. This featured some brutal action that truly felt personal. Michaels would eventually win after hitting an impressive spot that would see him drive an elbow through McMahon, a table, and even a trash can – all while driving from the top of a ladder.
– As reported earlier this week, WWE is looking at bringing some legends back for a match at next year’s WrestleMania 32 pay-per-view to help fill Cowboys Stadium and set the all-time attendance record. Today, WWE’s official website is running a poll asking fans which legend they would like to see have one more match at WrestleMania. The options are Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bill Goldberg, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Batista, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Vince McMahon, Lita, Trish Stratus or The Dudley Boyz.
With over 2,000 votes cast as of this writing, Stone Cold is leading the pack with 30 percent of the vote. Trailing Austin are Goldberg (21%), Shawn Michaels (13%) and Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, both of whom have eight percent of the votes. You can vote on the poll at WWE.com.
– The latest WWE Superstar workout video released by WWE features WrestleMania 31 headliner Roman Reigns preparing for his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar this Sunday. You can check out Reigns’ WrestleMania workout video below.
WWE has talked about the idea of doing a prominent triple-threat match between all three former members of The Shield on a big pay-per-view event, an idea that Roman Reigns feels would make for the perfect main event of next year’s WrestleMania.
When speaking with The Sun out of the U.K. recently, Reigns was asked what he feels should be the main event at next year’s WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.
“It should be a Triple Threat match,” said Reigns. “The Shield reunites to fight each other for one more night.”
Reigns was also asked about possibly facing The Rock in the headline match at WrestleMania, however he didn’t seem to think that is the way to go.
“Where I’m at right now, with our family ties, I don’t really see that happening,” said Reigns. “But if it did happen, it would be in WWE. Going out on a limb right now, I’d say most likely not, but this is WWE, anything can change.”
With Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE for a three-year deal this past Monday, the door is now open for a WrestleMania 32 main event against The Rock next year in Dallas, Texas, as long as WWE can get The Rock to commit to the match.
The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar was originally the planned main event for WrestleMania XXX, however an injury prevented The Rock from being able to do the match.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have been bringing up The Undertaker, The Rock and John Cena in recent weeks as a way of planting the seed for next year’s potential WrestleMania main event. In the case, of The Undertaker, that would require him winning this Sunday against Bray Wyatt, although that is expected to happen either way. As things stand now, in a perfect world, it’s said that Lesnar vs. The Rock would be WWE’s first choice.
Lesnar, who as recently as a few days ago, was doing serious MMA training in preparation for a possible return, noted that he had to make a decision as a father and a husband, and noted that his professional fighting days are over. It’s also worth noting that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Lesnar’s wife (Sable) did not want Brock going back to MMA.
With Lesnar staying in WWE, it’s widely expected that he will turn babyface at some point, likely as soon as this Sunday at WrestleMania 31.
If and when Lesnar makes the face turn, the door will be open for a number of high-profile feuds, including the rumored WrestleMania 32 match against The Rock, if things work out that the match can be made by this time next year. A Lesnar babyface turn has reportedly been decided on within WWE since the very beginning of this year.
Prior to Lesnar’s announcement, WWE had multiple scenarios for the finish to Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 main event, all of which were dependent upon knowing where Lesnar’s future would be. With Lesnar staying, he will likely fill the spot that Roman Reigns was scheduled to take as the top babyface of the company. This has also led to speculation that Reigns will be turning heel at this Sunday.
It’s also worth noting that Lesnar’s announcement resulted in a flood of activity at online sports betting sites, with Lesnar now favored to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
With WrestleMania only a week away, we continue our survey of the best matches in the event’s history by looking at the second decade of action. This was an important and transitional decade for the company, as they started the period relying on superstars such as Bret Hart, Diesel, and Shawn Michaels at the top of the card, while ending it with guys such as Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and of course, Steve Austin.
The content of the product also changed dramatically during this time period, with it starting as a family-friendly product during the “new generation” era, and we all know what went on during the Attitude Era after the company shifted focus due to pressure from rival WCW. With that said, here are the ten best matches from this era. Matches are judged based on workrate, in-ring psychology, pre-match build, and historical significance, and a full video of the match is included with each entry.
10. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho (WrestleMania 2000)
Despite being billed as the greatest thing since electricity, WrestleMania 2000 was basically a bust. One of the few bright spots was the two-fall triple threat match between Benoit, Angle, and Jericho. The stipulation was unique in that both the Intercontinental and European Championships were on the line, with the first fall deciding the former and the second deciding the latter. Angle would go into the match holding both titles, but would unfortunately walk out with neither. Benoit won the first fall with a diving headbutt and pinning Jericho. Jericho would win the second by delivering a Lionsault and pinning Benoit. It featured fast-paced action with a ton of near-falls, and it told a great story by having Angle lose both of his titles without being pinned or forced to submit.
This was the first time Chris Jericho had the opportunity to headline a WrestleMania, and he came into the match aligned with Stephanie McMahon as a heel. It told a great story that featured a thorough build, and eventually ended with The Game winning the Undisputed Championship after hitting the Pedigree.
8. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XX)
These guys were three of the best technical wrestlers in the game at the time. The match was entertaining, there were multiple near-falls, and in the end, the title changed hands after Benoit forced Triple H to tap out to the Crippler Crossface. After the match, Benoit’s best friend Eddie Guerrero came to the ring and the two embraced while confetti rained down from the rafters. It’s of course a little bittersweet due to what happened years later, but it is still an emotional moment and a great match nonetheless.
7. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X8)
This match seems to receive a mixed reaction from a lot of fans. In my opinion, it is one of the most entertaining and unpredictable matches in WrestleMania history, largely due to the crowd reaction. Going into the match, The Rock was the fan favorite while Hogan was booked as the heel. However, the crowd turned on Rock halfway through the match and started to cheer Hogan. The two improvised from there the match ended with Hogan once again turning face and celebrating with The People’s Champion after going down in defeat.
6. Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIV)
Following his match with Bret Hart at the previous WrestleMania, Austin was undoubtedly the top dog in the WWE. It wouldn’t be until this night that he would finally capture his first WWE Championship, however. This wasn’t a technical affair by any means, largely due to Michaels wrestling with a severely injured back. With that said, it was still an entertaining contest that featured great in-ring psychology and one of the best builds of any main event in WrestleMania history due to the involvement of Mike Tyson. Austin would of course go on to win the title and start his run as perhaps the most successful superstar in WWE history.
Miami’s FOX 7 Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet recently interviewed The Rock to promote his role in the new “Furious 7” film. Below are highlights and video of the interview.
On giving Jason Statham the Rock Bottom in “Furious 7”: “The idea was I got together with Jason Statham and said let’s put together an epic fight that’s going to be memorable. And at the end to punctuate it I said ‘Alright brother, what if I hooked you’ and he’s like ‘Yeah? Suplex?’ and I said ‘No, not a suplex. First time ever on film, I hit you with the Rock Bottom.’ When you present that to a movie star like Jason, you’re at a crossroads because if ego is involved the movie star could say ‘I don’t know. That your thing, it’s a big finishing move and I don’t want you to hit me with it.’ If you check your ego at the door like Statham did, it was great. He’s a focused guy and we pulled it off and we went through the glass table, cut us up a little bit and he was game to play and he came to rumble. And by the way, it’s the best move of the movie.”
On whether he thinks Roman Reigns is ready to be the WWE Champion? “Ready to headline WrestleMania and ready to be the Champ are two different things. I think that he’s in a unique position. He’s being pushed quickly, I was in that position before so I know what it’s like, but at the same time you either sink or swim so you’ve got no choice but to be ready. Fans have expressed their displeasure in it and that is the best part about the WWE Universe is that they’re so vocal and passionate about how they feel. I think he’s going to go out with Brock, who I’ve known for a very long time, and they’re going to have a hell of a match and that’s what I expect.”
On the rumors about facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32: “In Dallas? Possibly. There’s a lot of things that are up in the air. We’ll see. I would love that rematch. Whatever it is I think that you want to create something that is going to be special, memorable and especially in Dallas at that stadium and you have a shot at breaking the attendance record.”
On how he thinks CM Punk will do in UFC: “I think he’s going to great because he’s putting in the time to train. And he’s had the background anyway so I think he’s going to great.”
– During a taped interview on Raw offering his thoughts on Roman Reigns, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar mentioned beating The Rock as a rookie—at the 2002 SummerSlam to capture the WWE Championship—and sending him to Hollywood. It was stated in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this line was scripted to push a match between both wrestlers as a possibility for next year’s WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 32 is scheduled to take place on April 3, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
– After realizing Renee Young is his perfect co-host on The JBL & Renee Show, JBL celebrates by singing with other WWE Superstars on this week’s episode.
– It was announced on Monday that Larry Zbyszko will become enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31. To celebrate the induction, five clips of “classic moments” from his career have been added to the WWE Hall of Fame section on the WWE Network.
WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan spoke about his fondest WrestleMania memories and his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage in the new WWE “Legends of WrestleMania” magazine. Below are some highlights.
On his favorite memories of WrestleMania: “You know, you can’t take anything away from that Andre match, brother. That’s a WrestleMania moment—93,000 people and Andre passing the torch to me. That match with The Rock, where I had been working for a different company, actually competing against this company, and came back here. The crowd showed their loyalty, that was huge. But if I really, really had to go with consistency, friendship and always being there for me, Randy [Savage] is the favorite guy.”
On his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage: “Well, first off, when you work with Randy, it’s intense. The only other person that I could call at three or four o’clock in the morning to talk about wrestling and would even answer their phone is Vince McMahon. And that’s how Randy was. Except Randy called me! ‘Hey brother. Got an idea.’ So when you got in bed with Randy, you were in it for the long haul. Good or bad, brother. He’s going to drag you through the mud, whether you like it or not. And it was intense, because Randy was such a passionate person.”
– A WWE fan asked Mick Foley on Twitter who swings a steel chair the hardest, from person experience. Foley, a man who has taken a few chair shots in his day, said it’s not even close:
– Tickets to the public for this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, which takes place on August 23rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, sold out immediately this morning. Virtually all of the tickets had arleady been sold via pre-sale before today.
