– As previously reported, WWE Attitude Era star “Road Dogg” Jesse James has been rumored to appear on tonight’s country-themed edition of WWE RAW. James posted a tweet earlier mentioning that he was heading to Nashville (the site of tonight’s RAW) and that he’s “warming the chords up.” This has led to speculation that James will perform his “With My Baby Tonight” song from the pre-Attitude Era where he worked as “The Roadie.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently noted on Twitter that he feels it is unlikely that he will ever call another match at WrestleMania. Additionally, JR mentioned that he will not be attending any of the upcoming WWE events in Oklahoma or Texas, including the December 2nd edition of RAW in Oklahoma City.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On The Undertaker’s last match: “When Taker decides to hang up his boots and perform a his last WrestleMania that decision should become the focal, promotional point of that particular WrestleMania event. Nothing could be booked that would be bigger or more memorable. I still think that is should happen in Cowboy’s Stadium aka Jerry’s World in Arlington, Texas with 100,000 strong in attendance but only when Taker is ready.”
On a WrestleMania event in London: “Apparently John Cena made a comment about WWE hosting a WrestleMania in London some day. I’d assume that Cena was speculating while interacting with the fans in attendance at a live, WWE event as I’ve never heard any serious talk about WWE holding their biggest, annual event in London or any where else that it can’t be live in North America on a Sunday night at 7 pm eastern time. Could it happen? Any thing can happen in WWE if they choose to pull the trigger. Will it happen? I have serious doubts.”
On controversial UFC 167 main event on Saturday night: “Unfortunate decision Saturday night in the main event at UFC 167, at least in my uneducated and arguably biased opinion as Johny Hendricks got hosed in his split decision loss to George St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Title. This are major issues the state of Nevada has to address as inconsistent judging and embarrassing finishes can drive away PPV customers which can cost the UFC big money if the paying customers become overly frustrated with PPV events.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
After successfully defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio at Friday’s WWE live event in London, England, John Cena spoke on the microphone and remarked that the city deserves to host WrestleMania 31. He then suggested that it take place at a nearby “big ass” stadium—implying Wembley Stadium. The 14-time world champion also addressed his critics, which led him to utter the term “heel.”
“Sounds like there’s a lot experienced members of the WWE Universe in the crowd tonight. Sounds by the tone, there’s a lot of grown men in the crowd here in London tonight. I gotta feeling these are the same grown men that bring their girlfriends, their wives and their families all the way across the pond and make just a loud noise at our WrestleMania events,” Cena says in response to the audience members who booed him.
While surveying the crowd for frequent WWE event-goers—who generally boo Cena—he states, “WrestleMania veterans…you are grossly outnumbered. I bet you guys came to this building tonight thinking, “This is the night that John Cena is gonna turn heel.” Ah-ah, no way. Not gonna happen.”
Moments later, he continues, “This is the night that John Cena is going to come back to London, see a bunch of super-excited fans, all the way up to the sky! And tell them that they were so loud tonight I could’ve sworn on my heart that every single one of you had been to WrestleMania because this is the noise I hear in that building and for that I thank you.”
– There are several WWE Superstars who are currently banged up due to the ongoing WWE European tour. The feeling among most of the performers in the company is to the point where they just want to finish up and head back home.
– Apparently negotiations between Hulk Hogan and WWE for the Hall Of Famer to appear at WrestleMania XXX are “looking good,” although as is the case with any negotiation, it’s never a done deal until everything is signed and official.
– According to one source, Kassius Ohno’s release from WWE was not a sudden decision on the part of the company, as it had actually been planned for a while. Ohno still has a few matches with the company that will air on television for NXT. Ohno will appear in matches on November 20th against Tyler Breeze, a November 27th rematch against Breeze and a December 11th match with Alexander Rusev.
The following are highlights from a recent Miami Herald interview with WWE Hall Of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase:
On WrestleMania XXX: “It’s very special. It really dates me a bit when I think, ‘This is WrestleMania 30, and my first WrestleMania was 4.’ It’s almost like, ‘Am I really that old?’ It’s a milestone year. What’s amazing is WrestleMania I, 10 and 20 were all in Madison Square Garden. WrestleMania 30, instead of being in New York, is going to be at the [Superdome] in New Orleans. That’s very special to me because I actually started my wrestling career in this area. Not the entire time, but the better part of the first 12 years of my wrestling career was spent in what was called Mid-South Wrestling. New Orleans was a very big part of that.”
