– Here’s an updated look at The Rock’s upcoming movie release schedule, courtesy of IMDB.com:
* February 22 – “Snitch”
* March 29 – “G.I. Joe”
* April 26 – “Pain and Gain”
* May 24 – “Fast 6”
* June 10 – “Empire State”
When you consider how many movies he has coming out in the coming months and how much promotional work he’ll be doing for each one, it’s amazing how many dates he’s committed to appear on WWE television in the buildup to the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 29:
– BlackFilm.com is reporting that the upcoming the WWE Studios film “The Hive”starring Halle Berry and features WWE star David Otunga, has been renamed “The Call.”
The movie also has a new release date, and will premiere in theaters on March 15th.
– The Rock has been added to another WWE television show this winter, the February 12th SmackDown taping from Little Rock, Arkansas.
– Former WWE Tag Team champion Paul London has joined Twitter and can be followed at @Lonodnfu. He is currently taking independent bookings at LonestarBookings@gmail.com.
– YouTube user Mangler989 has posted his annual video looking at the WWE Superstars and Divas who were “Future Endeavored” during the year:
This is the Class of 2012 Future Endeavors. It includes all TV personalities with the exception of NXT. Since the official merge with FCW, NXT is now the training ground, so they are not on this list.
The Rule: If you worked for WWE and you are no longer employed by the WWE, than you make the list. It doesn’t matter if you quit, got fired, or didn’t resign a contract. The bottom line is you are no longer with the WWE. To make it easier: BLUE= left on their own, RED= terminated by the company.
– The latest episode of JBL’s The John Layfield Show (with guest host Michael Cole) is now online, with the WWE announcers talking about the Fiscal Cliff, Athlete of the year, 2012 recap and the economy. You can listen at WebTalkRadio.net.
– Local ads in the Houston, Texas market are promoting that The Rock will be appearing at the 20th Anniversary RAW special on Monday, January 14th.
– Speaking of The Rock, here’s WWE’s video promo hyping his return to RAW next week (1/7):
– Ted DiBiase injured one of the fingers on his left hand Thursday night’s WWE SmackDown live event from Chicago, according to f4wonline.com. This is the reason SmackDown agent Jamie Noble was brought in to wrestle Fandango in DiBiase’s place.
– The Rock bought his mother a new Cadillac truck for Christmas. Aside from being such a generous gift, The Rock noted on Twitter why the truck has a deeper significance for them:
“At 14 I saw my mom crying about our only car being repossessed. This felt good. #MerryXmasMom”
– With next year’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the company plans to pay homage to the famous area.
Besides Mick Foley likely being enshrined, there is discussion of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) being inducted, according to F4WOnline.com. Johnson made his debut at the famous arena in 1996, while Harlem Heat was a New York-based gimmick. In the case of The Nasty Boys, who hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania, the two were billed from “The Streets of New York City” during their time in World Championship Wrestling.
Company officials would also like to honor Owen Hart, who defeated Bret Hart in a memorable WrestleMania match at Madison Square Garden in 1994. Despite the push for Owen, the enshrinement is unlikely to materialize because his widow would not allow it. Hart’s brother Smith revealed on Twitter earlier this year, “Because she blames the wrestling business in its entirety for his death. “She is the sole owner of his estate. With Martha, there will never B a way, perhaps his kids may eventually make the choice. But thats at least 20 yrs in future.”
Plus, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, is said to “desperately” want Bruno Sammartino enshrined, but it’s considered a long shot for a multitude of reasons.
– Though WWE has attempted to distance themselves from Chris Benoit since his career and life ended in a murder–suicide on June 24, 2007, the recently released WWE Encyclopedia features a sizable entry on the late wrestler. According to F4WOnline.com, this move has many people in WWE “baffled,” with his entry taking up more than half of a page.
The bio acknowledges Benoit emulating Dynamite Kid after seeing compete when he was 12-years-old, training in Stu Harts’s famous Dungeon, wrestling all over the world, making a name for himself in WCW before jumping to WWE, and fulfilling his destiny when he captured the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX in a Triple Threat Match versus Triple H and Shawn Michaels. There is no acknowledgment of the double murder/suicide, though he is addressed in the past tense.
The Rock is now confirmed for the January 22nd SmackDown taping from the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. The Sleep Train Arena is hyping The Rock’s appearance for the final SmackDown taping prior to the Royal Rumble:
“The Rock has been added to the card… This WWE Smackdown guarantees to be an electrifying show as ‘The Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment,’ THE ROCK, will be in Sleep Train Arena LIVE! Here is your chance to witness ‘The Great One’ lay the smack down!”
