WWE announcer John “Bradshaw” Layfield has posted a new blog on his Facebook page looking at who he thinks should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April. Here’s what he wrote:
“Interesting viewpoints on WWE Hall of Fame for 2013. I do believe the NWO should eventually go in, I don’t know if this year is the year-but they had the greatest story line in wrestling history and think they are deserving to go in as a faction.
The NWO wasn’t together that long, but when you have the greatest impact in wrestling history I think it merits an induction. Many forget during that time WWE was losing the ratings battle and did so for almost a year, this ushered in the Attitude Era which I still believe was wrestling’s greatest era.
Owen Hart, Bruno Sammartino and Randy Savage are no brainers and feel they all will go in at some point.
Mick Foley is the other NY guy that is obviously worthy and hopefully goes in the hall in NY. Booker T is a Hall of Famer, but don’t know if NY is the place for him to go in-would be great to see him go in when Wrestlemania is in Houston, Dallas or San Antonio-but don’t know when that will be.
I believe Trish Stratus is a Hall of Famer and several from that era are as well-I think Sable and Torrie will one day go in, probably. Remember they were both at one time the highest selling Playboy issue on their respective covers. All of those divas from that era, including Stacey Kiebler transcended our business and became mainstream. ”
The following is a preview for next week’s live episode of Impact Wrestling, featuring the return of Sting, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe vs. The Aces & Eights in a Steel Cage Match, the announcement of the TNA Wrestler of the Year, and more.
– IMPACT WRESTLING kicks off 2013 with the big return of “The Icon” Sting – and he’s vowing revenge on The Aces & Eights! Sting is now on a mission to eliminate the gang from TNA! Will the final battle begin on Thursday when the Man In Black makes his comeback? Tune in and find out!
– Also on the huge broadcast, there will be a Steel Cage Match as Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe join forces to battle The Aces & Eights! There will be no escape and no surrender when the cage door slams shut on Joe, Angle and the Aces!
– Is Thursday’s IMPACT the beginning of the end of the Aces’ reign of terror with Sting’s return and the big Steel Cage Match? Don’t miss this all-important IMPACT that kicks off the New Year!
– The 2012 Wrestler of the Year will be revealed as well. Who will win between finalists James Storm, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, and Bully Ray?
– Plus, after what happened last week, what will happen when Hulk Hogan is face-to-face with Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan? Is the family drama about to reach a boiling point?
– Thursday’s IMPACT will also feature all of your favorite stars, including Hernandez, James Storm, Matt Morgan, the lovely but lethal Knockouts in action, the high-flying X Division Superstars and many more, plus news on the January 13 “Genesis” Pay-Per-View event!
– With next year’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the company plans to pay homage to the famous area.
Besides Mick Foley likely being enshrined, there is discussion of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) being inducted, according to F4WOnline.com. Johnson made his debut at the famous arena in 1996, while Harlem Heat was a New York-based gimmick. In the case of The Nasty Boys, who hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania, the two were billed from “The Streets of New York City” during their time in World Championship Wrestling.
Company officials would also like to honor Owen Hart, who defeated Bret Hart in a memorable WrestleMania match at Madison Square Garden in 1994. Despite the push for Owen, the enshrinement is unlikely to materialize because his widow would not allow it. Hart’s brother Smith revealed on Twitter earlier this year, “Because she blames the wrestling business in its entirety for his death. “She is the sole owner of his estate. With Martha, there will never B a way, perhaps his kids may eventually make the choice. But thats at least 20 yrs in future.”
Plus, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, is said to “desperately” want Bruno Sammartino enshrined, but it’s considered a long shot for a multitude of reasons.
– Though WWE has attempted to distance themselves from Chris Benoit since his career and life ended in a murder–suicide on June 24, 2007, the recently released WWE Encyclopedia features a sizable entry on the late wrestler. According to F4WOnline.com, this move has many people in WWE “baffled,” with his entry taking up more than half of a page.
