Posts Tagged ‘The Rock’

WWE Stars’ Dream Tag Team Partners, The Rock Supports Punk

— Alex Riley, Brodus Clay, David Otunga and Natalya answer your Twitter questions in the latest episode of WWE Inbox. This week’s questions are: “Do you have any pre-show superstitions you must do?” and “If you could team up with any WWE Superstar or Diva, dead or alive, who would it be?”

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— CM Punk responded to a report published here Monday stating that WWE officials are concerned with him being “too small” to adequately face Brock Lesnar in a potential match-up as well as his “battered” appearance backstage. He wrote, “Dirt sheets can call me small, skinny, beat up, road-tired, fat, ugly, no friends etc…everyone else calls me champ. Everyone.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson saw his message and showed his support for the WWE Champion.

“Amen,” Johnson wrote to Punk. “The credit will always belong to the man who is actually in the arena” #KeepDoingItStrongChamp.”

— The advertised main event for the June 18 Raw SuperShow at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island is WWE Champion CM Punk, John Cena and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, Kane and Mark Henry.

Is Punk Too Small To Face Lesnar?, Ziggler On Rock Comment

— CM Punk has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Brock Lesnar but there is concern among WWE officials as to whether it would be an equal match-up due to their difference in size. Lesnar is seen as a “beast” whereas Punk is considered relatively skinny for a top level WWE Superstar. Furthermore, management wants Lesnar’s programs to be box office bonanzas and Punk is seen at best fifth in the pecking order, behind The Rock, John Cena, Triple H and Undertaker. There is also concern over Punk’s appearance backstage; he has been described as walking around looking like he just walked out of a car accident. Officials notice this as he often walks around backstage with a heat pack or an ice pack in tow and generally looks beaten and battered.

— Dolph Ziggler appeared to take a passive aggressive shot at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson over The Great One’s limited schedule with WWE last week via Twitter. A user wrote to the WWE Superstar, “Couldn’t decide which flexforce WWE figure to buy between your action figure and @therock ‘s.. chose the rock in the end!” Ziggler responded, “Typical, just make sure you only play with it 4-5 times a year….” Ziggler addressed his remarks gaining attention on wrestling news websites.

“glad my #ATH session where i answer 200 questions while on a treadmill took 1 of my 100 jokes & made it “news” #getoverit,” Ziggler wrote. He added in a separate post that he thought his comment was pretty funny and those upset should get a sense of humor.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

The Rock Asked If Wrestling’s Fake, Laurinaitis’ Break In Wrestling

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has addressed the long asked question: “Is Wrestling fake?”

His Twitter response to the question was, “Only when I lose my friend..”

— Former WWE talent Luke Williams (a/k/a “Bushwhacker” Luke) recalls giving WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis his start in the professional wrestling industry during an interview with SportsTownChicago.com.

“We broke him in the business,” Williams said of Laurinaitis, who broke into the National Wrestling Alliance in 1986 as a flagbearer for The Sheepherders. “We were in NWA and he came in and Dusty [Rhodes] put him with us. Dusty was the booker at the time and he put him with us to learn the business. When he first started, he carried our flag and after a year or so, we went into the six-man’s and all that. John is a very educated man; he’s got a bachelor’s in business. I left in 1988 to go to WWE and he went to WCW and teamed up with Shane Douglas.”

— WrestlingFigs.com reports Jerry “The King” Lawler will appear at Pulp Comics 4413 Queen St. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada on May 5 from noon to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 905-353-0666 or e-mail info@pulpcomics.ca.

Dolph Ziggler Takes Dig At The Rock, Nikki Ends Losing Streak

— Dolph Ziggler took a passive aggressive shot at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson over The Great One’s limited schedule with WWE via Twitter.

A Twitter user wrote to the WWE Superstar this week, “Couldn’t decide which flexforce WWE figure to buy between your action figure and @therock ‘s.. chose the rock in the end!” Ziggler responded, “Typical, just make sure you only play with it 4-5 times a year….”

— After backing Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, Nikki Bella was put in a match against Beth Phoenix on Friday’s SmackDown while her sister Brie was given the night off. Kelly Kelly distracted The Glamazon at ringside, causing her to lose concentration. Nikki capitalized on the situation by hitting Phoenix with the Bella Buster for the pinfall victory. The victory ends her six match losing streak in televised singles bouts: she last won a singles match on the November 23, 2010 episode of NXT. It was also her first singles victory on either Raw, SmackDown or a pay-per-view event.

