– The official hosts for the Slammy Awards on next Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW, which will also serve as the WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs “go-home” show, will be WWE Hall Of Famers Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T.
– For whatever this is worth, which probably isn’t much, Paul Heyman is being advertised locally for next week’s edition of WWE RAW. It should be pointed out that Heyman was also advertised locally for RAW this past Monday night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and never appeared.
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. The show is scheduled to air on Friday, December 6, 2013.
Dark Match
– Tyson Kidd vs. Justin Gabriel
SmackDown
– Big E. Langston vs. Fandango
– Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston
– Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes [Non-Title Match]
– CM Punk vs. Dean Ambrose [Non-Title Match]
– Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya
– The Real Americans vs. Rey Mysterio & Big Show
– Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan
To read complete spoiler results for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two below …
The following are results from the WWE Main Event television taping, which was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. The show will air on Wednesday, December 4, 2013.
WWE Main Event
– Goldust def. Ryback via Disqualification. This was the opening match of the evening. Cody Rhodes was at ringside in Goldust’s corner, while Curtis Axel was at ringside in Ryback’s corner. The disqualification happened when Axel interfered in the match to break up a pinfall attempt by Goldust.
– The Usos def. 3MB. Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal represented 3MB in the actual match. Heath Slater was not at ringside during the bout. The Usos picked up the win in this tag-team match via pinfall.
– Clips from the latest sit-down interview between Michael Cole and Triple H were aired. This time the clips hyped the upcoming WWE TLC main event match between John Cena and Randy Orton.
– Damien Sandow def. R-Truth in the headline match for this week’s WWE Main Event show. Sandow picked up the win in this singles match by way of pinfall.
WCW nostalgia continues to drive WWE DVD sales, according to the latest monthly business figures released by the company this week.
Of the DVDs WWE has released in the past nine months, WrestleMania 29 continues to lead the way with 172,000 units shipped. Behind WrestleMania 29 is the “Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2” DVD, with 121,000 units. Coming in at number three is the “WCW War Games” DVD with 79,000 units, and the Goldberg DVD that was just recently released finishes fourth with 74,000 units.
To read more from WWE’s latest monthly business figures, visit IR.Corporate.WWE.com.
The Friday, November 29th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.86, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.86 final draw marks a significant decrease from the 2.15 cable rating that the show drew just one week earlier.
As previously reported, Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.641 million viewers, which was also down quite a bit from the 3.106 million viewers that the show averaged the previous week.
Last week’s SmackDown aired on “Black Friday,” and by comparison, when SmackDown fell on “Black Friday” the previous year, it scored a final cable rating of 1.81. The year before that on “Black Friday,” SmackDown scored a 1.87 cable rating.
– Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.641 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2.641 million average marks a pretty significant decrease from the impressive 3.106 million viewers that the show averaged the previous week.
– As previously reported, WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan appeared on the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which is available online right now. During the interview, Bryan revealed that he and his fiancee, Brie Bella, intend to get married during WrestleMania weekend in April of 2014. Bryan said the reason they are likely to tie the knot at that time is because it is a rare time when WWE Superstars actually get a break from their hectic travel schedule.
You can listen to the full interview with Bryan on Austin’s podcast online at PodcastOne.com.
– TNA wrestler James Storm recently spoke with TMZ and revealed graphic details about once popping a guy’s eye out of the socket during a bar-fight he once had. Fans interested in reading more on this story, or watching Storm tell it to TMZ cameras, can check out TMZ.com.
– TNA has added a new video to their official YouTube channel of TNA president Dixie Carter addressing the current World Title situation. The video, which can be viewed below, is accompanied by the following description: “TNA President Dixie Carter updates the AJ Styles/World Title Situation with an email from AJ’s agent – tune into Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c”
– Several WWE Superstars have tweeted today about “Giving Tuesday,” a national movement to attempt to give back to your community. Below is one of the tweets WWE has posted which contains a link to more information on the “Giving Tuesday” movement:
– Speaking of Twitter, WWE Superstar and one-half of the current WWE Tag-Team Champions Cody Rhodes is holding a contest on Twitter encouraging fans to bring signs to tonight’s WWE SmackDown television taping at the BOK Center in Oklahoma. Rhodes tweeted the following:
– WWE has added the latest edition of their “Backstage Fallout” series following Monday’s live WWE RAW show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The video, which can be seen below, is accompanied by the following description: “Tons of Funk, Xavier Woods, R-Truth and The Miz react to this week’s Raw.”
