– Titus O’Neil says he’ll be “killing rumors” tonight on RAW, possibly in regards to online reports that his partner Darren Young will be out of action for 6+ months with a knee injury. O’Neil tweeted on Sunday:
Off to church then off to Dallas for @WWE#RAW Lots of Rumors will be Killed tomorrow night!!Stay tuned….#Wrestlemania29
– Texas A&M college football coach Kevin Sumlin was at Sunday night’s SmackDown live event from College Station, Texas and got involved during the action. Before the main event featuring Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show, Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Sumlin to the crowd and presented him with a replica World Heavyweight championship belt. Sumlin wound up getting involved in the main event, sliding his new World Heavyweight title belt into the ring so Del Rio could use it on Big Show to get the win.
The Texas A&M twitter account (@AggieFootball) tweeted about Sumlin’s appearance. Ricardo Rodriguez also tweeted this picture of Sumlin with his new belt:
Dolph Ziggler was recently interviewed by Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Being A Heel: I love doing this, so it’s a character but it’s also me. I really enjoy entertaining and we have people who are getting cheered and doing the right thing, but I’m not a nice guy in person so I enjoy capitalizing on that. I don’t instantly hate everyone who’s a good guy but when I back it up, it makes people that much angrier.
Why It’s Important To Be Entertaining: In this day and age, the bad guy isn’t a guy with a big beer belly who’s out of shape. Half the superstars in this roster have college degrees or master’s degrees and are really good at something, and my goal to be the best [involves entertaining]. I study entertainment and apply it to myself to one day become the greatest WWE superstar we have, and it’s a lot of work. So I write jokes and material every day … you have to keep people’s attention, one way or another.
People Saying That Wrestling Is Fake: I usually have a much snappier comeback for them: ”Oh, you’re an accountant. Is that fake?” At the end of the day, you’re doing your job, and I’m really good at what I do. Whatever you do, take pride in it and be great at it. I pride myself on blending that line, in this day and age, of reality TV mixed with stunt work and techniques to keep [the audience] entertained. With 9000 channels and YouTube and Google, you’ve got to keep their attention.
What Keeps Wrestling Fans Hooked: One way or another, whether it’s the storylines or the characters or the girls, there’s something for everyone. There are [wrestlers] that so many kids can look up to: if they’re being bullied at school, they can relate to him … they’re people who never give up. There are 50 or 60 superstars on the main roster who people can somehow relate to, and that’s why people keep coming back.
In honor of Sunday’s 2013 Academy Awards, WWE.com named their version of the Best Actor and Best Actress in WWE. Heyman’s now-legendary promo in which he describes the business mind and lifestyle of a “promoter” was discussed, and highlighted as the reason he won the acclaim. WWE announcer Tony Dawson said this about Heyman’s Best Actor win:
“Paul Heyman is to WWE what Marlon Brando was to Hollywood. He is the standard by which all others are measured. I will never forget his exchange with Mr. McMahon when he confessed to lying every single day to make it in this business. It was raw, powerful and absolutely brilliant.”
To read Paul Heyman’s “Acceptance Speech,” visit WWE.com.
As for Best Actress, that honor went to WWE Diva AJ Lee. “I didn’t even know I was nominated,” she told WWE.com. “Is there some sort of reward that goes along with this, like a Slammy? I already have two Slammys and I could add it to …”
– Former WWE developmental talent and Tough Enough competitor Ivelisse Velez will compete on this Thursday’s live episode of Impact Wrestling.
Sunday on Twitter, Velez issued this message: “The Huntress will be making an IMPACT this Thursday! #KnowWhatIMean #TuneIn #OnTheRise.”
PWInsider.com has since confirmed that she will participate in the “Gut Check Challenge.”
It will not be her first match inside a TNA ring as she competed in a dark match against Tara in October
– TNA has released the following video previewing Thursday’s Impact Wrestling broadcast, which is centered on a confrontation between World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEmv8XS7BNw
– Robbie E announced on Twitter Sunday that he will appear at this Thursday’s Ohio Valley Wrestling event in Louisville, Kentucky. “Guess who’s going to be at Davis Arena this Wednesday February 27 th ? The one and only Robbie E from tna !!!” he wrote.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR had to say about:
The Latest On Jack Swagger’s DUI & Drug Arrest:
“I’m still waiting for all the info to roll in from Mississippi regarding Swagger’s arrest where he was changed with some misdemeanors. Obviously this situation was ill advised and should never have happened no matter how badly timed it is perceived by some. Any time is a bad time.”
