WWE Hal of Famer Ric Flair was recently interviewed by GiveMeSport.com and spoke about fans rejceting Roman Reigns as the next “face of WWE.”

Flair said that he believes Reigns’ relation to The Rock is actually working against him:

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to him talking on the mic but I think he’s okay. Fans look at Roman and they want him to sound like The Rock and that isn’t going to happen,” Flair explained.

Flair added that “The Rock didn’t become The Rock overnight either” and said it took him years to nail down his act.

“Roman has got so much talent that fans are going to have to be patient with him. It doesn’t happen overnight. If people are upset with Roman it’s not over a lack of talent. Fans are always going to have their opinion, but Roman has a fantastic future ahead of him.”

Due to his recent health issues, Diamond Dallas Page will not be appearing at the Shock Pop Comic Con in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this coming weekend. Instead, Jake “The Snake” Roberts will be appearing.

Prior to being hospitalized, DDP spoke with the folks at the Miami Herald to promote the appearance. Below are highlights.

On building the DDP Yoga Performance Center in Atlanta: “The WWE has their Performance Center in Orlando. I loved the name of that. I didn’t want to call it a studio because it’s not a studio. It’s a soundstage studio. It’s more of a corporate headquarters, but when I heard Performance Center, I said, ‘That’s the name.’ It’s not just our corporate headquarters. It’s also our production headquarters where we do all of our filming and our editing. Our first film we ever made got accepted into Slamdance. What are the odds of that?”

On traveling for 12 hours before making it to his hotel the night before the Royal Rumble and taking a limo to the arena to keep it a surprise: “We stayed on this bus. Bubba [Ray Dudley] was losing his mind. He was stuck on this bus for seven hours. He said, ‘It’s like going to jail. I can’t take this.’ It was so worth it. For me, I never had the exit from wrestling I should have. Walking away, being on top. I had such a great run. I retired and then went to TNA to show I could still go. Though TNA is not WWE, so getting to come back two months from 59 and go out there and move in that ring and hitting the Diamond Cutter out of nowhere like I was doing it every night. People were like, ‘Man, you didn’t miss a beat.’ I was more worried about going from the top rope to the floor because my knees can’t take that kind of impact anymore. The way I got thrown out I caught myself and made it to the floor. I thought, ‘Thank God! I blew the roof off, and it’s over.’”

On wanting to feud with The Rock and seeing the McMahon’s at the Royal Rumble: “At the Rumble, Philly loved me. They were awesome. Philly don’t like the good guys. They like the bad guys. There are certain good guys they love, and I was lucky I was one of them. With Florida, when I showed up in WWE in Tampa and took the stalker mask off, the place went bat s—. It was probably one of the biggest pops in Monday Night Raw history. I never wanted to do that gimmick. I wanted to do ‘People’s Champion’ vs. ‘People’s Champion’ [with The Rock]. I think if my exit from wrestling would have been where I wanted it to be, I don’t think I would be the type of businessman I am today. Everything happens for a reason. I’m really happy the way things turned out. When I showed up to the Rumble, Stephanie [McMahon] gave me a big hug. Triple H gave me a big hug. Vince [McMahon] gave me a good handshake with a, ‘Good to have you here Diamond.’ It wasn’t like when you’re coming from WCW 13 years ago as the enemy. Now it’s like I’m part of the family.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

• SETH ROLLINS Addresses His Nude Photo Leak On Twitter From Monday!

– WWE announced after the SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night that they will be returning to the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, June 13th for a non-televised live event. Tickets go on sale for the event on April 18th.

– WWE Network will soon be adding a two-hour version of WWE’s “John Cena: Greatest Rivalries” DVD, which was released this past October, in the “Beyond the Ring” category.

– Part-time WWE performer The Rock recently did some sparring with NFL and UFC insider Jay Glazer for a future episode of his new HBO series, “Ballers.” Rock posted the following photo of the two on the set of “Ballers” on Tuesday.

He's got a helluva right hook & some acting skills! We had a blast. @JayGlazer #OnSet #BALLERS #HBO #BringIt pic.twitter.com/iSGR5OHtaN

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 11, 2015

• SETH ROLLINS Addresses His Nude Photo Leak On Twitter From Monday!

With production of Th Rock’s new HBO series Ballers well underway, The Rock announced on Facebook that he’s teaming up with HBO Documentary Films for a project titled, “Rock & A Hard Place.”  The film will take an inside look at “one of the most hardcore and successful boot camp prisons in the world.”

