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WWE Pay-Per-View Buyrates Down 23% In Q4 2010

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Even more financial data is coming in from WWE’s Fourth Quarter 2010 financial results and the numbers for WWE’s pay-per-view buyrates are not pretty.

Pay-per-view buyrates for Q4 2010 were down a staggering 23% from the previous year.

Pay-per-view revenue was $13.8 million, down from $16.3 million in 2009.

Here is a breakdown of the buyrates by event:

  • October’s Hell in a Cell did 210,000 buys, down from the 283,000 buys in 2009.
  • October’s Bragging Rights did 137,000 buys, down from 181,000 buys in 2009.
  • November’s Survivor Series did 244,000 buys, up from 235,000 buys in 2009.
  • December’s TLC did 195,000 buys, down from 228,000 buys in 2009.

(Source: Corporate.WWE.com)

Kevin Nash Talks Kliq Reunion, His Future In WWE & More

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Former six-time World Champion & WWE Legend Kevin Nash was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition (02/07/11) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

Kevin Nash Responds To Dixie Carter’s Online Comments: Confirms He Was Under TNA Contract Prior To Signing With The WWE, The Moment He Knew He No Longer Saw Himself Returning To TNA, How Likely We Are To Seeing A Kliq Reunion And/Or Him vs. The Big Show At WrestleMania XXVII, Reveals Who May Induct Shawn Michaels Into The WWE Hall Of Fame, Plus What Lies Ahead For His Own Future With World Wrestling Entertainment (Including The Unveiling Of His First Post-Royal Rumble WWE Project).

You can listen to an MP3 of Nash’s interview at this link. Here are some highlights of what Nash said about:

His in-ring future with World Wrestling Entertainment & his first post-Royal Rumble project through the WWE:

“I mean, your guess is as good as mine as far as if I’m actively going to wrestle. I know I’ve got some stuff I’m doing with THQ this week for the video games. I just play it day by day.”

His response to Dixie Carter’s online comments about him being under contract with TNA prior to signing with the WWE & the moment he knew when he no longer wanted to return to TNA:

“Yes I was. The angle was Kurt (Angle) was beating Jeff (Jarrett). Fortune came down, put the boots to Kurt, and got heat on them. Abyss came down and had a 2×4 basically nailed to his spinal cord, which maybe just seemed a little strange for me that that would at least be attempted murder. If Abyss was not paralyzed from the neck down the next week, it would kind of seem like a foolish thing to do. Flair screamed back up, and Kurt made a comeback on the entire Fortune group and basically cleared the ring. What reason was I coming in for? If Kurt can beat them on his own, I definitely don’t need to come in there.”

How likely are we to see a Kliq reunion at WrestleMania XXVII or part of WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta:

“I talked to Sean (Waltman), and I’m sure he will be there. Scott’s (Hall) kind of the wild card of it. Of course Paul (Triple H) will induct Shawn, and I will be there. I guess Scott is the wild card. The last time I talked to him, he was thinking about going back into a rehabilitation center, so I don’t if he is going to be available to be there that weekend or not.”

WWE’s Q4 Live Events Revnue Down, Stock Price Even

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We’ve got some more financial results from WWE’s fourth quarter 2010 earnings report released on Thursday morning:

– WWE’s revenue from live events decreased by 9 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Live events took in $26.6 million, down form $29.2 million in Q4 2009.

– Average attendance of live events in North America decreased 15 percent to approximately 5,600 fans. The average ticket price was up nearly $4 per ticket, which helped offset the revenue impact from decreased attendance.

– While WWE has been relying on international tours to boost overall live event revenue in recent years, international live events revenue was down by 12 percent during fiscal 2010 compared to the previous year. Attendance dropped to 7,500 from 8,500 in 2009.

— Following the announcement of WWE’s Fourth Quarter 2010 financial results, the company’s stock did not take too bad of a hit. The stock price took a major dive on January 20th after it was announced that today’s results would not meet analysts expectations, but the stock is down less than 1% on Thursday morning now that the actual numbers have been made public.

