– The official WWE website has added a huge photo gallery featuring pictures taken by WWE Superstars, Hall Of Famers and Divas at the WrestleMania and WWE Hall Of Fame photo booth. You can check those out at WWE.com.
– The following is the latest edition of “SmackDown Fallout,” which features Fandango introducing his “new lady.”
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in an “extreme rules” match is being advertised for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules 2014 special event, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
While the match has yet to be made official by WWE, it is being advertised on the official IZOD Center website.
The following are results from TNA’s “World Cup” pay-per-view taping, which took place on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
The teams were selected by way of a draft. The teams were as follows:
Captain Eric Young with Bully Ray, Eddie Edwards, Gunner and ODB.
Captain Kurt Angle with Davey Richards, Mr. Anderson, Sanada and Madison Rayne.
Captain Ethan Carter III with Jessie, Robbie E., Magnus and Gail Kim.
Captain Bobby Roode with James Storm, Kenny King, Samuel Shaw and The Beautiful People.
Qualifying Matches
– Eddie Edwards def. James Storm
– The Bro Mans def. Mr. Anderson and Sanada
– Gail Kim def. Madison Rayne
– Eric Young def. Bobby Roode
– Kurt Angle def. Magnus
– Angelina Love def. ODB
– Ethan Carter III def. Davey Richards
– Bully Ray & Gunner def. Kenny King & Samuel Shaw
TNA World Cup Finals
(The remaining two teams, captained by Young and EC3, met in elimination matches.)
– ODB def. Gail Kim
– Robbie E. def. ODB
– The Bro Mans def. Eddie Edwards
– Bully Ray def. Jessie
– Robbie E. def. Bully Ray
– Gunner def. Robbie E.
– Magnus def. Gunner
– Eric Young def. Ethan Carter III via DQ.
– Eric Young def. Magnus to win the TNA World Cup for his team.
The following is from ImpactWrestling.com:
News: TNA Wrestling signs multi-year deal with “Cowboy” James Storm | More extensions to be announced
On Saturday, TNA Executive Vice President John Gaburick announced via his Twitter @JohnGaburick that TNA Wrestling has signed “Cowboy” James Storm to a new multi-year deal. ImpactWrestling.com has learned that Gaburick will be announcing more contract extensions with TNA Superstars in the coming days!
For all the latest TNA Wrestling news on Twitter, follow @IMPACTWRESTLING and @JohnGaburick
He has been in TNA since day one.
Proud to announce the signing of @Cowboy_J_Storm to a multi-year deal! pic.twitter.com/tXh1RbFZB8
— John Gaburick (@JohnGaburick) April 12, 2014
Rock and roll band Rev Theory, who performed the song “Voices” live for Randy Orton’s entrance at WrestleMania XXX, posted the following photos from backstage at the show on their official Twitter account.
The Real American Hero! #hulkhogan #wwe #wrestlemaniaXXX pic.twitter.com/ylpBfk6loj
— Rev Theory (@revtheory) April 6, 2014
The VIPER! @WWE @WWENetwork @WWEMusic #RandyOrton #viper pic.twitter.com/9CPNOlYXev
— Rev Theory (@revtheory) April 7, 2014
WWE afterparty! @LilianGarcia @wwe @WWENetwork @MsCharlotteWWE @RealPaigeWWE pic.twitter.com/LpAJjBJMQx
— Rev Theory (@revtheory) April 7, 2014
Rowdy Roddy Piper! @WWE @WWENetwork @R_Roddy_Piper @WWEMusic pic.twitter.com/xQQd0T8NUy
— Rev Theory (@revtheory) April 7, 2014
With the legend, @theundertaker @WWE @WWEMusic @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/hbzBFpnZiK
— Rev Theory (@revtheory) April 12, 2014
WWE Superstar Darren Young suffered an injury during his match at the WWE live event on Saturday night in Hidalgo, Texas.
Young suffered what appeared to be a knee or ankle injury during his match with Fandango. As a result, the match was stopped short, lasting only approximately two minutes before being canceled due to Young’s inability to compete.
We are a little over a quarter of the way through the year. With WrestleMania behind us, the WWE will now begin its summer programs and hope to build toward its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam.
