– Jim Ross tweeted the following about the conclusion of Monday’s RAW, where John Cena terrorized Michael Cole, stripped him down to his underwear and covered him in JR’s BBQ sauce:
“@michaelcole was a trooper last night wearing JR’S BBQ sauces & taking @JohnCena AA. apology accepted. Let’s move on.”
Just a month ago, Brock Lesnar was bringing “legitimacy” back to WWE. Now, John Cena is main eventing RAW by stripping Michael Cole down to his boxers and covering him in BBQ sauce. Who’s ready for 3-hour RAWs every week?
– There was a fire at the Greenville Marriott hotel where the WWE superstars were staying at on Monday night. The entire hotel had to be evacuated around 3am due to a fire in housekeeping.
– Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins tweeted the following on Monday night after their match against Kofi Kingston and R-Truth on RAW:
Reks: “Hey, #Change takes time people. Non-title match tonight so we didn’t want to pull out all our tricks. More Reks & @TheCurtHawkins to come.”
Hawkins: “Well… I had a match on Raw. That’s a start. Not satisfied though.”
– WWE’s Senior Vice President of Digital Jason Koch attended Ad Age’s Engagement/Social TV conference on Wednesday. He talked about a recent social engagement test that performed at a recent live event in Huntsville Alabama.
WWE encouraged the fans in attendance to post pictures from the show to Twitter and also had fans vote on a stipulation for the show’s main event. Koch stated that that 25% of the fans in attendance voted, which is considered to be a very strong sign of customer engagement.
It’s expected that WWE will continue to encourage fans at live events to promote WWE on social media. For more on the story, visit AdAge.com.
– As seen on this week’s NXT [watch here], Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins returned and are now the official “NXT security,” as appointed by John Laurinaitis.
– WWE has added Antonio Cesaro to the SmackDown roster page. Jim Ross called Cesaro a “potential impact player” in his latest blog.
– Beth Phoenix is about to break the record for the longest reigning Divas champion of all time, if she can keep the title past May 1st. Former WWE diva Maryse currently holds the record at 213 days.
– After getting fired by William Regal on last week’s episode of NXT, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks are encouraging fans to get them rehired by tweeting the phrase #SaveReksAndHawkins” during tonight’s RAW. The tag team will reportedly get their jobs back if their hashtag trends on Twitter during RAW.
– Ted DiBiase visited Batson Children’s Hospital in Mississippi over the weekend as part of a documentary he’s filming about his faith and his charity work for sick, underprivileged children. TMZ.com has since picked up the story.
– The July 10th WWE SmackDown taping will take place from the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Source: Devin Cutting)
– Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins are trying to get re-hired by John Laurinaitis and were informed that they will get their jobs back if they can get the hastag #SaveReksAndHawkins trending during Monday’s three-hour RAW.
– The tag team of Titus O’Neil and Darren Young have officially joined the SmackDown roster and wrestled The Usos on this week’s show. O’Neil and Young wrote on Twitter earlier in the week that they have their sights set on the WWE Tag Team Championships. Here is video of their match against the Usos:
– FCW star Antonio Cesaro made his WWE television debut on Friday’s night’s SmackDown. Formerly known as Claudio Castagnoli, Cesaro was introduced as Aksana’s new friend and had a meeting with John Laurinaitis on the show. Cesaro’s gimmick is that he’s a professional European Rugby player.
— On Wednesday, WWE’s stock price set a new 52-week low and closed at its lowest mark since April 2003. The stock closed at $7.96 per share after setting a 52-week low of $7.95 per share. It is also the first time the stock price has closed under $8.00 per share since April 2003.
— NXT authority figure William Regal fired both Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks on this week’s NXT episode (watch here) after pitting the perennial troublemakers against each other in a match in which their jobs were at stake.
Hawkins addressed his termination on Twitter, writing, “Future Endeavored. Anybody hiring a ridiculously good looking pro wrestler with exceptional hair? Damn you #NXT.”
This week’s episode of NXT also features Johnny Curtis vs. Percy Watson and Kaitlyn vs. Maxine.
— Beth Phoenix and Chris Jericho are scheduled to appear on French television show The Grand Journal this Friday to promote the evening’s Raw live event in Paris, France.
