WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with a new blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQcom. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
The Rock Helping WWE: “People who feel that Rock isn’t good for WWE are missing a helluva story unfolding as he brings amazing PR and media coverage to WWE not to mention that he sells lots of PPV’s of which everyone on the team benefits. I’ve actually had Tweets from fans that feel that Rock returning to WWE hurts the biz and other talents which I believe is completely wrong.”
Undertaker’s Retirement: “If ‘Taker was retired or planning on doing so, don’t you think that WWE would have made a HUGE deal of it? Of course they would have. A man with, arguably, the most storied, tenured career in WWE, ever, will not go quietly into the night or without fanfare. I can easily see Undertaker defending ‘TheStreak’ on April 1, 2012 at WM28. Exactly when he returns isn’ t on my radar but he will return and, just as his retirement will be some day, it will be HUGE news.”
JR’s Future On RAW: “Am I returning to Raw? There are no plans of which I am aware that has me returning to RAW on a regular basis however things change on somewhat of an on going basis. I enjoy dropping by on Raw from time to time. I had a great time in Boston recently.”
Zack Ryder’s Status In WWE: “Do I think that Zack Ryder deserves to elevate on the WWE roster? Yes..I’d suggest giving him the ball and seeing what happens. Ryder has worked diligently to brand himself via social media but will have to be taken more seriously inside the ring to get to where he wants. However, that can’t occur unless his number is called. Ryder is one of many WWE talents that seem to be “this close” to moving on up to the East side. Sometimes it’s just a right place, right time sort of deal that brings everything together. Again, all talents should maximize the minutes of TV time no matter how short or the circumstances.”
– Former WWE Diva Trish Stratus spoke to WWE.com this week to promote the new WWE ’12 video game – and talked about a dream feud with [pregnant Diva] Kharma. Trish said:
“Oh, completely. When she debuted, I think it was one of the first times since I retired where I would have dropped it all to go back and step into the ring with her. That would have been an epic rivalry. I would have loved to have wrestled her. Hopefully, she’ll come back so the WWE Universe can see more of her.”
– WWE’s push with Twitter is paying off – because WWE had almost 30 wrestling-related phrases trending worldwide during the show. WWE’s influence over Twitter is so strong that even phrases like Brodus Clay and Little Jimmy which weren’t mentioned on RAW were still trending. WWE’s trending terms included:
CM Punk, Booker T, Punk vs. Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Nash, Jack Swagger, The Great White, Sheamus, Santino Marella, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Vickie Guerrero, GTS, Alicia Fox, Masked Kane, Big Show, Wade Barrett, Randy Orton, Barrett Barrage, Kofi Kingston, Brodus Clay, Fruity Pebbles, John Cena, The Miz, Awesome Truth and Little Jimmy.
– WWE has released a new video of Zack Ryder from after RAW. Ryder says he’s bummed about his submission loss to Alberto Del Rio on RAW, but is excited that he now has more Twitter followers than Kelly Kelly. Here’s the video:
Despite Zack Ryder’s recent campaign to get a United States title shot against Dolph Ziggler, it’s John Morrison who will challenge for the title this Sunday at Survivor Series. Ryder has dubbed the snub the #ManhattanScrewjob – and got some support from John Cena on Twitter this week. Cena tweeted:
“Follow @ZackRyder No disrespect to Morrison but @ZackRyder deserves that match at MSG.”
John Morrison replied and said he agreed, proposing a Triple Threat between he, Ryder and Dolph Ziggler. Right after that, Morrison made the following comments:
“You should know better than anyone, sometimes deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”
“No disrespect Cena, but if you really think Zack deserves a match at MSG all you need to do is text your buddy @WWERAWGM and he will get one”
Chad Dukes of 106.7 The Fan DC’s Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes does a wrestling show (The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show) on Friday nights. On November 16th Chad did an interview with John Cena. Here is a link to the show’s twitter (http://twitter.com/DukesWrestling) and a blog post about the interview on the show website (http://chaddukeswrestlingshow.com/2011/11/17/john-cena-on-why-hes-part-of-the-ryder-revolution/). The interview is included in the post. Below is a quick transcription of the highlights of the interview, where Cena covers his view of the feud with The Rock brewing before Wrestlemania and putting over Zack Ryder.
