– Chris Jericho noted on his latest podcast that he will be working the next WWE live event at Madison Square Garden, which is scheduled to take place on February 27, 2015.
– Below is the official promotional poster for WWE’s Fast Lane pay-per-view, which takes place on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly sit-down interview has been added to the official YouTube channel of WWE.
This week, Cole sits down with the WWE Tag-Team Champions, The Miz and Damien Mizdow.
As is the case every time these two are involved in a promo segment, The Miz does the talking, while Mizdow mimics his actions while sitting right beside him.
In the video, which you can watch in full below, Miz and Mizdow attempt to teach Cole the “finer points of their craft,” and Cole makes an “unusual revelation that sends the interview off the rails.”
– As noted, former WWE Superstar The Boogeyman was backstage at Monday’s RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Boogeyman appeared on a WWE App video with WWE announcer Tom Phillips where he sang his own version of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” You can check it out at WWE.com.
– Although it was previously confirmed that this Thursday’s NXT episode on the WWE Network will feature new matches, the official NXT Twitter account claims that the show will be a “2014 Year In Review” type of episode.
The following are highlights of a new website Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On CM Punk: “Cash and creative strikes again and Punk isn’t the first nor will he be the last to leave a wrestling promotion in less than favorable circumstances. Sounded like Punk was burn out, banged up and needing a sabbatical. I’d say his wresting days are over.”
On Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania: “LT needed the money…Bam Bam was a great booking because of his skill set and professionalism. I think that Pat Patterson and Tom Pritchard worked with both men a great deal. No backstage ‘heat’ or no controvsersey…great performance by both men considering what their role was on the biggest show of the year.”
On whether or not he’ll attend the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia: “Not sure but not at this time. I will watch it nonetheless.”
On Rusev’s future: “Some day Rusev will be WWE Champion or so I feel. Might be sooner than we think.”
Check out more Jim Ross Q&A updates on his official website, JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The following are highlights of a new VOC Nation Radio interview with Scott D’Amore:
On Wrestle Kingdom 9 at the Tokyo Dome: “It was a career goal to be involved in an event at the Tokyo Dome. They’ve been doing it for 23 years now & there have been so many amazing moments that have happened in Tokyo Dome. Over here, WWE has always had Wrestlemania & it’s bounced all over the United States & even in Canada, but when it comes to NJPW wrestling & Japanese wrestling, the biggest events always happen at the Tokyo Dome & they always happen January 4. It’s going to be great to be a part of that. Last year, I went over & I was there doing some R&R & I wanted to see some of my students, Alex Shelley & the Timesplitters so I was able to sit there in the crowd & spend time with friends. Sitting there & watching the event, I looked at it & I was like, ‘This has to has to has to… somehow we have to get this to a North American audience.'”
On what Global Force Wrestling intends to provide that “sports entertainment” is lacking: “There is so much good talent around the world that isn’t getting an opportunity to be seen & GFW is going to go out there That’s why its formed all these partnerships around the world. We’re going to know when people are making waves & when exciting things are happening & we’re going to help bring that to the wrestling audience. I think that the biggest difference is going to happen with GFW is that, for so long in wrestling, if you did something somewhere else, it didn’t exist. If you came to another promotion, it seemed that everything in the past was just swept under the rug. We’re not only going to acknowledge people’s history which is what helps get them where they are but we’re going to acknowledge things throughout wrestling. Just because something is happening in a different place doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s time to treat wrestling with a little more respect & wrestling fans with a little more respect. We’re living in a digital age. Everything is available at their fingertips. We’re going to stop trying to treat people as if they don’t know what’s going on out there in a broader sense. We’re going to be very interactive & very fan-friendly & look to deliver great wrestling action to fans through multiple platforms. There is so much good talent out there in independent wrestling around the world & it’s time to start giving a place where those people can get an opportunity to shine.