The bio acknowledges Benoit emulating Dynamite Kid after seeing compete when he was 12-years-old, training in Stu Harts’s famous Dungeon, wrestling all over the world, making a name for himself in WCW before jumping to WWE, and fulfilling his destiny when he captured the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX in a Triple Threat Match versus Triple H and Shawn Michaels. There is no acknowledgment of the double murder/suicide, though he is addressed in the past tense.
– LeBron James revealed his passion for Ric Flair after the legendary wrestler paid a visit to the Miami Heat locker room following their game against the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I mean, when I was a kid, I loved wrestling,” James told South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He was one of the guys I loved, too.
“I think he’s probably one of the creators of what we call swag these days, with the Rolexes and the stretch limos, and all the girls and all that stuff. He’s like the creator of swag, Ric Flair definitely kept me watching TV.”
– Former WCW United States Champion and Chicago Bears defensive tackler Steve “Mongo” McMichael filed the formal petitions to become a mayoral candidate in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Four Horsemen alumnus says he was prompted to run by his desire to help the district where his 4-year-old daughter will attend school and conversations he’s had with customers at a sports bar he owns.
– WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia revealed on Twitter Thursday that she is currently unable to participate in regular exercise after being struck by a car in Los Angeles, California in late October and is instead taking up yoga: “Since my accident I haven’t been allowed 2 do my reg workouts but was told I could do Yoga. Just did @trishstratuscom Yoga DVD & LOVED IT!!”
– According to tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com, Monday’s Christmas Eve episode of Raw averaged 3.167 million viewers over the course of two hours, down from 4.23 million the week before for a show that drew a 2.9 cable rating.
Here’s the hourly breakdown, which saw viewership drop again during the third and final hour.
Hour one: 2.94 million viewers
Hour two: 3.271 million viewers
Hour three: 3.219 million viewers
– Today’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection on The Score was a Mick Foley-themed show highlighting the Hardcore Legend’s legendary career. The following matches aired on the program: Cactus Jack vs. Kevin Sullivan (WCW Fall Brawl 1994), Mankind vs. Bob Holly (His WWF debut on WWF Monday Night Raw – April 1, 1996), Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (WWF Summerslam 1997), Mick Foley vs. Terry Funk (WWF Raw is War – May 4th, 1998), Mankind vs. Carlito (WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005).
– Tomorrow beginning at 3:00 p.m., Zack Ryder appears at FYE 3601 Hempstead Turnpike, Levittown, New York, as he signs autograph for the first 400 fans. Call 516-579-5300 for more information.
MichelleMcCool.Net has released more highlights from their recent interview with former WWE diva Michelle McCool, wife of the Undertaker.
Coming Up: “I guess Melina and I came in around the same time, because her guys are the ones that put me out with their finisher so that I could train at Deep South [Wrestling] for a little bit longer. We’ve started around the same time in WWE, but obviously she’s been in the business longer.”
Melina’s Reputation: “Throughout her career, she may have had some run-ins or problems with a lot of people backstage. Personally, I was never one of them. All of the things that she supposedly had done or whatever issues were going on, I was not a part of that. So, I didn’t have a problem with her. That’s not my business — I try to stay out of people’s business, if it doesn’t personally affect me, then I don’t really need to get into the drama!”
Working with Melina: “So, I never actually had a problem with Melina and we worked a lot together. When she came to SmackDown, we worked a program together. We had a match at the Pay-Per-View, Night of Champions. There, we put a mark on things — we totally got in trouble!”
Punished For Being Good: “We got in trouble for our match at Night of Champions. We got in trouble for our match being quote-on-quote “too good… for girls.” So, I don’t care how much I get in trouble if that’s what I’m getting in trouble for. It started where I dropped kicked her on her slipt-entrance to the mat — crazy, crazy bump — which she was always game for. The crazier, the better! We always worked well with each other, always wanted to come up with something different; some new way to come out of her moves, get into one of my moves, something you don’t always see the girls do.”