– Pro wrestler Colt Cabana will be appearing in Cleveland on December 26th and Muncie, IN on December 29th doing his comedy shows. For more information, visit ColtCabana.com.
Joe Dombrowski sent along the following …
Matt Striker Seminar – Friday, Dec 13 in Pittsburgh
Attention all pro-wrestlers and those in training! Former WWE Superstar & Announcer Matt Striker will hold a seminar on Friday night, December 13th at the ICWA training facility beginning at 7:00 PM. Matt will cover in ring work along with character development. Matt has a unique knowledge of the business having worked closely with WWE production, management and wrestlers. He’s a student of the game and wants to share his experience and skills. The cost is $30.00 per wrestler. If you would like to attend, please reserve your spot today by emailing IWC announcer Joe Dombrowski at [email protected].
SESCOOPS.COM reader Neal Jones sent along the following:
Recap of “Mad Dog” Vachon tribute on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 11/27/2013 by Vic Schiavone
Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps paid tribute to the late Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, who passed away on November 21, 2013. Several associates of the Mad Dog shared their memories of working with him.
Highlights included the following:
Baron von Raschke (former tag-team partner):
“Our tag team clicked immediately…the people would go crazy. And usually, the Mad Dog loved heat; so he kept letting it build and letting it build and letting it build. And I didn’t know any better, so I kept helping him build it and build it. For three months during the summer, the first summer I was there, we had a riot every night wherever we were. The matches always ended in a riot; we had to fight our way out of the ring. We even had a cage match…and they put up the cage and the babyfaces got in the cage. We started to come toward the ring, and before we got to the ring the people got so excited they tore the cage down…We had a lot of heat in that territory.”
Danny Hodge:
“He was mad and terrific…I would put him right up at the top. He was a heck of a wrestler; a heck of a guy…he was a tough cookie…He had strength, he had knowledge, he had conditioning; he was there for the fight.”
Ox Baker:
“One of the true gentlemen in wrestling, and a legend, was Mad Dog Vachon…In the ring, he was surpassed by nobody.”
Nick Bockwinkel:
“He set his own tempo, and he cut his own path…He was respected without any question as far as his talent; his style and his class was all his own. I can’t deny him one ounce of space, because if you wanted a complete rugged SOB he would be the man.”
The Destroyer (Dick Beyer):
“I’m wrestling the Mad Dog in his hometown…and he was a babyface. So when he got in the middle of the ring, the Mad Dog says to me, ‘We got to give them a barnburner here. They expect that we’re going to knock the hell out of each other.’ So we started out the match wrestling, and then all of a sudden it was kick, stomp, throw out of the ring…Mad Dog came out, he hit me with a chair, and out the aisle we went. We ended up in the dressing room fighting, and I yelled… ‘Mad Dog, there’s no people here! It’s just the boys; let’s get the hell out in the arena!’ So we finished off the match…we gave them what Mad Dog wanted; he wanted a barnburner and we gave them a barnburner. Mad Dog I think carried it a little bit too far.”
“Mean Gene” Okerlund:
“Mad Dog was probably the consummate interview guy. Whether it was behind the cage or it was in a workshop trying to construct a coffin, or whatever it happened to be, he was a classic in every sense of the word…I think what everybody has said about him is what it is. He was kind of a favorite of mine and I think he was a favorite of the boys in the locker room, and certainly even though the fans at one time or another probably hated him vehemently, he ended up being kind of the guy that they loved to hate.”
WWE released its monthly business figures today at Corporate.WWE.com, including preliminary buyrates for October’s Battleground and Hell in a Cell pay-per-views.
The exact numbers were not revealed, but a chart in the report shows that Battleground was the least-ordered WWE pay-per-view of the year.
The two shows averaged 167,000 buys – with Battleground around 150,000 and Hell in a Cell around 200,000 buys.
Battleground was headlined by Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton for the vacant WWE Championship, which ended with Big Show knocking out both men.
Hell in a Cell was headlined by a Bryan vs. Orton cage match, with Shawn Michaels as special referee.