On his sons being in the pro wrestling business: “Just as a father I really didn’t want my boys to follow me into wrestling. It’s not because of the wrestling itself, but because it’s a hard life. It’s really demanding, especially on family time. There are so many things out there. To the WWE’s credit, the atmosphere is much better and the accountability that they’ve built into it with their drug testing policy makes it a lot better. It is better, but it’s a hard thing on family. I was excited for my son. I never thought I was going to walk into a Toys “R” Us, and there is a twin pack of the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase Sr. and Ted DiBiase Jr. I never thought I would see that. It was pretty wild. I was proud of him.”
On his son Ted DiBiase Jr. leaving WWE: “He did a tremendous job while he was there. He stared in a movie [The Marine 2], and I’m proud how he left there. There are a lot of guys who leave with a chip on their shoulder or feel they weren’t treated right or this or that. Basically what my son did was said, ‘Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity.’ He did it in a very professional way. I told him, ‘Don’t ever burn a bridge because you never know when you may cross it again.’ I was very proud of him on all levels. I think he is happy now. He has become quite the entrepreneur. He has a lot of things going. Before he went into wrestling, he got a college degree in business administration. He has a lot of things going for him. He loves being home with his family, but again, never say never. If the bug hits him again, then maybe he [would return]. For now he is quite happy where he’s at.”
On who he would pick as today’s “Million Dollar Champion”: “Alberto Del Rio is doing a pretty good job. His character is in line with that character. He is the rich guy flaunting his wealth. JBL [John Bradshaw Layfield], in my opinion, was the cowboy version of my character. I think he did it extremely well. You are this extremely wealthy guy, and by virtue of your wealth, you are looking down your nose at everybody. Much like a bully, when you’re confronted, you start backing off. Everybody hates guys like that. No matter how many times you get beat, you don’t mind seeing them get beat again. That’s what a good heel is in our business. I think JBL did it just as good as anybody.”
– Following the recent online pre-sale, tickets for WrestleMania XXX went on sale to the general public on Saturday. WrestleMania XXX takes place on April 6, 2014 from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
– ESPN is currently working on a “30 for 30” documentary piece on WWE Hall Of Famers The Von Erich family. The surviving member of the family, Kevin Von Erich, will be interviewed by ESPN as they will be traveling to Hawaii to film him at his home. The piece is scheduled to air at some point in 2014.
– Former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho recently noted on his official Twitter account that there will be 10 full episodes of his web series, “But I’m Chris Jericho!” for the ongoing first season.
– Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are interested in having Shane McMahon make an appearance at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to F4WOnline.com on Friday. No word yet on whether the former wrestling executive is interested.
McMahon left WWE in 2010 to pursue other opportunities. In July, McMahon voluntarily stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand, whilst remaining YOD’s principal executive officer and Chairman of the Board.
– In response to news of Mickie James appearing as a guest trainer for WWE’s female developmental talent at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week, Ohio Valley Wrestling trainer Rip Rogers says the fourteen-year veteran, as well as WWE trainer Sara Del Rey, should be teaching them before live audiences.
“Mickie James can wrestle better than most of the guys- divas b in for a rude awakening,” Rogers remarked. “[James and Del Rey] should be on the road wrestling and make the girl wrestle every day in the ring on the road.”
Rogers explains that it’s not beneficial for inexperienced talent to be work with each other. “The only way to get good is have 1000 matches with vets leading u to get better – green leading green does not work,” he said.
WWE has released the the following artwork to promote WrestleMania XXX, featuring John Cena, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio:
This week on Bauer & Pollock, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer shares his thoughts on the passing of Eddie Guerrero eight years ago this month and reveals plans the sports-entertainment organization had for the legendary grappler at the following year’s WrestleMania pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois. Bauer also squashes the rumor of Guerrero being scheduled to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista during their feud.
Bauer recalls, “It was twenty-four hours before he passed away, I believe. Twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours, something like that. We had a call with Vince at home, and we were talking about the preliminary plans for WrestleMania. I know there’s this romanticized story about how Eddie was going to get the title, and that was the plan that he was going to get it that night or at Survivor Series. That wasn’t the plan. I think Stephanie said that, or alluded to it on the air, and that was not the plan. The plan was that he would lose, and I think they were going to return in December. We had talked about a fascinating idea; I’m not the biggest Bruce Prichard fan, but to his credit, I believe it was Bruce Prichard who pitched putting Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania against Shawn Michaels and doing the parallels of their careers. Being the heartthrob in Mexico and this mercurial figure south of the border, and the American version being HBK.
