The original Sin Cara was interviewed on Mexican Lucha Libre show Tercera Caída on Thursday and spoke about his return to Mexico. The hosts talked about him no longer being with WWE and he confirmed that he is now an independent wrestler. He then claimed that he owns the rights to the Sin Cara name, gimmick and mask – not WWE.
“I am the owner of the persona of Sin Cara. I say it openly because it’s all on my side, in my favor. I think that it’s best left to lawyers because I am the owner of the persona I am the owner of the [character’s] image and I have proof.”
This seems highly unlikely, knowing WWE’s track record of wanting to own gimmicks they create – and the continued use of ‘Sin Cara’ on WWE television. The hosts acknowledged this, but the original Sin Cara was adamant and said he has proof.
“That depends on how the wrestler work their deals. I’m not here to talk bad about anyone. I’ve always been a person that goes the route of peace. I’m not going to fight with anyone or any company. I’m not saying that because I’m scared to fight a big company. No, Why would I? Everyone knows that the original Mistico went on to be [the original] Sin Cara in the WWE. So that we would not have any legal issues with CMLL, I automatically changed my name and my persona and continued on with my registered persona.”
One of the highlights of the annual January pay-per-view is the Royal Rumble surprise entrants surprise entrants. Here are some of the people who could be filling some of the 10 unannounced spots in the Rumble.
Sheamus: He’s been out of action since August with a torn labrum and will be making an appearance at the World of Wheels Auto Show in Pittsburgh the day before the Rumble.
Chris Jericho: Jericho made a surprise appearance at last year’s Royal Rumble and will also be in town with Sheamus for the World of Wheels auto show.
Kevin Nash: Nash will be hosting a party just outside of Pittsburgh the night before the Royal Rumble. He tweeted a photo of himself after dying his hair and goatee. He claimed this was for a TV pilot he’s working on – but could we see the return of Big Daddy Cool Diesel at the Royal Rumble?
Jake Roberts: Jake shocked the world on RAW a few weeks ago when he made his first WWE television appearance since 2005. He’s been pushing for a spot in the Rumble for months – will Jake get one last chance to mix it up in a WWE ring?
2 Cold Scorpio: Sunday’s Royal Rumble takes place from Pittsburgh, just a few hours away from Philadelphia (the home of ECW).
Scorpio’s return would be presented as an ECW tie-in, playing of the ECW footage that will be available on the WWE Network.
Jimmy Wang Yang: Jimmy Wang Yang is a good friend of Batista and attended two WWE live events in the past week. He tweeted on Wednesday:
My last few days have been pretty interesting I got question what's everybody favorite number? I'll tell you mine Sunday
The Godfather/Papa Shango: Wade Barrett tweeted on Friday that he has forfeited his spot in the Royal Rumble. He hinted that his replacement has ties to voodoo, which he’s done over the past few years:
I've given up my spot in this year's #RoyalRumble to make way for a WWE legend. It's top secret, but just between us, here's a clue: Voodoo.
The Godfather made a surprise appearance in last year’s Rumble.
Daniel Bryan: Daniel Bryan is probably the top WWE superstar who is not currently booked for the Rumble. Bryan did an interview this week stating that despite Triple H not wanting him involved, he’s still “working on” getting a spot in the match.
We will update this page as more details become available regarding Royal Rumble surprise entrants. Keep in mind that these are just rumors at this point, but this is what we’re hearing so far.
Be here Sunday night for our Live Coverage of the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble. We’ll have the chat room open at 7PM (Eastern) and will have live ongoing results for the entire show. If you are not ordering the Royal Rumble on pay-per-view, this is the very best way to experience the show.
For even more Royal Rumble news (including who is most likely to win), visit 24Wrestling.com.
WWE has added the latest sit-down interview with Triple H, this time conducted by Renee Young, to their official YouTube channel.
The video, which you can view above, is accompanied by the following description: “WWE COO Triple H addresses whether Randy Orton “made things right” on Raw, CM Punk as the first entrant into the Royal Rumble Match and the possibility of Batista being “The Face of WWE.””
– The 2014 WWE Payback pay-per-view will take place on June 1st at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The Payback pay-per-view in 2013 was held in the same location and was headlined by John Cena vs. Ryback in a “Three Stages of Hell” match for the WWE Championship.
– The new Jim Ross podcast will begin airing in mid-February and will be released on Wednesday’s at PodcastOne.com.
The ratings and viewership data is in for Monday’s episode of RAW and it was a home run for WWE.
The show did a 3.46 rating and averaged 4,868,000 viewers – way up from last week (3.12 rating, 4,404,000 viewers). This was the most-watched RAW since March 4, 2013.
The following are highlights of a recent interview with UFC Hall Of Famer and former WWE Superstar Ken Shamrock:
On Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta: “It’s like the original UFC never existed to them. They completely embarrass the history and mention us slightly but it’s like they don’t want to acknowledge the history of their company. There is hardly even a 30 second mention of me in any of there videos. You have Lorenzo telling people that he didn’t sell because he slept on it, that’s an absolute joke. It was because Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock went in and blew up their event and they realised they could make money off it.”
On his decision to join WWE: “I don’t think it was a decision I made because I wanted to do it, it was one I made because I needed the money for my family. The UFC was having huge legal trouble and it got to a point where UFC didn’t have the money to pay me to keep moving forward and looking after my family. There were no hard feelings when I moved and I try to explain that to my fans. There comes a time when you have to do things that you have to do what you don’t want to. I didn’t want to leave UFC but I had to make that decision. When I did eventually make the move to WWE, I realised that I loved it and I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case.”
On neary winning the WWE Title in 1997: “I’m not sure, I know I was being groomed. I was being put in a very good position to take the title. I took the Intercontinental Title from The Rock and had some great matches with him. I sensed I was going to move up and whether it was with Bret or Rock or Stone Cold or if I was in the mix with all of them, but it just never flourished.”
On a possible WWE return: “First of all, I want people to realise that it is hard to se all the old stars come back to Hall of Fame stuff and me not be included in all these things. I accomplished more than anyone in 2 years at WWF and I was part of one of the biggest match that started the attitude era with Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold. That match changed wrestling to what it is today.”
“There is not a peep from anyone within WWE. I don’t know why they won’t give me a shot in the WWE and to challenge for the WWE title. I have reached out through many different types of media and the only thing I’ve heard back is that they’re doing okay and don’t need me. I say that if you’re gonna be bringing people back from the attitude era and before that then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t bring me back. There seems to be a black mark against me and I don’t understand it.”
– WWE has officially acknowledged the marriage between Jimmy Uso and Naomi, which took place last week in Hawaii. WWE wrote the following on their official website:
“Naomi (Trinity) and Jimmy (Jon) Uso officially tied the knot in a private marriage ceremony in Hawaii in the presence of family, friends and fellow WWE Superstars. The pair’s engagement has been chronicled on the hit E! reality show “Total Divas,” and camera crews were on hand to capture the nuptials for the show’s upcoming second season, which is set to begin in March.”
– The following are some upcoming WWE DVD release dates:
1/28 “Best of Raw & Smackdown 2013”
2/11 “Shawn Michaels: Mr. Wrestlemania”
2/25 “Royal Rumble 2014”
3/25 “Scooby Doo: Wrestlemania Mystery”
Tickets for the WrestleMania AXXESS festivities in New Orleans will officially go on sale to the public on February 1st.
VIP tickets for AXXESS are set at $95, which guarantees you access to a VIP signing and a special VIP line to enter the event or $45, which will be general admission.
WrestleMania AXXESS sessions are currently scheduled as follows:
Thursday, April 3rd
6 PM – 10 PM
Friday, April 4th
6 PM – 10 PM
Saturday, April 5th
8 AM – 12 PM
1 PM – 5 PM
6 PM – 10 PM
WWE has added the latest edition of their “Backstage Fallout” series on YouTube. The RAW “Backstage Fallout” video for this week, which can be viewed above, is accompanied by the following description: “Batista and Alberto Del Rio talk about their encounter on Raw.”
– WWE Superstar Batista, who made his return at RAW on Monday night, was interviewed backstage for the official WWE website. “The Animal” spoke about being nervous to return to WWE television and played up his storyline quest to win the Royal Rumble and capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
You can watch the video interview with Batista at WWE.com.
– As noted, E! filmed the wedding ceremony between Naomi and Jimmy Uso in Hawaii last week for a future episode of Total Divas. The crew also filmed additional footage of the couple visiting various attractions in the state for the next season of the reality show.
A new synopsis for the “Scooby Doo: WrestleMania Mystery” film has been released. The new description for the movie reads as follows:
“This all-new original movie delivers endless action with Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the rest of the gang! The mystery begins when Shaggy and Scooby win tickets to WrestleMania and convince the crew to go with them to WWE City.
But this city harbors a spooky secret – a ghastly Ghost Bear holds the town in his terrifying grip! To protect the coveted WWE Championship Title, the gang gets help from WWE Superstars like John Cena, Triple H, Sin Cara, Brodus Clay, AJ Lee, The Miz and Kane.
Watch Scooby and the gang grapple with solving this case before it’s too late.”
The following are the “Extras” that will be featured on the DVD and Blu-ray release, which is scheduled to come out on March 25th:
– Behind the Scenes with Scooby-Doo and the WWE Gang: A behind the scenes look at the voice recording sessions with the cast of WWE.
– Wrestle Maniacs: Bonus “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” Episode.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog entry, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Batista’s Return: “Good to See Batista back as Dave physically looked great and got a welcoming reaction back to the show. Batista is my favorite to win the Rumble Match this Sunday in Pittsburgh on PPV. One could assume that a major talent like Batista will have a huge role in NOLA at WM30.”
Daniel Bryan: “It seemed as if Daniel Bryan could have had a higher profile role on RAW based on how RAW left the air last week.”
Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar: “Impressed that Big Show was able to GUTWRENCH Lesnar over the top rope. Felt like a bigger moment at home than on TV. Impressive.”
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: “It’s obvious that the Cena vs. Orton WWE World Title bout is the primary focus of the Royal Rumble PPV this Sunday. Would loved to have seen Orton make a clean, non contact, getaway on RAW. I’d assume WWE will end with the Rumble match but make no mistake about it the focus of the show is on the WWE World Title….not that’s a bad thing.”
After Monday’s WWE RAW ended in Dayton, Ohio, John Cena shook hands with several of the Make-A-Wish kids at ringside before Damien Sandow came out.
Sandow came out for the scheduled dark match main event against Cena, but first cut a promo. Sandow spoke about how Cena doesn’t care about the people, which resulted in Cena playing to the crowd, which seemed to be a pretty pro-Cena audience at this point. Sandow said Cena stole his “Money In The Bank” contract and because of that, he was going to end the “Cena Era.”
No real match took place as Cena quickly hit Sandow with his “Attitude Adjustment” finisher to send the crowd home happy. He shook hands with more fans and left the ring. The ring announcer thanked everyone for coming and that was about it.
Jake Roberts has issued an apology to the Ultimate Warrior for some remarks he made about him during a recent interview. On the Busted Open radio show, Jake responded to The Ultimate Warrior entering the WWE Hall of Fame by saying:
“I know, man! I know that [their careers can’t be compared]. But maybe they’re taking in a**holes and not great talent. I don’t know.”
Warrior fired back on Twitter, calling Jake a hypocrite and saying he instills horror and pity in people:
Question for former talents now "hypocrite" born-again Christians. Where do we go to find you practicing the beliefs of Christianity? Hell?
Now, Jake has responded, apologizing to Warrior and saying he wants to put the whole situation behind him.
“My guys showed me Warrior’s tweets. I was trying to be entertaining with the radio show and took things too far, like I do too often. I have no business inferring anything negative about him. I apologize. He deserves the HOF and respect for what he accomplished in the business. But let me be clear. There is no hypocrisy here. I am not preaching anything. I am sharing my recovery path to show others what is possible. So no pity, bathrooms stalls or groveling. I am doing great. I am an addict and alcoholic working every single day to repair and make the best out of the life I have left. I make mistakes, like that comment, but my recovery has been amazing. Jim does not know this Jake. Without realizing or intending to, I fired the first shot and will take Jim’s response without any negativity towards him. I apologize and am putting behind me.”
Legendary pro wrestler and behind-the-scenes figure George Scott passed away from lung cancer at age 84 in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida on Monday night.
Scott was a respected booker, who was a big influence on the Jim Crockett Promotions territory in the 1980s, as well as the early WWE boom period during the first two WrestleMania shows.
In addition to his behind-the-scenes work, Scott was also a legendary pro wrestler who had a solid run as a tag-team with his brother Sandy Scott.
Trish Stratus’ official website, TrishStratus.com, features an in-depth feature looking at Trish and Lita’s Top 10 moments together in WWE. Here’s what they said about their #1 moment, which was when they wrestled in the main event of WWE RAW back in 2004:
Trish: We were totally honored when we found out. We had worked our butts off to bring the level of our matches and the interest in our feud to this point, so it was like our hard work had paid off – we worked for that main event spot and we earned it – that felt great! We knew we had a huge responsibility to pull off something great. Thankfully, I have to say, it all came together quite easily for us considering the pressure. We had worked so many matches, we knew each other really well out there and the crowd was totally into it, which always creates a good environment to work in. One thing I do recall was our locker room was filled with a bunch of girls worrying about what to wear and Amy and I looked at each other and laughed because that was the last thing on our minds! I think we both wore the same outfit we wrestled in for the house shows that weekend! I guess what I’m saying is this is one match we knew people would be watching for more than what we were wearing.
Lita: The timing of that match was great. Trish and I had been featured in the main event prior as a tag with Rocky and HHH, but this time was all ours. We were so thankful to be given the opportunity, but at the same time knew we could step up. We’re both people that thrive on some pressure and a good challenge.
So, that suicide dive… I remember Headbanger Mosh, or was it Thrasher, it was the one who was Beaver Cleavage, anyway, he was explaining to Trish that she needed to absorb me like a “venetian blind”…. clear as day, right? Well let me tell you a Venetian blind at 6 plus feet and 200 plus pounds crumples a lot slower than a tiny Trish. At any rate, it was the most confused I’ve been after a bump. I had eyes on Trish, my feet didn’t get caught on the rope, but when I landed it certainly didn’t feel normal. We were on the narrow side of the ring and with her already bumping and having to aim so low it resulted in what I historically refer to as a scorpion bump. I don’t recommend this, however, somehow I was totally fine. Watching it back I immediately sit straight up as in a “What the hell just happened, am I paralyzed type of thing?” I quickly realize I am not, but judging by the crowd reaction, it must have looked pretty bad. Good, that means I have an exaggerated 10 count to chill out, be thankful I am okay, and continue to rock Charlotte Coliseum as no two women have before or since.
– There has been talk over the past few days that WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Naomi will be added to Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. This will depend on WWE’s scripting of the show and how much time is available for another singles match.
– Creative plans for Hulk Hogan’s return to WWE television have been finalized. It’s unknown at this time when Hogan will be appearing, but he’s expected to have a prominent role at WrestleMania XXX.
It also seems likely that WWE could use Hogan to make a final ‘hard sell’ for the WWE Network, which launches on February 24th.
– WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony tickets are selling well. As of Tuesday morning, only upper deck tickets are available for the New Orleans Arena.
– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown and Main Event tapings will take place from Grand Rapids, Michigan. R-Truth vs. Damien Sandow will take place on Main Event, while Big Show and Rey Mysterio will square off against The Real Americans on SmackDown. Check back later tonight for spoiler results of both shows.
– As previously reported, both Sheamus and Chris Jericho will be be appearing at the World Of Wheels auto convention from Pittsburgh, PA, the host city of the 2014 Royal Rumble.
The Ultimate Warrior has responded to Jake Roberts’ recent comments about him being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Jake Roberts appeared on the Busted Open radio show this week and was asked how he felt about The Ultimate Warrior joining the WWE Hall of Fame. Roberts said:
“I know, man! I know that [their careers can’t be compared]. But maybe they’re taking in a**holes and not great talent. I don’t know.”
Warrior didn’t take kindly to the remarks by Jake Roberts, tweeting the following on Monday Night
Question for former talents now "hypocrite" born-again Christians. Where do we go to find you practicing the beliefs of Christianity? Hell?
It was announced on Monday’s Royal Rumble “go-home” edition of WWE RAW that on this Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, the final major show before this Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, there will be a big tag-team main event.
Teaming up once again will be the combination of Big Show and Rey Mysterio, as the two will take on The Real Americans on this Friday’s show.
The following are highlights of a new interview from the official WWE website with former WWE Diva Maryse:
On her post-WWE life: “I live with The Miz in LA and we’ve been planning our wedding for a year. I want it to be perfect, but I’m pretty much done with all the planning. We’re all set to go. It’s coming in four weeks. I got my dream house in the Hollywood Hills and we’re building a huge extension to it, but I still need some more space because I’d love to have some mini Mizzes and mini Maryses running around. If you know Maryse and The Miz, you know we’ll need a lot of space. I’m also working for a real estate firm here in Los Angeles. It’s going really well and I love it. That’s the career path I’m in right now. I love everything related to business. That’s my field, besides entertainment, which I’m really good at.”
On her wedding plans with The Miz: “The wedding is Feb. 20, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. We’re going to have 100 people coming down there, which is pretty big for a destination wedding. I’m really excited about it, but it’s a lot of work. Planning a wedding seems easy, but there are a lot of details to think of. But overall, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed it, especially because my man is really involved with all the planning. As a woman, it’s really fun to see your fiancée participate and really care. It makes it a lot easier and a lot more fun.”
On AJ Lee breaking her Divas Title record: “I’m actually really proud of AJ for doing that. Congratulations to her. It’s a lot of work to have the title for that long. I always loved AJ’s interviews. I think she’s really entertaining. I love people that can talk and have personality. Right now, my life is not focused on wrestling, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. No matter what, I’m still the most badass Diva of all time. You can’t take that away from me.”
On the possibility of making a WWE return: “Right now, the timing is not right. I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. I’m the healthiest and happiest I’ve ever been. My life is 100% like I want it. Never say never, but right now, no. Maybe one day in the future. If the timing’s right, why not?”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
WWE Superstar “The Animal” Batista, who makes his return to the company at RAW on Monday night in Dayton, Ohio, posted the following tweet on his official Twitter account regarding his long-awaited television return:
Made it 2 Ohio. Feels like I'm counting every second until I hit the ring tomorrow night. #dreamchaser
WrestleMania XXX is less than three months away and we want to know what match you want to see headlining the show. With the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber still ahead of us and Brock Lesnar and Batista back in the main event mix, there are countless matchups that we could see for the WWE World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania.
Vote below and tell us what match you want to see headlining WWE’s biggest show of the year. If your vote is “Other” – give us your pick.