With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the first quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)
5. John Cena vs. Cesaro (February 17 Raw) – Say what you will about John Cena’s in-ring ability, but he has put on some great matches so far this year, with none better than this matchup with Cesaro. There were a number of amazing spots during the contest, with Cesaro’s counter of the AA certainly ranking near the top. It appears the WWE is going to push Cesaro hard, and this was the week where his push began after he defeated Randy Orton and pushed Cena to the limit.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania) – After weeks of begging for a match with Triple H, Daniel Bryan finally got his wish at WrestleMania. He took full advantage of it during the opening contest of the night. Both superstars really shined during the match and it was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show. It also ranks as quite possibly the best opening match in WrestleMania history, with only Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X giving it a run for its money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzEetf0xlsU
During WrestleMania weekend, we reported exclusively that Vickie Guerrero is leaving WWE on good terms to pursue a career outside the wrestling business and would be wrapping up after WrestleMania weekend. This came from a reliable source that’s provided us with several scoops that have all panned out. The news was picked up by several other reputable wrestling news outlets, which verified the news independently.
On Friday, Vickie tweeted the following about her WWE status:
https://twitter.com/ExcuseMeWWE/status/454986087786504192
Shortly after the tweet, we heard back from this high-placed WWE source, stating that Vickie is in fact leaving WWE, but the timeline of her departure has been extended. According to our source:
“She’s leaving. She’s just working tv’s until she gets firmly planted into her new life. The report is accurate, the timeline has just changed.”
Despite report to the contrary, wrestling legend Sting has not yet signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
WWE sent Sting his contract several days ago, however, “The Icon” has yet to put pen-to-paper at this point.
WWE, since WrestleMania, has been working under the belief that Sting will be joining the company, and he has been sent his contract, but as of right now, he has yet to sign it and send it back.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
I miss the pipe bombs.
I miss “The Best in the World.”
I miss CM Punk.
A few months ago, CM Punk walked out on WWE. That’s the catchy, grabby headline, anyway. In reality, he walked out on his fans. WWE will be fine without him. They have seen the best of all-time come and go and they continue to be a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
When Punk first left, most of the attention was on the behind-the-scenes happenings of a business arrangement gone wrong. Everyone was focused on the story behind what led to his departure. As a fan, which I remain first and foremost, my initial reaction was more along the lines of, “damn, that sucks.” No more CM Punk pipe bombs? No more “Best in the World” in-ring performances?
When the “Chicago Made” Superstar first delivered his infamous “pipe bomb” promo in June of 2011, I fell back in love with the sport I have had a passion for since childhood. At the time, I was growing sweet on this new love of mine known as mixed-martial-arts. Pro wrestling became too PG. It was too geared for children.
CM Punk changed all of that.
After hearing of his promo, I checked it out on YouTube. From then on, my television was tuned into the USA Network every single Monday night. The key segment I looked forward to each week was one that featured Punk with a microphone in his hand. He never failed to deliver the type of entertainment that I had missed for so many years.
Eventually everyone in the pro wrestling business gets burned out. As of right now, I hold out hope that Punk will regain his passion for the business in the same way that he helped me regain mine. I fully expect to hear Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality” again one day.
But what if I don’t?
After all of the focus on the answer to the question, “what happened?” died down, the attention now seems to be on ole’ Phil Brooks himself. After all of of those who cried “work” realized as the Chicago RAW came and went, the big WrestleMania XXX event came and went, and we still haven’t seen “The Best in the World” on our television sets, it seems like the reality is finally setting in.
He isn’t coming back. Not anytime soon, at least.
So what does this tell us as fans? Punk couldn’t work out an arrangement that would see him remain as an active WWE performer? In a time where many top-level Superstars are managing to secure special part-time contracts with limited dates and tons of dough, you mean to tell me that both sides couldn’t figure something out?
The job of a promoter is to deliver the matches and performers that people want to see. Clearly people want to see CM Punk in WWE. Having said that, how is it possible that Vince McMahon couldn’t come to some kind of arrangement to deliver Punk in Chicago, or in New Orleans?
Something isn’t right here.
I obviously don’t know Vince McMahon on a personal level, but I think it’s safe to say that his reputation as a guy who will bury the hatchet with people is well known. His reputation as a guy who delivers what people want to see is at the least above average. Knowing that, you would have to assume that he made every effort possible to get Punk back in the mix.
It didn’t happen.