Following SmackDown, Nikki wrote on Twitter, “Johnny @GMSmackDown thought he could get a quick one on me but NOPE! Thanks to my girl @RealKellyKelly!” She added Saturday, “So I’m thinking…. #Nikki4DivasChampion.”

Location For Survivor Series, Foley Appearing On SmackDown

Live Audio Wrestling says Survivor Series is expected to take place on Sunday, November 18 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

— Mick Foley has been announced to appear on WWE’s “Old School” themed live SmackDown episode on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on Syfy. Other legends appearing include Dusty Rhodes, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Hillbilly Jim, Howard Finkel, Jimmy Hart, Mean Gene Okerlund, Pat Patterson, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Tony Atlas.

Foley said of the appearance Friday on Twitter, “I WILL be on Super Smackdown, where Hacksaw Jim Duggan and I will prove, once and for all, that we are not the same person.”

Piper added, “I’m also going to do Smackdown on Tuesday!! I think it’s time to step up to the plate!”

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s WWE.com profile is now listed among both Raw Superstars and WWE Alumni.

WWE Talent Releases Expected Soon, WrestleMania 29 Tickets

– With WrestleMania 28 in the books and new talent being promoted to the main roster, there’s a lot of talk that WWE’s annual talent purge will occur “sooner than later.” This week alone saw the debut of six new talents, and according to Jim Ross, many more wrestlers from Florida Championship Wrestling will likely be introduced in the coming weeks.

– Tickets for WrestleMania 29 are expected to be released in November. The event takes place April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

– Alberto Del Rio appears for Florida Championship Wrestling tonight in Punta Gorda, Florida as he will be signing autographs prior to the show. Details are available here.

– WWE has no live events scheduled for this weekend.

More Details On The Rock & Brock Lesnar’s WWE Contracts

As we reported earlier this week, Brock Lesnar’s contract with WWE is said to be a 1-year deal that pays $5 million and is for approximately 30-40 appearances, including matches.

Even before Brock Lesnar’s final UFC fight against Alistair Overeem in December, there was talk in the MMA world that Lesnar had a $5 million deal waiting for him in WWE. Vince McMahon was said to be “agreeable” on the idea of shelling out $5 million to bring Lesnar in, however there was a lot of negotiating before the two parties agreed on the number of appearances Lesnar would be obligated to make.

The Rock has also signed a 1-year contract with WWE that will see him wrestle a few times this year and at WrestleMania 29. With 12 months to go until next year’s big event, WWE already has its sights set on a Rock vs. Lesnar main event. WWE is looking to sell out WrestleMania the day that tickets go on sale, something the company hasn’t done since 2007.

WrestleMania 29 Matches: Early Plans for Lesnar, Rock, Austin

Something WWE has to consider with a Rock vs. Brock main event is the possibility of fans turning on both wrestlers, which happened during the infamous Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania 20. Back then, word got out that both Lesnar and Goldberg were leaving the company immediately after their WrestleMania match – and the New York crowd was merciless. Fast forward 9 years – and we could see another big Lesnar match at WrestleMania in front of a New York crowd that is aware both participants are making their final appearances for WWE.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Acknowledges Lord Tensai’s Past, The Rock Wins Award

— Matthew Bloom, who formerly competed as Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train for WWE, resurfaced as Lord Tensai on Monday’s Raw SuperShow as he decimated Alex Riley in a squash match. WWE announcer Michael Cole acknowledged Tensai as a former WWE Superstar who “became a huge international star in Japan.” He did not, however, make specific references to any of his prior personas. WWE.com subsequently published an article acknowledging his time as A-Train.

WWE.com writes, “The hulking warrior is in fact the WWE Superstar formerly known as A-Train, who competed in WWE for several years before embarking on a journey of self-discovery in Japan. Once he’d crossed the Pacific Ocean, he immersed himself in the Land of the Rising Sun, embracing a new culture, training regiment, and philosophy that seemingly caused him to forsake the customs of his native United States.”

