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Chris Jericho Announces He’s Signed A New Deal With WWE

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After making a surprise appearance at Saturday night’s WWE live event in Montgomery, Alabama, Chris Jericho revealed on Twitter that he’s signed a new deal with WWE that will have him working 16 shows for the company through March.

Jericho tweeted on Sunday afternoon:

It’s worth noting that all of the dates are weekend shows and none of the dates are Monday or Tuesday TV tapings.

During a recent interview with Slam.Canoe.Ca, Jericho talked about his decision to only work non-televised shows:

“[To do only live events] was my choice. I had some time off [between Fozzy tours], and I thought it would be fun to go back [on that schedule]. It’s like I’m the anti-Brock Lesnar.”

In his return to the ring last night, Jericho defeated Luke Harper in a singles match via pinfall after hitting the Codebreaker.

Backstage news on JBL burying The Ascension on Raw

Latest On Undertaker’s Status For WrestleMania, Wyatt-Ambrose News

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There were people who were said to be pretty shocked when Bray Wyatt picked up a clean victory over Dean Ambrose in their “Ambulance Match” on this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW.

While some feel it’s possible that Ambrose is turning heel in the near future, others feel that WWE simply isn’t focused on protecting him in the booking right now, as their attention is in protecting other WWE Superstars. One of those Superstars, as we have noted in the past, is Wyatt.

WWE wants to keep Wyatt strong in the booking in case The Undertaker decides to work a match at WrestleMania 31. When Wyatt defeated Ambrose in clean fashion this past Monday on RAW, some took it as a sign that certain top-level WWE executives are under the belief that Undertaker is in fact coming back for a match at WrestleMania 31 later this year, and if so, likely in a match against Wyatt.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Backstage Video Of Jeremy Borash Getting His Head Shaved, Matt Hardy/TNA U.K. Tour

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– Jeff Hardy’s brother, Matt Hardy, posted the following update on Jeff Hardy following his fall off of the top of the steel cage at the TNA Lockdown taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City earlier this weekend. He also noted in a separate tweet that he is scheduled to work TNA’s upcoming U.K. tour.

– Below is a TNA web-exclusive video of Jeremy Borash getting his head shaved after Ethan Carter III shaved part of it during this past Wednesday’s live premiere edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America.

http://youtu.be/1GxfxIUt9OE

Sin Cara Has Big Plans For 2015?, Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments Video

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– In this week’s edition of SmackDown Fallout, which you can watch below, Sin Cara, who picked up a non-title win over WWE Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett on this week’s show, talks about the match and why he feels 2015 is going to be his year.

– Speaking of this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, below is the new “Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments” for the January 9th episode.

Spoiler Update On Jeff Hardy’s Scary Fall From The Cage At TNA Lockdown Taping

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As noted earlier this weekend, TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy took what appeared to be a very scary fall off the top of a steel cage, where he crashed and burned, allegedly smashing his head on the ring steps below. As the story goes, Hardy was knocked out as a result of the fall, and remained unconscious backstage after the match.

According to a report by PWInsider.com, Hardy’s fall was not an accident and was actually planned out in advance as part of a storyline.

TNA is going to use the Hardy injury angle based off of that spot as a way of explaining why he will not be traveling to the upcoming TNA U.K. tour, as he is legally not allowed to travel to the country due to a 2009 drug conviction.

TNA is planning on making the announcement after the Lockdown show airs that Hardy is injured as a way to explain why he missed several weeks of Impact Wrestling, as those shows will be taped in the United Kingdom, where Hardy is not allowed.

For those who missed the scary fall Hardy took from the cage at the TNA Lockdown taping, you can watch multiple video angles of the incident here and here.

Chris Jericho Makes Surprise Appearance At WWE Live Event On Saturday

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Part-time WWE Superstar Chris Jericho made an unannounced surprise appearance at the WWE non-televised live event on Saturday night in Montgomery, Alabama. This came off as pretty unexpected and interesting, considering the fact that Jericho was not scheduled to begin working WWE live events until next weekend in St. Louis, Missouri.

According to a fan in attendance at the Montgomery show on Saturday night, Jericho received an enormous pop when he came out.