I think it’s just a matter of really being more open & honest with the fans that helps build part of the realism of the product. If Sydney Crosby goes & scores the gold medal winning goal for the Olympics, that’s going to be acknowledged on an NHL broadcast. To me, it makes great common sense but sometimes in business, we get away from things that may be what we should be doing. When you get too close to something, sometimes, you just start doing things a certain way & it just stays that way. I think this is going to be a better opportunity to be open with the fans. They’re going to be interactive & feel that they’re a big part of the GFW product. ”
Part of it is, without having a domestic weekly television in place yet, it’s getting it out there & getting people to understand this product. Getting them to know what’s going on, getting them to know the characters. This has been a monumental task of going in & promoting Wrestle Kingdom 9 without having a weekly television platform to do it off of. I think it’s the power of social media, right. No longer are you completely at the mercy of a handful of television executives on what people get to see. People can view & share & retweet the videos & the articles & the traction that we’ve been able to get is amazing. It shows what’s possible in this digital world we now live in. I think GFW is doing a great job of getting content out there. If there’s one thing that can be said, no one can say, ‘Well, man, I haven’t seen anything about this’ or ‘Man, I wish they would put out more information.’ We put out very detailed articles by very good writers, explaining the different factions & characters & some of the history. The video crew has been going around the clock putting out these videos.”
On wrestlers who aren’t involved speaking about Wrestle Kingdom 9: “The people in the industry… Scott Steiner & you mentioned Kevin Nash… these guys aren’t attached to Wrestle Kingdom. These guys aren’t going to be on Wrestle Kingdom but they were still willing to sit down & answer questions, do interviews, & talk about their experiences having been involved. That’s one of the signs that I take that it’s like, ‘Something is going on on the right path’, when people who aren’t making a dime from this deal in the wrestling business. Your & my friend, Scott Hall, likes to say, ‘This is show business, not show friends.’ Despite the fact that Kevin Nash & Scott Steiner & all of these people aren’t part of this event right now & aren’t making any money, they’re still willing to sit down & take the time to record these videos & do these interviews & help get the word out so that fans understand… the fans that haven’t had a chance to experience the New Japan product know what they’re missing & what they could expect if they tune in on January 4.”
On Jeff Jarrett: “That’s a testament to the quality of New Japan & the amount of the stars there that have had positive experiences. It can also be attributed to the respect & good will that Jeff Jarrett has built up in the wrestling industry over his career. He walked away from a company that he had built. It was his baby &, for his reasons, I know you’re going to be chatting with him, I’ll let him explain, that’s a pretty huge decision to make. He walked away from a company he formed & built from day 1 & took from the tiniest little company into a company that was on national TV on 50-something companies around the world & he chose to leave that to focus on forming GFW & forming this new company because he really seems to understand that there is an audience out there that’s not getting a product that what’s what they want & not engaging them & exciting them & he’s looking to put that together. I don’t know if people understand how much it turns over your life to walk away from something you started from scratch. Start with quitting your job & not having a check every week. That’s a pretty big life changer for a guy who has a wife & five kids. The fact is, to start it from scratch all over again… it’s amazing what he’s done. I’ve been out of the wrestling business for years with the exception of a Border City Wrestling show here or there, dipped my toe in the water. It hasn’t been a big part of my life as far as my business life. I’m a wrestling fan. Jim Ross put it best when I first started talking to him about this event, he said, ‘Scott, I’m a wrestling fan. I grew up a wrestling fan. I was lucky to make my living & be successful for many years in the wrestling business. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m a wrestling fan & I’ll die a wrestling fan.’ That’s how I feel. I didn’t see myself getting back into the wrestling industry on a major level but, when this stuff started coming together & when Jeff Jarrett was forming GFW, it was almost perfect timing. He left in late December of 2013 & I was in Tokyo in January of 2014. Being there at Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom 8 put the fire back in my belly. As Jeff started getting things rolling, we chatted a little bit here & there & Jeff is someone I have a lot of respect for & a lot of good feelings for & I have a lot of faith in, which I think may be the best way to sum it up. Me & Jeff have had a good relationship over many years. Like any relationship, it has its up & downs, but there has never been a time where I didn’t have respect for him & what he does. I didn’t not have faith that he was nose to the grindstone, plugging ahead, trying to make wrestling better. Wrestling has been his whole life, professionally, from the time he was a boy up until now. I just think that he’s got a passion & it’s really honestly the excitement of seeing what he was doing & the message he was sending, & the fact that it’s him, quite honestly, because he’s one of the people that I would run through a brick wall to help him out because he’s always been someone who’s supportive of me & supportive of the wrestling business & try to better it. If that’s going to happen, if there’s a way that I could help then, you know, hey, count me in”
