– When the WWE Network launches on February 24th at 11:05pm E.T., it will kick-off with a live RAW post-show. As previously reported, fans will be able to sign up and begin viewing Network content at 9am that morning.
– Starting this coming weekend, WWE Superstar Batista will begin working some non-televised live event matches.
– The name changes to both Antonio Cesaro and Big E. Langston recently are said to be a Vince McMahon decision. Langston’s change was done as a promotional effort, as WWE feels “Big E.” is easier to market. Cesaro’s name change is just one of those things WWE does sometimes.
– Alexander Rusev defeated Dolph Ziggler in a dark match that took place prior to Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown & Main Event tapings.
– After the SmackDown tapings concluded, Kane came out and demanded an apology from Daniel Bryan. Bryan came out and got in Kane’s face. The two brawled and Bryan through Kane out of the ring. He then led the crowd in a huge “Yes!” chant, which ended the show.
– As previously reported, WWE has been testing out the RAW & SmackDown pre-shows that will air live when the WWE Network launches.
Booker T tweeted this photo of himself with Renee Young, Tensai and Alex Riley prior to last night’s SmackDown tapings:
– WWE superstar Daniel Bryan appeared on “NFL Total Access” on the NFL Network on Tuesday night and talked about some of the league’s best beards. You can view the video at NFL.com.
– The 2014 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will air live on the WWE Network on Saturday, April 5. Triple H made the announcement during an interview with Michael Cole that was shown to the live crowd at Tueday night’s Main Event tapings from Ontario, California.
– Tickets for WWE SummerSlam at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA go on sale March 15th.
– As you can imagine, everybody was excited to have Betty White backstage at Monday’s RAW. She was described as extremely nice and was more than willing to take photos with whoever asked.
– WWE Superstar Christian was sporting a black eye on RAW. Christian took a ‘potato’ shot at a WWE live event over the weekend.
– Once again, prior to last night’s RAW, WWE did a test run for the RAW Preshow that will air on the WWE Network. Alex Riley, Josh Matthews, Tensai, and Booker T hosted the show.
– Hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa was shown sitting in the front row at Monday’s RAW at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. JBL noted on commentary that UFC Hall Of Famer Stephan Bonnar was also in attendance.
– The following is the video of The Bella Twins doing a walk-through for the new WWE Network that aired during RAW on Monday.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan will be returning to WWE television in two weeks on the February 24th edition of Monday Night RAW from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This will be the night after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and the night that the WWE Network launches.
Hogan reached a deal with WWE to return shortly after he left TNA a few months ago. Initially, there was talk of Hogan appearing at the WWE Network announcement from CES in Las Vegas last month, but the decision was made to hold off on Hogan’s return until the WWE Network launch day. This will mark Hogan’s first WWE television appearance since 2007.
We’re told that longtime Hogan ally Jimmy Hart will also be in attendance at the show to promote ‘Legends House.’
As reported over the weekend, the 2/24 episode of RAW will also feature the long awaited return of The Undertaker.
Comment Below and tell us how you want to see Hulk Hogan used on WWE TV (if at all).
New TNA star MVP recently appeared on the v2 Wrestling Podcast. The following are some highlights from the interview:
On his goals in TNA: “WWE is a spectacular company, and their market saturation and visibility is monstrous, but the most prosperous time during the history of wrestling was during the Monday Night Wars when WWF was going head-to-head with WCW. You had 12 million people a week tuning in to watch wrestling, and the fans benefited as well as the wrestlers. TNA is a smaller company and doesn’t have the outreach and audience that WWE does, but I’d like to try, along with some of the other guys, to move the needle a little bit, and try to create something where fans can go ‘Hey, this is really cool, there’s something going on over here that we can watch as well,’ because I firmly believe that there’s room for two big dogs in the yard.”
On the TNA departures of Hulk Hogan and Sting: “While it’s sad to see them go, it’s also tremendously exciting to see that void filled by new stars who are stepping up and working hard to try to become legends in their own right.”
