The following are highlights from yet another Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On if Shawn Michaels decided to wrestle again, should he face The Rock: “I simply don’t feel HBK is returning to the ring. I believe him when he says he’s done.”
On the chemistry he had with Paul Heyman in the announcing booth: “It was awesome. Two complete opposites who were quickly able to refine our act. Paul’s very talented.”
On rumors of Batista returning to WWE: “If Batista returns he’s obviously main event bound. Wouldn’t surprise me.”
On the way WWE is using Damien Sandow: “I can’t answer your question as I’m not involved with WWE Creative. However, I like Sandow’s persona. I think he’s getting ample TV time and it’s up to him to maximize his minutes, no matter if one thinks they are for better or for worse. That’s what pros do. If he steers the course, more often than not, he will come out the other side whole. Legit talents who persevere generally prevail.”
Check out the complete Q&A online at JRsBarBQ.com.
Johnson will be starring in the half-hour ‘dramedy’ series “Ballers” – chronicling the lives of athletes, some retired, some still active, living in Miami. It will be his first TV-starring role.
– Hollywood screenwriter Max Landis tweeted the following over the weekend:
– John Cena granted two Make-A-Wish wishes for Cole and Jesus before Monday’s WWE RAW from Dallas.
– Former ROH tag team champions Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards made their NXT debuts on this week’s show, wrestling as the American Pitbulls against The Ascension.
Commentators Tom Philips and Tensai acknowledged their backgrounds on the independent scene during the match. Tensai put them over, playing them up as “serious contenders.”
– The Rock is endorsing UFC star Ronda Rousey ahead of her fight at UFC 168 next Saturday. UFC and The Rock tweeted this photo:
– Australian newspaper Couriermail.com.au reports that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be headed “down under” in April 2014 to begin filming the earthquake disaster film San Andreas. This commitment might prevent The Rock from appearing at WrestleMania XXX.
– Due to the holidays, WWE will tape Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown tonight from San Antonio, Texas. the show will feature WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust defending against Luke Harper and Eric Rowan of the Wyatt Family.
Superstars advertised for the taping include WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, The Shield, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.
We’ll have spoiler results up later tonight, so check back later for those.
– The latest “Where Are They Now?” feature at WWE.com spotlights Jimmy Wang Yang, who now runs a unique business venture – Cincinnati-based “Jimmy’s Redneck Party Bus.
– WWE released Knuckles Madsen from his developmental contract today, according to a report at PWInsider. Madsen had been under contract since late 2012.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin mentioned on a recent Steve Austin Show podcast that he is trying to get The Rock to appear on the show. When asked by a fan when he’ll be interviewing The Rock, Austin replied:
– WWE will be taping next week’s edition of RAW tomorrow night from Austin, Texas.
– Variety.com is reporting that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to star in the big screen adaptation of the best-selling memoir “Not Without Hope.”
Based on the memoir by Nick Schuyler, the story follows four friends — Schuyler along with NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, and Schuyler’s best friend, Will Bleakley, a former University of South Florida football player — who were on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico when their boat capsized, stranding the four men at sea. In the days that followed, the men fought to survive as they awaited to see if help would come. Johnson will play Schuyler in the movie.
Relativity Media recently acquired the worldwide rights to finance, produce and distribute the film. Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh will produce, with Dwayne Johnson, his manager Dany Garcia, Relativity President Tucker Tooley and French/West/Vaughan CEO/Chairman Rick French executive producing.
Forbes.com has named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the top grossing actor of 2013.
The Rock’s movies Fast & Furious 6, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Pain & Gain and Snitch grossed a total of $1.3 billion worldwide.
Robert Downey Jr. came in second place, with his latest Iron Man movie grossing an impressive $1.2 billion worldwide.
Despite the fact that The Rock’s movies grossed more, Downey was the highest paid actor of 2013 with $75 million, with The Rock earning $46 million for his movie roles.
– As seen Monday night on the 2013 Slammy Awards edition of Raw, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29 was voted as Match of the Year by members of the WWE fanbase. The historic encounter beat out The Undertaker vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 29, Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns with the Rhodes Brothers’ jobs on the line at Battleground, and Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules. Johnson addressed the honor following the show on Twitter.
“THANK U @WWE Universe for the vote and @JohnCena for the earned brotherhood,” Johnson remarked. “Truly my honor to do “the honors.”
– Sparingly seen WWE Superstar JTG turns 29-years-old on Tuesday. The Brooklyn native has only competed in two televised bouts since after WrestleMania 29 (both on WWE Superstars, which were losses). Furthermore, he last competed on Raw on last year’s post-WWE TLC – Tables, Ladders & Chairs show.
Also celebrating a birthday Tuesday is former WWE Superstar Essa Rios, who turns 35. He currently competes in Mexico for CMLL.
– Damien Sandow, who was nominated for multiple 2013 Slammy Awards, did not win a single one Monday night. Upset, Sandow remarked on Twitter following the show, “Well, no Slammy. Action will be taken soon. If your with me get ready.”
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”
Following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker over the weekend, production has been shut down on The Rock’s new film “Fast & Furious 7.” After rushing to get the movie completed in time for a July 2014 release, producers are now considering scrapping the entire film and starting over. Fast & Furious 7, which has a $200 million budget, was more than halfway finished at the time of Walker’s death.
During an interview with Entertainment weekly, The Rock said:
“He was motivated by work that allowed him to take care of his family, number one, and that also allowed him the power and the leverage to help people in need and in crisis. The most important thing that we had in common was the importance of family time and being a great father to our daughters. We bonded over that. It was always the number one topic we would talk about. We would talk about silly guy things, his fast cars and my pickup trucks, or we would talk about the beautiful energy of Hawaii — but it always ultimately came back to family. And very specifically, the beautiful and important bond between a father and his daughter, and how we both realized that over the years.”
He praised Walker’s professionalism, calling the actor “a very calming presence on set.”
The Rock also tweeted on Wednesday morning:
Losing a loved one jolts our hearts to the core… It also has a way of helping us move forward to live & love as greatly as possible. #PW
– Actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the Fast and the Furious action movies, died on Saturday in a car crash in Southern California, his publicist announced. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson commented on his co-star’s passing.
“All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “We find our strength.. in his light. Love you brother.”
The latest installment of the movie franchise, Fast & Furious 7, was recently filmed in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The movie is scheduled for release next year with Walker involved.
– In honor of The Miz’s new ABC Family movie Christmas Bounty, 30 Second Fury takes a look at his devastating finishing manuever, The Skull Crushing Finale.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is scheduled to appear at two events in Indiana on Sunday. At 11:00 a.m., he will be participating in an autograph signing in Cincinnati at the Moeller High School Thanksgiving show and at 8:00 p.m., he will be holding a comedy show at the Laughter House in Muncie.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has officially invited Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to appear on his Steve Austin Show podcast. First, Austin tweeted:
Fixing to talk to my buddy Brian Knobs of the Nasty Boys for #steveaustinshow Unleashed. Should be highly entertaining. Coming soon.
– Antonio Cesaro has once again acknowledged fans who hold up “Cesaro Section” signs at WWE TV tapings. Regarding last night’s Survivor Series, he tweeted:
– Kellan Lutz, who is portraying “Hercules” in a separate film from the one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently starred in, noted in a recent interview that he was unable to get as big as The Rock did for his role. Lutz even went as far as to say, “There’s not enough ‘extra-curricular’ stuff for that.”
Check out the complete interview online at ContactMusic.com.
– WWE Superstar Mark Henry has apparently been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, the site of tonight’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. Henry was seen flying into Boston with WWE agents Billy Kidman and Dean Malenko.
Obviously Henry’s presence in Boston doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be making his return during the show. Some are speculating, however, that he will return to answer the “open challenge” that Ryback is rumored to be a part of on the show tonight.
– WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio made his official WWE return on the special “RAW Country” show on Monday night. Mysterio returned after the main event, which featured CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Goldust, Cody Rhodes & The Usos vs. The Wyatt Family and The Shield. After the babyfaces won the match, The Real Americans hit the ring to help the heels beat them down. Mysterio’s music hit, and out came “Mr. 6-1-9” to help even the score. Mysterio hit his 6-1-9 on two members of the heel team and celebrates with the babyfaces to close the show.
– Part-time WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted on Monday night his memory of debuting with WWE at the Survivor Series pay-per-view back in 1996. The Rock tweeted the following:
– Today (November 18th) marks 1 year since The Shield made their WWE debut. Shield member Seth Rollins is encouraging people to tweet the hashtag #Shieldiversary to show their support.
– Speaking of big debuts, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his WWE debut 17 years ago from yesterday (11/17) at the 1996 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted that he remembers that day well – and The Rock replied:
@JRsBBQ Honored to have you call the match my friend. Hope you're well. Miss ya
– Authentic Apparel Group has announced the launch of a premium line of army style clothing that is officially licensed by the U.S. Army. Former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is endorsing this line to celebrate the U.S. Army’s rich heritage.
“Authentic Apparel Group is about legacy, performance and innovation. I am proud to represent a company that supports and honors the everyday heroes that inspire me,” said Johnson.
– In a sit-down interview with Larry King, former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho chats about his new web series But I’m Chris Jericho, Fozzy and how professional wrestling is a great training ground for acting.
– The following is a new video clip featuring preview footage of this Sunday’s edition of WWE Total Divas:
– As previously reported, part-time WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to star in the new film “Not Without Hope” with is a true story about four friends who were on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico when their boat capsized, stranding them. The Rock tweeted the following on Thursday morning regarding the role:
– Despite the fact that Amazon UK currently has a listing for a Paul Heyman autobiography being released on November 30th, there is no such book.
– A WWE NXT live event is scheduled to take place on Thursday in Tampa, Florida. The main event for the show will feature Billy Gunn and Bo Dallas teaming up to take on Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn.
– Former WWE Superstars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ric Flair and Torrie Wilson are featured in a new Tampa Tribune story about The Boddy Shoppe Gym in Florida. You can check out the piece, which features comments from all three, at TBO.com.
– Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to play Nick Scuyler in the movie “Not Without Hope” – an adaptation of the story of several friends who become stranded at sea when their boat capsized while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
– The upcoming “History of WWE” documentary lists footage from Global Wrestling Federation (early 90’s promotion that aired on ESPN), as well as the Gerogia Championship Wrestling library.
– There will be a Wrestlemania XXX online pre-sale tomorrow morning, starting at 11AM (Eastern). The pre-sale password is WM30TW.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes posted an interesting tweet on his official Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon. Rhodes wrote the following, “If the dots were all that matter[ed], then I wasted 44 years. Where would The Rock be, any many others? Statement made!”
Rhodes is referring to the infamous polka dots he wore during his WWE run in the early 1990s. The ring attire was considered a “rib,” or an inside joke by Vince McMahon to Rhodes, as Rhodes competed against WWE for so long in the original NWA. Rhodes saying, “where would The Rock be?” was apparently a statement regarding the influence his infamous “bionic elbow” had on The Rock, who later popularized his own “People’s Elbow” as a finishing move in many of his WWE matches. Evidence of this can be seen in the conversation following the tweet, as a fan replied by saying, “The ‘People’s Elbow’ [was] inspired by ‘The American Dream’ brotha!” to which Rhodes replied, “so true.”
You can view Rhodes’ initial tweet below:
@WWE If the dots were all that matter then I wasted 44 years , where would The Rock be and many others . Statement made !
– WWE is looking to hire a Vice President of Digital Video Strategy, according to a new tweet posted on the official WWE Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon. WWE tweeted the following:
The following are some highlights from a Jim Ross online Q&A update:
On the way WWE has been concluding their recent PPVs: “I think that the main attractions at PPV should generally be the final chapter of a rivalry or the first installment of a rivalry when possible. Inconclusive finishes should rarely be utilized on any platform. I’ve been blogging about this matter a great deal. I’d suggest that you read my blogs. Thanks.”
On Lord Alfred Hayes: “Always a jovial guy who loved the ladies and his wine. I never worked a territory with Alfred and only for a time in WWE. I thought he always was underrated as a broadcaster and was a good promo guy when he was wrestling.”
On why Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock never happened: “Not sure why HBK vs. Rock never occurred but it would have been good without a doubt.”
On wrestling movies such as Beyond The Mat and The Wrestler: “Sobering. Sad at times. Not a total look at everyone in the business but accurate for some.”
WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to star in yet another big budget Hollywood blockbuster: MGM’s “Seal Team 666.” Johnson will also executive produce the movie, along with his ex-wife/manager Dany Garcia, as well as Brendan Deneen and Peter Joseph of Macmillan Films.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film is based on the book by Weston Ochse, and follows “an elite group of Navy Seals who battle demons and assorted threats and discover that there’s a greater supernatural force bent on destroying the world.”
Seal Team 666 was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, who also wrote The Rock’s upcoming movie release Hercules. There is no director attached to the film at this time.
Johnson recently wrapped Hercules, is now shooting Fast & Furious 7 and recently signed on to star in the 3D Disaster film “San Andreas” and a new reality series for TNT titled, “The Wake Up Call.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is tapping into motivational speaking for his role in the new TNT television project, “The Wake Up Call.”
Casting for “The Wake Up Call” will be held in South Florida, according to a Miami New Times article. At the same time, The Rock will be working on a new HBO television project that will film in his hometown of Miami, Florida.
According to the aforementioned article, the casting department for “The Wake Up Call” are seeking regular people who are “challenged by life and not able to find their way out,” which could manifest itself in a number of ways, according to the casting call.
The pitch reads, “If you know someone who needs help in a major way, submit today! We are looking for every day Americans in life situations who are ready for a change of fate and a stroke of luck.”
The casting call will conclude “with 4 a.m. wake-up calls, emotional reunions, and near-impossible goals, everyone who comes in contact with The Rock’s electric sense of personal motivation will grow from it, finding inner strength and heart.”
-There will be a pro wrestling legends show on Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio at the Covelli Center featuring “Rowdy” Roddy Piper holding a “Piper’s Pit” segment with fellow WWE Hall Of Famer “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart. Also scheduled to appear at the event are Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Marty Jannetty, Bushwhacker Luke and Tatanka.
-The following is another excerpt from the recent John Cena interview with the New Orleans Times-Picayune. This time, Cena discusses his recent matches with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania:
“I really got to live a dream the past few years having some big marquee matchups with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. And when you rub elbows with a guy like The Rock, you truly are in the company of the greatest of all-time. It was like watching a prize fight where everyone is just throwing haymakers. For us to be interactive over a 2 1/2 year span, it was pretty impressive, especially in this day and age. It was a dream scenario for me.”
You can read the complete interview online at NOLA.com.
– Speaking to Rodolfo Roman, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio revealed that his dream WrestleMania match would be against The Undertaker. The Mexican grappler also promised a victory over John Cena tonight at Hell in a Cell. Here Del Rio discuss this, and mixed martial arts below:
– As reported on Thursday, TNT is continuing its relationship with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as the cable network has ordered Wake Up Call to series. The former WWE Champion addressed the series in a message on Twitter on Saturday.
“Excited to partner w/ TNT again to create cool positive programming. #WakeUpCall #InspirationAndAssKickins,” he wrote.
The synopsis for the series is as follows: Wake Up Call will feature Johnson lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives, whether they be dead-beat dads, sports teams that don’t gel, or business owners struggling to survive. Johnson will bring his own brand of motivation to each group of people, from 4 a.m. wake-up calls, to emotional reunions and goal setting.
– “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan turned 64-years-old on Saturday.