— Dwayne Johnson has been announced as the recipient of the Action Star of the Year Award at the annual CinemaCon convention taking place later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CinemaCon general manager Mitch Neuhauser says, “An exciting performer who first gained attention from audiences around the world when he developed the iconic character The Rock, Dwayne Johnson has taken his charismatic presence to the big screen and has proven over and over again that he can entertain audiences of all ages – whether it be an action-paced film or a family comedy.”

— Jim Ross is heading to Florida Championship Wrestling headquarters in Tampa, Florida today to assist WWE developmental talent.

J.R. Addresses Lesnar’s Return To WWE – Why Is He Back?

John Cena called The Rock out to the ring at the conclusion of Monday’s Raw SuperShow, but was instead greeted with a brutal F5 courtesy of Brock Lesnar. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross went on Twitter to address the recently-retired mixed martial artist’s shocking return to sports entertainment.

“Why’s Brock Lesnar back? I’d suggest 2 earn BIG money. He’s done w/ UFC & still young. He’s a complex, supreme athlete. Interesting times,” he wrote.

Ross continued, “I don’t know of Lesnar’s contractual matters w/ WWE. None of our business. I did his 1st few deals. Let’s not over think this. Brock’s back!”

Ross also responded to a remark stating that he once said that Lesnar would never return to WWE, writing, “Never full time IMO. But enough to matter.”

Brock Lesnar Returns To WWE On RAW, F5’s Cena

John Cena called The Rock out to the ring on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, but what he got instead was something entirely different: Brock Lesnar.

VIDEO: BROCK LESNAR Returns To RAW & Destroys CENA

Lesnar’s theme music hit to a thunderous applause. Cena stared toward the entrance ramp as Lesnar slowly emerged through the backstage area and appeared on stage. He bounced around and flexed his chest muscles before pacing the stage while Cena smirked. Lesnar continued to walk around the stage before slowly making his way toward the ring. Lesnar paced around the ring, then slowly made his way into the ring as Cena applauded.

Lesnar came face-to-face with Cena and extended his hand, but suddenly hoisted Cena up on his shoulders. Lesnar turned around and hit Cena with the F5. Michael Cole declared that Brock is back and that the landscape of Monday Night Raw has changed.

Details On WWE’s Contract With Brock Lesnar

Sheamus World Title News, Heat On Rock For Not Attending HOF

– Following his World Heavyweight championship win at WrestleMania 28, WWE officials are reportedly planning a lengthy title run for Sheamus.

– Christian is in line for a World Heavyweight title shot after Team Laurinaitis was victorious over Team Long at WrestleMania. Christian was pulled from the match due to injury, it remains to be seen if he will still get the title shot.

– WrestleMania 28’s Trendrr.tv Social Media Activity score was 1,419,160 – the most social television show on Sunday night by far. To give you an idea of why WWE was touting WrestleMania as the “Social Media Event Of The Year” – January’s Royal Rumble scored a 230,974 social media score.

– There was heat on The Rock among some of the Legends and talents in Miami this week for not attending the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday night. No word yet on why he didn’t attend.

– There was a push in Miami this weekend for WWE to begin pushing some of the younger talents on the Road to WrestleMania 29 next April.

(Source: F4Wonline.com)

Latest Episode Of WWE Download, ‘Mania’s Latino Moments

— In this week’s edition of WWE Download, Dolph Ziggler dives into some physical conditioning fail videos, including one featuring a guy who should’ve consulted a trainer, his doctor… anyone, before getting on a weight machine:

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Fox News Latino has published an article looking at the moments involving Latinos last night at WrestleMania XXVIII. The article mentions Mil Mascaras’ induction into the WWE Hall of Fame and Eve’s role in the Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny match.

— Ten time world boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya voiced his approval of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson defeating John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII, tweeting Monday, “”I knew @TheRock would win.” #GoldenBoyPromotions #TeamBringIt.” Johnson wrote in response, “Thank U champ!”

Ex-Writer Believes Anti-Rock Resentment Is Fueled By Triple H

Triple H and The Rock

Seth Mates, who worked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a creative writer for WWE in the build-up to his 2002 match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, finds it odd that some wrestlers are resentful of his return to the organization.

