The Tuesday, July 7th edition of WWE Tough Enough on the USA Network drew 1.22 million viewers. By comparison, last week’s show drew 1.05 million viewers. This week’s Tough Enough show was the highest rated episode of the season thus far.
The Tuesday, July 7th season premiere of WWE Total Divas on E! drew 975,000 viewers.
The story about the fan getting hit with a car door by Brock Lesnar on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW is starting to gain some mainstream media attention.
As noted, a fan was injured by a piece of the Cadillac car door that was thrown by Lesnar on Monday in Chicago. The fan was then tended to by WWE trainers and EMTs before being brought backstage and later returning to his seat to watch the rest of the show. WWE also loaded him up with tons of free merchandise.
The New York Daily News has picked up on the story, which has prompted WWE to release an official statement. The statement reads as follows:
“WWE immediately responded to the incident during last night’s show. The fan was unharmed and declined any medical attention.”
The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network.
– The Mack vs. Cage
– Vampiro Interviews Pentagon Jr.
– Son of Havoc (w/Ivelisse, Angelico) vs. Mil Muertes (with Catrina)
– Texano promo
– Alberto El Patron, AeroStar, Sexy Star and Drago vs. Johnny Mundo, Jack Evans, Super Fly and Hernandez in an Atomicos tag team match
You can watch a video preview for tonight’s show at the top of the page.
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Ethan Carter III recently appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio to talk about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On being the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion: “Well I do have a heart but it’s pumped black full of panda-energy oil. I can take you on a trip down memory lane … First off, I know that this was built as a Slammiversary match but unfortunately circumstances negated that and we were kinda in a lose-lose situation because if we did it at Slammiversary but filmed TV prior … you know, it weird, but it did work out. It worked out great, I think Bell-to-Bell was our best show that we’ve had in a very long time. Everyone killed it on that show, it was great… great matches. The match with Kurt was perfect for what we were doing. It told the perfect story. It was my dream match as a kid to have and to have it for a World Championship was out of control and surreal. I mean, there was some definite knocks on the way, it’s been a long journey to get any sort of vindication for success, there’s been personal and professional ales that I’ve had to but I’m here and it’s AWESOME.”
On what kept EC3 motivated after all of the things he’s gone through throughout his career: “I kind of live my life by a motto, and whether it’s in wrestling or it’s in relationships with crazy ex-girlfriends or it’s any sort of, you know, people who spite me along the way … “It’s not over, until I win”. It is not over until I win and I will do everything in my being to prove people wrong. So, it wasn’t over until I won. I won. But now it’s just getting started. People think it’s like a death sentence to be released from WWE, when in fact there are plenty of places around the world to prove yourself… around the world to work and hopefully around the world to build up to be something special and build something great. TNA has afforded me that opportunity to just take the ball and kind of run with it and let me develop as a character, be myself and show who I truly am and I’ve hopefully repaid them by doing good work.”
On his infamous post-match promo: “It was immediately after [the match]. After a brain-rattling 15 German Suplexes and a lot of emotions unfolded. Before that promo took place, you know, cameras go off and my mom and dad were there… I brought them down to watch it. You’re getting all misty-eyed with my black heart but you know, we had a nice moment there. Miss Natalie, my girlfriend, was there. She’s seen me go through some shit in the day and you walk back to a round of applause from the guys on the roster… the girls… everyone that works there. And I was like “Wow. Get back to work, guys”. This is literally what I said and I completely regret it because it was such an emotional moment for me and I can’t help but be an idiot when I speak out loud sometimes but that meant the world to me. If they endorse me, the people in the back, the majority of them, that’s the justification I need. So, I am walking back because we’re actually filming more TV that day and I still had a whole gamut of activities to do but I took a seat down and this camera showed up in my face. They asked me how it felt to be the new TNA World Champion. It was raw and emotional and I look back on it… I forgot that I did it probably immediately after but … I look back on it and if it was a “wrestling promo” it may not have worked as much as, like, that was just me. And then it was like, “EC3 cuts expletive- ridden promo taking shots” and before I take any shots, WWE was really good to me for a long while and took care of me and taught me everything that I know and there is a lot of people that still to this day that I keep in touch with and good friends with and a lot of people are happy for me for succeeding elsewhere. There may be one or two guys that ended up being my death sentence there… one might not be there anymore … but do I need the motivation? No. I’ve always had the motivation. But if you could add fire to a fire to make it a bigger fire that is what happened and like I said, it’s not over until I win.”
On who from TNA gave EC3 his chance: “Coming over, I was on NXT before NXT was cool and awesome, you know, it was a chop-shop game show, I was on the internet, it was throwaway. We did the redemption thing and nobody cared. It was whatever. Probably people, major players in the office never even watched it or barely looked at it. That’s fine because they have better things to worry about. So I was at NXT then and John Gaburick was over in WWE and he’s in the truck all the time and he’s watching everything. When he came over to TNA, I was free and he immediately brought me in for a try out and next thing you know, I’m dropping Norv Fernum on his head and we’re off to the races. He saw something … a couple of other people vouched for me from over there to him and he brought me in and I was sort of his first “guy” to bring in and you know, regardless if I shit the bed or didn’t, he was going to be behind me because that’s wrestling and you get behind “your guys” and give them every chance to succeed even if they fail. Fortunately, it was pretty good and successful thus far.”
On people from across pro-wrestling who have reached out since winning the title: “You mentioned all those great people (Mick Foley, Seth Rollins) saying nice things and that meant the world to me. I’m a villain and I’m evil, but a lot of people kind of resonated with me personally and the journey I guess and especially with that promo. Foley? Wow. Jim Ross? Wow. And then Seth … Seth’s awesome. We came up similarly … he was more of a “Super-Indy” while I was more of a guy trying to get signed because that’s what I thought I’d be best at. We spent a lot of time at developmental together and we drove a little bit and we’re pals but we’re not the best of friends … we’re busy with our respective things but for him to be champion, and to say that, that meant a lot, I thought that took balls … not really because he’s the champ and he can do whatever he wants, as he should. It was very, very cool of him and I was just like, “Yeah, that’s awesome, Seth. I hate the fact that I’m a year older than you though. Damnit!” No… he’s great. He’s doing a great job and he deserves every bit of success he’s getting too.”
Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.
On Wednesday, a full, nine-page WWE RAW announcer script leaked online.
Below and across the next several pages are each page of a very detailed script that was given to WWE announcers prior to a live RAW broadcast.
Click below to advance to the next page to view the next page of the script …
The Monday, July 6th edition of WWE RAW averaged 3.647 million viewers, which was up from the previous week’s show, which drew 3.462 million viewers.
The hourly viewership breakdown for this week’s RAW is as follows:
Hour One: 3.637 million viewers
Hour Two: 3.689 million viewers
Hour Three: 3.615 million viewers
Kurt Angle underwent successful surgery to remove a benign tumor from his neck earlier this week. By all accounts, the former Olympic gold medalist seems to be in good spirits.
Angle posted the following updates from the hospital after undergoing surgery.
https://instagram.com/p/415EmUiYON/
https://instagram.com/p/42TOOmiYNk/
https://instagram.com/p/42O69giYE1/
WWE Superstar John Cena recently spoke with Access Hollywood about his sex scene in the Judd Apatow film “Trainwreck,” starring Amy Schumer.
Above is a video of Cena talking about the scene and below are some quotes.
“Trainwreck” drops in theaters on July 17th.
“There was talk about it being a closed set, but within 20 minutes there’s two camera ops, two focus-pullers, three lighting guys, two sounds guys, props. Catering was in there at one point. It became the most un-intimate environment possible – and that helped! There’s nothing intimate or sexy about it – it’s true comedy.”
“It was all day. My mom is probably so proud – I wore a sock to work all day! Special.”