As somebody who was arrested multiple times as a teen, The Rock will encourage the inmates to break the cycle of destructive life choices and turn their futures around.

Here’s The Rock’s official announcement:

“Officially started production on our new HBO Documentary Films project, “ROCK & A HARD PLACE”. From armed robbery to attempted murder, we’re taking you inside one of the most hard core and successful boot camp prisons in the world. They break these young offenders down, only to build them back up to hopefully make them better human beings once released. $7 Bucks Productions & the producers of “LOCK UP” (44 Blue Prod) will bring you a passion project very close to my heart. With my multiple arrests as a teen, I was once one of these kids — one poor decision after another. I changed my life around, and hopefully along the way.. we can help change a few of their lives around too. Productions begins now. Dade County, Florida. “ROCK & A HARD PLACE”. Coming to you soon on HBO.”

WWE Superstar The Miz recently spoke with the folks at Ring Rust Radio for an in-depth interview. During the discussion, Miz talked about the return of Tough Enough, his recent tag-team with Damien Mizdow and his hopes for this year’s WrestleMania.

Below are highlights from the interview:

On his recent role on “Sirens” on USA Network: “Here is what I want you to imagine. When you go to the gym, the guy grunting, wearing compression pants, barely has anything on, staring in the mirror, checking out his muscles, and flexing is the character that I am portraying right now. It was a lot of fun. I have been in a lot of gyms and seen a lot of these characters so it was a lot of fun to play. The cast of Sirens is just so cool and so fun. Sometimes when you do a guest-starring role, it’s very hard to come in because these guys all know each other and you don’t know anybody. They really made me feel like part of the family which made me very comfortable on set. That is acting 101, to be comfortable and relax and they made me feel like that. We had a lot of fun and it’s going to be a great episode. With Psych no longer on, I feel like Sirens has taking over where Psych left off. Psych was such a great show, a fun show, and an interesting show that I also once guest starred on. Now Sirens is taking over that funny, interesting, cool comedy that I’m really happy to be a part of.”

On what he takes away from his acting experiences: “You know anytime you get to act with different actors it’s a whole new experience. You learn so much about yourself and different things. Acting on a movie set is very different than acting in the WWE. In WWE we are performing for everybody in that arena. You have 18,000 strong cheering or booing you, where when you are on set you just have 20 people there. You don’t have anyone chanting “you suck” so it’s a completely different experience. You get more than one take, you get a bunch of different camera angles. You take what you learn from every experience and bring it back to the WWE. What I’ve learned is with acting and doing things for film you get a bunch of different takes, but in live TV you only get one.”

On finding downtime and what he does with it: “Time to myself is being in the WWE. We are on the road 250 days a year, we’re traveling, and the media stuff is a blast. I enjoy going to these different locations and going over the different media we do is a blast for me. Time to myself I don’t really need it. I’m young, I’m having fun, and as long as I’m having fun I don’t need time to myself. I want to work as much as possible because I enjoy what I’m doing.”

On the future of Miz and Damien Mizdow: “It’s funny that every sees to see this tension brewing between Mizdow and myself. The fact is that Damian is a stunt double. What was he doing before he met me? Nothing. He was crazy, he was barely on TV, and he never had a championship. Since he has been with me I have brought him to the promise land. I have made him relevant. I have made people cheer for him and love him. The reason why they are cheering for him is because he is an extension of me. If you watch him he is doing everything I do. So in a sense, everyone is cheering for me. So teasing this and that and the other thing, as long as Damian keeps doing what he is doing then that is completely fine with me. As long as he knows his place and where he stands. If he starts thinking that he is better than his place then we will start having problems.”

On how he and Mizdow play off each other and how they help each other in terms of furthering their characters: “It’s because I can play off of anyone and I am an amazing actor as well as a sport entertainer. I am a seasoned vet, I’ve been in WWE for ten years and I can make anybody look good. That is exactly what I am doing with Damian right now. I am making him look a million bucks, like the star that he could finally be. The problem is that if Damian decides that he is a bigger star than he really is, he is going to have a problem. Look at anyone that has been attached to me as a tag team partner, where are they at now? Look where Alex Riley is. You think he just wants to be in the preshow? No. Every Superstar wants to be in the main event of WrestleMania and do the things that I have done. If they over step their boundaries then they are going to have a problem. As long as Damian doesn’t overstep his boundaries, than he will be ok.”