Here is a chart showing the past 3 years of WWE PPV buyrates (click to enlarge), including Battleground and Hell in a Cell:
– As many people know, WWE’s Talent Wellness Program includes a provision that provides drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment to current and former contracted talent who are in need. WWE sent out their annual letter regarding the ‘paid rehab’ program, signed by Triple H. The letter notes that WWE has set up a 24-hour hotline that talent can call for assistance.
– The Miz was interviewed by Sam Roberts this week to promote his new movie, Christmas Bounty:
“Sam Roberts talks to The Miz on SiriusXM’s After O&A Live, about his ego, Maryse, getting concussed at Wrestlemania, his heel turn, locker room bullying, and more.”
– Last week’s Thanksgiving edition of TNA Impact Wrestling drew only 921,000 viewers, way down from the previous week (1,190,000) and even last year’s Thanksgiving episode.
– TNA star Kurt Angle will be co-starring in a new comedy web series, “Horse Cops.” Here is a preview:
“Wrestling icon Kurt Angle and comedy bad boy Na’im Lynn star in this outrageous sketch about two mounted police officers on a quest for tacos! Watch as all hell breaks loose when they’re denied service a Taco King drive-through. #HORSECOPS”
– WWE Diva Layla has been off television dealing with an unknown medical issue. No word yet on when she’ll be returning.
– Some fans may have noticed that WWE took a shot at Jim Ross last night when RAW took place from Oklahoma City. They talked about famous announcers that hailed from Oklahoma, mentioning Reesor Bowden and Boyd Pierce – but not Jim Ross.
We tweeted about the situation – and got a response from the man himself – stating that it was a rib –
“@sescoops: #RAW, #WWE mentioned great announcers from Oklahoma Reesor Bowden and Boyd Pierce – but not @JRsBBQ.
– WWE’s storyline with the Big Show and Triple H has been dropped. At one point, there was talk of them wrestling at the Royal Rumble, but Big Show was brought back to television early and wrestled Randy Orton at Survivor Series. Big Show has already been moved out of the Authority storyline – and competed in an unrelated 6-man tag match last night on RAW.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley appeared on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom radio show this morning. It will be be replayed at BobandTom.com later this afternoon.
– During a Total Divas Q&A on Twitter Sunday night, Natalya was asked if Divas Champion AJ Lee could make it as a Total Diva. She replied, “It’s not for everyone.”
– WWE NXT Diva Charlotte shared an encouraging text message from her father Ric Flair on Instagram:
– Despite some speculation, there are currently no plans for CM Punk to feud with Daniel Bryan. They will not be wrestling each other at WrestleMania, as some sites reported in recent weeks.
– Former WWE star MVP has been tweeting about training but says it’s for a North American Grappling Association event. He wrote:
No, I'm not training for a WWE return. I have a NAGA tournament next weekend. I am returning soon tho. The "where" is still in discussion.
– Former TNA star Jesse Neal announced that he and his wife, former women’s wrestler Brittney Savage, are expecting their first child this coming April.
– TNA will be taping Impact Wrestling on this from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Check back later tonight for spoiler results.
– TNA posted slow motion footage of Rockstar Spud slipping on potato salad during the food fight on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling:
TNA star Zema Ion recently spoke with Do Androids Dance. Here are some highlights:
Portraying a DJ as a professional wrestling character would be all about you cashing in on a trend. However, when was your initial introduction to electronic dance music? “My initial introduction to dance music came at the age of 11 from a Gap commercial. There was a song in the commercial and I thought it was amazing. Turns out it was “Busy Child” by the Crystal Method. I heard this electronic beat, and when I found out what it was, I went out and bought [1997 album] Vegas by the Crystal Method. [Intriguingly enough] it was one of the first albums I ever owned. I played the shit out of that cassette tape. I really loved it. From there I got into The Prodigy‘s [1997 album] The Fat Of The Land.”
What about your DJing do you feel best motivated your development as a professional wrestler now that you’re back in TNA? “When I started DJing, I thought at first that “this is going to be really good for wrestling.” Everyone in wrestling comes from a different background. Whether it is from wrestling on the independent circuit, the NFL, reality television, bodybuilding, or being a supermodel. I thought that if I really do good and develop at DJing that maybe this could be something to set me apart, a background for me that isn’t just being an independent professional wrestler.”