On Chris Benoit: “When I got signed, we travelled together, we trained together, and he was hugely responsible for my success. Of course, you can’t condone what he did, but I tell people all the time, there’s an issue with mental illness. There’s a stigma attached to it. If someone has cancer, we feel sorry for them, but if somebody has a mental breakdown, we don’t feel the same way. All those negative connotations make people sometimes not want to get help if there’s something going wrong. What Chris did was horrible, it was tragic, but I knew him personally, and I knew that he loved his wife and child, and I had been to that home and I had interacted with them personally.”
On WWE airing Benoit footage on the WWE Network: “I think that’s a good thing, because regardless of what happened out of the ring, he is without question one of the best in-ring technicians that ever existed. So, if you’re a fan of wrestling then you have to be a fan of Chris Benoit the wrestler, and maybe not so much Chris Benoit the tragic murderer.”
Check out the complete MVP interview at v2Journal.com.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Kurt Angle returning to WWE: “Speaking of another Pittsburgher, been reading a great deal about Kurt Angle’s thoughts on returning to WWE to end his pro wrestling career. I don’t know what’s accurate or not but personally it would be fun to see Kurt finish where he started as it’s obvious that the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist should seriously be thinking of hanging up his boots and looking at other avenues within the business of which he can contribute. There are many for the record.”
“I’d surmise that for Kurt to return to in ring competition in WWE that he would have to pass an extensive physical as that particular landscape has changed drastically, and for the better, since Angle last appeared in WWE.”
On Chris Benoit footage airing on the WWE Network: “Glad to see that the much anticipated WWE Network will air some Chris Benoit matches accompanied with the proper ‘warning.’ What Chris did in the last days of his life are unpardonable but no one has ever said that Benoit wasn’t a great in ring technician. Should Chris be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Absolutely, not. However seeing some of his matches on the new, WWE Network feels fitting even thought there will be some who will raise hell over it just because they can somehow justify it via their keyboards.”
On Mr. Perfect: “Curt Hennig aka Mr. Perfect passed away 11 years ago tomorrow Feb 10. Arguably as naturally talented in all phases of the pro wrestling game as anyone I’ve ever been around. We went into the 2007 Hall of Fame class together at WM23 in Detroit. One of the funniest guys ever and a fabulous in ring performer. One could tell that the influence of so many of the great talents in the AWA had a positively profound influence on Curt. That would apply especially to Bobby Heenan and Nick Bockwinkel, among others.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
The appearance will be used to kick off The Undertaker’s WrestleMania XXX feud.
The Undertaker’s has not appeared on television since last April, when The Shield powerbombed him through a table after his match against Dean Ambrose on SmackDown.
– Earlier this week, a report at WrestlingINC.com stated that Colt Cabana told a fan in India that ‘CM Punk walking away from WWE is not a work. Punk has been pissed off for a while and he probably won’t be at WrestleMania.’
Cabana is calling BS on the report, tweeting:
Some dude in INDIA has been lying about me talking about Punk. I’m sorry yall but Internets been lying. I think he’s dead.
– Stephanie McMahon was interviewed by Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV during Royal Rumble weekend and commented on controversial footage airing on the WWE Network, such as the 1999 Over The Edge pay-per-view (when Owen Hart passed away) and Chris Benoit matches.
The Over The Edge pay-per-view will in fact be available on the WWE Network, but all references to Owen Hart will be edited out. As for Chris Benoit matches being included on the Network, she said:
“They are incredible challenging decisions to make. At the end of the day, we try to do what’s right for our fans and we try to give them exactly what they want to see.”
– WWE.com is running a poll of “Most Magnificent Manager In WWE History” for the new WWE Countdown show on the WWE Network.
– The Cartoon Network has nominated John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and The Miz for “Favorite WWE Superstar” in the upcoming Hall of Game Awards, airing on February 17th. You can vote (as many times as you want) at CartoonNetwork.com.
– WWE is hiring a ‘Live Event Social Media Producer’, who will be responsible for moderating social media content at Live Events, as well as assisting the talent with managing their social media presence. You can view the job listing at here.
