There hasn’t been many updates regarding the condition of Jake “The Snake” Roberts since he was hospitalized in Las Vegas earlier this week.
As noted, Roberts fell unconscious during an airplane flight to a wrestling event that he was scheduled to attend, and that he may be dealing with double pneumonia.
It’s worth noting, however, that Roberts has regained consciousness, as he has been having conversations with friends in the hospital.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
After much hype and anticipation, the new The Monday Night War program finally hit the WWE Network this past week. Thus far, the original pilot episode that aired a few weeks back and two new episodes are available for streaming on the Network.
After announcing the launch of the WWE Network, this program was probably the most hyped original piece of programming to hit the Network. In fact, they purposely saved it in order to entice the initial round of subscribers to stick around for another six months.
So, after all of the hype and build for the newest WWE original series, was it worth the wait? After flying through the first three episodes, unfortunately it does not seem to add much to the Monday Night War discussion.
There are a few shortcomings that are immediately apparent. Most importantly, it seems to gloss over an entire era in just under an hour. The first episode was off to a great start, with Ted Turner’s acquisition of WCW serving as an adequate launching point. It was a quality pilot for the series and it was expected that the company would take a slow, in-depth look at the era.
However, episodes two and three of the series quickly took the wind out of the sails. The nWo episode, while entertaining, provided nothing that was not already available on the nWo DVD that was released a few years back. In fact, nearly all of the commentary that was featured on the Monday Night War episode was directly lifted from that release.
The same held true for the third episode, which discussed the Attitude Era. Instead of offering a fresh perspective, it basically took the same approach as the DVD box set that was released a few years back. This episode also relied on commentary that is many years old.
My question after watching the first three episodes is simple: Where do they go from here? At the end of episode three, they were already to the end of the Attitude Era and discussed the acquisition of WCW, basically glossing over the entire feud in a little less than an hour.
Above is a new teaser clip for episode one of season three of WWE Total Divas, which premieres next Sunday night, September 7th at 9pm EST. on E!. The clip features the returning Rosa Mendes talking with Natalya backstage at a WWE event.
The official synopsis for episode one of this season of Total Divas reads as follows:
“Season 3 begins with Nikki planning her future without her current boyfriend John Cena; at the same time, life turns topsy-turvy for Eva when she’s forced to choose between family and her husband; and tensions are high when a former Diva returns to the roster, revealing a dark secret.”
The following are highlights of a new Journal Star interview with R-Truth:
On a shoulder injury he is dealing with: “We take some devastating hits out there. A lot of times we’re out there injured. I’m injured now. I’m about 80-85 percent. I hurt my shoulder. But, as they say, the show must go on. So I’m out there.”
On his career highlight: “Getting the WWF contract, the WWE contract, just coming here. My highlight is being able to do all I want to do. You can’t pick one thing. I’m working for the biggest company there is, doing what I want to do. I’ve lived the dream. I’ve accomplished the goal.”
Check out the complete interview at JournalStar.com.
– As noted, former “Saved By The Bell” star Dennis Haskins, better known as “Mr. Belding,” was backstage at WWE RAW this past Monday night. While at the show, he taped some footage for the latest edition of the JBL & Cole Show, which you can check out below.
– WWE added the latest edition of their “Unseen Photos” monthly feature for August to their official website. Joey Styles, who runs WWE.com, tweeted the following link to the feature on his official Twitter account.
Monthly unseen @WWE photos http://t.co/hMXrszJiCX @HulkHogan @HeelZiggler @NatByNature @SashaBanksWWE @AliciaFoxy @Goldust @StardustWWE
— Joey Styles (@JoeyStyles) August 29, 2014
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan recently appeared on The Roz And Mocha Show for an interview. During the discussion, “The Hulkster” was asked about fellow WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who he called a “constant bitch.” You can check out audio of the interview at Kiss925.com.
– The following are some clips from matches on this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
The following are highlights of a recent online Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On how he would run TNA: “No reason to comment on TNA as I’ve made myself clear that I have no desire to return pro wrestling full time much less take over rebuilding a company.”
On the Vince McMahon is dead/limo storyline: “Wasn’t a fan of the storyline with or without the tragic Benoit component. The storyline was totally unbelieveale.”
