– The Undertaker was backstage at this past Monday’s RAW from Raleigh, NC with Michelle McCool. Sources describe Taker as still hurting and said he gave no indication as to when he would be coming back.
– Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV is not sold out yet. Ticket sales for The Rock’s return to RAW this Monday (May 2nd) from Miami are also selling slow.
– As noted before, Shawn Michaels has filed trademarks on “Mr. HOF” and “Mr. Hall of Fame”, so it looks like those will be the nicknames WWE uses when talking about him from here on out. Since Shawn retired, WWE has wanted to market him as the greatest wrestler of all-time since he has a very long-term contract with the company.
– Sean Waltman said in an interview this past week that he thinks there’s a very good chance he could appear on WWE TV at some point in the future. Waltman appeared at the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Kevin Nash.
– The 2012 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view is scheduled for St. Louis, Missouri.
— It was reported yesterday that WWE officials discussed moving The Undertaker to Raw to make up for a top babyface character being transferred to SmackDown during the 2011 WWE Draft. While the draft came and went without The Deadman changing brands, company sources indicate he’ll join Raw upon his return to television.
— SmackDown announcer Jack Korpela has launched a Twitter account.
— Numerous WWE related terms trended on Twitter during today’s WWE Draft including Kelly Kelly, Alex Riley, Drew McIntyre, Yoshi Tatsu, William Regal and Jack Swagger.
— Florida based wrestling valet Trina Michaels plans to attend this Monday’s Raw taping in Miami. She will be visiting friends in WWE.
— WWE’s key decisions regarding tonight’s Draft were not decided as of last night—namely, who the company will designate as the top babyface on SmackDown. Company officials have discussed moving The Undertaker to Raw to make up for a top babyface character being transferred to SmackDown.
The main hold-up is that Vince McMahon wants the premiere matches for SummerSlam decided imminently, which will decide where talent goes.
— Many within WWE feel that roster cuts will be made following the Draft. It is said that a number of wrestlers on the bubble are nervous.
— The Miami New Times is holding a contest for two tickets to next Monday’s Raw taping at the American Airlines Arena. They are asking fans to invent a wrestling move.
— Sting surprised a lot of people by stating during a recent interview with The Daily Star that he was offered a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII as well as a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. People within WWE have said that there were no formal talks between Sting and the organization. They also say that Sting was not offered a match against The Undertaker, but there was informal talk regarding a legends contract and a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, TNA Wrestling sources believe Sting was telling the truth on WWE’s interest level.
— WWE has released the first-ever digital issue of WWE Magazine. It features exclusive wallpapers, vintage vignettes, an interactive quiz and a real-time fan poll. It costs 99 cents and features The Undertaker on the cover. A preview is available here.
— WWE returns to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
— The WrestleMania XXVII match that garnered the most attention backstage was Triple H vs. The Undertaker.
— Abdullah the Butcher’s Atlanta area “House of Ribs and Chinese Food” restaurant ran out of ribs Saturday afternoon due the numerous wrestling fans in town.
Following WrestleMania XXVII, the WWE Hall of Famer set up a makeshift merchandise table in the lobby of the WWE hotel to hawk merchandise and photos.
— Jim Ross said on Twitter that he would be appearing at a show next weekend in Sand Springs, Oklahoma for fellow WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race.
— The official program for WrestleMania XXVII is billing the Triple H vs. Undertaker match as “Nothing Else Matters.” That is also the name of a Metallica song. The official Twitter account of the heavy metal band tweeted yesterday that Triple H would be using one of their songs at Wrestlemania XXVII.
— Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger is in attendance at tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia. It is his first appearance at a WWE event since bolting for World Championship Wrestling in 1995.
Former WCW stars Diamond Diamond Dallas Page and Nikita Koloff are also on hand for the event.
— WWE Hall of Famers Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Jimmy Hart are scheduled to appear on Hillbilly Jim’s “Moonshine Matinee” show at 2:00 p.m. on Channel 63 on Sirius Satellite Radio.
At this morning’s WrestleMania Axxess Q&A session, Shawn Michaels teased involving himself in The Undertaker vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania XXVII tomorrow.
When asked about Triple H ending “The Streak,” Michaels said, “I’m not sure I can let him do what I couldn’t.”
He then commented on whether he plans to interfere in the match, saying, “I’ll do everything I can not to stick my nose in. Maybe.”
He added, “Do you ever find that you’re meanest to the people you love the most? If I ruined his chances of ending The Streak, I’m sure he’d beat the tar out of me at that moment, but I’m sure he’d forgive me eventually.”
Michaels’ role in the match has not been announced by WWE.
Sting revealed in an interview with Daily Star that World Wrestling Entertainment officials approached and offered him a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII, as well as induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
He declined their offer.