– Part-time WWE performer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson landed a role as host of Saturday Night Live for the March 28th edition of the show, which is the Saturday before WrestleMania 31. The Rock tweeted the following about hosting SNL for the fourth time.
– Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts is upset with his former employer having his demo reel removed from YouTube. This was due to the video featuring copyrighted WWE footage, which the company gave him permission to use.
“At the end of my 12 year relationship, there were a lot of things about work that made it hard to want to get on those planes. But on the night that we didn’t renew my contract- I left the building and they told me the door was always open. I chose to walk the opposite direction and move on. I left out the negativity in my heart and wrote a positive goodbye and was on my way into the next chapter,” Roberts wrote on Instagram.
“The company sent me footage and I put together a reel featuring much of that footage since that’s where I was, almost daily for over a decade. My reel was out there and maybe I’d go where the wind blew, but today they pulled that reel off of YouTube. Despite countless hours of their copyrighted YouTube footage uploaded by others, my 5 min reel of my work is pulled. Maybe their legal department isn’t busy enough?”
The video has since been restored.
– In this week’s “WWE Top 10” video, The Undertaker’s “Ghastliest Mind Games” are counted down.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans which movie franchise The Rock should save besides “Dredd.”
Spike TV held their latest ‘upfront’ presentation on Tuesday in New York City and announced a partnership with $7 Bucks Productions, owned by The Rock and his ex-wife Dani Garcia.
The Rock’s production company will produce programming from live events, specials, sports and initiatives surrounding troops and veterans.
Spike TV also unveiled their new logo and tagline “Spike: The Ones To Watch.” The network is shifting away from targeting young males and is looking to expand their reach by appealing to a much broader demographic. It’s believed that Spike’s new direction is one of the main reasons they decided to part ways with TNA Wrestling.
Here’s a photo of The Rock from yesterday’s event:
On Friday night, WWE held a “Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Among those in attendance for the special event were Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, Ric Flair and Jimmy Hart. Additionally, a special tribute video package aired that featured comments from the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and The New Age Outlaws.
The ring ropes for the MSG event on Friday were red and yellow, in honor of “The Hulkster.” They also had a special t-shirt to commemorate the event.
WWE had several camera crews at the show to film the Hogan ceremony, likely for future use on television, the WWE Network or a DVD/Blu-ray release.
MSG raised a special Hogan banner, which you can see pictured below, to go along with their other legendary banners that hang from the rafters. They also presented Hogan with a portrait from WrestleMania 1, which was held in MSG back in March of 1985.
Courtesy of WWE and Triple H’s official Twitter accounts, below are a couple of photos from the event.
– While his return is still in question, Mark Henry has apparently lost a ton of weight since the last time fans have seen him on television. In the past when talking about losing weight, Henry would eventually get unhappy about losing strength along with the weight, and due to his “strongest man in the world” mentality, it would ultimately hinder his ability to keep the weight off.
– Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) recently noted that he expects the “Black Adam” character he is playing in the new “Shazam” movie to become a reoccuring role with several projects going forward with the character. Black Adam is a full-fledged heel in the upcoming “Shazam” film, but is expected to become a babyface character at some point in the future.
– Chyna, who has been on somewhat of an anti-Triple H media tour as of late, has turned heads once again in regards to the WWE executive/performer. Her latest tweet was a bit of a low blow, and reads as follows:
– Both Rhyno and Solomon Crowe have been added to the NXT roster section on WWE.com following their respective debuts last night.
– The Miz ran into TMZ while out in Hollywood Wednesday night, who said he’s the greatest actor in wrestling history, even better than The Rock.
“The Rock has done wonders with generating fans that say, “You know what? We can actually do what we do and better than everybody. He’s number one. But am I a better actor than The Rock? Ab… I believe I am.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJhfkwE7eg
– The official Twitter account of Wendy’s sent this message to Brad Maddox, who has not appeared on WWE television since being relieved of Raw General Manager duties in May 2014.
@BradMaddoxIsWWE You should be talking about Wendy's. We probably even have a General Manager position open. If you're still looking. ?
– WWE.com has published a new interview with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. He spoke about a number of topics, including how he got into wrestling, the adversity he faced on his road to NXT and how it felt to win the NXT Championship.
When asked what the future holds for him in NXT, he said:
“Whatever I want. Bálor, Breeze, Itami, Corbin, Parker, English, Dillinger, Cassady, Amore, Kalisto, just to name a few … that’s potentially a lot of good fights coming my way. And I look forward to each and every single one of them.”
– WWE has still not picked a venue to host this year’s Summerslam. With New Jersey’s IZOD Center shutting down and WWE’s marketing focusing on the show taking place from the “NY/NJ” area, SummerSlam will probably take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY or the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
– NXT Diva Dana Brooke will make her TV debut on an episode in April against Blue Pants. Brooke has been working live events for a few months now and received “you can’t wrestle” chants at last night’s NXT TV tapings. (Results)
– The Rock announced on Twitter that he will be presenting at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