Pushing the Envelope: “It was that day [Night of Champions] I was like: “could you not tell anybody, but do you think we could do a DDT on the barricade?” And she was like: “Ohhhh! Yeah!!!” — Not even thinking twice about it. We kind of hid it all day, even though we did ask our agent for approval, I think it was Fit — which is no secret that he was always fighting for the girls. We just made sure that we can stand up and get our balance, but we never actually did the bump. She was the one who was going to take the huge bump, and there was no doubt, no hesitation, that she would make it look ridiculous — and it did! [During the match] She finally takes the bump, it looks sick, pops off — up to that point, that was the best match I’ve ever had. We had the pay-per-view, we had time, I was really proud of that match.”
Big Time Trouble: “The next day, one of the agents came up to us and was like: “I can’t believe y’all did that! You have no idea! We were all backstage, scared to death!” We were like: “…What? We know how to safely bump. We wouldn’t do anything that would put either one of us at risk. We’re totally fine! If the men can do it, why can’t we do it?” He said: “It looked too good! You can’t go out there throwing punches like that, or taking bumps like that — that looks better than some of the guys! You can’t do that!” Finally, I remember Chris Jericho, who was by the ring, hears all of this going on. He said: “Look, if the guys can’t follow what the girls are doing, then the guys need to step it up! I thought it was awesome. They did great. And it’s not their problem that it looked that great!” I was like… “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Because out of respect, we can’t say anything, and here comes one of the boys — Jericho, of all people, sticking up for us!”
Trouble before: “Off topic, But Lisa [Tara/Victoria] and I got in trouble before, too. After finishing our match, Lisa comes into the locker room, and I’ve already changed, I’m in my business/casual, ready to leave the arena, and she comes in and says: “Get dressed! We have to go out there and do the match again!” I’m like: “What?! You’re always joking, always ribbing…” She goes: “No!! I swear!! The punches we threw on the turnbuckle, we can’t throw them — they look too good!” So, we went out and we had to re-do our whole entire match. That’s just like me and Melina getting in trouble.”
OK. One Backstage Altercation: “I’ve never personally had a problem with her, but towards the end of my career, there was one little incident. People wanna know: this is the “juicy, juicy details” of the Michelle and Melina problem! We were in the locker room and it was one of those Halloween deals. All of the girls were dressed, and literally ten minutes before we’re all going out, nobody has a clue what is going on. Nobody is giving us finishers, nobody has no idea what is going on. So, we’re bouncing ideas, and I remember it was me, The Bellas, and Melina… I can’t remember who may or may have not been in there. I do remember throwing an idea out there and it was Brie or Nicole who said, “Yeah. That sounds like a cool idea,” then there’s Melina, who just kind of rolls her eyes and huffs. Her back is to me, but I’m like: “Melina, if you don’t like the idea, just tell me what you want to do — I’ll do it. I don’t care.” She says: “Nope. That’s fine.” So I say: “Well, we’re in a room full of mirrors. The next time you want to roll your eyes, you might want to kinda not do it in a room full of mirrors.” That’s the biggest problem I’ve ever had with Melina! Isn’t that just awful?! …I hope you can hear the sarcasm in my voice. It’s the silliest thing ever, obviously. We got over it, but it was kind of humorous. So, that was my only Melina run-in right there. Honest to God, nothing else between us… but a bunch of good matches.”
– WWE Hall of Famers “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Harley Race, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hillbilly Jim and Tito Santana, participants in the inaugural Royal Rumble Match in 1988, look back at the event in interviews with WWE.com.
Duggan, winner of the inaugural match, says of his other favorite Rumble, “It was the 2009 Rumble, and I was one of the later guys coming out. I got a good pop, as a lot of the guys from my generation do. Fans remember us, which we are grateful for. I came through the curtain and stormed to the ring and, of course, one of the first guys I roll into and am nose-to-nose with is The Undertaker. When he first came into WWE, I actually contested a lot of his first matches, against him and Paul Bearer. So here I am, face to face, with the big Deadman. I give him a shot, and a shot, and a real big shot and he went down like a big tank hit him. Then, of course, Big Show came down and tossed my a** out, but I shined there for a good couple of minutes.”
