World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly upset over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.
The Chaperone is slated for a short theatrical release starting the weekend of February 18th. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 8th. This is the same strategy WWE went with for Big Show’s “Knucklehead” movie, with a limited release prior to the DVD release.
— Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.
— World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly miffed over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.
— Marcus “Buff” Bagwell turns 41 years old today while former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Christopher turns 39.
— It was reported earlier that World Wrestling Entertainment laid a copyright claim on the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone, which surfaced on YouTube Thursday. Regarding this, it is said that company executives hated the version of the trailer that hit the web since it was bootlegged with very poor video quality. They also didn’t want to give off the impression that it is a low-budget independent film.
— CM Punk is being advertised in place of Wade Barrett for the (dark match) main event at the Jan. 17 Raw taping at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is slated to partner with The Miz against John Cena and Randy Orton.
— WWE returns to Mexico for a Raw live event tour this May. Dates and locations are as follows: May 11th – Multi-Purpose Center in Hermosillo; May 12th – VFG Arena in Guadalajara; May 13th – Sports Palace in Mexico City; May 14th – Arena Monterrey in Monterrey.
— WWEDVDNews.com has confirmed that World Wrestling Entertainment will release a video on D-Generation X titled Final Conflict on April 5 in North America. It will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray.
The three-disc set will pick off where the 2007 set left off with matches from their rivalries with The Legacy and JeriShow. It will also contain brand new interviews with Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
— Continuing their angle from Monday’s Raw, SmackDown Superstar Alberto Del Rio lost to R-Truth in a singles match at Friday’s Raw live event in Augusta, Georgia. He lost to the former United States Champion for the second consecutive night at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Lexington, Kentucky.
— Chris Masters celebrated his 27th birthday Saturday.
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.
— Former WWE talent Hassan Hamin Assad (a/k/a MVP) sat ringside amongst the audience at Thursday night’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event in Tampa, Florida. He booed some of the WWE developmental talent.
— World Wrestling Entertainment laid a copyright claim on the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone, which surfaced on YouTube yesterday. Similarly, WWE had the trailer of Legendary removed from YouTube and IMDB.com when it initially surfaced early last summer.
— WWE Monday Night Raw on May 2, 2011 will be held at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Tickets go on sale January 22, 2011.
Stephanie McMahon has been less involved with the creative content of WWE programming than many expected her to be at this point. She took maternity leave following the birth of her third child in August and has largely worked via telecommuting since that time. One company source said Paul Levesque (a/k/a Triple H) appears more creatively involved than he has ever been after his promotion in the fall to Vince McMahon’s Senior Advisor.
Though Levesque does not attend creative meetings, he is more involved in the creative process and has a lot of stroke in producer meetings. He also filled in as a show runner when Vince McMahon missed a few recent television tapings.
“I would say Vince McMahon is the executive show runner and Hunter is the associate show runner,” said one WWE source. “He’s the apprentice.”
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.
The trailer for WWE Studios’ movie featuring Triple H, The Chaperone, has been released. Click here to view it.
The Chaperone will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in March.
The synopsis from ComingSoon.net reads: “In the film, Ray Bradstone (Triple H) is the best “wheel man in the business,” but he is determined to go straight and be the best parent he can be to his daughter, Sally (Winter), and make amends with his ex-wife, Lynne (Gish). As Ray struggles to find honest work, his old bank-robbing crew, led by Phillip Larue (Corrigan), offers him one last job. He agrees at first, but changes his mind at the last second leaving the crew without a driver. Ray decides instead to serve as a “chaperone” for Sally’s school field trip. When the robbery goes awry, Larue blames Ray and chases the school bus all the way to the Museum of Natural History in New Orleans. Ray must deal with Larue, while supervising Sally’s class on what becomes one of the craziest school trips ever.”
– With Shane McMahon gone from WWE, Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H are seen as the successors to the WWE empire. Triple H has been a power player behind the scenes for years and many in the company see this year as a time when Vince will shift more responsibilities to his son in law. While Vince is not going anywhere any time soon, the overall feeling within WWE is that the company will be in good hands under Triple H and Stephanie.
– There’s still no word yet on the severity of John Cena’s hip injury or when he will be ready to return to action. Everybody is hoping that Cena will be healthy enough to compete at the Royal Rumble and he will be keeping a very light schedule until then.