The following are highlights of a recent VOC Nation interview with Matt Striker:
On what it took to stay relevant in the WWE for 8 years: “The first thing is to check your ego. Some guys honestly believe that they either really won that match or that they really are the champion. Everyone has a blog now, everyone has a radio show or podcast now; people need to put their ego in check and realize that they’re not that important. The business has gone on before them and it will go on after them. (While everyone was focused on being) the next John Cena, I focused on being the best backstage guy and the best promo guy, and seeing how many hats I could wear.”
On the CM Punk situation: “I’ve known Punk since I started; he and I are good friends outside of wrestling. There’s no sense in trying to dive into someone’s head…you’re going to be wrong nine times out of ten anyway. Everyone has an opinion, but the only thing anyone knows (for sure) is what they read on the Internet, and none of the Internet pundits are walking around backstage; it’s all second and third hand information. The only person that knows for sure is (CM Punk).”
On WrestleMania being headlined by part-timers: “The whole view of the WWE is, ‘what is the stock doing today?’ That’s all anyone cares about. The Rock headlining Wrestlemania the last two years was a business decision and was about putting the most amount of money possible in people’s pockets. (Batista being involved) is (best for business). He’s going to be featured in a Marvel movie that’s going to be released right around Wrestlemania. He’s going to put new eyes on the product, which gets them to buy the product and buy the network, and the stock goes up and people make money.”
On the WWE Network: “I think that the medium that the network is based on is interesting and unproven. Now there’s so much technology that you can watch your computer on your TV. WWE (has the chance) to catch lightning in a bottle. When MTV put on the Real World, everyone said it was a mistake, and now you can’t find a music video on MTV. I think WWE is going to do just fine. The original programming will carry the new viewer, and the classic stuff will carry the people who love wrestling.”
Check out the complete Matt Striker interview at VOCNation.com.
– The current plan for this year’s WrestleMania XXX “Kickoff” pre-show is to have it run for one hour in length, as opposed to the usual 30-minute pay-per-view “Kickoff” specials. With a one hour pre-show, this would mean the event as a whole would run approximately five hours in total.
– WWE is continuing their effort to convince their television broadcast partners that the WWE Network will raise WWE’s overall popularity, thus increase their television ratings, whether it be the USA Network, Sky TV, or any others.
– The main event of next week’s WWE RAW from Los Angeles, California will feature John Cena challenging Randy Orton in the ‘Orton vs. Chamber Participants’ series.
– WWE is currently beta-testing the WWE Network to work out bugs ahead of the launch on February 24th.
WWE has released a complete list of all the WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-views that will be available on the WWE Network when launches in just 20 days.
It’s worth noting that the 1999 Over The Edge PPV where Owen Hart tragically died will in fact be included. It’s safe to assume that it will be edited.
WWF/WWE
WrestleMania
The Wrestling Classic (1985)
WrestleMania 2
The Big Event (1986)
WrestleMania III