On cross-overs & cross-promotions with other wrestlng companies: “I don’t understand why everything has to be adversarial. In some levels, as business grows, there may be a day where Pro Wrestling Syndicate & House of Hardcore & GFW are on the same level competing for wrestling fans & that’s healthy. But I don’t understand or have ever really understood why that has to be, say, adversarial. I grew up in the construction industry &, every time a job comes out, there could be an upwards of 12 or 15 of us bidding on the same job to get the same work so we were definitely in direct competition but that didn’t mean that we couldn’t have respect or decent relationships with other companies that were in competition with us. To me, if you get people who are focused on getting their own business better & focused on delivering the wrestling fans a quality product that they want to see, well, then there’s not reason why House of Hardcore, Pro Wrestling Syndicate, & GFW can’t be on good terms. There isn’t a reason why there can’t be a day where GFW can help out House of Hardcore & Pro Wrestling Syndicate can help out GFW & House of Hardcore can swoop in & save the day. Say something is going on in GFW & Tommy Dreamer does something or uses one of his many connections or anything to help each other out, & I think that’s one of the things that we’re going to try to do with GFW. In wrestling, we’ve always been very exclusive in the sense like, ‘this is our company… we’re going to do our own thing & that’s how it’s going to be. We don’t work with other people’. I think one of the biggest things about GFW is, it’s not going to be exclusion, it’s going to be inclusion. Why can’t we have a good relation with House of Hardcore? Why can’t there be ways that we can work together. I’m not talking in a sense of having Tommy Dreamer leading an invasion of Hardcore talent on a GFW TV show or vice versa… Jeff Jarrett leading a GFW invasion on House of Hardcore. In order to be able to productively work together, maybe House of Hardcore has a business connection that might be beneficial to GFW &, if it doesn’t harm HOH in order to share that business content, then great.’ Or if we’re in an area, running an event in a venue that HOH has dealt with or had a relationship with, they might be able to assist. Maybe they’ve been somewhere that we’re looking to go & they can say, ‘this is the good & this is the bad.’ That has to be reciprocal, right? HOH coming down to Nashville & Jeff was all like, ‘Here’s my friends. They do the top-rated morning show here on the morning drive. Here’s a TV contact that will do something…’ & that’s part of it. Part of it is talent & exchanging information. The biggest way we can help each other is exchanging information & part of that can be in relation to talent. If HOH has a junior heavyweight event going on & I can pick up the phone, ‘Hey Tommy.” Tommy pretty much knows everything in the wrestling business. He eats, sleeps, & breathes this business. Outside of his family, I don’t think there’s anything that Tommy loves more than this business. If GFW saw this unbelievable cruiser-weight in South Africa & Tommy hasn’t seen or heard of him, we can say, ‘Hey Tommy, you’re running this world junior heavyweight tournament… you have to see this guy.’ Open communication between different groups & promoters to me has to be a positive. It has to be a positive for business & there’s no way it’s not a positive thing as far as delivering a better product to wrestling fans all over the place.”
In his opinion, what will be the “match of the night” for Wrestle Kingdom 9: “There’s going to be so much stuff. You’ve got Suzuki going out there in MMA rules with Sakuraba, which is going to be awesome. You’ve got Okada & Tanahashi in the main event for the championship, which is the biggest prize in New Japan Wrestling & possibly the world right now. They’ve main event-ed shows & the Tokyo Dome & put on unbelievable performances & they have to step it up another level & I’m confident they’re going to do that. Going with the idea that the main event can’t steal the show, which it’s theirs to have, I’ll give 2. I’ll say that… because I have to cheat my way out of this. There’s the IWGP Junior Tag Championship, which has The Timesplitters who obviously, I’m biased for because they both spent considerable time training at the wrestling school here. They’re amazing. Versus the Young Bucks, representing the Bullet Club. If the Young Bucks weren’t already awesome in the last year, plus, they’ve just gone to a whole new level. The stuff that they do is amazing. They’re charismatic & entertaining as Hell. They’ve been there with the champions, The Red Dragons, who are fantastic. Fish & O’Reilly are a fantastic tag team. Then you throw in the Forever Hooligans with Romero & Koslov. Their swagger & their change of pace… I know that that match is going to put on an unbelievable display . I think it’s going to be awesome. The second match I’ll say that, this event is the first major, major, mega event since signing with NJPW for Kenny Omega, another Bullet Club member. Kenny Omega, if you haven’t seen him, this guy does things that the human body just wasn’t meant to do. You’d never imagine that a human body could do it, especially considering, & to say this respectfully & not diss anybody else, because there’s guys that do super athletic & high-flying things. They’re much smaller guys. Kenny is at the very top end of the Junior Heavyweight weight class. He’s a thick muscled, powerful individual &, the things that he can do with his body are amazing. Some of the stuff that he’s going to pull off at the Tokyo Dome in front of 50,000 people is going to be a huge rush. I just think that he’s going to use that grand stage to show why he was one of the best kept secrets in wrestling for so long now.”
