This week on The Breakdown, Steve showcases a post made on Reddit regarding allegations of sabotage in WCW during the time of its sale. Corruption or inept leadership? Get the story on this week’s show!
WWE Scout At Dory Funk’s TV Taping, Mick Foley Video Interview, Dutch Savage
-WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley appeared on “The Morning Blend” on TMJ14 in Milwaukee to promote his upcoming comedy gig at the Mirmar Theater on Sunday at 7pm. Foley talked about his Christmas projects such as the movie “I Am Santa Claus.” Foley also discussed Mr. Socko and other random topics. You can check out a video of the appearance online at TheMorningBlend.com.
-The SLAM! Wrestling website out of Canada has a feature-piece on their website about the late Dutch Savage. You can check that out online at Slam.Canoe.ca.
SESCOOPS.COM reader Dory Funk sent along the following:
WWE Talent Scout, Jerry Brisco Coming to !BANG! TV Taping
Jerry Brisco will be in attendance at the next !BANG! TV Taping, Support Your Troops 95, “Friday Night Fight” at the !BANG! TV Sound Stage in Ocala, Florida. The event will take place Friday August 23rd Showtime is 7:00pm. Jerry Brisco will be here to scout wrestling talent for WWE.
Headlining the card will be a World Title Match featuring 3rd Generation Romero Youngblood (Champion) defending against the challenge of Triple Sport Star (Baseball, Football and Wrestling) Quinton “Drop-Back” Hitchcock.
Also on the card – Dory Funk Jr., Johnny Magnum, Shane Chung, Hollywood Heather, Claudia “The Claw” Reiff, Jessica “Power-House” Hill, Ryan “The Rogue” Passmore, Bulldog Bryson Michaels, Hector “Taino” Alicea and a Special Appearance by Noah “Spike” Mayser and more.
If you would like to become a professional wrestler, Visit Dory Funk’s Website at http://www.dory-funk.com or Call Now 352-895-4658 for Training Information.
Join Dory Funk and Marti on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube – http://www.dory-funk.com/bt-20.html
Details On Last-Minute Changes To Next Sunday’s SummerSlam PPV!
Lesnar Talks Punk Match At SummerSlam, SD! Backstage Fallout, WWE Weekend Schedule
-The only scheduled WWE live event this weekend features talent from both the RAW and SmackDown roster. The WWE live event will emanate from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Sunday night. Talent advertised to appear include: John Cena, Rob Van Dam, The Shield, Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton and Ryback.
-The following is the latest “Backstage Fallout” for this week’s WWE SmackDown, courtesy of the official WWE YouTube channel:
-Also on the WWE YouTube channel today is a video interview with Brock Lesnar, where “The Beast” talks about his “Beast vs. Best” match against CM Punk coming up next Sunday at WWE SummerSlam.
Punk/Lesnar SSlam *SPOILER* + HUGE Angle Set For Monday’s RAW! […]
WWE Claims 20 Million Combined Unique TV Viewers For Last Week
WWE issued the following press release on Friday:
WWE® SCORES 20 MILLION VIEWERS
STAMFORD, Conn., August 9, 2013 – WWE amassed 20 million viewers during the past week across all of its action-packed, drama-filled programming including: SmackDown® on Friday, August 2 on Syfy; WrestleMania® 29: The World Television Premiere on Saturday, August 3 on NBC; Total Divas™ on Sunday, August 4 on E! Entertainment Television; Raw® on Monday, August 5 on USA Network; and Main Event™ on Wednesday, August 7 on ION Television.
Key highlights include:
Friday Night SmackDown – Friday, August 2 on Syfy
SmackDown was the most watched program on cable among all Males
WrestleMania 29: The World Television Premiere – Saturday, August 3 on NBC
WrestleMania 29: The World Television Premiere ranked #1 with A18-34, M18-34, M18-49 and K2-11
The television special was up +39% with A18-49 from the prior 4-weeks in the time period on NBC and generated more than 3 million unique Viewers
Total Divas – Sunday, August 4 on E! Entertainment Television
In its second week, Total Divas built week-to-week viewership in key demos including P18-49 (+4%), W18-49 (+5%), Viewers (+14%) and HH (+13%)
The telecast ranked as the most-watched unscripted series for the time period among P18-34 (557), W18-34 (367), and M18-34 (189) on all of cable
The episode paced above prior 4-week averages by double-digit percentages across key targets including P18-49 (+42%) and Viewers (+48%)
Monday Night Raw – Monday, August 5 on USA Network
Raw generated 8 million unique Viewers
The show was watched by more M18-34 than every other program on broadcast TV
WWE Main Event – Wednesday, August 7 on ION Television
Main Event was the most watched program on ION across all demos
The program was watched by more Viewers than every program on The CW, AMC, Spike TV or Bravo.
Photo: Damien Sandow Debuts His New Money In The Bank Briefcase
In case you missed it on Friday’s SmackDown, here is a photo of Damien Sandow’s new and improved Money in the Bank briefcase:
Photo: John Cena & Nikki Bella Celebrate Their First Anniversary
WWE Champion John Cena and Nikki Bella celebrated their one-year anniversary Friday night.
Video: Cena & Nikki Bella Have “The Talk” About The Future Of Their Relationship
Nikki posted this photo on her Instagram account:
Samoa Joe & Scott Hall On Steve Austin Show, Ted DiBiase UK Ministry Appearance
-WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently announced via Twitter that the next guest on his “Steve Austin Show” podcast will be current TNA Impact Wrestling star and Main Event Mafia member Samoa Joe. Austin wrote, “Heading into the #steveaustinshow studio to open a case of Audio Whoop Ass with a bad ass cat, @SamoaJoe. #strongstyle.”
Speaking of the Steve Austin Show, part two of Scott Hall’s appearance on the show was added to the official website recently. You can listen to that episode online for free at PodcastOne.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase has an upcoming international ministry appearance scheduled in the United Kingdom on Sunday, August 25th. For more information, visit EveningExpress.co.uk.
John Cena Heel Turn Coming Soon?, Big SummerSlam *SPOILERS* Revealed!
Miami Hurricanes Name Locker Room After The Rock, ESPN Covers Trish Stratus’ Pregnancy
-The ESPN Women website has a featured-article up focusing on the post-WWE career of WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus. The article mainly covers Trish’s yoga studio and how she is handling her current pregnancy. Additionally, Trish talks about the decision to finish up her WWE career to start her own yoga business.
Check out the article online at ESPN.com.
-There is a new article up on the official CBS Sports website that reported on the fact that the University of Miami football team has named their locker room after Hurricanes alumni Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
You can read more about that story online at CBSSports.com.
New SummerSlam Matches Announced + Details On The Rock’s Next WWE Return
New Match Announced For WWE SummerSlam, Updated Official Lineup
Following this week’s WWE SmackDown show on the SyFy network, where a mixed-tag match featuring Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn against Big E. Langston and AJ Lee was announced for SummerSlam, here is your updated look at the upcoming pay-per-view lineup:
WWE SummerSlam 2013
-John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan [WWE Championship]
-Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Christian [World Heavyweight Championship]
-Bray Wyatt vs. Kane [Ring Of Fire Match]
-Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. CM Punk
-Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes
-Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E. Langston & AJ Lee
WWE SummerSlam will be hosted by The Miz, and will air live on pay-per-view on Sunday, August 18, 2013.
Details On 2 New SummerSlam Matches To Be Announced Next Week
Ortiz Segment On Impact, “TNA Day” In Little Rock, BFG Series Standings, Prichard
-Former TNA Impact Wrestling executive Bruce Prichard is now accepting independent booking dates at [email protected]. Prichard, who is based out of the Houston, Texas area, can not appear as his former WWE character “Brother Love.”
-The following are the updated Bound For Glory Series Standings following Thursday’s taped edition of TNA Impact Wrestling:
–Magnus – 39 Points (3-1-0 + 1 Gauntlet)
–Samoa Joe – 26 Points (3-2-1)
–Mr. Anderson – 24 Points (4-1-0)
–Jeff Hardy – 24 Points (4-1-0)
–Christopher Daniels – 23 Points (3-0-1)
–AJ Styles – 22 Points (2-2-1)
–Austin Aries – 21 Points (3-1-0)
–Bobby Roode – 7 Points (1-3-0)
–Hernandez – 7 Points (1-4-0)
–Frankie Kazarian – 2 Points (0-3-1)
–Jay Bradley – 0 Points (0-4-0)
–Joseph Park – -3 Points (1-3-0)
-The official YouTube channel for TNA Impact Wrestling added a highlight clip from the press conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, which featured TNA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sabin. It was announced during the presser that it will be declared “TNA Impact Wrestling Day” in Little Rock on September 26, 2013. As noted previously, TNA will run their first ever Impact Wrestling television broadcast out of Little Rock on 9/26.
You can check out footage from the press conference below:
http://youtu.be/l6SZRhJZKMo
-Also on the official TNA YouTube channel is a clip of the segment on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling which featured Tito Ortiz’s first promo in the company since returning under the “#August1Warning” gimmick. The segment also features Bully Ray, as well as Kurt Angle, in his final appearance (along with his match in the main event of the show) since checking into rehab.
Check out the segment below:
Kurt Angle’s Rehab Status, Update On Sting Leaving TNA For WWE + MORE!
Ziggler On His Stand-Up Comedy, Rhodes Feature, Cornette Book, Steamboat
-The official website of WWE recently ran a featured-piece on Cody Rhodes. The article touches upon Rhodes’ life growing up in the business as the son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and later as the brother of WWE Superstar Goldust. You can check that out online at WWE.com.
-WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler appeared on “The Bower Show” on ESPN Radio on Thursday. Ziggler talked about his life as a WWE wrestler, his improv comedy skills, how he got started in stand-up comedy and more. You can listen to the interview online at 979ESPN.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will be making an appearance at the Legends Of The Ring convention on October 5th. Steamboat will be signing autographs at a meet-and-greet. For more information, visit LegendsOfTheRing.com.
-Wrestling fans can officially order the new book, “Rags, Paper and Pins: The Merchandising of Memphis Wrestling” online at Amazon.com. The official synopsis for the book, written by Jim Cornette and Mark James, is as follows:
“Jim Cornette and Mark James take a look back at the origins of Professional Wrestling’s gimmick tables and merchandising in the Memphis and Tennessee territories of the 1960’s and 1970’s. These were the days before merchandising was a million dollar a year business.”
Cena Turning Heel Soon?, Total Divas *SPOILERS* + Kurt Angle Rehab Update!
Kidd Talks WWE Return, Sin Cara/CMLL, Henry Interview, JBL & Cole Show (Video)
-As we reported yesterday, Tyson Kidd is set to return to WWE television sometime in September of this year. Kidd responded to the report on his Twitter account with the following tweet:
“Apparently I’m coming back in September, I really hope my knee is listening to the ‘journalists’ on the Internet……. #workhorse”
-WWE Superstar Sin Cara was backstage at the CMLL show at Arena Mexico on July 19th visiting family and friends who were at the show. This was Sin Cara’s first time back at Arena Mexico, as he was previously banned from the building after he left CMLL to sign with WWE.
-KTBC FOX 7, the local FOX affiliate out of Austin, Texas has a new one-on-one video interview up on their official website with current WWE Superstar Mark Henry. You can check that out online at MyFOXAustin.com.
-The following is the latest edition of the JBL & Cole Show from the official YouTube channel of WWE. The description for this week’s show reads: “Cody Rhodes can’t seem to get JBL’s cowboy hat off of his head – no matter which Superstar he enlists to help him…”
Sin Cara vs. Mystery “MASK vs. MASK” At WMXXX? + More HUGE WMXXX *SPOILERS* …
Backstage Details On Scripted Storylines On Total Divas, How The Cast Is Perceived By WWE
According to reports, the storyline on episode two of the WWE Total Divas reality show this past Sunday where Eva Marie lied about her background as a dancer in the hopes that she’d be selected as Fandango’s on-air dancer, was almost completely scripted.
It is widely known that Stephanie McMahon is almost impossible to get a hold of on Monday’s, due to her WWE behind-the-scenes responsibilities. However, Stephanie claimed she would make time if the Total Divas crew came up with a good storyline for the show. This led to her involvement in the aforementioned Eva Marie/Fandango dancing drama, where she scolded Marie for lieing during a sit-down office meeting filmed for the show. According to reports, Eva Marie didn’t know Stephanie was in character during the meeting, which resulted in the real tears we saw on the show.
It’s interesting to note that while WWE talent are aware that Total Divas is scripted, word from Monday’s RAW this week following the airing of episode two is that Eva Marie is “passionately hated.” Apparently the only person on the Total Divas cast that is viewed as coming off worse than Marie is Ariane, who performs under the ring name “Cameron” as one-half of the Funkadactyls in WWE. One source inside WWE said, “Cameron is an idiot, but everyone in the company already knows that so it’s nothing new.”
Total Divas *SPOILERS* For This Season + What’s Scripted & What Isn’t?? **CLICK HERE**
[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]
The Bella Twins Talk Pros & Cons Of Dating Wrestlers On The WWE Roster
The official WWE website recently ran a featured piece on The Bella Twins and their dating preferences. The interview features Nikki and Brie Bella (who currently date John Cena and Daniel Bryan) talking about upsides and downsides to dating someone on the WWE roster.
Nkki Bella offered the following comment: “The one upside is, even though we’re on the road all the time, we actually get to see our boyfriends a lot, which usually doesn’t happen, because usually the boyfriends are at home. So that’s def a perk. Downside … I haven’t found one yet. When I do, I’ll let you know, but as of right now I’m still on cloud nine and everything is perfect.”
Brie Bella said: “I’d actually have to agree with Nikki with the perk. Being that we’re always gone and not home, it’s nice to see our boyfriends on the road. But, gosh, the downside would have to be that because we’re so busy in this world together, when we go home there’s still the craziness and busyness because we’re both in chaos. I feel like sometimes we always have to remind ourselves, “We need to slow down. Just because our work environment is crazy, doesn’t mean we need to bring the craziness home.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
Total Divas *SPOILERS* For This Season + What’s Scripted & What Isn’t?? **CLICK HERE**
Dolph Ziggler On Wrestlers Warning Him About His Style, Losing Momentum In WWE
WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler recently appeared on the “Between The Ropes” radio show with Brian Fritz. Below are highlights from their discussion:
On wrestlers telling him his style will lead to serious injuries down the line: “I’ve been pulled aside by legends and guys backstage and being told that I put my body through too much sometimes. I understand that, but I’m out there in the ring trying to give the best possible performance I can. I can’t not run into something as hard as I can. I can’t not give my all. And one day that could be a problem, but so far I’ve never been injured to where I was out for weeks from anything I’ve done.”
On why he wrestles the hard-nosed style that he does: “I got kicked in the head one time and, like you said, it was a fluke, and every other thing I’ve done I put my body on the line because I want to because I want this crowd to go ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ and ‘Wow, we’ve got to get behind this guy.’ I go there to prove to myself that I’m going to work harder than everyone else and I always will.”
On losing momentum after suffering a concussion: “I feel like before the concussion we were finally starting to get some momentum. I was the only guy in this business who had a girlfriend and a giant bodyguard ringside with me and would still lose every night. As we were starting to work together and actually piece together some wins, I started to feel this is how a faction works. Just then, I got the concussion and I think that set back a few things and put in motion that maybe it’s time everyone goes their separate ways.”
Check out the complete interview online at BetweenTheRopes.com.
John Cena To Turn Heel Soon?, Total Divas Spoilers For This Week + MORE!
Ring Of Fire Stipulation Details, Sandow’s New Briefcase, Shark Diving (Video)
– In a minor spoiler for tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Damien Sandow will debut a new brown Money in the Bank briefcase. The show already aired in Australia.
– Following up on earlier reports on the “Ring Of Fire” match at SummerSlam between Bray Wyatt and Kane, we’ve heard from another source that has confirmed it will essentially be an Inferno Match, with the ring surrounded in fire. However, neither man has to be set on fire to win the match.
– As noted last week, several WWE Superstars and Divas went shark diving while the company was touring Cape Town, South Africa. WWE has published the following video of the excursion:
John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan Preview, Update On Del Rio’s Brother & More
– Former WWE Attitude Era stable Los Boriquas is reuniting this November at the Big Event convention in Flushing, New York. Former WWE tag teamJacques and Raymond Rougeau will be appearing together.
– After his recent release from WWE developmental Alberto Del Rio’s younger brother Memo Montenegro (real name Guillermo Rodriguez) will be working for the WWL promotion under the name El Hijo del Dos Caras.
– WWE’s YouTube channel posted a new preview for the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam between John Cena and Daniel Bryan:
SummerSlam Pre-Show News, WWE Hall Of Famer Hurt In Fall, MSG DVD
– As of this week, WWE is still planning to hold a 30-minute online Youtube pre-show for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. While a Divas match was discussed for the show, WWE is now considering Rob Van Dam vs. Antonio Cesaro.
– WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race fell down and dislocated his hip this week. He is said to be in a lot of pain and has cancelled several appearances.
– WrestlingDVDNews.com has released the trailer to WWE’s upcoming Madison Square Garden DVD and Blu-ray set, which hits stores August 27th:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZLDFP9V-38k
* WWE SmackDown SPOILERS For Tonight (New SummerSlam Match)
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
Stephanie Sells More WWE Stock, New Photo Of The Rock In Hercules
– Stephanie McMahon has sold more of her Class A Common Stock, according to a new filing at the Corporate.WWE.com website. She has been selling her stock regularly since May and has been the most active seller of WWE stock in recent months.
– The Rock has posted a new photo of himself on the set of the new Hercules movie:
No 'over-intellectualized actor speak'. Straight gut talk..bring it on motherf*cker. #EpicWar #HERCULESMovie pic.twitter.com/DKUohPb2QY
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 9, 2013
Ladder Match Announced For Hardcore Justice, Jesse Sorensen Shoot Interview
– TNA has announced a huge match for next week’s Hardcore Justice edition of Impact Wrestling.
The show will feature a Bound For Glory Series Ladder Match, feauring AJ Styles vs. Austin Aries vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Jeff Hardy. The winner receives 20 points in the Bound For Glory Series standings.
– Highspots.com has released a new shoot interview DVD with former TNA star Jessie Sorensen, who talks about his career, breaking his neck last year, his release from TNA last month, his decision to return to the ring and more.
* VIDEO of JESSE SORENSEN’s First Match Back After Breaking His Neck (From Last Week)
SmackDown Preview: Orton vs. RVD, Bryan vs. Barreett, Christian vs. Del Rio
The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown:
– Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam
– The Miz Hosts Miz TV with his guests, Big E Langston & AJ Lee
– Fandango vs. Kofi Kingston
-Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett
-Kane vs. 3MB in a 3-On-1 Handicap Match
-Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Non-Title match
Dixie Carter Q&A: Great Muta, Monty Brown, UK PPV & More
TNA President Dixie Carter has posted her second batch of Q&A’s from the #AskDixie Twitter campaign, which you can read at ImpactWrestling.com. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Fans On The West Coast Having To Watch TNA On 3 Hour Delay: Most TV networks run a “West Coast Feed” to compensate for the time zone changes with their prime time programming. Although there is no way to change that, we watch the #IMPACTLive twitter responses from both feeds.
A UK PPV: “Would love this, but I always say I want more people to be able to see the great UK audiences worldwide on Impact vs how many would see it on a PPV platform. But we will definitely have a PPV there one day.”
Monty Brown Returning To TNA: “Monty Brown is still one of my favorite TNA stars from our early days. He was able to transition from the NFL to the ring and showed good charisma. Monty is now retired and currently lives in Michigan.”
Great Muta In TNA: “It was wonderful to have Muta visit last week at our TNA offices in Nashville. There are a lot of exciting business opportunities in Japan, and some incredible talent as well that I’d love to showcase on Impact. We have a great home on Nippon Television G+ Sports every Saturday night and hope to bring IMPACT to Japan in the future.”
John Cena Addresses Rumors About Him, McMahon Touts WWE Performacne Center
– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon tweeted the following on Thursday about the new WWE Performance Center:
The entry to the @WWE goes through our new @WWEPerformCtr. Athletes from all walks of life are welcome to try out. http://t.co/S8skB9d86b
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) August 8, 2013
He also linked to the Associated Press‘ article from earlier this week about the new facility.
– WWE Champion John Cena also tweeted this about “rumors” about him:
Lots of rumors going around about yours truly, usual business. Here's the latest, headed to #hardnockssouth to train for #summerslam @WWE
— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 8, 2013
* The Latest on RIC FLAIR’s Return To WWE, New Plans For The WRESTLEMANIA XXX Main Event & More