How did your return to TNA as a DJ come to pass? “I told TNA a year ago that I was trying to be a DJ. They thought it was cool, but it was left there. They didn’t understand it, but they kept hearing more and more about [my development]. Recently, they did a segment on TV where Robbie E and Jesse Godderz were celebrating their tag team title win and had a DJ with them in the ring. After the segment was over, they loved the idea of them with a DJ, but not the DJ they had that night. He didn’t look the part. They liked the idea of [the Bromans] with their own DJ. Robbie E mentioned to the TNA office staff “hey, maybe we should use Zema Ion. He is an actual DJ.” TNA replied “oh that’s right, we knew that!” Robbie, Jesse, and I have similar personalities, so me teaming with them is a no brainer. This past weekend they gave it a test run. They gave me little direction, and it was creatively in my hands. Eventually I’ll have my own custom DJ booth, and I got them to install lighting based off of the lighting at Echostage in DC. They’re totally behind this. They feel like whatever makes this look authentic is what they want.”
How would you best describe the character of DJ Zema Ion, the character you’re now playing for TNA? “They want me to be this over the top and obnoxious DJ. So I basically try to channel every stereotype that I can think of that would make a DJ annoying. We did a backstage segment where I named every annoying cliche in the dance music world that’s “required to be a superstar DJ,” including “only playing songs off the Beatport Top 100? and “having rave girls with green hair and severe daddy issues.” That type of stuff. My character is to play a DJ that thinks he gets it, but really doesn’t have a clue of what he’s talking about. That’s basically what the whole character is.”
With WrestleMania XXX just 4 months away, top WWE officials are still undecided about the top matches for the show.
WWE creative has been constantly changing plans for the card and there is much more uncertainty regarding the show than in previous years.
The company remains optimistic that a deal will be made with Hulk Hogan to appear. Because of Hogan’s physical condition, the only way he’d be able to compete in the ring would be in a tag match – with John Cena discussed as a potential tag team partner.
Another match previously discussed for WrestleMania is the WWE title unification match between John Cena and Randy Orton, which is now happening at TLC.
On Monday’s RAW, “Sin Cara” returned and scored an upset win over former World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio.
Some fans may have noticed that Sin Cara was sporting a new sleeve tattoo. The man formerly known as Mistico (Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde) did not get a new tattoo – it was actually WWE superstar Hunico who wrestled as Sin Cara on RAW.
According to WWE sources, the original Sin Cara (formerly Mistico) is not expected to be brought back. His character is considered by most to be a huge flop, due to his sloppy ring work and multiple injuries.
Here’s a photo of Hunico as Sin Cara from RAW:
In a pretty funny social media ‘botch’ – the official Twitter account of Sin Cara “checked in” at a restaurant located in Mexico – while “Sin Cara” was wrestling on RAW –
Over the weekend, it was reported that a Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara match is being considered for WrestleMania XXX. If the match does take place, it very well could be Hunico getting the WrestleMania payday.
The latest batch of Downloadable Content for WWE 2K14 is now available in the United States (and tomorrow, internationally). The for $7.99, the WWE SUPERSTARS AND MOVES PACK includes the the following characters:
Fandango
Big E Langston
Brie Bella
Nikki Bella
As part of today’s DLC release, Summer Rae is available to download for free.
For a full listing of all the new moves and taunts that are part of this DLC pack (for use in the Create a Wrestler mode), visit <b><a href=”https://wwe.2k.com/index.php/news/single/us-downloadable-content-in-wwe-2k14″ target=new>WWE.2K.com</a></b>.
The next DLC pack (available in January) will feature Bruno Sammartino, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
<b><a href=”https://www.sescoops.com/news/chris-jerichos-new-tattoo-featured-rebel-ink-magazine-cover-photo/”>* View Here: CHRIS JERICHO’s New Tattoo Work – Posing With 2 Hot Girls Covered In Ink</a></b>
Chris Jericho revealed on Twitter that he’s gotten some new tattoo work done and will be featured on the cover of Rebel Ink magazine. He tweeted this preview from the magazine shoot:
He also posted this picture on Instagram of his new forearm tattoo – which he describes as “the Loch Ness Monster wearing Paul Stanley makeup about to attack the Rolling Stones logo.”
