We previously reported that WWE was going to hold a meeting prior to RAW a couple of weeks ago to address some changes as it relates to compensation and other issues now that the WWE Network will be changing the business model used for years in WWE. Apparently that meeting never took place and at this point still has yet to happen.
CM Punk noted in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani that he is still unsure how the WWE Network will impact his usual pay-per-view payoffs.
The following are the betting odds (via SkyBet) for tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Batista is listed as the favorite to win the Rumble (at 4/11), meaning you’d have to bet $11 to win $4.
30 Man Royal Rumble Match (Top 5)
WWE Title Match: Randy Orton (1/6) vs. John Cena (7/2)
Brock Lesnar (1/10) vs. The Big Show (11/2)
Bray Wyatt (4/11) vs. Daniel Bryan (2/1)
Kickoff Pre-show: The New Age Outlaws (1/8) vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust (9/2)
– The official WWE website is currently running a poll asking their fans who they feel has the most momentum heading into tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble. At last check, WWE Superstar Batista was in the lead by a wide margin.
– Former WWE Superstar Diamond Dallas Page is featured in a new parody video from Nerdist. You can watch that below:
Tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble is just hours away. SEScoops.com will have Live Coverage of the show starting at 7:30PM (Eastern). If you’re not ordering the PPV, our live results are the best way to experience the action. Here’s the final card for tonight:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
* Pinfall or Submission Only
Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show
Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt
30-Man Royal Rumble Match (20 Entrants Announced):
– Batista
– CM Punk (first entrant in the match)
– Alberto Del Rio
– Big E Langston
– The Miz
– R-Truth
– Xavier Woods
– Kofi Kingston
– Goldust
– Cody Rhodes
– Fandango
– Rey Mysterio
– Seth Rollins
– Roman Reigns
– Dean Ambrose
– Damien Sandow
– Luke Harper
– Erick Rowan
– Jimmy Uso
– Jey Uso
Former WWE Superstar Chavo Guerrero appeared on AfterBuzz TV earlier this week. The following are some highlights from his appearance:
On Batista’s return at RAW: “If you guys know Dave, he’s got some massive legs. Maybe the [jeans he wore on RAW] weren’t skinny skinny jeans. Maybe they were normal jeans, but they look skinny on him…[Batista] looks like he’s shrink wrapped. I mean he’s so thin. The guy is in crazy shape… He’s like a genetic freak. He really is. You could work out as much as you want and never look like him. I mean, I don’t [look like him] and I work out a lot.”
On a memory he has about John Cena: “One time, and this is a true story, we were in South Africa and [Cena] started battle rapping. He started rapping with someone and it was awesome. He went five minutes just talking about things around the room. And we were like, ‘Oh my gosh. Where did that come from?’ Tommy Dreamer heard it and Tommy took it to Shane McMahon and Shane McMahon heard it and took it to Vince McMahon and next thing you know he’s a rapper on TV…and he had already been with us six months or so. Slowly but surely he just became John Cena the superstar.”
On Eddie Guerrero: “[Eddie] was told he was a great performer, was always really really good. But he was told, ‘You’re a cruiserweight. You’ll always be a cruiserweight.’ And then when he left and got clean and sober and then came back, the fans just related with him so much and it was undeniable. They had to use him. They had to push him and he became who he was…When he passed, I would be walking in the airport and people would stop and look at me and hug me. They would give me a hug. I remember a TSA agent one time looked at my ID, looked up and looked at me. He didn’t say anything he just grabbed me and hugged me.”
On Eddie’s daughter, Raquel Diaz in NXT: “It’s really cool to see her follow the footsteps of the family…I have given advice and I’m always here for her. I don’t want to coddle her because she needs to do it. But she could call me any day and time and place and I’d be there for her. I just want to see her succeed. She’s got that Guerrero blood in her and people tell me that she’s really, really good.”
You can watch the complete appearance above.