On the return of Tough Enough and the benefits and disadvantages of participating: “I only see benefits to be honest with you. You look at me: a person trying to make it to the WWE, trying to get there, it’s difficult, and it’s hard. Putting a show like Tough Enough on air you get to see what people have to go through to make it into WWE. That is just a part of it. That’s just the beginning round. They don’t tell you about the middle and even the end game. I think it’s a great opportunity for people and the fans to really appreciate what people have to go through on a day-to-day basis. I love the show and it gave me the opportunity to be a WWE Superstar. I thank that show every day because if that show was never there, there may never have been a Miz.”

On what he hopes to do at WrestleMania: Everybody wants that moment. “That Monday after WrestleMania that everybody is talking about. Everybody saw that moment at the Super Bowl yesterday when Butler got that amazing interception and won that game that’s the kind of moment you want. Did he get the MVP? No he didn’t, but people are talking about Butler and that’s what I’m doing. Right now, Roman Reigns VS Brock Lesnar is probably going to be the main event at WrestleMania so obviously I can’t take that. I can make sure though that I have a moment that everybody remembers and is talking about that next morning. That is what the goal is.”

On the person he would most like to face at a WrestleMania: “Right now I would love to wrestle the Rock. It would be movie star VS movie star. Obviously I am a better actor than the Rock. I will be a bigger movie star I just need to find those couple of movies that really elevate me. I am building my cape and my resume right now to get to that level. Obviously the Rock is a little older than me and he is going to do great. I imagine I’ll be bigger, I’ll be the one hoisting up an Oscar and an Emmy and a Golden Globe as well as the WWE championship if we ever do get in that ring.”

On what he needs to do to get back to the WrestleMania main event level: “Everyone always has different answers for that type of question. I think they are a lot of things involved with getting to the main event of WrestleMania. With me when I started going towards the main event, I felt the elevation and kept feeling that every time I did something it got better and better. Right now I am feeling like I am in those beginning stages again. It takes a while to build until you get to that main event at WrestleMania. This WrestleMania main event is already set in stone, so I am looking forward to the next WrestleMania. To build and build, and get bigger and bigger. Just keep making entertaining television where people are captivated by the Miz and what I am doing. They always want to know what I am doing and what I am going to say when I am not there.”

On whether he feels he’s still trying to prove himself to fans and wrestlers because his journey to the top was so unconventional: “Every day of my life is a fight. I don’t think I will ever get the respect I deserve in the WWE. I will never go to the Philadelphia’s or the New York’s and get cheered or get “Miz is Awesome”. They just don’t like me and don’t respect me. They don’t respect the way I got to the WWE even though they respect people whose Daddy got them into the WWE which I find amazing to me. I felt like I did the right path and I did everything right. Obviously I did everything right because I am the one being successful and proving everyone wrong. So I do enjoy the negativity I get because I generate positivity out of it and use it as adrenaline and energy to basically go out there and perform to the best of my availability.”

Check out the complete interview at BlogTalkRadio.com.

• VIDEO: Young Girl KOs Older Man, Claiming To Be Ex-UFC Fighter, With Vicious Punch

The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly sit-down video interview with Triple H is now online.

In this week’s installment, the two talked about the recent “Stone Cold Podcast” interview this past Monday night on the WWE Network, where HHH claims that his appearance on the show drew 40 percent more viewers than Vince McMahon’s interview on the show.

When talking about the controversy stemming from the Royal Rumble, “The Game” explained that “backing Roman Reigns into a corner” on Monday’s RAW was done in an attempt to make things fair, as he feels they didn’t get a fair result to the Rumble match this year and the changes they made now makes things fair.

HHH complained some more about The Rock and Sting interfering in his business in recent weeks. He says The Rock is always welcome in the WWE, but not in a way where he interferes in his business. He points out that Rock and Sting are not WWE Superstars.

He continued on the subject of Sting, bringing up their upcoming “face-to-face confrontation” at this month’s Fast Lane pay-per-view. He promises to put an end to their problem if Sting shows up at the pay-per-view, and if he doesn’t, Sting is the coward that he always thought he was.

You can check out the complete interview below.

• VIDEO: Young Girl KOs Older Man, Claiming To Be Ex-UFC Fighter, With Vicious Punch

– On Super Bowl Sunday, WWE.com ran a poll asking fans which WWE Superstar would be the most dominant in the NFL – Brock Lesnar, Big E, John Cena, Mark Henry, Roman Reigns, Kane, Big Show, Rusev, Sheamus, Cesaro, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, Titus O’Neil, Ryback or “other.”

