WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley revealed the winner of his “WrestleMania Dream Vacation,” as well as the fact that they raised over $100,000 for RAINN. Foley tweeted the following:
Congratulations to @JonMHyde – you are the WINNER of the #WrestlemaniaDreamVacation!
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) March 25, 2014
Thanks @arieforma – the money we raised for @RAINN01 …OVER $100,000, will help THOUSANDS of survivors of sexual violence.
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) March 25, 2014
While there have been some rumors that the reason WWE is inducting Scott Hall as “Razor Ramon” to the WWE Hall Of Fame this year is because they plan to induct him again as Scott Hall next year as part of a faction-induction with the nWo, that likely won’t be the case, at least not in 2015.
From all accounts, it appears as though WWE is hoping to induct The Rock next year, and the guys in the nWo (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) probably won’t want to be inducted the same year as Rock, as they would likely be featured as the “co-main event” of the ceremony with The Rock being the obvious headliner.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Radio)
– The latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now available. Austin’s latest show has a description that reads:
SASc – EP101 – U wanna know WHAT?!
“Is Steve Austin running for President in 2020? What’s his message for Russian President Putin? How does he keep from getting lost when he’s out hunting? Why won’t he ever go on a safari? What’s his go-to movie? Has a fan ever jumped in the ring during a match? What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to him in the squared circle? Hit download NOW and find out!”
You can download this show at PodcastOne.com.
– Also new in the podcast world is a new “30 Years Of WrestleMania” podcast featuring Amy “Lita” Dumas. The show has a description that reads:
WWE: Ep. 7 – Lita
“Ahead of her induction into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, Attitude Era original and WWE alumnus Lita joins Renee Young to talk all things WrestleMania. The four-time WWE Women’s Champion runs down her Show of Shows accomplishments, discusses the significance of being only the seventh woman enshrined into the Hall of Fame, and opens about what it was like getting in the ring with men. Plus, Lita drops a huge podcast bombshell when she calls her bestie, Trish Stratus, to ask a very important question about this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony!”
You can download this show at PodcastOne.com.
The following are highlights of a new interview with Todd Keneley:
On Jeff Jarrett’s new “Project” and the execution of the viral campaign: “I think people are interested, and he has kept pretty closely guarded. I think it’s good that Jeff has expressed that he is looking at the fans perspective and what they want to see. He’s got his clues here and there, but then he’s been out there traveling, going around the country scouting talent. I think it’s cool that step by step we’re learning a little more, now of course he’s announced his first real size able announcement. I’d be very anxious to see what he has to say the day after WrestleMania.”
Thoughts on if Jeff’s new project needs a TV right out of the gate to make a big splash: “If you look at Jeff’s history, he found a way when he launched TNA in terms of doing the weekly PPVs. With WWE doing the network the business has really changed. There might be some more availability in the PPV market if you do it correctly. I think in a fans perspective and just about anyone’s perspective whether it’s necessary or not, TV obviously seems to be a very important part of the ball game. Just for perception i think it would certainly help. If it is CMT i think wrestling would be right at home there especially if Toby Keith is involved. Jeff has found ways to work around having a traditional TV distribution deal in the past. With this i think he’s biding his time, i don’t think he’s rushing anything here. I think he’s going to have all of his ducks in a row before he launches. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had TV all tied up.”
Daniel Bryan winning the title at WrestleMania: “I’m cautiously optimistic. We will see. You can look at this one or two ways. You can look at it as WWE are geniuses and they took the fans for a ride and they knew what the end game was gonna be all along and they’ve got the fans even that more passionate to get there. Or it could be that the fans are really that passionate and really that powerful that they can change the WrestleMania main event. It might be a little of both but i think it’s the latter. I think the reaction at the Royal Rumble had to surprise the WWE. People had one man they wanted to see in that Royal Rumble match and they didn’t get it. As a result, the fans voiced their opinion and now here we are. I think it’s a more intriguing set up to WrestleMania because of it, because the fans now feel empowered. The fans believe they played a big part in this. I think that’s pretty awesome and that’s the magic of professional wrestling. I don’t see how you can rob Daniel Bryan of that moment at WrestleMania, I think WrestleMania has got to end with thousands upon thousands of people chanting yes and Bryan holding up the title. How do you waste that opportunity? I just don’t see it happening.”