“I have a lot to learn in this game and Amy and Judd are both very funny people with unbelievable track records. They created an environment where I didn’t feel threatened, I didn’t feel out of place, I didn’t feel uncool. That reinforcement and that environment led to some crazy awkward moments that you see onscreen.”
“A lot of the stuff that was [improvised] ended up in the movie. And that was only because, like I said, [Amy and Judd] didn’t make me feel for one second as if I was inferior. They treated me as a peer and I’m so, so thankful for that because I’m out of my element.”
VIDEO: UFC Releases Footage Of CM Punk Training For Octagon Debut!
As we reported on Tuesday, the storyline after Monday’s RAW angle was that Dolph Ziggler was “rushed to a local hospital” after suffering a “throat injury” during the attack he suffered at the hands of Rusev.
WWE has since updated their official statement on Ziggler and noted that he is “out of action indefinitely” and is suffering from a “severely bruised trachea.”
WWE’s statement now reads as follows:
“Further evaluation by medical staff revealed that Ziggler is suffering from a severely bruised trachea. He was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon after being monitored overnight to make sure his windpipe didn’t close. He is having issues talking and swallowing and will be out indefinitely.”
In addition to suffering broken ribs at the hands of Brock Lesnar on RAW a couple of weeks ago, J&J Security member Jamie Noble was roughed up yet again this past Monday night.
Noble reportedly had to get stitches in addition to a broken arm he suffered while being attacked by Lesnar on RAW on Monday night in Chicago.
The official WWE website has posted an update on J&J Security, noting that Noble received 12 stitches after being cut by windshield glass.
Additionally, Joey Mercury suffered a bruised spleen and re-aggravated a prior, serious neck injury due to a suplex he took on the hood of the Cadillac.
According to WWE, both J&J Security members are “out of action indefinitely.”
WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair mentioned on the latest edition of his “Wooo! Nation” podcast that fellow WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has been dropped from his WWE Legends contract.
According to Flair, Piper was dropped from his WWE Legends deal as a result of his recent issues with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin over PodcastOne.com.
We don’t have a lot of specific details on this story yet, however stay tuned as we hope to have an update later today.
MVP mentioned on social media this past weekend that independent pro wrestling promoters can now book him for dates at [email protected]. As a result of the post, MVP received several questions about his status with TNA.
MVP revealed that his current TNA deal expires in February of 2016, however it allows him to accept independent bookings.
Below is what MVP wrote on Monday:
1) My contract with TNA allows me to take independent bookings.
2) My contract with TNA runs through February.
3) I hate Flatscans.
— MVP (@The305MVP) July 6, 2015
– The “After Total Divas” post-show that aired after each episode of Total Divas on E! has been cancelled. Renee Young, who was the host of the show, noted on social media that the program has been “laid to rest.”
– Kevin Owens is scheduled to appear at the Adventureland store in Vorhees, New Jersey on Saturday, July 11th from 10am until noon.
– On the latest edition of the Ross Report podcast, which is available today, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross unveils part two of his interview with TNA announcer Mike Tenay. You can download the show at PodcastOne.com.
As she alluded to on Twitter last week, TNA President Dixie Carter is in fact returning to television on tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Destination America.
Dixie will be there to help kick off the “Era of Carter” following her nephew’s TNA World Heavyweight Championship win last week.
EC3 tweeted:
Dear Internet,
All that good will and friendship I built with you guys this week
Watch me torch it
#ReignOfCarter pic.twitter.com/R9Y3BlQHmi
— #ec3isCHAMP (@EthanCarterTNA) July 6, 2015
Dixie tweeted:
For the first time since August 7, 2014 I will walk back into the arena on @IMPACTWRESTLING. It will be history. Wed 9/8c
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 7, 2015
WWE taped the following for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
– Seth Rollins kicks off this week’s show. The destroyed Cadillac from Monday’s RAW is brought out. Paul Heyman ends up coming out. Rollins and Heyman talk back-and-forth about the Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar match scheduled for WWE Battleground.