Survivor Series (1987)
Royal Rumble (1988)
WrestleMania IV
SummerSlam (1988)
Survivor Series (1988)
Royal Rumble (1989)
WrestleMania V
SummerSlam (1989)
Survivor Series (1989)
Royal Rumble (1990)
WrestleMania VI
SummerSlam (1990)
Survivor Series (1990)
Royal Rumble (1991)
WrestleMania VII
SummerSlam (1991)
Survivor Series (1991)
This Tuesday in Texas (1991)
Royal Rumble (1992)
WrestleMania VIII
SummerSlam (1992)
Survivor Series (1992)
Royal Rumble (1993)
WrestleMania IX
King of the Ring (1993)
SummerSlam (1993)
Survivor Series (1993)
Royal Rumble (1994)
WrestleMania X
King of the Ring (1994)
SummerSlam (1994)
Survivor Series (1994)
Royal Rumble (1995)
WrestleMania XI
In Your House #1 (1995)
King of the Ring (1995)
In Your House #2 (1995)
SummerSlam (1995)
In Your House #3 (1995)
In Your House # 4 (1995)
Survivor Series (1995)
In Your House # 5 (1995)
Royal Rumble (1996)
In Your House # 6 (1996)
WrestleMania XII
In Your House # 7 – Good Friends, Better Enemies (1996)
In Your House # 8 – Beware of Dog (1996)
King of the Ring (1996)
In Your House # 9 – International Incident (1996)
SummerSlam (1996)
In Your House # 10 – Mind Games (1996)
In Your House # 11 – Buried Alive (1996)
Survivor Series (1996)
In Your House # 12 – It’s Time (1996)
Royal Rumble (1997)
In Your House #13 – Final Four (1997)
WrestleMania 13
In Your House # 14 – Revenge of the Taker (1997)
In Your House # 15 – A Cold Day in Hell (1997)
King of the Ring (1997)
In Your House # 16 – Canadian Stampede (1997)
SummerSlam (1997)
Ground Zero: In Your House (1997)
One Night Only (UK) (1997)
Badd Blood: In Your House (1997)
Survivor Series (1997)
Degeneration X: In Your House (1997)
Royal Rumble (1998)
No Way Out: In Your House (1998)
WrestleMania XIV
Unforgiven: In Your House (1998)
Over the Edge: In Your House (1998)
King of the Ring (1998)
Fully Loaded: In Your House (1998)
SummerSlam (1998)
Breakdown: In Your House (1998)
Judgment Day: In Your House (1998)
Survivor Series (1998)
Capital Carnage (UK only) (1998)
Rock Bottom: In Your House (1998)
Royal Rumble (1999)
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House (1999)
WrestleMania XV
Backlash: In Your House (1999)
No Mercy (UK only) (1999)
Over the Edge (1999)
King of the Ring (1999)
Fully Loaded (1999)
SummerSlam (1999)
Unforgiven (1999)
Rebellion (UK only) (1999)
No Mercy (1999)
Survivor Series (1999)
Armageddon (1999)
Royal Rumble (2000)
No Way Out (2000)
WrestleMania 2000 (16)
Backlash (2000)
Insurrextion (UK only) (2000)
Judgment Day (2000)
King of the Ring (2000)
Fully Loaded (2000)
SummerSlam (2000)
Unforgiven (2000)
No Mercy (2000)
Survivor Series (2000)
Rebellion (UK only) (2000)
Armageddon (2000)
Royal Rumble (2001)
No Way Out (2001)
WrestleMania X-Seven
Backlash (2001)
Insurrextion (UK only) (2001)
Judgment Day (2001)
King of the Ring (2001)
Invasion (2001)
SummerSlam (2001)
Unforgiven (2001)
No Mercy (2001)
Rebellion (UK only) (2001)
Survivor Series (2001)
Vengeance (2001)
Royal Rumble (2002)
No Way Out (2002)
WrestleMania X8
Backlash (2002)
Insurrextion (UK only) (2002)
Judgment Day (2002)
King of the Ring (2002)
Vengeance (2002)
SummerSlam (2002)
Unforgiven (2002)
No Mercy (2002)
Rebellion (UK only) (2002)
Survivor Series (2002)
Armageddon (2002)
Royal Rumble (2003)
No Way Out (2003)
WrestleMania XIX
Backlash (2003)
Judgment Day (2003)
Insurrextion (UK only) (2003)
Bad Blood (2003)
Vengeance (2003)
SummerSlam (2003)
Unforgiven (2003)
No Mercy (2003)
Survivor Series (2003)
Armageddon (2003)
Royal Rumble (2004)
No Way Out (2004)