“At some point, if one cannot solve a problem, then one must eliminate said problem. But I’ve always felt compelled that one should exhaust all reasonable remedies to solve an issue before saying adios to any talent. I’d like to think that back in the day that I was a “player’s coach” but that doesn’t mean that repeat offenders or those who are so defiant and that resist positive changes in their lives need to be kept around.”
“I simply hope that Swagger has learned a life lesson from his mistake and that nothing like this ever occurs again. He owes it to himself, his family, the fans and his company to do so.”
The Undertaker’s Return At Saturday Night’s WWE Live Event:
“Lots of buzz about the surprise return of the Undertaker Saturday night at a WWE live event in Waco Texas. Taker wasn’t advertised and competed in a tag team bout. It’s great to see the Phenom stepping back into the ring and I hope that he gives himself a passing grade for his latest experience and that he feels great today.”
“Like everyone else, I hope that Taker’s return to the squared circle results in him performing at WM29 but I would suggest that isn’t exactly a ‘done deal’ as I write this. Perhaps we will learn more next week on WWE TV or the week after. I’m willing to simply stay tuned and enjoy the ride and I remain optimistic. (What a novel concept.)”
– WWE NXT star Corey Graves turns 29 years old today.
– The Rock’s “Snitch” is expected to do $13 million at the box office this weekend, which would be one of the Rock’s lowest opening weekends.
– The Simpsons will be doing a wrestling themed episode next Sunday night. Here’s the official synopsis:
Homer’s obsession with the TV show “Storage Battles” leads the family to discover Grampa’s past identity as “Gorgeous Godfrey,” the most feared, villainous man in pro-wrestling history. What’s more, he was once revered by a young Montgomery Burns who now convinces Grampa to get back in the ring. But when Bart starts to adopt some of his grandfather’s former cheating ways, Grampa must reconcile with his past before it’s too late.
Randy Orton, Ricardo Rodriguez and Wade Barrett were all at last Saturday night’s WWE live event in Waco, TX for the Undertaker’s surprise return. Here’s what they tweeted about it:
Randy Orton: “Got to watch Undertaker perform in Waco tonight at the #Smackdown live event. Very motivating to watch him do his thing. #Legend Killer”
Ricardo Rodriguez: “Can’t describe the feeling we all got here tonight in Waco, Texas after having The Undertaker compete. I legit got goosebumps!”
Wade Barrett wrote: “Hell of a night at #WWEWaco. Expect the unexpected… #WWECollegeStation tomorrow.”
CHRIS JERICHO TALKS ABOUT RETURNING TO WWE AND HOW ROBOTS WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD ON MARIA MENOUNOS’ AFTERBUZZ TV
Los Angeles, CA, February 22, 2013 –(afterbuzztv.com)– WWE Superstar, Chris Jericho made an appearance on a special edition of AfterBuzz TV’s RAW aftershow Tuesday night. The wrestling legend was invited on the network to discuss his return to WWE and the new Syfy show, Robot Combat League, which Jericho hosts. In the interview, Jericho discusses his recent RAW Active match with CM Punk, why his return to wrestling is different than other Superstars, and how his now infamous jacket came to fruition.
Growing up, Jericho wanted to be two things: a pro wrestler and a rock star. Now the 42-year-old wrestler is in the middle of yet another return to the WWE and just embarked on a multi-day Australian tour with his band, Fozzy.
“This past month has been one of my best months ever,” Jericho says.
Jericho is one of the few Superstars who has not only been able to parlay his wrestling career into other aspects of the entertainment industry, but also committed enough to give 100% every time he reenters the ring.
He tells AfterBuzz, “Nothing against what Rock does or Brock or any of those guys, when I come back, I don’t just come back for Monday Night Raw. I do the house shows.”
Since Jericho’s return, he’s reignited his feud with fellow Superstars, Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk. He recounts Feb 4th’s WWE RAW Active match between himself and CM Punk, where the writers created a poll to designate which wrestler, out of Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio, would face Punk. A flash poll earlier in the week, predicted Orton to be the challenger and the writers told Jericho to not prepare with Punk—he would face Wade Barrett.
The afternoon of the fight, Jericho thought, “I knew I was going to win [the RAW active poll],” and he was right. He says the writers were shocked the fans chose him over Orton.
Jericho joked, “I went to the writers’ room and said, ‘All you guys with your flash polls, go F yourself, you can suck it.’”
Later in the interview, Y2J talks about how every time he returns to wrestling he wants to do something fresh.