“They had never really worked, and you would’ve had such a great dynamic between the two with heel Eddie versus Shawn. That’d be your “tear the house down,” high quality match at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago. Vince was like, “God damn, that’s really appealing. We could parallel their careers. What kind of footage of Eddie do we have outside of WCW? We could really do some impressive packages.”
In 2005, Bret Hart worked with WWE for the first time since the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” by contributing interview footage and selecting matches for a DVD highlighting his career. With Hart in bed again with WWE, Vince McMahon proposed that they fight at WrestleMania 22.
Bauer recalls, “We talked a lot of matches, and the other match at WrestleMania 22 was going to be Vince versus Bret in a street fight, that they would do in a convoluted manner several WrestleManias forward. Bret had just come back into the company in a very informal way. He had just agreed to do the home video release. (Vince) literally, on that call, got Bret on the other line and pitched him doing the match. Bret was uneasy, but was thinking he could possibly do it as long as there were no hits to his head. We’re sitting here like, “Holy sh*t, we didn’t think we’d be talking about a Bret/Vince match!” Vince pitched that match and said, “What do you guys think?” Everyone was like, “Yeah, no sh*it! Of course! Bret versus Vince, yes! That’s huge.”
Bauer continues, “A week or two later, Vince said that match was no longer an option. I think it had to do with something on Bret’s end.”
(Transcribed by Chris Maffei)
The full show is available at FightNetwork.com, and The LAW: Live Audio Wrestling and MLW feeds on iTunes. Bauer & Pollock airs every Wednesday at LiveAudioWrestling.com and MLW.com.
– WWE Diva Summer Rae recently revealed an additional WrestleMania XXX pre-sale code on Instagram. That code is GRAM30. As we previously reported, the other codes for Thursday’s online WrestleMania XXX pre-sale are SAINTS, WWEVIP and WM30TW.
– As reported during the summer, WWE released Jody Kristofferson, the son of actor Kris Kristofferson, from his developmental deal with the company. According to reports, Jody was overheard telling fans at the recent Roland Alexander Memorial Show this past weekend that he expects to be back working for WWE in early 2014. Kristofferson used the name Garrett Dylan while working in the WWE NXT developmental system.
– Speaking to WWE Magazine, R-Truth answered questions on his favorite pay-per-view event, the whereabouts of Little Jimmy, and whether it’s harder to move around as he gets older.
R-Truth, who turns 42-years-old in January, says he’s in excellent shape. “It all comes naturally to me, and it’s almost like muscle memory when I’m out there now. In a way, it’s easier than before. I’m in as great a shape as I’ve always been, and now, I’ve got the experience to back it up,” said R-Truth.
R-Truth’s showdown with John Cena at Capitol Punishment ranks as his favorite pay-per-view event to participate in. Regarding the event, he said, “It felt like it was my show. I was up against John Cena for the WWE Title so it was one of the biggest moments of my career. All eyes were finally on me and I made sure to give the audience something worth watching.”
On the whereabouts of Little Jimmy, which was the brainchild of WWE head Vince McMahon, R-Truth states, “Man, that kid’s back with his mom! I needed a break from him, we weren’t getting along too well. Good riddance if you ask me!”
– Piers Morgan, host of CNN’s highly-rated Piers Morgan Live, posted a message on Twitter relaying his disappointment in missing WWE’s ongoing tour of the United Kingdom.
The following are highlights from a new Busted Open Radio interview with former WWE Superstar Diamond Dallas Page:
On working with Scott Hall and Jake Roberts: “Jake (Roberts) and I were talking about this when Scott (Hall) was first ready to come up and we knew that Jake is going to go down and get him and have a sit down which was on DDPTV and I looked at Jake and I thought to myself: ‘Can you imagine if you and Scott both get sober in the same house in the same year’ and we started laughing and thinking: ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ I didn’t do anything and that’s honestly how I feel. All I did was supply my buddies with really a positive place that they weren’t going to be judged and I was going to get them to understand when I talk about my eating place and I’ll never use the word diet because you know what the first three letters in the word diet are.
They don’t work, lifestyles do. I put movies in front of them like food, Inc. and genetic roulette and then they can see on how the food has been so changed that it will depress you, it will put weight on you that will drag you down emotionally and once they got that out of there system, they start to feel better and they haven’t done anything yet! (Chris) Jericho said it first and he’s really the first who put DDP Yoga on the map and the best part about it and you say: ‘Well, what kind of conditioning can I get with my DDP Yoga?’ and I said ‘How about this?’ Jericho who was completely pain free in three months and headlined WrestleMania two years ago and continues to work a few months, take a couple months off and then goes tours with Fozzy for six months like every night playing out and he is not wrestling, he is only doing one work out and he shows up at the Royal Rumble in the number two spot and wrestles for forty seven minutes and fifty three seconds, unheard of!
But it gave my program legitimacy on a different level plus there are about sixteen guys in the Rumble that are doing DDP Yoga so it was a really cool thing and he opened up the doors to guys like Goldust and how good is Goldust looking right now and Ryback as well. Then Scott saw Jake when he was laying in his bed when he went through that really tough time where he was in the hospital bed for that week and that one kid, who is almost like an angel, because it said: ‘No visitors!’ But this one kid who is a fan came in and he has it on his IPhone and he says: ‘Scott, look what Dallas did with Jake, maybe he can do it with you.’ Scott’s looking at him like: ‘Oh my God.’
It was putting my two buddies in an environment that was caring, loving and everyone in my house is positive and you’re not allowed to work for me with a negative attitude and it won’t be tolerated and you work out and eat great food because I only buy real food and our food is delicious. I’m doing a workshop in Atlanta and it’s the only time when I do what is called: ‘The Ultimate Workshop’ and there are only fifteen people that do this but we have a pretty big crowd for the overall workshop where we do three hours and its starting and stopping and it’s not like a three hour workout but you really learn how to break everything down and then we do an hour and ten minute workout at the end and I make it where everyone can do it and after that, those fifteen people come over to my house. We break it down and we have all the food made and we show them how to make everything and they leave with menus. I want people to understand that healthy food doesn’t have to taste bad.”
On concerns he has for both guys when the leave: “Jake is going to be Jake no matter what. When people say: ‘Man, I love what you did to Jake’, I tell them: ‘I didn’t do anything, Jake did all that’ and Jake Roberts is still Jake Roberts. But I never saw this Jake Roberts. When it came time for him to leave the crib, he made that decision. It wasn’t me because he could have lived with me forever and I told my girl before she moved in: ‘Baby, Jake is Uncle Jake and he isn’t going unless he says I’m out of here’ and always being his little brother in scenarios when I go: ‘Jake, that’s not cool to say things like that’. I got sick of saying that to him because he’s my mentor, he’s one of my closest friends on the planet and he knew it was starting to wear me out a bit. I think he is in the best spot that he has ever been in and he really has a chance, if it’s not this year then next year but it should be this year because he has done so much in his career but he should be in the hall of fame but he should have been in the hall of fame twenty years ago. Then he put it out that: ‘I’m going to be in the Royal Rumble’ and it got a lot of buzz but it’s like: ‘Yo, shut up about the Rumble’.
No one is going to know. If they are going to put him in the Royal Rumble, he won’t know until its four days out. He will absolutely be the last one to know. There was an article about Bradshaw and Bradshaw has some really good writing on his site and there’s another guy that has done a lot after wrestling and he is an amazing cat and he does so much for kids around his summit and the mountain climbing that he does, its crazy shit to me. He eats it up and it’s the challenge and there was article on his site that talked about how it would really be smart and really beneficial to the WWE to have one guy that is not going to be a surprise because there would be so many fans, passionate fans about just hearing his music and walking out.
It would make people cry and there would be goose bumps with the twenty-two thousand people at the Royal Rumble and all he needs to do is be real limited and it won’t matter, its Jake. It’s such a tradition of people coming out and people won’t know what’s going to happen. Jake has been clean for over a year, it was October when we brought him in, so it’s a little over a year of being completely cocaine and crack free and that was a big deal! He did that cold, there were no morphine shots and whatever shots they do to get people off heroine or whatever, and we did none of that. We test him once in a while too, it was a surprise test. It was like: ‘Here Jake, we are taking you down to the clinic.’ He said: ‘I got my first passed drug test’, he even framed it and we did it a couple times.”
On Hulk Hogan leaving TNA in time for WrestleMania XXX: “He’s Hulk Hogan bro. I have offered my services to him before and that’s when I was in Los Angeles. I would help him any way I could because he really helped me when you get to that one spot when you there. Hulk Hogan walks up to me in Germany and this is around 1994 when Kevin is the champ and I’m wrestling Jim Duggan. I get the curtain jerk match, the first match every night. It was the fifth or sixth night and we are in Berlin and when I walk through the curtain and Hogan is there and he grabs me and he pulls me over and he says: ‘How are you doing it?’ I go: ‘Doing what, Hulk?’ He goes: ‘Getting some much better.’ I go: ‘Wow, thanks man.’ He goes: ‘I’ve been watching your matches the last couple nights and I don’t see you on TV that much but when you’re on, you are always doing something a little different and this is the way they are getting you to learn your craft. They are putting you on the road.’
I said: ‘No, there not. I haven’t been on the road for three months. The only reason why I’m on this card is because my real last name before I changed it to Page was Falkinberg and the crowd loves its Germans and I have a smoking hot wife that accompanies me to the ring. That’s the only reason why I’m here.’ He goes: ‘How are you getting so much better?’ I said: ‘I go to the Power Plant.’ He really didn’t understand that because in his day, you went from one territory to another to another and that’s how you got better and they can camouflage you, change your name and whatever. I figured out and this applies to anyone, this is a lesson in life and I went down to the Power Plant because wrestling is a lot like playing the guitar meaning you can’t get any good unless you play all the time. I went back to the Power Plant and I started to train the young guys and I realized that the more you teach someone, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.
Hulk goes: ‘However you’re doing it, whatever you’re doing, you need to keep doing it because it may not be today, next year or the year after but somewhere down the line, you have the ability to draw huge money with me’ and he walked away. Let’s manifest that four years later, Hulk is on the stage of the ‘Tonight Show’ with Hulk and (Dennis) Rodman being interview by (Jay) Leno and (Karl) Malone and I walk out with the chairs over our heads. The number two leading scorer of all-time in the NBA, Karl Malone has my ‘Diamond Cutter’ shirt on, we throw the chairs down and throw up the ‘Diamond Cutter’ sign and do ‘The Bang’ and we face off with those guys and shoot our angle which was the biggest angle ever for WCW as far as money, super coverage across the planet in the biggest show in the world and it wasn’t a wrestling show. We are shooting an angle on the world’s stage, the ‘Tonight Show’. It was crazy.”
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Chris Benoit questions: “Funny how Chris Benoit questions to me run in spurts. I haven’t changed my take on the Benoit into the WWE HOF quandary. Chris doesn’t belong there. End of story. If inducted, it would all be about the last few, horrific hours of Chris’ life and that would not be fair for the family’s that were affected, the other inductees, or the fans. For those fans who loved Chris’ in ring work, and I consider myself one of those, then watch him on You Tube, etc and call it a day. I do not speak for WWE on any topic but I’d be surprised to see Chris any more prominent on WWE content in the future than he is now.”
On Chris Benoit’s son getting into pro wrestling: “As for Chris’s son wanting to get in the pro wrestling business, I have mixed emotions. My gut says stay away, learn a trade, get educated and lead a normal, productive life. One the other hand, I’m not big on telling anyone to not attempt to live their dreams just as I did.”
On Brock Lesnar’s role at WrestleMania XXX: “I look for Lesnar to play a major role in WM30 in New Orleans but in order to max out Brock’s box office appeal his TV persona really needs structured attention and to get ‘hot’ before April. Not overexposed….just get the Hereford Bull hot.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– WWE Superstar Evan Bourne will be making his return to the company in the near future. Bourne, who has been sidelined for several months, is slated to return at some point within the next four-to-six weeks. While Bourne’s television return is still unknown, the company does expect him to return on live events before the end of 2013..
– The official Twitter account for WrestleMania recently posted the following tweet with details on the WrestleMania XXX on-sale party:
– In his first appearance since Hell in a Cell, Paul Heyman resurfaced at Friday’s WWE live event in Glasgow, Scotland. Opening the show with his leg in a brace, his arm in a sling, his neck in a collar and donning a full back brace, the Scarsdale, New York native blamed the fans for his injuries. CM Punk then appeared and took matters into his own hands by brutalizing Heyman with a kendo stick.
– Courtesy of Ticketmaster.com, the seating chart for WrestleMania XXX has been released. Tickets for the pay-per-view event, which takes place April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, go on sale next Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT.
– Six-time World Champion Chris Jericho turns 43-years-old on Saturday. Also celebrating a birthday today is former WWE and WCW referee Nick Patrick, who turns 54.
With WrestleMania XXX only five months away, WWE officials are working on the card for the pay-per-view event. However, much of the card will hinge on whether agreements with inactive individuals can be made, such as former World Heavyweight Champions Goldberg and Sting. Here is the proposed card for the event.
* A match pitting Triple H against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for control of WWE, with Austin representing Vince McMahon, is not expected to occur.
* WWE officials want to secure Sting, whose contract with TNA Wrestling is set to expire, for the event and have him face The Undertaker. The fallback plan is Undertaker facing Brock Lesnar as originally scheduled.
* WWE officials are very interested in securing Goldberg for the show and having him face Ryback. If a deal falls through, Ryback will instead face Big Show. However, if WWE is able to secure Goldberg, Ryback will then face Big Show at Elimination Chamber.
* CM Punk facing Randy Orton is currently planned for the event. Punk had been planned to win the 30-Man Royal Rumble to receive the accompanying World Title shot, but current talk has the winner facing the holder of the World Heavyweight Championship.
* While Shawn Michaels has denied the possibility of wrestling again, there are people within WWE who wholeheartedly believe that he will face Daniel Bryan on the show.
* Goldust is scheduled to turn on Cody Rhodes, leading to the match both have requested for years. Company officials are pleased with Goldust’s work since returning to the promotion a few weeks ago: he’s exceeded all expectations.
Meanwhile, the ongoing Triple H vs. Big Show feud will not culminate at the event. A match between both individuals is scheduled to occur between December and February at Elimination Chamber.
The following are highlights from a recent Lex Luger interview with Steve and the Scum of WGD Weekly:
On the passing of Miss Elizabeth: “It was a very dark, sad time in my personal life…I’ve made a lot of bad choices outside of the ring over the years that led to me giving up my family, my beautiful wife and two children…I developed a double life and there was a lot of collateral damage from that to my friends, my family and those closest to me including Miss Elizabeth. She always will be the first lady of wrestling…it was a real tragedy, I was living a lifestyle back then, a lot of drugs, alcohol, I call it the life of folly in my book, it led to a lot of tragic things and that was the biggest tragedy you could ever think of to have a close friend like Elizabeth as a result of it. People say well Lex, you didn’t make her drink or shove pills down her throat, but I was a very big influence on her life at the time and I was doing that and she wanted to do what I did, so if you talk about regrets in the past guys, we can’t erase the past and we have got to take responsibility and I take a lot of responsibility for that tragic event and what happened.”
On Vince McMahon buying WCW and the last edition of Nitro: “I was happy for Vince because I knew, man, he had won, that was a genuine moment for him, I was like, yeah, buddy, everybody had you counted out there when we were beating you for “x” amount of weeks straight, I was happy for him.”
On WrestleMania X, not becoming WWE Champion and internet rumors: “Contrary to what is said, Vince never promised me the belt…he never made me any promises at WrestleMania between Bret, or I, or Yoko…nor did I expect him to make any, why would he, I was thrilled to be a part of the main event of WrestleMania…it’s funny I was talking to a guy in an interview recently and a guy said, ‘It was on your Wikipedia that you were drunk the night before at a bar at WrestleMania 10 and you were supposed to win the belt and Vince got mad at you,’ I wasn’t even anywhere near New York. I was with my wife and two kids in Hartford, Connecticut, staying with friends the night before WrestleMania…I did a lot of stupid stuff back then, but that wasn’t one of them…rumor becomes fact sometimes, I laughed at that for years, of all the stupid dumb stuff I did outside of the ring, that was one that I didn’t do…I always found that humorous, crazy how rumors can start…Who came up with that one?”
On Vince Russo coming in as head writer for WCW: “I think that Russo and Ferrara did their best to create a young, fresh group of guys, kind of doing an invasion like the now did and really on paper, a pretty good idea. They had a great reputation coming from the WWF for being very creative, really when we found ourselves slipping, consensus wise most of the guys were pretty excited that they were coming in and I think they gave it their very best effort, and the young guys came in and gave it their best effort, I think part of the problem was for when the young guys, when they came in and were beating these legendary guys like Hogan…in the middle of the ring…I think the fans as much as they love seeing young talent emerge, I think it was almost like a little bit too much too soon in my opinion and the fans didn’t really buy into it like they had hoped. It was a good idea but the fans didn’t quite buy into it…they did their best, but things just didn’t work out the way they hoped, it wasn’t from a lack of effort on the new guys part, the writers or the young wrestlers, it just didn’t get over the way they had hoped…but I didn’t think it was a bad idea.”