“The resentment towards Rock always struck me as a little bit funny,” he tells the Pro Wrestling Torch. “Because the thing about Rock is that people like are jealous of Rock not for stealing the spot but for being one of the guys who got out. You know he made it. He made it in a big way. He made a ton of money. And then he had an exit plan. And now he can come back and work when he wants. And it’s not like Rock is coming back and working with a guy who – he’s coming back to help make John Cena bigger than Cena ever was. He’s coming back to work with a guy who works house shows and who works Raw. You know. He’s coming back and he’s bringing mainstream attention. I can’t speak to the locker room leader this and whatever. I just know that wrestlers like to talk, wrestlers like to stir the pot, wrestlers like to cause trouble. Not a knock on them. Everybody does in every profession. You know every job I’ve ever had people talk you know what about other people in the room. Rock’s not stealing anybody’s spot. Rock is bringing a lot of eyeballs.”

Mates believes Triple H’s jealousy of Johnson (based around his success in wrestling and in Hollywood after he left) is the driving force behind much of the negativity.

“I know that a lot of the stuff that Cena has said about Rock and his feelings towards Rock sound like something that would be coming directly from, you know Mr. Helmsley and his view,” he said. “Because, again, as I said, I always sensed some insecurities as related to Rock and to [Steve] Austin and how, again, in my mind and perception, he never was at that level. And so he wanted to position himself as, well, I’m as good, if not better. Which I don’t know that he has done that.”

Mates also comments on his verbal spats with John Cena and Trish Stratus being welcomed back to the organization. The full article is available here.

Rock Segments, Miami Weather, Golf Tournament Winners

– The Rock will have several backstage segments at WrestleMania. We noted a few weeks back that officials were giving limited time to the undercard matches so CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, Hell in a Cell and The Rock vs. John Cena will have as much time as needed.

– After it rained throughout the day in Miami on Saturday, there is now just a 20% chance of rain for Sunday afternoon/evening for WrestleMania.  The Weather Channel is calling for just a 10% chance of rain and through the event, the average temperature is 77°.

– According to ESPN.com, Rey Mysterio’s group won the scramble-format competition for the WrestleMania 28 ProAm Golf Tournament earlier this week, at 17-under. The Miz’s group placed fourth at -13 while Sgt. Slaughter’s group and Zack Ryder’s group finished -14. ESPN noted that Mysterio played the tournament without his mask on except when the cameras were on him.

Video: Cena & The Rock Hype Their Match, Cena Talks Haters

– Check out this footage from WWE’s International Media Day on Friday with John Cena and The Rock promoting their WrestleMania 28 match:

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– John Cena spoke with The Associated Press via The Washington Post this week to promote WWE’s anti-bullying campaign. Here’s a quote:

“I’m one of those guys that gets cheered, but also gets booed. Those who don’t like me, severely don’t like me. Usually your first instinct is to lash out at these people. … but I believe you always need to turn a negative into a positive.”

Cena Dispels “Super Cena” Tag, Why He Doesn’t Like Rock

John Cena appeared on Busted Open with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca, which airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207. Highlights from his interview are as follows:

If his showdown with The Rock on Sunday will be the biggest match of his career: “Absolutely. And amazingly enough, there is no physical championship on the line. But I truly believe anyone who’s everyone knows that it Is Number One versus Number One.

“Honestly, I don’t wanna say it’s like another day at the office ‘cause it’s not. But not only have I been in high-profile matches, I’ve been in some pretty hostile crowds as well. Like everybody’s like, Ooh! You worried it’s Miami? It’s The Rock’s backyard! I’ve been in Hammerstein ballroom in New York facing the ECW faithful, I’ve face Edge in Toronto in a TLC ladder match, I’ve faced CM Punk in Chicago in Money in the Bank. I’ve been in some pretty savvy home crowds. This one’s gonna be fun. The year is over, it’s now to the point where we’re counting down the hours. This is really cool! It’s gonna be fun.”

Mixed crowd reactions: “Well, it’s always been back and forth. And in the entertainment business—what’s the line in Batman? “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”—I’ve been here ten years; people have the way they feel about you. I’ve never been one to shun people feeling negative, and I think that I’m the first guy to do that, to not “turn heel” when they boo you. I kind of embrace it as, You are the ticket-buyer, do as you please. And just as we’ve seen the waves go one way, they go crashing back another way. It’ll change, it’ll go back and forth, but the one thing that’ll remain constant is who I am and what I stand for.

“It’s been a wonderful ride. I think it’s something you have to tune in to Raw every week to see what are they gonna do with Cena this week. It’s been wonderful, and along the same vein, it lets our audience be honest. We’re not preaching a program that is untrue to anybody. If you like this guy, cheer for him; if you don’t like this guy, boo him, but feel however you want about him. It’s a never-been-done-before scenario. It’s been a hell of a ride for me.

“I think that’s the most important thing when people ask why don’t I change who I am? Because I know there are mass majority from the “Attitude Era” that will want me strung up and burned as a witch. But for every guy who says “Cena sucks!” there is a mom or a dad who will come up to me privately and say, “Thank you for being a good role model for my kids.” And there’s the kids: You’re eight-year-old daughter, her friends, the little kids that I meet, their friends, the Make-A-Wish families that I meet. I think to be a bad guy in this business, you’ve gotta be a genuinely bad guy. As long as we have those families showing up, I’m gonna be who I am. And I think that’s most important, and that’s why I don’t care that there’s a split in the crowd.”

This year’s WrestleMania build-up: “It’s been extremely hard. Especially on me, it’s been a lot of pressure; it’s been very mentally draining. But after the last Monday in Atlanta, I took a deep breath, thought about it, and realized that I couldn’t possibly do anymore to build up April 1st. I think it is the biggest it can be. People realize what’s at stake. Not only do they realize it’s a marquee matchup—we have a lot of those—but they realize that I really don’t like the guy that I’m facing, which, in our business, is becoming more and more rare. It’s everything that a big fight is supposed to be.”

Why he doesn’t like The Rock: “There’s no other reason needed. I am company-proud through the good times and bad. We’ve gone through some difficult times in the WWE, and I’ve been the guy on front street trying to mend fences and make sure everybody knows that we still got a great product. And even in good times, I’m the guy who says this is the best business in the world. There are a lot of those, this business is a lot about making me the biggest superstar that “me” can be. I guess I’m just too much of a company guy. The guy leaves and drops his name and drops the business, and tells everybody that he’s done with it. Even up until before he came back last year to host Wrestlemania, he was very adamant about, No, I’m not going back there. Now he’s back and the first thing he does when he say he’s back is he’s never leaving, he loves everybody, and then we lose him for another amount of time, and then he comes back again… I truly couldn’t ask for a better opponent because he’s the biggest superstar the WWE has ever had. I just disagree with the way he thinks.

“Cena-Lovers” vs. “Cena-Haters”: “People who are vocal of their criticism, I get that. But at the same time, you can’t argue with what the company is doing business-wise. I was the first to beat the drum of Guys, we may need to switch the content because I would watch the people coming into the building every night. Go to a live show, see the audience, tell me I’m wrong. I’m on top of this stuff. I’m the guy walking through Access at 5:50am to make sure the set-up’s correct. I’m the guy who’s in the crowd somewhere that you can’t see when people file into the Garden for a live event. I’m on top of this, this is what I do. When I say I love the business, I don’t just love hitting the ropes and falling down in the ring; that’s beautiful. But I love the business, and I want it to be the best it can. I want it globally to be the biggest phenomenon it can. We just have to be here right now. And as frustrating as it is for some, I still think the program is unbelievably entertaining. We still have an unreal stable of superstars, and we’re able to go more places and more people can enjoy it.

“It’s almost like when a garage band makes it. There’s those people who are like, Ah I wish they would be back to the garage band days! But then they go play sold-out stadiums and they’re on the Top 40 charts. You have to adapt and overcome. It’s just the way we have to be now.”

The “Super Cena” moniker: “I’ve also lost a lot. And I think that’s another thing that critics tend to savor their own flavor of soup. You can look at my win-loss record. It’s as good as an average superstar. I mean, I’ve won a lot of marquee matches, but I’ve lost a lot of marquee matches. Who was in the main event last year at Wrestlemania?

Doug: You.

Cena: Against who?

Doug: The Miz.

Cena: Who won that match?

Doug: The Miz.

Cena: ‘Nuff said.”