Jericho would go on to face Luke Harper in a singles match, one that Jericho ended up winning in a match that was described by our correspondent as “excellent and refreshing,” considering the way the rest of the card came off that evening.

Booker T To Reform Popular “Harlem Heat” Tag-Team For One Night Only

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WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T announced that he and his former WCW tag-team partner Stevie Ray, who together were known as “Harlem Heat” during their time in the now defunct WCW promotion, will be reuniting for one night only.

The Harlem Heat tag-team will be working a match together for Booker’s “Reality of Wrestling” promotion, as the duo will challenge the new version of another popular tag-team from the past, “The Heavenly Bodies.”

The show that this match will take place will be on Saturday, February 21st at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.

Tickets for the event officially go on sale to the general public on Sunday (January 11th) at noon.

You can check out a video promo for the Harlem Heat reunion at the Reality of Wrestling promotion above.

VIDEO: Additional Footage Of Jeff Hardy’s Scary Fall From TNA Lockdown Taping

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As noted earlier today, TNA performer Jeff Hardy took a bad fall off the top of a steel cage at the TNA Lockdown taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City on Friday night that resulted in him being legitimately knocked out cold.

The fall occurred during a match that featured The Hardy Boyz vs. Abyss and James Storm, as towards the end of the match when Hardy was attempting to escape the steel cage, he got “crotched” on the top of the structure, which led to him falling all the way to the floor, where he smashed his head onto the ring steps.

According to multiple sources, it’s being said that Hardy remained unconscious backstage after the conclusion of the match.

Celebrity-gossip website TMZ has a fan-shot video of the incident, which goes along with a previous clip posted on the internet, which you can view by clicking here.

For the new clip from TMZ, check out the video above.

Update: Former WWE Writer Says Daniel Bryan “Coming Out” Angle Was A Joke

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Update: Former WWE writer Brian Maxwell Mann has revealed that his tweet about a storyline involving Daniel Bryan “coming out” as gay was a joke.

https://twitter.com/BrianMaxMann/status/554099388113764352


Original Story: Former WWE creative team member Brian Maxwell Mann revealed on Twitter that earlier today that Daniel Bryan’s character was going to come out as gay during his 2010 storyline with the Bella Twins.

According to Mann, WWE and the USA Network wanted to portray a positive gay character and the whole Bella Twins “love triangle” angle was going to culminate with Bryan telling them he was gay. No word on why the angle was scrapped, but after Bryan turned down their advances for months, WWE eventually settled on Bryan dating Gail Kim instead.

https://twitter.com/BrianMaxMann/status/553992547253903360

https://twitter.com/BrianMaxMann/status/553996392709246977

Hit up Page 2 below for videos from the Daniel Bryan – Bella Twins love triangle angle:

WWE Close To Reaching Deal With Leading MMA Apparel Company TapouT

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According to various sources, WWE is currently working on securing a licensing deal with one of the leading mixed-martial-arts apparel companies — TapouT.

TapouT co-founder Skrape has since acknowledged the rumors, as he recently tweeted out the following message on his official Twitter page:

Since then, representatives of WWE have addressed the story as well, as they released the following official statement:

“WWE is exploring several partnership opportunities, however we have nothing official to announce at this time.”

Two New Entrants Officially Added To This Year’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

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Two new entrants have been officially added to the 30-man over-the-top battle royal match at the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Current Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett, as well as Bray Wyatt, join the three previously announced Royal Rumble match entrants, which includes Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Rusev.

The 2015 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 25th.

Alicia Fox On Joining Total Divas, Who Else Should Join The Show, Her Favorite SD! Moment

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The following are highlights of a new The Rack Radio Show interview with WWE Diva and Total Divas star Alicia Fox:

What was her reaction in finding out she was going to become part of the cast of ‘Total Divas’ “I was quite surprised; I was actually really surprised. Very excited but more surprised and definitely honored; it’s definitely an honor to be part of the cast and there’s a lot of great girls on the show. I definitely miss doing the Total Divas after show with Renee (Young), she’s an amazing host and friend, but now it’s good that Summer (Rae) on there with her. It’s been a really nice breath of fresh air to kind of mix everything up for the division and 2015 has been quite cool (so far).”