The following are highlights of a recent LAW Radio interview with AJ Styles:
On the year-long angle in TNA and where it was headed: “I don’t think they really knew what gimmick I was going towards when they did the “lone wolf” thing. They asked me about it, and I said I had no problem being at home, but I really don’t think they knew where they wanted it to go. We talked about the Sting lone wolf thing that he did, and something similar to that. I didn’t have a problem with it. You always want to do something different. I wanted to come out with a bit of a different look. It worked for me, I had no problem doing it. As far as I know, until things got changed up a little bit, they wanted me to be the one to take out Aces & Eights, or have a group to help take them out, or something like that. I’m not positive on that, but I think that’s kind of where they were going.”
On whether or not he had talks with WWE: “I know that’s some wishful thinking, but no, there was nothing. Not a phone call. Nothing. I wish I knew who these guys were that were presenting these rumors and whatnot, just so I could say, “Exactly tell me when they did call me, I’d like to know.” It’s just so bizarre, all the stuff that you hear.”
Check out the complete interview online at FightNetwork.com.
The following are highlights of a recent Digital Spy interview with WWE Superstar Seth Rollins:
On whether or not the Royal Rumble will cause The Shield to part ways: “I don’t think so. It’s every man for himself but there’s 27 other guys in there that need to get out of that ring before we figure out which one of the three of us is the best. I would be worried for the 27 other dudes who are gonna be having to deal with hopefully the three of us in the ring at the same time. No-one has gotten away from that the whole year. Not The Rock, not The Undertaker, not John Cena. When there’s three of us in the ring at the same time, it’s disaster for anybody else.”
On the rumors that Hulk Hogan is returning to WWE: “I mean hey, he’s a legend, if he comes back in the WWE that’d be great for us just to have him around. He’s an icon in the history of our business. But, if he steps in our way, he could end up getting triple-powerbombed too.”
On whether or not WWE’s tag-team division is as exciting as it’s been in a long time: “I would say so. We went through, as a company, a good chunk of time there where tag team wrestling just fell off. Then Bryan and Kane [as Team Hell No] had the tag titles for a long period of time. We took them from them, which really is a great honor, because they really brought ’em back to really meaning something. I think myself and Roman Reigns, even Dean Ambrose with him to an extent, we took tag wrestling in a different direction in the WWE. We showed people what it could be.”
“I love tag team wrestling. I’ve loved it my whole life. A lot of my favorite teams – The Rockers [Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty], Legion of Doom [Michael ‘Hawk’ Hegstrand and Joseph ‘Animal’ Laurinaitis], The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express [Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson], Midnight Express [Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey].”
“The excitement with all the guys in the match. There’s so much more you can do with four bodies in the rules of a tag team match than two guys in a singles match. It’s just a completely different thing. I think we just took it to another level. I felt the writing on the wall with what we can do, and there were a lot of guys in the tag division who were on board. And once we stepped up our game everybody else had to measure up. That was a cool thing.”
On The Ultimate Warrior returning to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “I can’t wait for his speech! I hope I’m there, I can’t wait. That’s just going to be immense. I don’t know what they’re going to do with that. If you’re not there live, then wait for the DVD, because they’re going to have to edit that thing for a Hall of Fame special for sure! To have him back is really cool because he’s an icon in our business and the history of our business. He was like a whisper in the wind. Like a firecracker – a few years, BOOM! blew up and then gone. To have him back, doing his thing with us is pretty cool. He was one of my favorites growing up.”
Check out the complete interview online at DigitalSpy.com.
WWE Superstar and Chicago native CM Punk was in attendance at the UFC On FOX event in Illinois on Saturday night. Punk was shown sitting in the front row of the United Center and was acknowledged on-camera during the television broadcast.
Punk mentioned his appearance at the event on his official Twitter account, as he tweeted the following:
Big thanks to @danawhite @lorenzofertitta and the @ufc for making me feel welcome at the fights! Off to Pittsburgh to win the #RoyalRumble
— Coach (@CMPunk) January 26, 2014
We want to know who you think will be the Royal Rumble Winner later tonight. The road to WrestleMania XXX officially kicks off at the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble, with 30 men competing to earn the coveted WWE World Heavyweight title match at the biggest show of the year.
