TNA has released the full card for the upcoming Hardcore Justice PPV taping from Lowell, Massachusetts on December 29th:
* Lethal Lockdown: Team Angle vs. Team Roode
* TNA X-Division Xscape Match: Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin
* Full Metal Mayhem: Abyss & Eric Young vs. Daniels & Kazarian
* Street Fight: Lei’D Tapa vs. Velvet Sky
* Tables Match: Ethan Carter III vs. Tommy Dreamer
* Stretcher Match: Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson
The infamous reddit user “Dolphins1925,” who is known for his ability to correctly predict the outcome of every WWE pay-per-view match, actually incorrectly predicted one of the matches at the WWE TLC pay-per-view on Sunday night.
Dolphins claimed that The Real Americans were going to defeat Goldust and Cody Rhodes for the WWE Tag-Team Championships. After the match, Dolphins stated the following about his incorrect prediction:
Misinformation I received from my source. Congrats to WWE. I am done for the night. Wyatt family defeats Bryan is final result I was given.
— Dolphins1925 (@DolphinsReddit) December 16, 2013
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on last night’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view.
Regarding the TLC main event unification match, JR said he “sincerely appreciated” the hard work from John Cena and Randy Orton.
“TLC sounds great on paper and makes for a sensational video promo but the match stips can be very limiting. Based on today’s boundaries, I thought that the two men did all that they could do to utilize the ‘toys’ that they had to play with but at the end of the day I’d have been just as happy to have seen a straight wrestling match considering what was at stake.”
Ross also spoke about the importance of protecting the importance of WWE’s championship titles.
“Building enhanced credibility for the new, WWE World Title is going to be an ongoing matter that will never find its work finished. Nothing should be more important to any WWE talent, friend or foe, than being WWE World Champion. Being the Champion becomes a great story if the title is positioned properly and on a lofty pedestal.”
Ross noted that one thing UFC does better than WWE is making all of their belts prestigious.
“The door is now open for that to change within WWE including repositioning the IC Title and the US Title. Why have titles if they are not coveted by all who are eligible to compete for them? Plus, they are not ‘hot potatoes.’ The bottom line is that building equity in any title sells tickets and PPV’s.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
The following press release was issued on Monday:
Trish Stratus and The Treadmill Factory announce distribution and licensing deal
Dec 16, 2013 – TORONTO /TrishStratus.com/ – Stratus Enterprises, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has signed a distribution and licensing deal with The Treadmill Factory just in time for the holiday season.
The distribution agreement sees the full array of Stratusphere Living yoga and fitness products appearing on shelves with the popular fitness retailer, including yoga mats, the innovative weighted FitGloves, branded dumbbell sets and more.
The relationship enhances the presence of the Stratusphere line across Canada with The Treadmill Factory’s extensive online customer base and reach.
“I’m really excited by this new partnership. The Treadmill Factory has become a leader in fitness across the country and their dedication to our industry is remarkable.” said Trish Stratus, president of Stratus Enterprises, Inc. “The Strausphere Living line has found the perfect place to call home. I’m particularly excited to develop new products with them to bring my Stratuspherians more ways to stay healthy and fit and to eventually bring that across the border!”
The terms of the deal will use the WWE & fitness icon’s expertise to develop new and exciting fitness products, which The Treadmill Factory will exclusively distribute and sell through brick-and-mortar and online retail channels. There are plans to extended the distribution into the United States in the near future.
Victor Proudian, president of The Treadmill Factory said, “We’re honoured to work with Trish Stratus and her team at Stratusphere. The unique products in the Stratusphere Living lineup have already proven to be hot in the yoga market, and we’re thrilled to provide them to our loyal customers.”
The Treadmill Factory currently has five locations throughout Ontario, including in Toronto, Mississauga/Oakville, Markham, Barrie and London and ships Canada-wide through their website, treadmillfactory.ca.
Trish Stratus and The Treadmill Factory are also pleased to announce that its customers will have the opportunity to get their hands on Stratusphere products at 25% off the already-reduced introductory sale prices. And, with their 24-72 hours shipping policy for applicable online orders, they hope to have many ‘stratusfied’ customers. Orders can be placed with promo code STRATUSFACTION at www.treadmillfactory.ca.
