— The February 28 Raw telecast drew a 3.82 cable rating, slightly down from last week’s 3.85. The show averaged 5.6 million viewers overall and drew hours of 3.80 and 3.84.
— The February 26 episode of A.M. Raw did a 0.62 cable rating, with 709,000 viewers.
— Cineplex, a motion picture exhibitor in Canada, will air WrestleMania XXVII live in their theaters April 3. The company website’s listing for the event displays a poster promoting WrestleMania XXVII with Batista and Chris Jericho pictured, as well as John Cena, Randy Orton and Christian.
— A new promotional poster has been released for WrestleMania 27, which you can view here.
— Former WWE superstar Chuck Palumbo, probably best known as one half of the “Billy and Chuck” gay tag team that WWE featured in the early 2000’s, had the following to say about the storyline during an interview this week on the Busted Open satelite radio show:
“You know, honestly, I got to say that was one of my most fun times. You know first of all I got to work with Billy Gunn, who was a veteran and had been around a long time. He [Billy Gunn] was showing me the ropes number one. Number two I was getting some time. I was getting some TV time, so I was digging that you know. I got nothing against gay people, you know, ask Matt, they’re always making great gay jokes and making fun of people behind the scenes. I took it as a joke. I had fun with it. I mean I had a lot of fun with it.
“My only comment on that would be that I just wish, I felt like when it disbanded, it had a lot of miles on it. A lot of times there’s a reason why they disband things. I think at the time Billy Gunn was about done with his contract and you know they decided to let him go, but I think it had a lot more miles left in it. Than again when Vince [McMahon] put that together, he put that together for cable network ratings week you know what I mean, so he had a reason for it. He wanted to get that final rating on that smack down show, so I guess he did what he thought was right you know, but I thought it had more mileage left.”
— Apparently there’s a rumor going around that John Cena is dead. This is absolutely untrue, and Cena tweeted the following about it:
JohnCena
CeNation. Apparently last night I was shot dead by a group of thugs. I also was apparently owned by the rock. Both just internet rumor. :)
– On RAW, it was announced that Michael Cole will wrestle Jerry “The King” Lawler. Michael Cole with be trained by Jack Swagger and there will be a special guest referee announced for the match in the coming weeks. WWE has reportedly decided on who the special referee will be, but the creative team has not yet decided on how they want to introduce the mystery referee.
– The planned WrestleMania match between rival factions Nexus and The Corre has been reportedly nixed, according to f4wonline.com. It’s now believed that The Corre will wrestle the Big Show on in some kind of match. This is not confirmed, but Kevin Nash has been discussed as a tag team partner for the Big Show.
– Speaking of Diesel, he spoke to the Miami Herald last week at the Miami Comic Con event .. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Leaving TNA for WWE: “I had a good relationship with [TNA President] Dixie [Carter] and enjoyed my time there. I have a lot of friends in TNA. It was just time for me to move on. There are so many more opportunities in a larger organization like WWE, especially outside of the ring, that it was pretty much a no-brainer.”
Whether He’ll Ever Be A Part of WWE’s Hall of Fame: “Not my call. I think everybody would [want to be inducted], especially anybody who’s put 20 years of their life into something, but I’m so happy for Shawn, and I’m looking forward to watching Shawn be inducted.”
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.”
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)
We’ve been reporting this week that former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho will be a part of the upcoming season of the hit ABC network show, Dancing With The Stars.
As part of his media tour to promote his new book Undisputed, Jericho appeared on the “Open Mike” radio show on 740 The Game in Orlando, FL on Monday and was asked whether the “major announcement” he’s been teasing in recent weeks will be that he’ll be dancing with the stars.
“People keep asking me that and they also keep asking me if I’m going to be the lead singer of Velvet Revolver,” Jericho said. “Neither one of those things is what my announcement is. It would be nice to do either or but that’s not what I’m thinking about when I’m talking about my announcement.”
Instead, Jericho said that the announcement actually has to do with his rock band Fozzy.
“I’ve been threatening this announcement for about three weeks now. It’s basically something to do with what’s going on this summer. I kind of alluded to it … a couple of big shows we’re hoping to get confirmation on pretty soon.”
The fact that the announcement is not related to DWTS does not mean he won’t still be on the show. The full cast of DWTS will be announced next Monday night, February 28th, during ABC’s The Bachelor show.
Jericho also commented on whether he’d be joining returning WWE stars The Rock, Triple H and the Undertaker as part of WWE’s upcoming WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view. Unfortunately for Jericho fans, it’s not looking good.