WrestleMania XX
Backlash (2004)
Judgment Day (2004)
Bad Blood (2004)
The Great American Bash (2004)
Vengeance (2004)
SummerSlam (2004)
Unforgiven (2004)
No Mercy (2004)
Taboo Tuesday (2004)
Survivor Series (2004)
Armageddon (2004)
New Year’s Revolution (2005)
Royal Rumble (2005)
No Way Out (2005)
WrestleMania 21
Backlash (2005)
Judgment Day (2005)
Vengeance (2005)
The Great American Bash (2005)
SummerSlam (2005)
Unforgiven (2005)
No Mercy (2005)
Taboo Tuesday (2005)
Survivor Series (2005)
Armageddon (2005)
New Year’s Revolution (2006)
Royal Rumble (2006)
No Way Out (2006)
WrestleMania 22
Backlash (2006)
Judgment Day (2006)
Vengeance (2006)
The Great American Bash (2006)
SummerSlam (2006)
Unforgiven (2006)
No Mercy (2006)
Cyber Sunday (2006)
Survivor Series (2006)
Armageddon (2006)
New Year’s Revolution (2007)
Royal Rumble (2007)
No Way Out (2007)
WrestleMania 23
Backlash (2007)
Judgment Day (2007)
One Night Stand (2007)
Vengeance: Night of Champions (2007)
The Great American Bash (2007)
SummerSlam (2007)
Unforgiven (2007)
No Mercy (2007)
Cyber Sunday (2007)
Survivor Series (2007)
Armageddon (2007)
Royal Rumble (2008)
No Way Out (2008)
WrestleMania XXIV
Backlash (2008)
Judgment Day (2008)
One Night Stand (2008)
Night of Champions (2008)
The Great American Bash (2008)
SummerSlam (2008)
Unforgiven (2008)
No Mercy (2008)
Cyber Sunday (2008)
Survivor Series (2008)
Armageddon (2008)
Royal Rumble (2009)
Now Way Out (2009)
WrestleMania XXV
Backlash (2009)
Judgment Day (2009)
Extreme Rules (2009)
The Bash (2009)
Night of Champions (2009)
SummerSlam (2009)
Breaking Point (2009)
Hell in a Cell (2009)
Bragging Rights (2009)
Survivor Series (2009)
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2009)
Royal Rumble (2010)
Elimination Chamber (2010)
WrestleMania XXVI
Extreme Rules (2010)
Over the Limit (2010)
Fatal 4-Way (2010)
Money in the Bank (2010)
SummerSlam (2010)
Night of Champions (2010)
Hell in a Cell (2010)
Bragging Rights (2010)
Survivor Series (2010)
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010)
Royal Rumble (2011)
Elimination Chamber (2011)
WrestleMania XXVII
Extreme Rules (2011)
Over the Limit (2011)
Capitol Punishment (2011)
Money in the Bank (2011)
SummerSlam (2011)
Night of Champions (2011)
Hell in a Cell (2011)
Vengeance (2011)
Survivor Series (2011)
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2011)
Royal Rumble (2012)
Elimination Chamber (2012)
WrestleMania XXVIII
Extreme Rules (2012)
Over The Limit (2012)
No Way Out (2012)
Money in the Bank (2012)
SummerSlam (2012)
Night of Champions (2012)
Hell in a Cell (2012)
Survivor Series (2012)
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2012)
Royal Rumble (2013)
Elimination Chamber (2013)
WrestleMania 29
Extreme Rules (2013)
WWE Payback (2013)
Money in the Bank (2013)
SummerSlam (2013)
Night of Champions (2013)
WWE Battleground (2013)
Hell in a Cell (2013)
Survivor Series (2013)
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2013)
Royal Rumble (2014)
WCW
Starrcade ’83
Starrcade ’84
Starrcade ’85
Starrcade ’86
Starrcade ’87
Bunkhouse Stampede (1988)
The Great American Bash (1988)
Starrcade ’88
Chi-Town Rumble (1989)
WrestleWar ’89
The Great American Bash ’89
Halloween Havoc ’89
Starrcade ’89
WrestleWar ’90
Capital Combat ’90
The Great American Bash (1990)
Halloween Havoc (1990)
Starrcade ’90
WrestleWar ’91
SuperBrawl (1991)
The Great American Bash (1991)
Halloween Havoc (1991)
Starrcade ’91
SuperBrawl II
WrestleWar ’92
Beach Blast (1992)
The Great American Bash (1992)