Forbes.com has named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the top grossing actor of 2013.
The Rock’s movies Fast & Furious 6, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Pain & Gain and Snitch grossed a total of $1.3 billion worldwide.
Robert Downey Jr. came in second place, with his latest Iron Man movie grossing an impressive $1.2 billion worldwide.
Despite the fact that The Rock’s movies grossed more, Downey was the highest paid actor of 2013 with $75 million, with The Rock earning $46 million for his movie roles.
– Curtis Axel and Konnan are still taking jabs at each other online after the former WCW United States Heavyweight Champion branded the third-generation wrestler as “vanilla” and “boring” in a series of Twitter messages weeks ago.
Over the weekend, Axel responded to a message on the social media outlet asking him for his thoughts on Konnan, and stated “Who?” A user on the social media site informed Konnan of the remark this morning, to which he responded, “He guy that said u were boring and was right and proof is how u are being used…#Jaybrone.”
– WWE is dominating Yahoo.com today as both John Cena and Tribute to the Troops host Michelle Beadle have ranked as the top trending topics.
News of WWE Diva Champion AJ Lee’s reported clash with the NBC sports and entertainment personality last Wednesday at Tribute to the Troops has garnered a lot of attention, so much so that it caused Beadle to briefly rank as the top trending topic on Yahoo.com today—with the accompanying link pointing to numerous wrestling website reports of the incident. Cena is drawing attention for losing last night’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to unify the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and saying no to marriage with Nikki Bella on the season finale of Total Divas.
– WWE Hall of Famer and former standout football player William “The Refrigerator” Perry turns 51-years-old on Monday.
Independent promotion Canadian Wrestling’s Elite issued a statement Monday announcing that “The Zombie Hunter” Mentallo participated in WWE’s three-day tryout last week at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. He has face off against some of WWE’s elite talent including Daniel Bryan, Antonio Cesaro and Seth Rollins (when they were competing on the independent scene).
CWE’s statement reads, “Canadian Wrestling’s Elite would like to send out a public congratulations to CWE Star “The Zombie Hunter” MENTALLO who just this past week was invited to and then participated in a private three day WWE try out at their new state of the art Performance Center.
“The 17 year Canadian wrestling veteran and former CWE Champion and former CWE Tag Team Champion was a apart of a small invite only group of wrestlers and athletes from across the World who were evaluated by World Wrestling Entertainment’s head trainers.
“MENTALLO is no stranger to competing with that level of talent as proven by not only competing against some of WWE’s top current stars like Daniel Bryan, Antonio Cesaro, and Seth Rollins on years previous CWE events but defeating some of them as well as well as a long list of other former stars of the company.
“With Global success under his belt in Japan and Mexico this yet another accomplishment to a long list of accolades “The Zombie Hunter” can add to his resume.
“Stay posted to www.cwecanada.ca to see when you can see MENTALLO perform live once again in a CWE ring!”
This is not the first time in which Mentallo has tried out for WWE as he participated in camps in 2005 and 2006.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section of his JRsBarBQ.com website. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Was Bobby Heenan the “biggest brain” in the business ever?
“Heenan was IMO the best all around, multi skilled talent that I ever worked with or saw work. Lawler a close second but he did not manage.”
Who the next breakout star will be:
“Absolutely impossible to answer conclusively but WWE had better hope that person is on the roster. Lots of viable candidates and it will be interesting to see who steps up and keeps making their game better each night.”
Why is there backstage heat on Eva Marie?
“I don’t know her or what the story is but it seems as if some of the Divas simply don’t like her attitude.”
WWE Using Terry Funk & Mick Foley Past Their Primes:
“If they could pass the standard medical tests, etc they would be hired and if not then they wouldn’t have been. Simple. We did not hire any one that we thought had a medical condition that was harmful to them or the other talents.”
Why Howard Finkel Doesn’t Ring Announce Anymore:
“WWE’s call as Fink is a valuable member of WWE.com’s editorial staff where he does a great deal of writing.”
The following cartoon has been circulating behind the scenes in WWE mocking Divas Champion AJ Lee and her obsession with former WWE Diva Lita.
