Former WWE Diva Angela “Savannah” Fong participated in the finals of the Tropic Beauty bikini pageant in Los Angeles last week. Here’s a photo:
WrestleMania 31 Going Interactive, Superstar Of The Year Voting & More
– MercuryNews.com has an article about WrestleMania 31 coming to the Bay Area in 2015. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon was quoted in the article, and promised that the event will set a “new standard” by being “the most interactive experience in WrestleMania history.”
Levi’s Stadium, which is still under construction, will be one of the most state-of-the-art stadiums in the world and will allow fans to connect to a high-speed WiFi network. WWE plans to make fan participation a huge part of the show and will be encouraging fans in attendance to post content to social media services like Twitter, Facebook, Tout and Instagram.
– According to a source in WWE, voting for the “Superstar of the Year” Slammy Award (won by Daniel Bryan) was extremely close. As noted earlier, voting was 100% legitimate.
– WWE Superstar David Otunga recently appeared on the Steve Harvey Show to promote his new Muscle & Fitness magazine cover. Footage of the segment can be seen at SteveHarveyTV.com.
Matt Hardy Gives His Thoughts on RAW’s Final Segment
WWE RAW Results (Slammy Awards): With VIDEOS
Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy wrote the following on Facebook about the final segment of Monday’s WWE RAW:
“I caught the final segment of ?#?RAW? tonight while doing cardio, and I had to comment on it for two reasons.
#1 – Kudos to the Seattle crowd, they were awesome and steadfast in that final segment, ruthlessly chanting & supporting Daniel Bryan. It’s a great example of how much the wrestling fans believe in Daniel Bryan and want to see him get his just deserts; which is to be treated as a legitimate top guy. But there is a positive to the unfair WWE setbacks that Bryan has experienced. Daniel has became even more sympathetic and respected by the fans, leading to them getting behind him EVEN more. For the fans that were there, and for the fans that were watching at home, remember this.. ALWAYS VOICE YOUR OPINIONS ON WHO YOU BELIEVE IN AND WANT TO SEE SUCCEED.
#2 – The last segment of WWE RAW was phenomenal in it’s totality. It serve so many purposes perfectly. Both Triple H and Cena reacted to the Daniel Bryan responses flawlessly. Orton’s promo was on the money. Cena’s promo was on the money. There was star power everywhere in the ring. The brawl at the end was exciting, leading to Stephanie getting tackled by RKO. The viewers were left with questions at the end, yet wanting to see more. That segment was WWE at it’s best. The content of those final 25 minutes of RAW sold TLC PPVs. Kudos, WWE!”
Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella Show Off Their Slammies, NXT Star Works Dark Match, Mysterio’s Knee
– The dark match prior to Monday’s WWE RAW from Seattle saw NXT star Alexander Rusev defeat Zack Ryder. There were no matches taped for Superstars.
– We received word from a few fans that were at RAW stating that Rey Mysterio was once again seen favoring his knee after the eight-man tag team match on RAW.
– Mick Foley’s big “Cactus” Jack announcement at midnight is that the original Cactus Jack t-shirts are available for one week only on TopRopeTuesday.com for $19.99.
– Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella took home a total of 6 Slammy Awards last night, including Couple of the Year, Superstar of the Year, Diva of the Year, Beard of the Year, Fan Participation of the Year and Catchphrase of the Year.
Brie tweeted this photo of her and Daniel Bryan showing off their awards:
Hogan-WWE Update, HBK Reacts To Bryan’s Slammy Win, SmackDown Preview
– During the commercial breaks of last night’s WWE RAW from Seattle, WWE aired several videos featuring Hulk Hogan. With those videos and a slew of recent articles on WWE.com, appears WWE is already re-introducing Hogan into the minds of WWE fans ahead of a possible return from the Hall of Famer.
Video: John Cena Says WWE Needs Hulk Hogan For WrestleMania XXX
– Tonight’s WWE Main Event and SmackDown tapings will take place from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. No matches have been announced for the “go home” show before Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
– WWE.com has published several videos of Slammy Award winners and presenters. Shawn Michaels spoke to Josh Mathews and said it wasn’t “too weird” being on stage with Daniel Bryan. Shawn thought it would feel more uncomfortable but it wasn’t that bad because after so long, you get used to double-crossing people. Shawn was surprised that Bryan won Superstar of the Year, because John Cena usually takes home that award, but put Bryan over and said he deserves it.
WrestleMania 31 Ticket Information, Big Show Working Injured & More
– Big Show is currently dealing with a sore knee, which is one of the reasons he’s been used in tag matches in recent weeks.
-NXT will returns to Fort Pierce, Florida on Saturday, January 4th for a live event. Tickets go on sale today at 12pm EST.
