– 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)
The following are highlights of a recent interview with Pat Patterson. In the interview, Patterson discusses the origins of the Royal Rumble match concept.
On Vince McMahon’s initial reaction to the Royal Rumble match concept: “I used to talk to Vince [McMahon] about the Royal Rumble idea, even though I didn’t call it by that name, and Vince couldn’t visualize that.”
On pitching the idea to NBC executive Dick Ebersole: “I described what the concept would be and Dick Ebersol went crazy. He loved it. He said, ‘That would be so great for live television. Every two minutes another wrestler comes running in and you don’t know who it is until you hear the buzzer!’ So Vince went, ‘You’re on your own. You’re going to have to do it yourself. You’re going to have to produce it.’ Holy crap. It sounded good in my head, but to put it together was another story.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
– WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose recently appeared on Colt Cabana’s “Art Of Wrestling” podcast. You can check out the full appearance at ColtCabana.com.
– Speaking of The Shield, Seth Rollins appeared on the “Talking With Soup” YouTube show, which is hosted by Dan Campbell of “The Wonder Years.” You can check out that appearance below:
With the Royal Rumble taking place this weekend, we are officially on the road to WrestleMania XXX. As of this week, here are the matches that are scheduled to take place at WrestleMania:
Ever since it was announced that Batista was on his way back to WWE, we’ve been hearing that he’s slated to main event WrestleMania XXX. With the first hour of Monday’s RAW (featuring his return) drawing over 5 million viewers, it’s all but guaranteed that Big Dave will going on last at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
Fans hoping to see Daniel Bryan win the Royal Rumble and finally get his crowning moment of glory at WrestleMania XXX should abandon that fantasy ASAP.
The John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt match was first pitched in the fall but was later scrapped when WWE aligned Bryan with the Wyatt Family. After that angle was abruptly cut short after a matter of weeks, the Cena vs. Wyatt match is now back on.
Of course, plans can change in the next month or two, but as of this week, these are the top 5 matches planned for WWE’s biggest show of the year.
(Information from PWInsider was used in this report)
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Batista’s Role At The Royal Rumble: “Still leaning on Batista, who I’m predicting will enter after #20, winning he Rumble which would set up a WWE World Title Bout vs. Randy Orton at WM30 as I see Orton winning Sunday in Pittsburgh vs John Cena with an obligatory helping of controversy.”
Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show: “Don’t see Lesnar losing to Big Show at the Rumble.It’s feeling more and more like it could be a Lesnar vs. Undertaker showdown at WM30 in NOLA but all that could change with one major signing or via the use of the most powerful weapon in the business….an eraser.”
CM Punk Entering At #1: “I’d love to see CM Punk go coast to coast while entering #1 in the Rumble match and win it all in Pitt but that’s a legit, long shot. I could see Punk lasting a abnormally long length of time before being tossed over the top rop…perhaps by Batista himself or Punk could run a foul of the Shield again.”
Dainel Bryan’s Popularity: “I’m still of the belief that Daniel Bryan is the most popular performer on the WWE roster these days but my opinion and a couple of bucks will buy you a few bottle of JR’s BBQ Sauce, too.”
Physical Hall Of Fame Building: “According to the New York Post, NBC Universal is allegedly attempting to sweeten the TV rights deal in which they are currently negotiating with WWE. Allegedly, NBC Universal is offering to house a bricks and mortar WWE Hall of Fame at Universal in Orlando. Orlando would be a great spot for the WWE HOF considering that WWE does a ample business in Orlando including the WWE Performance Center and the NXT tapings at Full Sail University.”
The original Sin Cara was interviewed on Mexican Lucha Libre show Tercera Caída on Thursday and spoke about his return to Mexico. The hosts talked about him no longer being with WWE and he confirmed that he is now an independent wrestler. He then claimed that he owns the rights to the Sin Cara name, gimmick and mask – not WWE.
“I am the owner of the persona of Sin Cara. I say it openly because it’s all on my side, in my favor. I think that it’s best left to lawyers because I am the owner of the persona I am the owner of the [character’s] image and I have proof.”
This seems highly unlikely, knowing WWE’s track record of wanting to own gimmicks they create – and the continued use of ‘Sin Cara’ on WWE television. The hosts acknowledged this, but the original Sin Cara was adamant and said he has proof.