Halloween Havoc (1992)
Starrcade (1992)
SuperBrawl III
Slamboree (1993)
Beach Blast (1993)
Fall Brawl (1993)
Halloween Havoc (1993)
BattleBowl (1993)
Starrcade (1993)
SuperBrawl IV
Spring Stampede (1994)
Slamboree (1994)
Bash at the Beach (1994)
Fall Brawl (1994)
Halloween Havoc (1994)
Starrcade (1994)
SuperBrawl V
Uncensored (1995)
Slamboree (1995)
The Great American Bash (1995)
Bash at the Beach (1995)
Fall Brawl (1995)
Halloween Havoc (1995)
World War 3 (1995)
Starrcade (1995)
SuperBrawl VI
Uncensored (1996)
Slamboree (1996)
The Great American Bash (1996)
Bash at the Beach (1996)
Hog Wild (1996)
Fall Brawl (1996)
Halloween Havoc (1996)
World War 3 (1996)
Starrcade (1996)
Souled Out (1997)
SuperBrawl VII
Uncensored (1997)
Spring Stampede (1997)
Slamboree (1997)
The Great American Bash (1997)
Bash at the Beach (1997)
Road Wild (1997)
Fall Brawl (1997)
Halloween Havoc (1997)
World War 3 (1997)
Starrcade (1997)
Souled Out (1998)
SuperBrawl VIII
Uncensored (1998)
Spring Stampede (1998)
Slamboree (1998)
The Great American Bash (1998)
Bash at the Beach (1998)
Road Wild (1998)
Fall Brawl (1998)
Halloween Havoc (1998)
World War 3 (1998)
Starrcade (1998)
Souled Out (1999)
SuperBrawl IX
Uncensored (1999)
Spring Stampede (1999)
Slamboree (1999)
The Great American Bash (1999)
Bash at the Beach (1999)
Road Wild (1999)
Fall Brawl (1999)
Halloween Havoc (1999)
Mayhem (1999)
Starrcade (1999)
Souled Out (2000)
SuperBrawl 2000
Uncensored (2000)
Spring Stampede (2000)
Slamboree (2000)
The Great American Bash (2000)
Bash at the Beach (2000)
New Blood Rising (2000)
Fall Brawl (2000)
Halloween Havoc (2000)
Mayhem (2000)
Starrcade (2000)
Sin (2001)
SuperBrawl Revenge (2001)
Greed (2001)
ECW
Barely Legal
Hardcore Heaven ’97
November to Remember ’97
Living Dangerously ’98
Wrestlepalooza ’98
Heatwave ’98
November to Remember ’98
Guilty as Charged ’99
Living Dangerously ’99
Hardcore Heaven ’99
Heatwave ’99
Anarchy Rulz ’99
November to Remember ’99
Guilty as Charged 2000
Living Dangerously 2000
Hardcore Heaven 2000
Heatwave 2000
Anarchy Rulz 2000
November to Remember 2000
Massacre on 34th St. 2000
Guilty as Charged 2001
ECW One Night Stand (2005)
ECW One Night Stand (2006)
December to Dismember (2006)
– A lot of people in WWE are concerned about how the upcoming WWE Network will be affecting them. WWE was supposed to hold a meeting prior to RAW last month to address issues like PPV bonuses, but it was cancelled and has not been addressed again by management.
The production staff is also in the dark about how much additional work they will be undertaking once the Network launches, especially if Smackdown is moved to a live broadcast on Tuesdays.
– Following their dance off last night WWE RAW, Summer Rae and Emma tweeted:
– WWE.com is polling fans about what team should get a shot at the New Age Outlaws’ tag team championships. With around 13,000 votes cast, The Usos have 56%, followed by Cody Rhodes and Goldust at 16%. Other choices include Los Matadores, The Real Americans and Rybaxel.
– Prior to last night’s RAW, WWE held a ‘test run’ of the 30-minute pre-show that will air on the WWE Network once it launches.
Booker T, Tensai and Alex Riley were seen walking through the crowd before RAW went on the air, a sign that the pre-show will be more than the “panel” that currently takes place on WWE’s PPV kickoff shows.
– The Ultimate Warrior tweeted the following photo last night during RAW. This could be for his new WWE DVD that will be released the week of WrestleMania XXX.