“Yeah, it would be great to be a part of it,” he said, “But I think at this point in time with all the guys that are coming back … The Rock came back and obviously Triple H will be back soon and probably The Undertaker. All these guys are returning and so it’s better for me not to be there and get lost in the shuffle of everybody that comes back and all the hoopla of WrestleMania.”
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.
With WrestleMania 27 just over 7 weeks away, we’ve got an update on the match WWE plans to headline the event – and it doesn’t involve anybody who has been on WWE television in the past several months.
As of this week, the main event of WrestleMania 27 is expected to be The Undertaker vs. Triple H, with Shawn Michaels acting as the special guest referee.
There has been some on-and-off discussion as to whether the match will have a “Career vs. Streak” stipulation.
Triple H, who is currently 41 years old and has been talking about retiring from the ring to focus on his movie career and WWE office job, is considered the heir apparent to Vince McMahon’s throne atop World Wrestling Entertainment. With the number of series muscle tears he’s sustained in recent years, the possibility of Triple H putting his career on the line does make for a good stipulation.
With the Undertaker advertised for Monday’s “2/21/11” episode of WWE RAW from Fresno, California, Triple H’s return to television will be coming up very soon in order to get this feud started.
WWE issued a press release to promote The Rock’s upcoming gig at WrestleMania 27 guest host with some quotes from The Rock himself. To read the full press release, visit Corporate.WWE.com.
“I’m absolutely thrilled and fired up to be the host of WrestleMania,” Johnson says. “My goal was to partner up with Vince McMahon and WWE to create and deliver something globally entertaining and electrifying.
“As an actor, entertainer and someone who both loves and has grown up in the sports entertainment business, the opportunity to host 75,000 passionate fans in a live venue, not to mention the millions that will be watching worldwide, is not only thrilling but quite honestly the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s going to be one helluva an epic night.”
Following Monday’s RAW, The Rock took part in an online chat at the WWE website. Here are some highlights of what the Great One said about:
Why He’s Returning Now: “Because I felt the time was right to so something special. Not only can I feed my own need and desire to perform. More importantly than that, do something special for you WWE fans. ”
His Goal For WrestleMania: “My goal is to create an incredible show. The guys have prepared for this night all year and they are going to put on incredible wrestling matches and I am there to not only support their matches but work with the great WWE production team and put on an electrifying show. That means I will be backstage and in the ring creating unforgettable and iconic WrestleMania moments. ”
John Cena: “John Cena said a variety of things that came across my desk which at first I thought was interesting and then I felt was laughable because the comments really didn’t make any sense to me. To be clear, not that they ever make me mad. I just thought the comments were an interesting choice of things to say
– It was announced at Monday’s WWE Monday Night RAW from Anaheim, California that former WWE Champion and future Hall of Famer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be the special guest host at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta, Georgia in April.
The Rock appeared live on tonight’s show and received a major ovation from the crowd. The Rock said that he has finally returned home and wasn’t back for the money or to promote a movie, but he was back for the fans. He thanked the fans and said he would never, ever be going away.
— According to a report on Glamorousones.com, World Wrestling Entertainment has reached an agreement for Justin Bieber to perform at WrestlMania XXVII. The report also notes that former WWE talent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is rumored to be hosting the event.
— The February 11 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 1.75 cable rating, the lowest rating of 2011 and lowest since December 17.
The program averaged 2.5 million viewers over the course of two hours, down from 3.2 million viewers the previous week on Feb. 4—a 28 percent drop.
— Shane McMahon and wife Marissa were at the wedding of New York Yankees announcer Michael Kay to broadcaster Jodi Applegate on Saturday night. (Thanks to Barry Werner)
Earlier this week, WWE held a press conference to announce that WrestleMania 28 will take place on Sunday, April 1st from Miami, Florida.
Names present at WrestleMania 28 press conference at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami, Florida included NFL legend Dan Marino, Grammy winner Emilio Estefan, Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, Miami-Dade Sports Commission Director Mike Sophia and Miami-Dade County Commissioner & Sports Commission Chairman Jose Diaz.
WWE stars present were The Miz, Mark Henry, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Eve Torres, Vince McMahon and Senior VP of Special Events John Saboor. Big Show made a surprise appearance and Marino jokingly offered his services as bodyguard for Show at WrestleMania 28.
Vince McMahon said at the WrestleMania 28 press conference this week that the company will be taking WrestleMania to cities in the future that welcome them and give them the infrastructure they need to be able to adapt and grow the WrestleMania brand. Vince said: “WrestleMania is never in the same location twice. Although we did do Atlantic City twice years ago [1988-89 at Trump Plaza], but it’s a different event now. Every year it becomes more and more of a spectacle.”
