– Billy Gunn tweeted the following today announcing that the New Age Outlaws will be invading next week’s Old School RAW:
It's official the NAO invade #RAW next week
— Kip Sopp (@RealBillyGunn) December 30, 2013
– As noted earlier, Sheamus and Chris Jericho will be appearing at the Autorama car show in Pittsburgh on January 24th – the same weekend of the Royal Rumble. WWE.com is now advertising the Sheamus appearance, letting fans know he’ll be in town for the Rumble.
The following is the updated list of dates and matches for AJ Styles’s post-TNA tour, which kicks off in early 2014:
– Jan. 4: ROH TV taping in Nashville (vs. Roderick Strong)
– Jan. 18: Magnum Pro in Cedar Falls, Iowa (vs. Jaysin Strife)
– Jan. 19: PWX in Winston-Salem, N.C. (vs. Cedric Alexander)
– Jan. 26: Smash Wrestling in Toronto (vs. Chris Hero)
– Feb. 1: Dreamwave in Chicago (vs. Christian Rose)
– Feb. 7: D.S.C.H. in Blue Ridge, Ga. (w/Cody Roberts vs. Corey Hollis & Shaun Tempers)
– Feb. 8: CZW in Voorhees, N.J.
– Feb. 15: House of Glory in Queens, N.Y. (w/Amazing Red vs. Young Bucks)
– Feb. 23: Pennsylvania Premiere in Freeland, Pa. (vs. Tommy Suede)
– Mar. 1: PCW in Preston, England (vs. Lionheart)
– Mar. 14: 2CW in Binghamton, N.Y. (vs. Eddie Edwards)
– Mar. 15: UWE in Harrisburg, Pa. (vs. A.R. Fox)
– Apr. 26: Remix Pro in Marietta, Okla. (vs. Facade)
The following are highlights from a recent Kayfabe Kickout interview with legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette:
On why he left WCW in 1990: “We just decided we’d rather be home than work for this f#@*$ p%#@*. It just came to a head one day when we had come off of a several day tour on the road, landed in Charlotte where we lived, and instead of being able to go home, immediately drove to Andersen, South Carolina to do a TV taping where they hadn’t bothered to tell us that not only was Stan Lane only wrestling one single match, and I was only managing him in that, but that Bobby Eaton wasn’t even wrestling at all.”
On the tragic death of Owen Hart: “Believe it or not, I was not there. That was actually the first WWF pay per view that I had missed in about five years because I was preparing to move from Connecticut back here to Louisville to start the developmental program with Ohio Valley Wrestling and was not needed that night at the pay per view. I was like everybody else, I was sitting at home watching it live as it happened.
Obviously the incident was not aired on television because, it was, fortunately, in a videotaped replay segment that it happened. But when the camera came back in the arena and Jim Ross was trying to cover basically for why there was no action going on and that there was somewhat of a pall over the proceedings, and he didn’t know exactly what had happened so he was trying to choose his words carefully, I knew instantly that something was wrong, but we didn’t know exactly until sometime afterwards what exactly had happened.
That was, you know Owen, I just said guys can get hurt. They’re risking their lives, but that was completely unnecessary. It was something that Owen was doing, that he was not comfortable with, that he was asked to do.
Still to this day I blame Vince Russo, like a lot of people do, because for those who don’t know, Owen, instead of being able to do a normal entrance into the ring and have a wrestling match, which is dangerous enough, they decided that he would make a superhero entrance and be lowered into the ring in this outlandish costume that Russo had booked him to be in and was being lowered by a rigging company that didn’t check the rigging or whatever and there were lawsuits, etc. etc. But he fell a hundred feet from the roof of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City into the ring and was killed.
Owen was a great wrestler and Owen didn’t need all that hoo ha around him, but Vince Russo didn’t feel that he was exciting enough as himself and wanted to make him a superhero, and came up with the idea of doing that. Owen wasn’t comfortable with it, but he had already turned down a few things that he wasn’t comfortable with, and he didn’t want to be Negative Nancy and be known as the guy who kept saying ‘no’, so he went along with it, and it didn’t turn out well.
That’s one of the many things that I blame Vince Russo for, for spoiling the wrestling business, not only for the people in it, but for the people who like to watch it.”
Check out the complete interview online at KayfabeKickout.com.
For those wondering, AJ Styles’ appearance at the January 4th Ring Of Honor television taping will not be his only appearance with the promotion.
Styles has not officially signed a contract with the company, but is scheduled to appear at additional ROH shows in 2014. Those appearances will be announced in the near future.
Apparently representatives reached out to Ring Of Honor officials to secure his return to the company as recently as late Friday evening, or early Saturday morning.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
The following are results from the WWE live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The event was held on Sunday, December 29, 2013.
– Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara def. The Real Americans (with Zeb Colter) in a tag-team match to open the show. The finish came when Sin Cara pinned Cesaro.
– Justin Gabriel def. Tyson Kidd in singles action. The finish came when Kidd countered a top-rope hurricanrana attempt into a pin.
– Natalya def. AJ Lee in a Non-Title Divas match. Natalya picked up the win via submission by way of her Sharpshooter.
