During WWE’s recent trip to Australia, Daniel Bryan visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world’s oldest and largest Koala sanctuary.
Warning: This video contains footage that some audiences might find …. freakin’ adorable.
*Spoiler* New Match Revealed For SummerSlam
At Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings, it was announced that Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn will face Big E Langston & AJ Lee in a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam.
The match was booked when The Miz welcomed Big E & AJ on Miz TV. The segment was interrupted by Ziggler & Kaitlyn, and as the official host of SummerSlam, Miz took it upon himself to book the match.
Here is the updated card for WWE SummerSlam, which takes place on Sunday, August 18th, 2013 from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California:
WWE Championship Match:
John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
World Heavyweight Title Match:
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Christian
The Best vs. The Beast:
CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar
Ring Of Fire Inferno Match:
Kane vs. Bray Wyatt
Mixed Tag Team Match:
Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston & AJ Lee
Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow
WWE SmackDown Preview For Friday
The following is a spoiler-free preview for Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:
– Randy Orton vs Rob Van Dam
– Kofi Kingston vs Fandango
– 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
Also, The Miz hosts MizTV with special guests AJ Lee and Big E. Langston.
(Spoilers) WWE SmackDown Taping Results For August 9, 2013
The following are spoiler results from this week’s WWE SmackDown television tapings. The show, which will air Friday on SyFy, was taped before a live audience on Tuesday, August 6th in Rockford, Illinois.
WWE SmackDown (Air Date: Friday, August 9, 2013)
-Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam. Both guys seemed to be equally over as babyfaces with the crowd. In the end, the finish came when Orton hit RVD with the RKO for the pin. Orton was in control of the offense for the majority of the match. The RKO was set up after RVD missed a Five Star Frogsplash attempt. Was said to be a pretty good match, and they gave it some time.
-MizTV with Big E. Langston and AJ Lee was up next. As the two were being interviewed, Dolph Ziggler came out to interrupt them. After that, Kaitlyn came out to interrupt as well. Due to the fact that he is the host of SummerSlam this year, The Miz decided to book a match on the fly. It will be Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn in a mixed-tag match against Big E. Langston and AJ Lee at SummerSlam. This led to Langston and Lee attacking Ziggler and Kaitlyn. In the end, Ziggler and Kaitlyn made a comeback and hit their respective finishers on the heels to leave them laying. That wrapped up the MizTV segment for this week.
-Fandango defeated Kofi Kingston. Kingston received a pretty impressive pop from the fans in Rockford. In the end, the finish came when Fandango hit his sweet-looking leg-drop off the top rope for the clean pinfall victory.
-Daniel Bryan defeated Wade Barrett. Following Monday’s RAW, Barrett is now clean shaven. He’s got his opponent in tonight’s match to thank for it, as he squares off with Daniel Bryan. Decent match, but it was kept relatively short. Maybe five minutes. In the end, the finish came when Bryan forced Barrett to tap out with the “No! Lock” for the victory.
-Kane defeated 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in a 3-On-1 Handicap Match. Crowd was all over 3MB, boo’ing the hell out of them from the get-go. This one didn’t last long, as “The Devil’s Favorite Demon” managed to defeat all three members of 3MB in a 3-on-1 handicap match in just over one minute. In the end, the finish came when Kane chokeslammed Mahal for the clean pinfall victory. After the match, The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper) appeared on the titantron. Bray Wyatt cut a promo on Kane. Typical Wyattt promo.
-Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a Non-Title match. This was the longest match of the night thus far, as it went about 20 minutes. In the end, the finish came when Christian rolled Del Rio up for the pin. Was said to be a really excellent match. After the match, Christian left Del Rio in the ring and walked to the back. As everyone thought the match was over, Damien Sandow hit the ring with his briefcase in hand. Before the bell could ring to make the match official, Cody Rhodes charged the ring and attacked Sandow. Rhodes came off the top rope and hit him with a flying body press. No briefcase cash-in here, just the first of what will probably be several teases.
Huge *SPOILERS* For Next Week’s RAW — FINAL Show Before SUMMERSLAM!
(Spoilers) WWE Main Event Taping Results For August 7, 2013
The following are results from the WWE Main Event television taping, which was held prior to the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Rockford, Illinois.
Dark Match:
-Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro defeated Brodus Clay and Tensai. At one point in the match, Cesaro showed off his strength by performing an excellent gut-wrench suplex on Tensai. In the end, the finish came when Cesaro hit The Neutralizer on Clay for the pinfall victory.
WWE Main Event:
-The Shield defeated Mark Henry and The Usos. Pretty long match. Went about 15 minutes. The Usos took turns in the ring for the babyfaces early on, mostly selling the beatdown being laid on them by The Shield. Eventually, Henry got the hot tag and the crowd popped for him pretty huge. In the end, the babyfaces got the victory.
-Natalya defeated Aksana. Not the greatest match you’ll ever see, but pretty much what you’d expect from a Divas match. In the end, Natalya forced Aksana to tap out to the Sharpshooter. Match went about five minutes or so.
-Curtis Axel defeated Sin Cara. Another lengthy match, a little under ten minutes. The crowd stuck with it despite it being the second of two pretty long matches early on in a long night of tapings. In the end, Axel picked up the victory with his finisher.
Huge *SPOILERS* For Next Week’s RAW — FINAL Show Before SUMMERSLAM!
Final WWE RAW Rating For This Week
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW scored a final cable rating of 2.96, up from the final number for last week’s taped show.
RAW on Monday averaged 4.178 million viewers, up 11 percent from last week. It was the most viewers the show has had since the May 20th episode.
For cable television on Monday night, WWE RAW ranked number two, trailing only VH-1’s “Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta.” However, RAW did rank number one in the key male demos.
RAW Viewership For Monday, WWE Mid-South DVD Trailer, WWE In Ontario Lineups
-Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 4.179 million viewers. Hour one drew 3.973 million, hour two 4.381 million and hour three 4.182 million. We should have the final rating up here on the site shortly.
-WWE is advertising the following matches for the three upcoming live events in Ontario in September. (Windsor on 9/7, Hamilton on 9/8 and London on 9/14).
–Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian (World Heavyweight Championship)
–Daniel Bryan vs. Fandango
–Sheamus vs. Ryback
–Dolph Ziggler vs. Big E. Langston
-The following is the official trailer for the new WWE DVD release, “Legends of Mid-South Wrestling.”
http://youtu.be/q88PkaypAvg
Huge *SPOILERS* For Next Week’s RAW — FINAL Show Before SUMMERSLAM!
WWE, E! Tout Ratings Success For Second Episode Of Total Divas
WWE and E! issued the following today:
E!’S “TOTAL DIVAS” BUILDS IN WEEK TWO WITH 1.5 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS AND “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” DELIVERS WITH 2.8 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS
E!’s Hot Streak Continues with the Network’s Highest-Rated and Most-Watched Week in Over Five Months With Households and P18-49 (7/29/13-8/4/13)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians (8/4/13, 9-10pm)
Sunday’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians notched its second-best episode of season 8 only behind its premiere in P18-49 (1.8 MM), W18-49 (1.3 MM), P25-54 (1.6 MM), W25-54 (1.2 MM), HH (2.26 rtg).
-Sunday’s episode ranked as the most-watched telecast for the evening among P18-34 (1.1 MM), W18-34 (794K), P18-49 and W18-49 against all ad-supported cable
-Sunday marks the sixth straight week of growth for the show in P18-49 (+1% vs. wk-ago)
-The series has returned stronger this season and is pacing above its first ten telecasts of last summer’s run in P18-49 (+1%), P18-34 (+5%), Total Viewers (+4%) and HH (+2%).
-This season, Kardashians ranks #1 among P18-49, W18-49, P18-34 and W18-34 across all ad-supported cable in its Sunday time slot.
TOTAL DIVAS (8/4/13, 10-11pm)
In its second week, Total Divas delivered 891K P18-49, up +4% versus its series debut, 1.5 MM Total Viewers (+14%), 563K W18-49 (+5%), 784K P25-54 (+22%), 1.21 HH rtg (+13%).
-This Sunday’s telecast ranked as the most-watched unscripted series for the time period among P18-34 (557), W18-34 (367), and M18-34 (189) among all cable (ad-supported and pay)
-Sunday’s episode paced above prior 4-week averages by double-digit percentages across key targets including P18-49 (+42%) and Total Viewers (+48%).
-The show paces above year-ago in P18-49 (+9%), P18-34 (+11%) and Total Viewers (+14%)
-Total Divas’ digital show package has seen strong upward momentum with page views more than doubling for the second consecutive week (152K).
Huge *SPOILERS* For Episode 3 Of WWE “Total Divas” [READ >>]
CM Punk Writes Forward To Cookbook, Layla Donates Ring Gear, Kong’s YouShoot
-WWE Superstar CM Punk wrote the forward to his friend Natalie Slater’s new cookbook. The book is called, “Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans” and is available right now on Amazon.com.
-WWE Diva Layla recently revealed in a new tweet on her official Twitter page that her ring gear from Monday’s RAW is being donated to “Cure Cystic Fibrosis.” Layla’s tweet read:
My gear I wore lastnight on #raw is dedicated to Dylan Gonna donate this gear to #curecysticfibrosis… http://instagram.com/p/cr287mnlZG/
-Kayfabe Commentaries has released the trailer for the new “You Shoot” DVD with former TNA Knockout and WWE Diva Awesome Kong. Check it out below:
Lesnar Babyface Turn After SSlam?, Wyatt/Kane ‘Ring Of Fire’ Match Update + MORE!
Hogan Comments On Today Show Appearance; Big Vito’s Wrestling School, More Notes
-The following is a new tweet from TNA Impact Wrestling’s Hulk Hogan, where he comments on his appearance on “The Today Show” on Tuesday morning:
“The Today Show was fun,Willie Geist is the main maniac,funny to see him as a boy with the same red shirt on that I had on today,HH”
-Former WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA star Big Vito LoGrasso recently announced on Twitter the opening of his own wrestling school. Below is the announcement from the official website, located online at BigVitoLo.Tumblr.com:
Finally I get to make my announcement . After 23 years in the Wrestling Business, I have finally decided to open my own Wrestling Academy. Who better to learn from the the man who has gone thru the ranks starting in the WWF, going thru all the Major company’s, ECW,WCW,TNA,WWE. From the bottom to the top. If you say your trained by me, then the people will know , YOU WERE TRAINED THE RIGHT WAY. My website will be BigVito.com. It is under construction right now, but I have a phone number to call- 813-409-0469. An announcement will be made for the grand opening and registration and applications are being taken NOW. Be in the first class , and live your Dream today.
Speaking of Big Vito, the former WCW Tag-Team and Hardcore champion will be appearing alongside Steve Corino, New Jack, Jesse Neal and Tyson Tomko at the Ring Warriors event in South Florida on August 11th. For more information, check out the following MiamiHerald.com article, and/or follow Vito on Twitter @VitoLoGrasso.
Details On Hogan’s Next MATCH In TNA + News On MAJOR WWE Star Returning Soon!
Matt Hardy’s Birthday Present To Reby Sky, The Shield Appearance, Foley/Tara, Jim Ross
-Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy recently posted a video clip of himself presenting his fiancee’ Reby Sky with her birthday present. You can check out the video at Facebook.com.
-All three members of The Shield, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will be appearing at The Chicago Wizard World Comic Con on August 10th at 3pm. Roman Reigns promoted the appearance in a new tweet posted on his official Twitter account on Tuesday. For more information, visit WizardWorld.com.
-Jim Ross recently noted on Twitter that he will be appearing at Homeland Stores on Lindsey Street in Norman, Oklahoma on Saturday from 1-3pm.
-Mick Foley posted a new tweet on Tuesday where he confirmed that Lisa Marie Varon, aka former TNA Knockout Tara and former WWE Diva Victoria, will be appearing at the WWE Hall Of Famer’s stand-up comedy show in Chicago on Thursday, August 8th.
Latest On Matt Hardy’s WWE Return + Jeff Hardy’s Future In TNA! **CLICK HERE**
Jim Ross Q&A: 3MB Breaking Up, Favorite WWE Era, Benoit Hatred & More
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com. As always, you can buy JR’s amazing line of BBQ products at WWEShop.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If It’s Time For 3MB To Break Up:
“At least 3MB is getting them on TV which is vital. All three members have potential but potential won’t buy the groceries forever.”
If WWE Will Ever Release A DVD On Sting’s Career:
“Seems like a lock to me.”
His Favorite WWE Era:
“I live in the now. Whatever ‘generation’ now is would be my answer. I have never not enjoyed being in the business. ”
His Thoughts On Brutus Beefcake’s Career:
“Why? Seriously, why? I wasn’t around him that much. He was a solid hand. Being friends with Hogan helped him greatly. I’m not the guy to ask because I never really worked with Beefcake.”
If The WWE Performance Center Will Hold Open Tryouts:
“Nothing is planned as best that I know at this time. When will a NFL team have open tryouts at their facilities for potential football players? Same deal.”
Why There Is So Much Hate Towards Chris Benoit When His Autopsy Showed He Had Extensive Brain Damage:
“We don’t know what happened that fateful day, conclusively. or what mental state Chris was in or why he was in it, either. I don’t ‘hate’ Chris and most of his friends do not either. It’s a topic that you or I cannot solve to everyone’s satisfaction. I’m really tired of addressing it.”
WWE Releases Full Details For SummerSlam AXXESS Fan Fest
WWE released the following ticket information and scheduling for next week’s SummerSlam AXXESS Fan Fest in Los Angeles, California:
General Admission Tickets – $25*
General Admission sessions
Saturday, August 17 — 11 a.m.
The Miz, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Antonio Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Paul Heyman, The Wyatt Family, Mick Foley, Damien Sandow, Jerry “the King” Lawler, and more!
Saturday, August 17 — 4 p.m.
Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Summer Rae, Booker T, The Bellas, AJ, Big E, Zack Ryder, R-Truth, The Funkadactyls and more!
Sunday, August 18 — 11 a.m.
Rob Van Dam, Christian, The Usos, Kaitlyn, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Brodus Clay, Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel, Tensai, Rosa, Tamina, and more!
Limited VIP Tickets – $95*
VIP Tickets include:
– (1) 8×10 glossy photo of the appearing Superstar
– (1) Autograph and professional photo with the appearing VIP Superstar
– Exclusive VIP line at the event entrance
VIP sessions
Saturday, August 17
Session 1
Meet WWE Superstars The Shield 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Sheamus 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Session 2
Meet WWE Superstar Ryback 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Big Show 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Randy Orton 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Kane 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 18
Meet WWE Superstar Mark Henry 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Limited Premium VIP Tickets – $150*
Premium VIP Tickets include:
– (1) SummerSlam Axxess Premium VIP commemorative ticket
– (1) Special matted Premium VIP Superstar photo
– (1) Autograph and professional photo with the appearing Premium VIP Superstar
– Exclusive VIP line at the event entrance
Premium VIP sessions
Saturday, August 17
Session 1
Meet WWE Superstar John Cena 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Session 2
Meet WWE Superstar Triple H 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar CM Punk 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
RAW Social Media Score Rises This Week, RAW Trending Topics On Twitter
-Monday’s edition of WWE RAW increased 22 percent in social media activity compared to last week’s taped edition of the show. However, the score was below the last live RAW from two weeks ago.
RAW on Monday scored a 266,465 in social activity, according to Trendrr.tv, which is up from the 218k the taped show scored last week. The last live RAW show scored 276k.
RAW ranked number three for cable television for the fifth week in a row. The only shows to score higher on Monday were “Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta” on VH-1 and “Teen Wolf” on MTV.
-Speaking of RAW social media activity, as announced on RAW on Monday night, during the first-half of the show, “Daniel Bryan” was trending number one overall worldwide on Twitter. During the second-half of the show, “#RAW” was the number one overall worldwide trend on Twitter. Also trending on Twitter during RAW on Monday night was Ricardo Rodriguez, who returned from a Wellness Policy suspension.
Backstage News From RAW: Cena & Punk Injured, SSlam Changes & MORE!
Kane To Star In “See No Evil 2” Horror Movie Sequel
The following press release was issued today:
WWE Studios and Lionsgate have announced that production on “See No Evil 2,” the follow-up to the duo’s 2006 horror release, “See No Evil,” is scheduled to start in fall 2013. Kane is set to reprise his lead role as reclusive madman Jacob Goodnight. Genre favorites and identical twin directors of horror, the Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia (“American Mary”), are set to helm the film.
“See No Evil 2” revives the nightmare of the first film when Jacob Goodnight rises from the dead in the city morgue after his killing spree at the Blackwell Hotel. In this ominous, underground locker for the dead, a group of medical students fight to survive as this deranged psychopath once again starts to pick them apart one by one.
Lionsgate will handle worldwide distribution of “See No Evil 2,” while WWE Studios will utilize its extensive global reach through television, digital and social media and print assets to market the film.
“We are so pleased to extend what has been an ideal partnership with Lionsgate,” said Michael Luisi, President, WWE Studios. “Their expertise in distributing and marketing thrilling genre films complements our own vision and efforts for these movies perfectly. Our enthusiasm is amplified with the addition of the Soska Sisters on board to apply their truly unique style to ‘See No Evil 2.’ ”
“The WWE team has proven success in building strong global brands and have proven to be a great partner in our past ventures together,” said Steve Beeks, Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President at Lionsgate. “We are thrilled to expand the partnership in the development and marketing of genre features that marry WWE’s stars with our own global distribution expertise.”
“See No Evil 2” is the fourth partnership between Lionsgate and WWE Studios following “See No Evil,” “The Condemned” and an upcoming reboot of the “Leprechaun” franchise.
Kane vs. Bray Wyatt ‘Ring Of Fire’ Update — FULL DETAILS On Match Stipulation! **CLICK HERE**
Update On Kurt Angle’s Rehab, Details On Shark Boy Week, More TNA Notes
-According to multiple sources within TNA, the general feeling seems to be that rehab is the place for Kurt Angle right now. Some questioned whether Angle had a problem, or was just the victim of bad luck in getting caught so frequently. Wrestlers and other friends in TNA are claiming that Angle belongs in rehab right now, and are hopeful that it will work out for Angle and finally clean up his lifestyle.
-TNA Impact Wrestling is capitalizing on the popularity of The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” by promoting “Shark Boy Week” on their official website. For more information, visit ImpactWrestling.com.
Speaking of Shark Boy, he was recently interviewed by MTV and GuyCode as part of their Shark Week coverage. You can check out those interviews online at GuyCodeBlog.MTV.com.
UPDATE: Kurt Angle To Serve Jail Time For Latest DWI Arrest? **DETAILS HERE**
[Credit: PWInsider.com]
RAW Backstage Fallout Video, WWE In New Sammy Hagar/Kid Rock Music Video
– Former WWE superstars Billy Gunn and Bob Holly are featured in the new music video for Sammy Hagar’s song “Knockdown Dragout.” Kid Rock and Joe Satriani also perform on the song. The video, which also features a replica WWE World Heavyweight championship belt, can be viewed here:
– Here’s the latest installment of WWE Backstage Fallout from Monday’s RAW:
Backstage News From RAW – Major Incident?!, + New SummerSlam Matches!
Punk Requires Stitches After RAW, Identity Of New WWE Referee, RAW In Chicago
-WWE Superstar CM Punk required several stitches in his chin after being busted open during Monday’s edition of RAW. Punk was busted open after jumping off the RAW announce table onto Brock Lesnar, as his chin slammed into the top of Lesnar’s head.
-The new WWE referee who worked the Divas match on Monday’s RAW was Jason Ayers. Ayers had previously worked for Dragon Gate USA before signing a developmental deal with WWE.
-WWE will return to Chicago, Illinois for RAW on September 23rd. Tickets will officially go on sale this coming Saturday.
Kurt Angle To Serve Jail Time For Latest Arrest + HUGE Backstage WWE News! [>>]
[Credit: PWInsider.com]
Hulk Hogan On “The Today Show” (Video), Latest Impact Wrestling Podcast
-TNA Impact Wrestling star Hulk Hogan appeared on “The Today Show” on Tuesday. Co-host of the show, Willie Geist, revealed that his childhood hero was in fact Hulk Hogan, and that meeting him backstage at the first ever WrestleMania was the greatest moment of his life. Geist even jokingly mentioned that it was a greater moment than his wedding day and the birth of his child.
Watch Hogan’s appearance on The Today Show at Today.com.
-The latest edition of the TNA Impact Wrestling podcast, which this week features Gail Kim, Bobby Roode and Chris Sabin, is now online. You can check that out at Stitcher.com.
HUGE UPDATE: Kurt Angle To Serve Jail Time For Latest DWI Arrest? [READ >>]
Stephanie McMahon Sells Nearly $3 Million Of WWE Stock, Lou Thesz Memorabilia
-According to a recent filing with the SEC, WWE executive and on-air talent Stephanie McMahon has sold another 276,055 shares of her World Wrestling Entertainment Class A Common Stock on the open market since August 1st.
The sale has netted Mrs. Levesque a reported $2.9 million.
You can check out the SEC filing online at SEC.gov.
-WWE Hall Of Famer recently posted the following tweet on his official Twitter account:
“The late, Lou Thesz widow, Charlie, is selling some of Lou’s memorabilia. For a list of items email her at [email protected]. I’m in!”
How much money is Stephanie McMahon worth? **FIND OUT HERE**
WWE Forces Talent To Tweet Everyday, DDP/Austin Podcast Part Two, Ron Simmons
-According to WWE Hall Of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, WWE tells their talet that they must post at least one tweet per day on their Twitter accounts. Rhodes posted the following tweet on Tuesday morning:
“They say I must tweet at least once a day , WWE ok that’s it !”