– NXT star Solomon Crowe continues to play up his new hacker gimmick on Twitter, writing on Monday:
Don't fight it….Become Infected….. Hashtag #InfectedCrowe and spread my virus…
— Death Machine (@TheSamiCallihan) December 9, 2013
– The LAW reports that tickets for WrestleMania 31 from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California will range from $25 all the way up to $10,000 for platinum seats. WWE is expected to hold a press conference today announcing the event, which will take place on Sunday, March 29, 2015.
WWE RAW Reaction (12/9): The “YES!” & The “NO!”
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.
Complete WWE RAW Results (12/9)
WWE RAW (12/9): The “YES!”
Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan, winning three Slammy Awards competing in a match, appearing in the Championship Ascension Ceremony, was without question the star of the show. His hometown crowd chanting YES! YES! YES! and DANIEL BRYAN! throughout the beginning of the Championship Ascension Ceremony. Going back earlier in the night to his first Slammy win for Superstar Of The Year. On stage The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. He announces the Superstar of the year is Daniel Bryan. We were all expecting fireworks to occur during that interaction. HBK even exited stage right a perfect set-up for a “surprise” superkick from out of nowhere! But there was no Sweet Chin Music. Just a humble acceptance speech by Bryan for his Slammy Award which he refereed to as The “HB Swizzle” award, Michaels naming it that just before presenting the award. Bryan did mention if it wasn’t for Shawn he wouldn’t be in the WWE. Likewise if it wasn’t for his interference at Hell-In-A-Cell he would be the WWE Champion. Although there was no physical interaction here, that wouldn’t be the last time these two interacted on the show.
See this is why I can’t shake off fighting the Daniel Bryan cause, he belongs in the main event. Heck this article uses his YES! and NO! and lord help us all if Daniel Bryan ever appears in a “NO!” portion of this article. Some people might say, he was in his hometown and had an extra kick of support. There may be a bit of truth to that, but I feel that there are just some hot wrestling towns. Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and apparently Seattle. After what transpired later in the show who knows what will happen the next few months. I’m excited! YES!
Championship Ascension Ceremony
Former World Heavyweight and WWE Champions appeared all in the ring for the Championship Ascension Ceremony. As I said earlier the crowd was going crazy for Daniel Bryan. While Triple H was talking up the match, and the championship, the Seattle crowd chanted YES and Daniel Bryan to the point where Triple H gave them what seemed like at least a minute of chanting and Yessing and clapping. This crowd was on fire for Daniel Bryan. Triple H introduced both Orton and Cena. The crowd did not want to hear what Orton had to say. There were boos and boring chants. Then Cena took the mic. More boos and cheering mix. Then Cena begins to speak and prove why he is the face of the WWE. These days with everything being very planned and scripted, Cena played to the crowd and included Daniel Bryan in the conversation, he compared Randy Orton’s rise to success to Daniel Bryan’s. The idea was Bryan didn’t have a father and grandfather to get him in to the WWE, he did it by working. Cena turned practically the entire crowd around and behind him., shouting out his past opponents, HBK, CM Punk, and putting over that the only fair shot Daniel Bryan had was the one with him. Brilliant, this is why he is where he is. The end was something I haven’t seen in the WWE in a long time. It was an awesome chain of events excuited perfectly. Cena and Orton shake hands as the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship are hoisted up. Orton gets in a cheap shot, the two are down on the mat fighting. Orton and Cena get pulled apart to their corners. CM Punk gets shoved by Orton causing CM Punk to start attacking Orton. Triple H throws down CM Punk, who retaliates with a knockdown of his on on The Game. HBK Superkicks CM Punk, setting up Daniel Bryan to
WWE Reminding us what they are capable of, a Powerful and compelling end to Raw.
deliver his running Knee on HBK. Orton tries to RKO Bryan but instead gets shoved into Stephanie McMahon knocking her down. Triple H runs to Stephanie’s aid, and then gets up and pedigrees Randy. The show closes with The Authority and John Cena looking disappointed over Randy Orton on the mat. What a great segment. This is what WWE used to do on a regular basis. Twists and turns, these chain-reaction action segments. YES!
Quick Mentions
Dean Ambrose vs CM Punk – Ambrose vs CM punk was a Pay-Per-View quality match with a great dissension in the ranks tease when Dean Ambrose wanted Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to head to the back so he could finish the job by himself. Punk gets the win shortly after that exchange, although Punk loses out to the numbers game and gets a great spear from Reigns. YES!
The Wyatts – With a chip on my shoulder because of Daniel Bryan’s demotion, I don’t think I appreciated Bray Wyatt’s amazing performances over the last few weeks. They are great, and compelling. YES!
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
Slammy Awards Set Voting Record, Was Voting Legitimate?
According to sources in WWE, the voting from the 2013 WWE Slammy Awards was 100% legitimate.