AJ Lee dating CM Punk after Lita did takes AJ’s ‘fondness’ of Lita to a creepy new level.
Here’s the original photo of AJ Lee meeting Lita back in 2000:
Last night’s Total Divas season finale featured footage of Daniel Bryan proposing to Brie Bella.
AJ Styles posted the following statement on his official website and Facebook page this morning:
MY STATEMENT ON TNA CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 12/16/13
Today for the first time in 11 years, AJ Styles awakes to find himself without a professional wrestling contract. I can’t help but think how did I get here, what must I have done wrong, did I not deliver in the ring, etc. All of those are pertinent questions that any man or woman who finds himself or herself unemployed would ask.
I have always prided myself in being the wrestler that stays away from the things in this business that could easily destroy myself, my family, my marriage, and even my career. A wrestler who goes above and beyond to give the fans what they paid to see.
I move forward not bitter, but better for the blessings and memories that I have been a part of since TNA’s inception.
When this contract renegotiation journey started several months ago, my wife and I began praying for God to close doors that needed to be closed and to open the doors that He wanted us to walk through. We asked him to prepare us for this journey and to help us to have the faith to be obedient to what He would have us to do. I am assured by the name Immanuel in Matthews 1:23 that I will never be alone. Hebrews 13.5, says He will never leave us or forsake us. There is a lot in this world that I am unsure of, especially in this moment, but there is one thing that I am certain. Contracts may expire, but the promise of Immanuel will never expire.
As my family and I move forward with my wrestling career, we will turn to Jabez’s prayer found in 1 Chronicles 4:10.
Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil.
My family and I are both grateful for the platform that TNA has allowed me to experience. TNA has been a blessing to our family for many years. We have made many friendships and many more memories. While you may not be seeing AJ Styles in TNA, you can be sure that he will be traveling the world and delivering many more Phenomenal matches. Visit AJStyles.org for a complete list of bookings.
Sincerely,
AJ Styles
– Despite several appearances at last night’s WWE TLC PPV, Vince McMahon is not being advertised for tonight’s RAW.
– As seen last night at TLC, the top title in WWE is now known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The “big gold” World Heavyweight Championship has been added to the “Retired Championships” section of WWE.com.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans which deserves to be the first challenger to Randy Orton’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The The options are Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Big E Langston, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and Roman Reigns. Here are the current results, as of 12 noon (Eastern) on Monday:
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas with the fallout from the TLC pay-per-view. No matches have been announced, but WWE’s 5-point preview focuses on the following items for tonight:
* How long will it take before The Authority puts Randy Orton to the test?
* Is Roman Reigns The Shield’s weak link?
* Will Daniel Bryan join The Wyatt Family?
* Who will be next to challenge Cody Rhodes and Goldust?
* Is Big E Langston starting a streak?
The advertised dark match main event is WWE World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena with Booker T as the guest referee.
– The cliffhanger of last night’s season finale was a talk between Nikki Bella and John Cena, with Cena telling her, “I won’t get married, I won’t have kids.” Nikki was clearly upset and said that moving in with Cena was probably a big mistake.
– A graphic aired at the end of Sunday night’s WWE Total Divas season finale that said the show returns in March 2014.
– Here’s the final After Total Divas video from the season 1 finale:
Eros Comedy presents: Bang!: An Audience With Diamond Dallas Page
Live uncensored Q&As with the WWE & WCW Legend.
At a time when the professional wrestling business was red hot Diamond Dallas Page was one of the hottest stars in the business. During television’s infamous Monday Night War between the WWF and WCW he was at the forefront every single week for WCW. Fiery and empassioned on the microphone, dynamic and energetic in the ring, DDP tore the house down night in and night out with some of the biggest names to ever set foot in the squared circle. Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Randy Savage and many more fell to Diamond Dallas Page, more often than not thanks to his insanely popular ‘Diamond Cutter’ finishing manoever.
Now this truly fascinating individual is visiting the UK with his first ever live Q&A tour. In DDP will take questions from audiences all across the country in a completely unscripted and uncensored environment. A chance for fans of all ages to ask about his time in WCW & WWE, the legends he’s worked with, his time before wrestling and his amazing journey since. There will also be VIP tickets available giving fans an opportunity to meet DDP, get his autograph and have a photo taken with him. Never afraid to speak his mind, not one to hold back… This is sure to be a memorable occasion for everyone in attendance.