On how to make RAW and SmackDown feel more different: “There are many obvious albeit subtle things WWE could do to economically change the look of Smackdown vs. RAW. The shows sounding different is a major, positive change. Using different colors on ring posts, mat cover, etc all would help. EZ fixes all.”
Check out more of JR’s online Q&A at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Earlier this week, WWE debuted the first episode of their new animated series on their official website and YouTube called “Cheap Pops.” The episode has since been removed from both sites.
The show was produced by LowBrow Studios, which is a company that creates animated content for the internet and television. Mike Parker, the creative director of the company claims that the episode had to be removed “super fast.”
“Welp. I don’t know any details, but WWE had to take Cheap Pops down super fast,” Parker wrote on Facebook. “It was doing great, thanks for all the shares…but yeah. We’ll see what happens!”
The series, which was dubbed “THE MOST ABSURD WWE SERIES EVER,” featured Kane getting a makeover, Brock Lesnar going hunting and former WWE character Adam Bomb visiting the doctor.
The following are highlights of a new Alternative Nation interview with Hornswoggle:
On a backstage conversation he had with The Rock: “I told him, ‘I met you backstage the night you came back in [Anaheim], when you were revealed as the guest host for WrestleMania, and you thought I was a Make a Wish kid. You tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Did you have a good time tonight buddy?’ Then you walked off and you realized it, then you said to Big Show, ‘Hornswoggle thinks I thought he was a Make a Wish kid, and I did think he was.’”
On the Vince McMahon son angle: “I did that for about three months, where I was his son, maybe longer, and there were days in the beginning where I would go, ‘Oh my god, I’m working with the most powerful man in wrestling.’ Then I realized that he’s joking around, he’s playing ribs on guys more than I am. You just realize that he is this billionaire, but still just loves this business. When it comes to wrestling, I use that word instead of sports entertainment, I use wrestling all the time, because I am a wrestling fan. CM Punk once said this is still wrestling to us, this isn’t sports entertainment to us, because we grew up on wrestling.”
On Finlay: “My old buddy, my ‘Dad’ Dave Finlay. He’s still working backstage as an agent and producer, and he has helped me more than anybody else in this company. He has gone to bat for me more times that he probably wanted to, and that’s because he literally cares about me as a son.”
Check out the complete interview at AlternativeNation.net.
The following are highlights of a new CBS Atlanta interview with Bill Goldberg:
Will Sting wrestle in WWE?: “You never know what WWE is doing. You never know what any of these guys are doing. You don’t know if they’re publicizing it to ramp up for an in-ring return or an appearance of if they’re just hinting at it so that they can sell more video games. You just never know.”
What wrestling appearance he’ll make (mostly signings): “I obviously look at the roster before I choose to attend one of these, which plays a huge role in whether I do it or not. For the most part it’s a good time.”
Tony Stewart situation: “It’s a tragedy on both sides. Nobody knows what happened. Nobody knows what’s in Tony’s mind. Everybody knows his past as far as his aggressive driving and his willingness to trade paint, which is what NASCAR is all about. … I think the only fault of Tony in this situation is being part of the group of guys the last 20 years that have shown their emotion on television and have been allowed to get out of their cars and do whatever it is they have done. They set bad examples for kids like (Kevin) Ward. … I just don’t think it’s within the realm of possibility that Tony Stewart could run somebody down. There’s zero validity to that.”
Check out the complete interview at CBSLocal.com.
As noted earlier this week, Daniel Bryan was pulled from the advertising for WWE’s upcoming European tour. It had been noted that Bryan would not be wrestling on the shows, which begin in November, however he would appear and cut an in-ring promo or get involved in some sort of non-physical segment.
For what it’s worth, a WWE source claimed that if Bryan wasn’t going to be able to appear on the tour, he would be pulled from the advertising, which is exactly what happened earlier this week.
The fact that Bryan was pulled from the tour could be a sign that he has received the update he has been waiting on regarding whether or not he will need another surgery. However, that is strictly a rumor at this point.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE executive Stephanie McMahon wrote an editorial feature for the Huffington Post regarding Connor Michalek, the late young WWE fan who was close to so many of the talent and workers in the company.