– As reported yesterday, Seattle’s Key Arena posted a message on Facebook denying online reports that the venue is hosting WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 4th. They have since deleted that message.
– The WWE Network Facebook page made a post yesterday detailing how the Network will be accessible on Apple TV. That post has also been deleted.
– WWE continues to scrub all traces of CM Punk from its product. As seen on last night’s RAW, CM Punk has been removed from the “Then. Now. Forever” montage that airs at the start of WWE shows. He has been replaced by Kane.
Footage of CM Punk talking about Paul Heyman was also removed from WWE’s video package hyping the “Countdown” series that will air on the WWE Network.
As noted earlier, Punk’s image has been removed from the WWE App home screen and he’s been pulled from his WrestleMania AXXESS VIP signing (replaced by Ric Flair).
– PWInsider.com reported recently that a reader was issued the following response when asking WWE about the availability of the WWE Network on Apple TV:
“Hi Josh, thank you for reaching out to us. In order to experience WWE Network on an Apple TV, you must have a second generation or later (black) Apple TV and be a WWE Network subscriber. Once WWE Network is available, you will be able to launch the WWE Newmarket app directly from your Apple TV. Let us know if you have further questions! Thank you.”
– Former WWE Diva Jillian Hall recently posted the following tweet regarding rumors that she is making a WWE return:
– The next tryout camp in WWE is scheduled to take place at the Performance Center in Orlando in March. The company has already reportedly contacted the talent that they are interested in to come in for the tryout.
– According to one source, WWE will continue their deal with Hulu Plus that calls for the company to stream RAW, SmackDown and Main Event, even though the intention within WWE is to offer the same service with their new WWE Network.
After the resounding negative reaction that WWE received at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, there have been significant changes to WWE’s upcoming storyline plans.
As of this week, there is talk of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Bryan winning the title at Elimination Chamber would accomplish several things. First, it would likely pop a big rating the RAW rating the following night, with the WWE Network launching as soon as RAW goes off the air. WWE is already planning on bringing in several major names (including Hulk Hogan) the RAW the night after Elimination Chamber. Secondly, it would change the previously planned Batista vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania main event, which WWE now feels is at risk of getting a very negative reaction from the rowdy WrestleMania crowd.
If Daniel Bryan does win the WWE World Heavyweight title at Elimination Chamber, the scenario that’s being discussed is for Randy Orton to invoke his rematch clause at WrestleMania, making the main event a triple threat match between Bryan, Batista and Orton.
Negotiations are reportedly ongoing still between Sting and WWE. The word going around is that a decision must be made and finalized within the next two weeks if Sting is going to join the company.
Several factors are being decided at the moment, including scheduling and what Sting is and isn’t willing to do creatively. While nothing is confirmed, and Sting could end up working with TNA again, the impression has been given that if Sting were to have a run with WWE, he realizes that now is the time.
Another note going around is that if Sting were to sign with WWE, he would not be competing in a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX as has been rumored in the past. However, this does not mean that Sting won’t appear in some sort of cameo or vignette during the WrestleMania XXX broadcast.
Additionally, there’s a feeling within WWE that with the company getting ready to focus a lot of WCW-related content on the new WWE Network, that Sting could be an asset in that regard.
As of Monday, it is believed that Sting had still not signed a contract with WWE. For whatever it’s worth, however, Rob Feinstein of RF Video noted on his Facebook account that he heard Sting had in fact signed a deal with WWE at some point in the last 24 hours.
CNN.com ran a piece looking at five companies that are pushing the boundaries of television. First on their list is the upcoming WWE Network. CNN wrote:
“WWE: With its forthcoming WWE (WWE) Network, the pro wrestling monolith will be the biggest and most influential company to completely circumvent traditional television. With its $10-a-month streaming network, content from its cable offerings will also be available through the service. There will also be new original series developed exclusively for the network, and all 12 of its pay-per-view shows will be live-streamed to subscribers at no additional cost.
You can check out the complete article at Money.CNN.com.