Here’s the official tour information:
Head to ErosComedy.com for information on picking up the tickets. Get ready to feel… the… BANG!
– Towards the end of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match last night between John Cena and Randy Orton, Cena took a nasty bump where he was thrown into a table. Cena’s head hit the bottom part of the table, which didn’t break, and Cena appeared to be dazed after the spot. We haven’t heard anything about Cena being injured, so it appears he is alright.
– Resistance Pro Wrestling star Robert Anthony is one of the wrestlers who trained at WWE’s latest Performance Center tryout camp. Anthony was previously signed to a WWE developmental deal.
– NOLA.com has a new article up with Titus O’Neil to promote the post-WrestleMania XXX RAW next April. Here’s what O’Neil said about his chemistry with tag team partner Darren Young:
“We just have a natural chemistry with one another. His strengths are my weaknesses, and my strengths are his weaknesses. We genuinely are friends. Our backstage segments are unscripted, unrehearsed. We are looking to entertain. It comes off very well because we are the best of friends. We are like brothers.”
Total Divas star Natalya spoke to the Miami Herald over the weekend. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Women Taking Over WWE: “Women, we call the shots, whether it’s your mother, wife, even in my relationship , my better half knows that Nattie calls the shots. In WWE, Stephanie McMahon, I would vote for her to be President of the United States. She is beautiful, intimidating and endearing, all at the same time. Women are taking over in WWE. People look at WWE and think it’s very male dominated, but really it’s not. There’s a nice blend and balance of women who are involved in WWE. You look at Stephanie McMahon and Vickie Guerrero and AJ Lee and this cast on ‘Total Divas.’”
Can Women Be Featured More Prominently on WWE TV? “Of course. I’m not saying this in a cocky way, but I think women are taking over, whether it’s [singer] Beyonce or [MMA fighter] Ronda Rousey or all the divas in WWE. Look at Stephanie McMahon. When she comes on your screen on [WWE] Monday Night Raw, she’s engaging. When you watch her, you want to hear what she’s going to say. You look at Vickie Guerrero, and you look at AJ Lee, and you look at the Bella twins. Even if you watch ‘Total Divas’ and you think the Bella twins are cocky or sassy or arrogant, you’re watching. You’re tuning in, and you’re hanging on every word they’re saying. I think that we have a nice blend of power women who are kind of taking over WWE. Go by what they do, not by what they say. If you’re watching WWE and you’re seeing all these women on your television screen, you know the tide is turning, and things are changing. WWE is always evolving and changing and growing, and for women our role in WWE is getting bigger and stronger and better, as it should. That’s the way it’s always worked in WWE. Our reality show ‘Total Divas’ is proof of that. You have seven divas, and we have an hour long show every week on another network [E!] that partnered with WWE to show what our girls do. You turn on SmackDown, and you see Vickie Guerrero, and you turn on Raw, and you see Stephanie McMahon, and you see all the girls. It’s very empowering to know that women are taking over WWE.”
Training new talents in the future: “For me, everything is situational, especially with my career in WWE. I learned a long time ago not to plan too far in advance, because the minute you start planning your life, it all takes a different direction. I was one of those people who liked to have all her ducks in a row, but now I don’t do that. I take it one day at a time, because everything can change, and you have to be willing to roll with the punches and the ups and downs, the highs and the lows. Although, I do really enjoy working with new talent, women and men, and I love training people. I think training people makes you better at your craft, but I don’t know. It will just depend on the situation, and if the right opportunity presents itself, but I can’t say what my future holds.”
This week on Because Wrestling, we’re fresh out of WWE TLC and the Slammy Awards!
NBC sports and entertainment personality Michelle Beadle has issued a statement in response to reports of a backstage incident between herself and AJ Lee at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington.
Dave Meltzer reported this morning in a podcast on F4WOnline.com that Lee went on tirade towards the Access Hollywood co-host upon seeing her chat with CM Punk, her boyfriend, backstage at the event. PWInsider.com subsequently claimed that Lee calmly appeared in his defense for speaking to him in a “disrespectful tone.”
