– Today is the birthday of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (49), Trish Stratus (38) and Rob Van Dam (43).
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge is the latest guest on Chris Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast. The two discuss Edge’s acting career, how he first got into wrestling, and more. You can listen to the interview at PodcastOne.com.
– Here is the official Royal Rumble 2014 promo video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ml1PdbgOx1k
Jim Cornette recently appeared on the 100th episode of the Inside The Ropes podcast. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
The AJ Styles Contract Situation:
“AJ is a great kid personally as well as professionally. Very talented. He’s been with the company for 11 or 12 years since the company started. I can understand exactly where he’s coming from. From what I’ve read, they wanna resign him for either the same or less money. Money being the root of most problems in the wrestling business. If I know AJ swell as I think I do, he doesn’t have any bad habits, he doesn’t spend his money frivolously, he’s saved his money wisely for the last decade. i think it’s a situation where he feels that if he’s not worth the money that he’s asked from TNA that he’d rather take a break or do something else or it might be a matter of principle. I can’t argue with that.
He’s been a main event guy, he’s been presented as a main event guy, one of the talents that you really identify with the TNA roster. I’ll go ahead an mention his name, Vince Russo, Russo was the booker for a lot of the 10-11 years of TNA. In that time,A lot of guys have been rendered meaningless in terms of draws. I was talking to Delirious one time during a Ring of Honor meeting and we were throwing out what if’s, you know what if we try to sign this guy or that guy, and we looked at Samoa Joe, one of the most recognized Ring of Honor champions of all time, a tremendous athlete and we both looked at each other and said with what TNA had done to him now, if we could get him, we’re not sure we’d even want him and that’s sad to say for a talent like Samoa Joe or an AJ styles. It’s not like I’m picking on those guys, Jeff hardy was one of the biggest start in wrestling and after 3 years with TNA he’s just another guy on the card.
I can also believe it or not, see TNA’s side of it, in that they don’t wanna pay him that much money since they don’t get the results at the box office but that’s their fault that they don’t get those results. That’s probably why AJ feels the way he does. There’s a lot of great talent in TNA. I almost think for most of them would have to go away not just from TNA but from the public eye for a while and get what down here in the south, we’d call, the TNA stank off of them.”
WWE Championship Unification at TLC
“I think it would be best to have one champion and make it feel more special but I also think the horse has left the barn, cowboy. I hate to be negative Nancy or Debbie Downer but you can see why when I watch the current product it gives me gas because for years in wrestling everyone knew who the World Champion was. Of course it depended what part of the country you were. For most of the country, the NWA champion was the champion people knew. Harley Race would hold the title for 3 years, Dory Funk Jr. would have it for 3 years, Ric Flair would hold it for an amount of time, Lou Thesz, you know, practically lived with the thing. Everybody knew he’s the champ. in the AWA it was generally Verne Gagne, home are hero.
In the northeast it was Bruno Sammartino, no matter who came and went, everyone knew, Bruno’s the champ. Well now the problem is, the title instead of being viewed as the prize in sports, the titles have been used as props. Oh lets switch the belt onto this guy or that guy, oh let the guy cash in a briefcase and cover the dead guy that’s just been beaten up, it’s just been turned into a prop, it’s been devalued, it’s been prostituted. Besides that, now that everyone pretty much knows pro wrestling is choreographed, pre-determined, whatever you wanna call it, everyone knows you’re not really the champion and someone just awards you it.
The only thing that ever annoyed me about the Bret Hart screwjob in Montreal is Bret called the newspapers in Montreal to tell them he’s been screwed and hadn’t really lost the title, well he didn’t call them when he won the thing and say oh I didn’t really win it, someone just gave it to me. Now, It’s a shiny belt that people can buy a replica of and it’s another tool in our toolkit that we’ve devalued to the point where it doesn’t make us any money anymore and it’s sad.”
– Australian newspaper Couriermail.com.au reports that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be headed “down under” in April 2014 to begin filming the earthquake disaster film San Andreas. This commitment might prevent The Rock from appearing at WrestleMania XXX.
– Due to the holidays, WWE will tape Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown tonight from San Antonio, Texas. the show will feature WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust defending against Luke Harper and Eric Rowan of the Wyatt Family.
Superstars advertised for the taping include WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, The Shield, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.
We’ll have spoiler results up later tonight, so check back later for those.
– The latest “Where Are They Now?” feature at WWE.com spotlights Jimmy Wang Yang, who now runs a unique business venture – Cincinnati-based “Jimmy’s Redneck Party Bus.
WWE Main Event Preview (Spoilers with Photos):
WWE NXT (200th Episode) Preview (Spoilers):
WWE COO Triple H will also be in attendance.
Noah Mark is back with his the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us if you agree with this week’s picks.
Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton Based on the opening segment you would have thought that Daniel Bryan was going to be in a Championship match against the brand new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton. However The Authority left that little part out, so the match was non-title. I would have loved to see this match for the championship. How many countless times do we see the face have to take on the champion heel in a non-title match to prove they deserve a shot, go on to win the non-title however lose the match that counts. Looks like that didn’t matter anyway because after a solid 15-20 minutes, Randy Orton ended the mach with a low blow. Out pops “brother-in-law” John Cena, upset over this situation, who eats an RKO. Raw ends with Randy Orton holding both titles over a fallen John Cena and Daniel Bryan. So a few thoughts come to mind. Are we going to see a Triple Thread Match at The Royal Rumble? I hope so, because any way Daniel Bryan can get back in a top match is #BestForBusiness. Is Randy Orton going to have to lug around those two championship belts until he loses them like Chris Jericho? This was a great mach despite the ending, and a good way for Raw to go off the air. YES!
Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show & Rey Mysterio Another great match from The Rhodes Brothers. No memorable promos, no back stories, just great tag-team wrestling. It’s funny too because I have never been a fan of tag-team wrestling, yes even during The Attitude Era. The Tag-Team division is hot right now. The Usos, The Real Americans, Big Show & Rey Mysterio, The Shield, The Wyatts. I love it. I would expect Goldust and Cody to break up just in time for a Brother vs Brother match. YES!
Quick Mentions
The Real Americans vs Big E. Langston & Mark Henry – Good tag team match, I know it’s early but you have to wonder if these two, like the Rhodes brothers are destined for a rivalry eventually. YES!
CM Punk & The Usos vs. The Shield: I don’t think I’ve seen a bad match with The Shield, this one was no different. Roman Reigns with the spear grabs the victory. This future world champion has a monster face turn in his future. YES!
Brodus Clay: Okay I have to admit I don’t actually care about Brodus Clay turning on Tensi and The Funkadactyls. At the same time, I feel there needs to be more depth in the story lines of the mid carders so we have some sort of emotional investment in matches. For that I say this is a good thing. Now old school mentality might have Brodus and Tenisi in a match at the Royal Rumble, or better yet, have a spot during the rumble match itself where they get their hands on each other. However, with 7 hours of programming each week, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see this on The Main Event. YES!
Hit up Page 2 below to see this weeks “NO!” along with the overall rating of this weeks WWE RAW:
WWE taped this week’s episode of WWE Main Event tonight from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Here are full results:
WWE Main Event (Airing On Ion Television):
* Mick Foley opens the show dressed as Santa Claus. He wishes the crowd a Merry Christmas before being interrupted by Curtis Axel & Ryback.
Ryback says he hates Santa and and calls him fat. The Miz comes out to even the odds. Miz and Foley Claus sing a Christmas carol together, changing the lyrics to reference Ryback and Axel. Santa Foley announces Miz will wrestle Curtis Axel later in the show, with Foley in Miz’s corner and Ryback in Axel’s.
* R-Truth & Xavier Woods defeated Jinder Mahal & Drew McIntyre
* Divas Champion AJ Lee defeated Kaitlyn
* The Miz w/Foley Claus defeated Curtis Axel w/Ryback.
WWE Superstar Ryback has changed his Twitter name to Ryan Reeves and deleted all of his tweets.
Ryback has deleted all of his tweets a few times before, most recently back in April after he tweeted an questionable message to John Cena and referenced Cena’s ex-wife:
While changing his Twitter name to Ryan Reeves and deleting all his tweets again could be nothing – it’s certainly going to raise questions about his status with WWE. Here’s a snapshot of Ryback’s updated Twitter page:
Monday’s post-TLC edition of WWE RAW drew a 2.95 rating and averaged 4,112,000 million viewers. Last week did a 2.84 rating with 4,159,00 million viewers.
Here’s the hourly viewership data:
This is the fourth consecutive week that RAW lost viewership each every hour throughout the show.
The NFL’s Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions averaged 14.164 million viewers.
Daniel Bryan spoke with Mike Jones from DC101 in Washington, DC earlier today. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Monday night’s main event on RAW: “He doesn’t want to lose, and I’m not afraid of losing. I’ll go out there and try my best, and do the best I can, and if I lose, you shake the guy’s hand at the end of the day and say tonight you got one on me, but Randy’s incapable of doing that. And um, I don’t know if that’s just his personality, you know, and that’s very very frustrating because last night I felt like I had him.”
Which up and coming stars impress him: “As far as guys who haven’t been big stars before, The Shield just had a tremendous 2013. They were the best in-ring wrestlers in WWE in 2013. Antonio Cesaro had a great year, and if he can break away from Jack Swagger and The Real Americans, he’s going to have a big year.”
Also in the interview, Bryan discussed being a minimalist, wanting to hold the WWE World title for more than an hour, and more. You can listen to audio from the radio interview here:
AJ Styles and TNA are officially back in negotiations for Styles to sign a new deal with the promotion.
Apparently there is some talk that Styles may have already signed a new deal at some point in the last 48 hours.
As noted earlier today, Styles has at least nine known bookings with independent pro wrestling promotions between now and March, so if he were to re-sign with TNA, he is already committed to those appearances.
We should have more on this story in the near future as further information surfaces.
– The “Tough Enough reunion” edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now online. The show features former Tough Enough host “Stone Cold” Steve Austin talking about the show with several of the cast members who appeared as contestants during the season. You can check that show out online at PodcastOne.com.
– The following is the trailer for the new Kayfabe Commentaries “YouShoot” release featuring a shoot interview with ECW original Balls Mahoney:
– As previously reported, current WWE Diva Eva Marie was nominated for Maxim’s Hot 100. In addition to the Total Divas star, former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler has also been nominated. For more information, visit Maxim.com.
– One-half of the former New Age Outlaws tag-team, Billy Gunn, who recently appeared as a presenter for the 2013 WWE Slammy Awards, is scheduled to return to the ring for a match against current WWE NXT Champion Bo Dallas at the NXT live event on Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
Dallas Mavericks NBA Star Dirk Nowitzki recently spoke to The Full Court Press about not appearing at Monday’s WWE RAW show in Dallas, Texas.
Nowitzki noted in the article that he used to be a big wrestling fan, but has since grown out of it. “I actually went to that a couple of years ago,” said the NBA star. “When I first got here when we were still at Reunion (Arena), it was fun. I was a huge Hulk Hogan fan and Ultimate Warrior and all that crap.”
Nowitzki concluded, “But that’s a long time ago, so I guess I grew out of that.”
You can check out the complete article online at Star-Telegram.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a blog update at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
WWE’s TV Negotiations: “Interesting article in ‘Variety’ on the WWE TV situation. The WWE brand is an amazing franchise with loyal fans who will follow their brand to any network much like NASCAR or the NFL, among other franchises. The network in the USA that obtains the TV rights for WWE content will have a proven winner on their hands and that new relationship, if it happens, would start in the all of 2014.”
“It’s essentially impossible to find another sports-entertainment entity WWE’s name identity and that has no off season and produces new, original programming weekly. That’s a great sales pitch in addition to adding to the loyal, fan base.”
WWE’s Tag Team Division Heating Up:“Seeing all the tag team action reminded me of back in the day when Jim Crockett Promotions used to feature ample, tag team wrestling highlighted by the Jim Crockett Memorial Tag Team Tourney. I enjoyed being a part of that process and feel, if presented creatively, that a similar tournament would be a nice, TV attraction. Tournaments are naturally episodic in how they are structured so the ‘story’ of the process is organically in place.”
“Tag Team wrestling allows multiple talents to get viable, TV exposure. Plus it builds upon their individual personalities and encourages talents to creatively mesh with their partner in some shape, form or fashion. If it’s a good presentation, the fans win because the competition is enhanced and the creative directions that a tag team match can take are essentially endless.”
Paul Heyman & Brock Lesnar’s Returns: “I’d also expect Paul Heyman to return to WWE TV soon as the serious build to WM30 begins in earnest, as usual, after the New Year and leading into the Royal Rumble. That means that one can expect to see Brock Lesnar return as well. I’m still of the belief that Lesnar’s TV persona will get significant and much needed exposure in one form or another to make the “Next Big Thing” as valuable an asset as possible for whoever he faces at WM30.”
There’s much more to this blog update, including JR’s thoughts on Monday’s RAW, Roman Reigns’ breakout potential as a singles star, Daniel Bryan’s role at WrestleMania 30. Head over to JRsBarBQ.com to read the full blog entry.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some questions he answered.
Has CM Punk surpassed Shawn Michaels?
“You are comparing apples to oranges, so to speak. Punk has not surpassed HBK in the ring as no one has in my view. The two are different entirely entities but both are big time players.”
Did you ever get the chance to do commentary with JBL?
“Never just the two of us.”
Did He & Jerry Lawler know about Mankind getting thrown off & through Hell in a Cell in advance?