With Batista being the odds-on favorite, we want to know who you think will be the Royal Rumble winner.
As of Sunday, there are 20 entrants confirmed for the Royal Rumble:
CM Punk (#1 entrant), Batista, Alberto Del Rio, Big E Langston, The Miz, R-Truth, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Goldust, Rey Mysterio, Fandango, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, Damien Sandow, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso.
Daniel Bryan is not currently entered in the Royal Rumble match, but he is the surprise entrant most fans are hoping to see. While it’s unlikely that any other surprise entrant will win the Rumble, it will be interesting to see what former WWE Superstars (or current NXT stars) appear in the match.
Vote below and tell us who you think the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble winner will be:
[poll id=”26″]
SEScoops.com will have Live Coverage of the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble later tonight starting at 7:30PM (Eastern). If you’re not ordering the Royal Rumble, our live coverage is the very best way to experience the action live.
The 30-minute online pre-show will be hosted by WWE’s expert panel and will feature WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust defending against the New Age Outlaws. We will be streaming the pre-show hereat SEScoops.com a half hour before the pay-per-view begins.
The Chat Room will also be open before, during and after the event.
Check out 24Wrestling.com for more Royal Rumble coverage.
WWE Superstar Goldust recently spoke with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald to promote tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His Current WWE Run: “It’s a lot of DDP Yoga and gym work and eating right and staying in shape. My mind has also been right for the last five-and-a-half years being clean and sober from drugs and alcohol. So I think all those things played a big factor in this. Being able to do stuff that I’ve never done and wanting to try new things and having the young talent that’s actually hungry and help me get through that and make it look good. I’ve got some new moves in my arsenal, and the people love it. This new attitude and new Goldust they’ve never seen with new face paint. I couldn’t have asked for anything. This run has been great.”
Sobriety & Inspiring others: “They say because of you I haven’t used a drug for eight days or picked up a drink. That’s awesome. I’m a true testament that the WWE Wellness Policy works, if you work it. It took me one time, and I was ready to turn my life around and say goodbye to the demons. They’re always there. They are always on my shoulder, but all I have to do is take hold. The support group I have with my wife and my daughter and things like that. Now its five-and-a-half years going on six years clean and sober and having the time of my life. I can actually get in the ring and do things in the ring I thought in the past I couldn’t do without a pill or drugs in my system or alcohol to get through a match and wake up in the morning. It’s a piece of cake. I’m doing it. I’m 44 years old, and I’m kicking everybody’s ass.”
No Longer Wanting To Wrestle His Brother At WrestleMania: “The dream match I did have I do not anymore at WrestleMania. So right now I want to continue to be the WWE tag team champions and have someone big step up to try to face us at WrestleMania. I think we need to try to be on that card and put on one hell of a show.”
Working With Younger Talent: “I watch their stuff, and I don’t give them too much. I give them a little bit that they can sink into and try first to see if that works and go from there. I try to teach them about how to tell stories because it’s a lost art. I think me and Cody are doing a real good job of bringing this tag team division back by telling a story. When you have 25 minutes out there with The Shield, the way I do it is start slow and end big. In between, it’s telling those stories and making those non-believers who are only there for their kids that are loving it, those parents stand up at the end of the match to either hate me or love me. Either way, they were on their feet because they were entertained. It’s a slow build — like a movie. The good guy is there getting beat down, but in the end he comes back. It’s hard to teach this these days. If you’re allotted five or six minutes for a match, I can tell a story with that. They don’t understand that, but with time in the business they will learn that hopefully. I hope it doesn’t stay a lost art for so long that it’s forgotten about.”
– Daniel Bryan returned to action on Saturday night at the WWE Live Event from the Canton Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. Bryan was pinned by Bray Wyatt in the Steel Cage main event due to interference from the Wyatt Family. After the match, Bryan laid out the entire Wyatt Family to end the show with a loud “Yes!” chant.