“This remarkable little boy was not going to let anything stop him from living his life, and doing the things that made him happy,” said Stephanie. “He was beautiful, inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I hugged him one more time, and before he left, he looked back at me as if he was trying to tell me something. It felt as though our souls had touched.
“That night, I couldn’t sleep. My husband asked me what was wrong and I told him. ‘I just can’t stop thinking about that little boy and his dad. I wish there was some way we could help them.’ And my husband simply said, ‘You did. For four hours last night that little boy didn’t feel sick, he didn’t even think about being sick, and that is the greatest gift you could give.’ I knew he was right.”
You can read the complete editorial at HuffingtonPost.com.
Former WWE Superstar Evan Bourne recently took part in a shoot “YouShoot” shoot interview and spoke about a number of controversial topics.
One of the comments that got a lot of attention online was Bourne’s claim that WWE’s talent relations department relies on referees to “keep tabs” on the talent and report back to management.
Bourne tweeted the following in response to the online buzz:
“Without guys like Doan, Cone, Chioda, Armstrong, Robinson; I would have never been able to survive in @WWE. They have the hardest job.”
Former WWE Superstar Tyler Reks backed up Bourne’s claim about management using referees to monitor the talent. He tweeted:
“That “claims” from @findevan are actually truths. I got his back on these.”
* NXT Talent Getting Called Up Soon, News On Steen/Kenta/Devitt At NXT
WWE 2K15 Executive Producer Mark Little recently did a Q&A session for IGN.com, answering questions about the game sent in by fans on Twitter. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
@DennisDavilaTV asked: What has changed from CAW Mode?
The Creation Suite in our game is always one of our most popular modes. We have in excess of 12 million downloads of user-generated content each year. We have always marveled at the amazing content our community creates through the Creation Suite on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. We definitely have some new surprises for the community on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and we will be sharing those with everyone in the weeks leading up to the launch of WWE 2K15. We can’t wait to see what the community is able to accomplish with the Creation Suite in WWE 2K15.
@JediJT74 asked How hard was it to bring #wwe2k15 to next gen and how many hours of motion capture?
Moving to the next-generation of hardware is always challenging, but it is also exciting for our teams. With the new hardware, we have the opportunity to set a new level of quality in visuals, presentation and gameplay, all of which are a huge motivator for our teams. This year, we spent over 40 days in our state-of-the-art 2K Mocap studio and captured more than five times the number of animations than any previous year. You can see the results of all this effort when you play the game.
@JamesMcQueary asked: What improvements have been made to the Cage match and Hell in a Cell if any? I want to have Weapons in the cell like Tables.
We are always looking for improvements in gameplay associated to specific matches like Cage and Hell in the Cell matches. This year is no different; you will notice right away that we put a lot of effort into making sure that environments are 100% accurate based on what happens in WWE. We have made a lot of adjustments to the rings, cages, barricades and announce table to make this a reality, and when you get inside the ring, you can tell the difference. All the improved authenticity and realism leads to a better overall experience in WWE 2K15. We are going to share more details in the future, so stay tuned to find out more.
@MichaelBuchko asked: Various editions of RAW and Smackdown featured guests… will any of them be featured, like SHAQ?
We haven’t announced the entire roster in the game, but we have announcements coming up soon that we believe our community is going to be really excited about. We have a big celebrity in a certain way this year … Sting. Our pre-order launch exclusive with two playable characters (black and white, as well as blond with bright colors) will be available for fans to play this year. Sting’s the biggest name who has never stepped foot in a WWE ring, and now he can … in WWE 2K15. Think about those fantasy matches – Sting vs. Undertaker, vs. Cena, vs. Brock, etc. The reaction to the Sting announcement has been bigger than any announcement in the history of this franchise. We couldn’t imagine a better addition to the WWE roster than the Stinger!
It appears that former Knockouts champion ODB is done with TNA.
Her Knockouts profile was recently removed from the TNA website, which is usually an indication that talent is no longer with the company.
Additionally, she’s currently taking independent bookings and will be appearing at the Heavy On Wrestling event in Minnesota this weekend.