— 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.
— 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.
– Ted DiBiase is going in for shoulder surgery this morning.
– WWE agent “Road Dogg” BG James wrote on Twitter that he and several WWE divas are flying out to Los Angeles to shoot on the set of Extra with Maria Menounos. As reported earlier, Menounos will be appearing at WrestleMania.
– Tyler Reks wants a spot on Team Long at WrestleMania 28. He tweeted on Tuesday:
“Teddy, me & @TheCurtHawkins want on ur team! We’ve been on RAW for a year and the only match we’ve had is w/ Brodus. Not cool, Johnny. #RAW”
– Zack Ryder’s movement to have comments re-enabled on his Z! True Long Island Story Youtube videos appears to be gaining momentum. Ryder tweeted to WWE that that “#LetsUsCommentOnZTLIS” has been trending.
— WWE developmental wrestler Seth Rollins defeated Michael McGillicutty via Curb Stomp in a dark match at Monday’s Raw SuperShow in Cleveland, Ohio. Rollins, who reigns as Florida Heavyweight Champion, also competed at SmackDown live events over the weekend and is slated to be on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Columbus, Ohio.
— The following matches were taped Monday night in Cleveland, Ohio for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks
* Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly
— The WWE SmackDown taping scheduled for May 29, 2012 has been moved to the River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was originally scheduled to take place at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana.
– WWE.com now lists Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a member of the Raw roster.
– Tyler Reks, who largely appears on NXT, was asked to give his thoughts on his current position in WWE:
“I’d always like to be higher on the card, but where I am now gives me an opportunity to hone in my character and skills.”
– WrestlingFigs.com reports Ted DiBiase and Rosa Mendes will appear at Walmart 19501 NW 27th Ave. Miami Gardens, Florida on March 28 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Call 305-622-6664 for more information.
– On this week’s edition of WWE Download, Dolph Ziggler strongly endorses the necessity of wearing a bike helmet:
— During a phone interview with WWE.com Thursday, Shawn Michaels lost his composure when faced with pointed questions pertaining to Triple H and The Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII.
After being asked “If Triple H wins at WrestleMania, will he be better than you?” Michaels grew increasingly incensed in his response, saying he is the best in-ring performer ever and that he cannot help that the spotlight falls on him whenever he shows up. Before hanging up, he tells the WWE.com interviewer to leave him alone in his retired life.
— Thanks to interference from Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks drew a victory over Mason Ryan on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. It is his first televised singles victory since the March 17, 2011 WWE Superstars, where he beat JTG.
Other matches featured include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Jinder Mahal vs. Justin Gabriel. The episode is available here.
— WWE developmental wrestler Corey Graves (a/k/a Sterling James Keenan) turns 28 years old Friday.
— Tuesday’s SuperSmackDown LIVE! show featuring a Champion vs. Champion match between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan garnered a 1.7 rating with 2,326,000 viewers.
It is SmackDown‘s lowest rating since the September 16, 2011 show, which drew a 1.78.
— Following her actions involving John Cena and Zack Ryder on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Eve has turned over a new leaf. She wrote to Zack Ryder today on Twitter, “I miss you.”
— WWE.com is advertising a match between Justin Gabriel and Jinder Mahal for today’s episode of WWE Superstars. Other bouts taking place include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Mason Ryan vs. Tyler Reks.
— Mike Sydal, brother of WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, turns 28 years old today.
— Matches taped tonight at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for this week’s episode of WWE NXT Redemption are as follows:
* Derrick Bateman vs. Heath Slater
* Darren Young vs. Percy Watson
* Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd
* Kaitlyn vs. Maxine
* Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso
— Brodus Clay squashed WWE developmental wrestler Damien Sandow in a dark match at tonight’s SmackDown SuperShow taping in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sandow was accompanied by Abraham Washington.
— The February 4 episode of A.M. Raw garnered a 0.59 cable rating, with 723,000 viewers.
– WWE will tape “Sin City SmackDown” tonight from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The show will feature a special SmackDown Roulette theme, with match stipulations beind decided by spinning a gimmicked roulette whee.
Announced for tonight’s tapings are Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett and Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Titl.
WWE will also tape week 46 of NXT tonight with the wedding of Maxine and Johnny Curtis plus a No DQ Match between Darren Young and Titus O’Neil.
– WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix was in town for last night’s RAW Supershow but once again, did not appear on TV.
– In an update on Tyler Reks’ Midcard Mafia video series, Reks has now deleted all the videos from his YouTube page. No word yet on why the videos were pulled or whether there was heat from WWE management over the series, but we’ll post an update when more information is available.
– Ratings for Friday’s SmackDown and Monday’s RAW will be delayed this week due to Monday’s Martin Luther King Day holiday. SmackDown ratings should be available Monday afternoon while RAW ratings will be pushed off to Tuesday.
— WWE has announced a Falls Count Anywhere Match between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett for this Friday’s episode of SmackDown. The match will be taped Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana.
— Matches taped Monday night in Chicago, Illinois for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:
* Alex Riley vs. JTG
* Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks
— Evan Bourne appears at Best Buy in St. Louis, Missouri on January 28, 2011 starting at 11:00 a.m.
— Midcard Mafia, the animated web series starring Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins, has been marked private on Reks’ YouTube account. Reks and Hawkins mentioned having heat with WWE over the series in their latest episode.
— WWE officials have discussed holding after-show programs for Raw and SmackDown on the WWE Network. As reported earlier, a Raw pre-show is also in the works.
— Former WWE stars Carlito, Chavo Guerrero and Kenny Dykstra are advertised to appear for World Wrestling Council from Jan. 6-8, 2012. On the 7th in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Carlito will defend the Universal Heavyweight Championship against Dykstra.
— New Japan Pro Wrestling is looking to tour the West Coast of the United States, possibly in 2012. They toured the East Coast last spring.
— The Dec. 16, 2011 WWE SuperShow in Fort Myers, Florida drew 5,500 fans paying $155,000. The Dec. 17 WWE Supershow in Long Island, New York drew 7,000 fans paying $285,000.
— Shelly Martinez released the following video message from the set of her latest photo shoot:
— WWE brought Lilian Garcia back to the organization to permanently replace Tony Chimel as the ring announcer for weekly SmackDown tapings. Chimel, 50, will continue working for WWE at television tapings in the production office backstage. Company officials asked Garcia late last week if she wanted to return and a deal was reached Monday upon her arrival in Tampa, Florida.
Garcia, who turned 45 years old in August, retired from her job as Raw ring announcer in 2009, citing a wish to settle down with her husband and being burned out from WWE’s strenuous travel schedule. During her time away, she continued to pursue her music career, and hosted AfterBuzzTV.com’s post-shows for Raw and Tough Enough.
— Matches taped Tuesday night in Jacksonville, Florida for this week’s episode of WWE NXT are as follows: Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks; Darren Young and JTG vs. Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil; Johnny Curtis vs. Derrick Bateman.
Yoshi Tatsu beat WWE developmental wrestler Damien Sandow in a dark match prior to the taping.
— The following matches were taped Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for this week’s episode of NXT Redemption:
* Johnny Curtis vs. Yoshi Tatsu
* Jimmy Uso vs. JTG
* Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil vs. Darren Young and Tyler Reks
— The following matches were taped Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* Jinder Mahal vs. Trent Barreta
* Ezekiel Jackson vs. Tyson Kidd
— A Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza employee told an attendee at tonight’s WWE television tapings that the event drew 4,000 fans. This is approximately half the venue’s capacity.
— Evan Bourne stated the following on Twitter after WWE announced they had suspended the Raw Superstar for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of their Talent Wellness Program.
“Love you guys! I’ll be back in a flash. AirBoom will not be derailed!”
— WWE officials were upset with the tepid response towards their Twitter trending efforts Monday night during Raw. No WWE related terms trended until the show’s conclusion, which was only brief.
— In today’s birthdays, Raw Superstar Tyler Reks turns 33 years old, former WWE Superstar Billy Gunn turns 48 years old and WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan turns 67 years old.
— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has added Jake Carter to their roster page. He is Jesse White, son of former WWE star Vader. He signed a developmental contract with WWE in April following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.
White, 25, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma and was touted for the National Football League, but retired following a hip injury. He then followed his dad’s footsteps to the world of professional wrestling.
— Theodore Long kicked off Friday’s SmackDown by announcing that the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.