“We were unaware that Foley was coming off the Cell as I’ve anwsered many times before. The less we knew about what was going to take place the better we were as a team.”
Which title is more prestigious – the Intercontinental or United States?
“Hmmm…I’d guess long time WWE fans would favor the IC Title but that’s merely my opinion. It also likely matters on who the particularly champion is.”
Rumors of Ryback getting heat for using Goldberg’s moves:
“I don’t know how to comment on internet rumors plus I’m no longer with WWE or around the talents to know what is going on. Ryback seems to have potential but he’s still a on going work in progress.
Why WWE never effectively pushed Cruiserweights:
Company philosophy inasmuch as labeling talents as cruiserweights or light heavyweights, etc puts an unfair and inaccurate less than positive label on them. Plus, talents that could not adequately verbalize in English wold have had issues getting and staying in the main event level.
Why WWE changed Steven Regal’s name to William Regal:
“Too many other guys named Steve to add another one was likely the thinking at that time.”
Variety.com has published an exclusive story looking at WWE’s upcoming TV rights fees negotiations which have the potential to bring in significant new revenue for the company. Here are some highlights from the article:
– For the first time ever, WWE will be negotiating all of its programming (RAW, SmackDown, Main Event, Total Divas, Saturday Morning Slam) in a package deal. WWE Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Michelle Wilson says that by packaging all of their content together,
“We’re letting the marketplace determine if it’s interested in all or piece … We’ve had to evolve our thinking. We are clearly entertainment-based, but if you think about the characteristics of our brand, it’s live action, and that’s sports. We want to be compensated for a live audience, since live content is getting a very significant premium in the marketplace.”
– WWE currently brings in $139.5 million per year in TV licensing fees. The company sees their programming as heavily undervalued, especially when you compare it to the blockbuster deal that NASCAR landed over the summer. NASCAR signed a 10-year deal with NBC and FOX worth a staggering $820 million per year.
NASCAR airs 154 races per year and averages a 1.38 household rating per show, with 92% of their viewers being white people over the age of 50. By comparison, WWE airs 156 episodes per year with a 2.2 household rating – and 44% their audience is under 34, a coveted demographic for advertisers.
– WWE is considering airing SmackDown live every week. Due to scheduling, the show would likely need to move to a new night. Even though a live edition of SmackDown would result in higher costs for WWE, the company is willing to air SmackDown live every week in exchange for better TV rights fees. WWE Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios said:
“The value of live content has gone from becoming important to essential. As a network, if you don’t have live must-see content your existence comes into question.”
– 90% of “Raw’s” and “SmackDown’s” viewers watch the shows live or within the next day – making the shows “DVR proof.”
– Other TV entities that have shown interest in WWE programming include A&E, Disney, Viacom, 21st Century Fox, and Discovery.
– Official negotiations with other networks can’t take place until February 15th, when NBCU accepts or rejects WWE’s final offer. Other bids are due by February 28th – with WWE set to have a deal in place by March 4. If WWE does leave NBC Universal and take its programming to another network, the move would not take place until October.
Less than 24 hours after Randy Orton captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view, it appears wrestling’s evil genius is already potting his destruction.
During Monday’s WWE RAW, Paul Heyman tweeted the following, a sign that the two youngest WWE Champions in history could be crossing paths some time soon:
I had a fascinating conversation today w/ @BROCKLESNAR regarding the NEW @WWE World Champion @RandyOrton
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) December 17, 2013
Comment below and tell us if you’d like to see Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar – and who you think would be victorious.
Call him the “Bulking Broski” – In this recent photo, Zack Ryder is looking a lot heavier than we’ve ever seen him:
Ryder says he’s received some tweets from fans about his expanding waistline, but says he’s “220 and #ZACKED” – and it must have been a bad photo. You could say that!
@CroissantRoll 220 and ZACKED. You must have seen a bad picture. #bulking
— Zack Ryder (@ZackRyder) December 13, 2013
The following are highlights from a recent Chicago Now interview with WWE Superstar Roman Reigns:
On his WWE debut: “It was a literally a rush. Looking back at it I felt like I was so unprepared. The funny thing is that day they wanted us to come out during the Triple Threat Match, with literally riot shields. They gave us turtlenecks and stuff and it didn’t really fit us, so we made a few adjustments. We were the new guys so all the eyes were on us and they wanted to see what we were made of.”
“After that match, after we walked through the curtain, it was high fives all around. From that day forward, the three of us made a pact that we are in this together and whatever happens, we do it together.”