Beadle tweeted the following statement on Sunday in hopes of putting the whole thing behind her:
“Once and once only: I’ve known CM Punk for years. Considered him a friend. When I saw him at the arena, I said ‘hey f&$?face’. The exact same way I talk to everyone. His girlfriend was no where near this. And I kept walking along with my assistant and two members of WWE PR. Next thing I know, I’m being yelled at. I honestly thought it was a joke. Period. The event went on and it was amazing.”
“So I hope we can move on from this ridiculously lame ‘story.’
As for the crazies, BLOCKED! And Happy freaking Holidays!!!”
While Beadle claimed that she took the whole incident as a joke, she tweeted otherwise the day after the incident, stating,
Lost another friend to CGFN….crazy girlfriend neutering. It's real people. Check your buddies. Affects everyone.
— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) December 12, 2013
The disease affects men. They are castrated and become shells of their former selves. Hug your brother. ;-)
— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) December 12, 2013
Many people within WWE are embarrassed and angry at Lee over the incident. She is expected to be disciplined for her behavior.
Beadle was at the event as the official host, which will air as a one-hour television special on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 8/7C on NBC.
– In the latest issue of WWE Magazine (cover dated January 2014, featuring John Cena on the cover), Kaitlyn pays tribute to fellow Texan “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in a photo shoot. In an accompanying interview, the Hybrid Diva reveals that she would like to bring back memories of the legendary wrestler’s feud with Vince McMahon by going one-on-one with Stephanie McMahon.
Responding to a question asking her who her ideal WrestleMania opponent would be, Kaitlyn said, “Stephanie McMahon! I’d love to see our names in lights together because she seems untouchable now, and it would be epic if we could bring back memories of the Austin vs. McMahon rivalry with Kaitlyn vs. McMahon.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kaitlyn says she is most proud of helping change the general view on the preferred mold for female wrestlers. She states, “I made it acceptable to be something other than a cookie-cutter prototype for the women in this business. I know there are a few who claim something similar, but do those ladies also look good with two different colors in their hair?”
– On Sept. 10 via Twitter, Zack Ryder revealed a goal to gain fifteen pounds by Oct. 1. “Got a lot of down time this month…gonna use the time wisely…training hard & eating A LOT…I want to gain 15 pounds by October 1st. #carbs,” he remarked. The New York native, who has sparingly appeared on WWE programming since early October (he has only appeared in two televised matches in the past sixty days, both of which aired on WWE Superstars), has indeed gained weight as he’s now up to 220 pounds (an increase from a billed weight of 214 pounds). However, not all of it is muscle.
In response to a person on Twitter calling him “fat” and a “pudgy boy” (based on a photo from a recent live event of him appearing heftier), Ryder responded, “220 and ZACKED. You must have seen a bad picture. #bulking.”
WWE TLC Kickoff Show
We kick off the Kickoff Show with the expert panel, which consists of Mick Foley (in a Santa Claus hat), Booker T, The Miz and of course, Josh Mathews. The guys run down many of the top matches for tonight’s show.
We shoot to the social media lounge with the lovely Renee Young. She talks about the history of the TLC matches. She sets up a poll, which asks the question: “What would hurt the most? Falling off a ladder, crashing through a table or getting hit with a steel chair?” You can vote on WWE’s Facebook page. She runs down some tweets further hyping tonight’s PPV.
As the guys on the expert panel continue to run down the matches for tonight, The Shield interupts them backstage. Dean Ambrose talks about how they’re going to beat up CM Punk tonight. Seth Rollins does as well, even mimicking The Rock with an “it doesn’t matter what you think!” line. Roman Reigns says a couple words, and back to Ambrose to close things out with a “believe in The Shield” line.
When we shoot back to the expert panel, Kofi Kingston comes out of nowhere and bitch-slaps The Miz. The two are separated by Mick Foley and Booker T as Kingston is on fire continuously saying “you wanna keep talking?!” The action stops there and we shoot live to the commentary table.
