WWE has added video footage of The Rock’s return to RAW on the “WWE Fan Nation” Youtube channel .. In case you missed it or if you just want to relive the experience again – here’s The Rock’s return to Monday Night RAW after 7 years:
— Ted Linhart, the USA Network’s VP of Program Research, has posted some preliminary viewership data from Monday’s RAW on Twitter (@TedOnTV) and it looks like The Rock is still a big ratings draw.
The 20-minute over-run segment featuring The Rock’s return to WWE television averaged 5.7 million viewers.
Breaking down the demographics, that 20-minute segment drew 3.1 million adults 18-49, 2.9 million adults 25-54, and 1.4 million adults 18-34.
More ratings data is expected later today, so check back for that later.
— In yet another sign that WWE’s “2/21/11” videos are leading to the return of the Undertaker, WWE has posted the latest video on the company website and tagged the video with “Undertaker.”
WWE issued a press release to promote The Rock’s upcoming gig at WrestleMania 27 guest host with some quotes from The Rock himself. To read the full press release, visit Corporate.WWE.com.
“I’m absolutely thrilled and fired up to be the host of WrestleMania,” Johnson says. “My goal was to partner up with Vince McMahon and WWE to create and deliver something globally entertaining and electrifying.
“As an actor, entertainer and someone who both loves and has grown up in the sports entertainment business, the opportunity to host 75,000 passionate fans in a live venue, not to mention the millions that will be watching worldwide, is not only thrilling but quite honestly the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s going to be one helluva an epic night.”
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:
The Rock Calling Out John Cena: “Some fans are hammering us on Twitter @JRsBBQ proclaiming that it will be Rock vs. Cena at WM27. That’s not what I heard. I heard that Rock was Hosting the event which works very well for me. Will there be some sort of Rock/Cena interaction? Sounds that way to me which is why I’m ‘staying tuned.'”
The Rock Returning Full Time: “Is the Rock coming back to wrestle full time? That’s not what I got out of Raw’s most electrifying moment in years Monday night. Rock is making an appearance at WM27 to contribute in a major, likely shocking, way to the biggest WWE PPV of the year. Bottom line regarding this question on Twitter is that I DON’T KNOW but I would doubt it. I’m very excited about Wrestlemania. My black hat’s off to WWE.”
The RAW GM’s Identity: “I don’t know and furthermore I don’t care. When we’re supposed to know we will. I’m much more interested in the build to WM27 than I ever will be about who the mysterious (not my descriptor) Raw General manager may or may not be.”
Many past and present WWE superstars wrote messages on Twitter following The Rock’s return to WWE on RAW. Here’s what the following people said about The Rock:
John Cena: “CeNation. Rock was in rare form tonight. It was great to see him enjoying himself out there. Even if it was at my expense. I’ve been Called alot worse. Just glad to see him back in action.”
CM Punk: “Rock owes me fifty bucks for going 20 minutes past the hour, making me miss my valentines day reservations at Nobu.”
Big Show: “Did anyone notice the chill bumps on Rocks arms as he gave his catch phrase? The rock is back!”
Jim Ross: “Got 2 hand it 2 WWE…HBK in HOF, Austin on Tough Enough, Rock to host/star @ WM27…MUCH more on the way. Look out Atlanta!”
Val Venis: “I am just as happy as anyone else the Rock is back. As long as he sticks to the mic, we are good. Cuz his wrestling ability is questionable. Not hating on Rock. He is AWESOME on the mic. His charisma is unmatched. But lets be honest, Rock>Hardy & Venis>Rock! HONESTLY!”
Taz: “GREAT JOB by Rock! Miss having steaks with him & Dud’s after shows!!! Great times! 1 of the greatest of all times!!!”
Chris Jericho: “Congratulations to one of my favorite opponents and greatest rivals on returning to the WWE. The Rock is the BEST promo man of all time…”
Steve Austin: “it was great to see The Rock back on RAW tonight…helluva promo from an electrifying cat. great stuff heading into Mania.”
— After Monday’s episode of WWE RAW went off the air, John Cena and Randy Orton defeated The Miz and CM Punk in the show’s dark match main event. Michael Cole was the special guest referee for the bout.
— Tickets for this year’s WWE SummerSlam PPV go on sale this morning at 10am EST.
– The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Cole and Stephanie McMahon were all trending worldwide on Twitter during RAW last night.
– Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter @JRsBarBQ about The Rock’s return:
“The Great One is back 4 WM27! The Rock will host Wrestlemania. He looks awesome.
Dwayne Johnson’s classic ‘Rock’ promo 2nite on RAW was the best thing on RAW in recent memory. Young wrestlers hopefully paid attention.
Stone Cold also did some classic, long promos back in the day. It’s a lost art w/o question. Rock hit a grand slam.”