WWE sent out the following press release last night, announcing that this year’s Slammy Awards saw a staggering 180% increase in voting from last year’s record-breaking show:
2013 WWE® SLAMMY AWARDS SETS RECORD WITH MORE THAN 1.6 MILLION VOTES
STAMFORD, Conn., December 10, 2013 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that the 2013 Slammy Awards set a new record with 1.64 million votes via the WWE app, an increase of 180 percent from last year’s record-setting awards show.
The winners of the 2013 Slammy Awards include:
· Superstar of the Year – Daniel Bryan®
· Diva of the Year – The Bellas™
· Double-Cross of the Year – Shawn Michaels™
· Match of the Year – The Rock® vs. John Cena® at WrestleMania® 29
· Insult of the Year – Stephanie McMahon
· LOL Moment of the Year – The Rock Concert at Raw 20th Anniversary
· Fan Participation Award – Yes! Yes! Yes!
· Extreme moment of the Year – CM Punk®
To view highlights from last night’s awards, go to WWE.com.
Christian Addresses Injury And Shares Big Personal News, Production Error During Raw, Zeb Colter Tweets
– Christian returned Monday night during the Slammy Awards pre-show to present the “THIS IS AWESOME!” Moment of the Year. He also appeared on Raw during the Championship Ascension segment with 19 other former WWE and World Champions. Speaking to Renee Young on the WWE App, the former World Heavyweight Champion addressed his injury and shared some big personal news.
He stated, “It’s been kind of a rough go since I was taken out of action a few months back by The Shield, which I haven’t forgotten yet. I had a pretty bad concussion. I had some recurring concussion symptoms and things like that. A lot of stuff going on in my life. Actually, I don’t talk about my personal life all that too much, I’ll do it this one time only, some breaking news here on the App. It’s a blessing in disguise that I got to be home because I welcomed my first child. Had a baby girl, so I was pretty happy about that. And that’s the last time you’ll ever hear me talk about my personal life.”
To view the segment, click here. He has been out of action since suffering a concussion during a match with Randy Orton on the August 26 edition of Raw.
– There was a production error during Raw as last year’s graphic for the 2012 Slammy Awards was shown.
– Zeb Colter came up empty at the 2013 Slammy Awards as he lost the award for Insult of the Year to Stephanie McMahon. Addressing the snub on Twitter, the 64-year-old remarked, “Regardless of what anyone of you say, I got ROBBED!!! NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT.”
VIDEO From After RAW: Spinaroonies By Stephanie, Bryan, Punk, Cena & More
After the televised portion of WWE RAW ended on Monday night in Seattle, Washington, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena gave props to the 12th man and asked if the fans wanted one final match.
John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification. The DQ came when Orton hit Cena with a steel chair during the match. Orton tried for an RKO, but ended up getting hit with an Attitude Adjustment instead.
After the match, Cena brought out Daniel Bryan to another enormous ovation. Booker T came out and led the crowd in cheering on Daniel Bryan to do a Spinarooni. Bryan obliged and did one of the most awkward Spinarooni’s ever. Booker then brought out John Laurinaitis for a “People Power Spinarooni.” Titus O’Neil was also brought out to do a Spinarooni. Next, he challenged Stephanie McMahon to come out and do one. She tried backing out of it claiming her head hurts, but eventually did one herself. Finally, Booker had CM Punk come out and do one in his underwear.
The Rock Reacts To Slammy Award Victory For Match Of The Year, WWE Star Turns 29, Sandow Upset
– As seen Monday night on the 2013 Slammy Awards edition of Raw, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29 was voted as Match of the Year by members of the WWE fanbase. The historic encounter beat out The Undertaker vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 29, Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns with the Rhodes Brothers’ jobs on the line at Battleground, and Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules. Johnson addressed the honor following the show on Twitter.
“THANK U @WWE Universe for the vote and @JohnCena for the earned brotherhood,” Johnson remarked. “Truly my honor to do “the honors.”
– Sparingly seen WWE Superstar JTG turns 29-years-old on Tuesday. The Brooklyn native has only competed in two televised bouts since after WrestleMania 29 (both on WWE Superstars, which were losses). Furthermore, he last competed on Raw on last year’s post-WWE TLC – Tables, Ladders & Chairs show.
Also celebrating a birthday Tuesday is former WWE Superstar Essa Rios, who turns 35. He currently competes in Mexico for CMLL.
– Damien Sandow, who was nominated for multiple 2013 Slammy Awards, did not win a single one Monday night. Upset, Sandow remarked on Twitter following the show, “Well, no Slammy. Action will be taken soon. If your with me get ready.”
WWE Reports Alberto Del Rio Suffered A Concussion On RAW
WWE.com is reporting that Alberto Del Rio suffered a concussion during his match against Sin Cara on Monday’s “Slammy Awards” edition of WWE RAW.