TNA’s using cheap finishes in World Title matches: “On PPV in a world title match people deserve a clean finish especially when you look at recent history. You went through an entire reign of Aces & Eights with Bully Ray as a world champion. There you know you’re going to have interference, you know you’re going to have screwy finishes. Then AJ wins the title but now you’ve got Dixie hellbent on getting rid of AJ, so you’re going to throw absolutely everything but the kitchen sink at AJ to get the title off of him and on to Magnus. Now you’ve got this handpicked company champion doing Dixie’s bidding so you know during that run it’s going to be squirrely. But i’m hoping that it’s going to play into the whole MVP storyline and getting back to pure wrestling that he will make make Magnus put his money where his mouth is and defend the title on a regular basis and do it the right way. If it plays off that way then it makes MVP’s position and role that much more important because we’ve been through this for so long. Now if it doesn’t and this continues then yeah i’d say at some point you’ve gotta jump off that train. But we’ll see.”
Check out the complete interview at MoreLikeRadio.org.
Legendary WWE Diva Amy “Lita” Dumas will be inducted into the WWE Hal of Fame on April 5th by none other than Trish Stratus. Lita tweeted on Tuesday:
It's official! It's going to be a #topbitches night at #HOF2014 with 50% of #TeamBestie inducting me, @AmyDumas it's @trishstratuscom @WWE
— Amy Dumas (@AmyDumas) March 25, 2014
Trish responded:
SO honored! #iwillbringthecupcakes RT @AmyDumas It's going to be a #topbitches night at #HOF2014 w/ 50% of #TeamBestie inducting me @WWE
— Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) March 25, 2014
The official trailer has been released for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s upcoming summer blockbuster, Hercules. The film, which is based on the graphic novel “Hercules: The Thracian Wars,” is scheduled for a July 25th release. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Having enduring his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.”
WWE Diva Tamina also has a small role in the film.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can check out at his newly redesigned website, JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
John Cena & The Wyatt Family: “Thoroughly enjoyed the Luke Harper vs. John Cena bout. Good showing for Harper. Harper’s a keeper and, yes, he reminds me, and others, of the late, Bruiser Brody. Next time he’s on TV, take a long gander into Luke’s eyes….they’re empty…great trait for a wrestler of Luke’s ilk.”
“Don’t be shocked if Bray Wyatt upsets John Cena at WM30. I expect the two, former, college. offensive linemen to bring the physicality.”
Razor Ramon Joining The WWE Hall of Fame: “Congrats to Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon for his induction into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. Shame on me for suggesting on Twitter @JRsBBQ that Scott’s son Cody induct his father. I got ‘woodshedded’ for that suggestion as most people want Scott’s nWo teammate and long time friend Kevin Nash to do the honors. That works for me too.”
The Shield vs. Real Americans: “Solid, old school style tag team match featuring the Shield and the Real Americans. Aggressive…physical…good emotion by the heroes especially Rollins. In the territory days, many bookers would have loved to have a villain duo like Cesaro and Swagger for many reasons.”
Brock Lesnar & The Undertaker: “Surprised to see the physicality between Lesnar and the Undertaker on RAW. First the hocus pocus and then just a splash of saucey aggression which saw Taker with the upper hand and Lesnar exit a hot kitchen.”
– WWE’s “Scooby Doo WrestleMania Mystery” DVD and Blu-Ray were officially released today.
– The official theme songs for WrestleMania XXX are “Legacy” by Eminem, “Celebrate” by Kid Rock and “In Time” by Mark Collie.
– WWE.com is running a contest where fans can win a copy of the WWE 50 Encyclopedia signed by Vince McMahon.