If she has gotten used to having the camera always around as part of the show: “Being that this is my first season, it definitely took me a little bit to get used to it. The camera crew and everyone on that show is amazing so I never felt awkward or too weird; but it was definitely strange growing in front of an audience; there really is nowhere to hide. You are mic’ed and being seen everywhere, like you’re getting good news, getting bad news, getting ok news having to give good news or bad news; that took some adjusting because naturally I like being a private person so it was definitely different. But, being able to have a good time with my two girl friends on the show, Rosa and Paige, was definitely nice and we got to experience that together so it was a good transitioning period, you know?

What can we expect from her on ‘Total Divas’ and if she has any tidbits to share about upcoming events: “I think you should definitely keep your eyes peeled starting this Sunday; it’s definitely going to start giving it momentum and some added edge I think the (WWE) Universe and the fans didn’t really see coming. So just stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled. It’s definitely going to be a very exciting season; it’s really a great time. With Paige and I being the new additions, it’s incorporating a breath of fresh air; stay tuned!”

Is there anyone she’d like to see join the show: “Yeah, I’d be nice to see Renee (Young); it’d be nice to see Emma, even some of the new NXT talent to come into the mix eventually. That would be really cool because it just gives you another dimension to the WWE Superstars; sometimes with Divas matches, there’s not really time to talk and I think getting the opportunity to be on ‘Total Divas’ gives the audience a different view of our personalities and another level to relate to all of us on.”

With Smackdown moving to Thursdays, what has been her favorite Smackdown moment: “My favorite Smackdown moment was one of my first actually; it was during my time with Edge and Vickie (Guerrero) in their wedding planning days and getting to be the homewrecker in that situation; that was one of my favorites. However, I’m super pumped about Smackdown moving to Thursdays; I think 2015 is bringing about a whole lot of new, surprising, interesting things and it’s a great way to start the new year.”

What does she like to do on her days off Divas’: “I love training; I love going to the gym. If I have time, I love to go to a local bookstore here in Tampa called Oxford Exchange; it’s really cool and they have very unique books that I like to collect. I love doing the girly, girly things like getting my nails done and making sure your hair is on point; .jumping on my trampoline, being outside, just everything girly girls like to do.”

Check out the complete interview at WildTalkRadio.com.

Backstage News On Who Is Scripting Roman Reigns’ Promos, Adam Rose Speaks, WWE Network Updates

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– Within WWE, there has been a lot of talk in regards to the manner in which Roman Reigns’ promos have been scripted as of late. Dave Meltzer reported Wednesday in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that many people in the company are under the impression that Reigns’ promos have put him in ‘quicksand’ and aren’t helping him reach the next level at all.

After comparing himself to Superman on Raw, Reigns delivered another cartoon-inspired promo on SmackDown while speaking face-to-face with Seth Rollins. Take a line from Looney Tunes character Sylvester, Reigns said “Sufferin’ succotash.” Regarding this, Meltzer mentioned on Twitter that Reigns’ promos are being scripted by Vince McMahon.

– In the latest edition of “The Rose Garden,” Adam Rose addresses the actions of Cesaro and Tyson Kidd on Raw. To watch the segment, click here.

– New additions to the WWE Network include four episodes of Raw from 1996 (April 15, April 22, April 29 and May 6), the documentary portion of the The History of the World Heavyweight Championship DVD from 2009, Tuesday Night Titans (October 1, 1984) and Prime Time Wrestling (May 26, 1986).

WWE considering another major change for Raw and SmackDown – details ->

AJ Lee Updates Fans On Where She’s Been, Barrett Has Good News & More

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– AJ Lee tweeted the following on Saturday updating fans on why she’s been off WWE television since dropping the Divas Championship Nikki Bella at TLC last month:

– Bad News Barrett noted that he’s reached 1 million Twitter followers:

– The latest WWE Top 10 video looks at Brock Lesnar’s “most jaw-dropping displays of his scary strength.”