(Source: Corporate.WWE.com)

WWE Announces 4th Quarter Financial Results

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World Wrestling Entertainment released is fourth quarter 2010 earnings report on Thursday morning. Here are some of the highlights:

– Revenues totaled $122.5 million compared to $117.3 million in the same quarter in 2009.

– Operating income was $14.4 million as compared to $17.8 million in the prior year quarter.

– Net income was $8.1 million, or $0.11 per share, as compared to $11.2 million, or $0.15 per share, in the prior year quarter.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon commented in the report. “In 2010, WWE achieved record operating performance, generating the highest level of reported EBITDA in the Company’s history despite a challenging environment, particularly over the latter part of the year,” McMahon said. “Difficult trends continued in the fourth quarter and were exacerbated by the performance of Home Video.

“For the quarter and the full year, our businesses exhibited three major areas of strength: increased value from our television content, significant growth from our new toy licensing partnership with Mattel, and continued financial discipline. These strengths served to mitigate the impact of a weak economy, changes in our talent base, and unfavorable industry trends in home video.

“We remain confident that we can address our talent related challenges, expand both our content and distribution and, leveraging our strengths, drive meaningful growth.”

We’ll have lots more details throughout the day on WWE’s fourth quarter earnings, which came in significantly lower than what was initially projected.

(Source: Corporate.WWE.com)

WrestleMania 28 Logo Revealed, Iron Sheik Undergoes Surgery

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— World Wrestling Entertainment has released the official logo for WrestleMania XXVIII.

The organization announced today that the 28th installment of the ‘pop culture extravaganza’ will take place on April 1, 2012 at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

— WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, 67, underwent surgery on his knees today, which are considered to be in bad shape these days. (source: f4wonline.com)

— During a “crunch by the numbers” segment on ESPN2’s Sports Nation program, the hosts asked what percentage of viewers would want to see The Miz face Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at WrestleMania. The number was revealed as 46%.

Latest On Triple H’s Return, News On “Tough Enough” Trainers

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— Triple H is tapped to return to the squared circle within the next few weeks and considered a lock for WrestleMania XXVII.

His return is being delayed now because creative has no plans for him to win an Elimination Chamber Match and thus felt there was no point in bringing him back.

Regarding his behind the scenes role as Vince McMahon’s Senior Advisor, he has been diligently studying all aspects of World Wrestling Entertainment’s business operations. He’s received much praise for his dedication to learn.

— The Tough Enough revival on USA will feature four trainers; “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Booker T and two yet to be announced names. It said that the two yet to be announced trainers are not active WWE wrestlers.

— Former women’s wrestling champion Madusa turns 47 years old today while Shelly Martinez turns 31.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Announces Retirement

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Former WWE talent Carl Ouellet, 43, announced his retirement from professional wrestling Tuesday during an interview with the largest radio station in Quebec, CKAC. He had not wrestled since June, in a match against TNA Wrestling star Desmond Wolfe.

Ouellet, who began wrestling professionally in 1987, competed under a variety of alias over the course of his 24-year wrestling career including Pierre-Carl Ouellette (or Ouellet), Pierre of the Quebecers and Jean-Pierre Lafitte. He worked for four of largest promotions in the United States; World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Ouellet is a three-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, having won the strap three times with Jacques Rougeau in 1993 and 1994. He also won the WCW Hardcore Championship during his brief stint with World Championship Wrestling in August 2000.

Ouellet confirmed to SLAM! Wrestling today that his wrestling career is over.

“I wrestled in more than 30 countries, on all five continents. I was three-time WWE tag team champion, I’ve wrestled against the best of my era and for all the major promotions,” Ouellet said. “When you choose wrestling as your career, you don’t have space for anything else in your life. Wrestling becomes your life. But after a while, you realize that there is more than wrestling. I have other projects I want to work on, but I couldn’t invest myself 100% in those with wrestling still around.”

Following an extensive stint overseas during the latter portion of his career, Ouellet declared during an interview with SLAM! Wrestling that he would like another run with WWE. He worked a few tryout matches in 2007, but was not hired. Ouellet claimed during a 2009 interview with Monday Night Mayhem that Vince McMahon shoved him into wall backstage after waiting to thank him for giving him another opportunity.