– John Cena appeared on Neil Cavuto’s show on FOX Business News once again last night:
– Sunday’s 3/24 episode of Total Divas on E! drew averaged 1.28 million viewers. That is up from the previous week’s season premiere, which did 1.07 million viewers.
The Walking Dead, which went head-to-head with Total Divas, drew a massive 13.47 million viewers. That show has its season finale this coming Sunday.
– After announcing that they would not be carrying WrestleMania XXX on pay-per-view, Dish Network has decided they will in fact offer the show. The company received a lot of negative feedback from fans for initially dropping WrestleMania and will decide on a case by case basis whether to carry WWE pay-per-view events moving forward.
On Monday’s RAW, WWE legend Razor Ramon was announced as the final member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014.
https://twitter.com/SCOTTHALLNWO/status/448471628264243200
After Monday’s RAW from Brooklyn, New York went off the air, a six-man tag team match took place.
– The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family ended in a double disqualification when both sides started brawling and the referee lost control of the match.
– The advertised John Cena & Daniel Bryan vs. Kane & Bray Wyatt match never took place.
– The arena was packed and appeared to be a sellout crowd, with a higher percentage of adults than usual.
– Hulk Hogan was very over and got one of the best crowd reactions of the night for his in-ring segment.
– WWE returns to Brooklyn, New York on Monday, October 6th for a RAW taping. The pre-sale is now ongoing with the password WWERAW.
WWE confirmed a few new matches for WrestleMania XXX on this week’s edition of RAW, which took place on Monday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
As previously reported, WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee will be defending her title on the show in a “Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational” against Naomi, Cameron, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Emma, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, Layla and Tamina Snuka.
Also confirmed on Monday’s RAW was the fact that Ryback and Curtis Axel will be part of the WWE Tag-Team Championship match at WrestleMania XXX against the current champions, The Usos.
Finally, WWE announced The Shield vs. Kane and The New Age Outlaws in a six-man tag-team contest for the show.
– It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that the main event of this week’s WWE SmackDown will be Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt.
– The following is a new video preview for the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony airing live and in full on the WWE Network:
– It was confirmed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York that at next week’s RAW, the main event will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton one-on-one against “The Animal” Batista.
– Speaking of Batista, he wrote the following on Twitter during RAW about his jeans being ripped.
Thank God I wore my good underwear tonight! They weren't even my tight jeans!! Shades of the Deacon…
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) March 25, 2014
– It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that at WrestleMania XXX, AJ Lee will defend her WWE Divas Championship in a “Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational” match. The match will feature AJ Lee against Naomi, Cameron, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Emma, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, Layla and Tamina Snuka.
– It was also confirmed on RAW this week that Scott Hall (aka Razor Ramon) will be inducted into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
VERY DETAILED Breakdown Of EXACTLY How Much Money HHH & The McMahon’s Earn >>
The following is the updated list of participants for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which takes place at WrestleMania XXX.
– Mark Henry
– Kofi Kingston
– Cody Rhodes
– Sheamus
– Christian
– Fandango
– Jinder Mahal
– Dolph Ziggler
– Drew McIntyre
– Damien Sandow
– Heath Slater
– The Miz
– Goldust
– Big E
– Big Show
– Alberto Del Rio
– Titus O’Neil
– Brodus Clay
– Darren Young
– Justin Gabriel
– R-Truth
– Rey Mysterio
– The Great Khali
– Santino Marella
– Zack Ryder
– Sin Cara
The following are results from the WWE Superstars tapings, which took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York prior to Monday’s live edition of WWE RAW.
WWE Superstars Results (Airing: March 27, 2014)
– Emma def. Summer Rae (with Fandango) in one-on-one Divas action to open the show.
– R-Truth and Xavier Woods def. 3MB in the tag-team main event of the evening.
Both matches were taped live in the arena while the WWE RAW pre-show was taking place, which featured Josh Mathews, Alex Riley, Booker T and Mick Foley on a panel discussing RAW and WrestleMania XXX.