Video of Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara From RAW – See How It Happened
Their statement reads:
“After speaking with Del Rio following his match, it was determined that he suffered the injury as a result of a top-rope sunset flip powerbomb. Following some initial testing, Dr. Amann diagnosed Del Rio with a concussion and will be re-evaluating him tomorrow, as well as administering an ImPACT test to determine a timetable for the former World Heavyweight Champion’s recovery.”
We’ll post an update as soon as it becomes available.
WWE RAW Results (Slammy Awards): With VIDEOS
WWE RAW Results (12/9/13)
WWE RAW begins with a special Slammy Awards opener. After that we shoot to ringside where it’s just Michael Cole and JBL, as Cole notes they will be joined by Jerry Lawler later tonight.
Daniel Bryan vs. Fandango
Daniel Bryan’s music and out comes the local Washington native. Out next is Fandango and Summer Rae. We are told the first Slammy Award will be presented after this match. The bell rings and Bryan goes after Fandango immediately. The “Daniel Bryan” chants begin almost immediately. Fandango gains control of the offense in the match early on. Bryan begins his comeback with a ton of “Yes!” kicks as his home-state fans chant along. The crowd is insanely into Bryan here tonight in Seattle. Fandango goes out to the floor to recover at one point, but Bryan does his suicide dive through the ropes onto the dancing phenom. Bryan beats up Fandango on the floor a bit before throwing him back into the ring. Bryan goes to the top rope but Fandango catches him coming off into a powerbomb. Awesome. On that note, we head to a mid-match commercial. When we return from commercial, Bryan appears to be in the middle of a fiery comeback. Bryan does a bunch of “Yes!” kicks and actually badly misses the last shot, which oddly enough the production team shot a tight close-up of as it happened. The announcers spend the next 20-30 seconds trying to cover it up. Fandango cuts Bryan’s momentum off and is now back in control of the offense. Fandango heads to the top rope for his big leg-drop, but Bryan moves and Fandango misses. Bryan goes up top after that and hits a flying headbutt. Bryan calls for the running knee and he hits it. 1-2-3. Daniel Bryan wins.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
After The Match
The lights cut out and The Wyatt Family appears on the titantron. Bray cuts another Wyatt-style promo. He seems upset that Bryan hasn’t accepted his offer to join his family. Bray says if he doesn’t accept his offer, the story won’t have a happy ending. It will end the same way it started, with destruction. He promises to hurt Bryan and to prove that he is actually a monster just like him. He concludes by simply saying, “Join us. Join us, Bryan.” The lights go off, when they come back on, Bryan is leading the fans in a loud “No! No! No!” chant.
The Slammy Awards
WWE Hall Of Famers Booker T and Jerry “The King” Lawler, the hosts of tonight’s Slammy Awards, are introduced. They come out to the podium set up at the top of the stage and officially welcome us to the 2013 Slammy Awards. They encourage everyone to vote. Booker asks Lawler if he’s ever laughed out loud. With that said, they introduce the presenters for the LOL Moment of the Year: The New Age Outlaws.
Slammy Awards: LOL Moment of the Year
Out come Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in the same suits Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels wore in the movie, “Dumb & Dumber.” Awesome. Road Dogg cuts one of his old, fast-talkin’ D-X style of promos. Billy Gunn asks if Road Dogg is not gonna let him talk again this year. Road Dogg laughs and says he’s not very good at it. The crowd interupts them with a loud “one more match” chant. Road Dogg says Gunn’s line only consisted of a few words. They’ve got three words for us: “the nominees are …”
– Vickie Guerrero fired as RAW General Manager
– Titus O’Neil puking on everyone at the Thanksgiving special SmackDown
– Jinder Mahal & Great Khali attempt to “charm” Santino Marella’s “Cobra”
– The Rock’s “Rock concert” at the RAW 20th Anniversary special
We are told how to vote via the WWE App and then Santino Marella’s music hits. The winner of the LOL Moment of the Year will be announced after his match apparently. We head to commercial.
Vickie Guerrero screaches “Excuse Me” and comes out to the top of the stage. She was shown being dissed in the clips from “The Rock concert” so I guess since he’s not there, she accepts on his behalf. She talks about her outfit, grabs the award, and walks off. Yawn.
The Slammy Award goes to: The Rock’s “Rock concert” at the RAW 20th Anniversary special
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0NDXPnAA-Y
Santino Marella vs. Damien Sandow
We head to the ring, where Santino is facing Damien Sandow in singles action. The WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston is out for commentary during the match. They talk on commentary about Langston defending his I-C title ths Sunday aganist Sandow. Meanwhile, Sandow is beating up Santino with ease in the ring. Sandow hits the “elbow of disdain” on Santino for a near fall. The crowd has a dueling chant going on right now, but I can’t quite make it out. Half of it is “Let’s go Sandow” but I can’t figure out what the other half of the crowd is saying. Santino is finally getting some comedy offense in now. He pulls out The Cobra, but Sandow trips him and nails him with the “You’re Welcome” finisher. 1-2-3. Damien Sandow wins.