Randy Orton won the 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating The Miz. Battle Royal elimination order is as follows: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Barreta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz.
— Matches taped tonight in Dallas, Texas for this week’s episode of NXT: Redemption are as follows: A.J. vs. Maxine, Derrick Bateman vs. Percy Watson, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks.
A match pitting former Corre teammates Ezekiel Jackson and Heath Slater was taped for WWE Superstars. Matches taped last night in Oklahoma City were Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre and JTG vs. Santino Marella.
— Want to have a cyber friend date with Shelly Martinez? Have something you been wanting to ask? Just want to get to know her in a more personal way? Buy some time and have her all to yourself!
Shelly is offering cyber friend dates through ShellyMartinez.org, which allows people to purchase time with the former WWE Diva. Those who book cyber friend dates for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for next week get a two-for-one special: Shelly and Amber O’Neal.
WWE has announced that effective immediately, NXT Redemption is moving to Wednesday afternoons at 4 p.m. ET/1 PT on WWE.com.
WWE.com made the announcement prior to the start of tonight’s regularly scheduled episode, which reads: “WWE Universe, tune in to WWE.com Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET/1 PT for an all-new episode of WWE NXT Redemption! For complete coverage of WWE NXT, including results, photos, video clips and full episodes on demand, visit NXT.WWE.COM any time.”
After WWE made the announcement on Twitter, Derrick Bateman wrote, “Ok. Nevermind. It airs at 4 tomorrow? Glad I know now…… #WALKOUT”
Matches taped tonight in Biloxi, Mississippi for tomorrow’s episode are: Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater, JTG vs. Yoshi Tatsu, Derrick Bateman vs. Titus O’Neil, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.
— Mason Ryan returned to television at tonight’s WWE Superstars taping in Columbus, Ohio as he competed in a match against JTG. The Welsh grappler resumed competing at live events two weeks ago after being sidelined since late June due to an undisclosed injury.
The taping also saw the return of Tyler Reks and Percy Watson to television. Reks, teaming with Curt Hawkins, squared off against Percy Watson and NXT contestant Titus O’Neil. Reks and Hawkins would later appear on Raw Supershow during a backstage segment with Alberto Del Rio.
— Drew McIntyre beat Primo via Future Shock in a dark match.
— ESPN.com published an article on Mick Foley’s recent stand-up comedy appearance at The Brokerage Comedy Club in Bellmore, New York. ESPN mentioned some of his comedy bits and noted “He started the comedy journey 2 1/2 years ago, but took a long layoff while working for TNA Wrestling. Now a free agent, he’s focused on finding the same confidence in comedy that made him a squared-circle icon.”
— Curt Hawkins recently declared on Twitter that he wouldn’t shave his beard until he received a match on Monday Night Raw. The sparingly seen Raw Superstar ended the protest after two weeks. He explained, The whole creepy beard thing wasn’t working out for me as a single man in NYC. Open to suggestions on a new form of protest.”
— Brodus Clay extended his winning streak to five on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars, defeating Brandon James in under one minute. He has been paired with enhancement wrestlers on the WWE.com show since returning to action last month.
— A WWE house show in Wichita Falls, Texas has been moved to Feb. 5, 2012. The original date was Sept. 25, 2011.
— Tyler Reks is scheduled to appear at Hansel Ford in Santa Rosa, California today from noon until 1:00 p.m.
— WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on Raw that Superstars from SmackDown will be joining Monday nights for the foreseeable future. The “new concept,” as described by Michael Cole, will be known as Raw SuperShow. According to PWInsider.com, the initiative has several wrestlers worried about their futures since it means less television time for those not in the upper crust.
— Brie Bella snapped WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly fifteen-match winning streak Monday night on Raw. The Jacksonville native had not lost since May 22, 2011, at Over the Limit. Brie’s victory also snapped her nine-match losing streak.
— WWE’s 2002 DVD titles on Triple H, Triple H: The Game and Triple H: That Damn Good, are being packaged together for release in Europe next month.
— Tyler Reks was backstage at Monday’s Raw in Tulsa, Oklahoma but not used. He wrote of his absence from the show: “Oh I’m here at the BOK Center…waiting patiently for an opportunity.”