“After the show, I asked Mike Rotunda, I said, ‘Should I wait for their phone call or should I wait and thank Vince for the opportunity?’ Mike said, ‘No Carl. You should wait for Vince and thank him. So it’ll be fresh in his memory, you know? ‘ So I’m just waiting at the end of the Smackdown show. He’s coming out and it’s maybe 12:30 or 1AM. And I go, “Vince, I just want to…” And he shoved me into the wall like I was a piece of crap. I felt pretty bad.”

Ouellet wrestled throughout his career with a glass eye. He lost his right eye at the age of twelve when a friend accidentally shot him in the eye with a pellet gun.

WrestleMania 28 Update, NFL Star Hangs With WWE Stars

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– It was announced this week that next year’s WrestleMania 28 will take place from Miami, Florida on April 1, 2012. Many cities were considered to host the event, with many expecting the event to tkae place from the Rogers Centres in Toronto, Canada.

– Rey Mysterio recently spoke to school students in Green Bay about the importance of getting a good education and working toward your goals. When one of the children asked him whether wrestling is real, Mysterio said:

“What do you mean by real? Do you get hurt? Yes, I’ve been punched, kicked and slammed. But it is entertainment; we’re not out to hurt ourselves.”

– Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews, who attended Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Green Bay wrote the following on Twitter on Wednesday:

“Started the day off right by eating breakfast w/ a few WWE superstars… Chavo Guerrero, Edge, Rey Mysterio, among others. Always a fan!!”

* VIDEO: Green Bay Packers Get Physical At SmackDown Tapings! (Direct Link)

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)

Locker Room Opinion On Hardy, Knockout’s Release Confirmed

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— Initially, there was much concern amongst the TNA Wrestling locker room regarding Matt Hardy’s state of mind—largely based on his oftentimes peculiar online videos. Many have since changed their tune on the former WWE Superstar as he’s considered easy to work with and friendly.

Concern, however, remains over his conditioning and wrestling ability.

— The Wrestling Observer Newsletter confirms that Alison Skipper (a/k/a Chelsea) was released by TNA Wrestling. Her profile was removed from the company website last week.

Desmond Wolfe has a medical condition—that has yet to be publicly disclosed—which caused company officials to drop his partnership with Magnus and Chelsea. Magnus reunited with Wolfe at television tapings in December, but a decision was made to not air the vignettes they filmed.

— TNA newcomer Crimson has launched an account on Twitter.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Against All Odds Match Announced, Notes On Hemme & Angle

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— Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam has been added to this Sunday’s Against All Odds pay-per-view card. The bout will be a rematch from Genesis, which Hardy won.

— Christy Hemme has been announced for WrestleReunion’s signing event on Sunday, April 2 at the Downtown Marriott in Atlanta, Georgia. Fellow TNA Knockout Winter will also be on hand for the event.

— River of Darkness, which stars Kurt Angle, as well as Kevin Nash and Sid Vicious as undead giants, will be released on DVD by Green Apple Entertainment on March 29.

JR Blog: WM27 Guest Host, Packers At SmackDown & More

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JrsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

WrestleMania Guest Host: “We’ve gotten a wide array of suggestions as to who folks think will be the Guest Host of Wrestlemania 27 that emanates from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Bob Barker, Justin Beiber, ‘Arnold the Governor,’ The Rock, Stone Cold, Aaron Rodgers, Ted Turner, Dusty Rhodes, Mr. McMahon, the RAW General Manager revealed, etc. I’m happy that I don’t know who it is and will enjoy watching Monday Night Raw that much more to find out.

Brock Lesnar Hosting The Ultimate Fighter: “Brock Lesnar is reportedly doing an excellent job in his role as a coach for TUF that begins airing on Spike in a few weeks. This will lead into to the Lesnar-Junior Dos Santos fight later this year which will greatly enhance the UFC PPV headlined by these two heavyweights. Yes, ‘business is picking up’ for these two, talented heavyweights who are both looking for a title opportunity. Sources say Lesnar and his family and complete training camp are living in a luxury home in Vegas while TUF is being taped. This is a magnificent marketing opportunity for Brock’s upcoming book written with Paul Heyman not to mention Lesnar’s merch line ‘Death Clutch.’ In all due respect, I’d rather winter a few weeks in Vegas as opposed to Northern Minnesota but that’s must me.”

