– Check out the following clip from Steve Austin’s new action movie, “The Package,” which will be out on DVD & Blu-Ray on February 19th.
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson and written by Derek Kolstad, THE PACKAGE features Austin as Tommy Wick, a nightclub bouncer and enforcer for Seattle crime boss Big Doug (Eric Keenleyside, Dreamcatcher, Firewall). When Big Doug instructs Tommy to hand-deliver a secret package to the mysterious international crime lord “The German,” (Lundgren), he does so with the hopes that Big Doug will forgive the debt Tommy’s brother Eddie (Lochlyn Munroe, White Chicks, Freddy vs. Jason) owes.
Word of the clandestine delivery spreads and soon “the package” — and those who carry it — becomes the target of rival gang leader Anthony (Michael Daingerfield, The Messengers). Anthony will stop at nothing to ensure its capture. Facing incredible odds, Tommy races against the ticking clock — and a small army of hit men, mercenaries, assassins and sadists — to complete delivery. But does The German have other ideas about what to do with the package?
– WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his mark at the NFL Super Bowl, with several commercials airing during the broadcast for his upcoming movies, as well as his “Got Milk?” ad. According to research agency Zimmerman Advertising, The Rock starred in two of the 5 most effective ads that aired during the Super Bowl. A 30-second spot during this year’s big NFL game cost between $3.5-4 million.
– WWE’s 12/31 New Year’s Eve edition of RAW had around 430,000 homes watching on DVR, a whopping 16.3% of the audience. This is the highest DVR viewership % for RAW on record. The next week, 1/7, had 304,000 homes (9.1%) watching via DVR.
– Despite the fact that WWE pulled the plug on the recent Intercontinental Cup tournament that was scheduled to take place on Main Event, there is talk of having the Wednesday night show focus on the IC title, much like RAW is based around the WWE title and SmackDown is based on the World Heavyweight title.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson touted the ratings success of Raw since becoming WWE Champion at Royal Rumble.
He tweeted Wednesday, “People’s Era – highest #RAW ratings in over a year. @WWE Universe’s powerful voice. #WeBringIt.”
Last week’s post-Royal Rumble show drew a 3.68 cable rating and averaged 5.02 million viewers over the course of three hours. Not including the heavily promoted 1,000th episode of Raw, the numbers are the show’s highest marks since the night after WrestleMania XXVII in 2011. This week’s show also drew high viewership with a 3.56 cable rating and 4.81 million viewers.
– Prior to Raw Monday in Atlanta, Georgia, WWE held a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying rally at Hope-Hill Elementary School. Stephanie McMahon, Kofi Kingston, Layla and Hornswoggle appeared. WWE has released footage from the event.
– The longest-running WWE Champion of all-time, Bruno Sammartino, who was announced on Monday as the latest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
– Conspicuous by his absence Monday on Raw was that of WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “The Great One” addressed addressed his whereabouts in a Twitter message Tuesday.
After a fan asked, “where was you? #Raw without The Rock isnt the same!!!”, Johnson replied, “I feel you bro. I was on tour. No rest for the warriors. I’ll be back this Monday! #JustBringIt.”
Johnson returns to Raw next Monday in in Nashville, Tennessee and is also advertised for the following evening’s SmackDown taping in Little Rock, Arkansas.
– WWE officials were pleased with the “Shooting Straight” panels at Royal Rumble Fan Fest, which offered fans the opportunity to hear inside stories about the Montreal Screwjob, D-Generation X and WCW. Expect similar panels to be held at upcoming Fan Fests.
– Ringside Collectibles has released a video previewing the Chris Jericho WWE Elite Series 20 Mattel Toy Wrestling Action Figure, which is the first ever Mattel WWE Figure that glows in the dark. It is available for pre-order at RingsideCollectibles.com and will be officially released in March.
– The Rock has once again addressed the WWE locker room on Twitter in response to reports that there are several wrestlers who resent that he’s back with the company in such a big way:
Thank U @WWE Superstars for the awesome welcoming me back & getting the "big picture" plan. You're true locker room leaders! #RoadToMania
– Last week’s WWE SmackDown averaged 2.97 million viewers, which is down from 3.03 million the previous week.
– WWE has reportedly pulled Terry Funk from an appearance for Pro Wrestling Syndicate during WrestleMania 29 weekend, according to PWInsider.com. Funk will be doing an autograph signing at the WWE AXXESS fan fest and is rumored to be Mick Foley’s Hall of Fame inductor.
New WWE champion The Rock wasn’t at Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl from New Orleans, but he did have several connections to the big event, including commercials that aired during the show and a former college football teammate winning the big game. The Rock tweeted the following about Ray Lewis winning a Super Bowl championship during his final NFL game:
As Miami teammates Ray Lewis told me he'd become the greatest linebacker ever to play..
When the power went out at the Super Dome for nearly 35 minutes during the third quarter, The Rock responded to a fan that the game could use the most “electrifying” man in Sports Entertainment:
On my way..RT: @Glassjaw13: U know @TheRock could bring power back on. He's the most ELECTRIFYING MAN in ALL of entertainment #SB47"
A trailer aired during the game for The Rock’s upcoming Fast 6 movie (opening May 24th), which you can view below. Around the 37-second mark, you’ll notice The Rock delivering a Doomsday Device to a jabronie:
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Marty Jannetty (53) and WWE Hall of Famer Dory Funk Jr. (72). Today would have been the 53rd birthday for the late WWE Hall of Famer Kerry Von Erich.
– WWE held their annual “Pre-Game Pandemonium” live events this afternoon prior to this evening’s NFL Super Bowl. RAW held a show from Birmingham, Alabama while SmackDown was in Augusta, Georgia.
– The Rock tweeted the following picture of himself with the WWE Championship over the weekend during a photo shoot for his new reality competition show on TNT, The Hero:
The Rock and CM Punk were rehearsing their Royal Rumble match on Sunday afternoon in the hours leading up to the Royal Rumble. The finish was kept top secret from the rest of the WWE locker room – with WWE even hanging a curtain around the ring so nobody else would know what the finish would be.
Some CM Punk fans were upset that Punk was pinned after getting hit by the People’s Elbow, opposed to a Rock Bottom, which is a more devastating move. The reasoning behind this is that CM Punk was ranting about how the “people don’t matter,” so The Rock beat him with the People’s Elbow.
The Rock will give the WWE Championship a ton of exposure as he makes the media rounds to promote his upcoming movie releases in the months leading up to WrestleMania 29.
– The April 16th WWE Smackdown taping on has been moved to the Thompson-Boling Arena at the University Of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The show was originally booked for the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.
– The Rock tweeted the following preview of his upcoming Got Milk? Super Bowl commercial
The most dangerous Super Bowl commercial of all time!
– The dark match main event advertised for next week’s WWE RAW from Atlanta, GA will see John Cena & Ryback teaming up against CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler.
– WWE Champion The Rock is currently not scheduled to be at next week’s RAW. This is one of the only shows he is not advertised for through WrestleMania.
– Following his return to WWE television and his attack on Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar is confirmed for next week’s RAW.
Lesnar is also confirmed to appear at the February 25th RAW from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
– WWE superstars The Rock and John Cena granted Make-A-Wish wishes before Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view from Phoenix, Arizona. WWE.com has posted a photo gallery of the “Circle of Champions” event, with Rock and Cena meeting sick children.
– Here is the latest Backstage Fallout video featuring interviews from Monday’s RAW Roulette show:
WWE NXT standout Bo Dallas tells the WWE Universe what it was like to beat Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett. Plus, what does Zack Ryder think of The Great Khali’s karaoke act?
During the WWE Championship match at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, the lights went out and The Rock was brutally attacked and led to him being pinned by CM Punk, before Vince McMahon came out and restarted the match.
There are some conspiracy theories going around that it might have been somebody else that put The Rock through the announcer’s table when the lights went out, but we’ve got proof that it was in fact The Shield.
When the lights went out, The Shield came from under the ring, delivered their signature triple powerbomb and then went back under the ring. Luckily for us a few flashbulbs went off, revealing the identity of The Rock’s attackers –
– We reported last week that The Rock has signed on for a new movie titled, “Teddy Bear,” which is based off an illustration by software engineer Alex Panagopoulos. The picture, which depicts a teddy bear protecting a sleeping child and fighting off an evil monster, is titled “Sweet Halloween Dreams” and can be viewed here.
– Mick Foley announced that he’ll be appearing on an upcoming episode of the Nerdist podcast.
– In response to rumors that he would be appearing as a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Shelton Benjamin tweeted on Sunday night, “Hey is the rumble over? How’d I do?” Benjamin was in Phoenix over the weekend and stayed at the same hotel as the WWE Crew, but was only in town to work an indy show.
From Friday’s SmackDown, CM Punk confronts the Shield and tells them not to interfere in his match at the Royal Rumble. The Rock tells CM Punk he doesn’t believe he’s not behind the Shield’s attack on him at RAW.
CM Punk takes care of business with The Shield and then has one final faceoff with The Rock before their WWE Championship Match at Royal Rumble 2013.
– WWE.com has an article up looking at the 15 worst ring names in pro wrestling history, including the Red Rooster (Terry Taylor), the Ringmaster (Steve Austin), Dr. Isaac Yankem (Kane), G.I. Bro (Booker T) and others.
– Sin Cara tweeted that he’s currently in Phoenix, Arizona for the Royal Rumble:
– During a media conference call this week to promote the Royal Rumble, SmackDown general manager spoke about a possible Harlem Heat reunion with his brother Stevie Ray:
“I think people would want to see it. I know it was talked about reuniting Harlem Heat. You know as far as it being possible for Hall of Fame it would have been a great honor. But I’m looking forward to my brother and I coming back together and giving the fans that one last look at a team that was so great. And I think it’s something that we need to do more than something that we have to do.”
– The latest WWE Countdown YouTube video looks at Feats of Strength:
– In preparation for his match against WWE Champion CM Punk this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, The Rock is training with 3rd generation WWE superstar Michael McGillicutty. The Rock tweeted on Thursday:
The question is – who will be more prepared for this Sunday’s match – The Rock training with Michael McGuillicutty, or CM Punk training with Al Bundy?
– According to WWEDVDNews.com, former WWE announcer and TV host Todd Pettengill was recently spotted at WWE Headquarters in Stamford and is rumored to be hosting the upcoming “Best of In Your House” DVD set that will be released on April 30th.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include former WWE Diva Michelle McCool (33) and WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man (60).
The Rock’s next movie to be released, “G.I. JOE: Retaliation” will be presented in IMAX 3D starting on March 28th. Here’s the official press release from Paramount Pictures:
PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ G.I. JOE: RETALIATION INVADES IMAX® 3D THEATRES BEGINNING MARCH 28
LOS ANGELES — IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX) and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) and Skydance Productions, in association with Hasbro, today announced that G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the action-packed follow-up to the 2009 box office hit G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released to select IMAX® theatres internationally starting March 28 and for a one week run in North America beginning March 29.
“Dwayne Johnson has resonated well with IMAX fans, and we believe his strong global appeal, coupled with the action spectacle of G.I. Joe: Retaliation in IMAX 3D is sure to excite moviegoers,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment.
The IMAX release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
– The official website of the Wells Fargo Center is advertising Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for Raw taking place at the venue on March 25.
Other WWE events Johnson is advertised to appear at include: January 27: Royal Rumble in Phoenix, Arizona; January 28: Raw in Las Vegas, Nevada; February 11: Raw in Nashville, Tennessee; February 12: SmackDown in Little Rock, Arkansas; February 17: Elimination Chamber in New Orleans, Louisiana; February 18: Raw in Lafayette, Louisiana; March 4: Raw in Buffalo, New York; April 1: Raw in Washington, D.C.; April 7: WrestleMania 29 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
– WWE composer Jim Johnston revealed his 10 favorite entrance themes during an interview with WWE.com. In no particular order, the list includes themes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Randy Orton, The Prime Time Players, D-Generation X, Hakushi, Ultimate Warrior, Maria, Val Venis, Triple H and The Undertaker.
Despite creating music for WWE since 1985, Johnston still finds composing entrance themes challenging at times.
“The whole process of composing is a mystery. I don’t really know where it comes from,” Johnston said. “Sometimes I’ll sit down and something just shows up. As an example, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s theme came really fast. I just picked up a guitar and played that groove. Very easy. It’s most difficult to me when an individual doesn’t have a lot of personality.”
– Following Rey Mysterio’s return to action at last Friday’s Raw live event in Los Angeles, California, WWE officials say there is currently no scheduled date for his full-time return. According to the Wrestling Observer, there has been talk of Mysterio returning this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, or at least at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in San Diego, California.
– The official television commercial for Pain & Gain, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Wahlberg, has been released. The Michael Bay-directed film will be released in theaters on April 26.
– In attendance notes: Friday’s Raw live event at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, drew 11,000 for $450,000. Saturday’s Raw show in Ontario, California, drew 7,000 paying $255,000. Sunday’s joint show in Fresno, California, drew 6,500 for $200,000. Last Thursday’s SmackDown live event in Anchorage, Alaska, drew 5,700 for $230,000. Friday’s SmackDown show in Fairbanks, Alaska, drew 3,000 for $135,000. Saturday’s SmackDown show in Stockton, California drew 4,500 for $125,000.
– The Hollywood Reporter reports that WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is attached to produce and potentially star in a film tentatively titled “Teddy Bear.” Movie concepts are derived from a wide variety of inspirations, such as dreams. The idea for “Teddy Bear” came from a drawing. THR reports:
“The picture in question was drawn by Alex Panagopoulos, a Greek software engineer turned fantasy artist. It features a little girl asleep in bed while a small brown teddy bear — brandishing a laughably small wooden sword and shield — holds an enormous, fanged monster at bay. And in the fashion of a motivational poster, a caption reads “Teddy Bears: Protecting innocent children from monsters under the bed since 1902.”
– Dolph Ziggler is currently “down under,” doing promotional work for WWE in Australia. Ziggler visited the Westmead Children’s Hospital on Tuesday and tweeted the following:
hangin with some REAL superstars! thanks to westmead childrens hospital in sydney & @TLCforChildrenAUS http://t.co/Bsc9DYgk
– Jim Ross noted on Twitter that he’s currently battling the flu.
– WWE.com has published an “injury update” on The Rock, which is basically a story-line driven piece talking about The Shield attacking him on RAW and Vince McMahon announcing that CM Punk will be stripped of the WWE Championship if The Shield interferes in their match at the Royal Rumble. After The Rock tweeted that he suffered internal bleeding on Monday night, the article speculates whether The Rock’s injuries are worse than he’s letting on.
– Paul Heyman tweeted a picture on Tuesday afternoon of CM Punk holding the WWE Championship on RAW with the caption, “The belt itself leaves a lot to be desired, but that title means EVERYTHING!” WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin replied to the tweet, “Wow. Agreed.”