On whether we will see him near the ring at Wrestle Kingdom 9: “The major events, I’ve made my way down to ringside. It’s part of the solidarity thing… showing of support with Bullet Club. As Karl Anderson was there the second that it was born, he likes to joke that me & Jeff Jarrett are the Bullet Club Office. Everybody in the Bullet Club has a lot of swagger & unique style. Me & Jeff are a little older. We still have a little business savvy to us. We have a tendency to show up for major events wearing suits. Machine Gun always says we’re the Bullet Club Office. They take care of things in the trenches & we take care of stuff in the Board Room. I like that analogy because a lot of what Jeff & I have done is behind-the-scenes stuff & organizing relationships & dealing with the business end of things. That doesn’t mean we don’t like to roll up our sleeves & get our hands dirty. That’s part of it. From a straight non-storyline sense, it’s a chance for me to walk out there in the Tokyo Dome & be part of an event that I’ve really, really legitimately dreamed about being part of so, going ringside, not going to leave Double J out there by himself, how about that? I’ll be out there, as always, me. I never get involved. I never interfere. I just sit there quietly & support our talent. I’ll just be there acting like a little angel, I’m sure.”
On Bullet Club: “In Bullet Club, there’s just such a cool factor. That’s why you’re seeing the Bullet Club transcend in NJPW. That’s why you see there shirts in crowds at Ring of Honor, TNA, WWE, independent shows, even though it’s got no domestic TV here in the US. I saw sullet Club shirtx walking through a mall in Windsor, Ontario, at Detroit Tiger games, & a Cottonmouth Kings concert. You’re starting to see Bullet Club become so popular. The thing is, ten years ago, it might not have been like this but with the explosion of social media, stuff gets out there & shared & retweeted. It’s almost like this underground swell of support for Bullet Club. It started out very simply… just a few guys who had started together in New Japan dojo, the non-Japanese guy who formed this group & it just kind of grew & took on a life of its own. It’s a huge part of the reason why New Japan’s product continues to soar.It’s got that NWO cool feel. The great thing is you got guys who aren’t trying to recreate the NWO. They’re doing their own thing. I think it’s hilarious with the fingers in the air. Too Sweets & that was done from Day 1 with the Bullet Club, as a way to pay homage to Scott & Kevin & the NWO. They grew up watching them. I saw an exchange on Twitter where somebody said something to Scott, ‘How do you feel about the Bullet Club stealing your sign’ & Scott is real cool & says, ‘I don’t look at it that way. I’m just honored that someone still remembers something we did.’ After that, I see Karl Anderson pop in & say, ‘Hey Scott, no disrespect. We do this because you’re the reason why we’re in the wrestling business. It’s completely done out of admiration.’ To me, it’s a cool faction & continuing to grow & adding Kenny Omega… The talent that’s in the Bullet Club is so unbelievable. It gets to run around & do what it wants, where it wants, when it wants. It gets to shake up NJPW & Japanese wrestling in general is kind of structured. It’s got the pageantry & everything but it doesn’t have the referees getting knocked down or all of the interference. Bullet Club doesn’t always do it but it does it when it needs to be done & that makes it different from the rest of the product & helps make it stand out.”