Green Bay Packers At SmackDown: “I hear that many of the Packers made quite the impact at the Smackdown TV taping in Green Bay Tuesday might. Star linebacker Clay Mathews has been tweeting about it. Congrats to all the Packer fans from a Steeler fan who freely admits that the better team won on Sunday in Arlington.”

WWE Officially Announces Miami As Host Of WrestleMania XXVIII

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MIAMI TO HOST WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII

February 9, 2011

MIAMI – The Miami-Dade Sports Commission, Miami-Dade County, Miami Dolphins, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, and WWE announced Wednesday that Sun Life Stadium, home of the Dolphins and other world-class events, will host WWE’s annual pop culture extravaganza, WrestleMania XXVIII, on Sunday, April 1, 2012.

The announcement was made Wednesday at a press conference at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Miami-Dade County Commissioner and Chairman of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Miami-Dade Sports Commission Executive Director Mike Sophia, Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, former Dolphins Quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino, and Miami Dolphins limited partner and Grammy Award Winner Emilio Estefan, joined WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and WWE’s Senior Vice President of Special Events John Saboor in making the announcement. WWE Superstars John Cena, The Miz, Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio, and WWE Diva Eve were also on hand for the announcement.

“Miami has always been the home of first class events, and this event will add to that legacy,” said Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Miami-Dade County Commissioner and Chairman of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission. “Hosting WrestleMania is a huge coup for Miami.”

“On behalf of WWE, I would like to thank Commissioner Diaz and all his colleagues for their support, and the Miami-Dade Sports Commission for graciously rolling out the red carpet to bring WrestleMania to one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. “We look forward to adding WrestleMania to the list of prestigious events held at Sun Life Stadium.”

“For nearly 25 years, Sun Life Stadium has played host to South Florida’s world class events that provide economic benefit to the entire community,” said Dolphins CEO Mike Dee. “We applaud the efforts of Commissioner Diaz and the Sports Commission on attracting WWE, and look forward to an unforgettable WrestleMania in 2012.”

WrestleMania is not just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration, as visitors from around the world are expected to converge on Miami for WrestleMania Week. Activities will include the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, WrestleMania Axxess, the finals of the WrestleMania Reading Challenge and a Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament. The pay-per-view event will be televised to more than 100 countries.

Over the past three years, WrestleMania and the events surrounding it has generated nearly $150 million in cumulative economic impact for the host cities. Last year, 72,219 fans from all 50 states and 26 countries converged on the University of Phoenix Stadium for WrestleMania XXVI.

Fedor Says He Is Considering Retirement In Near Future

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The career of one of Mixed Martial Arts greatest fighters may be coming to an end sooner rather than later as Fedor Emelianenko has had the idea of retirement on his mind for some time now and talked about the possibility of it with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:

“To tell the truth, I certainly, was — I am thinking about retiring but that’s not because of the loss. I used to think about it before [the loss to Fabricio Werdum]…. This is just because of my age. Because of my age, because for the heavyweight sportsman my age is considered a very big one. So sometimes I’m thinking about maybe finishing my sports career because also my former injuries started reminding me about themselves. But I hope that I still will have some time to fight…. I think maybe about a year and after it, it’s God’s will.”

Date For WrestleMania 28, Steiner Coming To Atlanta, More

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— WrestleMania 28 will be held on Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Miami Herald reported last night that the event will be held at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

— Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner has been announced for WrestleReunion’s signing event on Sunday, April 2 at the Downtown Marriott in Atlanta, Georgia. Bruno Sammartino, WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton and TNA Knockout Winter will also be on hand for the event.

— WSVN-TV features a short piece on WrestleMania 28 coming to Miami, Florida. (Article link)

Paul Bearer Talks Taker’s Streak, His Son Wrestling & More

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Arda Ocal sent the following highlights from Paul Bearer’s appearance on Right After Wrestling this week. You can hear the full interview at Radio.TheScore.com.