– As we reported earlier this week, Rey Mysterio has been pulled from this weekend’s WWE live events and will be replaced by Big Show in matches against Alberto Del Rio. This is part of John Laurinaitis agreeing to give Mysterio an even easier schedule while he’s recovering from a shoulder tear. Rey will continue to work television and pay-per-view events, but like Cena, will be kept off live events for the time being while his injury heals.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the info used in this report)
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.
— Many within WWE feel that Triple H won’t go back on a full-time wrestling schedule upon his return to the ring as he’s transitioning into a corporate position with the organization. He’s had more authority at events in recent weeks. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— Charlie Haas took to Twitter to comment on Kaval’s release from WWE today, calling the organization ‘classless’.
He wrote: “Sorry to hear the news of Kaval being released. Especially before Christmas. What a gift. Shows how classless WWE is. Low Ki ur better off … Anyways. Kaval is one of the best talents in the world. No doubt he will prevail else where. Much respect and love for him.”
— Torrie Wilson is auctioning off several clothing items from her time in WWE including bikinis and boots. To view her items, click here.
— Triple H will reportedly be more involved behind the scenes at television tapings in the coming weeks, a role took on during the company’s tour of Europe last month. The backstage environment was said to be far less stressful with him in charge than Vince McMahon. (source: f4wonline.com)
— Ted DiBiase, Maryse and Brodus Clay vs. Chris Masters, Byron Saxton and a mystery Diva has been announced for tonight’s episode of NXT. The Rookie Challenge will be a Wheelbarrow Race.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the January 2011 issue of WWE Magazine, with the headline reading: “John Cena’s Biggest Year Ever?”
— Former WWE Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas announced during intermission of Ring of Honor’s Final Battle iPPV that they had signed full-time deals with the organization. They said their goal is to become the ROH World Tag Team Champions.
— Triple H is being advertised to appear at several upcoming Raw tapings. However, he was advertised for last night’s show in Austin, Texas, but did not appear.
— Former WWE Women’s Champion Chyna has landed a role as a defense attorney in the independent film Code of Death. Filming begins in the spring.
— Last night on Raw, the anonymous General Manager arranged Lay-Cool vs. Beth Phoenix and Divas Champion Natalya for Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view in the first-ever Divas Tag Team Table Match. The match was concocted in response to Mickie James battling Tara in a Steel Cage Match last Thursday on TNA Wrestling’s iMPACT!.
— David Arquette was said to be a delight backstage at last night’s Raw. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion spent time chatting with most everyone locker room, a stark contrast to numerous celebrities who solely acknowledge the top stars.
— The terms Slammys and David Arquette were trending worldwide on Twitter last night during Raw.
— Triple H is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.
— Reportedly, all of the names announced during the last wave of talent departures were releases by WWE with the exception of Shad Gaspard, who wanted to part ways with the organization in order to pursue acting. Jillian Hall also claimed she asked to be released, and that she had asked several times before. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— New names advertised to appear at Tribute to the Troops are Triple H and The Bella Twins, according to Hood Happenings Magazine, the official magazine of the Fort Hood, Texas military base. Also advertised to appear are John Cena, Randy Orton, The Miz, Mark Henry, Edge and Vince McMahon. (Thanks to SPC McClouston, Patrick)
— The pre-sale code for the Apr. 4 Monday Night Raw taping at The Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia is CHAMP. The sale begins tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster.com.
— WWE Studios’ The Chaperone starring Triple H is slated for a brief theatrical release in February before its released on DVD and Blu-ray.
— The 2010 Survivor Series DVD features footage of The Miz winning the WWE Championship from Randy Orton the day after the pay-per-view event. The Blu-ray version will also include the previous week’s “Old School” episode of Raw in its entirety.
— All January, WWE Classics on Demand celebrate the most memorable “Fantastic Firsts” in sports-entertainment history.
— Tentative plans call for Triple H to return next month at the Royal Rumble for a match with Sheamus.
— It is said that Wes Brisco and Xavier Woods were tapped to be called up to the main roster fairly soon before Brisco tore his ACL at a FCW live event last month in Punta Gorda.
— According to video game industry sources, sales for Smackdown vs Raw 2011 are at the same level as last year, which would be considered a major positive considering that sales throughout the industry are down. It’s also a positive because sales for the game were down the past two years.
— The latest word on Triple H is that he is not expected to return to WWE programming until January at the earliest.
He has been sidelined since April due a torn biceps tendon.
— The Dec. 4 episode of A.M. Raw scored a 0.31 cable rating, with 363,000 viewers.
— Former WWE Diva Serena is advertised to return to Ring of Honor on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the company’s Final Battle 2010 internet pay-per-view event. She will be teaming with Sara Del Rey against Awesome Kong and Daizee Haze in a tag match.
