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.
A lawsuit WWE filed in the state of California in March to stop undisclosed selling of WWE merchandise during WrestleMania 31 week includes the complete WWE schedule through March 26, 2016.
In the schedule, it is revealed that the 2016 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view will take place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, January 24th. WWE will then have RAW in Miami the next Monday night, and tape SmackDown in Tampa on Tuesday.
Additionally, it’s revealed that the 2016 WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view will emanate from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday, February 21st. WWE will then have RAW in Kansas City the next night, and tape SmackDown in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday.
As we already know, the next big event will then be WrestleMania 32, which takes place from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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.
When Triple H and The Rock shot an angle during a backstage promo segment on last year’s anniversary edition of WWE SmackDown, there was an understanding that it would lead to a WrestleMania match involving the two.
The reason Triple H vs. The Rock didn’t happen at WrestleMania 31 earlier this year was because The Rock’s schedule was not going to allow him to go through with it. Rock was busy with a long list of media obligations tied to his role in the current box office smash, “Furious 7.” As it turned out, Rock was able to fly to Santa Clara on the day of the event for a promo segment, but nothing more.
When the realization that Rock wouldn’t be able to work a match became clear, that’s when the idea of Triple H vs. Sting became the new direction. When that was decided, it was agreed that HHH would win the match with Sting, keeping him strong and in position heading into WrestleMania 32 to work the originally planned match with The Rock.
As things stand now, Triple H vs. Rock is still the match WWE hopes to promote as one of the special attraction main events for next year’s WrestleMania, however it’s dependent upon a number of factors, most of which remain to be seen, such as Rock’s movie schedule for the next year.
Former TNA and ROH Champion Samoa Joe made a surprise appearance at Jim Ross’ one man show during WrestleMania weekend and said he wants to fight Brock Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania 32 from Arlington, Texas.
Brock Lesnar isn’t the only person that could be lined up as a future opponent for Joe. Just last week, NXT Champion Kevin Owens said he’s open to all challengers and specifically named Samoa Joe as somebody he’d like to face.
It’s no secret that Joe will be headed to WWE soon. Fans have been questioning whether Joe should start in NXT (where he could feud with the likes of Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami) or if he’ll be fast-tracked to the main roster.
While speaking to Jim Ross, Joe gave a ‘political’ answer – stating that he’ll be fine wherever they put him.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show to talk about a number of topics. Below are some highlights.
On Global Force Wrestling/New Japan Pro Wrestling: “If they do another one I’m very interested in being involved. I don’t know what New Japan or Jeff’s plans are going forward but if they do another one I’d like to be considered. I’m interested in getting back into the game with them because they’re not every week. They’re special occasions, they’re special events, and that’s kind of an environment that’s good for me. So I’m very much emotionally invested in doing more if the opportunity comes about.”
On Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania: “I’ve been saying on my podcast for the last several months that Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Cowboys, if WWE is truly serious about selling a 100,000 seats or more, then attractions like Ronda Rousey versus Stephanie McMahon will help do that. People say she shouldn’t wrestle, or she should wrestle Ric Flair’s daughter, you want her to wrestle the woman who has the most heat, the most angst, and is the greatest villain, and Stephanie McMahon is an incredible villain. People will pay money to see the babyface, i.e. Ronda Rousey, go against a stacked deck, which you know the McMahons can do. What if Stephanie goes, ‘Oh by the way, my husband is going to be the special referee,’ that type of thing. So you can put the heroine in great jeopardy, you’ll get great outside the box publicity, she has a great fan base that will follow her in any of her endeavors, why do you think movie people are using her so frequently? Fast & Furious, Entourage movie, all that stuff. She has a following and they will follow her to WrestleMania.”
On WWE’s use of Brock Lesnar as Champion: “It harkened back to the days of the traveling NWA Champion, it harkened back to the days of the traveling Andre the Giant. You only saw those guys on special occasions, therefore, they always made an impact when you did see them, they were always special. I think Lesnar is exactly that way by not being overexposed. One of the kisses of death in doing a flagship, three-hour show each Monday is overexposure of talent. I like steak, but I don’t wanna eat it every day. My point is a little bit of Brock goes a long way, like you pointed out so astutely, when he did a appear he made an impact. So I like the way that it’s booked and now he’s the big hero, he’s a big babyface, he’s gonna come for retribution. He’s suspended right now on the storyline, I love that, he has a logical reason storyline wise to not be present. I think WWE has done a magnificent job of setting up what I would book as SummerSlam is Lesnar vs. Rollins, and then I would not have Lesnar and Rollins cross paths through hook or crook until Lesnar wins the Royal Rumble and then he goes to WrestleMania 32 to challenge Rollins for the WWE Title.”
– WWE staff members left from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this week to head to AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area to begin early work for next year’s WrestleMania 32 event.
– The reason there wasn’t as much pyro at this year’s WrestleMania is due to WWE being forced to deal with strict FAA rules as Levi’s Stadium is directly under flight paths to the San Jose International Airport.
– WWE officials reportedly enjoyed working with Dana Warrior during WrestleMania Week this year. As a result, it’s believed we will see her involved with WWE more in the future.
The Undertaker told people backstage at WrestleMania 31 this past Sunday that he felt great after his match with Bray Wyatt and is currently planning on working next year’s WrestleMania 32 event in his home state of Texas.
Apparently Undertaker and Sting shared a locker room backstage at WrestleMania this past weekend, and it’s said that the two actually spoke a lot about a potential match against each other at next year’s WrestleMania.
The Rock took to social media to talk about his “WrestleMania Moment” segment with UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey this past Sunday night.
The Rock said it was an “honor to create such an eletric and historic WrestleMania moment” with Rousey, and finished with “#WereJustGettingStarted.” He also re-tweeted an article about Rousey saying “We’re just getting started” and wrote “co-sign” on it, leading many to believe that we have not yet seen the last of Rock and Rousey in WWE.
“My brilliant (and bad ass) partner @UFC World Champ @rondarousey Very cool and honored to have created such an electric and historic #WrestleMania moment. Incredible to witness her connect with and inspire our awesome #WWEUniverse record breaking crowd. #IBuiltTheMoment #SheDeliveredTheMagic #RockAndRousey9000 #WereJustGettingStarted”
Sting spoke with The Associated Press this week to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view in Santa Clara, California.
The article notes that Sting vs. The Undertaker is a possibility for WrestleMania 32 next year, but focuses on Sting’s immediate future, which “The Icon” has some conflicting thoughts about.
“I’m feeling like this is probably going to be my last one,” said Sting. “We’ll see how everyone reacts. If I’m asked to do one more at Survivor Series or maybe even WrestleMania next year, at this point, I would consider it.”
Sting concluded, “But realistically, this is going to be my last one.”
Sting takes on Triple H in one of the co-main events of this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view, which takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Sunday for the best WrestleMania 31 live results coverage on the web!
– As reported earlier this week, WWE is looking at bringing some legends back for a match at next year’s WrestleMania 32 pay-per-view to help fill Cowboys Stadium and set the all-time attendance record. Today, WWE’s official website is running a poll asking fans which legend they would like to see have one more match at WrestleMania. The options are Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bill Goldberg, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Batista, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Vince McMahon, Lita, Trish Stratus or The Dudley Boyz.
With over 2,000 votes cast as of this writing, Stone Cold is leading the pack with 30 percent of the vote. Trailing Austin are Goldberg (21%), Shawn Michaels (13%) and Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, both of whom have eight percent of the votes. You can vote on the poll at WWE.com.
– The latest WWE Superstar workout video released by WWE features WrestleMania 31 headliner Roman Reigns preparing for his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar this Sunday. You can check out Reigns’ WrestleMania workout video below.
Due to the fact that WWE is looking at setting the new all-time attendance record at Cowboys Stadium next year, the company is looking at going all out for WrestleMania 32.
WWE is reportedly going to reach out to as many legends that can still work as possible for next year’s show, although Ric Flair is considered to be out of the question, as WWE refuses to have him work a match in their company after giving him the grand send-off for his retirement angle.
For the past few years, the talk has been that Undertaker’s retirement match will be at Cowboys Stadium, both due to the fact that he is from Texas and because WWE feels it’s an angle that will help sell a lot of tickets for a show that they need to sell more tickets than ever before.
When asked about it over the past couple of years, Undertaker has reportedly said that he doesn’t feel he will be able to go that long, although many are under the impression that the ultimate decision will be based off of how he looks and feels after his match against Bray Wyatt at this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view.
WWE has talked about the idea of doing a prominent triple-threat match between all three former members of The Shield on a big pay-per-view event, an idea that Roman Reigns feels would make for the perfect main event of next year’s WrestleMania.
When speaking with The Sun out of the U.K. recently, Reigns was asked what he feels should be the main event at next year’s WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.
“It should be a Triple Threat match,” said Reigns. “The Shield reunites to fight each other for one more night.”
Reigns was also asked about possibly facing The Rock in the headline match at WrestleMania, however he didn’t seem to think that is the way to go.
“Where I’m at right now, with our family ties, I don’t really see that happening,” said Reigns. “But if it did happen, it would be in WWE. Going out on a limb right now, I’d say most likely not, but this is WWE, anything can change.”
Lesnar, who as recently as a few days ago, was doing serious MMA training in preparation for a possible return, noted that he had to make a decision as a father and a husband, and noted that his professional fighting days are over. It’s also worth noting that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Lesnar’s wife (Sable) did not want Brock going back to MMA.
With Lesnar staying in WWE, it’s widely expected that he will turn babyface at some point, likely as soon as this Sunday at WrestleMania 31.
If and when Lesnar makes the face turn, the door will be open for a number of high-profile feuds, including the rumored WrestleMania 32 match against The Rock, if things work out that the match can be made by this time next year. A Lesnar babyface turn has reportedly been decided on within WWE since the very beginning of this year.
Prior to Lesnar’s announcement, WWE had multiple scenarios for the finish to Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 main event, all of which were dependent upon knowing where Lesnar’s future would be. With Lesnar staying, he will likely fill the spot that Roman Reigns was scheduled to take as the top babyface of the company. This has also led to speculation that Reigns will be turning heel at this Sunday.
It’s also worth noting that Lesnar’s announcement resulted in a flood of activity at online sports betting sites, with Lesnar now favored to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Miami’s FOX 7 Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet recently interviewed The Rock to promote his role in the new “Furious 7” film. Below are highlights and video of the interview.
On giving Jason Statham the Rock Bottom in “Furious 7”: “The idea was I got together with Jason Statham and said let’s put together an epic fight that’s going to be memorable. And at the end to punctuate it I said ‘Alright brother, what if I hooked you’ and he’s like ‘Yeah? Suplex?’ and I said ‘No, not a suplex. First time ever on film, I hit you with the Rock Bottom.’ When you present that to a movie star like Jason, you’re at a crossroads because if ego is involved the movie star could say ‘I don’t know. That your thing, it’s a big finishing move and I don’t want you to hit me with it.’ If you check your ego at the door like Statham did, it was great. He’s a focused guy and we pulled it off and we went through the glass table, cut us up a little bit and he was game to play and he came to rumble. And by the way, it’s the best move of the movie.”
On whether he thinks Roman Reigns is ready to be the WWE Champion? “Ready to headline WrestleMania and ready to be the Champ are two different things. I think that he’s in a unique position. He’s being pushed quickly, I was in that position before so I know what it’s like, but at the same time you either sink or swim so you’ve got no choice but to be ready. Fans have expressed their displeasure in it and that is the best part about the WWE Universe is that they’re so vocal and passionate about how they feel. I think he’s going to go out with Brock, who I’ve known for a very long time, and they’re going to have a hell of a match and that’s what I expect.”
On the rumors about facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32: “In Dallas? Possibly. There’s a lot of things that are up in the air. We’ll see. I would love that rematch. Whatever it is I think that you want to create something that is going to be special, memorable and especially in Dallas at that stadium and you have a shot at breaking the attendance record.”
On how he thinks CM Punk will do in UFC: “I think he’s going to great because he’s putting in the time to train. And he’s had the background anyway so I think he’s going to great.”
Take this for what you will, but WWE executive Michael Hayes recently asked fans online if The Fabulous Freebirds go into the WWE Hall Of Fame, do they think Jimmy Garvin should be inducted with them.
The original Freebirds group was a trio that features Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts. A later version of the group was a straight tag-team act with just Hayes and Garvin.
The Freebirds have been rumored to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in the past, particularly last year when WrestleMania was in New Orleans, as the Freebirds were big in that market during the territory days.
Now, however, the latest rumor is that The Freebirds will be inducted next year since WrestleMania 32 will be in Dallas, and The Freebirds’ most epic feud was arguably their Texas-based rivalry with The Von Erich’s.
– Although he has talked in the past as if he was open to the idea, when speaking with Wade Keller during a recent interview last week, WWE Hall Of Fame “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was negative when the idea of returning at WrestleMania 32 for one final match at Cowboys Stadium was brought up.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
January 29th in Hartford, CT for SmackDown drew 7,500 fans
January 30th in Las Cruces, NM drew 8,000 fans
January 31st in Orlando, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 400 fans
January 31st in Albuquerque, NM drew 7,000 fans
January 31st in Edmonton, AB drew 6,000 fans
February 1st in Loveland, CO drew 2,700 fans
February 1st in Calgary, AB drew 2,500 fans
February 2nd in Denver, CO for RAW drew 8,500 fans
– It’s said to be very unlikely that Rey Mysterio will be appearing in the 30-man Royal Rumble match this coming Sunday night. While anything is possible, it’s likely we won’t hear anything new regarding Mysterio’s status for a few months.
– Below are some photos of WWE Divas with the Dallas Cowboys mascot, “Rowdy,” at the AT&T Center for the WrestleMania 32 announcement on Tuesday.
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman: “Brock Lesnar had a helluva night and looked like the big time investment that he is. Whether Brock stays with WWE past WM31 is still up in the air but it certainly adds to the overall mystique to the presentation of which I like. Very curious as to what role Paul Heyman will play in Sunday’s big event in Philly. @HeymanHustle won’t disappoint.”
On WrestleMania 32 and the possibility of Steve Austin and Undertaker returning: “Enjoyed spending some quality time this past weekend with Steve Austin in Los Angeles. He is looking great and would be a perfect fit, in my opinion, to return to the ring in Dallas next year for WM32. Perhaps I should say in Arlington, Texas as the Dallas Cowboys actually play their games in Arlington. I could see WWE adding a major Undertaker match to this potential record breaker of an event that is if Taker would be physicality good to go in 2016. As I outlined on one of my Ross Reports several months ago this booking is huge for WWE and AT&T Stadium could easily fit 100,000+ for WM32 if the card is what the fans want to see which is always any promoter’s goal. I love this building and saw the first ever college football game ever played there plus the Packers vs. Steelers Super Bowl game there. It’s a palace.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– Diamond Dallas Page is the guest on the latest edition of Steve Austin’s podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASc – EP187 – Diamond Dallas Page
“Diamond Dallas Page sits down with his close, personal friend Steve Austin. DDP’s taking his “Resurrection of Jake The Snake” documentary to the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah! He’s talking about the finished doc, the new DDP Yoga performance center in Atlanta, Georgia, the new videos he’s shooting… and he’s telling some pretty fantastic wrestling stories – getting ribbed by Mick Foley, what Dusty Rhodes did for his career, and the promo he cut by phone to land a gig!”
– As noted earlier today, WWE announced that WrestleMania 32 will be taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, April 3, 2016. Below is a video of the announcement from the company’s official YouTube channel.
As noted earlier today, WWE held a press conference to announce the official date and location for WrestleMania 32.
WrestleMania 32 will be taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, April 3, 2016.
The official WWE Twitter account sent out the following photo from today’s press conference, which appears to show off what the WrestleMania 32 logo will look like.
WWE is planning on opening the doors for WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium as early as 1:30pm local time. One of the main reasons for this is because WWE is looking to combat the other independent wrestling events in the afternoon in the area.
In related news, WWE is looking to secure venues in Dallas, Texas in 2016 for WrestleMania 32, once again as a way to prevent outside promotions from attempting to piggy-back on the WrestleMania hype in the area.
As noted earlier today, WWE is hyping up the January 19th edition of RAW as a “RAW Reunion show,” with Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels all advertised to appear.
What’s also interesting in terms of the advertising side of things is that Brock Lesnar is no longer listed. Originally, the advertising was built around Lesnar, however he is no longer included in the ads for the show.
As things stand now, the tentative plan is for the announcement of WrestleMania 32 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, where the 1/19 RAW takes place, to be made on that show, or close to it.
Also advertised for the show is a John Cena vs. Seth Rollins “Lumberjack Match” with 30 lumberjacks in a match that is being billed as “the biggest lumberjack match in the history of Dallas.” It’s believed that the match will serve as the actual television main event of the show, with all 30 lumberjacks hitting the ring for the finish to simulate the wildness of a 30-man Royal Rumble match, as the show is also the “go-home” show for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As noted recently, WWE painted up some of their giant WrestleMania 31-promotional tour buses with The Undertaker, which is said to be considered a strong sign that he will be working the show in some form.
As of right now, the booking plan is to have The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania, as long as Undertaker gives word that he is willing to wrestle, which he has not done yet.
There’s also a chance that he will be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame next year, if he is indeed done with his in-ring career, although there has been talk for years that he would retire at Cowboys Stadium — which is the site of WrestleMania 32 — since it will likely set the all-time attendance record.
Regardless, expect Undertaker involved in some form or fashion during WrestleMania 31 weekend, as he is under a seven-figure downside guarantee contract, and WWE wants to justify the deal.
During a recent interview with PWTorch, WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin spoke about the possibility of returning to the ring for one more match at either WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California, or WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas.
“I’ll reserve my right to if I want to have another match down the road – say, like, Dallas, Texas is going to be (WrestleMania) 32,” said Austin. “Now, 31 is right down the road from me. That could be doable, but I don’t see it happening. Now, Dallas, that could be very special going back to Texas for 32.”
Austin concluded, “They’re going to need a loaded card to fill that house. So, I’ll reserve my right. But, am I pushing, pandering, selling, promoting? Nothing.”