– Paul Bearer will appear during WrestleMania week, signing autographs at Fan Axxess events, and will be featured in the new WWE video game

– Keeping his return to WWE a secret: “I worked my butt off kayfabing. I hid out all day long – nobody knew I was even in the building. (When we rehearsed) I popped out of the casket and Teddy Long asked “Who’s in the Paul Bearer suit?” I had such a good time.”

– His latest run in WWE – “I had such a good time working with Undertaker and Kane. It took a little bit to talk me into it. They said it would only be a few shots…if it worked out I could stay a little longer and obviously it did. And then I got kidnapped by Edge – and working with Edge and Kane and all those vignettes were directed by Vince, himself. And I was so comfortable working with him right there. And I felt that last month was some of the best work I’d ever done. But that ball (that Edge threw at him in the vignettes) hurt like a bitch! ”

– Should Taker’s streak ever be broken: “NO! Absolutely not! Why should it be? It would never happen again. There’s no reason to break it. He’s certainly earned that spot – in his biography – as the Phenom. It’ll never happen again. I would be close to 80 if it ever happened again. Who even knows if he’ll be wrestling at WrestleMania? I don’t.”

– Memories of managing the Undertaker in his first match in pro wrestling in Texas before he was the Undertaker

– Talking about his son who is trying his hand at pro wrestling.

– Paul Bearer and the Hall of Fame – “I just say ‘why now’? I’m in no hurry. I worked my ass of and I think I deserve to be inducted one day. The biggest honour I could have is if I am inducted at the same time the Undertaker goes in. That would be the biggest honour for me. “

Punk vs. Orton Feud, Triple H’s Training, Ziggler’s Bro

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– On Monday’s RAW, we saw Randy Orton and CM Punk continue their on-again off-again feud, with Nexus beating down Orton in a segment that resulted in Orton bloodying Punk’s nose. During RAW, they showed a clip from Unforgiven 2008, when Randy Orton’s Legacy defunct group attacked Punk and cost him the World Heavyweight championship.

A source in WWE tells us that it was actually CM Punk who reminded WWE creative about the Legacy attack from Unforgiven 2008, which resulted in the clip being shown.

– Dolph Ziggler’s brother Ryan Nemeth captured the vacant OVW Southern Tag Team titles with his partner Paredyse at the OVW show this past Saturday night.

– T-Nation.com has an artichokecle up by trainer Joe DeFranco talking about how after Triple H injured himself while filming a movie and had to have his most recent surgery, the WWE Superstar contacted DeFranco about shoulder training. DeFranco worked with Triple H on a routine called “Shoulder Shocker.” DeFranco wrote:

“I’ve been using these guidelines with WWE wrestler Triple H. He trained like a bodybuilder for years with lots of overhead pressing, and it caught up with him. Today, he can’t believe how much better his shoulders are feeling and how much faster his rehab from surgery is going.

During our last training session he told me that his shoulders are just as good as they were when he was hammering away at them, only now they’re pain-free. He’s been using the Shoulder Shocker for the last four months.”

*Spoiler* NFL Star Gets Involved At SmackDown (VIDEO)

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NFL Super Bowl champions the Green Bay Packers appeared at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Packer player Clay Matthew got involved in the action during the main event match between World Heavyweight champion Edge and Dolph Ziggler, with Vickie Guerrero serving as the special guest referee.

Towards the end of the match, Vickie took a bump and got knocked out. Edge speared Dolph but there was no referee to count. Matthews appeared at the top of the ramp with a referee shirt on to a huge pop from the crowd. Matthews rushed down to the ring and counted the pin for Edge, allowing him to retain the World Title.

The reaction that Matthews got from the live crowd has been described as “ridiculous.”

SmackDown ended this week with Matthews celebrating with a replica World Title belt while Edge celebrates with his real World Title. After the tapings ended, Edge and the Packers celebrated more in the ring.

A fan who was at the tapings sent in this video – check it out:

Promotional Poster For WrestleMania, Ex-ECW Stars In Baltimore

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— The promotional poster for WrestleMania XXVII has been released and it features John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and The Miz. The Undertaker’s inclusion on the poster looks to be a good sign he will be involved at the show in some capacity.