On Zach Ryder’s career path and his support for him:
Chad Dukes: You were putting over Zach Ryder before Zach Ryder was cool…Just curious why that is; what did you see in Zach Ryder to say this is a guy I want ot make sure gets his spotlight on Raw?
John Cena: You’re probably going to censor me out but I saw a set of balls. I saw a kid in an era in which everyone is afraid to show their talents. This kid was like ‘You know what; I’m going down anyway so I’m going down swinging.’ And I’ve been in that spot before. I’ve been told by everyone ‘You’re nothing; You’re not going to be anything; Hey how you feel about doing this rap thing?’ If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging. So I really, I saw a lot of that in him. I honestly, whether he’s battle tested and ready for the next level, I’m not into that sort of speculation. I just like seeing a kid with a set of nuts who is just ready to throw it out on the line and risk it all, rather than ‘Hey man I just don’t want to rock the boat and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to draw attention to myself.’ We’re in the business of drawing attention to yourself. So when I see a kid like Zach Ryder- by the way you have to follow him on twitter @ZachRyder…- the kid is, he’s just one of those guys that was willing to take a chance. And I admire that quality out of people. Its something that’s not found enough in the WWE locker room.
Chad Dukes: Do you see [Zach Ryder]…being a figure that’s out there and ‘you’re the main event’ on a Monday Night RAW or Friday Night Smackdown?
John Cena: Well, honestly, that’s up to Zach Ryder. And I really like the fact that he was like ‘I really don’t care about the next step, I care about the first step.’ The cool thing about Zach is he has made that first step. And so many guys speculate on “What if I do this, then this is going to happen.” F it, like just make the first step. So now, Zach has to realize that he’s got some steam going and realize how he got the steam going in the first place, and then take it to the next step. Bu the fact that he threw speculation out the window and took a dive into the deep end and really did something that wasn’t being done and made an impression, that’s great. I think the biggest thing for him is maybe these upcoming weeks or months leading up towards Wrestlemania I think it would be a huge victory if you would see Zach Ryder on the Wrestlemania card.
On his feud with The Rock and they’re upcoming match at Survivor Series:
Chad Dukes: I got to ask one last thing about your feud with The Rock. Are there any parameters set up? Have you guys had a conversation? Because this is not just ‘Hey brother I’m going to kick your ass’ type f stuff going on, it gets personal. And you call him out for not being there and he calls you out for things, and it looks like you guys are really willing to say whatever you need to get this feud over with the fans. Which you don’t need to do anyway, who doesn’t want to see John Cena and The Rock at Wrestlemania. But were there any parameters going into this thing saying ‘this is out of bounds, this is off limits?’ Because it doesn’t look like it…
John Cena: Well I think if we’re both professionals and Ill say this with the utmost of integrity, Rock is a future Hall of Famer. He’s had an illustrious career in the WWE. He’s now a bona-fide box office superstar. If anybody is at fault for waving the personal trigger its me, just because I get a little testy about some of the stuff that he’s been quoted as saying in the past, some of the stuff he’s quoted as saying on our broadcast. I get testy about that, because I work for the WWE full time. I work for the WWE all the time. I will work for the WWE when I cant physically perform for the WWE. As long as there is a brand to work for, I want to be involved in it. I love the company, I love the people who run it, I love its administration, I love success stories like Zach Ryder. I love being there to see that and develop before my eyes. Whether I’m a part of it, whether I’m helping it or whether I’m just a third wheel watching someone succeed. And everybody knows that I have a little bit of a discrepancy with the way Dwayne handles himself. And every once and a while when things get too tense I bring something up that I probably shouldn’t. But, you know, sometimes your personality gets the best of you and if they’re going to remember this feud for eternity- which I really think they are, like you said it’s the match that everyone has to see- at least at the end of the day I’ll have got my point across. Yea, so I’ve already apologized to Dwayne, not only on twitter but in person about some of the stuff I said. It was unprofessional but in the heat of the moment sometimes you let your heart pour out rather than thinking with your head. And I have a feeling it’s probably not the last you’ve heard of me saying all that stuff.