– NXT star Alexander Rusev wrestled at last night’s WWE Live Event from Reading, PA last night and defeated Zack Ryder.
John Cena defeated Randy Orton in the main event by DQ when Orton low blowed Cena.
Former WWE Superstar Snitsky was also backstage at the show. Here’s a photo of him with Justin Roberts:
After declining to be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame at last year’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view, former TNA World Champion Kurt Angle will finally be inducted next weekend.
Angle appeared on the UK Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch this morning and announced that the ceremony will take place next Saturday, February 1st, at the Impact Wrestling taping in London at Wembley Arena.
“There are some things I wanted to accomplish before accepting induction into the TNA Hall of Fame, and now I’m ready,” Angle said. “I’m thankful I have been able to do this in my own time. The phenomenal wrestling fans in London will be part of this memorable and emotional night this Saturday.”
He added, “Wembley is such a storied venue, and with thousands of fans it will be a perfect setting for the induction ceremony. A majority of my life has been dedicated to achieving success as a wrestler. Being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame is an accomplishment and an honor I will forever cherish.”
Angle becomes the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame, following the inaugural induction in 2012 of “The Icon” Sting.
– The latest WWE Top 10 video looks at moments that could have used an Instant Replay.
“Major League Baseball has instituted new instant replay rules. WWE Top 10 looks back at moments that had their been instant replay, the outcome might have been different!”
– WWE.com has updated their weekly Power Rankings. Here are this week’s Top 5:
5. CM Punk
4. Daniel Bryan
3. Randy Orton
2. The Shield
1. John Cena
Former WWE Champion Kevin Nash has checked into the hotel where the WWE crew is staying in Pittsburgh, PA for Sunday night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Nash hosted a “Royal Rumble Party” on Saturday night and is rumored to be one of the surprise entrants in the Rumble match.
As reported earlier this week, Nash posted a photo of himself on Twitter with his hair and goatee dyed black. He claimed it was for an upcoming TV pilot he was filming, but it appears we could see another surprise Rumble appearance from Diesel.
– Tickets for the Jim Ross “Ringside: An Evening With Jim Ross” events on April 3rd at the House Of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana officially went on sale to the public today. Those interested in purchasing tickets can do so at Ticketmaster.com.
– WWE has added the latest edition of their SmackDown “Backstage Fallout” series to YouTube. The video, which you can see below, is accompanied by the following description: “Bad News Barrett and The Miz talk about what happened on SmackDown.”
The following are highlights from a recent Jim Ross Q&A update:
On overcoming Bells Palsy to continue his on-camera career: “Thanks for reading my blog and for the insight. None of us should allow something like Bells palsy define us.”
On why WWE has 30 men in the Royal Rumble when only a handful of guys could potentially win: “I think perhaps this matter is being a little over thought. A 30 man show biz presentation seems to work ok. Enjoy the presentation and the ride. The same could or can be said of many matches.”
On if he feels Kurt Angle could pass the WWE physical for a potential WWE return: “I’m not a doctor nor do I know the extent of Kurt’s physical ailments, so I have no way of answering your question with any degree of accuracy. I’d hope that he could.”
On if WWE should bring back the “squash match” formula: “I have no issues with enhancement matches. I’d much rather see long arcing story lines return. Longer term planning generally equates to greater success.”
On his guesses for possible WrestleMania XXX matches: “I see Batista vs his former teammate Orton & Lesnar attempting to beat The Streak. Just one man’s take on the matter.”
On if he feels WWE will ever turn John Cena heel: “I don’t see Cena turning. He sells too much merch and is a fantastic spokesman for WWE. There’s no reason to flip him.”
Check out more Q&A updates from Jim Ross online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– WWE Superstar and Shield member Seth Rollins made headlines on TMZ for admitting that he once urinated during a live wrestling match. The headline emanates from an interview Rollins did on “Talking With Soup,” which we posted earlier today.