With nearly 10,000 votes cast, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is leading with 39%. Roman Reigns has 24% and John Cena is next with 8%.

– Last night’s NFL Super Bowl from Arizona’s University of Phoenix Stadium drew a major crowd, packing over 70,000 fans into the venue. WWE didn’t miss the opportunity to point out that WrestleMania 26 back in 2010 drew more fans than last night’s Super Bowl. They didn’t mention that due to the seating configuration, WrestleMania had the ability to accommodate more people. #JustSaying

70,288 in Phoenix for #SB49. 72,219 in Phoenix for @WrestleMania XXVI in 2010. #JustSaying pic.twitter.com/ZGrh8T9xFC

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) February 2, 2015

– Here’s is the new Fast & Furious 7 trailer featuring The Rock that premiered during the the Super Bowl:

– Alberto El Patron got busted open at last night’s Ring of Honor live event in Dayton, Ohio. He did not suffer a concussion, as some other sites reported.

During a match with former ROH Champion Roderick Strong, Alberto was dropped on the guard rail at ringside and was bleeding pretty badly from his mouth or nose. He won via cross armbreaker.

– Cody Hall made his New Japan Pro Wrestling debut on Monday in Japan. In a match that pitted the Bullet Club against Team New Japan, Tanahashi pinned Hall.

– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie recently noted on social media that she has added Olympic lifting to her Crossfit workouts. Marie says that she’s getting a little bit better at the workouts everyday.

– The Rock recently posted the following photo of himself with pro athlete Donovan Carter and comedian London Brown on the set of his new HBO series, “Ballers.”

G'd up w/ @dcsofly90 @REALLONDONBROWN #OnSet #BALLERS #HBO #Miami #SoulmanInspired Summer 2015. pic.twitter.com/PsNkU9ZJ4C

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 29, 2015

• PHOTO: BROCK LESNAR Sporting A “TRAMP STAMP” Tattoo!

– The Rock was in New York City recently to assist “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon with the launch of his new Spike TV show called “Lip Synch Battle.” The show is scheduled to premiere on Spike TV on April 2nd.

– The February 12th NXT television taping at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida are officially sold out. The 2/12 taping will be the night after the next NXT Takeover live special on the WWE Network. Less than 200 tickets remain for the NXT TV taping scheduled for February 18th.

• Details On A Major Botched Spot During Sunday’s Royal Rumble Match!

It happened again.

All the signs were there, yet somehow WWE didn’t see it coming.

At the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Sunday night, the rabid, passionate fans in Philadelphia completely turned on what is generally a very popular, fun, 30-man annual match.

Things started off just fine. The momentum was great coming out of what was an excellent triple-threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins. Everything was in place. One left turn when WWE should have gone right, however, and everything could potentially fall apart.

WWE went left.

The match began like every other year. Out first comes The Miz, followed by R-Truth.

Whatever.

But then the countdown clock hit, the fans counted from ten to one and we had our first surprise of the night. Bubba Ray Dudley, the former “Bully Ray” in TNA Wrestling, was our first unexpected entrant of the match.

The fans were hot in Philly for their former ECW original. Dudley borrowed R-Truth for a few minutes, turning him into his own personal D-Von Dudley replacement, and the fun began.

“Wazzupp?!”

“Truth! …Get the tables!”

“3-D!”

The match was going along smoothly.

Dudley was eliminated a few minutes after popping up in WWE for the first time in ten years.

That was their first big mistake.

Seven entrants later — enter the leader of the “Yes! Movement.” Straight out of the gate it was clear — Philadelphia came to see Daniel Bryan win the match that he wasn’t even entered in last year.

It was going to be an ugly night.

Daniel Bryan was only in the match for a few minutes before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt. He was the eleventh Royal Rumble entrant to be eliminated this year. From there, the rest of the show completely fell apart.

WWE clearly had a game plan. Get Bryan’s elimination out of the way early, give the fans time to get the “boo’ing” out of their system, and then hopefully we’ll go along with our business.

Well, that didn’t exactly happen, did it?

What in the world did WWE expect to happen? Did they learn nothing from 2014?

Apparently not.

I’m assuming WWE was under the impression that once Bryan was out of the way, they would get behind Roman Reigns, and if they didn’t, when The Rock came out to endorse him and help him win, surely at that point the sheer excitement of seeing a big movie star for a few minutes would make them forget that they’re favorite wrestler had been screwed for the second year in a row.

Right?

Wrong!

Of course that wasn’t going to work. There were many other options WWE could have tried that would have saved the show from completely falling apart. For those who missed it, from the point Bryan was eliminated, throughout the rest of the entire match, except a couple of pops here and there, the rabid Philly fans boo’d the living crap out of everything that was happening.

Bryan was only cleared to return to the ring a few weeks ago. Knowing the Royal Rumble was coming up, if you’re not planning on having him win the match, why even have him return? Why not wait until after the Royal Rumble to bring him back?

Well, they had already brought him back, so that’s out. Knowing he’s back, however, why not save him for the final two? If you’re hell bent on having Reigns win the match, at least you have the fans turn on him at the very end of the match. They boo the finish. It sucks, but it’s better than 20-30 minutes of guttural boo’ing and madness.

Going forward, Roman Reigns is expected to be “the guy.” The next John Cena, if you will. If this is his launching off point, they better have their writers quickly figure out a way to turn him heel and capitalize on momentum that is already in place, because if they think that was a one time thing, they’ve got a rude awakening coming in their future.

Fans don’t forget. Reigns’ push had already peaked and started going down several weeks ago. His promo work isn’t there yet. His matches, while good, are not so good that fans will overlook the rest of the missing pieces of the puzzle. He’s simply not going to work as the top babyface superstar in the company. It’s not going to happen. Not yet, at least.

Regardless, another Royal Rumble is in the books. Another year of fans completely turning on WWE and crapping on their choice for a top guy, or a top match for WrestleMania, and they let it be known. Now, all that’s left is to wait and see if WWE smartens up and finds a way to give them what they want.

WrestleMania 31 — Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan.

Personally speaking, I don’t like the sound of that. Another triple-threat main event for the title? I’m not into it. But it’s pretty clear that the fans are choosing Daniel Bryan as their guy. Why WWE is so dead set on fighting it is completely beyond me.

But hey, I guess there’s always next year!

What are your thoughts on this year’s Royal Rumble and the fan reaction to the match? Let us know by posting your feedback below. You can also add me on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or follow me on Twitter @MBoone420.

Vince McMahon and top WWE officials were legitimately surprised at the intensity of backlash they saw from the live crowd at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble match.

While WWE knew some fans would not be on board with Reigns winning the Rumble instead of Daniel Bryan, the feeling is that WWE painfully underestimated how people would react. According to Dave Melzter of the Wrestling Observer, “They panicked early, they changed a few things.”

The Rock in particular was caught off-guard by the situation, with Meltzer noting, “Dwayne was not happy.” After making a surprise appearance at the end of the show to support his cousin and help him win the Rumble, The Rock was visibly surprised and it showed in the ring and during his post-show backstage promo on the WWE Network. He tweeted after the Rumble –

Just touched down in Miami. Thank you Philly for the #RoyalRumble passion – I feel ya 100! Up in 4hrs for AM cardio.. #FackIt #LetsWork

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 26, 2015

Despite the #CancelWWENetwork craze, Vince McMahon is ‘dead set’ on sticking to the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania main event. The feeling is that WWE caved last year by adding Daniel Bryan to the main event and most likely will not be going the same route this year. Meltzer said, “Vince feels that it would be a repeat and gone to the well one time too often.”

WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Reaction: Highs, Lows, Results & Random Thoughts

As noted, The Rock is in Philadelphia tonight, the site of the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The Rock himself tweeted a photo and a caption revealing that he was in the city, a tweet that WWE ended up promoting on their official Twitter account.

Now, the official WWE website is taking the speculation even further, questioning whether The Rock will be a surprise entrant in tonight’s 30-man Royal Rumble match, or if he has “unfinished business” with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.

Below is the excerpt teasing a possible surprise Royal Rumble entry:

“As the WWE Universe knows, the Royal Rumble Match is known for its surprise entrants and there would be no such appearance greater than the former WWE Champion, himself. Will we see The Rock appear as one of those possible surprises?”

And here is the excerpt dealing with a possible Rock and Brock Lesnar feud:

“Or perhaps he has something else planned for the event if he does indeed show up? Does The People’s Champion perhaps have unfinished business with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar that Rock will look to resolve live tonight in Philly?”

Make sure to join us here at the website tonight for the best live WWE Royal Rumble results coverage on the web!

• VIDEO: Girlfriend Catches Cops On Tape Attacking And Tasering UFC Fighter [WATCH HERE >>]

WWE personality Lana referenced The Rock being in Philadelphia in a new tweet posted on her official Twitter account.

