On Monday’s RAW, WWE confirmed that The Undertaker will square off against Brock Lesnar in a rematch from their infamous encounter at WrestleMania XXX.
The hot angle of RAW saw the Dead Man and the Beast Incarnate brawling throughout the arena, with most of the roster attempting to keep the two forces of nature apart. Lesnar wound up taken into police custody.
SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23rd from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
– The official result of the Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE Battleground last night is a “No Contest,” according to WWE.com. As seen during the show last night, the Lesnar-Rollins match ended when The Undertaker returned and attacked Lesnar.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross will review WWE Battleground on his “Ross Report” podcast this week with The Fight Network’s John Pollock. The show will be available tomorrow night at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair took the following photo backstage at WWE Battleground last night with his daughter Charlotte, as well as Paige and Becky Lynch.
WWE legend The Undertaker made a surprise return at Sunday’s Battleground pay-per-view, costing Brock Lesnar a chance to capture the WWE Championship in the main event.
WWE has posted the following video clips of the Dead Man’s return:
As expected, The Undertaker made his WWE return at the WWE Battleground pay-per-view in St. Louis on Sunday night.
“The Dead Man” made his surprise return during the main event, just as challenger Brock Lesnar was attempting to pin champion Seth Rollins following an F-5.
Below is a recap of what transpired, courtesy of our WWE Battleground play-by-play:
Lesnar hits an F-5 on Rollins and covers him, however The Undertaker’s gong hits. The lights go out. When they come back on, Undertaker is standing in the ring staring at Lesnar.
Undertaker and Lesnar go at it until Undertaker finally hits a Tombstone piledriver. We see Heyman watching on in horror. Taker drops down to one knee and does his famous pose as his music plays and the lights go out again. Taker leaves and heads to the back, stopping to raise his fist as the crowd pops. WWE Battleground goes off the air on that note.
It’s been rumored for quite some time, but now it looks like the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar rematch is set for SummerSlam.
As previously reported, both The Undertaker and Sting are currently scheduled to work this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
According to a PWInsider.com update on the story, Undertaker will actually be returning to WWE television at Monday’s edition of RAW in Kansas City to begin the build towards a match he will be taking part in at this year’s SummerSlam.
It’s possible Undertaker will be appearing at Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view as well, however that is not confirmed at this point.
Fans who are looking forward to seeing The Undertaker and Sting back in WWE storylines might not have to wait as long as they thought.
According to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, both Undertaker and Sting are scheduled to appear at this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
While we don’t have a lot of specific information regarding Undertaker and Sting’s role at SummerSlam, it is being reported that neither man appearing on the show will be a surprise, as both guys appearing at the event will be promoted in advance.
WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
UPDATE: One of the two legends mentioned above will actually be returning at this coming Monday’s post-Battleground edition of RAW. For the full story, click here.
Former WWE performer Teddy Long recently spoke with the folks at AL.com to promote his appearance at AWF’s show outside the Golden Corral restaurant in Tillman’s Corner. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On being a General Manager in WWE: “I had a great experience with that. It was the first time ever (a babyface played the general manager role). They talked to me a couple of times about turning me (into a heel, or bad guy) and Vince said, ‘No.’ He saw that people liked me. If the people like you, why turn? That’s what Vince is all about. He’s about money. My character was definitely me. Vince was the guy behind a lot of it, but I made the character me. That’s how I got over. I wasn’t being someone else.”
On his favorite SmackDown memory: ” I think it was the wedding. I had the wedding with Kristal Marshall and had the heart attack as I said, ‘I do.’ That was some good stuff. But I had so many memories. I had an opportunity to put Rey Mysterio in a big position one night so he could qualify for the world title. John Laurinaitis and Vickie Guerrero … we had some good times. (Guerrero) was a sweet woman.”
On managing The Undertaker early in his career before he came to WWE: “Mark was one of the nicest guys you ever would meet. ‘Taker is a business man. He’s a lot like Vince. When you can, yourself, get involved in storylines with Undertaker and people like that, you don’t let that go to your head. I never did that.”