Winner: Damien Sandow
After The Match
Langston leaves his spot at the announce desk and stands in Sandow’s face, proudly holding up his WWE Intercontinental Championship. Sandow backs off and walks back up the ramp as Langston poses for the crowd with his title.
Slammy Awards: Double-Cross of the Year
The Shield come out to present the “Double-Cross of the Year” Slammy Award. They come out in fancy suits. Ambrose starts by saying, “I know, I know. I look great.” He talks about winning two Slammy’s already at WWE.com. Seth Rollins talks a bit as does Roman Reigns. Reigns continues to talk but Ambrose interupts him. The crowd “oooh’s and ahhh’s.” The nominees are…
– Mark Henry’s retirement swerve
– Shawn Michaels costing Daniel Bryan the WWE Championship at Hell In A Cell
– Paul Heyman turning on CM Punk at Money In The Bank
– Triple H screws Daniel Bryan out of the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank
Shawn Michaels wins. He comes out to accept. HBK says he has a lot on his mind but he was told he can’t talk too long. He says he’s been fortunate to win a lot of Slammy’s over the years, but never for the Double-Cross of the Year. He says that’s ironic because he’s Double-Crossed a lot of people. The crowd starts a “you screwed Bret” chant, but HBK thought they said “you sold out” so he talks about how he sold out a long time ago and that’s why he’s still here. Umm, ok. Mark Henry was robbed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qHZGvFSLDs
The Slammy Award goes to: Shawn Michaels costing Daniel Bryan the WWE Championship at Hell In A Cell
Full Results Of The 2013 WWE Slammy Awards
The following Slammy Award winners were announced during Monday’s TLC “go-home” edition of WWE RAW:
Superstar of the Year (presenter: Shawn Michaels)
– John Cena
– Randy Orton
– CM Punk
– Daniel Bryan (WINNER)
– Big Show
– Brock Lesnar
Diva of the Year (presenter: Eve Torres)
– AJ Lee
– The Bella Twins (WINNERS)
– The Funkadactyls
– Natalya
– Kaitlyn
– Eva Marie
Double-Cross of the Year (presenters: The Shield)
– Triple H costs Daniel Bryan the WWE Championship at SummerSlam
– Shawn Michaels Superkicks Daniel Bryan at Hell in a Cell (WINNER)
– Mark Henry’s “retirement speech” on Raw
– Paul Heyman costs CM Punk the Money in the Bank Contract at Money in the Bank
Match of the Year (presenter: Bret Hart)
– The Undertaker vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 29
– The Rock vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29 (WINNER)
– Cody Rhodes & Goldust (w/Dusty Rhodes) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose) with the Rhodes Brothers’ jobs on the line at Battleground
– Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules
Insult of the Year (presenter: The Miz)
– Stephanie McMahon degrades Big Show on Raw (WINNER)
– AJ Lee disses the “Total Divas” cast on Raw
– Paul Heyman disowns CM Punk
– Zeb Colter offends the Universe
“LOL!” Moment of the Year (presenters: The New Age Outlaws)
– The Rock Concert at Raw 20th Anniversary (WINNER)
– Vickie Guerrero is fired as GM of Raw
– Titus O’Neil throws up on JBL, Michael Cole and Zeb Colter on SmackDown
– The Great Khali and Jinder Mahal try to charm Santino’s cobra on SmackDown
Extreme Moment of the Year (presenter: Mick Foley)
– The Shield Triple Powerbombs The Undertaker on SmackDown
– Ryback spears John Cena through the LED light board at Extreme Rules
– CM Punk exacts vengeance on Paul Heyman at Hell in a Cell (WINNER)
– The Wyatts crush Kane at SummerSlam
Fan Participation of the Year (presenters: The Prime Time Players)
– Fandango-ing
– Yes! Yes! Yes! (WINNER)
– Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks!
– What’s Up?
“What a Maneuver!” Award
– Running knee strike (Daniel Bryan)
– Black Widow (AJ Lee)
– Spear (Roman Reigns) (WINNER)
– Cesaro Swing (Antonio Cesaro)
Faction of the Year
– The Shield (WINNER)
– The Wyatt Family
– The Real Americans
– 3MB
“You Still Got It!” (Best Superstar Return)
– Rob Van Dam
– Goldust (WINNER)
– The Bella Twins
– Bruno Sammartino
– Chris Jericho
Couple of the Year
– Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
– Fandango & Summer Rae
– Tyson Kidd & Natalya
– Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella (WINNER)
– John Cena & Nikki Bella
– Naomi & Jimmy Uso
Tag Team of the Year
– The Shield (Rollins & Reigns)
– The Prime Time Players
– The Usos
– Cody Rhodes & Goldust (WINNER)
– The Real Americans
Feat of Strength of the Year
– Antonio Cesaro swings The Great Khali
– Ryback Shell Shocks Mark Henry
– The Shield Triple Powerbombs Big Show
– Mark Henry pulls two trucks with his bare hands (WINNER)
“Say What?!” Quote of the Year
– “Paul, say somethin’ stupid.” – Brock Lesnar
– “Rise above THIS!” – Damien Sandow
– “One stipulation: I’m in my boys’ corner and I’ll be your huckleberry all night long.” – Dusty Rhodes (WINNER)
– The “Paulcano” eruption
Best Dance Moves
– Fandango
– R-Truth
– Summer Rae
– The Funkadactyls (WINNER)
– The Great Khali
– “Miz-co Inferno”
Favorite Web Show
– “WWE Inbox”
– “30-Second Fury”
– “The JBL & Cole Show” (WINNER)
– “WWE Top 10”
Best Crowd of the Year
– Raw after WrestleMania 29 (East Rutherford, N.J.) (WINNER)
– WWE Payback (Chicago)
– SummerSlam (Los Angeles)
– Raw in England (London, Apr. 22)
Catchphrase of the Year
– “YES! YES! YES!” (WINNER)
– “That’s What I Do”
– “FAAAAAHHNNNN…DAAAAHHHHNNN…GO.”
– “Follow the Buzzards”
– “We the People”
– “Believe in The Shield”
Photo: El Torito Unmasked
Check out this photo of El Torito unmasked – with Drew McIntyre:
WWE TLC Kickoff Show Match & “Expert Panel” Announced
It was announced during the TLC “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday night, which was also the Slammy Awards special, that Fandango will be facing Dolph Ziggler in the TLC Kickoff Show match.
Also announced for the TLC Kickoff Show is the “expert panel.” For the final WWE pay-per-view of 2013, WWE Hall Of Famers Mick Foley and Booker T will join WWE Superstar The Miz to hype up the TLC pay-per-view.
Reason WrestleMania 31 Isn’t In Philly, Stephanie McMahon Sells More Stock
– According to a Philly.com article, the reason WWE chose Santa Clara over Philadelphia as the host of WrestleMania 31 is because Super Bowl 50 will be taking place in Levi’s Stadium in 2016 and WWE doesn’t want to follow the Super Bowl in the same venue within a calendar year.
– Stephanie McMahon unloaded 43,838 shares of WWE stock on December 5th and December 6th for approximately $635,553.
WWE Announces Winners Of The 2013 WWE.com Slammy Awards
WWE has announced the winners of the Slammy Award categories voted exclusively on WWE.com. The winners of Breakout Star of the Year, “THIS IS AWESOME!” Moment of the Year, Trending Now (Hashtag of the Year) and Beard of the Year will be revealed on the WWE App at 7:30 p.m. ET before Raw. The winners of the WWE.com awards are as follows:
“What a Maneuver!” Award
- Running knee strike (Daniel Bryan)
- Black Widow (AJ Lee)
- Spear (Roman Reigns) (WINNER)
- Cesaro Swing (Antonio Cesaro)
Faction of the Year
- The Shield (WINNER)
- The Wyatt Family
- The Real Americans
- 3MB
“You Still Got It!” (Best Superstar Return)
- Rob Van Dam
- Goldust (WINNER)
- The Bella Twins
- Bruno Sammartino
- Chris Jericho
Couple of the Year
- Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
- Fandango & Summer Rae
- Tyson Kidd & Natalya
- Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella (WINNER)
- John Cena & Nikki Bella
- Naomi & Jimmy Uso
Tag Team of the Year
- The Shield (Rollins & Reigns)
- The Prime Time Players
- The Usos
- Cody Rhodes & Goldust (WINNER)
- The Real Americans
Feat of Strength of the Year
- Antonio Cesaro swings The Great Khali
- Ryback Shell Shocks Mark Henry
- The Shield Triple Powerbombs Big Show
- Mark Henry pulls two trucks with his bare hands (WINNER)
Check out Page 2 below for the winners of the following Slammy Awards:
- “Say What?!” Quote of the Year
- Best Dance Moves
- Favorite Web Show
- Best Crowd of the Year
- Catchphrase of the Year
Backstage Reason Why Punk vs. Lesnar Wasn’t Nominated For A Slammy Award
Many were surprised that the CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar match at this year’s SummerSlam wasn’t nominated for the “Match of the Year” in the 2013 WWE Slammy Awards. According to reports, several people within WWE feel that it is easily the best match in the entire company for 2013.