Video: First Gameplay Footage Of The WWE Immortals Mobile Game

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WWE has released the first gameplay footage for the WWE Immortals mobile game, which is scheduled to be released next week, January 15th.

The game is being developed by NetherRealm Studios in conjunction with Phosphor Game Studios and will be free in the Apple and Android app stores.

As you can see above, the game will feature WWE Superstars and Divas in “a fantastically re-imagined WWE world.”

Confirmed players for the game include:

  • John Cena
  • Brock Lesnar
  • The Rock
  • The Bella Twins
  • Sheamus
  • Big Show
  • Triple H
  • Roman Reigns

John Cena Reacts To Backlash For Congratulating Triple H

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On Friday, John Cena got some heat on Twitter from fans after congratulating Triple H for his upcoming induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Cena tweeted:

The 15-time world champion has since responded to the backlash, clarifying that he’s not out of line for congratulating his rival on social media.

Legitimate Contenders In This Year’s Royal Rumble

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The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.

However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.

Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns

roman-reigns-vs-brock-lesnar-ses-1

After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.

Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.

*Spoilers* TNA Impact Lockdown Results (Airing 2/6)

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The following are spoiler results for the special “Lockdown” edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Destination America, airing February 6th. Results are courtesy of Lordsofpain.net:

– JB announces Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode for tonight. Awesome Kong will also be in action.

– Rockstar Spud and Mark Andrews vs. Tyrus is up first. Ethan Carter III is at ringside. EC3 suckers Andrews out of the cage at one point and Andrews actually slipped getting out. It looked painful. EC3 hits Spud with the cage door, allowing Tyrus to hit his finisher for the win. EC3 goes to shave Spud’s head but Jeremy Borash makes the save by cutting the cord. EC3 charges JB but JB runs away.

– Havok vs. Awesome Kong is next. They tart brawling on the ramp and around the ring. They go back in the cage and Earl Hebner accidentally gets knocked down by the door as Kong closes it. Kong no sells a chokeslam and hits Havok with one of her own. Kong wins after a splash from the top.

– The Hardys vs. James Storm and Abyss for the Tag Team Titles is next. The only way to win is pinfall or submission. Manik comes down and climbs over the cage. Matt Hardy pulls him over and Manik gets handcuffed to the cage. Storm climbed on top of Abyss at one point and jumped down with an elbow drop on Matt. Hardy got out of the cage somehow later on and was attacked by The Revolution. Jeff Hardy went for a splash off the top but got hit by mist from Sanada. Storm hit his finisher to retain. Koya slams Matt through a table. They put Jeff on a table in the ring for Manik to put him through but Manik misses. Jeff tries to escape the cage but ends up taking a nasty bump off the door onto the steel stairs. Storm assaults Jeff some more before they leave. Storm runs back out and hits Jeff on the ramp as referees are helping him to the back.

– MVP, Kenny King and Eric Young are out next. MVP says it’s going to be a bad time for anyone getting in the way of The BDC. MVP calls Kurt Angle out and he brings Austin Aries and Gunner with him. MVP rips their team and say they don’t want the match. MVP tells Angle to walk away or never wrestle again. Angle says they came to NYC to kick ass and they rush the ring. There is no match as Gunner gets trapped outside of the cage and attacked by Samoa Joe and Low Ki. They put his arm in the cage door and slam it with a chair. Security comes out as The BDC retreats.

– Robbie E calls Brooke Tessmacher to the ring and blames her for losing The Amazing Race. He challenges her to a race and he accepts. The race involves them spinning around with a baseball bat, running to the cage, climbing into it, back over it and back up the ramp. The judges are Jessie Godderz and DJ Zema Ion, who get involved and try to stop Brooke from leaving the cage. Robbie ends up pushing Brooke off the ramp. He poses before crossing the finish line. Brooke comes back and hits him with a low blow. She then crotches him with the bat. Brooke crosses over the line and wins. She goes back and takes a selfie with Robbie. This was described as pure stupidity.

– Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode is next. EY ended up calling MVP to the cage, he slid a steel chair in. EY missed the chair shot and Roode sends him into the cage, causing EY to bleed. Roode unloads on EY and then hits him with chair shots. Roode wins clean with his finisher.