– Ryback def. Zack Ryder in singles action. The finish came when Ryback pinned Ryder after hitting him with his Meathook clothesline and Shellshock finisher.
– Big Show def. Kane via the Knockout Punch in a Steel Cage Match.
–Intermission–
– Los Matadores & El Torito def. 3MB in a six-man tag-team match. 3MB was represented by Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal and Ricardo Rodriguez. 3MB were dressed up as New Year’s Babies. The finish came when El Torito pinned Rodriguez.
– Dolph Ziggler def. Alberto Del Rio in a singles match. Booker T served as the special guest referee. The finish came when Del Rio pushed Booker, who pushed him back right into a Zig-Zag from Ziggler.
– John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification in a singles match, which served as the main event of the evening. The finish came when Orton low-blowed Cena on purpose to get DQ’d.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Did he watch Nitro during the Monday Night War?
“I was generally busy with RAW and was at best a casual viewer. I had a great deal on my plate in those days.”
How Social Media has affected pro wrestling:
“Not sure how much it has actually ‘changed’ the business but there is much more info out there to digest and much of it is simply gossip and innuendo. I don’t think that the IWC has helped or harmed the wrestling business. Times have changed in all walks of life, sports, entertainment, etc. ”
If Hulk Hogan can wrestle at WrestleMania:
“Hulk has a horrible back condition, his in ring work would be SO limited that I feel it would sadden his fans to see what he’s become in his later years in all due respect. I’m not even sure that he could pass a WWE physical. But he doesn’t have to wrestle to be a huge part of WM30, IMO”
Why WWE doesn’t have more Japanese wrestlers:
“I feel that the lack of them being able to speak English hinders them a great deal. Most of the great Japanese stars stay in Japan these days. I haven’t watched Japanese wrestling to any degree in a long while.”
Gina Carano fighting Ronda Rousey:
“The match wold be super and a financial hit but I think Gina is done with MMA. I hope that I’m wrong.”
Which PPV Is Bigger: SummerSlam or Royal Rumble?
“Summer Slam has seemingly gotten bigger but the Rumble is my favorite PPV match.”
We noted earlier that NBA star LeBron James posted a tweet on his official Twitter account asking how he could obtain a WWE World Championship belt. Not only did The Rock respond to James, but John Cena and CM Punk did as well. The following are their responses:
You need one? I may have one 4uRT @KingJames: Who do i need to talk to to get one of those World Championship Belt? WWE belt. The real ones
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 30, 2013
A special message for @KingJames. Watch it. I can help with that title! #WWE #KingJames @ESPN @TMZ @MiamiHEAT http://t.co/pSz1fdbi3s
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 30, 2013
“@KingJames: Who do i need to talk to to get one of those World Championship Belt? WWE belt. The real ones”. Luc Longley.
— Coach (@CMPunk) December 30, 2013
– WWE will be returning to Hershey, Pennsylvania on April 22, 2014 for a WWE SmackDown television taping.
– The official WWE website recently published an article analyzing some interesting 2013 statistics. The following are some highlights:
Most wins by pinfall or submission: Randy Orton
Highest winning percentage: John Cena
Most wins by a WWE Diva: Natalya
Most matches: Randy Orton
Most wins by DQ: Daniel Bryan
Most losses by DQ: Dean Ambrose
Most matches ending in a No Contest: Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton (tie)
Check out the complete article online at WWE.com.
Speculation on CM Punk’s WWE future ran rampant this weekend after Punk posted the following tweet after his match at the WWE live event in Detroit, Michigan:
Thanks Detroit. I don’t have many of these left in me. Off to DC and coffee with Lyle Preslar.
— Coach (@CMPunk) December 29, 2013
Apparently people are reading too much into the tweet, as it’s being said within WWE that they do not expect Punk to leave at any point in the near future.
– Despite being advertised to appear at the Toronto, Ontario, Canada non-televised live event that takes place tonight opposite RAW in Richmond, Virginia, WWE Superstar John Cena will reportedly appear on RAW.
– Despite rumors, it appears Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract is an exclusive deal, one that does not expire until after WrestleMania 31 in 2015. Word is that people in WWE can’t believe Vince McMahon would allow Lesnar to sign a deal with WWE that would allow him to fight in UFC at the same time.
(Partial Credit: F4WOnline.com)
– You can officially rule out the WWE Tag-Team Champions from appearing on tonight’s live WWE RAW show from Richmond, Virginia. Cody Rhodes noted on Twitter that he will be wrestling Antonio Cesaro at the WWE non-televised live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which takes place tonight as well.
– Former WWE Superstars Bobby Lashley and Big Daddy V. are scheduled to appear at the U8P Wrestling “Return To Glory Days” show on February 8th at the Carroll County Civic Center in Huntington, Tennessee.
As reported on Sunday night, WWE Superstar and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is scheduled to return on RAW tonight in Richmond, Virginia.
In addition to Lesnar, it appears as though Lesnar’s on-air manager Paul Heyman will be making his WWE return on RAW tonight as well.
Lesnar’s return was revealed during the SmackDown taping in Washington, D.C. on Sunday night, where Big E. Langston referenced Lesnar attacking Mark Henry on RAW on the SmackDown show that airs after RAW this coming Friday.