— It was said to be “night and day” in regards to Triple H producing the announcers instead of Vince McMahon during WWE’s television events in England a few weeks ago—which the WWE chairman missed. “The Game” reportedly said little to the announcers during the broadcasts, which was a huge change of pace from the usual swearing and screaming. Furthermore, when he had a point to make, he waited until a break to say it. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— Ryan-Nemeth.com conducted an interview with Dolph Ziggler’s younger brother, Ryan Nemeth, an aspiring wrestler. He was asked whether he would be interested in taking part in WWE’s revival of Tough Enough and what he thinks of critics who may brush him off as “just” the Intercontinental Champion’s younger brother.
To read the interview, click here.
— Lance Storm confirmed in a post on fans.wwe.com that he has launched an official Facebook Fan Page. The page can be accessed here.
— According to sources within WWE, Triple H is expected to return to television “at any time.”
“The Game” has been sidelined since April, after he underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon. He was expected to return over the summer, but he suffered a torn biceps while shooting a film for WWE Studios.
— WWE has reportedly axed the mascot character accompanying Jack Swagger ringside in recent weeks, the Swagger Soaring Eagle. The mascot did not accompany Swagger for his match with Daniel Bryan last Monday on Raw.
— Twin WWE Divas Brie and Nikki Bella celebrate their birthday today. They turn 27 years old.
– John Cena wrote the following on Twitter after Monday’s RAW:
“CeNation. Officially don’t care anymore what wade thinks or says. Had time to reflect and if i get fired, im ok with it. Sorry to keep quiet for so long. That will never happen again. I have been able to read all of your messages. Thank u to all.”
– Vince McMahon did not fly to Europe for last week’s set of television tapings and was thus Triple H’s first time of being in charge of events in his recently promoted role as the WWE Chairman’s senior advisor. It is said that while the atmosphere appeared different, it was in a positive manner.
– In the intro titling for WWE’s profile on Bruno Sammartino in their Top 50 Superstars of All Time DVD set, his last name is misspelled as “Summartino.”
In what many are calling a prime example of why the list is a joke – Sammartino is ranked No. 24.
WWE superstar Triple H was recently interviewed by SBNation Atlanta while in town to hype WrestleMania 27 tickets going on sale last week.
During the interview, Triple H took a few shots at former WCW and WWE star Bill Goldberg. When asked about his favorite opponents, Triple H responded:
“For me, from my singles career, would probably be Rock and obviously Shawn. Between there I had a lot of hodge-podge guys, which weren’t really what you’d call classics. The Goldbergs and guys like that.”
Goldberg is a former Atlanta Falcons NFL player and made his name in the Atlanta-based WCW promotion. When asked wether Bill Goldberg deserved to be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in Atlanta during WrestleMania 27 weekend, Triple H responded with:
“Bill’s trying to get into the Hall of Fame. If there’s a rumor about him coming back, he probably started it. I’ve not seen any mention of his name.”
Goldberg has now responded to Triple H’s comments, writing on Twitter:
“I read HHH and HBK’s views on the #WWE HOF….everyone is entitled to their own opinion.They do have a point if induction is based on tenure”
UPDATE: WWE star Chris Jericho has also commented on the possibility of Goldberg in the WWE Hall of Fame. Jericho, who has had issues with Goldberg over the years (Goldberg not wanting to put him over in WCW and Jericho getting the best of Goldberg in a backstage scuffle), wrote:
“Hope Goldberg gets inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame! Why not, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana and Koko B. Ware are in….”
Triple H and Shawn Michaels appeared at the Atlanta Falcon’s NFL football game on Thursday night and actually got some microphone time to address the stadium crowd.
The duo was in town to promote the release of WrestleMania 27 tickets, which went on sale Saturday.
Here’s a video of Triple H and Shawn Michaels representing DX at the Georgia Dome:
— Bret Hart returned to the ring Friday at WWE’s SmackDown live event in Cologne, Germany. “The Hitman” teamed with David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd to defeat Husky Harris, Heath Slater and David Otunga. The match concluded when Slater tapped out to Hart’s Sharpshooter.
— Shawn Michaels and Triple H were at the Georgia Dome Thursday before the Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens game. They briefly discussed WrestleMania XXVII before doing the signature ‘Are You Ready’ bit. HBK explained they had to say ‘Rise Up’ instead of a certain catchphrase because it’s the Falcons slogan this year, and also because they don’t want to get in trouble.