– Crush is the latest addition to the Alumni section on WWE.com. All of his personas are acknowledged; third member of Demolition, fan favorite Hawaiian powerhouse turned villain, jailbird, biker thug and his time in World Championship Wrestling. His passing in August 2007, however, is not acknowledged.
– This week’s issue of The National Enquirer features a story on a wedding that took place at a recent Resistance Pro event in Chicago, Illinois.
– During his appearance on this week’s Busted Open Radio show, Damien Sandow revealed two new matches for tonight’s WWE Holiday live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City:
* The Shield vs. Kane, Daniel Bryan, and The Miz.
* The New Age Outlaws vs. Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes.
Already announced for the show are John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match and Ryback vs. Paul Heyman. Plus, there will be an announcement made regarding the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame, with a ticket pre-sale beginning after the show.
Yours truly will be attending tonight’s WWE MSG show and will have a live report up tomorrow, so make sure to check back for that.
– ESPN.com has recognized THQ’s WWE ’13 video game in their “Best of 2012” video game awards. Specifically, the game’s Attitude Era mode was awarded the “Best New Feature” in a video game. Here’s their description:
Best new feature: WWE 13’s Attitude Era
It’s one thing to have the Montreal Screwjob in a video game. But THQ takes the Attitude Era story mode to unheard-of levels for a wrestling video game, even delivering details like Bret Hart’s polygonal spit smacking Vince McMahon in the face. The Rock, D-X, the Brothers of Destruction, and even Mike Tyson make appearances, bringing wrestling fans back to their happy place of crotch chops and beer baths.
– Hulk Hogan’s Micro Championship Wrestling returns to the Tailgaters Sports Bar in Bolingbrook, Illinois on April 13th, 2013. Bell time is 9 PM. For more information, visit Tailgatersgrill.com.
– Here are some TNA Wrestling business figures for November 2012 compared to the previous year, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
* Impact Wrestling averaged a 0.96 rating with 1.27 million viewers. Compared to 2011, the average rating is down 18% and the audience is down 21%, when the show was averaging a 1.17 rating with 1.61 million viewers.
Impact’s decline in ratings and viewership is more significant than the losses seen by WWE RAW and SmackDown for November.
* TNA’s Live Events averaged 581 fans. This is down 40% from the previous November, when they averaged 975 fans.
The Rock is now confirmed for the January 22nd SmackDown taping from the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. The Sleep Train Arena is hyping The Rock’s appearance for the final SmackDown taping prior to the Royal Rumble:
“The Rock has been added to the card… This WWE Smackdown guarantees to be an electrifying show as ‘The Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment,’ THE ROCK, will be in Sleep Train Arena LIVE! Here is your chance to witness ‘The Great One’ lay the smack down!”
With that appearance set, here’s an updated look at The Rock’s scheduled appearances for WWE in early 2013:
– 1/7: RAW TV from Tampa, FL
– 1/8: SmackDown TV taping from Miami, FL
– 1/21: RAW TV from San Jose, CA
– 1/22. SmackDown TV from Sacramento, CA
– 1/27: Royal Rumble PPV from Phoenix, AZ
– 1/28: RAW TV from Las Vegas, NV.
– 2/17: Elimination Chamber PPV from New Orleans, LA
– 2/18: RAW TV from Lafayette, LA
The Rock will also be appearing at WrestleMania 29 in April and will likely be on several RAW and SmackDown broadcasts leading up to Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 29.
– The Great Khali won a Battle Royal on Wednesday’s WWE Main Event to earn a shot at Antonio Cesaro’s United States championship. Khali vs. Cesaro will take place on next week’s Main Event broadcast.
– R-Truth is expected to return to action in early January, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He’s been on the sidelines since his match with Antonio Cesaro at TLC, where he suffered a nasty gash on his knee. The injury reportedly took place when Truth’s knee struck one of the TLC props at ringside.