WWE has also applied to trademark WWE Countdown and WWE Action Center, which will be show titles on the Network.
– WWE’s website features a new video interview with The Miz and R-Truth, who sound ready for Sunday’s Survivor Series match against John Cena and The Rock. Rock wrote the following on Twitter today:
“1977 Madison Square Garden. My grandfather wrestles for the WWE World Championship. This Sunday – I come home. #TheGarden”
– WWE’s Facebook page currently has a survey up asking fans to vote on a new t-shirt for WrestleMania 28.
– Zack Ryder tweeted on Thursday that he was headed to WWE Headquarters to film some segments for WWE Classics On Demand. He wrote:
“Headed to Stamford, CT to get some answers about this #manhattanscrewjob…just kidding…filming for WWE Classics on Demand.”
The WWE website has a storyline-driven article up looking at Zack Ryder’s failed petition to get a United States title shot at Survivor Series.
John “Funkhouser” Laurinaitis explains why John Morrison was awarded the title shot instead of Zack Ryder, which Ryder has dubbed, the #NewYorkScrewjob:
“I think I’m being very generous because John Morrison was on a losing streak which he seemed to have broken with a victory over Dolph Ziggler in a match last week. I’m all about giving talent opportunities and I feel that John Morrison has earned an opportunity to compete for the United States Championship.”
“As far as Zack Ryder’s twitter petition goes, no General Manager in WWE history is more about social media than I am. However, I feel he is going to have to gain many more than 15,000 signatures before I consider giving him an opportunity to compete for the United States Championship. Again, I’m all about giving talent opportunities … when I feel they have earned them.”
It was announced at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Bridgeport, Connecticut that Dolph Ziggler would be defending the United States Championship this Sunday at the Survivor Series. It was originally reported that John Morrison would challenge Ziggler for the strap on Sunday. However, other reports stated Ryder would be the challenger.
WWE.com announced Wednesday that Ziggler will defend the United States Championship against Morrison at the pay-per-view event.
Upon the news breaking, a distraught Ryder tweeted, “This Sunday Night…NEW YORK CITY…MSG…SURVIVOR SERIES…@HEELZiggler defends the US title against……..@TheRealMorrison? #makesnosense.”
BE HERE TONIGHT For LIVE COVERAGE of WWE SURVIVOR SERIES!
ThNEVER BEFORE - NEVER AGAIN!
The staff of SESCOOPS – Mike, Noah Mark & The Solomonster – will be at SURVIVOR SERIES tonight! Keep it locked to the SEScoops & the SEScoops Facebook Page for our first-hand LIVE coverage!
Here’s the final card for Sunday’s pay-per-view:
The Rock’s First Match In 7 1/2 Years
John Cena and The Rock vs. The Miz and R-Truth
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Mark Henry (c) vs. Big Show
WWE Championship Match
Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk
5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Match
Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara) vs. Team Barrett (Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico and Dolph Ziggler)
Divas Championship Lumberjill Match
Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Eve
United States Championship Match
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. John Morrison
— WWE developmental wrestler Naomi is pictured in the official WWE souvenir program exclusive sold at the ongoing European live event tour.
Zack Ryder tweeted a cell phone shot of the page featuring Curt Hawkins and Trent Barreta, which includes Naomi.
Though Naomi placed in second in last year’s all-female season of NXT, she is the last remaining contracted contestant to be situated in developmental. A.J., Aksana and Kaitlyn are all members of the SmackDown roster, while Maxine appears on NXT. She has, however, appeared at several non-televised events since the season’s conclusion.
