– WWE RAW will be facing tougher competition than usual on Monday night as they go head-to-head with one of the most talked about Monday Night Football games of the season when the New Orleans Saints battle the Seattle Seahawks.
– WWE is attempting to get their fans to vote for Halle Berry for the “Best Dramatic Actress” in the People’s Choice Awards. Berry starred in the WWE Films movie “The Call.” Fans interested in voting for her can do so online at PeoplesChoice.com.
Classics On Demand, WWE’s subscription video on demand television service featuring the company’s vast archive of footage, will indeed cease on January 31, 2014, as had been previously reported. The official Twitter feed of WWE Classics made the following announcement on Sunday.
January 31, 2014 will be the last day of WWE Classics On Demand service. Please visit http://t.co/N4UBIoMn4N for more information.
— WWE Classics (@WWEClassics) December 1, 2013
While a spokesperson for WWE had recently confirmed the conclusion of the service to various media outlets (in response to news of multiple cable providers informing subscribers that the service was ending in 2014), this is the sports-entertainment organization’s first official announcement.
In the message to the media, the WWE spokesperson stated, “Beginning February 2014, WWE will no longer offer WWE Classics On Demand, our subscription video-on demand content delivered through cable television providers, as we are focusing our resources on other initiatives. As communicated on our recent earnings call, we continue to aggressively pursue launching a WWE Network; however, no launch date has been set.”
WWE Classics on Demand will not reach its tenth anniversary; it was launched on November 2, 2004, originally as WWE 24/7 On Demand.
– As recently announced, Raw and SmackDown tapings are slated to take place at The O2 Arena in London, England next May. Advertising for the event in an area publication, however, features two errors, as John Cena is being promoted as Ryback while CM Punk is labeled as Alberto Del Rio.
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans who is the most talented “Total Diva.” With over 2,000 votes cast thus far, Natalya is winning the poll at 41%. She is currently trailed by Brie Bella (17%), Nikki Bella (16%), Naomi (9%), JoJo (7%), Eva Marie (6%) and Cameron (4%).
– Former WWE Diva Trinity turns 42-years-old on Sunday. Now a stuntwoman and roller derby player, she came out of retirement for one night only in the spring for TNA Wrestling.
With “Black Friday” in the books, Austin Aries, Ethan Carter III and Mr. Anderson weigh in on the annual event in these “#IMPACT365” videos. Aries and EC3 are especially critical of “Black Friday.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxtBZ0pL2RY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3muhRT9hIlc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJtCiV-AtY
– WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper released an update on the status of WWE Legends’ House, a reality show produced by WWE starring the legendary wrestler, as well as “Mean” Gene Okerlund, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Jimmy Hart, Hillbilly Jim, Pat Patterson, Tony Atlas and Howard Finkel.
Production for the show began in January 2012, with ten episodes shot in Palm Springs, California over a 21-week period, including post-production. The show began filming in early February at the former house of Harpo Marx. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has repeatedly stated that the show will likely wind up on the WWE Network after Syfy executives declined to pick it up.
– Here is the official synopsis for tonight’s episode of Total Divas airing at 10/9 CT on E!: “Get That Chingle Chingle: Ariane pushes Vincent to try out for the WWE; John Cena’s house doesn’t quite feel like home yet to Nikki; and Trinity’s relationship with Jon is affected when her dad arrives for an extended stay.”
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston and Kaitlyn have joined Instagram.
– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is appearing at the Autorama at the George R Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida De Las Americas Houston, Texas, today from noon to 3:00 p.m.
– Actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the Fast and the Furious action movies, died on Saturday in a car crash in Southern California, his publicist announced. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson commented on his co-star’s passing.
“All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “We find our strength.. in his light. Love you brother.”
The latest installment of the movie franchise, Fast & Furious 7, was recently filmed in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The movie is scheduled for release next year with Walker involved.
– In honor of The Miz’s new ABC Family movie Christmas Bounty, 30 Second Fury takes a look at his devastating finishing manuever, The Skull Crushing Finale.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is scheduled to appear at two events in Indiana on Sunday. At 11:00 a.m., he will be participating in an autograph signing in Cincinnati at the Moeller High School Thanksgiving show and at 8:00 p.m., he will be holding a comedy show at the Laughter House in Muncie.
– Former top Ring Of Honor star Davey Richards recently posted the following message on his official Facebook page:
“With a heavy heart I can announce I announce that myself and ROH have parted ways for good and I will not be at Final Battle. Please continue to support them and the incredible talent they have. Thanks for the memories. It was an amazing ride.”
– The official TNA Twitter account posted the following tweet, which includes a link to video footage of TNA Knockouts Gail Kim and Christy Hemme doing a lower-body workout for Muscle & Fitness Hers:
Christy Hemme and Gail Kim New Lower Body Workout Video for Muscle and Fitness Hers http://t.co/PvV0pzkbTn
— IMPACT WRESTLING (@IMPACTWRESTLING) December 1, 2013
– WWE RAW is scheduled to return to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 10th. Before that show, WWE will be running events in Oakland, California on February 7th and San Jose, California on February 8th.
– WWE Superstars Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio are being advertised to work at the December 30th WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the live RAW on the same night (December 30th) in Richmond, Virginia. WWE Superstar John Cena is also being advertised for the WWE live event in Toronto on December 30th, so if those advertisements are true, he will not be appearing on RAW that night in Richmond.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
According to one source, WWE is talking about booking a singles match between Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan for the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view.
CM Punk is expected to work against The Shield in some form or fashion, possibly teaming with Big Show or the tag-team of Goldust and Cody Rhodes.
The beginning of the angles that are expected to lead to these matches was shot and aired on Monday during WWE RAW in Uniondale.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
WWE released the official details for their 2013 “Tribute To The Troops” special event on Saturday evening.
WWE’s “Tribute To The Troops” special event will be taped on Wednesday, December 11th at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Fort Lewis, Washington. The special will air on NBC television on Saturday, December 28th.
For more information on the WWE’s “Tribute To The Troops” 2013 special, visit JBLMMWR.com.
– The season one finale of Total Divas on E! will air on Sunday, Dec. 15 and will be highlighted by former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan asking Brie Bella for her hand in marriage. According to TVGuide.com, the official synopsis for the episode, titled “Ready to Ride,” is as follows: “In the Season 1 finale, Bryan pops the question to Brie in a romantic setting; at the same time, Nikki feels uncertain about her future with John Cena after a heated discussion about marriage and children; and the first meeting between Eva Marie’s fiancé and her family goes horribly wrong.”
The penultimate episode will air on Sunday, Dec. 8. Details are as follows: “Nattie and TJ are forced to say goodbye to a beloved pet; Trinity has it out with Jon over his jealous behavior; and Nikki’s medical leave causes tensions between herself and Brie.”
– Former WWE Diva Amy Weber, who served as John “Bradshaw” Layfield’s image consultant when the Texas native reigned as WWE Champion in 2004 and 2005, was honored with Best Dance Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in Hollywood, California last week. She also opened the show with a performance, footage of which is available here.
– In addition to Christian (40) and Jushin “Thunder” Liger (51), two former WWE wrestlers are celebrating birthdays today. “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk turns 55 while Jimmy Del Rey turns 51.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week as a celebrity guest picking NFL games.
– Former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho recently posted a photo of himself beating up a bloody and battered Shawn Michaels from their 2008 feud in WWE. Jericho noted that his feud with HBK will make up a large portion of his third autobiography, which is set to be released in September of 2014. Jericho included the following message with the photo on Instagram:
“HBKs face was a crimson mask during this match in 2008 and as a result, the WWE ‘blood era’ ended on this night. The classic HBK/Jericho feud makes up a huge part of my new book that I’m putting the finishing touches on now…you’re gonna love it!! #sept2014”
– Bronwyne Billington, daughter of WWE legend The Dynamite Kid, tweeted the following update on her father’s condition on Friday. Billington tweeted the following:
Talked to my Dad and he said "I'm Alreet." A reminder my dads the toughest man on the planet! Can't believe I forgot that! #feelingrelieved
— Bronwyne Billington (@Dynamitedoll84) November 29, 2013
– WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio will be in attendance at today’s amateur wrestling tournament in Mar Vista High School at Imperial Beach, California. Mysterio will be there in support of his nephew, who will be competing in his first ever tournament.
– WWE announcer Alex Riley was in attendance at the Dallas Cowboys vs. Oakland Raiders NFL game on Thanksgiving. Riley was there representing WWE along with his girlfriend. Riley posted the following tweet, which includes a photo of them together at the game:
Hangin with America's Team w/ some @WWE representation at AT&T field. #HappyThanksgiving pic.twitter.com/w6pFRoza6A
— Alex Riley (@AlexRileyWWE) November 28, 2013
– Dolph Ziggler is looking to tweak his presentation.
As WWE Hall of Famer Edge discussed his musical preferences and memorable theme songs during an interview with Alex Obert of journeyofafrontman.com, Obert mentioned that Ziggler has been trying to get Los Angeles-based heavy metal band Steel Panther to craft a theme song for him.
Ziggler is currently appearing to a WWE-produced theme, “Here to Show the World,” composed by Jim Johnston and performed by Downstait.
– Former WCW Cruiserweight Champion Evan Karagias is now on Twitter at twitter.com/EKKaragias. Having just turned 40-years-old on Wednesday, he now works as a tax accountant and actor in North Carolina.
– Japanese wrestling legend and former WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin “Thunder” Liger turns 49-years-old on Saturday.
– The obituary for Joyce Farhat, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 83, can be accessed here. She was formerly married to WWE Hall of Famer The Sheik.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently joked about his participation in an upcoming fruitcake eating competition on his official Twitter account. Foley tweeted the following:
Suddenly, I'm having second thoughts about that fruitcake eating competition on 12/7. But, somehow I'll find the fortitude to see it through
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) November 30, 2013
– New main roster WWE Superstar Xavier Woods recently revealed his favorite wrestler in a new tweet posted on his official Twitter account. Woods tweeted the following:
@XavierWoodsPhD: My favorite wrestler is Flash Funk, @BrodusClay helped me do my thing and he's all upset about it! #UMadBro #Smackdown @wwe
— Xavier Woods (@XavierWoodsPhD) November 30, 2013
– According to one source, the reason that WWE booked Ryback to hit his finisher on Big Show on WWE RAW a few weeks back, only for Big Show to kick out and then beat Ryback moments later with his Knockout Punch, was possibly due to their frustration over Ryback using Bill Goldberg’s spear and jackhammer during a recent match without getting permission ahead of time.
– As we recently reported, Jim Ross promised to make a “major announcement” this coming Monday. We noted that the announcement involves his plans for his one-man shows coming to the United States, with New York City likely being his first stop. The rumored venue is The Gramercy Theater, with the rumored date being March 1st.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com & PWInsider.com]
Apparently the WWE creative team completely forgot about the “Christmas Bounty” movie coming out when they made the call to turn The Miz heel on RAW a few weeks ago.
Apparently the reason that they gave Kofi Kingston some heel heat at the Survivor Series Kickoff Show in their followup match, with the idea being “both guys were stressed out” instead of simply one guy turning on the other.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
According to one source, there is said to be a lot of panic backstage in WWE right now regarding creative plans.
When the call was made to switch Daniel Bryan and Big Show in the WWE title picture, the idea was Big Show vs. Randy Orton in a main event match at Survivor Series, with them following up at the TLC pay-per-view with a Big Show vs. Triple H match. Plans then changed to have Orton vs. Big Show in a tables match, which is why Big Show chokeslammed Orton through the announce table on RAW a few weeks back.
At one point, there was an idea floating around that John Cena would feud with Big E. Langston for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Langston turning back heel. When Survivor Series was over, both of those matches were scrapped and the new TLC main event ended up as Cena vs. Orton for both of the titles. As recently reported, there is now talk of having that match serve as a unification match, despite originally not intending to unify the titles.
As far as the creative team is concerned, one WWE source noted that they are “burnt out and scared of who might not be there too much longer.”
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
It appears as though WWE has gone back and forth on their plans for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship ever since the conclusion of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view earlier this month.
When Survivor Series ended, the plan, despite how it appeared on television, was not to have a unification match. On RAW the next night, WWE apparently went out of their way not to say the words “unification match,” but they are now apparently leaning towards having only one World Champion following Triple H’s latest sitdown interview with Michael Cole.
There has been speculation that the finish at the WWE TLC pay-per-view could see John Cena walk away as the WWE Champion and Randy Orton as the World Heavyweight Champion, with the two basically just reversing roles as far as their championship status is concerned. Whether or not WWE runs with that finish remains to be seen.