– The New Age Outlaws were victorious against Team Rhodes Scholars at Wednesday night’s WWE Holiday live event from Detroit, Michigan. As you can imagine, the Outlaws were very over with the live crowd and the finish saw Billy Gunn getting the pin on Cody Rhodes. The Outlaws will be in action again tonight for the RAW brand’s live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The following is TNAWrestling.com’s official preview for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, featuring the return of Open Fight Night:
– Thursday’s broadcast features the return of OPEN FIGHT NIGHT! It’s the last chance for the IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars to settle any and all grudges before the New Year! Who will get called out? Tune in and find out!
– Austin Aries is still enraged that Bobby Roode cost him his chance at regaining the World Heavyweight Title during last week’s CHAMPIONSHIP THURSDAY! Will Aries call out Roode this week during OPEN FIGHT NIGHT? If so, will Roode step up to the challenge?
– This week’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast will also feature the first ever “BRO-OFF” between Robbie E and Jessie! Who is the biggest “BRO” on IMPACT? How will Robbie and Jessie settle the challenge?
– The lovely TNA Knockouts will be in action on OPEN FIGHT NIGHT! Gail Kim has made it known that she plans to call out a specific Knockout to fight her! Who does Gail have a score to settle with? Find out on Thursday night!
– PLUS, what will be the fallout from the shocking ending to last week’s broadcast when Hulk Hogan walked up on Bully Ray and his daughter Brooke?
All this and much more on Thursday’s “OPEN FIGHT NIGHT” edition of IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV at 8/7c!
– Paul Heyman will make his wrestling debut at Madison Square Garden tonight against Ryback. Heyman says he’s ready for the match and sounds very confident against CM Punk’s next WWE Championship challenger:
The storm pounding New York City tonight is NOTHING compared to the beating I'm handing Ryback tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden!
SEScoops.com’s Mr. 561, The Solomonster & Bryan Blade will be in the house for tonight’s WWE RAW live event from Madison Square Garden – stay tuned for our live report and pictures from the show.
– WWE Superstar Ezekiel Jackson told fans on Twitter that he’ll be returning to the ring very soon after being out of action for months due to injury.
– WWE has signed independent wrestler Alexander Jones to a developmental deal. Jones was trained at former WWE superstar Rikishi’s Knox Pro Wrestling school in Simi Valley, California.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Andy Leavine (25), WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro (32), Chyna (42), Bill Goldberg (46), Bart Gunn and Bill “Demolition Axe” Eadie (65).
– Here are some WWE business notes for the month of November 2012:
* Live Event attendance in North America averaged 4,786 paid fans, down 12% from last year (5,429).
* European tour attendance was down 11% from last year.
* DVD unites shipped were 556,000, up 107% from 268,000 the year before. WrestleMania 28 remains the top-selling DVD of the year, followed by The Rock’s DVD, CM Punk’s DVD and the Undertaker’s DVD.
* WWE.com had 11.1 million unique visitors in November, down 4% from the year before.
* WWEShop.com averaged 1,267 orders per day, the same as the previous year.
* WWE RAW averaged a 2.78 rating with 4 million viewers in November. The rating is down 10.9% from last November and the viewership audience is down 10.7%.
* WWE SmackDown averaged a 1.88 rating with 2.67 million viewers for November. The rating is down 8.3% from last November and the viewership audience is down 11.3%.
– It was reported last week that WWE was talking to at least one investor group about partnering up for the WWE Network launch. According to a source in WWE, those reports are false and WWE is still looking to launch the project by themselves.
– Former WWE superstar David Hart Smith, who is currently wrestling over in Japan for NJPW, met with the legendary Dynamite Kid last week when he was in England for Christmas. Dynamite Kid is, of course, the former tag team partner of Smith’s late father, Davey Boy Smith. Dynamite Kid said there is no chance of him going into the WWE Hall of Fame.
– Randy Orton is currently dealing with his latest shoulder injury after dislocating it at the recent Tribute to the Troops tapings earlier this month. Orton suffers from a condition called hypermobile shoulders, which allows his shoulders to stretch back in a much greater range of motion than the averge person. The downside of the condition is that he’s more prone to dislocating his shoulders and his shoulder joints will wear down much faster than the average person. This could result in more health issues when he gets older.