Lesnar Negotiating With WWE To Appear At WrestleMania 28

SEScoops.com has learned that former WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is in negotiations with WWE to make a surprise appearance at Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The story is also being reported at fwonline.com and pwinsider.com. Negotiations are ongoing, but a source within the company says that there is a 50-50 chance that Lesnar will appear on the show.

The source went on to state that WWE wants Lesnar to appear and is hoping that a deal can be finalized within the next 24 hours.

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White confirmed to F4WOnline.com that Lesnar is legally able to appear at WrestleMania on Sunday since he is no longer under contract to the organization. White was not aware if Lesnar was appearing on the show.

Lesnar left WWE in March 2004 to pursue a career in the National Football League, which was short-lived. Following a brief fling in New Japan Wrestling, he stepped away from the professional wrestling industry entirely in 2006 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. He captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Randy Couture on November 15, 2008, then avenged his loss to Mir at UFC 100 to become the Undisputed Champion. He lost the strap two years later to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. Lesnar announced his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts following a subsequent loss to Alistair Overeem in December, which prompted speculation of a return to WWE.

A writer for the Associated Press stated in his article on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that if WWE wants to squeeze another potential blockbuster buy rate out of The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment, the last man standing to get the headline match would be Lesnar.

“I’m not saying a thing,” said a laughing, grinning Johnson with his eyebrow raised after being asked about the possible encounter. “I didn’t say anything.”

‘Big Name’ In Miami For WrestleMania, Greatest WM Celebrities

Figure Four Weekly writer Bryan Alvarez stated Friday afternoon on Twitter that a ‘big name’ is in Miami, Florida for this weekend’s WrestleMania XXVIII festivities.

“So there is a big name here in Miami this weekend. #WrestleMania,” he wrote.

— From Mr. T teaming up with Hulk Hogan to Donald Trump shaving Vince McMahon’s head, WWE.com remembers the ten biggest guest celebrities to appear at WrestleMania. The feature is available here.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Power Slam.

— WrestlingFigs.com reports Nitro Girl Spice has been added to WrestleReunion 8, which takes place April 13-15 at the Doubletree Toronto Airport 655 Dixon Rd. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Videos: Rock, Triple H & Cena Are Ready For Sunday

WWE posted the following videos of The Rock, John Cena and Triple H

The Rock Says He’s Ready For WrestleMania:

Who Is John Cena?

Triple H Trains For WrestleMania:

Austin Teases Punk Match, Rock Hypes Mania, Twitter Metting

– The Rock spoke to PalmBeachPost.com and said that WWE’s decision to hold WrestleMania 28 at the Sun Life Stadium is what convinced him to return this year:

“It sealed the deal for me. It’s going to be a fun night, an electric night, but also a very emotional night, considering South Florida has been my home for over 20 years.”

– The Twitter meeting held last Monday by WWE officials has become a running joke among the WWE locker room, according to multiple sources.

– Despite his  recent health problems, Barry Windham is expected to attend Saturday night’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Miami. Windham is being inducted with the Four Horsemen.

– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin posted his latest video Q&A on BrokenSkullRanch.com and spoke about the possibility of wrestling WWE Champion CM Punk:

The Rock’s Next Movie, Twitter Meeting Update, WWE’s New Hire

– Production crews have already started setting up for the The Rock’s next movie, Pain & Gain. The Rock and Mark Wahlberg will star in the film, which will be directed by Michael Bay (Transformers). Filming begins in Miami on Tuesday, April 6th.

– As we reported earlier in the week, WWE held a meeting backstage at RAW on Monday to discuss talent’s use of Twitter. According to a source who was at the meeting, Vince McMahon came across at the meeting as being obsessed with being able to call WrestleMania the “Social Media Event of the Year.” Talent was instructed to use WWE-related hastags during WrestleMania weeekend.

– WWE has hired a three-time All American volleyball player and volleyball executive Canyon Ceman as the new Senior Director of Talent Relations. This is the job previously held by Ty Bailey, who was released last month.

Ceman is Triple H’s first big executive hire for developmental. Several people in FCW have questioned if Ceman will be able to scout talents, while other WWE officials feel his sports management knowledge will help him succeed.