According to sources, WWE executive John Saboor is the man who came up with the idea to co-promote WrestleMania events with the NFL teams of host venues.
The Miami Herald reports that the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on March 31st from the American Airlines Arena in Miami. WrestleMania Axxess will take place that week from the Miami Beach Convention Center while RAW after WrestleMania 28 will take place on April 2nd from the American Airlines Arena. WWE will also host the WrestleMania Reading Challenge and a Celebrity Pro Am Golf Tournament in Miami.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made his first in-person WWE television appearance in nearly a year at the start of Monday’s RAW. Vince congratulated the Wisconsin crowd for their Packers winning the Super Bowl the night before and said that he’s got something big planned for WrestleMania 27 on April 3rd. He said there’s something special about every year’s WrestleMania – and this year’s show will be no exception.
Next week on RAW, Vince McMahon will announce the official Guest Host of WrestleMania 27.
We’ve got a scoop on who the Guest Host will be, but will be waiting a day or two to get further confirmation before publishing the news.
We want to know – Who do you think the WrestleMania Guest Host will be? Do you like the idea of a WrestleMania guest host?
Following Sunday’s Royal Rumble and Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, the planned card for WrestleMania 27 is starting to take shape. Here’s a look at what the card is looking like:
* WWE Champion The Miz defending vs. John Cena
* World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge
* The Undertaker vs. Wade Barrett
* Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
* Nexus vs. The Corre in a 6-man tag match
* Triple H vs. Sheamus
Jerry Lawler is also scheduled to wrestle at WrestleMania, likely as a culmination of his feud with Michael Cole. Alex Riley has been discussed as a possible opponent for The King.
In the case of Taker vs. Barrett, if Taker can’t work a singles match there is a backup plan of Kane and Taker vs. the four members of The Corre. No word where this would leave Nexus but it might not happen as Taker is telling everyone he will be ready to go.
As far as celebrities for the big show, WWE is still trying to get Justin Beiber involved, which explains Alberto Del Rio’s reference to him on RAW.
Earlier this week, WWE held a press conference in Miami, Florida to announce that WrestleMania will take place from Miami’s Sun Life stadium.
WWE names present at WrestleMania 28 press conference from the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami, Florida included Vince McMahon, John Cena, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry and Eve Torres. Also in attendence were NFL legend Dan Marino, Grammy winner Emilio Estefan, Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, Miami-Dade Sports Commission Director Mike Sophia and Miami-Dade County Commissioner & Sports Commission Chairman Jose Diaz.
The Miami Herald has posted a number of videos from the press conference, which you can see below:
– It was announced this week that next year’s WrestleMania 28 will take place from Miami, Florida on April 1, 2012. Many cities were considered to host the event, with many expecting the event to tkae place from the Rogers Centres in Toronto, Canada.
– Rey Mysterio recently spoke to school students in Green Bay about the importance of getting a good education and working toward your goals. When one of the children asked him whether wrestling is real, Mysterio said:
“What do you mean by real? Do you get hurt? Yes, I’ve been punched, kicked and slammed. But it is entertainment; we’re not out to hurt ourselves.”
– Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews, who attended Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Green Bay wrote the following on Twitter on Wednesday:
“Started the day off right by eating breakfast w/ a few WWE superstars… Chavo Guerrero, Edge, Rey Mysterio, among others. Always a fan!!”
– On Monday’s RAW, Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio announced that he will challenge Edge for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 27 on 4/3. This is the first match officially confirmed for WWE’s biggest show of the year.
– The dark match before tonight’s RAW in Rhode Island saw William Regal beat Johnny Curtis.
– Matches taped for this Thursday’s WWE Superstars before RAW tonight were Melina vs. Tamina and Zack Ryder & Primo vs. David Hart Smith & Yoshi Tatsu.
— There continues to be great concern amongst WWE officials over the match line-up for WrestleMania XXVII.
While it’s likely that WWE will produce a strong wrestling card, the major point of concern is that it will take more than that to attract the masses and draw the type of revenue that is expected of the organization’s grandest event of the year.
— February is “Defrost with the Divas” month on WWE Classics On Demand as the “sexy, smart and powerful” WWE Divas are highlighted with their greatest shows, matches and moments.
— Former TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Taylor Wilde turns 25 years old today while Road Warrior Animal turns 51.
— Providing that The Undertaker is healthy enough to compete in a singles match at WrestleMania XXVII, there has been talk of “The Deadman” facing his opponent at WrestleMania X-Seven, Triple H.
