– As part of the deal that brought WrestleMania 31 to Santa Clara, California, WWE will be getting use of Levi’s Stadium and the SAP Center rent-free. WrestleMania 31 will be held at Levi’s Stadium, while this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony will take place at the SAP Center.
– For the second year in a row, a pro wrestler will be featured on the hit CBS reality television show, “The Amazing Race.” After the show featured TNA performers Robbie E. and Brooke Tessmacher last season, independent pro wrestler Mike Dombrowski will be on the season coming up this year, along with his girlfriend Rochelle Nevedal.
– This past Sunday night’s episode of WWE Total Divas averaged 1.405 million viewers, up quite a bit from the previous week’s show, which drew 1.068 million viewers.
— Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@Madusa_rocks) March 3, 2015
You can check out Madusa’s official WWE Hall Of Fame induction announcement video at the top of the page. Additionally, below is a RAW Fallout video which features several WWE Divas commenting on her induction.
– Samoa Joe made his Ring Of Honor return at the company’s 13th anniversary pay-per-view this past Sunday night. The promotion has since added footage of his return to their official YouTube channel, which you can check out below.
– WWE issued a press release on Tuesday stating that the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on the USA Network the night after WrestleMania. The 1-hour special will take place after WWE RAW.
The 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place on Saturday, March 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
– It was announced tonight on Raw that Alundra Blayze will become enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31. The former three-time WWE Women’s Champion, who is more widely known as Madusa, offered a brief statement on the honor through her Facebook page.
“Your (queenofcarnage) is honored and humbled to Stand alongside all members of 2015 WWE HOF (thankyou) (WWE),” she wrote.
Following the announcement, Alundra Blayze ranked as a top trend on Twitter. On Twitter, she is now referring herself as Alundra Blayze, in addition to Madusa.
– It was announced tonight on Raw that the a two-hour series finale of Total Divas will air next Sunday on E! starting at 9:00 p.m. This two-hour series finale is actually two separate episodes airing back-to-back.
The synopsis for the season’s final episode, titled “The New Divas Champion,” is as follows: “Season 3 comes to an end with the Bellas considering signing a three-year deal. Meanwhile, Paige asks Bradley to move to L.A., but then she discovers a skeleton in his closet; and Eva’s husband puts her relationship with the WWE at risk.”
As noted earlier, here is the synopsis for the episode airing at 9:00 p.m.: “Paige invites her new hookup to tag along when the Three Amigas vacation in Key West, Fla.; the Bellas are shocked by a nude picture of their brother; and Nattie gets to meet Grumpy Cat.”
– WWE is outright teasing former Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze, who is also known as Madusa, as being officially announced tonight as the WWE Hall of Fame’s latest inductee.
The official WWE website updated its article tonight on a Diva being rumored for the Hall of Fame with the following: “Rumors are spreading backstage at Monday Night Raw that it may be former WWE Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze that will be announced tonight as the WWE Hall of Fame’s latest inductee. The hard-hitting Diva, also known as Madusa, tweeted out the following image, increasing speculation:
— Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@Madusa_rocks) March 2, 2015
“Will Alundra Blayze be the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015? Find out tonight on Monday Night Raw at 8/7 C on USA Network!”
– The official synopsis for next Sunday’s episode of Total Divas on E! is as follows: “Paige invites her new hookup to tag along when the Three Amigas vacation in Key West, Fla.; the Bellas are shocked by a nude picture of their brother; and Nattie gets to meet Grumpy Cat.” The episode is titled “Indecent Exposure.”
– Kevin Nash is now confirmed for the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. The new special edition of WWE Magazine focusing on WrestleMania 31 has an article talking about Nash’s induction, which has yet to be formally announced by WWE. It’s expected that longtime friend Shawn Michaels will induct him.
WWE will announce another inductee tonight on RAW, rumored to be former WWE/WCW women’s wrestler Madusa.
– WWE has responded to the news of Hulk Hogan’s banner being removed from Madison Square Garden after it was raised on Friday night as part of Hulk Hogan appreciation night. WWE sent out the following statement today:
“The banner was a part of our show and was never intended to stay at MSG.”
WWE is promoting another WWE Hall Of Fame announcement to take place on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which takes place from New Jersey.
The official WWE website has an article up today hinting that the next Hall Of Fame announcement will be for a WWE Diva.
“Who will be joining “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rikishi and The Bushwhackers in the Hall’s Class of 2015 the night before WrestleMania 31?,” stated the WWE website.
The article continues, “Could it be a pioneering woman grappler who competed alongside the likes of Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah? Could it be one of the Japanese women who brought their hard-hitting style to America in the early 1990s? Is it one of the sultry Divas from the infamous Attitude Era? Is it even a competitor, or could it be a woman who often accompanied legendary Superstars into battle?”