– Roman Reigns vs. Big Show and Seth Rollins vs. Ryback is announced for later in the evening.
– Dean Ambrose def. Bo Dallas with his Dirty Deeds finisher. At one point during the match, there was apparently a big botched spot by Ambrose.
– Rusev def. Fandango in what amounted to a squash match. Rusev is also wearing shoes now instead of wrestling barefoot.
– Roman Reigns def. Big Show via Disqualification. Bray Wyatt’s music hit during the match and a fake Wyatt caused a distraction while the real Wyatt attacked Reigns from behind, which caused the DQ. Wyatt hit Reigns with two Sister Abigails.
– Titus O’Neil def. Big E. in singles competition. New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were ejected from ringside by the referee during the match.
– Randy Orton comes to the ring for a promo segment. Orton talks about Sheamus until The Ascension hit the ring and tell Orton to get out of “their ring.” Orton ends up nailing both with RKOs.
– Brie Bella and Alicia Fox defeated Naomi and Tamina Snuka.
– Ryback defeated Seth Rollins by count out when Rollins jumped the barrier and ran away towards the ramp. Big Show came out to help Rollins beat Ryback down after the match but Roman Reigns made the save.
WWE taped the following for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event on Tuesday evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
– Neville def. Heath Slater with his Red Arrow finishing move off the top rope for the 1-2-3.
– Tom Phillips interviews Cesaro. Cesaro will be facing Luke Harper in the main event later in the evening.
– The Lucha Dragons def. Los Matadores in tag-team competition. The Lucha Dragons got a good pop coming out and there were a lot of “Lucha! Lucha!” chants in the crowd.
– Cesaro def. Luke Harper in the final match taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. The finish saw Cesaro do the big swing to Harper, right into a Sharpshooter for the win.
On this week’s edition of WWE Tough Enough, Daria Berenato was the contestant that was eliminated, as she had only 14 percent of the vote. The final three this week were ZZ, Daria and Sara Lee.
In addition to the elimination, Dianna Dahlgren has quit the show due to a personal issue. The WWE Tough Enough website has a video where Dianna explains to Lita that her friend became paralyzed, so she had to leave the show.
– Due to the July 4th holiday in the United States, the WWE RAW ratings will be delayed this week. The RAW ratings are expected to be released on Wednesday.
– Triple H posted the following tweet today to hype Seth Rollins’ appearance on tonight’s edition of WWE Tough Enough.
A great character emotionally connects with the crowd. Tonight on #ToughEnough @WWERollins shows how important personality truly is.
— Triple H (@TripleH) July 7, 2015
– Below are this week’s “Top 10 RAW Moments.”
While there has been a lot of speculation about the outcome of the current storyline involving Paige taking on Team Bella (Alicia Fox and The Bella Twins), we can now report what the current working plan is.
According to PWInsider.com, NXT Diva Charlotte is scheduled to make her main roster debut at next month’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view. Another NXT Diva, likely current NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, will be debuting alongside Charlotte to help Paige.
There was some discussion of calling up Bayley for this storyline, however she is dealing with a broken hand, so the talk now is that Banks will be the second Diva called up for this angle.