On Jim Ross: “I think it’s fantastic & super exciting that Jim Ross is returning to call this event. He’s the most legendary announcer in our industry’s history. I think Jim Ross can announce a chess match & draw the audience in. He’s the best storytelling announcer in the business– not just the wrestling business but in the wrestling business. The fact that he didn’t have to come back & call wrestling. I mean, he’s called MMA, boxing, & done little projects but if Jim Ross didn’t come back or call another wrestling show in his life, no one would have said a negative thing about it. The fact that he stepped out of the box & he’s coming back in… there’s going to be people who are going to be excited for this. Jim Ross had to come back & do all this prep work. He’s got to go out there & be the very best that there could be because that’s who he is & what he is. The fact that he would take time out & this event is what he chose to make that return & say, ‘Well, hell yeah, damn it, I want to call wrestling again & this is the show I want to call.’ I can tell you, from my conversations with Jim from the very beginning of this, he loved the product & he respected it. He said it reminded him of the product that he grew up watching & that he was a part of in his early years under Bill Watts. I can see the similarities between the two products but, overall, are quite different. They have the same aspects. They treat wrestling with respect, they’re hard-hitting, they’re great storytelling. They don’t get bogged down in a lot of the BS of the backstage stuff & everything else. They’re storytelling but, for the most part, it starts & ends in the ring. It’s presented in a believable way. It shows a respect for wrestling fans & I think having JR come back to call this event takes it to a whole other level. Now you have that voice that’s attached to so many memories over people’s years of the wrestling business. Everybody can go on & on with soundbytes of Jim Ross, whether it’s the boyhood dream has become a reality & any of the other hundreds of ‘Oh Wow’ moments that he’s gotten to call. He’s going to be there. It’d be easy for him to say, ‘You know what? Set up a studio here ten minutes from my house & we’ll set up a satellite link & I’ll call it here. That would’ve been cool just having him call it. But, I can tell you, from the first second that I talked to Jim Ross, there was no way he was returning to wrestling or calling this show unless he was sitting there ringside at the Tokyo Dome. For Jim Ross, on his birthday weekend, to get on a plane & travel 20 hours instead of being in Las Vega watching UFC. Instead, he’s traveling 20 hours & he’s going to Tokyo to a different culture & he’s going to deal with all the time changes & how that’s going to effect his body. He’s going to land on the ground & he’s going to start making sure everything is right & everything is set. He’s going to go out there & do what he does better than anyone else & that’s call wrestling action to tell the story going on in the ring. I think that’s super exciting.”
Check out the complete interview at VOCNation.com.
The following are highlights of a U.K. Mirror interview with TNA British Bootcamp 2 winner Mark Andrews:
On winning the second season of British Boot Camp: “To get an opportunity like that will be amazing – I’m glad they’re focusing more on homegrown talents because that’s exactly what I could be. I’d love to be a regular fixture in the X Division – there’s a gap for me to shift into leaving me more opportunities. Hopefully I can take advantage.”
“I was like, ‘Oh s***…I’m in the top three! This is going to be really great for Rampage of Kay Lee, this will be awesome for them’…and then they were like, ‘You won!’ I was like, ‘s***…that happened really fast’.
On being on a major platform like Destination America: “To get an opportunity like that will be amazing – I’m glad they’re focusing more on homegrown talents because that’s exactly what I could be.
“I’d love to be a regular fixture in the X Division – there’s a gap for me to shift into leaving me more opportunities. Hopefully I can take advantage.”
Check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.
As noted earlier, Kevin Nash was arrested early this morning for a domestic incident involving his son. TMZ has obtained the two police reports for Nash and his son Tristen, which contains additional information regarding the altercation.
According to the first police report, Kevin Nash told cops his son came home wasted and belligerent towards his parents, spitting in his face and elbow-checking him. He told cops he pinned Tristen to the ground and that’s when Tristen scratched his face.
But Tristen said Kevin was berating him over his relationship with his girlfriend. He says Kevin then choke-slammed him to the ground, hitting his head on the ground so hard that he lost consciousness. Kevin Nash was arrested because cops felt he was the “primary aggressor.”