– Team Angle vs. The BDC in Lethal Lockdown is next. Team Angle is short a man as Lashley didn’t want to team. The match starts with Gunner vs. Kenny King. Low Ki comes in next and they double team Gunner with weapons. Austin Aries comes in next and unloads on the heels. Samoa Joe is next in. He takes out Aries and Gunner with trash can lids. Joe grabs a hockey stick and uses it on Aries. Kurt Angle is out next. Joe meets him with a hockey stick but Angle gets the upperhand. Low Ki hits a double stomp on Aries. MVP is out next. He beats on Aries and Gunner with a kendo stick. Angle hits a German on MVP. Joe hits Angle with a trash can lid. Lashley ends up coming out any way to make things even. MVP tries to attack him but Lashley wants to shake hands. MVP falls for it and Lashley cleans house. Angle had Joe in the Angle lock while Gunner had King in the rack but Aries won with a pin. Lashley unloads again and sends The BDC retreating. Aries grabs his briefcase and heads back in the ring to face off with Lashley. Angle gets in between and says not now. This ends the show.

Video: Jeff Hardy Knocked Out After Crazy Spot At Last Night’s TNA Impact Tapings

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TNA star Jeff Hardy got legitimately knocked out at Friday night’s TNA Impact “Lockdown” taping from the Manhattan Center in New York City.

The incident took place in a match that saw The Hardy Boyz vs. Abyss and James Storm. Late in the match, as Jeff was trying to escape the cage, he got “crotched” on top of the cage door, where he took a nasty bump to the outside onto the steel ring steps.

According to multiple live correspondents, fans that could overhear Jeremy Borash and crew members at ringside saying that was that Hardy was knocked out backstage after the match.

Here’s video of the fall:

Crazy bump @jeffhardybrand @matthardybrand @IMPACTWRESTLING @jaycommons @IMPACTWRESTLING

A video posted by @billcommons on

Mick Foley Talks About His Daughter Getting Into Wrestling, His Worst Injuries

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The following are highlights of a new The Monitor interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:

F: How hard is it to be an independent wrestler verses being part of an association?

MF: Well, I’ll give you an example as far as how I do my shows. If you’re an independent wrestler, your 100 percent responsible. Eh, that’s not even true because at least you have a promoter for every show. But, you have to endear yourself to a new audience every night, an audience that by and large is not familiar with you. So being an independent wrestler is a tough road to travel. In doing these shows on my own, this is a much different experience than traveling with WWE because with WWE there’d be 30 wrestlers on a card and 30 people who ultimately are partially responsible for the feeling you have at the end of the night. When I do my shows, it’s me. If you have a great time it’s probably because I did a great job. If you didn’t have a great time it’s probably because I didn’t do my job well enough. I like the pressure, I do.

F: Speaking of being beaten down, what are some of the worst injuries you’ve endured while wrestling?

MF: The loss of an ear seems dramatic, but all these years later it hasn’t really altered my life much besides not being able to wear sunglasses or put a pencil behind my ear. But knee and back injuries are what make everyday life difficult.

F: How do you feel about your daughter taking interest in pursuing a wrestling career?

MF: Well, I’m a concerned dad, you know, and I don’t want her to go through some of the things I did because it’ll mark you physically and emotionally. But I want to be supportive — I want to support anything she does and the best way to ensure having a falling out with your family is trying to force your will on other grown adults.

F: Any advice for aspiring wrestlers out there?

MF: Yeah, probably stay in school. To quote Apollo Creed, ‘Be a thinker, not a stinker.’ It’s really difficult so the chances and likelihood of actually making it are remote, so anyone really serious about training they should know the realities and be as safe as they can and try to appreciate everything they can while it’s taking place.

Check out the complete interview at TheMonitor.com.

Jim Ross Hints At Doing More Pro Wrestling Announcing, Teases More Boxing/MMA Work

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During a recent interview on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE Hall Of Fame announcer Jim Ross hinted at some projects he has on the horizon.