[Credit: F4WOnline.com]
The following is the updated lineup for the TNA “One Night Only: Hardcore Justice” pay-per-view taping in Lowell, Massachusetts on December 29th:
Steel Cage Match:
– Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson
Tables Match:
– Ethan Carter III vs. Tommy Dreamer
X-Division Xcape Match:
– Samoa Joe vs. Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin
Full Metal Mayhem:
– Daniels & Kazarian vs. Eric Young & Abyss
The following are highlights from a recent interview with TNA star Christopher Daniels:
On CM Punk in ROH and if he saw him reaching the level he’s at in WWE today: “I saw that he had the work ethic to make it work. A lot of times it’s just a matter of getting that opportunity. It’s funny that the example of what he is and what Daniel Bryan is, goes against the grain of what the WWE is trying to do. It seems very rare that they take guys off the indies anymore. You know they’ve got the Performance Center and they want their wrestlers to start from there at the bottom. It’s almost like they’re trying to grow wrestlers in a petri dish and then you look at guys like Punk, Bryan and Antonio Cesaro who worked all over the world on the independent scene and it seems like they’re doing well for themselves and making it in the WWE system despite not being brought up in the WWE system.”
On TNA Impact Wrestling returning to Orlando: “I think it was good. We jsut got back from doing our first tapings there in I think 8 months and they were very well received. The fans welcomed us back with open arms. We had a little different set up than we did before so there’s definitely a little freshness to it there that we didn’t have last year and I’m looking forward to seeing how the next set of tapings go in December and you know, once we settle back down to an actual soundstage that’s gonna become ours and see how it goes. I think it’s the best thing for our company. You know, we did the thing when we went around taping the shows at different venues around the United States and that worked well for us but there were also negatives, cost wise it wasn’t really effective for us so I feel like going back and doing what’s best and going back to a central location, and hopefully having the opportunity to go out on occasion whether it’s for TV or PPVs to go to other cities, I think that’s gonna be better for us overall. A little bit of the best of both worlds. I think it benefits us in the long run.”
Check out the complete interview online at Facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.
The Sony Six Marketing Manager, the network on which TNA television programming airs in India, sent out the following tweets recently regarding a potential upcoming TNA tour of India:
Looking forward to the #TNA superstars tour in India , follow @SonySIX for more details !
— Pooja (@Pooja0903) November 27, 2013
Gearing up for the #TNA starts , tour of India.. Countdown begins , follow @SonySIX for all the action !
— Pooja (@Pooja0903) November 29, 2013
– WWE is looking to hire a new “Network Social Moderator”, who will be responsible for what appears on their Twitter scroll during WWE television programs such as WWE RAW. For more information, visit Careers-WWECorp.icims.com.
– WWE is also looking to hire a new Associate Producer for their international television production team. For more information, visit Careers-WWECorp.icims.com.
– A “Director for Network Origination Operations” is also a role WWE is looking to fill. For more information on that, visit Careers-WWECorp.icims.com.
– Finally, WWE is seeking a travel agent. Information on that job can be found at Careers-WWECorp.icims.com.
– There are no WWE live events scheduled for this weekend. WWE Superstars were given the weekend off due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
– WWE Hall Of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Tammy “Sunny” Sytch will be headlining a benefit show for former WWE star Sir Mo in Humboldt, Tennessee this weekend. Also on the show will be an Ultimate Invitational Tournament. For more information, visit HeroesAndLegendsWrestling.com.
– There will also be a benefit show for WWE Hall Of Famer Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon this weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota. TNA star Mr. Anderson will be replacing Perry Saturn, who was originally scheduled for the event. Former WWE Superstars Rikishi, Armando Estrada, Ken Patera and Stan Kowalski are also scheduled. For more information, visit HeavyOnWrestling.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is scheduled to appear at the 54th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Autorama event at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas this weekend. HBK’s timeslot will be 11:00am to 2:00pm. For more information, visit Autorama.com.
Infrequently seen WWE Superstar Christian celebrates a milestone birthday Saturday as he turns 40-years-old. The six-time world champion was sidelined in August due to a concussion, which according to this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has yet to fully recover from. However, he is expected to return to action in early December.
Christian is the sixth wrestler to join “The 40 Club” since the beginning of 2012, boosting the WWE main roster total to twelve. The complete list is as follows:
* Big Show – 41
* Christian – 40
* Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – 41
* Goldust – 44
* Kane – 46
* Mark Henry – 42
* R-Truth – 41
* Tensai – 41
* The Great Khali – 41
* Triple H – 44
* Undertaker – 48
* William Regal – 45
It should be noted that there is no active WWE wrestler in his fifties.