“I’ve always wanted to be the Paul Stanley of wrestling…the ultimate frontman or lead singer who commands the crowd. Whenever I come back I try to do something different,” says Jericho. “I had this idea…Googled and then found this designer, Jonathan Logan. Went to visit him in the Fashion District and didn’t really know anything about him. Turns out he makes all of Brad Pitt’s stuff, all of Justin Bieber’s stuff, David Lee Roth’s stuff.”
After collaborating on a design, Logan suggested adding lights to the jacket as he had done for an Alecia Keys outfit, thus creating the iconic glowing jacket Jericho sports at shows.
As cool as the jacket is, Jericho says, it’s also a hassle. “There’s little wires and they snap all the time. I constantly have to [fix] them.” Jericho says WWE’s prop guys yell at him for having to fix the jacket so frequently.
Jericho divulges that the entire right side of his jacket broke before his intro at Wrestlemania XXVIII last year. “I had to turn and walk backwards and cheat the camera,” says Jericho, “I didn’t want anyone to see that the whole right side of my jacket had gone out…this was literally two minutes before I had to go to the ring. I was furious. I could have given a crap about the match, all I cared about was my stupid jacket.”
When asked about traveling with the jacket, Jericho mentioned an instance when he was traveling and he originally placed his jacket in his check luggage, however, the luggage was overweight. Jericho had to remove the jacket and take it as carry on, despite not having a bag to put it in.
“I had to ask [TSA] for a garbage bag. I put my big fancy jacket in a garbage bag and put it through security. One guy called me out and said ‘Jericho man, that’s your jacket? You can’t keep it in a plastic bag.’”
Another recent change in appearance are Jericho’s new tattoos. He says, “I just thought it would be cool to get a tattoo, something that means something to me. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and now was the time to do it.”
On Jericho’s new show, Syfy’s Robot Combat League, Jericho enthuses, “It’s Real Steel with actual Robots.” He says it’s nothing like Mick Foley’s robot show, Robot Wars.
“The first thing that I thought when I was in the arena and they brought the robot out, if it hadn’t stopped walking I would have turned around and ran away. It was that intimidating,” Jericho says, “We’ve now created robots that can kill humans, and in 10-years when they take over the planet, you’ll know you saw it first on Robot Combat League.”
Robot Combat League premieres on Syfy Feb. 26th at 10/9c.
AfterBuzz TV’s RAW aftershow, hosted by Ryan Katz, Cathy Kelley, Ryan Clum and Josh Padgett airs Monday nights, immediately following USA’s airing of RAW. The RAW aftershow is a weekly wrap up show that broadcasts worldwide from Los Angeles, CA as part of Extra’s Maria Menounos and filmmaker Keven Undergaro’s online broadcast network, AfterBuzz TV. AfterBuzz is dedicated to producing daily post-game wrap-up shows for fans’ favorite TV shows, covering shows like The Walking Dead, American Idol, The Bachelor, Being Human and countless others. Currently AfterBuzz TV receives over 20 million weekly downloads on iTunes from over 75 countries. For further information about the network, visit afterbuzztv.com
The Undertaker made a surprised return to WWE on Saturday night at a Smackdown house show in Waco, Texas, teaming with Sheamus to defeat Damien Sandow and Wade Barrett.
This was the first time Undertaker has appeared in a WWE ring since RAW 1000 back in July. This is a good sign that he’ll be wrestling at WrestleMania 29.
WWE posted the following video on Tout of his return:
– John Cena continues to tweet a countdown to his match against CM Punk on RAW:
“Only 2 more days until #thunderdomeindallas @JohnCena v @CMPunk winner faces @WWE champ @TheRock”
– Friday’s WWE SmackDown had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 59,010, down 5% from last week. This was the least social media activity for the show so far this year, headed into next week’s “Social Media SmackDown.”
– WWE has released the following video of the Top 10 entrances in WrestleMania history:
In a strange “Where Are They Now” sighting, former WWE superstar Virgil is currently selling his wrestling memorabilia in New York City subway stations. A fan at the Markedout.com message board posted the following on Friday:
“Yesterday I was on my way home from work. I was navigating the subway station just as I usually do, however something was different. Instead of the usual guys selling toys or making balloon dogs, there was The Man, The Myth, The Legend…. He had his usual stack of photos and 2 name placards. I was in such shock I doubled back, just so I could get this video for you guys.”
“[W]hen I made the pass the first time I saw him talking to somebody holding their wallet and then the person began laughing and walked away.”
Here’s the video he posted:
Another fan saw Virgil earlier in Grand Central Station and said he was able to buy a photo of Virgil for $5 (he haggled him down from $5). Twitter user @Stadiuminsider tweeted this photo of Virgil in the subway station:
– WWE officials are said to be angry that Glenn Beck turned down their invitation to appear on RAW. F4Wonline.com reports that WWE plans to mock Glenn Beck on Monday’s RAW and Stephanie McMahon called for a big rewrite of Monday’s RAW script.
– Ricardo Rodriguez tweeted the following messages over the weekend, taunting Genn Beck to accept WWE’s RAW invite:
“Hey @GlennBeck let’s do a little debate on a show that people actually watch unlike yours!!! I’ll bring the Vicks in case you need to cry”
“It’s cool @GlennBeck ! I’ll go easy on you, I know how sensitive you are. “I’m already booked”?! Huevos! Yeah sure, buddy!”
“This is probably the most people have riled up for @glennbeck! You’re welcomed for being famous again burro ! #ignorance”
– Here’s the latest Backstage Fallout from Friday’s SmackDown:
– WWE Divas Alicia Fox and Natalya will be traveling to Rwanda this week to visit as part of WWE’s alliance United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, which helps raise awareness and funds to fight malaria in Africa. The Divas will be distributing life-saving bed nets and will also meet with officials from the UN’s Refugee Agency to learn about the work that’s been done there.
– AJ Lee says she squatted 200 pounds on Friday, a personal best for the 115 pound WWE diva. She tweeted:
“I believe the purpose of twitter is 90% to make asinine jokes & 10% to fish for the love and affirmation your parents never gave you.”
“With that said, I am a 115lb chick & I squatted 200lbs today. Personal best. Someone give me a medal dammit. Or a cookie. I’ll take a cookie”
– WWE is promoting next week’s episode of SmackDown as a “live Social Media event” – including live tweets, fan polls, touts and more. WWE is encouraging their viewers to “vote, participate, and connect.”
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, OK. Here’s the promo video:
– Mick Foley tweeted the following in response to feedback he got over the cover art to his new WWE DVD:
“Wow, thanks for the incredible enthusiasm surrounding the new DVD cover. I’m usually my own toughest critic, but @WWE has really gone above and beyond with this bad boy. A few years ago, they started dramatically increasing the time and effort that goes into these productions, and it’s really apparent here. It just blows the A&E Biography piece away – and the extras are just great; stuff that anyone who really likes me will want to have in their collection. So many interviews with people who played a pivotal role in my life and career, including Terry Funk, Dominec DeNucci, Shane Douglas, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, Mike Rotunda, Vader (you’ll love the Vader/Cactus stuff) Kevin Sullivan, @HeymanHustle, @TheRock, family members, childhood friends, and some of today’s top superstars. The on-sale date in the US is April 16th, and April 22 in the UK. I will make sure to give you all the pre-sale and sale info as it comes to me.”
– Here is a promo commercial for the 2013 Golden Gods Awards hosted by Chris Jericho:
Citizen-times.com has an update on Jack Swagger’s Tuesday night DUI & drug arrest. Swagger is due back in court March 12. Had he been arrested only for speeding and marijuana possession, he could have paid his fines by mail or online, but the DUI makes this a different kind of case.
If convicted, records show Swagger faces fines of $188 for driving 10 mph over the speed limit, $437 for a small amount of marijuana and $1,300 if it’s his first DUI offense. The DUI charge carries a mandatory court appearance and he could lose his driver’s license for 90 days. However, Police Lt. Craig Petersen says he’ll push for the maximum sentence for Swagger’s DUI, which is jail time:
“We have never recommended mere fines and fees only on a DUI,” Clark said. “We always recommend the maximum sentence of two days in jail for first offenders. That time can be suspended but only on completion of certain court-ordered conditions like probation, classes, AA meetings, etc.”
Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger posted the following video on Youtube, calling out conservative radio host and TV personality Glenn Beck on Friday, inviting him to appear on Monday’s WWE RAW to address them and get 5 minutes of uninterrupted time to get his point across –
TNA has announced that World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy will return on next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling to confront Bully Ray. The official preview is as follows:
Next Thursday on IMPACT: Jeff Hardy returns, plus the Lethal Lockdown teams
Preview Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 8/7c, as the road to the “Lockdown” event continues!
– What will be the fallout from the Aces and 8s attack on Hulk Hogan? What is Hogan’s condition? Tune in for a major update on Thursday’s IMPACT!
– World Heavyweight Champion “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy makes his return to IMPACT! What will happen when Hardy is face-to-face with Bully Ray, the superstar that will challenge him for the title at Lockdown?
– Also on Thursday, “The Icon” Sting and Devon will both reveal their teams for the Lethal Lockdown match! Who will join Sting as part of Team TNA – and who will backup Devon from the Aces and 8s? Find out on Thursday!
– Thursday’s edition of Impact Wrestling drew a 1.02 cable rating, with 1,352,000 viewers. Both figures are up from last week’s show on Valentine’s Day, which drew a 1.00 cable rating and 1,300,000 viewers.
– TNA released the following ad promoting its Road To Lockdown Sale on ShopTNA.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt7W0hdh_nI
– Christy Hemme is featured in the “Today’s Girl” section of Maxim.com.
– WWE issued a survey this week to its “Fan Council,” which notably included a query gauging interest in the possibility of a Monday Night Raw pre-show on WWE.com or the WWE app.
– Former WWE Diva Maryse is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– This week’s episode of The JBL & Cole Show is now online, which features Ricardo Rodriguez and Aksana going head to head in the SuperStar Search.
WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler recently spoke with Metro.co.uk during his promotional tour of Australia. Here are some highlights of what Ziggler said about:
His Background Studying Law:
“I studied it at college and am still interested in it but I had wanted to wrestle since I was five. You never know what’s going to happen in this career, so I went to college to have something to fall back on.”
Being part of The Spirit Squad:
“I was in the Spirit Squad, which was a group of guys with a cheerleading theme. I told myself no matter what the persona is, get your foot in the door and run with it. e got beat up sometimes and sometimes we came out on top. Cheerleaders don’t have a good rep as tough guys but we were as entertaining as possible. We got in the ring with some of the greatest – Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper – which only helped.”
Overcoming the Perception of Steroids in Wrestling:
“It is because we’ve gone from the big burly guys who eat hotdogs and live a rough lifestyle to wrestlers who are all health nuts and work out every day. We’re constantly tested and there are measures to make sure we’re all safe and healthy. I hope that perception changes because we’re highly tuned athletes.”
– WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper Tweeted on Friday that he played a demo of the new video game based off his 1988 cult classic movie, “They Live.”
Just Rocked a new Video Game from They Live! Your going to love it!
– The Rock’s new movie “Snitch” opens today and it’s getting positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation site RottenTomatoes.com currently has the movie listed with a 51% approval rating. The USA Today newspaper gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and had this to say about the WWE Champion’s performance:
“Johnson is terrific, as he further matures as an actor. He’s no action hero/one-man-army here. It’s a far more nuanced performance than he’s given before … Johnson is thoroughly convincing as an undercover informant, as well as a businessman and concerned father.”
“The film is fast-paced in the beginning and end but lags somewhat in the middle. Still, the dramatic nature of the story, more than the action sequences, make the movie most compelling.”
– Former WWE writer Andrew Goldstein tweeted the following about Jack Swagger’s arreste and whether he thinks it will result in Vince McMahon dropping Swagger’s World Heavyweight title program with Alberto Del Rio leading up to WrestleMania 29:
No DUI was gonna get in the way of what's clearly a pet project of Team VKM. Rock barely getting them any Buzz for Mania. This story is.
WWE has invited conservative political pundit Glenn Beck to attend WWE RAW & sent out the following announcement on Friday:
WWE® INVITES GLENN BECK TO GET RAW
STAMFORD, Conn., February 22, 2013 – WWE has extended an invitation to talk show host and political commentator, Glenn Beck to appear live this Monday on Raw, in response to a segment that aired on TheBlaze TV yesterday. In the segment, Beck references WWE as “stupid wrestling people,” when criticizing a recent WWE storyline involving WWE characters Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio®, Jack Swagger® and Zeb Colter®. WWE is giving Beck the opportunity to address our 14 million weekly viewers and our global fan base, as he believes we are offending our “conservative” fans with this storyline.
Similar to other television shows and feature films, WWE is in the entertainment business, creating fictional characters that serve as protagonists or antagonists. To create compelling and relevant content for our audience, it is important to incorporate current events into our storylines. WWE is creating a rivalry centered on a topical subject that has varying points of view. This storyline was developed to build the Mexican American character Del Rio into a hero given WWE’s large Latino base, which represents 20 percent of our audience.