Tristen was arrested 2 hours later after Tristen’s uncle called the police and told them the 18 year old man was drunk, “slung his mom around the kitchen” and tried attacking him as well.
Kevin Nash recently spoke to ABC News to promote an upcoming appearance with Maryland Championship Wrestling. There is no word yet as to whether or not his arrest from Tuesday night will change that booking.
Below are some highlights from the interview.
On wrestling his first match in a year this coming weekend: “It will be nice to step in the ring and see what I still have left. I also enjoy seeing what the next generation has to offer and connecting with fans in an intimate setting at a venue like MCW.”
On keeping in touch with Triple H: “Social media is huge today. It’s a lot easier for fans to keep up with wrestlers and see the next big star in the making. If someone catches my eye, I do my best to let Triple H know there is someone out there the WWE should be interested in signing.”
On not being upset if he doesn’t get into the WWE Hall of Fame: “I’m not going to be defined by the Hall of Fame. I believe my body of work over nearly 30 years speaks for itself.”
Check out the complete interview at ABC2News.com.
TMZ.com reports that Kevin Nash and his 18-year old son were arrested early Wednesday morning after getting into a bloody altercation with each other.
Police in Volusia County, Florida received a call just after midnight regarding a domestic incident. When cops arrived to the scene, they noticed blood on Nash face and arrested him for battery.
“Two hours later, cops received another 911 call from a person claiming 18-year-old Tristen attacked his mother. He was also arrested for battery. Cops tell TMZ alcohol may have been a factor.”
Both Nash and his son are currently being held without bond.
Kevin Nash is scheduled to wrestle Saturday at Maryland Championship Wrestling’s 2014 finale in Joppa, Maryland. He’s also advertised to return to WWE RAW on January 19th when he reunites with his former nWo partners Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels.
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with former WWE Superstar Vader, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TRR – Ep45 – Big Van Vader aka Leon White
“Big Van Vader grew up in Compton, CA., played college football in Colorado, spent a few years in the NFL with the Rams, and found pro-wrestling after injuries ended his pro career… and he’s telling all those stories & more on “The Ross Report.” Hear what inspired his mask & gimmick, why he preferred working with Shawn Michaels over Ric Flair, what really happened when Stan Hansen popped Vader’s eye out, and which title match was the “most special” for him.”
You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE recently added the following two vignettes of The Ascension to their official YouTube channel.
The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On the Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper match at RAW: “Ziggler vs. Harper…both men sold well, which is missing in many talent’s game within the business these days, and told a great story of competition and made me feel better about the IC Title status and how it an be heated up. I knew Harper had ‘it’ when I watched him down in NXT and Ziggler has been ready for ‘prime time’ for a good while now. I like how WWE has begun to utilize Dolph.”
On the Seth Rollins vs. John Cena match at RAW: “Rollins vs. Cena….nice chemsty..competitive…and we got a clean winner and a disgruntled loser who will want redemption. Leaving fans feeling empty with a impotent count out or disqualification can do more harm than good in any promotion.”
On The Ascension vignettes: “Interesting Ascension vignettes…almost Road Warrior-esque which will be interesting to see how the audience accepts. WWE needs a hot, fan favorite tag team for Ascension to come in and ravage to get the fan’s attention.”
On Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt at RAW: “Loved the effort of Ambrose vs. Rollins and I’m a fan of each talent but I felt like they depended too much on weaponry in their match. Less is more especially after we’ve seen the recent TLC PPV plus other cage matches recently. These two beat the hell out of each other….again.”
On The New Day faction: “Really curious as to how “New Day” is going to be accepted by the fans once they are launched officially IE in earnest. Today’s fans don’t seem to be too willing to provide second chances. I’d surmise that dressing in Carolina Blue and espousing such positivity that today’s wrestling fan may be a little hard on the talented trio who I happen to like personally and professionally. These three need to be special and draw positive attention to themselves by what they do in the ring and how they present themselves. If it’s the same old stuff, it won’t work. This sis where talents need to brainstorm and strategize on what they can do differently while they are being repackaged.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– WWE Superstar Randy Orton is scheduled to make his WWE in-ring return at this week’s non-televised live events.
– WWE stock was up on Tuesday by 1.36 percent, closing at $11.95 per share. The high for today was $12.22 per share. The low was $11.86.
– Below is a video of WWE Hall Of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel promoting the new Mattel “Defining Moments” Hulk Hogan action figure.
– The next edition of the WWE Network original documentary series “WWE Rivalries,” which airs next Tuesday, will take a look at the Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boys feud.
– Below is the latest “Top 10 WWE RAW Moments” video, which as the title says, shows off the top ten moments from this week’s Christmas-themed edition of RAW.
– As noted, former multiple-time WWE Tag-Team Champions Edge and Christian will be featured on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW — the final episode of the show of 2014 — as the “guest General Managers” of the evening. It has since been announced that the duo will appear on next week’s edition of WWE SmackDown as well.
– Speaking of advertised additions, this past Monday night’s RAW “guest General Manager,” Hulk Hogan, will be appearing at the upcoming WWE live event this Saturday night, December 27th, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
– For those unaware, in addition to Edge and Christian serving as guest General Managers for next week’s RAW, which is the final episode of the show for 2014, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to appear. The show is scheduled to take place from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie is featured on the cover of the latest issue of “Muscle & Fitness Hers” magazine. You can check out the cover photo below.
– Several of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” on Monday’s Christmas-themed edition of WWE RAW were independent pro wrestlers. Among them were Shelli Kapowski, Donnie Peppercricket and Shawn Nautilus. Also, Jaysin Strife, who was the solider that Rusev kicked back in October, played the chicken in Rose’s group on last night’s show.
– The latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which features an interview with Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep38 – Jeff Jarrett
“Jeff Jarrett’s about to turn the wrestling world on it’s head! The eleven-time world champion enter’s Piper’s Pit to reveal his plan for world domination with the launch of Global Force Wrestling. The founder of TNA talks to Hot Rod about the mistakes he made with Total-Nonstop-Action and why those hard lessons led him to launch a new worldwide empire. How will it stack up to TNA? Will it have Vince McMahon waking up in cold sweats fearing that the WWE’s days are numbered just like he was when the WCW went to war with him in the 90’s? Find that out all that and more on this episode of Piper’s Pit.”
You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
As noted last week, part-time WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was scheduled for an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Michael” where he was advertised to perform a “Christmas Karaoke SmackDown.”
Below are photos from the taping, which features The Rock in Christmas attire singing karaoke on the show.
More photos on page two …
The Monday, December 22nd, Christmas-themed edition of WWE RAW, which features appearances by WWE Hall Of Famers Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper, averaged 3.631 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. By comparison, last week’s show averaged 3.531 million viewers.
The hourly viewership breakdown for Monday’s RAW is as follows:
Hour One: 3.632 million viewers
Hour Two: 3.907 million viewers
Hour Three: 3.354 million viewers
The final rating for the show will be out later today.
As we reported on Monday night after WWE RAW, an angle was shot involving Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose immediately after their “Miracle on 34th Street Fight” on the show.
The angle featured Ambrose diving off of a ladder onto Wyatt, which according to one fan report, resulted in Wyatt being injured, loaded into an ambulance and taken off to a hospital.
Apparently, Wyatt was loaded into an ambulance, however he was not taken to a hospital. It’s possible that this was filmed for next week’s WWE television, however that is purely speculation at this point.
For those who missed it, you can read the original report, which includes photos of the angle, by clicking here.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
Global Force Wrestling issued the following press release today …
Global Force Wrestling Vice President of International Scott D’Amore said GFW founder and CEO Jeff Jarrett and the North American announce team will address the media as part of Wrestle Kingdom 9’s festivities the day before the big show at the Tokyo Dome.
Hall of Fame play-by-play man Jim Ross and Matt Striker will appear at the Jan. 3 “Grand Pro-Wrestling Festival 2015” news conferences at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, as will all of the NJPW stars, such as Tanahashi, Okada and Nakamura. The Bullet Club, which includes Jarrett, D’Amore, A.J. Styles and IWGP tag team champions Doc Gallows and “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, also will be on hand. There will be autograph signings and meet-and-greets with Japanese and international fans in attendance between and after the news conferences. The festival even includes two matches.
“We’re pleased to be invited to attend the festival and to further the budding relationship between GFW and NJPW,” D’amore said. “When you have an event of this magnitude you always want to include the fans and do what you can to enhance their experience.”