Following Monday’s RAW, The Rock took part in an online chat at the WWE website. Here are some highlights of what the Great One said about:
Why He’s Returning Now: “Because I felt the time was right to so something special. Not only can I feed my own need and desire to perform. More importantly than that, do something special for you WWE fans. ”
His Goal For WrestleMania: “My goal is to create an incredible show. The guys have prepared for this night all year and they are going to put on incredible wrestling matches and I am there to not only support their matches but work with the great WWE production team and put on an electrifying show. That means I will be backstage and in the ring creating unforgettable and iconic WrestleMania moments. ”
John Cena: “John Cena said a variety of things that came across my desk which at first I thought was interesting and then I felt was laughable because the comments really didn’t make any sense to me. To be clear, not that they ever make me mad. I just thought the comments were an interesting choice of things to say
On Monday’s WWE RAW, it was announced that WWE legend and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be returning to World Wrestling Entertainment on April 3rd as the special Guest Host for WrestleMania 27.
On RAW, The Rock called out John Cena, saying he wanted to see Cena face-to-face at WrestleMania and make him pay for the comments he made about The Rock after he left WWE. The Rock mocked Cena’s look and his gimmick, which got a huge reaction from the crowd.
The Rock said he might get into it with John Cena, The Miz and whoever else he gets into when he’s at WrestleMania.
– It was announced at Monday’s WWE Monday Night RAW from Anaheim, California that former WWE Champion and future Hall of Famer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be the special guest host at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta, Georgia in April.
The Rock appeared live on tonight’s show and received a major ovation from the crowd. The Rock said that he has finally returned home and wasn’t back for the money or to promote a movie, but he was back for the fans. He thanked the fans and said he would never, ever be going away.
— Apparently teasing a return to wrestling, former WWE talent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wrote on his Facebook page this afternoon: “…FINALLY…” Get ready… DJ.”
He enclosed a photo from his time in WWE.
Furthermore, the title of his fan page has been changed from ‘Dwayne Johnson’ to ‘Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’.
— Chris Jericho is scheduled to appear on tonight’s episode of Red Eye, which airs at 3:00 am Eastern/12:00 Midnight Pacific on the Fox News Channel.
— A SmackDown taping is scheduled for April 12 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
WWE star Big Show was interviewed by the Miami Herald this week as part of WWE’s media rounds this week to announce the city hosting WrestleMania 2012. Top read the full interview, visit MiamiHerald.com
With WWE legend The Rock being from Miami, many are speculating already that he’s a perfect candidate to lead next year’s WWE Hall of Fame Class. Regarding that, Big show asid:
“You look at the impact The Rock had on our industry from the short time he has been in the business to the megastar he is today,” Show said. “I think if anyone deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, I’m sure The Rock does.
“That is a guy who is legendary and deserves every bit of his success. Plus, Dwayne Johnson is one of the finest and nicest people I met in my life. There are a lot of guys that you meet in this business. There are people you don’t like and people you do like. I have incredible respect for Dwayne and his entire family. I respect the man and the character he has. He’s awesome.”
Big Show also commented on fellow former NWO member Kevin Nash and his recent return to WWE.
“I learned a lot from him, when I was in the NWO,” said Show. “When I was a greenhorn, he helped me out a lot. I’m a little bit more of a seasoned veteran now, so if he wants to dance one more time as a partner or opponent, I’ll shake his hand in the middle of the ring, and we will lock horns. I have no problem with that what so ever.”
Former WWE champion and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be starring in the upcoming “Fast Five” movie, the fifth installment in the “Fast and Furious” series.
— With Shawn Michaels still the only confirmed name for the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011, we can report that hardcore wrestling legend Abdullah The Butcher is also being strongly considered for this year. Triple H noted in recent interview that he suggested Abdullah to WWE management as a possible candidate for this year.
— Former WWE manager Armando Estrada was at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from the Nassau Coliseum Smackdown about a possible return to the company.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ex-wife Dani recently sold their former home in Davie, Florida for a cool $1.2 million. For more in the sale, visit BizJournals.com.
— During an interview with Canadian radio station Fan 590 earlier this week, World Heavyweight champion Edge talked about being very happy with his current role in WWE and had positive things to say about young WWE stars Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, and Sheamus.
Former WWE talent Dwayne Johnson (a/k/a The Rock) has started a weekly feature on his official Facebook page where he’ll choose fans’ questions once per week to answer in depth.
When asked why he decided to leave WWE and if he’s ever coming back, he bluntly states that he will never wrestle again. He does, however, note that he will appear for WWE when the timing is right.
His complete response reads:
“…to “the Rock’s millions and millions”…who will forever be my family.. ..my honest and direct answer to you is this: I left the WWE because I had succeeded in accomplishing every goal I set to achieve. …I’ve never done this before, but I will now because I feel it’s important you know..let me share with you the goals I set for myself in the WWE so you can have a better understanding and perspective.. – become the youngest WWE World Champion – help set box office and attendance records in every arena in the country – help set PPV buy rate records ..the final two and my most important goals to achieve in wrestling: – become the most entertaining and electrifying performer the WWE had ever seen or will ever see again – take the brass ring of the WWE that Vince McMahon had faithfully allowed me to earn and take it places it had never gone before…to trailblaze…to break new ground…to achieve unprecedented greatness for not only for myself and the fans to enjoy…but for the business of professional wrestling itself and the WWE… A business and company that is in my blood and that I will love forever. …I achieved these goals in the WWE at 30 years old and decided then to HUMBLY and QUIETLY step away and retire. ..and set my sights on another goal…a childhood dream…Hollywood. ..will I ever come back to the WWE? of course I will..not a match though, but in a capacity that would allow me to do so much more.. I LOVE that company and the fans…without the two I would not be standing where I am today… Vince and myself stay very closely connected and when the opportunity is right – which will be alot sooner than you think – we will do something electrifying and historic for the fans…he and I were toying with the idea of a special show called “ROCK RAW”… sounds like a perfect title for me to come back and SLAP THE LIPS OFF THOSE JABRONIS and LAYETH THE SMACKETH DOWN ON AAAAALLLLL THEIR CANDY ASSES!!! sorry…got carried away..I’ll save that one of a kind electricity for Rock Raw.. …it is important to me to say this from my heart – to the incredibly loyal “..The Rock’s Millions and Millions…” and the entire WWE UNIVERSE…I am forever humbled and grateful to you for allowing me the HONOR to entertain you over the years…you have my word I will continue to entertain you in ways like no one else…it’s only just the beginning… I dream big…and we’ve achieved those dreams together because you never left my side..I love you for that and thank you… I am Dwayne Johnson…and I will also always be The Rock.”
With Shawn Michaels being announced as the first big name to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April, WWE officials are already talking about possible candidiates to headline the Class of 2012.
Two names in particular that have come up for next year’s Hall of Fame class ar Trish Stratus, given that it will likely take place in her hometown of Toronto, and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The idea with Rock is it would be mark ten years after his memorable WrestleMania match with Hulk Hogan, which also took place in Toronto.
The Rock and Trish Stratus worked together during their time in WWE, including this memorable moment of them kissing backstage:
Ronnie Basham, the Kentucky teenager who filed a lawsuit Thursday against World Wrestling Entertainment, Paul Levesque (a/k/a Triple H) and Dwayne Johnson (a/k/a The Rock) over an incident at WWE’s 2000 Judgment Day pay-per-view event, talked to NBC’s Louisville, Kentucky affiliate WAVE 3 to discuss the matter.
Basham, now 18 years and a senior at Clarksville High School, claims he was injured when Levesque and Johnson took their match over the crowd barrier on May 21, 2000 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.
“After The Rock got into it with one of the spectators, bodies were just coming towards me,” Basham told WAVE.
Ronnie’s mother, Lisa Lanham, says someone shoved a woman on top of her son, who was standing on a chair.
Basham’s attorney Harris Berman continued with what the family says happened next.
“He (Basham) fell down and his legs were caught between the two chairs and the lady then fell on him and crushed his right knee,” the attorney said. “It really resulted as an assault on a 7-year-old kid.”
Mother and son claim the injury got worse as he underwent multiple surgeries over the years, racking up $37,000 in medical bills. His attorney said they no had plans to sue until WWE refused to pay for anything, including the boy’s ride in the ambulance to the hospital.
When asked if suing WWE was the right thing to do, Berman replied, “Yeah for the pain and taking away a kid’s childhood, because that’s the best part of anyone’s life is their childhood.”
While the alleged injury occurred over a decade ago, the Statute of Limitations in Kentucky extends for minors to age 18. The suit seeks compensation and a jury trial.
For more details on the story and to view the video interview, click here.
Earlier this week, wrestling fan Ronald Basham sued World Wrestling Entertainment, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul “Triple H” Levque, claiming he was injured while in the audience at WWE’s Judgement Day pay-per-view back in 2000.
During the main event of that show, The Rock battled Triple H in a street fight, with the two wrestlers brawling into the crowd. Basham alleges that he was injured during the brawl and says WWE failed properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque have been accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” He claims to have suffered lingering injuries over the past decade as a result of the incident and recently had knee surgery, for which he’s seeking compensation.
