Florida Championship Wrestling sent out the following on Thursday announcing that WWE legend the Undertaker will be appearing at an upcoming FCW on 8/1:
UNDERTAKER AT FCW!
The Dallas Bull in Tampa, Florida will be hosting a live FCW event on Wednesday, August 1st with special guest The Undertaker!
This is an all-ages event. Doors open at 5:30pm.
Gold Circle tickets (including a meet & greet with The Undertaker and an up-front seat) are $50, VIP tickets are $25 and general admission is $15.
To purchase tickets, call Tammy Williams at (727) 243-8293.
– WWE RAW will permanently expand to a three-hour show starting with the 1,000th episode on July 23 at 8/7 CT on USA Network. WWE officials have reportedly contacted nearly two dozen former performers for cameo appearances on the program, which will be treated as pay-per-view quality event. The entire roster will be on hand for the show and there is a chance new talent will be introduced as well.
With WWE pulling out all the stops for the 1,000th episode of RAW, we’ve heard WWE officials are hopeful that The Undertaker will make an appearance. If he does agree to be a part of the historic night, expect to see it promoted weeks in advance rather than as a surprise.
– Vince McMahon’s return to television on next Monday’s RAW is a response to the program’s disappointing ratings in recent weeks. He will kick off the 3-hour show with an evaluation of John Laurinaitis’ job performance as General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, which company officials are hopeful will boost first hour viewership.
The show was originally pegged as the second choice for the date of the annual WWE Draft. However, with so many wrestlers working both Raw and SmackDown, the idea was dropped.
— Current creative plans call for The Undertaker to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXIX.
Meanwhile, the latest issue of Inside Wrestling features Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker on the cover with the headline reading “SNEAK PEAK? The World Clamors for Lesnar-‘Taker At WrestleMania 29!”
— A Smackdown live event is scheduled for Sunday, August 12 at Linco Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan.
— SmackDown live event attendance figures: May 23 in Poughkeepsie, New York drew a sellout crowd of 2,500 paying $110,000. May 24 in Hermosillo, Mexico drew a sellout crowd of 3,000 paying $90,000. May 25 in Aguascalientes, Mexico drew 4,000 paying $90,000. May 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico drew 4,500 paying $125,000. May 27 in Lake Charles, Louisiana drew 3,000 paying $100,000.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is set to appear in The Hero, a new competitive reality series looking to find the “next great hero,” reportsVariety. Johnson is an executive producer for the show, and will be appearing in “various incarnations” to encourage contestants.
— WWE.com takes a look back at the 10 best rookie years in WWE and WCW history. Brock Lesnar is ranked number one on this list, beating out Goldberg, Kurt Angle and The Undertaker, among others. (The 10 best rookie years).
— Former WWE talent Shane “Hurricane” Helms is not a fan of WWE’s “CM Drunk” storyline. He wrote during Monday’s Raw SuperShow where Chris Jericho claimed CM Punk was spotted drinking alcohol before defending his title against Mark Henry: “I like both Punk and Jericho but I could care less about this “straight edge vs alcoholic” angle. Just wrestle.”
Helms also critiqued a WWE star’s bumping ability: “Otunga … geez. You’re on TV with the biggest wrestling company in the world. Please learn how to bump bro.”
— Last week at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Undertaker and Triple H met inside Hell in a Cell in a bout that was branded as “the end of an era.” The latest issue of WWE Magazine, which features The Undertaker on the cover, plays up the “the end of an era” storyline as they ask “Will The Deadman Rise Again?”
Despite speculation that The Undertaker’s match last week may have been his last, many WWE employees now believe he is able to compete in a few more matches and will almost certainly work WrestleMania XXIX. This belief is based on The Undertaker appearing less injured following his WrestleMania outing compared to the prior year’s.
— Booker T is filming his upcoming Reality of Wrestling web series Saturday in Houston, Texas, according his Twitter account. The show will premiere on May 1 on YouTube.
— WWE will hold a live event at the Indoor Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland on November 8, 2012.
– Despite speculation that his match at WrestleMania 28 might have been his last, the talk backstage at WrestleMania was how great the Undertaker looked in the ring. After undergoing two major surgeries in the past year, the belief is that Undertaker has several more matches left in him and will almost certainly work WrestleMania 29.
– There is a lot of buzz at Florida Championship Wrestling that Terry Taylor is being brought back to help with the new developmental project that will be located in Stamford, Connecticut.
– Former Miss USA and WWE Tough Enough contestant Rima Fakih is scheduled for court today in Michigan to address charges stemming from her recent drunk driving arrest. Recent online reports have stated that Fakih is returning to WWE soon.
– United States Senate candidate Linda McMahon will participate in Connecticut’s first Republican candidate debate on April 19th. McMahon will be joined by opponents Chris Shays, Brian Hill, Kie Westby and Peter Lumaj.