“I wouldn’t say it was utter nonsense, that’s not true!” laughs Sting. “It’s a dream match that fans would want to see. It was close. I’m glad things turned out the way they did.
“There are so many variables. Let’s just say that I turned it down for the same reasons I always have. Something in me never trusted what would happen up there, based entirely on the track record with other WCW guys and everything that went on after Vince bought WCW.
“I wont be watching but I’ll be asking what happened between Undertaker and Triple H.”
— Mark Henry indicated during an interview with The West Australian that he plans to retire from in-ring competition within the next 18 months despite having “a good three years left.”
“The World’s Stongest Man” also said there isn’t much friendship behind the scenes amongst wrestlers and that when he departs, he hopes someone will take his role of trying to step in to smooth down incidents on the road.
— The Undertaker celebrates his 46th birthday today. Also celebrating birthdays today are WWE developmental wrestler Tito Colon (29) and former WWE star Barry Horowitz (51).
— Dolph Ziggler indicated on his Twitter account that he will soon debut a book column for WWE Magazine.
— According to sources within WWE, a change is expected to be made to a top tier WrestleMania match over the next few days. Many are speculating that Christian will be added to the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Edge and Alberto Del Rio.
— As of yesterday, creative plans called for Triple H vs. The Undertaker to conclude WrestleMania, with no career ending stipulations.
— WWE Champion The Miz is scheduled to appear as a guest on this Wednesday’s episode of Conan. The show airs at 11:00 p.m. on TBS.
— The Undertaker is still rehabilitating his torn rotator cuff after it was surgically repaired late last year. He’s been working aggressively to rehab the injury in hopes that he won’t be severely limited for his match against Triple H at WrestleMania XXVII. The damage from his latest injury was bad enough that it is expected to confine his mobility in the long-term.
While there has been much speculation that his in-ring career is coming to an end, multiple WWE sources believe that he could at least appear at WrestleMania events for years to come as long as he keeps himself in shape, is able to perform his signature maneuvers, and can work around his physical limitations.
— A Monday Night Raw taping will be held at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon on May 23.
— WWE.com has posted new studio photos of Michelle McCool.
— Shelton Benjamin worked a dark match prior to this week’s SmackDown taping in Houston, Texas, beating SmackDown Superstar Curt Hawkins. The feeling is that based on how well he performed and the solid reaction he received from the hometown crowd, he will receive an offer to return to the organization after WrestleMania XXVII.
Follow the match, Benjamin said on Twitter that he ‘may or may not be returning to WWE’.
— A joke going around WWE regarding Vince McMahon’s doctrine that The Undertaker’s match with Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven never happened, is that the SmackDown star’s undefeated streak should be 17-0.
— According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE developmental wrestler Su Yung (a/k/a Sonia) is among the cast of Tough Enough. However, her profile remains on the official website Florida Championship Wrestling, which would indicate that she is not. Former WWE developmental talent Christina Crawford (a/k/a Caylee Turner) and Andy Leavine (a/k/a Kevin Hackman) are contestants on the show and their respective profiles were removed from the site last month.
– With The Undertaker and Triple H headed for a showdown at WrestleMania in just over 3 weeks, we’ve got an interesting backstage news item to pass along regarding the match. As most are aware of, Triple H has already tried to end “The Streak” – ten years ago at WrestleMania 17 back in 2001.
According to a WWE Source, company officials have ordered that the WrestleMania 17 match not be acknowledged at all, because there’s a feeling it will take away from the marketability of the match and fan perception that Triple H actually can end the streak.
– There is a rumor that the 2012 version of WWE’s SmackDown vs. RAW video game will feature a mode where you can have your newly created Superstar compete in NXT challenges and matches.
–WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross had this to say about Jersey Shore star Snooki hosting RAW next week:
“Lots of old school wrestling fans are squealing like a pig stuck under a gate w/ the announcement that Jersey Shore’s Snooki will be the guest host of an upcoming Monday Night Raw. Obviously, WWE is simply trying to get her appearance noticed in outside media outlets which is timely with WM27 getting closer. It’s a PR move folks so I wouldn’t make any more of it than that. Snooki’s time on MNR likely will be of the ‘cup of coffee’ variety but will also get TMZ-like exposure that reaches non wrestling fans. “
– WWE legend Kevin Nash recently wrote on Twitter that The Undertaker was told by doctors that he waited so long to repair his torn rotator cuff that it can’t be fixed. To update this situation, the latest is that Undertaker’s shoulder may never return to 100% strength or mobility. While he will be able to work at WrestleMania, his in-ring future is looking as bleak as it ever has.
– Former WWE diva Candice Michelle was back working with GoDaddy at events in Las Vegas this weekend.
– In what could be a possible storyline for tonight’s RAW, WWE Champion The Miz says he’s boycotting tonight’s show. The Miz wrote on Twitter today:
mikethemiz
Out of protest for not getting the recognition I deserve, I am boycotting Raw tonight.
— WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is being advertised to appear at the March 7th episode of WWE’s Monday Night RAW from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.
As the host of the new season of Tough Enough, which premieres the night after WrestleMania 27, it’s expected that the Rattlesnake will be making a few WWE television appearances (including WrestleMania) to promote Tough Enough’s return.
– WWE has announced that The Undertaker will make his SmackDown television return next Friday night.
– Vickie Guerrero was “fired” on Friday’s SmackDown, after she teamed with Drew McIntyre and lost to Edge and Kelly Kelly. Vickie’s career was on the line, as announced by Teddy Long.
– No new matches were added to WrestleMania 27 on SmackDown, however there was a new development in the Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio storyline, which appears to be leading to a WrestleMania showdown. Cody Rhodes’ father Dusty appeared on the show and helped his son attack Mysterio.
WWE’s website has officially announced that The Undertaker will put his streak on the line at WrestleMania 27 against Triple H.
At this time, there is no stipulation mentioned, just that the match will take place.
We’ve reported in recent weeks that there’s been talk of Triple H putting his career on the line against the Undertaker’s streak.
Addtionally, there’s been talk that former WWE star Shawn Michaels will be added to the match as a guest referee or enforcer. Michaels was interviewed last week by WDFN.com and had this to say about the rumors that he’ll be part of the Undertaker vs. Triple H match:
“I’ve heard all the rumors. As of right now, I’m doing one thing and one thing only at WrestleMania, and that’s the Hall of Fame. I don’t think The Undertaker and Triple H need Shawn Michaels to deliver a spectacular match or make this incredibly interesting. Those two can do that on their own. Right now, as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to be there watching it like everyone else.”
– As Triple H continues to assume more duties behind the scenes in WWE, one area he’s been focusing on lately is recruiting new talent. Many people are interested to see what type of wrestlers Triple H sees as having future potential and whether his vision of what a superstar should be differs from Vince McMahon’s. Triple H is in favor of slowly developing talents and not calling them up to the main roster until they are fully ready.
– The Undertaker made his return to WWE on Monday’s RAW and will be working a WrestleMania program with Triple H, but the he will not be working a full-time schedule in the coming months. Shortly after WrestleMania 27, WWE will be headed back overseas for another European tour and the Dead Man is not currently scheduled to appear, despite being one of WWE’s top draws.
– MVP will be taking part in New Japan’s upcoming tournament and will face Karl Anderson in the first round on March 6th in Tokyo. If MVP wins, he will face the winner of Togi Makabe vs. Satoshi Kojima on March 19th.
– As we reported earlier in the week, MVP’s original tag team partner for his New Japan debut was arrested prior to their match for stealing a taxi. MVP wrote the following on Twitter about NOSAWA and his troubles:
“Best wishes to my man @NOSAWARONGAI187 ! He’s a good guy that allowed alcohol to influence him to make a bad decision. Ganbatte kudasai!”
We’ve got a major update on what WWE’s got planned for WrestleMania 27, which is now just over 5 weeks away:
Money In The Bank: There’s still no decisive word on whether WWE will be holding a Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania. While the company’s new Money In The Bank pay-per-view that was introduced last year seems to be a reason not to hold the match at WrestleMania, the match is still seen as an effective way of including lots of mid-cart talent (guys like Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, Drew McIntyre and Christian) on the WrestleMania card.
If WWE does not have Money in the Bank at WrestleMania, expect to see another multi-man match (such as a 10-man tag match) on the card.
WM27 Ticket Sales: WWE has already sold over 50,000 tickets for the Georgia Dome and company officials are confident they’ll sell the remainder of seats in time for the show.
Undertaker & Triple H: Triple H and The Undertaker have been given creative freedom with their WrestleMania program, with WWE’s writing team having very little input.
Original plans called for the Undertaker to face Wade Barrett and Triple H to wrestle Sheamus, but Triple H and the Undertaker decided that a “dream match” between the two of them would be most marketable scenario.
HBK’s Involement: Shawn Michaels is still expected to be introduced into the Undertaker vs. Triple H storyline, possibly as a referee or ringside enforcer. The idea behind HBK’s involvement would be that Triple H is going to try to end Undertaker’s stream as payback for ending his best friend’s career.
Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler: Vince McMahon is loving this current storyline and has been feeding Michael Cole much of his on-air insults towards Lawler. It’s said that Vince is using Jerry Lawler’s feud with comedian Andy Kaufman and his inspiration for this angle.
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus: WWE officials are building towards a feud between Sheamus and United States Champion Daniel Bryan. They are expected to have a match for the title at WrestleMania 27.
Announcing Team: With WWE announcers Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole involved in a heated feud that will likely culminate at WrestleMania, it seems unlikely that the two of them will work side by side calling the show. There’s been talk that Jim Ross will be brought in to call the show, which would certainly give the show a “big time” feel.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the information used in this report)
– WWE has been advertising an appearance by The Undertaker on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on SyFy. The Dead Man was at Tuesday’s tapings from Sacramento, but did not appear until the dark match main event. Undertaker made a brief appearance in front of the crowd during the match that saw Big Show and Edge defeat The Corre and Alberto Del Rio in a handicap match.
Rey Mysterio was advertised to be on Show and Edge’s team but did not wrestle. Taker’s return came during the match, appearing on the ramp and then disappearing, according to a fan in attendance.
– The dark match before last night’s WWE tapings in Sacramento, California saw Percy Watson defeat Chavo Guerrero.
– Matches taped for Thursday’s WWE Superstars on WGN show prior included Chris Masters vs. Tyler Reks and the WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel vs. JTG & Trent Baretta.
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 said about:
Ending The PG Era: “Can we stop with the TV14 questions? For some reason, folks think that because Rock and then John Cena got edgy with their in ring promos in recent RAWS that perhaps WWE is going back to a more risque presentation ala a TV14 format. I don’t speak for WWE but going all the way back to TV14 would shock me. I’m not a guy who lives or dies by a TV rating but rather judges a wrestling, TV show by what I see in the ring headlined by high quality, physical wrestling action and not by the use of edgy language even though I do enjoy that too when effectively utilized. I will admit that in the past two weeks that I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the verbiage on MNR. I have grandkids and I would have had no issues with them watching Raw with me. “
Undertaker & Triple H’s Confrontation: “It’s been years since I witnessed a more effective TV segment on any wrestling program where not a word was said as I experienced Monday night between the Undertaker and HHH. Amazing stuff for this old schooler as the two, future WWE Hall of Fame icons sold tickets and PPV’s with their eyes and well earned reputations. This segment was so good that I went back and watched it again and then had to show the ‘moment’ to my wife when she arrived home. ”
Michael Cole’s Comments About Jerry Lawler’s Mother: “Did Michael Cole step over the line Monday night when he spoke of Jerry Lawler’s recently deceased mother? Many of you think that he did. I was very uncomfortable with the remark but my wife gasped when she heard it. It would seem to me that specific subject matter will likely not be revisited in upcoming weeks but if it is it won’t be without controversy. Very touchy subject matter, without question.”
On Monday’s episode of RAW, both The Undertaker and Triple H made their returns to WWE television after several months on the shelf. The two legends had a memorable face-to-face confrontation and teased a match between the two at WrestleMania 27. Check out the video:
On Monday’s RAW, both The Undertaker and Triple H returned to WWE on RAW and had a face-to face confrontation.
The two men stared at the WrestleMania 27 sign and taunted each other for several minutes, until the show went to commercial.
An SEScoops.com correspondent who is at RAW live has informed us that Triple H left the ring first and posed on the ramp. Undertaker then left the ring and saluted the crowd before heading backstage.
According to our source, Triple H received the biggest reaction of the night.
Another thing fans didn’t see on television – the Undertaker missed his cue and came out before his music began. He quickly went back off camera and did the entrance over.
On Monday’s RAW, both The Undertaker and Triple H returned to WWE after several months off.
The Undertaker was revealed to be the man behind the cryptic 2/21/11 videos we’ve been seeing in recent weeks, after a 1-hour countdown clock that began at the start of the show expired.
As soon as The Undertaker did his intro and made his way to the ring, Triple H’s music hit and he went face-to-face with the Dead Man in the ring.
The two men stared at the WrestleMania 27 sign and taunted each other for several minutes, until the show went to commercial.
Based on that confrontation, it looks clear that a Triple H vs. Undertaker WrestleMania match is a go.
— 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.”
With The Undertaker scheduled to return to WWE television on the Monday, February 21st episode of WWE RAW (the night after Elimination Chamber), we’ve got an update on his health and what’s being discussed for him for WrestleMania.
The planned Undertaker vs. Wade Barrett WrestleMania main event has been reportedly scrapped. This feud made sense as Wade Barrett was the leader of Nexus when the group destroyed the Undertaker and put him out of action at Survivor Series, but WWE now has a totally different direction for the Dead Man.
According to a very reliable WWE source, the current plan is for The Undertaker to wrestle Triple H, with Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee. The match would have a stipulation of Career vs. Streak, with Triple H being forced to retire if he cannot defeat the Dead Man.
The Undertaker has been doing a lot of rehab on his surgically repaired shoulder and WWE is very confident he’ll be on track to compete at WrestleMania. While nobody is expecting a WrestleMania classic as in previous years, he should be able to work a good singles match.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)