WrestleMania XXVII

— A number of former ECW stars are scheduled to appear this Saturday at Baltimore Celebrity Fest 2011 (located at Best Western BWI 6755 Dorsey Rd. Elkridge, MD) including: Terry Funk, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Nunzio, Joel Gertner, Raven, Justin Credible, Blue Meanie, Chastity, Danny Doring, Mikey Whipwreck, Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, Shane Douglas, Gorgeous George, Judge Jeff Jones and Jimmy Cicero. The Headbangers, Gillberg, Baby Doll, Samantha Starr, Manny Fernandez, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, Sonjay Dutt and Ox Baker will also be on hand for the event. Visit www.bmorecelebfest.com for more information.

— A Twitter account has been launched for Chris Jericho’s band fozzy.

The Miz Calls Out Superbowl MVP, Doane-Hart & More

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– WWE Champion The Miz called out Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his Twitter last night. Miz wrote:

“Aaron Rogers congrats on the super bowl. Saw Letterman, the title fits u well come to Wrestlemania and earn the right to wear it.”

Speaking of The Miz, he was courtside for Tuesday night’s Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers NBA  basketball game.

– Former WWE writers Alex Greenfield, Chris DeJoseph and Court Bauer are working together on a new MMA reality TV show called Ungloved. It will feature Frank Shamrock working to get MMA legalized in the state of New York. (source: f4wonline.com)

– Former WWE star Ken Doane (Kenny Dykstra) responded to Bret Hart’s recent comments where he said today’s wrestlers are boring. Doane wrote on Twitter:

“love how the hitman calls todays wrestlers boring. LOL! this could be why i got fired. had too much fun. but he is right tho. i didnt meet the company standards i think. i drank ALOT of beers!”

Edge Thinking About Life After Wrestling, WWE All Stars App

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— WWE World Heavyweight Champion Edge said last week in an interview with PostCity.com that he’s beginning to think about life after wrestling.

“Honestly, now I’m starting to think of things I want to do after. I want to train and make an attempt at Everest. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it, but I think it would be cool to give it a shot. I still love it, it’s the greatest gig in the world for me, but I know my body can’t keep up with what my mind is telling me.”

He hinted at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Toronto, Ontario that his wrestling career was coming to the end, announcing to the audience, “I might only have a couple more of these visits left in me, and I want to end my career in Toronto. Maybe if Mania is here.”

— A Facebook app has been launched for WWE All Stars. (Link)

— Colin Delaney will be appearing at the USWO event in Nashville, Tennessee on February 11, 2011. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

Chris Jericho Talks WWE Return Rumors, 2/21/11 & More

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Former six-time World Champion, New York Times best-selling author, & the lead singer of Fozzy, Chris Jericho, was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition (02/07/11) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

Chris Jericho Discusses His Response To The Rumors That His Return To The WWE Is Imminent After His Recent Comments To Fanhouse, Whether Him Or Fozzy Will Be “Performing” In Atlanta For WrestleMania XXVII, Why He Will Not Spoil The Surprise If/When He Does Return To The WWE, His Reaction To Those That May Believe That He Is The Mastermind Behind 2.21.11, Why He Feels He Has “No Unfinished Business” Left In The World In The World Of Professional Wrestling & Sports-Entertainment, The Release Of His Highly-Anticipated Second Book (“Undisputed”), & Why His Process For Writing Is Similar To Watching An Episode Of FOX’s “Family Guy”.

You can listen to an MP3 of the interview by clicking here.

Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

At what point that he decided he was going to pen the follow-up to “A Lion’s Tale” (in the form of “Undisputed”): “It’s quite obvious when you read ‘A Lion’s Tale’ that there would be a sequel. I ended off on a ‘cliffhanger’ if you were watching a movie. I had no guarantees that there would be a second book, but I wanted to write it, and I actually got the deal for the second book just as the first book was released.”