“That depends on how the wrestler work their deals. I’m not here to talk bad about anyone. I’ve always been a person that goes the route of peace. I’m not going to fight with anyone or any company. I’m not saying that because I’m scared to fight a big company. No, Why would I? Everyone knows that the original Mistico went on to be [the original] Sin Cara in the WWE. So that we would not have any legal issues with CMLL, I automatically changed my name and my persona and continued on with my registered persona.”
One of the highlights of the annual January pay-per-view is the Royal Rumble surprise entrants surprise entrants. Here are some of the people who could be filling some of the 10 unannounced spots in the Rumble.
Sheamus: He’s been out of action since August with a torn labrum and will be making an appearance at the World of Wheels Auto Show in Pittsburgh the day before the Rumble.
Chris Jericho: Jericho made a surprise appearance at last year’s Royal Rumble and will also be in town with Sheamus for the World of Wheels auto show.
Kevin Nash: Nash will be hosting a party just outside of Pittsburgh the night before the Royal Rumble. He tweeted a photo of himself after dying his hair and goatee. He claimed this was for a TV pilot he’s working on – but could we see the return of Big Daddy Cool Diesel at the Royal Rumble?
Jake Roberts: Jake shocked the world on RAW a few weeks ago when he made his first WWE television appearance since 2005. He’s been pushing for a spot in the Rumble for months – will Jake get one last chance to mix it up in a WWE ring?
2 Cold Scorpio: Sunday’s Royal Rumble takes place from Pittsburgh, just a few hours away from Philadelphia (the home of ECW).
Scorpio’s return would be presented as an ECW tie-in, playing of the ECW footage that will be available on the WWE Network.
Jimmy Wang Yang: Jimmy Wang Yang is a good friend of Batista and attended two WWE live events in the past week. He tweeted on Wednesday:
My last few days have been pretty interesting I got question what's everybody favorite number? I'll tell you mine Sunday
— Daddy Yang (@akioyang) January 22, 2014
The Godfather/Papa Shango: Wade Barrett tweeted on Friday that he has forfeited his spot in the Royal Rumble. He hinted that his replacement has ties to voodoo, which he’s done over the past few years:
I've given up my spot in this year's #RoyalRumble to make way for a WWE legend. It's top secret, but just between us, here's a clue: Voodoo.
— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) January 24, 2014
The Godfather made a surprise appearance in last year’s Rumble.
Daniel Bryan: Daniel Bryan is probably the top WWE superstar who is not currently booked for the Rumble. Bryan did an interview this week stating that despite Triple H not wanting him involved, he’s still “working on” getting a spot in the match.
We will update this page as more details become available regarding Royal Rumble surprise entrants. Keep in mind that these are just rumors at this point, but this is what we’re hearing so far.
Be here Sunday night for our Live Coverage of the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble. We’ll have the chat room open at 7PM (Eastern) and will have live ongoing results for the entire show. If you are not ordering the Royal Rumble on pay-per-view, this is the very best way to experience the show.
For even more Royal Rumble news (including who is most likely to win), visit 24Wrestling.com.
(News from f4wonline.com was used in this report)
WWE Superstar Ryback to DirecTV.com this week to promote Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Batista’s WWE Return: “I’m offended that he’s back. I’m the one and only “Big Guy” in the WWE. I go out there each and every night. I work the full schedule. I do all the cool power moves that you don’t see anybody doing anymore. I go out there and wrestle for 30 minutes, which you don’t see a lot of 295 lb. guys doing. I take a lot of pride in being big and having a lot of endurance and doing things that not everyone can do. So Batista is back, and it’s cool from a fan’s point of view, and I know he has some lofty goals, but this is my time now. I’m not taking a backseat to anyone. So if we end up in the ring together, it would give me great pleasure to throw him right over the top rope.”
Which Surprise Royal Rumble Entrants He Wants To See: “I’m sure a lot of people would love to see Goldberg show up and spear me right over the top rope. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. But I also heard Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts mention that he wanted to be in the Royal Rumble. Obviously, from watching him as a kid, it would be pretty cool to be in the ring and hear that music hit. Or someone like Hulk Hogan would be pretty surreal. But I wouldn’t hesitate to throw either one of them over the top rope. My main thing is going out there and winning it.”