The question now becomes, what is it that CM Punk wants? Based on behind-the-scenes rumblings, it seemed that Punk wanted a guaranteed spot in the main event of WrestleMania. Since he walked out, it seems as though anything short of that wasn’t good enough.
WWE doesn’t suffer, it’s the fans that suffer. Especially CM Punk fans. WWE fans will still find something to enjoy on Monday and Friday nights. WWE will be just fine. CM Punk fans, however, are screwed.
Unless you’re a fan of Mike Maron or Talking Dead, you’re not going to have the chance to see your favorite performer on television.
After reading a lot of feedback across a variety of platforms, I am noticing a trend. No longer are fans saying “screw WWE for not giving Punk what he wants.” The mood seems to be more along the lines of “what the hell, Punk, why aren’t you coming back?”
Listen, we don’t know what happens behind closed doors. It’s unfair to say with any kind of real certainty that the blame lies on this person or that person. But the bottom line is this: they need to figure out something that appeases both sides. The bottom line is WWE needs to deliver CM Punk. At the same time, CM Punk needs to figure out a way to get back in the mix. If he’s burnt out, that’s one thing. Take some time off, rest up, heal up, and get back in there. If he’s done, he’s done. But from all accounts, that’s not what happened. What happened, as best I can tell, is Punk didn’t get his way, so he up and left.
If Punk does come back, and shoots directly into the main event picture, does that make him a hypocrite? Isn’t that exactly what bothered Punk in the first place? Guys coming in and walking directly into main event spots? How is coming back and getting direct access to the top spot any different than what The Rock did? Or Brock Lesnar? Or Batista?
It’s not.
I’m an enormous CM Punk fan. For selfish reasons, I don’t care what happened. I don’t care what it takes to get him back. I just want it to happen. It’s up to WWE and Phil Brooks to find out a way to make that happen. Everything else is irrelevant.
I spoke about catchy, grabby headlines. I look forward to the day I can put a headline on an article that reads, “CM Punk Returns To WWE.”
I look forward to more pipe bombs.
I look forward to seeing more of “The Best in the World.”
I look forward to seeing CM Punk.
– The official MTV website added a new video interview with The Iron Sheik, who discusses the MTV 2014 Movie Awards. You can check that out at MTV.com.
– Dead Spin has a new feature article looking at a ton of specific statistics coming out of last Sunday’s WrestleMania XXX event. You can check that one out at DeadSpin.com.
– Triple H vs. Roman Reigns is currently being discussed as a top match for SummerSlam on August 17th. The seeds have already been planted for this feud, which will likely feature a Shield vs. Evolution showdown en route to this blockbuster match.
– WrestleMania XXX was just a week away, but there is already talk about who Brock Lesnar will wrestle next year in Santa Clara, California. The first rumored opponent is The Rock, who at one point was slated to face Lesnar at this year’s show.
The other big name who could face the Beast at WrestleMania 31 is Cesaro. Both men are currently represented by Paul Heyman and it remains to be seen how the two will interact when Lesnar eventually returns to television.
Brock Lesnar’s current WWE deal expires shortly after WrestleMania 31.
(Source: f4wonline.com)
The following are results of the Impact Wrestling television taping for the Thursday, April 24th edition of the show.
– Magnus comes to the ring for a promo. He says he was never really beaten by Eric Young for the title, and says the biggest failure that fateful night was his help. He says good help is hard to find. He brings out Abyss. Magnus calls Abyss an idiot and says he now realizes why everyone abandoned him. Magnus fires Abyss. Abyss says he realizes now that he’s a monster and that he’s going to once again start destroying lives, starting with Magnus. Magnus says Abyss is no longer a contracted TNA wrestler. MVP comes out and confirms that fact. MVP says he will consider this Abyss’ TNA tryout, and that if he can defeat Magnus, he can regain his spot back in TNA.
– Bobby Lashley def. Kenny King via countout. Lashley dominated the majority of the match. As he was about to hit his finisher on King, King rolled out of the ring and simply walked off to the back. The referee counted him out.
– Madison Rayne comes to the ring for a promo. She calls out The Beautiful People. They come out and Madison attacks them. They recover, however, and get the upper hand. Brittany does a run-in to try and save Madison, but the numbers game is too much for them. The Beautiful People do their brown-bag skit on Madison. Gail Kim eventually comes out to make the save. She challenges The Beautiful People to a match later tonight.
– Kurt Angle def. Rockstar Spud. Angle dominated the match and finished off Spud via tapout with his ankle lock submission. Ethan Carter III comes out and attacks Angle after the match, but Willow ends up coming down to make the save.
– The Beautiful People def. Madison Rayne and Gail Kim in Knockouts tag-team action.
– Bobby Roode and James Storm def. Bully Ray and Gunner in tag-team action.
– MVP def. Austin Aries in the main event of the evening.
The following are highlights of a recent Ring Rust Radio interview with Eric Young:
On how it feels to be the TNA Champion: “It’s wild. Yesterday was the best professional day of my entire life. It almost doesn’t seem real. I haven’t had it that long, and I’m still trying to soak it in. Talking to you guys, talking to people from all over, and it’s a good place to be. A really good place.”
On the reaction he’s received to being the new champ: “Yeah, man. It’s been from all walks of life. Not just the wrestling community, but guys from other companies, guys that worked here before, guys that work here who weren’t here, Robert Flores from ESPN, Michelle Beadle from ESPN, and all kinds of people reached out to me to say they were proud and happy for me. That’s a good feeling. There is always going to be negativity and naysayers and that’s part of being in a creative field, but its been 90 percent positive. It’s amazing. It’s overwhelming, really.”
On what fans can expect now that he’s champion: “For me, it’s more of the same. It’s crazy to hear people say stuff like, “Eric Young is quite possibly the most entertaining wrestler in the world today.” There is nothing more important to me than that. Wrestling is about entertainment. Whether you’re entertaining people with physicality or comedy or verbiage or emotion or characterization or whatever it is, the name of the game is entertainment. It’s a television show and people are watching it because they want to be entertained. So to be held at that level and regarded in that way is the biggest compliment I could get. It’s not just the fans, it’s my peers and people I work with. It feels like the lifetime achievement award. It’s cool. I’m not going to win the Nobel Prize, but this as close as its going to get.”
On defending the title: “The old saying goes; you have a target on your back. That’s how it works in sports and that’s how it works in pro wrestling. Having that target on your back is a huge compliment too. Now everyone is looking to come after me. As crazy as that sounds, it sounds like fun. I want to create as many memories and amazing moments for myself and wrestling fans as I can. That’s what pro wrestling is to me. I don’t remember whole matches from 20 years ago, but I remember moments from matches. I remember where I was and who I was with and how it made me feel. I’m ready to do that as world heavyweight champion. That’s my No. 1 goal. It’s to have as many amazing matches and memories as I can possibly make while I have this belt.”
On whether or not his character will change now that he’s champion: “For the storylines I’ve been involved in, that’s what it called for. I’m never going to lose my sense of humor. I was a class clown when I was a kid, I’ve always been the funny guy and I’ve always liked making people laugh, and that’s not going to stop. It will just be a different brand, a different style, a different way of being funny. I’m funny on my show that airs on Animal Planet. I’m not silly on the show, I’m not goofy and all that other stuff; I’m just kinda me. That’s the version of Eric Young that you’re going to get. It’s important for me to be funny, and that’s what made me popular. That’s what got me over with the fans in the first place and I won’t lose that. As far as adding an edge, when you’re rolling around in tacks with the monster Abyss, it’s hard to crack jokes. There’s nothing really funny about that. But yeah, it’s a cool challenge for me because that’s what I have been for the last five to eight years, and this is a whole new world for me. I can do it. I know I can. I’ve always known that and I’m dying to show people.”
On comparisons of his title victory to Daniel Bryan’s: “I definitely see the comparisons. Like you said, we both have sweet beards, we both won two matches, were both world heavyweight champion and I don’t think either of us are prototypical champions. That’s what makes us special. Anytime someone wants to make a comparison between me and Daniel Bryan, go ahead and knock yourself out. He’s a super talented guy. I never met him personally, but I know lots of guys that know him and he’s a nice guy. I listened to his interview on Steve Austin’s podcast and he sounds like he’s a cool dude. Anytime anyone wants to compare me to him, they can go right ahead.”
Check out the complete interview above.
Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella Wedding Photos:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and WWE Diva Brie Bella were married on Friday at a “country rustic” wedding at the L’Auberge Resort and Spa in Sedona, Arizona.
Fellow WWE Superstars and Divas John Cena, Cesaro, Nikki Bella, Tyson Kidd and Jimmy Uso were all in attendance. Nikki served as her twin sister’s maid of honor.
According to E!, Brie wore a Katie May wedding dress and Yves Saint Laurent heels—a gift from twin sister Nikki Bella.
“Nikki won’t allow me to wear TOMS with my dress so she got me YSL heels,” Brie admitted. “Even though I have always wanted to get married barefooted.”
Cameras from the E! Network were on hand for the wedding, with footage expected to air on this season of the WWE Total Divas reality show.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
WWE is providing Warrior’s wife with special assistance in the wake of his death on Tuesday.
TMZ.com reports that immediately after the tragic news broke, WWE sent two senior officials to Arizona to help Dana with everyday tasks like grocery shopping so she can grieve and focus on her daughters.
Warrior died of a “catastrophic medical event” on Tuesday at an Arizona hotel. An autopsy was performed on Thursday. WWE will hold two tribute shows dedicated to Warrior next week, including Monday’s RAW and a special on the WWE Network on Wednesday
– Yahoo! has a new article up today looking at the WWE stock declining recently. You can check out the article at Yahoo.com.
– The WWE Studios film “Oculus” opens tonight in theaters.
– The official YouTube channel for The Rock’s new “Hercules” film released the following preview clip for the movie today.
As reported earlier, Monday’s episode of WWE RAW will feature a special tribute to the late Ultimate Warrior. While specific details have not been announced yet, we’re told the tribute will be more than just a graphic at the start of the show and a 10-bell salute.
TMZ.com now reports that WWE is planning a second tribute show for Warrior that will air next Wednesday on the WWE Network.
“Warrior: The Ultimate Legend” will premiere Wednesday, April 16th on the WWE Network and will include some of Warrior’s most memorable moments, along with a re-airing of his final TV appearance from Monday’s RAW.
The Thursday, April 10th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV scored a final cable rating of 1.02, up from last week’s 0.938 final draw.
This week’s Impact Wrestling, which featured Eric Young becoming the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, averaged 1.415 million viewers, which was up quite a bit compared to the 1.119 million viewers who tuned in last week.
Next week’s edition of “WWE Countdown,” which airs on the WWE Network on Tuesday, April 15th, will feature a look at the greatest tag-teams in history. You can check out the official preview for the new episode below.
Also next Tuesday, the latest edition of “WrestleMania Rewind” will air, which will feature a look at the Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match from WrestleMania XXIX. You can check out the official preview for that new episode below.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and his fiancé Brie are set to be married today Here’s a photo from their wedding rehearsal dinner, courtesy of SEScoops reader @JazzOOSoto_WWE:
– Now that the WWE Network is in full effect, WWE is apparently going to do away with the term “pay-per-view” when promoting their big monthly events. From now on, the big Sunday events that used to be referred to as pay-per-views will now be called “special events.”
– WWE recently added the following video to their official YouTube channel, which features a time-lapsed version of the WrestleMania XXX set being built in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
City representatives from Indianapolis, Indiana, Columbus, Ohio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were all in New Orleans this past week bidding for the rights to host a future WrestleMania show.
Columbus officials reportedly pitched the idea of holding WrestleMania at Ohio Stadium, which holds 102,329 fans for football games, meaning WWE could break the all-time attendance record.
The record may end up being broken sooner if the WrestleMania show in 2016 is at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, which is rumored.
As far as the cities bidding for WrestleMania, they are likely working on securing a deal for 2018, since Santa Clara, California is already official for 2015, Dallas, Texas is expected for 2016 and Orlando, Florida is rumored for 2017.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following are highlights of a new Jim Ross online Q&A update:
On the WWE Network subscription number revealed by WWE: “I thought it was a good number but I’m no expert in that sort of data. I also feel that it will grow significantly in the future.”
On The Undertaker’s streak coming to an end: “I wasn’t ready for the STREAK to end. However, I also don’t know Taker’s physical condition.”
“I’m not sure how I or any one can realistically predict the long term affect on any matter. The Streak build to WM30 did not seem as impactful as I would have liked. WrestleMania should be built around the WWE Title more often than not unless someone really has dropped the ball.”
On his own heel run in ’96 and Daniel Bryan’s future now that he’s champion: “I was not a fan of my heel work as I felt i was not good at it. Bryan can stay hot if he stays in a good personal issue and the title is continued to be a priority.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com.