— Inspired by the recent surge of news surrounding former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, Brooke Anderson will join Eve, Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox in a WWE ring to interview them for a special segment on the syndicated tabloid television news program The Insider. The segment was scheduled to air on Wednesday’s show, but was postponed.
Eve tweeted, “Our @TheInsider segment should be airing later this week :-) We’ll keep you posted!”
— WWE developmental wrestler Tito Colon was brought on the road this weekend for an evaluation. At last night’s WWE Supershow in Corpus Christi, Texas, he partnered with Primo, his real-life cousin, and lost to Jey and Jimmy Uso.
Prior to Carlito’s dismissal from WWE, creative plans were in place for Tito to be promoted to the main roster and form a three-man stable.
— Zack Ryder announced on Twitter that he is holding a Broski Halloween Costume Contest. He wrote, “Tweet me a pic of your Zack Ryder costume by 11/1. Winner will received package of signed ZR merchandise! 4 Runner ups will receive signed Zack Ryder 8×10. Happy HalloWOOWOOWOOeen!”
— Bill DeMott and Alicia Fox were at Florida Championship Wrestling’s headquarters in Tampa last week mentoring WWE’s female developmental talent.
— John Cena stated on Twitter that he will be on hand for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Houston, Texas.
— WWE Network’s planned reality series that will follow the Divas on a private tour bus will be titled WWE Divas Heels on Wheels. The program is described as “a reality show that welcomes you aboard the private Divas tour bus as it travels from venue to venue. Cameras will roll 24/7, capturing the unscripted bonds, battles, and behind-the-scenes drama that only our WWE Divas can deliver when their public and private lives merge on the open road.”
— Zack Ryder stated on Twitter that WWEShop.com will no longer sell the “Take Care, Spike Your Hair” T-Shirt.
— WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales turned 69 years old on Saturday.
— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has added Jake Carter to their roster page. He is Jesse White, son of former WWE star Vader. He signed a developmental contract with WWE in April following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.
White, 25, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma and was touted for the National Football League, but retired following a hip injury. He then followed his dad’s footsteps to the world of professional wrestling.
— Theodore Long kicked off Friday’s SmackDown by announcing that the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.
Randy Orton won the 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating The Miz. Battle Royal elimination order is as follows: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Barreta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz.
– You’ve probably noticed in recent weeks that RAW superstar John Morrison has been losing more matches than usual. There is strong talk going around WWE that John Morrison won’t be re-signed when his contract expires in the coming weeks.
We want to know – would WWE be making a big mistake by letting Morrison go? Has WWE gotten everything they can out of Morrison – or does he have the potential to be one of the companies top stars with the right push? Hit up the COMMENTS below and tell us what you think.
– Zack Ryder was not booked on RAW for the second week in a row now and wrote the following on Twitter regarding the situation:
“Pinned the US Champ @HEELZiggler 2 weeks in a row…& now I’ve been off Raw for 2 weeks in a row. #doesntmakesense”
“At least @LaRosaMendes was booked tonight… #RyderOrRiot”
– Several fans sent in word that Triple H’s line to John Laurinaitis on RAW where he asked, “Have you ever tried to pick up your teeth with broken fingers” came from the 1992 movie The Crying Game.
Mr. Long Island Iced Z, Zack Ryder is back with another installment of his Z! True Long Island Story video series. This week’s show includes footage of what happened after Monday’s RAW went off the air – and it doesn’t end well for our favorite broski.
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Zack Ryder have been going back and forth on Twitter over the past few weeks, with Ryder recently promising to send Austin a special package. Austin received the package on Wednesday and wrote the following on Twitter:
“Was starting my workout but realized I forgot to put on my legwarmers and headband…”
“Got my legwarmers and headband on…hang on Earth…gonna try a personal best of 1700lbs on the bench press…not a workout for the weak…”
“If I’m not mistaken, I think I have some mail from @ZackRyder…will find out after the workout….a broski shirt perhaps??”