On racism in wrestling and Ron Simmons becoming the first black World Champion in WCW: “I thought it was a significant achievement. There had never been a black world championship before. Back in the day, there was a little racism in our industry. You saw black guys get beat and they never thought they would be able to get to the top. But Ron Simmons was a brand. He was a former Florida State University (All-American) football player. Putting the belt on him was no racism thing. They put the belt on him because (the company felt that Simmons could represent the company as champion).”
Bill Godberg recently spoke to The Inquisitr to promote the upcoming Legends of Wrestling event on June 7th from Citi Field in New York, New York. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His Heel Turn In WCW:
“I’m glad because I can be a role model for kids but oh man, did I want to be a heel. I would have been the best Bruiser Brody’ish, bald, freaking monster anybody would have been. People think Brock [Lesnar] is good as a heel, oh man. They turned me one time in WCW in Baltimore, the night before I wrestled Hacksaw Jim Duggan and he just got over surgery and he had cancer. I had to go out and blast him and had a Make-A-Wish girl in the back, with cancer. So I come back after the match and she’s in tears, wrestling is wrestling, I get it, the good, bad and evil and trying to storyline people in and out of what they think is going to happen. But I wasn’t going to do that. I failed as a wrestler in that I didn’t turn heel but I think I won as a human being. Because if there is one girl or one kid that thinks less of me and doesn’t idolize me because of the fictitious stuff I’ve done in the ring in a negative fashion, I don’t want to risk that. I didn’t reach the level I could have reached but it doesn’t matter to me. That one little girl destroyed me and I told them the next day that we’re going back., immediately.”
The Undertaker:
“Mark’s awesome, dude. Talk about revolutionizing the business, he was unbelievable and to see that he still does it in some capacity is unbelievable. And he’s a great guy and I very much appreciate him both in and out of the ring.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with the folks at the Inside The Ropes podcast about a number of topics. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On his recent comments about getting back in the ring: “Physically I’m more than capable but it’s a cosmetic issue now so I’d need time to prepare. I’ve always wanted to manage Dolph Ziggler but ya know if they were to ask me to get back in the ring tomorrow my answer would be yes and I could work with anybody. I’ve actually worked with Ziggler before when he was in the group (Spirit Squad) I love all those kids. I think I’ve had enough of Brock Lesnar, I don’t think I could do that one again. I don’t think I could take 17 German suplexes. I could work with any of the kids but I don’t think that’s going to happen, I just meant I’m physically cleared to go out there and bounce around or drop an elbow on a sports coat. I’d love to be a part of it again.”
On The Undertaker’s legacy and saluting Flair during his retirement: “First of all, I think the world of him personally. He’s a wonderful person. On top of being one of the top ten performers of all time, he’s got the greatest gimmick in the history of the business. When I first started coming to Europe with him in the 90’s, I had no idea. There were ten thousand people dressed up like The Undertaker. I had no idea how much of an impact he made over here. I was very surprised he did that. Not because he doesn’t respect me but he just doesn’t come out in public. You know you’re never gonna see him at the front row at the Hall of Fame. He’s backstage listening to every work. It’s not that he’s not in attendance, he’s back there with Vince. He’s a wonderful guy.”
On his memories of his match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania 8: “It’s funny because it was just an average match. There was so much tension at that time between Randy and Liz. As a matter of fact, that was the last time they were together, they split the next day. It was just very uncomfortable. Not working with Randy or Liz individually, they’re great people but there was just tension between them and that was the last time they worked together there. I thought the match was OK but it could’ve been better and it wasn’t out individual abilities there was just a lot going on behind the scenes that people weren’t aware of. I felt bad. I was honored to be a part of it and be in a main event at WrestleMania but there was so much going on behind the scenes that I felt bad for everybody involved.Not for me, but they were going their separate ways and it was difficult. He cared for her a great deal.”
Steve Austin and WWE are officially back in business together, with his “Stone Cold Podcast” returning to the WWE Network on June 1st with special guest Paul Heyman.
The show will air on the night after the free month of May ends, as historically, the two most-watched shows in WWE Network history, aside from live pay-per-view events, were Austin’s two podcasts with Vince McMahon and Triple H.
Apparently Austin and WWE working together again came as a result of whatever issue Vince McMahon had being mended somehow.
One of the other reasons Austin is coming back is because of the busy schedule of Chris Jericho. Between hosting Tough Enough, doing house shows and touring with Fozzy, Jericho won’t be available to do podcasts on the WWE Network as often as might be necessary.
After Heyman, Austin’s next three guests on the WWE Network podcast will be Sting, The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan.
Last night, WWE announced that Paul Heyman will be Steve Austin’s guest on the next installment of the Stone Cold Podcast, which airs live on the WWE Network on June 1st immediately following RAW.
WWE sent out a press release today touting the Stone Cold Podcast, revealing that The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and Sting will also be sitting in the hot seat in the coming months.
WWE’s upcoming book about The Undertaker is scheduled for a November 3rd release, so Monday, November 2nd could very well be the day the Texas Rattlesnake and The Dead Man go face to face one more time.
Here’s the official word:
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host Stone Cold Podcast, Live!, a no-holds-barred, in-your-face monthly interview series beginning Monday, June 1 at 11 p.m. ET on the award-winning WWE Network, with special guest Paul Heyman.
Each month immediately following Monday Night Raw, which airs on USA Network, the WWE Hall of Famer will sit down with the biggest names in WWE including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Sting and other celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment for an exclusive interview on WWE Network.
“If you’re ready for the Stone Cold Podcast, give me a ‘Hell Yeah!’,” said “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Author Kevin Sullivan (not the former wrestler) has officially started the process of writing a book about The Undertaker. The book is apparently only going to cover the wrestling character and his history, not the man behind the gimmick.
The official name of the book as of right now is “Undertaker: 25 Years Of Destruction,” and is scheduled to be released on November 3rd.
Below is the official synopsis for the book:
See The Deadman like you’ve never seen him before!
With stunning visuals and in-depth commentary, Undertaker: 25 Years of Destruction takes the reader deep into the darkness, where few dare to tread! Learn everything you need to know about sports-entertainment’s mysterious grim reaper of justice with this massive hardcover tome.
Coverage includes:
• Stunning Visuals
• In-depth Discussion of Undertaker’s rise within the WWE ranks
• Exclusive Interviews with Superstars, Announcers, and other WWE personalities
• Behind the Scenes Look at Undertaker’s Historic Streak
– Author Kevin Sullivan is currently working on a WWE book focusing on The Undertaker. PWInsider.com noted this week that it will be kayfabe book about the Undertaker character, not Mark Calaway.
– A new episode of Jerry Springer’s “Too Hot for TV” premieres tonight on the WWE Network after SmackDown.
– On this week’s WWE Inbox, watch the Superstars of NXT take front and center as share their dream opponents. Hear from Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Bayley, Becky Lynch and many more as they discuss their dream opponents.
– WWE Diva Tamina Snuka made her in-ring return during the company’s recent European tour. Most recently, Snuka has been working as a bodyguard for Naomi during non-televised WWE live events. There is no definitive word yet as to whether or not they will be using Snuka and Naomi as a pair on television, however WWE generally tends to try matches and angles out on live events before bringing them to television, so it’s definitely a possibility.
– WWE performer and movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently took to Instagram to extend some praise for WWE Diva Eva Marie. “The Great One” wrote the following:
“Thank you to my homegirl Eva Marie for this very cool birthday message. What impresses me most about her is that she has a certain drive and determination that can only come from someone who knows what it’s like to have been down and to have struggled. Eva’s struggle has clearly created a fierce focus in her which is so cool to see and here’s the best part… she’s willin’ to put in the daily hard ass work to achieve and accomplish all of her goals in — and outside of the ring. It’s a real pleasure working with and mentoring this woman. Road is long and we’re just gettin’ started.. Plus I gave my word to our agent @bslater9 that I’ll make sure she always handles her business like a straight up G. #FutureWWEDivaChamp #OD #LetsGetToWork”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley noted on Twitter that the four teeth that were damaged in his infamous 1998 Hell In A Cell match with The Undertaker at the King Of The Ring pay-per-view will have to be replaced. “The Hardcore Legend” tweeted the following:
The Undertaker’s current WWE contract expires soon, according to a report at f4wonline.com.