Lana, who manages Rusev, was part of an angle with The Rock during one of his most recent returns, which took place on the October 6, 2014 edition of WWE RAW.

“The Rock doesn’t scare me or Rusev,” wrote Lana. “He is just another pathetic American too busy stuffing his face with cheesesteaks in Philadelphia!”

You can check out Lana’s tweet below.

.@TheRock doesn't scare me or @RusevBUL! He is just another pathetic American too busy stuffing his face with cheesesteaks in Philadelphia!

— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) January 25, 2015

WWE Superstars Darren Young and Sin Cara also referenced The Rock, noting that they haven’t seen any “great ones” or “rocks” in the area yet.

Backstage at #RoyalRumble, haven't seen any rocks yet @wwe #FollowTheFaceless

— CintaDeOro (@CintaDeOro) January 25, 2015

We in Philly baby!!! And no I haven't seen any great ones yet… #RoyalRumble #WWENetwork

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) January 25, 2015

Make sure to visit us here at the website later tonight for the best live WWE Royal Rumble results coverage on the web!

• VIDEO: Girlfriend Catches Cops On Tape Attacking And Tasering UFC Fighter [WATCH HERE >>]

As noted on Saturday night, WWE legend The Rock posted a photo of himself in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the site of tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Since then, WWE themselves have fueled the fire, as the official company Twitter account just tweeted the following:

.@TheRock sighted in Philadelphia! Will the "Great One" make an appearance tonight at #RoyalRumble? http://t.co/3mrBBgm7Zm #WWENetwork

— WWE (@WWE) January 25, 2015

WWE.com has published an article speculating that The Rock could show up at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view:

“The Royal Rumble Match is known for its surprise entrants, so will we see The Rock appear as one of those surprises?

Or perhaps he has something else planned for the event if he does indeed show up? Does The People’s Champion perhaps have unfinished business with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar that Rock will look to resolve live tonight in Philly?”

Make sure to visit us here tonight for the best WWE Royal Rumble live results coverage on the web!

• VIDEO: Girlfriend Catches Cops On Tape Attacking And Tasering UFC Fighter [WATCH HERE >>]

Last night, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared to tease an appearance at the Royal Rumble by posting a photo online of himself in Philadelphia. Of course, the event will be held tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It was later reported by F4WOnline.com that Johnson is expected to appear at the event in some capacity.

According to MetsFan4Ever of Reddit.com, a former WWE employee who maintains contact with people in the organization, he was told in recent weeks that company officials have had serious discussions of Johnson making a surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble Match and ultimately winning it. This would lead to Johnson facing Brock Lesnar in the main event at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California.

MetsFan4Ever was also told that if the deal falls through, Johnson was willing to at least make an appearance on the show. This could include putting Roman Reigns over in a backstage segment.

He also says that WWE officials have considered having Bray Wyatt win the Royal Rumble Match. Many people in WWE have high hopes for Wyatt and “feel the sky is the limit for him.”

MetsFan4Ever added there has been talks of Sheamus returning to WWE tonight in the Royal Rumble Match, but as of last night, he was at home in Florida.

• The real reason Sheamus has been missing

WWE legend The Rock got the Internet buzzing last night when he tweeted a photo of himself in Philadelphia, the site of tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Reports then came out that The Rock was staying at the same hotel as the WWE crew, sparking more speculation that the People’s Champion will be appearing at the Royal Rumble. According to f4wonline.com, The Rock will in fact be appearing at tonight’s show.

It’s unknown at this time what he’ll be doing, but it will be very interesting to see how he gets involved and if his appearance leads to a match at WrestleMania 31.

For whatever reason, with under 24 hours to go before the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, WWE has pulled Justin Gabriel and Los Matadores from the advertised lineup for the 30-man over-the-top battle royal match. As noted late Saturday night, Gabriel has quit WWE. Why Los Matadores were pulled from the match at the last minute remains to be seen.

Speaking of the Royal Rumble, which takes place on Sunday night, January 25th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WWE legend The Rock tweeted a photo of himself in Philadelphia late Saturday night.

In town and always gotta stop by the neighborhood… #SouthPhilly pic.twitter.com/izQ0stHKuu

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 25, 2015

Make sure to join us here on Sunday night for the best WWE Royal Rumble play-by-play results coverage on the web!

• VIDEO: Will Ferrell Accidentally KOs TNA Knockout With A Basketball While Filming His New Movie!

WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was interviewed this week by Chuck Carroll of the Turnbuckle Weekly to hype Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. You can listen to the full interview at Washington.CBSLocal.com. Here are some highlights:

– Reigns is excited at the prospect of facing Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania, calling it a “million dollar dream” come true. “I think it would be one of the hardest hitting matches of all-time,” Reigns said. “It’d be extremely aggressive. I think you’d see a level of intensity you’ve never seen before.”

– Reigns admitted that his hernia surgery left him with a lot of uncertainty, but at no time did he think it was a career-threatening injury. He said he had a lot of support during his time away, which made recovery easier.

– Reigns spoke about working with an acting coach in Los Angeles during his time away from the ring. Interestingly, he said the acting coach wasn’t working with him on promos.  They worked on his ability to channel the emotions of a real life experience into his delivery on-camera and in the ring. “It’s really connecting with any type of emotions and connecting with triggers,” he said.

– When asked about part-time wrestlers like The Rock and Brock Lesnar holding the WWE Championship, Reigns said WWE deserves a full-time champion, but Rock and Lesnar have earned the positions they’re in.

• Who is Paige dating? (Photo)

This time of year is always thought of as the “Road to Wrestlemania” and is supposed to be a moment in which a career is made, a legacy is increased, or a hall of fame spot is cemented.  With such a grand prize at the helm, it’s no wonder the Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches of the year.  Between the surprise returns, the elimination teases, the underlying stories, or the sheer number of superstars in the ring at one time, there’s no denying the excitement that the January event brings with it.  This Sunday will host the latest installment of the event, which is sure to thrill, as Seth Rollins joins John Cena and Brock Lesnar in a battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  The build-up for this match thus far has been amazing, with each superstar taking turns to look as good as possible, with Lesnar being the most recent destroyer.

But the best part about the Royal Rumble is that it’s more than just a match; it’s a full-scale event, complete with it’s own card, stories, and unique twists.  In fact, some of the best matches in WWE history took place at this battlefield, and a few times in history, those matches overshadowed the Rumble itself.  When you’re not one of the thirty men in the match, you have to take matters into your own hands.  You have to make sure that the fans don’t forget about you, and you have to make sure that you compete at a level that you may only reach once or twice a year.  Just as Cena, Rollins, and Lesnar look to do this Sunday night, superstars in the past went out there to steal the show, and make sure the Rumble didn’t steal their spotlight.  Let’s take a look at the top-five matches that stole the Royal Rumble.

#5.  Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt, 2014.

What was otherwise a disappointing Royal Rumble was fortunate enough to see one of the best one on one match-ups in Royal Rumble history.  I was lucky enough to be just five rows away from this incredible match when it happened, and even now as I look back on it, it was by far the best live match I have ever seen.  Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt met after weeks and weeks of build-up, which included Bryan joining the Wyatt family for a brief period of time, as well as a series of other strange and unusual situations.  Disappointingly, the overall feud itself mostly fizzled, as Wyatt was not truly portrayed as a cult leader, and Bryan was portrayed as a hero who moved too quickly through the events that unfolded.  The truth was, Bryan being so over made it impossible to capitalize on him becoming a heel in the Wyatt family, so the plug was pulled prematurely, and the feud ended up changing neither man for the better or worse.

While the feud itself may have been sub-par and disappointing, Bryan and Wyatt proved that night that they had chemistry in the ring, and understood each other completely.  It was a match filled with high-risk spots, high-impact moves, and false finishes, and eventually saw Wyatt taking the win.   Some of the best moments included Wyatt nailing the “Sister Abigail” on the barricade, Bryan selling a Wyatt clothesline like a champion, and Bryan nailing a number of suicide dives.

#4.  Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, 2004.

A lot of people look back at RAW from 2002-2004 as Triple H’s “reign of terror.”  He was the 2002 Royal Rumble winner, and somewhat exclusively traded World Championships back and forth with Shawn Michaels and others between then and 2005. 2003 also saw the rise of “Evolution”, a group dedicated to keeping Triple H on top of WWE, which took over most of the Monday Night Raw storytelling up until Wrestlemania 21.     Despite Michaels and Triple H being one of the best feuds of all time, this period in history is widely looked at with a negative annotation, usually referred to as “boring” or “predictable.”

However, despite the criticism, there’s no denying that Triple H and Shawn Michaels put on some of the best matches throughout the early 2000’s, and on that list is their Last Man Standing match from the 2004 Royal Rumble.  It was a match that followed months of assaults, abuse, torture, injuries, and bad blood, and led to one of the best Last Man Standing matches of all time.  Michaels and Triple H put each other through hell and back, and then some, and overshadowed not just the Rumble match itself, but the entire event.  (Not to mention, WWE would most likely want you to forget who won that year.)

For the full build-up promo video, click here:

– Today’s wrestling birthdays include R-Truth (43) and WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson (74).

– “Fired” WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler noted on Twitter that he’s doing more live comedy this weekend:

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/556879340734906368

– The Rock announced on Twitter that he’s teaming up with the Roots Of Fight clothing brand to release a new line of merchandise this summer.

Partnered up w/ @rootsoffight. Fired up to bring you our new line. #PC7 #7Bucks #HardestWorkersInTheRoom #Summer2015 pic.twitter.com/iTXWDFdfkz

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 19, 2015

– Part-time WWE performer The Rock wrote the following on his official Instagram page today regarding WWE moving SmackDown from Friday’s to Thursday’s.

“It’s official… #Smackdown has moved to THURSDAY NIGHTS. It’s also official that since the show was created in my honor I’ll be happy to “Lay the Smackdown” on anyone’s candy ass on any day that ends with “Y”. Enjoy the show.. #Smackdown #ThursdayNights #WhereRockJokesLike #BottleOfSmirnoffShovedUpYourPutin #AndChewbaccasHairyBeanBag #WillAlwaysBeWelcomed #PeoplesChamp”

– Speaking of SmackDown, which airs in its’ new Thursday time slot for the first time tonight on the SyFy Network, WWE posted the following video to hype Daniel Bryan’s return to the ring, as he battles Kane on tonight’s show.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

The following are highlights of a new Wrestling 101 interview with the former three-man tag-team, “Too Cool,” which consisted of Rikishi, Brian “Grandmaster Sexay” Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty:

Brian Christopher on The Rock: “He would pick my brain because he was getting a lot more TV time than I was, so he would ask me how I thought his interview went and I would tell him he need to work on this or you need to pause a little bit longer before you say this…we then worked on his moves together and came up with things like ‘The Peoples Elbow.'”

Brian Christopher on defeating the Legion of Doom: “I’ll never forget that because the Road Warriors at the time couldn’t believe that they were about to lay down to a couple of 215lbs guys because their egos were as big as you could get and their muscles were as big as the steroids would get them.”

Scotty 2 Hotty on wrestling whilst still in school: “That was awesome, I was still in high school at the time which is just crazy for me to think about now. I was with the WWF when I was in high school, I was in a locker room at a WWF event with Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart then two days later I’m sitting back in class. I was getting to wrestle some of the biggest names in the world, it was an amazing experience.”

Rikishi on the Rusev/Rock segment: “Oh my god, we were all happy, anytime you work with The Rock that’s a treat because Rusev’s not the champ. It was a good deal, Rock knew Rusev came from our school and he didn’t have to do that but he did, family looking out for family. That segment with The Rock just took Rusev to another level, and I was very excited.”

Rikishi on Vince McMahon: “He is the type of person that likes it when you go over and talk to him and ask him questions they may have about their character. Nine times out of ten when they’ve finished talking to him he hasn’t really answered their question but at the same time they’re not.”

Check out the complete interview at Wrestling101.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner Together In Las Vegas Just A Few Days Ago, Hanging Out With Celebrities & MORE!

– NXT star C.J. Parker deleted every tweet on his official Twitter page and noted that he’s going silent on Twitter until he becomes the NXT Champion.

– As noted earlier today, Roman Reigns recently announced that he will be part of the new WWE Immortals mobile game. Reigns joins Brock Lesnar, John Cena and The Rock, all of whom have been previously announced for the show. Since then, The Bella Twins have confirmed their involvement in the game as well, as they tweeted the following photo:

Check us out! #BellaBrawlers in the new #WWE Immortals game launching 1.15.15! http://t.co/o1ACsHYxCR
We are Immortal pic.twitter.com/QrgfXrUi8Z

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) January 5, 2015

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee Together In Las Vegas This Past Weekend

– WWE Superstar Roman Reigns confirmed today that he will be part of the new WWE Immortals mobile fighting video game. Already announced for the game are John Cena, Brock Lesnar and The Rock.

– Below is a behind-the-scenes video of WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie’s recent Muscle & Fitness shoot.

http://youtu.be/_iKSw1xs_TQ

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee Together In Las Vegas This Past Weekend