According to one source, the reason Punk vs. Lesnar was not nominated is because Punk “can’t have a better match” with Lesnar than Triple H did, so WWE nominated the Lesnar vs. Triple H match instead, and gave Punk the nomination for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29 instead.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
Jim Ross Blog: Slammy Awards, Building Young Stars, His New Podcast
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His New Podcast: “We have a basic deal in place that looks as if I will start my own podcast in early 2014 for the most elite company in the field. There are details to finalize but things look positive. We are still working on the format but it will be fan friendly and very interactive.”
Tonight’s Slammy Awards “I’m always curious to see how a WWE Slammy’s Show is received and formatted during the three hour Monday Night RAW window. I know that it’s one of the internally busiest days of the year prior to going on the air on what is a ‘short day’ considering the show starts locally in Seattle at 5 p.m. Combining the Slammy Awards with promoting the TLC PPV on the same broadcast seems as if it might be tricky. We’ll find out tonight.”
WWE Building Top Stars For Future WrestleManias: “One thing is for sure, now is the time to rocket ship some young talents in hopes of getting them to the level of a main eventer needed for WM31 and WM32 notwithstanding the years beyond.
Does that mean a Roman Reigns, etc should win the Royal Rumble and play a key role in WM30 leading to bigger things in the coming years?
Promising young talents, as in more than one, have to be given the ball IE the opportunity to truly shine and let them see what they can do to connect fully with the fan base and become a bona fide main event, PPV selling star.”
Hulk Hogan Addresses His TNA Status In Response To Tour Advertisement – “I Don’t Work There Anymore”
Hulk Hogan continues to distance himself from TNA Wrestling following the expiration of his contract in October.
This morning, the legendary wrestler addressed his status with the organization in response to a fan claiming that he is still being advertised for next month’s European tour.
“I’m sorry if TNA is advertising me on the UK tour but I don’t work there anymore and will NOT be on their UK tour,” Hogan wrote on Twitter.
Hogan followed up his statement with the following:
Ok cool the fan were looking at an old advertisement,I knew it must have been a mistake,all good a d I'm sure the tour willkickbuttbrotherHH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) December 9, 2013
A TNA spokesperson says that Hogan has never been advertised for the tour. One talent forwarded the only e-mail they had received regarding the tour thus far, which features the following list of talent: Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Magnus, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Austin Aries, Manik, James Storm, Gunner, Gail Kim, Rockstar Spud, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Brooke, ODB, Knux, Robbie E and Jessie Godderz.
One TNA wrestler joked of Hogan, “Hulk has some imagination when he has nothing to do. If he and his friends were that creative when he was here, he’d still be there.”
Fan Blogs About Taking Hallucinogenic Mushrooms At WWE Live Event
Oh boy. This past weekend, a WWE fan (Reddit user “illmurray”) took a healthy dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms and attended a WWE live event from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Here is his his recap of the experience:
At around a quarter to seven PM, I took about two grams of psilocybe cubensis mushrooms with another redditor at an undisclosed location. We then took the #135 bus deep into east Vancouver to see WWE live at the Agrodome.
When I bought my tickets, my plan was to invite a random from OKCupid to come with me as a date because I thought it would be hilarious and awkward and a really great way to freak out a ‘normal’. Those plans fell through at the last minute, specifically when the random clued in that I was trying to take them to wrestling, so I turned to my friend who’s not a fan of wrestling and asked if he would like to take drugs and go see WWE with me.
‘That sounds like the premise for a VICE article,’ he said. I agreed and we both decided that it would be a really good idea and totally not at all irresponsible or dangerous. I spent the afternoon prepping him, mostly by watching Big E. Langston’s Instagram videos.
The effects hit me strong when we get off the bus at Hastings and Renfrew. The mild stomach discomfort becomes a peculiar warm and cuddly sensation all over my body. We are both giggling as we walk towards the searchlights in the distance.
When we get into the arena, the opening match is already in progress and literally everyone in the arena is chanting ‘Axel sucks.’ We can’t figure out how to get to the floor and end up walking up and down the stairs several times before we find our seats. I see an elderly Indian woman in a John Cena t-shirt and my eyes start watering for some reason.
Xavier Woods enters the ring wearing a sparkly jacket. His entrance video looks like an animated gif image. He becomes my favourite wrestler. During the match, I experience severe time dilation as Hunico gives him a backdrop and then puts him in a chinlock again and again. I feel as though the match is stuck in an infinite loop and Hunico will continue to backdrop Xavier Woods forever. They do this spot for what feels like five or six times before Xavier finally backflips out of it and takes Hunico to the woodshed. Someone behind me yells that Xavier Woods looks like Richard Pryor and I spend a lot of time thinking about whether that was racist or not, considering he doesn’t.
There is a divas match. I am looking at AJ standing on the apron and it strikes me how before these people were characters on a TV show, electron pulses on a screen, and now I can see the light reflecting off AJ’s midriff and I can see the texture of her skin in infinitesimal detail down to the pores. Tamina doesn’t tag her in. I count AJ’s ribs.