TLC Kickoff Show Match
– Fandango vs. Dolph Ziggler
Fandango and Summer Rae come out dancing and it’s time for our lone Kickoff Show match of the evening. Before Fandango even finishes his entrance we have our first bickering match between Michael Cole and JBL on commentary. Fandango “shushes” the audience once he gets in the ring. Before he can continue with his promo we get a loud “we want Ziggler” chant. Fandango talks trash about Texas line dancing until Dolph Ziggler’s music hits and out comes Ziggler.
The bell sounds and Ziggler gets straight to business with Fandango. Within seconds of the match beginning, we shoot to a mid-match commercial. When we return, Fandango has Ziggler in a rear chinlock. We get a shot of Summer Rae looking on from the floor. Ziggler back-suplexes Fandango to get out of the hold. We have ten minutes left on the pre-show clock as Ziggler does his ten-punch spot on Fandango in the corner.
Ziggler continues his beatdown on Fandango for another minute or two, and then out of nowhere, Summer Rae pops up on the apron and distracts Ziggler, allowing Fandango to push him off the top-rope. Fandango follows that up with his top-rope leg drop and that’s all she wrote, folks! 1-2-3. Fandango wins.
Winner: Fandango
We shoot back to the social media lounge where Renee Young reads some more tweets hyping up tonight’s WWE TLC pay-per-view show. She reveals the results to the poll question I mentioned earlier. The winner of the poll is falling off a lader with 78%. 13% crashing through a table and 9% getting hit with a chair.
After that, we go back to the expert panel where the guys discuss the poll result and the Kickoff Show match that just took place between Fandango and Dolph Ziggler. They talk about Summer Rae costing them the match. By the way, The Miz is no longer on the panel and the guys are now discussing the scuffle between Miz and Kingston. They do some final hype for the top matches at TLC tonight.
Following the video package, Josh Mathews asks Mick Foley and Booker T for their official predictions for the title unification match. Booker T picks Randy Orton. Mick Foley points out that this is Orton’s first ever TLC match.
As the guys continue to talk we get a shot of a limo pulling up. We see Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and finally VINCE MCMAHON come out of the limo. All three head into the arena as the Kickoff Show concludes on that note.
Our live coverage continues with the beginning of the WWE TLC pay-per-view show. For those interested in reading live PPV results throughout the evening, click ahead to page two below.
Allegations of a backstage incident between WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee and NBC personality Michelle Beadle at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event in Pierce County, Washington is currently a huge topic of discussion among company employees at tonight’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event in Houston, Texas. People who generally don’t acknowledge these types of online stories at shows are even offering their thoughts.
Multiple accounts of the story, which was originally reported this morning by Dave Meltzer on F4WOnline.com, are floating online, with some people affiliated with WWE attempting damage control in order to protect Lee’s brand and reputation—PWInsider.com is claiming that Lee did not approach Beadle out of jealousy toward her chatting up with boyfriend CM Punk, but rather, calmly appeared in his defense for speaking to him in a “disrespectful tone.” Meltzer, however, is saying that his version of the story, with Lee going on a bizarre, obscenity-laced tirade toward the popular television personality and behaving similar to her eccentric on-screen character, is completely legitimate.
“I’ve talked to several there. Everything is damage control now,” Meltzer remarked this afternoon on the F4WOnline.com message board in response to conflicting accounts of the incident online. “According to more than one there, she cussed out Beadle and they were very upset, partially because Beadle was brought in as a host and it was a show when they were trying to put their best foot forward, saying it was a bigger deal because it was Tribute to the Troops. Four different people today and one last night including one person who got it from top management explained it the same way.”
“Even one person trying to defend her admitted she was way out of line and nuts, but said she overreacted because she knew Punk and Beadle had a short-lived deal.
“It’s way bigger than I reported last night as of 1 p.m. Central time in Houston. It is the story in the locker room, even backstage people who aren’t usually talking about such things are are all talking about it.”
It should be noted that WWE officials invited Meltzer to last week’s press conference in Santa Clara, California to announce Levi’s Stadium as the location of WrestleMania 31 in 2015, with Stephanie McMahon addressing her new role as WWE Chief Brand Officer to him. In this photo gallery on WWE.com, there is a shot of Meltzer shaking hands with Mark Henry.
Lee’s reign as Divas Champion could end tonight as she is scheduled to defend her title at WWE TLC against Natalya.