She tweeted last week:
Who wants to see #TheOneDirtyBitch back in the ring? Its time so contact [email protected] #BookABitch #BAM
— Jessie Kresa (@TheODBBAM) August 15, 2014
TNA Impact Wrestling moved to Wednesday nights this week and it appears that many fans were unaware of the change.
Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling drew a 0.65 cable rating with 852,000 viewers.
This is way down from the previous week’s show which did a 0.96 rating and 1.126 million viewers.
Two weeks ago, Impact did a 1.09 rating.
As previously reported, TNA extended their deal with Spike TV through the end of the year and are negotiating for a new contract for 2015.
The following matches were taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
– Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte
– The Vaudevillians Simon Gotch & Aiden English vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore [Tournament Match]
– Mojo Rawley vs. Steve Cutler
– Sami Zayn and Adam Rose vs. Kalisto and Sin Cara [Tournament Match]
– Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Breeze
David Shoemaker, author of The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling, noted on Twitter recently that he has heard that Daniel Bryan needs “Tommy John” surgery and could be out of action for at least three more months.
The Grantland.com reporter tweeted the following:
I'm hearing Daniel Bryan needs Tommy John surgery and will be out at least 3 more months.
— David Shoemaker (@AKATheMaskedMan) August 20, 2014
“Tommy John” surgery refers to a procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. Apparently the procedure is pretty common among athletes, especially baseball players, named after “Tommy John,” the first baseball player to undergo the operation.
Variety has a new article up revealing that actor Ken Jeong will be part of a WWE Studios comedy film with Hulk Hogan and David Hasselhoff, a movie that is currently set for a release at some point in 2015.
The working title of the project is Untitled Celebrity Death Pool, which will feature Jeong playing a struggling night club owner who racks up a large debt from a loan shark and then sets out to win a long running celebrity death pool by trying to kill Hasselhoff.
Hogan will be making somewhat of a cameo appearance in the film, as will additional celebrities.
Darren Grant, writer of Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, will be directing the film, while the script was written by Peter Hoare.
Vince Russo sent along the following …
This week on “The Swerve” with Vince Russo, things get very, very interesting and the fans get double their money’s worth.
First off, Vince interviews “Above Average” Mike Sanders, a veteran of WWE, WCW, TNA as well as a US military veteran, stand up comic, and TV star (including Burn Notice, Homeland, and The Game). As somebody who Vince describes as “by far the most underrated person I ever worked with in wrestling”, Vince walks Mike through his wrestling career, from his quick start in front of the camera, to how the left the business, and everything he’s accomplished in the entertainment business since the departure.
How DDP got him started in the business: “In 1998, I was training in Main Event Fitness, and at the time, DDP was there, and Ray Lloyd (Glacier), Billy Kidman, High Voltage – basically if you were a WCW wrestler back then, you trained at that gym. And I remember having conversations, I was a 235lb guy, and I remember training alongside guys like Horshu and DDP and just having conversations. And I was like, “I wanna be a stand-up comic!” and DDP was like “No no…bro…you wanna be a pro wrestler!”
How Paul Orndorff tried to fire him, and Russo saved his job: “Paul’s famous line was ‘Put on 20lbs, come back, and we’ll look at you.’, and I left that day. Later on that evening, Terry Taylor called me and said “Man, I know you got released, but I’d really hate to lose you.” So, Terry called me later that week and said, “Would you be interested in doing some Russo-Bischoff security?” We were at the Georgia Dome, and I remember Orndorff wanted Vince to look at everybody including Sean O’Hare, and there was a brief moment when Vince said “Give him his job back.” I was standing right there, Terry Taylor was there, and Orndorff was there. But Orndorff wasn’t happy about it.”
Mike also shares his memories of the WCW Power Plant, including how he went down to the Power Plant as one of 50 students, which then shrank to 3 students, with Mike ultimately being the only one to graduate. Four months later, he was on TV performing as a WCW Superstar.
Vince also discusses Mike’s heat with a number of people backstage, his short time in WWE and why it didn’t work, comedy, religion, and how a 28 year old father of two, working for his dad’s towing business, was able to become a professional wrestler so quickly.
Regarding Mike’s career ending so quickly, Vince also shares what he considers to be “one of the biggest problems in professional wrestling, has been since day one, and will continue to be.”
Plus, if that’s not enough, Vince Russo himself also shares his opinions on the recent comments of TNA’s John “Big“ Gaburick, who claimed that Vince has been “acting in a self-destructing manner that could hurt the company” – and it all started with Russo talking to Jim Ross!
TNA having a problem with Vince and JR: “Prior to the start of my falling out with TNA, I had committed to JR’s podcast. The day before I was to do it, I received an e-mail from TNA management telling me that they did not want me to. Knowing that was coming, because I know TNA’s elementary and childish ways of doing business, I called JR and told him that I couldn’t discuss ANY TNA business during our interview. JR told me that while that wasn’t an issue, he still had to ask in doing his job, so upon his question I could just say that, “I was not at liberty to talk about TNA”. Simple. Easy. Done. I went back to TNA and told them about my conversation with JR. That wasn’t good enough—they still didn’t want me to do it. Also, as a side note, just keep in mind that BOTH Kurt Angle and Bully Ray were ALLOWED to do JR’s podcast just week’s prior—but, not Vince Russo.”
Russo on TNA having bigger problems than him: “In TNA management’s own words, they were worried about me hurting the company by talking to my colleagues and friends, but yet they are not hurting their own company by (a) Not having a new TV deal (b) Possibly losing Kurt Angle (c) Bully Ray “allegedly” telling the locker room that he didn’t plan on resigning with TNA. With the monumental problems that TNA management has before them—they are afraid of the damage that Vince Russo will do by talking to Good Ol’ JR?!”
The audio interview can be found now at http://www.pyroandballyhoo.com/Plus, become a member of #TheBrand to check out Vince’s extended VIP VIDEO INTERVIEW with Mike Sanders (another hour-plus interview), exclusively in our VIP Section. More information here:http://www.pyroandballyhoo.com/vip/
Check out the complete podcast above.
Prior to Vince McMahon taking part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge,” McMahon extended the challenge to three celebrities — Donald Trump, Maria Menounos and Kermit The Frog.
As of today, both Menounos and now Kermit The Frog have accepted his challenge. Below is a video of Kermit doing the “Ice Bucket Challenge” in response to McMahon’s challenge. Kermit extended the challenge to Tina Fey, Ty Burrell and Ricky Gervais.
TNA ring announcer and creative team member Christy Hemme announced via Twitter that she is about five and a half months pregnant.
Hemme and her husband, Charley Patterson, are expecting the new child to be born on December 31st.
A baby!!! 5 1/2 months down!!! See article and photos at http://t.co/klFejylEsg http://t.co/pPfJPFhTbl @fitpregnancy pic.twitter.com/971FLeX14D
— Christy (@hemmepowered) August 21, 2014
Thank you all for the sweet congrats… We are BEYOND excited for this lil wee one!
— Christy (@hemmepowered) August 21, 2014
Due to the fact that Summer Rae was away filming The Marine 4 during a large part of the upcoming season of Total Divas, it’s being said that Rosa Mendes will be in somewhat of a lead role this season.
The storyline is that Mendes has returned and is wreaking havoc on everyone in WWE after being gone for 18 months.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
One of the reasons WWE had Brock Lesnar destroy John Cena in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at this past Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view was to portray him as a monster and get him over as strong as possible to separate him from the pack.
Another reason was because WWE felt it showed Cena in a positive light, showcasing his ability to “never give up,” like his motto says, even in a situation as brutal as that, and for taking the beating and keep coming, as he is doing by challenging him to an immediate rematch at the upcoming Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
On a related note, WWE filmed a bunch of footage with Lesnar backstage at RAW in Las Vegas on Monday. The footage will air on future episodes of the show since his deal doesn’t call for him to be there every week.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– One of the reasons Hornswoggle is being used on WWE television again with El Torito is because WWE wants him on television in a baby face role for the release of the upcoming “Leprechaun: Origins” WWE Studios film, which he is the star of.
– Below are attendance figures for the last two WWE events prior to Tuesday’s Main Event and SmackDown television taping.
August 16th WWE live event in San Jose, California drew approximately 6,200 fans
August 18th WWE RAW in Las Vegas, Nevada drew approximately 11,000 fans
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)