— 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.
Vickie Guerrero suggested Friday on Twitter that retired wrestler Michelle McCool is pregnant as she said her former WWE associate is expecting a ‘bundle of joy,’ which is another term for baby.
“My surprise party was flawless for Michelle McCool!!! Great lunch with friends and family. Im so excited for her bundle of joy!” Guerrero wrote.
McCool is married to The Undertaker, who will face Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII on Sunday. She stated earlier this week on Twitter that she would be on hand for the ‘Mania festivities in Miami, Florida.
Despite her retired status and apparent pregnancy, the four-time champion is not ruling out a return to the ring. When asked this week on the microblogging site about the possibility of a squared circle return, she stated “time shall tell” and “never know” in two separate messages.
During a recent interview with the UK Sun, former WWE & TNA star Kevin Nash spoke in-depth about Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view. Nash, who has wrestled both men and is a longtime student of the business, says Triple H ending the streak is bad for business – and the Undertaker should retire with the streak in tact:
“End of an Era…I’ve been thinking about the “speaking in code” that Shawn Michaels alluded to last week…If the WWE did have HHH end the Streak, what’s the bragging point since it took him three tries? There’s no bragging point, and it doesn’t do anything for business…It wouldn’t be good for business at all. It’d be like, yeah HHH ended it, but it took him three tries…Big deal. How does that impact the business to the good side?
“Most people would automatically point to the fact that he’s married to Stephanie, and didn’t do it because he deserved it…They could see through the facade WWE [would] have to build for it. I could already hear the bullshit chants from the more seasoned fans if they did that.
“In all honesty, at this point in time, the only one that deserves to end the Streak, is Taker himself by hanging it up when he chooses…In other words, he retires undefeated at Mania.”
Comment Below – What do you think – should the Undertaker retire undefeated at WrestleMania?
— 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.
— Retired wrestler Michelle McCool revealed during a Q&A session on Twitter Monday afternoon that she will be attending WrestleMania XXVIII this weekend in Miami, Florida. She noted in a separate answer that she feels great healthwise and her foot injury from last year is 99% healed.
Regarding a possible return to WWE television, the four-time champion stated in two separate responses “time shall tell” and “never know.” She said her dream match is a WrestleMania encounter against Molly Holly.
— GetGlue.com is offering a free sticker of absent WWE star Rey Mysterio to those who check in to their website during tonight’s Raw SuperShow on USA Network. A free Rock-Cena sticker will also be offered during Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena, premiering tonight at 8/7 CT on USA Network. Details are available here.
— WWE.com has published a photo gallery highlighting WrestleMania XXVI, which saw The Undertaker extend his winning streak to 18-0 by defeating Shawn Michaels and ending The Showstopper’s career.
— Six days before The Undertaker faces Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII, former WWE Superstar John Morrison spoofs the two combatants in a rap video entitled HHH Vs Undertaker rap. A Paul Bearer character also appears.
— Edge joins tonight’s WWE.com Raw Live Chat to discuss his new WWE Studios film “Bending The Rules, his impending WWE Hall of Fame induction and answer questions from fans. The chat session starts at 8 p.m. ET on WWE.com.
— Chilli of TLC, who is a huge WWE fan, stated on her Twitter that she will be on hand for tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Atlanta, Georgia as well as WrestleMania XXVIII on Sunday.
— In an interview with the London Free Press, John Cena explained why won’t turn heel.
“Although I can handle business when I need to, I really make conscious choices to do the right thing. There’s still a giant portion of the audience associated to the Attitude era that I believe thinks I am a bad guy. But I’m not a bad guy. I generate so much hatred just because of the way I act. I look at Tim Tebow as a good example. People couldn’t stop saying his name. He’s such a stand-up guy. People don’t believe it because it’s almost too good to be true. And he generates that hatred,” Cena says.
“I have fun with this business. I love every second of it. I love to be right there in the middle of the hunt. At the end of the day, it’s not my job to force people in any direction. I just to out there and see what happens. You can analyze character development all day, but with the current state of affairs, there’s no need or rationale for me to deviate from what I’m doing.”
Cena also discussed his work with Make-A-Wish Foundation. The interview is available here.
— Bill Maher mentioned The Undertaker during his opening monologue on Friday’s edition of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.
He said, “Get this. In Arizona, a state legislator wants a law where if a woman wants an abortion, she has to watch another woman get an abortion. Yeah, I know, they keep one-upping each other on what you have to do. By the end of the year you must defeat the World Wrestling star, The Undertaker!”
— Layla made her return to in-ring competition at a non-televised Florida Championship Wrestling event on Thursday night. Alongside babyface Audrey Marie, they defeated Paige and Sofia Cortez. She had been sidelined since May due to tears of both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments, which required surgery.
Layla received high marks from FCW officials for her performance as she displayed a series of Lucha style moves. She had been working very hard in recent weeks in preparation for her squared circle return.
— Today is The Undertaker’s birthday as he turns 47 years old. While his age has been disputed over the years, FamilyTreeLegends.com says he was born on March 24, 1965. Furthermore, the official website of Stephen Pool Waltrip High School in Houston, Texas says he graduated from the school in 1983.
— Tickets for the 25th Annual SummerSlam, which will be held Aug. 19 at Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center, went on sale Saturday. Also on-sale: Tickets for No Way Out, to be held June 17 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
– WWE’s upcoming No Way Out pay-per-view on June 17th from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ will feature an “all cage matches” format, much like TNA’s annual Lockdown event. It remains to be seen whether WWE will build up feuds that are developed & mature enough to warrant a cage match. No Way Out will be facing stiff competition on pay-per-view that weekend, with the big Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch rumored to be taking place the night before from Brazil in an 80,000 person stadium.
– Last week on RAW, the Undertaker made a mistake during his promo, stating that WrestleMania takes place on April 21st. Virtually nobody said anything about it backstage, but there was a feeling that anybody else without the Undertaker’s locker room clout would have gotten heat for the mistake.
– WWE plans to call up several wrestlers from developmental in the months after WrestleMania 28. Among the top prospects at FCW who are ready for a spot on the main roster are Seth Rollins, Dean Amborse, Damien Sandow and Husky Harris. No word yet on who will be the first to debut on WWE television, but it’s worth noting that WWE plans to debut them one at a time once there is a storyline in place for each wrestler.
– Another talent at Florida Championship Wrestling who is seen as having big potential is Shaul Guerrero, the daughter of Vickie and the late Eddie Guerrero. While several of the women at developmental have showed up for tryouts knowing nothing about wrestling, Guerrero stands out for her great attitude, ability to take criticism and learn from mistakes as well as her ability to cut promos and alter her character when needed.
— With all the talk of there being resentment in the WWE locker room regarding The Rock’s involvement at WrestleMania, we can confirm that one person who has been outspoken about The Rock is WWE Champion CM Punk.
A source who was backstage at Survivor Series backed up another WWE source’s claim to the Pro Wrestling Torch that the tension between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena, or rather Johnson and the WWE locker room, escalated to a new level last November. Among the wrestlers’ laundry list of complaints of Johnson is that he has “gone Hollywood,” has a big ego, wants to be treated as a big star and doesn’t go out of his way to get to know all of them.
Additionally, The Rock provided WWE with a “rider” for Survivor Series – a list of items he required must be there in order for him to perform. While the contents of The Rock’ Survivor Series rider are not known, it was perhaps the biggest sign of diva behavior.
CM Punk has been among Johnson’s most vocal critics in media interviews as he feels the WrestleMania XXVII top slot should go to someone who is on the road two hundred days a year not to mention that it hurts morale when he doesn’t say hello to the wrestlers backstage. It was speculated that the WWE Champion has been angling for a match with Johnson next year, but that is not the case as he was openly resentful of his presence on the day of the Survivor Series.
— WWE.com has published a photo gallery of dream opponents they’d like to see The Undertaker face at WrestleMania. Those pictured include Sting, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Rey Mysterio, One Man Gang, Bret Hart, Bruiser Brody and Mr. Perfect, among several others.
— The March 2012 issue of WWE Magazine appears to feature an inside reference concerning The Undertaker’s hair (which he no longer has because he is shaved bald). While explaining his near year long hiatus from WWE in their WrestleMania XXVIII feature, they wrote, “Despite (beating Triple H) by submission with the Hell’s Gate and extending his epic streak, The Deadman was unable to leave the arena on his own. And no one has seen hide nor hair of him for nearly an entire year.”
The Undertaker has not removed the hood covering his bald head during his appearances on Raw because WWE creative is saving the moment for his Hell in a Cell encounter with Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII.
— WWE has announced that they will be holding Raw live events in Mexico this May. Dates and locations are as follows: May 24 at Multipurpose Centre in Hermosillo; May 25 at Monumental Bullring in Aguascalientes; May 26 at Vicente Fernandez Gomez Arena in Guadalajara.
— Former WWE star Billy Gunn wrote on Twitter regarding his one year of sobriety, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the fans and specialy my wife for hanging in there for my one year sobriety.”
— The March 12, 2012 episode of Raw SuperShow featuring The Rock concert and The Undertaker confronting Shawn Michaels posted a 3.27 cable rating compared to 3.25 the week before.
Viewership was at its highest since the Raw following the Royal Rumble as the program averaged 4,820,000 viewers over the course of two hours. Viewership increased during the second hour as Raw averaged 4,970,000 viewers compared to 4,670,000 in the first.
— Madusa, who formerly competed as Alundra Blayze for WWE in the mid-1990s, continues to taunt Beth Phoenix over her possession of the Women’s Championship she infamously trashed on a 1995 episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
“Looky what I still have… The belt my dear …Get your eyes back on the belt!!” she wrote on Facebook Monday night with a photo enclosed of the belt around her waist.
Madusa became riled up after The Glamazon stated on Twitter last week, “Combing the world for competition. Who dares enter my ring????” She responded, “Do we really need to go there again?? After WM …. It begins.”
— Jim Ross says it’s ‘100 percent rumor’ that he will be handling announcing duties for the Hell in a Cell Match between The Undertaker and Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII. The WWE Hall of Famer responded to a message on Twitter stating that Undertaker wanted him to call his match.
— Video has surfaced of Balls Mahoney vomiting after being hit in the head with a chair by Marty Jannetty during a match at Friday’s Pro Wrestling Syndicate Super Card 2012 event in Rahway, New Jersey.
— The Insider recently aired a “Five Things You Didn’t Know” segment about actor Sacha Baron Cohen and it was noted that he’s a huge wrestling fan and who is friends with John Cena.
— TMZ.com reported Wednesday that a sex tape featuring legendary grappler Hulk Hogan has surfaced and is currently being shopped to a major adult film company. According to the website, the tape features the TNA Wrestling Superstar in a state of undress with an unidentified brunette female lying on a bed. The woman in question is not his ex-wife Linda Bollea or his current wife Jennifer McDaniel.
Ultimate Warrior went on Twitter to weigh in on his longtime rival’s video. He wrote, “HH sex tape? Don’t need more boring proof Terry is impotent with tiny, shriveled-up balls. And finding out he’s lesbian is 2 much 4 even me, he wrote.”
— Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson has been announced to appear at WrestleReunion 7 on March 31 and April 1 at the Miami Beach Deauville Resort 6701 Collins Ave. Miami, Florida.
— WWE.com has published a photo gallery of WrestleMania VII, which marked as the beginning of The Undertaker’s legendary “Streak.”
– After Monday’s RAW from Boston went off the air, John Cena cut a promo and revealed some very personal information – that that his youngest brother has cancer and is recovering from recent surgery.
Cena said he’s so happy that his brother is doing better that he would drink Jack Daniels and eat some Kung Pow Chicken. Cena’s hometown crowd popped huge for the feel-good moment.
Back in December, John Cena wrote the following on Twitter regarding personal issues he was going through:
“Very difficult month for me,personally. It’s times like these that I see truly how much I love wrestling. I am truly thankful for what I do. Adapt. Overcome. And now, more than ever before Rise Above Hate. I f’n love you guys. Even the ones that hate my guts. U get me thru each day..thick and thin. Thank u. For everything. Thank you.”
– Next week’s RAW from Cleveland, Ohio will feature a face-to-face confrontation between the Undertaker and the man who will referee his Hell in a Cell match against Triple H at WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels.
Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:
The Undertaker wrestling Triple H for the third time at WrestleMania: “Concerned that Taker vs. HHH is their 3rd Wrestlemania bout? Heck, no. Their history is a vital part of the fabric of WWE, their first match was 11 years ago, and the way the match ended last year with Undertaker being carted out of ‘his event’ adds to the drama. These two, great professionals will make it a daunting task for any one to follow them assuming that they don’t go on last which would surprise me. The mere fact that it is quite likely that HHH vs. Taker will NEVER happen again is enough for this fan to want to see WM28.”
Chris Jericho facing CM Punk at WrestleMania XXVIII: “They have many similar traits that I like and respect. I appreciate each man’s journey to the big dance. I respect that even though many ‘experts’ said that neither would ever ‘make it’ that each persevered and have earned star status. However, at the end of the day, their match isn’t, in my view, about who is the best in the world but rather who will leave Miami as the #1 man in WWE, the WWE Champion.”
Will any WCW fixtures such as Sting and Diamond Dallas Page ever get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?: “I’d say that there is a good chance that happens. More and more talents who earned their proverbial stripes outside WWE will be inducted in years to come.”
Who’s the best WWE Diva?: “Assuming this is referring to wresting and if so I’d suggest that would be Beth Phoenix. Like many fans, I’d love to see Beth face @Kharma but I have no idea if that will be at WM28 and could be saved for after April 1 when it would possibly get more focus. Obviously, the talents would love for it to be as a part of WrestleMania and I can’t blame them for that.”
Natalya’s flatulence based persona: “Thoughts on Natalya’s flatulence, TV persona? Likely not something that I would have thought of but I can’t recall any time that Ms Neidhart has been in more discussions or the subject of more questions that she is now. Hopefully, this new found notoriety will lead to bigger and better things for her. She has lots of talent.”
Ross also weighs in on best ‘Bounty’ pro wrestling storylines, if he likes Twitter, WWE’s ongoing General Manager storyline and more. His post is available here.