With that appearance set, here’s an updated look at The Rock’s scheduled appearances for WWE in early 2013:
– 1/7: RAW TV from Tampa, FL
– 1/8: SmackDown TV taping from Miami, FL
– 1/21: RAW TV from San Jose, CA
– 1/22. SmackDown TV from Sacramento, CA
– 1/27: Royal Rumble PPV from Phoenix, AZ
– 1/28: RAW TV from Las Vegas, NV.
– 2/17: Elimination Chamber PPV from New Orleans, LA
– 2/18: RAW TV from Lafayette, LA
The Rock will also be appearing at WrestleMania 29 in April and will likely be on several RAW and SmackDown broadcasts leading up to Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 29.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ranks among “Hollywood’s Best Actors For The Buck.”
Forbes published an article Wednesday ranking stars that offer Hollywood the best return on their investment and it is estimated that the actor/wrestler returned $22.70 for every dollar he was paid for his last three starring roles. By comparison, Natalie Portman, the best investment of 2012, drew 42.70 times what she was paid. Overall, Johnson ranked No. 8., also trailing Kristen Stewart ($40.60), Shia LaBeouf ($35.80), Robert Pattinson ($31.70), Daniel Radcliffe ($30.50), Taylor Lautner ($29.50) and Bradley Cooper ($25.00).
– Tickets for the 2013 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony go on sale Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. The pre-sale kicks off Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 10:30 p.m. and ends Friday, January 11, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. The password is FAMOUS.
Price range from $55.00 to $155.00. The annual event takes place Saturday, April 6, 2013 in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
– Dennis Knight, who appeared as Mideon and Phineas Godwinn in WWE, turns 44-years-old Wednesday.
On Monday’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW, Ryback interrupted a promo by CM Punk and Paul Heyman to once again challenge Punk to a TLC match for the WWE Championship at the first live RAW of 2013 on January 7th. You can see video of that challenge below.
WWE officials are still going back and forth as to whether the CM Punk vs. Ryback TLC match will actually take place on the show. CM Punk is still scheduled to defend the WWE Championship match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble, so he won’t be dropping the title to Ryback on 1/7.
Ryback losing another WWE Championship match is also not doing his character’s momentum any favors. The TLC stipulation would allow for Ryback to lose the match without getting pinned or submitting, but the possibility remains that the match somehow does not take place.
The Rock being in the house adds another dimension to the Punk vs. Ryback TLC match. While there are no plans for Ryback to wrestle The Rock any time soon, the “possibility” of Ryback defeating CM Punk for the WWE Championship to set up a Ryback vs. Rock match is something WWE is sure to tease that night.
Here’s the video from RAW of Ryback’s latest challenge to Punk:
– Here’s the latest video from DDP TV, featuring a special reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas:
The Accountability Crib is full of Christmas cheer, and what better way to spread it than by a reading of the classic Christmas tale by two legends of the ring, and Louie, with a bit of a twist!
– The Miami Herald is reporting that The Rock has been officially added to the first two WWE television tapings of 2013.
The Rock will be appearing on the January 7th edition of WWE RAW from Tampa, Florida. That show will also feature CM Punk defending the WWE Championship against Ryback in a TLC match.
The Rock will also be appearing at the following night’s SmackDown tapings from his hometown of Miami, Florida (airing 1/11).
– Last night’s WWE Tribute to the Troops 10th anniversary special on the USA Network drew 2.34 million viewers. By comparison, Tuesday night’s Super SmackDown show drew 3.33 million viewers.
– Zack Ryder noted on Twitter that today marks five years since he and former tag team partner Curt Hawkins (formerly known as the Major Brothers) were declared “Edgeheads” by WWE Hall of Famer Edge:
In Rochester, NY…5 years ago here The Major Brothers became @ZackRyder & @TheCurtHawkins #Edgeheads
– WWE Divas champion Eve Torres has posted a series of exclusive pictures from when she, John Cena and other WWE superstars visited the United States Navy during the Tribute to the Troops weekend earlier this month. You can view the photos at EveTorres.com.
– A fan asked The Rock on Twitter if he’d ever consider writing a fitness book. The Rock replied that he’s actually working on his second memoir:
@coalminingkiser Thanks man! Writing my second memoir now. The fitness idea is a great one too and will do that as well down the road.