I look over at my friend and he is slowly waving his hand in front of his face and at first I think he is doing the Cena thing but then I realize he is also really high.
During Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton’s match, Daniel elbows Orton in the face so hard that, swear to god, a bloody tooth flies out of his mouth. I feel like these two could wrestle eachother again and again for the next thousand years and it would never not be amazing. Orton does so many little things in the ring that are so perfect that you really have to watch him closely to pick up on, and it kills me that I have to boo him on principle because he’s so good but Daniel Bryan is from the Pacific Northwest and weird looking and therefore My Guy.
I yell ‘dishonourable discharge’ at Orton when he’s near my corner but he doesn’t hear me.
Any time anyone goes on the microphone, all I can hear is ‘womp womp womp womp womp womp.’ Tony Chimel goes on the microphone and says ‘womp womp womp womp womp fifteen minute intermission.‘
I go to buy a Fandango t-shirt but they don’t have any.
It is when Los Matadores come out around nine o’clock that I realize I am peaking. El Torito comes out and I begin screaming. I have never been as excited by anything in my life. I cannot put into words the elation I am experiencing watching him run down the rampway. I feel as though millions of years of human evolution and history have led to me being here, watching a small man in a bull costume jump on the ropes and wave at people. I start tearing up again and try to start an El Torito chant, but then 3MB comes out and all the brown kids freak out over Jinder Mahal. He has never, ever been more over than he was tonight.
My friend is disappointed that there are no other mini wrestlers to fight El Torito, but I say it was enough just to be blessed by his presence.
Fandango comes out. He is wearing a purple satin shirt, which I begin wilding out over, but not as hard as I was wilding for El Torito. Great Khali comes out and again the crowd goes crazy, but I am staring at Fandango as he teases taking off the satin shirt. I am losing my mind. Finally he takes off the shirt and the light hits his abs. I swear to god Fandango’s body is sparkling, glowing. His abs are crystalline. I almost start crying for a third time because his body is so fucking beautiful. We make eye contact and I become bonded to him in eternity.
‘His face is shaped like a Pringle,’ my friend says of Great Khali.
Fandango gets on the microphone. ‘Vancouver womp womp womp womp womp dance,’ he says. Fandango is a really great wrestler because his selling can actually create the illusion of Khali moving around.
The main event is CM Punk vs. Luke Harper. CM Punk is my favourite wrestler and the entire arena is chanting his name but I am already exhausted because I have marked out so severely and completely over Fandango’s shirt and El Torito.
CM Punk gets on the microphone. ‘Womp womp Vancouver womp womp womp womp womp,’ he says. Everyone goes home happy. I feel emotionally and physically depleted. I get on the bus and go straight back downtown to eat a triple cheeseburger at A&W.
It was delicious.
CM Punk Posts Interesting Tweet, WWE Involved In Scooby Doo Animated Film
– The DVD and Blu-ray release for WWE Superstar The Miz’s “Christmas Bounty” movie will feature the first trailer for the WWE/Scooby Doo upcoming animated film, which will be released on March 2014.
– WWE Superstar CM Punk recently posted a picture on Twitter with a logo that reads: “Is your business trapped behind a bad app?” You can draw your own conclusions. Check out the tweet below:
— The Shape (@CMPunk) December 7, 2013
John Cena & Randy Orton’s Storied Rivalry, Ryder Still Frustrated & More
– WWE.com has published a gallery of the “WWE App’s Best Backstage Photos.”
– A fan on Twitter congratulated Zack Ryder for reaching 1.5 million followers. Continuing to show frustration with his spot in WWE, Ryder responded, “thanks but it doesn’t mean anything.”
– This Sunday at Tables, Ladders and Chairs, John Cena and Randy Orton will battle in a TLC match to crown a new Unified Champion. It’s a feud that’s spanned over a decade, dating back to their time in Ohio Valley Wrestling back in 2002. Looking back at their rivalry when both men were on the WWE roster, their match this Sunday will be the eighth time they’ve wrestled each other on pay-per-view. John Cena currently leads the series, with 4 wins to Orton’s 3. Here’s a look back at their WWE PPV matches:
* SummerSlam 2007 (Winner: John Cena)
* Unforgiven 2007 (Winner: Randy Orton)
* No Way Out 2008 (Winner: John Cena)
* SummerSlam 2009 (Winner: Randy Orton)
* Breaking Point 2009 – I Quit Match (Winner: John Cena)
* Hell in a Cell 2009 – Hell in a Cell Match (Winner: Randy Orton)
* Bragging Rights 2009 – Anything Goes 60-Minute Iron Man Match (Winner: John Cena)
Aside from these singles matche, Cena and Orton have also faced each other in nine additional PPV matches involving others (Elimination Chamber matches, Fatal Fourways, Six Pack Challenges).