You can check out the TMZ article online at TMZ.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair recently posted the following tweet to his former Evolution running-buddy Batista:
Best of luck to my old Evolution running buddy @DaveBautista. Style and profile all the way to WrestleMania! #RoyalRumble
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) January 25, 2014
The following are results from the WWE live event in State College, Pennsylvania. The event was held on Friday, January 24, 2014.
– Fandango def. Justin Gabriel in the opening match of the evening. This was said to be a pretty good match.
– Alexander Rusev def. Zack Ryder in a singles match. Many in the building didn’t seem to be aware of Rusev, but the match was pretty good regardless.
– The Funkadactyls def. Alicia Fox and Aksana in a Divas tag-team match.
– Los Matadores def. 3MB in a tag-team contest. Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre represented 3MB in the ring for this match, which was mostly a comedy match.
– Kofi Kingston def. Ryback in a singles match. Many seemed surprise to see Kingston get the win.
– Rey Mysterio, Goldust & Cody Rhodes def. Alberto Del Rio & The Real Americans in a six-man tag-team match. This was one of the best matches of the evening. Mysterio pinned Swagger for the win.
– John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification. Due to the DQ, Orton retained his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This is the same exact match these two have been doing at all of the recent WWE live events.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be airing part one of his two-part interview with WWE music composer Jim Johnston on his “Steve Austin Show” podcast next week. Austin is also scheduled to interview comedian Gabriel Iglesias next week.
– TNA founder Jeff Jarrett recently posted the following tweet about “The Icon” Sting:
Stinger… Timeline filled up… A true class act and an one-of-a-kind MAN… Many, many thanks to you… @Sting #Icon #grateful #class
— Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) January 24, 2014
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper recently tweeted the following:
WMXXX PUT HOGAN IN PIPER'S PIT, FREE FORM! ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO RUN IN?? BRING IT ON!!! A NIGHT YOU WON'T FORGET!! @PROMISE
— Rowdy Roddy Piper (@R_Roddy_Piper) January 23, 2014
– Chris Jericho posted the following tease for Sunday’s Royal Rumble on his official Twitter account:
Headed to Pittsburgh to rock the World Of Wheels at Lawrence Convention Center TODAY from 12-3pm! Let's get ready to rumble Jerichoholics!
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) January 25, 2014
Vince Russo is back working with TNA Wrestling as part of their creative team, according to a report at PWInsider.com.
TNA reportedly reached out to some creative people to help with some consulting for their television product and Russo was one of them.
TNA and Russo are denying these rumors publicly, but many within TNA claim he is absolutely working with the company again.
Members of the TNA production team are currently working on a Dixie Carter reality television show. For the last week or so, the production crew has been working on the project, with the idea being to shop the reel around to some television networks.
Apparently this is something the company has been working on. Carter tried getting on the cast of The Real Housewives of Nashville a few years ago, but it never worked out.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
The following are highlights from Paul Heyman’s recent interview with Mark Madden:
On rumors of Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX: “If the Taker rumors are true, they’re very interesting. It’s the right year and right guy for Lesnar to walk away and crush ‘The Streak.'”
On how he feels Lesnar should be presented in WWE: “It doesn’t make sense for Lesnar to be presented as just another person. He should be set aside as distinct, different, and once-in-a-lifetime.”
Check out the complete interview online at 1059TheX.com.
Former WWE NXT Superstar revealed on Friday that he’s doing motion capture work for 2K Sports, the developer behind the WWE 2K video game series. WWE 2K15 has not been officially announced yet, but it’s expected to be released this fall for next generation gaming systems.
– Former WWE Superstar MVP will be making his official TNA Wrestling debut at next Thursday’s Impact Wrestling television taping in Glasgow, Scotland.
– Roderick Strong is off of the Ring Of Honor show in Pittsburgh on Saturday due to the neck injury he sustained in his match with AJ Styles a few weeks ago. Strong will be at the ROH taping, however, doing commentary for the television show.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)