His Dream Tag Team Partner: “There’s so many, but I’d love to be able to tag with Triple H, and not just because he’s my boss. Just from the conversations we’ve had, he’s on a whole other level. We don’t have too many guys like that left – guys like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart. Or a guy like Christian, who I’m looking forward to coming back. There’s so much knowledge in his brain. He’s wrestled all the greats – Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, guys like that. And I really wish Edge were still here. It killed me when I was out injured and he ended up having that final match with Alberto Del Rio. He was there while I was with the Nexus and he was just such a joy to be around. He’s a good human being and just knew so much. He was always helping. Its guys like that that I wish were around still. But yeah, off the top of my head, Triple H would be pretty cool.”
He also talked about his favorite Royal Rumble memories, his experience at NXT and more.
TNA Wrestling has worked out a deal with Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida that will see Impact Wrestling (and two pay-per-view tapings) return to the venue starting in March.
Here is TNA’s upcoming taping schedule at Universal Studios:
– MARCH 13 – IMPACT LIVE
– MARCH 14 – IMPACT Taping
– MARCH 15 – IMPACT Taping
– APRIL 10 – IMPACT LIVE
– APRIL 11 – IMPACT Taping
– APRIL 12 – IMPACT Taping
– APRIL 26 – One Night Only Taping
– APRIL 27 – TNA Pay-Per-View Event
– APRIL 28 – IMPACT Taping
– APRIL 29 – IMPACT Taping
– MAY 7 – IMPACT Taping
– MAY 8 – IMPACT Taping
– MAY 9 – IMPACT Taping
Additional details on TNA’s new arrangement with Universal Studios in Orlando will be announced soon.
– Thursday’s “TNA Genesis: Week 2” episode of Impact Wrestling show drew a 1.21 rating and averaged 1.555 million viewers, up from the previous week (1.11 rating, 1.316 million viewers).
– TNA World Champion Magnus tweeted the following in response a negative piece that was written about him in a British newspaper:
Shocking accusation Ian! I’m disgusted. pic.twitter.com/SAhPe3bQmb
— Magnus (C) (@MagnusOfficial) January 24, 2014
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan was interviewed by StraitsTimes.com and spoke about a number of topics, including the fact that he is not currently scheduled to participate in Sunday’s 30-man Royal Rumble match. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His Yes Chant:
“It’s happening all over the world and it’s really cool. I think this is the biggest reason for my success. The coolest thing is how the fans have gotten behind me. How they’ve joined the ‘Yes’ movement. It’s just been crazy. People will just break out in chants at any given time during a show and they do it all around the world. I love what I do and what I do is fun. I’m very confident in my ability to go out there and perform.”
Not Being Booked For The Royal Rumble Match:
“As of now, I’m not in the 30-man Royal Rumble match, I’m trying to get involved in it. (WWE) COO Triple H doesn’t want me anywhere in the Royal Rumble match.”
Getting Over Without WWE’s Full Support:
“The company doesn’t neccesarily want somebody like me at the top. I’m not what they think a WWE superstar should look like, but because the WWE fans have been so loud and vocal in their support of me, they kind of had to put me at the top of the card because people want to see it,” he noted proudly. I’m just thankful every day for how awesome my fans have been.”
WWE Superstar CM Punk was interviewed by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting this week and spoke about the following topics:
– Attending this weekend’s UFC live event from Chicago
– His WWE contract expiring & if he’ll stay with WWE
– His relationship with Vince McMahon
– Wanting to induct the Ultimate Warrior into the WWE Hall of Fame
– Batista’s return to WWE & who would win if they squared off in Jiu Jit Su.
– Rumors of Brock Lesnar wanting to return to UFC
– If he would ever become a professional MMA fighter
– The backstage incident with Michelle Beadle and AJ Lee
– The WWE Network and how it affects the pay-per-view payoffs of WWE Superstars
– Daniel Bryan’s popularity
– The Royal Rumble
– After his TNA contract was torn up at the conclusion of last night’s Impact Wrestling, Sting updated his Facebook, Twitter and official website with the following cryptic message:
– Shield member Roman Reigns spoke to Chad Dukes this week about a number of topics, including Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, NFL star Richard Sherman, his Superman Punch and more. To listen to the interview, visit ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.
– WWE legend Ted DiBiase Sr. tweeted the following about his son Mike being arrested again yesterday morning:
Please pray for my oldest son Mike. He’s been arrested again and is in jail. Pray that God would break his pride and he would grow up.
— Ted DiBiase (@MDMTedDiBiase) January 24, 2014