The Friday, March 21st edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.9, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.9 final draw marks a decrease compared to last week’s SmackDown rating, which came in at 1.98.
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.597 million viewers. That was also down from the 2.801 million viewers that the show averaged the previous week.
At Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, a fatal four-way match took place between Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. The stipulation saw the winner receive the right to challenge Big E. for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the live edition of WWE Main Event, which airs Tuesday night on the WWE Network.
Christian ended up winning the match, so on this week’s Main Event, Christian will challenge Big E. for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
In-Ring Segment: Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton and Batista
RAW opens with an extensive video package highlighting what went down between Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Daniel Bryan last Monday night. After that, Michael Cole welcomes us to a sold out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as “one of the principle owners of WWE,” Stephanie McMahon, is introduced.
Stephanie makes her way to the ring with a big smile on her face. She gets on the mic and thanks everyone for coming, but informs them that Daniel Bryan will not be here tonight. The fans are getting all over Stephanie with boo’s and “you suck” chants. Really loud. Stephanie downplays the “Yes! Movement,” to which the Brooklyn fans explode in “Yes!” chants, complete the hand-raising gesture. As Stephanie continues, an enormous “CM Punk” chant breaks out. A really big one, folks! It doesn’t last long, however, and Stephanie continues to talk, putting over Triple H.
As Steph continues to talk, Randy Orton’s music interupts her. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion makes his way to the ring with a scowl on his face. Orton says he’s not here to argue with anything she said. He says he respects Stephanie and her husband. He says, however, that he will have to beat her husband up if he gets past Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. The crowd explodes into a loud “Daniel Bryan” chant. Steph cuts Orton off to inform the fans that they can chant all they want, but he is not going to show up. Orton sucks up to Steph a bit, but then tells her to make him walk away from the title match at WrestleMania. The fans erupt into a big “boring” chant.
Perfect timing.
As the “boring” chants continue, Batista’s music plays. The Brooklyn fans explode again, this time with hate-inspired “boo’s.” Batista’s music fades and the boo’s get louder. Batista says he doesn’t care about the fans, or who is in the ring with him at WrestleMania, he’s walking out as champion. As he continues to speak, his mic starts cutting out. He gets a different one. Steph cuts him off and says she can’t hear a word he’s saying. She takes the mic from him and tells him to pick up the other one. He does. “Check one-two, is this thing on?” says “The Animal.” The crowd responds by boo’ing the crap out of him again. Batista tells Orton he makes him sick and mocks him for sucking up to Stephanie. Batista says he’s drooling all over her, but that he’s got news for him — she’s probably been drooled on plenty of times. Stephanie slaps Batista and storms off. Orton falls down laughing. Batista turns around and spears Orton. He then holds the titles up in the air. His music plays, the fans boo on cue, and he exits the ring with a smirk on his face and a swagger in his step. We head to commercial.
Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
When we return from commercial, Alberto Del Rio’s music is playing. He’s standing in the ring with Christian. We see Big E. seated at ringside. Dolph Ziggler’s music plays and the fans go insane with cheers. Wow that was a huge pop. Sheamus comes out to what sounded like a bit of a mixed reaction. Very lively crowd tonight in the Barclays Center. We have a fatal four-way match coming up now. We’re told that the winner gets a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship, which would explain Bg E. being at ringside for this one.
The bell rings and immediately Christian and Del Rio end up on the floor. Sheamus and Ziggler battle it out in the ring as Michael Cole reminds us that all four of these men will be part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX. Christian and Del Rio come back in the ring and they double-team Ziggler. Christian goes to dive on Sheamus on the floor, but Sheamus catches him and hits a fall-away slam on him into the barricade. Everyone ends up laid out on the floor as we head to a mid-match commercial.