On their entrance through the crowd: “I don’t know if it was creative or us but once the idea popped, we immediately said yes. I think it was a little bit of both, but we jumped on it. It’s a part of us now and it’s good for the show. I think it’s something that makes the aisle seats ‘hot seats’ because people want to be on TV or see us walk down the stairs. It’s a special bond with the fans and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
On his family background in the sport: “My big brother is a huge part of my career. I’m experiencing a lot of things that he has gone through and I can always ask him about anything. Anytime I can reach out to him and get some advice he’s always willing to talk and answer questions.”
“It really helps me ease my mind when I know I can talk to somebody who has gone almost everything.”
On coming up with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins: “I can’t say enough about Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Those guys have busted their ass in the independent circuit. We were all on the same page because we were all hungry. We all wanted to be the best and that will never change. We have a strict regimen; workout, eat and wrestle. Sometimes we sleep but in the end we do it together.”
On possibly leaving The Shield and becoming a singles star: “Even though I’m part of the Shield, I’m still my own individual wrestler. Deon Sanders was on a team his entire career, but he was still him. When it comes to comes to team fighting I will be there ready to roll but again I’m still me. There’s a lot of strong personalities in this business and I’m right there at the forefront.”
“Whatever path I’m put on either with a group of guys or by myself I won’t change my mindset. That’s how I was born and raised doing anything.”
Check out the complete interview online at ChicagoNow.com.
– WWE released Knuckles Madsen from his developmental contract today, according to a report at PWInsider. Madsen had been under contract since late 2012.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin mentioned on a recent Steve Austin Show podcast that he is trying to get The Rock to appear on the show. When asked by a fan when he’ll be interviewing The Rock, Austin replied:
@Gaurav9Kumar Never accepted the invite.
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) December 17, 2013
– Kofi Kingston and Natalya hosted a Reading Celebration at Blanton Elementary school in Austin, Texas earlier today. Here’s a photo:
– Sunday’s Season Finale of Total Divas averaged just under 1.3 million viewers.
Overall, this is not a great number, since 8 of the 14 episodes from Season 1 did more viewers, with the show peaking at 1.67 million for Episode 3 back on August 11th.
Season 2 of Total Divas premieres in March 2014.
– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels tweeted the following about his appearance on last night’s RAW:
Nothing like a last minute phone call…however, it's always nice to see everybody!! #RAW
— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) December 17, 2013
Former WWE Superstar Mark Jindrak recently spoke to Pro Wrestling Mania about his WWE release back in 2005, being pulled from Evolution & more:
“On July 5, 2005, I received the call from then head of talent John Laranitus, saying that WWE had released me. It sure was a weird feeling. Wrestling was the only real job I had ever held. Was it the end? Was my career going to be best remembered for a “Reflection of Perfection” gimmick? Or would I be remembered as the henchman in the Kurt Angle faction along with Luther Reigns? Actually what most people now remember about my WWE days is something that never happened. I was locked and ready to be the fourth member of the prestigious group Evolution. But…. at the last moment they pulled the plug on me and later replaced me with Batista. Damn!! (Ron Simmons voice) haha.
“Now I wasn’t just going to quit. Shortly after my release in ’05, I linked up with Matt Morgan and we did numerous tours to Japan as a tag team in New Japan and Hustle. This went on til early 2006. I had decent success but the truth of the matter was Japan wasn’t for me. The tours were few are far between, jet lag and long flights killed me and the language barrier was really difficult. Although I loved Japan, I didn’t think it was a place that I would further my wrestling career.”
WWE Superstar Brodus Clay spoke about turning on his Tons Of Funk teammates on RAW on Monday night in some new tweets posted on his official Twitter account. Clay tweeted the following:
Revenge PayBack is so sweet! #MainEventPlaya had a sweet tooth tonight ! Who put this together me that's who!!! #IamTheBeginingIamTheEnd
— Brodus clay (@BrodusClay) December 17, 2013
Sweet T and Funkadyactles are names #MainEventPlaya made with out me they can go back to whatever there names where if anyone can remember!
— Brodus clay (@BrodusClay) December 17, 2013
– Stephanie McMahon hosted the president and CEO of the Susan G. Komen foundation, Dr. Judy A. Salerno, as well as members of her staff at WWE RAW on Monday night in Dallas.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Hart recently spoke to Newsday about the “Legends House” reality show that is expected to air on the WWE Network. Hart said, “It’s probably one of the greatest things I was ever a part of in my life, with all the legends together. When we were on the road we never spent a lot of time together. But we were in the house for over a month, and it was just a great experience for me to go through that, it really was.”
Check out the complete article online at Newsday.com.