– The first movie trailer has been released for the Michael Bay bodybuilder movie, “Pain & Gain” starring Dwayne “The rock” Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. The movie hits theaters in the US on April 26, 2013:
– WWE has commented on the news of their video game publisher, THQ, filing for bankruptcy:
“WWE is following the developments of THQ’s bankruptcy filing today and proposed sale under Bankruptcy Code Section 363. The Company anticipates actively participating within this proceeding.”
– With all the talk of The Rock and John Cena heading for a WrestleMania rematch in April, The Rock says the idea of another showdown with Cena has a “good ring to it.”
On Tuesday, The Rock tweeted, “When you succeed – embrace & enjoy it. When you fail – honor & respect it. #OurFailuresLeadUsToOurSuccesses.” John Cena re-tweeted the message, saying, “Can’t believe I’m doing this but couldn’t say it better myself ”
Today, The Rock commented on John Cena endorsing his tweet and dropped another hint that we could see them back in the ring one day:
@JohnCena Not surprised at all you'd RT something positive. The "Steel Horse" is a good man. Brahma Bull vs Steel Horse. Good ring to it..
Hollywood/WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continues to train for his upcoming match against WWE Champion CM Punk at next month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The Rock says he’s going to kick Punk’s ass – and from the looks of the picture he just tweeted, we wouldn’t want to be Punk right now.
Sometimes the most important victories are just for yourself. LEGS.
– Prior to WWE’s TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chair broadcast, JTG beat David Otunga via Da Shout Out in a dark match. JTG, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, the site of the show, received a good reaction from the hometown crowd.
The announced attendance for WWE’s first event at the Barclays Center was sold-out crowd of 15,748.
– WWE has released the trailer for its next pay-per-view event, Royal Rumble, taking place January 27, 2013. Advertising for the event is centered on the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who vowed to challenge for the WWE Championship.
– Josh Matthews issued the following Tout promoting tomorrow’s Slammy Awards edition of Raw.
– With WWE Champion CM Punk currently recovering from his knee surgery and out of action for several more weeks, WWE has made some significant changes to lineup for the upcoming 12/27 live event at Madison Square Garden. That’s great news for CM Punk, but not great news for his associate, Paul Heyman.
The previous main event, CM Punk vs. Ryback in a steel cage, has been scrapped. John Cena will now wrestle Dolph Ziggler in the steel cage.
As for Ryback, he’ll now be wrestling … Paul Heyman. While wrestling in Madison Square Garden might be a dream come true for Heyman, he will certainly have his hands full with Ryback.
– Here is the new trailer for “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” starring The Rock:
– WWE is now advertising that The Rock will be at February’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The Rock has been added to WWE’s listing for the event on the WWE.com Live Events page. Previously, The Rock’s appearance was only being advertised by the website of the arena hosting the show, the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
– Justin Roberts and Dolph Ziggler were courtside at Wednesday night’s Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game. You can see pictures of them at the game here.
– Peter Rosenberg of New York’s Hot 97 hip hop radio station conducted an exclusive sit-down interview with WWE World Heavyweight champion the Big Show.
“We discuss his relationship with Randy Savage, his incredible run with Mark Henry last year, his complaints about workers today, and a prediction on Hulk Hogan appearing at Wrestlemania XXX and much more!”
– The Rock is going to have a very busy early 2013, with several movies to promote as well as many appearances for WWE and promotion his new “Hero” reality show that premieres on TNT in February.
The Rock is currently scheduled to appear at WWE RAW on January 7th, 21st and 28th, as well as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber PPVs. The January 7th episode of RAW will be going up against the college football BCS Championship game, so WWE will be counting on The Rock’s appearance that to prevent the RAW rating from bottoming out again.
– With Ryback guaranteed a WWE Championship match against CM Punk in the coming weeks, there are conflicting reports as to when the match will take place. Originally, it was thought that CM Punk vs. Ryback would headline the 20th Anniversary of RAW episode of January 14th.
However, that leaves only 2 weeks to end CM Punk’s feud with Ryback and go full force with Punk vs. The Rock. There is now talk of CM Punk vs. Ryback taking place on the January 7th episode of RAW and immediately switching gears that night to Punk’s feud with The Rock.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
CM Punk vs. The Rock: “Already getting questions about what attraction will close the show at WWE Royal Rumble, @CMPunk vs. @TheRock or the Rumble match? I haven’t a clue nor do I care as either choice would be fine with me but if I had to guess I’d guess it would be the WWE Title bout. Again, don’t know and don’t care as I will be watching one of my favorite PPV events of the year.”