When we return from commercial, Ziggler and Del Rio are going at it. Del Rio eats an elbow in the corner. Ziggler charges and gets thrown high into the air and lands face first into the canvas. Sheamus pulls Del Rio out of the ring and hits his rolling senton on the outside. Christian comes behind Sheamus and tosses him into the ring post. Christian goes for a cross body, but Ziggler rolls through into a close near fall. Christian back on the offensive with knees and right hands to Ziggler. Christian covers and gets a 2 count. Ziggler fights back to his feet, but Christian tosses Ziggler over the top to the outside. Sheamus shows up behind Christian and lands some lariats followed by a high knee. Del Rio charges and eats the irish curse. Christian gets tossed to the outside. Sheamus gets Del Rio on the apron and connects with his ten forearm blows.
Sheamus goes to the top, but Ziggler comes out of nowhere to hit an X Factor off the top rope for a very close 2 count. Christian back in the ring and Ziggler hits 10 punches in the corner. Ziggler connects with a big DDT to Del Rio and covers for another close 2 count. Christian hangs Ziggler up on the top rope. Ziggler went for the fameasser, but Christian counters into a power bomb. Del Rio hits a kick to the head but the cover is broken up by Sheamus. Sheamus takes Del Rio down and locks in the clover leaf. He lets it go and Sheamus hits a power slam on Christian. Sheamus calls for the brogue kick. He goes for it but Del Rio cuts him off. Del Rio locks the cross arm breaker on Sheamus. Sheamus fights back to his feet and lift Del Rio up. Ziggler hits a double Zig Zag. Christian comes out of nowhere and nails Ziggler with his Killswitch. 1-2-3. Christian wins the match, and the right to face Big E. for the I-C title on tomorrow night’s live edition of WWE Main Event.
Winner: Christian
Wyatt Family Promo
We see The Wyatt Family on the big screen. Bray mentions that people usually don’t believe in things they can’t see or touch. He says it is human nature. He says in the case of John Cena, we all see him. He said how could we miss him with everything the WWE shoves down our throats. What Bray is wonder though, is if John has seen Bray for what he is. He says he is the way to eternal pain. He asks John what could he possibly do to harm something that just can’t feel. Luke Harper says he can hear John whispering, and now they are coming to find him. Wyatt ends by simply saying “run.” We head to commercial.
Sin Cara (with Scooby-Doo) vs. Damien Sandow
When we return from commercial, we hear some unfamiliar music. We see Sin Cara making his way to the ring, and he’s joined by Scooby-Doo. Already in the ring is Damien Sandow. The bell rings to make this one official.
The fans break out in a light “Scooby-Doo” chant as Sandow goes to work on Sin Cara in the corner of the ring. As Sin Cara begins fighting back, a random “CM Punk” chant breaks out. Sin Cara hits his finisher off the top and pins Sandow. Sandow gets basically squashed in about two minutes. Yikes. We head to another commercial break.
Winner: Sin Cara
– Early betting odds for WrestleMania XXX favor Bray Wyatt over John Cena, Undertaker over Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan over Triple H.
– The following is the latest edition of Zack Ryder’s “Last ReZort” YouTube show:
– There is currently an offer on Ticketmaster for a four-pack of $250 WrestleMania XXX seats for $700, as well as a pair of $250 seats for $350. For more information, visit Ticketmaster.com.
– Speaking of WrestleMania XXX, WWE has announced three of the theme songs for the event, all of which are now available on iTunes. Those three songs are “Celebrate” by Kid Rock, “Legacy” by Eminem and “In Time” from Mark Collie.
This week’s edition of WWE Countdown, which airs on the WWE Network on Tuesday night, will focus on wrestling’s “biggest blunders.” You can check out the official preview for the show below:
This week’s WrestleMania Rewind, which also airs on the WWE Network on Tuesday night, is set to feature Bret “The Hitman” Hart. You can check out a preview for that show below:
While this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, the plan is for The Ultimate Warrior to close out the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony this year.
Speaking of the WWE Hall Of Fame, Bret “The Hitman” Hart noted in a recent Q&A session that he believes Owen Hart will be inducted next year in California.
Also rumored for the Hall Of Fame next year is The Rock.