– Amidst reports that Divas Champion AJ Lee is in hot water with WWE brass for appearing unruly towards NBC sports and entertainment personality Michelle Beadle at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington, betting for her scheduled title defense against Natalya tonight at WWE TLC is now off in most outlets.
The New Jersey-native was a heavy favorite to win her match against the accomplished third-generation wrestler after “insider betting” was placed on Thursday. At the start of Sunday, Lee was a 4,500-point favorite, then downgraded to a 2,750-point favorite after reports of the incident surfaced. Natalya moved to a 1,250-point underdog with late money landing on a win before the match was removed from most sportsbooks entirely.
Lee has the third-longest Divas Championship reign in history, having held the title for 182 days as of Sunday. She trails Beth Phoenix (204) and Maryse (216).
– This week’s WWE Classics on Demand updates are as follows: (The Big Events – Armageddon 1999; Classics Rewind – Monday Night Wars: Nitro (1/19/98). Monday Night Wars: Raw (1/19/98), Prime Time Wrestling Holiday Show (12/23/86); Cowboy Bill Watts – North American Heavyweight Championship: Bill Watts (c) vs. Terry Funk (CWF – 1970’s), Bill Watts and Jerry Brisco vs. Robert Fuller and Ron Fuller (CWF – 7/2/74), Florida Heavyweight Championship: Dusty Rhodes (c) vs Bill Watts (CWF – 10/22/74), Bill Watts, Jim Duggan and Terry Taylor vs. Fabulous Freebirds (UWF – 7/21/86); Season Beatings – WCW World Tag Team Championship: Dallas Page and Kevin Nash (c) vs. 3 Count (Nitro – 12/4/2000), First Blood Match: John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (Raw – 1/2/06), Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sting (WCW Thunder – 12/9/99), Eddie Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman (Nitro – 12/28/98), Divas Championship: Michelle McCool (c) vs. Maryse (Smackdown – 12/26/08); TV Classics – NWA’s WCW on TBS (8/20/88), Monday Night Raw (12/19/94), Tribute to the Troops (2012).
Additional and conflicting details have surfaced concerning a backstage incident between WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee and NBC personality Michelle Beadle at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington.
Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer reported this morning in a podcast on F4WOnline.com that Lee went on tirade towards the Access Hollywood co-host upon seeing her chat with CM Punk, her boyfriend, backstage at the event. WWE officials were very embarrassed and angry at Lee over her “unprofessional conduct,” which PWInsider.com is corroborating. They are especially upset because Beadle appeared as an invited guest of WWE, who is affiliated with partner NBC Universal. Furthermore, the incident took place at Tribute to Troops, which internally is considered one of the most important events of the year by WWE chief Vince McMahon.
Beadle was at the event as the official host, which will air as a one-hour television special on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 8/7C on NBC.
The word among wrestlers backstage at today’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event in Houston, Texas, was that Lee did not approach Beadle due to jealousy, but because she had spoken to Punk in a disrespectful tone. Lee approached Beadle after Beadle had a conversation with Punk, not during a conversation between the two as had been previously reported.
Beadle had remarked something to Punk in a disrespectful manner that allegedly upset him, which led to Lee searching for her—what Beadle said cannot be confirmed. It is said that Lee approached the popular television personality and told her that she was not to speak to her boyfriend in that manner again and if she did, there would be a problem.
One wrestler who witnessed the incident is denying the claim of Lee raising her voice and cursing at Beadle.
“Anyone who said that is a liar,” said the wrestler, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
Since Beadle is a celebrity, there is heat on Lee over the ordeal. The same wrestler remarked, “Celebs are untouchable in the backstage scene. WWE wants them more than they need any wrestler, so automatically, the wrestler is going to be wrong here, even when [Lee] isn’t really.”
Beadle acknowledged rumors of an incident with Lee this morning on Twitter. In response to a fan remarking to her this morning on the social media outlet, “You should have slapped AJ Lee when she got in your face,” Beadle stated, “Meh. I thought it was a joke.” She then added in response to an upset AJ Lee fan, “Hon…it was done in front of company people. I didn’t say a word. I thought it was a joke.”
Lee is scheduled to defend her WWE Divas Championship tonight at WWE TLC against Natalya.
