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This Week’s Episode of WWE Are You Serious?

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The Road Dogg and Josh Matthews are back with another installment of #GarbageJuice for your viewing pleasure

“Road Dogg and Josh Mathews have shared some awful videos with the WWE Universe, but nothing as foul as this clip from WCW Thunder. See the #garbagejuice only on “Are You Serious?”

WWE Announces New Online Slammy Award Categories

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The 2012 WWE Slammy Awards ceremony take place on Monday’s RAW, but WWE has announced that there will be many other “online” awards given out at WWE.com during tonight’s WWE TLC online pre-show.

Here are the 2012 Online Slammy Awards categories and nominees:

Betrayal of the Year: WWE is full of backstabbing scoundrels, but who was the worst offender in 2012?

* Daniel Bryan dumps AJ Lee
* AJ walks out on Bryan
* Eve Torres low-blows Zack Ryder
* Big Show knocks John Cena out at Over the Limit

Upset of the Year: On rare occasion, an underdog upends a ring giant to steal a victory. But who beat the biggest odds of the year?

* Justin Gabriel defeats Antonio Cesaro
* Dolph Ziggler wins Money in the Bank
* Santino Marella defeats Jack Swagger for the US Title
* Daniel Bryan beats Big Show and Mark Henry at Royal Rumble

Feat of Strength of the Year: Because cunning, agility and speed will only get you so far!

* Sheamus hits White Noise on Big Show
* Big Show KO punches Sheamus at Hell In a Cell
* Antonio Cesaro hits Neutralizer on Brodus Clay
* Ryback hits Shell Shocked on Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks at the same time

Diva of the Year: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the sexiest, smartest and most powerful of them all?

* AJ Lee
* Eve Torres
* Layla
* Kaitlyn

Facial Hair of the Year: These whiskered Superstars are a cut above. But whose prodigious soup strainer is best?

* Daniel Bryan
* Damien Sandow
* Cody Rhodes
* CM Punk

Crowd Chant of the Year: When a Superstar’s influence extends beyond the barriers and into the stands, something magical can happen.

* “Cody’s Mustache!”
* “Feed Me More!”
* “YES! YES! YES!”
* “Hoeski!”

YouTube Show of the Year: Sound off on which WWE YouTube original you think reigns above the rest.

* Santino Marella’s Foreign Exchange
* Dolph Ziggler’s WWE Download
* Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story
* Are You Serious?

Exclusive Video of the Year: It’s been a memorable year for WWE.com exclusive videos. But which one left the most lasting impression?

* Eve fires The Bella Twins online
* Daniel Bryan explains why he’s Mr. Small Package
* Jerry Lawler speaks to WWE.com about his miraculous return
* CM Punk and Paul Heyman address Punk’s 365 day reign

Tweet of the Year: Which Superstars know how to make the biggest impact…in 140 characters or less?

* “I don’t have Instagram, I’m an adult.” – Cody Rhodes
* “Goat face is a horrible insult. My face is practically perfect in every way. In fact, from now on I demand to be called Beautiful Bryan.” – Daniel Bryan
* “I did it for Andy Kauffman.” – CM Punk
* “Yes, this is the real Great Khali. I’m ready to tweet with you!” – The Great Khali

Top Social Media Ambassador: It’s a tall task to tweet and Skype on behalf of the Universe. Which celebs created the biggest buzz online?

* The Muppets
* Mike Tyson
* Charlie Sheen
* Arnold Schwarzenegger

Insult of the Year: Sometimes an old-fashioned smackdown is preferable to a putdown. Just ask the targets of these esteem-withering digs.

* CM Punk calls Daniel Bryan “goat-faced”
* Sheamus to Dolph Ziggler, while Ziggler was standing on a ladder: “Look, you’ve finally got your wish. You’re taller than everyone else.”
* John Cena to Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero: “You’re the exact opposite. One enjoys eating a lot of nuts and one is still trying to find his.”
* The Rock to John Cena: “If John Cena had led the American Revolution, right now all of us would be playing cricket, we’d be sipping tea and we’d be blessing the Queen.”

Best Dancer of the Year: These Superstars display sweet moves inside the ring. And we’re not just talking about their finishers.

* Brodus Clay
* Rosa Mendes
* R-Truth
* The Great Khali

CM Punk’s Status For Tonight’s TLC PPV & His In-Ring Return Pushed Back

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Following his recent “emergency” knee surgery, WWE Champion CM Punk is currently recovering and expected to be healthy to wrestle within a few weeks.

After the surgery took place, Punk was advertised for WWE’s post-Christmas holiday live events tour. Even though Punk was willing to return to action this month, WWE officials made the call to pull him from those year-end shows and will keep him on the sidelines through the New Year.

At this point, it looks like CM Punk’s next televised match will be against Ryback on RAW on January 7th or January 14th (the 20th Anniversary show).

CM Punk is still being advertised for tonight’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs match and is rumored to be joining the announcer’s table for the main event featuring Ryback & Team Hell No vs. The Shield.

* Planned Finish For Tonight’s RYBACK & HELL NO vs. THE SHIELD Match At TLC

Eric Bischoff Denies Speaking To Buff Bagwell, Joey Ryan Stars In “The Sleaziest ShopTNA Commercial Ever”

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– TNA Wrestling producer Eric Bischoff is denying Marcus “Buff” Bagwell’s claim in an interview this week that the two have been in talks regarding a potential return to the promotion.

Bischoff tweeted Friday, “FYI, havent had a conversation with Marc Bagwell in 15 years or more. Not sure what conversations he “thinks” hes had with me.”

When asked of a potential return to TNA Wrestling during an interview with the Shining Wizards podcast, Bagwell stated, “Me and Eric are talking. Sting wants me to come down there and work for TNA. So we are in talks, we are waiting for me to get back to 100%. We are about 2 weeks out. I just spoke to Sting yesterday. So Eric is gonna bring me down and talk to me and just see what happens, so I am in the mix with maybe going back to TNA now.”

– TNA Wrestling has released a video of Joey Ryan starring in “The Sleaziest ShopTNA Commercial Ever.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLUNA3rJ7M

– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter sat down with Jeremy Borash Friday for a video interview “to talk 2013 and more.” It will be released via ImpactWrestling.com next week.

John Cena’s Character Ripped For Bad WWE Storylines, Too Cool Reunion Taking Place In California, Rene Dupree

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– Online technology news website Wired.com published an article today criticizing WWE’s storytelling ability, but more specifically, John Cena. To writer Chris Sims, nobody embodies the problem more than “The Champ,” whose character is often promoted at the expense of others.

On the Dec. 3 Raw, WWE chief Vince McMahon had authority figure Vickie Guerrero add the stipulation of Dolph Ziggler putting his World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract on the line in his match against Cena at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. For this disregard of storylines, Sims ripped WWE, writing, “It’s the most blatant example of pulling strings to give him an endless amount of chances, and to make matters worse, it’s a pointless storytelling move. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is; if he loses, it doesn’t mean anything because it’s become evident that he’ll just be given another chance. If he wins, he doesn’t really gain anything because he’s in the exact same spot that he always is, and Ziggler loses some of his legitimacy to fix something that ain’t broken.”

The full article is available here.

– In a Too Cool reunion, Rikishi, Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty appear at the Franks & Son Collectible Show 19649 San Jose Ave. City of Industry, California, today from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Event Information)

– Former WWE star Rene Dupree turns 29-years-old today. After competing in Japan and Europe following his 2007 departure from WWE, the French Canadian wrestler returned to North America last month at an independent show.

Rosa Mendes And Other Divas Dish On “Backstage Fallout” For SmackDown, WWE Seeking Bret Hart Footage

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– WWE has reached out to Eurosport and New Japan Pro Wrestling TV in hopes of acquiring Bret Hart matches for an upcoming video release.

– Zack Ryder appears at the Microsoft Store at the Danbury Fair Mall 7 Backus Ave. Danbury, Connecticut, today beginning at 3:00 p.m. as he signs autographs for the first 200 fans. Call 203-546-1510 for more information.

– WWE Divas are spotlighted on this week’s edition of “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown. The synopsis reads, “Does Kaitlyn still hold a grudge against Aksana? Watch the SmackDown edition of “Backstage Fallout” to find out. Plus, see what sparked the Tout battle between Rosa Mendes and Natalya, only on WWE on YouTube!”

(source: PWInsider.com)

Fozzie Bear Appears On “Z! True Long Island Story”, Two Matches Revealed For Monday Nitro DVD, Randy Orton

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– Fozzie Bear joins the Zack Pack in this edition of “Z! True Long Island Story.” See the Tout that landed the Muppet as “Bearski of the Week.”

– Courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com, two matches have been revealed for WWE’s upcoming The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 DVD.

From the inaugural episode episode of the program, a WCW United States Championship Match pitting Sting against Ric Flair is featured. This is the bout where Lex Luger makes a surprise appearance after competing at a WWE event the prior day.

The other match is a WCW World Tag Team Championship Match featuring Kevin Nash and Scott Hall vs. Goldberg and Bret Hart from December 13, 1999.

– Randy Orton, Sin Cara and other Superstars and Divas recently met WWE Circle of Champions honorees, including Michael of Make-A-Wish. (Photos)

Flo Rida Appears On “The JBL & Cole Show”, Dolph Ziggler Taunts John Cena, WWE Presenting Non-Wrestling PPV

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– Promoting his Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract against John Cena tomorrow night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Dolph Ziggler went on Twitter to taunt his opponent

“studying ladder matches & killing it at the gym -somewhere @JohnCena studies a cue cards poorly crafted reference to my junk,” wrote Ziggler.

– This week on “The JBL & Cole Show,” multi-platinum rapper Flo Rida drops by to talk about the genesis of his name, The Rock and his stirring WrestleMania XXVIII performance.

– WWE will present the final performance of The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary shows, exclusively on pay-per-view tonight, at 9 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Details on the event are available here.

Ryback Appears On “Santino’s Foreign Exchange”, Chris Benoit Mentioned On WWE Show, Daniel Bryan

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– The Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam match from WWF Backlash 2002 is featured on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection and broadcaster Jim Ross’ mention of Chris Benoit was not censored as it typically is on WWE programming reruns. Other bouts airing on the show include Lex Luger vs. PJ Walker (WWF Monday Night Raw – March 1, 1993), Lex Luger vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF All American Wrestling – September 19, 1993), King Haku’s Coronation (WWF Superstars – July 9, 1988), King Haku vs. Sam Houston (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – August 22, 1988.

– This week on Santino’s Foreign Exchange, foreign correspondent Yoshi Tatsu attempts to interview Ryback. The synopsis reads, “On this episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” The Milan Miracle puts the pressure on foreign correspondent Toshi Yatsu – uh, we mean Yoshi Tatsu – in an attempt to hone his interviewing skills. Yoshi’s mettle is tested, though, when he runs into the monstrous Ryback!”

– Daniel Bryan is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

(source: PWInsider.com)

Video Of Cena On Jimmy Fallon, Ziggler Takes A Shot At Cena, Edge-Heyman

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– Dolph Ziggler took another shot at John Cena on Twitter this morning, writing:

– WWE Hall of Famer Edge was asked on Twitter if he’s a Paul Heyman guy. He replied:

WWE.com also has an article up looking at the history of the Slammy Awards.

– Here’s a clip of John Cena’s Thursday night appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

JBL & Cole’s TLC Show This Sunday, Zack Ryder’s Latest Show, Meanest Grinches

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WWE.com has a a feature up looking at the 20 “Meanest Grinches.”

– As previously reported, JBL and Michael Cole will be taping their new online show this Sunday at the Barclays Center, the site of WWE’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. Fans who show up with clever signs have a chance to win tickets to the show. Cole tweeted on Friday:

“Don’t forget @JCLayfield and I taping jbl and cole show Sunday at 330 outside Barclays! Best sign wins two tickets to TLC!”

– Here’s episode 96 of Zack Ryder’s “Z! True Long Island Story” Youtube show:

WWE Superstars & Divas Give Their Predictions For Sunday’s TLC PPV

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WWE.com has a feature up looking at Sunday’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, with Superstars and Divas giving predictions for Sunday’s top matches

Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

Zack Ryder: That’s a tough one. Ziggler’s worked his a** off to get this opportunity to wrestle a main event guy in Cena, and I don’t think there’s any way anybody’s going to stop Ziggler from holding on to that briefcase.

Tyson Kidd: Dolph has won over so many fans these last few years, and it sounds a little cliché, but in this one, it seems like it’s a different side of Cena we haven’t seen in a while, where he’s fighting more with his heart than his mind. That could cost him. I think this is Dolph’s chance to show he is where he really belongs, and I think Dolph comes away with the win this time.

Layla: This will be a tough, tough fight, but my money’s on Dolph. It’s his time, and he deserves it, too. He’s worked so, so hard. Love him or hate him, he really is a showoff, but he has a lot to show off about. I think that’s going to be a shocker, the jaw-dropper of the night, big time.

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Titus O’Neil: Sheamus is definitely a Celtic Warrior, a hard worker and an extremely physical opponent, but I’ve just got a feeling that Big Show, being the largest athlete on the planet and possessing the strongest punch on the planet, is going to win.

Not everyone was on board with Big Show being the presumptive victor. Though the inclusion of metal folding chairs helped garner votes for The World’s Largest Athlete, at least one Superstar believes Sheamus’ anger toward Big Show will drive him toward his second World Heavyweight Title.

Tyson Kidd: First off, Sheamus and Big Show, and this isn’t really surprising, but they’ve been stepping it up to a much higher level lately, and I don’t think we’ve seen this intensity out of either guy, maybe ever. Show’s going in having dominated much of these last two matches, but I think that is maybe what Sheamus needed to relight some of that fire he had when he first jumped on the scene. This event is also where he won his first World Title, too, so I think Sheamus will get it done at WWE TLC.

Road Dogg: I definitely know Sheamus wants it, and Big Show knows he wants it, too. Thirty-one chair strikes, to be precise, say how bad he wants it. But I know if Big Show gets a metal folding chair in his hands and hits anybody — and I mean, anybody — with it, they’re done. Sheamus can want it all he wants. Any man goes down when the giant hits you with a chair.

Ryback, Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

Wade Barrett: Team Hell No & Ryback is a formidable team, [and] they’ve all got their individual strengths. Obviously, experience is on the side of Kane, Daniel Bryan’s an incredible technician, and you have the power of Ryback. And then you’ve got The Shield, who are kind of an unknown entity.

I really empathize with the position The Shield are in because I was in a similar position when I was leading Nexus in 2010 in the main event of SummerSlam, when we were taking on the WWE veterans. Unfortunately, on that occasion, it didn’t end well for us. I hope for the sake of The Shield they do a little better. I’m certainly pulling for The Shield, but if I’m honest, I think Team Hell No & Ryback got ’em beat.

Michael McGillicutty: I’ve got to go with The Shield. Those guys are a cohesive unit, and that’s what it takes to get victories here in WWE. Take a look at Team Hell No. Talk about a bunch of weirdoes, man. They don’t care about anything but themselves and who’s going to get the pinfall in a contest. Then you’ve got Ryback, and I still ain’t believing his hype. The win’s going to go to The Shield, bottom line.

* Rumored Finishes For CENA vs. ZIGGLER & THE SHIELD vs. Ryback & Team Hell No

John Cena Talks About WWE’s PG Programming & Tribute To The Troops

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John Cena and Sheamus participated in a meida conference call on Thursday to promote next week’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops specials on USA Network and NBC. Here are some highlights of what John Cena said about:

WWE’s Shift to Family-Friendly Programming: “Our programming has changed so much over the years. I started in 2002, our programming was more TV-14, edgy, anti-hero based, more conflict-hero based. Since then, I think our programming has made a turn for the better into more of a PG environment. All of our programming platform-wise is PG.”

“The reason is simply because the people who attend our events. More families began to attend and more children began to attend. When you have those young and youthful eyes looking at you, you know you’re global, you tend to have choices to make. Me being portrayed as a good guy on our programming, it was an obvious choice. I wanted to do my best to use my TV time to set good examples.”

His Match Against Antonio Cesaro: “I’ll be competing in a match, and the great thing about our Tribute to the Troops show – whether in its extended form on USA or abbreviated form on NBC – it’s a great watch. It’s not something that you necessarily have to be up-to-date on all the WWE storylines or all the plots. It really is just a general entertaining program, which is why we have a guest host in the Muppets or musical guests. I, myself, am in a singles match against our current United States champion Antonio Cesaro.”

* SPOILERS For Next Week’s TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS Special

(Credit to PWTorch.com for the transcript)

Synopsis & Cover Art For WWE’s Upcoming “WCW Nitro” DVD Set

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Here is the official synopsis and cover art for WWE’s upcoming “Best Of WCW Nitro: Volume 2” DVD/Blu-Ray set, due out February 12, 2013, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com:

Synopsis: “For six years WCW Monday Nitro went head-to-head with WWE Raw pulling out all the stops to gain the upper hand in the escalating Monday Night War. The place “where the big boys play” produced such a wealth of non-stop thrills action drama and controversy that we could not possibly scratch the surface in one volume. Host Diamond Dallas Page returns to present Volume 2 of the wildly successful Best of WCW Nitro series. Sports entertainment fans will relive eight more hours of the poisonous n.W.o electrifying cruiserweights and unparalleled star power that delivered an endless supply of timeless matches and moments. All the greatest WCW stars are included such as Ric Flair Hulk Hogan Sting Kevin Nash Rey Mysterio Eric Bischoff Goldberg and more. Plus check out the Nitro Girls Nitro parties WCW’s spring break bashes celebrity integration and several matches never-before-released on DVD.”

DVD Cover Art:

dvd lg alt nitro 2

Nigel McGuiness Talks About The Evolution Of The Industry, Training Wrestlers & More

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Kayfabe Wrestling Radio
Hosted by Alan Wojcik & Spug
Listen Live on Tuesday Nights 9pm ET on Wildtalkradio.com 

Former ROH World Champion, TNA star and current ROH “Matchmaker” Nigel McGuinness joined Kayfabe Wrestling Radio Tuesday Night. In a nearly 30 minute interview, he talked about the creation of his documentary “The Last of McGuinness”, using Eddie Edwards as a cameraman for the project, his thoughts on some calling him a ‘modern day ROH legend’, does he hope wrestling will return more towards wrestling and away from gimmicks and storylines, his views on blood in wrestling today, how to move forward training people perhaps against blood loss and unprotected chair shots in wrestling, the testing standards in some of the major wrestling federations, being named ‘Matchmaker’ of ROH, his experiences with improve comedy and more.

You can listen to the full interview here (.MP3). Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His inspirations for doing the final tour and DVD documentary: “It was really (Colt) Cabana; ‘Cabana’s Road Diaries’ I think was really a big inspiration. You know, cooked him a little bit and he was happy how it turned out. Took a long time from the time they started filming it to actually get it finishing, I think two and a half years for it to finally get out there but he said it turned out well for him, so I thought well, you know, I’ll give it a shot. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, I didn’t know how to even shoot footage or even the first thing about editing it but like he said to me ‘You just gotta give it a go’. So I did, I gave it a go and you’ve seen the results.”

His thoughts on some calling him a ‘modern day ROH legend’: “Well, thank you, I appreciate it. A lot of people were involved, from day one when Gabe had that idea of what Ring of Honor was going to be and toeing that fine line between putting too much into storylines and letting the boys go out there and sort of get over on their own; that’s why Gabe (Sapolsky) was so good at what he did and Cary (Silkin) obviously standing behind the company when we had some difficult financial times. Some many guys came through there: Alex Shelly, Austin Aries and the list just goes on of some many talented guys who came through Ring of Honor.”

Does he have hope wrestling will return to wrestling and not just storylines and gimmicks: “Um, no. You know, I think Ring of Honor is doing a great job of trying to fill that niche, fill that niche for people that want to see more action bell to bell, believable sort of stuff. But, for it to become mainstream like it used to be in the 70’s; where you’d see a Dory Funk and a Jack Brisco go out there, or those sort of guys on a national level, I’m not really sure if people have the, what’s that word, the patience to watch it, to watch a story develop without the backstory behind it. It’s tough, it’s difficult; I think that with Ring of Honor going forward, that’s what we have to do; we have to try and understand our audience and decide which direction we’re going in. And I think now, with Delirious at the helm, we’ve certainly got a good game plan to do that.”

His views on the use of blood in wrestling today: “What’s that say when you see someone covered in blood now? How do you feel; do you just brush it off and go ok, or does it have an effect where now… I’m hoping, I would hope now that anyone watching that sort of thing would have a stronger appreciation for the dangers involved. I’m not going to tell anybody how to function; I’m not going to tell any company necessarily; I think changes need to be made. I don’t think there’s anybody in this day and age that can look at unmitigated blood loss, intentional blood loss in a match and thing that’s really a good idea. You know, TNA, they test guys every 6 months; they’ve vaccinated all of their wrestlers for Hepatitis B. So, they’ve certainly taken some steps to protect their guys, which I fully applaud. My concern is with Ring of Honor, because it is the company I work for now, and I’ve talked to the people in charge and everyone is on the same page; intentional blood loss, I don’t think, is a prudent thing in today’s world and I think they all agree with that and we’re currently in the process of basically trying to get some kind of working protocol, to where we can protect the guys but, at the same time, insure that people who paid money and arguably driven 4-5 hours to watch a show, aren’t going to be disappointed and feel as though they spent their money for nothing. So, we’ve got to find a happy medium and, as I said, we are working on that.

In the independents, or in Ring of Honor, we kind of have to police ourselves, and that being the case, I should hope we see, in the future, if it’s a big match and people can get tested before hand, then I think, to a certain extent, that should mitigate a lot of the concerns and a lot of the fears. I talked to a very prominent infectious disease specialist this week and, as we discussed, you have to find that happy medium, you know what I mean? You can’t be testing guys every week before every single match they wrestle because it’s just not practical and at the same time, the chances of someone getting something if they were tested the week before, obviously, is very slim so you’ve got to find that sort of middle ground; how far is too far and how far is too short? So, we’re working on that, we’ve got some things in place for the show this weekend in New York City to make sure that we are going to protect the guys. I just think that, if someone gets cut open on accident and it’s a little bit of blood, I don’t think it’s crazy to say ‘Ok, let’s just let this match continue. But to let it happen intentionally, whether there’s a ton of blood, given what we know now about infectious diseases and how easy it is to transmit them; I don’t think it’s conscionable in today’s industry. But, again, that’s just my feeling and that’s why I made this movie, one of the reasons I made this movie, it to try and explain how I feel and hope that other people would understand. In my mind, it’s an archaic thing, much like chair shots to the head; 10 years ago, no one blinked an eyelid about that and just accepted that it was part of the business and I would hope now, in the future, that I know intentional blood loss will be one of those same sort of things. But we’ll have to see; we’ll have to see how fans react to it, if fans really care or not.”

How do you move forward in the future training guys against blood or unprotected chair shots: “You know, you just got to go out there and do it, really. And more importantly, you know who has control? The people who have control are the fans; en masse, the fans have control because if the fans do want to see something; I’ll tell you now, when I watch independent matches and, every now and again, I see an unprotected chair shot or something like that. When I see that, you feel the energy go from the crowd because half the crowd just goes ‘I don’t want to watch this’ because they understand how dangerous this is. So, they are the people that have control; this is how to get this thing through and I hope, not just because of me, but there are lots of other instances didn’t get the same sort of profile because it wasn’t done in a documentary but there are plenty of other people who are other there now with Hepatitis C that could have passed it on to someone else, and thankfully didn’t.”

On being named ‘Matchmaker’ and if it was known or a surprise: “Yeah, we discussed it before hand; I talked with Delirious and I had talked with several of the guys beforehand about the possibility of it and it just adds another string to my bow; I’ll still be doing commentary from time-to-time in some of the big matches. Obviously, the ‘Matchmaker’ would certainly have an interest in being there at ringside. So, I think I’ll still be doing some commentary but certainly doing the Matchmaker side of things as well.”

To order a copy of his “Last of McGuinness” DVD documentary or t-shirt, you can visit www.nigelwrestling.com for all the ordering information and options. You can also follow Nigel on Twitter (@McGuinnessNigel) or through his Facebook (Facebook.com/nigel.mcguinness.7). You can also see Nigel weekly on Ring of Honor television programming, through your local Sinclair Broadcasting Group stations and at this weekend’s “Final Battle 2012” iPPV; visit ROHwrestling.com or Ring of Honor on Twitter (@ringofhonor) for the latest on upcoming events and listing of stations showing Ring of Honor programming.

Video Of The Miz Breaking The Sound Barrier In Navy Fighter Plane

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The Miz had a pretty “awesome” time last weekend in Virginia for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops tapings. Aside from visiting with troops and wrestling at the show, The Miz also got to fly in an F/A-18 Navy fighter plane with with Squadron VFA-211 (also known as the “Fighting Checkmates”).

The Miz broke the speed of sound while ripping through the skies, reaching speeds of upto Mach 1.2 – 900 MPH. Check out this TMZ video –

Paul Heyman To Wrestle Ryback At MSG On 12/27, New Trailer For The Rock’s “GI. Joe” Movie

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– With WWE Champion CM Punk currently recovering from his knee surgery and out of action for several more weeks, WWE has made some significant changes to lineup for the upcoming 12/27 live event at Madison Square Garden. That’s great news for CM Punk, but not great news for his associate, Paul Heyman.

The previous main event, CM Punk vs. Ryback in a steel cage, has been scrapped. John Cena will now wrestle Dolph Ziggler in the steel cage.

As for Ryback, he’ll now be wrestling … Paul Heyman. While wrestling in Madison Square Garden might be a dream come true for Heyman, he will certainly have his hands full with Ryback.

– Here is the new trailer for “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” starring The Rock:

[ Pictures of THE ROCK On The Set of GI Joe: Retaliation ]

TNA Announces Jeff Hardy’s New Music Album Now On Sale

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TNA sent out the following press release on Friday morning announcing that Jeff Hardy’s new music album “Similar Creatures” is available at ShopTNA.com and iTunes. The track includes 9 original songs, including his theme song, the title track. Below is Jeff Hardy’s entrance theme followed the by the press release:

TNA WRESTLING ANNOUNCES JEFF HARDY DEBUT ALBUM SIMILAR CREATURES

AVAILABLE NOW AT SHOPTNA.COM AND ON iTunes AND OTHER ONLINE MUSIC OUTLETS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 13, 2012) — TNA Wrestling has announced the release of Jeff Hardy’s music debut EP titled Similar Creatures available now at ShopTNA.com and on iTunes. Similar Creatures features nine tracks including Hardy’s current theme song and title track, “Similar Creatures.”

“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy is one of the most recognized and beloved pro-wrestlers, as well as the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion in the world today. Hardy can be seen every Thursday night on TNA’s flagship show “IMPACT WRESTLING” on Spike TV 8/7ct.

Hardy and Dale Oliver wrote all of the songs on Similar Creatures for Embrangle Publishing Company and TNA Knockout Music. Similar Creatures was recorded at OTM Studios in Brentwood, TN. Hardy is the midst of working on his first all original music project with Oliver and his band that is set for release in mid-2013, accompanied by his original art work that reflects the musical compositions.

The nine track EP features:

Modest (remix 2012)
Another Me
Resurrected
Similar Creatures (original mix)
Soul Tied In A Knot
Humanomoly
Enshrine
Reptilian
Similar Creatures
(For more information, visit IMPACTWRESTLING.com.)

King Mo Training For MMA Debut, TNA Stars Helping At OVW, “The List”

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– MMA fighter and TNA star King Mo Lawal recently returned from The Netherlands, where he was training for upcoming Bellator MMA fight in January. Mo will be focusing on MMA and won’t be training wrestling at OVW until after his next fight.

* More Backstage TNA News Heading Into 2013

– Speaking of OVW, TNA stars Al Snow, Douglas Williams and Kid Kash are all regularly working at the developmental territory to train wrestlers and promote local OVW live vents.

– Here is the latest episode of “The List” with Robbie E and Robbie T:

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Update On Kurt Angle’s Groin Injury, Big Overseas TV Deal For TNA Expiring

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– Kurt Angle has provided an injury update on his torn groin. Angle tweeted on Thursday:

– TNA’s official German Facebook page just announced today that TNA’s current TV contract with Sky Deutschland expires on January 1st and has not been renewed.

Both sides are in talks, but if a deal is not made, there will be more TNA iMPACT Wrestling or live pay-per-views on Sky Sport and Sky Select in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

* More Backstage TNA News Heading Into 2013

WWE SmackDown Preview For Tonight: Go-Home Show Before TLC

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The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on Syfy, the final “go-home” show before Sunday’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view:

* World Heavyweight Champion Big Show vs. R-Truth. Sheamus and Antonio Cesaro will be on commentary.

* Team Rhodes Scholars vs. The Usos.

* Kaitlyn vs. Aksana.

* The Miz hosts Miz TV with his special guets, WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No, Kane and Daniel Bryan.

* Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd & Hornswoggle & Great Khali vs. Prime Time Players & Epico & Primo.

* WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio.

* WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Sheamus

Plus – The Shield will be in the house and will unleash their wrath on another top WWE Superstar.

* SMACKDOWN SPOILERS For Tonight: Find Out Who THE SHIELD Destroys

Jim Ross Gives His Predictions For The 2012 Slammy Awards

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Monday’s WWE Slammy Awards. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Superstar of the Year: No brainer…WWE Champion @CMPunk. Need I explain? Let us count the days.

Breakout Star of the Year: @Ryback22…making an impact and has reached PPV, main event status. Hopefully, for Ryback his best is yet to come.

Comeback of the Year: How can one have a bigger comeback than returning to life after being clinically dead for approximately 15 minutes? @JerryLawler wins hands down.

Most Shocking Moment Of The Year: King’s heart attack aside…I can’t think of one moment that jumps out at me but the return of @HeymanHustle has to be a consideration. @TheShield impacting @WWE would be another. It’s a wide open category. What whacky incident won this Slammy last year?

Match of the Year: Match of the Year….I’m admittedly biased…WrestleMania 28…Hell in a Cell..Undertaker vs. HHH with @ShawnMichaels as special referee. I was surprised to get the call to assist in calling the bout and it was a career highlight for me. There likely won’t be any thing like that specific moment featuring three, iconic legends and HOF level talents in one match on that stage again in my career ever again. It was one of the most dramatically physical bouts I’ve seen in WWE in years and was the best match on the premier, WWE PPV from where I was sitting. Again, remember, I’m biased but that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

Big Show Video Interview, WWE Advertising The Rock For Elimination Chamber & More

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– WWE is now advertising that The Rock will be at February’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The Rock has been added to WWE’s listing for the event on the WWE.com Live Events page. Previously, The Rock’s appearance was only being advertised by the website of the arena hosting the show, the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

– Justin Roberts and Dolph Ziggler were courtside at Wednesday night’s Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game. You can see pictures of them at the game here.

– Peter Rosenberg of New York’s Hot 97 hip hop radio station conducted an exclusive sit-down interview with WWE World Heavyweight champion the Big Show.

“We discuss his relationship with Randy Savage, his incredible run with Mark Henry last year, his complaints about workers today, and a prediction on Hulk Hogan appearing at Wrestlemania XXX and much more!”

* Big Update On RANDY ORTON’s Injury, Mysterio’s Future & A Top Star Retiring

 

Backstage News On The Shield, John Cena & AJ’s Romance, Ted BiBiase’s Future

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– As previously reported, John Cena recently showing up on TMZ.com as Nikki Bella’s date for her high school graduation led WWE to put Cena’s on-screen romance with AJ Lee on hold. On Monday’s RAW, we saw Cena distancing himself from AJ, who was acting crazier than ever. Moving forward, the angle will be that AJ Lee is a psycho and John Cena will do his best to distance himself from her.

– WWE superstar Ted DiBiase has been testing the waters in Hollywood seeing if he can get acting work. He’s not interested in moving to Los Angeles, which will not help his chances there. DiBiase is among the group of disgruntled wrestlers that is taking a wait and see approach with his future in WWE and would look for work outside of the wrestling business if hep arts ways with the company.

– With The Shield angle getting over as well as anybody expected, Dean Ambrose is seen as the member with the most breakout potential. Ambrose has the total package (mic work and in-ring), while Rollins is great in the ring but needs to work on his promos. Some see Roman Reigns as having major star power as well, but aside from his great look, he needs to improve his ring skills. Overall, the three men compliment each others strengths and will be put to their first test Sunday in the main event of TLC.

* The Latest On RYBACK’s WM29 Opponent, Top WWE Superstar Talking About Retirement

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Underutilized WWE Talent Wanting To Be Released, Sammartino-HOF Update, Eve’s Injury

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– Triple H remains very interested in talking Bruno Sammartino into joining the WWE Hall of Fame in April. Vince McMahon goes back and forth on whether it’s worth the trouble. Nothing new from Bruno’s camp and it’s still considered a long shot.

– Eve Torres is recovered from her recent elbow injury.

– There are several WWE talents on the main roster that are unhappy with how they are being used (or, not used) and are considering asking for their releases after WrestelMania 29.

* Big Update On RANDY ORTON’s Injury, Mysterio’s Future & A Top Star Retiring

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)