“My guess is that Punk will push Rock inside the ring from bell to bell unlike Rock has been pushed since, arguably, the @steveaustinBSR days. That’s not taking any thing away from @JohnCena who wrestles at a different pace that Austin did or Punk likes to. How does even an athlete as gifted as @TheRock prepare for what awaits inside the 20 foot ring? Cardio is great but nothing replicates wrestling long matches better than wrestling long matches.”
The Shield: “Who would have thought a month or so ago that three, young talents from NXT would be in a high profile. WWE PPV bout this coming Sunday? Not me but one of the primary reasons that I’m buying, yes I pay retail, the TLC PPV is to see how #TheShield performs. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns have found themselves in the right place at the right time. Many talents have waited an entire career for that to occur.”
NXT Star Kassius Ohno: “I’d be shocked if he’s not an key player on the WWE primary roster in 2013. The world traveler is a smart, strategic, focused athlete who seems to be fully invested in getting to the next level and staying there. “
WWE superstar and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson conducted a Twitter Q&A with his fans on Sunday. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:
Wrestling CM Punk at the Royal Rumble
“I can’t wait to face @CMPunk for the @WWE Championship at Royal Rumble. Been training for months for this moment.”
What He Wants for Christmas:
“For Christmas I want what every man wants.. Silly manly toys, happy family, good food & good lovin’.”
His New “Hero” Reality Show On TNT:
“I wanted to create @TheHeroTNT to entertain millions & give people a shot at personal greatness. We shoot in FEB!”
His Movies Coming Out In 2013:
“Im excited for all my 2013 movies: SNITCH, GI JOE, PAIN & GAIN & FAST 6. Tons of hard work & eager for you to see.”
“Michael Bay’s PAIN & GAIN is a very unique & cool movie. The most challenging role I’ve ever played. April 2013.”
“FAST 6 is gonna be killer. Stakes are higher, cars are cooler and Im tougher than a 2 dollar steak well done.”
– In WWE’s latest Countdown video feature, WWE counts down the ten most shocking returns in company history. The Rock, John Cena, Vince McMahon and others are featured.
– Chris Jericho, who is currently working on his third autobiography covering his 2007 return to WWE and beyon, noted on Twitter Sunday that it is coming along “very slowly.”
– Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy garnered 59,266 in social media activity, down 2% from the prior week’s show.
– The late Bad News Brown is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– After undergoing immediate knee surgery Tuesday and being released from the hospital late in the evening, WWE Champion CM Punk was telling people close to him that he felt excellent. Punk contacted WWE officials and informed them he would be able to compete against Ryback at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Management, however, felt otherwise, stating it would be best if he did not compete at the pay-per-view event. They wanted him to bow out of the show and rest as to not jeopardize bigger, upcoming matches.
Punk will continue to appear on WWE programming while he heals.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be chatting with fans Sunday afternoon via Twitter.
“Inspiration, information & a good dirty joke. Been too long.. you & me LIVE! SUNDAY 1pm EST,” he announced Saturday.
– Former WWE superstar John Morrison will be appearing for Dragon Gate USA at their January 25th, 2013 event at the Lakeview Jr. High School in Santa Maria, California. DGUSA will release further details after Saturday’s EVOLVE 18 iPPV. Morrison has been rumored to be interested in returning to WWE
– The new poster for The Rock’s upcoming movie, “GI Joe: Retaliation” can be seen below (click to enlarge). The movie hits theaters in the United States on March 29, 2013.
– Here is Episode 26 of WWE’s “Outside The Ring” YouTube show, featuring Brad Maddox and his quest to earn a WWE contract:
“Just how determined is Brad Maddox to get that coveted WWE contract? Get inside his head in this edition of “Outside the Ring,” and watch how he tries to make his WWE dreams come true …”
– We noted earlier this week that John Cena was battling some sort of illness at Monday’s RAW. PWInsider.com reports that Cena was battling food poisoning, which is quite possibly the least fun thing ever. It’s believed Cena got sick while traveling on the road.
– As previously reported, The Rock has been advertised to appear at the WWE RAW the night after the Royal Rumble (1/28) and on February 18th. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that The Rock is also booked for RAW on January 7th and the RAW the week before the Royal Rumble (1/21).
– It appears that Ring of Honor star Mike Bennett could be working with WWE sooner than later. Bennett’s girlfriend, former WWE Diva, Maria Kanellis, tweeted the following on Thursday night:
