– There is a lot of heat on Ryback backstage in WWE. Ryback has ‘earned’ a reputation for being reckless in the ring – and he displayed that once again last night when he gave Dolph Ziggler a concussion. The two wrestled in a match that was taped for this week’s episode of Superstars. Ziggler went down hard after a stiff clothesline by Ryback and his concussion is being as “not a mild one.”
– The WWE contract of the original Sin Cara (formerly Mistico) is expiring soon and he’s not expected to be offered a new deal.
– Ranjin Singh made a return to WWE television on Monday’s Old School RAW, managing his former client, the Great Khali. Singh’s return was a one time deal and he’s not back with the company full time.
– Cody Rhodes appeared to injure his ankle on RAW, but he’s scheduled to wrestle at tonight’s SmackDown tapings.
– Brock Lesnar is also fine after his altercation with the Big Show on RAW. Lesnar was limping as he and Paul Heyman retreated from ringside, but he was just selling.
InDemand has released the official PPV poster and synopsis for the 2014 WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The show takes place on Sunday, February 23rd at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnisota.
The synopsis reads, “John Cena, C.M. Punk, Randy Orton, and your favorite WWE Superstars have dreams of WrestleMania, but they must first face the nightmare that is WWE Elimination Chamber. Don’t miss all the action, Sunday, February 23.”
Here’s the official poster, featuring Stephanie McMahon:
This briefly appeared on WWE’s Corporate website, before being pulled
WWE sent out an email blast on Tuesday afternoon titled “WWE Event Reminder: WWE Network Announcement”.
Shortly after the email went out – the link to the “WWE Network Announcement” was taken down.
The confirmed Network announcement is scheduled for the CES event in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
The full list of individuals scheduled to appear, according to the press release, includes:
– WWE CEO Vince McMahon
– “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
– John Cena
– Shawn Michaels
– Triple H
– Stephanie McMahon
– Executive Michelle Wilson
– Executive Perkins Miller
WWE will broadcast the announcement live on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. EST on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google+, Pinterest, and Pheed.
Amazon.com has released the official content listing for the upcoming WWE: Best of Raw & Smackdown 2013 3-disc DVD set, which will be released on January 28th:
Disc 1:
First RAW of the Year
Tables, Ladders, & Chairs Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk vs. Ryback Raw • January 7, 2013
Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio Smackdown • January 11, 2013
Setting the Stage
The Rock & CM Punk’s Verbal Battle Smackdown • January 25, 2013
Paul Heyman & Mr. McMahon Confrontation Raw • January 28, 2013
One for the Ages
Winner faces The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29
John Cena vs. CM Punk Raw • February 25, 2013
The Rock & John Cena – Point/Counter-Point Raw • March 4, 2013
DISC 2:
WrestleMania Season
CM Punk Disrespects The Memory of Paul Bearer Raw • April 1, 2013
Handicap Match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter Raw • April 8, 2013
Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango Raw • April 8, 2013
Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry & Big Show Smackdown • April 19, 2013
Setting the World on Fire
Undertaker, Kane, & Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield Raw • April 22, 2013
Brock Lesnar Destroys Triple H’s Office Raw • May 6, 2013
Curtis Axel vs. Chris Jericho Smackdown • June 7, 2013
Foul Play Was Afoot
Mark Henry’s Retirement Speech Raw • June 17, 2013
Street Fight
Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton Raw • June 24, 2013
Disc 3:
A Piñata and A Mariachi Band
Alberto Del Rio’s Championship Fiesta Smackdown • June 28, 2013
AJ and Kaitlin’s Contract Signing Smackdown • July 12, 2013
The Wyatt Family Makes a Statement RAW • July 15, 2013
Damien Sandow Searches for his Briefcase Smackdown • July 26, 2013
Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton Smackdown • August 9, 2013
Two Fan Favorites Face-to-Face
Miz TV with John Cena & Daniel Bryan RAW • August 12, 2013
Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro RAW • September 9, 2013
Big Show faces Off with the Shield Smackdown • September 13, 2013
Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, & Goldust vs. The Shield RAW • October 7, 2013
No Disqualification Match for the World Tag Team Championship
The Shield vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust RAW • October 14, 2013
John Cena, Cody Rhodes, & Goldust vs. Damien Sandow, Antonio Cesaro, & Jack Swagger Smackdown • November 1, 2013
3-on-2 Handicap Match
CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield RAW • November 11, 2013
Championship Ascension Ceremony RAW • December 9, 2013
WWE executive Stephanie McMahon sold another 69,893 shares of WWE stock last week, grossing over $1.1 million.