WWE is already advertising the Dead Man for WrestleMania 32, so it looks like we’ll be seeing him at least one more time at WWE’s biggest show of the year. Of course, with WrestleMania 32 taking place from The Undertaker’s home state of Texas, a retirement match and WWE Hall of Fame induction would be fitting for the legendary performer.
WrestleMania 32 takes place on Sunday, April 3, 2016 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The assumption is that when his contract expires, he will sign a new deal that is beyond the “Legends” contract that most retired vererans sign.
Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman were recently interviewed by Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog.
With rumors swirling over the past several weeks that Shawn Michaels was close to signing with WCW at the height of the Monday Night War, Nash reveals that it was actually The Undertaker who was close to jumping ship when he became a free agent in 2000. The Undertaker transforming into the American Badass biker was more than just a gimmick refresh, it was actually a move to reposition him as a more generic character that he could have brought over to WCW.
“We had ‘Taker close. All of a sudden he wasn’t the Deadman. He became the American Badass for a reason. That Deadman wasn’t going to f—in’ come to WCW. He would have been the biker character and gone by Mark Calaway.
“All along, I was trying to get guys money, I was trying to get guys paid. And what happened was Vince started giving huge guarantees to the Shawns and Undertakers and those guys and said, ‘I can’t lose my core guys.’”
Chris Jericho has been a vocal critic of Hall, Nash and Waltman over the years, labeling them as one of the main causes behind the demise of WCW. Hall and Waltman think Jericho needs to move on and enjoy the success he’s achieved in the business. Scott Hall said,
“Jericho’s just a whining puss. If you have any talent, you can’t be held back and you can’t be held down. Jericho just whines and whines. He’s gone on to be tremendously successful, and he’s still got a hard on for us. I don’t get it, but nobody makes headlines for saying, ‘Those guys are great guys. You talk about what d—s we are, and then some guy sits down and interviews you.”
Waltman worked closely with Jericho in WCW and WWE and reveals Jericho got a rude awakening when he arrived in WWE.
“Jericho realized, once he got to WWE, ‘Holy s—, I don’t know what the f— I’m doing here. That’s why Vince made him come to me and run his matches by me, even he was working with Boss Man or something. You think you know, until you finally know.”
There’s much more to the interview – including Nash reacting to reports that Vince McMahon was furious with his WWE Hall of Fame speech and Hall and Nash’s jump to WCW.
Planning for WrestleMania 32 is well underway, with WWE working on ways to ensure WrestleMania 32 is the biggest ‘Sports Entertainment’ event of all time and draw over 100,000 fans to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Just days after WrestleMania 31, WWE officials visited AT&T stadium to begin planning out the arena configuration for next year’s mega show. Now, it’s been revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was contacted about coming out of retirement for a final match in his home state.
During this week’s episode of The Ross Report at PodcastOne.com, HBK told Jim Ross that WWE pitched the idea of him tuning up the band one more time for a farewell match in front of what could be the company’s largest crowd ever.
While the idea of “one more match” for the WWE Hall of Famer is certainly a worthy special attraction for WM32, Michaels said that he respectfully declined the offer and is happily retired. He made it very clear that he has no plans to wrestle again.
Michaels retired from active competition after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 back in 2010.
– It was reported during WrestleMania 31 weekend that Eva Marie was going to be hosting the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony this year, however as seen during the event, Jerry Lawler hosted it as usual. Apparently, WWE originally intended to have Eva host the ceremony, but at the last minute, they changed their minds and went with Lawler.
– The Undertaker and Michelle McCool attended a University of Texas vs. Oklahoma softball game earlier this week in Austin, Texas. Below is a photo of the couple at the game:
– The official WWE website has a new poll up asking fans who they would like to see Sting face next in WWE. With over 25,000 votes, The Undertaker is in a comanding lead with 62 percent of the vote. Triple H follows with 14 percent of the vote, while the other options, which includes Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt and The Rock, all have six percent. You can vote on the poll right now at WWE.com.
– Chris Jericho’s new “Nothing To Report” Comedy Central web series is scheduled to premiere this Monday on YouTube and on Comedy Central’s official website. Jericho filmed the show last summer along with Nick Mundy.