On Ric Flair and being in the Four Horsemen: “Ric lived his persona both in the ring and out of the ring, I found that out right away, I feel like for about three years there hanging out with the Horseman, I feel like I didn’t sleep for almost three years…Ric could stay up all night…then he go to the gym and work out with me, then he go and wrestle and hour broadway, I don’t know how he did it…Ric will always tell you image is everything, he always had a limo waiting for us, we flew usually private or if we flew commercial, first class, stay at really nice hotels…Ric was everything he said he was both in and out of the ring, that’s for sure.”
On Ric Flair leaving WCW and taking their world title to WWE with him: “I was scheduled to wrestle Ric in the cage and I was scheduled to win the title that night…I wasn’t told a lot, but they told me, we’re putting you in the cage with Ric and you’re winning the world title…as far as what happened after that, it was political stuff behind the scenes that I was not privy to, I heard that Ric was trying to negotiate a new contract, and I wanted the best for Ric, so when Ric ended up on television with the belt in the competing organization, I never had any hard feelings about that because I knew Ric had worked so hard and had such an incredible career, he was trying to do what was best for him and his family, from a business sense, I never took it personally…I was disappointed I didn’t get to wrestle Ric in the cage to win the world title, but I wasn’t upset with Ric that he went and did what he had to do and what he thought was best business wise for Ric Flair…WCW at the time, they were negotiating with Ric almost right up until the day of the match …to still come in and do the match, it just fell apart at the last minute…Ric almost was WCW, so for Ric to leave was a huge void and vacuum that myself and nobody could possibly even entertain the thought of replacing…they didn’t even have a belt ready yet…I think a lot of the guys were disappointed that Ric wasn’t there, but the show must go on.”
You can listen to the complete Lex Luger interview below:
With planning underway for the WrestleMania XXX card, one match that’s been talked about in recent weeks is a WWE Champion vs. World Heavyweight champion match. Whether or not this would be a unification match or simply a special attraction, it’s being discussed.
Since John Cena returned at Hell in a Cell, there has been a strong push to bring prestige back to the World Heavyweight championship. While John Cena and Randy Orton had a never-ending feud several years ago, the two have never squared off at WrestleMania in a singles match (they wrestled Triple H in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 24). With Randy Orton being billed as the new “Face of WWE” by Triple H and the Authority, a match against John Cena would have a built-in storyline.
Aside from John Cena, CM Punk is another top baby face that is being considered for a shot at the WWE Championship next April.
COMMENT BELOW and tell us if you want to see a Champion vs. Champion match at WrestleMania XXX – and if WWE should unify the titles & crown an Undisputed champion.
(Information from PWInsider.com was used in this report)
According to a recent report by The Examiner, WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan and WWE have come to a “verbal agreement” that would see Hogan return to the company in 2014.
The following is an excerpt from the article:
“WWE Examiner learned exclusively on Thursday from a trusted WWE source that Hulk Hogan is officially back with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Although Hogan has reportedly refused to sign a typical “legends contract,” there is said to be a verbal agreement in place between Hogan and WWE that will result in Hogan returning to WWE programming possibly early in the new year.
There is even talk of Hogan returning as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble.
“We knew this would happen at some point,” the source tells Examiner. “It’s my understanding that there isn’t a contract in place, but there’s a verbal agreement that will move forward. It’s just a good fit for everybody involved, especially with the milestone WrestleMania 30 coming up. Hogan needed to finish up his stuff with TNA and just come home.”
Check out the complete article online at Examiner.com.
NOTE: It’s worth pointing out that we have been unable to confirm the above report as of right now. We should have an extensive update on this story on Monday morning, so until then, take the above information as strictly rumor.
– To clarify a report form earlier this week that students from Team 3D’s Wrestling Academy received tryouts at Monday’s RAW (and were used as extras), Al Haft sent in word that students from the Team Vision Dojo (Scott Hall, Chasyn Rance, & Larry Zbyszko’s Orlando training facility) also received tryouts at RAW.
– 2K Sports has announced a contest where fans can take a screenshot from WWE 2K14 to win a trip to WrestleMania XXX:
“Fans are encouraged to create a desired WrestleMania 30 matchup, capture a screenshot of the in-game action and submit to 2K for a chance to win airfare, hotel and two tickets to WrestleMania 30,” according to the announcement. You need to be 18 years of age or older to participate. The contest begins today, Oct. 29, and runs through Jan. 9, 2014. For full details and to enter, visit the official site.“
– Speaking to Rodolfo Roman, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio revealed that his dream WrestleMania match would be against The Undertaker. The Mexican grappler also promised a victory over John Cena tonight at Hell in a Cell. Here Del Rio discuss this, and mixed martial arts below:
– As reported on Thursday, TNT is continuing its relationship with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as the cable network has ordered Wake Up Call to series. The former WWE Champion addressed the series in a message on Twitter on Saturday.
“Excited to partner w/ TNT again to create cool positive programming. #WakeUpCall #InspirationAndAssKickins,” he wrote.
The synopsis for the series is as follows: Wake Up Call will feature Johnson lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives, whether they be dead-beat dads, sports teams that don’t gel, or business owners struggling to survive. Johnson will bring his own brand of motivation to each group of people, from 4 a.m. wake-up calls, to emotional reunions and goal setting.
– “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan turned 64-years-old on Saturday.
-The Grantland website has posted their unofficial WWE “mid-season” awards, since we are approximately half-way to WrestleMania XXX. You can check those out online at Grantland.com.
-The official WWE website for Arabia has a featured article up talking about the reports that The Undertaker will be wrestling Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX in 2014. While we recently reported the rumor as well, it is interesting that an official WWE-affiliated website is now spreading the rumor as well. You can check out the article online at Arabia.WWE.com.
Hulk Hogan, who celebrates the one-year anniversary of “Hogan’s Beach Shop” this weekend, has yet to sign a new deal with TNA Impact Wrestling, according to recent reports. Additionally, Hogan has continued to put feelers out in the public to see what major bookings he can secure at this point in his career.
According to reports, Hogan is in training for a return to the ring, with the idea being that if WWE were to make him a legitimate offer to return, he would be ready to go. One source noted that Hogan is “training like a mad man” with the hopes of getting back in the ring with WWE, most likely at WrestleMania XXX in 2014.
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:
Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view: It will be interesting to see how different the two Hell in a Cell matches are this Sunday on the next , WWE PPV. Because the handicap match featuring CM Punk vs. Paul Heyman and Ryback is more of an ‘attraction,’ so making the two, HIAC matches unique should be less challenging.”
“The money in that HIAC match is obviously Punk closing the current chapter on his issue with Heyman. In the old days, we cranky, old veterans like to use that term when possible, Heyman’s fate would come to a graphic and definitive end. As I said, in the old days. Heyman means more to the match that does any of his villains. I expect Heyman to lose consciousness and to be stretchered out.”
“Hopefully, Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton will establish a helluva wrestling match before they start to utilize all the gimmicks that the giant, steel structure provides. That gives the fans the best of both worlds or so it would seem to me. Logic says that the underdog wins but who knows now days…?”
“The returning John Cena World Title Bout vs. the champion Alberto Del Rio feels a touch lost in the shuffle. Perhaps because it was made essentially out of no where or perhaps, Del Rio has little momentum, or because Cena is returning early from his surgery and he doesn’t feel as if he’s been gone that long to make his return even more special.”
The job the announcers did on Monday’s RAW: “Happy to hear the announce team Monday night point out that ADR would likely target Cena’s arm Sunday on PPV. Any time announcers can make believable, common sense points, no matter if they are a play by play guy or a color analysts, it helps the storytelling. However, telling back stories and constantly trying to fill in gaps in creative while story telling at the expense of not getting talent ‘over’ is a kiss of death. Conversational story telling doesn’t always facilitate the imperative, emotional investment needed to establish and build stars of which the business revolves around.”
Offers he’s been receiving lately: “Getting lots of offers to do a variety of things in New Orleans during WM30 week but so far I’ve declined as we’ve got other thoughts in mind at this time. Stay tuned.”
“I talked to Cowboy Bill Watts this week, who’s doing well by the way, and brainstormed with him about a potential gig that he might want to do during WM30 week but it has nothing to do with what I’m pursuing.”
His thoughts on the WWE Hall Of Fame: “Still getting tons of WWE Hall of Fame questions that I have no answers for but I will say that it is a head scratcher why men like Lou Thesz and Dan Hodge have not ben inducted. These two men, among others obviously, are no brainers. How can a viable argument be made as to why not?”
The following are highlights from a recent interview with WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler:
On his first memory of watching WrestleMania: “WrestleMania IV when they had the tournament for the title (won by Randy Savage). I was cheering for Ricky Steamboat. I was a big fan of Steamboat as a kid.”
On his dream opponent for WrestleMania: “Shawn Michaels.”
On his favorite match in WrestleMania history: “Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV (won by the Undertaker). They could have just had a good match, and we would all still be talking about it. But they went out and had one of the best storytelling matches of all-time. I went into the crowd and just watched it.”
Check out the complete interview online at NOLA.com.