Well, according to TMZ.com, Basham’s leg couldn’t have been too badly hurt by The Rock and Triple H, because he played high school football and has participated in stock car racing for years. Up until his lawsuit was filed, his Facebook page featured various photos of him raacing cars, including pictures of him crashing into a wall.
Basham’s lawyer tells TMZ.com, “He has a long medical history with knee problems and as far as I know his knee was never injured [from racing cars].”
Considering his high school football career and his habit of crashing race cars into walls, it seems he will have a difficult time proving WWE, The Rock and Triple H are the ones responsible for his recent knee surgery.
A wrestling fan from Indiana is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestlers Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Levesque (Triple) H for an incident that happened at WWE Judgement Day 2000 from Louisville, Kentucky.
During the main event of Judgement Day between The Rock and Triple H, the two wrestlers brawled into the crowd and the fan alleges that he was injured during the scuffle.
The lawsuit accuses the WWE of failing to properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque are accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” The fan is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.
Harris Berman, the fan’s attorney, said that because the fan was only 7 years old (a minor) at the time of the incident, the lawsuit is not prohibited by the statute of limitations. According to Mr. Berman, the fan has been to various doctors over the years concerning his leg and recently had surgery, spurring him to file the lawsuit.
— WWE.com announced the nominees for 2010 Superstar of the Year for Monday’s Slammy Awards. The winner will be determined by fan voting. The nominees are John Cena, Randy Orton, The Miz, Edge, Kane and Rey Mysterio.
— WWE has released a video preview of its Top 50 Superstars of All Time DVD set, which hits stores this Tuesday. They have posted online the title’s piece on former WWE Champion The Rock, which includes comments from John Cena and The Miz, among others.
— The Dec. 8 episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.5 cable rating, with 537,000 viewers. The midnight airing did a 0.16 rating, with 176,000 viewers.
— WWE officials are looking to hold a fifth season of NXT, which is why the company’s top developmental talent were held off the new season premiering tonight on WWE.com. Officials are hopeful that the program will find a home on U.S. television.
— WWE returns to the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on July 6, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale January 28, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
— According to WWEDVDNews.com, a “Best of SmackDown” 2010/2011 DVD set is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
A DVD and Blu-ray set examining the rivalry between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock is also on tap for the end of next year.
Former WWE star and Hollywood actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson called in to Opie & Anthony’s satellite radio show this morning to promote the release of his new movie, “Faster.” Here are some highlights from the interview:
– Johnson said he’s proud of Linda McMahon’s attempt to become a United States Senator.
– He said he loves being an actor and plugged his new movie “Faster,” which co-stars Billy Bob Thorton. He gave a rundown of the movie and mentioned that Brock Lesnar was his last opponent in WWE. He said he’s the accomplished actor he is today because he worked with great coaches early in his acting carer.
– When asked who owns the name “The Rock,” Johnson said he and Vince McMahon have co-ownership of the trademark. He credited his family’s long standing relationship with the McMahons as the reason Vince gave him co-ownership.
– Johnson shared some memories from the WWE Attitude era and said it was a really special time to be involved with wrestling.
– He spoke about Shane McMahon’s overseas business ventures and suspects that Shane has met with UFC president Dana White about working together. He said Shane always worked his butt of in WWE and will be successful at anything he does. O&A said Shane probably had no choice but to get involved with WWE due to his father’s influence.
– He said Brock Lesnar was very passionate about wrestling when he first got started but the travel broke him down and he ultimately said forget it. He mentioned that his last WWE match was against Lesnar.
— Jim Ross noted on his Twitter account last night that Jerry “The King” Lawler will be on hand for tonight’s “Old School” episode of Raw. A knee injury forced him to miss last week’s show.
— WWE.com has added a new section to its website previewing upcoming movies, entitled “WWE Viewing Room.” Currently featured on the site is Faster, starring former WWE talent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The action thriller drama hits theaters Nov. 26.
— WWE is offering discounted tickets for the Dec. 13 Raw taping in New Orleans, LA at the New Orleans Arena. With the password 440WWE, four tickets to the event can be ordered for $40, plus Ticketmaster charges.
– To update the story that WWE is planning to build a pysical Hall of Fame, we’ve heard the company has sent out letters to various potential host cities explaining the potential benefits to the cities. WWE is looking for the host city to contribute to the costs associated with building and maintaining a Hall of Fame facility. The project is in its very early stages and nothing is expected to happen for 2-3 more years.
– NASCAR driver Carl Edward has been celebrating his recent racing victories by running into the crowd and celebrating with the fans. Edwards recently wrote on Twitter that this new celebration was inspired by WWE star John Cena, whom he worked with on a Gilette commercial shoot.
– According to reports out of India, celebrity Pamela Anderson will joining the cast of India’s “Big Brother” reality show, which currently features WWE star the Great Khali.