-Part two of the Diamond Dallas Page interview from the latest edition of the Steve Austin Show, the official podcast by WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is now online. Part one and part two can be head online at PodcastOne.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons will be appearing as a guest on KnokX Knowledge Radio this Wednesday at 7pm PT. For more information, click here.
UPDATE: Kurt Angle To Serve Jail-Time For Latest DWI Arrest?
Kofi Kingston Talks About His Return & New Look, Lance Storm At Performance Center
– ECW original Lance Storm tweeted on Tuesday morning that he’ll be working at the WWE Performance Center near Orlando, Florida once again today.
– WWE.com has published a photo gallery of celebrities who have appeared at past editions of SummerSlam, including late actor Leslie Nielson, NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton, TV hosts Arsenio Hall and Pierce Morgan, MMA legend turned TNA star Tito Ortiz and others.
– WWE supersatar Kofi Kingston returned to action on Monday’s RAW, defeating Fandango in a competitive match. Kingston spoke to WWE.com backstage at the show, saying that he’s never felt better and is ready to go. He also talked about his new ring gear, which he introduced because he wants to stay innovative and fresh.
* The Latest On If DANIEL BRYAN Will Win The WWE Title At SUMMERSLAM
WWE 2K14 Screenshots: JBL, American Badass, Warrior, Savage
Pre-Order WWE 2K14 NOW & Get The Ultimate Warrior As A Playable Character
IGN.com has published their first look at the new WWE 2K14 video game, which is available now for pre-order at WWEShop.com. After spending several hours playing the latest build of the game, here are some highlights of what writer IGN Richard George said about the changes to this year’s installment of WWE’s re-branded video game franchise:
– For the most part, WWE’s new video game developer Yukes is keeping the gaming engine seen in WWE ’13 in tact. Unlike arcade-style games, WWE 2K14 remains more of a wrestling “simulation” game, focusing on the same light-and-heavy grapple system that was overhauled back in 2011.
– The big change to the engine has to do with the reversal system. Attack now reverse into other attacks, which speeds up the action. Reversing an opponent that is transitioning between moves will still result in your character moving into a similar transitionary state. IGN says the changes “significantly improve” the pacing of matches.
– Wrestlers now move slightly faster, with more fluid movement animations. Additionally, running speed accelerates, instead of being a constant speed.
– ‘Catch Finishers’ are being expanded, with 10 new ones already being added. Finishers can be performed on running opponents or opponents that are in the air. Environmental ‘OMG’ moments are back, with many new additions. Specific characters, like John Cena and Ryback, and perform their finishers to multiple wrestlers at the same time (ie. Ryback having 2 guys on his back for Shell Shocked).
– Confirmed playable characters include Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior, who is available as a free download when you pre-order the game in advance. The full roster is expected to be released prior to SummerSlam.
* PRE-ORDER WWE 2K14 Now From WWEShop.com & Get ULTIMATE WARRIOR As A Playable Character
Video Of Ryback Responding To Goldberg Chants, Superstars Preview
– The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW for this week’s episode of Superstars:
- The Great Khali vs Jinder Mahal
- Zack Ryder and Justin Gabriel vs The Prime Time Players
– Ryback continues to get bombarded by “Goldberg” chants at WWE live events – and responded to them once again during WWE’s recent tour of Australia.
GOLDBERG Says He’d Wrestle Again & Calls RYBACK A “Total Rip-Off” Of His Character
Prior to his Tables Match against WWE Champion John Cena, Ryback cut a promo and addressed the man he’s constantly compared to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SNabP9XA_jc
Big Show Confirms Return, Wyatt Talks “Ring Of Fire” Match, Wrestler Birthdays
-WWE Superstar The Big Show tweeted on Monday evening, “Bigshowisback,” and also mentioned that he would be a part of the SummerSlam Fan Axxess event on August 17th.
-WWE Superstar and leader of the Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt, posted the following tweet after Monday’s RAW in regards to the “Ring Of Fire” match between himself and Kane at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view.
“Burn, Burn, Burn The #RINGofFIRE #RAW”
-WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Valiant celebrates his 71st birthday today. Valiant was born on August 6, 1942. Also celebrating a birthday today is Matt Hardy’s fiancee’, Reby Sky, who turns 27 today. Sky was born on August 6, 1986.
Details On What A “Ring Of Fire” Match Is — Huge SummerSlam *SPOILERS*