“Wow what a day….a tshirt and a BLL coaster from @ZackRyder”
“But wait! There’s more! Takin care and spikin my lack of hair…am I serious, bro?”
Check out these pictures of the headband, t-shirt and Bud Light Lime coaster that Zack Ryder sent “Stone Cold” Steve Austin this week:
– Many fans probably realized during the closing segment on RAW that many top babyface stars (John Cena, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly) were not at ringside for the walkout.
According to a WWE source, writers knew that fans would boo the Superstars who walked out on Triple H and did not want to put that negative heat on their top babyfaces.
– Rey Mysterio, who recently underwent another surgery on his PCL, tweeted on Monday that he had his first therapy session yesterday. Mysterio is expected to miss the rest of the year.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler announced on Monday afternoon that he’s en route to Cajundome and will be back on RAW tonight:
“Just landed in Lafayette, LA… driving now to the Cajundome! I’m ready & excited to be back on #Raw tonight!!”
“Re: Cole’s wise-ass (no pun intended) remark about anal bleeding… no one would know more about anal conditions than @MichaelCole! #Raw”
“Cole’s proctologist called…they found his head! Maybe tonight, Cole will suffer some ORAL bleeding when I punch him in the mouth! #Raw”
– There was no dark match after last night’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. CM Punk shook hands with John Cena and that was it.
– Evan Bourne, David Otunga, Cody Rhodes and Intercontinental Title were some of the terms trending worldwide on Twitter last night during WWE Hell in a Cell.
– Zack Ryder has joined the list of top 10 WWE merchandise movers with names like CM Punk, Sin Cara, John Cena and Rey Mysterio, based on recent numbers from their shop website.
– The WWE’s @WWEInsider Twitter account posted the following after Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view:
“Cops are now talking with John Laurinaitis. Triple H has left the building. Many Superstars are saying they’re very concerned.”
– Chris Jericho had the following to say about the Hell in a Cell PPV on Twitter:
“Tremendous ending of the HIAC ppv last night! Reminded me of an old Bill Watts UWF tv taping… @JRsBBQ”
Zack Ryder was recently interviewed by Sam Roberts of NotSam.com and spoke about the popularity of his Z! True Long Island Story video series.
After his former ‘Edgehead’ gimmick ran its course on SmackDown a few years ago, Ryder said he was getting “zero” television time and had to take matters into his own hands to get exposure. Ryder says he hated having long hair back when he was an Edgehead – and his current “Broski” character is “100% him.” Ryder says whatever he’s doing is working, because he’s been featured on RAW in recent weeks and is getting the biggest push of his career.
When asked about whether he’s gotten heat from WWE management over his YouTube videos, Ryder said, “There wasn’t any trouble, but I was definitely kind of hesitant and kind of scared. But at the same time I was like, listen, they’re not doing anything with me, so if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out swinging. All or nothing, this is my last shot. I wouldn’t say it paid off, but it’s finally been recognized.”
You can listen to Zack Ryder’s appearance on Sam Roberts’ show here:
— Zack Ryder states during an interview published in the November 2011 issue of WWE Magazine that he would prefer to end his YouTube show, Z! True Long Island Story, once he secures a comfortable position on WWE programming.
When asked if he’s concerned with viewers getting tired of the show, Ryder replied, “Well, I’m tired of it already, so it wouldn’t surprise me if some viewers get tired of it soon. Honestly, I can only do this show for so long before the charm kinda wears off. Once I get to where I want to be on TV, then there will be no need for the show, and that’s a good thing.” Also in the WWE Magazine interview, Ryder said he decided to start the show to get himself noticed, which he knew would “either work or get me fired.”
— WWE.com has posted a photo gallery recapturing The Undertaker’s most brutal Hell in a Cell encounters.
The October 2011 issue of WWE Magazine teased a possible appearance by The Phenom at the subsequent pay-per-view, Vengeance on October 23.