In an SEC filing on Monday, WWE disclosed that Stephanie unloaded 69,893 shares of Class A Common Stock last Thursday and Friday through the Stephanie McMahon Levesque Trust U/A Vincent K. McMahon. Here’s the breakdown:
– January 2nd: 28,431 shares sold at an average price of $16.17 per share ($459,729)
– January 3rd: 41,462 shares sold at an average price of $16.00 per share ($663,392)
Total Gross Proceeds: $1,123,121
Stephanie now owns a total to 70,107 remaining shares through the trust.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels and former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho will be appearing at the 2014 KOI Auto Parts Cavalcade Of Customs in Cincinnati, Ohio from January 10-12 at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
– Apparently WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair upset his hometown NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, with his appearance and speech at the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers this past weekend. Panthers player Steve Smith said of Flair,
“As a guy who actually has a Ric Flair robe I’m real disappointed in seeing that. Real disappointed. I’m not sure if he’ll get the invite here. That Golden Gate Bridge has been burned.”
WWE will tape this week’s Main Event and SmackDown on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As announced at Old School RAW on Monday night, the main event for this week’s WWE Main Event will be a tag-team match featuring R-Truth & Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans.
The confirmed main event for this week’s SmackDown, which was also announced at Old School RAW, is a non-title match between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston.
Also advertised for the taping in Philadelphia tonight is WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley.
Anyone who is attending tonight’s taping, feel free to submit a live report to be published here on the website.
– The official WWE website has added a video playlist with several WWE legends and WWE Superstars talking about Monday’s Old School RAW special. You can check it out at WWE.com.
– Speaking of Old School RAW, here is the “Backstage Fallout” video for this week’s Old School RAW:
2K Announces New WWE® 2K14 Downloadable Content Items Available Today
WWE Hall of Famers Bruno Sammartino and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes headline third content pack, adding to greatest roster in franchise history
New York, NY – January 7, 2014 – 2K today announced availability of new downloadable content for WWE® 2K14, the latest release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Featuring a selection of notable WWE Hall of Famers and more, the downloadable content offering* via the Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system includes the following items:
WWE Legends and Creations Pack
WWE Hall of Famers: Bruno Sammartino and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes;
Legendary WWE Superstars: “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Jake “The Snake” Roberts;
Playable Superstar: WWE Manager and pop culture icon Virgil;
Custom Superstar Heads: 14 new Superstar heads to utilize for the most creative freedom in WWE Games history:
WWE Legends and the Creations Pack is available for a suggested purchase cost of $8.99;
Virgil is available free of charge.
The WWE Legends and Creations Pack is also available to players through the WWE 2K14 Season Pass Program. For a one-time purchase cost of $19.99, a savings of more than 25 percent versus individual content purchases, players will receive the following items:
Season Pass Program Exclusive: Playable “The Outsiders”-themed Superstars: Scott Hall and Kevin Nash; nWo Pack:
Playable New World Order (nWo)-themed Superstars: Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Syxx, Curt Hennig, Scott Steiner and The Giant;
Accelerator: Enables players to unlock all in-game items, as well as customize individual WWE Superstar attributes;
WWE Superstars and Moves Pack:
WWE Superstars: Fandango and Big E Langston;
WWE Divas: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella and Summer Rae;
Moves Pack: More than 30 new moves and taunts, including the Black Widow (made popular by AJ Lee) and the Koji Clutch (made popular by CM Punk);
WWE Legends and Creations Pack: as outlined above;
Online Badges: over 10 exclusive options.
* Xbox Live or PlayStation Network account and Internet connection required. Copy of WWE 2K14 required to play.
Developed by Yukes for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, WWE 2K14 features the greatest roster in franchise history and is the most electrifying, authentic and comprehensive WWE video game experience to date. WWE 2K14 is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Fans who pre-ordered WWE 2K14 received Ultimate Warrior at no extra cost on launch day.
For more information on WWE 2K14 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, facebook.com/WWEgames and @WWEgames on Twitter.
2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
3rd Season Of Travel Channel’s ‘Toy Hunter’ Premieres On January 29th
More Toys, More Celebs, More Money! Acclaimed toy dealer Jordan Hembrough is back on the hunt to find the holy grail of toys and collectibles with bigger price tags that earn bigger profits in the third season of “Toy Hunter,” premiering on Wednesday, January 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
This season, the scope of Hembrough’s travels expands beyond basements and attics – taking him to bigger conventions, more Comic-Cons and overseas. Hembrough is in search of iconic memorabilia for his high-profile clients including Gary Busey, Vanilla Ice, Hulk Hogan, Stan Lee and Taboo (Black Eyed Peas).