Thanks to SEScoops.com correspondent Nate Stein for sending in this schedule of independent wrestling shows through January 12th:
According to MMAFighting.com, the rumors of Brock Lesnar returning to fight in the UFC were likely just a publicity stunt done in order to build interest in Lesnar, who is scheduled to return to WWE on tonight’s RAW show in Richmond, Virginia.
The article notes that WWE has had plans for Lesnar to return on the December 30th RAW for a while now.
A WWE spokesperson told the website, “WWE has exclusive rights to services (to Lesnar) and such exclusivity extends to ultimate fighting competitions.”
Check out the complete article online at MMAFighting.com.
– WWE has canceled their scheduled live event on February 1st in Tampa, Florida.
NBA star LeBron James recently posted the following on Twitter:
Who do i need to talk to to get one of those World Championship Belt? WWE belt. The real ones
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 30, 2013
The Rock responded to James’ tweet, writing:
@KingJames Got your back. I'll take care of it tomorrow and hit ya back off line. Done.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 30, 2013
The following is the final lineup for tonight’s TNA “One Night Only: #OldSchool” pay-per-view taping in Poughkeepsie, New York:
World Heavyweight Title
– Magnus (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Monster’s Ball
– Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
Last Man Standing
– Bobby Roode vs. James Storm
Falls Count Anywhere
– Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer
– Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
Also in action will be Kazarian, Daniels, BroMans, Eric Young, Chris Sabin, Velvet Sky and Lei’D Tapa.
Tonight’s “New Year’s” edition of WWE RAW takes place from The Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA. Here is WWE.com’s 5-point preview for the show:
1. Intercontinental Title Up For Grabs: Big E Langston defends against Fandango.
2. World’s Largest New Year’s Baby: Big Show dons a diaper and dresses up like a baby.
3. The Animal To Hunt Again: How will The Authority and the WWE Universe react to the news that Batista is returning to RAW in 3 weeks?
4. What’s Next For John Cena? Will Cena make a bid to go after WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton?
5. What is The Authority Planning for 2014? The Authority has already shown they’re willing to put Randy Orton to the test, what will they have in store for IC Champion Big E Langston, Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust and Divas Champion AJ Lee?
WWE is also running a rare Monday night live event tonight from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Superstars advertised for that show (who won’t be at RAW) include John Cena, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Goldust, Big Show, Kane, Antonio Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara.
Check out this recent photo of Brock Lesnar and his wife, former WWE Diva Sable:
Following his recent heel turn, the “Main Event Player” Brodus Clay unveiled a new look at last night’s WWE TV tapings from Washington DC.
Set to air on this week’s WWE Main Event, Clay will be a guest on Miz TV. Clay has new theme music and was wearing a pinstripe ‘gangster’ suit. Here’s a look:
A photo has surfaced of John Cena wearing a t-shirt poking fun at Internet fans. The shirt reads, “If Cena Wins, We Complain Online” –
Brock Lesnar is returning to WWE television as soon as Monday’s WWE RAW from Richmond, Virginia.
At Sunday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Washington DC (airing Friday, January 3rd), there was a backstage segment where Renee Young was interviewing Big E Langston and Mark Henry.
Langston talked about Brock Lesnar ‘attacking Mark Henry on RAW’ – something we haven’t seen play out yet on WWE television. Langston was apparently an event that will take place on Monday’s 12/30 show. Also during the interview, Henry said that he’s looking forward to meet Lesnar in the ring.
Comment Below – Do you want to see a Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Henry Feud?
The following matches are confirmed for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event:
– Damien Sandow vs. Kofi Kingston
– The Funkadactyls vs. Alicia Fox & Rosa Mendes
– MizTV Segment with special guest Brodus Clay
The following matches are confirmed for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown:
– Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. The Usos
– R-Truth vs. Fandango
– Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
– Nikki Bella vs. Aksana
– Big E. Langston vs. Curtis Axel
– The Shield vs. CM Punk & The Usos
For those interested, full spoiler results of both shows are available right now on the newsboard.
The following matches are confirmed for this Friday night’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Sunday night in Washington, D.C.
– Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. The Usos
– R-Truth vs. Fandango
– Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
– Nikki Bella vs. Aksana
– Big E. Langston vs. Curtis Axel
– The Shield vs. CM Punk & The Usos
For complete spoiler results for this week’s SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
The following are results of the WWE Main Event television taping from Sunday night in Washington, D.C. The show will air in WWE’s international markets and on WWE.com this week due to the New Year’s holiday.
– Damien Sandow def. Kofi Kingston in a singles match to open the show. Sandow picked up the win via his “You’re Welcome” finisher.
– The Funkadactyls def. Alicia Fox & Rosa Mendes in a Divas tag-team match. The finish came when Naomi hit her “Rear View” finisher.
– The Miz hosted a MizTV segment that featured Brodus Clay. Clay was in a suit and wearing a big gold chair. Clay also has new theme music. Clay talks trash during the segment, prompting his former tag-team partner Tensai to come out. The two brawl with Tensai getting the upper-hand.