Shawn Michaels as the bout’s special guest referee has also been discussed. He recently stated that he reached a new contractual agreement with WWE, but would not be returning the ring as a wrestler. He did not, however, rule out special appearances or becoming an on-air character at some point.
— It was reported yesterday that the website for the JQH Arena at Missouri State University, which hosts a Raw live event on Friday, March 11, was advertising a WWE Championship Match between John Cena and CM Punk. “Fandy Orton” was also advertised to face The Miz in a non-title match. Information for the event has been corrected as Orton will face The Miz in a WWE Championship Match while Cena will face Punk in a non-stipulated match. Orton’s first name was also corrected. (Thanks to Shahin Najafipour)
— Former WWE referee Scott Armstrong has launched an account on Twitter.
– SmackDown rising star Alberto Del Rio has been discussed as World Heavyweight champion Edge’s likely opponent at WrestleMania 27 on 4/3. WWE is firmly behind Del Rio and company officials are very satisfied with how he’s handling his current push.
Former Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler, Edge’s Royal Rumble opponent, has also been discussed as a possible opponent for WrestleMania.
– The latest on Christian is that he probably will not be healthy in time to work a match at WrestleMania. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle back in late September, had surgery to repair the tear and has been rehabbing ever since. Initial reports stated he’d be out of action for approximately 6 months (until late March).
– WWE Hall of Famers Bobby Heenan and Harley Race have been invited to WrestleMania 27. Jim Ross recently mentioned that Race was confirmed to be attending the event.
– It’s interesting to note that WWE has not yet mentioned how many tickets have been sold for WrestleMania 27. In previous years, they have touted early strong ticket sales, which doesn’t seem like a great sign.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of this info)
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:
Kofi Kingston Winning the Intercontinental Championship:
“Congrats to Kofi Kingston on winning the IC Title. Kofi was on the cusp of something special when he had his issues with Randy Orton last year specifically their encounter at MSG which I thought was impactful. Let’s hope that Kofi gets right back on that roll. He’s a very athletic talent and a smart, educated individual.”
Whether He Is Still Writing A Book:
“No our book idea isn’t dead but we tabled it during the holidays as the decision makers in the book biz seemingly don’t work much after Thanksgiving through the end of the year. The project is still alive but I have to light a fire under my ample behind to get back in a creative mindset.”
Chris Jericho Or Batista Returning For WrestleMania:
“I do not know if either Chris Jericho or Dave Bautista will return to WWE for WM27. I’m not in that loop and don’t have a clue on the subject. Personally, I would be surprised if either returned for a special Wrestlemania appearance. Who knows?”
Related: VIDEO of Batista’s MMA Training
Visit JRsBarBQ.com for Jim Ross’ great line of BBQ products!
With the increasing popularity of 3D feature films and 3D televisions becoming more accessible to consumers, WWE has been working on producing its own 3D content. According to a reliable source, WWE is negotiating with Fathom Events to air this year’s WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view in 3D in movie theaters across the United States.
While the idea of WrestleMania 3D sounds pretty amazing, fans should not get their hopes up just yet – as the two parties have still not yet come to terms on [what else] money.
According to a new report from the Chicago Independent Press, WWE wants 47 percent of PPV revenue for 3D buys, which is standard for WWE PPVs, but Fathom reportedly wants a larger cut. WWE also wants 60-70 percent of revenue from theaters but Fathom isn’t willing to give that much away.
The negotiations have reportedly stalled and with WrestleMania coming up in just 3 months, the window opportunity for both sides to reach an agreement is closing.
– With WrestleMania 27 now less than 3 months away, WWE’s creative team reportedly has come up with 6 matches for the event that they hope to build towards in the coming months.
The top two matches WWE is set on are The Miz defending the WWE Championship against John Cena and The Undertaker putting his streak on the line against former Nexus leader Wade Barrett. The Barrett vs. The Undertaker match would be a continuation of the angle that took place at Survivor Series, where Nexus took out the Undertaker and helped Kane bury him alive in their World Heavyweight title match.
The Undertaker is still recovering from shoulder surgery and it’s not 100% that he’ll be healthy enough to work a singles match in time for WrestleMania, so there are various backup scenarios being discussed.
– One of the biggest stories of 2010 was the decline in WWE’s overall business – from pay-per-view buyrates to house show attendence and merchandise sales. WWE’s ratings were no different – with the average RAW rating for the year taking a dip from prior years.
For the year of 2010, WWE’s Monday Night RAW averaged a 3.28 cable rating – down 8% from 2009’s 3.57 average. By comparison, RAW averaged a 3.27 in 2008, a 3.61 in 2007 and a 3.9 back in 2006.