– WWE Diva Cameron is giving away a 2015 “prom package” to one lucky fan with a custom prom dress, hair and make-up. Check out the video below for more details.
WrestleMania 32 is still a year away, but WWE is already teasing some huge matches for the event. WWE.com has published an “Editor’s Choice” feature, looking at 8 predictions for the show.
While these matches are just speculation at this point, if even half of these come to fruition, WrestleMania 32 is shaping up to be one of the biggest shows in WWE history.
“Everything’s bigger in Texas, including our predictions for WWE WrestleMania 32. One year before The Show of Shows descends upon the Lone Star State, we peer into our crystal ball to forecast what ?#?WrestleMania? moments might go down!”
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin will compete in one more match
Ronda Rousey will compete inside a WWE ring
The former Shield members will battle in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mr. McMahon will battle Jerry Jones in Battle of the Billionaires 2
Sting vs. The Undertaker
An NXT Diva will defend the WWE Divas Championship
Kalisto will win The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The Tag Team Championships will be defended in a one-night-only tournament
Comment below and tell us which of these you think will actually happen.
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has addressed several rumors about his relationship with WWE in the latest “Steve Austin Show” at PodcastOne.com. There have been a lot of reports regarding Austin’s status with the company, why he didn’t appear at WrestleMania weekend, the reason he’s not involved in the new season of Tough Enough and more. Here’s what he said:
– He was never supposed to be on The Undertaker’s flight to WrestleMania weekend. He’s not even sure exactly where Taker lives these days, but at no point was Austin supposed to travel with him.
– There were no creative discussions for him to participate at WrestleMania. He didn’t turn down any ideas, he just wasn’t booked to be there. He watched the entire event from home.
– He denies that he has heat with WWE for turning down Tough Enough. He had been in talks with WWE for quite some time to be one of the coaches for the show. They were supposed to start filming in February and March. Because it’s such a big production, things got delayed. By the time WWE was ready to start filming, he had already committed to CMT for a new season of Broken Skull Challenge. Participating in Tough Enough would have been an “absolute blast” because that was his first TV hosting gig. It was a scheduling conflict and nothing more.
– As for his Steve Austin Podcast on the WWE Network, Austin said the reason another installment hasn’t been booked is because the two sides couldn’t agree on a deal. There is no truth to the reports that Vince McMahon was unhappy with the questions he asked during their interview. There was an offer on the table but they couldn’t get a deal done. He’s on great terms with WWE and is completely open to working with the company again.
There is no animosity from any standpoint between him and WWE.
– Regarding Bray Wyatt wrestling a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 with an injured ankle, there was said to be no talk at any point of Wyatt not going through with the match.
Wyatt’s injury was bad enough that he was having trouble walking, and had to wear a cast on his ankle until the match actually started.
– At least three documentaries were shot in The Bay Arena during WrestleMania 31 week. There were also a lot of Total Divas cameras around town shooting footage throughout the week as well, as the whole cast had their families in town for the big event.
– This week’s edition of WWE Top 10, which you can see below, looks at the most outrageous Superstar pranks.
– At Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 PPV, Sting and The Undertaker shared locker room, while Brock Lesnar and Hulk Hogan also shared a room.
– Earlier this week on RAW, some fans noticed that Seth Rollins’ WWE Championship belt did not feature the Seth Rollins “side plates” that WWE tweeted a photo of after WrestleMania. Apparently the Rollins side plates that were ordered did not fit the belt correctly and new ones have been ordered.
– Speaking of WWE’s championship belts, the company is currently working on a new design for John Cena’s United States Championship.
WWE was said to be shocked when Steve Austin didn’t show up for WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California this past weekend, as he was scheduled to arrive from Texas on the same flight as The Undertaker, and they even had someone waiting at the airport to pick him up.
WWE was apparently still under the impression that Austin would show up at some point, as they had a room with his name on it backstage at Levi’s Stadium until mid-week.
The issue appears to be between Austin and Vince McMahon, and is a big enough issue that one source said they’ve never seen McMahon so angry before, which is saying a lot.