His response to the rumors that his return to the WWE is imminent after his recent comments to Fanhouse, his reaction to those that may believe that he’s the mastermind behind WWE’s 2.21.11, & why he will not spoil the surprise if/when he does return to the WWE: “What I said was misquoted. It’s not like I’m 90% ready to return to the WWE, or that it’s 90% done. There’s a contract that’s on the table and that has been on the table since September. It’s not done because it’s not signed, but because there’s other things going on. I could be returning tomorrow, I could be returning two or three years from now. I don’t know. People are asking when I’m coming back, and like anything else, if I was coming back and if I was the 2.21.11 guy, I wouldn’t tell anybody. All these things that are talked about have been talked about and are in the works, but as far as when they are going to happen, only I know, and I won’t say it until it happens, because it ruins the surprise.”

Why, despite the possibilities of a WWE return, he feels that he has no “unfinished business” left in the world of professional wrestling & sports-entertainment: “I have no unfinished business: That’s the difference between Jericho 2011 & Jericho 2005. When I left in 2005, I was kind of disenchanted with the wrestling business and wasn’t digging what was going on in, and had to find myself, and explore certain opportunities. I did that. This time, my contract expired, and I had a lot of other stuff in the works that I wanted to do, but I still love wrestling. I definitely left at the top of my game, and I think the last three years of my career was the best three years of my career.”

Location Revealed For WrestleMania 28

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WrestleMania is heading to Miami.

World Wrestling Entertainment will officially announce today that Wrestlemania 28 will be held at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida, reports the Miami Herald.

Miami and Toronto had been the frontrunners in recent weeks, according to company sources.

Sun Life Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, can seat over 75,000 for the event.

Latest NXT Elimination Announced, Matches Taped For Superstars

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— Dolph Ziggler’s NXT Rookie, Byron Saxton, was eliminated from the competition Tuesday night.

The remaining Rookies are Brodus Clay, Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis.

WWE has not announced the length of the season and there was no announcement made regarding the date for the next elimination.

— Matches taped Tuesday night at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:

* Curt Hawkins vs. Tyler Reks

* Jack Swagger vs. Trent Barreta

— Percy Watson beat Chavo Guerrero in a dark match prior to Tuesday night’s television tapings.

source: PWInsider.com

Former WWE Diva Maria Comments On Her Future In Wrestling

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Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis posted a blog on her Facebook account responding to those who feel she is not passionate about the wrestling industry because she no longer wrestles.

I want to make a comment about the wrestling world because a lot of people are saying that I’m not passionate about wrestling because I am not still trying to wrestle.

I was completely in love with wrestling and would have done it for the rest of my life if it had a retirement/family plan and fulfilled me creatively. I got into wrestling at 22. I never experienced anything except wrestling. Problem now is my niece is getting older and older. Watching her grow up made me figure out that someday being on the road 250/300 days a year isn’t gonna work. I did not want to get out of wrestling at 35-40 and then have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Also, I love acting and the 1-5 minutes on TV was no longer enough for me. I miss the fans and I still plan on coming back someday to the wrestling world. But I need to try things, experience things, and see what I really enjoy. I’m going to a Wrestling show on saturday because I miss that world.

For now though I am going to really find me. Spending time with friends and family, going to classes, a perfume line, yoga, a web series, a play, a movie, and more music until I know me. I don’t do drugs and I’m not a drinker so I can not drown my loneliness out. I have to face my life. I have to find where I belong. Maybe it is wrestling but I think it would have been unfair for me to stay when I was so confused and jaded. Now, IF/When I go back it will be for the right reasons. Passion is what drives me and that is why I still think about the amazing feeling of being on the top rope ready to jump. The fans drove me to jump and now I need to learn to jump on my own.

Thank you everyone for your continued support and who knows what the future will bring. Spanks and Kisses!!

Rating For Last Night’s Raw, Bryan Comments On Lawler, More

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— The January 31 episode of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.3 cable rating, down from the 3.5 the program posted the week before.

Raw averaged 4.93 million viewers over the course of two hours. The first hour averaged 4.89 million viewers while the second hour drew 4.97 million.

— WWE United States Champion Daniel Bryan commented on tagging with Jerry “The King” Lawler last night on Raw, writing on Twitter: “Did I just team with Jerry Lawler on Monday Night Raw or was that a dream? My life is surreal.”

— Big Show celebrates his 39th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday is Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who turns 56 years old. Today would have also marked as WWE Hall of Famer Sherri Martel’s 53rd birthday.

source: PWInsider.com

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