“We were all kids once and loved playing with toys,” said Hembrough. “And, in the new season of ‘Toy Hunter,’ viewers are able to join me again on the ultimate road trip to search for those toys and collectibles that celebrate their youth.”
In the premiere episode, Hembrough, founder of Hollywood Heroes – a New Jersey-based vintage and modern collectibles company – teams up with hip-hop icon Daryl “DMC” Daniels of legendary group Run-DMC and travels to Staten Island, New York on a quest to find vintage toys. From Big Jim’s Camper to Action Jackson, Hembrough and the music icon score some amazing collectibles to give to the kids at Camp Felix, DMC’s charity. On his own, Hembough continues his toy search for the kids and his other clients and picks-up some great finds including the “Space: 1999” Eagle 1 Spaceship and the 1960’s Fort Apache carry-all action play set.
In each of the thirteen half-hour episodes, Hembrough travels the globe armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of toy history and savvy skills of negotiation to track down the rarest pieces for his clients. Whether it’s the Dr. Kromedome doll from “The Six Million Dollar Man” worth $4,000 purchased in Birmingham, United Kingdom or the pristine set of “Star Wars” action figures found in Scottsdale, Arizona – Hembrough and his team are always on the lookout for that special toy. This season, Hembrough finds himself buying and selling in many cities across the country including Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego and Cleveland.
Footage of an old episode of TNA Impact Wrestling aired during Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show on Monday night.
During a story about high-powered ships that can break through massive blocks of ice, Maddow compared it to Rob Van Dam’s “Five Star Frogsplash” finishing move. Footage was then shown of RVD hitting the frogsplash on AJ Styles on an old episode of Impact Wrestling.
When describing the ship’s ability to rescue a stranded ship, Maddow said, “It has a special bow design that’s curved in such a way that it can use its engine thrust to actually push the ship up out of the water on top of the ice to then use the 11,000-ton weight of the boat to crush the ice underneath it and break it that way.”
Maddow continued, “Having a hard time imagining that? Well, you know this pro wrestling move? (footage of RVD’s frogsplash is shown) That’s what the Polar Star does. It pushes itself on top of the ice and bodyslams it. (RVD’s frogsplash is shown again from a different angle) Not every ice-breaker can do that. And now the Polar Star – America’s only bodyslamming, heavy ice-breaking ship – is on its way to rescue the other massive ice-breaking vessel that still cannot handle what the Polar Star can handle.”
After the televised portion of Old School RAW ended on Monday night, a short angle took place involving Jake “The Snake” Roberts, CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws. All of the guys were celebrating and posing in the ring when Punk grabbed a microphone. He said they have three words for us, to which Billy Gunn said, “Jake The Snake!”
After those guys cleared out of the ring, a post-show dark match took place between Randy Orton and John Cena. Booker T served as the special guest referee for the match. The match was kept short. Cena forced Orton to tap out to the STF, but Booker was knocked down and didn’t see it. Cena ended up winning the match by disqualification when Orton was in trouble and hit Cena with a low blow to retain his title.
The official WWE website has added a new video interview with WWE legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who returned as a surprise at the end of Old School RAW on Monday night.
Roberts spoke with WWE interviewer Renee Young backstage after the show, where he spoke about his “long journey” back to WWE. He talked about his excitement to be back, apologized for messing up his own gimmick and thanked DDP and others for helping with his recovery.
Check out the Jake Roberts interview online at WWE.com.
Dolph Ziggler suffered a concussion on Monday night prior to RAW in a match against Ryback that was taped for this week’s episode of Superstars.
WWE.com spoke to Dr. Chris Amann, who said:
“Unfortunately Dolph sustained a concussion during his match on the clothesline given to him by Ryback. We were able to evaluate him in the ring; he was having some confusion and disorientation. We took him back to the training room and confirmed a concussion. He’s currently feeling better but we’ll proceed with ImPACT testing and further evaluation to determine when we can get him back in the ring.”
Ziggler suffered a concussion last year that cut his World Heavyweight title reign short and kept him out of action for some time.
– WWE legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts returned as a surprise to close out this week’s special Old School edition of WWE RAW. Roberts appeared after the CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns main event. Roberts came out with “the new and improved Damien,” his old snake during his WWE days, which he put on Ambrose. Old School RAW ended with Roberts kissing his snake.
– WWE will return to the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, the site of this week’s Old School RAW show, on April 21st. The 4/21 date will feature a RAW taping in Baltimore. The pre-sale password for tickets to the event is WWERAW.