Ross called the New Japan Pro Wrestling and Global Force Wrestling co-promoted “Wrestling Kingdom 9” pay-per-view event this past weekend from the Tokyo Dome in Japan, and noted that similar projects could be available for him in the future.

JR spoke about how the deals he has on the table, for the most part, lean towards some potential professional boxing announcing, an endeavour he took part in during the past when working with “Golden Boy Promotions” for FOX Sports 1.

“Good Ole’ JR” teased that there could be some MMA announcing gigs coming up in the future. Ross is no stranger to the MMA announcing world, as he called the “BattleGrounds MMA” pay-per-view in Oklahoma near the end of 2014.

For more information on JR’s whereabouts, visit his official website at JRsBarBQ.com.

John Cena Congratulates Triple H, Jim Ross On Bruce Buffer’s Podcast

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– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, along with UFC Hall Of Famer Forrest Griffin are the guests on the latest edition of Bruce Buffer’s weekly podcast. Buffer is the longtime ring announcer for the UFC, and is the adopted brother of famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer, who coined the phrase, “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble,” which was later a parody used by Triple H during his “D-Generation X” days.

Below is the official description for the latest “It’s Time with Bruce Buffer” podcast, which you can listen to now at PodcastOne.com.

BB #17 WWE Legend Jim Ross UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin

“Bruce Buffer returned to PodcastOne Tuesday for another edition of “IT’S TIME!!!” Joining him on this broadcast was WWE hall of famer Jim Ross and UFC hall of famer Forrest Griffin. “JR” joined the show to talk about his upcoming New Japan Pro Wrestling gig, CM Punk’s decision to sign with the UFC, and other odds and ends from professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Griffin joined the show to go over year-end MMA awards with Bruce. Including fighter of the year, fight of the year, knockout of the year, and many others. Forrest also discusses his life as a retired mixed martial artist and fatherhood.”

As noted earlier this week, it was announced that WWE COO Triple H will be inducted into the 2015 International Sports Hall Of Fame on March 7th. On Friday, John Cena tweeted out a congratulatory message to “The Game” – which is getting a lot of backlash from fans who feel WWE should maintain some level of kayfabe even on social media.

Two Top Ring Of Honor Stars To Leave ROH To Work For TNA Or Lucha Underground?

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Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis, along with her husband, longtime Ring Of Honor star Mike Bennett, are currently working with ROH without contracts, as their previous deals with the company have expired.

Both Kanellis and Bennett have been negotiating with ROH for the past few months, however they are still committed to work with ROH and the two are scheduled to work tours of Japan later this year.

As things stand now, there’s a feeling that both Kanellis and Bennett are talking with TNA, as well as the Lucha Underground promotion. Whether or not a deal has been reached, or is in the process of being figured out, remains to be seen..

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

AJ Lee Advertised For Upcoming WWE Supershow, Otunga Wrestling Tonight & More

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– AJ Lee is being advertised for the WWE SuperShow on January 24th, which takes place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ, close to where she grew up.

– David Otunga is scheduled to appear at tonight’s WWE live event from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He’s been doing media appearances for WWE in recent months but hasn’t competed since the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30. He’s made it clear in various interviews that he plans to continue his pro wrestling career.

– The following is a preview for Sunday’s Total Divas season premiere on E!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqHQIseHQ2c

WWE Heavily Pushing Daniel Bryan’s Return At First SmackDown On Thursday Night

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WWE is heavily pushing the in-ring return of former WWE World Heavyweight Champion on next week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, the first episode of the show to air in the new Thursday time slot.

Below is a message issued on the official WWE website regarding Bryan’s in-ring return at next week’s SmackDown:

“Will Danial Bryan compete when SmackDown makes its move to THURDAYS, this week at 8/7 CT on Syfy? Yes!

WWE.com has learned that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion will make his in-ring return to action on SmackDown monumental Thursday night premiere. The news comes on the heels of Bryan’s announcement during the Dec. 29 edition of Raw that he would once again lace up his boots after a long-standing injury to battle in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match.

Who will The Beard face? Will he pick up right where he left off? And will The Authority have anything to say about it? Find out this Thursday night at 8/7 CT on SmackDown!”