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CM Punk Speaks To 77-Year-Old Fan Who Was Shot During Robbery

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Former WWE champion CM Punk appeared on Abe Kanan Show’s Sirius XM satellite radio show this week and spoke with 77-year-old Thomas Dotterer, the liquor store robbery victim who was shot in the eye, but said the worst thing that happened all week was Punk losing to The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

Dotterer was talking about the robbery returning to work right after being released from the hospital – when he was surprised by a guest caller, CM Punk.

Dotterer said he’s a wrestling fan going back to the 1940s when he watched Gorgeous George with his father. He said he follows Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling and appreciates Punk’s success. He said Punk’s hard work and dedication is why he was so upset that The Rock beat him.

Punk then offered Dotterer to be his special guest when WWE is in Syracuse for a live event on March 3. Here’s audio from the appearance:

Cody Rhodes’ Rumble Surprise, WWE Tryout Camp Begins Today, Mysterio Booked For RAW

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– Cody Rhodes tweeted the following about his brother Goldust’s surprise return at the Royal Rumble, saying he had no idea Gldust was going to be in the match:

– Rey Mysterio is scheduled to appear at Monday’s WWE RAW.

– WWE will be kicking of a 3-day tryout camp in Tampa, Florida today. Jim Ross, who will be there to evaluate talent, tweeted the following:

*Spoiler* More Details On The SmackDown Brand’s Elimination Chamber Match

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On tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, General Manager Booker T will announce that the SmackDown brand’s upcoming Elimination Chamber match will feature 6 wrestlers that will compete to determine who challenges for the World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania 29.

According to a fan in Australia who has already seen tonight’s WWE SmackDown broadcast, the following 5 participants will be announced:

* Randy Orton
* Kane
* Daniel Bryan
* Jack Swagger
* The Great Khali

A sixth participant, rumored to be Sheamus, will be revealed later.

John Cena Missing Live Events, Greatest Rivalries DVD Synopsis & More

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– WWE has added The Shield’s theme song, “Special Op,” is now available for sale on iTunes.

– John Cena will be missing the WWE RAW live events in Missouri February 8th, 9th and 10th. Chris Jericho has been added to the February 9th (Springfield) and February 10th (Cape Girardeau) shows. The New Age Outlaws will be appaering on all three shows.

– WWEDVDNews.com has released the official synopsis for WWE’s upcoming “Top 25 Rivalries” DVD and Blu-Ray set, due out May 28th in the United States and due out in June in Europe and Australia:

“WWE Superstars clash year-round with championships, glory, and personal pride on the line. But only 25 rivalries can be considered the greatest in sports entertainment history. Now for the first time ever, WWE counts down the most intense rivalries of all time. With each segment narrated by a different WWE or mainstream personality, each rivalry takes on a life of its own as WWE fans get an inside, never-before-seen perspective on their favorite showdowns. From the grudges born from equal pursuit of a common goal to those where the animosity crosses personal boundaries, all the timeless conflicts in the history of WWE, WCW, NWA, ECW and more are presented. Featuring Cena vs Edge, Stone Cold vs Mr McMahon, Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat and many more, this controversial countdown is sure to be dissected and debated by fans of all eras. Plus, special features include over 5 hours of bonus matches highlighting the rivalries presented in the countdown.”

WWE Divas Comment on Trish Stratus’ Hall Of Fame Induction

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WWE.com has an article up looking at Trish Stratus’ Hall of Fame induction, including comments from today’s Divas. Here are some highlights of what the following Divas said about Trish’s legendary career:

Lilian Garcia: “She totally deserves this. She worked incredibly hard and made such an impact.”

Natalya: “Trish was a pioneer for the Divas. There were women that came before, but she broke all the barriers and all the stereotypes. Certainly, I’ve been extremely inspired by my family, but when I decided I wanted to be a lady wrestler, it wasn’t because of my family. It was because of Trish. … She is one of the reasons I’m doing what I’m doing today and I couldn’t be happier for her.”

Kaitlyn: “It’s so cool to see. She made such a huge impact and she is so iconic. Everyone aspires to have just a little bit of what Trish had.”

Aksana: “I’m really excited for her. I want to say congratulations to her. She’s my idol.”

AJ Lee: “To anyone in WWE, she’s an inspiration. She has helped us break a lot of glass ceilings. It’s really cool to have someone from our generation — that’s actually classified as a ‘Diva’ — to be in the Hall of Fame.”

* Pictures of TRISH STRATUS On The Set of MICKIE JAMES’ New Music Video

WWE SmackDown Preview: Del Rio vs. Ziggler, Barrett vs. Orton

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The following matches were taped for Friday’s SmackDown:

* Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler.

* Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio.

* Kofi Kingston vs. A Returning Superstar

* Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton.

* Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow.

* Great Khali vs. Jinder Mahal.

*SPOILER* Find Out Which Former World Heavyweight Champion Returns on SmackDown

Bret Hart Says Triple H Is Overrated & Never Had A Great Match

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WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently spoke with Wrestle Talk TV Extra and had some harsh words about Triple H:

“I have a certain amount of respect for Triple H. I remember when he first came in, I remember commenting on stuff that he did. Because I’d usually give wrestlers my thoughts and try to help them on stuff… Triple H has always been a good wrestler. But great? What is he now, a 1,000 time world champion? How great really is he?

“I look at [CM] Punk… I can look at certain wrestlers and I go, this guy is an innovator. Like a Rey Mysterio, who’s done stuff that no one has ever thought of before. Punk has done stuff — really unique moves and you go, ‘gee I’ve never seen anything like that before.’ They innovate all the time, and they create new sequences and moves and things.

“Then you look at someone like Triple H. When I look at him — he’s always had a good look as far as his body went — he always had a pretty muscular physique. But you look at someone like Hunter and you wonder, what has he really done. One move that he ever created that nobody ever saw before or some highspots or an idea for a match… He’s mostly a guy that just showed up and they made him. He’s always been a decent wrestler — I would consider him a good wrestler and pretty talented. But great? I don’t know, I don’t think so.

“What has he ever done that’s great? He’s never had a great match, I don’t think ever. Whenever I look at Triple H’s matches, including the last one he had with Undertaker — and I don’t really mean it as a knock — but I told myself before I watched it because I’m trying to like Paul now these days, that I want to see him do something to make me think he’s got greatness in him.

“Before Triple H wrestled Undertaker last year, I remember watching it and going, ‘I can picture the whole match in my head, I can tell you exactly what this match is going to be like and how it’s going to go. And I remember watching it and it went exactly how I predicted it… I thought it was mediocre at best, maybe a 4 out of 10, or 3 out of 10.

“I think Paul is a little overrated… overrated for being great. I can sit here and tell you that there was one match that he ever had with anybody that I thought was great. It’s kind of a shame, he should have a great match somewhere with somebody. And you’d think that he would have had it by now, but I don’t think he’s a great wrestler.”

There’s much more to the interview, including Bret’s thoughts on the Undertaker and CM Punk.

Jeff Hardy Interview: Critics Saying TNA Is Full Of Washed Up WWE Wrestlers, How Hulk Hogan Has Helped TNA

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MLive.com has an interview with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, who was promoting the upcoming TNA live event in Detroit on Friday, February 22nd. Here are just a few highlights from the interview:

Critics who say that TNA is filled with washed up former WWE wrestlers trying to collect a paycheck: “You know, I’m not sure. We’re way different than WWE. We may never be as big as WWE, but the cool thing about TNA is that we are the alternative. So people who get tired and bored with the WWE – I’ve been there, I understand – there’s an alternative and something else to watch. For special wrestlers, there’s somewhere else to go – as long as you’re not brainwashed by that WWE mentality. There’s other worlds out there; it’s OK to switch around.”

How Hulk Hogan has Helped TNA: “Just being Hulk Hogan and here in TNA is huge; Sting is here, too. They’re big-time involved with the younger guys whether its advice their style, compliments on a good job or giving some kind of direction. They are big-time involved and I think it definitely helps to have them and their knowledge here to help these guys that (previously) didn’t get it that much. It helps slow them down and work smarter. Even just character-wise, they help all talent here.”

TNA’s Future: “The sky is the limit. There’s so many talent guys here. I’ve worked with Austin Aries several times, Bobby Roode; those guys are phenomenal. There’s guys like A.J. Styles; he’s unbelievable. These kinds of guys are just getting it done, man. And when they do get the chances, they take full advantage. It just takes time, the product is going to get better and better. I don’t know what the next five or 10 years will bring, but I definitely think TNA will continue to grow. I’m not sure where exactly it’s going or how it’s going to be but it’s definitely going to be changing the game.”

Much more is contained in the interview, including Hardy discussing Sting and The Ultimate Warrior influencing his career, doing yoga, the rise of the UFC, the ups and downs in his career and more. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.

*Spoiler* WWE NXT Crowns First Tag Team Champions

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WWE held another round of NXT tapings on Thursday night from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

During the tapings, Adrianne Neville (formerly PAC) and Oliver Gray won the tournament to crown the first ever NXT tag team champions. They defeated the Wyatt Family in what was said to be a great match, according to our live correspondent.

After the match, NXT authority figure Dusty Rhodes congratulated the new champions.

*Spoilers* 3 Weeks Of WWE NXT Tapings Results

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WWE taped 3 more weeks of NXT television on Thursday night from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Here are the results:

Dark Match

* Natalya defeated Charlotte.

Episode 1: Airing February 13th

* Axl Keegan vs. Mike Dalton – Paige entered the ring and went after Summer Rae, who ran away to the back. Paige called out Summer, but Dusty Rhodes came out instead and demanded Paige leave the ring. Summer came back out and cut a promo on Paige, which resulted in the two women fighting. Dusty said the two will settle their issues later.

* Corey Graves defeated Alex Riley.

* Summer Rae defeated Paige.

* NXT Commissioner Dusty Rhodes did in-ring segment talking about the NXT Championship.

* Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey defeated The Wyatt Family in the finals of the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament to be crowned the first-ever champions. Dusty Rhodes congratulated the new champions to close the show.

Episode 2: Airing February 20th

* Bray Wyatt w/Erick Rowan and Luke Harper defeated Yoshi Tatsu.

* Xavier Woods defeated El Local.

* Audrey Marie defeated Sasha Banks.

* Tony Dawson introduced Tyson Kidd. Tyson talked about his knee surgery and promised to return stronger than ever. Leo Kruger interrupted the interview and went after Kidd, which brought out Justin Gabriel for the save.

* NXT Champion Big E Langston defeated “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian. After the match, Corey Graves attacked Langston from behind.

Episode 3: Airing February 27th

* Justin Gabriel w/Tyson Kidd defeated Leo Kruger.

* Aksana defeated Emma.

* Backstage, Bo Dallas has been attacked. Renee Young said that Dallas was scheduled to compete in a #1 contenders match for the NXT championship prior to the assault.

* Corey Graves vs “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian in a #1 contender’s match ended in no contest when The Shield came out and attacked both men.

* The Shield cut a promo saying they aren’t done with NXT yet.

After the taping, Bryon Saxton called out Ricardo Rodriguez, who introduced WWE World Hevyweight champion Alberto Del Rio. While Del Rio was addressing the crowd, WWE United States champion Antonio Cesaro interrupted him. As the two men were talking trash to each other, Dusty Rhodes comes out and booked a match between Cesaro and NXT Champion Big E Langston.

Dark Match Main event

* NXT Champion Big E Langston defeated WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro.

TNA Officially Announces Impact Wrestling Is Hitting The Road

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TNA issued the following press release on Thursday announcing that Impact Wrestling will be hitting the road with their first-ever live taping from Chicago on March 14th:

TNA TAKES THURSDAY NIGHT “IMPACT WRESTLING” ON THE ROAD

Chicago tapped for televised live show to air on Spike TV

Nashville, Tenn. (Jan. 31, 2012) – TNA’s IMPACT WRESTLING today announced that it will begin filming all “IMPACT WRESTLING” programming on the road as part of their 2013 television programming strategy. “IMPACT WRESTLING” airs every Thursday on Spike TV (8/7 CT), and is regularly one of the network’s top-rated shows. The first live televised show will be March 14 from the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.

For the past 8 years, “IMPACT WRESTLING” has been filmed on the largest soundstage at Universal Studios Orlando. The final two shows to be filmed from the “Impact Zone” at Universal will be February 28 and March 7.

“This is a tremendous step forward for TNA,” stated TNA President Dixie Carter. “Fans from around the world have been coming to us at Universal for more than 8 years to be a part of the ‘IMPACT WRESTLING’ audience. It’s now time for us to take the ‘IMPACT WRESTLING’ television cameras to them. This is a very important next evolution for the company, and I’m excited that the backdrop to the show will feature our great fans in larger arenas around the country and world.

“We are so grateful to Universal for being such fantastic partners and look forward to finding other ways to work together in the future,” Carter added.

“Taking ‘IMPACT WRESTLING’ on the road to the fans is yet another example of Dixie and her incredible team expanding their horizons to deliver the most exciting and action-packed wrestling product on the market,” said Spike TV President Kevin Kay.

Kicking off the start to “IMPACT WRESTLING” on the road will be the triumphant return to Chicago and the Sears Centre Arena on March 14. Chicago’s Sears Centre Arena was home to “Bound For Glory 2008” setting, at the time, the highest TNA attendance record.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 8 at the Sears Centre Arena box office and at www.SearsCentre.com. (Doors will open on Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m. and bell time at 7 p.m.).

WWE Hires High Profile Lawyer Monty Sarhan To Senior Management Team

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WWE announced the following on Thursday:

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. : WWE Names Monty Sarhan General Counsel

STAMFORD, Conn., January 31, 2013 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the appointment of Monty Sarhan as General Counsel and Senior Vice President. Sarhan replaces former General Counsel Michael Luisi, who was promoted to President of WWE Studios. Sarhan will report directly to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.

As General Counsel, Sarhan will be a key member of WWE’s senior management team, responsible for overseeing the legal and business affairs of the company and serving as the principal legal advisor to the Chairman, CFO, and management team. He will also serve as Corporate Secretary to WWE’s Board of Directors.

Sarhan brings 14 years of experience as a seasoned media executive and lawyer, having held senior leadership positions, including lead lawyer in several business units and companies. Prior to joining WWE, Sarhan was Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Viacom Media Networks, where he oversaw all business affairs for the premium movie network EPIX. As one of the early members of the EPIX team, Sarhan was part of the network’s national launch in October 2009. Reporting directly to the CEO, he worked on distribution, digital strategy, business development, programming acquisitions, and production deals. He also negotiated key agreements that allowed EPIX to become the first premium network to offer subscribers access on Android devices, Roku and Xbox 360.

Prior to his tenure with EPIX, Sarhan handled all business and legal affairs for Viacom’s MTV Games group. He negotiated agreements with Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft that established MTV Games as a leading publisher. He was part of the team that launched the hugely successful Rock Band video game franchise as well as The Beatles: Rock Band, which marked the first time the iconic band’s music was available digitally.

Previously, Sarhan was the sole founder and CEO of Cracked Entertainment. He acquired CRACKED, the 54-year old competitor to MAD Magazine, and re-launched it as a digital property-CRACKED.com-targeting a new demo with an entirely new editorial formula. It is now one of the country’s leading comedy sites.

Sarhan began his career as an associate in the New York office of the international law firm White & Case. He earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University, his Masters in International Relations from Boston University and his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Tufts University.

* Update On WM29 Plans For Ziggler, Jericho, Ryback & More

Superstar Billy Graham Talks About His Health, CM Punk, Chris Jericho & More

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Arda Ocal of theScore Television Network and Layfield Report spoke with “Superstar” Billy Graham in his first interview since overcoming double pneumonia. Highlights:

-How his health is and how close he came to death.

“I was just released from the world famous Mayo Clinic Hospital just 2 days ago actually last Thursday from the flu which turned into double pneumonia, which is fluid in each lung and then congestive heart failure. I feel very good, excellent really. I’m back painting. (Doctors) told me about another 10 more days before I can get back in the gym”

-How often he works out.

-How he keeps busy with his painting.

-If his health scare affected his perspective on life. Also looking back on his life if it has changed any animosities he may of had in the past.

-Not actually having heat with CM Punk and Chris Jericho, and how he feels about his comments after going through his health scare

“I know that Chris Jericho has never really cared for me, really basically from day one, but anyway I was very shocked (by his comments), I was just trying to make a observation of how things have evolved in professional wrestling with body types. I meant no harm or disrespect to CM Punk whatsoever because he’s a hard worker and dedicated.”

-Did CM Punk contact him directly about the statements?

Here’s the interview:

Brooke & Bully’s Marital Status, Why Taz Joined Aces & Eights, Impact Opening

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– Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan are married according to TNA storylines, despite the fact that they were never pronounced husband and wife to the attack by Aces & Eights. There was reportedly a lot of internal confusion in TNA as to whether they were married in TNA storylines, with even Hulk Hogan tweeting after the wedding that even though he got beat down by Aces & Eights, “Taz screwed everyone, the one good thing was the wedding came to an immediate halt, thank God. HH.”

– The reason TNA announcer Taz turned heel and joined Aces & Eights is because the company wanted a surprise person to break up the Brooke Hogan wedding and they wanted the faction to have a strong talker on their side. The downside of Taz working as a heel with Aces & Eights is that the neck injury which ended his career also prevents him from doing anything physical in TNA.

– Here is the opening for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:

* Complete TNA Impact SPOILERS For Tonight

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Vince McMahon Legitimately Having Hip Surgery, WrestleMania 30 Location, McGillicutty

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– WWE announced this week that Vince McMahon will be undergoing hip surgery as a result of Brock Lesnar giving him an F-5 on RAW. Vince has had a bad hip for several months and will legitimately undergoing surgery soon.

– WWE will be officially announcing the location of WrestleMania 30 in February around the time of Elimination Chamber. It’s almost a lock that the show will be taking place from the Superdome in New Orleans, which currently has an indoor attendance record of 73,043 for a New Orleans Saints game.

– The Rock tweeted last week that WWE superstar Michael McGillicutty (Joe Hennig) was his training partner for the Royal Rumble. Both The Rock and Triple H are strong proponent of the third generation star.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Backstage News On The Finish To The Rock vs. CM Punk, Rock’s Media Appearances

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The Rock and CM Punk were rehearsing their Royal Rumble match on Sunday afternoon in the hours leading up to the Royal Rumble. The finish was kept top secret from the rest of the WWE locker room – with WWE even hanging a curtain around the ring so nobody else would know what the finish would be.

Some CM Punk fans were upset that Punk was pinned after getting hit by the People’s Elbow, opposed to a Rock Bottom, which is a more devastating move. The reasoning behind this is that CM Punk was ranting about how the “people don’t matter,” so The Rock beat him with the People’s Elbow.

The Rock will give the WWE Championship a ton of exposure as he makes the media rounds to promote his upcoming movie releases in the months leading up to WrestleMania 29.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jim Ross’ Announcing Future, WWE TV Viewership Averages For 2013, DVDs

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– There are currently no plans for Jim Ross to return to announcing in WWE full time this year. It’s possible he’ll still call the occasional match, at big shows like WrestleMania 29.

WWE recently made the decision to remove him from the announcing team at NXT, because it’s a developmental show and they want to groom new announcers.

– WWE Main Event is averaging a 1.1 rating with 1.76 million viewers so far this year, with Saturday Morning Slam averaging a 0.6 rating and 935,000 viewers. Both shows include delayed DVR viewership. Both shows are averaging a 2 share rating, which is the % of viewers currently watching TV at the time. RAW is averaging a 5 share while SmackDown is averaging a 3 share.

– WrestleMania 28 was the best selling sports DVD of 2012. WWE’s CM Punk DVD was #4 and the The Rock’s “Epic Journey” DVD was #5.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

VIDEO: The Rock’s “Got Milk?” Super Bowl Commercial

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CBS has posted The Rock’s “Got Milk?” Super Bowl commercial online –

Vince McMahon Squashes Ryback Nickname, Brock Lesnar Doing Muscle & Fitness

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– During a recent interview with the Phoenix New Times to promote last weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Ryback spoke about his “Big Hungry” nickname, noting that he is the one that came up with it, but Vince McMahon ultimately banned it.

– WWE is currently hiring several corporate positions, including an Executive Vice President of International Business, a new Vice President of Marketing and a Vice President of Social Media.

– In conjunction with the buildup to WrestleMania 29, Brock Lesnar will be appearing on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Rumble Fan Fest Considered A Big Success, UFC vs. WWE Ad Rates & More

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– Last weekend’s Royal Rumble Fan Fest in Phoenix, Arizona was considered a big success. The event was considered to be a test to gauge fan interest, which was very strong. Moving forward, WWE is talking about holding Fan Axxess events in the days leading up the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

Discussion: Have you been to a WWE Axxess Fan Fest? Comment below and tell us what your experience was.

– Even though ratings for WWE RAW are significantly better than UFC’s live shows on FOX, WWE only gets 1/3 of the ad rates that UFC is able to charge.

– Friday’s SmackDown did a 2.03 and 3.03 million viewers, a strong showing for the final SmackDown before the Royal Rumble. It was the fourth most-watched show on cable that night.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

*Spoiler* Details On The SmackDown Brand’s Elimination Chamber Match

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On Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, General Manager Booker T will announce that the SmackDown brand’s upcoming Elimination Chamber match will feature 6 wrestlers that will compete to determine who challenges for the World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania 29.

Booker T does not reveal the Chamber match participants, but they will be:

– Sheamus
– Randy Orton
– Kane
– Daniel Bryan
– Great Khali
– Jack Swagger

Swagger will return to TV on Friday’s SmackDown.

Bo Dallas News: Rumble Appearance Bumps WWE Return, Interesting Trivia Fact

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As reported earlier, one of the main reasons WWE pulled the plug on the Intercontinental Cup tournament was the last minute decision to include NXT star Bo Dallas in the Royal Rumble and immediately enter him into a feud with Wade Barrett.

Another result of Bo Dallas entering the Rumble is that he took a spot from another surprise entrant. According to a source in WWE, that spot was going to used for the return of Shelton Benjamin, who was in town for an indy show the night before the Rumble.

An interesting trivia note about Bo Dallas. He is the first Royal Rumble entrant in history that was not born when the first Rumble took place back in 1988. Dallas was born May 25, 1990.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

More On December’s TLC PPV Buyrate & CM Punk’s Drawing Power

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WWE reported earlier this week that December’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view did around 170,000 buys, based on preliminary data. This number is a bit off from last year’s 179,000. What’s odd is the show is listed as doing 71,000 domestic buys and 99,000 foreign. This is a very low domestic number and possibly an error. Last year’s show did 98,000 domestic.

October’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, which featured Punk vs. Ryback in the main event (and no John Cena, due to injury) drew surpringly strong sales. The soft buyrate of TLC is actually somewhat of a good sign for WWE Champion CM Punk, who did not compete on the show due to injury.

CM Punk not wrestling on the show resulting in one of the worst buyrates of the year is another sign that Punk was a solid pay-per-view draw during his reign as champion and his matches are a big factor in whether fans will pay $40+ on a pay-per-view.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Detailed Ratings Breakdown From Monday’s WWE RAW

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We have more ratings data from Monday’s post-Royal Rumble episode of WWE RAW. The show drew a 3.7 rating with over 5 million viewers, making it the most-watched RAW since the RAW 1,000 special back on July 23rd.

– The number of viewers watching per home was only 1.38, the lowest we’ve ever seen for RAW. Since viewership was so high, this means that there was a very large number of homes watching.

– The best drawing quarter hour was The Rock’s confrontation with CM Punk, which did a 4.03.

– RAW was the most-watched show on all of television for the night among the coveted Males 18-34 demographic. The audience was 68.5% male.

– The show opened strong with a 3.63 for the first quarter, which featured C.M. Punk, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon.

– The segment that featured Wade Barrett v. Bo Dallas and John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes gained 243,000 viewers over the previous segment (Ryback/Prime Time Players Make Me Laugh skit).

– John Cena’s post match interview and subsequent beatdown by The Shield Sheamus and Ryback at 9 p.m. gained 145,000 viewers to a 3.80 quarter.

– Brodus Clay and Tensai ‘s danceoff lost 157,000 viewers

– The Rock and CM Punk’s in-ring confrontation at the top of the 3rd hour gained 279,000 viewers.

– The biggest loss of the night was the quarter hour that featured Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow (tables match) and the Great Khali, Ryder and 3MB Karaoke segment, which lost 601,000 viewers.

– Chris Jericho’s return and the in-ring bit with Dolph Ziggler, A.J. and Big E Langston lost 342,000 viewers.

– The strongest segment of the show was the over run, which featured Vince McMahon’s performance evaluation of Paul Heyman and the return of Brock Lesnar. The overrun gained 750,000 viewers and broke 4.00 for the first time since RAW 1,000.

TNA Impact Wrestling Preview: Angle vs. Anderson Cage Match, Dixie’s Major Announcement

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The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling, taped last week from Manchester, England:

– There will be a major announcement by TNA President Dixie Carter on the broadcast!

– The main event of the huge international event will feature Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson of the Aces & Eights in a Steel Cage Match! British fans will get a firsthand preview of this year’s “Lockdown” when Angle goes to war with his longtime nemesis Mr. Anderson inside the confines of the steel structure!

– Hulk Hogan will make his return on the broadcast! Will he listen to Sting and Bully Ray and reinstate Bully Ray from his suspension so he can get revenge on The Aces and Eights for their attack during the big wedding? Or, will Hulk take matters into his own hands while in England? Tune in and find out!

– Joseph Park will make his official IMPACT in-ring debut! Who will Park call out to battle as part of OPEN FIGHT NIGHT? Tune in and find out!

* Complete TNA Impact SPOILERS For Tomorrow Night

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