– It was announced at Old School RAW that at this week’s WWE SmackDown, the main event will feature the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton in singles action against the WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston in a non-title match.
– WWE Superstar Batista responded to comments made by Alberto Del Rio at Old School RAW via the following tweet on his official Twitter account:
So I hear Alberto Del Rio is talking trash. Just one question… Who the hell is Alberto Del Rio?!!!
Solomonster here. It’s nice to see things look even better around these parts since I last appeared. For the uninformed, I’m the founder and host of the aptly-titled “Solomonster Sounds Off” podcast, talking the best (and worst) each week in the world of pro wrestling. In fact, much of our 6+ years on the air were proudly spent right here on SEScoops. Without that marriage, the show wouldn’t be where it is today, so I am forever indebted to all of you for your support.
Last week, the Sound Off achieved quite a milestone as we have been nominated as a finalist for “Best Sports Commentary” in the 2013 Stitcher Awards! Stitcher is a platform that allows you to stream 20,000+ radio shows and podcasts from your PC or mobile device. That’s a lot of shows. The fact that we’ve been nominated alongside the likes of Dan Patrick and podcasts affiliated with the NFL, NBATV and CBSSports is, frankly, an incredible feeling and makes it that much more gratifying.
So yeah, we made the top 6. Now what? Well, being nominated is very cool, but winning the whole thing would be pretty sweet, too. And that’s where things get a little bit harder. We can’t do this without you guys. In short, we need your votes. We need you to get your friends to vote. And your family, too. You know, the ones who probably don’t even like wrestling to begin with. Judging by this Authority storyline of late, it’s hard to argue with them. That being said, if you have a Facebook account, voting is very simple. Just click on the link below, then scroll down under “Best Sports Commentary” and you will see the logo for the Solomonster Sounds Off. Click that logo once and a check mark will appear. Once that happens, just scroll down to the bottom of the page and make sure you click on the blue SUBMIT VOTES button. That’s it!
Vote Here: Stitcher.promotw.com
You can vote once a day EVERY DAY between now and January 13th! The more people who vote, the better our chances, so help spread the word through Twitter and Facebook.
We’re up against some pretty stiff competition, but this is not an impossible task. I’d love to see a pro wrestling show break through and win this thing. Cast your vote now, and then, do it again tomorrow!
– Following the second consecutive week of being attacked on RAW by Brock Lesnar, WWE is reporting that Mark Henry suffered a dislocated and fractured elbow due to the kimura that Lesnar applied to him at Old School RAW.
– WWE added the following video promo hyping the announcement that Batista will be an official participant in the 2014 Royal Rumble match:
– It was revealed during Old School RAW on Monday night that on next week’s edition of WWE RAW there will be a tag-team match that features Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt vs. The Usos.
– Former WWE Superstar and UFC Hall Of Famer Ken Shamrock recently tweeted the following to Vince McMahon:
The following are results from the WWE Superstars matches that were taped on Monday night in Baltimore, Maryland prior to Old School RAW:
WWE Superstars (Air date: January 9, 2014)
– Natalya def. Summer Rae in Divas action to open the show. Nattie picked up the win via Submission via her Sharpshooter. The match was kept relatively short.
– Ryback def. Dolph Ziggler in a pretty basic match. The finish here came when Ryback hit Ziggler with his Shellshock finisher for the 1-2-3.
– It was announced at Old School RAW that the main event of WWE Main Event this Wednesday will be R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans in tag-team action.
– Cody Rhodes may have injured his ankle during the tag-team match at Old School RAW on Monday night. According to reports, following the match on Monday, Rhodes removed his boot in the ring and had to be helped to the back by Goldust and the referee. We should have more on this later.
It was announced during Old School RAW in Baltimore on Monday during a backstage segment that Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt will be teaming up to compete in a tag-team match on next week’s edition of WWE RAW.
Also on RAW, two Royal Rumble participants have been confirmed. As we previously reported, Michael Cole announced on commentary that Batista has officially entered himself into the 2014 Royal Rumble match. Additionally, Alberto Del Rio officially entered the match. Del Rio announced his participation in the Rumble during an in-ring interview he did after defeating Sin Cara in singles action.
The official WWE website has added a video interview from backstage at Old School RAW. The interview features Josh Mathews interviewing Jerry Lawler live and in-person about the rumors of his health. The article notes the following:
JERRY LAWLER GIVES A HEALTH UPDATE: WWE APP EXCLUSIVE, JAN. 6, 2014 (2:00)
Jerry Lawler addresses the rumors that circulated about his health and gives a update on his well being. To get a first look at more exclusives like this, check out the official WWE App!
3-disc DVD set, which will be released on January 28th: