– As things stand right now, the plan is for Curtis Axel to appear on more NXT shows and work angles there similar to how Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd and Natalya, other main WWE roster talents, have in the past.
– Brock Lesnar is featured on a nationally televised commercial for the fast-food chain “Harees,” which started airing this week.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Sesugh Uhaa, known to pro wrestling fans as Uhaa Nation, one of the best independent prospects in the world, has officially agreed to terms with WWE.
As noted recently, Uhaa had participated in a WWE tryout camp and afterwards, sent out word to promoters that he wasn’t going to be accepting any independent dates after a certain point, so his coming to terms with WWE was ultimately expected.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
After the recent situations with CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio, WWE has put in all performer contracts a stipulation that states if they are fired for disciplinary reasons, they forfeit all merchandise rights and they can’t work in either pro wrestling or mixed-martial-arts for a full year.
It’s believed that such a stipulation would not hold up in court, however it would take a lot of money and resources to challenge it and find out, and most talents are that well off to take that kind of chance.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The reason why Randy Orton only worked short matches on the non-televised live events he did work this past weekend, and the reason why he didn’t wrestle on the Long Island card was because he has a deviated septum.
Orton is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the issues, however the recovery time after such an operation is only a few weeks. It’s expected that Orton will miss some live events as a result.
When Orton does fully return, he is expected to initially work with Seth Rollins, even though he’s advertised to work with Kane on live events.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
In addition to Kurt Angle and Abyss, who TNA revealed re-signed with the promotion earlier this week, the company has now announced the re-signing of Ethan Carter III.
EC3 joins what will become a growing list of talents whose TNA deals expired recently that will be returning to the company now that they are gearing up for their re-launch on Destination America.
Below is a tweet from Dixie Carter confirming the EC3 re-signing.
The best signing I've ever made!!! #WorldsBestNephew @EthanCarterTNA pic.twitter.com/YkNl7SZkjD
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 31, 2014
UFC president Dana White says it all the time, “the job of a promoter is to make the matches the fans want to see.” To ensure that this happens, White has gone around buying out entire promotions, sometimes strictly for a single talent (White bought the WFA promotion just to acquire Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s contract).
Unfortunately for wrestling fans, our “Dana White” is a guy named Vince McMahon, a guy who doesn’t quite share the same philosophy about promoting.
While White’s slogan is “my job is to make the matches the fans want,” and more often than not he will, McMahon’s is, “I know what the fans want more than they do.”
Sure, in public you’ll hear McMahon say that all WWE does is listen to what the “WWE Universe” wants and his job is to give it to them, his track record, while solid, isn’t that great when it comes to making dream matches happen.
The following is part one of a new series I’m calling, “Dream Matches That Never Happened.” First on the list is the most obvious dream match of all-time, at least in this writer’s opinion …
Hulk Hogan vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
How is it possible that the two biggest names and highest drawing figures in the history of sports entertainment never once had a single high-profile match? Forget WCW, where I believe Hogan and Austin may have crossed paths (not 100 percent sure, however) when Austin was still “Stunning.”
I’m talking about “The Hulkster” and “Stone Cold” going at it, one-on-one, on the WWE stage.
Could you imagine the amount of money this match would have drawn? And don’t give me any of that crap that Hogan was too old when Austin was in his prime, and that the match would have sucked, therefore no true wrestling fan would care about it.
We’re all fans, and if two big mega-stars like Austin and Hogan collided in our lifetimes, we’d probably still remember where we were when it happened.
The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. Was it the best technical match of all-time? Absolutely not. Were the “die-hard” fans going into WrestleMania that year talking as if they were more excited for Triple H vs. Chris Jericho because the actual ring work would be better? They sure were. I was around, and still doing this for a living, and I remember it well. When the show was over, what was the true main event that night?
Enough said.
Hogan and Austin would be the same thing. Hell, WWE could book that match at WrestleMania 31 next year and it would still be a contender for highest drawing pay-per-view of all-time. The two still have that much name recognition, and a match between the two would still garner that level of interest. While I’m well aware that it’s not going to happen, you get my point.
Hogan vs. Austin is so big, it would still be a big deal today.
Now imagine if you will how big that match would have been, say, 10 years ago. The record would probably still stand today.
The fact that both were under contract, and WWE decided to go with Rock instead of Austin that year, to me, is not a big deal. Both matches are the type of “dream matches” that should have been promoted. The fact that WWE never doubled back and made Hogan and Austin happen after that, when fans were clamoring for it at different times after Hogan-Rock, that’s the part that confuses me.
Many might say, “but Austin clearly didn’t want to work with Hogan.”
So what?
If you’re a promoter, you should be able to find a way to convince him. Dana White said it best, so I won’t try to top it. If the fans want something bad enough, give it to them.
Fans for years were begging for Hogan and Austin, and WWE never made it happen. Unfortunately in the case of a Hogan-Austin match, it never will happen. With Hogan no longer allowed to compete in a WWE ring due to their strict medical program, one-half of the equation is taken out of the picture. Austin doesn’t seem keen on returning to the ring, but if it were to happen, you can rest assured that “The Hulkster” won’t be the face he’s staring at across the ring.
So, it’s one of those situations were as a fan, you simply have to wonder “what could have been,” because “The Hulkster” versus “Stone Cold” will never happen.
And that’s the bottom line, brother!
What are your thoughts on Hulk Hogan vs. Steve Austin never happening, or any other big dream matches that never took shape? Which matches do you consider to be the biggest potential showdowns that never happened? Let us know by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below.
You can also hit me up on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR, and/or follow me on Twitter @MBoone420.
The general idea behind Ryback’s lengthy promo segment on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW was to give him an opportunity to connect with the fans on a new level by telling an emotional, personal story.
Ryback told pretty much the same story during his recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and in an interview with Sam Roberts from back in 2013.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
The following is an excerpt from a new MMA Junkie interview with UFC fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, where he talks about the subject of CM Punk in the UFC.
“My attitude with CM Punk is: good, why not? The guy did what he had to do. He’s got money. He doesn’t need to come to the UFC. So that’s just like a challenge he’s doing on his own. It’s not like he’s hurting and is like, ‘Man, I need to find a new career.’ He’s like, ‘No, I’ve made my life. I’ve done what I need to do. I’m going to come and try this.’ I told him to come to the ranch. Bring that WWE money and come out and train with me.
“Who am I to say CM Punk can’t fight? We’ve never seen the guy fight, never seen him train. I heard he’s got good jiu-jitsu. Teach the guy – I don’t know if you can do some of the wrestling moves he does in the WWE, but he might be. Come on. Why not? Bring that fan base. They sell out arenas every night, so why not bring that over? I think Brock coming over was great. CM Punk, yeah, come on with it. Put me on the same card as him.”
Check out the complete interview at MMAJunkie.com.
As noted recently, WWE Diva AJ Lee is currently on the sidelines dealing with an injury. Apparently she is healing up from a few minor injuries, not just one. She is, however, expected back at some point in the near future.
Additionally, Lee tweeted the following photo recently, indicating that she is on vacation somewhere.
— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) December 30, 2014
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, the final edition of the show for 2014, Tony Chimel handled the introductions for Edge and Christian. He thanked the two on Twitter for the opportunity after the show, posting the following on his official Twitter account.
thanks @EdgeRatedR and @Christian4Peeps for allowing me to intro you last night. I think I did a suuuuuuuuuuuper job! #flyeredup
— Tony Chimel (@TheTonyChimel) December 30, 2014
– Speaking of Monday’s RAW, we noted that while Randy Orton didn’t appear on the television portion of the show, he did appear before the crowd in Washington, D.C. after the cameras stopped rolling. Below is a video of Orton’s appearance after Monday’s RAW.
The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On his interview with Dixie Carter: “Had a great conversation with Dixie Carter Tuesday night for next week’s podcast that drops on Tuesday January 6 on podcastone.com. Dixie answered all my questions and there were plenty of them in the hour plus conversation. Impact Wrestling debuts the first week of January on Destination America. We addressed Vince Russo, Bobby Lashley, Bobby Roode, AJ Styles, Mike Tenay the upcoming NYC TV tapings, and she touched on how her company was going to essentially be re-branded. I hope that they succeed and I’m anxious to watch their first show which will also be the debut of Josh Mathews and Taz as the new broadcast team. This is a really good show and I hope that you will join us as always as a new show drops every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET.”
On Wrestle Kingdom 9 possibly being his last big wrestling announcing job: “I certainly don’t want to sound like an endless amount of wrestlers who retire multiple times but the simple truth of my broadcasting assignment this Sunday is that it well could well my last one. I have no wrestling broadcast gigs booked after this Sunday and unless something comes along that i can’t pass on Sunday could easily be the last major PPV for which I ever provide play by play. I’m not against doing the occasional wrestling show but it’s going to take something special to get me out of Oklahoma on a regular basis.”
On Daniel Bryan: “Big question for WWE is, can they get Daniel Bryan back to the level that he was prior to his medial issues? It’s certainly doable but will need careful strategizing. Funny how getting one specific talent back on TV makes the entire presentation have a somewhat different feel. Hopefully, the WM31 money bouts are on paper in pencil, at worst, because the key to building a successful WrestleMania or any major event is the proverbial build that creates viable anticipation for the fans. Some creative types out work themselves by doing all they can to make a major card unpredictable when that isn’t necessary whatsoever. Making a card logical is the key and then save your surprises for the endings of the matches.”
On Kurt Angle re-signing with TNA: “Smart move by TNA to re-sign Kurt Angle and if they utilize Kurt properly, he will remain a significant asset. By properly, I mean wrestling occasionally and only at significant events in main event level matches. Kurt has reached the “attraction” stage of his career and there is no reason to look at him as a “regular” talent any longer. Via creative booking, Kurt can provide the necessary “rub” that older stars should do for the younger talents who are going to be counted on as future, main eventers. That “rub” doesn’t have to be physical either.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The Monday, December 29th edition of WWE RAW, which was the final episode of the show for 2014, averaged 3.458 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The 3.458 million viewer average for the show as a whole is a drop from last week’s Holiday-themed edition of the show, which averaged 3.631 million viewers.
The hourly viewership breakdown for Monday’s RAW is as follows:
Hour One: 3.174 million viewers
Hour Two: 3.476 million viewers
Hour Three: 3.726 million viewers
After announcing the re-signing of Kurt Angle on Tuesday, TNA has also confirmed that Abyss (aka Chris Parks) has also re-signed with the company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Many of the TNA deals have expired since the promotion’s last television taping, so it’s believed that we will see a number of re-signing announcements in the coming days.
Abyss posted the following on Twitter about his TNA signing.
Thank you @IMPACTWRESTLING & @JohnGaburick! Extremely proud of being a member of TNA since the beginning and our team pic.twitter.com/mQUKVefD5z
— Abyss (@TherealAbyss) December 31, 2014
– The New Day faction consisting of Big E., Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, ditched their normal blue gear in favor of red attire, which you can see in the following photos from this past weekend’s WWE live events.
Where was the blue tonight?! #WWERichmond #TheBlueDayAreNowTheRedRascals @TrueKofi @WWEBigE @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/t4e5a9mPIg
— Jabot (@Jabotism) December 30, 2014
– The following are some statistics from the WWE Shop merchandise website:
WWE’s shop website averaged 933 orders per day in September 2014, up from the 567 per day in September 2013 and the 666 per day in September 2012
The shop website averaged 1,161 orders per day in October 2014, up from 935 per day in October 2013 and the 903 per day in October 2012
The shop website averaged 1,533 orders per day in November 2014, up from 867 per day in November 2013 and 1,267 per day in November 2012
(Partial Credit: F4WOnline.com)
– NXT Diva and former Total Divas cast member JoJo did some of the ring announcing at the WWE live event on Monday night in Richmond, Virginia.
– Ring Of Honor graduate Mandy Leon has been on the road with WWE working as a “Rosebud” for the past week. Below is a photo of Mandy with Adam Rose.
https://twitter.com/WWEAdamRose/status/549746753906696192
The five most-shipped WWE DVDs of 2014 so far are WrestleMania XXX, with 153,000 units sold, which is down from the 174,000 units from this time last year, Slam City with 100,000 units, The Ultimate Warrior Collection with 94,000 units, The Best of Sting with 66,000 units and WCW’s Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches with 53,000 units.
By comparison, DVD sets on CM Punk, The Rock, Undertaker and Bill Goldberg from recent years all topped the 100,000 mark, with The Rock being the best individual seller of the past two years.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
Mark Henry posted the following update on his condition via Twitter on Tuesday:
Thank you WWE fans for all the respect. Yes I'm still hurt, I see the things people are saying. I will respond when the time is right.
— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) December 30, 2014
Henry hasn’t competed in a match since the November 24th edition of RAW, where he lost to Ryback in singles competition. The night before, Henry was part of Team Authority in their traditional elimination match against Team Cena at the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
– The El Rey Network will be airing a Lucha Underground marathon tonight, featuring eight hours worth of shows, beginning at 4pm EST.
– Hip-hop artist Wale, who is friends with Paul Heyman and is a Washington D.C. native, was in attendance at Monday’s RAW.
– Several NXT talents sent congratulatory messages to The Ascension after their in-ring debut for the main WWE roster on RAW. Paige noted that she actually went out into the arena to watch their match.
The following are highlights of a new Norfolk Navy Flagship interview with one-half of the WWE Tag-Team Champions and former Total Divas cast member Jimmy Uso:
JM: With the recent news that neither you nor Trinity will be involved in the next season of the Total Divas series, is there some relief knowing that you will not have cameras on you at all times?