(Partial source: f4wonline.com)

WWE Stars On Worst Persona In History, WrestleMania Hotel

— In the latest episode of WWE Inbox, John Cena, R-Truth, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks, among others answer your Twitter questions, including who they think is the worst persona in WWE history.

To view the episode, click here.

— According to multiple accounts on Twitter, WWE talent and employees are staying at the luxurious InterContinental Miami hotel for WrestleMania week in Miami, Florida. The Rock, John Cena, The Undertaker and The Miz have been spotted there within the past two days.

— WWE Hall of Famers Dory and Terry Funk will appear at WrestleMania Axxess on Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm and again on Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WWE Says Cena Has Advantage Over Rock, Punk Meets Schiavone

— The latest issue of WWE Magazine gives an “insider’s take” on each major match-up at next Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event and says John Cena has the “advantage” over The Rock in their bout.

WWE writes of the match: “What does a win at The Show of Shows mean for each of these competitors? Does hearing that three-count signify that the winner is the greatest of all time? Where does one go after a loss? For The Rock, it’s back to Hollywood. For John Cena, it’s back to Monday nights, weekend live events and main-eventing yet another pay-per-view. And maybe that’s why Cena has the edge in this fight, because even if he loses at WrestleMania XXVIII, he’s still doing what he’s always wanted to—and no one can take that away from him. Not even The Rock.

“ADVANTAGE: JOHN CENA.”

— CM Punk took part in a WrestleMania XXVIII media blitz this morning in Atlanta, Georgia and noted talking to former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone at one point. He tweeted, “Just chatted with Tony Schiavone! That was awesome!”

Schiavone, who is the Sports Director of WSB Atlanta, said of the WWE Champion on Twitter, “Just met C.M. Punk . He was at the radio station. Very talented guy, as I’m sure you know.”

Cole Using Ex-WWE Star’s Entrance Theme, Hart Critiques Rock

– WWE commentator Michael Cole began using former WWE star Kerwin White’s entrance theme “Never Thought My Life Could Be This Good” at last week’s tapings. Chavo Guerrero portrayed the short-lived character in 2005, which was depicted as stereotypical, middle-class, white, conservative, Anglo-American man. The death of Eddie Guerrero led to Chavo dropping the character and wrestling under his real name as a fan favorite.

– Carlito defeated Finley at Big Time Pro Wrestling event on Sunday in Augusta, Maine. He said of his opponent on Twitter following the match, “I’m surprised WWE hasn’t rehired Finlay yet.” Finlay was released by WWE March 2011 after authorizing the interruption of the American national anthem by The Miz during a house show, drawing ire from the National Guard members in attendance. He has regularly competed on the independent circuit since then.

– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted a photo Sunday of himself applying the Sharpshooter. Bret Hart, who popularized the maneuver, saw the picture and said he’s doing it wrong:

“I have a lot of respect for The Rock, but I’d be more than happy 2 teach him how to put the sharpshooter on correctly.”

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The Rock Explains Why He Returned To WWE

The Rock spoke to Variety.com this week to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view. The Rock spoke about a number of topics, including his ex-wife Dany leading his management team, how difficult it was to transition from action roles to dramas and family comedies and why he feels the time was right to return to WWE. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:

Only Getting Roles In Action Movies At First: “I didn’t have a lot of choices when I first started acting. I was grateful for the projects that were coming in, but they were all action (‘The Mummy Returns,’ ‘The Rundown,’ ‘Doom’).” It took five films before he got his chance at comedy with MGM’s “Be Cool,” which helped transition him into the family genre, including Fox’s “Tooth Fairy.” “I was hoping I could do these action movies and do well enough where I could get more opportunities (in other genres). I knew doing action would get old for me.”

Winning Over Studio Executives & Getting Better Roles: “I knew it would take some convincing to get studios to invest in me. Through small steps we were able to accomplish big things throughout the years. But a point came a few years ago that I felt there were bigger movies to be made that entertained a much bigger audience than I was entertaining.”

Why He Returned To WWE: “I’m back for no other reason than to entertain the fans that had been so good to me over the years. It’s not about the dollar. I’ve been very fortunate. When you go out there and you perform, it becomes really magical. So to be able to go back and create the biggest match of all time for them means the world to me. I took the biggest risk of my life by leaving WWE when I was on top. To be able to go back means the world to me.”