GFW announced its partnership with NJPW in June and revealed that it would promote WK 9 in North America on Nov. 4. Ross came on board on Nov. 11, and Striker was added on Dec. 18.
“NJPW is one of the hottest promotions in the world right now, and all eyes will be on Tokyo for Wrestle Kingdom 9,” Striker said. “It will be an honor and a privilege not only to sit beside Jim Ross again but to call the action involving many of the best performers this business has to offer on such a grand stage.”
“GFW Presents New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 9” will air live in North America at 2 a.m. ET on Jan. 4, which is 4 p.m. in Tokyo. The four-hour telecast also will air in primetime in North America at 7 p.m. ET on DirecTV, Dish, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Verizon Fios and all cable systems in the United States, and in Canada on Bell ExpressVu TV, Rogers, Shaw, Sasktel and Telus. Check your local listings for availability. The show also will be available on the Flipps app on iTunes or Android.
Wrestle Kingdom 9 will be the 24th consecutive year for the Jan. 4 dome event, which kicks off the year in Japan and annually is the largest wrestling show in the world outside of the United States, drawing in excess of 40,000 fans.
As promised, here are the top pay-per-view events from 2014.
8. NXT Takeover
This event started off sluggish but certainly ended with a string of entertaining matches. In particular, the match between Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn featured solid in-ring work and highlighted why both of these guys could succeed if given the opportunity.
The real treat during this pay-per-view, however, was the final two matches of the evening. The match between Charlotte and Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship was probably the most technically sound women’s match I’ve ever seen, and the main event between Neville and Tyson Kidd was the perfect way to end the show. In my opinion, this was the event that made fans realize NXT is more than simply a developmental league for the main roster.
Worst Match: Adam Rose vs. Camacho
Best Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya
7. Payback
There was some worry heading into this one, largely due to the absence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event would carry on just fine without the title, however. It started off strong with a bruising contest between Sheamus and Cesaro.
From there, the Last Man Standing match was entertaining, even if it would have been nice to see Wyatt pick up the victory. With that said, this pay-per-view is all about the main event. It was an awesome 30-minute affair that featured memorable spots, brutal action, and a decisive Shield victory. This was also important because it would set up Seth Rollins’ heel turn the next night on Raw.
Worst Match: Bo Dallas vs. Kofi Kingston
Best Match: The Shield vs. Evolution
The following is a video clip featuring part of Hulk Hogan’s appearance on Monday’s Christmas-themed edition of RAW, which features Hogan fully dressed up as Santa Claus.
Below is a portion of last night’s “Piper’s Pit” segment from RAW, which featured Roddy Piper, Rusev, Lana and Ryback.
– For those who enjoy interesting trivia facts, it’s been pointed out recently that country music band Florida Georgia Line has made more WWE television appearances than Brock Lesnar since the Night Of Champions pay-per-view. Florida Georgia Line appeared at Night Of Champions, TLC and Tribute to the Troops while Lesnar has only appeared at Night Of Champions and last week’s RAW.
– Unless the January 1st edition of NXT on the WWE Network turns out to be a 2014 “Year-In-Review” type of show, Shoot Nation leader Chad Gable is scheduled to make his NXT in-ring debut, working against Tyler Breeze on the show.
– NXT Diva Dana Brooke, competing under her real name — Ashley Sebera — will be representing WWE in the 2015 “Fitness International” competition at the “Arnold Classic.” Below are some comments she made about the competition to WWE.com.
“My dreams are coming true. It’s like Christmas came early for me. I cannot feel more honored. This just shows how much WWE wants their athletes to succeed. I’m blessed. I will not let the WWE Universe down.”
– Below is a video of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley going through a drive-thru dressed up as Santa Claus.
As a bit of a reminder, there will be no WWE television tapings tonight, as both Main Event and SmackDown were taped on Sunday in Sioux Falls, Iowa. Below are the matches scheduled for tonight’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs on the WWE Network.
– Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. Los Matadores
– Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae
– Big E. vs. Stardust
– Luke Harper vs. Jack Swagger
For complete spoiler results of this week’s Main Event, click here.