Austin Aries recently spoke with the folks at Busted Open Radio about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview:
On the pro wrestling business changing and what could come of it: “It’s kind of important for the fans to remember that we are kind of in uncharted territories with wrestling. They’re seeing some business models changing, some ideas and thought processes maybe changing a little bit. You know, I’ve only been out of a contract with TNA for a little over a week and we deciding not to resign there at the time wasn’t really an indictment of TNA as much as the landscape in general and just really wanting to take some time and get a lay the land so to speak because there is a lot of great things going on. I haven’t ended my conversations with TNA and you could see me back there because they are maybe willing to bring some guys in that aren’t under exclusive deals and they’re seeing that the landscape is changing. I think everyone just has to kind of be patient and not jump to conclusions. I always see “He’s back signing with ROH”, and so people are still back in that old thought process of if a guy is going somewhere then he must be under lock and key … and as we saw as you alluded to with Samoa Joe showing up on NXT under, initially, a non-exclusive deal, that really changed the landscape and opened some doors that maybe hasn’t been opened before. I think it’s a really cool time … a really exciting time for wrestling. There is a contingency of people who have come into positions to make a difference, who are trying to do business the right way, and move the wrestling business forward … and I think we need to jump on those trains at full speed ahead because wrestling needs to be moved forward. Like I said, I’m out here in LA, with a talent management company, dealing with lots of friends in different avenues of entertainment … and it’s funny because they look at me in awe, and my colleagues in awe, at what we are able to go out there and do on a performance level. But then understanding the professional wrestling business end, they’re also in awe of that a little bit too because maybe we aren’t always put on the pedestal we should for what we go out there and do.”
On TNA dropping the ball on his title run: “I guess as frank as I can say it … somebody dropped the ball, and it wasn’t me. I was ready to run with it and somebody knocked it out of my hands from behind. I’m not sure where the decision was made, but I agree with your assessment and I think a lot of people agree with that assessment [that TNA had red hot momentum when they put the title on Aries]. You know, sometimes you have too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. At that time, that could have been the case of what was going on. You have different people fighting for different directions. All I wanted to do was to go on television every week and have the best god damn wrestling match of any company, anywhere. And we were poised to do that because we had all these fresh guys and matchups lined up that people wanted to see and the buzz was there and it was organic. Cowboy James Storm, he had earned a right for that championship title match and I kind of came along and maybe stole it from him … and I didn’t want to forget about him. I wanted to bring him back in the fold and give him the opportunity he had … I thought there was a lot we still could have done. And yeah, I’m disappointed I didn’t get the opportunity, but again… I don’t make those decisions. I take what decisions are made and do the best with them. I do feel that there was a lot more left on the table there that could have been done. And I think they may be a problem overall in wrestling … not just with TNA or any certain company. I think people tend to think that once a guy wins a championship, that’s when he’s made … and for me I always feel that’s when it begins. That’s when a guy has a real opportunity to cement himself as a superstar or as a top tier guy. But you have to be able to see that through and give the guy the opportunity to succeed or to fail on his own. That’s really all I wanted … was the opportunity to succeed or fail on my own. But plans change. Jeff Hardy came in … no one is going to discount Jeff Hardy and what he brings to the industry with his name value, his name recognition … so it had nothing to do with Jeff personally, I just felt like I didn’t get the opportunity to really help the company to the best of my abilities.”
On being a veteran in the business: “I don’t know what you guys are talking about, veteran presence, I’m a hot up and comer! In my head, I’m still like, “Wait till this wrestling world hears about me! I’m gonna take ’em by storm!” It’s funny … I guess I still don’t view myself like [a veteran]. I know I do have the time served now, but in my head I’m still that young upstart. It’s funny because I’ll read or I’ll people say, “Well, he’s passed his prime now … he’s over 35″. But I feel like I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I’m certainly wrestling smarter than I ever have. Listen, I know that I may have lost a half step, but I look back on those VHS tapes … because I am old … of my early days in wrestling and I had athleticism to spare. So, I have lost a half step but I think I’m maximizing what I have now and I’m better than ever. Understanding who I am. Understanding how I can be an asset for a promotion. And listen man, not everybody has to be on top. Not everybody has to be in the main event to make a main event impact. There are a lot of guys in TNA who embody that. They may be so good that it goes under the radar and people don’t understand just how good and how selfless they are. That is what I think that wrestling fans sometimes miss out on when they are watching or grading a match… the selflessness of certain wrestlers compared to other wrestlers. It’s easy to go in there and be about yourself and make yourself look like a star. But can you go in there and be selfless and can you go in there and make another guy look like a star, and then also make yourself look like a star? I think that there is value to that and I think that those guys eventually always make it to the top and the guys who are a little too selfish … they are gonna hit a certain point and they are going to get outed, so to speak.”
Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya will be taking part in a Twitter Q&A tonight at 8:30pm EST. on the official WWE Twitter page. You can submit questions for her at @WWE.
– The latest edition of Sports Illustrated’s “Where Are They Now?” features a profile of WWE legend Tito Santana. You can check that out at SI.com.
– In the latest Tough Enough Digital Extra, which you can watch below, the contestants are challenged on their WWE history knowledge.
https://youtu.be/YYU6O-HskQM
Global Force Wrestling announced on Tuesday that former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout Mickie James will be part of their first ever television taping in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Below is the official announcement GFW released:
The news broke on Karen Jarrett’s twitter account. Former WWE Women’s Champion, former WWE Divas Champion, and former TNA Knockouts Champion Mickie James is headed to Las Vegas for the first-ever Global Force Wrestling TV tapings!
Mickie now has her sights set on the GFW Women’s Championship! Be there live for the inaugural GFW TV tapings!
July 24 #GFWVegas the GFW Women’s Championship tournament kicks off & @MickieJames has her sights set another title! pic.twitter.com/svAlWNOmx8
— Karen Jarrett (@karenjarrett) July 7, 2015
Other names headed to Las Vegas include: Sonjay Dutt, Seiya Sanada, Chris Mordetzky (formerly Chris Masters in WWE), Nick Aldis (formerly Magnus in TNA), PJ Black (formerly Justin Gabriel in WWE), Lei’D Tapa, Jigsaw, Chris Sabin, Bobby Roode, and expert commentator Chael Sonnen. There will be more announcements coming on GlobalForceWrestling.com!
– It appears that for whatever reason, Vince McMahon and the WWE have decided to pull the use of the term “backbreaker” according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer explained that it’s possible that Vince may have had another decree for the commentary team not to use the term – though Michael Cole did use it during last night’s main event on RAW.
He went on to add that he wasn’t sure why Vince or the WWE had decided to remove the term but explained that McMahon has requested the term be kept off television previously.
– As an update to the earlier story of a fan being struck by part the door thrown by Brock Lesnar during RAW, the fan was said to be well on leaving the arena and was given free merchandise.
Brock Lesnar destroyed the car given to J&J Security by Seth Rollins last week and pulled the door off its hinges. He tossed it towards the crowd and a fan being struck by part of the doors interior was caught on video.
https://twitter.com/BillNevilleNAI/status/618247632000040961
Yesterday, 2K confirmed that WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin would be the cover superstar on this year’s WWE game “WWE 2K16”.
Following the news many began to speculate whether or not this means that the Texas Rattlesnake could make a return to the ring at WrestleMania 32 at the AT&T Stadium next year.
Steve spoke with MTV UK and was asked that very question and he made it very clear that it doesn’t mean he’ll be returning to the ring.
“I remember I was talking to Bryce [Yang, Director of Brand Marketing – WWE at 2K] about being on the cover of the game and how big of an honour it is.
“I said: ‘You know, its been a while since I’ve been around so this may spark some rumours or speculation?’ And he goes: ‘You know, Steve, it is no different to when we put Michael Jordan on the cover of the NBA 2K game a few years ago.’
“I would put myself on the same level for the wrestling/sports entertainment industry as Jordan – but his appearance didn’t mean he was going to put the uniform on again.
“So I would go on record: don’t look forward to me putting on the trunks and knee braces to get back in the ring and stomp a mudhole in somebody and walking it dry. How’s that work for you?”
You can read Steve’s full interview at MTV UK at this link.
WWE has hired Adam Pearce as a full-time coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Pearce has done multilpe guest-coaching spots at the Performance Center, which apparently led to a full-time gig.
Below is a photo of Pearce at his new place of employment.
https://twitter.com/WWEDrakeWuertz/status/618469408034410496