Uso: The work is a lot less now. I almost get to have my privacy back. We come off of these tours and you want to get home and relax, but you’re still working because you’re front of these cameras. They’re in your home and you really just want to sleep all day. I’m OK with it, but my wife really isn’t. We didn’t agree with the terms, but things happen and they work out how they do. We’re enjoying the free time that we have now.
JM: Totals Divas has exposed you to a different demographic of viewers that may not have normally watched WWE programming. Have you noticed this while out in the public?
Uso: Definitely. I get recognized more from Total Divas than I do for WWE. With my wife, you get people that look at her and want a picture, but they’re not really sure if it’s her or not, but when we’re together, they automatically know. I get a lot of older women, actually, that come up to me. They’re like “Hey! You’re Jonathan from Total Divas!” out of nowhere. You’ll know that it’s a Total Divas fan because a WWE fan would have said “Uso!”. It was weird at first being called by my first name and my wife by her first name. It’s cool, and funny in a way.
JM: What are your thoughts on the current state of the WWE tag team division and where you see it in the future as newcomers advance from NXT?
Uso: I feel like my brother and I amped it up because we are a real tag team. There aren’t any real tag teams like back in the day with the Legion of Doom, Hart Foundation, Demolition. Today, we’re trying to get that tag team wrestling back to WWE. I think we’re doing a good job, but it could get better. There are teams coming up from NXT, like The Ascension, coming in with each other and hopefully they will stay with each other. Maybe we can get a nice little run out of these guys with The Usos, or maybe the Wyatts can get back together again, or The Shield. I feel like we had great matches with The Wyatts; great chemistry with those guys, but they broke them up. I hope when more tag teams come in the future that they stay together and we can have a real tag team division like back in the day.
Check out the complete interview at NorfolkNavyFlagship.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley posted the following blog on his official Facebook page regarding his thoughts on a Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan match at WrestleMania 31, as well as Ryback’s promo from RAW.
LESNAR/BRYAN AT MANIA? I SAY “YES”!
I’m not going to smash any TV sets this January. I’m hoping not to say, write, or tweet things that make my relationship with WWE difficult. But following Daniel Bryan’s emotional speech on WWE Monday Night Raw last night, I think he could be the guy to face Brock Lesnar at this year’s ?#?Wrestlemania?.
As opposed to the earlier Ryback – WWE promo, where Ryback seemed uncomfortable, and in too much of a rush for us to appreciate the substance of the words, Daniel Bryan allowed his emotions to tell the story – reminding us of the journey he’d been on this past year, while not letting us forget what it was about him that made so many of us root for him to begin with. He fights from underneath like few before him ever have, and (despite what some of my colleagues may think) would be a credible threat to knock down the mountain that Lesnar has been built to be. It would be the ultimate David, facing the ultimate Goliath. Man vs Beast. Man vs himself – really no need for Man vs company here. Give Paul Heyman free creative reign to bring out the best in Daniel Bryan – and for the WWE Universe to bring out the best in themselves – and we have got ourselves a compelling Mania main event.
The Friday, December 26th edition of WWE SmackDown, which was the final edition of the show for the year of 2014, scored a final cable rating of 1.81, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The 1.81 final number marks a pretty decent increase compared to the previous week’s show, which finished with a 1.54 cable rating.
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.490 million viewers for the SyFy Network, which was also up a considerable amount compared to the average of 1.995 million viewers who tuned in the week prior.
– The final edition of WWE RAW before WrestleMania 31, which will be a combination show with both RAW and a partial SmackDown taping, will be held on March 23, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. You can get tickets for the event right now by using the pre-sale code: LAVIP.
– Colt Cabana’s latest podcast features a new interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley. You can check it out at TSMRadio.com.
– Jim Ross’ latest “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with wrestling journalist Bryan Alvarez, as well as Karl Anderson, can be found at PodcastOne.com.
Chris Jericho has been officially added to the upcoming WWE vs. WCW “Monday Night Wars” debate between Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard, which is scheduled to take place on January 25th.
Jericho announced on his latest Talk Is Jericho podcast that he wants to be the moderator of the debate, noting that he worked for both WWE and WCW during the Monday Night War years.
The Bischoff-Prichard debate will take place from 1-3pm EST. at Dave and Busters at 325 N. Columbus Blvd. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is only a few minutes away from the Wells Fargo Center, where the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view will be taking place on the same night.
For ticket information for the event, visit RFVideo.com.