– This week’s WWE Classics Five-Star Match of the Week was chosen by Matt Striker. He chose the Best of 3 Falls Match between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko that aired on the August 26th, 1995 episode of ECW TV. Striker explained to WWE.com why this classic match was worthy of the five-star rating:
“During this time, I had dreams of being a professional wrestler. I would study these tapes and steal these moves. I tried to emulate Dean and Eddie to a tee and I was nowhere near as talented as either of those guys. Watch that match and see the story that these two men are telling. There are no catchphrases. There are no T-shirts being sold. There’s no cool fanfare on a TitanTron behind you. It’s just two guys in a dingy wrestling hall in front of true wrestling fans doing what the sign on the arena says. They are wrestling. The ovation, the appreciation, the camaraderie and the brotherhood is something that transcends all of sports, all of pop culture. For one brief moment, you believed in what Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko were doing. And because of those men and their dedication to our craft, that moment that you believe stays with you for the rest of your life.”
– WWE has released more information regarding the Superstar Panels that will take place during the Royal Rumble Fan Fest weekend in Phoenix Arizona:
* The Montreal Screwjob Panel on Saturday (3-6pm) will be hosted by Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler.
* The DeGeneration-X Panel on Saturday (6:30-9:30pm) will be hosted by Triple H, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Road Dogg” BG James and Billy Gunn.
* The WCW Nitro & Monday Night Wars Panel on Sunday (9am-12pm) will be hosted by Kevin Nash, Big Show and Booker T.
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ranks among “Hollywood’s Best Actors For The Buck.”
Forbes published an article Wednesday ranking stars that offer Hollywood the best return on their investment and it is estimated that the actor/wrestler returned $22.70 for every dollar he was paid for his last three starring roles. By comparison, Natalie Portman, the best investment of 2012, drew 42.70 times what she was paid. Overall, Johnson ranked No. 8., also trailing Kristen Stewart ($40.60), Shia LaBeouf ($35.80), Robert Pattinson ($31.70), Daniel Radcliffe ($30.50), Taylor Lautner ($29.50) and Bradley Cooper ($25.00).
– Tickets for the 2013 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony go on sale Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. The pre-sale kicks off Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 10:30 p.m. and ends Friday, January 11, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. The password is FAMOUS.
Price range from $55.00 to $155.00. The annual event takes place Saturday, April 6, 2013 in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
– Dennis Knight, who appeared as Mideon and Phineas Godwinn in WWE, turns 44-years-old Wednesday.
MichelleMcCool.Net has released more highlights from their recent interview with former WWE diva Michelle McCool, wife of the Undertaker.
In General: “I don’t have one bad thing to say about her — she’s great! All the years that we were there together, which was pretty much both our entire careers on the road, not one altercation. Not one difference. We just got along. That all started through the Diva Search. Obviously, neither one of us won, but I remember watching RAW a few weeks after the Diva Search ended, and King was on commentary. He mentioned that one of the cast offs was going to be making their debut on RAW, then they opened up a magazine — and it was Maria! I got so excited for her, because her dream was coming true. She was one of the few [contestants] that actually followed wrestling, and she made no qualms about wanting to be an announcer. I just thought that was awesome.”
Life’s A Ditz: “She ended up with the ditzy gimmick for a while, but people don’t realize that she’s not ditzy — she’s actually extremely smart. Business-wise: she’s very savvy, and I admire that about her.”
Working with Maria: “She was on RAW for most of the time when I was on SmackDown, but there were several cross-over shows where we did get to work together — before she eventually moved to SmackDown when she got drafted. She was a fun babyface to work against; she can sell like crazy and the fans always got behind her. She was that underdog, and she was cool. She was all about business. She got it: she was willing to make sacrifices. She understood what some people can’t always understand; she understood that as a babyface, she was going to get beat up. She’d end up being able to return the favor, but she was never one to be like: “All I’m doing is getting beat up!” So, she was fun to work. I really enjoyed working her.”
Maria The Wrestler: “Everyone always said that she wasn’t a wrestler, and that she shouldn’t do this or that. I think it’s all about working together and working on people’s strengths — instead of trying to expose their weaknesses. I think that’s just what you have to do.” […] “We didn’t have a long stint together, but she was really cool. She was a good worker, a hard worker… she was committed, and I was sad to see her go. I don’t know that we’ve seen the last of her, and I hope to see her again. I miss her — I think she’s going to do big things.”
Making The Transition: “I turned heel on Maria, and when I turned, I gave her a pretty good beating. She took it like a champ, an absolute champ! I remember Arn Anderson always used to say: “You can’t be a heel! I don’t want it, why are they turning you; I don’t want you as a heel!” Then, he ended up coming back to me and saying: “Why were you ever a babyface — you should have always been a heel!” Maria helped in that. You always want that one person that if you’re gonna make a turn, you’re gonna want to make the biggest impact possible — which, at the time, beating down Maria was making the biggest impact possible.”
Diva Search And Beyond: “I knew I liked her in the Diva Search, but then I remember watching her in the DVD, I don’t remember which one it was, but anyway, she ended up giving me a shout out. She was saying something about my body, and how cool she thought I was, and I was like: “Alright, I knew I liked this girl.” The friendship formed and the friendship hasn’t ended. I don’t think that it ever will.”
The USA Network has issued a press release touting that Monday’s episode of WWE RAW (to be taped Saturday night) will be one of the anchors of their New Years Eve programming:
“The Superstars and Divas from the World Wrestling Entertainment Universe take the stage in front of thousands in attendance at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC and millions watching at home. Monday Night Raw continues to be the most watched regularly scheduled year-round program on basic cable television and recently celebrated its 1,000th episode. Raw Superstars include John Cena, C.M. Punk, A.J. Lee, Daniel Bryan, Kane, The Miz, Eve, and Zack Ryder.”
WWE.com has published Part 2 of their recent interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Paul Heyman Being A Genius “I always give credit to Paul for helping me to understand what a promo was. And giving me a chance to cut them and giving me the confidence and the platform to cut promos. Man, if it hadn’t been for Paul Heyman offering me a job in ECW, I don’t know if “Stone Cold” would have ever been.”
“You look at those rosters they used to have down in ECW, and they had some damn good talent, and they also had a bunch of misfits. Damn near all of them? Damn good promos.”
“And that was a product of working with Paul Heyman, and Paul Heyman working — however he worked — with each individual talent. I can’t speak to that because I only know how Paul worked with me, but you look at all the great promos that came out of that territory, and I remember watching ECW when I could find it on TV and watching a lot of the old VHS tapes or whatever it was back in the day. Man, that was a badass show with a lot of energy, a lot of attitude and testosterone.”
“Paul Heyman — I give him that “G” word. I give him that “genius” word. I got nothing but respect for that guy. He’s an old buddy from back in the day, when we met in WCW and he was my manager and we drove down the road together.””
If John Cena Would Succeed In The Attitude Era: “Yeah, had he been placed in it, and been dealt with accordingly, the John Cena you see now — the face of the franchise, the leader of the pack? Not so much. But I guarantee if you’d have gotten him face to face with “Stone Cold” in an interview, and you know John cuts a good interview himself, if I slapped the s*** out of that son of a b****, I think we’re off and running to make a lot of money.”
“All he needs is to be poked and prodded in the right way. I think John Cena has a hell of a lot of fire and he needs to be in the ring with the right opponent, or the right cat, to bring that out. So in the current environment, you really don’t see that in him.”
“Place [Cena] back 10 years in the ring with “Stone Cold”? You’d have rung the cash register, big time.”
To read what Steve Austin said about working with Bret Hart, his thoughts on “Superstar” Billy Graham and his favorite moment in pro wrestling history, head over to WWE.com to for the full interview.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
The Highlight of his Year: “Been asked the highlight of my WWE year and without question it was being afforded the opportunity by WWE upper management to broadcast the HIAC bout at WM28 featuring the Undertaker, HHH and @ShawnMichaels. Big time bucket list memory for me and a night that I’ll always fondly remember. I’m hopeful that I can call one bout at WM29 just to be a part of the event. Many of us worked some amazing hours over the years to contribute to building this amazing event.
When I sit back and see where WrestleMania has come since I made my debut in Vegas at WM9, I am honestly amazed. I see continued use of stadiums for future WrestleMania events and hope that I can be a small part of the proceedings for as long as I’m able. It’s our Super Bowl and who wouldn’t want to be associated with the biggest event in our profession? Old players still like to play.”
Advice For Young Talent: “If I were a young in ring talent in today’s word (no jokes please), then DVD study of my predecessors would be a a regular part of my weekly routine just as is going to the gym and eating smartly. Some talents will spend more time ‘tanning,’ playing video games, etc than watching the work of stars of previous generations which is somewhat pathetic when one thinks about it.”
On Monday’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW, Ryback interrupted a promo by CM Punk and Paul Heyman to once again challenge Punk to a TLC match for the WWE Championship at the first live RAW of 2013 on January 7th. You can see video of that challenge below.
WWE officials are still going back and forth as to whether the CM Punk vs. Ryback TLC match will actually take place on the show. CM Punk is still scheduled to defend the WWE Championship match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble, so he won’t be dropping the title to Ryback on 1/7.
Ryback losing another WWE Championship match is also not doing his character’s momentum any favors. The TLC stipulation would allow for Ryback to lose the match without getting pinned or submitting, but the possibility remains that the match somehow does not take place.
The Rock being in the house adds another dimension to the Punk vs. Ryback TLC match. While there are no plans for Ryback to wrestle The Rock any time soon, the “possibility” of Ryback defeating CM Punk for the WWE Championship to set up a Ryback vs. Rock match is something WWE is sure to tease that night.
Here’s the video from RAW of Ryback’s latest challenge to Punk:
– WWE.com has posted a new “Where Are They Now” feature looking at Scotty 2 Hotty, which you can view here. The article notes that the former WWE superstar is currently training for a new career as a firefighter.
– This Friday on the JBL & Cole Show, their guest will be the Great Khali. Michael Cole noted on Twitter that Khali will be there to teach them the “secrets to tweeting.”
– Speaking of Michael Cole, some of his commentary from Monday’s Christmas Eve edition of RAW was taped from his home, where he has a full recording studio set up.
– Tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event will feature a battle royal to determine a new #1 contender to Antonio Cesaro’s United States Title and tag team action featuring 3MB’s Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre vs. Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel.
– Here is the first trailer video for the WWE Studios film The Marine 3 starring The Miz:
– After taking a break for Christmas, WWE is back on the road tonight with the first WWE Holiday Tour shows. RAW is in Detroit, Michigan while SmackDown is in Chicago, IL. Top matches on the RAW card include John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler, Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz, The Shield vs. Ryback & Team Hell No and more. SmackDown will be headlined by Sheamus vs. Big Show.
Former WWE tag team champions the New Age Outlaws return to action tonight in Detroit, wrestling Team Rhodes Scholars. “Road Dogg” BG James wrote this on Twitter about the Outlaws riding again tonight:
Tonight, in Detroit rock city, the Outlaws ride again! Team Rhodes Scholars will be educated; Old School Education. #NAO#DGenerationX
– NXT champion Big E. Langston has been added to the Superstars section of WWE.com.
– Last Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, a replay of Tuesday’s live special, drew 1.85 million viewers. With the original Tuesday airing drawing 3.33 million viewers, that brings the total viewership to 5.18 million. The previous week drew 2.63 million viewers.
– Monday’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW scored a Trendrr.tv social media score of 114,187. This was enough to make the show the #1 most socially active show on cable for the night, but was also the lowest score of the 3-hour RAW era, due to the holiday.
– With the recent announcement that WWE video game publisher THQ has filed for bankruptcy, WWEGaming.com reports that next year’s WWE ’14 game will be released as planned.
The site notes that despite the company’s perilous financial situation, there is enough money budgeted to develop next year’s installment of the game. No word yet on the game’s theme, but we can confirm that it’s currently in development.