The belief is that the Diva that WWE is alluding to will be Madusa (aka Alundra Blayze).
As noted recently, Kevin Nash is all but confirmed to be inducted into this year’s class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
According to a new PWInsider.com report, Nash, much like Scott Hall, who was inducted under his WWE gimmick name of “Razor Ramon,” will be inducted as “Diesel.”
This is said to open the door for a potential second induction in the future, which could feature a faction being inducted like the Four Horseman was, as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall could all be inducted a second time as part of a nWo group-induction.
It’s expected that Nash’s induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame will actually close out this year’s ceremony. As things stand now, Shawn Michaels is scheduled to handle Nash’s induction.
Despite several weeks of speculation, it appears that WWE has changed direction and will not be inducting “The Crippler” Ray Stevens in this year’s class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
WWE Hall Of Famer and longtime company executive Pat Patterson, who used to be Stevens’ tag-team partner, had been pushing hard for him to be inducted this year, particularly because of his reputation and legendary status in the Bay Area, where this year’s WrestleMania pay-per-view will be held. It was also expected that Patterson would handle the induction itself.
While Stevens will not be inducting in this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame class, it is being said that he will likely go in during a future induction ceremony.
It is expected that WWE will announce Madusa as one of this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame inductees. Madusa worked in WWE as Alundra Blaze and during the Monday Night Wars, infamously threw the WWE Women’s Championship in the trash can on a live edition of WCW Monday Nitro.
With Madusa, Kevin Nash, Tatsumi Fujinami and Ray Stevens expected to be the final four inductees, below is a potential look at the final list of inductees for this year’s class.
– Randy Savage
– Rikishi
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
– The Bushwhackers
– Ray Stevens
– Kevin Nash
– Madusa
– Tatsumi Fujinami
WWE has confirmed that The Bushwackers, Luke and Butch, are the latest members of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. From their official announcement:
“The unorthodox Bushwhackers soon engaged in a heated rivalry with another Hart-managed duo, Rhythm & Blues. Luke & Butch saved the WWE Universe from listening to The Honky Tonk Man & Greg “The Hammer” Valentine’s off-tune caterwauling at WrestleMania VI, masquerading as roadies and smashing their instruments in front of a packed SkyDome in Toronto. In 1991, Luke made a stunningly brief appearance in the Royal Rumble Match, where he marched into the ring, was immediately tossed out, then marched back to the locker room.
Though they never captured the World Tag Team Championship, The Bushwhackers were always on the front line of WWE, ready to stand up in the face of evil. Luke & Butch battled duos like The Natural Disasters, The Beverly Brothers and Well Dunn, forming an alliance with WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel to take on the latter team and their manager, Harvey Wippleman. The Bushwhacker eventually marched out of WWE in 1996. They were welcomed back with open arms by the WWE Universe at WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, where they took part in the hysterical Gimmick Battle Royal.”
As we have been reporting for a while now, Kevin Nash is rumored to be inducted into this year’s class of the WWE Hall Of Fame. According to a new PWInsider.com report, Nash is confirmed for this year’s class, and the current plan is to have Shawn Michaels do the induction.
Regarding the tag-team that WWE is teasing for Monday’s Hall Of Fame announcement on RAW, word is that it will be The Bushwhackers, Butch Miller and Luke Williams.
It’s also worth noting that plans to induct Larry Zbszyko will likely be postponed until a different year now that the final decisions have reportedly been made on this year’s class.
WWE.com has a new article up titled, “WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2015 inductees to be announced Monday.”
As the headline of the article states, a new inductee will be announced on RAW, however this time it will be a tag-team that gets their moment in the spotlight.
The article continues with the following teaser as to who the tag-team is:
“The mystery pair of legends will join “Macho Man” Randy Savage, celebrity inductee Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rikishi in the elite class. Who will enter the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31? Could it be a team famous for their camouflage gear? Could it be an ultra-popular pair of brothers or family members? How many tag team championships have they held? Is it possible that we will see a current Hall of Famer earn a second nod and join Ric Flair as a two-time inductee?”
– Randy Orton is expected back on WWE television in the next week or so. He returned to action at a live event earlier this month (Photos) and is being factored in to creative plans for WrestleMania. He last appeared on television back in November, when he was laid out by The Authority. He originally took time off to film The Condemned 2.
It’s worth noting that WWEShop.com just released a new RKO t-shirt based on the “RKO Out of Nowhere” meme that went viral late last year.
– WWE has responded to reports that Big Daddy V’s widow Cassandra Frazier has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. WWE claims they haven’t been served:
“WWE has not been served with a lawsuit by Cassandra Frazier. If served, we will vigorously contest this lawsuit brought by the same lawyers who have been soliciting people to sue WWE without merit.”
– There has been talk in WWE of Kevin Nash being part of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.
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.
– There is said to be talk going around once again lately of inducting Kevin Nash into this year’s class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
– Booker T’s special guests on his “Heated Conversations” radio show will be Rob Van Dam and actor Omar Dorsey. You can tune into the show at SportsRadio610.com.
– John Cena is scheduled to appear on the popular NBC program, “Parks and Recreation” next Tuesday at 8pm EST.
– WWE stock ended up closing at $16.59 per share on Friday, which was up 15.53%. The high for Friday was $17.00 per share and the low for the day was $14.36.
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya appeared on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show’s “The Josh Podcast” to promote the current season of WWE Total Divas on E!.
Below are highlights from the interview:
On Titus O’Neil:
“Titus O’Neil likes to be on our reality show a lot. He manages to find his way every time we are filming a scene, he will have to come up and talk about something stupid that has nothing to do with anything. Titus is great he just drives me nuts. I’ve had him on one too many road trips and at one point he had way too many refried bean burritos and it was potent to put it mildly.”
On whether or not her father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, should be in the WWE Hall of Fame: “I definitely think my dad [Jim Neidhart] can be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. That’s my biggest dream is to have my dad at the Hall of Fame and it would be so cool to see my dad and Bret get inducted as the Hart Foundation, that would be awesome, and there’s not doubt in my mind that’s going to happen. Of course, I would be inducting them.”
On her uncle, Owen Hart: “It’s not hard for me to talk about Owen. Owen is a very special topic because he wasn’t just your ordinary person. He really went above and beyond, going out of his way to touch peoples lives. When he had a day or two off at home he’d visit children’s hospitals, people never knew that. There wasn’t Instagram or Twitter or anything that he could post on and it wasn’t even something WWE set up.”
On Owen Hart in the WWE Hall of Fame: “One day I do think that the WWE will have Owen in the Hall of Fame, and when they do it’s going to be big and its going to be really, really special. I hear all sorts of people saying, including my cousins Georgia and Harry, their dad is the British Bulldog, they are always like, ‘we want our dad to get in the Hall of Fame’, with the WWE they do have a rhyme and a reason for the things they do. The WWE isn’t going anywhere, it’s going to be around for a long, long, long time. When they pick people to go into the Hall of Fame its a very selective process. I think you’re going to see both Owen Hart and the British Bulldog in the Hall of Fame, but its going to be at the right time. I know that when both of them do eventually get inducted it will be really special, we can celebrate as a family. I have complete faith that they will both get in there.”
You can listen to the complete interview at ElvisDuran.com.
The Tokyo Sports website in Japan has an article up that claims Japanese pro wrestling legend Genichiro Tenryu could soon be entering the WWE Hall Of Fame, based on comments from WWE Japan officials.
Tenryu has worked a few big matches in WWE in the past, including a tag-team match against Demolition at WrestleMania VII in 1991, as well as appearances in the 1993 and 1994 Royal Rumble matches.
Whether or not Tenryu will go in the WWE Hall Of Fame in this year’s class remains to be seen.
The following matches were taped prior to the WWE SmackDown taping in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday, February 10th for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
Dark Match:
– Nikki Bella def. Emma in a Divas match. Brie Bella was at ringside for this one. The finish saw Nikki hit Emma with her Rack Attack finishing move for the 1-2-3.
WWE Main Event Spoilers
– The Ascension cut a promo to open the taping. They spoke about the “old relics” in the WWE Hall Of Fame, trashing the legends of the sport.
– The Ascension def. two local wrestlers in a quick tag-team squash match. The finish saw The Ascension hit their Fall Of Man finishing move for the pin.
– Naomi def. Natalya in Divas action. This was kept relatively short and for a Divas match, was said to be pretty solid. In the end, Naomi rolled Nattie up with a small package to get the 1-2-3.
– Cesaro def. Sin Cara in the main event of the taping. This was said to be a pretty long match that was competitive throughout. In the end, Cesaro picked up the “W” after hitting Sin Cara for The Neutralizer.
Jim Ross shared his thoughts on several segments and matches from Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in the latest blog posted on his official website.
Below are highlights:
On Roman Reigns’ promos: “Thought Roman Reigns mic work showed improvement. He seems to be the kind of talent who works much better with a bullet point format than adding the additional challenge of ‘remembering his lines’ to the always challenging promo facet of one’s game in the biz. Mic work doesn’t happen over night and too many fans show no patience while these skills are being developed. Reigns is far from the only talent on RAW that needs to work on that phase of their game. It’s an on going process that doesn’t come naturally for every talent. Reigns has great presence and knows that he has to become more proficient with his verbal game and I’m confident that will occur in time.”
On Goldust & Stardust breaking up: “The apparent soon to break up, or not, Goldust and Stardust duo have more interest in their team than any team on the roster or so it seems to me. Seems as if this pair has been on again and off again for weeks but I’m interested in them.”
On the Sting segment on RAW: “Didn’t have any issues with the Sting-HHH presentation but in hindsight I did not need to see the image of Sting entering the ring. Thought the graphics and overall video production was excellent. Looking forward to this confrontation.”
On Rikishi’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction: “It seems that no matter who is announced to be inducted into the WWE HOF some fans simply cannot be satisfied or happy and instead make the announcement about someone that they feel has been passed over or is more deserving. Has anyone been really passed over as anyone not inducted still has a viable chance in being honored in the future. I’m happy for Rikishi and his family.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– WWE confirmed Rikishi as the next official inductee into the 2015 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame. Rikishi’s video package played after The Usos’ match on Monday’s RAW. Once the video was done airing, The Usos, who were still in the ring, applauded their father along with the fans in Columbus.
– It was also confirmed on Monday’s RAW that the match between John Cena and Rusev at the upcoming WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view will in fact be for Rusev’s WWE United States Championship.
Former WWE Superstar Rikishi is the latest member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. The news was first tweeted by Rikishi’s sons, The Usos. WWE later sent out a breaking news alert confirming it.
Rikishi joins “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Class of 2015.
WWE had teased earlier in the day that tonight’s inductee would be from one of wrestling’s famous families, either a Hart or an Anoa’i.
“WWE.com has learned that tonight’s inductee is expected to be a member of one of sports-entertainment’s great family dynasties. The specific family has not yet been revealed, but the newest member to the Class of 2015 could be a Hart or an Anoa’i.”
– WWE has been nominated for a “Best Brand on Twitter” Firestarter Awards. Other nominees in the Best Brand On Twitter category include Home Goods, Arby’s, The Culinary Institute of America and Pretzel Crisps. Fans can vote at FireBrandGroup.com.
– Tonight on RAW, WWE will announce the next member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. It’s expected that the inductee will be “The Crippler” Ray Stevens. Pat Patterson has been pushing for Stevens’ induction.
– Seth Rollins wrestled Daniel Bryan in the main events of this weekend’s WWE live events. Prior to the matches, Seth Rollins cut a promo saying that he was getting a “redo” from their match on RAW (since Roman Reigns interfered) and the winner would fight Roman Reigns at Fast Lane. Bryan won each of the matches. It’s possible we’ll see this angle tonight on RAW.
Former WWE performer Joanie Laurer (aka Chyna) mentioned recently that she recorded an interview with Vince Russo that will drop on PyroAndBallyhoo.com on Monday after WWE RAW. Chyna noted that she talks about topics during the interview that she was told to keep quiet, but she decided not to.
Russo noted on his official website that he received a phone call from Laurer at 11pm and the two discussed her thoughts on what Triple H said about her regarding the WWE Hall Of Fame.
The Chyna-Russo “shoot interview” is being promoted with the following teaser synopsis:
“The conversation lasted almost 2 hours. Triple H could have prevented this. He could have taken the high road—he chose not to. Whatever follows—they have simply brought upon themselves. God said to put others before ourselves . . . .and, I truly believe that.”
In the following video, Chyna explains that she’s had enough and will talk about it more in the interview with Russo that drops on Monday. She said it felt good to speak out on WWE and that she’s needed to get all of this off of her chest for a long time now.
http://youtu.be/UdSg5uRSVj4
Additionally, Russo released the following video defending Chyna.
– WWE personality Renee Young will be hosting a 30-minute Valentine’s Day special on the WWE Network right after RAW titled, “WWE Crazy Stupid Love Show.” The show description reads:
“Join host Renee Young down the river of love! Also, hear from Superstars and Divas as they discuss the most intimate matters of the heart!”
– WWE.com is teasing that the next WWE Hall of Fame inductee announcement will take place on Monday’s RAW:
“This as-yet-unnamed WWE Legend will join “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Celebrity Inductee Arnold Schwarzenegger in this year’s elite group of icons, to be honored at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony the night before WrestleMania 31. Will this 2015 WWE Hall of Famer be from WWE’s Attitude Era? Is it a groundbreaking WWE Diva? Or is it perhaps a fan-favorite competitor from ECW, WCW or another classic promotion?”